GRYD Season 02 Chapter 7: Learning and Mending

Life at Beacon Academy had seemingly gone back to normal. It had been days since the battle between Gunner and Orchid, and there had been no missions, no new attacks, no Grimm uprisings, nothing.

In regards to Team GRYD and MEAL, things were getting back to where they were. Diana was acting much like her former self, before Glyph and Leilani got together. And because of that, there seemed to be much more unity than before. There was still tension though, and it could be felt, but unlike before, it wasn't unbearable.

This made classes much more relaxing, as they didn't have to worry about the tension emanating from one individual and causing the others to feel uncomfortable. One particular class that they got to enjoy once again was Professor Vixi Tod's Culture Class. This time, she was talking about the importance of teaming up with people from other nations.

"I know this may seem to be a counter to what you're being taught here at Beacon," she noted to her students. "After all, we're training you to be competent so that when you do go off on your own, you'll be ready. But you need to think of it like this, if the goal was to train you to be solo fighters, why are you in teams?"

She held her arms out to show she was asking them to answer the question, and they begin to murmur amongst themselves.

Vixi let this continue for a while until she was content that they had talked enough, "The answer is because while it's true that many Hunters and Huntresses work alone for one reason or another, your time at this school prepares you for the potential team-ups you might be doing. Which brings me to the point of this lesson, sometimes you'll be forced to team up with someone you're not familiar with, or barely familiar with. Sometimes, that means a person from Vale will be working with someone from Vacuo, or a team up between Atlas and Minstrel. It could happen, and if you're so rooted in your ways as a solo hunter, that will cause you problems down the road. I'll give you an example."

She walked around to the front of her desk and then leaned against it, "This one time, I met a Huntress named Perui, she was from Minstrel. I'm from Vale, but I got a call to help out a friend...who was impatient and decided not to wait for me to arrive. I didn't know the area well, so I sought out someone to help me. Perui was the only one to agree to it. She was...unique, I'll put it that way. She hated being asked questions, didn't like how I analyzed things at times, but she put up with me. Eventually, we found my friend, saved his bacon from both Bandits and Grimm, and became fast friends. She even treated me to a dinner afterwards. Anyone here who has seen me eat should understand why she never took me to dinner again."

The classroom burst into laughter, Vixi joined them and smiled widely as she recalled the story.

"The point is, dear students, is that there will be times you have to mingle with those you don't know, or don't know well. So, your assignment for next class is thus. I'm pairing your teams with another teams, and I've divided you into pairs of 2, one from each team. Your job is to talk with them at length and learn about them, and then write a paper about what you learned. To be kind to you all, I've decided to not throw you into the deep end of the pool. Be thankful this wasn't Lochen's assignment, he would've."

Another round of laughter arose, along with several nods, as they knew how eccentric Professor Lochen could be.

"I've put you with teams you are familiar with, but, I've divided you into pairings that I think will bring forth the desired effect. Do this right, and you might end up with a friend, or a deeper appreciation for someone. Do this wrong, and you'll fail the assignment, that I promise you. I'm putting the sheet with the team and single pairings on the board. Wait for the bell to ring before coming down. I look forward to seeing what you learn about one another."

With that, Vixi grabbed a couple pieces of paper off her desk and stuck them on the board behind her. She then exited the room to her office.

The students talked amongst themselves for a bit, and a few minutes later the bell rang, and slowly but surely they made their way to the board. GRYD and MEAL however hung back, smiles on their faces as they did.

"Is there any doubt that we'll be together?" asked Diana playfully.

Many shook their heads, showing that they knew Vixi would put the two teams together. Erin seemed especially pleased by this, "I think this sounds fun. Don't get me wrong, I know I've talked with all of you before, but I don't think I know many of you as much as I would like."

"A chance to become even greater friends!" boasted Aaron with a dramatic gesture, "Who would want to turn that opportunity down?"

"I might know someone," said Yasmine, casting a wary eye to Reyson.

Reyson didn't react angrily like he usually would, he actually remained rather still, and smirked simply, "Ha, ha. I actually find the notion of talking very appealing right now. Or did you forget all the lovely chats we've had recently, Yasmine?"

Diana smirked evilly at this, "Oh...getting cozy?"

Many of the others laughed at this, including Leilani, which really made Yasmine upset.

"Shut up, Diana. I'm helping with a personal matter, and talking is required to do that. Nothing more."

"Whatever you say."

"Enough," said Glyph with a roll of the eyes.

"Yeah, can it you two," added Macro with a smile of his own, "let's relish a relatively easy assignment for once. Come on, the crowd is dying down."

With a motion, Macro guided them down, him and Glyph were the first to the papers. They scrolled through one page and didn't see their names, and then made it to the other and scrolled down it.

