Chapter 4: That Was Just the Warm-Up

Rainier and the White Wolf stared at each other for a long few moments, quietly.

"Remy…" the younger began uncertainly, body stiff with nervous energy. "How have you been? It's been quite some time!"

Remy leaned back into the booth's seat, turning out to look over the rest of the bar. "Quiet. Fall's been calm like always. Few patrols I've been on, everything looks good."

"And how's everything back at home?"

The White Wolf nodded. "Rafaela's good- tired, with the new business. Father's… father. Mother's… it's…" He trailed off, a touch of sadness bleeding into his expression. "...Getting that time of the year again."

"Ah… I suppose it is."

The two wolves lapsed into silence, a dark cloud beginning to settle over them. The mood was broken after a moment as a waitress came over, smiling at them, a paper held in hand. "What can-"

"Bourbon, double." Remy cut in shortly, not looking up at her, gaze turned back to his brother.

She blinked in surprise, doing a double take between the Vacuoans. "...Ah… ahkay? And you?"

Rainier smiled apologetically at her, giving her a small wave. "Just water will be fine."

She nodded, shooting the older Platina another curious look before marching off. Remy inclined his head, throwing an arm over the back of his seat. "I caught your fight against the Mistrali."

The younger Vacuoan's eyes went steely as he smiled. "Ah. So you did."

"Flew in just in time to come watch."

"…And? What scathing criticism do you have for me? What cutting words have you prepared?"

The White Wolf looked at his brother for a moment- before snorting. "It was sloppy."

Rainier chuckled, dipping his head low. "Of course you would-"

"It was sloppy. I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you- but you," The veteran warrior leaned forwards, stoic visage fading slightly into a look of coy appraisal. "That was fast, Rain. Very. Very fast. Faster than I've ever seen you run, and it's not close."

That brought the mirth back to the younger faunus' face. "Well... I did train every day."

The brothers stared off for a moment- Rainier's eyebrow cocked coyly, Remy's face slowly twisting to surprise. "...You're serious?"

"Deadly."

The White Wolf let out a snort- before it turned into a full-blown chortle, non-metallic hand slapping against the table-top. "That's a riot. Rainier Platina, bachelor through and through. Training."

The two Platina brothers shared a chuckle, before the younger let out a small sigh, turning towards the window. "...What did you think of my team?"

Remy's laughter trailed off, knuckle thrumming against wooden counter. "...The girl- short one. Your leader, right?"

"...Right."

"She's inexperienced. Panicked when she should've been calm, reacted when she should have waited- most importantly, though, she let you and the archer split off. A team dies as individuals. The archer girl wasn't much to scoff at either. She would've been slaughtered by the swordsman if you hadn't woken her up,"

Rainier grit his teeth together, turning his gaze downwards. His brother watched his expression for a moment, before continuing, "And the kid in the mech was a mess. Tough, till he lost an arm. It was like watching chickens run around with their heads cut off."

The younger faunus finally brought his eyes back up to meet his elder's own defiantly. "And yet they won."

"...Yet they won."

"Don't underestimate them, brother. I made that mistake as well. We may not be the most cohesive team, but we work in our own way. And that's all that matters to me."

The Vacuoans went quiet again, Remy's gaze softening. "...You grew up."

"I... I suppose I did."

"If you'd said these things to me a year ago, I would've said you were bullshitting me. But you... you've got that look in your eye," The White Wolf's arm extended out, clasping his brother on the shoulder. "You're hardly the same pup who left Tear's Fall."

"If it's any consolation... I admit that the Rainier that left home was a cocky prick."

Remy burst out into laughter again, leaning back in his seat. "You care about them, huh?"

Rainier shrugged, leaning back as well. "They're... like family to me. I'd die for them... I've almost died for them, actually."

"...Almost died for them."

"Yes, that is what I said."

Remy looked over as the waitress returned with their drinks- giving him a wink as she passed. "...You're going to need to explain that."

"...Well..." Rainier took a long drink. "It started the second day we were here. There was an ape..."

The four members of Team SSSN- Sun, Neptune, and their two teammates Sage Ayana and Scarlet David- marched out onto the center podium, grinning and waving up at the cheering bystanders above them.

The four gathered Vale teams cheered for the by-proxy friend, Blake looking down and catching Sun's eye, the two huntsmen sharing a smile as Team SSSN took stock of their opponents; an all female team hailing from Vacuo, Team NDGO.

