Ozpin's voice came in over the PA system, soothing the hectic halls and rowdy students. "A friendly reminder, children," his calm voice said, echoing across each hall in unison. "Our freshman field trip this year will be to La Crête, or The Ridge as some know it. The leaders of the Ridge and Vale have negotiated a Declaration of Independence, so select freshmen will have the opportunity to go to this new formed country and celebrate this momentous occasion. Thank you." As Ozpin's voice whined out from the speakers, students murmured and chattered, wondering who would be the select groups. One student screamed with joy, cutting through the gasps and whispers. It was D'art, excited. He could finally visit home. He shot out through the crowds, running the fastest he could. D'art was oblivious to the destruction he caused in his wake, knocking over five fellow students in his rush. He ran into his dorm, waking Eve from one of her naps.

"...D'art? What's going on..?" She asked, still in a haze from her dreams and nightmares. D'art didn't answer, shuffling through his bed and luggage and pulling out a hunting knife.

"I get to go home. I get to go home! Je peux vous montrer tous les gars! La chasse, la nourriture, les gens! Oh, c'est fantastique!" D'art blurbed out, speeding to pack. Eve just went back to sleep, ignoring her crazed partner. "I wonder if ROXA is going!" He shouted, running down to their dorm. He rushed to their door, knocking on the door like a woodpecker on a tree.

Olive opened the door, excited with D'art. She shrieked in joy, shaking D'art. "Oh my gosh!" She shouted.

D'art was so excited he was shaking. "You know why I'm so excited?" D'art said, calming down a little.

Olive shook her head. "No! It's just good to be happy about stuff!"

D'art moved into ROXA's room, looking for everyone else. "I can't believe it. We can all go to my house, to the rivers..." D'art froze. He realized he wasn't in the list for certain. He rushed back out of the ROXA dorm, running towards Ozpin's office. He jumped up and down in the elevator, barely able to keep his excitement. The door opened to Ozpin working in a calm peace, the slow ticking of the clock keeping him company. D'art shattered this peace rushing through to Ozpin's desk. "Monsieur Ozpin, is my team on the list for the trip?" Ozpin slowly pulled up a piece of paper.

"Yes." He replied back, his calm voice only making D'art more excited. Before D'art could ask his next question, Ozpin raised a hand. "And team ROXA will go as well."

D'art pumped his fist in celebration, running back to the elevator. "Oh I've got to pack! There's so much to bring, maybe I can do some hunting, orevengoonthehistoricrouteifigetachancetoimsoexcited..."


A week passed and the halls of Beacon had been filled with excitement from the students fortunate enough to travel to The Ridge and envy from those who weren't. Now the day was upon them and with no one wanting to be the first to piss off Glynda, the students contained their excitement as they boarded the airship. Just after takeoff Olive and D'art decided to have official introductions between their teams, even though they had all met briefly before. They shared conversation similar to the rest of the passengers about how thrilled they were, D'art shared everything he possibly could about The Ridge with his team and new friends. He had just finished a brief history when he noticed that Xanthic wasn't paying any attention to him. The blond boy's leg was shaking and D'art leaned towards Olive, "Is he usually like that?"

"He's afraid of flying," Owen said.

"N-no I'm not," Xanthic protested quietly. "I just really don't like this model. O-of all the ships Beacon has this one has the least amount of windows including a lack of observation deck."

"So?" Celeste asked.

"I- I'm just used to my family's ship… One of the walls is completely open."

"Your family has their own airship!?" All seven students were astonished.

"Ye-yeah… With all the traveling we do it's just… cost effective." Xanthic shifted uncomfortably as he got that "rich kid" feeling again and attempted to change the subject, "So um… I- I was kinda curious a-about some things D'artagnan and I-" He stopped when he saw everyone's stares turn to confusion. "What?"

"How did you know my full name?" D'art asked the question they were all wondering.

"Oh, well… Y'see my parents have been trying to figure out a marketing strategy with La Crête for a while now since they're the only country without any scroll technology, save the diplomats, so when I heard about this trip I decided to learn what I could beforehand. I figure "D'artagnan" isn't a very common name… so you're the fourth guardsman, aren't you?"

