Author's Notes
Monkey D Conan: Insofar as connection to canon, after the Vytal Festival the wheels will be taken off in a lot of ways. There will be some resemblance to canon in certain places and through certain scenes, but I'm going to endeavor to make this far more of its own thing.
Revenge might have been a dish best served cold, but Orchid thought that burning someone's mouth was equally as pleasing.
That's why she set about planning how to get Violet back for what she had done just a few days prior.
It was simple, really. Everyone on the team knew about Violet's account, but the only person outside of that circle who knew a lot about it was Blake. That meant there were plenty of people she could 'introduce' to it, and while she thought about posting about it on a Beacon-affiliated group chat, she decided that that would be a bit too cruel.
Instead, the day before the Vytal Tournament was set to begin, she called together an assembly of friends (sans Blake, Violet, and Ebony) in the dorm common area. With all three teams present, though two at only half capacity, Orchid stood before them as they sat on the couches and declared, "Ladies and gentlemen! I have brought you all here today to tell you a story."
Ruby tilted her head slightly. "What's the story?"
Yang grinned, as if having some idea of what Orchid was about to do. "Don't worry Ruby, I'm sure it's going to be fantastic."
Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "I uh… guess I'm all ears."
Meanwhile, Neve nodded and smirked at Orchid, signaling for her to go ahead.
And so, without further adieu, Orchid cleared her throat and began to tell the story.
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Beach Episode
The day, so far, had been fairly normal for Agatea.
No beasts had attacked, nobody had done something to piss her off, it was really the definition of 'average'.
So why was it, then, that she was feeling so antsy?
'Oh, right,' she thought to herself, 'we're supposed to go to the beach today. That's… fun.' Really, she dreaded the idea. With her wider frame and more weight appearance, she felt she drew way too much attention to find the beach very comfortable. So why did she agree to this, if she hated it so much?
Well, simple, because it was going to be with her three best friends and confidants, and the people she had some very complex feelings about that she couldn't quite figure out. Ophrys asked her, and between the promise of seeing her in a swimsuit, and seeing her other friends in their swimwear as well, she felt that the discomfort was worth it.
So, she dressed in a white T-Shirt over a draped bikini top and a pair of shorts over her bikini bottom and made her way to the beach.
When she arrived, she found her friends sitting on a beach blanket, already in their swimwear. Ophrys, a tall woman with long black hair and amber eyes, waved her hand at Agatea as she approached. "Hey, Agatea! We've been waiting, what kept you?" She was wearing a simple black two-piece swimsuit, it highlighted her curves and well filled out body perfectly.
"Come on, Ophrys." Jack, a pale skinned man with short fluffy snow white hair who was built athletically and wore a simple pair of dark blue trunks, nudged her. "You know she was probably debating if she should even come out here." His defined yet soft body drew Agatea's eyes, yet she tried her hardest to not stare. It was difficult, because she wanted to stare at all three of them!
The final member of their group, Ciara, a girl with medium length blonde hair and gray eyes who had a slight build and small frame who wore a draped purple bikini, nodded in agreement with Jack. "Yeah, we shouldn't give her too hard a time." She smirked. "Unless that's what she wants, that is."
Agatea laughed awkwardly before sitting down with them. "N-No, not at all." She didn't want to talk about the fact that getting teased by the three of them (and specifically the three of them), made her feel… hot. "So what are we going to do out here, exactly?"
"Simple." Jack responded, as always he was the one with the plan. "We can really spend most of today however we want, but after the sun starts to go down, we'll move to a rented out spot where we can light a bonfire." He grinned. "Then we'll make some s'mores and waste away the day until we want to leave."
Agatea grinned at the idea. "Hell yeah! I haven't had s'mores in years!" She looked around and asked, "Soo… can I just… lay here all day and pretend I don't exist until the bonfire? That sounds like ideal relaxation to me."
Ophrys smirked. "Nope! You're going to swim with me, end of story! I'll show you that being at the beach can be really fun, if you don't spend the whole time hiding under a beach blanket!"
Without even having time to protest, Agatea was grabbed and dragged off to the water, barely having time to get rid of her shorts and shirt before she was dragged into the water. All the while, Jack watched with a smile and Ciara chuckled softly.
Whether or not she wanted to be dragged from one water-based activity to the next at first, Agatea had to admit that she found she enjoyed herself a lot more than she expected to. Granted, seeing her friends in swimwear was certainly a great motivator!
After all of them had their fun, and the sun had started to set, Jack guided them to the spot where an unlit bonfire awaited them. There they sat, and the ingredients to the most anticipated part of the night were dolled out.
Agatea enjoyed a s'more quietly while watching the others talk. She couldn't hide the affection she felt for them, it was clear in her eyes, even if they didn't realize the full depth of it. 'But…' she thought to herself, 'why not? Why shouldn't I tell them?'
Now seemed as good a time as any. Especially now that they were all wearing T-shirts and shorts, it would have been weird to say what she wanted to while they were all still in swimwear. "Uhm… guys?" She started, grabbing their attention as they all looked at her curiously. "There's something I need to say to all of you, but I don't really know how to word it…"
Jack smiled patiently at her. "If it is what I think it is… then I know, Agatea." At her shock, he chuckled. "Of course, we've all thought about it before, haven't we?" He looked at Ophrys and Ciara, who both smiled as well.
Agatea blinked dumbly for a second. "Y-You… you know? Then… then I'll just say it!" Her face was almost as red as the embers of the fire, but she pressed on. "I love you guys! N-Not just as friends, but… I really love you. Every time I'm with you three, either together like this, or one on one, I feel this… this yearning! I just want to kiss all of you, and that's…" She began to run out of steam, looking away. "That's… really.,.. it."
"Well…" Ophrys smiled. "What are you waiting for? We're waiting. We… all feel the same way about each other. I know that, it's… been kind of obvious this whole time. So why not give it a shot?"
