"This is...definitely new."
The words escaped Matthew's lips without him even noticing, in the form of a mutter as he looked around, taking careful glances at every few buildings he and Laurel passed by as they walked.
The first time he'd gone to Vale, with Qrow to the Dust shop, he hadn't really focused too hard on his surroundings and simply let Qrow guide him as they walked through the streets of Vale.
One could say that, at the time, he was blind to the journey and only saw the goal, likely due to his mind still being focused on the dilemma of his amnesia.
But now?
It was like the journey was all he could see. Buildings everywhere, from libraries, to cafés, markets, even a police station-- he was finally taking it all in, dark brown eyes observing them all with a curious glint.
I can't believe I didn't even notice all this! He noted as his eyes darted from building to building, dark brown orbs wide with awe.
"Woah..." The word escaped him as a breathless whisper before he gradually began to slow down and calm himself a bit, though he was left surprised at the sound of his breathing slowing. Was I really breathing that fast? Guess I got more excited than I thought...
"Are you sure you're alright?" He heard Laurel ask - and he could have sworn that, despite not seeing her expression, she'd risen a brow.
"Y-yeah," He couldn't help but stutter, "I'm fine..it's just...a lot to take in, that's all.." A brief pause remained between the two until Laurel exhaled.
"Good. I'd rather you not faint on the street, especially not when we're almost at the meeting point."
A tick threatened to appear on his forehead as he gained a blush light enough to the point where one might've considered it unnoticeable. He would've retorted with something if anything had come to mind fast enough, but his reasoning beat such thoughts to the punch, as his blush brightened ever so slightly while he remembered his previous state of awe.
And so, pink-cheeked silence was his response.
Busy trying to keep his mouth shut, Matthew let out a tired mental sigh, letting his head droop slightly as he did so. A small part of him from within felt like punching himself for his newly discovered lack of social skills. At the same time, the thought of said flaw just led to him asking questions.
Why didn't he go silent the same way with Team STRQ? Or with Ozpin? Was it because he'd already known who they were? Only in a general sense, of course, but still.
Damn amnesia.. He silently cursed.
But if that wasn't the case, then what? Another memory surfacing without him noticing in the form of a shift in behavior?
He couldn't help but shudder in silence at the thought with a deadpanned expression, hoping that his social skills weren't that bad back on Earth.
"Took you guys long enough!"
A familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts, the amnesiac spotting the rest of Team SRLT around a meter away.
Scarlet, who was the one who'd called out and had begun to wave at them, wore a black and red camoauge t-shirt, black jeans, and sneakers the color of her hair, which had been tied into a high ponytail.
Raine, who was the only one not looking at him, glaring intensely at the pavement, wore a black leather jacket, a midnight blue shirt, matching jeans, and black boots with blue soles.
Lastly, Teal, who watched Matthew and Laurel approach in silence, wore a light blue and white flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves, blue jeans, and black shoes.
If it weren't for the fact that he was still admirably a bit dazed from the experience of essentially being starstruck by random buildings, he'd likely have taken some sort of mental note on their attire, though such thoughts eluded him.
"Sorry 'bout that," Laurel began with a light exhale before pointing a thumb at the amnesiac as she continued, "But he wouldn't quit dazing off to admire the local architecture."
One black brow twitched unconsciously as he registered her sarcastic jab towards him. Was this what it felt like to be pissed off? Or perhaps that was too strong a word..words?...to describe the feeling. Maybe just agitated? Annoyed?
Either way, regardless of what the emotion was exactly, he still shot her a weak glare, though she didn't notice his bitter gaze.
"Well, what's important is that we're all here!" He couldn't help but smile a bit at Scarlet's cheerfulness. Part of him was willing to bet a room's aura would light up with her presence alone.
The other was chuckling a bit at the thought of having to remind itself that he'd meant aura in the figurative sense, not literally.
With that said, the five of them made their way down the sidewalk until eventually reaching a staircase with a sign next to it identical to the one Scarlet and the others were waiting by.
The closer they got to the underground subway floor as they went down the stairs, the louder the plethora of voices became, until they finally reached the last step before stepping onto the concrete floor of the underground floor.
Matthew couldn't help but look around in even more awe, doing his best to absorb as many details as possible in his memory. On the far end of each side lay different color tracks, separated only by the widespread concrete floor, atop which a plethora of people either waited, had left, or had arrived, the last two taking place on two sets of stairs, one of which Matthew and Team SRLT had just stepped off of, the four briskly making their way to an emptier area, Raine dragging Matthew by his hood so he could keep up.
