Adam tried his best to keep his eye fixated upon the textbook in front of him, but the blur constantly shifting back and forth just above the pages kept catching his attention instead. He sighed heavily as he turned the page to an anatomical diagram of an ursa, only to tense as he felt a hand ruffle through his hair and around his horns.

"What's wrong?" Kali asked from her position behind Adam, atop the bed. She trailed her hand lazily through the boy's hair as he sat at the foot of the furniture, an identical book in her lap.

Adam looked straight ahead in response, to where Taiyang was pacing worriedly back and forth in front of the open door. "I can't focus while you're burning a hole in the rug, Tai. They'll be fine. They contacted us half an hour ago, and they're here."

"That's exactly why I'm worried," Taiyang admitted as he finally came to a stop. "What are they doing? Why aren't they back? Meeting with John should be quick, right? They should be here by now and telling us the details."

"Tai," Willow said sweetly from her position sitting cross-legged atop the boy's bed, "relax. So far as I can tell, Johnathon is legitimate. Well… legitimate with us, at least. He's just on a different path, and even if he was trying to pull one over on us… he can't handle the Branwens backed up by Summer. If you're so worried, though, then why not ask them? You have a scroll."

Taiyang let out a grunt and stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking very much like Qrow as he slouched forward slightly. "Because I don't want to seem clingy."

"But you are clingy," Adam pointed out as he flipped back to the previous page, content with the lack of movement in his peripheral vision. "At least when it comes to Raven, anyway."

Taiyang scoffed in offense, only for Kali to roll her eyes and close her book. "Oh, don't even deny it. You're always the first to check in on her, not counting Qrow. We're not judging you- it's just cute."

"Yeah, well, so are you with Roman," Taiyang attempted as he pulled out his scroll and stared at the screen. "And you're not even trying to be subtle about it."

"No, I'm not," Kali deadpanned. "Or with Qrow. You're not winning this battle, Tai. Unlike you, I'm not ashamed to wear my escapades on my sleeve."

"This is not an escapade!" Taiyang said incredulously as he tapped out a text to Raven. "And I'm not… never mind."

"Stop trying," Adam advised. "Just accept that we're all on to you and be happy that you have our support. Provided you shut up and stop pacing, anyway."

Willow cleared her throat, earning the attention of her friends as her cheeks flushed pink. "These… escapades aside, can we all stop discussing anything to do with relationships? It's only creating tension, and I'm sure the last thing our friends want upon their return is that."

"Sure, whatever," Kali agreed as she flopped onto her stomach and began to use both hands to play with Adam's hair. "Man, you people are so uptight about this kind of shit. Why can't everyone just be open and honest about who they have feelings for?"

"Because that idea is terrifying," Taiyang said before taking a deep breath and looking down at his scroll. "'Hey, just checking in- is everything alright? We're looking forward to seeing you guys again soon.' Is that too much?"

"Depends," Kali mused as she traced a finger around one of Adam's horns. "Does it actually say 'Hey Raves, just checking i-"

The faunus girl was quickly silenced by a flying pillow encased within a rotating glyph. The plush instrument of destruction hit with enough force to knock Kali off the bed, and Willow's expression twisted into a cheeky grin as she watched her friend tumble sideways and out of sight.

"I said enough, Kali."

"Thanks," Taiyang and Adam said in unison as the latter flipped another page.

"Maybe now I can read in peace," the faunus added as one of the pillows slipped off the side of the bed, guided by an unseen hand. "Probably not."

"Alright, I'm sending it," Taiyang said as he shook out his free hand. "And… done. Maybe I should send something to Qrow, too, so it doesn't look l-"

"Kiyaaa!" Kali screamed as she popped up from behind the bed, only to nail Adam in the side of the head with her pillow. The fluffy projectile rebounded off of Adam's skull with a fluffy smack, and he barely reacted beyond offering an annoyed grunt and narrowing his eye.

"…you would assault a handicapped man on his blind side? For shame," he chided. "Also, Willow hit you first, not me."

