Note: Happy New Year! It's time to kick off 2025 right with a new chapter, and this one involves a special guest. My fellow RWBY writer SwagWizardSupreme was kind enough to lend a hand in writing this chapter, and so the vast majority of the first section was actually written by her. I usually try not to have guest writers, but in this case, I was super struggling and she was very much willing to lend a hand. I am super appreciative of the work she contributed, so everyone should read her works. Go. Read them. After this, of course.

Neptune Vasilias liked to see glasses half-full—ironic, since he had a fear of water.

It was born out of necessity, though Neptune didn't like to think of it that way. When something came out of necessity, it sounded like it was forced on him, and Neptune would like to believe he would always choose positivity. But yes, it was a necessity, because Neptune's Aura didn't work like everyone else's. Aura was the continuous energy of the Soul, the lifeblood of a Huntsman that could always be counted on to give them the edge in combat. Yet, Neptune's Semblance—which he jokingly referred to as "Pep"—fused his Aura to his emotional state. When he was feeling good, his Aura was supercharged. He felt like he could move mountains and shatter barriers. When he was down, it was like his entire body atrophied. As such, being as positive as possible as often as possible was preferable.

It was hard to be positive all the time, though. Take, for example, the first day of the Vytal Festival.

Nothing happened on the first day of the Vytal Festival. It was supposed to be really cool, a huge spectacle where he and his pals could take in the admiration of the crowds and spend some awesome bro bonding moments. Except that didn't happen, because nothing happened. Mercury vanished. Sage and Scarlet didn't want to go out. Some weird Shade girl did a twerk on stage. It was weird.

But the second day was going to be Neptune's day. He could feel it in his bone fluid, whatever that was called. He was going to get off on the best of feet and claim the day for Team MNSS. He could already smell his victory, which conveniently smelled like the rest of the cabin: a place where four teenage boys slept.

That plan immediately ran into problems when he had to actually do something.

Neptune spent far too long staring at Mercury. Sleeping Mercury, that is, since it'd be weird if he were staring at an awake Mercury. As the de facto leader of their team—and the only one left in the cabin—the burden of awakening his teammate lay entirely on Neptune's shoulders. It was his job, waking him up. It was what he was here to do. He was gonna do it. For sure.

But why not Sage? Surely, he was better built for whatever wroth a sleepy Mercury child unleash. Why not Scarlet? Surely his golden tongue could carry the man from sleepless fury to wakeful calm.

Because they were busy. Doing whatever it was they did. Not in the cabin. They also liked doing their own things sometimes. So, it was just Neptune and Mercury.

Alone.

Not that that was anything. It wasn't. It was, in fact, nothing. There was absolutely no thing about this arrangement. Not a single thing. Really, it was what you'd expect—team member sleeping in, the other team member present wakes him up. A super normal, thingless thing, for which one Neptune Sebastian Vasilias was completely and totally prepared. Such were the burdens of a de facto leader. Such is life. It is what it is. And that was the way of it.

Mercury breathed in.

Mercury breathed out.

The world turned. The carbon cycle progressed. Orbiting bodies did their thing. People aged—died, too. Probably.

All while Neptune just stood there, his hand held out towards Mercury's shoulder. Really, all he had to do was nudge him. Just a little. Mercury was a twitchy guy—the type to throw you if you spooked him from behind—so he'd probably go crazy if Neptune woke him up.

That was why Neptune was procrastinating. He didn't want Merc to go crazy on his ass. On him— not his ass specifically. That'd be weird. But whatever part of his beautiful body he went crazy on, it would be a mood killer.

Mercury breathed in.

Mercury breathed out.

Neptune's hand did not move.

Mercury didn't even look peaceful in his slumber—more like he was just pretending to be asleep. Like he'd jump up and grab Neptune's wrist and yank him—

"M-Merc. Dude."

That didn't work. Just like the last time he'd tried. All he had to do was reach out and push the guy.

Just reach out and nudge one of his insanely wiry shoulders. Not that Neptune paid particular attention to the guy's shoulders— that'd be weird. It was just, well, they were teammates. He'd seen Mercury shirtless. Mercury hadn't seen him shirtless, but that was just 'cus Nep was a prude. He was the only one like that. If Scarlet didn't have a shirt with ruffles, frills, and/or puffy sleeves, he didn't have a shirt at all. And Sage, despite his taciturn nature, reveled in showing off his top scars.

