Later that day, Team CSRD was relaxing before the dance when they were startled by a loud THUD, followed by a groan. Cyrus sprung off the couch to see Axel laying on the floor, clutching his stomach.
"Dude. What the hell is your problem?" he asked.
Axel continued rolling around on the floor.
"Too. much… spicy curry…" he groaned, his stomach gurgling loudly. Suddenly, he froze, his eyes open wide. He stood bolt upright, and sped into the bathroom, slamming the door. Sebastian rolled over and looked at Cyrus.
"Too much what now?" He asked, only paying attention slightly. Cyrus shrugged.
"Spicy curry, I guess?"
Suddenly, noises began to emanate from the bathroom that no human or faunus should hear in their lifetime. There was a mix of loud splashes and groans as looks of disgust grew on Sebastian's and Cyrus's faces. Damien sat up and looked around, confused as the rest of them. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the rest of the team.
"DON'T. ASK."
Almost immediately, Damien analyzed the situation and cringed in concern. "Not sure I want to."
Fifteen minutes passed, and Axel emerged from the bathroom with three empty cans of air freshener and a piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe.
"WHOO. Do NOT go in there," Axel said, panting in relief. The rest of the team shuddered. Axel perked up to his usual self. "I know that sucked and all, but I think I just lost like five pounds, so at least I know I'll still fit into my suit."
"Dude. Nasty." Sebastian said, a look of disgust plastered all over his face. Axel held up his hands, and shrugged.
"So, now that that's over, what time did you say the dance was again?"
"Pretty sure it's around 7. Which means," Sebastian said, "we have a few more hours to go. For me and Cyrus at least. You and Damien have dates to prepare for, so you two should leave earlier."
"I mean Gemma's making me meet her at 5:30 regardless." Axel said, rolling his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Something about seeing me in my suit, blah, blah, blah, taking photos, blah blah blah. I just needed to know how long I had to suffer before the dance." Damien looked at him, puzzled.
"I thought you LIKED her?" he asked.
"Of course I do," Axel replied, "But you guys know how she gets." The group nodded in agreement, "Besides, it's not her. I've just never liked formal events, or traditional dance activities. I've always been more of a 'chill at someone's house and binge movies' kinda guy. So this whole dance thing is a little out of my comfort zone."
"Speak for yourself, man," Damien scoffed. "At least you know your date. Violet asked me out of the blue. I was caught so off guard, I have no idea what I'm doing."
"So you said yes for the sole reason of getting a date?" Sebastian laughed mockingly. "I didn't know you were that desperate."
"Hey. She seems nice. I just took the chance when I saw it."
"Fair enough." Sebastian said with a shrug. "So what do we do then, Cyrus?"
"I'm going to hang out with Trucy soon, so we can get a head start on watching other people's nights be miserable."
"So I'm on my own then, huh?" Sebastian sighed, putting a hand on his hip.
A few hours passed, and the boys started to get ready. Axel went into the bathroom to shower and get cleaned up while Cyrus and Damien got donned in their suits. Cyrus held up his undone tie, and stared at it blankly.
"Uh, how do you tie one of these again?" He asked, holding it out for anyone to show him. Damien looked back at him and shook his head.
"I don't know, man. I just now learned to do it on me, but I can't really do it on someone else. Just a thing, I guess."
"Axel?" Cyrus called through the bathroom door.
"Ugh. Fine," Axel replied, "Just gimme a minute."
Axel emerged from the bathroom fully dressed in his suit vest and tie. He walked over and grabbed the undone tie from Cyrus and stood behind him as if he were teaching a child how to eat without spilling on himself. He took the tie and began slowly going through the steps.
"Ok, so you pull it so that one side is about here," he said, pulling the tie to the proper length, "then you flip this side over that one, then pull it under, over, and through… and voila." He backed away from Cyrus, the tie pulled snugly into place. "Then you just adjust it as you feel like you need to."
Cyrus looked in the mirror sheepishly.
"Man, I knew most of it. I only needed you to start it so I could remember…"
"Sure you did, buddy." Axel laughed as he patted his friend on the back and walked toward the door. He opened it and turned back to Cyrus. "You coming or what?"
"Yeah. Just gimme a sec." Cyrus pulled the tie to a desirable length and checked himself in the mirror one more time before joining Axel at the door.
Damien walked over to the door as well, turning back and waving to Sebastian.
