"The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" Weiss cheers stopping to raising her arms in amazement. Rex, Lilly, Anakin, and Team RWBY are in the streets of Vale which is decorated in time for the Vytal Festival. Red, yellow, and green streamers and balloons are proudly on display.
"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby says cheerfully before she frowns a little. "It's kinda weirding me out..."
Weiss turns to Ruby before speaking. "How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"
"I agree!" Lilly cheers excitedly. "Everyone in the city working together to prepare for it! Absolutely wonderful!"
"See!" Weiss says offering a high five to Lilly to which she happily accepts.
"You two sure know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring." Yang cuts in bluntly.
"Quiet, you!" Weiss and Lilly shout in unison. Rex and Anakin were lagging behind a bit while the others have fun. Anakin could tell Rex was holding himself back from making a move on Lilly.
"Rex," Anakin sighs. "When are you gonna take the leap?"
"Leap? Sir?" Rex frowns.
"Lilly. I mean its obvious you have feelings for her," Anakin states. "But you keep holding yourself back." Rex hangs his head in shame with a sigh while they still keep from earshot of the girls.
"I-" He starts. "I don't know. I mean should I? I've never had these feelings before. I just don't want to screw things up. Besides what if she doesn't share the same feelings?"
"Well..." Anakin stops to think before continuing. "You'll never know if you don't take that leap. Do you think I knew what I was doing with Padme?" Rex looks up to me with anticipation. "No. I was a kid taking a risk asking a senator that use to be a Queen. I tried to hard to get the girl, but thankfully she accepted me anyway. If she is the right girl for you she'll accept you for who you are."
Rex puts a hand to his chin in though as they start to catch up with the girls. The group was approaching the docks as they hear foghorns. The smell of the saltwater piercing their nostrils. "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang says crossing her arms in disappointment.
Ruby covers her nose in disgust. "Ugh, they smell like fish!" She claims.
"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today." Weiss answers. "And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" She adds earning a look of confusion from everyone but Blake and Anakin. Anakin happens to cross his arms while smirking as Blake leans in over to the others.
"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake states.
"You can't prove that!" Weiss scoffs earning giggles from Lilly while Anakin chuckles.
"She just did by earning that kind of reaction." Anakin teases. Weiss scoffs again, and he was going to start laughing at the antics, but he felt Rex tap his shoulder earning the man's attention. He points out a shop with a shattered window down the street. The door full of yellow caution tape of the Vale Police Force. The two point it out to the girls and decide walk over.
"What happened here?"Ruby asks getting the one of the two detectives attention.
"Robbery." The first answers. "Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." He claims. He then turns and walks over to his partner.
"That's terrible." Yang sighs.
"They left all the money again." The group overhears the second say. This gains their attention. The group then turns back to listen intently.
"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense." The first states. "Who needs that much Dust?"
"I don't know, an army?"
"You thinking the White Fang?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." The second finishes as he removes his sunglasses.
"Hmph! The White Fang." Weiss starts as she crosses her arms and pointing her nose in the air with her eyes closed. "What an awful bunch of degenerates!" This comment gets Anakin a little irritated by her wording.
"What's your problem?" Blake interjects.
"My problem?"Weiss starts while turning to her. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane."
"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake defends, crossing her arms, getting a serious look on her face. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."
"Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"
"So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!"
"Wouldn't this be the waterfront?" Rex asks earning a glare from Blake. "Ok, Ok. I'll stop."
"Besides Blake has a point." Anakin interjects earning a soft smile from Blake.
"Yeah," Ruby adds. "The police never caught that Torchwick guy we ran into a few months ago..." She says gesturing to me and Rex. "Maybe it was him."
"Wait are you talking about the Angry Ginger and his one handed girlfriend?" Anakin asks.
"Yup! The Ginger is Torchwick. As for the woman with him no one knows."
"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss claims much to Blake's growing anger as well as Anakin's "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss states. Rex looks to Anakin only to see his eyes flash gold before going back to there normal sky blue. Anger vary prominent on his face.
"Uhh," Rex starts. "Weiss that's not necessarily true..."
"Hey, stop that Faunus!" Some man yells interrupting him.
