——
Two bikes were parked near a ramen stall, far away from the now-wrecked club belonging to Junior Xiong. One was Yellow, and one was black; the two differed noticeably in size, with the Yellow bike having a slim, sleek body, while the black bike was bulky and heavy.
Sat on the stools in the stall were Yang and Altair, eating bowls of ramen beside each other. The difference between their appetites was very apparent, Yang barely touched her food, moving around the bowl's contents rather than eating them.
She was silent, unfocused, or maybe conflicted by what she heard in the alleyway earlier. Perhaps the revelation left her confused, and angry.
It was hard, knowing the person you'd searched for all your life, the person you wanted to question and understand, knew that you were searching for them, knew that you wanted answers, but they disregarded your desire for a reason of their own.
She wanted to understand why, to see her and question her; she had a person who knew Raven, just beside her, but like he said, it wasn't in his place to speak for Raven, or reveal where Raven was if she didn't want to be found.
The warm steam hit her face, but she didn't register the warmth it brought. The silence, in contrast with the loud and distracting music from the club, didn't help her mind.
Altair on the other hand, enjoyed his food thoroughly, bringing the bowl close to his mouth, slurping the smooth noodles vigorously, and surprisingly he did so without making any obnoxious noise.
The noise of boiling water, the aroma coming from the broth, and the warm atmosphere comforted him.
"Ahh."
Altair, after finishing his ramen, put the bowl down with a small thud, startling Yang out of her thoughts. Taking the napkin on the counter, he wiped his mouth, and turned to Yang, who stared at him, with an empty look on her face.
"You good—? You know what that was a stupid question."
Seeing her expression, and considering her current mental state, that was indeed a stupid question. A little confused, Altair cleared his throat, before speaking to her again, but the problem was what should he say.
The first impressions are definitely ruined, talking about Raven feels like a time bomb, and Yang clearly wasn't in the mood for any humourous fun.
'...Let's answer a few of her questions.'
"...Okay, you can ask some things, I'll answer them, as long as they're not about Raven's location."
"..."
Yang sat there, turning her glance back to the untouched bowl of miso ramen in front of her. To Altair's astonishment, Yang shook her head, taking the chopsticks, and began eating the ramen at an impressive pace.
"Cough, cough."
"Slow down! Here have some water."
Altair handed a glass of water to Yang, who immediately drank the water in one gulp, and then she continued eating her ramen.
'I guess I didn't have to worry that much.'
——
"You cleared your mind yet? Or do you need another bowl?"
"...I'm fine now."
"That's good."
Altair reached in his robes, pulling out a standard scroll vibrating faintly. He tapped the button on the center, it expanded quickly, as the display lit up.
On the screen were the bare essentials for a normal scroll, the messaging app had a notification badge on its icon, tapping the icon caused the screen transitioned to the messaging interface.
Yang looked over from the side, a little curious, something that Altair ignored, knowing there was only one person who could contact him.
The app was as barren as a desert, lacking any contacts, save for one; a message coming from Raven, labeled as Raven Branwen (Monster).
Knowing that Yang was watching, Altair opened the message, unbothered by the little dragon's intense focus on the screen. The thing that bothered him though, was how close Yang was, to the point that he was practically breathing in the scent of her conditioner, which smelled like sweet lilac.
"Can you back up a bit?" Altair requested Yang, holding his breath a little, clearly uncomfortable.
"Nope." Which was completely shut down by the strong willed dragon.
"...Fine, I guess."
Focusing back on Raven's message, Altair read it with focus, alongside Yang.
The message read:
"If you're reading this I'll assume that you have already gotten your forged transcripts—".
"You had your transcripts forged?"
"Your mom's too stubborn to recommend me herself. And I beat you, so there's no question about my capabilities."
"...Just rub it in for now."
"I plan to."
"..."
"When you get to Beacon, the most important thing you must do is blend in. Don't get on Ozpin's radar, or Glynda's, we already talked about this so just follow my instructions. I already know you're passing the exam no problem so don't you dare fail, and when you get in, protect Yang for me. We'll meet on the agreed times when I send a message."
"Your mom's really awkward with her feelings."
"Yeah, I see that."
Yang leaned back, stretching her back, causing a few good pops. It was kinda weird, that the "her" that went berserk earlier in the club, became this person that was now calm and friendly towards Altair.
This was something that unsettled the target of her rage sitting right beside her. Glancing at Yang, Altair felt a little exasperated by Yang's earlier outburst, his eye even twitching, seeing her calm and amiable now.
'Why not be like this from the start? We really can't imagine or predict how a person reacts so that's that.'
Letting out a sigh, Altair minimized the scroll, putting it back in his robes. He stood up and dropped a few lien cards on the counter as payment for the ramen he and Yang ate, walking away once he placed the cards on the counter.
"Hey, where are you going? I still have some questions about my mom."
Yang perked up, following Altair out the stall and towards their bikes. Altair didn't look back or respond, choosing to ignore her just until they reached their parked bikes.
A little frustrated, Yang walked with him silently, letting the cold breeze flow through a few strands of her hair, as the night continued.
They reached their bikes, the moment they did so, Altair stopped walking and turned around to face Yang, who almost bumped into him.
"Why the sudden stop?"
"Just 'cause."
A playful jab hit Altair's sternum, and he just took it without any reaction. Yang made a small pout, but returned to her usual smiling face a moment later.
"You get 3 questions. I still have to find a hotel to sleep in."
Altair sat on [Panthera] facing Yang who sat on Bumblebee. The hydraulic suspension emitted a low hum, as he waited for Yang.
For Yang this was a huge opportunity, there were many things she wanted to know about her mother, ranging from why she left, why she never came back, or visited at the very least, but the question she really wanted to ask was...
"What is she...actually like?"
"Hmm..."
