A week had passed mostly uneventfully bat the Xiao-long household. The only thing of note was Tai teaching Lenore how to use a search engine in an attempt to explain the workings of an internal combustion engine.
Tai saw her as a quiet and thoughtful girl… until something peaked her inexhaustible curiosity. How does the oven heat up, how does the television receive a picture to display, when you close the refrigerator door does the light stay on… but she always seemed to enjoy figuring it out on her own more.
It was a vast improvement over her first day… Tai was certain, this girl belonged here. He had spoken with Ruby about adopting the faunus earlier in the week and, unsurprisingly, she was completely on board.
All that was left was to talk to Lenore. He had a plan laid out. First, he'd remove her bandages this morning and let her stretch and burn some energy. Then, he and Qrow would try to get to the bottom off her semblance?. And finally, ask if she'd like to stay.
No matter her choice, Tai fully planned on supporting her in any way he could. Not because she saved his daughters. Not because she brought his wife back for him to say a proper goodbye. He would be there because this little girl needs someone to truly support her, not just physically, or monetarily, but emotionally.
She struggled to identify even the most obvious of emotional cues, especially her own. She'd instead refer to them as warm or cold. Not the worst description hed ever heard, but it meant that individual feelings would run together. Sad was the same as lonely, happy the same as mad… she could read at a level of kids twice her age, but ask how she felt when she dropped her ice cream… and you'd get a blank stare.
He walks into his youngest daughter's room to the familiar sight of the three children all tucked beneath Lenore's wing. Apparently, Lenore's bedtime stories were enough to put even yang to sleep even though she said she was too old for them. "Rise and shine, it's time to greet the dawn!"
Who am I?
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Lenore, Female Lenore, Age: 7 years, Level 10
Vitality: 48 = [ 1.1 (lv + 2) x Endurance]
Aura= 45 = ½ [ 1 (lv + 2) x Psyche]
Negativity: N/A / 8250
Fighting: 3
Agility: 16
Strength: 3
Endurance: 4
Reason: 12
Intuition: 13
Psyche: 15
Boons
Fatal Feathers, Negative Requiem (Locked), Beowulf in Sheep's Clothing, Of Two Forms, Cosmic Game, Basic Sentience, Third Step on the Never Ending Path, Magpie Nest, Just the Wind and Nothing More, Eagle Eye, Haunted, Identify, Loneliness Broken, Shield of the Soul, Soul Made Flesh, Soul Nourished Body
Boon Points: 10
Titles
Trailblazer of Knowledge, Just the Wind and Nothing More, Haunted, Loneliness Broken, Unique Species, Motion Sickness Master, Bound Soul
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"Hello, dawn." Lenore woke from the slightest provocation. Although completely able to, she didn't get up immediately, instead of staying still until the other two began to stir.
"ghh… five more hours." yang buried her face into her pillow in an attempt to stave off the morning.
Ruby was tossing and turning while muttering strange sounds. Earlier in the week, Yang had explained that Ruby was probably dreaming of being a hero. Just being around the two made her feel warm.
"That's ok. You can stay asleep…" Tai said, louder than he usually would when others are sleeping "c'mon Lenore, let's get those wrappings off…"
"TODAY'S WING DAY!" Ruby was the first moving, already down the stairs before Lenore had even left the bed. She then proceeded to shout back up the stairs "Let's go, turtles!"
"I somewhat understood when she said I was a goose…" Lenore followed at a far more leisurely pace. "...but I am certain I am not a turtle."
"There she is." Qrow was seated on the couch, nonchalantly sipping coffee as Ruby attempted to climb on top of his head. "Excited to get those bandages off?"
"The thought of having my other wing back is warm," Lenore responded, she didn't know it but her face betrayed just how happy she was. "Not having it has been very inconvenient."
"Well let's fix that." Tai came down the stairs, carrying a groggy Yang in his arms. He placed her next to Qrow and got to work unraveling Lenore's wing. He gave the limb a good once over before he stepped back. "Alright, everything looks good. Give them a good stretch, to make sure."
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You have taken near-fatal damage and come out stronger, a new Boon has been constructed.
Boon: Tough Body: Your vitality is increased by 10%. You recover an additional point of Vitality a day.
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"I can't," Lenore said, ignoring the voice.
