Hello!
Here's the new chap! Have fun!
.
"Hey firecracker, you're coming?" Rook said, motioning for Yang to follow her.
Yang hesitantly got off the boat, and held her mentor's hand as they walked through town looking around.
It was a little weird, she had nothing against Faunus, old Ramy would always have a place in her heart, but it was the first time she saw so many in one place. Some of them didn't have apparent features so it was hard to tell if they were Faunus or not, but given the island's history, it wasn't hard to assume they were. Though come to think of it, she and Rook were humans, but people probably mistook them for Faunus with hidden features.
Because of the tropical climate, Yang had to adjust her outfit, she now wore a pale yellow tank top with a thin long-sleeved gray cardigan that stopped just below her breast, brown shorts, a pair of thin purple knee-high socks, and black flat ankle boots. She also still had purple hair flowing in the wind. She actually liked the color, and not just because it wasn't the same as Tai, she just liked how it looked with her lilac eyes. And of course it helped her feel safer, Ozpin couldn't find her now, he wouldn't be looking for purple hair, he was looking for blonde hair.
Beside her, Rook also had taken off a few layers of clothes to avoid attracting attention, she had only kept her brown pants, her gray shirt, and her faded green scarf. She had simple shoes on her feet, and some kind of dark khaki corset belt, with an ammo box on the back of her belt. And of course she had her gloves, even if her crossbow was hidden in her bag. Apparently there was a limit to the heat her usual clothes could withstand. She looked great.
"Where are we going now?" Yang asked, still holding Rook's hand like she did with her mother when she was little.
"We're gonna camp outside the city, Qrow and Oceane will join us there tomorrow morning." she answered.
Yang nodded, and continued walking, looking around.
She had spent years traveling all around Anima through dozens of villages and settlements, but she had never really paid attention to the places she visited, she was too focused on her missions and her training for that… Here, the houses, stalls and lampposts were in a Mistralian inspired style, but people's clothes were much more casual and light due to the climate, everyone wore sandals and straw hats, sometimes with holes to let their additional ears through. It was also a lot more crowded. Normally she wouldn't pay any attention to it, after all it had no bearing on her life, but she had decided to pay more attention to her surroundings, to try to be less self-centered, so maybe she should start by trying to learn a bit about Menagerie since she was going to be here for a while.
They crossed the city without incident, some people bumped into them a few time while passing but considering how many people there were it wasn't surprising. But as the two assassins arrived on the other side of the town, the crowd of Faunus seemed to vanish, leaving only a range of rocky mountains seemingly devoid of civilization, their peaks brightly lit by the sunset. It was beautiful, and Yang could easily imagine herself flying over the scene…
"We're going to sleep here?" she asked enthusiastically.
"Yeah I think. I've never been here before, but it doesn't look horrible. The mountains must protect the town from the Grimms, so we shouldn't come across a lot of them. It will also be the perfect place for you to unleash your powers without anyone noticing." she explained as they chose a spot at the foot of the nearest mountain, hidden by the vegetation.
Unleashing her powers… She had never really done that, at least not consciously. She had been stuck with fire for so long, but recently she had used lighting, wind, and blue flames. Something had changed in her powers and she didn't know what, but if she had an occasion improve and get stronger, she wouldn't say no.
The only thing that bothered her a little was that she would train with Oceane. She didn't know Oceane, she just knew what Qrow had told her, that she was on their side and that she had been in a team with the last known Spring Maiden, the one just before Raven, Cherry.
As she pitched the tent, Yang couldn't help but be a little paranoid again. What if Oceane was here to avenge her teammate? Or to get revenge for the killing attempt and the injuries she received? Yang had already beaten her once, and she had Qrow and Rook by her side, and Oceane wasn't completely recovered yet, but the idea was still present in the back of her mind.
Yang slipped into her sleeping bag and hugged her doll as she stared at the roof of the tent, while Rook took the first watch outside. Well, "first", Yang could count on her one hand the number of times her mentor had actually woken her up in the night to take her turn, usually she would just doze in front of the tent all night and rest for good when they slept at the inn. She was getting less sleep so Yang could get more.
To take her mind off things, she focused instead on what magic training might look like. She had seen her mother train before, but she never "unleashed" her powers, instead she focused on stealth and efficiency, she would try to quickly create razor-sharp blades made of ice or stone, grow specific plants instantly, power a radio by creating electricity between her fingertips without exploding it… Rest in peace little radio.