Altair thought hard about her questions. Memories from the past few weeks when he was in Raven's care came into mind, the so-called training sessions for adjusting his senses, training for his semblance, the weekly stalking for Yang—which Raven dragged him to accompany her—and then the stubborn mindset Raven had.
On the other hand, Raven did talk with him and opened up a little about her concerns, trusted him enough to watch over a couple of bandits she planned to discipline—which he did for her before she had the chance—followed by her usual remarks about...Her.
'Overall if I had to say anything to describe Raven it'd be...'
"...She's a huge coward, socially awkward, stubborn, a little obnoxious, sociopathic, a little psychopathic, a little narcissistic, emotional but she hides it because she thinks it makes her weak, cares a lot but doesn't know how to express herself, and a little power hungry."
"..."
"I'm not gonna criticize her much, but she's not a good person overall."
A sigh left Yang's mouth, her shoulder slumped in disappointment, as she lay on Bumblebee.
"That's...rough." She muttered, with her back against the bike.
She...had this image in her head about her mom. Strong, beautiful, adventurous, and has a no nonsense attitude, maybe a little like Summer, but still someone who was similar to her.
It disappointed her, even after the way her uncle talks about his sister, she hoped that maybe she would be different, that maybe she changed a little.
"...At least she cared about me."
"Yep. It could've been worse for you to be honest."
A small chuckle escaped from her, as she glanced at the shattered moon above, shining brightly over the city.
"Okay, for my second question..."
Yang rose and sat facing Altair, looking straight into his...eyes?
"Wait, you're blind?"
"..."
A look of disbelief painted Altair's face, his eyebrows raised, his mouth slightly open, trying to process the words coming out from Yang's mouth.
He wanted to say that "Not really I have sensitive eyes so I wear a blindfold for a medical purpose.", but something clicked in his head.
'Yang thinks I'm blind = She doesn't know I can see = I can guilt trip her.'
Truly mischief runs through the soul of anyone from the era of the internet.
A little amused Altair, lied to her "...You're asking this now? How did you not notice the guy you were picking a fight with was blind?" His tone laced with mock irritation and disbelief. Though inside he was struggling to hold back his laughter, but his acting was convincing enough for Yang.
On the other hand a slow realization crept into her mind.
'I took a fight against a disabled person...WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING YANG!? Oh no oh no, does this make me an ableist? Oum why didn't I notice it earlier?'
Seeing Yang slowly spiral into guilt, Altair finally couldn't hold back, letting out a chuckle that grew into a full blown laugh, bringing Yang out of her stupor.
She was confused, not fully registering why he was laughing, but she thought about it more.
'When I was fighting him earlier how did he even know where I was? It was loud so using his ears was out of the question, maybe his semblance? No, he told me his semblance was making up is down mumbo-jumbo...And he was reading...a text...'
"It's fine you weren't fighting a blind guy. Hahahahah."
"...Can I punch you harder?"
"Haaa...If you can."
"...I swear one day."
A sigh of relief, and then Yang focused back on their question and answer portion, though Altair's chuckles still irritated her; she couldn't do anything about it.
'...Does she ever...'
"Does she talk about me?"
Recovering from his laughter, Altair let out a puff of air, before bringing his focus back on her question.
"Not really? A little here and there, but it's mostly some answers when I ask about why she doesn't just see you. She's not actively talking about you, but when you're brought up, she talks a lot."
"...What about my Dad?"
"Nope, nada, nothing. Not even when she talks about you."
"My Dad would cry if he knew."
"Then don't tell."
"...I probably shouldn't."
Silence fell, but not the awkward kind of silence. It was more serene, peaceful. The cold wind blew, as the light from the moon bathed everything in a cool silver hue. It was the silence meant to be taken in, as it rarely happens.
"..."
"..."
Yang felt a burden slowly begin to lift from her mind, she knew that her mother had reasons, still a child needed someone to look after them, a role Summer briefly did, but it didn't mean she forgot about Raven.
For years she searched and never really got anything in return, until now. It wasn't closure, not even close, she still wanted more, to ask Raven herself, but this was the starting line, something she yearned for years, finally a first step towards her mom, but for now it was enough.
"It's midnight now. I better get going, I still have to find a place to sleep in."
Altair's voice broke the silence, as he mounted his bike, its cold engine humming to life.
"Just stay at my place then."
Yang spoke with urgency, in a moment of impulse, that surprised even herself. Even Altair looked at her with surprise, and even disdain, silently judging her.
Her cheeks burned, a blush already forming on her ears, definitely flustered and embarrassed by her impulsive offer, but she couldn't really take it back anymore.
"Get your mind out of the gutter! My house has an extra room, I'm just returning the favor." Clicking her tongue, Yang glanced at the side, scratching her head slightly. "It's just that the hotels open now are expensive, and the cheaper ones are dirty. You told me things about my mom so I can't really leave you alone with no place to stay at."
"Sure, I guess." Altair counted the lien cards in his pockets, and he was basically gonna run out quickly if he rented a place, or stayed at a hotel, and he refused to stay at any place that's dirty or unclean. Plus food and drinks, not to mention the laundry fees for the clothes, bag, and sleeping bag. "I could use a place to crash at."
"See I was right!"
"It's still a little weird that you invited someone you just met back to your home."
"I was being considerate!"
"Sure."
"I WAS OKAY!"
A red-hooded figure stood behind Yang.
"Hey, Yang, who's this?"
"Just a friend, sis. Anyways I'm being kind to—"
Yang froze, recognizing the voice behind her.
"Damn—"
Thwack!
The familiar Jar fell on Altair's head. "Why I didn't even swear!?"
"GASP! IS THAT A MAGIC SWEAR JAR™?!"
And a cookie maniac saw a magical Swear Jar™.
——