Author's Notes: Sometimes, when I'm writing Taiyang, he reminds me of a less roguish Starlord (Chris Pratt's version); and then when it's him and Raven, I'm reminded of Starlord and Gamora. Then I wonder what would happen if I made a STRQ/Guardians of the Galaxy fic, and how would I fit Summer and Qrow in there, and I can't chase that plot bunny right now, I got too much shit goin on.
Anyways, we're almost done with this one; just a few more chapters. I've got a few retcon tweaks I'm taking care of with this upload
Music Choices: Revolution by No Wyld, Blood of Bannockburn by Sabaton (Scoooootlaaaaaand), Keaseby Nights by Catch 22
Looking Glass
Chapter 25
Who We Are Part II
"So the first order of business I think is pretty obvious," Taiyang started, pacing across the wooden floor before coming to a halt. "And that's voting on whether or not you guys think I'd make a good pirate king."
STRQ had eventually made it back to a room deemed safe from spies or Set, having escaped the meeting alive and well despite Nwyfre's revelations. Raven had even pulled a warding stone out of her pack, one apparently given her by Tormund, and activated it's glyph. Green light washed over the bunkroom, and several hidden glyphs in the rafters fizzled out loudly.
The twins, made ever more suspicious by this, took to tossing the room, looking for more tribal artifacts that could possibly be used for spying. Tai had decided to try to ease their nerves by making jokes.
"Because I dunno, I feel like that might actually be my secret calling."
"I thought you hated your dad's side of the family though?" Raven asked as she cut the seem of a mattress and dug her hand inside.
She pulled the pale digits out victoriously, clutching a small coin with red scratches all over it. She tossed it to Qrow, who promptly shot the damn thing with a Dust round.
"I hate my biological father, yes."
"Same," the twins droned in unison. They slapped palms casually as they kept looking for more observational devices.
Summer's ears flicked; she wondered if Tormund would be willing to take everyone camping, or build a deck with them, or show them how to blacksmith. The image was amusing, if somewhat unlikely; however, it certainly wasn't in the realm of impossible.
"But, he wasn't a pirate king apparently. He was just the loser brother, whiiiich actually explains a lot," Tai nodded, scratching his stubble in thought. "I'm already a better option. And, now I even have beef with the current queen, because she made me get a shitty tattoo. Perfect excuse to challenge her for the throne."
"You like it," Raven drawled, her lips twitching as she ran her fingers over the tops of the rafters, having climbed up on the bunk bed.
"No I don't! I never should have gotten that drunk-"
"I saw you flexing it in the mirror. You like it."
Tai's neck darkened.
"And your mom is a tattoo artist, it's not like you've never seen ink before," Raven continued, rolling her eyes.
"Yea, she's an 'artist', not an expert in providing prison tats! He didn't even use a proper gun, it was like a hammer and needle deal! I've probably got tetanus!"
"It's traditional," Qrow waved. "You should be honored, actually. That'll get you in a lot of doors and protect you when you walk into the wrong neighborhood. Chen basically gave you a gift. Probably because she found out your name after you drunkenly told her all about yourself and wanted you indebted to her."
Tai paused, holding a finger up in protest. He squinted, making a face.
"Yeaaa but….you let me do those things!"
"Of course I did. I was drunk and it was fuckin hilarious," Qrow chuckled, dusting his hands on his pants.
"Dude, worst liberty buddy ever," Tai insisted.
"Whatever you say, Blondie Vanilla Butthole," Qrow droned.
Tai froze, shooting Summer a look of utmost betrayal. Summer had the decency to look chagrinned, ears drooping. Raven paused from her investigation of the room, looking at her brother with an incredulous expression as dust rained down on her shoulders.
"Summer, how could you?" Tai asked.
Summer looked at the floor.
"It was funny. I just wanted to share the funny."
Tai shook his head slowly. Qrow chuckled.
"Yea Tai, share the funny," Qrow made air quotes. "Like those obnoxious little can-openers you keep putting in my stuff. It's just a joke man. Relax."
Taiyang looked concerned, eying his partner warily. A storm was brewing. A storm of revenge and tiny dicks. Eventually, Qrow would get even with him and Tai knew it. Of course he wanted it that way, though, because he was a weirdo; as were they all.
"Uh huh. Sum, I'm like, super disappointed right now."
"Oh man," Summer pressed her hands to her cheeks. "What are you going to do about it?"
Tai mouthed something her way, but she pointed at her ears, playing dumb.
