"Are you sure it's okay for us to be here?"

Lily glanced back at her mother, who was walking beside Neo, both of them trailing shortly behind her. Emerald's face was creased with uncertainty, naturally, considering she hadn't been at Beacon since her days at Cinder's side.

"Astra insisted," Lily replied, shrugging. "I guess Coco and Glynda couldn't resist a request from a student who's still recovering from a traumatic accident."

Neo gave Emerald a reassuring pat on the shoulder and a quick peck on the cheek, which Emerald softened at. Neo really did have a talent for easing her worries, that was for sure. Lily was grateful for it.

"So, is she doing okay?" Emerald asked, "Astra, I mean?"

Lily nodded. "I think it's affecting her more than she lets on, but she's still…" She searched for the right word. "…Astra."

Since she'd returned to Beacon, Lily, Luna, and Cobalt had made sure to spend every free moment with Astra, whether it was to study or just to hang out. Luna, in particular, had been glued to her girlfriend's side whenever possible, and the two of them had been more affectionate than ever before. It was just like when they'd first gotten together, but in a deeper and softer way than before- a way than was less awkward, and more genuinely loving. Privately, Lily envied that closeness, hoping for the day when she would be able to experience that for herself.

Approaching the care ward, Lily's thoughts returned to why she, Emerald, and Neo were here in the first place. Astra had some, in her words, 'very important' things to discuss.

Inside, Neon and Ilia were already seated in chairs that they'd pulled up beside Astra's bed. Doctor Verity Amaranth was nowhere to be seen, and Lily guessed that Astra had sent her away so that she could speak to her audience in private.

Astra clapped her hands together when she saw them. "Oh good, you're here!"

From her chair, Neon waved at Neo and Emerald. "Hi! Long time, no see! Wow, you guys are looking great!"

Neo gave Lily an aside glace. 'I can't tell if she's being sarcastic…?'

'Nah, you're fine,' Lily signed back, 'She's just like that.'

In the time between the accident and now, Lily and the rest of her team had gotten to know Neon Katt a little more. While it hadn't been the case at first, after Astra had woken up, it had become very apparent that she was a more enthusiastic- and much less tactful- version of her daughter. Sometimes, it seemed as if the roles of mother and child had been switched between the two, which Lily couldn't have imagined before actually seeing them in the same room. Compared to Neon, Astra seemed as sensible as Glynda Goodwitch.

Emerald gave Neon a polite nod. "It's good to see you again. You too, Ilia."

"Likewise," Ilia returned, "I've heard you two have received full Huntsman licenses. Are you happy to be back in the field?"

"We've only been on one mission so far," Emerald replied. "But it's good to know that we're able to help people."

"I'd say you've already helped tons of people," Neon spoke up, "Not everyone can claim to have played the same role in the war that you did, after all!"

Lily tried not to wince. Reminding Emerald that she'd killed her former mentor was probably not the best way to start this meeting off.

The awkward moment was saved by an impatient Astra. "Enough small talk! Sit down, and let's get started!"

Lily, Emerald, and Neo pulled up chairs on the other side of Astra's bed, with Neo and Emerald's chairs close enough together that Neo could keep an assuring hand on Emerald's shoulder.

Astra cleared her throat. "All right, then. I'm sure you all know why I've gathered you here today, but just in case, I'm going to make it clear anyway." She leaned down- slowly, Lily noticed- and pulled up a large whiteboard from beside her bed. "While I've been stuck in this bed, I've had a lot of time to think about the potential team setup between you four adults, and I'd like to discuss those ideas with you. But before we do that, I want to make sure that you're all still open to the concept." Her eyes darted around the room. "So, uh…are you?"

Neon grinned widely. "I'm in!" She leaned closer to Ilia. "Especially if it means I get to spend more time with this beautiful, amazing woman."

Ilia's freckles turned pink for a moment. "Right, well…yes, I still think it would be a good opportunity. I'm not sure how well I'd be able to balance missions with my classes, but I can't deny that I'd like to begin field work again."

Lily glanced at Emerald, whose face was shrouded in doubt. Has she changed her mind?

"The last team I was a part of wasn't…ideal," Emerald started, "If I'm being honest, I'm not sure how well I'd manage in one now. But…" She took a deep breath. "I know huntsman work best in teams of four. And I know that Lily's worried about both my safety and Neo's, without more people to watch our backs. So, I do want to try this out."

Neo smiled at her, and signed, 'I'll go wherever you go.'

Returning the smile, Emerald added, "Neo's in too."

Astra grinned. "Great! Now then, I've been brainstorming name ideas, and I've narrowed it down to four, with each one depending on who's going to lead." She scribbled on the whiteboard with a pink marker, before turning it around to show the group. Four names were listed- AKNE, KINE, NIKE, and SNAK.

Lily squinted at the names, trying to figure out what each word was. Glancing quickly at the others, they looked just as confused.

