#volume vi.

[becomestorm]

“... ren - is that you?” it had been a long while since the ex-huntsman in training had seen the dragon. funnily enough, they had been mistaken for him - it led to a series of events renji was somewhat glad they shared. it helped him understand them better - vera was interested in team rwby, and, by extension, jnpr as well. “you look... different. good, is what I mean. i’m just. glad to see you safe.”

                                                     @veiliisms   :   unscripted.

the last time ren had met renji had been in bad circumstances, and dragon in a negative headspace. they’d been curt, rude, threatening almost, but renji had met the confusion in kind and eventually with humour. what primula said about the thugs mistaking them had been right : they really were stupid. anyone with a brain could see that ren lacked a prosthetic, and renji lacked dragon horns. they were in better spirits to meet their friend, regarding him with a smile and courteous nod.   ‘   aoki. i didn’t expect to see you in argus   ...   or mistral at all after what happened.   ’   what an odd series of events. if it were ren, they’d probably be on a different continent. then again, they were trying to escape, given it was to atlas and the military officials weren’t exactly making it easy on them.

compliment caught them off guard, polite smile turning into that of genuine gratitude. they felt different too, lighter, like they’d let go of a lot of the hatred residing in their heart. ren didn’t expect that to translate to a literal change, but apparently it was more obvious than they anticipated.   ‘   you look well too. the same sentiments returned.   ’   despite change in outward demeanour, ren still found themselves at a loss. they might have been acquaintances, but there was no protocol for this. it had only been a month or two since the last encounter.   ‘   i’ve been searching for a coffee shop. i’m definitely not used to the weather this far north of the capital.   ’   they paused in step, a silent invitation to walk alongside them.   ‘   did your team make it out of that incident okay   ?   i know blake wonders about afton sometimes.   ’

[becomestorm]

‘   that one over there   —   ’   ren made a vague flourish in the direction of nora’s back, willing her not to turn around. even if they were in the middle of a busy train station, it would be obvious who ren had indicated, just because the man in question had interrogated ren earlier by the station’s juice stall.   ‘   the one with ombre hair   —   he asked if we were dating.   ’   a pause. a look that subtly implied   “ i think he’s interested in you. ”   ‘   he thinks we’re both lesbians.   ’   @heartbxmbs.

short starter call. ( acc. )

[becomestorm]

‘   —   a man garbed in a lot of pink was just here looking for you,   i believe.   ’   what had his name been   ?   he’d been exceedingly friendly, asked ren at which establishment they’d gotten their streak done before proceeding to look for who he supposed was a teammate. argus’ port was still busy despite the atlesian borders being closed. there were still other locations which needed their supplies.   @abitofafatass.

short starter call. ( acc. )

[becomestorm]

‘   can you separate that mixture from the one we’re preparing   ?   weiss and i don’t eat a lot of meat.   ’   saphron had given ren free reign of dinner that night, and they were taking every advantage to indulge in traditional mistrali dishes before they eventually found a way to reach atlas. they’d promised ruby cooking lessons, so she fell into the role of sous-chef that evening.   ‘   i’ll show you how to fold the soup dumplings in a second.   ’   @gainhope.

short starter call. ( acc. )

[herwraths]

tag .

[becomestorm]

@canefought​.

ren looked back from the dish to oscar,   voice lilting as they smiled helplessly, shrugging.   ‘   both   ?   ’   they moved to wash the spoon they’d used quickly, placing it on the drying rack before leaning against the counter.   ‘   but don’t take my word for it. i always think that food could use more heat. my teammates hate me for it.   ’   ren pulled out another cutting board and the cleaver, grabbing the vegetables that still needed preparation and falling into the familiar practice of food prep. one didn’t raise themselves off the mistralian streets of the capital without taking a few dozen restaurant jobs.   ‘   cooking for them is still fun though. it’s nice to see the expression of someone enjoying something you’ve made.   ’   dragon takes note of some of the other ingredients still needing prep.   ‘   if you do end up joining meal prep, i’d avoid those. nora’s will literally spit it back out.   ’   they turned around to face oscar, but looked up as they counted off preferences that came to mind.

‘   weiss used to have a dietician, so she’s picky about what she eats. blake likes seafood, but jaune’s allergic to shellfish. yang gets weird about foods that are too soft and slimy. she loves things that crunch. and ruby likes her sweets, probably a little too much.   ’

‘   i can show you what they like,   ’   ren’s smile softened, returning to the cutting board.   ‘   you’ll fit in in no time.   ’

from.

[becomestorm]

she approaches them with a plastic container in her hand filled to the lid with deep brown cookies from what had once been oreos. "i put this together for you for the road," she says, extending the container to them. their long train trip to argus lie ahead, and putting a snack together for her classmate seemed appropriate. "nora said you liked them like this, and i just gave all of the cream from them to her and ruby."

                                                                @unstrayed.

it was small little nuances like this that really threw ren off their guard, which was saying something for someone perpetually on high alert. at one point they would have proclaimed they were someone who hated surprises, so unwilling to accept the depths of human psyche, but this time had been pleasant. blake was thoughtful. blake was sweet. one wouldn’t have been able to tell right away from her previous aloof nature, but those she had in regard caught glimpses of her softer sides. ren supposed this was one of them, and who were they to decline such a heartfelt gesture.   ‘   you shouldn’t have.   ’   they took them eagerly, placing container in satchel while already mentally comparing which teas to enjoy with the treats. she really didn’t need to, they assumed it was painstaking scrapping off the cream when both ruby and nora would hav gladly devoured the entire biscuit.

‘   i do enjoy them more this way. i can’t say my dentist would be pleased with me.   ’   faunus teeth were valuable things, as blake probably knew well. messing them up with treats used to be nigh unforgivable for ren as a child, these in moderation wouldn’t do much harm. it was the gesture, more than the treat that was the allure. blake hadn’t always been the easiest person to get to know, the understand the affections of. this was her affection, in her own awkward way. it was simple things, like swapping novels they believed the other would like, remembering blake like her toast with avocado, her inclination towards sushi   (   especially tuna,   )   that ren took to mind and remembered later, just as they did with each of their friends. but it had been a long time since their own preferences were remembered. they were used to nora knowing, she’d had a lifetime drill in the peculiarities of ren’s taste. blake didn’t have to go through the trouble.

‘   meet me in the dining cart later ? i know the perfect soy milk tea that will go with these.   ’

[becomestorm]

@talefates.

{ Ren (future in-law?) | 2:17am } Ok I need to ask

{ Ren (future in-law?) | 2:17am } Because curiosity is getting the better of me and I can’t sleep

{ Ren (future in-law?) | 2:18am } Are you and my brother a thing? Do you like him? If you do but you’re not a thing, I’m sure I could help out

                    contact   /   saphron.           [   mssg.   ]   what gave you that impression?   from.