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FROM THE ADVENTURES OF SUMMER ROSE: BOOK TWO
Splinter of a Silver Eye, or: Summer and Cloud Strike Back
Twenty-Four Years Ago
Summer Rose was flying.
Well, it was more that she had been catapulted into the air over the Emerald Forest and was currently falling, while also traveling horizontally. It was, all told, close enough to flying.
She'd prepared for this — well, maybe not the exact scenario, but she had a landing strategy. She cocked the center chamber of her revolver as she tumbled through the canopy, her other arm brought up to guard her head from branches. As the forest floor approached, she fired.
The shot bounced her upwards, leaving her weightless for just a moment. Then she landed, boots on the ground, in a crouch.
She rose to her feet and silently reloaded her revolver. It was a family heirloom that her grandfather had named The Roses' Sharpest Thorn — but Summer had taken to just calling it Thorn.
The parameters of the initiation at Beacon were simple. Travel to the ruins deeper into the forest, acquire a relic, and return to the cliffs. The moment you made eye contact with another Huntsman-in-Training, you were bound to them in partnership — not just for initiation, but for your entire time at Beacon, barring extraneous circumstances.
The catapults on the cliffs had launched them into a rough circle — wide, but not terribly large in comparison to the breadth of the Emerald Forest. Therefore, finding a partner would happen sooner, rather than later.
She stretched for a moment, revolver still in her hand, before setting off into a run.
It wasn't long before a Beowolf pack took notice, the distinctive thump-thump of an approaching beast beside her. She didn't slow — she fired a round at the pack leader, who took the revolver bullet to his bone armor well enough but still slowed slightly, wary of her.
She continued to run.
The pack began to encircle her — Beowolves to both her left and right were keeping pace with her, along with a few to her rear. It was likely that they would push her towards a cliff or some other natural obstacle and, as soon as she slowed, pounce.
So, to maintain her advantage, she would need to set the location of the fight, and soon.
She reached a clearing and skidded to a stop, whirling around. She shot the pack's leader with Thorn's shotgun chamber as her other hand slid her sword out of its sheath and smoothly transitioned into slicing across the chest of another Beowolf.
The ones that had been matching pace with Summer skidded to their own stop, turning and preparing to pounce.
Summer dove underneath one of them, firing Thorn repeatedly into its stomach as it hurled over her. As another leapt, she brought her sword up and drove it through the Grimm.
She rose to her feet as the Beowolves began to circle her properly this time, the small pack already considerably thinned. She spun her empty revolver and slid it back into its holster, her off hand coming up to support her blade.
Beowolf packs like this weren't uncommon back home on Patch — but those were usually younger, without the bone-like protrusions that Grimm earned with age. Now that she had a moment to breathe and observe, these were definitely older.
She adjusted her stance minutely.
One of the Beowolves roared at her and leapt forward. She spun and slid to the side, slicing it nearly in half and catching another's claw swipe with her forearm, her Aura taking the hit. She kicked out its leg, before burying her sword in its midsection. She smirked as she pulled the trigger on her sword, the kickback shoving her sword out of the wound as it opened.
She let the momentum carry the sword into a slice behind her through a Beowolf as it swiped for her, the impact sparking her Aura into visibility. She whirled around, dodging and deflecting as she tore through the remainder of the pack until there was nothing but rapidly disintegrating Grimm corpses in the clearing.
She exhaled shakily.
A roar cut her thinking off as an Ursa emerged from the bushes.
Summer frowned. "Oh, leave it out."
It rose to its full height, bellowing a roar of primal rage that suddenly cut into a strangled noise as it toppled to the side.
Behind the Ursa was a young woman with piercing red eyes and pitch black hair, dressed in Mistralian garb, though not a sort Summer had seen before. As Summer watched, she slid a longsword back into its sheath as the Ursa died.
Summer took an involuntary step back, snapping a small twig in the process.
The young woman's red eyes flicked over and met Summer's.
For an instant, everything in the forest seemed quiet; everything aside from the two of them fell away. Summer's breath caught in her throat under the intensity of her red-eyed stare.
The young woman scoffed and turned away to walk back into the forest.
"Wait," Summer said, running. "Wait!"
Her new partner didn't slow; it didn't matter. Summer burned her Semblance for a moment, gritting her teeth through the slight pain, and caught up.
