Chapter One: Desert Friends

Before I realized it, I had spent a week in this desert kingdom. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to deal with the heat, though it probably helped that I stripped off a lot of my usual attire. My squirrel coat was wrapped around my waist, no longer concealing my sword, and I had decided to just abandon my fur pants, though the coat acted very much like a skirt. I was given a shirt by some older woman not long after I had exposed my, um, assets, as she phrased it and wore it to cover my 'modesty'. The material was soft, and it breathed so I wasn't opposed to wearing it. My hunger pains had also subsided; Poe made it abundantly clear that food was easier to come by in this place, likely due to the population it needs to support.

"What I would do to fly…" I hum to myself wistfully, imagining that I was Poe for a moment. My destination was already in sight, but I decided to just keep a calm pace; I was in no rush after all. Vengeance takes time to plot, and if Merlot taught me anything, it was to have contingency plans for all of your contingency plans. I walk through the gates of Shade academy, and head towards a group of four girls sitting under a tree.

"Yo," I call out to them. "Any of you know where Nolan is? He said he's a part of some team Bruise or something."

"Nolan Portirio?" asked the girl with long auburn hair.

"Did you really call them team Bruise? Oh, I need to remember that one," the one with blue hair replied with a smirk. Two of her teammates began to giggle along with her. "It's so fitting since they're always getting their butts kicked by us."

"Um… Okaaay," I began awkwardly. "So, I take that as a yes? Mind pointing out where?"

"They're probably in the rec room," the first girl offered. "It's past the fountain there, and around the corner on the left side."

"Thanks," I reply quickly, as I begin heading over. I didn't get far, before I was stopped.

"I don't know what Nolan's told you, but you shouldn't believe everything he says," the second girl calls out to me. "If he tries anything funny, just tell them you'll let team NDGO know. We'll straighten them out."

"Um, ok…" I take a few steps back, before turning and leaving to my destination. I only get a few steps when I hear one of the girls say something about my sense of style. While the insult itself didn't bother me so much, the fact that she was talking behind my back irritated me to no end. "Stupid bitch…"

Following their directions, I come across the recreation area, where I see Nolan and two others training. They seemed to be having a free-for-all style match, given that they swung their weapons at anybody within range. Amused, I find a spot to sit and watch trying to memorize their form. However, I get distracted by their sweating bodies, and just begin to admire the show. I now realize I never really got to admire a guy before, and frankly, it's kind of nice. Nolan, the only one I recognize, manages to shock the one with saws on his wrist, and I smirk.

"Nice," I say to myself. I figure I'd root for him, given that I didn't know the other two. Nolan, however enjoys his victory a little too much, and ends up getting knocked down by the one with claws. Nolan tries to block a punch, but he was too slow. With a clawed fist inches from his face, and no real options to retreat, he frowns.

"Damn it, I yield," he said grumpily.

"I knew it," I laugh to myself. "He's weaaak!"

"You think so?" I hear some girl asks me.

"Yeah, didn't you see that?" I respond, gesturing to the fight. It was totally obvious what the boy needed to work on. "He totally had the upper hand against Frisbee over there, but the second he got a decisive hit in, Eyebrows wrecked house. With that shocky stick thing he has, he should have been able to keep both at a safer distance. His awareness in a fight is awful, and Eyebrows is an opportunist."

"Frisbee? Eyebrows?" the girl laughed. "Oh gosh, I would have never thought to call them that! You got anything for Nolan?"

"Pinkeye?" I offer, recalling his pupils. The girl begins laughing even more, and I take a good look at her. She wore a beanie that covered one of her eyes, and a red and white jacket of some sort. "How are you not sweating in that? It's like a million degrees here."

"I grew up here, so the heat doesn't really bother me," she answered, after her laughter died down. "I'm guessing you're that girl Nolan was talking about."

"Why would he talk about me? What did he say?"

"Other than the fact he claims that you ripped apart his water skin?" she asked knowingly. I vaguely remember the event then laugh. His face was funny to look at, though I probably should eventually replace it. Where would I even buy that, though? A question arises in my mind.

"What's with that anyway? I didn't know water skins were still a thing. Where'd he get it?"

