A/N: Big note after the chapter talking about some housekeeping stuff and plans for the future, so please read if you have time. If not—
Tl;DR— New chapters on the 15th/30th of every month starting in January!
Summer Rose wandered through the vaunted halls of Beacon, her thoughts listless and her mind equally as lost. She was stuck— she had yet to see hide nor hair of Raven since their last confrontation with Jaune. Well, that was a lie, she had technically seen her hair from across the crowds of campus, but neither of them acknowledged the other; even though Summer knew that Rae had seen her.
She held in a sigh as she traced her path around the campus. Things had been…tense between the two of them. Qrow and Taiyang had tried to act their normal selves around her, but it was obvious the boys were uncomfortable with the situation at large. Neither knew what to say to either of them and it showed.
She rolled her eyes. Boys.
Regardless, she had to figure out a solution. The other students were starting to notice something off and, to be honest, she didn't want anyone else sticking their nose into her team's business. The rumor mills of Beacon were legendary for a reason. She didn't want any wild rumors or accusations to start flying through the halls; she had already heard whispers begin as Raven was notably absent unless required to be.
Besides all of that, she missed Raven. Her sarcasm was kind of funny. When not aimed at her. Maybe they could weaponize her sarcasm? It had an insane edge that was sharper than any blade. Thoughts for later, she supposed.
She let her feet meander past grand archways that always made her feel far too small and grimaced as the sunlight hit her square in the face. She hadn't meant to go outside, but she shrugged her shoulders and rolled with it. Perhaps her mind was trying to guide her to a solution?
She doubted it, but she was already outside, and it was such a beautiful day…
She tried not to skip through the stone paths to wound up and down the campus, passing by a few familiar faces from her classes, several of who were quite the cuties, but only gave them quick greetings. She really needed to come up with a solution and not get distracted by the lookers that she went to school with.
It was just like window shopping, but for boys.
She shook the thought out, embarrassed with herself.
"That was a little creepy, Summer." She muttered to herself, trying to keep her mind on track. Problem was, her mind didn't particularly want to stay on track. Mostly because she wasn't thinking of any solutions.
She sighed and thought back to her conversation with Jaune. He had given her some good advice, and quite the insightful look into Raven— which was a little weird since he didn't really know her, but it worked so she just rolled with it— but she didn't really know how to move forward.
Sure, knowing the problem was the first step to fixing it, but what about the other steps? That's where she was drawing a blank. Her feet crunched on the now gravel path and she looked up sharply. She had walked to the same statue that Jaune had talked to her a few days ago. One that looked surprisingly like him.
An odd coincidence.
Perhaps because she had been thinking about him, her body decided to visit? She shrugged to herself. It was kind of a good thing, if she were being honest with herself, since she was starting to get tired.
Oh sure, she could keep going if she started enchanting her body with Aura, but it was kind of weird to do it outside of combat situations or drills and not to mention, her pride would take quite the bruise. Since, well, it really wasn't that far of a walk from where she was to where she had been wandering the halls.
Perhaps she needed to do some more cardio? One never knew when running from a situation could be handy. Even if it was just a teammate squabble.
Just as she was about to sit down at the bench, she heard a polite cough.
She whirled her head around and paled.
"Well good afternoon, Miss Rose. Enjoying the weather today?" Headmaster Ozpin asked. Headmaster Ozpin!
Her mind warred between fangirling intensely to shrieking with horror at not having noticed another person sitting in the same spot she had been about to sit in— so her mind decided to take the middle route.
"Uruk?" She spluttered out and quickly shut herself up before she could utter anything else that would embarrass her.
The headmaster merely raised an eyebrow, a small uptick to his lips showed how amused he was at her plight. She pouted through the embarrassment. He was laughing at her!
"Please, miss Rose. I'm not laughing at you—" She made an 'eep' noise at having her thoughts so accurately read— "merely amused at the situation. Please, come join me. It's a rare day when I have so little to do that, I can immerse myself in the student body and talk to them; not as Professor and Student, but as fellow Hunters and Huntresses."
Summer tried to not let her pride buzz at the compliment and nodded quickly, and sighed when she sat down.
She glowered at the man as he chuckled at her. "Please, Miss Rose. Do not be upset. It was merely a joke. I believe your generation calls them a 'prank?'" he asked, faux inquisitively. Summer stared at the man.
