Chromatic Wings

Chapter 7: The Haves Have Naught

Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing.

An Unknown Forest in Ionia, the morning before reaching the capital

Qrow awoke to the sound of a crackling fire, his vision was a blur as his eyelids opened to reveal a warm orange glow only a short distance away. The light given off by the flames paled in comparison to the steady beams of moonlight that cascaded through the canopy of leaves above. Even without the sun, the vibrant colors of the forest were apparent, and it was easy to find Xayah who was facing him from the opposite end of the fire. Despite being in her field of view, Qrow could tell that her attention was directed elsewhere as incandescent light reflected off of her golden irises.

The scene in front of him was almost picturesque, not unlike several paintings he had encountered on his travels as he hopped from one establishment to another. Had he been an artist he may have felt compelled to capture it on a canvas, but instead he was only reminded that a picture could never tell the full story.

Feeling almost guilty for disturbing the striking atmosphere, Qrow rubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes with the back of his hand and slowly stood up. The sore feeling throughout his body from the events prior was still present, but they were just a whisper when compared to how he had felt. Taking note of the fact that morning wasn't too far off, he walked toward his companion who was now eyeing him curiously. Her posture hadn't shifted on the log she occupied, but her eyes tracked every movement he made. It was reminiscent of the time when he had first woken up on Runeterra, only her gaze lacked the unforgiving hostility it once had.

Opting to continue standing, the huntsman took a spot across from his companion. He did some lazy stretching to make sure he was only sore, and when he was satisfied he let out a weak yawn before reaching for his flask and putting it up to his lips. All the while Xayah continued to stare at him with no attempt made to hide it. It was almost as if she was sizing him up but without the standoffish nature.

Eventually he began to return the same level of attention, and they locked themselves into some sort of staring contest. Their immediate temperature, previous situations, and the occasional crackle of the warm fire between them quickly became irrelevant for a brief moment. Qrow couldn't help but smirk as he allowed himself to indulge in the little contest. Whether the woman who was staring back at him was enjoying herself or not wasn't evident on her face, but the important thing to him was that she was the first to look away.

"My father used to tell me a story," she stated seemingly out of nowhere as she glanced at the fleeting signs of moonlight. "It was about the moon and why if you look at it from the right angle, it kind of looks like the face of a rabbit is imprinted onto it."

Qrow blinked a few times before turning to face in the same direction as the Vastayan. While the statement was unexpected, for some reason it felt like it was the only thing that could have followed up their mutual silence.

"I don't remember it word for word," she continued, "but the general gist of it focused around a human who was starving to death in a forest. With no supplies and little strength to gather them, he turned to asking the animals for help. Out of the goodness of their hearts, some of them immediately got to work gathering food. Among the ones that wanted to help was a rabbit. According to the way my father tells it, this rabbit had the right intentions, but it soon realized that being a herbivore meant all it could do was gather things that were inedible to the human. So, after some thought, the rabbit decided to toss itself onto the small fire that the other animals had created for the starving man."

She paused there for a good minute or two, presumably to make sure the huntsman was on the same page as her. For a second Qrow thought that was all to the story and was at a loss for what the point was, but the sound of Xayah's voice dissuaded him from accidentally interrupting.

"Well, instead of being cooked alive, the rabbit found that the fire didn't burn at all. You could imagine its confusion, and the human helped it understand what had happened. Turns out, he was so moved by the rabbit's decision to sacrifice itself so someone else may live that he saved it from its chosen fate. Then he took the rabbit up to the moon and immortalized it by adding its face to it. When they returned here, the human explained that by imprinting the rabbit's face on something floating within the heavens, he was showing that selfless deeds like that were always remembered by those affected. The face of the one who had given up something for them was always imprinted in their mind, and that's how it should be."

"That's quite the story," the huntsman replied after making sure that the conclusion had been reached.

