<hr/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/8sMViis.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Masque (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=286197.msg14083251#msg14083251)<br/><strong>Aura:</strong>Gray, 2/3<br/><strong>Time/Date:</strong>Morning, Day One.<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Forest near cave.<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Robin, Azuri, Lyn, open.<br/><hr/><br/>"What's next is you rest. You're spent. In this shape, you're not even taking down a Beowulf, except through sheer luck. Give your Aura time to restore itself." His words might sound harsh, at least by the ones he chose, but tone conveyed something approximately in the realm of compassion. He was just... perhaps overcompensating, or trying too hard to not seem weak, and so came off as callous or confrontational instead. The cat had a lot of hangups to work through... and as of now, he had no partner, which led to the following statement. "If you two are partners, then I guess I can stop avoiding your eyes." Making it clear that he was acting intentionally to be able to pick who he was paired with.<br/><br/>A moment after the food was dropped off, and just before the teacher withdrew--too late, if she had been hostile--he had pulled his gun, had it aimed at her, but finger not on the trigger, showing an understanding of at least basic trigger control. But he sure was jumpy, and quick on the draw. In the blink of an eye, when he realized there was no hostility, that it was not a creature of Grimm or the sort of scummy 'family' he had left behind, the gun was holstered as quickly as it had been drawn. "Guess they decided it's time for lunch..." His comment is punctuated by audible sniffing.<br/><br/>He stalked away from Azuri and Lyn, and picked out some goodies from the food parcel that had been delivered to them.  He then took many steps away from the group, and half-raised his mask; just enough to make eating actually possible, but still offering him a good degree of coverage. He flicks his cat-like tail, making it clear that he's Faunus. "If you need a name, call me Masque. I'm a cat, and I've been shooting a gun since I was old enough to stand. Had my first kill before puberty hit."  Just... blunt, matter of fact. That's the thing about living in the wilderness with bandits, outside the safety of the big towns and even the small villages; you had to learn to defend yourself quickly and efficiently, and what most would call paranoia was just 'reasonable and realistic fear' for them, because of the harshness of nomadic survival.<br/><br/>"And if anybody has a problem with me being a Faunus, I'm faster on the draw, and still much stronger than any of you, so guard your tongues." Because he'd 'cut and run' from the fight. But, as always, we need to look at tone; he is not being actively hostile. It's more like a porcupine making its quills stand up; clearly, he's been the victim of discrimination before. Not only that, but he's also still a bit... overcompensating.  He really did need to dial it back a notch. An audible sigh, followed by a brief moment of silence, and he... realized he was being a dick about things. "Sorry. Been living alone for a long time... guess I lost my manners somewhere along the way. You guys did good, though."  As if an apology and a compliment would be enough... and maybe it would.<br/><br/>As he ate, he looked at the Jack card intently; thinking of it as the Knave. Knave... base, dishonest, worthless, unscrupulous... so fitting for him.<em>Gah. What's wrong with me? If I don't pick someone soon, I might just end up being stuck with left-overs..."</em>"Hey, Archer," Referring to Robin, since he had a bow. "When was your first kill? How'd it feel? How'd you handle it?" Since Azuri and Lyn were paired up, it made sense to him that Robin would be unpaired... and he might be a decent comrade, especially if the other 'Knaves' could handle Melee.