"Hey," Summer said, matching her pace. "I think we're supposed to be partners now."
Her so-called partner scoffed. "Then keep up."
Summer sheathed her sword and stuck out a hand, still walking alongside the dark-haired young woman. "I'm Summer."
A pair of red eyes flicked down to look at the hand. She made no move to accept it. Her eyes met Summer's for a moment and she said simply: "Raven."
Summer frowned, trailing slightly behind Raven. She shrugged to herself and trudged further on into the forest.
Twenty-Three and a Half Years Ago
The Forever Fall's leaves of red and orange would have usually made Summer feel calm.
Unfortunately, they were here as part of an assignment — a simple game of paintball Capture-the-Flag between teams — which Summer was already disliking before Raven had stepped forward with a plan.
"It's a simple assignment," Raven stated plainly, "and it has a simple solution. We punch through their assault and defenses in one blow."
"Two objections, Raven," Summer retorted. "First off, that's assuming they do the same as us and send their attackers down the central path. Second off — throwing the four of us at them without assigning anyone on defense isn't a plan!" She threw her hands in the air to punctuate her point before gesturing to their flag, which was tied to a pole stuck in the ground. "We kinda need someone to stay here and guard the flag!"
"Ladies, ladies," Taiyang Xiao Long said, holding out a hand to each of them. "Let's all take a second and just calm down."
Summer and Raven turned with equally vicious glares at him and he immediately stepped back to stand with Qrow.
"I've been meaning to ask," Taiyang whispered to Qrow. "Is it always this lively around your sister?"
"Usually not," Qrow grumbled. "Then again, she's never met anyone half as stubborn as her before."
"Okay," Raven said dryly. "What's your plan, leader?"
Summer looked back and forth between the three other team members. She tapped her chin with her index finger. "We split evenly — two on offense, two on defense." Her eyes narrowed and she pointed at Taiyang. "Taiyang, you're gonna be by the flag."
"Oh, good, the most important job of the whole team," Taiyang said sarcastically.
Summer sighed at him and continued. "And while he's out in the open, Raven, you're gonna be flanking and ambushing any attackers."
"Not doing it," Raven said. "Qrow can do it. I'm on offense."
Summer frowned and flicked her eyes over to Qrow. "Qrow?"
"She can do it," Qrow said. He smirked. "If she's planning what I think she's planning, we've got this thing in the bag."
Summer grit her teeth. "Right. Then Raven, you're with me. We're going to try and flank them. I think our five minutes are up — everybody set?"
Raven nodded, followed by Taiyang and Qrow.
Summer smirked. "Then let's go."
After nearly half an hour of meticulous sneaking through the woods, Summer and Raven reached the enemy team's base — well, "base" was stretching it. It was an open clearing with the enemy flag on a pole.
The other team had divided their force evenly just as Summer had with STRQ. Summer couldn't quite remember the two enemy defenders' names, but they were a pair of siblings: a brother and a sister. Both were armed with the same paintball gun Summer was carrying.
"Okay," Summer said quietly, peering out from a bush. "Qrow said you have a plan?"
Raven nodded. "I'll run in there while you distract them."
Summer closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and counted to ten before releasing it and opening her eyes. "That's not much of a plan."
Raven snorted. "Trust me, Rose."
Summer checked her paintball gun's clip. "Fine, fine. I'm going left, you head right. That'll put me in their sights while you grab the flag and run."
Raven smirked as she began to move around the enemy base. Summer shook her head and began her own movement.
After a few moments Summer peered out from her hiding place. Raven was in the bushes almost on the far side of the camp.
"Here goes nothing," Summer grumbled to herself. She picked up a rock and tossed it against a tree in plain earshot of the enemy defenders.
Whatever quiet words were exchanged, the brother took the lead, raising his paint pistol to a slightly awkward ready stance. He stepped forward gently towards where Summer was.
His eyes widened as Summer emerged from her hiding spot, firing a spray of paintballs from her gun. He dove into cover behind a toppled tree's trunk.
"There she is," the sister yelled as she took cover herself, firing her own volley of paint back at Summer.
Summer had drawn them out of the clearing, and as she peered out of her cover, Raven had accomplished her half of the plan and snatched the flag from the enemy pole. She watched as Raven pulled a small knife from a sheath on her belt and sharply cut a line down through the air. A red and black rift formed in the space she'd cut open.