Yang loved watching her mother perform magic when she was little, the stories with ice figurines, the popcorn that exploded in her hands and flew all over the tent, making them laugh when they tried to catch them directly with their mouth, the snowmen they made in the height of summer, or when she grew more branches on trees so that Yang could climb up and down more easily.
Raven always had to hide that she was a Maiden, even in the tribe, so she never received credit for the amazing things she did, like controlling thunder during raids, warding off storms, bringing clouds to them when the sun hit too strong, or growing fruit trees when they ran out of food after a bad raid. She never gotas much as a thank you from the tribe for all this, it was Vernal who received all the credit, and yet, as far as Yang could remember, Raven had always had a smile on her face seeing her family happy. It was the level of humility she aspired to, even if it would be hard…
But when it was just the two of them, Raven no longer hid her powers, she played with them, she let her imagination tell her what to do rather than the needs of the tribe, she relaxed and did what she wanted, even if it was ridiculus or pointless, nobody would know except them.
Maybe that was Yang's problem? She only used her powers as a weapon, or rather as a Semblance, only during training and missions. Sometimes she would play a bit at spinning a small ball of fire around her hand or on her dagger, but other than that…
Oh damn it, she was too tired for that, she could brainstorm about it tomorrow.
"Wake up firecracker! The guys are here!" Robyn shouted, poking her head into the tent.
Falcon was sleeping on her stomach, over her sleeping bag. It had been very hot that night, Robyn hadn't even been able to sleep. She was more used to the freezing cold of Mantle and the moderate temperature of Mistral, not the searing heat of a tropical island. At least that gave her an excuse not to wake the kid, after all, she would need all her strength to practice.
And Robyn had to admit that she was very curious about what magic training looked like.
She came out of the tent after receiving a grunt as an answer, and joined the two Huntsmen who had arrived a few minutes ago.
"She'll be ready in a minute." she informed them, "How did it go with the old man?"
Qrow's hand reached into his pocket to grab something but found nothing, causing him to groan in frustration. "It was okay, he should leave us alone." he said, rubbing his eyes.
Robyn raised an eyebrow, "You're sure?"
"He thinks I left because of my drinking problems. There's not much he can do about it."
"Especially since it's true." Oceane added, crossing her arms. Qrow said nothing, and just looked behind Robyn.
Falcon came out of the tent yawning, her purple hair all messy on her head.
"Hey, look who finally wakes up." Robyn said mockingly, to which her apprentice responded by raising her middle finger at her. She did that a lot these days. Oh, teenagers…
The small group packed up the tent, then set off. They didn't have a specific destination, they just needed to go far enough into the uninhabited areas not to attract the attention of the townspeople, but also to stay close enough to be able to come and resupply. Since the mountains blocked most Grimm from passing, mainly due to rockslides and ravines, they didn't have to worry too much about it, although they obviously had to be careful. The biggest danger was that they stumbled upon a small village or camp, Kuo Kuana was not the only inhabited area on the island, just the largest.
The journey was silent, a certain tension hanging over their small group. Qrow looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, Oceane was on her guard in case Grimm attacked, and Falcon was casting suspicious glances at her, never letting go of Robyn's hand. At this rate, they were going to attract all the Grimms on the island, she had to do something.
"So, what will this training look like? she asked nonchalantly, turning to Oceane.
The Huntress seemed surprised by the question, but replied calmly, "Mastering an element has three parts, first precision, then power, then the combination of the two. Since Miss Headstrong over here can only use fire but already has a hell of a punch with it, we'll focus on precision exercises while incorporating them little by little into fight." she explained.
"What about the elements I can't use?" asked Falcon.
"I have theories on how to unlock them, but it depends on how the training is going." replied Oceane, crossing her arms behind her head, "If it works, you'll soon be able to manipulate all the natural phenomena that exist."
"Manipulating natural phenomena? Maidens can really do that?" Robyn wondered. She knew they could do magic with elements and weather and things like that, and she was very familiar with Falcon's fire, but she still struggled to realize just how powerful their power could be…
Oceane nodded, "Yes. In Cherry's case, she was particularly comfortable with wind, I've seen her cause tornadoes strong enough to suck in a Goliath." she said before letting out a chuckle, "And two days later she was using her powers to fly a kite."
Robyn giggled into her hand. She could totally imagine Falcon doing something like that when no one was watching.
