The next few days passed in relative silence for Qrow. He'd talked to Roman and Junior long enough to make sure that they both knew that they were being talked about the news, only to be reassured that everything was going to be ok. Apparently, this was just how things tended to happen.
No matter what Qrow said or who he talked to, everyone else insisted that everything was alright.
In the end, Qrow had decided against calling James and telling him what was going on. James probably wouldn't have wanted to talk to him about work at this point anyways.
Qrow couldn't exactly blame the guy.
On Thursday night, Junior had asked him to come to a club on the shadier side of the city, and so now, Qrow was riding with Taiyang into Atlas, watching the buildings pass by and listening to Taiyang sing along to the music on the radio like there was nobody there to listen. It left Qrow wishing that he wasn't there to listen himself.
He rubbed at his eyes, and checked his phone to make sure that he was going to be on time for whatever it was that Junior wanted to do with him that night. He'd been given the instructions to wear black when he'd last talked to the man.
Qrow had at least managed to get that right. He partially suspected that would be all he managed to get right that night.
Taiyang pulled up in front of the building that had to be the nightclub, with its moon-like front door and loud music, and the way that color changing lights could be seen from the street, albeit dimly.
The sight of a motorcycle in the parking lot made Qrow flinch.
"Qrow?"
He looked back at Taiyang and unbuckled his seat belt, ready to get out of the car as soon as Taiyang rolled them to a stop. "I'll be fine, Tai." Qrow reassured the other man, flashing him a weak smile and feeling like he'd probably gone pale when he'd seen the motorcycle. "I'll call you after work, ok?"
"Be good, Qrow." Taiyang sighed, watching as Qrow got out. "I'll see you in the morning."
"You aren't my mom." Qrow chuckled, looking at the bar, then back to Taiyang. "Don't worry about me."
Taiyang nodded, pulling away from the curb and leaving Qrow there, alone.
Qrow inhaled deeply and steeled himself for whatever he would face inside. He let out the breath and began heading towards the bar, tugging down on the bottom of his shirt on the way in. He reached the door, pulled it open, and realized that he was, on some level, terrified of what he was going to face.
The nightclub was massive, with people that were similarly uniformed to how he was walking about, many wearing identical pairs of red lensed sunglasses. Qrow shoved his hands deep into his pockets and took the chance to scan the room, looking for the mountain of a man that had invited him here.
His eyes fell on the bar, where he saw Junior, standing behind the bar and cleaning a glass, looking like he was highly concentrated on the task at hand.
Ok, Qrow thought. Time to go.
He approached the bar slowly, and seated himself at one of the stools there as he normally would have if he were looking for a drink. Almost perfectly on cue, Junior looked up, seeing him. "Qrow." He greeted him. "You made it."
"Yeah," Qrow answered, crossing his arms on the bar counter in front of him. "It wasn't a problem."
"And you even wore black." Junior sounded pleased, now hanging up the cleaned glass on a rack behind him. "Come around to the side of the counter and we'll get you back here."
"Is there supposed to be any business tonight?" Qrow asked, looking out at the nightclub which, aside from its employees, looked like it was almost completely empty. "Because if this is supposed to be my training, I don't want to get completely slammed when I'm supposed to be learning."
Junior chucked, it was a warm, low sound that Qrow was sure he'd only heard the man use around Roman. "No, we shouldn't be getting too busy tonight." Junior clarified. "And if it does, I have another bartender on duty to make sure that the bar's manned properly." Junior frowned for a moment, looking around the room, probably searching for that second bartender and not finding them. "She's probably in the bathroom."
"Right." Qrow said, frowning for a moment as he slid down off of his bar stool and walked around the side of the counter until he found the space where there was a break. He slid between the break in the counter, and was immediately given an apron to put on.
"You'll want it."
"Right." Qrow took it, wrapped the apron around himself, and tied it in the back behind him, before checking that it was secure. "So, when do we start?"
