Chapter 25: Deal
"I have an idea."
Adam lifted his head, looking at the girl who sat opposite him, eating her share of fish with carrots and potatoes. After Ruby's little visit, she had resumed making dinner and they were now both consuming their meal, eating in silence like most of the time. It was when he was about to take some more fish when the girl in front of him uttered the words. He paused his movement and looked at her.
"What would that idea be?" he questioned, curious what she had in mind.
"How about we make a deal?"
He was confused. What kind of deal would she be thinking about? And why would she even want to make one? He stayed quiet and waited for her to explain her proposition and this so-called deal that she had in mind.
"I teach you how to treat Grimm so that they won't kill you…"
He lifted his eyebrows. It would definitely come in handy if he knew how to deal with the creatures and would spare him a lot of time which would usually be spent fighting them. But if she was going to show him something, then she must have something in mind that he could teach her.
"…and you teach me some fighting."
So that's what she has in mind, he mused.
"What kind of fighting?"
"Just some normal things. Like some kicks, punches and other moves that you can do. I know that you're a good fighter, so I figured that I could learn some things from you," she cleared up, looking at him expectantly.
"Why would you say that?" He had never been fighting with her nor met this girl before, so how could she tell that he was good at it.
"Isn't it obvious? You managed to survive a Grimm attack in which you were clearly outnumbered. Plus, I figured that the White Fang wouldn't have some incompetent people be high-ranked members. I think I can learn some things from you, if you're willing to accept."
He contemplated her offer. It certainly would not hurt to show her some moves, of course not the really good ones. He would keep those to himself. But still… He did trust her more, yes, but he was still wary. If he had learned one thing after being in the White Fang for so long, then it was to never let your guard down. People could seem to be totally harmless, but they could also stab you in the back first chance they got. Spike had always told him to never trust people, especially humans, completely. He had said it so often that it was now drilled into Adam's head and he didn't doubt the words.
As an afterthought she added, "I guess it's better than just sitting around and doing nothing."
This, however, got him hooked on. She had a point; it would do him no good just sitting and waiting to be able to return to HQ. He was bored and welcomed the chance of getting outside and actually doing something productive. Plus, he wouldn't be the only one to give something. She would show him just how she managed getting those monsters under control and he was, if he was honest with himself, very curious about how she did it.
Serena watched the male contemplate over her offer. She had wanted to ask him this and with the current condition of his wound, she figured that some physical activity was okay, as long as he didn't overdo it. And if she was honest, she had wanted to teach him how to handle Grimm. He had been hurt so bad by them that she figured it would only help if he knew how to avoid such injuries in the future. And she would also be able to learn some real fighting, not just some kicks mixed in with her gymnastics.
In her conscience, she knew that she was only looking for a way for him to stay a little longer and actually remember her. She enjoyed his company, even if they did not talk as much as she did with Ruby, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. It was nice having someone there when you woke up and to eat dinner with you. Only now did she realize just how lonely she had actually been these past three months.
"Alright," he finally said and she shouted a small 'yay!', jumping up from her seat, almost spilling her dinner on the floor and on her pants. He looked at her owlishly and she blushed a little at the sudden outburst, clearing her throat and sitting down again.
"I mean, good. What should we start with?" she asked, trying to recompose herself, reverting back to the calm facade she usually had. "I guess it would be best to start with the Grimm. Just in case your wound hasn't healed enough for the fighting. I don't want it to reopen," she said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly at the possibility.
"Sure, whatever you say doc."
Serena blushed at the comment and smirk that she got from him, quickly going back to eating her fish. They finished up and she showed him where the pond was before leaving him alone, placing a towel and a pair of boxers, that she had bought with a lot of blood rushing to her face, on a tree branch that hung near it.
"Just call if there's something," she said, disappearing back behind the trees and reentering her home. Adam quickly took off his clothes, mindful not to touch his chest and wadded into the water. Sinking down, the wound stung a little but it subsided after a few minutes and he relaxed, enjoying the feel of the warm water on his skin. He really had missed taking a bath.
He looked around a little. She really had it nice here. The pond was big, the waterfall creating a soft, constant music and the trees hiding it from view, although he did doubt that there were many passerby's around here. Grabbing a little bottle that had 'shampoo' written on it, he squeezed some of it into his hand, noticing the floral scent that wafted into his nose.
She's a girl alright, he thought before starting to rub the liquid into his hair, his horns peaking into his hands slightly. Going to the small waterfall, he put his head under it, letting the water rush over it.
He mentally asked himself what had made him call her 'doc' and give her that smirk. He was getting too close to her and he told himself that he should keep his distance. He would soon be back in the White Fang HQ and she would be nothing more than a distant memory. But he still had to say that he did not mind her company as much as he had thought he would at the beginning. She was friendly and kind, always calm and had, after all, saved his life. He guessed that he owed her, which was also probably what had led him to agree to her offer.
Finishing up, he put on his clothes again, drying his hair with the towel that she had left behind. When he got back, she was sitting by the fire again, staring off into the flames. At the sound of him putting the towel near the fire, she looked up and smiled slightly, although he did not know what for.
"You're done," she said, eyes fixing on his hair that was still a little damp. "Let me check your wound."
Knowing the drill, he sat down on the bed and let her do her work, noticing how carefully she unwrapped the bandages. She seemed to know some medicine which surprised him, considering she was still so young and had not studied it at all.
"It's all okay. I'll give you another bandage and with some luck, it will be healed in about a week. Let me see your head. It should have healed by now."
She moved her hands up, touching the knot that was at the back of his head and kept the bandages in place. Loosening it, she unwrapped them and looked at his forehead. The wound had completely healed and only a faint scar indicated where it had once been. She nodded to herself, satisfied that she hadn't messed it up.
"All good here. There's only a small scar left, but other than that it's all healed up. I guess the only thing left is your chest wound. After that one has healed, you can go back home," she told him, discarding the used bandages in the fire. Even with her back turned to him he did not miss the hint of sadness that snuck its way into her voice at the last sentence. He could understand; she would be all alone again with only the Grimm as her company and that girl visiting sometimes.
It must be lonely, all alone…
He shook his head, clearing it of the thought. He did not feel empathy for her nor did he care for her. She re-wrapped his torso in a clean set of bandages and told him that she would go to sleep.
"Same here," he said. Lying down, he pulled the blankets over himself, hearing her do the same and soon dozed off, wondering what she had in store for him tomorrow.
A/N: I do not own RWBY or its characters. I do, however, own my OC Serena and any other OCs that appear in this story.
Thank you for the reviews; I'm getting more with every new chapter which makes me pretty happy. Keep 'em coming!
So, she's going to teach him some things about Grimm. Well, I hope you're looking forward to the next chapters. I can't believe that I already wrote 25 chapters. And I'm not even done yet! Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated as always and thank you to all the people who followed/favorited this story.