It's around that time again, I get on this cursed app and start spewing my nonsense. I'm sure this is the highlight of someone's week. Then again, I say week like there's any sort of consistency here. Then again, again, I'm sure that... Y'know, I had a thought, and it just straight up vanished while typing that last sentence, so I'm just going to assume it was something intellectual, and you should be honored that I even started to type that sentence, even if it never will be finished. Fake egocentrism aside, I humbly present to you, Chapter Six. Oh! Yeah! So, because this and the last chapter have long ass chapter titles, that's why it doesn't say "Chapter (blank) blah blah blah" like it usually does. Don't worry, with chapter seven it'll go back to normal, because convoluted chapter titles are only as worthwhile as the reference they get across. That being said, please enjoy Chapter Six, while I'm gonna go try and get the inspiration to kill off this series' man antagonist; Writer's Block.
A day after the encounter with the White Fang, I'm sitting next to Lukas' hospital bed, as a monitor beeps. Then it beeps again. And again. And again.
"I hate that thing." Lukas says.
I snicker, "Should have just let me get shot."
It beeps yet again.
"Honestly, it wouldn't have been a bad idea."
We both chuckle a little. I've been assigned the room across the hall, but since I've been given the green light and discharged, the nurses are fine with me being in Lukas' room. Luckily, my nose hadn't been broken, and my lip was somewhat healed. I keep pressing an ice pack to it, to help numb the pain.
Lukas, breaks the silence, "She's a faunus, isn't she?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You heard me." he says with a grin that could only be described as shit-eating, "I've seen how sometimes you look at her bow, and how said bow occasionally twitches. What kind of faunus is she, anyways?"
That cheeky bastard. I mean, it was bound to come out sooner or later, but because of me looking at her bow? Really?
"Cat faunus…" I say sounding somewhat defeated.
"Knew it." he leans back into his bed as he speaks.
"Whatever." I say, rolling my eyes to the fucking moon.
Suddenly, a nurse walks into the room, and speaks somewhat softly, "You have a visitor. Would you like me to let him in?"
She says his name, and my heart sinks.
Oh no. Oh no.
I turn to Lukas, and he has the same expression that I probably have, terror.
"Sure." Lukas manages to squeak out.
She nods and walks out of the room. A few moments later, he walks in, and just about slams the door. He takes a breath, a mostly placid look on his face, but to anyone who knows him, he's pissed.
Ozpin speaks, "What on Remnant were you two thinking? Lukas, let me get this straight, you hear a gun, and your first instinct is to rush in that direction, and drag Doge, Mr. Amaranth, and Ms. Rose along with you? Then you get shot enough to not only have your aura fail, but then got shot again? Despite all of that, you decide to get up after a five minute break and keep fighting? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
He then turns to me, "And you, Doge, where do I even start? You not only had the nerve to encourage Lukas, but you proceeded to put yourself in the line of just about every firearm that was on that street. Not to mention the fact that you went ahead and performed a cauterization in an unsterile environment with a sword? Have you ever even done that before? I truly wish that I could claim to be surprised, but I unfortunately cannot."
Ozpin eventually calms down, and continues, "No, no, at least you're both safe. I assume that alone is enough for the time being. That doesn't change the fact that you've made some people extremely worried about the two of you. You especially, Doge."
I raise an eyebrow, and he sighs, "Don't play dumb."
"Oh, right. She's going to kill me…" I say.
"Well, I won't lecture you two anymore, for now. Once you're both out, however, we're having a long discussion."
"Yes, sir." Lukas and I say in unison.
Ozpin then walks out of the room, looking back one last time before fully leaving.
Lukas breaks the silence, "I think I would rather get shot again than get chewed out like that."
"Agreed. I'd take one right in the chest if I never had to get verbally abused like that again. I mean, yeah, we kinda fucked up, but it was for a good cause, no?" I ask.
Lukas just shrugs, "Perchance."
"Y-you can't just fucking say perchance. How is that a maybe?" I stammer.
"Don't worry about it." Lukas says.
I roll my eyes, and get on my scroll. I occasionally press the ice pack to my lips.
Maybe fifteen minutes later, the nurse walks in, and looks right at me, a small smile on her lips.
"You have a visitor. A miss…" she pauses, looking at a clipboard, "…Blake Belladonna?"
I slightly perk up, and want to punch myself for acting like a puppy. "Let her in, please." I chime. Lukas snickers at me, and I sigh dejectedly. Not my fault I'm happy for some company that isn't a snide jackass. There's already two of those in the room to begin with.
