Sound the Alarms [Hunt/Ask to Join]

Grimm had made it into the city. Things were just short of the worst case scenario. Monsters within the city. At the very least, they had been given an alarm beforehand so that civilians could be evacuated. Bellmuse was short on Hunters. That much had been made obvious to Warren time and time again. It was the whole reason why the Academy here had been built, to draw in more talent. Still, it surprised him just how often it was students that were called upon to hold back the tide of the Grimm.

He could hear the sound of fighting in the distance. Either other Hunters who had engaged in their own fights, what remained of civilian forces; police and the like. The majority of them should've withdrawn by now, but there were still a few stragglers funneling out of the area or pinned down. Warren himself waited at the front of a blockade, a series of concrete blocks and wooden fences arrayed in front of him, more as a sign to keep people away than any true defense as the Grimm could easily break through something put together so haphazardly. He adjusted one gauntlet and rolled his shoulders tensely. He hated this. The waiting. The signal had yet to be given for him to rush off quite yet, and so he was stuck, simply idling while others fought. It frustrated him. The boy couldn't help but pace slowly back and forth. He reached one hand under his helmet to rub at his face. How much longer...?

Under normal circumstances, Erin would've been fully engaged in the storyline of this new read from a brilliant author. However, every few minutes her eyes found themselves trailing away from the context and staring at her bookmark. The crease. The fold. Why did it have to be so glaringly prominent? She couldn't focus on the story at all. With a sigh, Erin decided to save her grocery shopping for later and get a new bookmark first. She turned from a corner and made her way down the road to her favourite bookstore, eyes still on the book until she felt a bump on her shoulder.

"Ah sorry, did you call me?" Erin asked, removing one of her earphones only to blink when she realised several other people were frantically moving to the other direction, as though running away from something. She frowned and shrugged it off, continuing to walk until she reached the book store. Her frown increased though when she found out no one was inside, not even the cashier. What a day.

Just then she caught sight of the roadblock up ahead and everything finally pieced together. Erin looked down at her attire as she was dressed in nothing but her typical all-black coat, jeans, and knee high boots. So if it came down to it, she wouldn't mind them getting dirty. She walked to the roadblock and decided to approach that one guy in a metal armour. She removed her headphones and let them hang by her neck, pressed a button on her watch and proceeded to poke the armoured man.

"Excuse me. Hi. What's going on?" Erin asked softly.

Warren starts a little as he spins around to look at the quiet and feminine voice speaking to him. It was a short and slim looking young woman, with long black hair and looking decidedly as if they didn't belong right then and there, compared to the gear Warren was sporting anyways.

The boy pauses as he glances the girl over quickly before he tilts his head slightly back at her, his face masked behind his full helmet. "What? What the hell are you doing here? Didn't you hear the alarm? You need to leave!" Warren reaches out with one arm to put his hand on her shoulder, pushing her lightly to guide her away from the barricade. "You need to get home."

As the armoured man turned to look at her, Erin gave a small smile but was quickly replaced with a frown when he proceeded to guide her away. A vibration on her wrist caused the girl to shift her gaze to her watch. Ah right. He must have mistaken her for a civilian. Anyone would really, what with her casual get up. Stopping in her tracks, Erin gently removed his hand from her shoulder and turned to him with a smile.

"I'm a student of Syne, a huntress-in-training," she stated, taking out her scroll from her pocket and showing him a digital identification. "I was wondering if I can be of service." She added.

Erin tilted her head and fumbled with her fingers in thought. As the girl wasn't comfortable conversing with a faceless man, she took it upon herself to bring up the subject. "Also if you do not mind, it's common courtesy to remove one's head gear when speaking to someone." A quick glance around and she shrugged. "There is no apparent threat and I would appreciate it if I can see who I'm talking to."

Rook turned her head to and fro, her precariously long hair nearly brushing against the street beneath her as she did so. The town was large, and rather nice all things considered. A much more populous place than her hometown to be sure. Still, something seemed slightly off. She couldn't place what, though, perhaps because she was trying so hard to figure out where exactly she was. Yet again she flipped open her scroll and glanced over her instructions. At this rate, she was definitely going to be late.

