"I can't wait to get in there!" Nora crows. "I even brought extra pre-workout just in case I need a boost!"
I think pre-workout is probably the last thing this girl needs. Blake muses, amused nonetheless at Nora's exuberance.
It's a nice to see her excited though. The mood around Amity Colosseum is electric in general, but the attitude from team to team varies pretty widely depending on experience level from what Blake has noticed. There's a wide variety of students from all over Remnant present for the event, and in various stages of their Huntsman and Huntress educations. The fairgrounds around Beacon Academy are absolutely packed with vendors selling food and merchandise, as well as students and tourists buying souvenirs or fueling up before their matches start.
Blake scans the crowd as her scroll vibrates in her pocket, warning her that Team RWBY's match starts in an hour. Ruby has dragged Weiss off somewhere to find some sweets, and Yang is getting some kind of exotic juice from a vendor that isn't usually in Vale. Blake is content to just sit and wait; she's no stranger to pre-battle jitters, though she's had plenty of practice dealing with them over the years. At this point it's not something that really affects her too much—she's alert, her instincts primed for a fight and well rested in preparation for the tournament. She's not overflowing with nervous energy like a lot of the students she's seen, but she'd hesitate to call Nora's energy nervous.
"Always a good idea to plan ahead." Blake says, waving as she spots Yang returning from the juice stand. "Who is your team up against first?"
"Team BRNZ. I've never heard of 'em, but I'm not worried!" Nora says, grinning fiercely. "I finally get to spend some quality time with Magnhild."
"Who?" Blake wonders.
"Her hammer." Ren explains as he moves to stand beside Nora.
"Oh. Hey Ren, it's good to see you. Are you guys excited for your first match?" Yang asks, as she puts their drinks on the table. She picks up her own and moves to stand behind Blake, resting a hand on the Faunus girl's shoulder.
Blake isn't sure when these casual touches became so common between them, but she certainly doesn't mind. It feels so natural and just...right, being close to Yang, like she doesn't have to be anything but herself. She may not share Yang's outgoing nature or her confidence, but it feels amazing to have someone she can truly relax and be herself around.
"We're gonna crush them!" Nora says dramatically, clenching her fists and smiling in a way that makes her look almost manic.
"That's the spirit!" Yang says, sharing a high-five with the much shorter redhead. "Winning isn't everything though."
"It's the only thing!" Nora replies, although her tone makes it clear she's joking.
Yang just smiles and gives Nora a fist-bump.
"I think excited is an understatement." Ren quips, his pink eyes shining with mirth and patient exasperation. He's reserved as always, but Blake can see the ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"We've been practicing for this for a long time, nothing wrong with being eager to see if it pays off." Jaune adds as he approaches with Pyrrha.
"It's nice to be able to test your skill from time to time. Looks like some of the competition will be pretty tough—there's a lot of variety in the teams. A couple of them will graduate this year." Pyrrha points out. She sounds convincingly concerned, but Blake knows that no one with Pyrrha's level of combat experience would actually be worried.
"Hey everyone! Looks like the gang's all here!" Ruby says from behind Blake.
Blake turns, and is amused but not exactly surprised to see Penny getting a piggyback ride from Ruby, with Weiss trailing behind and looking at both of them fondly.
"Salutations!" Penny adds, grinning as she hops down from Ruby's back. "Are you all excited to test your mettle against the other teams?"
"Absolutely carrot-top! I'm ready to test my metal too." Yang replies with a wry grin, deploying Ember Celica briefly for emphasis.
"Yeah. Really steeling myself for competition." Blake says dryly, sharing a brief, private smile with Yang as she adds another sub-par pun to their conversation, knowing that Yang will appreciate it.
"You're all terrible." Weiss complains, but it is without venom and her smile betrays her fondness for her friends' antics.
"Who's your first match against?" Nora wonders, finally settling down enough to sit.
"Team ABRN." Ruby explains. "Apparently they're pretty good, from what I've heard around the arena. But, I still think we can take 'em."
"I'm sure you'll all do fine. I know you guys have been training hard for this too." Ren says, smiling easily.
