AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth

Qrow had dropped off all four kids at Beacon and headed to the Headmaster's Office. The original plan had been for Qrow to attend the tutoring session between Emerald and Amber, then return home with Mercury, but Mercury changed his mind and decided to stay all day and find his own way home.

Qrow and Tai weren't happy with that. They did not like Mercury wandering around on his own. When they let it be known, Mercury replied that his aura would respond better to a fight rather than rest and starting a fight in the middle of Vale during the day was going to attract attention. He had a point, but they didn't care.

Finally, they came to an agreement. Mercury wasn't to leave Beacon until he was coming home. He was to come home straight away with no detours and to message them when he was leaving, which they would check with Ruby or Yang. He was to stick to main streets with many witnesses, leave before sunset and be very careful.

Knowing it was the best he was going to get, he agreed. At least he didn't argue about it or get angry.

There was about an hour before Emerald was meeting Amber in Emerald Forest of all places, so Qrow wanted to see Ozpin. They hadn't really spoken since Mercury had been recovered.

"You look tired Qrow."

"Don't start." He had heard enough from Tai.

Ozpin left the window and sat behind his desk. "I saw the aura animal a moment ago. It is still a winged fox."

Qrow wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. It did mean that his aura was becoming more stable and that was a good thing. "Last I saw him, his friends had decided on a dodgeball game."

"Yes, a pleasant break from their activities recently," Oz chuckled. The amusement faded quickly. "What I should tell you is that Mercury wants to talk to me today. I intend to tell him everything."

Everything.

"You can read him?" Qrow was very surprised by that. It was little more than stalling, but it was important to him.

"No. It spoke. Distorted perhaps but then I don't think it's something he's done before." Not to Qrow's knowledge. "He probably got the idea of the Patronus. I do wish to know what you have told him and the others."

Qrow collapsed in the chair opposite. "Nothing. Didn't even tell him about Salem. Can't imagine what he must have thought when he saw her. He did suspect that Cinder worked for someone, but little more. The younger ones only know about the Maidens. Yang was very stubborn. She knows about Salem as Cinder's boss, but I know Emerald doesn't. She knows the name, but thinks they're co-workers. Unless Mercury's told her for some reason." A warning in case she sees her in those dreams most likely. "Ruby doesn't know about Salem at all."

Ozpin let out a long breath. "What about silver eyes or Relics?"

"No to both. We'll tell Emerald soon." As in sometime before next year's Vytal Festival.

"Do you have anything against me telling Mercury everything?"

…

"It's his choice."

"You know him best. He trusts you to keep his best interests in mind. I have done much wrong by him."

"You weren't the only one."

That tournament. Mercury should never have been taken in the first place. There was plenty of blame to go around there. It was more Qrow's fault that Mercury originally damaged his eye; he had been the one to split them up.

Ozpin was patient. Waiting his answer.

Qrow didn't need to think. Mercury wanted answers and he had gone to Ozpin for them. Not Qrow. That meant Mercury wanted Qrow in his life on a personal level, not a professional.

It…didn't hurt. That the answers to questions of the war he had been thrown into were not going to come from Qrow.

"I think he deserves to know everything."

"…Alone or all four?"

"Alone. Give them the choice of what to hear."

It wasn't a matter of what they deserved to know or even a matter of what they needed to know. It was what they wanted to know.

If Yang knew everything, she could protect her siblings better. Emerald wanted to be a normal student. She should know about the dangers of the Spring Maiden being at Haven, but she didn't want to know what they were up to if it didn't concern her or her family. Ruby normally didn't see the bigger picture, but focused on the little people. She may not want to know so she wouldn't be distracted from those who needed help on a much smaller scale.

Honestly, Qrow wasn't sure what Mercury would want. He had been raised to never ask questions of his client unless it was very directly connected to the job. He had never asked them what they knew about Cinder; only given his information and doing what he had been told to. The only question he had asked had been about differences between Spring and Fall Maidens, which was due to his loyalty to Emerald.

Now though?

He may still be sane and far more collected than expected, but there was damage from his recent imprisonment. How much was uncertain.

As if he could read his mind, Ozpin asked his question. "What do you think Mercury has planned for his future?"

"I don't know."

