Vaneera's Recruits - Velvette

Costal cities and towns were an invaluable resource. If the terrain around it had some type of natural barrier, then it was easy to establish and settle down in a city. Coastal cities with national barriers and an academy nearby were viewed as the safest places in the world. Such was the case with Corinth.



The smaller suburb was closer to the industrial sector. It was a good producer of ships and supplies. It was the first point of contact between Vytal and the mainland of the Vale kingdom. It was also home to Pharos Combat school. And it was here where one student was vigorously working. Perhaps a little too much.

Violet was almost too exhausted to take a shower. But she didn't want to go to class tomorrow smelling like she had been walking through a desert just to make it on time. She panted, pressing her hands against the wall as the hot water fell down on her.

"Still no luck… What is it going to take to develop a semblance?"

She wasn't one to panic, but without one, her chances of getting into a huntress academy were slim to none. She could practice her fighting styles, study, keep herself in shape, none of that would matter if she couldn’t get a semblance. She was far from giving up, but she was starting to get frustrated by it. She felt like she was on a hamster wheel.

It took a half hour to finish her shower. She was too tired to do her hair right now: all she did was dry herself and put on the pajamas she had set on the bathroom counter. She went into her room, trying to be quiet so that she didn't disturb her roommate. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Lily's passive aggressive weariness of her.

She plugged in her scroll, letting it charge as she settled under the covers. She left her scroll on so that the alarm would go off when she had to wake up. She would continue her vigorous training after she woke up. Little did she know that her routine was about to be thrown off.

"Think I found us a lead, Captain!"

Blumina stated enthusiastically. Vaneera had high expectations from her first recruit, and was eager to hear, and thus... "Tell me more, Blumina."

To that, the girl in the blue cloak gives a nod. "I did some digging around for people with potential just waiting to be tapped into -- as well as people that need problems solved just like you asked."

She would set some documents on the table. "These detail all my findings, but the short of it is..., Blumina continued as Vaneera picked up these files and began to examine them. "Violet Lilac is from a small village called Reid. From a young age she ended up making the journey to Kuchinashi and attended Shelter Academy."

Vaneera gives a nod, continuing to listen as Blumina goes further on in the briefing. "She's from Mistral -- and she's from a poor family. She had to work to keep her family fed... That also included work that's very much not on the legal side of things. When it was discovered, she was given a choice on what to do, and was ultimately shipped off to Pharos Academy in Corinth. Everything I can find on her now says she's still there, training as hard as she can. It appears she's yet to unlock her Semblance."

After reading over the more detailed reports, Vaneera sets them down and closes her eyes, thinking deeply for a moment. Eventually she calmly opens her eyes and speaks. "I can think of a few ways to entice her into joining us based on this information."

But although she could make compelling offers -- it would require more than that. Though there is a saying to not look a gift horse in the mouth, being from Mistral means that Violet would be understandably skeptical about someone conveniently showing up with everything she needs.

"Hmm... I think it's time that I go and meet her. Something tells me this will be a long mission."

Vaneera states, and then stands up from her seat. Blumina does the same. "Don't worry, Captain! I'll give you all the support you need!"

Vaneera smiles and nods. "Thank you, Blumina."

Now that she more or less had a clear plan of action, all that remained was to make her way to Corinth, and Pharos Academy in turn. Still, while she was making these preparations, one thing did come up...

Namely, Motet was being really insistent about coming along this time. It took a lot of persuading on Vaneera's part to explain that she needed someone to cover for her back at Beacon, especially if anything came up in her absence. Motet wasn't happy about it -- and Vaneera knew that she wouldn't be able to convince her for a third time.

So... For the next recruit, she'd have to let her come along, that was no longer negotiable. Still, she could worry about planning for that later. Right now she needed to see what Violet was like in person...

---

All in all, Corinth was a nice place. It was a coastal city, and one of the safer ones at that. They already had to be out of necessity, but it was especially true for this one. Perhaps the only place safer was Vale itself, due to the direct presence of Beacon. Vaneera notes that this would make a nice place to relax at some point... It'd be nice to bring Motet and the others here.

Still, she couldn't afford to be thinking of vacation time right now. She was here for business, and this was going to be a whole different kind of challenging compared to recruiting Blumina... Vaneera was confident that she could pull it off, nonetheless.

The first thing she had to do was get into Pharos Academy. That ended up being remarkably simple; she merely showed her license.

