The pilot carried the faunus up to her cabin and gently shouldered the door open, allowing Roy his first glimpse of Aster's room. A large rectangular window filled the back wall, allowing the mid morning sun to pour into the cabin. A mattress sat in the middle of the floor, sheets thrown haphazardly over it. A large screen filled the left hand wall and a large vanity filled the right.
Aster aimlessly kicked at several objects on the floor as she moved to the bed. "Don't mind the mess!" she said cheerily, "I still haven't straightened things up after the crash."
The room was indeed in disarray, articles of clothing and knick-knacks tossed pell-mell around the room. The pilot deposited Roy onto the bed and began to dig through a drawer on the vanity,
"I know I stuck that aux cord somewhere," she mumbled to herself, tossing several more items over her shoulder in her frantic search. She let out a sharp "Aha!" as she finally located the cord. Striding over to the screen, she connected Roy's broken scroll to the screen with the cord.
"Now to find the data stick," she said with a wink, resuming her frenzied rummaging. After another minute or two of searching, the data stick was located and slotted into a second port on the screen. "Okay," she said, handing her own scroll to Roy, "go ahead and select all of the pictures you want to keep by tapping the checkmark here…" she pointed to the icon, "Then when you're all ready, you can hit the little transfer button here," she pointed to a small up arrow next to the checkmark.
Roy tapped his scroll's file directory and quickly located the gallery folder. He opened it and watched as several rows of photos filled the screen, allowing a small sigh of relief to escape him. He selected the first picture, causing the image to blow up to full screen on the scroll and the monitor.
It was a picture of him and Sierra, standing next to the unfinished shell of his helmet. The Roy in the picture still had a bandage on his arm and the scorch mark on the table top was fresh.
"Woah," Aster exclaimed, "how old are you in this picture?"
Roy smiled softly, "About 16."
The pilot tilted her head slightly, "You look...less tired. You really haven't changed that much." She pointed to Sierra, "Who's that?"
Roy's smile became more pronounced, "That's Sierra, She's a good friend of mine from Atlas."
Aster turned to fix Roy with a hopeful expression, "Aren't we going to Atlas?"
Roy read her expression and patted her arm, "I'll introduce you, don't worry."
The pilot shrugged dismissively, "She just looks really nice is all."
The faunus rolled his eye, "uhuh, that's the only reason." He marked the photo and continued on, marking several more photos before he stopped on the first picture of Team SHDE. All of them were beaming, wearing their brand-new school uniforms. The sight caused Roy's throat to seemed so long ago that they'd been together, so very long since they'd been happy.
"Better times?" Aster asked.
"Yeah," Roy replied, speaking past the lump in his throat, "much better."
He marked the photo and moved to the next one. It was a picture of Dahlia and Hunter posing with an Ursa they'd killed on a Beacon field trip.
"Who's that big guy?" the pilot asked, "he was in the other pic too."
Roy sighed sadly, "That's Hunter, the fourth member of our team and Dahlia's boyfriend."
Aster gave him a confused look, "Why isn't he with you?"
Roy felt a prickle of anger dance its way up his spine, "He's in Atlas. We think his dad is keeping him there against his will."
The confusion in Aster's eyes turned to indignation, "Why the hell is he…"
"Because Hunter's father can't bear the thought of his son being in love with a Shino."
Roy and Aster turned to find Dahlia standing just inside the cabin door. The pilot blinked in surprise, "You're a Shino? Wait…" She scanned Hunter's face again, "Your boyfriend is Hunter Zant! Your families have been at each other's throats for years!"
Dahlia crossed the cabin and sat stiffly down next to Roy, "More like they've been at our throats for years. My mom would like nothing more than to fix things, to move on. But the Zants just can't let it go." She smiled sadly at the picture on screen, "Hunter was the exception."
The pilot looked at the picture again, "apparently...How did whole feud start in the first place?"
