It was practically expected that the peace talks between the twin cities and Branwen Tribe would fail. After a disastrous encounter, the Branwen Tribe acquires a "good luck charm" and Qrow Branwen curses his luck for getting stuck with prisoner caretaker duty.
A Fantasy AU.
Legal Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Until the End
Chapter Four (of Six):
"I win again."
Qrow stared down at the playing cards spread out on the mattress before him, clutching his own close to his chest and running his free hand through his graying dark hair in mounting frustration.
"I still say you're cheating somehow." He grumbled over at Clover Ebi, an odd trill blooming in his chest at the sight of the oh-so-confident smirk plastered on the other's face.
After all, it had been far too long since the last time he'd seen that sort of expression settled over the younger man's features. It felt like a lifetime and battlefields ago now. Clover had spent most of his early days in captivity here in Mistral sullen and morose, though he'd started eating on his own following Qrow's "words of encouragement" and didn't seem hell-bent on pushing himself past his limits anymore, for which the bandit was secretly glad.
Qrow didn't exactly care for the company of the other members of the bandit tribe and vice versa, so perhaps that was how the two of them had fallen into the routine they'd developed now. Since Qrow was still tasked with watching over Clover, he'd stop by regularly to ensure that the brown-haired Atlesian was doing everything that a good captive should.
But there was more to it than that, because the younger man ended up being surprisingly good company, because Clover's teal eyes always seemed to light up when they saw that it was Qrow in the doorway and not someone else. Qrow was so used to people regarding his presence with disappointment that it had caught him pleasantly off-guard at first, and he found himself returning to the prisoner's room even when he wasn't necessarily obligated to do so. Even his usual nighttime routine bar hopping and one night stands didn't seem to have such a profound effect on him as staying in that confined space with Clover did, and so he'd gravitate there even after trying to have a few drinks beforehand.
If Clover found it odd, he didn't say anything or complained. In fact, he seemed to have come to enjoy Qrow's presence there as well, no doubt because it gave him something else to focus on other than his current pathetic circumstances. Qrow wasn't sure what was drawing them to one another, and he decided he didn't want to necessarily dwell on it. All that mattered was that he actually looked forward to his nights now, and if he ingrained that eager light shining across Clover's eyes when he saw the pack of playing cards in Qrow's hands into his brain for future reflection, what was really the harm?
Clover smiled at the fake sulking tone that he'd gotten so used to hearing from Qrow at this juncture, "I'd chalk it more up to skill." He noted with a confident wink for good measure.
"Or just your good luck seeping out." Qrow pointed absentmindedly to the faintly glowing marks dotting across Clover's tan skin.
Clover looked down then, his easygoing demeanor immediately fading away with a frown, "Well, I guess I can't exactly help that, huh?" He muttered, a slight bitterness cutting into his voice.
Qrow couldn't help but grimace as he realized his poor choice of words given the circumstances, "Gods, Cloves, I'm—"
But the brunette cut him off with a shake of his head, a slight smile that didn't quite reach his teal eyes forming on his face, "It's all right, Qrow." He said, his gaze lingering on his fading Semblance tattoo.
"It isn't." The older bandit muttered under his breath, averting his gaze then, "Not really."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the pair, Qrow bending forward to gather up the cards and reshuffle them once more while Clover pulled slightly at the chain attached to his wrist as Qrow pretended not to notice. A considering look flashed across his teal eyes as he regarded the lanky man sitting across from him on the bed, "Tell me about Patch." Clover said stubbornly.
The quiet request caused Qrow to cease in his card shuffling and raise an inquisitive eyebrow in Clover's direction, "Again, lucky charm?"
He hadn't meant to accidentally blurt out anything about Patch to the other earlier in their interactions, but one off-handed remark about his friends outside of the bandit tribe had led to many others happening in quick succession. It was oddly cathartic, in a way, once it had gotten started.
Clover shrugged, "I'd never even left Solitas before now." He reminded Qrow, "An island off the coast of Vale sounds downright exotic by comparison."
