This chapter may be a little short, partly due to how long I expect the next chapter to be and because I honestly had no idea how to start it. If it feels a little...off, that would be why. Sorry. Hope you all enjoy.

"You takin' that little Kiddy to Beacon?" It was early morning on the third day from reaching Tract that the mentor and apprentice reached another town, it was smaller than the port but everyone here seemed to know him.

"What else do I ever do?" Qrow laughed, his niece watching from under her hood as he spoke to a food vendor...neither seemed to notice her confused look, not having been told where they were headed yet or what it meant.

"Ozpin's sure good at havin' you do his dirty work." The other man laughed himself, his clothes were dirty and muscles were big enough for her to see...she guessed he was a farmer, with his 'stall' just a cart of food and a horse tied nearby.

"I'd hardly call Kiddo here 'dirty work'." The red eyed man disagreed, the farmer grinning widely. "How about you go get yourself a treat? It's just across from us." He pulled free a few lien coins without looking and dropped them into her hands, she turned to see a few small stands on the other side of the 'main road' they were on with one being the mentioned candy stall.

"...Ok Uncle Qrow." Ruby agreed with a smile, adjusting her hood a bit before heading over.

"You sensitive to the sun?" Her head moved slowly to look at who had spoken, finding a woman sitting in front of a sunglasses stall with a kind smile.

"Oh, n..." Silver eyes noticed a tinted pair of goggles, lenses black...it hadn't been intentional, but she ended up having a sort of experiment on her mentor. He tended to look sad if he was looking at her, so long as her hood was up or down. She had woken up one morning and rubbed sleepily at her eyes, seeing a smile that almost immediately faded when she opened them. From there the redhead had tried to see him while keeping her eyes as covered as she could, finding his sadness lessened whenever she did. "Goggles? Like those ones?"

"Ones that would fit you?" The woman asked, looking thoughtful. "Why would you want them? Sunglasses would be easier."

"Uncle's sad if he sees my eyes." The stall owner frowned slightly, eyes looking the child up and down.

"...May I see them? Your eyes I mean." She asked after several moments, small eyes looking downward for several moments before giving a nervous nod. The hood was adjusted just enough to get a clear view of the eyes, the older's own widening before looking at the man across the street. "You're...I mean no offence, but...am I right to think your mother was Miss Summer Rose?"

"You knew Mommy?" Ruby asked in excitement before looking over her shoulder, as though being sure she hadn't been heard by her uncle.

"Everyone living here knew your mother, she passed through here all the time. If she had time she'd stop to talk to us all." The woman gave a soft smile, though it had a hint of sadness that made her frown. "Mister Qrow Branwen was her fellow apprentice under the same mentor, so the two were almost always together. Looking into your eyes likely...brings back memories he may not be willing to think about yet." The silver eyed girl doesn't entirely get it, but she does to an extent...it must have been why her daddy got sad too, remembering her mommy.

"Will goggles help?" She questioned softly.

"You're a very kind little girl." The stall owner looked proud even though they'd never met before. "Your mother never wore any sort of eyewear, goggles would certainly help keep those memories away." The redhead felt hope fill her body at the words, the older sliding off the stool she sat on and kneeling to rummage out of sight. In moments the child was bouncing on her toes, trying her best to be patient for what she would be getting. "Here we go!"

"Can I see?" She questioned the moment the other called out, weight on her toes as she tried to see over the stall. A pair of pitch black goggles slid in front of her, the kind meant to only cover her eyes, straps a thick and stretchy red while the lenses were tinted crimson.

"Try them on." The woman insisted, causing the apprentice to quickly do as told. A mirror was held up, so she could look at herself...everything she saw had some red to it from the tint, even her eyes in the mirror looked more like blood than silver. Her face looked flushed with a blush, the crimson over her skin, but it wasn't actually as distracting as she'd thought. Glancing around revealed the frames didn't block much of her view, and the strap was easy even for her small hands and strength to adjust to the correct size.

"...My eyes still silver?" The goggled girl thought to ask after several moments of looking around and getting used to them, moving them bit by bit until they fit just right.

"They look red to me." The stall owner said, though the child lifted up the goggles from one side to check anyway...the one still covered looked a very dark pink, not quite red. Pulling the side back into place she reached for the coins her uncle had given her, only to have a hand gently grab her's. "No need to pay." The older insisted with a smile when she looked up.

"You sure?" The cloaked girl asked, getting a nod.

"Go get yourself that candy."

"Thank you very much!" Moving the hood to mostly cover the new goggles, hoping to surprise her mentor, the child smiled widely and moved to the other stall.

~FM~

"Didn't buy too much, did you?" Qrow asked when he walked over to his niece, who immediately shook her head.

"Got you honied seeds!" Ruby grinned widely as she held up the small bag as if it were some sort of prize, his eyes widening.

"Oh, uh..." He paused, didn't seem sure what to say. "...Thanks Kiddo." Her uncle smiled slightly, making her own even wider as he took his bag and popped a treat into his mouth. "You got some for yourself too, right?" Another bag was held up, almost double the size, small drops of sugar candy inside.

"Here's lien." The redhead pulled free two of the three coins given, he merely nodded...he kept looking at her hood. After several moments he reached out, grasping the edge.

"You can barely see with it that low." The black haired man grumbled, pulling it up only to freeze when the goggles became visible. "Wah..."

"Lady gave them to me!" She pointed to the sunglasses stall owner, pulling the hood off her head. "I really like them!" The grin now was so wide it hurt her cheeks, left hand pressed against the strap like it would keep him from taking them...the silver eyed girl didn't want to say why she had wanted them, worried it would make him sad.

"W-well...if you like them that much we'll get them enchanted, make sure you can't outgrow them." The almost frantic nod in response made him give that cawing laugh she liked. "Alright, we'll have that done when we get there." The red eyed man assured with a smile of his own, and she had to stop herself from bouncing or cheering when she realized her plan had worked. "There's no inn here, but I got what we'll need for the next few days. Let's go." It was the first time he held his hand out for her to hold, and she knew then without a doubt that she had made the right choice, grabbing it and following at his side.

In the show Qrow doesn't really seem to have any reaction to Ruby, not even something as unique as her eyes, but this is only two years after Summer died while that is more likely around ten. So...yeah, reasons. Hope you all enjoyed, see you soon.

Also, Little Mage!Ruby is a god damn cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs!