Saige Cristallo

"It's through their strengths that they find and fall to their greatest weaknesses. However, unlike them, we will use our weakness as our greatest strength."

- Saige Cristallo, to Tara, Raine, and Macy

Sylvia Hazel "Saige" Cristallo is the first original characeter created by KurosakiHisana. She attends a fictional school in Vytal by the name of Siren Academy —an elitist version of Beacon—and the leader of Team STRM, alogside her teammates Tara Rhys, Raine Shiba , and Macy Anumati.

Appearance
Saige is an individual a little taller than the average female, bearing longstraight-cut hair and void gray eyes. Her physique was developed overtime to withstand extreme speed navigation and combat, as well as close-range melee battles, hence why her attire is very minimal. Her muscles are relatively slender, but sturdy enough to endure direct hits from blunt objects. Her chocolate brown hair is unnaturally long and fades out at the ends into cyan streaks, reaching down to her backside if not a little farther; it's usually pin straight, and if not, she will iron the heck out of it. The only thing strange most people would notice about her is the bird cage tattoo on her right shoulder, its door open and a lone feather resting on the "floor" beneath it.

Standard Attire
Saige's main attire is somewhat complex, with its fair share of simplicity. She dones a blue turtleneck tunic that goes down to her calves; it's lined with silver accents, and separates down into two layers of coat tails, starting at her waistline. It comes apart by unclasping the small metal hooks underneath the central silver lining, and can be worn much like a zipped up vest or jacket. There is a diamond-shaped hole where her collarbones meet, held at bay by two crossing silver strings. Keeping her appearance modest is done by wearing a waist-high pair of sleek black short-shorts. To match this elaborate attire is a simple[ish] pair of slip-on blue shoes, with elastic black straps at the fronts of the ankles. Over this is a single stocking, etched with many different lopsided oval-like designs in different shades of blue to make it seem as though it's a skin of scales. She has a single, handless glove-sleeve on her right arm that matches this. To finish off the look, there is a large armlet on her left arm made of a dark blue alloy metal, molded into overlapping swirls that give it an overall elegant appearance.

School Uniform
Saige's school uniform is another outfit of hers with a different purpose. It consists of a coal black jumper-dress clasped with two cyan-lined belts around the top and bottom of the waist, and four circular buttons at the midsection. It raises up into a standing collar, also lined with cyan. Underneath this is a standard button-up white underdress that is lined with black/cyan accents puffed at the wrists, before it is clasped with two three-inch shirt cuffs, frilled and/or pleated at the ends of both the sleeves and the skirt. Saige, however, keeps her sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up to her elbows. Around the neck of the blouse is a ribbon that is supposed to be tied into a large bow, though she keeps it untied and hanging loosely down her bodice. Now, the Siren Academy uniform calls for a pair of thigh-high white stockings and some black saddle shoes, but Saige prefers to keep her signature stocking on her right leg, and instead wears a pair of altered black riding boots.

Personality
Let's see... How to describe Saige? Well, she's not one to have much interaction with other human beings, unless it's of the upmost importance or her responsibility—one of three things she keeps as her priorities. Saige is a very diligent person, as in if a homework assignment is handed to her, or an Ursa comes walking through the forest in her direction, she'll get the job done in the nick of time. This quality is what primarily makes her such a notable nomination as a member of her team. Aside from this, Saige can also be pretty closed off from society, not feeling the need to make friends, unless her emotions get the better of her. She is mostly solitary on her own time, preferring to be alone, because she claims that others will "slow her down." In reality, she fears she will be the one to slow them down. As a result of this thinking process, her self-esteem is a bit low regarding self-capabilities. Intelligence-wise, her esteem is as high as it could be, making her confident she can ace whatever comes her way. Being "sad" is another story. After what happened to her, Saige prefers to hide when her guilt or sorrow gets the better of her, closing herself off until she can get her act back together. Most people have never seen her cry because of this, and assume she is simply a coward beneath her tough steel exterior. This is one of the many assumptions about her that can make her mad to no end. Her rage is something most people attending Siren Academy are terrified of facing, when her cool and calm self turns boiling hot and scalds those around her. Saige can be very open with her temper, which doesn't surface often, and she finds it shameful when it happens out of her control. Her rage comes in few forms—one being yelling or insults, the other oriented as beating others to a pulp with her bare fists. Maybe this is one reason she doesn't have [m]any friends.

