Chapter 4: A Raven's Eye
Have you ever wondered what a person thinks when their phone cracks? We all know these people. Some look at a cracked screen and decide to replace the phone. Others choose to fix it on their own, while others want to throw the phone out altogether.
What happens when the person starts to break? I have dealt with this question several times. Individuals who knew me addressed this issue before. I can say with confidence that the same thoughts on the phones can be applied to human interactions as well.
As much as we don't want to admit, some people throw others away at the first sign of breaking, others try to fix the problem, some just try to replace you.
My natural attitude is that everyone would drop me like a rock as soon as there cracks forming. I did my best to cover it up, but sometimes you just can't. There will always be chinks in the armor. A crack in the dam, A hole in the wall. For those who help others through difficult times, you have my respect and admiration. I wish I had the steadfastness that you did. Maybe one day I will be able to live up to their kindness, to pay it forward as it were.
*SLAM*
Raven pulled out her key and locked her car. She looked up at the sky, dark and gray. Ominous, It was the drastic opposite to her weekend. She always enjoyed the respite of weekends. Two days of decompressing, a time to not worry about anything… well besides grading.
However, not this weekend, grading never got done when it was a family weekend. It was worth it, having her friends and family coming together was always welcomed over grading. It allowed for her to catch up with her dear friend Summer. It was also a time to bond with her favorite, and to be honest, only niece. .
It was an enjoyable weekend, she remembered fondly as she swiped her id through the scanner. The door unlocked, allowing her entry. She made her way to the office to see Qrow leaning on the counter, fumbling with a pen in his hands, talking with the school's secretary, Glynda.
"Good morning Mrs. Branwen." The assistant nodded sharply, her tone harsh and strict. But for those who knew, she was a softy.
"Good Morning Glynda." She looked to Qrow. "Morning Qrow."
"Raven." He greeted back with a yawn. He wiped his eyes. "Monday's are just the worst. I swear I can't get enough caffeine, I need more coffee." He muttered as he went towards the teacher lounge with his sister trailing him.
"I swear you're going to drink yourself to death." Glynda shook her head disapprovingly
She checked her mailbox, no mail, and followed her twin to the lounge. She moved towards the sink, while Qrow was pouring himself a cup. "You're going to end up like Oobleck."
"I think after getting my Masters, I've developed a tolerance for caffeine." Qrow gave a faint smirk. "Besides, Ruby is a tad bit energetic for me. I swear she gets, even more, hyper every day." He deadpanned
Raven shook her head with a fond smile. "Yeah, well she clearly got that from her mother." She capped her bottle.
"Hey stop by after class, Summer made some cookies last night for all of you." He said as he made his way out of the lounge.
"Will do." She called out as she continued down to her room. She made her way down in the hallway smiling at the fact that she and her family were going to get cookies. One thing was true. Summer baked amazing cookies.
However, something darkened her mood ever so slightly as she descended the stairs to her room. Friday night was still in the back of her mind. The uneasiness settled in her mind, in her stomach. I'll have to check on him today, she thought to herself as she turned on the light.
She found her door open, thanks to the janitor, the lights off oddly enough. She stepped in, turning the lights on only to be startled.
There sitting in the far left corner in the room was Jaune in a green hoodie over his head. Raven stood there. "Jaune?"
No response. She moved towards them, taking light steps. She eased her way over, squatting down. "Jaune?" She gently shook his shoulder, which caused him to flinch away. She could note the bloodshot eyes and bags under his eyes. The wide eyes of a scared animal, the quivering lips of someone who had seen something that they can't forget. "Jaune what happened?"
"Are you hurt? Sick? Talk to me." Concern etched on her face as she placed a hand over her head.
"I'm fine." He got up from his desk, hood covering his face. "I don't need you to be my mom. Alright?" He limped out of the room, leaving a rather stunned and surprised Raven. She stood up and moved to her desk, sitting in the chair, leaning on the armrest, tapping her chin in thought.
Jaune didn't seem to be the type to lash out like that. However, his anger was unmistakable, the pain in his voice unforgettable. Something had to be going on at home. She lifted her head up, looking at the ceiling let out a sigh. She thought through her options. She could report her concern to the authorities, which wasn't enough concern, but that draw so much unwanted attention to Jaune, and she had a feeling that was something he wanted to avoid. She could do nothing, let things play out, which in reality, she couldn't do. She berated herself for thinking such a ridiculous thing.
