A/N: This one was pretty fun to write. Hope you all enjoy this one, and feel free to leave reviews. I love reading them.
'Menagerie... Of all the places...'
'No wonder he pointed it out on the map with such interest,' Summer realizes.
*Knock! Knock!*
The sound of someone's knuckle rapping against the home entrance snaps Summer and Taiyang out from their respective thoughts about the latest revelation.
"Y-Yes? Who is it?" Summer calls out as she stands up from her seat.
"Your favorite teammate. Who else would it be?" A gruff voice sarcastically replies.
"Oh!"
Summer and Taiyang perk up, then glance at Flugel and Flandre.
"You don't need our permission," Flugel lightly smiles. "This is your home. I would not complain even if it was Ozpin on the other side of that door."
"Well I would," Flandre mutters. "I'm still pretty annoyed by how he woke us up like that this morning. A lady needs her beauty sleep... For him to not know or consider such a basic thing. Hmph."
Summer cheerfully skips to the door and opens it.
"What took so long? I thought you were going to leave me out there to dry for a second," Qrow chuckles.
A pair of arms tightly wraps around his neck as Summer hugs him with a bright smile.
"It's good to see you too, Qrow!"
"Hey Summer," Qrow grins. He looks past her shoulder to greet Taiyang, but raises his eyebrow at the unknown pair of individuals sitting at the dining room table.
"Um... Who're they?" He asks.
"Friends," Taiyang responds as he gestures towards them with a hand. "Summer met them during her last mission."
"Her last mission?" Qrow repeats with furrowed brows. "But... wasn't your last mission in the wastelands? That zone is forbidden for anyone under class A certification. The heck were these two doing there? One's a scrawny raisin and the other is a kid!"
He frantically points a finger at their faces, but fails to notice Flandre's eye twitch in annoyance. Flugel prods the side of his familiar with an amused expression.
"Hey, Flandre. He just called you a raisin. That's a new one," he snickers.
"... You're the one that's a raisin!" Flandre growls. "It's because your robes are purple! Did that weakling just call me a kid?!"
"It can't be helped," Flugel sighs. "Given your attitude towards most things, along with your stature, I can not blame him. Why don't you try acting mature for once, like me."
"How about I fry you up, you stupid raisin Master," she dangerously mutters.
Qrow blinks at their banter. What is this, some kind of schoolyard argument?
"The hell?" He mutters.
Summer interlocks her fingers and nervously chuckles, "Actually... those two kind of saved my life out there in the field."
Like a spring, Qrow's head snaps back to face Summers, then stares directly into her eyes with concern. He puts the back of his hand up against her forehead.
"... No fever... Weird."
"Geez!"
Summer lightly slaps his hand away with a pout.
"Both you and Tai!"
"Er... Yeah, about that. Summer's telling the truth, as ridiculous as it sounds," Taiyang says with an awkward face. "They annihilated a swarm of Grimm."
"A... swarm?"
"According to Flandre, there were 1,683 of them," Summer coughs.
"Sixtee- What drugs are you all on right now?!"
Qrow looks at his friends like they've lost their minds. They seriously expect him to believe that this scrawny looking dude and little girl destroyed 1,600 Grimm?!
"Okay, I think you all need to go see a doct-"
He finally notices Yang freely flying through the air. Then, his eyes focus on what looks like a branch with crystals hanging from it sticking out from the little girl's back.
"... What the fuck is going on..."
He brings a hand up to his head, feeling his mind grow numb from shock.
"Language," Summer scolds. "I know this is a lot to take in at once, but don't curse around Yang."
"Did I have too much to drink last night? Yeah... there's no other explanation," Qrow mumbles to himself. "Then, I must have hit my head and this is all just a fucked up dream."
"Qrow! Remnant to Qrow!" Summer calls out while slapping the top of his head.
He snaps to attention, registering the sensation of Summer hitting him.
"This isn't a dream?... Someone please explain to me what the hell is going on."
"Well, for starters," Summer says with hands on her hips. "Introduce yourself first. You're being rude to my guests."
Resisting the urge to scream, Qrow slowly approaches the table with the two bizarre individuals.
"... Qrow Branwen. Professional Huntsmen."
Flugel eyes peer deeply into Qrow's causing him to fidget.
