Yang stepped out into a dimly lit tent, its walls made of a thick canvas and supported on the inside by tall wooden beams. A singular oil lantern lit the room, resting on a small coffee table near the center. Rugs lay littered across the floor, haphazard shapes and sizes that left some areas barren while doubling up in others.
A brunette sat at the table cross-legged, with fine features and exceptionally short hair. She lowered the tea cup in her hands while looking up at Yang, the slightest of smirks appearing on her face, "So, the prodigal daughter finally arrives."
Yang narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on her hip, "And who are you? Raven's maid?"
The girl opened her mouth to speak once more but was interrupted as Raven stepped through the portal, allowing it to close behind her. Raven's eyes fell on the girl, and she nodded her head towards the tent flap, "Give my daughter and I some peace, Vernal. I'll come get you once we're done."
Vernal hopped up to her feet and gave a small shrug, "Don't take too long," her eyes drifted to Yang, that same smirk reappearing, "There's more important things that you need to attend to."
"Thank you, Vernal," Raven replied in a clipped tone, cutting off the heated retort Yang was about to administer.
Vernal strutted out of the tent, and was lost to sight.
Silence prevailed for a few moments between the two, with Raven looking Yang up and down, while Yang did the same in turn. With a weary sigh, the older woman gestured towards the spot that Vernal had recently vacated, "You're free to sit." Raven took her own advice, and unstrapped her weapon from her hip before sitting down on one of the cushions across the table.
Yang hesitantly sat, continuing to eye her surroundings while thinking of how to start the conversation. The room itself was filled with a multitude of odd knick-knacks, and Yang realized quickly enough that they were likely the spoils from different raids on nearby Mistral towns. The bed on the opposite side was enormous, and had blankets and pillows heaped on top of it in a myriad of colors.
"Tea?"
Yang turned to see Raven gesturing with a small, finely designed cup, steam slowly rising up from within. Her eyes burned, and she couldn't help but snear across at her mother, "Who'd you steal it from?"
Raven raised her eyes in thought and brought the steaming cup to her lips, sipping lightly while she hummed before replying, "Kuroyuri, I believe? Tough to find finer materials anywhere, aside from the City of Mistral itself."
"And how many did you kill to get it…?"
Raven raised an eyebrow, "Do they even teach you kids anymore, or is Oz satisfied with throwing ignorant children into battles they can't hope to win?" she shook her head while Yang glared, "Kuroyuri has long since been destroyed. I had no part in it."
Yang crossed her arms with a huff, then nodded off towards a painting hanging off one of the wooden beams, "And that?"
Raven followed her gaze to it, "Bought it from an artist in Shion."
"And your armor?" Yang was getting frustrated. All she wanted was for her mother to admit what she was, yet the woman seemed adamant to play it off.
"Made it myself~" Raven gave Yang a smug look and sipped her tea once more, then placed the cup down on the table, "Yes, Yang. No doubt your father or Qrow has told you their interpretation of what I am."
"You're a bandit," Yang stated angrily, "Not much to 'interpret' about that. You steal from others, pillaging and killing wherever you go."
Raven scoffed, "You make it sound as if I'm some mass murderer. We don't kill if we can help it, Yang," she shook her head, "What do you think happens if we cause too much fear?"
It didn't take a genius to figure it out, "The Grimm will be drawn in…"
"And then the town that we attacked will get overrun, the goods we wanted will be destroyed, and we'll be left with one less town to steal from. We need the towns to survive just as much as they do."
"What you're doing is still wrong," Yang retorted harshly, trying to stare down the older woman, "You don't deserve anything you've stolen."
"On the contrary, we provide a vital service to the surrounding area," Raven remained calm, voice changing as if she was speaking to a child, "An entire camp full of bandits is sure to generate negative emotions, don't you think?" she didn't bother to wait for a reply, "With the amount of Grimm we kill, we're certainly saving those towns from attacks with our mere presence. If we packed up and moved out, who then would their attention fall to more frequently?"
"And what? You expect them to thank you!?"
"No. I expect them to pay for the protection we provide. All I take in return for our services are enough supplies for my men, and some… mild extravagences for myself."
