Timeless Awakening

Bribery

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Anoel quietly pushed her way into their master bedroom before closing the door behind her. Things didn't sound like they were settled yet.

"G, what is it about combat schools that puts you off?" Anoel saw both Ly and Gina sat on the foot of the bed, Ly's hand holding the younger girl's own as she spoke.

Gina's chin dipped slightly as she shrugged a little, turning her gaze to the wooden floor and sighing. "I don't know… I guess I prefer the thought of exploring the world over being stuck in a classroom. It's just… not something I can see myself enjoying…"

Ano knew that feeling.

"Yeah… I know what you mean, but have you ever considered them as an experience in and of themselves?" Ly asked in return, smiling as she squeezed Gina's hand.

The girl shook her head as her eyes assumed a dark green hue, decorated with flecks of yellow.

Those eyes turned to Ano standing in the doorway, their yellow specks fading as she made eye contact.

"It's better than you might think, especially if you have a reason to be there," Ano said, slowly making her way into the room. "If you have a good reason, attending the school itself feels less restraining on you."

She came to a stop just beside the two on the edge of the bed, softly taking a seat beside her wife to avoid trapping Gina between the two of them.

Gina's brow furrowed as she sighed again. "I get that, but that's just it. I don't have a reason to attend… I can already fight, know how to control my Semblance and Affinity… and it's not like I have any friends attending either."

Anoel and Ly shared a glance for a moment before Ano slipped her hands around her wife's closest arm, resting her head on Ly's shoulder as she looked at Gina.

"Do you want a reason?"

The girl stared at her blankly for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. "N-Not really… I like exploring…"

"I know you do, just like your mother," Ano continued, her voice growing softer as she spoke.

"And father…" Ly tacked on casually.

The phoenix nodded to that too. "But… we'd like to give you a reason to join, if you're willing."

Yellow returned to Gina's eyes in full as she hesitantly nodded. "O-Okay…"

Anoel bit the inside of her cheek for a moment before smiling softly, lifting her head from her wife's shoulder to pop the question.

"We're transferring Ira to Beacon this year in time for the start of the Semester. We… want someone she's close with to go with her. And…"

"We thought of you," Ly finished softly.

"I… had a feeling that this was going to transition into a big choice…" Gina mumbled, grabbing hold of her arm with her other hand.

Her wandering gaze fell to the floor again as her grip tightened a little. But in the wake of her distracted thoughts she finally let out a question. "Is there a catch? With me joining?"

"I'll let you explain this one, Ano," Ly said as she turned her head slightly.

"Just that you be on her team to help her. And I don't want another bullying problem. Other than that…" Ano said with a sigh, glancing to Ly. "No catch."

She still didn't look convinced, if the grimace she was trying to hide was any indication.

"I-I want to help her, but… I don't know if I can just jump into a school when I've never been to one before…" the girl replied meekly.

"G, listen, we both understand that making such a huge change in your routine - or lack thereof - is something you'd find uncomfortable," Ly said.

The blonde wife sighed before leaning forward and guiding Gina's chin to face her, bringing their gazes closer together. "But Ira needs someone who knows her to be there. For her peace of mind. You know how she gets with strangers, and even more so with unfamiliar environments. We're asking you, because you are among the very small handful of people that she is unquestionably comfortable with."

"The twins would try to go with her if we brought it up to them, but we're planning to keep it a secret. At least for now," Anoel added. "But you can also think of the resources too that you'll have there. Things your father doesn't let you play with."

That comment sparked a very noticeable change in Gina's demeanour, a small light in her eyes flashed as she relaxed a little.

Like her mom, she was very bad at hiding her body language. Very bad.

"Lots of valuable, rare materials to play with, for free," Ly added, a smirk forming on her lips.

She was cracking.

"All paid for by Beacon and its respective sponsors."

It was working.

Gina was fidgeting in her spot on the bed, her fragile walls faltering against the pressure of two silver-tongued troublemakers. Who were married.

"And a comfortable source who has connections in the four kingdoms who can get you anything you ask for," Anoel tacked on.

Ano moved herself from behind Lylac to sit between her and Gina, carefully leaning toward the girl and brushing her nose against her cheek to whisper into her ear. "Anything~"

Orange filtered into Gina's eyes as she tried to avoid making eye contact, redness beginning to dust on her cheeks at the sudden close proximity.

