I was worried Hazbin Hotel wouldn't be able to hold up to the hype from the pilot episode but, having watched it all, I think it was great. Alastor remains the best character in my books, even if I totally expect something truly evil from him later on.

The voice acting is just so good, though. Alastor, Vox, Lucifer. They all sound so good.

Cover Art: Solace O' Autumn

Chapter 11

Pyrrha's suited agents came and picked him up at the agreed time and drove him to a rather sizable stadium – a domed building with its own stands, all enclosed under a glass roof that from the outside looked clear but was actually opaque on the inside.

"Holographic tech from Atlas," said one of the bodyguards when Jaune asked. "It usually dims for fights so the glare from the sun isn't a factor. Either for the competitors or the audience. This place isn't just for fights, though. They music concerts, theatre, and all sorts of things here and the ceiling helps with that."

"They even do movies on Wednesdays," said the other. "And they can simulate rain with mist generators and surround sound. Full 4D cinema experience."

"That's so cool!" Jaune said. "We don't have anything like this back home!"

"Nothing like this anywhere outside the cities, kid. I should know. And you only have it here because of how new Argus is, relatively speaking. It was a big deal between Atlas and Mistral to be able to make a town work, especially when Mountain Glenn didn't, so once it was clear the place wasn't going to fall to the Grimm, they went hog wild on investments. Wanted to show off to the world what they could accomplish."

"And they did a good job," said Jaune. "This place is amazing. What's Mountain Glenn, though?"

"Vale's own attempt at creating another city," said the first agent, morosely. "Didn't go well and everyone died. Don't let the glitz and glam fool you. Argus is something of a miracle – and between you and me, it's the proximity of Atlas that helps. Argus has faced off Grimm several times, but Atlas is close enough to respond within the hour." He shook his head. "In here. We'll go through the back and avoid the lines out front. Staff entrance."

Jaune guessed he counted as staff for today. They mentioned lines, and there was certainly one hell of a crowd outside the stadium, and even more within. He'd put it at over a thousand people, many of whom were young and waving flags with the letter P on or, in some cases, Pyrrha's own face or figure. There were posters along the walls of Pyrrha as well, though the bodyguard mentioned those changed depending on what they were advertising as their next big event. They'd be movie posters for cinema day and were only dominated by Pyrrha today because of this charity event.

Soon, he was brought through to a smaller and more comfortable room with a bar, tables, and a glass-pane window wall looking over the arena from above. There were numerous television sets and a few vending machines.

"This is the VIP booth," explained one of the agents. "You'll be watching from here as the fights start and run through. You won't be expected to play until after the finals when Miss Nikos returns for the celebratory afterparty."

"Is it that much of a guarantee she'll win…?" The two laughed. "Did I say something funny?"

"The party is to celebrate the money earned for charity, not who wins." The answer had him blushing. "But, in all honesty, it is a bit of a foregone conclusion. Maybe there'll be an upset, but I highly doubt it. Nikos has proven herself the match of everyone and anyone in Argus. We're all waiting to see how she matches up in the bigger tournaments in Mistral, but she's crushed the Sanctum and Argus ones. No competition."

Wow. He hadn't realised she was so strong. Well, he had thanks to his Semblance telling him her level, but an arbitrary number didn't really do good job of showing that. It made him wonder how strong Raven and Qrow were, because they were some of the highest levels he'd seen. Then again, they had twenty years' experience on Pyrrha. How strong would she be at their age? It was crazy to imagine the disparity in strength between the average sixteen-year-old and her.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's voice called his attention to a far door where she'd appeared with a tall woman with red hair tied back behind her head. Her mother, he assumed. The two agents stepped aside as she jogged up, smiling brightly. "You made it!"

"It would have been awkward if I hadn't made it to my first real gig."

"I still worried," she said. "You don't need to do anything until after the fights, so you can watch me – I mean them – and just have fun. The venue said they'll have an amp brought out for you toward the end. There isn't a stage, but they'll set aside a small area for you."

The woman behind Pyrrha cleared her throat. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Pyrrha?"

"Oh right. Mom, this is Jaune. Jaune, this is my mom – Athena."

The woman was only ten levels or so higher than Pyrrha. A huntress, though not even close to Qrow or Raven. She was young too. He got the feeling she'd had Pyrrha soon after graduating and then decided to cut back on being a huntress to raise her. It'd explain why she was such a comparatively low level.

