CHAPTER XI

Warriors of Dawn

"You got it, Ingrid?" Leon yelled to his teammate.

"Yeah!" she yelled back. "Echo! Cover me!"

The group's archer was already on it, sending arrows at the intervening Corrupted, protecting her comrade as she somersaulted all around the room, hopping from platform to platform before finally reaching the altar suspended high up from the ceiling.

"What kind of stupid construction is this place anyway?" Ingrid mumbled before placing the statue in the middle of the pedestal. The ground began to shake and she hopped back down, rejoining the rest of her group.

"What the hell is gonna happen now?" Leon said as the temple began to change shape, its halls and chambers rearranging themselves.

"Looks like a new room opened up again," Perseus said.

"I'm detecting a lot of Corrupted coming through!" Xanthus said, readying both of his swords for battle.

"Yuan!" Athena called out. "Party buffs, please!"

Yuan chuckled before holding up his left hand and calling on the power of the Earth Rune, bestowing upon his allies increased aura and physical durability along with physical strength.

"Gehärtete Verteidigung. Stahlknöchel."

"All right!" Leon said before attacking alongside Athena. "Let's do this, sis!"

"You hoppin' teams now, little brother?" she said as she stabbed a Corrupted in the face.

"I thought we were all one big team, though." He glanced back at Ivory, who seemed upset. Her look alone was enough to cause him to trip and fall face-flat on the ground.

"Oh my god!" Ingrid said, running to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he said, springing up to his feet. "I'm fine!"

"Nah," Echo said as she passed by them. "You're whipped to high hell."

Ingrid chuckled. "Sorry. I agree with her."

"W-Whipped?" he said nervously.

"They mean that Ivory has you by the balls," Yuan said.

"I know what it means—I am not whipped!"

"Leon, please maintain formation," Ivory said.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

"Totes whipped," Perseus said, to which Xanthus nodded quietly.

"Can all of you focus?" Athena yelled, completely surrounded by Corrupted.

"I'm surprised you aren't in there with them," Yang said to Penny as they watched the youngsters' progress in the Labyrinth.

"After the damage she took yesterday," Hillphire began, "I couldn't exactly let her go back in there, not until repairs are complete."

Penny looked down at her temporary right leg. The one yesterday had been crushed by falling debris when she had tackled Perseus to get him out of a collapsing tunnel. They only barely made it out of that one alive and now she was feeling every bit useless to them.

"You have to let them grow up sometime, you know," Yang said.

"I don't think that's it," Qrow said. "She's gotten attached to them. Not as an instructor, but as a friend."

Penny looked over at her colleague.

"You and I have been working together for years now. I've paid attention to the stuff you do, you know. You've never gotten this attached to any of the other students. I mean, I get it. After all, they're your old friends' kids and stuff."

It wasn't just that. Although she had been friends with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang—all of them—for years, in many ways, she also didn't belong. It wasn't merely the fact that she wasn't human in the traditional sense. She was also the youngest of the group, and by a lot. The estimation was that she was only around three years of age during the previous war. The next youngest was Ruby, who was more than a decade her senior. In a way, she belonged with this group a lot more than their parents. After all, she was technically only a few years older than even Lilly, the eldest of the group of friends.

"How is the balancing on your right leg?" Hillphire asked.

"It could use some calibration," Penny said. She wasn't about to lie to him.

"We should have it finished by tonight. You'll be able to join them again on their next incursion."

"Thank you, Liam. For now, I'll just stay away from wearing shorts or skirts. The weather's pretty good for pants anyway."

"I'm gonna head back," Qrow said. "Hollie and Winter are meeting up with the talking heads. I hate sitting in on the damn things, but I gotta be there."

"See you later, uncle Qrow," Yang said as he left.

"It seems they're closing in on the core of this Labyrinth," Hillphire said, watching the monitors closely. "I wish we could communicate with them at this depth, though. It's a miracle the monitors can even pick them up right now."

"Echo!" Athena yelled as she clashed weapons with a heavily clawed Corrupted. "Do the thing!"

Echo nodded before releasing a well-aimed arrow, which severed the red vein-like tendrils that extended from the Labyrinth's owner. She ran to the young man, shouldering him up.

"Wh...What's going on?" he mumbled.

"You're okay now," Echo said. "You can go back to the real you."

"My...my wife is gonna give birth soon..."

"So go be with her."