"I don't know where he gets his stuff, to be honest. I guess he's trying to be a hipster or something. I keep telling him, 'dude, we have thermoses that work better.' Buuut he never listens."

I smile a bit, already enjoying this girl's company much more than NDGO's, and I decide to introduce myself. "Well, instead of 'that girl' you can call me Astrid. Even us savages have names, you know."

"You really call yourself that? A savage, I mean," she asked amused, before eyeing my attire. "Hmm, you make it work. I'm May, by the way."

"Like my favorite month," I say offhandedly. She smiles shyly for a moment, and I swear I see her turn a bit red. I bite my lip a little, feeling sorry for her. "You should really take all of that off."

"W-what?!" she asked, turning even brighter. I find her behavior a bit confusing, and point to her attire.

"Your jacket and hat," I say, trying not to sound condescending. "You're turning different shades of red, and heatstroke is not a joke." I vaguely recall passing out under the sun back on the island when I didn't drink enough water to stay hydrated. If it wasn't for Randal, I'd probably be dead. I frown, remembering the gentle giant that he was. He didn't deserve what happened, and if I had been—

"Yo, it's island girl!"

I turn to Nolan, who interrupted me from my thoughts. While his greeting left a lot to be desired, he was a welcomed distraction. "Yeah, and it's you… hippy? You called him a hippy, right?" I asked May. Nolan furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Uh, no, I said Hipster."

"Yeah, that!" I corrected, pointing to the one-eyed girl. I then hear a few laughs from the rest of his team.

"Did she call you a hippy?" asked Frisbee, stretching out his arms as he approached.

"Shut up, Roy," Nolan said with an eye roll. "This is the girl I told you guys about."

"The one that bit into your stupid water skin?" asked Eyebrows.

"It's NOT stupid!" he defended. I begin to laugh loudly at the poor boy's expense. I don't know how long I laughed, but I ended up wiping tears off my face when I was done.

"Damn, I needed that," I say contently.

"So what are you doing here, anyway?" asked Nolan, putting the small incident behind him. "You said you were better off on your own."

"Yeah I know, but there are some things that even I can't go about doing by myself. You said if I needed anything to come here, so here I am."

"Riiight," Roy interrupted, crossing his arms. I'm slightly impressed with how naturally he made the gesture look without clashing his saw blades together. Years of practice, surely. "So what did you want from him?"

"Money," I replied simply. "I need to get to Vale." There is a silence in the room, before the three boys start laughing at me. I frown, not seeing the humor, and wait for them to finish, but realize it would be a while, if the knee jerking was any indication.

"What's waiting for you in Vale?" asked May, being the only person not ridiculing me.

"Four girls, actually…" I reply, trying to reel my anger before I displaced it on the Team BRNZ. There must be something about this culture I'm not grasping yet. I notice the strange look Eyebrows was giving me, and I figured I should explain. "Let's just say these four girls showed up, changed my life in a way that words fail to describe and I haven't gotten the chance to return the favor due to their early departure."

"How'd they change your life?" asked Roy, his curiosity seemingly piqued. I sigh a bit sadly, remembering my two companions. The stupidly adorable scorpion, and the vicious, yet cuddly wolf.

"They left me… incomplete…" I reply, trying to keep my voice from wavering. It was surprisingly difficult to talk about it, so I kept the details to myself. I didn't know these people well enough to open up, and I only trusted my Grimm partners. I could still see the little scorpions' ten eyes dimming and lighting at me. Sandy was absolutely innocent… and he lost his life fleeing. He must have felt so scared…

"That's terrible," May said with a surprising amount of concern lacing her voice. It confused me, but I sort of liked it. It was a strange feeling, other people caring about me, and I allowed myself to enjoy it a little. "They hurt you, didn't they?" I didn't trust my voice, but I nod. The girl was surprisingly perceptive.

"Damn, that's rough," Roy muttered. "But four of them? Nolan here has trouble finding any girl who likes him."

"Do not!" Nolan growled, shoving his teammate. I looked up confused. What did he mean? I didn't like those girls, I absolutely detested them. I would love nothing more than to skin them like the beasts they were and wear their flesh when I went hunting.

"Who was the last girl you dated?" Roy teased further. I decide to tune out the conversation and collect my thoughts, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to see May wearing a wistful expression.

