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Thump . The sound of Qrow’s travel bag echoed through the empty and vast halls and no doubt making it’s way through the dormitory’s paper thin walls to the ears of every student around them. “I’m so exhausted!” Qrow said in a superfluous tone before plopping down onto the perfectly made bed below him; the intricately woven patterns of the comforter’s design becoming nothingness under his weight. Before she had even gotten a second to think, Raven’s brother and Tai had begun chatting away, as if that had not been all they’d done the entire way here. Does my brother realize how obnoxious he is? Raven had thought to herself. Tuning out her teammate’s chatter she honed in on her own bag and more importantly her blade, Omen. The blade’s massive sheath rest itself against the middle wood support beam of the dormitory. It’s handle and trigger poking out of it’s top. Raven, sitting several feet away, at the desk at the head of the room, could not take her eyes off of her precious blade. It’s multicolour allure telling her that there was no time to be wasted. The Vytal Festival was a gathering, a fair, culture, and an event that sprawled and connected kingdoms. But to Raven it was but one thing: a chance to truly test herself in battle. In the tournament, she could finally prove herself worthy.
“Hey, drowsy eyes” unconcerned with the boy’s bickering and hollering, Summer sat on the chair sideways, sharing it with Raven albeit pushing her off an inch or two. Raven unlocked her gaze from Omen and turned her head to the side before realizing how close her face was to her teammate’s. “Hey, Summer.” she let out half-baked, as if her mind were elsewhere. “It’s okay to rest for a day, Ray, we’ve been traveling forever. I know you want to win the tournament but there's so much more to the Vytal Festival than battle you know.” If anyone else had even dared call Raven that she’d have made them pay the price. But for Summer… It was okay. Something about the specific way the nickname rolled off her silver tongue. “Your tongue matches your eyes, Summer.” She teased her teammate, rare for the most serious and driven Raven Branwen. A smile overcame Summer and she posed, “You know Raven, Qrow and Tai are going out with the guys tomorrow to experience what the festival and city of Mistral have to offer. You should do something too. We won’t be in Mistral forever.” Raven shook her head. “You know I don’t care about that stuff, Summer. I want to be strong, I want to win, I want to prove the Branwen name.”
“I’m not asking you, Ray. Please? Let’s do something together. There’s so much to see.”
Raven caught herself in a slight blush, the rosy colour of her cheeks standing out too much from her pale skin. She turned away, looking back at her blade resting against the support beam. “Fine.” she stated assertively, desperately trying to recover her cool demeanor. “What did you have in mind?” she asked Summer. “There’s supposed to be a ferris wheel tomorrow. It’s going to overlook Mistral’s waterfall dotted cliffsides. It’s supposed to be beautiful, Ray. Want to go up with me?” Summer had asked, trying not to be too pushy to poor Raven, who she knew was already out of her element. Raven scoffed to herself, even let out a smile. “You’re so funny Summer. You care about so many of these things that I can’t begin to understand.”
“What do you mean?” asked Summer.
“The beauty of our world.” Raven replied. “It’s not something that ever crosses my mind. But.” She pursed her lips, “If it would make you happy then I will.” Summer smiled. “I’ll hold you to it, Ray.” she said while removing herself from the chair heading towards one of the four dormitory beds. It wasn’t until Raven had removed herself from that fluttering situation that she realized the boys had knocked out and the sky entirely dark. I suppose it’s my bedtime too. She pulled the string on the final lantern that lay lit in the room atop the desk, reducing the room to pure darkness aside from the dust glow of Omen’s sheath. She wandered over to the last untarnished and empty bed in the room, the top right side corner from the door, beside where Summer lay fast asleep already. She sat on it and quickly changed into pajamas in the cover of darkness and crawled underneath the sheets; ecstatic about the breadth of warmth that lay underneath for her. Normally Raven would stare at the ceiling for hours thinking before being able to properly fall asleep. But this time, the small sleepy sounds of Summer in the bed next to her had caught her off guard. Before she knew it, Raven was reduced to a contentful snooze.
Raven woke up, much too late as usual, the team’s room already bustling with the boys getting ready and Summer telling them to hurry up so she could get into the room’s sole bathroom. Qrow came bustling out the door, brushing his teeth, already fully dressed and ready. “Hey look who's finally awake!” he shouted. “What’s up, sis? Beauty sleep as usual?” He teased his sister. But for some reason, today, Raven didn’t care. Nothing could get to her, she slept like a baby. “Good morning, little brother.” Though not technically a true statement, it pissed Qrow off when she said it. “Ugh gross… Summer!” Qrow called. “She’s chipper for some reason!” He had said it in a way that had come off as a warning. He focused his attention off of his sister and resumed some conversation Raven didn’t care about in the slightest with Tai as they left the dorm and slammed the door behind them. “Do they always have to slam it?” Raven asked rhetorically. Summer gracefully made her way to Raven’s bedside and crouched down, using her hands as a chin rest. “Time to get up Ray.”