"At least it's not all negative. What do you think firecracker? Excited about your new toys?"
Falcon rolled her eyes, then thought for a moment before replying, "Mother used her powers to warm her tea and make ice cubes." she admitted with a smirk, and Oceane and Robyn both burst out laughing as they imagined the scene. Apparently, all the Maidens used their immense, dreaded magic powers for small, everyday things. It was reassuring to see that there was a bright side to their situation. And she managed to cheer everyone up! Well, almost everyone…
Robyn quickly glanced at Qrow, he hadn't said anything since they set off and she didn't heard him laugh with them… And as she expected he was walking staring at the ground, not really paying attention to what was going on around him. He must have felt her watching him though, because he looked up at her, before quickly looking away.
"I think we're far enough. I'll take a look from the sky, see if there's a clear spot nearby." he said, rubbing his neck. And before anyone could answer, he took a few quick steps to gain speed, jumped, and… flew away.
Robyn watched as the crow passed them and flew between the mountains in search of a place to set up a camp, oblivious to the near-impossible paths and rocks that made their journey on the ground so long and difficult. He had already told her he could do that… but it was still pretty impressive to see.
Falcon tugged on her hand to move her forward, she hadn't even noticed she had stopped. Neither the kid nor Oceane seemed disturbed by what they had just seen. Was it really like that to live surrounded by magic? You weren't even surprised anymore to see things that no one would have thought possible? It was a bit sad…
Thanks to Qrow they found a decent spot fairly quickly, it was a clear plateau quite high in the mountain, rather difficult to get to but nothing that Huntsmen and an assassin/bandit/Maiden/Branwen couldn't overcome. Against the wall the floor was strewn with boulders that looked like they had come from a landslide, but there was still plenty of room to train, and they were far enough away that the townspeople couldn't see them.
"That should do the trick." said Oceane, nodding her head with satisfaction.
The small group quickly divided up the tasks, Oceane and Yang would begin the training right away, while Rook set up camp for them and Qrow flew over the area to warn them if a Grimm approached, and try to find a water source to facilitate their stay.
Yang immediately began to warm up, and Oceane stretched her arms before letting out a long sigh. She still had bandages on most of her body and they had been walking and climbing for quite a while. It was Yang's fault that she got hurt, she panicked on the train and completely lost control. Her mother had never lost control like this, and yet she had had no one to help her. She needed to train to never let that happen again.
"You're ready?" she asked Yang, who nodded, "Perfect. We'll start simple to see exactly how you're doing."
Oceane grabbed a big bag that seemed to contain a lot of things, probably all the equipment they would need to train. She pulled out a bundle of candles, placed three on the floor, and motioned for her to step back a little.
"Come on, show me what you can do. " she says.
Yang nodded and blinked, causing her eyes to turn red. It shouldn't be too difficult, she was pretty good at aiming even from very far away, she could even hit Rook's arrows in midair. She raised her hand to send a small fireball towards the first candle, the ball went in a straight line and knocked the candle over, hitting it a little too hard, and melting all the wax in the process.
Oops… She had put too much power out of habit. It didn't matter, she just had to make the next one smaller. She then focused on the second candle, and sent another fireball, smaller this time. Too small. So small that it didn't even reach the candle before going out in a tiny little puff of smoke.
Yang could feel the anger rising inside her. She could shoot down Atlasian ships, melt bullets mid-air, burn down Ursas, but she couldn't light a candle?!
No, she had to calm down, keep her cool. When she let her emotions take over she ended up blowing everything up, and that wasn't what she was trying to do right now.
But she still had to put enough force into it to actually light the candle, so she tried again with more energy. But this time, she burned the wax, the metal support, and even the earth below. Her attempts at the third candle didn't go much better, and neither did the subsequent ones…
"Fuck!" she cried, stomping her foot so hard she cracked the ground, her hair releasing purple flames. She would have taken a moment to think about it, if she weren't so frustrated by her repetitive failures on what should be an easy exercise! Seriously! She had seen her mother use her powers to light candles dozens of times when they ran out of matches, and it looked so easy! She just waved her hand, sometimes even her fingers, and the candle ignited by magic without any problem! She didn't even have to throw a fireball! She had never imagined that it could be an exercise! Otherwise she would have already tried to do it and she wouldn't be passing for an idiot in front of Oceane on the very first day! What was she doing wrong?!