"You're right. Thank you."

She smiled as he faded away with twinkles of light. The Labyrinth began to crumble right on cue.

"This way!" Ingrid yelled, standing at a hallway entrance.

The entire group of eight piled through, dashing as fast as their legs would take them. At the final stretch, the Labyrinth's collapse intensified and Ivory projected glyphs behind every single member of the party, launching them forward.

"Whoa!" Leon yelled.

"Shit!" Perseus yelled.

The group all fell into a mass of flailing bodies as they landed outside of the crumbling Labyrinth. Only Ivory and Ingrid managed to land on their feet.

"Ow," Echo said, rubbing her hip. "Perseus, your shield is dangerous."

"I think I agree," he said, rubbing his head. "Pretty sure I surfed on it upside down just now."

"Is everyone okay?" Athena said, helping Xanthus up.

Leon was sprawled out on the ground. He held up an arm with a thumb up.

"Get up, dummy," Ingrid said, reaching down to him.

Meanwhile, Yuan allowed his Wraith-Knight to rest. Although it was much more stable within the Labyrinth, its stamina was not infinite. A whole week without any rest was enough to make him feel the effects of fatigue.

"Your clothes are back to normal," Ivory said to him.

"Yeah," he said. "My Wraith-Knight finally ran out of battery."

"Then, it's time we took a break from the Labyrinth for a short period. Are we all agreed?"

There were no objections.

"Let's head back to base," Athena said.

"Ugh, why does my everything hurt right now?" Leon sighed as he fell face flat on the carpet.

"You're not the only one," Perseus said, sitting on the couch and resting his feet on Leon's back.

"Dude."

Ingrid and Echo sat back to back on his shoulders.

"You all suck."

"Yuan, Xanthus," Ivory said. "You two are Mistral natives. Are there any hot springs around here?"

"I'm not actually from the capital," Yuan said. "I grew up in Kuroyuri. I only came out here when I attended Sanctum."

"I believe there is one close by," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses. "It's only a fifteen minute walk from campus, if I'm not mistaken."

"What do you all say to some well-needed rest and relaxation?" Ivory said. "At the hot springs, I mean."

Leon and Perseus seemed to have light bulbs go on simultaneously and they both looked at each other, grins forming on their faces.

"The hell are you two smirking about?" Ingrid said, looking down at him.

"Muffin!" Leon said, springing to his feet at the same time as Perseus and knocking both girls off his back.

"You know what this means," Perseus said to him.

"Oh, yes, yes I do, my friend."

They bumped fists.

"I don't think I understand what's going on," Yuan said, to which the two boys immediately darted to his side.

"I see," Perseus said.

"It seems we need to help you out of your cocoon, my combat partner," Leon said.

"Enough of this!" Xanthus said, breaking up the trio. "You must show some decency when referring to our teammates!"

Perseus threw an arm around his partner before pushing his glasses up for him. "Do you see?" he said, gesturing toward the four girls, all of whom stood with their arms crossed. "My friend, do you see?"

"I don't like where this conversation is going," Athena said.

"Neither do I," Ivory said.

"We should go without them," Ingrid said, leading the way out of the lounge.

Echo nodded before following after the other three girls.

"Hey!" Leon said, running after them. "Wait! Don't leave us behi—"

The other three boys gasped and recoiled as their comrade ran face first into a glyph that functioned no differently from a brick wall. He fell to the ground, twitching in pain.

"That looked like it hurt," Yuan said.

"I s-suddenly f-fear for m-m-my life," Xanthus said, trembling.

"Not me!" Perseus said, also shaking in his boots. "I'm not afraid of a-anything!"

Echo spent some time brushing her hair in front of the mirror. Despite the overly exasperating behavior of the boys, Ivory was intent on their entire group going to the hot spring together. The current leader of Team LILY wasn't satisfied with only half of the team attending a team-building activity. There was a knock at her door and she went over to it, sliding the thin barrier open.

"Oh, that looks great on you," Ingrid said.

Echo felt herself redden. "Thanks," she said before finally noticing the yukata Ingrid also wore, which was primarily black and indigo in color with iris flowers embroidered all over the fabric. The look was topped off by a hair tie which looked like a blue iris flower. "Wow, that looks amazing."

Ingrid chuckled before walking in with her and shutting the door. "Looks like you're having trouble with your hair."

"I don't really do anything other than a simple ponytail. Like, ever."

