After they got off the ferris wheel, Orchid and Neve watched the rest of the fireworks show before heading back to the dorm. Violet and Ebony had been watching too, somewhere else within the festival.
Orchid had never really allowed herself to consider love before now, but… anytime she looked at Neve she felt nervous, and yet all too happy just to be near him. She realized that she had felt something like this for a long time, she'd just been trying her hardest to ignore it.
It also allowed her to think about Violet and Ebony. She felt strongly about them too, though… she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it.
One thing at a time, she reasoned, whatever was going on there could wait its turn.
The day came in no time at all, and Neve wondered who they would be fighting. The two of them watched as they were matched with their opponents. As they saw it, Neve smirked while Orchid gained a devious grin across her face. The text read simply:
Neve Cadere and Orchid Grove vs Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao-Long
/-/
"Do you have everything? Fimbulvetr stocked up?"
"Uhhh…" Neve raised an eyebrow at Orchid's sudden attention to his ammo situation. "Yeah." They were standing around in the same pre-game waiting area as they did last time, although of course Violet and Ebony weren't there. Rather, they were in the stands. "You know usually I'm the one who's checking everything and reminding us. What's got you so worried about my stuff?" He chuckled. "Remember to replace your strings. We've still got time."
Orchid's face darkened red. "O-Oh, yeah…" She laughed nervously and got to work doing that. "I uh… forgot about that." She then sat down at one of the benches and took her tools for re-stringing her guitar out of the locker they were put in.
"Forgot?" Neve furrowed his brow. "You never forget to do that…" He squinted at her. "You're not feeling sick are you? Feverish? You look like you're burning up…" His voice gained a tinge of worry.
"O-Oh, no! It's just hot in heeeree-" She trailed off as he put a hand on her cheek and then on her forehead, checking her for a fever. She squirmed slightly. "N-Neve, really, I'm fine. It's just some pre-show anxiety, everyone gets it. I'm hoping to beat the shit out of Weiss."
"Hmmm." Neve seemed skeptical, but he ultimately relented. "Alright alright. Wouldn't be good form to delay this, anyway."
The announcers came on over the holo-television in the room. Port seemed excited as he said, "This is going to be an interesting battle, don't you think, Professor?"
"Doctor!" Oobleck attempted to correct him again, fixing his glasses before moving on. "That's right, Peter, this opening match is a real treat for our viewers! Both Teams COVE and RWBY are highly ranked within Beacon Academy, and if you ask me, the only way one of them was going to lose was if they went against one another, or against Team JNPR! So the stakes are really raised for Beacon's golden children!"
Neve chuckled as he sat down. "I guess all eyes are on us and them, then. Man, it's really come down to this, huh, and the festival's far from over too…" He adjusted his coat. "Let's give 'em a show, yeah?"
Orchid smirked. "You don't need to tell me twice." She focused on re-stringing Muse, after that. When she was finished, it was time for them to go, and so the two of them set out to the arena.
The roaring of the crowds still thrummed in their hearts, like the noise of thunder. As they approached the arena and walked towards the center, they spotted Yang and Weiss walking towards them from the other side. Both of them smiled at the others as they approached, and while Neve and Orchid both returned the smile to Yang, Orchid's smile dissipated as she looked at Weiss.
They came to a stop a few feet away from one another. Yang grinned and raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Snowfall and Hails. Didn't think we'd be fighting each other this early. Still," she punched her right fist in her left hand, "I hope you're as ready as I am!"
Neve smirked and drew Fimbulvetr off of his back in its dual-sword form. "Oh, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Little Dragon."
Orchid watched as Neve and Yang smirked at each other like they were sharing some kind of secret joke. She furrowed her brow slightly before asking, "Wait, why'd you call me Hails?"
"Oh, no reason." Yang rolled her shoulders. "Isn't worth talking about, it's too meta." What that meant exactly, not even Yang was sure.
Orchid wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to ask, and so she just shrugged. Weiss smiled awkwardly. "Uhm… I'm looking forward to a good fight, Orchid." Her voice was filled with clear anxiety and some measure of trying to extend some kind of olive branch.
"Hm." Orchid harrumphed. "Oh I'm going to enjoy taking you down another peg or two, Weiss Schnee." If there was one thing Orchid knew how to do, it was hold a grudge. She felt that right here, right now, was finally the time that it could reach some measure of a conclusion. Beating her here for all the world to see, for Jacques to see, was the greatest form of revenge.
Port's voice boomed out over the entire colosseum. "This match will get red hot!" Orchid raises her hand, preparing to bring it down on Muse, while Neve readied Fimbulvetr. Similarly, Weiss and Yang readied their own weapons. The arena changed, with one side raising several different metallic platforms, rectangular pillars big enough for people to walk on, and other assorted levitating objects.
"Now GO!"
Immediately, Orchid brought down her hand, slamming a hard chord that sent out a massive wave of sound infused with fire. Weiss jumped to the left while Yang jumped to the right. Yang smirked and started to step towards Orchid, but stopped as she (perhaps expectedly) Neve stepped in her way and tutted while shaking his head. Orchid began to sing a song simply titled 'War' as she aimed her guitar towards Weiss while pursuing her towards the frozen fields of ice.
"Never really had a problem with you…"
Neve surged forward and slashed in an X pattern, a move which Yang blocked with her two arms like she was blocking a hit in boxing. She then jumped back while shooting her gauntlets at him. He stepped to the right and avoided it, while Yang was sent flying backwards by the recoil, towards the Gravity biome. He ran after her, intent on pushing her as far away from Orchid and Weiss' battle as possible.
"All along I thought our friendship was true! Put my trust in you right from the start~!"
Orchid had her namesake in her hair as she pursued Weiss, currently she was entirely focused on the foe in front of her. As they reached the icy tundra of the cold biome, Weiss turned towards her and created several Glyphs above her, each shooting out projectiles towards her, though the look in her eyes showed that her heart wasn't entirely in this fight.
"I never dreamed that you would be my enemy, the knife to take my heart!"
