Hunting a Whisper [Private with Vera]

[Professor W B Copperfield]

"So you're telling me, that I get a week vacation and I get to leave on the schools dime?" Copperfield asked.

"Er, it's not a vacation." Spoke the smart-looking attendant at the CCTS tower. "It's a job, and you'll only be gone for the time it takes to complete the mission. Also yes, the school will pay for your transportation."

"It gets me out of teaching and grading papers." Copperfield said, "That's vacation enough. I'll take it! So, where am I going?"

The attendant adjusted her glasses. "Mistral."


"So that's how I got myself into this mess." He said to Vera, his girlfriend. She was also another teacher at Beacon. "There's some elusive Grimm plaguing the nearby towns and the higherups want me to investigate it. Seems like local legend kept the Grimm a myth until it was photographed. So... that's why you won't see me for a couple of days."

[Vera Noire]

Véra listened curiously to his explanation as they sat in her office between classes. It all seemed like she was understanding and accepting, given the role of Huntsmen in society it was to be expected for such things to occur. It was when he mentioned the words "elusive Grimm" that her ears perked up and her eyes seemed to sparkle excitedly.

"Tell me more," she said, almost struggling to control her voice level from her visible excitement. He had touched on a subject of expertise for her and the thought of studying a new or rare Grimm had her giddy.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

He had her hooked. "Well, from the photgraph it seems to be small, like the size of a household pet. Accounts of voices of people, both alive and dead, drawing people into danger. So this thing is intelligent and has unique powers... Which I don't think you've documented anything like it, right?" He lifted an eyebrow, a smirk evident on his face.

"While I don't want to spend more school money than is needed," he blatently lied, "A getaway where you can study something new and we have a week to ourselves in Mistral sounds... Well, wanna come along?"

[Vera Noire]

Véra listened closely to his explanation and felt a shiver run down her spine that caused her tail to extend and puff up as she realized what exactly he was talking about. Having gone to Haven Academy when she was a student, she recalled rumors about lights in the swamps that would lure travelers to their doom. Ghostly voices. Rumors that it was the work of Grimm. "You're chasing Wisps?!" She exclaimed, slamming her hands on her desk as she stood up.

"I grew up in Anima, so I have known about these things my whole life, but I've never had the opportunity to look into them. Hell yes, I'm coming! This is the opportunity of a lifetime!" She was very excited now, limping over to her bookcase to start doing research.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

He simply leaned against her desk and watched her. She was never more lovely than when she was excited. "Mmmm, alright, I'll let you come along." He said with a flash of teeth. He couldn't stop her from coming now even if he wanted to. "We'll leave tomorrow morning, so make sure to get all the gear you'll need."

~~~~~~~~

Copperfield had been around Mistral. But apparently, the nice cultural centers and beaches weren't where the problems were. Story of his life. Vera and him walked into view of the small town bordering on the swamp where the reports came from. It was sunny here, but beneath the trees it all fell to darkness. Why coudn't this have been some sort of Beach Grimm? Then he would have the excuse to see Vera in a swimsuit, and she could see him. But no.

Swamp time.

"Well, here we are. Just down there." He pointed. "Do you wanna talk with the villagers and get more info? Or head into the swamp and see what we get?"

[Vera Noire]

"The people of Anima know better than to venture into the swamps unprepared. I am no exception," Véra pointed out as she shifted her travel pack. She started walking forward, using her cane for support as she descended toward the village. "We should find out what exactly we're dealing with. The locals are far more reliable than old ghost stories. Besides, I want to make sure we have everything we'll need to survive out there. The Grimm are far from the only dangers in the swamp."

[Professor W B Copperfield]

Copperfield smiled at her as she went on ahead. She was smart, no Huntsman that survived to their age wasn't, but he hadn't seen her in action before, seen her take on a mission. He would have gone in to get more information himself. Knowledge was power, afterall. The professor was happy to see she thought the same.

The village was quite wide, with a thriving fishing business it seemed. Or rather smelled. They probably caught and sold the meat of the things from the swamp, fish and frogs and lizards that varied from the size of cats to cars. But... it was a little quiet.

[Vera Noire]

Véra grimaced at the sign leading into the village that declared its name. Kuronuma, which roughly translated to Black Swamp. A little too on-the-nose for her tastes and extremely ominous. "Named towns often have a blacksmith, and maybe even an inn if we're lucky. Let's look for an inn first to rest and get our bearings while we prepare to enter the swamp. Then I want to check out the blacksmith to get my rapier sharpened professionally."

[Professor W B Copperfield]

Again, Copperfield had the experience to have the same line of thinking. Though her having her rapier not sharpened already made him blink. He wasn't one for blades, unless you counted his cane sword, which he didn't, but he would think that someone who was a blade person would have their's always sharp. But that might be because he was always tinkering and tuning his gear, while a blade could sit in it's scabbard for years as one got comfortable teaching instead of fighting. Maybe it wasn't as surprising as he had thought.

"You know, I could have sharpened your rapier before we left. Or Simab, he could have done it justice." But nothing they could do about it now. "You want to meet me at the Inn then?"

[Vera Noire]

"Remember all those Grimm that attacked us on the long trip here from Mistral?" Véra pointed out. "A rapier's edge is fine and easily dulled. I want it to be as sharp as possible before we head into the swamp. Also, no, I'd like to set this bag down as soon as I can. My shoulders are getting stiff." She flicked her tail and looked around for an inn they could stay at, ready to unload her gear and relax for an hour or so after the long journey. Anima was a stupidly big continent and they couldn't exactly bring an airship all the way here from Mistral due to the terrain and how dangerous it was near the swamp lands, so they'd had to come, at least part of the way, on foot.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

He nodded. "An Inn, then." He had already gotten to details for lodging from the CCTV tower gal, and set off ahead of Vera, leading them to their building. Vera was his girlfriend and there were things women shouldn't have to do. Call him sexist or a pig or old fashioned, he didn't care. However, Vera was a big girl and could handle herself. Plus he wasn't sure yet just how she'd take him offering to carry her bag for her. Well, best to learn now, he supposed. "Want me to carry your bags, Vera? Your shoulders look tired." He said over his shoulder. "I can give you a little masssage once we get a room, if you'd like."

[Vera Noire]

Véra looked at Copper's bag and bit her lip, feeling a pang of guilt at entertaining the idea of hoisting her burden onto him. "I can handle it," she said, shifting her pack again and trying to keep up, but she slipped her hand into his and purred as they walked. "You're sweet for offering though, and I will gladly take a massage when we get there."

[Professor W B Copperfield]

Of course, she wouldn't be one to put her burdens on someone else. She was a huntress, and a good woman. Squeezing her hand back, he felt that purr through her arm. "Then one massage, coming right up."

They arrived at the inn, a small thing for a out-of-the-way town, and rested for a short while from their travels before heading out to the Blacksmith's. Copperfield kept his eye out the whole time, keeping watch for any of these small Grim that were reported.

[Vera Noire]

Véra walked with a spring in her step as though her limp were practically non-existant now after a nice massage to ease her aches and pains from the journey. Additionally, she was in a fantastic mood because this expedition was her opportunity to study Grimm that had been thus far completely undocumented and only mentioned in urban legends and ghost stories told throughout the continent of Anima. She, with Copper's help, would be the first person to study Wisps if they truly exist, and she couldn't be any more excited. For now though, preparation was key to survival and the first step was to make sure her weapon was well maintained and ready to fight anything the swamp could throw at them.

It wasn't long before they found the blacksmith's shop. It was a proper shop, with weapons and armor lined up on display racks. Of course there weren't any advanced weapons to be found, since common civilians would only be able to use simple weapons such as swords and axes to defend themselves, unlike Huntsmen and Huntresses who built their weapons themselves. Nevertheless arms and armor were important tools for survival in such a harsh land, and even professionals like her needed to visit a smith every now and then to keep her equipment maintained or repaired. When she entered the shop, however, it wasn't the smith she found at the counter, but rather another customer waiting.