Summer blinked as she peered out of cover.
Raven turned and smirked as she vanished into the portal, leaving Summer behind, pinned down in cover by enemy fire.
"That incorrigible little—"
A paintball nailed Summer in the forehead.
Twenty-Three Years Ago
The Beacon Library was quiet, as usual. Sunlight streamed through great glass windows. The wheels of an old metal cart squeaked as a librarian trundled between tall, book-laden shelves.
Summer was occupying a table by herself, a thick textbook on Huntsman bylaws in front of her. She worked sedately on writing a page of notes as she read, her cape unfastened and draped over the back of her chair.
A hand slammed down onto the table, shattering the quiet of the library for an instant. All around, students looked up and over for an instant before looking back down at their studies or work.
Summer looked up from her textbook. "People try and study here, Raven."
Raven Branwen rolled her eyes as she rose to her full height. She was wearing casual clothing; black jeans and a red shirt; her thick, luxurious — and, if Summer was being honest, quite desirable — hair was done up in a high ponytail.
Summer raised an eyebrow and shut her book. "So. What's up?"
"Here."
With a flick of her wrist, Raven threw a folded-up paper at Summer. It bounced off Summer's chest and landed in her lap, and Summer picked it up and began to unfold it. It was standard enough paper, if a little thin and overly large.
As Summer finished unfolding it, her eyebrows lifted again, this time in surprise. "You know, when I said you could design me a new sword, I meant it as a joke," she said, examining the design schematic.
"I guess I didn't get it," Raven said, an almost mocking tilt to her tone.
It was a schematic for a sword that folded into a rifle. A note in the corner named it "Rose Sword, Mk. 1". Amazingly, Summer could find little fault with the design: if it worked as intended, the blade would be just as long and as useful as her current one. The rifle's barrel would naturally be shorter, which was admittedly a drawback, but Summer wasn't in the sniping business. Actually, the folding back of the blade would reduce kickback by adjusting the weapon's center of balance, something Summer had been struggling with in her current sword's design. She hadn't even realized Raven had been paying quite so much attention to her.
Summer mentally counted. "You did this in…what, three days?"
"I had the idea a few months ago," Raven admitted. "Just after we met."
"I clearly underestimated you," Summer said. She hesitated a long moment before standing up and refolding the paper. "What if we count this semester as a wash?"
Raven stepped back slightly, confusion evident on her face. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry. We've been arguing for months now and it's been useless. But—" Summer held up the paper. "—you did this. For me. We're in a partnership where I'm not giving you the level of care you're giving me. Ever since initiation, I haven't been taking you seriously. But I should have been a better partner and a better leader. So this is me, apologizing."
Raven stood there for a long moment, the bare indication of surprise on her face. She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes for a moment, and made eye contact with Summer. "Sorry for calling you an idiot the other day. You're not dumb, or naive."
"How about this?" Summer held out her hand. "No more arguments. We're partners; we work as a team. I'll have your back, and you'll have mine."
"Partners, huh?" Raven tentatively reached out and took Summer's hand. Her grip was gentler than Summer expected, so much warmer and more alive than she'd thought Raven Branwen was capable of being.
Summer smiled. "Like it or not."
Raven cracked a gentle, tentative smile, looking into Summer's eyes.
"I have some of my own notes, by the way," Summer said, cracking her own grin. "If we're making this thing, there's a couple things I need to edit. And it needs a better name!"
Raven barked out a laugh. "You say all this after telling me 'no more arguments'?"
Twenty-Two Years Ago
Raven lifted her foot off the pedal; the grindstone slowed to a stop as she lifted the blade from the stone.
Around her, the sounds of the Beacon Forge rang on — the sound of weapon creation and maintenance were borderline deafening, which is why Raven wore a pair of earplugs (which were on indefinite loan from Summer).
She lifted her goggles off her eyes and examined the blade carefully. Just like Summer had said when they'd begun working on the new blades' design, the infused Ice Dust had suffused the steel of Omen's new blade in cold. But with a central chamber of Dust running through the middle rather than trying to work it into the steel, it wasn't as brittle as their earlier attempts, which hadn't stood up to the necessary work to make them viable as actual blades.
A shadow passed over the blade and Raven looked up.