Orchid activated the Fire Dust within her guitar strings, melting the icicles she created and blasting Weiss with a wave of fire. Weiss gritted her teeth and then put a Glyph below her, using it to launch her to the right, out of the wave of fire, and as she skidded across the ice and snow, she created a Glyph beneath Orchid, hoping to launch her into the air.
"You screwed me in the perfect way! A friend betrayed! Just another mourner, content to follow orders!"
Orchid was launched into the air, but it seemed like she anticipated this. She activated the Wind Dust in her guitar, and it enveloped her, slowing her fall and letting her rain metaphorical musical death upon Weiss, who was forced to jump and roll out of the way and start running as the music, bolts of lightning, and bursts of other Dust elements struck behind her.
"Leave behind your conscience, abandon those who need you most! Convince yourself you're noble, but we both know it's not so!"
Weiss ducked behind a large rock for cover as Orchid continued to play just as the Wind Dust started to run out. She let herself gently float down to the ground before she kept walking forward towards the rock. Weiss called out, "Orchid! I know you're still angry… how many times do I have to say that I'm sorry?"
"But if you cross my battle line, you'll find you'll be sorry that you tried!"
"How many years did I live thinking that I was trash?" Orchid called out to her between lyrics, slamming her guitar musically and sending out powerful waves of gravity-infused sound. The gravity caused the rock to collapse and Weiss to struggle to move. "How many years did I spend thinking I was the one at fault?!"
Before Weiss could respond, the next bout of lyrics began and she was forced to run again, taking advantage of the Gravity Dust abating to get some distance between her and Orchid.
"If it's war that you want then you got it! If it's pain, well I brought what you need! If it's true what you say, you're the best, then let's play! You won't believe it, until you see it!"
The roaring of the crowds was almost as loud as the music being played, as they got two shows in one. Weiss was all too conscious of all the eyes on them as she finally managed to strafe enough to get closer to Orchid. She stabbed outward with Myrtenaster, but Orchid sidestepped it and kicked outward, sending her stumbling back. "Orchid, it was years ago! I was a foolish little girl! It's all in the past! We don't need to—"
"Maybe it's in the past for you!" Orchid barked back. "But I still remember. I still remember the shit that you said to me crystal clear, and I remember how it almost drove me over the edge! I'm far from done with this, Weiss Schnee!"
"When I kick your ass and look you in the eye, and with a smile and a cheerful heart I'll turn to you and wave… Gooooooodbyyyyyeeee~!""
Orchid blasted Weiss back with wind and shocked her with lightning from the head of her guitar, sending her flying back. Weiss twisted in the air and created some Glyphs in the air, sending some out. While Orchid managed to dodge most of them, some of them connected with her and caused her to grit her teeth in pain. "But this story's not about you and me right now, Weiss. It shouldn't be."
She cast her gaze towards the Gravity Biome, it was far from them, but not out of music shot. "It's about him and me." She geared up to play the next song.
Earlier, Yang and Neve reached the Gravity biome and, as the gravity around them grew weaker, they jumped up on top of a platform. Yang turned towards him as he ran towards her, and as he slashed his blades, she was able to dodge one, but took the other in the side, grimacing before punching Neve on the cheek, causing him to stagger back slightly before smirking. "You really were always a knockout, Yang."
Yang snorted in amusement and grinned as she said, "You know me! So hot I'll leave you on your ass!" She then surged forward to engage him again, a flurry of sword swings and punches made the two a blur as they fought their way to the edge of the platform. As they did, Oobleck announced, "It seems Yang and Neve have chosen to fight on the Gravity Biome! One of the latest innovations given to Amity, platforms are subject to constantly changing fluctuations in Gravity! The two of them are going to need to mind their step, and move quickly!"
As if to emphasize this, the gravity of their platform weakened, causing them to float up. Both of them continued to trade blows as they turned upside down, landing on yet another platform as the Gravity Dust kept them there, in spite of them being upside down.
The sound of Orchid playing War reached them even here, Neve ducked under a punch and swept his leg, causing Yang to start to fall. Just as she did, however, the gravity began to weaken again. Neve pushed himself forward, off of the platform, and swung Fimbulvetr's blades at her, Yang blocked some attacks and took others while throwing out her own punches, some connecting and some being blocked as they continued to float through the air.
They eventually hit a wall as the gravity shifted, leading to them both falling onto the wall. They both got up, with Yang quipping, "You know I've never told anyone that they've knocked me off my feet before, but you…" She snickered. "You really got me… head over heels!"
"Hah!" Neve grinned. "What can I say? Call me the Sunny Little Dragon Slayer." He lunged forward and swung one of Fimbulvetr's blades, and as Yang blocked it, he stepped behind her and struck her back, causing her to hiss.
She turned around and started to fight back, punches and sword swings met each other as Neve walked back further and further. Eventually, they reached the edge leading up to the next platform just as the gravity began to fade from the one they were on. Neve sent out a wave of Wind Dust with a slash of his sword, causing Yang to get blown further back while he used it to launch him up.
He landed on the platform, overlooking the one they had just been on. He then shifted Fimbulvetr into its rifle form and aimed downward as Yang used her gauntlets to launch her up, allowing her to run up the wall even without the gravity. Neve shot his rifle at Yang, she used her gauntlets to launch her to the left or right while still running up, a couple shots hitting her shoulders and causing her to grit her teeth.
She shot behind her several more times, launching her up the rest of the way. As she reached Neve, she uppercut him and caused him to groan in pain as he was knocked off the platform, from fifty-feet in the air.
Neve blinked a few times and reoriented himself before turning around in the air and firing his rifle, using the recoil to send him flying back up as Orchid began to play a song simply titled Oblivion. (Listen along: watch?v=NdZVse2WKns)
As the intro played, Neve turned Fimbulvetr into its glaive component, a snowdrop appearing in his hair as he twisted in the air and brought it down on Yang with speed and strength he hadn't had before. Fimbulvetr collided with Yang's chest, sending her skidding backwards as Neve landed on the platform and looked at her with a smirk.
