Vengeance Is My Name
Chapter Eleven
Lost In Translation
Ruby's office was being comandeered.
Qrow didn't care, however, seeing as Ruby was still asleep, most likely a result from her heavy drinking the night before.
The thought made him smirk as he shuffled some papers around, taking pleasure in the scent of old papers and the scratchy feel of the rough pages against his fingers.
He'd gotten his hands on a slew of old books from the mass excavation they were doing in the ruins, and they were in surprisingly good shape, despite feeling like they might fall apart at any moment.
Most of the writing, foreign as it may be, was visible. Some parts were smudged, a few pages were missing, but that was to be expected from such old texts.
The drawings, they were immaculate. Each page filled with scribbly text was accompanied by razor straight drawings depicting various parts and pieces to an incredibly complex puzzle that he couldn't pretend to understand.
Yet, here was was making an attempt.
Studious red eyes scanned the pages, loosely at first, to see if any words jumped out at him. A few did, and he mentally noted their meaning. From what he could tell, this was a technical document. Something about... energy?
His eyes narrowed as he wracked his brain, mind working overtime as he sifted through the largely unintelligible text.
No, he was taking it too literally, too much at face value.
What did the words mean?
Not energy...
Perhaps power? But in what context? Fighting, maybe?
No, that didn't make sense in the context of the document either. Qrow chewed on his bottom lip as he eyed the semi-familiar writing, something in his mind telling him he had seen it before.
Power... ? No... fuel!
Qrow grunted in affirmation as he pulled another blank page toward himself, picking up a quill and dipping it before setting about meticulously copying the foreign writing. Beside it, he wrote his interpretation of it - fuel - before writing down the page and paragraph number he'd found it on, for later reference.
So, at least one part of this page was talking about fuel, perhaps to power the machines of the past.
It was a start, at any rate, Qrow thought, no matter how slow of a start it may be.
Sighing to himself, Qrow wrote another small description on his page of notes, writing down any pertinent thoughts before he forgot them.
Truthfully, he was never too pleased to be on translation duty. He much rather preferred the exploration and discovery of the ancient artifacts, leaving the translation and other boring tasks to those of older age who no longer desired the hardships of adventure, instead preferring the comfort of a warm fire and the quiet that accompanied a thinking mind.
But he couldn't deny that he was good at it. Perhaps that was why, more often than not, he was asked to assist with it instead of touring the lands as he preferred.
His eyes landed upon what appeared to be two words, in slightly larger font, what he would equate to being written in all capital letters. It was clearly important, and was littered throughout the pages of the text, clearly referencing the topic of the book.
What it meant, he wasn't quite sure, but he knew a few people who could assist him if he couldn't figure it out.
A soft tapping at the door broke his concentration, and he looked up to see who could possibly disturbing him this early in the morning.
"Come in." His voice was low, still rough from the night before.
The door opened, and Winter stepped inside, glancing at Qrow for a brief moment before turning to close the door behind herself. Moving gracefully over to the chair across from him, she sat down, levelling her pale blue eyes at him.
"Still wasting time on your fairytales?" She asked, by way of greeting.
"Oh, that's what we're doing this morning, throwing insults? I take it last night didn't go so well with my neice."
Winter scowled, an expression she normally wouldn't dare direct Qrow's way if Ruby were present.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that, but last night went perfectly well enough. I got her safely to her room, made sure she drank water, and bid her a swift goodnight."
Qrow hummed quietly, shrugging.
"Not what I expected, but hey, what do I know." Changing the subject before Winter could make a snide remark, he tapped a finger upon the pages in front of him.
"Since you asked, yes, I'm still 'wasting time' on these fairytales."
Winter scoffed, eyes falling to the pages with mild disdain.
"What a silly endeavour."
Qrow placed a hand protectively upon the pages, as if to shield them from Winter's icy glare.
"Hey, need I remind you, Snowflake, who asked me to translate all of this."
Winter sharply tossed her head back, flicking an errant strand of hair from her face.
"Oh, I'm well aware of father's foolishness on the matter. How he chooses to spend his money, however, is no concern of mine. It's why I left the family to begin with."
Qrow's gaze fell to the pages before him, idly scanning them once more.
"Really? Are you sure it wasn't because you have a crush on Ruby?"
