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The room was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Four beds adorned the space, a bookshelf against one wall held numerous volumes of content – most related to school subjects necessary for continuing the education of their owners – and a desk and chair sat just under the wide glass window. Nearly all of the rooms in this building had the same features.
Yet it was obviously more than just 'a room'. It was home.
Only two of the beds were made, one had been left haphazard while the last was merely straightened out, the colorful blue sheets littered with images of puppy dogs. No laundry was left on the floor, as one resident of the room would not tolerate such habits, yet it still waited in the hamper in the corner for someone to wash it. Little knickknacks and tiny decorations covered the top of the bookcase, every one a memento of some vacation or trip outside of Vale. An incense burner sat at the head of one bed, cold and clean and ready to fill the room with some colorful fragrance or other, depending on the mood of its owner. Tall oak wardrobes sat in the far corner, huddled together as though sharing secrets with one another, all filled to the brim with the essentials for any student; extra uniforms, casual clothing, first aid kits for the students and repair kits for their weapons, and maybe even a secret stash of goodies that absolutely must not be pulled out while other people are in the room or else they'll demand an equal share.
Like the other dorm rooms at Beacon, this one had a little kitchenette where the residents would prepare the odd meal or two, though it was mostly a place of baking sweets. A separate bathroom was linked by a sturdy wooden door, and within sat a near-indestructible toilet along with a large tub and shower for washing away the dirt and stains of the day. And considering the training regiment of up-and-coming Huntsmen, they needed everything they could get.
Every corner told a story. Every inch held a memory. It was empty of people, yet in its own way it had a life of its own. It had been colonized by the spirits of those who lived here. If you listened closely, even during classes, you could almost hear the echoes of quiet conversations late into the night. If you expanded your senses wide enough, you could still feel the lingering warmth of bodies huddled together under the covers, or even see a trace of shadow across the back wall as the brilliant full moon shone in through the window on a cloudless night.
The room was home to a handful of teenagers, gathered together from all walks of life. It would be their home for a total of four years.
The day they graduated… would be the day the room died.
A faint beep signaled the early arrival of one resident of the room. The front door opened to admit a young woman with long, flowing brown hair and tears running down her face. Both of her rabbit ears hung low as she gingerly touched the top of her head, around their bases. The girl quickly retreated to the sanctuary of the bathroom and shut the door.
Right behind her came another student, this one a towering young man with narrow eyes and only a fuzz of black hair. He only took a moment to determine where the girl had gone before carefully knocking on the door, "Velvet? You okay?"
At first her reply was only some sniffling, but soon the weak sound of her voice made its way past the wood, "Y-Y-Yea… I'll b-be alright… Sorry for scaring you, Yatsu…"
He leaned closer and said, more quietly, "Do you need me to bring you anything?"
"Some ice… in a b-b-baggie, if you could…" Her words were cut off with a tiny whimper.
Yatsuhashi clenched his fist and fought back his anger for a moment before turning to go and collect what he needed. Their kitchenette didn't have a big enough freezer to keep ice, but the dorm had big ice machines near the stairwells he could pull from. He grabbed a plastic bag on the way out, trying his best to not slam the door behind him.
Inside the bathroom, Velvet didn't bother holding back her pained weeping. The skin at the base of her Faunus ears had begun to swell from how hard they'd been pulled today, and she couldn't take it anymore. Professor Goodwitch had given everyone various lessons on the healing properties of Aura, but also warned that overusing it for even the lightest of bumps and bruises would develop into a habit that could prove dangerous. Having her ears pulled constantly was probably something that warranted not only her use of Aura to fix the damage, but also direct intervention of Beacon staff regarding the one responsible… yet she held back.
Velvet simply didn't have it in her to be confrontational. It was not her way.
The front door opened again to allow Yatsuhashi back into the room, bag of ice in one hand and Scroll in the other. He carefully knocked before opening the bathroom door. "Here ya go," he said kindly.
Velvet took the ice and quickly held it against the base of her rabbit-like ears, hissing in pain at the contact. Yatsu frowned but said nothing; one of their unspoken rules was that if Velvet didn't complain about something, neither would he. The larger Mistralian boy had no desire to cause any more trouble for his partner, or his team, than absolutely necessary. Though at times like this he really wanted to…
Instead he put a hand on Velvet's shoulder and guided her out of the bathroom, leading her to sit on the edge of her bed while she let the ice do its thing. He glanced at the front door in hopes that someone else might show up, but for now it remained still. He took a moment to compose his thoughts and finally said, "Did you at least tell somebody?"