"What? I can't hear you, there must be a can opener in my ear or something-"
Tai mouthed it far more obviously. Summer's eyes widened with delight and surprise.
"Oh no! Not that."
Sweet, it must be my birthday.
Raven gave her a dry, amused stare as she hopped down from the bed; Qrow ignored them, stretching out on the floor with his hands behind his head. Summer smiled impishly, before refocusing.
Be a leader now, perv out later.
"Did you guys find them all?" she asked, glancing about.
"As well as we can without other means," Raven insisted, sitting on the floor next to her. Summer scooted closer to her automatically, resisting the urge to cuddle. It was hard.
"Alright then," Summer said, growing more serious. "So, about Set and the weirdness of last night. I don't know how to explain this in a way that doesn't sound pretty bananas, but your moms can vouch for me for at least some of it."
The rest of her team were giving her their attention, mirroring her seriousness as Summer started to describe the events of her 'not a dream'. The twins didn't seem too off-put by the concept of astral travel, or dreamscapes connecting to the spiritual realms; and Tai kept nodding, making little faces as he considered all the facts.
Summer talked about Set, the mad running and impressionistic nightmare as she was turned into a Grimm, the mirror with the little girls and her necklace, the final confrontation between Nwyfre, Ciara and Set; Summer was able to talk about nearly everything, save the rabbit. Something about that experience and the terror she'd been subjected to seemed forbidden, too personal or painful to share at the moment.
After Summer had finished, everyone had questions, questions and more questions. How did Set get in her dreams? How does one go astral traveling? Who was singing, where did the silver threads go or come from; could Summer make them herself? Where did those traps come from, who made them, why did someone want to turn the dead into Grimm against their will? Who was supposed to be waiting on the other side to protect them, and why were they not there? Who were the little girls? How did Nwyfre and Ciara know Set and Arcene? Did Ozpin know any of this? Should Ozpin know any of this?
Of course, Summer didn't have any answers herself, just maybes and impressions. However, it was apparent to her and her team that the only people who would have them were the twin's parents and the entity known as Set.
"He has guest right on the ship," Summer said after a lull in conversation. "So I think it would be possible to arrange a neutral meeting, to ask him what he wants. He and Nwyfre are in disagreement right now, like superheated disagreement, but apparently they've worked together before. There was a lot of history there."
"Or, and hear me out," Tai held his palms up. "We ignore him AND all his bullshit."
Raven snorted in amusement, while Qrow quirked an eyebrow.
"Right?" Tai bobbed. "Like, what do we owe that fucking guy? Literally nothing, cause he tried to kill us and unleash a big fresh batch of crazy on the world. But he's fixated on you Summer and your silvery juju, because he wants something from you. He's just trying to get us interested in what he's selling. I vote we have nothing to do with him. "
Raven gave him an impressed look before nodding.
"I agree with his most Vanilla, surprisingly enough."
Tai smiled.
"Aw, that was almost a compliment. Thanks, I know those are hard for you."
"Uh huh, whatever you say, Blondie Butthole," Raven smirked, causing Tai an extreme look of distress as Summer giggled. Qrow chuckled, raising a hand as he lounged on the floor.
"Yes, garbage gull, you have the floor," Tai rallied, changing the topic.
Qrow gave him a salty look briefly before rolling his pale eyes.
"How about we just ask mom and Cici most of this stuff and then decide if it's worth investigating further?" he suggested.
"Nwyfre didn't want us involved," Summer shook her head. "I don't know if she'll be forthcoming."
"She'll tell us. She promised," Raven sighed thoughtfully. "We just have to approach the situation right."
The friends fell into a quiet lull for a moment, sitting around the tossed room on the floor, a messy, stale parody of their room at Beacon. The ship rocked briefly as a gale buffeted her sides. Summer was almost nineteen, but she felt she'd aged seven years versus the one they'd just pulled through.
They all looked older, in fact; vulnerable, tired. She wanted to hug each of them, tell them things were going to be ok. However, she never got the chance, because of the rude, and terribly loud alarms that decided to sound overhead.
STRQ sprang to their feet promptly, falling into motion like a well oiled machine. Weapons in hand, they spilled out of their meeting room, following the flow of traffic as pirates and Branwen moved quickly through the passageways.
"All hands, this is your captain speaking. If you'll look out your portside windows, you will notice several huntsman vessels wishing to play a rowdy game of tag with us," Chen's voice crackled through the intercoms. "Let's give em what for, shall we?"