So what, Neptune knew what the guy looked like under those sheets. That wasn't even weird. Like, at all. He'd seen all the other guys. It was important to know your team was in proper shape, as de facto leader. And Mercury… he was definitely—

Lids parted from a grey eye, just enough for Mercury's tired gaze to meet Neptune. Finishing his ragged inhale, the kickboxer croaked.

"Ugh… don'chu… j'sfuckoff, Nep. I'm tryna… sleep…"

Neptune drew his hand back. The worst had happened: Mercury had been awoken, and the consequences were not nearly as dire as Neptune had expected. Mercury merely turned and went back to breathing, but not with the same restful tempo as before— now he was truly pretending.

"Merc, bro, get up. It's ten." Neptune checked his watch. "Nine forty-six. Which is basically ten. And it'll probably take you an hour to get ready, then it'll be eleven, and I think we all know how fast eleven goes by, then it'll be noon and we'll be doing a whole important thing without any preparation again."

Mercury groaned.

Neptune, panting from his tirade, mustered himself with a few deep breaths and an unnecessary adjustment of his tie. He tried to speak with enthusiasm. "The guys are getting brunch. C'mon! Up and at 'em!"

The notion of food convinced Mercury to push up on his elbows, at least. And sure, the sheets spilled off his chiseled front like water off a plastic sheet, but that had nothing to do with why Neptune's mouth was so dry. It was just because coffee was dehydrating—even if he'd finished his coffee five hours ago and drunk water since. It was just really good coffee, and the better coffee is the more it dehydrates. He would know. Removing water is his thing.

"Neptune."

The Huntsman in question jolted, his eyes refocusing. Mercury's eyes were on him, searching.

"You just gonna stand there or are you gonna let me get dressed?"

Neptune blinked. Why not both—"Uh, yeah. Yeah, of course. I'll leave you to it."

Mercury nodded towards his door. "Yes. Please do."

So he did, and with nothing better to do, Neptune waited on the other side of that door. He checked his Scroll—today's schedule, to be specific—despite knowing the allotment of every hour for each of his teammates for the rest of their week. All three of them were packed.

Mercury wasn't. Of course. If the guy was scheduled to do anything other than fight, he simply wouldn't do it. He'd get lost. His Scroll would die. He'd be a grey ghost to the world, and any concerted effort to find him would only ever delay his discovery. Hence, why Sage was doing today's Showcase instead of him. No point in scheduling something even if it made the silver-haired harlot look like a total badass. Mercury would only ever be found on his own terms.

Which almost made Neptune want to claw his own eyes out. Not Mercury's. Because Mercury would one hundred percent kick his entire ass.

Neptune wasn't as much of a brainless twink as his fans assumed. He was actually a rather brain-ful twink, so he knew Mercury wasn't disappearing to go to church. He was going off to more unsavory pastures. Neptune had cleaned and/or stitched his face up enough times to know.

And that was a normal thing for a de facto leader to do—mending your actual leader's busted-up face yourself, rather than getting it done in the actual medical wing. It was good practice for his first-aid skills. It helped build a bond of trust. It meant less paperwork.

Even though there was literally zero paperwork. Why would there be paperwork? They're Huntsmen. Getting hurt is basically half the job. A fact of the matter.

It had nothing to do with seeing a Mercury that nobody else saw. Neptune simply had to do it. Didn't want him to get an infection or a scar. Their faces were three-quarters of their popularity.

Nothing to do with the way Mercury hissed at the alcohol, winced for each dab of the cotton ball, grunted with the sutures. 'Lift up your shirt. I need to check your ribs.' 'My ribs are fine.' 'That's what you said last time.' 'And last time they were fine.' 'Last time they were broken.' 'I've had broken ribs before.' 'Can you fight with broken ribs?' 'Fine.' 'There. Was that really so hard?' 'Oh, suck my dick.' 'You… you wish.' 'You wish.' 'What? No.' 'You might as well, seeing how you're always on it.' 'Wow. Sick wordplay, my dude. Now it just makes it seem like you want me to—' 'Whatever. You wouldn't even. Pussy.' 'I wouldn't even suck your dick?' 'Yeah. Cuz you're a coward.' 'I'm not a coward.' 'Oh yeah? Go jump in a pool, then.' 'Shut up. It's— pools are fine. It's just if they have waves, or if I can't see the bottom.' 'Yeah, well I can see the bottom. He's in the room with me.' 'You… I… shut up, dude.'

"You're a bit of a creep, you know that?"

For the second time, Mercury had made Neptune jump out of his skin. The latter rounded on the former. Neptune choked on his rebuttal, instead turning away once more with a weak, "Put on a shirt, man."