"It hurts to lose somebody, doesn't it?" she asked, although I felt like she wasn't expecting an answer. I nodded regardless. "I know what that's like… I had to leave behind the person I loved when I moved here a few years back. We… sort of grew apart, you know? It's been over a year since we bothered talking to each other. The last time we spoke, we realized how different we've become, like we were strangers."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I offer, although I could tell my voice sounded more confused than concerned. "I don't think that our experiences are the same though…"

"Either way, they're gone, aren't they?" she asked, almost morosely. I open my mouth to argue, but she's right. Sure, her boyfriend was still alive, but for whatever reason, he wasn't good for her anymore. I struggle to understand how that must feel, as I had never had any human or Faunus friends to bond with, but figure it was just a different form of death; the death of what once was. I look down in contemplation, thinking to the four murderous crayons. What would I do after I kill them? It won't bring back Randal or Sandy, would it? Even so, I feel a burning desire to end their existence, just like they ended my friends'. It almost excites me, the urge to have them at my mercy. I shudder as I allow my desire to wash over me in waves. I imagine holding my blade to their throats, and showing no mercy. It felt so good.

May then wraps a single arm around my shoulders. My first instinct was to push her away, the gesture foreign to me… but I stop myself. In fact, I was beginning to see the appeal of physical affection. It made me feel… safe. Before I knew It, I lean into her a little.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, we're always around," she offered. Her voice was soft, and again, I feel a strange sensation of comfort. The offer, however, was getting a bit too personal. I didn't need anybody getting to know me, and as nice as this felt, I was getting too close to fast. My thoughts bring me back many years, one of the few days I wasn't alone in the laboratory. An older boy held me in a similar fashion, but I struggle to remember his face. I feel a faint pang in my heart. It was unfamiliar, but unlike the rest of my new experiences, it was unwelcomed.

"Uh, thanks…" I reply back, trying to figure out these human interactions. This girl was starting to weird me out, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see where this would go. Why was she so caring about a total stranger, though? As I begin to doubt her intentions, I shrug her arm off, and stand up. "Well, if you guys can't give me money, can you at least let me know an easy way to make some?"

"Get a job?" Eyebrows laughed. I turn to him, peeved, and march over to him. This asshole has been nothing but annoying since I got here, and his stupid smug expression needed to be punched in.

"You think this is funny?" I asked, unable to quell the frustration I was feeling. He looks at me and rolls his eyes dismissively. He was challenging me, wasn't he? Growling, I oblige, shoving him into the area the three guys were training a few minutes ago.

"Whoa, what the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Roy, walking over towards me.

"Stay out of his, unless you want me to kick your ass too!" I shout, locking eyes with him for a moment. He doesn't back away, and I find myself in a two on one. Regardless, the urge to bash in Eyebrow's face was too great, and I allow the yearning for battle to overwhelm me. Roy raises his fists and begins to swing at me, but having seen him do the same to Nolan earlier, I counter him easily. As he went for a hook, I lean forward and head-butt him in the nose, then followed up by grabbing his other arm and flipping him towards Eyebrows. I feel a trickle on my forehead, and hope it's his blood, and not mucus. Regardless, humans weighed much less than Grimm, so the shoulder toss was much easier than I expected.

"Whoa, she's got moves," I hear Nolan praise from outside the unofficial match. Eyebrows rushed towards me, swinging his stupid claws at me, and I decide to match him. I punch each swipe he attempts, cutting my hands in the process, but completely confusing him. Ignoring the pain on my knuckles, I narrowly block a sudden knee he tried to ram into my stomach. The impact was surprising, and I realize he had armor there too.

"What a reckless fighting style," I manage to hear May mumble to herself. Despite the statement sounding rather insulting, she seemed impressed, which, if I was being honest with myself, felt kind of nice. I need to keep her around, she's good for my self-esteem. Maybe Nolan too, he's a good punching bag.