"I thought the same when I was young," his companion responded as she stood up from her seat and took a step toward the horizon the moon was preparing to hide behind, "Especially when my father tossed in the idea that the rabbit was an ancestor to the Vastaya. I think he wanted to push the moral that differences between your species and mine are only skin deep, and in the end we could and should work to raise each other up."

"An admirable idea, if only more people shared the same outlook. Perhaps the world as a whole would be a much better place."

Xayah nodded, "I also thought that when I was younger."

"Thought?"

"Yes, 'thought'," she affirmed, "I once believed that was the proper way things should be and I believed that's how things were."

"What about now?" Qrow asked with an eyebrow raised despite his companion no longer looking in his direction. A small amount of concern buzzed around in the back of his mind, but it would take a lot more before it could even be slightly shown in his voice.

"Now… I'm not so sure," she turned toward him, the expression on her face was one of slight uncertainty. It was an expression that hadn't broken the stone-faced demeanor that she had on display since the moment he had first saw her. "But I will tell you one thing, not even a month ago the moral I found in that story was that humans were all lying charlatans."

The huntsman nodded thoughtfully, a story could be interpreted many ways. Depending on the mindset you wanted to push onto someone, you could use this tale as an example. The idea of humans being lying charlatans could be an easy interpretation if you injected some simple cynicism into the story. Suddenly a story about a rabbit that gave its life to feed a starving human is now about how a powerful human lied to forest creatures to perform some sort of sick test to see how far the participants would go to fulfill someone else's needs.

However, something or someone had changed Xayah's way of thinking if now she was unsure of how she viewed the story. The implication that it was him could be seen as obvious, but at the same time, she could've been talking about something else entirely. She had gone silent after her last statement, whether or not she was waiting for a response wasn't clear, but he decided to give her one.

"Well that's certainly one way to look at it," he caught her eyes as she sat back down. "My folks were never big on telling things like that, they reasoned that we shouldn't waste time finding merit in fictional tales. Instead we should be focusing on making our life a worthwhile story to be told."

"They sound dedicated."

"That's certainly one way to describe them," Qrow admitted, holding back a sour face.

He wasn't big on talking about where he came from, or the people he grew up with. Anyone who knew him would know that for obvious reasons. Yet, something inside of him wanted to connect with the woman who sat across from him for another night. Her telling this story was as personal as she had gotten since they met, and he knew that if he wanted to have some more cordial interactions with her, he'd have to give up a little about himself as well. He could've lied, but giving up that personal information was of little consequence, and deep down, he had to admit that being open with someone was a nice feeling he hadn't experienced for a few years now.

Xayah's moment of vulnerability came and went, and while Qrow wanted to learn more, he didn't want to pry either. If tonight was anything to go off of, she'd voluntarily reveal more about herself when she was comfortable.

The soreness his body felt thanks to the earlier events and uncomfortable sleeping position caused a question to continue to eat at him as they sat in silence. His uncertainty to ask it stemmed from trying to be careful about what his companion would or would not want to talk about. Spontaneously passing out and waking up somewhere else isn't exactly an experience people like replicating or discussing all the time. However, Xayah didn't seem fazed, in fact she looked to be more distraught about the fact that he hadn't just let her die. With that in mind, Qrow decided to take his chances.

"So. Does passing out after transporting to another world happen to you on a regular basis?" he asked with his usual air of sarcasm.

"Only yours apparently," she shrugged.

"Why do you think that is?"

"I'm not sure," the Vastaya revealed, "I was there taking it all in one second, and the next I wake up back here. I guess my body just wasn't up for it."

The huntsman only hummed in reply as he thought for a plausible reason. When he had made his trip here he had also passed out from exhaustion upon arrival. However, after his trip back he felt perfectly fine. Not only that, but he had used the gateway twice within what was probably the same hour. Maybe a person simply had to go through it once before their body got used to it? It seemed too easy, but that was all that was known about that method of travel so far.

Either way, they'd have to play it safe when another opportunity to return to Remnant arose.


The Capital of Ionia, Present

"So, what's our next step?"

