Yang's Lonely Summer, Part 2
A hangover, a tied condom in the trash, and an empty queen sized bed.
That was all she woke up to.
Then again, that was actually normal.
Yang had always liked to have fun. Although she was always careful, she got around a little. It was no surprise that she woke up in the small apartment that she called her secondary home. It was the one gift her mother had left for her. The one single artifact that Raven Branwen not only had chosen to leave her, but chose to do so in a manner that confused Yang to this day. She recalled meeting the woman under the shattered moon.
Yang had seen those deep red eyes for the first time, and felt as though all was right with the world. That feeling crumbled soon after. Raven had given her an envelope, offered her a small squeeze on the shoulder, and walked away. There was a letter, a key, and a bank account. The money within was meant to care for the apartment, the objects within, and ensure that Yang always had a roof over her head.
Raven had disappeared again, without a trace.
At first, Yang had considered selling the place. Once she entered, she changed her mind. In this dusty, forgotten place, fond memories of Summer Rose seemed to be alive and well. Some walls were even painted in her signature artful designs. This was the first apartment team STRQ ever lived in after graduation, and now, it belonged to Yang. To be honest, Yang rarely even used the apartment. Still, it sure beat going back to a lonely dorm, or an empty house deep in the heart of Patch.
She sighed deeply as she looked up at the ceiling.
Splotches of handprints and profanities littered it. Likely Qrow's doing, maybe her dad's. It didn't really matter, she supposed. A scenic landscape covered the wall nearest her bed. She knew it well, as a kid that very view had been her back yard. She turned on her side. A set of cobbled together bunk beds on the other side of the room had seen better days. Shadows loomed on that far side, eyes painted red, peeking out from a sea of black. The end table between the two sleeping spaces were little more than two crates. One stacked on top of the other.
An old diary rested there. It had torn pages missing, but it had clearly belonged to Summer Rose.
Sitting up in bed, Yang reached for it, flipping through the pages. Old sketches were inside, and obsolete study notes. There were dried stains where colored liquid had been spilled, probably someone's drink. A few of the pages stuck together in a clump. Yang closed the book with a ragged breath. If the walls could talk, she was terrified of what they'd say.
"I should probably give this to Ruby." Yang murmured, feeling guilty for holding onto it. "Maybe…" Yang shook her head, setting it back of to the side. "Maybe after graduation."
Was it so bad to want to keep it for herself? To hold onto it for just a little while longer? Was it so bad to ask for a little more time, when it seemed like such a precious commodity often slipped through her fingers?
Desperately needing a distraction, she reached for her scroll. She hoped that her friends were thinking about her. She certainly thought about them. With the press of her finger, the screen lit up. Several missed calls from Blake, and a handful of texts from Ruby and Weiss waited for her. It was then, Yang thought to herself that today would be a good day. First she got dressed, then, she called Blake. They chatted off and on about current events and senseless things, until Blake seemed to get quiet, a thoughtful expression lingering on her face through the scroll's small screen.
"What-cha thinkin' about?" Yang asked.
"Oh, nothing really. One of the floral arrangements caught my eye." Blake said a moment later. "It reminded me of Ruby, that's all."
"She left another village this morning, so she's out of tower distance." Yang said knowingly. "I got a text from her saying she'd call when they hit the next one. Knowing Qrow, it won't be too long."
"She sent the same thing to me." Blake nodded. "You know, it's funny. I've been to so many gatherings sitting with my dad, but I mostly tuned them out. It never really hit me that there's so much planning that goes into one of these coupling ceremonies. Humans just sort of stick a ring on their finger, and that's the end of that…but our ceremonies can sometimes take place over the course of years."
"Well, we do that too, sometimes." Yang said. "Some people plan huge weddings that take forever to plan. It's not like humans get hitched right out of the gate."
Blake nodded, her eyes still transfixed on a sight off screen. "That's true, but, I have not even begun to court Ruby properly, as would be expected of me if she had been born a Faunus." The cat faunus laid one ear flat to the side, her fingers reaching up to scratch an itch just behind it. "And to be honest, because she's not a Faunus, is it even the right thing to do?"
"You're asking me?" Yang asked as she sat near the window. She could tell the early sunlight was catching her hair. "Like I would know something like that?"
Blake went to speak, but stopped herself. The tip of her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. Blake's pensive expression lingering. "Would your dad even approve of me? Would he hate if I tried to rope Ruby into something like that? I mean, when it comes to Faunus, we have some pretty stringent customs..."
"Blakey, my dad never married my mom. If you want to get technical, I was born a bastard." Yang told her, laughing it off. "I don't really think it's a big deal. If you'd just talk to the man, you'd know he doesn't have a whole lot of give-a-damn about all of that garbage. He just wants Ruby to be happy. However that happens, that's pretty much up to her."
