Library, Beacon Academy, Sanus.

The first day of the break was rapidly approaching, and it seemed to have infected everyone with a spark of unruly energy—conversely, Lima found himself feeling tenser the closer it came, and an odd feeling of discomfort began to grow in his chest. The weight and complexity of the lessons hadn't been reduced in the slightest, and every day ended up being so busy that it left him without the time to figure out exactly what he was feeling.

"—don't get cranky, and even if I did, it wouldn't be about this," Lux insisted, "Because I finished reading it last night."

"You did?" Teak said, interjecting. "That means we can finally talk about it."

"We could have talked about it before," Lux said, "I already told you that I don't care about spoilers."

"Yeah," Lima said, "But he cares enough for all four of us—give us the highlights, brighteyes."

Lux retrieved the journal from her bag, placed it on the table, and then flipped it open. She'd stuck about two dozen folded-up pieces of card inside as a series of bookmarks, not unlike what she'd done with the first journal.

"Which page is that?" Teak said, leaning forward to try and see. "Oh—I know the part; it's written using a sort of repetition of duality."

Lux made a pleased noise in the back of her throat at the description.

"Read it out loud so I don't have to do any work," Claire said, "But make sure it's in character—and do it with gravitas."

"Shut up," Lux said, scrunching her face up. "I'm not doing it like that—just listen."

Lux shifted the bookmark around for a moment before clearing her throat in preparation to read out the line.

"Two brothers, dark and light, evil and good, the pool and the fountain, immortality, and something far more twisted," Lux said, pronouncing the words with care. "Purpose drowns me, an unspeakable turmoil born of duty and desire, of decisions made in haste, and an eternity spare for regret."

Lima whistled at the passage, feeling a bit impressed with her choice, but he couldn't help but wonder at the oddity amidst the general pattern—he leant forward in an attempt to get eyes on the text, but she shifted it as if to protect it from him.

"I think I see what you meant about duality," Claire said, tilting her head. "Does he pair a lot of things like that?"

"It's more like a mirror than a standard pair, but he does use it several times," Teak said, nodding. "Dark and light, evil and good—it's one of the few times he makes such a stark distinction in morality."

"It's beautiful," Lux declared.

"There's a mistake in it, though," Lima said, craning his neck. "Can I see it for a minute?"

"A mistake?" Teak said, blinking. "Where?"

Lux hesitated for a moment before placing it down where they could all see it; the passage in question was floating on its own, detached from the surrounding text, and separated out by a pair of curvy lines above and below it. Lima scanned the words again, reading them in his head—

Two brothers, dark and light, evil and good, the pool and the fountain, immortality, and something far more twisted. Purpose drowns me, an unspeakable turmoil born of duty and desire, of decisions made in haste, and an eternity spare for regret.

—but it wasn't until he got to the end of the first line that he was sure.

"The end of the first passage is reversed; Immortality and something far more twisted," Lima said, "The rest of the line is bad first, good second—but that one is good first, bad second."

Lux glanced down at the words and then back up at him, the motion quick enough that he doubted she'd had enough time to really confirm what he was saying.

"You noticed something like that?" Claire said, "It's all word salad to me unless I'm looking directly at it."

"Did he flip it around because it flowed better?" Teak said, furrowing his brow. "Actually, maybe it's not a mistake—twisted doesn't necessarily mean worse; it could mean something closer to distorted or strange."

Lux sat back for a moment, watching them all with an expression Lima couldn't quite identify—but he was starting to wonder if he hadn't accidentally pissed her off by pointing it out.

"Immortality and something far more distorted?" Claire said, "It doesn't have the same ring to it."

"If it's not a mistake, then that means he thinks immortality is the bad guy, and far more distorted is the good guy," Lima pointed out, still watching Lux out of the corner of his eye. "Which doesn't really make sense, does it?"

"I don't think it translates well to personification because immortality isn't good or bad, but the person who holds that trait might be either," Teak said with interest. "Maybe the second is a trait as well, but it's referencing a more distorted form of immortality, like a memory or a story that fades and twists away from the truth over time—"

"I didn't think it would be like this," Lux said, voice quiet. "But you guys are actually pretty cool after all."

Lima felt a flash of something bright in his chest, and then when he reached for a response to her words, he couldn't quite find anything—but the strange, painful ache that had been steadily rising up in him vanished, temporarily dispelled.

"Whoa," Claire said, reeling back from the book until she was sitting up straight. "Did she actually say that, or did I just imagine it?"

"Lux," Teak managed. "Did something happen?"

"Stop looking at me like that—you're making a big deal out of nothing," Lux said, turning her head away. "Go back to talking about the passage already."

#

Malachite's Dormitory, Beacon Academy, Sanus.

Lima sat up in bed, the early morning silence disturbed only by the quiet and familiar pattern of breathing. The uncomfortable feeling that had been plaguing him had finally coalesced into something he could actually recognise—an odd thread of sadness and a daunting realisation that the next few hours were the last time he'd actually get to see the three of them before the break played itself out. No more silly arguments, no more quiet smiles. No more loaded warnings, playful teasing, or friendly jostling. No more early morning Yoga, no more late afternoon team sparring, and no more sneaking out after dark to sit under the stars. No more moments like this, where he could just be alone with his thoughts while knowing that he wasn't really alone at all.

It was funny just how attached he'd grown to the three of them in such a relatively short amount of time. Three months wasn't a particularly long time, but after being smashed together in a single room, it felt like he'd been with them for a lifetime. Even knowing that he would only be away for a few short weeks did nothing to dampen the discomfort. It was a reflection of his feelings towards Sage and how he hadn't quite realised how much he would miss the man until he'd fled the continent. Looking back now, with the clarity hindsight had afforded him, he'd felt the very same thing when they'd left Midori behind in Mistral when his enrollment at Sanctum had been finalised. Even earlier, he could recall muted flashes of the same thing when Danube had left him and his mother to rot in Kuchinashi.

It occurred to him now that he would be forever stuck missing somebody—in Vale, he'd been thinking of Sage and Midori, but in Mistral, he'd be longing for this room and its sleeping occupants. He'd doomed himself by coming to Beacon Academy, but even knowing how uncomfortable the liminal space between the two groups was, he refused to ever think of it as a mistake. If he hadn't come here, then he'd have never met a small, nervous boy in the airship terminal coffee shop, the too-forward, too-aggressive, and too-sharp girl who'd stolen his shampoo, or the sometimes invisible but impossibly enthralling girl who'd wrapped her arms around him on the rooftop.

Eventually, he'd come to a point where he was stuck between his responsibility to his team and his love for his family—and he'd have to make a decision on which one would take the primary role in his life. It hadn't really caught his attention that the teams that were built in Academies often stuck together long after they graduated, for decades—or even sometimes for life—and if they were going to be one of those, then they'd have to prepare themselves for a life-changing compromise. Teak and Claire were citizens of Vale, whose families both lived in the same area. Lux was from Vacuo, more than half a continent away. While Lima himself hailed from Anima, a place where his family also resided.

Wherever the bulk of the missions took them would likely be where they planted their own roots as a team, and that meant that no matter what, someone would be cut off from their family for long stretches of time. Constantly roaming the world wasn't exactly convenient for anyone, and they had a three-way continental split to consider. Eventually, they'd come to a moment where they had to make that decision, and someone would be asked to make the sacrifice. It was like a sheet of expectation, pulled across his heart, and stretching in far too many directions at once; he just wondered how long it would be until it tore under the strain—the sound of a bed shifting caught his attention.

Lima watched as Claire lifted her arm up to her face in a somewhat failed attempt to defeat the thin beam of light that was piercing through the window. He leaned against the headboard, the light that was trickling into the room making it possible to see for the first time—she'd kicked the sheets down at some point during the night, leaving her body mostly uncovered, and her shirt was now bunched up dangerously high on her chest. The uncovered skin of her belly had something of a magnetic hold over him, and despite trying, Lima couldn't seem to keep his gaze away.

"Lima," Teak murmured, "Are you awake?"

Teak shifted as he spoke, pushing himself up until he was sitting against the headboard. Lima felt an uncomfortable amount of relief that at least one of them had woken up before it was time for him to leave.

"No, darling, this is actually one of your super steamy dreams," Lima said. "Should I take my clothes off now—or do you want to study first, so we can really set the mood?"

"I don't have dreams like that," Teak insisted, "Darling."

"Worth a try," Lima said, "Did you sleep much?"

"I feel like I was awake all night," Teak said, rubbing at his eyes. "This feels weird."

Lima nodded at the comment, weird was a good way to put it, and it seemed to encapsulate everything he was feeling pretty well. They sat in silence after that, the shifting of blankets and changes in breathing making it pretty clear that the other two were awake now, if unannounced. That same strange tension in the room seemed to spread out, lingering amongst the fading shadows.

"I've kind of gotten used to everyone's alarms going nuts," Lima said, deciding to just get everything out in one go, "I know the break is only six weeks, but I'm going to miss you guys, you know?"

"I'm going to miss you too," Teak murmured. "Can we work out a time to call you?"

