Chapter 11: Up In The Air

Great Vortex, Kingdom of Vacuo

On the outskirts of Vacuo, in the farthest reaches of the desert, lay a mysterious phenomenon that was known and feared by many. An enormous whirlpool of sand, stretching almost to the size of a small city, lay there as it had since time immemorial, waiting to swallow all those who dared to approach. There was no sign of civilization for kilometres from where it stood, and no fool who'd gone to explore what lay beneath that vortex had ever returned.

No one knew where the Great Vortex had come from, or indeed how long it had been there. There were those who claimed that it was a source of some ancient dark magic, or that the void was perpetually expanding, and would one day devour all of the continent of Sanus. Scientists were banned from ever conducting research on it, even from afar. And so it had remained a mystery, one that the people had long since given up on solving.

Thirty thousand feet in the sky, General Argent Fox observed the void from the window of his Atlesian Carrier. He said nothing, glancing solemnly at the silver locket he held in his hand. A foot soldier walked up to him apprehensively. "General Fox, we are approaching the Soulcage," he said. "The colonel will meet you at the hangar."

"Thank you," said Argent tersely, putting the locket away in his uniform. Briskly, the general made his way to the exit as the aircraft pulled into its destination.

Compared to the barren desert below, the great complex that floated high in the sky, directly above the Great Vortex, seemed like something from an entirely different world. The first public collaboration between Atlas and Vacuo, the structure known as the 'Soulcage' was to be the largest penitentiary complex in all of Sanus upon completion, almost twice the size of the Amity Coliseum.

"General! It's good to see you, sir," Colonel Ironwood said as Argent stepped out of the Carrier. The hangar was expectedly busy, with security staff and construction workers arriving and leaving continuously. "Construction to the right wing began today, and we've already received a new shipment of inmates to be accommodated. Will you be overseeing the operations today?"

"Not today," said Argent. "I was told the core would require maintenance today. As I am the only one who has been granted permission to enter the engine room…"

The young colonel gave a courteous bow. "Understood, General," he said solemnly. "I'll trust you with the rest. I've been called back to headquarters for the rest of today." With that, he walked into the aircraft his superior had arrived in, turning and giving a salute as the door closed behind him.

He's a good man, Argent thought to himself as the Carrier left the hangar. Hopefully he never has to bear the same burden as I. He began making his way toward his destination.

Around every corner, there were prison cells filled with inmates. Many were asleep, but some grabbed the bars of their cells and hissed as the general of the Atlesian military passed by. A disturbing amount of them were former Huntsmen, and still wore their tattered former garb even in incarceration.

The general simply ignored all of them. As he walked, he could hear a loud explosion from outside as an approaching Griffon was blasted out of the sky by one of the Soulcage's multiple defense turrets. Eventually, he reached a bright red door with the words 'ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ALLOWED' emblazoned on it.

He pressed his thumb to the fingerprint scanner. A loud beep signaled that he had been approved for entry, and after looking either way, opened the door and entered into the core.

Immediately, Argent saw that he wasn't alone. There were at least five other men in the room, all of them clad in black-and-red garb, making them look almost Grimm-like. Two of them, standing taller than the rest, also wore masks of bone over their faces.

Argent wasn't fazed; he'd been informed ahead of time that they'd be present. Closing the door behind him, he made his way to the centre of the room, where a strange circular device lay half-finished. Wordlessly, one of the masked men was examining it, occasionally fitting small parts into their proper places. The general opened his Scroll. "Onyx," he said. "Everything appears to be going smoothly."

Headmaster Onyx's elderly face appeared on the screen. "Excellent. If we can maintain our schedule, then the project can be completed sooner than anticipated," he declared jovially. "For now, there is but one thing left to do. I'll leave it to you, of course. You are well-experienced with the procedure, are you not?"

'Of course, professor." Nodding, Argent closed the Scroll. Sighing heavily, the general looked downward. Below his feet, he knew, lay the engines that kept the complex afloat, burning through tonnes of gravity Dust in the process.

