Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Well, it's been more than a while since that last update. Life's kept us all really busy and it's only lately that we've been able to spare the time to finish up that one last bit that kept this from being uploaded. For anyone who's stuck around even after all this time, thanks for keeping an eye out, and I hope the wait has been worth it. Okay, at long last, new chapter away!

NOTE:

-This is a collaborative effort between me, Noctis Gaelum and Alastar the hawk. We claim ownership over nothing except our own original characters.

SMWK

Some time later…

"Well, we didn't find what we were looking for, but so far, I'd say today's been a win."

As Yang and Set made their way through the dormitory hallways, the blonde felt the need to make some more small talk.

"And it ain't even over yet." The Faunus boy was fully on board with that, clearly. "Sure you don't wanna stick around for when Twister feels like turning up? You could still give him an earful if you feel like it."

She just shook her head. "Nah, something tells me you're looking forward to that more than I am." She followed this up by nudging her companion in a friendly manner once again. "But you can always fill me in if you want. You do have my number on your Scroll, don't you?"

"Touché." He chuckled for a bit, genuinely amused at her jokey tone. "You win this round, Heavy-Duty."

She fist-pumped at that. "Third time's the charm, buddy."

"True words." He then reached for one of his pockets and took out his Scroll, not even slowing down as he checked the screen. "Gotta check on my team anyway. No clue where they ran off to, and I sure as heck don't wanna get a text about how my bro passed out at the gym or whatever."

The mental image made Yang laugh again, much to Set's delight… but after thinking it over for a bit, she surprised him with her next remark.

"Hey, there's something I've got to ask you, and I want you to level with me." For once, she didn't sound as carefree as she had done so far. "It's not exactly something I can ask anyone else here."

He could only blink a few times, not having prepared himself for the idea of Yang being serious, but he quickly recovered enough to answer her. "A'ight, shoot."

At first, she just aimed her fist at him. Instead of her bracelet unfolding to reveal her weapon, she merely made a clicking sound, as if she had run out of ammo. This got a hearty chuckle out of Set, and it wasn't long before she did the same, but after that was done, she finally asked her question.

"From one sibling to another… how does it feel to have your brother as part of your team?"

Even more so than before, Yang's question caught the boy completely off-guard, but he did his best to answer her nonetheless.

"It's… cool." He shrugged slightly. "Ain't that much different from sharing a living space in Vacuo all my life. Wouldn't want to be on a team with anyone else." Then he scoffed. "The only diff I can think of is having two more people in the room, but hey, one of 'em's sweeter than apple cinnamon tea and the other's usually off doing whatever, so… not much of a change."

"Yeah, I guess I can't argue with that. I guess it's just… surprising compared to me hoping Ruby and I would be on different teams so she could make friends." Suddenly, she remembered something that she wanted to ask him earlier. "By the way, why is your room so… distant? Seriously, all it's missing is police tape and chalk lines on the floor."

"Blame Corporal Hailstorm for that one." He followed this up with a rough impression of Wyatt's voice. "We each take one wall, Set can take the one to the right of the window, and we each get 25%." He quickly dropped it to give his own thoughts on the matter. "Wasn't my idea, but hey, it's worked so far, so you won't see me complaining."

He could see it in Yang's face that she had genuinely not seen that one coming.

"The only thing that sucks about it? I'll bet you anything that he just thinks I decided on it outta nowhere, like I didn't hear him saying that." He gave a frustrated sigh. "Guy has a serious problem listening to others, and with the way he acts, I'm pretty sure he assumes others don't listen to him either."

Just as before, Yang's response was quick… but not quite as humorous as he thought it'd be.

"Well, maybe you should take the first step and show him it isn't like that."

All he could do was stare at her curiously, and that was all she needed to keep on going.

"I'm not asking you to act like someone you're not, but if he's being stubborn and you start doing the same, you guys are going to be stuck going in circles. Four years is a long time, and I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want to spend it all like that." She paused for a moment, just to make sure her words could sink in with him.

He offered no response to this, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn't ignoring her either.

