It was a particularly sunny day in the city of Vale and Glenn thought that this was a nice shift from the always too-cold rooms back at Beacon. He was glad that they were permitted to go to the city every once in a while, to enjoy what Vale has to offer for the students of Beacon. There were plenty of shops and cafes, as well as performances in the city square every once in a while. Glenn always frequents the book shop and the owner practically knows him by name and face.
The chime of the bell overhead the door announced his arrival and the smell of old books immediately hit him, an alluring scent for an intellectual such as he is. The old man who owned the shop smiled brightly once he saw the blonde student, putting down the stack that he was carrying down at the counter. "Ah, Mister Goodwitch! Its always a pleasure to see you." Said the shop owner. "Are you looking for new titles? I have stocks of the bestsellers as well as the classics."
Glenn responded with a small smile. "I'll just browse for now, thank you. But I'd love to see those titles too."
"Of course, just look around. You might find something you like." The book keep said, putting away the books from earlier into an empty shelf.
"As I always do." Glenn chuckled and began to browse through titles, reading the summaries at the back. It was the feeling of euphoria when he was around hardbounds and softbounds like this. He was at his key element and he can find peace in this. He could go on for hours on end, searching for books that he hasn't read yet or haven't seen before and pouring himself into those pages was some sort of therapy for him too.
In the end, he chose three hardbounds to take home with him; The Da Vinci Code, The Silence of the Lambs and Les Misarables. He paid for them, thanked the book keep and headed outside, thinking of what to have for dinner when suddenly, he walked right into a person; dropping his books in the process.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He immediately apologized, bending down to pick up the books. Just as he was about to pick up the last one, the person he bumped into was picking that one too-leading to them grabbing the book at the same time. Glenn felt their fingers brush against each other. He looked up to apologize again and found himself speechless. Right in front of him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Vivid and striking emerald eyes, topped with smoldering lashes and lined at the bottom with thick eyeliner, flowing ginger hair with bangs covering her right eye and pinkish lips. She wasn't a student from Beacon, since he had never seen her before. Breathe, Glenn. Breathe.
"I-I'm sorry, again." He found himself stammering, which was a first. He cursed silently.
But he found himself with burning cheeks as soon as the girl laughed softly. "It's alright." She let go of his book and Glenn sorted it back to the pile. "I wasn't looking where I was going too."
For once, Glenn couldn't utter a single word or a sound. He could only nod, as he found himself just staring at her. Taking in her form.
The girl smiled at him. "What's your name?"
"G-Glenn." He cleared his throat and stood up straight, wanting to get his composure back. "Glenn Goodwitch."
"Romana." She thrusts her hand out to him and he reached forward to give her a firm handshake. He noted on how warm and soft her hand was. How delicate she seemed. She let go and started to walk away, waving goodbye. "You be careful now."
Glenn was still at awe. There was something about her that he felt drawn to, but he wasn't sure what it was or how to explain it. He was still gawking at her, and he thought to himself that he couldn't let an opportunity like this pass. He may never see her again, after all. He shook his head, gathering up the courage to speak up again. He followed her. "Wait!"
Romana stopped walking, turning back to face him. "What is it?"
Glenn didn't know how to ask people out, especially how to ask a girl out he just met in the street a couple of moments ago. He wasn't exactly suave like the boys in Beacon. He was known for being strict and cold. And for him to easily melt like this in front of a woman was an all too different feeling. He willed his knees to stop shaking for once and wished that he didn't look like a fool. "W-would you like to go out for dinner? With me?"
Romana looked at him rather skeptically, and Glenn knew that she was sizing him up. A blonde boy with dull green eyes wearing wiry glasses; nothing special or out of the ordinary. He was sure that she would reject him. And of course, he was prepared if that was the case.
"Sure, why not, sweetheart?"
Glenn waited two heartbeats to allow himself to breathe again. Did he hear that right? Romana was smiling at him, her emerald eyes gleaming. "Pardon?"
"I said I'd love to have dinner with you." Romana said, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her pants.
Glenn wasn't prepared for this one. His eyes widened at what he just heard, his lips stretching to a big smile. "T-that's wonderful then!" he shifted the books so he could cradle it in his left arm. "So, where do you want to go?"
"I know a place." She said, and her tone of voice hinted at something Glenn wasn't sure what to make of.
It was a small café, in a rather obscure area near the docks. The sun was just setting and it bathed Vale in a blood orange color. It seeped through the windows of the café, which Glenn admired. It was charming and vintage. The air smelled of roasting coffee beans and soft jazz was playing in the background. The walls were decorated with vinyl records and strings of fairy lights and posters. The shelves held books and other knick-knacks, like old wooden alphabet blocks and ornaments. A minivan was converted to serve as the bar itself. He and Romana sat at one of the tables by the window, and he could barely make eye contact with her.
