Note: So... Rooster Teeth has shut down.

It's kind of hard to put into words my feelings on the matter. That company was a huge and influential part of my teen years. Of course, RWBY has played a huge role in my creative life, but their other shows were a welcome source of comfort for me for a long time. Unfortunately, their numerous scandals and controversies, as well as their rough treatment of their employees, caused me to fall off from them pretty hard. I would be lying if I said the writing wasn't on the wall for years. Still, hard not to feel sad for the people who lost their jobs,, and I hope many of them continue on into successful careers. As for RWBY, I know the fandom is hopeful it will continue, but honestly, I have my doubts. IP management is absolute dogshit these days, especially at Warner Bros. I hope it finds a continuation someday, and everyone gets the ending they hope for.

As for the future of my RWBY fanfics, there is no change there. I'm gonna keep writing as long as I have fun and there are people who want to read it. Only now, I feel some extra pressure to make sure the story gets finished. Can you imagine if ANOTHER RWBY timeline dies prematurely? Can't do that to y'all. That's really all I have to say on the subject matter. It's a sad time for RWBY fans, but you know the saying. Keep moving forward and all that.

So anyway, here's a sexy game of beach volleyball. Lol. Enjoy.

The afternoon sun beat down heavily over the battlefield. The air was humid and thick with tension, and even the wind was still with anticipation. From opposite sides of the sand, two teams stared down each other with fire and passion. A crowd had formed around them, anxious to watch the battle unfold, but none of their cheers pierced the heavy veil overcoming the warriors' minds.

On one side: the ex-heiress and the prodigy. Two strangers brought together by twists of fate.

On the other: sisters-in-arms, rebels against an infinite machine.

Sweat poured down their foreheads, across their exposed backs, pooling in small pockets of skin. Pyrrha's toes clenched and buried themselves within the sand, rooted firmly to the world, unbreakable. Velvet's knees quivered, the sheer enormity of her task laid bare in her daunting foe. Coco smirked, alcohol-tainted breath seeping between grinned teeth. Weiss rested her hands on her knees, her gaze never leaving the weapon that would soon be launched her way by the enemy force. She felt more pressure from the familiar gazes than the rest. Ruby sat front and center to the combat, silently cheering her girlfriend on. If she were to fail her now, how would she ever reclaim her honor? A defeat now would taint her for the rest of her days. For the good of her team, for her dignity, for the name that she was attempting to redeem, she knew she must claim victory. She would have to be—

"Yeaahhh! Go Weiss!" Blake's drunken screech knocked Weiss from her train of thought. "Team RWBY represent, muddafuccckkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. Oh yes, that was right. They were literally just playing beach volleyball in their swimsuits.

Yang gently prodded Blake on the shoulder, the two lounging next to each other on the sidelines, with cocktails in hand.

"Wait, you're actually rooting for Weiss?" she said with disbelief.

"She's my girl, bitch," Blake slurred. Her eyelids flickered, and the glass trembled in her loose grip but never fell. "She's my… she's my bitch. Myyyyyyyyyyy… mybitch."

Yang shrugged, turning back to the court. "Go, Weiss! Make us proud!"

Weiss grumbled to herself. She didn't need the distractions. It was hard enough getting ready to fight a battle in a swim dress. The white cloth was form-fitting, and unlike some swimwear here, modest. It also restricted her leg movement, and she tugged at her skirt to get more comfortable. Why would anyone participate in a sport without proper uniforms—

"Game on, ladies!"

Coco began the first volley without warning. She launched the ball high, high, high into the air, where it became lost in the bright sun. Then, suddenly, it reappeared—and Coco struck. The first serve was a hard shot directly toward Weiss, and her instincts took over. She brought her arms together by her chest, and was barely able to deflect the ball upward, absorbing most of the blow into her midsection. She staggered backward, but not far enough. As Pyrrha ran forward to follow-up, she nearly had to shove Weiss out of the way. By some miracle, she was able to knock the ball back over the net; by lack of experience, its arc was high and slow. Velvet was able to counter easily. With a tremendous leap, she jumped high to meet the ball, and delivered a vicious overhead spike to the empty sand.