D'art was a bit shocked, he hadn't expected anyone to actually do research on him. He was also slightly weirded out by Xanthic's surprisingly calm demeanor when talking about his family's business. But he quickly returned to himself and responded proudly, "That's right. I'm the youngest ever guardsman of La Crête."

"That's why you don't make sense!" Olive exclaimed giddily.

"What're you talking about?" Eve asked, she didn't like her partner being insulted, even if she found him annoying sometimes.

"His lightning, silly~"

"How can you tell it's not his semblance?" Owen used his ability to skip ahead in her explanation.

"I don't know," She shrugged. "It just never seemed right."

"Mind backing it up for us non espers?" Celeste was getting irritated.

"It's the ability given to me by Dumas, the chief," D'art explained. "I'm D'artagnan Montaigne, Guardsman de la Foudre."

"Meaning?"

"When I became a guardsman Dumas awakened my aura and passed the final part of his semblance onto me. I… I don't actually know what my semblance is," He admitted. D'art proceeded to tell them the origin of the guardsman and how their powers were actually bestowed upon them by the chief's hereditary semblance.


The ship landed a while later in a crowded port filled with traders and merchants. The airship landed slowly, the wind blowing the grass around the landing pad like trees in a whirlwind. As the bay door opened, kids poured out to see the vast woods on all sides of the crowded port. A woman stood in front of the bay, wearing a red and brown coat made up of furs and leather. "Bonjour," the lady said, bowing to the group of children, "Bienvenue dans La Crête. If you will wait over by the entrance to the port I will lead you all to the hotel, then to the hunting grounds." Glynda nodded, leading the teams to the entrance through the buzzes and engines of the airships. D'art lead everyone off the ship, taking in the fresh air. Instead, however, D'art inhaled a breath full of exhaust, causing him to bend over coughing. "Hey!" The lady shouted, moving over to D'art and his friends "I don't need no strag-" She shouted, stopping in confusion. "D'artagnan?" She asked, moving closer.

D'art looked up to the lady, the sun illuminating the back of her hair. "Cerise?" He asked, standing back up. Cerise smiled, then grew angry.

Cerise took a knee to D'arts chest, causing him to kneel in pain. "Why haven't you sent me any letters? A picture? Anything!? I was worried sick, and you don't think I was worried? Didn't think your girlfriend would want to hear for you?" The group of friends all had an internal gasp, shocked at what was just said.

Owen connected to Eve over his semblance. He practically shouted, "D'art has a girlfriend!?" In his head for Eve to hear.

Eve replied, "Guess he's better at this whole guardsmen thing then I thought."

D'art coughed again, standing back up, slightly guarding his chest. Celeste interjected on her teammates behalf. "He's been really busy, he probably just-" Celeste tried to say.

Cerise immediately cut her off. "Ah….is this your nouveau leader? Elle pourrait être enroulée quelques crans."

Celeste huffed, then moved forward intimidatingly. "What did you say? I'll wipe that ursa hunting savage smile of your face!"

D'art stood between the two. "Cerise, come on. Play nice."

Cerise sighed, hugging D'art. "I'm sorry, it's just been so long. I missed you." D'art introduced everyone to cerise, exchanging names and backgrounds. "Well, no sense in staying here" Cerise said, motioning to the port's entrance, "Come visit the hotel with us." The group followed, leaving the hustle and bustle of the trade behind.

Within a few minutes the group had arrived at their destination. In front of them loomed the hotel they would be staying in. It looked quite elegant, combining both wood and marble to create a beautiful building. It's windows glowed with light. Glynda stopped in front of it's glass doors, turning around with a clipboard in hand, Cerise stood next to her, silent.

"When you hear your name, come up here and I'll give you your hotel key. Each team will be in one room with connecting doors to another. You are free to take your key and find your room but-" Glynda was cut off.

Students were scrambling past her, peering into the windows to get a glimpse of the inside of the hotel. Excited whispers blocked out her voice. One boy began to walk in before Glynda yanked on his collar and he fell backwards with a yelp.

"Listen up!" She yelled. The crowd fell silent. "Each team is to come up only when they are called, this will be a neat and orderly process. After you put your luggage in your room come back out here." She cleared her throat. "Team CODE."

Celeste grinned at being called first, strolling over to Glynda who gingerly gave her the hotel key. Owen, D'art, and Eve followed closely behind her.

