Chapter 7: A Mission Debriefing & the Start of a School Year
After parting ways with Tempest’s team and Buki, Sunset, along with her team, Palom, and Porom all headed to Storm’s house to exchange the information they had learned. After letting everyone settle in and getting some drinks and food, they started to exchange information. “So, what did you two find out before the whole fiasco happened?” Sunset asked her team.
“Well, there is not much to talk about. Like we said before we fought the Rabid Grimm, we looked through some crates before finding Palom" Storm explained to Sunset.
“You know, we were actually doing the exact same thing" Nova commented.
“Huh, then I guess you found some stuff similar to what we found" Nitro told Sunset.
“Would the stuff you happened to find be various weapons, different vials of dust, and the occasional medical supplies?” Sunset asked.
“Well, in that case I guess there isn’t much to talk about on our end, but we still have two people who have not spoken" Storm said as she looked towards Palom and Porom. The two twins looked at each other and sighed out of exhaustion.
“I figured that one of you would ask why we were at the facility to begin with, considering it was abandoned" Porom said as she massaged her forehead.
“Actually, that has me wondering about something that both of you said when we first found you" Nitro commented as he looked at Palom.
“Wow, I honestly didn’t think that you would remember that considering that we were attacked by a Grimm" Palom said as he sighed.
“Hang on; what are you two talking about?” Nova asked the two.
“Well, after me and Nitro found Palom, I decided to call Tempest to ask for her advice. What none of us realized was that she had found Porom" Storm explained.
“So, what did you find interesting that they said?” Sunset asked curiously.
“Well, I guess there is no point in really hiding it anymore, is there, sis?” Palom said in an exhausted voice.
“So, you were sent here to do something at the facility?” Sunset asked curiously.
“Well, we will tell you, but I would recommend that you share the information that we are about to tell you only with those that you truly think it is safe to discuss with" Porom told the group.
Everyone simply nodded in response as they realized that what they were about to hear could be important.
“Well then, I guess the best place to start would be what our mission assignment was and our objective. Sis, would you mind taking the lead?” Palom said as he stretched. Porom simply nodded and got out a small recording device.
“This is a message from our former superior officer. In this, he explained what our mission was" Porom said as she pressed play on the device and set it down on the table. When the voice started to come out, Sunset instantly recognized the voice that emerged.
“Ok you two, let me give you an explanation of what this mission is about and your objective once you get to the location. The location you two are going to is an abandoned base on the edge of Vale. The reason I’m sending you both to an abandoned base is because the people of Vale only think that it’s abandoned. In reality, a few of our division’s specialized scientists are using it to conduct some research on a special test subject.
“Recently, we managed to do something very impressive; we managed to capture a Rabid Grimm. I understand that this might seem impossible, but we only managed to do it by getting its aura down and knocking it out. We decided to use this opportunity to study it and sent some our scientists to study what makes it have an Aura and how we can use that to our advantage.
“Unfortunately, we believe that something has happened to them. Just over a week ago, we lost contact with the facility and now have started receiving a distress call from there. Your mission will be to find out what had happened there, find out if anyone is alive, and get anyone that is alive to safety. That is all, you two are dismissed.”
After the recording stopped, Porom picked up the recorder from the table and put it away while everyone processed what they heard. “So, who was the person who gave you two this mission anyway?” Storm asked curiously.
“Actually, I think that Sunset can answer that question easily" Porom responded as she turned to Sunset.
“That is true. From what I saw when she first met Palom, Sunset used to be in the White Fang" Nova said as he moved away from Sunset. That comment by Nova made Nitro and Storm close their eyes as they started to think.
“In that case, why didn’t you tell us about the fact that you were in the White Fang?” Storm asked curiously.
“Well, I was going to tell you at the right time, but I wasn’t expecting to run into these two again" Sunset told her teammates.
“Hm, I can see why you would be protective about that information" Nitro commented.
