Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes (A Sequel to STRQ) [Book 2]

Chapter 24: Qrow

It was near sundown when Summer came out of the kitchen. The smell of beef filled my nose, making my stomach growl a bit.

"Whatever you're cooking in there smells great," I told her.

She smiled. "Thanks. I'm making pasta tonight. Could you go and look for Deacon? I don't want him staying out too late."

"Sure. I'll be back," I said, walking out the door.

The evening air was calm as I walked around. I didn't see any threats from Grimm, which was a bit odd.

"Deke? Are you out here?" I called.

"Over here, Uncle!"

I walked over to the sound of his voice and found him digging through various piles of junk.

"Deke... what are you doing?" I asked.

He continued digging through the junk. "I'm trying to find some tools."

"Tools? What for?"

"So I can make my own weapon! Your weapon looks so cool! I want to build one too!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Not to be a downer buddy, but it doesn't look like you'll find much to work with. This place has been abandoned for a long time. You won't find much here."

Deke stopped digging and stood up. He looked disappointed.

"Aw man," he whined.

I smiled at him. "It's getting a little dark out, so we should be heading back. Summer probably has dinner ready for us by now. I bet you're hungry after exploring all day, huh?"

Deke nodded. "I hope we have ramen again!"

"Actually we're having pasta tonight. Have you had it before?"

Deke shook his head. "I don't think so. What is it?"

"Well, it's noodles basically. I think you might like it. Now, how about we head back before it gets too late?"

"Okay," he said.

When we arrived back, Summer glanced over at Deacon and frowned a little.

"What have you gotten into to make your hands so dirty?"

"I found him looking through some junk. He said he was looking for some tools to build a weapon like mine," I explained.

Summer laughed. "That's actually really cute, Deke. So you want to have a cool weapon like us, huh?"

Deacon's eyes lit up. "Yeah! I want my own weapon so I can fight off bad guys like you two!"

Summer smiled and placed her hand on Deacon's shoulder.
"Deke... I know how much you want your own weapon, but I highly doubt you'll find the right tools. At least not in a place like this."

Deacon looked down sadly. "Oh."

"Don't worry about it, Deke. We can still train together. You might not have a weapon, but I'll make sure you know how to deal with the bad guys," I told him.

Deacon ran over and hugged me.
"Thank you, Uncle!" he said ecstatically.

"No problem, buddy," I said, hugging him back.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but dinner will get cold. Deke, you'll need to wash up before you eat. You too, Qrow."

After Deke and I washed up, Summer set the table and served dinner. It was pasta was some chicken and a type of savory sauce. I was quick to notice Deacon wasn't touching the chicken in his meal.

"Deke, are you okay?" I asked him. "You're not really eating."

Deacon nodded. "Yeah. I'm just not liking the meat that much..."

"Oh. Would you like me to fix you something else?" Summer asked.

He quickly shook his head. "No, it's okay. I can eat around it. The noodles are really good."

Summer was quiet for a moment.
"Okay. If you're sure," she said.

I also noticed during dinner that Summer wasn't really talkative. I could tell there was something on her mind, but I didn't want to bring anything up right now. Especially not in front of Deacon. After about an hour or so, Deacon put down his fork.

"I'm done. Can I go to bed now?" he asked.

Summer nodded. "Of course, dear. Goodnight."

After Deacon had left, I used the opportunity to talk to Summer.

"You're very quiet tonight," I said.

She looked up at me. "Am I? Sorry..."

"Is there something bothering you?"

She was silent for a few minutes.
"I'm rethinking our original plan for Aleya. I'm starting to think it'd be better to go after her now instead of later."

I stared at her. "What about Deacon? Like you said before, we can't leave him alone."

"I don't plan on leaving him. I want you to look after him while I'm gone."

"Wait... you want to go and fight Aleya by yourself? You know what she can do. She'll have you under her control in seconds! You won't stand a chance against her."

"I'm aware of what she can do. I can handle her, don't worry. All I need you to do is look after Deacon for me. Please?"

I sighed. "Okay. Just... promise me you'll be careful. If the fight gets to be too much for you to handle, there's no shame is running."

"I understand that. You be safe too. You never know when Salem is going to send one of her... creations," she said.

"I'll do me best to keep Deke safe. You have my word," I vowed.

She stood from her chair and walked over to me. She kissed me deeply as she wrapped her arms around me.

"I know you will," she whispered in my ear.

"Please stay safe. I would hate to lose you..."

We held each other for a few more minutes before she made her way to the door.

"I'll be back soon," she said, disappearing outside.

"I hope to the gods that you are," I whispered to myself.