literature

Twilight Crusade Ch.16, Liberation pt.2

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     Just then, the window at the other end of the house shattered. Rusty tumbled out, awkwardly shuffled along in a half-run, half-crawl for a few steps, then ran toward the airship. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, sir! But I’m afraid I should be going!” He shouted gleefully as he jumped onto the now-rising airship. Ember followed him, and Greyson made sure to pick up Kita on the way out.

    “You idiot. We were here for a kidnapping, not vandalism!” Ember reprimanded. “You didn’t leave any blood behind, did you?”

     Rusty looked himself over. “No..? I don’t think so...” he reported. “What a strange way to ask if I’m hurt.”

    “Please! M-My daughter... my only baby is gone! I don’t... I don’t have ANYTHING!” Mrs. Corvis continued to plead. She quieted down, seemingly defeated. “I... I lost my beautiful daughter wh-when Beacon fell. My only love in this world, and... she’s gone,” she wept.

     For a few seconds, all that could be heard in the cabin was the whirr of the engine.

     “You can take your masks off now,” Greyson said.

     Raven, who was sitting in front of her mother, took off her mask first. Her unruly, jet black hair puffed out more than usual, but she was unmistakably Raven.

     Her mother’s eyes went wide for a bit. She backed off for a few seconds, as if she believed Raven to be an impostor. Then, they hugged tightly. Tears of joy streamed from both of their faces as they met for the first time in nearly a year.

    “Th-They told you I was dead?” Raven inquired.

    “Yes, and... and I was so foolish to believe them! I should have known my daughter was stronger than that! I... I’m so sorry.”

     Greyson looked in the mirror to his right side, catching his first clear glimpse of Raven’s mother. The family resemblance was obvious. Mrs. Corvis stood a few inches taller than her daughter, but had the same small frame. She seemed to be nearing fifty, her black, feathery hair beginning to grey. Her face was slightly longer and skinnier than her daughter’s round face, but held similar large, dark eyes and eyebrows. Their noses were near identical.

    “I-It’s okay, mom. And... I’m sorry I took so long to find you,” Raven returned. She turned to the side, motioning to all of Twilight Crusade. “Th-These are my friends.”

   Everyone turned to Raven and her mother, except for Greyson, who continued flying the airship. To make up for not being a part of the introduction, he switched on dim overhead lights. “Th-That’s Greyson over there flying the ship, a-and he’s our leader. He brought me in, to everyone here,” Raven began. “Th-That’s Azure. Sh-She’s related to the Schnee family, b-but is actually really nice!” Azure smiled brightly and waved. “That’s Ember... sh-she takes a while to warm up to people, and has a kind of... harsh, sarcastic way of speaking, b-but when she does warm up to people, she’s an amazing friend.”

    “I’m right here, y’know?” Ember protested.

    “I-I mean it in the best way possible!” Raven comforted. “Th-These two are Dustyn and Ezelia, m-my teammates from Beacon. From the good team. Th-This is Kita. She’s from th-the Shrouded Fox! But, nobody is supposed to know. And the girl next to her is Alexandra. W-We met her not long ago, but she’s really nice too.”

    Kita nodded politely and Alexandra waved. Rusty sat down next to Raven.

    “A-And of course, this is Rusty!” Raven introduced, with a wide smile on her face.

    “Hello, Mrs. Corvis,” Rusty politely said. “I’m sorry the first thing you ever saw me do was tackle your husband.”

   Raven’s mother waved her hand, dismissing the incident. “I’m free now. That man is not my husband,” she said firmly. “But, I have heard a lot about you!”

    Rusty chuckled. “Uh-oh. What have you heard?” He joked.

   “That you’re a wonderful young man that makes my daughter feel like the most wonderful, important girl in the world,” Mrs. Corvis said. Raven’s face turned bright red, and she hid it in her hands. “...and that was before you two started dating!”

    “M-Mom! Please!”

    “Alright, alright,” Raven’s mother said. She lowered her voice to speak with Raven. “By the way... where is it we’re going?”

    Raven paused. Greyson had never said anywhere in specific. There had been talks of returning to Vale, but he never seemed very enthusiastic.

    “E-Excuse me? Greyson?” Raven said. “Wh-Where are we going?”

    “We’re going to spend Fall and Winter in Mistral,” Greyson said. “Gonna go back home, spend the holidays, maybe make some Lien working for my parents.”

    “We’re headed home?” Rusty repeated. “Man, it’s gonna be weird to be back.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, Mrs. Corvis? My parents are human-faunus equality advocates in the Mistral Kingdom. Maybe you could stay with us, we could help you get back on your feet!”

    Raven’s mother paused. “Well, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I’d love to take you up on that offer. I’ll try to be out of your way as soon as I can,” she remarked.

    Rusty shook his head. “You can spend as long as you like with us. It’s the type of stuff my parents love to do,” he assured. “Hey, Greyson? About how long until we land? I uh... didn’t have time to mentally prepare myself for flying.”

    Greyson chuckled. “We should land by about ten in the morning. I figure half of us can stay in my house, the other half in yours?”

    Rusty nodded. “Boy, things are gonna be crowded for a bit,” he commented.

    Greyson smiled a bit, looking back out the front window. Nothing but darkness. Glancing at his scroll, he saw himself to be flying over the open ocean. He let out a deep breath, feeling his hands steady on the controls. Greyson had not spoken to his family since the fall of Beacon, as the cross-kingdom communication had been down. He had a feeling in his gut that his family was safe. He hoped the feeling was his semblance. What he was unsure of was how long Mistral would be safe. With the Phantom’s attacks, and whatever had happened at Beacon looming overhead, a feeling of unease creeped into his mind.

     Greyson squinted. On the horizon, he could see the first, easternmost lights of Mistral.
Twilight Crusade leaves Vacuo behind as they rescue Raven's mother from the abusive household she's suffered in for far too long.
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