26Posted 3/18/2018
Update? Update.
Combined chapter 1 and 2 into one since they really should've been one chapter to begin with.
Added a small addition to chapter 1 that might clear up some questions.
That's it!
Enjoy!
Cardin snarled as he slammed his mace into the body of an Ursa Major. The beast roared in agony as bones splintered under the force of his blow. He jumped back as the Ursa swiped at him savagely, its massive claws just barely missing his head. Keen to end the fight quickly, he ducked as the Ursa attacked him again and swung his mace upwards into the beast's chest. In his mind, he could see the ribcage as it shattered into pieces, the fragmented bones piercing the Ursa's organs.
The beast roared once more and then collapsed as all strength left its body. It growled pitifully at him and for a moment, Cardin felt pity for the creature. But only for a moment. Lifting his mace once more, he brought it down on the Ursa's head, silencing it forever.
As he lifted his mace, blood and fur sticking to the head of his weapon, Cardin looked around and spotted Jaune as the man tore through a pack of Beowulves. The man was like a whirlwind, his sword never stopping as he sliced and carved his way through the Grimm. In a way, it was almost beautiful.
A growl behind him however made him remember where he was. Chuckling, Cardin turned around and grinned as an Alpha Beowulf leapt at him. As he smashed the Grimm's face with his fist he couldn't help but think how all this fighting was quite therapeutic in a way. He had not had the chance to let loose in awhile and all that pent up energy had been building up, energy that he could now unleash on the Grimm.
He looked mockingly at the Beowulf as it slowly got up, the beast slowly shaking its head as if in a daze. "Cmon, Fido. Surely that's not all you got?"
While he wasn't sure if the Grimm understand him or not, it let out a tremendous howl and charged him, its jaws opening wide. It almost looked angry.
Grinning still, Cardin leaned back as the Grimm missed him entirely. As it passed him, he reached out and grabbed the Beowulf's tail with his free hand. The beast actually yelped in pain as its body came to a sudden screeching stop. With a grunt, he slammed the Grimm into the ground before crushing its skull with his mace.
They continued like that for a while, tearing their way through Forever Fall. However, after his 50th Grimm kill Cardin stopped and signaled at Jaune who had been about to chase after a few fleeing Creep. The young man saw his signal and stopped, sheathing his sword before running over.
"All done Cardin?" Jaune asked while keeping an eye at their surroundings.
Grinning, Cardin puffed out his chest and said, "Yeah, I think that'll keep me going for at least a few weeks." He stretched his arms and let out a pleased growl as he felt some of his bones crack. "Oh yeah. I'm definitely good."
"Alright, I'll call Yue so he can come and pick us up."
"Fine by me, that walk back would be a pain."
While Jaune picked up his Scroll and dialed the professor, Cardin yawned and worked out a few more kinks in his body. He wasn't tired, far from it, but he could use a nice nap. They always felt the best after a decent workout and food usually followed. Speaking of food, he wondered how Velvet was doing. Before he had gone on his little excursion with Jaune, she had said something about meeting up with some friends of hers for lunch. He hoped she was having fun.
"Alright, Yue is on his way," Jaune said, pocketing his Scroll. "He commented on how it didn't take that long for you to unwind."
Cardin smirked and pounded his chest once. "Cmon, who do you think I am? I'm no berserker, with no mind for anything but fighting. Think of me as a surgeon, one who delicately and expertly takes apart his enemies!"
"With a mace," Jaune commented as he rolled his eyes in what seemed to be exasperation.
"I never said I was a good surgeon," he shot back straight-faced.
Jaune looked at him incredulously and Cardin stared back, his face deadpan. Time itself seemed to slow as the two stared at each other, the seconds crawling while they waged their silent battle. However a bead of sweat soon formed on Cardin's brow and slowly slid down his face until it reached his right eye. He fought the muscles that tried to defy him but it was futile. He blinked.
As if on cue, Jaune threw his head back and started laughing uproariously.
Cardin joined him soon after, his eyes closing from the silliness of it all.
