It didn't take much to get Nia Blink excited. At her core, she was just an excitable and cheerful person. This is something that everyone who knew her was well aware of. Her friends, family, and even random other people from her tribe were all well aware of her tendency to find wonder in even the most insignificant of things.

That was just who she was, spacy, excitable, and always filled with cheer. She was a Faunus, standing at 5'6". She had shoulder-length brown hair, golden eyes, and two dog ears atop her head. She wore a yellow cropped shirt

her midriff exposed, underneath an orange jacket along with black shorts.

Currently, she was doing what she always did around this time. She was training. Spinning her tonfas around, she laid into her punching bag, burying blow after blow into it. There was only another day before she needed to leave for Vale, then she could finally get started on her journey to become a Huntress.

It had been a dream of hers for years, ever since a small group of Huntsmen completed a job for the tribe. For Nia, it was a borderline obsession. Her only goal in life. Her one and only dream.

Burying one final blow into her target, the brunette let out a small sigh, wiping the sweat from her brow. She sat down on the stool behind her as she took a long sip of water.

"Alright, that was good." She muttered, leaning back and letting out a soft sigh.

"That was awesome, sis!" A small voice cheered, Nia turned toward the sound, spotting her little brother Max. He was basically the spitting image of her. He had messy brown hair, golden eyes, and his own pair of dog ears and a tail.

Nia laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm pretty amazing."

She flexed as she spoke, earning a small laugh from her brother, who ran over to her.

"Can I have a turn?" He asked.

"Sure thing, just don't take too long. I need to train as much as possible before I leave tomorrow. I can't let myself get shown up at Beacon." Nia joked, taking note of her brother's expression as she spoke. It seemed sour. Nia frowned a bit at that.

It was no secret that people didn't want her to leave. And her brother was the most vocal about it. He couldn't seem to understand why Nia couldn't just go to school here in Vacuo. Why did she need to go to Beacon? But for her, the reason was rather simple. It was a chance to experience a new place.

Never in her life has she left Vacuo. And while she did love her home, and her family, and her tribe, she knew that she needed more. After all, she was an explorer at heart. And staying in one place was no good for a woman like her.

"You're pouting again." She pointed out, earning a blush from her sibling.

"I'm not crying..." He muttered, looking away from her.

"I never said you were crying, just pouting." Nia pointed out, crouching down beside her little brother. "Are toy crying? Do you have something that you wanna confess?"

At her prodding, Max turned away, his face as red as a tomato. "N-No!"

Nia smiled, placing a hand on his head. She began to gently pet his head. This had always calmed him down. From the day he was born, he had always enjoyed head pats. As Nia proudly proclaimed. Head pats would save the world someday!

"Listen, Max, I don't wanna leave you either. But this is something I have to do." She explained to the shorter boy. "Now, while I'm gone, you gotta protect the Village, okay? You need to be as strong, cool, awesome, and amazing as I am."

Max sniffled, nodding at his big sister.

"There you go. Now let's go see if dinner is done. I'm basically starving right now." Nia joked, making her way into of the tent and toward their parents' tent.

Nia's feet sank into the desert sand below her, shifting and sliding as she walked through the less-than-solid surface. This was one thing she wouldn't miss about Vacuo. Sand getting in her clothes was the absolute worst!

As they arrived at the tent, Nia pulled the curtain open.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked as she entered with her brother in tow.

"Ah! Nia, Max, good timing." Their mother spoke, smiling at them as they sat down with their father. "Dinner has just been finished."

In the center of the group, their mother placed down a whole trey of various meats. Pork, beef, chicken, fish, you name it. Nia could feel her mouth beginning to water at the sight.

"Jeez, what's all this about?" Nia muttered, earning a small laugh from her dad.

"Well, you are leaving for Beacon tomorrow, so we figured you would enjoy your favorite one last time before you go." He explained, gesturing for her to begin eating. Nia perked up at that, and suddenly, tears began welling in the corners of her eyes.

To be honest, she hadn't expected any sort of going away present. In her mind, the act of going away was the present for her. It was a chance to do the one thing she had always wanted to do more than anything else in the world, after all. But it still felt nice, being seen off in such a personal way.

It was so much, that she couldn't help but wrap them both in a tight hug. "You guys are the best!!!!"

Both her mother and father hugged her back.

"We know, now hurry up before it starts getting cold."

"Yeah, or before I eat it all."

"Don't you dare Max!"

And what echoed through that tent that night was nothing but laughter and cheer. One final night among family, one final night among normality. And one final night before the first day of the rest of her life.

And Nia wouldn't have it any other way.