"Umm, professor, aren't you like…only slightly older than us?" She asked.
Ozpin froze for a moment, before he chuckled and whistled slightly. "…Forgive me, I have to deal with the stuffiest older folk all the time and it has made me forget my age. Not like the council will ever let me forget." He muttered and Summer was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to have heard the last part of that, but she was content to ignore it.
"Truce?" She asked.
"…Truce, Miss Rose." Ozpin agreed.
They sat, each enjoying the sun as it arched across the sky. Ozpin had pulled out a book at some point — perhpas he had always been holding it she hadn't been paying much attention to him besides his presence— and had begun reading. Summer smiled and closed her eyes. She didn't remember the last time she had sat somewhere and enjoyed the rays of warmth shine down on her face.
After a few minutes of basking, Summer opened her eyes and yawned. She had nearly nodded off while basking in the sun. She resisted the urge to blush— she had been embarrassed enough times that day already— and looked around the courtyard to try and distract herself.
She should have known the peace she wanted wouldn't have lasted that long.
She spied a lock of black hair above the sparse crowds as people found things to do on their day off. Summer could recognize that hair style anywhere and she frowned as a feeling of unease overtook her. She was headed in her direction and Summer wasn't sure how she was going to respond to any provocation, especially with how the headmaster was watching her.
He must have noticed how tense she had gotten, but Summer ignored him for the moment and focused on the threat growing ever closer— her hands clenched tighter and tighter as Raven eyed her.
Yet, it seemed she would be spared any real confrontation. Raven walked past her shared sitting space with only a scoff and the roll of her eyes before she strutted onwards; of course, she gave a slight nod to Ozpin as a sign of respect because that's how she was.
Just a big bundle of spite and anger with a slight undercurrent of respect to only those she deemed worthy that was threatening to tear their team apart.
Summer unclenched her fist and turned her head. She froze as she caught Ozpin's expression and the raised brow he was sporting.
"Perhaps you would like to fill me in on whatever that was I just witnessed. That was no lighthearted teasing." The Headmaster stated and Summer winced. She hadn't wanted to draw another cane-wielding man into her problems.
Through she supposed it's weird it happened twice.
She shook the thought off and let out a sigh. "Rae and I have gotten into a…misunderstanding?" She tried, and by the unamused look the Headmaster was sending her, she hadn't succeeded. "Right, uh I meant fight! We got into a fight." Summer said dejectedly.
Ozpin looked at her after a moment when she refused to elaborate. So, she did it in the least controversial and best way for her possible.
"It's all Jaune's fault."
By throwing Jaune under the bus. Sorry, Jaune.
The headmaster's eye twitch furiously for a moment before he found his voice.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked, a slight quiver in his voice. "Jaune? As in Jaune Arc, owner and operator of Arc Dust?" He asked.
Summer wasn't quite sure why he was being so oddly specific, but she nodded along. "Yup! That Jaune! My team met him in the woods around Vale a couple months ago and we've run into each other a few times since then. He's an interesting guy, considering his skill as Huntsman with that injury of his." Summer speculated.
The Headmaster's brow twitched. "You are still early in your Huntress journey, Miss Rose. There are many Hunters and Huntresses out there that have a normally debilating injury who are yet able to go toe-to-toe with the best— some would even give myself quite the challenge." The Professor lectured and Summer nodded sheepishly.
"Yessir! But, uh, anyways, what I was saying was that Jaune ran into us as he was leaving…your office, I think? Anyways, he spoke with us for a moment about our strength and someway he said that set Raven off and she mocked him for his injury. I…I didn't take kindly to that and gave Raven an ultimatum."
The headmaster hummed and motioned for her to continue.
"Uh, yeah, so she stormed off and I stormed off and it kind of turned into a huge mess. Jaune gave me some advice and his own opinion on what Raven is thinking and how I might start to fix it." Summer let out a deep sigh. "But I can't seem to get past the first step."
Ozpin looked contemplative. "Have you tried reaching out to Mr. Arc to ask for a clarification if you are confused by what he said?"
…Oh, she was a moron.
