Chapter 9 : Ballroom Blitz
- CALICO -
The broken mirror in Calico's shack wasn't exactly the best at what it did but he made do. He examined his tuxedo, it was a dingy brown and covered in holes. It was all he could get on short notice. A little voice suggested robbing a bank, but getting arrested would probably spoil the evening. He spent the next hour patching up the holes, he hoped nobody would notice. He heard a knock on the side of his shack. Rojo leaned in.
"Just about ready?" He asked. Calico pricked himself in the finger and swore loudly. It was the umpteenth time tonight.
"Just about." Calico replied. He finished getting dressed. "What do you think?"
"I think you stole that outfit from a hobo." Rojo replied. Calico frowned.
"Best I could do." He said. "Should I tie the hair?"
"Sure, might make you look less vagrant." Rojo answered in a cheeky grin. Calico tied his hair back into a small pony tail. It didn't look too bad.
"Any news on our duplicitous employer?" Calico asked. Rojo laughed.
"I'm surprised you know what duplicitous means." Rojo said. "No, he's hiding himself well."
"Well, I guess he's safe tonight." Calico said. He stumbled out of his shack, the sun was beginning to set and the water bathed in an orange glow.
- LYRA -
Morgana hung Lyra's ragged hood over the shower curtain. She examined Lyra like an archaeologist examining a fossil. It wasn't particularly flattering. She gave a firm yank and tugged on a slightly matted patch of hair. She pulled out a frighteningly large pair of scissors.
"Morgan, we can talk about this." Lyra stammered. The scissors were getting closer. "We don't have to do this!"
Morgana cut a solid chunk of hair, Lyra squeaked. Within the minute the floor was suddenly full of more hair than Lyra could imagine. Morgana pulled out a box and placed it on the counter.
"Pick something, I've got to grab something." Morgana said, she started digging through her pack.
The box was filled with makeup. All of them had long and slightly cringe-worthy names like Lascivious Lavender, Sinful Starfire, Nevermore Feather or Invidious Ichor. She heard the door open, a familiar head of fiery hair appeared from beyond it.
"You girls going to be here all day?" Arthur asked. Morgana threw a comb at him. He shook his head. "Alright, do you're thing. Just checking up."
The door slammed shut. Lyra felt something tugging on her hair, it looked like it was back to this again. Lyra squeaked as Morgana brushed her now noticeably shorter hair. She stepped away and held out her fingers as if she were framing a picture. She nodded.
"That'll have to do." Morgana said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyra squeaked.
"Alright, let me go find my wax." Morgana replied. She stepped out of the bathroom. Lyra felt her heart beating through her chest at this point.
"Wax? Morgan? Why would you need wax?" Lyra squeaked. Rudd popped his head in the doorway. "Occupied!"
He stumbled out of the way and walked out of view. Morgan stepped in and placed a small container in front of her. Lyra shuddered. She really was beginning to hate this dance.
- GWYN -
"Hold still!" Gwyn shouted, her brother squirmed in protest but she held him down. She grabbed another twig and yanked it out.
"Ow! You aren't even trying to be gentle now." He said. She shook her head.
"Would it kill you to comb this thing?" She asked. She pulled another twig from his beard. He yelped. "If I find a bird nesting here I'm done."
"Chirpy is out for the night." He replied. She punched him in the shoulder. "Are we almost finished?"
"Just about." She replied. She pulled a small twig out. Now he didn't look as much like a deranged hermit. "Alright, now to shave it."
"No!" He shouted, he practically threw her off him. "I draw the line here."
"You're such a child." Gwyn said. Orin growled. She sighed loudly. "Fine."
"Are you finished yet?" Natasha asked. She leaned through the door carrying several bags. She was in a gorgeous dress, it looked like it was made out of snowflakes. Knowing Natasha it probably was. It looked comfortable too. Natasha snapped her fingers inches from her face. "Excuse me?"
"Sorry." Gwyn replied. She shoved her brother out the door. Natasha stepped in and shut it behind her. She stared at the dress again. "I wish I was rich."