Ruby grins. "Thanks Ren!"
"Ruby," Penny says softly. "May I speak to you for a moment? I need your help with something." Penny hiccups.
"Oh, uh, sure! Be right back guys!"
Blake reaches out casually to hook a finger in Yang's beltloop, catching Yang's eyes. She gives a small, subtle shake of her head.
Let them have their privacy.
Yang frowns, but doesn't pull away. Blake reaches up to grab Yang's wrist, pulling her partner down to sit next to her.
Weiss and Jaune are discussing strategy; Ren and Pyrrha are trying to convince Nora not to have anymore caffeine. They have some relative privacy, at least for now.
"Relax." Blake says softly. "Penny couldn't hurt a fly. I know she lies about as well as a square peg fits in a round hole, but let her and Ruby talk."
"I just...I worry about her. She and Penny are the two youngest people here. I know she's growing up and everything and I know Penny's wonderful. I just get a bit overprotective sometimes. Ruby has a huge heart, and you'd have to be blind not to see that she and Penny are crazy about each other—a little young to be getting serious, but this is way more than a typical crush...Penny moved away when we were kids, and it absolutely crushed Ruby. She didn't have many friends and she just kind of threw herself into training after that. I tried to get her to go out and do things, make other friends but…" Yang trails off.
"I can see why. I don't think Ruby's fragile exactly, but she...seems like she gets pretty profoundly attached to people. Even with our team. She pushes herself so hard to make sure everybody's okay, which is great, but she's gotta take some time for herself too. Can't pour from an empty cup and all that." Blake agrees, nodding.
"Penny's great. I know she'd never intentionally do anything to hurt Ruby. I just worry anyway, you know?" Yang explains quietly.
Blake can read the stress in Yang's shoulders, feel the tension in the way Yang holds her drink just a bit too tightly. Blake places her free hand over top of Yang's for a brief moment, supportive and patient.
"I know. Ruby's lucky to have a big sister like you. I'm sure it's bittersweet seeing her grow up, but it's something we all have to do. I know this is new territory for you, but I'm sure Ruby will be just fine. Penny's about the best person I can think of for her to be interested in. She's so incredibly sweet and thoughtful...it's kind of adorable honestly." Blake admits, smiling softly. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks Blake." Yang says earnestly, nudging into Blake gently.
"Of course, Yang. Anytime." Blake answers.
*TCE*
[Vale]
"So...what's up?" Ruby asks quietly as she walks with Penny down the dirt path, away from the noise and commotion of the fairgrounds. They've paused by a small pond, a place that Ruby has passed many times on runs with her team, but has never actually stopped to look at.
It's beautiful. And the idyllic surroundings are enough to make her forget about the tournament, at least for a little while.
Penny pulls Ruby into a hug, squeezing a bit too hard as she always does, almost as if she's afraid Ruby will disappear if she doesn't hold on tightly enough.
"I have missed you, Ruby. I know we have not had much time to talk about what happened...before. But I am truly sorry for leaving. It was not my decision and I…" Penny's voice breaks a little, and Ruby can feel tears soaking into her shirt.
Oh, Penny…
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Ruby replies earnestly, rubbing Penny's back. The small shuddering sobs coming from Penny are almost inaudible, but they're enough to make Ruby feel like her heart is being ripped in two.
"I missed you so much that it physically hurt to be apart from you. It...it almost destroyed me." Penny pauses, her voice soft.
Ruby notices, almost for the first time that Penny smells like mint and vanilla with a hint of honey. Has that always been a thing? I've never noticed before…
"It was awful. I thought about you every day." Ruby answers earnestly, feeling her own eyes welling with tears at the memory. Her chest aches.
"I...I may not fully understand 'love' is yet...but I know that you are the most important person in my world, Ruby. I cannot imagine my life without you in it, and I do not want to. I want to grow with you and learn with you...I want to be by your side as much as it is possible for us to do that. I have told my father I will be staying here at Beacon after the festival instead of returning home to Atlas." Penny explains.
Ruby feels warm and feather-light, almost as if she's floating, and her face hurts from smiling so hard.