"Well I should get going too. Don't want to make a bad first impression." He laughed nervously before refocusing. "I'll see you there, man."
"Yup." Sebastian said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Go get her, man."
Damien gave a nod and left, closing the door behind him, leaving Sebastian alone in the room.
"Now then," Sebastian said gleefully, "Why don't I take care of some things?" He plopped down on the couch and grabbed the TV remote. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I deleted some recorded shows they don't watch to put some of mine on there. Plus I have some time for one of the movies Ainsely recommended to me."
Axel and Cyrus went across the hall and knocked on Team MGAT's door.
"Who is it?" Gemma's voice asked from the other side. Axel leaned over to his friend and whispered:
"She's kidding, right?" He turned back to the door and spoke up. "It's us!" He looked at Cyrus, slightly confused. Cyrus shrugged.
"I mean, they knew we were coming, right?"
The door opened and the two boys froze, their mouths hanging open in astonishment. It was Gemma, dressed in her dance outfit: a sparkly sleeveless florentine blue dress, cut at the knees. She smiled nervously, her cheeks a rosy red.
"Oh, hey guys. Come on in."
The boys stood there, stupefied. Gemma tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, waving her hand in front of their faces. They remained unmoving. Trucy walked over to join them at the door, looking back and forth between the boys and Gemma before shaking her head in disappointment and snapping her fingers in front of Cyrus's face.
"Hey. Remnant to Cyrus,"
Cyrus came to, noticing that Trucy simply ditched her vest and hat for a shiny yellow dress. He nodded and entered the room, leaving Axel still frozen in the doorway. Gemma reached over and closed his mouth. He shook his head and recomposed himself, then nervously looked away and tried his best to act nonchalant, acting as if the events of the past two minutes had not transpired. Gemma chuckled.
"You okay over there? Thought we'd lost you for a minute." she joked. Axel laughed nervously, clearing his throat.
"Ahem, Yeah. I'm good. You just look-Wow."
"Is it too much?" Gemma asked, beginning to get flustered herself, "I just didn't know what to get with the festival going on, and the dance coming up, and I didn't know if you'd go with me, so when you said you would I got so nervous that-"
"Gemma. Breathe." Axel said, steadying her and looking her in the eyes. "You look great."
She stopped and took a breath, calming herself, then smiled up at him.
"You don't look half bad yourself, Mr. Royal."
The two laughed and entered the room, sitting down to converse with the rest of the group.
Damien watched from across the hallway as the two sets of partners set off. He didn't have anything better to do for the next few minutes before heading on over to the Gymnasium. A good portion of the crowd had already gone inside, which is why it was ridiculously easy for Damien to spot Violet. The two glanced at each other after she took a look around. When the two locked eye contact, Violet gave a subtle, scared ware. Quite a contrast to Damien's. He walked over to her.
"Hi." Violet said.
"Hey." Damien replied.
Violet took a quick second to examine Damien's black suit and red button down."You look great!"
"Thanks. I try," Damien chuckled before paying attention to her dress. "You, however, made a much bigger effort than I ever could, 'cause you look fantastic."
Violet's face turned noticeably red at the remark. "Thanks, Damien. That's really kind of you." She refocused back to her date. "Well, we got some time before the dance actually starts, wanna do anything before we head on in?"
"Uh, yeah... Maybe get to know you a bit better?"
Violet didn't really know how to initially react to that. But after a quick thought, she nodded, almost amused by the reply. "That's fair. That's fair." She repeated.
"Well, then. Care for a walk around the campus?" Damien asked and was met with a quick nod. "So, where are you from?"
"Well," Violet started. "My family is mainly from Atlas we're moderately wealthy, but we're not the Schnees. My Mom and Dad moved here a few years after I was born to start a business. A local hardware and crafts store. Jiva Crafts, heard of it."
"Yeah, northwest side, the place down by-"
"Big Al's?" the two said in unison.
"Yeah they were a big competitor of ours. Especially around the holidays."
"Why Jiva?"
"It's an acronym for my and my siblings' names: Jett, Indigo, Violet and Aurelia." Violet replied.
