Raucous cheers erupted all around as a loud buzzer signaled the completion of another bout between four competitors. Up in the stands, Gayle and Rember watched keenly, the latter periodically plugging her ears. The volume didn't agree with her keen fox hearing in the slightest. Gayle took notes of every combatant she observed, an idea she had to help prepare the team for whomever ended up winning this preliminary event.
The Vytal Festival Tournament had just begun, and everyone around the world was watching. In years past, the event would feature teams from all of the Hunter Academies in sportsmanlike competitions of battle, working their way through all participants until one combatant, equally skilled and lucky, prevailed. Recently, however, the game plan was shaken up. In order to include individuals that didn't attend Hunter academies, or those who did attend but didn't take the usual team based courses, the tournament organizers had developed two side specialty tournaments for these outliers to compete in: a pairs focused tourney, and a solo focused tourney. To accommodate these, an extra week was set in place before the main tournament. The winners of these brackets would join the main event in the pair and solo stages respectively. And right now the doubles side tournament was in full swing.
Wrapping up her scribbles, Gayle refocused on the arena below. "Did they say who would be next, Ber?" she asked, not seeing anyone in place. Fox ears twitching actively, Rember shook her head.
They weren't kept waiting for long. Another pair of duos entered upon the announcement of their names. Gayle dutifully resumed her writing, attention alternating from her notepad to the fight. One of the pairs shared a last name, which tickled the lizard faunus' curiosity. Soon that inkling of interest bloomed into full fascination upon seeing just what kind of fighting strategy they employed. One of them conjured a pair of angel-like wings, likely their semblance, judging by the appearance. Their golden glow was mesmerizing; she flew low to the ground, attacking with strategic bursts of speed. Behind her, her partner commanded animals conjured with her own semblance, and each young woman was equipped with a customized bow. But while the winged ones looked techy and futuristic, the latter seemed more traditional. To top it all off, they both used Dust in ways that had never occurred to Gayle before! The young faunus was so invested in wanting to know more about how their gear worked, she barely took any notes, the buzzer eventually snapping her into focus. The winners were the pair Gayle was fascinated with, both of them working the crowd while reveling in their victory. They took a moment to crown each other with something before bowing and leaving the arena.
"Well that was a bit one sided," Rember commented, "those girls are ruthless!"
"No kidding! Did you see how precise the girl with the wings was with her attacks?" Gayle answered excitedly. "And to use a combination of all the different types of basic elemental Dust to limit the opposition's strategic options, while simultaneously creating openings for her partner to exploit?! Not to mention the craftsmanship of her weapon! Do you think she designed it herself, or commissioned it from someone?"
Rember's eyebrows rose at Gayle's excitement. She listened with a lopsided smile for a moment before saying "Why don't we go ask?"
Gayle's reaction was to go through a myriad of micro emotions at the suggestion. She was apprehensive, eager, and all degrees in between in a matter of moments.
"Oh, I dunno, Ber, " she said, fiddling with her hair. "I don't think it'd go well."
"None of that, lil lizard!" the fox girl retorted, getting to her feet, and pulling Gayle to hers. "Come on!"
Taking Gayle's hand, Rember lead her teammate out of their seats and weaved through the crowds. It was took a few minutes for the girls to make their way to the prep rooms where they were were able to find the pair quickly. Gayle tried to assure her teammate that this really wasn't necessary and she didn't need to talk to them, but the fox girl soldiered on. They caught the pair right outside of one the arena's prep rooms, the young women were chattering with one another animatedly as they prepared to depart. Rember dragged Gayle right up to them, the younger Huntress stumbling a little.
"Hello!" Rember greeted, finally dropping Gayle's hand.
The girls glanced at her and smiled.
"Hey," the one with longer hair returned, "what brings you here?"
"Oh, y'know, just watching the matches," Rember answered. "You two did a great job!"
The pair shared an amused look.
"Thanks," the shorter haired girl chuckled. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, um, hi there," Gayle stammered sheepishly, avoiding eye contact.
"Hi yourself," the second girl grinned.
Rember nudged her teammate with a pointed glance.
"I, um…I enjoyed your match!" Gayle said.
Rember rolled her eyes dramatically.
