Blake grabbed another suitcase and unlatched it, pulling it open and tossing it onto the bed as she opened the dresser and began tossing everything in that was clothing. Blake was starting to wonder if it would have been faster to bring the entire dresser, even if it would have seemed a bit like overkill. She leaned back, trying to peek into the living room for any sign of Yang or Neela, but it was no use, she was sure they were still outside. They would be unless she went out there and brought them in.
Ever since before they had made the decision to keep Neela, Yang and Neela had always had a bond that was more like mother and daughter than most children could dream of. It just made sense though, as Neela desperately wanted a human in her life to prove everything that she had known about them wrong, and Yang wanted just as badly to prove to herself that she would be a better mother than Raven as if there was ever any doubt. Those bonds perpetually pushed the two towards each other until their relationship became absolute. They understood each other at times on a level that even Blake and Yang had never achieved in their many years of marriage.
"I'm Lisa Lavender, and in tonight's news, the head of the quick-growing military force in Mistral talks about how he's been cutting down crime and has reduced the number of bandit attacks in major cities by nearly half. Here in the studio, we have the man himself, Sterling Stratford, who began assembling the Mistral Military back when Atlas had attacked Beacon years ago, not ready for his great kingdom to fall at the hands of such brutes. Sterling, I have to say, it's a pleasure to have you…" Blake could hear the TV saying from the other room. Blake pulled a pair of Yang's old shorts out of Neela's dresser, wondering how they got there, and if Yang had actually fit into them at one point. Blake chuckled at her own amusement and shrugged, tossing them in with the rest of Neela's stuff.
Blake found it all to be a bit bittersweet as she made sure that everything was going to fit into the luggage before ensuring that it zipped closed without too much effort. She sat on the bed for a moment and looked around the room. Archery trophies, marks for her impressive swordsmanship, pictures of Eliana and Neela doing the most random things together. Blake laughed, realizing that it was all that she could do to keep from crying. She knew that she would see Neela on a regular basis, due to taking Glynda's job at the school when she chose to fill Ozpin's vacancy after he died fighting Salem. However, her leaving was something entirely different.
They'd have dinner without her. They'd have weekends without her. It left an empty feeling, but Blake also couldn't be more proud of the girl that they had met nearly twelve years ago. The moment they had rescued her, adoption hadn't been their intention, but slowly Neela grew on them as much as they grew on her. Blake could still remember Neela's eyes lighting up as they showed her the room, the same day that they told her they were keeping her forever.
I have my own room! Neela had asked, a twinkle in her eye as she looked up at Blake with her hawk eyes, they were wide and filled with wonder.
This room is just for you Neela. No more tents. No more hiding. No more running. This is the place you can go to feel safe. This is where you'll stay Neela. We love you. Neela looked at Yang and then back at Blake, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed both of them and held them close. She couldn't know how much she meant to them, though Blake had a feeling that she felt the same about them.
I love you too! It was the first time she had told them that she loved them. Blake stood, wiping the tears from her eyes as she double checked the dresser, making sure that she hadn't missed anything that Neela might want to take with her. Blake checked her scroll, noting the time and calling out into the hallway in hopes to get a reply from Yang.
"Yang, have you ever noticed how much Lisa Lavender sounds like…"
"Mommy's not in here!" Shadow called from the hallway. Blake sighed, well aware that Yang hadn't returned to the house with Neela yet, but she had been hopeful. Blake stuck her head out to find Shadow had pulled Yang's spare arm out of their bedroom and was running around the house playing with it. Shadow leaped, pausing in the middle of the hall, and swung the arm, as though she was performing a karate chop at some invisible enemy. Blake wanted to smile and laugh at her daughter, but she knew that she had to be stern. The girl couldn't have been any more like Yang if she tried.
"Shadow! Put that down!" Blake demanded. Shadow looked up at her, she pouted with her large purple eyes and her long black hair in a frizzy mess. She wore a pair of black leggings with a purple t-shirt that was a touch too long that read 'kitty cat', Yang's idea. Her ears were black like her mother's, the right had blonde on the tip, and she had an earring in her left that had been a gift from Kali. Blake wanted to be angry, but that face made it hard to stay angry at her daughter. Blake knelt down and prepared for what came next.
