The two adults practically held their breaths as their gazes locked with one another, each unwilling to move a muscle. Winter had, ironically, been the first to break eye contact as she reluctantly approached the bed, but Qrow allowed himself a moment to take in her condition, finding himself relieved for the first time in a while.
Good, she was okay. Beaten up, but alive nonetheless.
At least he managed to counter his awful luck with some good.
He noticed bandages wrapped securely around her neck. There were also some around her arms and they peeked out from under her long sleeves, extending all the way to her wrist, although he could tell she was actively trying to hide it.
"How are you feeling?" Winter started, shutting the door behind her.
Unsurprisingly, her voice was devoid of any emotion, remaining just about as professional as she always kept it. Qrow honestly wasn't sure whether or not he should be disappointed.
"Like shit," he croaked out and leaned back against the bed frame. He tried to keep signs of pain from showing in his expression.
Winter reached for the cup of tea on the nightstand and handed it to him, "Here. It's gotten cold, but it'll do for now."
Qrow stared quizzically into the cup, an eyebrow perked at the sight of the liquid's unappetizing dark green color, but his throat was practically screaming for relief, prompting him to take a sip. His face automatically wrinkled up in disgust from the bitterness it left on his taste buds. "What the hell is this? You trying to poison me or somethin'?"
Winter resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She'd nearly forgotten how much of a manchild he could be. "It's herbal tea. Don't be such a child and just be grateful you have anything to drink at all."
"I'll pass," the man replied sourly, placing it back on the stand. His voice felt fuller now anyway. "Now would you mind explaining to me where we are?" he inquired gruffly, getting straight to the point.
"We are currently in Shion. A few travelers happened to find us and an elderly woman volunteered to let us take shelter here," she replied, carefully removing some of the bloodstained dressing around his waist.
That had caught Qrow's attention. He couldn't help but glance down at the gaping wound out of mere curiosity, a wave of dizziness suddenly hitting him from the sight of it. So his injuries were that bad, huh?
"We have been here for nearly two weeks. You were in a coma. I was almost worried you would not wake," the woman continued.
"Yeah, well, looks like you won't be able to get rid of me that easily. Besides, this is hardly the worst I've been through." Qrow jested, cracking a ghost of a smile. That had earned him a scowl. "What's with that look?"
"You almost died, Qrow," she asserted, practically staring him down.
His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, so did you. Your point?"
"Had you not decided to jump down that cliff to rescue me, you would have been fine. Those men would not have escaped."
"What are you talking about?" Qrow questioned, his voice raising an octave. "Are you saying I should've just left you to fend for yourself?"
He could've sworn he caught a small frown forming on her lips.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," she answered stiffly, as if she were reciting a script. "My life does not matter. There was a chance the mission could have been-"
"-could have been what?!" he cut in. What the hell was Jimmy telling his soldiers? "Look, there was no way in hell I was going to walk off. I'm not some stone-cold sociopath, if that's what you see me as."
Sure, Qrow could hardly call them friends, or even acquaintances. Heck, even enemies would be a better word to describe their relationship, but that sure as hell didn't mean he would leave her to die in cold blood. They were supposed to be allies after all, even if they refused to acknowledge so. And even though he could care less about what a Schnee's opinion of him was, it made him wonder if that was how people outside of his nieces saw him.
Winter looked away, quieting.
Maybe it was best he kept it that way.
The raven-haired male turned to the window with a heavy sigh, directing his attention on several trees stretched out across the village. His expression hardened.
His semblance was the main reason they ended up here to begin with. His uncontrollable curse of a semblance nearly led them both to their deaths, had it not been for some sliver of luck they had managed to survive the fall and get picked up by travelers. Really, all Qrow wanted was a safe trip through Mistral for once without his bad luck getting in the way of things, but he was foolish to believe that would happen. Sometimes it was astonishing he still found himself hoping for the best in the worst case scenario.
Since he was young, he was told countless times a hero's semblance was his most powerful weapon, yet he saw his own as nothing more than a burden on himself and those around him, especially family. He'd much rather have no semblance than be stuck with his.
"You know," he began, breaking the silence. "It'd be best if you went back to Atlas after this. The sooner the better, I think."
Winter whipped her head up in disbelief, "Excuse me?"
