In an empty blackness, Qrow Branwen's voice can be heard.
"The City of Mistral…"
Nora's voice butts in, as a throwback to the initiation.
"Ugh! It's about time!"
Qrow and Team RNJR are walking through a stone brick tunnel illuminated by translucent lanterns.
Nora sarcastically points out the slight idiocy of the plan.
"Whose idea was it to walk again?"
Ren glosses over his teammate's sarcasm.
"Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements…"
Jaune continues the sarcasm while commenting on the obstacles they had to overcome along the way.
"Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us."
Ruby waves at her team.
"Pfft, we were fine."
She giggles, looking at Qrow with a smile.
"Only one of us almost died."
Qrow pauses, looking at Ruby, smiling back.
"Hey."
Nora puts her hands on her hips and looks at Ren.
Ren is a tad bit insulted as he looks at Nora.
"Hey."
Nora giggles in response.
Jaune decided to be the basic route and be the child of the group.
"So, how much farther to Haven Academy?"
Qrow sighs, not looking back. Ruby was energetic, Yang was more distracting Ruby from that question, and Y/N? He would already know the answer.
"Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route."
The group approaches a pair of large, wooden double doors, which Qrow opens, flooding the tunnel with sunlight. Ruby runs out onto a massive platform that doubles as an elevator, stopping at the railing to gaze out over the city in wide-eyed awe.
Ruby can't help but let a sound of surprise.
"Wow!"
The others join her to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains.
Ruby eyes start to sparkle.
"This... is... awesome!"
Below them, large crowds of people are going about their day - walking around, talking and buying merchandise legally and illegally.
Qrow snorts at his niece's enthusiasm.
"It's certainly something."
Ruby's eyes are now full on sparkling with wonder as she notices a kiosk selling weapons.
"Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!"
Qrow let's the kids in on a secret of the city.
"Vendors here'll sell you just about anything... whether they should or not."
Jaune is looking around the whole place in wonder.
"They really made the most out of these mountains."
Qrow nods, still a tiny bit pressed with the architecture.
"Every inch. Stay away from the lower levels. The higher up you go, the nicer it gets."
Nora adds to the conversation her signature, sparkling take on everything.
"And we are going up!"
She smiles, pointing upward and the view looks up to the sky as the sky changes.
As the sky stops changing, an Atlesian cargo airship flies over an enormous lake.
Weiss seems a bit restless, but cautious with this unsanctioned flight.
"So, how much farther?"
The Pilot understands her uneasiness, and replies without any grumbling.
"We're in the home stretch now."
In the pilot's box of the ship, Weiss stands in the back, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.
The Pilot is actually happy now, and for good reason.
"No more stops from here to Mistral. Sorry for the long trip. Keeping us off the radar's been harder than I thought. Lots of air traffic around northern Anima."
Weiss is a little worried about not having done anything the whole trip.
"It's fine. I... just hope I haven't been a burden."
The Pilot chuckles and waves dismissively back at her.
"You and your money are more than welcome on this ship, kid."
Weiss looks down and silently thanks her mother for the money that she had secretly slipped away from Jacques for her.
Then the ship's radio suddenly picks up a transmission.
Surprised, the Pilot jumps in his seat, looking at it.
"What the...?"
He reaches over and adjusts a slider, evening out the wavelengths on the screen.
Weiss walks forward a bit, curious.
"Is everything okay?"
Shrugging, the Pilot replies.
"I don't know. We're still over Lake Matsu. Shouldn't be picking up broadcasts this far from Mistral. Someone must be close.
A female Mistral pilot begins speaking over the radio in a panic. Hearing this, Weiss stands up straight and listens closely.
"Mayday, mayday! We are a small passenger flight, and our Huntress is down! We aren't equipped to deal with this!"
The Pilot panics for a second.
"Oh man."
The Mistral Pilot's terrified voice booms out over the speakers.
"The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline!"
Weiss' eyes widen as the sound of an explosion and the Mistral Pilot gasping can be heard.
The Mistral Pilot is screaming now.
"Get them off us! If anyone can hear this-- Ah!"
