AN: In no way am I connected to Rooster Teeth
The second year of Beacon came to a rather anticlimactic end. That wasn't to say the peace was unappreciated. The reverse was true: everyone was very relaxed and happy.
This time, none of the second years were staying at Beacon over the holidays. Jaune was going home with Ren and Nora joining him. Weiss was going to Menagerie with Blake. Everyone else was also going home.
"Seriously? This is what you're giving me?"
"Why not? I think he suits you."
"That's an insult."
Tai came down the stairs to find the kids at the kitchen table. Their plans for the holidays consisted of the videos they wanted to put on the web. Ruby's also consisted of painting Mercury's metal arm apparently and definitely learning how to play the guitar. Mercury's job there was to see if he could make said guitar easier to travel with.
At the moment, Mercury was complaining about whatever voice acting role he had been given. Yang was looking very smug and amused. Chances were he wasn't going to win this argument.
Ruby was at his side. There was more paint on her face than on the prosthetic.
Emerald cleared her throat, actually saying the words 'hem, hem'. It made the other two glare at her but they did become quiet.
"Yang, if Mercury is the naïve idiot sidekick, who do you have in mind for the second-in-command to be first in command villain?"
Mercury rolled his eyes. "That's not what I would pick either."
Yang just smiled. "Sawyer."
Emerald pulled a face. "Seriously?"
Mercury hummed. "I would agree with that one actually."
With a smile of his own, Tai headed outside, making a mental note to tell the kids to wash the table properly twice if that was where they were going to paint.
He had planned to head into the market for some shopping.
Talaria growled, catching his attention. The dragon was balanced on a plant pot but her back was arched and she was almost hissing. She sensed danger. Tai quickly followed her gaze.
There was a red eyed bird on a nearby tree. A bird with almost shinier feathers, certainly larger bill and definitely a larger body overall.
If there was any doubt who he was looking at, Qrow was in Vale looking into rumours of Undesirables moving in there permenantly.
Raven was back.
This time, she stayed long enough for Tai to get more than a passing glance.
Tai loved her. He always had. He probably always would. She was complicated and far from perfect but she was special. Her strength; her determination; her loyalty…
Why is she here?
Her choices.
Why is she here?
Tai crossed his arms. "Get the hell off my property Raven."
If it was just Emerald and Mercury, he would acquiesce to a bitter and much needed reunion. For however long it would be. He would talk to her.
He needed to talk to her.
But not with Ruby and Yang in the house. He was going to keep what was left of their innocence untarnished for as long as he could.
And Raven…
Raven tilted her head.
"My scroll number hasn't changed. Ask Qrow if you don't know. I know damn well you visit him. But I am not having you around my kids. Your daughter in blood only. I raised her, you didn't. Want to set up a meeting elsewhere? Fine. I'll be there. You are not welcome in my house or around my kids."
He couldn't let Yang meet Raven without her learning the truth.
Raven just stared at him.
"I'm going to the market. You better be gone when I get back." He glanced at the dragon. Her hostility hadn't dropped. "Don't let her in the house."
Raven wouldn't try.
But he had made his point.
Tai headed to the market.
Raven was gone by the time he got back.
Tai needed a drink. Preferably to get too drunk to remember he saw her.
But that needed to wait after the kids had gone to bed.
While Blake was sincere in her offer, she was worried.
She was bringing the Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company to Menagerie.
"Are you okay?"
Weiss smiled. "I'm fine. I never met your parents. Do you think they will like me?"
"I'm sure they will." It was everyone else she was worried about.
Coral patted her shoulder. Blake gave her a grateful smile.
The airship was obviously from Beacon. Families eagerly waited, looking forward to their reunions. Blake could see her father near the back, allowing the shorter adults near the front. Her mother would be standing next to him. They knew her friend was staying over.
"Ready?" Dale asked Weiss, his ears twitching nervously. He was giving her a final out.
"Yes." Weiss was tense herself. Blake could see it. Dale wouldn't.
The door opened.
Blake and Weiss waited.
The five others hopped out and walked to their families. They happily accepted the affection, but none moved too far from the airship and didn't move from their positions closest to it.
Ghira couldn't see his daughter so he stepped around the crowd. He was now at the side, looking a little worried.
With a final exchanged glance with Weiss, the pair left the shadows and stepped onto the stand.
Ghira relaxed his shoulders. Still stiff, Blake let out a little relieved breath. Her mother appeared and had an almost grin on her face.
One. Two. Five.
Everyone.
The whole crowd was almost glaring at Weiss.
Sensing the sudden change, Coral let go of her brother and stepped back. She shifted into a more protective stance. Dale stepped back and stared at the crowd. Forest; Clay; Carmine. They all moved back.
Protecting Weiss.
Blake had expected the aggression.
She hadn't expected her friends' defence and she could never repay them.
But then, they're Weiss' friends too.
Her father stepped forward. "This is Weiss I take it? A pleasure to meet you. Blake has told us so much." He offered his hand.
Weiss accepted it gratefully. "A pleasure to meet you too sir."
Kali shook her hand. "Do you have any preference for dinner? Or any allergies?"
"Anything is fine for me. Would you like any help preparing it?"
"Oh no. I'm sure Blake's father would like…less edited stories about you and your friends' antics."
Blake's face went red. "No he doesn't." She looked at Weiss. "He doesn't need to hear anything Weiss."
Ghira patted Weiss' shoulder. "I think I do. Starting with this boyfriend of hers."
"Who, Sun?" Weiss asked too innocently, much to Blake's horror. "I do know of a few of their dates-"
"They were not dates Weiss and you know it!"
Ghira laughed. "Come along then children. We won't get home at this rate."
It was as if everyone else was frozen. The four walked off, pretending not to have a care in the world.
But once they were around the corner, Blake pulled Weiss into a hug. Shaking a little, Weiss clutched her back.
"We wouldn't have let anything happen," Kali promised.
"I know," Blake replied. But she held Weiss close.
"Something you want to say, Mother?" Dale sounded angry.
"Why is that thing here?"
Weiss flinched at that. She sighed. Blake gently rubbed her back.
"Weiss? She's a friend. Pretty good one too if I think about it."
