I'm a Roosterteeth First member and this blog is not spoiler free! I use the tag #rwby spoilers #rwby hummingbird and #qrow is ruby's father posts are tagged as such if you wish to filter them
Like imagine you find a 7 year old in the woods and she’s like my mom is gonna kill me because I’m prettier than her and she’s not kidding. You know this queen is that sort of person. So you and your roommates adopt the kid and tell her don’t talk to strangers. And she keeps talking to strangers and getting poison combs stuck in her hair and whatnot.
Like yeah that’s kinda stupid but also she’s seven. She likes apples.
Also imagine it from the hunter’s perspective. The queen tells you this bitch is prettier than me I need you to take her out in the woods and kill her. And then you see who you’re supposed to kill and it’s a 2nd grader. Like how are you supposed to react to that sort of situation? Kill a human child? No. Because you’re not a brainless evil minion you’re just some guy dealing with a cartoonishly evil monarch. Of course you let her go.
Bad look for the Prince of course. Even if she did age while she was in that glass case. He saw a dead woman and just decided to keep her. And once she stopped being dead he was like we’re married now
He did cause the evil queen to dance to death in red hot shoes though. That was kinda cool.
You are the guardsman assigned to protect the eight-year-old Prince. You are currently in the middle of the forest because he absolutely had his heart set on "going hunting", and the royal second-grader should definitely not be traipsing around the woods on his own. You let him go a little on ahead and he comes running back talking about how there's a dead girl in the clearing and there's no-one else around and he wants to take her home because she's really pretty, Hans, and she's all alone!
You let him drag you to said clearing and okay, that is one angelic-looking dead child alright, and on the one hand the quality of her clothes and the craftsmanship on the coffin (who builds a see-through coffin?) speak to potential Consequences if you simply carry her off, but also for the amount of vines that have grown on the coffin she looks extraordinarily un-decayed, so you should probably get the court alchemist's opinion on that, and there's no way he's going to come all the way out here in his embroidered velvet curly-shoes. And also this kid is technically assigned by God as your natural superior, or something.
So fine. You hoist the coffin onto your shoulder (it's not like the Prince can do it. He's eight.) and head back toward the castle, Prince chattering blithely all the way. And then you turn your ankle on a rock and suddenly there's a thump and a cough and a lot of shouting from inside the coffin and you have now become a key player in a tense political incident with the next kingdom over.
The fact the #greemlightvolume10 is number 1 on twitter makes me so happy. This series is so beloved by so many fans. Its incredible just how much support this series has and it makes me incredibly hopeful that we will get more volumes in the future.
Please guys if you love RWBY don’t stop in your support for volume 10. Keep letting the higher ups know that you want this series to continue and that there is a demand. They just announced the bluray release of V9, if you can please support the series by buying the set. If we can show WBD that the numbers justify more volumes then the chances of it happening can increase even more.
no man will ever be as much of an ally to sapphic women as jeff williams who wrote the song BMBLB all on his own without anyone from rooster teeth asking him to
Qrow twitched in her grasp with a ragged cry of pain, and Raven hissed under her breath. "Fight back, damn it, for once in your—"
A hand closed around her wrist.
She jumped back, trying and failing to wrench her arm away—how did Ozpin move so fast? Was his Semblance—
"Miss Raven." He kept his hold, refusing her attempt to retreat, a lethal authority in his tone. "We do not do that here."
She was going to die, gods, he was going to kill her and there was nowhere to—
—the Professor let go, turning away. Qrow stared blankly, despite the others calling and shaking him. Had—no, he was blinking. She could still feel his lifeline, numb as it was.
Gods. He was dying and she never even felt it.
"Doctor Seacole?" Ozpin called, voice strained.
Raven turned and swept out of the room. Her stomach churned—Qrow would never fight back. Never grow up. How had she even fooled herself? He wore a cape, wanted to fight with a farm tool, couldn't control his Semblance. Nothing had changed since they were five years old.
And now he'd killed them both.
She slumped against the wall next to the door and slid down to the floor. What could she do, alone? Without him Vanta was her only anchor. Like being chained to a guard dog—as long as she was well-fed and happy, she was an asset. But when food was scarce…
Qrow had begged Vanta to make it stop, to end it quickly, but she watched impassively as Sanguin carved the lines into his back. And Raven had nowhere to jump. No way to save him. No way to save herself.
He was right. Far better to die at the Huntsmen's hands than hers.
"Hey." Huang stood over her with hands in his pockets. She stared up at him, waiting for him to attack or accuse, but after a moment he silently turned and sat next to her about an arm's length away. "…You know it's okay to be angry, right?"
Raven stared at him. No, she hadn't thought the Huntsmen would approve of that sort of thing.
"Your brother tried to leave," Huang continued, "and he didn't even talk to you. I'd be angry too."
She hugged her knees tighter and waited for him to get to the point.
"But you're the only one he really trusts, you know? He needs your help, even if he doesn't know how to ask for it."
"…He doesn't trust me," Raven muttered.
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
She glared, head snapping around to meet his eye. "He pulled a knife on me." People usually shut up when she yelled stuff like that at them, but apparently Tai's stubbornness was a family trait.
"Why?" Huang asked, innocently—obnoxiously—surprised. "That doesn't seem like something he would do."
You don't know anything about us.
Summer emerged from the room, searching the hall before her eyes fell on Raven. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed in a whisper. "How could you?"
Tai grabbed her arm, holding her back.
"He—he needs you, and you—you—"
"Summer!" Tai pulled her around. "…She's just scared."
Raven shot to her feet, hands balling into fists, fear and fury surging. How dare they—she didn't— "I'm not a coward! I'm not like him!"
Huang rushed around her, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey. Hey, Raven, it's going to be okay."
She bit back a snarl. The Huntsmen just loved saying that—and even more when it was a lie. Behind him, Tai glanced between her and Summer before turning to soothe the Huntress.
"I mean it," Huang protested, as if he could read her mind. "I know it's scary right now, but we're going to get him the doctor that he needs."
"He'll just do it again," she snapped. "You can't save someone who's too weak to live. Just leave me alone." She turned to leave, find an empty room—
"Your brother isn't weak." His voice was firm, certain, and she paused despite herself. "He's sick. And he's fought damn hard to survive despite it. …I'm sorry we didn't catch it sooner."
Raven glared. Did the Huntsman think she was stupid? "He doesn't have a fever."
Huang shook his head. "It's not that kind of illness. ….There's a… chemical imbalance in his brain."
"His… his brain?"
"It happens to a lot of people," he said, quickly. "It's not good, but it's—well…normal. It happens. We have doctors and medicine that can help. He's going to get better, it'll just take time."
Something wrong with his brain?
She couldn't deny it made a kind of sense. Weakness was running, hiding, begging—and he'd done all of those, but… Qrow had been acting strangely ever since Bones died. Maybe something happened when the tribe beat him, something that hadn't healed properly—
Or, her stomach turned over, when Bones was trying to find his Semblance, even earlier… If something was wrong with his head—if they could fix it—was this why he couldn't control his luck?
The question perched on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back. No. If the… 'balance' thing… wasn't the reason, they might decide Qrow wasn't worth the effort to fix.
But the Huntsman stared expectantly, seeing the question in her face, so she raced to come up with another one. "…Do you promise?"
Huang smiled. "Yes. I can't promise it'll be quick, but we are going to help him heal."
Behind him, Summer stood with her forehead against the glass of Qrow's room, Tai staring over her shoulder. Muffled sobs echoed through the wall. Somehow the ragged sound of misery seemed like an improvement, even as it took minutes to fade.
Abruptly Summer opened the door and strode inside, followed closely by Taiyang. Raven hesitated—
Huang patted her shoulder. "He needs you. More than he ever has."
She nodded, and tiptoed around the door, ready to bolt if Ozpin looked displeased. The Professor glanced up as she entered the doorway but didn't scowl or yell. Qrow slumped against him, the tube of blood still stuck in his arm, as Tai held his uninjured hand and Summer petted his head like a stray dog's.
"Don't leave," she whispered. "Don't leave. You're not allowed."