"For the short term, I can 'help' there. I don't know how he has been recently, but after his experience, I cannot allow him back into Beacon without at least knowing if he has triggers and what they are. I am sorry. For everything."

It wasn't safe to allow someone who had been through a traumatic experience without treatment near other people.

Qrow growled, but didn't complain. Oz did have the other students to think about and Emerald had put someone in the infirmary for five days. Upon thinking more about it, one thing stuck in his mind.

Mercury had thought of Beacon as a prison rather than a school. Did he still think that?

"He may choose the advanced course and graduate far sooner. What was the necessities for that?" Qrow had heard about people who graduated Combat School early, but he assumed there was some criteria for it.

Ozpin considered. "Well, we are both in agreement he will pass the physical aspect when he is fully recovered." If his aura settled, he could pass it today. "However, there is a requirement that the individuals or group have spent a significant amount of hours within society. This is normally done through missions, although Mountain Glenn does not count as they did not have to interact with the public. Previous applicants fulfilled this by getting a job with the added bonus of earning money."

Qrow snorted.

Even Ozpin smiled.

"I am satisfied he would pass enough of his written subjects to not insult different cultures and traditions and I imagine he is still good enough to lie his way through the ethics exam."

That had Qrow chuckling.

"However, the earliest I can take him for his final test if he has met all the previous criteria is the end of the year. That test requires another Headmaster to oversee as well as me to remove personal bias."

Qrow digested all this.

Mercury hadn't mentioned anything about not returning to Beacon. He also hadn't made any mention of wanting to return either. He hadn't said much about anything serious really.

Qrow wanted to give him options; something he didn't have when he first enrolled at the school.

A Huntsman License gave him a lot of freedom, even if he didn't act like a Huntsman. If he wanted, it would help with becoming a mercenary. He would have the choice.

"That is all up to him. For now though, I am very concerned about your shapeshifting."

That was the main reason Qrow was here. "I can turn into the crow easy enough. I just wake up human with no idea what happened in the middle and I'm told I act like a crow." Tai had even watched one in the wild for comparison while Qrow watched the kids.

"That is worrying. If I may?"

Qrow nodded and relaxed. Ozpin stood and walked around the desk, placing a hand on his shoulder. At first, it felt like Oz was aura reading him, but then the magic within Qrow flickered for a moment before Oz backed away again. He remained standing.

"To me, it feels like there's less of it." Magic was something Qrow still wasn't used to, but it did feel separate from his aura.

"That was my impression also," Oz agreed with a contemplative frown. "I believe that is what is causing the problem. It takes some magic to shift, but also requires magic for you to keep your mind during the transformation. You do not have enough for both. But then, what happened to it?"

Qrow shrugged. "It was working fine in the simulator." Slashing Ginger had certainly shut her up. "I didn't try again until I returned home and that was the first time."

Ozpin hummed. "There was the fight between Cinder and the unknown assailant. Do you think that's possibly the cause?"

"It's the only one I can think of, but it doesn't feel right." Surely if it had been forced from him, he would feel pain or at least discomfort. He felt fine and normal. "Maiden power hasn't affected it in the past." Those were sparring sessions with Amber to try and ensure she didn't accidentally use it.

"It shouldn't…" Ozpin rubbed his eyes. "I do have enough magic to stabilise it again and will do so, but there is nothing else you can tell me?"

Qrow closed his eyes and thought once more. This was a topic he had thought on often, but he was no closer to an answer. "Afraid not. I wasn't paying enough attention to get a more accurate timeline."

"I wouldn't expect you to. May I fix it?"

"Sure. I'm going to need it soon." Both Emerald and Amber knew he could turn into a crow. It was a good way to oversee their tutoring and yet not really influence it.

He wondered if Amber had ever considered teaching as a profession.

Qrow had already decided to hand in his notice.

Em and Merc said their goodbyes and headed off in different directions.

Yang watched them go.

She glanced at Melody, then at Ruby, then back to Melody again. She got the message quickly and drew the others into the next game. Yang steered Ruby away to a nearby bench.

[They're fine Ruby.]

[Why does it feel like they're leaving us behind?]

Yang sighed, hugging her sister closer. [Because they don't belong to the same world we do. We've been coddled too much. Far too lucky in life.]

How bitter those words felt.

[I know that. I'm trying Yang. I am.]

[I know.] So was she.

[But it hurts. All I want is to keep you all safe and I can't help but think I can't.]

[I won't let anything like that happen again. Not to you. Not to them. Not to Dad or Uncle Qrow. Not to me either. I promise.]

Ruby wouldn't meet her eyes. [We've said that before. It still happened.]

Yang swallowed.

It could have been avoided. That was the worst thing about that night. If Mercury had gone to them that night…If the four of them hadn't begun to drift apart…If they had talked about it earlier…Yang should have never let him out of her sight.

If.

Always if.

[It's not fair,] Yang agreed. [But we need to look forward, not back.]

Ruby was crying. Silently.

Yang just held her.

I promise Ruby. No more.

It had been quite a while since Emerald had been here. In fact, she hadn't been here since Initiation.

Their first tutoring session was in Emerald Forest, but she had no idea where. To make things simpler, Emerald brought Talaria with her. Tracking was something she was very good at. She would also be something for her to focus on while talking about this because Emerald did not like where their previous discussion about Maidens had gone.

Even if it was helpful.

Emerald glanced around. She was in the middle of the forest and hadn't paid any attention to where she was going, but she didn't feel lost. After all, Talaria had taken her in a straight line so it was easy enough to turn around and go back the way she came.

From the looks of it, Amber had chosen a completely random spot in the forest to wait.

"Hello Emerald." Amber sat down. Apparently, they were staying here.

Emerald sat opposite her. "If it wasn't for Talaria, I never would have found you."

"I've had a lot of time to practise and study my abilities and I think you would like a few of them." Amber's eyes went to Talaria up in the tree and her voice changed slightly. It was more hissing. ~Greetings young dragon. ~

Talaria's head snapped to attention. She glided down in front of Emerald and, to her astonishment, spoke back. ~Greetings.~

"H-How…?"

Amber smiled and turned back to Emerald. "Parseltongue. I found I could understand Harry when he used it. Unlike there where any serpent knows it, on Remnant none of them do. I think it's just Talaria as she from their world."

So Emerald could talk to Talaria without using Atlesian code. Maybe she couldn't before because she wasn't a full Maiden. But come to think of it, Bowright the three headed snake had acted very odd around her. "I don't understand."

"Then let's go back. You know the story, don't you?"

Where was this going? "Yes."

"The Maidens were given different abilities then, but we have all of them. Yet the Spring Maiden can heal and none of the others can."

Emerald shrugged a little. "Maybe the story was just inaccurate."

"I don't think so and I have a good reason for thinking that. What I think is that the magic evolved. Much like a Semblance, it evolved as time passed."

Emerald didn't ask deeper. "Maybe something to do with different hosts?"

"That's what I thought at first. But I think I was wrong. I think it's to do with nature itself. Spring is when nature rejuvenates after the harsh months, so that would be the season that would have healing."

"What does this have to do with Parseltongue? If snakes aren't sentient here, then it shouldn't have evolved as a power."

"It is not the language itself that is the power. Maidens have a good way with animals. It is not exactly control, but more powerful communication. Not really too far off if you are wilful. For example, the horse I rode back then was more responsive to my power, not to his training. I only had the saddle and bridle because the stables wouldn't be happy if I didn't and I was returning him."

Emerald thought back. The horse did run off without Amber even looking at it and all he saw was a teenager running towards him, most likely something he was used to. "So you ordered him away back then?" Emerald hadn't seen anything to suggest she had.

"Yes. It's easiest on horses that have been trained to be obedient, but many domestic animals will respond."

Somehow, Emerald didn't want to test it on Zwei. "So that's an evolved power?"

"Yes. Another is something that takes immense concentration, but would have been very useful to me back then."

"You mean…In the fight?" Not a subject Emerald wanted to discuss.

"No. I mean before the fight started. It's not something I was good at then, but I've had a lot of practice since." Amber placed a hand on the tree nearest her. "How old would you say this tree is?"

That was a random change in topic. "No idea."

"Try. Put your hand on it, focus on that power within you and reach out to it. Ask how old it is?"

"It's a tree. It won't answer." Emerald still put her hand on it.

"Not in a language, no. But it doesn't need to talk for you to understand. It's easier to understand if you just try it."

