Guess whooooo. It's me. Asch. SO here we are. Chapter 6. I'm like 4 seconds away from falling asleep, but I wanted to post this and share some info with yall. I've kinda changed the path for this story. In which it will be told in arcs, with one overarching plotline. This would be considered Part 6, and the final part of the Reunion Arc. If all goes well, the Arcs should be (all I have planned thus far);
Prologue: Reunion (You are here!)
Act One: Finalhazard.
Act Two: Bandits in the Brush.
Act Three: Haven's Fate.
With subsequent arcs. I hope to have at least 8 arcs total tying into a finale. Maybe more. Who knows. Certainly not me lmao.
-Asch
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Letting her come in all this mess! Did you think 'Gee, the world's ending better get an innocent child involved'!? Multiple innocent children?!", Taiyang's voice rang throughout the house.
It was four in the morning. No light shown through the windows, just the occasional glow of a flickering firelight could be seen. Ruby had been listening by loud back and forth shouting (albeit a little one sided, she could hardly make out Qrow's voice) from upstairs. It started after she woke up and noticed her uncle wasn't in their shared room. Ruby assumed he had gone out for a drink before the harsh whispers reached her ears. It was only a matter of minutes before the situation escalated. Oscar was laying with the pillow over his head, trying to block out the noise.
"Don't drag them any further into that shit, Qrow! We came for Ruby, and I want her to go home to Patch with me and Yang."
She listened for a few moments longer before getting up and trudging downstairs into the living room with her blanket and pillow. Ruby winced when passing above the dojo. It sounded so much harsher when she could hear the conversation clearly.
Ruby faceplanted onto red sofa only to find out the voices raised high enough to be heard all through the entire house. No silence, no escape.
Frustrated tears fogged her eyes as she furiously wiped at them. Pulling out her scroll, Ruby opened the team group chat. They only made it a little bit ago, a separate chat so they wouldn't blow up the "adults" scrolls with useless chatter.
THE FAM (CHILD EDITION)
[4:03am] ROWAN HOOD: Going for a walk to the Dust Shoppe.
[4:03am] Local Dragon: I feel ya. Gonna stick around here tho. I'll shut them up if they go for much longer.
[4:04am] ThornGOD: Oh gods please i can nor listen to this for much longer ren and i are dying
[4:04am] ThornGOD: Your dad is slayinnnnn qrow tho feels icky i like birdman
[4:05am] Local Dragon: Yea. It's gonna be a real problem when I tell dad I don't want to go home to Patch. I'm gonna stick by Ruby no matter what.
[4:05am] ROWAN HOOD: Thanks Yang. 3 We can tell him together if that helps?
[4:05am] Local Dragon: Anytime sis. And maybe. We have some time to think/plan etc. Stay safe on your walk!
[4:06am] Oscar PINETREE: Did you leave already? Can I come with. I really can't sleep with all this noise and it's like. Painfully awkward.
[4:06am] ROWAN HOOD: lol Nah I didn't leave yet. I'm headin out now tho. still in PJ but bringing crescent rose.
[4:07am] Oscar PINETREE: Putting on my boots. I'll meet you at the back door!
[4:08am] ThornGOD: please shut them up ughhhhhhh we have a mission in the morning
Local Dragon is typing...
Tucking her scroll into the pocket of her rose-printed sweats, Ruby loitered outside in the backyard. The night air was blissfully chilly and helped tone down the strong desire to go turn Crescent Rose on her family. She idly kicked dirt around, watching the small rocks kick up with every swish of her boots. Even out here, she could hear the muffled sounds of arguing.
Though she wanted to get away as soon as possible, Ruby was happy to have Oscar tag along. The redhead would have preferred Yang but Oscar had made a good surrogate sibling for the last few weeks. She got to see a glimpse into Yang's life as a big sister while getting to know their mysterious new teammate. Plus, her big sister really needed to keep an eye on the fight upstairs.
Soon enough, Oscar jumped down the last step and padded out the door.
"Ready to go?", He asked, smiling up at her.