The bustling crowd was admittedly a lot to take in, but the more he looked, the more obvious a certain detail became apparent to his eyes as he looked around a gaze that became a bit more analytical.
"Are there even any Faunus here..?" The words left his mouth without him even thinking, though all the sounds around him drowned out his voice, leading him to believe for a few moments that his question had gone unheard.
That is, until he heard another voice speak beside him, just as quiet. Or maybe louder, but just as hard to hear, due to the noise? He wasn't sure.
"It isn't safe.."
It was Laurel who'd spoken, and, despite having to deal with all the sounds around him, he couldn't help but sense something from her words.
Frustration?
Anger?
Fear?
Sadness?
Or was it all of the above?
Regardless of which, he still couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly at Laurel's statement. What did she mean? How wasn't it safe? It was a subway, not a battlefield, so what danger was there?
His mental questions remained unanswered as a dull Ding was heard throughout the subway, followed by a female voice, though it sounded close to completely robotic, addressing the "passengers", saying that a train was approaching on the blue track.
Blue, huh.. He thought, glancing to the tracks and seeing they were in fact that very color. A few more minutes passed as they waited, with Matthew figuring there was nothing better to than to stare at the tracks, before the train finally arrived, any details on it being difficult to see at first due to the speed it came in at, though it was just as quick to slow down. The train was silver in color with black doors and forest green lights that glowed on the outline of each door. A cute beep emanated from the train twice before the doors began to open.
There were, of course, more details, such as certain white numbers on black plates near the doors, but Matthew didn't really pay attention to those. Or rather, he had no time to, as he was briskly shoved inside by the crowd the moment the doors opened wide enough for people to enter.
"Don't stand in the way, kid." He heard a grumpy, old, male voice grumble as he entered the train, along with Team SRLT and several other passengers. To Matthew's surprise, a somewhat hard tug on his hood led to him being seated next to Laurel, with Scarlet at his side and the remaining members at Laurel's.
Uh, which happened to be the first thing he both thought and said, aptly described his mental state.
"Sorry if I pulled too hard." He heard Scarlet apologize, confused brown eyes meeting apologetic bronze orbs, "It's just that someone probably would've stolen your seat, and you were..well.."
He quickly snapped out of it to finish for her with a light smirk, "Zoning out?" As usual, he added mentally.
"Yeah, that." Scarlet let a light laugh escape her lips before exhaling in what Matthew assumed to be relief. He couldn't help but raise a brow in slight confusion at the satisfied look on her face and the warm smile that graced her features.
"..What's up with you?" He couldn't help but ask, but admittedly regretted the phrasing a bit. He regretted it even more once he saw her gain a slightly confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"Well..you seemed pretty happy just now, and I was just wondering why.." Silence came as Scarlet's eyes widened slightly before she snorted a laugh.
"Th-that's what you meant?!" Matthew's cheeks reddened a bit as he cursed his old self, thinking his newly discovered lack of social skills was his fault. Her laughter died down as moments passed, though a few short giggles left Matthew thinking the laughter would return. But alas, it didn't, "Ahh...ah, man, we really need to work on those social skills of yours."
He agreed in silence with a slight nod, too embarrassed to actually voice agreement.
"..so? What made you happy then?" Scarlet seemed to relax in her seat, her shoulders loosening and a calm sigh escaping her lips.
"Well..I guess you could say that I'm just glad to see you're doing alright." She began, "I'm willing to bet that, at first, your condition..it must've hit you pretty hard, am I right?"
His slight, pained wince was all she needed to continue.
"I thought so. Trying to relate with this sort of situation is pretty much impossible for me, but...I can at least speculate this much, from what I'm assuming it must be like...it's probably..scary, isn't it..?"
He lowered his head and leaned forward in his seat, black bangs masking pained brown orbs as he recalled some of his memory, doing his best to not remember any specific details so that he wouldn't go through major pain.
At least, that's what he told himself was why he did so.
In reality, he knew that such wasn't how it worked. That old memories didn't induce the pain. At least, not to the extent of new ones.
To put it simply, he was afraid.
But regardless of why he tried recollecting memories as vaguely as possible, he still did. And so, general, but impactful details came to mind.
The rubble.
The flames.
The smoke.