"Just think about it, alright?" She stopped walking, and when he did the same, she looked him right in the eye. "But seriously, don't ever stop being you. You're pretty cool, Set."

Finally, he spoke again, a smirk making its way to his face. "Can't think of anyone I'd rather be, firework."

Yang raised an eyebrow at this.

"Firework, huh?" Then she returned his gesture with an identical one of her own. "I like that one. Maybe you should stick with it."

His expression was unchanged as he conceded with a slight shrug. "We'll see."

"Well, better get going. I bet my team misses me by now." Just like she had when they first met, she lightly punched his cheek. "See you around, hotshot."

And so, closing things off with a wink, she began to make her way out of there.

Set simply watched her leave, almost as if he had forgotten how to do anything else, and it wasn't until she was fully out of sight that he snapped back to reality. He hadn't noticed it before, but when he turned around, he saw the door to his room, which had apparently been right behind him this whole time; now he understood why Yang had stopped walking so suddenly.

He had himself the smallest of laughs before using his Scroll to open the door. Right as he cracked it open, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent, and right as he stepped in, he knew exactly what to say.

"Well, look who's finally back from the sweating contest." He turned over to his right. "You're real serious about that rematch, aren't ya, bro?"

And indeed, resting on the bed that Yang had previously borrowed, there was Kale, wearing a pair of headphones on his head and playing a game on his own Scroll before his brother's voice got his attention.

"What, do I still have that smell on me?" He slid his headphones down so they were hanging from his neck. "I hope not. I don't even know how long I spent scrubbing all that sparring off of me!"

Set had himself a chuckle at that. "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. If anything, you smell like soap and Shi-nee Toothpaste."

"Yeah, well, there's not a lot of stuff out there that'll get the taste of sweat out of a guy's mouth after it falls in because he keeps talking to himself."

Kale's comment made his brother wince. "Yikes. Thanks for the mental image." The Faunus boy pointed at the headphones that were around his neck. "You took those with you? 'Cause they weren't here when I dropped by earlier."

"That's right, bro. Honestly, I can't think of a better soundtrack for a fight than Smash 30." Not even five seconds went by before Kale backtracked on his own words. "I mean, yeah, it's just a sparring session, but you get what I mean."

This got a smile out of Set. "You're such a dork."

"Hey, one of us had to be the cool one, I guess." Kale's response was direct and lacking in sarcasm. "Pretty sure it isn't me."

Set just shook his head with a laugh before heading straight for his hammock.

"So, how'd things go for you and Yang?" Right as he got comfortable, he spotted Kale sitting up on his bed. "Did you figure out that whole thing with the letter?"

This made him scoff. "Oh, you're gonna love this, bro…"

Before he could go on, the conversation was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Is this a bad time?"

The two brothers turned to the source, startled by the sudden question, and sure enough, Wyatt was standing at the entrance.

"Hi, guys!" Maza quickly popped out from behind his back before waving at her teammates with a smile.

The boys couldn't do much beyond just waving back at her.

"Is this a private conversation, sir?" Apparently, Wyatt had picked up on their reactions. "If you'd prefer, Maza and I could wait outside until you are done." He pointed at the door right behind him as he said that, plastic bag in hand.

This seemed to snap his teammates out of their shock.

"Meh, forget it, Whopper. It's an open chat." Set didn't need too long to think of an answer.

Before he knew what happened, Maza was already standing right next to him with a huge smile on her face.

"Great, because I've been dying to hear about how your day went!" He could almost hear her vibrating from the excitement.

That got a chuckle out of Kale. "Well, you're in luck, because that is exactly what we were going to talk about before you guys came back."

"Yay!" Once again, before any of the boys knew what happened, Maza had already rushed over to her bed, sitting atop it with an expectant grin and hugging her stuffed dolphin close to her chest. "So, you and Yang. Tell me everything! Give me aaaaaallllllll the details! She's a natural blonde, right?"

And that made Set chuckle instead. "Quit playin' around, cupcake. We all know she is. You can't fake a mane of hair like hers."

"Unless you're drawing it on a comic book." Kale interjected.