"Don't worry, I have you covered." She replied. She placed the bags down and pulled out a bright golden dress. Gwyn grabbed it, it felt softer than anything she had ever held before. "What is this made of?"
"Satin. Now try not to get any stains on it." Natasha said. She pulled out a matching pair of shoes and a makeup kit. "Go nuts."
"Have I ever told you how great of a friend you are?" Gwyn asked. Natasha laughed.
-GABRIEL-
"Does everyone have a date except me?" Gabriel asked. "How is this possible?"
"Maybe women don't like you." Lancel said. Gabriel shook his head.
"We all know that's impossible." Gabriel replied. Lancel started snickering.
"Just pick a girl, anyone at this point." Lancel replied. "You can't seem any more desperate."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Gabriel said. He heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find a girl with soft sunset colored hair and a face full of freckles. She was wearing a green dress. He leaned against the door frame. "Hello there gorgeous, what brings you to my humble abode."
"Is Arthur here?" She asked. He frowned. Figures.
"No, he's already left with his date." He said. She froze.
"He already has a date?" She asked. He nodded. She didn't look particularly happy.
"If this means you're free I could take you." Gabriel said with a crooked smile. She glared at him. "Just an idea."
"Fine." She said after a long sigh. She didn't sound enthusiastic. "Hurry up then, let's get this over with."
He grabbed his coat and stepped out. He wasn't entirely sure how well this date could possibly go. He decided to just go with it.
- ASH -
The dance was an hour away. He splashed water on his face. He was alone the bathroom, he looked into the mirror. He had to admit, he cleaned up pretty good. He brushed his hair back, his face was smooth, his eyes devoid of baggage and his smile seemed pretty sincere. He looked into his eyes. They were smiling back at him. He felt great. Truth be told, he hasn't felt this good in a long time. He heard a knock on the door, Billy leaned in and held up a tuxedo, still in it's dry cleaning bag. Ash grabbed it and gave him a thumbs up. The door closed. Ash stripped of his clothes. His skin was devoid of bruising, all evidence of the beating he took only a matter of months ago was now gone. He took his time getting dressed. He popped his collars up and took a few minutes to take his reflection in. He looked good. No, he looked great.
He left the bathroom grinning, a slight spring in his step. He's been to a few dances in life, some formal, a few not. He had to admit, he always had fun and he always looked good. He also had no shortage of ego, he pushed that thought out of his mind. He stepped into the dorm, Billy was wearing a nice tuxedo, it was pretty hard for Ash to find one his size and it cost a little more than he'd expected. But hey, he's not going to let his friend go to a dance in a hand-me-down suit. Lyra and Morgana were at her brothers dorm. They were using his bathroom to, in her words, figure something out. Morgana had to drag Lyra out of the room. Billy kept checking the clock. They'd be leaving in a few minutes. The door opened, jaws dropped.
Morgana was wearing a violet dress, lacy like most of the outfits she wore. She had her hair straightened, with fairly modest amount of makeup. She posed like a model at a car show to reveal her true achievement for the night, Lyra. Lyra waddled in, struggling with her high heels. She was in a lilac blue dress, surprisingly modest for something from Morgana's closet. Her hair straightened and styled into an almost bob cut, the split ends trimmed. She kept adjusting her straps awkwardly.
"I give you, the new and improved Lyra!" Morgana said triumphantly. Lyra wobbled on the spot. Ash and Billy broke out the applause, her face went beat red.
"I can't walk in these things." Lyra mumbled. Morgana gave her a firm pat on the back, she almost fell over.
"You'll get used to it." She said with a beaming smile. "You should have heard her, it was a fight to take that patchy hood off her."
"You look great Lyra." Ash said. Her face looked like it was on fire, she instinctively went to reach for her hood, when she realized it wasn't there she simply covered her face with her hands.
"Don't mess up your makeup." Morgana whispered. Lyra groaned and lowered her hands.
"Well, shall we?" Ash asked, he reached out and took Lyra's hand, she wrapped her arms around his, mostly for balance. They, carefully, stepped out the door. The hall was filled with students pairing off. Ash smiled. The night was already off to a good start.