"What! Does it hurt!?" Ruby hopped off of her uncle and hugged Lenore. "Don't worry, we're all here. You can cry if you want."
"No, I haven't been in pain for several days." Lenore looked down at Ruby and patted her head like Tai had done so many time. It seemed to calm the smaller girl. "There is simply not enough room."
"Let's go then!" Ruby began pulling and before anyone could protest they were outside. "Now try!"
"Alright." Lenore spread both her wings as far as she could.
"Woah…" Yang's gasp captured everyone's reaction. They had never seen her wings fully extend before. Each one was nearly 7 feet of feathers and muscle. "So, how fast can you go with those things."
"I don't know…" Lenore looked at her wings. Despite flying nearly constantly for the two or so years since leaving Salem's Domain… she had never attempted to find her top speed, instead opting for a consistent soaring flight.
"Yang, even if they have wings… bird faunus can't…" Tai was cut off by a rush of wind and dirt as Lenore took to the skies. The two young girls cheered as he and Qrow stood stunned. "Huh… ya know… I think she actually told us she flew here…"
"Yeah… yeah, she did but… did you really expect this." Qrow was just watching as the quiet and reserved girl performed a spinning dive, pulling up so close to the ground that her toes brushed the grass. With one final flip, she landed in front of the family.
"About that fast." Lenore continued her previous thought. "Although if I gained more height I could probably accelerate a great deal more.
"AWESOME!" The chorus of cheers from Ruby and Yang brought a different warm to her… a warm she enjoyed but wanted to stop…
"Can you take ME up!" Ruby was reaching up as if she expected to be lifted.
Tai began to open his mouth but Lenore spoke before him. "Ruby… I have no way to hold you… I can't have you on my back because of the weight on my shoulders… the only way would be for you to hold my feet… but you would most likely not be able to grip and fall… I'm sorry but I refuse."
"But… pah-WEEEEEZE!" Ruby jutted out her bottom lip.
"N…" Lenore was about to respond when a cold feeling spread. As she looks down at little Ruby, it washed over her. It was nearly unbearable, the thought of saying no…
"Stay strong, Lenore!" Tai encouraged "Resist the Puppy Dog Eyes!"
Lenore's defenses were crumbling under the unrestrained adorable assault. She had no immunity to Ruby's sweetness. It wouldn't be long before she caved in. Ruby could help but congratulate herself 'All part of my netary… nefitary… EVIL plan.'
Ruby would have been correct if the image of the child plummeting hundreds of feet to the ground did not enter Lenore's head. If the saying no felt cold, Ruby's death froze her to the bone. She took a breath and spoke a single word. "No."
"Gah!" Ruby fell to the ground grasping her heart. "How can this be! it's not possible!"
"Cill, little sis." Yang rolled her eyes as she lifted her sister onto her shoulders "let's go get a cookie to get you back to full power."
"Yes, this shall not be the last you'll hear of me!" Ruby's voice echoed even as she disappeared into the house. "I shall return!"
"Why wouldn't she return… she lives here?" Lenore tilted her head in confusion.
"Eh, ignore her." Qrow quipped "She's always had a flair for the dramatic."
"Okay, let's head back…" Tai stopped as he saw Lenore unmoving, eyes fixed on the clouds. "Why don't you go tire yourself out, me and Qrow'll wait to talk with you till then.
Without a word, Lenore zoomed high, higher than she had in her little show. She had been stuck for so long, and she wanted nothing more than to fly once again
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Your will to fly truly staggering distances has earned you a new title, Migratory
+1 Agility, +1 Endurance
Migratory: Your agility is doubled when flying for greater than one hour without any major changes to your Altitude or Direction. In addition, you can always determine your compass heading while outside.
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Lenore circled around, flying was wonderful… but why did it feel so cold? She landed on a massive mound of sand. From the sky, she could see a city, some towns, people, Grimm, animal, even the ocean… but on the ground, only sand. Empty, monochrome… she wanted to be warm again.
A week ago, the new landscape would have been fascinating. Every creature, building and plant, something new that she'd never seen. A great deal had changed in such a short time.
Tai had told her 'fly until she tired out'... How long was that supposed to take? She had just flown for three days straight, but no exhaustion took her… she didn't feel fatigue.