Before Damien had time to comment, three children appeared before them. Two a bit younger than Violet. The boy was wearing a navy blue zip up hoodie with indigo details with dark blue jeans and black sneakers, his face obscured by a metallic mask covering his face entirely. The girl with long auburn hair and hazel eyes was wearing a long dark beige coat with a black shirt and blue jeans with brown boots. The third with blue eyes was much younger, wearing a black jacket complimenting his black hair and gray pants with black boots. Damien was about to address them, when suddenly they began to dematerialize. He quickly noticed Violet's hand flourish.
"Well, that's as good as a rundown as you'd get on them without them actually here."
Surprised and impressed by Violet's semblance, Damien scoffed."That's a neat trick," he remarked. "So, why go to combat school, why become a huntress?"
"I wanted more out of life, I suppose. All my siblings do. I've spent a lot of time just being stuck in a crowd living at the shop and my house. I want more than that."
"Okay, wanting more than the simple life. Got it." Damien replied.
"Something wrong with that?"
The huntsman in training smiled.
"Nothing at all. You wanted more than what you had and took the chance you were given."
"Well, now you know a little bit about me. But now it's your turn. What's your story?"
"My story?" Damien said in total surprise. "There's not much to tell really."
"Oh come on! Don't be like that. Where are you from?" Violet asked.
Damien shrugged. "Well… Downtown Vale. I've never really been anywhere else. I've met about every person I've ever needed to know to survive the streets of the city, except the two most important people of my life."
Violet recoiled at the sound of those words. "You don't know your parents?"
Damien shook his head. "I don't even know their names, the only way I know mine is because I was left to someone my folks trusted while they went away on some sort of business that they never came back from. I try not to think about it that much."
Violet stepped forward. "What about the person who looked after you?"
"Modra?" Damien replied. "I'd hardly call what she did 'looking after me.' Once I was able to walk, talk, and throw a punch, I was practically on my own. She hardly even noticed when I was gone. So one day, I just never came back."
"Did you ever regret leaving?"
"Initially, yeah. But in the long run? Not at all. I never would have become the person I am today, and had a life certainly less interesting had I stayed in her care." Damien said, making air quotes around that last word.
Violet smiled. "Well, then one good thing came out of that. What makes people interesting is the life they choose to live."
Damien smiled. "That's very flattering, Violet. But need I remind you that I live with Sebastian Skobeloff, who's arguably the most interesting man in the world."
"Yeah, but I've seen the way that Ainsley looks at him."
Damien burst out in laughter.
"I mean, you didn't have to say it out loud!" Violet joined in laughing before they calmed down. "Well then, it's almost time. Shall we?" Damien asked, with his right hand outstretched.
Violet took his hand before saying, "Yes," as the two walked back to the gym.
Sebastian checked the time. "6:30 already is it?" he spoke out loud. He put his comb down and examined himself in the mirror. "Not a bad look, if I do say so myself, despite how itchy this makes me feel." Sebastian wore a white suit with black vest and coat, doing his best to tie his deep teal green tie. He also put on the black pants he got and snagged an extra pair of nice black shoes. He cracked his knuckles and his neck, relaxing himself. "Show time." He closed the door behind him and made his way to the gymnasium where the dance was being held. As he entered he already saw tons of other students, busy dancing and chatting away. In the massive crowd he was able to spot both Axel and Damien with their dates. He scanned the rest of the room looking for Cyrus. If he's anywhere he's in the back for sure. Probably the best place to look for a disaster on the dance floor.
He stopped mid way to the back when he noticed Ainsley and Mola sitting at a table, staring intently at Axel and Gemma, who had taken over the center of the dance circle. Axel spun Gemma a few times and dipped her, prompting an applause from the circle while Gemma stared up at Axel, astonished. Noticing this, Axel's whole face turned red as he pulled Gemma back up and they danced into the crowd. A slow song came on, and the two held one another close, swaying lightly with the music. Gemma's mouth still hung open.
"Mr. Royal," she said, side-eying him playfully. "I thought you said you couldn't dance."
"Yeah, maybe a little, but I'm no expert," he replied. "My dad's always loved to dance. He used to do it all the time with my Mom. But, since it was just me and him growing up, I was the only available dance partner," Axel shrugged. "I guess I just picked up a few things," he said, smiling nervously. Gemma smiled back and laid her head on his chest as they continued swaying.
