A/N
Hey everyone! It's your favorite fanfiction author!
I... am your favorite? Right?
I don't want to spin an overly long yarn, but this week has been a doozy for me. My University classes have started back up but I'm still in "winter break mode" and I'm struggling to feel the motivation to continue my homework. I also hold several certifications with Red Cross, and I had to schedule a bunch of re-certification tests this week, so I'm coming off a massive stress bender...
AND, Ontario just declared a state of emergency and re-instated the lockdown, so I am now confined to my house. Technically speaking there is nothing stopping me from going outside, but I am in regular contact with an at-risk person and I don't want to be responsible for giving them anything.
Put all this shit in a pot (and some other things that I didn't mention) and stir it all up and your have the recipe for a terrible week.
In fact, this final oneshot was written late last night, because it was the only free time that I had to do it. I was going to save the bulk of the writing for this morning, but I have a deep-seated hatred for missing deadlines, even if it is for a hobby.
Now, last week I mentioned that I would have an upload plan for Part 3. Well, I don't... if you want to know why, see the paragraphs above.
I do plan to release the first chapter of Part 3 very soon, but I am still struggling to come up with ideas for the overall plot structure. I know what I want to happen, I just need to make sure that it progresses in a logical fashion. Have you ever seen a speeding train fly of the tracks and explode? Probably not... but that's what Part 3 will become if I don't figure things out...
I'm going to set aside some time today to work on the plot of Part 3, I'll try and figure this out...
Now... enough of my rambling...
The Origins of VHLT - FINALE
To the surprise and delight of the four future members of Team VHLT, the walk back to the school was uneventful.
The presence of all the students in the Emerald Forest that morning probably trimmed down the grimm population to manageable levels. There were no more beowulves, no ursas, no creeps, and no boarbatusks.
And there was certainly nothing as ludicrous or insane as a gigantic battle between eight students, a nevermore and an overgrown deathstalker. That just sounded ridiculous…
Lavender trailed behind her fellow students. Her new partner, Vermillion, had taken point for the walk back and was taking advantage of her towering height to clear the brush away from her smaller teammates. Lavender was grateful towards her new teammate for doing this; thanks to Vermillion's efforts, Lavender's hair and face would be protected from the sharp twigs hanging off the trees around her.
Her other fellow students, Teal and… the blonde girl, were loosely following Lavender's red haired partner. The blonde girl had her gaze stuck on the tips of her armored leather boots; her lips were drawn into a thin line and her emerald green eyes as wide as saucers. She hadn't really said anything… at all… to any of them.
Maybe she couldn't speak? It was a risky hypothesis to test, because there was a very high chance Lavender could come across as rude if she asked…
Lavender's purple eyes drifted over towards Teal. Unlike her blonde partner, Teal was being very cautious; she had her shotgun in her hands and her sharp eyes continuously scanned the treeline for danger.
Maybe Teal knew the blonde girl's name? There was only one way to find out…
Lavender quickened her pace until she was right next to the blue haired girl.
"Hey…" Lavender whispered and gently tugged on the sleeve of Teal's sweater.
The reaction was instantaneous. Teal whipped around to face Lavender, a shocked and startled look in her blue eyes. Lavender watched as the shock faded away and Teal's eyes turned glassy.
"W- Wu…" Teal stuttered out before clearing her throat. The next words that came from her mouth were incredibly quiet, like a squeaking mouse. "Do you need something?"
"Your partner," Lavender whispered, finally releasing her grip on Teal's sleeve. "Do you know her name?"
"No," Teal managed to say with a slight shake of her head. "I- I-"
Lavender cocked her head to the side and blinked in confusion.
"I- I think-" Teal once again audibly cleared her throat. Her blue eyes seemed to be looking anywhere by Lavender's face - which the purple haired girl found to be a little odd. "She m- might be c- I mean mute!"
"Mute?" Lavender frowned and looked down. "Do you know for sure?"
"N- Not really… no…"
"Well," Lavender released a long sigh and steeled herself. "We need to find out…"
The purple haired girl left Teal's side and quickened her pace to catch up with the blonde girl. Lavender took great care to watch her step on the uneven terrain, her ballet shoes were not designed to handle sharp rocks or loose soil.
