Continuing: After Dinner at Revél Rivál

The two beacon students continue their not so legal trip into the city, and after a lovely dinner with a generous staff, some awkwardness, bad flirting, and deep small talk, Link and Velvet find themselves outside of the prestigious restaurant, unsure of what their next destination will be. What they do know, however, is that their night and date is not over just yet. For now, they enjoy the heavy rain whilst taking a stroll deeper into the city that is now clearing out with people rushing to get indoors

"Are you sure you're not cold, Vel?" Link asks while he holds onto her thick coat; which is now completely drenched

"No no, the cold hit me when I was getting ready to go out with you but maybe it wasn't the temperature." Velvet stops and turns to face Link. "I was-! No, I am still nervous about this."

"What is there to be nervous about?" Link smiles and gently grabs her chin

"The real question is, what isn't there to be nervous about?" Velvet sighs and drops her head, effectively shrugging off her date's hand from her chin. "I can't wrap my head around Coco and Yatsuhashi being defeated, now I'm here with you, trying to impress you… Or at least not embarrass myself."

"Relax, Velvet. The pressure is solely on me." Link smirks. "If I return you back with anything less than a smile on your face, Coco will kill me and I have no choice but to accept by fate."

"She would never do such a thing." Velvet shakes her head. "Not in her current state at least."

"What happened to her?" Link walks side by side with the rabbit faunus as they continue pushing through the heavy rain. "She looked like me when I saw Ray as a ghost."

"W-What!?" Velvet turns to her date with a look of concern

"Uhhh… Forget I said that?" Link nervously scratches his head

"Umm? Alright, I'll try to forget that, just this one." Velvet narrows her eyes that are full of concern. "Look, I don't know what to believe. Coco swears Yatsuhashi was right behind her in the forest, as if he had disposed of Mercury but..."

"That did not happen at all." Link mumbles. "Mercury took care of Yatsuhashi in the geyser fields."

"Exactly." She shuts her eyes and rubs her temples. "Stress and hallucinations is the route Coco is going for, but what if it's something deeper?"

(The rodent catches on quickly.)

(Be quiet! And never call her that again!) Link frowns and shuts his eyes to himself from the voice in his head, "Like what?" He adds. "What do you think it could be?"

"I'm not really sure. It's just... The thought of someone like Coco being affected like that mid-fight is unreal." Velvet shakes her head while slowly opening her eyes. "She has plenty of experience to not let anything shake her up."

"Maybe-!" Link stops and sighs as he forces out a different answer. "It can happen to anyone, Velvet. Even the best Beacon has to offer."

"I suppose you're right." She drops her head again and continues walking as she internally thinks

"Don't worry, Velvet. When I get past this next round, if I draw either Mercury or Emerald in the one on one round, I will personally avenge Coco and Yatsuhashi." Link catches up to her and nudges the faunus' shoulder

"You don't have to do that for me." She looks up and smiles at her friend

"It would be my pleasure. Besides, if it gets that smile on your face more often, I NEED to do it."

"No, no, no." Velvet grabs his hand and leans her head on his shoulder. "You don't have to fight anyone for me. Although, ever since you took on Cardin and his team, I couldn't stop thinking about you and how you helped me despite not knowing who I was."

"Someone had to shut down team CRDL eventually, I just beat Coco to the punch." Link looks around and sees the buzzing lights slowly dimming down as the celebrations and street festivities come to a conclusion

"There's not much else to do right? What a shame." Velvet mumbles as they turn a corner and see their 'ride' in the distance

"You can go back to Beacon if you'd like." Link nudges her towards the ship. "I need to pay someone a visit real quick."

"Really?" Velvet tilts her head. "Can I come with you?"

"N-No!" Link comes to a complete stop, not giving away which direction he is going in. "You shouldn't, go back to your dorm and tell Coco all about the time we spent together."

"W-Wait!" Velvet grabs his hand and roughly tugs on it. "What's wrong? We had a nice time at the restaurant, a peaceful walk in the rain, but now your mood has turned upside down? I hope my assumption is wrong."

"It's a bar, Velvet. I'm going to a bar." Link puts his head down and shakes his head. "I helped the owner fight off crooks after the end of my first semester and I have not seen him in a while."

"Oh." Velvet ponders her choices and tugs on Link's hand some more. "Then I will ask again. Can I come with you?"

"You really want to come with me?" Link glances at her as if she were crazy. "It won't take long, he told me he was re-branding his bar with a new name and logo, I want to see how he is doing, that's all."

"Sure." The rabbit faunus nods. "Besides, how will Coco react when I tell her you ditched me to go to a bar?"

"H-Huh? You wouldn't." Link narrows his eyes. "You like me too much."

"Is that meant to be a challenge?" Velvet lets go of his hand and crosses her arms, showing off a devious look, something quite rare from someone like her

"Fine, you win. Come on." Link takes a right and crosses the street, Velvet quickly jogs to catch up as the two of them walk further away from the ship

After an extensive walk throughout the City of Vale, involving crossing streets and taking sudden turns, the dynamic goes from glamorous buildings and civilized areas, to rough, damaged exteriors, and shady looking men and women in their own small groups

"Why would he open a bar here?" Velvet looks around and behind her as goosebumps creep up her spine

"He said it was to… And I quote: 'cater to the degenerates', whatever that means." Link shakes his head

"I know exactly what it means. Setting up a bar in the poor, more unfortunate area of Vale, that's low. He is preying on those who are down and need to down their sorrows in alcohol." Velvet shakes her head in disapproval

"Maybe that's why I come here then." Link looks away and scratches his neck shamefully while they approach the entrance of the bar

"That shouldn't be true, Link. Why would you come-!"

"Well well well, would you look at this." The voice of a loud man interrupts Velvet as he sizes up both of them. "It's Beacon brats, what are you two doing here?"

"Hey! We're not looking for trouble." Link extends an arm in front of Velvet and slowly shoves her behind him for protection

"What?" A head pokes out an open door, "Ooooooh! Look at this! I didn't think I'd see you again." The second man exits the bar and shoves aside the loud man sizing up Link and Velvet, "Good to see you my friend." He offers his hand to the blonde student

"You're in a better mood today." Link raises his eyebrows before confidently shaking his hand. "Is the business doing well now?"