Those two seem like they're having fun. I should leave them to it, Sebastian thought as he took a deep sigh. What does it matter really? I'm here to relax and get my mind straight. Especially after that nightmare last night. He took a seat nearby where Ainsley and Mola were, but stayed mostly out of sight. He sat there for some time, his hand on his face in boredom. The atmosphere is nice, I'll give it that. A little too noisy for my tastes really. Oh well, better than nothing I suppose.
"Well, well. If it isn't Mister Lonely." Who else but Ainsley strutted her way over to Sebastian. "Brooding again are we?"
"What else is a guy without a date supposed to do?" Sebastian responded, trying for a cheap joke.
"You could have just sat by me and Mola you know." She stood right by Sebastian but didn't sit down. "Besides, a guy like you should have had plenty of girls 'fawning' over you, faunus and all, especially after how you smacked around Cardin and the rest of his team."
"Ha," he said sarcastically. "I thought you two were busy."
"We were watching Gemma and Axel, but Mola isn't big on conversation." She smiled at him. "Want to go outside for a bit and talk? You look like you need to get something off your chest."
"I do owe you that favor, after all." Sebastian got out of his seat. "Besides, it's pretty hot in here. I could use the cold air."
"Alrighty then!" She grabbed Sebastian's hand. "Just follow me!"
Not like I have a choice. You did grab my hand.
Ainsley took Sebastian all the way outside to a nearby bench. She sat down, giving a pat to the open spot next to her. He sat down right next to her, scooting an inch or two away.
"Well go ahead, Sebastian." Ainsley prodded.
"You really like hearing me vent, don't you?"
"You are the one with something on his mind all the time. It'd be nice for you to get it out now so you can have a little fun back on the dance floor." She leaned over a little and looked at Sebastian, the same smile on her face she always gave him.
"I see." He rubbed the back of his neck, giving a small laugh. "Last night I had a terrible dream. Worse than the usual ones I get."
"Worse than usual?" She tilted her head a bit. "Does that mean…"
Sebastian nodded.
"It does. I've been having nightmares ever since that day in Vacuo. Most aren't too bad and I usually just get myself to calm down so it doesn't affect me that much."
"Wait so that means you know you're dreaming. Shouldn't that make it easier?" She asked.
"No it doesn't," he disagreed. "It makes everything that much more haunting. It impacts me more. I feel everything. It feels as real as living."
"That's horrible," she said, her eyes growing sad.
"But this nightmare I had last night. It was… different. Most of the time, it's just me having to relive that day over and over, having to relive my actions. Not this time. This time it was different. I found myself here at Beacon. Everyone was gone. There was darkness and fog. When I stepped outside, it was all the same. Until, the me from two years ago appeared, alongside the people I killed."
"Oh gods, Sebastian." Ainsley gasped, beginning to worry for the half-faunus. Had he never told his teammates about these dreams before? It would also explain the constant bags under his eyes in the morning when she saw him. "I don't even know what to say."
"It's alright, Ainsley. You don't have to say anything." Sebastian took a long breath before continuing the recollection of his nightmare. "He taunted me, saying I was running away, that I put myself in a cage. That I was alone. He said that I was just what everyone thought I was," Sebastian paused, almost unable to bring himself to say that word. It made him want to throw up in his mouth just thinking about it. Swallowing hard, he managed to squeak out the words: "a monster." He took a moment to recompose himself before continuing. "Those people dragged me into the ground chanting that word over and over. Then, the younger me asked if I honestly thought I could change, and told me that there was no way I could. I woke up before he… before he…," Sebastian stopped there, not wishing to continue any further.
Ainsley had no words to say, nothing that could help him out. She knew about mental problems, but this was unlike anything she had seen or heard before.
Sebastian's face looked traumatized. He looked at Ainsley, his eyes beginning to tear up. "Am I really unable to change? Am I just what everyone thinks I am when they see… this?" He pointed to himself. "Am I just a monster?" Sebastian wanted the pain to go away. He just wanted someone to hold him tightly and say it was all okay.
Ainsley took a moment to respond. It was all hitting her like a freight train. "I think you can change, Sebastian." Her voice was calm and gentle, like a mother relaxing their crying child. "Someone who starts to cry and can share their pain has real emotions, real feelings. You are not a monster, Sebastian. You promised that you'd change yourself for the better."
"But still…"
"You clearly regret everything you did back then, I can feel it. Dealing with that pain isn't easy. It takes time to heal these kinds of things. I kind of know about that."
