Man, I dont even have a good reason this time for the late upload (I never did actually). I got a new GPU for Christmas so I've just been playing games all day every day. And there are so many other fanfic that I want to write too. Not to mention that my college starts again this week. Fucking hell...
I swear, if I don't finish this story this year, I'm gonna lose it.
Chapter 17: Blind Date
On the grounds of Beacon Academy, a flock of boys were sparring with each other. And this flock was none other than Team Cigar.
For Gin's match, his partner was his literal one. And right now, it's as if a wolf was battling a bear and without much surprise, the smaller beast was struggling immensely.
From their previous fights, Cardin had learnt and gotten used to Gin and his movements. So, his usual tactic of entering into close quarters wasn't as effective as before. Cardin had even begun two-handing his mace near the head to allow quicker manoeuvrability. He also stopped using big attacks because they were only effective against Gin when they hit, and that happened rarely. So Cardin has now been using swift strikes, such as jabs with his fist or the pommel of his mace, to bleed Gin of his Aura.
In the end, Gin lost when his patience ran out and he went for a frustrated heavy attack. Cardin reciprocated with his own and it was glaringly obvious which one was heavier.
As Gin laid on the floor in defeat, gazing at the sky with an almost serene expression, he understood that Cardin now had more overall wins against him. Likewise, with Russel. But fortunately, he still hadn't lost a single time against Sky. Thus, he took a silent vow beneath the clouds.
If he ever lost against Sky, he would fucking kill himself.
Cardin laughed tiredly and came over to give him a hand. "Good match man," He said with an honest grin.
"No, it wasn't. Not unless I win," Gin grumbled but he still took the offered hand. Cardin rolled his eyes and pulled him up.
"Gods, you're such a sore loser," Cardin complained.
"I make up for it by being a humble winner," Gin countered.
"Hah! Yeah right."
Gin flipped him off before they joined up with Russel and Sky who had finished their own match a while ago—with Russel winning this time though Sky was still ahead in overall wins—and had been waiting for their other teammates to finish. So, their sparring session came to an end and they would take a break for a few minutes before moving on to the gym room for more training.
"Hey Gin," Cardin began while their team just loitered around on the grounds. He looked at his partner who was lying down. "I've been thinking of this for a while now but why don't you wear armour? It's not like you focus on agility like Russel and it'd be helpful for you because of your Aura Realm, right?"
"No, armour is for bitches," said Gin without a moment's hesitation.
Russel laughed while Sky and Cardin gave him dirty looks. "The fuck's that supposed to mean? Jaune wears armour too you know," said Cardin.
"Exactly," Gin replied with a smirk.
"What about Pyrrha?" Sky pointed out.
"There are exceptions to every rule," Gin admitted with a shrug.
"And us?" Cardin asked. Gin just smirked at them. "Tch. Asshole."
"Anyway, you're not the first one to suggest that I wear armour," said Gin. "And you're not gonna be the last because I'm not going to wear armour."
"Why not?"
. . .
"Fashion," said Gin. "I just don't look good in armour."
"Bullshittt," Sky accused. "And I'm not just saying that because of my Semblance. But because everybody can look good in armour. They just need to find the right fit."
"Yeah, whatever. I'm still not interested," said Gin and the rest decided to leave it.
"Anyway mandem, where're we going this weekend?" Russel asked.
"Oh hey," Gin cut in when Cardin was about to speak. "I'm going to be busy this weekend. I'm going out with Jaune and another friend we have in the city."
His teammates whined and called him a rat while Gin just rolled his eyes.
0-0-0
Inside some apartment in the City of Vale, a joyful and chirpy tune was being hummed by one Lizzy Harper as she arranged a meal in the kitchen.
"Morninggg," a groggy voice greeted with a yawn. It belonged to Lizzy's roommate, Azul whose blue hair hair was dishevelled as she looked like she just woke up.
"Morning sweet-cheeks," Lizzy greeted her with a smile. "I made ya breakfast."
"Huh? But this week's my turn," Azul said with a look of confusion.
"Yeah, but I felt like making it today. Oh! and I went out and bought some sushi for you."
"But… but you don't like fish…"
"Yeah, but you do."
Azul stared at her smiling friend with narrowed eyes. "… Why are you being so nice to me?"
Lizzy giggled. "Cuz you're my girl!" She said in a chipper, innocent voice.
"But I'm not your woman, am I?" Azul's own voice dripped with suspicion.
"Why? You wanna be?" Lizzy asked while suggestively wiggling her eyebrows at her.
"Did you fuck my ex?"
"That is a WILD accusation you're throwing at someone who just made you the most balanced meal of the day."
"Fucking… Just tell me why you're being like this."
Lizzy threw her hands up in exasperation before placing them on her hips with a frown. "That's what I should be asking you. I bust my blind ass to do something sweet for ya and this is the thanks I get?"
Azul flinched from that and sighed in defeat. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry, that was my bad. And thanks for the food, I really appreciate you, girl."