"My personal opinion of your neice has no bearing on the situation. Frankly, the only time I spend thinking of Ruby is wondering how the charming young girl could possibly be related to such an arrogant buffoon."
Qrow laughed at that, leaning back in his seat as he stretched, his actions oddly reminiscent of Ruby's own behaviour.
"You should really be nicer when speaking to a member of the Royal Historical Society of Aster."
Winter waved a hand dismissively.
"That's a pompous title that serves no purpose other than to artificially inflate your already too large ego."
Qrow shrugged, taking no offense at the light-hearted jab.
"I know why you're here." He said quietly.
Winter raised an eyebrow, tilting her head ever so slightly.
"You think so?"
Qrow nodded. "It's plain to see. You want to talk me out of taking Ruby to the ruins to look at the weapon made of star-stuff."
Winter nodded. "So your head isn't totally full of useless junk. You still possess a shred of common sense."
Qrow held up a hand, giving her pause. "I didn't say I would agree to it. I just know what it is that you want from me."
"Why not?"
Qrow gestured around Ruby's office.
"I see everything she's created here. It's clear that she is no child anymore. So I refuse to let you treat her like one. Would it be more sensible for her to stay here and manage the things she's needed to manage? Absolutely. I agree with you that it's the smarter course of action. But she's not a kid anymore. We can't tell her what to do. She has to make her choices and do what she wants, and learn to accept the consequences of those choices."
Winter shook her head. "I agree, Qrow, but this isn't about me treating Ruby like a child. You're aware of my position here in the Rose Army- Ruby literally hired me as a mentor. She pays me to steer her away from bad decisions, no matter how much she might not like it. To ask me to allow her to make this decision on her own is asking me to forsake the job I promised her I would do."
Qrow exhaled quietly, staring at Winter.
Winter stared back, unblinking.
"Perhaps we can reach an agreement." Qrow spoke after a moment.
"How so?"
"Advise her. Advise her of the consequences of her decisions, and make sure she's fully informed. After that, let her make her own choice. I know you'll support her no matter what she does."
Winter paused a moment, thinking about it.
"You only say that because you know what choice she's going to make. She's an adventurer, much like her uncle."
Qrow smirked, shrugging.
"Maybe so." He agreed. "But, we'll leave that up to Ruby."
Winter frowned lightly, not liking the deal, but seeing the sense in it.
"Fine. I suppose it does make sense."
Qrow gestured to his books.
"Glad you agree. Now, if you'll excuse yourself, I have work to do. Perhaps you can go bother Ruby, or something."
Winter heaved a sigh of exasperation.
"Fine. Enjoy your nonsense. I've got actual work to do."
With that, Winter took her leave, shutting the door behind her before stalking down the hallway.
Surely this adventure would end up being naught but a waste of time...
... right?
"How are you feeling this morning, Miss Nikos?"
Pyrrha glanced up at the nurse who had wandered into her room.
"Ah, feeling much better. It wasn't as serious as assumed, I'd say."
The nurse nodded, stepping in close to visually inspect Pyrrha. Pyrrha sat still as the nurse peered into first one eye, then the other. Deeming herself satisfied after a moment, the nurse stepped away.
"Well, if you're feeling up to it, you can leave, but if you have any pain or headaches or trouble focusing or concentrating, come see us okay?"
Pyrrha nodded, throwing back the thin sheet that had been covering her waist.
"Understood, thank you." Pyrrha spoke as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed.
Standing up, she took a moment to stretch as blood rushed to her head, making it pound for a moment before it subsided.
"How is Jaune doing?" Pyrrha moved on to the more important question, as she slowly stretched her limbs.
The nurse puttered around the room, tidying things up in preparation for another patient.
"Jaune is stable... but that's about it. Still unconscious, and still needs quite a bit of rest and recovery. It will be a while before that boy picks up a sword again."
Pyrrha's fingers tightened into fists at her side, but she kept her calm and managed to smile politely.
"Thank you. Is it okay if I go see him later?"
"That shouldn't be a problem, dear."
Pyrrha thanked her, then stepped out of the room.
She was hungry, she realized, her stomach twinging uncomfortably as she wound her way through the hallways of their on-base hospital. So her first order of business would be to get food, and over breakfast, she would plan out her next course of action. Her feet carried her absent-mindedly toward the cafeteria as her mind filled with thoughts of Jaune.
