Apologies for not updating for so long. Life got in the way for a bit. But with this chapter and the next, the opening ark will finally be complete. And we can move on to more of the characters you're probably actually excited to see. Enjoy.

It was a stormy night in the desert. A sandstorm had blown in and was ravaging Oscuro without remorse. The headmaster walked down its halls with his young protégé at his side and a team of huntsman at his back. Unfortunate wanderers who filled the corridors, seeking shelter from the storm that had raged for days with no sign of end. So it was especially worrying that there had been a new alert at their door. Anyone arriving now would need serious medical attention. The aged headmaster made a gesture to the gate guard, a serious expression etched into his face. As the large double doors creaked open, the barrage of wind and sand swept into the entryway and began assaulting the group. His protégé and the huntsman shielded their faces, but he stood undeterred, peering out into the howling wall of sand. Nothing. More than likely, a malfunction caused by the storm, he thought.

But then a most peculiar sound cut its way through the howling wind. A gurgling noise, and a disgusting one at that.

The balding man twirled back around and took a step outside, finding the source of the gurgling on the lower step. He cringed as he saw it. A baby placed in a tattered box and wrapped in a purple cloth, bawling and crying desperately to be heard over the howling wind. No family in sight. Any signs of who or how it got there being completely erased by the storm. He reached down and picked the baby and the box up, taking it inside while holding it at arm's length from himself. As the doors closed behind him, the baby calmed and finally went silent. A tuft of white hair poked out of the swaddling as a pair of bulbous eyes stared at him. He gave up the staring match when the baby belched, handing the filthy little creature off to his protégé.

They would look after it. There wasn't any other option. The young woman scowled as the baby babbled in her arms, its grubby hands reaching up to get a grasp on her glasses. She was supposed to be training to become the next headmistress, not babysitting. She looked in the box and found a small stuffed polar bear for the child to play with. But also a silver medallion. She examined it for a second and sighed. The object was completely foreign in design to her. The child could keep it. As it stood, it was the only link to whatever family he once had.

Kai fiddled with the medallion as he watched Tidus and Dew go at each other again from the stands. Their two polearms clashed together, eliciting sparks as the students pushed hard against one another. Dew would break first and attempt to sweep Tidus' leg. Tidus would jump over and attempt to punish, but Dew would avoid the attack. The flow of battle played out seamlessly in front of Kai's eyes. Every move made visible to him seconds before they occurred. This was easily the most heated grudge match the Sandpit had seen so far, more of a one sided grudge given Tidus' lax nature. The two best duelists from Shade this year with neither of them dropping a match so far. Until today. One of them would have to come away as the loser.

On the surface, it appeared so close, but as Kai's mind raced through every possibility, the outcome became clearer and clearer. Tidus was multiple steps ahead in this fight. He even looked relaxed to some extent. Every move Dew made was too little, too late. Although in Dew's defence, she was facing the brother of one of the greatest ever spear fighters from Vacuo. Years of facing one of the best wielders of the weapon would definitely make her a less daunting opponent.

A punch slipped through Tidus' sloppy defense, interrupting Kai's deep analyses. He still hadn't adjusted himself to Tidus' sometimes lazy tendencies. The fight didn't last much longer past that point. The blow seemed to have knocked Tidus' head back in the game, letting him close out the match. Now crowned the best duelist in Shade, his reward was a scolding from Sunnybrook for his rather poor finish.

From the sidelines, Theodore chuckled and congratulated the two before beckoning the rest of the students down. He dressed in his usual eccentric style. A young man trapped in a fifty something year old's body. "Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well." He said, giving them his usual energetic smile. "I have an important announcement to make. As most of you already know, the Vytal Festival is fast approaching. So at the end of this week, our chosen representatives will go to Beacon Academy a month early to prepare and get some varied learning. BRNZ, NDGO and AMBT. I suggest you spend the week getting ready because you leave on Saturday." There was a buzz in the air between the teams at the announcement. It was no surprise Theodore had chosen them to represent the Academy, but even still it was an immense honour. Theodore raised his hand to silence them before speaking again. "Remember, even though you are away from Shade, your actions still reflect the views and values of our academy. So I want to keep the strongly worded messages I receive from the other headmasters to a minimum this year. Three is the max… No five is the max." Theodores' easy going smile fell as a serious expression shadowed his face. "I also want Shades tarnished tournament record improved. So I'm expecting results this year. Don't fuck it up." His face twisted from the ominous scowl back to his usual carefree smile. "But don't forget to have lots of fun with your fellow students!"

With the trip fast approaching, AMBT efficiently used their time. Kai had already finished his packing on Monday. The others said they would do it on Tuesday, but they didn't. The ever repeating circle of blame the three put on each other didn't make it any easier to work out why. And on Wednesday, they got sidetracked with a fight between Theodore and Ash. It was a standard affair at this point. Ash couldn't keep his mouth shut and Theodore was far too willing to fight his own students. On Thursday Tidus overslept. The other two should have made a start regardless of Tidus oversleeping, but when he woke up, he found they had made no progress. By the time Friday came around, the three had collectively packed one shirt between them. One day to pack wouldn't have been too awful if Tidus hadn't then received 'urgent summons' to return home. Or as his mother had said over scroll, "she really wanted to see her brave baby boy before he went off fighting in a different kingdom".