Weiss leaned back, shaking her head as Neptune grinned at his opponents, shooting them duel finger guns. "He never stops, does he?"

Lance shrugged. "Man's got hustle, you can't fault that."

Jaune shared the shrug. "I mean… if it works for him, y'know?"

"You two are no better!" Weiss shot back.

"No better than Rainier either."

"That's not true! He's not a- a shameless flirt like you two Neanderthals."

Daria rolled her eyes. "Sure thing, Weiss. Sure thing."

Nora grinned, completely removed from the conversation at hand. "Bets! Any bets?! Which SSSN member goes down first and how hard?!"

"Neptune." Ren added calmly.

"Neptune." Ruby agreed, nodding.

"Neptune."

"Neptune."

"Neptune."

"Sun." Nash nodded.

Yang leaned forwards, turning to him with a frown. "Why Sun? He's our only friend on the team."

"Oh! He is? When did this happen? WHY WAS I NOT TOLD?!"

All eyes turned to him, blinking.

Blake tilted her head. "…We've known Sun for a while. You… you met him, remember? When we were making our plans to… go after the White Fang. Remember?"

"Mmnot ringin' any bells."

"He was at the docks, hon." Daria added, softly.

"Mmnope, still nothin'."

The display above the stadium lit up with activity, spinning as the biomes were decided: on NDGO's side; a sandy dune, a bright sun even appearing in to the sky, shining vividly around the stadium, getting Oracle and Yang to don their sunglasses with shared grins and a high-five. On SSSN's side… tidal waves; the area behind the Mistrali fighters gave way to a deep, verdant blue lake, a wrecked ship floating in its midst.

The four Vale teams watched as Neptune went stock still, trembling as he stared behind them at the deep depths of water, blue eyes widened to saucers.

Ruby frowned. "What's… wrong with Neptune?"

Blake ducked her head into her hands. "Oh no…"

Pyrrha frowned. "What's wrong, Blake?"

The faunus turned to her friends with a groan. "…Neptune's afraid of the water."

Lance leaned back in his seat. "Well that's just lazy parenting."

"Team NDGO of Shade versus Team SSSN of Haven! 3… 2… 1… Begin!"

Like a bolt, speed even rivalling Rainier's, Neptune was across the center platform, then to the other biome, perched high above the battlefield atop one of the dunes.

"Neptune, what are you doing?!" Sage barked out, throwing his hands up.

"Oh, you know… just gaining the higher ground!" The blue haired huntsman called back.

"On the enemy's side?!" Sun yelled, face exasperated.

"They would never expect it!"

One of the NDGO girls turned to her teammates. "He's not wrong."

Finally, the two teams, minus Neptune, dashed forwards, meeting each other in the center platform.

Rainier sighed, head bowing lowly. "Cerberus, their name was."

Remy's gaze turned to the side, face twisted into a scowl. "...Yeah. I've heard of them. Just whispers. They don't usually come far enough west. Damn White Fang."

"Yes, that was my thought as well."

"And only your leader got hurt?"

"Poisoned, yes. They let the rest of us go... thankfully."

"Why?"

"A message. To Ozpin."

Remy's face darkened further. "Of course it was Ozpin."

The younger Platina took a hesitant sip from his glass. "You've... met the Professor, then? History?"

"Only once," The White Wolf took a long drink from his whiskey in turn. "Short stretch with Shade Academy... that was my first thought that I didn't like the Huntsman Academies."

"Truly? I'd thought you two would get along just swimmingly." Rainier muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The older brother grunted. "Anyone that sends people out to fight their fights isn't someone that I trust. Or like."

Rainier cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? It's hardly as if he's the only one to do it."

"This?" He gestured around the duo. "Is all him. He makes this entire thing run. He's got hands in every Council, in every Academy, in every Kingdom. Sees all, hears all. 'Cept, it's students like you who die out there. Not him. A guy that high up doesn't stay alive this long without something wrong going on with him."

"So, I'm expendable, then?" Rainier asked, head cocked to the side.

"I don't know how he works. Whatever goes on in his head is beyond me; but every huntsman and huntress that dies out there leads back to him."

"Now you're starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist, brother- and pardon if I'm overanalyzing, but it seems like you have a little bit more history with him than a 'short stretch' at Shade."

Remy shook his head. "...It's just a hunch I've had for a while. Don't worry about it."

"Well, now you have me worried."

