So, if you keep up with my story at all, you know that I put a new chapter up every Sunday. Obviously, that has not happened this time, sorry about that. I was busy, and then a huge storm came in and I was unable to do anything about that. So, I hope you don't mind a late chapter. I'll still be trying to get chapter 19 up by next Sunday, just so that I can keep on schedule.
I hope you enjoy the (late) chapter!
Chapter 18: Like Family
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July 20th
Saturday
Cloudy
"We'll have to be leaving soon. Remember what Velvet said?" Summer said, speaking up for the first time this morning.
"Yeah." Azura said as he put a shirt on. "Today is Aurora's birthday. We're going out to Vale to try to find a gift for her, hopefully before it gets too late."
'I'm sure we can find something."
Azura sighed. "I still don't really know Aurora that well. Not to the same degree that I know you or Ruby. I don't even know Pyra, my own partner, that well!"
"Well, Pyra has been busy quite a bit, don't you think? We haven't seen her that often outside of classes and the dorm."
Azura frowned. "Do you think she hates it? Just...this whole thing?"
"She's still kind to you, Azura. And, you don't seem to notice that she is happiest around you."
Azura had been wandering around the JNPR dorm, gathering all of the things he would need for the day. And when Summer's words fully registered in his mind, he stopped in his tracks.
"Really? I hadn't noticed."
Summer sighed. "Of course you haven't. You're so good at observing people, but you can't seem to ever pay attention to anything your friends do."
Azura laughed as he picked his scroll up and put it in his pocket. "You aren't wrong about that. Perhaps I should pay more attention, then?"
"Where would you be without me?" Summer asked, the flatness in her voice causing Azura to smile.
"Without a desire to have a different hairstyle. Oh, and with two eyes of the same yellow color instead of one silver eye." Azura responded.
"I hate you sometimes."
Azura shook his head as he opened the door that led out of the JNPR dorm, bumping into Weiss, who seemed to have been waiting for him. Her arms were crossed, and her ice blue eyes pierced into his softer ones.
"Uh, hello. Can I help you with something, Weiss?"
"I need to check up on the glyphs, to see if they are working perfectly. Also, to see if any adjustments need to be made. I hope you aren't too busy."
"As demanding as ever." Summer said, amusement in her voice.
"Well, I have something to do, but it's still pretty early in the morning, so it can wait. Do you want me to go into your dorm?"
"Yes, please. It should only take a few minutes or so." Weiss responded.
They entered the RWBY dorm, and Azura noticed that it had stayed the same since the last time he had been in the dorm room.
"There was a last time?" Summer said.
"Um, yes? It was a while ago, you just weren't there for either of those times."
Luna had already taken to watching from a corner of the room, keeping the door within eye contact. Weiss was standing next to one of the lower beds, looking over at him.
"I should only need to check the wrists, ankles, and cheek glyphs. The center one is probably still going good. You should know when it weakens anyway."
Azura sat down on the bed, and when prompted by Weiss, extended his right arm out towards her. She took it into her hand, studying it intently. They were quiet for a moment before Weiss spoke.
"So, I heard that Ruby told you about why I helped you with your semblance issue."
"How did you find out about that?" Azura asked.
Weiss gave a small smile. "She blabbed about it yesterday when it was just the two of us. Something about not thinking about what she was saying."
Azura chuckled as Weiss switched to his other arm. "That sounds like Ruby."
"Well, I have no reason to hide the truth behind her words. I really can't thank you enough for helping to keep my team together." Weiss said after a moment.
"Even with Yang? She's seemed rather different recently."
Weiss frowned for a moment. "Well, Yang is fine with most of us. It's just you, or maybe your situation. I'm unsure, and she won't say anything about it."
"Has Ruby said, uh, anything about Ozpin to Yang within the past few days?" Azura asked, probing for insight into team RWBY.
"The headmaster? Not to my knowledge. Does it have anything to do with what happened a few days ago?" And let me get your legs."
Azura dropped his arms and lifted one of his legs to rest against his knee, rolling the leg of his jeans up a little.
"No, it's nothing to worry about." Azura said.
"Right." Weiss said, unconvinced.