The boy received a second pillow to the side of his face for his efforts, chased by an amused snort from Taiyang as Willow slipped off the bed to retrieve the fallen, feathery sacks from the floor. Without another word, Adam closed his book and deposited it upon the bed before standing and holding out a hand toward the heiress. She immediately obliged by depositing a pillow into his palm, and he hurled it at Kali with great force.

"Guys, can we n-" Taiyang jumped backward mid-sentence as Willow hurled her own pillow, only for another that Kali had grabbed from Raven's bed to barely miss his head. He dipped out into the hallway as the room devolved into a series of battle cries and flying pillows, only to find a return text.

Qrow and Summer are somewhere in the dorm building. I don't want to be around a lot of people right now. Sorry.

Taiyang's face fell as he reread the message several times, only to find his fingers moving faster than his mind could to stop them.

What about one person?

An errant pillow flew out into the hallway and landed next to Taiyang's foot. He bent down while keeping his eyes locked on his scroll before throwing it back. Three dots appeared on the screen to indicate that Raven was composing a reply, and his heart stopped as he held his breath.

If you've got an idea of where to go to be alone, and a way to keep the others off my back, then sure. I'm out in the gardens.

Taiyang paused as he considered the offer and ducked back into the room. He extended a hand to snatch a pillow in midair as it careened for Willow's head and earned a nod and smile for his quick save.

"Thanks, Tai. Did she reply?"

"Yeah," Taiyang replied. "Any chance I could have your keycard, if that offer's still open for Raven to take your room for a night? She's not feeling too great and doesn't want to be around people. You can have her bed. I doubt she'd mind."

Willow ducked quickly, and then erected a black glyph in midair that caught a volley of three pillows in a stasis trap.

"Adam! I thought we were allies!" Willow exclaimed with a hint of disappointment.

"My pillow serves only myself," Adam countered as he narrowed his eye and wound up for another throw. He could barely fight back his playful smile, which Willow returned as she let her trapped pillows drop to the floor. She withdrew her wallet from her pocket and tossed it to Taiyang as she adopted a ready stance and stared down the two waiting faunus.

"Well, at least you're not making it personal," Willow mused.

Taiyang found the keycard and placed it within his own pocket before handing the wallet back to Willow. "Yeah, I'm gonna go get Raven set up over there. I'll be back soon."

"Away, villain!" Kali yelled as she chucked a pillow at Taiyang's stomach. The boy caught the projectile and returned it to her, only for the pillow to make a satisfying thwump as it impacted her stomach. "Gah!"

"Serves you right for getting on my back about Raven," Taiyang taunted. "Later!"

The boy closed the door behind himself as he once again stepped out into the hall, chased by the sound of a flurry of pillows impacting the wood behind him. He shook his head and made his way toward the elevator as quickly as he could, only for Qrow and Summer to step out from it and nearly run into him.

"Whoa!" Taiyang offered as he took a step back to look his friends over. Summer had her arm around Qrow's shoulder as he kept his own around her waist, and the girl looked utterly exhausted. She offered Taiyang a weak smile, which he returned.

"Hey, Tai. I'm fine, before you say anything," Summer offered with a wave of her hand. "I'm just… really, really tired, is all. We fought a lot of grimm."

Taiyang paused and focused his semblance upon Summer, only to sense that amongst her exhaustion was an all-consuming sense of guilt and worry. He hesitated as he thought his options over, and ultimately decided not to press her on it.

"Yeah. Raven's… not feeling great, either. I think she may have gone to the infirmary," Qrow said with a frown as he interrupted Taiyang from his thoughts. "Sorry."

"No, don't be," Taiyang reassured as he forced a smile. "I'll look for her there and see what I can do to help. Oh, and as a heads up- Adam, Kali, and Willow are currently embroiled in a pillow fight for the ages, and Barty's off with Yatsu. Don't expect peace in our dorm."

"Thanks for the warning," Summer replied with a grin. "We'll either kick them out, or I'll bum an OKRA key off Kali and go sleep in their dorm. See you soon?"

"Yeah," Taiyang agreed as he slipped into the elevator. "I'll see you soon."