Lizzy's frown flipped into a smile as she lit up. "No worries. Anyways, get to eating it before the food gets cold. I'm gonna go get dressed real nice for today."
"Oh? You going out on a date or something?" Azul complied and sat down to dine in the feast before her.
"Ye. With Gin and Jaune."
The spoon froze just as it was about to enter Azul's mouth. Immediately, everything clicked. "You conniving bitch!"
Lizzy's kind smile metamorphosed into a sinister smirk. "You really think I went out in the morning and bought fish food for ya because I was being nice?"
"I trusted you," Azul said.
"That shit smell repulsive," Lizzy continued.
"Let me come with you, please" Azul begged with her hands.
"No," Lizzy refused.
"Come on, you know my ex dumped me recently," She finally resorted to her trump card. "If he hears I'm dating a Huntsman, he'll lose his shit. Plus, all our other friends will be jealous as hell."
"And I would totally be on your side, sis," Lizzy said with sincerity. "Buuut these are my boys we're talking about and I'm not letting your whore hands anywhere near them."
"Fuck you, bitch!"
Afterwards, Lizzy was in her room contemplating on what clothes she should wear while Azul—with tears in her eyes—continued eating the meal that she begrudgingly admitted tasted great.
Lizzy was never one to choose her outfit haphazardly but today was a special day so she put even more effort into it than usual. Her eyes weren't light sensitive nor did they look unusual but she still wore sunglasses for various reasons. Not only did they communicate to others of her visual impairment, but they protected her eyes from flying insects and other things that she couldn't always detect sometimes and was unable to avoid. But most important of all, she made sunglasses look real good.
Before she went out, she made sure to check the money in her wallet. The braille on the lien allowed her to count them without her scroll. Finally, after wishing her crying friend a good day, Lizzy walked out of her home with her holo-cane in hand and made her way towards their meeting spot.
Today, Lizzy used a ball tip so that her cane could roll instead of having to constantly tap it on the ground. Some people would move out of her way as soon as they saw her and while Lizzy found that helpful, she didn't really like it when a conversation would suddenly go silent in her presence. It made her feel kind of awkward. But then again, Lizzy preferred that way more than someone 'helping' her by suddenly grabbing her cane or shoulder without even asking. Seriously, that was rude as hell. And it was mostly guys who did that shit, trying to use that as an excuse to hit on her.
Oh well. That's what I get for being so hot, Lizzy thought with a grin.
A few minutes later, she finally reached the park where she was supposed to meet the boys but didn't find any sign of them. Annoyed, she took out her scroll to text the two. Lizzy had to pull her sunglasses up and bring the scroll close so she could see the screen out of the blots in her vision.
Several seconds later, she got the text saying that they were almost there. "Tch. Lil punks keeping a lady waiting. Just for that, they're gonna pay for everything today," she grumbled with a pout.
"HEY!" A voice suddenly shouted at Lizzy who almost dropped her scroll from being startled. It even managed to garner the attention of a few others in the park who turned to look.
The owner of that voice was a bearded man who looked to be in his thirties or so. Lizzy smelled the small scent of alcohol on him when he came over and pointed a finger at her. "You! You're not blind!"
And with that, Lizzy's good mood plummeted and irritation took hold of her. Doubled so by how angry the man sounded as if he had any right. But Lizzy wasn't going to lose her cool because of some ignorant drunk. So, she took a deep breath and stood her ground.
"Excuse me?" She asked calmly after a moment of silence.
"I fucking saw you on your scroll," The man stabbed his fingers in the air at her multiple times to punctuate his words.
"Yeah. Cause blindness' a spectrum and I still have some vision left in my eyes."
"Then why the fuck are you using a cane if you can still see?"
"Because I'm still fucking blind and can only see a little," She said with exasperation and frustration.
"Then you don't need a cane, do you?" The drunk continued.
Now, that stunned her from sheer bafflement, "Like no!? I just said that I couldn't see fully. Of fucking course, I need a cane."
"Yeah right," He scoffed and crossed his arms. "You know what? I bet you're just pretending to be blind."
If someone claimed that you could feel physical pain from someone else's stupidity, then Lizzy would vouch for it. "... Why the fuck would I do that?" She asked.
"Probably for attention like you females always do," He said without a hint of shame. "Or maybe you're trying to get pity privileges and shit."
. . .
"Okay, that's it. I don't have to put up with your shit. Go fuck yourself cause no girl would ever touch you, you miserable pig," Turning around, Lizzy flicked her cane at him without hitting him in a shooing gesture.
But this gave him the opening to grab her cane and he yanked it away from her. "The fuck did you say to me, bitch!"
"HEY!" Lizzy shrieked in indignation. "Give that back, jackass!" She tried to reach for him but the man shoved her away, causing her to lose her balance and fall on her ass. By this point, some of the bystanders had been recording for less than 5 seconds as they sensed an altercation happening while others chattered at the scene and looked around to see if anyone would intervene.