"Doing well? You ought to find a better word for it, life has been great. After you helped me fight off those scumbags, it tumbled a bit." The man chuckles, "People thought this place getting raided was going to be a constant thing but you and I scared them off pretty good." He turns towards Velvet, who is right beside the blonde boy. "You brought your girlfriend, how unexpected."

"What?!" Link shakes his head. "She's not-!"

"It was a surprise to me as well." Velvet nods, remembering their earlier talk of not making it awkward if they were to be labeled as a couple. "He took me to a nice restaurant first."

"And now he brought you here? Bad way to end." He laughs and extends his hand to the rabbit faunus. "Shane."

"Velvet." She gracefully shakes his hand

"So what brings you here?" Shane glares at Link

"That." Link points at the sign above the small building

"P-Prybar?" Velvet scratches her head. "I don't understand."

"He was never the creative one in his family." Link grins

"Shut up." Shane rolls his eyes whilst addressing Velvet. "My cousin runs a joint called Crow Bar, so why not spoof it, especially since this one is the 'bad' one and he runs the 'nice' bar."

"Right?" Link tilts his head in confusion

"It's nearly packed tonight, there's even a line." Shane points at the loud man who is now stumbling around the entrance. "Just kidding, we kicked him out a few minutes ago."

"Was he starting fights?" Link sighs. "Because he was seconds away from picking a fight with Velvet and I."

"Sorry about that." Shane sighs. "Yes he was starting fights. That and he's wasted. Do you want to come in for a drink?"

"Sure." Link nods. "Why not? You were generous enough to say I'm always welcome."

"I thought he was just visiting." Velvet smacks her lips in disapproval

"Of course. You can never say no to at least one drink." Shane turns, walks back inside his bar, and leads them inside, soon pointing them to the main bar as the only three tables set up are all taken

"I do not want to watch that." Velvet points at the screen above the bartender, which shows the replays of the tournament, where it convenient had just cut to the beginning of Coco and Yatsuhashi vs Emerald and Mercury

"Well the corner seats can't see the screen at all. We can also mute it too if you'd like." The bartender offers

"Let's go for that." Link nods and sits down on the far right side

"Thank you." Velvet settles down next to him. "What happened to it being quick?"

"I didn't plan on drinking, I just said yes to be nice." The blonde chuckles

"He was very nice, why did you ask if his mood changed?" She asks

"Even when I helped him fight off those guys, he wasn't exactly chipper. He thanked me and always let me in, sure." Link mumbles as he brushes off the bartender who was nearly about to approach them. "But he always made it seem like he owed me no matter how many times I told him he did not. I don't know, he was not the most positive person at some point."

"Maybe Shane was at his lowest and being attacked was the breaking point?"

"Perhaps." Link slowly nods

"Helping another person I never knew about, good on you, Link. How many other people in Vale have you helped?" Velvet grins

"Besides you guys and Shane, I don't think anybody else in Vale." Link smiles and nudges her midsection with his elbow

"I will always regret not talking to you sooner." She exhales in disappointment. "Since the moment we spoke, you were always so thoughtful, wise, and sweet."

"No need to mention it, especially since I didn't help the cause." Link sighs. "Despite how supposedly 'obvious' this thing between you and I was made out by Coco, I must admit something. I did get nervous around you as well."

"R-really?" Velvet's eyes shoot open. "How come?"

"What do you mean, how come?" Link turns his head in surprise. "You're sweet, caring, thoughtful, and very pretty. All of this confidence you see is centered around my combat abilities but that's about it. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to socializing and expressing myself."

"Y-You're just being nice, aren't you?" Velvet tries to look down, in an attempt at hiding her blushing face

"I try to keep my lies to a bare minimum." Link slides his hand under Velvet's chin and lifts her head back up. "And none of what I just said were lies."

"Those lies and secrets, will you tell me about them some day?" Velvet gulps as her body temperature rises along with her heartbeat

"Maybe, as long as you tell me yours too." Link smiles at her

"I... I had a dream of us making out!" She blurts out with nervous giggles and an increases blush on her cheeks

"Wow, you work fast." Link stares into her eyes as he laughs. "Do you regret having that dream, or telling me about it?"

"Absolutely not." Velvet's hands shake as she places one on her date's cheek. "My heart was at hyperspeed when I first said it but now it's slowing down. Telling Coco was way worse, she forced it out of me."

"Thank you for telling me. It makes me feel good knowing that I did not have to force it from you." Link's smile gets bigger and wider until the corners of his mouth cannot stretch any further; the blonde shows no sign of backing away

"L-Link." Velvet exhales. "I'm not sure why I'm so nervous. I like you and you're my friend but with other friends I've never been this worked up."

"Hey, calm down. I'm here with you." Link lets go of her chin and repeats her action, a hand to the right cheek in one swift motion

"I'm trying b-but, it's not working." Her red face, shaking hands, and fast heart culminates with giggles of happiness. "Can I kiss you?"

"Velvet... Of course you can." Link slowly nods

Velvet closes her eyes, her puckered lips quiver, she carefully leans forward, almost unsure of what she wants to do and whether she wants to do it at all

"Need some help?" Link whispers

"Yes please." She whines

Link leans forward only a couple of inches, as Velvet was already close. The one person team seals the deal with a soft kiss. Nothing too aggressive or deeply intimate, just a soft, gentle kiss. The rabbit faunus removes her hand from her date's cheek and slips both arms around his neck, deepening the kiss in the process. Link moves his other hand over to Velvet's left cheek, feeling her soft face with both hands as they continue to kiss until both of them are nearly breathless

"Wow." Velvet slowly backs away but only enough to remain inches away from Link. "Did that really happen?"

"I can pinch you if you'd like." Link quietly giggles

"You would never say that in a dream." Velvet smiles brightly

"We are not in a dream then." He smiles back

"Can we agree to not tell Coco about this?" The rabbit faunus's eyes softened. "Please?"

"Absolutely, she will never let us hear the end of it." Link presses his forehead against Velvet's and gives her an assuring nod

After an awkward long smile and some giggles mostly from Velvet, but also from Link, the former is the one to back away from the blonde boy

"Not a bad way to end, is it?" Link grins as he remembers Shane's words

"Okay you win. Although, I am sure this is not the way a usual date would go." Velvet giggles. "But where's the fun in that? And hey, I still have a question."

