New Careers with new Peers [Private; Myron Hyles, Bartok Evergreen]

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Long has she waited for this day to come. After a year that almost seemed endless, she was at last on her way to Beacon Academy for the next step in her life. Then again she half expected the officers at the docks to deny her entry to the airship, since life had been oh so cruel to her before. Lucky for her that wasn't the case here as they had let her in without any issues. It made her wonder though. Did Beacon even make checks on the backgrounds of their aspiring students? It seemed too easy like this. There had to be a catch to this. Was a flight like this really going to be this long?

"And now on the incident that occured last night in Vale. Gunshots were heard, located in an alley a few blocks away of the club..." Right, these airships have holographic projectors to broadcast news and video transmissions. Vlithra just so happened to stand right next to one of those. She was leaning with her back against a glass window, arms crossed and eyes closed as she didn't bother looking around or getting familiar with people. It wasn't her style anyways.

Speaking of style, she is dressed in her usual go-to outfit. Fingerless gloves, combat boots, black suit pants and a short white shirt complemented by the viridian vest she was so used to wearing over it, all with the usual motives and accessories. Her dark-green jacket hangs from her shoulder, the red glowing fur around her collar and in the interior dispensing the heat necessary for her to not catch a cold. Her weapons dangle from her left hip, ready to be drawn should the need ever arise.

With the words "incident" and "last night" breaking her out of her pondering session, Vlithra moves to the front of the screen all the while she impatiently starts tapping her upper arm with a finger. Her venomous green eyes scan the room for other students, before they finally set on to the screen next to her. It shows the scene of the incident, an alleyway that would almost certainly be pitch black during the night. The scene shows clear signs of a rather short shootout and a fistfight happening afterwards. "...where they found a group of six men, each of them beaten unconcious due to heavy physical trauma. The group was apparently armed and were identified to be from the local street gang..."

Well this sounds familiar doesn't it? Of course it does. After all, Vlithra is the one who roughed these guys up in the first place. She still remembers the situation in it's entirety. They rounded the corner into the alley after her and ambushed her with their guns drawn, to their dismay, their bullets never reaching the intended target when they fired, instead hitting a mannequin Vlithra had setup in the middle of the alley when she broke their line of sight. She knew something like this would eventually happen and noticed the telltale signs of the ambush the moment she set foot into the club nearby the scene. That's why she lured those guys into that alley in the first place when she left the club. After dealing with them and questioning the group leader she was certain who was responsible. Seems like her past was trying to catch up with her after all, a thought which Vlithra was almost too happy about. The Kaalea-Syndicate must have certainly known that she is still alive and well after the purgatory raid and therefore spent a year or so locating her. They then most likely, later than never, pressured this street gang to do their bidding. A half-assed effort to take her out, while retaining members in their own rows back home. The fact that they really sent these dimwits after her still cracks her up on the inside, allowing a faint smile to form on her face. Makes her wonder who was calling the shots for this hitjob though?

"...The police stated that there are no leads on who the group was targeting that night. If there are any witnesses they are to report to the Vale Police Department." Well yeah, no way there were witnesses there. Vlithra made sure, noone was around when she entered that alleyway. And the group sure won't talk, as that will get them killed by the syndicate that hired them sooner or later. This was their last chance to get her and they failed. Now Vlithra was in Beacon and more than safe from those kind of attempts at her life. She deeply sighs at the thought of that.

[Myron Hyles]

After some of the longest minutes Myron had ever lived, he stopped his work and sighed silently. He had been carving his emblem in his seat with the pointy end of his sword since the airship took off. He'd managed to draw a convincing poppy, but the butterfly wing was going to be an even bigger pain, and he was bored of this. In fact, he'd been bored out of his mind for what seemed like hours, what with the registry and the wait for the airship. He had taken off his coat, checked 40 Winks, picked at his bangs, put his coat on, checked 40 Winks again, then started carving the bench.

It wasn't like he wanted to be bored, but he had no idea for entertainment right now. As he was one year behind all his old friends, he didn't know any of the new students. They didn't seem fun, though : they were either checking their scrolls, weapons, or simply staring at the floor like dead fish. No response whatsoever, even when he tried to wave at some of them. He hoped that there were some livelier people in Beacon...

And here was another problem : he was stressed about Beacon. It was the first time he was truly dedicated to something, and even after being admitted, he couldn't help but wonder if he would be up to the academy's standards. The only things he could pay attention to were the scenery – that he'd seen before – and the news report about a crime scene in Vale. Despite his wish for some video of the fight, all the reporter did was deliver some facts about the situation.

So, he was bored, and upset, and desperately looking for a distraction. It finally came from a tall woman leaned on the window with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. As soon as the reporter started talking about the fight, she opened them and briefly looked around, before moving to stand in front of the screen. Myron hadn't expected that, as she went from clearly not caring about anything, to watching the report intently. She seemed suddenly agitated, too, if her restless finger was any indication. Maybe she would be fun to mess with after all.
Did she have a strong sense of justice, to react like that to a beat up in downtown Vale ? Well, he could work with that. He knew starting a scene was childish, but he needed something to happen. Anything. Even if it meant annoying the tall, large and scary Huntress-in-training. He was about to say something, when he noticed her tiny smirk. Maybe she didn't care that much after all ? Did she find something funny in the report ? Either way, he couldn't go wrong with that :

"Being a criminal sure sounds like fun", he commented loudly, seemingly to no one in particular with his eyes still on the screen. "Not caring about laws, fighting through problems... seems easier than being a Huntsman."