-GWYN-
The music was loud and it was starting to get crowded. The party was fairly eventful at the start, now it was starting to take a sour turn. She was beginning to feel queasy, the flashing lights were giving her a headache. She was resting her head on Arthur's chest, she'd likely tip over if she wasn't. Their dance was awkward for a while. She wasn't sure why she was so dizzy. Arthur guided her off the dance floor and sat her down.
"We don't have to stop." Gwyn mumbled. Arthur grabbed a glass of water and passed it to her.
"It's alright, just take a short break." Arthur said with a warm smile. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around her. She nodded meekly. She watched the dancers and felt a bit envious. She began to feel queasy again and stumbled towards the bathroom. She leaned on the counter and took a deep breath. She heard a quiet voice call out.
"You okay?" The voice asked. Gwyn glanced over her shoulder, she recognized Robina, one of Saffron's team mates. "You're not looking so good."
"I've been better." She replied
"Want me to get you something?" She asked.
"Can you find my friend Natasha?" Gwyn asked.
"No problem, just take it easy." She replied, she was a few steps towards the door. Gwyn stopped her.
"Wait." She said, she took Arthur's coat off and passed it to her. "Take this to Arthur."
"Alright." She said. She headed out the door, the loud music seemed to bleed in, only to be halted by the deafening bang. She slumped to her knees.
- ASH -
The dance was packed with students, not all of them from Beacon. Ash was filling a couple glasses from the punch bowl. He felt someone bump into his shoulder. He turned around and saw an unexpected face.
"Calico?" Ash asked. Calico spun around. He was in a heavily patched tuxedo.
"Ash, it's been a while!" Calico gave him a hug. He stepped out of the way of group of students. "I didn't know if I'd see you here."
"So what brings you here?" Ash asked. "This isn't exactly your usual kind of party."
"Rojo wanted to go, I wasn't going to but I got a date." Calico said with a growing smile. "She's over by the window."
Ash glanced across the dance floor, he saw a redhead with long curly hair smoking a cigarette by the window. He took another look at Calico. He'd never seen him smile this much. Well, not outside of a bar room brawl. He looked strangely younger.
"So, who are you here with?" Calico asked. Ash pointed to Lyra, who was dancing by herself very enthusiastically. "She's cute."
"She's just a friend. My teammate actually." Ash said. For some reason Calico was giving him a weird look.
"Well she certainly has a lot of energy." Calico replied.
"I know, we almost had to drag her here." Ash said. He gave shrug. "Maybe it's the sugar, this has got to be her seventh glass."
"It could be the sugar, or it could be the whisky I added." Calico said nonchalantly. Ash knew he felt a little off.
"You what?" Ash asked. Calico waved his hands in front of himself defensively.
"Hey, it was Pearl's idea." Calico said. Ash groaned.
"You two go together like matches and gasoline." Ash replied. Calico laughed.
"Well, it just wouldn't be a party without a loss of inhibition." Calico said with a smirk. Ash had a bad feeling about this.
"Hey Ash." Gabriel said, sliding next to them. He shook his head slightly.
"Gabriel, how's your evening going?" Ash asked. Gabriel let out a long sigh.
"Well, I decided I'd rather hang out over here than with my date." Gabriel said. "So that should give you an understanding of how my night is going."
"That bad?" Ash asked. Gabriel laughed.
"She doesn't stop talking, she just goes on about her plans and her dreams." He said. He switched to a more mocking tone. "I'm going to run for politics and put an end to persecution and save the animals. She doesn't even want to dance."
"Friendly advice, the punch has an extra kick to it." Calico said with a knowing nod. Gabriel turned to Ash. He just realized he never introduced them.
"Gabriel this is Calico." Ash said.
"Pleasure to meet you." Gabriel said. He grabbed the drinks Ash poured and gave a nod. "Hope this helps."
"No problem." Calico said with a salute. Ash frowned. "What, I'm a philanthropist at heart."
"I'm amazed you even know what that means." Ash replied. Calico gave a hurt look.
