December 17th
Patch
6:29 PM

"Cristal," Qrow said, groaning as the Schnee casually sauntered into the house. "You know that I've never liked you, right?"

Cristal smiled as she pulled off her designer sunglasses with a flourish. "Yes, you've made that rather clear the entire time I've known you."

"You're a bitch," He said shamelessly, and she rolled her eyes as she shoved her sunglasses into his hand, followed by her large purse. "Case in point…"

"Take those up to my room and then come back down and get me a drink," She told him. "And be snappy about it. It's not as if I've got all day."

"Listen to me, heiress," Qrow said, shoving her things back into her hands. "I don't know what you're used to back in Atlas, but you better not think we're going to wait on you hand in foot while you're here -"

"I would never suggest that Raven do such a thing, or even Tai," Cristal replied irritably. "Most likely not even Summer. But as for you…"

"Hello, Cristal," Summer said, smiling as she came into the room with her cape trailing behind her. "You look beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you, darling, now please get this man to bring my things up like he's supposed to," Cristal said, angrily gesturing to Qrow and causing Summer to laugh. "What?"

"Qrow, just do what she's telling you to," Summer said, playfully slapping his arm. "It's cute, she thinks that you're a butler -"

"I do not look anything like a butler!" Qrow said, and she laughed more. "Sums -"

"Come on, it will be fun!" She said, wrapping an arm around him. "And, besides, she's a very close friend of Raven's -"

"Yes, and you can tell," Qrow replied, sending Cristal a nasty glare. "Cristal, I ain't going to be taking orders from you -"

"Listen, it's not as if I'm asking you to be my whore," Cristal snapped. "And it's the least that you could do to help me out here and -"

"Cristal!" Summer exclaimed. "You can't call people -"

"Since when are you his bitch?" Cristal asked her, shifting her things to her side and setting a hand on her hip. "Well?"

"Are you drunk?" Summer asked her, irritated by the woman's clear lack of care for her or Qrow. "It's one thing to ask for help, but it's another to start demanding things and to tell people that they're little more than a -"

"No, I am not drunk," Cristal said, her tone becoming sharper with each word she spoke. "Although, with things being like this, I am certainly being pushed in that direction."

"Cristal, I said you could annoy them, not being...well whatever the hell it is you're being," Raven said, coming into the room with her heels clicking. "You sound like you're talking to Jacques."

Cristal rolled her eyes before she saw Tai. "Oh, Tai! Come here and be a darling and bring my things upstairs."

Tai stared at her for a moment, considering screaming though opting to narrow his eyes. "No."

"But -" Cristal protested, relenting only when she saw the look Raven was giving her. "So, what have things been like around here?"

Qrow snatched her things from her and dropped them on the couch about a metre away. "There. That's where you're staying."

Cristal, rather childishly, stuck out her tongue at him. "Oh, lovely."

Raven slapped her. "Now you're just pissing me off."

Cristal grinned. "Glad to see you still have it, Raven."

"Ugh, I'm going to go disappear before the two of them start making love," Qrow muttered to Summer, causing her to turn a bright pink. "I mean, seriously…"

"Qrow!" Summer hissed as he tightly wrapped his arms around her. "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking that, maybe, we could spend some time alone together," He said, smiling suggestively as he paused to kiss her cheek. "Unless you don't want to."

Even though she was blushing furiously, Summer kissed him passionately and dragged him upstairs. "I've never said no, and I'm not going to start now."

Cristal mimed shooting herself to Tai and Raven. "They're ridiculous."

"My life is ridiculous," Raven muttered, crossing her arms. "In ways you can only imagine."

"Oh, really?" Cristal said, dramatically fluffing her already voluminous white curls. "Well, the clearly don't live mine."

"No one wants to live your life," Raven told her, and Cristal considered that for a moment before shrugging.

"I suppose that that's true, considering that not even I want to live the life I do."

"And how would you react if you lost all of your money, jewels, and the like?" Tai asked her, laughing when she gasped in horror.