"I'm sorry mommy," she replied. She slowly trudged over to Blake before running the last few steps, throwing herself at Blake and handing over the arm, trying not to cry. Blake wrapped her arms around Shadow and drew her in. She tried to calm the small girl, reminding herself to try to keep her nerves in check.
"It's okay, honey. Where is Mommy Yang and Sissy?" Blake asked. Shadow looked up at her and sniffed.
"Mommy and Sissy are still outside," Shadow told her. Blake let go of her, giving her the arm back without giving it a second thought and brushed past her into the living room. She placed herself in the open window again and placed her hands on her hips, making them both overly aware of her displeasure with them. Yang spotted her out of the corner of her eye and glanced over quickly offering a smile in an attempt to defuse the situation.
"Wrap it up, Yang! We need to go!" Blake shouted out. Yang blocked a swipe from Neela with her gauntlets and knocked the girl back. She fired several shots at Neela which she blocked with her sword before Neela stopped her attack, watching as Blake left the window. That's not a good sign.
"I'm trying to, but Neela's not going easy on me!" Yang replied. Yang cringed as she could hear the dead bolt being undone as Blake unlocked the door and stomped out into the middle of the dirt path, hands fixed on her hips again, pointing up at the house this time. Shadow stood in the doorway, using the spare arm to wave out at the three of them. Neela contained her laughter to spare the expense of pissing off Blake. She covered her mouth and her cheeks puffed out, having to force herself to look away before she lost control.
"Neela! In the house now!" Blake demanded. Neela gave a quick nod and transformed her weapon back into bow form, slinging it over her shoulder again and she ran up to the house and picked up Shadow as she rushed in, causing Shadow to giggle. Blake rolled up the sleeves of her black sweater and pointed at the house again. "Yang…"
"You're so cute when you're angry babe!" Yang told her as she headed for the house. "I love it when you're feist-"
"Not now Yang! Do you want Neela to be late to her first day of school?" Blake asked Yang. Yang shook her head and Blake slammed the door shut behind them as she stepped past Yang and rushed back into Neela's room.
"You're just worrying too much hun. Neela's not a little girl anymore, she can do things on her own. You act like we're sending her off to kindergarten. Not to mention, if you do miss the airship, another one will come by in about a half an hour," Yang explained to Blake as she rushed around the house. As Blake hurried past Yang again, leaving a clone behind.
"So you want her to be on the last airship in, is that what you're saying?" The clone asked. Yang shook her head.
"You know, in Academy, you couldn't have cared less what we thought about you babe," Yang reminded Blake. Neela set Shadow down on the couch after playing with her for a moment, heading to her room to make sure that everything was where it should be.
"I remember, but Neela does care about her image, and I'm not going to embarrass her by making her ride the last airship in," Blake told Yang. Yang kissed the clone and it disappeared. Yang joined them in the bedroom, grabbing Blake from behind. Blake gave out a sigh and leaned her head back, letting Yang kiss her on the neck.
"Deep breath babe. It'll be fine." Yang reassured her. Blake nodded. Yang and Blake watched as Neela began quickly unpacking her bag, throwing the clothes across the bed and scattering them as she searched the bottom of the luggage for something. Neela gave a few nervous grunts of concern as she quickly shifted everything in the bag, flipping the top shut and opening every side zipper. "Neela, what's up?"
"Where's my gift for Elli?!" Neela demanded on the verge of an anxiety attack. She had to give it to Eliana tomorrow! Maybe she'd finally muster up the strength to tell her as well then, but first things first! If she didn't have the gift, she might as well not go! Panic set in, and she made up her mind! It's missing! It's missing and I'm never going to Beacon! I'm going to avoid Elli like the plague and…
"This?" Blake asked as she held the small wooden case out to Neela with both hands. Neela looked up, blushing at Blake who smiled at her. Neela looked at the case for a moment, which she proceeded to snatch away and placed in the suitcase, repacking everything back on top of it. "Neela, there's no way that I was going to let you leave without that." Neela brushed her short bangs away from her face and avoided eye contact as she shoved it all back in, zipping it shut. She took a deep breath. She couldn't explain why that had caused her so much panic, but it had and she was embarrassed at the fact.
