"We all ready to head down there?" Titus asked as he scanned the room once more for his beach towel before spotting the corner of it in Ilia's bag. "CBLT has been down there for a few hours now making sure that everything was ready, and it sounds like Ivory and Vincent are providing us with a table and chairs."

"Oh to be rich," Eliana sighed.

"No kidding," Neela concurred, though she could feel herself sweating profusely. Eliana typically wore a top that showed off some cleavage, so the purple bikini top that she was wearing wasn't too much of a difference from what Neela had grown used to, but the bottoms were an entirely different story, strings holding them loosely to her body, one unraveling pull would reveal everything and Neela worried about Eliana's clumsy and carefree nature doing so. As of the moment though, Eliana had wrapped her towel around her waist, just another one of many things that brandished the Mistral Police Department logo. Neela herself had found a cute two-piece, the bottom black and accentuated her curves nicely while the top was part bikini and tank top, not entirely comfortable with the scar on her back just yet.

"You seem a little overdressed there, Ilia," Neela noted. Ilia wore a pair of gym shorts that were red that read "Huntsmen Killer" across the ass and a black shirt that said "Grimm Killer" across the back at a diagonal.

"I don't have a swimsuit," Ilia told them. "There isn't exactly anywhere to swim in the desert." Eliana grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Why didn't you say something before, we could have gone shopping for one!" Eliana informed her. Ilia broke free of her grip and smiled at her.

"That's alright, we can't all be pretty, it would be too distracting for Titus," she noted.

"As if," Titus replied with a grin, folding his arms. Ilia poked him in the chest and nodded.

"Yep, still a gargoyle," Ilia confirmed.

"Hey!" Titus yelled at her causing Neela and Eliana to laugh. Titus wore a pair of shorts that were undoubtedly issued to him by the Atlesian Military, and nothing else. His body spoke for itself, he'd certainly have women swarming him at the beach and Ilia thought to mention it to him but decided against it for the sake of entertainment.

"Atlas grey shorts… and they're so drab…" Eliana complained. "We should have gotten you a better pair of shorts too."

"What's wrong with these?" Titus asked. Eliana puffed out her chest.

"Every morning…" She began before Titus clamped her mouth with his hand.

"I get it, thank you," he replied. She offered a thumbs-up as he released her and they all grabbed their bags, heading down towards the cliff together.

"The end of the year is so close!" Eliana announced.

"We'll be full-blown Huntsmen and Huntresses before you know it!" Ilia added.

"I'll get to go back to Atlas," Titus said with a smile. Neela looked up at him.

"That desperate to get back?" She inquired. Titus looked down at her and shook his head.

"It's not that," Titus said. "I think I'm finally enjoying my time here, but Atlas is where I'm from, and I am part of its military." Neela nodded, it was understandable.

"I wonder if we can convince Cobalt to wear a coconut bra top," Eliana pondered.

"That seemed like it came out of left field," Ilia stated. Eliana snickered.

"Nah, I was just thinking about how funny it would be," Eliana told her.

"There'd be an ultimatum," Ilia retorted. "He'd probably want you to wear one too." Eliana shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Eliana asked.

"No!" Neela exploded. Eliana looked back at her.

"Hm?" Eliana inquired.

"Neela couldn't stand to lose so much blood in one sitting," Titus whispered nudging her. Neela shoved him back.

"Nothing! You shouldn't do that, Cobalt is a perv," Neela corrected. "That's all I was thinking." Eliana licked her lips as she looked Neela over.

"Isn't that natural for us academy aged kids," Eliana asked. Neela looked to Ilia for help.

"She's kind of right," Ilia replied without looking back.

"That doesn't mean we should enable him!" Neela stated. Eliana rubbed her jaw.

"True," she nodded. Eliana slammed her fist into her palm. "I've decided, I won't do it!"

"Good," Neela exhaled.

"We can have you do it," Eliana said. Neela perked up again.

"Huh?" Neela stuttered.