"Focus!" Pyrrha instructed.

"Right. Sorry," Weiss mumbled as her teammate retrieved the ball.

"I'll block, you cover the ground," Pyrrha said, quickly formulating a plan of attack. "You're more agile than I am." She rolled the ball under the net to Coco, who confidently spun it on her finger.

"Sure, strategize in the open," she taunted. "That'll help."

Weiss grumbled under her breath. She'd wipe that smirk right off her face…

0-1

Coco's next serve came toward Weiss once more, but now, the ex-heiress was ready for it. She passed it to Pyrrha with mild effort, who set it back to her for spike. Weiss delivered a sharp-angled blow, yet Coco bent down to deflect the attack. The high angle of the ricochet gave Velvet an easy shot, and she leaped to drive the ball toward an empty lot of and in the back of the court. Weiss sprinted toward the ball, barely able to get beneath it. Her swim dress was tight around her thighs and didn't let her skin breathe. Pyrrha knocked the ball over the net, and a volley began. Coco struck first, back to Pyrrha, back to Coco, back to the sand. Weiss again had difficulty reaching it. When she did, she knocked it out of bounds by mistake.

Pyrrha grunted in frustration, but calmed herself down. New team. Growing pains. Have fun. She helped Weiss to her feet, though Weiss seemed more frustrated than she was. Coco continued to mock them from the other side of the court.

"You want to get under the ball," she stated.

Weiss scowled. She was down two points and felt like a fool in front of her girlfriend. She needed to recover before the game got away from her. She tugged at the collar of her swim dress, trying to get comfortable. Pyrrha retrieved the ball, but hesitated before rolling it back to Coco and Velvet.

"Are you ready?"

"No, I don't think I am," Weiss admitted. Gods, it was hot outside. If she was going to improve her defense, she needed to increase her mobility, stay cool under intense heat. There was only one way to do that. "One second."

Weiss's swimsuit came in two layers. The outer layer was the dress that clung to her skin and ran past her thighs. It was modest, elegant, and befitting of someone with the grace of a Schnee. It was also wholly unequipped for the task. Pyrrha stood and watched with some slight embarrassment as Weiss reached behind her back and loosened the clasp of the dress. She pulled the strapped down her shoulders, and then in one swift motion, peeled the dress away, letting it flutter in the wind. The two-piece she wore beneath was far more revealing, but also freeing. Though it teetered on the edge of Yang promiscuity, it covered what it needed to, and revealed the pale, complex, scarred skin that covered most of her body. She felt a gust of cooling air hit her exposed midsection, and the heat vanished—though, coincidentally, Ruby felt a sudden rush of heat come over her on the sidelines.

Blake screeched. "Yeah, girl, take it off! Whooo!"

Weiss let her discarded dress fly free from her hands, and the wind carried it directly into Ruby's lap. Ruby stammered as she held onto it, while Weiss squatted down and stretched her legs. A confident smirk grew.

"Okay. Now, I'm ready."

0-2

Coco saw Weiss's confidence return, and tested it with a hard serve toward her. Weiss was ready for it. She passed the ball to Pyrrha and sprinted toward the net. Pyrrha set her up, and on the third strike, Weiss delivered her first true blow of the match: a hard shot toward Coco's knees. Coco lowered herself to keep the ball airborne, staggered and surprised, though Velvet was there to pick up the slack. She tapped the ball over the net to gain some breathing room. Pyrrha reached it first, passing it to Weiss and preparing for a fiery strike of her own. Weiss set her up cleanly, but just as Pyrrha went to spike the ball over the net, Velvet jumped up and blocked the shot. The ball limply fell to Pyrrha's right, and the panicked Huntress realized she couldn't hit it in time.

