Lily had kept her semblance a secret for weeks now, waiting for the right time to tell her mother in-person.
It had been difficult, of course, not to blurt out the news over a scroll call the moment she'd gotten back from the mission, but this was a special moment, one that needed to be timed right. And so, she'd been waiting patiently, not giving away anything. Well, anything except for occasionally growing out the stems of apples and tomatoes to endlessly confuse both Emerald and Neo, and keeping her home plants fresher and healthier than they'd ever been. She hoped that Jaune and Glynda were taking good enough care of the ones back at the dorm while she was away, not that she couldn't just bring them back anyway.
Today though, she had her plan ready to go. She'd been home for a couple of days and had spent that time resting, but today called for another training session with her mother- the perfect opportunity to show off.
"Hey, you ready?"
Lily looked up at her mother from where she lay on the couch with her har untied, jacket off, and a bowl of incredibly fresh grapes (thanks to herself, of course) on her chest. "Yeah, are you?"
"Just about," Emerald replied. She cast a glance across the room at Neo, who was putting away dishes in the kitchen. "I wanted to talk to you about something else first though, if that's okay with you."
Lily sat up and placed her grapes on the table. "What's up?" She wondered if her mother was finally going to be honest about her feelings for Neo. It'd be about time.
Emerald sat beside her. "It's about Neo."
Lily leaned forward. Yes, good.
"She came to me the other day with a proposition," Emerald explained. "She's decided that, if and after she's pardoned for her criminal activity, she wants to join me in getting an official huntsman license. More specifically, she wants to be my partner."
Lily lifted her eyebrows. "That sounds…good?" Emerald didn't seem as excited about this as Lily would have thought. "You like spending time with her, right?"
Emerald gazed across the room affectionately as Neo fumbled and almost dropped a glass, before shoving it quickly in a cupboard and regaining her composure as if nothing had happened.
"Of course I do," She replied softly. "But she's not the problem." Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to have a partner again."
"Oh…right." Lily's heart ached a little, though she'd never met Mercury. It hurt to think that, after Cinder, Emerald had been close to one person in the world, and then she'd lost him. She briefly wondered what it would be like to lose Cobalt and almost felt like crying. She just couldn't imagine what she'd do without her partner, or any of her other teammates.
Emerald's crimson gaze was still stuck on the floor. "Mercury was grumpy, stubborn, sometimes even a straight-up asshole. But he was also loyal, and protective. We were the same age, but he always felt like an older brother to me. He left Cinder and Salem because I did. He fought against them because I did. And it got him killed."
Lily had heard these words before, many times now. She never knew what to say to comfort Emerald, to assure her that Mercury's death hadn't been her fault. But it was yet another thing that her mother was insistent on blaming herself for, only, unlike everything else, no amount of training and do-good would make up for this one.
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do if I let myself have another partner, only for her to get herself killed for my sake," Emerald continued. "I don't know if I can go through that again."
Lily hesitated, searching for the right words. "I know I didn't know Mercury," She started, "But you've told me enough about him that I think, if he was still here, he'd criticize you for letting what happened with him get in the way of trying again."
Emerald huffed, a mix of amusement, affection, and pain crossing her face. "You're probably right."
"Someone told me once," Lily continued, "That when something bad happens, people will blame themselves. It's just a fault of humanity. But you didn't kill Mercury. Cinder did. And she's gone now." She watched Neo skip across the kitchen to put the plates away. "Mercury made the choice the join you. And Neo wants to make that choice too. In fact, something tells me that, even if you turn down her offer, she'll insist on fighting by your side anyway. You may as well let her."
Emerald glanced at her with a half-smile. "When did you get so wise, huh? You're supposed to be the kid here."
Lily shrugged. "You pick a few things up once you've interacted enough with legendary heroes and their children."
Emerald chuckled. "Beacon's been good for you," She acknowledged. "You made the right choice by going there."
Lily felt a small glow of pride. "I know I did. I've got a good team and good teachers." And they've helped me more than you realize.
Emerald sighed. "Mercury would have liked you. You two are a lot alike." She seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts and stood up. "Well then, enough moping. Let's get some training done."
"Right." Lily stood up and gathered her hair back into a ponytail.
"Neo!" Emerald called across the room. "You coming to watch us?"
Neo closed the cupboard from where she was putting away the last of the dishes and flashed Emerald a thumbs-up before walking over to join them as the group headed outside into the glaring heat of summer.
It was time for Lily to set her plan in motion.
"I was thinking," She piped up to Emerald. "Seeing as it's so hot today, we might want to spar beyond the field, in the woods. It'll be cooler under the shade of those trees."
Emerald glanced up at the sun, squinting. "Yeah, probably. It'll be harder though. And we'll have to make sure we don't attract any Grimm; I know they hang around in there on occasion."
Neo leaped in front of them as they walked. "I can take care of any Grimm, don't worry." She assured them. "You two can just focus on your training."