Perhaps Tai would forgive her for coming back early…
She returned to the Xiao-long house to find it oddly quiet. Nobody was outside. She touched down outside the front door. She attempted to open it… only to find it locked.
Odd… it's midday. I've only ever seen the door locked at night.
She walked the property keeping her eyes open for anomalies. The vehicle was missing, fresh tire tracks, two sets of footprints, one small, one large… cookie crumbs...
Conclusion, Tai and Ruby left… reason unknown… Hypothesis, Yang is home… commence observation.
She flew to the roof above Yang's bedroom window, spotting a blonde fluff ball sprawled out on the bed. Lenore reached her wind down to the window and gently tapped. No response.
Lenore lowered her body over the edge of the roof, into the young girl's room…
Non-responsive, faint sounds, damp face… tears… Conclusion, yang is hurt… and no one is here to help her...
Her body was moving, she swooped to the back door… locked. Cellar entrance… locked. It took some time before she was able to find a window she could shimmy through without her wings getting stuck. When she arrived at Yang's room, she didn't hesitate to wrap her wings around the girl.
"Lenore!" Yang shouted. She nearly fell off the bed when the feathers surrounded her. "Why are you here!"
"I saw in the window," Lenore answered, waiting for the embrace to be returned... it t wasn't. It was unsettling "I saw you crying… when you cry, this makes you stop."
"HUGS DON'T FIX EVERYTHING!" Yang shouted as she pulled away from the embrace. "Why don't you just go away… it's what you're going to do anyway."
Lenore opened her mouth to respond but the words died on her lips. Looking at Yang, the one who helped her realize how nice the warm was… now made her feel so cold. She was being accused, it made sense to defend herself… but she didn't, couldn't say anything… instead, she just turned and left.
Lenore sat on the couch alone… the cold feeling had yet to leave. She wrapped herself in her wings. everyone said her wings were warm, why weren't they warm had said he'd wait inside. Where was he?
Yang had physically lashed out… last time she had done that, yang had felt threatened… did she feel that way now? Why was this so hard?
She lowered her head, blocking out all the light. She tried to avoid the only answer she could arrive at…
They want me gone…
If that's what they wished, she'd oblige. She gave the room one last look, recalling all of the warm memories it held. The colors seemed dim, almost like looking through a fog. She slowly made her way towards the door… only to be snapped back to reality by a scraping beyond the window, a black shape could be seen.
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Ursa, age 3 years, Level 13
Title: Man-eater
Vitality: 750
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Lenore froze as she watched a claw as large has her head smash through the window. She had to get away, her feathers wouldn't do much against something so large, especially in such a confined space. If she could make it to the back door, she could escape… leaving Yang alone with the beast…
She was stuck between two options… meet her end or, by her inaction, end Yang… She couldn't move, her legs were shaking and her every instinct told her to flee… but she just couldn't. The bear-like Grimm was forcing its way through the window, slowly breaking the wall for additional room. It would not be long before her indecision would become moot.
"Lenore, this way!" Yang shouted as she grabbed Lenore's shoulder and pulled her up the stairs. When the reached the top, she pulled a rope to the attic ladder. Once the opening was revealed, she began pushing the smaller girl up. "You first!"
Once they were both up, she retracted the ladder and flipped a pair of switches on the wall. The first did nothing obvious but the second lit the room. It was stocked with cans of food, water, blankets… everything a human would need to survive for an extended period.
"Dad or Uncle Qrow should be here soon," Yang said as she took a small package from her pocket. She dumped the colorful contents into her palm and held them towards Lenore. "Don't worry, this time big sister's gonna protect you."
"Why…" Lenore's couldn't bring herself to look at the taller girl. "You didn't want me here… I could have lured it away. You didn't need to risk yourself…"
"Listen… I was mad, but that doesn't mean I don't want you here." Yang took a deep breath and popped the candy into her mouth before continuing. "I… when you left… it hurt me. A lot of people left me… it hurt when I thought you were leaving too."
Hurt… she had caused Yang pain… negativity. She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Yang's negativity had drawn the Grimm here. Negativity, Lenore had caused… she had nearly killed them.
