Board Thread:Role Plays/@comment-5426254-20150806023625/@comment-5426254-20150818050659

''Sorry for the extra long one, but I hope that this is meaningful. -GL''

"Heart is most definitely not my significant other, that role... goes to a much scarier individual who thankfully is not in this room right now to personally correct you herself."

Carmine had forced Asher to block Gust Breaker's blow.

"I am not in the greatest of shapes, so yes, that one's on me."

Carmine smiled when he heard Asher would go to great lengths to humble himself, all while regaining momentum from the last strike, and clashing blows with Asher's blade, his arm strength, especially his left one, to offset the weight of the opposing blade, shifting the two swords towards Asher's face.

"Jesus, what a tank. Oh, and three, I don't need to beat you... because she'll do it herself. I'm just there for the ride. Good luck..."

Carmine recovered from a series of blows, first from the momentum of Asher's relaxed stance, then from a pommel-reinforced punch that sent him skidding on his back to the floor. Then he took the opportunity from Asher's throw to send a cybernetically-reinforced punch to his face, knocking him unconscious and eliminating Asher from the competition entirely.

"Asher C. Stahl is out of the match."

The crowd went into a cheer, as Carmine took a breath. Duly noted, Carmine thought as he kissed his cybernetic knuckles, and reloaded Gust Breaker.

But, he also watched the remainder of Heart's fight against Alicia. And it looked worse for poor Alicia for every turn.

"Don't pair me with that excuse of a warrior, bitch!"

He had seen Wonderland's fabric stripped from its metal frame.

"I'll treat him however I fucking want to, that's none of your concern!"

He had seen Alicia's dress torn to shreds, the dull edge of Shiranami smack her neck, and Asher's blade land a concussion on her head, and the subsequent knee into her chin that landed her a hard impact to the floor.

"Alicia Blue is out of the match!"

This time, there was only deadly silence as the crowd were shocked at how brutal Heart could be. Even Mercury lowered his comic book and raised an eyebrow of interest as he saw Heart's ruthlessness, landing a smirk on his face as he put away the monthly issue of X-Ray And Vav.

This is going to be good.

"All right, pretty boy, let's see that arm of yours, yeah?"

But Carmine ignored her maniacal cackle and walked over to Alicia's body. He propped her head on his left arm.

"Alicia," he quietly spoke.

"This fight...was the best...thing you could've done for me... Thank you. You were like a brother... to me... the best anyone could ever have."

"I'm so sorry."

"I've always believed in you...as a teammate...as my captain...and the brother I wished I always had. I know...you can beat her...and even if they think you lost...you're always a winner to me."

Then Alicia's eyes closed as she lapsed into unconsciousness with a smile. Even though it was a friendly exhibition match, he felt an ocean of sorrow as if she died. The crowd shed tears, and sniffled, as the atmosphere turned from an arena of rowdiness to the sombre stage of a tragic opera.

Even Goodwitch frowned, trying to suppress a tear. ''This is meaningless. It's supposed to be a friendly sparring match, not a cheesy soap! But, I can't help but pity this poor young man. I hope Ozpin and everyone else will share my sympathies for him.''

The crowd now fell sombre, for a moment of silence.

"LAA-AME!" An X-Ray and Vav comic book was chucked at Carmine's head.

Well, all except one spiky-haired kid from Haven dressed in silver and sable, who now drew death glares from the entire crowd. Especially Stan, Asher's loudest critic, now moved by that touching display of affection.

Carmine then walked over to Wonderland, its once new fabric now lay strewn on the floor. The bladed skeleton was still durable, with only a few tiny scratches. He picked it, and the lock of golden hair up as he reminiscenced short flashes with their time at Beacon....

-- He had received glares as he walked the halls of Beacon for the first time.

"Look at that new guy over there."

"I heard his dad was a mob boss."

The gossip pained him, to say the least, despite being completely true.

"Hey! Back it off! That's not nice!"

