Note: Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Fables Anniversary! It's been seven years since I began writing this fanfiction and found my home among the RWBY FNDM, and wow has the time flown by. Last time, we got to meet many of our competitors, some friends, some foes, some in-between. Today, we begin the Second Day of the Vytal Festival. Lines will be drawn, alliances will be formed, and the drama will ramp up in some unexpected ways. Who has what it takes to capture the Holy Grail? What will our heroes be willing to do to survive? And what else is truly at stake in this tournament? Oooh mystery. I feel like a reality tv show intro. Enjoy!
In many ways, it was a beautiful morning. The sun was warm and birds chirped outside of the cabin window. Claret's Oasis, Shade Academy's residence within Champions' Village, was a tranquil and tropical stay. Rich white sand was pooled around a crystal blue man-made lake, a reflection of the desert environment of the home Kingdom. For the competitors from Shade, it was meant to be an escape from the tension of the tournament. For one member of Team NDGO, it was a reminder of her shackles. Her morning was not so beautiful.
Most of NDGO was still fast asleep. Nebula Violette lay still beneath her covers, an eye mask covering her face and rollers in her hair. Dew Gayl was snoring loudly, half her limbs splayed off of the bed, sweatpants riled up past her thighs. Gwen Darcy stood in the corner of the room with her eyes wide open. That was just the way she slept sometimes. Effective? Yes. Creepy? Also yes. Hard to get used to when one wakes up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and she is standing right by the doorway staring at them and it takes like five seconds to realize she isn't going to kill them but is, in fact, just sleeping weirdly? Extremely yes.
But Octavia Ember was wide awake. She made a habit of waking up early, fitting in small bursts of training whenever possible. Her Scroll lay on the ground beneath her face as she did pushups in her room. On this not-so-beautiful morning, she would read articles during each set. They set her mind ablaze.
Vytal Disruption: Opening Ceremony Hijacked by Competitor
Next.
Huntress Ruins Opening Ceremony to Do Stupid Dances
Next.
Who is Alyx Nevermore? The Shade Huntress Who Disrupted Vytal's Opening Ceremony, Explained
Next.
Disaster from Shade! Calls for Alyx Nevermore's Expulsion Rejected by Theodore Lage
Next—actually, this one seemed interesting…
Opinion: Dancing Huntress Exposes Hypocrisy of the Vytal Festival
By Nox Reisinger
It's hard to stand out in the 25th Vytal Festival. In a field that contains Mistran prodigies Pyrrha Nikos and Bianca Prisma, massive celebrities like Team MNSS and Ne0N Katt, and terrorist-stoppers-turned-philanthropists Team RWBY, commentators were already calling this the most stacked Vytal Festival in recent memory. Yet, as the sun rises on the second day of the Festival, it is an unknown Huntress from Shade Academy that has drawn both attention and outrage for her antics during the opening ceremony. Alyx Nevermore, 19, interrupted the stereotypical patriotism of the role call by performing an impromptu dance, assaulting security guards, and generally making a fool out of herself and everyone involved. The Queens Academy graduate and current junior at Shade wasn't on anyone's radar before the tournament. Most analysts didn't have her cracking the Top 16. Many still don't.
And yet, in five short minutes, Nevermore left a black mark on Vytal's name, one that won't be scrubbed away so easily.
It's difficult to discern Nevermore's motivation. The most immediate speculation was that her outburst was a publicity stunt to draw in sponsors. Sponsors can often be the saving grace of a lower-ranked Huntsman. A good sponsor can provide additional supplies, medical attention, and tools beyond what is usually granted by Academies themselves (we have extensively covered Atlas's courting of sponsors to make up for their short Dust supply here). Yet, it seems strange to draw in sponsors by spitting in the face of such a beloved cultural institution. If that was Nevermore's goal, it backfired. Team NTMR has been stripped of their Day Two Showcase fights and the Committee has placed a suspension on any existing sponsorships they may have had.
Yet, a closer look may reveal a deeper motivation. Beyond all of the typical mainstream outrage, one can see that Nevermore's actions were calculated to draw attention to very specific hypocrisies—
Nope, trash, trash, trash.