Oscar's pajamas used to belong to Ruby. It was adorable that he fit into her spares. The boy didn't pack much, and most of his belongings had been canned food he had eaten on the way to Mistral. She had a pair of basic grey Beowolf patterned sweatpants and an old Beacon tee-shirt that had been gifted to him, so he didn't have to sleep in dirt-stained clothes.
Both wearing combat boots, in PJ's, and accessorized with a mechanical death scythe made quite the sight to look at as they strolled down the streets of Anima. A few people sent glances their way as they trekked towards Ruby's new favorite twenty-four-hour Dust Shoppe.
"So, do they uh… Do that a lot?", Oscar questioned, tilting his head back towards the house.
"Yea. I guess it's my fault this time. I shouldn't have left like I did.", Ruby sighed.
"I wouldn't say that it's your fault."
"Huh?"
"They're both just worried about you. I think Qrow needs our help and sees your potential to help. He cares you, but isn't like um, coddling you. While your dad is just worried about your safety. And can't see past the fact he wants you safe, the fact that you're an AMAZING huntress and can handle yourself.", Oscar remarked in an easy tone.
"Wow, that was deep. Professor Ozpin, is that you?", Ruby joked, feeling a little lighter. He was right. But Ruby didn't know how to convince her dad to let her make her own choices. He had always been an ever-present obstacle for her to take the path she wanted. And most of her choices had been made on following her Uncle's footsteps. Her mom's footsteps. She wanted to make them her own.
"Nah, but he laughed at your joke.", Oscar gave her a winning smile.
"Glad to hear.",
"So, how do you get the bullets you like?", Nice simple conversation, plus Oscar had been curious about the various weapons everyone used. This was a great way to learn about Ruby's.
"Oh! Well, they don't have a lot of the rounds that I use here. So, I've been making my own. Working with dust is actually super cool. I have this portable bullet filler, so I can make more custom rounds or make rounds in a pinch. They sell the empty shells that I've been buying for really cheap too.", Ruby took a deep breath, and continued her nerd rambling. "Right now, I'm trying 35% Gravity Dust and then the rest is regular gunpowder. I did this whole paper on bullet recoil a while back and I use it a lot in my fighting style. This give me a bigger, but controllable boost."
"Whoa. You figured all that out on your own?", That was incredible.
"Yea. Everyone at Signal had to calibrate their weapons for Dust on their own. They school paid for most of it, but I put so much into Crescent Rose that Dad and Qrow had to pay extra."
"I bet. Your scythe is a mechanical marvel."
"I can show you how it functions one of these days, if you're interested. I do most of the repair work on Yang's Ember Celica too."
"Um ye- That would be cool. Thanks Ruby.", Oscar grinned shyly. "I've been wanting to learn more about Huntsmen and Huntresses. Weapons are a good place to start."
"I have some books I can lend you too! Most of them are still at home in Patch but I brought my favorites with me. You'd love Huntress Tales. It's a collection of real short stories written by Huntresses about their adventures.", Ruby gushed. "There's actually a story from my mom in there. I read it sometimes when I feel down."
"That would be awesome. I couldn't bring all my books either. It'll be nice to read something new."
"I keep forgetting that you've never been in combat before. Or like, lived a normal life before becoming a mysterious boy-wizard.", It was easy to overlook, most of the time.
"Yea... It's been crazy. And exhausting.", Oscar looked down at the cobble roads. "But I know in my heart I'm doing the right thing."
"What was your life like before this?", She was curious. She knew he was a farmhand and that was about it. "I just realized I know nothing about you."
"I don't know too much about you guys either. Aside from the few weeks we've been around one another and stuff Ozpin told me."
"A story for a story, then! You go first!"
Rolling his eyes, Oscar let out a little scoff.
"I lived with my Aunt for most of my life. I did all the farm work for her. Her husband had died, and my parents were pretty... eager to ship me off since my Aunt couldn't do the heavy lifting. I think they were glad to have an excuse to be rid of me. If I'm being honest with myself."
Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder, looking sympathetic.
"It's uh. Not a big deal to me. I had more fun on the farm anyways. My Aunt's not bad. It's just... we're not very close. It's like living with a stranger.", Oscar shrugged. "But that's basically all there is to me. Your turn."