Suddenly, Glyph's eyes went wide with fear, "Oh crud."

"What?" asked Macro leaning in to see what he saw, "Oh crud."

"What's wrong?" asked Yasmine.

"Everything ok?" wondered Aaron, extremely curious.

Hesitantly, Glyph pulled the paper off the board and handed it to them. The remaining six all bunched up on the paper and looked at it.

"Oh crud," said Aaron, Erin, Reyson, and Yasmine in unison.

Leilani and Diana however didn't say anything. Rather, they just looked at the other with worry. For they were paired up.

While this was going on, Vixi was sitting in her office, going over some papers. Her room was very elegantly decorated. It had trinkets and items from all the nations of Remnant, as well as items from both Human and Faunus cultures. Her desk was very neat and tidy, but sticking out like a sore thumb was a large jar of sweets that she would occasionally dip into to retrieve a snack. One that she would devour in one shot.

As she was looking over a paper, a knock came to the door.

"Come in," she said without looking at the door.

The door opened, and Macro stepped out. Upon seeing him, Vixi smiled, and put down her paper, and leaned back in her chair. She assumed a posture of pride, mainly in pride of herself, because she knew he would come.

"Wasn't sure who would come to my office first Mr. Camof, but you were on the list," she said with some joy.

"Expecting complainers, huh?" he asked.

"This is one of my annual assignments, and usually four to five groups complain about who they got paired up with or singled out with. It's a school, it happens. So, dare I ask who you are here to complain about?"

Macro raised his hands a bit to show he wasn't here to force an issue, "No, not complain, just...informing you of something. You see..."

"Leilani is dating Glyph, which has ticked off Diana, which is causing a lot of turmoil within your group."

At her very accurate summation of events, Macro just looked at her stunned, to which Vixi laughed rather loudly, "Oh, Mr. Camof, if only you could see your face right now."

He shook himself out of shock, "I'm just surprised you're that...accurate."

"I'm a teacher, Mr. Camof. Most importantly, I teach about culture, and about people, so it would be very bad if I wasn't able to read situations involving people. I'll admit, it was subtle at first, but eventually I couldn't help but notice how every time I looked at your groups, that there was plenty of hate being shot at various members. I just put the pieces together."

"To which I must ask," he stated, stepping closer to her desk. "If you knew about what was going on, why would you put Leilani and Diana together? We only just got back to a somewhat normal state between us. This...could set us back, and I don't want that, neither do the others."

Vixi looked at Macro sadly for a bit, then sighed and got up from her desk and approached him, "Young love is hard, especially when multiple people are involved. Trust me, I know, it's one of the reasons I'm still single."

"Despite Professor Lochen's clear advances?" asked Macro with a smile.

"Yes...that's...well yeah. Anyway, I understand what your group is going through. But there's only a few ways that this will be handled. Answer me this. Has Glyph and Diana solved their differences?"

"...no."

"Ok, well then the only way to remedy the situation as I see it is to put Leilani and Diana together. It will be incredible awkward, and there will be some...uncomfortable things said. But hopefully, hopefully, they'll come to understand one another a little more. And it might even get Diana and Glyph to talk again in a way that isn't hostile. Isn't that a chance worth taking?"

Macro thought about her words, and could see the wisdom in them. He eventually nodded in agreement, "You're right. It could work."

She patted him on the shoulder, "Glad we agree. Which reminds me, when they do talk, make sure they're alone. That goes for the rest of your pairings as well...darn, I forgot to mention that during the class. Eh, I'll send out a message. Point is, this needs to be done within the bubble that surrounds two people when they talk. Understand?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good, off you go then."

With a small bow, he made to leave.

Before he did though, Vixi called out, "Mr. Camof? Just out of curiosity, what did you think of my other pairings for GRYD and MEAL?"

Macro turned around and smiled at her, "I think you paired us up well."

"I appreciate that."

With a nod showing she was done, Macro left the room.

After departing, Macro went to the others and told them what Vixi had said in regards to the assignment. He didn't go into details about why she put Leilani and Diana together, but noted simply that she wasn't going to change the pairings. Glyph seemed the most angry about this, but Macro talked with him privately about what she really said, and Glyph relented.

The day continued, and classes started and ended, until eventually, there was time to break off into their pairings and go into quiet areas to see what they could learn about the other.

Out on the grounds, and far away from everyone else, Glyph and Aaron sat on the ground across from the other. Glyph had his usual blank expression on, while Aaron had his usual cocky smile upon his face. After a few minutes of relative silence, Aaron couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Oh, the irony!" he said with energy, "I, the loudest of our group, should be put with the quietest of yours. Possibly the quietest of any group!"

Aaron again laughed loudly, but stopped after a while. Glyph meanwhile hadn't moved, nor had his expression changed.

