Professor Ozpin took a long, slow sip from his mug as he eyed the woman sitting on the other side of his large desk. She wore her usual teaching outfit, including her welding goggles, tool apron, and smug expression. In contrast to his own perfect posture and beverage, she instead was casually lounging backward into her seat with one leg crossed over the other. She sipped from a metal canteen as she returned his stare, unblinking. Her eyes of tarnished silver narrowed slightly as his coffee-colored orbs remained still, and she capped her canteen with a hearty chuckle.
"I will say, she's been performing admirably since her hiring," Maria mused. "Though… you were rather quick to trust her, in comparison to bringing certain others into your inner circle."
Professor Ozpin let out a long sigh and offered his companion a small smile. The man brought a hand up to rub at his forehead in frustration, though in truth, he found the comment more amusing than anything.
"This again. I've told you before, had I known how invaluable your loyalty would be, I would have made you the offer long ago, my friend," the man reassured. "In truth, the main reason it took so long was dealing with the guilt of dragging yet another soul into this eternal dance. It's not something that any mortal should need to concern themselves with."
"Let us mortals decide that for ourselves," Maria insisted. "We do have a greater stake in all of this, really. Besides- you didn't drag anyone into this. You made them offers, and they accepted. It's no different with Glynda, and it will be no different with the Branwens… if they choose to cooperate."
"Perhaps you're right," Professor Ozpin said softly as he stared down into his mug. "And with the others who are aware of the truth already out in the field, searching for answers abroad… we need a third person with us. In reality, a fourth and fifth would be incredibly helpful, but I can't help but feel like I am forcing the issue by making this move."
"When it comes to the twins? You are," Maria replied simply before taking another sip. "But it can't be helped. The evidence is overwhelming- my class, Glynda's, even the bits and pieces you've gleaned from the other professors all point to Raven and Qrow being more than they seem. They're too capable. Too good for first years, regardless of the fact that they're clearly working for the enemy. At this point, it's about more than just your wellbeing. It's about protecting our other students, as well."
Professor Ozpin pulled a face of discontent as he set his mug down and steepled his fingers. Slowly, he brought his gaze up from his drink and met Maria's eyes, his own full of an uncharacteristic uncertainty.
"…so you truly do believe that this needs to be done? That despite the inherent unfairness, the time to make our move is now?"
"I do," Maria confirmed. "We need to make them an offer. An offer that, should they decline it… could lead to unpleasantries for all of us. The fact that Those Above All have eyes here so soon after your previous life means that they're growing more capable and confident. We need to shut that notion down- forcefully, if need be."
"They're children, Maria," Professor Ozpin insisted.
"They're eighteen," Maria countered. "They're adults, if only just. We can't afford to wait. For all we know, they've been sent here to eliminate not just you, but anyone else that Those Above All may deem a threat, as well. If you're really going to let morals and nerves get the best of you, then we can try turning Qrow on his sister. The cracks have been showing for a while now, and I have a decent relationship with him. He's personable and has several friends within the student body, though I haven't really seen the same from his sister."
"That is an avenue we could explore," Professor Ozpin agreed, "though we would realistically only get a single chance, and his decision to assist us would have to be final, and in that moment. As much as he does seem to be questioning his lot in life, we can't necessarily trust him to work for us against his sister without our direct involvement. It needs to be sudden, genuine, and a one-time opportunity in which all of us are present."
"I agree. What do you think Glynda will think of all of this?" Maria asked.
"…it seems we're about to find out," Professor Ozpin offered as the doors to the elevator at the opposite end of the room slid open with a metallic whirr.
Professor Glynda Goodwitch hastily stepped out of the elevator and made her way toward the desk, her black high heels clicking noisily against the polished floor. She looked every bit the professional in her white blouse and form-fitting black skirt, and carried a laptop cradled under her right arm. Her hair bun was slightly messier than usual, and her neutral expression seemed ready to break as she pulled out the other empty chair and deposited herself within it.
"My sincerest apologies for being late," Glynda offered. "A student needed some assistance a-"
"Never apologize for kindness toward our students," Professor Ozpin offered as he smiled and raised a hand.