The Faunus girl giggled at the two. Going by the timing, she'd almost swear they had practiced that routine at some point.

Wyatt looked like he wanted to say something, but he quickly decided against it, merely shrugging as he went to sit on his bed.

"Dunno what you want me to say, though." Set gave his female teammate a look that spoke for itself.

Maza was unfazed. "Well, what did you guys do? Did you talk about anything? Did you do something fun? Did you share a drink? Anything goes!"

"A'ight, if that's how it goes, then strap in." Set immediately laid back down, simply staring at the ceiling as he started to talk again. "First off, I got to see her room. Turns out Team RWBY and Team JNPR's rooms are right in front of each other. What are the odds, eh?" He scoffed in amusement. "So, room. They got bunk beds. Can you believe it?"

Kale looked at him in surprise. "Wait, bunk beds? You mean… like real, actual bunk beds? They've got those?"

"Nah, they just piled one bed on top of another one." The Faunus boy scoffed once more. "With books! Turns out they're good for something other than reading. Who knew?" Then he sighed, still as amused as before. "And that's just the ones she and Blake are using. You should see what Ruby's bed is like. How Little Miss Icicle hasn't bought it yet, I dunno."

Wyatt had a perplexed look on his face during the whole explanation. "That sounds extremely precarious and dangerous."

"Yeah, well, looks to me like they make it work. Don't ask me how; it just works for 'em." Set rolled his eyes with a shrug. "Speaking of good ol' Hoodie, she was there too. Doing a few rounds of Death Battle, she said."

This caught Maza's attention. "Oh hey, she likes that game too?"

"Sounded like it to me. Same goes for Yang; turns out there's a reason she tried to nail Sergeant Steel over here right in the Dust crystals, if you catch my drift." He pointed right at Wyatt as he finished that sentence. "Anyway, story. She hands me the letter, I sniff it… and I know exactly what she needs me to find."

Wyatt laid down on his bed, making himself comfortable by placing his hands behind his head. "That is good news, sir. That would mean the mission was a success then, right?"

"Guess you could say that." This got Set to look directly at him. "Not too surprised, sounds like. How come?"

"Should there be a reason for me to be surprised, sir?" Wyatt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not even playing coy, huh?" Set gave him the exact same gesture. "…Pretty sure I didn't get Misery's Kiss just now, so… okay, we'll play your game."

Maza could only gaze at both, seemingly confused by the brief exchange.

"I'm not entirely sure I follow, sir." Wyatt found himself even more puzzled by his statement.

"Gee, what a shocker." Set cleared his throat. "But back to the story. Blondie got an eyeful of this place, and y'better believe she had stuff to say." Turning his sights over to Maza, he pointed at her wall. "Turns out you've got someone to geek out with when you wanna talk about these guys, cupcake."

"Really?!" Maza asked gleefully.

"Oh yeah, she's got that same poster. And I mean exactly the same." And then he turned to his brother. "Had stuff to say about you too, bro. Either she likes your taste in books, or she just thinks it's cool how much you remind her of her sister."

Kale chuckled at this. "It's gotta be the first one. I mean, come on. It's The Thief and the Butcher we're talking about."

"How'd I know that was exactly what you'd say?" Set rolled his eyes in amusement. "Anyway, didn't find what we were looking for, but we did get to have a talk over some Sunflower Pop. Looks to me like she loves that stuff. Sure, it ain't tea, but it's good enough, so it's cool." He shrugged while stating that. "Then we walked back here, she left for her room, and that swings back around…" Then he sat up on his hammock and looked at Wyatt. "…to you."

He looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Me?"

In response, his team leader brought out a familiar-looking envelope.

"Feel like explaining this?"

That got a reaction out of him as he sat on his bed. "That's one of my envelopes, sir. Is there a problem?"

His answer was honest, and yet he couldn't help but feel confused.

"Wait, so that letter from earlier… that was you?" But not as much as Maza, who stared at him in complete and utter shock.

By contrast, her question didn't even make him flinch.

"I'm sorry, Maza, but I'm not at liberty to disclose that information. It's against the rules." Wyatt responded, regaining his composure a little and smiling at Set. "For a moment, I wasn't sure, but it appears you understand them, too. Thank you, sir."