They remained silent for the rest of the process, but Azura had to admit that he felt awkward staring at Weiss right in her face as she was leaning forward, checking the glyph on his face. Her studious and intelligent eyes were as sharp as jagged ice and as cold as snow, but they held neither as she gently tapped the glyph on his cheek.
A few minutes later, Weiss leaned away and blinked a few times as she turned to look out the window.
"Well, everything seems to be intact and stable, so I can let you off the hook. Just remember that I'll be doing this every Saturday from now on."
"Right. Thanks again, Weiss. I'll be sure to pay you back for this at some point." Azura said.
Weiss scoffed. "You don't owe me anything, you dolt."
Azura laughed as he opened the door. "I'm not going to just let my friends not get paid back for helping me out. You have a problem? I'll help you." He moved outside the door, but quickly turned to look back in. "Oh, and that's Ruby's nickname, Ice Queen. Gotta be smarter than that!"
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As Azura made it to the airship docks, he found Ruby leaning against a light post. And, like any friend who sees someone they know, Azura approached her.
"What're you doing here, Ruby?" He asked.
Ruby opened her eyes and pushed off of the light post, smiling brightly as she looked at him.
"Well, to join you, of course."
"What?"
"Velvet told me about today, and how she wasn't able to go with you to get a birthday gift for Aurora. So, I said that I would join you, if only to make sure you weren't alone."
Azura looked to the side, looking at Luna, then thought of Summer in his head. Apparently, Ruby understood what his silence meant.
"You know what I mean! Now, come on, the airship is about to leave."
Ruby walked off, with what looked like confidence in Azura letting her come with him. As he jogged to catch up to her, Summer commented on it.
"It's weird to see her with the confidence of Weiss. It's a bit creepy."
Azura didn't respond to Summer, just finding a place to sit with Ruby as they waited for the airship to start moving. Once it did, Azura spoke up.
"So, Velvet went to you to ask if you would join me? Why?"
Ruby shrugged. "She only gave me two reasons. Said that Aurora liked me enough to ask about me when she last went to the orphanage, and that it reminded her of how Aurora is about you. Beyond that, something about being able to help find a gift."
Azura struggled to not smile and burst out in laughter. Ruby gave him a pout as she looked at him.
"I don't want to hear it! I can help find a gift!"
Azura snickered, coughing a few moments later to stop himself.
"Right, of course. You'll be a great help."
Ruby's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "You bet that I will."
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The first place that they searched ended up having nothing that Azura deemed worthy for Aurora. He wasn't particularly picky, but he wanted to get something that worked. He didn't think Aurora would care for perfection, but he was determined to get something memorable for her.
But, as they went from store to store, seeing gift after gift, they found nothing that they would label as memorable. By this point, it had already hit one in the afternoon, and they had managed to find nothing.
After a few more minutes of searching, they eventually decided to sit somewhere and take a break. They went to a small tea shop that Ruby had said was quite good, finding a few other groups of people sitting at tables, and were eventually seated at their own table.
"Well, this has certainly been a search and a half. When did you even find this place?" Azura asked.
"Tell me about it. And I found it when we were searching all over Vale a few weeks ago. That weird girl, Penny, was helping me when she suggested this place. It helped to calm my nerves." Ruby explained.
"Oh. I see."
Ruby shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about. All in the past, you know?"
Azura smiled. "Right."
"Some would disagree. Yang and Blake have been avoiding us like the plague."
"Summer!"
"I'm not wrong."
Azura sighed. "You're not. But, you can be rather blunt, you know that?"
Azura heard her laughter as a waitress approached them, taking their orders. After she left, Ruby looked over at him.
"What's wrong? I heard you sigh, but you looked...well, preoccupied or something."
Azura shook his head. "It's nothing special, just something that I heard."
"Come on, you can tell me. I doubt it's anything that crazy."
"Well, it was about Yang and Blake, with how odd they have been acting towards me."
Ruby looked glum for a moment, before letting a small smile grow, "I don't really understand either of them at the moment. Yang is being all 'not-Yang', and Blake is being all Blake-y. Have you tried talking to one of them?"
Azura smiled sheepishly. "Well, no. I wanted to give Blake some space, and Yang kind of looks angry at my existence."
"I don't know. It's hard to tell with Yang, since she seems just as friendly as ever around us. Even Blake seems to lighten up!" Ruby said with a shrug.