"Your room will be on the top floor." Said Glynda.

"Come on!" Celeste called out, hurrying to the front doors. D'art cast one last glance at Cerise who smiled at him.

"Hurry up, this is going to be awesome." Owen grinned as he yanked D'art forward. The teenagers hurried through the glass doors before looking up, mouths slightly open.

The inside of the hotel spiraled upwards, with balconies on the inside which revealed the hallways of the upper floors. At the very top (which was hard to see) was the glimmer of a chandelier. In the middle of the hotel was a large glass statue of a figure, water spewed from its feet, glistening in the light. Crimson rose petals floated on it's surface. The floor consisted of marble tiles which shimmered, as clear as ice. Jazz played softly in the background, blending in with the low hush of voices.

"Damn." Owen whispered. Even Celeste had a look of awe on her face.

"I wasn't expecting it to be so," Eve paused. "Fancy." She finished lamely.

"It was dedicated to the chief." D'art explained, his face full of pride. "Lots of people who come to the Ridge for important stuff stay here."

"Important stuff?" Celeste questioned.

"You know, government stuff, business transactions and all that. The Ridge doesn't like trading with the rest of Vale, but they're still a part of it." D'art finished. He pulled his backpack over his shoulder and gestured towards the elevator in the back. "Let's go before the rest pour in the door.

The elevator had a glass portion in the bottom, allowing the group to see the floor slowly grow smaller below them. The top floor of the hotel was floor eleven, and by the time they got there, the statue at ground level was simply a small dot.

"I was never really afraid of heights but-" Owen's voice died off as he stared below them. Celeste yanked him out of the elevator and the group sprinted down the halls, searching for their room.

"Anyone see 1018?" D'art asked loudly.

"Why are we running?" Eve asked breathlessly.

"Cause this is Legen- Wait for it!-Dary!" D'art finished with a grin.

"I see it!" Celeste yelled. The group excitedly crowded around room 1018. D'art put the key in a small metal slot and turned the handle to open the door.

It was quaint but still large enough to fit four people. D'art flicked on the light switch and the room was illuminated. There were three beds sitting next to each other, with a couch on the end. A table and chair sat next to a desk which had a T.V on it. The bathroom (which was next to the entrance) was small with a sink and a bathtub. At the end of the room was a large window that led to the balcony.

"Awesome." D'art said with a grin. The others hurried in and D'art closed the door behind them. Owen groaned, throwing his luggage to the side and face planting on the closest bed.

"I call this one." He muttered.

"I call the bed on the end." Added Eve.

"I call-" D'art began.

"I call the middle one then." Celeste interrupted, throwing her suitcase to the side carelessly.

D'art sighed. "I'll share with Owen" He walked over to the balcony door and opened it, stepping outside.

The fresh aroma of pine could be smelled faintly in the soft breezes that languidly swept across the trees. The sky was a brilliant sky blue and not a single cloud could be seen. In the distance, birds could be heard chirping melodiously. D'art beamed at it all, his blue eyes glistening.

"I'm home." He said to himself softly.

Before anyone else could say anything, they heard the receding of footsteps outside their door. Celeste strolled over and opened it, peering out.

Team ROXA stood in front of room 1019, waiting for Olive who was jumping with excitement.

"Olive stop jumping and open the door already." Amelia lectured. D'art came up besides Celeste and blinked.

"Olive?" He asked, surprised. Olive stared at him and then grinned.

"Hey!"

"You're our neighbors?"

"You know it!"

"Guys! Team ROXA is our neighbor!" D'art called out enthusiastically into the room. The only two left were Owen (who was slumped onto the bed) and Eve who was currently on the balcony, not bothering to reply. D'art stared at them and back at Olive.

"They're ecstatic." He said finally.

"This means we have connecting doors right?" Celeste asked, staring at Riliane with a light blush on her face.

"Yeah." D'art replied. Celeste looked down, smiling slightly.

"I see."

A few minutes later, the group got ready to leave. Before they could do so however, D'art stopped them.

"You know what this means, right?" He asked. Eve, Celeste and Owen stared at him blankly. D'art gestured to the room next door. "Team ROXA is our neighbor!" He hissed.

"So?" Eve asked.

