Over the course of several weeks, Q worked me to the bone. Each day he stormed and battered me with a new, unnecessarily powerful gadget until I was fast enough to defend myself. It wasn't until the second week where I finally got in a good hit at him. He smiled and held his bloody nose while cackling like a mad man before attacking again.
The third week he even tried to disassemble my arm but it would be a cold day in hell before I let that happen.
"Hey don't even think about it!" I dodged his attack and grabbed him by the wrist to yank the screwdriver out of his boney hands before he did actual damage. "It isn't exactly easy building an arm with one hand!" I shot him a harsh glare telling him I didn't mind a punch to the face, but the automail was off limits.
Q nodded and backed away with his hands up. I gave the screwdriver back for him to holster back in his tool belt. "Well I think thats good work for today. Why don't you get yourself some water." He cocked his head to the seats outside where we usually took breaks at.
"Thanks for training me," I croaked out and grabbed a bottle of water.
"Of course its no trouble, my dear chuckaboo!" Q smiled the usual cheery and bright one while spewing his happy nonsense. For a tall dude he moves pretty fast. Its no wonder he's a teacher and alumni at the best hero academy. He probably could still be a pro if he wanted to. He seemed to enjoy fighting me a little too much, but that just made me more determined to beat him.
"So Rosemary, we've done good work on your close range combat and defense against explosives," meaning I survived after he tried to blow me up, "but I am still pretty curious about your quirk. You mentioned it was useless now, but I'm sure there's a way we can use it as an advantage for you." He took a seat next to me.
"What do you want to know? I already explained I cant use it anymore."
He crossed his leg and put a finger on his chin, thoughtfully. "Well for starters...what's the purpose of your bio-electronic appendages?"
"My what?" He means your arm and leg "oh, well, they're not related to my quirk if thats what you're wondering. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Q shook his head. "Tragic. Your quirk does not function properly without a partner to assist you either, does it?"
"You mean a meister, and, yeah, we're kinda dependent on them."
Q nodded "So is there one you already have? Or is it just anyone you find that can help."
"Well its kind of a partner for life deal. I met mine when we were little kids, and we stayed together throughout middle school, although we didn't officially become weapon and meister until right before we applied to UA. I had her and she had me, and for a while..everything was good, you know?" He gave me a soft smile and let me continue on.
"We would hang out every chance I got, hell- I would have married her then if I could." I had laughed a little and looked down. "She dreamed of someday being the number one hero, and she really could have! She was so strong and fast, not to mention a heart of gold. I don't wanna brag but the two of us definitely could have passed the exams. I was happy to protect her and didn't really mind to someday die for her. Of course she had way too much pride and wanted to protect me too, tradition be damned."
Hearing that, Q's smile faded to a curios one. "Is she...still around?" he asked cautiously, unsure of my answer but I could tell he was hoping for a positive one. I wish I could give him one. I smiled faintly despite the depressing topic and shook my head no.
◻ ◻ ◻
"Tullita where have you been, you're late, and you have homework?" Her mother called from the kitchen, using the childhood nickname.
"I was training," Rose called out from the doorway, grabbing her key and shutting it behind her.
Her mother shook her head, turning down back to the steak.she was preparing for dinner. "Always with the training, you're gonna get hurt someday."
"Hey, training is good for her. There's no way she can make it without lots of hard training." Her father walked in contradicting his wife and patting Rose on the back. "Keep it up. You're doing good for now but don't get sloppy. You'll make us proud, right mijita?"
"Yeah papi, so can she come over later?" She flashed a pleading smile to her mom.
"The Evangeline girl?" Her mother hummed in thought to herself. "I don't know; you've been spending a lot of time with her."
Her father chimed in, "Oh come on, she's a good kid and of course they would be together a lot, she's her meister after all-"
"She's not my meister. I still haven't asked her and she might not even be interested." Rose leaned on the kitchen counter while her mom pet her hair.
"Oh Tullita, don't stress over it. Just explain its your custom to fight along side someone, and you would like that special someone to be her."
Rose smiled a little at the comfort but frowned while leaning her head on the counter. "Yeah but she's not used to all the customs and traditions. I'm the only one at school with a destined use for my quirk. I just don't know how to talk about it. Do I even have to say anything?"
" 'ey you're Cuban, you always gotta say whats on your mind. Then you say it louder, until your asked to leave the restaurant." Her father laughed and gave her a "shake it off" pat on the back.
Her mother shook her head and lifted Rose's chin up to kiss her on the head. "It'll be ok, just be yourself. Now go, she can come over for dinner."
Rose gave her a tiny thank you smile and ran off to her room.
