Chapter 5 – Where the Qrow Nests
A/N: Delayed I know, but there's this crazy little thing called life that keeps kicking my free time to the curb whenever I think I'm getting some. Still, hopefully you enjoy this longer chapter and let me know if you're enjoying what you read…
Quiet please the Qrow, I mean, show is starting…
XXX
This isn't my bed…
…on the plus side it's not anyone else's either, mostly because it's not a bed.
As befitting her draconian persona Glynda Goodwitch was not a woman swayed easily by panic; instead as consciousness slowly banished her lingering dreams she listened to what her senses told her, though she didn't open her eyes. Gulls were audible and there was a faint tang of salt on the air so she must have been in Ocean View still, the soft pressure on her left side and the fact her feet were both cold and dangling in space indicated she wasn't in her regular cot either, though whoever had put her here had at least had the kindness to drape a blanket over her. The most concerning thing, however, was that she didn't have any memories of falling asleep at all, or indeed going to bed and she was still mostly fully clothed, only her cape and footwear missing from her normal ensemble. Groaning as the facts filtered in the now-Headmistress rested a hand over her still-closed eyes, deducing the most likely cause of her current predicament but unwilling to seek the final confirmation for a few moments – despite the crick in her neck she couldn't deny her rest had been amongst the best she'd had in days; and isn't that a sad state of affairs? Still, no point putting it off; dragging her palm down her face she quickly breathing into it then inhaled, the fumes from her breath the final confirmation of the perpetrator; all right think back, when and how could he have slipped one past me? Last night I was…
…cursing; cursing the Brothers for making Remnant, cursing Ozpin for dying and dropping all this mess in her lap, cursing Vales' Council as a bunch of scared old men and women – admittedly she was only cursing in her head (it wouldn't do to have a student wander past and hear such profanity from an authority figure after all), but she was cursing right enough. Lifting her glasses to rub both her eyes and the growing bags beneath them she hissed as she flexed her right hand, fingers cracking unhealthily as they moved from the claw they'd fused into after hours of wielding her acid pen. How long have I been here?; she did and didn't want an answer, though the fact her most recent coffee had grown skin and was working on a rudimentary nervous system wasn't a good sign.
Leaning back in her chair she bit her lip as she stretched, the aches multiplying as she wrestled with her mobility – surely a woman of her age shouldn't be this stiff? As if my old job wasn't aging me this one's going to have me as silver as Ozpin in a year or so; remembering her old friend brought both a pang and a chill to her heart; pained as she was by the loss of her old friend, the fact that Remnant had lost its foremost defender against its great hidden enemy was enough to give even her pause. Reaching for the Disciplinarian holstered at her side she softly gripped its handle for reassurance, the soft leather pliable but firm in her palm as she earthed her concerns through it, putting off the still-impressive pile of papers in her in-tray to take a few minutes for herself. It's not all bad; she believed that, she had to believe they were getting past the worst for her own sanity more than anything; the situation is stabilising, James is starting to get his forces back under control and the PR work is calming the civilians. Beacon, well that's a longer-term project but as long as no more bad news blows in before the end of the week…;
"Hey Goodie, what's shaking?"
As his old friends' face became intimately acquainted with her desk Qrow couldn't help but marvel that, save from the ninety-degree change of angle in her spine, everything else about the woman stayed identical,
"Wow I feel popular," he muttered, though his current buzz prevented the implied insult wounding and instead let his mischievous nature jam its foot in the door, "always knew you were married to the job Glyn but is this really the time for a honeymoon?"
"Ai shobin't eben t'nk rugh-ow."
"Eh? Sorry I don't speak Mumble; stop tonguing the inkwell and face me like the man-with-a-wig-on you are." The expression she turned on him should have turned him to stone on the spot,
"I shouldn't even think right now; it just seems to jinx everything at the moment."
"Oof, that was for the wig comment wasn't it? Okay you're a beautiful woman who hasn't met the right guy yet, lucky guy. Oh," he wondered why her expression darkened even further before wincing, "I said that last bit out loud didn't I?"
"Yes."
"Ah, right; just out of interest how many places can you hide a body around here?"
"In Ocean View, not including the actual ocean six for a man and at least quadruple that for a large bird." Running a hand through his bedraggled locks Qrow managed a tepid grin as he faced the furious academic,
"Well at least I know you've been thinking of me, even if it's just ways to get away with murder. Seriously once all this is over just ask Jimmy for a night on the town," the brazen approach shocked her out of her wrath at least even as Qrow hid a smile at her reaction; bingo; "you more than any of us have earned one, you and him." Glynda gawped for a second before shaking herself out and regarding him more piercingly, eyebrow and lips quirking upwards simultaneously,
"Complimenting General Ironwood; I'd ask if you were drunk but, well," he merely shrugged at her knowing look, "please tell me you're not here for booze, a place to hide or bail money?"
"Would I?"
"Ozpin had part of our black account set aside for all three and no," she brutally squashed his hopeful expression, "I'm not telling you how much or how to access it. Emergencies only."
"This isn't an emergency?"
"Grimm we can handle, you loose with a significant chunk of our budget I'm not so sure." Qrow opened his mouth to argue, thought for a second and then shrugged nonchalantly,
"Ah, probably for the best; speaking of which," some of the whimsy bled from his expression, a hint of the warrior within emerging from the wastrel, "I've got a few things I need to look into, both back at Patch and further abroad so I'm not likely to be around long. I might need a bit of support from here; I know you're short," he neatly pre-empted her worried look, "but I'll let you know if it comes to that. Anyway, enough about me," it was a mark of how tired she was the Glynda didn't protest as the vermillion gaze swept over her, "you need to eat, sleep and shower, order of your choice." She managed a weary chuckle as she indicated her in-tray,
"You're not wrong but," she indicated her in-tray, "what's the old saying, I'll sleep when I'm dead?"
"Carry on as you are and you might get there faster than you'd like," Qrow admonished frostily before sighing and running a hand through his unruly locks, "still, not like I'm in a position to lecture anyone. Wait there, at least let me get you a fresh… I assume this is coffee?"
"It was."
"'Was' is right," Qrow agreed, holding her cup gingerly, "if a 'wolf starts trying to push through the surface I'm throwing it your way, okay?"
"My hero," the headmistress remarked dryly, already turning back to her work as he reached for the coffee maker, losing herself in a world of dry parchment and accepting the drink plonked down a little while later, not concerned as the Branwen threw himself onto the small settee in her office and drifted off to sleep – he'd done it before, though given how much coffee he'd put into her latest beverage she doubted she'd have that luxury any time soon…
XXX
…but I did, because it was Qrow and he knew I was getting too deeply buried in my work; though many saw her as devoid of passion Glynda knew obsession for her could be a very dangerous thing, often devolving into mania if she didn't keep herself on a tight leash or, as last night, have someone else haul her off whatever project had snared her interest; and if I was too far gone to not see him pulling something like that I must have been worse off than I thought. He was right; and that was annoying, not because of Qrow but because she'd let things slip to that point – she'd been much better these last few years but the virtual destruction of her home had upset her normal routines somewhat; he'd never have been able to argue or convince me to slow down so did the right thing, underhanded or otherwise. Still; slowly and with much reluctance she gradually peeled her eyelids open, trying to guess the time from the brightness around her; it's not the first time and I doubt it'll be the last, and at least this time I didn't have to taste anything. The less said about Ozpins' attempts to choose a suitable wine the better – millennia old and it's news to him that grape juice looks and smells nothing like a Mistralian red!
She'd known what had happened from her first breath that morning, the abnormal dry fumes a by-product from whatever rotgut the Branwen preferred as his favoured tipple. Though quite a few students held her teetotal nature as proof of her being incapable of fun Glynda didn't drink simply because she had no tolerance for it; anything more than half a shandy and her head would start nodding, more than that and she'd soon be dead to the world. Her old team had joked she was their cheapest night out (though they'd been grateful for such a quirk that time a Boarbatusk had got the drop on them in the field; a spoonful of medical-grade alcohol and she'd felt nothing of their squeezing hands and clumsy, panicked stitching) and her intolerance for the demon drink had stayed with her past graduation up to the present morning, where she lay supine after Qrow must have surreptitiously added a splash from his flask into her last cup of coffee the previous night.
Silently mouthing a prayer for the younger Branwens' liver she stretched before shaking her head and levering herself upwards, taking in her office blearily as she sat up. All was as it should have been, her crop resting on the desk, boots by the side of the settee and cloak thrown over her; rolling her neck and wincing at the crunch she pulled herself to her feet, shivering as the cold floor chilled her toes. Quickly wriggling her boots on she fixed her hair into a rough plait with practised efficiency, sweeping her cloak on and reaching for her weapon in the same motion before a bright splash of colour on Disciplinarians' handle made her pause. A note?; the scrappy writing made it obvious who'd left it even upside down, though as she pulled it free and scanned the message fully it was with slowly-dawning horror Glynda realised the almighty mess her would-be saviour had left her with,
"I'll kill him," she swore softly to herself, the note crumpling in her fist as she talked herself through the new nightmare scenario she was facing, "no, no I'll wait 'til he's in bird form then pluck him bare! I'd, no they'd just put a team back together, Miss Rose included, and he goes and pulls their new leader away; what on Remnant does he need his niece for, unless it was to do with home? That's… understandable I suppose but he should have said something first – how am I going to explain this…?"
