Chapter 9
The Pendant
Sameko was getting sleepy after a hard day of studying and checking her weapon. Studying was easy, but she overdid it a bit, though, weapon maintenance was a big chore for her. Her swords were also a bow, and the segments and springs could get damaged during battle, making the blades mode flimsy. Sometimes, dust would be lodged in the springs and segments, which could malfunction the string system.
Sameko groaned.
Berde came up to his partner and brought her some sushi, courtesy of Indigo. She smiled from his charity and accepted it.
"You're a nice guy," Sameko said, "But really, you're my partner. Why aren't you trying to hit on me or anything."
Berde chuckled then sighed. He reached into his pocket and showed her a pendant. A bronze gear with 7 teeth and a cross cut out on the inside was hung on the chain.
"Is this for me?" Sameko asked.
"No, this is the reason on why I don't go for relationships," Berde confessed, "... but, this story can wait. You need to fix your weapon."
Sameko nodded, respecting his space. As Berde left, she called him back.
"Wait!"
Berde turned his head to her.
"Yes?"
She showed him her weapons.
"Can you help me for a bit?"
With a smile, he nodded. He came to his partner and helped with her weapon maintenance.
Hallway
Team BISN just came out of class. Berde still looked at his pendant, earning the curiosity of the team.
"Berde, what's with that pendant?" Naraka asked.
"..."
Naraka furrowed her brow and shrugged.
"Sameko, is that pendant somehow important to him?" she asked the shorter girl.
"Well... he said it bore a reason of not going for girls," Sameko said, "Though, to be honest, that crap is pretty freaking vague."
Indigo joined in.
"Well, what does a metal cog with a cross cut-out have any significance?" Indigo asked the girls, "It might be a family sigil, or probably a symbol of a person like everyone in this serie-er most people."
Sameko scanned Berde's pendant as he looked at it.
"Possibly."
"Guys, this isn't your generic high school drama where you can just talk in a group and not expect people to hear," Berde said to the trio, "If you want to know, I'll tell you guys when I want to. Now's not the time."
Next class was Combat Class, so Berde ran toward the class, giving the trio space to discuss.
"It might be a dead girlfriend," Indigo theorized.
"Probably some sort of religious symbol that means abstinence?" Naraka wondered.
"Or is it a long distance relationship that didn't work out?" Sameko wondered.
They all wondered on which idea was possibly better.
"... Maybe Sameko's theory is... normal, though, I think it needs to be deeper," Indigo wondered, "How sad did he sound when he mentioned that, Sameko... in case he told you first...?"
Sameko sighed.
"Well, you're right about him telling me first," she said, "When I was fixing my weapon, and he helped me, I asked him on why he hasn't hit on me for all these weeks."
"Yadda yadda pendant, how sad did he sound?" Naraka immediately got to the point.
"He... looked quite sad, though, I couldn't get the exact depth of sadness, honestly," Sameko said, "We can't pry out his secret; he'll tell us anyway."
"I guess, but for now, it's just theorizing for now," Indigo said.
Past
Signal Academy: Patch's local combat school. This is where Berde got the education and training to become a proper Huntsman. He entered at the age of 15, but before that, he was a wandering criminal.
He was either feared, revolted, or overall, ridiculed. As the days went by with Berde not wishing to fight, the fear was replaced with more ridicule. No one believed he deserved forgiveness; his pardoned crimes were believed to have far-fetched reasons. Even if he did outstanding in combat sparring or weapons classes, he received mostly envy and claims of cheating as opposed to genuine praise.
As a teenager, Berde was a bit toughened, but the generic high-school teen stereotype of people fitting in would soon awaken inside Berde. Fitting in would become incredibly difficult, even if his arguments had merit (he argued on why one of the smartest people get praise and is still a total dick). Only Mohawk, his adoptive father, and Vermehlo, his tutor showed him genuine love and care until she came in.
"Hello~?" the girl said to him in a cheery voice during a day in/
She was a beautiful girl with orange hair and fair skin. Her eyes are auburn and rounded, emphasizing an "innocent" look.
"Shelke... Oh, hey Shelke," he replied shyly, "How's it going with you?"
She pouted.
"Lots of homework," she groaned, "I can do academic things right, though, I'm not much of a history person..."
He raised his brow rudely.
"Okay... so, why'd you visit me?" he wondered.
She ignored the rude tone.
"Well, I kinda don't get why people are hating on you for being good at fighting or weapons," she said, "You were right about Rich being a dick, in fact, your argument is pretty much true."
Berde's frown shifted into a light smile.
"Thanks, Shelke," he said gratefully, "But really, he probably bribes people anyway. Also, I hate him because he hates Faunus."
"Heh, what's so wrong about Faunus anyway?"
"Right?" Berde agreed, "Well, we're having history class right now. If you want... maybe I could help you a bit with your history homework."
Shelke blushed a bit then smiled.
"Okay."
Present. Sparring Room
Berde still looked at his pendant, reliving the memories of his past. He was a bit saddened, but he was happy on his and Shelke's first conversation. Sameko eyed her partner closely, wondering on what he's thinking about. She saw him smile from his little trip to his memories, trying to pinpoint exactly on why that pendant is important to him.
"Blue Wyrmtongue is out of Aura," he faced against Weiss Schnee. Despite his quick thinking, Weiss's technique and speed outmanoeuvred his traps and attacks.
Blue sighed and stood up with the help of his lance.
"As expected of a Schnee..." Blue said with a smile, "Good match."
Weiss scoffed, but smiled as she passed by him.
"You need to work on improving your lancing, Blue."
As both opponents exited the stage, Glynda called upon who's next. Indie put up his hand.
"Indigo, come up to the stage," Glynda told him.
Indigo walked up to the stage. Glynda chose Blake Belladonna as his next opponent. As the black-haired woman walked up, Indigo winked at her, much to her annoyance.
"Get ready to be blacked out, baby," Indigo flirted, causing his teammates in the crowd to groan.
She silently got her swords ready.
Sparring room. Signal Academy. Past
"Once again, Berde has won," Mohawk announced.
Boos and insults were heard, while Berde outright ignored them as he left. Mohawk came up to Berde and pat him on the shoulder.
"You did great there, son," he said to his adoptive son, "Don't listen to them, they're just jealous."
Berde silently nodded.
"All I cared about was fighting, not to impress them," Berde replied before looking away, "... though, some of it is false."
Mohawk wondered what he meant then smirked.
"You tryin' to impress somebody, eh?" he lightly elbowed him, causing Berde to playfully push him.
"Hey, stop that, Mohawk," he chuckled playfully, "... but in all seriousness, who gives a shit about everyone. Impressing one person is enough, I guess."
"Who is this 'one person'?" Mohawk asked.
"Shelke Freyja," Berde said, causing his instructor and adoptive parent to smile.
"I noticed her being one of the only nice people that talks to you," Mohawk said, "If you need any girl tips, you know where to find me."
He ruffled his hair before parting. Berde returned to his seat, where Shelke sat beside him.
"You were awesome," Shelke said with a cute grin, causing the silent berserker to smile.
"... Thanks," he said gratefully.
All of a sudden, a tall student scoffed at him.
"Looks like Shelke is getting it on with a wild animal," he taunted.
"Why would you like this scum?" a girl student exclaimed.
"This is as gross as a human-Faunus relationship," someone in the crowd said.
Berde sighed angrily. Shelke looked at him with concern. She felt a bit scared from the laughter of people. She felt like she did something wrong. Berde looked at her and put his arm on her shoulders. She blushed suddenly then felt secure. She leaned in on Berde. The volume of laughter and put-downs increased, but both seemed to ignore it.
Back to present
"And it's a draw!" Glynda announced. Both contestants were kneeling, tired from the match.
Indigo panted, planting his sword into the ground.
"I...*huff* was aware of your position," Indigo panted, "But, your speed managed to even the odds."
Berde came up to the stage and helped his friend up and carried him back into the crowd. Indigo eyed his bronze pendant on his neck and wondered on the importance of it. He looked at Berde's face, which smiled back.
"You did great there, pal."
He responded with a smile of his own and nodded.
"Thanks."
Past again. Outside Signal Academy
"Break up?!" Berde exclaimed, "Did those people get to you?!"
It had been years since Berde started learning, and a few months since he started dating Shelke Freyja.
"N-no, I-I just don't want to be with you anymore," she exclaimed, "I-I can't just be under the shadow of someone so strong for so long."
Berde felt distraught and started to shed tears.
"A-am I just too good for you now? This is the kind of existential crisis guys face in a relationship. They expect the man to be strong, so that they feel secure, but... was I overboard?"
She hugged him and shook her head.
"N-no, you're a very strong man, but, this man, he treats me as an equal..." she cried.
Berde wanted to know who this man was.
"What's his name?" he asked.
"What?!"
"You heard me!"
She told him her current boyfriend's name.
"P-please, don't harm him in anyway," she begged.
Berde started to cry silently and then turned his back on her. He walked away from her slightly.
"Shelke, if I care about you, I'd respect your decision. I can't control what you want, so... I have to respect your decision," Berde said, "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry I'm not equal to you if that's what you're implying. Finally, I'm sorry for being a bad boyfriend."
Shelke started to cry then ran toward Berde and embraced him. She cried into the back of his school uniform, distraught at him willing to leave. She thought that he hated her now. Berde turned to her and embraced her then kissed her on the forehead.
"I loved you."
"Me too."
Present. BISN dorm room
Berde sat on his bed and looked out into the window. The sun was setting, making the orange dyed orange, reminding him of her. He looked at his pendant again and sighed. Looking at that pendant and the orange sky was too much. He had to tell his friends. Locking all of this felt painful, and while it would be painful to tell something about his past, the lingering pain inside of him is built up too much. Plus, this is his team, he can tell them about it anytime, but not never. There was nothing wrong with it.
"So, what's with you?" Naraka rudely asked Berde, who's lying on her bunk, "You've been very silent for the whole day. Is the past holding you back or something?"