"It's not enabling if they're just average-sized," Eliana explained. Neela slumped over.

"Come on, Elli!" Neela shouted. Titus and Ilia laughed.

"What?" Eliana asked. "You guys are always laughing at things I say and I can never follow along."

"Neela!" A voice shouted as they touched down in the city and Neela waved, seeing the people yelling at them well before the others.

"Who is it?" Eliana asked.

"Leuer and Honey!" Neela noted.

"Oh yeah, I invited them by the way! I hope that's okay!" Eliana explained.

"Of course!" Neela said. Honey nearly tackled Neela as they reached the team, Leuer right behind her as they knocked the leader of NITE to the ground and laughed. "How have you two been?"

"Great!" Honey yelled as she leapt to her feet and helped both Neela and her girlfriend to their own. Leuer signed something and Honey nodded. "Leuer says that she's good too, but she's wondering if you and Eliana have made anything official yet." They all looked at Honey who looked back at them. Titus drew his finger across his throat. "Something wrong?"

"Made what official?" Eliana asked. Honey nodded and chuckled nervously as her ears folded over and covered her eyes.

"That's a no," Honey told Leuer who facepalmed. "My bad."

"Nothing," Neela interjected.

"We saw you during the training in the woods!" Honey quickly changed the subject. "Leuer, Apophis, and I applied to join Beacon, but they told us that we'd have to wait until next year when the initiations start. Sounds like they'll let us stay together and just find a fourth member for us at some point."

"That'd be awesome!" Eliana cheered leaping into the air.

"Where is Apophis?" Titus asked.

"He stayed behind, not big on beaches," Honey explained.

"That's ironic," Ilia chuckled. Leuer nodded.

"Come on already!" Vincent yelled running up to Team NITE and grabbing Ilia by the arm. "The rest of you should hurry up, the food is almost ready!"

"We're coming!" Titus called back jogging ahead of his teammates with Leuer and Honey close behind.

"What a great way to start the summer!" Eliana told Neela as she took Neela's hand and led her onto the beach. "I love the feeling of the sand between my toes! We didn't really get to go to the beach back in Mistral, but mom took me a lot when we first moved to Patch." Eliana smiled. "It reminds me of home, just like you." Neela stopped and looked at Eliana, the girl's smile seemed brighter today, and Neela wondered if it was just her hormones acting up again. I remind Elli of home?

"I remember going to the beach on Patch with you," Neela said. Eliana gave her a playful push towards the rising tide. "Hey!"

"Yeah, you remember who always got pushed in first then?" Eliana asked. Neela planted her feet, struggling against Eliana's grip as the two of them grappled each other's hands and tried to push or pull the other one into the tide and throw them into the sand. In that moment, Neela didn't feel like she'd been at Beacon for a year with her best friend of about ten years. She felt like she was meeting Eliana all over again, that they were just a couple of friends seeing who could throw the other into the water first. Neela got one over on Eliana, whipping her around and sweeping her feet out, watching the curvy girl hit the mud as the tide washed up through her hair.

"I got you," Neela exclaimed as she climbed on top of Eliana and pinned her into the sand.

"What are you going to do with me?" Eliana asked, an eager smile on her face.

"He-!" Vincent began before Titus covered his mouth.

"I will end you," Titus growled.

What should I do with you, Eliana? Should I tell you? Can I finally bring myself to confess?

"You asked me before…" Neela told her, her face hot and red. "If I wanted you to teach me how to kiss…"

"Do you?" Eliana asked. They stared at each other for a long passage of time, Eliana eagerly awaiting whatever Neela would tell her as Neela lost her nerve above the girl. This was it, this was the moment. Neela moved in closer, holding her breath, willing herself to commit when fate took charge. The water crashed into them unexpectedly, waves caused by a larger cargo ship and they knocked them both over, allowing Eliana to scramble onto Neela this time. "My turn to make demands!" Neela's heart crashed to a sudden stop within her rib cage before she accepted the outcome, smiling at Eliana and nodding at her.