Thoughts of the village of Greyfeild filled her mind. The faces of every single person appeared in her mind. She had been uninformed when she had witnessed… caused the destruction and...death. she had believed, with the knowledge she had gained from the slaughter, she would never cause such a horror again. Yet here she was, she had drawn Grimm to the home of Tai, of Ruby, of Yang… had she never left, they wouldn't have been in danger.
She couldn't understand why, but the thought of harm coming to the Xiao-long family filled her with dread. A fear that eclipsed any before.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Yang." Lenore sobbed, she buried her face in her wing. She couldn't bear to see the girl's warm face while she felt so cold. "But I did… and put you in danger…"
"Lenore… I don't think… I've been upset since you left and didn't bring any Grimm… until I yelled at you." Yang gently stroked the smaller girl's hair. Lenore felt a pair of arms wrap her in a hug. "I'm sorry Lenore, what I said… it really hurt you... didn't I?"
"Hurt…" Lenore thought about Yang's words. Was she hurt? She understood that Yang didn't mean physically but… mentally. What did it mean to be hurt… was that the cold she felt? "I… I don't know…"
"You don't need to say anything, I'll be here." Yang pulled Lenore closer. She strained her ears attempting to listen to the chaos down below. "No matter what happens, no matter how mad i get… I'm here for you. It should be over soon, try and get some rest."
Lenore focused on Yang's hands, gently rubbing her back circles. It was slowly causing the cold to fade. The warm was coming back, this was the entire reason she returned. She wondered if Yang was feeling the same warm… She hoped that was the case.
Theys sat silently for quite some time. Yang had nodded off on the smaller girl's shoulder. Lenore was impressed that Yang was capable of relaxing in such a situation. Just below them, imminent death was tearing up her house… the noises had gotten louder again before… silence.
"You alright up there, Firecracker?" Qrow's voice called up from the lower floor, causing Yang to stir.
"All good, Uncle Qrow!" Yang went over to the ladder and lowered it to allow the man to come up. "I suppose those Grimm drills at daycare paid off after all… I probably owe Miss Vinella an apology."
"You don't owe that spinster anything, Firecracker…" his eyes fell on the black shape in the center of the room and his hand reflexively reached for the blade on his back. Right before he was about to leap forward, he made eye contact with it… her. He relaxed slightly and moved towards the small girl.
Cold, like ice, surrounded her body. The look in Qrow's eyes… it wasn't the same as when she had met him before. He was about to… end her.
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You have experienced true danger and helplessness. A new boon has been constructed.
Detect Emotion; Killing Intent: You can immediately detect when creatures with souls are out to kill. The source of such emotions may not be immediately recognizable.
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Qrow… was more than he appeared. He had not only eliminated the man-eating Grimm quickly, based on the sounds from below… but he didn't have a scratch on him. He is certainly more than he lets on
Who are you…
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Qrow Branwen, Male Human, Age 29, Level 35*
Title: Bad Luck Charm
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Branwen!
Lenore pushed herself back against the wall. In that moment, his eyes were similar to her. Eyes of a killer. The murderous feeling had passed but the cold lingered.
"Well, look who the cat dragged in," Qrow approached, she flinched away. "Didn't mean to scare ya. Sorry kid."
"Don't worry, Uncle Qrow is like… supa strong!" Yang flexed as she spoke, her grin stretching across her face. "I knew he'd get rid of that Ursa!"
"On that note, I'm gonna take some pictures of the damage. Your dad and Rubes should be home soon, we should stay on the safe side and have you two wait up here until then…" He patted yang's head and went back down the ladder. "and Lenore, glad your back."
Glad I'm back… then why weren't you here? Could it have been my own misunderstanding?
"See?" Yang jumped over and hugged Lenore once more "Ruby'll be so happy ta see you!"
"Yang…" Lenore enjoyed the warmth...but something was not right. She had hurt Yang and… now things were back to the way things were before? No… something needed to change or this would happen again. She would have to change something. "I value you. I value the relationship I've built with you and the rest of your family…"
"Lenore…" Yang scratched the back of her head. "You use really big words."
"What I mean is… Lenore could find the right words. Her wish is to convey her emotions to Yang, but she doesn't truly understand herself… she could only think of one way.