Those two were cowards, no two ways about it, she thought. Jaune and her had approached them with every intention of dealing with them honorably, and the blonde had resorted to guerilla tactics while the half demon had inflicted a serious, debilitating wound that was unlikely to completely heal for a long, long time, if at all.
Pyrrha barely noticed when she was handed a tray of food, and she sat at the nearest empty seat, eating mechanically as her mind was lost amongst her thoughts.
The Rose Commander had ordered them detained, returned to base if possible to be interrogated. However, she was allowed to kill them if necessary.
There was no question, now. Capture was off the table.
Pyrrha would go see the Rose Commander this morning. She would request a meeting with the informant, and see where their last known position was. She would prepare herself for travel, and she would leave in the morning, track them down, and end their lives.
Her fork scraped against an empty plate, and she blinked as she was pulled from her thoughts. She glanced down at her plate, and sighed quietly.
She didn't even remember tasting it.
Pushing herself up from the table with a feeling of malcontent settling in the pits of her stomach, she set out in the direction of the Rose Commander's office.
The sooner she dealt with this inconvenience, the better.
It was short time later when she found herself in front of Ruby's personal room. She'd first gone to her office, but a scruffy looking old man there had told her that Ruby was taking it easy today, and to go check her room. He'd informed her that if she found Winter, she would find Ruby as well.
Pyrrha had initially been hesitant to bother Ruby at her room, but the man had assured her that Ruby would be pleased to see her up and moving, so with minor trepidation, she'd set out toward the Rose Commander's room.
Raising her hand to knock, she was about to put fist to door when a sharp voice behind her halted her movements.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Pyrrha paused, then lowered her hand, turning to see Winter standing behind her, hands on her hips as she inspected Pyrrha closely.
"Oh! Winter. How are you?"
"I'm well." Winter spoke shortly. Her piercing gaze looked Pyrrha up and down, and Pyrrha shifted uncomfortably beneath the mysterious woman's glare.
"I see you're doing better after your scuffle with the targets."
Pyrrha nodded stiffly. She was never sure just what sort of rank Winter carried. Technically, it was none at all, what with Pyrrha being Ruby's first recruit, and her second in command, but Winter had a frosty, no-nonsense deposition that quickly helped her assert herself as close to the top of the food chain as possible.
The rumors of her relationship with Ruby certainly didn't help matters any, and Pyrrha was hesitant to offend someone so close to Ruby, despite the fact that Pyrrha was, as Ruby had put it, 'extremely loyal and utterly irreplaceable.'
"I am."
"And what of your partner, Jaune?"
Pyrrha paused a moment, licking her lip as she considered her answer.
"He'll... recover."
Winter nodded. "I see. What brings you to Ruby's room?"
Pyrrha gestured to the closed door behind her.
"I had some questions for the Rose Commander." Pyrrha placed a subtle emphasis on 'Rose Commander', daring Winter to address their leader with the respect she deserved. The first name basis Winter used with Ruby was inappropriate and not at all respectful, in Pyrrha's opinion.
"She wasn't in her office, but a man there told me I could find her in her room. He assured me that she wouldn't be bothered by my arrival."
Winter nodded.
"I know she's been looking forward to your recovery. That man, by the way, is her uncle. Not many have the chance to meet him, seeing as he's usually galivanting off on some bizarre mission, else buried beneath a pile of books."
"Uncle?" Pyrrha parroted. "Is that the Qrow she mentions every once in a while?"
Winter stepped up to the door, inserting her key and twisting it.
"The one and the same." She confirmed. "If you'll excuse me, I'll let Ruby know you're here."
Without waiting for an answer, Winter pushed open the door and stepped inside, shutting it swiftly after her, leaving Pyrrha outside to wait.
Winter moved through the darkened room with ease, familiar with the layout despite the fact that her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness.
Moving over to the bed, she gently lowered herself onto it, careful not to rock it too much in case Ruby was feeling sick.
"Ruby, are you awake?" Winter's voice was low, quiet in the darkness.
Ruby, however, heard her, and grunted an approximation of a response.
Winter smirked, then reached out and touched Ruby's shoulder.
"Pyrrha is here to see you."
Ruby groaned a bit louder this time, then, when it was obvious that Winter wasn't going to go away, she sighed in resignation and pushed back the blankets covering her body.