"Pick a date, and I'll sneak into Haven," Lima said, "Shouldn't be too hard to make a long-distance call back here."

"Do you need to sneak in?" Teak said, a bit concerned. "If your guardian works there, it should be really easy to request at one of the communication hubs."

"That wouldn't be anywhere near as fun," Lima said, "Besides, I want to get eyes on our competition for the Vytal Festival Tournament—what better way to do that than plan a full-scale invasion of Haven Academy?"

"Question," Claire asked, fingers resting on her still-exposed belly. "Do you think you'll miss us more when you're in jail—or less?"

"Probably more, so make sure you imagine me crying in a cell all alone, trembling lip, a snotty nose, mascara running down my cheeks," Lima said, "That way, you'll get so worked up that the three of you will have to come break me out."

Claire turned on her side to watch him, palm holding her cheek up off the bed—and he felt more than a little bit disappointed that she'd fixed her shirt during the transition.

"You don't even wear mascara," Claire said. "But the rest I can totally picture."

"If I'm going to throw myself into battle against the totality of Haven Academy, then I may as well do it while looking my best," Lima said, folding his hands behind his head. "Think I can pull it off—the mascara, not the invasion."

"I'll let you borrow mine when you get back so we can find out," Lux said, speaking up for the first time. "So hold off on the invasion, at least until we can come with you."

"You got it," Lima nodded.

"I'm not sure we should be attempting an invasion in the first place," Teak said, attempting to be the voice of reason amongst them. "Lima—you're coming back to Beacon, aren't you?"

Lima closed his eyes for a moment, the ache in his chest growing a bit tough to ignore.

"The four of us are going to be known as the single best team that ever came out of this dinky old place," Lima said in answer. "I'm definitely coming back—count on it."

#

Dining Hall, Beacon Academy, Sanus.

The Dining Hall was a relative ghost town compared to the number of students that were usually present for breakfast—ironically enough, the ones who were awake were those that were in the process of running down the clock until the airships arrived to take them away. Those who were staying at Beacon Academy or that were heading down to Vale weren't in nearly as much of a rush to get out of bed, something that left the totality of Team Malachite as something of an oddity.

"You guys don't have to hang around and wait with me," Lima said, "You may as well go back to bed."

"We're going to be waiting around until about eleven anyway, so we may as well see you off," Teak said, shaking his head. "There's no way I could go back to bed now either."

"You're going to leave your mum waiting all that time—Teak, for shame," Lima said, nudging the other boy in the arm. "What did you guys decide on doing anyway?"

"She is the one who suggested the time for all of us to meet up," Teak said, smiling. "We're going to that restaurant that you took us to—Claire's parents are coming as well."

"Yeah? Sounds like fun," Lima said, glancing over at the girl in question. "You bringing that troll of a sister along?"

The comment, which would usually have garnered a look, a laugh, or some kind of chastisement, seemed to fall a bit flat—instead, Claire just kind of fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

"Astra said she was going to come," Claire said, not really looking at him. "But she might get called away at some point."

"Should I bring a gift?" Lux muttered, hands linked together in front of her mouth. "We're meeting them for the first time, but we haven't been invited to their home—"

"Just buy the group a dessert platter or something," Lima said, "They can pick what they each want from it, and you can watch them fight over the food."

"That's a good idea," Lux mumbled. "They won't be annoyed by having to carry something around with them afterwards."

Lima shook his head at the girl before leaning back against the table. The atmosphere was so muddled, and he was really starting to wish he didn't have to leave—their presence was making it even harder to manage.

"I'm supposed to go up to the headmaster's office before I leave, and I've only really got about an hour left before the airship gets here," Lima said, planting his hands on his knees and pushing himself up. "So I might ditch you guys now and get it all out of the way before I run out of time."

That seemed to startle the group into the present, and there was a wash of motion as they moved to stand up.

"Oh," Teak said, "Why are you getting called in?"

"I have no idea, honestly," Lima admitted, "I got a notification when I went to the bathroom earlier—my best guess is that it's some kind of follow-up on the Cardin stuff."

"So this is the last time we'll get to see you until you get back?" Teak said, hesitating. "You better make sure you call us at the right time—if you miss it, I'm going to be mad."

Lima spread his arms out towards the shorter boy, the expectation clear, and Teak stepped forward without a pause, allowing him to envelop him in a hug. Lima squeezed just long enough to make it awkward and then kept him trapped there for a bit longer for good measure.

"I never miss," Lima said, giving him a final squeeze. "Tell your mum I can't wait for the sleepover—I'm sure she can teach me a lot."

"Bastard," Teak mumbled. "Bye, Lima."

Lima pulled back, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he stepped back, turning his attention to the other two—Claire looked as if she was seconds away from cracking, her eyes fixed on his shirt, and her lips pressed tight together. Lima felt a pang rise up in response to her sheer concentration, a spark of feeling settling near the back of his eyes. He pushed it down as best he could and stepped forward, pulling her into a hug before she could really brace herself—almost immediately, her attempt at stoicism failed, and she started to shake.

"Don't be sad," Lima said, tightening his hold on her. "I'll be back in no time—then you'll be wishing I stayed away for longer."

"No," Claire managed.

Lima tucked his chin in, just above her ear, and pulled her head down into his shoulder, managing something of a smile towards the other two. Claire's hold on the front of his shirt grew tight, and she managed to even out her ragged breathing enough to speak.

"I'm going to send messages, even if it takes a few days to actually reach you," Claire managed, "Check your Scroll every day, okay?"

"I will," Lima promised, lips shifting against her hair. "Stay safe, Claire."

Lima carefully pulled back, but before he could create any real space between them, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against the side of his mouth. He turned to look at her, startled at what she'd just done, but she had already pulled back. Lima reached up and touched the corner of his mouth before he could really think much more about what he was doing and then flushed a bit when he remembered that they were all watching.

"Claire—gross," Lux said, glancing between them. "You don't know where he's been."

Teak—wide-eyed and apparently without words—found himself being used as a sort of shield as Claire dragged him around to stand in front of her. Lima cleared his throat in an attempt to bury everything he was feeling and then stepped forward, bullying Lux into a hug to complete the set—he could smell his own shampoo all over her hair.

"Great, now he's touching me," Lux said in protest. "If you think I'm kissing you too—"

Lima tightened his hold on her, squeezing until she started to choke a bit at the pressure—he weathered the punch to his ribs without comment, his aura mitigating the damage entirely.

"You can kiss my ass, brighteyes," Lima said into her ear. "Make sure you take care of them while I'm gone—I'm counting on you, okay?"

He let her go, and she pressed her hand flat against his chest before shoving him back a step—but the expression on her face told him that she understood. The four of them seemed to hesitate at that, and he reached up to clap a hand over the back of his neck in an effort to weather the atmosphere.

"I'll see you guys soon," Lima said, managing a smile. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

#

Ozpin's Office, Beacon Academy, Sanus.

Riding the elevator up to Ozpin's office without having an escort made him feel as if he was breaking some kind of rule. He was half expecting the door to open a part way through the upwards journey and for Bestwitch to pry her way inside the metal container, a dozen detentions ready to beat him over the head with. The fact that he hadn't done anything in recent memory to even deserve a meeting like this left him a bit wary—at least before, he'd known exactly what he'd done to get in trouble, and it had served to bolster his confidence. This, on the other hand, felt like an unknowable but looming danger hanging right above his head.

The doors opened in the same instant that the elevator came to a stop. Lima stepped out into the office, eyes immediately searching out the moving mess of cogs and machinery above. He'd thought about it more than once since the last time he'd been up here. Ozpin was standing in the same place he'd been more than a month ago, almost as if he hadn't left the spot, and the man's only sense of continuation came from the moments when people stepped into this room.

"Mister Morta," Ozpin said, eyes still on the window. "I wasn't certain you would come, given how late I decided to send that message."

"It's fine," Lima said, unbothered. "Just so you know, I only have about half an hour before my transport arrives."

"Then I will do my very best to respect what little time you have—and I ask that you forgive me for being both blunt as well as cryptic," Ozpin said, turning around to face him. "I have found myself becoming aware of a situation that may pose a risk of unprecedented loss of life, and the details of which I currently know far too little."

Lima stepped forward, moving from the no man's land between the elevator and the desk to stand almost directly in front of it. His mind, unable to grasp exactly what kind of threat the man could be speaking about, instead turned towards why he was revealing it to Lima—a student who was probably ranked first or second in the entire year for causing trouble—about it and not someone with more authority to act.

"In service of this issue, I am compelled by my fear to ask an entirely inappropriate, difficult, and potentially life-threatening request of you," Ozpin said, searching his face. "A request that must not be spoken about to another person or alluded to in any way and which I must require the most mindful of discretion in attempting—if you so choose to accept my impending proposal."

Half an hour before Lima started his journey outside of the city to a place halfway across the world, on another continent—the reason Ozpin was speaking to him specifically clicked into place within his mind.

"You want me to do something in Mistral," Lima said, in understanding. "While I'm there for the break."