Focusing back to my scuffle with Eyebrows, I decide that I really don't like his face. He goes for another swipe, and I finally draw my sword. Using the flat of my blade, I parry his wide swing, and elbow him in the face. He stumbled back, grabbing his, now bloodied, nose, and I use his temporary distraction and swing my blade downwards, right at his head. There is an audible sound of metal cutting through something, I hoped for flesh, as he narrowly dodges to the side. My sword ends up embedded in the ground, and Roy tries to capitalize on the situation by throwing his stupid saw blades at me. I manage to dodge the first one, but the second cuts me across my collarbone, as I had not leaned far enough to completely evade it. I wince in pain, not realizing my Aura was gone. That's what I get for punching claws, I guess. I feel a trickling of blood down my chest, and I hear Nolan call the fight off.

"Hey, she's bleeding, her Aura's broken," he nearly shouted, jumping in between me and Roy. I clutch my chest, trying to staunch the bleeding, but the length of the wound was longer than both my hands could handle.

"I'm fine," I say annoyed. I look down to my shirt and sigh loudly. "I just got this shirt…"

"I have one you can borrow," May offered almost immediately. "Come to our dorm, you can change—what are you doing!?"

"What?" I asked, confused. I had taken the shirt off, given that it was effectively just a rag now, and was cleaning the wound with it. "I don't want this shit getting infected." I continue to dab at the wound, wincing a little each time, but am happy to see that it was a relatively superficial cut. I guess my Aura had taken the brunt of the attack before breaking.

"Dude… where did you find this girl?" I hear Roy whisper to Nolan, his face visibly getting red. I was beginning to think that people around here claimed to be 'used' to the heat, when in reality everybody was just as miserable as me. I was almost certain that I was as red as the two boys and May.

"You bitch!" I hear Eyebrows shout, as he held his bleeding forehead. I knew that my blade had scrapped by him, but I was happy to see that I did manage to cut him. He stormed over, his other hand holding something. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"I have a feeling you wouldn't understand if I told you," I answer honestly. Also, I didn't feel we had time to get into my past. "What's your problem?"

"My problem?" he asked, mocking. "MY PROBLEM is that you CUT MY FUCKING EYEBROW OFF!"

"W-what?" the rest of his team asked in unison. They swarmed towards him, and he held out his hand. Sure enough, there was a little bloodied patch of skin with what used to be his eyebrow.

"Brawnz… she didn't even shave it off, she cut the whole damn thing off!" Roy said, trying to hide his amusement. "Will that grow back?"

"I doubt it," I reply. "It'll scar over, but chances are you won't grow another one. Think of that next time you want to laugh at me, alright? You still have another one I can take."

"Astrid, let's just get you some clothes," May urged, as she draped her jacket over me. She began to push me away from the furious guy, and I begin to shrug off the jacket.

"Why'd you put this on me?" I asked. "It's way too hot!"

"I did it because you aren't wearing anything underneath it!" she whispered harshly into my ear.

"Ugh, your 'civilized' rules are dumb," I say, rolling my eyes. "What's wrong with walking around like this?"

"It's because you can't just walk around without a top on…" she hesitated, before looking at me strangely. Try as she might, I refused to zip up the jacket. She eyes me up and down, her gaze lingering on my wound. To prove to her it was superficial, I open the jacket fully, causing her to look away, red again. "You are so weird…"

"Yeah, well you can blame Dr. Asshole for that," I say with a sigh. I let go of the jacket, and my hands find the pocket in them. The inside was surprisingly soft, and I put my hands in, feeling the material.

"Nolan said you grew up on an island," May pointed out. I roll my eyes in annoyance, and let out a long exhale. "You had a doctor taking care of you there?"

"I swear, that boy just hears whatever he wants to," I mutter. I turn to May with a deadpan expression. "I also told him I grew up normal for the first… decade…ish of my life. The island was my home for the latter six or seven years."

"Wait, how old are you?" May asks, leading me through the hallways of the school. I put a finger to my chin and begin to think. Years really held no significance to me, but the seasons did, so I begin to count them, but they blur together. I do recall at least six different summers.

"I'm pretty sure I'm like at least sixteen? But I could be older though, why?"

"Every time you say something, I only have more questions…" May said to me, shaking her head. She pushed open a door, and gesture for me to go in. I enter, and look around and see clothes everywhere. Pants half turned out on the window sill, several shirts and jackets on the ground haphazardly placed and many undergarments thrown around as if they didn't have any other place to be. "Those pigs… I'm sorry Astrid, I told them to clean up this morning, but they never listen." She begins to ball up the clothes, and shoves them to the corner of the room.