Here went nothing... he hadn't tried goading anyone in two years, but he immediatly felt a mix of regret and anticipation when people frowned at him. He wasn't overly concerned by the outcome, however. If anything went wrong, he could always jump through the window... maybe.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Well, this might have been the first time Bartok had been surrounded by people that didn't liven the place up. You'd think all of the life in the room would be lively. But it was pretty dead in here. All he could hear was the low hum of the airship as it flew, someone carving something into their seat, and the repeating broadcast talking about Beacon.

Bartok sat in his chair not too far from carving-on-wood person, his legs crossed along with his arms, and he had his chin resting against his chest. The goggles hiding his eyes might make him seem asleep, but he couldn't sleep with that low bass from the ship. It hurt his bat ears too much, just that tiny twinge of pain that hurts but you can't stop it or complain about it too much.

Then the broadcast changed. It was a news report, talking about gang violence in an alleyway. He heard someone's footsteps as they approached it, probably watching it closely. All blunt trauma? No bullet wounds? Sounded like a Huntsman, probably a student. Heck, they might even be a new student, seeing as they were in the city the night before the airships started to deliver the noobies to the academy.

Then someone else spoke, and Bartok figured it was the person carving into his bench. The sounds came from the same place. Bartok spoke up, seated across from the person, a male, judging by the voice. "Not caring about laws and fighting through problems." Bartok repeated. "Isn't that the textbook definition of some Huntsmen?" He needed some other sound right now to focus on.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra's finger tapping suddenly ceased when she heard a young male voice from somewhere behind her. Looking over her shoulder to the source of the voice, she spots a guy who seems to be bored out of this world to say the least. He seems young and otherwise oridnary. Vlithra's gorgon gaze stares him down for what feels like multiple hours, which in truth were only a few seconds. She then fully turns around to face him, making sure eye contact isn't broken. Was he the attention seeking type or just someone who can't be bothered to be patient? Then again Vlithra was getting impatient herself, wether or not the guy in question noticed that was still up for debate in Vlithra's mind. She shouldn't be getting hypocritical about it, but to be fair the guys comment didn't make her all to happy. He was pretty much provoking someone with a sense for justice like her.

Vlithra then slowly walked towards him, spotting his sword she uncrossed her arms and let her left hand rest on the hilt of her trusty blade. She was about to give this guy the staredown of his life, but remembered who she was supposed to be, loosening her gaze from his face and instead focusing on what he had carved into the seat with his blade. Vlithra was about to take in what he had drawn only for her focus to be interrupted when another one spoke up.

This one seemed more unusual when Vlithra focused her attention on him. Unusual as in he seemed larger than Vlithra herself, who back home was already considered big. He wasn't even burly, but lean, and additonally a type of faunus Vlithra had never encountered before. No wonder really, Vlithra didn't come in contact with too many types of faunus. What are those ears? And why are these goggles like hiding his eyes? So many questions about this guy. Something she could definetly tell though was, that she liked him already. She could certainly get behind his statement, which could also be said for his choice of attire.

"Well then, why are you still here?" Vlithra's voice came with a snarl only rivaled by one from a real tiger. She tried to sound as annoyed as possible by his comment, however becoming noticably more sarcastic by the second. "I mean if you say it'll be more fun, why not jump out the window and try it? Just as a heads up though, I'll happily be the one to bust you up should you do it." After letting her words sink in for a moment she breaks her sarcastic facade. This time she was more serious, her question being more genuine as if she was interested about his motives. "Seriously though, why would you say something like that when you are already here, on your way to Beacon?" His comment was literally asking for this particular question. Hopefully it would diffuse the tension of the situation aswell. As for the other one. Their statement didn't go unnoticed, as Vlithra thinks about what he has said. "I guess, it makes sense to say the least. Huntsman are usually exempt from ordinary rules, as far as I know."

[Myron Hyles]

Myron saw her reaction in the corner of his eye. He still didn't know if she found this funny or outrageous, but he kept watching the screen for a few seconds before looking at her. And immediately regretting it, as her burning eyes made it clear that she wasn't laughing. He tried to resist the urge to gulp, but did so audibly anyway to see her reaction.
She finally stopped staring him down and moved towards him while reaching for her weapon. Damn, had he struck two nerves with one sentence ? His eyes widened a bit before he sheathed his own, in hope to avoid a fight on an airship filled with Beacon students. He was bored, not suicidal.

Then, the man sat in front of him spoke up out of nowhere – he was awake under those goggles ? Sure, why not try to ruin his fun before it even started. While the woman turned to look at the Faunus, Myron glared at him for his interruption. His expression was blank and partly hidden by his goggles, but the huge moving ears on his head showed that he was paying attention.
His remark didn't deter the woman completely, however, and Myron's focus snapped back to her when she snarled at him. But then, her face became neutral and she asked her question again calmly. She had impressive self-control, if his comment had angered her as much as she'd made it seem. From what he'd seen of her, this was going to be either a somewhat calm discussion or an aggressive staredown. He'd take the former any day.