In addition to keeping it high in the sky, away from the clutches of most Grimm, they also served as a final failsafe. If there was ever a major breach, or if the security system detected that the facility had suffered severe enough damage, all the Dust down below would harden at once, increasing the force of gravity tenfold. The Soulcage would plummet down into the jaws of the Great Vortex and would be swallowed completely, long before even a single inmate - or anyone else - could hope to escape.

It was perfect. Ruthless, brutal, and efficient.

A heaviness in his heart, Argent sighed. This is what I must do. For her, he told himself, and proceeded with his task…

Library, Beacon Academy

Qrow lay on the couch, his legs stretched out onto the mahogany desk. Leaning back, he quietly took a sip of beer, flipping blankly through his Grimm Studies textbook. Urgh...like I don't know all this shit already, he thought, not taking in a word of what he was reading.

For a change, the library was almost completely empty. Most of the students were either in the lounge, chatting excitedly about the upcoming dance, or helping set up the event in the auditorium. There was a major buzz in the air, and one could practically feel the anticipation of all the students and teachers involved.

What a bother.

Qrow Branwen, on the other hand, just found the whole thing to be an obnoxious affair. An amalgamation of flash and noise, and an opportunity for stuck-up students to show off their boyfriends and girlfriends. People always loved to make such a big deal out of little things to make themselves feel better.

He supposed Summer was looking forward to it. Well good for her, I guess. Then again, it's not like she'd ever...ah, never mind. It was annoying enough having to focus on their mission, but now Qrow had other problems he had to deal with. Not least of all was-

"Hey, what're you doing here, Birdy?"

Qrow spat out his drink. "Wh-" he sat up abruptly and turned around, only to find Tai standing behind him, looking surprised. He was holding something behind his back.

"Studying, huh?" The blonde warrior smiled sheepishly. "That's not like you at all. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he grumbled. "I figured this would be the only place in the whole school where I could actually get some peace and quiet this time of year. Don't ruin this for me, alright?"

Tai chuckled good-heartedly. "Aww, c'mon. You gotta get in the spirit of the occasion, Birdy! This'll be our last Vytal Festival, remember? We need to make the most of it! You can laze around on your ass any day of your life, but you'll never get another chance at this!"

"Personally, I don't find it particularly special," Qrow replied. "I sat out most of the dance last time, and that's what I'm going to do again. I've got better things to do with my time."

"Well...sure," Tai sighed hopelessly. "I guess I can't really blame you, huh? It's not like you've got any special someone to enjoy it with. I admit it's a lot less fun if you haven't asked anyone to dance with you."

"Special...someone...right." Qrow was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "So, uh - hey, Tai. What are you doing in the library, anyway?"

"Oh...well, the thing is…" Tai shifted his feet awkwardly across the floor, looking downward in embarrassment. "I didn't expect to run into you, but I figured you of all people might know…" Qrow squinted suspiciously at his friend, noticing that he was holding something behind his back. Oh no. A feeling of dread was slowly seeping into him.

Tai grinned. "You, uh, wouldn't happen to know where Raven is, would you?"

And there it is. "No," Qrow said bluntly.

"Come on, Birdy," Tai pleaded, immediately dropping all pretense of subtlety. "I mean, you know how popular she is with the guys. If I don't hurry up, I'll never get a chance to ask her out. I - I get that she's your sister, but -"

"No. Trust me, don't even bother," said Qrow. With how seriously Raven took their mission, and the aloofness she always showed, the concept of her dating anyone - let alone Taiyang Xiao Long - was incomprehensible to him. "It's for your own good, Blondie. She's not gonna say yes - to you or to anyone."

Tai didn't respond. Dejectedly, the young man walked over to a sofa seat opposite to Qrow. He lay the bouquet of flowers he'd been holding onto the floor beside him. There was about a minute of awkward silence between the two of them, and during that time Qrow couldn't help but feel a little sorry for his teammate.

"So," Qrow said, desperate to stop the awkwardness of the situation, "you...like Sis, huh?" His voice cracked a little as he spoke, somehow making things even worse.

