Ozpin sat in his office, going over some of the early student applications that had arrived. The room itself was dimmed, the only light cast by the holographic screen in front of him, and the dull green glow that always encompassed the top of the CCT. He had a steadily growing stack of names that he found interesting, first year students that he would need to keep an eye on.

'Weiss Schnee. Interesting that she would choose to come to Beacon instead of attending the academy in Atlas… Perhaps some familial differences? The faunus relations would certainly benefit…' Ozpin set that paper aside, picking up the one beneath it, 'Which brings me to the next applicant...'

'Blake Belladonna. Daughter of Ghira Belladonna, Chieftain of Menagerie and original creator of the White Fang… A rather skilled young woman, despite her lack of any transcripts. It does beg the question… where did she learn such skills? If she was on the same team as Ms. Schnee, then that might bring about further change in the young heiress and cause great strides in human and faunus relations...' That paper was neatly set on the stack as well, before Ozpin picked up the next.

'Ah, the cream of the crop. Pyrrha Nikos. Four time Mistral Regional Champion, top of her class at Sanctum… Definitely one to keep an eye on.'

Now out of transcripts and test results to peruse, Ozpin's mind strayed back to the night before. Qrow's rendition of events rambling on through his head, 'I wonder when Ms. Olivia is going to apply.'

A warning icon flashed red across his desk, immediately drawing Ozpin's attention to the screen in front of him. The headmaster rubbed his eyes and squinted, 'I've been reading papers for far too long.'

GRIMM SWARM : EMERALD FOREST : THREAT LEVEL III

The words continued to flash until Ozpin switched the display to an overhead map of the Emerald Forest. The sensors hidden within were detecting a massive influx of Grimm all converging on one sector, near the edge of the city.

'What on Remnant could have gotten the Grimm so riled up?'

Ozpin changed the display once again, eight different cameras in the area appearing all at once. Motion on one of them caught his attention.

'Hmmm…'

In a moment, Ozpin's scroll was in his hand, his fingers dialing the number of one of his most trusted lieutenants.

"Eh? What's up Oz, you need somethin'?"

"Your little friend has decided to take a walk through the Emerald Forest, Qrow. She's about to be surrounded by Grimm, and you can get there faster than I can."

"...Tell me where, Oz."

Lotus let her feet decide where her body went. Tears steadily streamed down her face, her chest racked with heaving sobs that she could not contain. Her mind was a delirious swirl of competing memories and emotions, mixing together in such a way to keep her from coming to any conclusions. Her heart ached for what Widow had gone through, but at the same time, refused to feel that pity.

'Everyone died because of her!'

'There were fifteen White Fang members there. Have you not killed far more than that?' A myriad of faces. So many that Lotus could never have hoped to memorize them all. Names, at least of those she knew. All dead by her hand.

'I knew them!' Crim, July, Jace!

'Everyone knows someone.' A boy with blue hair and goggles, dripping wet from jumping into a pool to try and save his father, far too late to make a difference...

'Th-That was an accident!'

'The results were an accident. The intent was entirely planned.' Dragging the man into the water. Pushing him beneath the rippling pool and holding him there. Waiting for his last breath.

'Widow tricked me into doing it!'

'Can you truly blame her? Can you say with utmost certainty that you would not have done the same, if you had experienced the same horrors as she?' Her appendage through a man's chest. A man pinned in place. A hole appearing through his head when Lotus pulled the trigger.

'I-I don't know! She still lied to me for so long!'

'Just as you are planning on lying to everyone about your own past?' Ren and Nora, smiling as they sat next to her in the grass. Their faces changing as they realized the truth about her. That she was a murderer.

'That's different! I want to be better! I will be better!'

'That remains to be seen…' More names, more faces. Contracts she had taken not because she needed to, but because she just wanted to pass the time.

'I haven't killed anyone since leaving Mistral…'

'Not by choice. You would have killed Qrow when the opportunity presented itself. It did not. You did not spare him. You got unlucky.' Coco and Velvet, standing nearby and watching her as she waited for them to leave, fully prepared to end the life of the huntsman nearby. Willing to kill the innocent witnesses in the diner...