Ciara smirked. "And… maybe later tonight we can
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"What the hell?!" Came Violet's voice from the hallway, prompting everyone to turn towards her. Orchid grinned and waved at her, while Violet's face burned red seemingly from a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "You're doing a live reading of my stuff?! Not cool!"
Orchid laughed and waved the papers in her hand. "Was it cool when you filmed our drunken dance? This is your just desserts!"
Above her head, a squiggly ball appeared to indicate her upset, followed by various symbols meant to represent censored swear words. "You- I- GRAAHH!" She roared as she charged at Orchid, who laughed and ran out of the room, followed by Violet herself.
The rest of the assembled teams were left to sit there in silence for a moment. Then, Jaune said, "I… actually kind of liked it."
"Yes." Weiss admitted with a nod. "It got a bit cheesy, but otherwise I think it was a solid piece of fiction."
Neve just smiled as he leaned back. He was all for just letting Violet off the hook originally—he doesn't hold grudges, after all—but Orchid insisted on revenge, and so he went along with it. He had to admit, it did feel good.
He just hoped that Violet didn't kill Orchid, they had a tournament tomorrow!
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Thankfully, Violet did not kill Orchid, and instead calmed down after chasing her around the dorms for about thirty minutes. They were deemed to be 'even' and so the hatchet was buried, just in time for the festivities to begin properly.
The Vytal Festival had overtaken a large part of Beacon's grounds, just as it had overtaken a large amount of the city itself. COVE walked together through the fairgrounds, taking in the various stalls that were set up, the smells of the different kinds of food being cooked, and the sound of different games being played, won, and lost.
As they looked around, Violet took in a breath of air and exhaled. "Man… I usually don't like festivals like this, but the food here is too good to pass up." She spotted a taco stand and pointed at it. "For example!" She then made her way over and bought a couple tacos, which she brought with her and ate while talking through a mouth full of food, "Ish amazshing!"
Neve smirked as he looked at her. "You know I told you not to talk with your mouth full. You and Ebony both." He then cast his gaze out across the festival. "Although I will say, it is really nice. Lots of new foods I'd have never thought to try, and some stuff I already know." He rubbed his chin. "They give me ideas for new recipes, actually."
Orchid giggled, covering her mouth for a second before removing her hand again and looking at Neve. "When aren't you thinking about cooking? I feel like that's half of your entire brain. Not that that's a bad thing."
Neve rolled his eyes, though he kept his smirk. "Don't be silly! It's only a quarter. Besides, cooking's a passion of mine. Whenever I need to be in my comfort zone, I'm either with you guys playing games or cooking." It was a reliable way to keep his mind off of other things and allow him to do something that he had absolute control over, rather than allowing the whims of life to dictate it.
"Hmm." Ebony rubbed her chin. "That makes a lot of sense. I like cooking, but not as much as you." She looked around, the noise and the sights might have overwhelmed her at one point, but not so now. "So, are we going to play any of the games they've got before we watch RWBY's match versus that other team? Whatever their name is."
Violet ate one of the tacos and brushed her hand off on her tabard before rubbing her chin. "Hmmm. Most of those kinds of games are just tests of strength or aim, so I think we can make a killing in plushies here! We might as well win some stuff to put in the dorm as a memory of our first Vytal Festival, huh?"
"Sounds good to me." Orchid responded with a smile. "I've got tons of plushies back home, I think having a few here will be awesome. There's this one I always loved, a stuffed jackalope, like from the stories, but I've never been able to get one." She had always enjoyed plushies, if nothing else because they were soft and warm, good to cuddle against when she wanted.
Neve tapped his cheek in thought. "Well, let's get going and see what's on offer. I doubt we'll face any real challenge. Ozpin's pretty strict about not letting games at the festival be rigged." With that, the four of them headed off, with Violet finishing her other taco in a couple bites.
The first game up was a bag-toss, with a far out board with a hole in it and a set of bean-bags that people were meant to… well, toss. Neve took that one up, using his precise aim to throw three perfect bags, winning a large snowman plushie. Next was the mini-rifle range, where contestants shot BB guns to try and hit as many targets as possible. Violet took this, earning them a wolf plushie.
Next, they approached a strength test, where one had to hit a hammer on a target to determine their strength and win a prize depending on how strong they were. To this, Violet simply grinned and said, "Watch this." She then grabbed the hammer and swung it down. As expected, the measure shot all the way to the top and rang the bell. The person manning the place rubbed his eyes and then cleared his throat before offering her her choice of prize. Likely, it wasn't so much that she had maxed it out that had shocked him—this was a Huntsman academy after all—but the sheer lack of effort that was necessary, how easy it was for her, likely took him aback.
Violet took yet another plushie, and by this point it was nearly time for RWBY's match against ABRN (as had later been discovered to be the name of the team). So, she had Yuvi take all of the plushies to their dorm before returning, thereafter they continued to take a passenger shuttle that would take them up to Amity Colosseum.
The place was massive, with the interior of it being filled with shops and various concession stands, it didn't look too different to a mall. Yet, this was a mall that only existed for a few months every couple years, and so it held a certain mystique to it. In a way, it was the first taste of the big leagues for many people there.
Although COVE had already tasted the real efforts of being a Huntsman, and more than glory, fame, or money, they knew that, recognized or not, the work they did was important. Their friends in Team RWBY had experienced this, as had JNPR (although to a lesser extent), so maybe that's why they knew in the back of their heads that both teams would go far right alongside them.
As they settled into their seats and the match unfolded, it became clear that ABRN was better than had been expected. The fight appeared close at certain points, but ultimately it was RWBY's clever tactics and on-the-fly thinking that led to them overcoming the Haven team.
And when that fight ended, COVE departed the colosseum and headed back to the fairgrounds. They looked around for a few moments before finding RWBY sitting at a noodle stand, seemingly having trouble paying for their food.