"I-I…"

Ly caught on to what Ano was doing and maneuvered herself to the other side, keeping her face close to Gina's in an effort to increase the peer pressure just to the point of her caving.

"Just try to imagine what you could make with a seemingly unlimited supply of free, high-quality resources," she said slowly, layering it on thick. "And the opportunity to acquire more with just a simple request…"

Gina's fluster doubled in intensity, enough for the two women to feel the heat radiating from her cheeks as she tried in vain to resist.

And in the midst of her infirmity, she finally choked out a response.

"O-Okay! Y-You win!" she sputtered, her eyes clamping shut. "I-I'll join Beacon!"

"Only if you want to," Anoel said, voice sounding as if they didn't just solicit a young girl into complying by bribing her.

"It's for Ira, isn't it?" Gina asked meekly as she released a tightly held breath, bringing herself to look at Ano. "I guess if she really needs it, I can help."

"It is… we're just trying to make it more comfortable for her," Anoel replied, turning her gaze back to her wife see a relieved look. It seemed they were sharing that relief.

"We just want to make sure the transition for her is as smooth as it can possibly be, but don't think for a second that we're not taking your feelings into account as well," Ly spoke softly, moving back slightly as she placed a gentle hand on Gina's shoulder. "Ultimately, the decision is up to you sweetie, but we wouldn't be so persistent if we knew that Ira would be okay without you. You're like the twin she never had, so it'd make sense if she wanted you to be there with her as she makes this step too."

"It'll also give you a reason to stick around more too," Ano said, resting her chin back onto Ly's shoulder as she drew her legs up onto the bed. "Visit some family more frequently, spend time with Arex and Kit, and your cousins, who you already know will be dying to visit Beacon to see you two."

Gina fidgeted on the bed, making herself more comfortable as she let out a sigh. "I guess there's that too. I'm just not sure if I'll like being at a school as much as I like being outdoors."

"You'll never know until you try it," Ly spoke up as she let more of her weight settle into Ano. "It's like what we tell the girls, there's a first time for everything."

"And to wash their wings," Anoel added lightly.

"And behind their ears," Ly spoke, gently poking at Ano's cheek as she leaned into her more, the phoenix's arms finding their way around her waist. "Speaking of which, you're free to use the shower, assuming it's vacant. I'm sure you've worked up quite a sweat today burning everything in your path."

Gina's lips curled into a little smile as gold filtered into her dark green irises. "Yeah… I got a little carried away today…"

The girl slowly stood from her seat on the foot of the bed. "I'll try to not use all the hot water, just in case someone else wants to use it."

"Honey, we invested in a water source with that already in mind," Ano replied, nestling herself into her wife's body before tucking her face lightly against Ly's neck. "The majority of this family has wings. Long showers and baths are the bare minimum here."

Ly chuckled lightly. "Worst case scenario, I'll just throw Ano in the tank."

"Or just heat up the water yourself if you choose to take a bath. Either or," Ano quickly retorted, eyeing her wife playfully before beginning to nip at her collarbone.

Gina awkwardly watched the display of affection as her feet slowly shuffled toward the bedroom door. "I-I'll keep all that in mind…"

Still didn't stop Ano and Ly from spotting the small blush on her cheeks and flash of amber in her eyes before she promptly left the room.

"She's cute when she blushes," Anoel commented idly, moving her lips up to graze the side of Ly's neck. "I already have her school admission form, by the way. We just need signatures."

"Don't tell me you forged the rest of it," Ly commented, holding out her hand expectantly.

Ano lightly reached into her back pocket and withdrew the folded parchment in an unsealed envelope, dropping it into Ly's hand before returning her own back around Ly's small waist.

"Forged? Honey, it probably looks that way with what I had to write under Gina's accomplishments…"

Ly unfolded the open envelope and pulled out the sheet nestled inside. "Let's see what you've put then…"

Her eyes scanned the rest of the application before drawing back to the accomplishments category. "Ano…" she spoke clearly, the slightest hint of an admonishing tone in her voice. "Cute doesn't count as an accomplishment… neither does 'really good at card games'."

"I figured Ozpin would be suspicious after I listed off the long number count of huntsman missions she's already done and towns she's helped," Ano murmured, smiling a little more as she lifted her head from where she buried it. "Little lighthearted things. They're both true."

