Chapter Text

Coco resisted the urge to bang her head against the elevator wall. Settling for a silent wish that the lift would move faster, she rubbed her temples.

Farris was pacing around the enclosed space like a caged tiger. "This is all your fault you know. They'd better not expel us. We don't need to talk to the school counselor. I really think you were overreacting. Our team is perfectly fine, well, maybe we could do without - "

Yatsuhashi interrupted the ranting. "Farris, we have no idea why Ozpin wants to talk to us. It could be completely unrelated to the appointment we have set up on Friday."

Thankfully, the elevator doors opened into Ozpin's office before anyone could respond.

The headmaster was sitting at his desk on the far side of the room with four additional chairs placed across from him.

"Thank you for joining me," he said as they sat down. "It's recently come to my attention that the four of you are having some difficulties learning to work together as a team. When this was first brought to my attention, I noted that it's not something we would normally interfere with, and encouraged you to seek additional counseling." He paused to take a sip from his mug.

"I would like to commend you for the work you've put into this so far, even though I'm sure you've encountered some setbacks." He glanced at Farris briefly before focusing on Coco again. "Something has come up, however. While we don't rearrange teams lightly, we will in extreme circumstances.

"There is a student at Haven Academy who is in need of an immediate transfer. Normally, the student in question would simply go to a team that was short one member. We were extremely lucky this year in that there are no teams with such vacancies at this time, however that puts us in a bit of a bind. In order to keep a very talented student in the program, regardless of location, I would like to propose a switch - Mr. Roke will go to Haven to continue his studies while the other student comes here to join the ranks of Beacon." He paused to take another drink. "I would need your permission first, however, before putting in a request for the transfer."

Farris responded immediately. "Absolutely. When can I leave?"

"I appreciate your… enthusiasm, Mr. Roke. What about the rest of you?"

Yatsuhashi and Fox both turned to Coco. "Could we have a moment to talk about it?" she asked.

"I already made my decision; I'm going to go pack." Farris stood up and headed out with a final sneer.

Coco watched him go, making no move to stop him - none of them did.

If had been anyone but Ozpin, Coco would have described the look he gave them as one of pity. On him though, it felt paternal. "It looks to me like you don't need to talk about it."

Ozpin was right - they had already made their decision. In reality, they didn't need the moment to talk it over, they were all just so tired of the stress and tension Farris's presence caused.

But Coco wanted to make sure they weren't making a mistake. "They're not worse - they'll be better, right? It'll work out better than with Farris?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think all eight of you would be happier with this move." Ozpin pulled out his scroll, bringing up the student's file. "I think Miss Scarlatina will be a fine addition to your team."

Both Yatsu and Fox were nodding. "We'll do it," Coco said.

"Perfect. There are a few procedural details to go over, but I should only need you, Miss Adel, for those."

Her teammates patted her shoulder as they left, no doubt going straight to Farris to tell him the good news - and help him pack.

"Provided there are no further complications, Miss Scarlatina will be on the first airship from Haven tomorrow. Mr. Roke will be leaving tomorrow morning regardless."

She frowned slightly. If Farris was leaving tomorrow morning, what could cause their new teammate's delay? She didn't pursue the thought though - Ozpin wouldn't give her a straight answer even if she had asked. "What's her name?" Coco asked instead.

"Velvet Scarlatina. You'll become team C-F-V-Y, it should be fairly easy to update the records." He paused to tap out a message on his scroll. "Haven students don't take history class until their second year. It’s now three months into the semester, so I think it's too much to ask her to try and catch up with that as well as everything else, so she'll take that class next year."

Coco drummed her fingers on the desk. "Can we be excused from Friday's classes if she comes tomorrow? It would be nice to have a short break to get to know one another."

"Who do you have?" he asked, a smile crossing his face briefly.

"Oobleck - history - and Port. They're both already set up to record for Fox, so we wouldn't even have to get notes from a classmate."

"I didn't expect you to be so eager to get out of classes," he said.

Coco paled, missing the teasing glint in his eyes. "I'll definitely want to use some of that time to spar - we've got a lot of catching up to do as a team, I know." She didn't want to just play hooky, she did want to use the time productively too. Ozpin had to be disappointed - she couldn't keep her team together, and now she was trying to skip classes.