Well, there had been a part of Emerald that had wondered exactly what Amber had been doing in the magical world. Apparently, she had been exploring her abilities. It had probably been the safest place to.

Emerald had been too busy having fun. Like a kid with no responsibilities. Like Qrow had been, actually.

With a deep breath, she calmed herself. The power inside focused.

Emerald sensed the wall. It was between her and something, but the thing on the other side wasn't the problem. It was her. Much concentration. Much effort. Cracks followed and the wall crumbled. A wave of something followed.

The hand pulled away. Shaking.

"I'm going with around 170."

"176," Amber nodded. "What you sensed there were the animals within the tree. Everything from the insects to the bird's nest up in the canopy. It takes some practice to differentiate one animal from the other."

"One wasn't exactly an animal," Emerald muttered as she glanced up. A crow hopped onto a lower branch, now visible. "Oh."

Amber glanced up for a moment, then returned her gaze to Emerald. "My point is that you can learn to feel through the environment. If I had done that before the fight, I would have known the person was standing several yards back from where I saw her. I would have sensed Mercury approaching seconds before he jumped on the fence."

"So you could have responded differently." A few seconds could be a long time in a fight. "Why didn't you?" It wasn't an accusation. It was curiosity.

"For one, I didn't think I needed to. Second, it takes a lot of concentration, even if I was well practiced and I wasn't. I would have needed to stop completely and focus. Now is a little easier, but it is still very disorientating." Amber looked up at Qrow. "It took years to get me to that point."

That was the nice thing about spending so much time on Earth, even if they had begun to get sick of it.

Emerald sighed. "I better get started then." Still, the exercises Mercury had learned from Ozpin about maintaining more than one train of thought would be useful here. Her Semblance had stabilised greatly when using it on multiple people but there were many uses for it.

Ruby had expressed a desire to learn it, as well as hand to hand. She was still absolutely atrocious at that. Yang had tried to teach her some but her style was entirely wrong for Ruby and, while Mercury had promised to, he had always been preoccupied with something else and then the tournament rolled around…

Then again, it was over a year until the next tournament. Emerald probably had at least that much time to practice.

"That's all I wanted to show you today. Would you like another time?"

Emerald stared at Amber. She was calm, relaxed and not the slightest bit bothered that she was teaching someone who tried to rip her soul out in the thing that was the target in the first place.

It was just…unbelievable.

"Why?"

…

"I have been out in the field quite often this year, even using my power a little more openly than was good for me. Only one has attacked me and that was after an ill thought out fight; opportunity. If the people Cinder worked with know it is you, then you are going to be their main target. I'm trying to help."

"Liar." She must be lying.

"I'm not. I'm just not telling you the whole truth." She considered for a moment. "Emerald, I have my own life that has nothing to do with this. I quite enjoy it. I honestly don't have the will to harm someone who won't attack me or an innocent. I don't forgive what you did, but I'm satisfied you were punished for it and won't do it again. There's no need to keep bringing it up."

There was more to it. Amber even admitted it.

But…

"How about the same time next week then?" The sooner these lessons were over, the sooner they could both get back to their lives without the other.

"I'm fine with that."

Emerald did wonder. Where Amber learned all this. But she didn't ask. She didn't really want to know.

It wasn't a surprise to Mercury that Tai and Felix had worried over nothing. He had picked around five to head home as it was rush hour and no one gave him a second glance.

It was irritating, but Mercury could see why they worried. He had been alone at Glade Town and that had once had the reputation of having no crime for years. Of course that is where he would find trouble. The Vytal Festival had been a disaster that night.

He had gone to Beacon with Talaria, but learning that Emerald could now talk to her properly, he told her to stay there for a while. The surprise there was that she could speak Parseltongue, not that Talaria could understand it. But now Mercury thought back, he couldn't think of any time Harry had spoken to Talaria.

No straying. That had been difficult, but Jaune had sympathised and his team had taken him around town briefly to point out what had changed. Not much honestly, but some things.

Exploring the town wasn't very high on Mercury's to-do list. There were quite a few things he wanted to do before leaving the safety of Patch.

Though he was very sure neither Tai nor Qrow would approve of the idea in his mind.

But later. For now, just enjoy.