“See, I'm not here for fun. And you don't look like you are either”, he answered while visibly relaxing. “I'm here 'cause I'm good at killing Grimm.” Not the whole truth, but he wasn't about to tell his life story to a stranger. The last thing he wanted was for her to go back in I Don't Care mode. ”Maybe I'll go beat up some people in an alleyway after I graduate...” That got him weirder looks. ”... but for now, I just want a steady job.”
He then turned to face the Faunus. Maybe he wanted to join in ? He'd sealed his fate the moment he spoke, anyway.
“And I disagree, Huntsmen aren't above the law. But out there”, Myron added while waving at the window, “outside the walls, there's no law.”

[Bartok Evergreen]

Well, she was laying into the other guy pretty hard. Something about law and criminals hit her where it hurt. Best to avoid that.

"There are steadier jobs, and any of them are safer than being a Huntsman. But it's a stable enough job I suppose, killing monsters none of us know the origins of which. " Bartok uncrossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees. "You're right, they aren't, but some hide when the red and blue lights come down the street." They were red and blue, right? He had been told that before. He hoped he got the colors right and they weren't green and purple instead. He'd look like an idiot.

"And cutie, I don't think he meant any harm by his comment. He's probably bored of his wood carving and wanted to talk about something that got your attention." Bartok could just make out her general form from their voices, but the low hum of the ship made everything so muddy. He didn't know if this girl was a looker or not, but in his experience every girl liked being complimented. "He wanted to be the center of your attention." Bartok gave a smirk, snapping his fingers to guns, pointing them at the guy.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Noticing the human boy putting his blade away with no less than a regretful look, Vlithra returned the gesture by letting her left hand off the hilt of her own weapon and instead allowed it to rest on her hip. Seems like her approach had the desireable effect on this guy to say the least who, instead of making more of a fuss, made a fair point with his answer to her question instead. Vlithra was indeed not becoming a huntress just for the fun of it and certainly didn't look that way either. She was now interested, if the boy had the skillset to excel at this line of work, he'll maybe become a decent enough rival. Though technically Vlithra was already ahead in terms busted criminals, but she couldn't just straigth up tell that to these two. At this point she was just happy on the inside that she didn't got her hands on an idiot who was in over his head with this. She would have to test this guys capabilities at some point. However that was something for another day.

Now for the Faunus boy. Vlithra ignored the last bit he said in it's entirety. After hearing the word "cutie" she couldn't help but wonder wether or not this guy had his eyes closed behind those goggles. Crossing her arms in front of her chest again she asked herself, wether or not he even took time to look at her. She certainly didn't meet the criteria to be called that. Additionally those finger guns were irretating. Vlithra really didn't know wether or not she should at least humor the faunus boy for his attempt to be smooth or to shoot him down cold, so to speak.

"I know, I figured that out the moment I saw him and the carving." Vlithra kept the serious tone in her voice from before while looking at the still unknown human boy in front of her. Wasn't it about time she should put names to these faces? Time to get to that. Vlithra bowed down to lower her head to the face level of the sitting Faunus and stared at his face intently. Her attempt to meet him eye-to-eye was met with much dismay though. Can this guy even see through those, more than just obscuring, goggles of his? For Vlithra it seemed like an impossibility to spot his eyes behind the dark-tinted glass, at least with the weird lighting inside the airship. She raises an eyebrow. "Really though, Cutie? I'd rather not be called things like that." Vlithra then raised her upper body again, her gaze now wandering between the two to-be huntsman in training. A faint smirk formed on her face. "How about calling me by my name instead? I am Vlithra Qing Long. Nice to meet both of you."

[Myron Hyles]

Seriously, Myron thought, this guy was a demining squad by himself, to defuse any tension like that. He made an interesting point, but he didn't seem keen on arguing over it, and he took the attention away from Myron. Not that he absolutely wanted to be the center of it, but it was usually a good way of keeping the conversation exciting. To be fair, his failed attempt to kill boredom wasn't only the Faunus' fault : the woman he thought he could rile up had lost interest quickly after he stowed his weapon away. Maybe he should have provoked an all-out brawl after all...
And now they were talking about carving, the very activity he wanted to escape in the first – wait, “cutie” ? Was that what the Faunus said ? That wasn't the first adjective that came to mind when Myron looked at her. He had a faint hope that she would react to that, but she just dismissed him and introduced herself. Then the Faunus snapped finger guns at him.

Myron sat still for a moment, contemplating the situation. The woman – Vlithra – who'd just been ready to draw her sword now thought it was nice to meet him. The apparently blind Faunus in front of him was mocking him. He considered grabbing his fingers to paralyze them, but it would probably burn their bridge before it was built. Asking about his blindness may offend him too. He turned to Vlithra instead.

”Myron”, he reluctantly let out, extending a gloved hand. Gods save him from introductions. Still, he had the opportunity to know some of the first years before landing in Beacon, so he might as well put in some effort. “And you two try carving wood with a hook sword before you point at me. You'll see how boring that is. What's your name, by the way ?”, he asked the Faunus while forcing a smile on his face.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok heard the girl's clothes ruffle in a way that indicated movement, but not any footsteps. He clicked his tongue and 'saw' the room once more. She was bending down to look at him. Probably wondering what was up with his goggles. Doing his best, he would turn his head to look at her and say, "Any closer like that and you're asking for a smooch." He let a corner of his mouth raise in a smile, showing white teeth.

