Bandages and Bruises [Private w/ Nym Magenta]

[Terra Fennel]

Terrifying and awe-inspiring was the only way the wolf could describe the event some of the professors were supervising. Numerous upperclassmen from years three and four were putting their skills on display today to show what would be expected of students as they progressed in their studies of Beacon. Each participant had their pride on the line as their peers and underclassmen sat around the combat arena watching them battle to determine a winner. Barriers were in place to stop the audience from getting caught in the crossfire, but it didn't stop students from gasping as the final match came to a close with one participant taking a direct hit and being flung at the crowd only to strike the barrier. The retort of gunfire and clash of blades still rung in her ears even as others murmured between one another about what they'd seen.

“And the winner of the last match is Nym Magenta.” Golden eyes went wide as recognition sunk in. Nym Magenta, Ax's actual partner, was the woman who wielded that horrific chainsword, but the detail that caught her attention the most was a pair of ears and a tail... Was that why Ax didn't so much as flinch at seeing she had two, nevermind that many of the students didn't seem to care beyond her being a faunus? The rockatoo had been kind of strangely vague about her, and she'd never found the courage to ask why. There'd been too many other things to talk about.

A quick glance between the two combatants alleviated a brief bit of concern. Her opponent was already being checked by medics, but none were double checking Nym? Well, it was true that she hadn't been flung into a protective barrier after a direct hit, or hit with a chain sword. She likely wasn't even injured, but it did give her an excuse she hadn't even considered needing a moment ago. Terra rose from her seat and pushed past some of her peers, some quite literally as an open palm squished someone's face as they had started to lean forward. A few curses left their lips a few moments later, but she'd already broken free of other people.

Now that she was free of the other students and just a couple feet away from Nym as she was leaving the arena, her initial impulse almost died as she struggled to find her voice. “Um- Uh... Nym, if you'd like since the other medics are checking up on your opponent, I can give you a quick check over, patch you up if you need it, and maybe we can talk?” It was hard to fight against her nerves. This girl was a real fighter, and that weapon was more than a little intimidating in its own right. There was also the sudden realization that her impulsiveness could make her seem like a creep. Especially if Ax had simply not mentioned the wolf faunus medic she'd been paired with once.

[Nym Magenta]

Sweat dripped off of Nym's chin as she watched her opponent fly towards the barrier of the arena, her chainsaw flew with him pushing him against the open air until he was pinned to the wall, propelled by an all new device that she could use to control it's flight. It didn't take long to grind his aura down to nothing and pull her weapon back, catching it with relative ease as it sailed into her hands. It had been a close match, closer than it should have been. Her opponent wasn't unskilled, hardly anyone at Beacon was, but she was still getting used to using her new flight controls. It didn't always go exactly where she wanted it to, when she wanted it to. Practice was the only thing that would work that out, and that meant taking risks in real fights, real mock fights anyways.

But she could take risks. Fighting was how she survived. Learning her opponents tactics and habits, trying not to reveal any of her own without purpose, striking with fury and moving with speed, they were things she'd been taught to do by a master huntsman and had been putting into practice for years. Now she was getting tutelage from more than one master huntsman. She'd advanced lightyears since coming to Beacon! As evidenced by the fact that she could still take pretty wild risks and come out on top against her peers.

Her chainsaw retracted into it's neutral state as she turned towards the arena exit. She'd suffered a few minor scraps and bruises, but she didn't need any attention from the school's staff. Her mind lingered on the match, searching for mistakes she'd made, openings she'd failed to capitalize on or left for her opponent, asking herself how she could win faster, how could she win while taking fewer hits? What would you do the second time around? She reached into the pockets of her school uniform's pants, thanking the stars that she'd opted to go for the male uniform. It had useable pockets, and also wasn't a skirt.

“Um- Uh... Nym"

Her ears perked up as she turned her head towards whoever had just called her name. The voice and face weren't familiar, but she was quickly wishing they were. This girl was cute. Sandy blonde hair, freckles dotting her petite little face, the tufts of obviously well groomed fur sticking up from her ears, and the fact that she was just a hair taller than Nym all added up to an adorable sum of parts. Nym was vaguely aware that the girl had asked her something, wracking her brain to find an answer for her. What had she asked?

The fox faunus blinked. "Er..." Well, if cute girls wanted to talk to her, who was she to say no? She didn't really need a medic, but she did like attention, and this sounded a little more like her trying to say hello and start a conversation than having a genuine concern for Nym's health. "Sure, love, c'mere, 's an empty classroom right 'round the corna'." If they were gonna talk, Nym wanted to sit down right now. She gestured for the wolf to follow her as she briskly lead the pair to a now vacant classroom that was very close. "No class in 'ere 'till t'morrow. Jus' need somewhere t' siddown," Nym explained before doing just that, taking the chair behind the professor's table and plopping down heavily. "Grab yerself a chair if ya like, don' think yer gonna be checkin' me out fer long." She had a couple bruises and scrapes, but nothing that her aura wouldn't heal on it's own. They'd be uncomfortable, but they were hardly a serious concern.