Weiss' expression grows even more concerned as the Mistral Pilot cries out and the transmission abruptly ends. The Atlas pilot turns off his radio and turns the ship. Weiss walks over to him and grabs onto a handle in the ceiling.
Raising an eyebrow, she addresses him.
"We're going to help them, right?"
The Pilot turns and looks at her like she's insane.
"What? No. I'm trying to avoid them."
Weiss is surprised, and a bit disappointed.
"But... they'll die."
The Pilot shakes his head, knowing that it's not the right thing to do, but it's what will keep them alive.
"Look, if we picked up their transmission, I'm sure someone else did, too. Besides, this is a cargo ship. She's not much good in a fight. I just wanna finish this job and get home. Sorry, kid. My ship, my rules."
Weiss closes her eyes for a moment, then gazes out the windshield as the ship turns to the right and continues flying over the lake.
RNJR and Qrow enter the campus grounds of Haven Academy, which is devoid of any other people. They stop in a courtyard, where Ruby smiles and wipes a tear from her eye. Jaune places a hand on her shoulder, and she sighs and looks down at her bracelets.
"We made it bro."
Qrow stops behind them, and while they continue on their way, he takes a moment to glance around and lets out a sigh.
Ruby, excited to be here, calls out for the people she hopes to meet.
"Hello?"
Inside a hallway, RNJR is following Qrow, and Ruby calls out once again, louder this time.
"Hello?!"
Nora shrugs and looks at Ruby.
"Maybe try louder?"
Ren seems to disagree with Nora's tactics.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone here."
Jaune tries to explain the lack of people.
"Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it."
Qrow grumbles and refutes Jaune's simple minded reply.
"No, this isn't right. Come on."
Qrow hurries ahead, concerned and on guard.
Ruby calls out frantically to her Uncle.
"Wait for us!"
RNJR picks up the pace to catch up, and soon, all five are running to a pair of wooden double doors. Qrow comes to a stop in front of them, draws his sword, and extends the blade. He keeps Parabellum in its holster because if you pull it out, a War's about to start. And this is not the place nor time for a war. He casts a glance over his shoulder and gestures for them to follow suit before he faces the door once more.
"Get ready. There could be trouble."
RNJR followed his lead in drawing their weapons. Qrow brings up his foot and kicks the door open. Just on the other side, Leonardo Lionheart widens his eyes, throws his hands into the air, and lets out a frightened scream. Jaune, Ruby, and Nora widen their eyes and scream as well, while Ren gives the headmaster a confused stare. Standing on one foot with his eyes wide, Qrow suddenly looks down, loses his balance, and falls. Harbinger clatters to the ground and Qrow isn't happy. Shortly after, Lionheart makes a noise and briefly faints. RNJR let their weapons down and stared, dumbfounded, while Qrow sat up.
Ruby tentatively asks the man in front of her.
"Uh, Professor Lionheart?"
Lionheart gasps and sits up.
Lionheart ignores Ruby and addresses Qrow.
"Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!"
Qrow stands up with a growl, but only after picking up Harbinger and sheathing it.
"Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"
Lionheart seems confused.
"Huh?"
He raises an eyebrow, pulling a pocket watch from his coat and checking it.
"Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."
Qrow growls again. Clearly, he is unhappy with Lionheart.
"You're joking."
While Lionheart stands up and RNJR put their weapons away, Nora asks a question.
"Where is everybody?"
Lionheart again ignores a small girl and talks to the group as a whole.
"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."
Ruby is the first to answer.
"Yes, sir."
She gives a loose salute.
"Ruby Rose."
Jaune's the next to talk.
"Jaune Arc."
Nora is posing with her arms held stiffly out to the sides.
"Nora Valkyrie."
Ren is last, putting his arms behind his back.
"Lie Ren."
Lionheart chuckles.
"A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but--"
Hearing this, Qrow briefly clenches his fists and then leans in toward Lionheart with a threatening look.
"What? Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"
Lionheart's eyes widen and he gestures at the assembled children.
"Qrow, the children."
Qrow speaks as an afterthought, still pissed off at Lionheart.
"Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?"
Lionheart gasps as this information sinks in.
"You... filled them in?"
Nora pops up beside Ruby.
"So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"
With that the view dissolves and refocuses on something else.
In the front room of the Belladonna Family Home, Ghira Belladonna and Sun Wukong burst in through the front door, angry. Kali Belladonna watches from the front porch.
Ghira rumbles out in rage.
"Unbelievable!"
Sun shouts in agreement.
"Total garbage!"
Ghira lets out a growl, and he and Sun turn to each other.
Ghira and Sun both shout at the same time.
"We can't let them get away with this!"
Kali smirks.
"Well, at least you two can finally agree on something."
They look at her, then back at each other. Sun gives an awkward chuckle while rubbing his head, and Ghira glares slightly and growls, fists clenched. The three soon have their attention called to Blake Belladonna, who speaks up from the porch.
Blake is holding her hand on Storm for reassurance.
"Guys. Everything's going to be okay. As long as we stand, we can make a difference. That's the bottom line."
She is thinking, and smirks to herself as she feels the comforting warmth.
"Hell, some can even Make a difference after death."
A little while later, Blake exits her father's study, stepping out onto the balcony where an armored guard is standing. The guard turns and addresses her.
"Good evening, miss. Can I get you anything?"
Blake shakes her head, smiling gently.
"Just a little time to myself, if that's alright."
The Guard nods and replies.
"Sure thing. Just call, if you need me."
The guard walks into Ghira's study, shutting the door behind her. Blake takes a deep sigh and is soon alerted by a familiar voice.
Ilia remarks on the guards.
"You need better security."
Alarmed, Blake turns to see Ilia drop down onto the railing. The young Belladonna reaches for Storm, but Ilia holds her hand up.
Ilia seems a little panicked at the quickdraw of her former friend.
"Please! I-I just need to talk."
Blake already had Storm pointed at Illia, but lowered it slowly. She does not, however, holster it.
"How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?"
Ilia starts to speak, standing up.
"Blake…"
Blake interrupts whatever she was going to say.
"Corsac and Fennec blamed you. We confronted them tonight, and they deny knowing anything and everything found on your Scroll. They talked about how disappointed they were to hear that you'd sided with Adam. But you and I both know they're guilty."
Ilia shakes her head, her emotions carefully concealed by the White Fang mask.
"You can't prove anything."
Blake steps forward, gesturing with her free hand.
"That Scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it's enough to sway the Faunus here. When we go public tomorrow, they're not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you."
Ilia removes her mask, a solemn expression on her face.
"Your plan isn't gonna work, Blake."
She is looking at Blake sadly, pleading Blake with her eyes.
"Please... just leave Menagerie before it's too late."
Blake stares at her in silence for a few moments. Storm is silent, allowing her to make her own decision. But even just feeling the cold hard steel in her hand, Blake makes a decision and stands by it.
"You're going to have to make me."
Ilia remains silent for a few moments before responding.
Ilia nods sadly.
"I know."
The chameleon Faunus dons her mask once again and steps backward off the balcony. Blake turns away and gains an angry expression, her cat ears folding. After a moment, the anger fades, and she sighs, taking on a saddened expression. Storm flares for a second, reminding her that she isn't alone. She holds it up to her eyes, then wordlessly holsters it. She has made a decision and now is not the time to back down or run. Now is the time to stand strong. The fire in her eyes may be metaphorical, but it burst brightly nonetheless.
RNJR and Qrow are gathered in Lionheart's office, with the headmaster sitting behind his desk.
Lionheart is still trying to process the information he's been given.
"I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you."
Qrow shakes his head, narrowing his eyes at Lionheart in anger. He's still not happy with the Headmaster.
"No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!"
Lionheart quips back as if he's had enough.
"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!"
He takes a breath, standing from his chair, fists clenched.
"Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every Kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces.."
With a silent gasp, Ruby looks away, upset.
"...saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens…"
Now it is Jaune who grimaces.
"...and then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. The words and actions of the Titan of Beacon could only do so much. He may have stopped a total collapse of hope here and lessened the negative emotions...but it wasn't enough."