*BING BING BING* Showtime. Great way to start a Monday.
Students began to file in. She kept her eye out for Jaune. They all filed in accept Jaune. Where the hell did he go?
*RING* *RING* *RING* She turned to her phone and picked it up. She picked up the phone in a tight grip, causing her knuckles to go white. "Hello?"
"Raven, this is Nurse Schaeffer, I have Jaune, here, he claims that he isn't feeling too well and resting right now."
"Alright, he's excused from class. I'll send someone to take his stuff up to him with work that he'll miss." She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She shouldn't have pushed him, her heart felt heavy with guilt. Yeah, she cared for all of her students, but sometimes, she came off as harsh. "Thank you." She hung up the phone.
She had an idea. "Class take out papers from last night, talk about what you wrote." She instructed the class, masking all personal attachment. Time for the professional. "Weiss, can I see you for a moment?"
The white haired girl, wearing a light blue blouse matched with a light blue skirt. "Yes, Mrs. Branwen?" She had an air of confidence to her.
"Weiss, could you do me a favor?" She nodded. "Would you mind taking Jaune's stuff up to the nurse and give him the work he's going to miss." Raven pulled out a binder pulling out a packet. "Also check on him. See how he's doing." She handed the packet to her which she took
"I can do that." Weiss nodded dutifully.
"Thanks, you don't need a pass, you can just go." She watched Weiss walk off, grabbing Jaune's books. She sat there for a moment collecting herself. She stood up, turning on the projector, making her way to the front of the class, planting one foot on the lower section of the stool.
"Good morning class." She scanned the room. "So I went through the tests…. And let me just say I'm extremely disappointed with the grades. I got two A's." She stopped for a moment, letting that sink in. "TWO." Her eyes drifted towards the two A students. However, both of them weren't in the room. Her attention shifted back towards the class. "Those essay questions were thirty percent of your grade."
She shook her head, voice growing lower. "I told all of you that answering the questions wasn't good enough. Most of you gave three or four sentences… I wanted paragraphs people. Just so that you know, I don't curb tests either. You keep what you earn."
She straightened up. "Alright. Let's start our new unit. English Colonization."
As she was teaching, Weiss reemerged about half way in the lesson, which earned her a subtle smile from Raven. However she did notice a few glares from her classmates, specifically Cardin and Russell. She would have to keep tabs on that.
She gave the class five minutes of free time as Raven went back to her desk.
"Weiss." She waved her finger, summoning her over to her. Weiss got up from her desk, Raven still noticing the subtle glares. "So how he is?"
She scrunched her brow as if choosing her words. "He's… not feeling well. He looked… out of it." Raven nodded as she covered her mouth casually, hiding the visible frown.
"Any particular reason?" She raised an eyebrow.
"He didn't say. He just said he had an upset stomach." Raven nodded absentmindedly.
"Anything else Ma'am?"
"Yeah." She swirled her chair to her desk. She pulled out a folder and unclipped two small packets. She handed the test back. "You were the one of the two A's on this test. You showed you knew the content and you went beyond the question which I can always appreciate." Weiss nodded appreciatively. She handed her another test.
"I should have had you take this down to him, but I forgot. Next time you see him, would you mind giving that to him?"
"Sure thing." Weiss smiled.
"Thank you. You can go." As if right on cue the, the bell rang.
*BING BING BING* "Alright you're dismissed. Go. Shooo." She ushered the students out with a wave of the hand as she sat on her teaching stool. Two classes to teach got rather tiresome. It also didn't help it was Monday. It also didn't help with this morning. She turned off the projector as she made her way to her desk, grabbing her bag.
The one thing she did enjoy was having the same lunch as Qrow. Usually, the two would talk about new school policies that would interrupt their classes. They would also talk about music, how to address rough spots, discussing the work ethic of students. Heck, sometimes they wouldn't talk about anything, they would just enjoy each other's company. She got lucky getting a job at the same school as her brother, she wouldn't trade it for anything. She could go to him about anything. Rarely did she actually talk to him about her own problems, but knowing that her brother would always be there made things better.