[Terra Fennel]

The brief confusion that welcomed her rather sudden appearance wasn't unexpected, but she was visibly relieved when she wasn't told to screw off. “R-right. That sounds fine.” She wasn't dressed like one of the official medics, instead still wearing a normal Beacon uniform but with a medical kit on one hip and her pistol on the other, so the chance had been there. Maybe that would have been for the better, because while the plan had quickly become to get a chance to talk with Nym while doing a quick after fight check-up, she didn't actually know what to talk to her about. An answer that didn't become any clearer as she followed after Nym to the empty classroom.

“I guess your opponent certainly took the worst of that match so you're probably right and this is mostly a formality. That final attack was particularly brutal. It's no wonder why they were giving him all the medical attention.” Truly, he could probably benefit from her attentions more than a mildly bruised fox, but there was no harm in at least making sure it was just a few bruises. There were certain wounds that aura was slower to heal. Damage from dust, and broken bones just to name a few. Terra's eyes were sharp and focused as she took a few steps around the fox looking where she'd seen blows land, not reaching out to touch unless something seemed truly wrong.

“Most the matches were pretty close from what I could tell, so I expected you to be a bit worse off than it appears you are. Almost feels like I'm wasting your time...” It wasn't like she was missing something. She could feel that Nym's aura was still strong even without reaching out with her semblance. Sure, there were places where it was focused but that was normal for bruised skin, which seemed to be the worst of it. Terra scrunched up her face a little as she did one final pass, a flicker of lavender aura appearing at the edges of her eyes as she tried to visualize what she was feeling. “I was also hoping to talk with you a bit and... well hopefully get to know you a little better.”

[Nym Magenta]

"S'okay, yer not wastin' my time or nothin'." Contrary to popular belief, Nym did like to get to know new people. She was just perpetually afraid of making the first move. While she'd gained a great deal of confidence in her ability to be social over the course of the last three years, she was still behind the curve! She still had a habit of using slang that no one understood or occasionally saying something wildly out of place. "I don' 'ave anotha' class t'day. That exhibition was the last thing fer me t' do, n'...well, yeah, 'e really was worse fer wear than me. I don' usually 'ave that much trouble takin' someone out, but that flyin' trick y' saw was new n' 'm still practicin' gettin' the catchin', throwin', aimin' right. Would'a been ova' 'bout thirty seconds faster if-"

Nym stiffened. She'd been raising her arms to lace them behind her head, but her arm stopped and she blanched as it neared shoulder height. "Bloody...did I tear..." Her eyes turned to her right shoulder as she gingerly lowered it and lifted it only to stop again and suck in a breath of air. "Yes, yes I did. Piss." She lowered her arm down. It was annoying, but not the end of the world. It was probably a torn rotator cuff or some muscle in her delts that was overworked from catching the saw at an odd angle. She'd have to work on catching it more naturally. "Well, wouldn' mind some pain killa's if ya got 'em." She'd just have to be careful with her shoulder for a few hours and her aura would heal it on it's own. As long as she wasn't trying to perform any gymnastics it would go away eventually.

[Terra Fennel]

“That's good. Wouldn't do to do that.” Terra shook her head as it started to ache and the lavender aura at the corners of her eyes faded. It was possible to visualize someone's aura when she'd made a connection through her semblance, to see the flow of aura as it moved through a living thing, but it seemed beyond her reach without tying her aura to someone else. Maybe one day, but not today. There were too many potential side effects to do use her semblance without permission, and it didn't make sense to do it merely to search for a mild injury. It was far easier to visualize the sudden stiffness as Nym raised her arms.

“I've not met many people who can recognize their own torn muscle or tendon that easily, or are willing to test their range of motion themselves. People tend to let pain discourage them from that type of thing.” The sound of a zipper punctuated her sentence, and she answered Nym's request with a small packet of pain killers that she offered to the fox. “Unfortunately I'm not allowed to carry anything too strong unless I'm on a mission yet, but that should ease it a bit. I can speed up the healing process, or just apply some cold if you'd prefer.”

[Nym Magenta]

Nym gingerly shrugged her good arm at Terra's comment. "Tear somethin' often 'nuff you'll jus' know what's wrong from 'ow it 'urts t' move it. 'M jus' lucky I don' 'ave t' go to a doc or nothin'." It didn't seem like she was that tough just experimenting with what hurt and what didn't. Knowing how to self-diagnose an injury was a good skill to have, or at least being able to know how to limit yourself so you don't make it worse! She sighed in mild disappointment, knowing that Terra wasn't likely to be carrying any real opioids with her. She waved away the pills with her good arm. The good stuff wasn't the kind of thing you just handed out like candy. "Do yer worst then, doc," she said with a sly grin, inviting Terra to try her hand at patching her shoulder. She couldn't possibly make it worse, could she?

"Whatcha wanna talk t' me for? I ain't about t' look a pretty gift-wolf in the mouth, but I usually don' get a lotta cute girls askin' me out." It was always boys. They were always awkward about it too! It become blindingly obvious they were leading in to shooting their shot. It became difficult for Nym to be patient with them sometimes and not just tell them to get on with it already. Sometimes she did! They weren't always so bad. Some were cute enough to give serious consideration, but a lot of the time it was just annoying. Terra wasn't being annoying, though, not yet at least!

