"It'd be nice if you'd come by. Tai would like to pay respects with you." The dulcet tones of Qrow voice were removed, no longer embodying the brotherly warmth he'd showered Raven in.
"I'm sure he would like to do so with you, as well." She didn't turn to him, keeping her eyes on the engraving on her former leader's tombstone.
"He doesn't exactly like me sober, remember? Not anymore." Qrow gave a heave, letting his exhale carry off with the wind. His eyes searched the back of his sister, scrutinizing every detail. "You haven't helped."
"Yes, well, I can't fix all your problems, brother." Raven finally took a step, allowing Qrow to view her profile. Her scarlet eyes matched his softer pink, challenging them.
"No, but you're one of mine. You abandoned your family!" His fists clenched, resisting the urge to ready his scythe.
"And you abandoned the tribe!" The outburst forced her to fully face her brother, both taking a step that only resembled a stomp.
"What about your own daughter! Your husband, your niece! Your own brother. Raven, just come back with me, for a few drinks, at least. It'd do Tai well." Even his arms outstretched in invitation.
"Not all solutions can be found at the bottom of a bottle, brother."
"Sitting down with family and talking can."
The two broke eye contact, looking off to opposite sides, backing down. Qrow let his hands fall to his sides, shutting his eyes. He took a breath, and, against every instinct, stopped himself from reaching for his flask to calm his nerves. The sound of steel unsheathing snapped Qrow back.
"Running away... again?" Qrow growled, Raven not flinching at his remark. She slashed, and reset her blade, a dark portal now before her. "Raven." Qrow's palm finally slid to his blade, immediately releasing it to form the scythe. "I can bring you back in a body bag."
"You can't. And you won't."
"Why the hell not!?" Qrow started, circling around to close in on his sister, slowly. "Because you're my sister that disowned me?"
"Because Yang took Ruby out into the forest to find me earlier today." Qrow halted. "And, their father is out at the bar again. He took to your methods."
"What!" Qrow bolted away from the cliff, into the forest. "Where!?" He wasn't stopping.
"The old barn…" Qrow was hidden by shadows and trees as the words left her lips. "Goodbye, brother." Raven breathed, and looked back once more to the memorial. "Summer."
"Damn it." Qrow cursed himself, dashing about the forest in a frenzy. "Come on!" Qrow abandoned any pretext of his sister, which hindered his knowing of the barn. "Ruby! Yang!" He leapt into the air, shifting into a crow and swooping through the forest. He barely missed every branch he glided past. Every breeze, every rustle of leaves, every small crack of a branch threw Qrow in that direction. It was only the scream of a small girl and the growls of Beowolves that captured his tunnel vision, refusing to stray.
A red wagon, a blonde with pigtails, and numerous hulking Grimm were the only visual inputs the huntsman needed. Reforming into a human, Qrow descended onto a Beowulf, lopping it's torso in two. He only made sure to not slash in the girls' direction, taking planks of the barn, and the trees in the area with the Grimm in his assault. As the black mist dissipated into the air, he stood before the girls.
"Uncle Qrow…" Yang's eyes began to stream tears down her cheeks. She ran to him, wrapping herself tight around his leg. Qrow only looked down to here, and then to the little red wagon, Ruby still dead asleep in it's bed. His eyes shut once more, and, without a second thought, he took out his flask.
"Okay, girls. It's bedtime." Qrow stretched the covers over the girls, Yang cuddling Ruby close. She had insisted they sleep together that night.
"I'm sorry Uncle Qrow." Yang had to take sharp inhalations to withhold another bout of tears. "Don't tell Daddy, and if you do, it was me! Ruby was asleep!"
"Bu-Bu… I would have wanna see her, too." Ruby was wiggling in Yang's arms. Yang wasn't about to take all the blame for her.
"It's okay girls." Qrow patted each of them on the head before getting up. "When Tai gets home, I'll talk to him."
"Thank you, Uncle Qrow." The girls chimemd in together, before he shut the door to their bedroom.
"Damn it, Tai." Qrow only whispered, resting his back against the door. He let his body slide down to the floor, where he sat, flask in hand. He didn't drink a sip, however, only glaring through the top to the poison inside. He didn't keep the time, but he must've been sitting there for long enough.
Tai came sauntering up the stairs, stopping at the top step once he spied Qrow. He swayed slightly, and bore a grin Qrow knew all too well. "Qrow!"
"Tai…" Qrow pressed his index finger to his lips, gesturing with his head to the Girl's door.
"Oh!" Tai began to nod to himself and waved for Qrow to come to him. "Come on, let's go downstairs." His whisper was loud, and his feet were even more so, as he tiptoed down. Qrow pocketed his flask and took care to be quieter than his former teammate as he followed.
"So, how have you been, olde partner?" Tai was rummaging through the cupboards in the kitchen as Qrow entered.
