The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 24: Chasing Shadows

Yin flashed a playful smirk, giving her a little shove. Even Yin and Sasha were beginning to grow closer. Salem gave her horse's neck a gentle pat before hopping off, her boots landing on the grass softly. The fire was already crackling, gentle and soothing as the grey smoke billowed into the air. Not long after, Pip landed beside it, smiling as bright as the sun. Yin looked up curiously. "Did you see anything?"

"Nuh-uh. Just clouds!"

"... How high did you fly up?"

"Really high!"

Yin shook his head, a smirk crossing his lips as he reached for his food. The adventurers sat around the fire, chatting as they ate. Eventually, Ozpin looked up from his salted sausage, bringing up a question that had been nagging everyone. "... Have you figured out what you'll say to Vao?"

Yin sighed, setting his sandwich down on a cloth. "... I haven't," he admitted. Pock looked at him worriedly.

"But we have all that time..."

"What can I say?" Yin pointed out. "No one's heard a whisper from him in eight years, and we didn't part ways on good terms... I know he's going to try and fight... He's not going to listen, no matter what..."

"Then whaddya think we should do?" Sasha asked with a mouthful of food. Yin shrugged, picking his sandwich up again and taking a small bite.

"... I was thinking that if we could get past Vao... We could maybe talk to Verde-"

"If Vao isn't going to be happy seeing you, Verde really isn't," Salem argued. Yin looked up at her.

"... Verde was the most sensible one in our old party," he said softly. "I... Said some really awful things... Did awful things... But she's the most likely to listen... Vao isn't."

"... That's true," Sasha said, swallowing her food. "Verde was always crazy smart. Honestly, she's on the same level as some higher class elf mages... That's impressive for a human."

Salem felt like she was forgetting something. And the moment she finally remembered, she snapped her fingers. "Oh! Didn't those two guards go with him?"

"The gay guys?" Sasha asked. "Uh... Yeah, they did actually. Maybe we'll see them, too."

"But them being with Vao is troublesome," Pyrrha said. "That means he's not only protecting Verde, but them too. He won't hold back."

There was a long silence. Pyrrha had a startlingly good point. For eight years, Vao viewed any human contact as deadly. He was going to throw everything he had into the inevitable fight.

... In fact, they didn't know much about him. He no doubt changed throughout the years, so what was he like now?

"Do you think he'll give me a hug?"

Pip's voice broke their thoughts. The harpy, as his race tended to be, was pure. He wasn't thinking about the negatives. Ozpin smiled, patting his back. "... I'm sure he will. He was a huge jerk, not a deadbeat."

"Still probably has questionable parenting skills," Sasha joked. "Remember the time Raven started beating him with a shovel in the middle of the Guild?"

Pip frowned. "She always uses a broom with me though..."

"That's because you're lucky," Yin snickered. He turned back to Sasha curiously. "Would he even have parental skills? He doesn't know he has a kid."

"Probably not... Oh, shit!" Sasha suddenly looked a bit excited. "Imagine if we went back to the Secret City, and he had kids there, too! Didn't he go sleeping around with a whole bunch of nonhumans? That's how Pip was made."