"No, of course not. I knew that it had to be around here somewhere, I just needed to know that I had it for sure," Neela told them. She finished zipping everything back up and grabbed one of her bags, making her way towards the door as Blake grabbed the other. "I love you, mom." She stopped before leaving the room and kissed Yang on the cheek. "I guess I'll see you in a week or so?" Blake left behind Neela, with Yang taking up the rear and stopping as she reached the living room.
"Of course!" Yang exclaimed. "You'll be having so much fun, you won't even notice Xiao Long I was gone for!" Neela's eye twitched as she looked over at Blake who had turned away, shaking her head. Neela managed to make eye contact with Blake and glanced back over her shoulder. Yang smiled at both of them, giving them a thumbs up.
"That was bad," Neela muttered under her breath.
"They normally are," Blake reminded her daughter. The door swung open before Neela or Blake could reach the knob and there stood Qrow with a young girl close to Shadow in age, wearing a red cape. She had short, red hair with white tips on the end and she ran past Neela and Blake, tackling Shadow.
"Amelia!" Shadow laughed as she rolled on the floor with her cousin.
"Uncle Qrow!" Neela exclaimed as she dropped her bag, jumping up and down and running to him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "You haven't been out here in awhile!" Qrow grunted causing Neela to let him go and he cracked his back, giving her a smile. "Did you miss me?" Qrow chuckled.
"Nope," He replied as he took a step forward, pulling her in for a long embrace. "Things have been a little busy recently with the last few missions I've been on. Not to mention baby Rosy has been a bundle of… joy." Blake and Yang chuckled as Qrow released Neela and removed his flask, taking a long swig. He held the flask out towards Neela.
"Can I?" Neela asked with an excited look on her face.
"No!" Blake protested, leaving no room for debate. Qrow shrugged at Neela with a smile and put the flask back in his jacket pocket. Blake gave him a death stare which went completely unnoticed and he turned his attention to Yang.
"So why is Amelia with you?" Yang asked watching the girls disappear down the hall.
"Ruby had a mission that couldn't wait any longer and Weiss is busy with something Schnee related. I didn't ask for details, I don't usually mind watching her." Qrow pointed at Neela. "I actually came to see you off kiddo. And to have a word with Yang." Yang looked at him past Blake and slipped past her. Neela looked at Qrow, wondering what he might have to tell her, before looking over at Yang as well.
"About what?" Yang asked. Qrow looked her in the eyes without saying a word and her expression became sullen. "Oh." Yang looked at Blake who understood. Blake glanced at Neela with a smile fixed carefully on her lips.
"What's going on?" Neela asked. Blake grabbed Neela's bag, handing it back to her.
"I'll explain later Neela. We should get going," Blake told her and Neela understood that for now, she would let it drop. Neela looked at Yang again who still looked as if she had been injured and then back at Blake who gave her a nod.
"Bye, mom! Bye, Uncle Qrow! Love you both!" Neela called out as they headed down the path. Neela was troubled by her mother's sudden change in demeanor, but she was sure that if anyone could handle a problem, it was Yang.
"Love you kiddo!" Qrow called out. Qrow looked at Yang as she looked up and gestured his head towards Neela. Yang shoved past Qrow and ran down the path to Neela, wrapping her arms around her. Neela felt the warmth of her mother's embrace and cherished it for the long moment, holding on to the feeling for as long as she could before it inevitably faded.
"I love you Neela. Never forget that." Neela looked at Yang and gave her mother a smile. This woman was her mother. Though Yang had never given birth to her, never changed her, never had to teach her to speak or eat… Yang had chosen to love her no matter what. Neela's body was filled with a warmth and overwhelming sense of belonging as she remembered everything that Yang did for her, even though she didn't have to. Neela hadn't made it easy at first either. At first, she wanted nothing to do with Yang, but little by little, Yang forced herself into Neela's heart.
"I love you too, mom," she replied. Yang smiled slightly and held back her tears as she watched the two of them disappear down the path as they crossed over the crest of the nearest hill, Neela turned back and gave one final wave that broke Yang. She waited until Neela was out of sight before she fell to her knees, sobbing on the ground and Qrow came out to meet her. He stood over her, peering out into the distance before he finally addressed her.
"What's it feel like?" Qrow asked. "How does it feel to know that girl loves you with every fiber of her soul?" Yang sobbed as she grabbed him and pulled herself up, bawling into his shirt.