The call being audible to everyone in the cafeteria was just the icing on top. Luckily for him, the team agreed to make a quick stop at their respective homes before leaving. After a day of frantic organising, they split into two groups, agreeing to meet up to help Jett with a task before going back to Shade. Kai and Tidus would make their way to the latter's home. While Jett and Ash would go to Ash's home.

There was silence throughout the first half of Tidus and Kai's trip. Conversation hadn't exactly been freely flowing between the two quieter members of the group. Or quiet relative to Ash and Jett. Tidus didn't really know what to say to him. Unfortunately, he'd already exhausted their common interest in wrestling in previous conversations. As well as any other common interests most Vacuans had. And Kai was much more of a speak when spoken too kind of guy rather than a conversation starter. Usually, the other two would carry the conversation with whatever random topic that came to Ash's mind or Jett's current pet peeve. But today it seemed the responsibility fell to Tidus.

"Hey Kai," Tidus paused for a second as he bounced around the potential questions in his head. "Is there any specific reason you don't want to visit home before we leave?"

Kai's brow quirked up at the question. He hadn't out right said he didn't want to visit home, but when given the opportunity earlier, he had declined. "It is not that I do not wish to visit home. I simply cannot. We don't have enough time."

"Oh, so you live far away?"

"Far enough I suppose. Although I don't know if I could call it home." Tidus tilted his head in confusion. Kai had a tendency to flip-flop from far too precise to beyond vague. "I grew up in Oscuro Academy. The headmistress is someone I consider family. Like a sister. Although, I feel like she would not approve of me calling her that."

"You two don't get along too well or something?"

"Maybe. We are cordial, and before leaving, she ordered that I write to her every week." Kai paused and thoughtfully stroked his chin. "But she does not approve of me referring to her as sister."

"Wait, you write?" Tidus couldn't help the grin that crossed his face as he imagined Kai writing with a fountain pen next to the candlelight. "Why not just message her on Scroll?"

"She's old school, as some would say. I believe she got it from the previous headmaster. And I suppose I got it from her as an extension."

Old school might have been an understatement. Kai was the only person Tidus knew who still carried a handkerchief with his initials sewn on it. There was probably a quill and inkwell somewhere in that utility belt of his as well. "Well, she sounds nice enough. And I'm sure you're not the reason for the whole sister thing. She wouldn't have you write every week if that was the case."

"Hm. I suppose your point has some merit."

"I mean, every week is more than my mother calls me." Tidus gave a yawn and lifted his hands behind his head. "So I'm guessing she's where you got all your slick moves and analysis from."

"Indeed, I spent many an hour of my youth facing her." His face scrunched slightly as a rare hint of annoyance surfaced. "Most of it ended with me under her boot."

Tidus nodded in understanding. "I feel you. That is one thing about older siblings. They never let you win."

"I would be correct in assuming you did much the same learning with your own brother."

"Yeah… Much the same in just about everyway…" Tidus' voice trailed off as they finally reached the front of his home. "Shit."

Kai shot him a confused look before also looking at the front of the house. As far as he could tell, the house was very normal. It even looked a little cozy.

Tidus felt like he was going to have an aneurism. She just had to be here. And if he was here as well. He let out a groan. This could go south really fast. "Kai, this is very important. When we go in there, you don't talk." He backtracked his words when he realised Kai would literally not speak at all. "Actually, you can talk, but just keep it short and polite as usual. Let me lead. We're in and out like lightning. Say hello and say goodbye. That's it." He turned to face Kai and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Do you understand?"

"Completely." Kai said with a small salute.

"Good."

Upon stepping inside, the awkward silence that met them instantly confirmed to Tidus that this was most likely the worst-case scenario. Walking into the living room only made the deafening silence worse. On the sofa sat his mother, a taller dark skinned woman in a brightly coloured dress with curly hair. At her side, Tidus' brother lounged lazily using his overcoat as a blanket. Across from them, his grandmother sat in an armchair. A deflated, wrinkled old woman dressed in a faded baggy dress. A large wart on her upper cheek was the most prominent feature on her scrunched face. The three heads all turned on a swivel to observe the two newcomers. Their presence seemed to have at least eased some of the tension in the air.

Tidus' mother was the first to acknowledge them, standing up and walking over to give Tidus a hug with a warm smile on her face. "You actually came! It's so nice to have both my babies back home."

Tidus chuckled as he squirmed his way out of his mother's hugs and kisses. "Haha yeah, it's like a whole family reunion." The other two family members didn't see the comedy in the quip. His brother just grunted while his grandmother grumbled something incoherent under her breath. Then the two of them went back to their silent, staring contest. He hadn't really expected any other response.

