Chapter 29…

It was a nice warm day, perfect for a relaxing walk around the bustling fairgrounds. Rust had thought ahead and left behind his work boots and jeans back in the dorm, instead opting for casual shorts and sandals (worn with socks, of course).

After bidding farewell to his teammates and Mauve's father Rust wandered off into the crowds to find Vermillion. She wasn't exactly stealthy given her tall frame and dark red locks, which instantly made her stand apart from the crowd.

Although he didn't admit it out loud to her (knowing that he would be teased) Rust couldn't help but admire her beauty. Her tall stature was complemented by her regal and pronounced facial features; her dark red hair binded in its usual thick braid. He never noticed how much her blue eyes contrasted with her hair, they were striking to look at when they reflected the afternoon sun…

"You okay there lover boy?" Vermillion chirped, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

Rust cleared his head with a shake. "Sorry… don't know what happened there…"

"Preeeettty sure you were checking me out…"

"Me? Never!"

Vermillion laughed, a very melodic noise, then planted a long kiss on his lips. "Are we gonna bicker all day or do cute couple stuff?"

"Couple stuff it is…" Rust grinned, holding up a gentlemanly arm. Vermillion rolled her eyes and took the offered extremity. The two walked off into the crowds to see what the fair had to offer them.

"So…" Vermillion began. "Your team did really well in the fight today!"

"It was hectic!"

"I saw! You would have been pretty screwed if Asher hadn't shown up…"

"Pff, I had that guy…"

"No you didn't!" Vermillion laughed.

"Agree to disagree." Rust shrugged with a smile. "On the topic of fights, when is your team's first match?"

"Tomorrow," Vermillion answered. "Are you coming to watch?"

"My whole team is! What… you thought we'd miss it?"

The two rounded a corner, their steps falling into an easy rhythm. Vermillion couldn't shake a nagging feeling, the feeling that she owed Rust an apology…

"I want to apologize to you…" Vermillion muttered, Rust whipped his head around to regard her.

"Apologize? What for?"

"I've been pumping up my teams training schedules a lot these past few weeks." Vermillion explained. "It wasn't very fair of me to disregard you… it's been a while since we've properly seen each other."

"We went to dinner a little while ago… we haven't been completely isolated…"

"That's true…" Vermillion muttered. "But you were the one to take the initiative and set that up… not me."

Rust was silent for a moment. "Everyone has been working hard and sacrificing time for the tournament, you have nothing to apologize for… really."

Vermilion released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Thanks for being so understanding."

"No problemo."

Vermillion paused for a moment, considering that Rust wasn't the only person she needed to speak with. "To be honest, I think I need to apologize to my team…"

Rust arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"They're all ticked at me for pumping up the training schedule," Vermillion explained. "Honey's mad because she can't see Sage as much and Teal's her usual grumbling self."

"And Lavender?"

"She's always sweet… but I know that she's too polite to complain to my face."

"You're only doing it to whip your team into shape… Mauve has been equally devoted… you have nothing to be sorry about."

Vermillion nodded and sought to turn the conversation away from the pity-party it had turned into. She was content to grab Rust's arm a little bit tighter. The two were walking past a few food carts when a loud ringing noise caught their attention. Vermillion observed Rust blink, he suddenly changed directions, leading them towards the source of the noise.

"I have something to ask you," Vermillion began.

"What's up?"

"When the Vytal tournament ends I'm thinking of heading back to my home village for a bit… catch up with the family and all that."

"That sounds nice!"

"Yeah," Vermillion shifted. "Would you be interested in tagging along?"

Rust turned his head to regard her with mirth filled eyes. "Is this just an elaborate plan for me to meet your parents?"

"Well… I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't be part of it…"

Rust answered her by bending down to catch her lips with his, the kiss abruptly ended when he pulled his face away. "I'm game."

"Great!" Vermillion smiled.

"Now…" Rust gestured behind her. "Are you ready to be even more attracted to me?"

Vermillion blinked and turned in confusion. "What?"

Before them was a high striker and mallet, seemingly unattended and ignored by the fair's inhabitants. Vermillion instantly realized that the striker was the source of the ringing sound heard prior.