"But-"
"What do you care? You came to Menagerie to get away from the fighting. You chose to let others fight for you. Weiss is Blake's friend and she didn't have many places to go. You could learn a few lessons from them."
Blake hadn't known there had been any problems between Dale and his family but maybe…
"If Weiss goes," Jasper, Coral's brother who had never met Weiss, stated firmly. "So do we."
Nothing.
Kali led them back to the house.
It took a good two hours for Weiss and Blake to finally calm down.
"Yang. We need to talk."
Yang frowned and looked up from the script. "Dad? What's wrong?"
Mercury nudged her. She glared at him, but he was stubborn. [If it's about what I think it is, you need to.]
[And what do you think it is?]
"Quit stalling and go."
Mercury wasn't letting her aura read him. That was never a good thing.
Now that she thought about it, she had never seen Dad so…Well, Yang wasn't sure what honestly. That was even worse.
"Dad?"
They settled in the living room; Dad on the single armchair and Yang on the couch. Rather than relaxing, Yang was almost stiff.
Dad ran his hand down his face. "Okay Yang. I think you're old enough to know the truth about your mother."
Yang blinked.
She wasn't sure what to feel.
Rather than the joy of finally getting answers, she mainly felt…dread. The excitement was hard to shake off, but it wasn't strong. "Old enough?" Until recently, Yang had assumed that Dad didn't know. Since adopting Emerald and Mercury though, she had begun to wonder different.
But if Dad did know, why had he never told her? He knew she was looking for answers.
"I don't really know why she left Yang. But you know about Salem and I think that's part of it. After you were born, Raven just vanished. I haven't spoken to her since." He hesitated, then sighed. "Raven and Qrow grew up in a bandit tribe. She returned there and is now its leader."
Bandit tribe.
Bandit. Tribe.
Her mother was the head of a bandit tribe.
Yang would never have guessed that.
"Bandit…As in…You know…" Yang couldn't ask.
Of all the things that Raven could have been off doing and she was…
"Raiding villages? Yes."
Yang winced.
"But there's something else you should know. Something…more."
Yang gave him a suspicious look. "More what? You mean there's something worse than Mom abandoning me so she can go murder strangers?"
Dad looked at her; it obviously took a lot of effort. "Raven's Semblance is…rather unique. She is able to create portals to people she's bonded with. When she made connections, she would do anything for them. Nothing got in her way. Qrow obviously, me…and you."
There it was.
The spike through the heart.
The emptiness.
All this time looking for my mom…And she could visit me whenever she wanted…All this time and…We never met. How easy it could have been and we never met. Did she ever care?
"She wa-is strong, willing to do anything for what she believed in. in school, it was us. But that tribe raised her; she loves them. It was inevitable really."
…
"Yang, have you ever seen a red eyed bird outside? On days that Qrow was off on missions?"
…
"Hang on. You mean that bird…"
Yang had seen a red eyed bird. When she learned Uncle Qrow was a shapeshifter, she assumed it was him. It had never occurred to her she had seen one when Uncle Qrow was on a different continent. That she had seen a bird that couldn't be him.
It never clicked…that she was looking at her mother.
I remember seeing that bird before heading into Junior's before Beacon…I've seen it around Beacon! If that wasn't Uncle Qrow then...and it couldn't have been some of those times…then…
Mom had come home. Mom had kept an eye on her.
She had made no attempt to introduce herself. All these years and Raven had visited and never once spoken to her; had never let her know she was there.
Yang wouldn't have said anything to Dad or Uncle Qrow. She would have kept it a secret.
"I should know already. You should have…" Yang blinked her red eyes back to lilac. She was annoyed at Dad but…not really angry at him. All of that searching…and that was the answer.
Yang almost wished…
"I know she drops by Qrow sometimes. He tells me about it. If you want to know more…You should ask him."
"Right."
So.
Raven was happy to watch Yang grow up and not get involved at all.
Did she want to ask Uncle Qrow about her?
Yang needed to smash something.
"I need to clear my head."
Mercury knew.
He knew what Dad wanted to talk about. He knew about her mother. From his time with Cinder or somewhere else, there was no doubt he knew.
Emerald had let it slip before that she knew something. Yang hadn't pressed then; had been more concerned about her odd behaviour that day.
Ruby…didn't know. Yang knew Ruby didn't know.
"Okay. A raven tends to have shinier feathers, crows caw while ravens almost croak. The tail is a like a fan with a crow and a wedge with a raven."
Yes.
Yang had seen both a raven and a crow around. Two black birds with red eyes. She had always thought it was one bird.
I wonder…I didn't really pay much attention to tell a raven from a crow and if Uncle Qrow was around when he said he wasn't…
Yang stood up and walked outside. She didn't look at Dad.
Mercury was leaning against a tree, arms folded.
Yang charged at him.
Only to find herself rolling as he kick-spun her to the side.
"Artemis, I thought that was the first thing we dealt with." Mercury split Pandora in two and generated two katana like swords. Oddly enough, the one in his left hand was held in a loose backhand. The right was held in front; the left blade was behind him. "Come on. Put some effort into it."
Yang knew from experience that she had no chance of hitting him in this state, never mind actually beating him.
But that wasn't her goal.
Her goal was to just forget everything until she was too drained to feel it properly.
That worked.
Until her aura shattered anyway.
She pushed herself up without a care and readied herself again.
Mercury disengaged and folded his arms. "No way am I getting drawn into that."
"What? I've got some fight still in me."
"Not enough." Mercury headed towards the shed. Worried about her bike, Yang followed. "Can I take it for a spin yet?"
"No." She wasn't in the mood to stop him if he tried though.
"Spoilsport."
He didn't try.
Her bike still had the cover over it. Yang pulled it off and started the familiar routine of checking it for damages. Her fingers moved automatically.
"Bird Raven paid a visit today. Tai wasn't impressed."
So Mercury was going there. That was why Dad talked to her today. "How long have you known?"
"Right from the beginning. Tai told me to make a point."
Dad told Mercury and not her.
"And you never told me?" The exercise had worked; she couldn't find the energy to be angry over that.
He shrugged. "Wasn't my place to. If Qrow or Tai hadn't told you, they probably had a good reason. Maybe they weren't willing to have the conversation of 'remember when you took Ruby for a forest and was nearly killed? You were doing that to find a bandit that has been popping by every now and then. Fancy talking to a bird?'"