"Oh, and one of your teammates." She reached out to shake Kai's hand enthusiastically. "I'm Marigold, but you can just call me Maria."

"Kai Blackwood," he made a theatrical bow after shaking her hand, "at your service."

"And you have such brilliant manners. I hope you've been taking notes." She said, looking at her son.

Tidus gave a strained smile and let out a chuckle through gritted teeth. He made a gamble, asking his grandma a question to change the subject. "You been ok grandma?"

The old woman somehow scrunched up her wrinkled features further and shot him a stink eye. "You still becoming a huntsman?" Tidus gave a nod in response. "Then I'm not ok."

He let out a small sigh. It was always good to see that her old age hadn't killed off her stubbornness. "Love you too, grandma." The awkward silence that had encompassed the room before ensued once again. Tidus seized the opportunity to make his escape before he got bogged down in anymore conversation. He began making moves to usher Kai out the door, shuffling awkwardly behind him. "It was nice seeing you all, but I'm actually really busy today and I have to get ready for a trip tomorrow. So I can't stay and chat. Love you all and-"

His mother interrupted, grabbing his arm before he could make a break for it. "Wait a minute, a trip? You never told me about a trip."

"Yeah, it was short notice, but the Vytal festival's coming up and-"

Cole finally spoke up from the sofa that he had now fully claimed for himself. "Short notice? They've been advertising that for the last six months."

"Yes. But if you actually let me finish," Tidus said, letting his annoyance slip into his voice. "You would know that I only found out that I could compete this week."

That caught his brother's full attention. The man sat up from the sofa with a wide grin on his face. "God damn, my lil bro's actually competing in the Vytal festival. You better actually bring home some glory, would rather not have you join Vacuo's long list of losses."

"Yeah, I've been hearing that sentiment a lot lately. But as I was saying, that is exactly why I can't stay and chat. You know got places to be and-"

His mother cut him off and grabbed him by the back of his coat before he could shuffle himself away a second time. "You won't be leaving so soon. I have work for you to do."

"What?! Work? You're kidding." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. After being away for months, the first thing his mother asked of him was chores.

"I am not kidding. Someone was supposed to work on the garden before he left but spent all morning napping instead." His mother said while dragging him through the living room to the backdoor.

Tidus could have sworn he saw Cole stifling his laughter in the corner of his eye. "Why can't Cole do it? He's sitting right there doing jack shit."

"Language," she said, giving him a sharp look. "And he's been busy. He just got back from an important mission." She looked at her older son proudly after the comment.

"He's been busy? What do you think I've been doing all year?"

"Quit your complaining." She said before whispering to him. "You know I can't trust him with the plants. Anyway, you don't want your poor mother to be overworked now, do you?" And with that, the argument was over. Tidus' mother gave him a kiss on the cheek before shoving him out into the garden, leaving Kai awkwardly stood in the doorway. "Now then." She turned around excitedly and ushered Kai to sit on the sofa. "Could I get you anything to drink? Some juice or a cup of tea, perhaps?"

Kai ran it through his head for a second. On the one hand, saying yes was the polite thing to do. On the other, Tidus had explicitly said that they would make this as fast as possible. Kai peered past the older woman to spot Tidus trudging around in the back garden with a shovel in hand. He could probably take a moment to indulge himself. He graciously accepted, and Marigold rushed off to the kitchen, leaving the room in silence again.

After a minute of silence, Cole finally broke the silence. He looked over at Kai with an interested expression. "So you're on the same team as my little brother?"

Kai, ever the conversationalist, kept it short and sweet. "I am."

"Cool." Cole rubbed his chin while nodding. "He uh, going to lessons, you know, waking up in time?"

"He sleeps a lot, but he has attended all lessons."

"Good, good." Cole awkwardly tapped his fingers on the sofa hand rest. "You don't say a lot."

"I say what I need to say."

"Hmm. How's the training been so-"

The old woman across from them gave a sudden sound of disgust. "You're foolish, the lot of you." She said, practically spitting out the words.

Kai looked at her in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Forgive her. She's gone a little senile in her old age." Cole said as he shot his grandmother an irritated look.

"Oh, shut it." She said, dismissing Cole with a wave of her boney hand. She changed focus and narrowed her eyes at Kai. "Believe me, give up on this Huntsman lifestyle while you still have the chance. There's nothing good that can come off it."

"I appreciate your concern, but I hope you will believe me when I say that I am fully capable. If I wish to fulfill my goals and follow in my family's footsteps, this is what I must do."

"To follow in the steps of your family?" Kai and the old lady locked eyes for a minute before she leaned back in her chair and let out a dry cackle. "A foolish endeavour."

Cole rolled his eyes at the comment and let out an exasperated sigh. "Grandma, don't start with this again."

"I shouldn't start again? You, of all people, should understand the dangers of following in the footsteps of your forefathers."

Cole stood up with his fists clenched as he stared down at his grandma. He seemed to consider saying something before letting out a deflated breath from his nose and shaking his head. "Seriously grandma I'm not having this argument with you again." He said before turning to leave through the backdoor.