As Qrow and Ruby visibly flinch, the rest of RNJR look down at the floor. Lionheart is walking to a window and looking outside.
"Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."
Ruby tilts her head, allowing the confusion to override her sadness.
"What do you mean?"
Lionheart sighs, leaning on the windowsill.
"We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders."
Curling his lip in anger he turns and looks at Qrow.
"I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies."
Lionheart sighs, then adds another negative thought onto the pile.
"And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
Qrow springs back into the conversation with renewed vigor, pointing out the flaw in Lionheart's logic.
"All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!"
Ruby puts her hands up, moving closer to the two
"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"
Lionheart raises an eyebrow, looking at Qrow.
"I thought you filled them in."
Qrow groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason."
He pauses, removing his flask from his shirt and taking a drink. With the way that Lionheart was pissing him off, he needed all the alcohol he could guzzle down to keep from losing it.
Lionheart rolls his eyes, sitting back down in his chair. He will have to clean up after Qrow's reckless actions.
"The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics."
Jaune is astonished.
"What?"
Qrow nods.
"The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge."
He breathes slowly, taking another drink.
"Spring is the problem."
Ren perks up with a question.
"What happened to her?"
Lionheart shakes his head.
"She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now."
Qrow smirks, happy to one up Lionheart.
"I... know. At least... I have a pretty good idea."
Lionheart perks up, widening his eyes and stands up.
"Are you serious?"
Qrow nods, but sighs when he realizes that it's not that big a victory.
"It's not exactly good news."
Lionheart ignores Qrow's sudden change in mood, walking around to Qrow from behind his desk.
"What are you talking about? This is incredible news!"
Lionheart continues, taking Qrow by the shoulders and shaking him.
"After all these years! Where?!"
Qrow almost snarling, shoves him off.
"I did some digging around. Looks like, after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically the Branwen tribe."
Lionheart's eyes widen in fear and surprise.
"Raven."
Ruby lets out a small gasp of surprise.
Jaune is also surprised.
"Yang's mom?"
Qrow nods grimly.
"That's right."
Qrow pulls out his Scroll, walking over to and placing it on Lionheart's desk. The hologram monitor on the desk displays a map of Remnant.
Qrow starts talking as the map pulls up a zoomed-in section.
"That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."
Lionheart smiles warmly, walking over and patting Qrow on the back.
"Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."
Lionheart walks over to the computer, while Qrow clenches his fists.
"A few weeks?"
Lionheart pulls up a hologram keyboard and taps a few keys, while Qrow's Scroll displays the text "COPYING FILES", followed by "DISCONNECTED".
Lionheart nods, not really paying Qrow any mind.
"That's right."
He walks back around behind the desk.
Qrow's eyes flashed a deep red and his hands started to twitch in anger.
"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is."
He moves forward, placing his hands on the desk.
"We need to go, as soon as possible!"
In his rage, he knocks books off the desk.
Lionheart replies angrily, well as angry as a cowardly lion can get.
"And perhaps you didn't hear me. This Kingdom is in shambles. 'As soon as possible' does not mean tomorrow. It means, as soon as I can convince the council that I need Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon."
Qrow snorts and retorts with a sneer. He still has his rebellious streak running through him. Anger, yeah anger drew it out really bad.
"Then damn the council. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers."
Nora feels the rebellion and jumps in to agree while Ruby fistpumps.
"Yeah!"
Ren stands, trying to calm everything down.
"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?"
Qrow slams his fist again, calling for action once again.
"We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. And Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight."
Lionheart shakes his head.
"Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail Raven and her tribe will scatter. And we'll be lost. We get one shot at this. And it needs to be perfect."
Qrow bares his teeth, staring several beats before sighing.
"You know Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."
Lionheart concedes the point.
"Perhaps you're right. But he's not. I'm doing the very best I can."
Ruby butts in here, even the hopeful one.
"There has to be something we can do."
Jaune looks at Lionheart with a hint of impotent rage.
"What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?"
Lionheart sighs.
"We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries. Your Titan was right. Cinder set it up before she came here."