"What my dear friend here is trying to say," she explained, "is that she thinks your gear is really interesting, and she wants to talk to you about it."
Gayle shot Rember a grateful glance before returning her attention to the other girl before her. Her chic, short hair was a bit tomboyish, but complimented her soft face. Golden eyes, full of life, lit up at Rember's remark.
"What do you want to know? And what's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Gayle, and this is Rember," Gayle replied. "I was wondering about your weapon. Did you make it?"
"Good to meet you! I'm Ikaros, and this is my sister, Selene. And yeah, I designed both of our bows!"
"Now you've done it," Selene smiled. "She'll never shut up now."
Rember stifled a giggle and watched as Gayle launched into a tirade of questions, Ikaros answering each of them with matched enthusiasm.
"Oh, these are awesome!" Ikaros exclaimed, inspecting one of Gayle's wrist cuffs. "The design is so unique! What do they do? What's the power source?"
Ikaros grabbed one of the cuffs, raising it (and Gayle's arm) for a better look. Now that the small talk was out of the way, Gayle's confidence had returned.
"I actually made the power source based on an alternative method to achieve the concentrated emission of electromagnetic radiation without Dust crystals," she replied. "They shoot lasers!"
"Ooo! Without Dust?!"
Rember and Selene exchanged amused glances while Gayle and Ikaros talked, their words getting quicker and quicker as their excitement grew. Eventually Selene pulled out her scroll to check the time and bumped Ikaros lightly.
"Time's up, nerd," she said.
Ikaros stopped mid sentence, deflating slightly.
"Already?" She asked.
"Yup."
Ikaros sighed and turned back to Gayle.
"We've gotta go, but do you want to hang out sometime? I want to know more about your Dust experiments and your laser tech!"
Rember grinned as Gayle and Ikaros swapped contact information, promising to get together soon. The twins quickly departed, and Gayle and Rember elected to return to their dorm instead of staying for the next fight.
"Hey! Temp! Get that stack of pallets squared away, then follow up on the next order!"
Lupin wiped away the sweat beading on his brow, enduring the oppressive summer sun. The young faunus shouted an affirmative over the loud machines operating all around the packoff floor. He grabbed a pallet jack and lifted a stack of wooden skids onto it, pulling them away into an empty spot where designated unloaded pallets went for future jobs. Electric powered forklifts rumbled past Lupin and a handful of other workers with plastic wrapped skids carrying assortments of different items in boxes, placing them in warehouses where they would be loaded into trailers or aircrafts for distribution. The work was all manpower if you weren't employed as a forklift operator, but that didn't dissuade Lupin.
The wolf faunus, in order to provide for himself, had joined a temporary employment agency. He took shifts at various places around Vale to make ends meet while not acting as a student, but he found himself taking on shifts more and more here: an intensive labor job at Vale's shipping yard. It wore him out the first few times, developing a stiffened back and joints unwilling to move a muscle. He liked it though. The job let him forget everything and focus on what was in front of him. At least, that's what it usually was like. Right now, he couldn't keep his troubled mind quiet.
Rember. It always came back to Rember. He replayed the conversation they had during the dance in his head on a loop. Maybe there was an avenue he'd overlooked during their interaction; some angle of candor he'd miscommunicated. He wanted to prove to her he wasn't who she had come to believe. Wanted it more than anything. Then there was his churning unease regarding Creed, and the interest he showed in his personal affairs. The snake faunus was dangerous, and his instincts told him to avoid contact with him at all costs. In all honesty, what was holding him down as a member of the White Fang? Was it an obligation to those they designated his teammates? Fear of punishment, as they had done to Bera? Fear of his sister even? It was enough to drive anyone crazy.
Lupin stewed in these thoughts until his shift was complete. Punching out, the faunus went about getting the necessary signatures from management so he could submit the hours to the agency for his pay. Once all squared away, he was off to Beacon.
The night life was calm while the young man made his return, especially for the weekend. Everyone was probably headed home from Amity Arena, now that he thought about it. If he understood the schedule, the pair and solo side tournaments had began earlier that week for students of the academies that weren't in the standard team courses, as well as freelance competitors around the appropriate age ranges, so they could earn a chance at a spot in the main academy tourney at the respecting doubles and singles rounds. Simultaneously, the pool brackets for seed placement of the teams entering the main academy tournament would happen as well. Lupin wanted to see how Rember would do with her team, when he had the time.