"Fine, leave. You know I'm right, like always!" She shouted after him, her frail voice threatening to give out on her if she raised it any louder. She slumped back down into her chair, grumbling to herself. "Take my advice, keep your dreams in check, or you'll end up like Cole and… that man."

Kai looked to the old woman on sure of how to proceed. He'd witnessed his fair share of arguments, but at least he usually had some wider context on their topic. At a base level, it seemed she disapproved of the Huntsman lifestyle. But there was obviously more to it than that. "Forgive me, but I don't fully understand your point. Cole is one of the most accomplished Huntsman in Vacuo and provides an invaluable service to many. If it is the danger the job entails, I feel you will have little to worry about with him."

"Most accomplished Huntsman in all of Vacuo." The old woman spat in a mocking tone. "All those delusions of glory and grandeur and for what? Those who survive are the ones who dictate history." She paused before giving him a conspiring look. "You seem book smart. Tell me, have you ever heard the name…"

Marigold rushed back in carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. A disturbed look etched across her face. "Mother, please, I've asked you time and time again to not talk about him."

"Better I do. You and my grandsons will be the ones who pay the price if you don't start listening to what I say."

"Mother, we have a guest. Please calm down." Marigold said, fixing her mother-in-law with a stern look.

The old woman calmed a bit as she helped herself to some tea and biscuits, but couldn't help but grumble out one last comment. "Hmph, Tidus' is the only one of you who has a slither of common sense left."

Inside a small greenhouse in the back garden, Tidus was busy snipping the leaves and stems of a select group of plants. Unlike the rest of Remnant, the people in Vacuo uniquely equipped their greenhouses to keep the temperatures cooler rather than hotter. Allowing for the cultivation of plant other than cacti. The plants in this case were some flowers his mother had asked for. Looked after well enough, but Tidus could always make some slight improvements.

He paused and turned around when he heard the backdoor opening to see Cole. An uncharacteristic scowl covered his brother's face as he walked over and sat on a stack of bricks in the small garden. Tidus didn't need to ask to know the reason for his brother's sour mood. It was the same song and dance whenever their grandmother came to visit. He left him to sit in silence while he finished his work, knowing that Cole would talk when he felt like it.

After a while, Cole finished his brooding and walked over to stand by his little brother. "So the Vytal festival. You leaving this week?"

"Yup."

"You all packed?"

Tidus paused for a moment as he almost cut a flower in half. "Yes."

"Wow, Friday and you still haven't packed." Cole said with an approving nod.

"Shut up."

"Well, I'll be away for a bit, but I'll be there in time for the start of the tournament. In the meantime, let me leave you with some brotherly advice." Tidus felt his stomach drop when he realised what that meant. "From one Vytal festival winner to a future one. Let me tell you, those girls from Beacon Academy are something else." Cole gave his brother a solid jab in the ribs.

"You know I already don't want to hear it." Tidus reached into his pocket to get his out headphones only for them to be snatched away.

"Nuh uh. This is important. Mum is expecting lots of grandkids and unfortunately, all the responsibility is falling on you."

"What the fuck. Aren't you the one who always talks about all the girls you dated?"

"That's true, but I'm a free spirit. I'm not built for the confines of domesticated life."

"Sounds more like a Womanizer to me," Tidus said simply. All the poetic language in the world couldn't save his brother from that label. "In fact, there's a guy on my team just like you in that regard."

Cole continued on undeterred. "Now listen, I know you've probably met some nice girls at Shade, but I'm telling you. They don't even compare to the ones at Beacon."

Tidus' shoulders sagged as he tried his best to focus on gardening. "Why are we having this conversation?"

"Now listen, the best thing to start with is small talk…"

On the other side of Vacuo, Ash and Jett pulled up to the gates of a mansion. Mansion might have been a bit of an understatement. Standing amidst the low profile buildings of Vacuo, it was more of a fortress. Large-scale buildings of its kind other than the two Academies were non existent in Vacuo. The time and effort to build monumental structures on sand was just far too impractical. If you did a quick dig around in certain areas, you could find plenty of examples of past attempts. Instead, Vacuans opted to build houses designed to fail. Make sure they fall apart into bigger pieces so you could put them back together easier. On the plus side, your house would always be brand new. On the downside, Shade and specifically miss Rumpole's office were some of, if not the only, readily available heritage sites in the kingdom.

And it seemed whatever this monstrosity was hoping to join the esteemed club.

Ash went to an intercom at the side while Jett looked up to admire the gate. It loomed over him like the silver-lined entrance to heaven itself, with a golden tiger ornament sat on top. Thick walls stretched out in either direction, blocking the skyline. After a minute Ash returned and the gates slowly opened to a brick ladened driveway. The inside of the compound was like being on a completely different continent. Lush gardens with beautiful green grass, palm trees, neatly maintained bushes and flowers of all colours dotted the landscape. Jett was no architect, but if he had to take a guess, he would say the reason it didn't all sink was because the building went just as far down as it did up. The center piece outside the main entrance was an overly sized fountain with another horrifyingly shiny ornate tiger on top. They went ahead to the large wooden doors and gave the knocker a few slams before taking a step back.