"Yes?" Link asks. "Ask away."

"How did you find yourself in this situation anyway? Helping someone fight off crooks in your free time." Velvet shifts her body so she can directly look at Link face to face

"It was not exactly in my free time. I skipped class and made my way to the city. There's no definitive answer as to why I was in this area specifically." Link rolls his eyes at his own actions. "Wandering around got me here."

"Why did you skip class to come here?"

"The usual." Link's tone drops completely. "I was feeling-!"

"Did someone say the usual?" Shane's voice is heard once again. "Coming right up."

"N-No-!" Link speaks up to stop the man, but stops himself. "Anyway, yeah the usual you know, me and my regrets. Feeling sad about Ray, her family, and that village."

"Oh Link." Velvet reaches out to him and rubs his arm

"I know. All I do is sulk and pin my problems on those around me." He sarcastically chuckles. "I shouldn't do it to you too."

"Stop it, you don't do that at all. Remember that we insisted on knowing about your past. We broke into your room and everything." Velvet's words lose their volume as she shamefully finishes the sentence. "Sorry about that again. It wasn't my idea but I did go through with it."

"No it's okay, you were worried about me. Losing Ruby for that short time made me think about Ray and the rest of the villagers I couldn't save." Link turns away. "...And how it was my fault that they are not alive today."

"Here you go kid." Shane sneakily puts three glasses of alcohol in front of Link, the glasses have a consistent dark amber color, with a slight gold shine to each glass. "Another reason I built my bar over here is I barely get any dumb cops poking around. So you can come in and drink whenever you want."

"Smart." Link compliments Shane with a fake smile, not out of disdain for the owner, but simply because his mood has dropped

"You are only one person and although you are very strong, have the biggest heart, most courage out of anyone I have ever met, and never say die-!" Velvet suddenly grabs both of Link's hands and squeezes them tightly. "Sorry if this comes off as harsh but… Even you right now couldn't stop that entire onslaught from over a year ago. I'm not sure if any single person could have."

"Deep down, I think I know that. There's just this looming thought at the back of my head that will not go away. It keeps playing in my head too, that maybe I could have saved them all." Link breaks Velvet's grip and grabs the glass, his hand shakes from the frustration and sadness built up. (I told Ruby and Yang I would stop but…)

"Talk to me Link." Velvet reaches for the drink and tries to pull it away

"I cannot shake these feelings of regret, okay? It's not fair that they keep haunting me. I just... I'm lost. There's times where I feel like I'm wasting my time here in Vale." Link manages to fight off Velvet's grip and within two quick swigs, he downs a glass. "Ray wanted to come to Vale, that's why I came here. I was living out her dreams but then when I met all of you-!"

Link makes quick work of the second drink and reaches for the third glass, but the concerned faunus who sits right next to him is two steps ahead

"The dream was put on hold." Velvet in a swift motion snatches the drink before her friend even thinks about grabbing it…

And proceeds to drink it herself, the rabbit faunus' face tightens up mere seconds after finishing the glass

"V-Velvet? What are you doing?" Link shakes his head. "You've never consumed-!"

"You wanted to make me happy but now you're the one who needs some cheering up." Velvet waves Shane over. "How about two more?"

"Um..." Shane glances around before rolling his eyes. "Sure kid, I'll take your money. Just don't report me to the cops for selling minors alcohol."

"But Velvet." Link scoffs. "That doesn't explain-!"

"I'm here for you, Link no matter what. That's something I want you to always remember." Velvet's face is still scrunched up as two new glasses are set in front of the Beacon students, "Thank you!" She turns to the owner of the bar and nods

"Guide her, will ya?" Shane glares at Link. "Not that you're immune but… You can handle your alcohol better."

"I'll take good care of her." Link nods

"You better, she's good company for you. I got you the strongest stuff, just the way you like. But uh, consider it the last couple of drinks I'm serving you tonight, yeah?" Shane shrugs and walks away

"Thanks Shane." Link nods to him before turning to his date, "Are you sure about this Velvet? I must say, like the awkward flirting, you don't have to do something you're not comfortable with." He takes one glass and lifts it in the air

"You make me happy, Link. I want to repay the favor, by not letting you drink your sorrows away. Not alone at least." Velvet smiles as she picks up the other glass, then clinks it against Link's

"Cheers." He mumbles. "To my upcoming tournament match and to our fortunes turning around for the better."

"Yes, I can get on board with that. Cheers!" Velvet nearly coughs as she struggles to even take a sip, "He was not kidding."

"Shane is a bit of a clumsy fool, but he knows his alcohol." Link drinks out of his glass, but his face tightens up as well. "Ugh… Okay. Where do you see yourself after we graduate?"

"Me? Oh... It's a bit too soon for you and I to even be thinking about post graduation life, isn't it?" Velvet shakes her head. "There's always the answers we expect such as becoming a professor, becoming an official huntsman or huntress, then there is-!"

"Feeling directionless?" Link looks down at the oak wood countertop his arms rest on, "That's why I think I'm wasting time here in Vale, let's say I graduate right, then what? My goals remain the same: Avenge Garanda but more specifically Ray, while continuing my search for my mother and brother, if they are even alive." He smirks. "Hell I can add searching for Carter and my old mercenary crew. Not that I have any intention of becoming a mercenary ever again, but just knowing they're alive is enough for me."

"Tell me something, Link." Velvet glances in his direction, with a worried expression plastered on her face. "When you find the person who did what they did to your friend, do you see yourself killing them?"

"I will be completely honest with you, I am not sure. I cannot say yes or no." Link drinks again and nearly finishes his serving. "My heart says yes because nobody deserved to die that day, but my head says no because killing someone will not bring them back so all I would be doing is shedding more blood."

"Do you think we are holding you back?" Velvet turns all the way around to face him as she gives the drink in her hand a second sip

"Not at all." Link shakes his head, "I love all of you. And I'm sorry for saying I am wasting time in Vale. I'm learning from our professors, all of my friends, even enemies too. You guys give me something to fight for. I want to protect you, Ruby, Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss, Yang, the list goes on... I want to protect all of you!" He nods determinedly. "Not that you need protection. But I just have these feelings that something bad could happen to you guys, and I want to be there to prevent it, you know?"

