Cobalt's party was already off to a great start. Team LLAC had spent over an hour in Vale, darting from shop-to-shop to grab exactly the right supplies and food according to what Cobalt had wanted; Astra insisting everything had to be perfect for him. Then, they'd made their way to a few other shops as Astra and Lily picked out one gift each for him- a set of heart-shaped sunglasses from Astra and a new set of art pencils and paper from Lily.

Luna had already brought her gift weeks ago. Each year, everything she brought him followed the same theme, something she knew meant a lot to Cobalt. As far as she was aware, he'd kept every one of them, even the earlier ones that hadn't cost any money.

This one had set her back a bit when it'd come to price, but she was confident in how much it would mean to her oldest friend. It was hidden away in the bottom shelf of their dorm closest, carefully wrapped in paper, and tucked underneath a number of sweaters. Luna intended to give it to him later that night, after the party had ended.

After shopping, the team had returned to their dorms to set everything up, standing on chairs to hang up streamers and blowing up as many balloons as their lungs could handle. Lily had begun preparing the food while Astra had dived into her game collection to figure out which ones to play, asking Cobalt his opinion on every one and picking his favourites.

Then Storm and Yarrow had shown up just as the preparations had finished, each bearing a gift of their own that Luna guessed they'd grabbed last-minute after being invited. Yarrow had brought a box of assorted chocolates and Storm had brought a large plush of a video game character that now sat up on Cobalt's bed.

Even Storm and Astra had somewhat-awkwardly been getting along, especially after Yarrow had tentatively asked about Astra's trans flag stickers and she'd gladly given some to both him and Storm.

Despite all this, and no matter how hard she tried, Luna could not keep her mind on the festivities. As much as she tried to force a smile while playing cards, as much as she made herself laugh along to Truth or Dare, her mind was stuck on the fight that she and Astra had lost earlier that day, the same old insecurities rearing their ugly head once again.

On their own, they were great fighters. Especially Astra, with her semblance and hard-hitting weapon. But when paired up, while still effective individually, working as partners seemed to add nothing to a fight against another pair. June Celadon and Dodger Blu worked perfectly as a team, each move seeming to either aid or complement the others. They moved as if they were two halves of one single fighter, and when both of their semblances were related to combat, it meant that Luna and Astra had barely stood a chance. They'd held on thanks to Astra's semblance, but Luna had realized from the start that there was no beating them.

And it wasn't just her and Astra. Luna had begun to notice the same with her team as a whole. Luna didn't doubt the capabilities of her team at all, but she was beginning to feel more and more like they still weren't fighting as one. There was a difference between four people fighting together, and four people fighting as a team, and Luna was quite sure she hadn't gotten them to the latter point yet. Halfway through the year, and she hadn't been able to affect any change in the way the team fought, especially not together.

So, once again, Luna felt as if she was failing as a leader. She knew what Jaune would say, that she needed to give herself time, that Glynda and Coco had picked her for a reason, that nobody else could fill her place, but she couldn't find the same old words being of any comfort to her this time around.

"Okay, okay," Astra's voice snapped Luna out of her thoughts. "Lily! Truth or dare?"

"Uh-oh," Lily sighed jokingly and leaned back on her hands. "Uh…truth. But please nothing too embarrassing."

Astra looked thoughtful. "Okay…who was your first crush?"

Lily smirked. "Hah, sorry to disappoint, but I've never had one."

Astra's eyes popped. "Really?"

Storm tipped his head. "Are you just not interested in romance?"

Lily shrugged. "Nope. I'd love to have a partner someday. I've just never really met anyone who I can think that way about. I mean," She pointed out, "I didn't go to combat school. And I didn't exactly like people until I came here. So, yeah, I've never had a crush on anyone."

"Well, I hope you get to experience it soon!" Astra chirped, before grinning sheepishly. "Just make sure you consider that it's what you're feeling when you start getting strong emotions every time you're around someone."

Luna desperately wanted to laugh along at her girlfriend's joke, but her heart wasn't in it. She forced a smile anyway, before standing up. "Hey, I'm gonna go and have a shower," maybe it would help her feel better to be clean and refreshed. "I shouldn't be gone for too long."

Astra grinned up at her. "I'm gonna destroy you at trivia when you get back."

Luna kept up her forced smile. "You can try."

Grabbing her pajamas, she left the room, heading out of the dorm building and out into the warm summer night air as she started to make her way to the school's public showers. The temperature had barely changed from earlier that day, but it wasn't unpleasant, and the warm concrete was nice under her feet. She considered lingering outside for a while, stopping as she walked.

"Hey there, bee kid."

Luna jumped at the voice with a squeak, whirling around to see Blaire Arylide walking towards her with a friendly wave.

"Sorry for the scare," The older student apologized, "What are you doing out here at this hour?"

Luna shuffled her feet. "Oh, um. Just heading out for a shower. Uh…and you?"

Blaire shrugged. "I like to take walks on my own sometimes. They glanced up at the sky. "Stars can be awfully nice in summer."

Luna followed their gaze. The sun hadn't set all that long ago and the sky was a dark grey-purple, but there were a few stars sparkling alongside an almost-full moon.

"Everything okay with you?" Blaire asked suddenly. "Sorry if I'm intruding. Just seems like you feel a bit down. I know I don't usually have showers this late unless I'm worried about something."

Luna looked away, trying to resist the urge to talk to another team leader about her problems. "No, it's okay. It's really nothing."

"Mmhm," Blaire didn't sound convinced. "That's what people like us always say," They offered a kind smile. "Come on, I'm not scary, I promise. Lay it on me."