[Terra Fennel]

That was usually how it was, and she could understand why as she put them away. The most common painkiller was fine for a headache, cramps, or mild soreness of the muscles, but they did little for the deeper pain, of fractured and broken bone, torn muscles, or other serious injuries. Without aura, Nym's injury would be a weeks long recovery forcing limited motion in the best of cases. Aura helped with their resilience and recovery, but not the pain that came with it. Students like the two of them merely adjusted to the pain and convinced themselves it wasn't that bad because of how temporary it would be.

“So, I should probably explain a little bit as I go to work. I don't want you caught off guard by anything, especially my semblance as I take care of you. You'll feel a bit of cold first as I use ice dust to cool the area to help with pain and inflammation from the injury. Once that's done, I'll start to use my semblance to guide your aura to more quickly and easily heal the injury. It's a minor one so only should take a couple seconds at most once I get started. My semblance can cause a bit of an empathetic link, and different people react differently to this as it can be a somewhat intimate feeling.” Terra stepped closer and gently placed one hand on Nym's upper arm and one on her shoulder, careful to not apply force. Normally she'd move to stand behind her patient, but she'd come to this young woman to talk as well.

“As for what I wanted to talk about, I was actually paired with your partner Ax on a mission where a first year shadows a more experienced student. Your name came up briefly, and because there was a little talk about teams, I wanted to meet you and see what kind of person you were.” A faint lavender then blue light glowed behind Terra's ear as she pulled on the energy within the crystal hidden there. A gentle cold spread from her hands. Her eyes flicked between Nym's face and her shoulder as she worked trying to be aware of any discomfort. It was hard to ignore how pretty the girl was as she worked. “I know the mission was awhile ago, but the chance seemed as good as any, and it seems like I'll actually get to help you a little.”

[Nym Magenta]

She was a talker. Or maybe she was just nervous and tended to talk a lot when she was. Or maybe this spiel of hers was well rehearsed. Emotional semblances came with their own introductions, it seemed. She'd seen Ax give enough lectures about it by now to understand why. No one liked to feel as if they were having their emotions preyed on. Nym knew that she was particularly sensitive to this kind of thing, by now. It wasn't the same when Ax was around. The bird's semblance could provide a considerable amount of interference and defense against emotional or psychological effects from others, but that effect only lasted as long as she was nearby. Nym could more readily identify when her emotions weren't her own thanks to repeated exposure, but that didn't make her any less vulnerable to them. "Don' worry, I'll prob'ly be fine."

Her reason for wanting to talk piqued Nym's interest. Ax had mentioned that outing with Terra, but it had been so long ago that the conversation had faded from memory. The idea of making a team was a little intimidating. She didn't know anyone but Ax well enough to want to team up with them and now a first year student was coming right at her with ideas of joining up.

"Don' take this th' wrong way, love, but...I don' know ya well 'nuff t' be on a team witcha. Ax didn' 'ave nothin' bad t'say 'bout you, n' that counts fer somethin' t' me, but..." She trailed off. Terra hadn't actually said anything about making a team, had she? "Well, this 'ere's a start." No reason to be overly negative about just talking! If Terra was someone to be worried about, Ax would have warned her. "Whatcha' wanna know?"

[Terra Fennel]

How she wished she could take comfort in Nym's confidence that she'd be fine. There were plenty of resilient people, students and those from before who had reacted strangely. A star filled gaze of a man thinking he'd found love, the gradual infatuation, or even a sudden need to embrace her. That poor girl had torn every one of her stitches. Most troubling were those who were closed off, those who had been harmed by some connection. They lashed out with hateful words, or sometimes even violence. Odds were in her favor she could roll out of the way at least if Nym reached for her sword. The girl partners with Ax though...

“And I don't know enough about you to be on a team with you, which is sort of why I wanted to talk.” There was the slightest flick of her ear, a subtle sign of annoyance most humans missed, but maybe Nym wouldn't. It was harder to hide her emotions from someone who shared similar traits. “Ax mentioned during our mission that you two were signed up looking for more. I could have misunderstood, but from some of what we talked about, the idea of a medic on the team seemed interesting to her. We also figured the faculty paired us up because her semblance counters a vulnerability I have.” Somehow she doubted she'd need to be specific.

“So, can we start with why you want to be a huntress? Seems like as good a start as any, and I'm happy to answer questions too you know.” The cold should have eased the pain, so she'd be able to begin with a weaker connection. “I will be using my semblance in three...” She tapped her food for two, one, and then focused her mind to reach out with the threads of aura to gently coax a connection between their auras. With any luck, the more cautious approach would prevent any serious reactions to the connection.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym caught the flick of Terra's ear and the tone of her voice. It was probably a good sign that she was annoyed with the way that Nym had just been talking to her. She hadn't come here with unrealistic expectations and apparently did have some standards for herself. It really was a good start! And she did have a good point. Having someone who was very specifically good at taking care of wounds would have come in handy on numerous occasions for both Ax and Nym. Life threatening injuries were becoming more common for the bird, and Nym was sure it was only a matter of time before her own luck ran thin.

