"Hey, Winter, you got a minute?"
She had to pretend she didn't want to bother. She had to pretend she wasn't impressed he still remembered her name. Normally she wouldn't set such a low bar.
She could still feign a sigh. "What?"
Qrow gestured with his hand, palm facing away. Ushering her away from the suits overseeing the operation and the rank-and-file under her command.
This was an all-too-familiar play. Qrow called her away and Winter reluctantly put up with his antics so neither her subordinates or the higher-ups had to bother. She reluctantly walked with him.
"I want to give you something," Qrow explained.
She expected him to follow this with some sort of innuendo - the same bad jokes.
Jokes she'd heard before, but always struggled to hold back a smile...
Not in front of the troops. Or the brass.
Just for them. And after Qrow put in the effort.
Qrow reached to his hip for his flask. Winter immediately tried to brush that off. "In the middle of the day...?"
Not any worse than she expected of him, but really, they could still be seen...
"Not today," Qrow promised, handing it to her.
It wasn't the first time he'd offered it to her. Nor the first time she'd stolen a sip of his... well, some people might call that watered-down swill "alcohol", but Winter was not among them. Qrow always did favor the cheap stuff...
But when Winter was sure no one would see them and she took the flask in hand it felt... light. Not watered down. Not full.
Winter looked up at Qrow, confused. Was he not offering to buy a girl a drink for once?
"I know it's never been to your taste, but I wanted to give you something you'd never had before," Qrow explained.
Winter wasn't sure what it was. His voice was a bit less gravely, he wasn't swaying about, he didn't stink of...
He wasn't drunk.
Qrow wasn't drunk.
"And to what do I owe the... honor?" Winter wondered, curiosity forcing past her restraint, but not quite getting by her propriety.
"For making me better than I was," Qrow explained, "Even if... even if I didn't really mean for things to go that way."
Winter got that. They'd never really planned self-improvement during their... meetups. Much as Winter might've wanted to lecture Qrow into straightening up, some part of her had wanted him to be the vagabond and she never pressed the point.
"I don't know if this is what you want or not," Qrow admitted. "But I know what we had... well, that wasn't what you wanted forever."
Too true. All good things... and with them, forever hadn't seemed very long at all. It was coming closer after each night, and each day Winter grew older.
"You don't want it, just leave the flask at the inn," Qrow assured her. "You don't even have to drop it yourself. There'll be time to talk about the particulars later. After you know for sure."
Knew what for sure...?
As they headed away from the soldiers Winter saw Qrow wave, and saw Ruby Rose waving back in the distance.
So they weren't off for... a reconnoiter.
"Gotta save the kingdom," Qrow smugly asserted. "Don't miss me too much."
That smile.
Was it possible to hate something that also made one go weak at the knees?
Well, it vexed her enough she could still sigh. "Take care of yourself, old man."
Qrow headed off to join them, leaving Winter with the flask still in hand.
He'd miss seeing the look on her face, but... he didn't actually know what she'd say. So maybe it'd be better to see if winter came to his doorstep on its own or he'd be snowed in... with a drink to tide him over.
What did one drink from an empty flask?
No, not empty. Nearly empty. Something rattled around inside... something that Winter tired of hearing without knowing what she'd been entrusted with.
When she uncorked the flask she saw something glimmering in the dark. Something metal and precious stone...
...and immediately closed it up.
Deep breath.
Several.
No. She wouldn't do this now. If he wanted to, he'd live through the fight and ask her himself. She was not going to play this game.
She tried very hard to keep the flask shut and not look at it again. He was gone now, there was no reason to indulge. That wasn't a part of her for anyone else or any other time.
She'd see him again soon enough... she'd make him ask himself. She'd make him say the words.
And... well... after he did...
She'd...
She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
The bridge, in the end, came to her.
Weiss came to the barracks, still worn from the fight. Winter shed any thought of propriety and embraced her sister.
Weiss told her of the fight, but added one detail in particular that erased much of the relief seeing her sister alive had brought. "Winter... Ruby's uncle... he..."
He played the part. He did as Hunstmen did.
Winter quickly told herself there was nothing wrong with dying to carry out one's duty. She told herself it was an honorable course to take, especially if it meant Weiss and Ruby were still alive because of it.
Once her sister was tended, Winter took the ring from the flask. She made sure the empty metal husk made its way back to Ruby Rose, to remember her uncle and whatever sacrifice he'd made for them.
The ring...
...a promise once. Now, just a reminder.
A reminder to do your duty. And to speak aloud if you wanted something badly enough. If something mattered more than duty.
Winter may have been cut off from the fortune, but she wanted for nothing. She had the respect of her peers and a prestigious career. She fought in defense of her kingdom and served with distinction.
But that trinket -whatever material value it had could never be calculated, as Winter had no intent to ever sell it- served as her reminder now. It was what she had to warm her bed.
She'd cursed her mother for weakness before; for succumbing to the drink and letting herself become such a layabout all because a very flawed man had told her he'd never loved her.
Winter never once imagined she'd covet the same thing... because a man had loved her, but hadn't said it.
She'd mocked Qrow his habit. She'd scorned her mother her weakness.
She didn't have the flask anymore.
Winter needed a large bottle of whiskey.