Neon scratched her head. "Is that first one supposed to be…'acne'?"

"What?" Astra glanced at the board, then back at her mother, looking offended. "No! It's 'alkane'! It's a chemical compound!" She pointed a finger at the board. "Look, it's 'alkane', 'kine'- that's another name for cattle- 'nickel', and 'snake'."

Lily stared at the fourth name, unable to help commenting, "That last one looks more like 'snack'."

Astra threw her hands in the air, letting the board fall into her lap. "Come on, guys! I worked really hard on these…"

"The names are fine," Ilia assured her, with a sharp glance at Neon. Personally, Lily wouldn't have wanted to be the leader of a team that looked like it was called 'acne', but she stayed quiet for Astra's sake.

"What else did you have in mind?" Ilia prompted.

Astra sat up a little straighter. "Well, I mean…some of you guys don't really know each other very well, and you don't have an academy to teach you the value of teamwork, soooo, I figured you guys should start getting to know each other more."

Neon smirked. "What happened to 'no more small talk?'"

'Not now!" Astra leaned forward to slam her hands on the bed in front of her, instantly wincing. "Ow."

Neon's face turned from teasing to serious in an instant. "Are you-"

"I'm good," Astra pushed herself back into a sitting position. "Don't worry about it. Anyway- I meant that you guys could start catching up for, like, lunch and stuff. Just to catch up and talk and…stuff like that. And you could even go over to each other's house to play games! You know, for figuring out how you work as a team, and all that."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Emerald affirmed, "Neo and I aren't especially extroverted, but I'm sure we could get used to it."

Neon was still watching Astra in concern, but quickly switched her expression when she caught Lily's eye. "Right! That sounds like it could be fun! Mind you," She grinned and nudged Ilia. "I like to think I've been getting to know this one pretty well already."

"Stop that," Ilia's freckles turned bright pink again, though her tone was affectionate. "Are you going to be this embarrassing for every meeting?"

"Nope," Neon leaned back in her chair. "I'm going to be this embarrassing all the time. You're going to have to get used to it, my dear."

"It's true," Astra sighed. "She's always going to be like this."

'You know what?', Neo signed, 'I think I like this one.'

Lily studied her mother's face. Was she going to be able to get along with Neon and her tactless comments? She didn't look bothered right now, but if Neon brought up anything regarding Emerald's role in the war again…

"Oh shit!" Astra gasped. "That's another thing! You two-" she pointed at Neon and Ilia, "-Are going to need to learn sign language."

"It's not difficult," Lily added, "I've been learning it over the past few months, and I think I'm managing pretty well." A thumbs-up from Neo confirmed her statement.

Ilia nodded. "I learned a little while I was studying to become a teacher. I should be able to pick it up again."

"Yeah, I don't know anything about it," Neon admitted, "But it should be interesting to learn!"

Astra nodded approvingly. "Good, good. Now, uh…I think I've run out of things to talk about, so…I think that wraps this up? If you guys can arrange some times to meet up, we should be all good here."

As the adults stood up and left the room, discussing adding each other as contacts as they went, Lily lingered behind, wondering if she should talk to Astra before she left. When she glanced back at her, she was lying back down and yawning, suddenly looking much more tired than she had during the meeting. Lily marched back over to her, pulling a chair right to the side of the bed, and sitting down.

Astra blinked at her. "Uh. What's up?"

Lily got right to the point, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Astra huffed, "Of course I am. Keep asking me that, and you're going to start to sound like Luna."

Lily wasn't convinced. "Your mother seems worried about you. Didn't you see how she was watching you after you hurt yourself?"

"What?" Astra laughed. "My mom's not like that; she knows I'll be fine. She's the only one who hasn't been fussing over me. And, no offense, but I kind of appreciate that someone's acting like nothing's wrong."

Lily frowned. Did Astra really believe what she was saying? Had she really not noticed Neon's concern, or was she brushing it off to avoid a serious conversation? "Have you…actually talked to her about any of this? About how it makes you feel? Or what Verity told you about the pain?"

Astra sighed. "It's like I said, she's not the kind of person to get all worried and upset, and I like it that way. I don't want her to have to deal with any of that."

Lily bit back a response. If this was what Astra was insisting on, there was no changing her mind. She stood back up with a sigh. "All right then. Just…" she hesitated. "I don't think you should be worried about having a serious conversation with your mother. That's part of what parents are there for," she shrugged. "But hey, maybe that's just me."

As she headed up of the room, she stopped at the doorway and turned back to Astra. "Get some rest, okay? Or I'll get Luna in here."

Astra smirked. "Yeah, okay."

Lily tried to shake the worry out of her mind as she hurried to catch up with her mother. Astra's relationship with Neon confused her, but she knew that not all parent-child relationships were the same. Maybe they just had some other way of communication, through…parties, or something. She just hoped that Astra at least had someone else to talk to about the things she wasn't opening up about to anyone else.