Jaune offered his hand, and she took it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am, and thank you for setting all this up."

The woman blinked. "Setting what up?"

"The live performance. This event. Pyrrha told me you suggested I play here."

Athena's eyes slid to Pyrrha, and a slow smile spread across her face. "Oh, that!" she said, covering her lips with her other hand and laughing. "There's nothing to thank me for. I'm sure I just did what any good mother would. In fact, I hardly even remember suggesting it at all." Pyrrha made a strangled noise. "But I suppose I must have been the one to suggest it. Who else could it have possibly been?"

"M—Mom," whined Pyrrha.

"Oh, come now. I'm only teasing. You should sit with me through the tournament, Jaune. I've a feeling I should get to know you better."

"Mom!"

"I'll also keep him safe from all the vultures in the VIP box. We wouldn't want him to be snatched away by anyone, would we?"

Pyrrha had her face in her hands. "Mom. Please stop."

Jaune had the feeling this was a conversation with subtext he wasn't privy to, but there wasn't much time to ask because several more people entered the VIP box and began signalling to Pyrrha.

"It looks like you're needed, darling."

"Ah." Pyrrha sighed. "Yeah, I guess they need me for a pre-fight photo op or something. Damn it." She turned back to Jaune. "Sorry to run so early. I wish I could show you around and be a better host."

"But you've got work. It's fine. Good luck out there."

Pyrrha smiled wryly. "I'm not sure I need luck. Make sure to watch me, okay?"

"Who else am I going to be watching?"

"I—I don't know. But you have to watch me—"

"Miss Nikos, please," called one of the people.

"I'm coming!" Pyrrha turned to jog away. "I'll see you later, Jaune. Cheer for me!"

The group left in a hurry, no doubt having a lot to do. Most people here were just coming to watch but, like him, Pyrrha had a job to do and that meant a lot of stuff in the background that no one else thought about.

"So…" said Athena, leading Jaune toward the bar. "Let's get ourselves a drink and you can tell me all about yourself and how you met Pyrrha – because my daughter has been cripplingly low on detail when it comes to you." Athena giggled. "Why, it's almost like I didn't know you existed at all! And it would be a shame not to know more about my daughter's new friend."

"Oh. Um. I'm nothing that special. I come from a village in Vale and I'm travelling the world to see new things and experience what Remnant has to offer. I'm also a part-time musician and Pyrrha liked my music."

"Where did she hear you playing?"

"My bedroom—"

Athena's face was suddenly in his, smiling widely. "Tell me all about it."

/-/

The VIP box swiftly began to fill but Athena kept him at her side and talking, which he appreciated because he definitely didn't know any of the people here. Most of them were wearing fancy suits the likes of which would never be seen back home, and which probably cost more than he had in his bank account even after another viral video. Business owners, charity heads, wealthy people who wanted to be seen donating.

There might even have been celebrities among them, not that he would have recognised them with how late Ansel got most forms of media. Their own movie theatre was five years behind the rest of the world, so Ansel's celebrities were already has-beens as far as Argus was concerned.

Maybe Pyrrha's name would reach home in a few more years too.

So, yeah, he was grateful for Athena keeping him occupied so he wouldn't have to stand around awkwardly and feel like the odd one out. She talked about Pyrrha for the most part, but also got him talking about his sisters and how they all got along – and then about Saphron and Terra moving to Argus, and finally his own plans to travel.

"I'm not normally a fan of the idea," said Athena, "but I suppose that's because I always hear people doing it in the middle of their studies. It's not so bad if you're travelling before. So, are you planning on being a musician long-term?"

"I'm not sure to be honest. I know I have a talent for it."

That was an understatement. He literally had a musical Semblance – or at least that was how his game-related Semblance had ended up thanks to him dumping everything into Charisma. Maybe things would have been different had he chosen another stat, but then maybe they wouldn't. The only reason Charisma worked so well was because he could power-level it with online videos and public performances. Had he gone with Strength, he might still only be level two and low stats, working his ass off everyday at the gym for one point of Strength per day.

Because if performing for one person could be said to equate to doing one deadlift, he'd need to have pumped iron over sixty million times already by his combined video counts, and that just wasn't achievable. The big difference between playing a song and pumping weights was that one left him exhausted and unable to do more, while the other could be mass-produced.