"I knew one day I'd regret giving you a key to my room." Ruby grumbled, her voice weak with sleep.
Winter shrugged unapologetically.
"The fine commander cannot sleep in all day, you know."
"Yeah, yeah... "
Ruby shooed Winter away, and Winter obliged, getting up and moving out of the way as Ruby sat up. Pushing herself off the bed and to her feet, she barely registered Winter's staring as she moved toward the door.
Winter almost regretted not staying a bit longer last night she thought, as she stared unabashedly at Ruby in the low light of the darkened room.
Devoid of any clothing save for a pair of revealing underwear and an open shirt that was dangerously close to covering nothing at all, Ruby was tall, hot, and quite a hazard to Winter's health.
"How- " Winter paused, gathering her thoughts. After a second, she tried again. "How are you feeling?"
Ruby yawned as she stretched, reaching up to run her fingers through her long, unbound hair. Unaware of Winter's distraught gaze, she stretched her arms out wide, her open shirt pulling away to nearly reveal her bare breasts.
"A bit thirsty." Ruby muttered, relaxing. "Damn that Qrow and his terrible ideas."
Ruby reached up to fasten a few buttons in front of her breasts, pulling the fabric tightly across them and doing little to hide their shape and size from the imagination. Winter let her eyes fall to Ruby's flat stomach, too dark to make out the definition of her abs that Winter nonetheless knew were there.
"What does Pyrrha want?" Ruby asked, quickly followed by, "How is she doing?"
Winter gestured to the door. "You'll find out when you ask her. Although I suggest you put on some pants first."
Ruby glanced down at her lower half, then shrugged.
"It's just Pyrrha." She mumbled, although Winter was pleased to see that she complied, moving over to the large closet that adorned the left wall.
Ruby grabbed the first pair of pants she could find, slipping them on to appease Winter before approaching the door.
Pulling the door open, Ruby was instantly assaulted by bright light, and she winced even as Pyrrha grinned at her in greeting.
"Hello Commander!"
Ruby lazily waved.
"How're you doing, Pyrrha? Wanna come in?"
"I'm well, thank you." Pyrrha waved off the request. "I don't want to take up too much of your time- I merely had a few questions."
"Fire away."
"Do you think you could get Emerald to meet me at the bar later tonight? I need an update on those two- their location, current condition, and any other pertinent information."
Ruby nodded, leaning up against the door frame and using her left foot to rub at the back of her right calf.
"Yeah, I can put the word through. What's your plan?"
Pyrrha lowered her head a bit.
"With your permission, I'd like to set out tomorrow at first light to put an end to this."
Ruby exhaled slowly, pushing her hip out.
Behind her, Winter forced herself to look anywhere but at Ruby, utterly convinced that the girl was doing what she did on purpose. Still, she kept her ears on the conversation.
"Granted. Anything or anyone you need, you take."
"Thank you." Pyrrha bowed slightly, and Ruby waved her off.
"I look forward to your safe return. Keep me updated. Is there anything else you need?"
Pyrrha shook her head, and Ruby nodded.
"Okay. Return with haste. There is much to do in the coming days, and your fighting skills will be sorely needed."
With that, Ruby bid her goodbye, before closing the door. Turning around, she leaned against it and sighed, rolling her head to the side to look at Winter.
"Can I go back to bed?"
Winter shook her head.
"Get yourself presentable, we have a busy day ahead of us."
"What's going on?"
Winter gestured in the general direction of Ruby's office.
"There's much to talk about with your uncle."
Ruby nodded, reaching up to unbutton her shirt. Ignoring the fact that Winter was mere feet from her, she pulled it off and threw it onto her bed.
"I'll bathe, and meet you down there." Ruby enjoyed watching Winter squirm, her eyes pointedly looking around the room at anything and anywhere that wasn't Ruby Rose.
"Unless you wanted to help...?" Ruby left the sentence hanging, her hands falling to the pants she had hastily thrown on.
WInter glanced up at the ceiling, clearing her throat.
"N-no, you're capable of washing yourself. I'll meet you in your office."
With that, Winter made the swiftest exit Ruby could remember seeing.
Author's note: Bit of a slow one this week, but here we find out that there's more going on than just a rescue mission for Blake's beloved Weiss. Next chapter we will get back to Blake and Yang, and see what their next move is.