If it wasn't going to damage the shed, Yang would have blasted him. "You knew about the bird thing?"
"Nope," was a reply that sounded way too cheerful.
Yang rolled her eyes. "You're horrible."
"I can go fetch Maia if you want this talk with her."
"Not really. I prefer you."
"Worrying. Why?"
"I don't want to bring up her parents with her. And Ruby's…Ruby."
Mercury shrugged. "Fair enough. I always thought you thought of Summer as your mother anyway, even if she biologically wasn't."
"She was." Summer had raised her; as her own as Yang had no idea when she was younger than she wasn't her biological mother.
"Never got that, you know. You had a mother and you loved her. Why did you go looking for someone who obviously wasn't willing to put up with you? Did you think everything would be perfect from the get go?"
If it was anyone else, it would be out of mockery and Yang would get angry.
Mercury was just genuinely curious and that was even more annoying.
Yang groaned, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. "Perfect? No. Honestly…I never really thought that far ahead. But probably an argument." Yang's head hit the wall. "It wasn't really finding my mother. It was finding the reason she left."
Mercury sat down next to her. "And now you know it?"
"Dad didn't know it."
"So what do you think?"
"I think…" What did she think? "I…don't know. Have you seen a raven around?"
"Yeah, a few times. I knew there were two red eyed birds from the beginning. I thought it odd they were different species but didn't think much on it. They're closely related; probably a genetic quirk they shared. Until I learned Qrow was more literal these days."
Uncle Qrow.
"Uncle Qrow had been a bandit too."
"He grew up there as well Yang. They named him. They raised a kid they knew brought bad luck. He saw them as family before he went to Beacon. Then he changed his mind. I can see why Raven was angry at him."
"But Raven lived in this house too. At least for a while. That photo was taken out there."
Zwei pushed the door open. He trotted over to Yang. He lay down next to her. Yang petted him absentmindedly.
"Your point?"
Yang let out an exasperated breath. "It means she didn't plan to go back."
"So?"
"…You're not helping."
"Why did you think I would?"
Yang gave him a shove. He didn't even move. She couldn't stop a smile though.
"…What do you know about Raven? From…any source."
Mercury was quiet for a moment.
"I don't want doctored words, Eris."
He was still quiet for another moment.
"Her motto: 'The weak die; the strong live. Those are the rules.' Tai and Felix agree that was her creed from when she was young and still is. You can guess where this is going."
Yang could guess.
She just didn't want to be the one to voice it.
"The day I spoke to Ozpin about everything, I came home to find Raven in our living room." Yang stilled. "From his body language, Felix didn't want her there. She didn't take kindly to me calling her Salem's subordinate and her fear of Salem was matched only for her hatred for Ozpin. Bit of a hypocrite as she had no problem using his gifts. Maia…The Spring Maiden Lionheart knew about ran away and went to live with Raven's tribe for over a decade. According to Maia, Krystal saw her as a mother. She is capable of love."
Yang said nothing.
Yang felt nothing.
"I think she cares about her tribe." He thought a bit. "In my personal opinion, I think she feels more possessive about STRQ and you rather than love or affection. It's more that she owns you rather than cares for you. But you would have to talk to Tai or Felix. I don't really know her."
Mercury didn't get people he knew for months. He knew nothing here.
But Raven was happy to be around and never interact with Tai or Yang. She had no interest in them.
"The way I read it, she only shows up to see Felix when she wants something. Never for a 'hello'. If she takes the time to come here from her tribe though, maybe that means something."
Yang frowned.
Mercury didn't know Raven's Semblance. It was far less effort for her than he thought.
Yang wasn't going to tell him that.
"End of the day, I think she left you behind because she had no use for a baby. If you did find her, you were worth knowing. If not…It's not like there's a connection there. She did know that Tai would never mistreat you, even if he hated her. Maybe she thought you didn't need her like she didn't need you."
No.
It didn't seem like Raven cared about Yang.
"She's my mother."
"So what? It means nothing."
"What about your mother?" She regretted that the second she said it.
"The prostitute I met on my thirteenth birthday and a few times over the next two years? Take a wild guess at our relationship Artemis. I hated her visits and she is the only person I've ever killed in a blitz attack."
Okay. Yang wasn't going there.
On topic, at least he had a reason for thinking that. He never had a proper mother, biological or not.
But Raven wasn't like that.
But Summer…
"I've never met her." She must care. Why would she keep returning if she didn't?
"Probably for the best. Isn't Tai and Felix enough? Wasn't Summer enough?"
Mercury didn't get it.
He never would.
"It's not about being enough."
"Even if you were only looking for her for answers rather than her for a mother?"
"…Maybe."
"So are you still going to go looking for her?"
Yang let out a breath. She closed her eyes. "No."
No.
She wouldn't.
Yang had her answers.
Dad, Uncle Qrow, Athena, Maia, Eris, Zwei, Talaria…They were her family.
Raven was someone she happened to be related to.
"If you had a kid out there, would you want it?"
"No."
Yang gave him a look. "You didn't even think."
Mercury gave her a raised eyebrow. "Would you trust me with a kid?"
"Yes." Yang thought about it and added with his incredulous look, "mostly. Besides, all of us would help raise it."
"You guys would be doing most of the work."
"Yeah, like we'd let you do that."
It would have been nice knowing you Raven, but I have a family that I'm not willing to leave. If you're not willing to actually meet me, then we'll go our separate ways forever.
It wasn't nice not knowing you Mom.
I can't say it's much better knowing.
Yang closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk about Raven anymore.
She scratched Zwei under the chin.
Well…we are near the topic and I know I had to talk to him about it eventually…but how to do it?
…
It's Eris. Be blunt.
"Why did you want to date your Gems?" Because that seemed very odd in hindsight, knowing what she knew now.
"Of all the topics to avoid the mother subject, you went with that?"
She looked at him. He was frowning at her in confusion. "It was something I was going to bring up at some point before we…" Went our separate ways for a while. "I had this talk with Ruby and Emerald before you started. I never did with you, though you are probably the one I should have spoken to the most."