This shook Aaron a little, "You do realize, Glyph, that the assignment is to talk with one another?"

"I know," he replied simply.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"For you to drop the act and talk with me."

"Act?"

"You know what I mean."

The two stared at one another for a bit, then Aaron cracked a small smile and lowered his volume and bravado, "Is this better?"

"It'll do."

"How long have you known?"

Glyph shrugged, "Not long actually, I saw glimpses of it when that thing with Erin and her parents happened. I got more glimpses after that, figured it out."

"Why haven't you told the others? Expose me, so to speak."

"Not my place. You clearly do it for a reason, I just don't want to talk with that guy for this assignment. He's annoying."

Aaron laughed loudly again, but this time in his regular voice, "Touche, I'm sure he is to a person like yourself. Well, now that our cards are on the table, what should we talk about?"

Glyph shrugged again, "No idea."

"Well, I do believe that Leilani told Erin that you had her ask you questions on your first date, how about we do that here? It should get us to the bottom of things rather quickly."

"Fair enough, you go first."

"Gladly. Honestly, there's been a question I've wanted to ask you about for some time. Why did you not like me and Erin during our time at Signal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Glyph. Don't be coy. We saw how you would look at us during our...uh...public displays of affection. Or how we would talk about it. Even now, though we are most definitely friends, unlike before, you still occasionally do roll your eyes at us for how we act. I want to know why."

Glyph strummed his leg for a bit while he thought of his answer. Aaron waited very patiently while he did, for he really wanted to know why Glyph looked at them that way back then.

"Because I didn't understand," he eventually answered.

"Understand what?"

"How you could be so young, yet feel that your other was your true love, soulmate, perfect match, whatever. I didn't understand it. I thought you were being foolish."

"Are you saying love is foolish?" wondered Aaron.

"No, I'm saying that love isn't what people think it is at times. People think love is an attraction, it's not. People think love is a feeling, that's oversimplifying things. And because of assumptions like that, they get into relationships that either end badly, or quickly, or something in between. I've seen it before, too many times. Both with students like us, and with adults. It sickens me, and I thought that's what you were back then with Erin."

"And now?"

"Your love is real, not a doubt in my mind," Glyph said with true honesty.

"I'm honored you feel that way about us," noted Aaron with a bow of his head. "What made you change your mind?"

"The situation with Erin's parents, her outfit change. You didn't care about her outfit, you cared about her, you wanted to make sure the girl you loved wasn't gone, and you were happy when she wasn't."

"Very true. Erin is very special to me, and barring something unfortunate, I will love her for all of my days."

"I have no doubt of that either."

At this compliment, the two bowed their heads to one another in respect. But Aaron soon got a wry smile on your face, "What about you and Leilani? Is that real love?"

"I don't know," he answered simply.

"Come on man! She's not here, tell me how you feel about her."

"I care for Leilani, deeply. She's one of the few who doesn't look at me differently because of my past. She respects me, trusts me completely, and someone I believe would never betray me."

"Sounds like love to me."

"Maybe. I don't know. She is my first relationship of this kind, ever. I'm in no mood to rush. It could work, it could not. I'm willing to wait and see how it goes."

Aaron laughed a little, but nodded at the wisdom of Glyph's words, "A fair judgment. I wish you nothing but the best, and I hope you get your answers soon. If not for your sake, then for Leilani's!"

This time Aaron burst back into his louder laugh, filling up the area around him. Glyph rolled his eyes and shook his head at Aaron's "return."

Eventually, Aaron calmed down and looked to Glyph again, "Alright, well, that's a good starting point for my view of you. How about you? Any burning questions for me?"

"Yes," Glyph said with a nod.

"Wonderful, then I will answer them-"

"Like me."

"What?"

"I want you to try and answer my questions like me. As few words as possible."

"A challenge? Wonderful. Proceed."

Glyph shook his head as Aaron "prepared" himself for the "challenge", but he soon started, "Why did you create your "act"?"

"For family."

"Why did you pick your crossbow as a weapon?"

"Family."

"When did you learn about your Semblance?"

"Family."

Glyph stopped, then smiled, then chuckled, Aaron joined him in this, "You told me to answer like you!"

"I know, I know. I wasn't expecting you to actually do it though."

"Fair enough. I am quite long-winded at times."

"Pick one of the questions I asked and answer it in as much detail as you want."

Aaron laid down fully on the ground as he pondered which question to answer, the sky above was clear, only a few clouds were a in it, and they were very thin. As he looked at one of the clouds, he felt it was the shape of something familiar. After seeing it he sprang back up to an upright position to face Glyph.

"Did you know I have siblings?" he asked.

Glyph thought about it for a few seconds then shook his head, "I did not."