"Eh, whatever," I shrugged, not really seeing what she was concerned about. It was just clothes, why would I care? I take off May's jacket, feeling very sweaty, and frown as I notice my blood stained it a little. "Sorry about your jacket…" She turns to me, and her gaze falls to my wound again. "You want a picture? I doubt it'll scar over."

"H-huh?" she asked, looking up. She finally notices that I'm handing her back the jacket, and she awkwardly takes it. "Thanks."

"Um, ok… are you sure you're alright?" I asked, stepping a bit closer.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assures, although her behavior only confuses me further. Shrugging, I look to their beds, and lay down on the cleanest one. I let out a pleasurably hum, not having slept in anything so soft since leaving the laboratory.

"Do you have any preference as to what you'd want to wear?" asked May, as she ruffled through her closet. She had already threw on an identical jacket. I sit up, and look at her selection, and laugh.

"Why do you have so many of the same jackets?" I ask, no longer feeling as bad for staining one. "Don't you ever wear anything else?"

"I do," she replies a bit defensively. I back track a little, feeling as if I was antagonizing the only person, aside from Nolan, I was fond of.

"I don't mean it in a bad way, you look good in it." I gesture to my attire, and laugh. "I have no place to judge, look at me. I'm wearing furs in a desert."

"You're not from around here," she said to me, her tone softer. "How about you pick out whatever you want, and we'll go shopping? Unlike the guys, I'm not throwing away my lien gambling."

"Are you sure? I have like nothing to my name I'm willing to depart with." I clutch my sword defensively, ensuring it hadn't gone anywhere.

"No it's fine, I mean it," she says too quickly. "I don't really hang out with other girls, you know? Team NDGO is kind of stuck up, and the guys aren't really people you'd want to talk to about girl things."

"Hmm…" I hum, although I was still lost as to what she was referring to. What were girl things? Were there also guy things? What about Grimm things? I decide to just follow her lead, to see where this went. "I guess that sounds fine. And, yea, Fuck NDGO, they're bitches."

"Hahaha, I'm guessing you've met them?" she asked, smiling again. I think back to the four girl, and cringe.

"Oh, yeah, they were sitting around in the shade talking about some pointless shit, I'm sure. I only asked where I could find your team, then one makes a remark about my 'fashion sense' or something."

"They're pretty girls," May explained. "They're mostly just concerned about how they look, although they are strong."

"Psht, they're not that pretty," I scoff. "Especially that girl with the giant dress… But serious question here; why the hell do so many people wear such heavy clothing? The only ones who aren't are the Frisbee and the blond girl from NDGO. Everybody else has layers, and it's waaay too hot for that shit."

"A lot of clothes here is actually really light." May picks up a pair of reddish jeans from the floor, and hands them to me. "Feel it." I do, and I'm surprised. I snatch them from her, and begin to rub them with both hands.

"Whoa, this is light. How durable is this? I might want these."

"Those are Nolan's, actually."

"So?"

"Um, ok… you want me to wash them first?"

"Nah," I reply, as I begin to pull them on. As I finish, I'm a bit annoyed that they're a bit too long and big for me. Taking a rough measurement, I pull them off, and take my sword out to cut off the excessive length. I notice that May is once again staring at me, but I decide to ignore it. I pull the pants on once more, and smirk with satisfaction as they no longer drag on the ground. "You have a belt or something?"

"Y-yeah," she stutters, turning back to her closet. She takes out a black one, as well as a plain white shirt, and hands them to me "Those are mine, but you can have them, I don't really use the belt anymore, and I have plenty of shirts." I pull the shirt on, and loop the belt around me, and it comfortably holds the pants up. I begin to stretch, to ensure it doesn't impair any of my normal movements, which to my pleasant surprise, doesn't. The door then swings open, and the three boys enter, Eyebrows—err—Eyebrow, fiddling with the gauze wrapped around his head. He gives me a look, but it doesn't bother me.

"What the hell did you do to my jeans?!" demanded Nolan. He picked up the pieces I cut off and began to wave them at me, as if I gave a shit. "Do you know how expensive those were?!"