Just like that, she was welcomed onto a tour of the Academy. True, she might only be a Student. But it wasn't every day that someone from Beacon came here. She explained that it was to encourage training exercises between students. It might help those enrolled here to see someone with a bit more experience in action -- it might also teach their own prospective Huntress something about working with students.

It was a convincing enough story that they didn't feel the need to look into it any further. After all, why would a student with a bright future at the most prestigious Academy in Remnant lie about such a thing?

Just like that, Vaneera had her in, and a good story as to why she might take an interest in Violet... It would also spread the story around the School, so that was sure to work in her favor as well in catching the girl's intrigue.

Sooner or later, they would cross paths, it was just a matter of time now.

The soft beeping of her scroll stirred Velvette from her slumber. Lily gave her a lot of the last time she used a really loud alarm. Turning it off, she got up and pulled a gym bag from underneath the bed. It was a Saturday morning, so she didn't have any classes. She did have to continue working on that wilderness survival essay and had to study the topography for a geography quiz that was coming up on Monday, but she was going to work on those later today.



Velvette ate a quick protein bar on the way to her workout. She entered the Patch Dojo in her combat gear. She didn't intend on getting into a serious fight today, but she was going to push herself towards unlocking her semblance. First she was going to warm up. That was a good opportunity to think on how to approach things.

She set her gym bag down next to her (which had more than just clothing in it), and sat down on the floor. She stretched her legs out and bent her upper body forward, easily grabbing her shoes.

"Just trying to get stronger isn't enough. I have to find my center in order to unlock my semblance. I know who I'm doing things for, but finding the path to get there is difficult."

Velvette closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and focusing. It was about 7:30 on a Saturday. As such there was nobody in the dojo at this time. Most people weren't willing to sacrifice their weekend like this. But Velvette had no time for having fun. She had get better at every opportunity she had, and wasn't going to squander it.

(Note: Violet/Velvette doesn't have the make-up and everything else to make her look more like Vanerra yet. But she's currently wearing this outfit):

As part of the tour, Vaneera was brought to the Dojo -- one of the key things she would be doing in this "cultural exchange", as it were, is train with the students at Pharos Academy, so it was good to know where the main training grounds were and what state it was in. Predictably it wasn't seeing much use at the moment, most everyone else choosing to do something else with their free time... But there was one exception that she took notice of.

The member of the faculty on the tour took notice as well. "Ah, this is one of our students, Violet Lilac.", he began. "Her story is a bit of a long one, but she transferred here recently and has been very diligent with her training. Perhaps you could assist her?"

Vaneera gives a nod at his words and then calmly approaches the girl that was deadset on training at this early hour of the morning. As she was about to introduce herself, the faculty member did that for her.

"Violet, this is Vaneera White. She's from Beacon; here for a program between the Academies."

Vaneera was a little surprised, but then calmly waves him off. "Perhaps I can speak to her one on one?"

With that, he gives a bow of the head. "Of course! Please, let any of us know if you require anything. We hope that this program is a resounding success."

He then steps back, straightens out, then turns and leaves. Allowing Vaneera and Violet the chance to speak between themselves.

"So. Need a sparring partner?", Vaneera asks. She could save her reasons for actually coming here for later. Right now she needed to build a rapport with Violet.

Violet didn't pay it any mind when she heard the door open. It was a little surprising, to be sure. But it wasn't like she was the only hard worker here. It wasn't until her name was called out that she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes settled on the staff member that called out.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't casually tell a stranger about my life story Mr. Arbor."

She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She talked to her teacher just like she woulf anyone else. It did cause people to keep their distance from her, but that was just fine for Violet.

She climbed to her feet and looked over ag Vaneera The surname white fit Vaneera well, considering how pale the girl was. She raised an eyebrow as she asked to speak alone with her. When Mr. Arbor left, she stretched her arms above her head stretching herself out.

"A student from Beacon? I'd be foolish to turn down such a quality sparring partner.  I hope for your sake you aren't the type who's looking for an easy way to show off. You'll end up on your back if you are."

Violet lowered her arms, sizing the other girl up. She didn't appear intimidating, but she was a student from Beacon. She didn't know if Vaneera was the type who would use her semblance in a spar. Not everyone had a sense of fair play, especially where Violet had come from. She didn't enter a fighting stance just yet, instead opting to watch what Vaneera would do.