Yang's anger boiled, hearing the woman trying to justify the things she'd done as if they were perfectly acceptable in her eyes, "How commendable."
"Thank you," Raven grinned, clearly knowing that Yang had meant it sarcastically, "But I'm sure that isn't what you're here for. What has you so desperate for my attention that you would run off to try and get yourself killed? I hope it isn't boy troubles. I'm clearly the last one you'd want to talk to about that."
Yang grit her teeth, breathing heavily through her nose as her original outrage boiled to the surface. There was a question she wanted answered; one that had caused her to take such drastic measures in the first place, "How could you let Summer die? Did the thought of us having a mother offend you so much that you wouldn't even save your own teammate!?" her eyes became moist, the sheer frustration getting the better of her, "What is wrong with you!?"
Raven returned her glare, "Wrong with me? Nothing. Qrow and the others are the ones that are delusional, choosing to follow Ozpin in his endless war. I got out when I could, and if Summer had been smart, she would have done the same."
Yang pounded her hand down on top of the table, sending a web of cracks out from the place she'd hit, "You don't get to talk bad about her! At least she was there for us!"
"And she still would be if she'd listened!" Raven shouted in return, a snarl following not long after, "I told her not to go!"
Yang paused, losing the thread of the argument as there was something she clearly didn't know, "Told her not to go where?"
Raven's anger dissipated, hands raising her cup back to her lips. She drank deeply, buying herself time to think while Yang waited impatiently. Finally, the cup was lowered once more, and Raven's eyes drilled into Yang's own, "How much have they told you? About the Grimm, or about what that girl is?"
Yang frowned in confusion, "I know what Grimm are… and what do you know about Violet?"
"I know that her powers are beyond those of other Maidens. That she's special, somehow… and that Ozpin is putting all of his faith in her."
"The Headmaster trusts us… So, what?" Yang was shocked to find out her mother already knew about Violet. That knowledge was supposed to be kept a secret from everyone. Had Qrow let it slip, or had she found out some other way?
"There's a difference between trust, and faith. Ozpin trusts few. He has faith in none, at least… not until now," Raven seemed to size her up, looking deeply into Yang's eyes, "There... is an enemy of humanity. It's lived for countless generations, preying off our fears, dividing us, searching for an opening to potentially kill us all… and I don't mean the Grimm… I'm talking about the one controlling them."
'An enemy of humanity? Controlling the Grimm?' Yang shook her head, "Impossible. You aren't making any sense. Nothing controls the Grimm."
"Salem does," Raven replied simply, watching Yang to look for a hint or flicker of recognition. When her frown only deepened, Raven nodded, "Ozpin hasn't even told you why your friend is so important. I figured as much. Like I said, he trusts only a few. Tends to keep his secrets close to the chest… Otherwise, I'm sure more would end up like me."
"That's… ridiculous."
"Is there anything different about your teammate?" Raven leaned forward, pressing the issue, "There must be something. The Maidens have existed for decades at least, maybe even centuries. Why is she so special?"
A flash of neon eyes, an alpha beowolf going up in purple flames. An enormous, impenetrable King Taijitu, brought low by the gaze of a girl that Yang had stood her ground to protect.
"She's… just like anyone else…"
Raven sensed Yang's hesitation, her hand moving up to grip the edge of the table tightly, "You know something. What is it?"
Yang narrowed her eyes, "If I did, then why would I tell you?"
Raven glared, "Because like it or not, we're all enemies of Salem. The only difference is that I try to stay out of her way. No good will come of it."
"How can you say that?" Yang's temper flared, "I watched the three of you fight only a few minutes ago. You were all amazing! Let's say this person you're rambling on about does exist. What's stopping you from taking her out?"
"The same thing that's stopping Oz, or Ironwood, or Lionheart. Salem. Can't. Die."
Yang wanted to roll her eyes at the impossibility, but the seriousness her mother had put into the words stopped her. While she found the idea of an immortal woman hellbent on the world's destruction ridiculous, her mother seemed to believe it. Her mind then shifted focus back to her thoughts of Violet, and the effect that her powers appeared to have on the Grimm, how the Taijitu didn't have a scratch nor scorch mark when it died…
"She can kill her…" Yang muttered it to herself, realizing in the moment that she had said it too loudly due to her shock at puzzling it all together. Raven clearly heard, her eyes going wide and her hand falling away from the table.