"Shut the fuck up," said the man as he pointed the cane at her. "You don't even need this, you fake little slut. It's bad enough that bitches like you whore yourselves online without pretending to be retarded and shit for extra—"
The breath left the man's mouth just as his feet left the ground from the fist crashing into his side where his arm was.
Similarly, the holo-cane fell out of his hand just as he fell to the ground in a retching heap as he clutched his arm in agony.
But a foot stomped on his belly and put an end to his flailing. The man had clenched his eyes due to the pain but he opened one to see what the fuck was happening. The tip of a sword tickled his chin. Uncomprehending at first, he soon realised what it was and froze still even his body ached in pain.
"Any last words, shitstain?"
The man tore his attention away from the sword to the source of those words, spoken through clenched teeth and filled with barely restrained fury. Wide red eyes glared down upon him and they promised to spill blood.
The blade inched closed.
"Oi Gin! That's enough!" Jaune yelled.
He was kneeling beside Lizzy, having rushed towards her side to help her and retrieving her holo-cane for her.
Gin showed no signs of hearing what he said. When Jaune attempted to try again, his voice was drowned out by another yelling, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Jaune turned around to see two cops running towards them, "Drop your weapon, kid!"
The blond paled at the sight of them. He immediately grabbed Lizzy who yelped and picked her up in a princess carry. "Dude! It's the police, we gotta run. Now!"
Gin had turned his head towards the cops when they first yelled, showing that he had heard them. "Tch." He flicked his sword across the man's face, drawing blood and making him give a little cry of pain.
Then he moved on to get away while sheathing his sword. Jaune glared at him for that but he followed without complaining for now.
The fallen drunk pulled his hand away from his face and saw blood on it. His blood. A cut was left on his cheek and would definitely leave a scar. His hand shook from anger and the man's face slowly morphed into a scowl as his arm still ached. He would get revenge for this. He fucking swore—
The man released a croaked scream due to just having his ribs kicked.
The culprit was Gin once again, having decided to turn around and get one last hit in. Then he immediately ran away. The cops were unable to catch him even with his detour thanks to his Aura-enhanced speed.
Meanwhile, Jaune slowed down as he neared the park's fenced walls. Then power jumped over it, Lizzy screamed in his arms but Jaune made sure that she didn't hurt as he landed without bending his knees. Though he could've jumped over the walls while maintaining his speed, Jaune chose not because he would have landed right on the road that was right next to the park.
Jaune turned around to see Gin through the gaps in the fence as he was running to do the same. Except he showed no signs of slowing down. Gin jumped at dangerous speeds and would have landed right into a moving car, but he grabbed onto the fence to use it as a brake and easily landed right next to Jaune and Lizzy.
Seeing that both of his friends were with him and safe, Jaune nodded and continued running while Gin followed.
0-0-0
The group of three stopped in an alleyway near a few passersby. Jaune finally let down Lizzy who thanked him for the ride with a wry grin. The blond nodded and turned to glare at Gin. "Dude, what were you thinking drawing your sword on that guy?! Punching him is one thing because he deserved it but anything more could've gotten you in real trouble."
"Yeah yeah, I know," Gin dismissively waved him off before turning to his big sis. "Are you alright, Lizzy?" He asked.
"Ahem," Lizzy warned.
"… Big sis Lizzy."
She nodded with a satisfied smile, "Yup. I'm all fine now thanks to you two. So I'll forgive ya for keeping me waiting."
Gin's expression twisted in guilt. His head fell with shame, "... I'm so sorry, big sis. We should've been there much sooner." Jaune immediately understood what he meant and he too grimaced in guilt.
Lizzy looked at him with confusion before she realised what she must've sounded like. "No no no, I didn't mean it like that. I was just pulling your legs," She gave an annoyed sigh. Then she moved towards Gin and brought him into a hug. "Thank you, Gin. For saving me and getting angry for me. So don't you dare feel guilty for anything, ight?"
Gin's cheeks lightly turned red with an embarrassed expression but he nodded.
Lizzy turned and grinned at Jaune who had a feint smirk at the sight, "That goes for you too big boy. And you can come in for a hug too."
"N-No thanks," Jaune declined with raised hands, a little embarrassed.
"Okay, now we've wasted enough time." She let go of Gin and threw a fist up in the air, "Now we're gonna march on to have an ecstatic time!"
"Uh, are you sure you want to continue with today, big sis?" Gin asked with worry.
"Of fucking course. I ain't gonna let an asshole ruin my date. Now, onwards boys!" She began her march and expected the two to follow.
Gin and Jaune exchanged an awkward look. "She must be trying to forget what happened in the park. It might have affected her more than she lets on," Jaune leaned in and whispered.
"Yeah. So let's help her with it and make sure something like before never happens to her again," Gin growled the last words with a small scowl. Jaune responded with a resolute look and the two followed their big sis, determined to make today a fun memory and wipe away the stain of the previous incident.
And so, the three first went on to watch a movie. Though technically, only one of them watched it while the other two used descriptive audio that allowed them to enjoy the film with everyone else. Since this was a horror movie, it was made even more enjoyable with friends because they essentially treated it as a comedy by joking with each other and making exaggerated yells.
