Broken Glass (Private w/ Rouge)

[August Valerian]

"Damn! How did things get this bad?!" August half turned as he ran, flinging his last flash bang behind him towards a group of cops that had been chasing him since the store. He turned his head as a bright flash was emitted behind him, with the cries of alarm, shock and pain as he kicked off the wall and reaching for the bottom rung of the emergency stairs, pulling himself up. He made his way up and up, going round and round towards the roof, occasionally casting a glance down to check on the cops' progress. August reached the roof coming to a stop a few steps away from the stairs as he filled his lungs with air, finally getting a break from being chased. How has his day gone so badly today?! He focused, feeling out his semblance and checking what he had left in his supplies.

August gave a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping. "No flash bangs and two smokes, one primed..." He let out a groan of frustration, pressing his fingers into his eyes. After a few moments he removed his fingers and opened his eyes, looking around at the nearby roof tops, planning his route away from here, where he would then make his way back down to the ground. "This day has not been worth what it has cost me..."

August gave another heavy sigh as he took a run up and leapt across to the next roof picking up speed he he went. He made it several roofs over before making his way back down to street level. He stepped out onto the street after taking a moment to case the area for any law enforcement, joining the crowd. A few steps down the street he passed a tourist terminal. His eyes flicked to the screen as he passed, coming to a halt as he saw his own likeness looking back at him with a warning underneath. Not for the first time this day, he let out a low groan and picked up the pace, making a wake through the crowd as he push through.

[Rouge Ako]

It’s been awhile since his last visit to Vale, he remembered coming here to visit an old friend and past team member. She was doing much better than he, especially with her glass appendage shining as brightly as her smile but he swears he could see her pain and anger at him. The reason for his visit this time was to help keep up maintenance on the leg, usually fixing cracks and applying more of his aura to strengthen it, and hopefully it’ll no longer need his help. Rouge adjusted the guitar case alongside his back as he came closer to the terminal and trying his best not to take up space, as he viewed the screen he saw a gentleman’s face appear on suddenly with a warning and call number.

The musician wasn’t surprised about the wanted add but he was surprised as he was shoved aside by a running figure. He turned to say something but he clearly saw the wanted criminal, apparently a petty thief. He gauged the man’s effective abilities as he ran through a crowded street against what he hoped weren’t the most competent law enforcement of this area and ultimately decided help was needed. Thankfully a weapon wasn’t needed but it won’t stop Rouge from pulling out several glass rods about a half inch in width and three inches in length from his pocket and tossing them at the runner’s hands and feet. As the glass rods traveled they slowly transformed into cuffs, open and ready for the quick capture.

The huntsman in training ran after throwing the rods, knowing if the thief was competent it would do very little besides slow him down for the shortest time. Rouge ran through the crowd very effectively, often jumping over some pedestrians and using the surrounding structures to give him the necessary empty space to preform expert movements to evade the most obnoxious passerby. “Stop, the more you run away, the more they’ll charge you for.” Rouge spoke out to the man as he came closer and closer and the distance between the two narrowed.

[August Valerian]

August was making headway through the crowd towards a relatively unwatched stretch of alleys, so far he hadn't drawn any attention from more cops or hunt- August suddenly found himself tumbling as his ankles and wrists are bound together, landing on his side. August looked down at his wrists with confusion. "What the...?" The cuffs looked to be made of coloured glass but where did-? His ears flicked in the direction of a male voice calling out to stop running, August looked up to see a young, scarlet haired man running towards him.

"Tch." August clicked his tongue, flexing his semblance and removing the cuffs around his ankles, rolling onto his feet over his shoulder, removing the cuffs from his wrists as he stood up straight with another use of his semblance. He gave a wry grin as he continued to take deep breaths. "Hey, do you just go round throwing those glass cuffs at people? I mean, I'm flattered and all, but perhaps you should just ask in future. Sends the wrong message you know." August looks left and right, scoping out any exit paths... which are all blocked by pedestrians... great. He glanced down at himself, frowning at the dust and dried dirt on his clothes and set about dusting himself off.

Satisfied with the lack of dust and dirt he turned his attention to the man before him, grin now back in full force, raising his right hand resummoning the glass cuffs and then throwing them back to the man. "Here, you can have these back. Oh?! And I don't know what they told you, but I didn't steal anything." He let out a huff of air and gave a slight shake of his head. He really didn't want to have to fight a hunter right now despite not seeing a visible weapon, though the guitar case on the man's back could be hiding his weapon for all August knew. August hoped this could be resolved without a fight and him walking away, but given how the day had gone so far, it felt more likely that he would have to fight and then not walk away free after all...