"Astute of you to notice when I've yet to describe any of the details of my request to you—you are correct; there is an important series of tasks I need you to perform for me in Mistral," Ozpin said, taking a step towards the desk. "The details of this situation are far too muddied to describe to you in so short a time, and so I've carefully constructed a message that contains a more thoughtful breakdown, and you will find it on your Scroll before you leave Vale proper."

The way he said it made it pretty clear that he wasn't particularly inclined to disseminate the information to him in full before then—which is probably why he'd warned him about there being something cryptic coming up.

"In short, I am asking you to follow the instructions I will send to you, in full, to the best of your ability while also knowing that there is a non-trivial probability that you may die," Ozpin said, watching him. "If, in the course of completing the task, you come to believe you have been discovered, I must encourage you to immediately stop the operation and take no further action on my behalf."

There probably wasn't a better reflection of the life of a Huntsman or Huntress than something like a non-trivial probability of dying. That was something they dealt with every time they placed themselves in front of the enemies of humanity, and it was something he was more than familiar with already—the only thing that remained to be seen here was whether or not there really was an unprecedented loss of life in the first place, which wasn't something he could figure out without the full details.

"In return for your cooperation in this matter, you will have gained my gratitude, my trust, and the knowledge that should you ever find yourself in need of my aid in the future, I will avail myself to you in the matter to the best of my ability," Ozpin said, folding his hands on the end of his cane. "I am aware that I've left you without time to think this over, and I apologise for the pressure I'm placing on you by even asking this—I should endeavour to make clear that you can most assuredly refuse and then leave without any fear of repercussion."

Ozpin fell silent after that, having said his piece, and Lima studied the man for a long while, turning the situation over in his mind. He'd be taking the man at his word that this was as important as he seemed to think it was—but the fact that he'd even made the ask to someone so below his station felt like a powerful, ringing note.

"This is going to save lives?" Lima asked.

"It could be an instrumental step in saving all lives—or it could simply be a paranoid man, worrying at the shapes the shadows have made on the wall," Ozpin said, voice quiet. "While I sincerely hope it's the latter, my intuition tells me to take action."

Waiting around for the shadows on the wall to start growing claws, fangs, and a mask of bone seemed like a monumentally stupid idea—if there was a chance he could do something to help save lives, then he couldn't hold back now.

"That's enough for me, sir." Lima nodded, firing off a two-fingered salute. "I'll take care of it."

#

Passenger Airship, Beacon Academy, Sanus.

Beacon Academy fell away from him, the airship slicing upwards at a smooth angle and the view in the window panning until all that was left was trees, a cliff, and an open blue sky. The glass felt cool against the skin of his forehead, and he closed his eyes as another pang of longing tried to rise up in him—less than an hour had passed, and he was already regretting leaving.

"I'm a mess," Lima muttered. "Come on, man, get it together."

The Scroll in his pocket vibrated in notification that he'd received a message, but he didn't risk taking it out to look now—Ozpin had asked for the highest level of discretion, and reading the details of the mission in plain sight of two dozen people was very much not that. There was a chance that it wasn't from him, though, because Claire had made it known that she would be keeping in contact as well—he made an aborted motion to touch the corner of his mouth, the memory of her kissing him rising bright in his mind.

She'd done that in full view of everyone, which was embarrassing, but also kind of amazing—and it left him wondering, once again, what he was supposed to do about it. It was obvious that she was interested in him, or at least he thought that was what it was about—there was a chance it was just that she'd only done it because she was sad that he was leaving, or that it was some kind of too-friendly mistake she'd made in her heightened emotional state, or that she'd regretted it the moment it had happened and now wished nothing more than to take it all back—

"Ugh," Lima moaned, smacking his forehead against the glass. "Why can't everything just be straightforward—"

"If you break the airlock," Jaune managed, "We're all going to get sucked out and die."

"That's spaceships, jackass," Lima said without even thinking about it. "Also, when the hell did you get here?"

Lima turned, finding Jaune leaning heavily against the interior wall of the airship, partially bent over, and looking like he was a few sharp turns away from yakking all over the clean, polished floors. He watched as the boy carefully sat down on the bench seat with a moan of discomfort and a tightening of the hold he had on his belly.

"We barely made it on," Jaune said, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. "I accidentally left my Scroll in the library, and it took forever to find it."

Lima did a quick scan of everyone in the main passenger section, but he couldn't spot any sign of red hair.

"We, huh?" Lima said, "How's the whole mission to defeat the Invincible Girl going?"

"All systems have failed, the ship is falling out of the air, and I'm on fire," Jaune said, cracking an eye open to make sure she wasn't nearby. "She—did say my form is looking better, though, so maybe it's not all bad."

"Incremental improvements add up," Lima agreed, "You might get some benefit out of running speed and reaction drills—the faster you are, the more you'll be able to notice just how much she's beating the shit out of you."

"Noted," Jaune said, looking like he was finally starting to get a foothold against his motion sickness. "Pyrrha's back."

Lima glanced up and then turned to follow the boy's line of sight—sure enough, Pyrrha was moving towards them, and a scan of the area told him that she'd just come from the bathroom.

"Sweater and jeans, huh?" Lima said in greeting. "Really stretching your wings, now that the uniform is off the table."

Jaune looked down at his own jeans before squinting his eyes at the sight of them, visibly unsure whether or not he was catching stray fire.

"I'll have you know that Nora said I looked adorable," Pyrrha said, smiling. "Hello, Lima—Jaune mentioned you were heading back to Mistral."

"I'm staying with Sage and Midori for the break," Lima said in answer. "Figure I can check out Haven Academy and our future competition while I'm there."

Pyrrha looked more than a little interested in the idea of scouting out their potential opponents—which was pretty much the reaction he'd been expecting.

"Ugh," Jaune said, taken by another wave of nausea. "How long is this ride going to take again?"

"Just long enough to make you two for two on messing up the floor," Lima said, "Jaune said he's going to stay with his sister—you're going to see your mum?"

"Yes," Pyrrha breathed, smiling bright. "I've missed her even more than I expected."

Lima nodded at the words, pinching the chest of his shirt between his fingers—he had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about. Pyrrha brushed some of the loose hair that had escaped her ponytail back out of her eyes and then spoke up again.

"I suppose this means we will have the chance to be travelling companions once again," Pyrrha said, tilting her head. "I'm sure you'll have a much harder time avoiding me, considering we'll be trapped on a train together."

Lima winced at the words and the confidence by which she'd just called him out.

"There must be a few good hiding spots on the train," Lima said, "Surely."

"He's been avoiding you?" Jaune said, ruining his attempt to play it off entirely. "Why?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at the question as if in complete agreement with the words, and Lima rolled his eyes.

"Combat Studies, team sparring, daily conditioning, Lux trying to fight me at least once a day, and if that's not bad enough, you start trying to goad me as well," Lima said, bringing his hands up into air quotes. "When the Beacon Academy Experience was first described to me, it had a lot more parties and way more cute girls being adorable—girls that weren't trying to beat the shit out of me at every opportunity."

"I read that article too," Jaune said, squeezing his belly in discomfort. "It's definitely high-level recruitment propaganda."

Lima swung his arm around to point at the other boy's face—feeling as if he'd found a brother who understood just how outrageous those lies had really been. Pyrrha didn't seem to have any idea what they were talking about, but she did seem flustered.

"I suppose I was being a bit insistent," Pyrrha said, flushing a bit. "But the only times I've had the chance to fight someone at our level are at the regionals—now that I know, I can't just ignore you."

"You're being way too greedy," Lima accused, "You've already got a punching bag—hit him."

"I don't think she's looking for another punching bag; she's looking for an equal to test herself against," Jaune said, throwing him under the bus. "Can't you just fight her every now and then? It would make her really happy."

Pyrrha shot the boy a look of such affection, warmth and hope that Lima wanted to smack her upside the head—just whose side was this bastard on, anyway?

"J-dog, Jaune, my brother," Lima said, "This isn't the Beacon we signed on for—but it could be; we just need to reach out and take hold of our future—"

"I think we need to come to terms with the fact that whoever wrote that article," Jaune said, taking a deep breath as he successfully overcame another wave of nausea. "Is either the luckiest man on the planet, a liar—or literally Ozpin on an alt."

"Damn it, Jaune," Lima cried. "Don't do this to me."

"What is this article you keep talking about?" Pyrrha asked, glancing between them. "The Beacon Academy Experience—was it something from an alumni?"

Lima just put his face in his hands and gave a tortured moan of despair.

#

Vale Limited, Vale, Sanus.

The Vale Limited pulled away from the station, and he kept one eye on the window, watching as the city began to shift. The cabin was set far further back in the train than the first time he'd been on it, and he was oddly pleased to find that he seemed to have the entire thing to himself. Of the two bunk beds that were present, three of them were neat, clean, and entirely unused—and his carry-on luggage was sitting on the fourth. There were fewer people leaving Vale than he'd expected, probably because of the time of year, but after a bit of actual thought, he realised that his return journey wouldn't be anywhere near as quiet—the end of the break was right around the time that the other Academies would be sending their students off to Vale for the Vytal Festival.