"Listen, Tai. About the girls-"
"I know you like the strong stuff!" Tai excitedly withdrew a larger, unopened, bottle of dark rum.
"Tai, can we talk?" Qrow went to take the bottle from him, only grasping at air.
"Hey." Tai yanked the bottle out of Qrow's reach. "You can't have it all for yourself, you drunk." Removing the topper, Tai began to pour two generous glasses, for the two. "You know, I'm glad you and I started drinking together." He had a big grin plastered over his scruffy face, as he offered the other glass to Qrow. "Reminds me of when we were at Beacon. Team STRQ. You, Raven, and I sneaking booze. Summer always tried to take it from us." Tai began to laugh at the memories.
"Yeah, well, she'd sneak some sips when you weren't looking." Qrow pecked at the rim of the glass, only taking small drops of alcohol with him.
"What!? Really!?"
"Tai, the girls."
"Right, sorry." Another loud whisper.
"Actually, about the girls." Qrow set his glass down on the counter, only being met with it again, as Tai pushed it in his face.
"Tonight is about, you, me, and drunken memories, my friend! To the couch." Tai marched to the living room as Qrow only pinched between his eyes.
"Fuck it." Qrow knocked back his entire beverage, pouring himself a new one. He had some catching up to do for Tai, that night. The two spent hours on the couch, talking about the old team STRQ, of nicer times. They returned to the kitchen to polish off the bottle in the night, almost racing each other down the bottle.
"Remember that Qrow? Man, that was crazy. I didn't expect to find two, literal, bird for brain twins. That team forming chess thing was so weird." Tai took another swig. "Everyday back then was so amazing. And hilarious. Remember how stupid you were? I got you to wear that skirt."
"I pulled it off." Qrow shrugged. "What about you, I got you back."
"Yeah, but I only got you to show off a little leg. What you did was not right!"
"I wanted to embarrass you infront of the girls."
"In front of Raven, though!"
"Well, she did fuck you!" Qrow laughed, slapping the arm of the couch. Tai was silent. "Uh, Tai I was-"
"Jerk!" Tai only laughed, giving a not so gentle punch to Qrow's arm. "I never did get you for that one."
"You didn't have to. I paid that debt."
"By?" Tai took another sip, raising a brow.
"Raven started going out with you for a reason, right?" Qrow gave a knowing glance as he gulped down more poison.
"No way." Tai nudged Qrow again, almost pushing him off the couch. "You're another reason I'm depressed."
"Tai, I didn't want her to fuckin' leave." Qrow lashed back, catching Tai off guard.
"Qrow, I was joking." He put a hand up, attempting to settle Qrow down. The two sat there in awkward silence until Qrow cleared his throat.
"I saw her today."
"What?"
"I saw Raven." Qrow couldn't force himself to meet Tai's gaze.
"Where?" Qrow felt Tai shift in the cushions, and heard the gulping of alcohol to his side.
"At Summer's grave." Tai had catch himself choking at Qrow's words. "I told her to come back, but… I had to let her go."
"Why" There was no cadence to the question, just dead air.
"She said Yang and Ruby were in the forest." Qrow looked at the black darkness of the ceiling. "They were being attacked by Grimm." Tai leapt off the couch, starting for the Glass flung from his hand and to the floor. "They're fine, don't worry. I got there in time. Put them to bed. They weren't harmed."
"I should've been there." Tai's voice shook in his throat.
"Don't do that Tai."
"Instead I was at the bar getting plastered." Tai glared at Qrow. "Because of you!"
"ME!?" Qrow stood from the couch, his glass falling beside Tai's.
"Yes, you! You got me drinking like you, like a goddamn drunkard. You always do this! You mess with people." Tai began to tremble in anger.
"Tai, don't."
"You're fucking semblance is misfortune! You're the reason all this shit happens to me. You're the reason Raven left me. My own partner continually fucks with me!" Tai stepped up close to Qrow, the two's eyes only so far.
"Tai, I'm trying to help."
"Like you helped Summer?" There wasn't much thought in it. The words weren't thought through, but Qrow's immediate retaliation wasn't either. With a single punch Tai stumbled back and fell onto the glasses on the floor. They shattered on his back leaving him yelping in pain.
"Tai! I'm sorry! I-"
"Leave!" Tai irked, straining through the glass shards in his back. "Get out of my house!"
Qrow watched Tai writhe in pain, refusing his aid. Once he finally decided to leave he turned to see the girl's eyes peering from the banister of the stairs. They were trembling. "Go to bed. Before I hurt you, too." Qrow's pink eyes were harsh, as if they could have ever been soft. He looked at Tai once more, as his former teammate cursed him out. "I'll see you at Signal, Tai. I'm sorry."
Qrow obeyed his old partner's request and left. Ruby and Yang didn't go back up to their room like he told them to. They watched him open the front door and shut it behind him.