"Psh. I bet there's way more. I wanna hear. My backstory is basically why we left the house.", Ruby groaned, now wondering if Yang had stopped their guardians yet.
"Yea. That was intense."
"It happens all the time. I'm used to it, but I also hate it.", Ruby sounded bitter. "It's- Ugh. It's whatever, y'know."
"I can understand it. Still, I'm sorry.", And he honestly was. What did you do when the two people you looked to for guidance couldn't get along?
"Thanks, Oscar."
They walked the rest of the way in a warm, familial silence. Sifting through exotic vials of dust, and Ruby giving him a crash course on all things Dust and Bullet related.
"Y'know. For someone who has done so much to 'protect' Ruby, you sure have a fucked-up way of throwing it down the gods damn drain!"
"She wanted to help, Tai. I'm not going to force her away into something that is her business now. She can handle it."
"Less than two years ago, you said she couldn't! You dragged all of those kids into this and you don't have a single idea of what you're doing!"
Sunshine filtered in through the windows, hours had gone by and they continued on. Yang had come up a few times to make sure they hadn't murdered each other and quieted down so everyone else could sleep.
Taiyang heaved a deep sigh. "I don't understand how you can keep doing this. Raven left, over this. Summer died for this, Qrow. Even Oz died, regardless of his residence in a 14-year-old boy.", He only added the last bit not to end on Summer.
"I- I know, Tai.", Qrow leaned back, covering his eyes with his hand. He was tired, both physically and mentally. What time even was it?
"We can pick this up later.", Tai exhaled loudly. "For now, let's go apologize for keeping everyone up."
"You're the one that raised your voice.", Qrow grumbled, getting up and shoving his hands into his pockets. He wore a sour expression on his face, and he would kill for some good whiskey right about now.
They practically shoved each other down the stairs, glaring at one another the whole trip into the living room.
On the couch, lilac eyes sleepily bore into them. Qrow elbowed Tai in the ribs, a que to hurry up and apologize.
"Uh. We wanted to say sorry for keeping you up. So, sorry Dragon. We didn't mean to ruin the night."
"Yea. Sorry, firecracker.", Qrow looked away, feeling guilty even though he wasn't the one who started it. Taking a second, Qrow looked around the living room. "Where's the kiddo?"
Yang looked unimpressed by the lame apology. She was too used to it. They looked like kicked puppy dogs and it was pathetic. "She left."
"What?", Both Tai and Qrow shouted.
"She and Oscar went to the Dust Shoppe after you two started. They couldn't sleep."
"Great. You take care of her for a few months and now she's spending all night with a boy.", Taiyang yelled, staring down his former teammate.
"That's the problem here, Tai! You can't trust Ruby to do anything on her own!", Qrow snapped back.
"And you let her get away with everything! You can't just-"
"Yea. See, now you've apologized. Then started yelling again. And probably woke everyone up at 6am. So now the look of jackass is complete on both of you!", Yang stood tall, crossing her arms. They shrank back, awkwardly looking away from one another.
"YAAAAANG!", Ruby's shrill, hyper voice rang throughout the house startling her family in the living room. A worrying shout by Oscar was heard seconds after her sister's outburst.
"And if they weren't awake before, they are now.", Yang facepalmed. "What's up, sis?"
Ruby Rose busted into the living room. She was in her PJ's, nothing in her attire had changed from earlier sans a shopping bag with the Dust Shoppe logo was hanging from her arm and a terrified looking Oscar who she was carrying bridal style in her arms.
"I HAVE ADOPTED THIS!", She screamed, pushing Oscar up over her head. "This is our new baby brother Oscar!"
Oscar, for the most part, was handling the situation quite well. Or as well as he could after being hoisted up by a girl half his weight and whom was now unofficially his sister. She had gotten the idea after Oscar expressed doubt about returning to life as a farmhand after they stopped the baddies and save the world. She went on and on about Patch, and what a career as a Huntsmen would be like. Adventure, daring rescue, and just being someone's hero. It sounded like a dream come true. A real fairytale.
Yang felt shock, for a split second, before she just started laughing. "Alright, sweet. I always wondered what having a little brother would be like."
The red-head placed him down, smiling at his bewildered expression. Yang strolled up to his other side, suddenly pulling him into a bear hug.