A moment later, the waitress was back with two small cups of warm tea, and a small pot of tea to the side. Taking it into his hands, Azura let the warm cup rest on the table between his palms.
"Well, Blake would be easy to figure out, right?" Azura asked.
"Yep! You've probably been told this several times now, but just talk to her about it. It will be easier that way."
"I certainly have. I kinda have a certain someone's mom in my head."
"And has she said anything about Yang?" Ruby asked.
Azura looked away as he responded. "No, not really. I'm not really sure what to say about Yang's behavior other than to just deal with it. She'll probably go harder during the hand-to-hand combat days, but I can deal with that."
Ruby frowned. "Oh, okay."
They sipped at their tea over the ticking minutes, the increasing awkwardness of it all eventually being broken by Summer.
"I have yet to see either of you enter a Jewelry store. Any reason why?"
Azura instantly felt reluctance at the idea.
"Would Aurora even want any of that?"
"Would she care about any present? She just wants to see you, you know." Was Summer's instant response.
"I dunno...should I ask Ruby?" He asked.
Summer sighed. "If you want to, go ahead. I don't know why you are so hesitant about the idea though."
Azura looked at Ruby, who was staring at her cup with bored eyes. He smirked at the expression on her face and spoke to her.
"Hey, Ruby. Summer has an idea."
Ruby flinched, surprised, before wrinkling her nose. "It's weird for my friend to call my mom Summer, but...you know, never mind. What's the idea?"
"Jewelry. She said that we haven't entered a single store that deals with jewelry, and suggested that we give it a try."
Ruby looked away, a smile on her face. "I'll admit, the idea didn't cross my mind."
"Neither did I." Azura said, chuckling.
He wasn't sure why Ruby looked like she had done something regarding the jewelry suggestion.
"Do you think that might be the next place to go, Azura?"
He shrugged. "It's worth a shot, I guess."
"Then let's go now!"
And with that, Ruby zoomed off in excitement. A bewildered waiter approached him, asking if everything was okay. Azura glanced to where Ruby went, then to the silent laughing of Luna, then over to the waiter.
"Yeah, just great. I'll pay for the two of us."
After a minute of paying and tipping, Azura made his way out of the shop, looking for Ruby. The girl had somehow managed to control herself and stay relatively still.
"Well? Let's get going!" Ruby exclaimed, her excitement still barely contained.
"Why are you so excited for jewelry? I thought you didn't care for that stuff." Azura said.
"Weiss forced me to enter one that she said was perfect. It was quiet, and the owner was really nice. I think we should try that one! It's about five minutes from here!"
"What? Ruby, this is hardly the area where that store might be." Azura said, skeptical of her ability to accurately tell time.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Azura, semblances!"
She zipped right off, rose petals flying down the nearly empty sidewalk towards what he assumed was her destination. Summer sighed, and he felt the restrained movements of Summer wanting to catch up. Azura grinned, speaking to Summer in his head.
"You ready to go?"
"Always." Summer replied.
Azura ran off, allowing Summer to trigger in semblance, and he was off like a rocket, his own rose petals flying everywhere. Luna was struggling to keep up, but her own semblance helped to keep her boosted within the air, about five feet behind Azura. They eventually caught up to Ruby, following after her as the humming of Weiss's glyphs quietly played in his ears.
"This'll never get old." Azura said, dodging walking pedestrians.
"Just wait until we get faster. It gets even better."
"That sounds fun. You think I could do an adaptation of your whole dancing thing?"
Summer laughed. "My fighting style? Maybe. You already have the technique, but not the speed or skill at the moment. Perhaps in the future."
"Sounds great."
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Block after block, dodging person after person, They eventually ended up at the shop that Ruby had raced off towards. A sign was on the front of the store, simply saying 'Jewel'. A simple name, but it got the point across.
Seeing that Ruby had already entered the store, Azura had no choice but to follow after her, running a hand through his windswept hair. Once he entered the store, he was greeted by bright lights and pale yellow walls with simple white designs.
"Welcome to Jewel. I'm the owner of this place, Jewel!" The man at the counter said, laughing heartily
He was short and slightly pudgy, but looked rather jolly and happy. He stood behind the counter, smile plastered on his face, brown curly hair matching his brown eyes.