To which, Violet called out to get their attention, "Yo!" She waved as they looked in their directions. "I've got this, don't worry." She took out her own Lien chit. "I've literally got more money than I know what to do with anyway, years of saving and not having to pay rent does that."
Ruby smiled at her. "You're a life-saver, Violet! Aren't you guys going to fight after JNPR does?"
Neve nodded as they all sat down, and the noodle stand man (who looked suspiciously like the man who ran 'From Dust till Dawn'), gave them their food. "Yeah, that means it's the perfect time to eat. We'll have enough time to digest."
Weiss looked at him and smiled slightly. "I hear you guys are going to fight against a team from Atlas." She rubbed her chin to think of the name. "Team FNKI, I think? I wish I knew any information about them, but I'm not up to date on Atlesian students."
Ebony shrugged slightly after swallowing a bunch of noodles. "It's no big deal. Whoever they are, we'll beat them. I doubt they've seen half the shit we've seen both during this year and before it."
Orchid smirked and, after taking a few bites of her own food, added, "We'll show them who the real stars of the show are, that much is for sure. This is our debut on the world stage! We can't afford to mess up now."
Yang chuckled and punched her right fist into her left palm while saying, "Just make sure to hit 'em extra hard for me!" She then looked over their shoulders. "Oh hey, looks like JNPR is coming over." She waved at them. "Yo, guys! Come on! There's enough seats for all of us!"
Team JNPR joined them, and the conversation shifted to their upcoming match. The general feeling was excitement or, in Jaune's case, anxiety. His progress, according to Pyrrha, had been remarkable so far. Neve wasn't entirely sure if that would be enough, but given how strong the rest of the team was, he felt that ultimately Jaune's performance wouldn't be too big of a deal.
Now, Neve's mind was far more focused on COVE's upcoming fight.
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The waiting room where the team finished their preparations didn't do much to stifle the roaring crowd outside, nor did it stifle the sound of Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck's commentary. By this point, they were all in their Huntsmen gear.
Well, the latter part wouldn't be avoided either way, there was a holo-TV in the prep room tuned to the Vytal Festival's program.
They all watched as Professor Port began the introductions. "I must say, this next fight is bound to be exciting! Wouldn't you agree, professor?"
"Doctor!" Oobleck corrected. "And that's correct! The two teams that will be facing each other down are both incredibly skilled in their own rights! One of Beacon's hometown teams, COVE, and the visiting Atlesian team, FNKI! Each member of each team brings their own strengths, we will see which proves stronger!"
Violet finished checking Suncutter and smirked as she stood up. "I think they'll be hard pressed to find someone stronger than us that isn't another Beacon team."
"For real," Orchid said, finishing her tuning of Muse and standing up, "I don't know what this team's gonna bring to the table, but we'll beat them regardless. We're too good and have come too far to let anything else happen."
Ebony stood in a corner and didn't comment, just leaning against the wall and smiling slightly with clear anticipation for what was to come. Neve, meanwhile, finished inspecting Fimbulvetr and stood. "I think so too, guys, but we need to remember to not underestimate them." He looked over all of them. "We're going to kick their asses, but not if we think it's a foregone conclusion. Bring everything you've got!"
After a resounding agreement from the others, Neve smirked and led the way towards the arena proper.
The entryway slowly filled with louder and louder sounds, the crowds were eager to see the next bout. As COVE made their way onto the arena, Professor Port said, "And here comes the teams! Team COVE from Beacon Academy, and Team FNKI from Atlas!"
Across from them were four people who didn't at all look like what one would expect for Atlas. A cat Faunus on roller skates dressed like a raver, a boy in a jazzy outfit befitting the Mantelian music scene, a boy with blue hair and no weapon of his own, making Neve guess that he must be some kind of martial artist. Finally, a white haired man holding a whip.
The girl grinned as she put a hand on her hip, "Wow! Great to see you guys are so… eclectic! I mean, lots of mid-length hair going on here!" She grinned while looking at Violet and Ebony. "Are you two trying to match? I don't think it's working, really!"
Ebony looked more confused than anything else, but Violet frowned and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?!" She ran a hand through her hair. "So what if we've got similar styles?"
"Oh, nothing!" She waved her hand dismissively. She then smirked and shifted slightly in place. "And I gotta say, I was gonna call you very top heavy, but I think you're just heavy, aren't you? I bet you could crush a Grimm just by sitting on it!"
"I totally could!" Violet responded, though her frown turned to a scowl. "But that's from muscle not fat! And so what if I've got a big chest? I've got way more of everything than you!" Ebony gritted her teeth and raised her sickles, not one to stand for Violet being insulted.
She then turned her attention to Orchid. "And you! You look like some sort of pop-rock singer! What's your top song?" She rubbed her chin. "Friday?"
"Oh hell no!" Orchid gritted her teeth, Neon having found the best button to push for her.
The three girls took a step forward, but Neve held out his hands in front of both of them. "Easy." He looked towards Violet while keeping his head facing forward. He then whispered to them, "Violet, Ebony, you take white and blue, alright?" He was pretty sure their names were Ivori and Kobalt, but he couldn't remember entirely.
The two girls paused for a moment, clearly still angry, but eventually simply nodded resolutely. Neve then looked towards Orchid. "Take the trumpet guy. Bury him with your sound."
Orchid smirked deviously at him, readying herself for action while asking, "So I'm guessing…"
Neve just gave a lopsided grin as he turned Fimbulvetr into its glaive form. "Just leave this brat to me." He knew the kind of girl she seemed to be, and he knew that he could withstand any mind games she tried to play.
Port's voice came over the audio system again. "It's a good day for a swell battle!" The arena digital pin-wheels spun, choosing to create a rocky and hilly zone, a zone full of geysers, an urban city-scape, and the final one was an ocean with an island on it. "Fight!"
Without further delay, Team COVE charged forward.
