Note: Lol I was supposed to upload this yesterday and completely forgot, have fun, enjoy.

It was rare to get a day off in Atlas Academy. The professors drilled the students to the bone, and even when they weren't actively training, they were too tired to do anything fun. On very special occasions, however, a day in early March as inconspicuous as the rest, all classes and training were suspended to engage in religious practices. For the followers of Decum Luna, it meant long hours in the grand chapel known as the Triumpherant, across the floating islands of the Atlasian Hydra. For the students of Beacon Academy, it meant a respite.

No one was sure who made the offer first, but a union of Teams JNPR and CFVY seemed reasonable. The two teams had spent more time talking than they had to any other pair in Beacon, bonding over their top team status and their mutual distrust slash confusion over Team RWBY's antics. It seemed natural, then, that they would offer to spend the day of rest together. Of course, Pyrrha wasn't privy to any of this. Her attention had been waning in and out over the past month like the phases of the moon. She only knew of this when Team CFVY arrived at their dormitory door, and Nora and Ren went to greet them with heavy winter coats.

"Where are you going?" Pyrrha asked, not getting up from underneath her covers.

"The double date?" Nora said incredulously. "Remember?"

Huh. Maybe she was privy to this. Some faded memory of Nora blabbing and droning on returned to her. Velvet and Yatsu. Nora and Ren. The two couples—well, one couple and one very good set of friends with no romantic tension at all—were going to spend their day at the Hyde Memorial Garden, located on the furthest tip of the Academy's isle. Were there already memorials all over Atlas Academy, commemorating those who bravely sacrificed themselves for the Kingdom? Yes, and Pyrrha had no idea how this one was any different, or why it had to exist. Pyrrha had some idea why her friends were going to visit it: it was the nicest of the infinite memorials, and more crucially, they literally couldn't go anywhere else. Shuttles to the mainland Kingdom were inaccessible to students, and unless you were the Team-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, you couldn't break the rules whenever you felt like it. It was something to do, which made it significantly more exciting than wasting away in the dorm, at least to the others.

"Right. Have fun," Pyrrha said weakly. Nora pursed her lips for a moment but shook away her frustrations. She wrapped her arm tightly around Ren as she opened the door, and several loud, joyful, loud greetings later, they were out of sight and out of mind. Pyrrha was more than happy to see them off, just so she could finally get some quiet. She had, unfortunately, forgotten the other part of their arrangement with Team CFVY. As Nora and Ren left, Coco Adel slipped into their room, waving her teammates farewell.

"Later, gang! No inappropriate touching, okay?"

Coco shut the door behind her, taking stock of the room. It was… messier than she expected. Lots of clothing strewn in every direction. Nora's hammer was just flat out laying in the corner outside of its case. There was a slightly off smell different than the rest of the Academy, like cracked peanuts. Pyrrha was wrapped up in her bunk, glaring at her. Jaune was the only thing remotely welcoming, though even his solemn gesture didn't instill much confidence.

"Hi, Coco. Welcome to where the magic happens," he tried to joke. Coco just stared at him from under her sunglasses.

"Yep. Magical." She wandered forward, and eventually threw herself onto Ren's bunk up above Jaune, letting her feet dangle in front of his face. "Thanks for letting me crash here for the day. I have problems being alone for long stretches of time, but I cannot be around Velvet and Yatsu when they are being all cushy-gushy with each other."

"Well, make yourself comfortable," Jaune said very uncomfortably, pushing Coco's feet out of his face. She swung them right back, barely noticing.

"Thanks. Can I tell you guys something? This has been the weirdest few months of my life. Seriously, with everything happening, I feel like I'm on another planet sometimes. It's nice to talk to some people to know I'm not going crazy or anything."

"Atlas Academy definitely has its… charms?" Jaune suggested.

"Yeah, that's a way of putting it. But I mainly meant all the other shit. You know, I can handle excessive training. I'm built for that. But just sitting around and watching everyone else lose their minds is something else. I feel like I haven't changed at all, but everyone else is having a breakdown. Any of you feel that way?"

