ROCKET!~ Man, sorry about the long wait everyone, been really busy and was simply lacking the motivation ngl. Anyhow, I've decided to keep this arc as a three-parter, and the long-awaited grad reunion will occur in the next bundle of chapters.
I don't really have much to say other than that, so have a wonderful day and enjoy reading!
Cheers, Searoar.
*Grad Reunion Arc Part 2. Begin.*
"What's with that face? Is my invitation that surprising?" The red reaper giggled as the magician's features scrunched.
"This is rather sudden, as I recollect you had the intention of going with that Tai fellow."
Summer played with a stray lock of hair. "Well... plans changed and now I need a date. I don't really fell like bringing Qrow either, so you were the first one to pop into my head."
"What about Mr. Callows? I'd imagine with his erratic nature he'd have a hard time finding a date. Why not take him?"
Summer cupped her chin and adopted a classic thinking pose. "Hm... Tyrian told me that he wants to use the grad reunion to catch up with his friends from Haven so I don't want to burden him with a date."
"But you don't mind putting the weight on me instead?" Hawkins grumbled.
The red reaper pouted. "Aw, come on, Hawkins. We're friends aren't we?"
Those words stung the blonde's core as he rolled his eyes.
"While you are a person I can tolerate, that doesn't mean you can go expecting me to do things on a whim."
Hawkins leaned down to pick up his bags but paused when he saw a foreign expression form on Summer's face. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth bared, she clenched her fists as her entire body shook. Without warning, the huntress jumped off the bench and snagged the magician by his collar, and forced him to meet her silver gaze.
"Then can you at least do some of those strange card readings for me?!"
With the shrill tone piercing his eardrums, Hawkins pried free from Summer's grasp and straightened himself. He dropped his bags again, but his new clothes were a petty nuisance compared to the conundrum at hand.
"I assume there has been a dispute between you and your teammates?"
The red reaper said nothing but curtly nodded in confirmation.
Rubbing his temples, Hawkins plopped down on the bench and withdrew his tarot cards. Summer quickly followed, but gathered the magician's bags and dropped them beside his boots before taking her seat beside him.
Peering over the blonde's shoulder, Summer tried to decipher his cards but failed to see the information he gathered from the pieces of colored paper.
"There's a 56% chance that your ire is related to your teammates." Hawkins curled a brow. While the percentages of Summer suffering from relationship woes stood at ninety-one percent, that didn't explain why the numbers were so low.
Summer crossed her arms at her friend's words, but when Hawkins tried to ask her any questions, she simply huffed and turned away.
"Why are women so difficult?" The magician mulled in his head and continued to shuffle.
Narrowing his options to each individual teammate of STTQ, a lightbulb dinged above Hawkins' head as he came to the revelation that Summer's team had been changed only months prior to this encounter.
"86% chance you're mad at the woman who competed for Tai's affection."
The huntress flinched back as if she'd been slapped.
His suspicions confirmed the blonde pressed on without remorse.
"78% chance you still harbor feelings of envy."
"65% chance you despise her."
"85% chance-"
"Will you stop it already?!" Summer screamed and broke into a crying mess.
The magician winced. The eyes of those who shared the park space staring at the bawling woman and stoic man, Hawkins shot them an annoyed glare and that appeared to be enough to send them on their way.
"You asked me to do tarot readings, yet you deny me crucial information to elaborate the emotional issues that grip your heart. If your intention is to pester me then I'll take my leave."
A grip on his sleeve, the blonde shook it off and made it three steps away before-
"SLAP!"
A red streak marring his pale cheek, the thin scrapes of delicate nails sent stinging trickles of blood down his neck that smudged his ruffled collar. Luckily he hadn't been wearing his clothes for the grad reunion, but that was beside the point.
"Is that how you see it?! I come to confide in you yet you brush me off like I don't exist?!" Summer wailed.
Wiping the blood off his face, Hawkins steeled his nerves and looked directly into his cohort's eyes.
"I never intended to insult you, but from my perspective, this was the quickest way to get results. However, if you're going to resort to abuse then by all means I have the right to walk away."