"Whenever Raven shows up." Junior answered, bored.
Qrow felt his entire body go rigid at those words. Raven was definitely here then, that was concerning enough on its own. The fact that tonight when he was around her he was going to be absolutely surrounded by alcohol made Qrow feel even worse. This was very, very bad.
Raven almost always made him feel like he needed a drink. Or several. Usually he wanted enough to end up comatose.
Junior turned to the wall behind them, looking for something for a moment, and then Qrow realized that the much larger man was pulling down bottles for them to use while Qrow was trained, and also selecting a couple glasses to use.
Shit, so he actually was going to be learning how to mix drinks then.
Maybe asking Junior about more permanent solutions for work didn't seem like the worst idea, Qrow thought. If he was going to be getting the proper training for working at a bar, then maybe it would give him a leg up.
At the worst, he could add this to his resume.
There was a door on the far side of the bar that opened, and Qrow looked up, watching as a familiar figure left it, crossing the nightclub to man the bar.
Raven Branwen always looked good in black, Qrow thought. He wondered for a long moment if Junior had known that he and Raven were twins when he'd gone ahead and hired the woman. He wondered if Junior even knew that they were siblings.
As she approached the bar, Raven stopped dead in her tracks, and that was when Qrow knew that she'd seen him. "Qrow." She smiled and slipped behind the bar to immediately step up into Qrow's face to wrap her arms around him. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm training him tonight." Junior interrupted as Qrow hugged Raven back. "You need to man the bar."
Qrow stepped away finally. "What the big guy said. Can we talk later?"
"Sure thing." Raven's crimson eyes flicked over to Junior now. "I'll take care of the bar, Teddy. Be good to my baby brother."
"Right." Junior answered, looking down at Qrow, then going to a small door behind the bar, near where he and Qrow were standing. "If you need us, we'll be in the supply room."
"Got it." Raven said, pushing her hair up into her long black ponytail, and for a moment Qrow could have sworn that he'd seen her move to unbutton her shirt a bit, and oh how he was unsure about her doing that.
He followed Junior back into a room where there was little in the way of actual furniture. Most of the room was nothing but a few fridges, a trash can in the corner and a pile of boxes that looked like they'd once carried bottles of liquor.
However, by the door, there was a pair of chairs, and a small table below a bulletin board that looked like it held the schedule for everyone who worked there.
Junior began setting things down on the table, and for the first time, it actually registered to Qrow that Junior wasn't just a criminal or a father to some kids that he'd never seen- Junior was a legitimate business owner, and seemed to take it seriously.
It just left him wondering what stake he had in crime. Why would someone with a life like his want to do what he did?
"Make yourself comfortable." Junior said, keeping his voice low as he reached into his pocket and also put his phone on the table, presumably so that he could pick up in case Roman called needing him to get something for the girls. "This is going to take a few minutes."
Qrow nodded and sank down into his seat. He crossed one leg over the other and just let his eyes wander around the room. He wanted to ask about Raven, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to make her a distraction or risk her losing money on her next paycheck.
His eyes strayed back up to the bulletin board, where Raven's schedule was posted clear as day, full name noted.
Junior definitely knew.
Hell, Junior had probably even made sure that Qrow would be the bartender on this next job instead of someone else for that reason. Qrow wondered silently how much pull Junior actually had, wondered how many things had happened explicitly because Junior had requested them that way.
For a moment, Qrow realized that he didn't have any idea of what the actual power dynamics among their little group looked like at all. It was a little bit disconcerting, but Qrow did his best to ignore the thoughts about it. Tried to act like he was probably one of the absolute least powerful among them, aside from Winter, in all likelihood. And even then he still felt like he was less than her.
So Qrow waited, he watched as Junior would walk through that little door that led out to the bar over and over again, each time coming back with more supplies that felt like they would be a bit more than out of the ordinary.