Suffice to say, Arbor was a little surprised at the reprimand that Violet gave him. But considering the delicate situation right now with a student from Beacon... He stayed silent on that. Still, Vaneera took notice of it. It certainly seemed that she didn't hold much respect for people of authority. That might have to change if she really did get recruited. But there was no sense in getting ahead of herself yet.

Violet seemed comfortable enough -- or maybe it was a means of gauging what her potential opponents were like when faced with a disarming personality... Given her next words, Vaneera assumed it to be the latter rather than the former.

At Violet's boastful words, Vaneera only smirks.


"My, my. Not lacking for confidence.", she states calmly. It was at about this point that Violet could realize that Vaneera was sizing her up. She then shifts her stance, legs slightly spread apart more than usual to help her keep balance and use her momentum accordingly.

Vaneera moves her left arm behind her back, and with the right arm she extends her hand out with the elbow still slightly bent. The gesture she was making with this stance practically said 'bring it'.

"Since I am your senior, perhaps I should say something outrageous like...
"Make me draw this sword"?"

With that, she waits to see what Violet chooses to do next.

Violet cracked her knuckles, and took a fighting stance of her own, raising her fists and shifting her feet. It was a style that was much more fitting for someone who fought on the streets. Yet it wasn't careless and sloppy either.

"You don't have a chance of becoming a huntress if you don't have confidence. The world doesn't wait patiently for you to make decisions."

Violet blinked as she moved within a few feet, keeping her stance intact. She then gave the other girl a slight smirk.

"An old fashioned fighter huh? Swords are a popular collection item and practice where I come from. I'll consider it my win if I force you to draw it, sempai."

Violet then threw out a jab at Vaneera's cheek with her right fist. If it wasn't stopped, then she'd return it to its starting position in a more defensive posture. Right now she was testing the waters to see how Vaneera fought.

(Note: this is a visualization of Violet's stance. A very street fighting-esk posture):

There was truth to what Violet was saying. You had to be certain of your own abilities, and you also couldn't wait forever for things to work out either. Vaneera took note of her fighting style as well. It worked well enough for the purpose it was meant for, and it didn't give the impression of a sloppy or clumsy fighter either.

"True enough."

Vaneera replied. Violet seemed to be testing the waters, closing the distance between them cautiously. Vaneera simply allowed her opponent to move freely, and awaited their approach. When Violet did get within fighting stance, she opened with a jab.

In response, Vaneera weaved to her left, and used her right hand to deflect the jab. She also stepped forward, and brought her right hand beneath Violet's arm, and then let forth a jab of her own at Violet's torso.

Vaneera was confident that she had gotten out of Violet's effective range, but just as suddenly as she had unleashed her jab, she had her right arm readied for another deflection. With or without a follow-up attack from Violet, though, Vaneera steps back while properly facing her, and returns to that same stance as before.

"But patience is often rewarded with opportunity. You merely need the means to seize it. Remember that, Kouhai."

Vaneera said with that smirk still present. Of course, the other notable thing about this... Is just how fast Vaneera moved despite the fact that she was conducting a friendly spar.

After Vaneera acknowledged her confidence, the spar began. It didn't take Violet long to find out how tough this was going to be. Her opponent was as fluid as water, her movements fast and smooth. Her block transitioned seamlessly into her movement.

Fortunately, Violet had kept on arm free, and her quick jab didn't have her vulnerable for long. She threw out a low block with her free arm, just managing to knock Vaneera's blow. She grunted, her determination written across her face.

Vaneera's instincts proved to be right, as another jab from Violet was knocked aside. She moved forward steadily, staying in rhythm with Vaneera's motions. Right now she was keeping a very specific distance from Vaneera, and wasn't overcommitting. Her eyes were locked on her opponent constantly.

"I've been plenty patient, Sempai. And it's going to pay off soon."

Vaneera was moving too fast to land a big hit on her. Jabs were the only way she could put safe pressure on the upperclassmen.

"If I can't keep up with her, then I'll have to predict her movements. I just need to be patient. Sooner or later it'll come."

She tilted her head forward as she threw out another jab. Would her opponent dodge again, or would she try and make a move?

Violet seemed to stay on the offensive, but Vaneera could also tell that she was trying to control the flow of the fight and not commit to any big attack. Good instincts, really. But Vaneera had practiced for quite awhile at fencing, and while the rules weren't exactly the same in an unarmed spar, a lot of the principles could be applied if one was sufficiently skilled.

