The next day came before Roy knew it. His sleep had been fitful the night before; the result of the uneasy air that had settled over the house. Aster and his teammates had all packed their belongings before they'd gone to bed, everyone making sure nothing was left behind. If anything was left, they wouldn't be able to come back for it.
The four of them were currently standing in front of the cabin as Sharon passed out their packs. "I made up a little ration packet for each of you," she said, "they should last about 5 days." The resulting chorus of thank yous caused her to smile, "now, I have one more thing to say to all of you before you leave."
Sharon stood back and took a deep breath, "you are young. Yes, even you Aster. In one way or another, you've all tasted the worst of what this world has to offer. This world is beautiful, so very beautiful. But it hides dangers and terrors that make what you've seen seem like child's play. There will be nights when the sun doesn't seem like it will ever come, days where rain seems to go on for eternity. These are the days when you keep those you hold dear closest and never forget who you are. You are warriors, you are protectors, and you are the future. This world depends on you, don't disappoint it."
Dead silence greeted her as they took in her words. She smiled and continued, "no matter how dark the nights are, no matter how stormy life gets, never forget that you are loved. By me, by your teammates and by your friends. We will always be here for you, you can count on that."
She finished and waited to see if they would say anything. They kept silent and moved toward her to envelop her in a group hug. Sharon blinked away tears as she looked around at her new family. "I think I got my litter." she said quietly, smiling at Aster. The pilot grinned and nodded, content to remain silent as they bid their farewells. The hug had to end eventually, but Sharon was still sad when it did.
One by one, each of them whispered a farewell and turned to walk down the lane until only Roy remained.
"If you don't hurry, they'll all beat you to Mistral," Sharon joked, gently wiping her eyes.
Roy said nothing; he simply reached out and enveloped his mother in a hug of his own. "I don't want to leave you," he whispered and Sharon felt hot tears on her neck where Roy had buried his face.
She gently patted him on the back, "Oh Roy, I don't want you to leave either. But we both know you must."
Roy gripped her tighter, trying and failing to quell his tears. Sharon gently gripped his face between her hands, "Come now, you need to show a brave face for your team. They look up to you, you know."
Roy scrubbed his hand across his eyes, "I don't know why, I wouldn't be half the man I am without them."
Sharon gently ruffled his ears, "I know, and I think some of them feel the same. You're the best kind of leader there is, the kind who learns along with his team."
Roy sniffed and fiddled with Μόνος' hilt, "I hate saying goodbye."
Sharon laughed softly and pressed a kiss to Roy's forehead, "So do I. But if you think about it, we never really say goodbye. It's just saying 'see you later' and taking the long way around."
Roy couldn't help but laugh at his mother's remark, "You're right, I already promised to come back."
Sharon punched him lightly on the arm, "and you'd better keep that promise buster."
Roy gently grasped his mother's hand, "I fully intend to keep it."
Sharon gently touched his face, allowing her thumb to play over the scar on his cheek, "I know you will."
Roy released his mother's hand, quickly turning and jogging away from the house toward the lane. Aster and his teammates were waiting by the mailbox as he reached them.
"All done saying goodbye?" Aster asked, smiling kindly.
Roy sighed and fixed his eyes on the city of Mistral in the distance. "Not really, but let's get going."
-:-
The walk back to Mistral was a peaceful one. Aster and Dahlia walked in front and the two faunus, gently holding hands, followed behind. The evening was cool, a pink tinge creeping into the sky as the sun sank slowly towards the west. They reached the city in short order, ascending the tiers to the landing platform where Aster had left The Dusty Daydream. A familiar warmth blossomed in Roy's chest as he saw the quaint little freighter sitting on the dock.
"She doesn't look too worse for wear," He remarked to Aster, "I half expected to see another ship sitting here with the way you fly."
Aster put on a show of mock indignation. "As if! I am a skillful pilot in many regards. Also the thought of replacing my Daydream is simply insulting!"
Ebony smiled at the pilot's mock rage, "Well, I think we have everything we need. The sooner we leave, the less time we have to spend in this floating death machine."
Aster looked aghast at the female faunus's statement, "Ebony! Not you too!"
Laughing, the three teammates boarded the ship and stowed their packs in the ship's hold which had been transformed into tiny crew quarters. The quarters consisted of four tiny bunks set along the interior walls of the ship.
Roy tapped the top bunk, "I'll take this one, It'll be…."
He'd been about to say 'it'll be just like old times,' but something in Dahlia's face made him stop.
"What's wrong Lia?" he asked softly, crossing to gently grip her shoulder.
Dahlia blinked, avoiding eye contact as she replied, "It's just...What if Hunter didn't wait for me? What if he's already dating someone else?"
Roy shook his head, "Then that wouldn't be the Hunter I know. He loves you Dahlia, more than I thought anyone could love another person." He gave her a reassuring smile, "We'll rescue him from his dad in no time."
Dahlia roughly scrubbed her hand across her eyes, "Promise?" she sniffled.
Ebony nodded, "Pinky promise."
Dahlia laughed, "I thought you said pinky promises were childish."
Ebony shrugged, "I just think they should just be saved for very special occasions."
Dahlia hugged both of her teammates, "I couldn't ask for a better family."
The hatch slid open and Aster dropped down into the crew quarters. "Why wasn't I invited into the group hug?" she asked dejectedly.
Roy shrugged, offering her a sheepish smile, "It just sort of...happened?"
