2 Years Prior
Small Village of Valkryite
"Velveeeet."
Velvet was still very much asleep, despite the fact that the sun was shining through the window next to her bed. She did not wish to wake up, but was forced to when she felt a hard object poke into her abdomen underneath her nightgown.
"Velvet. Wake the Hell up." The voice outside her window said in a singing voice. Velvet groggily opened her eyes to see her best friend Coco Adel leaning in the windowsill with her usual grin.
"Good Morning, Beautiful." She said in a joking manner.
Suddenly embarrassed, Velvet covered herself with her blanket and felt her face become hot as she blushed.
"Aww, c'mon. It's nothing I haven't seen before. Hurry up and get dressed. The Beacon Academy entrance exams are today, remember? Get dressed, so we can go together!"
Velvet had completely forgotten about the exams in her daze. She rushed over to her closet and quickly pulled out her Golden/Brown battle outfit. Velvet quickly bathed and put said Outfit on. She nearly ran out of her house without her Semblance camera. Velvet rushed back to retrieve it from her nightstand before running out of her door to meet Coco outside. Velvet did not bother call out to her mother or little brother, knowing fully well that they, too had likely slept in.
Coco leaned against Velvet's house, sunglasses on and gatling gun handbag slung over her shoulder. The bright sun lit up her pale white skin, even though Velvet was perfectly aware that she would never tan. Upon seeing Velvet round the corner, Coco smiled and stood upright. The two began to run towards the town square along a path that interjected through the heavy woods that surrounded Velvet's family's home.
Shadows cast down around them as the sunlight was impeded upon by the mass foliage. Velvet was tempted to stop and take a photograph of the beautiful scenery, but thought better of it due to their lack of time. Rather, they continued sprinting through the woods until they reached the gates of the village.
From there, they sprinted past the familiar shops to the towering monument that depicted a vague Hunter standing over a defeated Beowulf. They all looked similar to Velvet as she and Coco sprinted past. They were insignificant to her now, her only focus being the sound of cheers emanating from the square.
After what seemed like an eternity, Velvet and Coco finally reached the square and pushed their way through to the front of the crowd watching. They saw the end of the fight between two teens their age who went by the names of Hansel and Pyrite.
Valkryite was one of the many villages that participated in this form entrance exam into Beacon Academy: a fighting tournament among all of the interested would-be Hunters and Huntresses of the town. There were 4 brackets in the town, and the winner of each bracket would be accepted into the Academy. Velvet and Coco signed up for the tournament the moment that the sign-up sheet was posted in the square. This was the exact reason that the cobblestone streets were currently filled with people who crowded around a ring, waiting for the chance to see their loved ones in combat.
In actuality, there were 8(sometimes 9 or 10) winners in the tournament. A few spots were left open in the event that there was an exemplarly performance given by a person who came in second) Huntsmen and Huntresses who would be accepted into Beacon Academy by the end of the Tournament. There were four brackets for both males and females in Valkryite to compete. The four brackets were listed by letter, and Velvet and Coco had arrived at the ring just in time to see the end of "D" bracket for the men. The fight had just ended with Hansel as the loser, on his back while his sister Greta had rushed into the ring to aid her older brother. Hansel had struggled to prop himself up on his forearms, then his knees, then both. Velvet watched as the red earth that Hansel kneeled upon became stained with the splotches that the tears from his eyes produced as they fell to the ground.
His now-disheveled blonde hair covered his face from Velvet's view, but it did not matter. They had seen each other several times over the course of their short lives, and Velvet had remembered his face well. Not only because Velvet had an impeccable memory, but because he was the type of physically attractive teenage boy that all of the schoolgirls in Valkryite (Velvet included, at times) would helplessly fawn over and fantasize about. He was the type of specimen that one would see playing a role of a character in an Atlas picture or as a frontman in a boy band.
Hansel had extremely accentuated cheekbones and an unusually strong chin to accompany his carefully combed blonde hair. If memory served, he was approximatley 5'10 with an extremely large set of muscles to go over. Velvet had heard one too many times in the classroom vivid conversations among her female(and few male) counterparts speculated over his size and the precise measurements that his physique must have possessed. His build was due largely to his upbringing and current occupation.