But Weiss could. With her increasing mobility, she dove beneath the ball and popped it airborne with her palm. Pyrrha smirked as the ball drifted toward the center of the court. She got beneath it, but instead of going for a killing blow, she opted for another pass, throwing Velvet off her rhythm. Weiss kipped up to her feet and sprinted to meet the ball. She spun around as she met the volleyball in midair, screaming ferociously as she clenched her first and punched the ball as hard as she could with her cybernetic knuckles. Like a rocket, it flew over the net, colliding straight into Coco's face. The older Huntress fell backward, her sunglasses flying off her nose.

The ball landed in a heap in the sand.

1-2

Coco sat up, rubbing her nose to see if it was broken. She saw Weiss standing confidently on the other end of the court, staring down at her, smirking at her in that stupid little snow-colored bikini. Coco clicked her jaw back into place.

"Okay, Snow Queen," she muttered. "Now it's on…"

A continuous volley broke out for two minutes. Neither side could gain an edge. Pass. Set. Spike. Pass. Set. Spike. Pass. Set—

"Shit!" Pyrrha yelped as she stumbled over the sand, missing her cue to attack. The ball was perfect for a killing blow, but she was only just able to volley it over the net. Velvet got in position and bumped the ball with ease. Coco set the ball as high as she could, and Velvet jumped ten feet in the air to finish off the point. She struck the ball not with a traditional spike, but a swirling, exotic roundhouse kick, striking the ball with her shin. It crashed into the sand between Weiss and Pyrrha, leaving a crater between them. Velvet landed gracefully, flashing a peace sign to her frustrated opponents.

7-8

"I got it! I got it!"

Coco sprinted out of bounds toward the ocean. A bad bump from Velvet sent the ball careening away, and Coco raced to keep it in play. She haphazardly hit it back toward the court, but it skirted just over the fence toward the opposing side. Velvet stood nervously in the center of the court, alone and defenseless. Pyrrha readied herself, but opted not to strike. Weiss did the same, carefully guiding the ball toward center court and getting out of the way. Pyrrha leaped, and Velvet felt a panic as the prodigy's immaculate form rose above the net. The entire court was her playground, and Velvet could only pray she guessed Pyrrha's intentions correctly. Left-center? Back-right? Direct hit—

Pyrrha screamed, spiking the ball to the back left corner of the court. It whooshed past Velvet's head, and she could merely cringe in fear as she narrowly avoided getting decapitated. Pyrrha and Weiss high-fived in celebration. By the ocean, Coco smacked her head against the wet sand.

13-10

"Okay, Weiss, your serve," Pyrrha said, tossing her teammate the ball. She wiped beads of sweat dripping from her forehead as she got ready for the next point. Weiss spun the ball in her fingertips, walking to the back of the court. Serving wasn't her forte, but she was getting better. The hot sun beat down on her, and she pulled at the straps to her top to expose her collarbone. Coco and Velvet seemed ready to react, but she was going to catch them off-guard. Velvet was the more mobile of the two, so she planned to serve the ball directly to her. Take advantage of her lessened strength. That's what Ruby would do. Weiss was going to make her so proud. She tossed the ball high in the air, and as she went through the motion of serving, her head turned to the side. She caught Ruby looking at her.

Gods, she was so fucking adorable in that swimsuit. All wet and flustered. If there weren't other people around and if she lacked her usual grace, the despicable things she would do to her. Why the hell could they not share a bedroom this vacation? She offered, but Ruby said Weiss deserved privacy. Weiss didn't want privacy, dammit! She wanted to snuggle in a bed with her girlfriend, dip her hand beneath the covers and—

"Ow!" The ball landed directly on Weiss's head, and plopped to the ground. Weiss rubbed her bruised scalp as Coco pointed instinctively.

"Fault! That totally counts as a fault! Our point!"