The very loud siren.
The screams.
And--
"Yeah.." He forced it out in a pained tone before he could recall any further, eyes still looking down at the metal floor of the train, feeling a bit surprised that vague memories alone left him choking up slightly. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what exactly he was referring to when he agreed with her.
Was it the fear of not knowing his identity?
Or was it the fear of eventually discovering it, out of hesitation to know his what true self was like amidst the chaos?
Either way, he'd still agreed, and silence seemed to fill the space between the two of them, despite the sound of the train's movements on the track, along with a few scattered conversations within the train, being plenty audible.
"..what's your point?" Mixed feelings rumbled gently within him as he broke the silence. Bottled up frustration managed to find its way into his voice, though it was accompanied by an apologetic look in his eyes. He knew that it wasn't her fault, that he was the one who chose to try and remember, but he couldn't help but curse himself at the sound of anger bubbling slightly within voice, knowing full well that Scarlet didn't deserve any of it.
More silence followed Matthew's question, nervousness and some shame building inside him as he grew worried about how she'd respond. Was she angry? Vexed? Upset? Disappointed?
Maybe he was overthinking things. Maybe she wasn't upset. Maybe she understood how he felt.
Or maybe not, he thought in the back of his mind. No, it was more like he couldn't help but think it.
However, in a single moment, any tenseness within him was suddenly drained as he felt something warm gently being gently placed on the back of his head. It took only a second for him to figure out that it was a hand, fingers together except for the thumb, as it went from being gently placed on the top part of the back of his head, to gently sliding down to were his hair stopped on his neck, then returning to where it started and repeating the process.
It took Matthew a bit longer to finally let a thought come to mind as he finished processing that a hand was caressing his head.
Or rather, someone was.
...Scarlet? He didn't believe it with certainty as the name came to his mind, though he had a feeling it was her. And knowing that, he felt he had to speak up.
"I..." He tried to force some semblance of an apology out of his mouth, but the letter was all that left his lips before he fell silent. Though, to his surprise, gentle shushing following his failed attempt.
"It's okay..." Scarlet began, her voice just as tender as her touch, "You don't need to say anything...I get that you're upset..that you're frustrated..that you feel lost and confused..and you have every right to be."
If he hadn't been busy pondering his emotions and her words, Matthew would probably have made some mental remark about her Semblance being mind reading.
She was right. On the nail with every word, she somehow knew exactly how he'd felt, the unexpected accuracy leaving Matthew a bit more speechless, though the surprise didn't show on his face aside from his moderately widened eyes.
And slowly, but surely, a chuckle began to escape his lips.
"..you know.." He began, a smile now on his face as he rose his head to meet Scarlet's gaze, his dark brown eyes fixed on her bronze orbs, "Of all the places that I could've been given an emotional talking-to, I've gotta say, a loud-ass train wasn't the first thing that came to mind."
A look of slight surprise briefly crossed her face before her smile returned.
"Well, well, look who's proving my point~." Her comment earned a raised brow from Matthew, the amnesiac's confusion plain on his face, "..in class, Team STRQ told me a little bit about you..including a certain little moment of growth you had.."
What moment?, he thought, feeling only more confused. Was it when he'd made his resolve in the bathroom? He wasn't entirely sure, but he'd shrugged it off, figuring it wasn't important.
"You're surprisingly strong, you know that?"
"...I swear to god, you're only making me more confused." Matthew deadpanned, feeling even more confused when Scarlet, of all the reactions she could have had, giggled. Though he shook it off in favor of continuing, "I'm not even sure I can remember how many times Taiyang's handed me my ass on a silver platter in training sessions. Aren't I quite the badass warrior?" He topped it off with an equally sarcastic eye roll.
"Oh, you're not wrong. Physically, you're pretty much fodder." One of his black eyebrows twitched in a brief flash on annoyance, "But a person's physicality isn't necessarily what makes them strong." Matthew's face returned to one of surprise, though with a hint of familiar confusion, "What really makes someone strong..."
Matthew watched as Scarlet let a thumb gently hit the spot where her heart was.
"is in here. You can have all the muscles in the world, but if you don't have the will to keep fighting, then you pretty much don't stand much of a chance in a fight. And from what I can tell, considering what I've heard, willpower" Scarlet used the same hand she touched her heart with to point at Matthew, "seems to be something you've got plenty of."