"Staring at death, I take a breath, there's nothing left!"
He charged Yang, swinging his glaive as he drew closer to her. She was able to block the attack, just barely, but wasn't able to react as he quickly pulled back and dropped low, sweeping the glaive and knocking her off of her feet. He twisted, spinning and crashing the glaive down onto her torso, causing her to hit the ground with a grunt.
"Now close my eyes, for one last time, and say goodbye! Lying naked while the snow falls all around me, drifting closer to the edge but She won't have me!"
She kicked her leg out as she jumped to her feet, forcing Neve to block her with the shaft of Fimbulvetr. He slid backwards and then broke apart his weapon into its two swords, lunging forward and swiping at her, causing her to move backward. As they fought closer to the edge, gravity changed, and Yang stepped off the edge, sticking to the wall thanks to the gravity. Neve followed suit, now fighting vertically downward.
"Wake up in sweat, full of regret, try to forget! These memories, lurking beneath, lost in a dream… Unchosen paths, a broken past, forespoken wrath! The pain won't cease, I'll find no peace, no sweet release"
Their fight became a blur of sword swings and punches once again, Neve using his speed and dexterity to duck, dodge, and weave through Yang's attacks while delivering his own. She hit him occasionally, but he was hitting her much more often now.
"Fragile creatures, we are taught to fear the Reaper. Ever running, we are dead before we meet Her!"
The gravity on the wall began to fail, leading to both of them jumping at the same time. They continued to clash in the air as they flipped and twisted, landing on another platform and continuing to duel as they pushed back and forth. At this point, Neve activated some Water Dust he had stored up in his gauntlets, water splashing on Yang as he struck her, causing her to furrow her brow.
"These voices telling me let it go (let it all go). I try and try but I can't say no (try and say no)"
Neve stepped back to avoid a punch and then kicked outward, connecting with Yang's stomach and causing her to stumble backward. She looked down at herself and laughed. "Hah! You sure know how to make a girl wet."
Neve snorted and grinned. "Nice one, too bad I've already heard it before, just yesterday in fact."
Yang huffed. "Damn."
"This endless nightmare has just begun (nowhere to run)! My heart is dragging me down into oblivion~"
As they continued to fight, Weiss and Orchid did as well. The icy tundra was alight with Dust explosions, powerful balls of fire, ice, and plenty of sound, as the more intense and fast paced instrumental of this song resulted in Weiss needing to spend a lot more time trying to avoid getting hit by Muse. The battle of two bullet hells raged, neither side giving up, in spite of both of them taking hits as they ducked and dodged from their respective attacks.
"The endless lies, I've cast aside, locked them in ice! Steeled is my soul, my blood grown cold, I've gained control!"
Yang's hair caught fire as she fought, using her semblance as she drew closer to the edge. Yet, the strikes Neve made had not been particularly forceful, instead they were quicker and lighter, meaning that Yang's semblance had trouble compensating. She jumped into the air as gravity once again shifted to the platform above them, and Neve followed suit. Their duel continued on the next platform, uninterrupted.
"Fearless creatures, we all learn to fight the Reaper! Can't defeat Her, so instead I'll have to be Her!"
The two were growing tired, but Neve still had the upper hand. Yang tried to fix that by lunging forward and grappling him as the gravity began to fail, throwing him off the platform and sending him careening downward.
"These voices screaming to let it go (never let go)! This time I'm screaming back no no no, go on say no!"
He righted himself in the air and landed, jumping back just in time as Yang slammed her fist into the ground, causing it to crack under her power. She growled as he swiped at her and struck her arm, jumping up and headbutting him, making him stagger backwards.
"My mind's made up, yeah my fear is gone. (Where have you gone?)"
Yang aimed to capitalize on this by punching while firing her gauntlet, aiming at his head. He ducked under the attack, striking her with yet more water-laced attacks, lashing her with the element and causing her to cover her face to avoid getting it in her eyes.
"Open my eyes now here I come… oblivion~!"
The ambient temperature around them began to lower, although Yang was burning hot enough that she didn't notice at first. Neve struck her in the chest, getting more water on her and muttering, "Three…"
"For the last time (I won't say goodbye)! For the last time (I won't say goodbye)!"
She punched down, making him jump back as she smashed the ground again. She then surged forward and tried to punch him center-mass, which he sidestepped as he struck her again with the water. "Two…"
"For the last time (I won't say goodbye)!"
It was only then that Yang noticed that her movement was starting to slow, and her mind began to catch up on why. Every strike Neve had been making recently had been laced with water, to the point where she was absolutely soaked. She tried to turn up the heat of Burn, but the temperature kept dropping, and she began to feel herself slowing down as her legs became encompassed in ice. "One…"
Neve lunged forward as Yang slowed down, slashing her side and ending up on the other side of her, facing away with his right blade extended outward from the attack. Finally, the temperature plummeted, and Yang was completely coated in ice, causing her to try to frantically get rid of it before being frozen like a statue. Neve put one of his weapons away and stood up.
"For the last time…"
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers while saying, "Absolute Zero."
The ice shattered, millions of pieces. Yang was in one piece, but it was clear that the cold had sapped the last of her aura, and she fell to the ground on her knees before falling forward entirely.
Port's voice rang out with excitement, "YANG XIAO-LONG IS OUT! WHAT A THRILLING BATTLE!"
He couldn't celebrate just yet, though. He took out his other sword again and ran off towards the ice biome.
Weiss heard that Yang fell and she swore under her breath. If anyone was to fall, she had imagined it would be her first. Yet there wasn't much she could do but keep fighting and try to keep an eye open for when Neve would arrive so she could hopefully survive.
Yet, it was hard to focus on anything else as Orchid continued to play the song she had just finished, except just the instrumental. She grinned wickedly at Weiss as the heiress jumped out of the way of another lightning bolt.
Suddenly, she felt herself leaving the ground. She struggled as Orchid suddenly focused entirely on Wind Dust, generating an upward draft like a musical twister. She flailed about in the air desperately, trying to focus enough to summon just one more Glyph.
