[Anaxagoras]
A few hours have passed. The sun has long since set, giving rise to the shattered moon. The walk to the hotel was just as long as it was quiet, and incredibly awkward to boot.
There's a lot of thoughts still running through my head right about now, and almost all of them involve keeping dearest Summer on a leash so she doesn't wander off and run into Mr 'I am almost certainly a rapist' again.
I suppose he might not be. This 'Feldgrau' could just be the type to not understand social cues whatsoever, maybe he struggles with understanding the people around him.
I've asked Summer if she was truly alright, or if she was hurt in some way after what happened twice over now. Each time, she's told me that she's fine, that I'm simply making a big deal of nothing.
I didn't see much of it, but I know she was uncomfortable, afraid, and didn't want to be in that situation. I figured I'd rather be too protective than not protective enough.
So far, Summer thinks that Feldgrau was a really creepy guy that just struggled with talking to people. She says his words were somewhat kind, but that he started 'getting really intense' very quickly.
Truth be told... I don't care what he is.
If I see him near Summer again, God forbid he ever comes back and puts her in danger, I won't hesitate to shoot next time.
...no.
I can't be talking like that. That's just tension and nerves speaking, lingering weariness from the bastard's presence still eating away at me. It could very well be that he's just an incredibly unnatural type of man.
It could also be that he's imagining how we'd look cut up into pieces. His gaze wasn't exactly subtle. He looked at us like you'd look at a piece of meat.
I suppose that could also be in part thanks to his frustration at the 'interruption'.
...fucking stupid, Anaxa.
So, so very stupid. I have at my disposal a power that could have seen his intentions, his desires, and I didn't even think to use it.
I should've checked his words over with the Eye the second he started speaking to me, but I wasn't thinking straight in the moment.
I just wanted to put as much distance between us as quickly as possible.
I was... unsettled. Dare I say, unnerved.
He was a creepy fucker through and through, and the thought of him being alone with Summer for any longer than even just a minute makes bile rise in my throat still. Doesn't matter how strong she is, or how easily she could've shoved him away if she wasn't such a patient woman.
Something about the man was just... off.
It was the same feeling I had the second I laid eyes on Gepetto for the first time. That overwhelming unease, the way they make your skin crawl when you look at them.
I suppose the only benefit I had back then was that Gepetto wasn't exactly being subtle about what he wanted. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this 'Feldgrau' character. Only saw him for all of two minutes, and he's already left a terrible impression.
...I don't like assuming the worst in people. I truly, truly don't. I just know better than that by this point. Artak, Gepetto, Erebus, even Summer herself. Everyone has secrets. Everyone has something they keep hidden.
It's always just a matter of how dangerous those skeletons in the closet happen to be.
Enough about that, though. Just thinking about that freaky bastard is leaving a sour taste in my mouth, and it's only worsening now that Gepetto is back on my mind too.
The hotel is fine- well, it's not just fine, it's downright luxurious just as much as it is extortionate, and far better than anything Summer and I have had in this life.
Two queen sized beds, on demand room service, and even breakfast each morning. This place is downright heavenly compared to the bedrolls and bear meat.
There was a slight bump in the road when Summer had to hand over the Sundered Rose at the front desk, for 'safety purposes', but thankfully she didn't let slip about the Scholar's Folly being hidden in my hand.
I'm not sure why it would have been an issue per se, I just don't like being separated from my weapon very much.
However... there is one glaring problem, as is always the case with Summer and I.
Truth is, almost every ounce of Lien we have left to our names is gone.
...Mainly because Summer might have convinced me to order a... significantly more expensive room for the two of us.
Call me an idiot all you want. I've said the same thing to myself many times over, trust me. After what she had just gone through with Feldgrau though, I couldn't bring myself to say no to her.
As of now, we barely have enough left for food for the rest of our time in Vale, and even then we might have to pennypinch here and there - or God forbid allow Summer to start making money with her... violent 'methods' again.
It's something I'm very hesitant to do given the last time she suggested that to solve our problems, it ended in a 6 round unbeaten streak in an underground boxing ring and several grown ass men cursing her name.