"…or for doing your job," Maria added, earning an annoyed look from her superior. "What? I'm right, aren't I?"
"Be that as it may," the headmaster replied firmly as he turned his attention back to Glynda, "what's going on? Anything interesting?"
Glynda offered Professor Ozpin an uneven smile and tucked a stray strand of flaxen hair back behind her ear before adjusting her glasses.
"…you could say that, yes," the woman admitted. "One Adam Taurus was seeking advice on aura management. I spent a good twenty minutes helping him with redirecting and concentrating his aura to key areas, and he's… still struggling a bit, honestly."
"Is he ever," Maria stated while rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "It's been a full semester at this point, and we've been dueling on and off since practically week one. He's a talented, insightful boy, but getting certain concepts through to him is a pain in the ass."
"And yet others come naturally, especially when they involve human and faunus interaction," Professor Ozpin stated plainly. "His grasp of history, politics, and relations is spot on, and he has ideas that are rather… interesting about the production and refinement of dust, the origins of grimm, and the Great Extinction. I've been saving his writings, and they're something I'd like you both to look over, once our attentions turn to him fully."
"Is the boy about to become another one of your 'projects'?" Maria questioned with an amused smirk.
"Perhaps," Professor Ozpin admitted. "After all- he's already one of yours, isn't he?"
"…he's a good, if tortured soul," Maria admitted with a shrug. "Even if he took a few lives in the name of earning his own."
"…am I missing something?" Glynda asked, looking wary.
"I'll… fill you in, after we deal with the matter at hand," Professor Ozpin offered with a stern look. "That matter being the Branwen twins."
"Right," Glynda confirmed as she opened her laptop. "I have extensive notes, video logs, and combat data from both of them. Everything you've told me to look for has shown up at some point or another. This… this clan of 'Those Above All' has indeed infiltrated the school, so far as I can tell."
Professor Ozpin lowered his hands atop the desk and nodded.
"Indeed. I think Maria and I have known for a long time, but a third set of eyes is always helpful. There is only one other thing I'd like you to do for me, before we make our move together," the man replied.
"Anything," Glynda offered. "I'm completely committed to my role of protecting you, and our other students."
"Then I'll write you a bit of script for your class tomorrow, and we'll see what happens from there," Professor Ozpin stated. "It's time to see how Raven reacts to direct, public pressure… and then we will have all of the information we need. Early next week, we will end this… one way, or another..."
"Alright, Team STRQ," Summer encouraged with a wide smile while she looked over her group of friends as they stood outside of the auditorium, "no matter who she calls down in what order, or however this is going to work… I believe in all three of you. We've absolutely got this."
"We do," Taiyang confirmed with a nod and smile of his own. "Honestly, I think we've been pretty lucky with our team placement- you two alone are enough to carry us to the top," he added while inclining his head toward Raven and Qrow.
"…really, we're not that special," Raven deflected as she ran a hand through her hair and avoided Taiyang's eyes. "Yes, we've all been doing well, but part of that credit goes to OKRA and Willow. Not to mention, our… extra practice out in the field with Jacques."
"Stop being so humble," Qrow demanded with a roll of his eyes. "You're top of our year, and I'm not that far behind in the top five. Only real competition you've got right now is Kali."
"Be that as it may," Raven said icily as she gave her brother a cold glare, "we are a team, and what matters is how all of us perform, collectively. Yes, Free Sparring is important, and passing whatever exam Goodwitch has lined up for us will afford us more freedom to practice as we see fit, but what really matters here is how cohesive we've become… both on and off the field," she finished with a quick, unsure glance at Taiyang. The boy's eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter in the moment, and Raven couldn't stop herself from blushing lightly in response.
"Aw," Summer replied as she cupped her hands to her cheeks. "You do have a heart!"
Raven simply shook her head and snorted.
"…whatever. Last time I ever get soft with any of you, if you're going to act like that. Let's just get inside, a-"
"Wait, before all that," Qrow interrupted as he laid a gentle hand on Summer's shoulder. He leaned in closer to prevent the bustling students around them from overhearing, before lowering his voice. "No second semblance, if you get called. We'll talk to the professors in private when you're ready, but this isn't the time or the place, even though you've been improving."