Raven extended a hand as a small white blossom fluttered down from a nearby hedge. The arrangement of petals landed gently in her palm as she pulled a face and slowly closed her fingers around them. She gently rolled her fingertips back and forth atop a singular petal and tried to focus on the silky feeling to calm her racing mind, only to find no comfort in the action. With a disgusted sigh, she dropped the blossom, rose from her place upon the wooden bench, and put her hand down to the hilt of her sword. Once again, she tried to engage the rotating mechanism to change out the blade, only to hear a distressed grinding noise followed by a harsh click.

"Maybe it's trying to tell you something."

Raven breathed out a snort and turned to face Taiyang with narrowed eyes and a bite to her tone.

"Don't even start. If you're going to be like that, then go back to the others."

Taiyang raised his hands defensively and looked down to the dirt path between the hedges. "Yeah, my bad. I was just… never mind. Sorry."

"And don't use your semblance on me. Actively, I mean," Raven clarified as she dropped her hand from the hilt of her sword. "I'm not in the mood to be stripped and scrutinized. Honestly, I'm not in the mood for anything, including talking about why I'm not in the mood. I just want to be away from the group, and maybe get some sleep. Lay low this weekend and get ready for Monday. Preferably without playing twenty questions with you and OKRA."

Taiyang took a minute to process Raven's demands before he produced Willow's keycard from his pocket and held it up between two fingers.

"Then let's get out of this very public place, get you set up somewhere you can do those things, and go from there. Sound good?" Taiyang offered.

Raven's indignation seemed to slowly die out as she eyed the keycard. With a belabored sigh, she walked forward to Taiyang's side and began to make her way through the hedges with him in tow.

"That's more or less exactly what I need right now. Thanks," Raven admitted as she kept her eyes on the path ahead.

"Yeah, I figured," Taiyang agreed as he picked up the pace to walk at his friend's side. "We don't have to talk much, or at all, if you don't want to."

"Yes, we do," Raven protested with a scowl. "Otherwise, I'm just being a bitch to someone actively trying to be a friend."

"You're not a bitch," Taiyang replied immediately.

"I'm kind of a bitch," Raven reiterated as she shook her head. "You cared enough to check in on me, hunt me down, and figure out what I needed before I had any idea. I at least owe you some details on the job and how I'm feeling right now. Besides- with me being the only other person around, even if you're not actively using your semblance, you probably have some idea, anyway. Right?"

Taiyang made an uncomfortable noise as he returned his hands to his pockets. "Well… yeah, kinda. I've got a general idea of how you're feeling, but nothing specific. I know it's not great, at least."

And a more intense version of the guilt, indecision, and anger you're usually feeling, he added in his mind.

"Not great," Raven repeated with a short, hollow chuckle. "'Not great' is a massive understatement. I actually… I tried to bond with Summer, on the drive back home. I wasn't lying or saying anything outrageous, but it still somehow took more energy than even the encounters we had with grimm on the way there and back. Even when I'm trying to be more open and honest about my intentions, I don't feel content. It takes more energy for me to even allow myself to smile and let my hair down than it does to remain tense and guarded. I'm just so used to carrying myself in constant tension that anything else feels alien and forced. That, alongside some very personal issues and the fact that you and Summer are constantly digging into my mind, even when you don't mean to... it all just makes me feel terrible."

"Then you need to slow down," Taiyang advised. "If it's too much, too fast, you'll burn out. I know you're smart enough to know that, Raves. You don't have to put yourself out there and smile all the time. We still count you as a friend, even when you're not outwardly happy."

Raven shook her head as the two exited the hedges and started onto the walkway leading to the faculty living quarters.

"See, you say that, but Qrow's pushing me to open up. To let people in, and… try to be more social and trusting with all of you," Raven lamented. "He won't let up, and it isn't like I don't want to- it's that I can't. I can't do it without shredding my every nerve and living in constant worry. That isn't an option, Tai. That isn't me."

"Honestly, I think it's symptomatic of another problem that I'm noticing you have," Taiyang said carefully. Raven stopped walking almost immediately, and Taiyang froze as she turned to face him fully once again.

