(Approx. 1 year after Naomi's death, 3 years prior to Yang and Ruby starting at Beacon)

Of course she would find the seediest bar in the kingdom to hole up in. His quarry's trail led Qrow to a hole in the wall joint, in the worst part of Vale. The huntsman found himself studying the surroundings as he scanned for any sign of the platinum-haired woman he was tailing. Drug deals. Hardened criminals on every corner. Mercenaries, staring at him with mistrust and malice in their gazes. But no sign of Anna. Qrow sighed, pried open the door to the establishment, and went inside.

To say it was packed was an understatement. The men and women populating the Doghouse were no pushovers, that was for sure. They were rowdy, wasted, and...apparently placing bets on who would be the next to die. Pale red eyes narrowed as they caught side of the billboard next to the counter. "I can't say I'm surprised," Qrow murmured. His eyes then wandered over to the bartender behind the counter. He let out a small sigh of relief when he suddenly caught sight of a messy platinum bun.

Qrow quickly made his way over to her, weaving between the masses. Her tanned and tattooed skin confirmed it was indeed Anna that sat before him, chatting with the bartender and sipping on a fruity salt-rimmed drink. He was about to say her name when she turned around to face him. Her off-white eyes locked with his own crimson ones, and she gave him a sheepish grin. "I was wondering when you'd catch up, honey."

Qrow's expression darkened slightly. He ignored the pet name, having grown used to it over the decades they'd known each other. "We need to talk," he practically growled.

"Straight to the point, huh?" Anna huffed and turned back to her drink. "It's always business with you these days."

"You know why I'm here." Qrow's eyes never left the mercenary. Anna could feel his disapproval and anger, and glanced up at him once more. He was standing beside her, wearing the same attire he had worn since they day they first met. "Kaz," Anna called, "whiskey. Neat. For my friend here." The faunus nodded, giving Anna a smile as he set out to retrieve a glass and a bottle of Jack Daniels from the back shelf. Qrow growled to himself as he rubbed the space between his brows.

"We don't have time for this, Anna. It's bad. It's getting worse. You're one more...incident away from getting a damn bounty put on your head. We need to go."

"Relax and have one drink with me before you whisk me back to Oz, at least," she muttered. Anna thanked Kaz as he sat Qrow's drink on the counter, and walked away to attend other customers. "Your drink is here. I suggest you sit down for a minute."

Her voice was no longer soft and warm, but hard and chilled. "If all you and Ozpin are going to do is bitch about my methods, then you can save your breath, Qrow. He has done nothing-nothing-about the ones behind the attack. I've taken on all the heavy lifting and now you both want to get involved now that I'm actually getting results-"

Qrow gripped Anna's arm as she was about to pick up her glass. "Innocent lives are being put at risk," he snapped. "Or do you not remember the massive 17 car accident you were responsible for on Vale bridge last week? The coroners spent days cleaning human remains off the sign."

Anna rolled her eyes. "No one was killed, except for my targets. And, thanks to Glynda, one of them escaped." She yanked her arm out of Qrow's grip, and stood up to walk away. He grabbed her left forearm, frustration mounting at Anna's refusal to cooperate.

"We are leaving. Now."

"I would let go if I were you, sweetheart." Anna's voice was soft, and almost drowned out by the sound of every weapon within the bar being cocked and aimed at the huntsman. Qrow's brow furrowed. Of course, this was just his luck, after all. He tensed, preparing to draw Harbinger if the need arose. Then, his attention was pulled back to Anna. The mercenary let out a frustrated growl, and with surprising agility leapt out of Qrow's reach and onto the counter. Her anger had spiked at the sight of seeing so many guns pointed in his direction, even if she was surrounded by colleagues.

Anna unsheathed her swords in one fluid motion, and fixed the room with a savage stare, gesturing to the patrons with her weapons. "If any of you fuckers points a weapon in his direction again, I will personally strangle you with your own intestines. Is. That. Clear?"

"Guys, it's fine. Let's put the toys away. He's cool." Kaz spoke up, and soon the Doghouse returned to its usual atmosphere. Sheathing her weapons, Anna gave Kaz a small smile and a thanks as she hopped down and rejoined Qrow. He was still on edge, and angry, and incredibly frustrated with how things were turning out.

His hands were gentler as he placed one on each shoulder, thumbs absentmindedly tracing the tattoos they had landed on. "Please," his voice was softer, eyes pleading, "just come with me. I told Oz I'd bring you by to talk, and if I can't get you to accompany me, he's going to send someone else. And they won't be as nice."