The older man snorted in response, "It isn't anything to write home about."
"But it's your actual home, isn't it?" Clover pressed softly, "You seem a lot livelier when you talk about it."
Qrow tried shrugging indifferently, but he knew he probably didn't look too convincing when he couldn't even meet the other's piercing gaze, "I suppose so." He finally stated, "Though I haven't been back in a long while."
"I think that's a shame." Clover remarked, his tone nothing but sincere.
Qrow's breath caught in his throat, his light red eyes taking in the softly glowing runes and glyphs in the room all around them, "It is what it is, Cloves." He shakily mumbled.
In a way, he was just as much a prisoner here as Clover was. The threats against his family keeping him essentially tethered to the tribe. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth and an ache in his chest, especially when he knew Clover was regarding him with a mixture of knowing sympathy he didn't feel he deserved.
"Your nieces are there, right?" Clover asked tentatively after the silence between them had carried on for a few rather tense moments, "Yang and Ruby?"
Qrow mutely nodded, feeling oddly touched that Clover had listened to his oftentimes still drunken rambles enough to remember the girls' names.
"Tell me about them." Clover prompted gently, "I bet they're at those ages where they can be real handfuls."
Qrow couldn't help but smirk, remembering the mischief that the precocious children had gotten into the last time he'd seen them, "You've no idea, shamrock." He told him succinctly, "Where do I even start?"
The playing cards were quickly forgotten in light of this new topic of conversation. Qrow was distinctly aware of just how Clover's teal eyes lit up at his animated talking, at how no doubt his own red orbs had done the very same as he was finally able to regale someone with tales of his nieces' exploits. The indulgent smile crossing over Clover's face was one Qrow couldn't help but match, and he was surprised by how vehemently he wanted to simply keep staring at it as the night wore on.
The door to Clover's room closed shut softly behind him, and Qrow leaned his back against it for a few moments to try and school his expression into a more neutral one once again before he started moving down the corridor, an odd lightness to his steps that hadn't been there before. He wasn't even sure how long they'd spent talking this time, but it had felt like hours and far too little all at once. He'd even been far too reluctant to take his leave.
That surprising sense of comfort and tingling warmth Qrow felt only lasted until he turned the hallway corner, his body completely freezing up at the sight of Raven Branwen standing there. The leader of the bandits had clearly been waiting for him if her steady posture with arms crossed over her chest was any indication, or how her dark red eyes seemed to flash the second he came into view.
"Qrow." His twin sister lowered her arms, one of her hands coming to rest atop Omen's hilt as she regarded him evenly, "You're back, I see."
Her voice was decidedly neutral, though he scowled at it all the same and rubbed the back of his head, "Would you have preferred me staying out late and still reeking of booze?" He tersely asked her.
"Of course not." Raven answered, striding forward to clamp an awkward hand on top of his shoulder, something unreadable lingering behind her assessing gaze, "Whatever's going on, I'm glad of the change, brother."
Qrow rolled his eyes, "Careful, Rae." He muttered, "That almost sounded like you still cared."
Her touch was gone not a second later, the light in her eyes flashing angry and cold once more, "I was merely growing tired of you insulting the tribe with your antics."
"Right. Because honor and strict codes of conduct are so important to bandits." Qrow got out sarcastically.
Raven practically snarled at his remark, though she was quick to school her expression into a more neutral one not a moment later. Qrow was nearly impressed by her self-control. "Believe it or not, baby brother, I didn't come here to argue with you." She told him plainly, squaring her shoulders as she did so. There was an almost urgent tone in her voice that caused him to straighten slightly and go on the alert himself.
"Something came up?" He asked, light red eyes narrowing as she started walking down the hallway towards the exit of the dorms, expecting him to follow her immediately.
She gave a brief nod and pushed the doors open to the outside, the pathway beyond illuminated faintly by dust lamps overhead along with the shattered moon and twinkling stars in the night sky above. "It's Ozpin." She finally remarked, her level gaze landing on Qrow then to gauge his reaction.