Tai gestured for Raven, and she shuffled forward. He seized her hand and placed Qrow's in it, springing up from the bed and pushing her into his place.She glanced into her brother's face. Qrow stared back, blinking slowly, too tired to speak. His eyes didn't open all the way, but they stayed fixed on her.
Raven squeezed his hand, and the four of them sat with him until he finally fell asleep.
[Link to Masterpost]
[Two chapters this week! Make sure you read the other one first!]
Finally, it was over.
All the pain faded after Raven stabbed him. And now he… he wasn’t sure, exactly. It just felt like floating. Far away, the doctor and Ozpin were doing something to his body, but he couldn’t tell what. Not like it mattered. He was dead.
Should he try to find Bones? …No. Bones wouldn’t want an apology. Probably better to avoid him, if possible.
The doctor left with a needle in hand. As he watched, Ozpin moved from the chair to sit on the bed next to his body. Carefully, gently, he pulled it into a sitting position and leaned its head on his shoulder. Rubbed its back and murmured quietly, a constant stream of words Qrow couldn’t quite hear. He kind of wished someone had held him like that while he was still alive, but this was nice too. They wouldn’t be fussing over his body if they weren’t going to bury it, right?
…Maybe he had a mom here that would want him. Could he find her if he did, without knowing a name or face? And he'd betrayed the tribe. …No, she’d hate him too, if she even ever wanted him at all.
The only other dead people he knew were the ones he’d killed. He was definitely too much of a coward to look for any of them.
Ozpin rocked, and the universe almost seemed to sway with him. The murmured words grew louder, almost understandable.
…He did know of someone else. If he found Summer’s dad, Qrow could at least tell him how great she was.
"Qrow"
He paused to listen. Every few seconds, his name managed to stand out from Ozpin’s mumbling. More words started to resolve themselves, heavy and cold. "Safe… Qrow… back… safe now…" Weighing him down. He was so tired…
"…all right, Qrow… safe now… move… all right, Qrow. You’re safe now. Nobody’s going to hurt you. You’ll be able to move soon, just rest. You’re safe, Qrow, it’s all right. Everything’s going to be all right."
He could feel Ozpin’s hands on his back, hear the words clearly. His body breathed and he felt part of it again.
"You’re safe, and you’ll be able to move soon. It’s all right."
Ozpin was right, he couldn’t move. What was happening? What was Ozpin doing to him? He was supposed to be dead—
"You’re safe, you’re safe…"
After an eternity, Qrow’s fingers twitched.
"There you are, there you are… Just a few more minutes, everything will be fine."
He could blink, and then he could breathe, and finally he could turn his head, shakily move his limbs. Where was the wound? He couldn't see any blood, feel bandages, but from the pain Raven’s knife must have cut even deeper than Sanguin’s. At least she had gotten away—her body wasn't on any of the other beds.
"It’s all right, it’s all right," Ozpin soothed, taking Qrow’s good hand. "You’re safe. Can you speak?"
All he managed was a small noise in the back of his throat. He was so tired…
"Can you tell me how you’re feeling?"
It took every ounce of energy he had to answer, "Cold."
"Let’s get you under the blankets, then." He leaned forward, gently lowering him away—
A whimper escaped his throat before he could stop it. Ozpin paused, and pulled him back into his arms. Awkwardly, still holding Qrow secure, he wrenched the covers free and pulled the blanket over his back. "Is that better?"
He managed a nod, relieved the professor wasn’t angered by his weakness.
"I’m very glad." Ozpin rubbed his back again, through the blanket. "Qrow, can you tell me why you hurt yourself?"
He hadn’t really… meant to die. At first. He wanted the brand gone, wanted any small part of his guilt gone—but then it was so easy to just… not call for help. Curl up in the tub where he wouldn't leave a mess. Go back to sleep, and… "I don’t want to hurt anyone else."
"Isn’t that why you came to Beacon? You don’t have to anymore."
"It’s—it’s—" It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. He was weak. He was a murderer. He didn’t want to be a bandit and he didn’t deserve to be a Huntsman. "Y-you don’t understand. My, my Semblance, I—I can’t stop it."
Ozpin’s hand stilled on his back. "Your Semblance?"
The effort of keeping the tears back made him shake. "I—I make bad things happen. I-I attacked Azraq, I hurt Tai’s ankle. I broke Raven’s arm. I ki—I k-kill— k-killed o-our dad—" His throat closed over, he couldn’t speak or even breathe. Ozpin’s arms tightened, and he managed a few strangled gasps. "I can’t—stop—I, I can’t…"
He could leave the tribe, stop raiding and stealing—but no matter what he did, he would never be able to stop hurting people.
"...I can’t be a good person."
"Qrow—"
"Please." His eyes squeezed shut. "This is b-better for everyone. P-please, just… just leave the room a-and, and let me go."
Ozpin started to rub his back again. "No. No, we don't do that here."
"Please—"
"We are going to help you."
"I'm not—I can't—"
"Semblances respond to our emotions, Qrow, and I think you've been very hurt for a very long time. There have been others before you who did immense good for all of Remnant, despite… similar setbacks. It's unlikely you'll ever master it completely but as you start to heal it will improve. "
He whined, tears leaking out despite himself. Ozpin believed him.
"It's all right," he soothed, the motion of his palm on Qrow's back uninterrupted. "Just let it out, you'll feel better."
Qrow turned his face into the professor's shoulder and sobbed, shuddering with each gasp for air. Ozpin didn't scream or hit him, even when seconds turned into minutes or he wailed out loud.
"I need you, Qrow," the professor murmured as he tried to catch his breath. "Your teammates' parents and I are part of an organization dedicated to protecting Remnant. If doing good is your goal, you have unique gifts that could help our fight. I believe your Semblance is one of them. …The world needs you, Qrow, please don't leave it yet."
Ozpin wanted him.
Slowly, he dared to wrap his arms around the professor's back. After endless minutes his breathing finally settled and the tears stopped. Ozpin continued to hold him, regardless.
"What...what do you need me to do?" Qrow rasped.
Ozpin wiped the last of the water from his face with a half-curled hand. "For now, stay in school. Learn and heal. I've set an appointment with Beacon's health services for you tomorrow afternoon. We're going to help you."
He nodded, closing his eyes.
"Do you promise not to hurt yourself?"
He nodded again.
"...I need to hear you say it."
"I promise."
Next Chapter: Raven—Killed us Both
[Ozpin—no—stop—
Anyway. This is what I think happened that led to Volume 6 I don't think Ozpin was trying to manipulate him, he just didn't realize this kid would sell his soul for a hug and a kind word.
Ozpin is immortal, ancient. Impossibly wise and kind. Qrow didn't see Ozpin as a leader, general, or strategist—Ozpin was his god.
You can see it in the Battle of Haven, the way he protected Oscar. They way he spoke to them when the battle was over. He had kept faith, and his god delivered them. And, at the time, I thought "…uh-oh."
Then the kids asked what the Relic of Knowledge could do, and Qrow looked at Ozpin as expectantly as any of them, and I got even more nervous.
And then Jinn showed up and all hell broke loose
Up until The Incident Qrow was always shown as trying to Do Good and Be Good—punching Oscar was wrong (obviously) but I always thought the scene worked well because it illustrated how badly Qrow was shaken by Ozpin not trusting him the way he thought.
It also sets upreally really good parallels between Salem&Ozpin and Tyrian&Qrow. Currently Salem and Ozpin have both set themselves up as gods—and they are both terrible gods—but Ozpin is a good man, so when he stops playing god things will improve. Then you look at the two followers, Tyrian is not following Salem blindly the way Qrow's been worshipping Oz, and every time they fight Tyrian wins. —they're all really good foils ok? I love these four
Basically, the whole fic was inspired by Vol6, don't @ me. Anyway. Ozpin and Qrow are fantastic characters and I hope they find happiness at the end of all this]
[Link to Masterpost]
[Proceed with less caution than last week, but caution nonetheless]
Once upon a time, he could have frozen the roiling sea and walked across to the island in the span between two moments. That freedom and power was far behind him now.
It had taken several hours for the storm to abate enough to get a boat to Patch. It was still too rough above to risk flying—and besides, from what Balt said, Azraq needed his husband right now.