"Nobody understands my pain, being such a generous soul." Calico said. He grabbed a couple glasses and stumbled off through the crowd. Ash looked at the punch bowl. Lyra had more than enough for tonight.
- GWYN -
Gwyn glanced at her reflection. The queasy sensation seemed to blur out the restroom. She really didn't feel to great. The door opened and Natasha stepped in. Gwyn took a couple deep breaths.
"You feeling alright?" Natasha asked in her usual accent. Gwyn smiled, or at least tried to.
"I think the punch is spoiled." Gwyn said feebly. "Can punch get spoiled?"
"I think I saw a faunus boy spiking it." Natasha said. She reached into her purse and pulled out a cloth. She ran a bit of warm water onto it and dabbed it on her forehead. "Any better."
"Not really." Gwyn said, she glanced back at her reflection. "Great now my makeup is ruined."
"If your not feeling good maybe we should call it an early night." Natasha said. Gwyn frowned. She really was looking forward to this. She was wearing her favorite yellow dress, she spent hours getting ready and now she's in the bathroom trying not to puke. She leaned against the nearest wall and slid down to the floor.
"Don't worry about me, you and Kol should go have fun." Gwyn said. Natasha leaned down and started dabbing the makeup off her face.
"I..." Natasha hesitated. Gwyn has never heard her hesitate before. "...I don't know if Kol is right for me."
"What are you talking about? You're great together!" Gwyn said in protest, though it was a little awkward to talk with the cloth in her face.
"He's... well you know Kol." Natasha said her smile was fading. "He's not exactly a very empathetic person. We're here at a party and it's like he doesn't even know I'm there."
"Of course he does. He's just a little bit dense." Gwyn said. Natasha smiled.
"More than a little bit." She said. She helped Gwyn back up to her feet. Gwyn gave her a hug. She'd never seen Natasha this vulnerable before, it was a little worrying. Normally she's the one getting reassured.
"I think I'll go to bed." Gwyn said. She took another deep breath and steadied herself. Everything was woozy. "Can you apologise to Arthur for me."
"I'll take care of it, get some rest." Natasha said with a beaming smile.
Gwyn set off for the door, the music was louder than she remembered. She started to lose balance, she fell face first towards the ground. She felt herself hit something soft, she opened her eyes and felt herself lifting onto her feet. Her rescuer was a man with sharp features and wavy brown hair that reached his shoulders. There was something about his smile that made her feel safe. Yeah, she thought, the punch really was spiked.
"Are you okay?" The man asked. She smiled and felt herself losing balance.
"Can you help me find my room, I'm a little dizzy." She said. The man nodded and put his arm around her. He guided her out, the music fading behind them.
They wandered the halls, all she could hear were the sounds of their feet echoing around her. Everything was spinning, she wasn't sure how she would have managed this walk without help. She thought he looked familiar but couldn't understand why. They came to a stop, she was staring at her door.
"Thank you so much." She said, she wobbled slightly. She hiccuped. She covered her mouth and blushed. "Sorry about that, I think I need to lie down."
"Hope you feel better in the morning." He said. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. She didn't know why, she just went with it. She broke it off and leaned back. He was blushing and was now mumbling awkwardly. She opened her door and swung it shut behind her. She was still blushing, though that faded quickly and she hurried to the bathroom. It was going to be a long night.
- GABRIEL -
She really never stops talking. Gabriel tried to make himself seem interested. She wasn't exactly his first choice. Then again her first choice chose his friend instead. Life's funny that way. He downed another glass. He could really feel the kick now. He has to thank that Calico fellow, even if it hasn't changed his evening, it certainly numbed it.
"So I decided that Faunus rights is an important area to go into, as even today there is still controversy regarding their acceptance as citizens in the kingdoms and having a strong opinion in the field can make and break a company..." She continued to ramble. He nodded, though his ears were already tuning her out. He scanned the crowd, he couldn't find Gwyn anywhere, nor could he find Arthur. Maybe they hooked up. Wouldn't surprise him in the least. "Uh... hello?"
"Yes?" He asked. His date didn't seem to amused.
"Are you even listening?" She asked.
"Yes, Faunus rights, very interesting." He replied.