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Gold Ally Kattz Necklace removed from Magpie Nest: 2/16
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"This… was given to me by the one who helped direct me to Patch…" Lenore held out the small pendant… "I hope to return it to her someday… and thank her... She helped me find my way and find you…"
Yang's eyes were glued to the necklace produced from nowhere. She had tried to find out about Lenore's past over the week they spent together but she always closed off. It was strange hearing her talk about it herself. "It's beautiful."
"It is." Lenore felt warm looking at it once more. Her thoughts wandered briefly to Kali, she wondered if she was doing well… in the past two weeks… it seems as if more has happened than her entire life before. She held the necklace out to Yang. "Would you take care of it for me?"
"But… it seems important to you…" Yang hesitated.
"It is, but you are as well." Lenore reached out, opened Yang's hand and placed the jewelry in it. "I need it back one day… if you have it… you know I'll always need to come back…"
"Lenore…" Yang unclasped the chain and placed it around her own neck. She gently held the small pendant up to the light. She wrapped her arms around Lenore to prevent the smaller girl from seeing her tears. "I don't know what to say…"
"Neither do I… I rarely do." Lenore reciprocated the hug. "I… wished to make you understand… I will never intentionally hurt you or your family ever again… but my words seem… insufficient."
"Don't worry, big sis'll be there for you too." Yang gently stroked the smaller girls hair, hoping to comfort her. "We all will…"
"WHAT! I TOLD YOU SO!" a shrill voice echoed from the downstairs. "I KNEW SHE'D BE BACK!"
Yang couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's antics. She felt Lenore tense in her arms. She was about to say something when a small red blur rushed into the pile, knocking them both flat.
"I knew you'd be back!" Ruby nuzzled up against the soft wing. "I told dad you probably just weren't tired yet, but he wouldn't listen."
"Don't suffocate the poor girl." Tai followed carrying a plastic box.
"Tai, I… am sorry for not following your instruction." Lenor hid her head once again. "However, after four days… I came back… even though I had not become exhausted… but I… wanted to come back… I wanted this…"
"Lenore…" Tai was stunned. She had flown probably several days without rest… because he told her to. "You didn't do anything wrong… I should have been more careful with what I said… I figured you'd be out for an hour or two…"
"I knew you'd be back." Ruby's smiling face filled Lenore with warmth once again. "Ooh! I wanna introduce you."
Ruby rushed over to the container in her father's hand. She opened it and pulled out a small grey and white ball of fluff. The fluff gave off a sharp sound causing Lenore to recoil slightly.
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Zwie, Male Canine, Age: 0 years, Level: 1
Title: Pet
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"Lenore, meet Zwei! Our new puppy!" Ruby cuddled the small dog in her cape, rubbing it against her cheek. "We just picked him up today! Isn't he adorable!"
"He's…" she wasn't sure what to say, an outright rejection would likely cause a cold feeling… but she wasn't sure if it qualified as adorable. But its unwavering stare reminded her… of Ruby… is Ruby adorable? Her looks certainly caused warmth in those who saw her… "yes, quite adorable."
"This is his home now, It can be yours too." Tai placed his hand on Lenore's head. "We'd love to have you but no matter what you decide… you can come to us whenever you need to."
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You have earned a new title. Choose either Found Serenity or To the Black
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Ruby and Yang were talking, but Lenore couldn't focus on it. A… home… she understood that it meant more than just a place to live. She wasn't sure she could remain in one place… but in her short time with the Xiao-longs, she had realized just how alone she had been.
"Listen, there's no pressure to answer now." Tai lifted Ruby into his arms. "Let's have some dinner. If I had to guess, you probably haven't had a good meal since you left."
"Tai…" Lenore reached out and gently tugged on the edge of his shirt. "My time here has been more… warm than any other time in my life. So… if you'd allow it, I would… I'd like to stay…"
Before Tai could respond, Ruby launched herself from his arms landing on top Lenore closely followed by Yang. Tai laughed lightly as he lifted all three into a big hug. "Welcome home."
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You have chosen the title, Found Serenity
+5 Psyche
Boon: Bonds of Serenity: When meaningful bonds are tested and not broken, stat points or boons can be gained.
A Bond has been formed with Ruby Xiao-Long. This bond is yet to be tested.
A Bond has been formed with Taiyang Xiao-Long. This Bond is yet to be tested
A Bond has been formed with Yang Xiao-Long. This bond has been tested and emerged stronger: +1 Endurance.