Pyrrha said nothing, pulling the blanket close to her chin. Jaune hesitated.

"Can't say I do."

"Hmm," Coco mulled. "You cold, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha briefly met her eyes. "Tired."

"Gotcha. You go back to sleep, Jaune and I can talk. Don't worry."

I can't sleep if you are talking, Pyrrha wanted to say, but she instead pulled the blanket up over her head. Coco shrugged and peered down over the edge of the bunk toward Jaune.

"So… Jaune. Buddy…"

She looked at him awkwardly, and he looked back, and the two of them sat in silence for a solid minute just looking at each other. They had literally never had a conversation alone together in their life, and it was only just now that Coco realized she didn't even know Jaune's last name, let alone any relevant details about his life to strike up a conversation. She just kept staring at him, as if waiting for some conversation to appear out of thin air and take hold of her. It took another minute before Jaune awkwardly held up his Scroll.

"Do you… want to play a game… or something?"

Coco shrugged again.

"Sure."

"And I win. Again."

"Are you sure you've never played this before?"

"Guess I'm just naturally talented."

Naturally talented indeed—after an hour and five straight victories, Jaune had barely scored a point in Swords, Goblins, Swords. He wasn't really sure how it happened. He had spent a rather embarrassing amount of money on booster packs and had buried hundreds of hours late at night when he should have been studying. And yet, Coco, having just registered and not understanding the rules, schooled his ass with such ease he wasn't unconvinced her Semblance was super luck. Worst of all, Pyrrha wasn't able to sleep, and had just been watching him get owned repeatedly with dead, green eyes.

"Do you… want to play again?" he asked sheepishly. Coco sighed.

"Nah. Kicking your butt is boring." She dropped her Scroll by her side and stretched out on the floor across from him, lounging on a pillow she stole from the bunk. "So, anything exciting at all happening with your training?"

"Not really," Jaune admitted. "Grades are what they are. I think we're all just trying to survive this semester and get back to Beacon."

"Okay," Coco groaned, trying to think of something interesting. "You all still like each other on Team JNPR?"

"That's a weird question," said Jaune. He noticed Pyrrha squirming under the covers. "Uh, yeah. We all get along great. Team JNPR is still friends."

"Yep."

"Neat."

"We're all just… cool."

"Cool."

More silence. Jaune looked at something on his Scroll. Coco rolled back her head. Fuck it. She was going there.

"So, have you guys heard what the hell was up with Team RWBY—"

"Let's not talk about them," Pyrrha said suddenly. Coco threw up her hands.

"What? Why? You saw the news right, they fucking—"

"I. Don't. Care."

Pyrrha's instructions were harsh, and Coco was left with nothing. Of course, the most incredibly exciting thing to happen to anyone in the past few months and Pyrrha wasn't willing to speak. Coco didn't exactly get what Pyrrha's problem was with Team RWBY—well, what specific thing with them upset her to such a degree. There were lots of things about Team RWBY that set her off, but with Pyrrha, it was probably something unexpected. Coco was rather confident that Pyrrha was some degree of neurodivergent; she could read people well enough to know when they couldn't read others, and Pyrrha reminded her of some friends she had when she was younger who had similar diagnoses. The problem then, naturally, was that Coco couldn't engage with her like anyone else, and her typical charms fell on deaf ears. Therefore, she didn't have a choice. Team RWBY's merch line, their foray into Vale, them getting Goodwitch canned—nope. Out of line. Infuriating.

Coco looked over to Jaune. He was just as big of a stammering, nervous mess as usual. At least, she thought. Actually, now that it came to her, she had a different topic of conversation to probe.

"Fine. Jaune. Let's talk about you."

"Me?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Yeah. We don't really know each other all that well. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Oh, there's… there's nothing really to tell."

"Everyone's got something to tell. We're Beacon Academy students. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have a story."