"Of course, I understand exactly what you mean." Velvet inhales and battles through the struggle, not realizing that her vision is starting to blur, "I want to protect you too, not that you actually need it. You're really wise, strong, and when your mind is set on something, you do it and never consider falling down or worse, failing." She sighs. "In a way, I envy you, Link. Because I wish I was as strong as you.

"Velvet…" Link shakes his head. "Don't put yourself down like-!"

"Link, you are in your own team." Velvet finishes the glass and puts it down right away, shooting him a glare. "It's not just the first year students that envy you, upperclassmen do as well. NOBODY has ever been assigned to their own team, and you have never attended an academy before you arrived at Beacon. We all envy you, it is not only people like Cardin, he just happened to be the loudest one at the time."

"You shouldn't envy or strive to be like me, I would not be a good role model." Link chuckles. "The people who know what really happened to Ruby… They see me as a hero for valiantly fighting for her. But I'm no hero, I was the reason she was in that position to begin with. I have to do more to earn the title of a hero." His eyes widen as Velvet beats him at finishing their drinks. "That… Is going to hit you hard."

"Hm?" Velvet giggles

"Oh no." Link sighs as his vision blurs a bit too; although not to the extent of his date. "Let's go home, shall we?"

"O-Okay." Velvet nods and stands up rapidly, attempting to show that she is fine, only to stumble

"That damn Atlas guy better not have taken off yet." Link drops six green lien cards on the counter and interlocks his arm with Velvet's to guide her out of the bar

"See you in another ten years, kid." Shane smirks and waves. "Or ten days, knowing how you operate sometimes."

"We'll see, bye Shane. Good luck with the business." Link waves back before exiting the bar with his friends clinging onto him tightly

"W-Why do you r-resort to drinking L-Link?" Velvet closes her eyes and shakes her head violently. "It doesn't feel great or even taste good."

"You drank the strongest alcohol he had inside the bar." Link laughs. "If you had taken it slow with a glass of water right beside it, you would have been better off."

"He told you to guide me, you were not a very good teacher." Velvet purposely leans all the way to the right, attempting to make her date lose his balance

"Easy there. I'll do better next time." Link smirks

"N-Next time, really?" Velvet's eyes shoot open with excitement. "You want to go on another date?"

"If you'll allow me to take you out, then absolutely." Link nods. "This was fun."

"Y-Yes of course!" She cries out

"Great. We can worry about a second date later, though. For now let's get you back to Beacon." The blonde shakes his head at the rabbit faunus' silly drunk antics

Minutes later, after lots of stumbling and slow paced walking, the pair make it back to the bullhead. They approach the ship and immediately there's an angsty soldier angrily tapping his foot on the ground, while the main pilot of the ship sighs in relief

"Six more minutes and I would've left without you two."

"Count us lucky then." Link ushers Velvet into the ship where they sit in the exact same spot as when they first boarded it. "How are you feeling, Velvet?"

"H-Hu-!"

No coherent response comes from the faunus, she simply lies her head on Link's shoulder and let out a peaceful yawn

Beacon Academy: End of the Courtyard, Landing Docks

The entire trip back was pure silence, but unlike the initial one, there was no tension, nerves from the faunus, awkwardness from both of them, or near breakdown from the blonde. Velvet enjoys a quick nap on Link's shoulder and latter smiles as he watches his friend peacefully rest

BOOM!

"Whoa!" Velvet jolts and looks around... Then surprisingly giggles, "They did it again, right?"

"Are you okay?" Link warms an arm around her to deliver a gentle hug

"Yes." Velvet nods. "All of the impact and surprise was taken out the first time he did it, despite me being awake."

(She just bailed you Atlas scum out.) Link growls and stands up to walk off the ship as the bullhead finishes its landing

"You're in a hurry." Velvet holds onto Link's arm as they speed past the atlas soldiers

"I just want to get by them." Link slows down

Another long, slow walk ensues as they make their way into the courtyard, enter Beacon Academy, then head towards the dorms. Approximately ten minutes later, with more stumbling and and swaying side to side, the pair reach team CFVY's dorm, but Velvet stops and plants her feet on the floor unexpectedly, to the point where she roughly slides a few inches when Link momentarily drags her

"What's wrong?" He turns and looks at the rabbit faunus in the eyes

"I can't go back to my dorm... I'm drunk, remember?" Velvet laughs. "Coco would kill you."

"You're not drunk." Link rolls his eyes but sweetly smiles. "But I get it. I, as a first time drinker, experienced everything you did too."

"Well, even if I am not drunk. I still smell like alcohol." Velvet pouts and crosses her arms. "I don't want Coco and Yatsuhashi to scold me or yell at you."

"Hm, how about my room then?" Link asks. "We can sleep as much as we need to, then quickly get up in the morning and stay ahead of your team. How does that sound?"

"I don't know…" Velvet blushes and shrugs off her previous words. "Okay!"

"R-Really? I didn't think you'd budge that quick-!"

"Come on!" Velvet's ears perk when the doorknob on the door of her team's room turns, she grabs Link's hand and runs off with him trailing right behind her

The footsteps fade as the door swings open and out comes Coco frantically looking side to side, her right hand tightly holding her handbag 'Gianduja' as it rests on her hip

"Who's there!?" Coco narrows her eyes, but quickly sighs, "These hallucinations still won't scram. And where the hell are Link and Velvet?!" She gives up and heads back into her dorm. "Maybe they are still on their date. That or they are at his dorm because it's gotten too late now. He better not hurt her."

…

Moments later, outside of Link's dorm

"Somebody came out of their room. That had to be Coco." Velvet nervously looks around. "Even a few more seconds there and she would've caught us."

"We don't know if it was here but it also doesn't matter. Nobody caught us, that is what matters."

Link opens his room and enters first, then proceeds to remove all his weapons and extra accessories off the bed, whilst letting out a loud yawn towards the end

"I almost forgot how spacey your room and bed are. They look a lot bigger now that it's only being occupied by one person." Velvet shuts the door and suddenly her jitters return. She glances at Link and smiles, as the moonlight highlights him through the window

"Yes, I never filled up the empty space since the last time you were all in here. I don't really plan on doing that anytime soon either." Link finishes moving everything over to his desk and when he turns to face Velvet, the usually shy and timid faunus throws herself at him in a massive hug. "H-Hey there!"