As fun as it was to watch her pull out a prime dempsey roll in the ring, it's also quite fucking illegal, which runs the risk of cutting our tenure at Beacon short before it even begins if we wind up with criminal records.
Of course, this wouldn't have been a problem if we had any idea just how expensive this journey would truly be, or if Artak had given us a bit more Lien to begin with - not that I judge him for it.
At the end of the day, the biggest upside to this whole situation is that the journey to and from Beacon for the entrance exams is free, offered by the Academy themselves to make it easier for prospective students to take part and to not risk shunning any possible talent.
...there is, of course, another glaring issue.
I, and as it turns out, Summer as well, have absolutely no form of legal documentation. For all intents and purposes, neither of us exist on the peachy world of Remnant.
Of course, she has it quite easier than me with her quaint little 'hey, my Master said you'd let me in' trick that I've no doubt will solve all of her problems.
Am I bitter about that? Most definitely.
At the very least, one benefit of the entrance exams being so open and public is that I don't need prior history in combat schools to get in - though, fuck me is it incentivised.
I still might come up with some problems when they search any databases for me and come back with a negative, though.
Point is, I am going to have to make one hell of a good impression on the examiners, and probably set a bloody record, to actually stand a chance of being accepted.
...good. I like a challenge.
"You uh... you having fun there, Anaxa? You've been scowling at the mirror for the last five minutes. You're not monologuing again, are you?"
Almost immediately, my self-aggrandizing moment is shattered by Summer's flat voice, my eye rolling as I turn to speak with her, folding my arms and leaning against the bathroom doorway.
"So what if I am? I quite like the sound of my own voice, and I'm sure a lot of other people do as well. I need to make sure I'm ready to burst into soliloquy at any given moment."
She snickers openly at the mere idea of people willingly listening to my... admittedly quite dramatic voice, something I'd normally take offense to if it were coming from just about anyone else but her.
"Right, because I'm sure the people of Vale are absolutely hounding for a chance to hear you speak, huh? What's next, gonna start writing yourself a little speech to go with it?" She says, smirking at me, then rummaging around in her backpack to find her bedwear.
Humming at the thought, I kick away from the doorway and move deeper into the room, shrugging off my coat and tossing it onto a nearby hanger.
"An acceptance speech for when I get into Beacon, maybe. Of course, I'd say you should do the same, but that would imply you need to put in any effort at all-"
With all the precision of a highly trained marksman, she grabs a pillow from her bed and slings it at me with her Aura active, the damn thing surging across the room fast enough that I only barely catch it before it collides with my face.
"-Oh my Dust, can you please shut up about that already!? You're making it sound like I'm only gonna get in because of nepotism! I'll have you know, I worked hard to be as strong as I am, jackass!"
With a smug grin on my lips, I toss the pillow onto her bed and get back to making myself more comfortable, shedding my boots and outermost robes.
Just like always, I have to bite back the urge to laugh at the way she flushes and looks away from me the second I do so, busying herself with her backpack instead.
"Oh, I don't doubt that, Little Light. I've seen you tear through legions of Grimm faster than I could even blink, and yet still, the moment word spreads about you 'getting in easy', people will write you off. You've got quite the hill to climb, I'd wager."
She groans in exhaustion the very second those words leave my lips, her head sagging forward into her backpack and words muffled against the thick leather of it.
"Please don't remind me. They're either gonna call me a runt, or they're gonna say I'm getting special privilege. If the rest of our team isn't nice, can we make a request to change them?" She asks, shifting her head enough to peek at me with one eye.
"Bold of you to assume we'll even be on the same team, Little Light. I hate to be the pessimist between us, but it's very possible that we wind up on entirely different teams, let alone be partners."
Summer lifts her head, staring at me for several long seconds upon hearing that.
The prior embarrassment she had all but vanishes in the blink of an eye, and when she finally does speak, there's an almost overwhelming finality to her words.
"...nah."
I blink in surprise, having expected her to say more after such a long silence.
"Is that... is that all you have to say?" I ask.
"Yup. That's all that needs to be said. We will be on the same team, we'll become Hunters together, and nobody is gonna change that. I don't care what they say."
It's all I can do to just sigh, to shake my head and smile at her, a fond exasperation biting away at me now as I look at her.