"I was talking about that ten minutes ago. Are you feeling okay?" She asked. He glanced over at the clock. She was right, ten minutes had passed since he stopped paying attention. Where does the time go.
"I'm sorry I was distracted. By the dancing. At this dance. That we are currently at." He said. He wasn't even trying to hide his boredom.
"Were you even listening at all?" She asked.
"Frankly Saffron, I'm bored to tears. I mean I thought I was a paragon of patience but you really found new ways to take that away from me. Are we going to dance or what?" He asked. Next thing he knew she was storming off. Her drink was dripping off his face. He wasn't entirely surprised, honestly he was happy he was free.
"Strike out?" Arthur asked. He slid into the now vacant seat.
"Glad to see her gone. How's your evening going?" Gabriel asked. Arthur didn't seem to know where to begin.
"Well... my date got sick and had to leave early. So I've sort of been twiddling my thumbs for the last half hour." He said. Gabriel didn't know what to think. Should he be glad, or should he feel bad for his friend. He settled on giving his friend peace of mind.
"She's probably couldn't handle the amount of liquor in the punch bowl." Gabriel said.
"Someone spiked the punch?" Arthur asked. "Well that explains a lot actually."
"Like what?" Gabriel asked.
"Well there was the guy in the dress that pulled off that surprisingly well choreographed dance number." Arthur said. "I mean, I couldn't manage that sober."
"You have a point." Gabriel said with a nod. "Where are the others?"
"I haven't seen Lancel in a bit. Toreth didn't bother showing up." Arthur said. He scratched his head. "Why didn't Toreth show up?"
"You know that faunus girl he never shuts up about?" Gabriel asked.
"Yeah, did she reject him?" Arthur asked.
"Nope, never worked up the courage. She's not even here, apparently her mission got delayed." Gabriel shook his head. "Poor sap's been miserable all week."
"Plus this party has a dress code." Arthur said. "He sleeps in that armor."
"Maybe we should stage an intervention? Do they have an armor wearer's anonymous?" Gabriel asked. Arthur laughed. "I think I'm going to head. I've got no reason to stick around."
"I'm going to wait a while longer, keep an eye on my sister." Arthur said. Gabriel patted his shoulder.
"She'll be fine. She's with Ash, he'll look out for her." Gabriel said with a smile. Arthur didn't seem convinced.
"Do you trust Ash?" Arthur asked. Gabriel wasn't quite sure where that came from.
"He's a pretty cool guy, for a first year. Yeah I trust him." Gabriel replied. Arthur pursed his lips.
"I don't know, it's probably nothing but my father never trusted the Grey family. I don't know, if Ash seems cool to you then I'll accept it." Arthur said. Never trusted the Grey family. Gabriel didn't know how to make of it.
"Your father knew his family?" Gabriel asked.
"The Grey Dust Company used to be pretty prominent in the dust business. They compete mostly with the Schnees, until the SDC stole a lucrative military contract from them." Arthur explained. Gabriel was starting to get reminded of his date. Arthur, however, noticed his boredom. "More to the point, after they lost that deal, they tried to make a deal with my father. The GDC was aiming to be his main supplier. They had a falling out, the development went nowhere."
"Riveting, I'm on the edge of my seat." Gabriel said without holding any sarcasm back.
"I shouldn't judge a guy for what my father said about his, but he never said it about his father specifically. He said I shouldn't trust the entire family. I don't know. If you say he's alright I'll trust you but, I just don't know." Arthur said. He took a deep breath and downed his glass.
"I see where you're coming from, but Ash isn't his father. Your father probably never got the chance to even meet Ash." Gabriel said. Arthur nodded and relaxed. "I'll see you in the morning, I'm going to get some sleep."
"I'll be here." Arthur said with a nod.
- CALICO -
"...so Saffron decided to figure out what the noise was, turns out someone locked a beowolf in the outhouse. You should have seen her, I don't think I've ever seen someone leap that far out of their skin before." Said Pearl with slight chuckle. Calico smiled, not really over the story. There was just something about her that just made him feel relaxed. A girl in a green dress slumped into the chair next to them. She had her arms crossed and a frown etched across her face. "Speak of the grimm. Saffron, how's your night going?"
