Die

Summer groaned and collapsed on the couch, curling up in the overlarge cloak. What an awful day. She was not used to being the center of attention like that; she as supposed to be a silent shadow nobody noticed. Well, mobsters had taken notice of her Semblance and tried to capture her more than once. It was to the point of the Torchwick family codenamed her Shadow. That was attention she could deal with since she could get out of it? But that? She was glad the hell day of shopping had finally ended. She knew Persia would continue to give her attention but at least it’d be in the house and out out in public.   Her eyes snapped open when she felt someone sit next to her on the couch. What— Oh, right. She sat up, flipping the hood back as Persia smiled and placed a tray on her lap. It was a small, simple meal. When was the last time she’d actually had one? She really had no idea. Yean, Ozpin had treated her in the café, but that was different. This… This was homemade and not something she’d had in around twelve years. She offered Persia a gracious smile before digging in. She finished quickly and sat the tray on the side table, blinking when the woman slid a sketchbook and box of assorted coloring utensils into her lap. “What—” Persia’s gentle smile quieted as she flipped the sketchbook open. A number of strange symbols and emblems lined the pages. Some were expertly done, others far more crude. Most had many variations with one circled or otherwise marked. What were these…? The woman just chuckled a little. “Summer, one thing you’ll need to do before long is come up with a personal emblem. Every Hunter has one.” Summer’s eyebrows drew together and Persia continued before she could speak. “I can already tell you have a very no-nonsense attitude and much of this won’t seem to follow your logic. Tell me what you know about the Great War.” Summer froze at the sudden question. PErsia was a veteran and she didn’t want to seem disrespectful or ignorant. Unfortunately, she really didn’t know much because history had never interested her much. All she could do was bow her head and sigh, closing her eyes. “…Not much. All I really know is that it was the worst one in recorded history and that it led to the foundation of the Hunter Academies.” She hated admitting it, but she had no choice. Persia just placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up. A gentle smile and twinkling eyes met her. “It’s quite all right; you haven’t had the opportunity to learn. But the short version is that it was fought to create opportunity for individuality. The trend of naming children after colors got its start in the years following so that people would never forget.” Summer’s eyebrows lifted as she looked at Persia. Wasn’t her a name a reference to that shade of blue…? The woman’s mouth twitched and she nodded. “My name was Kendra before, but I wanted to follow the new tradition as well as remember my tribe, but I digress. “With the founding of the Academies and creation of Hunters, keeping track of everybody was hard. Things like the CCTS didn’t exist until about fifteen years following the conclusion and they needed a way to easily identify Hunters, so it quickly became a standard to create a unique, easy-to-identify personal symbol. “It has a few reasons. The first is a practical one. Every symbol is put into a central database and can easily be looked up. If you’re found dead in the field without any other means of identification, it can be used as a last resort.” Summer felt a chill go up her spine at the reminder. She might die before she even turned twenty-one. Then again, she’d already had her fair share of near-death experiences so… She just nodded for Persia to continue. “The second, of course, is the legacy of the War. Most have forgotten by now the origins of the tradition and thing it just something fun to do. But it’s a way to remember how Mantle tried to suppress art and individuality. It won’t let anybody forget what we fought and laid our lives down for.” PErsia’s eyes clouded over and Summer remained silent. Just how hellacious had the war been? She couldn’t even imagine if that was the reasoning for it in the first place… She’d definitely look into it more now that she knew. Even her name followed the typical trend, though not everybody did… She looked over at the older whom who had recovered her smile. “I’m not an artist, though; I’m a musician.” well, it wasn’t a lie. She couldn’t design for shit and had no ideas. She’d probably need someone else to do it for her like Sina had with her weapon… Persia just patted her head and she leaned into the gesture. “You’ll figure it out in time, dear. Look through the sketchbook to get ideas; it’s why I gave it to you. Now why don’t you go to bed? It was a long day and I’m sure you’re still exhausted. Second door on the right upstairs.” Summer gave a small nod and headed for the stairs. Would she be able to think of something? It felt so impossible. She was unwelcome visitor to an alien world where she didn’t belong…