Italics indicate thinking
Bold is for attacks
Leona's POV
"Ruby, ready to go?" I walked up to the girl.
"Time already." She jumped up.
"Qrow's out of bed and he's sick of sitting around." I told her "So it's probably best we get this done sooner rather than later. Especially since Tarzana mentioned feeling followed the other day at the market."
"Okay!" she cheered hugging my arm.
I blushed a bit at her affectionate hug, I was still trying to adjust to the new state of our relationship. We hadn't really told anyone about stuff like that but given how much more Ruby is sticking close and holding my hand it's not exactly subtle.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"No." I smiled "I don't mind at all."
"Hmm." She smiled at me.
We met up with the others and Qrow showed us to some hidden transport tunnels we could use to approach Haven Academy unseen. It was a bit of a walk but we were there before nightfall. I had a bad vibe, the situation felt tense. Neo wasn't saying much and sticking out of view, I had a feeling she felt uncomfortable after all Cinder's team from the Festival claimed to be from Haven so being her now must be a little strange and there was a certain amount of vitriol coming off Qrow.
"Is there a problem?" I said cutting the tension and speaking up.
We stopped walking, it was something the others were seemingly trying to avoid but that's not really how I work I guess.
"Let's just keep moving." Qrow said.
"I asked a question." I stared him down.
"Leona?" Ruby got a bit nervous.
"If you don't want Neo here than just say it!" I growled.
"Hmm…" the short girl mumbled a bit.
"I'm letting you guys use the secret tunnels, I don't need one of Salem's former dogs leaking them out." He said.
"And Neo won't do that." I held my ground "You're judging her for something no one else here is, she's been accepted by the rest of this team, you're not the boss you don't make those calls."
I pushed harder.
"Just because you showed up all the sudden and had more answers doesn't make you the leader of this band of misfits, we all came here for our own reasons, not to listen to you." I told him "Ad far as I'm concerned you're not the boss of me, I'm here for Ruby, not you. Neo is a member of this team and you alone don't get to decide if she stays or goes. Not to mention she stuck her neck out to save your sorry poisoned ass and if it wasn't for her we'd be putting oyu in the ground back at Kuroyuri!"
I walked passed him "Now let's keep moving, without more distractions over your bullshit old man."
"Leona!" Ruby ran behind me "Are you alright?"
"I'm pissed off." I told her.
"Yeah but that's kinda how you usually are." She laughed a bit.
"You trust her right Ruby?" I asked.
"If you trust her than I trust her." She smiled "But Uncle Qrow it's…different for him you know."
"I guess." I mumbled.
"Just…try not to get to on his bad side okay?" she held my hand "For me?"
"For you, I can try." I mumbled.
Later
We walked the tunnels for a while, a couple hours at the least I think.
"Are we there yet?" Nora whined.
"Yes." Qrow told her.
"It's about time!" she sighed.
We came to a big wooden door at the end of the cold story hall, we pushed it open and light bled through before it opened fully and revealed the mountain side city of Mistral.
"So big." Ruby awed.
"Large shopping areas." Tarzana hummed "is there anything they don't sell here?"
"Nope, they sell anything even if they shouldn't." Qrow explained "Stay away from the foot of the mountains, the lower you go the worse this place gets."
"Well good thing we're going all the way to the top!" Nora cheered.
We tried not to waste anymore time, preparing and heading into the Academy grounds, it was very rural a stark difference to the metal and technology at Beacon.
"Well…we made it." Ruby smiled.
"It took a bit longer than we hoped." Tar shrugged.
"But we got here without too much trouble." I told Ruby "So come on."
"Hmm…" Neo looked around.
"Are you coming?" Ruby asked her.
"Yes." She nodded walking with the rest of us.
"There's no people around." Tar noted "Keep steady."
"Right." I looked around "Is school out?"
"Maybe, it's not really in session right now." Jaune said "But…"
"There should still be a few stragglers who didn't go home for break." Ren said.
"We should get ready." Qrow engaged his scythe.
"I like the sound of that." I laughed reaching for my blade.
We busted the door open and came face to face with some old grey haired Faunus man.
"AHH!" he yelled grabbing his chest.
"AHH!" Qrow jumped back.
"Did we…give him a heart attack?" Neo asked "No, never mind."
"Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked.
This guy shares a name with me…how pathetic.
"For crying out loud you nearly scared me to death." The man stood up.
"Me?" Qrow grumbled "You were supposed to be waiting for us at the entrance."
He told this man we were coming?
"Huh?" the man took out a pocket watch "Oh, seems I lost track of time, apologies."
"Where is everyone?" Nora asked.
"Oh you must be the students." He looked us over we all gave our formal introductions and he responded in kind with his "I'm Leonardo Lionheart I'm afraid all my staff is on break till classes resume."
"You can't be serious?" Qrow asked "Who's guarding the relic?"
"Swell start." I laughed.
"Weak." Tarzana sighed.
We went into his office where Lionheart and Qrow started getting into a bit of a spat about the right course of action.
"Your kingdom wasn't the only one suffering that day." Lionheart said "My city has been in chaos, all the people watching when that girl was ripped to pieces."