People whooped eagerly, picking up the pace as they sprinted to their battle-stations. STRQ paused, looking to Summer, who thought quickly.
"Let's get up top and see if we can prevent them from getting any closer," Summer said. "Maybe we can scare them off."
With various sounds of assent, STRQ started off down the cramped passageways, trying once again to get ahead of the sirens.
The Hunter's vessels were fresh, sleek Atlassian aircraft, pursuit class. There were six, charging up to the Red Flags in formation; they were only two miles away at most. Summer estimated they would be upon the pirate vessels within less than a minute.
The Red Flags vessels numbered twice the Hunters, and they were slower. However, they had protective means that weren't exactly…Kingdom standard. STRQ was hardly the only group of people who had come up on deck.
The Branwen had clustered around Nwyfre, who was giving orders while Ciara sat on the deck, legs crossed. Meanwhile, the Red Flags vessels were falling into a defensive formation, turning their weapons towards the incoming Hunters.
Summer watched this, mind running through the consequences. If they fought the Hunters and killed any of them, the bounty would increase, potentially enticing more dangerous people to pursue the free people. However, the Hunters were legally in the wrong at the moment.
They were attacking pirate vessels, yes; but they did not have the authority to do so, considering that they were Hunters and not Inter-Kingdom police, and because the Red Flags were not in Mistral's sovereign territory. They were in unclaimed wilderness, which held the same statutes as international maritime law. They were not threatening civilian life, nor promoting the propagation of Grimm. Therefore the Hunters were committing a crime by attacking unknown vessels who had so far made no aggressive action towards them.
Summer spun towards her teammates, then spotted the Morrigan and Chen. Both were wearing their helms, watching the approaching Hunters while giving their people commands.
"Nwyfre! Chen! Wait!"
Summer dashed over to them, petals trailing after her.
"Wait, I have an idea!"
"Not now, Summer," Nwyfre growled through her helmet. "We're a little busy at the moment."
"Don't fire on them! They're trying to provoke you into making the first move! The average Hunter is not a law enforcer! Legally they can't attack you first, it's a violation of the Proclamation of Kings!"
Chen barked with laughter, looking down out of her snarling dragon helm. Her amber eyes seemed to glow, alive with something not quite human.
"You think they care about their laws, sweet girl? Laws are for the rich to foist upon the poor. They take what they want, and so do we," Chen replied lifting her palm to signal her people. Dust canons hummed savagely, shaking the wood beneath her feet.
The Hunter vessels were banking, their own vicious looking weaponry coming to bear. Summer frowned, ears flattening; Tai met her eyes and smiled.
"Portals?"
"Portals, please," Summer affirmed, already running for the rails. "C'mon guys, we're gonna go play tag!"
A golden portal burst to life in front of her as another focal point was slung out above the silver and black Hunter crafts. The others were already dashing after her.
"Sweet, I love tag!" laughed Taiyang.
"Are you fucking daft?!! You think I won't shoot them down anyways?!"
Then there was nothing but the whistling of wind in her ears as she free fell towards one of the ships, hooks out, Semblance guiding her; she landed in a crouch, tiger hooks catching a hold in the ships metal. The airship's canopy was blacked out. Summer briefly wished she still had her Mark, but for whatever reason, she felt it was where it needed to be. There had to be a better way to get these guys to listen.
The rest of STRQ landed on the same transport, snagging metal; Qrow sank his scythe into the ship's spine, sparks flying. Raven's sword was coated black, the gravity Dust practically gluing her to the ship's flat, curving wing.
"Ok fearless leader," Qrow started. "Now what?"
"Now we ring the doorbell," Summer beamed, and knocked on the canopy.
The other airships were circling them, guns bristling; however, they had not fired yet. Perhaps they were afraid of shooting their companion, or, perhaps it was another reason. However, Summer knew they were running out of time. She knocked again with the butt of her hook sword, having pulled her wallet out of her raider pants pocket. She pressed her student i.d. to the canopy.
"Summer," Raven started, eyebrows doing that quirky thing that Summer liked. "There's no way that's going to work."
Summer smiled impishly as the canopy twitched; it didn't open, but the blackout faded and the intercom buzzed. Summer stared down at Harris the jerk-faced monkey faunus who shot Taiyang. He glared at the four of them, face twisting in roguish humor.
"How many of those fake ids you got, cutie?" he asked, voice crackling electronically.