He had worked at his father's lumber mill ever since he was able to lift a log and swing an ax, and simulataneously trained himself (with his father's assistance) to become a Huntsman. It was rumored that, for Hansel's 13th birthday, his father sent him out into the woods with nothing but food, water, and a knife. His father apparently told him that he was not allowed to return home until he had killed a Beowulf (the one type of Grimm that ruled the woods that surrounded the village). No one knew whether or not he actually accomplished the feat, only that his father paraded him around the village afterwards and bought him his first shot of alcohol at Valkryite's only pub. Everyone had a good idea of what happened the day previous to merit such actions.
No pride could be seen in Hansel's eyes now, however, as he rose up. After rising up and removing the hands from his face, Velvet could see the dry tears and the redness in his eyes. She felt a small sense of pity and disillusionment. She could imagine how all of the people watching the same scene that she was felt their hopes and fantasies come crashing down. Velvet imagined that they likely felt the worst sensation that anyone could in their young lives: the realization that the person they deified, the peer that they built up as their hero, was nothing more than that: a person, a normal peer of their own.
After a period of several seconds, two Tournament moderators calmly walked into the ring to gently usher the brother and sister off. They complied without incedent, and Velvet knew from years of watching this as an ineligible spectator that the women's segment of the Exam would begin. Coco and herself were made aware days ahead of time of the slots that they were given in the Tournament. In order to maintain fairness, no competitors were given any foreknowledge of who they would be facing off against. Velvet and Coco were both placed in the "A" bracket, with Coco being first in the women's segment. Velvet would be given a spot in the second match.
"Attention: the women's segment of the Beacon Academy Entrance Physical Exam will begin in approximatley 10 minutes. First up: Coco Adel VS. Tierra Acielo. On Deck: Velvet Scarlatina VS. Icarina Daedalusant. I repeat: the women's segment of the Beacon Academy Entrance Physical Exam will begin in approximatley 10 minutes. First up: Coco Adel VS. Tierra Acielo. On Deck: Velvet Scarlatina VS. Icarina Daedalusnt. Thank you."
Coco and Velvet looked at each other. Coco smiled and whistled in a single, descending tone that conveyed amusement, prompting Velvet to laugh.
"Damn. I'm totally upset now." Coco said with disappointment.
"Why? Fighting Acielo will be a cakewalk for you."
"Exactly. Do you know why I signed up for this Exam crap in the first place?"
Velvet stopped and looked up at the clear sky. She put her indedx finger to her mouth and pondered the answer. She felt slightly embarrassed that she had not thought to answer earlier.
"Is it because I signed up for it?"
"Well, duh. But it was also because...well, you know me. I live for any kind of challenge and the opportunity to kick some ass and take names. This Exam, aside from the boring written crap, offers all of that. Fighting against a joke like Tierra is no challenge. I probabaly won't be able to even use my cannon."
"Speaking of, you didn't bring any live rounds today, right?" Velvet asked.
Coco tilted her head back and laughed heartily.
"You know me too well. Unfortunatley, any type of Semblances that can be considered 'lethal' have been forbidden. So," Coco pulled up her bullet belt from her shoulder to reveal her bullets that were tipped with a rubberry green substance. "Rubber bullets. What about you? Any inhibtions?"
"Well, you do recall how I'm unable to currently harness some of my more lethal Hard-Light copies without creating a risk to sparring partners and the like?"
"The memory of you nearly putting a copy of Icarina's arrows through my chest is still fresh in my mind, so I'm gonna have to say yes."
"Well, because of that, I'll have to limit what copies I use and how I use it. So that means no shooting arrows or swinging swords at people. If anything, I'll have to stick with Hand-to-Hand combat."
"What if you use your "Special Move" that you've been practicing behind you've been practicing at your house?"
Velvet let out a small yelp of surprise at the mention of her new attack move. She clutched Coco's wrist tightly and lowered her voice.
"How do you know about that?"
Once again, Coco laughed, this time stifling it by placing her fist over her mouth. She quickly removed it, and looked away momentarily. After a period of what Velvet perceived to be deliberation into what she was about to say, she looked back at Velvet and lowered her sunglasses enough so that she could see the sunlight glint off of her silver eyes. She always kept them hidden so that she wouldn't have to bear the constant questions about the legends and what abilities she may or may not have. Coco was the only person that Velvet knew who had the extremely rare trait. They were the most beautiful set of eyes that she had seen thus far in her life. Velvet could count on both hands the number of times that she had had the chance to see them in her life.