"Hi!" Velvet tightly hugs Link, then eagerly plants soft kisses on the lips of her friend as they bump into his door, generating a loud thud

"Maybe you are a little drunk after all." Link blushes deeply, unsure of what to think or do, but ultimately, he does kiss her in return

"I-I-I'm thinking clearly Link." Velvet pushes back and walks backwards until she stumbles back and falls onto the bed, "Very clearly."

"Riiight, definitely. This is something very out of character for you." Link follows his date onto his bed and positions himself on top of her. The blonde boy grabs both of her hands, gently presses them over her head and positions his face inches away from hers. "Hi Velvet."

"H-Hi..." Velvet's cheeks burn with a deep crimson red color emitting deeper than before. "I w-want..."

"You want?" Link presses a soft kiss to her cheek, then moves over to kiss her other cheek. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to kiss you again, have a night night with you, and never forget today." Velvet tries to move her hands but when she cannot, the faunus giggles. "Are you sure this isn't a dream?"

"Oh so this was part of your dream too, you didn't mention that." Link chuckles and winks at her

"N-No, it was getting to the kiss but then Coco woke me up." Velvet's blush only intensifies as Link gets closer to her lips, having kissed her cheeks but is now teasing her

"I want to make you feel good and safe, so I want to ask for your trust. Do you want to spend the night here, kiss, and have a nice night?" Link stops and looks into Velvet's eyes

"Y-ye-!" The girl stutters, her heart flutters, body tenses up, hands feeling completely helpless, and ears perked up all the way. "Yes. This is the best date I will ever experience, by far."

"Alright then, thank you." Link seems to follow through by closing the distance between their lips, but instead, he abruptly dissolves the tension by getting up

"H-huh?" Velvet's eyes follow Link as he walks to the door and widely grins

"You thought I was going to make it easy for you?" Link chuckles whilst winking at the sweet girl in his bed

"Oh, you're teasing me. That's no fun." Velvet giggles as stretches in the bed to make herself comfortable, but in those few seconds, Link returns and gets on top of her again. "S-So fast!"

"Let's just say I'm not the biggest fan of teasing. Now let's actually kiss."

Link smiles one more time as he and Velvet share another slow, passionate kiss. The pair continue to kiss each other as the moon shines brightly and the night fades away, with a successful date now concluded with a nice night in the dorms

…

…

…

Five Hours Later: The Crack of Dawn

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Velvet's body jolts in shock, the second year student is woken up very early in the morning by a violent alarm courtesy of Link

"Ow." The faunus' rabbit ears slump as she holds her head in pain and nearly gasps in surprise when she sees Link next to her. "L-Link!"

The brunette's mind races to the amount of kissing that transpired the previous night, along with the entire date replaying in her head. However, this recapping only amplifies her headache while turning her face into a cherry tomato from embarrassment and happiness

"Hi Velvet. Are you feeling the effects?" Link's words cut off her line of thought, he sits up and glances at the faunus holding her head, "Yeah, I thought so. Do me a favor and hit snooze please." He mumbles and rubs his eyes to aid himself in waking up

"Y-Yea, of course." Velvet quickly turns to lazily throws her arm and slap Link's scroll, then groans as she shuts her eyes

"Velvet wait, before you go back to sleep." Link lies back down on his bed and faces the ceiling. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I know I did not make you drink, but I should have stopped you. We should have never gone to that bar and it is all my fault. I crossed a line and-!"

"Sorry?" Velvet opens her eyes, then worriedly looks over at her friend. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I didn't do anything I was uncomfortable with."

"You can say that, sure. But I should've never taken you to the bar, if there's no alcohol in your system then this..." Link sits up again, with his hand hovering over his bed, referring to her sleeping in his bed and spending the night at his dorm. "Does not happen. Even though we did not do anything more, I still feel bad that I essentially made you do something you were not comfortable with."

"Stop saying that, silly." Velvet sits up again as well, then wraps her arms around Link for a big hug, "I pressured myself to drink with you. I did it in order to make you feel like you were not alone. And despite the stumbling and uncontrollable laughing, I knew what I was saying and doing. Besides, I have no regrets about the entire date that transpired... Do you?"

"Absolutely not." Link shakes his head, weakly smiling in the process. "If you felt unsure about where we stand or uncomfortable with our date last night, then everything would be a giant regret for me."

"I'm happy to hear that. Because I had a great time.." Velvet rests her chin against the blonde's shoulder. "Now come on, we have to stay two steps ahead of my team, like you said."

"Right!" Link nods and looks outside at the sun, which is now beginning to rise. "I suppose that alarm finally paid off, we can do our thing and be out of here by the time everyone is barely getting ready."

"Mhm." Velvet nods and gives him one more tight squeeze before slowly letting go

Fifteen to thirty minutes pass as Link and Velvet both go their separate ways to respectively shower and do what they have to do regarding skin care or hair care. The latter returns is the first to return, he lets out a quiet sigh as he gets fully dressed within minutes

"Now that yesterday ended well, I assume something bad is going to happen today."

Link shrugs and starts putting his gear on, first is his belt and sword strap, that get tightly strapped around his chest, waist, and stomach. Next are his weapons as his sheathed sword, shield, bow, quiver with arrows, and pouch of projectiles are slotted into their usual spots

"Since it's the doubles round, fighting two people at once should be less challenging. Maybe I will get someone easier too. Please let it be CRDL, the last thing I need is another balanced out team like SLVR."

"But that would not be very entertaining." Velvet speaks softly as she dries her hair, fully clothed, and never announcing her entrance or even making any noise, instead she opts to quietly watch her friend talk to himself

"W-When did you?" Link looks at the shut door, then crazily around his room. "Wow, I think I've lost a step again."

"No no, I can promise you that was me being very silent." Velvet smiles

"I will take your word for it then." Link grabs his sword, extends his arm, removes the blade from its scabbard, and shows off with some light practice swings

"You're so confident that you will be called on today." Velvet tilts her head in confusion. "Why?"