At a certain point, one has to draw themselves away from the news before they are driven insane. Octavia turned off her Scroll and rolled onto her side. She wiped away beads of sticky sweat that ran down her crimson hairline. Exercise didn't distract her. Nothing could. She picked herself up to her feet and began to pace through the cabin halls.
Named after the first Shade Huntsman to ever win Vytal, Octavia felt she was destined for greatness. Her quest for it was a constant struggle. Desert storms took her family at a young age. Food was hard to come by as she was carried by the chaotic winds of the Vacuon climate. She made a living roughing up strangers for cash and taking every con jobs, fitting in bursts of training whenever she could. She eventually wound up adopted by a pair of socialites, who harnessed her raw will and refined it like a sharp steel blade from lump iron. She learned how to exploit the vulnerable, see how the strings were pulled, and where to give them tension. When she joined Shade Academy and found Nebula, she found a place where she truly belonged. Her ruthlessness fit in perfectly with the technical mastery of Team NDGO. She would stride toward greatness with her team, not as an urchin, but as a proud and noble warrior. She had ascended beyond Vacuo. She was the elite she always deserved to be. Vytal was meant to be the culmination of her journey.
Yet how was she supposed to be proud of climbing a mountain when such embarrassments were joining her on the summit?
That question had haunted Octavia all morning. Her teammates could be pains sometimes. She knew that better than anyone. Dew was usually too loud, Gwen was too quiet, and Nebula could complain that the sky wasn't blue enough. But they were damn talented Huntresses. They deserved respect. They were the best Huntresses in Shade, and they fucking deserved respect.
Octavia's wandering mind and feet eventually took her to the living room. She looked out the front window with a heavy glare. Across the oasis sat another wooden cabin, out of place in the desert facsimile. The cabin was dead. No lights. No movement. Not unusual for the early morning, but she had stood in this same spot after the ceremony, watching Team NTMR be escorted back to their temporary home. And despite seeing Alyx and her teammates enter, knowing they were there… the cabin was exactly the same then.
No lights. No movement. As if it had been abandoned.
Octavia sneered. She didn't know much about Alyx. Never spoke to her. Never had a reason. She was a fucking nobody. So, what reason did Alyx have to spit in her face? What gave her the right to take something so special to them and destroy it? She should have been expelled. Arrested. In a better world, executed. But no… Theodore was coddling her like a babe. And he gave no good reason, of course. He simply wanted to preach "tolerance of others' quirks" and "understanding of differences" and all that crap. If there was one thing that pissed her off even more than her schoolmates, it was the weakness of her headmaster. Why did he even bring them here if they wanted nothing to do with Vytal? She knew Team NTMR wasn't the best junior team, not by ranking, at least. They clearly didn't have the temperament of a Vytal team. Those chosen to participate should have respect for tradition, respect for decorum, respect for power, and respect for their fellow Huntresses. Alyx lacked all… and unfortunately, she was not the only one.
Octavia's sulking was interrupted by the sound of clanging footprints on the roof. Her eyes drifted upward, but suddenly, a body dropped down in front of the window.
"Champions Village Freestyle!"
Reese Chloris was not the type of person to ever make it to the Vytal Festival. She wasn't even supposed to be alive, let alone be a successful Huntress. When she was five, she was in a vehicle driven by her drunk uncle. He crashed. He died. She survived—most of her, anyway. A few parts of her perished. Her self-preservation. Her trust in adults. Her faith in institutions. She didn't really care about the sanctity of being a Huntress. She was only in it for the rush. There was probably some complex psychological thingamajig at play there, but god knew she didn't trust a shrink to look into her head. The only thing that mattered to her was that the world was a playground, and she wanted to play.
Now, she could have jumped off her own cabin roof, but where was the fun in that?
Reese landed on her hoverboard and took off across NDGO's front porch. She had her Scroll in hand and recorded the entire affair, making obnoxious, exaggerated expressions to the camera. She leapt onto the railing and grinded, before jumping off with a kickflip. Sand was jetted out from beneath her board and landed all over the porch. She circled the perimeter of the lake as Octavia stormed into the open air.