"...Huh?" He hadn't even been sarcastic when he'd said it. Hell, he didn't even mean to say it. It was like the built up confusion had slipped out of his mouth in one word, with complete disregard as to whether or not he'd actually wanted to say it.
"Like I said, Matt, you're strong--probably stronger than you actually think you are." Scarlet leaned back in her seat, Matthew's posture rising a bit as his eyes followed her, "You may not have much skill at the moment, but, from what the Little Rose and her team told me, willpower seems to be something you've got in spades." She finished cheerfully with a light slap on his back.
A feeling of happiness admittedly grew within him at the idea that he had some sort of strength, his eyes widening slightly as he remembered a certain detail:
In every training session, no matter how hard the beatdown, he'd gotten up.
No matter how many kicks or punches to the face Taiyang landed on him, though the blond seemed to show a preference towards the former, of the flying variety, he'd still gotten back up to keep going, with most of their sessions having ended due to reaching some sort of time limit, or some other intereuption.
If Matthew'd recalled correctly, it might have been 40 minutes? Or maybe 50? He wasn't entirely sure, having never really paid attention to how long they were at it each session.
Then again.. A slight glimmer of disappointment reached his eyes, not bothering to continue his thought, already well aware of the point he would've tried to make to himself.
He was still weak.
By no means was he dumb enough to think Taiyang was even breaking a sweat in their sessions, even if he'd almost gotten lucky a few times with certain attacks, the blond either dodging them at the very last second, or taking advantage of Matthew's dazed bafflement at him having even been able to pull off a certain move.
He had no clue where he stood in comparison to fighters back on Earth, assuming there were any.
But as far as Remnant, he had to agree with Scarlet. He was fodder. Probably only about as strong as Roman's goons who'd gotten swiftly beaten by Ruby in the very first episode.
Ouch. He felt his pride take a small blow at the acknowledgement. And as if that wasn't bad enough, although he couldn't remember the name of the series for the life of him, he found himself making a comparison between a certain former desert bandit and one exploding green bean alien.
The thought that he was the bandit in that scenario almost made him shed a tear and left the imaginary solid structure that was his pride with several spider web cracks, like it'd been hit with a giant hammer.
God, I suck.
The thought hit him hard, the slight darkening of the already dark brown in his eyes reflecting his state of mind. Though it was somewhat short-lived, as he quickly did his best to shake off the thought without physically doing so, not wanting to have the red-headed seated beside him experience any more worry than she may already have had.
His looped reminders to himself in that moment did their job, for the most part, pushing back thoughts of weakness and frustration to the deeper depths of his mind. Though constantly telling himself that he'd 'get better with time' left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth. He knew that it was true, and that patience was key, though that didn't mean he was satisfied with such a truth.
What was he doing wrong? It wasn't like he was slacking off. Quite the contrary. Taiyang never even had to remind him of his training schedule, the amnesiac already having been at it since before the rest of Team STRQ even woke up.
But he'd still remained weak, much like the laughing stock of a warrior that was Yamcha, if he was remembering his name correctly. What was he doing wrong?
What, was he not trying hard enou- ?...
Oh my god.
The realization hit him like a splash of ice cold water.
If he was weak, then what he had to do was simple - painfully, irritatingly simple: Try harder.
Train harder.
At least, for the time being, until he caught up to, or maybe even got better than, Taiyang.
Admittedly, he almost felt like punching himself for not realizing such a simple conclusion, unaware of what he must have been thinking before. Questions suddenly flooded his mind after he'd come to the conclusion, wondering just why exactly it took so long for him to come to figure it out.
Did he assume it would be easy? Even after he'd made his resolve?
Did he think that power would somehow come to him like magic?
That just because he was living in a world he'd thought to be fantasy, absolutely all of its logic would apply to him?
...What..what was I thinking? Disbelief filled his mind upon the realization of his actions.
He'd been going easy on himself.
Without knowing it, he'd thought, by some bullshit, plot-convenienced magic, that he would shoot to Huntsmen-in-Training levels at incredibly fast rates.
He cursed such thoughts internally with an equally silent hiss.
But, on the bright side, at least now he knew better. Now he knew that the pace he was going at wasn't going to be enough to win against Taiyang.
In order to reach Taiyang's level at the pace he wanted, he'd need something more. He wouldn't just have to work harder...he would have to put himself through hell.
He felt something flicker to life inside him, the feeling leaving him with a sensation of excititement - no, elation. Enough so to leave a grin growing on the Earthling's face without him even realizing it.