At her dismissmal of his compliment, he clicked his tongue again. One to see the room, and two in mock dissapoinetment. "How about foxy? Does that fit you more?" He said before told him her name. "Gotchya. Vlithra Qing Long." He turned his head to the man opposite of him. He didn't need to to speak to someone, but he learned young that people like it when you face them while talking to them. "And Myron. That is a hooksword, isn't it? Sorry, I couldn't see that well before. It's fuzzy in here and wood doesn't make the clearest noise. I'm Bartok Evergreen, and it's so nice to meet you both." He clicked his tongue again, habitual. "Say, you haven't seen a girl in all white's and blacks, have you? Raccoon tail? Fluffy? Kinda snooty?" He asked the two.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Carving with a hook sword. Sound teadious rather than boring. The human boy who uttered the excuse for his boredom called himself Myron. In response to his extended hand, Vlithra gives him a firm handshake with a more distrustful look on her face. Now with those pleasantries out of the way Vlithra had officially met one of her new peers she would encounter on the campus of Beacon Academy from now on. It was a start, even if on less than ideal conditions. They literally met, because Vlithra was about to smack the guy in the face after all. Vlithra was just happy he didn't try to rile her up further.

Completly ignoring the Faunus's first comment, Vlithra began to wonder what this guys deal was. Was he really blind? She would get her answer soon enough, the clicking noises he made being the first hint on that. He continued to introduce himself as Bartok Evergreen. Based on what he said afterwards it was safe to say that the Faunus boy was indeed almost blind. It clicked in Vlithra's head when she realized he was a bat Faunus. Or was it just him making a clicking noise again? Whatever, at least it made sense now why he was throwing these would-be compliments at her. Speaking of which.

"Both no." Vlithra shook her head in response to Bartok's questions, wether "foxie" was more fitting to call her and wether she had seen a faunus girl in black and white. "Keep guessing. As to the girl you are looking for, I haven't gotten a single clue who that might be. I haven't seen anyone fitting that description either. She said keeping her calm and serious demeanor. The racoon girl he was talking about must have been someone close to him, given the way he called her "snooty". Then again he also called Vlithra some things, which makes her wonder wether or not he talks like that to every girl he sees.

[Myron Hyles]

Vlithra wasn't happy with her new acquaintance. Myron could understand her, though he didn't expect to get acquainted in the first place. She wasn't too bad, but despite her death stares, she was in control of her emotions and not the type to make waves. Still, he'd rather meet someone serious than someone chatty.

The other, however, Bartok Evergreen... he seemed fun to be around. Apparently he wasn't blind, but he was close to it if he couldn't make out Myron's sword from his seat. Since he mentioned noise, he must have been relying on sound to sense his surroundings. If he went around half-blind calling every girl he met "foxy", he was going to be a walking riot. Myron didn't want to miss this.

"Haven't seen her, no. And I'd probably remember a raccoon Faunus...", he added after Vlithra. Then he wondered how Bartok would go about finding someone in Beacon. "Need any help with that ? It can't be easy to look for someone with your eyesight... unless you're planning on screaming her name in the whole school." If he did, that would certainly make for an interesting first day.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Not foxie or cutie? "Well, it sounds like you don't think yourself the catch you are. Don't worry, I'm not the only guy who will take a liking to you." He jolted slightly in his seat. "Or, do you not want a guy's attention, and go the other way?" Bartok asked. One might normally act embrassed or a little shy at asking something like that, but the bat faunus just leaned back in his seat, putting his arms out on either side of him and snapped his fingers into two more little guns at her. "I'd respect that. Women are too good looking for only men to chase them."

"And don't worry about the Raccoon girl. I was just wondering if I had gotten on the wrong airship. I have." Bartok couldn't help but start laughing, his chest shaking as he slumped more in his seet, his face aiming towards the cieling as he let out his laughter and his long legs sliding outstretched across the walkway. "No no, I won't need to look for her." He said shkily, slowly getting control of himself. "She'll either be screaming at me as soon as we land, or I'll wait for when she lands and yells at me then."

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra simply dismisses Bartok's attempts at compliments with a silent "Hmpf". At some point someone was going to slap him for those remarks of his and it wasn't going to be Vlithra, not right now at least. He was saying and asking these things so casually, like they were second nature. Maybe she should just go along with it? Maybe bring up his eyesight as a topic or his ability to detect sound even? She rolls her eyes, almost annoyed of her own rudeness. "Sry if this is rude, but... can you make out the features of a person? Because I am pretty sure you don't see all the details in ones appearance, especially if you use sound to detect surroundings." Vlithra said with a certain amount of doubt and interest in her voice. He seeming like the always cheerful type made it unlikely in her opinion to be offended by her question. To be honest she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a bit curious. Did Bartok even know she was a Faunus? She doubted he could spot the stripes she had on her cheeks and arms.

With Bartok claiming that the racoon girl he talked about would eventually be screaming at him once the airship lands Vlithra wondered what the relation between these two was. Now if her question form before didn't get an answer, this conversation would be getting to it's "awkward silence-end" so to speak. Vlithra had no intention talking about herself anymore nor did she have the intention to respond to Bartok's, in her opinion silly, remarks further than she did. It was rude to just straigth-up leave, wasn't it? She could wait and see wether or not the other boys didn't miraculously strike up another topic they all could talk about. If that wasn't the case or if Myron didn't find another way to rile Vlithra up again, something she reckoned would not go well for him this time, she would take her leave for the time being. Did these flights always take so long?