The Faunus boy then threw the envelope over to Maza's side, and he spoke again as soon as she caught it. "Meh, either way, this thing speaks for itself. Check it out. Enjoy the madness."

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Maza was over the moon with excitement as she started to read the letter. "You wrote a letter! You wrote a…"

Kale took note of her reaction, which he wasn't expecting. She paused for a moment before looking at it closely, and her face screamed of confusion.

"You… I… huh?" She tilted both her head and the letter, looking a lot like a little kid trying to decrypt the secret message on their cereal box. "This is… I don't… what am I looking at?"

Once again, Wyatt raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? It's a friendship letter."

Maza could offer no answer, defaulting instead to reading the contents of the letter out loud.

Yang Xiao Long,

You are a capable and strong Huntress with a Semblance that, while lacking in flash at first glance, defies expectations and can become a visual spectacle. You have long, blond hair. I must compliment the work that was put into the entirety of your wardrobe, as the resulting assembly clearly allows for perfect flexibility and movement in dry and hot landscapes. Your weapons are well-calibrated with a hydraulic system that has obviously been properly cared for.

I understand your confusion as to why I'm reaching out in this format, but after reaching out to other parties for guidance on how best to approach you, I determine that at the current moment this could be the safest way so we can prevent any negative response our amygdalae may—

As she stopped to shake her head at what she had just gone through, Kale blinked a few times out of sheer disbelief.

"Okay, did I just… not come back from my sparring session after all?" He then brought a hand to where he had hit his head earlier in the day. "Am I just concussed right now?"

Maza took a very, very deep breath as she mustered up all the neutrality she possibly could before speaking up again. "…How is this in any way a friendship letter?!"

"What? The book I read on this matter said that you must emphasize the best qualities of the Huntress in question. It's best to embellish, be as detailed as possible, and add an air of mystery." Wyatt tilted his head to the side. "Was I too subtle? Or maybe not subtle enough? Perhaps I should have mentioned her skin tone as well…"

Maza could feel her eye twitching from the shock, but she did her best to power on through it and say what she wanted to say.

"Wyatt… what book?"

Wyatt reached towards one of his shelves and brought down one of the books. "This one."

Every single one of his teammates was taken aback once they saw the title: "How to Meet Smokin' Hot Huntresses."

"I still question why it is that how much a Huntress sweats was important enough to be used as the title, but according to this, an anonymous letter is a good icebreaker and the ideal way to garner her attention."

Kale could only stare at his teammate for a moment before looking over to his brother. "Should we… explain that one to him?"

Set shook his head with a snicker. "Nah, I think it's a lot funnier to see how long it takes him to figure it out on his own."

"Wyatt, I…" Maza was practically frozen after what she had just heard. "There's just… so much wrong with that sentence. I feel… confused? Angry? I mean, that… that's so…"

Wyatt could only blink a couple of times in response to her reaction, which only contributed to her utter bafflement.

"Seriously, what is the issue here? I'm trying to be better."

"Yeah, um… why is that?" Kale asked him. "I-I mean, it's nice, don't get me wrong, but… where is this all coming from?"

Much to his surprise, Wyatt shrugged at this.

"I suppose… it all started yesterday. You'll recall I went to get some parts for my weapon. I stopped by a library with a… very enticing slogan, and the owner helped me… put things into perspective, as it were." He gave Set and Kale a quick look. "I decided to try and make amends with everyone I've wronged, and since the two of you have tough skin and didn't seem to mind me much, I elected to start with the next person on the list."

This time, it was Maza that tilted her head to the side. "And… that'd be Yang?"

"If it helps, it was going to be you at first, but I cracked a gym like an egg using her body as a battering ram. If nothing else, I owed her that much."

Set raised an eyebrow at him. "Guessing that's the reason you ain't shocked that I figured out you did it?"

"It does play a part, yes, but for the most part, I was wondering about whether or not you knew or cared about the importance of the letter remaining anonymous." He smiled, seemingly out of relief. "It's good to know you understood that."

