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

Chapter 35: Raven

I dozed off shortly after I finished the breakfast Tai made for me. He was gone when I woke up again. I noticed a note next my tea on the nightstand.

Dear Raven,

I had to leave for work, so I'll most likely be gone when you wake up. I'll be grocery shopping after, so I'll be in later that usual. Be careful not to strain yourself too much. I'll see you when I get home.

Love, Taiyang

I sighed and placed the letter back on the nightstand. I yawned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I thought about laying back down, when a tapping from the window startled me. I thought it was just the wind or something, so I ignored it at first. Then I heard it again, only louder.

"Raven! Are you in there? Let me in!" I heard a voice say.

I quickly turned around to see Summer's face practically pressed to the window. She was gripping the window seal tightly, looking like she was about to fall. What on Remnant was she doing here?

I sighed and walked over to open the window. Summer clumsily climbed into the bedroom and tumbled onto the floor.

"...Ow," she mumbled.

I extended my hand towards her.
"You okay?"

She sat up and took my hand. Once she was to her feet, she smiled at me.
"Thanks, Raven. Sorry to barge in like this on you. Is Tai here?"

I shook my head. "No. He left for work a while ago. What do you want?"

"I wanted to take a few minutes to chat alone. Is that okay?"

"I guess. What did you want to talk about?"

She sat on the bed and ran her fingers through her red and black hair.
"I... don't really know how to start this," she said quietly.

I sat next to her. "Summer, if you have something to say, then tell me."

She sighed and didn't say anything. Then she reached inside her cloak and brought out a small box. It looked like a ring box.

My eyes widened. "Did Qrow propose to you?!"

She gasped and shook her head quickly. "No! That's not what happened. This ring isn't for me. It's for your brother."

Now I was even more confused.
"Um... what?" I asked.

"Raven, I got this ring for Qrow because... I want to ask him to marry me," she explained.

I just stared at her, completely speechless.
Summer noticed and put her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "Raven... are you okay? I know this might be difficult to take in, but—"

"Why did you come to me for?" I asked her.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay with it. I didn't want to propose to him without letting you know first."

"Oh... Well, thank you."

"So... what do you think?" she asked.

"About what?"

She glared at me a little. "About me proposing to Qrow."

"Oh. Well, you seem to really care about my brother, Summer. And he cares about you too, you know. And it might not mean much, but... I care about you as well."

There were tears starting to form in the corners of her bright silver eyes.
"You do?" she asked, her voice cracking a little.

"As odd as it sounds... yes. I know if something were to happen to you, my brother would never let me hear the end of it. He won't say no to your proposal. Trust me."

Summer started to cry and latched herself onto my arm.
"Thank you so much!"

I tensed up a bit. "Um... Summer? Could you let go of me?"

She immediately let go of my arm.
"Sorry," she said. "How are things with Tai and the baby?"

"Things are as good as they can be. We're having a girl," I replied.

She smiled wider and her eyes lit up even more. "That's great! Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Tai suggested the name Yang. I couldn't think of any others, so we decided on that."

"That's a nice name. I like it," Summer said.

"Thanks."

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So... do you see yourself marrying Tai one day?"

I turned to look at her, completely shocked.
"What? No! I mean... at least not now. We have a baby on the way. Plus there's his job, and I'll need to return to my tribe eventually."

She stared at me. "You're still planning on going back? What about Tai and your daughter?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "What about them, Summer? Yang will have Tai and Qrow to look after her. You too. I don't see why she'll need me around. My tribe is going to need to me one day."

"And Yang won't?"

I sat down my tea cup and stood to my feet. I heard enough of what Summer had to say. And I didn't want to listen anymore.

"Look Summer. You came here to ask me if it was okay to marry my brother, and told you it was. I don't need you to tell me what I should or shouldn't do after my daughter is born. If I feel like leaving is the right thing to do for my tribe, then I will. Don't ever doubt that. ...I think it's best if you leave now."

Summer said nothing as she got up and headed towards the window.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

She turned to look at me and said, "I'm leaving. That's what you asked of me, isn't it?"

"There's a front door for a reason Summer. I'll see you out."

I walked with Summer downstairs and to the front door.

"I'm sorry I upset you earlier," she told me.

"You didn't upset me. You may have pissed me off some, but Tai manages to do that almost everyday, so it's nothing new. I'll see you later... I guess," I said.

She nodded before wrapping her arms around me to hug me. I froze up a bit for a few moments before slowly hugging her back.

"Likewise. You and Tai stay safe, okay?"

"Yeah. You too."

I didn't say anything else as I watched her go.