He grimaced and pointed a thumb to the mark on his visage.
"N-No... I-I..." The red reaper's anger wilted in an instant and her quivering body emphasized this fact.
The attention after the exchange ever-increasing, Hawkins took the initiative and asked Summer to accompany him to a more private location. However, since the chances of the huntress causing a scene were at seventy-five percent, Hawkins decided a stroll through the uninhabited forest would be best.
/-/
"Well, if you want to discuss your personal troubles then now would be a good time to do it." Hawkins sighed.
The magician followed Summer's slow pace down a wide pathway of dusty soil. The leftovers of ash from the agricultural district's fire had plagued the edges of forest, but hadn't reached the inner sections or the rivers.
"What was this place called again?" Hawkins asked.
"I-It's the Emerald Forest. Unlike Forever Fall, the trees here abide to the laws of nature and change with the seasons but it still has issues with Grimm every now and then."
Brushing her bangs from her face, Summer took a deep breath and put a hand over her chest.
"I-I'm not sure where to start..."
"The beginning is usually the best place." The blonde grunted.
"R-Right..."
Fiddling with the hem of her skirt, the huntress swallowed a thick lump and tilted her chin toward the sky. The sun blocked by the graying clouds, it seemed like Vale was due for a much-needed downpour.
"Ms. Rose?"
"H-Huh?"
"You're spacing out again..."
Locked with the magician's crimson stare, Summer did her best to meet his eye but failed miserably.
"I-I'm sorry about pestering you so much..."
"Apologies should be given at the end of this conversation. Now get on with it and stop wasting my time." Though his words were harsh, they held no malice by the calm expression he wore.
"Hah... You're rude, but at least you're honest." Summer sighed.
"I lie when it benefits me, and I see no reason to do so in this situation," Hawkins replied.
"Don't ruin the moment." Summer glared.
Rolling his eyes, Hawkins pointed to his reddened cheek which earned another ramble of sputtering apologies. However, the huntress' expression of concern slowly shifted to one of contemplative revelation.
"Hawkins... I know this is out of the blue, but don't you have aura?"
The magician curled a brow. "It's that ability you hunters possess correct? The one that allows you to resist and deter any physical damage?"
Summer nodded. "Yeah, I thought you had it, but considering how long it took for your injuries to heal in the hospital it kinda made me wonder how big your reserves were."
"...I don't have aura." The blonde stated. There was no reason to lie as he had nothing to back him up if claimed to have the quality, but by Summer's pensive face perhaps he should have fibbed.
"You're joking, right? Then how do you manipulate the straw that comes out of your back when you're reading cards?"
"That's because I ate-" The magician bit his tongue. He had to remember that he was in Remnant, not the grande-line. If word got out that he gained his magical powers through the means of a fruit, there was a high chance that those around him would become exceedingly curious and perhaps envious of his demon blessing.
"You ate?" Summer's lips spread to a teasing grin. "Don't tell me you gobbled up a heap of straw and unlocked your semblance that way. I've heard some ridiculous stories from school, but this one takes the cake!"
"Sure, let's go with that," Hawkins grumbled.
"But, you need aura in order to have a semblance."
Hawkins' footsteps slowed. He hadn't considered the fact, but it appeared that Summer had caught him in a blatant lie. Hmph, the huntress was a lot more cunning than he gave her credit for.
"So, are you going to tell me the truth about your powers, or am I going to have to do some meticulous detective work?"
"Aren't we getting off-topic? I assumed you wanted to discuss the poor dynamic of your team. Or will that earn me another slap?" The blonde grunted.
"H-Hey! That's mean, Hawkins! I-I only did that because you wouldn't shut up..."
"You asked me to do tarot readings, and that's exactly what I did. So aren't you being the childish one in this scenario?"
"I-I..." Her bangs drifting over her dimmed pupils, Summer clasped her hands below her waist and bit her lip.
"I'm just tired..."
"Hm, tired of what?"
"Of being treated like a second option."