Ly smirked as she lightly shook her head with a sigh. "I can speak to Ray and Scarlet about getting their signatures. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Not at all. I can fly you there if you need," Ano offered. "Might need one from Arex too, but I'm not sure how that legality would play out."

"Better get it anyway, just to be safe," Ly argued. "She's just as responsible for Gina as they are."

"As the only contributor to Gina's Phoenix genes, I should hope so," Anoel whispered back, wrapping her arms a little tighter around Ly.

Ly pulled away slightly from Ano to eye her skeptically. "Is that a pride thing for you, sweetie?"

"Not for me," Anoel argued back. "For Arex. But… also yes."

The phoenix's cheek was gently kissed as Ly folded the application and slid it back inside the envelope. "I thought so. It's better we go and get all three then."

"I'm happy to help with that," Anoel offered back, smiling from the peck before dipping forward and stealing her own kiss from Ly's lips. "Now come on, let's get ready for bed so I can cuddle you for real."


Astra laid awake in bed, unable to sleep due to excess energy.

Nothing new there…

The little phoenix quietly played on her scroll, having dimmed the screen and turned the sound all the way down to its bare minimum as she was cuddled into Ira.

But she was getting bored.

Platinum blonde hair brushed against the pillow as she turned to her twin beside her, eyeing her out of curiosity to see if she'd stirred at all.

For some reason, the sisters had all agreed to sleep in Ira's bed, starting from biggest to smallest, with Astra stuck in the middle.

Cool blue eyes regarded her twin silently sleeping on her side, nestled into both the covers and Astra's right wing.

The girl didn't mind though, that's how they'd always slept.

Ira was comfortably wrapped inside her other wing, fast asleep.

Astra kept her eyes on Aaryn for a few seconds before turning back to her scroll and sighing. She closed it, having played the same game for a while now.

"Are you gonna pretend to be asleep for much longer? I'm thirsty…" she whispered, waiting for a response.

Aaryn's nestled head shifted slightly in its place before going still again. "Want me to get you water?"

"Please. Ira's got me trapped and I don't wanna wake her up. Water will be fine," Astra replied in a hushed voice.

"Ice too?" Aaryn asked quietly, pushing her small hands into the bed as she lifted herself up slightly.

Her twin hummed to respond negatively. "Too cold, just normal tap water please."

"Okay." The phoenix closest to the edge slid herself out of the thick comforter and touched her feet to the ground, eyes finally peering open to glance across the room.

After a moment and a yawn, she got up and padded her way across the room, slipping into Ira's bathroom to find a couple paper cups in her closet.

Taking two of them, she quietly filled the cups up then padded back to the bed, crawling back into her warm spot next to her twin before offering her the drink.

"Not tired yet?" Aaryn asked distractedly, settling her back into the headrest of the bed to drink her own water.

Astra took a sip of hers before shaking her head, shuffling ever so slightly to match Aaryn's position without disturbing Ira. "I didn't do much today, aside from flying with you and mom."

Aaryn grimaced at that as she lethargically curled her legs in, tucking herself into her pillow situated just behind the small of her back. "Don't remind me…"

Astra turned to face her twin with emerald green eyes. "Why are you awake? You pretty much collapsed at the dinner table."

The twin sitting against her pillow took a silent sip from her water, tired eyes staying nothing more than little slivers of color. "I like falling asleep when you do."

"Didn't have much difficulty earlier… there something you're not telling me?" Astra remarked with the raise of a delicate brow.

"Naps are different," Aaryn replied, lifting her lips away from the rim of her cup. "They're shorter."

"And…?" Astra pushed for more out of her sister.

Aaryn's reply came out in a soft, tiny grumble. "It helps me sleep for longer when you're doing it with me."

Astra's lips curled into a little smirk as she raised her cup to take another sip of water, pausing right before she did. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

The girl in question mumbled against her own little paper cup again before taking another sip from it. "Think you'll be able to sleep soon?"

Astra shrugged before letting her cup rest against her lap, both hands still clasped around it. "I don't know. Probably not. I could go for a run right now, but moms don't like it when we go out later than usual."

Aaryn finished her water and quietly rested it on the nightstand, tucking her legs up against her chest this time to rest her cheek against her knees. "Wanna do something else then?"