"And what problem is that?" Raven asked flatly as she folded her arms across her chest.

Taiyang hesitated and spoke slowly, choosing his every word with extreme care as he watched her fiery eyes. They seemed to glisten with some barely contained fury against the otherwise dark evening sky.

"You… have no outlet. No specific way to recharge, or rest. Sure, you meditate, you read, and you train, but none of those things relax you. I can see how tense and anxious you are, even when you're doing those things. Your mind races, your body's tight, and you put your all into everything you do, no matter how simple it may be. It's an attractive quality, but I think it's only working to burn you out faster, and this is all coming to a head because you're at your breaking point. You need to find some way to just let yourself rest."

The smoldering within Raven's eyes seemed to die down slowly as Taiyang spoke, until she found herself looking away entirely and starting to walk once again. Taiyang matched her pace, though she refused to look at him and instead busied herself with counting the streetlights lining the walkway ahead. Neither of the teens said anything until they reached the front door of the massive building, at which point Raven took out Willow's keycard and swiped it quickly through the reader beside the glass doors.

"…Raves?" Taiyang asked hesitantly. He watched as the girl looked up into the glass of the doors and locked eyes with him via reflection. "Are you… mad at me?"

"No," Raven replied immediately. "I'm mad at myself."

Taiyang paused as he watched Raven pull the door open with far more force than necessary and step into the building. He lagged behind just long enough to have to dart forward to catch the door, after which he stepped into the foyer and moved through the next set of doors alongside Raven.

"But why?" he asked as the pair made their way to the staircase. "What is it that you're so afraid of? What do you think will happen if you do relax, and why can't you just do it around us?"

"Could be professors around," Raven said softly as she took the lead on the way up the staircase. "Not here."

Taiyang grumbled quietly to himself as he kept up his pursuit while growing frustrated. "Raven, I can't help you when you're locking me out. You've already let me this close, and you know I won't just go running my mouth to the rest of STRQ, so why can't you trust me with what's on your mind?"

Raven let out a dramatic sigh as she reached Willow's floor and pulled out the keycard once again.

"Which room is it again? I don't remember offhand."

Taiyang set his jaw firmly as he joined Raven's side, and then moved in closer more quickly than she could react. He pulled his teammate into a crushing hug and closed his eyes, hoping for the best but expecting a knee to impact his crotch with great force. Instead, over time, he felt the light sensation of Raven's cheek upon his chest, and her arms resting gently upon his waist.

"You don't have to do this alone, Raves," Taiyang said softly as he rubbed at her back. "Any of this. Even if there are things you don't feel like you can tell me, I can still be here, and I'm willing to still be here for you. If something that simple helps, then it's good enough for me."

"You don't deserve the pain that I'm going to cause you one day," Raven warned as she broke away from the hug and immediately turned away from her friend. "None of you do."

"I think I speak for everyone on our team, OKRA, and Willow when I say that we'd rather divide that pain and shoulder it equally than let you wrestle with whatever personal issues you're dealing with on your own," Taiyang said as he followed Raven to Willow's door.

"What if I told you I wouldn't return the favor?" Raven said coldly as she swiped her keycard once again and stepped into Willow's penthouse. Taiyang stepped in after her and kept his eyes on her swishing plait of hair as she moved toward the bathroom.

"I'd… be a little disappointed, but I also believe that if you were on stable ground, you'd feel differently," Taiyang reassured as he closed the door behind himself. "Like I said- I think you're at a breaking point. I see glimmers of who I think you wish you could be every now and then, beneath the anger and angst. It's in your smile, even if it's rare. Maybe the others don't notice, but I do."

Raven hesitated as she placed a hand on the knob of the bathroom door. After heaving a sigh, she looked over her shoulder to face Taiyang, looking more haggard and tired than he had ever seen her before.