However, something was just nagging her fiercely.
"Hey." Qrow greeted as he walked in, shoulders out front as if he were a bird as his name suggested.
"Come on in." She muttered, hand keeping her head up. Without a word, Qrow grabbed the stool and placed it by his sister's desk. He placed his bag on her desk and rummaged through it. He pulled out a can of soda, banana, and a peanut butter sandwich.
She absentmindedly grabbed her own bag, pulling out her own lunch. She placed it on her desk and leaned back in her chair.
"Whaphs upfs?" He asked with a mouth full of peanut butter and jelly. She turned to face him, as he cracked open his soda taking a drink.
"Manners?" She raised an eyebrow. "I swear you're worse than Tai." She took a motherly tone with her child of a brother.
He whirled his head back. "I resent that….." He gave a light chuckle. However, it faded when he still noted his twin was not smiling. "Rae what's up?" He looked worriedly at her.
She inhaled deeply, slowly exhaling slowly. She knew what Qrow was going to say. "Jaune…" He nodded, narrowing his eyes. "I found him in the morning, I don't know how long he was in here, but from the looks of it, it's been awhile." She took a brief pause expecting him to say anything. He just nodded. "I went to check on him, asked if he was sick or hurt…." She paused as Qrow put down his sandwich. His attention fully on her now. "I touched his shoulder causing him to flinch away. He stormed out saying that's fine and that I should stop caring." She frowned as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth in thought. Here it comes.
"Do you think something is happening at home?" His voice neutral, his eyes locked on to her.
She sighed. "I… don't know. The more I think about, the more it's pointing to it."
He straightened up, running his hand through his hair letting out a held breath. "What are you going to do about it…?" The question was left hanging in the air.
Raven sat in her chair looking at her desk. Silence reigned the room.
She tapped her desk in thought. She could notify the proper chain of command. She should do it, it was her legal duty. He would just end up like her and Qrow, perhaps in a better place, maybe in a worse place. No, she thought to herself. I won't condemn another one to that shitty existence.
"I don't know." She finally answered.
"You're not going to report it, are you?" Qrow narrowed his eyes.
"Are you?" She shot back hastily, almost glaring at him.
He shook his head "No, this is your call, bu you already know what I think." he crossed his arms.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know." She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Do what you think is right. That's the most important thing." She opened her eyes, lips slightly quivering.
I-I just don't want to put him in the spot we were in Qrow. I wouldn't be able to live with myself…." She trailed off remembering the nightmare of him and her dealing with kids nagging, making fun of them, saying horrible things when the truth got out in the school. Raven had a few run-ins with the meat heads that dared to say anything to either one of them. Hell, she broke a kids arm for making Qrow cry.
Then there was the foster home. No. stop. Don't bring that up. That's been dead for a long time. Keep it like that.
"So then don't." He said calmly as if it was a matter of fact.
"What?" She blinked.
"See what he wants to do. Let him decide." Raven sat there thinking about what he had just said. God, he's smart. She reflected with a smile. Raven had always been the more strong willed, stubborn Branwen. She thought with her heart more often than with her head. She didn't base decisions off of cost-analysis, she went with her gut feeling.
Qrow was the opposite, he took everything in before considering a decision, which at times made his decisions more cold and calculating, but were good in the long run.
She draped her arms around her twin pulling him into an embrace. "You're the best bro I could ever have."
Qrow shrugged in the embrace. "Yeah. yeah, can we eat now." Raven let go, rummaged through her bag, pulling out a container of hot sauce. She could see Qrow roll his eyes.
With a smile, she opened it up revealing a buffalo chicken wrap which placed on the lid. She took the hot sauce and poured a fair amount into the container. "Good god woman you're goin to destroy your mouth."
Raven gave a quick, playful shove. "Don't be jealous that I have better taste than you." Qrow cringed at the sight of her taking a bite of a buffalo chicken wrap dunked in hot sauce.
"Well, I'm sorry I don't enjoy destroying my insides." Raven chuckled. She always had an affinity for amazingly spicy food while her brother couldn't even tolerate salsa. After enjoying their meals, and Raven feeling slightly more at ease, Qrow tossed his bag in the trash can.
"I'll stop by before I head out." Raven called out, Qrow gave a thumbs up from the door as he left.