He saw a young, adorable girl with an umbrella, making a frown to his accusers. She then forced them to apologize after a display of Dust on a nearby tree.

"Don't mind them."

"Uh, thanks."

"Ooh! I almost forgot," as she extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Alicia Blue! Nice to meet you," as she curtsied.

"Carmine Ravenholme," Carmine replied as he shook her hand,"... the pleasure is all mine."

The two later partnered up during their initiation. Carmine watched as she proceeded to cut down the Grimm with bubbly glee. Together, the duo had a nice time fighting, and talking about their interests. She beamed in particular when Carmine showed her the full, weaponized details of Howling Wind.

"Cool! That arm is really awesome! It makes Wonderland look...like..."

"Don't cry, Alicia! When I saw Wonderland, I thought it was pretty great! It even scared the shit out of me! Even Torchwick would be jealous of a parasol that pretty and powerful."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you so much!" Alicia beamed as she gave him a joyful hug. -- "You are now Team CADM (Cadmium)!"

The crowd then gave a round of applause, as the teams were being formed.

"Brothers for life, mate," Duff said as he shook his hand with Carmine.

Alicia then hugged him in front of everyone. "I hope we'll be BFFs forever!"

"Yeah, forever."

The crowd then melted with "aahs".

"You know, Carmine, you and Alicia would make the best couple of BFFs," Danica remarked as they fist bumped. "Treat her well."

The years went by as the team progressed. They celebrated each success, whether it be Alicia's upper-tier grades in every subject, to a battle won, to a mission passed with flying colors, with a trip to buy her a delicious ice cream sundae with a cherry on top. They also comforted each other in times of sorrow, when Alicia covered him after Carmine had to refocus from the tarnished memory of his injury, and Carmine had returned the favor to Alicia.

"Look at Alicia! She's so weird! Does that fucking baby need her diapers changed or something!?"

This made her stare at them in bewilderment, before she started whimpering.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I can't help but overhear you talking shit to my friend over here."

The bullies then scampered away, like dogs running with their tails between their legs.

"Alicia, listen to me. You are not a baby. You are not a burden to this team. You will always be family to us. Remember our promise. BFFs Forever."

As she sobbed, all she could make out was a simple, "Thanks, Carmine." -- He picked up Wonderland, and all the ammunition she carried, before holding Wonderland in his right armpit. He checked his personal Scroll, his Aura displayed in percentages and decimals. ''75 percent. It's decent, though I may need more than that to put her down.''

He turned, and flipped the bird to Mercury.

"Shut the fuck up. Someday, somewhere, somehow, I will challenge you. I will put you in your place. And thank God you are a student visiting Beacon, because if you weren't..."

"... I will find you, and I will kill you- after I make you beg for death," pointing to him, Gust Breaker in his left hand.

The crowd then went into a massive shout of "OHHHHHH!!!!", after hearing Carmine's roast of Mercury. Emerald was giggling as Mercury looked aghast not only by how deadly serious Carmine was, but how he was nearly caught.

Carmine then stuck Gust Breaker, holding out his arm to signal a stop.

"And as for you, you homicidal psychopath," Carmine coldly retorted to Heart, "this arm is nothing more than a symbol of the love the people I call family gave to me, to get back up when I felt the world fell tumbling down around me."

''She's clearly sadistic. There's not a lot holding her back at this point. If I hold back for too long, she'll pressure me through and win. If I go out, guns blazing, she'll literally disarm me and win. If I try to make this into a skirmish of rage, she'll out-crazy me with her killer instinct, and superior sword skill. Then the only way is to... no, just breathe. You can do this.''

"The only reason why you beat Alicia, the little sister that I always treated as my own, was because the two of us had been holding back. From now on, mark my words; I will put your crazy ass down. No exceptions."