'But I still didn't! My hands are clean!'

'Your hands are stained with just as much blood as Widow's.'

'I spared Nicholas and Jaune! Widow wouldn't have done that!'

'And in doing so, doomed yourself. Do you think they won't report what happened? You will never get into Beacon now.'

Lotus stopped, realizing she was standing at the eastern gate that bordered on the edge of the Emerald Forest. 'I… I really can't get into Beacon, now…' Lotus let her feet continue carrying her in a slump, into the forest that was home to the Grimm. She needed to do something… anything to make up for all the carnage she had left in her wake.

'Jace was wrong… I am a weapon. Whether I'm being used to kill humans, or Grimm… It's all I'm good for…'

It was only a few minutes before Lotus heard the first Grimm charging at her through the forest. An ursa, it's enormous body trampling over the smaller vegetation that lay in its way. Lotus shrouded her arms and legs with her semblance, and dashed across the remaining space with tears in her eyes. She drove all of her emotions into the fist she delivered to the ursa's chest.

The ursa's growls were cut short as inky black blood and gore exploded across the nearby foliage, then on to Lotus herself as she withdrew her arm from the hole she had made through the ursa's chest. Howls rose in the distance as Lotus continued her walk through the woods. Two dozen answered the call.

The enraged spider faunus charged the beowolves when they finally appeared, wasting no time in laying waste to the pack that was being drawn in by her own negative emotions. Lotus let herself fall deeper and deeper into her own despair, becoming a flame to the moths that stalked these woods.

Once the first pack had been taken care of, Lotus continued deeper, a trail of black ash rising in her wake from the Grimm that could not resist their temptations. The flames of her self loathing and hatred only grew, and with it came more Grimm.

After what seemed like an endless tide of Grimm, Lotus stopped in the clearing she had been fighting in, the woods around her hidden behind walls of black ash that rose into the sky above. Her ears warned her of some distant behemoth carving a path of devastation through the forests. The rumble and snap of falling trees drew her eyes to her left. An ancient deathstalker plowed into the clearing, knocking aside a copse of large oaks that stood between it and its faunus prey.

Lotus eyed the thick white armor plating that coated its exterior and the red markings that covered them. An enormous pair of pincers snapped threateningly as it stalked towards her on its eight black, spindly legs. Cracks decorated its carapace, intermingled with the moss that grew across its back.

The spider tensed, unfurling her appendages so that they were detached from her own limbs. Freeing her appendages would give her the best chance at survival. Each rose above her, fifteen feet in length and ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Lotus prepared herself, keeping an eye on the stinger that swayed above its head, mimicking the way her own appendages prepared to attack. It was the largest Grimm she had ever encountered. The fear she felt was overridden by the thrill of what was to come.

The deathstalker charged, rushing forward to snap at Lotus with a pincer that promised death if she were caught in its grasp. The faunus brought an appendage forward to meet it, stopping the pincer in its tracks. Lotus was pressed back, her feet digging into the ground beneath the sheer weight pushing against her.

The second pincer struck, barreling in from the side to be met by two more of the spider's invisible limbs. The deathstalker shrieked in frustration, wanting more than anything to rip the little morsel in front of it to pieces. Lotus was forced to throw herself backwards as the stinger slammed downwards and carved a deep furrow into the ground. She couldn't trust one appendage to be enough to stop the terrifying amount of force behind such an attack.

Dirt sprayed up into the air as the stinger was ripped free, showering Lotus in pebbles and stones and causing her to avert her gaze. Her sixth sense worked over time, warning her to dodge once again, both pincers now trying to catch her simultaneously. There was a deafening snap as they closed in the air, mere inches away from where she had been before.

'It would only be karma catching up with me if I die here…' Lotus watched the stinger trail through the air, then dodged it once again as the muscles flexed, announcing its intent.