Qrow wondered whether they'd bothered to get a copy of what the menu was going to look like at the job, whether what he was being given was going to be enough to make him good at his job. Or at least, good enough at his job to pass as someone that knew what they were doing.
It all felt like it was stuck up in the air.
Junior seated himself in a chair across from Qrow. He looked awkward in the too-small seat as he leaned forward towards the table, leaving some space between his seat and the table. Even then, he still had to hunch over some to be at the proper level. Junior sighed and pushed a bottle and an empty glass to Qrow. Qrow looked at the bottle, the glass, then at Junior directly. He raised an eyebrow as he tried to piece together what exactly Junior was going to be asking for him to do.
There was no way that he was just learning to pour shots.
This was a test.
It had to be.
Qrow leaned forward, took the glass in his right hand, only to be stopped by Junior holding his hand over the glass. "No fingers." Junior said, handing down the command nonchalantly. "I want to know if you can count." Junior pulled his hand away, once again exposing the glass for pouring. "I want you to pour me an ounce."
With a nod, Qrow picked up a bottle, which looked like an empty bottle of whiskey that Junior had filled with water at some point, presumably so that he didn't end up wasting money trying to teach. Qrow turned the bottle and poured it until he saw what looked like an ounce to him based on how many times he'd seen people pour him drinks in the past.
Junior picked the glass up once it was done, frowned, and drank the water before setting the glass back down. "So, you don't know how to count." Junior sounded like he was impossibly patient. "That's alright. Do it again, but this time, I want for you to count for three seconds before putting the bottle back down. If that doesn't work, I'll give you a jigger to work with. But you need to at the very least be able to fake that you know what you're doing."
Qrow took the glass again and set it down in front of him and stood up, deciding that maybe he'd have better luck with this if he wasn't sitting down. He turned the bottle, slowly counting it out as the water filled the glass. When he stopped, he gently set the glass down in front of Junior for evaluation.
The giant man picked up the glass and held it up to his eye, like he would be able to identify the exact amount of liquid in the glass simply by looking at it. Maybe he could, Qrow thought, if the guy had been in this business long enough, he probably knew better than Qrow.
Qrow mostly went to bars looking for the quickest fix, not bar tending finesse.
Junior set the glass down, deciding that this time around he didn't want to go ahead and drain the glass. "You did it." Junior said, almost sounding like he was proud of Qrow. "So, basically, any time you need to mix, you're going to need to know how to keep track of the amounts that you're pouring. If it takes three seconds to pour an ounce from any bottle like this-"
Junior picked up the bottle and held it up in Qrow's line of sight. Junior gestured towards the top, which had a spout of sorts attached to it, "-which most bars will have, you'll just need to add and subtract time as you go." Junior set the bottle back down. "After that, what you'll need to know is your ingredients list."
"So?"
"You'll have to learn what the drinks on the menu are, and how to make them." Junior explained. "Some things require different presentation, and at something like this job we're going to be at, you're probably going to need to know how to make things look very good."
Junior picked up a metal shaker and slid it over to Qrow for the other man to use. "You're also probably going to need to know how to use one of these. Any idea how it works?"
Qrow looked at the shaker, then back up at Junior and raised an eyebrow. "You just pour the stuff in with some ice and shake it, right?"
"More or less." Junior answered with a chuckle. "Though there's a little more to it than that."
"What do you mean?"
"If you do it wrong you'll end up covered in liquor, for one." Junior explained. "And I don't think I need to tell you why you don't want that."
Qrow blinked and looked down at the metal shaker before reaching out to pick it up. It had to be steel, was his first thought as he turned it over in his hands. He frowned, then looked up at Junior, trying to figure out whether something was missing. "Junior?"
"That's a simple one." Junior explained. "You just attach it to the glass and shake it, just be careful to keep the tension. When you need to strain you just need to break the seal between the glass and the shaker, then you can strain into a glass through the hole in that seal. Some things have metal strainers, but this is all you'll ever need if you're worth any salt."