Jett had to do a second take when he finally got a decent look at the knocker. "I can't tell if this is some kind of weird theme or if your family just has a crazed obsession." Ash looked at him with a raised eyebrow before following Jett's gaze to the knocker. Another ornate golden tiger head. "We've already met tigers one, two, and three. I have a horrible feeling there's going to be more inside."

"Oh, the tigers?" Ash stopped and pondered the tiger for a second. "I don't know. It's my family's thing, I guess. It was like this before I was born, something to do with when Vacuo was a jungle and there were actual tigers still about. Don't worry, there are more inside."

Jett rolled his eyes. "Fantastic. Hope there's a live one."

The grand doors finally creaked open to reveal a tall man. Jett could best describe him as thin in every aspect. Thin eyebrows, thin mustache, thin lips. All of this packed into a stuffy looking crimson suit. As he bowed to the two, his bald head almost blinded them as it reflected the sun.

"Master Novis, it's good to see you home safe and sound." He spoke with a notable lisp. Every 'S' being lingered on for a bit too long. "And you must be Jett, whom I have heard so much about." Jett felt the butler's sunken eyes zone in on him. There was something unmistakeably unnerving about him.

"Good to see you too, Char." Ash said, an enormous grin spreading across his face. He walked over and gave the man a hearty pat on the back. "Jett, this is Char, my family's butler."

Jett gave a nod and shook the man's hand. The unnerving feeling refused to leave him. "Sup."

Char stepped to the side and let the two enter the foyer. Straight away, Jett let out a sound of disgust. To his left and right, paintings of tigers hung on the wall. A small table next to the wall had two statuettes in the shape of tigers. A massive golden bust of a tiger sat in the center of the room. Worst of all, in the center of the grand staircase hung a painting depicting some old guy riding a tiger with a rapier in hand. The room left Jett flabbergasted. All the money in the world and this was what Ash's family did for interior design?

"Forgive my lack of preparation. Had I known that you would be returning home so soon, I would have made plans for a homecoming celebration."

"Don't worry about it. This'll be a quick visit, anyway. Got to tell my dad about…" Ash changed focus when he heard the scratching of clawed feet on the wooden floor. "Oh! Hello boy! I've missed you!" His voice turned to baby speak as he crouched down and took the lumbering Dane into his arms, scratching the big dog up and down. With white streaks highlighting its brown fur, a sizeable chunk missing from its ear, and a tail that was nothing more than a stump. You could say the dog had seen better days. It took a few laboured strides toward Jett to give his hand a sniff.

"Your dog doing ok?" Jett said as he gave the dog a scratch behind the ear. "He looks a little ragged."

"Yeah, he's fine, just an old boy. Isn't that right, Drei?" Drei went back to Ash and gave him an affectionate lick before trotting over to a rug in the corner to lie down. Ash wiped the slobber from his cheek before standing. "Right, this'll probably be quick. You can wait here or whatever. I'll be back soon."

Jett gave a nod and Ash headed up the grand staircase, leaving him with Char. A moment of silence passed as he appraised the butler out of the corner of his eye. The feeling of unnerve would still just not leave him. Char was strangely odourless, and he could have sworn his iris had changed shape a little. Jett almost shit himself when Char's head turned to face him. His head's movement was far too independent from the rest of his stationary body.

"So, did you have anything to do with this splendid interior work?" Jett said as he did his best to focus on staring directly forward. "I really like the gold and the tigers and, I don't know, the tigers."

"Although you may be a friend of Ash's, I do not approve of your sarcastic mockery of my employer." He dropped his stern look and went back to facing forward. "But no, I was not involved with the decorating. The Lady of the house was the one who did the design."

Jett let out an amused huff. "Must be one batty lady."

Instead of another stern expression, Char's lips quirked up a little. "She has her moments."

Ash took some deep breaths as he made his way down the corridor. The sound of his every step on the polished wooden floor reverberated off the walls. He didn't really know what to expect from this conversation. It had been so long since he spoke to his father and their last conversation had not ended on a high note. Would he be mad? Happy? The more he thought about it, the more the sensation in his stomach tightened. He stopped outside the double doors of his father's office and psyched himself up. When he pushed them aside, he saw his father exactly where he expected him to be, behind his desk, head down in stacks of paper. A head of hair greyed by age, bushy eyebrows, an immaculately clean-shaven face and a jagged scar that ran up the side of his cheek. Dressed in that brown and gold suit he loved so much. His father gave no reaction when Ash stepped through the doors.

"Hey dad." Ash's father stopped reading and reached for a piece of paper to scribble on. Completely ignoring his son. Ash took another deep breath and nodded his head. The silent treatment. He probably should have seen that one coming. "I've come with some big news. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear, actually this won't make you happy, but I'm going to be leaving Vacuo for a while. Got this cool combat festival, might have heard of it, begins with a 'V'."