Fragmented thoughts of her next move and what she was going to do with Qrow when she got hold of him were put on hold by a loud thump on her office door. Peach or Oobleck; running through names as she tried to make herself presentable she crossed swiftly to the door and opening it, the greeting dying on her lips as the knocking fist rose threateningly and sparks flew from incandescent grey,
"Glynda," she recognised the tone intimately, her use of it on generations of unruly students not lessening its impact much, "where's my son?"
XXX
Might as well get this over with; as soon as it was safe to do so and he'd checked his… escort was out cold Jaune rolled the scroll open and tapped a few numbers, idly grateful he wasn't more nervous than he was as the ringing stopped,
"Hello?"
"Hey mum." The relief in her disembodied exhalation almost blew his hair back but before he could start his explanation she'd already demanded one,
"Jaune, thank the Brothers - where the bloody burning hells are you, we were supposed to be…?"
"We were," he cut her off, "and to be fair I am on a Bullhead so we managed that much."
"A Bullhead – where the hell are you going?!"
"No idea, he didn't tell me."
"He? Who?"
"This guy; video on," Jaune flicked his scroll to picture and speech mode and turned it towards the supine figure sprawled over the seat next to him, "see? I think he's Rubys' uncle but his name escapes me." Turning the scroll back to himself he was somewhat concerned by how red his mothers' face had turned; though at least this time it's not aimed at me;
"Qrow," the name was spat like a bullet, "what are you doing with him?" Despite himself Jaune chuckled, recalling the shock of the previous night vividly,
"Dunno about you mum but when a very sloshed Huntsman with a very large sword says he needed me for a great idea I didn't argue, I just packed up and did what he said." The Sal in his scroll feed shook her head as though trying to shoo off a fly,
"So," she managed after a few seconds, "so Qrow basically dragged you out the View and onto a Bullhead and you went with him?"
"Again, very large sword – cut me some slack I've technically been kidnapped, I'm the victim here." Sal didn't answer, instead turning to someone he couldn't see but could hear and, to his surprise, recognise,
"Is that professor Goodwitch?"
"Yes Mr Arc, it's me."
"Hi prof," Jaune greeted jauntily, waving with his free hand despite his teacher being out of shot, "oh, just so you know Mr… huh, never got his second name, anyway Crow said we're going somewhere safe and he was going to call when we landed and he felt better." There was some off-screen muttering that made Jaune knit his brows; did professor Goodwitch just swear? Nah, must have imagined it;
"Jaune," his name refocussed his attention back to his screen and his mothers' narrowed eyes, "are you drunk?" He laughed, honestly amused by the presumption,
"Me? Nah, can't stand the stuff; Yang tried to take us all drinking once – well, not Ruby, she's too young – but I never had any. Ren, Pyrrha, Weiss and I were the responsible adults, though I don't think Blake had many either so maybe…"
"Jaune!" The shout almost made him drop his scroll, Sal now regarding her child concerned, "Focus – what's wrong, you look like you've got your head in the clouds." He shook his head, trying to dispel her worries with a smile that came out more dopey than affable,
"No-no, I'm just dosed up," the chalkiness of the pill had quickly been washed away by water and the blissful blankness that had followed just prior to them boarding, "Ruby must have warned him about my airsickness, he had a little bottle of pills, got it here somewhere… ah, here," he patted down his pockets and quickly withdrew the bottle, showing it to the camera triumphantly, "see, no more Vomit Boy – wish I'd had these a few months ago."
"How many have you… actually don't answer that, I don't want to know," colour returning to her face as that load slipped from her mind Sal realised this was happened, she couldn't do a damned thing about it, Jaune was too dosed up to raise the alarm and even if he wasn't Qrow could probably sandbag him before he tried; right, keep calm and try to get Jaune to do the same – I'll scream at the sky and stick pins in a red-eyed voodoo doll later; "right, so, do you have any idea where you're going, like how long have you been in the air?" To her despair but not surprise Jaune shook his head,
"Nah, fell asleep in departure, not easy to get flights in or out of Vale right now. Not sure when we took off but it was still dark, so must have been a few hours in the air. Wow, a few hours and I've not been sick, these pills are like magic!"
"Maybe they are – you didn't see a departure board?"
"Nope, none were working, switched off to save Dust apparently," for some reason that snippet the check-in staff had told him had rooted in his mind, "anyway, oh yeah, Mr Crow said he'd call Glynda – wait, she's professor Goodwitch isn't she, Glynda? Oh, I mean he'll contact professor Goodwitch once we land, says he's got some kind of stash near where we land and I'll get a new scroll from there."
"New scroll?" Sal glanced at the caller ID for the first time and jolted as she realised it was an unrecognised number, "What happened to your old one?"
"Gone," he said simply, as though that explained everything, "Crow said it could be tracked and smashed it, though I wrote down all my contacts first."
"So how are you ringing me now?"
"I borrowed his; well, he burbled and kinda waved when I asked so I assumed that meant yes, it was poking out his coat pocket." Sal found herself torn between commending her sons' competence in making this call and castigating his sheer misfortune for being in this situation in the first place so ignored that decision in favour of getting more information,
"Right, fair enough that makes sense – when you land try and remember what time it is and where; as soon as you get your new scroll let me know and we'll go from there, understand?"
"Yeah mum, I got it; oh," his blue eyes flicked to the side as worry creased his brow, "better go, the scroll's almost out of charge. Just wanted to let you know I'm okay; not got much experience but it's been pretty good for a kidnapping so far." Sal blew out a long, exasperated breath as she recollected her temper and tried to see the bright side of a situation gone straight to the beowolves,
"Well, glad you rang," she managed at length, dredging up a smile for her child that Jaune echoed more dreamily, "try to get your head down and remember, time and place when you land, then call me when you get a scroll."
"I'll remember; take care mum, love to all the family." Her smile became brittle but she managed,
"And you," before the screen went black and for the second time in a year Salahara Arc lost sight of her only son.
Not unaware but too blissed out with pharmaceuticals to react much to his mothers' consternation Jaune rolled up the scroll, placed it back in his kidnappers' pocket on the second try and drifted off to sleep himself.
XXX
"What the hell…? Where are we, where's… what the hell is going on? Tell me or I swear to the Brothers I'll scream this place down and get you hauled off for the rest of your life!"
Well it happened; holding his reaction to the furious whisper in check was harder than he'd suspected, Qrow having to quash his humour at the youngsters' mottled face as Jaune hissed his questions in the arrivals lounge; took longer than I thought mind, wonder what was actually in those pills?;
"You won't," he replied, smirking at his current companions' face; apparently he'd tried to flush in fury and blanch in dread at the same time, the resultant mildewed strawberry pallor making it impossible for the veteran Hunter to keep a straight face, "you've no idea where we are, no way to contact anyone and the only reason anyone knows you're alive is that call you made to your mother Goodie was earwigging on. Yeah, I was listening;" ah, the gormless shock; the familiar expression deepened Qrows' smirk; stock reaction for teenagers realising the washed-up old drunk can pretend to sleep; "still, as I told you I've got a plan."
"Well that's reassuring, and actually you don't have a plan; you said you'd an idea and needed me for it. Can you fill me in at all or is it a surprise?" One black eyebrow rose in surprise,
"You calmed down fast." The teenager shrugged, trying to keep his panic and fury in check,
"You're not wrong, no point getting pissed about it since you're my only way out of here, and anyway you're Ruby's uncle so I doubt you're going to kill me off like mum and the professors were worried about. Still, what's going on and why'd you drag me out here?"
Qrow looked the younger man up and down, judging him silently before nodding half to himself and
"Favour to Goodie mostly; she needs you out the way, I got a few boltholes to stash you in."
"And I take it she doesn't know about this? Great," Jaune silently cursed his lot in life again before a thought occurred and he faced his kidnapper fully, "how'd you know Professor Goodwitch anyway? You're not a Beacon teacher; Ruby wouldn't have kept that under her hood, wouldn't have been able to given how she acted seeing you earlier. You and her former teammates or… something else?" Qrows' answer was a rough bark of laughter,
"Hah, something else; I can dream. Ran a few Hunts with her but we were never official teammates, not that teams really matter once you get your number."
"Whoever's available right – mum was a freelancer," Jaune reminded the older man, a few stories of the people she'd worked with in the past flitting through his mind before he banished them to look forwards, "anyway enough of that; what's your plan and please tell me it's a good one; if it's not mum's going to murder me and skin you alive slowly if we're lucky!"
"And if we're not lucky?"
"She'll hand us over to Professor Goodwitch."
"Oof, we don't want that."
"Who's this 'we' you're talking about? I'm the victim here."
"You've got previous in running away," despite himself Jaune winced; low blow; "and think about it – if you're not sure where you've gone what chance has anyone looking for you got of tracking you down?"
Despite his irreverent attitude Qrow kept an eye on the Hunter cadet as the words sank in, watching his reaction. Jaune for his part said nothing but to the veteran his expression was all but shrieking a cadence; trepidation, suspicions, realisation and, eventually, grudging acceptance, though after his momentary reflection he pressed slightly closer to the Hunter, voice low and eyes narrowed,
"So she did get out then; Cinder," he elaborated at Qrows' blank look, "the woman who caused all this. We fought on the tower but no-one mentioned finding her body; thought the dragon crushed her but that'd be too much to hope for."