"Tai, I would rather die than suffer that fate!" She exclaimed. "I just wish there wasn't so much...drama in my family."

"You're still stuck with them either way," Tai told her, and she groaned. "Although, I can't say that I blame you for hating Jacques and all of the bullshit that has been created as a result of his marriage to your sister."

"And that's when you add in the fact that my mother sort of just disappeared six years ago!" Cristal added, huffing. "Ugh, it's completely obnoxious, not to mention the fact that she's probably just been sleeping her way through the world!"

Raven grimaced. "That was not imagery I needed."

"It wasn't imagery I needed either, but I had to hear it either way...so…" Cristal sighed. "Do you know how hard it is being me?"

"Considering that you spent your teen years partying and getting into clubs you most definitely shouldn't have been allowed into…" Raven started, sending her a sharp look. "I would say fairly easy, especially compared to the rest of us."

"For the average woman of affluence -" Cristal started, and Raven cut her off.

"I feel sorry for you when it comes to the difficulties you have with your family," She said. "But I feel no pity for you when it comes to anything else to do with your life."

Cristal pouted before shaking her head. "But Raven, I don't think you understand -"

"I don't want to understand how that odd mind of yours works," Raven said, smacking the back of her head. "But I do want to know if you're going insane."

"I don't think so," Cristal said, rubbing her head despite the fact that her aura had protected her. "I'm not certain, but, if I had to bet, someone would have locked me up in an institution by now if that were case."

Tai smirked as he tightly wrapped an arm around Raven. "Did Raven tell you that we're having a child?"

Cristal raised an eyebrow. "You? A mother of all things?"

Raven glared. "Because you would be much better."

"That is fair," Cristal said, slipping off her heels. "So, when are you due?"

"Late May to early June," Raven told her, and she grinned.

"Ah…"

"What?" Tai said, feeling a bit suspicious. "Cristal, if you try to pull a Rumplestiltskin on us -"

"I don't want the little brat," Cristal said, rolling her eyes. "Who do you think that I am?"

"The kind of woman who doesn't give half a damn about anyone or anything?" Tai suggested, and she clicked her tongue approvingly as she looked to Raven.

"This probably doesn't mean much, but I approve," She said. "He knows his way around words. Hey, speaking of knowing the way around things, does he know his way around a -"

"I am not going to discuss my sex life with you!" Raven exclaimed, recoiling. "That's disgusting, Cristal, even for you -"

"I suppose," She said, glancing around. "I heard that Ozpin was here the other day."

"How did you -" Raven started, and she waved her off dismissively.

"Details, details. Look, I know about the maidens and whatnot just as much as you do and have because my mother was a member of that little group before she disappeared. And, to be honest, I think her fear of Ozpin and what his end game might be fueled that, not anything else."

"Cristal -" Raven groaned, but the woman pressed on.

"I can help you figure out which one of the girls in your tribe is the Spring Maiden," Cristal told her. "And we can keep it a secret from Ozpin."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Is that the real reason you're here?"

"No, but it's a side reason," Cristal admitted. "I'm primarily here because I missed seeing you."

"Oh great…" Raven muttered.

"Raven, you're one of the few females in this world that truly understands me," Cristal said dramatically, clutching her chest. "You complete me, we are like -"

"Cristal, do you need a drink?" Tai asked her, and she paused, looking at him inquisitively.

"Are you offering?"

"Yes," He said. "Just give me a minute."

"I can get it myself," Cristal said, smirking as she meandered into the kitchen and began to pour herself a glass of gin. "Really, I'm not entirely helpless."

"And her borderline unhealthy love for alcohol will be how we'll know she's pregnant," Raven said quietly to Tai, who laughed. "No, I'm serious."

"So, the first time we see her drinking water or superfood juice will be how we'll know?" He asked jokingly, and she nodded.

"I have a feeling it won't let us down," She muttered. "And about that maiden -"

"You should take her powers," Cristal said. "I don't care how, but you'd be a better maiden, no matter who it may be right now."