"I love her so much Qrow! I know it's time to let her go, but I don't want to! Is that wrong of me?" She asked him. He wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled at her.
"No Yang. That's how you should feel, you're her mother. You gave her everything and taught her all of the skills that she's gonna need to survive. I'd say you did better than any parent that I've ever known," he reassured her. She looked up at him, her eyes becoming dark as she stepped away and moved back to the house. Qrow stared down the path for a few more moments before heading back in as well. "Yang, I didn't mean to…"
"What does she want?" Yang asked as she sat down at the table and Qrow pulled up a seat across from her. Qrow met her eyes on the opposite end the table, knowing that she was restraining herself from entering a blind rage, her eyes flickering red on occasion. "What could she possibly want after all of this time? She must be in some sort of delirious state if she thinks it's as easy as just wanting me to accept her back into my life. Is she dying?"
"Maybe we should take this back outside," Qrow requested sliding his chair back. Yang slammed her fist against the table, splintering the wood on the top and leaving a small dent.
"Tell me Qrow." Yang's stare was intense, and Qrow knew from experience with Raven that he shouldn't keep Yang waiting, especially if she was already this worked up. He looked away and she slammed her fist again on the table, pushing her seat back and standing up. "Qrow!"
"Yes Yang, you're right! She wants to make amends!" Qrow finally shouted back. Yang scoffed and stormed out of the house, leaving him to chase after her.
"You're right, we did need to take this back outside," Yang exclaimed pacing back and forth. Qrow stayed near the door.
"You have to understand where she's coming from," Qrow offered. It was the wrong choice of words and Yang's hair flared up as she marched to the edge of the property, her fist punching a hole straight through one of the smaller trees. She seethed as she turned back towards Qrow, her body heaving with rage.
"I have to understand where she's coming from?!" Yang screamed at him. "She abandoned me before I was old enough to walk!" Yang fired shots into the woods trying to minimize the damage from her rage as the shots thundered through the clearing, causing birds to scatter in all directions as she fired at random spots, trying her hardest to leave most of the trees intact. "Why does she want to come back now, huh? I'm sure it's to her benefit, everything that she's ever done she's only done if she gets something out of it, so what is it? Tell me Qrow!" He raised his hands, shrugging his shoulders.
"That may be true Yang, but I have no idea what Raven is up to this time. All that she told me is that she wants to see you and she'd like to meet her granddaughters," he told her. Yang's eyes were cold, but Qrow could hardly blame her.
"I don't care. The next time you see her, you tell her that if she doesn't stay away from my family, she'll wish she had," Yang told him. She turned away from facing him and fired one more shot into the forest before her eyes became purple again and she made her way back to the house to be greeted by Shadow and Amelia who had come running when they heard all of the noise.
"Mommy, are you okay?" Shadow asked, there was a slight tremble in the girl's voice and she looked frightened as Yang approached her and picked her up. She nodded and ran her fingers through Shadow's hair, looking her in the eyes. Shadow always knew when something was going on. Yang smiled, her daughter's warmth pushing away the thoughts of abandonment.
"Mommy's fine. You run along and play with Amelia," Yang told her. She set Shadow down and Shadow was gone again in a blink, rough housing with Amelia as they disappeared up the stairs. Yang stared into the empty kitchen for a moment until Qrow snapped her out of it, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder. She looked back at him, her eyes filled with concern.
"Can you watch both of the girls for a few hours? I have to head up to the school and finish filling out some paper work before I start training next week. Plus I have my weekly briefing tonight." Yang told him. He nodded. He gave her a smile and walked past her to the kitchen and she smiled as she headed back towards the door to leave. He opened the fridge and she could hear him rummaging around as she pulled on her coat, zipping it up as she waited for Qrow to call out, knowing what would come next.
"Is there anything in here that I can fill my flask with?" He called out to her as she opened the door and stood in the doorway. She smirked as she faced the east, watching the sun.
"There's this crazy thing called water! You might try that!" She yelled back. He murmured in dissatisfaction.
"Figures."