Astra's eyes filled with a bright yellow as she curiously glanced at her. "Like what? My wing is still stuck. So, it's safe to say I'm not getting out of this bed."

"We can play something together on our scrolls if you want," Aaryn offered lazily, the lethargy in her body still prominent from training. "But you were already playing that game for two hours, so I doubt it…"

"Mm… I want to sleep, but I can't with all this stupid energy…" Astra whined, quickly finishing the rest of her water before handing the cup over to Aaryn.

The second cup joined the first on the nightstand before Aaryn sighed quietly, starting to poke softly at Astra's wing with her fingers. "Is it too much for me to work out of you with a massage?"

Astra shrugged before slowly lowering herself into the covers again. "You're welcome to try, but I can't promise it'll work."

Aaryn was too tired to think of anything else they could do with Astra pinned there, so she lightly slid her legs back into the covers and moved herself down too. But she transitioned into a little crawl to situate herself just at Astra's side, gazing down at her for a moment with a tired gleam in her eyes.

"If it doesn't work, we can just play cards or something," Aaryn offered.

"You realise that means you have to go and get everything?" Astra questioned as she stared back up at her. "And that means moving, which you're bad at."

"Or I could just sleep on top of you until morning," Aaryn offered instead, giving her twin a small glare.

"Okay… you win…" Astra mumbled quietly, recoiling at the cruel suggestion.

"Good. Now lie still and relax," Aaryn finished, moving her knees to open up more of Astra's wing. "And at least try to fall asleep while I do this, okay?"

Astra closed her eyes as she nodded, letting her wing grow lax under her twin.

After a while, the twins fell asleep with a deck of cards next to them, and with Aaryn lying on top of Astra anyway for winning.


The door to Ira's bedroom slowly and subtly creaked open as I pushed my way through, careful to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the room's slumbering occupants.

I originally intended to come here for something far more nefarious…

I had planned to leave Aaryn a children's horror story for her to read as retaliation for playing me by having me stay in her room specifically so I could leave her the books of mine she was interested in.

But the more I thought about it, the less able I was to justify doing it without even verifying the facts I had surmised. I still wanted to leave another book for her to read… one which was closer to this time period so she wouldn't need a translator book to read it.

That's when I got the idea for my current plan. It hit me that as Phoenix children, they were quite literally an element of the world lost to time. So I'd just give her another piece of forgotten history to read about…

Something from a life I used to live.

I quietly padded through the room, the book firm in my grip, before placing it lightly on the desk.

But even with all my caution, I picked up the faintest sound of a body shifting on the bed. My hand slowly lifted away from the book I left on the desk as I glanced over, regretfully spotting out a blonde head lifting up with tiredly blinking, half-lidded eyes looking to the window.

Thin streams of sunlight were filtering through the closed curtains, so the girl was likely spotting out the time through nature's wakeup call. But those eyes eventually dragged across the room to spot me out, standing awkwardly by the desk and caught in the act.

Thankfully, I only seemed to have woken up the one. Ira and Astra were still sound asleep, lying next to and beneath their sister on the bed without a care as to what was happening outside of their dreams.

Mostly safe.

I turned my attention back to Aaryn, flashing her a slightly nervous smile, calling out to her in a whisper.

"Yo. Thought I'd pop in and offer you some more reading material. It's another one which has been lost to time," I said, holding the volume up for her to see. "I have the only copy left on the planet, but since it looks like I'll be staying a while, I don't see the harm in lending it to you. You'll treat it with the care it deserves."

The tired gaze in Aaryn's eyes seemed to melt away for a moment as she glanced to the book I held, the blanket resting over her starting to get nudged away as she slipped out of the covers.

Guess the book really caught her attention, considering she moved pretty diligently to slide out of bed and pad her way over to me, interest fixed on its title.

"Edge of Destiny…" she muttered quietly to herself, tenderly opening the cover to the first page. "Sounds like an old name. Because it's kinda corny."

I looked down at her with a smile before patting her on the head and ruffling her hair. "Don't blame the bookkeeper, she didn't write it. But yeah, it's pretty bad… and that one is far from the worst offender of that time period, trust me."

"I guess that's fair," Aaryn whispered, eyes flicking over the beginning prologue to get an idea of what the rest of the book was going to feel like. "You really don't mind if I read it?"

