Chapter 10: Experimental Girlfriend
Regular class hours had ended for the day at Beacon, but Team STRQ, along with a few other freshman teams, were gathered in the school's combat arena. The large, cavernous space was appropriately grandiose for an academy as prestigious as Beacon was. It was suitable for facilitating just about any kind of battle imaginable, from one-on-one duels to multi-team fights, and tonight, it was playing host to the first of many combat exercises that were part of Professor Port's class.
Summer was loitering near the edge of the arena along with Taiyang and Qrow. They were all watching Raven who was standing center stage along with Professor Port. Glynda, the professor's ever-present teaching assistant, was also there. She was waiting next to a series of cages holding live grimm. The close proximity of so many grimm was making Summer's stomach churn no thanks to her semblance, but she was doing a decent job of keeping her nausea at bay.
Summer was eager for Raven's evaluation to begin. Not only would it mean one less grimm in the arena, this would be the first time she would get to see her partner use her new sword. Unfortunately, she, like everyone else, was waiting for Professor Port to finish meticulously jotting down his notes onto a clipboard he was holding for the last student who'd fought.
Eventually, the professor finally did look up. He said, "Miss Branwen. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," Raven said. Her hand slid toward her sword and hovered over it.
"Miss Goodwitch?" Professor Port asked.
"Ready," Glynda said.
"Then begin!" Professor Port said.
Glynda hit the latch on one of the cages. For a brief moment Summer worried that something crazy, like a manticore or a wyvern, would pop out of the enclosure. Fortunately, it was a sabyr that slunk onto the arena floor. A sabyr was a grimm that resembled a tiger with large teeth protruding from either side of its mouth. It was certainly no pushover, but it was something a lone huntress could be expected to handle on her own. It seemed that Glynda had decided to play by the rules this time.
The sabyr slowly stalked closer to Raven, fixing her with a predatory gaze. Raven stood firm with her hand still poised over her sword.
Suddenly, the sabyr charged. At the same time, Raven drew Omen from its sheath. A cyan-colored blade was attached to its hilt. Raven lunged forward, meeting the sabyr halfway. She swung her sword and effortlessly batted the grimm aside.
The force of Raven's blow sent the sabyr rolling sideways across the arena floor, but it quickly popped back up to its feet. It lithely wheeled around with agility no human could match and swiped at Raven with its razor-sharp claws.
Raven deflected the incoming blow with her sword. Another swipe of the sabyr's claws quickly followed but with equally little results. Raven almost started to dance with the beast, stymieing its attacks with parry after parry as it tried to rip her apart with ever-increasing ferocity.
Over on the edge of the arena, Summer continued to watch. She saw a smile cross Raven's face. Raven was clearly enjoying her battle. Summer couldn't help but worry that Raven wasn't taking the fight as seriously as she should, but she decided to trust her partner. At the very least she was glad that Raven was having fun. Although in true Raven fashion, there was a sadistic edge to her glee. Summer wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was concerning, but it was also just a little bit thrilling.
Raven suddenly dodged to the side of the sabyr, causing its claws to hit nothing but air. She quickly raised her sword up high, flipped it over in her hand, and thrust it down toward the grimm. The sabyr dodged an inch to the left, causing Raven to miss in kind. However, rather than trying to recover, Raven drove her sword even harder into the ground. The solid Dust blade attached to the sword's hilt shattered, and there was a bright flash of cyan light. A misty fog ballooned out from where the sword had hit and completely enveloped both Raven and the grimm.
The smell of ice on the air wafted past Summer's nose as she patiently waited for the fog to dissipate. She was certain that Raven was alright, but she couldn't help but fret.
Slowly, the fog faded away, revealing Raven casually standing there, holding her bladeless hilt. The sabyr was right next to her, but the creature's body was trapped inside a mass of ice that had spontaneously sprung into existence. Only its head and the tips of its feet were poking out. The grimm growled and twitched as it struggled to break free of its icy prison but to no avail.
Raven returned her hilt to its sheath. There was the soft whir of a motor turning as the blades inside the sheath rotated. Raven took a moment to sneer at her helpless opponent. Then, with one smooth, swift motion, she drew her sword and swung a crimson-colored blade at the grimm.
Raven's sword glowed red-hot, and the blade cleanly sliced through both the block of ice and the grimm trapped inside. The sabyr let out a sharp yowl. Then its head slumped, and its body began to dissolve. The top half of the mass of ice, having been cut completely through, began to slide off the rest of it. A second later, it crashed loudly to the floor.
Raven twirled her sword with a flourish and slipped it back into its sheath.