"Don't worry about it, really. You know me."

"Yes, yes," Rainier rolled his eyes. "Cynical as ever, brother. I've missed that, admittedly. All the cynics here are all far too friendly."

"Yin to your yang."

That drew a surprised, quick snort from the younger Platina, spluttering as water shot out of his nose. He waved his brother off, coughing for air around small chuckles. "I'm- I'm sorry. That's not nearly as funny out of context I imagine... ahem. Sorry."

Remy let out a quiet laugh, before cocking his head to the side. "You've got a room?"

"No, sadly, they've had me sleeping on the streets. It's cold and uncomfortable at first, but you quickly get- yes, I have a room. I suppose that's you asking me to take you."

"I wasn't going to say it like that, but sure."

"You're incorrigible."

The two teams collided, weapons flying as they attacked and parried each other. Sage met the blonde huntress from NDGO, taking a swing with his hulking sword, yelling out. She swung with her spear faster, the huntsman tumbling away, before rolling back to his feet with a scowl.

The huntress stead waved her spear at the sand coating the floor of the arena- three twisters began to form, swirling rapidly faster and faster, growing in size as they lurched towards the SSSN huntsman, Sage frowning at them, holding a hand up to ward off the wind and sand cutting at his face.

Without warning, the three twisters coalesced into one hulking one. The tornado picked the boy off the ground, his sword flying away as a scream ripped itself free from his throat, lifting off the ground, before going flying-

Far passed the edge of the arena, tumbling onto the tile flooring outside. He let out a yell of anger and slammed his fists into the ground.

"Sage Ayana has been eliminated!" Oobleck called out. "NDGO gains the advantage!"

Lance turned to his friends. "Oh, hey, speaking of, who all is heading to the doubles?"

"Myself and Yang," Weiss said matter-of-factly. "Obviously."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "'Obviously.'"

"Easy there," Daria muttered. "It was gonna be…" She turned to her team. "Rainier and…"

"You." Gail said with a nod, brown eyes earnest.

Nash, though, frowned. "I mean… I'm the one with the big robot…"

Shinai shook his head. "What happens when someone disables your suit, like Uliuli did in your last fight?"

"This is the second round, Nash," Pyrrha said more softly, reaching over to put a hand on the youngest huntsman's shoulder. "He's… got a point. You'd just leave Rainier in a two-on-one fight then."

"I… yeah. Guess you're right. So Rain and Daria then?"

The DRGN team leader smiled at him. "Don't worry. We'll win it for you, bud."

Lance turned to his own team. "So what do-"

"And Octavia Ember has been eliminated! We're down to 3-on-3!" Port called out, bringing the teams' attention back to the fight.

"Oh hey, fighting!" Ruby said, leaning forwards to reassess the battlefield.

Over in the dunes, Neptune and one of the NDGO huntresses had locked up, while Scarlet and the girl who had eliminated Sage were fighting back towards the center platform. Sun was off on his own, standing over the unmoving form of Octavia, surveying the battlefield himself.

They watched as the girl with the spear swung the weapon, another massive cyclone rising into the air and swooping Scarlet into its winds, lifting him off of his feet. After a few moments, it flung him away, sending off towards the deep swathe of water, painfully close to either drowning or getting ringed out.

At the last second, though, he turned, diving onto part of the last remaining mast of the shipwreck, nearly falling before quickly righting himself, finding his feet, blinking owlishly. It took only for a moment before the last member of NDGO turned her attention to him, charging forwards and firing bolt after bolt with her crossbow at him, before sinking one into the base of the mast itself. She leapt into the air, using the bolt to further propel herself upwards, joining Scarlet atop the shipwreck, folding the limbs of the crossbow to form a wicked, silver sword aimed at the other swordsman's face.

The two locked blades, slashing at and parrying each other skillfully, dueling back and forth across the length of the mast. After a moment, the huntress found an opportunity, pushing her blade against his and began forcing him down, his back to the post as he grit his teeth against the force.

She only held the advantage for a moment, though, before he ripped his sword free, shouldering her away to gain some breathing room. He took a swing at her, getting her to raise her guard- then feinted, smashing his elbow into her and sending her careening off of the mast, crashing into the beach far below.

"So what about you guys?" Oracle asked, giving Jaune and Pyrrha a quick look.

"We were thinkin-" Jaune started.

"Cause it's gotta be Pyrrha." Yang added.