“So, all is forgiven in that case?” Sunset asked awkwardly. Nova, Storm, and Nitro all nodded yes in response and Sunset let out a sigh of relief.
“Back to the question at hand, do you recognize that voice?” Nova asked curiously. Sunset stayed silent as she remembered the person who that voice belonged to.
“That voice belongs to Adam Taurus, a very prominent commander of the White Fang" Sunset said as she remembered an encounter with him in the past.
“Wait, I recognize that name. Isn’t he that brutal one who wields a katana?” Nitro asked.
“You got the description right on the nose" Palom said.
“I hate to be the one that interrupts, but shouldn’t we continue with our explanation?” Porom interrupted.
“I agree with Porom. After all, you three should probably get going soon" Storm said in a tired tone.
“Ok, in that case, why don’t you start off Palom?” Sunset responded.
“Well, for me there is not much to really talk about, since I was in a crate for at least an hour. However, I can say that it looks like there was someone there before Porom and I arrived" Palom explained.
“Wait, why would you say that?” Porom asked curiously.
“Well, when we went to go check separate areas in the facility, I found a computer room that I thought I heard noise coming from. When I entered, I found that the noise that I heard was coming from some destroyed computers" Palom explained.
“How destroyed are we talking about?” Nova asked.
“Well, it looked like someone made it their duty to destroy any evidence that there was anyone there and they weren’t exactly subtle about it" Palom said.
“Let me guess; after you found that room, you were knocked out?” Storm questioned.
“That is exactly what happened" Palom told everyone.
“Ok, so I think that finishes up Palom’s explanation. Porom, do you want to go over what you saw very quickly?” Sunset said.
“I think that would be for the best" Porom said in a shy tone. As Palom got ready to explain, Sunset felt her Scroll start to ring. She took it out and saw that Tempest was calling her.
“Um, I think you’ll have to hold that explanation until we get to the Stellar Roast" Sunset said as she answered the call and walked to a more private area.
“Hey Sunset, are you ready yet?” Tempest asked over the phone.
“We’re just getting ready, how about you all?” Sunset responded as she entered her (temporary) room.
“We’re fine, I’m just taking some time to myself and I decided to call you" Tempest said in a happy tone.
“I appreciate the thought, but why did you choose to call me?” Sunset asked as she lay down on her bed. Tempest was eerily quiet on the other end, which worried Sunset a little bit. “Tempest, are you there?” Sunset asked in a worries tone.
“You felt it back then, didn’t you?” Tempest asked in a creepy tone.
“Tempest, what are you talking about?” Sunset responded in a worried tone.
“That gauntlet of yours, I know what you have beneath it" Tempest told Sunset. When she heard that, she felt a pulse come from her left arm. After she felt that, Sunset came to a quick conclusion.
“You’re not Tempest, are you?” Sunset asked in a slightly strained voice.
“You are as smart as he says" the voice said.
“He?” Sunset thought.
“Very well, my name is Ace. We shall meet again, Miss Shimmer" Ace said as it fell silent. After a few moments of silence, Tempest came back on the Scroll.
“So, I take it you meet Ace?” Tempest asked in a more serious tone. As Tempest spoke, Sunset felt the pulse in her felt arm dissipate.
“Yes I did; would you like to explain what that was all about?” Sunset responded as she shook her arm.
“I would, but I think it would be better if it was somewhere more private" Tempest suggested.
Sunset was about to retort until she heard a knock at her door.
“Sunset, are you ok?” Storm asked through the door.
“I’m fine, just finishing up with Tempest" Sunset told Storm.
“Well, Palom and Porom are ready to go, so they’re waiting on you" Storm responded.
“I’ll be right down" Sunset said. She then heard storm walk away and, after making a quick check to make sure the coast was clear, she continued her talk with Tempest. “I agree with what you said, somewhere more private" Sunset said.
“Ok, then we’ll bring up this topic later. For now, let’s meet up in front of Dust Haven and go from there" Tempest told Sunset.
“Got it, I’ll see you later" Sunset said as she ended the call. After she ended the call, she left the room and went downstairs to see Palom and Porom waiting for her. “Sorry I took so long, Tempest talked a little longer than I would have liked" Sunset said as she rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment.
“It's fine, we didn’t mind waiting for you" Palom said in a laid back tone.
“Ok, then are we all ready to go?” Sunset asked the two.
“Of course we are" Palom and Porom said at the same time. Sunset laughed a little at that because she hadn’t heard that in a long time.
“Anyway, we’ll see you three later" Nitro said as he, Nova, and Storm waved goodbye.
“Of course you will" sunset said as she opened the door. With nothing else to add, Sunset Palom, and Porom left the house and headed to Dust Haven.
As Sunset, Palom, and Porom walked to Dust Haven, they decided to catch up on what they have been doing since they last saw each other. “I have to admit, I was not expecting to see you two so soon" Sunset said as she smiled.
“We could say the same thing about you, it’s been at least a year and a half since we last heard from you" Palom said in a happy tone.
“Sorry, you know with that new rank of mine, I’ve hardly had any chance to make any social contact except with a few people" Sunset told the two.
“Oh, so the rumors were true then?” Porom asked curiously.
“There were rumors about my promotion?” Sunset asked curiously.
“Well, there were a few people who were talking about it. Some believed it and some didn’t" Palom told Sunset.
“Huh, I think I know what camp you two were in" Sunset said with a slight smirk.
“You would be right in that regard. By the way, have you heard the rumor?” Porom said. Sunset was about to respond, but quickly stopped herself when she realized where she was.
“I haven’t had any contact with them recently, so I don’t know the rumor that you’re talking about" Sunset responded carefully. Palom and Porom were a bit confused until they realized why Sunset used the word “them”.
“Oh, so do you want to talk about this later?” Palom suggested.
“I would appreciate that" Sunset said in a happy tone. The three were quiet for a little bit as they arrived at Dust Haven. When they arrived, Sunset noticed that Tempest and Buki were already there.
“Hey there you three, what took you so long?” Tempest asked.
“Well, Storm’s house isn’t exactly the closest to this place" Sunset responded with a smile.
“It doesn’t also help that we kind of took my bike here" Buki said.
“Wait, you have a bike? Then why don’t I see it anywhere?” Palom asked curiously as he looked around.
“My bike is actually one of these bikes that have built in AI, so I just told it to head back to Beacon once we got here" Buki explained.
“Wait, you actually have one of those?” Porom asked in an amazed tone.
“I do, I take it that you are impressed" Buki responded in a slightly proud tone.
“Of course I am, I’ve always wanted to own one of those" Porom said out excitement. As Porom talked to Buki about the bike; Tempest, Sunset, and Palom, walked away from that little conversation.
“Wow, I didn’t think that she would be into motorcycles. I mean, the last time I saw her, she wasn’t that willing to do anything too crazy" Sunset commented out of surprise.
“You can partly blame me for that. I took her on a ride on my personal bike and since then, she has been obsessed with them" Palom said with a smile on his face.
“You know; we should probably get them and start heading to the Stellar Roast" Tempest told the two.
“Your right" Sunset and Palom both said simultaneously. Sunset and Palom both walked forward to go get their attention with Tempest following behind them. As Tempest was walking, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them.
“It might just be my own imagination, but with the way my life has been up to this point, it’s better to be safe than sorry" Tempest thought as she looked around the immediate area. After taking a quick look, Tempest didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Hey Tempest, you ready yet?” Sunset called out, breaking Tempest’s train of thought.
“I’m coming" Tempest said as she ran up to the group.
“Why were you just standing there?” Palom asked curiously.
“Well, to be honest; I felt that there was someone watching us, so I took a look around" Tempest explained.
“Wait, why would you think someone was watching us?” Porom questioned.
