May 14th

Patch

3:15 PM

"Hello, Elizabeth," Qrow said with stifling etiquette, even affecting an uncomfortable bow. "I haven't seen you around here in a while."

She raised an eyebrow and glanced nervously to Tai who squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Qrow," She said shortly. "You seem to be doing well."

He shrugged. "More or less, yeah. Don't worry, I'll stay out of your way."

Qrow slipped quickly out the back door, albeit sending Tai a sharp look when he did so.

"That was…unnerving," Elizabeth said with a slightly nervous laugh. "Is he already drunk?"

"He agreed to play nice," Tai informed her, looping an arm around hers. "Problem is, I don't think he really knows how to."

Elizabeth sighed. "You didn't have to ask him to do that. He has every right to be angry with –"

"You have never done anything to him," Tai gently reminded her. "For all of the problems Atlas might have politically, he can't take his disagreements out on you."

Elizabeth looked a bit skeptical, for a moment, but said nothing and let it slide.

"I am glad you were able to come visit," Tai said as the two of them sat down on the couch, not paying much mind to the news which had been on all morning. "But you didn't have to clear your schedule for the week. I could have come up."

"I needed a break," She admitted. "And I didn't think it was very fair to keep forcing you to come visit me all of the time."

Tai smiled. "I love you so much."

Elizabeth turned pink. "Tai…"

"I mean it," He said, resting his hands over hers. "I really do."

She bit her lip. "I know –"

"Tai, where are the…" Summer glanced up from the rather long list in her hands and paused awkwardly upon seeing Elizabeth. "Hi…"

"What are you looking for?" Tai asked, embarrassed.

"The new weapon supplies," She told him, crossing her arms. "You didn't leave them to Qrow's discretion, did you?"

"When did anyone here order new weapon supplies?" Tai glanced apologetically to Elizabeth. "They better not have been expensive."

Summer grimaced. "That's the problem," She said, shifting. "They kind of were."

"Just…" Tai shook his head. "Just try and find them, okay?"

Summer nodded and ran out to the small shed in the backyard.

"I am so sorry about how dysfunctional everything is around here," Tai said as soon as she was gone. "I don't even know what she's talking about and –"

"Tai," Elizabeth said gently. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" He said nervously. "Because –"

"Look, as long as they don't start watching our every move, I don't care," Elizabeth laughed weakly. "Not that I imagine either of them will think to do that."

"Shh…" Tai whispered with a smirk. "They could be listening right now."

She rolled her eyes. "Then prove it."

He swiftly kissed her cheek. "Believe me," He said. "Tonight, I will."

May 20th

City of Vale

Vale

Downtown

5:17 PM

"Emmett?" Glynda said, eyeing her teammate curiously. "Did you hear a word anyone just said?"

"Huh?" He said, startled for a moment and almost dropping his scroll.

Emmeline elbowed him sharply and he shut off his scroll almost immediately.

"Sorry, it's just that Chrissy…she just needed to talk to me and Willa," He said, rubbing his arm from where his wife had elbowed him. "And damn it, Emmy, I thought you wanted something from me based on last night, but that hurt!"

Emmeline sighed, sending him a look that suggested he shut up before he said anything embarrassing. "That wasn't what I was trying to do."

"I know," He said, pulling her in and then playfully ruffling her hair. "We even?"

She scowled. "You really want to call it that?"

Samara, who had been crawling between her parents, rolled over and started giggling.

"Hi, Sammie…" Emmett said, tickling her feet. "You having a good day?"

The little girl grinned and waved at him.

"So, I have to ask," James started almost hesitantly. "Is Cristal alright?"

"She's fine," Emmett told him. "Just…well…I don't think I'm at liberty to say."

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Emmett sent Emmeline an almost pleading look and, after a moment, her eyes widened in understanding and she nodded.

"It's not classified," She finally said. "She's just a little more keyed up than usual."

"I'm not surprised," James said. "From what I heard, the case she was just placed on is brutal."

"That might be an understatement, all things considered," Emmett said under his breath.

"Hi!" Ivy toddled into the room and all but tackled Samara into a hug. "Sammie!"

Samara playfully tugged at her hair, causing Ivy to do the same.

"They are adorable," Emmeline said with a smile. "And I get the feeling that Ivy's going to be a huntress."

"I see it too," Glynda admitted. "Her sister not as much, but maybe."

"Boop!" Ivy exclaimed, tapping Samara's nose.

"B…op?" The little girl tried to imitate.

Ivy looked rather proud of herself. "Yeah!"

Samara grinned and crawled onto Emmett to snatch his glasses off his face.

"Sammie…" He protested, trying to grab them back. "My vision is bad enough without me running into things because I can't find my glasses."