Neon skated first towards Orchid, but found herself stopping as Neve stepped in her way. "Sorry, but you're stuck with me."
They circled each other for a moment, with Neon skating around as she said, "Aww, looking to protect your girlfriend? So chivalrous!" Neve didn't seem phased by her words, so she tried something else. "You know you could do with a trip to a clothing store! I mean, who wears a turtleneck anymore?"
She bolted forward, a neon rainbow trailing behind her as she sped towards him. She managed to strike him a couple times, so fast as to seemingly strike from different angles almost one after the other. As she came for another strike, he dodged and swung Fimbulvetr, catching her in the side and causing her to skate further away and leading him to pursue her deeper into the urban zone.
Meanwhile, Violet and Ebony moved to engage who they were told to, meeting in the middle of the arena with Kobalt and Ivori respectively.
Kobalt wound back a fist while Violet did the same. As they reached each other and threw their punches, their fists connected. Violet's body shrouded in aura, while Kobalt did the same with just his fist. The impact from the hit sent a shockwave of kinetic energy and wind that sent both Ebony and Ivori flying into the hilly zone. In spite of this, Violet grinned and threw another punch, which Kobalt met with his own.
Afterward, he broke off and ducked as Violet tried to swing at him again, allowing him to get a swift punch in on her gut. Though as he did, his eyes widened as his hand almost sunk into the aura surrounding her. He managed to wrench back his fist and leap backward. Violet's body further shrouded in aura as she grinned a more devious grin. Above her head Yuvi displayed a miniature version of her, beckoning him forward in the typical karate style, though it was clear that nothing Violet had planned involved using karate.
Ebony, as she flew through the air, twisted and then landed on top of a hill. Ivori did the same, brandishing his whip while she joined Requiem into its boomerang form and threw it at him while leaping forward herself, intent on closing the distance. Ivory managed to duck under the boomerang and attacked with his whip, wrapping it around Ebony's angle and pulling her down, causing her to crash into the ground. She gritted her teeth while he smirked… right up until Requiem came back and hit him in the back of the head, causing him to get disoriented and allowing Ebony to lunge while rising up, headbutting him in the chest and sending him rolling down the hill while she ran to grab Requiem from where it had rolled down.
Elsewhere, still in the middle of the arena, Orchid and Flynt slowly walked towards each other. Flynt smirked as he looked at her. "Hope you're good with that guitar." He raised his trumpet up. "Otherwise this ain't gonna take very long."
"Oh, don't worry about me." Orchid grinned as she brought her hand up, preparing to strum. "Just worry about how shit you're gonna feel after this." She then brought her hand down, strumming several notes and sending out a wave of sound while Flynt blew in his trumpet, doing the same. Orchid then strummed a few more notes, infusing them with fire while the head of her guitar shot a bolt of lighting. The fire clashed with Flynt's notes, while the lightning bolt struck at his feet and sent him stumbling back.
Orchid's grin widened and she started properly playing a song, Inferno by Mrs. Green Apple. At the opening, she stepped forward while sending out more waves of music and Dust, Flynt struggled to stay standing as they pushed him further back. Yet he was eventually able to play his trumpet, and the two began their musical clash, while Orchid began to sing.
"A flame to cast away the dark, and shine upon the path we continue to walk. How I dream to live these days in peace…"
Neve caught up to Neon in the crumpled ruins of the urban one. She called out to him, "You know, you're kinda cute! You should probably grow a beard or something though! You don't look super… y'know, masculine." Again, she charged at him and again she hit him in the side.
Yet, as she began to come around again, Neve activated his semblance, causing the ground to begin to freeze over and making her crash into a wall. She then rolled out of the way as he crashed Fimbulvetr into the wall.
"…but I wonder if that would be boring for me?"
Violet and Kobalt were a flurry of blows, punches, kicks, ducks and dodges. She could have used Suncutter. She could have. But she didn't want to, she was so focused on punching him that she didn't even notice the violet in her hair. She managed to land a punch to her opponent's cheek, causing him to stagger and letting her punch him in the stomach with enough force to send him flying back. He hit the ground and rolled before catching himself and gritting his teeth as he got back up and charged her again.
"And then suddenly the fire fades, and we can't see the road that we had followed this way."
Ebony dodged another whip attack, striking Ivori's side with one her sickles and causing him to grit his teeth before he jumped backward and lashed out with his whip as it glowed blue. Ebony managed to avoid the strike almost entirely, though her ankle got ice on it. Unimpeded, she charged him again, dodging another whip attack as she closed in on him and stabbed into his shoulders with her sickles.
"Yeah it's times like these it would be nice to find a little comfort in a warm life."
Neve ducked as Neon tried to swipe at him with her glow sticks before she jumped onto a broken ramp and skated her way further up to get away from the ice. "Wow, you're so cold!" She joked. "You know girls like guys who are hot, right?"
He continued to ignore her as he shifted Fimbulvetr into its rifle form and began to fire at her, causing her to stumble slightly as she dodged. Yet she eventually recovered and kept skating, jumping off and heading elsewhere, forcing him to follow her again as he shifted his weapon into two swords.
"I'm always led this way, like a moth drawn to a flame. Hands of destiny are guiding me through melody…"
He caught her trying to leave the zone and head for the center. Once again he froze the ground, causing her to slip and fall. "Nice try! It's you and me." She managed to scramble to her feet and skated towards him again, trying to carefully maintain her balance even as the ground around them continued to frost over.
"They say there's no eternity but if that comes to be~! I wanna live with no regret and leave nothing unseen!"
Orchid's clash with Flynt continued, music against music, Dust against Dust. He created several clones of himself with his semblance to try and overwhelm Orchid, but she just redoubled her efforts, the ground around them trembling from the sheer amount of energy emanating from their weapons.
"Cause every candle burning bright can only shine so long, let's make. It. Count~ and keep burning strong! Right until our final day, no moment put to waste!"