It was another Beacon student; Raven recognized her as one of Summer's friends.
Marlene Poehler was almost as tall as Raven, her just-past-shoulder-length blonde hair slightly wavy. She had a kind face and a bright smile, neither of which was present at the moment.
"Can I help you?" Raven asked flatly.
"Yeah," Marlene said loudly. She paused. "Can we go somewhere else? This place always gives me a headache."
Raven shrugged. "Whatever. Let me put away some stuff."
Marlene followed Raven closely as she diligently returned her rented tools to the forgemaster and slid Omen's new blade into an empty slot in the sheath. Raven put a little more time and care into doing so, just to see if Marlene would back off, but the other Huntress-in-Training didn't falter.
"So, what did you need?" Raven asked as they emerged into the open air of the Beacon quad. She stopped and turned back to look at Marlene. "If you need weapon design or repair, it'll cost you."
"That's not it," Marlene replied. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let me break it down for you, Branwen, because you can't see the forest for the trees."
"I can see the forest," Raven retorted.
Marlene huffed. "No. No, you can't. So, you and Summer. You started actually getting along a while ago and, like, studying together, hitting the gym together, whatever."
Raven nodded.
"And then Summer starts asking you to, like, post-workout dinners and stuff for just you and her."
Raven nodded again.
"Just the two of you," Marlene repeated.
Raven shrugged. "And?"
Marlene turned and held her head in her hand for a moment, letting out a small but very protracted sound like her soul itself was being crushed in a vise that Raven was slowly closing. When it was done, she turned back to Raven. "She's interested in you. As a partner."
"We're already partners," Raven said blankly.
Marlene put her head in her hands — both, this time — and let out a long, suffering groan. "Gods, do I really have to spell it out for you? She's smitten with you. Or a crush. Whatever you want to call it. You're, like, all Summer talks about now and it's driving me certifiably crazy. I don't think she realizes it, but I'm pretty certain she loves you."
Raven blinked twice.
Marlene clapped her hands together in front of her chest in an approximation of a prayer. "So I need you to pony up and either let her down gently, or actually, like, take her on a date or something. Please."
—
Raven was alone in the dorm room, sitting on her bed, her back against the wall and a textbook on her lap. She was looking down at it and attempting to read. Mostly, however, she was thinking about what Marlene had said, reexamining every minor action of Summer's for the past week under the lens of Summer maybe, possibly, liking Raven more than a teammate.
Not just that but she was additionally thinking about another terrifying prospect: the fact that Raven, herself, liked Summer right back, maybe even in the same way.
She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the door softly shut and her teammate approach until she spoke aloud:
"Rae."
Raven blinked and looked up. Summer was staring at her, her head cocked to the side slightly.
"You doing okay?" Summer asked. "You looked like you were zoning out pretty hard."
"Just tired," Raven lied quickly.
"I'm sorry," Summer said. She sat on the edge of Raven's bed.
Raven flushed slightly. "If you're going to do that — you may as well sit next to me."
Summer slid backwards and settled next to Raven. She leaned over slightly and put some of her weight on Raven. "What're ya reading? Oh, history?"
"Yeah," Raven said.
"Didn't you say earlier you were working on your new blade for Omen? How did that work out? With the Ice Dust?"
"About like you predicted," Raven said. It was easier for her to talk about weapons than the tangled mess of feelings that Raven had experienced over the last three hours. "The metal is cold without being as brittle as the earlier tests. I was able to get a good edge on it without it breaking or cracking."
"That's good," Summer said.
Raven exhaled. She bit her lip for a moment.
Looking at Summer — the gentle curve of her cheek, the brightness of her eyes, the thoughtless kindness she expressed in her actions and the stubborn streak to match Raven's own — Raven realized she absolutely was in love.
Whatever emotions were spilling out of her heart were impossible for her to formulate into words. A direct confession of love was impossible. She did not have the framework to begin constructing it.
So, instead—
"Did you want to go out to dinner?" Raven blurted out.
Summer sat up and looked back at Raven. Her eyebrows were raised in shock. After a couple seconds of her looking at Raven, though, a knowing smile crept over her face. "Did you want to invite the guys?" Her tone said that she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from Raven herself.
"No. Just the two of us," Raven affirmed.
Summer slid off the bed and offered her hand out to Raven.
Raven took it.