A small chuckle escaped his lips before he straightened his posture, though it didn't last for long, as the amnesiac let his back fall against the leather seat with a sigh.
He'd felt like a weight he never knew he'd been wearing had been dropped from his shoulders, and it felt amazing.
"...And to answer your question, that's part of why I was feeling happy back back then." Scarlet spoke up, Matthew's smile now reflecting hers, though her gaze was now directed towards the floor he'd been focused on previously, "If we were to use your situation as an example, it wouldn't be that hard to see someone give up on finding out who they really are. Not everyone's keen on remembering a life of battle, bad enough to have led to them losing almost all of their memory, after all. Most would choose to just..move on. To act like it never happened, out of a fear that they might get dragged back in. That they'd lose their grip on the peace they'd gotten a hold of and used to..."
Although he didn't voice it, Matthew, whose brows furrowed slightly, on some level, disagreed with Scarlet internally, though it was only with his own mentality in mind. He'd already made his resolve to remember his past, since the day he arrived at Beacon Academy. The thought of giving up and moving on hadn't so much as crossed his mind, though he was admittedly unaware as to if that was simply due to being too busy training or something else entirely.
"But you didn't."
Scarlet's seemingly sudden words broke him out of his 'zoned out' state, proof evident as he blinked a few times with a somewhat surprised look on his face.
"Or, well, I guess I should say you haven't." She corrected herself with a small laugh, "Instead of choosing the easy option and moving on, doing your best to leave the past behind, you're actually going after it, knowing how tough your journey's likely going to be."
Again, Matthew felt a hint of disagreement with her, though not like before. Instead of directly opposing her point, this time, he'd simply felt a bit puzzled. Was going after his past really optional? He didn't think so.
To him, it was almost - no, it was an obligation. Though admittedly due to more of a feeling that it was, rather than any sense of logic or reasoning supporting such a thought.
"Though, that's only part of it." Matthew couldn't help but slightly tilt his head to the side in confused curiosity at Scarlet's comment, "What really cheered me up was your personality."
"...Say what?"
"Yeah, that."
The amnesiac briefly opened his mouth to reply to her casual, smooth response, though words seemed to fail him as none left his throat, his mouth closing after a moment.
Every second I spend talking to her makes me believe less and less that she's Pyrrha's mother, He thought dryly. Out of the corner of his eye, he happened to notice Laurel seated silently beside him, her eyes fixed on her hands, as they rested clasped together on her lap. A hint of concern and curiosity entered Matthew's mind the more he looked at her, noticing what seemed to be a troubled look on her face.
..come to think of it..what'd she mean back there..? His mind wandered to her comment prior to the train doors opening and him being pushed in, his attention then moving to the one person he'd felt he could ask at the moment.
"..Hey." He spoke in a quieter voice, though a bit irritated at the lack of any response, "..Hey." He tried being just a tad louder.
"Hm?" Scarlet's brows rose slightly.
"..There's barely any Faunus here...what's up with that?" He was a rather surprised to see Scarlet's eyes, for the first time, actually darken just a bit as she seemed to register his question, a light sigh leaving her as she closed her eyes briefly before opening them, a worried look glazed over the pools of bronze.
"I can't tell you right now."
"What?" He cursed silently at his slight, accidental rise in volume, "..why?" He asked, his tone lowered to its previous state, and a bit incredulous.
"Again, can't tell you. The most I can say for now is...well, look around, and think about what you don't see." With that, Scarlet went silent, leaving Matthew - who'd simply sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat - to his thoughts.
After a brief pause, dark brown eyes proceeded to glaze over the inside of the train car, annoyance building up bit by bit as he noted some details repeatedly.
Silvery walls, black frames on the windows, and seemingly only humans were present.
The same three details refreshed themselves in his mind as he looked around again and again, one brown eye twitching slightly at the cycle.
He couldn't help but click in his tongue in frustration as he looked around one last time. What the hell was he supposed to be seeing? Or rather, not seeing, as Scarlet said?
"Why should I be looking around anyway..?" He muttered under his breath with an attitude, "there oughta be cameras in here to--" He froze in realization, eyes widening slightly with an identical feeling before they travelled over to the top edges of the train car, a small 'Huh' of acknowledgement being the only verbal response he gave.
The sight wasn't really anything that frightened him, his lack of any real emotional response being plenty proof of such. At best, it was about as surprising to as finding out someone was a whole year older than he'd thought they were.