Background
Like those with a one in a ten thousand chance, Saige was born as Sylvia Hazel Cristallo in a hospital on the coast of Vale. But as one might not know, she wasn't born alone. Originally, her mother and father planned to give birth to twins, but upon delivery, it was discovered Saige's twin sister Faith had been strangled by her sister's umbilical cord, resulting in suffocation and a stillbirth. The cost of the hospital bill and to respectfully dispose of Faith's infant body were staggering, something the Cristallos could not afford.

For the next several years or so, the small family lived in poverty. Their home was a measly townhouse outside of Vale, and one they could barely afford to keep up with. Their electricity bill was unpaid, as well as their heater, and both were shut off because of their lack of funds. They had to survive off of eating nothing but loaves of bread and cold tomato soup for several months...until Saige's father found a solution. He had taken the newspaper from their front door and intended to use it as another paper blanket, until he came across a wanted ad in the job section. "Wanted: Local Vale residents that can lift light or heavy cargo. Contact the Schnee Dust Company employment office for details." The family was overjoyed to hear of their new shortcut to a better life, before Iago took off to the shipping ports and headed off by boat to cities and regions alike all over Vytal. Everything was looking brighter for them...

...That was, until the ambush. Only two months after Iago started shipping big crates of Dust from one end of the globe to the other, their ship was infiltrated by several members of the White Fang, who ambushed and battered the majority of the crew onboard. In the struggle, Iago tried to defend himself, but his right arm was cut off with a battle axe as a result; not to mention, every last crate of Dust was stolen and carried off to unknown lands. With the medieval bill staggering up once again, and their father too weak to work anymore, the Cristallos were right back where they started.

Only days after Iago came home, a representative from the Bank of Vale came to the family's doorstep and informed them that they either had to pay their debts, or face expulsion from their own home. Hearing this and knowing just how well that chance was, Saige became filled with grief and fled the house, running to the city's church, where she fell to her knees at the altar and prayed for a way out. Fate seemed to twist itself around, when a Sister who volunteered at the establishment, a Faunus by the name of Chrysanthemum Daaelia, approached her and informed her that she would be able to help. Chrysanthemum would pay off all their financial troubles, if Saige went to live with her in another region where she could exercise her physical and mental potential. She ran home and told her parents, who were filled with jubilation at the news. They helped her pack, and exchanged teary-eyed goodbyes, before she departed a day later to unknown lands.

When Saige first arrived, she was a bit suspicious about the place she was going to take up residence; Ms. Daaelia neglected to tell her that she was going to be living with several other individuals—neglected and abused Faunus. At first, they were skeptical of her arrival, seeing how others of her subspecies had tormented them, previously. But after a few days of living with her, they found her to be less biased and more compassionate than predicted. As if it were magic, they all seemed to get along in an instant, tending to the house chores and caring for each other like they were all siblings. When Ms. Daaelia informed them of her potential, they were all eager to help her achieve what she never thought could happen. They helped her to train, teaching her the ways of combat both empty-handed and armed, informing her of Dust and its abilities, and what Aura was, and the semblance each person possessed. Much to her relief, Saige found that she had no semblance of any kind, and therefore, felt as though a weight was lifted off her shoulders. For once in her life, she didn't feel the fear of hurting someone by utilizing something she couldn't control.

After seven years, Saige was finally old enough to attend school, but she had no idea where to go. That was, until Ms. Daaelia told her of a school twenty miles away by the name of Siren Academy, an institution for those striving to be the highest ranked of their classes, people that would make history. Saige was hooked in an instant, despite not having a weapon to enter with; but with a little elbow grease and a bucket of sweat, she managed, crafting a transformer to the shape of a panabas sword and what seemed like a power drill at first, though it turned out to be something of a submachine gun. She named it both after one of her Faunus siblings and a phrase she remembered hearing in her early days: "Sinyayarost'," which meant Blue Fury. Ms. Daaelia helped her fill out an application and prepare for the physical exam, and after several weeks of waiting for the results, she got her acceptance letter, before she packed her bags and stepped outside the refuge home. An adventure awaited her, and she couldn't wait to get started.

Weapon
Weapon Name: Sinyayarost'

Type: Melee + Long-Range

Modeled After: A 1928A1 submachine gun. And a panabas sword, which is a twice-curved blade.

'"Inspiration": [The Russian phrase for blue fury, which is translated as sinyaya yarost'.] These words were blended together to avoid trying to say "ya" three times over.

