December 13th
Patch
9:23 PM
"Rae?" Tai said, anxiously watching his wife. "Is he really getting under your skin this much?"
Raven glared. "Why else would I be -"
"Okay, okay," Tai said, putting his hands up. "Raven, look, we can talk about this. We don't have to deal with him right now if you really don't want to."
"I don't want to deal with him period!" Raven exclaimed angrily. "The man is only here to tell us that we have to do something beyond just dangerous for the sake of further a cause that we can't -"
"Raven, we don't know for sure that we can't win," Tai said in an attempt to be reasonable. "Are you sure that you're not just stressed because -"
"This has nothing to do with the baby!" Raven snapped, and Tai took a step back. "Absolutely nothing, and I would have said something if it was -"
"Raven -" Tai started, staring at her in immense concern.
"Did you not hear what I said to him?" Raven demanded. "I told him that I'm completely sick of him, his game, and his manipulation! I want nothing to do with the man -"
"I know," Tai said, sighing. "I know."
"What if he wants something to do with Yang?" Raven asked him quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Tai, if he does anything to hurt our family -"
"Neither of us will let that happen, and I'm sure you'll kill him if he suggests it," Tai said although he knew that he wasn't joking about that last. "Raven nothing is going to happen."
Raven nodded, though she cursed when her scroll went off suddenly. "Damn it, Summer…"
"Uh...Rae, it's not Summer," Tai said, glancing at the ID. "It's Cristal Schnee."
Raven half ripped her scroll off the charging dock as she answered it. "Cristal, I am not in the mood -"
"You're never in the mood for pretty much everything, so calm down," Cristal said. "You think I haven't figured that out already? We're the oddest pair -"
"You make it sound like we're involved," Raven said darkly, and Cristal laughed.
"That would be awful, for so many reasons. No, I meant we're the oddest pair of friends. And not friends with benefits."
Tai gagged. "She knows we're married, right?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "Yes, and, look, Cristal, this really isn't a good time -"
"You know that I'm going to be in Patch in a few days, right?" Cristal said, and Raven groaned. "Since I -"
"Cristal, no one wants to hear about how you're a Schnee and what that means again," Raven said, and the woman laughed.
"Fine, I won't say it," She said. "But are you going to get annoyed if I sort of just show up and crash you and the rest of Team STRQ -"
"If you agree to annoy Summer and Qrow - more so Qrow - I will let you do whatever the hell you want," Raven said. "As long as it doesn't annoy me."
"Yes!" Cristal half shrieked. "Yes! I can finally get away from my hell hole for a few days!"
"...Please watch your language, Cristal," A slightly irritated female voice said from her end of the line. "...Especially since Winter is in the room."
"She's seven, Willow," Cristal argued. "Who cares?"
"...Me," The elder Schnee sister replied. "And you're twenty three years old, Cristal, can you please -"
"Mommy and daddy don't have a problem with how I act," The woman retorted. "And you're thirty five, so why don't you stop telling your baby sister how to act."
"...We haven't seen mother in six years," Willow sharply reminded her. "...And I don't think she wants anything to do with us -"
"Yes, and I'm going to be taking over the Schnee Dust Company," The heiress haughtily replied. "And I'm the younger child, so I'm going to outlive you and, probably the douchebag next to you -"
Raven glanced to Tai as she set her scroll on speaker, fighting back laughter.
"...Cristal Annabelle Schnee!" An older male voice said before breaking off in violent coughs. "...Please do not...c...c...call people out as if you are in grade school."
"...Thank you, Nicholas," Another male voice, though slightly younger said. "...Cristal, must you be so harsh?"
"Must you have been born?" The heiress replied. "Because, and I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Jacques, you and I both know exactly why you married my sister."
"...Love?" Jacques suggested, and Cristal scoffed.
"There are two things that you give a damn about in this world," Cristal told him, even knowing that she was treading a dangerous line. "Money, and power. Now...let us think of something that gives you both of those things...hmmm...it's right there...right on the tip of my tongue…"
"...Winter, dear, please let us finish this conversation alone," Willow said, and the screeching in the background suggested that the girl did as she was told. "...Look, Cristal, you don't have to -"
"Oh!" Cristal exclaimed. "I figured out what gives Jacques both money and power! Marrying into the Schnee family!"