He raised a dark eyebrow at Raven's comment, "What about him?" He wondered briefly if the Kingdom of Vale, which had gone strangely quiet in the wake of the events at Amity, had finally decided on a course of action in response to his assassination. The thought made his stomach lurch, as if things being even tenser with Atlas now wasn't bad enough...
"We found him." Raven's narrowed eyes were staring down the empty, darkened streets all around them, "His next host, I mean."
Qrow blinked at the admission, "How?" He asked incredulously.
"Does it matter?" It was Raven's turn to raise an eyebrow now, "We have to bring him here."
"Why, Rae?" He found himself unable to stop from asking, "Why can't we just leave things well enough alone?"
"Because, Qrow!" She answered as she spun around to face him, annoyance suffusing her features, "Part of our deal was to turn him in the moment he was found!"
Deal. He vaguely remembered Vernal and some of the other bandits discussing an uneasy alliance with a mysterious other party around the same time that Tyrian had first shown up. Raven had been somehow even more on edge and terse since then, more ruthless in how she prepared for raids. Almost as if she was gearing them up for a true and proper war at some point.
The dark look that flitted across her features left no room for argument then, and he knew she wouldn't tolerate her "disgrace" of a brother questioning her on the subject more. Qrow sighed, raising his arms up in quick surrender then, "All right." He told his twin in as placating a tone as he could muster despite the dread building in his chest, "When do we head out to collect him?"
She relaxed immediately at his apparent submission, "Right now. I've left Vernal in charge until we return, though it shouldn't take long." She replied swiftly.
"You don't want to bring a raiding party?" He asked quietly, rather surprised.
Raven smirked, clearly relishing in knowing something he didn't, "It's not needed." She informed her brother, tilting her head towards the canopy of trees beyond the outskirts of the academy, "Besides, they'd only slow us down."
Ah, he understood what she was getting at only a moment later. They were going to use their bird forms for this mission. In a way, it was almost ironically fitting considering who had given them to the siblings earlier. He turned around briefly to stare at the dormitory once more, telling himself that Clover would be fine even if he was gone for a full day or more. After all, it wasn't as if he'd even been wanting to look after the prisoner in the first place.
He turned back around to find Raven regarding him impatiently and with a pensive, furrowed brow. His frown deepened, but he nodded his head anyways. In a sudden blur of black feathers, both Branwen twins were taking off into the night sky.
Clover flopped back down onto the mattress behind him with a weary sigh, turning his head slightly to the now empty tray that was still resting by his bedside.
Qrow hadn't been the one to bring him his food this morning, rather it was another of the nameless bandits who refused to talk and glared at him as if he truly was a thing instead of an actual person. Still, he'd eaten anyways, his body long since having adjusted to the routine. Besides, he was no longer trying to foolishly defy his captors in that regard considering a part of him still very much desired to survive and actually get out of here one day, as Qrow had advised him to try and do.
It was unfortunate that he'd yet to figure out just how to do so. The Branwen Tribe was annoyingly thorough when it came to actually keeping their assets imprisoned, apparently. But, he was regaining his health and strength now and so if he just...
He sighed again, the frown on his face deepening along with the furrowing of his brow as his thoughts trailed off. He knew now that the bandits were planning an all-out offensive against Atlas. He learned that Ironwood and the rest of the Council had put up a blockade in light of the mounting unease throughout all of Remnant. Even if he were to somehow escape from here, making his way back from Mistral to his homeland would be exceedingly difficult, not to mention he was more than likely already considered "dead" by his own people.
Qrow had flat out told him it was likely impossible to return to life as he'd known it in Atlas, in-between card games and talking as much about their respective pasts and homes as they cared to admit to one another in those tentative moments together. His own gruff voice had taken on a bitter edge then too whenever he mentioned it, and Clover was reminded all over again how their individual experiences weren't really all that different from one another.