Twenty Years Ago
The sun had begun to set, casting the house that Summer Rose had inherited from her mother in orange and purple hues as she parked her sedan. She stepped out of the car and slipped her rapidly-becoming-useless sunglasses in the pocket of her white denim jacket.
Summer hefted the pair of cases out of the trunk of her sedan. She gingerly set one down on the ground beside her feet and shut the trunk with her now-free hand before picking the case back up, walking up the steps to the porch, and repeating the process to unlock and open the door.
As Summer walked in and shut the door, Raven leaned back from where she was standing to peek around the corner.
"Our Dust shipment came in," Summer explained. She inhaled; it smelled like stock and spices. She carefully set the cases down on the coffee table before wandering into the kitchen. "Whatcha cookin'?"
"Noodle soup," Raven said. Summer kissed her on the cheek as they crossed paths. "So what's up for grabs this week?"
Summer folded her arms and leaned up against the counter. "Not a lot," she said, a little disappointed. "Looks like they're back in low-budget season."
Raven clicked her tongue as she stirred the pot. "Bureaucrats."
"It's stupid," Summer said, throwing her hands up in the air. "The Council doesn't care about freelance Huntsmen until there's Grimm at the wall, and then it's open season on hiring. Then they drop us as soon as the fire's out. No thought given to actually preventing it."
Raven pulled bowls out of the cabinets and began to ladle out soup. "We'll figure something out." She passed a bowl, spoon, and a pair of chopsticks to Summer, who pulled out a stool from the counter and sat down.
"Yeah, yeah," Summer said, grabbing the noodles with her chopsticks. Raven stood opposite her, holding her own bowl.
They continued to eat in a content silence.
"This is good," Summer said.
"Thanks," Raven said, flushing slightly.
There were three abrupt knocks on the door followed by the doorbell ringing. Both Raven and Summer looked up at each other.
Raven was the first to speak. "Are you expecting—?"
Summer shook her head. "No. You?"
Raven responded with a shake of her own head. She quietly set her bowl down, eyes narrowed in suspicion and worry.
There was another series of knocks, louder this time.
"I'm gonna see who it is," Summer said, standing. "Probably just a door to door salesman."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Out here?"
"Maybe." Summer turned and strode back down the entryway towards the door as another series of knocks resounded through the house. She unlocked the deadbolt and pulled open the door.
Standing there on the porch was a young-looking mailman in a red hat and a white shirt. "Are you Summer Rose?" he asked.
"That's me," Summer said.
"I've got something for you," the mailman said, reaching into his bag. Summer unconsciously tensed until he pulled a thin envelope out. "A letter."
"A letter?" Summer asked. She looked out the door at the mailbox. "Why didn't you leave it there?"
"They paid for signature delivery," the mailman said with a shrug. He pulled a small slip on a clipboard out. "Could I get you to sign here?"
Summer took it and patted her pockets for a pen. "Sorry, do you—?" She took the mailman's offered pen and scribbled down her signature before passing it and the signed slip back. "Thank you."
"Have a good day, ma'am," the mailman said.
"You too," Summer said, before shutting the door. She looked at the thin envelope in her hand. It was nice stationery, vaguely familiar, with no return address and a Vale postmark. She flipped it over and began to tear it open.
"Just got a letter," Summer said as she walked back into the kitchen. She sat down and began to read it.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"Huh," Summer said. "It's a job offer. Both of us."
"From who?" Raven asked, clear suspicion in her voice.
"Remember Professor Ozpin?"
"Weapons and Sparring 1050?" Raven asked. "Young-looking but already going gray?"
"Bingo," Summer said, rereading it. "Not a lot of details, says he'll give a more detailed brief if we accept." She passed it to Raven, who scanned it closely. "My question is, why is a Professor at Beacon contracting a couple of graduated Huntresses directly?"
"Something under the table," Raven said immediately. She pointed at the envelope Summer had set down. "Envelope's not marked with a return address."
"You think Ozpin's doing something shady?"
"Not entirely," Raven said. "At the least, I don't think it's anything illegal. He seems too straight laced for that. But definitely shady."
"Just a little," Summer said. "But if what he says is true, it could be worth it, at least in terms of money." She plunged her chopsticks back into the broth, looking for the last of the noodles. She got one last good clump and slurped it up. "Just hope it's not anything crazy."
