As early morning arrived, Petal was sitting on her table, watching the sunrise beyond the city limits. After a quiet huff of air, she held up the folded piece of paper that was in her hand. She slid from the table and shoved the paper into a pocket of her black and yellow pants. The common room was completely empty besides for herself. She saw Mila leave an hour before, but didn't know where exactly he was heading. Rose would be getting up in another half an hour or so, if she kept to her usual routine, which Petal knew she would. Shimmer must be sleeping in, or was simply remaining in her room. All of this meant that they were all most likely doing their own things for their day off, which was actually a normal occurrence. On most of their days off, the four of them went about their own business. Petal didn't know much of what the others did, but she would normally meet up with Cole on these days, and today was no different.
Petal was dressed in her black and yellow outfit, leaving the large coat on a hangar in her room, and letting her hair down instead of in its usual tail. She left the common room and made her way down the hall as other students passed her by, all going about their own plans for the free day. As she passed, a guy with dark black hair and eyes the color of amethyst, though slightly darker, uttered a morning greeting, though it was lazily, most likely due to just waking up. He was wearing a white shirt with a purple collar, and two horizontal purple lines at the base of it. He wore simple blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers.
"Morning, Petal." he said, as he passed.
She hurriedly stopped him. "Morning, Indi, is your sister around, by any chance?" she asked him.
"You know, I haven't seen our wonderful team leader in about… three or four days, I think. If you're looking for her, I reckon she's in her closet."
Petal laughed as she thanked him, and continued down the hall. Further down, among the handfuls of other doors, there was one that was on the opposite wall. She pulled it open and took a step inside to the near pitch black room. It had the smell of a small room that had been lived in for far too many days. Petal held her hand up to her sensitive nose and walked further inside what was essentially a janitor's closet. Her eyes found a dozen open chip bags and empty plastic cups and bottles that were scattered around on the floor. As she stepped through the mess, she saw a small figure slouching in a chair, her legs tucked up to her chest, and her hands waving around in the air as several electronic parts floated in front of them. There was a small, blinking light coming from the girl's scroll, which was lying on a miniscule, square table.
"Violet, is that thing I asked for almost done?" asked Petal, kicking aside several emptied bottles as she stepped closer.
"That's the only reason anybody ever comes to see me. It's always, 'Oh, Violet, is my test-taking tablet done?', or, 'Oh, Violet, when will that report be completed?, or even, 'Violet, when are you going to start acting like a team leader?', it's never to ask how I've been. I'm starting to think that nobody actually cares about me." said a high-pitched, mousy voice.
"Well, uhhh… How was your day?" asked Petal.
The chair the girl was sitting in swiveled and she smiled widely as the blinking light reflected off of the girl's glasses. "Oh, it's been rather well, Petal, I appreciate you asking me. You know, not many people care to ask that."
"So I've heard." Petal stated, rolling her eyes.
"From?" asked Violet.
"Sorry?" Petal questioned.
"You said you heard it. Who did you hear that from?"
"Ummmm… You?" Petal replied, growing confused.
"Ah. That doesn't sound like me. I don't normally share too much with people." said the girl, turning around in her seat again.
"Violet." Petal said.
"Hmm?" Violet hummed, turning again.
"That thing I asked for, is it done? I don't mean to be rude but I am in a bit of a hurry this morning."
"Ooooh, the messenger. Yeah, that's been done for days now." Violet said, turning around again, and continuing to tinker with the metallic pieces in front of her.
"C-can I have it?"
"Have what?" Violet questioned, still focusing on her work.
"The messenger. Are you feeling okay, Violet? I think you should take a step outside, maybe take a bath or something."
"Okay? Yeah, I've never been better. And it's only been a week since my last bath, I don't need to… What are you doing?" Violet then asked, turning around to see Petal holding up her own scroll. Petal tapped an icon on her device and a bright flashlight illuminated the space. "Ahhh! Petal, why?"