Capabilities: Sinyayarost' is firstly capable of the obvious—transforming. There is a long sliding mechanism on the grip of the gun that enables it to slide back into a more maneuverable position; the same goes for the blade, when determining whether to go with gun form or gun blade form. Depsite its extreme readjustment capabilities, the mechanisms Sinyayarost' was built with still allow for ammunition to be loaded and fired in melee and long-range form. This is due to a sort of flexible "trigger tendon," which runs throughout the entirety of the weapon itself. Think of it like a piece of thread—no matter which way it bends, it's still a thread.

Now, it's time for a little more insight. The Long-Range Form is as close as Sinyayarost' could get to being an actual gun. It holds all the capabilities of an actual gun, though showcases the problem of being mistaken for a pwoer drill at some times. This is fine, though; some people have to learn the hard way.

Melee Form is a different story. To achieve this shape, Sinyayarost's gun-barrel has to rotate 270º clockwise (as seen in the picture) from its right angle position atop the hilt, before sliding down and locking itself on the bottom. The bottom of the hilt has a square-shaped hole, where it's supposed to fit and align. The blade is supposed to shift the same way, but only a third as far as the barrel does. This said, that Dust cartridge there is supposed to first slide up the side of the hilt, and then shift a quarter-circle around it to achieve its new position. This ensures that the ammo can still be shifted into the gun barrel and fired out the other end. The entire set-up is so that Saige can still fire long shots while being able to mercilessly swing around the blade at close-range targets.

Sinyayarost' can fire most kinds of ammo, both in metal form and in Dust form. The ammunition chamber on the top of the weapon is for the bullets, and the one on the bottom is simply a replaceable cartridge for Dust. Both catridges are capable of ejecting and utilizing their respective ammunition, even when Sinyayarost' molds its shape. The fact that the ammo looks like it's all blue doesn't mean it's actually blue; it's more of a solid protective screen for what's inside waiting to be fired, composed of a shiny blue alloy just for show.

Abilities
While Saige doesn't look the part, she fits it to a T, capable of participating in long-range, melee, and hand-to-hand combat. When in doubt of physical attributes, her intelligence and quick wits easily make up for it all, finding sneaky techniques and skills to aide her when things start looking Grimm (pun fully intended). In regards to her fighting style, Saige's fighting skills are as smooth-flowing as her personality is—calm, fluid, and calculated, like a rushing river. Her movements during combat will never be found to be jerky or unplanned, unless her rage gets the better of her, in which case all Hell breaks loose. She is overall adaptable to her environments, capable of shifting combat styles, and ready to take on the world, whether she succeeds or fails trying.

Tara Rhys
This was the first person Saige ran into when she departed the ship to Siren Academy, let alone the first person Saige saw when she took part in the Siren Academy Initiation Test, therefore binding them as teammates. Though their personalities do clash often, Saige finds comfort in having Tara as a friend, and is delighted to have someone that can challenge her abilities.

Raine Shiba A hopeful boy who has found a place in her life. Saige finds Raine to be quite a cheery fellow, and values his efforts to make the brighter world a better place. In his cluelessness, she finds some sort of annoyance, though does what she can to put him back on the right track, sometimes taking him under her tutelage.

Macy Anumati
Someone that makes Saige worry. A lot. Saige has always found Macy to be a nice girl, though worries for her and everyone else's safety when she starts bouncing off the wall. The two share a yin yang relationship in terms of personalities—Saige is the calm and collected Yin, whereas Macy is the more energetic and happy-go-lucky Yang.

Canaan Vogel
Someone that she finds interest in. Saige doesn't know Canaan terribly well, but finds peace in that he wants to be a good, dedicated team leader. She enjoys their light-hearted competitions from time to time.

Ringo Alexander
Someone who provokes Saige. A little too much. Siage hasn't been too fond of Ringo, and finds it quite taxing to put up with his pessimistic attitude. She finds him, despite gloomy, to be a wild-hearted boy with a taste for action and danger.

Shark Zabka
Not someone that she enjoys having around. Saige isn't satisfied whatsoever with Shark's presence, and finds him rather irritating to try and cope with. His snark attitude and calculating composure make it seem as though he knows everything about everyone, which while only partly true, makes him look like a fool in her eyes.

Emily Scarborough
The only girl that could possibly get on Saige's good side the first time they meet. Emily might be viewed as a princess to Saige, but that doesn't mean she isn't sweet or understanding of her comrades, regardless of whether or not they're on the same team.