The swish of silver hair as the woman turned in reaction to the noise of the door opening. Fair skin and the youthful complexion of a woman in her twenties. A flash of silver eyes that seemed to dilate at what they saw. She was rather pretty, her silver bangs framed her face it came into view. She wore a black kimono with a dark grey hakama and a silver obi at her waist, a pair of empty sheathes tucked into it. Her sheathes were black as well with intricate designs along them, one in gold and one in silver. They seemed rather bulky though as if they were more than ordinary sword sheathes, especially the silver-decorated one which had a strange trigger built into it. Over her kimono, she wore a haori that hung down to her thighs, dark blue that faded to a deep purple with a pattern of stars across it and a simplified version of Remnant's shattered crescent moon in the center of her back in silver, the unmistakeable crest of the Tsukimoto family.

Véra's cane fell from her hand, the metal clattering loudly on the wood floor. Her ears flattened against her skull and she seemed almost nervous. "S-Silver..." she stammered in recognition, eyes wide. "Véra.... san...." the silver-eyed woman muttered, also clearly in shock.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

Vera had brightened up considerably after the massage. Just goes to show what relieving tension can do for a woman.

The blacksmith was fairly standard, and the wares on display was enough evidence to suggest that the rapier could get a good sharpening here. And then there was the woman. A customer, covered in black and purple with the accents of silver and gold. And a lot of fabric in the traditional Mistral fashion. The sword sheath had a trigger, meaning something beyond this shop and possible Huntsman material. He didn't know her, and thought she was quite pretty.

Look, he loved Vera a lot and it only grew by the day, but he could still appreciate when someone was good-looking!

In the middle of justifying himself to himself, Vera's cane clattered to the floor. He shot a glance to see if she was alright, when she had the look of utter shock on her face and her ears flattened back. She didn't look scared, but heavily surprised, possibly in a bad way. Someone in her past? Definently. Good guy, or bad guy? Couldn't tell. As shocked to see Vera? Absolutely. Nevertheless he prepared his Semblance, ready to blast the whole building to pieces if need be.

"Vera?" He asked, "Who's this?"

[Vera Noire]

At hearing those words, the woman, Silver, seemed to register Copperfield's presence. They both seemed to recover their wits at hearing his words as Véra's ears returned to normal and she seemed to regain her composure, stooping down to retrieve her cane. "An old acquaintance of mine," she said, clearing her throat to get her voice back under control. "I am Silver Tsukimoto," the woman introduced herself before Véra could say any more. "She's the younger sister of my... my ex," she said, a hint of guilt in her voice that Silver definitely noticed and grimaced at. "Oniichan's ex, after he died, she means," Silver said. If words could be daggers, Véra would definitely be on the floor bleeding out based on her reaction.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

They knew eachother, but Copperfield cared very little for how Vera was getting hurt through this. He stepped closer and put an arm around her lightly. It was to both try to comfort her as well as show to Silver that someone else had taken the old ex's place. "Why don't you go back to the inn, I can commission the edge." He said a little quieter, giving Vera a way out of she didn't care to interact with this person.

[Vera Noire]

"I'm fine," Véra said to him, seeming to relax as she felt his arm around her. "It's.. good to see you, Silver." Her eyes were drawn to the woman's swordless sheathes, quickly putting 2 and 2 together. "I see you've become quite the Huntress. I'm sure Sterling would be proud to see the woman you've become. I know I am." Silver blushed slightly at that and seemed to relax as well. "What are you even doing here anyways? I thought you retired to live in Menagerie and raise that kid you adopted?" Silver asked. Véra beamed in response to that, and proceeded to boast about her son. "He's all grown up now, and a student at Beacon Academy," she said proudly. "In fact I've actually come out of retirement to teach at Beacon which is why I'm here to study rare Grimm."

Silver's eyes seemed to sparkle at that last point and she grinned. "Maybe you can help me then. I got a contract to investigate strange Grimm sightings in this area. Some kind of new Grimm or so the rumors claim. There's a hefty bonus for slaying it, enough that I wouldn't mind splitting the reward." "Interesting proposal. We're also here to investigate sightings of a rare and potentially undocumented Grimm. It may be that we're hunting the same target so we'd benefit from working together. What do you think, dear?" Véra asked, turning to get Copper's opinion on the proposal.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

Copperfield would never understand women. First he thought they had bad history, that this Silver didn't like Vera, and that they'd be throwing barbs and then fists. But then they quickly became friendly with on another, offering to help the other with the job.

He had read an article once that said that when women have a conversation, they're communicating on five levels. They follow the conversation that they're actually having, the conversation that is specifically being avoided, the tone being applied to the overt conversation, the buried conversation that is being covered only in subtext, and finally the other person's body language.

That was, on many levels, astounding to him. That's like having a freaking superpower. When Copperfield, and most other people with a Y chromosome, have a conversation, they're having a conversation. Singular. They're paying attention to what is being said, considering that, and replying to it.

He had no idea what went between these two, but it suddenly wasn't a hostile environment. He cooled down on his Semblance, letting the built up energy disipate.