"Now. Can I help you today?" Jewel asked.
"Not at the moment. Just browsing." Ruby said.
Jewel simply waved it off. "Of course, of course! Take your time."
"He's a little creepy." Summer commented.
Azura answered as he walked further into the store. "Just a little."
The store gave off an atmosphere that reminded him of the Adel Boutique. It was open and friendly, simply having jewelry for people to look at locked behind glass cases. In all ways, it was just a regular store. Even as he looked around, the prices behind quite a bit of the jewelry was within his budget.
Quiet and unassuming as well. Azura understood why Weiss would like such a place. If he were to take a guess, he assumed that Weiss liked this place due to her status as the heiress to the SDC. Perhaps she liked her fame less than it would seem. Looking through the jewelry as he thought, Azura simply had no idea if any of this would work. He was personally doubtful of it, thought it seemed that Ruby and Summer were more confident.
"Nothing popping out to you?" Summer asked.
"Not so far. If anything, I want something memorable. Aurora deserves something, you know?"
"I agree. Just don't take too long."
A few minutes later, after blanking out as he stared at a piece of jewelry, he felt a hand press against his arm. Blinking a few times, he turned his head to see Ruby looking at him with a smile on her face.
"What's up?"
"Just follow me."
Listening to her words, Azura followed her over to a corner, wondering about what she wanted to show him. What he ended up seeing slightly shocked him. It was almost like fate to find something so perfect for what he wished for.
It was two bracelets made of silver chain links, and the piece on the two of them was almost weirdly perfect. One of them had a silver looking fox outline, while the other had a snake outline.
"This is almost...too perfect."
Ruby's eyes widened and she seemed to almost panic for a moment. "Well, it's certainly a good coincidence!"
Azura smiled softly. "Yeah. A good coincidence."
"You think she knew about this?"
"I think Velvet helped along the way. I still appreciate her going out of her way for Aurora and myself." Azura said.
"Certainly. Well, play along with her charade for now. It's cute."
"Sounds like motherly bias to me." Azura responded jokingly.
The conversation was cut short by Jewel's interruption. "Ah! Is this something that you have been looking for?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." Azura said.
"Alrighty then! Let's get you ready to go!"
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It was three in the afternoon by the time Azura and Ruby was in front of the now familiar door to the orphanage. He was already wearing the silver snake bracelet on his right wrist, the metal resting comfortingly against his skin. In his hand, a soft box that held the fox bracelet was closed.
For some reason, he felt nervousness seem to root him to the ground. He breathed in and out heavily, letting it take the butterflies in his stomach with it. Ruby was looking at him with a patience that he had only seen in Luna and Summer. It filled him reassurance, like she knew exactly how he felt. She probably did.
"Let's go."
They made their way to the door, and Azura knocked on it with his free hand. A moment of waiting, and a few locks later, the door was opened. Lu stuck her head out, smiling as she saw Azura and Ruby.
"Come on in. She's been expecting you."
They entered the building, with Lu closing the door after them. Lu turned back around, a warm smile on her face.
"You look different, Azura. Did something happen?"
Azura glanced over at Ruby, who seemed to not have an answer to that question. He turned back to Lu, scratching the back of his head as he laughed.
"Just a dare of sorts. I'm sure you know how us kiddos are."
Lu waved him off. "I'm not that old. But yes, I do know how you kiddos are."
Ruby spoke up a moment later. "Aurora's not sleeping, is she? I hope we haven't come at a bad time."
"She's taking a nap, but I hardly think she would mind being woken up by you two. Head on over to her room whenever, I have something to take care of in my office."
Lu walked off, and Azura and Ruby made their way to the center room. What they saw there shocked Azura. Or rather, what they didn't see shocked him. The room was about as barren and simple as it always was. He knew there was probably a reasonable explanation for it, but he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of anger at the sight.
Azura shook his head, moving towards where Ruby was standing. Moving down the hallway towards Aurora's room, he moved with confidence in his step. He needed Aurora to know that he thought of her.
"You sound like a parent. I like it."