"So there's going to be bloodshed tonight." D'art threw his arms around his friends, pulling them in close.

"You don't mean-" Celeste began.

"I do." D'art finished with a devilish grin.

"Pillowfight."Said Owen, his face was pale.

"I can trust we're all going to participate?" D'art asked.

"Not me." Eve said quickly. She remembered the last pillow fight she saw, and she wanted no part of it. Slowly, her teammates turned to look at her. Eve was silent before she cleared her throat and held out her palm.

"Merde." D'art snapped. He shoved his hand in his pocket and gave Eve twenty-five Lien. She considered it thoughtfully.

"I was holding it out for a handshake." Eve said softly. She put the money in her pocket anyhow.

"It's a deal then." D'art said.

Celeste nodded. "12:00 tonight. We'll begin the invasion."

"Their death will be swift." Owen said.

"Hands in." Celeste demanded. The group put their hands in the center.

"For the death of our enemies." D'art began.

"For our pride," Owen added.

"And for our glory." Eve said.

"The greater sacrifice the greater the reward. It is on!" D'art yelled. They threw their hands up.

Little did they know the room next door was planning something similar. Olive sat on the bed, her legs crisscrossed.

"Everyone in!" She hissed. The girls (and Xanthic) crowded around her. "You know what this means right?" She asked. They were silent. Olive let out a noise of annoyment. "Riliane you're facing the wrong side, this way." Riliane obliged with an uneasy laugh.

"Sorry."

"No one knows what this means?" Olive asked, she crossed her arms. Xanthic sighed.

"Pillow fight." He said.

"Exactly!" Olive replied eagerly. Amelia stared at them, bored.

"Not again."

"How can you say that with such a face?!" Olive asked dramatically with a gasp, feigning hurt.

"The last time we did that Glynda nearly blew up."

"Glynda isn't here."

"Glynda is one floor below us!" Amelia said quickly.

"Glynda. Isn't. Here." Olive said slowly. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"So are we defending or attacking?" Riliane asked excitedly.

Olive grinned. "That's the spirit. And as for your question young soldier, we will have to wait."

"What if I want to sleep tonight?" Xanthic asked nervously.

"You're surrendering?!" Olive asked. Before Xanthic could respond, his eyes turned green and he leaned back with a grin.

"Hell no. Let's beat them down so hard they won't be able to get back up."

"What's that thing?" Amelia asked.

"What thing." Xanthic snapped.

"That thing where you suddenly become really aggressive. It's not hard to miss." Amelia eyed him suspiciously. Xanthic was silent before responding.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said innocently.

"So it's final then." Olive interrupted. "We're going to engage war."

"Let's do it!" Riliane smiled.

"It is on." Xanthic leaned in.

"I don't like this." Amelia began quietly. "But what the hell, everyone needs to beat each other up with pillows once in awhile."

"Quote of the day, right there."

"Oh be quiet."

"Hehe."

A half an hour later, the groups gathered downstairs and met up with Glynda. And from there the rest of the activities began.


The teams and groups met in a fortress outside of town, opening out to the vast wilderness. The teams organized military style shoulder to shoulder. Whispers cut through the sounds of birds chirping. Suddenly, the soldiers from the ridge snapped to attention, as 4 figures entered from the right. It was a tall black haired man, a short portly man with mutton chops, a man with partial grey hair, and Cerise. The 4 looked across the line of children, still scattered and chatting with friends. "Let me do it this time." Called out the black haired one. He stepped facing the students. He tried to cough to get their attention, but to no avail. Finally, he tried the more direct route. "Attention!" He screamed, silencing the birds and children all at once. His breath had a coldness about it, freezing whatever water was left in the air. The kids all snapped in line. "Now, I'd like to be the second to welcome you to the Ridge. My name is Athos, my smaller associate over there is Porthos, and the tall man with greyish hair is Aramais. No it's not from age, but he is still old as dirt." Some of the kids laughed, settling down quickly in fear they might be shouted at again. "We are the Guardsmen of the Ridge, protectors of the land and it's people. We are here to teach you today about hunting. Real hunting." As he talked he scanned the crowd until his eyes stopped on team CODE, "D'art!?" The brown man said, screeching to a halt. All eyes went to D'art, each one piercing his brain. Standing in dumbfoundment, the 3 guardsmen ran over to D'art, knocking over Cerise in the process. The group hugged and shared compliments. It all stopped when Cerise coughed, bringing the group back to attention. "Ahem." Athos said, dusting off his coat. "As you can tell, our work relies on knowing our surroundings and environment. To best do that, before we even come face to face with Grimm, we hunt animals. Normal stuff, bears, foxes, hares and rabbits. Now, we have traps hidden all around the wooded area, mostly for animals and Grimm. We want you to bring whatever you can find back. Use whatever methods you can to bring it here just bring it back. Extra points if you can nab an Ursa pelt for us." Athos said, joking. The teams and their captains broke off into the forest, walking further and further away until the fortress was just a rectangle in a sea of green and brown. "Alright." Aramais said, stopping team ROXA and CODE in their tracks "Cerise and I will go with your team, D'art. Athos and Porthos will go with your friends. Ca va? Good. Let's go." Aramais walked off with CODE, rushing them into the Forest.