He reached out and slid the door to the cabin shut, hitting the latch on the inside, and then ascended to the top bunk by way of a few well-chosen footholds—if there was someone running late to share the cabin with him, they'd have to knock first, but he didn't mind the possible confrontation that might have brought about. The real pull at his mind was the Scroll burning a hole in his pocket and the unknown message that was still lingering in a superposition of ownership. Now that nobody was around, the curtains were drawn, and the door was locked—he probably wouldn't find a better time to check. Driven by his immense curiosity, he moved to check the message—the sender's contact information was blank, the contact number simply missing, and the name of the sender a single, unremarkable 'O' that immediately cleared up the ambiguity.

The monsters of Grimm are considered the greatest threat to the citizens of Remnant, but they are not the only ones who walk its face. The four academies were designed and then built with the intention to train the Huntsman and Huntresses, who now safeguard the kingdoms in which they reside. The headmasters of those academies have, since the very beginning, worked together to ensure the continued protection of both humanity and the Faunus. The headmaster of Haven Academy, Leonardo Lionheart, has long been a personal friend of mine, and a trusted confidant, but I fear now that, without apparent cause, this is no longer the case.

Despite his attempts to maintain a strict adherence to the contrary, I have had multiple sources of outside corroboration that have punctured the façade. The sharing of information, the trading of reports, and the proposal of managing rising issues at a continental scale have been something the four academies have enjoyed, but now, the reports he sends to each of us are filled with inconsistencies, misleading numbers, vaguity, and in some cases, outright lies. This has become increasingly clear to me over the passing months, even as the series of trusted and previously hidden contacts that I have used to corroborate his information begin to go dark.

As of exactly three days ago, my final remaining contact has missed the meeting we had scheduled, and there has been no further attempt to rebuild a line of communication since. The last three of her reports have suggested a stark increase in the Grimm activity throughout Anima and, in turn, an alarming rise in the amount of Huntsmen and Huntresses dying through what appears to be misinformation and mislabelled missions. These deaths have been previously spread quite evenly across all of the frontier city of Anima, but more recently, there has been a marked change, and the unknown forces at work seem to have turned their focus directly on Mistral itself. Despite everything I have just revealed to you, Leonardo's own reporting has shown nothing to indicate the true extent of the steady loss of force Mistral is currently undergoing.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

With this, we come to the task that I have most inappropriately commissioned your aid for, which is, in short, to ascertain the status of my contacts. You will find, appended at the bottom of this missive, the identities and the addresses of three otherwise unremarkable citizens of Mistral Below. The requirements of this task are threefold, first, to visit each of the locations and subtly attempt to determine if they are in some kind of duress. In service of that, if the occupants are missing, the premises are under watch, or you notice that something is off about the locations, you will have the opportunity to retreat with your gathered knowledge, or invite more danger upon yourself, by deepening your search.

The second requirement, if you decide to progress your investigation this far, is to search the premises for anything that may constitute a signal, message, or hint that they may have intentionally left behind for us to discover. Communication of this type will likely be extraordinarily subtle, and there is a possibility that they may not have left anything at all. The third requirement is circumstantial, but if the opportunity arises, I would appreciate it if you could make direct contact with Leonardo Lionheart and, using your best judgment, ascertain if there is anything out of place with the man himself. As unlikely as it may be, there are certain Semblances with the power to distort, warp, or control another's perceptions, and he may be under duress himself.

In the event that you do approach the headmaster of Haven Academy, you must exercise the utmost discretion. Do not, under any circumstances, reveal your true intentions to him or anyone who may confront him on your behalf, do not make mention of the loss of forces Anima is experiencing, and do not mention anything about the contacts or their identities. To make him aware of the task I have given you, in any way, may invite extreme risk to your life. To linger on the point of discretion for a moment longer, do not make any attempt to reach me through call, message, agent, or written post during your stay within Mistral.

I will receive your report in person, successful or otherwise, with gratitude upon your safe return to Beacon Academy, at the culmination of the break. If at any point you suspect that you have been discovered or that your life may be in danger, abort this mission immediately. Ensure that you have deleted this message and all of its attached files before you reach Anima, as the security of your device is not nearly enough to stop someone from reading the contents. I will endeavour to answer any and all questions you have about the task, and the surrounding circumstances, once you have returned.

Make no decision in haste, Lima Morta; I possess more than enough regret already.

Lima stared down at the message, a rising surge of something hot searing in his chest as he fully came to understand the situation. Somebody was deliberately mislabelling extermination missions in order to get Huntsman and Huntresses killed in the line of duty—and at a massive enough scale that it was occurring all across Anima. Something like that had to be coming from somewhere high up, or else it was the ones reporting the Grimm sightings in the first place that were responsible. Leonardo Lionheart was actively hiding information from what was supposed to be some kind of secret headmasters club.

It made sense to keep the information from the public at large because something like that would only cause widespread negativity, which would increase the threat of the Grimm—but Huntsman and Huntresses were dying en masse because of bad mission information, and the man was hiding the fact that the problem even existed from the only people who were in a position to help without setting off a continent-wide surge of panic. Lima felt himself developing a instantaneous and visceral hate for a man he'd never even met, in a way he hadn't felt for anything short of the Grimm.

The rest of the message was even hinting at the fact that the headmaster of Haven Academy may have actually found out about Ozpin's hidden contacts and then done something to get rid of them. Had he simply found out who they were and shut down whatever information-gathering operation was going on? They could be in jail for spying on people, or had he just killed them off? Ozpin had warned him multiple times that there was an extreme risk to his life here—that didn't sound like being jailed for being too nosey.

"Leonardo Lionheart," Lima managed. "What the hell are you doing?"

The identities of the contacts were easy enough to memorise—two men and a woman—and he'd spent enough time in Mistral Below as a kid to know the streets that were listed. In fact, all three of them were within walking distance of Midori's bar, which made him wonder just how much research Ozpin had done on him. The man had picked a student who was visiting his family for the school break, a family that had been long since established in the community. With Sage being an instructor at Haven Academy, he even had a pretty easy way to naturally meet the headmaster—his guardian had already mentioned bringing him up to the school to meet some of his students, so getting an introduction to the headmaster wouldn't be any harder.

Lionheart was probably on the lookout for more spies, but as far as cover stories went, his was both of note and without suspicion. Lima found himself re-reading the message over and again, but each time, he found himself lingering on the final line—

Make no decision in haste, Lima Morta; I possess more than enough regret already.

—he was getting a note of odd familiarity from the whole thing, but that last line had him verging on the precipice of understanding. Lima glanced up, mouth open, almost as if to ask Teak what he thought about it—and then flinched when he remembered that he was alone and his team wasn't there.

"Of decisions made in haste and an eternity spare for regret," Lima murmured as it finally clicked. "Ozpin writes like the bedwetter."

#

Vale Limited, Railway, Sanus.

The hum of the train quickly began to fade away, the hours of exposure making it slip away until it was entirely beneath his notice. The endless, grassy field that stretched outside of the window made him realise how much more he'd rather have been outside than stuck in the almost featureless room, with only his thoughts for company. Ozpin's message was gone now, erased but not forgotten, and the faces of the three contacts remained fresh in his mind, the product of an entire night staring at them more than enough that he could now see them whenever he closed his eyes—a shift in the silence drew his attention to the door of the cabin.

A moment later, the disturbance became a series of quiet knocks on the curtain-covered window set into the door. Lima slipped his arm off the top of the bunk, snagged his discarded shirt from where he'd tucked it beneath the mattress, and then whipped it out towards the door. The end of the fabric made contact with the metal, at which point he used the connection to send a burst of his Semblance up and into the lock mechanism—it unlocked with an audible click.

"It's unlocked," Lima said. "But be aware; you will be exposing yourself to the peak male form—the sight may come as a shock to you."

The door slid open far more carefully than he'd expected, and Pyrrha leaned forward inside the gap, one eye shut as if to protect herself from what she might witness.

"He's naked, isn't he?" Jaune sighed.

"Not quite," Pyrrha said, straightening up a bit when she realised it was only his shirt that was missing. "Good morning, Lima; we were wondering if you would like some company?"

"I was just about to die of boredom," Lima admitted, "So please, save me."

Pyrrha shifted the door all the way open and then stepped inside the cabin, Jaune following behind her a moment later. Lima flapped a hand at the room in general, the motion encompassing the empty bunk bed and the bench seat that ran the length of the cabin beneath the main window.

"Feel free to sit wherever you want," Lima offered, "I've got the entire cabin to myself—as befitting of someone with my great status."

The brag he'd snuck in at the end got a pair of rolled eyes from Pyrrha, but Jaune seemed pretty impressed.

"So lucky, I've got a pair of elderly men in mine," Jaune said, "They seem pretty cool—I think they were playing chess when I left."

Pyrrha sat down on the bench while Jaune took the edge of the bottom bunk opposite him. They'd both clearly taken his comment about jeans to heart because Jaune had switched to khakis, and Pyrrha was wearing a skirt that might have belonged to her uniform.

