XXXII: Deal
"Eep!"
"Watch your step!" Qrow reprimanded from the sidelines. "It's slippery around there."
"Okay!" Came the cheery response.
Ruby had stumbled for the third time while running around the fountain. Not that he was counting. He could not help but notice when she made noises every time she nearly fell. Thankfully, she was grown enough to not cry from getting a scraped knee. Now if only she would age out of being so awkward on her feet, then they would have less reason to worry about her health.
"Maybe I should buy her a helmet." Her father sighed.
"Nah. Too expensive. I'd skip directly to bubble wrapping her."
The two men sat together on a bench watching the small fry frolic in the plaza. She now stood on the fountain's lip while looking into the water. Taking off her right shoe and sock, she dipped her big toe into the water and shivered. The clocktower agreed with a chime at the top of the hour.
"Did I do the right thing letting Cyan talk to Yang alone? Or should I have gone with them?"
Roscoe had asked that they be allowed to have their discussion in private. She thought Yang might be more comfortable without all the adults overwhelming her with questions. Tai agreed, trusting the reasoning. The girl herself had vaguely nodded and followed along as they broke off from the group and walked towards town.
Qrow had been against the secret chat from the beginning, but he had been out voted. His status as the concerned uncle did not give him veto power. At the next family meeting, he would use this as an example of why he should be given that ability.
"No turning back now bud. That ship has sailed." Tai dropped lower onto the bench. "Did Yang give you a hint on what she knew?"
"Nothing more than what I already told you. She thinks it's her fault that her classmate died but would not tell me much else."
And that was the root of his apprehension. His darling niece had information that could help them catch a killer. The unknown nature of this knowledge put him on edge. He assumed she was being figurative about the death being her fault. It was hard for Qrow to imagine she was responsible. That would defy everything he thought he knew. Still, he was tense.
"I'm sure it will be okay."
"Why?"
"I have faith."
And what a bizarre idea that was. Qrow Branwen. Man of faith. With what he knew about the nature of the world they lived in, that should have been impossible. All that time with Roscoe must have been turning him into an optimist. That, or he knew that she would not do anything to intentionally hurt them.
I am going with that second option. Less scary.
"Glad one of us does. I've been worrying about what to do since last night."
"Well, don't. We'll get through this. We usually do."
On that uplifting message, they watched Ruby explore. She had now taken off both shoes and was wading around in the fountain. Qrow wondered if he should tell her off for doing that. There was not a sign prohibiting it, so he figured it was fine.
Tai looked ready to reel her in, but instead let it go with a hum. He determined she was not hurting anything and that it was okay to let her indulge in her private adventures. Instead he turned back to Qrow with his own curiosity.
"So, I didn't want to say anything before but…" He trailed off.
"But what?"
"The thing around your neck. What is it?" The silver band shimmered as if in reaction to the query. "You never struck me as someone who likes chokers."
Truthfully, Qrow had completely forgotten about the recent addition to his outfit. While it was a tight fit, there was very little sliding or rubbing to catch his attention. The padding on the inside must have been coated with a friction-less material.
"Ha funny guy. If you must know, Roscoe is making me wear it."
Qrow winced as he realized his mistake. It was far too late to take it back. Tai's eyes widened dramatically with delight. The mockery was going to be viscous. Sure enough, the gates of scorn opened wide.
"She's making you!" The other man exclaimed. "You've known her for, like, less than a week at this point! And she already has you wearing a collar?"
"Alright." Qrow knew he deserved it. "Can I explain first?"
"There is moving fast and then there is this." The answer was no. The red eyed huntsman placed his face in his hands and groaned. "When should I expect the wedding invitations? Can Ruby be the ring bearer? She would be so cute in a little dress!"
Said girl's head whipped up from playing in the water with fear. Words like 'dress' always raised the tiny tomboy's internal alarm. Getting her to wear a skirt was hard enough. More than that was like pulling teeth from an Ursa. She settled down when her father waved her off while laughing boisterously. Her grey eyes narrowed with suspicion before returning to her splashing.