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok waved a hand in the air as if batting away any 'rudeness'. "Not at all. I get general shapes and sizes, but specific details I would need to get with touching." He stood up with those long legs of his and walked towards her. "But that's the thing about not seeing looks. I can see if people are nice looking on the inside. Even if you have been cursed with less-than-stellar looks, I know someone is going to find you the girl of their dreams. How?" He asked before pointing at the hologram. "Because you care deeply about something. You're passionate! You have drive and determination and a strong spine. That will attract some people, and they will think that you are the cutest fox that ever crossed their path." Bartok smiled. "Don't turn them down when they do. Love is too sought after for someone to turn it down because they don't like how they look in the mirror. "

He would pause for a moment, letting that sink in before he turned, snapping a finger at Myron. "You too. Some girl is going to love your hooksword carvings!" Bartok smiled a white, toothy smile, canines just slightly longer than human.

[Myron Hyles]

Myron cracked a smile and chuckled lightly at Bartok's intrusive remarks. With how calm Vlithra tried to be, maybe his blatant disregard for her privacy would draw some emotion out of her. But no, she just ignored the flirting with a scoff and a roll of her eyes. Damn, she was a tough nut to crack, Myron thought with a frown. He was half tempted to see just how tough, but she would probably use swords sooner than words. Plus, she had already suffered the pleasure to meet him and Bartok's nicknames, so it would be unfair to push her further. She was visibly caring less and less about this conversation, though she tried to keep it going for some reason.

Bartok laughed out loud about his situation and brought Myron's smile back. It was intriguing how they both didn't care in very different ways, Bartok continuing to tease Vlithra despite her numerous dismissals, and her ignoring every sentence she didn't like. She just changed the topic as if she hadn't even heard his quips. She asked carefully about his condition, but seeing him laugh about it had convinced Myron that the man would not be offended by many things. He listened to the explanation, being a bit curious himself, but Bartok only offered a short answer before he started a speech about inner beauty. Myron found it hilarious, entertaining and strangely motivating in equal measures, though the hilarious side won at "cutest fox" and he burst out laughing.
When Bartok turned to him, he muttered a shaky "Sorry", but the last claim made him laugh again and shiver. "Please no. A girlfriend who likes carving would be a slow and painful death." What a scary prospect. "And I hope there's more to me than my property damage skills... What are you anyway, some kind of hearts expert ?", he retorted with a lingering grin.

Then, watching Vlithra's clear unease with the conversation, Myron decided to spare her the awkwardness. He wracked his mind for another topic, then remembered a passing thought he had back at the airport, about missing Pharos' poker tables. He definitely planned to organize one in Beacon someday, as playing online took out the only interesting aspect of the game. "Anyway, do you play poker ?", he randomly asked them both before turning to her. "You look like you've worked a lot on your poker face." It was a shot in the dark, but she may be a gambler. He had little hope Bartok would say yes, however. Bad eyesight usually didn't agree with card games.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Good to see that Vlithra was right on her hunch when she thought that Bartok wasn't easy to offend. Her way of extending the conversation at least the tiniest of bits had worked. She was about to react with an obligatory "I see" before Bartok then stood up to his full height, being slightly taller than Vlithra herself just as she predicted. This was unfamiliar to Vlithra, someone was taller than her for once, which is why her initial reaction was to to try and meet his gaze with her own perplexed look when he approached her. Vlithra calmly unfolded her arms in front of her chest and lets her left rest on the hilt of her blade again, indicating to the bat faunus to not tread too close to her.

She was going to firmly stand there and keep listening to what he had to say. No way she was going to let anyone crack her shell today. While his speech was admitedly oddly motivating, Vlithra still highly doubted that she would be someones dream girl. Last time she checked people didn't like being around criminals. He did describe Vlithra's attitude down to the core though and that simply by observing anything but her looks, which she secretly gave him props for. Aside the "cutest fox" thing of course. Vlithra was still a bit annoyed that he couldn't get that right on his own. "Fair enough." She said with a sigh. "I am still not a fox though." Right after that Myron laughed again at the carving girlfriend comment. Vlithra couldn't keep her facade, it was indeed hilarious, which caused a smile to form on her face.

Myron's rather random question broke her attention away from Bartok. Poker, huh? Myron had a point, Vlithra's demeanor made for quite the pokerface. Thinking back, she had only played poker with her mother back then and had otherwise only watched her play at meetings with other crime bosses. She also remembered that her mother was notorious for cheating at said games, much to the dismay of the others. The worst was that they couldn't even figure out how she did it. That was multiple years back, Vlithra was sure she had just started as a criminal back then. She did want to try it for real at some point though. She looked at Myron with a slight grin on her face. "Sorry to dissapoint, but I didn't practice my pokerface for gambling. But I have indeed played a few times, although it has been a while."

[Bartok Evergreen]

Vlithra relented, agreeing with him somewhat. Not on the 'Foxie' part though. "What's another sexy animal...?" Bartok tought outloud, tapping his foot. "A panther? You're too young to be a cougar. Leopard! I heard their spots look good on-" Myron's laughter cut him off.