"Oh… this should be good." Vermillion snarked as she crossed her arms. Rust grinned and flexed his muscles as he grabbed the mallet and delivered a strong downwards swing.

The indicator didn't even reach four…

Rust blinked in disbelief and regarded the mallet in his hands. "That can't be right…"

Vermillion smiled sweetly. "May I try?" Taking the mallet from Rust, Vermillion carefully lined up her strike. Rust clearly didn't understand how the game was rigged, the trick was to let the weight of the mallet do the work for you, not your arms. Vermillion lifted the heavy implement up and let its weight do the work, the indicator flying upwards past ten to strike the buzzer with a ring.

Rust was gaping like a fish in disbelief when Vermillion spun around to face him, a grin plastered on her face. "What? Feeling emasculated?"

The next day, in Vale…

Mauve took a long sip from her green tea as she sat in Team MARS' favorite coffee shop. Her father sat across from her, taking an equally long sip from his own green tea. Mauve had jumped at the chance to catch up with him after such a long time apart. Argent had requested that Asher join them but Mauve had secretly asked her boyfriend to "be busy with something" for a while, which would give her the chance to talk one-on-one with her dad.

"So…" Mauve started them off. "How is it back at the house? Keeping busy?"

"Surprisingly, yes." Argent replied, taking another sip of tea. "There has been a lot of work lately, fixing generators or re-wiring conduits."

"I thought that things were more quiet this time of year?"

"Normally… but with the Vytal festival going on everyone wants to make sure their power is working to watch the matches… I'm pulling in a lot of lien!"

Mauve sighed and supported her head with her hand, fixing her father with a neutral look. "You know dad… with me out of the house you could look into some huntsman work again…"

Argent closed his eyes and huffed. "We've been over this…"

"Look, you're a licensed huntsman and you know that line of work pays far better… why stay as an electrician?"

Argent smiled at her reasoning. "You are correct… but you must remember that it has been almost two decades since I went on a proper hunt… my skills aren't what they used to be."

"You trained me… you and I both know that's not true…"

Argent smiled gently and reached across the table to grab his daughter's hand. "Please my dear… I left that life behind for a reason."

Mauve closed her eyes in frustration. "Fine."

Argent removed his hand and slumped back. "Enough about me, what's it like leading your own team?"

Mauve blushed and recounted her memories, both the good and the bad. "I won't lie… it's been a very challenging thing to adjust to."

"Given your previous experiences I don't blame you."

"Things were a little… no, very rocky when we first started off." Mauve confessed.

"I remember the scroll calls, even if they were a little vague."

"Yeah…" Mauve took a sip of her tea. "A lot of that rockiness was because of me though."

"Care to explain why?"

Mauve sighed. "You know Sage? You shook his hand this afternoon…"

"The green haired boy? Of course I remember."

"He used to hide his wolf ears under this awful looking beret." Mauve explained.

Argent looked upset. "It's terrible that he had to do that."

"I-" Mauve petered off. "He confessed to us about it… Asher and Rust were totally accepting." Mauve peered up into her father's stony gaze. "I called him a coward… I was cruel to him."

"Mauve." Her father chided gently. "I'll spare you a lecture because this is already settled… but that was still a terrible thing to do."

"I know." Mauve agreed. "I'm just glad things worked out in the end…"

"As am I."

Mauve paused when she realised that she had something to ask her father, something that had been nagging at her for months. "Hey dad?"

"Yes my dear?"

"When there was a rift in my team… Ms. Goodwitch, the headmistress, was the one to convince me to talk to them."

"Yes, I know of her… a brilliant huntress!"

"Right." Mauve petered off. "She mentioned to me that you spoke with Ozpin about having me exempt from the team rule… is this true?"

Argent sat still for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Regrettably yes." He admitted. "I only did so because I was worried as to how you would react in such a scenario… he said no, but he at least humoured me."

"To be honest." Mauve chewed her lower lip. "It was probably for the best that he did…"

"I agree." Argent nodded. "I can't say I always understand his reasoning but he has a good head on his shoulders. If he had said yes to your exemption you would have never broken out of your shell."

"Fair enough."