It started to diminish, and Weiss thought that she would be let go so she could regain her footing, but then she heard Neve yell, "Honey Crystals!" The wind amplified once again, except this time laced with… water?! She had to hold her breath as she struggled, and just as the water cut off, she heard someone jump from below her.
Neve rode the air above her and struck down, delivering a blur of quick slashes before suddenly Weiss felt herself beginning to freeze over. The wind cut off just as Weiss felt herself being completely covered in a layer of ice, just like Yang.
Except instead of simply snapping his fingers, this time Neve kicked downward and pushed off of Weiss, sending her hurtling to the ground while he backflipped in the air and landed on the ground, crouched to dampen the impact as Weiss slammed into the ground and the ice shattered, her breathing shallow and ragged and her vision blurring.
Oobleck announced, "And just like that, Weiss Schnee is out! COVE will continue on to the singles!"
Neve looked at Orchid and saw her panting, tiredly glaring at Weiss from afar. She had some look of satisfaction on her face that looked downright… sadistic. Neve approached her and noted her expression and posture, saying softly and somewhat warily, "You know you look better wearing gold instead of wearing red, Orchid."
Orchid blinked a few times, her expression returning to normal as she seemed to snap out of whatever mental track she was on. "Oh. R-Right." She shook her head and turned to go help Yang up while Neve walked over to check on Weiss. "Are you alright?" He asked while holding out his hand to her.
"Eehh…" Weiss groaned. "I wouldn't… use… alright as the operative word." She took Neve's hand and stood up shakily. "I didn't know she still felt that angry about all of that… Then again, I guess I haven't really talked to her that much these past two semesters."
"Yeah…" Neve looks back towards Orchid as she was helping Yang. "Orchid's… fantastic, but… she does get downright malicious with some things she does and says to people who've done her wrong. Not that many people, but still. It's noticeable when they're around, or you're around, in this case."
Weiss sighed in defeat and nodded. "I feel like I'm at least partly to blame for that… or my father is, at least." She smiled at him. "But, thank you. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks this is… going a bit far."
Neve smiled at her. "Don't mention it." He patted her shoulder. "Now, we should-"
It was then that they heard Orchid talking to Yang from far away.
"Hey Yang, how did Neve do?"
"Pfft, you saw him! Maybe not that much, but you did. It was really close." Yang laughed. "But hey! You should know he's really great at making girls wet."
….
"HUH?!"
/-/
"So… it's really come down to this, hasn't it, Oz?"
"I'm afraid so, Qrow."
Qrow leaned back against one of the pillars in the Headmaster's office. "So… let's go over our options again, I guess. We need to be sure."
Ozpin nodded in agreement as he looked at the files on his desk. "Ruby Rose, we already decided against. She's too naive, too young. In a few years time, if the need comes, I'm sure she'd be a great candidate, but not now."
"Good." Qrow sighed as he looked past Ozpin, out the window towards where Amity was floating. "She doesn't need to be involved with this shit." He looked towards Ozpin again. "Who're our other options?"
Ozpin sorted through some files before setting them down. "Violet Merino, Orchid Grove, and Pyrrha Nikos." He bridged his hands together. "Violet has an incredibly powerful semblance and great combat skill. I have no doubt she'd be unstoppable with proper Maiden training, but…"
Qrow nodded his head slightly forward. "Buuut she's a loose cannon. She'd do things her way or not at all. As shit as it is, we need someone who'll follow orders. Amber didn't, and she paid the price for it."
Ozpin nodded in agreement. "Again, in a few years, once she's matured, she might make a great candidate, but not now. Similarly… Miss Grove is a fantastic fighter, when kept at range, and has a great sense of justice, but… she's got a rather large chip on her shoulder. She needs to grow out of that."
"Yeah…" Qrow grimaced. "Just lookin' at that fight was enough to show it. Girl's got a problem with holding grudges. It'd make her too irrational if someone crossed her. Could get her killed. So… I guess that leaves…"
Ozpin nodded. "Miss Nikos. Champion of many fights, an amazing moral compass, her greatest mental difficulty is her social isolation prior to coming to Beacon… I think she is our best option. The Invincible Girl with the power of Fall… we'd all be in good hands." He put the other files away and looked at Pyrrha's name on her folder.
"I'll tell Glynda to make preparations."
/-/
With their part in the duos a victory, Violet felt it was well within her rights to want to celebrate with the two victors. Although Ebony suggested she go with Neve and Violet go with Orchid, so they can just hang out 'one on one'. Violet didn't have a problem with that.
To the contrary, she was… very fond of Orchid. Of her musical talent, of her kindness, of her determination, of just… her in general. Beautiful, talented, friendly and fun (most of the time anyway), what wasn't to like?
In her mind, nothing, she even sort of liked Orchid's angrier side, she was hot when someone ticked her off.
'Gods, I'm such a degenerate.' Violet self-deprecatingly joked to herself. 'But I don't know I can be blamed for looking at Orchid the way I do…'
No, certainly not.
The two of them walked together, and though they had been talking together earlier, the conversation reached a lull. Normally, this wasn't a problem, but it felt so… awkward. At least to Violet. Maybe it was just in her head… but, she wanted to find some way to bridge that gap. "So…" She cleared her throat. "Do you like Empire Soul?" The hit game series about helping a boy beat 'Soulless' while traveling between various places on a ship.
Orchid snickered and laughed softly, which made Violet blush and pout while asking, "Whaat? It's a genuine question!"
"I know, I know." Orchid got the rest of the laughs out of her system before saying, "It's just so out of left field. We were just walking and you brought that up." She looked over at Violet. "But, to answer your question, I do, I've played every game." She smiled brightly. "It's just so cool! Some people think it's campy, but that's one of the reasons why it's so good." Her smiling gaze softened a bit as she asked, "So… how're things between you and Ebony?"