"Why I wanted t'be a huntress, eh?" Nym looked off towards the side, towards the chairs in the room as Terra finished her countdown. That was a hard question to answer. She'd wanted to be one when she was a kid because huntresses were cool and powerful, two things she wasn't. Then she'd wanted to be a huntress because it was the only way she could see herself surviving. The only thing she was good at was violence. Then...she'd saved that girl's life and had her final revelation. She wanted people to look at her the way that rabbit faunus had when Nym saved her life. What was the answer she'd choose to share with this painfully cute wolf faunus?

Nym looked back into Terra's eyes as she tried to settle on an answer. Stars, she really was endearing. Her eyes were the same color as Nym's, but it wasn't at all like looking into a mirror. The little smattering of freckles had Nym thinking about a night sky with a hazy, golden moon hanging low in it. Her heart was starting to thump a little harder in her chest as her cheeks started to heat up. Her fingers twitched as she fought the sudden urge to reach out and touch her. Her throat tightened. She wanted to just tell Terra everything. This bewitchingly beautiful little faunus would understand her, right? She had to. She...

The fox faunus swallowed. It had crept up on her, but she could feel it now, and she could tell it wasn't normal. She was really, madly in love with Terra, and that wasn't possible. She'd only ever felt this feeling for one other person, and it had taken years for it to develop. This wasn't genuine, but it was a perfect facsimile. Her face was blushing. Her ears had flattened and felt like they were on fire. Her tail had curled around into her lap. While she could reason her way to understanding the feeling, she couldn't stop feeling it. "W-..." Her voice cracked. "Bloody fuckin' 'ell, 'm fair dinkum in love with you." She had at least managed to crack a smile and stay in her seat! The suddenness of the emotions had been enough to stun her.

[Terra Fennel]

The sensation of cooling mist around her hands was replaced by a feeling of warmth crawling up her fingers. Soothing, playful, and rough around the edges, and very much Nym. A vivid magenta against the lavender color of her own aura in her mind. The temptation to dive headlong into everything that someone else was always existed, always whispered to her to embrace it and ride the same emotions her semblance brought into existence. It was impossible to prevent feeling the tide of those feelings and sensation around her body and mind. She refused to let her own semblance control her like others could.

“Sorry about that, but it is why I warn people. It can be upsetting, or too intense for some. It will begin to fade the moment I pull my aura from yours.” The wolf could clearly see Nym, and the effect her semblance was having on her. It made her thoughts wander briefly to things that could come from such a connection. Terra closed her eyes and stilled her mind to focus on visualizing the injury, their aura moving as one to repair the damage in the fox's shoulder. A small injury like this took only a matter of moments for her semblance to heal. A deeper wound might be a slight issue to heal on Nym.

“And there we go, you should have full mobility like it never happened.” Terra pulled her hands away, threads of aura resembling a spider's web pulled between her fingertips and the fox's shoulder. One by one each thread faded from existence until they had all vanished. A heavy sigh escaped her, her own cheeks had a slight blush from the effect. Nym responded positively, but intensely. “Better than a painkiller I'd hope.”

[Nym Magenta]

"Yeah, think I would'a figured it out quick 'nuff, but 'm glad I knew it was comin'," she muttered, trying to keep from staring at Terra while the intense feeling of longing in her chest began to slowly fade. She focused her mind on the cool feeling in her shoulder and the subtle movement of her tissues as they repaired themselves with the wolf's help. When Terra announced that she was finished, the heartache was mostly gone. The endorphins remained, though, and Nym couldn't help but feel a little like she'd just spent a couple hours with her best friend. "Much...much better'n a painkilla'," she said, a little more of her normal cadence returning to her voice as the blush in her cheeks became less pronounced. She would take this over painkillers any day. She liked the feeling of being in love. One could definitely become addicted to it.

She still owed Terra an answer. While she didn't feel like spilling her guts in the name of love anymore, she did feel like a more honest answer would be fine. "Was the only I was eva' gonna have a future. 'M not good at anythin' b'sides...violence." She'd almost said killing. "And...I also wanted t' be somethin'. 'F that makes any sense. I mean...didn' want t' end up robbin' n' stealin' from people t' scrape a livin' t'getha' until some 'untsman decides I've been makin' too much trouble or I jus' pick the wrong fight n' then 'm just anotha' body in the desert." She stopped inspecting the chairs to look back over at Terra. "That's the short version for ya."

[Terra Fennel]

“Quick enough to stop you from thinking I was trying to pull something? Maybe, but I've already had one split lip this week, I'd rather not risk another.” And certainly not in a way that would make her or Ax think she'd tried to mentally manipulate her way into a team, or Nym's pants. Terra moved a chair in front of Nym and spun it so that the back was facing her so that she could straddle the seat while resting her arms and chin on the back of it. A sandy blonde tail swayed behind her, the sensation of healing someone who reacted how this girl had always put her in a good mood. It felt good to be loved, even if it was for a false moment.

“Makes enough sense to me. There's doing what you have to, to survive, and then there's doing it because it's just become the easiest way to do things.” Terra rolled her shoulder, easing a mimicked soreness that was already rapidly fading. A minor side effect of her semblance, but not a real injury.