"We’re here," the ferry captain said, readjusting the spotlight. Signal’s dock was indeed emerging from the darkness and falling snow. "And I’m not going back until the storm’s over, unless that kid’s life depends on it."
"Signal’s hospital is well-equipped," Ozpin said, glancing up at the lighthouse. The beam sliced through the storm, clearly defined by the snow in its path. "There shouldn’t be a need. Thank you for your help."
"First rule of the ocean, if you can give aid you shut up and give it," he grunted, tossing a rope out toward the dock. Ozpin caught it, winding the line around the deck cleat as he had a thousand times before.
"Where’d you learn to do that?" the captain asked, tossing out another.
"Mistral," Ozpin replied.
No, it was Antica.
Antica no longer exists.
...I forgot. They focused on the ropes, pushing the memories away. "I may be a teacher but I am still a Huntsman. We tend to pick up odd skills."
Working together, it only took a few minutes for them to get the boat securely tied down. "Come in and warm up," he said, helping the man onto the dock.
"Don’t mind if I do," he huffed, and the two of them headed into the alcove carved into the cliff beneath the school.
Ozpin stared into The Long Memory's gears as the freight elevator rumbled up toward the fort, thinking back to the last meeting with Qrow not two weeks prior.
I was too focused on her. Again. His grip tightened. As soon as I knew she didn't send them, I relaxed.
I didn't think of it either.
Of course you didn't, he snapped. How could you have? We think exactly alike. We ARE exactly alike.
He didn't have a retort for that.
The doors opened into the school's storeroom. Azraq sat a few paces away, waiting on a small crate with his head in his hands.
The captain shifted uncomfortably. "You, ah, know where to find me" the captain mumbled and shuffled off toward the Huntsmen’s quarters.
Ozpin waited until the door had closed behind him to speak. "Huang said he’s stable?" They’d gotten the message halfway across the bay.
"He hasn't woken yet." Azraq sat unmoving, but his voice shook. "...This is all my fault."
"What happened?"
It took him another moment to answer. "Bones was their father."
Ozpin winced. That was an… unfortunate complication. Of course it had always been a possibility, but neither of the Branwen siblings seemed like the type to want offspring. "Have you told Claret?" She had taken the news that the twins had come from the tribe badly enough…
"No."
"...Are you going to?"
Azraq's hands fell to his lap but his gaze remained resolutely downward."....No." Ozpin suppressed twin sighs of relief. "I ruined their lives."
Now that's simply ridiculous, Ozpin thought, before shushing himself angrily. They sat on the next crate and placed one hand on his shoulder. "From what Qrow told me, it was his death that necessitated their escape. They might not be here otherwise."
"It was an accident, I ran into them on my way out. He saw me. I tried to take him aside and talk it out, but he thought I was going to threaten—or, or beat him." Azraq's brow furrowed deeper. "I told him I wouldn't hurt him. I thought if I got him back safely, he'd believe me."
"You couldn't have—"
"Balt wanted me to stop."
"What?"
"For years. He wanted... He wants to start a family. But Branwen was still out there, and…" He finally met Ozpin's eye, tears gathering in his own. "How could I ever be a father—"
"Stop," he said, hand tightening on his shoulder. "...Stop. You're upset, you're in shock. If Bones Branwen had done right by those children we wouldn't be here now." He sighed heavily. "This is my fault. I should have told him to see a doctor rather than suggesting it."
Azraq shook his head. "Summer used her eyes."
Oh dear, they chorused.
"Then the storm is a stroke of luck," Ozpin said, recovering. "The lightning will have covered—"
"No. You know it’ll happen again, now it’s happened once. Unlocking it is the hardest part."
"...Have you explained?"
"She woke up a few minutes ago, and Claret’s stuck in the storm. Huang told her she hit her head… she seemed to buy it."
"Then with any luck we'll have more time."
Azraq remained unconvinced. "You should go. You might be able to help him. I—I don't think he should see me."
"Probably not," he conceded. "At least, not yet. I think in time, when he's healed, the two of you will be good friends."
"Can you tell him? I'm... I'm sorry, and... if he's willing to forgive me then he has to accept my forgiveness."
Ozpin tilted their head thoughtfully. "That may be an excellent way to reach him. ...Get some rest."
He nodded, climbing slowly to his feet. Ozpin followed suit, leaning on their cane more than usual. "...You and Balt will make wonderful fathers. I wouldn't have asked you to run Signal if you weren't good with children."
Azraq almost laughed, wiping his face.
"These are... I wouldn't even say 'extraordianry' circumstances. 'Catastrophic', perhaps."
Out of earshot—which, considering Azraq's Semblance and the silence of the halls, was quite a long way indeed—Ozpin muttered under his breath, "We each failed him in our own way."
Signal’s hospital was reassuringly empty, except for the two occupied beds at the end. Or rather, semi-occupied, as Summer sat on hers, apparently fine and speaking with Huang. Raven sulked against a wall. Tai sat next to Qrow, who lay sickly pale despite the IV steadily dripping blood back into his veins.
His heart sank, staring at the bottle. Three generations ago he would have died.
Please. Don’t dwell on it.
"Professor Ozpin?" Summer leaned around Huang to gawk at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard two of my students had been injured."
She huffed. "I’m fine. Qrow will be glad to see you, though, when… when he wakes up."
"I can only hope. In the meantime… are you all right? Azraq didn’t disclose any details."
"You talked to him…? Is he… is he okay?"
"Perhaps not yet, but he will be. However, I was asking about you, Ms. Rose."
"Oh. Well, uh, it’s …. stupid…"
Huang ruffled her hair. "Don’t sell yourself tall, shortie."
"Hey, hey, brain injury!" she protested, shoving him away and pushing it back out of her face. "The truck spun out on the way here and I hit my head."
"Summer…" Huang’s warning tone was unmistakable.
She squeaked, burying her head under her arms. "I tried to fight a Beowolf with a fire extinguisher!"
Oh, gods. They very nearly laughed.
Of all the ways for a silvereye to unlock their gift—
—I could not imagine one more perfectly… Summer than this.
"I’m sorry, okay? I know it was a bad idea but you were driving and Qrow was unconscious and none of us had our weapons and I had to do something or…"
Huang sighed, rubbing his face. "I know. I know. That’s not going to save me from your mother, though."
"I think the storm is doing that," she muttered, glaring out into the darkness. The snow did seem to be picking up again.
"Guys, he’s moving," Tai whispered loudly. Qrow’s uninjured hand was gently clasped in his, a wince forming on the sleeping boy’s face. Summer shoved her way past Huang, darting to his side despite her 'injury'. No one bothered to protest.
Qrow groaned feebly, eyes cracking open and wandering the room in confusion. Taiyang leaned forward and spoke in an even, soothing voice. "It's okay, Qrow, it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you. It's us."
His eyes rested on Tai for a moment before wandering again, searching the room disinterestedly. That is, until they landed on his sister.
"...Raven?" he rasped, almost confused.
Her face contorted in rage and pain, and she shoved past Summer to drive a fist into his shoulder. Qrow's cry of pain wasn't enough to drown out her fury—"Why are you so WEAK?!"
Ozpin's magic surged with a thought and the world slowed to a stop as they wished themselves on the other side of the room. As much as his power had dwindled, it was more than enough for him to hook his hand beneath hers and pull it away before she realized he had moved.
She stiffened, recoiling from them in fear, but Ozpin kept a gentle hold on her hand. "Miss Raven." He would not usually call a student by their first name, but a false one did not have the necessary weight. "We do not do that here." When she pulled away again, he released her and turned back to her brother.
"Qrow? Come on, man, you’re scaring me." Taiyang’s voice waved as he gently shook his friend. He gave no indication he’d heard, staring blankly at the ceiling even as Summer began calling for him as well.
If I'd released two chapters this week the cliffhanger would have been worse. If I release two next week we get some closure. Can't release all three because then I'd have nothing for next week and its easier to keep momentum than gain it
[THIS CHAPTER IS DARK. It ends on a slightly lighter note, but the real conclusion goes up next week in 2 chapters (released together)]
[tw suicide]
Wrong.