"…maybe I would. I don't know, Tai. I don't have answers for this kind of thing, and that's part of the problem. I like to be sure before I say or do anything, and when it comes to all of you… I'm not. I feel like I should be, and that you've all shown me that I should be able to just throw myself into a positive relationship with you guys… but I can't," Raven confessed as she turned the knob and stepped into the bathroom. "I'm going to shower. Thanks for trying. Really."

Taiyang paused and watched as the door closed and locked with a faint click. The boy visibly deflated as he blew out a breath and shook his head, before taking a moment to check his scroll. There were no new messages. Taiyang idled for a few minutes as he simply looked around the room, trying to decide what to do. Finally, he replaced the device in his pocket with an annoyed grunt and made his way over to a shelf by the far wall.

On the top level was an arrangement of white and blue flowers, which Taiyang thought to be lilies. Next to the vase containing the flowers were three small cartridges of dust in transparent tubes. Taiyang gently picked up the middle container that was emanating a yellow glow between its blue and red brothers, and turned the tube over in his hands to inspect the thick glass. The telltale Schnee family snowflake emblem was engraved into the glass on one side, with a small, transparent label featuring black text on the opposite.

LIGHTNING DUST, the label read in bold, sprawling script. For use in weaponry featuring Class E revolver chambers. Handle with care. Do not store in locations high above the ground, windowsills, or other places from which this container could fall. Impacts of significant force may lead to explosion.

"High locations, huh?" Taiyang mused as he slowly turned the tube this way and that in his hands. The glittering crystals within the glass barely seemed to move, as they were packed nearly to the brim of the upper cap. "Wonder what constitutes significant impact."

Taiyang replaced the vial of dust upon the shelf, before something from the one below caught his eye. He reached down and picked up a small, double-sided picture frame before bringing it up to eye level and inspecting the photographs on either side. On the left was a tall man of average build, his short white hair slicked back in a style that reminded Taiyang of portrayals of vampires in popular fiction. The figure had a small mustache and goatee and wore a periwinkle suit as he held an ebony cane in front of himself with both hands. The implement had the Schnee snowflake emblazoned on the front of it in white about midway up the shaft, and a white crystal orb at the top, visible beneath the man's hands.

"Arcturus Schnee," Taiyang said softly to himself. "Recognize you from the news. That means that you must be Camilla," he remarked as he looked over to the right side of the frame. The woman within the photo there was very different and facing away from her husband.

Camilla Schnee stood slightly hunched and looking off to her left, out of the frame. Her eyes appeared sunken and full of suspicion as she regarded whatever it was she was looking at, and her hair was a white and blonde scraggly mess of hanging strands around her face. The back of her hair was pulled into a tight bun, and she wore very little makeup for a woman of her station. Her dress was a long, flowing, flowery gown of saffron, with a light blue sash tied off by a Schnee snowflake clasp at the waist. Something about her expression seemed to draw Taiyang into the picture, and he found it nearly impossible to tear himself from her eyes.

"…you're still here?"

Taiyang jumped and nearly dropped the picture frame as he whirled in place to find Raven standing before the open bathroom door. Her hair was drenched, she was clutching a white towel that barely covered down to her thighs as she cinched it around her ample chest with a hand, and she completed the look with a weary expression. A head of steam rolled out from the bathroom around her ankles, and Taiyang swallowed hard as he tried to keep his eyes on her face.

"I… I mean, I wasn't about to leave you alone, feeling so terrible," he admitted. "I at least wanted to make sure you didn't need anything before I left."

Raven scowled in response and rolled her eyes. "Wait there, I guess? I'm going to try to find something to wear."

Taiyang took a deep breath as he watched Raven retreat into Willow's bedroom and couldn't stop himself from letting his eyes linger upon the curve of her rear at the bottom of the towel. He breathed out and replaced the picture frame upon the shelf before rubbing his biceps and trying to chase away the dirty thoughts that threatened to cloud his better judgment. Taiyang relocated himself to the couch and crossed his legs as he waited nervously for several minutes, his mind on his companion's curves despite his efforts.

"Alright, I'm decent!" came the call from the bedroom, and Taiyang pushed up off the couch with speed that surprised even himself. He walked into the other room to find Raven sitting upon the bed, her legs crossed and clad in a deep blue silken bathrobe. The garment was obviously far too tight around her chest and forced open slightly at the neckline because of it, though neither of the teens seemed to mind.