Fortunately, as she meandered through the obviously deserted and barricaded town (she'd had to circumnavigate some of those barricades, in fact), she finally found someone- two someones in fact. Rook strode up to to the strangely armored... man, boy? To the armored person, who seemed just a touch distracted dealing with the young woman before him. "Ah," she began, lowering the scroll in her hand as she did so, "Pardon. Did I hear somebody mention Syne Academy?" She took a moment to shift her gaze from person to person, her expression carefully neutral, "Could either of you help direct me there? I appear to have gotten somewhat... lost."

Over head of the three students of Syne, was another one. Sumner had been out flying around when he heard the alarms. He presses on the side of his board, taking a sharp turn to head into town to help combat the grimm. The wind whipped through his hair as he flew, A green trail was left behind him, a remnant of his semblance being used. He noticed the three people standing near the barricaded, and assumed they were members of the people trying to defend the town.

He descended upon them, going into a nose dive downwards to them. He spiraled headfirst to the ground. He kept falling faster and faster, his smile getting bigger and bigger as he barreled his way closer to the concrete. He only pulled up at the last minute, landing next to them. He hoped off of his board and tucked it under his shoulder. "Hiya, are you guys here to help fight the grimm too?" He asks them very casually, not even acknowledging the fact that he almost became a puddle on the sidewalk.

(OOC: Hey Sumner, I don't mind that you joined but I did put up a 'please ask before you join' notice on the thread. Just something to keep in mind, since I don't remember you asking me about it. I do it myself just to help keep threads from getting to cluttered if they suddenly get real popular for some reason, is all.)

Warren quirked a brow at the girl's request. It was certainly an odd request for the situation. In any other, non-life threatening scenario he would've been fine with it, and she certainly would have been right, but looking around, it was quite obvious that this wasn't one of those times. Still, he decided to humor her, and he reaches up to pull off his helmet as requested, taking in a breath of fresh air as he does so. "Just cause there's no Grimm trying to gnaw on my face just yet doesn't mean there isn't a threat. We've got the place evacuated and the barricades set up for a reason..." Warren sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "So your a Hunter too, then? Didn't you hear the alarms? The Grimm are breaking into Bellmuse. Well, whatever, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, any help would be-"

Warren stops and turns towards the sound of a polite sounding voice, finding himself looking at a slim and pale girl with long white hair that almost grazed the ground. Another Hunter? Lost? This was certainly turning out to be an odd day. At least she seemed nice enough, so at the very least Warren could be polite back. "Er, Syne? Yes, we happen to be students there. Here, I can show you how to get there really quick..." The boy rattles of some simple instructions to get to the docks. While Syne Academy itself was rather obvious, a castle sitting off atop a distant mountain, the docks to get there were a separate affair from the more regular and commercial ones. One he finishes, he crosses his arms and looks at the white haired girl. "Still, didn't you hear any of the alarms-"

Warren is once again interrupted as another Hunter, quite literally falls from the sky. He takes a moment to simply boggle at the scene before throwing his hands up in the air. "Okay, where the hell are you all coming from!?"

For a few moments, the white haired girl simply seemed contemplative. Warren's instructions were clear enough that even she understood where she needed to go, now. But still, something seemed slightly off. "I had been wondering why there were these large obstructions set up everywhere," she began by way of explanation, "now that you mention it, that and the many vacated buildings do some somewhat indicative of an attack." With that, she turned to look from Warren to the other two hunters who had gathered. She'd not had any particular reaction to the boy falling from the sky, but all the same she seemed just a touch confused.

"If there are enemies here, and the situation is as dire as you seem to think it is... Well, I would hate to offend, but you don't seem to be professionals." She took a moment, then gave a small nod, "Yes... you mentioned that you were students, which implies that you are still in training." For another few moments, the white haired girl simply considered the situation, one hand raised so she could tap thoughtfully at her lower lip. "No, this makes sense. Syne being as is and all, I assume all of the proper hunters are otherwise preoccupied. I'm technically enrolled in the academy, even if I've yet to really see it. Would you like me to stay and lend my assistance? While I'm sure to be underwhelming in comparison to proper trainees such as yourselves, there's sure to be some way for me to help."