Tai nodded. "Y-yeah...I've always lo...liked her since the first day of school. I-I don't expect she's ever thought that much of me, but she had me from the moment we met…Hah, I didn't really do a good job of hiding it, honestly."

"Hmph. That so? I just figured you were just being, well you - flirting with any girl that's completely out of your league," replied Qrow, genuinely surprised by Tai's sincere answer.

"Well, that's just what I wanted people to think," Tai said with an embarrassed smile. "Don't get me wrong, the flirting thing was a hundred percent genuine. But Raven's just...different, I guess. Strong, attractive, dignified...can totally kick your ass to the Forsaken and back if you get on her bad side...she's just amazing to me."

"...You think so, huh….?" Qrow muttered. People praising his sister wasn't anything new to him. Whether it was at school or back home in Valhalla, Raven was always the lucky one, the talented one, the one who was the best at everything. But while it pained him to admit it, the admiration in Tai's voice as he'd described how he felt about her seemed completely genuine.

"I guess I can't expect you to understand," Tai sighed, getting up and retrieving his flowers. "I mean, it's not like you've ever had a crush on anyone in your life." He turned away to leave the library. "Welp, if Raven's not here, I might have a better chance finding her in the training room or something. See ya, Birdy."

"Whaddya mean, I've never-" Qrow growled without thinking. He stopped himself before he could go any further. Tai was now staring at him in surprise. "Uh, yeah," he muttered quietly, putting his beer bottle up to his mouth to hide his embarrassment. "Well, good luck with that, pal...Hope it works out."

"...Heh. Thanks." Smiling, Tai left the room. Once he was gone, Qrow lay back down on the couch, taking another swig of beer. An unpleasant feeling was beginning to rise in his stomach, and he doubted it was because of the alcohol.

Qrow would never admit it willingly, but he really did admire Tai in many ways. It wasn't just because the young man was strong, either - though Qrow had begrudgingly accepted that a one-on-one duel between the two of them would likely result in a draw rather than Tai's utter defeat. Tai was...honest. Really honest. He wasn't the type of 'honest' person who simply said what was on their mind even if people disliked it. It was something more - he felt like he was someone who was honest with himself, too. When you were talking with him, you knew for sure that the person in front of you was the real deal, and not just some front put up for other purposes.

Of course, Qrow didn't consider himself to be a 'dishonest' person. But then again, when he really thought about it, he'd been lying to people for most of his life. Same with Raven. Our mission. There was no malicious intent behind any of it, but they were lies all the same.

"How can 'truth' be absolute, when all knowledge originates from something as imperfect as man? Every truth is a lie when seen from a different perspective. But it doesn't matter which one it is. They are both mankind's weapons, and they are far stronger than any stone or steel." A man had told him those words before. And like it or not, Qrow had taken them to heart.

I still don't like it, but when Tai says he likes Raven, I...I know he's telling the truth. Bein' honest about how you feel about others...that's kinda hard to come by these days…I would know. That uncomfortable feeling was coming back. A thought popped into Qrow's head.

Was he...jealous of his friend?

Auditorium, Beacon Academy

Summer's heart was racing.

It made no sense. Just two years ago, she'd come into this very room, wearing the exact same dress, and she'd been completely fine. Well, I wouldn't say I was 'fine', even back then. She'd been a bit nervous, perhaps, but that was because she was still unaccustomed to Beacon and its traditions.

Now everything was familiar to her. And even back then, the dance had gone smoothly. She could still fondly remember the chat she and Tai had had as they danced...AAAAARRRRGH! Summer shook her head angrily. S-Stop thinking about that! W-w-why is remembering that night making me so nervous?

Breathing deeply, she stepped down the staircase to the dance floor, doing her best to not trip and make an absolute fool of herself. She blinked furiously, trying not to be blinded by the flashing lights that illuminated the entire auditorium. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, she was able to take in her surroundings and appreciate the music. Instead of blaring, ear-shattering, nigh-unintelligible rock songs, for this year's dance the soundtrack was composed mostly of classical folk music, with ukuleles, banjos and kazoos making up large parts of the melody, likely as a tribute to Vacuo's cultural fondness for those instruments. As Summer had never been a fan of hard rock, this was a change she welcomed with open arms and ears.