When Myron laughed about a girl who loved carving wood, Bartok just snapped his finger guns at him again. "Depends on what kind of wood she's carving." He stuck the tip of his tongue out of his mouth as his smile widened. "I'm no expert, I have only observed a lot of people and danced with a lot of girls."

And then he brought up poker. Bartok, depending on who you asked, was amazing or absolute garbage at Poker or any card game. He couldn't tell what he had in his hand, and therefore didn't really play. He had once before and lost. Maybe. He was pretty sure he lost.

"I haven't played Poker in a while, but that sounds like fun. You got a deck?" Bartok asked. "Could help pass the time."

[Myron Hyles]

Struggling to breath normally, Myron opened his coat to look for his playing cards.
Each time Bartok opened his mouth was funnier and weirder than the last. The finger guns should have seemed like he was trying too hard to be funny, but he made the gesture look natural somehow. His comments had been getting worse by the minute, however, and while Myron laughed, Vlithra had been reaching for her sword again. He'd wondered if she was going to snap. That's what he had been trying for, but he would feel kind of bad for Bartok if she hit him, since he apparently couldn't tell she was annoyed.

When he'd started to guess what kind of Faunus she was, Myron had opened his mouth to tell him before he could irritate her further. Then he'd closed it, realizing that her stripes could come from a variety of animals. Before doubling over at the "cougar" comment. Even when Bartok turned to him and he tried to regain his composure, a dubious innuendo on wood carving (funny, but bizarre and very masochistic) sent him into another suprised, high-pitched laugh.

Fortunately, his change of topic had worked : he could finally catch his breath and Vlithra could let go of her weapon. She- was that a grin ? This had to be the most expressive she'd been since they boarded. And against all odds, they seemed both eager to play. Did he have a deck ? No... he had several, obviously. He drew one from his coat's many inner pockets.
"Of course I got a deck.", he confirmed with his own grin. "Can you... can you see the cards though, Bartok ?" He expected a yes. He hoped for a yes. He didn't want to have to imagine what playing poker blind would be like. "Besides, my chips are in the hold, so if you two really wanna play, it's either Lien... or strip", he finished with an eyebrow wiggle.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra barely contains a laugh at Bartok's less than subtle wood innuendo. She then clears her throat and is already back to her serious demeanor. "Tiger..." She said with a sigh. She then followed up with a slight tone of annoyance in her voice. "Pale skin... stripes on body. I am a White Tiger Faunus." Tigers were more of a majestic beast than anything else and white ones were a rare sight, so no wonder Bartok didn't name it yet. Although Vlithra was certain there would be people out there who thought that tigers were pretty in some sense. That didn't matter though.

Vlithra has been wondering that since the topic of poker came up. Can Bartok even see the cards? If he didn't, then playing would be a fruitless effort for him. Unless these were cards that had braille writing on them, he wouldn't know what his hand was. On the bright side noone would be able to call his bluffs. "I mean, can you?" She said with a more than doubtful expression in her face looking at.

As to Myron. Considering that Vlithra had given a noticeable amount of her own money to a kid that basicly tried to steal her wallet today, but ultimately failed to do so, she was short in terms of money for now. It was a gesture of kindness as the little boy apparently needed the money so desperately that he dared steal from someone like her. No point reminiscing about that now though, the other option was certainly out of the question. "I think I'd rather wait until we can have some sort of Poker Night at the Dormitories. I'm a bit short on Lien today." Vlithra said scratching the back of her neck. She then stared at Bartok with a literal death glare, expecting him to make a witty remark about strip poker. "And I'd rather get eaten alive by a Grimm Sea Feilong before I play strip poker!" She then calms down again and waited for a response form the others.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Well, at least one person appreciated his jokes. Vlithra too, since he heard her quite well stifle a laugh. And then she named what actual sexy animal she was. Bartok froze for a moment. "A... tiger? A white tiger? Wow. That's way better than a leopard. Good luck batting the men down, Vlithra." He said, almost about to say something else until the subject of cards came up.

Bartok seemlesly scoffed at the notion. "Of course I can see the cards. If I hold them close enough to my goggles, that is." Bartok was talking about seeing the card itself, the white rectangle part and not the numbers and suits, but he didn't know that they even had numbers and suits. He had been confused how card games were played with blank pieces of paper, but whatever people liked. "And as much as I would enjoy a healthy game of strip poker, we are in a public space and Vlithra has the wrong idea that she isn't a catch, so-" Vlithra cut him off by saying what she would rather happen to her than play strip poker. He snapped a finger gun at her. "-that. We can bet with something other than money, though." He quickly walked back to his seat and pulled out a quiver full of arrows from underneath. "We can bet arrows. Of course I'd get them all back in the end, but we could start with equal amounts." He offered.

"Speaking of, White Tigeress," Bartok said as if the next words he said had anything to do with their current conversation. "Being a smoldering white tiger I can't imagine you going to anyone else. Would you marry me?" Bartok said the question with a little too drama in it to be precieved an actual proposal. Hopefully. Bartok had been slapped before, he was used to it.