She blushed furiously. "I…uh…it— it slipped my mind?" She blabbered. Oh Gods, how could she not think about that? This wasn't an assignment from a professor! Just some advice from a weird, maybe friend person? Though she remembered then how weird he had been acting so she was't sure what was going on with him. he had looked sick after their conversation. Had the Headmaster served him bad cocoa?!
A cough drew her attention and she blushed further. Ozpin let out a deep sigh. "Alright, with that out of the way, perhaps I could be of some assistance? I am a professor after all, even if I am your Headmaster. I have mediated my fair share of issues between students before." He spoke and Summer was confused.
"Umm, Headmaster, not to be rude or anything, but I thought you just took over the position? How can you have experience coaching students other than us?" She asked, feeling slightly self-conscious as soon as she asked. He was probably some sort of private tutor or something—
Ozpin twitched slightly. "Ah, it appears I misspoke. I meant mediation in general, not specifically with students. My apologies for the confusion." He said, something weird with the way he said it, but now Summer was annoyed with herself. Of course, the Headmaster had a slip of the tongue, she had no right to accuse him of anything!
"Sorry, Headmaster." She said, but Ozpin waved her off.
"Now, now, let's not worry about that. Let's discuss your avian problem,hmm?" He asked and Summer nodded.
"Now, what exactly did Mr. Arc say?" He asked and Summer sighed.
"He said that the reason Raven does what she does is that she doesn't respect me— she values strength and through that she then gives respect. I haven't 'proven my strength' to her or whatever that means." She clenched her fists. "I…I just don't know how to earn that respect. If what Jaune said is true, she has only been giving me lip service the last few months, following my orders out of amusement than anything else."
Ozpin stared ahead, his face contemplative. "He's correct— Miss Branwen will only begin to respect you if you show her strength. What that strength is, is up for you to decide. You know her personally far more than I do, so I expect you will have more ideas than I." He said and Summer pouted. What a cop out. She didn't know either! The least he could do is admit it to her!
The Headmaster remained stoic, but Summer thought she could see a hint of a smile on his face— his eyes were crinkled a bit— and she pouted further. He was messing with her!
"Ah, forgive me for my jokes, Miss Rose. It's a rare dare indeed when I can pull a fast one on one of my brightest students. No, I do have an idea but, I want to hear your thoughts on the situation first. What is the first thing that came into your head when I thought of strenght?" He asked.
Summer let out a small hum. "Physical strenght? No, that isn't right." She muttered, her fingers tapping on her thighs. "Ideals. Staying true to what you believe."
Ozpin nodded, a small smile on his face. "Good answers. While I do value physical strength to a degree, every Hunter or Huntress does, strength of character is by far the most important trait a Hunter or Huntress can have. Who you are as a person serves as a guiding light for all of your actions— and one who keeps to their ideals is someone who should be respected. Of course, one's ideas can and will change over the course of their life, but it is through experience and events— not simply to please others." Ozpin said.
Summer was amazed. That was perhaps the longest she had ever heard the headmaster speak at once.
"Do you understand what I am trying to tell you, Summer?" He asked and she frowned.
"I believe so, Headmaster. What you're saying is I need to show her my strength of character, along with my physical strength, in order to gain her respect?" She asked, her mind a whirl.
Ozpin smiled. "Correct. As you begin your careeer as a fully-fledged Huntress in a few years, you will inevitably run into people and situations where you character shall be tested, and your ideals will be put on trial. Raven is looking for a sign that you will not fold to those challenges— even if she doesn't fully realize that is what she is looking for." He finished.
Summer nodded along and then slumped her shoulders as another problem arose in her mind. "That's great and all Headmaster, but how do I show that to her? My first thought is to duel her, but that doesn't seem right."
Ozpin chuckled and Summer stared at him bug-eyed. That was the first time she had ever heard the man laugh— or anyone she knew of hearing him laugh!
"No, as tempting it may be to clash physically— you will run into the same problem again. She sees you defending Jaune and his 'weakness' as a direct challenge to her strength. She needs to see that you are not merely bluffing to impress him or your peers. You must show her that your strength is the strenght to defend others." Ozpin continued. "Or that respect you covet will never manifest. She is a tricky customer and to be frank with you— I do not envy being in your shoes at the moment, Miss Rose."
That made Summer pout again. Way to really boost her confidence Headmaster.