Next, they went to Karaoke. Lizzy could sing pretty well since she really liked music and would always listen to it while doing her studies and projects. Meanwhile, Gin was terrible at it because–according to him–he listened to audiobooks more than music. Jaune didn't believe it and just accused him of being worse than even average people. Gin couldn't really shoot back with any real effect because Jaune was undeniably the best among them as he once studied music because he thought it would make him popular with girls. It did not.
Afterwards, Lizzy wanted to do some shopping so they went to the Star Station mall. "The fuck? You two only brought three sets of clothes?" Lizzy asked with an exasperated face.
Both boys confirmed it and shrugged. Even today they just wore their combat clothes with some slight modifications. Gin wore his sneakers and black pants while tying his haori closed with the belt he usually wore on his other pants. Meanwhile, Jaune bothered even less and just didn't wear his gloves, armour and other gear. If Lizzy knew that they barely bothered to put effort into their outfit compared to her, she would have smacked them so neither of the boys disclosed that info.
"Boys," Lizzy lamented with a sigh. "Ight. Then as your big sis, I'll buy you boys clothes today."
Both of them frantically protested and tried to convince her against it. "Students like us are broke, you know. It's practically a law of reality," said Jaune.
"Pfft. You forget that I'm exceptional lil bro," She gave an exaggerated haughty laugh. "College expenses are covered by my folks so I'm free to spend the money I get from freelance coding gigs."
"Oh. Damn, so I'm the only one here without a job?" Jaune said with a wry smile.
"Eh? Gin has a job?" Lizzy asked. "Why haven't you told me?"
Both of them froze.
"... Part-time job," said Gin after a moment of hesitation. "And it's nothing special. Basically being a waiter."
His response must've been too slow or his tone was too odd because Lizzy narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Where?" She asked in a commanding tone.
Gin's expression twitched before he glared at Jaune but the blond looked away and pretended that he didn't notice.
"The club owned by the Xiong Family," Gin finally revealed with a sigh.
"What?!" Lizzy gasped. Then she slapped a hand on her mouth before talking quietly. "Why are you still associating with those thugs?" She hissed.
"For part-time work. And don't worry, it's nothing illegal," Gin quickly explained. "I do some work as a pseudo bouncer because my Semblance is great for easily breaking up fights and taking care of troublemakers without getting anyone hurt."
Despite herself, Lizzy couldn't help but picture Gin as a bouncer and trying to look intimidating when he… well didn't really look intimidating. It was especially amusing to picture him standing next to other bigger bouncers.
"You just thought I'd look ridiculous as a bouncer didn't you?" Gin accused when he noticed that Lizzy was quiet for a few seconds.
"No," She denied, a bit too quickly.
"Well, I did when you first told me," Jaune chimed in. "I was worried at first but imagining you as a bouncer made me laugh."
Gin flipped him off.
"Anyways, are ya sure about this Gin?" Lizzy asked with a worried tone.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it big sis," Gin reassured her. "I'm just doing it for the money but I won't get myself involved in anything dangerous. So yeah, now that we got that out of the way. If you really want to buy us clothes then let me pay for my things."
"Buy 'em for me too," Jaune asked. Gin was about to tell him to fuck off but he realised that Lizzy would still want to get the blond clothes too and he would rather his money be spent than hers. So he reluctantly agreed.
Lizzy whined, "I still wanna buy it for ya guys with my money."
"Then let's split it between the two of us," Gin offered.
"Ight, deal," Lizzy finally conceded which made both the boys release a sigh of relief.
Though one of them had an additional reason for doing so.
Hence, that was how this group of three found themselves in a store looking for clothes they like. When the others were busy selecting their own preferences, Gin didn't want to ask for their help so he had used his scroll to determine the colours of the clothes that he wanted since he was colour-blind, unlike Lizzy. After they were done and now possessing new sets of clothes, they were on their way to a restaurant for lunch before continuing their date.
"Hey wait, you two go on ahead of us," said Gin while pointing a thumb behind him. "I need to shit."
"Just shit in the restaurant's restroom," Lizzy advised.
"The chance is low but they might not have a restroom. Better safe than sorry," Gin replied before turning around to walk off. "Don't worry, it's pretty close so I won't take long."
"Dude's real brave to shit in a public restroom," Jaune commented.
0-0-0
A little girl with purple hair stood by herself in the mall, seemingly in distress but too afraid to approach anyone as they passed her by. Her eyes roamed around searching for something when they stopped on a silver-haired boy who had paused in his gait to look directly at her. He stared at her in confusion for a few seconds before he walked towards her.
The little girl seemed a little frightened by him until he kneeled a fair distance away from her, careful not to scare her off.
"Pardon me, young lady. But are you lost?" He began with a gentle tone and smile.
The girl hesitated.
"I understand your worry," He said reassuringly. "I'm a stranger to you so let me introduce myself. My name is Gin Suzume and I'm a Hunstman-in-training."