Anna caught Qrow's eyes, but couldn't withstand his intense gaze for longer than a moment. She looked down and focused instead on the cross pendant he always wore. "Oh, all right! I'll go. This changes nothing, you know." Anna shrugged away from him as she turned back to the counter, and picked up her glass. She finished her drink, and tossed a sum of Lien on the counter to settle her and Qrow's tab. Qrow observed the merc with sadness, feeling a small spike of guilt for everything that had just happened. He lifted a brow in surprise when he noticed her pull out a small flask of her own, and pour his untouched drink into it.

Anna turned to face Qrow once more. "What?" She smirked slightly at his expression. "Why waste good liquor?" She stretched, her black tank top pulling up a bit to expose skin and scar tissue. She seemed completely unaffected by everything that had just transpired.

Anna gave Kaz and a few of the patrons a wave. "Ready to get this over with?"

Qrow nodded, and followed the blonde as she made her way through the crowds to the exit. No more words were exchanged between the two as they walked outside, and started heading towards the airship base.

Decades of…indefinable emotions hung between the warriors. Anna watched the buildings, street signs, and cars go by as they walked in silence. Her mind was a mess. Her heart was a mess. But they were always a mess these days. The mercenary felt as though she would drown beneath the weight her sorrow. The only thing that had kept Anna going this past year was the next target, the next kill. (Well, that, and booze and maybe a little coke once in a while.) Working her way through the criminal organization behind the bombing of the train station, and leaving nothing but a trail of blood and fire in her wake.

But seeing Qrow again for the first time since her house burned down several months prior had brought guilt and shame crashing back into the forefront of her mind. Guilt for the countless lives she had taken, guilt for the feelings she still had for this man, this huntsman, that she had buried deep within the dark recesses of her fucked up mind, guilt for not being there in time to save her... Of all the semblances, curses, whatever one would call it… Why was she stuck with the ability to heal from fatal wounds? Watching those she loved get struck down while she survived, and losing a piece of her sanity every time it happened was tearing her soul apart.

Deep within his own thoughts, Qrow could feel that familiar knot bunching in his stomach again. Beneath his anger and disappointment brewed compassion and anguish. Naomi's death had hit Anna hard, and Qrow knew there was nothing he could say that would ease the pain of her wife's passing. He'd be damned if he let the woman he loved-no, his closest friend and ally, he vehemently told himself-get dragged further down that dark path of vengeance and hate. But he was terrified it was too late to stop her. Maybe Oz and Glynda could help him get through to her. Before she wound up… Well, not dead, but at the very least on top of the most wanted lists across Remnant.

Gods. He could only hope.

Hiya! Cassie here.

First one-shot of this little crossover I've been dreaming up. More to come.

Here are some character descriptions. Pictures/art for this story can be found on my art twitter: /AeroVixen

Team CYAN

Anais "Anna" Wilson

Appearance: tan skin, tattoos (floral sleeve on left arm, Qrow's emblem on the right + various black ink tattoos, giant crow + feathers on left leg, Naomi's emblem on her right leg, random flora on her left side, her own emblem on her upper back; see Author's Note for reference), off-white/light gray eye color, typically wears a black tank top and ripped blue jeans with sneakers, and a handy-dandy utility belt complete with holsters! Inspired by Lady Deadpool and Maria Brink

Semblance?: Healing factor

Weapons: Swords, guns, dagger. Prefers not to use dust.

Fun fact: She's covered in tattoos and has very little aura, thus no ability to whip up a magical force-field thingy! She's a busty blonde mercenary with a mouth, who gets wrapped up in Ozpin's mess.

Chase Clark

Appearance: muscular, dark brown skin, cerulean blue eyes, dark brown medium length dreadlocks kept in a half up, half down hairstyle, usually wears a plain blue t-shirt and cargo shorts with tennis shoes

Semblance: Super strength

Weapon: Giant dual-bladed axe that can fire bullets out of the top, between the blades

Fun fact: Chase is the very first person Anna meets when she arrives at Beacon. He hails from Argus, and studied at Sanctum before attending Beacon.

Yancy Harkness

Appearance: tallest of team CYAN, lanky, pale, golden eyes, silver hair that is usually messy and spiked around his head, typically wears a hoodless jacket with black pants and combat boots

Semblance: Invisibility

Weapon: Bow and arrows that convert to a rifle

Fun fact: Yancy hails from Atlas, but decided to attend Beacon for reasons of his own.

Naomi Vulkane

Appearance: thin and elegant, long wavy black hair with a braid crown, parted down the middle, emerald green eyes, typically wears all blacks and grays, a tunic with a corset, leather pauldrons, a belt, two skirt like pieces of leather hanging from said belts, a cloak and hood, and thigh-high boots

Semblance: Restoring Light

Weapon: A shortstaff with a blade at the bottom and a pale white orb wrapped in branches towards the top

Fun fact: Naomi is a Vale native, she trained at Signal and chose to attend Beacon for her license. Her family is somewhat well-known, and she comes from money.