"I mean, I have the same story as everyone, I guess. My grandad was a Huntress. He inspired me. I applied for Beacon, I… I got in, that's that. I'm not special or anything."

"Bro, have some confidence. Come on," Coco insisted. "Like, look at me. Do you think I was always this sexy?"

"I don't know how to answer that."

"Well, the answer is yes, but I didn't always show it. I used to think I was some worthless poor kid with too many siblings who wasn't ever going to do anything with her life. That changed when I learned what I was good at, and I started leaning into it. You know, like, you gotta be proud to be you. You have to believe you're special because no one else is going to think that for you."

Jaune quietly bowed his head. "I, uh… I also have a lot of siblings."

Coco smirked proudly. "See, that's something interesting! How many?"

"Seven sisters."

"Ouch. Three brothers."

"Is having brothers any fun?"

"When you're not one of them? No. Is having sisters fun?"

"Always. I mean, not always always."

"They ever make you do awkward girl shit?"

"Hey, I was very good at those tea parties."

"Lol, you didn't have to say that."

"Did you just say 'lol'?"

"No no, don't change topics. I want to know about sisters. What were they like? How old are they? Are any of them my age and single?"

"They are all older than me. I am not hooking you up with any of my sisters."

"I didn't ask that."

"Hey, I am very protective of my older sisters."

"And you need to defend them from me? Lol."

"I'd defend them from anyone."

"Think I'm gonna break a few hearts, Jaune?"

"I'm not making accusations."

"Think I'm gonna hit it and quit it?"

"I don't like this conversation."

"Hey, you mentioned your hot sisters."

"I never said they were hot."

"Are they?"

"I don't judge the hotness of my sisters!"

Coco let out a delighted snort and gave into a fit of laughter. Jaune had progressively gotten so red he was the color of a cherry tomato, and it was incredible finally seeing some life out of the shaggy-haired soldier boy. She was just teasing, obviously, though she wasn't gonna tell him that. It wouldn't be nearly as fun. She looked over to see if Pyrrha was having any fun from their conversation as well, but the Huntress prodigy just looked annoyed to be there. She was having a bad day. Best not to be too critical.

Unfortunately, Pyrrha's day was about to get much, much worse.

The knock on the door came so suddenly and vicious that it was an assault on their senses. Pyrrha recoiled into her bed, the loud noise startling and unsettling her, while Jaune covered his ears and Coco groaned obnoxiously.

"Jeez, what the hell?" The knock did not cease, and quickly took up a crude melody, an off-rhythm that only made it more insulting to their ears. After not seeing either of the room's owners take up responsibility, Coco dragged herself to her feet. "Guess I'll get it then…"

She wasn't expecting to see a sinister grin when she opened the door, but that was what she found, stuck in front of the brilliant image of Vivian Jupitarian, pink hair and white coat, and all the pride in the universe. Coco jumped back, and the simple break was enough for Vivian to stop what she was doing, jut her spindly limbs into the room, and barge forward. Jaune scrambled to his feet. Pyrrha sat up in bed, her shock giving way to frustration.

"Hot Coco!" Vivian announced with glee. "How's it going, girl?"

"Vivian?" Coco asked, stunned as Vivian planted herself straight in the middle of the room, not even showing the common courtesy of closing the door behind her. "What are you—"

"And Pyrrha! There you are!" Vivian said gladly. "Been looking all over for you. You guys don't mind if I chill here for a minute or two? God, this place smells funky. Hot in here, too."

Vivian shed her pink overcoat, dropping the fur garment on the floor. Pyrrha stared at what remained of her, the striking silhouette she hadn't often seen. Her dress was punkish and modern; a black sleeveless top and dark jeans, her bare arms wrapped in metal bracelets going from bicep to wrist. She had the proportions of a two-by-four, her body stripped clean of all fat like she had been gone over with a butcher's knife. Her legs seemed to go on forever, and the way she sauntered about was like she was walking on stilts.

