So I just got done watching some YouTube and writing another chapter for one of my other stories. I just woke up to so it's time to write, a little later than normal, 1:00 pm ish. oh well. On to the Chapter!
Chapter 4: Welcome to Beacon.
The sun was well over the horizon and I was now sitting in the restaurant again, my tea in hand as I passed the time. It had just opened so only the early risers were out and about. Shay was sitting across from me with her head on the table, her ears flat against her head. I had just broken the news to her that my visits were going to be cut after today because I was leaving for Beacon. I had been her loyal customer for years now and in that time we had become very good friends. In fact she was the closest friend I had until Velvet came back into my life.
I believe she had even started to fancy me. And I'll admit that I had fancied her as well. I still do. Which is probably why I decided to tell her. She wasn't happy that I was leaving, hell I think she was contemplating following me into training. Taking another sip of my tea I broke the silence.
"You know I'll miss coming here whenever I want. You were really good to me and I'll never forget that." She looked up at me with puppy eyes before replying.
"Don't talk like that, it's not like you'll never come back." she reached her arm across the table and poked the middle of my armor. "You better come by whenever you get the chance. We don't just serve breakfast you know." I looked at her hand for a moment before setting down my tea and lifting her hand gently in mine.
"Ill be here every weekend that I don't have class or training." I paused for a moment. "Remember when we first met. I was just starting off on my own. I had just gotten back from a mission and was starving. You were on your way into work and practically dragged me in here so I wouldn't starve."
Shay lifted her head from the table, but her ears stayed flat against her head. "Of course I remember, you started coming in most days after that." She smiled as she continued. "I remember when you started coming in and your scent had changed. You weren't just here to eat anymore, you were here to see me." She reached her other hand across the table and caressed mine with her thumb. "You have no idea how happy that made me; because by then I was already in love with you."
I looked up at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. She wasn't like other girls our age. Most of them would have broken out in a blush and trying to wave it off or change the subject. Shay didn't care. She knew this wasn't the last time she was going to see me but wanted me to know for certain at least that there had been something between us.
I felt bad but I knew that she was feeling double what I was, simply because of her K9 instincts. She was the most loyal and caring person I knew. She never talked bad about anyone, even the man I had thrown out of here. "You won't have anyone here to throw people out if they get rowdy with you. Be careful, ok." She looked at me and nodded.
I looked at the clock that was above the exit. 9 o'clock, nearly time for me to leave; besides people had started to show up. Nobody was put in Shay's area at my request, at least till I left. Drawing my attention back to Shay I kissed her hand and stood.
"Its time for me to leave, I have an airship to catch." I took the final sip of tea and took a step towards the door. Immediately the Faunus was up and hugging me tightly. It took a moment for me to react, but I hugged her as well.
She didn't hold me long, just long enough to make a point before letting me go and, standing on her toes, placed a quick kiss on my cheek. Do I really have to leave for Beacon? I thought as I looked at Shay. I knew in that moment that I could be happy with Shay. But I have to become a Hunter. That is my duty. But when I return from training, I promise ill come back for you. I placed a quick kiss in on her head in return and left, knowing that if I stayed for much longer, I wouldn't leave.
As I walked past the host I nodded to him. "Take care of Shay while I'm away. Ill be back as often as I can, take care." he held out his hand and I took it.
"Just be sure not to forget about us. Your welcome here whenever. Be safe Ike." He released my hand and led another group over to a table. I picked up my duffle bag and walked out, heading toward the dry dock where the airship was probably waiting for the new students to arrive.
In the end I had needed to run to make it, I put my bag in the cargo bay right before it had closed. All the doors sealed and they began to launch. A few of the kids watched as I was left behind after having just thrown my back in the cargo bay. By the time I was out of their view almost everyone from had seen me.
As soon as I was out of their line of sight I forced my aura into my wings and unfolded them from around my body. Running to toward the edge of the dry dock I also forced my aura into the armor around my legs, forcing me to run faster. I felt air start to gather under my wings right before I jumped off the edge of the dry dock and fell. Immediately I started to flap and gain altitude.
I could feel the force from the engines from the airship as I approached; rising above it to keep myself hidden from the new students in the airship. Thankfully this one had the most altitude so I was also hidden from all the other airships as well. Hmm. I wonder where Velvet is. Closing my eyes I cast my senses under me and into the sealed airship as best I could.