“They might have been looking for me, and trust me when I say that some people have been looking for me for quite a while" Tempest explained as she remembered what had happened a few years ago.
“Oh, well if you think someone is watching us then we should get a move on" Sunset said in a surprised tone.
“Right" the others responded. With that, they all headed to the Stellar Roast, following Buki’s directions.
After a few minutes of walking and following Buki’s directions, the group of five eventually arrived at the Stellar Roast. “So, this is the coffee shop that Ozpin wanted to meet us at?” Palom asked curiously. The Stellar was a small hole in the wall shop that had a few tables on the out outside of it.
“This is the place, and I do believe that’s him right over there" Buki said as she pointed to a table with someone sitting at it. When they looked to where Buki was pointing, they saw that Ozpin was indeed sitting down and drinking some coffee.
“Wow, you found him fast" Porom said in an amazed tone.
“Well when you’re becoming a huntress, you have to have a quick eye" Buki told Palom and Porom.
“Let’s talk about this later and get this over with. I’m tired and ready to sleep” Sunset said as she rubbed her forehead.
“Agreed. It’s been a long day for all of us" Tempest said as she did the same. Palom and Porom silently agreed while Buki just nodded and the five went over to the table Ozpin was sitting at.
“Ah, there you five are. I was beginning to wonder if you would show up” Ozpin said as he put down the cup of coffee that he was drinking.
“Sorry, we kind of took a bit of time to rest. After all, we did kind of fight a Rabid Grimm” Sunset said as she took a seat.
“That is understandable, after all; I imagine it must have been pretty tough" Ozpin said calmly as the others, except Buki, sat down.
“We also did take the time to go over what information we had gathered" Tempest chimed in as she got out the USB that Shade gave her.
“Ah, well before we start talking about your mission debriefing, there are some people that I would like to introduce you four to" Ozpin said as he looked at Buki.
“Wait, why are you looking at me?” Buki asked in a slightly confused tone. Before anyone could respond, a voice came from a nearby alleyway.
“Come on Buki, I thought that you would have figured it out by now" the voice said in a friendly tone. As Sunset and Tempest stood up on reflex, Buki held a hand out to them as a motion to stop.
“Wait, they’re my teammates" Buki said quickly.
“Oh right, you’re a student at Beacon so it would make sense that you have a team" Sunset commented as she sat down and started to blush out of embarrassment.
“Hey, don’t worry about it" Buki told Tempest and Sunset.
“Wow, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard Buki care for someone" another voice chimed in.
“You know I can hurt you right?” Buki responded in a hostile tone.
“I hate to interrupt, but I think that we should hurry this along. After all, it is almost night time" Ozpin interrupted.
“He has a fair point, shall we reveal ourselves?” a third voice said. There was no response, but everyone at the table heard three sets of footsteps coming from the alleyway. When the three emerged from the alleyway, they saw that they were also Kamen Riders.
“So, you three are Buki’s teammates?” Sunset asked as she looked at the three riders as they leaned against a nearby wall.
“Yes we are. You can call me Kamen Rider Arms, Arms for short” the center one in the red and white armor said as Buki joined her team.
“The name is Kamen Rider Neo Arms, but you can call me Neo Arms. Nice to meet you all" the left one in blue and black armor said with a slight bow.
“Nega Arms, Kamen Rider Nega Arms" the right one in gold, silver, and red armor said with his arms crossed.
“Everyone, this is team HNSN” Ozpin said to the group he was debriefing before turning to the team leaning against a wall. “HNSN, if you could reveal yourselves?”
Kamen Riders Arms, Neo Arms, and Nega Arms started going for different parts of their respective belts. “Wait!” Buki said, stopping them. “Do you really want me to scare everyone here?”
“Oh yeah” Arms said. “That thing.” A shudder went down his body. “Neo Arms?”
Neo Arms appeared to be using a touchscreen only he could see and interact with. “We have a few minutes and an open road nearby.”
Nega Arms sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
All four Riders walked out into the middle of the street, Arms and Neo Arms switching out components of their Drivers.