Petal giggled wickedly as she stepped closer to the girl. Violet had a dark purple hue to her hair, and in similar fashion to her brother, her eyes were a shade of violet, though they were significantly brighter than her brother's. She was wearing the school uniform, though it was in a horrible shape. Her jacket was lying on the ground, hidden under a gathering of bags and bottles, and her shirt was mostly unbuttoned, exposing most of the center of her torso. She had a bow around her neck, though it was untied and hanging mostly over one shoulder, and her skirt was lying on the ground next to the jacket, leaving her in a pair of purple underwear. One of her knee high socks was pulled down to her ankle while the other was normal. She had a small body, one even smaller than Petal's. Where Petal was a little over four and a half feet, Violet was closer to a solid four feet, so she was four or so inches less. Despite being eighteen, like most of the other students in Petal's year, she seemed more like a kid, thanks to her small frame and stature. Behind Violet, waved a thin, mouse-like tail.
"Petal, turn the light off. Please, for me? I beg you. Here, take this and go away." she groaned, throwing a small, white device in her direction.
Petal caught the thin, cylindrical item, and smiled before pocketing it in her pouch.
"I appreciate it, Violet, but I think you should still get out a bit. Come on, you really need to bathe." said Petal, moving over and grabbing Violet's body. Black lines began running along Petal's body and her golden eyes started glowing. She pocketed her scroll and then lifted Violet out of her chair, causing the mousy girl to kick and squirm as her electronic parts clattered to the floor.
"At least let me get dressed, you savage." Violet snapped, pounding her hands against Petal's back.
Petal obliged and let the girl down. "Put the skirt on, and then we're going to your room."
Violet murmured words under her breath as she pulled the skirt up her legs and buttoned up her shirt. "Happy now? I can walk on my own so you don't have to carry me."
"Fine, but I'm following you all the way there. Get walking." Petal stated.
"You know, nobody has ever shown this much care for me before, Petal. You're a real friend, or maybe, do you… you know, want to be more than friends, possibly?"
"Your brain is scrambled, Violet, when was the last time you got some sleep? Matter of fact, when was the last time you left that closet?"
"Closet, is it?" Violet suddenly snapped. "That's my lab. My lab, Petal! How dare you insult it! So what if I haven't left it in four days, and so what if I've been awake for most of that. None of that matters. When the brain is firing properly, work must be done. Genius never waits, Petal! That is why you will always be a failure while I rise above everybody else in this school!" Violet squeaked, and Petal giggled.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." she said, lifting the girl up again.
"Hey! Release me, fool! You bumbling idiot, you absolute moron! Drop me at once!"
By now, all of the students around stopped and stared as they passed. Petal eventually made it to a room that led into another team's common room, which she knocked on with one hand. The door opened and a drowsy looking girl with silver hair and very light, lilac colored eyes answered it. She was wearing a pair of pink, cotton pants, and a black tank top. She rubbed her closed eyes and when they opened, she gained a look of astonishment.
"I found your missing leader, Lila." Petal stated, setting the tiny girl down on her feet.
"We knew where she was, but it's good that somebody was able to drag her out. Thank you, Petal."
"No problem. I'm always happy to help out." said Petal.
"And we will always appreciate it. Now, let's get you in the bath, Vi, you're getting pretty bad this time."
"Noooooo! Petal, I'm sorry, I take it all back! Save meee!" Violet yelled as her partner took hold of her. She was easily a foot taller than her, and her body was much stronger, so she had no problem dragging Violet inside, and kicking the door shut with her hands. "Noooooooo!" Petal heard Violet scream through the door.
"Alright, time to get back on track." Petal murmured, tapping her pouch as she turned away from the door.
It took her nearly fifteen minutes to get to an inn outside of the campus, and when she entered the building, she saw a man sitting at a table near the back of the room. His dark hair was a bit longer than it had been before, and his beard had been growing in thicker than he normally kept it. He was wearing a brown leather coat, a brown shirt, and a pair of black pants. His bow was resting on the top of the table, slid closer to the wall as he had a plate of food and a glass of what looked like tea in front of him. Petal took the chair opposite of him and smiled as she slid the white cylinder she received from Violet across the table.
"What the hell is this?" Cole questioned.
"A message device. It's much more efficient than this." said Petal, holding up the folded piece of paper she had gotten the day before.
"You really know how to make me feel old, kid." said Cole, picking up the device and pressing a blue button on the end of the cylinder. A projected screen of blue light extended and a picture of a triangular drawing of a cat's face was in the upper corner. "You people and your technology. Isn't paper and pen good enough anymore? And what is this?" he asked, pointing at the simple emblem.