"And a boyfriend too!" Argent wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Dad!" Mauve groaned.

"Just kidding dear…"

Mauve considered her next question carefully, not wanting to pry too hard into her father's affairs. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"How do you know Ozpin? You never mentioned any affiliation."

Argent visibly considered her question, chewing his lower lip in a manner similar to his daughter. "I suppose you might call us friends, or associates, depending on the day. He and I used to complete missions together, long before you were born. We've kept in touch despite the different roads we've taken."

"What kind of missions?" Mauve probed further.

"Nothing too exciting dear." Argent sipped his tea and quickly changed the subject. "So… wasn't your friend supposed to be joining us?"

"He should have arrived by now…" Mauve trailed off. She turned her eyes to the street and her eyes bulged when she spotted a figure running at full tilt towards the cafe. She recognized him instantly as Asher, his usual black hoodie switched out for an untucked blue button up.

She had never seen him so panicked before…

Asher barged into the shop and huffed, laying his hands on his legs as he puffed for air. The brown haired boy offered a weak wave at the patrons and staff before waddling over to Mauve and Argent. He slumped down with a crunch in the seat next to Mauve, still breathing heavily.

"Sorry." He wheezed out to the surprised father and daughter.

"Well… speak of the grimm-" Argent began, looking towards his daughter with a smile.

"-and he shall appear." Mauve chuckled, reaching up a hand to tousle her boyfriend's hair. "Where have you been?"

"One thing led to another," Asher gulped loudly. "Nora somehow managed to make flammable maple syrup." He groused.

Mauve blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"Beats me… but JNPR's room was in flames and I had to help Ren put it out." Asher muttered. "I like Nora… but I don't know how that guy deals with her antics…"

Mauve didn't know whether or not to fully believe Asher's story. She had specifically instructed him to make up a cover story for why he would be late; now that she peered a little closer Mauve couldn't help but notice that his clothes looked a little bit singed.

"Well," Argent spoke in an even tone. "I'm just glad that's put to rest then… and that were all here." The silver haired man took another long sip of his now lukewarm tea. Despite it being a simple and regular action the pause in speaking instantly drew the rapt attention of his company. "So… how did you two become partners?"

Asher was about to speak when a cup of coffee was planted in front of him. Mary retracted her arm and regarded the table with a smile before walking away. Asher couldn't help but notice a lingering glance between Mauve's father and the blonde waitress.

"Well… we first met each other during initiation." Asher explained.

Mauve coughed loudly into her elbow. "Are you forgetting something?"

Asher blinked in realization, eyebrows furrowing. "Right… while we technically didn't meet each other then, we first saw each other on the airship into Beacon."

"Oh?" Argent questioned, one thick eyebrow arching upwards.

"Yeah…" Mauve chuckled. "He was staring at my ears and I gave him a nasty look… it really set the tone for our first meeting."

"Anyways," Asher continued. "Once I got on the ground I found a circle of burnt trees and melted grimm. I followed the trail of destruction and helped Mauve fight back a big ursa… that's how we became partners."

Mauve snorted and rolled her eyes at Asher's rendition. "Don't listen to him… I was making mince meat out of that ursa and Asher sniped it from a distance… totally stole all the glory."

Argent smiled. "Go on."

"Not much to tell after that," Asher explained as he sipped his hot drink. "We encountered our other teammates and ended up fighting a beringel to cover our classmates. Mauve showed her ability to lead and was named team leader during the initiation ceremony."

"Very good," Argent smiled. "But what about your relationship? When did you two decide to become more than just teammates?"

Asher felt his cheeks redden a little bit. While the story of their blossoming relationship wasn't too out of the ordinary, the awkward interactions that preceded it could certainly strain Argent's opinion of him. Mauve was kind enough to spare him the burden of explaining the series of events…

"I realised that I began to like him as more than a friend a few months after initiation." Mauve explained, a blush lighting up her pale cheeks. "We danced around each other for a bit until our teammates convinced us to confess… we did just that and went to the dance a few days later…"

Argent smiled as he considered their story. Although he wouldn't admit it (probably because it would be embarrassing) their story was not too dissimilar to how he and Mauve's mother had met. They had both been students at Haven academy and had a similar beginning, a rocky start that developed into a caring relationship.