Looking around inside I saw many people, both Faunus and human. But as far as I could tell I didn't know anybody inside. I reached out to the closest nearby airship. But it was too far away and I couldn't even reach it let alone see inside. So instead I just flew above the airship all the way to the dry dock at Beacon.
It took about two hours but when the airships started landing. It was the last one to land and unload so I had to wait for it to land. I flew in and landed as the others were coming out and grabbed my bag. Heading toward the academy with the rest of the students something caught my attention. A red cloak beside a tall blonde haired girl.
I stood staring for a moment before ginning and shaking my head before moving on. This year just got a lot more interesting. I walked with the rest of the crowd, before realizing that I was the only one with a bag. I shrugged and kept walking for before a woman walked up to me with a scroll.
"Ike, my name is Glynda Goodwitch, please follow me, Professor Ozpin would like to see you." I tilted my head and followed her reluctantly. She took me back behind the stage where all the new comers were gathering. Once back stage I stopped to look at the head master.
"Hello, welcome to Beacon, Ike." He took a sip of his coffee and waited for my reply.
"Thank you, sir. You wanted to see me?"
"Yes," looking at Glynda, a silent signal for her to leave for a moment. When she complied he turned back to me and continued. "Did anyone see your wings?"
I shook my head. "Not a soul that I know of. At least nobody has run up to me and asked how I had them."
He nodded and took another sip of his coffee. "Good. Because what you are is a secret that only I know here at my school. I would like to keep it that way as long as possible."
That, for some reason set my blood boiling through my veins. Taking out a knife and throwing it through his mug and embedding it in the wall behind him. The noise from people talking on the other side of the stage was no doubt canceling the sound of the mug shattering.
I walked within a few inches and glared into his eyes for a moment, searching. After a moment I managed to calm down slightly and walked past him to where my knife had embedded itself. "I have been hiding this for most of the years I have been alive. Now here I am at the one place I've wanted to attend my whole life, where my duty has always led me, and I can't even reveal myself now. Why?" I sheathed the knife and turned to look at the headmaster.
"Because something is coming and I would prefer to keep you hidden as an ace just I case my… previsions don't work."
I walked to where Glynda had disappeared and stopped momentarily. "I make no promises, I am not yours to manipulate as you please. I've been on my own for five years now, training and going on missions as often as I could, and now you want me to hold back my most valuable asset." I thought over his words and analyzed his eyes and stance for anything that might give away his true intentions. But I was never good at reading people and he hadn't so much as twitched through this whole conversation. "Fine, for now I'll remain hidden but do a single thing that might spark my distrust and ill reveal myself immediately."
I didn't wait for a response before walking out past Glynda and heading back around to the front of the stage. As I walked back into the front and stood at the back, Ozpin stepped out with Goodwitch and started giving his speech. The room went silent as he spoke.
"I'll… keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills; and when you have finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far." He paused to let his words sink in. "It is up to you to take the first step." I looked at him and narrowed my eyes at the statement before he walked of the stage and Glynda took over.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready, you are dismissed."
I looked down as once again the red hooded girl caught my eye. The blonde was beside her as well as a girl clad in white. I focused my senses on them but was immediately yanked back by a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Velvet standing beside me, clad in her purple and dark blue armor.
She still wore the holster for the razor fans I had given her as well. "So you did make it. I was worried you were going to have to fly out here and miss this speech. Saw wasn't that…"
I cut her off. "He definitely didn't seem all there, didn't he. Common lets find the ball room and get situated, then we can look around Beacon. And I had always planned to fly here."
"Ya he did seem off... Anyway lead the way." She knew that when I changed the subject like that I didn't want to talk about it.
"Wait, me take the lead. I don't know where the Ballroom is." I said with a confused look on my face.
Velvet looked at me for a moment and mirrored my confusion. "Neither do I…" sighing we decided to just follow the crowd. Neither of us really liked crowds.
Me because when there were people around, if I needed to get air born, I couldn't. Velvet was just really shy. The only reason she acted the way she did around me was because we knew each other so well. Around anyone else and you got very little out of her.
We laughed to ourselves for a moment as we followed the flow of the crowd, and in a strange moment we both had the same thought. While we walked we looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Welcome to Beacon."
Had a little bit more fun in this one because I wanted to start revealing some of the key points in Ike's not so distant past as well as the weight of responsibility that the wings give him. I cant wait to start writing the next few chapters. Hopefully I haven't revealed to much of the tornado to come because I have actually thought it out and I really like the twist I put on it. As always let me know what you thought. Likes, dislikes, concerns, thoughts, phobias. Eternal out.