"I mean technically she wasn't a real girl." I mumbled "I've seen more violence in cartoons."
"Leona." Tarzana shot me a look telling me to shut up.
"IT was enough negativity to make the Grimm come for us." He said "Mistral has the widest reaching controlled territory, what little forces we have left are spread unbearably thin, we've already lost so many great huntsman, some of them teachers here. Now the council is at odds with the Atlas council about the Dust Embargo and now they want to close borders I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale but it's only worsened his poorer tendencies. And with all this…we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."
"That's all the more reason to have the Huntsmen and Huntresses here." Qrow said.
"Seems things are bad all over." I said.
"What else is new out here in the wilds." Tar sighed.
"Why's the Maiden so important?" Ruby asked.
"The Maidens can preform true magic and are the only ones able to access the relics." Lionheart said.
"What genius decided that was a good idea." I grumbled "Oh wait…"
This business is way too complicated.
"Spring is the problem?" Qrow sighed.
"What happened to her?" Ren asked.
"She was determined at first but the weight of her responsibility proved too much." The Professor explained "She abandoned her training and ran, no telling where she is now."
"I know." Qrow said "Or I've got a good idea at the least. But it's not good news, looks like she got picked up by Bandits, Raven's tribe."
"That woman." I grumbled "Yang's Mother."
"This is about where they've set up their base." He pulled up a map "Raven's got a lot of followers."
"We can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks." Lionheart said.
"A few…weeks?" Neo strained to speak up "We won't have…few weeks."
"We need to go as soon as possible." Qrow said getting louder.
"This kingdom is in shambles, as soon as possible doesn't mean tomorrow." Leo told him "I need to convince the rest of the council that I need huntsman more than they do, bandit tribes aren't high on the priority list."
"Then let's just do it ourselves." Qrow said.
"I like that, fighting against the odds." I laughed.
"We have to be positive we can succeed, if we fail Raven's tribe will scatter and we'll never find them again." Lionheart said.
"Cowardly man." I growled.
"Hm." Ruby giggled a bit.
"If we only have one chance it will need to be the perfect chance, no mistakes." Tar said.
"What about Cinder." Jaune suddenly cut in "She claimed to come from here with Mercury and Emerald."
"We pulled their files but it was nothing but forgeries." Lionheart said.
"Tsk…" Jaune clenched his fist.
"Hmm…" Neo blinked.
He didn't…
"Well this hasn't been a warm reunion." Qrow sighed "We'll stay in the city, keep in touch."
"I'll do what I can to help." Leo said.
"It was…interesting to meet you." I said "I take it we're the first Amazon's you've seen before."
"Yes, you're quite something." He smiled.
"Yup." I walked out.
We closed the door behind us and headed out into the courtyard.
"He's…lying." Neo told me.
"Yeah, I know." I patted her head.
"We must watch…for traps." She coughed "Watch for…Arthur."
Later
With nothing to do but wait we headed to a safehouse in the area and hunkered down for a bit. I told Neo to keep what she knew about Lionheart between me, her and Tar for now, not that Lionheart was really subtle in his obvious lies, if we had talked much longer he would have tripped over his words before long, his already caught in a web of his own lies and deceits.
"Haa." I yawned a bit sitting on the couch, I had been sitting with Ruby but she was reading a comic book and I was getting itchy from not doing anything, so instead I went into the main room to sharpen Bloodsplitter.
There was suddenly a knocking on the door, no one was sure if we should answer or not.
"Fine I'll do it." I stepped up.
"Neopolitan and I will cover you." Tarzana took position on the right side of the door.
"Hmm." Neo took the left and readied her knife just in case.
I pulled the door open and looked down at some shrimpy sun tanned twerp.
"I don't want anything you're selling shrimp." I said "What is it?"
"Is there a…" he spoke softly.
"Speak up!" I snapped.
"Is there a Ruby Rose here?" he asked.
"Who's asking?" I lowered my eyes intensely.
Is it someone else after Ruby?
"Well…" the kid started to answer before he nearly toppled over when Qrow dead weighted on him.
"I found him~" Qrow slurred.
"He's drunk." Tarzana sighed putting her blades away.
"Severe intoxication." Neo shook her head "I'll…prepare hangover cure."
"I Uhh think her uncle could use some help." The boy said.
"We'll take care of him." I said "Thanks you can go."
"I found him!" Qrow yelled again flopping on the couch.
"What is going on out here!" Ruby stormed out "Can't a girl read in peace?!"
She quickly stopped talking when she saw the state her uncle was in.
"Haa…" she sighed and rubbed the sides of her head "Is he drunk again?"
"Maybe?" the man said.
"Yes." We all told her.
"You…have Silver Eyes." The boy walked towards Ruby.
"Did I say you could enter." I growled low and grabbed his wrist.
"Who are you?" Ruby asked him.
"Well, my name is Oscar Pine." He told us "But you probably know me as Professor Ozpin?"
"Hmm." I lifted him up by his one arm "How the hell…why would you…?"
AN
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Till Next Time!