LJNT

For Each Other

LJNT's first mission was successfully over.

While they hadn't expected to run into anything other than Grimm, they'd found some White Fang members. After calling the police, the criminals had been properly detained, handcuffed, and imprisoned within the ship, destined for prison. Team LJNT offered to stay and continue on with Grimm extermination, but Ozpin reassured them that their mission was over for now.

Now, they were on an airship back to Beacon. Ozpin was up front with the pilot, while Team LJNT sat in the back. Everyone was taking some time to reflect on the mission, a solemnness in the air. The trip had been heavy on everyone, after all.

Tanya was taking a moment to process the fact that the White Fang were not who she thought they were. She had thought that they were heroes! Her grandfather Alm had never mentioned them, so when she had come to Beacon, she'd been none the wiser about their true intentions...she could still hardly believe her eyes, but the truth was right in front of her.

She had to accept it, whether she liked it or not.

Meanwhile, Nico sat on the plane with stony features, though tears threatened to stream down her face. She'd had to return back to a place full of only bad memories, and yet...for the first time ever, something good had actually come from there.

Her team had been right there to comfort her, Lyra taking the forefront. Nico had to admit that she was surprised to see Lyra so comforting. Lyra had her arm draped around Nico's shoulder in a warm embrace, and while Nico had first flinched away, she had eventually embraced it as Lyra was only trying to help. It felt...nice to have the person who used to despise her so comforting. She didn't...feel so different anymore.

That hostage, too...he hadn't even noticed her Grimm side. He had just been grateful, acknowledging her as a Huntress, and not some sort of monster. It was so...strange. To be supported, to be liked...that in itself was almost more shocking than having to return to the base.

Janelle sat with perfect posture and a neutral expression on her face, but she was much less composed on the inside. For one, she was confused as to why Ozpin had placed so much trust in them, and two, she was absolutely bewildered as to why he had trusted in her. Her team, she could understand. All of them were distinct in their own ways, but Janelle was just...inferior to all of them. The fact that Ozpin trusted her...was nice, she had to admit.

But she still knew...she didn't deserve it. Ozpin had made a mistake in this king she was special.

Team LJNT agonized over what had happened on the mission. Lyra, however, felt perfectly fine. She was in a relaxed position, her axe in one hand while her other arm was around Nico. While the voice whispered in her mind, wanting her to shun the Grimm next to her, Lyra shut it out. Normally, all she wanted to do was please the voice, but she wouldn't hurt Nico.

That voice was nothing new, so it didn't exactly bother her. As Lyra glanced downward toward Nico, she could see that the girl was still struggling to hold back tears.

"Are you alright, Nico?" Lyra asked, and Nico sniffled before shrugging. After a long pause, the girl nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah...well, n-no," Nico recanted her previous statement. She took a shuddery deep breath, drawing the attention of her other two teammates before speaking again. "B-But...I-I just w-wanted to s-say thank you...t-to everyone...for h-helping me back t-there."

"Of course," Lyra nodded, a slight smile on her face. "That's what teammates are for, right?"

"Yeah! We'll be here for each other!" Tanya agreed excitedly before sobering to a more solemn state. "Um...Nico...Were those White Fang members...were they just like the ones that kidnapped you?"

"N-Not r-really," Nico shook her head. "T-The ones t-that k-kidnapped me w-were m-much more r-r-ruthless..." Come to think of it, Nico didn't even see any Faunus traits on those White Fang members. "U-Uh, I m-m-might b-be wrong, b-but I d-don't the p-people we just r-ran into were e-even F-Faunus."

"What's wrong with that?" Tanya asked, confused. Growing up in an isolated forest meant that she was incredibly unfamiliar with terms that mostly everyone already knew. "Can't humans still support the White Fang?"

"Not outright. Some try...but people as horrible as Adam, Lysandre, or Sienna would never want that. Even Ghira did not agree with human alliances,"
Janelle shook her head in disapproval at the thought of humans participating in the terrorist group. "It is strange that some humans were attempting to portray themselves as White Fang."

"I-I'm p-probably j-just making a m-mistake about it..."Nico frowned. "B-But it is weird t-that they h-had a hostage..."

"Yeah, I've never heard of them taking people as prisoners," Lyra agreed, but she then shook her head. "Then again, we had never heard about you before, so this is probably just some more shady business in the White Fang."

"That makes logical sense," Janelle nodded. Lyra turned to the purple haired girl.

"Janelle...I know that you think emotions just get in the way. In truth, they do," Lyra admitted, much to everyone's surprise. Absolutely no one in the team had expected her to give in on her point of the argument. "But it's the courage and strength that allows us to overcome these emotions that help us grow as people. We need emotions, because they help us learn and empathize with others. Without emotions...we lose trust, we lose friendships, and we lose our humanity. We lose ourselves, and in turn, become no better than the Grimm we're trying to kill."

"...This all sounds like nonsense to me," Janelle responded. "My family told me that emotions make you commit mistakes, and mistakes are not tolerated...but my family is wrong on a lot of things. Perhaps they are wrong on this as well."

"Regardless of what you believe, just know...that we'll all be here for you," Tanya piped up. Even though she was mostly disheartened, she still would always be there for her partner. "After all, mistakes are part of being human."

"Right."

"...T-T-Thank you again," Nico mumbled to her entire team. "I...I w-wouldn't h-have been a-able to d-deal with...t-that...without you guys.."

Lyra smiled.

"Well, like Tanya said...we'll all be here for each other. Always."