"Here, sit down," Ingrid said, pulling out a chair in front of her mirror before getting to work. "So. Just wait 'til you see Athena."

"As if I wasn't nervous enough already. Thanks a lot, Ingrid."

She chuckled. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Psh."

There was another knock at the door.

"It's not locked," Echo said.

The door slid open to reveal Athena and Ivory in the hallway.

"Not bad," Athena said, her hand on her hip. "The whole black and purple look really suits you."

"Th-Thanks," Echo said, reddening and shrinking into herself. They might have been going steady by now, but that didn't stop Athena from turning her into mush every time she said something even remotely romantic or flirtatious to her. Meanwhile, Ingrid couldn't help but smile at the interaction.

"Perfect," Ingrid said, stepping back. Echo's dark brown hair had since grown back out to her upper back. Not quite as long as it once was, but enough to force her to tie it into a ponytail again with every battle they went into. "It's actually kinda good that your hair grew back out. As good as the sidecut looks on you, it's not exactly the best hairstyle to wear with a yukata."

Echo looked at herself in the mirror. This was the first time her hair had ever been done so intricately. It was tied up primarily in a bun-like formation with two ornate chopsticks crossing in the back, a few locks here and there hanging freely. She had to admit, it did look pretty good. She looked over at Athena, who wore a bright red and white yukata with golden embroidery, her thick, golden hair tied up into a bun with locks shooting out from her bun like the rays of the sun. A single golden lock ran down the right side of her face. The sight instantly melted Echo's heart once more.

Even Ivory was perfectly capable of rocking the traditional Mistral look, although that was no surprise given her tendency to wear high-style clothing. Her own yukata, with its pure white and pale blue theme, appeared custom-made. At least, that's what Echo figured since it was unlikely that there were many yukata out there that donned the Schnee family emblem.

"You look like your aunt with that hairstyle," Ingrid said.

"Aunt Weiss wore her ponytail to her right," Ivory clarified. "Mine is to the left, as you can see."

"My bad, your highness," Ingrid said with a curtsey.

"I still..." Echo said, trailing off.

"Hmm?" Athena said.

"I don't get why we're all dressed up like this when we're going to a hot spring. Are these, like, traditional bathing suits in Mistral?"

Ingrid chuckled. "No, but there's a festival going on, remember? That's why we're all dressed up. After that, we head to the hot springs."

"Oh." She had completely forgotten about the festival. Festivals meant people. And she didn't like being around so many people.

"Don't worry," Athena said, wrapping an arm around her. "I'll protect you from all the scary crowds."

That didn't exactly help things. How was Echo supposed to stand now with her knees shaking like this?

"I'm quite sure you just made her even more nervous," Ivory said. "Anyway, even if we weren't attending the festival, we are walking all the way to the resort. It may be springtime now, but it's not exactly warm outside. I'm from Atlas, but I am not walking around out there without anything on."

"But we could just wear bathrobes," Echo said.

"We could, but this is traditional clothing here in Mistral and I believe it is appropriate to reach out. Also, correct me if I am mistaken, but yukata are commonly used as bathrobes as well, are they not?"

"That's what Xanthus told us," Ingrid said.

"Honestly," Athena began, "I just think they're friggin' gorgeous. There's nothing like this back in Patch. Or in Vale. At least, I don't remember anything like this being all that popular. Might've seen it once at, like, those specialty stores and stuff."

"Yeah, Menagerie has nothing like this either."

Echo did agree with one thing. These garments were absolutely beautiful. To a girl like her, who grew up in the woods and to whom beauty took a backseat to practicality and function, this was quite the exquisite thing to wear. And the softness of the cotton on her bare skin was a luxury she had never experienced until today.

"Shall we go and see if the boys are ready?" Ivory said.

"Psh," Ingrid said. "Yuan and Xanthus are probably the only ones who are all dressed up since they're from here."

Ivory led the way to the lounge, but even her nerves of steel were rattled for an instant when she set foot into the room. The first person she saw was Leon, who was looking at some of the wall hangings. He was dressed in a black and red yukata with opposite-colored roses embroidered all over the black and red segments. From what she could tell, he had also redone the highlights in his hair; the red tips were much sharper than she remembered them.