"W-why are we still laughing?" Jaune gasped after several minutes.
"I-I don't bloody well know!" answered Cardin, his arms clutching his sides, before submitting to a coughing fit.
If it had even been possible, the act caused Jaune to laugh even harder.
"Well, nice to see you two are having fun."
Jaune and Cardin abruptly stopped laughing and looked up to see Yue standing a few feet from them, looking at them impassively. They looked at each other, back to Yue, and then started roaring with laughter once more.
"Yes, yes. Laugh it up you hyenas. Come on; let's get you two back to Beacon."
Still laughing, Cardin let himself be guided toward the waiting Bullhead. When the laughter finally subsided and he was strapped safely in the airship, he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. Letting out a satisfied sigh, he nodded at Jaune who sat opposite from him. The young man returned the gesture then took out his Scroll and started tapping away.
"You two okay back there?" Yue asked from the cockpit.
"All good."
"Same."
Engines firing, the Bullhead lifted off and quickly gained altitude.
Since the trip back to Beacon would easily take an hour even by Bullhead, Cardin settled back and decided now was a good time as any to take his nap. As he was lulled to sleep by the vibrations of the airship, he smiled.
Pyrrha carefully took a bite of her dessert and couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut as she moaned in enjoyment. The chocolate cake she had chosen was everything it had promised to be and more. The waves of pleasure that assaulted her threatened to break her, make her collapse from the sheer bliss.
"Wow, Rubes, what was in that cake?" she heard Yang whisper.
Remembering where she was, her eyelids shot open and she blushed when she saw how everyone at the table was staring at her. She quickly averted her eyes and put down her fork while saying, "Sorry!"
Yang chuckled. "Nothing for you to apologize for Pyrrha! That was some reaction though! It looked like you had died and gone to heaven. Was it really that good?"
Still blushing, Pyrrha turned back to look at the others and saw how they were all staring at her expectantly. She struggled to put into words how she had felt. How the moist chocolate cake had literally melted in her mouth causing stars to explode in her eyes while the cream had played with her taste buds in ways she thought impossible. The fudge, oh the fudge, it had been so rich and made her feel as if she had been kissed by angels. In the end, she decided to keep it simple. "It was very good. Thank you for the suggestion, Ruby."
"See? See? I told you, Yang! This place has the best cakes!"
"Alright, alright. I believe you," Yang chuckled while picking up a fork. She carefully cut a piece of her lemon sherbet cake and placed it in her mouth. The girl's eyes went wider than dinner plates as she chewed then swallowed. "Oh. My. God."
Before anyone could even blink, the blond had flown from the cafe table and attacked one of the waiters, demanding to see the baker. Ruby followed her sister with a cry. "Yang! Put that man down!"
Amused despite herself, Pyrrha turned to the person at her side and said, "I'm really sorry about all of this, Velvet. I hope you don't mind."
The second-year looked back at her and smiled. "Not at all, Pyrrha. You should have seen the antics my team got up to during our first-year. If anything this is quite normal."
Velvet glanced down at her own plate and the small cheesecake that sat on top. "However, was it really that good?"
"It was exquisite."
"Hmm." Velvet seemed to study her cake, as if trying to figure what to do. After a moment, she took a deep breath and picked up her fork. A piece of cheesecake went into her mouth and Pyrrha could have sworn she saw Velvet's ears spasm.
Leaving her senior to it, Pyrrha returned to her own cake. It was intriguing how such a small thing had so much power over her. She took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. That first bite had caught her off guard but that was because she had not been ready. She would not make the same mistake twice. Her fork descended.
xxx
"We shall not speak of this to anyone, not even to our teams. Is that clear?"
Yang, Ruby and Pyrrha nodded, their faces slightly flushed.
Satisfied, Velvet led the three away from the delightful yet accursed café that they had spent the last hour in. The things that had been said, the things that they had done! How could something so cute and innocent be so dangerous? The experience had been a revelation for her. Never again would she view baked goods as delightful little treats. No, they were weapons, weapons that could bring down huntsmen-in-training with a single bite.