Ruby had never dated before. Emerald and Mercury had never known love at all, family or otherwise. Maybe a taste of it for Emerald. Emotionally, they were both very stunted, even compared to the sheltered Ruby.
Yang had never given it too much thought at the time, but she had thought it wouldn't last forever. She had expected it to last until the end of Beacon, but then she hadn't expected the Vytal Festival would end that way.
Or the magical world but that was another topic altogether.
Mercury laughed. It was a bitter sound. It faded until chuckles, but he said nothing.
Yang took a deep breath. "Fine. 'Want' is the wrong word, but you know what I mean. You had more choice there than anything else."
"True." He folded his hands behind his head, stretching out. "Not going to deny I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought."
Right now, Yang was Eris' sister, not Athena's or Maia's. It was quite easy.
She stayed quiet. She could sense he wasn't done.
"I guess I wanted to know what all the hype was about and with them…What was really so different?"
Yang thought about that.
He may have had a point. All the 'relationship upgrade' had done was give Ruby and Emerald more confidence to be affectionate. They had never been over the top; in fact, quite tame. Yang was probably as affectionate with Emerald as Ruby, when she was around. Hell, Yang was probably more affectionate with the girls than Mercury had been.
It had just been…different. They viewed each other differently.
"Ruby said you wanted to wait until she was of age."
"For Ruby and Emerald, statutory rape. In reality, I have no interest in sex."
It was weird how easily he could say that.
And that was precisely the point.
"So what did you want?" He had answered, but Yang still didn't understand.
"To learn."
Yang almost laughed. She kept relaxed and unfazed. "About?"
Mercury shrugged. "That changed." Of course it did. "At first, it was empathy and to me at the time, that was a necessary life skill." No comment. "I mainly used Ruby as an example. That changed to just life in general from the 'normal' side." Air quotes included, amusingly. "Though I knew nothing about the normal father dislike issue until Felix told me."
Yang did laugh there.
"Did Tai ever have a problem with it?"
She thought back. "I think at first he was too worried about Emerald. Then he saw that it wasn't a casual and ill-thought out fling. Sometimes, it was actually easy to forget."
Mercury snorted.
"Well, how long did you think it would last?"
"Nowhere near as long as it did. I expected them to step back long before the Vytal Festival. But if I was going to pick an event…I would say Ruby when I killed Umbridge and Emerald…okay, maybe when we did step back with Emerald."
Yang considered, but decided to tell him. "They were going to talk to you after the Tournament. Not quite an 'I told you so' when nothing happened but they wanted to talk it out."
"Like I said, I hadn't been caring towards them at the time, not the way they wanted…I won't deny a bit of me was relieved. It wasn't that I cared for them less; I just couldn't see how to go forward. The natural relationships end in a kid and settled down."
It took a moment for Yang to realise Mercury meant 'natural' as in 'biological'. She re-thought what to say.
"So if you had a choice, when would you have ended it?"
Mercury hummed. "Interesting question. I hadn't given it much thought. For some reason, I kept thinking my time was short; months rather than years."
"So?"
"Admittedly, the only scenario that really entered my mind was the two falling in love with someone."
Yang waited.
But he didn't say 'someone else'.
Maybe but as long as the three were together, they wouldn't go for anyone else. Maybe it had been for the best it ended when it did.
"How was your chat with Scarlet last night?"
Oh, don't you dare.
Yang was smiling though. "We decided to be friends. Plenty in common but I'm not interested in a relationship right now and we didn't click enough for it really to go further out of curiosity."
"…Not looking for a relationship, huh?"
"No. I'm needed here."
Mercury tilted his head to catch her eye. Yang met him unflinchingly.
…
"You do realise that I'm definitely older than you now, right?"
Yang grinned at him. "Four months after me. You're still my little brother."
Mercury let out a little chuckle there. "Anything else?"
She leaned back, completely at ease. "And now?"
"The family. That's all. Different relationship with each one, but all equal. The Gems just have a…quirk the others don't."
"Sounds about right."
Dad, Uncle Qrow, the four siblings and their animal companions.
"They won't hear of this." A statement from Mercury.
"Not a word." Yang closed her eyes. "We fight, not talk about love lives in anything other than a playful tease."
"Sounds about right."
They stayed there for another hour.
Finally, Yang sent Mercury off to Uncle Qrow when the man called for him and decided to take a ride on her bike. It had been too long since she had flown.
Thoughts of Raven had been banished from her mind.
Yang did have a purpose in life but one more worthy fighting for.
Midnight had been and gone. Blake still couldn't sleep.
She got up and went to the living room. That was the room with the light still on.
"Hi Dad." Blake went to curl up next to him on the couch. Dad patted her head and put her arm around her.
"Worried about your friend?"
"A little." Blake knew she was risking Weiss, but she couldn't go home and didn't have many other options. "Not about today but over the next few weeks…"
"She'll be fine. We know our neighbours Blake. Pearl has even invited Weiss to her family barbecue tomorrow."
Pearl. She wasn't related to anyone in Beacon. Her kids had been born and raised in Menagerie.
"Are we expected to bring anything?"
Dad chuckled. "No, but I think I will bring her some wine. She did say dress casually."
Blake thought about it. "Okay. Casual or smart-casual?"
"Casual."
There was a knock on the door from the hallway leading to the bedroom.
Confused only for a moment, Blake called out. "Come in Weiss."
Weiss appeared, looking very guilty. "I'm sorry for interrupting Blake, but your scroll rang and I answered it when I saw it was Mercury. He wants to talk to you."
Thinking back, Blake realised she had accidentally left her scroll in the guest room. She took the scroll and pressed a button. "It's me, Ares. You're on speaker."
"At this time of night?" He sounded wide awake.
"Weiss said it's urgent?" Blake ignored him.
"Urgent is probably the wrong word. Adam's on the move. New intel puts him north of Mistral City; somewhere where there is excellent scroll signal. Do you have a photo of these twins?"
Dad gave Blake an unimpressed look. Blake blushed, but kept the stare. Her father began looking through his scroll photos.
"I'll check," Blake said aloud. "But why do you need it now?"
"Because I'm about three hours away. Just to be safe."
"I thought you were coming at the end of the holidays."
"That was before Adam was going to be contacted earlier and before there was any reason to think Weiss would be there."
Blake and Weiss exchanged a look.