Oddly enough, he found Tai not far away from the port. A little annoyed at the overprotectiveness at first, but then Mercury noted that he wasn't paying attention to those coming and going. He was searching the ground.

"Tai?" Mercury asked, approaching. He was in no rush to return home.

Tai glanced at him for a moment, smiling. His attention then returned to the ground. "Hey Mercury."

Mercury knelt down next to him, studying the ground himself. He was looking at tracks. "Some kind of dog?"

"A fox. The one that stays in this territory was seen halfway across the island. She doesn't wander that far."

"I thought foxes lived around the stalls. So this one was chased out by a Grimm?"

"Most likely." Tai stood up. Mercury followed. "They're around the stalls for easy food. Stops them going after the farmers."

"And if they leave their territory, there's a Grimm in the area." Mercury had seen foxes around, but hadn't thought anything of it. "Any idea what this one is?"

"No tracks yet." The fox tracks headed north, but Tai headed west. If he recognised the fox from the others, he must know where its territory was. "But foxes can deal with Creeps. Nothing stronger, but Creeps are the main ones that come from the mainland."

Mercury did recall a lot of the Grimm he spent killing when they first came to Patch were Creeps. There was the occasional Beowulf, but it was mostly Creeps. Nothing bigger than the Beowulf though.

He had no idea it was connected to foxes though.

"Do foxes hunt if they get scraps?" Not a bad life if they didn't, but he thought that was the job of a predator. He was also a little annoyed his and Emerald's exploration of Patch completely missed this.

"Sometimes, but not too often. The ones in Vale hunt more." Tai studied the ground again. "Normally, this one has cubs this time of year. She's not taking enough for them."

Mercury's tracking was very rusty. He could see fox tracks, but they were quite old. Over a week at least. Footprints from children or midgets were more recent, maybe three or so days, but nothing on Grimm.

"I haven't seen anything around here save for Creeps and Beowolves. And that Ursa when Ruby and Yang were sparring."

"Ursa huh?" Apparently the girls hadn't mentioned that.

"Yang dealt with it," Mercury shrugged. "Anything higher?"

"A Griffon once. I don't think that's what we're dealing with here."

They were moving through a clearing. If Mercury remembered right, they weren't far from Daisy's house. He wanted to avoid her and Violet if she was still here. They were no longer following the tracks but to Mercury just wandering in a random direction.

"So this is the way Patch Huntsmen find their prey?" he questioned, very interested.

Tai chuckled. "Quite often. Her most used den isn't far now."

They had returned to the woods. Tai then took him off the trail and into the undergrowth. Oddly enough, this area had a lot of thorns around. Not many areas in Patch was this bad for them.

It was something on the wind that caught Mercury's attention. "You smell that?"

Tai took a breath. "No. What is it?"

"Rotting flesh." It had to be nearby. His sense of smell wasn't that good. Within a few yards most likely. The wind was coming from the north, so he took a few steps that way and knelt down. It had to be somewhere around… "Here."

A fox cub. It was tiny; couldn't be that old. It hadn't been dead very long either.

Tai had a look. "Poor thing. It's almost certainly hers."

Mercury frowned. "What Grimm could do this? It's more of a canine jaw, but too small for a Beowulf. Unless it wasn't a Grimm at all and was a dog." He was leaning towards a dog. It was too big to be another fox.

"Could be poachers," Tai noted with a scowl. "There was a group of them about a decade ago that came by here."

"You can't exactly skin something when your dogs have ripped it apart though." Finding wild animals wasn't easy. On top of that, most people didn't care if the fur in their clothes was real or fake. Not even Coco, as long as it went with the rest of her outfit.

Tai hummed in agreement. "Still, it is odd that poachers are popping up now."

"A dog could have just slipped its leash," Mercury pointed out. Poachers were a good bet, but if the Huntsmen around here knew the animals so well they could tell them apart and knew where their territories were, it was a very risky place. Red foxes were much easier to make disappear in Vale or even in Vacuo.

"Not many own dogs and none of the families I know own ones this big. Either way, I'm sure this was an outsider." Tai stood up. "It'll be dark soon. You may have no trouble, but I want you to head home. I'm going to stop at a student's house first, but I'll be there soon."