"Really? So it's all or nothing then, hm? You and me against the world, is that what I'm hearing? Because you could very well wind up getting kicked out of Beacon with a mindset like that, Summer."
Without missing a beat, she scoffs.
"So what if I do? I don't need a license to help people. Even without one, I'd still use my strength for the sake of those that need it. The only reason I want to be at Beacon is because Master said it would help me to be stronger, to save more people."
...huh. How ironic. Seems like the both of us are only going to Beacon because of the requests of others.
"So what, you're willing to throw away an enrollment to the most prestigious Huntsmen Academy in the world for me? I'm flattered Summer, truly, but you should probably think this through a bit more."
She hums for just a fraction of a second, as if considering my words, but I can already tell that she's adamant on this matter.
Summer is stubborn to a fault, after all.
"...nah. I didn't travel across half of Remnant with you just to ditch you at the first hurdle, Patchy. You and me? We're thick as thieves now. You're stuck with me, like glue. It's either we both get in, or we don't get in."
Again, I find myself sighing, running a hand through my hair in what is quickly becoming a very common gesture to calm myself.
"You travelled half of Remnant specifically to get into the damn Academy, Summer. If you're saying this for my sake, then don't bother. I wouldn't be angry if you decided to stay at Beacon without me should I not get in, or if we didn't wind up on the same team."
To my surprise, Summer seems to be almost offended by those words. Not by the way I've said them, but by the simple idea that she'd abandon me so quickly.
She stands up from her place sat on the floor, moving across the room in quick strides to stand in front of me and comes to poke a finger at my chest.
At this short a distance, without the thick white cloak obscuring her features, I'm once again forced to reckon with the fact that this woman is utterly fucking gorgeous.
"I travelled all this way to fulfill my Master's dying wish, Patchy. Not for the damn view, but because she said Beacon was the best place for me to be after she died, and I had nothing else left in this world without her. I wanted to make her happy, to honour her request." She says, pressing her finger into my chest again...
...before dropping it with a sigh and smiling up at me.
"But at the end of the day, as long as I'm helping people across the world, putting my strength to use, then I know she'd be happy for me... and as long as I get to do it with you at my side, then I know I'llbe happy as well. I don't need to be at Beacon to be a Hero... and I don't want to be there without you, either."
...oh.
Fuck me, that is just an absolute lance through the heart, woman.
"I... didn't realise you had come to care that much for me, Summer. I mean, we've only known eachother for three weeks at best."
I mutter the words slowly, suddenly feeling warm in the chest and a flush on my cheeks - one that only worsens as she takes a half-step closer and tilts her head at me.
"Really? Anaxa, you... you're just about the only friend I have in the world. The only person that's even given me the time of day since my Master died. Maybe I don't say it enough, or maybe I'm just scared to, but... I'm really happy to have you with me."
My heart thrums against my ribs. My foot taps against the floor silently. My throat suddenly feels incredibly dry.
Summer doesn't stop speaking.
"I am so, so glad I made it in time to help you and your village that day. So glad I got to meet you, so glad that you handcuffed me to a bed like it was normal, laughed with me about something as silly as lunch money, and made me remember what it felt like to be happy. To be normal again." She says, laughing at the memory as she speaks and moving another half-step closer, hesitantly placing a hand against my chest.
"You listen when I speak, you put up with my worst habits, you don't treat me like a child. You laugh with me when I do something stupid, and you've never once hurt me. You always, always help whenever I need it. You make me feel cared for, and- and..."
Her confidence withers slightly as she nears the end of her speech, her cheeks now matching the shade of my own as she looks away for just a moment, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
When she meets my gaze again just a moment later though, there's something so undeniably warm in her eyes that I almost find myself feeling tremors in my chest.
"You make me feel like I'm not alone anymore. I don't think I can put into words just how much that really means to me... so yes, jackass. I do care about you." She says, turning away immediately after and moving to her bed, not noticing the way my heart clenches in my chest upon hearing that.
"Now get in your bed already. We need the sleep, especially after today's weirdness."
...no.
I don't want this moment to end. Not yet.
"Wait."
My voice comes out slightly strained, but it has the intended effect. Summer pauses in her stride, looking at me from over her shoulder to hide how flushed she is.