Another furrow, another shower of stones, but Lotus had moved further back this time. Her eyes remained on the creature of Grimm before her. 'I need a plan…' The Grimm's bone structure was thicker than any other she had seen before. Lotus could identify a few weak points on its body. Areas where it lacked the armor plating, but piercing into them with her appendages wouldn't be enough to sever them. She needed something that could slash. 'Great, the one time I actually need my weapon, and I left it at home.'

She needed time to think. Lotus dropped her semblance, choosing to shroud her limbs instead, and retreated into the surrounding woods. The young faunus was faster this way, able to cover more ground in a single step than what she could have in five normally. Lotus kept herself at a reasonable pace, though. The deathstalker followed, plowing through each tree that separated it from its prey.

Were there cliffs around the school? Beacon itself was on a plateau, overlooking the surrounding landscape. Lotus didn't know. She had studied the map of the city for its buildings, not its topography. 'I can hardly lead it up to the school and then knock it off…' For one, she didn't even know if there was a way to the top of the plateau without taking an airship, and for two, that would just be rude.

'Hi-I-want-to-apply-here-by-the-way-I-brought-a-deathstalker-with-me-hope-you're-cool-with-that-bye!' ...She would never hear the end of it.

Lotus had let her mind wander too deeply. With a brief warning from her sixth sense, she threw herself to the side as one of the pincers attempted to close around her. She rolled to her feet, and immediately jumped, narrowly avoiding the stinger that slammed into the earth where she had been standing only a moment before.

'Okay, I don't have much of a choice. It's either kill or be killed here. I'll just have to bleed it out.'

A flap of wings, the whisper of metal through the air, and Lotus was forced to duck as a figure blurred over her shoulder towards the Grimm's buried stinger. The huntsman's scythe arced wide, slashing through the vulnerable point on the deathstalker's tail, and severing the yellow tip from its body.

The Grimm shrieked in pain, backing up a few paces as its pincers snapped threateningly, trying to keep the huntsman at bay. He didn't follow, but instead turned an eye to Lotus, a smug grin on his face, "Good job surviving this long, kid. I'll take it from here."

Qrow stood before her, his cape idly shifting back and forth as he rested the haft of his weapon across his shoulder. His eyes focused back on the deathstalker, narrowing as he readied his weapon once again.

'My hero…' Lotus couldn't help but add a little sarcasm to the thought. Here stood the man she had been prepared to kill only a day before, fighting to save her from a Grimm that was out for her blood. Guilt washed over her. 'I'm not worth it… In a few days, he'll hear about what I did to the Arcs... He'll regret trying to save me…'

Lotus balled her fists in rage. She was angry at herself. Angry at Widow. Angry at whatever God was responsible for her life being twisted into such a mess. She was sick of it all. How nothing ever seemed to go her way. 'All I ever wanted was to be the hero!'

The deathstalker sensed her mounting frustration, it's hunger for humanity overcoming it's pain. With a few impatient snaps of its pincers, it rushed forward once again. Qrow turned and shoved her out of the way of the coming pincer, in the same instant transforming his weapon back into its greatsword form to block the Grimm bearing down on him.

Lotus got back to her feet and flexed her legs before launching herself skyward and landing on top of the deathstalker's back. Without the stinger to threaten her, she would be safe from it's attacks. Lotus pierced down into its armored exterior with two of her appendages. They worked to stabilize her. The Grimm thrashed in place, attempting to shake the uninvited passenger off its back.

Now standing above its head, Lotus reared her arm back. The shroud around her fist sharpened, partially forming into the regular shape of her usual appendage. The faunus transferred the strength from her other arm as well, putting the power of both into one. With a scream of rage, Lotus's hand blurred down. Her fist penetrated its head, burying her arm into its head, all the way down to her elbow. It's thick armor shattered in place, fissures cracking outwards from the point of impact and spider webbing across its carapace.

The deathstalker stumbled from side to side, its body growing weak as it struggled to stand. With one final chittering shriek, the Grimm dropped heavily to the ground. The earth rumbled beneath it, shaking the nearby trees and causing leaves to fall as the Grimm stilled, legs twitching in its last dying spasms.