"Here," Glynda said, looking rather amused. "It's not that hard, you know."

"Maybe for you," He replied. "You're not half-blind without them."

She laughed. "I suppose that's fair."

"Caity!" Ivy yelled upon seeing her sister hesitantly step into the room, clutching her bear. "Hi!"

She waved awkwardly and then ran over to her mother and curled up against her.

"I told you everything would be okay," James murmured, softly kissing his wife. "And they have been."

She sighed. "I guess we can only hope they'll stay that way."

June 8th

Beacon CCTS Tower

Beacon Academy

City Of Vale

Vale

2:54 PM

There was more tension hanging over the room than usual. Although the meeting had been called unexpectedly and was supposed to be about the possibility of Salem pushing Ashlynn Schnee, or Cinder Fall, into a position to inherit the powers of maiden, considering the increased amount of power that had been demonstrated by the former Schnee, it had turned into a debate over a news article that Qrow had been reading that pertained to him, Tai, and Elizabeth. As it happened, the three of them had been in Atlas together a few weeks prior and had gone out to a bar to have a few drinks. It had ended in Qrow dancing on top of one of the tables, Tai pseudo-stripping in front of his girlfriend, and Elizabeth getting tipsy to the point of allowing him to be openly affectionate with her.

The Atlesian news outlets had a field day over it, just as much as they had when there was a sudden senate filibuster or when something shocking happened, such as Sassler's zero tolerance policy with regard to the terrorists that they had been fighting for a few years. Since March, they had been in a state of national emergency and because of it entered another war. The zero tolerance policy had been set in place by the legislature and approved by Sassler in late May, ironically just two days after the article in question was published. There was far more to focus on in Atlas than gossip about politicians, and it had blown over quickly. Yet, while it didn't truly concern her, Rosalinde Varna was pissed. She had found herself more and more irritable of late, although this had more to do with the things that she had found herself having to deal with when it came to the council of Vacuo of which she presided over than with the other members of the group.

Regardless, it turned her into a demon.

"You did what?" Rose demanded, her hands on her hips. "Are you fuc -"

"Rose!" Cristal sharply cut across her, gently rocking her sleeping daughter in her carrier.

"What?" She turned around quickly and sent her and Ozpin a dark look. "The two of them let Torchwick and Cinder get away -"

"Technically," Emmett said, glancing disdainfully at Qrow. "The two of them didn't let Torchwick and Cinder get away. Or did you conveniently forget the part where the police saved their sorry asses after Elizabeth went home?"

Rose huffed irritably, hating all of them. "Ugh, none of you get it do you? Why were the two of them at that bar anyways -"

Emmeline glared at her. "Eliza was there too, so if you're going to criticize them then you have to criticize her too."

"Bullshit," Rose said. "Morell is different because she isn't part of this little inner circle. She's not someone I am particularly worried about."

"That doesn't help," Emmeline said, crossing her arms. "She was probably just as drunk as they were -"

"Oh please, no one can be as drunk as Qrow Branwen, although I won't deny how shocked I was by the next day's news report. But with regard to Qrow..." Rose narrowed her eyes as Qrow pulled out his flask. "What was it Glynda said the other day?"

"I said that he's always drunk," Glynda said tersely, crossing her arms. "Which is true."

"See?" Rose sent Qrow a sharp look. "Even Glynda thinks that no one can be as drunk as you and -"

"I swear to god Rose -" Cristal said, shaking her head tiredly.

"Let me make this clear," Rose said, pulling up the news article from the day after it had happened. "This," She said, gesturing to the article and looking at Tai in disgust. "Is apparently what happened when you got your girlfriend – who just so happens to be an important Atlesian leader – drunk. Hmmph, getting frisky with her in public, and I thought the two of you had decided against doing something like that, considering her status."

Tai looked suddenly rather awkward. He was embarrassed that he had almost gotten Elizabeth into trouble, no matter that it had been acknowledged and then quickly forgotten with no lasting consequences for her. She had not been working, and she was in far more relaxed clothing than she usually was, but the truth remained that it was unusual for her to be so young and in her position and that made her a target. She had not spoken of it since then, and he had known better than to press it, but he still felt guilty. He could have caused her serious problems both politically and personally and, while their relationship was not a secret, it had still been an easy, temporary piece of gossip to latch onto. He privately believed that Sassler had made her announcement of the zero-tolerance policy for terrorism early to do Elizabeth a personal favor, but he could never prove it nor would he ask. It was an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved, and he was just grateful that a month had now passed and everyone had moved on.

At least, everyone except for Vacuo's prime minister, it seemed.

"Everyone does ill advised things when they're drunk," He finally said. "And it's not as if it was a scandal -"

"True," Rose said. "You two have already been scandalous enough."