"And what would that be?" Neela asked.

"For the sake of getting Cobalt in the coconuts, you're wearing them too," Eliana laughed maniacally as she leaped off of Neela. She helped her up and Neela nodded her head as she laughed.

"Okay," Neela complied. I can do it. The next time, I will do it.

"Did you tell her?" Ilia asked Neela as Neela sat beside her at the campfire, leaning forward to roast the marshmallow on the end of her stick.

"Not yet," Neela told her.

"Not yet?!" Ilia blurted out as Neela hushed her. Ilia rolled her eyes and threw her arms out. "Now you're just starting to drive the rest of us crazy!"

"I think I'm just lucky that Ivory showed up in a coconut bikini," Neela laughed as she pulled the marshmallow back and blew the fire out.

"Don't change the subject!" Ilia demanded.

"I'll tell her when I'm ready," Neela insisted.

"Well," Titus asked sitting.

"You like hearing the classics?" Ilia inquired. Titus looked at the two of them before shaking his head.

"Neela…" Titus began.

"You two really need a hobby," Neela noted.

"That might be true, but we're just trying to watch out for you," Titus informed her. "Also, it's incredibly lucky for you that Ivory showed up wearing the coconuts."

"I know, right?" Neela remarked.

"She fills them out better," Titus detailed.

"Alright already," Neela replied. Eliana sat down next to Neela, eating the marshmallow off of her stick and smiling with the fluff draped from the top of her mouth to the bottom.

"Thanks," Eliana mumbled.

"Sure," Neela replied a bit shocked.

"Someone should tell a story," Eliana exclaimed after swallowing hard. "That would be the best way to end this!"

"Like a scary story?" Vincent asked sitting on the other side of Ilia on the same log.

"Or whatever," Eliana laughed.

"What are we all planning on doing this summer?" Neela asked thinking about it now that her head had cleared. "We won't be able to have another night like this?"

"Most of us are busy," Lykos said. "Bái and I are planning on exploring the countryside."

"Unless the school has something to say about it," Cobalt noted. "I have a summer project planned thanks to the extra spider drone I created that Neo didn't notice when removing me from the library."

"The school assigned that?" Eliana asked.

"No, but they could change their minds about what we're already planning," Cobalt reiterated. "I'd like to do the project, but maybe we'll have summer school or something." Eliana folded her arms, frowning.

"I hope not," Eliana said. "Neela and I were going to go work up in Atlas for the summer."

"Taking her with me for the first time," Neela beamed.

"Maybe I can go with the two of you," Titus suggested. "I need to check-in at some point during the break, and I'd love to see my mother." Titus looked at Ilia. "Where will you go?"

"IVRY and I are going on vacation together," Ilia explained.

"A tropical island owned by Vin's parents, not too far from Menagerie," Ivory explained. They all looked at Tawney who shrugged.

"I'll manage," she offered. She smirked. "Maybe I'll harass Cobalt the entire time."

"I would prefer that you don't," Cobalt fired back. She smiled.

"You might prefer that, but it doesn't mean that I won't," Tawney laughed. Honey and Leuer laughed.

"What about you two?" Neela asked them.

"We might go to Menagerie just to see what it's like," Honey said.

"We've always wanted to visit it at least once," Leuer signed for Honey to tell them.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Eliana asked admiring the moon as it sat gently on the horizon, just barely dipping into the water. "It's like there's no Grimm, no Neo-Salems, and no Fang… just us in this moment." Neela looked out, feeling the same emotions that had just overcome Eliana. The city of Vale was nothing but distant noise and all of the things that they should worry about weren't apparent. It caused them all pause. "Can't it just stay like this?"

