Wednesday, 9th April, 79AGW.

Training Field A, Beacon.

3:17 pm.

“That was great!” Lux said gleefully, watching him intently. “You better be on the team chasing me; I want another go at you!”

Lima just nodded without commitment as he reached them, unable to match her energy or mood.

“Holy crap!” Claire said, amazed, “How did you even win that—and what the hell is up with your bow? You sent that one chick flying across the field!”

Lima made an aborted motion that had begun as a shrug and ended with a shake of his head. He wondered if he could just leave without getting in trouble; he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have to fight again today.

At least she seemed to have been drawn out of her funk—in turn, it seemed as if he’d absorbed her bad mood—Figures.

“Fighting them all at once would have been a bad idea, so I split them up in the forest,” Lima said quietly, “When it’s your turn, you’ll need to separate them and whittle them down; people are much more reckless as a group this large, they are more confident as well, but you should be fine with your semblance.”

Lima couldn’t find it in him to answer any questions about his weapon.

“The more confident they are, the more likely they are to make a mistake or take a risk they aren’t prepared for,” Teak said in understanding, but he was still watching him with concern. “Lima, that was…I don’t even know.”

Lima knew there was more he wanted to say, most likely about his sudden change in demeanor than the actual fight; he was glad that the shorter boy had enough tact to hold onto those questions.

“Thanks,” Lima said indifferently.

Goodwitch eyed him seriously for a moment before she dropped her gaze and started marking down something on her scroll; she didn’t speak up until almost five minutes had passed.

“Ms. Schnee, you’ll be the second survivor,” Professor Goodwitch said slowly, still tapping away on her scroll.

Weiss stood up before separating from her team and then made her way out to the designated spot as the two other teams were selected.

“This is bullshit; when is it my turn?” Lux demanded, looking annoyed. “Why can’t I ever go first?”

Goodwitch delivered the same line as she had when it was his turn, explaining her one-minute of preparation, and then following his own example, she disappeared into the forest the second she was allowed.

The round started a minute later, and the two chosen teams of four, both from another class, vanished after her.

“Lima?” Pyrrha said, smiling, and he leaned back onto his hands to look up at her. “You are even better than I had assumed after what happened on the train—well, it’s a shame we couldn’t see the rest of the fighting in the forest.”

“Let me solve the mystery for you then, Pawpaw,” Lima mumbled, without much luster. “There was lots of running away, cheap tricks, and hiding in bushes.”

Pyrrha laughed out loud.

“I’m not sure I believe that—Can I ask why you never participated in the public matches back at Sanctum?” Pyrrha said happily. “From watching you disarm Nora and how you handled the group out on the field—I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’ve fought people in the regionals that weren’t half as good as you were today.”

Lima felt his indifference start to fade at the genuinely nice girl’s words; she really wasn’t letting him get away with brushing it off, huh?

“What about me?” Lux huffed.

“You’re very good as well,” Pyrrha said honestly, smiling down at the blonde Faunus.

Lux scratched her cheek and glanced away, looking pleased with herself. Pyrrha returned to watching him, and he sighed. Looks like he was going to have to answer after all, and here he had thought that his teammate had saved the day.

“I was never into the whole tournament scene; I’m still not,” Lima admitted, “I have other priorities.”

Pyrrha looked a bit disappointed in that but still nodded in understanding.

“Don’t worry Pyrrha, even if you don’t end up against him in class,” Lux said smugly, “We are going to be in the Vytal Festival Tournament; you can fight him there—if you manage to get through me first.”

Claire snickered.

“Didn’t she already kick your ass once already?” Claire said, amused. “Do you even get to say that anymore?”

Lux flushed and turned on the silver-haired girl indignantly.

“Claire!” Lux hissed with narrowed eyes.

Claire yelped as she was forced to scramble away from the upset girl. Teak squeaked as he was knocked over in the impromptu wrestling match that broke out between them.

“I’d like to test myself against you either way,” Pyrrha said happily. “and I’ll admit I am looking forward to the festival.”

“Pawpaw,” Lima said, faintly amused despite himself. “Isn’t that just a nicer way of saying you’re looking forward to putting the boot to my ass?”

Lima could tell by the expression that bloomed on her face that he had hit the nail on the head.

“You caught me,” Pyrrha admitted, sheepishly, before glancing away from him. “Sorry?”

Lima couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.

“Well, how could I say no to that?” Lima offered, “Guess I’ll be seeing you in the finals.”

Pyrrha smiled brilliantly.

Wednesday, 9th April, 79AGW.

Dorm Rooftop, Beacon.

11:37 pm.

Lima sat with his hands resting on his knees as he stared up at the shattered remains of the moon.

The night sky was actually noticeably clearer here than in Argus despite the city far below, probably from the sheer elevation that the school had whilst sitting up here atop the cliff.

Either way, he could see the river of stars above with more clarity than ever before, and he traced the familiar patterns in the quiet until his eyes settled on ‘The Woodsman,’ a series of seven stars that made up the rough shape of a hatchet. His continued investigation of the patterns was interrupted when he heard the quiet breathing of someone closing in behind him at a careful pace, but he made no move to address them.