”GHOST!”
“GOKAIGER!
“What are they doing?” Tempest asked Ozpin.
“From what they’ve told me, they’re saving us from weeks of fear and insomnia” Ozpin said as he sipped some coffee. “It’s also something they do from time to time.”
Arms slid the Arms Memory in his driver eight times, producing a Sunglasslasher, Gan Gan Catcher, two Gan Gan Sabers, two Gan Gan Hands, and two Deepslashers, all in a pile at his feet. He sat down and started putting weapons together, building something.
Neo Arms slid a small tab on the Gokaiger weapon key before turning it, producing five Gokai Guns, five Gokai Sabers, the Gokai Galleon Buster and the Gokai Spear, all held in a telekinetic field.
Buki pressed a lever on the left side of her belt, bringing forth a myriad of fruit-like weapons, some of which had duplicates. “Be gentle, please.”
Nega Arms pulled a hidden gun barrel out of his scanner, attached it to the front of the large blade on the device, and pulled them off, giving him a big knife.
“What the, who has that many weapons?” Wind said.
“They do” Ozpin answered. “And they have so many more as well.”
The first shots came from three of Buki’s weapons. Specifically, three Sonic Arrows that were floating in front of her and fired an energy arrow at each of her opponents. All three hit, but did very little damage.
Neo Arms ran in first, trident in hand and firing the five handguns at Buki, a Melon Defender placing itself in front of the bullets. When he was close enough, he swung a bladed edge of the Gokai Spear at the shield, knocking it aside before sending the five Gokai Sabers in. He got a few slashes in before being slashed in the back by a Kagematsu.
Nega Arms pointed his left arm at some of the weapons and pressed a button on the scanner. After making a selection and sliding the bolt action on the scanner, he ran towards Buki, skillfully parrying three Daidaimaru at once with his knife. Once he was close enough to her, he hit the button again, sending a duplicate Gokai Spear right at her. Another Kagematsu deflected the attack, but Nega Arms caught the Gokai Spear.
While everyone was fighting, Arms was finishing up his weapon building. Using the Gan Gan Hands, Gan Gan Sabers, and Deepslashers, he had made two scythes. After making them, he joined them together into a dual scythe staff that was bigger than he was and joined the fray, Gan Gan Catcher and Sunglasslasher stowed on his back. His focus was on Buki, but he also wasn’t worried about hitting Neo Arms or Nega Arms.
Of all those observing, only Ozpin wasn’t dumbstruck. Even as various sounds of gunfire rang out from the nearby street, he casually watched the four fighting Kamen Riders. It quickly turned from three on one to a free for all with priority on one target: Buki.
“I guess they do this regularly?” Palom asked. “You don’t seem too worried.”
“They fight like this about once per month or whenever Buki needs to undo her change” Ozpin said. “There was even one time they raced around campus on their motorcycles and fought each other. The only damage was to one part of the courtyard, amazingly.”
“GOKAIGER, FULL POWER!”
“GAIM, OMEGA DRIVE!”
Everyone’s attention was focused on the fight when they heard those phrases. Neo Arms was holding the Gokai Spear in its gun form in one hand and the Gokai Galleon Buster in the other with the five Gokai Guns arrayed in between and the swords on standby behind him. Buki’s weapons, being more melee oriented, charged in response as both sets of armaments glowed with power.
The two forces clashed against each other, though Buki’s attack proved more effective since Neo Arms had no shields to defend himself with. After getting beaten and shot by all of the Gaim weapons that were not shields, he was knocked out of henshin and knocked back, landing right by the table everyone was gathered at. All his weapons also vanished.
After getting up and brushing himself off, the Rider went inside Stellar Roast and ordered a couple dozen glazed donuts.
“OBLITERATION!”