Dahlia picked up an empty dust bottle that lay among the detritus on the floor, turning it in her hand to inspect the Schnee Crest emblazoned on the glass. "Back before the Schnee Dust Company was founded, there were two small time dust production companies. Zant Imports and Shino industries. As you can imagine the two companies were competitive, but it never went beyond a friendly rivalry. Then Nicholas Schnee expanded the industry by finding and claiming dust veins throughout Solitas. The Schnee Dust Company grew exponentially fast through efficiency and recognizable branding. Our company's tried to stay afloat, vowing never to sell out to the Schnee's. But my grandfather had a large family support and he finally signed an agreement with Nicholas. His entire company for a permanent place on the Schnee Board. As long as there a Shino was willing, they would have a place on the board."
Dahlia sighed, gently tossing the bottle into a pile of clothes, "The Zants saw the agreement as a betrayal. Our families have been feuding ever since."
Aster hummed thoughtfully, "I was always curious. But you and the Zant boy were dating?"
The smaller girl nodded, "our relationship was the man reason we went to Beacon rather than Atlas Academy. We wanted to be as far away from our family's feud as possible." She sniffed, playing aimlessly with her hands, "It felt so far away, but now…"
Roy gently grasped his teammate's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "We'll get him back Lia, I promise."
Dahlia squeezed the hand back, her eyes becoming wet with tears, "But what if his dad already has him married off to some bitchy heiress?"
The faunus was at a loss for words but Aster stepped in to save him, "Then we'll get him back; smuggler style."
Dahlia gave a watery chuckle, "Thanks guys, I just hope we get there before that."
Roy gave her a small smile and continued going through the pictures until he found one of a certain blonde barmaid. She was taking a selfie, her gently smile a stark contrast to the dead wyvern behind her. She'd sent it to him and against his better judgement, he'd kept it. He felt his ears droop as the memories from that long ago summer came drifting back.
"Who's that?" Aster asked.
Roy looked at the floor, unable to meet the picture's laughing maroon eyes, "Her name was Momo. She was a friend of mine who was killed protecting me. I keep this picture as a reminder."
The pilot was silent but she looked confused, so Dahlia began to explain, "a reminder that we can't save everyone."
Aster looked back at the picture, a thoughtful smile appearing on her face, "I don't think it's a coincidence you found this picture today."
Roy shook his head, "I don't either. The lesson she taught me was a hard one. One that I still struggle with to this day."
He flicked forward several pictures and felt his heart skip a beat. A picture of Ebony smiled bashfully back at him, wearing her ocean blue dress from Beacon's school dance. Even now, almost two years later, the sight still took his breath away.
Aster let out a low whistle, "Damn."
Roy let out a sad sigh, his fingers closing into a fist in his lap.
"Roy, you haven't lost her for good. She's waiting for you to show that you've changed." Dahlia said softly, patting his arm.
Roy looked away, still feeling angry with himself, "It just hurts to think of what I put her through. I didn't even think of how my actions were affecting her...how they affected you guys too. I was too blind to see what an idiot I was being."
Aster stood and knelt in front of Roy, gently gripping his shoulder as she did, "But you know you screwed up and, as we've been telling you, you're working to fix things. I haven't known you guys for very long, but Ebony does not seem to be the type of person to disregard your efforts like that."
Roy shook her head, "She's not."
Aster grinned and squeezed his shoulder, "Then I don't think you have anything to worry about Short stuff, just keep doing what you're doing and she'll fall back into your arms before you know it."
Roy smiled sadly and shook his head once more, "I can't use that as my motivation. As much as I'm longing to have what we once had…" He looked out the window at the bright blue sky, watching the clouds drift lazily by, "No. What we had before was built on a shaky foundation and I'm actually thankful to have the ability to start over." His smile became less sad and he felt the spark of hope flair to life once more, "This time, we can do it right."
A small noise at the door caused one of Roy's ears to swivel in that direction. No other sounds greeted his inquisitive ears so he allowed his tense nerves to loosen. He turned back to his friends and offered them a genuine smile, "Thank you guys, we should finish going through these pictures. Then maybe I can get some rest."
Aster pointed to his leg, "After you get that looked at you mean."
Dahlia gave Roy an accusing glare, "What did you do to your leg?"