"Penny...you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. You're the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. I feel so lucky to know you. I don't really know what 'love' is either, but I know I wanna be part of your life for as long as you'll let me be. I don't...I don't want to imagine my life without you either." Ruby takes Penny's hand in her own. Penny's skin is unbelievably warm and soft. How did I never notice that either?
"That makes me incredibly happy, Ruby." Penny says, beaming.
"It makes me happy too! But...what about your dad? Won't he be upset that you're not coming back?" Ruby wonders, hesitant to spoil the moment.
"If he is upset, then he can continue to be upset. This is my life to live and I will not be separated from you again if I can help it. You are far too important to me for me to let that happen without a fight." Penny says firmly. She leans in and gives Ruby a soft peck on the lips, a brief, chaste thing that carries more gravitas and emotion than anything Ruby's ever read about in those gross books that Blake likes so much.
"Wow…" Ruby breathes, unable to stop smiling. There's a shift, something at once quiet and absolutely seismic, like the universe has always been just a little out of place until this moment. Ruby has never felt more right in her entire life.
"I want you to have this." Penny says, removing her simple gold pendant and gently hanging it around Ruby's neck. We may not always be able to be together, especially since we are training to be Huntresses, but this way, you will have a piece of me to carry with you wherever you go."
Ruby reaches up to remove one of the cross-shaped pins that holds her cloak to the rest of her outfit, adjusting it so that a single pin can keep it secured. She gently reaches out to fasten it to Penny's outfit. "There. Now I'll always be with you too." She says, her voice quiet, almost reverent as she gazes into Penny's beautiful green eyes. Have they always been this...mesmerizing?
Before either of them can say anything else, Ruby's scroll chimes, warning her that her team's match is coming up soon and they need to head to the arena and get ready.
"We should head back." Penny says, taking Ruby's hand. "I'm sure you will be victorious in your match, Ruby, you are a very skilled fighter."
Ruby blushes at the praise, and in a moment of boldness that is completely unlike her, she leans over and kisses Penny's cheek. "Thanks, Penny."
*TCE*
[Vale]
"Watch." Weiss says, rewinding the video on the screen to play back in slow motion. "I'd say Arslan is the biggest threat. She's the most versatile. It seems to me like Reese Chloris is their harrasser and Bolin Hori is their brawler. Nadir Shiko...well, he's there."
They still have about an hour before they're scheduled in their first match, and Blake had suggested—beating Weiss to the punch—reviewing the skirmish footage for team ABRN to get a better idea of what they'd be up against.
"Ouch, princess." Yang chuckles. " Look at you handing out the 'participation' awards. He does seem like he doesn't really know what to do. In most of the fights we've watch he just kind of stands there."
"Do you think every team will have someone who just kind of participates, but doesn't do anything useful?" Ruby wonders. "This was a good idea to review their skirmishes, Blake."
Blake nods calmly from her spot next to Yang on the bench. "It pays to know your enemy. Better to know what to watch out for ahead of time. This team doesn't seem too experienced, but there's a lot Arslan can do that surprised me."
"We should separate Arslan and Bolin as soon as possible. Their teamwork has done most of the heavy lifting in the matches they've won." Weiss points out.
Blake nods. "Good point. Yang and I can handle them. Think you and Ruby can keep Nadir and Reese off our backs?"
Ruby grins. "You can count on us!"
Weiss nods. "Shouldn't be a problem."
There's a brief chime over the PA system, announcing their match as starting in five minutes.
"Looks like we're up!" Ruby says, clapping her hands together. "We've got this!" And with that, team RWBY makes their way to the platform that will bring them into the arena.
The platform slowly rises with a quiet whir, no doubt it's powered by gravity dust and not something more conventional like hydraulics or pneumatics—Atlas has always had a deeper understanding of technology than the other kingdoms. Weiss takes a deep breath, calming her nerves, as the platform rises into place. Weiss feels Ruby gently squeeze her shoulder. She offers a smile over her shoulder, given with a confidence she certainly doesn't feel.
Weiss squares her shoulders as the platform is anchored into place at the top of its rise.