"If I'm not a monster, then what am I?" He put his hands to his face, water flowing between his fingers. "I don't even know what I am!"
Ainsley put her hand on his ear and rubbed the back of it slightly. Sebastian gave a small gasp of surprise at the warm gesture. "You're you, Sebastian. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense right now, but only you can figure out who you are, what you're meant to do. I think Beacon is the perfect chance for that. I'll be here for you every step of the way if you need me to." Ainsley closed in and gave Sebastian a loose hug. Even Ainsley herself didn't exactly know why she did it, but it seemed to ease the tension out of Sebastian. He relaxed himself, tightly wrapping his arms around her, reciprocating the hug.
"I just don't get it." Sebastian said suddenly, breaking out of the hug and wiping away the tears from his eyes. "Why? Why do you always come to help me out? I don't deserve something like this."
"It's because I can understand where your pain comes from, Sebastian. Not all of it, but some of it."
"What?" Sebastian was confused. He had never heard someone say they felt similar to him before.
"I know what it is like to run from home because you don't have a choice. To have to deal with a painful past. Trauma you can never forget. I've felt it personally."
"What happened to you?"
Ainsley considered not telling him, but she figured if anyone should know, it should be him. If he was willing to share his pain, she could do the same.
"You know how people have said you never should have existed? That you're a mistake?"
Sebastian nodded his head. He knew perfectly well what that felt like.
"I was also a mistake."
Sebastian's eyes grew wide with shock. "Ainsley?" She looked at him to cut him off, turning her head away and looking down at the ground.
"I was an unwanted child. My parents never wanted to have one ever. Looks like karma found them. They were bottom of the barrel scum. Filthy trash that was always occupied by alcohol and other vices." Sebastian was surprised. He never heard her so angry before. It was a stark contrast to her usual personality.
"They treated me the same way that they treated one of the many empty liquor bottles on the floor. Trash. To them I was another annoyance they had to deal with. I was never properly raised, being forced into a small room at the back of the shitty apartment they lived in." Her voice subsided from being angry.
"I can't believe they would do that to their own child." Sebastian looked at Ainsley the same way she looked at him when he told his story.
"I didn't either. I wanted it to be all one horrible dream that I would wake from. That wasn't the case. I'd have to fend for myself in that hell hole, getting whatever food I could, wherever it was. When I got in their way, it didn't matter what I said to them."
"Don't tell me they both…?"
"They did. They would beat me if I ever troubled them. The only happiness I ever found in that prison was a small TV screen that was cracked a bit. They must have found it useless. Like me. A few tapes were scattered around that small room and on those tapes were movies. Gangster movies, spy movies, you name them. My only paradise.
"I couldn't imagine living like that. Did they leave scars?" Sebastian asked, feeling his own scars.
"A few here and there, but luckily they aren't as bad as yours."
He wanted to ask if he could see them, but then Sebastian remembered where they were and what night it was.
"I couldn't stand it all. I just had to leave."
"What stopped you from doing it before?" Sebastian asked her.
"Fear. Fear stopped me. It was almost as if they were a dog that got a new toy to play with. I doubt they would have let me off easy."
"Damn them! It's not right. That isn't what family is about!" Sebastian balled his hand into a fist.
"Please, Sebastian," She put her hand on his fist to relax it. "It's okay." He relaxed his hands, letting the anger subside, and she continued. "The turning point was when I learned about Beacon. Under most circumstances, I should never have known about it. But I overheard them reading about it in a paper once, calling it out for how stupid it sounded. That's when I decided to leave. I knew I had to get there. Like you, I thought that it would give me a second chance at life. One night my parents left the house, making sure the door was locked and sealed tight as they always left it. So I did what every girl would do. I took the TV and busted the door down with it. I grabbed what little I had and booked it out of that place as fast as I could. The rest I'm sure you can gather."
"I never could have imagined that you went through something so terrible. How did you do it? How could you have come out of there and turned up here as a fun-loving girl who looks like she's never had a problem in her life? When I got out of Vacuo, I was a mess. I was broken on the inside. I still am. Am I just that weak, so unable to fix myself?"
"Don't say things like that, Sebastian. It's just that I always reminded myself to smile. That no matter how dark it seemed today, tomorrow would be brighter. I told myself that every day for however many years until it finally came true. Even still, I never forgot my past; no matter how much I wanted to, no matter how much it hurt. I resented them. I hated them. Still, I could never forget it. I made the choice to not forget so that I could overcome it. It's a part of me, but I choose to be better than the people who raised me. It was that little girl who smiled that gave me my purpose."