"I know," Summer said in a deadpan voice. "I'm better, but I'm still not good enough to whip it out in an actual fight, regardless of the looks I'd get for having two. C'mon, guys. Let's not keep our friends waiting any longer. Kali's arm might fall off if we do."
The girl turned and began to lead her team into the auditorium, where the noise level had risen beyond even the usual loud din of excited voices before each class. Raven couldn't help but smile softly to herself as she watched Kali wave frantically from her place in the stands, next to the rest of Team OKRA. The thought of the faunus tumbling from her seat as a result of her overly dramatic flailing floated through Raven's mind, and she snorted lightly once again at the mental image.
"Every day," Raven mused to no one in particular. "Literally every day, she acts like she hasn't seen us in years."
"It's nice, isn't it?" Taiyang asked as he returned Kali's enthusiastic waving. "Lunch, Free Sparring, whenever. She's always happy to see us. Makes her feel like family."
"Yeah," Raven agreed with a wistful sigh as she and Taiyang began to lag slightly behind the rest of the group. "Family…"
"Something wrong?" the boy asked as he slowed down even more and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Raven slowed in kind and watched Summer and Qrow file into the row of stadium seating next to Team OKRA and Willow. She lingered just before the first seat and turned to face Taiyang, her eyes full of worry.
"I… I feel like garbage, Tai. So much has been going on, and so much pressure has been placed upon us that it's making it really hard to focus and stay level-headed. Getting all of this praise for my combat ability is only making it worse, even if they mean well, and it's gotten to the point where I hate coming here. Sometime soon, I want to get your opinion on something, but it has to stay between us. That means no Summer, and definitely no Qrow. Please?"
Taiyang raised a brow at Raven's sudden change in mood, but offered her a firm nod all the same.
"Of course. Are we pulling a weekend getaway at Willow's place? That always seems to make you feel a little better. At least… I hope it does…" he stated with a frown. The pink tint on Raven's cheeks darkened ever so slightly in response.
"It does, and I don't ever want you to think that it doesn't, just because I'm in a terrible mood. I'd love to, but we can't. I'm running an important job for Jacques, this weekend," Raven lamented as she shook her head. "Next weekend, though? It won't necessarily be fun, but I think I'm reaching my breaking point, keeping it all in."
"I won't let you break, Raves," Taiyang reassured as he scooped her into a sudden hug. He gave the girl a tight squeeze, and her cheeks turned a shade to match the blade at her side as she allowed the public display of affection.
"Tai, please," she insisted as she gently wrapped her arms around his back. "Not… not in public. They're going to talk about us…"
"You say that like they don't already," Taiyang said softly as he broke his grip and gave her a meaningful look. "Besides, who cares? What we've got going on is for us- not them. Even if we're still just testing the waters, we understand each other, and that's what matters. Right?"
"…right," Raven agreed with a wistful sigh. "Alright, enough mush. Let's get going, and get serious."
"Never change, Raves," Taiyang offered as he followed her down the aisle to sit with their friends.
"I'm trying to," Raven mumbled quietly as she found her seat next to Qrow, only for Kali to lean across the rest of STRQ with a filthy grin. "Not a word, Kal."
"Oh, get over it," the faunus replied while waving a hand. "I wasn't even gonna comment on you and Tai almost having makeouts in the rain over there, but now? Now, I will."
"…in the rain?" Raven questioned as she quirked a brow. "Kali, we're indoors."
"It was a metaphor for the level of romance in your eyes," the girl explained as she clasped her hands together and held them beside her cheek. "You guys were like seconds away from kissing with tongue while he slipped his hand into your uniform jacket."
"You're gonna have my fist in your eyes if you keep it up," Raven grumbled. "Can we focus on the task at hand? Whatever it may be?"
"That's actually why I leaned over, before you interrupted me," Kali answered as she crouched down into the aisle and moved to squat before all of Team STRQ, who gave her their collective attention. "There are rumors going around about how this'll all go down."