"Velvet, I know everything about everyone in this little village. You remember how I knew that Hansel was cheating on his girlfriend before anyone else? Just by the way that he looked at her after a certain night spent with a certain person? Well, it's a lot like that here. I noticed that, in the days leading up to today, you were less than enthusiastic to have me as a sparring partner. 'Well, that's not like her.' I thought to myself. 'She's not the passive-aggressive type, so it can't be that. If she were pissed off at me for something, I know she would tell me.' I decided to do a little snooping and followed you back to your house. I hid in the woods, and waited until you went outside to train. That was when I saw. I looked away just before to pull out a sandwich that I had brought along, when I was drawn back by a huge green glow. Velvet...what do you call it?"
Velvet felt quietly embarrassed at the realization that she had not thought to name it before. She'd simply called it her "Special Move"up until that point.
"I haven't really thought about it yet." Velvet replied sheepishly.
"Well, with a move that powerful and that bright, I'd give it a super kick-ass name. Why not..." Coco paused to deliberate for a moment, then finished her thought. "Kick of a Thousand Suns?"
Velvet laughed a little, and agreed to the title.
"Attention: Can we please have Ms. Adel and Ms. Acielo to the ring. Coco Adel and Tierra Acielo to the center of the ring. Thank you."
Coco looked in the direction of the loudspeaker and smiled. She cracked her knuckles and stretched her arms behind her.
"Showtime." She said.
The two hugged and smiled at each other.
"Good luck." Velvet said.
"Ok, one last thing. We all know that Icarina is a stuck-up little thing, and she's probably gonna find something to try to get under your skin. When she does, you find something to throw right back. You tend to get a little heated when you're fighting, and letting her piss you off for the wrong reasons is gonna be the thing that gets you knocked out of the tournament. Other than that, you'll do fine. She's the pompous type who's abilities don't hold a candle to you. Kick some ass, and make sure to watch me do the same. Got it?" Coco pushed her sunglasses up to conceal her silver eyes.
"When don't I?"
With that, Coco waved and turned her back to Velvet, walking toward the ring where she her destiny would be realized. Velvet silently admired the poise and confidence that could be seen in the manner in which Coco watched towards the ring. It was as if Coco had herself convinced that there was no foe that she could defeat. In times like those, a more outspoken and confident Velvet thought the same thing. The two of them were excellent fighters who would make even more excellent Huntresses someday. At the last moment, Coco turned back and called Velvet's name once more.
"I expect to see you in the finals!" Coco shouted.
"Of course! If anyone's gonna put you in second place, it's gonna be me!"
"Ha! Second place. Sure."
Coco turned and stepped into the ring. Velvet pushed her way through the crowd to the very edge of the ring. She saw Coco pop her neck and rest one of her hands on her hip and the other on her handbag that she had not yet morphed into her gatling gun. Velvet's attention was then turned to the opposite side of the ring where Coco's competitor entered. It was Tierra Acielo, with her mother standing next to her while holding a leather case.
Tierra's mother kneeled down and unlatched the case. She revealed what appeared to be a worn pair of dark brown gardening gloves and handed them to her daughter. Tierra smirked at Coco as she carefully placed the gloves over her hands, with no apparent reaction from Coco. The two refused to take their eyes off of each other. It was as if they both aimed to find some sort of last-minute weakness that they could use against each other.
"Can we please have all non-competitors exit the ring. I repeat: All non-competitors exit the ring."
Tierra's mother hugged her daughter, then whispered "Good Luck" into her ear (Velvet could hear much more than the average human due to her sensitive rabbit-ears) before exiting the stage. It was at this moment that she could hear Tierra begin to mutter panic ramblings under her breath about her qualifications to be in the Tournament. Tierra pondered if Coco would cut her slack for her lack of experience. This last remark caused Velvet to laugh internally.
Not a Grimm's chance in Hell.
Even if Velvet did not know who Tierra was, she could tell just how inexperienced and nervous the young girl was. Under her sleeveless black and white striped summer dress, the heavily tanned, dirty blonde girl was shaking in a not-so-subtle manner. Her knees were buckling as if they threatened to give way any second. She had bright green eyes that struggled to conceal the anxiety that was coursing through her veins. Velvet saw as Tierra shifted her weight on each foot that her form was almost nonexistent.
This is going to be short and ugly. Velvet thought with a small sense of amusement.
"Combatants: are you ready?"
As everyone taking the exam was instructed to do, Coco and Tierra both raised their right hands in a fist. This set off a long tone that was followed by two more to countdown the beginning of the round. The final tone to officially commence the match sounded, its pitch a higher and longer tone than the three previous. With that, the first match had officially began.
Each match was three rounds long, with each round being 7 minutes. It rarely lasted that long, however. In most cases, the match would end prematurely as one of the combatants would knock the other unfit for further battle. The only times it would last the full 21 minutes were when the two combatants were so equally matched that they could not get the better of the other.
When the final signal sounded, Velvet saw a small smile appear on Coco's face. That was one of the many things that Coco and Velvet had in common in those days: each of them lived for the thrill of battle. Years after those days, Velvet would both fondly and remorsefully recollect those feelings, and often guiltfully long for a small excuse for her to let those emotions freely flow once more. It was those feelings that made her feel dirty, yet there were also the ones that made her feel the most alive, second only to her photography.
Coco's handbag began to morph into her signature gatling gun, which she held with both hands when it was in its final form. Coco did not hesitate to fire the first shots, sending a burst from rubber from her cannon's barrel. Tierra flinched at the sound of Coco's weapon firing, hesitating for a split second to use her gloved hand to thrust a portion of the ring upwards to block the bullets with a large portion of dirt. Tierra was apparently surprised by her own abilities, shaking and laughing uncontrollably behind the mound of earth that her gloved hand still had raised.
"Hey, Princess," Coco shouted. "You gonna come out and fight, or do I gotta come and finish this myself? We're here already. Why not make it a little fun while we're at it?"
With that, Tierra lowered her hand, subsequently lowering her dirt mound. She used a flash-step to come a mere inches from Coco and land a right hook. She then used her gloves to burrow underground and reapper at her original position. Coco chuckled and rubbed the cheek that Tierra had just struck.
"A cheap shot, huh? Well, I'll tell you, Tierra. Any respect I had for you just went away when you did that."
Tierra, in her newfound confidence, raised her hand into a fist. This prompted a large mound of dirt to rise out of the ground to make a large dirt copy of her fist. With a loud battle cry, Tierra rushed Coco with her fist raised.
"How's this to win back your respect?" She shouted.
Velvet turned her eyes back to her friend, who had yet to make any sort of counterattack in light of this new threat. Rather, Coco lifted her hand once more to the spot where Tierra's fist had been. The smile that was once on her face disappeared in an instant. Just as Tierra was on top of her position, Coco held up her index finger with her palm out towards her. Tierra, in a moment of confusion, stopped dead in her tracks with her earth hand stopping as well.
"Are you seriously asking me to wait? Seriously? Right now?" She inquired furiously.
"Shut up." Coco said bluntly, eliciting a shocked look from her opponent.
Coco whipped out a small, silver mirror from her pocket and held it up to her face. When Coco's reflection met her eyes, she scowled deeply in the direction of Tierra.
"You just bruised my face. I have a hot date tonight. I'm gonna have to wear concealer. I hate wearing concealer. Prepare to pay in pain, Princess."
Velvet recalled how Coco would normally say "Prepare to Die" to anyone in Tierra's position, but had previously divulged to Velvet how she would refrain herself to alliteration, as per the rules of the tournament. The rules stated that any type of verbal threats towards a competitor's life would be grounds for disqualification. Coco refused to take that chance.
Coco dashed towards Tierra faster than she could react. Coco grabbed her collar and pulled her ear just against her mouth.
"Do you know what's the same about my face and a painting?" Coco asked through gritted teeth.
'W-what?" Tierra shakily replied.
"They're both considered works of art, they're both priceless, and they-should-not-be-touched."
Just as Tierra was beginning to apologize, Coco threw her higher in the air than Velvet originally thought humanly possible. Just as Tierra was about 15 feet in the air, Coco whipped around her gatling gun and pressed down on the trigger-hard. Velvet's superior sight could see the flesh on Coco's fingers turn white as they pressed down on her weapon. The whiteness of her fingers was one of the many indications of why one should never touch Coco without her permission.
The rubber tips of the bullets could be seen flying through the air as quick green streaks. Out of the 100 rounds fired, Velvet could only see about 40 that sailed past Tierra into oblivion. As Tierra's body began its descent, Coco morphed her weapon back into its handbag form. She sprinted towards the place where Tierra looked to fall and slid under on her knees. Coco extended her arms as Tierra was a few feet above her, breaking her fall when she neared the ground.