"As long as it's not damaged by the time you return it, it's totally fine," I replied, shrugging my shoulders as my hand fell back to my side. "Knock yourself out, kiddo. See if you can spot anything familiar."

"Familiar?" Aaryn asked distractedly back, picking out that one word in what I responded with. The girl seemed to finish the prologue now, eyes stopping at the first chapter's title before softly closing the book.

My grin widened. "Here's a hint: pay attention to the appearance of the main character. Something about it will remind you of someone you know."

A hum started the girl's own reply as I watched her delicately take the book into her arms, her eyes starting to look around for something in the room. "I'll keep that in mind. Is it obvious?"

Her quiet question punctuated her starting a silent walk to what she just spotted, the girl finding her way to Ira's dresser to pull out a pair of black, fluffy looking socks.

She was definitely still tired, but I guess that tiny lost look could be attributed to her still reminding herself that she'd fallen asleep in her sister's room. And not her own.

Which brought me to my next thought.

Ira has fluffy socks?

I had to admit, it was hard to picture that… but not impossible. The thought of her wearing them on a rainy day… shit, I needed to stop fantasizing. The kid asked me a question, didn't she?

"Well, it'll be obvious to you, yeah," I answered after shaking my head briefly to clear it of my less than pure thoughts. "Considering how easy to spot this detail it is."

I caught the tiniest of nods coming from the girl as she rested the book down, taking her careful hands off it for just long enough to sit on the floor and put on the thick socks she found. Once they were on, Aaryn's first action, before even standing up, was to pick up the book and open it.

Part of me wondered if she had an auto-pilot mode like I did when my nose was stuck in a book, the girl tracing the words on the first page as she maneuvered past me and slipped out the door.

Probably on her way downstairs to find a proper reading place.

Come to think of it, the soft startings of rainfall began to pelt the window on the adjacent wall of the room, behind Ira's curtains.

Guess the wilderness is getting mad at me for sleeping in a house the past few days… or approving of it, and this was just a way to keep me inside…

Curiosity got to me before I could leave, admittedly. So just as I was closing the door silently behind my exit, I took the tiniest of a scan of that sock drawer Aaryn had pulled that pair of socks from.

And I'd be lying if I didn't feel a tiny twinge of excitement knowing Ira had more pairs in there.


Co-Author: A New Username

Co-Author: HydraFlow


X: Fluffy socks.

User: Yeah, Kamiko's definition of impure thoughts is reeeeeeeeeeeeally skewed.

X: I like fluffy socks. They're cute.

User: I almost never wear socks in general anymore to be honest. I'm always wearing Crocs.

X: *trying not to look judging* Fair. I lounge in socks.

User: I used to, but then wearing socks started making my feet sweat, which made them colder than if I went barefoot. Anyway, should we actually talk about the chapter?

X: *doesn't really sweat much* Oh, the chapter? Nah.

User: *envies you* Well, fair enough. So, what's your favorite color fluffy sock?

X: Black. You can never go wrong with a color that's both sleek and flattering. But at the same time, it can also be really cute and pop too, like a pink or teal or animal theme.


Omake: Subtlety


Ira was the last to wake up. It didn't take Astra long to roll out of bed after finally being freed from her sleeping twin sister's choice of 'using her as a mattress for beating her in Go Fish'.

But it ultimately left Ira to wake up alone.

The raven-haired girl curled her legs into the empty spot beside her and drew her pillow down to hug for another few stray minutes of dozing, soaking up the lingering warmth from the sheets beside her.

After a while, little lime green slivers blinked open and she blearily looked to the window to see streams of water pouring down the glass between the crack in the curtains.

Rain…?

And yesterday was such a nice day, too.

A quiet little groan slipped from her lips as she pushed herself up, her comforter slipping from her shoulder before she felt a yawn tug out of her throat.

Right…

The girl slid out of bed at hearing some quiet bustling coming from downstairs, wondering if everyone was already awake. And if she were being honest, she didn't have the energy to change out of her night shirt and short-shorts.

But she could at least throw something onto her feet.

The floor was cold.

And it was rainy outside.

Rubbing her eyes, Ira wandered over to her dresser and opened the top drawer… only to find it empty.

What? Her bleary eyes blinked for a moment before closing it, tugging the next one down open too.

Empty.

All that was left was a single pair of fluffy black socks.

Guess she didn't have a choice in the matter…

Somebody stole all her normal ones.