Xayah's ears twitched slightly and her eyes moved from focusing on a random area of their hotel room's ceiling to the raven-haired man who was busy staring out of the nearby window. His arms rested on the windowsill as he leaned forward and looked at the capital city below them that humans and Vastaya alike had worked hard to build. Whether he was impressed or uninterested by it all wasn't evident on his face, but Xayah couldn't imagine it was the former. Despite Ionia's pride in its architecture with connecting archways, rooftop gardens, efficient streets, and a tasteful display of colors, it did very little for her now that she had explored it to death.

As for the answer to his question, well the next step was pretty obvious. They take the information they had overheard and tested its validity, the best way to do that was to see for themselves. But if Qrow felt the need to ask what they were going to do next it meant that he had other things on his mind, or at the very least, it meant he saw options that she didn't.

"My next step is asking you how you got back in here last night without me noticing," she replied as she returned her attention to the ceiling.

After she had so unceremoniously left the huntsman at Mizuki's house, Xayah had allowed her feelings toward Ahri get the better of her and she had asked the person working the front desk to refuse anyone matching Qrow's description a spare key to her room. He was the one that had brought her up after all, and he had fraternized with her at least once. The fox-Vastaya was one of few things she hated more than humans, and that was infamy that was pretty difficult to obtain.

"What can I say? I have quite the silver tongue when it comes to talking to buxom receptionists." She could hear his grin as he referred to the woman who had been working when they first asked for a room. That had been a couple hours before Xayah had returned on her own.

"The receptionist was male at night," the Vastaya corrected flatly.

"You don't know my life."

"And if you had come through the front door I would've noticed."

"I don't know about that one," Qrow responded coyly as Xayah heard his subtle movements while he shifted from leaning forward on the windowsill to turning around and leaning against it. "You snore so loudly I'm amazed it doesn't keep me up."

She turned her head just enough to make eye contact with her companion, "keep this up and I'll make sure you won't have to worry about waking up the next time you go to sleep."

"Well I don't snore so I'd actua-" his sentence stopped short when he was forced to throw his head back to avoid a violet plume. "Point taken. If you wanted to keep me out I figured you'd at least lock the window, sure this room is two stories up, but you should know how much of a pain in the ass I can be by now."

Xayah wanted to argue about how she had locked the window, and how it would've been really difficult to climb the side of the building anyway especially due to the rain from that night. However his last statement rang true, he was a pain in the ass, and he would probably just skirt around the question while giving an answer that would leave her more unsatisfied than this one.

Fighting the urge to sigh, she sat up from her place on the bed as she rubbed any remnants of sleep from her golden eyes. She could've reinforced every inch of this room and Qrow still probably would've found a way in. That was something she had taken into account when she had pursued actions to make his return just a little bit more difficult. It was clear that he found humor in all this, and it almost felt like he existed simply to spite her. First with his antics, and secondly by doing things that would throw her off mentally, distorting her view of things she had felt so certain about for several years of her life.

"Well the simple answer is heading toward the place those people in the tavern were talking about. Then it's back to Remnant," she replied to finally answer the initial question.

"Right," he agreed,"but my concern isn't about whether or not this place is the real deal. My concern is whether or not you'll be fine after the trip to Remnant. Getting back is only beneficial if you don't pass out when we arrive, we don't know where exactly we'll end up."

The idea of a human having concern for her well-being was an uncomfortable one, and Xayah quickly reasoned that he wasn't concerned for her, but for success of a task he wanted to complete. As for how to find success, well she had an idea. If Qrow's world was really one that lacked magical energy, then she'd need something to keep her body's dependence for magical energy in check.

"Nothing says that will happen again a second time," she reasoned as the feather that embedded itself into the wall earlier was called back to a spot on her gauntlet.

"True," the huntsman took a drink from his flask before returning it to his pocket, "but I still think we need a backup plan."

"Fair enough," she shrugged, "there is a marketplace in the center of the city that we can visit. Maybe they'll have something that can help us out."