Nineteen Years Ago
When his Scroll rang, Taiyang Xiao Long was in the midst of enjoying a rare day off. It was early in the evening, and he was sitting in an armchair, sipping a mug of decaf coffee and reading a thick novel. He slid a bookmark into it and set it aside before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the still-ringing Scroll.
It was, unexpectedly, his former team leader, Summer Rose. As he answered the call, he mentally ran through the reasons she might be calling, but came up completely empty.
"Hello," Taiyang said.
"Yo!" Summer said. "You doing anything?"
"Nothing in particular," Taiyang said.
"Then let's go to dinner, your choice, my treat," Summer said perkily. He'd heard that exact tone before many times back at Beacon, and usually it was when Summer was about to creatively bend some sort of rule or regulation and needed to persuade one of her teammates.
After a long moment, Taiyang huffed. "So what sort of trouble are you getting me into this time?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Summer said, sounding accused.
"Well, you clearly need my help with something," Taiyang said. "And you know that offering dinner means I'll have to hear your next crazy scheme out."
"Hey!" Summer shot back. "What kind of world are we living in that I can't check in on my old teammates and invite them to a nice dinner without being accused of ulterior motives?"
"Alright, alright," Taiyang grumbled. "I'm allowed to say no, though. Is Raven coming?
"Yep," Summer said. "We'll be at your place in, like, forty minutes. Be ready, okay?"
Taiyang had chosen a Vacuoan place not far from his apartment in Vale. The decor was rustic and wonderful smells emanated from the kitchen. It was plenty busy, and they'd had to wait outside about half an hour for a table.
"Rose, party of three?" the hostess called out.
Summer stood and approached the station and the hostess gasped. "Wait, you're that Huntress—"
"Yes," Summer said.
The hostess pointed to Raven. "And she's—"
"Yes," Summer repeated.
"Can I get an autograph?" the hostess squealed, pulling out a marker and a napkin.
Summer autographed the napkin and passed it to Raven, who scrawled out her own messy signature. The hostess squealed again as it was passed back to her and she tucked it in her breast pocket for safekeeping.
Summer scratched the back of her neck. "Could we, uh…?"
"Oh, yes, right away," the hostess said, leading them into the restaurant and to a relatively tucked away booth.
"I feel like an idiot for saying this because of all that, but I saw you guys were in the papers," Taiyang said as soon as they sat down.
"No, that was wild," Summer said. "Weird to get recognized out in public like that. And honestly, we were lucky we got to the village before the Grimm breached the walls. But you, how've you been? It feels like ages."
"Still workin'," Taiyang said, looking at the menu.
"So I've never been here," Summer said. "What do you like?"
"Fish tacos," Taiyang said with a nod. "Best thing here."
Their waitress passed by and took their drink orders; Taiyang ordered an imported beer, Raven a cocktail, and Summer ordered a decaf coffee.
"So," Summer began.
"How long did you want to small talk?" Raven asked abruptly, closing her menu.
Taiyang laughed. "I am a little curious," he said, leaning in conspiratorially. "What's up? Planning a surprise party for Qrow?"
"That's not a bad idea," Summer said, glancing over at Raven, who gave a small shrug. She looked back at Tai. "But, uh, no. It's a little more serious than that."
Taiyang set his mouth into a thin line, his brow creased with worry. "What's up?"
"So," Summer said. "To make a very, very long story short, Raven and I have been together for a few years and the other night we were talking about having kids."
"Okay," Taiyang said, still confused but less worried.
"And we were talking about how we want to go about it." Summer hesitated. "'Cause, see, neither of us really want to adopt," she explained. "And so we talked about it a little more and we want to carry the baby but Raven doesn't want the, uh, donor to be someone that we've never met. And, well, you're the person both of us trust the most. Who isn't Raven's twin brother, I mean."
Taiyang held his hands up. "Sorry," he said. "You're asking me to what?"
"Make a baby," Raven said, putting her fist on the table.
Taiyang sat there looking at the wood of the table for a long moment before the waitress came back with their drinks and to take their order.
Summer cleared her throat as she left. "Listen, if this weirds you out we can forget this entire conversation happened and we'll just have dinner. We can go to a clinic or whatever and have it artificially done."
"There's nothing artificial about it," Raven added. "They still, y'know."