"The problem is that I'm not sure if I want that lifestyle," he finished. "Maybe I could become a rockstar, but I think I should attend an actual concert first and see if that's the kind of thing I want."

"Those are wise words. Pyrrha didn't do the same, you know. She loved fighting and it was the tournament scene that scouted her, and she never did any research. Neither did I, and that's my fault. Not that it would have mattered. Pyrrha loves fighting. She and her friends were always sparring in their free time." Athena sighed. "Most of them have dropped out by now. I don't think they even talk to one another anymore."

"Are they jealous?"

"I really don't know. Some, maybe, but she had a best friend before who took a nasty injury." Athena looked away uncomfortably. "I thought she'd bounce back, and they'd be friends, but Pyrrha hasn't heard from her in years. I keep thinking to reach out but… well… what if there's a reason she hasn't? I don't want to make Pyrrha feel worse if she finds out her old friend doesn't want anything to do with her."

"Why would she be like that?"

"Competition fighting is different from most hobbies – most businesses, too. Imagine one of your sisters also wanted to make it big as a musician and wanted to travel with you. It may sound like fun, but you'd both be competing for the same jobs. Imagine if she always won, being offered rooms in hotels for music, while you were always forced to busk and pay for cheap motels. Imagine if she got everything, succeeded at everything, and you never had a chance because she was always outshining you."

"I'd feel jealous," he realised. "Damn, I didn't think of that. So, Pyrrha's friends couldn't compete against her, and it robbed them of the chance to be athletes?"

"Yes. I personally hate it, but I can understand why businesses want to sponsor the winner. There are some sports where everyone can be recognised but this one? No. There's only ever one winner and that person wins by making everyone else lose. It pits them against one another. Makes them see each other as enemies to be fought and beaten." Athena sighed. "And while there is a great deal of sportsmanship, it's still fierce competition between armed and trained people. When passions are high, and the blood is boiling – and sometimes spilt – it's all too easy for people to say hurtful things. Even more so when they're teenagers. Except that this is all so televised and spectacular that one wrong word can end your career as well."

"Has that happened?"

"Oh yes. Poorly spoken words in the heat of the moment, or those shared in private to someone you thought you could trust has ended more than one career. I took the precaution of hooking Pyrrha up with an agent to help her on that." Athena smiled. "That's one thing I imagine a rockstar would have an edge on. You can go on stage and scream and swear to your heart's content and the crowd will love it. Here, it's impressionable young children and overprotective mothers bringing said children to blood sport and then complaining when one of them curses – no matter the fact they've just been stabbed at the time."

"That sounds crazy. Though I guess now I understand why Terra and Saphron didn't want to bring a baby here."

"Believe me, I respect them for making that decision. There's nothing wrong with this sport but there isn't much right with it either. If it weren't my daughter's passion, I'd want nothing to do with it." The lights in the arena dimmed. "Ah, here she comes. Make sure to watch her now," she teased. "Pyrrha will be upset otherwise."

Jaune nodded and turned to the fight. With the dome having dimmed, it really was that much more atmospheric. Spotlights shone down on the arena as Pyrrha faced off against her opponent. Both were armed and armoured, though Pyrrha's leather armour had a few additions to what he'd seen earlier.

A sash here, a brand there, a mark on the shoulder. Brand logos, all of them. Pyrrha even had a drinks sticker plastered onto her shield, some drink called "FRUIT SMASH" that would probably make a lot of sense to her poor opponent when the shield was smashed into their face. It all looked really commercialised, but he supposed it'd be the same for a rockstar as well. They'd be running adverts on the big screens before and after a concert, and most concerts were sponsored by big brands – again, drinks were common, but more alcoholic varieties for rock. As Athena said, there were more children here.

Once the fight began, however, the sponsorships went forgotten. It was the first time Jaune had ever really seen two huntresses fight – his father never sparred with anyone back home. It was quick, vicious, but also strangely artistic. They postured and flipped, cartwheeled, and jumped, and their weapons switched forms filling the arena with gunfire and clashing metal. They even mixed in some martial arts, seeking to trip one another when their weapons locked.

The crowd down below were loving it, roaring and cheering, but the VIP box was much more sedate. There were some young kids in the VIP area, children of rich parents, and they were the ones making 90% of the noise. Most of the adults were just talking to one another or drinking. They didn't seem to really care about the fight at all.

Which was their loss.

"Pyrrha looks amazing," he whispered.