"What exactly would we look for?"

"Probably an elixir or something to that effect. If not that, I'm sure the eggheads from Piltover have some fantastical new device that will allow me to travel through time, cook dinner, shapeshift, and summon a band of Yordles to play my mother's great uncle's father's favorite tune with being able to travel between worlds without taking an involuntary nap as an added bonus."

"...what?"

Xayah shook her head as she stood up and headed for the door, "nevermind. Let's get going."

They had a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading toward the capital city's marketplace. Qrow brought up that Piltover had also been mentioned the night before, and Xayah gave a short but colorful description of what many people referred to as "The City of Progress". It was where people's creations went to live or die. It focused on pushing the envelope in terms of technology, and that made it the birthplace of several different ideas. Successful products created within Piltover tended to be adopted across all of Runeterra, and with commerce flourishing it made for a very wealthy city.

It was a place that she had only seen in pictures and heard of in passing conversations. She didn't wish to visit it, at least, not in good faith. The inventors from Piltover were one of the larger forces behind the destruction of her home and several other magical forests. Their insatiable lust for resources meant they sapped all they could get from nature before leaving behind the skeletal remains of what they stole from. The results were of little consequence to the non-natives, and the irony of a culture that prided itself on how progressive it was while employing backward practices wasn't lost on those that had their homes forcefully taken from them.

At first the Ionian government had intervened and worked hard to protect the homes of those that chose to live outside of official boundaries, namely the Vastaya. But as time passed, seeds of both corruption and misguided desires were sown, and slowly but surely fewer Ionians rose to protect their neighbors. Some even went as far as to invest in the companies that were directly benefiting from all of this. Xayah had once overheard a politician justifying actions like this by claiming that all of the money they made was put back into the country they loved.

Their term in office came to an abrupt end that night.

The possibility of giving someone who could be directly responsible for the continued destruction of nature's beauty made her feel sick, but there didn't seem to be another option that would end well.

Is a slim chance at a place where more people from my race exist really worth going this far? the Vastayan revolutionary asked herself despite knowing her answer. She wouldn't admit it, but toppling Ionia was a tall order for one person, no matter how skilled. After that she had plans for the rest of Runeterra, she wanted to return it back to the state it was in before humans ravaged the landscape with petty wars and greed. If Remnant did have people that came from similar backgrounds as her, then she could find some like-minded individuals that would aid her cause. If not that, then she could at least learn how so many of her kind managed to still be alive.

A populated marketplace was a good indicator of not only how wealthy a city might be, but also how well the trade business was doing. The dedicated city square used for commerce wasn't quite bustling with customers when the pair of travelers arrived, but that could be attributed to arriving shortly after everything had been set up. There were stands for several different wares from something as simple as baked goods to something as elaborate as hand-forged weapons.

Traders advertised where they hailed from with pride using banners to decorate their stalls, some going as far as to decorate their setup with their nation's colors. Among all this, Xayah would occasionally toss a glance toward her partner to gauge his reaction. If he felt overwhelmed or out of his element, he did a great job of concealing it, except for his eyes. She could see them dart back and forth at times, or linger on something or someone a short distance away. Despite missing a small handful of nations, this marketplace was each corner of Runeterra brought together on the smallest of scales.

As far as the search to find something that could help them, well that came with mixed results. The first vendor they visited was a Demacian trader, their stall sported brilliant golds and blues with their main focus on selling armor. They had a few tonics that were infused with different minerals the nation was known for having an abundance of, but none of them matched the purpose they were needed for.

Their walk around the area was prolonged by swaths of people that began to arrive to see what was on sale as the sun broke through the cloud cover above to meet them. None were deterred by the puddles of rainwater left behind from the previous night, nor the growing crowds. To save time, Qrow suggested splitting up to which Xayah hesitantly agreed. She liked being able to keep him in her line of sight, and she wasn't exactly certain he could keep out of trouble. Not only that, but she wasn't winning any popularity contests among the residents of the capital city if the previous night was any indication. She still didn't know how the man that accused her of murder knew that it might've been her, or even who he was for that matter.