"...yeah?"
Her voice is almost as unsteady as mine is. Taking a deep breath to calm myself now, just as she had done earlier, I move a few steps closer to her.
"Can I... try something with you, Summer?" I ask, incredibly hesitant now, closing the gap between us a moment later.
One step becomes two, becomes three, and almost as fast as she pulled away, we're back to being mere inches from eachother. Summer then blinks up at me, her eyes wide and cheeks still so very red as she does so.
"Y-yeah. Sure. Go ahead, Anaxa..." She murmurs, her voice slightly hoarse.
She closes her eyes and tilts her head up just a second later. I can't help but admire the amount of trust she's putting in me right now, the amount of faith she has in my character. No. Irrelevant.
Not wanting to let the tension build any longer, I take another step forward and pull her into a hug, the first one I've given, or even received since my reincarnation - at least, one that didn't come from a child.
Still so very hesitant, I wrap one of my arms around her waist and pull her close to me, her head tucked against my collar while my other arm drapes across her shoulder.
Summer stills at the contact, her breath pausing for a moment... before she all but melts into my embrace.
Her body relaxes against mine with a shuddering sigh of contentment, hands coming up to wrap around my back and tighten in the fabric of my shirt.
"...I've forgotten just how nice something as simple as a hug could be." I breathe out, a small sigh of my own escaping my lips.
Summer nods against my chest in agreement, her words slightly muffled.
"You're right. This is nice. Really, really nice. You're... so warm, Patchy." She says, her fists scrunching up my shirt even tighter and head nuzzling into my neck.
For several seconds, we stand there, embracing one another. Maybe even for a couple minutes. I didn't care to count each moment as they passed, or list down the seconds spent with her in my arms.
I was far too busy enjoying this moment. Maybe even too much, to the point that I find my lips to be far looser than I'd usually like.
"...you're all that I have as well, Little Light."
Summer pauses once again upon hearing that, confused at my words. She pulls back ever so slightly, just enough to meet my eyes and ask a single, quiet question.
"What?"
...Well, shit.
I suppose the cat's out the bag now. No use in trying to preserve my dignity.
"...I don't have anything else in the world. Exiled from my own home, never to return. No memories of the life I lived before arriving there. Just my rifle, this journey, and Beacon Academy beyond it. Just you at my side."
My jaw tenses at the way she's looking at me now, that familiar urge to duck away from her gaze biting away at me, one that I ignore entirely as I continue speaking.
"I guess... what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad. I'm pleased, happy, chuffed, whatever word you want to use for it- I'm just really grateful that you're willing to stick with me if this whole Beacon thing doesn't work out." I mutter, my composure all but vanishing in the face of a single, tender admission.
Again though, she remains silent.
Her silver eyes are damn near glowing now as she looks up at me, staring into mine with such overwhelming softness that I can't help but feel that much more warm in the chest, can't help but lift a hand onto her head.
She doesn't even flinch this time around.
Instead, Summer just about preens under the contact, shivering ever so slightly when my fingers run through her hair in slow, steady motions as I speak.
"I'm... I'm glad you care about me, Little Light... Because I care a lot about you, too."
Those seem to be the magic words.
Summer's hold tightens enough to make me worry that she'll tear the fabric of my shirt now, her head nuzzling into my neck again as she practically dives back into the hug with renewed vigor.
"Good to see I'm not the only one." She croaks out, laughing at how utterly destitute our social lives our beyond one another.
"Ha! At least you'll never be able to laugh at me for it. Not when you're in the same boat as I am." I say, smiling now at the sound of her laughter and keeping my hand held against the back of her head.
Summer doesn't respond.
She just presses herself that much closer to me, leaving me with several incredibly unwholesome thoughts about her figure that I'm pointedly ignoring for the sake of this tender moment.
Eventually though, she finds her voice.
"...hey, can we stay like this for a while?"
The words are mumbled against my collar, barely audible yet still enough to leave me suddenly feeling very dry in the mouth.
"Sure- yeah. Yeah, definitely. Of course. As long as you want, Summer." I say, all but stumbling over the words now.