Summer nodded in satisfaction. She quietly said, "Nice."
Taiyang, who was standing right next to Summer, nudged her and said, "Looks like Raven's pretty good with that sword you got her."
"She really is," Summer said, sounding just as pleased as she could be.
"Although she's not as good as Qrow is with his," Taiyang said.
Summer briefly glanced at Qrow. He had his arms crossed and looked like he was pretending to not be listening, despite being right there.
Summer mischievously grinned at Taiyang. She said, "I don't know about that. Maybe we should see if they're willing to spar with one another."
"Only if we can bet on it," Taiyang said.
Summer snickered. She said, "That'd be fun. But maybe we shouldn't try to organize an underground fighting ring at Beacon. We'd probably get in trouble for that."
"I don't care about getting in trouble," Taiyang said. "I just want to see Qrow win."
Qrow shifted on his feet, still not letting on that he could hear everything.
Summer had to suppress a laugh. Ever since Raven had pointed it out to her back at the nightclub they'd gone to, it had been painfully obvious to her how much Qrow and Taiyang liked each other. She honestly didn't know why she hadn't seen it earlier.
Back in the center of the arena, Professor Port said, "Well done, Miss Branwen! I hope the skills you displayed today will be equally as sharp when fighting with allies. Don't forget that the next combat evaluation will be with your partner."
Raven muttered something to Professor Port that Summer couldn't hear. The professor laughed. Then he started jotting down his notes for Raven's fight onto his clipboard.
Raven started walking back to rejoin her team. However, she only got about halfway before Glynda intercepted her.
Summer was suddenly concerned. She didn't actually think that Glynda had bad intentions, despite her earlier knee-jerk worry about Glynda trying to sabotage Raven again, but unfortunately, Raven and Glynda seemed to be incapable of getting along with one another for reasons that Summer sort of understood but also didn't.
"What?" Raven asked Glynda. She was close enough now that Summer could make out what she was saying.
Glynda said, "I just wanted to congratulate you on your superb performance today."
Raven flashed an evil little smile at Glynda. She asked, "Does it hurt knowing that you were wrong about me?"
Glynda gave Raven a curious look. Then she asked, "Whatever do you mean?"
Raven's smile turned into a frown. She said, "Don't pretend like you weren't expecting me to fail."
"Miss Branwen, I think you've misunderstood me," Glynda said. "You are a member of Professor Port's class as well as my fellow student here at Beacon. My hope, and goal, is to see you succeed. And if I may be frank, I don't believe I was wrong about you."
"Excuse me?" Raven asked. Anger was seeping into her voice now.
"I knew for a fact that if you actually heeded my advice you would do better," Glynda said. "And that's exactly what's happened."
"I didn't follow your advice!" Raven said.
"Of course you did," Glynda calmly said. Her eyes flicked down to the sword resting on Raven's hip. "You're finally using all the tools at your disposal. A proper weapon. Dust. Just like I said you should."
"Listen, Beanstalk!" Raven spat out. "That doesn't have anything to do with you! The sword was…! It was a gift."
"I see," Glynda said. "That's disappointing to hear. I had hoped you'd have the wisdom to take my advice of your own accord. But I suppose it's at least something that you were smart enough to accept help from whoever gave you the sword."
The look Raven gave Glynda could've peeled paint off a wall. Summer even saw Raven's hand briefly reach for her weapon. Fortunately, it was only for a moment. Raven looked like she was just about to start shouting at Glynda when Professor Port lowered his clipboard again and called out, "The next combatant is…Taiyang Xiao Long!"
"Alright!" Taiyang excitedly said. He apparently hadn't been eavesdropping on Glynda and Raven's conversation like Summer had because he jogged right past the two women without a care in the world.
"Miss Goodwitch?" Professor Port said. "Please prepare the next grimm."
"Of course, Professor!" Glynda said. She immediately walked away from Raven so she could do as the professor had asked.
An exceptionally nasty scowl plastered itself onto Raven's face. To say she looked upset would've been an understatement.
Summer hurriedly walked over to Raven. She said, "Hey! Don't worry about Glynda. You did great!"
Raven didn't respond to Summer. Instead, she drew her sword and swiped at the empty air. A portal suddenly sprung into existence.
"Uh…Raven?" Summer said.
Raven sheathed her sword. Then, without a word, she stepped through her portal.
Summer stared dumbfounded at Raven's portal for a moment, but she quickly resolved to follow Raven through it. Unfortunately, she was too late. The swirling energy vanished right in front of her, rendering her decision moot.