"He only knows me as part of your team, and the way I see it, he has every reason to hate me."
"Hmm, nah, I don't think so." Yang laughed. "Our dad's a big softy, all Ruby needs to do is pout, and he'll cave for sure…"
"I wish I could say the same about mine. My father might seem very relaxed, but when it comes to particular customs, he's very adamant about them." Blake said. "There are many things to do when it comes to preparing for a proper courtship. Although, usually such things take place between men and women. It's very old fashioned, actually."
"Sounds boring to me, but, to each his own."
"To some degree it is. Honestly, there are another three of them today, and they're all sort of just blurring into each other at this point. I'd rather be with Ruby on that mission of hers…even if she is on horseback."
Yang nodded, sympathizing with her friend. Yang knew if she were cooped up inside a ceremonial halls for weeks, she'd go stir-crazy. "Yeah, I get that. Don't let it get you down though, the summer will be over with soon enough…"
Yang's summer romance with Mercury was short lived. Eight dates over the course of a few weeks, and most of them ended the same way as the first.
She woke up in the empty apartment naked and alone. Usually condoms were in the trash, and her head always throbbed. The dates were fun, the sex was great, but the day after always hurt. Mercury Black was just the sort of person she needed to liven up her day, but his motives were obvious from the start.
He had no real interest in her heart, only her body.
At first, she was okay with that. It was a good way to blow off a little steam, if nothing else. Now though, she was starting to wish that he would stay. She wanted to wake up wrapped in his arms, or at least to a note. Instead, he left her with nothing. It couldn't go on like this, not if she wanted to keep her pride. She called him and asked him if he wanted to be more.
He turned her down.
It stung a little. More than Yang would have expected if she hadn't suspected her growing attachment.
After a good long look at herself at the bottom of a few beers, Yang decided it was a hard lesson learned. She supposed longing for someone else was normal at twenty. That's how it should be for a person her age. She figured that most people would want to start thinking about their lives in a more steadfast way. Most people would want to look for that special someone that would really be there when it mattered.
She wasn't like most people though. Her friends and family weren't like most people, either. No, they were hunters and huntresses, and so was she.
She had been raised to see life through a different lens.
A few nights of meaningless sex was just easier to deal with. It didn't harm anyone, and it killed off the loneliness for a little bit. Her justifications made sense to her intrinsically. The logic was part of her, right down to her flesh and bone. Her blood was the echoing cry of those before her, a heritage as old as time itself. Hunters and huntresses were vagabonds, many of them solitary. Others collected in small groups, generally unkind to outsiders.
She would probably never settle down, and because of that, she would never be normal.
No one wanted to love a woman like that. If anything, the life Yang wanted to live was dangerous. To a point, it was deadly. Most young huntsmen didn't want a girlfriend like that. Hell, most guys would never dream of a wife like that. If she were honest with herself, she didn't want to burden someone with her unpredictable life, either.
She knew what loss did to people.
She'd seen it.
She'd experienced it first had.
She had come to grips with what little catharsis grieving provided. She had gone through the motions, but, she'd been jaded and changed by the people she lost. For better or worse, she could never be sure. The deep scars it left behind were incurable. Always silently festering. For Yang, that was an unquestionable truth.
So, she came to a conclusion.
If a little romp in the sheets was the best she could hope for, she would make peace with that. She would cut Mercury out of her life before it was too late. Before it had the chance to really hurt. She was done with him. Yang deleted Mercury's number from her scroll, and that was the end of that…
She could go on with her life, and he could go on with his.
"That's it, we're done for the day." Glynda said sternly as she watched her student spit blood into the trashcan.
"No we aren't." Yang said. "I'm not finished here, and I've got an hour left."
"Your aura shattered two fights ago." Glynda rebuked, looking down at her white glove, now stained crimson. "You've been at this all morning, and all you have to show for it is a sore jaw. You're in no condition to keep up this level of training."
"I told you I'm fine." Yang shot back as she bent over trash, spitting blood one final time. "I can do this. You could beat the hell out of me, and I'd still get up."
"While I admire your enthusiasm, pushing yourself to this point is not the answer." Glynda replied with her usual firm tone. "Furthermore, I agreed to continue your training until you sustained an injury, which you have. Therefore, our training has concluded."
"I'm a boxer. You think I've never bitten the inside of my cheek before?" Yang asked darkly. It hurt, but it was a pain she knew well. "You think I have time to just sit around and wait for my aura? Well, I don't. What happens if I'm out there in the field? What then? Grimm aren't going to stop. Why should you?"
Glynda narrowed her eyes, seeming to think on that. It was a fair point. She peeled her gloves off one by one, folding them inward so that the blood wouldn't contaminate anything else. Then she cleared her throat and sat down on the nearby bench. "Let me ask you this; what exactly did you hope to gain when you sought my tutelage?"