"I didn't think so, no one but Erin does. The truth, is that I have many siblings. I'm the oldest by a few years. And so, naturally, it fell upon me to look after them while my parents worked. They worked very hard to keep us going. One of the ways I kept my siblings out of my parents hair was to play games with them. Anything I could think of, even made up some new games to keep them on their toes."

"Bet they loved you."

"Oh, they did. Recall, that this was before I went to Signal, we were all very young then. Anyway, one of the games I did with them was an accuracy game. We would throw things at a target, or use a slingshot, and then one day, I found a very, VERY, old crossbow. I put foam rounds in it around my siblings, just so you know. After a while, I got rather good with it, to the extent that I could use it with one hand with extreme precision. So when the time came to make my weapon at Signal, I thought about my family, and I thought of the games we would play, and I remembered that crossbow. And the result of that..."

He reached to his the bottom of his legs and pulled out his two crossbows, posing with them for a little bit for show and effect. Glyph gave a mock clap at this.

"Bravo," he said sarcastically.

"Mock me for my posing skills if you must, but the story was true."

"I know. You do a lot for your family, don't you?"

"More than anyone will ever know, even Erin."

The two looked upon the other with new appreciation, and new conversations started due to their questions breaking the ice.

In the library, Macro and Yasmine sat down at one of the tables. They looked around and noticed many other pairings from their classmates. Both Macro and Yasmine looked at them with curiosity.

"I wonder what they're all talking about," queried Yasmine.

"Learning about each other hopefully," remarked Macro, "that is the assignment after all."

"I know that, Macro. But I mean, I wonder how they're all going about it. Are they going right to the point? Are they just trying to get through it so they can return to their friends or teammates? Do they even care about the answers that they're being given?"

"Good questions, you'd have to ask them for the answers though."

"Fair enough. On a personal note, of all the people on MEAL I could've been paired up with, other than Leilani obviously, I'm glad it was you."

"Likewise. I was surprised when Professor Tod put us together. I feel we've shown a mutual respect for one another since our groups became friends."

"That we have," Yasmine said with a smile. "You've always been appreciative of my gifts, my Semblance, my ability to think logically and rationale."

"And you Yasmine," he added with a motion of the hand to her, "have appreciated my leadership skills, and how I handle situations both in combat and in our groups."

"I do. It also helped early on that Glyph trusted you completely. After my fight with him, I basically trusted anything he did or said."

"A good philosophy."

The two laughed, then just looked at the other. Yasmine was the first to break the silence, "So, now that that's out of the way, what do you want to talk about now?"

"No idea, you're the Chessmaster, shouldn't you have everything planned out?" Macro joked.

Yasmine's expression changed, venom filled her face, "Do not...call me that."

"Why not? I thought that was your nickname."

"It is...but not one I picked."

"That's how nicknames work, Yasmine."

"If I started calling you "Crew Cut", and it caught on all over Beacon, would you hate it?"

Macro paused and thought about it, and eventually nodded, "Yeah, I would. Ironically, some people did call me something like that at Signal, before I showed them up and made them stop. So...I'm guessing "Chessmaster" was yours?"

She nodded and sighed heavily, "As you know, me and Leilani didn't have it easy in Minstrel. Faunus weren't really liked in the section we lived in. We had to work hard to keep our family's store open. All I could see when I walked the streets of our village was the various ways they would look at me...look at my eyes. So when I got to school, and I learned my Semblance, I worked hard to prove that I was as good as anyone, or better."

"That's how you got your nickname, isn't it?" Macro realized, "Your Semblance."

"Yeah, and at first...I honestly didn't mind it," Yasmine noted with a small smile. "It was a teacher I liked who gave it to me. One of the few that treated me fairly. He called me that because I could always see a few moves ahead, and he liked that. And they all knew it. I was at the top of my class Macro, the very top. Yet they didn't care, they had to invent reasons to knock me down, and when I fought back? The others heard about it, and they got mad. Mad because I was legitimately the best! They thought that was wrong!"

"Kids are idiots, and prejudice blinds everyone who lets it."

"Yeah. Eventually, they got so mad that they used my nickname as a slang term, or as an insult. "Careful, you don't want to get Chessmastered." "Chessmaster at the top? Color me surprised." They couldn't take it, and the name that was given to me out of respect became a curse. But..."

"But what?" asked Macro, unsure of why she paused.

She sighed even heavier, then rubbed her head in pain, "I made it worse. I hated them for what they did to me, to my nickname. So I pushed harder. I made sure that I did 100% in everything I did, no excuses. If they wanted to use my nickname like that? I was going to make sure it meant what they wanted. I would go so worked up, if it wasn't for Leilani I would've snapped. And even then, I did. Here."

"The fight with Glyph."