Eliana stood at the edge of her porch, peering out across Patch towards Signal which sat along the coast line. The morning sun glinted off of the water and gave Signal a silhouette, making it seem both ominous and prestigious all at the same time. Would she get this kind of view from the dorms at Beacon? Her mother let the screen door slam shut behind her as she stepped out onto the porch and wrapped her sweater closer to her body, shivering slightly as she sat on a hanging swing beside the door, sipping on her morning coffee.
"Good morning Elli. Ready for what life has to offer?" Her mother asked her after taking a long sip. She blew on it, causing steam to cloud her vision a smidge, but not so much that she couldn't see that Eliana was looking back at her. Eliana gave her that signature smile, pointing out at the distant coast and school. Eliana had always shared the shame fascination of the ocean that her father had.
"I can't believe that I was accepted to attend Beacon Academy!" Eliana exclaimed. She leapt up onto the white wooden banister that wrapped around the deck and sat on it, letting her feet dangle as she took in this growing sensation of new beginnings and endless possibility. She wrapped her arms around her waist and twisted back and forth. "Imagine all of the fun things I'll get to do! Imagine all of the cute boys I'll meet! Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to train under Pyrrha Nikos!" Eliana looked back at her mother again, a smile still planted on her lips as she leapt down off of the railing and walked back up the steps and onto the porch. She stood in front of her mom, body turned towards her mother, but still staring off into the majesty of the ocean, captivated by thought and dreams of potential. The breeze caught her shoulder-length purple hair on occasion, tossing it around.
"I'm glad you're excited about all of this Elli. Your father would be very proud," her mother told her. The joy in Eliana's eyes flickered momentarily at the mention of her father and she glanced back at her mother for a brief moment, but the wonderment returned as she nodded at her mother and leaned in, hugging her tight and squeezing her gently as to not spill any coffee. The fall breeze picked up once again and Violet looked her daughter over as she shielded herself from the wind to the best of her abilities. She shivered again, her teeth clicking together for a moment as she brought the mug up to her lips. "Aren't you cold wearing that Elli? I wouldn't want you getting sick." Eliana looked herself over. She wore a pair of black cargo pants, the multiple pockets seemed to be essential and convenient in providing her with storage for ammunition. On the right butt pocket was her emblem, her father's pistols pointed downward, parallel to each other, and overlaid on top of his badge.
Her top was a purple cropped tank that revealed her toned midriff and that wrapped around her neck, the straps slightly thicker than spaghetti style, in order to help support her bust. She wore a short white vest that had purple and black detailing which hung off of her shoulders. The vest was thin and no longer than her tank top but was purely for aesthetics as it was far too small to ever hope to button up. She wore a black sleeve on her right forearm that had white and purple detailing, and black fingerless gloves on each hand. She had a thin elbow pad on her left elbow. Her green eyes lit up as she looked back at her mom.
"I'm fine!" Eliana reassured her mother. "Don't I look great in this!? I wonder what Neela will think!" Eliana ran down the steps and looked down the path towards the direction of Neela's cabin, but didn't spot anyone yet. Her mother chuckled as she watched her daughter bounce around in the yard, hardly able to contain her excitement about her newest adventure. Violet was well aware of what Neela would think of Eliana's new outfit, but if Eliana felt anything for Neela outside of friendship, no one knew of it. Violet had her doubts, Eliana rarely ever kept anything to herself, and with her personality, people normally knew what she thought and how she felt the moment she thought or felt it.
"You'll have to ask her when she gets here!" Violet called out. "I'm going to grab your bag! Let me know when they're here!"
"Of course momma!" Eliana called back. Eliana removed the dual pistols from her hip holsters and pointed them towards the woods, old targets carved into trees that she had made many years ago were riddled with bullet holes and she smirked for a moment. Ever since her dad had died they had been here. She did her best to take it in stride, but her father was her hero, he was her everything. When he died, part of Eliana died too, and when it did, she took on a new persona. She was determined to start over and continue her father's legacy of doing good as long as she had the means to. That had always been his philosophy. She looked the guns over in her hands.
Eliana's dad had been on the police force in Mistral since before she was born, he had decided to join shortly before meeting her mother. At the time her mother had been finishing up her schooling at Haven Academy and she worked in the market as a fruit vendor in the big city. Her mother told her that her father would come and talk to her every day, buying a single apple each time and using it as an excuse to come and visit her. Violet fell for him quickly, seeing as the boy was always so kind and composed.
