The First, Bitter Taste Of Blood (Closed)

"By God...I've killed him..."
Not a thought enters the boy's head. All that leaves are those few words. His instincts do not even tell him to help the girl he just saved. With a flick of his wrist, Faire Taire's stock starts to shift around to cover the barrel, initiating its transformation back to travel mode. The bayonet shifts to half size and slides in while the trigger covers fold back over the guard and the transformation is finished. However, instead of fixing the carbine back to its spot on the back of his thigh, Raven lets the weapon slip from his hand and drop to the floor. His left arm lifts to his chin and he pulls the violet bandanna from his face. Finally, the shock subsides enough for thought.
..H-he was going to kill her...so I shot him and-...

I don't know why but my memory sent be back to my cousin during training and the way he put it when he showed a way to put someone down. He never had to do so himself but I found myself uttering the way he put it.

"T-..target neutralized..."

What is the feeling you get...when you take a life...from another poor soul?
I felt as if I stepped outside the boundary...I took from that poor fellow something that is not anyone's to take...Regardless of it being just or purposeful, nobody should ever have to do such a thing to another person...Killing..I tell you-killing is not a natural thing for a human to do. There may be times when it has to be done but...when we are all born, it is not nature's intention for us to die by another's hand.
...And I believe, with how much I have turned against nature for what I saw-what I see as 'the good of the many'...I'll have to pay for those crimes one way or another in the future...I don't know how~ or when~, be it in life or death...I'll eventually have to bear chains much heavier than Damion's for my transgressions against life. And I intend to face them when they come...

After taking a shaky breath, Raven starts to walk over to Aria and pick her up in his shivering arms. He then sets her in a nearby chair to rest. He then plops down in another chair at the small table and does something unusual for him to do outside of his dorm at Beacon, even without the main reason currently on him. He pulls the two velcro straps on Bravoure's sheath and lets it fall on the table. Raven then brushes his left hand halfway through his hair and then rests it there with his head resting on the hand. His elbow against the table.
"What is my family going to say? What is my mother going to say? What is the headmaster going to say?..."

They were all people I couldn't of even thrown a guess at what they were going to say. My family are all warriors and some even bare the black warrior's jacket, signifying a prime hunter of the blood of men. Naturally they would be supportive of me in an event like this. My grandfather actually commended me for my actions in protection of others with my deeds that day, which made me feel better, but not good. My mother had an...interesting reaction. When I got home, she had nothing to say-nothing to do except walk up to me, reach up, and give me a kiss on the cheek-something she hasn't done since I was a child. She was not angry or proud...she was worried about me and glad that I was okay...that I made it back home..I guess I had exactly proven that I wasn't a failure as a warrior, in comparison to my other family members, but showed her I wasn't worthless. Now, Professor Ozpin...*sigh~*...he made sure that the school not change for me because of what happened. He gave no praise for my 'heroism', like my family did, or express too much worry for my well-being...Instead, he acknowledged my combat reliability and said it was a huntsman quality. I still appreciate his tact in that situation and I'd like to repay him for that but I've never gotten the chance yet. But, when I'm more of an experienced huntsman, I plan on going back to maybe act as a class speaker or...well something. I really owe him for not making the incident a big deal. For not making it escalate past the rumors around campus.

Tanner was on the ground under the mercy of Genesis who smiled at him while having a flaming background that spells a nightmare that was about to come, he was that upset about the way Tanner looked at Éclair or so he thinks he did. It wouldn’t seem like he would move anytime soon so he grabbed Tanner’s weapon. It only had a bullet left and it would be perfect to practice his shooting skills for once, he knew what he had to do and aimed it at Black’s wrist and as soon as he turned around to point at his target, the shot was fired. It wasn’t from him but from his carbine, he failed to capture Black alive instead he brought about his own demise, the shooter shown signs of hesitation, signs of restraint.

It was his fault, if he came to aria right now and stopped Black, he wouldn’t have not died but then he cannot risk being shot from behind by tanner or rather have tanner shoot anyone in this matter, to what price? A life for a life.

Gelb headed up and grabbed tanner exiting the Café. As tanner was being dragged out, he saw Genesis, his face, he was smiling but an eerie feeling came to Tanner that if he were to stay there, he would have had the most horrible time with him. What tanner saw in Genesis that day he wouldn’t forget, he was somewhat dark and his smile didn’t fit the feeling rather it made it worse, he came to notice his mouth, though he didn’t verbally say it out Tanner can tell that it said: “I’m coming after you…”

Genesis turned to Aria and Raven as Raven set her down on a chair, he grabbed a free cup of warm water from the dispenser and served it to him. “Have a warm cup of water my friend, you earned it and you did what you have to do. Know this; I understand why you have to.” At that time he wasn’t enrolled as a student, Genesis was just a mercenary no more or no less than that. From Raven’s expression its evident he can feel remorse and it seems his sense of morality is present but somewhat conscious of what people would think of him. He bares quite a resemblance to Genesis back then when he first had to kill on his first mission with his father, when he did, he felt no shame for he was scarred and had died years ago. It seems those old memories of being a refugee had come back to him. “I’m Genesis, Genesis Pendragon nice to see a fellow Hunter.” It wasn’t natural for him to go out revealing his name to strangers he just met but there was something more about Raven than meets the eye.