He waved off her words. "I'll talk to your professors and have you excused from class. Please do take it easy this weekend though - Miss Scarlatina has been through quite a lot and may not be up to spar just yet." He stood and Coco followed suit. "I do appreciate the effort you've put into leading your team, Miss Adel. I'm sorry that it didn't work out. I'll send you Miss Scarlatina's contact info when we know more."

"Thank you, Headmaster." She turned and started towards the elevators, adding under her breath, "I won't let you down again."

Velvet couldn't really sit up comfortably, but she did her best when Professor Lionheart walked into the room. "I just got off a call with the headmaster at Beacon. He was able to create an opening for you on a team that wasn't working well. I'll gather your things from your dorm and locker and bring it all here. Once the doctor releases you, you'll be able to head straight to Beacon."

Velvet's eyes went wide. "Really?" she squeaked out. "I didn't think there was - I thought I'd - I thought I'd have to just… try again next year."

"No. Ozpin reassures me that team CFVY will work out much better for you. I'll get you their contact information." Professor Lionheart's lips pressed into a thin line. "I want to apologize. I never meant to let it get this bad."

Even lying in the infirmary recovering from the worst wound she had ever received, Velvet couldn't blame him, even if it didn't quite feel like a proper apology. "It's not your fault. You were doing your best." The reasoning felt flat, even to her, and she only offered a wan smile before the headmaster left.

She clutched the piece of paper Lionheart had left behind with her teammates' contact information. Was it reasonable to expect that her new teammates would be any better than her current ones? She knew very little about them, and what she did know terrified her.

The names Fox Alistair and Yatsuhashi Daichi meant nothing to her, but Coco Adel was the leader. As an Adel, she was undeniably human - their lineage could be traced back centuries without any gaps, and every single one of them was human. While Velvet was unwilling to assume Coco was racist, her family certainly was.

She tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that the Adels weren't as bad as the Schnees on a grand scale, but really, for one person, does it matter if their home is destroyed in a forest fire or a localized house fire? She tried to tell herself it certainly couldn't be worse than her current situation, but maybe it would just be better if she continued her studies next year.

She was released from the infirmary that afternoon, but was allowed to stay the night rather than forcing her to return to the dorms. In the morning she left as soon as she could, haphazardly gathering up her limited luggage and stumbling out to the airship dock. It was then that her scroll went off with a message - or ten, if the incessant buzzing was anything to go by.

Shifting a bag to free up one hand, she pulled it out to take a look. There were only three - it buzzed again, making it four - two texts and two voice messages.

She went for the texts first, not opening the picture attached to the first one.

Coco Adel: Hi Velvet! Just added you to our newly formed team chat, come on over and say hi whenever. (Do please use voice messages - it's easier for Fox.) I've attached a photo here - Fox is the redhead to my right, and my partner. Yatsuhashi (Yatsu) is seated in front. Let us know if there's anything you need! We can't wait to meet you.

Coco Adel: dammit, Fox always manages to blink

The photo in question caused Velvet's anxiety to spike. Her partner's shoulders were as broad as Coco and Fox put together and they were all undeniably human. (True to Coco's second message, Fox's eyes were closed, but they were all smiling broadly for the camera.)

Her hands were trembling so badly she barely managed to keep her grip on the device as she thumbed over to the group chat to listen to the voice messages.

"Hey, it's Fox. It's great to have you on the team - we're excited to meet you. We even cleaned the dorm and everything!" There was a barely-audible protest in the background of the recording. "Don't mind him. We'll see you soon!"

"It's Yatsu. Ignore him - the dorm room is always clean." A brief hiss of static accompanied his sigh. "I'm sure you're sick of hearing this, but I am looking forward to meeting you as well. Yatsu out."

The banter between the two of them was easy and light-hearted, she could hear laughter in the background of both. She stared down at her scroll, wondering how she'd be able to fit in. They clearly already got along great - what right did she have to intrude? Did they miss their teammate? Would they resent her for pushing her way into their lives?

Another text came through, interrupting her train of thought.

Yatsuhashi Daichi: Ozpin didn't tell us anything about you beyond that you'd been granted an emergency transfer. Please, let me know if there's anything I can do to make this transition easier and make you feel at home here.

