33 Chapter 33: Team AACE's first mission, Music Fest!

The docks of Vale were normally quite impressive, with ships and people from all over Remnant. But today, it was breathtaking as it was the sight of Music Fest!

A segment had been roped off and was surging as the venue. Food stands were being set up and bands were flocking in to prepare for their events where they could become famous far and wide! After all, the biggest stars in music were made here. Sponsors would be looking for anyone they could get with more than a fair amount of talent. Some bands had even brought their kids who were already practicing.

"Brothers. They're younger than Yang." Cinder said as team AACE walked down the street. Despite it being nearly 4:00 in the morning, they had their weapons on their person as well as their battle attire. They weren't here as guests, so they needed to look the part.

Unfortunately, at such an early start, that was easier said than done.

"T-that's called starting young." Eric yawned, struggling to stay awake as they walked. "Did you know most movie stars don't have childhoods because they need to spend all their time getting ready for the stage? It's the reason why suicide rates and drug abuse are so common with them. Also, how are you so perky this early? You went to bed after all of us?"

"I'm used to not getting much sleep." Cinder replied with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, it looks like I'm not the only early riser. Amber was already awake when I got up."

"Actually, I had a weird dream and couldn't get back to sleep." The dark skinned girl confessed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I was…umm. Well you know that dream about going to school only to realize you're in your underwear? Yeah…. And after that my first grade teacher started yelling at me because it was heart boxer short day. Which made no sense. Then-!"

"Okay Amber. You have an overactive imagination. We get it." Cinder said dryly. "Must have been some dream because your hands were so sweaty when I found you. Seriously, you never seem to have test anxiety here. What on Remnant traumatized you during first grade?"

Amber let out an awkward laugh as she continued to rub her head, but didn't answer.

"As much as I love talking about embarrassing first grade moments, can we address the Goliaths in the room?" Adam asked as he finished an energy drink and tossed it into a nearby bin. "More specifically, the deal you made with Professor Goodwitch."

A hard silence fell over the team as they all took in the gravity of their situation. If they failed, then Cinder and Amber would be expelled, and team AACE would be cut in half, significantly dropping Adam's and Eric's chances at graduating and finding anyone willing to take them on.

"Yeah well, we'll just have to make sure we don't fail!" Cinder said confidently. "Then nobody gets expelled and we all can find good teams after graduation…and…and."

"It's not that simple." Amber said, her voice one noticeable less cheerful than normal. "She said we'd be graded on our performance. So even if we pass the mission, there's still a chance we'll get expelled. But seeing as her main criticisms were about our chain of command, as long as we play it safe, we should have a good shot at passing."

The dark skinned girl turned to her team, clasped her hands together and bowed to the girl.

"So please, PLEASE! For the sake of l this mission, Please listen to what I say!"

"Yes ma'am!" Eric said with a salut

"You got it." Adam replied. "Just make sure you make the right calls."

"Whatever." Cinder said with a shrug.

While that wasn't exactly a confidence booster, Amber decided to take it. With this team of hotheads, it was probably the best she was going to get.

As they reached the building that housed the band they were hired to protect, they got a clear view of the ocean and more accurately, the large man made structure that was docking at one of the bays.

It was a massive aircraft carrier that had been remodeled into a concert hall. Two long bridges on either side were held up like the jaw bridge of a castle. Massive sound speakers were set up all across the roof with several solar panels in the middle. People all along the deck were running around with crates of expensive food and wine, the kind that would cost half of an elite huntsman's salary. And given how much Qrow drank, Cinder was a bit of an expert!

But the coup de grace was the stadium erupting from the center. Even from the outside you could tell it went through the entire aircraft carrier, turning the several floors into one massive theater. Allowing for complete access to any of the other floors.

"The Mon Cher. One of the most amazing feats of human engineering." Amber said as the team gazed on the incredible structure. "Built by Howard shipping in celebration of the end of the war. It was meant to symbolize hope for a better future. As well as being a monument to those who lost their lives in the war, both military and civilian."