"I told you when I signed up, I just wanted to get stronger." Yang said as she looked away, her fingers coming up to brush against her bruising jaw. "That a problem?"
"So, your answer hasn't changed in the slightest." Glynda muttered, obviously unhappy with the lackluster response. "I suppose that's all I can expect out of you, isn't? Typical, the fruit doesn't fall from the tree, it seems."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"It's exactly as I said." Glynda replied as she stood to her full height. "You're a huntress-in-training. Your father should have beaten that false bravado out of you years ago while he trained you. Though, he's never been the sort to get heavy handed when it counts. That's why he's suited for young children, and not aspiring adults. It's a shame too. You lack the discipline to truly master your craft."
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Yang asked, defeated.
"Being here is no longer enough. The sort of training you require takes more than that. At this point, you're bound to struggle." Glynda told her. "It's not that I don't understand why. It's that I expected better out of you."
"Then hold me to that higher standard, and make me fight!"
Glynda shook her head, dismayed by that. "Don't act like a child."
"I'm trying to act like a huntress!"
"And you're failing, horribly!"
"Then teach me how not to fail!"
Glynda released her fury with a few tense breaths, commanding control over her emotions. She had only come across one student that had been more difficult in her entire life. The memories were unpleasant to say the least. She pushed them aside too, choosing not to dwell in the past. It was no longer her concern. Yang was her current priority, and the girl deserved due diligence.
"Firstly, you fight like a boxer, not like a huntress." Glynda began. "Secondly, in combat you never think with a level head. Thirdly, you try to plow through anyone's semblance with brute force and a prayer. Fourthly, you look exactly where you're going to land your next strike, and you make it obvious. Against any reasonable opponent, that just wouldn't do." With a layer of heat blanketing her voice, she held her head high. "Need I even continue?"
"Nah, I heard you loud and clear…"
"There are so many areas that you must improve upon. Countless, really, if you hope to become a stronger fighter." Glynda continued. "However, what you fail to understand is that beyond a certain point, physical strength no longer matters. Combat ability, in and of itself, has a limit. You have reached it." She said, slapping one hand over the other, as if that would make her point. "If it were down to pure skill, and absolutely nothing else, you would be my equal. Yet, you lack something equally important."
Yang just looked at her. Whatever ego she'd had stepping into the ring had been crumpled up and stomped on. There was nothing left of it. Just an aching jaw, and a wounded spirit. She looked away, but the sound of clacking heels told her that Glynda was approaching.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Glynda tempered her voice. "A license is only a tool, nothing more. It will only carry you as far as your own ambitions allow." She told the girl. "Your team has always understood this. They entered into Beacon with a specific sort of goal in mind. They've trained towards it continually for the past three years. Meanwhile, you have only trained for the sake of training itself."
"Yeah, and I'm top of the class when it comes to my fists. Look at me, I can beat out Pyrrha with my bare hands." Yang said. "Something's gotta be said for that, right?"
Glynda could only sigh. It spoke of something. Yet, she knew it was not enough. "Why do you want to be a huntress, Yang?"
The blonde could only shrug. "The thrill of it, I guess. Getting out there, seeing the world. Having a few adventures. If I help people along the way, then it just works out for the best for everyone."
Glynda merely nodded. "You call yourself a thrill seeker, you say you want adventure, but those things lack the discipline of your teammates. Frankly, it shows, and you've begun to notice. You've reached your peek for the goal you set. You could walk out of this room right now, and do everything you've just said. You require no further training for any of that."
"Well, yeah…but if I did that, I would never get the chance to be a huntress." Yang told her. "It would feel like I was just giving up, you know?"
"Then, I'd suggest you rethink your motivations." Glynda replied as her hand slipped off of Yang's shoulder. "You must find a larger goal, and then you must aspire to achieve it. You should never be without a strong motivation to further your training."
Yang seemed to think on that, thumbing away the sweat on her upper lip. "Yeah? What was your goal, then?"
Glynda cleared her throat. "I became a huntress in the heat of war. Civil disputes were common. I decided I didn't want to use my license that way. Instead, I became a professor, one of the youngest in Beacon's history." It was with a somewhat bitter laugh that she shook her head. "Like you, I thought training for the sake of it was enough. A team of students proved me very wrong. I found myself faced with a situation that I was in no way prepared for. I lost one of those students. In fact, to some degree, I lost them all. So, I swore to myself, if I ever got a second chance, I would not let history repeat."
"Sounds pretty heavy to me." Yang murmured, stuffing her hands into her too tight pockets.
"It is." Glynda agreed resolutely. Outside of one of the large windows, a black bird sat in a nearby tree. "I still don't know if I'll succeed, but, that's the journey. If I give up, I'll never know."
Yang took a few soft breaths. Clenching and unclenching her fists. She knew Glynda was right. The only problem was, she had no idea what she would do now.