"Greetings, Qrow Branwen. You may address me as Flugel," he nods. "This is my companion, Flandre."
The one in question doesn't even bother looking up from her plate of food. Her wings lightly glow and hum, supplying a constant stream of energy to keep Yang afloat.
"Please don't take offense," Flugel shrugs. "She can be quite shy at times."
"Who are you calling shy, Master?" Flandre instantly retorts.
'Master? Is this some sort of weird fetish play?' Qrow raises an eyebrow.
"Here's some advice," Taiyang comments. "Just accept whatever they're about to say. You'll thank me later if you do."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's literal advice. Just accept it," he sighs.
'He sounds so defeated. What the heck, Tai?'
Summer hops behind Qrow and pushes him down onto a vacant chair.
"Join us for some breakfast. I made plenty for all of us!"
"Alright, alright. Stop pushing," Qrow grumbles while shrugging his shoulders. As he turns back towards Flugel, he notices that his eyes had not left him the entire time, and he could swear that his pupils are glowing.
"Uh... You need something buddy?" He slowly asks.
"How fitting, considering your name," Flugel chuckles while leaning back into his chair. "An interesting little trick."
'My name? Trick? What's this guy talking about?'
"That Ozpin brat doesn't even have much to spare," Flandre clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes. "He must be pretty desperate."
"Ozpin? Brat?" Qrow slowly repeats. "Not much of what to spare?"
"Qrow, like I said... just accept it," Taiyang sighs and gives him a sympathetic look. "These two are all-knowing weirdos."
Flugel knowingly smiles at Qrow.
"I would like to see it in action. I am curious."
'Phrasing?'
"... See what in action, exactly?" He carefully asks. Beads of sweat form on his forehead, feeling completely exposed with the way both Flugel and Flandre are staring at him.
"Your transformation into a crow. What else would I be asking about?"
Flugel raises an eyebrow as he clarifies, as if Qrow was asking about the obvious.
Thoroughly alarmed by this, Qrow instinctively jumps up from his seat and reaches behind his back to grab the handle of Harbinger.
"Don't move, brat."
Qrow feels every single muscle in his body tense up to the point of locking in place. He finds himself unable to move, not even his eyes. He'd been immobilized by Glynda's Semblance before, but whatever he is experiencing right now feels completely different. Under the influence of Glynda's abilities, he can feel the external force pressing down on him from all sides, and he can feel the sensation of resistance. Right now, he feels no such external force. In fact, it feels as if his body itself is refusing to obey his thoughts, and it leaves him feeling completely terrified and isolated.
'What just happened?!'
Flandre's crimson pupils glow with an otherwordly sheen as she casually spoons some scrambled eggs into her mouth. She hums in satisfaction as she chews and swallows her food.
Summer hurries to step in between them and puts up her hands in a placating fashion.
"Can we all calm down please? Flandre, could you be a sweetheart and let him go?"
Flandre takes a swig of milk and wipes her mouth before lazily shrugging. When she blinks, the glow from her eyes dim, and Qrow collapses into his chair with sweat coating his body. With stuttering breaths, he raises a finger and points at her.
"W-What the hell did she just do to me?!"
"I commanded, and you obeyed. That's all," Flandre says matter of factly.
"What kind of broken Semblance is that supposed to be?!"
"That wasn't a Semblance," Summer explains. "Mister Flugel and Flandre don't use abilities such as Semblances like the rest of us do."
"Wha- How could that have been anything other than a Semblance?!"
Flugel casually gestures with a hand to present Flandre, who widely grins to show off her sharp fangs.
"She's a vampire, as you can see. Compelling obedience from those with weaker will comes naturally to her race. Consider it akin to hypnotism."
"Vam... pire?"
Qrow feels like his head is starting to spin.
"Uh oh," Taiyang comments. "Well, I did warn him, but he's still freaking out. Can't really blame him though..."
"Those bloodsucking monsters in fairy tales? That kind of vampire?"
"How incredibly rude," Flandre says while narrowing her eyes. "How would you like it if I called you a monster just because you don't have fangs like I do?"
Summer tilts her head curiously.
"So.. do you suck blood?" She asks.
"Not anymore," Flandre answers while waving a hand. "For us vampires, blood is just an efficient method of acquiring Mana, plus it's nutritious. But through the contract I have with Master, I have access to his Mana, and he to mine. I don't have to suck his blood."