OOC: @kratie~, while I like how fast you replied, we do have a posting order unfortunately. xD tis fine for now but just letting you know. ;D

IC:

Erin was glad he complied to her request despite seeming hesitant. When the metal piece of headgear came off, she was surprised to see a young man who was around her age. She had thought he was a private by the tone of his voice but the person before her couldn't be anything but a student himself. When he began to mention about the threat from grimms, Erin giggled softly. "Ah. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe, princess," she said lightheartedly. Despite meaning it as a joke, she was also half serious. She wouldn't have asked someone to remove their armour in the battlefield if she wasn't confident enough to cover for them.

The girl was about to answer his question about the alarm when her attention was caught by a passerby - another female of her age with long white hair who appeared to be lost. It only took one look for Erin to realise this girl was an analytical person; it takes one to know one, as they say. Unlike her however, Erin remained silent as she was distracted by the shadow on the ground. Looking up, she saw the guy on his hoverboard.

"A party. How fun~" She chuckled, licking her lips in anticipation. "I'm quite new myself but I'll do my best. So where're the grimms at?" she asked nonchalantly, moving away from the group to find a low barricade. Hopping to the other side, she proceeded to walk to find a grimm she could play with.

Sumner bounced on his feet as the other three conversed. He tossed his weapon into the air, the metal rod doing a couple of flips before falling back into Sumner's hand. He looked at the boy in armor, and his mind was already racing with ways he could use his semblance on it. The mention of the Academy pulled him out of his thoughts. "You guys are from the academy too? I just enrolled there, it's my first day actually. That's where I was when I heard the alarms. All the noise was pretty...alarming." Sumner chuckles to himself before shaking his head. "My name's sumner, nice to meet you all." His eyes went to the faces of all three of them, making sure to take mental notes of what they looked like.

"Anyways, I came over to try and help fight some Grimm." He tells the others, still flipping the stick as he spoke. He turned to Erin when she began to head to the barricade. "She has the right Idea." He smiles at the others, before following the girl over the barricade.

Warren sighs and runs one hand through his hair. The white haired girl seemed rather... Dry in her mode of speech, seeming to keep emotion out of her voice. Perhaps it was on purpose? Or maybe she was just a naturally reserved person? She also seemed rather fond of that color... White... Well, that and black. Sorta a theme for her it looked like. "Well, if you're a student, then I'm certainly no better than you are, and I'd appreciate the help. Things are a bit hectic right now with everything going on."

To be quite honest, Warren was a little miffed at her comment on professionalism. He liked to think he kept a decent enough appearance and mannerisms to seem like someone honest and trustworthy. Still, she meant no offense. Right? His thoughts are interrupted when the black haired girl moves to step past the barricades, and the boy who'd fallen from the sky moves to follow. "Hey!" Warren calls out as he reaches out one hand as well. "Where the hell do you two think you're going? The alert to go hasn't been-" Warren cuts himself off with a low growl. The boy gives an exasperated sigh as he glances over at the walking chessboard. "Well... Let's get going then." He sighs and thrown on his helmet, slamming it onto his head.

For a few moments, Rook simply stared after the two students who had wandered off towards the barricades. She pursed her lips, seeming a touch concerned with their nonchalant attitudes. "Still," she mumbled, her voice low since she was mostly just stating her thoughts, "I suppose they know what they are doing..." With that, she turned to face Warren more fully. She gave a tiny jump at his exclamation, surprised to see Warren reacting in such an overtly exasperated manner.

Without addressing the slight 'eep' that had pulled itself free of her throat, Rook gave a tiny nod and fell into step behind Warren. "I will follow you, armored hunter-in-training. You may trust your back to me." Her hair nearly brushed the ground as she tilted her head to glance around, as though she expected to see some sort of monster sneaking up on them already, but she refocused quickly enough. Amusingly, she seemed to stay just a step closer to Warren than was strictly necessary, evidently just a touch nervous about encountering Grimm despite her apparent "cool"ness.