Lunar Revel, a chant to a distant warrior (Open!)

A cloudless night, stars open on display. A large shattered moon looming above. Casting the courtyard of Syne academy in a hauntingly beautiful white light. A quiet and soft singing resounded from a certain spot, leading to a faunus that had taken up post in a nearby tree. Sat atop a thick branch. "Leaves from the vine, falling so slow," Azul mused slowly, eyes shut, thick crimson eyelashes twitching. His trademark fox ears slumped down and flattened. "Like fragile, tiny shells. Drifting in the foam." Eyes opened once again looking up to the stars. A neutral expression. Mayhaps even a tad melancholic.

"Little soldier boy, come marching home." A soft breath.

"Brave soldier boy, comes marching home." Azul exhaled the rest of the air in his lungs and shook his head, sitting up slightly. Glancing down at a small sketchbook. A piece of charcoal in his hand. A soft smile crossed his lips as he glanced at the drawing he had made. Even if there was no way of ever going back, it was always nice to reminisce. Be glad you had it, not sad you now don't have it anymore. It gave a bittersweet feeling.

Tonight seemed to be the perfect night to figure things out.  Wandering about the courtyard, humming almost silently to himself, Jack began to plan out his future on this island.  He had no real steady job, and most of the people he had met so far seemed to be involved with the academy.  Sure, he already figured that he was going to join the academy eventually, but he wanted to see the campus and decide whether or not he would be happy living here for some time, and one of the deciding factors here would be how the place looked.  Of course, he had to be here at night.  Earlier in the day, too many people were around, and they all seemed to be bothered by his mask.

It was a shame, really.  He never really seemed to find anybody that wasn't at least mildly bothered by his false faces.  Whenever he went anywhere, he fell victim to harsh stares, looks of fear, or he was simply called a 'freak' or insulted in some other way by others.  It wasn't enough for him to take action, but it certainly started to take a toll on him over the course of a couple months.

As he walked forward, he began to hear someone singing.  His rooster mask twitched in the direction of the noise, and Jack's interest was focused on something new.  Figuring that there would be many more nights to figure out his future, he began to walk to where he thought to sound was coming from.  As he walked, he listened to the words and notes, taking in the meaning of the song.  Such a sad song, sung pretty well, but his enjoyment of this free music soon ended, and Jack was left in silence.

"Hello?"  It'd be awkward starting a conversation with someone who was just singing, especially if they didn't even know he was there, but Jack felt determined to meet this person.  Music was one of the few things that he found pure enjoyment in, and anybody who felt the same way was worth meeting. "It's nice to hear someone who also enjoys to sing from time to time!"

Azul was already busy just staring at the moon now. Lost in thought. Though his ears were up straight, twitching at the littlest of sounds. A voice and footsteps were one of those. And he  glanced down at Jack, a masked man. Azul frowned and adjusted his position to look properly at Jack. One leg dangling down from the tree. "Good evening," Azul forced himself to speak. He couldn't blame this guy for anything, he was singing in public, at night. It'd warrant at least some interest in him. Only Azul himself was to blame.

He nodded and pushed himself up, landing down from the tree, glancing Jack in the eyes, or his lack thereof due to the mask. A pretty face, far more feminine moreso than muscular. And the make-up didn't help either. "Thank you," Azul answered, before clearing his throat. "Who.. Are you?" He questioned, carefully so. Judging by his tone of voice, he was wary. Distant even. Though there was also some kind of fear. As if he was met with his executioner.

"Can I- help you?" He stammered, taking a step backwards, one hand under the cloak moving to grasp on a vial of dust. Ready to summon Thul at a moment's notice.

Jack watched as a leg lowered itself from a tree and a voice greeted him from the same direction.  He wasn't really one to judge, but it was just a little bit weird to see someone singing in the middle of the night from the top of a tree.  When the stranger jumped down after giving a standard greeting and thanked Jack for his earlier compliment, he assumed that this would be someone that would be easier to talk to.  However, the way they asked who he was made him a bit uneasy. He wasn't that scary, was he?  Besides, he had already tried his best to be as friendly as he could with a stranger like this.  This feeling changed quickly into a form of pity when the stranger stepped backwards and put their hand under a cloak.  "I'm Jack.  All you have to know is that I've got a bunch of masks.  I'm not here to cause any trouble."  He pointed to the person's hand before saying, "So if you're about to shoot me, you'd better kill me, miss."