"Your purpose?" Sebastian asked her.
"I want to help people who are in trouble. The people that need it the most. Those less fortunate than others. I want to protect them so that they can smile, in hopes for a bright future. If I can make my own future bright, then certainly I can do that for others, right? With all the Grimm running around, racial discourse, and spreading chaos, people like us are needed more than ever."
"So how do I do it? How do I overcome it all?" He looked to her for an answer.
"It's up to you. All I can really tell you is that you either choose to accept your past for what it is or let it go entirely. If you let it go, I feel it might make matters worse. You might end up worse than before. Like I said though, it's your fate in your hands, Sebastian. Only you can decide how it'll be."
"To accept it or let it go, huh?" Sebastian chuckled to himself for a moment. "Sounds easier said than done." He looked back to Ainsley with a smile. "Thank you for hearing me out, Ainsley. It's strange really. When I talk to you I feel relaxed, like I can open up more."
"I feel the same way, Sebastian. Trust me."
"It's funny. I never had someone I could talk to like this before. It feels nice to have a friend like you, Ainsley."
Ainsley's face turned a little red. "Huh? Oh… um, thank you, Sebastian. You're the only person who knows about this, so you better keep quiet about it."
"Of course I will." Sebastian thought for a moment. "Do you miss them? Your parents, I mean." He instantly regretted asking that question, knowing that he just heard how horrible her parents were. It was too late for him to take back the words. Ainsley didn't answer the question, but she wasn't mad at him for asking it. "Sorry, sorry! I really killed the mood with that stupid question," he apologized. "I'm not sure why I even said that. Just forget it, yeah?"
"No, no, it's fine." She looked at him and they both sat there for a moment not doing anything, a serene silence filling the air.
Sebastian finally got around to noticing the dress Ainsley wore. It was a light pink fuschia dress, the same color as her hair, with frills of a darker pink at the bottom. She had a purple flower in her hair, which was let down for once, flowing with the slight wind in the air.
"Umm," he said nervously, trying to break the silence. "You look nice tonight."
"Why thank you, Sebastian. You look fancy yourself." They both sat there again until Ainsley got up. "Okay! I think it's time we head back in there don't you?"
"Wha? I mean…"
Ainsley gave him a playful look. "You still owe me, remember?"
"Wait, you're telling me that favor wasn't us talking?!" Sebastian's mouth gaped open.
"Uh huh! Which means you are coming back with me to the ballroom, and you are having some fun."
"No, don't tell me," he dreaded.
"Yep! Would you do the honor of dancing with me tonight?"
"That's unfair," he complained with a smile. "Thing is, I've never danced before. I'd have no way of knowing what to do. Sorry."
"Don't worry. I have no experience with dancing either. Just think of it as relaxing and having fun to forget all about that horrible dream of yours. Even if just for one night."
"When you put it like that," he said, getting up and stretching himself out, "then yes, I'll have that honor."
The two walked back together, talking and laughing the whole way.
While everyone else was out doing their own thing, Cyrus and Trucy found some chairs in the back of the room to hang out by.
"So," Trucy started. "Did you have any plans to do anything aside from watching everyone else attempt to dance?"
"Eh, not really. I mean, we could always dance as well, but that would require the DJ to play something worth dancing to."
"Well then, how about we just talk?"
Cyrus shrugged. "Sure, what about?"
"How about some backstory, Mr. Atlesian Armor?"
Cyrus let out a sigh. He expected this to come up eventually.
"Well, I guess I haven't really told any of you guys about it, so I might as well. But afterwards you gotta talk, too."
"Sure, fair enough."
"Alright then. For starters, I actually first lived in Mantle with my parents. It was mostly boring but otherwise peaceful. However, because it's Mantle and the security isn't anywhere near as good as Atlas, that peace didn't exactly last. One day there was a small Grimm outbreak while I was out doing errands with my mom, and you can probably figure out what happened."
Trucy looked a bit somber after hearing that.
"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that."
"Luckily, an Atlesian soldier was able to save me. Never got to meet the guy officially, but he's definitely someone I won't forget. Anyway, when I got home, my dad noticed Mom wasn't with me, and when I told him why, he actually blamed me for it."