The girl's eyes widened. "Y-You're a Huntsman?" Her first words were a quiet question.
"Yes. And this is my sword. The symbol of my duty," Gin presented his sheathed weapon before her with both hands. "So, as a Huntsman-in-training, I have to help those in need. So please, let me help you if you need it."
The little girl stared, uncertain and cautious. But there was a sparkle in her blue eyes that had been desperately seeking a pillar of support.
"... I-I really need to pee," She finally mumbled after some time.
"Ah, I see," Gin answered patiently and with understanding. "Do you want me to carry you to the restroom so your urge doesn't get worse?" He knew he was asking something strange but the girl needed help. He would just tell her parents to teach her to be more careful.
The girl was understandably hesitant at his offer. But she was desperate and the boy seemed nice and genuine. Plus, he said he was a Huntsman. So she shyly nodded.
Gin nodded back and tucked his sword on his side before picking the girl up and making his way towards the restroom as this girl's temporary guard and escort.
"May I ask for your name, young lady?"
"Violeta Amor. But umm, you can call me Violet. Everyone does."
"It's nice to meet you, Violet," said Gin with a smile. He walked with quick steps, but not too quick in case it made her urge worse. "Now, can you enter the women's restroom by yourself?" He asked.
The girl didn't answer but she gripped his hoodie harder with a feint frown.
"Alright, I'll come with you. But would you be comfortable if we went in the men's restroom?"
Violeta made a low whining sound.
"Women's it is," Gin's smile turned a little weak. He thought about what he should do for several seconds before a plan came to fruition.
While using one arm to keep holding Violet up, he unsheathed his sword a bit and cut his thumb on it. Making this the second time that Steel Seer drew a small amount of blood. Gin proceeded to smear that blood on his lips before puckering them to make it look like lipstick. Then he made some adjustments to his clothes while walking. He closed the gap in the middle of his haori to fully cover his front, gripped his sleeves so that only his fingers would be shown, pulled his turtleneck up to hide his Adam's apple, pulled his haori lower so it would reach his knees and cover his thighs. And for the finishing touch, he pushed his long silver lock behind his ear.
Minutes later, Gin—with Violet in his arms—walked inside the women's restroom where two girls were doing their make-up with the assistance of the restroom's mirror. Without missing a step, Gin strolled towards an empty stall with all the confidence of someone who belonged there and neither of the girls objected to it even as they gave him curious but subtle looks with the mirror.
"Damn, she's pretty. I want her eyelashes so bad," One of the girls whispered to her friend.
"Her make-up's ass though. Ours is so much better," The other whispered back with a smirk.
"Totally. But I like how she blends that mistrali outfit with casual fashion."
"Eh? I guess. But it looks kinda messy. Like she's tryna pull a tomboy look with a conservative look and they just don't mix."
"Ugh. Bitch, stop being such a hater."
"Never."
Meanwhile–inside the stall that Gin took the girl in–he had his back turned on her and faced the wall to give the girl some privacy. As much privacy as there could be in a tight space like this anyway.
This is somewhat awkward, Gin mused while feeling like a creep. I wanted to get out of their sight as fast as I could but maybe I should've waited outside the door. Or would that have been too suspicious? The plan was to make people think I'm Violet's big sister or babysitter so it would be weirder if someone like that stayed out of the door and made their little sister go in alone, right? Damn, I still need to shit too. I could've done that in the other stall. No wait, Violet would be done soon anyway and I want to get out of here as soon as possible.
As if she could read his mind, Violet chose that moment to inform Gin that she was done. The boy nodded at her with a smile and picked her up again. Then he walked out of the stall and restroom with the same confidence as before and nothing went awry. None even stopped to give him a second look to question his gender.
Though he did feel that he was being watched, not that it was unusual for someone like him. Especially when people find out he's blind. And that was before he currently looked like a beauty.
Hehe. Mom, thank you once again for giving me this face, Gin thought with a grin that slightly cracked his feminine visage.
After successfully completing his awkward task, Gin returned his clothes to normal and removed the blood off his lips while walking in no particular direction.
"Do you want to walk by yourself now, Violet," Gin asked.
"No," Violet refused. As if to emphasise herself, she pressed herself into him and tightened her hold on him.
Gin almost melted. So adorable, he thought. "Alright alright. I'll hold you for as long as you want. Anyway Violet, where are your parents?"
. . .
"Daddy's dead and mommy left me," She finally replied.
If he wasn't a Swordsman and Huntsman-in-training, Gin would've missed a step and stumbled. "I'm sorry, what?" He asked with a shocked look. Then he shook his head to collect himself. "No, I mean, I'm sorry for your loss," He said softly.
She gave a low noise of acknowledgement.
An awkward silence fell. Gin desperately wanted to ask Violet to explain what she meant when she said that her mother left her. But maybe we should sit down in a quieter place first, he thought.