He wanted to let this rather cautious person know that he wasn't trying to hurt anybody, but he wasn't about to show any signs of weakness.  Whenever that happened while he talked to strangers, it usually ended up with him having to fight his way out of what he thought was going to be a normal conversation.  "So, what's up?  What're you doing out here in the middle of the night?  I mean, you have to admit that this isn't something most people would do just to pass the time."  Then again, based on Jack's appearance and the stranger's unusual choice of location to sing in, they probably weren't like most people.

"All I have to know?" Azul was rather taken aback by that remark. What did his private life have to do with this? Though what followed seemed to assure him at least. At the word 'miss', his other hand moved up and pulled the cowl further down. Making him less recognizable altogether. Though he seemed to ease up, spine relaxing slightly. Stretching his left leg momentarily.

Not per se that he suddenly now trusted Jack. But for the fact that he had no clue as to what his actual way of fighting was. His stance now visibly relaxed, though his hand remained in the cloak. "I couldn't sleep," he muttered, his stance now fully at ease. His hand slumping out of the cloak again. "Sorry, I'm not really a- people person as you'd call it." He turned to his right and ducked down to gather his scetchbook again, tucking it neatly away in the cowl. "What about you?" Folding both arms on his back. "I'm not the only one outside now, am I?"

A smirk played in the shadow of his cap. "You up to no good?" He stopped right infront of Jack. "Dead in the night, with one of various masks and armed with a baseball bat?"

This wasn't looking any better, from Jack's point of view.  Not only did this stranger pull their hood further down, even if Jack caught a glimpse of their face, he simply didn't like the thought of someone who was already somewhat suspicious hiding their identity.  Not to mention how unlikely it was that they were out here singing because they couldn't sleep.  Sure, Jack wasn't exactly an expert on acting normal and behaving like a decent human being, but he did feel pretty confident in saying that something wasn't right here.  "You couldn't sleep.  Maybe it had to do with the fact that you were in a tree instead of maybe... a bed?"

However, when asked about his own reasons for being outside in the middle of the night, he realized that he probably looked way more suspicious than somebody who just felt like singing from the top of a tree at night.  "Alright, you got me there."  Sure, for now he was just looking around to see if this academy would be right for him, but he looked like a total psychopath.  For now, this person would have to hear the truth, no matter how much it sounds like a lie.  "I probably look like a psycho or something don't I?  I'm actually just trying to figure out if I'd enjoy enrolling here."  Jack put the end of his bat in his left hand, holding the handle in his right.  "I don't plan on doing anything I shouldn't tonight, don't worry.  Unless, of course, you plan on making a mistake soon."  Jack would laugh after saying this, but he was being genuine.  He didn't think he'd have to do anything to this person, but it's important to make your intentions clear with others.

"So, what's your name?  Are you a student here?"  Changing the mood to something more casual and friendly was a very welcome idea to the masked man, and he did his best to make sure his tone was as welcoming and warm as possible.

"You'd be surprised," Azul noted. A bittersweet hint of amused melancholy in his voice. Sleeping in a bed was something he couldn't do. After years sleeping on the ground or on a thin sheet in a forest, you kinda got used to it. And it was painful to sleep on a matress. "I'd say you look exactly like the people I'm supposed to be most scared off," he answered. And while his mask wasn't typically a Grimm mask that belonged to the white fang. It still managed to unnerve him ever so slightly. "Shouldn't you do that at day? To see students and teachers and chat with 'em?" He chuckled slowly. "To actually gather information and not wander on the courtyard at night, looking at a building?"