"Rumors, huh? How credible are they?" Qrow asked, seeming unimpressed.
"…considering I did a little snooping backstage with Roman and found Goodwitch's lesson plans, pretty damned credible," Kali answered with a mischievous grin.
"What else did you do with Roman backstage?" Raven asked with a judgmental glare.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kali answered cryptically. "Anyway, it sounds like it's gonna be down to two people per team participating in fights to determine whether or not all four members are allowed to spar without supervision for the rest of the year. We've got one shot to pick two people to represent us, and that's it- and she isn't planning on telling us that until afterward."
"That does make sense," Summer replied as she cupped a hand to her chin. "Working through fights with the entire student body would take ages. Do we get to choose our representatives?"
"That, I don't know," Kali admitted as she pulled a frown. "Apparently, it's on a case-by-case basis, and the types of fights are getting switched up, too- some one-on-one duels, some two-on-twos, it's gonna get really interesting, really quickly. We've already decided on Roman and I, if we get to pick."
"Maximizing unpredictability," Raven acknowledged. "Interesting. I honestly somewhat hope our teams get to go against each other. We've never really had the opportunity, outside of a few individual cases."
"Oh, we're super doing that once we get free reign, no matter what," Kali insisted. "But it'd be cool if she went that route and made it a public show match."
"Well, looks like we're about to find out," Summer said as she pointed down toward the stage. "Here she comes."
The clamor of student voices rose all at once as Professor Goodwitch made her way onstage, wheeling a familiar set of portable aura monitors behind herself. By the time she moved them into position, the entire room had fallen quiet enough to hear the last few clicks of her heels before she stopped in front of the waiting microphone. The woman took a deep breath through her nose before clasping her hands before herself and looking out over the crowd.
"…ladies and gentlemen of the class of 3044," Professor Goodwitch began, "I would like to take a moment to personally congratulate you on making it this far into your first year. The path of huntsmen and huntresses is by no means an easy one, and though many of you have accomplished great things already… expect the level of difficulty to rise in tandem with the amount of time you spend within these storied halls."
"Wow," Roman commented quietly. "That was almost a compliment with no strings attached." Kali giggled lightly in response and used a hand to cover her mouth.
"As I hope you all remember, with the start of the second semester, you now have the opportunity to earn the right to spar outside, and largely unsupervised. Should you succeed in earning that right, you will also be able to rent mandatory aura monitors, and request judges from the faculty to have official, scored matches. The path to freedom, however, is a difficult one- it will come through a series of show matches in which I am not looking only for a winner. There are other criteria that will remain unsaid… but I would assume that you can all figure it out on your own," Professor Goodwitch explained.
"Follow the rules she's laid out over the semester, would be my guess," Bartholomew offered as he used a finger to push his glasses farther up his nose. "After all, this is a relatively small step, in the grand scheme of things. It's simply being hyped up to maintain our interest in her class..."
"Probably," Adam agreed from his seat next to the other boy. "So long as we don't kill each other, we should be fine."
"So," Professor Goodwitch continued, "I thought of several different scenarios that would be pleasing to everyone in attendance, in order to start this off. The obvious route would be to begin with a duel between our two top scoring hunters- Raven Branwen, and Kali Moonglove."
Kali leaned forward in her seat and balled her hands under her chin as she began to bounce a leg in excitement.
"Yeeeees," the girl hissed, before looking over at Raven. "You're going down, Raven. Then, I'll be the new hotness."
"…if you ask most of the student body, you are already 'the hotness'," Raven offered with a roll of her eyes.
"That being said," Professor Goodwitch interrupted, "such a move would be predictable, despite the inevitable flashiness that would result. I have something else in mind. Raven Branwen- as the top ranking student, currently, I would still like you to have the first duel. Please, make your way to the stage," she finished with a beckoning motion.
"Aw, come on," Kali groused as she leaned back into her seat and folded her arms across her chest in disappointment. Without missing a beat, she nudged Roman's arm with her elbow, and extended a hand. "Fifty lien says Goodwitch fights her personally, and another twenty says Raven wrecks her."
