BIRDS OF A FEATHER // Robin + Cerise

[shirii]

Robin was bored. It happened often, to be fair. He sat on the ground outside the exam hall, awaiting entry. Cerise was by his side, as always; the two never far apart from each other for long. They had each other's backs, as always. Faunus stuck together - especially ones who were so similar. Menagerie was a small island, and just about everybody knows everyone. The two had promised to stay in touch as they journeyed to Haven Academy for the entrance exam. You had to have friends somewhere, and there was no guarantee who they'd end up with.

Regardless, they were here now; and there were no shortages of scathing eyes at the scantily clad bird. Let them look; in fact, he'll give 'em somethin' to look at in a minute! But he could sense a warning glare from Cerise without even glancing behind him to check, and so, did his best to calm down. Luckily for him, a great way to relieve stress was underway - the beginning of the exam.

For Haven, individuality was important, that was for sure. But what was more important was a spectacle, some kind of show or event to inspire countless songs and plays. And so, the entrance exam for Haven Academy was a battle royale, split into sections of twelve. For the next fifteen minutes, all combatants had to show what they were capable of in a close-quarters, no holds barred fight. The coloseum they fought in could rival even the one found in the Vytal Festival, with an arrangement of terrain for all sorts of aspiring hunters to show off. And the real kicker? Not only did you have to worry about the other combatants, but there was the added factor of a ridiculous amount of Grimm thrown into the event, released periodically from the sides in some kind of mockery of the colosseums of old.

The thought of it all was bringing fire into Robin's veins, electricity into his joints, sparks in his eyes. He had taken his place, comfortably nestled in a forest of trees. The clock struck the hour, and the exam begun.

He leaped from the branch he sat on, using his wing in flight to swing from another branch. His Faunus heritage was evident in his golden wing; feathers sharp as blades thanks to his Aura, and it had the strength of another limb. He couldn't fly, sadly, but it offered a unique advantage in combat and mobility. He roped himself around a tree, slowly spinning to the ground. He spied one, two, three Beowolves in front of him; piece of cake. Beowolves were practically an honourary member of Menagerie, as it wasn't like any kingdoms military or huntsman were stepping in to deal with them.

Robin dashed forward, the sun catching the shine of his feathers. With a click of his fingers as he approached, a burst of light blinded the creatures. For Grimm, it offered no true safe haven; his Aura was constantly in use, and with how much he was known to possess, Grimm could easily find him. It didn't matter, though. Fighting was a dance, and their one moment of hesitation was enough to bring them crashing against the dirt.

His scarlet cloak glimmered red, and in the next instant, a wreath of flames surrounded the closest Beowolf. The scent of its singed body caught his nose, and he grimaced but pushed it aside. He tensed up, noticing the second Beowolf getitng closer. Kicking off from the ground, Robin used the monster's head to flip, pushing himself off it with his right foot. He twisted in mid air, catching it with his left foot, as the second Beowolf lunged for where he just was. The two Beowolves crashed into each other, Robin fluttering above them. His cloak flashed violet, and with a nigh sickening crunch that caved the ground beneath them, crashed into the two Grimm. The force of his blow propelled him upwards slightly, allowing him to land safely to the side of the slight crater he just made. The flames in his cloak surged again, and he left the two to burn before facing the third.

It thundered towards him in what was an almost a vengeful manner. Robin turned to face the crowd, brandishing his crimson cloak to them and flickering it in front of the wolf, the flames licking the ground. Like a matador, he twisted away at the last second, the fabric of the cloak running across the side of the Beowolf and burning its hide; using the momentum of his twist, he spun again, faster this time; letting his wing fly out freely, the feathers slicing its side clean open. The creature was disintegrating before it even hit the ground.