"It usually is but for the record I didn't see her either. I was there too, a few minutes after Ruby, helped scrape your carcass off the roof and into med," he explained at Jaune's alarmed glance, "regardless of if she crawled out of there or not between her teammates, the Fang and anyone else you managed to piss off in your first year the one thing you're not short of is enemies, shame that can't be said about fighting skills, talent or good looks."
"True, sadly true, true and hello pot, this is kettle," Jaune riposted after a few seconds' thought, "and anyway, you might not go for the courtly look but your niece, well…" Qrows' grasp towards Harbinger was instinctive and his glare pure venom,
"You dare…"
"I don't, or wouldn't; no need to go psycho-uncle," Jaune shrugged, "Rubes is like a little sister, same as Nora; trust me I've got previous with that. Ha, ironic really – left home to escape the rest of the brood and ended up adopting one of my own, and just for the polish on the blade most of them were girls. Still, enough of that; can you tell me where we are or would you have to kill me?"
Qrow seemed to weigh his options and the flask he pulled from his pocket simultaneously, taking a draw from the latter to help decide the matter as he shook his head,
"Don't matter where we are now 'cause we're not staying," he admitted at last, shuffling towards the exit of the Bullhead station, "I've got a place here where we can pick a few things up, then we've got some hiking to the next hub." Jaune groaned, hunching over slightly as his stomach roiled queasily,
"More flying, great," in his lamentation he missed Qrows' quick smirk, though by the same token the veteran didn't see his attention fix on the far wall for a second as he straightened out, "hope you've got more of those pills left…"
XXX
Luckily there was no more flying, instead there was a short hike around the small town they'd landed in and from there a meandering trek into the surrounding forest. Toying with the new scroll his unruly escort had retrieved from a literal hole in a wall of a building Qrow claimed he had part-ownership of; must be a very small part; Jaune strained his ears a little and looked up at the shambling back of the older man, wetting his lips to ask the question on his mind,
"Qrow?" The man didn't answer but his pace slowed, "Are we heading towards Patch?" That brought the veteran up short but the vermillion eyes that regarded him from over a dusty shoulder weren't hard, more guarded as he measured his response,
"What makes you say that?"
"That noise," Jaune cupped his ear, "not been there often but sounds like the sea, plus we set off first thing from Vale and we weren't in the air that long, spend as much time walking as anything else and it's early afternoon now. On top of that," in the face of continued impassiveness he played his ace, "you're Ruby's uncle, that means even if you don't live there you must know people who do. I've not been to the islands so no-one would look for me there, it's a safe haven, or at least as safe as anywhere gets these days; am I on the right lines?"
"Goodie said you were smart," Qrow replied at length, assessing the boy anew as he tried to puzzle out how Jaune had put the pieces together, "glad she wasn't wrong on that one. Yeah that's the sea you're hearing and we're heading to Patch – hope you've got some sea legs 'cause if you spew on the ferry you're scrubbing the decks." Jaune grimaced before wrestling his nausea down with an effort,
"Urgh, great; still, cut the head off that Taiju when we get to it. So what's the plan, am I house-sitting your place or going incognito?"
"Hah, you think I can afford to raise a house on Patch – hunting pays but not that well. No, you're staying with someone else – how much did the squirt tell you about her folks?"
"Squirt, you mean Ruby? Uhh, to be honest not a lot, I know you're her uncle but, no offence, I know more about Zwei than you," luckily Qrow didn't seem offended as Jaune made to speak again before the lien dropped and the words died on his tongue, "wait, I'm staying with her parents – doesn't that put them in danger?"
"Huh, Tai's probably crossing his fingers someone's following us already, he could use the exercise," Qrow snorted before his crimson eyes got sharper and scythed into Jaune directly, "did Ruby not tell you about her family?"
"Not much; not because we shot her down or anything," Jaune defended, slightly on the backfoot from the man's abruptness, "it just never really came up. I know, in fact everyone knows Yangs' her sister and they look after Zwei when their dad's not around but beyond that," he shook his head, "no idea really."
About what I expected; though nowhere near as tangled up in familial relationships as his blood-niece Qrow knew his former student felt the loss of Summer keenly, perhaps even more so that Yang; still, can't send him into the honey-bears' den without letting him know what he should and shouldn't open his mouth about;
"She never mentioned her dad? Well he's who you'll be staying with, his name's Taiyang – that's 'Tai' or 'dumb blonde git' to me and 'sir' or 'Mr Xiao Long' to you, got it?" At Jaunes' nod Qrow carried on, already anticipating his brother-in-laws' reaction with glee – much like his eldest daughter Tai had never stood on formality even from strangers, "Apart from that don't mention her mother, Tai's wife; she's…" the old pain made Qrow look away, "…no longer with us."
"Huntress?" The unexpected query made him jump and nod out of reflex, Jaune for his part looking rueful and nodding grimly, "Damn, and I doubt Ruby was very old either?"
"She wasn't; how'd you guess that?"
"I grew up with a few kids who had the same happen," the knights' tone was studiously colourless as familiar faces flashed in front of his eyes, "the older they were the more they remembered, more they tended to talk about them as well – keeping them alive, you know? Ruby doesn't talk about her family, far as I know, so I guess she wanted to become a Huntress like her mother, remembering her by deeds."
This kid's sharp; snippets of the unburdening rant he'd half-listened to from Glynda the previous night came into sharp focus and Qrow found himself quickly reassessing exactly why the Wicked Witch of Beacon had eventually acquiesced to Oz's will when it came to the unassuming student in front of him; I'm going to have to watch my words around him, Tai as well – oh great, at least a night without a decent swig. Almost without meaning to the Hunter felt himself close off, establish distance between himself and the younger man; Jaune wasn't dangerous to him, not directly, but twice in two minutes he'd put together a compelling picture from a handful of pieces, something that could inadvertently put him in even more danger than he was currently in should he puzzle together something he really wasn't supposed to know,
"She's certainly doing that," disguising his mental shift and silent mourning for his precious grain-induced oblivion with a shrug Qrow made to carry on the trek, speaking over his shoulder, "youngest to get into Beacon"; even if Tai and I were drawing straws over who was going to take the first swing at Oz for that one; "and team leader to boot, just like her mother. She was on my team," he explained, glancing back to see Jaune's reaction and gauge what he could and couldn't get away with saying, "that's how we all met, team STRQ."
"You were all from Beacon? That makes sense – so Mr Xiao Long married, er, Miss Rose I presume?"
"Summer, and yeah, they were married"; eventually, after one false start and a happy accident;
"Fair enough, hopefully JNPR's got that to come," Jaune half-chuckled, glancing at the elder Hunter wryly, "two of my team, together but not together-together, you know?" Qrow shuddered,
"Urgh, teen angst; spare me, please."
"You were that age once, a long, long time ago," even in the teeth of an affronted glare Jaune couldn't hold his smile down, "so, I take it I'm staying with Mr Xiao Long? Speaking of which is Yang there too – I assume Tai-Yang is her father right?"
"Tai was never much for originality," Qrow admitted at length, steeling himself for what was coming, "and yeah, Firecracker's at home as well. Did Ruby tell you what happened to her sister?"
At the elaboration Jaune thought hard for a minute before his eyes widened with a grimace,
"She said she was hurt," the pain on his surrogate sisters' face made him steel himself, "how bad is it?"
"Bad," foul memories of his first sight of his nieces' maiming forced Qrow to look away and miss Jaune's troubled expression, "she lost her arm."
"Oh, ohh crap," Jaune wasn't sure what to say; he wasn't as close to Yang as he was Ruby, nowhere near, but hearing of a classmate so badly wounded was jarring; after all she's a lot stronger than me, especially now – proof we're all mortal after all; "is she… awake?"
"Yeah, though she's in a rough patch…"
"Better get the mower out then."
"What?"
"You know – rough Patch," Jaune explained as Qrow tried to follow his convoluted logic, "sorry, bad joke but I really don't know what to say." Wincing as he worked out the terrible joke the part-time avian gave a basilisk look before pointing down the path,
"If it's going to be as bad as that say nothing; I've got a lot of reasons to drink already, I really don't need your attempts at humour adding to the pile."
XXX
"Well at least we know it's just flying you don't agree with."
"Yeah, lucky that; another dose of those tablets and you'd have been carrying me."
"Not a chance."
"Oh come on, you wouldn't just have left me at the ferry station."
"True, they shut eventually; I'd have left you in the street outside."
"My hero."
"I'd've stapled directions to your forehead; now come on, we're nearly there."
"Best news I've heard all day – I take it Mr Taiyang likes his privacy?"
"What makes you say that?"
"We're at least an hour outside town and I've not seen many paths branch off this one, so I'm assuming not many neighbours?"
"Not really; not a city boy are you?"
"Ha, I can dream; I was raised in Ansel, ever been?"
"Might have passed through a few times, near the border?"
"Used to be about sixty years ago, it's been pushed back a bit since. Set up after the Great War, Vale let the demobbed soldiers keep their weapons as long as they settled in the wilderness so they did – we've been there ever since."
"Proof the Council does have a good idea once a decade or so – farming town is it?"
"Mostly, though we do have a bit of timber; got two sisters who help out with that, or at least they were when I left. Hopefully I'll be able to find out when all this blows over – anyway is that the place ahead?"
"Yeah that's the one and watch out, here comes the welcome wagon."