"So what the first English settlement in North America?"
Velvet raised her hand. She nodded towards the students. "Roanoke Island."
She nodded again confirming the answer. "What are some of the theories of colonies disappearance? Ms. Scarlatina?"
"Possible Spanish raid, Native attack, assimilation, or abandonment." She said confidently twirling her thumbs.
"All possible theories. So we know one person was paying attention today. I want a paper on why you think the colony disappeared and gave some evidence. Don't tell me an idea and give no support for it. That's an F in my book." She looked at the clock. "You guys have the last five minutes.
She moved towards her desk, sitting down in her chair, leaning back. Another day down. She hummed to herself as she looked at her students. They clustered up, talking, socializing. Others kept to themselves either reading or getting ahead on some homework. It was these moments where she could relax. She took out a water bottle and took a sip, enjoying a rather stressful day. Now it was just a matter of approaching this whole Jaune situation.
*BING BING BING*
Students got out of their desks and filed out of the room to enjoy the rest of their day.
"See you tomorrow Mrs. Branwen."
Raven snapped out of her daze, looking to see where the farewell came from to see Velvet.
"Have a good night Velvet." She responded amicably. With the Drum Major's departure, Raven was now alone in her room. What a long day. She sighed as she stood up stretching her back, feeling the rather pleasant cracks and pops. Qrow usually left an hour after school which meant she had about half an hour to do some quick grading.
She reached over one of the bins that had a pile of papers, paper clipped them together and got about grading homework. She read over each one but found that she had to read and reread the responses. She put down the paper she was reading, unable to focus. The one thing that was nagging her. When Should she approach him tomorrow, even after the scene earlier today? Should she wait or would it be too late?
She grunted in frustration. Deciding that grading would probably not get done now or tonight, she packed her bag, she grabbed her work binder while stuffing her lunch container back. She quickly zipped it up and drapped it over her shoulder.
She climbed the stairs and head down the hallway towards the bandroom. It was straight shot across the school. There Principle Ozpin was sipping on his ever-present coffee mug. "Good afternoon Mrs. Branwen."
"Mr. Ozpin." She nodded cordially. "I'll have the learning assessment on your desk by Friday."
Her boss nodded leaning on his walking cane. He readjusted his spectacles. "Whenever you get it in. There's no rush. I won't expect Mr. Port's or Peach's by the end of the month."
She got so lucky she has a rather laid back boss. "Still, it should be done by Friday."
Ozpin smiled humbly. "Thank you for the hard work as always." Raven nodded as she watched her boss stroll down the hallway twirling his cane. As she passed the office and the main atrium she could hear the oh so familiar sounds of quads being played specifically the introduction of the show "Rising Storm." Odd. Why would Qrow be playing that?
She turned to see her brother, whose legs were kicked up on his desk as he was grading a stack of papers. So then where was that sound coming from? She looked towards the back to see Jaune, who seemed to be in higher spirits than this morning.
Qrow looked at the door and gave a shrug. "He's not getting picked up until 5:30. He asked if he could stay here, I didn't have a problem with it."
*TAP* He shoved his sticks into the holster. He looked down at Raven. "I can go if you want, it's not a problem."
Raven shook her head with a small smile. "No, you're fine."
"Well now that you're here, would you mind watching over some things, I need to make some copies for tomorrow." He gave a sly smile.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Sure." Qrow jumped up grabbed his knapsack and left the room. It was just him and her. She decided to put down her own bag and take out her own sticks. Jaune was already tapping off and starting to play his part. She took a seat on the stool behind the podium. Listening in, she joined with the snare's part. They played in perfect unison.
Out of nowhere, Jaune slammed his stick down in frustration, the stick bouncing off and flying in the air. "I keep fucking up."
"It's okay. With more practice, you'll get it." She encouraged.
Jaune snorted. "Yeah. Not anymore."
Raven's brow scrunched up, she was starting to get annoyed now. "Why not?"
"I can't practice at home anymore." He moved towards the wall, sliding down. Raven got up from her stool and moved beside him. "I wanted to apologize for this morning. That wasn't very respectful."
She shook her head with a smile. "It wasn't but some people aren't morning people." She tried to lighten the mood. Ask him now.