“I know, don’t worry. I told you I would.” Raven responded softly. Raven could not draw her Gaze away from her fellow huntress who kneeled next to her. Her rose coloured top and skirt accented with the cutest white trills on either side of her waist and her obnoxious white hood that begged for attention as the outfit’s centerpiece. But more importantly, Raven found herself lost in her teammate’s deep silver eyes. What mysteries do you have in store for me, Summer?
“Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to get ready? It’s already almost noon, Ray.” she said while giggling. Raven realized she got caught staring and jumped out of bed and began getting dressed with a vindication seen never before. Why does this girl make me feel this way… She thought to herself. She’d rarely been caught in embarrassment by anyone else, but with Summer it was a daily occurrence at least. In the flash of an eye, Raven was ready for the day, fully dressed in Beacon’s school uniform. She felt that wearing her traditional Branwen combat garb would be a bit excessive for a day around the town. “I never see you wear that anymore.” Summer said. “It looks cute on you. Probably because it’s so not you.”
“Yes, yes, I’m amazing.” Raven covered her embarrassment of being complimented by Summer with narcissism. “Ready?” she asked Summer. “I have been since…” Summer looked over at the room’s wall mounted clock. “About two hours ago, Ray.” she laughed out.
“Well!” Raven started. “I need my-” she started before Summer cut her off and finished her sentence. “Beauty sleep. I know. We’ve all heard your excuse a million times before.” Raven rolled her red, bagged eyes. Allowing a faint smile before opening the door. “Lead the way Ms. Rose.” she gestured formally toward the door. Summer smiled and left first, grabbing Raven’s hand on her way out. A surprise! Raven was caught off guard. Summer’s hands were soft and warm. But welcome. “Why are you leading me like an animal?” She asked Summer.
“Because we’re already an hour late for what I wanted to do today.” Summer said, speed walking the dormitory’s long halls.
“I thought the ferris wheel wasn’t until dusk?” Raven asked. Summer stopped to a halt, Raven almost crashing into her from inertia. Summer looked behind her at the black haired, tired looking girl. “You are so stupid, Ray.” she said and giggled once more before returning to her forward power walk.
“What…? Why…? What did I do this time?” She pestered Summer.
“You honestly thought I only wanted to do one fifteen minute activity with you?” Summer replied.
“I guess I hadn’t really given it that much thought.” Raven said.
“You never do. Unless it involves blades, battles, or strategies, Ray.” she continued, “I want to have fun with you. There's more to life than the clashing of swords.” Butterflies filled Raven’s stomach and she couldn’t even conjure a reply, she just let Summer and her white cloak guide her thoughtlessly towards the exit.
The slightly chilly fall air of Mistral’s cliffs greeted Summer and Raven as they left the dormitory and headed for the town Square, where most of the festival was held. Summer was still leading Raven quickly by the hand. “What’s first on your little agenda, Summer?” Raven asked. Before they rounded a corner to a small market nestled over a waterfall by the cliff’s edge. “This!” Summer finally replied, full of excitement. The small square had stalls on either side of the waterfall, a small wooden bridge crossing over and connecting the two pieces of land. While it was a small area, it was made to feel even smaller packed with dozens of students lining for the stalls. “What is it?” asked Raven.
“A local dish!” Summer replied excitedly. “Quick, let's get in line before they get any longer, Ray!” She yanked the girl's hand like a doll towards the end of the shorter of two lines, Raven almost tripping in the process. Before Raven could even ask the question of what this supposed local dish was, Summer was already answering it. “It’s a type of fish that can only be found in mistral’s cliffsides!” She exclaimed. “It’s a delicacy here! It’s supposed to be delicious.” Before they knew it the girls had made it to the front of the line and were greeted with a price tag for their meal. “250 Lien please!” the chef at the front of the shop stated. Ugh… so expensive. Raven thought to herself. At least it was a huge fish… Before she could even reach into her pockets for cash, Summer had already thrown it onto the counter and the chef had thanked her and handed her the meal. “Oh!” Raven exclaimed. “Do you want me to pay you back?”
