Extra #1: Ren and Nora

It's not like he wasn't going to be there, Ren told himself. He was still only a fledgling hunter, and as a requirement he was required to report in back to Beacon at the day's end. It would be like that for a few more months as he continued with the transition process. Nora was blowing things entirely out of proportion.

And it's not like she was that far behind him anyway. All she needed was to acquire her summon, train with it, and she'd be just like him. And then maybe she'd be the one doing the waiting every now and then instead of him waiting for her to finish her last class for the day.

Waiting was not her strong point, though. Rather, it was his. His summon, an Alura Une, reflected that. At face value it was a large, usually stationary flower bud with vines at its base. But when the bud opened, one would find the body of a young woman situated in the center. It was probably a she, for it never showed some form of complaint when someone referred to it as a female. And while it was sometimes awkward for the bashful hunter to gaze upon her, flowers don't need clothes. Fancy petals were enough and he figured she thought the same as well. And more importantly Ren himself never felt uncomfortable with her open figure.

But at the end of the day, the Alura Une was a plant. And plants were very good at waiting, just like he was. In fact, it was perhaps closer to meditating than waiting, something that she was very good at too.

It was a ritual of sorts. Every day since he successfully summoned the Alura Une, he would return to Beacon after his duties, patiently waiting for the last of Nora's trainings to end. He would often meditate, letting his summon gently sprout about him as it brought life into the courtyard. Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, the soft tangling vines going up a wall or a bench made of wild flowers often attracted curious hunters and trainees alike.

It was both a beautiful sight and a curious one. When a summon was out and about, often it was at the beck and call of its hunter. But Ren was more than content to let her have free reign in the courtyard while he meditated. Perhaps it was not unlike a form of meditating for her. Perhaps she focused best when she was simply growing things.

After all, it was how she worked in tandem with his own abilities. As the two of them meditated, waiting for Nora, her own growths acted as channels, nerves for the both of them as they tried to sense her arrival while tracking everything else. Grass was always the first thing she linked them to. Grass was everywhere and easy to reach. Next were the old trees, some of them more than a hundred years old and their roots reaching deep. And if she could, she would link to the flowers, but they weren't always available.

But as these links connected, they pulsed with his own abilities, amplifying his senses. He could feel out his surroundings, letting him know who was there and what was coming as the Alura Une communed with the surrounding plant life.

It was certainly helpful when he was sneaking around after hours as well. He didn't really need it to get into the school unnoticed at night to visit Nora, but knowing every single footfall of the campus security was an invaluable boon.

And by this time, after two months of the same daily ritual, it was very easy for the two of them to know when Nora was there. The first thing the grass would whisper were her footsteps. They were always rushed and hurried, but the following bits and pieces they sent him exuded other facts. Joy. Laughter. A wide smile. Her attributes.

Next were the trees. Pink. Sea green eyes. Orange hair. They were best at describing colors. And sometimes they would mention her hammer, depending on how it was being held.

But if the Alura Une happened to have connected with any flowers, their soft voice was perhaps the most telling and welcoming.

Nooraaaaa…

Even if the girl wanted to sneak up on him, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Naturally, it helped that they were together together. All of the plants on campus knew that, and there was always a singular focus on her more often than not. Ren figured this was natural, as the Alura Une was literally an extension of himself that was then extending itself onto the other plants in the area. It would be odd for them to not focus on her during a peaceful moment.

And when Nora did arrive, she always greeted them gleefully.

"Hi Moonflower!"

It was her pet name for his summon, of which the Alura Une made no objection to. And as if in a form of greeting or an extension of his endearment (Ren wasn't too sure which one it was), she would smile and slowly reach out to Nora, tucking a small bunch of flowers right above her ear.

But this time, things were different.

"Ren!" It was a yell. Not a yell of pain or fear, but…

Eager.

"Reeen, where are yooou? Are you there, Moonflower?"

But more importantly, urgency.

"Found ya!"

The trees all echoed one word.

Now.

As Ren's eyes opened, Nora was already stampeding up to them. "Ren, it's time, it's time! We need to go!"

"Time?" the words slipped out of his lips. With a mighty clap of her hands on his shoulders, she rocked his body back and forth a little bit for emphasis.

"Yeah! My summon is gonna come out any moment now!"

Oh. That.

"We need to get to the summoning hall!"

The summoning halls were reinforced buildings where hunters naturally practiced with their summons. More importantly, though, they were made of solid and sound materials. As summons were wild and varying in nature, this meant that it was a controlled space where they could arrive in their full majesty.

It's just that with the their majesty, anything could happen, and Nora was certainly not an exception. Letting Moonflower disappear in a flurry of petals, Ren quickly made his way to Nora, following her bright orange hair as she ducked and weaved past the students. Finally stopping at a grand building, she pushed open the doors, dashing straight through another set of them and into the wide hall.

The staff was used to such things. Summons were always demanding when the time had come. The hunter knew it was going to happen, and nothing would stop the summon from arriving. As soon as Nora dashed into the opening, they began their work.

"Name and age?"

"Nora Valkyrie, nineteen!"

"Training class?"

"2-B!"

"And semblance?"

"Lightning affinity!"

That was all they really needed - it was to have the hunter pulled for the next phase of training. And in Nora's case, this was the last thing that separated the two of them.

"Oooooh, I just can't wait to see what it'll be, Ren! Maybe it will be a sloth!"

"Nora, I don't know how effective a sloth would be for combat."

"Maybe I'll get to ride it into battle and we'll be struck by lightning and-"

He needed to calm her down. While hunters could become swathed in the frenzy of excitement, the summon would only truly arrive when the person was focused. Closing his eyes, he let Moonflower sprout at his side. The idea was to present her with a flower like usual.

But instead of letting his summon do it, he instead had her place the flower into his own palm before disappearing again. Walking up to the still babbling Nora, he looked her in the eyes and watched as she fell silent. Raising his hand, he gently tucked the flower over her ear, just like how Moonflower would.

Her cheeks began to flush red, but a smile quickly sprouted into place as he pulled back and gave her a gentle tap on the nose.

Her eyes closed, her body falling still. That wide smile was still there.

Whoosh

When the stream of lights faded and Ren looked back, he saw a butterfly the size of his head flitting about the two of them. Its turquoise wings seemed erratic in movement, yet it moved with a clear direction, not unlike how Nora was. She always had a clear goal - it's the execution that was always unexpected.

Finally the butterfly settled on the back of her shoulder and it folded its wings together for a brief moment. Then, in one mighty flash, it splayed them outward and electricity crackled through its body. Nora let out a surprised gasp as the raw energy coursed through her body.

It was perfect for her, just like how Moonflower was perfect for him. And when their eyes locked with each other, Ren could see that she felt the exact same way.