Jaune tightens his fists and glares at the floor in anger. There's another beat of silence before Qrow speaks. Qrow rolls his eyes as he did.
"Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."
Lionheart shrugs.
"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."
Qrow snorts.
"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being."
He takes out his Scroll and wags it at Lionheart. It is reminiscent of how he wagged his scroll annoyed at Ironwood back when he had his flirting duel with Winter.
"Local comms are still up. Keep in touch."
He sighs heavily, turning away.
"Come on, kids."
They all begin to file out of the room. At the rear, Ruby turns around to face Lionheart again.
"It was nice meeting you, Professor."
Lionheart, seemingly elsewhere, takes a moment to respond.
"Likewise."
After Ruby departs, Lionheart hangs his head, looking stressed. A holographic W projects up from his desk, followed by the sound of Arthur Watts' voice.
"Oh, Leo. We have got to work on your improvisational skills."
Qrow and RNJR walk back down the academy hallway. Nora is the first to stop and speak.
"So, what do we do now?"
Qrow has hit the limit of anger that his flask can hold back. He is in desperate need of alcohol or he risks blowing a gasket. He waves at the kids, not wanting to let them see his weakest moments between relief and the moment his rage starts to show.
"You four head back to the house. I need a drink."
He walks off, leaving the four teenagers looking at each other with concern. They know something is bothering him, but none of them know about his Branwen rage. Hell even Yang, with a Branwen Rage as her semblance, knew it ran in the family. He didn't even tell Y/N. The one time the Pipsqueak had asked about it, Qrow had started to explain that there was a reason for it...and Y/N had stopped him there and then.
"I don't need to know your secrets Old Man. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't losing yourself in the alcohol."
As he walks away, Qrow shakes his head, the world really was worse off without him in it.
Later, Qrow sits at a bar, alone and looking down at his glass, not drinking. Oscar Pine approaches him from behind.
Oscar clears his throat to get Qrow's attention.
"Excuse me."
Qrow Raises an eyebrow at this tiny little kid in front of him.
"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."
Qrow had said that word as a habit and immediately grimaced, regretting it. Oscar looks at Qrow for a second before turning his head to the side and speaking softly.
"Shut up, I'm getting there."
He looks back up at Qrow, whose attention he now most definitely has. Qrow's eyes widen slightly and then narrow, suspicion dawning.
Oscar can't help but feel awkward. This is the thing that makes or breaks his delusions.
"Umm... I'm supposed to tell you... I'd like my cane back."
Qrow blinks and closes his eyes for a brief moment before nodding with a slight smile. He stands up off of the bar stool and faces Oscar, causing Oscar to take a couple steps back. Qrow lifts the collapsed cane off of his hip where it had rested near Parabellum's holster.
"Hmm. It's good to see you again, Oz."
Qrow tosses it at Oscar, who catches it reflexively. The cane immediately extends itself out from the collapsed base when it touches Oscar's hand. Oscar looks down at it, surprised. His other hand comes around to hold the shaft before he looks up at Qrow and blinks. This man has just confirmed what the literal voice in his head had said. Life just got a lot more complicated.
Approaching the area where Raven's tribe was last seen, Yang had laid out her plan early this morning.
"I want to go in alone, let me handle the first set of guys who are guarding the camp. I have a hunch if I stop by the gas station, they'll have a lookout for people to rob there. I give off a little Yang magic, and boom, I've caught an unsuspecting bandit who will lead me right to their base, thinking they're pulling me into their trap!"
Y/N had raised an eyebrow while scratching the two puppies' ears.
"And let me guess, you'll work a big of your actual Yang magic and beat the crap out of them?"
Yang smiled
"You know me so well Titan!"
He chuckled and continued.
"So I follow you at a distance, taking advantage of my advanced hearing, smell, and sight, and have your back when you get in trouble?"
Yang shakes her head.
"Nope...well mostly. You are gonna let me spring that trap on my own and then get a good vantage point into the camp if possible. Then when the time seems right and you want in on the fun...make it flashy babe! This way both parents get their flashy display from my boyfriend."