"Unfortunately, I seem to have the least amount of luck out of the three of us," Pyrrha said, crossing one of her legs over the other. "I have a young couple and their baby in my cabin, so I'm not sure how much sleep I'm going to be getting over the next couple of days."

"Damn," Lima winced, "Having children should probably be a criminal offence—taking them out in public? Straight to the electric chair."

"I don't think it's quite that dire," Pyrrha said, covering her smile with a hand. "Although, it's possible that I may reconsider that stance in a few days' time."

"Babies are cute," Jaune declared, staking his position out in the open. "My younger sisters didn't really cry all that much—so they aren't all loud."

"I'm afraid I've already seen some evidence to the contrary," Pyrrha said, "At least in this particular case."

"If you get too sleep deprived, feel free to crash in here," Lima said, making the offer. "That goes for you too, J-dog—who knows how competitive that chess playing will get."

"Thank you," Pyrrha said, pleased. "I may take you up on that offer."

"That does sound a bit more fun," Jaune admitted, "You don't think we'd get in trouble for switching cabins?"

"What are they going to do, kick us off a moving train?" Lima said without a care. "Take a step back for a minute; you mentioned you were going to stay with your older sister, and just now, you said you had two younger sisters as well—just how many Arc kids are running around out here?"

"I have five older sisters and two younger ones," Jaune said like it was something completely normal. "Saffron, the one I'm going to stay with, is the second oldest—"

"Good god, man," Lima said, alarmed. "Seven sisters? Jaune, you don't have a family, you have a clan."

"It's not that strange," Jaune protested, "How many siblings do you have?"

"My guardian has an adult daughter, and I do call her my sister, but we aren't related," Lima said, rocking his head to the side. "Midori was already in her early twenties when Sage took me in, so I didn't grow up with her in the way most families do—I love her, though; she's always been there for me, even when I was a stupid kid."

"That's cute," Pyrrha said, settling her hands in her lap. "She seems nice."

Lima scratched at his cheek for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed by the focus of the discussion.

"What about you, Pawpaw?" Lima said, clearing his throat. "Siblings?"

"I'm an only child as well," Pyrrha said, playing with the hem of her skirt. "I believe my mother wanted to have another child, but my father passed when I was very young—I don't remember much of him at all."

"That's a common thread, isn't it?" Lima wondered. "Remnant is a rough place for families."

There was a short silence following the comment, in which they all seemed a bit unsure of how to proceed, and then Jaune spoke up.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune said, "Why does he call you Pawpaw?"

Pyrrha seemed a bit startled by the sudden direction of the conversation, but it was a far easier topic to handle.

"The two of us both attended Sanctum in Argus, but we'd never actually spoken to one another while there—except for one occasion, although he seems to have forgotten it entirely," Pyrrha said, laying some context. "The first real conversation we had, was during the train ride to Vale."

Lima eyed her for a moment, the topic verging dangerously close to his unfortunate reputation and Sage's attempts to torpedo it.

"I had heard his name several times before, so I addressed him as such, but he had no idea who I was or what my name could have been," Pyrrha said, covering her smile again. "He started guessing at colour-related names in an attempt to figure it out—in the space of fifteen seconds, I went from Pepper, to Pomegranate and then Pawpaw."

"Pomegranate?" Jaune said, snorting. "You're kidding."

"People name their kids after fruit all the time—and it's red," Lima said in his own defence, "What does Pyrrha even mean, huh? Defend yourself at once."

"My name was given to me for the expected colour of my hair—it was my father's choice, I believe," Pyrrha said, trying not to smile. "I'm not sure about his reasoning, but if I were to guess, it might have been derived from the word pyre."

Lima scrunched his face up at the answer because there was no real way for him to guess that without already knowing what her name was in advance—he'd been doomed from the start.

"Pawpaw are green, though, aren't they?" Jaune said. "You didn't try for something like tomato?"

"Her eyes are green, jackass," Lima accused. "What the heck is a Jaune supposed to be, anyway?"

"I think it may be an old word for yellow," Pyrrha said, sneaking a glance at the boy out of the corner of her eye. "Is that right, Jaune?"

Lima didn't believe for a second that she didn't already know exactly what the word meant—she'd probably looked it up the moment she'd first heard it.

"More or less," Jaune admitted, entirely oblivious. "What about your name, Lima?"

"There is a colour called Lima, so that's probably where my parents got it," Lima said, rolling his eyes. "I never had the chance to ask them, though, so maybe they just misspelled the word lime."

#

Vale Limited, Railway, Sanus.

Lima pulled himself up into another hanging sit-up, his feet sealed flat against the roof of the cabin through Semblance-driven adherence; a bead of sweat rolled downwards from his chin, passing dangerously close to the corner of his eye. The inability to move around was starting to get to him a bit, enough that it had driven him into trying to burn off the excess energy through endless repetition of whatever basic exercises he could manage in the cabin. There was enough room to do star jumps between the two sets of bunk beds, but it felt a bit rude to be doing that directly next to where Pyrrha was pretending to sleep and Jaune was messing with his scroll. He let himself return to rest for a moment, his hair hanging about level with the top bunks.

"Aren't you getting dizzy?" Jaune asked. "Your face is super red right now."

"I'm just really embarrassed," Lima said, a bit out of breath. "I've never had such a big, strong boy like you watching me work out."

"Uhuh," Jaune said, "That's exactly what's happening."

Lima kept going, ignoring the rising pressure in his head and the burning in his core—maybe he could go out into the hallway and do his star jumps out there.

"Think they'd get upset," Lima managed, "If I climbed up onto the top of the train?"

"Most definitely," Pyrrha said, cracking open an eye. "Are you feeling that restless?"

Lima pulled himself up, fighting the increasing resistance as best he could manage, the entire process starting to become more difficult.

"Super restless," Lima breathed, "I can tolerate being inside for long periods so long as it's my choice, but the idea that there's nowhere I can really go kind of gets to me eventually."

"Didn't you make the choice?" Jaune wondered. "To get on the train, I mean."

"It was past me that made the decision," Lima grunted with the effort. "That guy is a complete bastard who doesn't treat me right at all—I'm thinking about leaving him."

"We could always do some light sparring," Pyrrha said with a leading tone. "That could help you use up your excess energy."

"You're a supervillain," Lima said, struggling to pull himself up a final time. "But I might take you up on that."

"Where do you even think you could spar on this train?" Jaune said, "Theres no space."

Lima caught hold of the top bunk, twisted, and then let go, falling onto the bed with a thump—his abdominals cried out at the relief, and he just kind of laid there for a while, trying to catch his breath.

"There's more than enough space in here," Pyrrha said, sounding far more awake than before. "It would have to be restricted to on-the-spot infighting, of course, and with care not to break anything, but it's certainly possible."

"What does that mean, though?" Jaune said, furrowing his brow. "You can't move around?"

"It would mean we would be restricted to the space between the bunk beds, the bench, and the door," Pyrrha said, bed creaking beneath her as she sat upright. "I suppose the ceiling would be allowed as well, or at least treated as an extension of the floor—touching anything else would be considered out of bounds."

"You sound way too into this," Lima breathed, one leg dangling off the bed. "Jaune, soften her up for me, would you?"

"Me?" Jaune said in protest. "I don't even want to fight—"

"You going to let your punching bag speak to you like that?" Lima interjected. "Teach him a lesson, Pawpaw."

"Lima," Pyrrha chastised before pausing. "Jaune?"

"Fine," Jaune groaned. "You better not kick me out of the window or something."

"That would get you disqualified, J-dog," Lima said, "Make sure you stay inside."

Jaune gave a wordless noise of protest at having to take the blame for his own defenestration but rose to his feet nonetheless—for all that could be said for him, he was willing to suffer through the impromptu exercise without too much complaint. Lima pulled his leg up out of the way of the limited space they'd marked out for the spar and then shifted until he could watch them from above. Seeing them that close made it more clear that Jaune actually had a couple of inches on her in height, and his general body mass was actually a fair bit greater as well—he wasn't nearly as lean, toned or developed as Pyrrha was, but it was still a bit odd to really see the difference.

"This is weird," Jaune managed, kind of awkwardly putting up his guard. "I feel like there's no space to really do anything."

Pyrrha looked almost entirely at ease with the situation—he'd have even gone as far to say she looked pleased, even—but her own hands were already up and in a far superior position for receiving any kind of attack.

"It certainly complicates the situation," Pyrrha said, smiling. "But I'm sure we can adjust."

"Stay in the rectangle, or it's out of bounds, aura threshold at—we'll say fifty percent until we can get an idea of how this actually works out," Lima said, offering up some structure. "Start slow; I'll call a tempo increase for you two to step up the pace, so when you hear it, add about twenty percent more force and speed each time—ready?"

"This is really going to suck," Jaune realised, "Isn't it?"

"Jaune, you'll do fine," Pyrrha said, trying not to smile. "I'm ready."