"Pretty lousy, my date was a jerk so I accidentally spilled my drink on his face." She said. Pearl gave her a firm pat on the back.
"Don't worry about it, there are other guys out there." Pearl said with a broad smile. She pointed at Calico. "Take this fellow here. I met him on the street the day before, that's convenience."
"Thank you, I always pride myself as the path of least resistance." Calico said. Pearl smirked. Saffron didn't seem very amused.
"It's not like I really liked Gabriel, it's just. He wasn't my first choice." Saffron said. She let out a long and dramatic sigh. "I was going to ask Arthur Breninaur out but that Gwyn girl beat me to it."
"I thought you liked Gwyn." Pearl said.
"That was before she got all handsy with Arthur." She said with a scowl. Pearl started laughing.
"She asked him to a dance, also I don't exactly see them dancing. She left earlier." Pearl said. Saffron looked confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked. "She steals my date and then bails. The nerve!"
"Right, your date. Maybe you should have asked him first." Pearl replied.
"Hey! I was... about to." She mumbled. Pearl snickered. Calico just leaned back and watch. Pearl gave him a look.
"What, don't let me get in the way. Continue, maybe in a mud bath or covered in oil." Calico said, his ear perked up. With a couple of smacks he fell off his chair. "Kinky."
"Where'd you find this guy again?" Saffron asked.
"On a bench in the city." Pearl answered. Saffron groaned.
"You asked a hobo on a date?" Saffron asked.
"He's not a hobo, he's just... scruffy." Pearl replied. Calico was going to protest that but couldn't think of strong defense. He did look a bit hobo-ish. The fact he didn't have a house didn't help the fact either.
"Ugh! This is just like the time you found that puppy." She said. Pearl made an odd squeak.
"How dare you bring Barkbeard into this!" Pearl shouted. "He's adorable and you know it!"
"He has one eye and a peg leg! Plus he's all mangy, dogs are not supposed to have beards that long!" Saffron shouted back. "Adorable set sail quite a while ago."
"Listen, maybe I should get some drinks." Calico interrupted. He couldn't think of a better excuse to get fresh air.
"Let me guess, you spiked the punch again?" Saffron asked.
"Oh that's fresh coming from you!" Pearl replied.
"Oh what's that supposed to mean?" Saffron asked.
Calico backed out and hurried to the bar. He took a deep breath and downed a glass. He was a little glad to be out of there but he could still hear their bickering through the crowds and loud music. He glanced over his shoulder. Someone slammed into him. He crashed into the counter. He noticed students were stumbling out of the way, tripping over each other.
"Oh now what?" Calico asked. He could see a crowd of students forming. He tried to get a look over their shoulders. He saw a student knocked on the ground, when he finally climbed to his feet Calico got a good look. He looked up at the sky. "Thank you!"
Calico parted the crowd, grabbed a stool by the bar and swept it under the attacker's feet knocking him onto his ass. Calico kicked him while he was down. He reached down and pulled Ash back to his feet.
"Calico! Thank you." Ash said dusting himself off. "Behind you!"
Calico turned around, the blow hit him right in the nose. He stumbled back. He squinted at his attacker. A tall man with short brown hair. Calico ducked under his next swing and got him in the throat. Out of nowhere, a student rammed him into the counter. He swung, cracking the student in the jaw.
"Who are we fighting?" Calico asked. He blocked another blow and countered with a swift swing to the temple. "If you don't mind me asking?"
"Cardin Winchester and his goons." Arthur said, tackling the first guy. Cardin he assumes. Calico grabbed the guy in front of him and punched him a couple more times to be sure. The guy dropped. His fist looked swollen.
"Man their heads are dense, I'm think I might have broken my hand!" Calico said, two more students charged his way. They were quickly intercepted by two of the bystanders. They flipped over several tables.