“For me, I guess I just wanted to heal and treat the people who do the helping instead of the hurting. There's only so much you can do to tell yourself you're still doing the right thing after all.” It was more than she'd normally share, but if this girl was telling the truth, that meant she'd practically been a bandit. Wasn't that what her group had become? Sure, they claimed they were doing it for a good cause, that everything they stole or took at the point of a sword was going to help them do more, to be more capable of taking the fight to those keeping them down... But did they even remember who that was anymore?

[Nym Magenta]

Nym shook her head at the idea of giving Terra a split lip over some funny feelings. Who would want to harm a hair on that pretty little head? Though the overflowing warmth of love was no longer pouring out of her heart there was a lingering fondness for the girl that didn't seem to fade. Nym had always had a bit of a weakness for cute girls. She watched the tail sway behind her and wondered if Terra was the type to like having it brushed or grabbed or otherwise handled. Her thoughts were only a little slippery with feel-good chemicals. She didn't feel any particular need to needle Terra over the subject.

She did, however, get the distinct impression that Terra was trying to open up without opening up. It was an act that Nym had engaged in many times. The masked message of wanting to change with a vague mention of moral conflict. She was a girl who'd had to do what she had to do to survive. Maybe this was Terra's way of testing the waters. The fox tilted her head. "You don' gotta lie t'me 'bout yer past, y'know. Not that 'm sayin' yer lyin' or anythin', y've barely even said anythin' 'bout it, s'just..." Nym scratched at her fluffy ears. What was a good way to phrase it? "I d'no what you've 'ad t' do or what y've been through t' get 'ere, but I've...prob'ly done worse. Seen worse." Her tone was measured and she kept her gaze steady while she spoke. "'M not sayin' that t' try 'n prove 'ow tough I am or...I d'no, win some kinda trophy, 'm jus' sayin'...I know whatcha mean. About tellin' yerself yer doin' the right thing. 'Bout wantin' t' be helpin' instead'a hurtin'. Don' know 'ow many otha' students 'ere'll get that, but I will, n' I ain't gonna judge ya fer 'avin' t' do whatcha 'ad t' do. And...f'you eva' need someone t' talk to who does get it, come find me, eh?"

Maybe that was a little intense, but someone had given her that kind of helping hand once and she didn't know what she would have done without it. Now she was seeing someone else in the same spot. There were very few things that compelled her to reach out to others, but this? This was one of them. It might have sounded like a big promise she was making, but there was always a chance Terra could totally blow this and Nym would never have to live up to it!

[Terra Fennel]

The wolf would have laughed loud and freely if she knew just how similar her thoughts had been to Nym's own for a moment. Her attention had been drawn to the furred ears on top of Nym's head when the girl had scratched at them, but had moved to take in as much of the girl's tail as well. The way the white fluff inside her ear contrasted so starkly against her black hair and fur was eye catching and cute. That remained true for her tail almost looking as if someone dipped it in white paint. The fur of her tail filled her mind with thoughts of brushing it out like her own and helping the girl get the fur silky and soft. The differences between a wolf faunus and a fox were subtle enough that even they might not be able to recognize them.

Terra couldn't even blame her semblance for being distracted for a few seconds. No, it was just her natural inclination to take in the sights. Still, she'd caught enough of what the fox said that she gave as much of a nod as she could with her chin resting on her arms. “I get it, I know you're not trying to win the world's shittiest competition. You're just trying to be encouraging. Which is a nice change of pace from back... home I guess?” Had Mantle ever really been home? “Nothing like being seen as a sign of bad luck by superstitious assholes and people barely caring about what you can do for them enough to ignore it when it suits them.” If she'd not had her semblance, she doubted her brother would have protected her as much as he did.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym's heart swelled. She wanted to protect this adorable little wolf faunus. It had to be a minor side effect of Terra's semblance, the infatuation souping up her natural inclination to want to help other faunus, but it sounded like this girl had had it rough. Nym wanted to pick her up in a hug and tell her everything was alright. Experience told her that would not be very appreciated coming out of the blue from a stranger like her.

"Don' know 'ow anyone'd call you bad luck. I'd say 'm gettin' some good luck right now, one on one time with a cute little wolf faunus who jus' wants t' get t' know me betta'. Can't say that sounds bad t' me." Nym said it with a wry grin. "Even patched me up a bit. Only way I could'a been luckier's if y'd 'ad t' kiss it betta'." Old habits died hard, and Nym would probably die before she stopped flirting with girls that she thought were cute.

[Terra Fennel]

There were little signs, small and inconsequential to most people, but they read like a book to the wolf who'd grown so accustomed to looking for signs of her semblance changing someone. Nym was just as susceptible to those influences as she was, wasn't she? There wasn't anything she could do about it now, but she could at least be a little more careful in the future. Maybe rely on her dust more when healing her if they ended up on a team? Though if Nym didn't seem to care, did it matter? The fox wasn't the only one seeing a bit of luck.