"Seriously, why are you here?" Coco asked pointedly.

"Hey, I can ask the same question, Hot Coco," Vivian shrugged. "Where's your team at?"

"That's none of your—"

Vivian's eyes shifted to Jaune, and she slunk over to meet him at eye level. Jaune instinctively backed up against the wall, but that just made Vivian follow him further, chasing him down like the apex predator she always was.

"Hey, Pretty Boy. How you doin'?" she said cheekily. "I don't think your friends have ever introduced us. My name is Vivian. Friends call me Viv."

Jaune shrunk in her presence, looking away from her. "Hi. Hi. Jaune. I'm Jaune. Hi…"

Vivian cackled. "Awww, don't be nervous. Guys, look he's shy! That's fucking adorable."

Coco furiously closed the door, leaning up against it to block the path of any further intruders. Wherever Vivian Jupitarian lurked, her lackeys were never far behind. "What do you want, Vivian?"

Bored with Jaune's squeamishness, Vivian tucked her hands into the tight pockets of her jeans and walked to the windowsill. She leaned up against the wall, blocking out the light.

"Me? Want something?" she feigned a gasp. "Why would you say such a thing? I just wanted to spend time with my fellow Top Team—or I guess, Top Teams. Didn't think you'd be here, Cocoa Bean."

"You know, that nickname isn't funny either," Coco said snidely. "What do you want?"

"Guys, I'm just bored! That's all!" Vivian confessed. "You know what that's like, right? It's so fucking dull around this Academy. Nothing to do, I tell ya. Just hours sitting around and freezing to death. I needed company. I needed a friend. I thought you guys might know what to do to keep yourselves entertained."

"Well, we don't," Coco said quickly. "Bye now."

"Coco, what's going on between you two?" Jaune asked timidly. Vivian smirked.

"Yeah, Coco. What's going on between us?"

Coco sneered. Fucking Jaune. She took back everything she said. She wished he had zero confidence. She crossed her arms, staring down the longer, stronger woman. "When Team CFVY first formed, we were cocky. We might have gone around over our heads, thinking we were better than we were. I guess I drew some… unwanted attention, pissing off the upperclassmen. Team JJWL challenged us to a fight, and said they wanted to put us in our place. I accepted, like an idiot. It didn't go well."

"How not well?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune, seriously—"

"I broke her ribs," Vivian explained. "And her nose. Real fucking ugly. Blood everywhere. But hey, you challenged us. I don't know why you hold onto grudges."

"I challenged you?" Coco asked incredulously. "Get serious."

"You did! You ran your mouth and stuck that big-ass nose into business you shouldn't have. So, I made sure you couldn't stick it anywhere again. Not my fault, really. I followed all the rules."

"You are such a bitch."

Vivian cocked her head, smiling through the insult. "I change my mind. You're the adorable one, Coco Loco."

Coco spoke through gritted teeth. "What… do you want?"

"Well, nothing with you," Vivian stated plainly, shifting her cold eyes to Pyrrha. "I wanted to have a chat with our favoritest Huntress. Though, gotta say, you ain't looking too hot, girl."

Pyrrha clenched the blanket tightly. "I don't want any trouble."

"I'm not looking for trouble. I'm looking for something to pass the time," Vivian said. "I told you: it's fucking boring here in Atlas. Nothing at all to do. Training is a waste of time. The Vytal Festival aint for another month. I'm drowning in my tears here, Pyrrha. It reminded me of home. I hated home. So, I was thinking of things to do. See, I got this disorder. Was diagnosed as a kid. Can't sit still or do the same things too many times over, or I go crazy. I need to spread out. Huntsmen life is good for me for that. Always something new. New challenges. Fresh meat. And I'm hungry." She licked her lips at Jaune. "I'm very hungry."

He shuddered, and Vivian drank his misery like a fine wine.