"I'm not sure. Let's call it a gut feeling, I think that's how the saying goes." Link calmly slides his sword back in its scabbard

"We will see if your gut feeling comes true or not later today." Velvet nods. "Hey Link. There's something I want to do before we head off to do our own thing, meet me at the entrance of Beacon in about... Ten minutes? Does that work?" Velvet asks

"Sure? But where are you going first?" He raises an eyebrow

"My dorm. Bye for now!" Velvet opens the door and quickly takes off

"Okayyy." Link scratches his forehead. "That was very strange, but maybe I will find out soon enough what that's about. For now, time to..."

The one man team trails off while brushing his hair for another minute, before deciding it is time to officially leave. Link exhales quietly, puts his green hat on, then exits his dorm to go meet Velvet at her chosen destination, the front of the school

Beacon Academy: Main Entrance

Link soon finds himself pacing back and forth in front of the school. Having expected to make it outside after Velvet and team CFVY, he impatiently waits for the faunus or the entire team to make their appearance

"Alright Velvet here I am. Now, where are you-!"

Click!

SNAP!

The sound and flash from a camera is heard and seen, taking a complete picture of the one person team. It is soon revealed to be none other than Velvet with the camera and a big smile on her face

"W-Whoa!" Link blinks profusely

"Sorry!" The rabbit faunus lowers her camera and looks at the image she captures, a side view of Link with all of his weapons clearly in the frame, more than Link's head or face

"Did you get a good picture? Not that I even have a good side." He quickly approaches Velvet

"You don't have a good side? Oh come on, we know that's not true." Coco is audibly heard as she, Yatsuhashi, and Fox walk towards them. "You wouldn't have had two girls trying to impress you if you weren't charming in some way."

"No matter how many times you put me on this high pedestal, I'll continue to step off it, Coco." Link grins, amused by the praise

"You're just being too hard on yourself." Coco softly punches Link's shoulder and nudges Velvet with her elbow. "Soooo, how was it? You didn't even come back last night, did you two hook up in some random hotel or something?"

"COCO!" Velvet gasps. "N-No!"

"Of course you would make a mockery of our date. I am going to go now." Link rolls his eyes and trails off from team CFVY. "See you guys around."

"Aw man, I didn't mean to upset the guy." Coco frowns and takes a more serious tone. "Fine, I will ask seriously. How was the date?"

"It was a lot of fun." Velvet smiles and nods. "I will never forget it."

"That's very good." Yatsuhashi gently pats the shy faunus on the head

"Ow!" Velvet cries out

"Oooooh, you two did get a little frisky? Is that why your head hurts? No, don't tell me-! DID YOU DRINK?" Coco laughs

"S-Stop." Velvet blushes

"No, you stop and listen to me. I'm proud of you." Coco smirks

"R-Really? Why is that?"

"I'm not sure if you took my advice or not but if you guys had fun and you're clearly so happy the next day, it had to be a success." Coco's smirk turns into a genuine soft smile. "Or maybe you two kissed and we will never know the precise details, as long as you emerged from it with a clear conscience and a smile on your face. Now, come on, let's go get some coffee."

Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox smile at their cheery teammate as they walk off, expecting her to follow

"Okay!" Velvet does indeed happily follow her team, she turns her head one last time to watch Link walk down the courtyard in a not so chipper mood

Middle of the Courtyard

"Now we play the waiting game."

Link mumbles while he passes by students going in different directions, with some heading back into the school, but others walk towards the landing docks, eagerly waiting on a quick trip to the city

"Did you say the waiting game?" A soft spoken voice approaches. "How about a companion for that game?"

"What?" Link turns and sees Pyrrha walking towards him

"Hello." She waves and now stands beside him

"You headed to the city?" Link looks towards the ships

"N-No. I am headed to the fairgrounds actually. Weiss insisted on repaying me for the meal during the first round of the tournament. So now, we are going back to that noodle place once again." Pyrrha smiles and carefully glances at Link. "Would you like to join us? I'm not sure why you would not be invited already."

"Sure why not. I didn't hear anything from Ruby or anyone else so I guess they forgot about me." Link rolls his eyes, but with a smile on his face. "Are you running late?"

"Quite." She nods. "Ruby and her team are already there and I last heard from Jaune a few minutes ago that he, Nora, and Ren are close."

"What are we waiting for then?" Link turns and extends his arm, pointing toward the front of the school. "After you."

"You're too kind, come on." Pyrrha turns around and nudges Link forward, as the two of them begin to walk together. "Where did you head off to yesterday? After team CFVY suffered their defeat, you disappeared. Ruby let us know that you briefly stopped by their dorm but other than that..."

"I joined Velvet and Fox as we waited for Coco and Yatsuhashi at school, but everyone's spirits were crushed, especially Velvet's. So Coco..." Link happily exhales. "Asked me to take Velvet out on a date. To clear her mind and show her a good time."

"That sounds wonderful, did you take her out?" Pyrrha smiles

"Yes." Link nods and replays the entire date in his head, "It started off slow, we did not really know what to say to each other. Velvet eventually found out that it was orchestrated by Coco too, but it was not like she planned everything. I was the one who pulled strings, along with Velvet. Once we settled in and got comfortable, we took it from there. We went to a nice restaurant called Revél Rivál and had a nice dinner. Although, I messed up big time by almost ordering rabbit stew."

"No you did not!" Pyrrha gasps and shakes her head in disapproval. "How and why?"

"I accept full responsibility by saying I was not thinking straight." Link dramatically sighs. "Luckily, Velvet helped me climb out of the hole I dug and ordered for me."

Link stops dead in his tracks and sighs again, knowing he cannot omit certain details about the date

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha takes a few more steps before stopping all together and standing in front of him

"I took her to a bar like a fool, Pyrrha. She told me over and over again that she was okay with it but then the bad memories of my past started to come up and I don't know." The blonde shrugs "Being at the bar felt like a blur..."

"Did you drink?" The red haired girl reaches out to give his arm a comforting squeeze. "Ruby told Jaune and I what happened in their dorm with her uncle and you. It sounded frightening."

"I'm so sorry that it was difficult to listen to what happened yesterday at team RWBY's dorm with their uncle Qrow." Link drops his head in shame. "But to answer your question… Yes, I did drink." He shakes head. "However, the redeeming part is that Velvet was with me the entire time, talking me through everything and even drinking with me. I could tell she was a little uncomfortable drinking but she still did it, all to help me feel comfortable."