He smiled at Summer's words. It made him feel like he was doing something right. He made it to Aurora's door, and looked over at Ruby. She smiled and nodded her head. He knocked lightly at the door, but it was enough for him to hear the light groan of someone waking up. He shook his head in amusement, and waited. It took a few moments, but a groggy looking Aurora did end up opening the door.
Her eyes struggled to adjust to the light, and her hair was matted, but she eventually recognized Azura and Ruby.
"Azura? Why are you so...confusing?" She said quietly, her voice sounding strained.
Pocketing the box with the bracelet, he thought of her semblance, and how that would probably confuse anyone who could see that. He did have two souls within one body, after all.
He smiled. "That's a long story, but not one for today. Happy birthday, Aurora."
She coughed as she tried to speak, choosing to rush towards Azura and hugging him. He chuckled, crouching down slightly to hug her back.
"Can you get a glass of water, Ruby? I promise to wait for you-know-what."
Ruby nodded, rushing off in her usual fashion, a flurry of rose petals. Azura shook his head, glad for the fact that the rose petals quickly decayed and vanished within seconds.
He turned back to look at Aurora, who had unlatched herself from his side, and was now smiling and looking happier than he could recall.
"Can we enter your room?"
She nodded quickly, rushing back into the room and turning the overhead light on. He entered after her, sitting down in the lone chair in the room. Ruby returned exactly as she left, the glass of water somehow perfectly fine, despite the speed that she ran at.
The next few minutes was just the general excitement that Aurora had, and he watched Aurora and Ruby play a game of talking excitedly. He had no idea how either of them could even do that, and it was probably one of the cutest things he saw.
"And you called it motherly bias." Summer teased.
"Yeah, yeah. You got me there." He responded.
"Well, you should probably stop them. Remember that you came here for more than to see her."
Azura knew she had a point, and he smiled as he thought about it.
"Aurora, come here. I have something for you."
She practically snapped her head as she heard him speak. She stood up and moved to be in front of him. Ruby also stood up and went to stand next to Aurora. Azura waited a moment more as her pink eyes bored into him like a drill. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the box. He handed it over to the girl, watching her take it.
She tilted her head as she looked at it, opening it a moment later. Her eyes widened as she looked at the fox bracelet that was within it. She took it out and let the box drop to the ground.
"And that's not all. Look at this."
He extended his arm out to the girl, showing off the matching snake bracelet on his wrist. He took the fox bracelet out of her hand and gently grabbed her left arm. He took the bracelet and slipped it on her wrist. He almost laughed at the near perfect fit, the snake bracelet seeming to fit a slightly bigger arm, probably similar to Ruby's.
"My little rose put a lot of effort to make sure this all worked out."
"Yeah…"
Aurora, now teary-eyed, barely gave him time to stand up before hugging him.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
He hugged her back, and he nodded his head at Ruby, motioning her to join them. Once she did, Azura smiled as he quietly spoke to Aurora.
"Anything for you."
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As Azura and Ruby rode the airship back to Beacon, he felt like he had managed to do what he set out to do on this day. Azura was sitting back in one of the seats, while Ruby leaned against his shoulder and yawned.
"So, how much time did you put into making this day work for me?"
Ruby smiled as she kept her eyes closed. "You figured it out?"
"It wasn't that hard to see."
"Oh...well, it was only three or four days before today. Not that long."
Azura shook his head. "Thanks, Ruby. Yet again, I owe it to you for something."
"I just did what anybody would do."
"Well, if I can do anything to help you, let me know."
A comfortable silence went on for a little while before Ruby next spoke.
"Carry me to my dorm, and we'll be good."
Azura chuckled. "Of course."
"You know, she really reminds me of myself."
"A little egotistical, don't you think?"
Summer's light laughter echoed in his mind. "I suppose it would be."
"Still, it's true. I can really see it." Azura said.
"I want to thank you, Azura." Summer said
"What for? I haven't really done anything." He replied, confused.
"For helping me to believe in life again. It's been...well, it's been hard for me to see that in recent years. I just want to thank you for helping me see that there might be hope."
Azura didn't know how to respond, simply letting the silence rule over them.
"You don't have to say anything. I know. We both know."
Azura smiled, feeling more prepared for whatever life will throw him than ever.
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And there it is. Not much to say down here this time, so it'll be very brief.
Have a good day/evening!