"That's cool, but it's no answer, wise guy."

"You are right." He sat down on his bed. "Earlier today, Maza and I had a serious conversation, and we agreed that I should make an effort to be aware of my teammates' best qualities. You proved this morning that your nose is one of yours, sir. What would be the use in questioning it?"

Set gave him a deadpan stare for a moment.

"…Alright, that sounded like an actual compliment. Color me surprised." Then he turned over to Maza. "He's not kidding, is he?"

She shook her head at this. "Nope. It's all true. We talked about a lot of stuff!" And then she turned her attention to Wyatt. "And yes, he promised to try and be less mean from now on."

"And as such, I need to ask a question. You've made it very clear that you and Miss Xiao Long spent all this time searching for me. I can only presume that you figured everything out on your own." He briefly glanced at the letter that Maza had dropped out of shock before looking at his team leader. "Are you going to tell her the truth about what happened, sir?"

Much to his surprise, Set scoffed at this.

"What, and break the sacred rule? What kinda crazy are you trying to sell me here?"

His tone was dripping with sarcasm, but a quick look at Wyatt's expression told him that it hadn't registered that way with him, so he decided to take it in a different direction.

"…'Sides, I'm pretty sure she already figured it out by the time we came here looking for you."

That made him scoff in turn. "I highly doubt that. She may be strong, but she is clearly not that bright."

"Buddy, if that's seriously what you think, you're even thicker than I thought." The Faunus boy then surprised all of his peers with a heavy sigh. "…Makes two of us."

"Sir?" Wyatt ask with a raised eyebrow at the last comment, surprise he said it on the first place

Kale and Maza just looked at each other in silence, seemingly just as confused as he was.

"Didn't know where on Remnant you had zipped off to, even after reading through that nutty schedule of yours, so after our search ended up being a bust, I had a chance to chat it up with Yang. She told me about herself and you and Operation: Kablammo." With that, he laid back down on his hammock and stared at the ceiling. "…She told me how it wasn't your fault."

Wyatt was about to say something, but immediately stopped himself as soon as Set raised a hand.

"Shut up. Let me finish. I need to say this." He then put his hand down. "When I saw you and her destroying the gym, I thought that was all you. I thought you were being stubborn and an idiot and blowing off steam in the worst way Remnant has ever seen. I thought you wanted an outlet and just happened to run into Yang and decided she'd fit the bill." He sighed once again, this time with a facepalm. "…I thought you just wanted to get kicked out of Beacon because you didn't get your way and felt like dragging us down with you, and doing that right after I read through that ungodly schedule of yours and thought that maybe we should hear you out… that was just too much."

Maza's eyes widened at that. "Boss…?"

"And even after that, you kept acting like nothing happened, kept ditching us to do your own thing and didn't even come with us to our first combat class. I swear I was just about ready to give up on you and try to figure out how the rest of us would make it despite being stuck with you… but then Yang and I had that talk." Finally, he looked over at Wyatt. "She told me that the whole fight was her idea, and she kept pushing it even after you tried over and over to de-escalate the whole thing. It wasn't your fault."

"But… it was my fault." Wyatt quickly interjected. "I attacked her and harmed many fellow students because I couldn't control my rage." He looked down at his fist. "It's my curse, my responsibility… my mistake. She should not have assumed the blame."

This got a frustrated groan out of Set. "Fine, whatever, we can split the difference later. Just knock it off with the self-hate for one stinkin' minute and listen for a change!"

Wyatt was taken aback by that, much to his own surprise, and decided to simply nod in silence.

"What I'm trying to say is… I'm sorry." With that said, Set turned his attention back to the ceiling. "I jumped to conclusions and kept blaming you for something you didn't even want in the first place. For as much as I've been complaining about you just wanting everything your way and not even trying to be part of the team, I haven't exactly been doing my due diligence as the leader either. Pretty sure that makes me the biggest idiot in this room." He suddenly paused, as if he had just realized something he hadn't before. "I mean, not the biggest one. You're still way taller than any of us, but…"

Kale and Maza both chuckled at that last part, which helped him calm down a little.