She bit her bottom lip. She wanted to believe them - she wanted to believe that she would be welcome more than anything in the world. She wanted this to work - but she didn't believe it would. Lionheart was pleasant and did his best, but he didn't understand the issue. Not really. Did Lionheart even think to ask about a team with another faunus? Did he ask about how they treated their faunus classmates - or think to ask their faunus classmates what they thought of her new team?

She did want to try and make a good first impression though - no sense in aggravating her new team before they'd even met.

Going back to the group chat, she hit the microphone button on her scroll. "Hey, it's Velvet," she started, then choked on her words. It was much harder to try and voice her thoughts than it would be to simply type them up. Her heart pounded in her ears as the silence dragged on. "I'm about to get on the airship. I'll talk to you when I get to Vale; I should be at the school around 4!" she finished too quickly, hitting send before she could rethink it or spend twenty minutes trying to record the perfect message.

She tried to send another when she touched down in Vale and cleared customs faster than she expected and caught an earlier ship to the school, but her scroll's connection wasn't strong enough to get the message out. Cursing to herself she tried not to worry about it. Better early than late.

When all three of their scrolls went off simultaneously about ten minutes after their barrage of messages, there was no doubt it was Velvet responding to the group chat.

None of them reached for where their scrolls were scattered haphazardly on the bed between them, though.

"You explained it to her?" Fox asked, tilting his head towards Coco.

She shook her head, not out of the habit despite having known Fox for years. "It - I just said to use voice messages. I didn't say why."

I didn't want to give her reason to hate you before she'd met you, she thought, reaching for her scroll and exchanging a glance with Yatsu. Part of her knew that this message didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It was just one request without an explanation that could have been missed in a rush of packing or moving.

At the same time, it was important in the long run, and Coco felt directly responsible for the way things turned out. She had only been a part of the unanimous decision to bring Velvet onto their team, however she had gone to Ozpin on her own to seek advice, which is why he'd offered the switch to them in the first place.

So she reached for her scroll, her hand trembling as she unlocked it and pulled up the group chat - a familiar gesture she could practically do in her sleep at this point.

The other two laughed in relief as Velvet's voice filled their dorm room for the first time. Yatsuhashi reached across the bed to ruffle Fox's hair.

He ran his finger along the first sentence of the passage from his grimm studies textbook for the third time, still not retaining any of the information. Snapping it shut with a sigh, he broke the uneasy silence that had settled in when they'd arrived in the dorm after Port's class. "How much longer until she gets here?"

Coco shifted her weight and pulled out her scroll - the same sound that had distracted him not two minutes prior. "An hour. We could leave here in about thirty minutes and not get to the docks that early..."

It was a lie - it wasn't even a ten minute walk to the docks from their dorm, but they wanted to make a good first impression. It would be better to be early, though.

The familiar sound of the lock disengaging had him distracted from Coco's nervous rambling. Neither of his teammates noticed until the newcomer was fully in the room, stuttering out a quiet "h-hi."

"Pretty sure that wasn't an hour," Fox said dryly. She had to be Velvet - her voice was unmistakable. Her aura spiked as if preparing for battle when Coco scrambled to her feet, rambling about the docks and a miscommunication and trying to take Velvet's bag. He could feel the fear rolling off Velvet's aura in waves. "Coco," he interrupted. "Come here, leave the bag."

They'd worked together long enough that Coco didn't hesitate to do as Fox had said. His heart broke when the silence allowed him to hear Velvet's quiet apology she was repeating like a chant. "I tried to let you know - I got through customs faster than I thought and caught an earlier ship, but my scroll wouldn't connect."

"It's fine," Yatsuhashi said.

The deep rumble of his voice caused her aura to spike again. Fox tilted his head as he studied it - there was something more going on with it than just reacting to perceived threats, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "We were just going to meet you at the docks," Fox offered. He stood and gave Coco's shoulder a quick squeeze - let me handle this. "Can I help with anything?" Of the three of him, he was the least overtly threatening. Yatsu was physically imposing while Coco just carried herself in a way that demanded respect from everyone nearby.

"I've got it, thanks." She peeled herself off the door, gathering her luggage around her. Her voice was still trembling a little, but she seemed more sure of herself. "I'm assuming this one's mine?" Fox turned back to Coco who confirmed she was gesturing to the right bed. "I'm sorry, I just - I'd requested a team with at least one other faunus and I knew I couldn't be picky but..."

