Luna hoped she was hiding how nervous she was.
She'd been on dates before, if you could call them that. Really, her dates with her ex-girlfriend in combat school had just been hanging out at the playground and eating together for lunch without Cobalt.
But this was a real date, at a restaurant and everything, with nice clothes. This was more than a playground meetup, and Luna wasn't sure if she was prepared for the expectations.
As she brushed her hair, tugging at the tangles she'd worked up over the day, she assured herself that Astra wasn't exactly the type to have expectations, not above expecting people to be decent, anyway. She liked Luna as she was, and she wouldn't have asked her out otherwise.
She considered putting her hair back up before leaving the bathroom, but then had a look at herself in the mirror before deciding to leave it down. It would be a struggle to keep it neat for the night, but it worked well with the dress she'd put on.
Said dress was a pale lavender colour that faded to white towards the bottom. It was simple, but Luna's favourite, mostly due to the fact it had long sleeves. She always felt more comfortable when her arms were not exposed unless it was the middle of summer and she had no choice.
The finishing touch was something she rarely did but decided upon just for tonight. She'd never been the biggest fan of jewelry, but she owned an amethyst pendant on a thin silver chain that she kept with her for good luck. Blake had given it to her when she was eight, and it always comforted her. She slipped it over her head, glad that the chain was long enough so that the metal did not touch her skin, and instead rested on the collar of the dress.
There. If she wasn't ready mentally, she was at least ready physically. Opening the door, she stepped into the dorm.
All three of her teammates turned to look at her, but Luna's eyes were only on Astra. Her girlfriend looked the same as she did on the night they'd confessed their feelings, except this time her hair was in a ponytail, and the look on her face was not one of shame and guilt. Instead, her eyes were wide as she stared at Luna, awe plain on her face, clearly unable to speak for the moment. Luna offered a small smile.
"Oh, wow. You look…amazing." Astra breathed at last. "I can't believe I missed this for the dance."
Luna blushed, the words meaning everything to her. "Thanks," She replied. "So do you."
Seemingly to realize she was staring, Astra jumped slightly, as if to shake her gaze away. "Right, um," She gestured to the door. "Shall we go, m'lady?"
Luna chuckled slightly at the gentlemanly act. She too Astra's hand. "Of course."
"You two have fun!" Cobalt called after they as they left the room.
"Remember your curfew!" Lily added. "I will watch it without you if you're not back in time."
"So," Luna asked as they walked hand-in-hand through the hallway. "Where are we going?"
"Well, I don't want to take you anywhere you don't want to go, so, I've decided to let you decide." Astra chirped in response.
Luna saw right through her. She smirked. "You don't know any restaurants in Vale, do you?"
Astra grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, not really."
"Well, don't worry," Luna assured her. "I know a nice place that's not too expensive and isn't too far from where the transports dock. I go there with my family sometimes."
Astra beamed. "Sounds great!"
As they crossed the school grounds and boarded a bullhead just in time before it left, few words were exchanged between the two. Luna had plenty to say, but was saving it for the date itself, and was content to just gaze adoringly at Astra while holding her hand. Occasionally, they'd burst into giggles among the silence, earning them confused looks from a couple of other passengers, and rolled eyes from others. For once, Luna didn't mind the judgment.
The restaurant was within view as they exited the transport and the moment Luna pointed it out, Astra happily pulled her over to it, jokingly acting as if it had been her idea to go there all along.
Inside was just as it had been last time Luna had been there, though this was the first time she'd done so without her parents. It was warmly-lit, with a bar to one side, and round tables spaced out in a large room. Along the sides of the room were booths with dark red cushions; the corners of which were often Luna's seating of choice. Thankfully, the restaurant was not especially full, and the corner booths were free. Luna tugged Astra over and settled herself into one side as Astra took the other.
Astra picked up a menu from the center of the table and inspected it. "So, what are you gonna get?" She asked Luna as she peered at the 'meals' section.
"Probably battered fish," Luna admitted. "My mother grew up coastally and cooks it all the time at home, so I've gotten a taste for it."
"Fish is nice," Astra agreed, her eyes still on the menu. "I might get some beef cheeks. Do you know if they're good?"
Luna nodded. "They always give them a nice sauce here."
"Alrighty, well, that's sorted." Astra closed the menu and pushed it back to the middle of the table, before picking up the number stand and fiddling with it absent-mindedly. After a moment, she asked, "Do you go to Menagerie often?"
