Chapter One.
Vytal Signs.
Team HAZE landed in Vale a day prior to the Vytal festival. Finding the city almost overwhelming compared to what they were used to, being from Shade Academy, in a comparatively remote part of Vacuo, the city dwarfed anything they'd seen back home as Hazel stepped off the airship ramp slowly, awestruck by the lights and towering buildings like nothing she'd ever seen. "Maybe acknowledge the guard in front of us instead of the skyline, oh leader mine?" Eminence teased, with the shit-eating grin Hazel knew entirely too well. "Hazel Oak. Alizarin Rufous. Zaffre Cobalt. Eminence Concord. Team HAZE. Welcome to Vale", the guard read their names from a tablet as he passed out keycards, presumably for their dorms. "You'll be on the third floor, building B." He explained, turning the tablet to give directions as he pointed at the building, zooming in on a floor plan. Green eyes scanned the document carefully as Hazel raised a curious eyebrow. The team's names were printed on the rooms they'd be staying in, and Hazel was amused to find herself across the hall from team RWBY. She'd heard the team's name in passing, mostly due to Zaffre's over-analysis of their competition for the festival, priding himself as team HAZE's critical thinker. Hazel pulled her red baseball hat down a little tighter as she felt her ears twitch, wincing as the hat pressed down on the fuzzy appendages. Hazel, in truth, wasn't from Vacuo. She went to school at Shade, however was born and raised in Menagerie, her status as perhaps the last lion Faunus a closely guarded secret, known only by her teammates, and the headmaster of Shade Academy, with the latter having demanded she keep it such a secret throughout the Vytal festival. Hazel led her team off towards the stadium to find their seats as entertainers performed, a preshow of the festival to follow in the near future.
~~~~~
"There's just better stuff we could be doing, Ruby", Yang protested, bored with her sister's insistence on sitting through the introductions to the Vytal Festival. "The kickass part isn't for a whole day yet." She continued, earning a scowl from Weiss as she was left caught in the crossfire with Blake, due to Ruby's insistence on sitting the team in order, positioning the sisters at opposite ends of their seats. Blake's book drifted higher as she tuned out their battle, more absorbed in a prince's attempt to persuade his love into an evening of time together. "Even Blake's bored!" Yang whined as Ruby shook her head. "Blake isn't even listening."
"She's listening. She just doesn't care" Weiss interjected.
"Ding ding." The Faunus confirmed with a defeated sigh, her book snapping shut with a slight frustration. Blake wasn't particularly excited about the festival, assuming she'd be the only competing Faunus, and still keeping her ears hidden under a bow, despite her team having found out about the two black appendages just days prior. Ruby and Yang's bickering continued as the blonde stood, waving at her seat in an offer of appeasement to Blake, who quickly slid over, switching places with her partner. Finding herself removed from the crossfire, Blake returned to her book, eyes scanning the pages quickly as she continued through the familiar story. She noticed, but didn't look up when a girl sat to her other side, as team HAZE took their seats, happening to be right next to team RWBY. Hazel sat in the next seat to Blake's left as she heard Zaffre groan "I told you this was the right section Eminence!". Blake's ears flickered subtly, in gentle annoyance as she had to listen to another argument regarding seating, occasionally taking a quick glance left to confirm the girl seated there was still staring at them.