"Hmmm. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear you say that~"

The fight didn't last much longer. Pyrrha soon got the upper hand and brought it to a close. In all, the fight lasted ten minutes – which felt like too short a time, and yet must have been exhausting to them. Pyrrha took her opponents hand and held it high in a sign of sportsmanship, but it wasn't hard to see her defeated foe was frustrated.

A waiter came up then and tapped Jaune on the shoulder. "We have your amp read, sir. Would you like to do a quick test?"

"Right. Yeah. Thank you for the drink, Mrs Nikos. I'd best go set up."

"Of course. Of course. I look forward to hearing the music that so enraptured my daughter." Athena's eyes crinkled merrily. "Assuming it was the music at all."

What was that supposed to mean?

/-/

Jaune's fingers were aching. He'd been playing for over an hour and a half now and he was beginning to run out of steam. With his electric-acoustic guitar plugged into the amp, his music was spreading across the room, but it wasn't really connecting with anyone, and he felt bad about that.

People stopped to look and listen every now and then, but they didn't show much emotion or interest and soon went back to their own things. This wasn't like busking at all. There, people stopped to enjoy and smile and laugh even if his music wasn't that good. But this was a job. This was a professional event.

And he just wasn't good enough.

Pyrrha hadn't been able to come over either because she was the centre of attention and being fussed over by a lot of people – this was a job to her as well, so he didn't begrudge her it. He still felt bad, though.

Pyrrha put her neck out to get me this job and I'm no better than having the radio on…

He'd been through almost all his songs, most old and some modern, and no one seemed to care. Would that reflect poorly on Pyrrha? It probably wouldn't given that she won her tournament and all, but he couldn't help but worry this would be seen as a poor ending to an otherwise good event.

It'd be okay, wouldn't it?

It wasn't like he was performing live in front of millions. There were a little over a hundred people here, a small number in relative terms, and it was nearing the end of the night anyway.

A little wouldn't hurt…

Jaune tapped into his Bardic Music and played.

/-/

Athena Nikos didn't really enjoy being a part of "high society", least of all when it was only because of her daughter's accomplishments. It was just something expected of her, and something she'd taken on her shoulders to support her daughter's ambitions. A cost she had to pay to mingle with men and women too uptight and haughty to express themselves, and who wouldn't have given her time of day if not for Pyrrha's worth.

Pathetic.

Even now, she couldn't stand the way they feigned indifference in everything. They sniffed at the drinks as if they were low quality, kept any praise of the fight muted, and refused to offer any more than the briefest of nods to Jaune's performance.

And that was despite Athena noticing one or two tapping their feet to the music.

Pyrrha's boyfriend was good.

Even if he didn't realise he was her boyfriend yet – nor Pyrrha. He probably didn't even realise people were enjoying his music. The rich folk would never admit to it after all. He was hired help, a nobody, and they couldn't be seen expressing themselves to someone like him. Not in public. Athena made a mental note to corner him after and explain the way these uptight idiots worked, lest he start to think he'd done a bad job.

It wouldn't do for him to have bad memories of Pyrrha's little gesture here. Even if Pyrrha had convinced him it was she who came up with the idea. Ah, young love. She wished she could have been embarrassing her daughter and him rather than rubbing elbows, but such was life.

"Mrs Nikos. Good day."

Ah, and here came Pyrrha's biggest sponsor. Athena forced a smile she didn't feel onto her face. "Mr Schnee. Good day to you as well. And yourself, Mrs Schnee."

"Please, it's Jacques and Willow."

The man could be charming, she would give him that, but something about him rubbed Athena the wrong way. Maybe it was the worn and tired look on his wife's face that did it. Willow always looked like she wanted to be anywhere else than where her husband was. Athena's own husband had commented on it and didn't like Jacques, hence why he wasn't here tonight.

"Your daughter performed well tonight. You must be proud of her."

"I am," she said. "And I hear young Weiss has been making quite the name for herself for her singing as well. Doesn't she have an album coming out soon?"

"Why yes, she does. It's expected to reach the top of the charts." The way he said it made it clear it had better, or he'd be upset. "I'm sure I could get your family tickets to her next concert if you'd like them."

Not really, but Athena couldn't say no here. "That sounds delightful, but it really depends on where the tournament dates lay. It's all so disorganised in competition fighting, you see. Sometimes we don't know when one is until only a month before. But if Pyrrha is free then I'm sure she would be interested. I'll be sure to ask her."