"People will do crazy things for those they like, Velvet did what outsiders would look at as crazy but to me, I think what she did was special." Pyrrha smiles. "She did not want to let you drink by yourself and let you walk down that agonizing and painful road of regret alone."

"You worded it perfectly. After that, she got a bit drunk, so I brought her back to Beacon before she or I for that matter, got really drunk." Link glances at the smile with a smile flashing. "Overall, the date went smoothly in my eyes: Slow start, fantastic takeoff, gliding through some stormy weather, but then a safe landing at the end."

"I am glad to hear that it went very well." Pyrrha nods. "It's about time the fortunes of an amazing person started to turn around."

"Velvet is an amazing person, very true. It was my honor to provide her with-!"

"Link, I was talking about you." Pyrrha rolls her eyes with a sweet smile present

"O-Oh!" Link blushes in embarrassment. "That's very kind of you to say but I'm not that great of a person. I have a long road of redemption to walk before I call myself amazing."

"You did what you had to do to survive." Pyrrha glares at him. "You've acknowledged your wrong doings and even tried to correct them. Attempting to make a group of mercenaries into essentially a group of heroes was bold and noble." She sighs. "Now you're trying your hardest to do better. You've been a great friend to me, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and everyone you've come in contact with since we started here at Beacon. You defend people from bullies, train with everyone whether you're asked for help or not, are open minded, wise and you give good advice."

"Thank you, Pyrrha. I appreciate all of that, but I just can't let go of what I did wrong." Link frowns. "Falling off that hill, cliff, or whatever that was, it made me forget a lot of things Pyrrha, I mentioned how I hit my head hard, but I'm not sure if I specified the lasting impact. Have you ever wondered why I don't go by a last name?"

"Often." Pyrrha nods. "But I thought it would be rude to ask you about it.." Suddenly, the red haired huntress in training gasps as she realizes what her friend is implying. "You lost your memory… Completely. When you told us your story, I figured you lost some of your memories and that is why everything was hazy, but I did not realize you meant everything."

"It's okay, I was not specific at all. But yes, all fourteen years worth of memories before that incident are gone, hence why I refer to my mother and brother as just that, I don't know if they are even real because I never saw their faces. I don't remember my last name, or anything else that happened before then. My upbringing, childhood, nothing, it is all gone. The only reason I told Professor Ozpin about what happened with my father was because of him pressing to find out more about my past. Now that I think about it, maybe Professor Ozpin is the reason our other professors never ask about my last name."

"That's..." Pyrrha wipes away a tear. "Awful. I'm so sorry Link. However, it does not change that you deserve better. In my opinion, you have redeemed yourself already, and you will continue to do amazing here at Beacon. Then, after we graduate, you will do great things for the rest of the world."

"Hm, I don't believe I have redeemed myself, but thank you anyway. Maybe being here will be the true test." Link fidgets with his leather gauntlets. "Thanks again, Pyrrha. These talks between you and I are always so enlightening. I'm not sure if I've told you before but I really value our friendship."

"There's no need, because I feel the same way." Pyrrha extends her arm, lays a hand over Link's shoulder, and gives him an assuring squeeze, "I should be the one thanking you for your trust. We should get going, before Jaune and Ruby begin a manhunt for me, but this was nice."

"I couldn't agree any more, to both statements actually." Link chuckles. "So you're right, let's get going."

"Who knows, maybe we will get drawn together in the singles rounds in the tournament." She smiles gracefully. "First we must get past the doubles round, then hopefully the gods that rule above us will give the people the match they have been wanting to see since we made a name for ourselves."

Pyrrha lets go of her friend's shoulder and leads the way as their next destination is to the fairgrounds connected to the school, which is only one bullhead ride away from Amity Colosseum

"This tournament is scripted if we don't see each other in the next round." Link grins and follows her, with the two of them beginning to sprint within seconds

Behind Beacon Academy: Vytal Festival Fairgrounds

With the two students good cardio and never taking a moment to stop, Link and Pyrrha soon make it to the fairgrounds in no time, with the latter creating distance and leaving behind the one person team. However, when they arrive, both of the highly touted Beacon rookies immediately dart towards A Simple Wok, the hut with paper lanterns and a neat, tidy setup inside. Team RWBY are visibly there, sitting on stools and conversing with Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren of team JNPR. The two teams wait patiently for Pyrrha, who is just a few steps away from reaching them. Ruby is the first to notice her, which makes the silver eyed huntress stand up and beam happily

"PYRRHA!" Ruby chants

"My apologies for being late, everyone." Pyrrha waves and moves to the right as she reveals Link, struggling to catch up a fair distance behind. "I ran into someone and although he held me up for some time, we had a nice talk. Oh, I also invited him."

"OH NO!" Ruby slaps her forehead in frustration. "I knew I forgot to do something, good save Pyrrha."

"My pleasure." The red haired girl nods before she strolls over to her team, and sits next to Jaune

"Don't even worry about it." Link chuckles. "Actually, make it a normal thing to exclude me." He plops down in a seat next to Ruby. "With my past, you'll be juuuust fine without me."

"Grrr, shut up and stop being so down on yourself!"

Ruby lifts her right hand and slaps Link! But her hand meets quite possibly the strongest defensive weapon in the world of Remnant

"OWWWW! OW! OW! OW!" She loudly whines in pain

"Why would you aim there and not his head?" Weiss frowns. "You dolt!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Ruby dramatically cries out and holds her trembling right hand with her left

"How about… Do not hit me please?" Link grins

"If we were to ever fight Link, my goal would be to keep my rapier far away from your shield, so never would I even think about hitting it with a bare hand." Weiss pulls on Ruby's ear whilst nodding at the blonde boy

"Thanks… You?" Link scratches his head

"Of course." Weiss smiles weakly

(That was surprisingly nice of her… What's going on here?) Link wonders, but instead of getting the chance to question anything out loud, a comically big bowl of noodles is tossed in front of him. "Oh! T-thanks again? I didn't even order any-!"