The nurse nods, "Yes sir, just a moment."
And just a moment it is. Soon enough Blake walks in, looks at me, and a mixture of anger and relief washes over her face. "What is wrong with you?" she half shouts, her usual calm demeanor absent, "I was so worried, I heard that you got shot, and that you ran into the White Fang, I mean, what is actually wrong with you? How did you even get into that mess?"
In an attempt to calm her, I respond, "Look, I know that we were somewhat reckless, however, it could have been much worse. And- and, I'm not saying that you, uh, don't have a right to worry, but I just want to say that all in all, everyone's fine."
It… kind of works? She doesn't look as upset anymore, and her tone is lower, "I know, I know, but… I…" Blake then just walks up to me and hugs me. I hug her back, and try to console her by rubbing her back. I don't know how in hell she manages to put up with me, despite all the pain I've inflicted on others and myself. Immerensis is the only emotion that I can accurately describe it as.
Lukas, of course, has something to say, "Aww…"
"Fuck off, Sparky." I say, quickly followed by Blake, "Shut it."
He chuckles and once again leans back. Something then happens to wipe the dumb smirk off of his face. The nurse once again walks in, and speaks to Lukas, "There's one more visitor. She told me her name was Penny. Shall I let her in?"
Blake and I exchange a devious look, and turn to Lukas.
"Go on," I say, snickering like a child who just got away with blaming the destruction of a vase on their sibling, "…don't keep her waiting, Lukas."
"Let her in, please." Lukas says, knowing just how cooked he is now.
Blake stands up, and steps next to me, placing a hand on her hip. After a moment, a girl with bright green eyes, pale skin, and orange hair walks into the room. She's wearing a white dress, and there's a massive smile on her face when she sees Lukas.
"Lukas! You're ok, correct?" says the newcomer. Her tone is slightly… I don't know, too chipper for the current situation? Probably just the way she speaks, I guess, but she sounds fresh out of customer service.
Lukas nods, "I'm alright, I swear. Hardly got scratched."
I pipe up, "He's lying. I'm Doge, by the way. Nice to finally put a name to the face."
Penny looks somewhat confused, before her expression returns to nearly exactly what it was before, "Oh! Nice to meet you too! Lukas has told me a lot about you! Do you want to be friends?"
"Sure. Guess that would be beneficial."
She smiles, before turning to Blake, "Hey, I remember you! You're one of Ruby's friends, right?"
Blake nods, who, I'm now noticing for the first time seems a little bewildered. Maybe she was expecting someone else named Penny to walk in? Heck if I know. I mean, if I could read her mind, I wouldn't ever second guess if she actually loves me when I'm falling asleep at three in the morning.
"Yes, I am. It's… nice to see you again?" Blake says in an uncertain tone. Once again, weird. I'll have to ask her about it later.
"What happened," Penny starts, "and how badly are you hurt? You seem ok."
"I saved Blake's little boy toy over there from eating a bullet to the head, and got shot several times for it." Lukas says.
Blake snorts and covers her face.
"Excuse you?" I say, a small smile on my face.
"Boy toy?" Penny asks. She then looks at Blake, as if expecting to see a toy or something.
"Doge. I saved Doge."
Penny nods, "But then why did you call him a toy?"
I can't help but snicker again, and Blake lets out a sigh. After some time spent in silence, I yawn.
"Sleepy?" asks Blake.
"I mean, a little? I miss my bed." I say.
"You've been here one night." she sighs.
"One night too many." I respond.
"You're so dramatic…" she, once again, sighs.
"I oughta just go lay down in my room…" I respond.
"I mean, we can go talk in there if you'd like." she says, a kind smile on her lips.
"Oh?" Lukas says, a suggestive grin on his face.
I glare at him for a split second before responding to Blake, "No, no. I'm ok for now. Plus, I'm technically discharged. That's the only reason I'm in my casual clothes."
Blake nods, and turns back to the other couple. Said casual clothes consist of dark grey sweats, a black shirt, and a light grey jacket that's currently unzipped. There's a light purple phoenix printed on each shoulder, akin to the placement of the engravings on my armor. Ozpin probably lets me spend too much on clothing, I'd say. Not going to bitch about being spoiled though. Also, I'm wearing purple accented black sneakers. Meanwhile, Lukas is in scrubs and grippy socks. Nerd.