Not knowing what else to do, Summer dejectedly walked back toward the edge of the arena. She had no idea how concerned she should be about what had just happened. She was still processing that it had happened at all. But what she did know was that she was upset Raven hadn't tried to talk with her first. Her stomach churned unpleasantly for a moment as she lost focus on keeping her semblance under control.
Qrow's voice suddenly said, "Don't worry about it, Summer. She'll be back."
Summer looked up at Qrow who had apparently walked over to join her. She was so amazed that she momentarily forgot about her troubles. This might have been the first time Qrow had ever spoken to her without being prompted first.
Qrow said, "Raven just gets like that sometimes."
"But where did she go?" Summer asked.
"Probably back to Mistral so she can sulk," Qrow said.
"She didn't have to go halfway across the world to do that!" Summer said.
"I know, but like I said. She gets like that sometimes. She'll come back when she's done moping," Qrow said.
"How long will that take?" Summer asked.
"A few hours? Maybe a day?" Qrow said, shrugging his shoulders.
"But what if her semblance doesn't work for some reason?! Or what if something happens to you?! What if she gets stuck over there?!" Summer asked.
Qrow gave Summer a quizzical look. Then he said, "Trust me. She'll be back.
Summer realized she was acting a bit hysterical. She took a deep breath and told herself to trust Qrow. After all, he knew Raven a lot better than she did. She said, "Okay. Thank you."
Over in the center of the arena, Taiyang's fight was just about to begin. He was up against a boarbatusk, a hog-like grimm with huge tusks. Summer settled in to watch. She was starting to feel a little better, although she still wasn't happy about what had happened.
A minute or two passed. Then Qrow said, "Hey, Summer."
Summer glanced at Qrow.
"What's my sister to you?" Qrow asked.
"You mean besides a partner, a teammate, a roommate, and a friend?" Summer asked.
"Yeah," Qrow said. "You two girlfriends yet?"
Summer blinked in surprise. She asked, "Did Raven say something to you? Because I certainly haven't told anyone about…us."
"She never tells me anything," Qrow said. "But in this case she didn't have to."
"I see," Summer said. Her spirits were actually starting to lift, although not for a reason she would've expected. Qrow was continuing to talk to her, and not only that. He was talking to her about actually meaningful things. It was amazing progress for him.
Qrow said, "You didn't answer my question. Are you two girlfriends yet?"
Summer considered what to say to Qrow for a moment. It had been several weeks since she'd gone on her shopping date with Raven. In that time Raven had made a lot of flirty insinuations, had been entirely unable to keep her hands to herself, and had even managed to tempt Summer into a few more brief kisses. However, there hadn't been any talk of if they were actually girlfriends or not. Summer didn't even know what would officially qualify them as such. Although if Raven had been a man, Summer didn't think she would've considered her a boyfriend yet. Maybe that was a good way to look at it.
"No. We're not," Summer eventually said. "We're just…an experiment. For now."
Qrow chuckled to himself, although Summer wasn't sure why. He said, "Just be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Summer smiled. She said, "I'm glad you're looking out for me. But we're not that close yet. She's not going to break my heart or anything."
"What?" Qrow asked. "No, I meant I don't want to see you get hurt physically. But I guess don't let her break your heart either."
"Qrow!" Summer said. "Don't be ridiculous. Raven wouldn't attack me."
"Maybe. Maybe not," Qrow said. "We'll see."
Summer shook her head in exasperation.
Over back in the center of the arena, Taiyang's battle was unfolding. He threw a punch, apparently thinking that meeting a charging boarbatusk head-on was a great idea. Amazingly, it almost worked, but even though his punch connected, he was still trampled to the ground by the grimm. He popped back up a second later, ready for more.
Qrow turned back to watch Taiyang's fight, but Summer didn't. She decided she wasn't ready for her real, meaningful conversation with Qrow to end just yet. And unfortunately for him, she figured that turnabout was fair play. She pointedly asked Qrow, "So is Yang your boyfriend yet?"
Qrow's head swiveled back in Summer's direction. He looked surprised at first, but his surprise quickly faded. He said, "I don't think that's going to happen."
"How do you know that?" Summer asked.
"Because Tai isn't…. I mean I don't think he's…" Qrow said.
Summer knew what Qrow was trying to tell her. She asked, "Are you sure? I didn't know that I could like girls until a few weeks ago. And now I'm not-quite-dating your sister. Maybe Yang would be willing to experiment too."
"You think so?" Qrow asked.
"You never know until you try," Summer said.
"Hmm," Qrow said.
