A/N: Whoo day 4 also late but not by much! Velvet and Cinder was an interesting dynamic with lots of possibilities. So naturally I make this silly and childish. But still, I am very proud of this piece. Silly yet a touch of... I wouldn't call it angst but definitely foreboding. Comments and criticism is encouraged as per usual. I promise to get today's up on time.
RWBY and its characters belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.
Velvet nervously rubbed her elbows as she shivered. She hated the cold more than anything. Well, that wasn't true but at this exact moment, it was the central object of her hatred. But that wouldn't last long.
Immediately after thinking that, she was shoved to the snowy ground to the sound of raucous laughter. She could feel the tears welling up but she pushed them down as she pushed herself up. Her body shook and not just from the spike in cold she felt, with the snow coating her face and, worst of all, her delicate ears. They really didn't like the cold, which may be why the young bunny girl was so adverse to it herself.
When she turned to see who her assailants were, they had already taken off, but she could still hear their names as they began their conversation within her extended earshot. Of course it was those five, she thought as she brushed the fluff off her oversized orange winter jacket.
Oh, how she hated this jacket; as if she didn't get enough teasing now she looked like a walking carrot. But no, her mother and father insisted that she wear it as it was a gift from her Aunt Clair. Aunt Clair, who always smelled funny and pinched her cheeks.
Velvet felt like her bubbling anger was helping melt the snow still clinging to her tall ears and tried to think of other stuff that made her angry as she massaged them. Maybe that would make it melt faster… Homework! Homework was awful! Miss Borealis always assigned a lot of it for math class… Miss Borealis! She was mean! She never picked her when she had her hand up but if Velvet didn't know the answer, she made sure to pick her.
"Looks like someone is steamed."
Velvet spun at the sudden voice in the white wasteland when she saw her. A woman with long flowing hair blacker than the burned toast her dad ate every morning. Those golden eyes of hers gleamed like stop lights that mommy told her meant 'go faster'. But most noticeable was her bright red dress against her pale white skin. The skin was purer than the snow which Velvet so thoroughly hated.
When she became a teenager and would reflect on this meeting, she realized to her great sorrow that the mysterious woman in red was her first true crush. The thought filled her with sadness and regret because she knew such a love was FORBIDDEN. All caps and everything.
However, in the past she was not familiar with the concept of a 'crush' or 'forbidden love'. She only knew that the woman who slowly walked towards her with her hips swinging side to side was awe-inspiring. She even stopped being angry for a split second. When the woman squatted down next to her, Velvet remembered she was supposed to be upset at the world and puffed out her cheeks.
"Yeah! So?"
The woman chuckled and patted the young girl on the head. "Is it because you are cold, you little carrot?"
The cheeks puffed out further. "Kinda," she muttered, angrily. "Also, I'm not a little carrot! I'm a future Huntress!"
"Oh my!" said the woman with that laugh that reminded Velvet of church bells. "Well aren't you a feisty little… Future Huntress. And what makes you want to do that?"
"Because then I can protect everyone from the Grimm!"
"Oh?" The woman arced an eyebrow and Velvet swore to this day she saw flames dance in her eyes. "Are you sure it isn't just to be stronger than everyone and get back at those bullies?"
Velvet blushed at the mention of her aggressors. "N-No! I wouldn't want to hurt anyone…"
"But aren't they the ones who made you upset? I saw what they did and it was rotten and cruel. They would deserve whatever they got, wouldn't you agree?" The softness in her voice was fading fast but Velvet failed to notice, for she had her own issues to worry about.
Velvet was unsure how to feel about the suggestion. This woman was right; the bullies were mean and awful. They pushed her around, they called her names, they grabbed her ears… Velvet's hands went back to stroking them subconsciously. But then she remembered what her parents had always taught her and looked the woman in the eyes. "No."
"No?"
"No." Velvet knew the answer now. "Then I'd be a mean jerk just like them. But I'm not a mean jerk! I want to help people. I want to make everyone feel better. Because there's a lot to be angry about. Like the Grimm, cold snow, and too much homework. But if everyone works together, we can make it better! My papa always taught me that a sword won't do much good to cover up a boo-boo; it'll only make more. There's too many boo-boos."
The woman laughed again but somehow it felt weaker. "So you want to protect everyone? An admirable goal, no doubt. But wouldn't you say that you could protect people by… dealing with certain unpleasant people?"
"No." Velvet knew deep down she was right and nothing this mysterious woman could do to convince her otherwise now. "People change. Not just by getting bigger but sometimes mean people become nice and that's not by hurting them. You don't make friends by hurting, even I know that!"
The woman stood up with a small smile on her lips. "You know a lot, Velvet. Now be a good little bunny and hop on home. I'm looking forward to hearing about you becoming a strong Huntress and protecting everyone. Maybe even me."
A strong blast of wind and snow made Velvet cover her face and, once it passed, she saw that the woman was gone. With questions flooding her young mind, she ran home through the snow, no longer angry but curious and proud. After all, she was going to be a Huntress; she was going to protect everyone. Mom. Dad. Little Sis Rosemary. Aunt Clair. Miss Borealis. The bullies. But especially the mysterious woman.