Nega Arms held a duplicate Gokai Galleon Buster in one hand and a duplicate DJ Gun in the other. Once both were charged up, both were fired at Buki, knocking her across the street, her henshin cancelling out upon impact with a stone wall. The weapons she had available flew towards and surrounded her, ready to defend her as she walked across the street and sat down with the observers.
“ARMS, MAXIMUM DRIVE!”
Arms’ dual scythe blades let off a growing glow along their blades. Once the glow was at its brightest, he adjusted his grip down to one end of the weapon before throwing it at Nega Arms like a boomerang.
Nega Arms ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the oversized scytherang, but got hit by a powerful shot from a combined Gan Gan Catcher and Sunglasslasher rifle.
“I still stand” Nega Arms said as he stood up, producing a pair of Deepslashers of his own from his scanner just in time for the scythe boomerang to come back around and smack him in the back of his head, sending him forward and into a wide, arcing slash from Arms. Nega Arms was forced out of henshin when he hit the ground.
“Well, the fight’s over” Ozpin said as Arms undid his henshin. “HNSN, please join us.”
The four members of Team HNSN, now out of their armor and a little beaten up, scavenged some chairs and joined everyone. As they sat down, Sunset noticed that out of her armor Buki was someone familiar to her.
“Now that the fight is over with, how about we have the team introduce their real names?” Ozpin said in a calm tone.
“I don’t have any objections to this. My name is Jack Honoh" Arms told the group.
“My name is Bryan Shadowmere" Neo Arms said as he ate a donut.
“Names’ Chris Necrom, nice to meet you" Nega Arms said in a slightly irritated voice.
“My name is Jennifer Natsuki" Buki said in an oddly upbeat tone.
“Anyway, I take you didn’t have us come here to makes us beat each other up" Jack asked Ozpin.
“You catch on quick, Jack. The reason I called you three here is so that you can here is so that you can acknowledge what Tempest’s and Sunset’s teams have done" Ozpin explained to the other three.
“Ah, so we are witnesses of a sort?” Bryan asked curiously.
“That would be the correct assumption" Ozpin told the team.
“Well then, why don’t we let them explain what happened at the facility?” Chris asked in a neutral tone. After taking a few minutes to introduce themselves and explain what had happened at the facility, Tempest leaving out what she saw in that hallway and surgery room, Ozpin decided to speak up.
“Well, it sounds like you two have had a rough day" Ozpin commented with a slight smile on his face.
“We know" Tempest and Sunset both said at the same time.
“Anyway, you said that the White Fang were able to pacify a Rabid Grimm. How were they able to do it exactly?” Chris asked curiously, seeming to be interested in the topic.
“That is what I’m still trying to figure out myself" Sunset said as she closed her eyes out of thought.
“Well, ever since I took down a Rabid Grimm on my own, I’ve actually been looking into what makes them have that aura" Jack told the group. Palom and Tempest, who were sitting close to him, both scooted their chairs over without a word being said.
“So, what did you find out?” Jennifer asked.
“Well, I still don’t know how exactly they make that aura of theirs, but there is something interesting that I learned. It’s the fact that without that Aura, they become just like a normal Grimm" Jack explained.
“Well, that’s obvious. How was that supposed to be of any help?” Chris asked in a serious tone.
“I think I understand what Jack is trying to say" Tempest quickly said.
“Really, you understood what he said? I find that hard to believe" Chris said in a slightly irritated tone.
“Hey Palom and Porom, from your time in the White Fang, could you tell me from your experience how strong Adam is or at the very least a guess?” Tempest asked ignoring Chris’ comment. Chris looked extremely pissed and was going to say something until the importance of that statement clicked in his mind.
“Um, why do you want to know that?” Palom asked curiously.
“Because if he is strong enough to take on a Rabid Grimm alone or with a bit of help, then we have the answer to our question" Jack finished for Tempest.
“Well, I would say he is very strong without a doubt, but we wouldn’t know exactly how strong" Porom said nervously.
“He was able to take on a group of at least 25 Ursas on his own and emerged with very little damage" Sunset said, interrupting the conversation. Everyone, except Palom and Porom, looked at Sunset with a questioning or surprised look on their face.
“How do you know that Sunset?” Jack asked curiously.
“Well, you remember how I told you all I was friends with these two? That’s because I was in the White Fang" Sunset said in a low tone. Tempest was about to speak up, but Ozpin held out a hand to stop her as some civilians walked by.
“We’ll talk about this further at a more private location, but for now I think as long as we have a way that the White Fang could have captured that Grimm, that is perfectly fine" Ozpin said in his usual calm and collected tone. No one said anything as Ozpin got up from his seat. “You all feel free to stay and talk, but I have to get going" Ozpin said as he started to walk away. As he was walking away, Tempest looked at everyone from HNSN.
“So, you all don’t look like you’re from Vale? Why don’t you tell us about where you all come from?” Tempest asked curiously.
“Oh, well we all actually came from Atlas to enroll at Beacon. We didn’t really like it that much over at Atlas, so we came over here" Buki explained.
“Really? What didn’t you like about Atlas?” Porom asked curiously.
“Well, would you believe me if I said we were just tired of Atlas?" Jack said in a more casual tone.
“To be honest, I believe that. There must be only so much to do up there" Tempest said.
“Well, it was a combination of that and the fact that Atlas’ academy didn’t seem like the best place for us" Jennifer chimed in.
“I’ve heard some stories from there, but I haven’t been there myself so I’ll take your word for it" Palom said as he thought about some rumors.
“Well, they are true for the most part and we kind of didn’t want to deal with the school, so we all moved here" Chris said.
“Wow, you all really didn’t like Atlas then if you decided to come all the way out here. It must have been expensive" Porom said in a slightly sad tone.
“Actually, Ozpin is the reason we were able to come to Vale in the first place. He saw some footage of our powers and was interested in them" Bryan explained.
“So, he gave you an offer, you accepted it, and the rest is history?” Tempest asked curiously.
“That’s basically what had happened" Jack said.
“Well, it must have been a hell of a ride to get to where you four are now" Palom commented. As Palom said that, various streetlights came on as night started to come.
“Wow, it got late fast" Buki commented as she looked around.
“I’ll say, it feels like only a few minutes have passed" Sunset commented.
“Anyway, we had better get going. After all, the four of us have to prepare for school to start up in about a week" Jack said as he got up from the chair.
“I guess that means that we’ll see you all later then?” Tempest asked curiously.
“Of course you will, after all both you and Sunset are going to Beacon" Bryan said. After exchanging a few goodbyes, HNSN left the café and headed back to Beacon.
“So, where are we going to be staying?” Porom asked as she got up and stretched.
“You could stay with me, I have a house all to myself and there are a few spare bedrooms" Tempest told the twins.
“Really, you don’t mind if the two of us, who are basically total strangers to you, stay at your house?” Palom asked in a curious tone.
“Well, you both don’t look like the kind of people that could stab me in the back easily. I also can tell that Porom is very responsible, so I can trust her to keep an eye on you" Tempest said.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Palom said as he blushed slightly. That earned a laugh from Sunset as she saw the exchange in front of her.
“I‘m glad that you’re helping my friends, Tempest; I should also thank you and your teammates for helping us with the Grimm back at the facility" Sunset said in an appreciative tone.
“Hey, it’s what friends do for each other" Tempest said as he walked up to Sunset.
“Wait, you consider me a friend?” Sunset asked out of slight shock.
“Of course, I know we only met today, but I know you’re someone who will watch my back. I’ll be counting on you when we’re at Beacon" Tempest said in a happy tone. Sunset was speechless about what Tempest had told her. “Well, I’d better be heading off, and I recommend that you do the same" Tempest said as she walked past Sunset. Palom and Porom followed Tempest silently as Sunset just stood there.
“She really does consider me a friend, doesn’t she?” Sunset thought as she started to head back to Storm’s house.