Both Summer and Qrow turned their attention back to Taiyang who had managed to get his hands around both tusks of the grimm he was fighting. He was trying to wrestle it into submission. It was one of the silliest things Summer had ever seen. At least until Taiyang got some actual leverage on the beast and managed to throw it over his shoulder.
Several hours later, Summer, Taiyang, and Qrow were all together in Team STRQ's dorm room. It was late, almost bedtime. Summer was dressed in the oversized t-shirt and pajama bottoms she used as sleepwear. Taiyang and Qrow were still wearing their regular clothes, but it likely wouldn't be long before they got changed for the evening as well.
Summer was sitting on her bed, trying to read a book, but she wasn't making much progress. Raven still hadn't returned from wherever she'd gone, and Summer was growing increasingly concerned. She apparently wasn't the only one either. Qrow had been pacing back and forth across the same patch of carpet for quite a while now, and he kept glancing at the clock on the wall.
Taiyang said, "Hey, Qrow. Don't wear a hole in the floor."
"Sorry, Tai," Qrow said. "It's just—"
Qrow was interrupted when a red portal suddenly appeared in the room right next to where he was standing. He muttered, "Finally."
Summer looked up from her book just in time to see Raven step through the portal. Raven didn't say a word to anyone in the room. Instead, she casually walked over to her bed. She pulled her sheathed sword off her belt and leaned it up against the nearest wall, apparently unwilling to return it to the school's locker room so late at night. Then she started pulling off her arm guards, signaling that she'd decided to get ready for bed. She clearly intended to act like she hadn't been conspicuously absent the entire evening.
Raven finished removing one of her arm guards and tossed it onto her bed, but as she reached for the other one, she finally seemed to notice the silence that was hanging in the air. She glanced up. Everyone was looking at her.
"What?" Raven asked.
Summer smiled. She said, "Nothing. We're just happy you're back."
Raven stood there for a moment. She looked like she had no idea how to respond to Summer. She muttered something unintelligible. Then she went back to removing her other arm guard.
Summer watched Raven for a moment. An idea had been percolating inside her brain from just about the instant Raven had left. She'd been waffling back and forth about whether she should bring it up or not, and she finally made her decision. She said, "So, uh…Raven."
"Yeah?" Raven asked without looking up.
Summer set her book down on a nearby shelf and stood. She said, "I've been thinking today. It would probably be a good idea for you to be able to use your portals with more people here at Beacon other than just Qrow. Can you bond with anyone you want?"
Raven tossed her other arm guard onto her bed. She turned to Summer and said, "Anyone who's willing."
"Then you should bond with me too," Summer said.
Raven was silent for a moment, but then she grinned. She asked, "Are you sure you want that, Sunshine?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Summer asked.
Raven took a few sauntering steps forward and said, "Because it'd mean I'll be able to find you. Wherever you are. Whenever I want. For the rest of your life."
Summer swallowed. Then she took a step toward Raven and said, "That doesn't sound so bad. And it just makes sense since we're all on the same team."
Raven drew in even closer until she was practically standing nose-to-nose with Summer. She said, "Last chance to back out."
"I'm not going to back out," Summer said, although judging by Raven's tone of voice she wasn't sure they were talking about semblances anymore. Summer's answer was the same regardless.
"Just remember. You asked for it," Raven said. Then she leaned forward and planted a fiery kiss right on Summer's lips.
Summer's eyes went wide with surprise. It was true that she'd kissed Raven before—and liked it—but the kisses they'd shared hadn't been this intense. And there certainly hadn't been an audience present either. However, despite her shock, Summer didn't pull away.
Summer was just starting to get comfortable with what was happening when she felt Raven's tongue slip into her mouth. She let out a muffled squeak of surprise. Then her eyelids drooped. She let the passion behind Raven's kiss flow into her. Her head started to swim, and her hands reached out to grab onto Raven's shoulders for support.
Just as Summer started to grow faint from a lack of oxygen, she felt a spark jump between her and Raven. Then Raven's lips suddenly pulled back.
Summer gasped for air. She kept ahold of Raven for a moment until she felt like she'd regained her balance. Then her hands slipped off of Raven, although her eyes were still firmly focused on her partner.
Raven was grinning wide like a thief who'd made off with a dragon's hoard. Then she nonchalantly said, "There. It's done."
Over on the far side of the room, Qrow muttered, "Gross."
Taiyang must not have agreed with Qrow because he jumped off his bed and started jogging toward Raven, saying, "Me next! Me next!"
Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. She turned in Taiyang's direction, but as he got close, she plopped her hand over his face.
"Mmph?" Taiyang said as his head jerked back. He stopped in his tracks.