And yet, there was a feeling Matthew couldn't seem to shake off. It was vague, creeping in the back of his mind, but he could still feel it in his relaxed state, especially since he'd begun to focus a bit more on it. Though there was no memory to support the feeling, he still felt some semblance of..anxiety. Of uncertainty. Fear.
...Am..am I..scared?
Of course nobody had answered.
But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel his blood run a bit colder at the silence.
"Hey, sis! You ready?"
She heard her brother from outside the guest cabin her team had slept in, dull red eyes blinking calmly as she stepped towards the wooden door and pushed it open.
Ignoring the small creaks of its hinges, she stepped outside, already feeling the warm air as she turned her head, spotting Qrow leaning with his back against the walls of the cabin, arms crossed.
Raven's nose twitched a bit, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"..you smell different."
"Is that..supposed to be a..compliment, sis? If it is, then I'm..afraid I'll have to dec..decline. I'm too scared they'll have the wrong effect and make me sick." While she would've loved nothing more than to either hit him or ignore him, she'd noticed the slight slurs in his speech, and unfortunately recognized the scent from their days as bandits, having frequently been around it when a raid had gone especially successful.
"...have you been drinking?"
"...I may have had one or two." Qrow admitted, his expression contorting into one of disgust, "The stuff tasted awful though. Dunno why people would put themselves through that sort of torture." While Raven was glad that her brother showed disgust towards alcohol - only because it meant it wouldn't impede his skill in combat, which gave her less to focus on -, she was admittedly a bit concerned about his state at the moment.
As much as they fought and mocked each other, they were still family.
A very dysfunctional family, but family nonetheless.
A sigh left Raven's lips as she felt tempted to massage the bridge of her nose, though she chose not to, "..And why exactly were you drinking?"
"Well..while I was out on a moonlight stroll through the camp," He began in a somewhat dramatic tone, "I got invited to talk by a few hunters, and the location of said talk happened to be the local pub." Qrow's slur in speech had disappeared, she noticed. It seemed his hangover had more or less worn off, his Aura very much so speeding up the process.
Then again, she was sure his Semblance would take its course at some point.
"They...more or less spilled their thoughts on the mission.." Seeing his sister show no response, Qrow went on, "..they were scared, sis. Most of 'em talked about how worried they were that they'd die and leave their families behind. Some were more worried about survivor's guilt." With a small grunt, Qrow pushed himself off the cabin wall with a foot, "Either way, they've all got their fears and worries about it."
A somewhat awkward - also a bit tense - silence was left between the two siblings for a few moments, and Raven almost felt like sighing, as she could see a glint of anticipation in her brother's dull red eyes, though it almost remained fully clouded by doubt.
Though, no matter what look she got, she wouldn't change her answer.
"...are they still going to take part in the mission?" She ignored her brother's tensing at her words, as well as the glare he directed towards the grass. Qrow responded with only a nod.
"I see. In that case, there needn't be any worry then." Raven knew how callous she'd sounded, as well as the fact that her brother was most likely furious with her, even if he didn't vocally show it, and it wasn't as if she didn't understand why.
Aside from talent in combat and some similarities in their appearance, the two never truly had much in common, even when they were children. Raven had always been the truly dedicated one, willing to do anything for her tribe, without hesitation.
Always living by the Branwen tribe's primary philosophy: the strong live, and the weak die. Simple as that.
Qrow, however, had always been different.
He'd always been a bit more..lackadaisical, when it came to his actions as a member of the Branwen tribe. Taking part in their raids on small villages was something Qrow also took part in, as did all members of the tribe. But with her brother, there was always a sense of dolefulness that followed him during their raids. He, more often then not, tried to avoid killing - an act that got him scolded and punished multiple times by higher ups within the tribe, who disapproved of mercy.
After all, mercy meant witnesses. And one of the primary rules within the tribe was to leave none.
Though it wasn't as if the punishments really changed him. Being stubborn truly was a trait they'd shared, after all.
"..." Qrow said nothing as he unfolded his arms, sticking his hands in his pockets before walking forward. Raven couldn't help but keep her own eyes locked onto the grass as Qrow walked past her, the male Branwen notably making a slight curve as he'd approached her in order to distance himself a bit from his sibling.
She knew full well what he'd meant by the gesture, though she told herself she didn't care for it.