Finally, with some effort, Lavender reached the slightly taller blonde girl and tugged her sleeve.
"Sorry!" Lavender preemptively apologized. "But, I… don't think any of us know your name."
The blonde girl was giving Lavender a horrified look. Her eyes were wide, as if she was a deer frozen in the headlights of an oncoming car; her face was a fine shade of wine red, a colour that Lavender didn't think was possible for a human to achieve.
Lavender watched in confusion as the blonde girl's mouth opened and closed several times, like a fish opening its mouth to breath.
"Sorry!" Lavender cried. "That… was very presumptuous of me. Are you… able to speak?"
The blonde girl stopped in her tracks and Lavender stumbled. The commotion caught the attention of Teal and Vermillion, who both turned around to observe the situation.
"Hey…?" Vermillion pushed up a thin red eyebrow. "Whats going on?"
"I'm just apologizing," Lavender awkwardly wiped her chin with her delicate hand. "It's just… I assumed that she could speak and I asked her a direct question. It was very rude of me…"
The blonde girl's face contorted into a look of horror. She waved her hands frantically and shook her head from side to side.
"No! It's not alright!" Lavender pouted - she felt horrible inside, she truly did. "I shouldn't have assumed…"
"You assumed she could speak?" Vermillion blinked her eyes in confusion.
"Thats right…"
"Huh…" Vermillion's face contorted into a look of barely concealed amusement. There was a strange glimmering in her piercing eyes, but Lavender couldn't figure out what her intentions were.
"Don't worry," Vermillion bent down a little and smiled sweetly at the blonde girl. "No one is judging you here…"
The blonde girl's face contorted further into a horrified look - if that was even possible.
"Why…" Vermillion trailed off and held out her hands in gesture. "Maybe there is a way for you to tell us your name without speaking? Hey?"
"Right…" Teal interjected herself. She still wasn't looking at Lavender, but she had no problem training her eyes on the blonde girl - who was visibly wilting under the three pairs of eyes.
"It's worth a try," Lavender patted the blonde's shoulder and smiled. "Could you give us a hint?"
The blonde girl moved her emerald gaze up and peered around the local area. She seemed to find what she was looking for after some time and pointed a single hand up towards the top of a nearby tree.
"What is it?" Lavender turned her purple-eyed gaze upwards. At the top of the tree was a large red Robin; it's feathers were coloured a beautiful crimson red.
Lavender was oblivious to the presence of the giant beehive on the branch below…
"A robin!" Lavender gasped. She turned to give the blonde girl a wide eyes look. "Is that your name? Robin?"
"No offense, but that's an odd name for you to have…" Vermillion smirked. She reached up a pale hand and snatched a loose strand of her long red hair. "There's nothing red on you… assuming that your parents stuck to the colour naming tradition, of course."
"Hey!" Lavender narrowed her eyes. "Robin is a beautiful name!"
Lavender was oblivious to Honey frantically shaking her head…
"I don't think that's it…" Teal muttered. She saw Lavender looking her way and awkwardly cleared her throat. "Is that not your name? Robin?"
The blonde girl nodded her head, her beet red face now twisted into a look of annoyance. She stuck out her hand in the direction of the same tree, jabbing the air several times for emphasis.
"Hmm," Vermillion rubbed her chin in thought. There was still a small smirk stuck on her face. "Oh, I get it!"
The blonde girl looked at her gratefully.
"The tree!" Vermillion nodded her head and smiled. "It's a weeping willow! That's your name! Willow!"
The blonde girl let out a snake like hiss and ground the heel of her left boot into the soil.
"Not it?" Teal frowned. "Try again?"
The blonde girl was about to lift her hand again but stopped, an annoyed expression settling over her features. She stomped over to a nearby patch of flowers and plucked one from the ground; the blonde girl lifted the plant to her nose.
"Oh!" Lavender cried in realization. "Daffodil!"