She suddenly grins mischievously before turning to her master to flirtatiously wink at him. She flutters her long eyelashes with a shy expression while pink dusts her cheeks.
"Though... Master, if that's your fetish, I can always oblige."
Summer's face instantly glows red as her imagination goes wild. In a moonlit room, Mister Flugel is sitting on top of a bed with Flandre on his lap. He pulls his robe down to expose his neck for Flandre to claim as hers...
Meanwhile, Qrow stares at Flugel like he's some kind of sick freak, due to being ignorant of his and Flandre's ages.
Taiyang simply palms his face in silence.
"... Why must you always me out to be some kind of pervert whenever we meet someone new?"
"Isn't it obvious that it's because I love you, Master?"
'Kyaaah!' Summer mentally fawns. 'Bound through their souls. A relationship deeper than marriage!'
"You troublemaking familiar..." Flugel sighs, then glances at Qrow. "So, are you going to demonstrate or not?"
Noticing his uncomfortable expression, Summer steps forward to encourage him.
"It's okay, Qrow. They're... unconventional, but you can trust them. Honestly, if you were there for what I've seen so far, you'd understand that something like this isn't even a big deal to them."
"... Ugh, fine."
He takes several deep breaths to calm himself, and pulls on the familiar sensation within himself to transform into a crow.
"Birdie!" Yang exclaims and flies down to scoop Qrow up into her arms, much to his surprise and eliciting a squawk.
Flandre, thoroughly unimpressed, scoffs and turns her attention back to her much more interesting plate of food.
"Hmm... I see," Flugel thoughtfully nods.
Summer's eyes are locked onto Qrow, and after a moment, she brings a hand up to her chin.
"That's weird... Maybe I'm just imagining things, but it almost feels like his color... changed? Like tinted layer of green film wrapped around him. Am I just seeing things, Mister Flugel?"
"Learn to trust your senses more," Flugel lightly smiles. "Your observation is correct. What you're seeing is the sliver of someone else's Mana activating a transmogrification spell. Though, it is a little lacking in various departments, if I had to be honest."
"It's pathetic is what it is," Flandre bluntly comments.
Qrow, wiggles out from Yang's grasp and falls to the ground, changing back into his human form as he lands.
"Normally, people freak out a bit when they see this. You two are the first ones to completely trash on it," he mutters.
"Because it is trash."
"There is room for improvement, that much is for certain," Flugel comments. He shuts Flandre up by shoving a piece of bacon into her mouth.
"Like what?" Qrow asks doubtfully. "I can get in and out of almost anywhere, undetected."
"Nice confidence, but for all intents and purposes, you are no different from any common bird."
"Still gets the job done."
"Maspher, cam I?(Master, can I?)" Flandre asks with her mouth full.
Flugel nods, "Try not to traumatize him."
"What?" Qrow's eyes widen.
'Traumatize? What're these two planning?'
Flugel lightly taps his foot, and all six of them, along with the dining table, are teleported outside onto the small training field next to the home.
"How did-"
Flandre gulps her mouthful of food down and hops down from her chair.
"Transform. Then try to dodge whatever I throw at you," she says impatiently.
Summer stutters, "U-Um... She's not going to do that is she? Mister Flugel?"
She gulps, imagining Flandre casually clenching a hand and Qrow going... poof!
"Of course not," he chuckles.
Qrow narrows his eyes and hops into the air, quickly morphing into a crow. He soars high up into the air and internally smiles, confident that he can get away from anything they throw at him from this distance.
"Which one should I use..." Flandre mutters to herself, then suddenly grins. "Hehe~ I know just the one!"
She sticks her tongue out from the corner of her mouth and forms a rectangle with her index fingers and thumbs, as if taking a picture. Her other wing slides out from her back. Yang remains in the air, hovering above Summer's head.
Then, she sways her body side to side and childishly begins to sing, "Kagome, Kagome~ Many holes will cast a net~"
Both Taiyang and Summer tilt their heads in confusion.
'Kago-what? What is she even talking about?'
Though confused, Summer intently stares up into the sky where Flandre is aiming at.
"Mister Flugel, what kind of magic is Flandre about to use? This feels different somehow."