"Yeah, it was the culmination of all my pain. I had it in my mind that leading the group would be the ultimate achievement, something that none of them could take from me. But I didn't get it, and I lost it. You know the rest."

Macro watched her with sympathy as he noticed a tear go down her cheeked. She brushed it away quickly and looked away ashamed.

Knowing that something needed to be said, he leaned in, "Hey, it's ok. You're allowed to feel. I know you put you on the tough exterior for Leilani, and to tick off Reyson, but you're still alive, it's ok to cry when you're sad, or frustrated."

Yasmine laughed at this, "Do you cry?"

"Sometimes. Like you, it's rare. But I do. I cried when the Heralds returned, when I thought I lost my father once, when the incident when Glyph happened and I couldn't find him to let him know it was going to be ok. Despite what people think, I'm not a soldier 100% of the time. And to be honest, when I have those moments, I feel lost, but I accept it, and try to figure out what it means. I can't be what people expect me to be all the time. Glyph knows that, my father knows that. And now, so do you. And I promise that I'll never call you that nickname again. But you should promise me that you won't dwell on your past here. Beacon is not Minstrel. Yes, there are haters here, and there are Heralds here. But...you aren't alone here. You don't have to just rely on Leilani anymore to keep you balanced. You have us, and you might not realize it, but there are others here who respect you greatly. I would know, I am one, and I've talked with others who feel the same way about you. Humans and Faunus alike."

"Really?" asked Yasmine surprised.

"Oh yeah, I could introduce you to some of them if you like. Never hurts to have more people to talk to."

"I'd like that. Thank you, Macro."

"Of course, that's what friends do."

"Indeed. Want to walk around and talk some more? The library feels a little cramped now."

"Sure."

The two smiled and rose up and headed for the hallway, just as Macro reached the door though he turned to her, "Oh, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"If you tell Reyson or Diana that I cry sometimes, I'm going to have to kill you."

"Ha! You wish. Besides, I'm not the kind of girl who gives good ammo away."

"Good to know."

With that, they left and continued on their way.

In the room of GRYD, Reyson sat on his bed, and looked across to the bed next to him, where Erin sat, she was looking at him in kind. Reyson was calm, but Erin seemed a bit tense. Neither of them talked for a while. This made Erin even more tense.

"You know, I find it ironic that we were paired together..." she started.

"Because we both have families that claim to love us but don't accept our unique views on life and thus try and force us into their own traditions no matter how many times we try and tell them that's not us?" Reyson replied without taking a breath.

"Uh...yeah, pretty much."

A silence returned, but the two literally laughed it away.

"Not so ironically, the topic of our...bond...for lack of a better turn, has been brought up before."

"Really? By who?"

"Yasmine, when my Aunt Heron showed up. I told her about my family history and she compared it to yours. To be fair, mine is worse."

Erin raised her hands to show she wasn't going to argue, "Oh, no doubt. The little you have told us makes it clear that yours are a lot more forceful than mine...although...what does that say about my parents? Because they're forceful too, but..."

"Though they're still trying to turn you into what you're not, you can tell they still care for you?. Yeah, I know. Like I said, our "bond". Heh. As sad as it sounds, I'm a bit envious of you Erin."

"Oh, how so?" she asked, surprised by the reveal.

"You defy your parents in your own way, in a way that's...peaceful," he noted with a shrug. "You don't yell at them, you don't argue every chance they get, you don't try and get attention by going overboard and proving you're not what they want you to be."

"Well...most of the time..." she laughed as she grabbed her hair and held it out, "I mean, my hair is pink, I wasn't born this way."

Reyson nodded and laughed, "Fair enough. But, that was one act of open defiance right in front of them. Me? Almost half my life has been about open defiance of my parents and family. It won't end well. It just can't. You though, you have hope, and I'm pretty sure you hold onto that hope even when you do your defiant acts. And I love that about you...platonically...of course."

"Of course."

"Had to say it, don't want Aaron getting any wrong ideas. Or you for that matter."

"I'm not worried about you Reyson."

The way she said that made him curious, "Oh? Why not?"

"Honestly?" she asked, now suddenly nervous.

"Yeah, I won't bite."

"As you are right now...I don't think you're capable of romantic love."

"...go on."

"Can you love? Yeah. You love battle, you love the thrill of the fight, you love how your weapons feel in your hands. But to love another that way? I don't think you have it in you. Not right now at least. Especially how you are right now, Reyson."

Reyson laughed lowly and shook his head, "No arguments here, Erin. I've got too much hate in me. For my family, for my blood, my literal blood I mean. The Bloodlust. And even if I did have it in me to love, given what's happened to me, I wouldn't want anyone I care about to come near me. Wouldn't want to risk them getting hurt."

"That's...very honorable, and romantic," Erin said with a small smile.

"Don't push it."