Making a mistake soon? Azul pulled his hood down further and coughed softly. And at the cue of the cough, energy gathered at the small of his back and two massive arms grew out. Parts consisting of rocks that hummed with blue energy, keeping the rocks afloat. The two arms smacked on the floor, causing a soft tremble. But they remained there. If they were flexing, he'd take part easily. "Azul Haneulbich, yes. I'm a student here." His voice was still filled with distrust. But they were still talking and not fighting, now were they?

Jack's shoulders fell slightly.  Did he really look like someone that this stranger was supposed to be afraid of?  He only wanted people to fear him when he was working, as it would keep people from bothering him and make his job a lot easier.  In public, however, people being afraid of him really affected his mood.  He was still a person, after all.  "Don't you think I tried that already?"  Jack flinched at the sudden hostility he could hear in his own voice.  He didn't mean to sound angry or anything, but there was only so much self control that he could use.

"Sorry.  Didn't mean to yell there."  The memory of people refusing to speak with him, insulting him, and other bothersome moments were flooding his mind.  "Although I try to be a people person, this handsome mug of mine seems to put people off."  He spoke while pointing at his mask, trying to hint at how his last attempt at checking out the academy worked out.  After he finished speaking,  he watched as huge arms seemed to sprout from the hooded person's back.  After hearing his name, Jack would address what had just occurred.  "Well, Azul.  Let me ask you something.  Are you trying to threaten me right now?  Are you trying to scare me with those arms?  Because if you are, this won't end the way you think it will."  Jack placed the large end of his bad in his left hand, his right holding the handle, preparing himself for the worst.  "Oh, and I'm Jack, by the way.  Might be important to remember that later.  Really it depends on what happens here."

He seemed to be ennerving the masked man. Which in essence made him relax ever so slightly. If Jack was a killer he'd be far colder. And they wouldn't be talking like this. It caused Azul to drop his guard ever so slightly again. "Possibly," Azul retorted. "Can you blame them for being freaked out by someone wearing a mask?" He snorted softly. "I'm not trying to be judgemental, but I don't really trust anyone. Someone with a mask even less." A soft breath came from him as the fingers seemed to momentarily claw at thin air. As if their movement had been restricted for far too long and now they were re-experiencing the joy of free movement. The arms rotated, palms resting against the ground now.

"I'm trying nothing. And I don't give a damn what you see this as," Azul answered. A hint of hostility similair to Jack's creeping back in his voice. "Threatening, intimidation," he snorted. "I'm brandishing because you are. I'd much rather not fight. But I'd even less be caught off guard." One of the arms moved up and pointed at the baseball bat in his hands. Azul finally let go of his hood, even more, he'd throw the man a bone. He took the cowl off and brushed the large, purple braid aside. His feminine face now properly visible.

His arms folded, while the arcane arms went back to their relaxed position of resting palms against the ground.

---
HP: 110 / 110
SP: 160 / 190 (-30 SP from summon)

Jack fell silent as what he felt was an insult repeated itself over and over in his head, causing him to tense up.  He was doing his best to try and make friends, he really was, he even gave Azul his name and made a few jokes.  Why wasn't any of this working out?  Was this just one of those people that you could never make happy, no matter how welcoming you were?  Thing is, those people who he didn't get along with didn't insult him with a weapon prepared as well, and Jack couldn't help but feel like this was going in a not - so - fun direction.

Jack pulled a second mask from under his jacket without looking to see which one it was, and began to push it underneath the mask he was already wearing.  Sure, it was uncomfortable and a little strange to watch, but he didn't want Azul to see his face, not with how things were going now.  After a moment or two of awkward shuffling under his mask, Jack would pull off the rooster mask to reveal the new one underneath, a tiger mask.  "This'll have to do."  He mumbled to himself.  Jack put his rooster mask back in his jacket, holding his bat in both hands afterwards.

"I'm trying really hard to make friends here, Azul.  I'm really doing my best.  But you?  You're not very nice, and normally I have rules on who this happens to, but I get the feeling that you're going to be a problem for me."  He prepared himself for the worst, his hands wrapping tightly around his bat.  "You really didn't have to be so hostile, it's not how you make friends, and I'm someone you'd like to have as a friend, but not what I am now."