He waved his hand. "I merely jest. Do not worry about it for now— my advice would be to continue to grow closer to your teammmates and perhaps an oppurtunity to show her your strenght will reveal itself." He advised.
Summer sighed. She hated not having an acceptable target for her frustration. "Alright— thank you Headmaster. You've given me a lot to think about." She said, bowing slightly to him like she remembered her parents had taught her at one point, long ago.
Ozpin nodded his head, a slight smile still on his face. "You are quite welcome, Miss Rose. Now, please, enjoy the rest of your day and do not fret about the things outside of your control. Miss Branwen will come around in time, but for now, enjoy today. It is quite the beautiful day." He remarked and Summer couldn't help but agree.
"You're right," She said, her eyes roaming the campus around them, "It's a beautiful day outside. Thank you again Headmaster, take care!" She said and waved as she walked away from the man.
Ozpin nodded and returned to the book he had been reading before she had disturbed him. She hadn't been lying when she said that Ozpin had given her a lot to think about. She spurned herself towards her team's dorms. One thing he had been right about was that she needed to spend more time with the other two members of her team who would tolerate her at the moment.
The problem of Raven Branwen could be dealt with another day.
The problem of Raven Branwen apparently needed to be dealt with in that moment— mostly because, as soon as she walked into their dorm room, she spied Raven glaring at their other two teammates and froze. That…hadn't been what she had been expecting when she said she wanted to figure out what to do next.
Raven looked up and stared at her. Summer stared back. To the boys, it probably looked like literally sparks were flying between the two of them, and while she wans't sure about Raven, Summer knew the reason for her own was a simple one—
She had no idea what to say to her teammate and that pissed her off.
"Raven." She finally uttered, and Raven cocked an eyebrow. "Finally decided to join us again, huh?" She asked sharply and noticed the other two wince. Yeah, she hadn't meant to have been that aggressive, but she didn't particularly care. Ozpin told her she needed to demonstrate her ideas weren't only for show.
"Summer." Raven finally acknowledged, a smile that didn't reach her eyes on her smug looking face. "Finally decided to stop wandering around campus in a daze, hmm? Or perhaps you found a spark of courage from your talk with the Headmaster?" Raven spat and Summer frowned.
"Oh, so you did notice me earlier. Interesting behavior from someone who looks down on me; one would think I wouldn't be worth your attention since you think I'm weak, but what would I know?" Summer threw back.
"I never—" Raven tried to say, but Summer kept going.
"Oh, you never said it in those words, sure, but I'm not an idiot, Raven. You haven't really respected me since this team formed— you were simply amused and followed my orders out of that than any general respect or willingness to work together. I needed the talks I had with Jaune and the Headmaster to truly accept that fact— that you aren't really apart of this team, regardless of our name." She said and this time Raven flinched obviously.
"I—I never meant that!" Raven spat. "I just refuse to acknowledge the weak as having any power, because why should they? Protect the innocent? Defend the weak? Those are all noble ideas everyone likes to flap their gums about, but you know what it takes to have those kind of arguments— Power!" Raven screamed at her, and Summer couldn't get a word in otherwise.
"It takes power, it takes strength to have those ideas realized! How do you think Ozpin is in the position he's in? He's barely older than us, but you've seen how others treat him! He has power, respect and the adoration of the masses— because he is strong." Raven spat the word. "That's why I will never acknowledge Jaune—he has none of those things yet brushes shoulders with giants! What arrogance, for someone who cannot stand without the assistance of another!" She spat.
Raven huffed and tried to catch her breath while Summer processed what she said. She wasn't entirely…wrong, per say. Every Huntsman and Huntress needed some level of strength to do anything— but it was taken to its extreme. Something she needed to nip in the bud that instant.
"You're right, Raven." She admitted and watched Raven look at her in surprise while the two boys watched with gaped mouths. It was a comical sight, and she would have laughed if it wasn't so serious.
"Strength is important. Without it, we cannot do what we have to to survive in this world. I know that and I am not some arrogant civilian who walks into Grimm forests without any protection whatsoever. We all go to this school — we know what it takes to be the best of the best, because they walk these halls too." Summer said, her mind flashing to the upper years and the professors— even Ozpin himself. They were all leagues above them— they were only first years after all.