"Hey, have you ever tried to use your powers without activating your Semblance?" Oceane asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. Yang froze for a moment, then looked away, blushing.
She… never thought of that…
She kept her Semblance activated almost constantly in order to keep her eyes red, to quickly gain in strength during fights, and so that if someone tries to attack her by surprise, it would backfire on them. She also activated it during training, because why miss an opportunity to improve? Besides, she was pretty sure her Semblance was making her powers stronger as well, she could feel the same kind of boost in her veins as when she punched with her Semblance. It was probably because of how her Semblance worked, magic didn't consume Aura but it was hooked to it, so if taking hits made her stronger, it wasn't hard to imagine that this applied to her powers as well, they were part of her after all, like part of her body. She just never thought of it before.
But right now she didn't need a boost, she needed less power and more control.
Despite her pride, Yang took a deep breath and turned off her Semblance, her hair stopped burning, and her eyes turned purple again. She concentrated for a moment, and reactivated her powers. No doubt, it was a very different feeling. When she used magic, she could feel it moving in her body through her Aura, even though she no longer paid attention to it as she was so used to it, but the flow had always been rapid, as if accelerated, propelled, probably because of her Semblance, and she had always believed that was the usual rhythm. This time it was slower, calmer, and somehow Yang knew that was the speed he was supposed to go, she could feel it.
"Ready to try again?" asked Oceane, placing more candles on the ground.
Yang nodded and concentrated for a long moment, for the first time letting the magic run through her at its normal speed, without influencing it.
Another fireball was thrown, it was about as big as the very first one, maybe slightly bigger, but it didn't go as fast as the previous ones, thrown less hard, gradually losing more and more power as it went, so that when it would reached the wick, it would be the size of a lighter flame. The longer ride had caused it to shrink enough not to burn everything.
Yang let a small, victorious, and slightly arrogant smile appear on her lips. She knew she could do it.
The small fireball continued its way towards the candle, slowly enough that the impact didn't knock it over, it closed in… and missed its target by at least ten centimeters.
"I swear I will only ever use flashlights until the end of my life…"
In the end, it had been long and tedious, but after many failed attempts, more than she was ready to admit, Yang had finally, FINALLY, managed to light one fucking candle, without knocking it over, without melting all the wax, without missing the wick…
It seemed like such an easy exercise! But it turned out to be much harder than she expected, she was used to bursts of power, if she missed her target, the blast from the explosion would do enough damage to compensate. And to make matters worse, she was getting tired faster because she didn't have the extra energy from her Semblance, to the point that she had unconsciously activated it several times to regain her strength, and it obviously didn't help her in her exercise.
"You did really well for a first day." Oceane congratulated her, extinguishing the candle. Their supply of material was not unlimited, and she had already burned a good part of it. Fortunately, most candles were still usable. "The sun is already starting to set, we stayed at it longer than I thought, but it should be enough for today, tomorrow we'll organize an actual training schedule."
Yang nodded and walked over to Rook, who was sharpening the edge of her bird-shaped shield. As someone who had taken a lot of hits from that thing during training, Yang knew for a fact that it was a lot sharper than it looked…
Around Rook, two tents were pitched side by side, and an unlit campfire was surrounded by a tree log and two rocks of the same size to sit on, andthere was also a small supply of wood next to their bags. Yang hadn't really paid attention to it until then, too focused on her training. She really needed to relearn to be aware of her surroundings, in the tribe she always noticed immediately when something was wrong, an argument about to turn into a fight, a badly pitched tent that was in danger of collapsing, even if she was busy doing something else. It was what her mother had taught her, to listen to the needs of her tribe, because as a chef, it was her duty to ensure that the people under her responsibility had everything they needed.
She hadn't done much with that responsibility since…
"Done already? The sun isn't down yet." Rook asked seeing them arrive.
"You're kidding me? We spent the entire afternoon here." Oceane replied sitting down next to her on the log, but Rook glared at her, forcing her to sit down on one of the rocks. The assassin smirked, and patted the empty spot next to her looking at Yang, who came to sit down, sneering.
"Where's Qrow?" she asked.
"He said he was getting food." Rook answered before sighing, "I was gonna help him, but one of the ropes holding the tents up broke and by the time I fixed it, he had already left without me."
"I'm not surprised, he always preferred to stay alone." explained Oceane, taking out a bottle of water, "It must run in the family."
