XOXO
Present Day
XOXO
Summer was alive.
I had failed her in many ways, but she was alive.
I opened my eyes, aura changed back to match Glynda's as I glanced towards the counter. I headed over, setting aside the book Dad had sent along with Qrow and lifting the box. There wasn't much weight to it, but I picked up on the clattering of something metallic as I shifted my hold on it and looked around.
Even if I found a good place for it, I couldn't just leave whatever this was sitting around in some random room.
Setting it back down, I raised my arm overhead, aura changing back. Fingers straightened and brought together I swung that hand down.
A dark portal formed.
Seconds passed before a foot stepped through.
"It's late." Mom grumbled once she fully passed through, a quick scan of the room carried out before her furrowed gaze settled on me. She was fresh out of bed, hair more of a mess than usual, armor traded out for looser dark clothing, and katana held loosely.
"You could've ignored the portal."
She clicked her tongue and after a once over of me, focused on the counter. Stepping up beside me she silently looked the stuff over, lingering on a few of the drawings and the pages of the book from Dad.
"Yang didn't give you anything?"
"No." I said a faint exhale slipping out. "Either I do things her way or I get nothing." That hardheaded troublemaker wasn't going to go back on that, her stubbornness a hard thing for just anyone to match or talk her out of.
Raven said nothing, finally stopping on the box. "Summer?" She questioned, glancing back towards me. I nodded. Rather than picking it up and leaving she took a seat on one of the stools, her weapon set aside.
After flipping her way through more of the pages of the book, she settled on one of the recipes listed out in Dad's neat handwriting. "Make this." She ordered, tapping the page.
"Should I get you something to drink too?" I said sarcastically, stepping up beside her to get a look at the page. Most were sweets but this one was some kind of soup, the word Healthy in bold and circled at the top of the page.
She gave me a vainly amused glance, brow raised.
Letting the portal close in on itself, I rounded the counter, opening up the fridge.
After being away from the tribe for so long for the first time, I was in for a long conversation with her.
XOXO
A huntsman. That's what Miss Malachite and the others in the bar called the man Talon left with.
Cinder had heard about what Talon did for the twins, that topic still brought up at different tables days after the fact. He'd headed deeper into Mistral's black market and rescued them from some other group operating in there. Something that'd left plenty of bodies behind him according to all the talk.
At first, she thought it hypocritical.
He talked about not wanting to kill for these people then turned around and did just that. Miltia, however, had made it clear that he hadn't just avoided killing himself but stood in the way of her doing it herself. All while letting those who were going to be sold and used like tools do as they pleased.
She wasn't sure what to make of him anymore.
People liked to play high and mighty from whatever pedestals allowed them to, trampling over or turning their backs on anyone who didn't fit their views, the morals and ideals they talked about just a bunch of lies they'd deluded themselves into. The moment their backs were pushed against the wall or it was too much trouble to stick to them, those same morals and ideals would be tossed aside.
The other half of people lacked those delusions and were just cutthroats, prepared to do whatever to get what they wanted out of others, any friendliness they showed just a front.
Talon avoided killing. Assured Emerald he wouldn't make her do it despite the work they did. And even went out of his way to stop Miltia. But he didn't stop those imprisoned people he freed.
He might not have fitted neatly into those categories, but she did know one thing. Killer or not, he was a criminal like the rest of them.
Why did he know a huntsman?
"Are you worried about him?" Cinder looked up from the table, catching Miltia's eyes. The quiet girl was typically in her sister's shadow, not starting conversations but going along with the ones she did.
"You probably should be." Melanie said, leaning back in her chair. "Talon's strong but catching that guy's attention can't be a good thing."
"You know who that man is?" Cinder questioned.
"Something like that." Melanie said. "Mom's got a good list of groups and people we don't start trouble with. Huntsmen are obviously on it, but she pointed out that old man the last time he was here. I think his name is Qrow or something."
"Qrow Branwen. He's supposed to be a high up huntsman. The kind with connections." Miltia clarified, Melanie looking over to her with a raised eyebrow. "What? One of us has to listen to mom when she talks."
"Whatever." Melanie said with a shrug before looking back to Cinder. "Going to try and check on him?"
Cinder's brow furrowed. She couldn't even hit him, what was the point of checking on him? Even if he was in trouble, it just meant she'd be putting herself in a worse position by getting involved.
"Come on, you aren't the least bit worried about the guy? Here I thought the both of you spent most of your time together." She wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that Spider kept some kind of tab on them beyond this place.
Standing up from the table, Cinder ignored the two as she left the bar, stepping out onto the lamp lit streets, a decent bit of people moving about with the night still in full swing. Better she went back and prepared her stuff. If a huntsman was looking into him there was a chance that attention could spread to those who'd been around him.
She couldn't afford that.
"Hey." Cinder stopped, turning to find Emerald, hood and mask in place, emerging from an alley. "I saw Talon pass by with some guy, but he just waved me off."
"Why are you still here?"
"Well, we usually leave together, don't we? I thought I should wait on you." Emerald held her head aside. "Did something happen? You look a little annoyed. More than usual."