"If you didn't shop at hipster stores, you could've gotten them for a fraction of the price," Roy teases. Nolan just throws the pieces of jeans at him, annoyed.

"It's fine, I'll get you some new ones," May says to him, pushing him over to the other side of the room. She wasn't being particularly aggressive, so I figured Nolan allowed himself to be moved. She begins to whisper something into his ear, to which he begins to smile wider and wider. I notice May turn a shade of pink again, and I made it my mission to remove that jacket off of her as soon as possible. She pulls away from him, and walks back towards me. I notice Nolan is no longer bothered by the jeans. "Come on, let's go."

"Uh, sure," I begin awkwardly. "But I got to check up on my friends, so how about we meet up somewhere after?" While it didn't get dark in Vacuo as fast as it did back on the island, I had been able to keep my sense of time relatively accurate. I must have been at this school for more than three or four hours, and knowing Keres, she would get worried about me. Poe will likely be scouting from above, but if he didn't see me soon, he'd start to descend, making him an easier target.

"Oh, I can go with you," she said with a smile. I bite my lip, unable to come up with a suitable lie. Fortunately she must have sense my hesitance. "Or not… Where did you want to meet?"

"How about the gate?" I offer. It was easy to get there, and this school was actually pretty confusing. The layout didn't make any sense to me; I'm sure we made four lefts on the way to May's dorm room.

"Of course! In an hour?" she asked, to my surprise, almost pleadingly. Her eagerness was a bit off putting, but so far she had been the nicest person, so I decide to look past it. I nod to her, and exit the dorm. I close door behind me, and rush out.

I make it outside, and I see Poe perched on top of a tall post of some sort, and even from here, I could see his bothered expression. I sigh, and get into the first alley I can, and he descends down. I raise my arm, and he lands, giving me a dirty look.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time," I say to him, although I was aware that he knew I was just making an excuse. He turns away, annoyed. "Oh, come on, you don't need to be like that… You know this is my first time talking to humans since… well, you know."

The Nevermore looks at me through the corner of his vision, then turns away again. I sigh in disappointment. He lets out a low caw, and I nod.

"You're right, I shouldn't have been out so long… but things just happen, you know?" I wince as another excuse comes out, and I try to retract my statement. "Ok, you know what, I'm in the wrong. There's no excuse for what happened, and it's all my fault, and I'm sorry…"

The Nevermore squawks at me, and pecks me in the forehead. I wince at the pain, my Aura not having recovered, and he cocks his head at me.

"I was involved in a spar of sorts…" I admitted. "I cut the other guy's eyebrow off, though. That's something, right?"

I smile as the Grimm bows his head in approval.

"So you forgive me?" I asked hopefully. The bird gestures further down the alley, and I realize that Keres must be waiting somewhere safer. I attempt to scratch Poe under his beak, and he allows it. "Thanks, Poe. You're always looking out for me. I don't know—oof!"

I feel a heavy weigh collide with my stomach, the air leaving my lungs. I feel the shirt May gave me tighten, and my suspicions were confirmed.

"Thanks, Keres, I love you too," I groan. I gently stroke her mask, caressing her face. "Ok, so here's the thing guys…"

I begin to tell the two Grimm about my new acquaintance, and potential friend, May. I immediately sense hesitation and distrust from my two friends, which I completely understand. However, I struggled to explain to them the very foreign feelings I had experienced.

"Look, it's really difficult to explain… Ok, so it's like, well, I'm not quite sure to be honest… I mean I know you two understand me most of the time, but that has to do more with our lives being so close all the time, you know? Don't get me wrong, you two will always be my closest friends, I love you guys… but when I was talking to May, well, she was different than the guys. Don't get me wrong, Nolan is… fine, I guess, and both his teammate leave quite a bit to be desired… but May was different. I don't know, she sort of understands me too—not like you guys, of course! But I barely know her, you know?

"Ok, maybe it sounds stupid when I say it out loud, but trust me, there is some sort of connection there. She was the only one who didn't laugh when I asked for money, and she gave me this shirt! Which… doesn't really seem like much now that I think about it… Ok, but she did offer to buy me some clothes, so that's something right?"