“You know, if you'd asked for it, I might have just done it that way.” Terra drew her finger across her lips creating a few threads of aura that resembled stitches holding her lips closed only to vanished when she smiled. “I'm not too surprised you wouldn't see me as bad luck. At least not for the same reason they did.” A sandy blonde tail flicked to one side before going back to swaying slowly behind her. They'd have seen this girl as bad luck too. A sign that they really might be the animals humans claimed them to be, and all because she happened to be born with furred ears paired with that lovely tail.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym laughed at the ephemeral stitches Terra drew across her lips. That was a neat little trick. Sometimes she wished she had a few more parlor tricks that she could do with her own semblance, but as it stood she only had the one. "'Dorable, you are," she stated plainly. "Don' think I've met anyone 'round 'ere who thought I was bad luck. Seen a few 'andfuls of students who don' take too kindly t' faunus, but...they don' really botha' me much no more." She hadn't had much trouble with racists since her first year at Beacon. There was the occasional first year who bit off more than they could chew, but they usually only made that mistake once.

"You wan' me t' keep callin' you cute, or d'you 'ave some otha' questions need answerin'?" Nym was pretty sure she would be happy with either outcome. Maybe there was a chance that without the influence of Terra's semblance she would be a bit more cautious with what she was saying. It didn't seem likely. Terra was straightforward enough, and cute, honest girls always left a good impression on Nym.

[Terra Fennel]

“That matches up with my experience pretty well. A couple loudmouths who want to pick fights cause they're first years who haven't learned that it might be a faunus pulling their ass out of the fire or just someone who's been here longer that thinks a first year can't or won't fight back.” Not that she happened to be one of the first years who could fight all that well. It didn't stop her from mouthing off or standing up for another student in trouble. The aura stitches that had vanished from her lip had served a purpose on more than one occasion.

“I've already been learnin' a lot about you, just by talking to you.” There could be no mistaking the way her eyes moved from the vixen's face to her ears and then tail. Her brow furrowed for a moment, an uncomfortable question on the tip of her tongue. “Have you really not run into any issues here because you've got both ears and a tail? I'd thought about trying to hide one or the other before enrolling because of what it was like back in Mantle.” It was potentially an insensitive question, because while Nym might not have had issues here, it could have been a problem growing up. Even if superstition wasn't involved, kids were quick to pick on people who were different.

[Nym Magenta]

"Nah, don' think so anyways," it seemed the Terra had had a little worse of a time thanks to her dual traits than Nym had. "Used t' think people back in Wind Path treated me like shit 'cuz I 'ad dual features, but...I was an easy target 'sides from the ears n' tail." She consciously flexed her fluffy tail and it curled up for a moment before relaxing. "I d'no. S'ard t'know why anyone gives me grief or attention exactly. I've neva'...'ad a great reputation, but...well, lookit me, eh?" Nym stood up from the chair with a straight back and placed her hands on her hips. While almost none of her skin was showing thanks to her thigh highs and sweater, it was easy to see the definition of the muscles in her legs and arms with the tight fitted clothing she wore. "I'm bloody hot, n' I got a funny accent, n' I've got two dif'rent faunus features, n' I'm a bloody terror when 'm fightin' people. So...I kinda get more attention n' I was used t' gettin' b'fore I came 'ere." She sat back down in her chair, tilting it back as she put her feet up on a nearby desk and laced her fingers together behind her head.

"So I neva' really know why people'r takin' interest in me. Why they like me or don' like me, not unless they tell me. N' who knows if they're lyin' or not? Jus' kinda...deal with it as it comes, y'know?" She'd never been a very good judge of character. She wasn't sure if that had improved very much since coming to Beacon, but she had started to get better at holding herself to a higher standard, not taking shit from shitty people, and being direct.

[Terra Fennel]

This young vixen had been an easy target? She'd just seen her knock an opponent into an arena barrier with a thrown weapon controlled with gravity. Her weapon alone was a monstrosity that intimidated the hell out of her. It was easy to imagine the damage such a weapon would do to a person, and the effort it would take for her to save their life... Nym being strong and with such a dangerous weapon now didn't mean she'd always been like that. It was a strange thing to take comfort in, to think that maybe this ferocious fighter had once been timid and weak like her. There was more to admire about the fox than just her good looks.

“If they're lying about liking you or not, they're afraid, and then it doesn't matter what they think.” Terra reached up to brush her hair behind a human ear decorated with an ear cuff made of copper wire. The hint of a light blue crystal was visible in the wire held behind her ear. “For what it's worth, with how my semblance works, I won't ever really be able to lie about that, not that I'd want to anyway. You're scary to watch in a fight, but I've not got much reason to be afraid of you.” She showed her teeth in with a smile. “If anything, you're a breath of fresh air. Confident, honest, and not trying to play yourself up as more than you are.”

[Nym Magenta]

An easy smile came to Nym's lips. Confident, honest, straightforward, it was nice to hear someone compliment her for being those things instead of being told how blunt and standoffish she could be. Maybe it was a matter of perspective? Or she was getting better at presenting herself? Either way, she'd take it without complaint. "Cheers, love." She caught the glint of copper on Terra's ear. It was a cute accessory. Terra was cute. Nym wanted to rub her ears and tell her what a good girl she was. That stupid semblance! It definitely wasn't working on her anymore, she could feel when she was being influenced, it had just left an impression.

"You spend a lotta time on yer ears n' tail," Nym said matter-of-factly. She could tell when someone kept up with their grooming. Her own fur was clean, but it wasn't nearly as silky and shiny looking as Terra's. Special shampoos and conditioners for fur were too expensive for her to care about using and spending more than ten seconds on her hair made her want to scream. "Prob'ly more'n almost any otha' faunus I've met, I'd reckon." That didn't sound like a compliment. "Er, it shows, s'what I mean t' say." That was better. "You do anythin' special other'n jus' brush it?" That...that was good small talk, right? If Terra put time into it she probably cared about it, and you wanted to get people talking about things they cared about, right?