Kobalt tried to tackle Violet, but she was able to grab his arm and twist it while bringing him up and around, smashing him into the ground. He rolled just in time to avoid a punch that cracked the ground beneath him. He jumped up and they continued exchanging a flurry of blows.
"I can't help but stop and wonder why, we never give a thought we go on with our lives. How I dream to live these days in peace…"
Kobalt managed to land another punch on Violet, but she then said, "Alright, I think play time's over. I've gotta help my girlfriend." She ducked as he tried to punch her again and then punched him in his gut yet again, putting extra power into it, enough to send him flying back properly into the geyser zone. He landed right on top of a geyser and was launched into the air, while Yuvi broke from Violet and reached out with her extending arms.
"But a life out of the light isn't for me to lead."
She grabbed him and brought herself up to him, her arms pulling her up. She grabbed him around his waist and turned them over. They fell quickly to the ground while Kobalt struggled to break free, to no avail. They crashed into the ground, kicking up dust. Violet had been drowning out the sound of the announcers and the crowd, but she heard them gasp, before cheering broke out as Port declared, "Kobalt is out of the fight! The first to fall!"
"Though you're well aware it rots your teeth, in life you'll always crave the sweeter things like candy! Every scar they burn like they're on fire! The flames around you only growing hotter…"
Orchid grinned at that news, shifting her semblance to boost Neve, now that Ebony was going to receive backup she knew that he was the one who would need it most. "What's wrong, Flynt?!" She called out between verses. "Running out of breath?" Flynt just responded by gritting his teeth and taking a big gulp of air before blowing yet more notes out.
"I'm breathing in the steam, temperature is boiling. As I reach for you the light within my memory. A path made in the sky, it's for you the stars designed. Never let a theory dictate your reality~"
Ebony had been trading blows and trying to dodge Ivori's whip for some time now. She was growing more frustrated by the lack of progress, the man seemed to be able to withstand her attacks. If she could use her semblance, she would have already beaten him, but she was specifically told that using it was a bad idea during the tournament.
Relief came in the form of a Dust round firing and smashing into Ivori's side, causing him to stagger. Violet was standing on top of another hill with a smirk on her lips as she began shooting again, forcing Ivori to backflip back to try and avoid the shots.
"They say there's no eternity but if that comes to be~! I'll let the pain rain down on me, tears falling from my cheeks! Sometimes in life the pressure makes you break and you deflate! But we'll fight through onto better days! Well protect the future and the life that we have made!"
What he didn't account for was Ebony charging forward and hooking his legs with her sickles, pulling them up and enhancing herself with enough aura to give her the strength she needed to make him flip backwards, resulting in him doing an impromptu somersault. Violet then shot more rounds at him while her Chakram raced forward and crashed into him, sending him flying off the arena and into the ring-out zone. Port came on yet again, "And with that, Ivori is out as well! This is really heating up!"
"Got my degree but still I'm not smart. Learned nothing, have I broken my heart? I can't keep playing this is no game. This really sucks, I'm done!"
Orchid reached the bridge and smirked, despite starting to feel rather tired herself. This relatively soft part of the mix had been giving Flynt time to recover, as her music hadn't been hitting as hard. But finally, she put everything she had into the next line.
"Am I stuck in hell? I'M STUCK IN HEEELLL~!"
Flynt took a breath at the wrong time, as the intensity of that singular line sent out a wave of music powerful enough to overwhelm him. Fire washed over him as the force of the verse threw him backward, all the while a lightning bolt struck him and sped him away even faster still.
Finally, he landed in the water of the island zone, electricity running through the water as he floated facing up in the water, his eyes closed, teeth gritted, and his hat and trumpet floating away. Port declared, "Flynt Coal is out! I said that things were heating up before, but now…"
"The toys I played with as a kid… Nostalgia's rushing back to me at last, to blast away the pain with precious memories."
Neve had been dodging and striking Neon while she did much the same, skating in and out of striking range. Finally, however, Neve put even more energy into his semblance than he had before, causing the ground beneath them to entirely ice over. This made Neon trip as her skates got stuck in the ground. She crashed into the ground and turned her head to look at him. Ironically, she was the one to look annoyed. "Why are you able to just ignore everything I say?! Usually people would be pissed off by now!"
"They say there's no eternity but if that comes to be! Let's make it count and keep burning strong!"
Port shouted enthusiastically, "Things are starting to freeze over!"
Neve grinned at her as he sauntered forward. "What can I say? I've dealt with a lot of people like you before. Try to get under my skin and piss me off. Well, let's just say…" His eyes glinted with amusement as he joined Fimbulvetr into its glaive form again.
"Right until our final day no moment put to waste!"
"I just learned to let it go." He then brought down his glaive and connected it with Neon's back, causing her to yelp in pain as her aura shimmered. She groaned and planted her face on the ice in despair.
"Neon Katt is out! Team COVE has won, with everyone still standing nonetheless!"
The crowds cheered, and Neve broke apart Fimbulvetr again before sticking it in its sheaths under his cloak, at the small of his back. Neon sounded very muffled as she whined and said, "Maaann That's such an old reference now! I lost to an old reference!"
Neve chuckled. "No," he fished out a fire Dust crystal from his satchel and placed it on the ice while it glowed, "you lost to me. Now come on, get up." He turned off the crystal and stuck it in his satchel again before standing Neon off.
She was damp from the water left by the ice, looking down in surprise for a second before smirking and looking up at him. "You know we should really party together sometimes!" She grinned a devious grin and put her hands on her hips while leaning forward ever so slightly. "You really know how to make a girl wet!"
He laughed, covering his mouth as his face reddened slightly. "That's a good one! Maybe after Vytal we can hang out or something." Neon seemed like a fun person to know, in his opinion.