"What? Why?"

"Because we're going out."

"I'd sure fucking hope not."

Neptune was adamant. "With Scarlet and Sage. For brunch."

Mercury ducked into his room, returning again with a shirt haphazardly stretched over his head, the garment falling down inside-out and backward. Neptune decided not to tell him.

"Seems early for a brunch," Mercury mused through a yawn. "Aren't those after breakfast?"

Neptune shook his head. "Only if you're actually up for breakfast."

"Ten is a perfectly normal time to be up. Also, a perfectly normal time to have breakfast."

"Sure, yeah, in a perfect world," Neptune dramatically overenunciated, waving air quotes. "But we're Huntsmen who have a lot of stuff to do. We're bleeding every hour, Merc. A second missed is a second we're falling behind."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "You're acting like this is the most important thing of our lives."

Neptune threw up his hands, his words mixed with exhilaration and frustration. "It literally is! It's the Vytal Tournament! This is career-defining!"

"It's really not. Either way, we're gonna be Huntsmen."

Neptune's eyes glittered. "But will we be good Huntsmen? Or the greatest Huntsmen?"

Mercury only offered him a petulant snort. "Just admit it: this whole thing's a publicity stunt, and we're under everyone else's shadow."

"We wouldn't be if you didn't—"

Mercury was on him before he could even get the next words out, pressing the taller Neptune against the doorway with a hand fisted in his shirt. Neptune's hands twitched, but he didn't react with more than a brief grunt and a glare.

"If I didn't what?" Mercury challenged. "I could not give less of a shit about the gay little boy-band thing you think we've got going on."

Neptune scowled at him, but that was all he could do. Mercury was, unfortunately, right: he very obviously could not be convinced to care about their image, about the prestige that, although it was owed to the fickle whims of teenage girls, Neptune himself had so painstakingly carved for them. Mercury, verifiably, could not be paid to give a fuck. And Neptune had tried! Vehemently! A hundred Lien was a lot of money! But look at where that got him.

Mercury still didn't give a shit. And worst of all? That attitude made him a star.

Whether he liked it or not, Mercury Black was miraculously the most sought-after member of MNSS. For every interview, event, and outing he missed, the masses crawled over each other in search of him. Headlines would be: 'Team RWBY Did Something Psychotic (Again)', 'Some Other Hot Bullshit', and 'MNSS Mercury Manhunt' right below that. Always relegated to third place— if they were lucky, nowadays. Hard to make a name for yourself when the world has clearly decided who the main characters are. Harder still when your so-called 'team leader' is hogging the spotlight.

Neptune pushed Mercury's arm away, a hiss slipping out before he could check himself. "Could you not be a dick for just one day?"

Mercury's expression was immediately hot— as in heated. Like, for a challenge. A smirk. Which he did all the time. "Being a dick is kinda my thing."

"Then get a new schtick," Neptune muttered.

Mercury pushed forward, backing Neptune up to the wall. He penned the bluenette between his arms, his lips a dangerous smirk, voice dripping with venomous confidence. "Or what?"

All of Neptune's burgeoning bravado instantly sloughed away. He managed a precise and eloquent, "Uh…"

And just like that, the glimmering spark behind Mercury's eyes snuffed out. His grin fell dead, and he pulled away with the same mortuary timbre, mumbling, "Fine. Where'd they go."

"Of course, you—"

Neptune's brain ground to a halt, his preemptive snark bunching up impotently in his throat. His words clambered out, dumb and slow.

"You're actually gonna come?"

Mercury waved him off. "Yeah. Sure. Who cares. I'm hungry. Let's go."

Oh. That was… good? Yeah! Good! Things were really working out for ol' Neptune S. Vasilias. The second day of Vytal was his after all.

"Great! Then let's—"

"And who the hell wears a tie to brunch?"

Mercury sniffed at Neptune for good measure, sneering as he said it. Neptune looked down at himself. He looked up at Mercury. He looked down at the tie.

It was actually a really nice tie— simple, black, with a chevron texture that only a keen-eyed aficionado would notice. It wasn't exactly designer, but it deserved more respect than Mercury was giving it. It deserved appreciation. Ties were an integral part of his look—practical class. Something more appealing to refined folk— to those who shirked juvenile swagger and pursued the finer things in life. The Huntsman who was an everyman, but didn't make that an excuse for slovenliness.

Shrugging, Neptune yanked off the tie and chucked it somewhere else. "Better?"

Mercury sighed. "Yeah. For once. Now you don't look like a nerd."

"I am a nerd," Neptune stated as he moved to the door, opening it for Mercury. "It's 102 AC, what's wrong with being a nerd?"

"Plenty of things," Mercury answered easily, walking on as Neptune was forced to hurriedly lock the door behind them. Merc casually tried to trip him as he came jogging back, but Neptune managed to sidestep it. Continuing as if he hadn't just done that, Mercury elucidated: "It separates you from the real world. Games aren't real."

Neptune cocked his entire face and body at his 'team leader.' "You… play video games. Literally all the time. It's, like, the only thing you do at the cabin."

Mercury preened as if his hypocrisy were a point of pride. "Yeah, but I don't suck at them."

"I don't suck."

"You seriously do."

"Prove it."

Mercury turned to him and just… smirked. He didn't have an actual point or anything, he just did the thing he always does—which was annoying, but also had the unintended side effect of reminding Neptune that, less than fifteen minutes earlier, he'd basically been fantasizing a porno plot while waiting outside Mercury's room. As such, Neptune set his gaze forward and coughed into his hand, hoping it would hide his scorching face.

Mercury was a giant pain in his ass. Each one of his quips was like a dagger. And sometimes, they hurt so good.

A lot of words were shared among Team NYBF when they returned to their cabin for the night.

"What the fuck was that about?"

"I don't understand what that was."

"What was her name?"

"Do you think Ozpin put her up to that?"

"Why would Ozpin put her up to that?"

"Is she five? Like, a literal five-year-old?"

"Did you hear what she said to Weiss? About how we would all die?"

"What was wrong with her?"

Team RWBY went to bed with no answers. Keeping track of everyone at the Vytal Festival was a difficult task. Students were oft to make names for themselves by doing dumb things. Still, no one quite attempted sabotaging the Opening Ceremony before. It was a bold strategy, and by bold, it was actually very dumb. Going to bed, all four members of Team RWBY believed that childish Shade student would be expelled by sunrise.

Yet, of the four members of Team RWBY, only three of them were able to sleep.

Weiss had a bad first day of Vytal. She lay on her sturdy mattress, blanket tucked beneath her arms, staring out an open window. The breeze rustled her face as she reflected on the day's events. Her attempts to communicate with Rosaline were a disaster. Her training of Velvet ended with her friend maybe abandoning everything she had ever learned to pursue Fox's dumb strategies. Opening Ceremony: disaster, as well known. She met the President of Vale, someone she once had a modicum of respect for, and got to see him for the sorry excuse of a man he now was. Worse, she felt like Blake made a split decision with their futures that she did not consent to. Of course, she likely would have rejected Pygmalion's offer, but at least let her do it on her own terms! Blake could be so much sometimes. What did Yang ever see in her?

And how could she forget Arslan Altan—that Solemn monk who discovered her Soul Lapse? Who made her feel more worthless in a single conversation than she had in months?

Were there any positives? Aside from staring at Team BRIR… no. None.

Weiss tried to close her eyes, but she could only imagine what anxieties tomorrow would bring. There was going to be a showcase from someone on their team. They didn't know who would compete yet. If she went out and choked in front of everyone, gods, what a disgrace she would become. Normally, she wouldn't stress about destroying some fodder, but Arslan's words put doubts in her mind that seized her in the dark. She couldn't let Ruby down. She repeated the mantra over and over.

And then, the family dinner. Winter would be there—as Team RWBY's sponsor, she had little choice. There would probably be some media storm around her, but that was nothing new. No, it was the rest of Weiss's family that made her chest hurt. Would her mom be there, lured out of her wine cellar prison? Whitley, to torment her for some false "family reunion"? And gods, Jacques… if he was to ever show his wretched face again, Vytal would be the place to do it. Weiss could see it now. Her father would show up unannounced, mingle with all the Atlasian elites loyal to his cause. He would disparage Winter and the state of the SDC, accuse her of leading a witch hunt, and build momentum to an eventual return. She could picture his smug face now, and it made her want to puke. She had to tell herself that he was gone forever, that his reputation was sullied beyond repair, and most importantly, that it actually mattered.

Weiss didn't really know when she drifted off to sleep. She suddenly felt the warmth of the sun on her cheek, and her eyes groggily opened. She couldn't even remember what she dreamt. After a few minutes of lying and doing nothing, she willed herself to stand. Her routine was the same as it was at Beacon. Shower. Scrub. Brush teeth. Get dressed. Yell at Yang to take less time in the bathroom. By the time she arrived in the kitchen, Ruby was waiting for her, checking the news on her Scroll. Weiss gave her a morning hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Good morning, love," Weiss muttered. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine. You?"

"Same. Just fine."

Team RWBY discussed their plans for the day when Yang and Blake joined them. Not much had changed from the day prior. They were all shocked to learn that Alyx Nevermore wouldn't be removed from Vytal. Then again, why would the universe make things easy for them? Yang and Ruby spoke excitedly of seeing their dad again, the first time since they had arrived at Atlas Academy. Yang also wanted to talk about the Showcase, though Ruby didn't find it that important. "Any of us can probably handle it. They usually aren't that interesting," she reminded them. No one felt like fighting her on that point. As for the rest of their daily plans, they had no intention of doing anything differently. Explore. Inform. Study. Rest. They only had two days to prepare now. It was best to make the most of it.

For some reason, Blake had something else on her mind. "Hey, I'm just giving you a heads-up. I'm not coming to the family dinner tonight."

The others gasped. "What?" asked Yang. "You have to."

"Eh." Blake rested her elbows on the table, more bored than anything else.

"Blake, why do you not want to be at dinner?" Ruby asked. "Is there something else you have planned?"

"Not really," Blake admitted. "I was just going to lie around here, probably."

"Then why are you skipping the dinner?"

"Because it's a family dinner," Blake explained. "You guys haven't seen your dad in months. You deserve to spend some actual time together without me being a third wheel."

Yang shook their head. "Blake, that's ridiculous. We want you there."

"You can spend time with me literally whenever. If this all goes sideways, who knows when you'll see your dad again? Same with you and Winter, Weiss. I think you should just enjoy your family while you can."

Yang reached across the table, squeezing Blake's hand. "Blake, we know you don't want to hear this, but you are our family."

Blake's eye twitched. Ruby followed up her sister. "Yeah, it would be wrong to not have you there. We have to stick together. Right, Weiss?"

Weiss shrugged. "I still don't believe you have an altruistic reason for not wanting to come. What are you actually scheming?"

Blake groaned. She pulled her hand away from Yang's. "I'm not scheming anything. I'm just saying—"

"You're always scheming something."

"Look, I just…"

"Yes? Come on, spit it out."

Blake shouted. "I don't want to fucking be there, okay?"

Weiss's smug look instantly vanished. Ruby and Yang went quiet. Blake sighed in reserved frustration. She pulled her arms to her chest, hugging herself.

"It's just… it's depressing," Blake confessed, struggling to keep herself together. "Everyone is going to have someone there to see, and you'll spend all your focus on each other, and it'll just… it's going to remind me of what I don't have. And I just… I really don't want to think about that."

The others were struck with a tidal wave of guilt. Blake did not speak of her family often. When she did, it was only ever tragedy and regret. With Team RWBY, she could forget that for a time. She didn't have to think of abandoning her mother in Menagerie or wonder if she had died from a broken heart. Being surrounded by so much love not directed at her would be a form of torture. It just wasn't fair, and no one had any idea how to fix it.

Weiss felt like utter garbage for even suggesting there was something malicious behind Blake's actions. Ruby's mind ran a hundred thoughts per minute. She still wanted Blake to join them, to feel like she belonged. She had to think of some way to convince her to fight through the pain. But she didn't have a chance. Yang spoke on her behalf.

"That's okay, Blake," they said softly. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Maybe that wasn't the right answer. Maybe, in the long run, leaving Blake behind would come back to bite them. But Yang wanted to listen. They had to make sure Blake knew her choices were respected. That was how they would move forward.

Blake gently nodded. She held out her hand of her own accord, and Yang returned to it. "Thank you. And sorry, if I'm being a pain."

"You aren't a pain. Promise," Yang stated. "And we'll make sure to bring you some leftovers."

Blake snickered. "Cool."

"Well, since we aren't having dinner together," Yang suggested, "maybe we can do, like, a brunch before the Showcases?"

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Oooh, that sounds like a good idea. There are probably some good brunch places in Li Caccia and that way, we all get to spend time together."

"Actually, I have to pass on that," Weiss said suddenly. She stood up from the table to Ruby's surprise. "I have to train with Velvet this morning."

Ruby couldn't hide her disappointment. "Oh…"

"Sorry, I already made the plans," Weiss explained.

"You're still doing that?" asked Blake. "You know she isn't going to learn shit, right? You aren't a good enough trainer to fix someone without Aura in two days."

"Thanks for the show of confidence, Blake. You always have my back," Weiss smirked. She conveniently didn't mention Velvet going back to her family for a weapon, though she was certain Blake would discover the truth eventually. How she would react was something Weiss did not dare think about, lest she will the most terrible possibilities into existence.

Ruby pouted. "You really have to go train her though? I feel like I barely saw you yesterday."

Weiss sighed, and gently gave Ruby a hug. "You'll see me plenty tonight. I'm sorry, but I really don't have a choice."

Ruby knew Weiss was correct. Velvet needed her attention far more than Ruby did. But with the stakes of Vytal so high, any moment they had together needed to be cherished. Their lives were on the line, maybe more obviously than ever before. She didn't want to leave Weiss with any regrets—screw it if that was a defeatist attitude, that was how she felt. She and Weiss needed to spend some time together before it all came crumbling down. But that would not be this moment. Weiss was already running late to meet with Velvet, and a Schnee was nothing if not punctual.

Weiss left the cabin after retrieving Myrtenaster's case and giving Ruby another kiss on the cheek. She was off to train, and Ruby was left sitting by her lonesome with a happy couple beside her at the kitchen table.

"Hey," said Yang suddenly. "You ever think about how weird it is we're all dating each other?"

Blake sneered. "We're not all dating each other."

"No, we know—"

"I don't want to date Ruby. Or Weiss."

"You know that's not what we meant."

"But you gotta be specific because I want no part of that. No offense, Ruby."

"None taken. I don't want to date you either, Blake."

"Hey! What's wrong with dating Blake?" asked Yang.

Ruby stared at her sister, dumbfounded. "Do… do you not know?"

The walk between Team RWBY's cabin and Team CFVY's cabin was short, though it still gave Weiss plenty of time to think. Was this really all pointless? Velvet may not even listen to any of her advice, and all time spent with the activist was a distraction from other, more important tasks. Hell, she could be focusing on her own training. Was it really wise to prop up a teammate who had no realistic chance of winning? With only two days remaining, she needed to spend her remaining time wisely. Yet, she couldn't fully abandon Velvet. The rest of her team already had after her past was revealed. The activist supported her when she was ignorant and hateful, and it only seemed right to return the favor in Velvet's time of need. But she knew, not even deep down but plain as the sun, that she would rather be spending her time with Ruby. She hoped she wouldn't wish they had more moments together.

But her thoughts were drowned out. She stopped dead in her tracks, a chill running down her spine.

Weiss heard screaming from within the cabin.

She quickly ran up the steps to the front door and pressed her ear against the wood. She heard shrieking and objects clattering on the ground. A brief panic took over her. Were they under attack? Sabotage? Or was it…

Oh no…

That screaming voice was Velvet's.

Weiss grabbed onto the door handle, trying to force it open. She knocked furiously, but no one inside heard her. Desperate to enter, she summoned a gold chain from the ground beneath her. It slid effortlessly between the handle and the frame, and soon the lock was sliced in two. The path was open, and Weiss barged into Team CFVY's cabin. She had only a fraction of a second to look around before something was thrown at her head. Weiss gasped and ducked out of the way of the foreign object, which sailed over her head and onto the front lawn. Weiss looked upon it with shock.

A throw pillow—taken far too literally.

"You bastard!"

Weiss turned back to the cabin, whose insides had been transformed into a warzone. In the kitchen stood Yatsuhashi, wincing and holding up his arms in a pitiful act of surrender. Numerous broken and unbroken objects lay at his feet: blankets, pillows, a vase, silverware. All thrown at his massive torso and deflected with only emotional scars left behind. On the other side of the living room stood Velvet, snarling and raving like some kind of rabid animal. Slurs poured out of her mouth like a waterfall, words that had no business coming from someone as prim and proper. Fox sat on the steps, trying to stay out of the drama. Coco stood between the loving couple, just trying to keep them all together.

"Velvet, please," Yatsu begged. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Hurt me? You fucking piece of shit!" Velvet cried, hurling another pillow at his face. "Kick me right when I'm at my lowest! You worm!"

She picked up one of the couch cushions and threw it next, and Yatsu was forced to deflect it with a thud.

"Velvet, chill," Coco implored, ducking from the chaos.

"This is ridiculous, Velvet," Yatsu claimed. "Stop throwing things at me and please listen."

Velvet roared like a lion. "Listen to what? The sounds of you stabbing me in my back?" She searched for more objects to throw at Yatsu as he raised his voice.

"This is for both of our sakes. I want us to be able to move forward."

"We were supposed to move forward together, you dick!" Velvet cried. Desperate for ammunition, she unzipped a different, non-thrown couch cushion, and started ripping out its stuffing. "I gave you everything! Everything I possibly could!" She threw fistfuls of white cotton at his head, which bounced off with zero impact. "My trust!" Throw. "My fears!" Throw. "My body—my fucking virginity!" Very large throw. "All of those fucking things that you wanted to do and I just went along with. Those dumb fucking positions from that dumb fucking book!"

In the background, Fox had to hold back his shocked laughter. Coco, face red and heart bleeding, waved her arms frantically. "Velvet, seriously, calm down! We don't need to hear this!"

"Oh, you will fucking hear this," Velvet screamed. She didn't give a single shit about her self-esteem. Yatsu had taken that and set it on fire, so now it only made sense to burn down this entire cabin, their team, their past, and pretty much anything that even slightly reminded her of the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Coco had absolutely no means to stop her, save for maybe tackling her to the ground. That seemed a bit unnecessary though, given that she wasn't really resorting to violence yet.

If she chose to grab a gun, then they would have a serious problem.

Weiss felt like she shouldn't be involved with this. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had transpired, and by the gods, if it was this personal now, after what she assumed to be only a few minutes, she didn't want to know how much more tea was going to be spilled on the cabin floor. If Weiss was smart, she should probably turn around and leave before she was noticed. But Weiss was dumb enough to think she could help, or stop a murder from taking place, or provide support to Velvet in what was clearly a time of need… or maybe she was just a sucker for the drama. Either way, she took a step inside the cabin, and the squeaking of the floorboards gave her away.

"Um…"

Coco turned to Weiss, flustered. How much of that had she heard?

"Weiss, not now," Coco begged her. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

Yatsu, recognizing the importance of witnesses, considered otherwise. "No, it's okay. She can come in. Maybe she can talk some sense into her."

Velvet threw up her hands in fury, essentially disregarding Weiss's presence as anything more than a distraction. "Oh, I need some goddamn sense talked into me, do I? Not the person who kicks me when I've had the worst month of my life!"

Yatsu shook his head, more disappointed than anything else. "Velvet, I still care about you. I just couldn't… I couldn't keep lying to you anymore about how I felt."

"Well, I'm so glad that we get to protect your feelings," Velvet scoffed. "Because god knows you didn't protect me when I got fucking blinded, or when Blake assaulted me, or when I fucking died in that stupid Vault because you got taken out by friendly fire!" She gritted her teeth and ripped out more chunks of couch stuffing, arming herself as if preparing for war. "No, your feelings are so goddamn precious! You fucking little weasel, you perverted half-witted pillock fuck!"

"I can't do this," Yatsu sighed. "I need to get out of here."

He turned to leave, and Velvet began her bombardment again in earnest. "Sure, walk out! Walk out like you walked out on me!" She catapulted stuffing at the back of his head. Yatsu awkwardly walked past Weiss, avoiding eye contact like his life depended on it. Velvet started to give chase, but Coco finally intervened, blocking her path.

"Hey, he's gone! Take it easy," Coco said hurriedly, grabbing onto Velvet's wrists. The activist glared past her, her unwavering gaze following Yatsu until he was well out of view. She struggled against Coco's hold as her team leader continued her attempts to soothe her. "I know it sucks, but you are going to be fine. You don't need him."

Velvet didn't believe that, though with Yatsu gone, she had nowhere else to funnel her anger. Her face was hot. Hell, her whole body was running a few degrees higher than usual. No tears fell from her face, but she could feel her control of herself slipping.

"I… I'm going to my room," Velvet declared. "Don't talk to me."

She pulled away from Coco and marched toward the step. Fox awkwardly shuffled aside for her, grinning at her as she passed by.

"Hey, there's plenty of fish in the sea—"

"Eat your own ass, Fox," Velvet snapped at him. She climbed with heavy steps as Fox took a moment to recover from the absolute savagery of the insult.

"Damn," he muttered. "That was… something."

Coco let out a heavy sigh. She took off her sunglasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Weiss slowly approached her, surveying the damage caused by Velvet's temper tantrum.

"Did I make that worse?" Weiss asked. Coco shook her head.

"No, it was always that bad. Fucking Yatsu… what kind of dipshit breaks up with their girlfriend like that?"

"You're mad at Yatsu?" Weiss said, confused. "Not… all of this?"