Her reaction had been correct too, to raise a defense just after her counter. Though she assumed it would have been difficult to raise a block with her method of attack, Violet managed it. Almost exactly like a fencing match it could shift suddenly in a single second. It was one's ability to account for that sort of thing that led them to success. Still, Violet was doing admirably, and Vaneera wouldn't take away from that in the slightest.

"We shall see.", Vaneera replied calmly.

When the next jab came, it was with Violet's right arm again. Vaneera leans to the left, and moves her own hand to grab Violet's arm and push it away -- if successful, Violet would find herself being turned away from Vaneera. Though it would be easy enough to break free of the grapple, the more concerning aspect was the fact that it opened up another attack opportunity for Vaneera.

And one did come, with a knee raised and aimed at Violet's gut. Vaneera was using her momentum to make it as awkward as possible for Violet to react to it.

Violet didn't expect for her opponent to catch a jab of all things. Her eyes widened as her opponent used it to throw her off balance. The whole point of her jabbing was to put safe pressure on her opponent. But Vaneera had taken that away from her. All she could do was go with the flow to keep balance.

She turned to throw a counter attack, only to get a knee right to the stomach. She gasped in pain, stumbling back white clutching her chest. That blow had knocked the air out her. She panted, looking up at Vaneera warily.

"Okay, one point for you. We do a best two out of three here."

Velvette winced as she stood up a little, and entered her fighters stance again. She shifted forward cautiously, her steely gaze studying her opponent.

"I've only ever seen the combat teacher block a jab like that. Are you someone who was taught directly by a hunter?"

Vaneera allowed Violet the opportunity to pull back and recover from that blow. This WAS just a spar, after all. That and she couldn't be sure that Violet didn't have some tricks up her sleeves, it was best not to underestimate her opponent, even if she was confident in her own abilities.

"Tournament rules, hm? That's fine by me."

Might be a bit odd to use the rules of a Karate or Martial Arts Tournament for a spar like this, but Vaneera was willing to go along with it. She had already eased back into that stance from before and watched Violet's cautious approach.

She also considers that question for a moment.

"Not exactly. Though I did have one hell of a training regime before going to Beacon."

Vaneera replies, wondering how much information she can divulge at this stage. "Still, you're pretty good. Revealing as little as possible about your fighting style while trying to catch onto what your opponent's reactions are like."

Violet might not believe her -- but Vaneera was serious about that. If she went into this with the notion of 'holding back', she would easily be punished for it. She might not be using both arms right now, but she was applying everything she had learned from her predominantly one-handed fighting style with her sword.

That was, among other reasons, why she had such a fast reaction speed. You needed it in order to make that particular method of combat work.

"Apparently they want you just practice techniques on this level. Are the spars at the upper level academies as intense as the rumors say?"

Violet continued to wait, just shuffling closer. Vaneera seemed fond of countering her moves and then going for a counter attack. If she could get her to lower her guard, she could go in on her.

"It shows with you. You're not even taking this seriously. I had to learn everything the hard way. What kind of regiments do you do?"

She had yet to make another move, although she hadn't moved out of her stance. This person was fighting her with one arm. She could tell the gap between them was large. She was going to have to scratch and claw if she wanted to get those two hits. It would take more than just her fighting techniques to accomplish that.

Vaneera recalls some of the fights she's seen take place at Beacon at that particular line of questioning. "Yeah. It's pretty sophisticated. They can monitor your Aura levels -- which means you get to use weapons, your Semblance... You're allowed to go all out. The match is only called when Aura is in the red, or someone forfeits."

Even though she was responding to what Violet was saying, her guard wasn't relaxed. Though considering this was a very different kind of spar compared to the ones she normally had... That made sense.

Violet seemed to be of the opinion that Vaneera wasn't taking this seriously. That was the only thing she felt the need to correct.

"Actually, I'm treating this seriously. It might be a different kind of spar, but if I held back against you, you would easily score a hit on me.", the red-haired girl explains. "As for using a single arm... That's primarily how I fight with my sword."

Still, she was a little surprised that Violet was so curious about her training regiments. Perhaps this was an attempt to cause her to lower her guard? Vaneera played along for now.

"It's been a lot of live combat exercises even before I went to Beacon. Though I have to admit that I was surprised at how they teach students there. I thought I'd seen everything. Then they launched us into a forest filled with exotic Grimm."