Regina and Iago Cristallo
Regina and Iago are Saige's parents, and took care of her for the first ten years of her life, through the struggles of no funds and little to eat. Despite this, Saige has high amounts of affection for them, though she still thinks down of herself for killing her potential sibling Faith. Regina and Iago are moving on from the incident in the present day, and have forgiven their daughter for doing so, when in reality it was a mere accident.

Chrysanthemum Daaelia
Chrysanthemum has been Saige's "foster mother" for seven to eight years now. She took her in after paying off her family's debts, seeing the potential for a master Huntress in the eyes of a child. Though Ms. Daaelia can be firm and somewhat strict sometimes, she means well, and looks after Saige as if she were her own child.

Sinya and Rhiver
Sinya and Rhiver are Saige's "foster siblings," also adopted by Ms. Daaelia. At first, when Saige arrived, they were scared of her, if not resentful. They discovered shortly after though that Saige was very affectionate towards them, seeing them as "adorable," which did shock them. Afterwards, they were able to warm up to her and treat her like an actual sibling. Saige is to this day very grateful for having them beside her the last several years, and loves them with all her heart.

Development
Saige's overall character was put into production only two weeks after the Black trailer was released online.

Character

 * June 30th, 2013: Saige came into beign as a private roleplay character on Gaia Online.
 * Her color at first was depicted to be silver, regarding the aspects of indifference, void, lifelessness, and loss.
 * Her original occupation was destined to be a sniper, so to speak, until it was realized that the weapon she bore had not been developed far enough.
 * The first concept art showcased Saige with dark gray hair, pale blue eyes, a gray jacket with lavender lining, a gradient tunic with wavy ruffles that fanned oiut, a pair of black shorts, a standard belt, combat boots, and lace/fishnet tights. She also had bronze piercings in her left ear.
 * The first concept was scrapped after a failed attempt to initiate the private one-on-one roleplay, let alone create a story that would seemingly match up to the RWBY storyline and universe.
 * October 12th, 2013: KurosakiHisana was endorsing herself in the first several episodes of RWBY Vol. 1 on Roosterteeth.com, when she had an epiphany, and lo, another design to scribble down. She immediately went to work and drew out Saige's new and improved design, with a simple blue tunic, blue boots + sleeves, black accents from head to toe, and a fully functional and transformable weapon.
 * November 10th, 2013: The first season of RWBY is almost over, and KurosakiHisana is so endorsed that she took the liberty of upgrading Saige's overall outfit, seeing it as "too plain" and "too simple" for a character in the RWBY universe.

Weapon

 * Unknown to many, Saige's original weapon inspiration was, and still is, a panabas sword, with its curved blade and varying width along the edges. At first, it was a simple silver and brown sword, the same color scheme as a rifle, seeing how her color used to be silver.
 * Its original name was Argentum Quies or "Silver Silence" in Latin.
 * This weapon was later redesigned to be a combination of a power drill and the panabas sword, but its design felt under-developed.
 * KurosakiHisana redrew the weapon, this time designed as a combination of the sword, and a 1928A1 Thompson Submachine Gun. The influence of the power drill aspect can still be seen to this day.
 * After coloring the final concept art, it was given the name Sinyayarost', which is short for "sinyaya yarost'," or the phrase Blue Fury in Russian.

Fairy Tale Comparisons

 * Saige's fairy tale inspiration is The Little Mermaid.
 * Much like the little mermaid herself, Saige grew up for the first 10 years of her life in a world where standards were unsatisfactory, and she desired to go beyond the limit. The most significant difference between the two perspectives is status of wealth. In The Little Mermaid, the girl was the daughter of a sea king, whereas Saige lived a life of poverty.
 * The little mermaid gave away her voice in exchange to be human so she could be with the man she loved. Saige went to live with Chrysanthemym Daaelia in exchange for having her family debts paid off.
 * The transfer from underwater world to the surface world is showcased with Saige's moving from Vale to the other side of the world, where she found new family and was accepted into Siren Academy.
 * Saige's caretaker Chrysanthemum could very well be an allusion to the sea witch in the fairy tale, magically turning her life around.

Trivia

 * Saige considers her former Faunus roommates as her foster family, giving the impression that she was sort of adopted.
 * Had Saige been granted her own trailer, or a part in the Red trailer, her theme lyric would have been as such: "Bright blue waters drown my words, and drag me to the cold white shore."
 * Saige's representative color used to be silver, but was changed to Sapphire.