Chapter: Coco

When she was a young girl, Coco Adel loved stories of princesses and heroes.

A few years later, she decided she'd rather be a knight than either of those.

Knights have people they can rely on. They have missions and goals. Knights aren't uncertain with what they want. Knights don't wait for people to love them.

But knights have tacky outfits.

That why she's becoming a huntress instead.

And - no lie - she's never been happier.

Coco hums as she flips through the clothing rack, looking for a black turtleneck her size.

Her free hand brushes her handbag, and the words bubbled out for the world to see.

'Either goes with your bag, but I think your outfit would come together more if you used protective gear rather than body armour.'

The sentence that's been there for every weapon.

And didn't that hurt. All those stories of soulmates finding each other on hunter/huntress teams, and not one of her teammates have a mark with each other.

Not in first year, when they were team CFYN.

Not second year, when Velvet replaced Noir.

Coco picks the turtleneck off the rack and holds it up to the light.

"The stripes go the wrong way," says a woman beside her.

Coco hums and nods, replacing the clothing. "Just my luck."

The saleswoman chuckles and wraps an arm around the taller huntress' waist. "We've missed seeing you here, Coco. You make ours days at Booties and Boutiques so much more exciting."

Coco's lips curl up and she nudges the smaller woman away. The huntress turns and properly sees her soulmate. "I'm sure the Academy gives you enough clientele to keep busy."

Another saleswoman walking by pauses and gives a long-suffering sigh. "You should hear Teal when you're away. 'I wonder if Ms. Adel is okay', 'do you think Coco would like this for a present', or my favourite 'will you text me if she shows up while I run for lunch'."

Teal full-on blushes and stutters; angrily waving a fist at the passing saleswoman. Coco's smile widens and she leans down to bop the smaller woman on the nose. "Can't get enough of me, huh?"

Teal blushes harder, hand covering mouth to stop a rush of words.

"That's good," Coco says, leaning back and crossing her arms. "I'd be worried if my princess decided to ignore me."

Teal makes a pained sound and covers her whole face to escape embarrassment.

The nearby staff chuckle at the two.

But it's true.

Even if they weren't soulmates, Coco would have found a friendship with the princess-like woman. Said friendship makes the huntress feel a little more grounded. Reminds her that fighting and training aren't the only things a wannabe knight is good for.

She drags her team to her favourite clothing store, Booties and Boutiques, a lot more after befriending Teal.

It's a great place to be fashionable and kick-butt.

A great place to hang-out after grueling missions.

So, when a minor Grimm attack happens inside the city, and Booties and Boutiques happens to crumble from an attack, Coco smiles and delivers pain equal to what she feels to her enemies.

She's glad the place is rebuilt within days and Teal's there, on-the-job for the grand-reopening.

Just in time to start planning a new outfit for the tournament happening in a few weeks.