And that's what Gin did as he brought Violet to a bench with fewer people than before, though she still clung to him even while they sat. "So… could you explain what you mean when you say your mom left you?" Gin asked awkwardly.
An irritated yet sad look crossed the young girl's face, "She only cares about my stupid baby brother now…"
"Ohh. I see," Gin commented as pieces of the puzzle began forming before him. "But, may I ask why she would leave you alone at the mall?" He asked hesitantly.
The little girl pursed her lips, clearly disinclined to talk about it. Understanding this, Gin felt alarmed and thought about changing the subject but he needed to hear it if he wanted to help the girl.
Just as he was about to speak again, the girl finally broke her silence, "I wanted mommy to pay attention to me again. So I left the car because I thought she would search for me…"
Gin released a giant breath of relief. He thanked the Brother Gods that it wasn't as serious as he thought. "Oh, I get it now," Gin said with a wry smile. "Don't worry about it, if you know your mother's number then I can call her for you. If you don't then we can just go to security and we can wait for your mother together."
"Why? She doesn't care about me," Violet muttered petulantly.
Gin winced at that. He moved his tongue around in his mouth and took a few seconds to contemplate his next words carefully. Even though he didn't have enough information on her life to speak on it, he still had to try or he would never be able to hold his head high again. It was the duty and obligation of those with age to help those with less.
"Hey Violet," Gin began gently, "What do you think your mother is doing right now?"
"Dunno."
"Well, I think she's losing her mind from worry right now." Violet looked up at Gin. "Any parent would be in her place," He continued with a smile. "Why? Because she loves you of course."
Violet looked away. "... She loves my brother more."
"So you agree that your mother loves you. Then do you love her too?"
"Yes," said Violet with a voice more confident than ever before.
"Good," Gin's smile grew. "Now Violet, let me ask you another question. What does it mean when you're the oldest sibling?"
"Uhh. It means I was born earlier?" Violet answered without her former confidence.
"Yes. And that means you are better than your siblings," Gin proclaimed.
"I am?" She asked.
"Damn straight," Gin grinned and rubbed her head. "You're automatically superior just because you existed before them. That is the privilege of all older siblings. But it comes with the price of being the model for your siblings. A bad model is when your siblings don't want to be like you while a good model is when they do. Which one do you prefer, Violet?"
"Uh. A good model?"
"Hell yeah," Gin said with such glee that Violet couldn't help but share his mood. "And now do you get why your mother pays more attention to your younger brother?"
"Because he's not as good as me?" She asked, still unsure of her words but with some of her earlier confidence.
"Exactly. So it may feel like your mother loves him more but in reality, it's because she doesn't trust him as much as she trusts you. He's still a baby after all. And that's why you should treat your brother with love and care too so he can become as good as you. If not for him, then do it for your mother. Be a girl she can rely on and she will love you even more than she already does. And something tells me she already loves you a lot."
Violet was silent for a few seconds. She was looking down at nothing in particular, obviously lost in thought.
Then, a cute look of determination formed as she declared, "I'll do it."
"Good girl," Gin smiled pleasantly and rubbed her head again. Violet seemed to really like it because she leaned into it with her own smile.
"One more thing," Gin held a finger up in a pose reminiscent of a teacher about to give a lecture. "You're better than your brother now but that may change in the future and that's unacceptable. So you have to work to always be better than you are now. Study hard and get good grades. Eat your vegetables and exercise, because a healthy and strong body will house an even stronger mind. Never be satisfied with what you have or you'll stagnate and stop becoming better…" His words slightly trailed off at the end as his previous fervour dissipated a little.
"Okay! I will always work hard and always become better," Violet nodded with an enthusiastic smile.
Gin shook his head before returning to his earlier mood. "Attagirl," He said with a grin. "Now, let's not make your mother worry any more than she already has. Do you know her number?"
Violet suddenly turned nervous at the mention of her mother. But she did nod to confirm it and Gin picked up on it thanks to his Realm. Just as he was about to speak, Violet interrupted him with an uneasy question, "Do you think mommy will yell at me?"
"Hmm. Well, she would be angry and probably scold you. But that's because she loves you and doesn't want you to do something dangerous like this again. And neither do I. So, will you promise me never to do this ever again?"
"Okay. I promise," said Violet while holding up her pinky finger. Gin's smile almost reached his ears from the cute gesture. Containing himself, Gin reciprocated and wrapped his pinky around hers.
And thus, a promise was cemented.
0-0-0
Ana Amor was on the very losing her mind. She was a haggard-looking woman with dishevelled purple hair and dark spots under her blue eyes. It was clear how anxious she was just from her face and the constant twitching of her fingers.
She knew it was a dangerous state of mind to be in while she was driving, but Ana was stuck in a traffic jam that just wouldn't fucking move. The constant blare of horns wasn't doing her any favours either, not that she could judge since she couldn't resist the urge to honk for several long seconds at times.
Ana jerked back to her seat and covered her face with both palms in an attempt to calm herself. But that proved to do jack shit as she was feeling utterly terrible right now, comparable to when she lost her husband.
Left with nothing else to do, Ana clasped her hands and closed her eyes to pray. Begging the Brother Gods or anything that was listening for her daughter to be safe. A desperate plea from the very depths of her being.
Then she received a call.
The ring of her scroll actually startled her for a few seconds. Then the speculation that the call might have something to do with her daughter pierced through her chaotic mess of thoughts and had her scrambling to answer the call without even pausing to check the unknown number. "Hello? Violeta?!"
"Not quite Miss Amor," A boy's voice answered her. "But I have found your daughter and she is with me right now, safe and sound."
"Oh gods," Ana visibly sagged in her seat from relief. "I–Is she safe? Where are you? Let me talk to my daughter!"
"Yes, she's safe. We're at the Star Station mall. And of course," The boy answered her calmly and patiently.
"Mommy?" A new voice answered.
"Violeta! Oh my god. Are you alright baby?!"
"Y-Yes, mommy."
"Oh thank the gods, I'm so glad," Ana's voice cracked as she felt tears forming in her eyes. "You're at the mall, right?"
"Hm. A older boy is helping me."
"Yes. Bless him. Gods bless that sweet boy," She said with a genuine, relieved smile. "I'll talk to him to keep you there and I'll come get you as soon as possible, okay baby?"
"Yes, mommy." Violeta paused before she whispered. "I love you."
Ana was surprised for a moment before she smiled affectionately. "And I love you too honey, with all my heart."
Violeta made a noise of confirmation and handed the scroll over to the boy. "Hello?" He answered.
"Thank you. Thank you so much young man," Her words of gratitude were filled with so much emotion that it affected Gin and made him share some of her relief and joy.
"You're welcome, miss."
"I'm sorry, I don't want to trouble you more but can you please look after my daughter for me? I'm moving as fast as I can."
"Of course I will!" He said. "I mean it when I say that it's no trouble for me at all. In fact, your daughter is wonderful company. So, please don't worry and take your time if you need it. You sound exhausted."
Ana gave a weak laugh, "Yeah, I am. But I can pull through." She rubbed her face. "Gods, I wanted to search the mall as soon as I noticed that Violeta was missing. But, but I wanted to make sure my son was safe first so I didn't have to worry about him so I took him home and asked a neighbour to look after him. Fuck, that was so stupid. I should have just taken him with me and searched together. I'm such a shitty mom."
"Hey hey hey," Gin awkwardly tried to stop her rambling from taking such a dark turn. "That's not true. You're just very stressed, Miss Amor. I… I can't say if you made the right choice or not but no one should discredit your sacrifices and call you a bad mom."
Ana gave a small smile. "I seriously can't thank you enough. You're such a sweet boy. I'm sorry, I haven't even asked for your name."
"It's completely fine. I'm Gin Suzume. And again, don't worry about your daughter's safety," He assured her. "I promise you that no harm will befall her as long as I'm at her side."
0-0-0
When Ana reached the mall, she barely parked her car properly before she jogged towards where the boy said they were. She shuffled her bag in search of her scroll to dial the boy again. When she finally got it out, it didn't matter because she saw her daughter just as she entered the mall.
Peacefully sleeping, leaning against the chest of the silver-haired boy who held her in an embrace filled with such loving care. He was even swaying back and forth for Violeta's sake with a smile. Ana even suspected that he was humming a tune for her.
The sight was so tender that it captivated Ana and took the tension in her body away, causing her to almost fall on her butt. Ana didn't quite understand why she was affected so much but she didn't really care. All that mattered was that her daughter was safe and in good hands.
When she approached them, the boy noticed her and was about to get up. "No, it's fine. Don't get up. I really want to hug her but I don't want to wake her up just yet," She said in a quiet voice. Then she took the seat next to him on the bench in a tired slump. "I don't know if I could ever thank you enough, Gin."
"It was my pleasure, miss," Gin replied. "I mean it. Like I said, Violet has been great company and I enjoyed every minute of it."
Ana chuckled, "I can believe that. She's always been such a responsible girl. Gods, I can't believe I lost her. I was positive that she was in the car when we left." She grimaced with clear frustration at herself, "I didn't think being exhausted would make me this stupid."
. . .
"Actually miss, there's something I need to tell you," Gin began. Then he informed her of what Violeta told him, that is, the reason for her reckless action today.
At the end of his words, Ana's expression was a mix of frustration and regret. She could no longer resist her urge to hold her daughter so she reached out for her and Gin gently moved Violeta to her arms. The action stirred her awake, just as she felt herself being tightly embraced by her mother.
"Mommy?"
"I'm so sorry, baby," Ana apologised with a trembling voice.
Violeta didn't fully understand what was happening. Even so, she wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry too, Mommy."
0-0-0
"Damn. Seriously, what's with dudes and taking hours to shit?" Lizzy asked as Gin rejoined them at their seats in the cafe.
"I'm wondering what kind of shit you took too, dude," said Jaune. "You're smiling so hard, it looks like you shat out every single impurity in your body.