"Wow! You'd think only someone from Atlas would be able to build something like this." Eric said as he pulled out his scroll to take a picture. "Who's performing there? I didn't think Music Fest had a single main act or anything."

"It doesn't." Cinder answered. "Anyone can rent the stadium, then sell tickets exclusively for that show. It's the kind of thing that only the rich will be able to attend. But with that said, even I can understand why it's that way. I can't imagine the upkeep of something like that must cost."

"Probably more than most huntsmen make in a year." Amber said. "Still, it's incredible just getting a look at it in person. I've seen pictures, of course! But I never thought I'd see it like this! And if we're lucky, the band we're protecting will rent it. If I could just go on it, even for work, I'd die happy!"

The team watched for a few more minutes, until the bridges were lowered and more supplies were loaded onto it and most of the crew disappeared below deck. Then Amber broke the silence as she gave a small tug on Cinder's cloak.

"Come on, let's get going." She said, causing her team to turn to face her. "We've got a job to do. And I don't think showing up late will make a good impression. We can come back later."

With a nod from her teammates, Amber led them away from the spectacle and towards a much smaller theater.

As they got there, they saw several vans parked in the lot with several people unloading equipment from them. Everything from guitars and drums to costumes and fancy outfits. They had been haired by a Minstrel band, and Cinder definitely could see the style all over both the instruments and the clothes.

Yet, they were all so skimpy! Leaving a ridiculous amount of skin visible on the stomach and even the chest. This was a boy band for crying out loud! They didn't even have any cleavage to show!

Just thinking about Yang in one of these types of overly sexualized outfit for people to ogle at pissed her off! She was already catching the eye of some local boys with her rapidly developing body and more than once she had chased them off by getting a little…physical.

As they approached the theater, a short man in a nice suit and a pair of glasses shot them an angry look before making his way over to greet them right at the entrance.

"Look, I told the fans once, I'll tell them again. Nobody sees the Three Elemental Dragons UNTIL Music Fest opens! Just wait your turn like everyone else! I-!"

He was cut off from whatever rude remark he was going to make as Amber held up her scroll, showing her student license as well the mission information.

"We're here on business. So don't worry, our job is to stop the fans from storming this building. So you can relax." She half joked as the man read the information. "Given your reaction, I'm guessing you're Bobby Rockes, the manager of the Three Dragons. Team AACE is here at your survives!"

The man, Bobby let out a grunt as he finished reading. Looking up at Amber, he scanned her face, then his eyes moved down to her clothes and weapon. Then with another grunt, he turned his attention to the other members of the team, a scoff escaping as his eyes locked onto Adam's horns.

"Now see here Ms…" He paused for a second as he looked down at Amber's license, rereading it. "Alsprings. I don't know if you knew this, but I explicitly asked for huntsmen with experience. At a bare minimum of two years. This says you're in your first year and if I may be blunt, none of your members look anywhere near… trustworthy enough."

He shot a glance at Adam as he added that last part, causing the bull Faunus to clenched his hand into a fist in anger.

"Your request was noted, but Professor Ozpin decided it was simple enough to put it out for first years." Amber said in her usual polite tone. "And I assure you, you are in very capable hands. Otherwise, you'd have a different team here. My entire team has fought Grimm before ent-."

"I don't really care what a little girl like yourself thinks." Bobby cut in, not bothering to hide his condescending tone. "I want proper security for MY band. Now why don't you run back home and play huntsman with someone else. I have work to do." With that, he turned his back on them and began walking back towards the vans.

Amber stood there stunned as she stared at the man's back. She couldn't believe that had just happened. Slowly, her head slumped in defeat and she let out a sigh. So much for proving themselves. At least her and Cinder would have plenty of time to pack.

"Hey!"

Amber swallowed the urge to scream as Cinder tried to go after Bobby, taking some very threatening steps towards him that caused everyone to turn.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you've got no right just to push us aside like we're nothing!" Cinder snapped as she stood just a little behind her team leader. "We've been through hell before! And I can't imagine babysitting a few man children would be that difficult! And besides, everyone of us has had to fight for our lives long before we enrolled at Beacon! So if you want a team with experience, you won't get much better than us!"