“Rayray shush. It’s my treat. Now dig in.” Summer said. The extra “ray” added to the nickname drew a subtle blush onto Raven’s face. Before them lie an exotic fish plated in a way of ancient Mistral customs. It’s head and tail lay intact, but severed from the main body, which was cut, deboned, and skinned beautifully revealing the pink-red tantalizing raw meat of the fish. Raven looked up and already saw Summer eating, making silly noises indicating her excitement with each bite. Here we go… Raven grabbed a piece of the delicate meat with the chopsticks and placed it in her mouth before beginning to chew. Wow. This is… amazing. Raven thought to herself, her eyes showing visual excitement from just the taste of the exotic fish. “Amazing isn’t it!” Summer begged.
“Yes it is actually… really quite good. And I’m not one for food, you know that.” Raven responded.
“I knew you would like it!” Summer said.
“How so?”
“I just knew cus’ I know you Rayray.”
Raven blushed again before asking, “Where has this second ‘ray’ come from on that little nickname of yours?” She asked summer. “It’s cute isn’t it?” Summer replied. “I think cute things on you are like double cute because you’re so inherently against being cute.” Raven looked exceptionally puzzled. “Does that make sense?” she finished.
“No.” Raven replied.
That simple one word reply had sent Summer into hysterics which confused Raven even more. But then she tuned into her teammate’s laugh and realized how effortlessly she had caused it and blushed again. I think I’m falling in love with this girl. Raven finally admitted to herself deep within her own mind. No one else could be trusted with such information of course. Before she could even fully snap back to reality Summer was already springing up and tugging on Raven’s hand leading her to the rest of their adventure.
Some walking after their exceptionally late lunch, Summer had finally tugged Raven along to the central fairground. In every direction there were games, snacks, activities, and gathering crowds. “Anything specific you had in mind here?” Raven asked Summer. But Summer wasn’t listening. Merely instinctually dragging her teammate around while eyeing each and every stall for something to catch her eye. And then something did.
“There!” Summer shouted and pointed. Raven traced the imaginary line from Summer’s fingertips and plotted the destination at a huge plushie of a Beowulf hanging from a game stand’s overhang.
“Summer I think you have to like… top score to get that. It looks huge. No way it’s going to be easy to get.” Raven warned. Summer turned back at the sleepy eyed girl. “But I want it so we have to try!” she exclaimed before tugging her over to the stand and asking the attendee the rules. The man explained the simple game to the two girls quickly. “Oh so it’s just a shooting range?” Raven asked.
“Precisely.” The man replied.
“And how many points for the Beowulf?” Raven questioned.
“Perfect score.” He told her.
Raven picked up the small pellet gun and before starting the timer, looked behind at Summer, who was glowing with excitement. I have to win this stupid thing for her. She thought to herself. She’s lucky I was raised in the Branwen tribe. I’m a perfect shot. Raven gave the bubbling girl a smile before turning back around and lifting the gun up to aim. “Ready?” the man asked. Raven nodded in reply.
WHAM!
The first of many small red targets shot up and were instantly shot down by Raven. Target after target with perfect accuracy rose and fell under the girl’s acute marksmanship until the last target rose and was hit. Raven began throwing her arm that held the gun up and down and bouncing and laughing in excitement and noticed she felt Summer’s hands clasped on her shoulders. She was bouncing too. “Yeah! Way to go Rayray! I knew I could count on you.” Raven stopped bouncing and cheering for all she could think about was the warmth in her heart seeing Summer smile. A blush overcame her again but this time she didn’t hide it. She turned back towards the stand and received the massive plushie from the attendee and then handed it back to Summer who tucked it under her right arm tightly. “Thank you!” she said with so much excitement it rippled more butterflies through Raven’s stomach.
“You’re welcome Summer.” Raven said softly before grabbing Summer’s hand and leading her back to the fairgrounds.
Oh! Summer thought. Raven is leading me this time? I knew she’d start to unwind eventually. She gladly let her drowsy eyed teammate lead her around while she held her plushie tight.
Around the fairgrounds the two went playing various games and trying various snacks for several hours until the sky began to darken. Summer, munching on a chocolate popsicle the two of them had got, took it out of her mouth for a second. “Hey Ray, it's time! Look!” She pointed at the cliffside where the ferris wheel had been set up and began to spin with it’s lights rotating slowly clockwise around.
“Finally!” she exclaimed sarcastically. “I’ve had such a long boring day waiting for this.” she teased Summer.
“You loved every bit of it.” Summer replied, smitten with Raven. Raven had noticed her teammate was basically clung to her like a mousetrap at this point. But she didn’t mind. She liked it a lot… all things considered. She led Summer over to the ferris wheel where a man waited at the ride’s entrance. “Two of ya?” he asked. “Three!” Summer replied holding up the Beowulf plushie won for her earlier. The man stared at her deadpan for three or so seconds before continuing. “150 Lien per person, miss. Not including the stuffed grimm.” Before Summer could even put the plushie down Raven had paid.