“I was wondering where you went, Lima,” Claire said quietly, from behind him. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Lima glanced over his shoulder towards where the voice had originated from but found nothing; Claire was using her semblance to remain invisible; whatever her reason, he didn’t know.

“Mm,” Lima murmured in agreement, turning his eyes back to the sky above. “Sorry if I woke you up on my way out.”

“I was still awake too,” Claire admitted, sitting down directly behind him, close enough that her foot was touching his thigh. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

There was a long pause as they just sat on the roof together, watching the stars. It was Claire that broke the silence once again.

“I know you don’t want to talk about it; that’s pretty obvious, so you can tell me to go if you want,” Claire said hesitantly. “But if you do need someone to talk to about anything, I’ll listen; We’re teammates now.”

Lima couldn’t help but be impressed by her maturity; it was much more than he could probably claim for himself on most days. He appreciated the sentiment as well, but he wasn’t exactly the type to drop his problems at the feet of others…

Then again, there was no Sage here for him to vent to anymore, he needed to find someone to talk to, and if they were going to spend the next four years together—at least—it may as well be his teammates.

“Let’s trade stories then,” Lima murmured, bracing himself. “Claire, today sucked donkey balls.”

“It really did,” Claire agreed quietly, “What happened in practical combat today?”

Lima studied the sky for another moment, leaning forward a bit and letting one of his legs straighten out in front of him. It was a pretty strange moment for him—This would be the first time he really talked like this with anyone other than Sage or Midori.

“I witnessed some pretty bad stuff when I was really young, the kind of thing that messes you up—I’d rather not go into details, but my family died when I was six,” Lima said quietly, “Goodwitch said something that sounded quite a bit like what I saw back then, and a lot of those memories suddenly came to the forefront of my mind—I’m usually pretty good at not thinking about that stuff, but I’ve been a bit off lately, and I wasn’t expecting it at all, it caught me entirely off guard.”

Claire remained quiet as he spoke, apparently content to listen, but he could tell by her breathing that she was still sitting behind him.

“I’m not exactly in the best mental space because of it,” Lima admitted, “But it’s also not the first time I’ve had a bad day, and I’m almost certain it’s not going to be the last. So that’s my story—not a very good climax, I know—but I’m not the kind of guy to kiss and tell, you know-”

Lima stopped talking in surprise as Claire slid forward a bit and wrapped her arms around his torso in a hug; he wasn’t really sure how to react to the sudden show of affection, and it derailed his attempt to wash away some of the tension.

“Why are you tensing up—stop making it weird,” Claire huffed, not letting go. “It’s just a hug.”

He didn’t exactly get a lot of those.

“Sorry,” Lima said sheepishly, forcing himself to relax. “Your turn then, captain-cop-a-feel.”

“Mine feels pretty lame now after that,” Claire mumbled into his back, ignoring the name entirely.

“Doesn’t matter,” Lima said easily, leaning back into the hug. “I’m listening.”

“I don’t know why I’m here,” Claire murmured. “-at Beacon.”

Lima didn’t say anything; instead, he waited patiently for her to continue.

“All of you have good reasons for being here,” Claire whispered, “Lux wants to be the strongest person in the world or just wants to fight everyone; Being a hunter is a step towards that. Teak worked hard to get in here; he earned his way here through high scores and hard work.”

Claire shuffled forward a bit more to lean against his back more comfortably, dropping her arms to wrap loosely around his stomach.

“Everything you do seems to lead back around to killing Grimm; becoming a hunter, getting the license,” Claire said quietly, “I don’t have anything like that.”

Lima patted one of her hands gently and waited.

“My older sister designs clothing; she’s famous, and successful—owns her house as well,” Claire said hesitantly, “Mum and dad talk about her all the time; they are really proud of how she’s doing.”

Claire gripped his hand before lacing their fingers together and squeezing; he squeezed back in an attempt to show support.

“They always tell me stuff like that too—We’re proud of you, Claire!—all the time, but I haven’t actually done anything for them to be proud of! I’m not as smart as her, I’m not as pretty, or as driven, successful, funny—pick anything you want, and she’s got me beat,” Claire sniffled a bit, “I wanted to do something—anything—that might make me feel like I actually deserve it, something I’ve earned. So I can be like Astra and actually enjoy it when they say things like that—instead of feeling like..like!—I don’t know, but it’s not good.”

Claire was practically burying her face into his back now, and there was no way he could pretend that she wasn’t crying, and her grip on his hand had begun to shake.

“Now I’m here at Beacon, training to be a huntress.” Claire whispered, “Trying to make myself feel like I’m not just pretending or trying to outshine my sister. That I can do something that Astra didn’t—or maybe this was something she couldn’t do—and every time I think it-”

Claire sobbed once and then went tense at how loud the noise was, completely freezing for a long moment.

“I’m horrible.” Claire cried softly.

Lima slipped his hand out of her now loose grip and twisted before sliding his arm under her own.

Claire didn’t even protest as he bodily dragged her over his lap and into the position she’d had him in barely a moment before. He pulled her back against him and stuck his chin on the top of her head, holding her tightly.