The other boys were also dressed in their own respective colors. Xanthus was clad in a yellow and black yukata, the outfit accentuated by yellow-colored fire and ice on the left and right, respectively. Yuan wore a yukata primarily dark green in color, but with cyan accents and trim and a golden dragon embroidery encircling the entire outfit. Like his combat partner, his hair's tips were also highlighted, but with his signature color, cyan, instead.

Even Perseus was dressed in a yukata, though he was probably the least suited to the style given his slightly more rugged build than the rest of the group. His was simple compared to the others, bronze with gold accents and a single crane embroidered over the left chest. Most surprisingly, however, was the presence of Astor and Penny in the group.

"What's he doing here?" Ingrid said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I invited him," Ivory said. "He might not take part in our Labyrinth incursions, but he is my brother and your friend from childhood."

"Dude, that looks pretty good on you," Athena said to Astor, giving him a high five.

"I haven't worn this in years," he said, admiring his own yukata, which was dark red in color with pink and white cherry blossoms printed all over. "Isn't it pretty?" he said with a little hop and an artificially high-pitched, overly giddy voice.

Athena couldn't help but laugh. "Never change, dude."

"Penny-senpai!" Xanthus said with a bow.

The eldest of the group put a hand over her mouth to stifle the chuckle, but it managed to escape. "What are you doing, Xan-chan?"

"J-Just, uh, you look beautiful in your yukata!" he instantly reddened as soon as he completed his sentence.

Astor chuckled as he bumped fists with Perseus and Leon. "Xanthus has a thing for the upperclassmen, huh?" he said.

"Bruh," Leon said. "You know he works on her insides, don't you?"

Echo spat her drink all over the wall.

"What?" Astor said in shock.

"You know Penny's a robot, right?" Perseus said.

"Oh, y-yeah. O-Of course I knew that! I wasn't thinking about, well—I-I wasn't thinking about anything! I swear!"

Ivory sighed heavily, putting a hand on her forehead. "The three of you need to be separated," she said flatly.

The group spent little time at the spring festival. There weren't very many things to do other than shop at vendors, but the main reason they vacated as soon as possible was because Echo had disappeared from the group. They were finally able to locate her high up in a tree, sitting on a branch and spying on everyone.

"And I thought Ingrid hated crowds," Leon chuckled as he led the way into the resort lobby.

"I do!" she asserted.

"Good evening," Ivory said to the receptionist. "I have a reservation for Ivory Schnee."

"Two rooms, yes?" the woman said as she went through her computer.

"Yes."

"Perfect. Both rooms are ready for you any time."

"Thank you very much."

"Whoa, wait, we're staying overnight?" Leon said.

"Hey, I don't mind," Astor said.

"I mean, me neither, but like, all our shit is back at the dorms."

"Did you book the gold class?" Xanthus asked Ivory.

"I did," she said.

"I see. We won't be needing any of our things."

"Huh?" Perseus said.

"This resort is quite high class compared to others in the city. The gold class rooms come fully stocked with any amenities you might need. This level also provides guests with complimentary clothing if needed. The service caters to those who like to travel light, but wish to have everything they need easily accessible."

"Holy crap," Ingrid said. "Wait, why didn't you at least tell us about this?"

"It was a last minute decision I made while we were at the festival," Ivory said. "I figured that since we're here to relax, it would be best if we stayed the night. After all, it's a bit difficult to relax back at the dorms with constant reminders of our duties."

"Honestly we woulda been fine at the dorms," Athena said. "But hey, this is awesome."

"I guess rich girls really do think differently from the rest of us," Ingrid said.

Perseus sensed some discomfort from Ivory. He was the only one here who could relate to what she was probably experiencing right now, also coming from a wealthy family. Then again, his family only recently became rich and he could still remember how it was being a normal citizen of Vacuo. Even today, they had the tendency to keep things simple, opting for cozy vacations at local villages instead of extravagant overseas voyages.

Athena was also closely examining her rival, but what she had been picking up on was something else entirely. Every team-building activity so far had been suggestions by Ivory, including the wearing of yukata. In fact, it was she who had paid for the garments.

"It looks like the men's session is first," Ingrid said, reading the schedule for the hot spring. "I guess we could do some shopping over there while we wait."

"Let's go!" Leon said, pushing open both doors into the hot spring.

"Hmm," Xanthus said, looking around. "We're the only ones here tonight."

"Surprising given there's a festival," Perseus said. "I thought this place would be full of people."

"I ain't complaining," Astor said. "We have this place all to ourselves!"

