Holiday Heroine(RWBY X OC)

Chapter 6

The Docks, Vale

Nichole's footsteps creaked as she stepped off the wooden ramp. The faint scent of seawater hit her nostrils as she took a deep breath. She finally made it to Vale, and just in time, too. All that boat riding was making her nauseous and bored. At least the captain and his crewmates made the trip worthwhile.

The red huntress scanned her surroundings, wondering where to go next. The next logical step is to get a hotel room and plan her moves from there.

She glanced at the bar across from her and smirked.

But first...

The huntress stepped forward, letting her vices take control, but stopped.

No, you had your fill at Argus. You don't need to drink again.

Yeah, that's right. Nichole doesn't need alcohol all the time. Especially since she just came here. Why would that be on her mind? What truly matters is where she will rest her head for the next few nights.

She pulled out her scroll and typed in her location to find some hotels nearby. The available ones were mainly high-end, and Nichole didn't have that kind of money. That boat ride has put her in a "predicament," to say the least. She has enough to get by for the remaining week, but she's in the red after that.

If Keijo had been here, he would've coaxed her into pickpocketing, but she's above that. You can't pull that Vale and expect to get away from it. Beacon Academy, one of the primary huntsman academies, is located here. Heaven forbid if you steal from one of their students and get your ass kicked because of it. Let alone steal from the headmaster. Now, that would be a nightmare on its own.

Yeah, I don't think the boy wouldn't be able to thrive here.

Nichole found a few more hotels that fit her budget. One was outside the Kingdom, a little too far for her taste. The other was a hole-in-the-wall in the "bad" part of town. From its looks, the place is infested with cockroaches, so it's best not to go there. And finally, there's the hotel that's—oh, it's right here.

Glancing behind her, she spotted a moderately sized building adorned with a vibrant neon sign that declared "HOTEL" on its side.

It seems expensive, but the site claims that it is cheap. She'll have to go in and see if that's true.

Nichole walked across the street and into the hotel. It was too crowded for her taste, perhaps due to the holiday season when many people typically plan vacations.

She strolled up to the counter and ordered one room. Nichole winced as the hotel staff added her balance, hoping it wasn't too much.

And surprise, surprise, it wasn't.

The huntress sighed in relief. For a second there, she thought that she was going to be sleeping on the streets for the night. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Nichole took her hotel key and went to her room. While walking, she couldn't help but look at the cute little ornaments hanging from the ceiling and breathe in the peppermint-scented candles burning on the tables. It gave the building some comfy atmosphere as if she were in a lodge or something similar. And just then, a wave of nostalgia washed over her.

Heh, just like home.

Speaking of which, Nichole wonders how her folks are in that snowy village. She rarely gets the time to talk to them because of her work. But how long has it been since they had a real conversation?

Before doing the math in her head, she just shook it off. Now's not the time to be thinking about that. That's something she'll deal with later.

Her footsteps came to a halt when she reached the room.