This fic originally appeared as an earlier version in the DeviantArt RWBY Summer Contest 2015, competing among fanfics, among which it won a shared 3rd place.
The sounds of birds singing. The light, refreshing touch of wind on a hot day. The lush green of summer all around as a tall, blonde woman walks along a small, unmarked path towards a concealed cottage. As she nears her destination, a dark-haired, golden-eyed woman with a mischievous smile playing on her lips appears on the other side of a small fence. The blonde woman counts it's been 1 month, 3 days, 7 hours and 13 minutes since she last saw that face.
"So, you made it, Tight-ass."
Glynda frowns slightly at her old nickname, before responding "Well, it *is* my one good chance at taking some time off work for a while, Delinquent. How could I not use it?"
Cinder smiles fondly at the mention of her nickname, before giving Glynda a fierce hug which goes on for a while. Glynda leans down into the hug and buries her face in Cinder's hair, lost in the scent of her.
Eventually they separate and after a moment of gazing into each others' eyes, move towards the house, sitting in two chairs placed next to each other under a parasol on a small lawn in front of the cottage.
Golden eyes glance at green ones. "So, what have you been doing lately?"
"Well, you know how it is, work, work and more work. Almost more than even I want. Oh, and I saw Summer while on a mission not too long ago. She seemed pretty happy with Ruby, and Yang seems to be getting along with her new family. Yang seems to like being around Ruby quite a bit from what I could see, in fact."
Cinder gives her a small smile before looking away into the distance. "Well, it's nice to hear Summer is happy. That way at least some of us have a life of more than just fighting Grimm."
"Yes, ours is a life full of danger after all. Seeing one of us happy could maybe mean this world isn't as dark as we tend to think." Glynda hesitates for a moment, before continuing: "…Actually, I've been wondering if I shouldn't accept that offer of working with the Academy after all…It would be a nice change of pace from being a full-time Huntress and that kind of life has always been something I've enjoyed…"
Cinder smiles before replying: "Well, you always were the studious one of the two of us. I think that kind of life would probably suit you. At least then you'd be a little bit safer."
"Worried about my safety? Don't trust that I can keep myself safe, do you? You, who goes off on your own so often, leaving me worrying about whether you'll be coming back at all?"
Facing Glynda's stern reprimand, Cinder finds herself staring at the ground in a rare moment of embarrassment. Eventually Glynda sighs and lets it go, deciding to change the subject.
"Well, I guess that working with the Academy is something to consider at least. So, how about you? Anything interesting going on? No academic plans, I suppose?"
Cinder recovers herself from her embarrassment, letting out a nervous laugh. "Ha, I never was very good at school. I suppose I only managed to graduate because you pushed me and I didn't want to be left behind. I was always more interested in having fun and playing around."
"Yes, and disrupting *my* studies."
Cinder blushes slightly before blurting out "It was the only way to get you to spend time with me and take some time off, Stuck-up!"
A small flush appears on Glynda's cheeks as she sheepishly replies: "I suppose I was capable of getting overly focused on schoolwork…"
A moment of silence ensues as Glynda recovers from memories of their time at Beacon as well as all the times Cinder had to practically drag her out of the library by starting a fight...
Cinder uses the moment to think and calm herself down before replying to Glynda's earlier question: "Nothing much lately. A few missions is all. Though I did walk by another Faunus protest a few days ago. The White Fang even had a young little cat Faunus protesting with them."
She gives a small, exasperated sigh. "With the way our society treats them, the situation is only going to get worse. Soon, another generation of Faunus will grow up in a world that treats them as second-class citizens. They're only going to grow more desperate with things as they are. Maybe even violent. As if we need more enemies with Grimm around."
A frown appears on Glynda's face as Cinder speaks. "Yes, and companies like the Schnee Dust Company certainly don't help the situation with their treatment of the Faunus", she adds. "Slave labour and worse. It's appalling. I just hope one day someone is able to change the way the company works and maybe improve their relations with the Faunus. Otherwise the antagonism between the two factions is only going to get worse, probably quite soon."
Cinder sighs and gets up from her chair. "Well, I need something to drink right about now. How about you, want anything?"
"I could use some cold water, I think."