"But, strength isn't everything, Rae." She got a little closer to Raven and held eye-contact. "You need a little heart too. Otherwise, what's the difference between us and, oh I dunno, bandits?" She asked sarcastically but regretted it immediately when both Qrow and Raven flinched, although Raven recovered quickly, and the stoic mask clicked back in place.
Summer sighed and pinched her nose. "Look, Raven— I'm not looking for an apology for what you said to Jaune." She said, much to Raven's apparent surprise.
"You aren't?" She asked, doubt filling her voice.
Summer huffed. "No, besides it wouldn't mean anything anyways if you didn't fully believe it— which you don't. I can see you still don't believe me even after all; of this— so all I ask is this..." Summer leaned in close, not breaking eye contact with Raven.
"…Watch. Watch and listen. See how your teammates, do things. You can decide for yourself what you want to value— but I won't take the disrespect anymore. You're either on our team 100% or you're not." Summer declared.
Raven sucked in a breath. "You would go that far? Trying to kick me out after all this time together? It would set you all back by at least a year, maybe more than that. You can't kick me out." She glanced to Qrow and watched as he fidgeted and clenched his teeth. Taiyang looked concern but nodded to her when she glanced his way.
Summer looked back to Raven, and perhaps for the first time she had known the other woman, noticed how vulnerable she looked in that moment.
"Yes, Raven I can. I'm serious. I'm willing to deal with the consequences of that decision, even if no one else is. I would rather start from scratch now, than to have our team fall apart a few years after graduation because we can't agree to disagree." Summer said and Raven continued to search her face, looking for something.
Summer was bluffing, to a degree at least. This was a gamble; one last dice thrown in a game about to end. She didn't want Raven to leave, not really. She liked Raven Branwen; for all of her stubbornness and pride, there was a layer of individuality and sense of confidence she held that Summer had rarely seen in others. More than that, she considered Raven a friend, even if the birdbrain hadn't done the same to her.
The silence in the room was deafening and Summer's hands twitched nervously, and she tried to hide it, but she doubted she was successful. Especially when Raven's eyes took a hard glint— whatever she had been looking for, she hadn't found it.
"Fine." Raven said, as she bumped into Summer.
"Good luck on finding a new teammate, then." Raven said before walking out of the dorm.
Summer stared at the door, her thoughts whirling in her head, but really the only thing she could think of in that moment was one thing.
"Fuck."
Hello everyone!
Hope the last, *checks calendar*, six months hasn't been too terrible for everyone? Sorry about the wait; like I said before, life just kind of…got in the way of things as it tends to do.
But, I have good news! During November I participated, and completed, the NaNoWriMo challenge for this fic! So, I have around 50,000 words or so of backlog ready to go! The only thing I have to do with most of it is some minor editing and I already have the next two chapters ready to go.
With that said, I have a plan. As much as I would love to release everything at once, I know me and considering how long It's taken before a new chapter has come out? I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch and land back at square one.
So, starting in January, I will be releasing 2 (!) chapters a month; on the 15th and on the 30th/31st depending on the month. (Or 28th for February I guess).
These chapters will be between 1500-2000 words, so slightly shorter than the chapters I normally put out, but I think most people would appreciate the consistency of releases than a slightly longer chapter. Plus, since I'm releasing two chapters a month, it's still a similar word count anyways.
Speaking of, with the completion of the challenge, this has officially been the most i have ever written for a single story, so cheers to that.
And cheers to everyone who has left reviews over the years and to those who have continued liking and favoriting; thank you so much! Your support means the world to me, and I hope you continue on this journey with me!
Alright, that's it for the housekeeping. One more thing I'd like to address quickly; as I was writing this, I realized this has become a much more character-focused story than I originally intended; meaning that, at least in these beginning stages, this story is much more of a slow burn than I thought it would be.
So, to those who were hoping for constant action and badass feats, I apologize, but those will be fewer and farther between than I may have implied in the beginning. I hope you forgive me and continue reading, but I understand if you don't.
Anyways, that's enough from me. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday season and a wonderful new year!
As always, please follow, favorite and review! Your continued feedback means the world to me and it's the primary driver during NaNoWriMo!
Take Care!
TL;DR— New Chapters releasing on the 15th/30th every month starting in January. Story is much more of a slow burn than I initially planned. Have a happy holidays!
Next Chapter: January 15th