This caught Trucy off guard with both shock and anger.
"Wait, what? That's bullshit!"
Cyrus nodded.
"Yeah, he said it was my fault for not knowing how to defend myself, as well as my mom. As a result, he immediately enlisted the both of us into Atlas's military."
"I suppose that explains the armor. Still, that's really shitty."
"Despite being a little young for any academy, I was still at a good enough age to be in their military as a basic guard. It was essentially like working a day job but even more boring and with no pay. Plus, everyone was super strict, including the other guards. Despite that, I wasn't completely alone. I had a buddy of mine who I knew since Mantle who happened to be in Atlas as well. He was working for his dad, and he's pretty much the reason I'm here now."
"I was wondering when you'd get to how you got here."
"I'm getting to that. Obviously I didn't want to deal with any of that anymore, so I secretly applied for Beacon and managed to get accepted because of my 'military background.' This way I could live my life how I wanted to rather than what my dad wanted. As for my buddy, he was able to get me out by sneaking me along for a delivery trip to Axel's place, which is how I met him and the rest of my teammates."
Trucy felt better for Cyrus after hearing that. "It's good that you were able to get out of there and do what you want, but what about your dad?"
"Well he started as a guard as well, but worked his way up as one of the security higher-ups. Speaking of, I made sure to leave him a going away gift by looking directly at the cameras and being a smug bastard."
"And you got away with that?"
"Yeah, my buddy's dad was in on it and convinced him to ignore it. Besides, even as head of security there's not much he can do without the permission of General Ironwood, and I doubt one soldier going missing is major enough. He can't do shit until I see him again, which isn't gonna happen for a very long time."
Trucy chuckled.
"Heh, nice."
Cyrus nodded and flipped his chair around, leaning his arms on the back and resting his head on his hands.
"So that's pretty much my story. How about yours?"
She nodded.
"Well, it's kinda basic compared to yours, but basically I grew up in Mistral. Not the lower slums, but the actual higher parts of the capital."
"Wow, was your family rich or something?"
"Not really, but I come from a somewhat famous bloodline. My ancestors were defenders across the kingdom, and I was being raised to be like them. However, I didn't really like Mistral all that much. Compared to other kingdoms, we're a bit old-fashioned. Sure, we had some technology, but everything else was 'tradition' this and 'tradition' that, and my parents were no exception. They were nice enough people, but I wanted to go out and see how modern other kingdoms were. The only real glimpse of the outer kingdoms we got were the tournament fights, and seeing people travel all over Remnant made me want in on that. My parents didn't agree at first, but eventually they were accepting. Before you knew it, I was on my way to Beacon."
"Wanting to get away and do what you want, huh? Sounds familiar." Cyrus said smugly.
Trucy chuckled. "Huh, guess you're right. Although, I kinda feel bad about it."
"Why would you feel bad? Sounds to me like you had a pretty good life."
"But that's just it. Compared to you and others, I had it easy. I only had to worry about having my own life, but you had that in addition to losing your mom and having a shit dad."
This had Cyrus concerned.
"Hold on. You're making it sound like you want to have a shitty past."
"What? No! I mean-" Trucy sighed, clearly flustered. "Look, I just think it's unfair that you had it so bad while there's people like me who practically didn't have anything to worry about. I don't feel like I deserve it."
Cyrus placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sometimes people are dealt good lives, while others don't. It's not something we can control, but it's all about what we do with what we have. I had a shitty life at home, so I decided to abandon it. You had a life set out for you that you didn't want, so you decided to abandon it. All that matters is that we both now have it better than we did before."
Trucy gave Cyrus an endearing smile.
"Thanks. I guess I needed to hear that."
"Don't worry about it. We're both a couple of goons who don't like their life, we gotta stick together."
"Did you just call both of us 'goons'?"
"Am I wrong, though?"
The two shared a laugh before getting up and heading back to the front of the room. As they were walking, however, Cyrus suddenly stopped and stared at the dance floor, Trucy bumping into him as a result.
"Hey, why'd you sto-" Trucy said before looking at the dance floor as well. In the middle of everyone was Jaune Arc, wearing a dress, along with the rest of his team, all suddenly dancing in perfect sync. Immediately, the two doubled over laughing, trying to comprehend what the hell they just witnessed.