"…not taking either of those bets," Roman said as he looked over to Raven. "For several reasons."
Raven ignored her friends and instead rose from her seat with a sigh. She rested a hand upon the hilt of Omen as she made her way through the aisle, looking rather stiff.
"Hey," Taiyang whispered in a low voice as she passed, "you got this, no matter who she throws at you."
Raven offered him a small smirk in response, before beginning to walk down the steps toward the stage.
A few students called out as she walked up to Professor Goodwitch and turned to face the audience again, while the rest of the crowd began whispering amongst themselves.
"And your opponent," Professor Goodwitch said before pausing to let the noise in the hall die down, "will be Qrow Branwen."
Raven's eyes widened slightly as she turned to give the professor a confused look. Once again, the noise from the crowd became deafening as Qrow stood and made his way down the aisle, his newly-completed weapon hanging in a sheath attached to the back of his belt.
"…Professor, are you sure this is a good idea?" Raven asked, her voice shaky. "I… is this really something people want to see?"
"You really think otherwise?" Professor Goodwitch questioned as she spared Raven a reassuring look. "I can think of no more exciting scenario. I can already see lien changing hands in the audience."
Raven dared to look out into the crowd, and indeed saw several students making bets- Robin and Junior among them. She quickly closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as the sound of her brother's footsteps became audible on the steps leading up to the stage.
"…alright. I just… I don't know how I feel about this," Raven offered as she finally looked back over to the professor, her face full of unease.
"I know," Professor Goodwitch replied with a smirk before taking the microphone from its stand and beginning to walk toward the steps that Qrow had taken to arrive on stage. The woman made her way down into the pit before the seated audience and began to speak once again.
"No potential opponents are off the table in this exam- and that includes teammates, or even family," the professor said pointedly. Raven bristled at the word, and actively avoided looking at her brother. "This is a matchup that I've been curious about for some time… and one that I don't think anyone here expected to see on stage," Professor Goodwitch continued before turning to face the Branwen twins. "You know the rules. Get equipped, and get ready."
Raven made her way over to the aura monitors and lifted her wristband, a feeling of dread washing over her as she fastened the device in place.
"…hey."
The girl looked up to find her brother looking equally uncomfortable as he strapped on his own wristband.
"Qrow, just… don't even start," Raven warned in a low voice. "We have no choice. Let's get this over with, and just follow the rules."
"Well yeah, I know that," Qrow explained in a near whisper. "All I want to say is that no matter what happens, we're still cool. I don't mind if you knock me on my ass in front of the entire first year class. I have a feeling that's what they're all expecting, anyway."
Raven pulled her wristband a bit too tight with a grunt of effort and took a deep breath before shaking her head.
"…then in that same train of thought- if you do win this, then I don't want to hear that it was your semblance. I know that you're skilled, Qrow, and we both know that we've had an uneven record at this back home."
"…I'll accept that only if you don't feel like shit afterward, thinking it was your lack of semblance," Qrow countered.
Without a word, Raven looked away and made her way over to her side of the stage as she rested a hand calmly atop the hilt of Omen.
"…figures," Qrow muttered to himself as he let out a weary sigh and took his place on the opposite side of the stage, his own hand traveling to the hilt of the massive, razor-shaped broadsword upon his back.
"When you are ready," Professor Goodwitch said with one final glance at the aura monitors, "you may begin."
Raven was the first to move, her sword clicking faintly as she used her thumb to loosen the weapon from its sheath. She dashed forward across the stage at high speed and slashed out with a sweep, only for Qrow to turn her blade away with the flat of his much wider, segmented sword. The boy flourished the oversized blade and held it in both hands before himself as he eyed his sister, who quickly sheathed her sword and let the motorized carousel of blades within the device whirr to life.
"Almost forgot. You haven't seen this thing in action yet, have you?" Qrow questioned as he nodded to the sword in his hands. "I call her Harbinger. She's got a trick or two that should be fun to test out on you. I haven't gotten any practice in with another person, yet."