"…Whatever. You get what I mean." He then pinched the bridge of his nose. "The thing is… Yang was right. Four years is a long time." After putting his hand back down, he looked at each of his teammates for a moment. "Way too long to spend it all butting heads and getting nowhere, at least… and things ain't gonna change unless one of us takes the first step, so that's what I'm gonna do right now." Finally, he shrugged. "Way too late, yeah, but better that than never."

Even if he wasn't listening to both his voice and his bodily reactions, Wyatt could tell that Set was being completely honest. In response, he sighed and looked down to the floor.

"It's fine, sir. It would appear we have much to learn from each other, and for what it's worth…" He paused briefly, mainly out of shame. "…I completely understand your logic. All things considered, your initial conclusion was more than reasonable."

The others noticed him tightening his fist even more.

"The truth is… I needed to think of a way to ensure I wouldn't hurt anyone. That is why I didn't want to be on a team. It was not due to personal preference, but because… I am afraid of who I am… and that I could easily harm you without meaning to." He closed his eyes with another sigh before finally letting his hand relax.

Kale's voice quickly got his attention. "Let me guess: your Semblance is tricky?"

"It's… ever-present."

Maza blinked a few times. "What do you mean?"

"I have a passive Semblance. Unlike the three of you, I don't exactly have control over it. It's just… there at all times." Finally, he brought his head back up to look at each of his teammates. "All I can do is contain it, use it at minimum strength, and I have to do so all the time. Otherwise… I might start breaking buildings by accident with a single punch… or worse."

It was only when he was done telling his story that he noticed the looks that the others were giving him. They were… not quite as horrified as he expected them to be.

Set was the first to speak up. "…Yeah, see, if you had stuck around the other day when we were talking about our Semblances—"

"Which was his idea, by the way." Kale suddenly interjected, to which Maza nodded enthusiastically.

This earned him a smirk from his brother, who then promptly continued talking. "—then we could've had something."

"Yeah, you're not the only one in this room who has horror stories to tell about their Semblance." Once again, Kale picked up from there. "Do you have any idea what it's like to screw up and get lost in Vacuo, of all places? One stray thought, and the next thing you know, there's a small child Shadowjumping right into the middle of the Wastelands!" Right away, he could feel a cold chill going up his spine. "So… many… Ravagers…"

Maza's eyes widened at this, while Set merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's true. He could've died right there if he didn't have his Scroll with him. Never seen ol' Pops running off faster than he did when he found out. Murder-happy look on his eyes and everything, too; can't even begin to imagine how many Grimm he nailed." Then he casually pointed at his brother. "It's a major sore spot for him, too, so y'better appreciate the openness there, Scarfy." And then he sighed once more before looking at him. "But hey, at least that was a legit accident. You're not the one who ran off all the way to the middle of nowhere on a full moon's night as if you'd sniffed out the biggest mole crab in all of Remnant, and especially not over a stupid experiment."

This got a gasp out of Maza. "Is… is that how you found out about the… problem it has?"

"Yeah, that was it." It was Kale who answered her, however. "He wanted to test it out under a full moon to see what'd happen. If you could've seen him all feral and snarly and glowy… it was like something out of a superhero comic, except… uncomfortable and scary." The thought of it made him breathe a sigh of relief. "Good thing Mom used her own Semblance to bait him into jumping her. He got the copy, sure, but then she got him and managed to calm him down just enough that he recognized her and snapped out of it."

Set groaned at the memory. "Woof, man. I must'a looked like a real idiot…"

Maza suddenly put her stuffed dolphin down and began to twiddle her thumbs.

"Well, it sounds like you guys got a handle on them eventually, at least." She kept her eyes down as she spoke. "I know I said I use mine a lot and that's how I came up with the name, but the truth is… I still can't get it to come up on command. Sure, it's super handy and I love having it, but no matter how hard I try, it just kind of happens when it feels like happening. I've gotten lucky more than once since we made it to Beacon and that's really nice, but… I wish I could just do it when I actually needed it…"

When she finally brought her eyes back up, she noticed the looks that everyone was giving her. Not judgmental or confused, but rather, a lot more understanding than she was expecting.