Dusting himself off - and turning the Dust in his cloak off - he turned to face the rest of the colosseum. It was filled with the scent of gunpowder, the roars of violence, and the snarls of Grimm. He wondered how Cerise was faring on her own. Likely fine. So engrossed in his thoughts was the man, he almost didn't hear the pulling of a trigger and the whiz of what was unmistakably a bullet aiming right where his head just was. Good thing he was fast on his feet. To his right, he saw her; a girl in the trees whose gun was quickly reattaching itself into a curved blade. Robin's passive face quickly turned into a grin. He was always down to party!

But then he heard the rustling of leaves again, this time to his left, and a man stepped out from the foliage and into full view. Then another, another, until five aspiring huntsman surrounded him. Six, including the woman in the trees. Robin was deadly still as they glared at him with lethal intent.

"Y'know, I'm pretty sure there's an island for your kind," one of them snarled at him; his hair was blue, his skin dark, and the mace he wielded looked impossibly heavy.

"Well, the world's a pretty big place! Wouldn't wanna miss any of it. I'm sure you can respect an aspiring huntsman just like you," he reasoned, idly playing with a feather he had plucked from his wing moments before.

"As if we're anything like you, you damn freak!" Another chimed in, this one with green hair. They were almost impossibly synchronized. Hatred was certainly a unifying force. But those who had to bear the brunt of hatred were the most tightly-knit, and the two birds hadn't come to Mistral without some form of safety net. The feather he twirled in his hands soon found its home in the sky, thrown perfectly into the air, cutting through it like a golden blade. At the peak of its ascent, it caught the shining glimmer of the sun and glowed with every colour of the rainbow. To them, it looked pointless. To her, it was a call.

They had until that feather hit the ground to get to safety, or there would be hell to pay.

Robin knew better than to let his opponents get the first move. While he waited for Cerise to arrive, he clicked his fingers once more - grabbing the attention of all his assailants. A split second later, light burst from his fingertips like a flashbang, and Robin had vanished from his previous position. He had leapt into the air, and with Gravity Dust surging in his cloak to add some power, collided with the blue haired man and sent him flying. The man landed on a tree; or perhaps more accurately, inside the tree trunk, caving the bark inwards. He ducked to avoid a bullet, having heard the subtle pull of a trigger, but more soon came. His Aura surged outwards from his hands, forming a protective barrier to repel the attacks. Then, he took the Aura to form the barrier, and sent it surging into his fingertips, clicking his fingers once more; and he was gone.

By now they'd learn to close their eyes if they had the reaction time to do so. It was a trick he couldn't necessarily rely on. The green haired one was next; Robin went low, swiping with his feet to knock the man into the air. He elegantly transitioned into a flip, wrapping his wing around the man's arm. Landing back on his feet, he brought the man up, and then smashed his into the dirt. He threw him back up into the air, using the Air Dust in his cloak to then send him skyward. As his body fell again, the man having been thrown all about the place, Robin jumped up again, twisting his body in mid air to plant his feet on the man's chest. He pushed off, and the man was sent crashing into the dirt.

But by now, the blue haired man had recollected himself, and he was staring down five people again, still listening out for the sound of that gun to avoid its shots. They swarmed him all at once now, abusing the numbers they had, and Robin grimaced. It was time for the defensive. He jumped backwards, landing on his hands before letting the rest of his body fall down, staying low to the ground. A swipe from the mace; a stab from a spear, a swipe from a sword; his body twisted and contorted all sorts of ways, utilizing his cloak and his wing to constantly redirect the men into each other. He tried to utilize his Fire Dust to finish off one of them for good, but didn't have enough breathing room to go on the offensive.

He was almost out of options.

Until the golden blade falling from the sky glimmered purple as it planted itself into the ground, taking root like a seed.

And Robin couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face. "Time's up, boys."

[Best Girl]

Cerise felt the sting of ridicule at her back and assumed the shine of the battlefield would be the same... and turned it into drive. Being a faunas meant to be even standing at an entryway to the exam grounds was a clear-cut sign of going through hell. The disrespect of fellows, mockery of others, or... listening to the sob stories of her sniveling kin. Though her expression fairly blank, the irritation crowding her mind was drowned out by resolve and knowing there was at least one other person who wasn't a sobbing weakling: Robin. Always together, he served as a constant reminder that they were more than society's kicked dogs, no, they were united of the same flock. So when coming to Haven Academy - a big step up from the minuscule Menagerie... The warrioress kept in mind that he was always somewhere on the premises and brought calm to her annoyed state of mind.