He fidgeted with hands, keeps his eyes on the ground. "Raven can I talk to you about something?"
I had a decision, and I made it. I took a gamble on someone, something that I had never done. Someone who could change the course of my life within a day. For some reason, though, I felt like I could trust her.
Sure she could be a hardass, but in a good way. I reacted harshly that morning, something which I still regret to this day, something that I will hold against myself until the day I die. I respected her as a strong person.
She was the first one to introduce me to something that I would come to love yet hate at the same time. I can say that meeting Raven, or Mrs. Branwen if you have her for class, was one of the most pivotal moments of my life. I know this sounds cheesy, but I looked up to her as a role model, Qrow would also hold that position as well, but I can say that Raven helped me break out of a world help me carve a new identity to make sense of a genuinely confusing world.
It's funny how people can change the world for you, open your eyes. I am so thankful I joined marching band, for being her student, for opening up to someone. To this day I still keep in touch with her and Qrow. I mean it helps with my job, but I still enjoy talking to her.
A/N
Hey guys new chapter. Some I'm going to either get a lot of love or a lot of hate or some mehs. As you know this chapter focused heavily on Raven. I don't know if you all liked that or not, but she is a main character, so I thought it might be time to give her her some time in the spotlight.
Hopefully we saw what kind of person Raven is or at least, have a better understanding. Love it? Hate it? Let me know.
So yeah Raven is going to to have some major decisions huh? Just saw you know there is a procedure that you are supposed to follow, is she going to break the rules though? Why would should she? It also seems she and Qrow have some hardcore baggage as well. Huh.
Just so you know Chapter 5 will be focusing on Jaune during the same time as this chapter. It will be darker in nature. Just a friendly heads up.
So is Brando going to say anything this time?
BRANDO: Hello I edit this story. this project is important to me even though I know nothing about Rwby (let the Flame wars begin hehehe) and me and Sauron hope that this story touches and give you the feels and helps people. And I am having fun being involved and editing.
Sauron: Well said Brando…. There we are… a rwby scrub, but all of his hard work is extremely appreciated, however if you do find errors, please let me know, and I will try to fix them, we're only human after all. But thumbs up to Brando for taking time out of his busy schedule for helping. I should also mention that he's been instrumental in helping flesh out the story over all.
If you enjoyed the chapter please let us know. Tell me what you think, I love to hear from all of you. Thought it was good, bad, meh let me know. Thoughts, reactions, predictions, opinions, all that stuff, send it, we love it.
REVIEWS!
Renegade: Hey mate thanks for the review, it's always appreciated. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter lol. I think she's starting to get clued in. It's going to be even more clear by next chapter. I'm not saying but I'm saying.
AlNation: Hey mate thanks for the review. After going over it, ya I got that feeling as well. It was meant to illustrate that Jaune is playing two sides, that he siding with Cardin, feels kinda bad about it, and wants to make up for it without actually saying sorry. That was the goal.
Cpt. Lynx: Hey mate! It's been awhile! Always good to hear from ya! So Marching Band is supposed to be professional then the Spongebob episode lol. It's basically an almost paramilitary regimented thing with music and nothing to do with the military. It takes aspects from the military, marching in unison, following orders, acting like professionals, and being precise, and applying it to music. And trust me I'm looking forward to introducing Pyrrha, but it won't be for awhile saddly :(
Cabbage: Hey thanks for the review! I won't lie, this is my first time writing a high school AU, hopefully I'm doing it some justice. It's a rather different experience lol. I'm glad you are liking it so far, I hope I don't disappoint.
*P.S* Due to unforeseen circumstances all of my stories will be on a hiatus for about 2-4 weeks due to school projects being rearranged to take into an account a very probable strike, that being said, I now have 5 papers due next week and the week after that. (Which is going to set me back for another two weeks. I try to stay a week or two ahead of classes so im not swamped... but yeah... looks like not this time. lol)
That being said, I need things to settle down before I get back into writing. Hopefully I'll find some time to write, but I'm not to sure. I figure I should give all of you the heads up. I'm sorry about the turn of events, if it wasn't for the strike, things would in a more stable arrangement. All of this being said, my time for writing will be severely limited.
Thanks for reading, and I apologize for the short hiatus.
-Lordxsauron