Then the reality of the situation totally hit Blake.
Weiss wasn't surprised. Had she considered it? She did swallow slightly though. "Do you honestly think something will happen, Ares?"
"It's possible. Blake's friend Weiss being accepted in Menagerie sends one message. The Schnee Heiress getting assassinated in Menagerie sends another. If the White Fang were willing to lead Grimm into the heart of Vale, some might think it was a good idea."
It was a horrible idea.
But, scarily, Blake could see where Mercury was coming from.
"Mr…Black is it?"
"Crawford now," Blake murmured.
"I'll answer to either," Mercury replied. "Mr Belladonna, is it?"
"It is. Blake has told me of you, but I want to know what your intentions are." Dad was firm and a little too aggressive for Blake's liking. "I do not wish for trouble, especially if you could get hurt."
Before she could defend her friend, Mercury spoke up.
"Scouting only. The twins won't see me; that's a promise. I don't want to cause trouble, especially in Menagerie. I'll be here and gone before nightfall."
"Could you make a barbecue tomorrow afternoon?" Blake asked. It would make both her and Weiss more comfortable. It would probably make everyone feel more comfortable.
Dad nodded with approval.
Mercury didn't immediately answer.
"It's not an official political gathering, but it will be important for years to come. If you're a known face before…Well, you know what I mean."
Mercury was a Faunus, but no one would know that looking at him. People would suspect he might be human but most people in Menagerie would just assume he was Faunus because until Weiss, there hadn't been a human there before. Besides, not everyone's features were visible.
"Blake, you need to work on your manipulation." He sounded amused. "But seeing as I haven't got anything better to do, sure. What time and where?"
"There's a market not far from the port. I'll pick you up there."
"See you then." Mercury switched it off.
"I think it's time for you two to return to bed," Dad suggested.
It was. They all had a big day tomorrow.
But while Blake returned to her room, she went out on the balcony and shut the door behind her. The night was quiet, but a faint breeze blew through the trees.
"I know you're out there Ilia."
The thud followed immediately. "What are you doing, Blake?!"
Blake didn't turn around. Ilia wouldn't attack, no matter how angry she was. "Weiss is a friend that needed somewhere to stay. Everyone else was unsuitable for whatever reason." A bit of a lie as Weiss could have gone to RMEY's but that wasn't important now. "Why shouldn't I invite my friends over?"
"Friend? She is no friend."
"You've never met her."
"I don't need to. She's a Schnee. The Schnee Heiress. You were on a few of those raids too."
"I was and I wonder how many of those were just 9 to 5 workers and had no grudge against Faunus. Not very many I know, but some." Blake sighed. "Besides, with Weiss' brother dead and her sister already disinherited, she is the only one left that can be the Heiress. She can change the company and their attitudes from the inside."
"So she's not your friend."
"She is, otherwise I wouldn't have invited her."
"Does she know you used her?"
"We did discuss the message her being in Menagerie would send. But people came here to get away from the war. Weiss isn't going to cause trouble and is only staying over at a friend's. Nothing more."
"Some disagree."
"I know." Some would see this as arrogance and an insult. "If it was any other human than Weiss, they wouldn't really care."
"Just goes to show you don't care about us. You could have brought any of your…friends…but you chose her."
"She was the one that needed a place to stay." Blake finally turned to look at Ilia. She couldn't see her. "Ilia, I know you will get orders from Adam soon. But you need to decide what is best for the Faunus, not for your parent's revenge."
There was a movement across the night. Ilia had left.
Dad had asked if Blake would feel better with a guard or two around the house when Weiss was here. Blake had said no. Dad had nodded and said it would be less stressful on everyone that way.
The main reason had been because Blake still wanted to talk to Ilia and she wouldn't come if there was a guard present too.
Adam was lost to spite and hatred.
Blake didn't want to lose Ilia too.
Qrow normally didn't mind spending time as a crow. However, being in an airship for sixteen hours straight was definitely taxing him.
No way was he going to tell Silvertongue that though.
Qrow wasn't stupid. He knew that Ghira Belladonna had been the leader of the White Fang before Sierra Khan and now Adam. Therefore, it was highly likely Blake Belladonna was his daughter. This was confirmed when he met Ghira at Beacon during the Vytal Festival. As such, he did pass on information on the White Fang to Mercury so he could pass it on to Blake and therefore her father.
He was fine with Mercury taking a trip to Menagerie to meet a friend.
He was not fine with Mercury taking a trip to Menagerie so he could spy on Adam's direct underlings.
That argument would have been a lot longer if it wasn't for the fact they didn't have much time to argue. Qrow had won when he pointed out that it was his contacts, not Mercury's, who would provide for the airship. In such a short time, Mercury couldn't find an airship and he would have really struggled to pay for it.
Needless to say, Mercury hadn't been happy.
For about five minutes until they worked out the best way for Qrow to communicate if they were both in animal forms. Then he was perfectly fine with it.
Why does he even have an ant aura animal? I would have thought a cockroach would be more accurate if he needed an insect. Though I suppose an ant is better in this situation.
Leaf-cutter ants had been at the zoo Qrow had once taken them to on Earth. While that species of ant also lived here, that would have been where Mercury got his information from.
Well, at least we were successful in teaching him teamwork. Pretty sure this is a worker and not a queen.
It wasn't just Mercury he had been worried about though when he heard news on the White Fang.
What the hell had they been thinking when they invited the Schnee Heiress over to Menagerie? Friendship aside, that was just begging for trouble.
It was either the best political move in history or the easiest assassination attempt ever.
Personally, Qrow thought it was better for Faunus rights if nothing happened to Weiss. He also knew that many people were not long sighted and wanted short term revenge. Fair enough to them, but it wouldn't change anything. In fact, it would make things a lot worse.
After what felt like forever, the airship touched down.
Mercury got up and stretched. "Thanks for the ride."
"No problem," the pilot replied. "I'll be in there. Let me know when you're ready to go."
The port for boats wasn't far from the port for airships. Qrow also say a hotel nearby, so he wasn't worried about the pilot (something Quartz). At a ridiculous time in the morning, there was no one around.
A crow's eyes weren't really designed for night. Seeing as human Qrow vision wasn't really much better, he didn't see any point in shifting. He spread his wings and landed in the notice-me-not Rune equipped hood Mercury had stitched onto his jacket.