"Get off our lawn!" she shouted.
"Never!" Reese retorted. "Woohoo!" Her hoverboard let out a burst of fire and she picked up speed. She rode over the water, skidding easily over its surface. Her hoverboard was chugging and sputtering like an old engine, causing the birds to fly away and the pristine air to be filled with a thin layer of black smoke. Octavia clenched her fists by her side. She had half a mind to whip the sand into a frenzy and suffocate Reese beneath the oasis. Her Semblance would easily allow her to do such a thing. It seemed that her interference was unnecessary, however. From one of the other cabins, one of Reese's teammates emerged.
"Reese! Be quiet! You're going to get us in trouble!"
Octavia didn't know his name. Nada something or other? He had this stupid pink ponytail and honestly, that was the only memorable thing about him. He rushed out of his cabin toward the shoreline, trying to wave Reese down. She merely skirted in circles across the water.
"Oh, relax!" Reese teased him. "No one is gonna get mad at us."
"Arslan is trying to meditate. You know how cranky she gets."
"She can wear my earplugs!"
Nadir and Reese began to shout at each other, causing a far bigger disturbance than by Reese skating alone. It was enough to wake the other members of Team NDGO, and Octavia soon heard loud footsteps coming down the steps behind her.
"What in the hell was that?" Nebula stormed into the living room, flailing about in a silk, lavender nightgown. Her eyemask sat atop her forehead and she ground her teeth together.
"Take a guess," Octavia grumbled. Nebula marched to the porch, took one look at the street punk laughing and skating in her front yard, and blew a gasket.
"That bitch! Who does that? We're trying to sleep!"
"You know who she is. She's the same person she always was."
"We are in Vytal now! Does she not have any respect?" Nebula growled. She cupped her hands to her face and shouted toward the lake. "It's six in the morning! Stop doing that!"
"Bite me!" Reese laughed, flipping Nebula off. The two NDGO Huntresses watched the chaos on the lake with resentment.
Nebula growled. "This is pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. We're supposed to be better than this. How are we going to raise Shade's reputation when idiots like these keep dragging it down?"
"We're not," Octavia said, crossing her arms. She became numb and distant. "Maybe… we shouldn't be."
Nebula looked at her with suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Do you remember that thing we discussed before we came here?" Octavia asked. It took Nebula a moment to recall, but her eyes went wide.
"That? But that's not—"
"Think about it."
"We can't. They won't let us."
"We demand it. Nebula, let's be blunt," Octavia said darkly. "Shade Academy is becoming a burden. After last night, we are the laughingstock of the entire Huntsmen world. Something has to give here."
"That's why we have to elevate them," Nebula countered. "That's our responsibility."
"Our responsibility is to ourselves. Shade doesn't want to be elevated, Nebula. Look at them. It has won fewer Vytal Festivals than any other school. We are the only team-based school not to consistently select top teams from each grade, and look at who that has left us with. That punk and her friends barely seem like they are trying in Team ABRN, that sexist pig in Team BRNZ, and the gaggle of freaks in Team NTMR. It's as if Theodore is actively trying to ruin our reputation."
"You don't have to remind me," Nebula stated. "But my family has invested much into Shade Academy. We can't just—"
"Your family is probably ashamed," Octavia claimed. "We were made fools of last night, and we will continue to be made fools of."
Nebula sighed. She couldn't deny Octavia's insight, nor her passion. After the Opening Ceremony, she marched up to Theodore and demanded Alyx Nevermore's removal from Vytal. He ignored her. Of course, he did. Theodore didn't have the heart to treat one of his students poorly, no matter how badly they deserved it. She could imagine herself at the tournament's conclusion, having bested all of her competitors easily. She would be standing there, holding the trophy, proud as could be—and Theodore would be standing next to her, hogging the spotlight. He would tell the press it was a win for all of Vacuo, all of Shade. He would probably make her pass the trophy around so all the other students could place their grubby mitts on it. It sickened her to her core.
Nebula and Octavia heard a yawn behind her. "Hey, what are you talking about?"
Dew shuffled lazily into the living room, arms dangling out in front of her. She wiped her face with her palm and it sagged.
"Good morning, Dew. Our apologies," Nebula said. "We were just talking about our frustrations with our fellow Shade competitors."
"Oh," Dew groaned, "is this about that Alyx thing or the Roy Stallion thing?"
"Alyx thing," Nebula claimed, though she had to quickly pause. "Wait, what Roy Stallion thing?"
"I guess you didn't see that, huh? It was at, like, 2 AM or something," Dew sighed.
"Who is Roy Stallion?" asked Octavia.
"He's one of the BRNZ boys. He posted last night… hold on…" Dew reached into her sweatpants, rummaging for her Scroll. Nebula just muttered his name over and over again. That name had to be fake, right? That was like a porn name. Roy Stallion. She couldn't believe it. She refused. What was so horrible that it could be another black mark for their Academy?
Dew eventually pulled up Roy Stallion's KnightsPage account. She showed off the latest post to Nebula and Octavia. While the account had only a few hundred followers, the video they had seen was viewed over two million times. They instantly gasped in horror.
What they saw was a video of a man. A shirtless man with bulging pecs. He had a fake spray tan, a long ponytail with blonde highlights, and one of the tightest jawlines they had ever seen. He wore two hoop earrings and puckered his lips together like a fish. This was Roy Stallion, a member of Team BRNZ, a freshman of Shade Academy.
And as the camera pulled back, they realized he wasn't wearing any pants either.
"Hello, Vytal Festival," Roy said, his voice deeper than the lowest base. "This is the Hot Shot Hunk, Roy Stallion. I know you were all astonished to see me on your televisions last night. Most Huntsmen are dingy, disgusting and scarred, but not the Hot Shot Hunk. It was a shock to see such overwhelming masculinity before you, more than your man could ever provide. If you ever thought 'Damn, I want to see more of Roy Stallion,' I'm pleased to tell you that you can. I'm going to be posting all throughout the Vytal Festival on my TrueFans account to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the real life of a Huntsman. This will be what the headmasters don't want you to see. Unrestricted, untamed, and extremely uncensored. For Vytal only, I'm offering a special discount, so you don't have to pay much for this premium attraction. I hope to see you all there. Just be warned that you might not be able to handle… all of me."
He winked toward the camera, blew a kiss, and the video came to a close. Nebula and Octavia shuddered.
"T-TrueFans?" Nebula asked.
"That's the one where people whore themselves for money, right?" asked Octavia.
Dew nodded, flipping through her Scroll. "Yeah, and I paid two Lien for it."
"Two Lien?" Nebula stammered.
"It was the lowest tier. Still gives you all the good stuff though," Dew shrugged. "I think he got a ton of new followers last night, too."
"Wha—you're not even into men! Or anyone!" Nebula cried. Dew didn't seem phased.
"I mean, like, I was super curious, and like, I wasn't not going to see if he was any good at it. It's like… fine? I guess? His penis looks really mushroomy, see?"
Dew turned around her Scroll and showed a picture of—
"Ah! Don't show me that!" Octavia shouted, smacking Dew's Scroll away.
"Hey, my Scroll."
"Why would you show me that?"
"I don't know. I thought you might be into it."
"Why would I ever be into that?"
Dew didn't really have an explanation beyond Octavia being the only straight one of the group. So, she didn't give it. She just picked her Scroll off the ground and continued to shrug and text and text and shrug.
"Well, whatever. I mean, it pretty much got buried in the news due to Alyx, so like, who cares?"
The answer, unfortunately, was that Nebula cared. It was the straw that broke her back. Punks. Freaks. Rebels. Pigs. Idiots. And now, porn stars. Sluts and whores. This was the state of Shade Academy. This was the school whose honor she fought for. It made her sick to her stomach. She saw Reese skating around the lake and wanted to throw up. She saw Nadir pathetically failing to stop his own teammate, and she felt embarrassed. She saw the darkened house of Team NTMR and wanted to set it on fire. She saw the home of Team BRNZ and thought only of its deepest perversions. Vytal had been sullied beyond repair. No… it was Shade that could not be redeemed. This was clear to her now.
If she was going to have any dignity by the end of this Festival, something had to give. Someone had to break. She was dammed sure it wasn't going to be them.
"Octavia," Nebula said furiously. "About that thing you suggested…"
Mari McCabe was used to being the center of attention.
It wasn't always that way. Growing up in a small village with a reverend father, she was used to humble living. When tragedy befell her, she was forced to flee and start a new life. In doing so, the eyes of the world fell upon her. She moonlighted as a runway model and fashion icon, used to snapping cameras and flashing lights. It wasn't her life's work, of course. She needed the money to help her village back home, to fight for animal rights and environmental protections. Modeling was just a shield. But she had to admit, it was easy to get swept up in the glamor of it all. There was a particular rush in being dazzling, knowing that everyone in the room wanted to be her or be with her. She could usually resist the temptation, and it never distracted her from what was truly important. She had a team to lead, and now, with Team CSVR, her experience was vital to lead them to success on their mission. But it was soothing in its own way. Not letting it get to her head was sometimes as hard as fighting.
Now, being a Huntress, she wanted as little attention as possible.
She thought it would be hard. The whole point of the Vytal Festival was for people to stare at her, judge her, criticize and speculate. She had been mentally preparing herself for the past several weeks to deal with the pressure. She read up on every technique to steady herself and was ready to help her more anxious teammates with the same burden. Yet, that all ended up being rather unnecessary. When she woke up and checked the news, no one wanted to talk about the Vixen.
Alyx Nevermore. Mari wanted to give her a hug. Thank you for being so weird.
Seriously, she didn't see her team mentioned once in the trades. It was Alyx all the way. Sometimes they talked about Team RWBY. The Mistral Times mentioned every Haven team except Team CSVR. But most of the conversation was about the gremlin who danced all over the stage, who poked and prodded and provoked the President of Vale. Did he deserve that? Mari had no idea. She knew of some rather bad presidents. But Pygmalion was unfamiliar to her. In the end, did it matter? Not really. She was riding high when she walked downstairs into the cabin kitchen. She was surprised to see she was not alone.
Rachel Roth and Victor Stone. Best friends for longer than Mari had known either of them. The former sat at the kitchen table, her pale, gloomy disposition hiding behind a cup of tea. The latter rummaged through the pantry, wearing a t-shirt that exposed most of the cybernetic wiring around his torso. Mari was glad that they had each other. It had been a difficult time for all of them, Rachel especially. For someone so dark and lonesome, Mari was glad she had someone to talk to. It helped integrate her into the team, and these days, that was more important than ever.
"Sleep well, Mari?" Victor asked as he unwrapped a granola bar.
"I managed. These beds aren't great," Mari confessed. "I'm surprised you're up this early, Rae. You should rest."
"I need to stay focused," Rachel sighed. "It's more crucial than ever not to slip."
"You got this. Just try not to overdo it," Victor said comfortingly. He took a bite of the granola bar, and his lips pulled back into a frown. "Man, everything here is terrible. You would think these Vytal guys would pull out all the stops for their Huntsmen."
"I think it might just be bad granola," Rachel stated.
"Well, bad is bad," Victor said, throwing the granola straight into the trash.
"We're supposed to be having a fancy dinner tonight," Mari explained. "Maybe they'll finally serve us good food there."
"They better," Victor grumbled. "That being said, we should go over all of our plans for today once Jess is awake."
Mari nodded. Jessica hadn't been much help in the past few months, both because of her limited power and her current… temperament. Yet, she was the oldest among them, a valuable ally and, of course, a good friend. They just needed to remind her of that sometimes. While they waited for Jessica to wake up, Mari led the gossip.
"So, the other competitors… what do we think of them?"
"They're nothing like we are used to," Rachel noted. "Many of them seem focused on their own ambitions. The ones that aren't, appear destructive."
"It's weird how many of them are celebrities, too," Victor pointed out. "The point of a Huntsman should be to help people. I don't know if I heard anyone talk about that since we got here."
Mari shrugged. "So, we're still not trusting any of them?"
"There's a few I want to talk about at the meeting. But the short version? No. Not until they prove to us they can be," Victor said. He wasn't disappointed or bitter, merely stating facts as they were. It was important not to let personal feelings blind them. There was nothing more dangerous than someone pretending to be a friend, after all.
Rachel took another sip of her tea. "That Alyx woman… there was something off about her."
"No shit," Mari laughed.
"Not her personality," Rachel clarified. "Her Aura… it was all… wrong."
"What do you mean?" Victor asked.
"I'm not really sure. Let's just keep an eye on her. I worry there's more to her than she's letting on…"
Rachel's thoughts were halted as footsteps approached from down the hall. Jessica Cruz, slender, meek, and exhausted, walked into kitchen. Her green bangs were falling into her face and loose strings fell from her sleeping shorts. She fiddled with her green ring as the others greeted her.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Mari smiled. "You rest well?"
Jessica yawned. "Not really. Do we have breakfast ready?"
"Not unless you want bad granola," Victor joked. Jessica pondered it for a moment.
"I… wouldn't mind that, actually…"
She lazily retrieved her food from the kitchen pantry, and then all four members of Team CSVR took their place around the table. Jessica hesitantly crunched her granola as Mari took the lead.
"Okay, everyone. We've successfully made it to the second day of the Vytal Festival without incident. Thank you all for your hard work. Our first priority should be discussing the Alpha Target. Vic?"
Victor stood up. A key panel opened up on his forearm, and he manually typed in a command. A few moments later, a holographic map of Vytal was projected out of his arm onto the table. The others watched carefully as he navigated them through the city.
"I've been consistently monitoring the communications of the headmasters," Victor explained. "Hacking into the city's security systems was easy. I've pretty much been able to track the conversations of everyone involved in the Festival in some capacity."
"And what have you learned?" asked Mari.
"Plenty," Vic explained. "The Alpha Target is something known as the Holy Grail. It's not exactly clear what it is, but it's definitely that huge source of energy that Raven was picking up. It's currently being stored in the hotel room of Professor Ozymandias Ozpin, Beacon's Headmaster."
"A hotel room? That's so stupid," Mari said. "They're basically asking for it to be stolen."
"It's not completely defenseless. It's being guarded at all times by a woman named Glynda Goodwitch. She has some kind of strong magic powers that I can't pin down. I looked her up. Based on everything I've read about her, she's extremely dangerous."
"Do you think we can handle her if we need to fight?" Rachel asked coldly.
"Normally? We'd whoop her," Victor claimed. "But let's face facts. None of us are fighting at full potential."
A brief, angry silence fell over the group. Victor quickly moved on, trying to put it behind them.
"Not that I think it would matter anyway. Stealing the Grail outright seems like a bad idea. While it isn't being individually protected, robbing the headmasters would put the city on high alert. There are hundreds of trained Huntsmen here who would begin a manhunt for us, and we need time to learn how the Grail actually works before we can do anything. It's not like we have reliable transport off the island either. Assuming we could get the artifact and escape detection, there's another problem. The Holy Grail is being protected by an advanced internal security system. It's only designed to unlock for the winner of the Vytal Festival."
Mari wondered aloud. "Do you think you could interface with it?"
Victor sighed. "My tech is completely incompatible with whatever this is. Based on the way they describe the artifact, it appears alien in origin."
"So you can't hack it," Rachel groaned. "Just great."
"I didn't say that!" Victor said half-defensively. "You know I can hack anything eventually. I'm just saying that it's a gamble, and there are probably safer ways forward."
Mari sighed. Of course, it couldn't ever be that simple. If they didn't want to fight every Huntsmen in Remnant, then they would need a way of getting the Holy Grail legitimately. And that meant they were back to their original plan.
"Okay, so let's talk about Vytal then," Mari said, trying to refocus herself. "We begin fighting in two days. There's no way to prepare the bracket ahead of time?"