Qrow was not very sociable? It was hardly surprising, Ozpin must not have left him much opportunity to socialize. Yang, even by staying away from Ozpin, had found herself completely isolated from the rest of the world because she couldn't risk being spotted, she didn't trust anyone, she didn't know who was in Ozpin's cult, they could be anywhere, she had to be on her guard wherever she went. She didn't want to think about what she would have become if she hadn't met Rook…
Her only chance of not going completely insane would have been to run into Ren and Nora. It wouldn't have been unpleasant to travel with them, they were kind and funny, and she could have used her powers to make their lives easier. But would they have let her come with them? They were used to only travel together, and they were just children, if Ozpin or Salem had found her, they would have been in danger because of her. Rook too, technically, but she was an adult and an assassin, if she felt things got too dangerous for her, she would be able to fight back and save herself by leaving Yang behind. Who could blame her? Nobody deserved to get involved in this mess, and she hadn't signed up for it when she took her on as an apprentice.
Yet she had stayed.
"Here, you need to stay hydrate." Rook told her, handing her a canteen of water.
Yang took it and drank almost half of it. Qrow had spotted a small spring of fresh water on the way up, it was a bit difficult to access on foot but at least she wasn't worried about their water supply. Even though she hadn't moved much or used her Aura, between the heat of the sun and the concentration that the exercise required of her, she was overheating. What she wouldn't give to be able to make ice right now…
"So, how's training going?" her mentor asked with a smile. Yang was more than happy to tell her everything.
It had now been several days since the little group had settled in the mountains of Menagerie. Falcon's training was going pretty well, she hadn't had a fit of anger or panic attack yet, although Rook was always on the lookout just in case.
As she said, Oceane had set up a daily training routine that Falcon had followed without problem so far, without complaining that it was too hard, easy, or repetitive. She did the candle exercise every morning, slowly adding a little more difficulty every few days, obstacles, distance, or blindfolding her, until she succeeded at least twice in a row, then if they had time left, they continued with hand-to-hand combat with Rook, because Oceane's wounds were not completely healed yet. After that they would take a break to eat before returning to magic training, where in addition to the candles, Falcon was also trying to aim for moving targets, mostly small rocks thrown in the air or directly at her, since it was all they had on hand, then applying her new skills in regular combat until dinner. Nothing too incredible for now, she was trying to take it easy, and above all to create some sort of stability. It was what the kid needed the most right now, even more than practice.
Oceane was quite impressed, she expected more resistance, that the girl would send her off at the slightest remark and not listen to any of her advice when she made a mistake, or that she would ask for more challenge because she was bored… In short, she expected her to have the same grumpy nature as her mother. But in the end, it was quite the opposite, she was focused and attentive, and she repeated the exercises without complaining as many times as necessary, even those she had already succeeded. She got that too from her mother, her determination to become stronger.
The sky was clear of clouds today and the sun was unusually bright and hot, especially so high on the rocky montain. Rook and Qrow had gone to fetch water for everyone, while Oceane and Falcon were taking a break in their respective tents. Because of training, which was the main reason they were in Menagerie in the first place, neither of them had time for most chores, so everything fell on Qrow and Rook, finding firewood, fetching water, making trips to the city to buy food or going to the sea to fish because there were almost never any animals in those fucking mountains…
Oceane had already apologized several times for making them do all the hard work, which earned her a shrug from Qrow and a "Don't worry, we got this." by Rook. And to her great surprise, Falcon had apologized too, looking much more guilty than her, she almost had tears in her eyes, which earned her a good fifteen minutes of hugs and reassuring words… And to think that on the train she had yelled at him not to call her "kid"…
Oceane wiped her forehead for the twentieth time as she finished changing her bandages. She still had bandages on half of her body, and probably nice scars underneath. She didn't blame the girl, she didn't act out of malice and scars were a hazard of the job. Plus she did piss her off on purpose… It hadn't been her brightest moment, but since two of Mistral's best assassins had been sent after her, she should be happy to be alive.
Seriously, how many victims of murder attempts offered to train their attackers?
A small gust of wind hit the side of her tent, barely moving the fabric. Despite the guilt, she was glad she didn't have to be outside right now. No one wanted to be outside in such heat, let alone to literally play with fire. If only Falcon could control the weather even a little bit, they could have at least made it a training to teach her to cover the sky. Maybe later, once she got past her block.