His pocket vibrated, and he realized his Scroll was going off. Once withdrawn, the wolf faunus frowned upon seeing it was Aeryn trying to contact him, and dismissed it almost immediately. He did not have the energy to deal with her right now.
Lupin made it back to his team's room uneventfully. It didn't even occur to his tired mind to note the singular desk lamp illuminating the otherwise darkened, and seemingly empty, abode. He went about stripping out of his gear, ready to immediately call it a night and pass out.
"Long day?"
The voice made Lupin jump, wolf ears pinpointing the source before his eyes. Aeryn sat alone in a chair, facing him while hiding in shadow. Her long golden hair let down and brushed, Aeryn's feline gaze peered at her team lead inquisitively, and Lupin sighed.
"What do you want, Aeryn? Where are the others?"
"They're out for the night. It's just the two of us."
"Ah. Again I ask: what do you want?"
Aeryn frowned at the brusque tone. "I felt like giving you some company tonight. You've been tense for some time, and I wanted to help you relax."
"Thanks, but no. Work was brutal, and I just want to go to bed."
"You sure? That didn't dissuade you last time. If this keeps up, it'll affect how the mission goes."
"I'll be fine, Aeryn."
The cat faunus's frustration built. She wasn't blind; Lupin was constantly getting distracted, or keeping himself busy. He never made time for the team, or her. It hurt to be robbed of the attention and kindness of the young man. She wanted it more than she probably realized, and here she was doing the only thing that came to mind to procure it.
"Why are you being so distant?" she asked, "I thought you trusted me?"
"Goodnight, Aeryn," was all Lupin responded with, disappearing under the bed covers and leaving the cat faunus out in the cold. She got the hint, and dejectedly retired as well.
The following morning, Lupin rose early and headed out to avoid the unwanted followup his teammate no doubt wanted to perform. He didn't feel like spending it in loud public areas, or at the arena to view the fights. The faunus settled on one of the parks he knew would be quiet and sparse. Once there, he took his time observing the beautiful flora at a meandering pace. He stopped to observe a cluster of tiger lilies, their hue reminding him of Rember's ochre hair.
Get a grip, Lupin… he scolded internally, rubbing his eyes as the fatigue from the day before resurfaced. Guess he needed more sleep. Spying a willow tree all by its lonesome, the young man placed himself under its shade and closed his eyes, the warm breeze deepening his desire to nap.
The next thing Lupin knew, he was blinking up at a set of pink eyes amidst magenta purple hair. Familiar eyes…
"Wisteria?"
Upon hearing her name, the short young woman withdrew with a start.
"Oh! You're awake?"
"Am now…" Lupin yawned. "What brings you here?"
"I was just taking some time alone, and then saw you here."
"Oh yeah? Small world."
Wisteria observed Lupin quietly as the boy got to his feet, dusting off his jacket. "Are you okay? You look very tired," she said.
"Don't worry about it. I just work in my spare time. And my teammate is being…a treat again."
"Oh. What does that mean?"
"Well, if I had to explain," Lupin commented dryly, "she's being more of a leech than a cat."
Wisteria cocked her head inquisitively.
"What? You don't know what a leech is?"
"No, I do. I just don't see how your teammate is one."
Lupin laughed at such an honest answer. The display of musement only puzzled Wisteria further, but Lupin waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm sure you'll get it if you think about it," he assured, spirits lifting a tad.
The young faunus checked the time, noting it was past noon.
"Hey," he ventured, "you wanna get lunch?"
The question surprised Wisteria. "Um. I dunno. Why?"
"Cause I'm hungry and I thought you might be too?"
Wisteria pondered this invitation a lot more seriously than Lupin expected. From what he saw in her body language anyway. She gave a quick nod, however, and Lupin smiled warmly.