Summer wriggled onto her stomach, squinting around the cabin. It was like the feeling left over from watching a horror movie alone in the dark, the shadows under the furniture seeming to crawl and writhe but only when she wasn’t looking directly at them.
Calm down. She pulled the sleeping bag over her head, and waited for the feeling to pass.
It didn’t.
Maybe there’s a Grimm outside. It wouldn’t be the first time a sparrow-sized Nevermore on the roof had woken her up in the middle of the night, but she knew from experience she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again until it was smoke.
Wrong. Like the feeling of knowing there was a giant spider in the room, but not knowing where.
As soon as she’d crawled out of her sleeping bag, though, she realized what was off. The bathroom light shone through the crack under the door, deepening the shadows throughout the cabin.
Ugh. Got out in the cold for no reason. She shivered, trying to reorientate with the light burned into her vision. The cabin's little living room was barely big enough to lie out their sleeping bags, even with the couch shoved against the front door—the last thing she needed was to step on Raven's fingers and get yelled at in the middle of the night—
Summer froze. Qrow's bedroll was empty.
She glanced around the cabin again, the knot in her stomach winding tighter. ...It had been a few minutes, with no sound of water running or… anything. Summer tiptoed toward the door, the light shining below it somehow more unsettling than the writhing shadows.
"Qrow?" she whispered as loud as she dared, tapping the door with a fingernail. "Are you okay in there?"
Cold air washed over her bare feet, spilling from under the door, and she seized the handle without thinking. The door slid open, not locked—the window on the opposite wall had stuck again, jamming after an inch and letting in the winter air. She stepped in to close it—
—and screamed.
Qrow stirred, head shifting on the side of the tub. She darted forward, lifting his hands from the dark red stain on his shirt, desperately searching for its source.
"HELP!" There wasn't a tear, where was he hurt? The blood had to be coming from somewhere—
"Summer?" he mumbled.
"Qrow? Qrow, where are you hurt?!"
"It's okay." His eyes wandered across the ceiling before finally finding her face, and paused only a moment before drifting away again. "It's okay. Don't cry."
"What?"
Qrow's eyes eased closed again. "...I'm tired."
He… he hadn't… he couldn't—
"What did you DO?"
The shout was her only warning before she slammed into the wall with Raven’s knife pressed against her throat. Her aura crackled white, the only thing holding it back.
"NO!" Qrow reached out in desperation. "NO! I did it! I did it! Don't hurt each other, please d-don't—" he shivered, his arm sliding back into the tub as he lost the will or the strength to keep it aloft.
The knife clattered to the floor. Summer pushed her off, and she sank onto the toilet seat, staring emptily at her brother.
The door banged against the wall as Huang flew into the room, pausing for less than a second before seizing the first aid kit from under the sink and kneeling next to Qrow. Resuming Summer's search for the wound.
"Tai, call the school!" he ordered, fist closing around his right hand. "Wake up Doctor Seacole!"
The little black bracelet thing Qrow always wore was gone—had he done this before?!
Huang pinned Qrow's hand with his elbow, leaving his own hands free to wrap a bandage around the wound.
"Stop," Qrow whined, pushing at him with his uninjured arm. "Stop it."
Satisfied it was secure, Huang grabbed another bandage and began winding it above the wound, closer to his elbow, pulling it tight. Too tight. The way their first aid teacher said not to unless there was no other way.
"Get the truck started," he ordered, carefully gathering Qrow into his arms.
"Leave me alone —"
His protests cut off as Huang stood and he went limp.
Summer turned and ran, out of the bathroom and past Tai, barely slowing to grab Huang’s keys off the nail. The snow fell a lot faster now. She’d only taken a few steps toward the truck when the world lit up white, followed a second later by a muffled thump of thunder. She dove into the driver’s seat, tears freezing to her face, and started the engine warming.
"Tai! Take care of Raven and the cabin, and portal after us when you can. Storm’s coming in off the Emerald Forest, it’s gonna be bad!" Huang shouted, outside. Summer scrambled across the truck to open the passenger door and helped him drag Qrow onto the bench. "Keep his arm elevated and keep him safe."
She nodded, stomach twisting, and helped bend his knees enough to get the door shut. Summer settled onto the floor next to the glove compartment, making sure he was secure while Huang ran around to the driver’s side. The engine roared into the storm as they sped off, drowning out the muffled thunder.
Qrow shivered but didn’t stir as she took his hand, holding his injured forearm up. His breathing was too fast, too shallow, his skin too cold. Barely warmer than the winter air—if only she had her cloak for a blanket—"Is the engine warm yet?"
"Warmer than in here," Huang said tersely, with a glance at the dashboard. Summer turned and twisted the heat dial up as far as it would go, keeping the fan low, and tepid air began to hiss from the vents. He cursed as the truck lurched and skid for a moment. "Watch your heads. Last thing we need is for either of you to get concussed."
"Y-yeah."
"How’s his pulse?"
"Uh—" she felt for his neck—gods, he was so cold—and finally found the weak throbbing under her fingertips. "Really fast."
"We’re lucky the road’s not too bad yet."
Qrow shivered again, his breath catching for a moment, and Summer squeezed his hand tighter. "Is he going to make it?"
"Yes. Everything’s going to be fine." Huang’s hands tightened on the wheel.
She stared up at him, fear clawing its way through her stomach. "You’re lying."
"...We’re going to do everything we can."
She stared down at him again, eyes fogging with tears. Please. Her free hand closed around the bandages. Please, let me be a healer. Aura pooled in her fingers, energy swirling down her arm as she tried to force it into his.
Nothing happened.
As always.
She was useless.
"I’m sorry." Hot air finally poured from the vents but she was shaking even harder than Qrow. "I’m sorry. I—I should have done more, I should have m-made you let us help, I— I—" She curled around the pain in her chest, clutching his hand as she sobbed, her voice cracking and squeaking. "Why? Why would you rather die than let us help? Please, please don’t go. Wake up. Please wake up—"
The truck shook violently, and Huang cursed as he wrenched the wheel around to keep them on the road. A shiver ran down Summer’s spine. She looked up, out the rear window at the whirling snow, and glowing red eyes looked back.
"GRIMM!" she screamed, reaching for Gungnir, but it was back at the cabin with her armor.
None of them were armed.
Huang swore again, swerving back and forth to try and throw the thing from the truck bed. The eyes lurched, and claws sunk through the roof with a scream of tearing metal. Its face was closer to the window now, bone mask illuminated red by the brake light as Huang tried to maintain control. Another set of claws glanced off the back window with a sharp SNAP.
Summer lunged forward, dragging Qrow away from the window and onto the floor, crouching over him. Weapon or not, Semblance or not, she was the only one who could fight—if Huang stopped the truck Qrow would die.
SNAP. The window held. Huang slammed on the brakes and its head banged against the truck. The fire extinguisher slid forward from its place between the seats, glancing off Summer's ankle with a few white sparks. Better than nothing. She seized it, pooling aura in her arms to lift the heavy cylinder easily.
"Summer, get down and—"
"DRIVE!" she ordered, slamming the makeshift weapon into the claws slowly tearing gashes through the ceiling. Outside, the wolf roared, teeth briefly silhouetted by the bloody red light in its throat.
Summer wound up again, slamming the fire extinguisher home, and the claws finally ripped through the rest of the roof. The rear window shattered as they caught the edge, spraying most of the glass out into the night but a few pieces fell inward and she dove forward to shield Qrow.
Left knee on the seat and right foot braced against the floor next to his head, she drew herself up as much as possible and stared down the wolf. It caught itself on the truck bed, carving rough lines in the metal. Lightning flashes gleamed on its bones, throat painting the snow red.
No Semblance, no armor, and barely a weapon, but she had her aura. Qrow deserved a chance at life, away from whatever hell had driven him to this. Tai needed his dad to come home, and Huang had always been there for her, ever since hers hadn’t.
Summer raised the fire extinguisher with a defiant scream. The wolf lunged, she swung with all her strength, and the brightest flash of lightning yet lit the world a blinding white.
It had taken months of careful—and subtle—observation for Tai to start recognizing Raven's tells. Most of their classmates and teachers saw her as quiet and shy, if they really noticed her at all, and she took great pains to keep it that way. A few that knew better would call her reserved and jumpy.
