They first met when Bruno was a part-timer on an autumn day. A very busy day at the Cuckoo Cafe.

"Bruno, get her order," his aunt told him.

All the seats were occupied, both the tables and the counter were full of customers, from the police officer to the salesperson, to the Beacon student to the security guard, different walks of life gathered to drink their caffeinated beverage or eat their midday meal.

Bruno quickly sprang to the girl from behind the counter and stopped just as quickly in front of her.

"What can I get for you, miss?" he asked with a tense smile on his face.

She looked at him with a soft beam. "A mocha, please."

"Most certainly."

Bruno did his best to finish the other three or four or five orders that came before hers. He was still on the shaky side but wasn't willing to take any shortcuts. Everything that came from him was done to perfection, everytime.

He finally finished the mocha and placed her drink on the counter.

"Thank you very much for waiting!" he didn't mean to shout but it came out naturally.

She didn't say anything. She stared at the drink in front of her. Bruno got a good look at her face. She couldn't have been much older than himself. Those fair hazel eyes kept its attention on the mocha.

Bruno was becoming unsure. "Was there something wrong?"

The girl jolted a bit. "Sorry. It's just... It looks really good. I didn't want to ruin it," the girl said with a little fluster.

The mocha, topped with a gorgeous spiral of whipped cream and the right amount of cocoa powder resting on top, certainly looked good but it may have been something that could've been replicated by many other places. To her, though, this was a reward that she could give herself for her work, and among all the cafes and coffee shops she had this same drink, the one right now looked the best.

Bruno playfully smirked. "Don't let it get cold, though."

The girl's smile was bright and nothing short of beautiful as though it truly came from the bottom of her heart. "I won't. Thank you, uh, Bruno."

Bruno could've sworn his heart skipped a beat. His face began to emit a bright scarlet.

"Scusa, Bruno. Over here," his aunt called

Bruno turned to her, hoping that burning sensation in his face would cool down.

The girl wrapped her two hands around the mug and brought the chocolatey drink to her lips as she savored the barista's creation.

And her expectations were not betrayed.

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Bruno and Samson sat on the couch in front of the screen, watching the tournament at play. Samson was initially hesitant about joining to watch the combat but he knew his boss appreciated the company. The other staff took advantage of the shop being closed and went to Beacon to enjoy the festival.

"What a tremendous display by Miss Poledina!" the announcer cheered from the screen.

"She's doing well, especially against Nikos," Samson commented. His voice sounded brighter than usual.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Yeah. Wasn't Pyrrha on some cereal box at some point?" Bruno asked.

"Pumpkin Pete's. It tastes good but not healthy."

"I figured."

The two had their eyes on the screen. Bruno was focused on the fight at hand. It was always a big deal to watch the Vytal Festival Tournament for him. Samson sipped his can of energy drink before putting it down on the coffee table accompanied by chicken wings, chicken bones and potato chips. They, mostly Bruno, had to enjoy the event to the fullest.

They watched the tight fight continue. Bruno was on the edge of his seat. His body leaned forward toward the screen. He wanted to see how skilled the two Huntresses in training were. What the future heroes of Remnant will be like. Samson slouched on the couch. He wasn't as invested as Bruno was. The Vytal Festival was never interesting to him. He doesn't remember the last time he saw anything on the screen besides the news.

"Whoa!" Bruno couldn't contain himself.

Pyrrah lost her weapon and shield. Was this going to end with Penny's victory?

Then, that happened.

Neither Bruno nor Samson, much less anybody else watching expected that to happen. Their eyes were frozen on the screen. They didn't know how to react. They didn't have words to say. None of them knew what to do next. They sat frozen on the couch until they both had the courage to look at each other to make sure they both saw the same thing.

The camera continued rolling but the screen turned red with a black queen chess piece right in the middle.

"This is not a tragedy," an unknown woman said through the speaker. "This was not an accident."

The two lent their ears to this woman's voice. They weren't sure what to make of it. An Atlas soldier disguised as a girl? Their nation's star pupil tore another's attempt at a synthetic army? Make people forget Ozpin's failure from protecting the Grimm invasion if Atlas got defeated?

Samson reached for his energy drink. He gulped the rest of his liquid while listening to the rest of the speech. The surprise on his face he had earlier was gone. Instead, he scorned once he slammed his empty can on the table. Bruno remained still, taking in whatever this person was saying.

"Yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark," the woman continued. "So I ask you... when the first shots are fired... Who do you think you can trust?"

The screen went blank. Bruno put his hands to his head and leaned down, obscuring his face from Samson. There was a moment of silence between the two. They had to process what had just happened. They held their position until Samson was ready to say something before he got cut off by the sound of the alarm.

The screen was now orange with 'CAUTION' written on it.

They knew what that meant since they were children.

An automatic message blasted through the speakers and through the noise of the alarm. "Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine."

"Oh no, no, no, no," Bruno's voice trembled as he uttered those words.

"Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

Samson bolted out of his seat to the coat hanger, reaching for his wine-colored bomber jacket.

"Boss," he called. "We have to leave."

Bruno was shaking. He looked at Samson with eyes of horror. "Leave?"

"Yes."

"It said seek shelter."

"It's level nine."

"This is shelter."

Samson swiftly marched up to Bruno. "We. Have. To. Leave. Now," he stretched every word. He headed to the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind if I take your knife."

Bruno wanted to tuck himself away. He hoped the Huntsmen and Atlas's android soldiers would deal with what's happening outside.

"Boss! Now!" Samson was now right at the door.

Bruno hadn't moved. He looked at Samson and gave the slighted shake of his head. His face filled with the deepest layer of dread.

Samson, with eyes that could burn through Bruno's, closed tightly as he yelled, "To hell with this!" He slammed the door open and stepped out, making sure to close it with the same force.

Bruno hadn't had a problem locking himself in his building when there was any sort of attack before. He was in a safe location and surely the mess would be cleaned up, just like what happened a few days ago. Just like every time. He avoided trouble, but when trouble came to him, he was always saved.

So he wanted to believe. And so he did. Even when he swore he heard the inhuman roars, the damaging rumble of buildings and the screams that followed, he stayed in his home, praying that all of this would be over soon.

And he did.

He did.

And he still did.

Until his patience ran out. He couldn't figure out how much time had passed. He was awake but his brain had managed to shut down. For how long? He didn't know.

He went to his room and approached the cabinet holding his two uzis. If he was going out in this situation, he was going to need them.

As he was about to leave, he stopped by his drawer where he placed all his family photos. There was one in particular with his aunt, uncle, cousin and himself from a few years ago when he was a teen. Anyone who didn't know would've thought they were of his mom, dad, brother, and himself.

"Wish me luck, zietta," he whispered as he took one final look before leaving for good.