"Great. Follow me," he insisted, "I know just the place…"
Valerie, walking along with Rosalie, did her best to stretch out a tight muscle in one of her shoulders, the young Huntresses leaving from Amity Arena. The fights shown today had been a real thrill, Val curious to see just what individuals AMBR could face in the future. What she didn't account for, however, was how uncomfortable the arena seating would be if one were to stay seated for longer than maybe an hour. Alas, they were there from early morning, until that day's bracket of the solo and pair tournaments completed at noon. And while the pools for the main tournament would be underway soon until that evening, AMBR weren't on the schedule today. So now the two were on their way to lunch.
"Boy, those seats do not take into account long sessions of being sat upon."
"Would have to agree with you on that. I could feel my legs start to fall asleep there for a bit."
"Any of them stand out to you, Rosy? If any one of us was to meet them in the main tournament?"
Rosalie pondered for a moment; There were a lot of fights to recap in her head.
"Uhmm. Maybe one or three? I wouldn't get too hung up on it. We've got a long event ahead of us."
Valerie shrugged her shoulders; She couldn't agree more. Conversation died down when they took public transport off the floating colosseum and returned to the city streets, the pangs of hunger telling them to find food soon. Valerie looked diligently for something that would be satisfying, picking up the dialogue again to fill the silence as they searched.
"So Ky and Sona seem to be a lot more chummy now, eh? You love to see it."
Rosalie nodded in agreement.
"They just needed time," the pink haired maiden said, "Though, they still seem content to rag each other whenever it suits them.
"Hehe, fair. I don't mind it though. Keeps things lively."
"Glad you enjoy it."
"Though, now that it's been mentioned, what's been happening on your own end of things?" the team leader of AMBR asked, "Any developments I'm unaware of?"
"Hmm? Oh. Well, not really?" Rosalie responded, "I'm kinda boring when it comes to gossip."
"Oh really? Nothing? What about, uh, that member from team NMFA? Judas? I'm surprised I haven't heard anything about him from you or Sona recently."
When Valerie mentioned 'Judas', Rosalie's mind was transported to an earlier time. A time during the dance that only she knew about, eyes glazing over with recollection.
"Hey."
Rosalie perked up at hearing a familiar voice address her. Peering behind her, the pink haired woman recognised the form of Judas, waving at her with a friendly smile. She got up out of her seat, happily greeting him.
"Heya, Jude! Nice to see you here."
"Mhm."
"You with someone?"
"Uhh, no. You?"
"Nope! Free as a bird. Been on my feet all night."
"Really? No one you take classes with asked you?"
Rosalie lightly shook her head. Judas seemed genuinely taken aback at Rosalie being dateless for the night, but the young woman quickly picked up the conversation.
"I don't mind. Apparently I just seem to garner everyone's attention."
Judas guffawed at Rosy's idea of a witty retort, earning a giggle from his old friend. The young lady, satisfied with her rested feet, got up from her seat and smoothed out any wrinkles in her dress.
"Buuuut, for the moment," she added, "I'm all yours. If you want to catch up."
Judas quickly nodded his head, and the pair of them walked away from the ballroom, to parts yet undecided. As the bodies around them thinned, Judas decided to break the silence.
"Some things never change, huh?" the boy commented; He remembered Rosalie was popular with everyone back in Sanctum Academy as well, which did gain a lot of attention from boys (with some girls) wanting to date her. The idea never seemed to sit well with him, but she never followed up with any of the invitations to become a couple.
Rosalie looked back with an embarrassed smile. "They really don't! Though, there are a lot more people talking to me here than back home."
Sharing a quick chuckle, the two found themselves suddenly alone, the loud music emanating from the ballroom a dull jumble of noise. Rosalie found herself bathed in the moonlight as she took a moment to enamor the stars, her beauty hitting Judas full force as he fell captivated.
"Truth be told, though," she admitted, "I'm happier with the things that stay the same."
"Really?" Judas asked, "I thought you were excited to have a change of scenery."
Rosalie looked at Judas and smiled. "I am. Sona and I both were looking forward to seeing and learning new things when we left." slowing her walk, Rosalie settled close beside Judas as she continued, "But it can be hard sometimes..." she continued, eyes looking distant. "I end up thinking about home a lot, actually. How Mom and Dad are doing, if Mai is getting along alright without us, that sort of stuff."