Her smile turned from innocent and happy to a mischievous grin with a hint of vengeance.
"The only difference? Dad didn't have to feel the business end of your power. Mom will."
Y/N involuntarily shakes.
"Remind me to never piss you off. However, remind yourself...phrasing Yang."
Yang rolls her eyes and smacks Y/N's shoulder.
"I know what I said, lover boy. I just wanted to see your reaction."
With that she jumped on Bumblebee and took off. Tucking Hati and Skoll in the compartments he had created for them on the backside of the bike, Y/N waited a bit and followed her with a sigh. Having a girlfriend who loved to tease the hell out of you, while fun, can be exhausting at times.
Chuckling, Y/N reminded himself, he wouldn't trade her for the world.
Later that day, Bumblebee is parked at a fuel station named "Just Rite". Inside, a bartender cleans a glass.
The Bartender looks suspiciously at Yang.
"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"
Yang takes off her aviator sunglasses, giving the bartender an impassive face.
"A water. It's hot out."
The Bartender nods, as if he finally caught on to the inside joke.
"Ohhh. Sure."
He disappears below the counter and laughter comes from the drunk man a few seats down from Yang.
The bandit Shay is eyeing Yang, just like she predicted, bandits are too focused on their hormones to realize when they're being played. Plus, it helps that Yang is basically a carbon copy of her mother's figure. There was about an 80% chance that the bandit she ran into had some kind of sexual attraction to Raven, man or woman. And Yang had gambled correctly, this mulleted half-wit was not-so-secretly listing after his boss.
"Are you telling me you're too young to drink? You look like a regular Huntress. And a beauty at that."
Yang finally feels a little of the creep factor that Y/N has been dealing with this whole time with his fangirls. Yang can confirm, it does not feel nice to be leered at like she was a piece of meat.
"I'm good. Thanks, pal."
In her head, Yang is laughing her heart out. This ugly, mulleted, idiot was trying to take Y/N's place. She was losing it comparing the two. The only thing this guy had that she wanted, was the location of her mother's camp, literally anything else, she had Y/N for.
Shay continues to approach Yang, undeterred by her rejection. Suddenly this was reminding Yang of the night of the dance and she barely managed to control the tide of anger she felt both then and now. Shay was none the wiser, and continued pressing his luck with cheap compliments.
"Seriously. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're…'
Yang nodded, getting the...punch line before he arrived at it. She smirked internally, she knew just how to make this believable.
"Just right. Yup. Like I said, I'm good."
The mook puts his hand on the countertop next to Yang with a soft moan before reaching out with his other. Yang knew that Y/N was watching this and had to be holding his fist so tight he'd be able to bend metal with ease.
Shay still can't seem to pick up the hints...no the blatant signs that read "HELL NO BUD, I'M GOOD" and told him to scram. So, using the three brain cells he still possessed, he proceeded once more fearlessly.
"And your hair…"
Yang grabs his wrist before he can touch her hair. She's bloody had it. When she turns to face him, her eyes are glowing red, startling him.
"Huh?"
Yang smirked for real. It was time to show him the punch line of the joke that he most assuredly was. He barely glances in the correct direction before Yang's new, fire-reinforced fist slams into the side of his face. Falling backward, a tooth knocked out of his mouth, the man hits the floor and continues to bounce floor-to-ceiling toward the exit like a pinball before disappearing through the doors. As the doors close behind him, the "Open" sign flips around to "Closed".
The Bartender has finally straightened and sets the bottle of water on the counter.
"This one's on the house. He's been driving me crazy."
Yang reaches for it with her left hand, but it trembles. Her new hand grabs and steadies it. She gives a long, shaky sigh before picking up the bottle and guzzling the water down. Just because she has her arm back, that doesn't mean she doesn't still feel the pain of losing it and the fear of it happening again.
The Bartender, a little curious if this powerful huntress, decides to make conversation.
"So, what brings you around these parts?"
Yang holds up a finger, still guzzling until the water is gone.
"Thanks. And I'm, uh, looking for someone."
The Bartender stands there, hands on the counter, chuckling.
"Not too many people come out here. Too far from the Kingdoms. Only person worth notin' around here is... well, Ra—"
Yang leans in, cutting him off.
"Raven Branwen."
She reaches down, retrieving her glasses and heading out.
"Thanks again."
The Bartender calls out to her, feeling obliged to give a warning to the lady who just got rid of a nuisance for him.
"N-now, missy! You don't want to go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!"
Yang nods back at him.
"So I hear."
She turns back and flicks a lien card at him. She lowers her voice as she leans on the counter.
"This is for water for your next customer. He'll be a big fella with two wolf pups. Tell him that Sunshine left it for him. He'll know what I mean. He is my boyfriend after all. Well...that and my back up."
She winks conspiratorially at the Bartender and heads out the door. The Bartender's head is spinning. Backup? Going after Raven Branwen? This blonde girl was crazy. He shrugged. He'd pass her word along and hope this big fella could actually have her back against a whole camp of Bandits. But...he very much doubted it.
Outside, the Shady Man is on the ground holding his face, but he calls out to Yang as she straddles and engages Bumblebee.
"Hey, girlie!"
Yang grunts outwardly, but fistpumps in success on the inside. Is this guy seriously taking the bait?
"Seriously? This isn't over?"
Shay rubs his face, getting to his feet.
"I heard you're... looking for someone. Heh."
He gives her a toothless grin.
Jaune, Ren and Nora are sitting on a pair of red couches in a living room when there's a knock on the door. They tense and look at each other before Jaune cautiously goes to open it. Oscar is on the other side, looking hesitant and uncomfortable. Jaune looks back over his shoulder at the other two, and Nora shrugs.
Jaune turns back and looks up and down this small kid, trying to figure him out.
"Can I... help you?"
Oscar rubs the back of his neck, obviously nervous and not very good with social interaction yet.
"Um... yeah. Is there a Ruby Rose here?
Ren and Nora immediately stand up, tense and defensive.
Nora says darkly.
"Why?"
Oscar keeps his awkwardness up.
"Well…"
He looks to his left and Qrow appears, moving drunkenly and grabbing Oscar by the shoulders.
Qrow seems happier than the kids have seen him since before Beacon fell. He may be sloshed, but he is enthusiastic.
"I found him!"
Qrow snorts into his hand and continues laughing as he stumbles into the house.
Oscar finishes his sentence and puts the three at ease...even if they are confused as to what in Remnant Qrow is talking about.
"I think her uncle could use some help."
Qrow almost makes it to the couch Jaune just vacated before he stumbles and saves his balance by falling backward onto the cushions.
Qrow is definitely not at his best at this moment.
"Whoa. Ugh."
He wiggles, settling onto his back and folding his arm over his eyes.
"I found him."
Ruby's voice calls to them in frustration.
"What is going on out there?!"
With a frown on her face, she stomps into the living room.
"Can't a girl read her comics in peace?"
Qrow burps and chuckles, catching Ruby's attention. She sighs and puts a hand to her forehead exasperatedly. Obviously she is used to this.
"Qrow, did you get drunk again?"
Qrow answers mischievously and it's like they've switched rolls for the night.
"Maybe."
Oscar looks at Ruby interestedly
"Oh."
He finally steps in as he looks at Ruby.
"You have silver eyes."
Ruby looks at him, a touch surprised. She turns to Ren and Nora, who shrugs again, before looking back at Oscar.
Ruby looks at him quizzically.
"Who... are you?"
Qrow chuckles from the couch.
Oscar stumbles over his words.
"Uh... Well. My name is Oscar Pine."
Qrow mumbles happily.
"Wait for it…"
Oscar continues, a little off put by the four people gazing at him.
"But you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin."
RNJR all gasp, and look confused. Jaune takes a couple steps back. Qrow continues chuckling.
Qrow is elated, punching his fists into the air.
"I did it!"
He falls off the couch onto the floor, startling Nora.
Nora stands there staring at him, hands going to her mouth.
"Ooh!"
The view cuts to black.
A/n: It's still technically later today lol. Sorry for the wait!