Meanwhile, Orchid strolled over to the island zone, stopping at the beach. "Nice breath control!" She played a short tune that summoned wind Dust, which carried him out of the water and onto the beach.
He landed on his back, chuckling and standing up. "Yeah, good tunes." He grinned. "You're alright, Lil' B."
"Lil' B huh?" She rubbed her chin and smirked. "I like it." The irony of the nickname when she was one of the tallest people there wasn't lost on her at all.
Meanwhile, Yuvi dug Kobalt out of the ground while Violet headed over to him. "Good shit! I haven't had a real one v one slug match in forever! Usually I'm just punching or shooting Grimm. Or cutting them up with my sword."
Kobalt chuckled and sat up off the ground, though he looked disoriented and his laughter sounded tired as he shook his head to try and get the dizziness out of his head. "Yeah, you're good. Gotta be honest, I didn't expect you to just start punching like that. Thought you'd use your weapon."
"Gotta change it up sometimes!"
Elsewhere, Ebony stowed her sickles at her sides while walking over to where Ivori was, climbing back onto the arena. "You weren't half bad." Ebony said with a fairly neutral tone that still managed to carry some of her awkwardness, which she was trying to restrain. Talking to people she didn't really know was hard!
"You were good too." He responded with a smile, fixing his glasses. "I'd question the logic of using weapons like sickles, but I'm not one to talk myself, am I?"
Ebony chuckled. "Hmm. No, I don't think you are."
After that, both teams left the colosseum. The matches for the day concluded. They stowed their weapons and then made their way down to the fairgrounds, choosing to remain in their Huntsmen gear. As they all got off the airship that brought them back down, Orchid asked, "So, Ebony! I should give you some singing lessons while we have the chance. I remember you wanted to sing better."
Ebony nodded in agreement, smiling nervously. Meanwhile, Orchid looked towards Neve and saw him texting someone. She curiously asked, "Texting your mom or sister or something? I bet they're really happy!"
"Oh, they are." Neve smiled. "But I'm not talking to them right this second, Neon and I swapped numbers." He shrugged slightly. "She's cool, so I figured, why not? We'll go into town one day and hit the clubs for a bit one of these days before she has to go back to Atlas." He didn't know if he would qualify his interest in befriending Neon romantic—it took longer than a single fight to develop feelings for someone—but, hey. If it went there, maybe it would help him get over having an incurable crush on his best friend that wouldn't work simply because it couldn't.
Orchid felt something of a knot in her chest. She couldn't identify what it was entirely, but it dragged her down, made her feel… worse. Maybe she was just worried? Neon didn't seem like the kind of person Neve would get along with on a daily basis. That was probably it. "So, are you two gonna watch the lesson, or…?"
"Mmh? Nah." Neve looked at her and shook his head, closing his Scroll. "Violet and I wanted to hit the carnival for a bit longer. She wants to try even more foods…"
Violet abruptly pumped her fist in the air and declared, "I'm gonna eat everything on offer!"
Neve smirked and then continued. "...and I think I can come up with more new recipes if I see everything on sale here." He looked around. "I'm sure there's a few more recipes I haven't seen yet. I've heard those 'Gyros' are good, Argussian food I think."
Orchid smirked, though her mind was still somewhat stuck on who he had been texting. "Cool. Make sure you bring something back for Ebony and I! We're gonna need some food to recover after all the lessons."
Ebony swallowed a lump in her throat, but nodded nonetheless. "Besides, some of those foods look really good."
"Will do!" Violet gave a casual salute. "See you two in a few."
With that, the pairs split off.
/-/
Ebony and Orchid returned to the dorm, with Orchid honestly really looking forward to teaching Ebony. It wasn't often that the two did things just by themselves, without the other two. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing—the others were amazing—but still, some one on one time between friends could go a long way.
"Okay." Orchid smiled as she dug up some lesson material she had drafted up. "We're going to start with a few simple lessons, this will just be stuff to get your vocal chords 'working out; metaphorically speaking."
Ebony smiled nervously and nodded. "I hope I can do this right."
They began to perform some lessons, things to help develop Ebony's vocal chords and her breath control. Their first bout went on for about twenty minutes, before Ebony needed to stop briefly for a break because her throat was getting dry. They got some water and sat together on Orchid's bed, with Ebony taking a drink of her water before looking down at it and smiling a wavy smile. "You know, I didn't really… expect that I would be here, just a year ago, I thought that I wouldn't be… anywhere."
Orchid smiled slightly. "Life can change a lot for us in just a few seconds. I've been at both low points and high points, only for them to change in the blink of an eye. I'm glad we've got you, you're Ebony, you know?"
Ebony smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm glad I have you guys too, just…" She sighed as she hung her head. "I'm not going to pretend to be anything other than what I was, Orchid. There's a trail of bodies and broken minds that follow me everywhere I go… what kind of right do I have to having you guys? Having… Love. Friends. Joy." She closed her eyes. "I should be locked in a cell."
She was shocked when she felt her hair brushed aside and Orchid's lips press against her forehead. "Ebony…" Her taller friend began in a soft voice. "Whatever happened before… whoever you were before. You had your reasons. You were scared, you were alone, you felt you didn't have any other choice." Ebony got pulled closer to her with one of Orchid's arms. "You deserve happiness. You deserve all the happiness."
Ebony looked at her, face red and eyes slightly wide. Orchid's smile grew more affectionate. "And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you feel as happy as possible, nothing will stop that." She took a drink of water and then set it down. "Now… how about we keep going? We're just about to start learning an actual song, 'You'll Be Okay by Ash.'"
Ebony blinked a few times, Orchid's words, in spite of being perhaps expected, still left her wordless. "I… yeah." Ebony smiled shyly. "Let's keep going. I… I don't know what I was talking about."
And so, without further interruption, the lessons continued.
/-/
Neve wasn't sure he would ever be entirely used to the sheer volume of stuff that Violet could eat in a day.