Lotus's breathing was ragged. She withdrew her arm, inky black blood coated it all the way down. It dripped from her still clenched fist as the faunus hopped off, landing shakily then falling to her knees in the grass. She leaned forward, supporting herself with both hands as well while she sat there, trying to get her emotions under control.

The metallic sounds of a weapon shifting forms was followed by the footsteps of Qrow, moving to stand next to her. She could feel the amused grin on his face, "Only ever wanted to be the hero, huh?"

'Damn it… seriously, why do I lose control of my own internal monologue when I'm emotional? Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

Qrow interrupted her self deprecating thoughts with an offered hand, "Looks like you're on the fast track to success, as far as I can tell."

Lotus begrudgingly accepted, acknowledging what would likely be one of the last favors the huntsman ever showed her. She could already imagine those eyes looking down on her with disgust, instead of the twinkle of amusement that was there now.

"How'd you even find me out here?" Lotus asked, pulling them off the topic of her unfortunate outburst.

Qrow smirked, well accustomed to people trying to avoid embarrassing conversations. He chose to give her a little reprieve, "We have sensors and cameras all throughout the forest. Oz called me when they caught the Grimm being more active than usual."

"Oh," Lotus had a flash of panic, but dismissed it. If the cameras or sensors had picked up the airship then this conversation would have already ended in a fight, not idle chatter, "Thanks, I guess. I could have taken him if I had my weapon with me…'

"Seems like you did well enough without it. That's a good lesson for the future, though. It's hardly safe to walk into Grimm territory without being prepared," Qrow started walking as he spoke, leading the two of them back towards the city, "Why'd you come out here anyway?"

"Uhh," Lotus paused, then decided on a half truth, "I needed to vent. Better to get my frustration out on the Grimm than anything else, right?"

Qrow laughed, "That's a dangerous stress ball you're messing with. Maybe try screaming into a pillow or something. I've heard that does wonders for teenage girls."

"So you've done it a lot in the past, then?" Lotus smirked, giving Qrow a glance as he whipped his head to the side.

"How cute. The little faunus has fangs, huh?" Qrow laughed when he noticed Lotus's surprise, "I've crashed in that hotel you're staying at a few times in the past. I know how they operate."

"Were you following me!?" Lotus felt the panic return. If he had seen that, then what else had he seen? She might not even have a few days before the search for her began.

"Woah!" Qrow brought his hands up, "It's not like that, kid. I was just uh… passing through and saw you come out of the office. You just caught me eye since I recognized you from earlier."

Lotus's eyes narrowed, 'That sounds like too much of a coincidence…' "Were you staying there?"

Qrow chuckled, "Well, I can't afford much better on a teacher's salary."

'He didn't actually answer my question…' The admission did catch her off guard, though, "You're a teacher? Do you work at Beacon?"

"Nah, I teach at Signal. It's a school on Patch. That's the island off the coast," Qrow pulled up a map on his scroll to point out Patch, only a short distance from Vale itself.

"Are there a lot of people that live out there?" Lotus considered it. An island would be safer to live on, and would help to keep away from the Grimm. 'Wait, can Grimm... swim?' The idea of a beowolf floundering its way across the ocean caused her lips to tug into a small smile.

Qrow shrugged, eyes still scanning the forest around them as they talked, "There's a decent sized town out there. I live with one of my old teammates and my nieces."

Lotus eyed him with a frown, "You don't have a place of your own?"

"Eh, I help take care of my nieces. They'd be too big of a handful for Tai to keep up with by himself," Qrow smiled, thinking about something that Lotus wasn't privy to, "Yang and Ruby are still too much even with the both of us."

'Why are those names famili-'

"Those two are your nieces!?" Sudden realization hit Lotus full force, her eyes taking in Qrow anew, "Then that makes her mother…"

Qrow's eyes went wide, turning to Lotus with a little panic in them, "Shit. You can't tell Yang about Raven. She isn't ready to know about that yet."