That's how Eliana remembered her father. He had been strong and composed and was never quick to anger. Despite coming home exhausted or even in rough shape, he would have a smile on his face, satisfied that he had kept them safe for another day. He was truly amazing, and the entire reason that Eliana had chosen to train to become a huntress herself. She would follow in his footsteps, determined to protect her mother now that he was gone. It had all happened so suddenly...
It had been a Grimm attack while she and her mother had run into town to make a few purchases at the market. When they returned, Eliana was the first one to find her father, dead in the living room. His body was mangled, it appeared as though he had been ripped apart by some creature of Grimm. It changed Eliana, she had always lived under this false sense of security that as long as they did good, good things would happen to them. Up until that point it had been true. She was confused by her father's death, for a long time she didn't eat or say anything, fear gripped her over the fact that even if she did good things, bad things could still happen. Her core had been shaken.
Her mother had brought her back to Patch where she had originally been from before meeting Alexander, Eliana's father. Eliana was so young yet, seven years old, but that was when she met Neela. She couldn't describe it, she wasn't even sure that it would make sense if she did, but Neela was the most amazing person that Eliana had ever met. Neela made her understand in a strange way that you should do good because it's the best way a person can show love, not because it'll keep you safe. Neela had been an orphan and had been a victim of hate for a long time, but Neela had told her that love can fix anything. Eliana understood then that her father's death had happened because of the love that he felt for mankind and not just himself, and that the love that Eliana received from her mother and her new friend Neela was more than enough to replace the love that she had lost from her father. But had she really lost his love?
After becoming friends with Neela, Eliana always felt a sense of joy and happiness all the time. She realized that her father's love wasn't gone, but it was now hers to give to others, through defending Remnant and helping the ones she loved. She and Neela had done everything together and the older they got, the more people expected from Neela, saying that she was only as talented as she was because her parents were and that it must come naturally. It tore Neela up, being compared to her mothers constantly, but it hurt Neela worse when she fell short of the expectations that had been piled on her. Eliana ignored it though, she told Neela that as long as she was trying her hardest, then she was doing her job as a Huntress, no matter what anyone else thought. It made Neela smile and making Neela happy was what helped Eliana keep moving forward after her father died. She wanted to make Neela happy all of the time.
Eliana quickly slammed a clip of regular bullets into each gun and fired in rapid succession, hitting the bullseye every time, with the exception of the last one as it was shot out of the air with an arrow. Eliana looked at it for a short moment in confusion before she was filled with excitement and adrenaline. She holstered her guns and sprinted towards Neela without looking up, slamming into her and wrapping her arms around her, twirling her around the best she could, which proved awkward as Neela was a few inches taller than she was.
"Neela! I'm so excited! It's finally here! We're finally going!" Eliana exclaimed. She put her back down and Neela chuckled and brushed herself off, setting her bag down as Blake stopped next to her offering Eliana a warm smile. "Hello, Mrs. Xiao Long!"
"Hello, Eliana. New outfit for the new school year I see," Blake pointed out. Neela looked up from tending to straightening out her jacket and noted what Eliana was wearing. Damn, Neela thought as her mind locked up on her. That can't seriously be what she's going to wear! How am I going to get any studying done?! Neela wondered if her face was as red as she imagined it had to be, a heat washing over her from her head to her toes. An awkward grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Mmhmm. Do you like it Neela?" Eliana asked. Neela stood in silence for a moment as Eliana modeled it. Neela bit her trembling lower lip and nodded. To say that she liked it wasn't doing it justice, but to tell Eliana how it really made her feel wouldn't be appropriate for her to admit in front of her mother. She wasn't sure how Eliana would take her true feelings about it either.
"It looks great on you Elli!" Neela told her. Eliana blushed.
"Thanks! I think you tend to flatter me a bit too much," Eliana told her. A look of revelation filled Eliana's eyes and she turned back towards the house. "Momma! They're here!"
"I'll be out in just a moment!" Violet shouted out from the house. Eliana stood there for a long moment with her hands clasped in front of her before having another moment of sudden realization and running over to Blake.