Such an admission of homesickness dug into Judas's core. He had no idea she felt that way. She was always so ready to be there for other people, it made him wonder just how long she'd been neglecting her own feelings in the process. Did he really know the person in front of him as well as he thought he did? But, funnily enough…
"...I get what you mean." Judas responded. "I tried not to think about it much, but I felt that way plenty of times also." the boy's gaze drifted from Rosie to the night sky. "Being able to go home during break was more of a comfort than I thought at first. Even with all the training and work we put in, it helped just to see everyone again."
Rosalie hummed, bumping shoulders with Judas playfully.
"Lucky." she said in an effort to lighten the mood, but Judas seemed to wonder if perhaps he made her feel worse about her own situation, face downhearted. Such a look made the young lady ruffle his black hair. "Don't make that face, Jude," she giggled, "I'm not mad that you went home and I didn't."
The two teens suddenly found their feet taking them to one of the many courtyards dotting the academy, noting the tapestry of night around them. Rosalie found a seat on one of the benches on the perimeter, giving her heeled feet a break. Judas talked more about checking in with the Caelum's, which Rosalie appreciated.
"Are you sure you're okay talking about this?" Judas asked, and Rosalie nodded.
"Mhm! I'm happy that you saw your family again, really. And you've given me firsthand accounts on how everyone is, so it's all good." She smiled up at her friend from where she sat. "Of course I'd rather see them in person, but if I had to hear it from anyone, I'm happy it's you, Judas."
That statement confused Judas. he sat down next to her, trying to figure out what she meant.
"You're happy to hear about home…through me?"
Rosalie burst into melodic laughter after such a question. She composed herself quickly and gave a smile that was absolutely radiant. "I am. You're reliable, after all." she simply put, "I guess I never spelled it out, but…you were Sonara's first friend after we adopted her, and even if you two got into your fair share of trouble, that connection was good for her. You've always had her back, you've never gone back on your word with her or anyone else, Mai and my parents probably think of you as one of us in a certain way."
Judas sat still, absorbing such a big reveal. Rosalie searched his face to find what he was feeling, when she remembered a question she forgot to ask about until now, scooting closer to her current company.
"Judas…something's happened, hasn't it? Something you haven't told me or Sona about."
Judas visibly flinched at being reminded of Rosalie's sharp observation skills. It made him turn away to avoid the curious and concerned purple gaze of the young lady. Rosalie quickly course corrected; Guess now wasn't the time.
'I won't pry," she amended, "I…I meant everything I just said. So, I have to think that you have a good reason to keep whatever it is close to the vest." Rosalie had to stop herself as her voice began wavering, composing herself as best she could.. "But…I hope, whatever it is, that you feel like you can trust us enough…can trust me enough to tell me what's going on, eventually."
Judas took a long time to respond, eventually mustering up the courage to face her and offer a meek "I'm sorry.". Rosalie immediately accepted the apology, pulling him into a warm embrace. For a while they stayed there, only for Rosalie to withdraw and get to her feet.
"It's getting late." she said gently, "Don't stay up too late, okay?"
Judas answered with a soft nod, and Rosalie gave him her best smile.
"Goodnight, Judas."
"Uhh…Earth to Rosy?"
Snapping out of her flashback, Rosalie looked at a mildly concerned Valerie.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Didn't mean to turn into a major space case there." she apologized sheepishly. Valerie raised an eyebrow.
"Oooookay then." she said, resuming her search for food. Ironically, she spied someone directly ahead of them, a plan starting to form in her head. "Yooohoooo! Hey, boys! Wait up a sec!" she called out, Rosalie confused at who she was addressing. The pink haired girl didn't need to wait long for an answer though.
Judas, with Shuichi in tow, both turned around at Valerie's shoutout. Upon seeing the two girls the boys respectively reacted to the members of AMBR quickly approaching them. Shuichi grimaced when Valerie made eye contact with him, while Judas awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact.
"What do you want?" the boy in headphones asked bluntly, Valerie electing to answer.
"We were just about to head out for lunch, and decided we would love some company."
"Then you best find someone else, cause we're not interested."
"Ouch. Such icy words. You could really hurt someone's feelings with that tone, you know."
"That's the idea. Now scram, we're busy."
Valerie raised an eyebrow. For some reason, she found Shuichi's hostility to be some kind of challenge, wanting to see if she could change his mind. Across from them, Judas punched Shuichi in the shoulder, earning a glare from his partner.