Aster fiddled with the sheets on one of the bunks, "As it often does when you haven't seen each other in months, What's our game plan again?"
Roy pulled out his scroll and booted up a map of the continent. "We're here," he said, pointing to the city of Mistral, "Qrow and the others are taking the Argus limited to here." He pointed to a small render of Atlas' crest on the coast, "we're going to meet them there tonight and then use your ship to fly everyone to Atlas."
Aster rubbed her chin, "sounds good, I'll get us on our way."
She left the room and a few moments later, Roy felt the ship rumble life. He twitched his ears as an odd rattle caught his attention. It's probably nothing, he thought as he made his way up toward the cockpit. Aster was sitting in the pilot's chair, flicking switches and pressing buttons.
"What do you need us to do?" Roy asked, leaning nonchalantly against the cockpit's door frame.
"Nothing really," Aster said, flicking on a few more switches, "I'd say just chill while I do the flying."
Roy nodded, "will do."
He turned and walked to the ship's railing, leaning against it as Aster skillfully guided the ship into the air. With a sudden burst of speed, the Dusty Daydream soared into the wild blue yonder. The faunus closed his eyes, feeling the wind ruffle his hair and ears. He sensed someone join him at the railing and looked over to find Ebony standing beside him. She gently grasped his hand, offering him a small smile. A few moments later, Dahlia appeared on Roy's other side. Together they watched Mistral slowly diminish in size until finally disappearing.
"It was nice to finally meet your mother," Ebony said finally.
Roy nodded, "I didn't realize how much I'd missed her. Seeing her again was...definitely a blessing."
Dahlia hummed thoughtfully as she watched the clouds drift by. "You think we'll ever meet your dad?" she asked.
Roy shrugged, "maybe someday. He works in Vacuo and I haven't seen him since I was 8."
Ebony raised an eyebrow, "is your mom okay with that?"
Roy sighed, "she says she is, But I can tell she gets lonely." He chewed his lip, gazing out into the azure expanse, "if I ever do see my dad again, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."
Ebony gently touched his arm, "I'm sure you'll see him again."
Roy nodded silently and Dahlia took the chance to change the subject. "What's the rest of your family like?" she asked.
The faunus shrugged, "I don't really know. My mom's parents died before I was born and my dad's parents lived in Vale. I vaguely remember them coming out to visit once when I was little. But with airship ticket prices being what they are, it didn't happen often."
Ebony looked puzzled, "Why didn't you visit them while attending Beacon?"
Roy shrugged, "I never really thought of it. Plus I don't remember them being too happy with my dad for marrying my mom. Her being a bandit and all."
Dahlia made a face, "Oof I can see how that might be. But you honestly don't have any aunts or uncles?"
Roy's ears twitched as he thought, "my mother has a brother, but he lives in Menagerie so we never see him." He turned to Ebony, "what about your family?"
The female faunus raised an eyebrow, "What about them?"
Roy snorted, "What are they like? I've known you for years and you've almost never mentioned them."
Ebony sighed sadly, "I don't really like thinking about them."
Dahlia blinked in surprise, "Why not?"
Ebony sighed sadly and leaned against the railing, "because I ran away."
"You what?!" Roy and Dahlia exclaimed in unison.
Ebony nodded miserably; avoiding eye contact "My family have been the leaders of a village here in Mistral going back generations to my great grandfather. My father expected me to succeed him, but I didn't want that. I wanted to do something that made a difference. So I left, changing my last name to make me harder to find."
Roy gripped Ebony's arm and turned her to face him, "Wait, so your last name isn't even Winterhold?"
The female faunus shook her head, "no, it's Der-Riese."
Dahlia gasped, "Wait, are you descended from The Giant?"
Roy shot the smaller girl a questioning look, "who?"
Dahlia poked him in the ribs, "Weren't you paying attention in world history class? He was a general in the Great War who fought for Vale. He was known for his very distinctive stature. Once the war was over, he disappeared. Never to be seen again."
Ebony nodded, "He moved to Mistral and founded a small village here. My father is his great grandson."
Roy crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, "I would have appreciated it if you told me."
Ebony looked down at her feet, guiltily playing with her hands, "I know."
Roy sighed, "Were you ever going to tell me?"
Ebony's head snapped up and she gripped his hand, "Of course I was! It just...never seemed like the right time." She gently cupped his cheek, her brilliant green eyes staring deeply into his singular blue eye, "You mean more to me than anything. When I told you, I wanted to do it right."
Roy held his girlfriend's gaze for what seemed like minutes, searching her eyes for a hint of dishonesty. In the end, all he found was a silent fear, an unspoken worry that she might lose him.
She's scared this might actually drive us apart… He thought, his heart clenching.
The faunus quickly reached out and pulled Ebony into a hug, "You never had to worry, I'm a little hurt you didn't tell me before. But I love you all the same."
Ebony seemed surprised by the embrace but she eventually wrapped her arms around him, gently squeezing him closer to her.
"Just…Promise me no more secrets?" Roy said quietly, pulling back to look Ebony in the eyes once more.
Ebony nodded quietly, "No more secrets, I promise."
They gently bumped foreheads, content just to stay that way as the Dusty Daydream continued its voyage into the azure sky.
And Roy is once again leaving his mother. This was an emotional chapter to write and I'm going to miss writing for Sharon. She'll be back...someday. Any way, I wanted to take this volume to really go into Ebony's past. I always felt as though she was a tad under developed and I hope you enjoy learning more about her.
Until Next we meet!
-Ar3mRising.