Kale chuckled, which came across more ironic than anything else. "I guess we're all screw-ups in some fashion, huh?"

"Ain't that the truth, bro…" Set scoffed in a similar manner. "Anyone feel like taking stock of how many times we've dropped the ball?"

Kale rolled his eyes at this before letting out a sarcastic laugh. "I think I'll take a rain check on that, bro."

Much to their delight, that got a genuine laugh out of the Faunus girl.

"I suppose you're right." Wyatt, by contrast, was visibly shocked by what he had just heard. "We all have stories to tell under our belts… and they're not always happy, it seems." Eventually, his expression relaxed. "Thank you for sharing."

"Don't mention it." Kale was quick to reply. "I'll bet you any amount of Lien that we're not done collecting tales like these yet."

Set snickered at that. "You beat me by one second."

Maza, meanwhile, laughed once again before speaking up.

"You're right, guys. We've got a long road ahead of us, and it's just our first year— no, month— no, week! It's our first week!" She blinked a few times, a shocked look plastered on her face. "…Wow, we've barely even started. Can you believe it?"

This, in turn, made the two brothers laugh.

"Honestly, I'd say that's good news." Once they were done, Kale took the chance to address Wyatt directly. "It means we're still on time to shove everything under the rug and start over. All in all, it sounds to me like we've all screwed up plenty. We've had to work hard to even make it as far as we have, and we don't exactly have privileged backgrounds."

Set casually pointed at Maza. "Jury's still out on Munchies over here, K. Smells to me like she just treated someone to a meal with cheese on it." He put his hand down before actually looking at her. "Ain't the first time you've done that for us, either."

"I'm not super rich, if that's what you're thinking, boss. I just like doing that for friends!" She shook her head. "Even with Roman Torchwick's recent streak of Dust robberies, my parents have been lucky with their business, but they've always been really serious about how you shouldn't spend all your Lien in one place, so I've had no choice but to be careful with it since I was small." Then she laid down on her bed, grabbing her dolphin before hugging it close to her chest. "It's the kind of mentality you have to keep in mind for Mantle, and I guess you never fully shake it off even if you're somewhere else."

"That sounds like a good idea, actually." Wyatt could almost feel a small smile taking over his face.

She also smiled at the comment, almost as if she could tell he was doing so at that moment.

Kale, on the other hand, just looked confused. "Wait, Mantle?"

"A'ight, that says it all." Set quickly followed suit, having apparently caught on faster than his brother. "Moved away from there, huh?"

Despite not looking at him, Maza nodded.

"Your parents left for greener pastures, right?" Kale asked.

This time, she spoke. "Oh yes!"

"Good thing, because we wouldn't trade you for anything in Remnant either." The boy then looked to his brother. "Right, bro?"

Set had himself a laugh. "Couldn't have said it better myself, soldier."

Maza felt her eyes closing as a contented sigh escaped her, happy that she recognized Kale's choice of words.

"So yeah, like my brother said, none of us had cushy lives before making it here." Set then addressed Wyatt once again. "It ain't just you, Anima Boy."

Kale nodded. "But you've heard us out so far, and obviously our fearless leader heard you out on how we should set the room up when you brought it up on that night that no one wants to talk about."

Wyatt then had himself a close look at each of his teammates' corners, noticing how comfortable they all seemed to be, followed by a quick glance at the flowers on his table, and then he turned to look at Set.

"You… took my advice in the end?"

He shrugged in response. "What? It was a good idea! Sure, you were being a pain in my tail and I didn't want to give you the satisfaction, but I'll roll with a good idea when it comes along."

"Which isn't too far off from when we came back from Professor Goodwitch's class and you said something like that about our use of… um, 'psychological warfare' was what you called it, I think?" Kale then shook his head. "Anyway, the point is, taking five and listening to each other seems to be working so far. Set just took a step forward the size of Sanus by apologizing, and since you haven't brushed us off for talking about something other than training, I can only assume you've accepted that apology. I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep that train rolling."