Control of magic largely came from the emotions of the person using it, strong emotions could make attacks much more powerful but also much less controlled, which was why it was best to keep calm in combat. Unfortunately, someone as emotional as Falcon would have a hard time following that kind of advice, even if she tried her best, she was too fragile emotionally. She might be calm, focused, even cold during her missions, but Oceane had seen with her own eyes how quickly things could change.
As she had suspected after facing her on the train, her Semblance was to store the energy of the hits she received to send them back twice harder, activating it meant she was ready to take a beating without complaining about the pain to hurt whoever attacked her. It wasn't exactly the best state of mind to control her powers.
She was absolutely sure that her block on the other elements corresponded to a mental block, Cherry had had a similar problem at first, but finding what the block was about exactly might be complicated. The fact that she got her powers from her mother's death obviously had a lot to do with it, but it wasn't something they could fix overnight. Fortunately, they had plenty of time here.
In an ideal world, Falcon would have started to see a therapist right after mother died, before her paranoia could get so bad that she tried to kill anyone who noticed the resemblance between her and Raven. But they weren't in an ideal world, far from it, so they would have to figure it out by themselves.
And there was Qrow.
Speaking of him, the curtain of the tent opened and he stuck his head inside.
"Here, and Rook told me to tell you it's the only one until tonight." he said, throwing her a canteen filled with water.
Oceane grabbed it, and the cold metal against the skin of her hands was enough to make her feel better. They should have better planned their move about the heat…
"Thank you." Oceane took a few good sips of fresh water, before looking up at Qrow, "How much food do we have?"
"We have enough to last for a few days, and the city is not so far by air." he explained as he sat down on his sleeping bag, "The annoying part is not being noticed. Someone who goes to the market but doesn't live there, that's quite unusual for them."
Qrow grabbed a bottle of alcohol and opened it before swallowing the equivalent of a large glass. She didn't even know what he was drinking since he had been smart enough to remove all the labels, but judging by the smell she would put her money on rum.
Ever since they'd arrived, he'd made a lot of effort to show that he was fine, he made snide remarks here and there, ate meals with them without trying to slip away, volunteered for chores, trained in his spare time, as if everything was normal. But it wasn't hard to see that was just a facade, he still drank a lot, avoided conversations longer than three sentences, changed the subject when asked if he was okay… In other words, all signs of someone who was not okay.
She wanted to help him, he was her friend, and after all he had been through, Oceane was the only longtime acquaintance he could still trust. Except she was too busy training Falcon to have time to talk to him, and when she could, he would change the subject or find an excuse to walk away. She didn't want to insist for fear of making things worse, but it was getting frustrating.
"If it continues to be so hot, we may have to change location." she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Menagerie was a tropical island and they were in the middle of summer, even though the place they had found seemed perfect at first glance, they couldn't stay on an open and rocky plateau almost at the top of the mountain during a heat wave. It had been bearable so far, and they had made the mistake of thinking the heat was already at its peak. "Next time you're in town, see if you can find out how long they think it's going to last. If it's just a matter of days, we can hold on, if not, we move."
Qrow nodded and stood up, "I'm going now before I fall asleep."
And he left the tent without giving her time to answer, taking his bottle with him. What was she going to do with him…
It was hot.
Still, Yang was used to the heat, she handled fire and was used to train in direct sunlight for hours on end, and she had been through heat waves before without any problems. But it was nothing compared to the sun trying to roast her through the blue-gray fabric of the tent.
She had been stuck there all day for almost three days because of the weather, because the adults supposedly more responsible than her didn't realize they were going to a tropical island. That said, it was still better than being within range of Ozpin.
Yang turned over on her sleeping bag for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes, trying with little success to find a part of the fabric that was a little cooler than the rest. She would soon have to get up to continue training, and she would like to catch a few more minutes of sleep.
Using her powers might not drain her Aura, but staying so focused for hours on what was practically a second blood system tended to be exhausting. But it was worth it, she felt like she had progressed more in a little over a week with Oceane than in three and a half years with Rook, and using her powers without her Semblance made things… not really more easy, no, but certainly different. Without her Semblance, what she gained in control she lost in power, without power she had more difficulty winning, if she had difficulty winning she became frustrated, and if she was frustrated she activated her Semblance…
If someone had ever told her that she would have to learn to not use her Semblance, she wouldn't have believed it. A Semblance was a power related to one's Aura, and Aura was the manifestation of the soul, it was unnatural not to use it. And it wasn't even like she was dependent on it to win, she had won fights before without taking a single hit, it was just a safety net, a strategic element. She could do just fine without her Semblance!