Which is why and how she was more than ready. Robin was as anxious as she was, showing it more and clear enough for her to cast a threatening glance. Chill for one more minute. Was conveyed, content with him letting loose once the gates were open. After all, she was doing the same.

As the gates pulled up, her golden eyes soaked in the warzone. Haven's test was a barbaric free-for-all with Grimm tossed into the mix for... entertainment's sake, it looked like. For the quarter of an hour, the brightest and the strongest would have their way, which was perfectly fine by her.

Lips curling into an arrogant smile, Cerise let Robin's excitement rub off on her as they went their ways heading in.

The girl stretched, flexing her magenta-feathered wing as proof of a unique heritage and it caught the attention of some helpless sap who looked as if they didn't belong here. The dark colored faunas looked down at him, yawning to provoke anything exciting from any angle. Some whimpering coward who fell on his behind at the sight of her surely wasn't the opening act, because that would be pitiful. Thankfully, the situation dawned on her quickly as the trembling youth continued to shake, staring fearfully and speaking nothing. A dense malice surrounded her atmosphere, hearing the subtle chuckles and chortles wishing ill-will upon her. The lad was naught anything beyond a tool, designed merely to catch attention and add darkness to the now-tainted air. Neanderthals plotted the elimination of a very annoying faunas girl by suffocating the area in negativity, which attracted a violently inquisitive collection of roars. Turning to look over the shoulder, she caught sight of a couple of Grimm - an Ursa with a Ursa Minor child.

"You're cornered now, trash." The absolute chad behind the scheme laughed wickedly with his band of bullies, hidden in the trees. The monsters would tear her apart or they would.

Shame, she wasn't interested in giving him the satisfaction. "Well then," ignoring the coward on the floor, she twirled and stretched her wing.

No turning back
We are born to dream
In a world full of seeing
What we never could reach

The Ursas launched themselves indiscriminately at the duo, and the feathered adept leaped over the towering mother-bear. Spinning in the air, she landed only to be attacked by the child who was immediately met by a plucked feather - sharpened and flicked like a razor ripping at its structure. Immediately following, she dodged the aggressive parent's wild assault and stretched out an arm, not even looking back as a barrage of loaded feathers shot from her wrist-shooter. Infuriating the monsters, they proceeded to attack as closely as they could and overwhelm their prey who kept dancing about, tossing the fuchsia blades at her back and kicking the beasts in their bewildered faces to knock them down.

Air time makes on the wind, I'd be
Like life, right by
Just a blur you see

The scared boy was dazzled by the blue-cloaked bird that took for the skies, stretching her arms and basking in the warm glow of the beating sun. She descended upon the fallen mother's head, urging the child to attack with the wag of her finger. It was furious at the taunting digit, rushing madly as the maternal beast forced itself back up only to be struck accidentally by its kin's rage, and they were both blasted by a hail of bullet-feathers ripping at them in their confusion.

"What the hell?!" One of the lowlifes watching the spectacle growled. Aiming with his axe that began reshaping and structuring itself into a blaster, he fired and gave away their location.

One mind, too wild
Stuck in divinity
Hawk tail, wing, claw
Heaven sent a jessy
A speed rush tweak
To a melancholy victory
Your chance, don't stand

The hooligans caught the attention of the Grimm and the still-baffled kid on the floor, but Cerise's smirk remained and she moved nimbly, yet precisely. The axe-wielding brute wasn't the only one upset, several others joining his projectile onslaught in which she used the body of the Ursa for cover against. They took it down for her and as soon as it fell, the razor-blades at her back were launched in rapid succession, unloading ammo from her wrists as well all slashing at tree branches. Three of them fell while the leader cursed, jumping quickly to avoid dropping to the ground. "Come on, do better than that if you're going to be petty." Cerise sneered, aggravating them and the large leader rolled his neck, wiggling his fingers in a black gauntlet on his left hand.

"You'll regret this, freak of nature." He snarled, moving to attack with the axe-wielding brute, another boy with two curved blades held backward, and a girl stomping about with armored greaves. Cerise, being swarmed, grinned haughtily and confused them with her semblance: the ability to literally blink about the area. It wasn't just that either, as whenever she appeared the hail of feathers came immediately and left them no time to prepare. They could only react to the unpredictable flashing, being slashed and cut by the bullets.

Not one near
My class of heat
The rule of the wind
Is to never get beat

Don't hedge, don't hog
You're put to test
Like Jet, as hawk
I'll rattle your nest

Cerise began missing, slowing down her attacks as they moved sluggishly but focused. Her feathers stuck to the ground behind them, and she jumped backward to let the upset Ursa Minor throw them off with a war cry. It attacked ferociously, taking out the curve-blade hooligan. The axe-swinger dealt with it as the leader and girl attacked the faunas instead, either trying to grab her or kick her. The armored greaves in particular let loose small explosions from a dust-core at their soles, throwing the cocky bird off balance and a drop of sweat rolled down that pretty face they had no problem wanting to re-arrange. But the golden luster in the sky - a feather dancing in an arc like a rainbow - re-focused the mind.

I never come down
I'm high alone
Bred from a genie
With wings and throne

There was little time to waste with these barbarians, and a blink of instantaneous got her out of the bad spot. Or so it should have, yet the leader propelled himself forward and pressed the cold gauntlet to her cheek, having guessed correctly at her simply flashing backward. "Ah-" The hiss of a dust core being activated cut off any witty remark, exploding in the same way the metal boots had and sending her flying backward. Thanks to her aura barrier, no real damage was sustained beyond a slight burn at her skin as she found her balance. "Ah... I let him distract me."

She laughed at herself. Damn Robin.

Jet-fire hawk
The sky is me
All for the speed
I was born to be
Born to be
Born to be

With the time limit of the golden feather, Cerise dashed back to action and the two attacked as the others kept having to deal with a very upset baby Grimm vengeful for its mother. Though, as the two went in for a renewed attack - "We'll have you eat some more!" the leader roared - she backstepped quickly and threw one of her arms up. Hands open, a quiet ringing hummed in her ears as the collective blades stationed in the dirt vibrated furiously until yanked from the soil. The timid youth screamed as they sought out their home: her wing. Nobody else saw it coming, watching the Grimm child be skewered and the onslaught of feathers rip at them so harshly that it pierced aura, cutting at their exposed skin and leaving numerous cuts.

Catch me if you can!

"Later~" Cerise sung smugly to the racists and the bewildered young lad, flipping into the air and gliding through the skies as her wing was renewed. All the while, the high velocity of the many feathers knocked the four hooligans down as she soared.

There's no turning back
Reach but never catch

"Damn you, faunas wretch-!" The leader grunted and shouted, finding himself quickly through the storm and rushing after the woman. But the other boy noticed left behind feathers from her jump, leaving him wide-eyed as the brute never stopped to see - keeping his eyes so fixated on her with lens blurred by hatred. He was tripped, knocked off his feet by the spinning feathers gathering and slamming into his leg. It wasn't too damaged thanks to his aura, but it didn't stop the collective force hitting like a blunt object, leaving him spiraling helplessly in the air until hitting the floor, face-first.

"Oh..." The young boy they coerced into the whole plan remained still.

Catch me if you can
You can't fathom that
Wonders you can't have

Catch me if you can

"Time's up, boys."

Perfectly synchronized with Robin's timing, she burst from the trees, letting feathers purposefully fall with leaves and twirled beautifully in the glory of the sun. In the fashion of an absolute show-off, a swarm of her blades was let loose from the spin. Whether Robin's aggressors dodged or took the brunt of the barrage, it didn't matter as she faced them from the sky. Her hands were held up as she descended, showing them her knuckles and digits curling toward her palm as if provoking. However, it wasn't just a taunt - it was to call her feathers to return, letting them spin wildly as they were dug from the ground by the telekinetic call, ripping through the air and tearing at the opponents while they were bewildered by the attack, confused by her appearance, or focused on the fact that there was yet another faunas in sight.

Catch me if you can.

Sticking the landing, she did an insulting curtsy before looking to her partner and holding gravity dust. "You're so bothersome, you know?" Tossing the dust for him to use, she prepared another use of her flash, expecting him to be launched to her and vanish together.

[shirii]

Robin rolled his eyes in response; this was how they greeted each other? For all they knew, this was their last day on Remnant! What a dreadfully lacklustre response. Regardless, here they were; two villains of the world against the heroes coming to slay the dreaded beasts. At least, that's how he imagined it was for these humans. How else could they justify it to themselves?

"Six," Robin warned, the feathers of his wings flickering towards the canopy of the forest they were trapped in. "One girl with a gun up there. She's a pretty awful shot," he added with a snort. "How long d'you think? Five minutes? I'm thinking five. Let's make it four."

With a blinding flash of light, the battle begun.

Robin dashed from Cerise's side, launching himself at the closest human; he soared right past her, but as he flew overhead, his wing caught her arm. She had been too slow to react in time. Landing behind her, palm against the ground to steady himself, he tightened his grip like a vice. Bucking upwards, he landed a firm kick at the back of her head, and before she could fall to the ground, used his wing to launch her over himself. She landed with a satisfying crunch; it made Robin chuckle. He'd cracked her back for her! Relinquishing his grip, he had around five seconds before she recovered, and another five until she was back on her feet.

He dashed again, to the next closest target; the green-haired one from before. Brandishing his Aura, a flourish from his wings knocked the man's powerful slash away. His footing stumbled, and Robin groaned. None of them were even fun! They had all the balance of a newborn. A swift fist met the man's cheek, and then his stomach; Robin's speed almost blinding. He brought his leg up, over the man who was keeling over in surprise. His heel met the man's skull and sent him down, earning him a faceful of dirt.

His feathers twitched; the girl had arrived, and her spear had almost found its home in the Faunus' side. Grinning, Robin activated the Dust in his cloak; Gravity Dust. He kicked off from the ground, and was sent flying towards Cerise. Cancelling the Dust in the middle of his flight, he twisted his body to avoid knocking straight into Cerise. Instead, his feet touched the rotting bark of an old tree, and he braced himself. He used it as a platform and leaped off, sending him straight back to the girl who's eyes were widened in shock and fear.

Sure, with one wing he couldn't fly... but he was close!

A chilling blue ran through Scarlet Shroud, contrasting its pale reds. Ice coated the woman's feet, leaving her stranded, and with the help of Gravity Dust, he sent the spear flying out of her hand. Chuckling, Robin gathered his Aura and jumped off from the ground. Placing his foot on the woman's chest, he kicked off, sending a shockwave of Aura through her body and sending him upwards. From a safe distance as the ice the woman was stuck to shattered and she hit the ground like a deck of cards, the world lit up in vermillion as Robin brandished lightning, a devestating shock running through them. When Robin landed, their Aura finally gave up. Two down.

As expected, Cerise had easily dispatched of another two of them. The final two seemed to realize just how out of their depth they were, and had turned to flee.

Too late for that.

"Heads up!" He yelled to Cerise; activating the Gravity Dust and kicking off from the closest tree he could find. One foot landed on one of her feathers, thrown into the air; he kicked off with his Aura as an added boost, utilizing Air Dust through his cloak to manipulate his course and speed. He landed between them with the dramatic flair one could expect of a peacock and with the speed of a falcon spun; the Air Dust in his cloak sending them upwards into the sky, where Cerise's feathers could easily find their mark.

"Did we make it in four?!" He yelled back, with all the excitement of a child.

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