"See, first, I thought of fucking around with Team RWBY. Real spoiled brats, they are. But apparently, those girls are never actually around here, so I can't do anything. I mean, you guys see the news lately? They're in Vale, murdering criminals and shit—crazy. Plus, they got all this merch? I'll be honest. I respect the hustle and grind. So, put those together, I ain't gonna fight them. Then I thought… Penny! She's a good fighter. Real good. But Atlas doesn't have teams like Beacon does, so I'd have to fight her four-on-one. That's not respectable. Can you imagine me stooping so low like that, bullying a defenseless, lonely girl like that? But then I thought… JNPR. Pyrrha. The great prodigy. She's gotta be looking for something to do also. I know she's bored out of her fucking skull. So I thought… why not? JJWL. JNPR." She grinned. "Challenge by the Honors."

Pyrrha straightened up, her stomach twisting into knots. A Challenge by the Honors? Now? That was supposed to be reserved for serious disagreements between students. Honor was in its name. Vivian wanted to fight her, just for the hell of it? Was she out of her mind?

Jaune spoke up first while Pyrrha still thought through the consequences. "Um, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Vivian asked. "You got your team, I got mine. What's a friendly duel gonna hurt anyone?"

"We shouldn't be fighting just because," Jaune stated, definitely not terrified in any way.

"You're a Huntsman, aren't ya?" Vivian asked pointedly. "What good is a Huntsman if he can't face the challenges in front of him? Don't be such a pussy."

The insult toward Jaune was enough to finally wake Pyrrha up. "That's enough."

Her words were harsh enough to inspire a laugh from Vivian. "Ooh, someone's offended."

"We decline. I want you out of my room," Pyrrha said harshly.

"Come on—"

"Get out," Pyrrha said again, finally rising from her covers. "You are bothering me. I want you to leave right now." She took her place in the center of the room, challenging Vivian's intensity with her own. Vivian couldn't hold back a sly smile.

"You sure about that? What if I say please?"

"I'm not asking again!" Pyrrha cried, not realizing she was shaking. "I want nothing to do with you. I have a right to decline. Get out of our room, and don't ever come back here!"

Vivian didn't follow orders. She had never followed orders her entire life. Instead, she took her Scroll out of her back pocket, and made a quick phone call. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that…"

His Honorable General Rictor Hyde

Hero of the Mantle Revolt and Defender of the Glorious Kingdom of Atlas

4 April 1741 AK—17 July 1801 AK

Nora read through the inscription of the marble statue carefully. She was no great student of politics, but she suspected the plaque was leaving some things out. The Hyde Memorial Garden was a small place and hardly a garden by her standards. Gardens needed flowers. Shrubs. Maybe a bush. This garden was a ring of statues, two dozen of them laid out in an intricate, spiraling stone pathway. Each one had a large plaque on it, or two, or three, detailing the victories and accomplishments of the person depicted. The statue she was looking at, the largest and most grand, ten feet tall, and located right in the center of the garden, was of Mister Hyde himself. She thought he looked pretty miserable for a statue. Ren was more of a history buff than her, and she heard him behind her, explaining the General's history to the others.

"Hyde was the leading General in the Mantle Revolt of 1781 AK, the largest attack from the surrounding counties against Atlas," he said with a lecture-esque tone. "It started because Atlas went forward with a significant tax increase on imported farm goods, as a token for the Mistral-Atlas Conflict of 1777 AK."

"I see," said Velvet, not really seeing anything. She leaned in Yatsuhashi's arms, using him as shelter from the cold winds. He was also nodding along, pretending to be interested in anything other than the very cute girl snuggled up next to him. Behind them, Fox Allister didn't even pretend to pay attention. He had the opportunity to stick around with Coco while the others had their romantic getaway, but he insisted on going. I like being a fifth wheel, he had said.

"Now, the Mantle Revolt was a particularly bloody conflict. Atlas was accused of violating the Unghur Accords when they used chemical weapons to subdue Harrion County. The Harrion County Governor's mansion had been taken over by revolutionaries, and they executed everyone inside via guillotine, so the Atlas military claimed it was a normal escalation of conflict. However, it could be argued that Harrion County originally overstepped its boundaries by engaging in the public execution of a political rival named James Cornby, who they accused of treason—"

"Hey, Ren, sweetie," Nora said quickly. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about people getting their heads cut off."