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Lenore shook her head slightly rubbing her eyes. She hadn't been prepared for a large amount of text blocking her line of sight. Tai looked down at the young child with some confusion. "You alright?"
"Fine." Lenore responded rather matter-of-factly "My vision was filled momentarily with the title and boon description I just gained. I was unprepared for the large amount."
"The… What now?" Tai had no idea what to make of that, but it could wait until after dinner.
"So… it's like a video game?" Qrow asked. He and Tai sat on the half-destroyed couch while Lenore occupied the recliner. Tai rolled his eyes at that comment. "What? Inventory, Levels, Stats and just replace negativity with XP and, Boom, you've got a run of the mill Mistral RPG."
"I don't know what that is…" Lenore cocked her head to the side. Perhaps she'd need to check out these video games.
"Ignore him. So this… ability allows you to see information and gauge the strength of those you look at?" Tai asked earning a nod from the girl. "Is it automatic or is there some kind of trigger?"
"It triggers when I wish to know more about what I'm looking at," Lenore responded. She did not like this line of conversation. She had been carefully testing the limits of the 'system' for years, there would be very little if any new information for her to gain. In addition, she didn't want to accidentally waste her last remaining question.
"So… What's it say about Tai?" Qrow took a swig from his flask.
"Taiyang Xiao-long, Age 29, Level 58. Title: Proud Father and Mighty Sun Dragon. Fighting: 55, Agility: 26, Strength: 62, Endurance: 48, Reason: 12, Intuition: 17, Psyche: 17…" As Lenore looked at the familiar numbers, a strange curiosity gripped her. She spoke before she thought better of it. "...Odd… your level and age are nearly identical to Summers and…" she shivered slightly "...another I've seen in my travels."
This caught the attention of Qrow and Tai. They shared a look before turning back to her. "Lenore… who…"
"I… I don't want to think about… her." Lenore pulled up her legs and wrapped herself in her wings. She fixed her red eyes on Qrow, she had felt… cold around him from the moment she learned his second name.
"Lenore… I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but this is important." Tai walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Was her name… R-raven Branwen?"
Lenore stayed silent and just nodded.
"I'm guessing that's why you've been givin' me the evil eye." Qrow sighed. "Probably hadn't used your little analysis thing on me until after I took down that Ursa."
"So… You've met Raven…" Tai pulled her into a hug. "This may seem like a weird thing to ask, but could you not bring her up around Yang."
"I have no intention of speaking about her any more than I need to." Lenore responded "She... I do not believe myself to be easily scared but, she... fills me with dread."
"Don't worry kid," Qrow laughed a bit "Of all the places in Remnant… this is probably the LAST place she'd show up…" Tai glared at him. "What. It's true."
"He's not wrong." Tai's voice sounded… cold… his fist was shaking slightly. "One last question about her, and I promise I won't bring her up again. Did she… hurt you?"
"No…" Lenore wouldn't look them. She just wanted to stop thinking about… her. When she thought of Raven her mind could help but wander to… her.
"When I say hurt, I don't just mean physically." Tai placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "That cold feeling… that could be you feeling hurt."
"Cold could be hurt…" that did match up with what had happened with Yang. "I saw her… end three people…"
"THAT PSYCHOTIC…" Tai smashed his hand down on the arm of the chair, smashing it to pieces. "How could she do that in front of a KID."
"She didn't know I was there. I was hiding in a tree…" Lenore shook as she remembered the look in Raven's eyes… so similar to… she shook her head in a vain attempt to distract herself from her. "... I don't think she noticed me until right before she vanished…"
"You saw something pretty awful, something… I wish you could have gone your whole life without seeing." Tai lifted her up and carried her to the couch. He placed her down next to Qrow and kneeled down in front of her. "I'm so sorry you had to go through so much alone… but you don't need to be afraid of her anymore. I swear to you."
Lenore didn't respond. She couldn't get… her… out of her thoughts. Her hands running across her wings felt so different than when Yang would do the same. She was shaking, tears running down her face… she felt like her throat was closing.
"Lemore! It's okay" Tai puller her tight up against him, gently rubbing her back. "Raven can't hurt you here."
"Kid, we can't help ya… if you don't tell us what's really wrong." Qrow reached over and patted her head. "And I get the feeling that my sister," this got Lenore's attention. "...ain't it."
"No…" Lenore shook against Tai. "I-i can't… I don't want to think about… her… but when I think of Raven… I can't help it… their eyes… so..."
"Lenore… no matter who it is, I will protect you." Tai smiled "You've seen it, me and Qrow are no slouches when it comes to fighting…"
"NO!" Lenore's eyes went wide. She was terrified of ever seeing… Her again, but the thought of Tai meeting… her was somehow worse. Even though she had no idea how strong she was… Lenore could tell Tai and Qrow would be outmatched ten times over. It would be a massacre.
"So… this person you're afraid of, stronger than me and Tai… together." Qrow narrowed his eyes, the list of people in the world who could take on the two of them at the same time… was extremely short. Lenore nodded without hesitation… that is worrying. "I won't ask the name, you're obviously afraid… but how did you know them?"
"She… she… said she was my mother…" Tai and Qrow froze "I've only met two mothers... Summer and Kali… but I know for a fact… she is no mother…"
"Kid, you're a tough one. You're clever and a whole bunch of other things. Whatever you left behind, that ain't family. But this here…" Qrow gave Tai a light punch in the arm. He glanced at his scroll that had been buzzing from around the time they began speaking about Raven. "This is the real deal. I've gotta jet, the Beacon third years that took the patrol job found some stragglers… geez, when did Patch get this many Grimm. Stay safe tonight."
"You too." Tai reached out his hand and clasped Qrow's. Once Qrow waked out, Tai scooped up Lenore. "Now… those were some pretty heavy conversations, huh?"
"I don't understand…" Lenore shook her head. Tai tensed, worrying what she was about to say. "...concept's aren't affected by gravity, so they cannot have weight."
"Oh boy, you may be really smart," Tai carried her up the stairs. "But you still have a lot to learn."
"We are in agreement." she leaned into Tai, she liked being carried. "I intend to never stop learning."
"That's a fantastic goal." Tai pulled the rope to bring down the ladder to the attic. "Until the wall get's patched, I want you girls to sleep in the panic room. Call me paranoid, but I just want you all to be safe."
"That makes sense, Paranoid," Lenore responded flatly.
"Right, gotta keep it literal…" He brought her over to the sleeping forms of Yang, Ruby, and Zwei. He laid her down next to the children and she draped her wing over the girls.
"Warm." she sighed as Tai draped a blanket over the girl still exposed to the elements.
"That feeling is happiness, Lenore." He bent down and pressed his lips to Ruby's forehead. He followed up by doing the same to Yang. Despite the obvious pattern, she was still surprised when he also performed the act for her. "Goodnight."
"Good work, Oleander." Qrow patted the younger girl on the shoulder. "You and the rest of team Ocean go get some sleep. I'll report to Oz."
"Thank you, sir." She saluted and walked over to the rest of her team.
"Geez, kids these days…" Qrow rolled his eyes once he was sure they were out of sight. He took out his scroll and pressed a single contact. "You were right about the Grimm… It seems like every Grimm on the island converged on Tai's house. It could have gone really bad if you hadn't sent Team Ocean… As a teacher, I'd say they deserve a solid B+. I knocked some points for calling me, sir."
"I'm glad they met your expectations." the voice chuckled slightly. "Do you have a lead on what could have caused it?"
"Yeah… about that." Qrow sighed as he thought back to his newly adopted niece. "You remember the injured faunus girl I mentioned Tai was taking care of… the one with the powerful semblance…"
"I recall." that was Ozpin's only response.
"She came back… I figure she met up with Tai's oldest who said something to really hurt her…" Qrow speculated. "I wouldn't have thought that one little girl couldn't have drawn all those Grimm…"
"But…" Ozpin was being very terse. The spike in Grimm activity was worrying, to say the least.
"I got a few details about her past…" Qrow hesitated "It's not a lot but… long story short, her semblance can determine people's fighting strength…"
"That would explain her trepidation during our brief meeting…" Ozpin muttered.
"Yeah… and she's absolutely terrified of her own mother and when Tai said we'd protect her…" Qrow took a deep breath. "She's convinced we wouldn't stand a chance. Any other kid, I'd say it's just a skewed perspective… but she can crunch the numbers herself. I'm inclined to believe she's right."