Poe's expression was stoic, but his disappointment rolls off of him in waves. Keres, on the other hand, was concerned.

"Look, I don't understand it either, but she did this things with her arm," I mimic her and wrap my arm around Poe. He flinches much like I did. "Yea, I felt that way too! But like, it started to… make me feel safe, you know? I mean you two do that too, but the thing is I don't really know her. That must mean something, right? She reminded me of when that boy did it to me."

I grow quiet, as the words I said register in my mind. Who was that boy? Why did he suddenly emerge from my memory? He was still a faceless figure, and to be honest, I preferred it that way. It kept the phantom from my past… a figment of my imagination, not a person. But why did I feel that way? I try to think harder, but my stomach ties in knots, discouraging that line of thinking. I should focus on my current goal first…

"Well, I told her I would meet her back at the gates," I finish, feeling a little dizzy. I lean against the wall, a weariness suddenly washing over me. "Whoa… I didn't realize… I was so…" I vaguely feel weightless before the world turns black.

I'm shaken awake, and I feel an immense pain in my head. My eyelids are still heavy, but I manage to open one. To my surprise, I see Poe's talons gripped around my shoulders, and him peck me in the forehead. That explains the headache… I raise a hand to wave him off, and he lets go of my shoulders, and stands next to me. Keres has possessed my sword, and was hovering around defensively. I sit up, grabbing my head.

"Was the pecking necessary?" I asked sarcastically. I touch my still closed eye, and wince at how tender it is. "The fuck?" I touch around more gingerly, and realize I must have given myself a black eye when I fell. What the hell caused my blackout, though?

Poe caws at me, and I exhale through my nose, annoyed.

"Really don't need your input, jerk," I mutter. I stand up, and examine myself. My tiredness was mostly alleviated, but my head still ached. "Whatever, I need to meet May… I'll fill you all in later."

Keres expels herself from the sword, and possesses my shirt in attempt to hold me back. I sigh, and touch her face softly.

"I don't want you getting hurt, alright? Stay with Poe, I'll be back in a few hours. I can handle myself, you both know that." Keres reluctantly obeyed, although Poe was miffed, as he didn't' even respond to me. I shove my hands in the soft pockets of May's jacket, and find something in one. Taking it out, I find one of her beanies, and I smirk. This will cover my bad eye. Throwing it on, much like May herself does, I rush over to Shade to meet her.

Once I get there, I see her looking around, I assume, for me. It doesn't take her long to spot me, and she waves me over. I walk over, scratching my cheek. The heck am I supposed to do now?

"I was starting to think you ditched me," she said with a forced smile.

"Sorry, I, um, lost track of time?" I say lamely. I really need to come up with better excuses. Who knew lying was so hard?

"I see," she said, although I could see relief in her posture. What was she worried about? If I didn't show up, she wouldn't have to buy me anything. "I see you found one of my spare beanies, too."

"Yeah, it's pretty soft," I reply, expressing my appreciation. "Not to mention that it smells nice. It's been a while since I've smelled soap, though this scent is new to me. It smells… floral?"

"It's lavender," she smiled, looking away. "It's the shampoo I use. So why are you wearing it like me? Most people don't cover their eye with it."

"Oh, well, you know, when in Mistral..."

"You have pretty eyes, though," she said, reaching out to my face. My first instinct was to flinch backwards, but the feeling of her gentle one-arm-shoulder-squeeze-thing kept me in place. As before, she was surprisingly soft with her touch as she gently moved the hat from my face. "Oh Gods, what happened?"

"Eh, I fell," I reply, a bit embarrassed about blacking out earlier. "I can't see out of it anyway, so I figured I'd pick up some fashion tips from you."

"I'm hardly fashionable," she said, rolling her eye. She tugged the beanie back down, and our eyes lock for a moment. I find myself looking away, feeling the desert heat getting to me.

"Would it be alright if we go somewhere cooler?" I ask, moving away from her touch. "As much as I enjoy staring at you, it's hot out here." I start walking in what I hope is the direction of the market. About a minute passes, and May finally catches up to me. "What took ya?"

"Sorry," she said meekly. I raise a brow at her demeanor, but decide against mentioning it.

"Anyway… where are we going exactly?"