"Watch it, Noriker. I won't tolerate you being an ass to them." Judas threatened, Shuichi scoffing while adjusting knobs on his headphones. "Sorry. He's… yeah he's an ass."
The girls of AMBR took it in stride, Rosalie waving a hand to dissuade any preconceived worry. "That's, ah, okay, Jude. But if he's telling the truth, we can leave you two to your business."
"Huh? Oh! No, no! We don't have anything going on. We just were going back to our dorm room from the arena." Judas hastily answered, Shuichi glaring at him. Valerie beamed at the confirmation her spur of the moment whim could continue.
"Great! Then you cuties can join us for lunch! Our treat. That shouldn't be a problem, right Rosy?" the bluenette ventured, hoping to see if her teammate took the bait. Rosalie nodded, and Valerie reveled in self satisfaction. Shuichi attempted to make his exit, but Judas denied him, the young men accepting the invitation.
"So where are we going then?" Judas asked.
"Just follow us! Now then–" Valerie suddenly wormed her way into separating Judas and Shuichi, the red eyed maiden interweaving her arm with the latter's. "You are coming with me, sourpuss."
Before Shuichi could protest, Valerie led the baffled young man ahead of Judas and Rosalie. Judas broke out into amused chuckles at seeing his standoffish leader forced into being Valerie's escort, Rosalie sharing in the comedic sight with her own giggles. The melodious sound of Rosalie's voice made Judas clam up for a moment, unsure of how to address her.
"I, uh, I guess we should go after them, yeah?" he asked. Rosalie hummed in agreement, following her leader's example and interwove arms with her friend.
"Lead the way, Jude."
The pair quickly caught up with Valerie and Shuichi, Judas doing his best to not let his short circuiting brain at being so close to Rosalie show in his demeanor. The four of them entered a café that Valerie chose, the bitter aromas of coffee permeating the air. Valerie noticed they had picked someplace that seemed devoid of patrons, save one table housing a handsome looking wolf faunus, and a short, magenta haired girl with a long white scarf in the corner of the establishment. She didn't pay them much mind however, the quartet of them settling in, and promptly getting their orders established with a waitress that would serve them.
"So, Shu," Valerie asked the boy in black beside her, "May I call you Shu?"
"No."
"Shu. I gotta know: what's with the headphones? I don't think I've ever seen you take them off."
"That's none of your business. They're on, and they stay on."
"But I wanna know whyyyyyyyy!"
"Well why do you even care?" Shuichi asked, exasperated. He didn't understand why Valerie cared about wanting to know so bad about the function of his headgear.
"You didn't know? Guys with a bit of mystery are irresistible to some girls. And that cold front you give off is in itself intriguing."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Well, neither do most girls. Best learn that now, before you die of confusion."
"Don't hold your breath…"
Seeing those two absorbed in their bickering, Rosalie looked over to Judas for conversation. She immediately noted the apprehension and awkward air between them, and the young lady pondered a way to break the weird tension. Taking a quick sip of her beverage, Rosalie scooted her chair closer.
"First time on a double date?" she lightly teased, and it earned a nervous chuckle from Judas.
"I still can't believe your team lead somehow roped us into it being such."
"Hmhm~ It's alright. I enjoy spending time with you."
"R-really?"
"Of course, you goober. I thought we established this a while ago." Rosalie jabbed lightly, making Judas blush. It helped him relax though, which put the pink haired girl at ease.
The rest of the "date" passed by peacefully, Valerie playfully pestering Shuichi to the point of him no longer having the energy or resolve to put forth the front of the prickly introvert. Rosalie and Judas talked about events that happened during their respective missions, enjoying each other's company as best they could. Once the meal was finished and bills paid for, they went their separate ways. Valerie chortled to herself at the fun she had instigating Shuichi with merciless persistence. She almost found himself looking quite handsome, if his personality didn't get in his own way so much. But that wasn't her main goal for that encounter, spying her teammate's mood with a sly glance. She wouldn't tell her, but Valerie did this all for Rosalie, happy to spy a small, warm smile while she seemed to reminisce about the lunch date. Good. Hopefully whatever was going on between her and that Judas boy, things could work out.