Like him, the lanky man was trapped. It nearly hurt Clover's own heart when he saw the disgust and hesitation hidden beneath the surface of Qrow Branwen's actions as an active member of the tribe. How he tried covering that up with a cynical demeanor and self-destructive tendencies. Qrow looked so much happier, healthier even, when he forgot all about that for the brief moments he was here visiting at night. When he spoke fondly of Patch and the only people in his life he truly cared for.
Clover was surprised by how much he'd come to crave those more tender reveals, how he tried encouraging them to the surface whenever they were alone together. At first he thought he'd just been trying to divert time, to perhaps make a potential ally in a land where he had none, but now...
Now, he wondered what was truly going on there. Why his heart seemed to both ache and sing in regards to the red-eyed bandit all at once. He wanted to somehow trust Qrow if he could, help him even despite his own lack of ability at the moment to help himself. Clover couldn't help but smile in a self-deprecating manner at how pathetic that made him seem. He wondered briefly what Robyn or James would think if they saw him now.
The door to the cell slowly opened then, and Clover sat up with perhaps far too much eagerness than his situation truly called for at the thought that it was perhaps Qrow coming to visit. His body language and posture immediately deflated at the manic glint of white teeth in a sharp smile that greeted him instead as the all-too dangerous scorpion Faunus known as Tyrian Callows stood there, regarding the former Ace Op as one might a toy of some kind.
"I see our good luck charm has been as diligent as ever in taking proper care of himself." The lanky man mocked, and the brown-haired Atlesian was aware that he was holding something behind his back then, "They certainly know how to instill diligence into your regimen in Atlas, hmm?"
Clover's teal eyes narrowed and he instantly stood up from the bed, not wanting to be seen in any type of vulnerable position around this man, "Why are you here?" He asked, skipping any pleasantries.
After all, he'd barely seen anyone beyond Qrow and the random collectors of his good luck "trinkets." The fact that this meeting was even happening at all was setting alarm bells off in his brain. Tyrian's tail was snaking back and forth behind him as if eager to strike, "I have merely taken it upon myself to keep you company while our erstwhile birdie is off on a mission of great import." He answered, clearly amused.
Clover tensed at Tyrian's wording. So Qrow was on another task for the tribe then? He was always in such a dark place after returning from them, he couldn't help the worry that slowly started seeping into his core.
That worry only intensified all the more for not only Qrow but also himself when Tyrian grinned and revealed the glistening, rune-etched chains that he'd been holding behind his back, "I even figured it was about time the dog got in a proper walk." He mocked, smiling malevolently as he stepped further into the room.
Vernal was waiting for them by the edge of the forest on the way to the former academy's grounds, the short-haired woman resting her back against a tree as the portal brought Raven, Qrow, and their new "guest" back with them. She nodded her head at her leader, "Welcome back. Did you—?" She began, though she paused when her gaze traveled downwards to the young boy clinging tightly to Qrow's hand.
The child's wide hazel eyes became even larger at her attention, and he moved to hide behind the lanky bandit. Qrow's heart nearly broke at the sight. The kid couldn't have been more than a year or two younger than Ruby was now, and he'd been physically snatched away from the only home he'd ever known on account of what he might be.
Qrow still remembered how deathly calm Raven had appeared when she'd held Omen to the neck of young Oscar Pine's aunt, threatening that no one should attempt to do anything foolish like go against the tribe in response to this. It had been an unnecessary show of force, given how terrified the woman and her nephew had already been as a result of Ozpin showing up out of the blue in the boy's body once already, but Raven probably just wanted to frighten the child into further obedience for the trip back.
Vernal schooled her shock into an impassive look not a moment later, eyes still on the boy, "I take it this is him, then?" She asked.
Raven's lips curled slightly in disgust, her gaze flicking indifferently onto the child. She'd no patience for her own offspring, much less someone else's who also had a magical connection to a man she despised, "Yes. This is Oscar Pine," she said at length, "Ozpin's new host."
Oscar gulped nervously behind Qrow, who he'd latched onto the second they'd removed him from the farmstead since Qrow had actually tried comforting him a little briefly and hadn't seen as keen on threatening him and his caretaker earlier. The young boy managed to peek his head out from behind the man's lengthy legs just enough to give a shaky, polite nod, "H—hello." He stuttered out in greeting.