The quintet took off their yukata, hanging them at the towel rack before getting into the spring.

"Holy shit this feels great," Astor said, relaxing at the edge, submerging himself all the way up to his chin.

"Dude, I haven't been in one of these since we were still going to Signal," Leon said.

"It's unfortunate we have to separate with the girls," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses.

Astor, Leon, and Perseus rushed to his side.

"W-What are you all doing?" the class president said.

"So," Perseus began. "You wanna see them, too, do you?"

"I-I mean, yes, we should do all of our activities together!"

"Oh, yeah," Leon said, nodding. "I very agree."

"You! Stop thinking lewd things about our teammates!"

"Lewd?" Astor said. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know," Leon began, "we could always overstay our timer."

"You don't think they'll notice that we haven't left yet?" Xanthus all but yelled.

"Keep it down!" Perseus said.

"Is this really a good idea?" Yuan said, joining them. "We might get kicked out of the resort."

Astor chuckled. "That's what he's worried about."

"C'mon, man," Leon said, throwing an arm around his partner's shoulder. "You haven't wondered what Ingrid looks like under all that?"

"She probably has an excellent figure given her athletic ability," Yuan said.

"Leave it to him to give the straightest answers ever," Perseus sighed. "I vote yes."

"Same," Astor said.

"Yup," Leon said.

"I suppose I'm in," Yuan said.

"Yuan!" Xanthus all but yelled as he gesticulated wildly with his hands. "I expected more from you!"

"You know," Perseus said, resting his hand on his partner's shoulder, "Penny's with the girls, too."

"I know! And that is why we should show some respect! For our senpais and kouhais!"

"Xanthus," Leon began, "you know you wanna stay."

"A-Absolutely not!"

Leon, Astor, and Perseus gave him grins.

"I-I will only stay to ensure that you three do nothing nefarious!"

"I don't understand what the problem is," Yuan said. "They're all probably wearing bathing suits like we are."

Xanthus noticeably reddened.

"Oh, he wants to stay," Astor said.

"Yup," Leon said.

"It's okay, Xan-chan," Perseus said. "We gotchu."

"That really is a nice yukata," Ivory said, joining Penny, who was browsing through clothes at the small resort shop.

"Thank you!" Penny said. "Yours is gorgeous, too!"

"What made you decide on a green and white swan motif?"

"It's from a story I heard a while back, about an ugly duckling. She was ridiculed by the other ducklings because she looked different from all of them and spends much of her youth in solitude. It isn't until she's all grown up that she realizes she's one of the swans that comes around every so often and she finally finds her place in the world, joining the flock."

"That's quite the story."

"I've always loved it. I think we all long to find our place in the world, don't you think?"

"Yes, I suppose that is true."

"You guys ready to take a dip?" Athena said as she and the other two girls joined them.

Ivory looked at her scroll's clock. "Yes, let's go."

"You guys go ahead of me," Penny said. "I'll join you later."

"Why?" Ingrid said. "We can't go in there without you. You're part of the group."

"I just, I have some things to take care of."

"Does this have something to do with the replacement?" Ivory said.

"Replacement?" It took a few seconds for Penny to realize what she meant. "N-No, not at all."

"I've noticed that you've been doing your best to keep your yukata down. And you're wearing socks. That's against tradition, if I am not mistaken."

Penny looked down at her feet.

"Hey," Athena said, taking her hand. "We already told you. There's nothing for you to be ashamed of. You're one of us. So what if your leg is made of metal right now? My aunt Yang lived with a metal hand for more than ten years before Hillphire gave her one of the company's more realistic replacements. That didn't make her any less human."

"Yeah," Ingrid said. "Go show off that body of yours."

Penny looked around at her companions. For an instant, they were no longer her students. It was as though she was standing among her old friends, the parents of this new generation, a generation that she was now a part of.

"I-I mean," Echo stammered, "if you don't wanna go, I can stay with you!"

"Hey," Athena said sternly.

"S-Sorry."

"All five of us are going together," Ivory said, leading the way to the spring. "And that's that."

Upon entering, they spotted the guys still seated at the far side of the pool. Leon noticed them and began wading their way.

"What the hell are they still doing here?" Athena said, throwing her hands on her hips.

"Ugh, they're probably being perverts again," Ingrid said. "Oh, god, they even dragged Yuan into their stupid scheme!"