[Terra Fennel]

It could have been meant another way, a little jab at vanity she didn't have much to speak of, but the moment Nym had commented on her spending a lot of time on her ears and tail the wolf had sat up a straighter. “It doesn't take too much time once you've got it down to routine and know the secret really.” Terra's eyes moved briefly to the door, an ear focused in that direction to make sure no one else was listening. “Most of the girls I've talked to will usually tout some big name brand shampoo and conditioner with a special formula for faunus. Costs more lien than it's worth, and then they talk about special oils you brush in. It's a little embarrassing, but it's just show dog shampoo.”

“My traits may have caused me some grief, but they're also the only thing that makes me stand out, you know? My hair's not some pretty vibrant color, an alluring black, or rich brown. I'm also not as strong looking or as curvy as a lot of the other girls here.” Terra made a motion in front of her chest as if mimicking a bust that was a cup size or two larger than her own. The vixen in front of her was a perfect example, but the wolf kept her eyes above neck level. “So, I take extra care of what does stand out. A quick brush before a shower, use my secret shampoo, and then a more thorough brush after. Occasionally a bit of a trim. Only a few minutes, but it makes the fur soft and really nice to the touch. You can just run your fingers right through it.”

Terra rubbed at the back of her head, a sheepish smile on her face. “Since it's only a few extra minutes, if things did work out for us to end up on a team, you could at least count on the fact I wouldn't be hogging the bathroom.”

[Nym Magenta]

Nym listened as Terra explained the routine. If she hadn't already spent time at Beacon with Ax she might not have been able to follow along as well. Shampoo? Conditioner? There were things that weren't just called soap? That had been her when she'd first come to Beacon. Ax had at least convinced her to invest in some conditioner for her hair. Nym wasn't totally sure that she could tell the difference, but her best friend at been so encouraging about it that she had kept up the habit. Getting her to brush anything had been an effort in futility, though. Nym had to suppress a chuckle at Terra's doubt over the striking color of her hair. Wasn't blonde supposed to be the most attractive hair color? While Nym had a thing for cotton candy colors, blonde wasn't trailing far behind. She let Terra finish before saying anything, though.

She scooted her chair closer so the pair were within arm's reach and leaned in so she could run her fingers through the fur of Terra's ears. "C'mon, it can't be that dif'rent from-...oh..." Nym brought her other hand up so she could feel both of Terra's ears. It was that different from her own. The fur on her ears was absolutely luscious! It was like one of those fancy pillows at furniture stores that she would never own but always touch. "Bloody fuckin' 'ell," Nym muttered, disbelieving. Ax's hair was one thing, but Terra's fur was a totally different texture. She'd already forgotten what she was about to say.

[Terra Fennel]

There were several ways this conversation had played out in her head as she talked with Nym. A social misstep pissing the girl off, her semblance making the vixen uncomfortable, or just Nym deciding to shut down the whole idea that the wolf was hoping would work out in her favor. Only one of those had played out in a way where the fox had moved closer and reached to touch her in a tender and curious manner. Though this had certainly skipped a few steps, and likely wasn't going to go the way that errant thought had. Still, the feeling of fingers on her ears was always a pleasant one when it wasn't some trying to twist or pull on them because of what she was. The rough feeling of calloused hands certainly didn't take away from it.

“See, just a couple extra minutes each day and you can keep 'em like this,” Terra spoke with a giggle and a beaming smile. She tilted her head down so Nym could more easily keep touching her ears if she wanted, though it wasn't purely for the vixen's benefit. It afforded her a nice view as well, though she'd be quick to meet the Nym's gaze if the fox let go of her ears. Though seeing her own legs in the uniform thigh high socks, and Nym's in the men's uniform made her wonder. “Nym, I'm a little curious, but why are you wearing one of the men's uniforms anyway? It definitely looks good on you, but... Well, I sorta just noticed.”

[Nym Magenta]

Only a couple of minutes and her fur could feel this good too? Nym reached one hand back to her own ears just to check that they were really that different. They were. Her fur wasn't knotty, messy, or tangled like it used to be, but Terra's were absolutely on another level. Nym grinned as she thought about the view Terra was giving herself while Nym gave her ears one final inspection. Stupid, bloody soft ears! It felt like trying to pull her hands out of quicksand as she finally brought them back down to cross over her chest. Her eyes lingered on Terra's tail while she talked, wondering if she could convince the girl to let her give it a feel, too.

Was this how Ax felt when she was looking at Nym?

"Checkin' me out, eh? I don' mind," Nym said while she thought how to answer Terra's question. "Guess...I don' really care fer wearin' girly stuff. Back in Mistral it'd...jus' paint a target on my back. Make me look vuln'rable. Weak. I made a habit'a not dressin' girly-girly. Skirts jus'...I can't wear 'em. I c'n stare at 'em all day, they're bloody gorgeous, but...I couldn' put one on. So...when Beacon told me I needed t' wear a uniform fer stuff I jus' grabbed one'a the boy's uniforms. I mean...still fits the dress code, right? N' no one eva' stopped me from wearin' it, so...I jus' kept at it."