Qrow nodded. He set the shaker down in front of him, then looked up at Junior. "So what do you want for me to do?"
"I want for you-" Junior paused for a moment, looking at the ingredients that covered the table between them. He picked up two bottles, swirling the first of them in his hand and looking into the depths, like he was checking for something inside. Junior set the bottles down in front of Qrow, then leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other and making himself as comfortable as he could be. "I want for you to make me a cocktail, using what's in those. You're going to want and ounce of each to make it any good."
"Do you want ice in that?"
Junior hummed, letting his eyes slip shut for just a moment as he thought about Qrow's question. "I'm going to say that you should shake it without ice, Qrow. If you shake with the ice, you'll end up diluting your mix."
Qrow nodded and picked up the two bottles, pouring one after the other and being careful not to lose track of how much he was pouring into the metal shaker. He furrowed his brow, and did his best to block out the noise and the distractions that were around him, instead only focusing on the bottle, the shaker, and the glass. He didn't even think about Junior for that moment.
This was between him and the liquor.
With a clean motion, Qrow picked up an empty mixing glass and shoved it into the gap on top of the steel mixer, trying hard to make sure that the seal was solid. He picked it up, unsure about how secure it was. He looked over at Junior, hoping that he'd get some instruction, but didn't get much. He lifted the two glasses, careful to keep one hand on each and began to shake them together vigorously, hearing the way that the liquids inside sloshed around and mixed.
When the seal didn't break during the mixing, it was a relief. He looked at Junior, realizing that there was probably a specific length of time that he was supposed to mix the drinks. He decided to stop after ten seconds or so before breaking the seal and pouring the results into an empty glass that Junior had slid his way.
He looked at the drink, seeing how it was all transparent, and frowned before sliding the glass over to Junior for tasting. The man picked it up, holding the glass aloft in Qrow's direction for just a second before tasting it. Junior set the glass down on the table between them, then looked up at Qrow. His expression was unreadable, Qrow realized.
Finally, Junior spoke.
"You did well." He said, looking away and draining the glass. "The ratios don't seem to be too far off. Are you sure you don't know anything about mixing drinks?"
Qrow shrugged, knowing full well that he didn't have any sort of good answer to Junior's question. He might have learned how to do the absolute basics of eyeballing and the general act of pouring liquor into cups back when Tai, Summer, and Raven had been in university, but never anything beyond that.
"Does college count?"
That comment won a reaction out of Junior that almost sounded like a laugh. "Does college count?" Junior chuckled, as though it was somehow the funniest thing that he'd ever heard over the course of his life. "No, college doesn't count." Junior clarified with a low sigh. "Well, you're doing great."
"Thanks." Qrow said, looking down at the bottles and glasses on the table in front of them. "So, Junior, I wanted to ask you about something."
"Is it about..." Junior hesitated, looking back over his shoulder at the door that led out to the bar. "Her?"
"Yeah." Qrow admitted, picking up to bottles and beginning to mix them in hopes that he'd be able to get a bit more practice in that evening and really be able to look like he knew what he was doing at the job. "Did you know about her?"
"I figured you were related." Junior said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"She mentioned working at a bar," Qrow sighed. "We don't get to talk much."
"I'm sorry." Junior looked at the bottles, sliding one over in Qrow's direction before following it up with another instruction for something that he wanted for Qrow to make, this time selecting a set of three bottles that he set down in front of Qrow to use. "I thought you would have known."
"Hey, look, I'm just glad she's being taken care of." Qrow said. "I worry about her."
Junior nodded and hummed, watching as Qrow began to mix another drink without instruction. Every time Qrow reached for another bottle, Junior would simply tell him how much of the liquor inside needed to be used, which Qrow would follow accordingly.
This was how most of the night went for them, it was mostly just Qrow taking his time to learn the tricks of the trade as Junior guided him, slowly but surely. It was almost nine that night when Junior got up, and went to the door, pausing for a moment before looking back at Qrow over his shoulder.