"So…" I attempt to break the silence that's befallen us, but can't think of anything. The room stays dead silent until, guess what, the nurse walks back in.
Her tone isn't as upbeat compared to earlier, and I know exactly what time it is without looking at the clock, "I'm afraid visiting hours are almost up. You three will have to leave soon."
Blake and I nod, before coming to a silent agreement.
Blake decides to speak for us, "We'll leave you two alone. We'll head back to let everyone know you're doing ok."
I jibe at them, "Keep it PG, alright?"
Penny tilts her head, and Lukas snickers. We walk out of the room and start down the hall. I reach into my jacket pocket and produce a small plastic bag filled with cereal. I open it and begin to snack on it. I see Blake has a "why are you like this" expression on her face, and I offer her some with a dumb smile. Her attempt to stay serious fails, and she tries to hide a smile with her hand while shaking her head. I press the button to call the elevator, and tap my foot while we wait. I stuff another handful of the cereal into my mouth too.
The crunching sound of the cereal is the only thing audible as we go down the elevator, along with Blake and I's quiet breathing. Between mouthfuls I speak, "You sure you don't want some?"
"What kind even is that?" she inquires.
"Some kind of chocolate flavored oats. Actually pretty good for hospital food."
I hold out the baggie to her, and she takes a handful. She carefully inspects it before placing it into her mouth. A couple seconds of crunching later, and she speaks, mouth still full, "Not bad." A small bit of cereal flies out of her mouth, and she quickly clasps her hands over her mouth out of embarrassment. I chuckle as a faint red tint covers her face. Eventually we're out of the elevator, through the lobby, and walking towards the cafeteria. Hopefully with some luck, the others are still eating dinner.
While walking down the sidewalk, I notice how pretty it looks today. Shame I spent all of my Saturday in a damn infirmary. Well, we saved a life, and fucked over the White Fang, so that's a win in my book.
Upon entering the cafeteria, it's awfully quiet. Granted, most people have finished dinner by 8:10 at night. Ruby, Levi, Jade, and Yang are still there. Granted, Ruby's halfway asleep, but eh, she's at least present. I doubt she slept well last night, fretting over Lukas' condition or something. I sit down next to Levi, across from Jade, and speak, "He's alright. Doc said he should be out by Tuesday, but he's not allowed to do anything strenuous for a little bit."
Yang is the first to respond, "Guess he'll be Watt-ching what he does for a while, huh?"
Everyone lets out a sigh, minus Levi, who just smirks. I'm telling you now, those two have something going on. I might be the only one who's seen it so far, but there is definitely some bullshit brewing between them.
Ruby seems slightly more alert than before and says, "So, I've had this idea for a while now, and I think now would be a good time, seeing as everyone is starting to feel all stressed and stuff. What if we had a game night in the Team DAIS dorm? Since you guys have the most space, and stuff! Oh, when Lukas gets out, of course."
Huh. I mean, it sounds like a decent idea, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if everyone else would be interested.
"Count me in." says Blake. She rubs her eyes, and I notice her leaning on one of her arms. She looks tired. Not, "stayed up for a week tired," like how I look almost all the time, but, "woke up early, didn't sleep well, and now it's late," kind of tired.
"A night to play games with friends? Sounds relaxing." Jade says.
Levi's the next to speak, "Well, I'm in. Is anyone else going to be there? Like, team JNPR?"
Yang chimes in, "Ooh, good point, I'll invite them on Ruby's behalf. I'm in too, obviously."
Ok well, fuck me, I apparently can't read a room for jack shit, huh? I then notice everyone's looking at me. In my moment of self reflection if you want to call it that, I forgot to even reply.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm in too. I could like, bring a console and download a bunch of party games tonight. Stuff like Uno, and whatnot." I say.
"Uno?" asks Jade.
"Oh. Oh no. You sweet summer child…" says Levi.
"So everyone likes my idea?" Ruby says, her face radiating happiness.
I confirm, "Yup. Seems so. Actually, wait, who's on snacks?"
"I can bring some." Blake offers.
"Ok, but bring more than goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish this time. You're a walking stereotype sometimes, Hon." I say, a smile adorning my face.
She looks slightly offended, but nods.
"Actually," I start, "why are they called Swedish Fish anyway?"
"Probably the guy who made them?" offers Levi.
"Eh, I guess. Still makes me wonder though…"
Yang speaks, a big smile on her face, "I'm going to bring the best game ever. Just you guys wait…"
"I'll call Lukas, let him know what the plan is." I say while taking out my scroll and texting Lukas.