Ren nodded sagely. "Of course."

"Oh my gods- it's gonna be Jaune, isn't it?" Daria asked, turning surprised eyes from the fight to the blonde leader of Team JNPR.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean… we know each other like the back of… each other's… hands- that metaphor got out of control really quickly."

Pyrrha smiled. "He's right though. We've been training together for months-"

"Privately?" Oracle whispered, pushing her sunglasses down her face to stare intently at the red-headed huntress.

"I… oh, hey, the fight is still on, haha!" Pyrrha called out, chuckling nervously as she turned pin-prick green eyes back to the battlefield.

The gunslinger slowly looked away, own emerald eyes narrowing, mouthing: 'I will find out.'

Jaune stared between the two huntresses, sweat beginning to drip down his face from the intensity of their stares, slowly sinking back into his seat.

Far below, in the battlefield below, Scarlet fired from his massive pistol, a grappling hook soaring out over the battlefield to hook the ankle of the huntress fighting Neptune, the cord zipping as she came flying back towards the center platform, then to the ocean biome beyond it. The SSSN fighter dropped from the mast as the girl began rising into the air, coming to a stop as his feet touched the ground.

She let out a yelp as she fought to keep her skirt in place from her position, scowling as dozens of knives began to fall from her dress, clattering uselessly onto the sand below-

And all around Scarlet, the boy freezing in an awkward stance as he somehow managed to avoid every blade raining down from above. Once the onslaught had finished, he relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

Far across the battlefield, the girl with the spear turned her attention to Sun, raising her spear as she dashed forwards. The monkey faunus yelped as he caught sight of her, turning to the palm tree a few feet from him. He dashed forwards and leapt, kicking it as hard as he could- he was rewarded with a couple of coconuts falling from its leaves, catching them victoriously, before hurling them at the girl.

She scowled back at him and the approaching improvised missiles, swinging her spear again. The coconuts' momentum stopped, then quickly reversed, catching flames as they soared back the leader of Team SSSN's direction, with immense speed. Sun's eyes widened and he let out a 'meep', scrambling down to dodge the flaming missiles, narrowly avoiding them, before sighing; completely unaware of the path they were travelling.

The coconuts soared across the battlefield, travelling from biome to biome, before finding a new target. The first one slammed into Scarlet's face, his eyes rolling up as the beginnings of an 'ow' spilled from his mouth-

The second one, though, hit much lower, smashing with uncomfortable force into his nethers.

He went stock still, hands shooting to cup his gonads as a high-pitched squeak escaped his lips, and he slowly teetered to the side, crashing into the sand.

"And… Scarlet… David- ahem. Has been eliminated," Port called out, voice strained with discomfort. "Someone get him some ice?"

Lance rose to his feet, placing a fist to his mouth as he winced, before raising it in a salute. "Gods' speed, David. Gods' speed."

Nash frowned. "Wait, I'm confused."

Ruby and Daria shared a look, the latter frowning as she struggled to find the words. Finally, Pyrrha ruffled the boy's hair. "Rainier will tell you when you're older."

"Ahkay."

"NEPTUNE!" Sun shouted out, voice strained with urgency. "COULD USE SOME HELP HERE, BUDDY!"

Neptune himself shifted uncomfortably from his position still safe in the dunes. "Uh, you know, uh, it would probably be better if you came over here! Yeah! I can guard this… sector! We're in lockdown mode, brotha!"

The leader of SSSN watched the girl with the crossbow shoot down the girl dangling from Scarlet's rope. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! THERE'S NOTHING TO LOCK DOWN!"

"LOCKDOWN?! RIGHT! YOU GOT IT!"

The girl with the spear took a stab at Sun, narrowly missing as he dodged away. "Dude! I know you're afraid of water, but you gotta-" He cut himself off as Neptune fired a large blue blast from his gun, catching the leaping spear-wielding huntress in the air and sending her tumbling back and into the water.

"There!" The blue-haired huntsman shouted. "Are you happy now?!" He paused. "…Also, I am not afraid of water, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

The other two members of NDGO dashed into the water, helping their teammate up and aimed their weapons at Sun.

"NEPTUNE!" The faunus barked, stomping his foot in frustration.

The aforementioned Mistrali groaned in irritation, taking off at a run to the battle. "Fine! Just get out of the water, you friggin'…"

He trailed off into grumbles as he reached the other combatants, his gun unfolding and forming into a trident that he gripped tightly as he got closer and closer to the water, and Team NDGO. He tip-toed closer and closer, closing his eyes tightly- before dipping the tips of his trident into the water.