"Great." Violet answered with a smile, before looking forward. They found themselves off to the side, away from the crowds, just for the moment. "I'll admit, I… I'm kind of… scared?" Violet's eyes betrayed that worried fear as she looked at Orchid. "I've never had a girlfriend or boyfriend before, what if I mess things up? The only info I have on these things is anime."
Orchid's smile softened further as she placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "Violet… Look at me."At first, she didn't, but slowly, Violet's gaze lifted and she looked at Orchid. "You're amazing, Violet. You're gonna be the best damn girlfriend Ebony could have ever asked for. You don't need to be anyone but yourself."
Violet's smile grew, and she asked, "I have trouble believing that sometimes, but, I guess I gotta ask… how much experience do you have with… relationships?"
Orchid paused for a moment, and Violet began to regret asking that question. Yet eventually Orchid responded. "It's… I've only ever had one, Weiss, and we were young, so… we didn't do much couple stuff, we didn't even really know what a 'date' was supposed to be. But, it meant so much to me, I loved her… and then she broke my heart. But… I don't exactly go out every day and expect someone to do that."
"I see…" Violet didn't like this topic particularly, so she asked, "Do people hit on you very often?" She was curious, and she got some leering looks every so often, but nobody had ever actually said anything to her, maybe because they knew she could kick their asses.
"Ooh yeah." Orchid chuckled. "Six foot one Faunus girl with my eyes and my looks? Most people consider me some… exotic treat." She scoffed. "Of course, I learned really quick how to wise up to those sorts of things. Nowadays, nothing like that really bothers me."
Violet raised an eyebrow, now that the conversation had moved forward a bit, she found herself smiling. "But then how come anytime Neve or I compliment you you get all blushy? I'm sure you'd be like that with Ebony too, she just doesn't know how to compliment people."
Orchid blushed and looked away, the shy look suited her surprisingly well, in Violet's eyes, it was cute. "I- well… you guys are different. You all… mean a lot to me. You're my teammates, and the best friends I've had in years." She looked back at Violet with an affectionate gaze. "You guys are amazing… you're amazing."
Now it was Violet's turn to blush as she looked away. "W-Well, uhm… you too." She looked back at Orchid and smiled. "Man… whoever ends up with you is gonna be lucky." She certainly sometimes wanted to be with Orchid in some capacity, but that wasn't exactly polite to just say. Her mouth turned to a smirk as she added, "And I know Neve is going to make you very happy." She waggled her eyebrows.
"A-Ah…" Orchid laughed nervously. "F-Funny joke…" She tried to riposte by saying, "And I'm sure Ebony feels very lucky to have such big pillows to sleep on."
Violet's blush darkened as she chuckled. "Yeah, maybe…" She gathered up some courage and said something with a faux-joking tone, "But you know, if you and or Neve need extra pillows…"
Orchid giggled, shaking her head as she took it entirely as a joke. "Oh, Violet…" She grinned. "You're something else." She gave Violet a quick hug, which admittedly made the raccoon girl internally flustered. "Now, how about we go find some more games to play?"
"Ah… yeah, sounds good!"
/-/
The next day was the beginning of the singles, although they weren't the first to fight this time. Instead, they all got together and headed for Amity. They had front row seats to Pyrrha's match with a guy called Mercury, and they weren't going to miss it.
As they headed for the colosseum, Violet said, "So, have you two decided who's gonna be fighting in the singles? I'd totally volunteer, but I kinda gave that up." She shrugged. "No big deal."
Neve rubbed his chin. "It makes the most sense for it to be me. Orchid isn't good at fighting in close range, and we can't guarantee she won't fight someone capable of closing in and taking her off guard."
Orchid nodded in agreement. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm shit at one on ones if the enemy can get close to me. It's all up to you, Neve." She smiled. "I'm sure you'll be able to win."
"Mmh, dunno." Neve hummed. "If I go against Pyrrha, I'm gonna lose, no other way to put it. She's Pyrrha. But I guess we'll see what happens here. We've got no idea what this Mercury guy can do."
"I doubt he'll beat Pyrrha." Ebony noted. "She's too strong. I've never watched a tournament in my life prior to this one, and even I can tell you that much."
The consensus was for them what they had to imagine it was for everyone else: Nobody believed Mercury would win, but they were still going to watch and see how the fight unfolded.
Once they reached the arena, they got their concessions and settled in for the match to come.
Professor Port announced, "Today's opener is a thrilling matchup! Pyrrha Nikos versus a relatively unknown yet clearly very skilled quantity, Mercury Black!"
Oobleck followed up. "That's right, Peter! This fight's going to be one for the record books, though if you ask me every fight we have seen so far belongs there as well!"
They watched as Pyrrha and Mercury arrived and walked onto the arena, standing next to each other at first as Port announced. Then they turned towards one another and began to circle, Pyrrha holding her Xiphos and shield while Mercury had no visible weapon on him. They couldn't hear what Mercury and Pyrrha were saying, but Mercury had a smirk on his face while Pyrrha remained looking concentrated as the arena raised.
"Here's a real high class bout!"
Pyrrha dropped into her combat stance, Mercury just kept smirking.
"FIGHT!"
With that, Mercury lunged forward, twisting in place and trying to kick Pyrrha with a roundhouse. She deftly parried it and stabbed outward, striking Mercury in the stomach before twirling her weapon and extending it, causing it to collide with Mercury's chin while she brought around her shield, intent on connecting it with his chest.
He managed to jump back and kick upward, which Pyrrha in turn avoided by pulling her hand back.
This began an exchange of fast kicks with Pyrrha blocking and landing hits where she could, eventually she managed to break through his defense, striking him in the chest with her Xiphos and then shifting the weapon again as she stepped away from a kick and twisted, making the shaft of the weapon even longer while spinning it, connecting it with Mercury's chin before jumping back as he tried to bring down his book where she had been, cracking the ground.
Pyrrha quickly shifted her weapon into its rifle form, firing Dust rounds at Mercury. He jumped backward and back hand-sprung across the arena to avoid most of them, but one managed to connect with his leg, throwing him off balance and almost making him go over the edge.