Tai eyed her stiff posture and unnatural stride, the way her eyes wandered over the buildings to either side of the road and kept the rest of the group in her peripheral vision. Moving as quietly as possible, to hear them coming. Her fingers traced along patterns in the Guillotine's leather-wrapped hilt.
We shouldn't have let Az separate them. His stomach sank. Too late now.
He quickened his pace, letting his gauntlets and boots rattle freely, immediately catching her attention.
"…Everything's okay."
His father and Summer stopped, looking back toward the two of them. Raven's hand clenched on the hilt.
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have let—we shouldn't have separated you, but I promise that Qrow is okay. Uncle Azraq would never hurt him. No one is angry. We won't—we don't treat you like the people at your farm did. Or wherever you came from."
Fear flared into panic and she took a step back, almost off the curb, eyes widening. "We—"
"We don't care where you came from!" Summer exploded. "We don't care if you were pickpockets, or—or growing drugs, or whatever. It doesn't matter. It's not normal to take a knife with you to parties, or to the shower, or for Qrow to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, and Tai's wrong because I am furious at the people who did this to you!"
"Summer." His dad's voice was serene. "Calm words calm people."
She squeaked, stepping back as well. "S-sorry."
Finally, finally, Raven spoke.
"What do you want?"
Tai blinked. She wants to go home, Qrow had said, it was easier to tell what they wanted…
They expected demands. They expected to be used.
"We don't—" Summer began, but Tai stepped forward and cut her off.
"I want you to watch my back." Her head tilted, just slightly, so he pressed on. "And we'll watch both of yours."
"Yeah." Summer joined, though Tai wasn't sure if she had come to the same realization or was simply jumping on a strategy that appeared to be working. "We're the best team in our year—if we keep working I think we'll be the best at Beacon. The four of us are stronger together, and you know it." She stepped toward Raven, facing her head-on. "Those… people… don't deserve to have you protecting them. They literally stabbed Qrow in the back!" She held out her hand. "Raven, I want to be on a team with you."
Fear and panic faded to unease as her eyes darted between Summer's hand and her face. "…How do I know you're not lying?"
"I guess we still need to earn your trust, then." Summer didn't miss a beat, letting her hand drop. "We'll start now. We're going to meet Qrow and Uncle Azraq at the cabin, and he's going to be fine, and that'll be the first step. Okay?"
"…Okay."
Mrs. Rose cleared her throat gently, drawing everyone's attention away from Raven.
"I'm afraid this is where I have to split up," she said, gesturing at the road leading to the harbor. "I have a meeting with Ozpin this evening. I'll be back tomorrow morning, though." She nodded to Raven. "It was good to meet you, and I hope you'll consider our offer."
***
The long hike through the forest remained tense and quiet, but nowhere near as bad as before. Upon reaching the cabin Raven decided to wait on the porch for her brother. Still, it was Azraq who announced their arrival.
"We're back!"
Summer dropped the potato peeler and ran. Tai set down the knife a little more carefully before following.
The sun painted the snow red and gold, temperature already dropping as it set. They cast long shadows as they approached the cabin.
Qrow looked deeply, thoroughly miserable, but otherwise fine. Raven strode right up to meet them, sparing only a quick glance at Azraq before asking her brother, "Did he hurt you?"
…Surprisingly direct.
"No," he mumbled, fiddling with the band he always wore on his wrist. She nodded and turned to stand next to him—close enough that their shoulders touched. The Raven equivalent of a hug.
"I'm sorry," Azraq said, patting his shoulder. "We should talk again, …later. It really was good to see you." Qrow remained silent with his eyes trained on the ground. Uneasily, Az nodded to Summer and Tai. "Maybe we can meet up at the end of the week or something."
Maybe after a few days some of the awkwardness would dissipate. …Azraq probably never even had a mission in the first place. Their parents certainly seemed in on it. Running into him at all was probably just bad luck. It would certainly fit team STRQ's pattern. For that matter—what were the odds Qrow could've stolen from him in the first place?
There was no hiding the truth from Tai and Summer now—and no chance they wouldn’t hate him. Ozpin might be willing to forgive, but there was no way their parents would. Claret would kill him if Azraq didn’t.
"It’s good to see you again."
Qrow winced, hands clenching, and the cloth covering his brand bit into his wrist. Who was he kidding? He didn’t deserve to be their friend anyway. He never had. All the harm he had caused was as permanent as the mark on his skin.
Maybe he should be scared, but mostly he just felt nauseating hatred.
"Come on, don’t be like that. It was only a wallet." Azraq’s hand seized his left shoulder, and Qrow looked up in spite of himself. "Sure, replacing my passport was a bit of a pain, but it’s not a big deal. Really."
What?
"You two… know each other?" Summer asked, confusion and concern etched into her face. Qrow stared at the ground again—put off seeing their reactions for as long as he could.
"I was in Mistral after a tough mission, didn’t have any aura reserves left over. Got cornered by a couple of muggers," Azraq laughed, his hand never leaving Qrow’s shoulder. "He chased them off, but I still lost a few Lien, eh? Thanks for the save, though. That could have turned nasty."
...He wasn’t going to tell them?
"S-sorry." He fought to keep his voice steady and play along.
"As far as I’m concerned, you earned it. You might have saved my life." The Huntsman's grip tightened. "You’re headed out to the cabin, right?"
"Yep," Huang said.
"Why don’t Qrow and I take the shortcut up the ridge? We’ll meet you there. I’d like to catch up." The message was clear enough. Come quietly and I won’t tell them the truth, at least not yet.
Qrow had no intention of fighting, anyway. He deserved this. "Okay."
Huang nodded with a smile. "See you in a couple hours, then." Cheerful, oblivious.
The Huntsman’s hand tightened on Qrow's shoulder, pulling him away. He almost glanced at Raven, but what good could it possibly do? And he’d already said goodbye.
He didn’t look back, and let the Huntsman lead him out into the cold.
The scrubby path led east, further up the ridge and toward the ocean side of the island. By the time they reached the tree line they had almost climbed the height of the fort. It grew rougher as it disappeared into the forest.
The silence was too much. "I’m sorry." His voice cracked painfully. "I know it doesn’t change anything, but I am."
Azraq shook his head. "I fired at you first." Pausing a moment more, he rubbed at his face. "That man. Bones. You look like him."
"...Our father." Why bother to hide it?
"I—I'm so sorry. I didn’t... know he had children."
Neither did we. The path grew icier as they climbed. Snowmelt from the top of the ridge had refrozen over most of the exposed stones, and the trail slowly but surely drifted its way closer to the edge of the cliff. It’d be easy for the Huntsman to say he dropped his weapon and slipped—without a way to slow himself, the fall would break his aura and then the freezing water would do the rest. I wonder if Raven’s run yet.
"I buried him." The Huntsman mumbled, and Qrow stared in disbelief. "...The townsfolk didn't want him with their people, so I took him to the forest's edge and… and did what I could for him. I'm sorry."
Qrow's eyes stung, and palms where his nails bit in, fingers aching from the strain. His enemy had done more for him than his son. "Thank you."
"...Why... Beacon?"
"Less likely to be spotted than Atlas. More likely to be accepted than Shade," he said dully.
"I, ah… I meant to ask why you left home."
A shiver ran down his arm at the memory, like a swarm of ants crawling down from his shoulder to the brand. He rubbed it, knowing it wouldn't help. "My fault. Bones. The rest wanted me dead."
"You sabotaged his weapon?" Azraq stopped, mail rattling louder at the sudden shift.
That was easier than the truth. Qrow nodded.
"Why?"
"...I didn’t mean to."
"Gods. I’m so sorry."
Qrow was tired of talking, of whatever stupid game they were playing. This is high enough. Hurry up. "He deserved it."
"...Then... you really did save my life."
Was the Huntsman trying to rub it in? Gloat?
It doesn't matter. In a few minutes Azraq would end his filthy existence and everyone Qrow had ever cared about would be better off for it.
"I was a little surprised to see you again," he said, picking his way over the ice. "From the look on your face, you were too. I was even more surprised to hear you were the mysterious Qrow I'd heard so much about."