Raven kept her hand where it was. She looked like she was concentrating for a moment. Then she released Taiyang's face and said, "Done."
"That's it?" Taiyang asked.
"Yeah. What were you expecting?" Raven asked.
Qrow suddenly stomped over to where Taiyang and Raven were standing. He said, "Tai, what are you doing for the rest of the night?"
"Like tonight tonight?" Taiyang asked. He glanced at the clock. "Other than sleeping?"
"Yeah. Other than that," Qrow said.
"Nothing, I guess?" Taiyang said.
"Can we…go somewhere?" Qrow asked. "I want to…experiment."
"Uh…sure?" Taiyang said, clearly not understanding. "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know. I'll figure it out," Qrow said. He grabbed Taiyang's hand and started dragging him toward the room's door.
"I guess we'll be back later!" Taiyang said to Summer and Raven.
Qrow pulled the door open and raced through it, yanking Taiyang out of the room along with him. The door closed behind them.
"Hmph," Raven said. "I didn't think he had the guts."
Summer didn't respond. She'd been quietly standing there, not really paying attention to what had been happening. The kiss she'd just shared with Raven was replaying through her mind in a constant loop.
While Summer continued to say nothing, Raven walked back over to her bed and sat down on it. She reached for her boots and started to pull them off.
"Raven?" Summer suddenly asked in a small voice.
"Yeah?" Raven absently responded.
"Why don't you ever call me by my name?" Summer asked.
"I don't call anyone by their name," Raven said, apparently thinking that was a sufficient explanation. She finally got both of her boots off and started sliding her detached pants legs down.
"Are we girlfriends?" Summer asked.
Raven paused. She looked up at Summer. Then she coyly said, "I don't know. Do you want us to be?"
For the second time today Summer thought about what she'd like the answer to that question to be. She looked Raven over. There was no denying that she found Raven beautiful, especially now that she had a proper outfit. But Summer wanted there to be more to her relationships than just physical attraction. Although Summer did feel like she'd made a real emotional connection with Raven. Surely that should've been enough, but it still felt like something was missing.
A memory from several weeks ago drifted into Summer's head. She recalled when she'd gotten a good look at Taiyang without his shirt on and how she'd fantasized about being held in his arms.
Summer smiled. She said to Raven, "I want to try something."
"Okay. What?" Raven asked.
Summer wandered over to her bed. She laid down on top of it on her side with her back to Raven. Then she said over her shoulder, "Come over here."
Summer heard Raven stand up, followed by the sound of bare feet walking across the carpet. The sound stopped once it reached Summer's bed.
Summer said, "Lie down. Hold me."
Summer had expected Raven to jump at the offer, but there was a moment's hesitation. Then the mattress shifted as Raven climbed on top of it. She lay down next to Summer, and Summer felt Raven's arms curl around her.
A stillness settled over the room as Summer drank in what she was feeling. Raven's arms were strong and comforting, exactly like she'd imagined Taiyang's were. The experience was thrilling and yet calming.
Summer sighed and started to relax. She said, "Yes. I want to be girlfriends."
"Okay. Girlfriend," Raven said.
The word on Raven's lips sent a pleasant tingle running down Summer's spine, telling her that she'd made the correct decision. Although that had already been obvious.
Raven said, "You know what this means, right?"
"No. What?" Summer asked.
"There's all kinds of things girlfriends do that friends don't," Raven said.
"That's true," Summer said. "Although this feels right for now. Don't you think?"
There was a noticeable pause, and when Raven spoke again, she sounded genuinely surprised. She quietly answered, "Yeah. I guess I do."
"But…there is one thing I'd love to try," Summer said.
"What's that?" Raven asked.
"I'd love to hear you tell me all about what you did with that Dust crystal," Summer said. "I'm sure you haven't given it back to Ozpin yet."
There was yet another pause. Then Raven laughed. She said, "Come on, Sunshine."
"I'm serious," Summer said. And she was. Although she wasn't actually expecting an answer. Even so, she prodded Raven by adding, "My girlfriend wouldn't lie to me."
"No, she wouldn't," Raven said. "That's why I'm not going to say anything at all."
Summer snickered. Then she snuggled in a little closer to Raven. So far her brief stint at Beacon Academy had been nothing but one unexpected thing after another, and she doubted the surprises would stop any time soon. But right now, life was good, and she wouldn't change a thing.
Author's Note: I'm really shocked, but Summer is turning out to be whatever the opposite of a bi-disaster is. You go girl! Embrace what you are without having an identity crisis! I'm not jealous. (I'm very jealous.)
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