The question initially surprised Luna, until she remembered she'd just mentioned it. "Yeah, a few times," She replied. "We mostly go up there in the summer holidays to visit my grandparents."
Astra thought for a moment. "I bet it's nice up down there in the summer."
Luna shrugged. "Sure, when it's not too crowded." She regretted the slight bitterness in her tone the moment she spoke, not having meant for it to slip through."
Astra looked away for a moment. "Oh, right. I forget that sometimes. I just meant that I've never really been anywhere costal in the summer before."
For a moment, Luna had forgotten that Astra had lived in Atlas her whole life, where nice summer holidays were the last thing you were going to get. "I'll take you to one of Vale's beaches in the summer," She promised her. "We've got some nice ones here."
Astra grinned at her. "Aw, that sounds nice. I'm holding you to that."
"Just don't let me forget." Luna chuckled. Truthfully, she wasn't the biggest fan of beaches, with how the wind blew sand into your eyes and wet sand clung to your skin, but it would be worth it to see Astra experiencing it for the first time.
The waiter came over to take their orders, and Astra did the talking, prompting an inward sigh of relief in Luna. She'd never tried ordering her own food from a restaurant before and didn't plan to start any time soon. Having an extroverted girlfriend would come in handy, it seemed.
"Sorry if you don't like raspberry soda," Astra commented after the waiter left. "I should've asked first."
"Don't worry," Luna assured her. "I love it."
A grin crossed Astra's face. "Hey, me too!" Luna didn't bother to comment that the fact was obvious; the pleasure on her girlfriend's face at sharing something in common was too adorable.
"Ssooooo, um..." Astra tapped her fingers on the table. "Dates are for getting to know each other, right? Do you…have any pets?"
Luna smiled fondly at her awkwardness. "No," She replied. "But Ruby and Weiss have a cat, a white one. And my uncles, Oscar and Whitley, have a dog."
Astra perked up, clapping her hands. "Oh, I know that dog!"
Luna blinked at her in surprise. "You do?"
Astra nodded enthusiastically. "I've met the Pines a few times before in Atlas. One time they were at the park with their dog and they let me pet him." She squealed. "He's so cute." She chuckled. "And I love his name."
Luna grinned. She'd been old enough, when Whitley had brought the dog for his husband, to remember when they'd named him. Ozpin, because he was always hiding things. Genius. "It's pretty clever," She admitted. "I didn't realize you might have met them."
"Oh yeah, I've met a few influential people up there," Astra replied, "Mostly at the parties my mom used to take me to, but sometimes just in the street too."
"Have you met Penny?"
Astra grinned. "Yeah, she's the coolest!" her eyes shone. "I've met the happy Huntresses too. Actually, the first time I met may marigold was the first time I realized I was trans." She sat back in her seat, looking wistful. "Atlas sucks, but it's good to know there are people there working to make it better."
Luna smiled softly at her. "Of course. It's already better than it once was, especially with Whitley Pine running the SDC and Robyn Hill on the council."
Astra sighed. "I know that. But Atlas' problems are more than just a few people can fix right away, even if they are in positions of power. I'm glad to be here instead." She grinned at Luna. "With you."
The night continued well, and Luna felt her fears melting away as she talked and laughed with Astra. She was able to pretend that they were the only ones in the room, that nobody else existed to watch or judge them. Even when she accidentally squeezed lemon onto her dress, Astra just laughed good-heartedly and helped her clean it up. And when Astra kept getting sauce from her meal all over her face, Luna was able to wipe it away with a serviette, a moment of slight intimacy that Luna felt oddly comfortable with.
And as Astra had mentioned, they'd certainly been able to learn more about each other; tiny facts that neither of them even really needed to know. Astra told her about how Team FNKI would sometimes bring her to raves, and how the entire club would always make sure to watch their behavior around her. In return, Luna told the story of the time Blaze had accidentally set the carpet on fire, leading it to need to be replaced. And then, Astra told her about how Astra had thrown a light ball into the face of a kid who'd pulled her tail, and how Neon had defended her after the school punished her for it.
"Ugh," Luna pushed her plate away after about an hour of talking and eating. "I think that's as much food as I can handle."
Astra nodded, placing down her knife and fork. "You didn't tell me beef cheeks were so filling."
Luna chuckled. "That tends to be the way with beef. Probably doesn't help that you also ate all my fries for me."
"Hah. True." Astra patted her stomach. "Still, don't think I'll have any room for dessert."
Luna glanced around; the restaurant was emptier now than before and she had a feeling they'd be shutting down food production soon. "Should we go, then?"