"Well I usually shop over at the square, but if you want something different we can try other shops. Vacuo doesn't really have a lot of fashion hot spots, usually just practical clothing. I think Team NDGO imports their stuff from Mistral or Vale."

"I wouldn't want to look like them anyway," I scoff. I look up to the sky and realize it was beginning to get dark. "It's going to be late soon… Don't you students people have a curfew?"

"Not at all," she said, smiling at me. "Vacuo doesn't really have a lot of rules."

"Yet you force me to wear a shirt?"

"That's different!"

"How?"

"You're not from around here," she whispered. "There's a lot of ex-Huntsmen that aren't above taking advantage of younger girls, especially when they're pretty much advertising themselves. After it gets dark, it just gets worse, so you shouldn't be outside then."

"You literally just said that there wasn't a lot of rules, but now I have to wear certain clothes, not be out after dark and avoid older men?"

"Those aren't laws or official rules, but it's just sort of the way of the land. Shade Academy is the safest place for anybody to be, so these trips to town are usually only taken by pairs of students, or whole teams, to ensure their safety." May seems to be both ashamed and concerned about her Kingdom.

"I've been here a week, and I haven't had to deal with any Huntsmen or danger. Why are you so paranoid."

"Where are you staying?"

"I don't have a place," I admit. "I wander around and find a spot to sleep. I'm pretty good at not being seen if I don't want to be."

"Right, and you said you had some friends with you, right? Where are they?"

"Not around," I answer quickly. "They aren't really into meeting new people, so they don't."

"Oh. Well, if I can, I'd like to meet them."

"I doubt that will ever happen. They aren't fond of humans." My eyes widen as I realize what I had just said, and look at May through the corner of my eye. To my surprise, she just nods, almost as if she understands.

"I see… I guess they've only met racist people then. Well, for what it's worth, Vacuo is super accepting of Faunus as well as humans, if that's the issue."

I remain silent, not wanting anymore to slip out, and just look on ahead, only taking small glances at her every few seconds. Her expression was hard to read, but it almost resembled some sort of guilt.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not able to help myself.

"I just feel like what I said might have been a bit careless," she replies with a sigh. "Of course they'd be cautious, especially if that's all they've ever known. I shouldn't expect them to put themselves out there so easily."

"Eh, they're not here, don't worry about it. Let's just go to wherever you're taking me."

She nods, and begins to lead me towards the busier parts of town. We would occasionally exchange words or she'd point something out to get my opinion on it. As we went from shop to shop, I began to find myself enjoying this stupid errand run. What was happening to me? Was being around humans changing me? Or was this just a sort of inherent joy everybody had? Not knowing was frustrating, but I couldn't bring myself to focus on it too much, as following May in and out of stores was sort of fun. By the end of the trip. I realize that she had bought me two bags of clothes.

"I'll pay you back someday," I say to her, as we head back to Shade.

"What? No, don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "I didn't expect you to get so little, so it's fine."

Little? How much was this?
"Still," I said. I try to think of something to repay her with. My lessons with Merlot's assistance resurface, and I knew that I owed the girl at least a favor, if I couldn't buy her out. "If you need anything, let me know. I owe you one."

"You're so weird," she said to me smiling. I roll my eyes, feeling the exact same way about her, when I feel her wrap her arms around me. "I had fun today."

"Y-yeah, me too…" I reply, trying to see if she was trying to crush me, but the pressure was far too weak to do any damage. She releases me again, and, again, I notice her face is flushed. "Damn it May…"

"What?" she asked. If I wasn't mistaken, she sounded alarmed. I shake my head, and grab her jacket by the front. She looks down, then up to me, her face confused. I smile a little, to put her at ease, then pull her closer. As she leans forward, I move, and take her jacket off of her, and grab her wrist to prevent her from falling. "W-what are you doing?"

"I told myself I'd take this off you," I admitted, wrapping the arms of it around my waist. "You're too hot to be wearing this, ok?"

"T-too h-hot?" she stammered. I nod, and begin walking away.

"If I see you wearing this again, I'll take it off again. Stop covering yourself so much, I can't stand seeing you like that." I spare a glance to her, and see her standing there, a befuddled expression on her face. Smirking, I make my way back to my companions.