Lima called the start of the match, and Jaune took a hasty step backwards as Pyrrha took a very slow, very obvious strike his way. Jaune caught the next one on his forearm, seeming to grow a bit more confident now that he knew he wasn't going to get smeared across the cabin in the first few seconds of the fight. Pyrrha stepped forward, and Jaune attempted to scuttle around her, back towards the window, to avoid getting pinned against the door.

"This is hilarious," Lima said, more than a little amused. "Tempo up."

Jaune went on the attack, trying to stake out a little space for himself to live within, and found himself forced to start using both arms in an attempt to weather the still slow but increasing storm of strikes—the first one slipped through, smacking him in the chin with just enough force for a spark of his aura to flicker into existence. Pyrrha turned the single slip in the larger boy's defences into a trio of well place strikes, each one sneaking through his eroding guard, hidden within the pattern of two dozen attacks, feints and blocks.

"Tempo up," Lima said, grinning. "Dance, my minions, dance."

"Damn it," Jaune cried out. "Damn it, damn it, damn it—"

Jaune stepped forward, unwilling to crumple in the face of her superior offence, and took another four shots, completely unobstructed, in an attempt to drag her into a grapple. Pyrrha broke his grip and the next two subsequent attempts by way of disrupting him at the elbow and wrist and then sending a knee into the boy's thigh that staggard him. Jaune attempted a sudden upwards hook, and Pyrrha shifted her head out of the way without paying a hint of attention to it. Jaune stumbled back, off balance from the miss, and Pyrrha stepped forward, striking his thigh again, elbowing him in the chest, and then pressing her forearm into his face until he tripped back onto the bench.

"Bzzt," Lima said, "Out of bounds."

Jaune remained sprawled on the bench for a moment, looking harried but also far more alert, and engaged than Lima could remember seeing him outside of Combat Studies. Pyrrha was smiling brilliantly down at the boy, her hair a bit out of sorts but otherwise untouched.

"Crap," Jaune winced. "I can't believe I fell over."

"You over-committed just a little bit, but it was a very good attempt," Pyrrha said, offering him a hand. "I'm sure you'll do even better next time, Jaune."

Jaune looked a bit fired up at the words, but Lima wasn't quite sure if it was for the right reasons or not—Pyrrha was incredibly encouraging and humble in victory, but he wondered how those words might have felt after having his ass kicked for the five-hundredth time in a row. He also felt like her advice was a little off-centre to the actual problem because while it was true that Jaune had overcommitted to the strike—like it was some kind of last-ditch super move—it didn't address the real reason why it didn't have a chance at landing.

"Don't forget to rub his belly and call him a good boy, Pawpaw," Lima said, tilting his head. "Jaune, she's leading you to target areas by moving her guard enough to draw your attention to the opening—that's why she avoided that last attack so easily; she baited you into doing it in the first place."

Pyrrha flushed a bit at the first comment and then glanced over at Jaune at the second part, searching the boy's face for a moment—notably, to everyone present in the cabin, she didn't say anything to discredit it.

"Oh," Jaune said. "So if I see an opening like that, I shouldn't attack?"

"It's more like Pyrrha Nikos isn't going to leave a big glaring hole in her defences for you to slip a rising dragon uppercut through," Lima said, "Practical advice time—when you are sparring with her, make sure to take notice of the openings you can identify in her guard, learn to understand what a trap looks like, and make an effort to not go after every single one of them on reflex."

"Notice the openings, learn what a trap looks like, and don't go after all of them on reflex," Jaune said, furrowing his brow. "I can do that."

Pyrrha was watching him now, an odd look on her face, but she still made no move to interrupt what had quickly become an impromptu lesson on how Jaune could go about improving his chances in a fight against her.

"Understanding your opponent is the only way to overcome them," Lima said, clapping his hands together like a monk. "Just going harder, shouting, and making a mess has its uses, my friend, but it's best to keep those strategies for the bedroom."

"—and you ruined it," Jaune said, shaking his head. "How did I end up having to go first anyway?"

"Nora did say that your archetype was the sacrificial lamb," Pyrrha said, tugging the sleeves of her sweater up to her forearms. "Are you both finished conspiring against me, as if I'm not even in the room?"

Jaune winced at the words before moving to ascend the ladder to the top bunk, a clear retreat from the question, and expectant girl both.

"Sorry," Lima offered, "Boy talk, you know how it is."

"Yes, that article you told me not to read has certainly opened my eyes to it," Pyrrha said, eyeing him with consideration. "Are you coming down?"

Lima slipped down the ladder and onto the floor, feeling mostly recovered from his workout attempts—the space had looked pretty constrained from up top, but actually being down there, and with Pyrrha Nikos standing over him, made it feel even smaller. This close, the disparity in their height became crystal clear, and the fact that she had to tilt her head down to actually make eye contact with him was something he could have done without experiencing.

"Uh," Jaune said. "Are you guys ready?"

Lima's eyes remained fixed on her own, and he watched as a series of muscle groups in her neck shifted ever so slightly towards the sound of his voice—and then she actually looked away, eyes searching out Jaune above.

"Yes," Pyrrha said.

Pyrrha turned back, arms rising up until her palms her both up, and between the two of them—Lima remained at rest, hands by his sides, as he drew in a long breath, filling his lungs to their maximum capacity, chest expanding to the limit—and then he let it out, a long slow breath.

"Ready," Lima said.

Pyrrha shifted again, her shoulders lowering ever so slightly as she prepared herself for forward movement, her foot turned against the ground, the motion caught in the web of his Semblance and its natural inclination to stretch outwards to the things he was in contact with.

"Okay, don't break the room," Jaune warned, "Three, two, one—fight."

Pyrrha twisted violently, her neck and head pulling to one side as his hand slipped past her cheek—he checked her knee with his own, pressed his hand flat against her neck, and then kicked up off the ground. His knee slid against her own, pulled upwards, and then crashed into her forearm, pressing it up and into her face. Pyrrha shoved downwards, and he dropped back to the floor, letting his grip on her neck falter in an effort to bring his elbow down to block her strike at his centre mass. The connection of the strike and block sent their aura flaring to life with a crackle.

Pyrrha's right hand came in the same moment the impact occurred, reaching for his face—and her wrist landed snugly in the palm of his hand before his fingers sealed themselves shut around it. The feeling of her aura, a solid mass of force, shifted oddly as he compressed it flat against her skin with the strength of his grip. Pyrrha must have recognised it as the same technique he'd used on her during their brief engagement in the Emerald Forest, but this time, he had no intention of letting go. She attempted to retrieve the trapped limb by force, shifting her weight to her feet in what was the most common response of someone moving to brace themselves against a potential pull.

Her eyes flickered over to visually assess the grapple—he shifted forwards in the same moment, having been waiting for it. His leg passed between her own before he hooked his heel behind her right ankle and dragged her foot up off the ground. Pyrrha attempted to push her still-standing leg down to counteract the sudden lack of contact, but she was already falling, and the only real control she had left was his hand holding up her body weight. Pyrrha partially collapsed, her left knee dropping to the ground in an attempt to stop herself from falling onto the bunk bed. Lima used his foot to roll her right leg further out, hyper extending it, and pinning her to the floor of the train by her ankle.

For a moment, he stood over her, Pyrrha's wrist still trapped above her head. Even if she hadn't actually fallen out of bounds, the awkward fall had left her completely unprotected.

"Uh," Jaune managed. "Tempo?"

Pyrrha breathed a sharp breath out of her nose at the obvious but unacknowledged loss—then she was fighting back up to her feet, using her shoulder to push him back as she rose up. Lima stepped backwards, taking his foot off her ankle, but keeping his tight grip around her wrist locked down. Pyrrha attempted to wrest her arm free, and when that failed, he resisted her attempts to move him out of bounds with it, the advantage of having the superior leverage on the outside of her arm making it much easier to deal with.

The two of them did almost two full rotational position swaps, but he wouldn't allow her to get the angle to break the hold. He could feel the exact moment she decided to take more drastic action, her body weight shifting, her left leg rising up, knee pulling against her chest as she chambered the attack in an instant—he moved with her, pulling on her wrist and stepping past her in the same movement as the kick went out into the ether. Pyrrha abandoned the attack the moment she realised it wouldn't hit, the leg not even fully extended, but by then, Lima was mostly behind her.

His grip on her wrist pulled it up over her head, the inner crook of her elbow now pressed against her mouth and nose as she attempted to resist him pulling it down flush with her shoulder to choke her with. Pyrrha stomped back and downwards, aiming for his foot, and he used his own to shift the attack off course, outwards, before stepping on the back of her knee. Pyrrha dropped down about a foot as he slowly pressed down on it, and she began painfully arching her back in an attempt to lessen the strain on her neck.

"Am I supposed to call it?" Jaune said, sounding uneasy. "I don't think she can get out."

"Not yet—" Pyrrha managed.

Lima let go of her wrist willingly, and then stepped back—Pyrrha twisted upright, back to her feet in an instant, her face red from the strain, and now free hair in a monstrous mass of red hanging down between them—there was a flash of genuine outrage on her face as he removed any chance she had of finding a way to break free under her own power.