"You… you knew the whole time?" No wonder Claret hated him. They’d been planning this for weeks. Separate them, then pick them off—but they didn’t know Raven could jump to Vanta. His own plan was working perfectly. She would survive.
"It took a minute with your hair like that. Sorry. They get carried away sometimes."
He stared at the path, afraid to ask but desperate to know. "...Are you going to tell them?"
"No."
He shuddered with relief. "Thank you." They made their way around a stone outcropping, and Qrow slowed to a stop. The trail ran directly along the cliff’s edge for a few paces before winding back into the trees.
They were here.
Azraq slowed as well, a step ahead. "Qrow, give them some credit. They can see the kind of person you are." He reached to take his shoulder again—
—and Qrow flinched.
Nothing touched him. Slowly, he looked up at the Huntsman’s face. Uncomprehending horror stared back.
"I’m—" Azraq looked sick. "I’m not going to hurt you, Qrow."
"But… then… why did you bring me out here?"
His swallowed, taking a step back. "Let’s get you back to your team. Okay?" He stood aside, waiting for him to walk past.
Qrow was too tired to answer. Shuffling forward, he let the Huntsman fall in behind him and waited for a shove that never came.
[Apparently I didn’t post the last few chapters on Tumblr? Use the masterpost to make sure you don’t miss anything]
[also hi, not dead]
The truck door opened with a solid click and let cold sea air wash through the cabin. Raven followed her brother out onto the gravel with an irritated shiver. She hissed quietly through her teeth. They're making us soft.
It had been almost as difficult to sleep on Summer's flat, even wooden floor as it had originally been to sleep on the spongelike mattress.
Summer yawned, stifling it behind her hand but drawing the attention of her mother. A familiar grin crept over Claret's face, identical to the one Summer wore when about to provoke someone. "Aww, I'm sorry, sweetie. Did you want to sleep in on the first morning of your first mission?"
"Mooooommm."
Professor Mesánychta's oft-repeated don't worry, that's how they show affection echoed in Raven's head. Seeing them with their parents actually made it make sense.
"You know that's contagious, Sum," Huang yawned as well, distorting his words. "Who's up for some fishing?"
Raven eyed the machines bolted down to the truck beds with a scowl. …They did look a bit like fishing rods.
"You're the worst," Tai grumbled, grabbing a bundle of straps and tossing half to Summer before shaking his out and shrugging it on.
Harnesses. Raven's gut clenched.
"In all seriousness, each person on a line needs a spotter," Huang said, looking at her and Qrow.
"Raven, will you spot me?" Qrow asked quickly.
She hesitated. Hang over a cliff or sit with Huntsmen? Which was worse? Then again—he was probably just trying to keep Misfortune away from the trucks, where more could go wrong. "Sure."
He nodded, accepting a harness from Mrs. Rose. She immediately turned her attention to Raven, however, explaining how the winch worked and how to keep the ropes from getting tangled.
"This is pretty straightforward work," Huang said, giving Tai enough slack to walk out toward the edge, and Raven copied his motions carefully. "Try not to fire on the cliff—we're trying to avoid eroding it here, and the damage adds up. Absolutely no ice Dust, it's hell on the rock, but stick to your blades in general."
Qrow nodded, riveted.
"Lastly—do not drop your weapon. Recovery is a big enough pain when the water's warm."
"Right." He glanced over the other tools in the truck bed and grabbed a short cord to tie the hilt to his hand.
Huang nodded approvingly. "Better safe than sorry."
"Hmm, you've got a point," Summer muttered, unclipping her gravity arrow and securing it to her belt before slotting in a spare. Fire Dust glistened through the clear window in the side.
"See ya!" Tai shouted with a manic grin, latching his shield-sled to his shoe and hopping backward off the cliff. A moment later the line tightened, metal clanged against stone, and a small skreeeee of rage cut off half-formed. Summer and Qrow yelped and followed.
Claret smirked at Huang with a quiet chuckle the three wouldn't be able to hear. "Oh, yes, they're so miserable."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'll admit, they're taking it well."
In spite of her apprehensions around working with two professional Huntsmen—from Anima, no less—but mostly they and their children had distracted each other, content to let the twins quietly observe. With all of her teammates at the very edge of earshot, she braced for the inevitable shift in focus. Just stay calm and say as little as possible.
"So…what made you want to become a Huntress, Raven?"
Oh. Maybe she should have lied to Summer, before. "I wanted to stay with Qrow."
"His idea?" The Huntress asked, amused. "He was certainly quick to volunteer you to stay up here and do the boring work."
"He…" What would Qrow say? Her mind went blank.
…What would Summer say? "…I… dislike heights." There, put that way it wasn't even admitting weakness. "And Qrow doesn't mind them. He's just trying to be nice."
"Oh. That's sweet. …You two must be very close."
Raven nodded. She could do this. She could play along.
"I guess we won't have any of you trade off then." Oh, thank gods. "Well, what do you think of Huntressing so far, then?"
"Um…" she glanced at the edge of the cliff, where the three lines swayed gently and laughter echoed from below. "…Is this what you really do?"
"Oh—don't worry, there's not always so many cliffs involved."
"N-no—I meant—" Every Huntress she'd seen before coming to Beacon had been desperate, injured, dead. Expendable tools of people too weak to fight for themselves. "I thought it would be… harder?"
"You've been talking to Taiyang," Claret smiled, fiddling with the winch to give her daughter more line. "Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of Huntresses that go out looking for trouble. "Well—you went on some of Zelenia's expeditions, right? There's always something out there to hunt down or study—but yes, most of Huntress work is just… maintenance."
Huang nodded from his seat in the other truck bed. "These fledglings are no threat to us. But if someone untrained with their aura tried this, it could turn deadly fast. Add in the icy conditions and it's not really safe for Signal's students either. So we step in, because we can."
"What about bigger Grimm?" Raven countered.
"If you're doing your job right, you won't have any young and stupid Grimm that get big enough to be a threat. As for what wanders in from the wilds…"
"The old ones are smart enough to stay away from humans, at least when we don't weaken ourselves by attacking each other. And you should always have an idea of what's in the area."
"If you ever end up in a fight you're not prepared for, something went wrong a month or more ago."
"…What do you mean?"
Claret smiled again. "I'm sure by now you've heard Summer and Taiyang crack at least one joke about migration tracking."
Raven nodded.
"The Kingdoms spend a lot of resources keeping an eye on any large herds of Grimm that form." She turned out toward the ocean and pointed at the horizon. "You see those buoys out there? There's a listening station bolted to the seafloor under each one. Warns us if anything too big gets close to the island, gives us time to call Vale for backup if we need it. There's stations all over the mountains too, same thing, and the Kingdoms are putting them further and further out into the wilds every year."
"I suppose your farm would have been pretty far from any of the Kingdom's guard stations if you were growing something illegal, though," Huang added, too casually. "It makes sense you wouldn't know."
Adrenaline surged through Raven's veins, turning the world sharper and colder. "No—we grew—rice. It was just rice, and—" Of course she'd get them caught for the wrong thing—they'd be captured and discovered for sure—
"You're not in trouble!" Claret exclaimed. "They obviously threatened both of you—you didn't have a choice—" she froze for half a moment, repeating softly, "…you didn't have a choice."
"What do you mean?"
Huang cleared his throat with a different sort of hesitation. "…Apparently, Qrow let slip that the two of you had to keep watch for each other at night because the others would attack you. I hope I'm not the first person to say that's not normal."
That was pretty unlucky. At least if this is what killed them, it wouldn't be entirely her fault.
"You and your brother are safe with us. If you need help, or protection, we're here for you."
A trap. Like Professor Mesánychta's attempt to get her to confess everything to a doctor at Beacon. "We grew rice." She threw as much certainty into the words as she could.
The Huntress nodded, almost sadly. "It's all right. We just want to make sure you have somewhere else to go when the school year ends."
Raven didn't want to think about it. No, they didn't have a plan, and Qrow would have an unlimited number of threats and excuses to keep them in Vale and away from Vanta.
And he'd be right. His Semblance was no better now than when they left camp.
Maybe the Huntresses didn't have a reason to hurt them—yet—but they didn't have a reason to help, either.
"Why?"