"My understanding is Cinder Fall selects the bracket order by random draw," said Victor.
"And you can't use your powers to affect the outcome?" Mari asked Rachel.
"Not really."
"Then I guess we just beat everyone's asses the old-fashioned way. There isn't much more to it than that," Mari said, clapping her hands together.
"Well, there is one thing we gotta be careful of," Victor explained. "We're not the only ones gunning for the Grail."
The others reacted with surprise as Victor pulled up a new hologram onto the table. Four young women appeared before them. Information about them scrolled past in a quick blaze.
"Team RWBY, huh?" Mari stated.
"It's pretty much all of the students of Beacon Academy," Victor explained. "Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY have an alliance together, based on the conversations I've heard. But the RWBY girls are definitely the ring leaders of the operation."
Jessica shuffled uncomfortably. "Team RWBY are the ones who stopped that monster attack, right? So, they aren't bad."
"I've been browsing their socials. They're maybe a bit cranky and reckless, but they've been credited with saving a lot of lives."
"Big into activism as well," Mari pointed out. "That Blake girl fights a lot for minority rights. They have a huge charitable fund they use to give back to various communities."
Rachel pouted. "I'm sensing a but."
"But… we have no idea what their motivations are," Victor followed. "I think we all know that looks can be deceiving. The girls clearly got a lot of ambition, but they're scheming to get their hands on something they barely understand."
"We barely understand it as well," Mari claimed.
"Right, but how do they even know about the Holy Grail in the first place?" asked Victor. "It's not like we uncovered it by asking politely."
"Who knows?" said Mari. "There's a lot going on here that we don't understand. Jess, you ran into Ruby the other day, right? Did she seem like somebody we can trust?"
Jessica looked down at the holographic image of the redheaded huntress. She bit her lower lip.
"I… I didn't really get a chance to speak with her," Jessica admitted.
"Well, if you get another chance, see what you can learn from them," Mari suggested. "If they are aware of the Holy Grail's existence, they could be valuable."
"Or they could stab us in the back," Raven claimed.
"So don't give them the opportunity," Mari said determinedly. "We're in control here. Let's not forget that."
Control? It was a laughable suggestion, though Rachel wasn't laughing. They hadn't been in control ever. They were wounded, lost, and weakened. They had one shot at getting back control, and if they blew it, they wouldn't be the only ones to suffer. Mari, perhaps recognizing the absurdity of her statement, changed topics.
"What does today's festivities look like?"
Victor sighed and typed again on his arm, and the holographic Team RWBY disappeared. "According to our schedule, we have two major events planned for today. The first is what's called a Showcase. Basically, they pick a member from each team and have them engage in a small battle with some grunts. It helps build hype for the actual tournament, I'd guess. Then, later tonight, we all get to have dinner together with our families and the rest of the teams. Where they better serve some good food for once."
"Do you think it's going to be awkward?" Jessica asked quietly. "You know, since none of our families will be there."
"Maybe, maybe not," Mari shrugged. "I'm sure we aren't the only folks without parents there. We'll just say none of them could make it. I mean, it's true, and it's better than trying to fake something."
"Go back to the Showcase for a moment," Rachel requested. "Which one of us is going to do the fighting?"
"I think the school selects, though we are allowed to substitute it with whoever we want," Victor explained.
Rachel grimaced. "Then do me a favor. If they ask me to fight, replace me with anyone else."
"You don't want the spotlight?"
"I don't want the distraction. I'm using most of my attention on you know what. If I slip and have to use my efforts for a fight, we're all in danger."
Victor understood though it was disappointing to hear. Rachel was arguably the most powerful of them all, but that placed more burdens on her than she deserved. In the many years he had known her, he had seen her come out of her shell and master abilities that he once thought were uncontrollable. But she had been suffering lately, forced under a mental strain that he had no means of fixing. He wanted this nightmare to end as soon as possible for her sake. Though it was frustrating to watch her be constrained, he knew in his heart he couldn't force more suffering on her.