She looked around for her friends. With the dim lighting and the hundreds of students occupying the floor, it was difficult to make out specific faces. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and the flashing lights, she started to recognize people. She saw Regal choking on a cup of punch, while nearby Team JADE were bursting out in laughter, with David giggling and holding up a small bottle of something that was probably not grape juice. Heather and Herman were dancing together while chatting amicably, though Summer couldn't make out what they were saying. Torrence was camping out at the refreshment stand, trying all the different cupcakes and punches. Hastily moving her way through the crowds of students, Summer scanned her surroundings nervously, looking for a certain someone.

She found him standing in the corner of the auditorium, sipping some juice with an apprehensive look on his face. He'd patched up his old tuxedo, and it looked like it was absolutely made for him. "H-hey, Tai," she stammered, walking over to him.

"Oh, hey." Tai looked up at her and smiled. "That dress still looks amazing on you! You got anyone to dance with tonight? Bet lots of people asked you out, am I right?"

"A-ahhh, well, no," Summer admitted. "I guess I'm just not as popular as Raven is, haha...uh, though...I think...I mean, I'd like to, um..." To her dismay, she felt her tongue slowly tangle itself inside her mouth.

"You alright?" Tai asked.

She nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I-I'm surprised to see you here, though...wh-what are you doing just hanging out in the corner?" Stammering, Summer desperately tried to build up the conversation. It was strange to see Tai standing away from the rest of the crowd, not immediately trying to become the centre of attention.

"Ah, yeah. I guess that's not like me, huh? I'm just, uh, waiting for s...well, I'm waiting," Tai said vaguely.

"O-oh, ok. That makes sense!" Summer let out an incredibly forced cough, feeling rather stiff. She realized it was probably from standing completely still for over a minute. Taking a deep breath, Summer forced herself to continue. "Um...Tai?"

"Hmm? Yeah, what is it?"

"W-well, I-I-I was just...wo...wonderi...uh…" What's gotten into you, Summer? You've done this before! Just hurry up and say it! She looked up at Tai. "Umm...want to dance with me?" Her heart was thumping again.

Tai looked at her in surprise. "Oh. Is that it? Uh well, this is awkward. How do I put this…I already told someone else I'd dance with them tonight, and I definitely don't want to break that promise!"

"...Oh." Summer's voice was hollow. "Um, who was it?"

"Raven," replied Tai.

Failing to notice the crestfallen look on his teammate's face, the blonde warrior continued. "She was working out in the gym when I found her. I gave her a big bouquet of roses and asked her out, and honestly, I was scared shitless at first! I mean, come on, this is Rae we're talking about! For all I knew, her idea of 'rejecting' someone could be kicking them off the edge of Beacon Cliff after breaking their legs. But it actually went pretty well! Not only did she say yes immediately, but also…." He went on, but Summer didn't hear him.

"...don't get me wrong, though! I really appreciate the offer!" Tai smiled generously at her. "Don't worry, after we're done, if there's still some time left, I wouldn't mind a dance with you. Hope that's okay with you."

Summer nodded weakly. "N-no problem…" Turning her head to the side, she saw Raven had entered the dance floor, and was walking toward the two of them. She was wearing a sleeveless silk dress, scarlet lipstick, and an expensive-looking silver necklace. Her long dark hair was flowing majestically, down her shoulders and her back. More than a single male student was staring at her as she walked past. "Hey, Rae!" Tai waved to her energetically. "Alright, see you around, Summer!" With that, he ran to meet her.

...Well, maybe I should have expected that. Letting out a huge, exasperated sigh (that she immediately regretted, as several students turned to look at her in surprise), Summer turned and walked, dejectedly, toward the benches. After a moment of thought, she paused by the refreshment stand to pour herself a glass of beer - she was legal now, after all. Sitting down heavily, she took a hearty chug of the drink...and spat it out immediately.