Sour-Dark, Sour-Dark had come back with faint-scent Zwei had smelt on Young-Swift a few times. Not Threat, no but not-Friend either, not when Warm-Bright had sore-pain and Warm-Warm-Bright heart-pain for his pup. No Threats in the Den, not now – until Warm-Bright was happy-well not-Friend shouldn't come here, though he was with Sour-Dark, so not Threat.
Pack came first though, so he gave Challenge…
Hearing the commotion speeding towards them Jaune squared up to the speeding black blur and dropped to a knee, holding the back of a hand out,
"Hello Zwei, how have you been," unusually however the corgi stopped outside of patting distance, keeping up his racket with hackles raised, "that's odd – dogs usually like me."
"Well by the law of averages someone has to," Qrow snarked before stepping forwards, "alright mutt, he's with me. Is the big dog in?" Mollified by Qrows' rough hand on his head Zwei plopped his haunches down, tongue lolling out at the strokes before the elder man stepped forwards, though he stood back up as Jaune made to follow. Didn't Ruby say her dog had Aura?; the thought made his neck hair stand up and he was careful to keep an eye on the corgi as he skirted around it, though luckily Zwei seemed more protective than aggressive and didn't start barking again; and this is his house I guess – great, another set of toes to make sure I don't step on, least of all as even he could probably me take me down right now;
"Attaboy," he breathed slowly as Zwei let him pass before trotting after him, "no trouble here Zwei, just looking to keep my head down."
Challenge not accepted; this was good, definitely not-Threat and now Not-yet-Friend. Sour-Dark was alpha of them, not-yet-Friend knew his place so not-yet-Friend would be judged and maybe even given a Pack-name later – for now Zwei would Watch Not-yet-Friend for Warm-Warm-Bright because Zwei was Good-Boy.
XXX
Home sweet home; much as he had a permanent place on Remnant this hand-built home was it, drenched in tears of celebration, laughter and grief as he set a booted foot upon the step leading to the front door. As always Qrow didn't bother knocking until the door was half-open, glancing over his shoulder to check Jaune wasn't being used as a chew-toy before a sudden dull roar from inside snapped both sets of eyes into the hallway,
"Who's there? Margi if it's you I'm sorry I called…"
The voice died off at and Jaune had to blink at the familiar stranger who dropped the towel he'd been rubbing his hands with,
"Qrow? Qrow!"
"Who else would it…"? Qrow snark was quickly smothered by a rough embrace, the former bandit flailing as his exuberant friend hefted him off his feet, "…gahh, gerroff you stink!"
"Ha, like you can talk," Tai boomed as he dropped his friend and Qrow did his best to recover both poise and dignity, "honest sweat from honest work, the closest you get to either is a dictionary. So, what are you scrounging arou… who're you?"
"Uhh," looking up at the other man Jaune could only scratch the back of his head and wonder, "either I'm you ten years younger or you're me ten years from now, it's a fifty-fifty."
"So it seems," Tai murmured, taking in the uncanny similarity; though there's no way I was that scrawny at that age, and I had better fashion sense; "so, uh, what brings you here?" Jaune snorted – that, at least, was both an easy question and a chance for some payback,
"Him," he accused, jabbing a finger in Qrow's direction, "he can explain."
"What, why me?"
"Because you marched me out of Ocean View at sword point, and the fact you were drunk at the time makes it impressive you managed it and tragic you weren't stopped," Jaune riposted, neatly deflating Qrow's obfuscation as Tai watched on bamboozled, "look, uh, Mr Xiao Long?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about this, I really am; my name's Jaune Arc, I'm a student of Beacon along with Ruby and Yang, same year."
"Beacon," Tai repeated dumbly before his brain rebooted and he regarded the young man acutely, "you were at the Festival, you know what happened?"
"Some of it, we were scattered and…"
"I'll take it from here," Qrow cut in, glancing pointedly down the short hallway behind the homeowner, "let's get inside, it's been a long ride and I need something wet inside me. Is Firecracker around?"
Jaune was first to admit he wasn't the brightest bulb in the socket but from Tais' flinch he guessed the answer to that question was, at best, complicated,
"Yeah, she's in her room," he replied at length, the words seeming to weary him enough that Qrow took charge,
"Thought as much; right, knight-kid," Jaune squawked, stumbling over the threshold at a shove in his back, "go ask Firecracker if she wants anything, Tai and I need to catch-up."
"Catch up?" Jaune parroted after catching his balance, a horrible suspicion dawning as he saw Tai looking mystified, "Oh no, don't tell me you didn't even ring ahead?"
"What, it's called a surprise."
"No it's called hoping for a miracle – Mr Xiao Long I am so sorry…" He tailed off as the elder blonde held up a hand and released a slow sigh,
"It isn't the first time," he intoned, a picture of resignation that Jaune knew intimately from life as an almost-middle child, "go see her just, you know she's injured?" Jaune nodded solemnly,
"Qrow told me."
"Just be aware she's… not in the best mood – it's nothing personal, she's just trying to adapt. Qrow," the Branwen glanced up, slapping on his most affable smile in the face of Tai's stony expression as the brawler jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "kitchen; you can and will explain what the hell you've done this time."
Out of respect Jaune stepped aside and let the older men go first, then closed the front door behind him as he kicked off his shoes and carefully set down his backpack with a clank of metal, getting his first good look at the Xiao Long residence. The first impression was 'homely'; though relatively new if he were any judge, the place had been built with love and could doubtless tell him a lifetime of stories had he ears to hear them. So then, welcome to Patch; the thought swirled around his mind as he darted past the closed kitchen door, not wanting to overhead the muffled voices within; the stairs creaked slightly as he ascended, the noise making him cringe and pause halfway up as he tried to think of what he could say to the girl he was going to see, then another creak made him look over his shoulder,
"Oh," recognising his tail he smiled, "you coming too boy?"
Warm-Warm-Bright let Not-yet-Friend into the Den so Zwei would not run him off because Warm-Warm-Bright was alpha. But Warm-Warm-Bright was with Sour-Dark so Zwei had to Watch Not-yet-Friend as Warm-Bright had sore-pain. Maybe Not-yet-Friend was help for Warm-Bright – Zwei did not know so Zwei would Watch – Watch, warn and Bite if there was a Threat to the Pack.
At the top of the stairs Jaune paused and leant against the landing wall, barely registering the small corgi darting past as he wracked his brains for some kind of inspiration – seriously, what did you say to someone who'd just had their arm taken off? Not even his chaotic home-life had prepared him for this – scream-queen tantrums were one thing but they could usually be resolved with ice-cream, a dramatic flounce-out or at worst a shirt-ripping, face-clawing brawl when the parents weren't about. Though having said that at least none of my seven were Yang; thoughts of a pint-sized hellion with flaming hair rampaging around made the knight shudder and raise his respect for Taiyang several notches; that would be a shouting match for the ages, and Brothers help the others or the house if it went to fisticuffs. Still, I'm here now and worst come to worst I can… actually what can I say? I suppose I should keep to the 'official' line, I'll clear it up with Qrow later – I still can't believe he didn't even let his friend know we were coming. Right, so I can ask if she wants anything and go from there, if nothing else it…oh.
Luckily he noticed Zwei before he trod on him, the corgi sat outside one of the landing doors that, now he looked at the rising sun ornament nailed to it, was probably Yangs'. Cocking an ear earned him nothing but an odd look from Zwei as he couldn't hear anything from within and even as he tried to piece together something to say he jumped at the sudden demand,
"Dad, just come in." Damn; that wasn't his fellow blonde speaking – she was vivacious, sarcastic and punny, not colourless and frail; right, just got to go for this; he glanced down at the squat canine at the foot of the door with a whisper of,
"Wish me luck," before, steeling himself, he twisted the handle and opened the door,
"Ahh, sorry, not dad; it's the other tall, handsome blonde you know."
XXX
Her stump was itching again.
It never stopped itching.
She could have scratched it but what was the point; it'd only start again later and at least this way she was feeling something, a reminder of her own stupidity and failure. Said reminder sent the same images flickering behind her eyes, a slide-show of her weakness and the betrayal of someone who should have been her greatest ally; but then people always run from me, why did I expect anything else? Blake; the name alone was enough to clench her fist, forever bereft of its twin by a foolish mistake that could never be taken back; dragged me out of there so at least she did better than Raven – yay, progress. The thought made her chuckle sourly up until the final moment, the blade edge bringing an instant of agony unendurable before she blacked out, waking up with her life choices as severed as her limb. No more hunting, and now Ruby's out there without me.
Worse than the Faunus blade, worse than Blake's treachery that was the nail that struck deepest; Summer, blessed, beloved super-mum had entrusted Yang with her daughter and she'd screwed it up, screwed it up so badly even her own egg-donor would likely shake her head. She was supposed to be the big sister, the flame and shield for little Rubaby and now she was here, an invalid with only herself to blame. Because of that, because of her Ruby was alone, fighting Brothers-alone-knew what without her but perhaps that was for the best; if she was so foolish as to fall like she had perhaps her little sister was safer with her gone – at least this way Ruby wouldn't put herself in danger trying to drag her dumb ass out the fire. If she'd been there with me and Blake that guy would have…; mercifully the thought cut off even as her amputation throbbed, making her grit her teeth – even at this nadir of her life she couldn't torture herself enough to imagine her little sister at the mercy of that psychopath.