Ash mustered his best smile while his dad sat there silently, absorbing the information. At least Ash hoped he was. When his dad gave the silent treatment, it meant he was listening closely, or he was done with your bullshit. He opened his mouth to speak before second guessing and re-evaluating his words. Now he thought about it. This silent treatment was worrying. Really worrying. Whenever his father got like this… let's just say heads rolled. In a business sense. He scrambled to collect his thoughts. Mounted on the wall above his father was a taxidermy tiger head. And that stupid stuffed tiger's glassy eyes just kept staring through him. He never did like that thing. Ash didn't realise how long he'd been silent until he caught his father staring at him. The intense gaze really made him feel like a kid again. In fact, staring his father down was probably easier when he was a kid.

He stopped his hands from slapping himself and blinked a few times instead. He needed to get out of his own head, overthinking and letting his mind wander would get him nowhere. That was probably why he found these confrontations easier as a child. "But yeah, the Vytal festival. I'm going to be competing." He swallowed hard as he tried to urge the quiver out of his voice. "I would, you know, really appreciate it if you came and watched. If you have the time, of course."

His father never responded. He simply broke his hand steeple and opted to go back to his writing. Ash sighed before turning to leave. He would take that as a maybe, leaning on the side of yes, which was a long way of saying no. Before he made it out, his mother appeared in the doorway. She met him at eye level, with the help of her high-heeled shoes, her glossy brown hair held up in an elegant bun. That wasn't fooling Ash. He'd seen the hair dye in her ensuite.

His mother's eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "What a surprise. I hope your unexpected visit is a sign of positive developments?"

"Nice to see you too, mum. And yes, very positive." Positive for me but not for you, he thought to himself. "I was just telling dad about a certain festival I'll be competing in."

Her eyes widened before she turned her nose up in disgust. Her perfect composure was on the brink of cracking. "You disappoint me, as usual."

"Your lovely words of encouragement are always so heartwarming." Ash kept walking, figuring a hug was no longer on the cards. "But, hey! You'll see, I'll make you proud. This is all building to something big. Something…" Ash made some sporadic, exaggerated movements with his hands that amounted to nothing. "I don't know, but it's going to be huge! Watch me. I will make you proud. Love you mum and you too, dad."

The two parents watched as their son gave a wave and exited the room. Ash's mother scowled and looked at her husband. After every interaction with their son, he became further withdrawn and despondent. As if he had given up the fight to bring their son back. She left her husband to his brooding. Another disgrace in their prestigious family.

After a somewhat successful visit, Ash and Jett left to meet up with the rest of the team to help Jett. Outside a small shop, Jett collected four burlap sacks and gave one to each team member, telling them they would make a short delivery run. 'Short' turning out to be a half hour slog from one side of Vacuo to the other with deceptively heavy bags. Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without copious amounts of complaining. The hill they were climbing seemed to have finally knocked the wind out of Ash's sails, earning some rare whining.

"What are we even doing this for?"

"I have no clue." Tidus said between laboured breaths from the back of the group. "I'm thinking he actually robbed the place and we're carrying the loot. Yo Jett, you wouldn't rob a charity shop, would you?"

Jett called back to them in an unusually cheerful nature. "Don't worry, it's all for a good cause."

"Does the good cause need us to walk for a half hour to deliver these?" Ash wiped some sweat from his brow.

"It's not that bad." Jett watched as Ash rolled his eyes. "Come on, man, what's gotten into you? Not like you to moan at a challenge."

"This isn't a challenge, it's menial labour. Plus, you have the smallest bag, so of course you're not complaining."

"If this is for an upstanding cause, we have no right to complain." Kai stumbled a bit on some shifting sand. The pride in his voices waning as they continued. "It is our duty as Huntsmen… to go through with the task."

"Kai's right. Now you two quit your complaining."

"The one time you don't complain and you instantly hold it over everyone else," Ash said.

"Of course I am. Who do you think you're talking to?" Jett came to a stop as they reached the top of the hill. "Anyway, we're here now, so you can relax."

"We are? Thank fuck." Tidus Promptly dropped his bag and collapsed flat on his back.

At the top of the hill sat an old church like building, one of the rare structures that had stood the test of time in the desert. Kai dropped his bag and took in the building. Mostly made of sandstone, any luxuries like stained glass windows were long gone now. The detailing had held up rather well, all things considered. Being on top of the hill meant it avoided the worst of the sandy winds. He walked up to a statue that was the focal piece of the outside and the most worn object. At one point, it had bore the visage of a proud figure. Now it, along with its plaque, was just a faded silhouette that resembled the shape of a person. A woman most likely by Kai's estimations. At her feet lay flowers and unlit candles. But who was the question?

"Kai, are you done taking in the sights? We got a delivery to make."