[Terra Fennel]

“I- yeah. I was.” There was no denying that she'd been caught in the act, an apology almost on her tongue behind a sheepish look until the vixen brushed off the fact Terra had been staring. She could also confidently say the way Nym hadn't minded wasn't from the influence of her semblance. Such a minor connection couldn't possibly still be influencing the girl, but it had certainly got her foot in the door so to speak when it came to talking.

“I wish I could say this was one of those things I don't really understand, but I get it.” Even literally living under a rock and sheltered from some of the awful of the world hadn't stopped her from seeing some of what Nym was referring to. “It's not easy to convince yourself that other people's shitty behavior shouldn't change what you do or wear. I- mean, it's not the same but I thought about wearing things to hide my ears since people made my life harder because of it. There will always be people looking to make someone else a target for some reason. They'll just pick something else regardless. You can always count on bastards to be bastards.”

Terra shook her head and tried to push away thoughts of what she left behind in Mantle, of the awful things she'd heard on her journey to Vale. “But look at you now. You're a huntress in training, and a strong one at that. Pretty sure you could walk around in anything you want and still look like a you could wreck their world if they treated you like an easy target.” Even with her own awful record in fights, most people couldn't treat her like a target, and Nym was far stronger.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym nodded. They shouldn't have to live in the sort of world where they needed to wear their clothes a certain way to avoid a certain kind of attention. She didn't anymore. There were very few people on campus that would have had anything negative to say to her face about what she was wearing, fewer still who'd be able to do it and walk away from the encounter with all their teeth intact. "S'not so easy t' tell when someone's a huntress if they're not carryin' 'round some obscene lookin' weapon. I've 'ad people try'n pick fights wif me in Vale b'fore. I don' really wear me Beacon outfit out in town, n' I don' really look all that intimidatin'. I'm barely five two." She chuckled as she thought about the last such encounter. "Well, it don't stop me from wearin' what I wanna these days. Can't say I 'ave much desire t' get inta a skirt." Not for just anyone, anyways. "And if I did n' anyone 'ad anythin' t' say 'bout it, I'd make 'em eat more'n their words."

It was too bad Terra couldn't have kept that sheepish look on her face. There might have been a way to get it back, though.

"Oi, c'n I touch yer tail, too?" Nym raised her brows, a sly grin creeping up on her face. "It as fluffy as yer ears are?"

[Terra Fennel]

“Well, if you ever change your mind, I'd love to see how you'd look in one, until then you own that look.” Terra's smile lacked some of the confidence that Nym's own had. There would come a time where the confidence and strength of her fellow students would stop surprising her. A time where she wouldn't admire the slightest show of ferocity and bravery in the way they couldn't be bothered what the people around them seemed to think. She would have to find that same courage for more than a few inspired moments first. There was spark to the people here that had been almost entirely snuffed out in the people she knew in Mantle. The only fire any of them had was hate.

“Oh, I- yeah! That will be fine,” Terra answered with a bit of pride in her voice. There wasn't any hesitance as she stood up from her chair long enough to spin it around so she could sit with her back to Nym, her tail swaying happily. Once more she rested her arms and chin on the back of her chair, hardly a worry in the world, save for a quick glance to the door. A professor or faculty member thinking her and Nym were fooling around in one of the classrooms could be trouble, but it was something she'd be happy to clear up. Besides, the girl was just going to be feeling how silky soft the fur on her tail actually was. Right?

“Just don't be too- actually, I don't need to tell you how to handle a tail huh. You've lived with one of your own.” Besides, Nym hadn't been rough with her ears.

[Nym Magenta]

Nym took in a breath and sighed, nodding at Terra's affirmation. Yeah, she did own the look she had. Yeah, Terra would love to see her in a skirt. Hopefully the poor wolf faunus wouldn't be holding her breath for that day to come. Nym had a few fears of her own she would have to conquer first. Terra had no such fears about her tail, though, and a foxy smile came to Nym's lips as Terra positioned her tail right in front of her. She laughed at Terra's half-warning. "Don' worry love, you'd 'ave t' get t' know me betta' f'you want me t' be rough with it." Her tone was somewhere between jesting and teasing.

Her touch was gentle. She'd handled her own tail and had it handled enough to know what would hurt and what wouldn't in a general sense, and she'd try to listen to any flinches or yelps Terra might have. Try, because her tail was so silky smooth that it was entrancing. "Stars," she muttered, obviously impressed. "S'like one'a them fancy pillows." Silk? She wasn't sure what the material was. Terra might not have been either. "Yer tellin' me you only spend, like, a couple'a bloody extra minutes n' this is whatcha get?" It was impossible to believe! Nym's fur was soft, sure, but this made her tail seem like a bird's nest in comparison! She leaned in closer, pressing her nose to Terra's fur without thinking and taking a deep breath. A bright splash of strawberry was the most prominent scent, with other, subtler notes mostly falling to the wayside, only used to enhance the smell of strawberries. She was probably going to think about this tail anytime she could smell or taste strawberries for a couple of weeks.