Ruby awkwardly looked away, and Weiss felt a pain in more than just her skull.

16-17

"Come on! Close it out!" Coco shouted at Velvet. The volley was moving quickly. Pyrrha refused to let the ball stay on her side for more than a second. Every attack from Velvet was met with a deflection. Despite her best efforts, Velvet kept hitting the ball to the exact same spot, whereas Pyrrha kept Velvet on her toes, forcing her to backpedal repeatedly on the unlevel court of sand. Velvet just needed one good hit—one good hit to finish out the game and secure her victory…

Then, her worst fear was realized. Pyrrha met the ball at the net, and knocked it far behind her. Velvet was forced to turn and sprint to keep the ball in the air. Would it have gone out of bounds if not for her intervention? Possibly. The stress had destroyed her judgment. All she knew was she needed to make contact, and make contact she did. She dove headfirst and smacked the back backwards as hard as she could. Too hard. Far too hard. Pyrrha and Weiss didn't even have to react as the ball sailed far over their heads…

Most of the vacationers had stopped to watch the volleyball match—except one. Nora may have given Ren a rest, but she was still fervently constructing her sand castle. It had taken forever; so much painstaking, excruciating work, but it was done. At long last, after her final, perfect sculpture, her masterpiece was finished. The castle was a dozen feet high and had a dozen towers and ramparts. Its surface was carefully layered with every detail Nora could think of: windows, chains, stonework, cannons, and many tiny sand soldiers. Out in its front was a drawbridge over a moat filled with ocean water. Perhaps it looked better in Nora's imagination than in reality, but she was immensely proud of her creation. So proud that she jumped on top of the highest tower she constructed, sturdy upon the solid sand structure. She placed her hands upon her hips and screamed to the world.

"Hahaha!" she laughed triumphantly, closing her eyes as she basked in her own glory. "Gaze upon me, meager citizens! For none shall disrupt my impenetrable fortress! Let thou tremble in fear of the might of Nora Valkyrie, for I, forever more, am the Queen of the—"

There was a sound of rushing wind, and Nora opened her eyes.

She barely noticed the volleyball before it reached the castle's walls—and flew inches past her face, conveniently missing her and dealing no damage to her creation whatsoever. She looked over her shoulder and blinked a few times as she heard cheering in the distance.

"Huh," she said. "That was a close one."

20-20

"Okay, game point. Winner takes all," Coco stated. Weiss's fingers trembled as she held the volleyball in her hands. It really did all come down to this. However, Pyrrha did stop for a moment to point out an inconsistency.

"Wait, doesn't volleyball require you to win by two points?" she asked. Coco just shrugged.

"I mean, yeah? But this is way more suspenseful, right? Also, at this rate, the game would take forever."

"Okay, fine," Weiss sighed. "Have your Valian traditions. We will just win this next point anyway."

On the sidelines, the tension was palpable. They had already chosen their favorites; Fox and Yatsu aligned with their teammates against everyone else. Yang had put twenty Lien against Fox on a Weiss-Pyrrha victory. Ruby was standing up right at the edge of the court, hands over her heart, which was beating rapidly. Meanwhile, Blake stole her chair and passed out. Everyone still awake watched with bated breath. As the heavy summer sun beat down on their sweat-soaked, bikini-clad bodies, four warriors stared down each other from two sides of a net.

Game point.

Winner takes all.

Weiss threw the ball in the air, and grunted as she hit it. A clean serve to Coco.

Coco bumped to Velvet.

Velvet set up for a spike.

Coco's attempt was blocked by Pyrrha.

Ball returned to Velvet. Set again.

Coco spiked over Pyrrha's shoulder.

Weiss intercepted. Bump to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha set back to Weiss.

Lobby over the net, caught by Coco.

Back to Velvet. Back over the net.

Weiss: bump.

Pyrrha: set.

Weiss—spike at point-blank range.

A diving Velvet narrowly reached beneath the ball to keep it alive.