"I'm not. One of the greatest hallmarks of love is wanting to protect those you care about. It's why Aaron and I always keep an eye on each other in battle, even when we're far apart. Because if we feel the other is in danger, we'll risk everything to go and help them."

"That sounds about right. You are "The Lovers" after all."

This time Erin laughed and shook her head, "Ah, that nickname. Note 100% accurate, but we like it."

"It'd be weird if you didn't."

"Maybe."

Silence filled the room again, Reyson looked away from Erin for a bit, and as his eyes scanned the room, he saw one of Diana's dresses, it was very sparkly, and that made him smirk and look back to Erin.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, we're supposed to be open and honest, right?" she noted with a shrug.

"Right. My biggest fear is my family coming here, as you saw with my Aunt Swann. But what will you do if/when your parents come to visit?"

At this question, Erin became much more nervous. Her body seemed to shiver, and she almost went into an upright fetal position, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She looked away from him while she thought of the answer.

Soon though, she relaxed, and looked at him with calm eyes, "I'll do what I have to. I'll treat them with respect, but I won't be afraid to show them who I am. I'll likely wear my other outfit when I meet them, and when they ask where my kimono is...I'll tell them I didn't want to wear it."

"And if they walk out because of your "clear disobedience" to their traditions?"

"Then that's their choice, just like my wearing my outfit is mine."

"...I like that. You should definitely do that when that happens."

"Remind me of this when that happens, I'll probably be scared stiff."

They laughed at the irony, and just looked at one another with kindness. Then Erin's eyes caught a glimpse of Reyson Khopeshes, they were against a wall, far away from where Reyson was, she saw this and got a frown on her face, "My turn for a question. You mind?"

Reyson shook his head, "Nope."

"When are you going to pick up your swords again?"

"See...why did you have to ruin the moment?"

"You asked me a personal question, it's my turn."

"You didn't see me that night, Erin. I was a monster, I was just as bad as a Grimm."

"Maybe, but from what Yasmine and Glyph said, you were drugged, which means without those, you can't go into that mode. Right?"

"And what if you're wrong? What if that was just the tipping point, one that from now on I don't need it to go into the Bloodlust?"

She thought about the question, gave a light shrug, and looked at him with honest eyes, "Then we'll handle it. We know what it is, and you can be knocked out in that mode. So...we'll handle it."

"I wish I had your faith," he remarked bitterly.

"It's not about faith, it's about friendship. Despite how you treat us sometimes, we are your friends. We do care about you, even Yasmine. It hurts us that you're not who you are."

"That's a stretch, and you know it."

"No, it's not!" she urged, "We all have our roles in our teams. On MEAL? Macro is the commander, me and Aaron are the "foundation" as Macro likes to call us, and then Leilani is the variable because of how her weapons work. For GRYD, Glyph is the evasion expert, Yasmine is the tactician, Diana is...well...the dancer...that one was obvious, and you...you're the tank. You don't think we notice how much damage you can take in a fight and keep going? That's epic how long you can last...and scary at times...but mostly epic."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back, but couldn't help but shake his head, "Thanks for trying, almost had me there for a sec."

"Oh yeah? Well if that was the hook and the line, here's the sinker. Every day you don't pick up your weapons and fight? Be who you are? They win."

"Who's "they"? The Grimm?"

"...yeah, partially. But I meant your family. After all, they don't want you to be openly aggressive, right? They want you to be passive, right? Not fight, not love it, fear it, try other options. Be...peaceful. So...how I see it is...if you don't go back to being Reyson soon...you're basically going to be a Heron."

Reyson's eyes bulged when he heard this, and his breathing became much more pronounced as he fumed his anger through his nostrils. Erin just sat there, taking it in, but not budging from her position. Reluctantly, he looked over at his swords, and just watched them for a bit. Slowly, he rose from the bed and went over to them. Erin watched anxiously as he reached for them.

After a deep breath, he picked up the swords, and instantly he felt a connection to them within his body. The fire that he had been surprising rose up, but in a way that was empowering, not overwhelming like when he went into the Bloodlust form before. Reyson just eyed them for a bit. Then whirled them around in his hands and put them into his holsters on his legs.

Reyson took several deep breaths before returning his gaze to Erin, who was now beaming at him, "You tell the others that I expect them to be ready if something goes wrong."

"I promise," she answered with a bow of her head. "And you promise me that when my parents come, you'll be in my corner alongside Aaron."

"I promise, just make sure he knows about what we talked about, don't want things to get weird."

"I promise that too."

With a nod to the other, they sealed their promises. Reyson returned to the bed and sat down on it, "So...what now?"

"How about some light questions?"

"That's a great idea...umm...why did you decide to dye your hair pink?"

"Oh! That's a great question...what happened was..."