Roy raised his hand defensively, "Nothing! Not on purpose anyway. I just banged my knee up that's all."
Aster crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the faunus, "Roy, if half the shit you've gone through is true, then a 'banged up knee' wouldn't bother you. You're going to get it checked out before you do anything else."
Roy could tell from the pointed glares both women were shooting him that there was no point in arguing, "Fine, I'll finish these pictures, go get my knee checked, then come back and get some sleep."
Aster held her arms up to form a large X and shook her head, "No can do bud. I need to clean this old girl up, plus we made her fly before she was ready. If we want to get to Argus any time soon, me and the smithies will need to work on her for the rest of the day. You'll just be in the way here."
Dahlia nodded in agreement, "besides, the beds in the house are much more comfortable than the bunks. No offense Aster."
The pilot made a great show of not looking offended, "None taken!"
Despite himself, Roy felt a chuckle bubble up as he went back to the photo gallery. About five minutes later, he saved the final photo and ejected the data stick. Aster handed him a silver necklace chain, "Here, hang it around your neck; less chance of losing it."
Roy did as he was told, threading the chain through a small hole on the back of the data stick. Placing the chain around his neck, he tucked it down the front of his shirt and motioned to Dahlia, "I'm ready but are you sure you can support my weight?"
The smaller girl snorted, "Honestly Roy, you don't weigh that much."
She stood and looped his arm over her shoulders, heaving him to his feet. Pain zinged through Roy's leg as he accidently put weight on the leg and he did an awkward hop-skip to place the weight on his other leg. Dahlia helped him down the Daydream's gangplank, squinting as they stepped back into the sunlight.
"Ugh I thought it was later," the smaller girl grumbled, "I can't believe that fight took all night."
Roy tenses his sore muscles, wincing slightly as the action put pressure on his stitches, "I can, I just want to sleep."
Dahlia poked him in the ribs, "Oh shush, you can sleep one we get your leg fixed."
As they entered the town hall, they passed the Veisses coming out. Argent ignored him as he lead his family toward the main gate. As Edel passed, her silver eyes fixing the faunus with an accusatory glare. Roy shrank back, feeling a chill run down his spine. He wished there was something more he could do...or say. As Edel turned away, the faunus felt his muscles slowly begin relax.
Shaking his head, he allowed Dahlia to help him inside, the door closing behind them with a muffled thud. Ebony and her mother were standing there waiting for them.
Jade looked tired and Ebony looked concerned, the latter stepping forward to grab Roy's other arm, "Roy, what did you do to your leg?" Roy blinked in surprise,
"Ebony! You're up...I-" He put the weight on his leg again and winced, the pain interrupting what he was trying to say.
Jade pulled one of the chairs out from the large table and directed the girls to help him sit down. She knelt down with some difficulty and gently rolled his pant leg up, "Let's see what the damage is." She murmured, beginning to poke and prod the leg until she hit the spot just below his knee.
The pain peaked and Roy allowed a hiss to pass through his clenched teeth. Jade tutted and motioned to Ebony, "Help me up dear."
Ebony did as she was told, gently helping her pregnant mother back to her feet. "What's wrong with his knee?" she asked.
"The patellar tendon snapped," Jade said with a sniff, "Did you have something heavy fall on you during the battle?"
Roy offered her a sheepish look, "Does an Alpha Beowolf count?"
The matriarch cuffed him lightly on the head, "Don't be smart and yes. Ebony, if you please."
Ebony knelt down and gently placed her hand over Roy's knee, her other hand pressed to her chest. He watched as her hand began to glow and small tendrils of aura gently slipped into his knee. The itching sensation was uncomfortable and he winced as he felt the tendon being guided back to its original position by the tendrils, the aura sealing into place with a quick flash of warmth.
"Damn," he murmured in awe, flexing his knee, "Where did you learn how to do that Eb?"
Ebony withdrew her hand, "I learned it a little while ago. If I concentrate more, then I can use my aura like a scalpel rather than just an overall healing force."