Brushing the thought of the stranger possibly noticing her or Qrow among the growing crowd of people aside, she continued her search. Things would've been easier if the layout of the traders didn't change every week, but complaining about it wouldn't help any. The next merchant of note was a Zaun alchemist, his booth looked ratty and run down which made Xayah raise a questioning eyebrow since she knew all traders were provided with brand new equipment. As for the merchant himself, well, his fashion matched the ratty stall. Several different kinds of stains were present on the brown, worn dinner jacket that hung on his shoulders. Soot smeared his left cheek, with his right eye replaced by a robotic one that failed to draw away attention from his balding head.

While the alchemist's wares were certainly much closer to what Xayah was looking for, with different potions and syringes lining the table, she wasn't exactly keen on sticking needles into her body. Not only that, but there was a good chance none of the products had been tested along with all of them being contaminated. Zaun may be as wealthy and technologically advanced as Piltover due to their no holds barred methods of testing, but they still weren't the most trustworthy.

A few more minutes sifting through groups of people ended up fruitless, and eventually the Vastayan reconvened with her companion in front of booth run by a trader from Piltover. Although, that wasn't the first time she had seen Qrow after splitting up. She swore that she caught a glimpse of him at a couple different shops belonging to craftsmen earlier.

"Any luck?" she was the first to ask.

He shook his head no before replying, "This is one of the last ones I have left to check out, there were some promising things that I found that may work, but I don't feel too confident."

They both turned to see an immaculate stand that was a stark contrast to the Zaun booth Xayah had just seen. Everything was so clean that one could practically see their reflection on the wooden countertop. There was an assortment of several different products for sale from jewelry to art to weapons with each kind sitting in an ornate glass case. Everything was organized neatly, and behind it all sat an older man who had probably just reached his sixties. Long wispy gray hair framed his face and he was clean-shaven with a clean gray suit as his main attire.

"What can I do for you two today?" his voice was clear and easy to hear over all of the conversations taking place in their immediate area. The smile on his face seemed genuine as it carried itself into his speech.

Xayah hated everything about him already. She wanted to wipe the smile off of his face and destroy everything he had brought to sell. Hextech crystals were the main component for things created in Piltover, and they were rare to find. She had no doubt that several of them had been harvested from Ionia, even if she couldn't directly prove it without asking. However, this was necessary, and Qrow not knowing what to directly ask for meant that she had to do the talking here.

"Do you have something that can deploy a magical barrier to the wielder?" she forced a cheerful and interested tone as she asked her question.

"Something like an artificial Aura?" the trader asked.

Xayah pretended to think on it for a second, she already had an Aura and that didn't help her in the slightest last time. "No, not really. A barrier that protects more against lets say changes in atmosphere, like if I were to climb a really tall mountain or dive to the bottom of an ocean."

The man's eyes seemed to light up at that, "you're in luck actually! A few weeks ago a colleague of mine finished this piece here which does something to that effect." He then reached into the glass case of jewelry without a moment of hesitation and procured a timepiece with a boxed design to it. Shining a bright gold, there were several interlocking gears of varying colors like bronze and silver that were visible showing how the clock itself worked. However, telling actual time with it was harder than necessary, with the owner of it needing to check the orientation of each gear to understand where hands would be on a normal clock.

In the bottom left corner of the timepiece was a barometer that looked about as elaborate to read as the clock itself, and in the top right was a thermometer that had some sort of blue electric energy within it. When flipped over, a compass could be found pointing north, as was its prerogative.

"What price is your colleague asking for?" it was Qrow who spoke this time.

Xayah already knew Hextech equipment came with a very steep price, she also knew that there was little chance she could actually afford it. She definitely wasn't wealthy, nor did she need to be. If she needed something, she usually took it, or lightened someone else's purse to get what she desired.