"Okay, I'll just go and fetch them from inside", says Cinder as she walks toward the little cottage.
A moment later, following a small flash of light and the smell of something burning, Cinder walks out carrying a cup of steaming coffee and a large glass of water.
"I guess the heat never really did bother you all that much..." Glynda comments, as Cinder hands her the glass of cold water, which Glynda gulps gulp down with relish.
"...Well, I guess it comes with having a semblance related to fire."
Cinder takes a moment to sip her coffee, clearly enjoying the scorching black liquid.
"So, the world isn't quite that bright yet, is it? Even on such a lovely, sunny day…"
"Unfortunately not", Glynda replies. "While we're on the subject of sad things, you heard about that one teacher at the Academy, right?"
"No, something happened there?"
"Yes, one of the teachers there died when one of the substances they were using as part of a routine medical operation triggered a severe allergic reaction, inducing a coma which he did not wake from. One of the teachers who taught us. The one who taught us how to move in battle and who taught us so many of the things we've come to rely on."
"Oh, the one with strange ninja reflexes whenever I tried to stealthily throw something at him in class? I never could figure out how he managed to always catch them and throw them straight back at my face."
A sombre mood fills the air as Glynda answers. "That's the one. Such a tragic loss. The classes he taught us were the most interesting in all my time at Beacon. …The way I heard people talk about him, he was a pretty wonderful person as well. He taught me quite a bit in a short amount of time."
"I'm sorry, I hadn't heard." Cinder's usual mischievous smile seems gone now, replace with a forlorn sadness. "His classes were the only ones I had full attendance in. I guess even I liked learning from him," Cinder adds thoughtfully.
Glynda continues with downcast eyes: "You just never know when something like that will happen. I just hope the teachers and staff at Beacon can keep moving forward without him and train the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses."
"Even though death is such a constant in our line of work, you're never really prepared when someone you know dies. I just hope we don't lose anyone else any time soon…
So the day passes by them as they catch up with each other's lives, reminisce about past school experiences like hiding the true nature of their relationship from everyone else at the Academy and sneaking out at night to go on a dates, as well as simply enjoying the sunny summer day by walking around the surrounding forest, before returning to their seats to rest again.
As evening nears, Glynda gets up, gives Cinder a small kiss and states: "Well, I guess I should be going, I've got to get back to work tomorrow and everything."
Cinder's mischievous smile returns, blazing brilliantly as she pulls Glynda into a sudden embrace and unveils her schemes: "Still the workaholic, Glynda? Well, *this* time I'm not letting you. Now that I have you here, you're not going anywhere for at least a few days. I am making you take a proper break whether you want to or not."
Glynda blushes for a moment as she struggles to find a way to say no to her lover's command and give some excuse for leaving, but eventually, she gives in. "Well, fine, if you insist", she murmurs.
Cinder gives a dazzling smile, full of victorious glee, before getting up and giving Glynda a small kiss on the cheek. "Well, I know I'm getting hungry enough for dinner, so I guess we'd better get to making it," she declares triumphantly.
They both get up and start to walk inside. As they walk towards the small cottage with a quickly darkening sky above them, Glynda wryly remarks: "You're going to use your semblance to make food again, aren't you? You know it's not really meant for such things…"
Cinder gives a small chuckle as she strikes a dramatic pose: "Oh no, my plans have been discovered!" Her eyes suddenly light up with a look resembling an intense, smouldering bonfire. "…Well, I suppose I'll have to make new ones then…ones that use my semblance in…other ways…"
Glynda glances at her golden-eyed lover with a worried look in her eyes. "I don't know if I'll be coming back here next year, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking…in fact, I'm sure of it."
Cinder smiles wickedly before giving Glynda a sudden, passionate kiss, making her jump slightly in surprise. After their lips part, Cinder whispers into her ear "Well, I'm sure I can think of some excuse to get you back here and relax a little…"
A surprised flush creeps onto Glynda's cheeks, before giving way to an attempt at a disapproving frown, which quickly turns into an exasperated smile. "You're too pretty to be angry at." She sighs. "Whatever *am* I going to do with you?"
Cinder smiles and breathes out "Oh…I can think of…quite a few things…" as they enter the cottage.