Calico leapt over several overturned tables and ran after Cardin, who was pelting Ash in the gut. He flipped off his feet and landed on the ground hard. Someone tripped him. He rolled over, a faunus with wolf ears and fanged teeth was growling at him. He hopped back on his feet and tackled the newcomer. A pair of hands dragged him off. The wolf faunus took this as an opportunity to take a couple cheap shots. A voice called out. Calico felt himself getting dragged by a far stronger arm. The next thing he knew, he was face down on the floor, he could see the others in the same position.
"What is the meaning of this?" A stern voice called out. He was surrounded by soldiers, Ironwood's men. He forgot they were visiting.
"Take them to my office, I'd like to have a word with them." A voice called out. Calico couldn't turn his head very good. Figures, it was really turning into his type of party.
- LYRA -
Lyra giggled. She was wobbling all over the place and yet she couldn't help but find it funny. She wobbled over to Morgan and Billy on the dance floor. She hiccuped.
"Hey!" She squeaked.
"Are you okay?" Morgan asked. Lyra broke out into a giggle fit.
"I'm great!" She said. She chugged her glass of punch. "This punch is really great!"
There were some shouts coming from across the room. Lyra turned to see soldiers dragging several students out. She hiccuped. She turned back to Billy and Morgan.
"What was that about?" Lyra asked.
"I don't know, have you seen Ash?" Morgan asked. Lyra shook her head vigorously. She got a little dizzy.
"Nope." She squeaked. Morgan was waving her hand in front of her face. She hiccuped.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Morgan asked. Lyra started giggling.
"I'm doing fun." She replied with a lopsided smile.
"I think we should..." Morgan began, there was a loud shriek. A couple of girls were pulling each other's hair. A large man was trying to drag them apart. Billy hurried over and tried to help. "Maybe we should call it a night, this party is beginning to turn ugly."
Morgan ran over to check on Billy. Lyra stumbled around. The flashing lights was starting to blur. It was a pretty sight. She glanced at her surroundings. She somehow migrated across the room, Morgan and Billy were no longer in sight. She tried to peek through the masses but wasn't quite tall enough, even on the tips of her toes. She shrugged and stumbled out the door. She knew her way around, she could find her own way back.
- ASH -
Ozpin's office was bigger than he thought it'd be. Ozpin was silent, resting almost statuesque on the other side of the desk. His eyes shifted between them. Ash wasn't alone, Calico was nearby. Along with Rojo, Cardin and his goons, Leon, Cheng, Rust and Chakor. Quite the rogues gallery. By the look on Ozpin's face, he was trying to figure out this group. It was so quiet he could feel the blood pumping in his veins. The professor finally broke the silence.
"Do any of you know why the Vytal festival exists?" Ozpin asked.
"To promote unity?" Leon asked. Ozpin smiled.
"It certainly united some fists into faces." Calico said. Rust growled at him, he hissed back.
"Exactly. Four kingdoms gather, they bring warriors and yes they fight but the purpose is to show how intricate and symbiotic our kingdoms are. We are all interconnected and our very survival is tied together. We host this festival to commemorate our unity, to promote friendship, brotherhood with our neighbors." He said. He raised his cup and took a sip. "And here we are now, the festival around the corner, our neighbors present, and you decide this is the time to start a brawl."
"He started it." Cardin mumbled.
"The beginning doesn't matter, only the ending. The ending to this particular story being the eleven of you restrained by Atlesian soldiers." Ozpin shifted in his seat. His expression never changed. He was calm. Maybe a little too calm. "I didn't bring you here to be punished. I brought you here to be educated. I want you to understand, regardless of the cause of the fight, the only thing that matters is the effect. Eleven hunstmen in training at a party celebrating peace and unity they decided to start a brawl. Atlesian soldiers had to intervene. As huntsmen you'll need to learn that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Consider this a warning, dismissed."
They left Ozpin's office, there was a brief moment of confused glances between them. They split off as quickly as they could. Ash couldn't help but wonder when it comes to Ozpin. He was expecting more than he got. Though he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, it could have been Glynda who caught them. He checked the time on his scroll, midnight. The party most likely ended. He heard footsteps, erratic ones to say the least. He turned a corner and saw Lyra wobbling down the hall. She waved at him enthusiastically, almost losing balance. She was hiccuping uncontrollably, giggling after each one. She may have had a bit too much punch.
"Ash hey!" She said with a big, droopy grin. She stumbled closer. He could smell the alcohol. She tripped over her own feet and fell. He caught her, and she burped loudly. "Oops, my bad."
"Lyra, maybe we should get you to bed, before Glynda catches you wandering" Ash said, he lifted her back up to her feet. She slid back onto his chest.
"Your so great!" She said with a firm poke. She closed her eyes and made a weird purring sound. It took him a moment to realize she was snoring.
"Well you're a happier drunk than I am." He said with a smile. He picked her up, she was really light.
The dorm was dark, he could hear Billy's snoring. Morgana was strangely absent. He gently placed Lyra onto her bed and tucked her in. She made a squeaky yawning sound and shifted slightly. He left the dorm and glanced down the dark hallway. He could hear humming coming from further down the hall. He followed the humming to the source. Morgana was sitting in a windowsill, she was humming quietly to herself.
"Morgana, what are you doing out here?" Ash asked. She turned her head, she looked more relaxed than he'd ever seen her.
"I like the quiet." She said. "I come out here most nights, after everyone falls asleep. I like to find time to think."
"Think about what?" Ash asked. He sat next to her. She seemed to hesitate.
"I think about the future, the past sometimes too. I don't know." She said. She shifted uncomfortably. "Do you think about that night at the harbour? When you delivered that package?"
"Where did that come from?" Ash asked. He was a little taken aback.
"Curiosity, so do you?" She replied. Ash sighed. And he was having such a good night.
"I think about it, a lot. People died, it was my fault. I thought about it a lot at Bastion. It wasn't my finest hour." He answered. He felt a sickening knot tie in his chest. "I guess we all have our baggage."
"I grew up in a small town. My father was rich, my mother wasn't. He had a country estate that we lived in." She said, a lot quieter than usual. Ash didn't know what to think, he'd never seen her open up before. "I never got to meet my mother, she died giving birth to me and my brother Mikael. My father had us take her last name, Umber."
"You've never mentioned your other brother." Ash said. She nodded.
"Mikael and I used to be close. He and my father got into a fight one night and he left." She said.
"You never saw him again?" Ash asked. She took a deep breath. They sat quietly for about a minute before she continued.
"My father was always working, I rarely saw him. Mikael and I were practically raised by Arthur. After Mikael left all I had was Arthur. He's always looked out for me."
"Then he became a huntsman." Ash said. She nodded. "That's why you accepted Ozpin's offer."
"I wanted to be a huntress so badly. I followed Arthur from school to fighting academies. I wanted to be just like him. One day I was walking home, I saw a women being attacked in an alley. I was leaving a dust shop, I went to her rescue. I've never been one to pull my punches." She took another deep breath. She started to tremble. "I... I lost my head. I blasted him head first into a dumpster. I fractured his skull. He died in a hospital bed."
"That's why you were at Bastion?" He asked. He had an idea what she was going through. That knot that grows inside you. His mind went back to that warehouse. He shuddered at the thought.
"The guy was just a kid, like me. Some stupid son of an entrepreneur. He was angry about his sons death. The grieving father had an army of lawyers foaming at the mouth. I didn't stand a chance." She shook her head. "I lose control, last time I hurt Lyra. I wonder who it will be the next time."
"Even after all that, you served your time in prison, you became a huntress and you are in the same academy as your brother." Ash said. He gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I know what you're going through. Try not to beat yourself up too much. It wasn't your fault the guy was a prick."
"But it is my fault he died one." Morgana replied.
They had another brief moment of silence. Ash wanted to change the subject. Something happier, or at least something that wasn't depressing. He realized his arm was still on her shoulder. He removed it, shifting a bit uncomfortably.
"Why don't you call me Morgan?" Morgana asked. Thank you, he thought quietly. "Lyra and Billy both call me by it."
"You never asked me to." Ash replied. She smirked.
"I think we're passed that stage." She said with a grin. "You can call me Morgan."
"Alright, Morgan." He replied.