Romana ordered a latte and scones while he had black coffee and a blueberry muffin. It was hardly called dinner, but either way, he liked her company. It turns out, she wasn't even from Vale, but from Mistral.
"So you're studying at Haven?" he asked, curious as to what it was like there.
Romana shook her head. "No, but I am going to apply there soon. But I'm sure its not anything like Beacon. I hear it's the best combat school there is."
Glenn took a sip from his coffee. "It is. The extensive training is enough to make strong teams and powerful Huntsmen."
Romana cradled her chin with her hand, staring at him intently. "I'm going to guess that you're really powerful and skilled, seeing as you attend at Beacon."
"I'm…decent." Glenn said, thinking about his failures during combat from time to time. "But what about you?"
"I have some…very special skills, if I do say so myself." She took a bite from her scone. "Not enough for Beacon though."
"And why is that?"
"Its not for me." She chuckled. "Not a path I would choose."
Glenn thought that she was an enigma, a woman shrouded in so many mysteries that he would love to one day uncover one by one.
He didn't notice the next two hours passing by and didn't remember how they had ended up by the docks. The air smelled salty and the winds were strong. From a distance, Glenn could make out the outlines of cruises and cargo ships. He glanced over to Romana, whose hair was billowing around her. Her eyes were as captivating as ever. She caught him looking, which Glenn responded to by blushing and turning away. They haven't spoken a word since the café and now a wall of silence was between them. He wasn't sure how to make small talk again. What would they talk about- the fish? He turned his head to face her and ask more about Haven when he found himself an inch away from Romana's face. She was shorter and he had to look down to meet her eyes. Those piercing emerald orbs of hers.
His own eyes widened, heat spreading across his entire face. "You really have such lovely eyes, Glenn." She said softly, only for him to hear. Glenn felt his heart drum against his chest. It was thundering in his ears. His glasses pressed against the bridge of his nose. "Romana?"
"I'm sorry," she giggled, sending his stomach into knots. "I just," she leaned in closer, and he felt her lips brush against his, sending shivers down his spine. And it wasn't the bad kind. "Want to leave a remembrance before I go." And with that, she closed the gap between them by sealing her lips with his.
Glenn stood there, frozen in shock. He had never kissed a girl before and never had a girl kissed him. Her lips were warm and soft and Glenn wanted to melt then and there. Romana placed her hands on his waist and he did the same, firmly holding her against him. His eyes fluttered to a close. He didn't want this to end.
Not like this.
Sadly, it did. Romana pulled away, her own cheeks tinted red. "I'll see you around." She said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently. "Thank you for today, Glenn."
Glenn smiled gently at her. "See you."
Romana gave him one last smile, a smile that he would never ever forget, then walked away, hips swaying with every step.
Glenn felt like he was going to burst with joy after that. He wondered if he would actually see her again, maybe he would go to Mistral and visit her there too. He chuckled to himself, the memory of the kiss not fading. He leaned against the wooden bars and sighed. Today was a great day. He figured he might go back to the café and buy himself some coffee again.
He reached for his wallet that was on his back pocket but felt nothing. A bit confused, he pats his trousers, but finding nothing. Maybe he left it at the café, or the bookstore. He panicked, realizing that his wallet contained his weekly allowance and card.
Then it dawned to him. Why Romana's hands were on his waist. His panic was replaced with rage. "That sneaky thief-!" he wanted to yell, but caught himself. Not wanting to act rash. He searched for her, but she was already gone.
Why did he even trust her? That kiss was nothing but a distraction to steal from him! He wanted to yell, wanted to throw something. Anything. He wondered if he should report this to the police without them laughing at him for being so gullible. Curse Romana and her goddamned beautiful eyes.
As he pat his pockets once more, he felt something on his back pocket. Something thin and solid. He pulled it out to see that it was a playing card- the Queen of Hearts. He was confused on how that got there but saw something written at the back.
'See you real soon. Xoxo, R.'
Despite getting tricked by a woman like her, despite having his money stolen (he can always contact his parents and explain what happened and then cancel the card anyways), he smiled. It was still a reminder that someone like her existed. May she be good or bad.
Glenn stared at the card again, shaking his head. "Queen of Hearts? More like the Thief of Hearts." He laughed. "What a fitting name for you."
And he was sure that he would see her again. But the next time, as a Huntsman to track her down.
A/N: I just love, love experimenting with stories that can actually work. Especially this one, and it's quite a doozy work for me (seeing as I've run dry short of ideas MONTHS ago). How did you like the pairing? Was it good or bad?
Because I like the idea of the good and the bad mixing together (especially Genderbend Roman and Glynda).
What do you think, do they work well together or should I scrap the pairing?
-Blair