When Sebastian and Ainsley got back, Cyrus and Trucy were standing near the entrance, laughing to themselves. Sebastian looked at them, puzzled.
"What's up with you guys?" he asked. Cyrus turned and pointed to the dance floor.
"Jaune just showed up wearing a freaking dress, and just started busting moves on the dance floor."
Trucy nodded and continued the story.
"Then, ALL of Team JNPR burst into a totally-not-rehearsed dance sequence. It's both cool and kind of funny at the same time."
Sebastian and Ainsley looked at each other and giggled.
"So, Team JNPR kind of just took over the dance floor then?" Ainsley asked.
"Pretty much," Trucy replied.
Ainsley sighed and looked at Sebastian.
"So much for that then, right?"
"We should probably join up with the others in the meantime," he said, gesturing in the others' general direction. "I'm gonna try and see if we can pry Axel away from Gemma for a few minutes before they become chemically bonded together."
Cyrus, Trucy, Sebastian and Ainsley walked over to join their teammates on the other side of the room. All except for Damien, who was over by the punch bowl, grabbing a drink with his date. They walked back and rejoined the group, and Damien began the introductions.
"Hey guys, this is Violet," he said, gesturing while Violet gave a little bow. Then he turned to introduce the rest of the group to her. "Violet, this is my team: Cyrus, Sebastian, and Axel," he said as they all gave a nod.
Violet looked Axel up and down.
"Aren't you the one who showed up to Professor Oobleck's class soaking wet after setting yourself on fire?"
Axel slumped over and stuck his face in his punch cup while the rest of the group laughed at his expense.
"Yeah. That was me."
Violet laughed and gave him a nod.
"Well, if you all don't mind, I need to borrow Damien for a little longer. He owes me a dance, and seeing as Team JNPR's little routine is finished, I'm collecting."
"Is that right? Ainsley noted sarcastically, eyeballing Sebastian intently. "Sebastian owes me one as well. Guess it all worked out after all." She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dance floor, Sebastian practically on his feet. His face harbored the look of someone desperate for help. As the night continued, the two teams sat together, watching Sebastian and Ainsley dance like there was no tomorrow.
"Their form sucks," Axel said, laughing as he saw them freestyling about having the time of their lives.
"What do you expect from people who actually mean they can't dance when they say it?" Gemma looked over at Axel, calling him out.
"What? I'm not that good, I just did some stuff that my Dad taught me to impress you."
Gemma smiled back at him.
"And you did."
"It's weird though," Cyrus said. "I've never seen Sebastian that happy before." The group all took a look at Sebastian. He was genuinely smiling and laughing, looking like he was having the best day ever. It was as if all his problems went away.
"That's good for him though," Axel continued. "After everything he has been through, he deserves something like his."
"You mean someone like her." Trucy smirked, pointing at Ainsley.
"Please, Trucy," Mola said, flicking her. "Just because they're dancing together, doesn't mean that they are actually together."
"Oh come on Mola," she retorted. "You can't see that there is something between them?"
"Other than their friendship, no. I don't. Maybe as time goes on, we'll see. But, for now, they are just two good friends."
"Really good friends," she extended.
"Hey guys!" Gemma interrupted, catching everyone's attention as much as possible. "I just thought of a great idea!"
"This can't be good," Axel muttered to himself.
"Why don't we take group photos?"
"Sounds good to me," Cyrus agreed. "We should grab those two first."
They snatched Sebastian and Ainsley and pulled them over for photos. The group took a big photo with everyone and individual shots of both teams. Then they took pictures in pairs, except for Mola. he was the only loner, but he seemed fine with that. Cyrus and Trucy attempted to look cool with a pose but lost their balance right as the picture was taken. They excused themselves to the side in shame. Sebastian and Ainsley slung their arms over each other's shoulders and smiled. Damien and Violet crossed their arms and went back-to-back giving their best smiles while trying not to laugh. Gemma wrapped her arms around Axel's shoulders, as if they were still dancing, and while Axel looked at the camera, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Axel's face went redder than ever as the camera flashed. They walked off and joined the others, everyone giving them the whole "awwww" thing. Mola walked up to the camera guy and took a picture with them just because he could.
The night dwindled down, both teams were exhausted and decided to call it for the rest of the night. The teams said goodnight to one another and immediately passed out in their respective rooms. They had all made memories that would last a lifetime. Hopefully.