Azul could only sigh. Though it wasn't one of annoyance nor irriation. It was filled with hints of melancholy and pain. He shook his head and gripped his arm. A swift and graceful motion later, he had put his back towards Jack. "I'm not looking for friends." He spat on the floor. "As opposed to you, I'm someone you'd hate to have as a friend." He glanced over his shoulder, Amber eyes glowing slightly due to humming energy of the ghastly arms. "Think before you act. Attacking a student here will worsen your odds of getting into the academy." His throat felt dry, and his lips contorted in a wry smirk. "And I'm just not worth that risk." A soft tapping of his foot against the floor and the arms dissipated in a roaring torrent of the same energy that constructed them and held them together. Leaving only his cape and hood to rustle momentarily after.

His gaze moved back to the moon. Eyelids drooping, expression contorting to one of sadness as he shook his head again. "I'm not even worth being here and playing pretend." He murmured before taking a deep breath, one hand moved inside his pocket. He held the other one up in a gesture of farewell. "Best of luck to you, Jack. I hope you get into the academy. Though, may we never meet again." After all, he had a severe dislike for people that wanted to make friends. He admired them, but he always found himself pulled to those people exactly. And that was the last thing he wanted now.

Another string attached. Gather enough of these strings and they would form a noose.

(( I'd like to apologize for a lack of proper writing and a possibly rushed post. I found a brief moment to post, so I seized it. ))

Jack's shoulders tensed up for a while, lowering once he realized that there really was no hope of this ending on a good note after all.  Not that fighting each other would have made things end well, but he was still upset that it seemed like it was going to end in a more depressing tone than he expected.  He let the tip of his bat touch the ground, and put his free hand on his side.  "Okay.  Everything that you've done isn't what I expected at all.  I expected decent conversation, I got something unsatisfactory.  I expected a fight, and now you're doing this.  Are you ok?"

He watched as Azul signaled a goodbye and shook his head.  He really wasn't sure what to do about how out of hand this was getting.  In one last frustrated attempt at turning the scene from a sad one to an acceptable one, he spoke once more. "Listen, I'm pissed at you right now.  Honestly, nothing would make me happier than knocking you out with this bat.  At the same time, I don't hate you yet, and you have me worried if I'm being honest."  He kicked the end of his bat, swinging it into the top of his shoulder so he could assume a casual pose.  "You really sound like you don't value yourself as much as you should."

He wanted to beat Azul with his bat hard enough to give him PTSD, sure.  But he couldn't help but pity somebody that seemed as down as this guy did, and it wouldn't be any fun to fight somebody who isn't even motivated.  Curious and worried, Jack waited patiently for an answer from Azul, hoping it wasn't one that would stress him out even more.

His hand flinched as Jack stated this entire encounter had been unsatisfactory. And the sheer audacity of this remark just frustrated Azul off even more. "Well, tough shit, innit?! We ain't all gettin' what we want." He sneered, his old accent creeping back into his voice. An accent he tried to avoid at all costs, after all, it was one he developed  "Y'know what? Fine!" He turned around again, almost tearing the hood off, off of his face. Then pulling aside the braid. Revealing what was a very sloppily administered, half glascow smile. Starting several inches shy from his lip. Done in a hurry, meant to scar. "No I ain't well. Finna be less than well. And value mah-self?"

A sickening grin played on his lips before he spat on the ground. "Y'don't even startin' t'understand jus' how much I'm hatin' on mah-self here. I ain't worth more than the mud on this here boot."  He brought both his hands up and tapping his cheeks whilst leaning forward. "So why don't'cha gimme a swing, big boy? But ya gotta hit'em hard enough 'n hope I stay down. Hit hard enough 'n hope I get amnesia."  The grin turned to a scowl. "That way, I ain't gon' shank ya'n ya sleep 'n carve  y'up real nice'nough y'ain't a pile of gore they just can't trace back. N'd'cha would also gimme a guilt-free consciense."

He stood up straight again. "Do it. Make m'night. 'N sod your chances at this school while you're at it. Tell'ya what, big boy, you're gettin' the first swing."