"Three-thousand gold," he replied before returning it back to its spot in the jewelry case.

The Vastaya could feel her companion's eyes as he turned to face her with a questioning expression. Her response was to shoot him a death glare silently asking if she looked like she was made of money. Much to her chagrin, she got a nonchalant shrug in return.

"How about a trade?" the huntsman inquired which made Xayah wonder what he could possibly have that this wealthy individual would trade for.

"A trade?" the stall owner asked.

"Yes, an exchange for something of equal or greater value."

"Well, other than gold I don't see what you could possibly have that would make it worthwhile. But I don't see why not."

Qrow nodded before turning toward Xayah once more and whispering, "go get me a training dummy from that woman three stalls over."

She immediately had so many questions, but knew better than to try and figure out his antics by now. So without a second thought she began weaving through people once more before arriving at a different Demacian stall than the first one encountered. The redhead behind the counter was finishing up a sale when Xayah arrived, but she tossed a glance her way to show that she had seen her approach.

Daggers, swords, and shields were on display, and behind the woman sat five training dummies used to test the weapons she sold.

"Hey!" the Demacian called as she made her way across the stall, "I really like your dress!"

Xayah ignored the attempt to open a friendly dialogue and got to the point, "how much for one of those training dummies?"

The redhead seemed to straighten up at the business approach, but her porcelain face continued to be very expressive. She put a finger to her bottom lip before turning around once or twice to look at the product in question, "I'm not sure I can sell you those since they're built specifically to test these swords. I will ask though."

True to her word, the woman called over a man who was probably her superior. He turned to address Xayah directly.

"We can sell one for fifty gold."

That was an amount of money that she did have, but the spirit of the trade within her told her that it wasn't something she was willing to part with. What did Qrow really need it for anyway? It's not like he was going to carry it with him all the way to Remnant. He was already carrying his pack, and there wasn't anything logical he could need it for.

"Well I'm not going to be around for very long anyway, and realistically I don't plan on taking the dummy with me, so how twenty gold to rent it?"

"Rent it?"

"Exactly! I'll give it back to you guys in a condition that's easily repaired after its used and you guys make money and get your dummy back."

The redhead spoke this time, "why don't you just give us one of the feathers from your cloak? If they're Vastayan you know they're worth way more than all five of those dummies combined."

How do I nicely tell someone that I'd rather be skinned alive and impaled by every magical dagger I can create than make that trade. She kept the thought to herself, and made sure her anger toward that suggestion wasn't easily noticed as she glanced at her wing.

"I'd rather not," came Xayah's simple response.


"So you're claiming that this could be an alternative to Hextech crystals?" the vendor from Piltover asked as he held a vial of fire elemental Dust in his hand.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Qrow grinned, "a merchant gave it to me as payment after I successfully defended him from bandits. I didn't believe his claims either, but I gave it a shot and it happened to be the last component I needed for this right here."

The huntsman removed the pack that was hanging on one of his shoulders and he placed it on the ground. He then retrieved his weapon from its place on his back. The silver finish shone brightly in the sun, and its compact form had it at the length of a typical sword. A strange black design ran down the length of the blade, with its significance only known to Qrow himself. To others it might've looked like the eye of a bird at the base before turning into a very sharp point like a beak at the tip of the blade.

"This here is my pride and joy," he continued before commanding his blade to telescope to the full length of a greatsword by way of a small lever near its red hilt.

"You built this yourself?"

"Yup! Blood, sweat, and tears as they say."

The older man looked it over with great scrutiny, even going as far to use a magnifying device to take in every detail. "And what about this system of cogs you have here near the hilt? Don't disappoint me and tell me it's just for show."

Qrow chuckled, "of course not, fashion is part of the product, but I wouldn't go to great lengths to make sure something looked more elaborate than it actually is. This system is exactly what I use that elemental Dust for."