Orion's case was one of the more curious that Cobalt had ever tasked himself with studying, but after reading over the countless pages of data and information that his AI and drone had collected for him, he was sure that this was the exact kind of weapon that they needed in order to harness, or even channel, Bái's powers. He'd dedicated himself to finding the answer after he felt partially responsible for her last notable outburst, something that they'd all come to learn the full extent of what had nearly happened that night, but none of them spoke openly about it. If he hadn't made that dampener it never would have happened, or at least he'd extrapolated. Sure, she'd had episodes before he'd given it to her, but they were mostly small and manageable. He owed her this much.

For the last few weeks after he finished studying for the night he'd wander the halls of the school's training building, the only one that was open after hours so the students could practice and use the weight room's exercise equipment at their leisure. Mostly he did laps slowly around the ground floor of the building, mumbling to himself as he crunched numbers and went over possible designs, listening closely as he discussed the matter over with his scanner's intelligence system, hoping that sooner or later he'd be able to piece two and two together and figure out just how they'd formed a Dust alloy weapon that permitted the channeling of a semblance.

Today, for the first time, he opted for meandering about in the subterranean levels, hoping that the change in scenery would trigger something in his mind that he hadn't calculated yet, or had somehow missed. As the elevator opened, he was startled at the sound of someone who sounded as though they were screaming in anguish, a pain that transcended a physical level, someone whose heart had been broken one too many times or had lost a loved one recently. The wailing washed over him, driving him to a pang of sudden guilt that didn't belong to him, and shaking him to the core. He moved quickly to find out who it was and see if he could offer them any comfort but wasn't prepared for what he'd find. He froze in the doorway of one training room, spotting the source of the overly audible tormented soul… Tawney.

She was wearing a black tank that was far too loose, making it easy to make out her heather grey training bra. She wore dark red basketball shorts that came down past her knees slightly, her back arched as her head was thrown towards the ceiling, her mouth agape as she let out another scream that startled. Her body quivered, fists clenched before she bent over, hands on her thighs as she heaved, out of breath, sweat drenching her body and dripping off of her nose. Was something wrong? Cobalt took another step into the room gently, he hadn't been noticed yet. Tawney wiped her brow, looking menacingly at the punching bag in front of her before taking a step back.

Her body jerked around, her eyes becoming gold and burning brightly as she gritted her teeth, he could see the energy coursing through her body, from her core into her arms, before finding a resting place in her fist where it was expelled, crashing into the punching bag in what felt like slow motion. It seemed as though the chain gave before the target itself absorbed the blow, planting itself in the wall on the far side of the room, leaving Tawney with a grimace on her face, trying to ignore the rage filling her. Her flames grew, her body engulfed as she screamed again, forcing Cobalt to shield his eyes before she dropped suddenly to the floor as everything returned to normal.

"Tawney?" Cobalt asked taking a step towards her. She glared up at him before looking away, her face bright red as she scanned the room for where she left her water bottle.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I never realized that you were trying so hard," Cobalt noted. The flames returned to her eyes as she stared through him, struggling to stand.

"Did it seem like I wasn't?" She demanded. "Was I just falling behind the rest of you while I was chasing after Neela? What was it all for anyway?! I saw the rankings last week, I'm not even in the Top 10 students for Year 1!"

"Tawney, I just meant that I didn't realize that you were putting in all of this extra training," Cobalt explained as he sat on a bench near the door.

"Where do you think I disappear to most nights?!" She inquired. "No matter how strong I get, no matter how much I train, it doesn't seem to make a difference!" Tawney stopped, noting something other than sweat rolling down her cheek, and she brushed it away. "What good am I if I'm not recognized? We're in second place, but when was the last time anyone recognized the work that we've done?"

"Maybe raw strength isn't the problem," Cobalt suggested.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Tawney asked. "I'm a fighter. It's all I'm good for. It's all that I've ever been good for."

"There's no way that she can win this time," someone in the crowd murmured.

"Her aura is as good as gone if he manages another solid hit," another mentioned.

"To think that she managed to hold that record for so long," a third wondered. Tawney could hear them, and through the pain and blood, she smirked, her eyes lighting up as she ducked his blow and focused all of her power into one hit, cracking the larger man in the jaw and dropping him to the ground, silencing any doubt that they held and replacing it with thunderous applause that drowned out her fatigue.

"The Maniac of Mistral has done it again, Tawney Lupara is undefeated through twenty-six fights!" The announcer screamed betraying professionalism and displaying his unashamed bias in the manner. "Come back Friday to see if the Maniac can hold her record for another fight!" Tawney couldn't be bothered to wait for them to open the gate of the makeshift fighting ring that was placed on top of the mud pit, leaping over the side instead and making her way through the crowd before anyone could stop her from the 'organization'. They were the ones that saw to it that the fighters showed up to their fights and that the people were charged lien for admittance and sometimes betting. She'd show up, there was no doubt about it, but she hated dealing with the logistics.

"Maniac!" Someone yelled stopping her. She turned around to find a small group of people approaching her quickly.

"You were amazing!" One of the women in the group told her.

"Can we get a picture or autograph?" They asked. Tawney laughed, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"Of course," Tawney agreed. Once she was finished with them she made her way back towards the streets from the alley but was stopped halfway there.

"Were you going to leave without receiving your pay?" A voice asked her from the shadows. Tawney turned towards them before scoffing and folding her arms.

"Just deposit it into my account like you normally do, or leave it with Rusty, at least he doesn't mind dealing with you assholes," Tawney told her.

"You can't avoid us forever," The voice informed her. "Enjoy it while you can, we will be contacting you soon, and you will comply."

"And if I don't?" Tawney asked.

"That would be very unwise," they said before heading back down the alley away from her. Tawney watched the woman until she was completely out of sight, slipping into the lingering crowd before disappearing entirely and Tawney continued her trek. The bottom level of Mistral, it was where everything that mattered happened. Bar fights, the fight club, murders, thefts, anything of excitement. Ever since the military had secured the city, naming it one of the safest places in all of Remnant, the crime had retreated to the lowest level and happened in secrecy. Anyone on the bottom two levels had to fight their way up through the social class system, leaving was damn near impossible. Why would Tawney want to?

She'd made enough money from fighting to afford living on the third level, and anything above that didn't interest her. They had country clubs, and horse tracks, things that were enjoyed by the rich and proper, but didn't hold any thrill value. It was a decent living that she was able to call her own, and the publicity was something that she would never grow tired of. She'd meant to get home straight away, being stopped several times before she was dragged into getting drinks, and before she knew it, she was bar crawling. The night was a blur, men and women all around, she vaguely remembered dancing, or how she got back home. She woke the next morning with a pounding headache, rolling over to find a girl in her bed that wasn't familiar to her.

This was the life, wasn't it? The life of a rockstar who had everything going for her. Women, Fame, Money. She'd stashed most of it away in her apartment, the rest of it in her account because it was easier to go out and pay with her card rather than carrying wads of it on her, but it wasn't like anyone was going to try and rob her, she'd end them before they could blink. Tawney sat up and stretched, noting the scars on her side, but not remembering incurring any during the fight. She looked the girl over before she tried to stand, becoming instantly nauseous. The alcohol must have rendered her aura useless, and her lover must have been insatiable, the claw marks ran deep. They would heal sooner or later and Tawney attempted finding her feet again, stumbling to the nightstand and dressing.

She had no time to waste here if she wanted to stay on top, she needed to get to the gym down the street and begin her daily training regiment. She threw open her door, taken by surprise as someone grabbed her arm and dragged her out, slamming the door behind her. She broke free, shoving him away as she cocked back, preparing to slug him before noting who it was.

"Red!" She yelled at him. "What the hell is the big idea?" Red shook his head, his arms folded as he looked down at her, he was a few inches taller and a few years older, though she had a hard time recalling how exactly he looked.

"You realize you're the only one who calls me that, right?" He asked her.

"Fine, killjoy. What do you want, Rusty?" She inquired.