Can see Talaria making use of this.
Mercury checked his scroll and took off at a run. At the first building, he took a left. He went down the trail and then headed onto the unused dirt path. Soon, it was just dirt.
[There's not much here,] Mercury noted. [I knew this island was barren and that's part of the reason it was 'given' to the Faunus but still.]
Menagerie was one of the few places Qrow had never been. [On one hand, they get a territory all to themselves. On the other hand…]
[Emotions fester. Bringing Weiss here was either the best idea ever or it will blow up spectacularly.]
[It's surprising how often those sentiments coincide.]
Mercury suddenly slowed to a halt. He wasn't panting, so he wasn't tired. His eyes scanned the area around him. He stopped when facing west.
"Why are you following me?"
Nothing.
Mercury drew Pandora and fired a red Dust round.
Qrow definitely heard something hit the sand.
"How did you know I was there?" A girl; not a voice Qrow recognised.
"My secret," Mercury responded casually. He clipped Pandora back on his belt. "A bit of advice, make your footfalls at the same time as your target. I'm pretty sure we've never met, so why are you following me?"
"There's nothing out here. I wanted to know where you were going."
"You're wearing a White Fang mask. A personal White Fang mask. You're going to have to do better than that. Who are you loyal to?"
In all of Qrow's experience with the White Fang, they didn't stop to chat. This one also sounded quite young. Qrow nudged Mercury with his beak, but he ignored him.
There wasn't an immediate answer.
"I am loyal to the Faunus."
"Really." Mercury shifted his weight a little there.
[Someone loyal to Ghira has no reason to be out here,] Qrow pointed out.
Mercury's aura responded that he knew.
"Do you realise that Adam's way is just going to start another war between Faunus and humans? Is that what you really want? Revenge for the dead Faunus rather than a hopeful future for those not born?"
While he hid it spectacularly, there was no emotion to back up what he was saying. Mercury didn't really seem to care either way.
What he did want was for this girl to be gone and stop following him.
"What would a human know?"
To Qrow's surprise, Mercury lifted a hand and moved his hair, exposing what was left of the coyote ears.
"If you follow Adam, a lot of Faunus are going to end up like me."
[You're being rather friendly.]
[Qrow, she's a chameleon. That is remarkably useful. Other than her amateur mistake, that aura vision was the only way I saw her.]
Chameleon. Qrow didn't even know that was a Faunus. Out of curiosity… [What did her aura look like?]
[Very bright.]
Meaning she was either feeling a lot of negative emotions or was very conflicted. Poor girl.
[Then be a little more gentle.]
"You're Blake's friend." That was a whisper. Mercury didn't say anything. "Corsac and Fennec live in a small cottage another three miles east. Did Blake put you up to this?"
"The other way around. I told Blake only after it was too late to talk me out of it."
That wasn't entirely accurate. Qrow knew Mercury and Blake had spoken about his trip to Menagerie, but they had planned for him to go at the end of the holidays. It had been Mercury that changed the plan though.
After a moment, Mercury spoke again. "Do you want anyone to know we spoke? Blake?"
"…No. Don't tell Blake."
"Sure."
There was nothing for a few minutes.
[She's gone back to the market.] Mercury took off at a run again.
[Do you know who she was?]
[I'm guessing she's one of Blake's friends from the White Fang. They must have been close.]
[A lot of people have been leaving the Fang recently, especially the younger ones.]
[Why the younger ones?]
Qrow would have shrugged if he could. [If you're in the fight for long enough, you get more extreme. The kids are kind of new to this whole 'kill all humans' thing. A lot of them haven't experienced the same sort of bigotry that was rife ten years ago. Throw in the Schnee Heiress cheering for the daughter of the ex-White Fang leader at the Vytal Festival…]
That was the main whisper Qrow had heard in the groups he had spied on. These hadn't been in the camps and, given the training that was going on there, Qrow hadn't risked going closer. He wasn't sure what was discussed there.
[Okay, time to get off Qrow. I'm shifting.]
Qrow spread his wings. [Slow down Silvertongue.] There was a trick to getting out of the hood when the person was running, but Qrow couldn't be bothered with it now. It had taken a lot of trial and error with Summer to figure it out.
[Do you get old in bird form too?] Mercury chuckled, but he did slow.
[Not funny.] Then Qrow realised that was a genuine question. [And no.]
The shadows moved and a black fox was practically invisible in the dark.
To Qrow anyway. Any Faunus would have little trouble seeing him. This was a quite the factor considering they were in Menagerie.
The ant aura animal crawled up his talon. Qrow did not like the feel of it, but it didn't weigh anything and it was a way to talk to him so he would put up with it.
Fun fact: crows could fly as fast as a fox could run at full sprint.
Fluffy (hilarious) could probably run a little faster if Mercury channelled his aura to his legs. However, there was no point in leaving his lookout behind.
There was no wind. Three miles of constant flying, especially at full speed, was straining but Qrow ignored it. They were on a timetable they weren't sure of. If they slowed, they could miss their window.
Qrow's eyes caught something. [Veer right a little. They'll see you in the light from the kitchen.]
Dutifully, the fox drifted right.
Qrow had a bit of a problem. There were no trees or flat platforms for him to land on. There were rocks for him to hide underneath, but then his vision would be limited. That window was open though so if he could get close enough…
Mercury headed towards the wall.
[Both of them are in the kitchen,] Qrow told him as he carefully landed. He hated sand.
[I can only smell two scents inside. The only other scent is the girl we met earlier and she definitely hasn't returned. That scent is old. A few days at least.]
Zwei had been teaching Mercury a lot about scents. Qrow would trust that.
[Get a move on.]
Mercury went around the house. Qrow had no doubt he was phasing inside.
The twins were moving around the kitchen, discussing groceries.
[I think I've found the room.]
[They're moving. Hurry up.] The two disappeared into the house. Qrow waited. [Mercury?]
[I'm out. I'm outside the living room.]
Qrow let out a relieved breath. He remained motionless in his hiding place. From the look of it, they had arrived before the call from Adam, but how much before was uncertain. They could be waiting a while. Qrow had given Mercury his scroll also; placing a bug was useless if the bug was in the wrong place.