In a way the Faunus she'd fought; fought, yeah, what a laugh – that was as much a fight as dad taking on Zwei; was the embodiment of every lesson she'd ever laughed off, every word of advice she'd tauntingly spurned, every warning she'd not needed crystalised into the red blade that had shattered her Aura, flesh and soul. His name, she learned through the grey haze that had surrounded her coming to and stuck around since, was Adam and he was some kind of legend in the White Fang, certainly enough to take down two Huntress trainees when one was a coward and the other a moron. Reliving the moment again Yang let the now-familiar emotions wash over her in sequence; the flush of rage, the power in her veins, the thunder of impact through her boots and the sheer dismissal as he'd struck, proof that she was beneath him encapsulated in the one attack that had put her down and ended her career. He could have killed me, they say it's a mercy I'm still alive – it's not; when the ache from the most recent retelling began to abate the thought came once more, often considered but never spoken, she could never put her father through that kind of pain; I deserved this; she glanced at her twitching semi-limb, disgust at her weakness roiling with hatred for herself and what it meant for everyone around her; but no-one else should have to suffer for my cock-ups. Blake shouldn't have saved me, she should have just gone, like everyone else ought to – it would be so much easier for them if I weren't here.
"Dad, just come in," she'd heard the stairs creak and counted down, looking towards the window so he wouldn't see the thoughts flashing across her face; he shouldn't have to see that – this is my punishment not his. Trying not to think of anything she used her ears, hearing muffled noises that were likely him talking to Zwei before the click of her door handle turning reached her ears,
"Ah, sorry, not dad; it's the other tall, handsome blonde you know."
The shock was so immense not even the turgid shadows enveloping her mind could block it out; snapping her head around Yang blinked at the familiar gangly figure as her jaw dropped,
"J…" she stuttered, shaking her head to break whatever of delusion was conjuring him in her bedroom doorway, "…Jaune!"
"Wow, no Vomit-Boy," he managed a chuckle; do not look, don't you dare look!; luckily he had practice looking at the tall girls' face (usually in the teeth, so to speak, of her teasing him to look elsewhere), so kept his gaze up, "must be my lucky day."
"Wha…bu…" her discombobulated mind seized on the first semi-sensible tangent it could grasp, "…you think my dad's handsome?"
"Err," for a split second he was caught as cold as she'd been but he quickly rallying, "kind of have to really, he's me with a different haircut and some ink," standing to his full height Jaune attempted to look suave, "do you think I could pull off a beard like he does?"
"No," shock made her answer swift and mercilessly honest though even as he slumped she was starting to recover, panting hard as she ran her hands through her hair. The action made her stump twinge, the flicker of pain like a bucket of cold water and, newly numb again, she regarded him anew, slightly tired from the sudden spike of emotion and adrenaline, "why are you here?" Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly,
"Long story short, blame your uncle."
"Qrow?"
"Yeah, he's talking to your dad downstairs…"
"Sent you to keep an eye on me did they?" Her snort of laughter was black, the normal sharp but sweet tease curdled to bitter recrimination as she shrugged, "Not like I'm going anywhere."
The waggle of movement drew Jaunes' eye and for the first time he saw the extent of her injury, the arm gone just above the elbow. His flinch was instinctive and uncontrollable but even as he made it he saw Yang notice, a strange, almost satisfied expression flitting across her face before it sank back to its previous impassiveness. Does she want to gross me out?; dim memories of lessons touching on trauma flicked through his mind but he couldn't recall them clearly, instead he deliberately choked down his instinctive apology and kept his gaze on the bandages, taking in the full extent of the injury and trying it inure himself to it; if I keep reacting it'll just fuel her thoughts about… well, whatever's turned her into this. I need to ignore it – not the consequences of it, don't ask her to play guitar or anything – but treat her the same as I did before;
"See something you like?"
"See something I've not seen for a while," he sighed, not reacting to her venomous tone and silently relieved at the flicker of confusion as he met her eyes again, "I know a few people who've lost bits of themselves, mostly farming accidents. Never seen a cut that clean though, usually it's a bit more… ragged after it's gone through a threshing machine or had something heavy smash it to paste."
"What?"
"Yeah not pleasant," Jaune went on, grateful his off-handed dismissal seemed to be working; Yang wasn't, or at least didn't seem to be depressed and she certainly wasn't angry – if anything she was honestly confused by his reaction, "still, you want anything? I need to get something down me or Zwei's going to start looking appetising – you look like you could use a meal and drink, any preference?"
"Uhh, whatever," Yang stuttered before recovering some of her poise, more unsettled than she'd admit by Jaune's unconcern, "just stick something on the stove, I'm not really that fussed."
"Sure thing; drink? Got a strawberry sunrise dispenser downstairs I should know about?" She almost chuckled despite herself but managed to stifle the urge with a shrug,
"No, dad should have some kind of juice in the fridge, I don't care which – can't really taste much right now anyway."
"Alright, I'll see what there is – be back quick as I can. Want Zwei to stay?"
As the prostrate blonde shook her head Jaune respected her desire to draw the conversation to a close, patting his hip and grateful the corgi followed as he exited her bedroom and quietly swung the door shut, willing himself not to think until he was at least on the stairs and out of earshot. Right, so, Yang's injury means she's got to make major changes and right now she seems stuck on the injury itself, not what it means. That's okay, it's not been long since the event but she shouldn't dwell on it, that'll only suck her in deeper and make her push people away. If nothing else I know that's a bad idea; noxious memories of trying to solve his problems alone rattled the closet of his mind before he slammed the door shut with an effort; so, let's start small, have a decent meal and try to puzzle out what to do next after I've got my head down and spoken to her father, assuming he doesn't just turf me out on my ear;
"Okay Zwei," he sighed, glancing down the as he flopped off the bottom step of the stairs, "not much of a plan but it's something. Now, where's the kitchen?"
Luckily it was the first door he checked and, luckier, it was unoccupied, Tai and Qrow having moved to a different room from the low mutters he could hear from what he assumed was the main sitting area. Not wanting to disturb the two men, he politely knocked on the closed door and called through it,
"Sorry Mr Xiao Long, Yang said she was hungry; mind if I raid the kitchen and do you and Qrow want anything?"
"Yes to both, and call me Tai," came the answer a heartbeat later and thus emboldened, Jaune strode into the kitchen before stopping dead, drinking in the sight before rubbing his hands gleefully, glancing down at the skitter of claws on tiles as Zwei looked up at him,
"Well boy, I might have been hopeless in the sparring circle but here I cannot be touched; now, what's in the fridge?"
Not-yet-Friend was strange with Warm-Bright, no loud-sad or bitter-down like Warm-Warm-Bright when he spoke to his pup. Zwei thought this was good and Not-yet-Friend was using the hot-touch to give food to the Pack so Zwei should still Watch, though not so close. Still Not-yet-Friend was Not-yet-Friend so Zwei would not be far away while Warm-Bright and Sour-Dark spoke of alpha things – Zwei was Good-Boy, Zwei would not let there be a Threat to the Pack no matter…
…oh, salt-meat!
Chuckling as the corgi almost backflipped to catch the bacon rind he'd tossed Jaune quickly adjusted the flames from one of the stove hobs as he filled a pan with water, the movements instinctual after years of practice. Luckily the kitchen was well laid out and he found everything he needed quickly, getting into the groove as he flicked another sliver towards the waiting Zwei,
"Well at least I can make myself useful somehow boy; hopefully Qrow's hashed out some sort of deal to get a roof over my head but at least Mr Xiao Long seems reasonable."
XXX
"I am going to murder you; I mean it this time Qrow, I'm going to wring your little winged-rat neck until you squawk your last and pass away," Taiyang's hands fisted in his hair as he regarded his former brother-in-law in aghast, "what in the Brother's most sacred names were you think… don't answer that, you were drunk weren't you?"
"Uhh, nooo…"
"Shut up, and stop fluttering your eyelashes," the sight made the brawler cringe, "it was creepy when were seventeen and it's aged as badly as you have."
"You know we're the same age right – what am I saying you're blonde, you'd forget your own crest if it wasn't tattooed on your forearm. Anyway give me a little credit I did my homework on this kid…"
"Wow, shame your sister's not here to hear that; the shock might bump her off and do us all a favour."
"Now you shut up; Rave was way worse than I was. Anyway the knight-kid's harmless – alright he's a Beacon trainee," Qrow amended at his friends' unimpressed look, "but he wasn't a good one, not like we were anyway. The Doc and old Portly said he wasn't much for paying attention but he scored high and his combat record's abysmal, I mean seriously – in a straight fight between him and Zwei, eh…" Tai's eyebrow rose as the active Hunter waggled a so-so hand,
"As bad as that, a team leader? What did Goodwitch say – she'd never have let that fly surely?" As Qrow suddenly found the armrest of his seat fascinating a sudden pit yawned open in Taiyangs' stomach, "Please tell me you spoke to her?"
"Uhh, well, I left a note?"
"Forget death, I'm going to ram a beanpole up your ass and use you for a damned scarecrow!"
"Kinky but sorry, not my thing – Goodie on the other hand," Qrow smirked a touch, grateful as even in his fury Tai could quite keep a straight face, "well, no-one's ever been sure if it's just her weapon that's called the Disciplinarian."