[Myron Hyles]

So, a white tiger ? She certainly had a predator vibe... not in the sense Bartok would have meant. Damnit, he was already messing with Myron's head. Speaking of the blind man, he defied expectations again by apparently having no problem whatsoever with flat cards. What was his problem exactly, conditional blindness ? Myron didn't try to understand and accepted his answer, and his quiver. There was enough arrows to play some games, and that was saying something. The Grimm he fought probably ended up looking like porcupines... Myron hoped not to spar too often with him : ranged fighters weren't his cup of tea.

Still, he took the quiver with a "thanks" and raised an eyebrow at Vlithra to ask if this suited her. She brought up the interesting idea of holding a "poker night" sometime, and he knew one of the dorms was going to be turned into a casino. She declined the strip poker, of course, but so vehemently that he couldn't resist the urge to throw another jab. He waited for Bartok's weird and borderline inappropriate comment, which he knew was coming, and he wasn't disappointed. Bartok outright proposed to Vlithra in a grandiose fashion, and Myron had a hard time not collapsing again in laughter. But he held it back, and put his arms behind his head with an impish grin.
"No strip poker ? Too bad, foxy", he sassed right after Bartok's question. It was a bit unfair to put her on the spot like this, but they were supposed to learn about teamwork in Beacon, didn't they ? Might as well start trying now ; although judging by Vlithra's reaction, this had a fair chance of being a trial by fire.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Vlithra was probably as surprised as Myron by Bartok's claim that he could see the cards, albeit only if he held them close to the face. As to using arrows for betting? That could work, which Vlithra signals to Myron with a nod. The most interesting thing was however that the almost blind Bat Faunus was a ranged fighter of all things. Well if he was attending Beacon he must be good, right? Could certainly make things interesting should they ever spar.

Did- did Vlithra hear that right? Was that a proposal coming form Bartok? He was joking, right? Yes, the way he said it made it almost too clear that he was joking. How does he come up with these ways to tease like this? And how far is he even willing to go with those? Vlithra didn't want to find out and it was high time she did something about it. She knew damn well by now that Bartok would just keep going until some form of a rebuttal was coming his way."Keep it cool, this is your first day so don't do anything to drastic." Is what she thought to herself to keep her serious facade. And now Myron was practically pouring gasoline on an already burning fire. Something Vlithra should make him regret, but didn't feel the need to do so now. She let out an annoyed snarl in response.

Without a spec of a warning her left arm raised and a, from her perspective, outward strike with the back of her knuckles against Bartok's forehead followed. Considering she was standing near him and slightly shorter, this wasn't a real backhand fist and more like a figurative Bonk to the forehead. It certainly didn't have enough force to break anything, but with her glove's steel studs over her knuckles it had to hurt to say the least. Bartok couldn't say he didn't deserve that one after his incessant remarks and comments. She would then pull at the lower end of her left glove and direct her death stare back at Myron, more threatening than ever. "Don't push it you two." She said with an agitated tone beneath her voice. In the end she would make a mental note to "lay in an extra beating" for when they would hopefully spar together at somepoint in the future.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok heard her move, the rapid movement of cloth as her clothes adjusted to her body motion, and Bartok could tell something was coming at him. He expected a slap, but this seemed different. In instinct, his hands came up over his head and covered his ears in a protective gesture, his whole body curling slightly to keep them safe. And then he just got bonked on the head. She had some hard gloves, huh? He felt silly for reacting so much to protect his ears when she really just wanted to make a statement.

After she warned them, Bartok straightned up and cleared his throat, regaining composure. He probably looked like a frightened kid as he cowered for his ears, and Bartok wasn't that anymore. He rubbed at the spot on his forehead where she bonked him, working to put a smile on his face. "I'll take that as a no? I knew I should have bought a ring." He knew when someone was about ready to jump overboard than deal with him, or throw him overboard, but he couldn't help it.

He turned to Myron. "Poker?" He asked.

[Myron Hyles]

"Right", Myron answered as he left his seat to take one on the floor. He separated the arrows in three heaps and took his coat off to lay it down. He didn't want the cards to go sliding around on the metal floor. He wisely chose to not look Vlithra in the eye this time, as she sent him another glare but preferred to knock Bartok on the head. Finally, she was triggered by his incredible power to not see glares.

Myron judged it would be more prudent to let her cool down a bit and took the banter to Bartok instead. "I don't think the lack of ring is your only problem, finger gunner. You're a bit clumsy, asking her on an airship... that's not a very romantic setting", he chastised while shuffling the deck. "And in front of all those people, no less. What if she's shy ?" He kept a serious facade, like the proposal was sound in the first place.

Finally dealing the cards, he glanced at his and smirked at his promising hand. Then he looked up to them and warned : "No Semblance, by the way. Believe me, I've seen some creative cheating before."

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Even if Myron didn't see her stare, she knew he felt it. At least now they both got the memo to stop their comments. Now Vlithra could focus on the task at hand. Putting her pokerface to use and trying to play these guys under the figurative table. The table in this case was Myron's jacket, good enough she guessed. Vlithra sat down in a cross-legged position and picked up the cards she had been dealt, even though she knew better than to play the deal of someone else. She didn't think that low of Myron, not yet at least. If she were to catch him cheating, he was in for a one way ride out the next window.