Oh.

He froze, trying to process it. No wonder Ozpin had been so cagey about Velvet when they were talking about changing the teams. If Farris was going to fit in with her old team, Fox could only imagine what they were like - no wonder she'd been granted a transfer.

"It'll just take some getting used to is all!" she hastened to reassure them. "That - that's not a problem, is it Fox?" Her voice grew small and timid again. "You look like someone just slapped you." She forced a laugh. "Don't tell me you missed the rabbit ears."

No wonder she was jumpy - Coco was an Adel, after all. He offered some sort of reassurance as he tried to figure out what was happening with her aura. "I did, actually," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm blind." He brushed his hair back to make sure his pure white eyes were visible. The silent I'm different, too hung between them.

"...the voice messages," she managed. It was muffled, like she had covered her face with her hands.

"Yup. Just keep the walking paths clear, yeah?" He reached out until he found her wrists - up by her face, just like he suspected - and gently pulled them away from her when she didn't back away. "We both have a lot to learn." If he didn't know better it was like her aura was fighting to heal something. But it wasn't just in one spot, it was everywhere.

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help," she offered quietly. "I don't want to make life more difficult for you."

"Same - we're a team now."

He stiffened when she closed the distance between them suddenly and hugged him, but quickly relaxed, returning the embrace. She felt a lot like Coco - radiating the same warmth and care that his partner did.

Velvet's aura was easier to study up close, but now that he'd had the thought about injuries he couldn't quite get it out of his head. He rubbed her back, hand pausing when he found bandages. They were too low to be used as binding material, so they were likely for an injury. If he focused, he could just make out how the flares of aura weren't actually one large pulse, but a multitude of smaller ones - bruises and cuts.

The smaller ones were just drowned out by the big one - no doubt whatever was bandaged.

He wanted to ask - he wanted to push, to know who had hurt her - but he let her go when she pulled away to finish unpacking. She'd tell them in her own time, or not, and that was okay.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. The four of them grabbed dinner together - and even managed to make Velvet laugh when Coco told the story of the time she accidentally destroyed a desk when she kicked her purse under it and activated the gun.

Velvet had become a little cagey again when the discussion turned to weapons and semblances, but overall Yatsuhashi counted it as a win.

When they turned in for the night, he was able to fall asleep almost immediately, finally able to relax without his old partner around.

It felt like only a couple of minutes later when a hand on his shoulder dragged him out of his deep sleep. Yatsu knew there was something very wrong when he opened his eyes to find Coco dominating his field of vision. For one, she rarely woke him up, especially on days they could sleep in. For another, she was still in her pajamas - she hadn't even put her sunglasses on yet.

"Coco?" he asked, keeping his voice down in case the others were sleeping. "Is everything okay?"

"No."

The harsh word had him sitting up and looking around the room for threats. He had never heard his leader take that tone before - not even when she found out that Farris had abandoned his post in Forever Fall, very nearly getting two people killed. Despite the anger etched into Coco's posture and voice, there didn't appear to be any danger nearby. Fox was pacing by the foot of the beds, just wearing his sleep pants. Velvet was still fast asleep, curled up in a tight ball.

"Fox, tell Yatsuhashi what you told me." Her hands clenched into tight fists.

Fox stopped his pacing and ran his fingers through his hair. "Velvet's injured." His voice was as tight as Coco's. "And I don't mean in the 'I'm a huntress in training' way but in the 'I just spent several days in the infirmary in and out of consciousness' way. She's so covered in bruises and injuries her whole aura is lit up trying to heal them." Fox wasn't angry - worried maybe, but not angry.

"'At least he isn't trying to kill any of us,'" Yatsu murmured, repeating Fox's words from only a few days before. It had been almost flippant at the time, voicing how it could be worse. He looked over at his new partner, smiling a little when her nose twitched in her sleep. "I guess that's why she needed a new team?"

Coco whirled to look at him again, fists clenched at her sides, and hissed "If I ever get my hands on them…"

He hadn't known what extraordinary circumstances were in play when Ozpin said Velvet needed a transfer. It clearly was going to be bad, but from what Fox was saying she had barely survived. "Didn't Ozpin say Farris was joining that team?" She nodded. "I would hope that they would expel them if they'd attacked her."