Yet, he caught himself and began kicking his boot, firing several guided Dust-powered projectiles that first flew into the air, circling for a few seconds before shooting towards Pyrrha. She grimaced and activated her semblance, nudging the missiles just enough as she jumped forward so that they would crash and explode behind her instead of on her, though it still kicked up a lot of dust that shrouded her.
Mercury smirked, walking towards the blast sight. He seemed surprised when Pyrrha burst through the smoke, in the air. Mercury prepared to block a spear strike, but instead, as Pyrrha began to come down from the air, she let her hand touch the ground just in front of Mercury and brought her heel down on his head, crashing into his head before pulling her legs back, spinning on the ground before kicking him in the shin while slamming her shield into the side of his head.
If that wasn't enough, she stabbed his stomach with her Xiphos before switching it into a javelin and jumping back, throwing it at his chest and connecting it before it flew back to her, this was, finally, enough to send Mercury to the ground.
The fight was much shorter than COVE had expected, but given how Pyrrha fought, she clearly just overwhelmed him. Her aura wasn't even that badly damaged! Only at a 90 while Mercury's was very low.
"And we have a winner! Pyrrha Nikos will proceed to the next round!"
Pyrrha smiled and said something to him before turning away and beginning to leave.
People would debate what happened next for years to come.
Pyrrha then, seemingly for no reason, turned around and struck at Mercury's leg with her spear, causing him to scream in pain and shout, "My leg!" with very clear pain and distress in his voice.
The crowd gasped and murmured, undercurrents of distrust, with some people booing at Pyrrha and others trying to cheer her up, because to them, there was no way that Pyrrha Nikos would have just struck someone while they were down. Yet still, what happened was clear to everyone. Oobleck sounded shocked as he said, "Pyrrha Nikos is… disqualified!"
Pyrrha looked shocked and shook her head before stepping away. She turned around and ran, and though Neve couldn't see her face, he could see the distress in her body language.
COVE shared a look before nodding and leaving the arena.
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Pyrrha was first taken away for questioning, but after being let go (the police not being able to detect any malice in her actions, which just muddied the waters even further). Teams COVE and RWBY converged on the JNPR dorm and headed inside.
There they found Pyrrha with her head in her hands while Jaune sat next to her, worriedly rubbing her back. Ren and Nora sat on the other side, with Ren patting Pyrrha on the back and Nora saying, "We know you didn't mean to do that, Pyrrha! You'd never hurt anyone without a reason!"
Neve nodded in agreement as he said, "We don't know what really happened, but… you looked surprised. I don't think that anyone would look shocked while striking someone like that. Not without good reason."
Weiss voiced her agreement, "It's preposterous to think you'd strike an opponent that's out! You would never."
Violet popped the bones in her shoulders and neck while Yang punched her fist into her palm. Violet then said, "We don't know who, if anyone, caused this, but if we find them…"
Yang grinned. "We'll break more than just their legs!"
Pyrrha looked up as she saw her friends gathering in the room. She smiled, though it was clearly hollow and wracked with sadness and her voice equally so. "Thank you, all of you…" She looked down again. "I don't know how, or what happened, I thought… I thought Mercury was running at me again. It must…" She rubbed her eyes and muttered, "It must have been the adrenaline, or the stress…"
Blake shook her head, crossing her arms and muttering, "I don't think… could it have been…?" She shook her head and looked down. "No…" It wasn't clear what she was referring to, but it didn't seem to matter.
Orchid nodded, placing a hand on her hip. "Don't worry too much. If the police haven't found you liable for anything, you still have your fan base. It's not like Pyrrha Nikos is going to fade into nothing over a single mistake. You're still you."
Violet took out her Scroll and browsed it for a few moments, grimacing. "Yeah…" She muttered. "God if it isn't a fucking flame war on every tangentially-related Pyrrha thing though. Her forums, Chirper, Geddit… everything."
Jaune's Scroll beeped, and he checked it before grimacing and nodding. "Yeah, my sister Sarcelle's been looking at everything she can. Footage of the fight, internal reports, all that tech stuff that she probably shouldn't have access too… even she has no clue."
Neve heard Violet mutter, "Nerd shit." under her breath. He smacked her arm chastisingly and she huffed, pouting and folding up her scroll and putting it away.
"Anyway." Neve cleared his throat. "I think I'll make a cake, or two… that should help you feel better, Pyrrha." He smiled. "Don't try saying no, you're getting it one way or another." Meanwhile, Violet in the background pumped her fist in celebration.
Before the conversation could continue, there was a knock at the door. The ground cleared out and scattered across the room to give the door space, and Orchid opened the door, blinking in surprise as she said, "Professor Ozpin?"
Ozpin smiled at her and nodded. "Miss Grove." He looked up. "It's good to see your friends are here to comfort you, Miss Nikos, you should keep them close. That being said, I need you to come with me for a few minutes. Don't worry, you're not in trouble."
Pyrrha had trouble believing that, but Ozpin hadn't lied about that sort of thing yet, so she nodded and stood up. "Okay." She smiled at the others. "When we get back… I think I'd like to have some of that cake you're making, Neve." He smiled back at her, then she turned and left.
Those left behind looked at each other worriedly, hoping this wasn't a sign of worse things to come.
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Vale was very busy this time of year. So many people from so many different places of origin, the Vytal Festival made the city it was hosted in that year the city of the world.
So, Hastur felt it was fitting that their first act towards their glorious play's conclusion conclude here, in preparation for greater efforts. Greater designs from the Grimm Queen.
Even if none of them really knew she existed. They believed, that was enough.
Normally, getting into a city like Vale would be difficult, risky, and borderline suicidal. However, with the Vytal Festival, the city was much too busy tending to tourists and contestants than scrutinizing new residents too much.
Getting into Beacon would have been even harder, but similarly, their fairgrounds were so full of tourists, nobody bothered to check who was who.
Blessings in disguise, Hastur felt, and beyond that, the groundwork had already been laid. The news report of Pyrrha Nikos breaking a man's leg was enough evidence to them that the Grimm Queen was commanding them to prepare to finally move. To ring the bells that will tone the coming of the end.