The large trees blocked out most of the sun, creating patches of light barely making the ground floor. Deer flocked across a clearing, trudging through a river. Beavers were hard at work to finish a dam, the current of the river dousing their work. Aramais and D'art lead the group, leaving Cerise to chat with D'arts new team. "...and then, without even thinking, he takes the hornets nest, and kicks it into the river!" The group of four burst out into laughter, echoing off each tree trunk. D'art rolled his eyes, walking backwards.

"I didn't know it was a hornet's nest! I thought it was a rock!" Cerise giggled, shaking her head. "Whatever" D'art said, shrugging. "At least I didn't try and impress a guy at school with my "knitting" skills." Cerise blushed a little, slugging D'art in the arm.

Aramais turned to the group of kids, frowning. "Now, if everyone is quite finished. It's time you learned about the traps we use." Aramais moved his foot over a patch of ground, dusting off the leaves and branches. "Now, for normal prey we use snares. But a snare won't hold an Ursa or a Beowulf. So, we improvise." He motioned for the kids to take a step back, all of them leaping backwards. Aramais followed suit, hitting his sword on a panel in the ground. A large portion sank, then another large portion, leading to a pit. The pit went on for what seemed miles. "This, is to hold them until we can come dispose of the threat. It's also how we store all of the corpses of dead kids lying around." Aramais winked, laughing. Cerise and D'art followed suit, but an eerie silence befell everyone else. "Oh, sorry" Aramais said, bowing, "Bad joke. Anyway, we scatter these traps and others along routes to our major cities, so the militiary can follow the trail and take out any Grimm they find on their way."

Celeste held up a hand, wanting to ask a question. Aramais nodded, pointing to her. "Yeah, uh, what exactly are you going to kill them with, that stick you call a gun?" Celeste asked, motioning to the musket on his back.

Aramais chuckled a little, before quickly drawing out the rifle and aiming it at a tree. He fired, a musket ball leaving a basketball sized hole in the tree. Aramais turned to it, swinging his rifle like an ax, and knocking the tree down. "Yes. I plan on killing Grimm and anything else that threatens my people with this stick." Aramais said, returning to his lesson on trapping.


The group walked back to the fort, a long day behind them. The two teams eventually merged up, with ROXA waiting back at the fort for them. "How long have you guys been here?" Eve asked, curious.

Riliane was the first to perk up. "Well, first I almost fell into one of the pits...then someone ate all of our snacks and drank our water for the day so we just relaxed here." Porthos nodded, making nervous looks around everyone.

Athos sighed, hand on his face. "All the same, we taught them about the traps." Athos was interrupted by a bell echoing through the soldiers scattered, lining against railings and cover overlooking the trees.

"What's going on?" Riliane said, shocked by the sirens.

Athos stepped toward the forest, then turning back to the soldiers, "La Grande Ourse! Reste attentif!" He shouted out.