"Harris," her ears flattened as she shouted over the wind. "I told you before to leave these people alone-"
"Save it, sweet cheeks, I know you aren't a witchfinger! They have a registry and job listings too, you know?" he cocked his head mockingly, tapping his chin.
"Come out here and talk about my cheeks again, bud," Summer grinned, pupils growing predatorily. He bared his teeth right back, yellow incisors and all.
"Go away kid! I don't want to kill a bunch of dumb students."
"You're breaking the law and you know it!"
Harris tossed his head back, greasy black hair tossing into his wild green eyes.
"Woo! Yea, we're definitely the bad guys in this equation! Not the fucking pirates who are probably going to shoot you off of me any second-"
"Article 62 of the Proclamation of Kings states that the laws of the outlands beyond Kingdom or Settlement control abide by mare liberum! And that Hunters carrying current licenses, that have not been granted status as law enforcers or given universal jurisdiction, cannot challenge unknown parties who are not causing harm to local populations without violent provocation!! Your license is current, meaning you are not a bounties-man, mercenary or witchfinger, but a Hunter engaging in illegal vigilantism!!"
Harris practically went cross eyed as Summer threw the verbal book at him.
"What are you, a fucking encyclopedia?! Get your girl scout lookin ass off my fucking ship kid, or I swear to Dust I roll it!"
"No! You aren't killing these people!" Summer glared down at him.
"Like you can stop us, you fucking bitch-"
"Bet me," Summer smirked.
The Hunters circled closer, guns trailing over them. So far the skies had been blessedly clear of Grimm, but all the excitement was sure to get their attention; and anything this far out was sure to be feisty. Harris's friends cranked up the volume on their own sound systems, addressing the teammates that were currently hanging out on Harris's hood.
"Hey! You kids are interfering with an official hunt and are putting the lives of Hunters and civilians at risk! You will be brought up on charges if you continue! Please get off the airship, return to your vessels and prepare for boarding!"
Qrow and Raven flipped them off without looking. In the distance, Summer could almost sense the rest of the Branwen doing the same.
"Did you not hear them? Are you fucking trying to get black-listed?!" Harris shouted. "Because this shit right here?! This is how you do it!!"
"Oh my goodness that's, like, sooo scary?! Too bad Council's can't actually black list students!" Summer fired back. "That's another law, by the way! Something you should really brush up on, you scruffy prick!"
"Oh you wanna see a scruffy prick huh?!" Harris shouted back, unbuckling his seat and dropping his trousers. "Here! I'll show you one!"
"Put that shit away, grandpa, no one wants to see your greasy sack of pubes," Qrow quipped as Harris violently shook his nuts at them.
"Oh Dust, it's like somebody dropped a couple meatballs on the carpet," Tai said, eyes wide with horror. "And left them there all week."
"SUCK ON MY HAIRY! FAUNUS! SACK! CUNTS!!" Harris screeched over the intercom, some ape coming through as he slapped the console repeatedly and howled.
"Ok, that's it!" Raven growled. "That's where I draw the line."
"What's the matter, sweety!? You should smile more, you'd look less like a fucking bitch if you did!"
Raven scowled, crimson eyes going deadly cold. Tai and Summer shot her concerned looks, while Qrow shook his head.
"Summer?" Raven grit out.
"Yes, dear?"
"Can we arrest him?"
Summer's face lit up, the wind whipping around them as the airship rocked.
"Yes, dear. Yes we can."
Harris cackled, flipping them off.
"On what fucking charges, bitch?!"
Summer smiled with all the sweetness of predation.
"Indecent exposure in the presence of minors."
Summer had done a lot of research after the baiting incident in Akershus. Apparently, in an attempt to curb human and faunus sex trafficking and brothels, the Kingdoms had agreed that the age of consent in all territories considered to be mare liberum was nineteen. All of STRQ was still eighteen.
Harris made an outraged face, screeched again and started yelling even more violently.
"That is complete dick-spit!! You aren't minors, you aren't enforcers, and you are getting off my fucking ship!"
But they were enforcers. They had technically been deputized by both Arc and Ozpin, as had all students who had assisted at Mountain Glenn, neither of which had ever revoked their status after the fall. Their deputized state would last ninety days unless otherwise stated.
They were, essentially, deputized children. Or…Junior Detectives.
"We are enforcers, actually," Summer laughed. "Man, I could do this all day!"
Summer Rose: Lawyer Huntress in Training.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to get out of the vehicle," Tai said, voice firm. His eyes were glittering with humor.
