KEY

"Normal Speech"
"Sign Language"
'Thought '
- 'Scroll Message'

Chapter Beta - EnigmaProtocol

Velvet had regained consciousness whilst she was on the ride back towards Beacon. Her head was sore, like someone had plucked a Nevermore feather and drove the sharp end into each of her four ears with them meeting in the middle. Other than that, she felt great. Especially when she woke to see Coco, her beautiful girlfriend, staring at her like she was the only thing in the world.

"Hey hunny-bun."

"Mornin'." Coco let out a giggle of relief. "What?"

"We're not at Beacon you dunce. We're on our way back from Hai-no Hana."

"Oh, did we win then?"

"Yeah Velvs, we did. You were great."

"Coco, I may have not realised we weren't in bed, but I remember the fact that Nuckelavee screamed me into unconsciousness and that, judging from how we're all here in relatively one piece, you all beat it without me. Big help. Whoop. Go me." The last three things she said were deadpanned with such sarcasm that Yatsuhashi, who was riding with the girls, felt really uncomfortable about it. Even though he knew how the girls were at times, that one seemed very much more personal than it ever has been before. She almost sounded disappointed in herself for failing like that. His worries were soon silenced when he saw Coco lightly fake a punch across Velvet's cheek, then grab her beret and place it on the Faunus' head.

"Velvet you helped us more than ever. We wouldn't have known about how devastating the effects of its screech would be unless you were there. Also, we got to see Neo's truly amazing leadership skills in action. It was odd, taking orders from someone who's mute, but she saw the whole picture and then some; we've got photos now of the Nuckelavee that we're going to give someone, most likely Professor Port, along with my Mission Report to Ozpin which will also detail its methods of attack. Velvet, we were the first known people to take on a Grimm like that and survive, and thanks to Neo's photos and four people's accounts of the story - five if you want to include what you remember of yours - we will have evidence to back that up. I'm pretty sure there are decently sized rewards for that sort of thing too, not that I'm in it for the money but it's a bonus." She brushed away the hair from her girlfriend's face, smiling. The smile dropped slightly at the sight of the small scab above Velvet's eye where Neo had made her collide with their sink. But her downbeat nature subsided the second she glanced down into the pools of brown that were her eyes.

"Y'know Coco," the Faunus said, staring at her own eyes in the reflection of the gunner's sunglasses, "I don't think I tell you how beautiful you are enough." The hue Coco's face went sent a giggle coursing through her core as she continued. "The fact that even though you try to be this 'big bad' leader, you're just as soft and squishy and caring in the centre as the rest of us." She reached up to stroke her cheek with the back of her hand. "The way you act when you're around me makes me feel welcome in your arms." Velvet reached and grabbed the sunglasses blocking her girlfriend's face and pulled them away. For anyone else, that would have been a death wish; Velvet wasn't anyone else. The dark reflective glass was moved and two pairs of brown eyes, one darker than the other, stared at one another. "Your eyes, undoubtedly the single most gorgeous feature on you that you hide behind glasses, are eyes that I can look into and see the lengths you would go to for your team. Not only that, but also the way they glow with a light that screams 'I am so lucky to have this girl by my side with me, and I want that for the rest of my life'."

"They... say that?" she asked, blinking rapidly.

"Well, if they speak the same language mine do, then yes." Yatsuhashi could tell they wanted to kiss, but that would mean they'd need to stop staring into their eyes to do so. And he could tell that option was not happening. They just remained there, Coco sitting on the seat whilst Velvet lay across her, fingers intertwined, both peaceful in the fact that they knew they had the other to look after them.

"What did I do to deserve someone like you?"

"I can't give you specifics I'm afraid. I can generalise though: you did everything right."

'So what sort of things do the other three like?' Neo asked, wondering through the aisle. She and Fox had taken a different airship than the other three did, heading into Vale instead of straight back to Beacon. If they were on CAME Games Drink Duties, they might as well get things they each like for them, at least to start with. After a while, they'd all probably be too drunk to realise what they were drinking until they see the bottles in the morning. Fox went through, listing off everyone's preferred drinking choices including his own as Neo grabbed them from the shelf with the exception of Fox's, as he knew which ones were the right ones for him, he could 'tell', apparently. After relative silence, save the sound of footfall, Neo groaned.

"What?"

'I'm going to assume Yatsu likes this one because hardly anyone else can reach it?' She stared up at the shelf containing the favoured drink of the towering student for CAME Games; Hanazake. His reasoning, according to Fox, was that "If I'm going to be drunk by the end of the night, I might as well have something to get me going." Considering the alcohol percentage in this thing, she could see why. The fact it was on the top shelf was just pure coincidence. 'So, how are we actually going to get him some?'

"Well, I have shoulders, an-"

'Well observed.'

"Neo, I'm answering your question. I have shoulders and you are pretty light. Why don't you climb up and grab some?" She looked up at the tall shelf again, then at Fox. With a sigh and a smile, she nodded.

'Well, I trust you not to break me, or anything else. And please don't drop me.'

"Relax, I'll be fine." He kneeled down so that she could get on his shoulders. "Though my friend is always on hand to help if things go wrong."

'You have friends?' she joked. He looked at her, hurt from her words.

"I'm sure the rest of the team would be glad to hear that."

'I was kidding.' She paused briefly. 'But seriously though, what friend?'

"My friend, the floor." He leaned down even further and patted the floor like it was a pet. "He's nice and he means well, and he'll always be there to catch you when no one else can. Better watch out though, he's a little hard sometimes."

'Well when you put it like that, I wouldn't mind getting to know Mr Floor. I barely know him and he's already hard.' Fox tried to be unimpressed by his girlfriend's constant flow of innuendoes as she climbed on his shoulders, but in his tired state, he just laughed. "That one wasn't half bad" he mentioned as he lifted off the floor.

'Ah ha! I'm slowly but surely breaking you!'

"Me, and the bottle if you're not careful." She snapped her head towards the shelf and caught the two bottles that had fallen and were making their break for freedom.

'Phew.'

"Yeah, be careful next time."

'No, you be careful!' she playfully threatened, covering his eyes.

"...Neo sweetie... Are we forgetting something?"

'The booze?'

"No, my eyes." It took her a minute.

'Oops...'

"Yeah, oops." She slumped on his shoulders, disheartened at her inability to have a little joke with him due to one tiny lapsed moment she forgot about one of the very things that drew her to him. "Hey." She looked at him, he was bending his neck back as far as it would go so that he could look at her. The petite woman read the invisible signs and leaned her head down and planted a quick kiss on his lips, despite how awkward it was to do so in this position. "Everyone forgets Neo. Even members of my own family have forgotten at one point. It's not a big problem. What is a problem is when I'm bullied for it." Neo shifted her weight backwards, indicating she wanted to be planted firmly on the floor now, despite having quite a lot of fun being the tallest thing in the store.

'No one has the right to bully you babe. You've - we've - got an amazingly strong team to help you with that. A strong natured and good willed Faunus, a literal tank of a man and a team leader who casually carries around a Gatling gun on her belt. And to top it all off, I'm yours as well.' She stopped to grab his scarred hands. 'I can be as faithful to you all to the same level as you all had been to me over the last months. I had no reason to come here other than you - something I couldn't even tell them - other than for friendship. I have more than that now; I have a team, a boyfriend, dare I say a real family again. I am so lucky to have you all.'

"And we're lucky to have you Neo. Our team is our family, and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say:"

"Welcome to the family Neo!" All five of them raised their glasses to the middle of them and clinked them all together before knocking them all back in one swig.

"Thanks guys!" she signed, wiping away the drops that spilt on her hand. "I can't believe you see me as part of your team."

"Our team now Neo." Coco gave the woman a little hug as she continued "And as such, I declare that was the first shot of the CAME Games!" She took another shot at her decree, then opened the third of the drinks Neo and Fox got for her and swigged a hefty swig of that as well. She was already heavily tipsy, and they'd been at this for twenty minutes. The mute shot her boyfriend a glance.

'Does she normally knock them back that quick?'

'No, this is slow for her...'

'SLOW?!'

"Right, so for our newcomer, the rules are simple: get acquainted with the team! Get to know them, and have fun doing it. Watch, I'll show you." She got up and plonked herself down in Velvet's lap, straddling her partner and wrapping her arms around the Faunus' neck. "Hey you."

"Hey."

"My name is Coco Adel." Velvet rolled her eyes and played along with her girlfriend, knowing that by the end of the night she wouldn't be. Might as well leave the self-embarrassment until much later.

"And my name is Velvet Scarlatina." Coco leaned in and placed a long kiss on the girl's lips, something she reciprocated after she realised it wasn't going to break off until she had exhausted herself. When that came, Coco looked back and smiled at Neo.

"And that is how you get acquainted with your teammate. I'll show you again." She repeated the process, earning an eye roll from Fox. The sight made Neo giggle. "So, your turn Neo. Get introducing." Neo wanted to go straight to Fox, but that was obvious. Instead, she sat by Yatsuhashi.

"Hello."

"Greetings."

"My name is Neopolitan."

"And I am Yatsuhashi Daichi." The pair gave each other a quick peck on the lips, assuming that was all they needed to do.

"Uh uh uh, Drink!" Yatsuhashi did, Neo looked confused. "Three seconds, at least, for all kisses. Else, drink!" She knocked one back herself. Neo turned back to Yatsuhashi and took a drink, then leaned in again for the kiss. This time, it lasted a little over five seconds before they realised they'd already completed the necessary time quota.

"Enjoy yourself a little there Yatsu?" Velvet teased, her partner still sitting on her lap whilst the tank looked at them.

"I was not going to pull away for fear I may have miscount-"

"AH! Fear; a forbidden emotion! Drink!"

"Well, it happened anyway." He took one, face scrunching up a little as he did. This stuff was stronger than he remembered. That, or running basically on empty for the past few days has made him more susceptible to the effects of alcohol.

'I am so glad I can't speak right now, I'd be terrified if she could suss out wh-'

"FEAR!" Fox cried, pointing at Neo. Coco's head snapped to the ice cream girl and she uttered "Drink!" at her. Before she took one, she shot her blind boyfriend a look.

'Traitorous cur...' He winked at her and reached out for a drink of his own.

"No flirting at this stage Fox! Drink!" Clearly, he had remembered from previous times they'd played this how the game worked, so he knew his wink would earn him a drink. Neo moved on to sitting next to Velvet and Coco, as the team leader clearly didn't want to leave the Faunus' company.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Sup beautiful?" Velvet hit her partner. "Unnecessary violence against a teammate. Drink!"

"Oh, sonofabitch."

"You can take a double for the language."

"And you can take one for the early game flirting."

"That I will." They both took a shot as Neo continued.

"My name is Neopolitan."

"Mine is Coco Adel." As the third girl finished her second shot, she coughed as she signed her response.

"And my name is Velvet Scarlatina." Neo leaned in to the Faunus and kissed her for the mandated three seconds, then one more for good measure.

"Leave some for me Velvs" the fashionista almost pushed her girlfriend out of the way to start the kiss with Neo, an action that was most definitely earning her a drink once she was done. When they were kissing Neo felt amazing, like she did when her and Fox first kissed each other; there was warmth and feeling and comfort all in the single bit of contact they were making. She wanted this to continue, she really did. But she withdrew after a little while, or was it a long while - she sort of lost track of time. "And now..."

"Ab bab." Velvet cut her sentence short with that remark and a hand in front of Coco's face, being careful not to touch it. "Drink first."

"What'd I do?"

"Unnecessary violence; you literally shoved me out of the way."

"...Fairy nuff." The beret wearer shrugged and took a hit of her open drink. As the two girls kissed (again), Neo made her way over to Fox.

'Evening.'

'Hi.'

'The name's Fox Alistair.'

'Mine's Neopolitan.' They both let their lips curl up into a smirk as they leaned in for a kiss. Their bliss was cut by a booming "Drink!" coming from beside them, startling Neo out of the kiss.

"Who's drinking Yatsu?"

"Me. I got bored of sitting around. So I called myself out on being bored, and now I am drinking because of it." As he took another bit of Hanazake from his bottle, Coco broke her kiss and leaned backwards to look at him, the Rabbit girl holding her middle to stop her tipping onto her own head.

"You can take two more for the double use of a forbidden word!" Rather than be mad, he let a small chuckle to himself as he raised the bottle and took a doubly large swig.

Chapter Beta - EnigmaProtocol

{END OF PART 3}

Well, the chapter count just keeps on a'climbing, doesn't it? Seriously, we've just passed the milestone of 25 story chapters, and that's such an insane thought. Not only that, but the story is now over 65k words long, which means there is now only one hurdle left to cross...

But do you know what's even crazier than both of those facts?

Y'all are getting a fourth arc of this story! Honestly, there were plot points on my original plan for this story that haven't even been vaguely explored yet, so we're really going in for this one.

I hope you like the next chapter like you like your pillows, 'cause this next one is nothing but fluff between our favourite (well, my favourite) pink and orange pair. For the astute, that does mean I will not be writing any more of the CAME Games, as I don't actually have any ideas to go off of and also it's sounds very similar to the Spin the Bottle thing I did in Vytal Decisions, so go read that if you want your fix [shameless plug is shameless]. Fill in the blanks yourselves as to what happened here. Or, wait until I've uploaded the next chapter, see where everyone wakes up and then fill in the gaps.

As always, feedback - good or bad - is most appreciated