Now they waited.
…
Three hours later, just as dawn was breaking, the two owners finally left the cottage.
[Silvertongue, do you see any car?]
[No. Guess they walk.]
That was something to keep in mind. [Wait.]
Mercury waited.
Qrow waited until his crow eyes could no longer see them. It was a completely flat landscape with nothing around; it took a while. [Okay. Grab the scrolls and let's get out of here.]
Phasing was such a useful and unfair Semblance.
Mercury phased out of the building and shifted back to human.
Qrow stepped out from underneath his rock. Nice that it was literal this time rather than after a long night. [You do realise there is no way you're not getting spotted, right?]
[Yeah, but I'd rather be spotted in this shape and not a fox. There won't be many opportunities to shift when we get back to the inhabited parts. I haven't seen much wildlife and definitely nothing as big as a fox.]
That wasn't something Qrow had really noticed, but now he did. An island wasn't very exactly a good place to say 'it wandered in'. He still thought Mercury was being a bit paranoid, but there was no harm.
Qrow flew back into Mercury's hood again. He would shift later.
Again, Mercury took off at a run. He didn't stop; didn't tire. Qrow made sure to keep checking him. So many hours and not even a change in pace.
Qrow decided not to comment.
The sounds changed. Mercury was on rubble, not sand. He must be back on the path near town. However, there had been no sign of the twins whose home Mercury had trespassed into. Where had they gone?
[Okay Silvertongue. I need to shift back.]
Qrow got the impression Mercury had rolled his eyes.
He did stop though. He looked around. "No one around."
"I've been doing this a while." Qrow rolled his shoulders. He was very stiff. "I know the places. I'll run you through them another time."
"Right."
"So do you know where your friend lives?" Qrow had spoken with Ghira at the Festival and knew where he was going.
"No. I was going to ask. Everyone around here would know."
"Sound idea, but let's skip it this time. We're looking for a bigger house near the middle."
Mercury tilted his head with a smile. "Bigger house, huh?" He found something amusing.
When they got back to town, Qrow saw what. 'Bigger' was quite the understatement. "That makes things easy."
"Mercury?"
Qrow blinked and turned around.
The kid was young. A bit too young for Beacon actually. He shifted his weight from foot to foot; very uneasy. He was focused on Mercury, but wasn't meeting his eyes.
"That's my name kid, but I've never seen you before." Seemed Mercury needed another talk to on being polite. Not that he would listen. To be fair, could be worse. At least he was civil.
"Akorn…My brother goes to Beacon? I mean-"
"Dale?"
Akorn's shoulders relaxed. "Yeah. That's him." He swallowed. "Umm…Blake told me to tell you to meet her at Pearl's house."
"Okay." Mercury looked back over his shoulder. "So which house is that?"
The boy pointed. "That one."
"Thanks. You coming too?"
Interesting how the phrase 'deer caught in the headlights' applied to a bear Faunus. "Umm…I-I'll be there later."
"See you then."
The boy ran off.
Mercury glanced at Qrow. "Any idea why he was so nervous?"
"Two more humans in the middle of Menagerie; he's picking up on the tension of the Schnee Heiress; he thinks you're the devil incarnate…" Qrow shrugged. "Could be anything."
Mercury began walking. "Is it a bad idea to ask him later?"
"I'd recommend asking him with the brother around. You know him?"
"I've bumped into him at Beacon. I think I've said nine words to him and those were instructions on how we were dividing teams that day."
"Second year?"
"First year going into second year."
So it probably wasn't Mercury himself that made the kid nervous. He hadn't even glanced at Qrow, so it wasn't him either. Could be anything.
But for some reason, Qrow had that nagging feeling that told him something was amiss.
Making sure to keep that in the back of his mind, Qrow followed Mercury to the directed house. The teen had coincidentally met up with one he knew from Beacon on the way (another first year called Coral) and the pair chatted about the attractions in Vale.
Good to see they found common ground fast.
To add to the amiss feeling, Qrow now sensed he was being followed from someone he couldn't consciously sense.
He stretched and casually looked around.
Nothing.
Might just be a flicker of light, but that shadow isn't right less than a second ago.
The front door of the house was already open. A group of kids were playing football out front with a couple of parents nearby.
Coral went to the Faunus that was almost certainly Dale.
Mercury hung back to Qrow. [That chameleon Faunus is back again.] He then walked around the 'pitch' and into the house, probably looking for the people he actually came to see.
That girl huh. If the conversation earlier was anything to go by, I don't think she'll cause trouble yet. She's probably just curious about something. Probably the Schnee Heiress.
That might explain why there were gatherings both out front and out the back.
Ghira came out not long after Mercury came in. He exchanged greetings with everyone as he made his way over to Qrow. There were a few scowls, but everyone was civil at least. This was a man they all respected.
"Qrow." They shook hands firmly. "Good to see you again and welcome to Menagerie."
"Likewise and thanks. How's the wife and daughter?"
"They are both very well. And your children?"
"Physically fine and finding great enjoyment in giving me headaches."
Someone came out to the front. "Food is ready!" Then she disappeared back into the house.
There was a rush of kids after her.
Ghira chuckled. "Some things never change. I have asked for their study for a while, so I'm afraid I must leave you."
Qrow sent the recordings to Ghira's scroll. He would listen to them later, himself. "I'll keep an eye on the kids." His scroll went off. He checked the name. "After this call."
It had been some time since Ironwood called him and he didn't unless it was something very important.
Qrow answered. "One minute Jimmy." He headed through the house to check on the kids. Mercury, Blake, Weiss, Coral, Akorn and who must be his older brother and a few others weren't even in line for food. They were laughing over something…sounded like the dancing machine in the arcade. He headed back to the front and off to the side. "Okay Jimmy."
"Does Crawford have a connection with Grimm?"
For a moment, Qrow's mind went blank. "Where did you hear that?"
"You knew about this." Ironwood's tone was blank. "And you did not mention it."
"Did you expect me to?" Qrow took a deep breath. "And I wouldn't call it a 'connection'. 'Affinity' would be better. He's not their master."
Ironwood was silent.
"Where did you hear that?" Qrow was damn sure no one in the know would have mentioned that to Ironwood.