"So, then… who wants to take it?" he asked. He was ready to volunteer himself. It had been a while since he cracked some heads. However, Mari quickly raised her hand, and he ceded his case before he could even make it. "You want to take the lead?"
Mari smiled. "Actually… I was thinking that maybe Jessica could get the Showcase."
The words struck their tiniest member like a bullet. She nearly choked on her granola, and hunched over the table to make herself as small as possible.
"W-What? Me? I could… n-no. That's, well…"
"Look, Jess. You're our ace in the hole, but you have been doubting yourself like crazy lately," Mari said gently. "I think maybe if you get some practice fights in, it will help you get your confidence back."
Jessica heard the words Mari said, but she didn't really process them. She frantically shook her head, desperate to avoid the call to action.
"I-I-I… I mean… I can't," she stuttered. "My ring… you know, it's… it can't be recharged when it's all gone. The Power Battery isn't connected. I don't… I don't want to use it up."
"You won't use it up. It's one fight," Mari said comfortingly. "You should have more than enough juice to get through the entire tournament."
Jessica bowed her head. "Okay, maybe, but…"
"I doubt it will be dangerous," Victor reasoned, though he was more cautious to throw Jessica into something she was hesitant about. "Remember, they are just trying to show off your skills. Whatever you have to do, you'll be okay."
Jessica fiddled with her ring again. The others were making good points, but… did it have to be her? Anyone could take up this fight. What would happen if her ring ran out of power? What if she got exposed? What if…
Well…
Actually…
She didn't always used to be this way. She used to be so much stronger. Smarter. Worthier. But since arriving at Haven Academy, it was like all of her bravery had been siphoned away. It was pathetic. If there was one thing that she hated more than feeling worthless, it was being worthless. Her teammates were asking her for help. She… she couldn't say no to them. She would never forgive herself.
Jessica slowly nodded, speaking barely above a whisper. "O-Okay… I'll do the showcase."
Mari playfully punched her in the arm. "That's my girl."
"Ow."
"Sorry."
Victor nodded in approval. "Well, now that that's settled, what are the rest of us doing today?"
Mari smirked. "Well, to be honest… I was thinking maybe we explore the town a little. Stop by the vendors, see what they have to offer."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Victor. "Remember what our mission is."
"Look, we've been spending most of our days cramped up in our dorm. I don't want to spend all of Vytal stuck inside this cabin."
"The reason we stay inside is because it doesn't draw attention," Victor reminded her.
"Right now, everyone's attention is on Shade Academy," Mari countered. "It's the perfect time for us to explore."
Victor sighed. "I'm not sure, Mari."
Mari playfully shrugged. "Okay, you win. We'll stay inside all day."
Rachel nodded. "That's probably safer. The less of us out at one time, the better."
"It is a bit of a shame though," Mari stated. "I heard there was this fantastic waffle stand in the food market."
Victor's defenses dropped instantly. His eye lit up. He stood on his tiptoes, the energy flowing through him.
"A waffle stand?" A wide grin covered his face, saliva practically dripping from his lips. Could it be? Food? Genuine, real food at last?
Mari pretended to sigh. "Yeah, but since we are staying inside all day—"
"We're going to that waffle stand!" Victor declared, rubbing his hands together eagerly. Jessica gasped, taken aback by his sudden energy. Rachel looked at him with disgust.
"I can't believe you caved that easily."
"Rae, you know my love of waffles cannot be contained!"
"I thought you were a pancake person?"
"Pancakes, waffles, anything slathered in syrup and powdered sugar and served with a side of bacon!" He gasped excitedly. "Do you think they have bacon?"
"Only one way to find out!" Mari declared. "You wanna come along, Raven?"
Rachel scoffed. "I have to concentrate. You enjoy your… waffles. Hey!"
She gasped as Victor picked her up into a bear hug, his excitement unable to be contained. "Don't worry, Rae! I'll make sure to bring you back some!"
Rachel groaned in frustration, but did not resist. There was no point. She was going to be eating waffles, it seemed. She would try not to let the others know that she enjoyed it.