It was her turn to question the impossible, "H-how do you know?"
"It's… she just…" Yang struggled, unsure of whether or not she should reveal anything to Raven. Her words were rooted with a hint of desperation, though. Yang's eyes raised back up to her mother's, "Violet can kill Grimm without destroying their bodies.." memories of the night her leader had almost died passed through her mind, of a boy near their age that had died without a single mark on his body, "She can… kill people that way, too…"
"And you've seen this?" Raven's eyes widened in surprise.
Yang nodded, "More than once."
Raven dropped her gaze to the cup in her hands, raising it with fingers that shook ever so slightly. She mumbled quietly, caught up in her own thoughts, "Is it possible… Could we rid the world of her…?" she refocused, looking at Yang closely, "How does she do it?"
"I… I've told you enough about Violet…" Yang replied uneasily, uncertain of what her mother would do with her newfound information, "And you never really answered my original question… Why didn't you save Summer?"
Raven closed her eyes, breathing deeply and letting it out with a sigh before reopening them to regard Yang with… pity? Regret? "I… might have been able to. After leaving your father, I swore that I wouldn't become another victim of Ozpin's war, wouldn't fall prey to a cause that would never see its end… So, when Summer left and ventured off into the Grimm Lands, and I felt her fear through our connection… felt her come to terms with her own death…" her eyes grew distant, voice gaining a slight rasp, "What would have been the point? I would have been offering myself up as another lamb to be slaughtered…"
"But, the way you all fought together tonight… You should have tried. Even if she'd already used up her 'one'. You owed it to her! To… to me."
Raven eyed her sadly, "Summer is the reason I have my rule… I've always regretted not trying when I had the chance. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder... What if? I won't make that mistake again. I'm already forced to live with enough guilt…"
"Good," the word popped from Yang's mouth before she could stop it, the truth of her feelings laid bare. She forged ahead, wanting to drive a point home, "You left me. Left Dad. I find it hard to believe you ever really cared about anyone, but… at least there's something you feel responsible for abandoning."
Yang stood, turning her face to hide the tears threatening to fall. More than anything else, bringing up Summer's death was causing her more grief than she could bear. The entire day had been an emotional rollercoaster and she… she wanted off. Yang waved her hand through the air, "Send me back…"
A portal appeared before her, red waves pooling outward from an infinitesimally small point until it had expanded to a size large enough to permit her. Yang took her first step, but paused as Raven whispered one final phrase.
"I do care, Yang…"
"It'll take more than words to prove it…" Yang stepped through the portal, expecting to find herself in the presence of her father once more, maybe even Qrow. Instead, Yang found herself standing in the living room of her home, a quiet Ruby cuddling up against Violet while Blake sat slightly off to the side.
All eyes stared in her direction, likely alerted the moment the portal had opened and waiting to see what would appear. The portal closed behind Yang, and her eyes scanned the living room for her father. When she didn't see him immediately, she threw a questioning glance towards her sister, "Where's Dad?"
Ruby frowned, "He hasn't gotten back yet."
'But then, how…?' Yang turned her own frown towards where the portal had disappeared, 'Raven can only create portals to people she's attached to…'
Realization hit, and she turned back around with pain-filled eyes.
Raven hadn't sent Yang back to her father…
She'd sent her to Ruby…
Short chapter, but I've been a bit busy this week. Loving the growth I've seen after hitting 300 follows. We've already gained 36 more! I'm really glad people are enjoying it. Now if only Black Lotus could get as much love, heh. If you follow TLG, but not Black Lotus, please feel free to let me know what it is you might dislike about the other fic. I'd love some feedback in order to improve!
So, it appears that unlike canon, Raven isn't quite as shitty of a person. I'm viewing her connection with Ruby as a sort of 'Snape protecting Harry' type of relationship. Raven's guilt urged her to try and keep Ruby safe, in the hopes that she might eventually make up for not coming to Summer's rescue.
Thanks for reading!
- Sybaen