"I WILL SKULLFUCK THE BLUE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING EYES-"
"Objection!"
"Sir, that is unacceptably provocative speech to direct at a minor and deputized student. I will be pressing extra charges," Tai continued.
"Sir. Sir please put your nutsack away and exit the vehicle," Qrow drawled, trying very obviously not to laugh. "In, pfft-haha, in an orderly manner!"
Raven looked as if she was considering prying the canopy off with her blade; she did the head tilty thing, before moving closer to Summer. The ship was shaking as Harris messed with his controls. They were running out of time.
"Can you get inside the ship as petals?" Raven asked, lips pressed near her ear. Summer smiled, enjoying the little thrill that ran down her spine.
"I can try!" Summer leapt up, saluting, before bursting into a cloud of roses.
Moving against the wind as flowers is, frankly, a bitch. Being a self-propelled flower petal cloud is also a rather bizarre experience that Summer had never really been able to describe well to others. When she's in that state, at least in her entirety, it's as if her consciousness spreads across hundreds of points at the same time, like being a spray of water or a burst of light particles. Summer was there, but she was also here, and over there. She was one Summer, and a thousand, dancing over a single wind, experiencing one reality thousands of times; or thousands of realities at once.
Harris's airship was zipped up tight, however it still needed intakes for cooling; and said intakes were not rose petal proof at the moment. Summer powered through them, overwhelming the fans and eventually bursting in immense white clouds into the ship, knocking the grates to the floor.
Harris was cursing, trying to unbuckle his seat and point his gun at her. Summer didn't hesitate, having reformed into a squishier, person shaped Summer; hooks out, she charged towards him. Behind her, she could hear Raven's portal open. The two faunus ignored it as they locked onto one another, hooks catching on steel, fists and feet striking for vulnerable regions amidst the cramped compartment. Harris screeched in animalistic rage, trying to headbutt Summer, who dodged and hooked under his leg; he became unbalanced.
The other ships had decided that enough was apparently enough and opened fire; Harris's vessel had energy fields up that deflected Dust fire, but not normal bullets. The heavy caliber rounds slammed into the ships wings, torso and canopy, shaking the passengers like beans in a can. More fire from outside, as the Hunter vessels turned their back on Harris and finally attacked the pirate ships.
As their airship tried to right herself, another shudder bucked both Summer and Harris to the ground, putting Harris on top as he attempted to her smash her skull against metal. The ship was listing grossly, a high pitched whine filling the chamber; before Summer could burst into petals again, Tai was there, grabbing Harris by the tail.
He dragged the other huntsman off Summer with the angriest snarl she had ever heard out of him, golden aura flaring brilliantly, before whiplashing Harris into the wall. Fists and feet rained down on the wily Hunter, before he was finally pinned with the combined weight of STRQ.
"Get the fuck off me!" Harris screamed, kicking.
Raven tilted her head her head again in consideration, before smirking and bringing a boot down on his head contemptuously. Harris got unlucky as it were, and did not activate his aura to prevent being rendered unconscious.
"Dickhead," Raven spat. "Ok, let's not crash to our deaths huh?"
"Yup," Qrow hopped up, navigating to the controls as Taiyang pulled zip-ties from his cargo pockets to bind Harris.
Summer hustled to the front of the airship with Qrow, watching as her teammate tried to get control of the vehicle. The ship was righting herself, before the steering mechanism literally snapped off into Qrow's hands. Qrow stared at it, a vein throbbing visibly in his forehead. Summer patted his shoulder in sympathy, before he brushed her hand away. Raven said nothing, squinting instead at the swiftly approaching mountains.
"You aren't wearing the necklace I made you!" Tai protested, having bound Harris quite thoroughly.
"Of course I'm not gods' damned wearing a dildo chain – fucking Dust, I don't have time for this," Qrow growled. "Tai, portals man! C'mon!"
"Ok, ok geez!" Tai popped to his feet, making faces as he slammed the hatch open. "It was just a shitty joke, I'm sorry!"
Everyone dug in as wind whipped into the ship, though not so powerful as to knock them down or drag them off. Tai tossed focus points ahead of their drunkenly diving ship, activating them rapidly. The ship groaned, slipping through one portal then another.
One moment, they were on a direct course for a gap between two peaks; the next their ship was practically on top of a glacier. Summer's eyes widened as Raven grabbed her and dug her black blade into belly of the ship, using the gravity Dust to glue them to the deck as a field of white engulfed the ship's vision with a roar. Then everything was sound and snow.