"Is that really for the best? The longer you wait, the more her curiosity is going to get the better of her. Yang tried to pick a fight with an entire club before I put a stop to her," Lotus couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, and she felt a flash of irritation directed at the huntsman next to her, 'What else was Widow keeping from me, 'for my own good?'

"Trust me. You've only seen a little of what Raven is capable of. You're lucky you were so young. She wouldn't have shown an ounce of mercy otherwise," Qrow eyed Lotus up and down, "Being the same age as Yang probably helped, too."

Lotus sighed, "I'll think about it... I don't exactly have much patience for adults trying to keep secrets from me… It wouldn't feel right doing the same."

Qrow grumbled, "Promise not to tell her and I'll give you a few more secrets about initiation~"

"I'd rather talk about something else…" Lotus knew she wasn't getting into Beacon anyway, not with recent events hanging over her head, "Were you and Raven both bandits?"

Qrow rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, "We were born into it, yeah."

"And they still let you into Beacon?"

Qrow gave an amused chuckle, "Old Oz has an eye for promising students. He accepted me and my sister despite our last names," he shrugged, "He fixed one of us, at least."

"One out of two isn't bad…" A small seed of hope started to sprout, but was brutally crushed under the weight of her past actions, 'As if the pair did anything as bad as I have…'

"Are you going to apply soon? I'm guessing you didn't go to a combat school so you don't have any transcripts. From what I've seen, though, you're more than capable. You have until the week before the semester starts to take the entrance exams."

'Nearly three whole weeks before Beacon even starts…' There was no way she could clear her name in that time. Nicholas would give a description of her, some random shop camera would have her image, and her face would once again be posted for all eyes to see. Lotus couldn't bring herself to respond. Lying to Qrow would feel like lying to herself.

The older huntsman gave her a quizzical glance, noticing her silence, "We could really use someone like you, kid. Give it four years and you could be unstoppable."

"I…" Lotus considered spewing out the truth, at least a fraction of it to explain what she was feeling. Qrow was nice… but dangerous. A cold shudder passed through her body, 'What do I have to lose…? This was my last chance for a better life…'

"I'm... not a good person, Qrow."

The two walked in silence for a minute, the huntsman processing the young girl's admission. Finally he spoke, a grimace on his face, "At least you're trying to change yourself for the better. Do you want to know why my sister and I joined Beacon? Why two kids from a bandit clan out in Mistral made their way to Vale to go to school?"

"To get away from it all?" Lotus guessed.

Qrow shook his head, "Our clan sent us. We were supposed to learn from the huntsman and grow stronger. Strong enough to kill anyone that threatened the tribe."

Lotus lurched to a stop, and Qrow did as well a moment later, "And Ozpin still let you into the school?"

Qrow nodded, "I'm sure he had his suspicions. Oz won't ever give up on someone that might make a change for the better, though. He saw good in us. It just took a few years to bring it out."

"But your sister…?"

Qrow grimaced again, "It worked on Raven for awhile. She got hitched with Tai, had Yang as a result, but… I don't know. It was too much for her, maybe. She left, and Summer picked up the pieces."

"Is that Ruby's mom, then? Her and Yang don't exactly look alike," Lotus pointed out the obvious. She was still reeling from Qrow's statement. 'Will Ozpin accept me into Beacon anyway?' The seed of hope returned full force, sprouting from her heart and quelling the pit that had formed in her stomach. 'I still have a chance…'

Qrow's eyes were downcast as he replied, "Summer was, yeah. I wouldn't bring that up with the pair of them either."

Lotus nodded, understanding now why Yang had acted the way she did. Her first mother had left her with no explanation, and the woman that tried to take her place died.

'I'll go a bit easier on her if I ever see her again…' If anyone knew what it was like to lose someone they cared for, it was Lotus.

Qrow recovered, eyeing the young faunus for a moment as they once again set off towards Vale, "So… I don't know if a kid like you could have reasons for going to Beacon worse than mine were, but… you wanna talk about it?"