"It works fine, but this works better. And that's my mark, we all have them, so I won't have you saying anything against it. Plus, I think it's cute. Anyway, that thing links directly to my scroll so you can easily send any messages you want to me. That's the idea, anyway. I just got it today so I don't know if it works."
"Where did you get it?" he inquired, turning it off and resting it beside his folded weapon.
"A girl at school. Violet can be a bit shaky at times but there's nobody smarter. It is kind of hard to say that with confidence after this morning though." Petal said, lightly scratching her cheek.
"We'll find out later, I guess," said Cole. "So, how has school been? We haven't talked in a couple of weeks so I've been pretty curious about you."
"Well, shortly after we talked last, my team was sent on our first mission. It was a bit concerning. We encountered more of those blue Grimm I told you about. I brought it up to May and she said she would start looking into it, but I'm getting worried about what this stuff means. They can't be natural, right? And if they are, how long before these things become the new normal?"
"I don't think they're natural, Petal. I talked with May about it and compared her info with my own findings, granted, it isn't much. I've gotten myself in with one of the gangs below the city. None of them know who they're really working for, or what they're really working with, but I know that whatever it is has to be related to these Grimm."
"What makes you say that?" asked Petal.
"For one, their arrival was only recent, and it lines up with our first sighting of these creatures. As far as I've gathered, they got here a month or so before these Grimm began showing up and I don't believe it's a coincidence, not with the secrecy going on. Nobody knows too much, which is a good tactic to avoid any one person from giving up too much important info if they get questioned."
"I imagine that's just a rule of thumb for any gang-boss," said Petal.
"Not exactly, not in Mistal, at least. You see, almost anything is available for sale here, including information. If you have enough Lien or enough sway, you can find even secrets fairly easily. Either way, I'll know more tonight, hopefully. I'm starting to get enough trust for them to take me on a run tonight, though I will be under heavy watch. I don't know if I'll find out what it is they're transporting, but I'll at least know a bit more than I did today."
Petal gave him a loving, concerned look. "You're being safe, right, Cole? You're putting yourself in some real danger here."
"Afraid you'll lose me?" he asked, smirking.
"Yes, I am." she admitted, plainly. "I love you, Cole, and I do fear that you're not going to be able to meet me one of these times."
His look of astonishment quickly turned to a gentle, fatherly expression. "I have this covered. I gave you my word, and you know that I don't break that. The thing about old men is that we're smarter than you think. I know what I'm doing, and in case you forgot, this isn't my first time surrounded by dangerous criminals. That used to be my life when I was younger than you."
"I hope you're right. I—" Petal started, but was stopped abruptly by a beeping coming from her pouch. She pulled out her scroll and turned it on. "Rose, what's up?" she asked, speaking into the device.
"Professor May asked us to meet her in her office. Are you able to get back here soon?" Rose questioned.
Petal gave a grim look to Cole, who nodded and sipped his drink as Petal returned her attention to the scroll. "Y-yeah, I suppose I can."
"I'm sorry, Petal, I know I'm interrupting your day off, but she said it was important."
"It's fine, Rose, it's not your fault. I know you're just the messenger." Petal said, smiling.
"Hiya, Rose." Cole said, after setting his cup down.
"Oh, Cole, how are you?" Rose asked.
"Fantastic, dear. Is Petal giving you too much grief?"
"Cole!" Petal snapped. "I'll be there soon, Rose." she said, ending the call as Rose giggled quietly on the other end. "You really can't help yourself, can you?" she asked him.
"Nope, not when it comes to you. Your reactions are always too priceless. Well, it all works out anyway. I have to get going too, so, I bid you farewell." he said, before finishing off his cup and slamming it on the table. He rose and bowed his head.
"Keep in touch, old man." Petal called out to him, as he walked towards the doors. He replied with a subtle wave, and didn't even look back in her direction. She shook her head while pressing a finger to her forehead in exasperation. "He's going to get himself killed, I swear."
Petal headed back to her dorm, where she saw Rose and Shimmer sitting on the sofa of the common room. As she walked in, Shimmer gave her a greeting smile while Rose called her over.
"I heard you talked with Violet this morning." Rose stated.
