Following Traditions of the Ones Before Us

Parents Meeting the Children

"Good. Classes are going well. Trevor and I got passed the disagreement barrier finally," I said, joking a bit as I tried to lighten up the mood.

"That's wonderful son. I'm glad that you're enjoying your time here," dad said with a beaming smile.

That was when Dusty and her mom joined us. Blake had the same expression as my dad. Okay, seems like things are going better than I originally thought. Dust wrapped her arms around mine. She made my smile grow. She calmed down my nerves. "Mom, dad; this is Dusty," I introduced.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to finally meet you young lady," dad said courteously. Mom remained silent, just observing her like she was a test subject for an experiment. She was a person, not a lab rat. Dad lightly tapped her so she could be at least a bit polite to Dust.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, hiding her bitterness behind a smile. Dust saw right through it and so did the rest of us. Mom wasn't enjoying this one bit.

"Well, lunch anyone," dad asked as he tried to lighten things up. We all agreed and headed into Vale to get a bit to eat. Dust and I looked back to see our teammates watching us the entire time. Just as I had said before, this was going to be a long weekend.

                                                                                                    ***

Dusty's P.O.V.

Lunch was slightly awkward. Mrs. Sho hardly spoke a word. She mainly just glared at my mom and I. Mr. Sho was the opposite. He really wanted to get to know me. It was kind of nice. I can see where Aulisor got his charm and proper manners. Mom was quiet too. I looked over at her from time to time. Again, she had a bow concealing her ears atop her head. I still don't understand why she hides them when my brother and I don't. I liked seeing her for who she really is. Yeah, she looks good with a bow but I would love to see her go out in public without it on. To my surprise, mom finally pitched in to the conversation. "Aulisor, I'm just curious. Why did you decide to ask my daughter to be your 'girlfriend'?" Thanks mom, just what needed to be asked right now. I put my fork down and rested my forehead on the tips of my fingers. This was a bit embarrassing.

He took a sip of his glass of water before even answering. "Ms. Xiao Long," he began. However, mom interrupted for a moment.

"Blake, please," she said while she expressed a soft smile.

"Blake, to be honest with you, I don't know why I asked your daughter out. I didn't develop feelings for her just because of her last name or because of who her parents were. The moment we walked on that stage, there was something about her that drew my interest. I've come in contact with many faunus over the years, some even becoming close friends of mine. Something was different, in a good way, about her. It wasn't because of her looks, or how talented she is, or what her heritage is. I could tell from her aura. It's strong and it's not like any other I've come across. She has this sweet, gentle, and innocent personality that is rare among people now. She has this motivation, this heart that always drives her to move forward. Courage, stamina, pride; something that shouldn't be taken lightly. Before me, I see this girl that knows what she wants to do and won't let anything get in the way in order to reach those goals; I don't see someone that is looking for affection to fill a void or trying to makeup for any lost time. Dusty is unique, beyond that even. I've made a promise to Trevor and to Onyx that I would do anything and everything I can to protect and look out for her. I have no intentions of breaking her heart or taking advantage of her. I know I would get a good beating if I did anything like that. I know better than that. Blake, your daughter is special and I will treat her as such. Even if you don't like me by the end of this, I understand. I want to make sure that your daughter is happy." I swear I lost my will to breathe. I looked between him and my mother. There was this look in her eyes, something that I haven't seen in seven years; the day that mom died exactly. Happiness, life, love; it all came back just from hearing what Aulisor had to say. She even smiled, a genuine smile which was quite rare as the years passed on.