"Tempo?" Jaune tried. "Unless you guys are already—"

Lima deflected the furious deluge of strikes, eyes flashing around as he tracked it all—and Pyrrha made no further attempt to reenter his portion of the rectangle, seeking to use her reach to keep him back and wear him down through superior range. But she was flustered now, and her breathing was uneven from the extended partial choke. Lima stepped forward into the mess of attacks—her fist cut past his cheek in the same moment that his foot slammed full force into her thigh. Pyrrha staggered under the force of it, and then her assault abruptly doubled in speed, in a clear attempt to dominate him through sheer physicality—and this time without waiting for Jaune to call tempo.

Her technique was starting to grow blurry at the edges, eroding beneath her rush as she left the careful, trained and practiced pace behind. Lima shifted to the side, and then leant backwards as her next strike passed through the space where his head had just been—and then his fist struck upwards, connecting with her chin in a perfect mirror of Jaune's earlier rising dragon uppercut. Pyrrha stumbled, back fully arched in an attempt to keep herself from falling backwards, the toes of her shoes the only point of contact with the ground—

"Pyrrha," Jaune said, sounding like he couldn't quite understand what he was seeing. "You're out of bounds."

The pulled strike had done barely anything to her aura, but the sheer angle it had come from was enough to disrupt her balance. A real fight wouldn't have ended there for either of them, but that was the cost of layering on a ruleset that restricted things so heavily—and completely in his favour.

"I—yes," Pyrrha managed. "I'm out of bounds."

Pyrrha, her back pressing the curtain flat against the door of the cabin, blew out an explosive breath at the sound of her own words, the burst of air sending the mess of hair in front of her face shifting about—it was perhaps the most frustrated state he'd ever seen her in.

"Rematch?" Lima offered.

#

Lobby, Port Line Station, Sanus.

Port Line Station was practically empty, and those that were present were the very same passengers who had been on the previous train with them. The line for the check-in desk was barely a dozen people long, and it made Lima wonder just how many people actually lived in Port Line.

"We're going to have the entire train to ourselves this time," Lima said, impressed. "What's the bet that Pyrrha gets stuck babysitting again?"

"I have it on very good authority that this was their final destination," Pyrrha said, eyes searching the Mistral Limited. "They've certainly done a good job repairing the damage; it's almost as if nothing happened at all."

"Damage?" Jaune said, turning to follow her line of sight. "What damage?"

"Did I forget to mention what happened on our way to Vale?" Pyrrha said, lowering her voice to avoid disturbing the other passengers."A flock of Giant Nevermore attacked us while we were over the ocean, and the Mistral Limited took quite a bit of damage before the situation was addressed."

"Wait a minute, I think I heard the news report on that," Jaune said, "I didn't realise you guys were on the train—how did you forget something like that?"

"I didn't forget," Lima said with a blissful sigh. "We got to kill a bunch of Grimm—and then the Huntsman and Huntress on board gave her a spanking for getting involved."

"Yes," Pyrrha said, voice dry. "I distinctly remember you vanishing the moment the danger had passed."

Jaune blinked at the information, and Lima cleared his throat before bringing his hands up in front of his chest.

"My name is Lima, a dreamer; killing Grimm is my schema—a problem solver? I'm the danger resolver," Lima rapped, flicking his fingers out at them both. "We obliterate, they evaporate—Pyrrha's fate? Well, she's in trouble, but I can't relate—when the punishment arrives, I evacuate."

Pyrrha attempted to cover her face in what must have been the torturous clutches of second-hand embarrassment.

"I had thought you finally stopped doing that," Pyrrha managed, with a nervous laugh at the attention they had generated. "To think I would be so very mistaken."

"I'll never stop," Lima said, crossing his arms in satisfaction. "Suffer."

#

Mistral Limited, Railway, Ocean.

Lima stared up at the shadowed ceiling of the cabin, the hum of the Mistral Limited almost lost beneath the sleeping breaths of his two temporary companions—after spending the previous trip almost exclusively in their company, Lima was starting to wonder if he wasn't setting himself up for even more heartache when they went there separate ways at the Mistral Station. The continued proximity of a shared cabin seemed like an even greater concentration of what had happened with the dormitory situation back at Beacon Academy—maybe it was just him and not the situations he kept finding himself in.

Maybe it was just some kind of intrinsic trait that he hadn't really known about himself, a trait that had him rapidly forming connections and attachments with those he spent even a little bit of time with. It felt so new, though, like a new facet of himself that had remained untouched through all the time he'd spent at Sanctum—even when he thought that being trapped in a classroom should have had the very same effect. The fact that the specific class had been filled with people he hadn't liked and who hadn't liked him probably had a weigh-in on it as well, but still—his Scroll vibrated in a way he instantly recognised as a message. With a spark of intuition that he couldn't explain, he somehow knew that it was from Claire—although she had told him she was going to send him messages, so maybe he was cheating a bit.

He forced himself not to move, to keep his hands folded behind his chest, away from the device and its potentially volatile contents. He'd spent more than one night thinking about her, their interactions, and in particular, the striking moment when she'd pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth. Lima had spent months trying to figure out exactly where they stood and if her interest actually existed or if he had imagined it in that too-hopeful but kind of pathetic way. He'd told her about the worst moment in his life—not as a passing comment or as vague fodder to make himself seem more mysterious—but in a moment of vulnerability.

He'd never gone to anyone other than Sage and, slightly more rarely, Midori when those types of thoughts had pulled too tightly at his mind. But he'd opened up to Claire, and she'd listened to him without judgement or apparent discomfort. The fact that she'd immediately opened up to him, in turn, with the same dazzling show of trust, had created a link between them, a connection that he couldn't quite define. It might have been hindsight or just retroactively attempting to fit the pieces together—but it felt as if that moment had changed something between them. Shifted the still new and budding dynamic that all four of them were building together into something, just a few shades adjacent.

There were dozens of moments after that, little fleeting things where he'd find her making physical contact with him and when he'd find himself seeking out decent enough excuses to do the same. That moment in class together, where she'd taken a larger step and refused to let go of his hand—it made him wonder if Claire had been looking for excuses, just like he had. The moment that had followed, when she had smiled at him in a way that had pierced the veil of whatever game they'd been playing—the one where they would take turns trying for just a few slivers more while trying to hide behind a carefully crafted layer of obfuscation.

Everything had shifted again, the veil starting to thin out, the connection growing and twisting, becoming something that turned a small curve of a smile, or a flash of accidental skin, into something he'd be left to shamefully deal with in the dead of night. But then she'd kissed him in a room full of people, and the veil had all but evaporated, just a few small curls of uncertainty stopping him from taking the leap.

"Fuck," Lima murmured.

He found himself going through the motions of unlocking his Scroll, navigating the menu, and opening up his inbox—unable to suffer another moment without knowing whether or not it was a full retraction of the kiss or a promise of something more.

Astra came to the big lunch with us after all; she's going to be around until the middle of November, sometime after the Vytal Festival is over, so she'll be in the stands with my parents when we all fight in the tournament. It felt different this time, seeing them all together at once like that, and I'm not really sure why. Maybe getting the chance to actually talk about it with someone helped more than I expected.

Teak's mum is the sweetest person in the entire world, and she looks almost exactly like him, ears and all, only her hair is way longer. Lux was like a completely different person; seriously, it was like we accidentally took her from a strange mirror world. I tried to bully my dad into arm-wrestling her in order to make her normal again, but even that didn't work. I think she was trying to make a good impression or something, so I made sure to rile her up on your behalf. She tried to kick my ass after everyone went home, though, which I probably should have expected.

I convinced her to stay at my house for the rest of the break so we don't have to go pick her up every time. There were a bunch of questions about you since you were the only one not there, and Teak told everyone a story about how you looked after him in the entrance exam. Willow said that she couldn't wait to meet you in person, and Teak got super flustered about it, but he wouldn't say why. I'm going to ask him about it tomorrow. I told Astra about how we all pray to the god of yogurt every morning, and she thought it was hilarious.

I kept waiting for you to make a dumb joke about some of the things we were talking about, but then I'd look around and remember you weren't even there. It made me realise just how much time we spend together every day, and now it just feels wrong that you're the only one missing. It's only been three months, but it feels like a lot longer. I guess being crammed into a room with the three of you has something to do with that. I'm sorry I cried again. I don't like goodbyes, and you were pretending like you wanted us to go away or like you weren't even sad, but I know you were. You should probably just call off your break entirely and come back, so I can stop feeling so bad.

I bet you stayed up all night thinking about how I kissed you. Make sure you clean your bedsheets before someone notices that you made a mess.

"As if," Lima managed, face burning. "What a brat."

He pressed his finger against the reply button with a bit too much heat, feeling the instinctive need to defend himself while also knowing that she'd been right—in that he had stayed up thinking about it, not the other part. The fact that she hadn't called everything off or pretended like it hadn't happened left him with a rather worrying problem. He now had to move forward with the knowledge that if she wasn't trying to hide anymore, then he couldn't either. Lima typed out the message three times, deleting each iteration in turn until finally settling on one that didn't make him sound like a complete idiot.