Overwhelmed, and a little out of breath, Oscar just shrugged. Ozpin had told him these two were unique people. And he was right.
A hand landed in his hair, he looked up to see Qrow smiling down at him. "Welcome to the family, kid. It's a goddamn mess."
"Oh, thank the gods.", Tai placed a hand over his heart. He wasn't ready for either of the girls to start dating. Adopting strange boys with a man thousands of years old in his mind and soul, that was much more preferable.
"So, you two ready for your first mission today?", Qrow asked, flicking Crescent Rose that rested on Ruby's back. "Hope you're not going dressed like that."
"So ready. I can't wait to get back in action. I'm gonna go put my gear on!", With that, Ruby darted up the stairs with Oscar awkwardly trailing behind her.
"Thank you, guys.", Oscar mumbled, looking at the ground. He felt like his face was on fire.
"Well. That just happened.", Yang stated blankly before pulling out her scroll. "I'm gonna go help them get ready. Work out your issues before I get back into this room. Love you!"
And there went Yang, charging up the stairs.
"So, whose last name does he get?", Nora asked, fastening the belt around her skirt. "He's gotta take one of your last names."
"I like my last name.", Oscar said plainly.
"Your family is; Xiao Long, Rose, Branwen, and Pine now? That's a lot of last names."
"Yea, but we're cool with it, so it doesn't matter.", Yang was standing behind Ruby, combing out her hair while her little sister pinned her hood in place.
"We'll try to shift the teams around, so everyone can get a turn on a mission. We can make more names if we have too!", Ruby couldn't be happier. A real actual mission, no training, no murder, just a good ol' fashion search and destroy! Sure, she would be taking this order on as the fake Rowan Hood, but still.
"So how do these work? I-I've never actually been on like, a real huntsmen mission so... Do we just go take out the Grimm and go home or?", Oscar questioned. His outfit was the less complex than Ruby's multiple belts and layers or Jaune's plate armour, so he had been ready for a while.
"When we get to the village, we met with the person who commissioned the Hunstmen Association for the job. Usually, and like in our current mission, the person who hired us is the Village Head. They point us in a direction, we kill stuff, and collect the Lien from them at the end of the mission.", Ruby explained.
"How long do they usually take?"
"This ones gonna be about three to five days. One day to walk there, one-three day to clear out the Grimm, and one day to walk home by the looks of it. The village doesn't allow for air buses or trains. They're very traditional.", Jaune had finished dressing and was reading over the mission dossier. "Looks like we'll be staying in the main clan's home."
"Sounds cool. I got to go on a mission here in Anima. Dibs on the next one!", Yang pumped her fists, grinning at the idea of getting back out there. Back to normal.
"Heck yea! I leave you in charge of thinking of names for you and dad.", Ruby fist-bumped with her sister before exchanging a quick hug.
"Alright, time to get moving guys. It's gonna be a long walk. Let's go say bye to everyone and head out.", Jaune ushered everyone out of the JNR room, where everyone had decided they would get ready in.
They walked down stairs in silence, all mentally preparing for the journey ahead of them.
Looking out into the living room, they saw Qrow and Tai sharing the couch. They were watching news about the Atlus Border Shutdown and speaking in careful whispers. Hearing the students walking down the steps, they turned around to greet them.
"Wow! I didn't know you two could be in the same room together for so long!", Nora wisecracked, jumping the remainder of the way down the stairs.
Both adults rolled their eyes, ignoring the comment in favor of wishing them off.
"Be safe, you guys.", Tai bowed, before springing up and giving Ruby a big hug. "Especially you, trouble magnet."
Ruby just grinned, shrugging at the new nickname before returning the hug. Tai put her down, allowing her to walk over to Qrow.
"Remember the rules, kiddo. One slip-up and I'll be in the air.", Qrow talked with authority, gesturing to his scroll.
"Yea, yea. I got it.", She must have had the most over-protective guardians in the world.
"I'm serious, Ruby. I'll leave you alone after you text goodnight, but I want a message as soon as you wake up, okay?"
"Yessss, Uncle Qrow.", She groaned, throwing her head back as her friends snickered in the background.