If he tried to eat two tacos, followed by churros, then by Gyros, he would probably fall into a food coma. Yet there Violet was, still walking and still in a very good mood. "You know I think I might have misjudged this place." She grinned. "Nothing that brings me this much food with this much variety could be bad!" She had previously said that she didn't want to spend too much time at the fairgrounds, but now she wondered if she might be able to live out here temporarily.
"Just don't eat too much. We've got the doubles tomorrow and it wouldn't do to have you all out of whack." He curiously raised an eyebrow as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "If you're going to be fighting? I assumed that you would, because you're kind of a two in one, but…"
"Hmmm…" Violet thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, I think I'll leave it to you and Orchid. We know Ebony can't really fight at her best during things like this because of her semblance and how she can get when things are… intense, and I want to be there with her while we watch you guys kick ass."
"Fair enough." Neve said with a smile. "You're really thoughtful, I know you like fighting almost as much as you like food." There was never a time that Violet would turn down an extra meal—with the amount of weight-lifting she did, it was all quickly turned into more muscle hidden underneath her slightly chubby appearance.
"Yeah, well…" Violet rubbed the back of her neck and blushed slightly. "I like Ebony more than both those things, so I'll spend time with her without a problem." She didn't seem to want to stay on the conversation too long. "Besides, you and Orchid can handle yourselves."
"Mostly." Neve nodded. "Orchid's not very good in a close-up fight right now, so if we end up fighting two heavy hitters, that'll be rough. But if we can get someone who relies on Dust or ranged attacks… they'd be easy for her to beat."
"We'll be cheering for you two." She smiled, then her smile dropped as she caught sight of her dreaded enemy—a cotton candy stall. "Oh gods, cotton candy…" She shook her head. "I can't stand that stuff."
"What?" Neve furrowed his brow. "Why? I would have bet all of my money that you liked cotton candy. Did something happen with it?"
Violet huffed and crossed her arms, pouting slightly. "When I was younger and Grandpa took me to a festival, I got some cotton candy and, because I was even more of a neat freak then than I am now, I wanted to wash it to make sure it wasn't dirty. When I put it in the water, it just dissolved! I got so upset that I wanted to leave, and never come back. That damn cotton candy, I couldn't even try it, but I know I hate it."
Neve snickered at first, covering his mouth. Violet pouted harder, and he burst out laughing. "V-Violet!" He managed between laughs. "Th-that's so silly! You shouldn't discount a whole type of treat just because you didn't know it dissolved in water!" She just harumphed, and he grinned at her. "Wait here."
"Don't you dare…" She squinted at him, yet he walked over to the cotton candy stall all the same. She just huffed again. "Hmph."
He returned with two cotton candies, one in each hand. "Here, try it." He grinned at her and held it out, but she just huffed again and looked away."Awwh, come on, don't be so stubborn! It's good!" He put both of them in the same hand.
She shook her head. "No! It's not even a matter of taste, it's the princi—" She was cut off as Neve stuffed a piece of cotton candy into her mouth, having torn a piece of one off in preparation for the next time she spoke. Her eyes widened and then looked down at his hand, which currently had a couple fingers partially in her mouth. She blushed a dark red, squirming slightly as he pulled his fingers away, finding that she missed the feeling.
She would have forgotten about the cotton candy in her mouth, but it was too… delicious! Now she finally understood why everyone liked it so much. Still, in spite of her fluster, she needed to try and keep a cool front. So she just huffed and wordlessly took the cotton candy that he'd torn a piece from. He just grinned warmly at her. "See? Sometimes you just gotta give something a chance."
"I-I guess." She pouted and averted her gaze again, thinking to herself, 'Geez…
'I need to be stubborn about food more often.'
/-/
They returned to the dorm not long after that, linking up with Orchid and Ebony (having brought them food, as was asked). After they ate, however, Orchid didn't want to call the day just yet. This night's fireworks were set to start after a while, and she wanted to spend time with them.
More than just them, however, she wanted to spend time with Neve. Maybe it was that feeling in her gut earlier, or maybe it was the other feelings she found herself losing to, but either way, the result was the same. She asked him if he'd like to go on the ferris wheel just before the fireworks, and while it wasn't a surprise that he agreed, it was a surprise when he said, "You know, I've never actually been on a ferris wheel before." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "They always kind of made me… nervous. Being stuck in a two-seated… box like that."
"Oh, you have to." Orchid grinned. "Trust me, nothing bad's gonna happen. Besides, we're Huntsmen! It's not like a ferris wheel accident would be enough to take us down." She then led the way to the door, heading out with him as he put his fear aside.
Violet and Ebony would be out as well, doing their own thing. Orchid was sure they'd link up later, but for now? She wanted to spend time with her team leader, and her friend. Her really close friend, and her partner.
They didn't immediately go to the ferris wheel.
First, they took in the sights. Now that it was dark, the festival had lit up to replace the sun. Paper lanterns hung from some stalls, while others had some kind of lightbulb attached to their place of business. Either way, it provided an almost… ethereal view. People moved from place to place, vendors sold their treats or advertised their games, and there they were. Just two in a sea of hundreds. Thousands, if you counted the party-goers in Vale proper.
Neve smiled as he spotted the rifle game from earlier. "Here, let me give this a shot. Violet used it earlier, but I didn't get a chance to." Together, they headed over to the stall. Neve took up the rifle and shot the targets as they popped up in the gallery, landing each shot with practiced ease.
In seemingly no time at all, he'd beaten the game. Prompted to pick a prize, he scanned through the different options. His eyes caught something further in the back of one of the rows, an antler just barely visible behind a bunch of other plushies.
He walked up to the selection and reached back, grabbing it and pulling it out further. His eyes widened slightly shortly before a smile took to his face. There in his hand was a stuffed jackalope. They'd missed it the first time, being as hidden as it was, but now that it was later and more of the plushies had been cleared out, it was able to be discovered.