Kai pushed the statue from his mind and grabbed his bag, joining Jett at the front door. Despite the building's desolate exterior, constant noise radiated from within. Lots of chattering and laughing, pans being dropped… windows being smashed? It sounded like a verified mad house from outside and Ash suddenly seemed a lot more pleased to be here. Jett opened the door to reveal the full extent of the chaos and its cause. Children. A lot of them at that. At least a dozen snot-nosed brats sprinted around the room and leaping on and off furniture with terrifying dexterity. Each one of them leaving a trail of carnage in their wake.

One of them noticed the team and stopped, staring at them with half-lidded eyes, like his brain had short-circuited. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he screamed out. "Jett's back!"

A horde of tiny heads snapped in their direction before a chorus of cries calling for Jett erupted. A dozen children rushed to the front door, all of them clawing at Jett and the bag in his hands while babbling sentences that strung together into gibberish.

Jett let out a chuckle as he lifted the bag out of reach and waded through the kids. "Ok, ok, chill out. It's nice to see you all, too." He said, reaching down to shake a few tiny hands like a celebrity. "Hey Red, Laranga, Amarilla, hope you've been staying out of trouble. Zelen! How many times have I told you to not run around in your undies? Oh, that's a lovely drawing, Modri. Hope you've been keeping up with your math, Indigo. You lost another tooth, Rosy? I'm sure the tooth fairy will visit you soon."

Tidus and Kai watched in stunned silence as Jett transformed into a completely different person. If there was anyone Tidus would bet money on for hating children, it would have been Jett. Grumpy, arrogant and quick to anger seemed like the perfect combination to despise anyone under the age of twelve. After a while, the focus shifted as the kids spotted the rest of the team in the doorway. They rushed past Jett to investigate the other team members.

A group surrounded Tidus' feet, staring up in wide-eyed awe. "Look, he's so big." Tidus wasn't afraid to admit that he wasn't above intimidating children. He tried his best to stare the little girl down to scare her away. Dealing with kids was way too much of a bother. "And his hair looks so fluffy and funny." Probably should have known that it was impossible to intimidate people who couldn't even tie their own laces yet.

"He has funny hair as well!" Another boy pointed a grubby finger at Kai. "Hey! Why's your hair that colour?"

"White is its natural colour."

The boy frowned at the boring answer and Kai's stoic expression. Intent on getting a reaction, he prodded further. "Why does it look like a solid piece of plastic?"

"Because I styled it to be presentable."

"I think it looks stupid." The boy grinned as Kai's eye twitched for a fraction of a second. "Why are your shoes so dumb?"

"There is nothing wrong with my shoes." He lifted his foot to look before dropping it. "They are Oscuro issued standard combat boots that I have maintained to…"

"Blah, blah, blah. You're so boring, I bet…" The boy fell silent and his eyes sparkled as he spied something hanging on Kai's belt. "Cool sword! Show me how to use it. Show me!"

Kai reached for his sheathed sword and held it out. "If you wish to learn to use the sword. You must first know the theory. Let's start from the beginning."

Another toddler looked up at Ash and seemed to give some serious thought before lifting her hand and twisting it back and forth in some kind of wave. "I remember you."

"You do?" Ash said, reaching down to pick up the child. "Can you remember my name?"

"Headache." The child said innocently.

"Headache?"

"Jett said you headache."

"He did?" Ash grit his teeth as a vein throbbed in his head. "Well, my name is Ash. Say it with me."

It didn't take long for any coherent conversation to devolve into all the children screaming their requests and prodding the team. Jett let out a chuckle and slipped away to greet some of the older and quieter kids. In particular, he was looking for two people, but he could only find one right now. A blue-haired fox Faunus called Malachi. The kid was a technical prodigy. When he first arrived at the orphanage, he spent most of his time quietly watching Jett from afar. After a while, Jett got fed up with constantly having someone watching him, so he gave the ultimatum of leaving him alone or just sitting somewhere less creepy. The boy took the latter of the two options and joined Jett in his tinkering, being what Jett would call a 'Backseat mechanic'. Malachi preferred the term apprentice, assimilating every ounce of knowledge he could from the older boy. He even did the initial designs for Jett's weapon before Jett ironed out the edges and made it a bit more practical.

Overall, he was someone Jett respected. Malachi charged with his arms outstretched, only to be stopped short by Jett's hand. Not enough respect for a hug. A handshake would have to suffice. His voice spilled out in excitement as he stumbled over himself. "No way you're back. And you're going to compete at the Vytal festival. That is so cool. We're going to watch, look." He lead Jett over to a half dilapidated screen. "I found this old television and fixed it myself so we can watch the broadcast live!" He flicked a switch and waited expectantly for it to turn on. After a minute of nothing, Jett took a step forward and gave the machine a slap on the side, causing it to flicker on. Malachi stared, jaw agape. "How did you…"

"You still have a lot to learn from the master." Malachi opened his mouth to sing out his praises before Jett shut him up. "And you need to calm down. I know we have a lot to talk about, but I have something for Summer first." He showed him a small paper bag. "And I need to talk to the old man. Then we can catch up."