"Uh, well, more hands less work I suppose." He blinked. "And we don't know what we're dealing with aside from something that can mimic voices and draw people in, possibly a memetic hazard. More people means more safety." He reasoned. "Welcome aboard, Silver. Call me Copperfield." He stuck his hand out to be shaken.

[Vera Noire]

Rather than shake his hand, Silver bowed politely in greeting, as was customary in many parts of Anima, including her homeland further east. "It's nice to meet you, Copperfield-san." As she said that, the blacksmith came out of the back carrying a pair of swords on a cloth. "Here you go, ma'am, nice and sharp," he said. Silver turned and studied his handiwork, a smile gracing her lips. "They're perfect," she said as she took the blades and sheathed them, the shorter of the two sliding into the golden sheath as her obvious off-hand weapon. Her business concluded, she stepped aside to let them go next. "So what can I do for you fine folk?" the blacksmith asked, addressing Véra and Copperfield. "I'd like to get my rapier sharpened, please," Véra answered as she stepped forward, cane tapping on the wooden floor as she walked. He told her what it would cost and she handed over the Lien before drawing her rapier from its sheath and handing it over for him to inspect. "This is a fine weapon, ma'am. Shouldn't take more than an hour to sharpen and polish."

[Professor W B Copperfield]

Right, bowing. The social confusion had made him revert to his default greeting, despite the fact that he knew the customs of Mistral, having lived here for a couple of years. He stuck his hand back in his pocket. He thought about asking how Silver knew Vera, but already had that answer. He also knew why she was here. Soo.. next logical question down the list was...

"Got any info yet on the Grimm? Or did you just arrive?"

An hour to sharpen? They should have commisioned it first, then had the massage.

[Vera Noire]

"I only arrived today, and the only thing I've learned is the last sighting was several miles east of here. Deep in the swamp," Silver answered. "It will be a dangerous journey through the swamp so I recommend having a good meal now while you're in town, as it may very well be your last." While that was quite ominous, it was also true, the swamp was an incredibly dangerous place, especially at night. They'd be surviving on rations while they were in the swamp, so this was their last chance to enjoy a proper meal for a while. Véra turned to look at Copper, the look in her eyes saying it all: she wanted to eat something while they waited.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

He looked from Silver to Vera, and understood the look. "Well then Silver, we have an hour to kill and local cuisine to sample. It was nice meeting you, but I have a kitten to feed. We'll meet you later in about an hour." He turned and left with an arm around Vera, looking out to find some good food.

[Vera Noire]

Véra shot him an annoyed look as that word left his lips and she elbowed him in the hip to complain silently. Silver didn't seem to notice and bid them farewell for now. "If you need me I'm staying at the inn in town, so you're most likely to find me there," she explained. She waved goodbye as they left to go find food.

[Professor W B Copperfield]

He gave her a snarky flash of a smile as reply to her elbow. "Yup, the inn. Keep your eyes open, Silver." He bade her farewell, still smiling underneath as he and Vera left.

The village, though bordering on a swamp, was obviously well fed. Catfish and frogs and some kind of swamp variant of shrimp, which he was pretty sure was closer to being a bug than a fish, were being sold everywhere. Apparently rabbits have competition for their 'world's top breeders' championship belt. He wished there was a Burger Queen around, but he eventually settled on a little noodle shop, hoping he could get something with pork or chicken or beef instead of fish. He was disappointed to find out "Water Chicken" was a local term for some fish. The noodles were hot and good, however, and the broth only smelled vaguely fishy. "We're eating hamburgers first thing when we get back to civilization." He complained quietly as they ate.

There was a general quietness about the place. Or rather somberness. People going missing can do that in small towns. Everyone knew everyone in communities like this. A kid going missing wasn't just something in the newspaper for them, a husband beating their wife wasn't a cautionary tale. Those were people they knew, could identify exactly who was the victim. So the recent disappearances along with a true Grimm sighting would make them tense and sad at the same time. This legend that must have sparked curiosity and wonder, though a dark tale, was now associated with the enemies of their race. And the bloody truth of what happens to those who fall to Grimm was dawning on them as well.

With a deep breath once his meal was finished, Copperfield put his chopsticks together, laid them ontop of the bowl, and stood up from the table. He took it back to the bar, handing it over to the chef to be cleaned. "So," he began, leaning on the bar once it was taken away. It wasn't like there was a lot of other people around to tend to. "So, Who went missing?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dammit," Copperfield wiped a big glob of greenish-brown mud off his coat. He needed to do it far more than once to improve his situation. "The leather is not going to like all this..." Not to mention all the rest of his gear. The humidity and dirt would get into every possible crevice possible to ride home with him. He'd need to do some serious deep cleaning afterwards, maybe use some of the Fire Dust in oven in his coat to heat-bake the mud off. That would mean some more rethreading, but might make it easier...

The trek through the swamp was worse than the treks through Vacuo's deserts or the Atlesian tundra, but not by much. They all sucked, sucked donkey wang, but these swamps were the worst. Mostly because he happened to be in them right now and not in the others. But the mosquitoes weren't really welcome, and the random pitfalls were a dirt floor turned out to be soft mud that would take him down to his knee were unpleasant, and the prospect of having to clean everything later was eye-rolling.

"Anyone see or hear anything yet?" He complained to the two women, pulling himself out of another pothol that threatened to steal his boot from him. He wrestled with the swamp for a moment. Copperfield won.