"Here Mrs. Bellabooty, let me…" Eliana's eyes went dark as she looked away and flushed, staring hard at a few rocks along the side of the path. Blake looked around her to try and get a view of her face. Eliana turned further away from Blake as Neela glanced back and forth between the two of them. Blake turned a light shade of pink as she set the bag down. Her mind went instantly to the only person who still referred to her by that name.
"What did she call you?" Neela asked. She wasn't sure she had heard Eliana correctly, and if she had, she could only imagine where it came from. Blake placed her hand on her forehead, shaking her head while chuckling.
"Yang said it the other day," Eliana mumbled under her breath. "I… It was a mistake, honestly." Violet stepped out on the porch, pulling Eliana's suit case down the steps and dragging it through the grass as she ran over to join them. She struggled for a moment as the bag was hard to pull through the rough terrain, but eventually made it, only slightly out of breath. She gave them all the same smile that Eliana normally gave and Neela smiled back.
"Hello Blake," Violet said cheerily. She noted Eliana avoiding eye contact and moved closer to her daughter, asking her if something was wrong. "Everything alright?" Blake let out a slightly more audible nervous chuckle which caused Eliana to grit her teeth and tense up. Neela moved to her friend and wrapped her arm over her shoulders.
"Yeah!" Neela exclaimed. "Everything's fine! Eliana was just going to help my mom with the bag, right?" Eliana smirked and looked up at Neela. Somehow Neela always got her to smile. Even if it was just as simple as being there for her. Eliana looked back at her mother, who still had a wondering look on her face, and nodded.
"Exactly!" Eliana declared. She turned back towards Blake, blushing as she nodded at her in mutual understanding, and took the bag from her. Eliana extended her left elbow towards Neela. "Shall we?"
"Of course!" Neela exclaimed, hooking her arm over Eliana's. They walked down the part towards Signal as they bumped into each other on occasion and laughed. Violet watched them and shook her head sighing.
"I've never seen a girl more in denial towards her own feelings than Neela," Violet told Blake. Blake chuckled.
"If I had given birth to her, I would have told you that she got it from me!" Blake offered and the two of them laughed. "Though to be honest, she's not denying her feelings, she's just not admitting them. I know how she feels. When I realized my feelings for Yang I was scared to admit it to her right away, hell, I was terrified that Yang might not feel the same way and that it would create a gap between us. The difference in my situation is that Yang made the first move, but from where we sit right now, we're not sure Eliana has feelings for Neela like that, are we?" Violet shook her head and sighed as she pulled the suitcase up onto the path and they slowly followed after the girls.
"At this point, it would be safer to say that Elli loves Neela like the sister she never had. Not something you really want to hear coming from the person you want to be romantic with in the future," Violet said stating the obvious. "With that being said, there's nothing more we can do. They're not our little girls anymore in the literal sense. Every decision from here on out is for them to make, we can only hope that we influenced them enough when they were younger to make the right ones when they're older." They walked in silence for awhile, the only sound that accompanied them was their feet against the path, and the sound of the luggage rolling along. "It'll hurt when she's gone. She's the only piece of her father that I have left. When she speaks, it's almost as if he's trying to remind me that everything is going to be okay." Blake glanced at Violet and offered a warm smile.
"You're always free to visit Yang and me over at the cabin," Blake told her. Violet nodded as she watched Neela and Eliana in the distance.
"I will, Thank you," Violet replied. "Look at them. So carefree. So unaware of how the world really is outside of this island." Blake agreed, for the most part.
"Mmm. I think they know what it can be like. I just think that they've both chosen to forget." Blake looked at Violet, she could feel the woman's anxiety and concern for her daughter flowing out of her from the way she spoke to the way she pulled the suitcase behind her. "They'll be fine though. Salem is dead, and Remnant has been at peace for nearly a fifteen years. They're going off to Beacon and I know from experience, it's more good than it is bad."
"I know, it's just hard," Violet told her. Blake tried to reassure her once again.
"They're strong. I'd almost say that they're stronger than my team was when we started." Violet chuckled and shook her head.
"I doubt that," Violet responded. Blake smirked. They might very well be.
Sorry for the late upload, I had to finish Christmas shopping this morning. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you all next week in Chapter 3 - The Trip and The Maniac!
A special thanks once again to my co-creator OrganoidZero.
A big thank you to Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. All of their artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy!