„I sincerely hope your niece isn't as deranged as you are, or I feel sorry for my sister", said Winter.
His sword was at her throat so quickly she didn't even see him move.
„You do not insult my family like that", he growled.
Winter stumbled, momentarily taken aback by his unexpectedly strong reaction, but she promptly regained her composure, drawing herself up to full hight and meeting his glare with one of her own.
„Or what?", she said icily and raised her eyebrows two precisely calculated millimeters. „You're going to kill me?"
She was spared an answer when the elevator doors opened and General Ironwood strode into the office.
Ironwood took one look at the two of them and grit his teeth exasperatedly.
„For once I would like to be able to leave you two alone for ten minutes without you getting in a fight", he snapped. „Put that away, Qrow!"
„She just insulted my family", said Qrow in a dangerously low voice, not taking his eyes off of Winter, who did not move one bit, waiting how this would play out.
Ironwood marched over to his desk and sat down behind it.
„I couldn't care less what Schnee said", he said impatiently. „How old are you, five?" Qrow didn't even get a chance to reply when Ironwood added: „If I recall correctly, you've been trash talking her family left and right and I don't see her attacking you. So quit your whining and Sit. Down. We have bigger things to worry about!"
The general shuffled through a stack of paper on his desk and Winter could not quite refrain from giving Qrow a self-satisfied smirk while her superior wasn't looking. Qrow glared at her.
So he cared about his niece a lot, did he now? Winter briefly contemplated using this knowledge to her verbal advantage in the future but quickly disregarded the idea again. She wouldn't stoop to the level of mocking a teenager just to get back at Qrow. It was hardly the girl's fault her uncle was such a boor. She turned her attention back to Ironwood.
"You're not going to like this and believe me, neither do I", he said, looking back and forth between them. It was as if the room had suddenly filled with an atmosphere of complete and utter imminent doom. "I'm afraid there is no choice in the matter. Qrow, you are our best man but Atlas in the winter is no picnic. You will need someone local with you and there is no one better suited to do this than Schnee. You'll just have to learn to work together."
Dread did not seem an adequate description.
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„God dammit, Qrow!", snapped Winter. On the hand clenched around her sword her knuckles were whitening with barely suppressed rage. „Could you get your head out of your ass for once? I don't like this anymore than you do but if you would manage to act like a professional for five minutes we could be long done with this mission!"
That was one even Qrow couldn't let go without his temper rising.
„Did you seriously just call me unprofessional, kid?", he bristled. „I've been doing this for longer than you've been alive!"
„Don't call me 'kid'! And I highly doubt you started fighting Grimm at that age", said Winter, icily. „Unless you're even older than you look." It was a low blow but by the gods, it felt good. She hated this man so much.
„Older than- hey, what is that supposed to mean? I'm not old and I certainly don't look like it either!", said Qrow, angrily waving his collapsed scythe about and Winter could tell she'd hit prime target.
The man did not, in fact, look old but Winter knew that if he had one big vice apart from drinking (and there were plenty to pick from) it was his vanity. Not entirely without reason, though Winter would have died a thousand glorious deaths rather than ever say this to his face. It irked her to no end how Qrow's handsomeness went to complete and utter waste on his irritating and unpleasant personality.
They stood face to face, glaring at each other.
„Now listen up here, Ice Queen-", he growled but Winter interrupted him.
„No, you listen up, Branwen. I'm done with this", she said. „You don't have to like me, you don't have to be nice. I don't give a flying fuck what you think about the military and I'm not asking you to suddenly start respecting what we do but if we are to work together, you will. Respect. Me", she said, poking him in the chest for emphasis. „I will not stand to be treated this way any longer. Is that clear?"
Qrow, who mere moments ago had looked ready to fly off the handle again, suddenly appeared taken aback. He took a step back and sheathed his scythe.
„Ice Queen. Believe it or not, I do respect you", he said calmly.
„Oh please!", Winter snorted and crossed her arms. „Do you even hear yourself talking? You have been nothing but rude, disrespectful and condescending towards me since the moment we met, not to mention humiliating me before General Ironwood at Beacon. I don't have time for your shit."
With those parting words she turned around and stomped off in the direction of the inn they were staying at, leaving Qrow with the very uncomfortable feeling that she might possibly have a point.
When he returned to the inn several hours later, he found her sitting at a corner table, nursing a huge glass of bright green liquid and viciously stabbing a cocktail stick into the orange slice that went with it.
He decided that it was probably a good idea to buy drinks before he approached her.
„Double Whiskey", he ordered in a low voice. „And another one of whatever she's having", he added and gestured vaguely at Winter.
Armed with the drinks Qrow went up to Winter, put the glasses on the table, pulled out a chair with his foot and unceremoniously flopped into it. She shot him a dirty look and he pushed the cocktail – apparently it was called a Vacuo Night – towards her before she could say anything.
„Truce?", he asked carefully. Winter huffed in a way that might have passed as affirmation.
„Look", said, Qrow and put an arm over the back of his chair. He avoided her eyes, staring intently at the wall to his left instead. „I'm not very good with apologies. You're right, Schnee. There's a fine line between banter and being an ass and I was kinda on the wrong side of it. I'm sorry alright?", he said bluntly, finally meeting her gaze.
Winter kept silently sipping her cocktail but her facial expression and body language indicated that he should go on. Qrow leaned his arms on the table and started pushing his glass around.
„You already know how I feel about the military", he said. „Having to work with Jimmy and his underlings...let's just say it's not my favourite thing in the world. And then he brought you along, all 'General Ironwood' this and 'Yes sir!' that and still wet behind the ears...guess it just rubbed me the wrong way. Doesn't mean I was right to humiliate you in front of Ironwood like I did. Although it was fun fighting you." Qrow gave her a lopsided grin. „You're alright for a Schnee", he said and toasted her before he downed the rest of his double Whiskey, already waving for the bartender to bring him another one.
„'For a Schnee'. I see", said Winter sharply and scowled at him over the rim of her glass.
Qrow put his head in his hand and chose his next words carefully. He knew he was – almost literally – treading on thin ice here.
„You know what I mean. I thought you only got where ye are 'cuz of yer name. But – and it pains me to say this – I was wrong", he admitted. „I would have been toast in that blizzard without you. Well, ice cream, more like. Anyway. You did pretty well. For someone from the military", he added, once again unable to resist.
„I saved your butt, old man!", said Winter and glared. She did, however, push away her empty glass and took the full one he'd brought her. It was possible the corners of her mouth had twitched just a tiny bit.
„And I yours. Goliath. Tusks. Just saying", countered Qrow, letting the 'old man' slide just this once and raised his eyebrows. „Maybe we can manage a bit of professionalism after all."
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It was by no means the begin of a friendship. It was, however, the begin of grudging respect or whatever passed as respect between two people who couldn't stand each other. For the most part, this meant a level of mutual taunts and insults they were both comfortable with. She called him an asshole, he called her stuck up. He never ceased to refer to her as 'Ice Queen' and was in turn mercilessly teased about his supposed age at every opportunity. They both on a regular basis ridiculed each other's hair, fashion taste, sexual prowess or alleged lack thereof, drinking habits, manners, mannerisms, speech, posture and everything else they could think of. When it came to the military mocking in general was fair game, mocking the General was not. Insults to family were taboo for either side. Qrow always got a rise out of Winter if he wanted to but she quickly learned to give as good as she got. Sometimes their spats ended in a literal fight.
Sometimes, much later and after they had long since run out of insults, their spats ended in quite a different way. But that is a story for another day.