Ren said his goodbyes to his team, then went back to meditate. Yang followed him, giving her sister a kiss on the head and ruffling her hair before leaving the room.
Team DART (Or rather ORNJ, Ruby Edition affectionately dubbed Blood Orange) opened the door, all looking forward to the mission ahead. They started out, footstep after footstep on the cobble roads as Oscar lead them to Yuánbǎn de Village. Ruby looked back at the house, seeing her Uncle lingering in the doorway.
"Yang and Daddy get a big hug and kiss and nothing for me? I see how it is, shortstack.", Qrow put a hand on his chest, acting dramatic. He had to yell slightly to make sure she heard.
The red-head scoffed, taking a moment to dash back and tackle Qrow around the midsection with a big hug.
"There we go. Much better.", He grinned, patting her on the head before detaching himself. He gave her a hard shove forward. "Now off ya go. Don't forget. Rules."
"I won't. Love you, Uncle Qrow!", Ruby ran back to her team. Qrow stayed in the doorway until the kids disappeared beyond the horizon and the sun fell in the sky.
"You know,-", Tai's voice spoke from next to him, joining Qrow in watching the distance. "Despite your numerous shortcomings, like you have so many shortcomings that it overshadows everything good that you do-."
"Am I being complimented or lectured, Tai?"
"You wouldn't have been THAT bad at it."
Qrow chuckled, a bitter noise. "Maybe. Thanks, Tai."
"Think they'll be okay?", The blond asked casually, closing the door behind his former teammate. "Lettin' all the A/C out."
"Gods, you're such a mom. Yea, they'll be fine. Oz is with them, if things get hairy."
"And what about what we were talking about earlier?", Taiyang's tone went low, looking back at the kitchen to make sure both remaining kids were still busy cooking.
"We'll get everyone together after they get back from the mission. I already ran it by Oz but Oscar's still dark on it. Guess the kid was resting."
"I wonder how Yang's going to handle it."
"Yang'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."
"I'd still rather take the girl's and go back to Patch but I know damn well that isn't going to happen given Yang's attitude towards me today. I just hope Signal doesn't fire me. I only took two weeks."
"Send a letter then. Or you could just be a man and quit like I did, get back into missions."
"Ha. No.", Tai declined flatly. "Teaching put good money on the table, without risking my neck and leaving home for months on end."
"Maybe it'll all go well. She always changes the subject when I bring you or Yang up. She seemed happy when she learned about Ruby.", Qrow thought back to the conversation he had in Kuroyuri.
"Wait, Raven knows!?", Tai shouted, shushing quickly when he realized Yang was only in the kitchen and could possibly hear them.
"Yea. She figured out while I was down for the count. She attacked Ruby, but she wasn't serious. Pushed her off a roof and found out her Aura Frequency. She was the only one who knew Summer's and mine."
"She could tell the frequency just from seeing her aura broken? Also, I'm going to give her a serious piece of my mind for attacking Ruby. "
"Get in line, Tai. Raven's always had a keen eye. I'm considering it a small blessing she let it go as quickly as she did. I don't think it's over, but we're not going to wait around and see what she does.", Qrow exhaled. "We need Spring. Raven has her. I gave the information to Leo, and I'm confident he's not going to do good with it. We have to her before Salem does."
"I guess we should be working on plans? We can't just leave Haven unguarded."
"Yea. We can't make anything too official without Oz either. For now, we can info-grab around town."
"Hopefully she doesn't give us too much trouble..."
"My sister? Ha. You wish. You should know better.", Qrow joked, waving Tai off and making his way towards the kitchen. "After all you slept with her."
"Are you still bitter about that. Good gods, you two aren't even that close."
"Still my big sister, Tai."
"Ugh."
It was cold out tonight. Wind ripped through the iron bars around her and chilled her to the bone. She didn't mind it too much; the cold had never bothered her. She cared more about the company currently in her prison.
Irritation prickled down her spine as her guest placed down what looked like a rudimentary medical kit.
"We need to tend to those wounds. Wouldn't want you going back to daddy all scratched up, now would we?", The case was cracked open, and gloved hands picked up a small bottle of antiseptic.