You know, as much as I might like to pretend I'm a cunning linguist, or think myself a regular suave devil, the truth is much simpler. I'm sure as shit not Casanova, and I doubt I ever will be.
Point being, I have absolutely no idea what to do in this situation, something which is only exacerbated even further when Summer speaks up again, her voice nothing but a soft whisper against my collar.
"...can we... sleep like this as well?"
She mumbles it slowly into my vest, as if she's afraid that I might deny the request, or push her away. Not that I ever would.
You'd have to be a special kind of idiot to deny a request like this one.
"...of course, Summer."
Almost immediately, Summer brightens up. I can tangibly feel the moment when my words register in her mind, when she pulls away from me with that same bright smile and all but dashes over to her bed.
I blink, and she's already settled under the covers, patting the spot next to her with a wide, toothy grin.
"Come on, it'll be just like a sleepover! Just remember... no funny business, Mister."
All I can do is sigh as I walk over to her, shaking my head and scoffing at the mere idea of doing such a thing, biting back a laugh at the faux-serious look on her face.
"I think you've severely misunderstood what a sleepover is, Summer." I mutter, settling down on the bed beside her.
She doesn't pay my muttering any mind. Just laughs away the words, turning the light off and shifting an inch closer to me, looking up with those same, glowing silver eyes - almost expectantly now.
Still thoroughly unsure of what to do in this situation, I lift an arm around her back and let her lean in to rest against my chest, her head buried atop my shoulder and warm breath brushing at my neck.
"...thank you, Anaxa." She breathes out, her words nothing more than a brief whisper.
She falls silent immediately after, shifting an inch closer still. I'm far more comfortable than I've ever been in my life, yet too worried to even move slightly and risk ruining this experience as I lay there on my back.
I'm certainly not complaining, at least.
...I don't think Summer will ever realise just how much I could relate to what she said about feeling so alone in this world, given my status as a reincarnate.
I don't think she ever will, either. Some secrets are better left forgotten, after all.
------------------------------------
[Raven Branwen]
The promised day is coming.
Tomorrow is the opening of Beacon's entrance exams, lasting for a week and closing thereafter. Tomorrow is our only chance at fulfilling father's mission.
We need to show that we're eager for a chance at redemption. We need to make it clear that we escaped the tribe and have disavowed our family, and most importantly, we need to make a good impression enough that the Headmaster considers our application in spite of the... obvious issues.
I don't doubt that Qrow and I will be easily able to get into Beacon's student body given that there's forty slots for new students each year. We're head and shoulders above the rest of the competition as is, so our entry based solely on performance should be all but guaranteed.
The only problem is our name.
Father didn't give us much aid on how to get in beyond 'appeal to their selflessness' either, and that was about it. He doesn't have faith in us, no. He has faith in the fact that we're his children, and so should be more than capable of handling this.
So far, we've come to the conclusion that we just need to villainise the Chieftain as much as possible to appeal to those... heroic instincts that are commonplace among Huntsmen and Huntresses. Make ourselves out to be suffering victims, and they'll welcome us with open arms.
They might just be incredibly eager to have us among their ranks if it means having a weapon against the notoriously vile Corvus Branwen. Either that, or they'll just put us in a cell and throw away the key.
I'm not keen on the latter, funnily enough, which brings us to our current situation.
Late at night, walking with my dumbass of a brother through the streets of Vale. Most people living here have gone to sleep by now. The only ones that haven't are the dregs of society, and the mindless idiots that are just asking to be exploited by them.
"So, uh... what exactly are we here for, Rae-Rae?" Qrow asks from my side, arms resting behind the back of his head as we walk.
"I told you not to call me that."
Qrow, annoying brat that he is, scoffs at my words, making no effort to correct his mistake as I turn to look at him.
"Don't care, didn't ask. Until you get a badass title like Gehrman the Gallant, or the Grimm Reaper, you're gonna be Rae-Rae, slay-slayer of... Gray-Gray? No, that just sounds silly..." he mumbles to himself.
The display is so pathetic that I don't bother trying to hide my laughter, openly snorting at his disturbingly terrible taste in names.
Qrow takes great offense to this, looking away from me like a petulant child and scowling.
"You've just got dogshit taste in names. Don't act like you could come up with- woah! Hey, Rae, look- that guys got an eyepatch!"