"No, I didn't shit at all. I forgot about it." Gin suddenly sighed with a dreamy expression, "I can't wait to have kids."
Both Jaune and Lizzy sent him confused noises but Gin didn't elaborate and just drank Jaune's drink without even asking.
0-0-0
"So, did anything happen today, Blake?" Yang asked. The three members of Team Ruby–ironically excluding Ruby herself–were gathered inside an empty classroom.
"Well, yeah. But it's probably not what any of us were expecting," Blake replied.
Weiss let out a tired sigh, "Please, tell us that Yang's suspicions were unfounded and we're on a wild goose chase."
"No, that's still in our expectations."
Their meeting was due to a discussion that they had yesterday when they gathered in a similar matter, soon after their talk of hunting the White Fang.
"What's this matter you wanted to discuss so badly that you're making us miss lunch, Xiao-Long?" An annoyed Weiss asked with her hands on her hips.
"Chill Weiss cream. You can fill your fat gut later," Yang laughedat Weiss' indignant squawking.
"You said this was about the White Fang, right?" Blake interrupted their banter "And why did you not want Ruby here."
A suddenly uneasy Yang pursed her lips and looked away. "Well, It's got something to do with that shrimp friend of hers. I'll just be blunt and say that I think he's involved with the White Fang."
"Gin Suzume?" Weiss asked incredulously. "How on Remnant did you come to that conclusion? He's not even a Faunus." She paused and glanced at Blake. "Wait, is he?"
Blake shrugged her shoulders and looked at Yang.
"Got no idea too. And it's because I think he's Hood." She looked at Blake, "The guy who fought you and is working with Roman Torchwick."
"Why?" Weiss didn't look or sound convinced.
"They feel really similar. Both of them use a sword, the same height and build, that habit of cracking their shoulder before a fight and we don't know what Suzume's Semblance is either. It would even explain why he has beef with me."
"I think I see what you mean," said Blake who had been contemplating her words with a hand on her chin. "They do kind of look the same. But a sword is a really common weapon. But… during our fight, there was a second when Hood switched to a reverse grip before instantly switching back. I didn't know why and I didn't think much of it until now."
"Oh hey! Now that you mention it, I think Hood was using a reverse grip too when we fought."
"All that could just be a coincidence," Weiss weighed in with her arms folded. "His teammates are a different story, but Suzume himself seems like a decent person. Barring some of the juvenile qualities you often see in boys. So I don't think it's likely for him to be some sort of criminal. Ruby is even fond of him as well."
"Why the hell are you defending him?" Yang accused.
"Well, excuse me for not wanting to accuse someone of terrorist activity based on coincidences," Weiss shot back with a raised brow.
"Whatever. I said it was just a suspicion anyway. So Blake, start stalking him to find out if he really is Hood."
"W–What? Why should I do that?"
"Because you got that ninja gimmick yeah? So that must mean you're good at this type of shit. Not to mention that this is a better lead on the White Fang than the nothing that we had before."
"I feel like you're stereotyping me but… I guess I have a little experience with tailing people," said Blake awkwardly.
Yang grinned victoriously.
And so, that's why Blake had been following Gin and Jaune for the whole day. There was a lot of worry that Gin might have been able to sense Blake tailing him. They even subtly asked Ruby if she knew how Gin's Aura Sensing worked and she did so they were able to devise ways to counter it.
Some of them were to let only Blake be the one tailing him, otherwise, the cluster of Aura users might catch his attention. Another was for Blake to constantly keep her Aura up to make it smaller. Those were easy enough but the others were much harder as Blake had to stay in large crowds or keep a lot of distance from him. Fortunately, she managed to push through and it seemed that Gin didn't notice her at all so Blake was able to report the day's events to her teammates.
"Well, my evaluation of his character has risen," said Weiss with a smirk. "His methods are questionable though."
"Nah, that other guy totally deserved it," said Yang with a disgusted look. "Bastard shoulda kept his hands to himself. I would've torn him a new asshole."
"I still can't believe that he managed to pull off looking like a girl so easily," Blake muttered with a conflicted expression. "I think I wouldn't have noticed either, to be honest."
Yang clicked her tongue, "The runt was born lucky with those damn eyelashes. It's friggin' unfair."
Both of her teammates couldn't help but agree.
End of Chapter
I was a bit hesitant to include that Karen scene since I had already planned the mall scene for this chapter before it and side characters like that usually only serve to be punching bags. But it was inspired by a story I read on Reddit while doing my research on blindness. A blind person commented about a terrible experience they had which was the basis for the Karen scene. I don't know if it's real or not but it got me pissed enough to want to include it in my fic for some catharsis. Though, I don't want it to be just for that so it will have some plot relevancy.
Also, I stole that breakfast scene from tommy_schoenith on Instagram. Check him out, he makes a lot of funny skits.
So yeah, I suck at updating consistently but I fucking vow that I will finish this story. Even if I bite the dust, I'll ask a friend to finish this story or at least post the plans that I've already written.