[color=fff79a][H1][center]Daedalus Ivory[/center][/H1][/color]
[center][H3][i]Airfleet Street, 21:43[/i][/H3][/center]

The vibrant atmosphere of Armistice Day was like nothing Daedalus had ever experienced. The denizens of Vale seemed to take the event a lot more seriously than they did back home - surprisingly, even more seriously than the world-famous Vytal Festival. As the sun had set, the normally quiet streets of the city became awash with revellers soaking up the carnival atmosphere. Faunus and Humans alike wandered through the city - shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, in perfect solidarity and harmony. He was almost convinced he was on another planet.

It had been less than a week since Daedalus had returned to Vale. He'd forgotten the tang of salt in the air here, or how the sun streamed warmly down to embrace him during the day, while at night the cool ocean breeze whispered gently through the city. It made for a refreshing break from the harsh, dry climate in Vacuo.

But the change in scenery wasn't why Daedalus had decided to come back. The demand for Hunters and Huntresses in Vacuo was... Less than ideal. Vale, on the other hand, always seemed to have work going for trained warriors - especially ones recommended by senior faculty staff. The Dean of Shade had presented Daedalus and a small handful of his peers handwritten letters praising their abilities and progress at the Academy, and told them to put the commendations to good use.

And what a use they were. The letter quickly landed him a job in Vale; only temporary unfortunately, but the performance aspect satisfied Daedalus' craving for the spotlight and the money was surprisingly good. The nature of the work was right up his alley - unlike security detail to the rich and famous or working with the Vale Police Department, fighting in the arena against captured Grimm meant that bloodshed was an unlikely outcome. Vale's forgiving weather was just another perk.

Despite his size, the thickness of the crowds meant that Daedalus' journey backstage took longer than expected. The room he entered was abuzz with excitement, and a symphony of quiet noises echoed around as the other combatants checked and primed their weapons. It wasn't long before he began to do the same.

An unexpected buzzing from one of his pockets pulled him away from his tinkering. He plucked his scroll from his khaki jacket as the display lit up in his hand, showing him the two new messages blinking as they waited to be read.

The first was a message from his parents, full of congratulations and well wishes for his performance. He quickly messaged back: [color=fff79a][i]Thanks very much. Still haven't received a 'Best in Show' ribbon yet but I'm staying optimistic. Take care of yourselves, talk soon![/I][/color]

The second was from Mina. [color=indianred][i]Good luck Day![/I][/color] It read. [color=indianred][i]Give them a hell of a show.[/i][/color] He smiled and then took a few moments to reply: [color=fff79a][i]Thanks Mina! Going to give it my best shot. Good luck at the party, don't break too many hearts tonight, ok?[/i][/color]

[i][color=fff79a]It's a shame she isn't here,[/color][/i] he thought as he hit send. His friend from Beacon had scored a job across Vale, working security at Town Hall. She was ecstatic when he said he was coming back to Vale and tried convincing him to put in for the position. But he'd already agreed to fight Grimm in the Arena; not to mention the idea of security detail made him a bit uneasy. Then again, Daedalus supposed that was her style. Mina was always a much more subtle person than he was - never shy, but she was more of a head-turner than a crowd-pleaser, and she didn't thrive on being the centre of everyone's attention like Daedalus did.

But for now, all eyes weren't on him. Instead they had turned to the Faunus that had taken centre stage, whose beautiful yet haunting voice drifted across the throngs of spectators. The MC, Ms. Cardamom, took the opportunity to word up the group about the performance. Tonight, it seemed, was all about flair over efficiency; the showier, the better. A sly smile began to creep across Daedalus face. It seemed he'd picked the right job.

The singer's pitch reached a crescendo as the choir harmonised, creating a sound more angelic than mortal. The MC, now finished, looked around the room expectantly. [color=ed1c24]“We’ve not got long now: any questions? Anyone have any business they need to get done?”[/color]

One of the othe Huntresses looked around the room and grinned.[color=007236]"Who's ready to make a scene in the name of peace and unity?"[/color] she asked, placing her hand out as if to start a team huddle.

Fervent Sentinel made a series of loud noises as the metal plates slid around his arms and hands, locking them in place with a series of satisfying [i]*Thunks*[/i]. Metal clad fingers flexed as he checked their movement. Once satisfied with their condition, he turned to the Huntress and smiled back. [color=fff79a]'Ready? I was born for this.'[/color] He boomed, and placed his huge gauntlet on top of her hand.