"It is something Flandre had learned in her home world. What she is about to use falls under the category of spell cards. Basically, they are something the residents of her world use in duels so that even weaker beings have a chance of winning. However... Flandre is exceptionally powerful amongst her peers so Qrow is in for some pain."
"So... that means this magic is weaker than her actual abilities?"
"Correct," Flugel nods. "She uses spell cards whenever she wants to savor her play time with the opponent, hence why I told her not to traumatize him. Hopefully..."
"O-Oh... Poor Qrow..." Summer gulps and offers up her prayers.
[Taboo: Kagome, Kagome]
Thousands of tennis ball sized glowing orbs manifest around Qrow's position, forming a tight matrix cube.
'Holy shit!'
Qrow squawks out of shock and flaps wildly. He eventually calms down when he notices that the grid of energy lines are stationary, making navigation through them simple.
'Okay... not too bad so far.'
As if on cue, the lines begin to move in a crisscross pattern. He smoothly weaves through the openings with relative ease.
'Still manageable...'
He takes the time to glance down at the ground, where he sees Flandre pointing a hand at him with a finger extended like the barrel of a gun.
"The bird in the cage~"
A transparent bubble of yellow energy, approximately the size of a beach ball, appears at the edge of the cage. It moves forward to begin plowing through the gridlines, disrupting their organized structure and pulling the individual green orbs along with it. Qrow's eyes widen and a wave of cold sweat washes over him as the yellow bubble continues to pull more of the green orbs, forming an incoming wave of bullets.
He puts more strength into his wings and flaps above the yellow bubble as it passes by him, but is met with a wall of green colored death. Thoroughly panicked, he flies like he's never flown before, narrowly squeezing past the smallest of openings. He winces whenever an orb grazes him, feeling a jolt of electricity painfully pass through him. When he finally whizzes past the last of the orbs, he sighs in relief, but his reprieve does not last for even a second. Flandre's childish singing echoes through the air, and to Qrow, it may as well be death itself singing a lullaby to him.
"When will you come out?~"
Flandre extends her arms out towards the sky and twirls playfully.
This time, a yellow bubble appears on all six sides of the cage, and without further warning, plow towards him simultaneously. From Qrow's perspective, he is surrounded by tsunamis coming in from all sides, and as hard as he tries to determine a path of escape, he finds none.
'... Shit.'
An explosion of green and yellow fireworks light up the sky, much to Yang's innocent delight. As the glittery cloud of dust settles, a smoking black blob pops out and falls towards the ground, leaving a swirling trail of colorful smoke behind it.
Flandre sighs and snaps her fingers, catching Qrow in midair. He is no longer in his bird form, and is a complete mess. His clothing is riddled with burn marks, and the entirety of his body is riddled with bruises. As she lowers him onto the grass, Summer and Taiyang jog towards them.
"Damn... Ouch," Taiyang winces.
Based on his experience, he can tell from first glance that Qrow isn't in any mortal danger, but those bruises are going to hurt for the next few days.
Flugel strolls up beside them and squats down next to Qrow. He reaches out and pokes his sternum. As his finger moves away, a dark green circle with various symbols and letters emerge. He looks over the circle for a second before fiddling with it.
"I see... So this will go here. Change this a bit and strengthen this section..."
He hums to himself as his fingers gracefully rearrange the symbols and runic letters. After about a minute, he nods in satisfaction and pushes the circle back down into Qrow's chest.
"Time to wake him up."
He holds a hand out and narrows his eyes to concentrate, but Flandre suddenly stops him by grabbing his arm.
"Master, I'll supply the Mana for this."
Flugel raises an eyebrow, then chuckles, "Aren't you overreacting?"
All signs of playfulness disappears from Flandre's face and she sternly looks up at him.
"Flugel."
Flugel's eyes widen slightly, then he mentally sighs.
"Just how long has it been since you've properly called my name... Very well then."
A steady stream of Mana flows into him and he prepares his spell.
"5 minutes will do."
[Reflow]
Golden light envelopes Qrow, and his injuries start to disappear at a rapid pace. Taiyang, with an amazed expression, glances at Summer, who nods.
"That's exactly how Mister Flugel healed me."
"Ugh..." Qrow groans as he opens his eyes.
Flandre sighs and tightens her grip around Flugel's hand.
"Don't haphazardly strain yourself, Master."
"A rewind of 5 minutes is hardly straining myself."