This girl really didn't understand the kind of risks that came with the work they were doing and the people they associated with. How naïve did she have to be to just stand around and do nothing after watching the person leading her headfirst into shady business abruptly change plans and walk off with someone she didn't know?
"Why do you trust Talon so much?" Cinder asked.
"That's a random question." Emerald crossed her arms. "I mean, I don't really have any reason not to."
"Are you really stupid enough to believe he isn't using you for something?"
"Watch it." Emerald said, eyes narrowing. "I'm not an idiot. I know when someone is just doing something because they're after something." She stepped back. "You know I'm trying but I really don't get you. You think anyone would waste all their time on the stuff he does just for what? Some extra backup?"
"You say that like you know anything about him." Cinder said shaking her head. "Have you even bothered to think about what you'll do if he leaves Mistral?"
"I-" Cinder shook her head, walking past Emerald and continuing down the street. Whether or not she knew it, that girl was just sitting around letting herself become dependent on him. It was as if she didn't even want to bother thinking for herself.
If she'd really survived on these streets alone, she should know better than to let that happen.
XOXO
Swords in hand, Cinder glanced towards the clock on the end table beside her bed.
She'd prepared, be it fighting or fleeing, for something to happen, entirely forgoing sleep even after the sun rose but nothing out of the ordinary had happened just yet. No random knocks at her door, no sounds from the hall, and nothing from Spider.
It wasn't far off from the usual time Talon would show up before they went to the training rooms. Just another hour.
Cinder blinked away the burn of her eyes but that only worsened it.
He should be up by now.
She pushed off the wall of the dark corner she'd been waiting in and adjusted the collar of her armor, swords returned to the sheaths at her hips. After one last look around, her eyes drawn to different shadows in her darkened room, she left it behind and crossed the hall, hand raised to Talon's door.
A familiar aroma hit her. He was already cooking something.
"You can come in!" Practically the moment she knocked, his muffled voice reached her. One hand still on her the handle of her blade, she pushed the door open and stepped in. The room was a perfect mirror to hers in terms of furniture with noticeable additions in the form of smaller things scattered around the place.
The biggest difference was the kitchen area, the whole area from the top of the fridge to the counters actually stocked with stuff, unlike her barren one. Talon, standing in front of the smoking stove, turned.
She muffled a snort that tried to force its way out of her.
A dark purple apron sat over his clothes with the words GRILL MASTER across its center in a bold blue.
"Laughing at the person cooking your food is a bold decision." He said, her brow arcing above his shades. No bruises, cuts, or anything noteworthy. He didn't look like he'd been in a fight. And, though this was her first time in here, nothing jumped out at her that'd hint at a fight.
This wasn't her business.
She should stay out of it and just prepare for any possible fallout that reached her.
"What happened with that man?" Cinder asked.
"We just talked." Talon said, turning his back to her and refocusing on the stove.
"Don't put your trust in him." She warned. "Huntsmen aren't all they're made out to be."
Talon nodded along, that neater than usual ponytail he'd pulled all of his hair into bobbing along. "Yeah, not many can live up to that title." He said. "But I'm not worried about him. He is family after all. Try and keep that to yourself by the way."
Family? He was related to a huntsman?
"…Are you a huntsman?" It'd explain his skills if he'd been trained by one. And that unusual approach to killing. Was that some way to pretend he wasn't associating himself with criminals despite that title?
"No way. Not really my thing." He turned, walking up to the counter between them and placing a plate in front of one of the stools, steam still rising from the fresh food, her stomach grumbling at the sight. "Since you're already here, you can just eat now. It'll save me a trip for the dish."
He turned his back on her again, attention returned to whatever he was preparing at the stove.
Weapons removed from her waist, she placed them within reach as she sat down in front of the food, grabbing the spoon that floated over from the sink and downing a spoonful. He switched it up here and there but all the meals before their training tended to be some combination of rice, meat, and vegetables.
There was more to the connection he had with that huntsman than she expected but, in the end, she'd poked her nose into his business for no reason.
"Thanks for checking in though." Talon said.
Cinder's eyes flicked up from the plate of food and to his back before coming back down. Maybe it had to do with what Emerald guessed about his semblance but sometimes, even when he wasn't looking, it felt as though his gaze was still on her.
It was an odd feeling.
As she scooped up another spoonful, her hand slowed as she stared into the plate, her grip on the spoon tightening.
Dammit. She cursed to herself. Emerald wasn't the only one being a naïve fool.
She should know better. She did know better.
So why was she letting herself get swept along with this stupidity when it was going to end the same way it always did?
XOXO
Powerstone Goal: 600
(A/N: Holy projection. That girl Cinder is really getting on Emerald's case just because she's angry at herself. Tragic mindset.
Anyways, to all my smut enjoyers, check out the side story I just posted. It will only ever be updated on days this story is updated and if I manage to find the time to produce chapters for it so don't expect the same consistency this story has. It's just a little NSFW thing that shouldn't be taken too seriously. By the end of the day, it should be ten chapters ahead on p@treon if you actually find it interesting.
Speaking of that, here's the link for those who want to read ahead for anything I'm writing:
patreon .com/ thirdratewriter
As always, thank you all and I'll see you next time!)