Higanbana, a village in Anima that was more protected than others. On this particular night, the rain poured heavily. The rain was all a brooding man wanted to hear, but unfortunately for him, he couldn't help but overhear the others in the Inn he was lodging at's bar. Some gossiped about the residents around, some talked about the situation in Vale - a less than desired subject Qrow wanted to hear. The clinking of glasses joined with the other patrons' whispers, laughs, grunts. Across the street, another Inn stood, one with four 'kids' of brighter colors than he.
He had been to this place one other time, many years ago. He remembered what emotions he felt those days when he resumed his normal Huntsmen duties. Even when his numbness to emotions came along with his stiff drinks. The memories he wanted to forget that day, ended up being the memories he wanted to keep now.
Life is funny that way, He thought.
He took a long drink from the whiskey before him, his muscles tired from his long day of dealing with Grimm. He wondered if he was babying them too much, the kids across the street. Yet, for him, it was better than one, or all, meeting the All-Maker.
If only they knew.
His drink now finished, a dark-skinned beauty of a waitress brought him another. He had only planned on drinking one for the night, to keep his wits about him. He glanced upward towards her, "I didn't -"
She smiled at him, "Woman upstairs bought it. Cute, Red eyes. Said you wouldn't mind the bottom shelf. But - " she winked at him, " - I got you top. Lucky you." Being the good boyfriend he was, he resisted the urge to look at her backside as she walked away. 'The best drink is a free one', as Silver would say.
"It's quite a compliment when someone gets you a drink for being attractive." She told him once. "Means that you're the hottest one there. So, on another guy or girl's tap, I'll take the drink and laugh over it with you. Maybe get one for you too."
But Qrow knew that this was far from the case as there was only one person with red eyes who'd insult him with bottom shelf booze. Upstairs the waitress said she was, and upstairs he went. Dreading the interaction, he walked slower than he usually would, but that wouldn't be surprising to this newfound 'patron' of his.
There was only one person on the second floor of the establishment, one with a large Grimm mask on the table. Dark hair that fell past her hips, a dark red and black dress with similarly colored gauntlets crossed over the table. She sat as still as the icy ocean over Atlas, her beaded necklaces not making a single sound.
She's just as cold as that ocean, too. Qrow thought to himself.
The feathered-hair woman smiled sweetly once their eyes met, "Hello, brother."
He sighed at the way she spoke, like always, hollow and disingenuous, "Raven." He moved closer to sit across the table from her. Pushing her mask further to the side for his new drink, making his twin roll her eyes at him.
His next words came out without any hesitation, "What do you want?"
She faked being hurt, "A girl can't catch up with family?"
More disingenuousness, "'Catching up' with you means 'I need something'. So what?."
Raven sighed, "Fine. Does she have it?"
Qrow ignored the question, fiddling with the glass. "Did you know about Yang's injury?"
"That isn't -"
"Rhetorical question. I know you know. It's just so obnoxious you bring up family and yet show no concern over your own daughter as if she never existed."
"I saved her," Raven tried to keep her cool, but small bits of anger climbed out of her words.
"Once. But that's your rule, right? I'm glad your daughter, my niece, had women like Summer and Silver to know what mothers are supposed to be." He sipped some of his drink, growing infuriated with the heartlessness his own sister displayed. This wasn't what siblings were supposed to be like when they got older. The idiotic bickering should have stopped long ago. At least, that's what the books, movies, shows, and whatnot told Qrow what they are usually. The conversations he'd have with Silver told him that her relationship with her brother, Arun, was better than this. As a real family should have been.
"Oh really?" Raven smirked, "You mean the same Silver who left you and her behind? The Silver you fought so hard to keep in your life, only for her to leave you all behind. Not just those of you in Patch, but her own family as well. Her own flesh and blood. Now tell me, how does that differ from me? I take care of my family. I take care of the tribe that raised us. I lead them."
Qrow went silent from those words, the words that even Silver had said before the Fall. "You two are different. She left out of fear for others, you left out of fear for yourself."
"You say that, but have you ever taken the time to truly forgive her?"
"I forgave her the day I saw her collapse from exhaustion. I told you this before, you know, the last time we 'caught up'."
Raven shook her head at him, "Again, you say that, yet why isn't she here with you? Why do you try leaving her behind? Are you that afraid for yourself as well?"
Qrow slammed the glass on the table, infuriated yet his voice soft and calm, "She's in Atlas, for a charity event. I have been keeping in touch with her the best I can, with the CCT destroyed, and she with me."
"I'm guessing Wylla's daughter asked her if she dared go to Atlas again."
"No shit, Captain Obvious"
"None of that will matter if Salem has that Relic. No 'charity' will save anyone."
Qrow chuckled to himself, "I thought you were trying to keep away from all of that."
The female twin's eyes narrowed at the male, "I'd like to know what we're up against."
"Oh?" Qrow was intrigued as he laid his elbows on the table, hands intertwined together, and chin on top, "What's 'we'?"
His sister scoffed at him, disgusted with the way he was taking her words to distort them in his favor of the conversation.
Qrow's voice became softer, leaning back in his seat, "You should come back. We can beat her if it's all of us, together. As we once were."
Raven's eyes narrowed, "You're the one who left. You were the one who decided to turn your back on the tribe."
"You mean the same tribe comprised of killers and thieves? Completely fucking criminals?"
"Your family."
"Honestly, your perception of that word is really fucked, Raven."
"And you chose a woman you barely knew, and still barely know, over the people who raised you. Tell me, isn't that fucked up too?"
"I didn't leave just because of her," Qrow stated, "I left because I wanted to do something more with my life. Something more meaningful."
"Fighting a hidden war you can't win? The 'honorable' are only met with death. They are weak, yet us, the strong, survive in the world."
It became a conversation that was going in circles, the same as it had always been with Raven. It was never one way or another, it was always her way. The way of Raven, who thought she knew it all. She was finally done with this conversation as she took her mask in hand and stood from the table, hand at her blade's hilt. "If you don't know where the Relic is, then we're done here."
Qrow kept silent, not wanting to confirm his intel about the location of one of the other Maidens, in fear of Raven keeping her guard up about the subject. He didn't need to confirm anything, she had inadvertently told him everything. This was, after all, his own sister - his own twin, someone he once shared a womb with. He knew from the way she stood and spoke that she felt confident about fighting against an 'enemy they can't win against'. She wouldn't have felt that if she didn't have someone of high power who could contest against Salem's Autumn pet. And only a Maiden could fight another in equal strength. After fighting in this war for so long, they both knew this amount of information from Year 1.
He watched her slice her blade in the air, creating a pocket of a black void in the middle. Qrow wouldn't want this to end without his final say, "She's never been harmed by my semblance." Raven stood quiet, not saying another word as he reminded his sister of this important fact. She walked through, and disappeared into the void, heading back to her 'family'.
The drunkard glanced down at his now empty glass, "I'm gonna need another drink."