Astra squeezed out of the booth and stood up, her tail waving. "Sure. Did you want to walk home? It should still be nice weather outside."
Luna stood up and stretched slightly, feeling cramped from sitting in place for so long. "Sounds good to me."
"Hey, freak!"
Luna tensed, looking past Astra to notice an older man approaching them, clearly drunk, to the point where Luna wondered why he'd not been thrown out yet.
The man strode up to Astra, who blinked at him in confusion. "Can I help you?"
The man cast a dirty look at her tail. "Don't you think this place is a bit too nice for an animal?"
Anger shot through Luna. She wondered why he'd not addressed her as well until she realized she'd subconsciously curled her tail in a way that meant it was covered by her dress. She flicked it out, the fur standing on end.
Astra looked unimpressed as she looked the man up and down. "Don't you think this place is a bit too nice for someone so gross?"
Luna suppressed a chuckle, walking over to stand firmly beside Astra.
The man's face twisted in anger, looking at Luna and seeming to notice her tail, then back at Astra. "You little brats need to be taught a lesson." He snarled.
Quicker than Luna could react to, he pulled out a knife from his coat. Astra's expressed turned to fear and anger in an instant as she moved in front of Luna. Neither of them had brought their weapons. Hand-to-hand, they might have been able to take him, but there was little either teen could do against an armed adult.
"Hey!" A sharp voice cut in as a waitress hurried up to the man. "What's going on here?" She glanced sharply at the knife. "Are you trying to hurt these young women?"
"They're not women," The man growled. "They're filth."
The waitress didn't back down. "We don't tolerate violence or discrimination here," She insisted. "You need to leave before I call the police or a hunstman."
Luna remained tense, until the man gave in, shoving the knife back into his coat and walking away, stumbling slightly and muttering as he slammed the door open and left the building, letting it close behind him with a thud. Only then did Luna let herself sigh in relief.
The waitress turned to Astra and Luna, her face deeply apologetic. "I'm so sorry," She told them. "People like him aren't welcome here."
Astra was wordless in response, and Luna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for getting rid of him. We appreciate it more than we can say."
The waitress still looked sympathetic. "Can I get you anything? A free dessert?"
Luna glanced at Astra, who was still staring at the door the man had left through.
"No," She responded. "That's okay. We were just heading out."
The waitress nodded. "If you're sure. I recommend you use our back entrance, though," She gestured towards a smaller door, opposite from the one the man had left through. "Just in case he's lurking."
"Of course," Luna gave her a quick nod. "Thank you."
Her arm still on her shoulder, Luna led Astra out of the building and into the street, which was thankfully still busy and well-lit enough to deter any more attempted attacks. For a moment, they were quiet as they started heading back in Beacon's direction, but Luna knew Astra's silence was a good indication that the event had shaken her.
"Hey, are you okay?" She whispered.
Astra's eyes were fixed on the ground. "I…I haven't had anyone pull a weapon on me in years," She replied quietly. "I wasn't expecting it."
Luna wrapped her arm more closely around her shoulder. "I know," She wished she could say much more. "I wasn't either."
Astra placed her arms around herself and Luna realized she was shivering slightly. "I just…he could have hurt us. He could have hurt you…"
"He couldn't have," Luna tried to assure her, though she wasn't sure she believed her own words. "He was in a public place. Even if that waitress hadn't seen, someone else would have."
Astra sighed. Luna felt her relax slightly. "I know. But I don't know what I would have done if he'd done anything to you…you're so important to me, Luna."
Luna stopped walking and took the moment to pull Astra close to her until her girlfriend stopped shivering.
"I'll be okay," She soothed. "And so will you. We're both badass huntresses, remember? And if we ever come across someone like that again, we can take them down with no problem."
Astra leaned her head on Luna's shoulder, smiling slightly. "Right."
"We're partners, and we're amazing fighters, and we've got an amazing team," Luna added. "Nothing can touch us." She sighed quietly. "Stuff like this is going to keep happening. I know that. But we can deal with it when it does." She grabbed one of Astra's hands and squeezed it. "As long as we're together, we can protect each other."
Astra smiled. "You're pretty smart," She told her. "I like that about you."
Luna blushed and chuckled. "Aw come on, I'm not that smart."
Astra leaned on her shoulder. "Yeah, you are." Before Luna could protest again, she stood up straighter and tugged on her arm. "Now, come on. Let's get home before Lily watches our show without us."