He looked at Naraka and nodded.
"Naraka, can you get everyone here?" he asked, "I have to tell everyone my story. The story of my pendant."
Naraka put up a mellow smile and brandished her Scroll.
Past. Graduation year
Shelke would head on to Haven Academy. She didn't pass the Beacon Academy exams and was instead transferred to Haven. Berde would have graduated, but he dropped out of school three months before her graduation due to his mood souring after he humiliated her current boyfriend in a spar. Her boyfriend was gonna go to Beacon, which saddened her.
As she walked home, she encountered Berde, who was resting in an alleyway. She approached him and the man instantly recognized her.
"Hey, Shelly," he said her nickname.
"Berde..." she said with relief as she embraced him, "You came back."
"Congrats on going to Haven," he said, "Sucks that you didn't get into Beacon, huh?"
She held his hand.
"Berde, you like travelling, right?" she said, "You can go to Haven with me. We can be together again!"
Berde shook his head.
"I'm so sorry, Shelke," he said sternly and with a tone of sadness, "I'm not planning to go to Mistral. I need to go on a pilgrimage again."
Shelke was angry and stomped the ground angrily.
"I broke up with my boyfriend, and you're basically free to go anywhere you want without police or law enforcement getting in your face, yet you don't want to go with your girlfriend to Mis-!"
She suddenly fell silent, remembering the day they broke up. She broke into tears and embraced the silent berserker. She cried more than she did than the time he broke up with her. Berde couldn't help but cry also.
"I'm so sorry. I-I have to respect your decision," she said, "Y-you didn't bother wanting me back, and at that day, y-you valued my decision over yours."
She stared at him; their faces were close.
"Berde... please, be safe," she undid her pendant and gave it to Berde, surprising the wanderer, "Please... remember me."
Berde burst into tears and embraced her. They cried into each other for a few minutes then separated.
"I love you..." Shelke said weakly before walking away.
Berde was silent and clenched her pendant. When she disappeared, he looked at her pendant again. The Gear with the Cross cut-out was her symbol, and that symbol was too precious to let go. With a heavy heart, he stood up and walked into the streets. A journey awaited him.
Present Day
"Man, that sucks," Indigo said, feeling sorry for him.
"You sure had a hard time at Signal," Sameko comforted him by patting his shoulder.
"Yeah..." Naraka said.
Berde smiled from his team. He kept the pendant in his pocket and wiped his tears.
"To this day, I still wonder how our relationship soured," Berde said.
"Perhaps you're being too protective," Naraka said, "You made yourself seem strong, and you only saw her as someone to protect. Sometimes, the girl needs to feel strong. Relationships are mutual not parasitic. You may have enjoyed time with her, but you were too absorbed in protecting her that you forgot she too can fight as well."
He looked at his pendant and sighed.
"... I think you might be right, Nara," Berde said, "I was new to this, and I insisted on Mohawk I should try handling this myself. I tried to act too much like a hero, and she too aspired to be that way as well. I was so foolish into being so... misogynistic. I was foolish in doubting a woman's strength. But... I didn't learn it until now."
Berde put up a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Naraka," he said to her, "Even if Shelke is far, I still have faith in her. She's probably found new friends; a new team. I'm sure she believed in me as I was travelling through Vale, Atlas, and Patch."
Indie put his arm on his shoulder and nodded.
"You're a great man, Berde," Indigo said, "I'd gladly help my leader in picking up a new woman."
The moment was ruined, shifting to a more comically less-serious tone.
"H-hey, I'm not too keen on love just yet," Berde babbled nervously.
Sameko joined in, putting her arm on his shoulders as well. She smiled giddily.
"Oh come on. If you get a girlfriend... or boyfriend, I'd gladly do your homework for you so that you can prepare for your dates."
"I-I need to learn too, Sameko!" Berde exclaimed.
The three started to ramble on about romance, not listening to Berde's pleas of disagreement. Naraka mellowly watched from her bunk and chuckled to herself.
"You're an idiot," she says silently to herself as she laid down on her bed, reading a book, "But, he's our leader. Our idiot leader."
The three rambled on through the night. Some people heard their rambling, mostly BNDS.
They all look at each other and chuckle from the bickering going on. Despite disrupting their sleep, they found Berde's bond with his team entertaining, while other teams on other dorms told them to shut up, or were banging on their door. Tonight surely was a night of surprise.
Haven
Shelke was in her uniform, reading her book while sitting inside a dorm. She looked at the sunrise.
Berde she thought I hope that one day we would meet. The Vytal Festival is coming, and I hope to fight you in the tournament. I heard you got into Beacon, though, I'm kinda sad that you actually managed to get in. I wouldn't mind dating a first year if I was there, but yeah. I want to show you how strong I am, and maybe one day... one day.
She looked at her three-pronged spear. She spun it around and swung it outward, holding the bottom of the handle. The lance's handle pushed upward, pushing the hilt of the lance closer to her hand. The two outer prongs converged with the handle, forming a double-edged sword.
"I'll show you I'm ready," she said silently to herself before looking at her team, "We'll show you that we're ready."