In response to Cinder's outburst, Bobby pushed up his glasses with an irritated expression.

"Look here, little girl." He said with a high and mighty tone. "I don't care about whatever games you've played, but my decision is final. I'm not taking anyone without two years of experience. And after that outburst, I'm seriously questioning who's being allowed in Beacon these days. But fine, you want your pay, here!" With a final yell, he threw several bills onto the ground at the team's feet.

"Now get out of my hair! I've heard enough of you squealing kids!"

That did it.

Immediately, Cinder made to rush in and grab Bobby by his stupid collar. She'd show him the meaning of squealing when she was done with-!

She was brought to a stop by Amber, who's hand extended out, blocking her path.

"Enough." She said in a tired voice. "Don't get upset over this. Will go back and speak to Professor Goodwitch about this and she'll get all this cleared up. Don't let him rile you up. Save your energy for whatever today's mission actually is."

"But-!"

"Cinder!"

Immediately the hotheaded girl went silent at Amber's much harder tone. She normally wasn't very commanding and so docile. But under the hard gaze and with her more tense tone, it was impossible to tell she was normally so gentle.

"Remember, there's a lot more at stake than just our pride." She said in a softer, yet still serious tone. "We have to think about how we proceed. Otherwise we'll get expelled. Right now, we need to play things safe. Let's go back and get this resolved through the proper channels instead of trying to brute force our way through. Whatever anger you feel right now isn't worth your future."

Cinder let out a low growl, but didn't protest. Amber was right. One job wasn't worth getting expelled over. Even if she really wanted things to work. So much for spending time with family.

Begrudgingly, she turned with the rest of her team and they began making their way out.

When suddenly.

"W-wait! Hey stop!"

The entire team stopped as Bobby came jogging out of the stadium parking lot, stopping a few feet from them, looking right at Cinder.

"Your name's Cinder, right. As in Cinder Rose?" He asked, catching them all off guard.

"I-um…yes?" The confused girl promptly replied, making the man throw his hand into the air in delight.

"Well, why didn't you say so?!" He cried, his tone completely different from a second ago. It was now filled with joyous admiration and respect! Ignoring the baffled looks of the team, he walked towards them with a huge smile across his face.

"You must accept my sincerest apologies! Had I know you were the daughter of a war hero like Mrs Rose and the slayer of the Werewolf of Patch, I would have given you the respect you deserve!" He cried trying to grab her hand, but she pulled away quickly leaving him with a hand full of air.

"Well, nevertheless, come in! Come in!" He said recovering quickly. "I'll introduce you to the Three Dragons and then you can begin your guard duties! They're in the middle of practice right now, but as soon as they're done, we'll get everything sorted out! Now, right this way if you please!"

"Yeahhh, not sure I will." Cinder said in a dark tone. "After your previous comments, I can't help but feel- ooofff!"

Cinder was cut off by Amber driving her elbow into the girl's ribs, giving her a hard look that relayed her message loud and clear. Shut up and accept.

"I mean, lead the way!" The dark haired girl said, rubbing her rib. How had Amber done that without Bobby noticing? The girl was slick! Not even Cinder could pull something like that off! And that was saying something!

"Of course!" Bobby said as he turned and began making his way towards the theater, tram AACE right behind him.

"You'll be going to their dressing room, there I'll give you a quick consent form to sign. Nothing extreme! You'll just be around them during practice and signing basically says that you won't record or post about anything on social media." As Bobby rambled, he led them through the backstage area of the theater. Despite Music Fest not even starting yet, there were already posters of the Three Dragons. On the right was the young, happy-go-lucky member, Fai. A blonde skinny boy with more feminine features than masculine. He was also easily the shortest member, standing a good foot below his counter parts. He looked at the camera with a big stupid grin on his face and his hands in the shape of a heart. In Cinder's opinion, he looked like an idiot.

On the left stood Kang, the band's bad boy. Short messy blue hair hung low over his left eye covering his one red contact lens. He was quite muscular with an open shirt leaving his chest exposed to emphasize this point. He wasn't even looking at the camera. Instead, he was glaring at the ground with his arms folded. His hair parted just enough that you could see his expression of disinterest.

And finally, in the center was the lead singer, Jiao-long. He had slick black hair that was combed back smoothly, with a single strain sticking up before falling perfectly between his eyes. He had a grin across his face to match his persona, the playboy, the ladykiller, the one all the girls went crazy over. And while Cinder never had any childhood crushes, she certainly would NEVER consider him, despite the fact he was the most popular teen singer in Mistral.

Just like Kang, he was ripped with gym muscles and had an open shirt. But at his waist hung his big gimmick, a gun that he 'used' to shoot the hearts of women, making them fall head over heels for him. On the poster, he was grinning right at the camera, winking with a finger gun aimed at it. He even was doing that stupid thing where he rested the 'gun' on his other arm.

Cinder rolled her eyes at the poster. She had never been a huge fan of Mistral Pop, she found it grating. But she hated boy bands even more! They always consisted of the most annoying people, the kind who were good looking and nothing else.

This alone probably wouldn't piss her off so much, but they always acted so high and mighty! They always looked down on others and thought they were gods among men who all girls were nothing more than prey! And while she normally agreed that most girls were incredibly unbearable, the fact that she was put in the category just irritated her! It reminded her of Atlas and the kinds of people who lived there. And she hated being reminded about that place!

But she bit her tongue and didn't say anything. Amber was right, this mission was too important to screw up. And while she would love to punt both them and their stupid manager into the sea, she had the sneaking suspicion that her team wouldn't take to kindly to that.

"Here we are." Bobby said, pushing open a door leading to a room with a giant mirror that covered the entire wall. A countertop at stomach hight had several different types of makeup as well as numerous personal items. Across from the mirror was several racks with all different types of outfits, all as scanty as the one the band wore in the poster. Despite this, they did a surprisingly good job at hiding a whiteboard that had been left in the corner. The room stunk with Axe body spray and the wall were covered in poster of movies.

It was a stark contrast to the hall they were in. It was so much more personalized and felt more like the type of room actually people might hang out in. The only thing missing were seats.

"Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Rose." Bobby said as he gestured them inside. "I'll be right back with the band and the documents. Oh! And I'll also have to be checking your teammates' criminal record. For security purposes of course!"

Cinder rolled her eyes in disgust at the short man. Not even Summer and Tai were this bad at lying. Their first interaction had told her this man was as shallow as the sea in that one fairytale from Ruby's book.

"Sure, whatever." She said dryly as the man slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "What a little shit. Do you think I should throw up now, or after I meet these three babies?"

"Now, now. Let's not jump to conclusions." Amber said as she walked over to the countertop and leaned against it. "We don't know them at all. So let's give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they'll be pleasant!"

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm expecting them to be nice. If they're anything like the idols from Atlas, then we should be very happy they're only staying a week." Eric said as she took his place leaning against the wall, arms folded. "Take it from an Atlesian, power and influence tends to corrupt."

"Tisk. Understatement of the century." Adam grumbled. "Back in Mistral, the White Fang helped several Faunus climb to the counsel. What was the thanks the rest of the Faunus got? More restrictions and less protection. The moment they tasted power, they turned their backs on the people who got them there! Bastards! They care more about getting re-elected and are willing to go so low as to play off racism to get it. Some have even gone so far as to surgically remove their animal parts! Hide who they are! Well, if I-!"

"Adam, shut up." Cinder said dryly as she dug her finger around in her ear. "As much as we'd love to hear about the Faunus' rights, let's not forget that these guys are in a band. Not a bunch fucking politicians." She paused for a second, then let out a sigh.

"All that means is they'll be a different type of insufferable."

"Oh come on guys! Can at least give them a chance?" Amber chimed in as Cinder walked over to the wall to examine one of the posters. "Labeling people based on our own opinions without giving them a chance isn't right." She sent a hard look at Adam as she spoke. "You of all people should understand that."

