The Wilted Rose

Chapter 12: Tremors

I stormed over to his literal dark corner.

Winter: And what do you think your doing?! Your supposed to be patrolling the stern of the ship, not sitting in a bottle!

Qrow: Ah, Ice Queen. Just taking a little break. Why don't you take a load off too. Haven't seen you take a break since the night started.

Winter: We're the security, we don't get breaks! Especially when the breaks involve getting drunk!

Qrow: Aw, loosen up a little. Nothing has happened tonight, and nothing IS going to happen. with how tight security was to get on, it wont be a issue for us to have a moment to ourselves.

I just gave up. Nothing I said or did would get the bottle out of his hand and even if I could, I didn't want him out anyway with how drunk he was now. He had been here a while if the two other empty bottles were a sign of anything. It would be amazing how much he could drink and still be conscious if he didn't drink nearly as often as he did. 

I sat down in the stool next to him. He was right about the likelihood of an attack being close to none, but I also needed to be here for when he inevitably crashed. Qrow offered a glass of what I now saw was Grimm Blood Black Rum... I was more of a wine person. Not only that but if something is called Grimms blood, then its not coming anywhere near my mouth. 

As he retracted the glass away from me, I noticed a faded photograph that had one woman with black hair with red tips, a two young girls who were barely out of the infant phase. One had matching hair to the older woman, while the other had long messy blonde hair. The last child in the picture was a boy who was the spitting image of Qrow, all the way down to how he had his hair. All of them were on a cliffside that overlooked a beautiful landscape. 

Qrow noticed that I had seen the picture. He paused for a moment before draining the glass he had in his hand and sliding it over to me. Qrow always kept personal information to himself. Everyone knew that he was married to a woman named Summer and later divorced. Besides that, the only people to know beyond that basic information is Ozpin, Goodwitch, and General Ironwood. It was surprising that he even entertained the idea of letting me in. 

Qrow continued to drink glass after glass as I examined the photo. The only question about it was who the boy was. It was apparent that it was his son given the likeness between the two. Something was wrong if he was drinking this much. He always has and I assumed that it was because of the divorce. 

Winter: Qrow-

Qrow: Don't.... just give me a moment....

Qrow continued to drink. I idly took note that it was like he was trying to get drunk enough to talk about it. Why he was doing so was beyond me. A few moments pass and I started getting worried for him. This man was a living legend in the Huntsman community. He was the man you go to when a kingdom has a issue with either rare and powerful Grimm or just a mass concentration of them. He was also a founding member of a watchdogs program that monitors Huntsmen and ensures that they are not abusing the trust that is put into them. 

For a man who has accomplished so much to be lowered to such a state... It must have been something worse than a divorce. 

Qrow: ...How much do you know about Summer Rose and me?

Winter: Only the bare minimum. You two were married for six years before you separated. 

Qrow inhaled slowly, like he was trying to find the nerve to continue.

Qrow: *Slow Exhale* In those six years, we had a child... his name was Y/n Rose... 

Winter: If your a father, why are you drinking so much? That's a great thing is it not?