Elsewhere, in the amphitheater, Leilani and Diana just sat in the seats above the combat arena. They couldn't look at each other, so they just looked everywhere else.

"Well...this isn't awkward," joked Diana.

"Not at all," acknowledged Leilani with a small smile.

"Why do you think Professor Tod did it?"

"You heard Macro, what he said."

"Oh Leilani, when it comes to guys, you have to hear what they DON'T say. All he said was that she wasn't going to change her mind, he never noted what exactly he told her, or her reply."

"Yeah...good point."

"I try. Anyway, why do you think she did it?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're closer to her than I am, didn't you bond on that one mission?"

Leilani smiled as she thought about her time with Vixi, "Yeah, I guess we did. So...I'd guess she knows what's going on between us, and she wants to help out."

Diana heard this and sighed, "Yeah, that sounds like her."

Time ticked by, and neither said a word to the other, nor could they look at each other still, the whole situation was just too awkward.

"Why do you love him?" Diana asked suddenly.

The personal nature of the question jarred Leilani from her spot, and she couldn't help but look at Diana with a bit of shock and outrage. Diana looked at her and smiled when she saw this.

"Well?"

"That's...that's a very personal question. Why should I answer that? And don't say the assignment!"

"Ok, um, because I'll tell you why I love him. That's fair, right?"

Leilani didn't like this, but she shrugged, then nodded, "Yeah, that's fair."

"Great, I'm all ears. metaphorically speaking."

"Oh, like I haven't heard that one before."

"I'm sure, now stop stalling!"

Leilani's ears fell against her face. She straightened them out before looking at Diana, but then got anxious and looked back at the battlefield, "Do you...do you remember our first night at Beacon?"

Diana scratched her head as she thought about it, "You mean when we were in teams? Or the night before that?"

"Night before that."

"Oh, when we were all in that one room together?"

"Yeah, what do you remember?"

"Uh, I danced for some of the others, great crowd. There were a few disturbances if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, I was in one of them. I was with my sister, and some guys thought it would be funny to throw a fruit at me. Macro and Glyph saw this, and Glyph intervened. He stopped the fruit just before it hit me. The look he gave them, the way he said, "Grow up", I should've been scared, but I wasn't...I felt...safe."

Diana smiled, "He does have that effect on people. I speak of that as his teammate."

"Yeah, he was...something," Leilani said with a smile, "it's not a stretch to say that I had a crush on him because of that. I could barely contain myself when I saw you and him outside the Emerald Forest. I think Macro knew what was going on though."

"That's what happens when you're best friends with the guy."

"True enough. Anyway, it all started there, but as time went on, as I worked with Glyph, talked with him...when I was able to work up enough courage that is, everything he did or said just made me...fall for him more. It wasn't just that he talked to me nicely, or treated me well, though that was nice...so nice."

She went sad as she thought about it, Diana nodded in understanding of what she meant, "I won't insult you by saying I know what you went through, because I didn't. Not even close. But I can say I'm sorry that you had to go through it at all, Leilani."

"Thanks Diana. And yeah, it was very rough, which made Glyph's treatment of me so much nicer. Don't get me wrong! Macro treats me great!" she said quickly, as if not saying it was an insult to her partner, "As does Aaron and Erin! Reyson...well..."

"No need to explain that one."

"Right. Well, with Glyph, there was something...else. He was kind, caring, and he saw me as...an equal. This one time, he saved one of my pictures from being ripped by Primrose, Maggie, and Rita. The hatred he had when they tried to hurt me, I should've been freaked, but I never felt happier. Macro was there too, but there was something different in his look. He wanted to help me for reason of justice, and being my friend, of course. But Glyph? He didn't want me to be belittled, insulted, crushed. Why do I love him? Because he's one of the few people I know that I truly believe will do anything to keep me happy, keep me safe, and look at me like I'm no different than anyone else. He doesn't see Faunus, he sees...me."

She smiled at Diana at the end of her speech, then looked back at the amphitheater. Diana watched her for a bit, then smiled herself, "That was beautiful, Leilani."

"Thanks, your turn!" she said in a rather girlish way.

"Fair enough. I already told part of this to Macro, but, I'll tell you the rest. You...uh...you met my mother."

"Yeah, hard to forget someone who traps you in a net."

"Indeed, I'm still sorry about that by the way."

"Not your fault, and you're not the only one with crazy parents."

"And I'm grateful for that, believe me. Regardless, my mother, when not trying to kill Macro's father, is a high ranking member of the Atlas military. As such, her name is in good standing, and my name is in good standing. While at Atlas, the school I mean, I was treated with...delicacy. Because if anyone insulted me, they thought that my mother would want to...correct their mistake."

"Did...that actually happen?" Leilani asked nervously.