That last line was rather blunt and caught the magician off guard. His brows vexed and lips pursed, he reached for his tarot cards but was stopped by a slender set of fingers that coiled around his right hand.
"I-I want to talk to a person, not a stack of cards. Can you do that for me, Hawkins?"
Her eyes threatening to break into another salty waterfall, the pirate complied but did so reluctantly.
"Y-You actually listened without complaining for a change." Summer beamed a toothy smile, which was returned with a deadpanned visage.
"I've done as you've requested. Now can we please settle this whole conundrum with your team? I still have a few preparations before tomorrow evening."
"Hah... okay, I've been stalling a bit too much haven't I?" Summer schooled her features and tightened her grip around the magician's hand.
"I got into a fight with my teammates today, and well... it got really messy."
"Is this dispute among Mr. Long and Mr. Branwen only? Or is Mr. Callows also a contributor to your anger?" Hawkins asked.
"No, Tyrian doesn't spend that much time with us, but he does show up when we have a mission. He's also a competent combatant too, though his wicked cackling is a little unnerving if I'm being honest."
"I see." The magician scratched his forehead, and seeing that he wasn't going to add anything to the conversation, Summer continued.
"It started on the boat ride to Patch. The island is only a half-hour away, so the travel is pretty pleasant after a long day of missions. But... I overheard something that I wasn't supposed to near the end of the voyage..."
/-/
Strolling across the decks with a sleeping Yang snuggled in her left arm with a basket of sandwiches and drinks in her right, Summer hummed a merry tune as she rounded the corner at the end of the hallway. She wanted to check up on Tai and have breakfast with her team, but as she neared the entrance to STTQ's dorm, she could hear the faint whispers of an argument.
"That's not gonna happen," Tai growled.
Qrow ran a hand through his ebony locks and sighed. "Look, I'm not enthusiastic about this private meeting either, but my sister's been making all sorts of threats since I kidnapped Yang."
Summer's eyes widened.
"She's also been wanting to talk to you since your last get-together on Monday. I don't know what's going through Raven's mind, but it's obvious that she wants to discuss something important."
Tai crossed his arms and sat on the couch. "I get that, but I don't know what to say to her anymore. I've tried being assertive, but all that got me was a kick to the ribs and a slap on the face."
"Figures." The ravenette grunted. "But she's always been on the physical side when it came to disputes."
"So what are you saying, Qrow?! Am I just supposed to hand over Yang like she's some piece of property?!" Tai slammed his fists against the coffee table and sprang to his feet.
"Easy, that's not what I was recommending," Qrow stepped back and slowly waved a hand.
"It's just that Raven contacted me yesterday and she seemed willing to have a peaceful conversation, or rather she was able to hide her rage and resentment like a champ."
"Where are you going with this?" The blonde furrowed his brows. "I'm sick of all these private rendez-vous behind our leader's back and I don't feel like exchanging fists with my ex-wife again."
With tears running down her cheeks, Summer held back the urge to break down the door.
"It's simple. We'll find an excuse to keep Summer busy, then we'll deal with Raven together." The sobered drunk slowly shook his head.
"Why do we have to keep this next meeting a secret? Our leader deserves to know the truth, and I don't want any more bad blood between us."
"That's why we need to make this last meeting count. If we can prove that you deserve Yang more than she does, then she'll definitely leave us alone. I'm not a big fan of my elder sibling, but she does have some moral code underneath her cold exterior."
Tai buried his face in his hands and took a deep, long sigh. "I don't know, Qrow. I'm just so tired of all this shady evasion and half-truths. This isn't the way of life I want to instill in my daughter."
A harsh edge in his voice, the blonde's hands curled into a pair of grizzly knuckled fists.
"Though I hate her guts, she's still my sister, Tai. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have made it past the age of five. It's survival of the fittest in Vacuo, at least that's what all the veterans say."
Whipping out his flask, Qrow flicked his red cape behind his back and slowly walked to the windowsill. The sky clear of any blemish, the reflection he witnessed sent the ravenette into a panic. Spinning on his heels, his pale red pupils met with a shocked pair of narrowed silver that swiftly transitioned to unbridled rage.
Tai jolted, his spine stiff, his mouth opened but did nothing to contribute to the silence that took hold of the dorm.
With stiff strides, the leader of STTQ handed over a basket of sandwiches to Qrow, and a stirred baby to Tai.
The lids over her lilac eyes lifting, the little tyke gave a happy yawn and held out her arms towards her father's face but tilted her head when he made no effort to accept her advances.
"S-Summer... Look, Qrow and I..."
"SLAP!"
The stinging pain of sore flesh cracked like a whip. Fumbling to keep Yang in his arms, Tai did his best to ignore the pain but couldn't hold back the tears forming on his face.
Qrow put down the lunch basket and placed a hand on his leader's shoulder.
"SLAP!"
His actions earning him the same punishment, the sobered drunk staggered back and almost collapsed against the couch.
"So that's how it is?" Summer grit her teeth and let out a wicked snarl.
"I'm just a second option that you both turn to when things go wrong? Is that all that I'm worth to you two? Well, guess what?! I'm not some second-place trophy you can toss around at your leisure! Do you want to go to Raven so badly?! Then just buy a ticket to Vacuo and don't bother to come back!"
Her eyes flaring with aura and discontent, the red reaper disappeared as quickly as she came. Leaving nothing more than a few rose petals and a puddle of woeful tears.
/-/
"...And that's about the sum of it." Summer shook her head with the picture of disdain still plastered on her visage.
"I see," Hawkins replied, unsure if he should anything to his sentence.
"I don't know what to do, I'm scared to go back and talk to them, but I know that I'll have to see them eventually."
"Yes, that sounds plausible," Hawkins grunted.
"Right?! Like, how are we supposed to act like adults if we can't even be honest with each other?!"
"Perhaps it's simply a matter of perspective?" The magician hummed.
Her head tilting to one side, Summer lent an ear and plopped her rump down on a fallen log.
Standing before her with his arms crossed, Hawkins tapped his foot against a smooth stone and sighed.
"While I believe your anger is well earned, I also see a few credible points in your teammates' plight."
Summer growled, but the magician ignored the petty noises and continued his analysis.
"Tell me, Ms. Rose. Would you abandon someone who you willingly conceived a child with?"
Any retort the red reaper had dissipated in seconds and before she could muster a proper comeback, Hawkins continued to choke the conversation down a blunt and direct path.
"Mr. Branwen is also indebted to his elder sibling no doubt. I've been in situations where strength determines who lives and who dies, and I cannot fault him for clinging to an individual who trained him like family."
Summer's body wobbled and she had to steady herself with both hands.
"However, the sentiments of camaraderie cannot and should not be ignored. Whatever reasons your teammates had, they should have consulted you for input on the matter as you've no doubt sacrificed more than an arm and a leg to keep your squad afloat."
The lengthy monologue over with, Hawkins leaned down to a knee to meet his cohort's gaze.
"And another thing, you are not a second trophy by any means." As if in turmoil for his next set of words, the blonde rubbed his temples before steeling his nerves.
"After all, you're my first friend in Remnant." It took all his willpower not to grimace after saying those words.
"H-Huh?" Summer's cleared the bangs from her face and gulped. She didn't realize how close the magician's face was from her own, and jumped back and landed on the plush grass with a yelp.
"Ouch..." Rubbing her skull, the huntress tried to stand up but furrowed her brows at Hawkins' inquisitive stare.
However, as she did so, the magician was granted quite a lewd site as the hems of her skirt followed their owner's fall.
"Hm, I didn't expect you to wear white panties seeing the majority of your outfit consists of black and red."
Her face enveloped by a palette of deep scarlet, Summer screamed and frantically tried to push her skirt upward to deny the blonde's perverted view.
"D-Don't you have any decency?! S-Stop staring and help me up!"
Hawkins quirked a single brow. "Hm, you also have beige stars knitted on them..."
"HAWKINS!"