Crimson's motorcycle sped through the forest. Reed followed right behind, struggling to keep up with the vehicle. Behind them was Nina, skating on ice. Crimson maintained a lead, but it seemed Nina was gradually gaining on them. Crimson grinned as he spotted the school in the distance.
"Finish line's up ahead!" He called back to the others.
Reed sighed. "Finally. My wings feel ready to fall off."
Nina caught up to the two, giving Reed a playful wink as she passed him. "See ya!"
Crimson watched her skate past them. "Wow...she's gotten better...but so have I."
The motorcycle popped up into a wheelie, the throttle kicking up a notch. When the front wheel reconnected with the ground, it shot forward, rapidly gaining on Nina. They were approaching the school at dangerously high speeds now, Crimson and Nina being neck and neck. The finish line, in fact, was the school grounds, and someone else was already standing there. Crimson and Nina slid to a stop, seeing Melanie already waiting for them, arms crossed.
"What?!" Crimson shouted. "How'd you beat us here?!"
"I took an airship." She stated.
Nina blinked. "That was allowed?"
"Nobody said it wasn't." Melanie replied.
Reed landed behind the group, panting for breath. "Oh gods...my wings...feel like they're on fire."
Melanie raised an eyebrow. "You got quite the workout."
Nina pulled Reed into a hug. "Hey, you still did great!"
"Well...this was a fun break." Crimson chuckled.
Melanie eyed him. "We spent the whole break doing your team exercises."
"True." Crimson commented. "But did you enjoy them?"
She sighed. "Yes. I enjoyed them."
Crimson looked over to see Professor Goodwitch angrily storming into the cafeteria...which looked in a state of disrepair. "Uh...what happened there?"
"RWBY and JNPR started a food fight...but it got a little extreme." Melanie explained. "I noped out when Nora started picking up tables."
Reed narrowed his eyes. "Isn't...Pyrrha Nikos...on that team?"
"...yes..." Melanie confirmed. "Her involvement also surprised me, but...I mean, she's allowed to have fun. Celebrities are still people."
Crimson rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's head back to the dorms. We should figure out how we want to spend our last day of break."
The team returned to their room, moving to their preferred resting spots. Reed especially was happy to plop down on his bed and stretch his wings out.
"So what's on the docket for next semester?" Nina asked. "...did I say that right?"
"Yes, Nina, you said that right." Reed confirmed.
Crimson grinned. "The Vytal festival. And this year we get to participate."
Reed and Melanie immediately perked up. Nina on the other hand, looked confused.
"Oh, it's on." Melanie challenged.
Reed adjusted his glasses. "That explains why we've been training so hard all break."
"Um..." Nina looked around. "What's the Vytal festival?"
Reed sat up. "It's a bi-annual celebration of the peace treaty between the four kingdoms. This year marks the 40th festival, meaning we celebrate eight decades of peace."
Crimson nodded. "Vale's hosting this year. It's why so many students from other kingdoms have been arriving. Halfway through the semester we're going to be having the Vytal ball, basically a neat dance party arranged by the upperclassmen, usually a second-year team. Immediately after the ball, we get our first mission assignments."
"Oh please, let's just skip to the fun part." Melanie stated. "At the end of the school year, we get to fight in the Vytal tournament. Atlas brings over a floating arena and sets up matches for all the Huntsmen and Huntresses in training to duke it out. We basically get to kick ass on live TV."
Nina looked...slightly less confused. "So we celebrate peace...by having a dance...going on missions...and then fighting each other?"
Reed sighed. "It's...a bit more complicated than that. Before the great war, hunting Grimm wasn't considered a true career. People only fought Grimm to survive. After the kingdoms unified, they saw that the Grimm were a common enemy they could all rally behind. So they came to an agreement to train warriors that would fight the Grimm. It was the hope that these warriors would one day be the hunters that Grimm ran from, hence the name. Huntsmen and Huntresses. Then, they agreed on the Vytal festival as a means to mark their progress. Every two years, a kingdom would open its doors to welcome the rest of the world, the truest gesture of trust, as a reminder that even though we were four kingdoms, we are all one people. Then the ball was developed as a celebration, a remembrance to be happy...something to be upheld so that even in the darkest of times we would still have hope. It was after this that the Huntsmen and Huntresses in training would receive their first missions because the hope would still be fresh in their minds as they were sent out to battle the armies of darkness. Once these Huntsmen and Huntresses returned, they had experience to apply to their training...and the kingdoms wanted a way to mark their progress. The Vytal festival is a combat tournament, but it's still a friendly competition. It's a time for Huntsmen and Huntresses in training to show how much they've grown. A chance to inspire all of Remnant by showing that these children had the skills and abilities needed to become the protectors of life that all Huntsmen and Huntresses aspire to be."
Nina looked wide-eyed at Reed, amazed by the explanation. "That's...so amazing."
Crimson cleared his throat. "Should we, uh...go, and let you two have a moment?"
Reed raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
Melanie burst out laughing. "Wow. Some guardians we are, can't even read the room."
Nina was confused once more. "Uh...what?"
"Nothing." Crimson said. "I was just making a joke."
"I...don't get it." Nina said.
Reed shook his head. "Me either, Nina."
So the two sat there as Crimson and Melanie laughed. The atmosphere was warm, and relieving, as the four of them hoped that the rest of their year would be just as fun as their break had been.