"I don't care. Time magic is strenuous no matter how you cut it. Until you recover your spent source, you're going to use my Mana for the more demanding spells."
She intently looks up into his eyes, making it abundantly clear that she will not take 'no' for an answer.
Flugel takes a step backwards and looks back at her with a faux expression of horror.
"W-What happened to my familiar? Who are you, imposter?!"
"..."
Flandre pouts with red cheeks. Wholeheartedly laughing, he gently pats the top of her head.
"It's only one source. I've been in worse situations during our long journey."
"And each time I was worried sick!" She retorts with a scathing glare. "Stop downplaying the seriousness of this matter, Master. Your capacity has still been cut down by 20%. It is only out of respect for your wishes, and my tolerance for Summer, that I am not causing a scene."
"We should keep it that way. No one gains anything by making it known."
"... You still haven't promised. Promise me, Flugel."
"You know that won't have any effect on me," he mentally chuckles. "But very well, I'll be heavily relying on you for now."
Flandre's eyes brighten and her mouth curls into a smile. In the meantime, Qrow is looking over himself, confused by the lack of injury or any signs of damage.
"What happened? It's like nothing happened to me."
"Now that you're all recovered, why don't you try once again?" Flugel instructs.
"How about no thanks?" Qrow grumbles. "I'd have to be an idiot to subject myself to that again."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Flandre impatiently taps her finger against her elbows. "Hurry up and fly."
Taiyang snorts, unable to hold in his laughter.
"Go on, Qrow!" Summer encourages. "I'm sure you'll do better this time! Maybe..."
"... Thanks for the vote of confidence," he grunts, then hops into the air.
When he lands on the ground, his appearance shifts to a crow.
"So, do you feel any different?" Summer curiously asks. In her eyes, Qrow is still covered in a green film of energy, but it feels much more vibrant now. To normal eyes, he does not look any different from usual.
"I don't think so?" Qrow responds.
Summer and Taiyang blink once before looking at each other. Qrow also pauses, realizing the same thing.
"Did he just... talk?" Taiyang asks.
"What the hell?!" Qrow exclaims. His wings lift up and he looks down at himself, verifying that he is in fact still a bird.
Flugel nods to himself, satisfied with his handiwork.
"Is this not far more convenient?"
"What did you do to me?"
"Some minor adjustments were made to Ozpin's original transmogrification spell. Why don't you try flying next?"
Qrow flexes his wings and hops into the air to take flight. Summer and Taiyang gasp when he shoots up into the air like a bullet, and within mere seconds, he is soaring hundreds of feet in the air.
"That... was fast," Taiyang whispers.
Up in the air, Qrow nearly has a heart attack, not expecting such high speeds. As he adjusts himself, he looks down and is shocked by the clarity of his vision. From all the way up here, he can easily make out the individual strands of hair on their heads.
'Damn... What did that dude do to me?'
Flugel amplifies his voice with a small amount of Mana.
"Prepare yourself for round two. Whenever you're ready, Flandre."
Qrow gulps and composes himself.
'Okay... With my new speed and vision, I'll be ready for that attack this time. I also memorized the pattern so I should be ready.'
Flandre cheerfully grins and holds a hand out with her fingers splayed. At the tips of her fingers, shining lights of dark pink energy crackles to life.
"Little bird, I've always wondered. What would one catch with a cranberry trap?"
[Taboo: Cranberry Trap]
Qrow's eyes widen.
'That looks different. Is she using a different attack?! This isn't fair!'
Like a machine gun, thousands of marble sized bullets of pink energy shaped like cranberries fire from her fingertips. At a blinding speed, they arc through the air to form a sphere around Qrow before he can even react. The last final bullets orient themselves at the top of the sphere, giving it the look of a giant cranberry. Then, the sphere collapses and the bullets whiz through the air, leaving Qrow in the midst of a deadly cranberry hailstorm.
Qrow's eyes dart back and forth, and almost immediately, he identifies a flight path through the storm. Turning at sharp angles impossible for any normal bird, he zig-zags through the projectiles as a black blur. As he nears escape, he makes a minor mistake and finds himself cornered.
'I can't avoid this!'
"Strike out with your weapon!" Flugel's voice calls out.