She wasn't even exaggerating... Salem and Ozpin were both cracked in the head, as far as she was concerned.

"Real weapons? Doing that here would be dangerous: you should see the prototypes some my fellow classmates have designed here. I guess Beacon is confident that the students here are mature enough to use weapons by the time they graduate."

Violet looked a little bewildered as Vaneera told her she wasn't holding back. She normally fought with one hand? Then Vaneera told her how she fought. Violet blinked. She looked at the other girl approvingly.

"Wow. I didn't think I'd run into a sword user in Vale. Especially a fencer, if I'm not mistaken. Does that mean your weapon isn't part gun?"

Vaneera wasn't wrong about Violet wanting to get her off her guard. Right now she was content to just circle slowly around Vaneera with her guard up. She stopped moving when the other girl mentioned the entry exam though.

"Wait, you got launched into a forest? I guess you can't be prepared for everything."

Violet had stopped moving, and seemed a little more relaxed. But she was still in her stance. Had Vaneera managed to get her off guard?

Vaneera nods at that first question Violet has. "Oh indeed, they're very real weapons. Just like the students have matured at Beacon, the weapons aren't exactly in a prototype phase anymore. The closer you get to becoming a full Huntsman, the more you're going to need real battle experience."

She did smile softly at Violet's surprise and approval, however. The question of if she didn't have a transforming weapon was an interesting one. "That's correct. Though that is also due to the fact that I have a variety of ranged options at my disposal. I don't need for my sword to transform."

Right now, the pair of them were just testing the waters when it came to the spar. Vaneera was in no rush to end things, even when it seemed as though Violet's guard had been lowered. She did have to grin a bit when Violet voiced her shock regarding the entry exam at Beacon.

"Yeah. The Headmaster said it was to have a landing plan. Guess I can't really fault him, you do need to think on your feet -- or in the air, as the case may be -- for this kind of career path."

Now, there was a very real chance that she had in fact gotten Violet to lower her guard. But it was dangerous to assume such a thing, and right now she had the advantage. There was no need to act for the moment. She could just keep an eye on her opponent and wait things out.

What Vaneera said made sense: when students became more experienced, they would expect more of the students. Which naturally would include designing weapons. She considered Vaneera's comments, looking in understanding.

"I'm sure you aren't going to confirm anything with someone you just me, but I presume your semblance gives you long range options."

Violet was trying to keep up the appearance of being relaxed while also being on guard. Which was a really hard state to be in. Especially when she was actually enjoying the conversation she was having with Vaneera. She inched forward ever so gradually, giving her a slight smirk.

"You don't sound like you have hard feelings towards him. You must have passed with flying colors."

Vaneera gives a nod at that assessment. "There's no harm in confirming that much. It does. Though that is far from the only thing it can do. You may learn more about it in time. If I find that I can trust you."

Neither one of them were in a rush. To be honest, Vaneera liked that Violet was such a patient sort. Whether you had the advantage or the disadvantage, all rushing did was put you straight into defeat. You had to be careful and calculate the best approach to things. Of course, it was also true that you couldn't just do nothing...

But Vaneera felt like she couldn't take an action right now without opening herself up to a swift counter by Violet. She was good. It helped that the conversation was nice.

"Well, I am here as part of a joint training program, aren't I?", Vaneera replies with a calm smile.

"I must admit that I'm curious about you. There's not many with this kind of skill before they get to one of the Academies. You must have some fascinating stories to share.", she then decided to coax out a little bit more. Nothing crazy yet, just trying to see how the waters were so far.

Violet seemed like a fine recruit. But there needed to be a rapport between them.

Velvette looked at Vaneera curiously. “You want to get to know me then. That’s the only way to earn trust.”

Vaneera wasn’t leaving any openings. But fortune was smiling upon her. A realization came across Velvette’s face.

”If I play my cards right, then I can create the opening I need.”

Because she couldn’t do nothing forever. But her instincts were telling her that rushing in against this opponent was a bad idea. Like her, Vaneera seemed to be an observer. One who was good at gaining an advantage over her opponents. She had to drag the spider out of its web.

“This isn’t a good time to tell stories. I might be willing to share a few if you beat me.” Velvette motioned for Vaneera to come at her with one of her hands. Vaneera seemed to want to get to know her more. If she wanted to do that, then she was going to have to make some kind of move.