Lotus sighed, "I might not have meant to yell what I did, but it was the truth. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be like the heroes in my comic books. After my family died, though… I've had to do a lot of morally questionable things to get by."

Qrow nodded, "Remnant is a hard place to live in when you're alone. You need others that you can trust to watch your back."

Lotus scoffed out loud without really meaning to, "I'll never trust someone again."

Qrow eyed her sideways, "Is that what got you out here in the first place? What happened?"

Lotus took a minute to word her answer. 'The more I tell him now, the less shocking it will be later if they find out who I really am…' Still, she didn't know how intimate Qrow was with Mistral. Too much information and he might connect the dots too soon. 'The Black Lotus' would never be accepted into Beacon.

"I… found out my mentor betrayed me. She got a lot of people killed. People that I liked… People that were like family to me."

Another minute of silence passed before Qrow stopped this time. He placed a gentle but firm hand on the faunus girl's shoulder, drawing her eyes to his. There was a deep seated sadness behind those eyes, one born of countless losses. A tole that was too great to bear, "For what it's worth… I'm sorry, kid. No one deserves to go through something like that, least of all someone so young. You can trust people, though. You just have to learn from your mistakes. Not everyone is out for themselves."

A few faces came to mind. Copper, Jace, Ruby, Coco, Velvet, Jaune… Lotus sighed, "Yeah, you might be right…" Less than an hour ago, Widow would have been at the top of that list, though. Copper and Jace would never get the chance, but how many of the others would join Widow in betraying her? Jaune was already close to it. She doubted he would keep his own kidnapping a secret. 'He doesn't owe me anything.'

"Hey, you can trust me, kid. I can tell you have a good heart. If there's some dark secret you've got hidden away, I'd let you explain yourself before I judged you. Everyone deserves at least that much. If that wasn't the truth, I wouldn't be here."

'Even if one of those secrets is that I tried to kill you?' Lotus couldn't help but shake her head, 'You can't trust me, Qrow.'

The young faunus didn't voice her inner monologue this time, instead choosing to change the subject, "So, where do I go to apply for Beacon since I don't have transcripts?"

Qrow smiled, thinking he had set her back on track, "At the combat school in Vale. It's spring break right now, so the place is only open for kids trying to get into Beacon. They're open most of the day, just show up, fill out a few forms, and they'll have you display your skills."

"And by display, you mean…?"

"You won't have to fight any Grimm. They keep a stockpile of battle droids from Atlas. You fight those," Qrow smirked, eyeing the black blood still caked onto her arm, "You shouldn't have any issues."

Lotus nodded, she had fought SDC droids before. They were pathetically weak, little better than fodder against human opponents. It made sense that Atlas mainly used them against the Grimm. Mindless AI verses mindless beasts. A match made in hell.

"I don't suppose you could just put a word in for me? Let me skip that entirely?" Lotus spared him a timid smile. From how the man's smirk only widened, she knew it was a lost cause.

"Sorry kid, I don't have the sway for that. Like I said, I don't teach at Beacon. Besides, the fight might be easy for you, but the tests are important. It helps the school figure out what classes to place you in. There's crash course programs for getting students up to speed if they didn't attend a school beforehand."

Qrow ruffled her hair, "I don't want to seem condescending or anything, but if you did grow up in the Mistral boonies, then you're not much better off than I was when I joined Beacon. Trust me, apply soon so you can get as many of those lessons out of the way as you can. You don't want to be stuck doing them alongside regular classes."

Lotus nodded, "Thanks for the tip. I'll try and go there tomorrow, then." 'If my face hasn't already been plastered on every street corner, anyway.'

They were now approaching the gate back into the city, the wall loomed to both their right and left, thirty feet high and five feet thick. A king taijitu could scale over it, but not before every huntsman in the area had been alerted.

"I guess I'll head back to my apartment," Lotus gave Qrow a tentative smile at first, but it firmed as he caught her eye, "Thanks for the assist, and… everything else."