Myron mentioning not to use semblances to cheat, gave her at least a little bit of reassurance. Vlithra wasn't a cheater and that aside her semblance wasn't suited for that kind of stuff aynway. Then again, why cheat with a semblance when that can be done with a bit of sleight of hand? It wasn't that difficult, one just needed fast hands and to make the dealing look normal. In any case, this hand was... not great. Vlithra was pretty much going to fold this hand if the three cards laid out in the next moment weren't going to help. She could make Myron commit to betting more, but given his grin it seemed like his hand was good. "I could say the same. Usually I don't play hands that weren't cut before hand." She said glancing over to Myron, before looking over to Bartok to see what his reaction was to his cards. She still doubted his ability to see his cards and raised an eyebrow waiting for him to pick up his cards.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok crossed his legs and sat next to the coat and picked up the cards dealt to him. He rubbed at his forehead and clicked his tongue. "You're right. I should have thought about her feelings when I said it. Ok, well, I'll try again later." He said to Myron. He knew very well that Vlithra would no like that, and he simply looked towards her with a smile, the tip of his pink tongue sticking out between his long canines.

Turning his head back towards his cards, they were... well, cards. Rectangular, bendy, and had curved edges. Just like every other deck he knew of. He held the cards close to his goggles, pearing at each one individually. He was still unsure if they had something written on them or not. He couldn't see anything, just the shape through his heavily tinted goggles. "Ok..." He said more to himself than anyone else, shifting his butt and legs to be more comfortable. "Hit me." He said, before cringing. "Wait, that's a different game, right? Uh," He scooted two of his arrows forward. "I raise from nothing to two." He was really hopping he was getting this right. If he wasn't, hopefully they would think it was more hilarious than stupid.

[Myron Hyles]

Vlithra's remark almost made Myron scoff, before he remembered that she didn't know him well. He still rolled his eyes and retorted : "Save your wariness for when there's real stakes." He wouldn't suggest a game of poker just to cheat and ruin the challenge, especially when there was no Lien to be won. Her face was so serious that it seemed they were betting their souls.

Then Bartok threw another joke at her, and their eyes were on him. He slowly picked up his cards, looking hesitant, then blurted out : "Hit me", and instantly, every hope he'd given Myron dropped. He'd said that he had played poker before, yet he just realized what they were doing. At least he seemed to remember the rules correctly as he placed his blind bet... and announced it ? "You... don't really have a choice", Myron told him just to be sure they were on the same page. "You're the big blind." He snorted at his own words : "No pun intended."

At the same time, it dawned on him that he and Vlithra would need to voice all of their bets for Bartok's benefit. Sat on the floor in an airship, playing on a coat, betting arrows which may be explosive (he didn't dare ask Bartok), and yelling their bets like they didn't know how to count. This was going to be the least classy game of poker ever. His hand was the only silver lining. "I raise to four", he stated while pushing the arrows away.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Myron was right, Vlithra should really stop taking things so dead seriously. Then again her only experience with poker always involved cheating, so she kind of expected it? Didn't matter. After realizing there were no real stakes, Vlithra clears her throat and lifts her stern gaze from Myron. "Fair enough." Is the only thing Vlithra said as a response, the seriousness in her face and look slowly but steady fading.

Now onto the game, though. Since Myron was the Dealer and Bartok the Big Blind, both figuretively and literally, Vlithra needed to bet one arrow, which she throws in with a smirk after hearing Myron's less than intentional pun. With everything that Bartok had done so far, it was clearly evident that he would need some... assistance. Then Vlithra raises and eyebrow as she sees what Myron is doing. Raising to four? Well, he is certainly confident, more than Vlithra liked him to be.

In the end Vlithra decided that the best thing to do was to let Myron steal the Blinds. She looked at her cards again, just to verify that they weren't worth the risk to call Myron's raise, and laid the cards face down to the ground pushing them away from her to the middle with a dissapointed sigh. While this didn't make the game more interesting, Vlithra wasn't about to risk it with an uncertain bluff. "Nu-uh! I fold." She said clearly dissapointed, but also a bit eager as she looked at Bartok and said: "Now Bartok, are you going to call the raise? Or are going to let him steal the Blinds?"

[Bartok Evergreen]

Call the raise? Steal the Blinds? What did those even mean?! Bartok thought furiously, but didn't let it show on his face. He figured 'letting' Myron do anything would hand him the game, but Vlithra had already folded. He could also fold and let her back in with a new round, or he could give Myron a bit of a fight.

"I'll call." Bartok said as he pushed forward 4 arrows. He hoped he was doing this right.

[Myron Hyles]

No luck for Vlithra, it seemed. It was always a bit disappointing to have nothing in the first round, especially when there were only three players. Watching two people play poker felt like being a third wheel, although with Bartok around, Myron wouldn't voice that particular thought. He tried to fill the silence while burning a card and dealing the next three.
"Hey, are you good fighters ? How long have you been training ?" It was one of the only things he really wanted to learn about people. Besides Pharos Academy, he'd only sparred with much older Huntsmen with conservative styles, who had fought him unarmed because he'd have had no chance otherwise. He hoped to see more creative and unique moves from Beacon's students.

He checked the cards he'd just revealed, still very promising, and then Bartok, who had a totally blank face... or the expression of someone completely lost, but it was probably his way of not showing anything. He probably didn't see the flop anyway. Myron sighed and spelled out the face-up cards : "Four of clubs, jack of spades, nine of spades." He sounded weirdly formal, but very stupid too, like a novice croupier far too proud of his work.