The moderators rushed into the ring with a stretcher and took Tierra out of Coco's arms. Tierra's mother ran in as well and did not bother say anything to Coco, concerned only with the condition of her daughter. A moderator helped Coco to her feet, then raised her hand as another came to help his colleague carry Tierra out of the ring.
"Is she going to be alright?" Coco asked with sincere concern.
"Don't worry. She's bruised up, but those rubber bullets of yours aren't enough to cause any real damage. She'll heal up after a few days." The moderator said. She flipped her long blonde hair out of her eyes and pushed it behind her ears. The rest of her hair was set in a ponytail that ran down the black of her light gray shirt, standard issue for all of the moderators at this event.
Coco stayed silent, but smiled at what Velvet perceived to be the first realization that she could guiltlessly savor her victory.
"Winner: Coco Adel. Can we please have Ms. Velvet Scarlatina and Ms. Icarina Daedalusant to the center of the ring, please? I repeat: Velvet Scarlatina and Icarina Daedalusant to the ring. Thank you." The announcer called out.
Velvet sought out Coco first, however. She knew that she was the only one who had come to see Coco fight. Her parents, like Velvet's father, were a Hunter and a Huntress. On a cold night, when Velvet and Coco were only 4 years old, a terrible tragedy befell both of their houses. A large horde with various creatures of Grimm in its ranks stormed the village and broke through its walls. The town possessed only five Huntsmen and Huntresses at that time period, three of them being Coco and Velvet's parents. They were tasked with holding the Grimm at bay for as long as possible until the various Huntsman and Huntresses from neighboring villages could arrive to assist with the villages defense. The five were said to have dispatched at last 15 Grimm each before either being killed themselves or until fresh Huntsmen and Huntresses arrived.
Just before dawn, a small army of 20 Huntsmen and Huntresses entered the city to assist whoever was still alive. By this point, it was said that Velvet's father and Coco's parents had all been killed by this point. People had told them that they continued fighting until they were surrounded in the town square. They bought enough time for the two healthiest Huntsman and Huntress to escape and continue fighting the Grimm and protecting the innocents still in Valkryite. It paid off, but at the price of Velvet's father and Coco's parents' lives.
It was a cloud that was one of the main reasons that Velvet and Coco became friends to begin with. Many would say that their friendship was destiny, that they were meant to fight side-by-side someday as their parents had. Velvet knew nothing about this, and neither did Coco. The two had bonded many times by joking about how many in Valkryite thought that Velvet and Coco would be the "Chosen Ones" to save the world, paired with the same theories brought up because of Coco's eyes.
All joking aside, a heavy heart still filled Velvet's heart whenever she passed by the monument in Valkryite's town square, knowing very well that her father's name was etched on there. She often passed by without looking at the names, save for the anniversary of the day they called "Night of a Thousand Grimm" and her father's birthday, because she couldn't help but burst into tears right there in the square. She hated causing a scene and eliciting people's pity of whom did not really care.
Coco and Velvet embraced each other when they met, shortly followed by a stern look from Coco.
"What the Hell are you doing here? They just called your name. You need to go." Coco advised.
"I had to talk to you first, congratulate you. I wanted to ask: why is it that you got upset over a bruise? You know that your Aura will heal it by the time you go out tonight." Velvet inquired.
"C'mon, Velvet. You know me. If I wanna win a fight, I have to get pissed off for any little reason to help give me that winning edge."
"But-"
"You can ask what you want later. You have to go, like now." Coco advised.
She shoved Velvet over to the ring. That was where the two hugged and smiled at each other once more.
"Get out there and kick some Miss-Priss ass. I'd wish you luck, but you're gonna rock it anyway. Go get 'em, Velvet."
With that, Velvet vicariously ("Oh, who am I kidding? I was cocky." Velvet said to Rojo) strutted walked to the center of the ring where her opponent, Icarina Daedalusant waited with the moderator. She leaned to one side with her hands on her hips.
"About time, Faunus! Started to get worried that I wouldn't get the chance to give you a royal beatdown. Oh, and I love that little outfit of yours. Brown and Gold with Black leggings? Soo fashion forward. Oh, and all that armor on your ankles and feet? Real smart. Hate for you to sprain a toe."Icarina said with a sneer.