"Where are you at the moment?"
That was a fair point. That chameleon Faunus could still be around. Qrow jumped onto the roof of the house, noting it hadn't rained for a long while and there was a layer of dust or dirt around him.
Perfect.
"Safe enough. No one will hear your end at least."
"…Very well. We captured an Undesirable in Atlas and he had some interesting paperwork on him. It was a portfolio of Mercury Black/Crawford. From what we can tell, he has quite the large bounty on him. Fourteen figures for alive and, even more interestingly, nothing for dead."
Fourteen?!
Fucking hell…
No job earned fourteen figures. No job earned higher than nine, at the highest and that included assassinations and bounties.
Marcus Black had probably never earned that much in his entire lifetime.
"I've still got my contacts. There is no bounty." Qrow had been doing underground work not too long ago. He should know if there was a bounty on Mercury, especially one that ridiculously high.
"Mine says the same. Personally, I believe that Salem herself put it out and only a select few know about it. This particular Undesirable was in her inner circle twelve years ago." Either Shallow or Byrding. "The information he had wasn't released to the public or even in most records we recovered. That does leave the question as to why. No more games Qrow. Why is there such a large bounty on him?"
Qrow couldn't tell whether Ironwood was angry or scared.
Probably both.
"I'm not joking. I genuinely don't know. I agree, it cannot be for the same reasons as why he was taken in the first place."
They initially took him for his aura. They got quite a few bonuses but that had been the main reason.
Fourteen figures…
This must be something else.
Salem herself…
It was a guess, but he could see why Ironwood would think that.
Which might be why he thought Mercury's affinity for Grimm was the connection.
"We need to talk. Not over the scroll."
He and Mercury needed another chat too. There must be something. Maybe Mercury thought it was irrelevant or maybe he wasn't conscious for a lot of it but…
Fourteen figures.
For it not to be underground, it must be serious. It was entrusted to people who would not blab and would not hire someone else to do the job for them then stiff them.
"Agreed. I have the information to show you, but the man had a poison pill in his back molar. He's dead."
So no information there.
"Day after tomorrow," Qrow ordered. "Where?"
"Atlas. I'm in meetings most of the day, but I'm dining alone. Nine o'clock. I'll be in the Headmaster's Office."
"I'll be there."
The line went dead.
Qrow did not rejoin the party. He stayed on the roof, in human form, and just watched.
Most of the cannon fodder and hire contacts have been dealt with. The problem now is that most of the Undesirables left free are the ones that were the closest connected to Salem. They're crazy and sadistic, but that doesn't govern everything they do.
But where does Mercury fit into this?
The changeling had taken a very big risk and had gotten caught quite easily. That had been thought of on the fly and if he had been part of a greater plot, he wouldn't have acted so rashly.
What then was the reason?
Surely Salem would have had that bounty out as soon as she learned Mercury was still alive, which would have been almost immediately. Cinder had gone to LiaGuard to kill him.
So…What changed?
Or had Cinder been there for a different reason?
She had headed straight for the-
What if her intention hadn't been to kill Mercury, but to move him somewhere else?
They had all come to the conclusion that she had been there to kill, but…
But…
There was no actual confirmation of that. It was an assumption.
Cinder had tried to kill Emerald when she realised she had the rest of the Spring Maiden's power, but she must have been searching for that for near two years.
And yet…
Qrow thought back.
He had not been there when the fight had initially started. He joined in later with Tai after Ruby took Mercury lower down. Cinder and the other woman that was still unidentified were engaged in a fight with Emerald and Yang.
They were already in a fight with two kids but Cinder had not tried to finish it quick. She had been drawing it out; not using Maiden power or even most of her experience…
She wanted them to survive. They weren't her target, but they likely knew where he was. She wanted to interrogate them. On top of that, Cinder's aura was playing up: she had no shield or Semblance. Getting into a fight was stupid so…That likely wasn't the initial plan.
So Cinder had been there for Mercury. As they had thought.
But was it to kill or recapture?
The kids didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the Schnee Heiress. The girl was actually quite good with them; paying each a good amount of attention, genuinely interested in their interests and no snotty behaviour anywhere.
It was the adults that obviously didn't like her. They weren't even trying to hide it.
Kali Belladonna was out and was making a good effort in keeping the peace. Ghira came out after an hour and the atmosphere relaxed a little.
A little.
The others went to get in line for something to eat.
Akorn had approached Mercury again and the two had another chat. This time, the boy was a lot calmer; almost excited. Mercury himself didn't seem bothered by the interaction. In fact, Dale left his brother with him to snag some food.
Fourteen figures…
/
The sun was beginning to set.
That was the key to get moving and Blake thought it would be wise for her and Weiss to leave first. She walked up to Pearl.
"Thank you for your hospitality Pearl."
She smiled back. "You and your friends are welcome any time, Blake."
Blake nodded and headed back to Weiss. "Ready to go?"
Weiss nodded. She looked down to the eight year old she had been talking with. "It was nice to meet you Maya."
She smiled back. "And you. And I challenge you to a dance off when I go to Vale!"
"I look forward to it."
The goodbyes were only as long as social necessities required. Normally, it was some time before Blake and her family could get away. Today was different.
Mercury tagged along with them. He remained quiet save for the needed 'goodbye', but Blake thought his presence was a good reason for the lack of violence. They were happy to have another focus other than Weiss.
Weiss was mostly ignored.
Mum and Dad stuck close to them on the way home. Mercury had broken off at the junction and Qrow had appeared from wherever he had gone for most of the evening to go with him.
Blake couldn't ignore her father's tension though. He didn't look stressed, but Blake knew her Dad. He was expecting trouble.
Which was why it was such a relief that they got home with nothing happening.
Dad had vanished into his study almost immediately. Mum had enticed Weiss onto the sofa for stories. Blake gave an excuse and headed outside.
But Ilia never appeared.
After an hour, Blake returned inside. She caught the end of the re-telling of their Initiation and happily added to the reminiscence.
AN: Apologies for the delay on this chapter.
As for the question about Ruby, I'm afraid I can't answer as the answer, yes or no, is a spoiler. What I will say is that this is the final book in the trilogy and still has a bit to come. I will use time skips where necessary and thank you for sticking with it.