"I can tend to my wounds just fine on my own.", Weiss glared at this woman. The nerve of some people.
"Oh, I'm confident you can. Too bad I'm here to do it for you, Dust Princess."
"Vernal- Was it?", Weiss' tone was condescending, unthreatened by the mysterious bandit. "I would much prefer solitude until the moment you manage to get ahold of my father and he buys me back. Which is going to be a lovely and long amount of time I can spend here in your hovel of a camp and enjoy the smells of dirt and the idle chatter of have-nots. Thank you very much for the substandard medical care, but again- I. Can. Take. Care. Of. It."
Without wasting another word, Weiss abruptly grabbed the vial from Vernal's hands. unwatching of the woman's expression, she picked up a cotton pad and began to gently blot at the small scrapes on her knees. Her aura was recharging too slowly, without proper food or medicine it was like her regeneration had completely cut out.
"Then I'll leave you to it. But I was told by Raven to do it, so I'll be hanging here with you. We can keep it as our little secret.", Vernal grinned wildly, sitting down across from Weiss and watching her as she dabbed at her cuts.
The Schnee really wanted her to leave. She wanted to get some more practice in summoning her small Knight and getting the hell out of here. However, she wasn't stupid. This was a learning opportunity.
"So, you're bandits. Would you terribly mind telling me more? I'm sure you've had a long day of pickpocketing and simple assault to recover from."
"Watch your tongue. We won't hesitate to send you back to daddy sans a few parts.", Vernal's hands tensed on her weapons.
"I hope it doesn't depreciate my value for you. So just nameless bandits then? Not even noteworthy enough to have a name?", Weiss was on thin ice, but she knew this was the best way to earn the respect of these ruffians. She had to show she wasn't afraid of them.
"You're in the hands of the Branwen Tribe. We're notorious, but not by name. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, we don't exist."
"They will shortly, I suppose. How will your tribe handle all the fame?", She had heard the name Branwen somewhere before, but couldn't place it. It was on the tip of her tongue.
"Oh, and, how will they?", Vernal was astounded by this child's bravery. She had expected the Schnee child to be spoiled rotten, crying and sniveling in a corner begging for mercy. It wasn't a bad thing though, this was much more fun.
"I ended up on your shores in an escape attempt from my home. As far as they know, I've just vanished. It won't be long until troops are sent here, seeking the criminals who managed to kidnap the former Schnee Company Heiress from her own bedroom. I know the path my ship was traveling in to Mistral, I know where this island is. It's not any wonder why you don't dabble in trafficking. You're awful at it."
Vernal was quiet, glaring down at their prisoner.
"Then perhaps we'll keep you.", A smooth voice spoke up, breaking the tense silence.
"Raven!", Vernal straightened out, acknowledging her leader. Raven just gave her a quick look before pulling off the Grimm mask on her face and turning attentions on to Weiss.
"And why would you do that?", Weiss asked, looking at the new company. Her make-shift jail cell was getting crowded, but she didn't mind the new development. More time here meant more time plotting a more careful escape.
"You're sharp. Not sharp enough to know when to keep your mouth shut. You shared the information you have with the enemy, effectively making it useless to you since now we can counter everything you've gathered. Brave too, in a foolish and naive way. I bet you would rather we keep you, then go home to your dear father.", Raven had her pegged. "I would assume you are powerful too. Rough, but could be shaped up. I wonder how good you are with the ornate little rapier of yours."
Vernal still had the weapon strapped to her hip. A cocky smile was plastered on her face as Raven lectured on.
"Give it back to me and I can show you.", Blue eyes bored right into red ones. A challenge.
"You'll do fine here. Whether you like it or not. When the time comes you'll scamper away, but until then you will stick with us. We'll keep a close eye on you. If it doesn't work out, you can go back to this cage plotting your escape as time ticks away. Or you can take what you learn from us a be a stronger, greater person. All it takes is a little bit of co-operation."
Weiss considered her options. This Raven seemed like a knowledgeable person. It was an incredible offer. "I suppose it would be nice to do something with my time."
"Smart girl. You'll bunk with Vernal for the time being. I don't trust the men around you just yet. Vernal, please make some space."