The line was quiet but Qrow sill waited for a response. Silence and nothing more.
"So what's the next move." Qrow finally broke the silence.
"Observe. It's too early to for anything to be certain." Ozpin finally broke the silence. "She is still a child, and I trust Tai can care for her. In the future, though… Attempt to direct her towards attending Beacon."
"Shouldn't be too difficult. She's gonna grow up in a hunter family… Yang and Rubes are both already looking at the huntsmen life with stars in their eyes…" Qrow hesitated slightly "Should I try to get a bit more info out of her."
"No," Ozpin responded. "It would be best to wait, for now, allow her the happy childhood she'd been denied until now. It's rare that one gets a second chance like this."
"Alright. I'll keep you in the loop." Her closed his scroll. After a moment he lifted his flask and knocked back the entire thing. "Kid… I'm trusting you… don't make me regret it..."
A/N: Updated 11/19/2017
OH boy this chapter was hard to write, everything after 'HUGS DON't FIX EVERYTHING" was written Tuesday. I'm not sure if everything flowed properly but considering I've been stuck there for almost a week and a half... i'd say it came out passable... BUT on plus side... The next 2 are nearly done.
also trying something new with game text.
I've had a few people ask about a time skip. On the one hand, a time skip gets you to the meat of a story more quickly (more crunch less fluff)... BUT I really like fluff and judging by the responses I've been getting, so do you guys.
So my plan from the start was to make a whole bunch of mini chapters just giving a look into the family life of the now larger Xiao-long family. Right now I've got 2 updates worth of fluff stories (with just enough crunch to make them worth it.) about things like... Lenore tries to learn to tie her shoes or Yang teaches her to fight... Unfortunately... my FAVORITE IDEA... kind of... stunk when i wrote it out... it was Lenore finding 'People Like Grape' soda and making it her favorite soda because... people like it... but she cant stand the taste... but keeps drinking it...
Oh right, OCs not named Lenore will have next to no impact on the story... I just feel like names make them feel more real... descriptions would do even better but... i didn't feel like doing the work... but it's better than them just being black silhouettes.
Skipping over how the characters get where they are, i feel, would make the rest of what i had planned feel... cheap? or not earned? I'm not sure how to put it. At my current pace... I think I'll catch up to the first episode just before Christmas... but i kind of want to take a week or two break before that to build up a bit more of a buffer so i can release regularly... as well as work on a few other stories I'm playing around with (none of them are nearly as planned out as this.) Two indulgent crossovers and a story where a character lives their life again with knowledge of what happens in the future... WAIT DON'T UN FOLLOW YET, I SWEAR THEY ARE BETTER THAN THAN THEY SOUND... maybe... At least the reborn younger one is...
That story, I kinda wanted to do a bit of what id did here... take something that has gotten a bit stale and try something new. Again, we always see Jaune go back to when he's a kid and become a badass... Three things always stick out. 1. Weak Character 2. Tons of unused potential 3. A lot of time. I decided to use NONE of those. Firstly.. Instead of a weak character, I chose arguably one of the strongest cannon character, Pyrrha. Next... may be a bit of a sore spot... I don't think Pyrrha has much untapped potential... She's been training probably her whole life, giving it 100% (or at least 90%) i don't think she COULD train much harder than she already did...Which brings me to the last point... She is sent back to her first on-screen appearance (Right when Jaune talks about an nice, quirky girl) ... she has (i'm kind of guessing the time line a bit.) 8 months to try and change the future... maybe i'll post a bit of it at some point just for feed back.
The other two... no guarantees... on quality or content...
A Thor Crossover... that will either have him arrive not long before the end of V4... OR ... just before the Amber fight and becomes a part time teacher...
(If you have any thought on WHICH i should do... pm me)
And a zyuden sentai kyoryuger (Super Sentai... the thing they use for Power Rangers) crossover where ...Kyoryu Red, Daigo Kiryu (but everyone just calls him king...eventually)... has minimal impact in the actual plot and works for the old man in his noodle shop... seriously... i don't think team RWBY or JNPR even get mentioned by name for the first several chapters... SUN gets more screen time... COCO gets more screen time... FOX gets more lines...
I honestly wouldn't even mention this if i hadn't just read a rather good RWBY/Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger crossover...