Claret stared with a frown. "…Summer and Taiyang care about both of you. They appreciate what you've taught them, and they know you're struggling."
What we've taught them. Maybe she had underestimated how useful they were to their teammates.
Qrow laughed from below, and Raven held tight to the winch to lean out over the ledge to see, ingoring the way her stomach turned over.
"SIGnal POINT is FALLing DOWN," Tai sang, pushing away from the cliff on the half-beats and crashing back against the rocks in time to the song. Smoke and flames burst from under the shield clipped to his boots as it smashed through the fledglings' perches. One of the larger birds gave a high-pitched squawk as it flattened, and Qrow laughed again.
"…Seems to me like he's happy here," the Huntress murmured.
Refusal would be suspicious. They had let too much slip, and there really was nowhere else to go. "I'll talk to him about it."
***
"You kids are too good, that was supposed to take all day," Huang said.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Ms. Rose asked, taking Tai's hand and pulling him back onto solid ground.
Tai shrugged out of the harness and tossed it back into the box. "Ehh. This probably could have waited another month."
"There would be too much rain in another month," Claret pointed out, "and it shouldn't wait three or four more."
Tai shrugged sharply, unable to argue with that but still unhappy with it.
"Why did you want to become a Huntsman?"
"I want to do something that matters," he declared, accepting Summer and Qrow's harnesses and tossing them in with his own before popping the lid closed and latching it. "Not gonna stick with this kid stuff forever."
That didn't match what Claret said—and the Huntress took Raven's silent glance as a question. "There are, of course, some people who go out looking for trouble."
So that was the difference. All the Huntsmen that tracked down Vanta and Bones, that ambushed the tribe in the wilds or waited in villages that couldn't possibly afford them—
Something foul rose in the back of Raven's throat. "But—this does matter."
Qrow's mouth fell open.
"Well, yeah," Tai admitted, shrugging. "It's just boring. I want a challenge." With a teasing grin, he added, "Are you worried about me?"
She knew when she was being baited and so said nothing. Tai shrugged and turned away, giving her the chance to shoot Qrow a scathing glance behind his back.
"Let's get these back to the school," Huang said, gesturing for the twins to follow him back to the truck they arrived in.
"Everything go smoothly?" Qrow muttered, clambering in and offering a hand.
She nodded and took it. "You?"
"Fine."
Outside, Huang slammed the tailgate closed. Raven twisted at her vambrace. "…Mrs. Rose says this is what Huntresses do most of the time. Not the cliffs, the…cleanup."
"Really?"
Huang laughed, and the two nearly jumped. "You've been talking to Summer and Taiyang too much."
"But—" Raven frowned. Were they supposed to talk to them less? "They're our teammates." Or were they supposed to be talking to people outside of team STRQ more? Ugh—trying to learn the right things to say for just two people was hard enough.
He waved a hand, sliding into his seat. "Just an expression. I was the same at their age… desperate to get out there." The truck rumbled to life, crunching ice and rock as it started forward. "Too often people don't see the value in the little things until after we try to take on the world. They'll learn as they get more experience."
And what if they're killed before they learn?
Raven shook herself silently. It's not our problem. We're smart, we'll—damn it, we'll go HOME. They'd return, kill Vanta and Sanguin, take over the tribe, and teach the Huntsmen it wasn't worth coming after them. The children of Bones Branwen shouldn't have too much trouble with that—they'd only have to kill three or four to get the message across.
When both the tribe and the Huntsmen feared them, they'd finally be safe.
***
"I must have told him three times, 'Stay on the path.. Okay?' Then I turned around to get Summer out of her car seat, and when I looked back he was up to his knees in mud."
Tai froze, halfway out of the other cab, gaping at his father. "Are you telling them the—"
"Oh, I remember that," Claret said, thoughtful. "We never did find that shoe."
"He had them for two weeks! They were brand new!"
She giggled with a snort just like her daughter's, though Summer was currently trying to hide a smile from Tai.
"Are you two going to be this embarrassing all week?"
"I'm your dad, that's my job!"
Tai groaned in that exaggerated, joking way. "Let's just get out on patrol so you have to be quiet."
"Ah, you wound me!" he gasped, hanging the keys back on the wall.
"It's going to be dark soon," Summer said. "We really should get going if we're hiking to the cabin."
"You don't want to drive there on the second day of your first mission?"
"You're never going to let that go, are you."
"Hmm…" Claret smiled. "Ask me next year."
Raven followed them from the warehouse, out the eastern side of the fort. Half of one wall served as the local Huntsmen's base of operation, separate from the school—which apparently in a town this small just meant storage.
"Uncle Azraq?"
At the other large door—the main school entrance—a Huntsman froze on the threshold, head snapping toward Summer's voice, and his eyes widened.
"Uncle Az!" Tai shouted, and the two of them ran forward to hug him.
"Hey!" His eyes flicked past Raven, toward the other adults, only briefly. "How was your first day?"
"Ehh, nothing crazy. How was your mission?"
"…Just a false alarm," he lied, tension running under his voice.
"Aw, dang. Hope it didn't waste too much time."
"At least now you can meet the twins!"
"Of course," he replied, and they stepped aside to let him past. His gaze stayed trained on their teammates' parents, though, and he walked right past her—
Qrow stood with his head bowed, hands hanging limp at his sides. A knot of unease tightened in Raven's stomach as the Huntsman stopped right in front of her brother and spoke with a gentle voice.
[Apparently I didn’t post the last few chapters on Tumblr? Use the masterpost to make sure you don’t miss anything]
"Years ago, an unprecedented era of peace began on Remnant. Never before had the kingdoms of the world been so united. The Vytal Festival was created with two goals in mind: first, as a celebration of our peace and unity, sharing in one another's cultures. Second, as a time to contemplate the ongoing struggle to continue that peace.
"Students— …Future protectors of Remnant. As you head out into the world this week to work as Huntsmen-and-Huntresses-in-training, I implore you to remember that peace is in your hands."
"All right, guys, it's go time," Summer said, whirling to face her team. "What kind of mission are we doing?"
"I vote search and destroy," Tai said. "It'll get us out of the Kingdom, at least."
The twins chorused their agreement, and Summer nodded. "All right. Out of the Kingdom it is." She turned toward the mission boards, and stopped short.
Ozpin smiled. "Good morning, Team STRQ."
"…Good morning, Professor," Summer squeaked, painfully aware that the last time she had been this close to the headmaster was the night she broke into his office. The others repeated her greeting just as warily.
"I'm happy to inform you that a Huntsman working just outside of Vale has heard of your prodigious tracking abilities and requested to work with your team specifically." He beamed down at them.
"It's not Professor Mesánychta, is—ow."
Ozpin chuckled. "No, he doesn't teach at this Academy. Would you like to meet with him?"
"Um, yeah!" Summer said. A Huntsman had requested them? A team of first years? Had that ever happened before?!
They followed Ozpin to the small door right of the stage, and Summer spared the twins a quick glance. Qrow looked as excited as she felt, but Raven's eyes burned nervous holes in Ozpin's shoes. After a moment she seemed to sense Summer's gaze and met her eye. Summer returned what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Dad? What are you doing here?!"
Tai's cry of dismay instantly drew her attention back to the door, and the Huntsman standing on the other side of it.
Huang smiled brightly as the rest of them filed into the hall. "Well, your friends were busy over break, so we thought this would be a nice time to meet them." He offered his hand to Qrow. "It's good to finally meet you! Huang Xiao Long."
"Uh, you too," Qrow took it, slightly awed. "I'm Qrow."
"And you must be Raven," he continued, offering his hand again.
Stiffly, she shook it, avoiding eye contact. "Yes, sir."
"No need for sir, just call me Huang." He stepped back again, resting his hands on his hips. "What do you say, kids? Want to come to Patch for the week?"
"Come on, Dad, we've already trained on Patch for years," Tai pleaded. "We wanted to… y'know… try a challenge…"
"It would mean a lot to us, Tai. Particularly if they'll be staying over for the summer! Don't you think it would make everyone more comfortable?"
The unspoken words were easy to hear. The twins need time to get used to us. And he was right, as much as Summer hated to abandon the idea of training in the wilds this week. It had to be why they refused to commit to staying.