"On it.", Vernal walked off, leaving the prison door open behind her. "I'm sure we'll have lots of fun together, Princess."
Raven smiled at the disgust on Weiss' face at the idea of sharing a tent with Vernal. She offered the girl a hand. Weiss took it, using the woman's help to get up. "The Branwen Tribe welcomes you. I'll discuss your tasks and trainings in the morning. Come to my tent at dawn."
Offering a quick nod, Weiss proudly walked off in the direction Vernal went off in. Anxiety weighed heavily on her chest, but this was an opportunity. She needed to work with it. This was more ideal, more convenient to her than getting sent back to Atlus.
Hours later, Weiss found herself lying awake, staring at the cloth ceiling of the tent she now shared with Vernal. Said woman was nowhere to be found and she greatly appreciated the silence. She worked over the events of the last few weeks, processing the information she was now in possession of. Does this make her a bandit? Gods, she hoped not.
One memory kept popping up in her head. She shoved it out anytime it came up. It wasn't relevant to her current situation yet her mind kept trying to show it.
But now, exhausted both physically and mentally, she allowed it to play.
It was Winter and herself, in one of the many cloisters around Beacon. This was during the Vytal festival. Just before they started training her summoning together.
"So, how did you know that guy in the courtyard? The one that attacked you.", Weiss was curious. They seemed familiar with one another, yet she had never mentioned that man before in any conversation.
"Ah him. Unfortunately, I've known him for years. Since I was younger than you, even.", Winter took a cautious sip of tea. "You were only a toddler and had to stay home while Father and I went to visit some of his business partners in Sanus between Vale and Vacuo. Because of the different kingdoms, we had been assigned a huntsman as our guard and guide"
"That Huntsman was Qrow Branwen, the man I fought with in your courtyard."
"So, he was just an escort for you and father?"
"This was only my first meeting with him. I was just a girl then. He was unaccommodating, rude, and short. Even then. Now a days he drops into the military base and harasses the General for hours on end.", Winter looked back on the trip with her father. "I wanted to see the sights and was constantly asking them to stop so I could look and play out in the new areas."
"As foolish as it sounds I had a crush on him for the first dew days on the ship. I found the concept of him dashing. A knight in shining armour for a heiress such as myself. I was only maybe 10 or a little younger, and Qrow was in his early or mid-twenties. It was completely childish. To this day he still taunts me over it."
Weiss snickered, passing it off as a cough and straightening herself out.
"It was late October, and anytime I asked them to stop he would tell the driver to keep going. I distinctly remember him being on his scroll often and talking to someone constantly. He snapped at me when I started nagging to be allowed outside."
"He didn't seem like that bad of a person. Just immature, if anything?", Weiss said dismissively, trying to prod as casually as she could.
"His immaturity is a prime personality flaw. Anyway, the trip dragged onward into early November. It was an unpleasant voyage."
Weiss quietly mulled over the story and enjoyed the rest of her sister's company in silence.
Branwen. That was Ruby's uncles last name. Was there a relation? The two shared dark, feathery hair. Both had red eyes, and a unique, almost feral air around them. Siblings, most likely.
Could she use this information to her advantage? Perhaps her association with Yang would bump her up a few points in Raven's eyes. If this was the sister of Qrow Branwen, that made this Yang's mother. Would she want updates on her daughter, perhaps morsels of personal details on the RWBY member?
Or would she be appalled? She remembered talking with Blake after the dance, about the things Yang had told her. Weiss had pressed her for details out of curiosity. She left their family, leaving her daughter behind to do what? Lead a band of criminals? Not the most accomplished mother, and that was saying something coming from herself.
She'll try it. No great harm could come from sharing the knowledge, and a good possibility of a positive. When she met with Raven in the morning, she would test the waters.
After one more fruitless hour of trying to sleep, Weiss recalled another small detail from her sister's story.
She said it had been late October, and that the mission had dragged out to November. Weiss was only a toddler at the time. Ruby's birthday was on Halloween.
Had Qrow Branwen missed Ruby being born? Was that why he was in such a rush, as Winter had described?
You know what's better than RoseGarden? FOUND FAMILY PLATONIC RELATIONS. Alright, gnight guys.
-Asch