"I have instructions for you here from the organization for Friday's fight," Rusty explained as he leaned against the wall. She groaned, rubbing her forehead as she sighed.

"I don't have a choice do I?" Tawney asked.

"You're not going to be ready for this," Rusty assured her. She looked at him concerned.

"What do they want?" Tawney asked.

"They want you to throw the match," Rusty told her. Tawney's eyes darkened and she shoved past him, heading down the street quickly. "Tawn!"

"I won't do it, Red!" She shouted at him.

"You don't have a choice!" Rusty called out chasing her down. "You know what they'll do to you if you don't comply!" She turned back and grappled him.

"I will not give up everything that I have just for the sake of them keeping things interesting! I don't care about their revenue, hell, they don't even have to pay me as long as I can fight and maintain my name!" Tawney informed him.

"Is that how you really feel?" Rusty asked her. She looked at him bewildered.

"Red, you've known me longer than anyone else," she said releasing him. "My parents were no names that died to Grimm in the countryside of Mistral. I want people to remember the name Lupara."

"These people don't deserve you," Rusty insisted before handing her a crumpled up piece of paper. "If you really won't lose that fight Friday, go to the place listed on that pamphlet after the bout and I'll take care of the rest." Rusty shoved her and walked away, leaving her even more confused but she looked the page over anyway. Beacon Academy…

"And if I can't make a name for myself here, what am I?" Tawney asked. "If I go back I'm nothing more than a ghost, and the organization will kill me."

"You won the final fight?" Cobalt asked.

"I refused to lose," Tawney informed him. "The feeling. The rush. To lose would have broken me." Cobalt stood slowly and nodded.

"I see the issue," Cobalt told her. Tawney's nose flared and she took a step towards him.

"Issue?!" She shouted.

"Rusty cared about your pride too much to tell you, but you are more than just a fighter!" Cobalt yelled back. He marched over to her, getting in her face and genuinely rendering her speechless. "You are a member of Team CBLT! You're our friend! And if nothing else, you are Neela's rival! You can't say that you're good for nothing but fighting! I couldn't ask for a better teammate! Not to mention the number of times that you've tagged along to help me on my stupid ass escapades without questioning it once!"

"Cobalt…" Tawney tried to interject.

"Don't give up! You're the driving force in this team! You're the only reason that we're in second place, to begin with! We'd be complacent!" Cobalt declared. Tawney bit her lip to hide her emotion, her body shaking.

"Cobalt…" She attempted again.

"It's not about being acknowledged for your deeds, but knowing that your deeds are what kept every one that you care about safe! We haven't come to Beacon to become celebrities, but to transcend an ideology of recognition to that of simply being appreciated for maintaining peace!" Cobalt announced before Tawney slammed into his chest and knocked him onto his back. He looked up at her shocked as she wiped a tear away and extended a hand.

"You got that from one of your stupid animes, didn't you?" she asked him. He smirked as he took her hand and she pulled him up.

"Not this time," he admitted. She flushed and chuckled.

"Thanks, Cobalt," she told him.

"Anytime, Maniac," he replied. He began to leave before she stopped him.

"What were you doing down here anyway?" Tawney asked.

"Trying to figure out how to make a device like the gauntlet that would be able to channel Bai's power, but I just don't understand how the alloy would work that way," Cobalt noted.

"What if it just gathers and contains it?" Tawney suggested. Cobalt thought about it for a moment. If Orion channeled the light energy into his gloved hand, it would make sense that he could use the gravity to expel it!

"That's it!" Cobalt shouted. He beamed at her. "You figured it out, Tawney! Thank you!" He took off running down the hall, heading back for the dorm to make a new schematic. Tawney shook her head, looking at the punching bag in the wall. He was right. She was all of those things. And maybe when it was all said and done, they'd say that Neela only made it as for as she did, because Tawney was always pushing her.

A glimpse into Tawney's backstory. Next week, Chapter 114 - Salem's Reach!

A big thank you to Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.

Until next week, stay classy!