"Right." Mercury's eyes remained on the fox cub. Whatever had killed it hadn't even tried to eat it.

"Your stuff's on the dining room table and I'm sure Qrow has something for you there as well."

"Thanks."

As much as he wasn't looked forward to it, Mercury needed to know how to stitch. If Cinder could stitch Dust into clothing and people had been doing so for years, then he could learn to. Dust still worked with Runes, so that was a very good reason to learn.

But what was Qrow up to?

Well. That's interesting.

After all, it wasn't every day you came home to find Raven Branwen in your living room.

"By your reaction Felix, I'm going to say she wasn't invited in." Tai obviously didn't know she was here. Qrow looked furious. Raven seemed fairly relaxed and quite curious about him.

"She has worse manners than you," Qrow growled. It was obviously a conscious effort to calm down. "How was today?"

Mercury wasn't sure if he was asking about Ozpin's chat or his friends but both had the same answer. "Pretty good and you're hardly one to talk about manners." Time to have a bit of fun. And answer a question he was genuinely wondering. "Though I am wondering why one of Salem's most helpful allies is in our house."

That had a reaction.

Qrow frowned, clearly wondering where he got that idea.

Raven had a much better response. She was on her feet, her hand on her sword. She was almost growling.

"I don't work for Salem."

"You don't?" Mercury queried. He wouldn't have been surprised. "I thought all bandit tribes did or were on good terms. If Salem's goal is to wipe out humanity, then people who kill quite a few Huntsmen on a weekly basis would be very beneficial. Any kids that manage to survive would be powerful and very hateful to the world, thus leading her to recruit them as lieutenants. You're telling me you don't get any benefits from her for doing such a good job for her?"

Now Qrow was beginning to see. Obviously that hadn't occurred to him. Something flickered across his expression for a moment. Mercury was quite sure it was regret. He had been one of them once.

Raven didn't say a word for a full five seconds. So Mercury continued.

"I thought Ozpin was just being a sentimental, naïve idiot when he claimed you were neutral but you don't see it either do you? You've been the most helpful person Salem's had for years and you didn't know?" Mercury laughed. It was just too funny. "Right delusional hypocrite and blinded birdy, I'll be in my room. Try not to bring the house down."

Of course, he made a detour to pick up the shopping bags on the table. There was an unmarked package there too, but he left that. It might not be what Tai was talking about or Qrow might not be in a good mood for it. Besides, Raven looked like she wanted to rip his throat out. Cute, but he wasn't in the mood for a fight. Not to mention Tai would kill him if he destroyed the house.

They were still silent when he closed the bedroom door behind him, though not fast enough to stop Zwei following him in. With a shrug, Mercury let him be.

So naturally the dog jumped up on his bed.

Mercury switched the CD player on, dumped the annoying mutt on Emerald's bed and lay down. He chose to ignore the dog curling up at his side.

So. Ozpin is a reincarnated personality because of the brother Gods and Salem does not reincarnate but is the result of longevity. They have been playing a war game for years. Sure, why not? Not the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Not important right now though.

Relics.

Well, that certainly explains a lot. Why Cinder went after Fall with us even though she had a good guess on Spring…Why they're more interested in Spring now even though they have known who Fall was for quite a while…Ozpin's worry for Emerald at Haven next year.

An interesting problem. Yang enjoyed a fight and so did Ruby. If RMEY didn't compete in this Vytal Festival after they got to the finals of the last one, whatever doubts they had about Emerald being the Maiden went up faster than ash in the wind. Turning up at Haven put Emerald close enough to test the theory, especially with Lionheart in their camp.

Ozpin hadn't been happy when Mercury asked if he could have sold out Amber. After all, Cinder had spent that week stopping Mercury and Emerald from killing each other. She hadn't spent it looking for the Fall Maiden. They only did that when they got to a certain city hours before the attack.

The Spring Maiden Krystal Umi too probably and her family. Hadn't Emerald said the one before Cinder had been her cousin?

But Mercury had a use for Lionheart. He was starting to get an idea in his head, but he had a few things to do before then and he had to be careful. He couldn't fall into the trap of overestimating his abilities or underestimating theirs.

One thing though: he wasn't bringing Ruby or Yang with him. Preferably not Emerald either. Talaria would be nice though. She probably still wasn't happy with his behaviour during the tournament.