"Father." One of the higher ranking cultists called to him. "We've finished stowing everything, We should be prepared to begin the finale to this act on schedule."
Hastur smirked as he looked around the abandoned warehouse they had occupied. "Good. And of The Herald?"
"Apparently her team is going to the finals, their leader is representing them. It seems she didn't want to fight past the 4 v 4s."
"Hm." Hastur's smirk grew. "And I wonder why that is. Perhaps she's afraid of showing them all her true power. She knows she doesn't belong there." Why would she? She was meant for grander things than playing at heroics. Typecast into a role she may have been, but it was a role she was destined to play to perfection. An actor that refused the roles they were offered would simply not work, but Ebony didn't have a chance to refuse her place in this grand play. He didn't know what roles in this grand play that her teammates held, but they were surely bit parts.
Barely deserving of a credit.
Ebony Marzenie, or The Herald as Hastur only knew her as, had evaded returning to The Choir several times, running from her destiny as the bringer of the end. Rejecting the Grimm Queen's truth. Rejecting the very detailed play that had been drafted and designed just for her. Entitlement, Hastur would call it. To him, only the entitled would reject such a grand and important role to play. Others may have claimed she was scared, or trying to 'live a normal life', but Hastur knew that she had killed many more than just his agents. To find happiness? No…
To him, 'happy' and 'The Herald' did not belong in the same sentence.
/-/
Matches for the rest of that day had been postponed, moving the finals back a day. That only caused tensions to have a day to build, and Violet wasn't sure if that was really a good thing.
Not that she particularly cared, or thought about it all that much, because she knew how people were. Stupid cowards, more often than not. They were getting worked up over nothing, and then getting scared because their own anger is risking Grimm incursions. This kind of person made up, in Violet's mind, the vast majority of people.
Good people were rare, like her friends, each one so… great in a way that Violet really couldn't express. A way that was so uniquely them that they stood out like everyone else might as well have been a shadow. Those were the only people Violet worried about, those were the people that Violet would always come running to help, no matter what. The same privilege didn't immediately go to the common person, and whether that made Violet a bad person or not, she couldn't tell.
She had met plenty of bad people in her life, and she at least didn't think she was one of them.
Maybe it was that unique care that made Neve so special to Violet, as special as Ebony and Orchid. He was one of her only friends, and he was so… him. Smart, quick witted, responsible, caring, a damn good cook, a bit of a liar, but not for any malicious reason. He was someone she wanted to spend time with.
And so she did, suggesting that she and him go out into the festival.
But… she'd be lying if saying that how much she liked and appreciated him was the only reason she had invited him out like this. It was also, because, well…
Violet felt like something was bothering him. The other two didn't know, but she couldn't blame them. Neve was really good at hiding how he was feeling, and she only noticed because she was so good at reading people for those kinds of things. It made sense, those were the same things she did and she experienced.
Together they walked, and though Violet still wasn't sure if she should bring it up (she hadn't mentioned it before because she always felt it wasn't that big of a deal, but this time was… different) or just go on with the day and hope that it makes… whatever was bothering him hurt a bit less.
Violet frowned slightly and shook her head. Neve would likely never talk about what was on his mind unprovoked. So,as they progressed towards the outside of the festival grounds, Violet asked, "...Neve, what's wrong?"
Neve looked at her, first raising an eyebrow and then asking, "What do you mean, Violet…? I'm fine." He smiled at her. "I'm having the time of my life right now."
He sounded genuine, and most people would have believed him. Most people, but not Violet. "Neve, don't try and deny it. I've been noticing this all through the festival… you get this look in your eyes when you think nobody's looking. But I am. So… what's wrong?"
Neve had never experienced this more tender side to Violet before, at least, not on this level and not entirely unprovoked before. "Violet…" He began to say, but as they stopped near the cliff overlooking Vale, he realized that she wasn't going to believe him. She'd somehow figured him out. "..Alright, I guess…" He sighed and sat on the cliffside perch. "My dad, he… died around this time of year. So anytime this time of year comes, I always feel just… a little bit off."
Violet sat next to him, a small frown crossed her face as she put a hand on his back. "I know how you feel… my Grandpa vanished around December, that month is always hard for me." She bites her lip and looks away, trying to think of exactly what to say, before finally settling on asking, "What was your dad like?"
"He was.." Neve tried to explain. "He was everything I wanted to be growing up, and everything I strive to try to be like now." He stared at the stars above, their multitude uncountable, but he'd count them anyway. "Strong, brave, a leader who always knew what to say and what to do, one of the best Huntsmen of his graduating class…" He chuckled briefly. "Hmm… he's my hero."
He tried to think of how best to explain how he felt. "I guess… I'm scared." He laughed humorlessly, as if it was meant to be some kind of joke. "Just scared that I won't live up to him, that I won't be who I want to be. That one day I'll look back on myself right now in disappointment, or worse… one day I end up dead too, and I leave my mom and sister on their own."
Violet nodded along to his explanation, a look of sadness and concern in her eyes as she asked, "...What's your mom like? I don't know much about her, even if I've seen her before…"
"She's…" He tried to think of how best to describe it. "A great mom. She's always there for me, always there for my sister, she does everything she can to keep things running smoothly wherever she is… she's got this air of confidence, and this air of certainty, not just in herself, but in me as well. Thinking about how she believes in me helps a lot, just like how thinking about you guys believing in me does too. After Dad died, well… she's really the only parental figure I've had. She went to every school function, every meeting, she did everything that my dad would've done if he was still around. She's… like a pillar in my life."
"She sounds great…" Violet noted, wondering what it might be like for her to have a mother figure in her life—something she'd never truly had before—but this wasn't about that. "Just… remember that we're here for you, Neve, and so is your family." She put a hand gently on Neve's shoulder. "You'll make it through anything, we all will, because we're… we're more than just teammates."