Velvet merely shook her head.
"Vel…"
"It's not… that big of a deal…" she said without looking up.
"Yes it is." Yatsu knelt down on one knee to get a better view of his partner. "You know what he's doing is wrong. You know we'll come and help if you need us. Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time?!"
"Cuz it won't solve anything," she said quietly, not meeting his gaze. "I grew up in Atlas, Yatsu. I understand how bullies operate."
"That doesn't mean you have to just grin and bear it," he said through a tense jaw.
"Yatsu…" Velvet finally looked up at her partner and gave him a weak smile. "Neither you or I can do anything to make Cardin stop tormenting me. Anything we say will just validate him in his mind. And telling a teacher will only help in the short-term. It never sticks."
"Yeah, I know… 'It was just a prank, bro' …I hate it when they do that." Yatsu looked away and exhaled through his nose, "I could do something drastic, you know…"
Velvet reached over and flicked his ear, grinning, "You do and I'll never speak to you again."
Yatsuhashi looked back over and pouted, letting his bottom lip hang almost to the floor. Velvet stuck out her tongue in response. They both chuckled after a few seconds, the tension of the moment finally dissipating. The taller boy stood back up and joined Velvet on the edge of her bed, making sure to ease his bulk down gently so he didn't break anything – his own bed had a metal frame, but Velvet's was just wood. It creaked dangerously, but luckily it didn't give up.
"You didn't have to come after me, you know," said Velvet.
Yatsu looked over and said, "If you think I'm just gonna stand by while you run back to the room with tears in your eyes-"
"I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."
"That's what they all say. But as someone who's a bit taller than the average Joe, do you know what I understand?"
Velvet blinked, waiting for his answer.
Yatsu pulled his partner close, putting his arm around the slender girl's shoulder. "Even the toughest people in the world still need a hug every now and then."
Velvet looked up at the face of her partner of a year and a half, the face of a man she was initially frightened of, and smiled as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Without another word she leaned over and threw both arms around his immense frame, not even close to surrounding it, and let herself weep quietly as he completed his own embrace and drew upon his Aura just enough to warm them up together.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Anytime," he said. "And don't worry, I won't hurt Cardin. For now."
"Good boy." Eventually they pulled apart, the ice baggie forgotten, as Velvet wiped her damp eyes with both hands. She said, "I guess… we should probably get back to class, huh?"
Yatsuhashi made a fearful chuckle, "I mean… I don't wanna look out the window and see Doctor Oobleck running over here to find us."
"He would, wouldn't he?" Velvet let herself laugh for real this time, the pain finally starting to numb.
"Hey, uh…" Yatsu stood up and offered a hand to help her up, "Have you been to that new bakery… down in Vale…?"
"Oh yeah, I heard about that one," Velvet took the hand and hopped to her feet, feeling much better already. "Can't remember the name, but I heard they have really good cake and coffee."
"Coco has drills on Saturday and Fox has to take a make-up test for Port, so… uh…" the taller boy looked away to try and hide his red face, but it was a futile effort. "Would you… with me… um…"
"Yatsuhashi Daichi, are you asking me out on a date?"
A noise came out of his throat that neither he nor Velvet had ever heard before. They both froze for a moment before laughing out loud, though Yatsu's face was still beet red. "Yeah, I g-guess I am…"
Grinning ear to ear, Velvet pranced up to the taller boy and pulled his head down low enough to give him a peck on the cheek, "I'd love to go with you.~"
Yatsu made the noise again as he finally found the knob for the front door, pulling it open and hoping to the Brothers he wasn't about to spontaneously combust. Velvet laughed brightly as she took his hand just before the door closed behind them. Their footsteps receded into the distance, leaving the room quiet once again.
Another memory had been etched into the fabric of the space. Another echo of a love just coming into fruition. Another shadow against the wall.
Many, many more were still to come in the days ahead. Four years would be little more than a footnote in the history of the building, but so long as these wonderful teenagers dwelt within its walls, four years would be more than long enough.
Teams would come and go, some students would linger while others moved on, but the room would always be here to greet them.
To welcome them home.
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Author's Note: At times I like to experiment with different random ideas, like telling a story from a whole new perspective (in this case, the room itself). Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I also tend to like just putting out some fluff every now and again, and that always works.
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