"Wake up firecracker, it's time to get up!" Rook said happily as she entered the tent, letting a ray of sunlight land right in Yang's eye.
The grumpy teenager rolled onto her stomach with a groan, burying her face in her sweaty pillow.
"Come on, we got bacon and bread for breakfast. And I promise your uncle didn't cook it." Rook encouraged her, and Yang could hear the smirk in her voice. They hadn't even been here for two weeks and Qrow's non-talent in the kitchen was already famous.
"How can you have so much energy with this heat…?" she muttered, reaching up to grab a brown leather jacket at least two sizes too big for her.
"I've been awake all day, remember? Now hurry up or I'll eat your part."
Rook walked out of the tent. Yang sighed and followed her, putting on her jacket. As soon as she stepped outside, the light of the setting sun blinded her, and it took her several seconds before she could open her eyes. Because of the heat wave, Oceane had decided that they would train at night and sleep during the day rather than wasting time. It had its advantages, Qrow and Rook could get full nights sleep, the temperature was cooler, almost cold in fact, and the darkness made training more interesting. But on the other hand, her firelight had a better chance of attracting attention, she didn't spend as much time with Rook anymore since they had reversed sleeping schedules, and sleeping with such warmth was almost impossible, her sheets were soaked with sweat.
Breakfast, or dinner for two of the adults, passed calmly, Rook and Oceane doing most of the talking, while Qrow added a little sarcastic comment from time to time, and Yang was mostly focused on her food. The bacon was delicious, almost as good as Ramy's, but slightly drier and a little less salty. But she wasn't going to complain, after all Ramy was the best cook she had ever met, she didn't expect anyone to come up to his level.
Yang looked up at the three adults around her. The girls were talking about their fighting styles, as they both had weapons that attached to the forearms and were mostly made for melee. Rook never had any problem talking to people, even when they didn't answer her, she just kept talking as if everything was normal, not letting the mood get awkward, but always leaving a little blank between her statements in case her interlocutor does want to add something. At first it really annoyed Yang that someone could read her so easily while she was trying not to let anything out, but over the years she not only got used to it, but she even came to appreciate that she didn't need to speak for her mentor to understand her.
"So basically, you can't touch anything from a distance." Rook said as she chewed a piece of bread.
"No, I told you, I only fight close range and with my Semblance." answered Oceane.
"But what about big Grimm?"
They didn't seem to get along too badly after all. Maybe Oceane was trustworthy and she was just to paranoid.
Yang stopped listening and glanced at Qrow, who was alternating between his bread and his bottle. He reminded her a bit of the people in the tribe, who would usually gathered in threes or fours sitting on boxes behind the tents to have a drink while chatting during their break, play cards, sharpen their weapons… take her on their knees to making her feel like she was taking part in the conversation when she didn't even understand half of the words they were saying… How come she hadn't become the gossip girl of the camp, she didn't had no idea. Sometimes, or maybe often, she wasn't quite sure anymore, they would tell her that Ramy needed help with this or that Vernal had called her about that when they didn't want to have a child around. Looking back, they probably saw her as some kind of mascot more than a real person, and she couldn't blame them, she was an anomaly in the camp, even though she was born there. But an anomaly that was where it belonged…
"Hey, you're okay firecracker?" Rook asked softly, sitting next to her, looking at her with concern. Qrow had already gone to bed and Oceane was stretching further away, leaving only the two assassins around the campfire which kept them warm at night, like when she was little.
Yang shook her head, and moved closer to Rook to rest her head against her arm. "I miss my tribe…"
Rook hugged her, and she felt tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. Why was she thinking about all this now?! It was a long time ago! She had to focus on her training, now was not the time to cry!
"You're coming Falcon?" Oceane called.
"Coming!" Yang replied, quickly wiping her eyes and standing up. She had to focus. Focus!
"Do you want me to stay with you?" Rook offered her.
Yang thought about it for a moment. She didn't want to keep her from sleeping, she felt like a burden to her enough already, but she really felt down all of a sudden… And she always felt better when Rook was around her.
"Yes…" she answered shyly, "Please."
Rook smiled at her, the same kind of smile her mother had when Yang disturbed her while she was working to show her something she had found outside, stood up and held out her hand. Yang was almost fourteen, past the age of holding hands and asking for hugs, but she missed it so much…
It was the middle of the night, yet a few people were still hanging around the streets of Kuo Kuana, couples taking night walks, a father teaching his daughter to use a telescope, people just enjoying the fresh air, and a few guards patrolling.