"Bleghhh," she gasped. More disapproving looks from nearby students. Sighing, Summer wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "That was gross," she muttered. How Qrow could not only stomach this concoction, but enjoy it, she would never understand. Placing her glass to the side, she stared ahead in depressed silence. She noted, with no small amount of bitterness, that the speakers were now playing the popular love song "Gold." I guess I can't blame Tai for liking Raven more, she thought glumly. ...Still though! A flash of anger rose through her. He could have been just...just a little bit more considerate! She sighed. People can really be oblivious about other people's feelings, huh…

"...What's up?" A familiar voice came from right beside her.

"H-huh?" Summer turned to find Qrow staring at her with a bored expression. As expected, he hadn't bothered changing into a formal suit. "Oh...hey there, Qrow." She smiled sheepishly. "Shouldn't you be trying to get a new high score in Grimm Hunter: Generations right about now?"

"I was going to," Qrow grumbled. "But then I found out that Blondie was gonna be dancing with my sister, and I damn well wasn't gonna let him have his way - not on my watch! ...Though," he admitted. "They seem to be doing pretty well." On the dance floor, Raven and Tai were doing a waltz, with a large crowd watching and applauding.

"Yeah…" Summer muttered, observing them as well.

Qrow shrugged nonchalantly. "Heh. From the look on your face, I think I've got a good idea of what happened. Ah well, at least we can be alone together, right?" He glanced at her expectantly.

Summer nodded. "Yep." She frowned at her partner. "I have to admit, I didn't think Raven would bother with going out with someone and all that...I mean, what about your mission?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Qrow replied. "Even Sis needs a break once in awhile. And hell, something like this might just be the best thing for her down the line...even if I fuckin' hate it," he said dryly.

Summer hadn't noticed it till now, but her nervousness and dejection were quickly fading away. She felt much more at ease.

Qrow stared at her half-empty glass of beer. "You didn't like it," he stated matter-of-factly.

"What's the problem if I don't?" she replied defensively. "Honestly, I've got no idea why you drink this stuff all the time! It's just bitter and tasteless! It's supposed to be bad for your health, too, so there's no benefit to drinking it!"

"Hey, now, you're not my mom," Qrow sighed. "If you can't appreciate it, at least let me- "

"No! I'm serious!" Summer snapped at him, trying to sound stern and assertive. "You'll just get yourself hurt someday because you were drinking too much! Haven't you heard any of the stories about what that stuff does to you? I refuse to let you ruin your own life like this!"

Qrow raised his arm, an exasperated grin on his face. "Okay, okay, calm the hell down. I see your point, though I still think you're making way too big a fuss out of it. Well, if it makes you happy, I'll hold off on the booze. For you, alright?"

"...A-ha...thanks." Summer smiled sheepishly; she hadn't expected him to actually agree. There was another moment of silence as the two of them sat there, watching the dancers. Summer found herself to be surprisingly comfortable. Eventually, she decided to change the subject.

"So, tomorrow's the big day, huh? I can't wait to see what Vacuo looks like."

"I'm not expecting much," Qrow said. "It's Vacuo, so as long as we don't get mugged more than three times a day, I'll consider my expectations met. Well, whatever. The tournament's the main attraction, anyway. Now, I don't say this much, but I'm feelin' pretty damn good about our chances this time."

"Same," said Summer, and meant it. "I hope the two of us will get to fight in the doubles round."

Qrow shrugged. "Ahh...right, I remember last tournament. We got voted out after we won that first match. Well, I was," he added dryly. "You chose not to go to the doubles, and then you all turned on me when I said I wanted to go."

"S-sorry about that," Summer laughed.

"Hmph. Whatever. Anyway, wouldn't surprise me if Sis and Blondie decided to hog the spotlight yet again. Especially after all this shit." Qrow let out a heavy sigh, and leaned in toward Summer. "I guess it'd be rude of us to deny them their...'alone time', huh?"

Summer couldn't help but smile. The two of them let out short, bitter laughs, which were quickly lost in the music, as the excitement in the air persisted throughout the night.

Next Chapter: Oasis