The moon hung high above the campus of Beacon Academy, illuminating its campus. The dorms were mostly filled with sleeping students or those who were trying to study in the quiet of the night, except for one dorm. The sounds of a wolf-like howl echoed through the stillness, keeping one second year Faunus girl named Hadia wide awake and cowering under her blankets.
"God, why d'ya have ta torment me like this right now? Can't that beast have a silent mode so that I can actually sleep? Ugh…" Hadia muttered under her breath in a mix of fear and annoyance. Her mind was spinning between her trauma from many years ago and ways to block the cursed sound when the dorm's door opened, allowing a boy standing 5'9" with blue hair and a white gauze over his left eye to walk into the room.
"…You are still awake, Hadia?" The boy stared at the bed where a hump of blankets resided.
"Yasu…? Jeez, again with the late-night trainin'? Ya're gonna burn yerself out." The blanketed figure responded but didn't turn around. Yasu then removed his golden cloak and his gauze, revealing a yellow-green eye that seemed to glow in the room illuminated by moonlight.
"That was not an answer to my question. You would have fallen asleep by this hour, so why are you still awake?"
"Sheesh, like ya need me ta answer...! There's no way ya haven't heard those howls." Hadia turned to give Yasu an irritated glare, which was met by a light sigh. He then walked over to the blanketed figure and removed the blankets, earning a surprised gasp from the glaring Faunus. Her cat-like ears parked up and her hair messily draped over her back as she tried to re-take the blankets with her blue eyes showing desire to get them back, only for the boy to place a hand on her shoulder and sit down with her.
"I suppose you are correct. You cannot listen to howls without hiding behind the nearest person or object due to your first encounter with the Grimm known as a Beowulf." Hadia nodded in response.
"Yup."
"So why not talk about the experience? It is supposed to help, correct?" Yasu gave Hadia a side glance, which was met by a small laugh.
"I've told ya the experience a few times already, Yasu. Hate ta burst yer bubble, but my trauma hasn't gotten any easier ta deal with. But since yer tellin' me ta share again, I'll give ya the short version!" She nudged him a few times before Yasu sighed and gave her a nod to tell her story.
"I led a group o' village kids on one o' our expeditions into a nearby forest, we found a cave that had a buncha neat things in it, a Beowulf shown up and attacked us, Rin, Jason and I were injured, the rest o' the kids somehow chased that killin' machine away, I healed quickly while Rin and Jason took longer ta heal up, I took up photo-takin' and I signed up ta become a Huntress." She tells the story in point-form, occasionally rocking back and forth while he shakes his head in disbelief.
"You claim that event was traumatic yet you tell it as though it had no effect on you."
"Can ya blame me? I've told ya and others this event so many times that retellin' it has gotten kinda dull. Thanks for makin' me feel bored when I talk about a traumatic event." Hadia puts on an exaggerated unimpressed look while staring at Yasu, who responds with rolling his eyes.
"It appears it worked, however. You are teasing me like normal, after all. Good night." He stands up to walk to his bed, but he's stopped by Hadia grabbing his hand.
"Can ya stay with me until I fall asleep, though? I feel a bit safer that way…" She refused to meet his gaze and he pats her head wearing a rare smile.
"I would rather not be tired while sitting in class tomorrow. If the leader is asleep during class, the other team mates should be writing notes to help their leader." Hadia kept her grip on Yasu's hand as she retrieved the blankets and flopped onto the mattress.
"I'll be asleep soon, then! There goes your chance to have a girl hang onto your arm all night!" She gave him a sly smile despite what her words said and Yasu shrugs.
"Good night, Hadia." After an hour, the Faunus girl fell asleep and the boy went to his bed to sleep. The howls failed to stir anymore students that night.