"Are you done?"
While Qrow was glad to see his best living friend in a better mood, he wished it had not come at his expense. There had not been a long game of 'rag on Qrow' since they had graduated. Taiyang wanted to make up for lost time.
"I'm surprised by how shameless you are." Tai was going to savor the moment with a couple of more body blows. "Big bad ScareQrow, letting everyone know who his real owner is. It's romantic in a desperate kind of way."
They had now reached Qrow's limit. He had to take his own swipes, or it would never end. There was one tried and true method to get him to back off.
"Yeah. I really don't want to hear that from the guy who was following Raven around like a lost puppy on the first day after Beacon's initiation."
Instead of backing down like Qrow expected, Tai only peered at him curiously. It was a strange reaction. He usually shut the sass down whenever his ex-wife was mentioned. Normally that would have been a moment for celebration. Now it was only an irritant.
"You two are that close, huh?"
"Moving on now," He did not want to have this discussion. "I need to wear it because it's a tracker! She needs to know where I am because of what happened back in Vale."
There. It was out now. He could not get teased about that.
"Wait. What happened in Vale?"
There it was. His second mistake in the last few minutes. He had not had a chance to talk to Tai about the depot robbery. He did not want to worry him and the kids, since it was likely to be resolved soon. That would not cut it now. The way the blond man was glaring at him, Qrow needed to explain now.
And so, he did.
The current huntsman regaled the former with tales of his most recent misadventures. When starting from the beginning, he started to realize how utterly complicated his life had become. There was a lot to cover so Qrow paraphrased where possible. Tai listened to the story numbly.
Qrow explained how he had been minding his own business when he caught wind of Vale authorities issuing an arrest warrant in his name. Next, he detailed how he had spent the next few days piecing together clues about a bunch of crooks who framed him for a robbery and a murder. Then he covered how he had rounded the crew up and took a job in Relay to wait for the process to exonerate him.
Tai had worried about the rogue status that had been attached to Qrow but calmed down when he was told that Oz would get it sorted out. It would just take a few days. Finally, Qrow clarified how they were pretending he was under close monitoring while they secretly investigated the Cobalt Bleu case behind the Sheriff of Relay's back.
"So, you are wearing the ring around your neck to sell the idea that you are under her thumb, when really you two have partnered up?"
"That's about the short of it."
"And what have you found?"
He wondered how much he could tell Tai about what was going on. Was it a conflict of interest to inform him about their actual findings, such as the missing weapon? His daughter could be a suspect. While Qrow trusted the other man implicitly, he did not want Roscoe to get on his case about it later. He decided to keep it bare bones.
"Too much and not enough. The medical examiner and the sheriff have been throwing up every obstacle they can to cut our knees out from under us."
The doctor had messed up the initial autopsy and his office cremated the body to prevent a follow up. Meanwhile, the sheriff had ordered his senior most deputy to cease her activities with no explanation. Roscoe might have been hesitant to link the events, but that did not stop Qrow from extrapolating.
"The more I dig into this case, the more questions I have." He continued bluntly. "Not just about how the kid met his end, but about this whole town."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded paper. It was a scrap that he had apparently picked up during his bender last night. Handing it over to Tai, he unfolded it and began reading. Looking up from the piece, his perplexity was evident.
"A loan document?"
"The bartender of some hole in the wall I visited was filling it out. Check out the listed amount."
The pale man gave it another read and gagged at the number of zeros. Qrow had a very similar reaction when he had dragged it out in the alley while searching for that stolen ring. It was an unreasonable amount for the business that was applying. And it had apparently been pre-approved if the stamp at the top from the Vacuo-Vale Bank & Trust was real.
"This is a lot. And the interest rate is practically zero! How will the bank make any money from this?"
"That's not all. Did you notice how all the nice stores that Relay has? The pristine streets? The amazing public art works?"
He pointed to the fountain again. Ruby was currently splashing water over the side. Her red cape was tied around her waist to keep it dry. The cherubs that adorned the sides appeared to laugh along with her actions.
"Yeah?"