“Hey no fair!” Summer said.
“Paying you back for earlier. My treat.” Raven said.
“But this was more expensive!”
“So what?” Raven asked while chuckling. Before Summer could even continue the argument, Raven had led her into one of the carts that would take them up and sat her down on the opposite seat of her.
“You excited?” she asked summer. Summer gave no reply but just stared back at her. “C’mon this was your idea. Too tired to be excited?” Raven asked again.
“Of course I’m excited Rayray.” she replied. “I had an amazing day with you. I’m so glad you came out.” Raven tried to hide her blush again and looked out the window and was caught off guard by the beautiful vista that greeted her. A purple-golden setting sun basked the beautiful Mistral cliffs with it’s light. The waterfalls in the cliffs glowing a particularly pretty way refracting the sky. Raven was lost in the view. The cart had reached the summit of the ride and it slowly began to go back down. Raven’s fixation at the beautiful world below was broken when she felt her teammate cuddled up next to her, her plushie sitting alone on the opposite seat. Raven looked at her and smiled. “Comfy?” she asked Summer.
“Mhm.” Summer replied. Her eyes closed. “You know Raven, you’re really soft when you’re not covered in spiky armor.” she continued. Raven was blushing unafraid this time. She held her smile and pet Summer’s hair which seemed to be a trigger for her to snuggle tighter.
“I’m glad I came out today too, Summer.” Raven said.
“I knew you would be.” Summer boasted in return.
The girl’s ride had come to an end and to Raven’s sadness, Summer had to un-cuddle to get up and out of the cart. Raven made sure to grab the Beowulf for her. She knew Summer would flip if she forgot it. When she exited the cart, Summer stood waiting with an open hand begging without words for Raven to hold it which she did. “The night isn’t over.” Summer started. “There’s still a fireworks show. Why don’t we find somewhere comfy to sit Ray?” she asked.
“That sounds lovely.” Raven replied softly. Her entire guard let down for the first time in… a long time.
After some searching, the girls had found a comfy little tree and bushes nestled upward a hill near the fireworks show and laid on the grass together. “Raven?” Summer let out. Raven’s ears perked up and she looked away from the sky, her tilted head meeting her teammate’s soft blushing face before Summer continued. “Do you think I could…” she paused as if in embarrassment. “Do you think I could cuddle up to you again?” Raven smiled and began blushing in unison. “Of course you can.” Summer pathetically scurried her way tightly underneath the arm or Raven as the fireworks began to go off. Beautiful lights blew across the horizon in the colors of the four kingdoms. Raven held Summer tighter.
“Summer?” Raven looked back over at her teammate, who she realized had never even looked at the fireworks in the first place and never stopped staring at her.
“Yeah?” Summer let out softly.
“I think I love you.” Raven said. Her heart was beating out of her chest. Summer’s eyes widened and her expression was full of shock before it settled into a hearty and comfy smile, her eyes becoming comfortable again and her blush returning.
“I love you too Raven.” Summer replied. “I’ve loved you for a long time.”
“I think I…” Raven started. Summer’s ears were fully perked eagerly awaiting the rest of her new lover’s sentence. “I think I have too.” Raven finished. “Loved you for a long time… I mean.” she awkwardly specified. The two girls stared at each other for some time, the only thing breaking their connection were the flashing lights of fireworks cascading on their faces periodically. Raven’s breathing intensified as she moved Summer’s black-red hair out of her eyes. Summer showed no resistance to it and Raven leaned in. Summer moved in tandem and the lips of the two girls touched and then touched again. Raven began caressing the side of Summer’s face as they shared passion before Summer backed off for a second. “Is.. did I do something wrong?” Raven asked, scared she had ruined everything. Summer smiled at her and wiped her lips with her forearm. “Absolutely not.” Summer replied with utmost certainty. Before Raven’s heart could even calm down Summer began speaking again. “Raven, will you be with me?” she blurted out, pouring her heart out as language. The drowsy eyed black haired girl opened her dark red eyes fully with excitement.
“Until the bitter end.” Raven replied. Summer chuckled at the way Raven had answered her question. It was a very Raven way to answer it after all. It was cute.
“You’re so morbid.” She told Raven softly. Raven allowed a toothy grin.
“You love it.” Raven boasted.
“Of course I do, Rayray. I love all of you.” The sentence had stunned Raven and she lost all her confidence and her toothy grin. She was fully and entirely vulnerable with someone else for the first time in her life. She loved someone and someone loved her back. Tears welled up in her eyes before she hugged Summer tight. Through tears Raven managed to get out one sentence. “I love all of you too, Summer."