"But I am providing important historical context," Ren said, disappointed.

"I know, and I love that you know things," Nora said warmly, affectionately punching his arm. "But it's souring the mood a little."

Ren sighed, disappointed. "Yes, Nora. Sorry, everyone."

"That's all right, Ren," Velvet said sweetly. "It was very, um… informative. Wow, it's a lot colder out than I thought it would be."

"Are you not warm enough?" Yatsu asked.

"I'm fine," Velvet promised. She had replaced her usual symbolic bunny ears with a snug brown beanie, and she pulled it tighter over her ears. "Hey, you know what? I have an idea. Why don't you and Ren get to know each other a little?"

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Nora realized. "You two have so much in common, you'd get along great. Velvet and I can have a little girl talk."

Fox awkwardly raised his hand. "What am I supposed to do?"

Velvet hummed. "I… don't know."

"I'll go find a bathroom, then," Fox stated with a smirk. "Really should have gone before I left."

The redheaded Huntsman turned around and wandered toward the exit of the Garden, bristling in the cold. Velvegaveze Yatsu one final squeeze before seeing him off, walking with Nora in a different direction. Yatsu and Ren just stood there, at first watching their respective lady friends leave them, and then at each other. Ren looked at Yatsu, and Yatsu looked at Ren, and then they looked back at the statue, and then each other, and then the statue, and then Ren put his hands in his pockets, and then Yatsu nodded, and then Ren nodded, and then they looked at the floor, and then each other.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Then, they looked back at the floor.

Nora and Velvet walked along the stone path, searching the sea of statues for anything interesting. Nora took note of their dress: each in Atlasian military uniform, each with a solemn, hardened face of years of battle. All male. Even when stone, she could see that their Souls had rotted away. Velvet rubbed her mitten-clad hands together, trying to stay warm.

"Sorry about this."

"Hmm?"

"Just," Velvet sighed, "wasn't expecting it to be so… political."

"Eh. It's fine," Nora said dryly. "When you grow up poor, everything is political anyway."

"Wouldn't really know what that's like," Velvet admitted. "Grew up rich myself. Sorry, that sounds like I'm rubbing it in."

"Nah, it's fine. Ren grew up rich. Rich people don't scare me. Mean people scare me. You don't seem all that mean."

"Yeah, well, not anymore," Velvet said wistfully. "I used to be pretty nasty, believe it or not."

"I don't believe it."

"Yeah, don't like thinking about it. Atlas unfortunately reminds me a lot of it, but that's a topic darker than the Garden."

Nora laughed. "I sort of doubt that. Nothing I can think of has ever been as dark as this. Everything is just so… cold."

"You mean because it's winter, or…"

"No. Like… dead. The people here barely even feel alive. I grew up in this poor town in Mistral. A lot of us were cold growing up—I mean, the literal cold. Bad houses. Bad food. But there was life there. People were still laughing through hard times. I don't know if people in Atlas know what laughter is."

"Do you think it will be over soon?" Velvet asked. "Once Beacon is rebuilt, we're going to go back there, right? They aren't going to keep us here forever."

"I don't know. I've always taken things one step at a time. Let the wind carry me," Nora said, looking up at the sky. "Wind's been blowing kind of hard lately, though."

Velvet cleared her throat. "Yeah, actually… I wanted to talk to you about ? Is your team all right?"

"Our team?" Nora seemed surprised, but she buried her initial reaction and threw out something else. "Yeah. I guess."