Qrow bit his lip, eyes glancing around the darkened streets. His voice started hesitantly, gaze going back to Lotus as he watched to see her reaction, "Actually, I was wondering…" He faltered, though, losing what he was about to say, "Ah, nevermind. You wouldn't want to."

"Wouldn't want to what?" Despite herself, Lotus's curiosity was piqued.

"I just think it would do you some good if you didn't wake up alone. Tai makes a mean breakfast, and you could hang out with my nieces. I'm sure you could teach Yang a thing or two..."

'Is he… inviting me to their house?' The offer was… Well it was tempting. Qrow had promised to hear her out once the truth was revealed, but… 'It's way too much of a risk. If things go wrong, I'll have nowhere to run.'

Qrow seemed to have read her expression and held his hands up, "It's alright if you don't want to. I just didn't like the idea of you having to deal with everything by yourself. It's nice to have other people around when you're going through a rough patch."

Lotus thought about it. Thought about going back to her apartment, falling asleep in her bed, away from everyone, where she could be alone, undisturbed…

'The perfect target for when Widow decides to come back for me…' Lotus's horror was rekindled. Widow could be out in the woods with them right now, and the spider faunus's sixth sense would never pick her up unless Widow let it happen.

She shivered, drawing her hands up to hold herself for a moment, "O-Okay. I'll come with you. We just need to stop at my apartment for a change of clothes… and my weapon."

Qrow's face brightened, "Yeah, of course. Honestly, I wouldn't get in the habit of leaving it there, anyway. It isn't unheard of that someone's room gets broken into."

'Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.' Lotus nodded, and the pair set off towards her apartment building.

"I hope you aren't planning on telling any of them what I told you," Lotus said after a few minutes of silence, shooting Qrow a worried glance.

He raised his hands placatingly, "Wouldn't dream of it. You can tell them whatever you want when you're ready," Qrow laughed, "Just keep in mind that Yang might end up on your team. Best not to do anything that might set her off."

"That's going to be hard," Lotus muttered, "Teasing is my default setting. It only gets worse with time."

Qrow gave her an amused smirk, "Just don't push it too far. Yang can dish out as good as she gets most of the time, but my little firecracker's temper can get the better of her."

"Oh, I noticed. She really flew off the handle at the bar. Though, I suppose that makes more sense now that I think about it," Lotus thought back on the exact words she'd used when confronting the blond menace, "A lot more sense."

Qrow gave her a glance, "What did you say?"

Lotus rubbed the back of her neck, "Ehh, I... asked if her mom had ever taught her manners."

The huntsman winced, sucking air in through his teeth, "Yeah, that would do it. I hope I don't need to tell you that mentioning anything along those lines again would be a bad idea."

"If you had seen how messed up that club was after we got through with it, you wouldn't even need to ask," Lotus laughed, "I don't think a teacher's salary is enough to afford a new house."

They arrived outside the apartment and Lotus excused herself, heading up to her room. She paused, feeling outwards with her sense out of habit, then once again realized that wouldn't matter. Years of Widow being a constant presence were hard to forget.

Lotus unlocked her door and activated her semblance before slowly stepping inside. Her eyes darted around the room, checking every corner as she made her way across it to the dresser. Lotus grabbed one of the bags from the store that she had already emptied and refilled it with a couple pairs of clothes. Looking down at herself and the Grimm blood still covering her arm, she decided to change right then.

'I'm never wearing this hoodie again…' It was tied with too many bad memories. Too much bloodshed, and now, betrayal. Widow had been the one to buy this hoodie, a replacement for the one lost in the raid. 'The raid she caused…' Lotus wondered if the older faunus had felt guilty about her actions. If that was her way of giving Lotus back something she had lost.

With the hoodie in the trash, a fresh pair of clothes on her back, and her weapon firmly strapped to her hip, Lotus returned to Qrow.

The pair set off towards the docks, through the slumbering streets of the city. There was only one burning questions that remained, something that Lotus was desperate to know about the huntsman. As they stepped on to the night ferry and began the trek across the frigid waves to the island of Patch, Lotus turned to him and finally asked.

"What's with the cape?"