The blonde girl let out a silent scream and threw the flower back onto the ground in frustration. She stomped in the direct of the weeping willow, holding her hands out to the side and making a fluttering motion, as if they were tiny wings. Finally, she came to a rest at the foot of the tree and pointed straight upwards.
Lavender followed her finger and her eyes finally settled on the lumpy, misshapen bees nest that hung from one of the top branches.
"Huh…" Teal muttered. "Bee's nest…"
The blue haired girl suddenly snapped her fingers in realization. "Your name is Honey!"
In a sudden motion the blonde girl fell to her knees and began to silently cry tears of joy - all while nodding frantically. She crawled on her hands and knees towards Teal and wrapped her hands around her legs while silently sobbing.
"Uhm… thanks?" Teal awkwardly swallowed as she looked down at her partner. "You're uh… getting my jeans wet. Could you stop?"
Later…
Honey already felt sick on the way back to Beacon. Her feelings of nausea and dizziness only worsened when she stepped into Beacon's auditorium.
There were so many people in there… the walls were lined with hundreds and hundreds of eyes.
And they were all staring down at Honey… her and her fellow first years…
Honey felt like a sheep that had been spotted by a lion. She could feel her toes and fingers twitching uncontrollably and did her best to lessen her nervous shaking. The blonde girl resolved herself to follow her brand new teammates, who all seemed rather at ease despite the large audience.
For what was probably the forty-eighth time in two days… Honey used her semblance to calm herself down.
Up ahead, Vermillion was leading her new teammates through the crowds, much like she had with the trees.
Vermillion… what was her problem?
They had spoken briefly on the landing pad (and Vermillion's damaged sheath was still bugging Honey). Why hadn't Vermillion made any attempt to explain away Honey's situation for her? The blonde girl wasn't a mute… and Vermillion knew that…
Honey sped up her pace and did her best to walk normally, not wanting anyone to spot her nervous gait. She yelped in surprise when she bumped into someone, stumbling for a moment before a pair of gloved hands righted her.
"Whoops! You okay?" A masculine voice asked.
Honey turned her gaze up to stare into the face… no, visor of the person she had bumped into. The individual was wearing a black helmet and the crescent-shaped red visor was fairly off-putting.
"Uh… it was probably my fault that happened…" The helmeted individual muttered. He turned his helmeted head towards some people beckoning him over to them, one of whom was the extremely tall individual from the airship. The other was a considerably shorter boy, with sharp blue eyes and a neat looking beret.
"Honey?" A more familiar voice called.
Honey snapped her gaze towards the parting crowds, where a head full of long red hair stood out from the pack.
"You coming?" Vermillion smirked and jerked her head in the direction of the seating area. "We found seats…"
Vermillion's piercing gaze settled on the helmeted boy for a moment.
"Once again, sorry for bumping into you!" The helmeted boy jogged backwards. "See you around!"
The crowds parted and he was gone.
"Hey…" Vermillion was suddenly right next to Honey, which made her jump. "You alright? He didn't try anything did he? Not to judge… but he looked like a textbook weirdo…"
Honey opened her mouth but her voice still refused to obey her. Her throat felt incredibly sore, as if it was stuffed with a handful of cotton-balls.
"Come on, 'Silent-but-deadly'," Vermillion cracked a wry grin and gently grabbed Honey by her hand. "Off to the seats we go… I'll do the talking if we get called upon…"
They were the first team to be called upon…
Honey nearly tripped as she ascended the stairs to the stage. She was immensely glad that she didn't… it would have been the most embarrassing moment of her life if she had.
The blonde girl came to a stop next to the rest of her teammates and straightened her back. Hundreds and hundreds of eyes were on the stage… on her…
For what was the forty-ninth time in two days, Honey used her semblance to calm herself down.
"Honey Aurum, Vermillion Fiamma, Lavender Lavandula, and Teal Cerulean…" Headmaster Ozpin loudly called out. "The four of you retrieved the green rook pieces… you four will work together as Team Violet - led by Vermillion Fiamma."
The massive auditorium erupted into thunderous cheers and applause.
For what was the fiftieth time in two days… Honey was forced to use her semblance to calm herself down…
"Hey?" Honey felt someone jostling her arm. It was her new partner, Teal!