"I have a condition," Taiyang said.
"Does that mean you'll do it?" Summer said, her eyes lighting up.
"Not yet. It's an 'if'. I need to think about it a lot." Taiyang breathed in. "If we do this, I'm part of this. It wouldn't be right if I didn't help you raise them."
"Alright," Summer said. "How much are we talking about here, like, are we talking custody agreements or just you being Fun Uncle Taiyang?"
"Whatever you're comfortable with. We can talk about it more later," Taiyang said. "And, uh, who's carrying the baby? Have you decided?"
"We didn't talk about that yet," Summer said. "I'm fine carrying the baby."
"I can do it," Raven asserted.
"So, either of you," Taiyang said. He paused awkwardly. "So when we're…trying…"
"All of us," Raven said.
"This is not what I expected from today," Taiyang said.
Eighteen Years Ago
It was the depth of the night. Raven sat in the armchair of Yang's room, Yang cradled in her arms. The neckline of her Mistralian nightgown was pulled down to let Yang feed from her breast.
She heard a sound and looked up; Taiyang was standing in the doorway, just in his pajama pants. "You know, we got that formula so I could help with the night feedings, too," he said, folding his arms and leaning against the doorframe.
"It's fine," Raven said.
"Summer can do it, too," Taiyang said.
"Summer isn't lactating."
"Well, you'd be the expert." Taiyang raised both of his eyebrows and grinned.
Raven snorted in response.
"You know, when we met, I don't think I could have ever pictured you as a mom," Taiyang mused.
"Neither did I," Raven said. "I didn't exactly expect this." She looked down at Yang. "Some nights I wonder what I've been doing here. I've been fighting just to survive since I was a child. There wasn't any reason behind it. I thought that the struggle would last until I died. I didn't expect I'd ever fall in love." She brushed a lock of Yang's hair out of her face. "Then I met her."
"Summer," Taiyang said.
Raven nodded silently. "I think we both were lonely. Stubborn. Warriors, looking for a reason to fight."
The silence of the night stretched on between the two for a long moment until the sound of a door opening broke it.
"Hey," Summer said blearily, emerging from the master bedroom. "Come back to bed, you two." She shambled over and hugged Taiyang from behind, kissing the back of his ear with a distinct "mwah" before wandering over to the seated Raven and hugging her from the side, pressing another kiss into her hair. Summer nodded at Yang. "How is she? Eating well?"
"Almost done," Raven said. "I think."
"So what are you talking about?" Summer said, suppressing a yawn.
"You," Taiyang said, with slight sarcasm.
"Good," Summer said, throwing her own sarcasm right back at him. "I'm glad you two can air out your grievances with regards to this whole—" She waved one of her hands in the air. "—whatever we're calling this."
"Polyamorous relationship with a side of parenting," Taiyang offered.
"Mess," Raven said flatly.
Summer smiled softly. "Well, whatever it is, I'm happy." She yawned again. "Anyway, I've got an early start tomorrow."
"Right, your Atlas trip," Taiyang said. "What's it for, again?"
"Ozpin stuff," Summer said. "Get to spend a week freezing my butt off in the tundra."
Raven laughed. "Did you really just say 'butt'?"
Summer drew herself up in mock indignance. "I am trying to curb my cursing, thank you very much."
"Tell that to my brother," Raven said.
"No, seriously," Taiyang said. "What are you going to be doing? I'm interested."
"Land surveys with the Atlesian government," Summer said. "They want someone with field experience about Grimm, so they reached out, and Ozpin offered me. It pays well but I am gonna be freezing my ass off up there." A moment later, Summer buried her face in a palm. "Shi—shoot."
"So what do they want out in the tundra?"
"What does any government want?" Summer asked. "They want a new Dust mine. They have some new contract with the Schnee Company." She yawned again. "Seriously, love you, but I gotta get back to bed if I don't want to be a complete zombie in the morning." She shambled off in the direction of her bed.
Taiyang looked back over at Raven.
Yang had disengaged and was evidently returning to sleep in her mother's arms.
"You can go ahead," Raven said quietly.
In the dark, it was difficult to see, but it looked as if she was smiling gently.
Fifteen Years Ago
In his basement study, sitting on the small couch, Taiyang Xiao Long gently cradled in one arm a nine-month old Ruby Rose. Sitting next to him, resting against his other arm, was two-year old Yang, her blonde hair thick and curly. His feet were bare, and he was curling his toes into fists on a thick shag rug.