"They must have all been built with similar loans. But who would invest in this place? There is almost no one here!" Qrow could feel himself get flushed. This idea had been irritating him for days and he now had an outlet. "And all of this lien—all of it—is pulled from a single account."
"Right. This Relay Enriched Development LLC." Tai mumbled while trailing his digit over the ink. "The underwriter is someone named Wilhelm Wendeval."
"Sheriff Wilhelm Wendeval."
That was when it all clicked for the other man. Before, he had been humoring his brother-in-law. Indulging in his conspiratorial nature. Now he was understanding that not everything was as it appeared. And it was maddening.
"You think it is all connected."
"Yes. I don't have any proof or a motive." Qrow leaned back and exhaled. "But I would bet everything I have that there is a through line that connects the streets that big Willy built to the beach with that child's body on it."
They sat there in silence as the full weight of the information sank in. Watching Ruby play around without a worry in the world really helped focus the sinking sensation in Qrow's stomach. Tai must have had the same thoughts.
"Is there anything I can do?" He stared down at his trembling hands. "I'm so tired of being so useless. My own child gets dragged into this mess and I can do nothing but watch."
Emotionally, Tai was not in the correct state of mind to help. He was still dealing with baggage that would hold him back. Also, with his prolonged inactivity, there was no way his body or Aura control would hold up if they got in danger. With Qrow's luck, danger was never far away. The huntsman could not look after his deputy and teammate at the same time.
Someone would get hurt.
Maybe they could work on that soon. At least get him back into a shape where he could be an asset in the future. If he held on to this fire, there could be a way forward. But for now, those feelings were not going to be healthy for his recovery. He needed a distraction.
"You're just saying that so you can get closer to Roscoe." He waggled his eyebrows, reviving an old joke. "Give it up. She was not impressed with your suave moves back home. I already warned her of your impregnating ways."
The needling had the intended effect. Tai's melancholy was replaced with a scowl. He was clearly reliving how embarrassed he was when he was first introduced to the female deputy by Qrow.
"Why is it that sometimes when you open your mouth, I just want to pound you into the ground?"
Thinking on the rhetorical question, Qrow decided on a smart aleck reply. "Misplaced lust for my sister? We are twins, after all."
"I thought you said I was after Cyan?"
"You're angling for a throuple."
"Right…" He rolled his eyes.
"I'm not saying no. It just feels so sudden. What would the neighbors think?"
"Shut up."
Laughing now at Tai's pink cheeks, Qrow was sure he made the right decision. However, there was an opportunity to push for more. Now that Tai was up and about, Qrow wanted to see if he could keep him that way for a little while longer.
"Hey, what are your plans after Yang has been interviewed? Heading back to Patch?"
"Probably. Why?"
"Well, I was thinking you guys could hang around tonight and head back tomorrow morning. Ace will be able to take care of himself and we can hang out when I punch out for the night."
"I don't know. I mean, where would we stay?"
"I got you covered. There is a cheap place I know the kids will love. Why don't I show it to you?"
Keeping them close by was risky. There was no denying it. But there was no way anyone knew the supposed rogue huntsman was connected to the family of three. They were just tourists who would be gone the next day. Safe and sound.
After mulling it over, Tai agreed with the idea. He seemed excited for the change in scenery. As they both stood up and prepared to leave, he called out to his daughter.
"Alright Rubes! Pack it up."
The diminutive child was jolted out of her examination of one of the angel statues. With a nod, she climbed out of the basin. Shaking her legs to remove the excess water, she grabbed her footwear and began walking in their direction.
Ruby then broke into a dead sprint towards the two adults. Before Qrow could say no, she jumped towards him. With his honed reaction time, he caught her in his arms. She quickly took advantage of the situation by wrapping her arms around his neck and swinging herself around to his back. He instinctively grabbed her legs to complete the piggyback ride formation.
"Still upset about me calling you a pipsqueak?"
"Uh-huh." She tossed her boots to her father.
"I'm going to have to carry you now, aren't I?"
"Yup yup!"