Velvet recalled what it was that Coco had told her about this exact situation. She kept a cool head, and decided to be just as snarky to Icarina.
"Oh, thank you. I love your outfit, too. Did your sugar-daddy in Minstrel buy it for you?"
This remark took the smirk off of Icarina's face. She scowled at the mention of this well-known fact. Everyone in Valkryite had known that Icarina was involved with a middle-aged member of the King's Cabinet in Minstrel. It was rumored that she was part of the most prominent families in Minstrel only because this Cabinet member sent large sums of money to her family to keep them quiet about the affair. Icarina's affair had also provided her with the money to have reconstructive surgery. Icarina had once had floppy dog ears and a short tail that she was always attempting to conceal. Velvet recalled the summer when Icarina took a summer trip to Minstrel, then returned without her distinctive dog-like features.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Faunus." Icarina said.
"The nub on your tailbone would beg to 're as much a Faunus as I am."("I'm having a hard time imagining you being that cold-blooded. You're, like, the nicest person I know." Rojo interjected. Velvet replied with "You'll find out pretty soon why I'm the way I am today.") Velvet said.
Icarina pursed her lips. "I'm going to bury you for saying that, Faunus. We are nothing alike; never have been, never will be."
The first portion of Icarina's comment attracted the attention of the moderator between them who was patiently waiting for the trash talking to end.
"Daedalusant, warning. Scarlatina, watch it. Both of you to opposite sides of the ring. Are you both aware of the rules?"
The two nodded and turned to go to the specified destination that the Moderator had previously spoken of. The two, upon reaching the opposite sides of the ring, turned to face each other once more.
"Competitors: Are you ready?" The man behind the loudspeaker inquired.
Both Velvet and Icarina raised their right hand in a fist. This prompted the first tone to be sounded. Velvet's heart beat beat faster than it eslipver had before at this point. Upon the sounding of the same tone the second time, the adrenaline and the rush of the heat of battle flowed through her veins. The third time the same tone sounded, Velvet got into her battle stance, a small feeling of superiority rushing over her. Finally, the last, higher pitched sound rang out, officially commencing the match. Icarina closed her eyes and, seemingly out of nowhere, a metallic set of wings protruded from two large gashes in the back of the dark-green armor that wrapped around her chest and waist. This was paired with detached sections of armor plating (Velvet took this to be for better mobility) that covered her thighs and calves/shins. Her ankles were overlapped by the armor on her shins, and her feet were covered, oddly enough, with seemingly ordinary metallic black sandals. Her eyes and hair, the latter in a tight bun, contrasted her outfit by being a bright orange.
Icarina used her wings to soar twenty feet into the air, where she pulled three full arrow quivers out of thin air, along with a bow that burned as it came to life as one would imagine a phoenix would. Velvet waited to see what Icarina would do, wise enough to not rush into any unforeseen traps. Icarina placed one arrow on her bow, and set Velvet in her sights. Despite this, Velvet still calmly remained stationary. In this moment, Velvet realized that each of the three quivers were ringed with a marker of a different color, with the same color on the heads of the arrows.
Icarina let the arrow fly, a smug grin curling over her face as she watched it fly in the direction of her adversary. Velvet felt the hair on the back of her neck. She knew that she only had one shot to keep herself in the tournament. Velvet waited until the last possible second, then summoned a Hard-Light Copy of a Claymore sword that belonged to a classmate of hers(Velvet had taken care to photograph the weapons and Semblances of all warriors in the town so that she could have them at her disposal). She rushed out of the trajectory of the arrow and, without missing a beat, effectivley cut the arrow through the middle. With that, Velvet had officially taken her place in the battle.
The two locked eyes fiercely from a distance. Velvet watched as Icarina pulled out another two arrows, each from seperate quivers. She flew directly over Velvet and let the first arrow fly. It had a head of white, while the one that had yet to fly possessed one of red. Velvet did not falter, however. She held her ground, and allowed a smile to cross her face.
Come at me, and you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye. You think that you'll break me, but you're gonna find in time that you're standing too close to a flame that's burning hotter than the sun in the middle of July. Velvet thought, remembering lyrics from her favorite rock song that was oddly appropriate for her current situation. She would burn, and Velvet made it her mission to show Icarina and all of the spectators just how brightly.