Weiss gestured to the damaged couch, and Coco grunted. Of course, she had a soft spot for Velvet's struggles. Always had. If anyone was going to preemptively pick sides, it would be her. But she had reasons beyond favoritism, and despite her reservations, she was compelled to reveal them.

"I'm mad at the timing of it," Coco confessed. "We need everyone at the top of their game, and Yatsu decides instead he's going to cause a ton of drama. Like, read the room, dude! I don't give a shit if you have a guilty conscience, suck it up for the team."

Weiss was somewhat surprised. She would have assumed Coco of all people would be thrilled that Velvet and Yatsu were no longer an item. Her crush on the former bunny girl wasn't exactly a secret. Maybe some small part of her was excited. But seeing Velvet this upset was like a knife to the heart regardless of the circumstances. No matter. This was a Team CFVY problem, and therefore, it was up to Coco to solve it. How she planned on doing that was beyond Weiss's area of expertise. Still…

"Do you need help?" Weiss asked.

"No, I'll take care of it," Coco sighed. "I'll make sure Velvet comes out in time for the team pictures later. I don't know what we're going to do about the Showcases, but I'll think of something. Fuck, I just need her not to attack Yatsu on sight, and I'll be happy."

"I actually came here to get Velvet for practice," Weiss claimed. "I don't suppose that's happening."

"Probably not," Coco said, crossing her arms. "Maybe you can convince her to channel her anger into the tournament, but honestly, I think we should just leave Velvet alone for a little while. If she wants space, let's give it to her." Coco growled at Fox. "Ya got that?"

"What makes you think I was going to do anything?" Fox asked defensively.

"You know why," Coco stated. She sighed again, looking at the ruins of their cabin. "You don't think Vytal is going to charge us for the damages, do you?"

"If they do, I'll help cover it," Weiss said comfortingly.

"You'll cover all of it," Coco corrected her. "You're a billionaire. Pick up the slack. Like, come on."

Weiss couldn't really argue with that. She felt, for a moment, a brief temptation to check on Velvet despite being warned. She wasn't good with break-ups but was leaving someone alone truly the best for them. She decided that she laced the understanding to violate Velvet's wishes. Yet, as she reluctantly turned to leave the CFVY cabin, she had to wonder: what now? Her morning of training was gone, supplanted by bullshit and drama. If there was even the slightest hope of Vytal being a time of unity, it was shattered beyond repair. How would this impact their chances in the tournament?

Well… okay, honestly, she didn't have high hopes for either Velvet or Yatsu progressing very far. Everything she had seen from them was lacking compared to the strongest among them. CFVY worked fantastically as a team, and honestly, it was their future she was more concerned for. Was Coco really going to pick sides in this brawl? Could she? Maybe she'd find a way to reunite them. Ugh, why were breakups so messy? When Yang and Blake broke up the first time, Yang tried to kill them all. Granted, that wasn't because of the breakup, but it was all deeply entangled. This drama, now, of course. If she ever broke up with Ruby, or Ruby ever broke up would her—and gods, she never expected either of those to happen because they were soulmates—she hoped they could handle it with a touch more class.

Weiss closed the cabin door behind her and began her short walk back to her teammates. On the bright side, she now had a free morning. Maybe she could take Ruby up on their offer to spend time together. She needed some love in her life and an extra yet completely unnecessary reminder that the two were meant for each other. Unfortunately, Weiss wouldn't have time to consider that. Halfway back to her cabin, she felt her Scroll buzzing.

She was surprised to see the name.

Not unpleasantly, so. It was always great to hear from her. Just… why now?

Weiss was receiving a call from her sister.

She quickly picked up, placing the Scroll to her ear. "Hello? Winter?"

Winter's voice was calm yet carried its usual presence. "Weiss, apologies for bothering you. Are you with your team now?"

Weiss frowned. "I'm just about to see them. What's going on?"

"I need you all to get together and come to my hotel room. I'm at the Scythe and Spear."

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks. Winter was here now? That didn't make sense. She wasn't due to arrive until the afternoon, and Winter wouldn't waste her time away from the SDC when she didn't have to.

"Okay," Weiss agreed hesitantly. "You need all of us?"

"You all make decisions as a team, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then all of you. And don't keep us waiting."

"Us?"

"Yes. You have a visitor. And I'd rather you not waste her time, because she's shedding all over my office. So get over here, would you?

She's… shedding? But that could only mean…

Weiss felt a heart skip a beat.

Oh no. What did she want?