Neve was silent for a few moments, before eventually a small smile graced his features. "You're right, Violet… I knew you were already, but… hearing it makes it feel more real." He looked at her. "I'll beat Penny, and tomorrow we can… celebrate, somehow. Maybe get… sea-salt ice cream? I know you like that a lot."
Violet smiled warmly at the gesture, and the thought of getting that ice cream. "Yeah…
"That sounds great."
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Orchid had a bad feeling about this.
Nothing in particular, just… everything in general. The final matches had yet to start, with Neve being one of the few left who hadn't matched up yet, and with the tension in the air, she was worried more than anything else.
Her suspicious only grew as she was walking through Beacon prior to the match and overheard Velvet talking to Ruby, talking about how Coco and Yatsuhashi had apparently been seeing things, given that Mercury seemed to be in two places at once, and how Coco thought it was just a stress-induced hallucination.
As Orchid heard this, she frowned and looked down for a moment before continuing onward. If one of them could create hallucinations… what did that mean for what Pyrrha did to Mercury?
She made it to Amity Colosseum and was walking uneasily around the place when she saw Ruby again, this time heading for a staff doorway. She called out softly, "Ruby?"
The girl looked at her in surprise as she approached, before sighing and looking away. "..Velvet told me that Coco saw hallucinations, and… it makes too much sense. Pyrrha saw hallucinations too before she broke Mercury's leg. Something… something isn't right. And then I saw Emerald in the stands…"
"...I heard." Orchid responds, looking at the door. "I don't like it either… let me come with you. We need to figure out what's going on."
Ruby looked uncertain, but eventually nodded and opened the door, the two of them entered the maintenance hallway and started deeper into it. They needed to get to Emerald, they needed to see what she was doing or, failing that, find a way to stop whatever match was coming next.
However, before they could progress too much further, one of the side doors opened and out stepped Mercury Black, looking no worse for wear. "Mercury?" Ruby questioned uneasily. "What are you doing here…? Your leg… it's not broken?"
The screens that lined the sides of the maintenance hallway lit up as over the announcement system, Professor Port declared, "Aand the final match of the night iiiss… Neve Cadere versus Penny Polendina!"
Orchid's heart dropped while Mercury feigned concern. "Uh oh…" He smirked cockily. "I wonder what happens if metal drops to absolute zero…?" He grinned maliciously. "Don't you wanna find out?"
The screens showed Neve and Penny standing on opposite sides of the ring, with Neve holding Fimbulvetr's two sword components in either hand while Penny's swords emerged from her backpack.
Orchid and Ruby both tried to step around Mercury, but he seemed intent on trying to stop them from getting any further. Orchid desperately wished she had Muse with her, but neither her nor Ruby had their weapons. Instead, they were left with nothing but their hands and wits.
Excitedly, Port declared over the announcement system, "I hope you're all ready for the fight of your lives!"
Neve raised his swords while Penny commanded hers to raise above her head.
Orchid and Ruby both widened their postures as they prepared to fight, weapons or no, while Mercury grinned and dropped into his own combat stance.
"Begin!"
Penny commanded her swords forward as Neve raced towards her. He managed to avoid many, although some still caught him. He kicked on his semblance, causing the ground below him to visibly freeze and Penny's swords to grow more sluggish as their strings struggled in the growing cold.
Ruby raced forward with her semblance, trying to tackle Mercury while Orchid raced forward as well. Ruby left her semblance just in time to get kicked in the stomach and sent backward just in time for Orchid to close in and try to throw a punch, although Mercury just leaned slightly to the left to avoid it before roundhouse kicking Orchid in the side, causing her to smash into a wall.
Neve reached Penny and and blocked an attempt to strike him with Floating Array with his swords before ducking and dodging yet more of them. He managed to hit Penny several times, the battle a frantic fight of a million cuts, eventually Penny knocked him back by getting a strong strike in, sending him skidding backward.
Ruby tried to pull out her Scroll, but Mercury shot it with his boot, saying, "Why don't we just keep this between us friends?" Ruby cast her gaze at Orchid briefly, and she got the message. While Mercury wasn't focused on her, she broke off in a dead spring. Mercury swore and was about to follow her, but then Ruby activated her semblance again and flew towards him, crashing into his back and sending him tumbling forward.
Penny gestured upward, causing her swords to raise and then come raining down. Neve jumped and rolled out of the way of the onslaught, running in a circle as he closed in on Penny. The girl didn't have time to react before he brought down Fimbulvetr on her back. After wincing in pain, she jumped forward, twisting while in the air and landing on her feet, beginning the exchange of swords once again.
Orchid ran faster than she ever had before, her heart racing along with her as she knew that she only had one shot at stopping what was going to come next: Reach the stage and tell them to stop the match. She just had to get there first, she just had to run. She heard Mercury swear and shout some distance behind her, indicating that Ruby had gotten away from him as well and had started to race to rejoin her.
She desperately wished Violet were her, she could handle fighting without her weapon easily—she did it all the time—but she wasn't, and Orchid was left facing her own shortcomings as she drew closer to one of the paths contestants took to enter the arena.
Neve and Penny had been fighting all the while, but then things began to change. Neve had been on the backfoot against Penny's endless assault, and finally, while she brought down several of her swords at once as the temperature continued to drop, he swung both of his swords to try to parry and block what he could.
The sound of ringing steel filled the air as Fimbulvetr shattered, both swords losing their top halves. Neve gasped and fell backward, pushing himself back by his hands as he stared at Penny.
What the crowd saw was a concerned girl wondering if she had gone too far. What Neve saw was a wall of swords raising and duplicating, more and more, enough to blot out the sky.
Orchid broke through the door of the entryway.
The swords came down.
The entire arena, for one solid second, felt a flash freeze wash over them. While nobody felt anything adverse in the crowd, the epicenter, where the power of Absolute Zero was at its strongest, was a different story.
Orchid came to a stop as she saw Penny's whole body go rigid as her eyes widened. She didn't even have time to open her mouth before the rapid drop in temperature caused the metal in her body to break down.
Penny Polendina shattered into a million pieces.
All hell broke loose.