Several blocks later, she felt they were finally far enough away from the café and sat down on a nearby picnic table. Ruby, Yang and Pyrrha joined her, mirroring the spots they had occupied at the café.
Velvet regarded the others once they were settled and asked, "What would you girls like to do now? We still have quite some time before the last Bullhead leaves for Beacon."
Yang glanced at Ruby and Pyrrha who both dipped their heads as if confirming something. "Well…there is something we've been wondering about for awhile now."
She didn't know why but she suddenly felt the urge to run, to get away from the three first-years but decided to hear Yang out. It couldn't be that bad.
"Why did you choose Cardin?"
On the other hand, it could be.
Trying to deflect the topic, Velvet laughed anxiously and said, "I'm not sure what you're talking about. What do you mean, why did I choose Cardin?"
Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Why would it be?
"Oh please, Velvet," Yang said while rolling her eyes. "You might not know it but everyone already knows the two of you are going out."
Her own eyes widening, Velvet stammered. "E-everyone?"
She froze as her mind raced. Cardin and she had been so careful to make sure their relationship stayed secret outside of their teams. It was not as if they were embarrassed by their feelings, far from it, but there were other reasons it couldn't be known. When Pyrrha dropped a hand on her shoulder, she recoiled, her mouth clamping down just in time to stifle a scream.
"Velvet, are you okay?" The red-haired girl asked, concern reflected in her emerald colored irises.
"What? I…that is…" Taking a deep breath, Velvet closed her eyes and remembered what Yatsuhashi had told her to do whenever she started feeling even a little bit anxious. Breathe in. Count to ten. Then exhale. Repeat. After several cycles, she felt her heartbeat slow and opened her eyelids. She smiled nervously when she saw how the others were still looking at her in concern. "I'm sorry. That just caught me so off guard. I didn't know we were so transparent."
She started when Ruby suddenly stood up, slamming both palms onto the table in the process, and stared accusingly at Yang.
"Yang…" the younger girl muttered, her eyes thinning. "Why did you ask her like that? Velvet is our friend. Say it straight!"
Looking between the two sisters, Velvet frowned. A quick glance to the side showed her that Pyrrha appeared out of the loop as well. "What is she talking about, Yang?"
"Well…" Yang began hesitantly while scratching the back of her head. "I might've have been exaggerating just a little when I said everyone knew about what you and Cardin have."
"What do you mean?"
Fast as lighting, Yang bent at the waist and clapped her hands together in front of her face, her eyes closing as she bowed. "I'm sorry, Velvet! I didn't mean it, believe me! I was only trying to get a reaction out of ya! Please forgive me!"
Flabbergasted, Velvet stared at Yang, her mouth hanging open. She had no idea what to make of the apology or what precisely Yang was even apologizing for.
Sighing, Pyrrha removed her hand from Velvet's shoulder and said, "What I believe Yang is trying to say is that she misled you in thinking how many of our peers know of you and Cardin. How her use of everyone should perhaps be taken in a much-limited scale. Isn't that right, Yang?"
"Exactly!"
As understanding dawned on her, Velvet began to nod before stopping the motion mid-way. "Wait, then who knows?"
Opening one eye, Yang answered, "Just our teams and even then maybe only the three of us here along with Blake and possibly Jaune."
Feeling relieved beyond measure, Velvet smiled and nodded appreciatively at Pyrrha and Ruby, the latter having returned to her seat. Turning back to Yang, she said, "I forgive you, Yang. Just please, don't do that again."
"Thank you, Velv. You have my word," Yang promised while sitting back down.
"Still," Velvet began once Yang was seated. "How did you all find out? We were quite careful in how we acted around each other."
"Believe it or not, Ruby here was the one who found out about it first," Yang said, jerking a thumb at her sister. "Or at least the idea of it being a thing. Can't say I believed her at first."
Ruby blew a raspberry at her sister before saying, "Honestly the only reason I found out was because of Professor Port. You all know how boring his classes are."