Luna gave in. She sighed and walked a few steps over to one of the benches that edged the walkway.

"I'm just…having trouble figuring out how to be a better leader." She admitted as Blaire came and sat next to her. "Astra and I lost a fight today and I don't feel like I've had any contribution to my team's fighting process."

Blaire nodded sympathetically. "I know that feeling. I still feel it sometimes now, actually."

Luna glanced at them. "How? Your team's one of the best at Beacon. I heard about you guys from Jaune and Coco before I even started here."

Blaire shrugged. "Now, maybe," they admitted. "But you don't think it's always been that way, do you?" After a moment of silence, they asked, "Can I let you in on a little secret?"

Luna blinked. "Uh, sure?"

"I am a terrible navigator," Blaire revealed. "See, I have a pretty horrible memory, so I can't remember the layout of anywhere I've been, and I don't know which direction is which. But back when I was a new leader, I was terrified that I'd lose any respect my team had for me if I told them. So, I didn't. Until one day early one in our second year, we were on our first solo mission. We were tracking Grimm in the forest, but after we defeated them, I couldn't find my way back to where we'd been dropped off. My team followed me around for hours as I wandered in circles until I finally admitted that we were lost and told them the truth."

"What happened after that?" Luna prompted. "Did you find your way out?"

"Eventually, yes," Blaire responded with a chuckle. "Obviously. Dusk was able to get us out by listening for activity and using the sun to figure out where we'd started. I felt shitty all day after that, but once we got out of that forest, they all assured me that they still had my back. That I was allowed to make mistakes, so long as I kept trying to do better."

Luna sighed and stared at the ground. "I get what you're saying," She replied, "And I know I'll get better at it in time. But I don't see how I can unless I know how to start being better. Not everything comes naturally, and some things can't be fixed or changed."

Blaire leaned back. "Okay. So, what are your main problems?"

"My semblance, for one," Luna admitted. "I can sense people's emotions, but there's no way I can make that useful in a fight."

"I get that," Blaire replied. "Mine isn't a combat semblance either."

Luna glanced at them curiously. "What is your semblance?"

Blaire lifted a hand. As Luna watched, it glowed yellow, before they began to move it in a pattern through the air. As it moved, it left a glowing, sparkling trail that hung mystically in the air, like the remnants of a glowstick that showed up when you took a photo fast enough, except this was happening in real-time.

"That's beautiful," Luna praised softly.

"It is," Blaire agreed. "But useless, as far as I was concerned. You've gotta remember though, being a huntsman isn't all about fighting. Sure, I can't hurt anything with this, but it's certainly useful when I need to say something without speaking, that's for sure." They swiped their hand through the trail, and it dissipated. "You have no idea how much it's helped send signals to transports when I've needed them. Or send quick orders to my team in the middle of a fight. Your semblance will have a use in huntsman work, Luna. You just need to give it time."

Luna searched for the older student's feelings. There was sympathy, unsurprisingly, but also a layer of anxiety beneath it, as if they were worried about saying the wrong thing to her. It was always interesting, to see beneath the shields people put up. Maybe it could be useful for huntsman work, once she found a situation to use it in.

"You're right," She replied. "I guess I don't need a combat semblance to lead my team. But that's not the only problem."

Blaire placed their hands behind their head. "Spill."

Luna poured out her worries regarding LLAC's teamwork, making sure that Blaire knew how excellent they all were on their own.

"It's not like we're getting in each other's way or anything," She explained, hoping what she was saying made sense. "We're not bad together. I just wish I knew how we could work better together. I feel like working in pairs should add something."

"Hm," Blaire looked thoughtful. "That one's a bit more complicated. Our teams are pretty different, and you're bound to know yours better than I do. I can't tell you four how to fight; that's your job."

Luna sighed. "I know."

"Hey, I'm not done," Blaire assured her. "Do you have any team attacks?"

Luna sat up straighter. "Just one. A group attack."

Blaire nodded. "Okay, well that's something you can work on. Maybe while you're on your holidays, take some time to think about yourself and your teammates. Your strengths, your weaknesses. Compare each member against another and figure out what problems you each have in fighting that another member could help with."

Luna thought of Teams RWBY and JNR, the ways she'd seen them fight before. Team attacks weren't exactly used in the sparring matches she'd watched all the time, but on the rare occasions she'd seen their real fights, she'd witnessed the way they combined their semblances, weapons, or attacking styles to get the upper hand. It was definitely something her own team needed.

"Okay," She nodded. "I'll definitely see what I can come up with. Thank you, Blaire." She hoped the older student realized just how much she meant it.

Blaire smiled. "Sure. I like helping people. It feels good."

Luna searched for their emotions again, recognizing a strong wave of relief.

"So," Blaire asked, "Anything else?"

There was plenty 'else', but Luna wasn't about to drop all of her life problems on this student that was only two years older than she was. For now, they'd helped her with some current issues, and that was good enough.

"That's okay," She replied, standing up while still clutching her pajamas. "I should go and have this shower before I leave my team waiting too long."

Blaire grinned. "Fair enough. It was nice talking to you, bee kid."

Luna gave them a respectful nod. "You, too. And thanks again, it really did help."

As she made her way to the showers, she began making mental notes in her head, comparing herself and her teammates as Blaire had advised. Small ideas pricked in the back of her mind and she showered as quickly as possible, wanting to get back to the dorm and write them down. She wouldn't be able to test things out anytime soon, but she could set her focus on it during their third term. And over the holidays, she could think even more on these ideas; plan them out to the best of her capabilities. Maybe she could even ask the adults about it and get the opinion of veteran huntsman.

It was time to step up her game.