"Oh right," Malachi's face fell as his voice trailed off. He fell into step with Jett as they headed into a back room. "Summer… Summer is-"

"Summer isn't here right now." The raspy voice came from a bed that housed an elderly man. His hooded eyes turned from the newspaper he was reading to look at Jett, who gave a smirk and half chuckle.

"Hmm? You haven't kicked the bucket yet, old man? I'm surprised." Jett sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the paper. "Number five down is 'beacon', by the way."

The old man let out a sigh as he begrudgingly scribbled the word into the puzzle. "It's a shame. I hoped that the Academy would have beaten some manners into you by now." A smile spread across his face. "Although I still think I could whip you into shape."

"Please don't exert yourself on my behalf. Wouldn't want you getting injured."

The old man wiped the cocky grin off Jett's face when, in one swift move, he used his cane to launch the paper bag out of his hand. It fell comfortably in the old man's lap, letting him look inside before taking one of the food items out. "Frosted buns? Summer's favourite. She can enjoy those when she gets back." He placed the bag on the bedside table before letting out a wheezy cough.

Jett reached out and pat the old man's back before handing him some water. "You really need to hire someone to watch this place while Summer isn't here. It's a madhouse out there."

"I wish I could, but you know we don't have the funds. Why don't you try asking that Ash fella for some help? His family has money."

"I already asked him, remember?" Jett said, enunciating each word. The old man's mind wasn't what it used to be. "His family isn't the type to give out handouts. And I am definitely not going into debt with him, so he can pay for us."

Malachi raised his eyebrow as he thought for a second. "But what about that one time…"

"Ok, that was an emergency." Jett said, giving him a threatening glare. Of course he was going to ask for money to help with Amarilla's surgery. He wasn't some monster. "But only in situations like that will I even consider asking for his money."

"Proud as ever, Jett." The old man let out another wheezy cough. "How long will it be before you send us some money from all your adventuring?"

"I only start getting paid when I graduate. And I'll only get paid the big bucks if I position myself well." He took the old man's frail hands in his. "But don't worry, when I get my first payout, I'm sending half of it straight back here. And I'm sure Malachi will help at some point. And so will Summer, if she ever gets back."

"I suppose, but she has been gone for an awfully long time. She was eager to see you today as well."

Jett's face cycled through a multitude of emotions before settling on something between worry and annoyance. He stood up and look at the one other person in the room who could have known anything. One sharp look at Malachi was enough to get him to spill the beans. "Umm, some kids were a bit upset before. They had a run in with some locals this morning. After they got back, she left and said she would be back soon."

Jett lifted a hand to his face and let out a sigh. "And you didn't think to stop her or question what she was doing?"

"She is her own person and old enough to make her own choices," the old man said before pausing. "And mistakes in this case."

"She told me not to say anything. But you can look for her, right Jett?" Malachi's face lit up in hope. "You've got your team here and everything."

"I think at this point it might be a rescue mission." Jett pinched the bridge of his nose. "But we probably could."

"Probably?"

"Yeah, I'll go ask them about it. I have a feeling I know where she might have ended up. And if they don't want to help, I'll just go do it myself."

"But you're the team captain. They'll do what you say." Malachi's face fell as he watched Jett's ears flatten in annoyance. "Wait, you're not the captain? That's right, your message said you were co-captain."

"An equally important role, mind you."

"Then I guess that official looking white-haired dude must be the captain then?" Jett's ears twitched for a second. "No? Then the bigger guy he looks kinda intimidating." Jett's ears twitched again. "Not him either, but that means..."

"It means nothing. I'm the co-captain, so if I say we're doing something, we'll do it." Jett turned around and stormed out of the room to find his team in a series of predicaments. Kai somehow turned his argument with the kid into a full lecture on responsibility and respect. The craziest part was that the children in front of him were mostly listening. Tidus had taken to trying to entertain the kids in his own way, doing squats with the shorter children hanging on either outstretched arm. Ash's behaviour was indistinguishable from the kids at this point. "Guys, we're out of here!"

Ash reverted out of his childlike demeanor as Jett made his way to the exit. "We are?"

"Yeah, we've got work to do, so leave the bags and let's go," Jett said as he left. The three ditched the bags and gave a few waves before following outside. The old man gave a tired sigh and shook his head as he heard the children ravage the toy and clothing filled sacks. Jett continued speaking outside. "If you really want, you can go back, but I'm going to do this with or without you."

"Man, that was fun. It's been so long since I've been here." Ash said, taking in a breath of fresh air.

Tidus let out a snort. "Why do I feel like we're about to be dragged into unnecessary danger?"

"Like I said, go back. I'll do this alone if I have to."

"Wish we could but, when you inevitably get yourself killed or seriously injured we'll be the ones in trouble."

"Tidus is right. No way we can let you run into danger alone, compadre." Ash said, slinging an arm over Jett's shoulder.

Jett gave Ash a pointed look. "Says you."

"Regardless, it is best that we know what we are getting into before we commit." Kai said as he followed them.

"Sure, I'll explain on the way."