"Talked with? I peeled her out of her chair and brought her back to her team. You know, whenever I have doubts about my own leadership abilities, it's people like Violet that give me some sort of reassurance."
"She does do a lot though. It's probably not best to pick on her too much."
"I wasn't picking on her, I was just thinking that May was in one of her lapses of decent judgment when she made that decision. Violet's great but she's really not much of a leader. Matter of fact, I don't think she's even much of a Huntress. Does she even have a weapon?" Petal inquired.
"Indi says she does, but I've never seen it. I'm sure the professor has her reasons, which, speaking of the professor, we should go see her. Shimmer, do you know where Mila went? I tried getting in touch but he won't answer my calls."
Shimmer looked at her own scroll and held it up for Rose to see. "He's asking where we are. He's already at the office." she said, quietly.
"Hmm, he has you beat this morning, Rose. You must be slacking a bit." Petal joked, grinning playfully.
"Somehow," said Rose. "Well, it doesn't matter. Let's get going, then." she added, rising to her feet.
They all were soon at the office, where Mila was already sitting at the headmaster's desk. Petal took a seat beside him as he smiled at Rose.
"You're slacking, Rose." Mila stated.
"Hey, that's what I said." Petal added, excitedly.
Shimmer gave a giggle as she took a seat beside Rose in some chairs behind the others.
May cleared her throat, catching their attention, and gave a generous smile to them all. "Good morning. I am sorry to bother you so early, and on your day off, but this is a situation that has just recently been brought to my attention. There's a village nearby that has had a few missing person cases, but now, a sizable amount of their settlement has been lost without any sort of explanation to what's causing it. Without any evidence and no other option left to them, they came to Mistral's council early this morning, asking for help in the matter. Myself, as well as some of the others on the council think it's a simple case of Grimm attacks, and while it's sad to think that those lives are lost, we need to press onward and kill the creatures responsible before they can kill any others. I recommended your team for the job, and you will be under the supervision of Professor Flint as you complete this mission. Of course, I must inform you that this is completely optional, and if you were to decline, you will not be reprimanded in any way." May explained.
"Why us?" Shimmer surprisingly asked, just before Petal and Mila had the chance to do the same.
"You all have only been on one mission, but you took care of a bizarre, dangerous threat with little issue, and still completed the assignment hours before I expected you to be done. Simply put, I have faith in your team and your combat abilities. All of you are extraordinary fighters, and all of you are smart and capable in your own right. If you want, you can consider this proof of my confidence, and a test to see if it has been well placed." May answered.
"Why did they wait so long before coming to you for help?" asked Rose.
"Because, not all Huntsmen work for free, or for the good of their hearts." Petal answered, before May had the opportunity. "They were probably worried that whatever Huntsman got sent their way would charge them more than they could afford. After all, this is a job, it's not something that we do for fun." she finished.
"They were most likely hoping that it would just blow over." Mila started, just as Rose opened her mouth to ask another question. "Out in the tundra, it wasn't uncommon for hordes of Grimm to travel through from time to time. They would come, ravage the land, and then leave within the day. Those were the times we had the most problems, and the most casualties." he added.
"Well, I'm impressed. You both are right." May stated. "The council's primary argument this morning, besides who to send to handle the situation, was how much we should charge to carry it out. Our school needs funding, the Huntsmen need to be paid so they can eat and live to fight another day, and the council always likes to have their own pockets filled up afterwards. To put it bluntly, they were even questioning whether or not to deal with the problem. The leader of the settlement that had come to us admitted to not having much in the way of payment, so the second he left, it was a battlefield to get approval for this. I told them that I had a few capable students that would gladly do it for the school credits alone."
"And this guide that we're taking, what about him?" asked Mila.