He took a few moments to compose a proper response.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do something that your sister didn’t; you aren’t the first person who wanted to outdo their sibling at something, nor the first one that wants to make their parents proud, or to be recognized for it,” Lima said quietly. “That’s doesn’t make you horrible, Claire.”

Claire drew in a shaky breath, and he gave her another reassuring squeeze.

“Given up on nicknames?” Claire mumbled.

Lima smiled into her hair; she’d shot down every single one he’d come up with; he’d let her have this one.

“People are competitive, you know? It’s not abnormal or strange—even families are like that, even if a lot of them won’t admit to it,” Lima murmured, “That’s actually super normal; you aren’t doing a single thing wrong by wanting to be successful, or searching for area’s where you shine; that’s an admirable quality, and nobody expects you to have a perfect understanding of what you want to do, or what you want to be in the future.”

“That’s what being young is about—seeking out the things you enjoy or are fascinated by, and moving in the direction you choose—working towards the goals you set yourself,” Lima said seriously, “You’re the one who gets to decide that Claire, but you don’t have to decide right now—Alloy Rise, the woman from class, she didn’t find her purpose right away, and look at all the things she did.”

Claire pulled one of his arms up and hugged it; he felt his knuckles resting against her cheek, he could also feel the slight wetness that was accumulating on her skin.

“You’ve been accepted into one of the four most acclaimed academies in the entire world,” Lima said firmly, “That’s an accomplishment that ninety-nine percent of the world couldn’t lay claim to; you, Claire Diamond, should be proud of that because it is an achievement that means something, and it’s something that you worked towards, and its something that you earned—regardless of what your tiny little peanut of a brain is telling you.”

“I’m not a peanut-brain,” Claire mumbled, hugging his arm tighter.

“What did your parents do when you told them you were accepted into Beacon?” Lima said easily, completely ignoring her protest.

He leaned forward into her back and gave her another quick squeeze in reassurance.

“They were really happy that I got in,” Claire said embarrassedly, before mumbling. “So was Astra.”

“You’re such a dum dum,” Lima rolled his eyes, “If they were all happy you got into a Beacon, that means they were proud of what you managed to do—that means it isn’t empty praise, they weren’t just saying it, and you’re not just pretending.”

Claire was quiet for a long moment before she let out a shaky breath again and shook her head.

“You’re different right now,” Claire mumbled, playing with his hand. “Usually, you just act like a jackass.”

“Why, Claire!” Lima said happily, practically bursting with positivity. “I can’t believe you noticed!”

“Don’t ruin it,” Claire said quietly, and he fell silent.

He nodded into her hair.

Thursday, 10th April, 79AGW.

Dining Hall, Beacon.

12:12 pm.

“It’s because there’s so much stuff we have to do each day,” Claire smiled brightly, “I’m surprised I’m not more exhausted; honestly, Signal wasn’t half as busy.”

“Was it like that at the other schools?” Teak wondered.

“Sanctum was pretty busy,” Lima offered simply. “Not like this, though.”

Most of that busyness had come from Sage being a bastard, but he was employed by the school at the time—so that must have counted? Lima wondered how the man was doing—if you asked him a week ago, if he would have missed him, he would have laughed out loud. Turns out he did miss the man afterall—not enough to ever think about enrolling at Haven—but enough for a call perhaps, he’d have to go ring the man when they had a day off.

Lux dropped her tray down onto the table and took a seat across from him.

“So it’s almost Saturday,” Lux said gleefully, “The duels are open from 9:00am to 7:00pm, so you’ll know where I am, Teak, you’re coming with me.”

“I don’t think Thursday is ‘almost Saturday,’” Claire said amused.

Lux huffed but continued to stare down at her other teammate.

“I am?” Teak squeaked out, quailing under the intense scrutiny. “I was going to go to spend the day in the library looking up more about those ruins.”

“Denied,” Lux declared, “You’re smart enough already; you heard what Goodwitch said, you need the practice.”

Lima actually shared her excitement for Saturday—only in his case, it was for Professor Port’s hunting Missions, from 6:00am until midday, although you could supposedly leave whenever you wanted.

“Lima-” Lux began.

“Absolutely not,” Lima said immediately, crossing his arms in front of himself. “I will be spending the entire day in Emerald Forest, killing as many Grimm as Port can steer me towards.”

Lux scrunched up her face as if in pain.

“How am I supposed to fight you if you aren’t at the duels? I want to fight you!” Lux demanded, “Do the stupid missions on Sunday!”

“You do the stupid duels on Sunday.” Lima countered, grinning. “Besides, I don’t want to wait around all day waiting for your aura to recharge after I destroy you in seconds.”

“Shut up! It won’t happen like that ever again.” Lux raged. “You want to fight right now? I’ll show you exactly how much I’ve improved since then!”

“Hasn’t it been like two days?” Claire laughed. “How much could you have possibly improved?”

Lux turned on her in an instant, cheeks reddening in embarrassment and anger.

“Claire,” Lux demanded, glaring at her. “You’re coming with Teak and me!”

Claire raised her arms in surrender, still laughing.

“Glad that’s settled,” Lima said cheerfully.