Weiss immediately goes cold as the frigid air kisses her skin, the pristine white expanse of their half of the arena taking her back to another place and time. The noise of the crowd is slowly drowned out by the ringing in Weiss' ears as her breath fogs in front of her face...
There are Grimm everywhere.
"This is Knight 1-1 to Castle! We need an immediateextraction! We have three confirmed dead, one critical, and one walking woun—fuck!" Nikolas snarls into his radio as Tellis, another of Weiss' squadmates is ripped apart by one of the Beowolves, staining the snow scarlet. "Four confirmed dead. We're oscar mike to rally point lambda. ETA is three minutes. Get us the fuck out of here, now!"
Kaya, the squads medic is currently draped over Weiss' back, as her ankle and lower leg are broken in at least three places and she can't run.
"You gotta leave me, guys. I'll just slow you down." Kaya says firmly, her voice weaker than it had been, her face growing steadily paler despite the cold.
"Not a chance!" Weiss growls, adjusting her hold as she sprints toward what appears to be a sheer cliff face on the side of a glacier. "I'm not losing anyone else!"
"Don't be a blockhead, Weiss." Kaya waves something in front of Weiss' face. It's a dust grenade, an absurdly powerful munition, one they're not even supposed to be carrying on an exercise like this. "Let me buy you some time. Let me give you a chance to make it out."
Weiss is brought back to the present by Ruby shaking her, breathing hard.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asks, clearly concerned.
Weiss swallows hard and wrestles her breathing under control. She's definitely not okay. But she says:
"Yes, I'm fine." With a firmness that she hopes hides the tremble in her voice. She forces herself to focus on her surroundings, to ground herself in the present.
Nothing could have prepared her for this.
Amity Colosseum is massive. It's like a typical sporting arena on steroids. The competition arena is at the bottom of what is essentially a a huge bowl, with seating around the entire 360 degrees to allow for optimal viewing of the action. The battle arena itself is a circle, about half the size of the actual Colosseum floor. There's a force-field that prevents combatants from being injured if they happen to be knocked out of the arena, which in itself counts as a disqualification.
Across the arena from them, team ABRN looks mostly ready for a fight. Weiss scans them with a critical eye. Arslan is confident but tense, her eyes holding a kind of subdued menace. Bolin looks calm, Reese is fidgety and energetic, and Nadir looks a little lost.
Weiss glances over to Ruby and makes a subtle hand gesture, one of the non-verbal communication tactics they've been working on as a team.
I'll set you up.
Ruby fixes her hair, her elbow pointing directly at Nadir. Him?
Weiss nods. That's the one.
Ruby grins. Too easy.
"For our next match, we have team RWBY from Beacon, facing off against team ABRN, from Haven. May the best team win!" Professor Port's voice rings over the arena's intercom, and there's a short chime that signifies the beginning of the match.
Weiss moves immediately, setting up a haste glyph to increase the velocity of Ruby's perfectly-timed shot from Crescent Rose.
There's a purple flash as Nadir is hit by a gravity round, and then is launched clear of the arena in spectacular fashion.
One down, three to go. Weiss tallies in her head, already moving to interdict Reese Chloris as the girl bears down on them on her hoverboard.
"Weiss, sunglasses!" Ruby calls out, and Weiss shuts her eyes, hearing a flash round detonate and a low curse from Reese.
Nice shot, Ruby.
Weiss calls on her Semblance, using it not only to close the gap between them, but also to pick up speed. She slams into Reese, Myretenaster-first driving Reese backward and off of her hoverboard. However, Reese reacts faster than Weiss expects, rolling back with the impact and using her feet to launch Weiss away from her. Weiss reacts purely on instinct, summoning a glyph that will keep her from falling into the lava—something that would no doubt deplete her aura enough for immediate disqualification.
Not to mention it would be rather painful, immortal or not...
Ruby is already there, her Semblance providing a much faster reaction time, and she redirects Weiss, launching her partner back toward Chloris. She fires off a rapid burst of ice-dust-infused bullets, freezing Chloris' feet to the ground and setting Weiss up perfectly.