"He volunteered. Professor Flint has his own interests besides money. Mistral has always been his home and he leaps at every opportunity to protect it. Plus, he is curious about these disappearances. He seems to think that they aren't exactly natural, even if the culprits are Grimm, who are naturally sporadic and hard to predict. Between this and the recent appearances of these new species of Grimm, it has us all both intrigued and concerned. I'm hoping that this will be a simple mission. You get there, hunt some Grimm, problem solved. But, I will be honest with the four of you, as you should know the dangers before accepting this task. There is a chance that this will be more than what it seems, or I suppose, exactly what it seems, to correct my phrasing. None of this seems coincidental, and to be frank, we don't know what to expect of this. This assignment could easily become something that will be over your heads, but I believe that if that happens, you four can handle it better than most others. If you want I will give you time to—"
"We'll do it." Petal said, interrupting May, and none of the others objected to her decision. She knew they wouldn't, and so, she continued. "We are all here for a reason, and at least for me, that's to do good in this world. Remnant sucks, but I want to try to make it a little bit better in any way I can. Even if they won't follow me, though I suspect they will, I still volunteer to go."
May looked to the others and saw the resolve on their faces. "If you are all sure, I will be glad to give you time to prepare before leaving."
"We'll be ready in an hour," said Mila.
"Sooner if need be." Shimmer stated.
"Rose?" asked May. "Your opinion?"
"I'll go, obviously. They're my team, and my family at this point. I'll go wherever they go."
"With all of that settled, you have two hours to get yourselves ready, and then you're to meet Professor Flint at the airship. Are there any other questions that you wish to ask before leaving?" asked May.
Petal gave a look to her team and then back to May, a large smile on her face. "Nope, I don't think so."
"Then, I wish you all a safe journey, and please, be smart about whatever you encounter. Your lives come first, got it?" The four gave a nod of affirmation and May grinned. "Good. With that settled, goodbye, and best of luck."
They all gave a bow to the headmaster before returning to their dorm, where they proceeded to get ready for the upcoming outing. Once they were finished with their preparation, making sure they had all of their weapons ready and any supplies they might need were packed, they made for the landing platform outside of the academy, where a handful of airships would be stationed while on standby. In front of one of the blimp-like machines was Flint, dressed in his usual suit, and carrying a large duffel bag in his right hand. He smiled at the sight of them and nodded his head.
"So, it was the misfit Team PRSM that I got stuck with, how fitting."
"Misfit?" Petal huffed, puffing up her cheeks.
"You're new to the school, disruptive in most classes, and a faunus. Those two are mid-year transfers from Atlas. That one lost her entire team to internal squabbles, and was alone until you all came along. Yes, Petal, misfits. Embrace it, as I don't mean it to be an insult. To be honest, I'm ecstatic it was your team I got. I've seen your sparring matches, and I have to admit that I was impressed. As it turns out, years in the wilderness does do some good for young minds. If anything, it turns them into efficient weapons. Anyhow, it's nice to have you all, and I do hope you forgive my desire to get moving. All of you, onto the ship, and we will begin our journey to the south."
"South?" asked Petal.
"South." Flint replied. "We're heading to a region that some of us call the Autumn Woods. The trees there are thick, very old creatures of nature, and for some reason, they retain their fall colors all year round, and even when winter comes around, their leaves still stay. Besides dense forests and winding streams, the region is also known for the slightly mountainous terrain, which hides dozens, if not hundreds of deep caverns or shallow caves. Some speculate that most of these very caverns interconnect and establish unimaginably long tunnel systems that run underneath the entirety of our continent." explained Flint.
"How long until we get there?" asked Rose, checking her watch as she took her seat aboard the ship.
"An hour, maybe a bit more. It won't be too long." answered Flint.
As Petal took her seat, her mind went to one thing only, and that was Cole. As the ship took off and the city below began to grow smaller in size and further in distance, she pulled out her scroll and clicked on Cole's icon, a simple design in the shape of a bow with a burst of energy leaving it. A message box appeared and a blue, digital keyboard spawned below it.
"Hey, Cole. Hopefully you get this. I didn't want you to worry too much if you can't get in touch with me. I'm leaving the city for a bit. We volunteered for another mission a little ways south of the city, and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I accepted it rather quickly, despite how dangerous I was told it could be. I know, the usual Petal, right? Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, so… there you go. I love you, Cole, wish me luck, and see you soon."
Petal hesitated before sending it, but soon did so when Mila peeked to see what she was doing. Once sent, she put the device in her pouch and looked off into the sky, watching the sky fly past her. Nearly an hour later, Rose pointed out the village in the distance, and they landed in a clearing a distance away from it, as Flint decided to go the rest of the way on foot. After they all stepped away from the ship, he waved them off, and the five of them began their trek towards what would be their next mission.