Text Conversation
Me: "Yo, we're doing a game night when you get out in the DAIS dorm. You in?"
Lukas: "Duh. Why would i not be???"
Me: "Dunno. That's why I asked. Now go the fuck to sleep. I'll give you more details in the morning."
Lukas: "Fine fine I'll go to sleep"
Me: "Good night"
Lukas: "noight"
End of Text Conversation
"Alright, yeah, he's in." I say, closing my scroll and setting it on the table.
"Yay!" Ruby exclaims, before realizing she needs to keep it a little quieter. She looks slightly embarrassed as she turns away.
"Wait," says Levi, "I thought you said you were going to call him?"
I shrug, "Oh well. Same thing."
Levi shrugs back, and looks down at his scroll. Yang does the same, also looking down at Levi's scroll. It doesn't even seem like he notices.
A yawn emanates from Blake, and I notice that now she looks way more tired than I thought. To be fair, she's had quite the day because of my dumbass, and I doubt she slept much the night before.
"You're free to go to bed if you're getting sleepy." I say to Blake.
"No, I'm…" she yawns again, and continues trying to dismiss her drowsiness, "I'm fine, really."
I shake my head, "No, you're really not. You're this close to dropping right here."
She insists, "I'm alright, really…" Her voice is getting quieter with every word, and her blinks are growing slower and slower.
I'm equally adamant, and persist, "No, you're not. Now, unless you want me to carry you back to your dorm after you've passed out, you might want to get going."
Blake doesn't respond, and for a moment, I think she might be considering my words. Then, I hear a small sound from her. Said sound is a snore.
"Oh for…" I mumble.
"And to think she always gets on your ass about not sleeping properly." snickers Yang, who's splitting her attention between me and Levi's scroll.
I get out of my seat, and pick up our resident emo cat-girl. She snuggles up to me, and mumbles something. There's no stopping me from smiling, despite my initial annoyance.
"Right, well, I guess that's the end of tonight's banter session." I say in a hushed tone.
Ruby gets up, and walks along with me. Guessing she doesn't want to pass out and get thrown to her top bunk by Yang. As we pass exit the cafeteria and head to the dorm I find myself yawning. Ruby and I don't speak, so that Blake doesn't wake up.
When we reach their room, Ruby opens the door for me, and I give her a grateful nod. I take Blake and lay her down in her bed. Then, I take the covers and tuck her in. For the first time since picking her up, I noticed that there's a small smile on her face. Once again, how is this the person who loves me? Of all damn people, me?
I put those thoughts aside, though. Best not to question it, I guess. I yawn, and whisper, "Love you, Blake. Sleep well…" I slowly step back from her bed, and wave to Ruby as she pulls herself into her bed. I start walking to the door, and open it. After looking back at Blake one more time, I head out of their dorm, and start the journey to the faculty dorms. Sometimes I wish that I had a closer room, because this walk is always a massive pain in the ass. Could be worse, I guess. Having a private room is a massive plus for plenty of reasons. NOT THOSE REASONS YOU DIRTY MINDED FUCK!
Anyways, I'm sure that you can guess how eventful the rest of the night is. I get back to my room, shower, brush my teeth, eat a bowl of chocolate corn flake cereal because I got hungry, brush my teeth again, read a few chapters of my book, and fall asleep.
Alright, that's a wrap for Chapter Six. Seven is done, but my stupid brain is struggling to comprehend the fact that I can write, and only remembers whenever my mood is incorrect for the scenes I'm trying to portray. I'll get over it eventually, but because of the fact that I no longer have a little trove of finished chapters, Chapter Seven will be out in two weeks, and after that, it'll just be whenever a chapter is finished. Honestly just need to get through the next five or so, and that's whenever all the creative juices I have saved up are really going to have a chance to shine, it's just getting the plot to move forward.
If you've written before, you probably know what I mean. If you haven't, then, just imagine you're eating some thing that is good, but once you finish it, you can have some delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream, but your dumbass is too busy daydreaming about the ice cream to finish what's in front of you, and now the food's cold, and the ice cream is half melted, so you put the ice cream in the freezer, and continue to check on it every five minutes, still ignoring the food that you have to eat first. Rinse and repeat this for a solid month straight, and that's where we currently are. Wow this got off topic. Long story short, I'm hungry for mint chocolate chip ice cream right now. See you next time, hopefully!