Chapter 28 — Balance
"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."
— Dalai Lama XIV
Serena's eyes were droopy as she slurped the broth she'd cooked for breakfast. Her eyes were lazily watching the flickering flames, mind not yet among the living. The night had been rough for her: her arm had stung quite some whenever she accidentally rolled unto it in her sleep. The sleep itself had been anything but restful. Nightmares had plagued her the entire night, and she had barely gotten any sleep as it was.
She noticed the red eyes that watched her, the man sipping his own broth with a piece of bread. She opted to ignore him for the moment — her mind was far too tired to deal with him yet.
Finally, not being able to stand the constant staring anymore, she looked up and asked a bit more harshly than intended, "What?"
She saw the small twitch the side of his mouth did, and was sure he would have been frowning at her. But he kept himself from doing so, instead answering her question. "What are we going to do now?"
The question made her think. She was in no condition to go running around at the moment, what with her arm being practically useless. And he wasn't ready to face Ajax a second time. But if they just stayed in the cave, she was sure that they'd both go crazy.
"Well…" she began, mind still jumping from one idea to the next before finally settling on one. "We can work on your aura."
"My aura?" The confusion was very noticeable in his voice.
"Not the aura you use to fight and defend yourself. I mean your…uh… Your charisma? No, not quite that." She fumbled for words. "What I mean is kinda like your balance, if that makes any sense?"
"What would my sense of balance have anything to do with Grimm?" Now he just looked downright lost.
Oh, this was not working. But how the hell should she explain this to him?
"The balance of your being, your soul. I mean that we should work on restoring peace to your soul, in a way. The negative memories and feelings inside you have upset your inner peace. Once you restore that, it should be easier for you to get along with Grimm." She looked doubtful at her own explanation.
He gave a somewhat tentative nod of the head. "O-kay? And how exactly do we do that?"
A smile graced her lips as her eyes brightened. "We meditate."
His face fell, and she stifled a laugh at his baffled expression. For sure, meditating had been the last thing on his mind.
"Are you serious? Meditating?"
This time she did laugh, hiding her smile behind a hand. Once calmed down, she gave him a sheepish smile. "It's quite the effective method, trust me. I myself used it to get rid of some… unpleasant memories."
Walking over to the entrance of the cave, she settled down on the dusty floor, crossing her legs. Placing her hands one on each knee, she motioned for him to come over. He did so reluctantly, plopping down next to her as she grabbed his hand and pulled at it. She instructed him to mimic her pose, telling him to close his eyes as she closed her own.
"Now, think back to whatever brings you pain. Let it play out, but don't linger on it. Just watch as it happens, and try to let go of all the pain and sadness connected with the memory or emotion."
She heard him take a deep breath, and was pleased to see he for once took this seriously and actually listened to her. A few minutes of silence passed between the two, each focusing on their own memories. After a while, Serena felt how her patient's aura flickered. It was a little something she had become quite good at perceiving, thanks to her practicing in seeking out and pinpointing the auras of the Grimm.
"Don't let it get to you."
"It's not that easy," he hissed back.
"I know. But it's in the past. You cannot change anything anymore. Try to accept it, and let it play out. Just let it go," she mumbled.
It seemed to work; his aura became softer, no longer sharp and dark. She felt the change immediately. He had a… She didn't really know how to say it. His aura wasn't soothing, but more like a shield. Hard and yet soft beneath; something that offered protection.
She wondered at this. Never before had she met someone with an aura like this.
Ruby's aura was friendly and bright, inviting in anyone. It fit her personality perfectly. Just like her, it was warm and comforting, like the sunshine. It gave the people around her hope and strength.
But this man's aura was different. It was almost paradoxical in itself. The surface was rough and hard, like a wall that was meant to keep people at a distance. But the deeper she dug, the warmer it got. It was as if there were tiny cracks in it, granting her glances at his real self. Despite what he would have her believe, Serena could feel that he wasn't as grumpy or cynical as he would like her to think. No, he was kind, loyal, and brave.
A small smile crossed her lips. She liked this side of him better.
They continued their quiet training, and somewhere in-between Serena got up to start preparing dinner. Meanwhile, the Faunus didn't even notice her absence, face blank and eyes closed. He almost jumped when she gently shook his shoulder to inform him that dinner was ready. Again she had to smile at his face — he was surprised that he'd spent an entire day meditating.
But by the looks of it, the meditation had worked. He seemed less angry, and even gave her a small smile as she reached him his plate.
Who knew that a bit of meditation could do such wonders?
EDITED 20/01/2018
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.