A/N: Sorry, a little shorter today. But exciting things for next chapter coming up.
The Vytal Festival was here, and people milled around with restless excitable energy among the many booths in Amity Colosseum.
"Hey girl!" A voice came from over Neo's shoulder. The festivities had also attracted the entire Arc family, to Nicolas' dismay. His protestations that there was something dangerous afoot went overruled by Mrs. Arc.
So that was why he had asked Neo to keep an eye on some of the sisters for him. They didn't think anything would happen until the final day of the Vytal Festival anyway, and Cinder had yet to make an appearance.
"You look a little different today." Jade said as she raked her eyes up and down. Jade was wearing five sets of belts today wrapped diagonally across her chest and legs. "I like your new wardrobe change, but I don't think that's it. What do you think Haze?"
The other twin looked up from where she was gorging on lamb skewers. "Hm? To me it looks like she thought someone was going to break up with her but he proposed instead." Hazel tilted her head. "Did you get laid?"
Neo sputtered. Get laid? With Roman? "Huh. Guess not." Hazel concluded.
The three of them continued on. Hazel wanted to continue their food tour, which Neo and Jade politely participated in, if not with the relish Hazel expressed. The food court had cuisine from all over the Kingdoms. There was a fried delicacy shaped like twirled ribbons from Mistral. There was smoked salamander leg from Vacuo and marbled mammoth meat from Atlas. Neo picked up a frosted donut filled with ice cream that she enjoyed for the rest of the tour. It was delicious.
"Whew, I'm stuffed." Hazel sighed, satisfied.
Jade rolled her eyes. "Finally. I was starting to wonder if a black hole opened up in your stomach and I would have to pull you out of the singularity."
Hazel squinted her eyes suspiciously.
"You don't know what that is, do you?"
Hazel was affronted. "What? Of course I do! It's a, um, a single…uh rarity. Single rarity. Learned it in school."
Jade just looked at Neo. "See what I have to deal with?" Neo giggled.
"Hey! Don't act like you're smarter than me!" Hazel cried. "We're twins!"
Neo just laughed at the banter. The two were very close and practically joined at the hip despite having different personalities. Each of the Arc sisters, Neo realized, was so unique. She already knew Sable, who was an independent and strong young woman. Sapphire was the caring mother of the sisters. And these two were both headstrong in different ways.
Neo imagined living with the sisters in the future, and decided it wouldn't too bad. It would be hectic but fun and heartwarming at the same time. Of course, if she wanted that to happen, she had to first…Neo's face heated up as she thought about just what she had to do with Jaune if they wanted to consummate anything, and then her mind wandered to that night two nights ago with Jaune and her brain sizzled for a moment as it flooded with endorphins.
"Oh? What's young Neo thinking about now? I sense something naughty!" Hazel teased. Neo clapped her hands to her warm cheeks and shook her head.
Since that night, Neo and Jaune had been chatting regularly via scroll and scroll call. He had evidently liked their shared experience as much as she had, judging from how red he had gotten the first time he saw her face through the screen that night. Neo smiled to herself. They had plans to meet together during the Vytal Festival later in the afternoon.
That would be after she had lunch with the Arcs, including Sable and Nicolas. Blake was going to be meeting with her team, hopefully to try and clear the air and maybe grab some lunch. Emerald was supposedly with Pyrrha doing something, or so Blake said, so she had wanted to use this chance to talk with her team. Blake was still technically entered as part of Team RWBY in the Vytal Tournament. Actually, Neo thought for a moment, so was Neo. Though the tournament only accepted a four person teams, so it all worked out.
Afterwards, they'd all meet together in the stands to watch the first rounds of the tournament. Neo had already grabbed a handful of the ice-cream donuts to snack on while she watched.
But as they say, what the minds of men propose, the hands of the Brother Gods dispose. None of that ended up happening, as an explosion rocked the Colesseum. A beat of silence, and then shrill screams and alarms blaring news of a Grimm incursion and then all hope for calm was dashed.
"What's going on?" Screamed Jade as she gripped Neo's shoulders. Hazel had grabbed both of them as they tried to stay upright in the sudden stampede.
"I don't know!" Yelled Hazel. But Neo did know. And what she knew caused a sinking sensation in her gut.
It had started. Cinder was here.