Jack froze momentarily, not quite being able to process such a sudden change so quickly. He wanted the mood to change a bit, sure, but he wasn't expecting his efforts to work, or for the result to be like this. Nevertheless, he was pleased with this outcome. "Yes. Yes! You finally put some life into your words!" He adjusted his grip on his bat and began walking towards Azul, excited to see exactly where this was going, getting even happier as he saw that he was about to give him a free hit. Words couldn't express his elation at this, and he couldn't wait to swing at this guy.

"Get ready to grit those teeth! This man ain't from the little leagues!" As he came to within swinging distance with Azul, a thought occurred to him. If he didn't knock Azul out with one swing, he was going to have to actually fight him. Sure, this is what he wanted, but what if somebody else stopped by? No. This opportunity is too fun to ignore. Jack assumed a batter's stance and swung his bat at Azul's face with all of his strength, yelling out with rage. As he swung, his mask began to flicker, VHS static appearing on some parts of it in patches. Jack angled himself so his swing was aimed slightly upwards. If this hit hard enough, he had no doubt in his mind that it was going to send this poor guy back a bit.

This was happiness, this is what it meant to be truly content with oneself. In this very moment, Jack felt elated that he was here to cause this event to happen. After his swing, he would hold his bat over his left shoulder, ready for a fight to begin. "Come on. Get up. There's more fun to be had here, champ!"

__________________

HP: 200/200
SP: 90/100 (Semblance used.)

STR:5 (+2 Semblance used.)
DEF:3
RES:3
SPT:1

One attack. 45 Damage if hit, not including defenses.

As he saw Jack getting giddy with anticipation  and swinging the bat in position to move over to him, he spat on the ground. "Y'ain't, though I imagine ya spendin' lotta time there watchin' the kiddies play 'n pantin' in that mask," with a grin, he extended his chin. It collided with his chin and he did indeed get knocked back, one step. Two steps before he recovered from the flinch, and turned on his feet. One of the summoned arms smacking towards Jack and slamming into his stomach to send him flying. He stood up straight and dusted of his coat. One hand moving in to grab his chin and give it a crack. "Y'call that a swing? Barely felt any o' it."

The other flicked a small red vial out of his cloak, pouring some of the contents, which were enraptured in a flame. The blue energy that stitched the rocks together turned into a brimming orange, roaring and flakkering. And a grin appeared on Azul's face as his form was lit in the night, casting a long shadow over Jack. His face was hidden in shadow. Though pearly white teeth reflected the light of said fire. Showing a rather haunting scene. "I warned ya." He stated, moving towards Jack with slow and determined steps. "I did warn ya."

HP: 80 / 110
SP: 130 / 190
Used: 1 charge of fire dust

Under his mask, a wicked smile grew across Jack's face as he watched Azul take the hit head on without having to give up right away.  He managed to get an impressed, "Yes!" out before he took the hit from Azul's semblance.  His body slid across the ground for a bit before he managed to kick himself into the air, landing and getting his balance back.  The attack impressed Jack, not because it hurt him too badly, but because of the force put behind it.  For a brief moment, he checked himself over, making sure his jacket wasn't torn before he turned his attention back to Azul.

Looking him over, Jack couldn't help but be curious as to how this fight would turn out, but this just led to him getting more excited to see if Azul was as good at fighting as they were talking.  He stood still, only for a second, mentally preparing himself for what was going to happen next before he began his assault.  He sprinted towards Azul at break-neck speed and took a swing, intentionally allowing the arms that hurt him moments ago to take the first hit, then the second, destroying the limbs.  Satisfied with his work, he threw his bat directly at Azul's head, only for it to be caught.  He became enraged with the failure of his original plan, but immediately saw a perfect opportunity before him.  While his opponent was busy with that bat, Jack ran right in front of him, ducking down slightly before sending his fist directly into Azul's nose.

"Didn't catch that!  Couldn't hear you over all that weakness!"  Jack's mask began to show more patches of static, and every once in a while, brass knuckles could be seen on his hands, only to disappear after an instant.  "Hit me again!  Break my legs, my arms, my jaw! Do it!"