"Well, I mean," Velvet explained. "Look, can I be honest? Things have been very weird lately. With Goodwitch getting fired, and all this Grimm nonsense, and Atlas, it seems like there are these problems compounding with each other. Yatsu doesn't talk drama, Fox doesn't care, and Coco… well, I think she just finds it all funny. But I'm getting kind of scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I don't know," Velvet admitted. "I've just been getting this really bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen. And, I don't know, I guess I feel maybe your team is the only one who gets what I'm feeling. Because…"

Velvet didn't say it, but Nora instantly peeled through her thoughts. "Is this Team RWBY related?"

"Isn't everything?"

Nora grunted. "Ugh, Pyrrha hates talking about Team RWBY. She literally won't even let us say it without throwing a fit."

"But we have to talk about it," Velvet insisted. "I mean, Team RWBY came to us, we saw that… strange God's Arm thing, then all this other stuff happens. They come to us again, and then stuff they say starts coming true, like about Goodwitch. They go out again, arrest a terrorist or something, and it's just… it's just been sitting on my mind a lot. I don't know what to do though, because no one on my team cares. Coco basically said that it wasn't our problem. Like, right after Professor Goodwitch was fired, we had a group meeting and she said worrying about them wasn't worth it. And I thought maybe your team would be more engaged with what's happening… though that doesn't sound like it's the case either."

Nora stopped in her tracks. God, how did the conversation come back to this? She just wanted a nice day with Ren, and somehow her team drama had caught back up to her. Team JNPR was fine. If she kept repeating it, eventually it would be true.

"I don't really know what to do about Team RWBY," Nora explained uncomfortably. "After we talked the first time, I told them I'd be willing to help out, but I haven't been able to follow up. They haven't either, apparently. If anything, it's just gotten messier. You know what I'm good at, Velvet? I hit things with a hammer and make them explode. That's the one thing I am very good at. I don't know how to solve… this. Whatever this even is. Pyrrha's our team leader, so she should be solving it, but she's…" Nora sighed. "What… what were you thinking of doing anyway?"

"Well…" Velvet suggested. "I was thinking maybe going back to Team RWBY and asking if we could help them."

"Help them with what?"

"Whatever they need help with, I guess. Clearly, they need help with something, considering how much trouble they're always in."

"I mean, I'm not against helping them, but it's a super sour topic of conversation," Nora explained. "Like, I don't even know how to approach the subject with Pyrrha again."

"Well, I mean…" Velvet stammered. "You just couldn't."

"What?"

"I didn't mean CFVY and JNPR. I meant you and me. Ren, too, and Yatsu, if I can convince him."

"Velvet… I don't know," Nora said with some bitterness. "If Pyrrha found out that I went behind her back to help out Team RWBY, she would freak. I can't deal with that level of team drama, not on top of everything else. I hate feeling powerless here, but I…"

Nora stopped speaking, and her gaze went adrift past Velvet's head.

"That owl is super cute."

Velvet turned around. It perched atop the head of the closest statue, its big yellow eyes piercing through them. It was quite a big owl, a nice, floofy boy that Nora wouldn't mind playing with. She didn't know what kind of owl it was, or what it was doing here in the middle of the day. The two of them just stared at it, and it stared back, waiting, watching.

Watching.

Watching.

It was such a beautiful day outside for a flight.

Velvet turned back toward Nora. "So, anyway—"

The owl spread its wings.

Pyrrha stared at Vivian's Scroll, the speaker turned up as loud as it could go. She felt her heart rushing out of her chest.

Then, she heard a horrible scream.

"Get it off! Get it off!"

"Nora!"

"Geitif off!"

Pyrrha lunged forward as Jaune recoiled in horror. "Nora!" She reached for the Scroll, but Vivian pulled it away, just out of reach. She heard more screams from Nora, and then another, higher scream ripped through the air. Coco gasped.

"Velvet…"

"Oh, that doesn't sound good!" Vivian laughed. Pyrrha took a swing at her, but in her exhaustion, it was easy for Vivian to step aside, causing her to collapse onto the floor. Jaune rushed to her side. More screams echoed from the Scroll. New voices joined in. Louder. Terrified. Pyrrha's rage overcame her.