The four girls took a moment to consider their portly professor and could only nod in agreement. The man was very long-winded, especially when talking about himself and his various exploits, half of which the class believed were vast exaggerations. Killing a Death Stalker with nothing but his bare hands and a piece of dental floss? Unbelievable! At this point, his class was more of a study hall than an actual class. Something that the man didn't seem to realize or maybe chose not to.
"Anyway, I noticed you guys start sitting together in class once the first few weeks had passed. I kinda found it odd especially how it just had seemed to happen. After several days of watching you two I realized why." Cracking a grin, Ruby looked at Velvet rather eagerly. "The way you two act when you think no-one is looking? It's too cute!"
Blushing fiercely, Velvet pulled her ears down to cover her face. The idea someone had seen them was bad enough. The fact it was someone like Ruby who was also three years her junior? Words alone could not express how embarrassing it felt.
"Ah geez, look what you did, Ruby. You broke her!"
"It's not my fault, Yang! Besides you started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Girls, please. Can't you see you're making Velvet uncomfortable?"
"No, it's okay Pyrrha," Velvet said as she released her ears. "I'm fine, just a little embarrassed over all of this."
"A little?" asked Yang.
"Maybe more than a little," Velvet allowed with a light chuckle. "However, I think I'm ready to answer your question."
The other three girls leaned forward eagerly.
"It's simple. He makes me happy and I love him for it."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"C'mon! There has to be more than that!" Yang cried.
Ruby bobbed frantically in agreement. "Yeah, the books I read about this type of stuff always said how love is magical. Like the feeling is so intense all else fades or how stars explode from the very feeling of seeing your loved one!"
Smiling, Velvet answered, "But it is, Ruby. It is magical but for the simplest of reasons. Cardin isn't just my boyfriend but my best friend. He listens to me, supports me and helps me whenever I have a problem. I do the same in return."
"But how is that different from any other friend?" Ruby asked, her face showing her bewilderment. "I mean I do what you just said with all my friends. Does that mean I love them too?"
Still smiling, Velvet said, "It just might, Ruby. However, what I feel for Cardin goes deeper than that. For example, when I hug Coco, Fox, or Yatsuhashi I'm happy as well. They're my friends just like Weiss or Blake might be to you or Yang."
She turned to look at Pyrrha briefly. "Or Ren and Nora to you."
Not missing the blush on Pyrrha's face, Velvet winked at the red-haired girl before continuing, "But it's different when I hug Cardin. I don't feel just happy, I feel content, complete."
Pausing, she frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, am I making any sense with this? This is my first time I am talking about this to someone outside of my own team. Maybe I should be explaining it differently?"
Pyrrha answered, her eyes shut with her head tilted forward. "No, I get what you mean. You're saying that Cardin doesn't just make you happy in the normal sense of the word. He…he's like a part of you that you never knew you were missing. That's why you feel complete when you're with him."
Velvet crossed her arms and lowered her head, thinking on what Pyrrha had said. "Yes, I think that explains what I'm trying to say accurately enough. Cardin to me is like that last piece that was needed to complete the puzzle."
The two sisters cocked their heads, their bafflement obvious.
"Well, I'm not sure I still get it," Ruby slowly began. "But I can at least see that even talking about Cardin puts a smile on your face. And that's a good enough reason for me!"
"I'm with Rubes," agreed Yang. "It's the end result that really matters and clearly Cardin is doing something right. Still, sorry for springing this on you out of nowhere. I really didn't mean any harm by it."
"It's alright, Yang. As I've said already, all is forgiven."
As Velvet's last word left her lips, silence fell upon the four girls. They all regarded each other, unsure what to say next.
"So…who would like some ice cream?" Pyrrha finally said, shattering the quiet that had gripped them.
Ruby and Yang both eagerly jumped up and clapped their hands together. "Yeah, let's go!"
Velvet giggled. "Oh, alright
Cardin and Velvet centered chapter this time with a little Pyrrha sprinkled in.
Next chapter will involve Jaune and Pyrrha as the main focus.
Comments and Criticisms are welcome.
Cheers!