The crowd cheered as Carmine stood, with Gust Breaker in his left hand, and Wonderland in his right. A cold scowl was on Carmine's face, as he looked at Heart with a steely gaze, displaying his tranquil fury. On the other end, Heart had a devilish grin on her face as she held the two swords.

"If you want me, come and get me."

Even Mercury had a smile. Finally, the match we've been waiting for is here. -- As the two clashed blades, the crowd was in a frenzy. They started to repeatedly chant for Carmine, now their crowd favorite.

"LET'S GO CARMINE, LET'S GO!!"

"CARMINE!! CARMINE!!"

"THAT PSYCHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO SHE'S FUCKING WITH!! JUST DO IT, CARMINE, AND KILL THAT BITCH!!"

While Heart's years of swordsmanship and superior speed had proved her a force to be reckoned with, Carmine's years of tactical experience, along with his instinct and reflex, allowed him to both block and dodge every single one of Heart's attacks from every angle. Carmine even made a conscious effort to prevent Heart from making a single scratch on his left arm, frustrating her.

As they caught a breath, they continued to ready their weapons.

''Her body has to give up soon. She may be speedy, but she can't last long. And I pray that the adrenaline in her veins hasn't dulled the weight the other sword has on her arm.''

As they re-engaged, Heart managed to knock Gust Breaker out of his left hand, sending it flying into the sky. As she readied for a killing thrust, Carmine took a half-step, pivoted left, and in a split-second, separated Wonderland into Tweedledum and Tweedledee to land two blows to Heart's midsection, sending her tumbling down on the floor and on one knee.

When Heart quickly rushed back, blades ready, Carmine calmly looked up, reintegrated Tweedledee and Tweedledum into Wonderland, and blocked one blade. Just as she brought the other to bear, Carmine caught Gust Breaker by the grip and blocked it as well, forcing a test of strength.

Sensing that Heart might attempt to sneak a blade towards his left arm, he sneakily inched Gust Breaker to block both blades, and slipped Wonderland through her defenses, ramming the barrel to her forehead. When she realized she was poked in the head with a blunt object, Carmine pulled the trigger, a small explosion of green appearing, before a gust of wind sent her flying her to the wall, the back of her skull and her spine receiving the brunt of the blow.

The crowd went, "Whoa!" after seeing the new weapon, and Heart now on her knees. Mercury was geniunely surprised. "Was that... Melodic Cudgel?" He whispered to Emerald. Even Emerald was shocked, yet became more happy with the footage allowing her to continue currying Cinder's favor.

"Heart is out of the-"

Suddenly, Heart stood up, staggering, but still conscious. She had been suffering several blows, first from the haymaker, the kick, the momentary loss of footing that caused her to fall, the distracted blow from Wonderland's blades, and now her forehead was rammed with Wonderland's gunbarrel, with a Wind Dust explosion sending her a concussion to the head and spine. Her Aura took a toll, the latest blow now sending her Aura down in the red to roughly 27 percent.

Nevertheless, she looked more determined than ever before. But Carmine continued to be cautious.

''I feel... more agile than ever before. She looks cornered. And it's a sure sign that she plans on killing me at all costs. I'm going to be extra careful. And it looks like I will have to use... this!''

As Heart prepared a charge, Carmine instinctively grabbed the lock of hair from a pocket, and threw it in her face, causing her to stumble as he dodged and counterattacked with a slash, sending her back before firing 5 shots with Gust Breaker, forcing her to block the bullets.

With another charge, she was instead greeted with an explosion of fire as Carmine flung a red Dust cartridge towards her and detonated it with a round from Gust Breaker.

"As Roman would always say," Mercury whispered, "This battle is getting weirder and weirder. Roman loved to do that."

Carmine readied himself, as he noticed that while Heart was still competent, she started to slightly wobble, with her footwork. He kept this, along with a mental note of all the previous strategies he had learned with Alicia in Beacon, and a reminder to keep his left arm undamaged as he continued to dodge, parry, and block the next set of attacks from his desparate, bloodthirsty opponent...