D'art casually turned back to his friends, offering to translate. "Ursa Major. They try to storm the city and countryside, so we have bells set up to warn us." Aramais put a hand on D'art, moving him into the forest to deal with the monster. Glynda rushed everyone inside, including Cerise. Only the guardsmen remained with their men, watching out over the horizon. A black mass moved from tree to tree. "Hold fire!" D'art said confidently, readying his tomahawks. The other guardsmen drew their swords, except Porthos, who made his large axe out of the rocks in the earth. A low growling grew across the silence, sending birds and other animals scurrying away. "Hold!" D'art shouted, trying to unnerve. D'art moved back to the mouth of the forest. "Fire at my will!" He said, moving closer and closer. He walked briskly, then started running. At first he didn't see anything, then a darkness highlands with white and red grew larger and larger. He jumped with his tomahawks. "Fire!" He shouted, landing in the creature's skull, axes first. Aramais, Porthos, and Athos joined the soldiers in firing a barrage, knocking over several trees. Smoke from the muskets and rifles created a cloud, encompassing the glass viewing area of the students.

D'arts teammates leaned forward trying to see through the smoke. "I can't find him." Owen said, trying all of his settings on his eye.

Cerise got more and more worried. "C'mon…" she mumbled. The smoke settled, the forest returning to its natural peace, aside from some fallen trees.

D'art returned from a collection of trees. "La bête est morte!" He said, dragging a thumb across his throat. The soldiers hooted and hollered, the guardsmen crowding and congratulating him. The students all cheered, even Amelia, who was silent for most of the afternoon. D'art found Cerise in the crowd, smiling right at her. She blushed, hiding some of her face. D'art went inside to meet the rest of his teammates.


Afterwards, the students went back to the hotel to eat and prepare to rest for the day. However, the day was not done for two groups in particular. Voices grew silent as the clock struck midnight. D'art, Eve, Owen and Celeste slowly stood up from their bed, grabbing their pillows and tiptoeing towards the connecting door.

"Did anyone think about how we were gonna sneak in if their door is locked?" Owen hissed.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." D'art replied, he leaned against the wall next to the door. "One of us will knock on their door. They'll open it, and as soon as they do," He buried his fist in his pillow. "We attack."

"And then we take out each individual member." Celeste finished, her eyes locked on the door. D'art nodded.

"Remember what's at stake here." Everyone nodded, determined. Celeste came up to the wall and took a deep breath, placing her ear against it.

"It's too quiet." She whispered.

"They might be sleeping."

"No." Eve shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I suppose it doesn't matter. Now then. Owen, knock on the door." Celeste ordered.

Owen frowned. "Why me?"

"Because I said so." Owen sighed, moving past the others and unlocking the door on their side. Another door stood before them, leading into the other room. Taking a deep breath, Owen shakily held his hand up and knocked on the door.

The door didn't move. There was silence. Owen moved to knock again before it swung open and a yelling Olive pounced on him.

"Damnit! They were expecting-" D'art was cut off as he dodged a pillow swipe and stumbled into the room of his enemies.

"G-Get her off!" Owen shouted, struggling under Olive who was smacking him with her pillow.

"Owen has been compromised! But we must continue!" Celeste yelled, barely dodging a swipe.

"I'm still alive-" Owen was cut off as Olive buried his face in her pillow. D'art flipped backwards onto the bed, grabbing two sausage shaped pillows and hitting them against Amelia's larger one. As swift as lightning, Amelia dodged another one of his strikes, grabbing his pillow and yanking it towards her. D'art stumbled in her direction and Amelia rammed him into the wall, slamming her pillow into his face.

"I've got you!" Celeste called out, punching Amelia from behind with her pillow-like gauntlets. Amelia cried out, allowing D'art to tackle her to the ground. On the other side of the room, Eve made an attempt to jump over Olive, who still had Owen in her clutches. With a battle cry Olive yanked her foot, pulling her to the ground.

"Save m-" Owen was once again cut off as Olive forcefully put her foot on his head, driving his face into the carpet.

Owen yelled into the carpet. "I'll -ucking murde-" The rest was muffled. Rather amused, Olive grabbed a long pillow shaped like a cylinder, flinging it at Eve who caught it with one hand. Determined, Eve rolled past another pillow swipe, swinging her pillow against her opponent's face so hard that Olive was knocked back from the recoil. Revived, Owen jumped up, kicking her backwards into the wall. Olive clutched her cheek with a grin, her eyelashes fluttering as she slumped onto the ground.

D'art struggled, his pillows locked in a stalemate against Amelia's. Behind them, Celeste barely rolled away from a swipe, spinning around to come face to face with Xanthic.

"Boo." He grinned, kicking her legs so Celeste fell onto the ground. He grabbed another pillow off the floor, about to swing before Celeste kicked him away. She dodged another strike, quickly grabbing the sheets off of the adjacent bed and throwing them over Xanthic.

Amelia grunted, her eyes flashing with fury as she threw D'art to the side. Using this brief moment of opportunity, she bombarded him with a series of pillow strikes. Before anyone else could continue, there was a knock on the door. The fight stopped and heads turned.

"I call not opening it." Celeste said abruptly. Amelia sighed and brushed past her, opening the door wearily. Cerise stood outside, hands in her pockets.

"Hello? I came to ask if I could speak with D'art."

"This isn't his room, it's the next one." Amelia said slowly.

"Oh."

"But he's here anyways. So I guess it doesn't matter." Amelia wearily stepped inside, opening the door so Cerise could take a peek. The room was in tatters. Pillows were strewn across the room, feathers were littered on the ground and sheets were thrown onto the lamps and tables. Cerise stared at it, bemused.

"What were you-"

"Cerise?" D'art stumbled over to her, still recovering from the fight. His brown hair was tousled and his cheeks were flushed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you." Cerise replied, regaining her confidence.

"Oh." D'art said lamely. He looked towards his teammates helplessly.

"Go man." Owen said with a grin. "We got this." Celeste gave him the thumbs up. D'art looked back at Cerise who had her arms crossed.

"Lead the way." D'art said with a grin. He cast one last look at his teammates before closing the door behind him.

There was silence. Everyone was still as the footsteps retreated. Then Xanthic (who was still covered in blankets) threw them off, tackling Celeste who grunted. Owen and Eve fell upon Amelia who was bombarded with a series of synchronized hits. She held her pillow up as one last act of defense before she lost her balance, falling onto the ground and groaning. She held up her hands weakly.

"I'm done." She said tiredly. Turning around, the two focused their sights on the remaining member. Slowly, Owen and Eve walked towards Xanthic.

"Three versus one." Owen said with a grin, he raked his hand through his black hair. "What do you say Xanthic?" Xanthic grinned, his green eyes glinting with mischief.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" He asked. Simultaneously, Owen, Eve, and Celeste spun around, but it was too late. Looming above them was a cushioned bed. It slowly fell towards them. At the last second, Celeste pushed Eve out of the way. It was the last thing she could do before it fell onto them, and they were trapped. Eve stared at it, shocked.

"Don't worry." Riliane came out besides it. "I made sure it fell so it wouldn't seriously hurt them. They just won't be able to get out before we're done."

"You set up defenses." Eve took a step back, gripping her pillow tightly. "How'd you do it so quickly?"

"We propped it up so Riliane could lift it up quickly. Then I would give her the audio cue when she was supposed to throw it. This way she could be our trump card and still participate in the fight without putting herself in danger." Xanthic replied cooly.

"I didn't think she was strong enough to do it by herself." Eve said as she looked between Xanthic and Riliane, her was pulse racing. How could she win against them both?

"She didn't do it by herself." Amelia huffed as she staggered around the bed, barely able to stand from exhaustion.

"I made sure I saved an ounce of my strength to help her." Amelia said before she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. Eve looked back towards the two, her eye narrowing.

"Two versus one." Xanthic put his hands behind his head and grinned at her mischievously. "What do you say Eve?" Eve met his gaze without flinching.

"I've been through worse." She said simply. A flicker of anger came into his eyes but it quickly disappeared as he grabbed a pillow.

"Let's see how long you last." He dashed towards her, but Eve ignored him, climbing on the overturned bed and grabbing Riliane who cried out.

"She may be your trump card, but in an actual pillow fight she's hardly competent." Eve snarled before she pushed Riliane back into the other room and shut the door between them, locking it.

"You can't win like that." Xanthic said quickly.

"Really? She's unable to fight, it counts." Eve pushed up her sleeves. "Seems familiar to your method, does it not?"

Xanthic was silent before he grinned. "It doesn't matter, I'll beat you."

"We'll see about that. It seems to me like you're all talk." Eve said cooly. Xanthic raised an eyebrow.