Lavender and Vermillion were already standing near the staircase and giving Honey confused looks.
Honey felt her face burn red with embarrassment and she followed her teammates off the stage. The four of them found seats in a row and patiently waited for the rest of the teams to be called up.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Honey and the rest of her new teammates found their way to their assigned dorm room.
The room was rather ordinary in appearance, with four single beds and a desk. That wasn't to say that weren't some nice touches… the drapes looked appropriately fancy for a prestigious academy like Beacon.
If there was anything that caught Honey's attention, it was the mountain of luggage that had been haphazardly stacked in the middle of the room. The tower teetered dangerously in the breeze generated by the dorm's opening door.
The newly christened Team VHLT worked together to dismantle the tower before sorting their luggage amongst themselves.
"Well… today was interesting…" Vermillion loudly yawned and stretched her long arms above her head. She made no attempt to politely cover her mouth as she did so.
"You can say that again," Teal muttered. The blue haired girl was lying down on her bed and flipping through her scroll.
"Well-"
"Don't you dare!" Teal hissed, tearing her eyes away from her scroll.
Vermillion smirked but said nothing further…
Teal continued to lie on her bed…
Lavender was using the bathroom…
And Honey? Well… she was content to sit in her corner for a while.
The blonde girl had parked herself in a corner of the room not long after the team's arrival. The location brought some comfort to her and steadied her frayed nerves. There was nothing to focus on but the wallpaper… it was nice…
Lavender quietly exited the bathroom dressed in pajamas. She made sure to shut the door behind her with a gentle push.
"The bathroom is free for whoever needs it," Lavender politely spoke in her usual tone. "Anyone?"
"Mmmm…" Vermillion hummed and tapped her chin. "I think I'm good for now… Teal?"
"Uh…" Teal tore her gaze away from Lavender and focused on Vermillion with glassy eyes. "Y- yeah… sure…"
Vermillion watched in amusement as Teal rose from her bed and scampered off into the open bathroom. She only just barely missed Lavender as she ran. Lavender looked confused and shook her head, completely missing the knowing smirk on Vermillion's face.
Vermillion shook her head gently and shucked off her favored jacket. She felt the contents of pockets jingle as she removed the clothing, suddenly reminding her of her grandfather's parting gift.
"Hey…" Vermillion muttered as she held the two cough drops in her hand. "I… don't suppose anyone wants a cough drop-"
The redhead shrieked in surprise when Honey bolted from her corner and snatched the cough drops from her hand. Honey undid the wrappers in a flash and popped the dull yellow rocks into her mouth.
There was a long inhale through Honey's nose as her face developed a sour look.
"Are you… okay?" Lavender blinked in confusion. "Do you feel sick?"
"I feel fine…" Honey managed to rasp out. Several hours of a nerve-induced sore throat had left her voice hoarse, as if she was whispering over the roar of a rusty chainsaw. "Just fine…"
Or if she was a chain smoker...
"You can talk!" Vermillion congratulated and clapped her hands together.
"You can talk!?" Lavender cried, her purple eyes wide.
"What'd I miss?" Teal poked her messy head of hair out of the bathroom. She focused her blue eyes on Honey and gave her a look of confusion. "What's up?"
"My name is Honey… and it's a pleasure to meet all of you," Honey rasped out in an unintended growl.
"You can talk…?" Teal trailed off, a shocked look on her face.
"Yes," Honey coughed and sputtered. She turned her bloodshot emerald eyes on Vermillion, who was still smirking. "I was trying to tell you about your sheath… one of the leather cords was going to break…"
"Really?" Vermillion blinked. "Huh, thanks for letting me-"
"And I didn't appreciate you playing dumb earlier," Honey gasped and growled. "You could have told them…"
"You knew that she could talk!?" Teal demanded. "Why didn't you tell us!?"
Vermillion shrugged nonchalantly and grinned. "I thought it would be funny… and it was…"
The redhead ignored Lavender's cry of shock, Honey's raspy growl, and Teal's dirty look.
And thus, Team Violet was born.