"Once all of this heals up," Qrow continued, glancing over the numerous bandages obscuring his wounds. "I'm going to search for that bastard on my own and finish the rest of this stupid mission, so you can do me a favor and let Jimmy know you don't need to be here anymore. I work better alone, and I've been here enough times to know the ins and outs of Mistral."
"General," she corrected, glaring daggers at him. "What are you talking about? Are we not supposed to be working together on this mission? Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood-"
"Yeah, we were. Until we got ambushed, nearly fell to our deaths, and that thief we were supposed to catch managed to escape, you said it yourself. I don't even know why they thought it would be a smart idea to put us on this mission together. Look how far making us work together got," he murmured. "You're not cut out for underground work, Winter. It's best if you head on back home."
"Qrow," she snapped. "I am more than capable of-"
"You will only get in the way!" he fired back, a little more harshly than he meant to.
He had no doubts she was a capable fighter - an extremely skilled one at that - but the interference of his semblance would only cause more trouble for the both of them. She needed to get out of here before something even worse happened - something he wouldn't be able to prevent. It wasn't worth it for her to stay with him. He knew his words were harsh, but they were for her own good.
Winter blinked, taken aback. She looked completely offended by his words, maybe even slightly hurt by them. She stood abruptly, the wooden chair she had been sitting in screeching noisily against the floorboards as it slid backwards.
"I do not need someone, especially you, to tell me whether or not I am competent enough to finish my duty," her voice was dangerously low, a far cry from what Qrow was accustomed to anytime she had an outburst. "Regardless of what you may think of my abilities, I will ensure this mission is completed, with or without your assistance."
"Look, Schnee," he tried to reason, "that's not what I-"
"If you think I am in the mood to deal with your childish insults, you are very wrong."
Then, the door creaked open. Winter whirled around to see Lian in the doorway. The two had been caught in the midst of a staredown. Blinking in confusion, the elder woman took a short step back, "..Oh, dear. Did I come in at the wrong time?"
"No," came Winter's immediate reply. "I'll be going for a walk. Excuse me," she said coldly. With that, the woman spun on her heel and disappeared behind the door.
Stunned, Lian turned to Qrow, "I'm deeply sorry if I interrupted."
Qrow raked a hand through his hair, sighing. He'd overdone it again. "It's fine, you didn't," was his response. "We just don't get along."
Because you push people away, a voice echoed. He crushed the thought.
"She was really worried about you, you know."
Qrow peered up at the older woman, seeing the sincerity behind her eyes. He was almost tempted to believe it. Almost. "That's kinda hard to believe," he mumbled under his breath, looking away.
"She came to check on you every morning," Lian continued on as if he hadn't spoken, reminiscing her younger days. "It reminds me of the time I had fallen very ill. My husband refused to leave my side until he was certain I had gotten better," she chuckled.
"Did something happen?" Qrow was unable to stop himself from asking.
"He was a huntsman, one of our village's best, actually," she recalled proudly. "Unfortunately, he passed away on a mission many years ago."
"I'm sorry."
Qrow knew the life of a huntsman well. It was a dangerous profession that constantly made you pick between life or death.
If you had a family waiting for you, were you willing to risk your life?
After he and Tai were left to look after Ruby and Yang on their own, they had chosen to leave their positions, taking up teaching at one of the huntsman academies instead, as that would be the safer option. It wasn't until his nieces had grown up that he decided he could return to the frontlines on Ozpin's behalf. Tai, on the other hand, still remained home, even now. Not that he blamed him at all. Because when Summer didn't come home, that changed things.
"Don't be," she responded, giving him another smile. "My son comes to visit from time to time, you needn't worry. He works all the way in Argus."
"You didn't move in with him?"
"I prefer living out here. Shion will always be my home." Smiling, she placed a hand over his forehead, "Ah, your fever's gone down significantly already."
Feeling unnerved by her touch, Qrow recoiled a bit. "Uh, yeah. I feel a lot better already," he lied, regardless of the burning sensations around his midsection. It was still nothing compared to what he'd already been through over the course of his huntsman career.
Lian shot him a dubious look. "If you're in pain, please don't hesitate to tell me. I have painkillers if you ever need them."
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine." Qrow hadn't removed his gaze from his hands.
Pain, huh? The physicality of it was almost laughable.
No, he was in a different kind of pain.
One he doubted any painkiller would ever be able to alleviate.
"I assure your daughter will be left alone, so long as you cooperate." A woman with glowing amber eyes emerged from the darkness. The patterns on her red dress illuminated parts of her figure.
"How- How the hell do I know I can even trust any of you?!" the man slowly backed away, his back pressing against the wall. He turned towards it in realization, terror painting his eyes.
Her accomplices stepped into view, practically cornering him now. The young girl with crimson eyes spoke up, sounding somewhat nonchalant, although it wasn't exactly directed towards him. "It was kind of a shame… She honestly baked good apple pie. I tried some of it before we left."
"Yeah, well," the boy next to her was speaking now. "A job's a job," he shrugged.
"What the hell are you two talking about?!" the man shouted, pointing his dagger at them.
"Quiet." The amber-eyed woman snarled, causing the two with her to quiet abruptly before she proceeded to speak again. "Russell, was it? We hear you have a knack for finding huntsmen," she paused, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Sadly, these two took it upon themselves to kill your wife, even though I wanted her alive. I am truly sorry about that."
"But Cinder-!" the girl protested before getting cut off.
"You bastards!" he cried out, lunging for them, only to be knocked down right after. The dagger had flown out of his hand, landing towards the opposite side of the warehouse.
The boy rested his hands on his hips, "If you want to live, I suggest you quit resisting."
Russell grunted in pain, clutching his arm. Cinder sighed, growing impatient. These days, it became harder to find people who would simply cooperate. None of them were nearly as gullible and easy to manipulate as Lionheart. Well, she supposed it would be no fun if they had all been the same way. "I'm giving you two weeks. Find the huntsmen. Kill them. And your daughter will remain unharmed," she spoke sweetly, yet venom dripped off her words.
"..Fine," he croaked. "Just leave my daughter out of it… please."
"Oh, come now. I'm not one to break promises," she cooed, a tiny flame bursting above her hand.
After all, every human was the same. Threaten what they love, and they will be sure to do whatever it took to protect it.
Raven Branwen turned when she heard footsteps, spotting a group of men approaching her camp. About time they showed up, she thought to herself. To her surprise, most of them appeared to be quite injured. There were also fewer of them compared to how much she originally provided. The huntsmen they fought must have put up a decently good fight. Though, maybe she should just be grateful most had made it out in one piece.
Strutting down the steps below her tent, Raven casually placed a hand on her hip as the men neared. "Well?" she demanded dryly.
The other man wiped blood off his mouth with his sleeve, presumably in an effort to make himself look a bit more presentable in front of the tribe leader. "Here," he said begrudgingly, tossing the remainder of the lien he collected into her hand.
"That's it?" Raven's eyes narrowed at the pathetic amount of money he had given her as compensation.
"Look, I already paid upfront and returned the rest of your men. What more did you want?"
"I lent you a good amount of my men this time around, many of which ended up dying in your possession, and this is all I get in return? I'm disappointed, Russell. I expected better," she spoke, undoubtedly displeased.
Russell clicked his tongue, irritated. "Listen, I didn't expect those damn huntsmen to be able to take every one of us at once. Luckily for us, some grimm horde came outta nowhere so we managed to get out. Either way, I'm sure they're long dead. There's no way they could've survived that attack."
Raven pocketed the lien, sighing at his obvious excuse. A failure would always be a failure. "The next time this happens, I'm going to have to reconsider our partnership," she stated, turning on her heel, and began to walk off.
"Hey!" Russell's hands balled into fists. "We're not done here!"
Raven met his lanky stature once more through the corner of her eyes. "I believe we had an agreement on this matter."
Ignoring her, he added, "Y'know, if you joined us, things would go much easier. I ain't the fighter here," Russell brought up, wrinkling his nose. "If I help you track them down, we would easily-"
"Raiding individual huntsmen would take up too much of my time, which is why I agreed to your offer in the first place," Raven interrupted. "Huntsmen rarely carry more than a couple of valuable goods, and that's only assuming we're lucky. Villages, on the other hand, have more than enough of what we need. Your addition was merely a bonus."
"Raven."
The woman looked back to see who had called her name. When she saw it was Vernal who had stepped out of the tent, her arms lowered steadily to her sides.
"We have a visitor," Vernal announced.