Set nodded. "Ditto. So, what say we treat the past few days as footprints on the sand and keep the rest of our trail on rock and concrete from here on out?"

"Is that a saying on Vacuo?" Maza asked the two brothers.

They both nodded before Kale spoke up. "It's not a common one, but it's one we've heard."

Once again, Wyatt gave each of his teammates a good, long look before turning his sights down to the floor once more, reflecting on everything that had just happened.

"…Agreed. And if I may be so bold…" After a moment of reflection, he then brought his eyes back up. "…you were talking about your Semblances just a moment ago. I believe that would be a good way to start over. Assuming I'm not overstepping my boundaries, would you mind telling me about them?"

Kale shrugged in much the same way his brother had done. "Sure."

"On one condition." Set quickly chipped in. "No more creepy no-name ransom letters, alright?"

Wyatt's eyes instantly widened.

"What?! That wasn´t a…!" When he noticed how loud his voice was, he took a moment to collect himself. "…Don't worry, sir. The next letter will be… less like a ransom demand."

Maza sat up on her bed. "Yeah, um… maybe it'd be better if you don't do that again." After putting her dolphin down, she picked up the letter so he could look at it again. "No offense, but this is… really creepy. I know you didn't mean it that way, but that's how it comes off, and you're just lucky that Yang didn't blow up the door asking for a rematch."

Wyatt could only stare at her blankly before lowering his head with a single grunt.

"Is… that a 'yes'?"

Set and Kale were equally confused by that response.

"…Fine." He then brought his head back up, followed by bringing his book back into view. "Should I skip the remaining steps then?"

Before he knew what happened, Maza took it away from him. "Yes! Please, for the love of Remnant, yes!"

"Hey!" Wyatt quickly stood up from the sudden feeling of irritation. "I paid for that book! It's still mine!"

She soon held the book close to her chest. "Trust me, Wyatt, this is for your own good. I think I've gotten to know you well enough to say… you don't want any 'advice' from this book. Please, just let it go."

He glared at her for a moment, but upon fully noticing the pleading look in her eyes, he relented.

"Fair enough. If it truly means that much to you, consider it a gift. Do with it as you please." A sigh soon escaped him as his defeated expression was in full display. "And… I promise I will refrain from making more friendship letters."

With that, Maza also sighed in relief as she let herself drop down on her bed. Set and Kale couldn't do much beyond turning to each other and shrugging at the whole scene.

"Are there any other conditions you want to add?" Wyatt asked, turning to look at the brothers before suddenly lifting a hand and pointing at Maza. "And no, that does not include hugging you. Trust me, it is for your own safety."

That got a shrug and a big grin out of her. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we talked about it earlier."

Wyatt brought his hand back down, not turning his sights away for even a second as he waited for an answer.

"…Nah." Set didn't even look at him when he answered.

Kale, on the other hand, shook his head. "I'm good."

"Very well. I'm glad that has been resolved." Wyatt let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in before giving his team a nod. "Now, where should our conversation start?"

Set scoffed in what sounded like amusement. "Well, Private Punchy, since you're so hung up on talking about Semblances, how about kicking things off by telling us what you named yours?"

"Name it?" Wyatt blinked a couple of times, apparently not fully grasping the question. "You mean… how best to describe it?"

Kale, in turn, was confused by his question. "Um… no, h-he means what you named it. Y-You know, th-the name you wrote down on your application form?"

"You… named yours?" This only baffled him even more. "Why would you name your Semblance?"

Much to his shock, all three of his teammates sat up and looked at him with a look that could barely be put into words… and they all had the same thing to say.

"…What?!"

Well, nothing new on this chapter to exposit on either, so hey, I hope everyone who made it to the end of it enjoyed our latest efforts. It's been a good while since we came back to this, but it feels really good to be able to return to it, and hopefully it won't take us that long to add more to it. I'll also be doing my best to update my individual projects wherever I can, so if there's any overlap between this story and those, I hope you'll keep your eyes peeled. For now, though, on behalf of me and the guys, I'm just gonna leave you like I always do…

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.