The shopkeep nods, grunts, then speeds away, pushing through a swinging door, retreating to the area where his kitchen is most definitely located

"Does he ever speak?" Link shakes his head and sneakily drinks out of his canteen; while he does not make a face, the blonde knows exactly what he is consuming

"Link." Jaune smacks his lips. "What's in there?"

"None of your business, Jaune." Link rolls his eyes and takes another sip

"We spoke about this." Ruby repeats her earlier action, but this time changes her target and directly slaps Link across the back of his head

"Ow!" Link groans as he rubs his head. "You can't expect me to quit that easily, right? Besides, it's not even full."

"Still, you can do better and show some discipline." Blake mumbles

"Blake is right." Weiss follows up. "It doesn't even seem like you're trying? And we all know you're stronger than this."

"Heh, thanks guys." Link nods at the cat faunus and Schnee respectively as he screws the cap on his canteen and returns it back to its original spot, next to the pouch of projectiles

"Of course." Weiss mumbles

The sudden words of kindness of the normally rude and resentful Weiss momentarily stuns everyone, including her team, JNPR, and the one person team sitting to her right

"Soooo!" Yang interjects at last. "Link! How did your date with Velvet go?"

"WHAT?!"

Weiss, Ruby, Jaune, and Nora shout in unison with dropped jaws and head turns from the former. Meanwhile, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren simply react calmly

"H-Huh!?" Link chokes struggles to catch his breath, being seconds away from consuming a big serving of noodles. "I just told Pyrrha right now! How has that spread already?"

"I have my anonymous sources." Yang cackles

"Coco is not exactly anonymous." Blake mumbles

"ShHh!" Yang picks up a fish from the faunus' bowl and stuff it into her mouth

"Why am I not surprised?" Link sighs. "At least telling you felt special, Pyrrha."

"Thank you." Pyrrha nods

Before anyone can harass Link about his date with Velvet, the voice of Professor Oobleck's is heard loud and clear throughout all the fairgrounds

"Link of Beacon Academy! Young man please report to the battlegrounds in fifteen minutes!"

"I just s-started e-eating. They can wait for a little, r-right?"

Link begins to chow down on the large bowl of noodles, turning his head in embarrassment as Pyrrha summarizes the date for everyone using the blonde boy's own words from earlier, including the self humiliation and the trip to the bar on the bad side of Vale

"Rabbit stew, seriously?" Blake shakes her head

"And I thought I was terrible with words." Jaune chuckles

"S-Shut up! I m-mess-!" Link chokes as he forces himself to swallow his food. "I understand, guys. It was a very bad decision. Now will you please let it fade away like it never happened?"

"Not a chance!" Ruby sticks her tongue out

"I'm very surprised she wanted to go to a bar." Ren speaks with his usual low tone

"She likes him, that's why." Nora chimes in

"Sneaking out at night, drinking, and even now, you were almost about to drink again." Weiss balls up her hands and exhales deeply. "How are you so good when your lifestyle is poor!"

"I ask myself that question every single day-!"

But suddenly, Link is cut off by Professor Oobleck once again, who's blaring voice overrules everyone and consumes the scene

"Would Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos of Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds in fifteen minutes?!"

"Would you look at that? We're next." Pyrrha happily nods while she makes quick work of her bowl and sets it down without any issues

"I c-clearly didn't learn my lesson l-last t-time." Jaune pushes away a nearly empty bowl, then drops his head and visibly appears sick

"Hold on." Weiss turns her head to the Colosseum and gasps. "What just happened?"

"Huh?" Blake glances at her teammate in confusion

"I know we've been talking for a while but did we miss something else from Professor Oobleck?" Weiss narrows her eyes, remembering the previous announcement. "Oh no… Have they just been matched up?"

"What is it? Spit it out Weiss." Yang asks

"Don't you get it?" She looks at Pyrrha and Jaune, then at Link

"Get what?" Nora also asks

Clang!

Link stops eating, drops the fork in his hand, clears his throat, and stands up. The blonde boy's eyes lock onto Pyrrha as he stares at her with a big grin on his face

"N-No!" Ruby gasps. "We misheard something right!?"

"Oh now you get it?" Weiss narrows her eyes

"Now this is quite interesting." Ren stares at Link with intrigue

"We have to fight Link?" Jaune nervously whispers. "W-We definitely misheard right?"

"No, Jaune. There was no error." Pyrrha speaks firmly while she stands as well

"I see." Link exhales nervously while backing away from the stand and his friends, then walks forward, with his next destination clear, heading to the colosseum

"Link?" Weiss' eyes follow him

"Where are you going? We can travel together." Ruby mumbles

"She's right, we don't have to distance ourselves." Pyrrha smiles

"No thank you-!"

However, before Link can finish his sentence, Professor Oobleck's voice is heard for a third time now

"Link of Beacon Academy! Please report to the battlegrounds immediately! You were already asked to head over several times, young man! Do not make us request for you one more time please!"

"Right… As I was saying, no thank you." Link shakes his head and glances one more time at Pyrrha, "Good luck, you too Jaune." He turns to look at teams one more time, before walking off on his own

"Likewise." Pyrrha grins in a competitive way, but also a friendly one too

"I have to process that he went on a date with Velvet and now has to fight Pyrrha and Jaune?" Ruby mumbles to her sister. "This day is going to be a disaster!"

"Don't tell me you're jealous again." Yang giggles. "Why did you even reject him in the first place?"

"Shhh! I'm not jealous!" Ruby shakes her head

"Good." Weiss quickly retorts, "You should not let a boy distract you. Especially when you pushed that boy away first. People can only wait around so long and you two transitioned to being cordial best friends."

"Y-You! Grrr..." Ruby frowns

"Unfortunately, she is not wrong." Blake mumbles

"H-Hey! Like it is so bad for me to be right?!" Weiss frowns

Link is far enough to not be able to hear the last conversation, but what he does hear is Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port hyping up the scheduled match along with conversations from other students around him on the fairgrounds. Some of them point out Link, others boo at the matchup between two Beacon teams, and a few students cheer the one person team on as he walks by. Taking in that he is fighting close friends in Pyrrha and Jaune, his breathing rapidly increases, with nerves starting to settle in as well. The top rookies of Beacon have deliberately been matched up 'randomly', and then there is Jaune as the wildcard…

(Edited on 8/26/2022)

(Further edited on 10/3/2023)