"So you guys made it," Leon said, standing at the edge of the water before retreating back into the pool. "Wooo! It's c-cold out there!"

"What's going on here?" Ivory said. "Didn't your time end already?"

"Yeah, but, we kinda talked about it, and we figured it was kinda crap that the team had to be split in half like that, so we sorta overstayed our time."

Ivory stood in thought for a few seconds before turning to the rack to hang her towel and yukata.

"What?" Echo said.

"Am I missing something here?" Ingrid said.

Meanwhile, Athena had finally pieced together what it was she had been picking up from Ivory all this time. It couldn't be clearer than it was now. Each and every thing planned for today was calculated and deliberate. After all, Ivory wasn't one to act on impulse.

"Okay, then, let's do it," Athena said, also removing her yukata and hanging it up.

"U-Uh," Echo said.

"C'mon, beb, don't be coy. Show off that hot bod of yours."

She felt as though her head were about to burst.

"You're not feeling shy around us, are you?"

"Of course I am!" Echo screamed.

Nevertheless, in short order, the girls were out of their yukata and standing at the edge of the hot spring, Each one donned simple two-piece bikinis, Echo wearing a set of dark purple, Athena wearing a pair of bright reds, Ingrid in deep indigo, and Ivory in pale blues. Only Penny remained at the back of the group, still fully dressed.

"Hey," Athena said to her. "Is your leg waterproof?"

"Well, yeah," she answered, shrinking somewhat.

"Get in, then."

"Yeah, what are you waiting for?" Leon said.

She looked over at him. He was extending a hand to help Ivory into the pool, but she smacked his hand away.

"My goodness, this is hot," Ivory said.

"It is a hot spring, you know," Athena said.

"I know what it is!"

Athena glanced over at Echo, who was clutching herself. "It won't be so cold once we're in the water, you know."

"It's not the cold that's the problem," she said.

Athena reached over, pulling her girlfriend close before kissing her on the neck. Echo shivered, but the chill lasted all of a split second because now her whole body was like fire. She offered zero resistance as Athena led her into the water.

"I can't friggin' believe you," Ingrid said, still glaring at Leon.

"What?" he said with a small chuckle.

"You're polluting Yuan's mind!"

"Psh! This was his idea!"

"Like I'm going to believe that!"

"C'mon, then, kitty kat!" he said, holding out a hand for her.

"Ugh! Put your hand away!"

She was on her way down when he pulled her into the water and she shrieked.

"I hate you!" she said, splashing hot water in his face, making him yell and run away, though, in waist-deep water, running was impossible and he tripped and dunked himself fully into the spring, reemerging with a gasp.

"Hooo, shit!" he yelled.

"You absolutely deserved that," Ivory said.

"Well?" Athena said, looking up at Penny, who was still fully clothed.

The eldest of the group sighed, pushing away her reservations and hanging up her yukata, revealing a pale green two-piece bikini set. She stood at the edge of the spring, her robotic right leg completely visible, all the way up to her thigh, where the sutures ringed her leg. She looked down at the group, all of whom were smiling at her.

"Penny-senpai!" Xanthus called out, rapidly wading in their direction, but like Leon, the water resistance was too much and he fell straight into the hot water and reemerged screaming.

"Xanthus!" she said, getting into the pool and heading to him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes!" he said, his face bright red. "I tried to stop them! I swear!"

She chuckled. "Ivory has a point, though. It's a little unsatisfactory for the whole group to be split up like that, so it's okay."

"See, man?" Leon said, putting an arm around his friend. "I told you it would be fine!"

"You, on the other hand, are a pervert."

"Wha?"

Penny giggled. "I'm only kidding. I know it was Xan-chan's idea."

Xanthus stiffened, turning ghostly white.

"Oh my goodness! You two are so easy to tease! C'mon, let's catch up to the group!"

Theirs was a well-deserved rest. The time they spent submerged in the hot spring was exactly what they had needed for a time now to help loosen everything up, all of the stress that had been building, the body ache that refused to go away.

"Man, this was a great idea," Astor said. "I knew I could count on sis to come up with the best shit."

"I don't know what you're so relaxed about," Ivory said. "You don't even go into the Labyrinth with us."

"Well, yeah, but dude I been going out to fight the Grimm and shit! And my friggin' dad threw me on a team with professional Huntsmen! Do you know how intimidating that is?"