...slowly, I turn to look across the street where my mentally challenged brother is pointing, and lo- there he is. Eyepatch man, walking in step with a white-cloaked girl.
"Why exactly is that important, Qrow?" I ask, massaging the bridge of my nose.
"Doesn't need to be important. It's just neat."
Another sigh. My brain feels as though it is slowly, ever so slowly, melting as he speaks.
"...you have all the mental capacity of a child. One that was dropped on their head several times over. I hope you know that."
Qrow scoffs again, muttering something beneath his breath about me having 'no appreciation for battle scars'.
Of course I don't. Scars are a sign of weakness, and that's it. A better fighter wouldn't have been hurt at all-
"You know, I can't help but notice that you still haven't answered my question, shit-for-brains. You gonna leave me in the dark, or are we just gonna keep walking?"
...Taking a breath to calm myself, I rest my hand on Omen's hilt and answer him.
"You're right. As fun as it would be to leave you in the dark for this, my plan requires the both of us to be involved for it to work." I say, gesturing to the large warehouse tens of meters away, blaring music still audible from here through the thickly padded walls.
"...what, you wanna get wasted? On the day before Beacon exams? For shame, Rae. I didn't realise you and Father were so alike. Guess it must run in the family."
Something about that comment makes my hand tightens over Omen's hilt, my fingers white with pressure as I take another deep breath to compose myself.
Qrow, smug prick that he is, just smiles.
"No, you asshat. I'm not saying we go there to get drunk, much as I'm sure you'd enjoy that. I'm saying that, for a couple of people who supposedly escaped a violent tribe of bandits, we're far too clean."
He nods along as I speak, thankfully. At least this little prick is still capable of listening.
"Here is our solution. This nightclub is ran by the Spiders, a criminal organisation that wants to branch out into Vale-"
Qrow doesn't even let me finish.
"Woahwoahwoah! Goodness, Rae! You're gonna try to fuck with the Mistralian mob!? We've barely even been here for a week!"
Another sigh. Another pinching of my nose.
"That 'Mistralian mob' has a few Aura wielders among their ranks at best. We could kill them in our sleep if they tried anything- don't look at me like that. You still haven't let me finish my plan, dumbass."
Birdbrain stills for a moment, his jaw tensing, before he sighs and gestures for me to continue, muttering something about how he 'can't believe he's entertaining this shit'.
"That's a good boy. Now shut up, and listen." I say, straightening up a moment later.
"I'm not saying we go in there to start some banal turf war, because Dad would quite happily butcher the Spiders if given a good enough reason. I'm saying that we just... get a bit rough. Enough to convincingly seem like we've been in a fight, that we've had to work hard for our freedom and suffered the consequences of our name. Make it seem like we have enemies."
Qrow, mercifully, stays quiet, nodding along.
"If we can get the Headmaster of Beacon to think we've genuinely fought to get away from the tribe and the stigma that comes with it, he'll think we're trying to turn a new leaf and handily welcome us. It'll help with our story, and only boost our chances at getting into the Academy."
Qrow sighs, glancing at the warehouse with a flicker of hesitation.
"So what, you wanna go in there, mess shit up, and walk away ready for tomorrow? Make it seem like we've been through a tough time for some sympathy points?"
I pat his shoulder condescendingly as I walk past him towards the building.
"That's right, Birdbrain. Now come on, just think of it as... extracurricular training. To hone our skills." I say, smirking.
"You sure we should do this, Raven? Could wind up causing a lot of problems for us." Qrow breathes out. I can't help but scoff.
"Problems? That won't be an issue. What are they going to do, call the police? The Huntsmen? They're criminals. They'd sooner stab themselves than admit they got their asses handed to them by us." I bite out, glancing at him from over my shoulder as I continue speaking.
"And besides... don't try to pretend you've not dreamed of being in a bar fight before." I say, turning back and walking towards the warehouse with clenched fists.
He falls silent for a moment in response to that. Only briefly, though.
The next thing I hear is the small peal of laughter that leaves his lips, the sound of his knuckles cracking echoing through the silent street as he catches up to me.
"You know me so well, Rae-Rae."