[Rouge Ako]

Rouge watched with a mixture of surprise and admiration as the wanted man effortlessly freed himself from the glass cuffs. He noted the slight grin on the man's face, his demeanor almost playful despite the circumstances. As the man tossed the cuffs back to him, Rouge caught them with ease, his expression remaining calm and collected while his eyes had a cold chill in them. It’s as if this interruption was going to be somewhat therapeutic in both a positive and negative way. Hopefully Eleanor doesn’t hear about this and make Rouge’s next visit to her worse.

"I’m sorry but my job isn’t to determine that, I’m here to help. And the portion of deciding your innocence, that's for the authorities and judge to sort out.” Rouge replied evenly, his tone non-confrontational. He made a mental note of the man's apparent willingness to avoid conflict, despite the situation. "But running through the streets isn't exactly the best way to clear your name." Rouge considered his options. He could try to detain the man again, but it was clear he possessed some form of enhanced abilities, making a direct confrontation risky. Plus, his priority was ensuring the safety of the civilians around them.

"I'm not here to fight.” Rouge stated firmly, his gaze steady. "But I can't just let you run loose either. Turn yourself in peacefully, and maybe we can sort this out without anyone getting hurt." He gestured towards the nearby authorities approaching, signaling his intention to cooperate with them. Rouge hoped the man would see reason and surrender without further incident, avoiding any unnecessary escalation. Just in case though, he unholstered his guitar case and threw it upwards with the cuffs wrapped around the shoulder straps and soon enough the cuffs became suspended in the air and the case out of his way.

From his white overcoat he produced two long and thick glass rods, each around two feet in length and supporting a surprising amount of heft. Rouge was thankful he made these yesterday while traveling but he’s not sure how they’ll fair against this thief.

[August Valerian]

August raised his hands in mock defeat, sighing as he did so. "Really now Scarlet? Though I suppose that is part of your role as a Hunter isn't it?" His ears twitched as the echo of approaching footsteps reached them, looks like the authorities are already here... August's eyes snapped back to Rouge as he tossed his guitar case into the air and suspended it with the cuffs he had tossed back to them, up and out of reach of his semblance, at least from where he was currently standing anyway.

August gave a low chuckle, shaking his head as he once again eyed the oncoming authorities and then the two rods that Rouge had equipped himself with. "Alright Scarlet, any other day I would have traded a few blows with you, blinded you with a flash bang and run off... Today though...?" He shrugged, lazily pointing a finger towards Rouge. "So long as you vouch for me, you know? Put in a good word or two? Oh and here." August summoned the cause of all of his trouble today, an unmarked, hard shelled brief case on the ground half-way between himself and Rouge.

Another heavy sigh left August as he gave the brief case the stink eye. "Really not worth the trouble it brought me, though it's clearly worth something to these guys." August tilts his head in the direction of the authorities who had at this point started to encircle the pair. He figured that this being the only theft that they could pin on him, he should get off relatively lightly... he hoped anyway.

He raised two fingers, a thoughtful look on his face, brows slightly scrunched. "Two questions for you. Never did catch your name? And why...? No... how did you become a hunter?" Despite the ever present grin on his face, he hoped that the question did come across as sincere, as he recalled his own failings in applying, or rather not applying to Beacon.

[Rouge Ako]

Rouge observed August's surrender with a sense of cautious relief. He had anticipated a potential confrontation, but August's willingness to cooperate was a welcome surprise. As August raised his hands in mock defeat and engaged in banter, Rouge couldn't help but admire the man's charisma, despite the circumstances. "The role is always trying to be there." Rouge replied with a small smirk, acknowledging August's remark about his role as a Hunter.

As August spoke of trading blows on any other day, Rouge nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Let's handle this peacefully," he said, relieved that August seemed willing to avoid unnecessary conflict. Rouge's attention turned to the unmarked briefcase on the ground, a symbol of the trouble that had brought August into this situation. He noted August's resignation and couldn't help but empathize with the man's predicament. Rouge tilted his head slightly at the briefcase, and unfortunately he couldn’t tell from the distance on why it was so wanted. “You don’t know what you took? Why take it in the first place?“

Taking a step forward as the authorities closed in, Rouge gestured for kid to follow suit, signaling his intention to cooperate fully. As the thief raised two fingers to ask his questions, Rouge paused, considering them carefully but it didn’t stop him from gripping the rods tighter.