"What are you doing to them?" she bellowed, but Vivian just grinned.

"Challenge by the Honors. You in?"

"You evil—"

Pyrrha tried to rise to her feet, but Jaune held her down, fearful of violence breaking out even further. He heard the screams grow fainter, then louder, in and out, as the others were dragged from the source. He couldn't hear much else but the occasional sounds of a struggle. A mighty crash of something falling over, a grunt of pain, flesh tearing, the rattling of rusty metal, and this awful screeching—the cawing of birds. Maybe dozens of them, all in a vengeful storm. Nora and Ren didn't have their weapons in them; they were still in the corner of the room, and Jaune couldn't help but stare at them, picturing their assault through their possessions. Vivian calmly twirled her Scroll in her fingers, the sounds of chaos like music to her ears. She almost didn't hear Coco run after her. Almost. Coco swung hard, but her momentum was used against her, and she was thrown to the ground as well. Her sunglasses flew off her face and rolled by Vivian's feet. When she looked at her, her eyes were full of hateful intent.

"Leave my fucking team alone!"

"Then tell Pyrrha to accept the Challenge," Vivian said plainly. "Come on, Pyrrha! They don't sound like they're doing too well!"

Pyrrha shoved Jaune off of her, and she and Coco rose together, charging forward. There wasn't any room to coordinate an attack in the small dorm. With little space to move, Coco and Pyrrha couldn't stop from slamming into each other in their charge, and Vivian simply vaulted over them, rolling on top of the bed to an emptier space. Coco tripped on random clutter and fell onto her shoulder by the door, a blunder rarely seen from someone so elegant in combat. Pyrrha only just managed to keep her footing. The screams grew louder once again.

Pyrrha looked to her bunk. Her weapon was close by. Whatever instincts that she thought had dulled roared back to life. She dove toward her weapon case, equipping it faster than she ever had before, and with spear and shield in hand, she readied herself for another charge. Vivian waited for her, electricity crackling between her fingers. Coco kipped up to her feet, ready for more action. Yet, before the fight could escalate further, Jaune threw himself between the three students, desperate to stop the carnage.

"We accept!" he cried. "Please, we accept! Everyone just stop fighting!"

Pyrrha lowered her guard, unable to see a path through. Coco glared at Vivian over her shoulder. Vivian took Jaune's word as good enough, and straightened herself out. She brought the Scroll to her lips.

"Hey, Nevan. Neeevvaaaaan! Can ya hear me?"

A voice, slow and dreary, came clear over the speaker, overpowering all the other noise.

"Yeah, what's up, Viv?"

"JNPR accepted. We're all good."

"Oh, that's nice. Good thing, too. I think this Velvet girl's eye popped out."

Coco's heart snapped in two.

"Oh, shit, really?"

"Don't know. Real bloody though."

"Eh, they can pop that shit back in, right?"

Coco could barely think straight. Spit flew from her mouth. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot. "You… you psychotic cunt!"

Vivian's smile faded, and she eyed Coco with disdain. "You wanna take that back, love?"

"You won't get away with this!" Coco screamed. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"Really?" For a half second, a darkness came over her, something terrible in her mind. But, just as quickly as the hate arose, an opportunity followed, and her grin returned. "You know what? I think that works out pretty well. I'll take that as you accepting, too."

"What the fuck are you—"

"I'm sure they won't mind. Might even give you a fair shot," Vivian mulled. "Challenge by the Honors. Both of you. This Wednesday."

Pyrrha's thoughts ran a mile a minute. She couldn't fully process it. Her friends: injured. She didn't know badadly. A Challenge by the Honors, back-to-back? That had to be what Vivian meant. Unless she meant—no, both at the same time? JNPR and CFVY?

What was going on?

What should she do?

Why was everything going wrong again?

Vivian hung up the Scroll before the violence could continue, and innocently raised her hands in the air. "What? You've heard enough already. Don't want any spoilers, right?"