"I dunno," Athena said. "As intimidating as going into a world where the ground itself wants to kill you?"

"Okay, okay, jeez. Still, it's not like I've been sitting on my ass these past months."

"You've been doing a good job, too, from what I hear," Penny said. "Yang told me she's thinking about hiring you."

"Uh, no, thanks."

"Why?" Ingrid said. "What's wrong with her group?"

"Her mom scares the shit outta me."

Snickers went around.

"Honestly, though, I'm kinda stoked about this whole thing," Athena said. "This is what Lilly has been doing for the past, like, whole year, isn't it?"

"I believe so," Yuan said. "The first time I heard about it was after I woke up from my coma. It was actually her who had gone through my Labyrinth to free me from it."

"I remember that story," Xanthus said. "It's quite frightening to think that at any time, any of us could be pulled into that place without us knowing."

"It's not random, though," Ivory said. "From what Dr. Hillphire has discussed with us, the Fourth Layer of the Labyrinth is the world that represents a person's deepest traumas, so you'd have to have profound issues for it to happen, which, from Yuan's story, is why he found himself in a similar situation."

"I thought I had lost Ingrid," he said. "I guess that had a heavier effect on me than I thought it would."

Athena and Echo looked over at Ingrid, who was turning red. They exchanged glances and giggled.

"How much time do we have left?" Leon said.

"Should be thirty more minutes before they close for cleanup," Ivory said.

"All right, then, it's time to share some stories."

"About what, though?" Xanthus said.

"Hmm." He sat in thought for a moment, his face twisting in disgust as he came across one of the most unpleasant memories of his life.

"The heck are you thinking about?" Ivory said.

"Oh, god," he said, gagging. "I just, remembered, when I walked in, on my mom and dad."

Groans and retching went around the entire group.

"Dude, you, too?" Athena said.

"Oh, god! You walked in on them, too?" Leon yelled.

"In the frikkin' garage. I was, ugh, this is gross. Do you remember when we were supposed to have that jam session with Astor and the rest of the band? And I was late and shit?"

"Oh. Oh! Oh, hell no!"

"On top of the goddamn hood of my car!"

More groans went around the group.

"Dude! I think that was mom's idea!" Leon said. "Cuz, like, she, and dad, oh god, they were in the garden! And it was her who was telling dad to do things!"

"Why do your parents pick the weirdest places?" Echo yelled.

"I don't know!" the twins cried at the same time.

"Oh, god," Ingrid groaned.

"Oh, no," Echo said. "You have a story, too, don't you?"

The only Faunus in the group sighed heavily. Very heavily. "All I will say is, there's a reason I have five siblings."

"Oh, no."

"I...don't wanna talk about it. I just...I...let's just say that...my mom is very loud. And so is my dad."

Even more groaning descended on the group.

"At least you guys have never walked in on the shit that I have," Astor said.

They all turned to him. He was submerged all the way up to his mouth.

"The rational part of me wants to tell you not to say anything since that man is also my father," Ivory said. "But the stupid part of me wants to hear this story."

Astor stared at the surface of the water for a moment, trying to get over that traumatic event. "Let's just say...that my mom's into some really, really weird stuff."

"You've never told us this story," Leon said.

"For good reason!" Ingrid said.

"I didn't actually see anything," Astor continued, "but I walked by their room and their stupid door was cracked open and all I hear is, 'lick it. I want you to lick it.'"

The group awaited the rest of the story in perfect silence.

"'I want you to lick my asshole.'"

"Aww, no!" Leon groaned.

"That's just wrong!" Perseus said.

"What the hell, man?" Athena yelled.

"You know," Penny said, "that actually doesn't surprise me. Hollie has always been into weird things. Like, birds pooping on her head."

"What the fuck?" Echo said.

"Yeah, you're not the first person to say that."

"I don't understand all the commotion," Yuan said. "I've walked in on my parents having intercourse. It was no big deal."

"Dude!" Leon said. "What in the world is wrong with you?"

"If two people are in love, it is the natural thing to do, isn't it?"

"Let me take a wild ass guess," Athena said. "When it happened, you just apologized and closed their door, right?"

He nodded.

"That's totally what I expected."

"Thank god I never had to deal with that," Ivory said. "My mother didn't date and I fortunately never walked in on Uncle Whitley and his late wife."

"You guys," Echo began, "can we change the subject? Pretty please?"

"Yes," Ingrid said. "Let's."