"Do you see it?" a young girl discreetly asked.
"No." replied a young man a few years older, lowering his binoculars, "I told you Blake, there's no one in the mountains." he added with an annoyed look.
"I know what I saw Adam!" Blake insisted, her black ears pressing against her head.
She knew very well what she saw, she saw light in the mountains several nights in a row, and she was not the only one, she had heard other people talking about it in town and even reported it to her father, some spoke of a Grimm, others of a monster, a ghost, the most paranoid ones thought that Atlas was trying to scare them away and take the island for themselves. Other than the first option, none of it made much sense, but it still intrigued her, so she convinced Adam to come investigate with her.
"And why am I here again…?" a third person asked, yawning. And Ilia. She had also brought Ilia.
"Because you'd complain if you hadn't been invited." Adam replied, looking through the binoculars again, before sighing and handing them back to Blake. "Here, look around yourself and let us know if you find anything."
Blake took the binoculars and looked towards the mountains, where she had seen the light last night, while her two friends did their best to stay awake.
The three of them were lying on the roof of Blake's house, the largest on the island since her father had become chief, under a blanket that covered all three of them from shoulders to knees. In a week Adam was leaving for Mistral to continue helping the White Fang, and the girls would join him a few weeks later, at the start of summer break. Since Sienna had taken her father's place as the high leader, they had become more and more productif, and for the first time in ages, Blake really felt like they were making a difference.
Too bad her parents didn't agree with her, it had caused a lot of tension between them, and they almost refused to let her go, especially without them. In the end, they had agreed on two conditions, that she continue to go to school here, so she could only go during school breaks, and that she always stays with a group, especially during the movements.
It was so frustrating to barely be able to help! She wanted to do more! She could do more! If only they would let her try! She knew they were her parents and they were worried about her, but she wasn't a kid anymore, she was thirteen, she had been in the White Fang all her life, she had the determination, she knew how to fight, she had even killed a Grimm once, so what could happen to her in Mistral, with Adam and Ilia by her side in case of trouble? It wasn't her fault that her parents were cowards!
Suddenly, the young Faunus was pulled from her thoughts by a small point of light to the left of her field of vision.
"There! There it is!" she slammed the binoculars on Adam's face, startling Ilia who had apparently fallen asleep on the roof.
"Okay okay, no need to poke my eye out!" he growled, adjusting the binoculars correctly. He looked through it for a few seconds, then frowned. "You're right, there is something…"
"Ah, see? Told you." Blake said proudly, straightening up a bit.
"It looks like it's coming from some kind of flamethrower, but it's almost on the other side of the mountain, I can't see." he said seriously, leaning a little closer.
"Can I see?" Ilia now seemed wide awake and very curious. Adam gave her the binoculars, and after a few seconds of staring, her normally tan skin turned bright orange, while her hair and eyes turned pink. "Wow you're right I see it! But what is it?"
"I have no idea, but I heard my dad say that if this continued he was going to send someone to check it out." Blake said.
"Let him take care of it then." Adam growled as he got up to leave.
Blake sighed. Adam and her father used to get along just fine, but since the organization had changed leaders, they had trouble even being polite. If Adam wasn't her friend and mentor, they wouldn't talk to each other at all. It was so sad, they were both very important to her, and she wished they could get along again… All because her father didn't agree with Sienna's methods. Why couldn't her parents understand that the White Fang worked better by being a little bit more aggressive? It wasn't like they were killing people!
But it didn't matter, she was going to prove them that she was right, and then they could all get along again. It was just going to take a little while.
There!
So what do you think? I know the training isn't spectacular for now, it's just the beginning and the adults are doing their best to keep Yang calm. And yes, it is the first time that yang uses her maiden powers without her Semblance, I made sure of that since Part I!
And about Blake and Adam, we don't know exactly how old Adam is so I settled on 4 years older, they are 13 and 17 now, and would be 17 and 21 in V1, it looks coherent to me.
On the wiki, they say that the WF changed leader about 5 years before the show, so when Blake was 12, and I doubt she went no contact with her parents at that age, it's more logic to think it was progressif, that they relationship just got worse over the years and reached its peak some time before she left the WF, I would say about a year. What do you think?
See you next time!