"Because no-one's been dumb enough to ask," his friend riposted, massaging his eyes before dragging his hand down his face, "I swear Bird-Brain if she shows up here with crop in hand I'm throwing you to 'wolves with a smile on my face."
"I'll speak to her when I go back, likely set off tomorrow or day after," Qrow assured him before turning slightly more serious, "look, fact of the matter is Beacon, in fact all Vale maybe needs this kid to disappear for a bit, at least until we've got a clearer idea what went down up there. On top of that," at his lowered tone Tai leant forwards, mirroring Qrows' pose as he voiced a theory of his own, "as far as I know he was closest to Oz when the old man brought it – I don't know exactly how it works," he explained quickly as his friend made to curse, "but if it's anything like the Maidens, well, Jaune was there."
"And you need me to keep an eye on him just in case he gets a new voice in his head?"
"Better than his family Tai, you have to see that," Qrow's eyes were hooded, face sunken as the thought of the ancient war breaking another loved one away from their kin loomed large in his mind, "if he goes back to… Ansel, I think he said, and it starts there it won't stay quiet – if he doesn't notice his mother more than likely will. I spoke to her before I left, she came in reading him the riot act according to Pipsqueak," despite himself Tai snorted at the image, remembering a few scoldings of his own when he'd been training, "she's like you, ex-Huntress, and she's got a bigger brood than just him. If he started changing she'd pick up on it, the whole Oz thing gets dragged into the light and she for one won't take it lying down."
Taiyang mulled this over, still furious with his friend for good reason but, damn it, as much as he wanted to see how far the Branwen would fly after a punt from the front door Qrow was right. Though he'd not been part of the old Headmasters' inner circle he'd been close enough to glean a few truths including the real nature of the Wizard and his curse-stroke-Semblance, a fate he'd not wish on anyone, let alone someone Qrow had claimed his little Ruby was sweet on. Have to do something about that later; making a mental note the elder Xiao Long sighed heavily, working out how he could feed another mouth on top of his injured, grieving daughter and preparing to ask Qrow his thoughts before he saw the other man's suddenly alert expression and tensed,
"What is it?" The former tribesman waved him to silence, nostrils flaring before suddenly looking at him directly,
"You smell something?"
XXX
"With a one-two, grease anew; three-four, for a swifter draw…" The little ditty came easily as he focussed on his latest task, a small brainwave that had washed over him as he inadvertently found the cutlery draw and realised a way to solve a problem that had been at the forefront of his mind. Long hours of working on Crocea Mors allowed him to slip almost into a trance, the rasp of metal-on-metal soothing as he flicked the odd glance towards the oven. Another few minutes, he reckoned, more than enough to finish this little project and set the table, though as the kitchen door creaked open he had a chance to get something else off his chest first,
"Hey Mr Xiao Long; uh, just out of interest is there a dustpan around here?"
"In the cupboard and you don't have to call me Mr," Tai said off-handedly as he peered towards the oven hungrily, "Tai's fine."
"Oh, sorry, Qrow said I should watch my manners," Jaune told him guilelessly, hiding a smirk as the taller blonde scythed his friend with a withering glare; your turn to be thrown under the Goliath; "anyway take a seat, shouldn't be long." Somewhat nonplussed Tai sat down, not sure what to do with himself as this young stranger opened the cutlery drawer,
"Well, okay; not that I'm not grateful but you really didn't have to do any of this."
"No problem – I take it Qrow's told you of my… circumstances."
"Something of them," the retired Huntsman admitted, already feeling this was going to be a cagey conversation, "you were in the thick of it during the attack and need a place to lay low."
"At least until someone a lot cleverer than me can work out what I was actually exposed to and what effect it's likely to have," Jaune added, somewhat troubled by how smooth the established lie had become as he started setting down the cutlery, "it was supposed to be with my folks but a drunken old buzzard crapped all over that idea."
"Be grateful I was drunk; I could've have just tossed you off the pier and saved us all the trouble. Anyway, what're you doing to that fork?"
"Oh that's for Yang; careful," he added, Tai freezing where he'd been reaching for it, "I sharpened one of the prongs, the one on the left, that way she can cut with it."
"Won't that cut her?"
"It's not that sharp, it'll just take some practice," Jaune shrugged, not noticing the two older men share a glance over the fork as he turned off the oven, "speaking of which, if one of you would serve and the other sweep up those metal filings I'll go let her know dinner's ready." Tai froze,
"Uhh, I usually take it up to her," he confessed, glancing away so neither of the others would see the concern over the plates of half-eaten or worse meals he'd cleared from his daughters' room or her chair in the lounge over the past week or so,
"Why?" The question made him snap around with a disbelieving glare,
"You did see she was injured right?"
"Yeah, that's what the fork's for," Jaune pointed out, heading for the door, "nothing stopping her walking, and anyway she lives here so she's going to have to find out about what's going on with me – better to do that while we're all together right?"
"I guess so," Tai mused before relenting, "alright, I don't think she'll do it but if you can get her down here I'll be impressed." Jaune chuckled,
"Me impressing someone; first time for everything. Meal's in the brown tray, leave the afters is in the oven; start dishing up and I'll go get her."
With a wave the Hunter cadet headed to the door as, behind him, the two male members of team STRQ shared a silent conversation before glancing after him, both in disbelief but one, however slightly, in hope.
XXX
The knock jarred her contemplations of the knotholes in her ceiling; holding in a sigh as she tried to ignore the pain in her now-absent elbow she called out,
"Jaune?"
"Yep; dinner's served."
"Just leave it on the dresser." Her door creaked open, the hinges not oiled for a while,
"Ah sorry but all guests of Chez Long are required to eat in the communal dining area tonight." Violet eyes pinned the boy framed in her doorway to the wall behind him,
"What?" Still wary of her ire Jaune managed a wobbly smile,
"Qrow needs to talk to all of us, and anyway you really trust me to walk up a staircase carrying hot food with Zwei underfoot? You've got more confidence in me than I do if that's the case." She didn't answer, instead trying to glare a hole through him at the same time as ignoring the scent of something delicious in the air,
"Well then get dad to bring it up here." Jaune goggled,
"Oh yeah, great, thanks," he craned his neck upwards as though addressing an Ursa, "'hey Mr Yangs' dad, take this upstairs to your daughter would you and wow I'm getting a great view from up here after you kicked my arse out the door' – I'm an idiot sometimes but I'm not that dumb, or suicidal."
"Could've fooled me," she snapped back ill-temperedly, rolling onto her back to stare at the ceiling again, "if you're going to be useless get out and leave me in peace."
"As you command Princess," Jaune sketched a low, mocking bow before addressing the corgi who'd come up with him, "for someone on a team with Snow Angel you'd think she'd have better manners right Zwei? Still, guess some people can't be taught…"
Yang snarled lowly, refusing to be goaded as his voice drifted off back down the stairs as she rolled over and faced the wall; useless wannabe knight, at least he left. If Drunckle Qrow's got anything to say to me he knows where I am, not like I can go anywhere else – I'll just wait here, not like I need them waiting to help when I screw up again. Better stay here, no reason to drag my carcass anywhere…
Grooowwwwllll!
…shut up, you don't count!
XXX
Glancing up at the opened door Tai couldn't hide his face's fall as only Jaune appeared,
"Turned you down flat did she knight-kid?" Qrow of course had no such compunctions, though Jaune didn't seem that disappointed as he stepped inside,
"Not the first time but I reckon she'll be down soon; no, don't shut the door," Tai paused from where he'd half-stood to do just that, glancing up curiously as Jaune revealed a stained, squidgy mess in his left palm,
"What's that?"
"Grandpa Arc's trick for when the girls were 'on diets' and didn't want to eat," the knight explained, moving to wash his hands, "bit of tissue soaked in the juice when you went up to get them, even if they said no they'd end up following their noses. Not that some here needed an invite," he pointed out dryly as Qrow, halfway through his first bowl and eyeing up a second, shrugged
"Eat quick or go hungry, that's how I grew up," he admitted unashamedly, "though gotta admit you'll make a great little housewife someday."
"My mother's a housewife; that's a compliment," Jaune riposted before Tai muscled back in on the conversation,
"So, Jaune," he began, trying to break the ice with this strange teenager, "Qrow's told me about your… circumstances, what he knows of them at least," said Branwen simply shrugged as he mopped the last of the gravy up with a hunk of bread, "I want to know what your take is on the whole thing and, if you want to tell me, what happened to you at the Festival?"
Taiyang hadn't been a Hunter for a few years but inactivity didn't mean forgetfulness; too often had Summer come back haunted, staying away from the cabin for a night or two and seeing only him when the girls were in bed to avoid scaring them. She had closed her silver eyes and shuddered just as Jaune did and from that, Tai realised, what was coming wasn't going to be a pretty story,
"I wasn't at the forefront of it, didn't even hear what happened to the others; did Qrow tell you my partner's Pyrrha Nikos?" Tai tried to recall where he'd heard the name before,
"No, though I think I've – wait, isn't she that tournament fighter from Mistral, the one they call Invincible Girl?" Memories of Pyrrha's reaction to said title made the younger blonde smile,
"That's her, but anyway you heard what happened in the last round – it's wrong," Tai's expression was answer enough and he quashed whatever views the man might have had on the matter without mercy, "Pyrrha was tricked somehow, just like Yang was in the previous round – it was all orchestrated by someone." A brand of hope caught light in the elder Xiao Longs' breast,
"So, so she didn't…"
"No," Qrow answered this time, remembering the few words he'd swapped with the Altesian Headmaster and his right-hand ice sculpture that weren't insults or one-upmanship attempts, "it's not on the forefront given the mess Vale's in but they've got people looking back at the whole tournament and getting testimony. I know Ruby called you after the semi when Firecracker got arrested and at the time what she said didn't make sense but given the final…"
"…People think she's innocent," a weight like a Goliath dissipated from Taiyangs' mind; as much as her injury, from what he'd heard from his younger daughter and seen for himself the thought of a charge like that on Yangs' rap sheet had given him sleepless nights, "I knew it wasn't Burn; she's never snapped enough to hit someone defenceless."
"People in high places know; give it time and it'll get out," Jaune said reassuringly, hiding his inner doubts; even if it does get out and they do find proof there'll be those who don't buy it – no smoke without fire and all that, though truth be told I imagine most of that flak'll be aimed at Pyrrha rather than Yang because she's already a champion and was in the final; "but anyway, after the attack started the Headmaster found Pyrrha, I was just there and got swept along. We went to Beacon via Bullhead, straight to his office; he started something there, something about the clocks – I think that's why he needed Pyrrha, her Polarity might have helped if things went wrong. He didn't explain what was going on exactly, there wasn't enough time and then that bloody great Grimm came down and started hammering the tower, must have broken something important. He yelled at us to run and we did, I had to drag Pyr as everything caught up to her – we got outside but, but I had a feeling something was about to happen, something bad."
"So what did happen?"
"I'm getting to that," Jaune didn't quite snap at Qrow's question but glanced in his direction long enough to see the almost imperceptible nod; right, this must be what he's hinted at so far – we have to make our stories similar; "basically we got downstairs but Pyrrha… she didn't want to go, she's like that, not wanting to leave anyone behind. There was nothing we could do though, the tower was breaking apart and we could hear the dragon-thing up there, not to mention she was exhausted so I made a call."
"You dragged her out?" Jaune laughed,
"Me, drag Pyrrha, or any other girl in Beacon come to that, anywhere they don't want to go – not a hope in any kind of Hell. I said we'd go back and shoved her in a rocket locker when she turned around," Qrow snorted involuntarily as his friend gaped but Jaune wouldn't be dissuaded, not now, "launched it to Vale before she could bust out. After that I, well I was in two minds between running away and going back but it was too late – like I told the rest of my team and Ruby after I woke up Ozpin must have done something because it destroyed the dragon, bad news was it got me as well. Don't ask what it was, I just felt cold and blacked out, woke up in Ocean View; that's the place we're all staying until Beacon gets repaired; about a week later. They're running tests but until they're done I can't go out Hunting, so getting me out of the View stops people asking why and trying to find out exactly what happened. Apart from Pyr I'm the only sort-of witness to professor Ozpins' d'death," despite what the man had done, or tried to do, to his partner the thought of the old cocoa-sipping presence just not being there any more made his chest hitch, "so me being out the way helps keep it a mystery – whatever he did was enough to kill a leviathan and if whoever attacked Vale figures that out all of us are in trouble. I was supposed to go home with my family but, as you know," Tai nodded and under the glare of both blondes even Qrow couldn't quite keep his cool façade intact, looking away somewhat sheepish, "that's gone out the window. I'm not here to free-load, I'm prepared to work or pay my way, whatever needs doing, just no combat or heavy training until professor Goodwitch contacts me."
"And I'll give her your number when I get back, that Scroll can't make calls and reply to messages but it can receive either," Qrow chipped in, "security feature – it'll also block you from downloading any features so don't try."
"Urgh, this thing must be as old as you."
"What was that knight-kid – 'please beat me around Tai's backyard like a rented mule'? Well if you insist…"
"No heavy training remember – anyway Mr Xiao Long that's my story," the would-be knight finished, "I really wasn't meant to come here, so sorry about that."
Tai was silent for a moment, weighing things up in his mind as he looked down to his mostly-empty bowl; and that was a damned good meal – not how I'd have phrased it but Qrow's right about his marital prospects. Still this really is not a good time for me, or Yang, but at the same time I could use an extra pair of hands, especially as the new term is due soon and I'll have to burn through my leave until Yang's back on her feet – I've got some savings but much as I'd like to I can't grow enough to live on out here;
"Not your fault," he admitted at first, glancing across the table at the teenager as he measured his words carefully, "and much as I never thought I'd say these words, Qrow's made some good points;" some of which you don't know about; "so, welcome to Patch it seems."
"Thanks," Jaune replied, still apologetic despite the lukewarm response, "I won't let you down Mr Xi…uh, Tai?" The older blonde nodded,
"I don't doubt it, if nothing else you can cook," he admitted with another bite of stew, "so, Qrow tells me you're friends with Ruby – what did she tell you about the island?"
"Not much – she told me about Signal Academy of course, and that you all live a bit out the way but apart from that I'm blank. There aren't many Grimm here though are there?"
"Mostly 'wolves, maybe the odd Ursa minor and 'tusk – as long as you stay out the forests and on the main tracks you're mostly safe, though keep your weapon close as always."
"Makes sense; what sort of work could I get here – like I said I'm not free-loading."
"Ask around town, there's usually something wants doing but you won't get much for it."
"Huh, reminds me of home."
"Speaking of which were is your home, Qrow never mentioned."
"Ansel, on the mainland towards the Vacuo border. Rural place, mostly farms, forests and the odd bit of fishing if you could get away with it, doing all sorts of odd-jobs for pocket money – sounds like the sort of thing I could do here."
"True, as long as you don't mind helping me out in the garden occasionally; still next question any allergies or phobias I should be aware of?"
"Not unless there's any red sap around here?"
"No, they cut the last of them down in my grandfathers' time."
"Should be good for the former then; what's Patch like for spiders?"
"Bwahahahahahaha!"
"Qrow, quiet!"
"No, no thiheheheis is too good," the Branwen managed, regarding Jaune with a nasty grin, "Mr-Walking-Tank shrieking like a girl from a little incy-wincy? Oh I have got to be here when they start breeding; if you keel over with a heart attack I reserve the right to point and laugh."
"I'm not scared of them, they just startle me if they move too fast," Jaune argued with the giggling Hunter, "I'm fine with them once I've seen them but if they're on the go before that they make me jump. Speaking of things that scare me though, pull up a chair Yang."
As the kitchen door swung open Tai's heart leapt in his chest, the palpitations not easing as a chair was drawn across the tiles with a creak; as his little girl sat down and looked at the half-full stew bowl as though willing the contents to appear in front of her the burden of looking after another teenager suddenly didn't seem to onerous,
"What is it?" She asked her father, only for her eyebrows to rise as the chef answered,
"Bacon, beans, some of the sausages that were in the fridge, chopped veggies and some thick gravy; bit of a medley really."
"You made this?"
"Always the tone of surprise," Jaune chuckled at her scepticism, "here, hand me your bowl," Tai made to reach for it only to hiss at a pain in his shin, glaring at the man opposite him as Qrow sat impassive. Luckily Yang didn't seem to notice, passing the item forwards with her sole left hand and watching hungrily as Jaune started filing it from the pot,
"Just say when," he said, filling it almost to the brim when she didn't before offering it back, "might still be a touch hot." Yang merely snorted at the warning, pinching the bowl rim and Tai only breathed again when it was on the mat before her; the last thing she needed now was dropping something to pull her back into a black mood,
"Huh?" A sudden question roused him from his introspection to see his daughter looking between him and her fork, the one Jaune had sharpened and placed at the side of her mat, curiously, "What's this?"
"Oh, oh that's…" caught flat-footed Tai floundered for a moment, "…well, it's for you; you can cut with the left side, just let me know if it needs sharpening or not."
Mollified and curious Yang gingerly stuck the fork in her mouth and swirled it around slightly, Tai breathing slightly easier as she seemed satisfied,
"Alright, seems okay;" not great that I'll never use a knife again, but at least I won't have to have all my meal pre-cut; memories of platefuls of good food diced neatly into squares, being fed as though she were four years old again made her pitifully-empty stomach turn, though no so much that it put her off the stew Jaune had made, "hang on, let me try it." Spying a sausage near the edge of the bowl Yang went in; it took a few tries to pin the slippery thing against the side and a little longer to saw through it completely but the flavour released when she bit into that first mouthful made the struggle worth it,
"Mmhmm," her appetite surged and she said nothing until several bites later, "oh that is good, thanks dad." Tai opened his mouth to give credit where it was due but the looks Qrow and, surprisingly, Jaune flashed him quelled him into accepting the complement,
"No problem SLD, should have done it ages ago." Yang froze, squeezing her eyes shut in mortification,
"Daaad, ix-nay on the Ld-say in front of Vomit-Boy!"
"Vomit-Boy?" As Jaune gave an awkward wave Tai couldn't help but chortle, "Sounds like there's a story there."
"'Fraid so," Jaune sighed before regarding him craftily, "I'll tell you myself if you let me know about SLD?"
"Don't you dare, and Drunkcle Qrow don't tell him either," Yang stormed before freezing as brain caught up with mouth; shouldn't have called him that really should I? Okay, I'm doomed – right, get the threats ready to make sure VB doesn't spill his guts back at Beacon – actually why isn't he at Beacon now?;
"Huh," Qrow's scoff broke through her mental debate as the Hunter spooned his third helping of stew out, "you'll have plenty of time to figure it out kid; Firecracker, meet your new housemate."