Coco knocked it over the net. Back corner.

Pyrrha sprinted into position, falling to her knees. She bumped the ball off her wrists.

Weiss hurried set the ball dead center to the net.

Pyrrha smashed it back to the other side.

Coco narrowly deflected it up and out of bounds.

Velvet rushed to the side, knocking it afloat with a single arm.

Coco desperately pushed it back over the net.

They were separated. Tired. A large portion of the back court was clear. Pyrrha and Weiss instinctively knew how to finish.

Pyrrha took the first strike, a quick pass to Weiss.

Weiss set it up perfectly, lifting the ball just barely above the net. Coco had no support to block the attempt at the pass.

Pyrrha raised her arm over her head and put every ounce of strength into her spike. The ball flew as fast as a bullet. Coco dove to intercept it.

Her fists missed the volleyball by an inch.

The ball blasted through the sand court and flew out the other side. Coco lay in defeat. Velvet fell to her knees. A tremendous cheer rang out from Yang, Jaune and Ruby. As Pyrrha fell back to the earth, she felt something powerful overcome her. She recognized it vaguely as pride, but it was so different than the feelings of accomplishment she wore when she won Huntress tournaments. It filled her entire being and shown through a bold, innocent smile. She had no time to reflect on it as Weiss rushed to her side and pulled her into a celebratory hug, hoisting her into the air.

"Woohoo! Victory!" Ruby cheered from the sidelines.

"Hell yeah!" Yang hollered before turning to Fox. "Now pay up, loser!"

Fox grumbled as he walked back to the villa. "I have to find my wallet first."

Weiss released Pyrrha only to be caught in a different embrace. Ruby enthusiastically jumped onto her, and before she knew it, she was locking lips with the excited redhead. The wonderful kiss lasted for a few seconds, and when Ruby pulled away, Weiss was left a blubbering, grinning mess.

"Congratulations!" Ruby screamed.

"Heh heh… yeah…" Weiss murmured. Gods it was hot outside…

Jaune also ran onto the court for Pyrrha, but upon noticing Ruby and Weiss swapping spit, he realized the action may have carried the wrong implication. Pyrrha noticed it to, and so the pair just stood there awkwardly. Once it became clear to Pyrrha that Jaune wouldn't make a move, she high-fived him and looked away, embarrassed. As Ruby and Jaune celebrated with their teammates, Coco and Velvet lay in the sand, utterly defeated and humiliated. Coco muttered pathetically.

"Should have gone for the extra point…"

Winners: Pyrrha and Weiss

Final Score: 21-20

Night fell upon the villa, and the alliance of Huntsmen took to enjoying their dinner outside. The humid day had turned into a chill night, and the blazing sun disappeared to reveal a blanket of twinkling stars above, a pristine, undamaged view of distant galaxies found in few other places in Remnant. Yang activated the fire pit, and the twelve students huddled around it. Nora's sandcastle stood tall in the distance, and the soft lights of the fire illuminated them as they dined. Jaune handled the cooking duties for the first night, and he ensured everyone was plated and fed before resting themselves. The entrée: baked cod with mango salsa—a tropical treat for a tropical day. Ren would handle dessert duties, but for now, he too enjoyed his dinner after a long day of assisting Nora. The cod was light and flaky, and fell apart with a simple touch of their forks.

"Gotta say, Jaune… this is delicious," Coco admitted. Her ego was still sore, but she gladly scarfed down her fish with a smile.

Jaune crossed behind her, blushing. "Oh, it's just a recipe I cooked up a few years ago. Nothing special."

"No, for real," Yang added. "This is really good."

"I had no idea you knew how to cook," said Nora. "Hey… why have you never cooked anything for us?"

"We… don't have a stove?" Jaune answered. Nora paused.

"Oh, yeah."

"None of my sisters ever wanted to learn how to cook," Jaune explained, sitting down beside Pyrrha near the flames. "But mom needed help around the house. I wish I was better at being a Huntsman instead, though."

