Progression
He has thought it before, and he will think of it again for years to come; he is undeniably grateful to Ozpin for having given him these powers of flight all of those many long years ago. It allows him access to Patch, after all, in a time when every other form of transport has all but been abandoned. There are no longer any ships daring to traverse the distance between Vale's docks and Patch's small harbour, for the strait between the isle and the mainland is rife with Grimm, teeming, monster-infested shallows growing more and more out of control with every waking day.
Qrow watches this all with a keen eye as he flies over choppy waters, spotting with a sick wave of nausea the long, spine-covered backs of Sea Feilongs roiling in the depths, white bone breaching seafoam harshly. It is horrendous, just how quickly the world has changed; none of it is surprising, though. Even though his body remains streamlined, cutting through the wind as he pumps his wings, flying his large corvid form over to that little cottage in Patch as fast as he can, he can undeniably sense the malice exuded for miles by the frozen, statuesque figure of the Grimm Wyvern still balanced precariously atop the remains of Beacon Tower.
Ruby, he thinks grimly, you have no idea just how much you've saved- and doomed- this place.
He will never utter those words to her, though. She needs to keep her spirits up- after all, she is still recovering, still clinging onto whatever hope she can amidst all of the loss she has suffered so quickly.
By the time his body morphs back into his usual human form, his head is spinning, the heaviness of his refilled-bones always enough to knock him off-kilter for a few moments. He pays it no mind, stepping briskly forward despite the discomfort; the door of the cottage is unlocked as usual, for there is no fear of intruders in this area of Patch. The sense of an open invitation is always enough to send shivers of unease crawling up Qrow's spine, anyways.
To his surprise, it is not just Taiyang's voice he hears coming from the kitchen. There is no mistaking the quick cadence and painfully-precise words of Bartholomew Oobleck, the Huntsman and former professor at Beacon's manner of speaking just as crisp and speedy as ever. His words rush out in a torrential rainfall, a stark contrast to Taiyang's slow, deliberate speech. "The situation is dire," Oobleck murmurs as Qrow sets down Harbinger by the wall at the entrance of the house. "We've established safe zones around the city, and more and more civilians are being transported away, but the death toll is enormous. While Signal remains safe from what I know, they are indeed having difficulties ensuring that their borders are being protected, for the students are still not yet quite ready to face the sheer mass of Grimm which has continued to flood Vale ever since the Grimm Dragon's appearance in Beacon-"
"I'm not going back," Taiyang cuts in smoothly. Qrow can hear the kettle whistle quietly, the sound of a porcelain cup sliding across wooden countertop. "I'm taking time away from Signal Academy and I intend to stay that way. I know they need more aid, but-"
"We could certainly use a Huntsman of your caliber, Tai," Oobleck insists. "You know you would be a great asset-"
"I'm a father first." Taiyang's voice is stern, unyielding. "I may be a Huntsman, but there would be nothing to fight for if it weren't for my girls."
Oobleck sighs, his voice ringing hollowly through the first floor of the house. "That's quite fair, Tai," he says gently. "I respect that. You should be proud of your daughters- some of the best students I've ever had the pleasure to teach."
"Lies. They both probably slept and texted constantly in your classes."
"…you're not wrong."
The two men chuckle, weary but warm; Qrow smiles, watching them through the open passage to the kitchen. There are more lines on both of their faces than Qrow remembers. Perhaps it is naught but a trick of the light, but the fatigue which hangs upon their shoulders is palpable anyways. It has been a long few days for everyone, after all.
Finally, Taiyang seems to notice Qrow. His immediate alarm shifts automatically into relief, into gratitude. Silently, he waves Qrow over; without a word, Qrow obeys, skirting the dining table to give Taiyang a quick hug before he reaches out to Oobleck, shaking the other Huntsman's hand in camaraderie. "Staying safe?"
"As much as one can hope," Oobleck chuckles, wry exasperation forming upon his furrowed brow and the quirk of his lips.
Qrow nods, his own exhaustion mirrored in the eyes of these two men. Turning back to Taiyang, he says, "I'm going to check on the girls."
The blond squeezes his shoulder gently. "Yang's woken up. She's… still processing." While his words seem inoffensive, the weight of the words unspoken slice cleanly into Qrow's heart.
"…I don't doubt it." Waving goodbye to the two, Qrow shoves his hands into his pockets and trudges upstairs.
Before he enters Yang's room, he takes a moment to breathe- in, out, in, out. Then, after a swig of whiskey from his flask, he shakes his head, peeks at the lack of a light from underneath the door, and sighs, knocking on the door. "Yang? It's me. Can I come in?"
No response. His lips press into a worried line, but he moves on anyways, opening up the door tentatively, silently so as to not startle whatever creature he may find inside.
A creature is certainly what he sees. He does not recognize this girl- limp, bedraggled hair, glassy eyes, sitting in a room that is completely barren of life or colour on the walls, completely stripped bare compared to the room he had seen just a week earlier.
Her bandages are no longer tinged red, though. For that, he is grateful.
"Hey there, firecracker," he whispers, walking up to her carefully. She does not respond, so he merely sits upon the edge of the bed, leaning forward to press a kiss onto greasy blonde strands. "How're you holding up?"
Wordlessly, she moves her right arm up, the stump which is left after her attack weak, thin.
He brushes her limp bangs out of her face and lifts her chin. "You can get through this, Yang," he murmurs hoarsely. "I know you can. You're going to be strong again."
She meets his gaze, not a trace of hope in her puffy eyes. "…get out, Uncle Qrow."
The order is clear, despite the grating tone of the hoarse voice which slips past cracking lips. He sighs, casting another quick glance around her oddly-bare room. "Okay. Get some rest." Then, he leaves, closing the door behind him without another word.
He does not react when he finds a silent Ruby standing outside the door, watching him through rumpled bangs. He takes her shoulder and guides her to her own bedroom, closing the door and sitting her down onto her bed. "Any reason why your sister's room looks empty now?" he asks quietly.
Her lip wobbles- barely enough to be noticeable, more than enough to shatter his heart. "She used to have a lot of red decorations, but she doesn't like that colour much anymore," she explains quietly.
Qrow notes this in his mind, understanding dawning clearly as he realizes that Ruby is no longer wearing her favourite mahogany pyjamas, and instead is dressed in bleak black and grey plaid. Yang's assailant had been Adam Taurus, after all. He has seen the young man's image on new reports and local bulletins, the visage of one of the head ringleaders of the terrorist attack executed upon Beacon having become engrained in everyone's collective consciousness. The crimson of his hair, his blade, his clothes, the eyes upon his Grimm mask…
It's too similar to someone else he knows Yang can never forget. Of course she has so few positive feelings about that hue.
"…it's been rough, huh, kiddo?"
Ruby nods, large silver eyes filling to the brim with tears as she silently leans forward, placing her forehead upon his chest. He complies immediately, wrapping his arms around her tiny, quaking shoulders without hesitation; he cannot even imagine the heartache she must feel, knowing that even her cherished cape can no longer be worn within her older sister's vicinity for fear of triggering the other's fear. She trembles and whimpers against his chest, his lapel growing damp with tears and snot, but he does not pull away; he simply soothes her, brushing her hair, holding her close.
Well, Rae, he thinks absently as Ruby cries out her fears and worries towards her older sister upon his chest, looks like you're going to need to change your outfit if you want to see Yang anytime soon.
He knows his twin sister won't do anything. Raven abandoned her daughter long ago. She is not going to start caring about protecting Yang any time soon- that is Taiyang and Qrow's job now.