"My name's Rouge, Rouge Ako.” he replied, offering a brief smile, one of the many he practiced. The second question did catch him off guard though, it almost sounded like he was asking for something more than the musician’s answer. “I got lucky. I was considered a danger during my first year because of my semblance. So I trained and trained and got my lucky break. It was mainly my mentor who saw it to the end with me.” To emphasize this, Rouge squeezed his left hand and the rod shattered, the glass shards though didn’t fall and instead floated softly around his open hand, until he relaxed and it dispersed into dust and aura.

As the authorities arrived and began to take control of the situation, Rouge hoped that August’s cooperation would be taken into account during the proceedings. Though for some reason Rouge felt this kid needed someone to be there. Despite the unexpected turn of events, he remained grateful for the opportunity to resolve the situation peacefully, all thanks to August's willingness to surrender. “Officers… if it’s okay with you, I’ll deliver him to the station.” To show his point he held up the other rod and slowly it morphed into another pair of cuffs.

[August Valerian]

"Hhrrmmm... I sorta know what's in it but..." August withheld another sigh as he instead breathed deep through his nose, filling his lungs and then letting a long breath out. He debated for a moment about telling Rouge about why he took it, but he figured that it would all most likely come out at the station anyway, so Rouge could find out then, he reasoned.

His ears flicked as Rouge introduced themselves, and then answered his second question. The answer... a mentor huh? He had one of those once before... He could feel his grin slipping as he dwelled on old memories, he pushed the memories away for another time and put up another grin, though a little more fragile this time. "My name is August Valerian, petty thief extraordinaire. A pleasure meeting you Scarlet." He gave a shallow, mock bow to further play up the situation before straightening up. It was always interesting finding people who could accept his... banter, not everyone appreciated his behaviour even if it was purposely to try and irritate people.

He listened as Rouge spoke up to the officers, silently grateful that Rouge did intend to keep up their end of the deal. August smirked as Rouge turned one of the rods into another pair of cuffs and couldn't help but say... "Well at least you're not throwing them on without asking this time. And yes..." He rolled his eyes with some amusement. "... I'll be keeping them on this time." He offered his wrists to Rouge and gave a wriggle of his fingers, allowing Rouge to put on the cuffs. August was pretty sure that the Police didn't have the full picture on how his semblance worked just yet and would allow this, especially with a hunter escorting him to the station.

As they set off towards the nearest station, August spoke up once more, unable to resist being a tease. "So dinner first? And then back to mine... or yours maybe?" He held a straight face for all of a few seconds before snorting, snickering, and then laughing out loud. Bizarrely the weight of the day felt like it had been lifted from his shoulders, that the day would finally start moving in a positive direction, despite that direction currently being the nearest station...

[Rouge Ako]

Rouge couldn't help but chuckle at August's playful banter, something he wasn’t expecting with someone’s introduction, despite the seriousness of the situation. He appreciated August's ability to find humor even in the midst of trouble, a trait that mirrored his own approach to life. "Nice to officially meet you, August Valerian, though I wouldn’t say that out loud in the crowded streets." Rouge replied with a copied smile, returning the mock bow with a subtle nod of acknowledgment. He pressed the glass cuffs around August’s wrists and as soon as they came close the glass split opened and wrapped around his wrists and more glass sprouted out and interwoven with each other to form strong and thick chains. Rouge gave a slight tug at them and after ensuring they were secure but not overly tight, mindful of the man's abilities and comfortability, he pulled out a scroll to open up a map of the area.

As they began their journey towards the nearest police station, Rouge couldn't help but shake his head at August's teasing remark about dinner and going back to one of their places. He enjoyed the lighter atmosphere despite the circumstances. "Maybe next time," Rouge replied with a grin, his tone light-hearted. He appreciated August's attempt to lighten the mood, even if it was at his own expense. But something was eating away at him about the kid, specifically his skills.

As they walked, Rouge remained vigilant, keeping an eye out for any potential threats or obstacles. He knew that their journey was far from over, and there were still steps to take to ensure August's situation was resolved peacefully. “You’ve been trained haven’t you? Not many people can evade cops like you, and even fewer can use a semblance.” If three years at Beacon has taught Rouge anything, it was noticing the difference between talent and training and this kid was trained. Before they made it too far though, Rouge held out a hand and soon the guitar case flew from the air and found its way around his arm and resting on his back. “So why are you here? You can go to Beacon or private security. Why the streets.”

[August Valerian]

August's heart froze for a moment as the question he'd been fearing reared it's head. Though it was less than he had feared, not as probing or greedy for information as it could have been. He took a moment to think on his answer, his hesitation drawing out to several seconds as he stared at the glass cuffs on his wrists. August let out a short sigh as he looked at Rouge of out the corner of his eye. "Yeah... once upon a time there was someone who taught me..." He raised his gaze slightly, staring off into the sky. He could recall some of their features, blurred by the passage of time, an ever present smile, a full head of short black hair and a full beard, warmth like the sun...