Like a flip had been switched, the water lit up with electricity, blue lightning running across its length violently. The three girls began spasming, eyes widening as the electricity coursing through their bodies, falling to their knees as a buzzer sounded out.

"And with that, Team SSSN moves on to the doubles round!" Port called out. "You know what I call that victory, Dr. Oobleck?"

"Shocking?"

"No. Well earned. What you said is stupid."

Lance stared down at the arena floor with wide eyes, rising to his feet. He threw his hands up. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

Daria's hand reached for the door handle- before she froze, frowning. The door was already open.

"Well that's disconcerting…" She muttered as her hand went to her ringblade, slowly pushing the door all the way open. Her body relaxed as she looked inside, brown eyes meeting two pairs of yellow.

The Platina brothers stared at her as she entered, one blinking in surprise, the other just… blinking.

Rainier shook his head slightly. "Ah, Dearest Daria!"

"'Dearest Daria?'" Remy grumbled.

"Oh hush. How was the match?"

"It was… different," The leader of DRGN mumbled. "I don't think we've been introduced?"

"Ah!" The younger faunus said with a start, before quickly marching to her side, broad grin splitting his face looking… strained. "How rude of me. Daria Copper of Mistral- this is Remyngton Platina of Vacuo, son of Leonardo and Camilla Platina, and the current White Wolf. Remy- Daria."

The taller Platina looked at his brother for a moment before extending his non-metallic hand, shaking the much smaller girl's own. "How many times has he done that?"

"That's… the first time in a while."

"Lucky."

The trio stood silently for a moment, before Rainier yet again recovered. "Ah, I was just showing Remy our room- he'd been curious, it's not often a Platina spends a large amount of time outside Tear's Fall, so I figured it wasn't too much of a problem to show him where I'd been staying."

"And?" Daria asked, crossing her arms as she locked eyes with the elder Platina. "Does it meet your standards?"

He stared back down at her, crossing his arms as well- much more impressively, though. "Girl, I've spent most of my life sleeping in the sand, under the stars. The better question is if it's up to his standards."

Rainier chuckled nervously. "Yes, well, anyways, Remy, anything else you'd like to see, or do? My home is yours for as long as you need."

"No. Go. Spend time with your team. I'm going to go finish getting settled in. I'll call you shortly," With that, the White Wolf marched to the door, rotating his robotic arm reflexively. He stopped halfway out, turning over his shoulder to his brother and Daria. "…We're all proud of you, pup." He nodded again and left, closing the door solidly behind him.

The Vacuoan watched his brother go for a long moment, lips pursed in quiet thought.

"You alright?" The diminutive huntress asked, stepping to the side to perch on one of the room's office chairs. "You seem nervous."

"I… well, he's my brother after all. And… it's been nearly a year since the last time I saw him. He's my idol. I… do truly want to impress him."

"I've seen Rainier Platina in 'impressment' mode. That was… weirder."

He sighed as he looked to the ground. "…You know… none of them wanted me to come here?" His leader blinked, tilting her head. "My mother was terrified I was going to come to a foreign kingdom just to die. He and Rafaela were concerned that I was going to run myself into the ground chasing pride and honor. My father… he… well- I was never the fighter in my family. I was the romantic, the musician, the entertainer. He was certain I'd come out here and fail. In his defense, it may have been out of a fatherly desire not to see me fall so gloriously. May have."

Daria stared in mild shock at him for a moment. "Rainier Platina. One of the top fighters in this entire friggin' tournament… they thought you wouldn't make it?"

"Like I said; I wasn't the fighter. Talented, yes, but I've never been one to train, to make myself do the hard work. I came out here because of that. I just… want to make them proud. My family is one burgeoning with brilliant fighters. Even my sister, a bloody businesswoman, is a phenomenal, born fighter."

His leader continued to watch her friend. "…You know you're my best friend, right?"

"I… no. I did not."

"You're… my favorite. If everyone else left, and I just had you left… I think I'd be fine."

Rainier stared at her with narrowed eyes. "Buuut… you still wouldn't let me take you on a date?"

"You… oh, hon. I'm more into… curves."

"Oh. Oh! OH! That makes so much sense!"

"Yuh-huh."