Coco sighed. "I somehow doubt it. I'm going to go finish getting ready and then I need caffeine." She finger-combed her hair, trying to tame some of the bed head. "Not awake enough for this," she muttered, disappearing into the bathroom.

Yatsuhashi looked at Fox, trying to read his expression. "How are you doing?"

"Velvet's better for us…" he started, then stopped, rubbing his eyes. "But she's so scared. I'm not convinced we're good for her."

"As long as we don't try to kill her, I think we're doing pretty well when compared to her former teammates," he pointed out. "Not that their behavior is difficult to improve upon. Maybe we won't be good for her, but we'll be better. It's not even been a full day, she hasn't had time to warm up to us. We'll do our best, and that's what matters."

When the first twenty-four hours passed without a single insult hurled her way by her team, Velvet started to relax. Even though they were all human, they actually seemed to want her around - never failing to invite her to join them for meals. She felt like she belonged, more than she ever had at Haven.

As much as she didn't want to dispel the illusion, Velvet worried about her weapon and semblance. She had been mocked and harassed plenty of times by humans and faunus alike for the unusual combination - accusations of stealing weapon designs and of leeching off others' hard work.

Despite her wound, Velvet wanted to know how her team would react to her fighting style before she was lulled into a false sense of security by their kindness. Spurred forward by determination - she wouldn't let it get as bad as it had at Haven - she balked when Coco suggested they just take it easy over the weekend and not do any training, begging to spar together at least once.

Velvet tried not to wilt under Coco's intense look. "Ozpin suggested we take it easy this weekend, and we've got class with Goodwitch on Tuesday. We can always just wait until then."

She didn't want the first time to be in front of people - she wanted privacy so that she would know how they would react. Velvet wasn't going to pull out her weapon in the middle of class in any case, but certainly not for the first time around her teammates. "I'm fine! I really would rather spar with just you three first." It came out more frantic than she had intended.

Coco's face was impossible to read, and Velvet froze, worried she'd crossed a line,pushing back against her leader's decision. Coco relented though, sighing and pulling out her scroll to reserve a training room. "We're going to take it easy though - we're not going for aura drain, just show off what we can do. I'm calling a stop to it all if anyone's aura drops below half, understood?" They all nodded. "Good. Let's go grab our weapons - not a lot of competition for slots today."

Velvet lagged behind, wondering if she should tell Coco her aura was compromised because she was still healing. She spared a glance at her scroll - she was barely at sixty percent.

It could be intentional. As leader, Coco would know her aura levels - it could simply be that she didn't want Velvet to get hurt.

There weren't any snarky comments, or even raised eyebrows, when Velvet fetched her small box out of her locker, just Coco ensuring that she had everything she needed.

It wasn't a complete lie when she said she did - she could get photos while Coco and Yatsu sparred - so there was no need to request them outright.

She was grateful to be partnered with Fox for the practice matches. Part of her hated herself for thinking it, but the truth was he wouldn't be able to see her take photos and get upset. The element of surprise would also give her a leg up.

Fox's weapons would be hardest - not being able to get a sense of his fighting style first, but she could make it work. Reaching into the box, she took out her camera to take a couple of photos of his first, then focused on Yatsuhashi and Coco where they circled one another, seeking openings for attack.

As she got a good angle on Yatsu's sword, Fox asked, "Is someone else here?"

She lowered her camera to look around the training room. "I don't see anyone else here," she replied, then quickly got another shot of the giant blade. She couldn't wait to try it out.

"I could have sworn I heard a camera shutter."

She drew the camera in close to her chest, knuckles turning white with how tightly she clutched it. "Yes!" It came out as a tiny squeak - she couldn't let him have it - she couldn't afford to replace it again. "I - yes, I'm taking photos. Of your weapons." She winced. "I'm not trying to reverse-engineer the designs or steal trade secrets or anything..." Her injury ached as she curled up on herself slightly, trying to shield her weapon with her body and not draw the attention of their teammates.

"Velvs," he interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. I was just making sure no one had wandered in, since Coco hadn't wanted any spectators." He leaned in to add in a whisper, "If you get Coco's bad side, she's going to be upset."

She managed to laugh a little at that. "Pretty sure she doesn't have a bad side," she said, putting the camera back in her box so she could study the way the other two moved.

He hummed in agreement at her assessment. "Didn't mean to make you stop," he added when he realized she wasn't taking photos anymore.