"I'll make you take that back." He smirked before throwing a pillow at his opponent. Eve casually hit it aside, her eye widening briefly as Xanthic tackled her. She was slammed into the wall, her head buzzing as she dodged a punch (Xanthic was also using pillow gauntlets). Eve grabbed his arms twisting them behind him. Xanthic grunted in pain before she threw him across the room.

He recovered quickly, landing on his feet like a cat. Without hesitation, he jumped over the toppled bed, running across the dresser and grabbing a pillow. Eve grabbed one as well and their hits clashed, the sound of pillows slamming against each other filled the room. Xanthic hit her once on the head, and then her right arm. Eve hit his waist and then his cheek. Feathers flew from their hits like snow. With a grunt, Eve backhanded him with her pillow which forced him to stumble backwards from the recoil. He grinned and grabbed her leg, throwing her onto the bed where she stood up shakily.

"Better than I thought." Eve said under her breath. She jumped on the bed and hit him as she came down, the momentum making her hit two times as strong. Xanthic grunted, staggering slightly before also jumping on the bed and kicking her in the stomach. His opponent stumbled backwards and Xanthic put his arm over her throat, cornering her against the wall. They glared at each other, breathless.

"What was that about 'all talk'?" He asked with a grin. He'd won! Xanthic fought back another sarcastic retort as Eve's eye narrowed. His grin slowly faded as he stared at her. Where D'art's eyes were like the sky, her eye was like the ocean. It was deep and dark, as if she stored all her emotions there. And there they would stay, swarming in the depths of the ocean, far from the eyes of others. It was beautiful and sad simultaneously.

Before he could finish his thoughts Eve smacked him with a pillow so hard he fell backwards off the bed, landing on the floor with a thud.

"What was that?" She asked, her face was emotionless. Xanthic stared at her, stunned. He tried to move but winced.

"I think I sprained something." He muttered, rubbing his shoulder. Eve stared at him coldly before she blinked and the look disappeared. She jumped off of the bed and walked up to him.

"Sorry, I might have hit you too hard. I'm surprised your aura ran out."

"My fault for spacing out." Xanthic stood up shakily, ignoring her outstretched hand. "Without that I would have won." He looked away. Eve raised an eyebrow.

"It's my win then?" She asked.

"No point anymore."

"Let me see." Eve took his arm, pulling up the sleeve and observing it. Xanthic tried to yank his arm away but she refused to let him move. "You'll be fine." She said finally. "It's not sprained, just a bad bruise. It should go away in a few days." Xanthic pulled away quickly, his bangs fell into his eyes as he slid his sleeve down.

"Good match." Eve said before she walked over to the upturned bed. "Celeste, Owen, you guys okay?" She asked. There were groans in response. "I'll get you two in a second, just hang tight." She unlocked the door to the other room revealing a sleeping Riliane.

"Riliane you okay?" The blonde girl stirred slightly before she rubbed her eyes and then beamed.

"Eve? That you?"

"Yeah, sorry I threw you in."

"It's okay, it was probably for the best anyways. I would have just slowed Xanthic down."

"Nonsense, you're the reason Owen and Celeste were trapped. You did great." Eve said quickly. She blinked, surprised that she was comforting her.

"Thanks." Riliane said with a smile.

"Is Olive okay? Owen got her pretty good." Eve asked.

"Oh Olive is fine. She went downstairs to eat something." Eve raised an eyebrow. She wasn't surprised.

"What about Amelia?" Riliane asked. Eve turned back to see the silver haired girl napping quietly.

"She's just tired. Mind helping me with the bed?" Eve asked finally.

"Sure!"

They moved into the other room, about to lift the bed before they heard the sound of a door opening. D'art stumbled in, his cheeks pink.

"Lover boy is back." Xanthic said with a smirk. He was on the bed, his hands behind his head.

"Shut up!" D'art said quickly. He peered at the room, shocked.

"What monstrosity happened here?"

"Long story." Riliane giggled.

"But we won." Eve nodded.

"Awesome sause!"

"Seriously. Who says that?"

"Wha-I do!"

After an hour or so of cleaning up and attempting to put the pillows back together, everyone got in their own rooms and lights were turned off. Despite their exhaustion, for the first time that night they felt closer to each other than they ever had before.