Taiyang ran through his options as he watched Raven work at brushing out her long, damp hair. She kept her eyes on the wall directly in front of herself, and Taiyang tried to keep his thoughts on the safest, most logical path through the coming conversation.

"…are you comfortable?" he tried as he rubbed at his goatee. "You hungry, need some water, or… want the heat up?"

"No," Raven replied simply as she continued working her borrowed brush through the knots in her luxurious mane of hair.

"…to which thing?" Taiyang asked with exasperation. He watched Raven pulled her brush through several more strokes before she frowned and shook her head.

"…I'll be alright."

"Good," Taiyang said simply before chewing his bottom lip for a moment. "In that case, I'll leave you to it. Get some rest, and try to feel better, yeah?"

As Taiyang turned to leave, he felt an immediate and overpowering grip around his wrist. He looked down to find ruby red painted nails clutched around himself, attached to a worried looking Raven.

"…you… don't have to leave. Unless you want to," she insisted as she slowly set her brush down upon the nightstand. "I'll understand if you do, but you were right- just being here helps. I honestly think I'm going to go to sleep now, but if you want to stay…?"

Taiyang blinked in surprise as Raven released her grip and folded her hands into her lap, looking rather guilty. Slowly, he raised his hand and unzipped his puffy vest before setting it around the back of the chair by the vanity and taking a seat on the bed next to his friend.

"…then I'll just be here."

Raven gave Taiyang her full attention alongside a weak smile and placed her hand atop his. "Thanks. I mean, I doubt you're tired already, but I'm exhausted, Tai. Today's been stressful, shitty, and I feel terrible for being so short and standoffish with you. I'll try harder to be sociable with you in the morning."

"It's cool," Taiyang offered with a wider, honest smile of his own. "We all have these moments. It's not just you."

"Good to know," Raven remarked as she shifted to lay upon the mattress. Taiyang took up a spot next to her, though he kept a few feet between them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Taiyang replied as he folded his hands atop his chest and interlaced his fingers.

"Why?" Raven said simply. "Why do all of this for me, and why do I feel like you would do this for anyone? Where do you even get the energy to deal with me and my attitude?"

Taiyang considered the question silently for a few seconds and offered a shrug. "Well, first of all, I would do this for anyone. Secondly, I think it's partially because of my semblance. With a power like mine, I feel obligated to use it for good. If I'm going to passively pry into peoples' lives, the least I can do is use that knowledge to do something for 'em. It only seems fair, you know?"

"I don't think I've ever met anyone as considerate as you," Raven admitted as she stared up at the ceiling. "And the energy?"

"Dunno. I just… have it, I guess," Taiyang said before taking a long pause. "Can I ask you something?"

Raven slipped beneath the blankets and rolled onto her side in response, before speaking in a low voice.

"Sure, but I might not answer."

Taiyang followed suit and tunneled into the covers himself, before turning to face his back to Raven's.

"Can you tell me at least one thing that's specifically bothering you that falls under the umbrella of 'personal issues'? It can be something small," Taiyang offered.

Taiyang waited patiently for a response and received nothing for a long while. He began to wonder if Raven had fallen asleep, until a sudden statement caught him off guard.

"My semblance. It's not like you can help with that."

"Maybe I can't," Taiyang agreed. "But I can tell you that even without one, you're incredible. Once it finally unlocks, I'm sure it'll blow the rest of us out of the water."

Silence once again ruled the room. Taiyang waited for several minutes, until he felt the sensations of silk and damp hair pressing up against his back.

"…can we maybe do this, from time to time? Just rent out Willow's penthouse and get away for a night, together?"

Taiyang allowed himself a small smile as he closed his eyes.

"Yeah. I think that'd be cool."

"I think that'd be cool, too," Raven agreed. Neither of them said anything more for the rest of the night, and eventually drifted off to sleep.


Author's Note:

Let the mush flow through you.

-RD