Raven narrowed her eyes in response and drew out a pale blue blade before spinning backward into a retreating slash. A jagged wall of ice manifested in the space where she had previously stood, and Qrow chased the girl across the stage and brought Harbinger down for a one-handed spinning slash of his own. The blade tore a clean, diagonal line through the wall before Qrow threw out a speedy kick to send fragments from the top half of the shattering construct flying in Raven's direction. As chunks of ice scattered through the air, Raven appeared once again above them, a glittering yellow blade crackling with electricity in her hands as descended upon her brother with a midair downward slash. The boy caught the katana in a deadlock as Raven landed before him, and the two swords ground against each other in a shower of sparks as the sound of excited voices once again filled the room.
"That… is a sturdy sword," Raven snarled as she braced her free hand against the back of her blade and tried in vain to push forward.
"You can thank Professor Calavera for that," Qrow explained as he mirrored his sister's motions. "She helped me cater it to my personal strengths."
Raven merely grunted an affirmation before aiming a knee for her brother's stomach. Qrow responded by rolling sideways out of the weapon deadlock and rising to one knee as the blade of Harbinger folded backward to reveal twin gun barrels. The boy fired twice in rapid succession, and Raven managed to deflect three of the four resulting bullets before the last one smashed into her shoulder. The impact sent her reeling backward along the stage as her aura flickered an angry scarlet around the wound, eliciting a collective gasp from the audience as her aura monitor drained by about ten percent.
"It's a sturdy sword, alright," Qrow taunted as he slowly rose back to a standing position and snapped the blade back into place. "It's also a gun."
Raven grit her teeth as she watched her brother extend his new weapon in a fencer's grip and begin to circle her. Refusing to acknowledge his antics, she sheathed her katana once again before rotating the mechanism to a bright orange blade and beginning to draw. Qrow took the initiative and rushed forward, only for Raven to draw her sword and press a button hidden upon the hilt to let the flaming steel fly from it as a speeding projectile. Qrow barely managed to dip off to the side to avoid the sudden threat, and Raven took the opportunity to close the distance and strike him across the face with the overlarge scabbard.
"You're not the only one with tricks," Raven seethed as Qrow spun backward, his own aura dropping by slightly more than hers as the crowd went wild.
"Maybe, but I've got more!" Qrow insisted as he dashed in, only to juke backward as Raven moved to meet him.
Both of the teens made false attempts at charges, before Raven finally decided to commit as she quickly connected the empty hilt of her sword to her scabbard and drew forth a violet sword. She spun the weapon into a reverse grip and made a move to strike Qrow again with her sheath, only for the boy to catch the casing with the flat of Harbinger. Suddenly, he turned the blade to align the bladed edge against Raven's scabbard, and the steel of his own began to segment and curve with a grinding sound serving as the only warning. Before Raven could react, the boy had converted the sword into a scythe, and he used the curved blade to hook her entire scabbard and fling it offstage before whirling his new weapon to rest flat against his back.
Left with only a singular sword, Raven gripped her katana with both hands and drew it back up near her face, the blade parallel to the ground.
"…clever. Risky, but clever," Raven commented, her voice far less confident as she watched Qrow whirl the scythe back out in front of himself with a smirk.
"Describes just about everything about my fighting style, doesn't it?"
"Two can play at that game," Raven replied as she tracked her brother's circling movements with the tip of her sword. "Still… you've improved…"
Professor Goodwitch's voice rang through the auditorium as she walked through the pit in front of the stage, facing the sparring siblings and ignoring the crowd.
"You two certainly never disappoint. What will you do now, Miss Branwen, when you can see that there's more to your family than you initially thought?"
Raven's eyes flicked to the professor, and for a moment, they met the woman's icy blues. Professor Goodwitch had Omen's fallen sheath in hand and shook the implement lightly as Raven narrowed her eyes.
"What?" Raven hissed, feeling anger bubbling in her chest at the woman's words. Her thoughts were interrupted by sudden movement in her peripheral vision, and she looked back to Qrow just in time to bat away the head of his scythe as it came down for her shoulder.
"You're slipping!" Qrow warned. