RWBY: BLSM (Hiatus)

Chapter 7: We're A Team Now

* Blossom *

Sapphire and Magenta joined Linen and I on the cracked stone floor of the temple. Two more of the chess pieces that matched the ones we'd picked up sat waiting on pedestals. They looked dead at our matching pieces. Should I stop them? That's gotta be how they determine teams. Dahl would be on his own, without me there to watch over him. I almost spoke to recommend Magenta and Sapphire take different relics, but stood silent. My obsessive sisterly care for my little brother decreased, finally. Dahl's here early for a reason.

"Blossom!" I heard his voice. It took me a second to realize his call wasn't in my thoughts, but in reality. I turned my attention to his voice and saw him walking with a mystery girl next to him. Immediately I noticed the blood and dirt that covered his hands. I walked toward him to meet him halfway across the clearing.

"Dahl, what happened?" I asked, concerned as I softly grabbed his wrist and showed him his own hand.

"We got into a scuffle with a pair of King Taijitus. Things got a little messy and we handled it. I'm fine, Blossom." He assured.

I smiled and nodded a few times, forgetting the issue of his hands, but my attention turned to his partner.

"Who's this?" I asked, hoping to learn her name.

Dahl stepped to the side to let us see each other clearly. The girl had green hair, cut similarly to mine.

"Blossom, this is my partner: Yara. Yara, this is my older sister, Blossom." He introduced us.

I offered my hand. "Nice to meet you, Yara." I greeted.

She grabbed my hand, and she replied to my greeting, but my own thoughts drowned out her voice. The feeling I got when I touched her hand. The emotion that came from her was neither empowering or weakening, like she was at a stalemate of emotion.

I smiled and let go of her hand before the handshake became awkwardly long.

Linen joined my side, clearly showing them that she was my partner. I watched Dahl's eyes shift to her.

"Dahl." She nodded in greeting.

"Linen." He replied.

* Liseran *

I kept my distance ahead of Aster as I whipped my bladed chain through the apprehending Beowolves. Aster followed close behind, killing the ones I missed with his dust sword. He was taking his time coordinating his strikes. I sliced the last Beowolf in front of me and turned around to see Aster finish the ones he was fighting. He used one hand, and moved the blade around like a fencer, with one hand behind his back.

Of course I get paired with Carraway's son. And he probably dislikes me more than I do him. He pleasantly killed the last Beowolf and made his sword fade away.

His outfit reminded me of a young General Ironwood, except the coloring was gray and black instead of the usual white.

"I get you're from Atlas and all, but is that whole fencing stance you have really necessary?"

"I did train under the General for most of my teenager years, and I fight with coordination, strategy. The keys in winning a battle." Aster explained.

I'll bet that was a direct quote from Ironwood himself, or at least a paraphrase.

"It was just a pack of Beowolves, dude. What is there to strategize besides swish, swish, stab. You have a sword, not a gunship."