He pulled it out of the rack and stepped back, turning towards Orchid and holding it out to her with a warm smile. "Here, you mentioned you've always wanted one of these? Today's our lucky day."
Orchid gasped in surprise, covering her mouth briefly. "Oh my gods! Neve…" She took the plushie and hugged it while smiling brightly. "Thank you. I mentioned it before, but I've always wanted one of these. I'm surprised we found one in the wild like this, but… I'm not gonna question it." Her face was tinged red, ever so slightly. She tried not to think about it, saying, "W-We should go to the ferris wheel now. It's about time."
He agreed, and so they left. There wasn't much of a line, people would get in their cart, painted gold and fully enclosed, with a large window covering the front and sides. Together, Orchid and Neve got inside, Orchid on the right and Neve on the left, closer to the view of the city, while she herself was closer to the academy. Neve shifted awkwardly in place, clearly kind of uncomfortable. Orchid nudged him slightly as the doors shut. "Hey, don't be nervous!" She chuckled. "I never thought you were the kind of person to be afraid of something like this… I don't think I've ever really seen you afraid." Except for one time, but that time didn't count.
Everyone was afraid, then.
Neve chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, Orchid…" The cart moved, causing him to tense up for a second as they lifted slightly higher, making room for the next group of passengers to get on. "I have a secret." He looked at her, trying to relax as he made a shushing gesture before lowering his hand from his face. "I'm scared far more often than you'd think. I just don't show it. As the leader, and as you guys' friends, you deserve better than some scared coffee boy. So I give you what you deserve."
Orchid blinked in surprise, eyes slightly wide. She supposed she should have expected this, Neve treated his job as their leader as a very important part of who he was. Of course he would want to put up a strong front. "That explains a lot…" She said after a moment. "But hey, facing what you fear in spite of that fear is the meaning of bravery."
Neve nodded slightly in agreement. "It's always been part of who I am." He smiled warmly. "Even before this year, I was doing it at home. There wasn't much to be afraid of there, specifically, but I pretended I wasn't scared of becoming a Huntsman. It's what I want to do, don't get me wrong, but it is dangerous. My dad fought, and he died. I worry if the same might happen to me, sometimes, but…"
He turned his gaze to the city proper. "You guys are part of the reason why I can just… be strong." He looked back at her, not noticing how the lights of the city were beginning to dim. "You especially, Orchid." His smile grew. "Even if something's got me scared to the bone, just thinking about you… it helps a lot." He knew why, but it didn't really matter, what mattered is how it helped him. At least, in his mind.
Orchid blushed, looking away as he turned his gaze back to the city. She shifted in her seat and was about to speak, but then, as they reached the zenith of the ride, suddenly it stalled. Neve started as he looked around with slightly wide eyes. Orchid smiled at him disarmingly. "Relax, the engine on this thing probably just stalled. They'll get it fixed in no time."
Neve still seemed uneasy as, but what came next dissipated any fear in his heart.
The fireworks began, the lights of the city almost universally either dimmed or turned off to provide a better view to everyone. The whistle of fireworks shooting into the air prior to exploding in a sea of colors filled the night sky.
Red. Blue. Green. White. Purple. More still, the colors filled the sky, painting the darkness a different color for the few seconds they were there. The darkness yielded to the light, the shape of stars filled the air, far brighter than any of the distant natural ones.
Then the next phase began. In the explosions of light, team names filled the air. Those that had won were put on display. The whole world had witnessed their victories, but now the heavens themselves were made to acknowledge them.
RWBY. JNPR. CFVY. The names kept going, and finally, last but not least, there came theirs.
COVE
Blue, gold, violet, and red, painted clear across the sky, visible for miles around.
Orchid couldn't tear her eyes away from it at first, but in a moment's curiosity, she looked at Neve.
He bore a bright smile on his face, and a look of wonder she'd never seen on him before. The way the colors splashed onto his form only seemed to make all of him more visible to her. Somehow more real, somehow more sublime, somehow more…
Beautiful.
"Wow, Orchid…" Neve spoke softly as he kept his gaze on the fireworks. "This is… amazing…" His smile turned to a grin. "The view is perfect… our names in lights…" He turned towards her and closed his eyes as his grin grew and he repeated his sentiment by saying, "This is perfect! I'm glad we're seeing this together."
Bathump. Bathump. Bathump.
Orchid's blush grew as the chords of her heart played a melody she could no longer ignore, a chorus of brass so perfect, of strings so heavenly, of drums that threatened to beat in her ears. Her stomach tied into knots, and she averted her gaze. "Y-Yeah… yeah… it's… i-it's perfect. Everything is."
No longer could she deny what she felt. No longer could her fear hold her in a vice grip. No longer could she claim to uphold the single rule that she set for herself after Weiss had broken her heart.
Don't fall in love.
'He's… the exception. The only exception.' He looked back at the fireworks as the show continued, and Orchid felt herself awash with a mix of emotions. Happiness due to the feeling mixed with worry in that same space. Tensions that couldn't hold her anymore were gone, and a new melody played.
This wasn't just some stupid crush. This wasn't something that was just going to go away. This wasn't something she wanted to go away. This was something that she never thought she'd feel again. Something that she was certain had been lost to her forevermore.
'I love him. I love… Neve Cadere.' Her smile grew in spite of the torrent of emotions she felt, and she looked as if a spell had been cast on her, and now she was enchanted by something—someone. Enchanted by him.
She so desperately wanted to reach out and hold him. To just tell him right away. But something stopped her. Not hesitancy, but… the timing was wrong. This might have been the perfect sight, but… they had a bunch of other things to worry about. And another celebration to look forward to later.
'After.' She thought to herself, brushing some of her hair out of her face as she forced herself to break her gaze from him, returning her attention to the fireworks even as the ferris wheel started again.
'I'll tell him after the Vytal Festival.'