Having no time to overthink, Qrow imagines himself batting away the projectiles in front of him with Harbinger. Much to his surprise, Harbinger actually swings out from his side and creates the opening he needs to escape. As the weapon completes its swing, it disappears into thin air, like a drop of ink fading into water.
He triumphantly clears the attack and looks down at Flandre.
'Haha! Take that you stupi-'
"Ahahahaha! Good, entertain me more! Fly little bird, fly!" Flandre hysterically laughs. "If one cranberry trap is not enough, then what about two? The more, the sweeter!"
To Qrow's horror, Flandre lifts up her other arm, and identical energy crackles to life on her fingertips, but this time, it is purple instead of pink. She fires and a cranberry trap with double the density forms around him.
"You crazy bitch!"
"Qrow!" Summer frowns.
Taiyang nervously laughs, "You know Summer... I honestly can't blame Qrow for reacting that way."
"Run, run, run some more!" Flandre breathes heavily, thoroughly enjoying herself while Qrow frantically flies for his life.
"Someone save me from this maniac!"
"..."
Summer finally sighs, "Okay, but I still don't appreciate Qrow cursing like that with Yang around. She's going to pick up all sorts of bad habits."
"Seriously?" Taiyang raises an eyebrow. "But you have no problem with her spending time with Flandre?"
He points a thumb at the one in question, who has a wide, bloodthirsty grin of ecstasy plastered on her face.
"Er..." She stutters. "You have a point..."
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!"
An explosion rings out and a smoldering blob falls towards the ground. Flandre catches Qrow with the snap of a finger, and like before, she supplies Mana for Flugel to restore him.
"Guh... I'm tired now," Flandre yawns and carelessly tosses Qrow onto the ground.
"This chick is insane! And believe me, I've had my share of insane girls in my romantic life!" Qrow jumps to his feet. After several long breaths, he calms down and takes a seat at the table.
"What do you think of the improvements?" Flugel asks with a smile. "Pretty good?"
"... Fine, I admit that it's much better than before," Qrow sighs. "Speed, vision, communication, defense. They're all on another level. Plus this crazy chick just said she's tired, so that means I did pretty well overall."
"The opposite, quite frankly."
"What?"
Flugel clears his throat, "What is easier? Crushing an ant with your finger, or pressing down on it just hard enough to prevent it from moving, and without injuring it."
"... Okay, that's a little depressing, to be compared to an ant."
"Don't flatter yourself," Flandre scoffs. "That's insulting to ants. You're more like an amoeba."
"Yikes," Taiyang laughs.
"..."
Qrow silently retrieves his flask and takes a swig, feeling crestfallen.
'On the bright side, I wonder what sis would think of this? Would she get jealous? She's always been the competitive one.'
"So, why'd you even bother doing this for me?" He gruffly asks. "What do you gain out of it?"
Flugel shrugs and leans back into his chair. He taps his foot once more and they find themselves back inside the home.
"What did I gain? Satisfying my curiosity, as well as giving Flandre the opportunity to play a bit. Honestly, I used little to no Mana for your modifications, but rather, made the most of what Ozpin already set in place. Hmm... if you think of Ozpin's version as around 10 percent efficient, think of my modification of boosting that efficiency to around 80 percent."
"80 percent?" Summer tilts her head. "Why not 100% Mister Flugel? Surely you could have done so?"
"It was a rush job," he simply responds. Flandre rolls her eyes, annoyed that he keeps sparing Summer from the reality of his current handicap.
"Flan, you sad?" Yang suddenly asks.
Flandre blinks with genuine surprise.
"Sad? Me?" She scoffs. "What would I ever be sad about?"
'Observant little brat.'
She proceeds to distract Yang by playfully soaring her through the air.
"Anyways, Qrow hasn't heard the news yet," Taiyang grins.
"News? What news?" He raises an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me it's something insane. I think I've had enough of that for... forever sounds good."
"I'm taking at least a year off from Huntsmen duties," Summer announces.
"What, why? Are you injured somewhere?" Qrow asks as his eyes quickly scan over her.
"Maternity leave," she brightly smiles.
"M-Maternity..." He mutters as the flask slips out from his fingers. "Seriously?! Holy crap, Summer! When are you due?"
Summer bashfully scratches her cheek with a finger.
"We actually just found out not too long ago. When I went in for a checkup, there's still around 8 months left."
"Wow..." Qrow genuinely smiles. "Summer Rose, about to be a mother of two. Have you thought about a name yet?"
"Not yet," she smiles. "We'll give her a suitable name when she's born. I want the name to be a perfect fit."
"Her? You already know?"
"Courtesy of Mister Flugel here with his magic," Taiyang shrugs. "At this point, we don't have a reason to doubt his word."
Flugel lightly smiles, "I am looking forward to her birth as well. No matter what era, the birth of new life is a moment of celebration."
"Okay, so who exactly are you two?" Qrow asks. "I come to visit friends, to find you two weirdos. Then, one of you blasts me out from the skies, then treats my bird transformation as no big deal. On top of that, you even changed it somehow to be better than before. Forgive me if I sound a little lost, but seriously, who are you two? Did Tai just say magic?"
"Well, it's like this..." Summer begins to explain.
- Several very long minutes later -
"You've got to be joking," Qrow states with blank eyes.
"Just accept it Qrow," Taiyang sighs while patting his friend's shoulder. "This is our reality now."
Flugel lightly sets his coffee cup down.
"It is time to attend to some errands."
"What're they going to do now?" Qrow asks Summer.
"Well..." Summer's voice trails while nervously laughing. "They're going to Haven..."
"Mistral? Can't complain about the women there. And?"
"And they're kind of going to... take the Relic?"
"... Excuse me?"
Ignoring Qrow, Flugel stands up with Flandre following suite.
"We may or may not be back in a day or two," he casually waves his hand.
"Flan, you go?" Yang quietly asks.
Flandre's crimson eyes meet pure lilac. She maintains eye contact for several moments before she finally relents.
"We'll be back very soon. So don't cry like a baby."
'She is a baby...' The others think to themselves.
"... Okay," Yang sniffs. "I not cry. Not baby. Wait until Flan come back."
The corner of Flandre's mouth curves up.
"Good."
After a brief flash of light, only Qrow, Summer, Taiyang, and Yang are left in the home.
"... Shouldn't Ozpin be informed about this?" Qrow asks.
Summer apologetically smiles, "Tai and I promised not to interfere with whatever Mister Flugel is doing, which includes informing Ozpin. But... that doesn't apply to you. I'm sure Mister Flugel would say something along the lines of 'The choice is ultimately yours to make,' I think."
"Hmm..." Qrow grunts.
*** Haven ***
Purple fabric flutters in the wind as Flugel peers down at city of Mistral, perched upon rolling cliffs and forests. Flandre, sitting on top of his shoulders, hums a childish song.
"It certainly is different from Vale," Flugel mutters.
"Master~ I smell food down there. Let's go!"
"We just ate breakfast..."
"But traveling always makes one hungry. Plus, it's technically dinner here."
"... I'm the one who teleported us here. You've just been sitting on me."
"Minor details."
A rumbling noise comes from Flugel's stomach, eliciting a sly grin from his familiar.
"... Then again, teleporting has always made me hungry."
"Hehe~ Let's go eat!"
In the blink of an eye, they're wandering through the bustling streets of Haven. The smell of various spices and charcoal hits their noses, causing both Flugel and Flandre to salivate. Many cast strange looks towards Flandre's and Flugel's attires. Though robes are not something uncommon in Mistralian culture, the sheer length and eccentric purple hue draws attention towards him. As for Flandre, there is not much else to say. Her red dress and vest with a pink shirt sticking out from underneath, and her pink mob cap with a large red ribbon attached, differentiates herself from everyone else. Uncaring about the thoughts and judgements of mere humans, she happily skips between food stalls, demanding her Master to buy a plate or bowl.
A small child covered by a dirty brown cloak suddenly runs into Flugel's legs from behind. Without pausing, the child moves to run past them.
"Hmm?"
Flandre's arm snaps out and grabs the back of the child's neck.
"What's this thing?" She tilts her head. "Master, this thing took my snack funds."
The child held by Flandre kicks and flails violently, but her arm does not budge. The hood of the dirty cloak falls, revealing a young girl around the age of seven. Despite being covered in dirt and grime, her pink and brown hair stands out, along with her mismatching eye colors. Flandre looks up at her master, paying no further attention to the kicking and scratching girl in her hand.
"What should we do with this thing?"
"Hmm... What indeed," Flugel hums with a hand pressed up against his chin. He glances over the girl, noting her thin frame. Clearly, she has not had a fulfilling meal in quite some time.
"E-Excuse me!"
A young man wearing an identical dirty cloak jogs up to them.
"This is my little sister, and I'm terribly sorry for her little prank. Do you think you could let her go?" He asks with an apologetic smile. Looking over him, Flugel notes that he is equally frail.
"Master, another one showed up," Flandre comments with a bored tone.
"What an interesting turn of events," Flugel mutters with an amused expresson. "A pair of struggling thieves have presented themselves before my feet."
"S-Sir," the newcomer nervously laughs. "I think you're misunderstanding something here."
"Oh please," Flandre scoffs. "Like how we're misunderstanding that knife you've got hidden under your cloak?"
The young man pauses and a glint flashes across his eyes.
"Then... I insist that you let her go, and we can both go our separate ways. It can be like this never even happened."
He glances at his partner with concern.
"Actually... I've been thinking about who would run my shop. Summer and Taiyang have their families and Huntsmen duties to worry about, so they're out of the question. Perhaps these two can be considered a fateful meeting?"
"... You want these two street rats that just tried to rob me? We can do better than this, Master."
"Hold on. First of all, don't you mean us, not me? Second, I see no potential problems with this arrangement."
"You're doing this on purpose to annoy me, aren't you?"
"How dare you accuse me of such a crime. I would never!" Flugel responds, sounding offended.
"... Whatever. I don't really care in the end. What's life without a bit of chaos anyways? I'll just vaporize them if they try to do anything stupid."
"They're just children."
"Hmph."
Flugel reaches out with a hand and flicks it upwards, eliciting a flinch from both the captured girl and the male confronting them.
A small pouch pops out from underneath the girl's cloak, and Flugel catches it.
"I'll be taking back what is mine."
"O-Okay, you got want you wanted. Can you let her go now?"
A bead of cold sweat trails down his cheek.
'He just took back the Lien without touching her, meaning that he used a Semblance of some kind. That girl is also showing zero regard for Neo kicking at her, meaning that her Aura is unlocked. Shit, we messed up this time...'
Roman's stomach grumbles, but he ignores the pang of hunger and maintains a calm expression.
"Hmm... I don't think so," Flugel responds with an enigmatic smile.
Neo continues to struggle in Flandre's grasp. Finally turning her attention back to her, Flandre sighs.
"Stop struggling you brat."
"Hrrgh!"
Neo's body instantly goes slack, and her eyes widen with panic. She glances at Roman, calling for help.
"Neo!"
"So this little one's name is Neo? Noted," Flugel nods.
"Someone, help us! There's a kidnapping!" Roman screams out. His mind races, filled with fear. Who knows what these two are planning for Neo? He has to save her, even if it means stooping down to begging for help from random strangers. As he continues to yell, he soon notices that no one on the street pays any notice to his cries. To make matters even more bizarre, the passerby are giving them a wide berth as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do so.
"W-What's going on?" He gasps.
Flugel shoots him a carefree smile.
"Don't worry. I've ensured that we will not be drawing any unwanted attention. Come, follow us."
With Neo held in Flandre's hand like a helpless kitten, the two of them continue to stroll down the street. Gritting his teeth, Roman jogs after them, intent on saving his partner no matter what.
*** In a restaurant ***
Neo intently stares down at the platters of food presented before them on the table, while Roman stares warily at their captors.
"Another plate of the grilled shrimp. Oh, and bring one of those fancy drinks with multiple colors," Flandre orders.
Flugel takes a bite of his food with a pair of chopsticks and tilts his head.
"Not hungry?" He asks curiously.
Roman gulps from the smell of freshly cooked food assailing his nose. Doing his best to ignore his stomach, he defiantly stares into Flugel's eyes.
"Like we'll fall for that. You can't bribe us so easily with just a bit of food. Right, Neo-"
His sentence gets caught in the middle of his throat when he turns to his partner. Her cheeks are bulging like a hamster, with sauce covering her lips. Apparently, she'd shoveled half a plate of food into her mouth with little hesitation as soon as Flugel had offered.
"..."
The two of them stare at each other in silence without moving, until Neo gulps her food down and gives him a thumbs up of approval with shining eyes. Roman resists the urge to slam his head into the table.
'Damn it Neo...'