As the group overheard the cry for help, they rush over to investigate. A Faunus with a golden monkey tail begins running down the length of a boat and leaping on to the edge as the two sailors are about to apprehend him.
"Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!" The Faunus exclaims as he jumps off and hits the dock running and jumping up a lamp post using his tail to hang upside down from it.
"You no-good stowaway!"One sailor yells getting the attention from one of the detectives the group met earlier. He then begins approaches the Faunus.
"Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" The Faunus claims while pulling a banana out of his jackets inside pocket and peeling it. Before he eats, the detective down below throws a stone at him to get his attention.
"Hey! Get down from there this instant!" The Detective demands.
The Faunus drops the banana peel on the detective's face, who growls in return. The monkey-like Faunus twirls up to crouch on the lamppost, laughs in amusement, and proceeds to leap off and run away from the detective. As he runs past the group, he winks at an astonished Blake in slow motion before time speeds up again and he continues to be chased by the detective while other officers come to his aid. Wait, did he just make things go in slow motion? Rex questions.
"LIFE FINDS A WAY!" A rough voice shouts in the distance answering my mental questioning of reality.
"Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..." Yang states.
"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss, Yang, and Ruby give chase. Blake stands still, lost in thought, to which Anakin puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, You ok?" He asks snapping Blake back to reality.
"Oh! Uhh, Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you. I'm gonna catch up with them."
"Alright I'm gonna have a talk with Rex and Lilly real quick."
"Sure." With that Blake runs off to catch up with her team while Anakin walks over to Lilly and Rex. Lilly is just sitting on the edge of the docks, legs dangling over the side while Rex leans against the lamp post. Why is there a lamp post on the docks? Rex wonders
"Rex, You and Lilly ok if I go join them?" Anakin asks gaining the two's attention.
"Oh," Lilly speaks up first. "Of course, I just want to sit here for a little longer."
"No problem. Rex?"
"Oh, I'll stay here with her." Rex states. "To keep her company." This earns a smirk from Anakin, but Lilly doesn't seem to notice. Thank the Force.
"Alright." He says as he begins to walk away before stopping. "Oh, and Rex."
"Yeah?"
"Take The Leap." With that he runs off to catch up to Team RWBY leaving a confused Lilly, and Rex with the motivation he needed.
"What did he mean by 'Take The Leap'?" Lilly questions. Rex shrugs before taking a seat next to her. Silence falls upon them as they look out to the ocean. The wind blowing through Lilly's golden blond hair. The sea moving like the ones back home on Kamino... Well a bit calmer but the movement looks the same.
For Lilly however she watches with a frown as she imagines the sea to be a great void of stars like the night sky. In the distance she sees a figure standing among the waves in black robes with red accents. He gazes back to her with eyes filled with pain and torment. Soon the figure morphs into that of her father before fading.
"Hey?" Lilly breaks the silence gaining Rex's full attention.
"Yeah?"
"Have I told you about where I grew up?" She asks getting his interest beyond peaked.
"No, I don't think you have."
"Well, when I was a little girl my father and I lived in a village in Anima called Kaiyome. It was built right by the water. We had docks and ships. I lived with my father in a beach house, waking up to see the ocean every morning."
"That sounds nice."
"It was." She informs. "One day though we were attacked by the Grimm, but we held them off. Unfortunately my father lost his legs from the fighting. From then on I wanted to train to become a Huntress. Seeing the lives he saved that day inspired me. He always encouraged me, telling me that The Ocean Eyes will always watch over me, and that when I needed help most they would provide."
"So, have they?" Rex ask earning a chuckle from her.
"Yes." She answers. " I was on my way to Vale. I had to stop in Mistral to take a transport to Vale. On my way there I took a small detour to see the ocean, but when I got there I was attacked by bandits. I was lousing to there numbers. My weapons were scattered and I was backed to the beach. One of the bandits went to strike me with his sword so out of fear I raised my arms to cover my face. When I looked up I saw the guy on the ground and two orbs of water floating. I had unlocked my semblance, and with it I was able to defeat the bandits. After that I came here. Got accepted into Beacon, and, well you know the rest."
"So The Ocean Eyes were watching you just like your father said." Rex smiles.
"Dad was right." She says. From there they just sat, and watched the horizon.