Qrow couldn't help but smile down at him then. It seemed that the kid had been raised well. Vernal pointedly ignored Oscar and Qrow after the boy's greeting attempt, looking over to Raven with a considering frown, "I didn't think he'd be so young." She said as they started moving towards the dorm, where Qrow assumed a room had already been set up for Oscar.
Raven's dark red gaze hardened, "Leave it to Ozpin to be cruel even to his hosts." She said bitterly as they entered the building, "Though he'll only be our concern for a short while."
Qrow frowned, this being the first he'd heard of any sort of timeframe, "What do you mean?" He asked his twin, once more annoyed by her penchant to keep him out of the loop when it concerned important tribal matters.
His sister scoffed, "Come now, baby brother. Did you really think we'd be keeping Ozpin's host here?" She asked him in a tone that left no room for argument.
Vernal tapped a finger thoughtfully against her cheek, "Callows has already made arrangements for the two of them to go to the Land of Darkness." She answered matter-of-factly.
"Good. We can properly focus on the war front afterwards." Raven said as she stalked forward, slamming open a door to a nondescript student dorm room. She gestured impatiently for Oscar to step inside.
Oscar looked up and over at Qrow with terrified eyes, and Qrow tried smiling down at him encouragingly even though he felt he most likely did a piss poor job of it just then. He knelt down to the boy's eye level and squeezed his hand, "You've had a long day, kiddo," he said as gently as he could muster, "Why don't you go and get some rest and I'll come visit with you later?"
Oscar blinked at him, hesitant but trusting, "Promise?" He asked quietly.
Qrow nodded, "Promise."
With a shaky nod and one last worried look, the freckled boy stepped inside the dorm room. Qrow waited until the door was shut, Vernal locking it from the outside, before he rounded on Raven, "The Land of Darkness?" He questioned, "You've been allying with her?"
Salem. The witch who had been leading a secret war against Ozpin for who knew how long. Suddenly, a lot of Raven's actions started making a painful sort of sense. She was helping Salem sow chaos in order to ensure the Branwen Tribe's continued survival even in the wake of escalating conflicts. He felt sick at the thought.
"Survival is what's most important, Qrow." Raven replied, "It was inevitable, really."
"Th—that's...!" He trailed off, his thoughts racing a mile a minute. He didn't know what Salem would want with Ozpin's new host, but he knew it wouldn't be good. Oscar didn't deserve this, and neither did the other poor bastard that Vernal had mentioned...
"Wait." He paused then, his heart rate speeding up as horrific realization dawned on him, "You said two. Two people."
Vernal nodded curtly, "Since we have both prisoners now, they can be transported together." She replied as unemotionally as possible.
Both prisoners.
Qrow's red eyes widened as he darted down the hall, a tight feeling in his gut at the sight of Clover Ebi's cell door lying wide open. The Atlesian was nowhere to be seen. Panic surged through him, and he moved to run back down the hallway to his sister and demand answers...
"Looking for someone, birdie?" Tyrian's voice called out tauntingly not a moment later.
He spun around on his heel then, to find the smirking scorpion Faunus standing there. He was holding a chain engraved with glowing runes and sigils on it, connected like a leash up to a thoroughly ashamed-looking Clover's neck, his hands shackled behind his back with matching chains. Clover's teal-eyed gaze didn't meet Qrow's eyes no matter how much he desperately wished for it to.
"I was just testing out the new restraints to see if they'd be acceptable for the return trip in a few weeks." Tyrian informed the horrified Qrow, pulling on the leash to cause Clover to stumble behind him as the mad man's eyes gleamed malevolently while he joyously gauged Qrow's reaction to his words, "Her Grace can't thank you enough for taking such excellent care of her new good luck charm."
Author's Notes: Things are certainly piling up here one after the other, even as Clover and Qrow become that much closer. I'm looking forward to the final two chapters of this story! :) As always, thank you for reading. :D