"That Evangeline girl is gonna be a great hero for her. I just wish you wouldn't coddle her and let our daughter make something of herself." The father shook his head with disappointment and leaned against the fridge.
"Well I wish you wouldn't pressure her so much about it and just let her decide if she even wants to do hero work. Shes a kid, she doesn't need to be worrying about her life at this age." The mother argued.
"Alejandra, you say that like she has a choice." He almost laughed at the outrageous imply. "Look it would be different if she had some other quirk, but come on, mamita, shes a weapon. And weapons are only good for one thing."
"Mateo I just...I just care about her." She looked down and wiped her eyes with a soft sniff.
"Oh bella bella bella...mi alma no te preocupes, todo va a estar bien. todo estará bien," Mateo shushed her and hugged his wife from behind while assuring her things will be alright and not to worry.
◻ ◻ ◻
Rose paced around in her small room for a while, rehearsing what she would say, until she got a series of eager knocks on her door. Rose opened it to greet her smiling friend.
"Dude we did it!" Clover ran in past her jumping up and down.
"Did what?" Rose asked having to put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Clover held a bright and excited smile while answering, "Our applications for UA! Rose they said we're good to take the exams next month!!!"
"Seriously? Thats awesome!!" The two hugged in victory for the times to come. Eventually hyper Clover pulled away remembering to ask Rose, "so what did you need to talk about?"
Rose rubbed the back of her head and sat down on the bed. "Well this whole UA thing got me thinking about some stuff.." She looked around the room, blanking a little on how she planned in starting. "You know my parents have this-- relationship."
"Marriage?"
"No- well yes but also..the thing is my family has this thing where people like me are meant to protect someone. We're supposed to be there for them and always have their back in battle." She fiddled with her hands, looking down and tracing the lines on both her palms. "I know people around here don't really have traditions like that, but..you know its just kinda a big deal to my family that I find someone to be a weapon for."
Clover looked down at Rose's figiting fingers. "Well, do you wanna do that?"
"Um...well-" Rose took a minute to respond. She didn't really know how. She hadn't prepared for her to ask her that. Out of sheer nervousness and kicking herself not to stall any longer, Rose finally blurted out, "Clover do you want to be my meister!?" She hadn't looked up to ask her that and mearly glanced in her direction after.
Clover looked at her with wide eyes. "I-"
"I mean only if you want to! Nevermind I don't really care its whatever-"
"Rose," she smiled at her and held out a hand to her. "I'd like that."
◻ ◻ ◻
Q POV:
Rosemarry concluded her little story with a sorrowful smile. There was so much I still hadn't learned about her. When she mentioned her family came from Cuba, I did some research. As it turns out, Cuba is one of few fascist countries that uses Quirks as a form of oppression to its citizens. Cuba enforces the beliefs and dictates that people born with the gene of a certain quirk will be confined into a servant class knows as "weapons", while everyone else gets to ride the higher class of "meisters". Weapons literally spend their lives protecting and defending those above them calling it culture. To an outsider, its oppression with systematic discrimination that teaches children, infants even, that they will forever be less than. That they are mere tools made for a single purpose and it is their responsibility to fulfill that brutal destiny.
But for Rosemary's family, its tradition.
I looked back to see her with a blue look along with silent tears. Poor thing. I pat her back to encourage her to remember the good parts. Only when we forget them are our loved ones truly gone. Luckily cheering up kids is what I'm best at!
"Oh buck up scallywag! Riddle me this: what's the difference between a dirty bus stop and a lobster with breast implants?" She looked up with a confused expression, well more than usual when around me. She shrugged, letting me answer. "One's a crusty bus station and one's a busty crustacean!" Just as I had predicted, Rosemarry cackled with laughter and burst into a cheery smile. "Feel free to use that anytime. I've told it a thousand times and I assure you it never fails. Now come on, lets make you a hero." I stood and held out a hand to her. She smiled back up with eager excitement once again.
"I'd like that."
Woohoo halfway through the book already! This chapter would have to be one of my favorites because I love to write about Rose's past and her past. I hope you all liked this little dip into the life of the Rosemary family, and for this question I ask you all would you like to see more about Rose's childhood?
Character Spotlight: Mateo Rosemary and Alejandra Adele-Rosemary
Original characters
Quirks: Alejandra- Weapon
Mateo- unknown
Fun facts: they are a weapon-meister duo where Alejandra lives to be Mateo's weapon and protect him while Mateo lives to support her and their daughter. They are both retired heros though their work was in their home country for the Cuban military and ended when they fled to Japan and had Rose shortly after.
Until next time brothers, sisters, and nonbinary misters ~