"Don't sell yourself short," said Ruby through a mouthful of cod. "You're on the best team in Beacon."

"Because of her," Jaune gestured toward Pyrrha, though she shook her head.

"Because of all of us. I know I don't say it enough, but I am grateful for all of you. You've helped me more than I could ever know."

While the other members of Team JNPR took the moment to appreciate the compliment, on the other end of the fire, Yang prodded at the woman lounging next to her. Blake was groggy, groaning as she lay back with her fish untouched on her lap. Yang gently poked her in the side.

"Hey. Feeling any better?"

"No…" Blake sighed. "Fucking hangovers suck…"

"You didn't actually drink that much," Weiss chastised her. "Who knew Blake Belladonna was such a lightweight?"

"Weiss… suck a dick," Blake moaned.

"No, she's kind of right," Yang admitted. "I've never seen you drunk before. Is that something you do often?"

"I used to," Blake stated. "Back with Adam… there were a lot of nights we needed to forget our troubles."

"Right. I see." Yang quickly tried to change the subject—the less time she spent thinking about that monster, the better. "Well, tomorrow, maybe you'll lay off the booze. I got a whole list of party things we can do."

"Like what?" asked Ruby. "The beach volleyball was already pretty intense."

"Guys, we have seven days alone in a giant mansion with no adult supervision," Yang declared. "Think of the possibilities! Movie nights, jet skiing—"

"We don't own a jet ski," said Weiss.

"Then we'll buy a jet ski!" Yang announced. "We have infinite money!"

"It's not infinite," Weiss reminded her. "And Winter is trusting us to be responsible. You already opened a twenty-five-year-old bottle of wine. I don't want to upset another Team RWBY benefactor."

While Yang laughed nervously, Pyrrha raised her hand. "I wouldn't mind going along with Yang. I had a lot of fun today. It's a bit hard to come to terms with, but there are so many things I've never tried before. I don't know when we'll get another opportunity like this… to act like teenagers instead of warriors. I want to live every moment of it I can, if that's all the same to you, Weiss."

There was no tension when Weiss and Pyrrha's eyes met. The two still reveled in their victory from hours earlier. It dawned on them that neither of them had ever had friends outside of their teams before—not really. They had both grown up so sheltered that friendship was something always out of reach. It was a bold new adventure, one neither of them would mind taking—so long as they didn't completely drain the Schnee bank account.

"I'm down for literally anything," Coco declared. "Just as long as we get a rematch against you two."

Before Pyrrha could agree, Nora spoke up. "Hey, back of the line, lady! Ren and I got dibs on the next match!"

"We do?" asked Ren.

"Yes!" Nora declared. "We're the best duo here! We can't be beaten by these chumps."

"Chumps?" Weiss asked with a smirk. "Do you have any idea who you are up against? Pyrrha and I are the best Huntresses in Beacon."

"Best my foot!" Nora stood up, pointing to the still-erect volleyball net in the distance. "I'll take you both on right now! Let's do this!"

Pyrrha giggled at Nora's enthusiasm. "I think I'll eat my dinner for now. Thank you for the offer."

"I'm beached volleyball-ed out for the day," Weiss sighed.

"Cowards! All of you are cowards!" Nora roared. "Someone's gotta beach volleyball me! Now I'm too hyped up."

"We are literally still on the first day," Yang laughed. "We are going to play so many games tomorrow it'll be crazy."

"I can't wait," Nora said passionately. "I won't be able to sleep until I volleyball up this beach. I have to volleyball everywhere."

Blake threw her head back and groaned. "Why the fuck is everyone using volleyball as a verb?"

The twelve continued to eat and laugh through the night, relaxing under the shattered moon. All alone at the edge of the world, gentle waves crashed along the beach. As the first day came to a close, the opportunities were just beginning. It was going to be a great vacation.