"So… I suppose we're more-"

"You're like a brother to me, Rain."

He raised a hand to his heart, blinking in surprise. "I… hadn't thought I'd meant that much to you."

She shrugged as she pushed away from the wall, rolling over to where he was sitting on one of the beds. "Even after your douchebaggery at the dance, I can't stay mad at you forever," She leaned against his shoulder, getting him to lean back. "When… before we go on break, I think want to tell you about my brother."

"You have a brother? And I was not aware of this why?"

"I… don't know. I feel bad. You've shared everything about your family with me, and I haven't told you anything about my life. Once the tournament's over, I'll tell you. Once it's over, though. I don't think I'm strong enough to have a mental breakdown then go on fighting, like you are."

"If… it's any consolation… you are my best friend as well. More so than Lance, or Nash. We do have a connection that far out-reaches most I've made in my life. And… you are far stronger than you'll ever know, Dearest."

"…Thanks…"

The duo sat in silence for a long few moments, staring at the door as the warm light of the setting sun shone in on them.

She turned up to him, previously soft brown eyes going seriously dark. "Hey, Rain?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"What's going on with you and Weiss?"

The faunus went stock still. "I… have no idea what you mean."

She pulled away from him. "Don't play dumb with me, I've been watching you two- you in particular- since the tournament's started. Do you… have a crush on her?"

He put a hand to his heart, now in indignation. "Daria! Rainier Platina, the brother of the White Wolf does not have crushes!" She simply stared at him, unimpressed look not fading. Slowly, his resolve crumbled, and he slouched in his seat. "…I don't know what to do-"

"So you do have a crush on her!"

"No! Not… quite."

"Are… you in love with her?"

"I… don't know. Let- let me explain to you who Rainier is- he is a romantic, dauntless and unattached. I have romanced quite a few girls in my time, from Tear's Fall, across the Vacuoan peninsula, and now, even in Vale itself. And I never. Never. Fall in love. I'm like Lance- except instead of breaking up with them over text, I take them on a final date and give them flowers as an apology and farewell gift-"

"Wow, I hate you so much right now."

"Yes! Exactly! That is why I always thought I could never snag you; you didn't want to be swept off your feet, showered with adoration, and inevitably left behind. Spending this semester with you, I'd… forgotten what it was like to lead an empty fling with a poor girl who didn't deserve to get caught up with me. Never mind that, though, the point remains- any and all relationships I've had have been with susceptible girls who were just waiting for their Prince Charming to save them from their dull lives. Enter guitar playing, smooth talking, charming Rainier with the beautiful accent."

"Okay, none of that is Weiss though."

He sighed. "…Exactly. How many boys have tried to earn her favor over the course of the year? Countless, yes? She turned them all down. Even Neptune- Neptune!- couldn't catch her. She doesn't want to be swept off her feet, just like you. She wants to be solitary and alone, and strong on her own. I've… never met anyone like her, not even you. It's… so very alien to me, and yet it makes my heart sing in a way it never has."

Daria sighed, leaning back. "I mean, you guys are pretty similar though. You're both musicians who come from influential families who came here, from far-off kingdoms, on your own. You probably feel some connection to her."

"Perhaps. Perhaps. Nevertheless, I… feel an attraction to her that is absolutely curious. I can't get her out of my head. I think about her anytime I have no distractions. When we're all together, the only thing I want to do is talk to her. I… I don't know. And that terrifies me- but is oh-so scintillating in the same breath."

She nodded. "You've got it bad, Rain. And, as your newly-dubbed sister- as much as I disapprove- it's my duty to help you here."

He stared at her, before chuckling. "You're a strange girl, Dearest Daria. But you don't have to do this. It's not your problem to decipher."

"No, I don't, but I can at least lend some advice."

"Very well then."

"You can't just flirt with her, flutter your eyelashes and expect her to come running to you. She's not a shallow girl like that. But she's also not a fight nerd like you or Yang, so you're not gonna impress her with some feat of athleticism in our doubles match. You've gotta think… what exactly do you two have super intrinsically in common?"

"I… well, you've discovered my problem as well, congratulations!"

Daria gave him an unimpressed look. "Music, Rain. Music."

"…You're not wrong-"

"Weiss has got her own problems, and has got no time to spend with people who don't have her best interests in mind. You've gotta do something that tells her how much you really care about her. That's all on you though."