"I got what I needed." She leaned forward to watch how Coco used her gatling gun. There was no need to stock up on photos - not until she knew how they'd react.

Coco had barely folded her purse back up to strike at Yatsuhashi when he used his sword to pull her feet out from underneath her, toppling her onto her back. She cursed and tried to get back up, but his weapon was at her throat before she could, claiming victory. "Bravo!" Velvet called, ignoring the growing knot in her stomach.

"I'll get you eventually," Coco teased Yatsuhashi as he helped her to her feet. "Fox, Velvet, you're up!" She clasped Velvet's shoulder as they passed one another. "Don't go easy on him."

"Wasn't planning on it," she said, taking position.

She appreciated that none of them were voicing concerns. She knew she looked ridiculous with only her box on her back, but they trusted that she could handle herself.

Though - she looked at Coco's purse that fashionably concealed her weapon - she was probably just self-conscious about it.

"Begin!"

Velvet spared a last glance at Coco before activating her weapon and semblance, constructing a blue wireframe of Coco's gatling gun. Her semblance came next, shifting her stance as the weapon spun up.

She heard a gasp from the stands when the hard-light copy of Coco's weapon appeared. Fox stumbled at the sound of mechanical whirring - the exact reason she'd reached for it first.

"No fair, partner! Give a man warning before you loan out your weapon," he said with a laugh as he found his feet again and closed the distance.

Coco's denial - interspersed with laughter - had Velvet smiling, too. She figured Fox would know how to handle Coco's weapon, but the moment of confusion had worked in her favor.

She dropped the weapon as he approached, calling up Yatsuhashi's sword instead. Fox stopped dead in his tracks - she wondered briefly how it felt to his semblance - and ducked just in time to avoid a blow to his shoulder.

He stepped in closer, getting a couple of good strikes in as she switched weapons one last time, pulling out Fox's own weapons against him.

This time he didn't have an easy defense - getting stuck when she entangled their blades together and flipped him onto his back, tumbling forward herself to pin him there until he held up his hands in surrender. She moved off to one side, dropping the weapons and her semblance, feeling the exhaustion seep into her muscles.

It was difficult to do three unfamiliar weapons in rapid succession like that. It felt good though - the plan had worked, and Coco and Yatsuhashi were applauding them.

Her partner moved into her field of vision, offering her a hand up. "That was incredible! How do you do it?"

His hand was huge - engulfing hers completely - but his touch was gentle as he helped her to her feet.

"The pictures, right?" Fox asked, letting Coco help him up as well. "What was that?"

"Holographic projector - I can take photos of your weapons and then recreate a hard-light copy for my own use." She took a steadying breath and studied their faces. They didn't look upset. The last of the tension she'd been holding eased out of her body. "My semblance allows me to mimic your fighting style. I used the photos I have - I'd have to take more to use it again."

"Do they expire after a certain amount of time?" Coco asked.

Velvet shook her head. "The photos are single-use, and a photo of your closed handbag wouldn't let me fold it out into a gatling gun. However, as long as the camera isn't damaged, the photos will last on there forever."

She jumped when Coco unfolded her weapon and held it out. "Take more photos, please! What else do you have on there? Anything we can prepare for?"

Her face felt hot as she dug out her camera and hid behind it to get more photos of her team's weapons. "No - I'd burned through what little I had at Haven."

"We'll find you more, don't worry. And you can work with us so you don't have to rely so heavily on your semblance to fight with them." Yatsuhashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe find some teams who would be willing to lend their weapons and knowledge."

Velvet shook her head vehemently at that, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I don't - please don't make me tell anyone. The students at Haven weren't…" she struggled for the right word for a moment before settling on "...kind."

"Professors are okay, though?" Coco checked and she nodded. "I'll ask around, quietly, but in the meantime make sure you've always got ours on hand."

"Want to go again?" she asked, smiling brightly.

Coco pulled out her scroll and checked it. "Nope, we're done here. Let's go get lunch." She tilted the screen just far enough to let Velvet see that she had fallen below the threshold Coco had set earlier.

She was a little disappointed, but went with them back to the locker rooms feeling truly hopeful for the future for the first time in months as the weight of her old team and what had happened at Haven lifted from her shoulders.

Her four years at Beacon were going to be great.