He also had no intention of bringing up Raven with Yang. He knew the reason she had abandoned her: she had no use for a baby and, unless that baby grew up into someone powerful, Raven would have no use for her at all. If Yang was powerful enough, Raven would then try to get her to join her tribe, probably starting with insulting the people who actually stuck around to raise her. Maybe Raven did believe she cared about her. After all, Raven could turn into a raven and Mercury had certainly seen one around acting unnaturally.

Though I'd love to know how she got to Patch and back to her tribe so fast.

Now he thought about it, it probably wasn't a good idea to bring up Raven with Emerald either.

Still, even if Raven didn't think she worked for Salem, Salem benefitted from her activities far too much. She was no neutral, regardless of her delusions. A fantastic shapeshifting ability to scout ahead for targets and she had taken in the Spring Maiden that got killed through her own stupidity. For all her complaints about Ozpin, Raven certainly wasn't averse to using his gifts.

Yang really wasn't going to be happy when she found out what a disappointment her mother was.

The song switched to 'World So Cold'.

Mercury sighed.

This had been the song Zephyr picked.

His siblings were buried off a hiking trail not far from Shion on Anima. The only reason Mercury hadn't buried him yet was because he was unsure how funerals actually worked. When he asked Zephyr who he wanted at his, he had just shaken his head with a sigh.

"No point. No one would come to mine that I would want."

Mercury understood. From both sides. But he thought Zephyr was wrong. Yes, they were angry at him, but all ten of the others would come to say goodbye to the Zephyr they knew. The Zephyr that was becoming the mask too well to tell the difference between what he wanted anymore. They were sentimental like that and he didn't think they were completely wrong.

Mercury would miss both: the Zephyr from Beacon and the one he got to know afterwards.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." If it was Tai or Felix, they always waited for permission before entering this room. Ruby knocked and opened immediately without anything from her Emery and Yang didn't even knock.

He didn't need to open his eyes to know it was Qrow.

"Hey Silvertongue."

There was a slight sound as he put something down on Emerald's bed before sitting down on it himself. A few moments later, Mercury felt a hand touch his hair slightly. He tilted his head so Qrow could reach easier.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Obviously about what he had learned today.

Mercury considered it. "Not particularly." None of it was too much of a surprise. There were questions he had that Ozpin couldn't answer and he hadn't bothered to ask. He needed to find that answer himself. "Where's Zephyr?"

Qrow sighed. "A casket in Vale morgue. No one's gone near him."

"Good." There was a brief quiet. But something bothered him. "Is Raven going to come back?"

"Remarkably unlikely while you're here."

Mercury managed to shrug his shoulders. "I said what I thought." Sentimentality was such a curse at times. Glad he didn't suffer from it yet. "What did she want?"

"Silver Dust weapons. I took a few from your first prison a while ago."

First prison huh? "I know." It hadn't been difficult to guess where the Huntsmen, trusted allies of Qrow and Ozpin, suddenly got a lot of borderline underground weapons from. He didn't care. "Did you give any to her?"

"No." There was obviously more to that, but Qrow changed the topic slightly. "I did take a few and send them off to a contact. He re-forged them into something you won't have as bad memories with."

"Thanks." He let out a long breath. "It's…been a long day."

Qrow chuckled. "Which part?"

"Seeing my friends again." How unreal that felt.

"And it felt different. Like you didn't connect with them anymore."

"Yeah. That's how it started too, right at the beginning of that school year, but it feels worse now. But…It's Ruby and Yang I'm worried about. I've never felt so disconnected with them. Emerald too. I really don't like it."

Qrow sighed. "I know the feeling…I'm sorry. It's not something that goes away easily. Sometimes it never goes away at all."

Mercury opened his eyes and caught Qrow's. He was drifting a little. "You and Raven? And Tai?" He didn't bring up Summer.

"Pretty much. It's been better with Tai recently but Raven…It's the same with many of my contacts actually. I was pretty close with them once upon a time. Now I only call on them when I need a favour. It happens sometimes."

"So I can't fix it?"

…

Qrow didn't say anything.

Mercury understood his message, but…

He would do anything for his family.

So why did everything feel so distant?