"Let her know she'll have pride of place if she comes. I know for a fact Weiss has been keeping up with her tournaments. Hasn't she, Willow?"

"…"

"Hasn't she, Willow?"

"Oh? Um. Yes." The woman smiled. It was not a happy one. "Weiss wants to be a huntress like—"

"That's neither here nor there," interrupted Jacques, frowning a little. "Weiss' place is on the stage and in the boardroom, at least it will be if she wants to take over the business – as she repeatedly tells me she does. A huntress cannot commit the necessary time to running a company." He recovered, smiling gracefully. "My apologies for my tone, Mrs Nikos. Weiss has been flighty of late. A little bit of teenage rebellion, I'm sure."

"It happens to every teenager eventually."

"Hm. Quite. However do you keep your daughter in line when it does?"

I don't, she thought. Because you're supposed to let children be children. Oh, but she couldn't say that to him. He could crush Pyrrha's career if he wished, and Athena wasn't going to let her actions drag her daughter down.

"Pyrrha has an easy outlet for her frustrations in her fights," she said. "I'm sure Weiss just needs a way to vent her own – perhaps then she'd stop feeling like she has to vent them to you. Or at you."

"Hmm. That's not a bad idea. Willow, make a note for me to speak to Klein when we return. Perhaps what Weiss needs is some more duties to keep her busy. Let her burn off some of that energy she seems to have an overabundance of."

That wasn't what she'd meant at all. Athena kept her sigh to herself, whispering a silent apology to this horrid man's daughter. If she was going to grow up to be like him, however, then Athena didn't want the girl anywhere near Pyrrha.

"Willow—?"

There was no answer.

Jacques sighed. "Willow. What are you—?"

"Quiet, please," whispered the woman, staring off to the side with wide eyes. "Jacques, please, I'm listening to the music…"

Surprised, Jacques turned.

Athena did too.

In fact, a lot of people had stopped talking and started paying attention, and it wasn't hard to see why. Pyrrha's crush had burst into a new song on stage, and he was singing along with it. His singing wasn't great, not really, but that didn't matter. It somehow sounded perfectly matched to the music despite being possibly off-key and a little deep. In fact, it sounded better for it.

Even Jacques stopped talking and listened.

He was marvellous.

Athena's throat felt dry and yet she didn't dare take a drink.

It was three minutes of stunned silence from the audience, and when Jaune finally strummed the last notes and let the song end, there was an outpouring of polite applause. Muted, of course, little more than fingers tapping on the back of other fingers holding wine glasses, but some went so far as to raise theirs in toast.

"B—Beautiful…" It was Willow of all people who broke the silence. Her voice was hoarse and… were those tears in her eyes? They looked like them. "That was beautiful."

"It was rather impressive," said Jacques, adjusting his tie. "A local artist?"

"A new friend of Pyrrha's actually. He's new to Argus – actually intends to travel across Remnant and play, perhaps even going to Atlas next."

Willow's head twisted around, the woman's blue eyes more laser focused than Athena had ever seen them.

"Jacques!" she said, almost snapped. Even her husband looked shocked. "We have several social events on, do we not? We should reach out to him and offer to hire him to perform."

"Y—Yes, we do have several events in the calendar." Jacques appeared surprised his wife was taking an interest, or even talking at all. He didn't look unhappy, though. "I have no qualms. Why don't you go ask if he has a business card—" Willow had already left. "Alright, then," he said. "It seems your daughter's friend has made quite the impression." His eyes sharpened, then. "But my wife isn't wrong. His music will surely impress."

And no doubt impressed guests were more generous guests. The man was already thinking of the best way to exploit Jaune, and that was after only one song. Another thing she'd need to warn him about, especially since he was talking to Willow and smiling in a way that suggested he had no idea who she was.

Hot but dim. That was the way she'd describe him. Her daughter certainly knew how to pick them.

Well, I suppose she can teach him smarts when they start dating. I'll just need to make sure he doesn't get led astray. Athena's eyes narrowed as she watched Willow Schnee – a married woman – brush her hands over Jaune's as she took his number. Or stolen by women old enough to be his mother. That's MY son in law, bitch.

If Willow wanted a fight, she'd get one.

And a Nikos never loses.

Cinder would beg to differ. Cough-cough.

Next Chapter: 11th February

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