The trader hummed thoughtfully as he inspected the vial again before returning it, "you'll have to forgive me for being skeptical, but if this is truly an alternative to Hextech technology, why hasn't word made it to Piltover yet?"

"For the exact reason you haven't agreed to the trade yet," the huntsman reasoned, "you're too skeptical and not willing to take a chance on it. That's the case for many others as well, not only that, but some people simply don't want to believe it. As an inventor myself I can somewhat relate."

"Imagine if you spent years perfecting your creation, all with specific knowledge about Hextech and then some upstart appears with a component that turns your whole plan on its head. It'd be devastating if you weren't willing to face facts."

"Perhaps you're right," the merchant nodded, "but since you have used it in your sword here, could you demonstrate it?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

As if on cue, Xayah returned with the training dummy Qrow had asked for, but to his surprise, the person holding it was the red-headed weapons vendor he had noticed before.

"Where do you want it?" the Vastayan asked flatly.

Without sparing a second they set up the demonstration, and despite protests from the people around them, they were able to clear enough space just incase something went awry. Their corner of the marketplace fell silent as if some sort of performance was about to start, with onlookers whispering to each other as they tried to figure out what was going on.

Qrow stood a moderate distance away from his target, his face held a serious look as he pointed forward with his weapon. He allowed a few seconds to pass before pressing a lever on his hilt, causing the sound of gears turning to fill the air for a brief moment. The sound was accompanied by the blade angling itself slightly downward at a sharp angle.

A few more seconds passed before he finally pulled the trigger that was hidden on his weapon, causing flaming buckshot to spray forward with deadly acceleration. All of the projectiles connected with the training dummy that was a mix of wood an metal, and it immediately went up in flames. The force from the blow had ripped its arms cleanly off and Qrow could only watch as the burning pieces flew through the air with their trajectory causing them to land on one of the other wooden stalls. With an inevitable fire and the sudden booming report of the huntsman's weapon, the marketplace turned into chaos.

"Xayah!"

"Already on it!" she yelled before using her feathers to pin the Piltover merchant's loose cuffs to the counter of his stall.

Qrow made his way around to the merchant's side of the booth with his sword angled at him. He watched as his partner took the timepiece from its case before recalling her feathers and running toward an exit from the plaza.

"Looks like the deal is made," the huntsman said before sliding the vials of Dust into the trader's shirt pocket and tossing him to the ground. It wasn't a move to put extra salt in the wound, but rather to make it so others didn't think that they were affiliated with each other. He had no intention in possibly making this stranger's day worse than it had to be. Qrow then threw his pack over his shoulder and chased after Xayah with his sword drawn.

Not a second passed before the flaming arms of the training dummy connected with another wooden stall as predicted, and it immediately went up in flames. Guards could be heard barking orders, and neither of the two culprits had plans to be on the receiving end of those commands.

All of the colorful and unique architecture Qrow had taken note of before, now all looked the exact streets that he once regarded as efficient had become a tangled mess as he took one turn after another, and all the while Xayah was getting further and further away. He appreciated his companion's confidence in him, if that's what it was, but this would have a bad end if things didn't change soon. It only took five more civilians that were knocked aside and two more corners before she had vanished from his sight.

Instead of bothering to guess, the huntsman ran into an empty alley before shifting his body into his more inconspicuous form. The familiar transition from his human body to that of a crow only took a few seconds to take place, and he immediately began soaring through the air.

Now with no concern of being caught, he circled back toward the marketplace. He spotted several groups of guards helping people up and rushing off in different directions in attempts to find the two criminals. The trade area itself was nearly empty, and the fire had spread to a few more booths, but it looked like no one was physically hurt. But at the center of the area was a face he was hoping he wouldn't see again after the previous night. Mizuki was delegating tasks to her subordinates with an expression of anger replacing the calmness Qrow had seen when he had spoken with her.

He let out a mental sigh of relief before he headed for the entrance to the large city, the human form of himself would have smiled at the violet and crimson blur that was narrowly avoiding capture.