But there would be a time and place for more chit-chat… he had an apology to make.

"Mauve, dearest." Argent began. "Please don't take this the wrong way… but would you mind giving Asher and I some privacy for a few minutes?"

As soon as the words left Argent's mouth he saw the change in her facial features. Her amber eyes completely lost their friendly sparkle, replaced with a stony look that bored into his own.

"Dad… is this really necessary?" Mauve hissed under her breath.

"Mauve, please-"

"Why are you always so insistent on interrogating him? Don't you trust my judgement?"

"Of course I do… if it's any consolation I'm not going to grill him, there is something pressing that he and I must discuss."

Mauve opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted when a familiar hand clasped her shoulder. Argent's lynx eared daughter turned her gaze towards her other half. Asher was regarding Mauve with an even expression, but there was a gentle smile on his face.

"It's alright." Asher muttered.

"But-"

"It had to happen eventually, I'm sure that this won't take too long." Asher pleaded. Mauve gave him a cautious look then flicked her gaze back towards her father; she stood up from her chair with a quiet huff.

"Fine… I'll leave you two alone for the time being." Mauve muttered. "I'm going for a short walk… and when I come back I'll be staying, understand?" Mauve stomped out of the establishment and walked past the window, leveling her father a glare as she left his field of vision. Argent sat back and drained the rest of his cup, setting the empty container down on the table. Despite the high emotions he had a smile on his face.

"She is so much like her mother…" Argent smiled.

"Pardon?"

"Stubborn, headstrong, hot tempered-" Argent trailed off.

"Is that a bad thing?" Asher questioned, arching an accusatory eyebrow.

"Not at all… it drove her mother to be a successful huntress. But I also knew my late wife to be tender and compassionate to those she cared about… I see that side of her come out whenever she looks at you."

Heat rose up in Asher's cheeks. "Thank you sir."

"Call me Argent."

"Thanks… Argent."

Argent smiled. "I haven't cornered you to interrogate or threaten you… the scroll call we shared already saw to that."

"Oh?"

"I was actually hoping to apologize… I believe that I may have misjudged you."

"What for?"

Argent leaned forwards and crossed his arms to support himself. "I want to be honest with you Asher… I snuck away from Mauve and your teammates to eavesdrop on your scroll call." Argent watched the tanned boy in front of him redden.

"That wasn't right for you to do… that was a private conversation." Asher nearly growled.

"You're correct… and I want to say that I'm sorry for doing it." Argent played with his fingers. "But know that I did it only because I value the safety and happiness of my daughter more than anything." He stopped to observe Asher with a careful gaze. "You stood up to your own parents and defended my daughter's honor when they insulted her… thank you."

Asher still looked miffed. "It still wasn't right for you to pry… forgive my rudeness but you seem far too invested in Mauve's personal life."

"I respect her privacy… but you must understand that it killed me to see her so miserable back in Mistral. I don't want that to happen again… not when I am beginning to see her truly happy."

Asher considered his reasoning. "I suppose that makes sense. But it's still not okay..."

"If it's any consolation I won't be sticking my nose into your relationship anymore…" Argent trailed off, looking into his empty cup of tea and watching the view remaining droplets swirl.

"Does uh-" Asher broke off for a moment. "Does this mean you approve?"

Argent let out a barking laugh. "To be honest… I'll never fully approve of any suitor… but you make her happy and that's enough for me to leave you alone."

Asher nodded and felt a relieved smile creep up the sides of his face. Granted, this wasn't the most picturesque or ideal way the conversation could have gone… but Argent didn't disapprove.

As if on cue Mauve barged back into the coffee shop, ankle boots clicking against the tile floor as she made her way back to the table. She quickly found her seat next to Asher again, grasping his arm affectionately and leveling a glare at her smiling father.

"So…" Mauve spoke evenly. "What did I miss?"

Neither her boyfriend or her father said anything, instead regarding each other with a smile. Mauve felt very confused as she watched the peaceful display, eyes flicking between the two men.

"What?"

"Nothing to worry about dear…"