"Well, that's… help… ful…" His eyes widened. "My gods!" He shot to his feet, giving her a dramatic kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back later tonight!" He disappeared from the dorm in a silver blur, grabbing his jacket on the way out.

She watched him go, hand reaching up to touch her cheek. "…I don't even know what's going on anymore."

Team SOUL stared up at Amity Colosseum, eyes watching the last of the bystanders and officials leave in the last flurry of ships descending from its surface.

"So Rainier's brother, the White Wolf came back. Then, like, an hour later, Weiss' sister, some kind of Atlesian specialist? Comes back. What are the odds?" Lance asked out, finally breaking the silence, legs dangling off the edge of the pillar he was perched on.

"To be fair, it's the Vytal festival, darlin'," Oracle shrugged, sitting beside him. "I think it'd be weirder if more people's families didn' show up. Anyone else expectin' famous relatives to come 'round?"

There wasn't a response for a long moment.

"Well…" She muttered. "That's just depressin'."

"No problem, though," Lance cut in, stretching languidly. "We've got each other, eh? That's all I need."

"D'aw."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even broody down there, yeah, I'm talkin' to you Ul'."

"Shove it." The hulking teen muttered back, sitting on the dirt, leaning against the pillar.

"Love you too, bud."

Shinai looked up from his own position, sitting cross-legged. "Have we decided on who is fighting in the doubles?"

"Well, one's gotta be you, captain," Oracle said, cocking her head to the side pointedly. "But… I guess you and Lance then."

Ulysses was silent for a moment before grunting his assent, nodding his head.

Shinai nodded as well. "Then it's decided. Lance, you and I-"

"Guys," The blonde swordsman cut in quietly. "Shinai and Ulysses."

Oracle tipped her hat back, looking over to him. "You sure? Not like Lance Zaffre to give up a chance for glory."

The leader of Team SOUL rose to his feet, frowning up at his teammate. "Explain."

Lance sighed. "Ignoring that I got eliminated in our first fight-"

"That's not your fault, hon-"

"Oracle, it's fine. It happened, I'm not gonna act like it didn't… I'm the slowest fighter here. I hit wide, and hard, but I'm slow. A good enough fighter- especially two good fighters'll take advantage of that," His face hardened as he pointed down to the frowning face of Ulysses. "But you throw the big guy in there, next to Shinai? That's two fighters who can cover up each other's weaknesses. You get Ul to rush 'em, swingin' Avenger all over the place, then have the captain stay back, pickin' his spots to pick whoever you're facing off? That's a perfect strategy for the duos. I'm great at fighting grimm, and I'm excellent at fighting in a group- but I'm a piss poor duelist, and you guys all know it. It's gotta be you two."

The other three members of SOUL were silent for a long few moments as the sun continued to set on them.

Shinai slowly began to nod. "Well thought out, Zaffre."

Ulysses watched his partner for a moment. "…You sure, swordsman?"

Lance raised a hand, gesturing off to Vytal Colosseum. "Look where we are, Ul. This is bigger than me. Yeah, I'm sure. I'll make that call if no one else will."

Oracle stared at him silently, sunglasses pulled from her face, expression unreadable.

"It's settled. Myself and Ulysses," Shinai nodded, purple eyes… reassessing Lance's face, head cocked to the side. "We'll start working on strategy tomorrow. We've got the last day of teams before the doubles round will start. We'll work on the game plan and training until then. Understood?"

The hulking member of SOUL rose to his feet, nodding. He watched the duo perched above his head for a moment, before extending his hand. Oracle was the first to take it, letting Ulysses help her down. He outreached his hand again.

After a moment, Lance took it, hopping down. The partners didn't let go for a moment, black eyes staring into blue.

"I was wrong about you." Ulysses muttered, nodding.

"If it's any consolation, bud- I was too. I was too."

A/N: Now, I know what you're thinking: 'Kota, you were doing so good! You were on a roll, then you went dark for another month. Shame. SHAME!'

Hold your horses, torches, and pitchforks, friends. I've actually written five chapters in the meanwhile. They were all just…

The first five.

That's right, the long-awaited re-writes for Volume 1 are here! With new characterization, better storytelling, dialogue, world-building, and scene setting! If you'd like, give 'em a re-read. Nothing actually changed, of course, but it is just… a better volume. If you're anxious for more Dragon Soul.

If you're reading this after starting with the re-writes, then ignore this message.

Back to fightin' next chapter.

Cheers,
Infernokota