"Why here? Because... because I had intended to become a hunter..." August quietly scoffed at himself, a self depreciating smirk ghosted across his lips. Even now he felt... what? How did he feel? Frustrated? He supposed he did... Guilty? "I didn't go through with it... because despite all appearances, at the end of the day, I'm a selfish, uncaring coward ..." Yeah... he did feel guilty, after all he had failed to live up to his promise he had made in memory of his mentor.

August let out a huff of air through his nose, shaking his head slightly, and some of the blues with it. "But uh... don't go round telling people that, yeah?" He smirked, flicking his right ear then attempting to raise his right hand, only to drag his left hand along. August reflexively removed the cuffs, continuing to reach for his ear, scratching it and then lowering his hand. A few moments passed before he looked down at his wrists, staring at them for a further few seconds before muttering. "Oops..." He pulled the cuffs back out into his hands and glanced over to Rouge. "Scarlet? I'm gonna need these to be put back on..."

[Rouge Ako]

Rouge listened attentively to August's response, sensing the weight behind his words. He could feel the conflict and regret in August's voice, a familiar sentiment that Rouge himself had grappled with in the past. As August spoke of his intentions to become a Hunter and his perceived failure to do so, Rouge became fully aware of what this kid had to go through. Training and training only to lose your footing and all that progress you made. He brought a hand to his red hair, the scarlet locks that were in a mess were soon secured with many glass pins.

"It's not an easy path," Rouge replied softly, his tone not reflecting it with it sounding almost emotionless. "But it takes courage to confront those feelings, August. You're not alone in feeling that way." He offered a reassuring smile, one that he doesn’t need to fake, hoping to alleviate some of the burden August seemed to carry. Despite the circumstances, Rouge found himself admiring August's honesty and vulnerability.

As August accidentally removed the cuffs with his semblance, Rouge couldn't help but sigh at the mishap. It was a reminder of the unique challenges that came with dealing with someone with such abilities. "Sure thing," Rouge said, moving forward to reapply the cuffs. When he pulled away the cuffs were nothing but two glass bracelets, each decorated with notes of music and budding roses, and no chain to connect the two. “You know I can recommend you to come to Beacon. It’ll be a test process but I happen to know one of the very few who joined Beacon through invite and not application.” Rouge spoke out to the kid, not really giving a chance to hear a response and instead letting the seed take root,

"Let's get you to the station," Rouge said, guiding August forward. He knew there were still uncertainties ahead, but he was determined to see this through and ensure August received a fair resolution to his situation. As they continued their journey, Rouge couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to August's story than he was letting on. It wasn’t his place to ask but it was worth taking note of.

[August Valerian]

August listened to Rouge's reply, slightly irritated at himself for sharing so much, yet despite that also simultaneously relieved. It was... an odd mix of feelings. He's not alone in feeling that way? August almost scoffed but stopped himself, instead letting out a heavy breath of air as he turned his thoughts away from his self loathing as he tried to take in what Rouge was putting down. He didn't really believe most of it, but there was a small corner in his mind that was listening.

August examined the new bracelets and the details that had been worked into them. He was about to ask Rouge just how much detail he could put into his constructs, when Rouge rather nonchalantly dropped that he could get August an invite to Beacon. His head snapped up to look at Rouge, his eyes and ears fixed towards the man looking for signs of deceit and misdirection, and found none, yet he couldn't help but feel like this was some sort of test... He tried putting the idea out of his head, after all Beacon wouldn't want a criminal amongst their number, but Rouge had planted the seed and it was slowly growing. He couldn't help turning the idea over, imagining for a moment walking in the halls of Beacon, going to classes, playing pranks on classmates and Professors alike... He let out a quiet chuckle as he realised he'd been caught hook, link and sinker. "Scarlet you sneaky... If you're willing to, and Beacon accepts, I will at least try taking the test..."

August falls quiet for a few moments, as a realisation hit him. "This is part of what being a hunter is, isn't it? Helping people in all sorts of ways, even people like me." He makes eye contact with Rouge and grins once more, spreading his arms and causing the bracelets to dance upon his wrists. "Yeah... let's get this visit to the station over with? Then dinner afterwards? Oh‽ Have you tried the place over by..." As August rambled on filling the air with conversation, for the first time in a while, he felt like he was going somewhere... even if that was currently to the nearest station, but after that... who knows?