And she'd done the same when she saw the glint of anticipation in his eyes turn to disappointment, before she'd redirected her gaze below.
Dammit, she cursed internally, frustrated with the way her heart felt the slightest uncomfortable pinch, and how her mind had begun to feel a bit strained.
They're getting to me.
With a forced sigh, Raven turned and walked away from the cabin, the sound of her boots softly treading atop the grass doing little to fully erase the thought from her mind. All it did was distract her, though it was better than letting her mind wander deeper into the object - or rather, objects - of her frustration that was her team.
Specifically, the bond she'd reluctantly admitted was beginning to grow bit by bit between them, at an aggravatingly gradual pace.
"For once, I think I may wish that I was with him instead of them.." The amnesiac's face popped into her mind, and she was a bit thankful for the slightly bad taste it left in her mouth. Thinking of him meant she spent less time wondering about Team STRQ, and it was especially nice that she had damn near no positive thoughts on him.
Though they still brought a frown to her face, as she remembered her next assignment given to her by Ozpin, in relation to the boy:
Be near him at all times.
She'd managed to avoid thinking about it for a while, the thought almost slipping her mind completely before she'd remembered his sudden scream in the library while she'd read her 'educational material' in bed.
The dull pain she'd felt in her face once she woke up led Raven to believe she'd actually scowled the entire night, even as she slept.
Even when he isn't here, he causes me problems. She refrained from scowling on account of the fact that she'd still felt slight pains in her face in doing so, though her eyes of muted crimson gained a more choleric gleam. I swear, finding him in this forest was bad lu-
She'd cut her own thoughts short and stopped dead in her tracks as something clicked in her mind, like a twig snapping in a forest of dead silence. Realization creeped upon her in the form of suspicion as she let the information sink in.
They'd found the boy in this very forest, and the Grimm population just so happened to surged tremendously following his arrival, with Raven being convinced the surge was a result of it.
And last night, one of the Hunters had mentioned something about an increase in the amount of Grimm prior to her team's arrival.
...No.. She shook her head before forcing herself to continue walking, I must be overthinking this...Yes..that's it.
"Raven!"
Summer's distant voice shook Raven out of her thoughts, the Branwen squinting a bit before managing to spot her partner waiting in her combat attire somewhat deep within the treeline surrounding the camp. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't the least bit surprised at how awfully well her partner's white cloak seemed to somehow mix within the lush green of the trees. Maybe something to do with sunlight bathing the colors in a warmer shade, but she didn't bother pondering on it.
She'd been doing that a lot, she noticed, though she didn't bother with that either.
"Come on! Tai's already at the rendevouz point, and Qrow's not too far ahead of us!" Raven's pace only sped up slightly as she approached the treeline, Summer's form becoming easier to see with the gradual decrease in distance.
Her thoughts still couldn't help but flicker to her suspicion once every few moments, even as her sights were focused on Summer, hoping that focusing on reaching her would distract her from such a thought.
And yet, each time the thought flickered back into her mind, it remained only in the form of a question.
Could there be someone else like him in this forest?
The End
A/N: Damn, this chapter took a while to write.
This chapter was mostly meant to be setup for the future, both when it comes to our hoodie boi Matt, and also Teams SRLT and STRQ, though mostly the latter out of the two.
I'll admit, the hardest time I had when writing this chapter was Matt's realization, since I'd thought at times that I was writing him in a way that made him seem TOO emotional. Hell, the first time I wrote the scene, he was just straight up pissed at himself instead of in disbelief.
Plus, chapters may take a while to come out since I'm also rewriting the earlier chapters while trying to pump out new ones. Not sure how that'll go, but I have the feeling that some chapters will be combined into one, others may just be extended, and some may not be changed all that much, though none will be in first person anymore.
Also, one last note before I move onto the reviews. While I was writing this chapter, whenever I hit some sort of mental roadblock, I typed this a few spaces below:
When in doubt of your abilities, remember these words that may reach the heavens and bask the world in glory: Thicc Thighs Save Lives
So yeah. It worked surprisingly well for me.
Now, with that out of the way, to the responses!!
The DoomSlayer: While I may not be using the football part, shit will get intense eventually. Hell, if all goes according to plan, shit may get heavy in the next chapter.
Guest: Matt's weapon is something I've admittedly not thought much about, and he can't do squat up against Raven for now. Especially not when he gets floored in almost every training match against Taiyang.
And with that, peace out!