"Once, that was way before school though. A bully got a little too cocky, and mother took him down a peg...or ten. Anyway, by the time I made it to school, everyone was rather tense around me. I was able to charm my way into their hearts through my dances, but the tension was still there. That's one of the reasons I wanted to come to Beacon and not stay at Atlas. I wanted to be out of my mothers' "fear zone". She didn't like it at first, but she came to respect it. She's...very protective of me."

"As most mothers' are, I would hope."

"True, but there's a line and all that. But when I came here, I felt that my charm and skills would get me through most situations, and they did, until I met Glyph. Yeah, he's not easy to win over when you make the wrong moves," she noted with a laugh.

" You must not be used to making wrong moves, both in dancing and in life."

"That is true as well. Like I told Macro, Glyph just...sees through it all. If I do something overboard, go too far on something, he lets me know. If I screw up, he'll get mad, but it's with a purpose, a purpose to make me better. He gives me more chances than I deserve, way more. That's...beautiful to me. And when I see him be truly mad or angry at me, I feel horrible, because I don't want him to look at me that I want him...I want him to look at me like I see him look at you."

Diana's face melted into an expression of pure sadness, Leilani looked at her and saw this, then became sad herself, "Is that why you were angry with me? Because he wasn't looking at you like that?"

"Part of it. I thought he wanted us to be together based on things he did or said, and I tried to be what he wanted, and then it felt that though I was trying...he chose you instead, that...made me very mad. To be clear, I wasn't mad at you, you were just...in the area of effect, as it were. Despite what I know you think, I don't hate you, Leilani, and I never have."

"Thanks, Diana. It's nice to hear you say that."

The two smiled at one another, and a rather peaceful silence filled the amphitheater. After a while though, Leilani got nervous, "So...what do we do now? You and me I mean. How do we...proceed...knowing how we both feel about Glyph?"

Diana chuckled as she leaned back in her chair, "Well, ironically, my mother gave me some good advice after her "attack". She said that if me and Glyph were meant to be together, it would happen. But, the reverse is also true, if you and Glyph are meant to be together, in the forever sense I mean, it'll happen. So...we just continue. Be kind to each other, be friends, be teammates when in battle...and we'll see what happens. Sound fair?"

"Yeah, that sounds fair. I just...I just want things to go back to how they were before me and Glyph dated."

"I'm sorry, but that won't happen," Diana said bluntly.

This made Leilani turn and look at her with uncertainty, "Why would you say that?"

"Because before you dated Glyph, you were a nervous wreck around him at times. But now, you're much more comfortable. And you know that Glyph has changed because of you being his girlfriend, right?"

Leilani blushed, "Yeah...I've noticed."

"You two dating has changed our group, and yeah, I made it for the worse, but, I'm fixing that. Don't wish for the past, wish for a better future."

"I like that."

"So do I. Now, if you think we've got enough for our papers, let's get out of here, I'm starving."

"You know what? So am I. Dinner is going to start soon, I bet the others will be there."

"Then let's go."

With a final smile to the other, they left the amphitheater, the tension between them now fully gone. A better future already in the works.

Sure enough, as they entered the cafeteria, the others were there getting their meals. Though they all sat together and talked, none of them talked about what they discussed in their pairs. All they would acknowledge is that their chats were productive. And for them, that was enough. What they shared was personal, and was only meant for their pairing partner. But no matter what they talked about, all of them could tell that they were closer as friends than they were before.

The next time Vixi Tod had her class, she collected all the papers from the students. Once she had them in her office, she immediately looked for the papers from GRYD and MEAL. She started to read them with apprehension, but then slowly grew a smile that widened with each paper. Once done, she laid them down on her desk and laughed.

"I love it when I'm right."

Later that same night, Glyph walked the hallway, heading back to his room. A shadow appeared behind him.

"Glyph?" called out a voice.

Glyph whirled around, and to his relief, Elenor was there, looking at him nervously. He smiled at her and bowed his head, "Elenor, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that."

"Yeah...sorry," she said still nervous.

"It's alright. How are you? Oh, did you have a good time with Professor Tod's pairing?"

"Oh yes! I was paired up with the leader of VEXD, actually."

"VEXD...isn't that Veridi's team?"

"Yes, that's her. She's nice...a bit odd I admit but...she was nice to me. I think I might have a new friend," Elenor stated with a cautious smile.

He beamed at her, "You can never have too many of those."

"True, look, um...I need to talk to you about Primrose."

His expression shifted to one of a more serious nature, "What about?"

"I overheard her a few hours ago, talking with Maggie. Whatever she's going to do to try and get to you and the others? It's going to be soon. Please be careful."

"Thanks for the warning, I'll take care of it."

"How?" she asked.

"By doing what I've always done, putting her in her place."

*credits*