_________________

HP: 190/200
SP: 80/100 (Semblance used.)

STR:5 (+2 Semblance used.)
DEF:3
RES:3
SPT:1

One attack - 35 Damage if hit, not including defenses.

The arms were thrown up in a crossed manner, to take the brunt of the attacks. He stepped back accordingly, seeing the shimmer of a bat being thrown his way. And catching it. "Now ya lost this," he stated, flinging the bat away, somewhere into the bushes. Though he was given a pretty bad blow to the nose. Azul grunted in pain and staggered back. Hands moving up to his nose.

Though what Jack might've missed was the blow from his knee aimed towards his groin. And if it hit home, Azul's head would jolt forward, aiming to smack his forehead against Jack, before literally pouncing on him. And if he managed to knock Jack down, he'd raise a fist and smack it right on his face.

3 attacks: 15 damage each
HP: 60 / 110
SP: 100 / 190

Jack giggled at each hit he received, the damage not being nearly enough to truly bother him. Azul clearly wasn't someone who trained their body for physical combat like he did, and that fact alone amused Jack greatly. What amused him more was the next thing his opponent did. A pounce. Something about a move like that, the emotions and thoughts behind it, made it seem so hostile, more so than regular combat. It felt like something an animal would do, rather than a person. Despite how he appreciated the effort this guy was putting into this fight, Jack wouldn't just let himself get beat up over being impressed.

He moved his right foot backwards a bit to counter the force of Azul's body weight, stopping himself from falling backwards. His giggles rose to a loud laughter as he closed his left arm around Azul, holding him off of the ground. With his other hand, he quickly grabbed his attacker by the throat and, once he had a decent hold, he moved his left hand to do the same. For a moment, Jack would glare at Azul through the mask as he choked him, thinking something over. He decided that choking someone until they fell unconscious would be a boring end to such a great fight, so he released his hold on him with his left hand and pushed Azul by the throat using his right, throwing him back a bit.

Azul earned a much more exciting end. Jack began walking towards the bushes where his bat was thrown only moments ago, turning his back on his opponent, almost in a taunting manner. He wanted this to last longer, and he wanted to feel like he was actually in danger.

_____________

HP: 180/200
SP: 80/100


STR:5
DEF:3
RES:3
SPT:1

No attacks this post.

"Ghllk-" something in Azul's eyes changed when he felt the hands clasping around his throat. Something that had remained there, of fear, of wariness. Dissipated. It made place for nothing short of murderous intent. Even though he was matching someone with a far higher aura than him. He now looked more like a predator than someone brawling to protect his honor. It was going for the worse, several sparks of blue energy visible in his eyes as he visibly grit his teeth.

He was then lowered again, thrown off. And took a moment to recuperate, coughing, before glancing up at Jack. Arms formed from his back again, slamming into the ground. The ground cracking under both the weight and the energy put in. The same volatile blue sparks zipping around him.

And he launched himself towards Jack, slingshotting himself with those massive arms. And once the distance was closed, he'd grab Jack's legs. And slam him into the ground, letting go moments after he hit the ground to have him bounce up slightly. His other hand slammed down on the bounce with open palm, hoping to cause a second bounce, before a final one moved up in a fist and slammed into his back, knocking him up further.

---------------
3 Attacks, semblance damage for 15
HP: 60 / 110
SP: 70 / 190

The only thing Jack could say before he was attacked again was "Oh." and all that followed was his silence while he took a few hits.  He crashed against the ground again, again, and again, feeling the force of each hit against his body, despite the aura he possessed.  But he didn't fight back, yet.  The pure fury in his opponent's eyes had impressed him, and he'd feel bad if he shut down their comeback right as it started.  At this point, he really was just toying with Azul, and he wanted to enjoy himself a bit before he crushed him.

After he took all the hits, he'd cross his arms as he fell through the air, and he'd begin humming.  There was rage in Azul, but Jack wanted to see much more of it.  Maybe then would he really respect the lady, even if it's based on violence.  

______________

HP: 155/200
SP: 80/100

STR:5
DEF:3
RES:3
SPT:1

No attacks this post.