Tai sighed, glancing at her, and they both looked at Qrow, who looked at Raven.
"Okay," she squeaked, clearly petrified.
"Great!" Huang said with genuine warmth. "If you're ready to go, Balt's waiting for us at the docks."
Summer bit back a sigh, falling in line behind him. Back to Patch? This wasn't a mission—this was a vacation.
For Qrow and Raven. They need it, we'll make it work.
***
Balt wasn't the only one at the docks.
"…Mom?" Summer faltered. "What are you doing here?"
"Accompanying my partner to pick up our students," she replied, all business for about two seconds before dragging her into a hug, made slightly awkward by the duffel bag. "I'm not putting my feet up all week just because you two are coming home." Releasing Summer, she turned to the twins and offered her hand with exaggerated formality. "Claret Rose."
"Qrow Taupe." He stepped forward to take it, and the smile froze on her face, hesitating a moment. He didn't seem to notice, but then, Summer knew her better.
"You're in luck, kids, because this is the only nonstop flight to Patch," Balt said with an overly elaborate gesture at the airship doors. Raven shrank back, glad for the excuse to avoid getting too close to the strangers.
"It's the only flight to Patch," Tai elaborated. "Balt is the island's only pilot. There's a sea ferry too but it takes more than an hour."
"I'm more than just a ferry pilot." Balt pretended to be hurt as they filed aboard. "I help with high-altitude landing classes at the school. And the odd flying Grimm." The door closed with a hiss and he dropped into his seat.
"He's the best." Summer gave Raven a reassuring smile—she perched next to her brother in the back of the airship, tension coiled in her posture until Balt eased them into the air with barely a wobble. It was hard not to smile as glared at the back of his head with something like begrudging respect.
"So… what are we going to be working on this week?" Tai asked.
"The North cliffs need clearing." Huang ignored their groans of protest, focusing on the twins. "Not all Huntsman work is high-profile targets and glamorous fights. Summer said you got interested because of comics?" Qrow turned scarlet and nodded silently, earning a laugh. "You're not the first, and you won't be the last—but they show an… er… idealized version of the job."
Their bewildered expressions asked everything for them, and he continued. "Most of our time is spent wiping out smaller Grimm before they get big enough to be a problem. It may not be exciting, but routine extermination keeps smaller settlements like Patch habitable." He glanced at Summer and her mother. "…Anything to add, Claret?"
"Uh—" she shook herself slightly. "Small Nevermores roost on the northern cliffs near the school. The terrain is a bit treacherous, so clearing them out generally falls on the teachers and local Huntresses."
"But… you've done it before?" Qrow asked, shifting his gaze to Summer.
"Well, I've always been pretty good at cliffs," Summer said, patting the rifle clipped to her belt. "And we'd usually clear them when it's warm and there's no ice. What gives?"
Her mother didn't respond, and Huang quickly jumped back in. "We won't be doing a deep clean until spring, but they've been getting a bit agitated lately. We'll pick off the largest ones, and anything else within easy reach, and then there's plenty of patrolling to do."
This'll be okay. The twins hung on to every word, Qrow with nervous excitement and Raven with pure, unfiltered anxiety. Summer bit her lip, trying to push down the disappointment. This is how I can help them. The new mission can wait for next year. The feeling wouldn't go away, like a weight glued to her heart. Not too heavy but impossible to budge.
She glanced at her mother—her gaze fixed on the floor, scowling. …Huang had been doing an unusual amount of the talking, too.
"Mom?"
She glanced up, coming back down to Remnant again. "Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Noth—" the lie died halfway out of her mouth, and she sighed. "…I'm just worrying and being overprotective."
"What do you—" Summer nearly missed her mother's half-glance at Huang and the twins. The island lay below now, and he pointed down at the village and the school on the northeast side as he spoke about the natural barriers presented by the island's geography.
She turned back, lowering her voice. Hopefully they'd be distracted enough by Huang's lesson to not notice. "Mom, you said yourself. They're not spies."
"I—I know," she whispered, pained. "Just… promise me you'll be careful."
"They're not bad people, either." Raven and Qrow had done plenty of strange and… maybe a bit threatening things, but… "They're just scared."
Her mother's eyes squeezed shut. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"Just be normal," she teased, elbowing her in the ribs.
"—but Azraq had to leave for a mission in a hurry," Huang said. The others were staring. "It was a bit of a rush to get him going before meeting you. We had a long morning."
"Aw, Uncle Az won't get to meet Qrow and Raven?" Tai complained.
"This summer, for sure," Balt said, almost unnoticeably beginning the descent. Raven didn't even flinch. "And he said to tell you he's very sorry."
"Not his fault," Summer mumbled.
The lighthouse swept silently past the window and the bullhead touched down on the landing pad with a small bump.
"Thanks for the lift, Balt." Huang punched him lightly on the arm on his way to open the door.
"Hey, I wanted to meet 'em too." He winked at the twins with a grin. "See you all at dinner."
The rest of them said their goodbyes and gathered up their bags before climbing down to the platform. Everyone's auras glowed faintly for a moment as the chill hit, shielding them from the sea air.
"This is where you went to school?" Qrow asked, staring around at the fort before settling on the clump of little first years huddled in the courtyard. Most of them clutched bits of pipe—gods, learning to handle metal in the cold was the worst—and stared up at the bullhead. A little boy in the middle pointed up at them and screamed, "I WANT A CAPE!"
Summer's hands flew to her mouth, but as soon as she glanced at Raven the laughter was too much to hold back. It only took a second for the boys to join in.
"This is your fault," she complained half-heartedly, glaring at her brother.
Her mother brushed past without stopping. "Come on, kids, if you want to see the island before it gets dark we need to get moving." Summer frowned at her back.
"So why's the school pointy?" Qrow asked, staring at the next arm of the star. Facing out to sea, it had a large gun instead of a landing pad fixed to it.
"It was a fort, before the Great War," Huang said. "This is the only spot where it's deep enough for ships or big Grimm to get into the harbor. Patch has been an important strategic location for hundreds of years. Back when the earthworks were solid, the shape helped deflect cannonballs. They had more than Grimm to worry about in those days."
Tai rolled his eyes. "It's also pretty much the only thing here." His voice echoed off the stone arch of the front gate. "Still too shallow near the island for anything bigger than a fishing boat."
"There's the King of Vale's house," Summer said.
Raven didn't bother to hide her incredulity, eyes darting between the little village buildings. "A king lived here?"
"Not while he was king, after he retired. …And then retired as Beacon Headmaster."
The streets of bustled, the first day of the Vytal Festival well underway. Nothing compared to the fanfare at Beacon or Vale, but it was still the biggest celebration of the year. "The fort was mostly destroyed during the Great War, and was half-rebuilt before the treaty was signed," Huang continued, leading them down the hill away from it. "They dug out the remaining earthworks, added windows, and converted it into a school."
"Then when the communication towers were finished, they just slapped the island's relay onto the lighthouse," Summer added, pointing up at the large communications dishes bolted just below the light.
Claret turned and called over her shoulder. "Let's start at the docks, you should see the defenses there."
"Okay." She returned a small smile, took a deep breath, and raised her voice back to normal. " It shouldn't take more than a day to clear the cliff near the school. We'll stay in the house tonight, and then tomorrow we'll head out to the cabin for the rest of the week. …I suppose we better figure out where everyone's going to sleep. We only have one guest room… Summer could stay with me, Tai and Huang could double up, and the twins could take Summer's room. If that's okay with ev—"
"What? No!" Summer blurted, and everyone turned to stare. Oh. "Uh… I mean, you can use my room if you want. But I'm not sleeping in my mom's room on the first night of my first mission!"
"Oh?" Her mom raised an eyebrow, this time with significantly more sass.
"…I love you. Just, no."
"What she said," Tai agreed.
"All right," Claret said, amused now, "the twins can sleep where they want, and you two can have a slumber party in the living room "
"Mooooooommmm!"
"Would you two like to join them or sleep in her room?"
"…What is a slumber party?" Raven asked.
"Hmm. Mostly staying up too late and eating too many cookies, if I remember correctly."
Summer sighed as the twins' faces lit up with cautious greed. Too normal, Mom.
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