"...Cristal!" Willow screeched. "...How can you -"
"I know I'm right," The heiress retorted. "I am the best!"
"...Nicholas, do you honestly believe that this child is best suited to run your company?" Jacques asked him. "...Don't you think that she's a threat?"
"...Cristal…" Nicholas began, coughing once again. "...Is my daughter...just...just as much as Willow is. But...but...I...I…...I believe she is best suited to...run the company. Who else do you think...do you think could handle it?"
"...I always could," Jacques said. "...If that's what you choose, of course."
A loud crash was heard, followed by more screeching before Cristal spoke again. "You're not even a Schnee! You married into the family -"
"...Cristal, that's enough -" Nicholas started, though he found himself struggling to scold his younger daughter, his favourite child.
"Daddy, you can't honestly believe him -" The heiress shrieked before she cut herself off. "Daddy, don't listen to him, don't do a damn thing he says!"
Heavy footsteps were heard before Tai finally decided to speak. "Enjoyable family reunion?"
Cristal laughed, albeit humourlessly. "Yeah, well, that seems to be what family supper is like most of the time."
"You know, that was vaguely amusing," Tai told her, and the heiress laughed again - this time out of genuine amusement.
"I'm glad someone thinks so," She said. "Because it certainly doesn't make me popular at home."
"Cristal, as much as I like talking to you, Tai and I have something else we need to do," Raven said, and Cristal sighed.
"Okay, we'll talk tomorrow."
The line clicked dead, and Raven steadied herself as she looked back to Tai. "I'm going to go find out what he wants."
"Raven -" Tai started, becoming slightly worried when she picked up her odachi and her mask.
"Tai," Raven said, holding her mask for a moment so that she could kiss him. "I love you, and I swear I'm not going to cause you pain."
"I know you won't," Tai said, embracing her tightly. "And I love you too."
Taking her hand as she placed her mask on her face, Tai tried to calm her as best he could even though he could tell there was a part of her that wanted to let her emotions get the best of her. As they walked down the stairs, he hesitantly wrapped an arm around her waist and, to his relief, she didn't protest and instead leaned lightly into him. Her seven centimetre heeled boots clicking against the floor, Raven attempted to force herself to be as relaxed as possible despite knowing that that wasn't going to last very long no matter what she tried. Focusing herself on her anger towards the dark haired man talking to Summer and Qrow, she forced herself to remember that no matter what he said that her story wasn't based on what he set them towards, and that, for her, none of it was going to ever be over. There was too much damage, too much that had disillusioned her even at only twenty three, that she could never erase. Walking back into the room calmer than when she had left, Raven crossed her arms as she glared at Ozpin even through her mask.
"Well?" She demanded. "What do you want?"
"As I explained to Summer Rose and Qrow," Ozpin said calmly. "It seems that Salem is pushing her influence further in all of the kingdoms...and it also appears that one of the maidens may have taken refuge with your tribe."
"I think I would know if that was the case," Raven said irritably. "And how would you know that?"
"I never said that I know," Ozpin said, remaining calm still. "I said that it appears, and only because of the way, it seemed, that she was targeting the tribe through the Mistrali Council -"
"Everyone knows that the Mistrali Council hates the tribes with reasonable power in Anima," Raven snapped. "Or have you forgotten that to hang from a thread?"
"Raven!" Qrow said, sending his sister a glare. "There's no reason to -"
"On the contrary, there's every reason to be angry," She told him. "Because if Oz thinks that he can just storm in here and say that he wants to fuck with my tribe over the slim possibility of a maiden -"
"What about the good of humanity?" Qrow countered. "Isn't that -"
"And, of course, there's the concern for Summer," Ozpin said. "Since she is at serious risk as a silver eyed warrior."
Summer bit her lip. "I'm not even quite sure what my eyes do, let alone how I would use them"
"That we will work on with time," Ozpin assured her. "It won't hurt you, most likely, and we're not going to let you die. I'm especially sure that Qrow won't allow that -"
"Of course I won't," He said, kissing his wife's cheek. "Sums, you know I'm going to make sure you're safe. I love you too much to risk you."
Summer smiled. "I love you too, Qrow."
"You're not getting to my tribe," Raven sharply informed Ozpin. "And I can assure, you won't get a maiden either, even if she has hidden herself amongst my people."