"Rose!" Summer exclaimed angrily even though she knew that the woman was simply jaded at the world and not the rest of them. "That's -"

"I'm sorry," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "But there is a reasonably significant age difference between the two of them, and I would be willing to be that their relationship started because the two of them decided to say oui to voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? "

"Rosalinde Diana Varna!" Ozpin snapped in abject annoyance. "This is all completely unnecessary as I am sure you are well aware!"

"It's still true!" Rose snapped back, crossing her arms. "And that's not even mentioning –"

"Drop it," Emmett told her. "This isn't doing us any good."

Rose turned on him. "I have problems with you and your family too."

Anger seeping through him, Emmett protectively drew Emmeline closer which startled her slightly. "How dare you?" He hissed. "Emmy and I -"

"Sorry," Rose said sarcastically. "I almost forgot the fact that the two of you -"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cristal exclaimed, unable to hide her annoyance. "Are you trying to make things worse than they already are?"

Rose turned on her with a frosty glare. "Don't you focus far more on your career than your family? I thought you didn't give so much as even half a damn about your…what is it, just now three-year-old daughter except for when it doesn't impede on your career?"

Cristal felt her hands shaking and, despite herself, felt one of them protectively rest over her flat abdomen.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess," She said, drawing her words out with unnecessary cruelty. "You're pregnant again, aren't you?"

Cristal stared at her for a moment, unable to respond. Since she had received her law certifications, she had dealt with horrible colleagues, disturbingly suave defense lawyers, and harsh judges. This, however, felt different. There was a power that only the people in closest to her had, and, whether or not she liked it, Rosalinde Varna was in possession of some of that in her own right. She was one of the very few people that could, with the right ammunition, render her completely speechless. Not even her old friends or her recent enemies could do it and yet, if they had wanted to, any member of the group or her family could do exactly what Varna had pulled. She numbly felt her husband pull her tightly into her and stroke her thick dark hair in an attempt to reassure her. The only people that had known were herself, Ozpin, Emmett, and Willow. She had been too anxious to tell anyone else, despite knowing she was due in December, and now, it seemed, they all did.

"Yes…" She said weakly, fighting back tears. "But I wasn't ready for…I…"

"That was low," Glynda said, turning to Rose angrily. "Not to mention completely unfair and cruel, and I think you know it."

"It's not unfair if it's true," Rose spat. "She doesn't have to be such a fucking –"

Without even realizing it, she had activated her magic and, because of it, found herself suddenly sparring with Emmeline who had darted in front of her and snatched her wrists. Rose let out an angered hissed and tried to kick her, but she was faster and stronger. Rose knew full well how respected Emmeline's skill was, and she knew that she had been recently promoted to the rank of commander, but, in this moment, she wanted to fight her back. She didn't even care what they were arguing about anymore. She wanted to make her pay for getting in her way of whatever it was she could have possibly been ready to do. Her mind was foggy at best, and she began to focus only on getting her off of her but Emmeline was faster and Rose found herself on the ground, completely winded, and scowling at her opponent who looked far more worried than angry.

"Nice temper," Rose snapped, slowly bushing herself back up off the floor. "I didn't think you had that in you."

Emmeline said nothing, refusing to rise to her bait, but Emmett suddenly looked rather concerned for his wife and almost immediately pulled her away, using himself as a shield of sorts while sending Rose a decidedly nasty look.

Rose snorted. "Really? You're not even going to –"

"Save it Rose," Qrow said, putting his flask away. "I don't know what's really been going with you and in your kingdom, but this isn't the woman I remember. Tell me, when you had those people executed, did you kill the woman you were too?"

It fell onto her, in that moment, that she had plucked a nerve she never should have. Not looking at anyone for several elongated moments, Rose finally forced herself to look at Qrow. He and his teammates were all staring at her in shock, and Tai looked far more annoyed than she had ever seen. Summer looked torn between pity and anger, and Qrow's arms were crossed. Emmeline had not moved an inch from where she had knocked the other woman to the ground, although Emmett was still holding her close. It was in this moment that he was never more relieved by Trey Goodwitch's willingness to take care of Samara and the Ironwood-Goodwitch twins when they had meetings like this. Glynda and James looked pissed, to say the very least, and she could feel the resentment only heighten when she briefly glanced to them. And then there was Cristal, who looked as if she were going to be sick and had hidden her face in her husband's chest while he held her. For the several seconds she managed to meet his gaze, Rose realized that Ozpin's face had gone dark and that none of them held any semblance of sympathy towards her. She had finally gone too far. She glanced down at her ruby-red heels, for a moment, and then calmly walked towards the elevator, adjusting the rose pin in her hair while she did so. Without another word, not even an apology, she stepped into the elevator and let the doors shut almost silently behind her.