"What?!" The explosion, triggered by Jaune's second awkward wave as Yang's lilac gaze raced around the table for some island of sanity in the new sea of madness her uncle had unleashed, was inevitable, "Why…how…dad…?"
"It's as big a surprise to me as it is to you Yang," Tai assured her, shooting his former in-law a nasty glance, "however given what I've heard and we've just eaten I can't deny it makes sense, at least for a little while."
"What you…?" Her attention snapped onto Jaune so fast he almost quailed, "What did you tell him?"
"Well if you'd come down when I asked I'd have told you too," he pointed out, folding his arms before smirking, "but since you didn't you'll have to find out later, hey SLD?" There was a bang as her fist caught the table, though fortunately Yangs' anger drowned out the fact that she'd swung with both arms but only hit once and was supporting her weight on her left arm as she leant forwards murderously,
"One more time Vomit-Boy," she hissed venomously, "say that one. More. Time!"
"Nah; like Qrow said I've got plenty of time to figure it out, roomie. Anyway eat up, there's afters yet and about a bowl left here, as long as this gannet stops picking out the good bits." At the sight of the younger blonde preparing to fence Qrow for the scraps Tai chuckled and gave his daughter a glance
"Oh that's a losing battle; I'd eat quick if you want any more Yang, I'm not sure how long Jaune can fend your uncle off…"
Long enough, it turned out, for Yang to scrape out another three-quarter of a bowl that she cleared through slowly, still not used to cutting left-handed but quickly getting the gist of it when a hot meal was in front of her. Settling back in her chair feeling bottom-heavy after such a full meal the brawling girl blew out a sign and, begrudgingly, acknowledged the provider,
"Alright VB, you might not be able to fight worth crap but that was damned good."
"Thanks, I think; anyway, not done yet," he declared, moving back to the oven and donning the mitts there, "someone clear the table and get fresh bowls we can make a start on this." Tai made to stand but froze halfway, his daughter likewise shocked as Qrow became a moving shadow, barely a clink of porcelain to betray his swift hands,
"Wow," Yang managed before, almost unbidden, a spark of mischief flickered up enough to be heard, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach right; you making a play for my uncle VB?" Got him; the shudder as he stood up made her clench her fist in triumph, though even as she realised she hadn't done anything her uncle's voice broke in before she could process it,
"Hah, stomach; that's aiming too high for love and too low for a knife if you're after a man's heart. Anyway what's next knight-kid, the suspense is killing me."
"Pretty sure that's the cirrhosis," Jaune snarked back, a fact that made Yang's brow crease in confusion; did he…I don't remember Vomit Boy ever back-talking anyone before; "anyway, not much but it'll do." Despite herself Yang craned forwards with the rest of her family as their guest placed down the covered dish and reached forward with a mitt-covered hand; there was a waft of steam that swiftly dissipated to reveal…
"Is that…?"
"No, Summer never told me the recipe."
"It's apple right, tell me you used apple!"
"Uhh," Jaune managed a tepid smile as he slowly stepped backwards, a feeling not unlike being front and centre before a hungry Beowolf pack creeping down his spine, "it's just a crumble…"
You know that horrible feeling when you've mortally offended someone a lot stronger than you; much like staring down the barrel of his mothers' incandescent rage a few nights ago Jaune felt cold sweat slide down the back of his neck; yep, pretty sure this is it. Back away slowly, don't make eye-contact – hopefully they'll go for the dessert and leave me alive.
"Just a crumble," Tais' tone was somewhere between reverent and repulsed as he snatched up a serving spoon, "it's been a long time, too long, since any of us saw one of these. Right, Yang?" She nodded, all else forgotten as metal broke flaky crust and she inhaled deeply with her eyes closed,
"Apple," she breathed, the scent stirring memories of when Patch was her world, the Grimm a distant, nebulous threat and Summer Rose her only mother, feelings so pure and child-like she could have wept and nearly did, her eyes glistening as she re-opened them to see the bowl set down in front of her. Somehow she waited for the other two to be served (Jaune waved off, saying he'd had enough) before diving in, uncaring of the hot apple juice burning her lips as the reminders rose resurgent at the taste,
"Oh", she managed, trembling as the tsunami washed over her – was it as good as Summers? She didn't know and right then didn't care – this wasn't a memory, it was real, it was here and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to enjoy it,
"So," she came back to herself to hear her father speak, "welcome to Patch and don't even think about washing anything," Jaune froze reaching for the tap, the sight making Yang snicker quietly as she blitzed through another mouthful, "you've done enough."
"I was just going to put the pot in to soak," the dork knight defended himself before glancing downwards, "unless Zwei gets to do the pre-wash?" All three at the table shuddered before Yang managed an answer,
"No, that's disgusting!"
"Happened a lot in Ansel," Jaune shrugged, turning the tap on and running his fingers around the pot rim before lowering them to the corgi,
"Yeah and look how you turned out."
"What; tall, blonde and handsome?" He grinned as Yang winced, her sniping reflected back onto her and made worse by Qrow snorting in mirth,
"Ouch, he got you there Firecracker…"
"Uh oh, Drunckle Qrow thinks you're handsome; run VB run!"
"And break the heart of someone who swept me away to his island retreat?" Jaune sent a salacious smirk Qrow's way as the Huntsman gagged, his predicament not helped by his family members looking on amused, "Not until I find a way to let him down gently – it's a curse being this fabulous I swear."
In later years Taiyang would look back and freely admit the reason he finally decided to open his home to the displaced cadet wasn't the possibility of Ozpins' resurrection, nor was it the cooking he'd done or the crumble he'd made; no, the second Jaune's hammy comment made his daughter snigger, just for an instant, was the moment he made up his mind,
"Well curse or not keep it under control while you're here – if I have to go through one more dying-swan routine of a Branwen forsaken in love it'll be too soon," Qrow's glare should have put him in a casket but he didn't care, "did you bring much?"
"No, not enough time; need to go shopping tomorrow."
"Fair enough, you can stay in Rubaby's room for now; Qrow, you're on the settee."
"Wait, what? But I'm family!"
"So's Zwei and after dragging Jaune here be grateful you're not sharing his kennel. Now, thank you for the meal Jaune; if you want to start settling in I'll handle the clearing up and yes Qrow, you will be helping me…"
XXX
Well then; taking in the smaller room and, unfortunately, much smaller bed Jaune did his best to adapt, though fortunately for him this was far from the first time he'd had to bunk in a room of the opposite sex; this is it for now I guess. Nice of Tai to let me in but I reckon Qrow had other reasons for his stunt; for all he came across as an irreverent drunk Jaune wasn't completely alien to both keeping secrets and having secondary agendas; and unless I wildly miss my guess it's to do with his niece. Yang looked bad – she's not been eating properly and her hair is a mess; contrasting the fighter he knew from Beacon to the girl he saw now was stark and her amputation was only the first of the changes he, long used to noticing things about his sisters, could see.
She needs a bit of a boost – no, not a boost exactly, a challenge, something to spur her on from whatever happened rather than keep dwelling on it – not something Tai can easily do as her father. If nothing else I can help there as well as lending a hand doing the odd jobs around here and in Patch itself – this is going to be trickier than the Blue Revolution; memories of his closest sibling, the girl just a year younger than him, made him smirk as he superimposed another familiar blonde atop her; Burn and age aside the two of them could be twins. Yes, this could work; emboldened by the comparison Jaune folded his last article of clothing atop the petite dresser (he hadn't opened anything, not wanting to risk seeing his younger friends' unmentionables) and sat on the bed, chin on his fist as he planned his next move; I need to be careful but not timid – Yang's not too far gone if the cracks she was making at Qrow and I were anything to go by, just gotta tease them out of her, perhaps literally; memories of popping his sisters' occasionally-inflated egos brought a grin to his lips before he yawned, the early start catching up with him as he rubbed his eyes; still, that can wait until tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to make something of this, get a bit of practise in for the future if the next month and some doesn't go my way;
"Never mind that now," he told himself lowly, shaking his head to banish the nascent suspicion, "more important things to deal with, such as finding out what actually happened to the party girl. Couldn't have been a Grimm, way too clean – did Cinder have other Hunters pitching in, or more of the White Fang? Maybe, but if that's the case how did she get out alive; I'm sure Miss Fire-Bitch wouldn't have told them to take prisoners…"
Occupying himself with such questions and thoughts Jaune Arc lay back atop the little bed and lost himself to the new Xiao Long situation and how best to solve it, his tactical acumen laying down strategy and counter-plan in layers so deep they almost succeeded in drowning out the noise that had started a few nights ago in the very back of his mind.
A noise not unlike the deep, ominous tock of a monumental timepiece counting down another day to the end.
A/N: Sorry, crazy life still picking itself up after the madness of the big virus (for which I was busy anyway – now that it's over we're back to dealing with the backlog of stuff that was put on hold for the past two years). So, looks like the Xiao Longs have an unexpected guest and Qrow's (almost) in the doghouse – what can happen next on Patch? Will Ruby be able to take the helm of her new team, especially as its most powerful member seems to be at war with herself? Can Zwei earn himself some more bacon treats and Jaune a Pack-name for the little Pack protector? All these answers coming, hopefully, soon…