"I- Wah?! I'm not-! T-That's different!" The Faunus spluttered, his face turning red. "I'm just-! What I mean is-! That's-!"

"Everyone with power turns on the people who helped them get there." Amber said, silencing him mid sentence.

"Power corrupts everyone except me. Therefore, only myself and those who share my beliefs should have power. And this is different from a dictatorship because I can guarantee the power won't turn me into a monster."

A silence followed Amber's words as Adam struggled to find an argument, but found that he couldn't. The dark skinned girl had summarized his philosophy and laid it bare at his feet. And now that he could understand it in such plain words, he sounded like one of those crazed fanatics he couldn't stand.

With a sick feeling in his stomach, Adam looked down at the floor and clenched his hands into fists.

Seeing this, Amber stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder, making him look up.

"I get it. You're angry, justifiable so. If I was in your shoes, I would have gone crazy!" she said kindly and openly. "You are stronger than me, that's for sure. And while I'm not really in a place to ask you for anything, please don't let that rage consume you. Don't become the monsters they say you are. Believe me, living as a monster isn't something you want. I- I've seen a few huntsmen go that way and I don't want you to follow."

Adam gave her a weak smile, then let out a chuckle. "You are one of a kind, aren't you?" He asked pointedly. "You talk like you have wisdom beyond our age. Fine, I'll try to give people the benefit of the doubt. But if I was a betting man, I'd still say they're probably going to be a pain to deal with."

"All I'm asking is for you to give them a chance." Amber replied with a smile.

"Yeah, well they definitely don't have tastes in movies. That's for sure."

The other three turned to Cinder who was glaring at a poster. As they approached, they saw it was for The Dawn of Patch, new moon. The final entrance in the horrible movie franchise. Until they released the one from the hero's perspective.

"Wow! I remember this one!" Amber said with a mischievous tone as she shot a glance at Cinder, who happily glared back. "Wasn't this the one about your roll in the legend? I actually went to see it myself! Didn't your stand get the role of main villain?"

Cinder's glare intensified as Amber spoke. She did NOT find this funny.

"Okay, first of all, comparing that character to me is like comparing the earth to the sky, incredibly insulting! Not only is she a motiveless bitch, she is literally used as a punching bad for the heroes! I would never monologue then get my ass kicked by some random loser! And just to go off on a tangent, if your main villain is just a punching bag, what's the point of even having them in the first place?! Aren't villains supposed to make the hero grow by being stronger?! If they don't do that, or even challenge the hero in any way, then why even bother having one?! Whoever comes up with this vomit clearly needs to find a different job! I mean, they literally shoehorned in a ploy during the last half and-! Hey! Why are you laughing!?"

About halfway through her rant, Amber had begun to giggle. Right when Cinder called the writing vomit, she couldn't keep it in anymore. The result? The dark skinned girl doubled over laughing her heart out as the dark haired girl seethed.

"I'm pretty sure they shoehorned in a plot during the second half of every movie from that franchise." Eric said as Amber hit the floor, laughing so hard they could hear her struggling to breath. "A few years back, a couple of my friends all day sat down one day to see how far we could get in each movie before we had to tap out. Not going to lie, most of us reached our limit by the first hour. Makes me wonder who has the okay to have these things filmed. Being in one is basically assassinating your acting career."

"Yeah, well, this one was personal!" Cinder said shortly. Below her, Amber was letting out several weak wheezes as she tried to catch her breath. "They practically plagiarized my name! Calling the villain Ember, seriously?! If they were going to create a character who's nothing like me, at least pick something that isn't a direct reference to me! It's not like they used anything else from the legend, so why not change the ending too?!"

Beside them, Adam let out a dry sigh as Amber used him to pull herself up.

"Look, I'm no movie expert, but I think you're exaggerating." He said. "And this might just be because I'm around kids a lot and have to watch a bunch of stuff that's marketed to them, but I really didn't think the movie was that bad. It wasn't good by any stretch, but I still think it doesn't deserve all the hate it gets and-. Why are you staring at me?"