Weiss impacts Reese with a driving kick, striking with enough force to bowl Reese over and following up with an immediate salvo of strikes from Myrtenaster.
Reese's defense is efficient, as she splits apart her hoverboard into two machine pistols to better defend against Weiss' blows. She drives Weiss back with a barrage of lightning rounds, leaving Weiss stunned and tasting ozone.
That could have gone better...Weiss gripes internally, even as she sets Ruby up to take advantage of Reese's exposed back with the slingshot move she likes so much. Weiss pays for diverting her attention in blood, taking a vicious flurry of blows from Reese that sends her stumbling backward. She fetches up against a ribbon, and realizes that Blake has just prevented her from toppling into the lava.
Weiss nods gratefully toward Blake, who just grins in response.
There's a red streak as Ruby propels herself into Weiss' glyph with her Semblance, rebounding off of it as though she's been shot from a cannon.
Weiss cartwheels out of the way as Reese flies past, using a glyph in combination with Myretenaster to hurl a lightning bolt at Bolin, preventing him from surprising Yang, who gives her a thumbs-up in response. She turns back to see Reese slamming face first into a rock formation on the other side of the arena.
Ouch. That had to hurt.
A buzzer sounds, telling Weiss that Reese is now eliminated as well. She exchanges a high-five with Ruby and the two of them turn to help Blake and Yang, though the other two seem to have their fight well under control.
Weiss turns just in time to see Blake and Yang absolutely dominating their own fight, back-to-back against Arslan and Bolin.
They're absolutely in their element, attacking, defending and countering so quickly and seamlessly that they appear to be doing all three at the same time. Both of them project a quiet confidence, a restrained ferocity that leaves no doubt that they are in complete command of the fight.
Blake slips a blow from Bolin's staff and Weiss locks him down with a gravity glyph, wincing when Blake and Yang switch opponents in a clearly-practiced move, with Yang delivering a devastating punch with enough force to send Bolin flipping over backward.
Ruby fires off a shot that at first appears to be a miss, but is actually extremely precise. She's clipped Arslan's foot with a round, just enough to cause her to stumble directly into a brutal flurry of chops and kicks from Blake. Blake wastes no time in capitalizing, launching herself onto Arslan's shoulders and garroting her with Gambol Shroud's ribbon—a move Weiss has seen her use on Yang in their sparring sessions. It's almost frightening how quickly Blake dismantles Arslan, and the buzzer sounds once more.
Yang doesn't seem to need any help, casually and easily defending against Bolin's staff as though she's done it a thousand times—and Weiss reflects that she probably has based on what Weiss knows about Yang training with Pyrrha.
It's clearly paying dividends now...
Bolin is clearly getting tired and frustrated, becoming more reckless and uncoordinated in his movements.
Yang just grins as she tricks him into overextending before connecting with a brutal spinning backfist. Yang leaps, using the rotation to drive an absolutely flawless spinning kick that lays Bolin flat.
She's clearly picked up a few things from Blake. Weiss reflects, smiling softly to herself.
"Holy cow! Did you see that? That was awesome!" Ruby crows, and Weiss can feel her smile getting just a bit bigger at Ruby's exuberance.
The buzzer sounds and the crowd erupts in cheers, so loud that Weiss can feel the vibrations in her bones.
"Team RWBY takes the win! What an amazing performance, with good effort from both teams. Team RWBY will be moving on to the doubles round, and we'll be back with to see how team JNPR fares against team BRNZ after these messages from our sponsors."
"I knew we could do it!" Ruby cheers, giving Weiss a too-tight hug.
"We fought well," Weiss agrees, trying to politely extricate herself from Ruby's death grip.
"We kicked ass, is what you mean princess." Yang grins, punching Weiss in the shoulder good-naturedly, and although she knows Yang doesn't mean to hurt her, it's definitely going to bruise...
"We work well together, and it paid off." Blake adds. "I'm interested to see how team JNPR does too."
"Do we have time for snacks before their match?" Ruby asks as they return to the platform that will take them out of the arena. "I'm starving."
