Semblance of Brutality

The New Guy

Doomguy's perspective

The walk to Haven was a long one. Though, I did get some insight into the four girls I'd met (whom I now know are named Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang). Ruby is the group's leader who, despite her clumsy and carefree personality, is actually a very competent one. Her sister, Yang, is hotheaded and oftentimes brash, but an incredibly skilled fighter. Weiss and Blake have a small, but noticeable, rift between them, likely stemming from their hugely different personalities. While Weiss is the daughter of an economic titan, Blake has struggled through her life just to attend the same school as her teammates.

When we finally reach Haven, all four of the girls decide as a whole that it's best for me to stay with Ruby and Yang's uncle while they figure out what to do with me. They bring me to a medium-sized house and knock on the door. The man that answers it is about 6'2" with greying black, spiky hair, and is well-dressed. Upon seeing him, Ruby immediately latches onto him.

"Uncle Qrow! I'm so glad I got to visit!" she exclaims.

"Ruby, settle down," Qrow says with a slight chuckle. "You saw me just yesterday, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Ruby trails off and taps her index fingers together embarrassedly.

Meanwhile, Qrow produces a flask of alcohol from inside his jacket and takes a generous swig. He seems completely unfazed by the thickness of the beverage and swallows almost immediately. I silently wonder how long he's been able to drink like that.

"So who's this?" Qrow asks, gesturing towards me.

"We found him in the woods!" Ruby explains, completely unaware of how vague her answer is.

"He said he's from somewhere else, that he was sent here - to Remnant - by a malfunction in some type of machine," Yang steps in, explaining a bit more thoroughly than Ruby had.

"Uh-huh," Qrow replies, a hint of confusion in his voice. "So, why'd you bring him here?"

"We were hoping he could stay with you! Just for a bit while we figure out how to get him home? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Ruby is practically pleading with her uncle to let me stay here. Given Qrow's lax demeanor, I get the sense that he would've said yes anyways. Ruby clearly looks up to him, that's for sure. Why else would she treat her uncle more like a father? I notice that, in the time I spent thinking, Ruby has been dramatically groveling at Qrow's feet.

"Alright, alright. Geez. You girls are quite a handful, you know that?" he asks rhetorically before scruffling Ruby's hair. "Why don't you all go do something fun and leave the old man alone for a while?"

He tosses Yang a sack of coins.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby protests, "You're not old!"

"Right now I am," he says lightheartedly. "Buy yourselves some food or something. Yang's got the coins."

With that, the group waves bye to us and shuts the door behind themselves. Qrow is already sitting down on the couch and motions me to sit down as well. As I do so, he takes another swig of alcohol before twisting the cap back on the pocket flask. We sit in silence for a moment before he starts a conversation.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" he chuckles.

"Not really. I don't normally need to be."

"Why would that be?"

"Before I came here - to Remnant - I spent most of my time killing demons. From what I've seen here, though, demons don't seem to be a problem. It's the -"

"Grimm," we say simultaneously.

"Yeah. More of them come around every day, killing more people, causing more fear. What did you mean - you 'used to kill demons'?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," I laugh. "I killed demons whenever they tried to get out of Hell. Even sometimes while they were still in Hell. I didn't even need any fancy weapons; I could normally make due with my bare hands and a trusty ol' 12-gauge."

Qrow's eyes widen in interest.

"You didn't even need your Semblance?"

"Semblance?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah. It's a special ability you're born with. Some people can absorb electricity, some turn into rose petals, and some are just born unlucky." Qrow became very introspective when he mentioned being born unlucky.

"I don't think I've got one. I'm just a guy with some guns and anger issues," I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

"The more likely scenario is that you haven't unlocked it yet. It takes time and dedication to unlock your semblance. Maybe it just hasn't been long enough yet, or you haven't found what will trigger it."

"Well, what would trigger my semblance to activate?" I ask.

"Honestly, it depends. Some people are able to use theirs from a very early age, while others have to train extensively to even just activate it. Normally, though, emotions or adrenaline will do the trick."

"Well, what better way to find out than to start right now?" I ask rhetorically while standing up.

"You do that. I'm gonna go get some sleep. Just don't let my nieces get you into any trouble," Qrow chuckles.

With that, Qrow, too, stands up and heads towards what I can only assume is his bedroom. A painting falls as soon as he leaves the room, and I hear him mutter "Damn it." I show myself out and close the door behind me. I look around at the peaceful setting of the town and decide I should find the girls. With any luck they'd be able to help me figure this whole semblance thing out.