Adam cut himself off when he received two stares of utter bewilderment from his two teammates who weren't too winded to speak. They both had a hard time believing he had just said that and were trying to process the revolution that he had no taste in movies. Or any other form of proper story for that matter!

"And I think I know exactly what we're doing once this mission is complete." Eric said, walking over and giving his partner a pat on the back. "Don't worry, I'm sure Beacon offers some form or writing class we can look into later. Then we can get this horrible idea of what good writing looks like out of your head."

"Hey! Don't treat me like a child!" Adam snapped, his face turning red. "Just because I don't have time to watch as much as I like doesn't mean I don't know what good writing is!"

"The problem isn't that you clearly haven't seen good movies, it's the fact that there is no good writing in the Dawn of Patch movies!"

Their conversation about movies was cut off as the door to the room opened and Bobby reentered the room. Immediately the members of team AACE turned to him and straightened up, showing themselves ready for duty. (Well, three of the four did.)

"Sorry for the wait." He said as he nervously closed the door behind and pressed his back hard against it for some reason. "I assure you that they are quite eager to meet you! But before I let them in, I need to lay some basic ground rules. Such as no not using your new jobs to get intimate with the band members. You are to remain strictly professional at all times, do I make myself clear?"

"Pff! Like anyone would ever want to get intimate with these losers." Cinder mumbled under her breath. Fortunately, Amber was the only one who heard her.

"As Crystal sir!" She replied with a salute.

"Good." Bobby said. "Next I want to let you know that-."

"Dude! What's the hold up?! When are we meeting our new guards?" A whiny voice called from behind the door. Then, Bobby shifted as someone tried to push the door open.

"I'm in the middle of legal stuff!" The manager yelled angrily, pressing his back harder against the door. "I'll let you in afterwords! Now please be quiet and let me finish explaining to your guards what they can and can't do!"

"What's there to explain?" A deep, irritated voice called back. "Hurry up and let us in! I've left some of my tuning equipment in there and I need it for my next rehearsal!"

"Dude, you tuned your equipment earlier today!" The whiny voice said. "Why do you always have to be so paranoid about everything? Isn't it obvious all your stuff is in tune?

"Because we're here to prove we're the best." The second voice said. "So I don't want any mistakes or accidents. You should learn to be more seri-."

"Hey. How about instead of talking about it, we just go in?" A third, overly cheerful and friendly voice cut in. Then, before Bobby could stop it, the door swung open with a bang, sending the manager stumbling forward making Amber jump forward to catch him.

"There, that wasn't hard, was it?" The third voice asked as the man stepped into the dressing room and immediately they recognized Jiao-long as the owner of the voice. Behind him stood the other two band members, both of whom were following their leader inside.

"You need to stop doing that. Kang said crossly to the singer, who just grinned at him.

"What can I say? I'm a free spirit." He replied without a shred of remorse. "I don't really care for long boring documents. I personally find just talking like a human gets the message across so much faster. And it's not like I'm getting any younger. I'm sure I'll grow out of my bad habits sooner or lat-."

He stops mid sentence as his eyes locked on Cinder, who was watching Amber helping Bobby to his feet. But upon feeling his gaze, she turned her attention to the boy and gave him a cold glare.

"Well, this is a surprise." Jiao said, completely unfazed by her glare. Without hesitation he strode across the room to stand in front of Cinder where he gave her the biggest, Ladykiller smile she had ever seen. And it made her want to throw up.

"When I heard we got guards, I pictured a bald man with a pit of sunglasses and a suit who carried a gun around until he got knocked out before he could pull it. I'm glad to see how wrong I was." He said as he placed his hand against the wall next to her head. "I can't believe I'm getting not only a hit guard, but one who's a living legend. I guess my life is going to be in your hands. And after your assignment, I hope to return the favor."

With that he gave Cinder a wink and pointed at her with his finger gun and fired it right at her chest. And it was at that moment she knew, this was going to be a LONG assignment.