Emerald grinned at her. "Of course. Thank you, Neo." Neo flashed another thumbs-up in response.
It was definitely cooler under the shade of the threes, but that wasn't really what Lily cared about. What she cared about was the entanglement of branches that blocked every path and the assortment of roots that were spread out but under and over the ground. An already-messy area that was only about to get even more chaotic.
As Neo circled the area with an eye out for any Grimm, Lily took her stance a few paces away from Emerald, ready for the word.
"Go."
Lily dodged away as Emerald darted forward with a swift strike, feeling the wind rush between them and diving behind Emerald to deliver a kick. Before her foot could connect though, Emerald recovered from her missed strike and spun around to grab her by the ankle.
Lily took her chance. Before her mother could yank her off-balance, she subtly flicked her hand, sending a root under Emerald's feet and causing her to stumble. The moment Lily felt her mother's grip weaken, she twisted away and delivered a kick with her other foot, one that connected this time.
Emerald recovered quickly, leaping at Lily, who began weaving between trees, inciting a brief chase. As she passed branches, she grew them slightly longer, enough that they made Emerald's path more difficult, but still without her noticing the change. Lily, on the other hand, found herself traversing a lot easier when she could simply move foliage out of her way at will.
As Emerald stumbled over another of Lily's sneakily-grown roots, Lily used the distraction to dive behind a thicker tree, allowing it to completely shield her from Emerald's view. As Emerald recovered her balance and glanced around, Lily tensed herself, before leaping out from behind the tree and slamming into her mother with a heavy kick, sending her sprawling onto the uneven terrain.
Lily allowed herself to feel smug as she walked over and helped her mother up. "I'd call that a victory."
"I don't doubt that," Emerald huffed as she dusted herself off. "I don't think I'm used to fighting around obstacles. I feel like just about every root and branch was out to get me."
Leaves crunched as Neo hurried over to join them, a smirk on her face. "That was hilarious. Nice job, kid."
"Hey, give me a break!" Emerald protested lightheartedly, "Lily's probably been training in the forest a lot lately."
Lily grinned. "No, not really. I just have a way with plants, that's all."
"Come on Em, just admit you're getting too old and achy to fight in a forest anymore." Neo teased.
Emerald gave the other woman a light and friendly punch in the arm. "Hey, you're literally only two years younger than I am," She pointed out. "If I'm old, so are you."
Neo shrugged. "Whatever you need to say to make yourself feel better."
Emerald's only response was to poke her tongue out at Neo, who gave the same gesture in return. Lily grew out a low branch to sit on while their attention was on each other and watched in amusement.
Glancing up at the branches above her, Lily noticed a few apples growing among the leaves, perfectly ripened and ready for picking. As Emerald and Neo bickered playfully, she selected one and let it fall into her lap. It wasn't until she bit into it with a loud crunch that she finally caught their attention.
Emerald blinked at her while Neo's gaze flickered from the branch, to the apple, then to Lily.
"Where did you get that?" Emerald asked.
Lily pointed above her as she chewed. "Want one? They're fresh." She took another bite. She wasn't lying, it was certainly very juicy and sweet, even as someone who didn't usually enjoy apples and was only eating this one for the gimmick.
Emerald looked up at the other apples hanging from the branches, then back down at Lily. "Did that just…fall into your lap?"
Lily looked up again. "I mean…technically, yeah?" She made another one fall, catching this one deftly in her free hand. "See?"
Emerald and Neo both stared at her. Lily could practically see the gears turning in their heads. Neo seemed to realize quicker than Emerald, lifting her hands to her head as her eyes widened. A moment later, realization flooded into Emerald's eyes as well.
"You…did you do that?"
Lily grinned. "Yep."
Emerald lifted her hands to her chest, looking as if she was about to start welling up. "You…unlocked your semblance, didn't you?"
Lily let her smugness fall away for a moment. "Yeah. I did."
"Oh, my little flower," Emerald stepped over and wrapped her in a warm hug. "You have no idea how proud I am." She pulled back. "When…when did it happen? Surely not just now?"
Lily shook her head. "It was on Team LLAC's first mission. I wanted to wait until I could show you in-person to let you know."
Pride flickered over Emerald's face. "I'm so happy for you…you…" Her expression changed as the realization seemed to hit her, "You tricked me!" She let out a laugh. "You were the one making me trip over like that!"
"Wow," Neo signed as she walked over to stand next to Emerald. "Being sneaky with your semblance is hereditary, I see. Very impressive."
Something about Neo's praise made Lily's chest warm. "Sorry," She chuckled to Emerald. "I hadn't really gotten the chance to test it out in combat since unlocking it. Plus, I thought it'd be funny."
"It was," Neo assured her. "It was very, very funny."
Emerald shook her head, though her face was filled with pride and affection. "Okay, maybe it was funny. But I know better now." She strode over to stand a few steps away and took a fighting stance. "Come on, let's go again. And no using your semblance this time."