〇-〇-〇
The converted barn became hot and stuffy in time. Circulating air from the cracked doors did not protect the occupants from the warming influence of the sun. In the center sat two respective leaders who looked impervious to the rising heat. The barbs they traded did little to lower the temperature.
"What is this I have been hearing about your people delaying my deliveries because of an extra truck or two?" The Sheriff growled.
"I've told you a million times Wilhelm." The faunus matron stressed. "If you want to expand your use of our lands, you will have to pay for the right."
"The land does not belong to you." Wendeval puffed his chest. "It belongs to the Kingdom of Vale. You are squatters, not custodians."
"No more so than Relay. Answer me this; Whose permission did you seek before you started paving coastal land and building a clock tower?"
"We will be recognized soon."
"But not yet." She countered. "Until then, you have as much right as we do. And, since we were here first, you must deal with us. Now if you are running low on funds, I am sure we could come to other arrangements..."
Mal's head spun. The rapid fire of trade information from the two was more than he could handle. It was like watching a ping-pong match. One would serve and the other would return. Back and forth it would go until they either agreed or moved on to another subject.
That they were negotiating at all irked the male deputy. Their side had the right and the might to squash these pests. He held his tongue though. Waiting for his time to come was infuriating but necessary. When he was appointed sheriff, there would be no more dealings.
Now that Wendeval was distracted, Mal slid out from the table. The woman's two lap dogs watched his movements and frowned, but the people in the room who mattered did not care. They were too wrapped up in their dealings about transportation and deserted Dust mines.
He needed some proper mental lubrication to keep up with the brokering. The nearby bar offered free alcohol. If the host offered to let him have a run of it, who was he to refuse? He was not stingy.
On the counter, he noticed a jar with a few lien inside. A note next to it suggested a minimum donation with proceeds going to an orphanage. Deputy Dwrg huffed and instead pocketed a few cards. If the host did not guard his earnings, who was he not to partake? He was just as worthy a cause.
Once behind the bar, he searched the shelves for an appropriate beverage. Unlike other parts of the barn, this area was kept chilled with a refrigeration unit. While he did find rum, he decided against it. He was not sure if there was a special way of pouring the drink and did not want to make a fool of himself. He instead picked a simple beer in a bottle.
Heading back to the mediation, he saw that the thinly veiled smack talking had continued. Wendeval was beginning to show signs of the warmth affecting him with a red face and a voice growing strained. The hag remained calm while under the assault. If she was moved at all by her opponent's words, she was not showing it.
Mal stayed standing rather than interrupt. He did not want to subject himself to more glares from the guards. The way those animals in the creepy masks kept watch unnerved him. Their judging eyes and frowns would have intimidated a lesser man.
They clearly thought of the human as lesser. Unfortunately, there was not much Mal could do to retaliate. Anytime he tried to give back as good as he was getting, the farmer knight would step in to tell them all to settle down. His interventions effectively ended any further interactions.
What was galling was how everyone deferred to this Mr. Bois d'Arc as if he were the one in command. Whenever Mal tried to talk back, the Sheriff would tell him to quiet down and then ask for a pardon on his behalf. His boss was apologizing to some bumpkin. Another situation that would never happen with a Sheriff Dwrg at the helm.
Apologies were for sissies.
The only one who was not afraid of the swordsman was the only female in the room. Stella Lee, unarmed as she was, seemed to be scared of nothing. She was so sure of herself, just like that uppity feline commander. The deputy would have loved to be the one who put them both in their place. Maybe he would when given the right opening.
Smirking to himself, he placed his hand on top of the bottle he carried and twisted at the seal. Instead of the usual pop, nothing happened. This time with a bit of his shirt in his palm to get a better grip, he tried again. The extra strain did not dislodge the cover.
From the side, he could hear the animals snicker at his misfortune. Mal would have to remember to add Colorado and Onyx to his enemies list later. There was always room for new entries. They could go right below his coworkers' names.
"Can I help with that?"
Pulled from his labors, Mal found that the landowner had walked over from his place at the table. Stella Lee and Wendeval continued along in his absence. They probably did not need him unless the dialogue broke down.
"I got it."
"Sure you do." He grinned condescendingly. "Small tip though. It's an old-fashioned pop-cap. You can't open those with torque."
The deputy's eye twitched as the two guards tittered some more. "Then you do it, wise guy."
Taking the beer container away in his left hand, the blond man placed the neck parallel to the scabbard attached to his belt. With a forceful jerk, the lip of the cap caught the sword guard and dislodged the metal topper. A little bit of foam flowed from the new opening.
Handing it back to the drinker, the other man walked off with a whistle. Mal felt insulted at being shown up but the feeling was balanced out by the provided pint. He would leave Bois d'Arc off the list for now.
With his now opened beverage ready, he took a big gulp. Numbing his tongue as it went down, he finally felt his tensions melt away. A vibration in his pocket kept him from another drag. Pulling out his Scroll, he checked the screen and smiled. A priority alert had gone out.
There had been a mishap at the medical office of Dr. Sképsis. It was light on detail, but it was requesting the attention of the nearest available deputy. Old sawbones had come through. Razz Barrett could be crossed off the list.
A fitting end to an ungrateful ally. If he had not gotten in between Mal and his target, maybe things could have been different. Alas, he had to be disposed of before he became a liability to the incoming Sheriff of Relay.
Technically, the facility was in Deputy Mae's patrol area, but he could reasonably claim he had an interest in responding himself. Afterall, Razz had been his friend and subordinate. Anything that happened that affected his health and well-being would have been just terrible. The soon-to-be big wig would need to pay his respects.
Mal made a note to practice his 'sad' face at the sudden passing. It would be bad if others noticed his lack of surprise. He also wanted to make a good impression on the distraught Lavender. She would need a shoulder to cry on now that her boyfriend had died so horribly. Also needed was a good friend to keep her warm at night.
"That's my final offer." Wendeval raised his voice, bringing Mal out of his blissful thoughts. "Take it or get lost."
"I'll take it." She was the first to stand, catching everyone off guard. "It was good doing business with you again."
The Sheriff grunted. He remained seated even as the crone walked away. She said a few words to the arbiter and gave him another hug. Her compatriots formed rank around her as they led the way out. Before she left, she did turn back to Wendeval with a mischievous tilt of the head.
"One more thing. I wish you and yours the best of luck with its current inquiries. Despite our differences, I approve of the deputy you placed in charge. I know she can be trusted to complete a thorough job."
"What are you babbling on about?"
"Why, young Cyan's investigation of Cobalt Bleu's untimely end. She has already done a fantastic job interviewing those who knew him with that Qrow fellow." The Sheriff's face drained of color. Mal would not have been surprised if his features were a similar ashen wreck. "It does my heart good to know that you would seek justice, no matter who the victim is. There may yet be hope for our peoples."
"I-I am to please."
The masked men scoffed while the woman hummed. She scrutinized the sheriff a little longer. Satisfied with what she found, she exited with her men. The door shuttered behind her.
Wendeval sat for a while longer with a slack jaw. He was shaken by his stupor when Bois d'Arc coughed into his fist. The ajar mouth closed and his face filled with blood again. The cold sweat was turned to wrath again.
Now that he was up, Mal hurried with dread over to his boss's side. There was a slow-motion crash happening in front of them and busybody Cyan was the one driving the bus. They needed to do something immediately.
"What do we-"
"Not here you fool." He hissed and led them both out of the barn.
Outside, they could see that the group of faunus were already becoming dots on the horizon. Their host bid them adieu and closed the double door. The two law enforcement officers began the trudge back to their motorcycles.
"We will have to end her little inquiry." The Sheriff answered his question now that they were alone. "Permanently."
"How're we going to do that?"
"Brothers, Dwrg. Use your imagination."
〇-〇-〇
They had been together for half an hour while walking a circuit around Relay. That was fine with the deputy. Better to take it slow rather than move too quickly. She did not want to scare her charge off.
"Would you like a different flavor?" Cyan offered another cupcake from the box.
Knowing she needed an ice breaker, they had stopped by the Sweet Bites confection shop for treats. While ordering, Cyan was sure the cashier had many questions. Most pressing were 'why are you escorting a child' and 'why are you carrying an assault rifle?' They would have been awkward to answer. Thankfully, they were too polite to ask out loud.
"No thank you." Yang replied.
The pigtailed girl was staring at the frosted baked good in her hand. She had not taken a bite yet. Meanwhile, the woman in the cowboy hat had already eaten two. A traitorous hand was reaching for another before she stopped herself.
Embarrassed that she had shown less self-control than a prepubescent, she closed the box that contained three more and balanced it against her hip. Cora would be upset if she did not save one for her. The faunus somehow always knew when Cyan had gone without her and was not above making her feel bad about it.
As the two continued on, she tried to think of a way of broaching the topic of Cobalt Bleu. That was going to be difficult. Gone was the boisterous kid she had met a few nights ago. Now she was reserved and dour.
"How's school?" Cyan cringed at the parent like question. She followed it up with a hipper one. "Have you 'owned' anyone since we last talked?"
"Yeah." Came the one-word response.
"What in? Another one of those trust exercises?"
"No." She did not rise to the bait. "It was a spar. I beat the girl who was ranked above me."
Rankings? The school must have had a hierarchy combat system to motivate the kids. They had a similar scheme going on at the shooting range. Currently, Maggie was on top in head-to-head competitions. It burned Cyan up that her friend had walked in and had taken her spot as number one as soon as she arrived.
The one time she had taken it back had been one of the greatest moments of her professional career. Defeating and receiving compliments from a specialist was a huge honor. Of course, the mauve haired woman had taken the position back the very next week. Still, it was exhilarating while it lasted. Maybe Yang could relate.
"How did it feel?"
"Amazing." She said in a way that did not convey that feeling. "I had worked so hard to beat her. I even used a move Uncle Qrow showed me. But then…"
Yang trailed off. Cyan could guess what happened.
"Was that when you found out about Cobalt?" She asked.
The way her back straightened up while almost dropping the cupcake let Cyan know she had guessed correctly. Yang confirmed it a few seconds later with a meek affirmation. It was time to zone in on that.
"Tell me about him." Maybe if they started small, they could work up to what had gotten her in this mood. "What did you think of him?"
The girl stopped in her tracks. She was breathing heavily now and created tight fists. Some people when sad would get angry first. From the way she was acting, Yang was furious. Who that anger was really directed at was still a mystery.
"He was dumb! He was always following me and Ruby around!" Her nose began to run. She ran her arm along one nostril leaving a slimy trail. "Always telling lies to look cool. No one bought them."
There was no easy way of doing this now. It was like a bandage that had been left on too long. Better to peel it off and see what lay beneath.
"Yang. Look at me." She did as requested. Her eyes were puffy and red. A trick of the light almost made them look like Qrow's own. "I want to help, but you need to tell me what is going on. I can't do anything otherwise."
She retreated to eyeing the cupcake in her hand. The icing was melting, causing the chocolate to flow on to her fingers. They stood for a little longer. The blonde girl's lips moved while trying to form the right words. Cyan gave her all the time she needed.
"I called him a liar." Yang finally said. There was a long pause while Cyan waited for her to elaborate. The words flowed forth like a stream. "H-he said he killed a Grimm before while walking home. There was no way, so I called him out on it. I told him 'pics or it didn't happen.' When he would not go away, I yelled that he was a liar for everyone to hear."
Yang started to sway back and forth as she recounted the story. Cyan placed a hand on the child's shoulder to steady her. Tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks.
"Those were the last words I said to him. And then he was…" She could not finish.
"You think he went to fight a Grimm by himself."
"And then it killed him." She hiccuped. "A-and he did not have anyone to save him. No one like Uncle Qrow came to save the day. It's my fault."
All her weight shifted forward. Cyan fell to her knees to catch her before she landed face first. The woman cradled the girl's head as she descended into a sobbing wreck. The entire time, Cyan whispered for her to let it out.
That was not the response she had expected, but it made sense. Guilt, even misplaced guilt, was a killer. She knew from experience that the last words exchanged between two people could haunt them for the rest of their lives.
"I need you to do me a favor." The deputy soothingly breathed out as the sobs subsided. "Don't blame yourself."
"He only went out because of me!" She wailed.
"But it was still his decision." Yang continued to cry. "I'm not saying you can't feel down or outraged. Just don't let it consume you."
"I'm not sure I can."
"Then use it." Cyan changed tactics. The wetness let up momentarily. "Use it to push yourself. Be the huntress who will be there to save those that get in over their heads. I believe you can do it."
Maybe it was not a healthy mindset to instill in the youth, but she needed a new direction to get around the paralyzing remorse. The deputy had used similar tactics in her own life to work past the hurt of abandonment and loss. She would like to think she had turned out okay.
"Really?"
"Yes." The girl extracted herself from the embrace. The sadness was still there, but it was subdued now. "What do you say? Do you think you can do that for me?"
Yang struggled with the idea. There very well could have been a voice in the back of her head telling her how useless it all was. That she could not be everywhere at once. That she would make another mistake. But it did not dissuade her. She smiled for the first time to signal agreement.
With the deal struck and with a new determination in her eyes, the girl took a bite of the now deflated cake. Hungrier now more than before, she finished it and asked for another. Cyan obliged with a chuckle as they started moving again.
As they took another turn, Cyan pondered the facts. Cobalt had wanted to fight Grimm. Was that why he had lied to his guardians? They would have understandably been hesitant to let him go out and fight by himself at his age. Even Cora, with all her training, traveled in a group whenever she went out to slay monsters.
If Cobalt had gone truant for that reason, what did that mean for the timeline of events? He was strangled, not mauled to death. On the other hand, there was the claw mark on his chest. The forensic technician in Vale did say it was consistent with a Beowolf attack. Could someone have assaulted him while he fought a Grimm? Why would they do that?
As always, there was more to the story. Already her head was buzzing with new angles. She would need to confer with Qrow on how to best approach them. Slowly but surely, they were piecing together the picture. What it would depict was still up in the air.
Her Scroll beeped, indicating a new notification had been received. Unlocking the device inundated her with alerts. She ignored most of the noise and moved on to her direct messages. There was one waiting from Cora.
It was a simple but fitting one from the hyperactive giant. At the top were coordinates to a rally point. Following it was a message telling her in all caps to 'hop to it' followed by a few bunny emoticons.
She must have found DJ Yell3r's transmission point.
The news would have ordinarily filled her with joy. Instead she could not help but feel resignation. Another distraction had popped up after she had been given a great new lead on what Cobalt had been up to. She needed to grab Qrow, travel to the location indicated, and get this business with the disc jockey dealt with.
Winding back around to where they started, the two travelers arrived at the plaza. Glancing around, there was no sign of the three they had left behind. If Yang had not been around, she would have let out a very strong curse.
More than curious about where they were, Cyan checked her Scroll again. The tracker indicated that Qrow, and consequently Yang's father and sister, had moved further away from them. They were heading for the outskirts of town.
While they were heading in the right direction that Cyan wanted to go, it would have been better if they had all been together. They could have headed back to the Sheriff's Office, which was only a brisk walk away. From there, they could take the Dillo to the meet up.
She did not want to have to walk all the way to Cora. It was not out of laziness. She just did not possess the same kind of boundless energy that the huntsman had in him. It looked like she would be going to her office on her own before picking up Qrow.
It was not all bad. There was a chance to drop off the rifle she had been carrying with her. It also meant she had another passenger. Hoping Yang was less of a chicken than her uncle, Cyan asked two very important questions.
"Hey. Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle before?" The girl shook her head. "Do you want to?"
Her lavender eyes sparkled. As she nodded and finished her second cupcake, Cyan could not help the grin that sprouted at the excitement. Why wouldn't she be?
Motorcycles ruled.
Chapter Next: You Ought to Know by Now (12/18/20)