Jade nodded, a glint of pride appearing in her green eyes, "Aura, for the most part, is very good at healing most injuries. Little internal things on the other hand are a little tougher for it to handle. It might have tried to just heal the tendon where it was or just seal off the nerves so you wouldn't feel pain. Because of this, we would've had to cut your knee open to get at the tendon and place it in the correct spot to heal it. Ebony's semblance makes this unnecessary."
Roy bent his knee, marveling at how painless it was, "I'm glad for that."
He gave Ebony a small nod of thanks and she offered him a small smile in return.
Jade took a seat in a nearby chair with a sigh, "As much as I'd love to let you rest, there is one more matter we must discuss." She took a deep breath, a stern glint appearing in her eyes, "The Veisses told me you reached out to them, despite my orders not to."
Roy shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Jade's eyes bored into him. "Care to explain yourself?" she asked.
Roy sat straight and stared evenly back at the matriarch, "I knew we wouldn't stand a chance without their help. So, I sent Aster to them with a message." He paused for a moment to gage Jade's reaction, but she remained impassive and he continued, "I don't regret it. if you asked me to make that choice again, I would make the same one every time."
Jade's eyes softened and she sighed, "You really are a stubborn boy. But, in this case, your stubbornness kept Akichi standing and I thank you." She rubbed her temple, her tail swaying gently behind her, "The Bandits have reinstated their agreement with us, albeit with a few new terms."
Roy cocked his head, "What are these new terms?"
Jade gestured to the infirmary doors, "They asked that we name the infirmary after Morado, naturally I agreed. The other term was that you be banished from Akichi for two years."
Dahlia made a small sound of surprise. Roy nodded, his hand clasped loosely around Monos's handle. He'd honestly been expecting something like this, but it still stung. "I'll be leaving with Dahlia and Aster once our ship is repaired." He turned to Ebony, gazing into her emerald green eyes, "you can stay here if you want, I'm not going to force you to go with me."
Ebony moved to stand before him, evenly returning his blue-eyed gaze, "I watched as you walked away from me once, I'm not going to let myself be left behind again."
Roy kept his face passive, but his heart gave a great leap inside his chest.
Jade looked as if she'd expected her daughter's answer, "I won't force you to stay either. I would just ask that you come visit once the baby's been born."
Ebony turned and walked back to her mother, gently touching her baby bump. She smiled softly, her tail gently wrapping around Jade's hand, "Of course I'll come back. I wouldn't miss meeting my baby brother for the world."
The elder faunus smiled back at her daughter, gently caressing her cheek. She shot a stern glance at Roy, causing him to shrink back slightly in his chair. "My daughter is giving you more chances than I would have," she said, "don't waste them."
Roy nodded, standing up from his chair, "I won't, I've wasted too many of them already."
Ebony walked back to him and gently gripped his arm, tugging him toward the stairs, "Mother, I'm going to make sure Roy gets some rest."
Jade nodded, "You do that. I'm going back to the infirmary. There are people who still require my attention." The matriarch turned and moved gracefully toward the double doors, vanishing through them with a flick of her tail.
Ebony led Roy up the stairs toward his room, silence enveloping the two of them like a cloud. As they neared the door, Roy leaned in to give Ebony a kiss. Right before their lips met, she gently stopped him and shook her head, "We're not quite there yet Roy."
He snapped back, feeling his face burn with shame, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…"
Ebony pressed her finger to his lips, a small smile playing across her lips, "Shush, I'm not upset with you. I heard what you said on the Daydream about the chance to do things right. I think it's the healthy thing to do." She slid her hand into his and gave it a squeeze, "We built our last relationship out of a mutual need for someone who was feeling the same pain as we were. Now we have the chance to build it up again on our terms."
Roy nodded, smiling gently at the other faunus, "I would love to."
Ugh, I'm sorry for how irregular these chapters have been lately. blame a combination of sleep deprivation and slow editing. If you're curious about Momo and that long ago summer, then give my story "Tales of Remnant: Summer" a read. it's not super long and hey, you might enjoy it! Anyway, thanks again for reading!
Catch you later!
-Ar3mRising.