Across from them, the stereo was playing a record — but Taiyang was barely paying attention to it. Most of his focus was consumed with the muffled voices upstairs and the distinct sound of two sets of footfalls back and forth across the kitchen, both of which were barely audible over the music.
Yang looked over at him in confusion at why she'd been brought down here.
He pursed his lips and gave her an attempt at a reassuring smile. It probably wasn't the best, he considered, but it was about as good as he could muster given the circumstances.
Above the three of them, the argument was raging.
"I don't see how you can just walk away, Raven," Summer shouted. "We have the skills and we have the power to — to change the world. I thought we were doing this to make a better tomorrow! But you want to go off and do your own thing, huh?"
"We don't owe the world anything, Summer," Raven growled right back. "And running off to get yourself killed isn't making the world better. Not for anyone, and especially not for our daughters."
"That's—"
"That's exactly what he's asking for with these missions! One day, you're going out, and you're not coming back!"
"Running away won't change anything! Are you really that selfish?!"
Summer knew the instant she'd said those words — the way Raven's eyes narrowed, the way she curled up slightly in anger — that the bough had broken.
"I am leaving," Raven spat. "I'm going back to the tribe. If you decide to join me, you, Taiyang, and the girls are welcome. Otherwise, stay out of my affairs. I don't want anything to do with you and Oz's private war."
Summer's mouth hung slightly open for a moment. It snapped shut with the soft click of her teeth colliding.
Raven marched out of the kitchen and into the front hall. Summer followed, slumped against the wall.
"We made a promise," Summer said softly.
"I know," Raven replied, her own voice thick with sorrow. She opened and shut the door without another word.
Summer slumped down and began to sob.
Thirteen Years Ago
It was raining on Patch. The setting sun peeked out between the horizon and the cloud cover, casting the cliffs in a dim orange light.
Raven emerged from the trees.
It didn't feel real. Nothing had felt completely real since she'd had one of her Semblance's links short out on a cold afternoon. She'd been to town frequently ever since, looking at the news, hoping against hope that what she thought had happened hadn't.
It had.
She hadn't gotten an invitation to the funeral; it was difficult to receive one when you didn't have a proper mailing address. She knew she didn't need one, but she didn't want to show herself before others.
The cliffside was now marked with a gray headstone. It bore Summer's name and her sigil.
Nothing was buried underneath it. They'd never found a body. The headstone was an empty platitude, but one day it would be the only memory that Summer Rose had lived and died.
Raven collapsed to her knees before it.
The cold edifice seemed to say nothing but the fact that she would never see Summer again.
She sat there crying until the sun had long since set.
Last Night
Raven used her knee to support the bag of groceries as she opened the door to her safehouse.
To her surprise, there was a small crowd gathered inside. She recognized Qrow, Yang, and the blonde boy that Ruby had been traveling with, but there was a swordsman in a dramatic red cape and a woman with long dark hair standing beside him, dressed in a blouse and waistcoat.
The crowd silently parted to reveal, standing in the middle of the room, Summer Rose, embracing their daughter Ruby. They'd both been crying and holding each other for what looked like a long moment.
"Summer?" Raven asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Summer disengaged from the hug and stepped towards her. "Rae," she said.
Raven shoved her bag of groceries into someone's arms.
"It's been a while," Summer said. She looked like she hadn't aged a day, her silver eyes glimmering in the room's low light.
Raven could have laughed at the understatement. Instead, she merely said, "It has." For an instant she felt stupid. "I—I missed you," she choked out a moment later.
Summer stepped forward again, her hand cupping Raven's cheek.
Raven just nodded. She closed her eyes.
Somewhere in the distance she heard Yang ask, "Uh, what's going on?"
Then, everything melted away as Summer kissed Raven. All the pain and the struggle of life for the past fifteen years seemed to ebb away. In that moment, Raven remembered what it was like to love and to be loved. She remembered days long past filled with the mundanities shared with the two people she truly loved. Her hand came up to caress Summer's neck.
Raven's cheeks were flushed as they separated.
Summer just smiled contentedly; Raven was too tongue-tied to speak.
But the thing that broke the silence was Ruby's cry of, "Wait, what!?"