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 Storm "Saige" Cristallo is the first original character created by KurosakiHisana. She attends a fictional school in Xervia by the name of Siren Academy. She is 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.

The part of her that stands out most is the mystery of her right eye. No one to this day has seen it, albeit Saige refuses to let anyone outside her family see it. Her right eye is the same color as her left, but was permanently damaged after early adolescent events. It is not blinded, but prevents her from having 20/20 vision ever again. She wears flame-shaped makeup to conceal several scars around it.

Standard: 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 assymetrical 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 rounded, rhombus-shaped hole where her collarbones are held at bay by two crossing strings. She wears a pair of black shorts that extend up to her rib cage and cut off at the thighs. To match this elaborate attire is a simple[ish] pair of slip-on blue shoes with tight black straps at the fronts of the ankles and the lower calves. Under one of these is a single stocking etched with many different scale-like designs in a bright shade of blue; she has a single sleeve on her right arm that matches it. To finish off the look, there is a large armlet on her left arm made of a dark blue, flexible alloy metal, molded into 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
Saige was originally born as Storm 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 Storm'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 medical 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, Storm 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 Storm 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 Xervia, where she later made the decision to legally changed her name to Saige.

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, caring for each other like they were all siblings, inside and outside the house. There were days when Saige, Sinya, and Rhiver would go out into Xervia to do some shopping, and naturally, there were strangers who would ridicule them for being Faunus or a Faunus-lover. There was one time when this was taken too far, and someone practically battered Sinya and Rhiver. Saige was furious, and in her emotion-driven rage, she threw a nasty punch at the guy, unknowingly landing him a spot in the hospital. It was the moment her Semblance was unlocked, through the desire to protect. Her newfound ability was dangerous, and Ms. Daaelia consulted her on finding a way to tame it. As such, Saige became a more composed person through the practices of meditating and the fine arts.

When Ms. Daaelia informed Sinya and Rhiver of her potential, they were all eager to help her achieve what she never thought could happen—going to Siren Academy, an institution for those striving to be the highest ranked of their classes, people that would make history. Saige was apparently talented, and needed to exhibit what she could do in some way, shape, or form. From that day on, they all helped her to train, teaching her the ways of combat both empty-handed and armed, informing her of Dust and its abilities, what Aura was, and the Semblance each person possessed. Much to her relief, Saige found that her semblance was under lockdown, and therefore felt a weight was lifted off her shoulders. For once, 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. 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' (Russian for blue fury)

Type: Melee + Short-Range

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

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 Shortwave and Katana modes. 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 Gunner Mode 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.

Shortwave and Katana Modes are different. To achieve the shapes, 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 position in Shortwave Mode. 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. With Katana Mode, the form is activated when Saige shifts the ammunition cartridge 90º clockwise and onto the bottom of the hilt, next to the locking mechanism. The blade itself is riddled with internal mechanics that allow an inner blade to swing out a full 180º and significantly increase its length. The joints then adjust themselves so that the whole thing can straighten out into a long katana sword—therefore granting the namesake Katana Mode.

Sinyayarost' can't fire most kinds of ammo, either in metal form or in Dust form, so Saige prefers to use hollow bullets that can be filled with explosive material. The ammunition chamber on top of the weapon is for the bullets, and the one on the bottom is a back-up cartridge in the event that she needs to reload quickly. The ammo chamber is capable of ejecting and utilizing the 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 of a warrior, she fits it to a T, capable of participating in short-range, melee, and hand-to-hand combat. When in doubt of physical attributes, her intelligence and quick wits make up for it, finding 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. 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.

Semblance
After many long chapters, Saige's semblance finally comes to light. Its name is Athena's Arm, and it quite literally packs a punch. Underneath her scale-like sleeve and up the right side of her jawline to her right eye is a series of blue-inked tattoos that supposedly glow blue when the Semblance is fired up. Now, Athena's Arm is only activated in the event of physical or emotional turmoil, and can invoke a sort of adrenaline rush throughout Saige's body. With this, her muscles tense up, and she can do something as difficult as punching through a brick wall (as shown here; keep in mind that this is a maximum power punch). On a really good day, she could "dismantle" an Atlesian Paladin with a headbutt. Of course, with school starting at Siren and all, good days don't happen often.
 * The biggest drawback to Athena's Arm is how much energy it takes out of her. Normally, Saige is a very composed person, but when she takes too much damage, or something flusters her too much, she starts to waver, and that's not a good thing for anyone. She puts a lot of strength into her attacks when using Athena's Arm, and therefore drains a lot of her own stamina. There are times when a powerful punch or headbutt will get her to black out for a few minutes, if not call the need for a paramedic or an ambulance. Thanks to this, one of her teammates needs to carry some kind of energizer (usually an energy drink) with them at all times, usually something packed with caffeine or sugar.

Relationships
Tara Rhys: T he 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 wasn't too fond of Ringo in her first days at Siren, and found 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, and admires him for such unique qualities.

Shark Zabka: A little too quiet for her likin. Saige isn't entirely satisfied with Shark's presence and his aloof nature, but knows he only does it beause of his wish to succeed. She feels some empathy for him, and is happy to back him up every once in a while...or vice versa, which is usually the case.

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 if they're not on the same team.

The Black Talons: Her biggest worry, and therefore, the greatest threat to her way of life. Saige can't stand the ideals of the Black Talons, and will do what she can to make sure they don't intrude on her and her friends' lives with their plots to wipe people off the face of Remnant.

Akio: Now he is a pain. Saige can't stand Akio, being the manipulative leader he is. She detests him in a number of ways, for his passive flirting with various women and smoothly evading authorities of all kinds...especially her authority.

Chrysanthemum, Sinya, and Rhiver: These three have been something of a true family to her. At first, when Saige arrived in Xervia, they were scared of her, if not resentful. They discovered shortly after though that Saige was very affectionate towards 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.

Regina and Iago Cristallo: Her parents, and compassionate people. Regina and Iago took care of Saige for the first ten years of her life. Despite their previous poverty, Saige has high amounts of affection for them and knows they all did their best. They still write letters to each other about the mishaps and adventures that take place in their respective spots in Remnant, though she wishes dearly to see them again one day.

Trivia

 * Saige_Symbol.png name Saige means "wise" in Latin. Cristallo is derived from its Greek origin krustallos, which means crystal. Therefore, the name Saige Cristallo means "wise crystal".
 * According to Color Wheel Pro, the color blue symbolizes the sky and sea, and is commonly associated with "trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven." The wisdom part of this alludes to her given name, Saige.
 * Saige's previous name, Storm, can be associated with many different colors ranging from gray to blue and/or black. In this case, it represents the color storm blue.
 * Had Saige been granted her own trailer, or a part in the Red trailer, her theme lyric would have been as such: "Sapphire waters fill my lungs, and drag me to the ocean floor."
 * Saige's color used to be silver, but was changed to sapphire.
 * To this day, literally no one in Remnant (albeit the RWBY fanon wikia) has ever seen Saige's right eye.
 * Her theme song is Human by Krewella.