Aria's face seemed to brighten up when she heard Genesis say that he and Raven were both hunters. "I guess that explains a lot...you guys can really fight." Aria was going to sanctum at the time, working in the cafe that they were in to make some extra cash, the owner of the store was reluctant at first, but she proved to be a capable employee. Though dealing with problems on her own was what she was used to, it's what she strove to do to prove that she was capable of making it on her own, but this time was different. Without the two in front of her, she wouldn't be sitting where she was now. So Aria swallowed her wounded pride and looked up at the two. "Thank you.....for helping me, with those guys, I was really in a bad spot there, so.....yeah, thank you again." Her words were mumbled a bit, but they were loud enough to hear if one was listening. Aria didn't like asking people for help, so thanking them for it was just as awkward for her.

Raven lowers his hand and takes the glass before downing it. A little trickle of water drips out of the sides. He sets the cup down and sighs. "Thanks...Genesis.." His voice is soft-spoken. Raven just releases a short hum in response to the girl's thanks and nods.

'Hm'...that's all I said to the girl. Just a 'hm.' It was the work of all three of us that routed Black's gang and Genesis and I had worked together to make sure Aria lived to tell her own side of the tale. Heroism-wise, I felt the same as I did before and still do. I just did what someone with a weapon would probably do while Genesis stood up to a man with a gun while he had an injured arm but, judging from his reaction, he probably did that more often that the rest of us so I doubt he felt much different. I was a changed man when it came to my morals, though. Did I know that back then? I don't even know. It felt different but-...I don't know.
A few more minutes and the police would be there and everything would feel better...That's what I was thinking.

"I'm sorry you-...you had to-..." Words could not express Raven's feelings well enough. He wanted to apologize to Aria for having to witness today's event but he could not find the language appropriate enough for it.

She smiled kindly as he responded to her thanks, but the shock of what had just happened was still settling with Raven. The girl glanced over at the man that had died right in front of her, her knees were still trembling a bit from it all, but she was trying to pretend that it didn't bother her at all. The truth was that seeing Black's body in such a state bothered her greatly. Seeing that much blood coming out of a person, seeing their body twitch as it desperately clings to life...she felt sorry for black, if only in the fact that she can relate to what those last few moments feel like before he died. all you feel is fear, and pain....draining the life out of you until there is nothing left but darkness. Aria was refusing to allow these feelings to take hold of her on the surface, but even with her efforts, she still couldn't keep her knees from shaking.

Aria let out a long sigh as she heard Raven attempt to apologize to her, hearing it made her smile just slightly, regardless of the dark tone in the room. It was just a little ironic, that he was trying to apologize...even though it was her fault he was in so much pain. "It's bad karma to say your sorry for saving a girl's life y'know." she tried to keep her soft smile on her face as she looked at Raven. "Though, just cause you saved my life.....doesn't mean you get to act however you like! You made a decision, so stand by it. It may have been out of desperation or cause you were scared, but you made it." The young girl crossed her arms in an angry huff, with her bright green eyes glaring daggers at Raven. "So don't mope around so casually, it's frustrating to look at you when you look like you regret saving me." She nodded in approval of her own words, but was probably doing a poor job of achieving her overall goal of trying to pull Raven out of his shock, from a certain perspective though, her words were more of a scolding rather than something that might bring comfort.

Raven finds it impossible to smile but the girl's odd way of cheering him up seems to lighten his heart a bit. "I-..I suppose you're right..." But he still does not know how to feel.

It was by that time that the civilians involved started to make their way out as it should of been safe by then. Frightened and shaken faces all around in the few customers and employees that inhabited the store. I can remember one teenage girl-no more than a couple years younger than I was-clearly. She was crying...Crying and sobbing at the sight as another boy in the shop she didn't even know comforted her while they walked past the body and out the entrance. Some were on their scrolls, calling, messaging their parents and relatives; telling them what happened and that they were okay. Sometimes it can really mean the world to someone when you call them with a short phrase like, 'Yeah, I'm okay, ma.' 'Yeah, dad, I'm fine. I'm shaken up but I'm not hurt...'