Look at you, getting along with dinky little Astra. I'm glad you're feeling a bit better about your family and that everything played out well. I have no idea what made Teak flustered, and you should absolutely never ask him about it under any circumstances. I'm kind of sad that I didn't get to meet everyone with you guys, but I guess that's my own fault.

You're right about the whole proximity thing; it's something I've been thinking about for a while now. I didn't really have anyone like you guys back in Argus, but now I'm not sure I could go back to being a loner, at least not without self-destructing in the process. I've been a bit worried about what will happen when the four of us graduate, considering how diverse our team's backgrounds are. We have families in Vacuo, Mistral, and Vale. Does our team stick together long-term? If it does, which continent do we take the bulk of our missions within? Four years at Beacon Academy is a long time, but I guess I can't help but think about what will happen next.

Jaune and Pyrrha are travelling back to Argus on the same route as me, so I've got some company until I get off at Mistral. Pyrrha has singled me out as an eternal rival or something and seems to have made it her mission in life to kick my ass up and down this stupid train. I miss you guys already, and I may or may not have cried after you horrifically abandoned me in the dining hall.

Claire, if you want me to stay up all night thinking about you—instead of just the vast majority of it—then I'm going to need a little bit more than a kiss.

The message locked in as he finally built up the courage to send it off—they were slipping outside of the range of the Vale CCTS Tower now, so it wouldn't actually send until they reached Anima and entered the range of the towers at Mistral—but it was primed and ready to fire the moment that happened, something which left him with plenty of time to second-guess everything he'd written, and worry about what her reaction might be.

#

Mistral Limited, Railway, Ocean.

"Sage?" Lima wondered. "He's been a Huntsman for decades at this point—I talk a lot of shit about him, but Haven Academy is lucky to have someone like him teaching the first years how to fight."

"I kind of want to meet him," Jaune admitted, "It's a shame we don't have any time spare between the change-over."

"Huntsmen and Huntresses travel all over the world, Jaune," Pyrrha said, "So perhaps we will return to Mistral in the future, and you will have the chance to meet him."

"Yeah," Jaune said, nodding. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see."

"What about you, Pawpaw?" Lima said, rolling over so he could peer down off the edge of the bed at them. "Is your mother a Huntress—and what's her name anyway?"

Jaune sat up a bit, looking interested in the question.

"My mother's name is Pan, and yes, she is a Huntress," Pyrrha said, smiling. "You've probably guessed, but she is also the one who taught me how to fight."

"Which academy did she graduate from?" Jaune asked. "Haven?"

"Yes, she is a graduate of Haven Academy," Pyrrha confirmed, "Because our home is in Argus, most of her missions tend to be focused around that area, although she has travelled to Atlas fairly frequently as well."

"Can you beat her in a fight?" Lima wondered.

"In a straight melee fight? Most definitely not," Pyrrha said, shaking her head. "My techniques are a direct derivative of her own, and she has developed a level of mastery over them that I've yet to reach."

"You're still levelling up, huh?" Lima said, in understanding. "When you do beat her, will she finally bestow upon you the title of Invincible Woman?"

Pyrrha laughed out loud.

"I'm not sure that's how titles work, Lima," Pyrrha managed, covering her smile with her hand. "I'll be sure to tell her that, though; I'm sure she'll find it quite endearing."

"What is she like?" Jaune asked. "I'm picturing you, but taller? I think my imagination is broken."

"I'm actually quite a bit taller than my mother; she's only about as high as my shoulders." Pyrrha said, "I look a lot like her. We share the same eye and hair colour, although she wears glasses, and her hair is only about this long."

Pyrrha reached up and tapped a single finger against her cheek.

"She's beautiful, intelligent, kind, and very patient," Pyrrha said, smiling. "She's not afraid to speak her mind, and she always takes the time to explain things properly."

"Huh," Jaune said, blinking. "She sounds a lot like you, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha flushed as the comment washed over her.

"Damn," Lima said, impressed. "That is the single smoothest thing I've ever heard you say."

"What?" Jaune said, startled.

He'd said it out of pocket, without any of the overblown confidence the guy regularly used in his doomed attempts to win over Weiss, and somehow he hadn't even realised what he'd done.

"Damn," Lima said again. "Pawpaw, you're blushing."

Pyrrha made an aborted motion to cover her face and then gave a nervous, embarrassed laugh.

"I'm feeling a little bit hot, is all," Pyrrha managed, quickly standing up. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom—I'll be right back."

Pyrrha vanished out of the door, fleeing the cabin with speed only a Huntress could hope to reach. Jaune stared at the partially open door for a long moment and then glanced up at him, looking lost.

"Lima?" Jaune said. "What just happened?"

Lima scratched at his cheek for a moment in consideration.

"Pyrrha listed off all the things she admires about someone that she loves and looks up to—and you just told her she was practically describing herself," Lima said, walking him through it. "Are you following yet, lady killer?"

Jaune turned to look at the door again, now looking a bit red in the face himself.

"But I wasn't trying to—" Jaune managed before cutting himself off. "Why was she blushing?"

#

Mistral Limited, Mistral, Anima.

Lima dragged his bag up onto his shoulder and then slipped off the top bunk to drop to the floor of the cabin. He drew himself upright, spun until his back was to the door and gave the cabin a quick look over for anything he might have left behind. The P.A system rang out for a second time, repeating the same message.

"We have now arrived in Mistral. Please ensure that you have all of your possessions when you leave," A pleasant voice said, "Thank you all for choosing the Mistral Limited for your cross-continental needs. We hope to see all of you again soon."

Lima stepped backwards and used his heel to kick the door open—he turned as he crossed the threshold and had to immediately stop as he came face to face with Jaune, the boy's own bag tossed over his shoulder. There was a strained expression on his face that had nothing to do with the weight of his luggage, and his lip was caught between his teeth as he struggled with some internal emotional war. Pyrrha stood beside him, one hand rubbing the blonde boy's back in an attempt to help him along.

"Don't worry so much," Lima asked, pushing down hard against the pang behind his own eyes and the discomfort at the imminent separation. "We can catch up after the break is over."

"Right," Jaune said, scrubbing at his face. "We've got about five minutes to get over to the Argus Limited, so I guess this is goodbye."

"Come on," Lima said, nodding at the doors. "I'll see you guys off."

He followed after them on their path across the station and to the check-in station for the Argus Limited, standing by as they got squared away, and then rejoined them in an effort to say goodbye.

"This trip was way more fun with you two around," Lima said, clapping Jaune on the shoulder. "It was nice getting to hang out; we're all kind of team-centric back at Beacon, aren't we?"

Jaune, now sniffling like a big wuss, made an effort to drag him into a hug, and Lima laughed as he patted the guy on the back. The station's P.A system rang out with a preemptive departure message for the Argus Limited, and Jaune pulled back.

"We'll definitely change that after the break," Jaune said.

"You got it, big guy," Lima said, "Pawpaw—hug."

Pyrrha stepped forward at the request, the proximity once again showcasing just how much of a disparity in their height was present—it was like he'd spent the entire trip in the company of giants, damn it.

"Lima," Pyrrha murmured, "Make sure you return to Beacon safely."

"Same to you," Lima said, giving the end of her ponytail a playful tug. "I'd hate to have to win the Vytal Festival Tournament without a real challenge."

Pyrrha reached back in an effort to catch hold of it, and when she managed it, she swept it forward over her shoulder and pinned it there to protect it from any further attack. There was a glint of something competitive in her eyes as she tried and failed to pull back from the hug.

"I'll be sure to look forward to some real sparring once the break is over," Pyrrha said in warning. "I don't think I'll be allowing you to run away anymore."

"I'll see if I can squeeze you in," Lima said before lowering his voice a bit, "If Jaune hasn't tried to stick his hand up your shirt at least once by the time the break is over, I'm going to tell everyone I caught the two of you with your pants around your ankles—"

"Lima," Pyrrha said, flushing as he let her go. "If you say anything like that, you'll very much come to regret it."

"Say anything like what?" Jaune said, suddenly a bit worried. "Pyrrha—what did he just say?"

Pyrrha looked like she wanted absolutely no part in answering the question, but she was saved from having to attempt it when the P.A system spoke up in another departure call. Lima watched the two of them scuttle into the Argus Limited before the doors could shut them out, a splash of red and yellow hair passing by the windows—then they were entirely out of sight, and Lima was left to stand alone on the platform as the train pulled away.

"That was the Invincible Girl—a bit taller than she was back at Sanctum, isn't she?" Sage said from somewhere just behind him. "Who was the blonde kid?"

Lima blew a breath out of his nose at the sound of the man's voice and then turned around—Midori and Sage stood only a few feet away, smiling.

"Hey," Lima managed. "I didn't realise you were coming to meet me—"

Midori swept forward, dragging him into a hug, and he found himself far less capable of pushing away the stinging in his eyes. Lima reached up over her shoulder in an attempt to scrub at his face and did his best to ignore the way Sage was now laughing at him—god damn it.