"You want to see if you can handle this?" Junior's tone was level, and his expression serious. Qrow didn't have to think twice to know exactly what it was that Junior was asking of him.
Qrow stood up, stretched and walked to the door behind Junior in a silent affirmative. Junior went out into the club, and Qrow followed soon after.
Unlike how it was earlier in the night, the club was now bustling. A man wearing a gigantic bear head that was probably made out of paper mache was DJing, there were people on the dance floor, swaying to a slower tune, and Raven was leaned across the bar and flirting one of the patrons.
She looked up at the sound of the door opening and smiled. Qrow watched as she stepped out of the way, making room for Junior and Qrow by the register. Qrow stood by it, awkwardly, watching as Raven and Junior exchanged a few words.
Junior looked at Qrow, gesturing him over as Raven slipped out from behind the bar, removing what looked like a pack of cigarettes from her apron on the way out.
Qrow joined Junior, and kept his voice just low enough that the other man would be able to hear him without anyone else hearing him. "What's up?"
"I'm going to have you help me man the bar for a little bit, but when Raven's back in from her break, you're going to work with her." Junior rattled off his instructions. "It turns out there's a situation I may need to take care of."
"Right." Qrow said, looking at the area behind the bar and trying to memorize where everything was located so that he could be efficient when people came to order. "I'll take care of it, Junior."
That earned Qrow a worried look from Junior, but he was more than willing to take it. He was sure that whatever ended up being thrown his way was going to end up being something which he could ultimately handle. Junior walked up behind the cash register, and reached into a small drawer that was underneath it, removing what looked like a ragged black binder that had been spilled on over a thousand times. Every page had probably been laminated and then replaced once or twice over, by the looks of things.
Junior dropped the binder onto the counter in front of Qrow, it making a heavy thud as it landed there. Qrow looked at the binder, then back over at Junior for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask what it was for, only for Junior to speak up before he could even go ahead and pose the question to him.
"Recipes." Junior said, his voice gruff. "You should be able to find the ingredients easy enough, everything has been labelled somehow.
"And if I need something that's not here?"
"Then you find someone to come get me." Junior said as he slipped out from behind the counter. "I'm going to go deal with the thing, you just..."
"I'll be here." Qrow said with a shrug, picking up the binder and opening it up to the front page, which was just a list of that night's drink specials, probably something that Junior made sure to do every night as soon as he arrived there at the bar to work.
A man sidled up to the bar, and Qrow took his order and made him a drink as best as he could. He probably had to run through three or four different orders before Junior and Raven returned, with Junior looking a little worse for the wear and Raven smelling strongly of tobacco smoke. She came behind the counter and flashed him a quick smile before taking over for most of the night, with Qrow following her lead whenever he needed to.
He was used to following Raven and taking care of her. He was used to make sure she was alright.
This was nothing .
Early in the morning, Junior let Raven and Qrow off work, and stopped for a moment to ask whether Qrow needed a place to stay for the night or not.
Qrow paused, trying to find a good answer and running through the possibilities. He'd said that he could call Taiyang if he needed a way home for the night, or maybe he could call James and hope that the other man was kind enough to let him into his home for the night- not likely, Qrow thought. Not based on how his last time at James' house had gone.
He even thought about asking Junior to stay there for the night, but didn't do so. He didn't like intervening in Junior and Roman's life much, especially when they had three kids to take care of that couldn't have been any older than Ruby or Yang.
Enter Raven.
She set a hand on Qrow's shoulder, and looked up at Junior from behind her black locks. "Junior, I'm going to take care of him tonight, alright?" Raven offered, flashing Junior a smile.
Junior sighed, and looked at Qrow, silently asking if that was alright.
Qrow nodded, and looked over at Raven. "Yeah, I'll be good. Take care."
With that, the two of them left for the night.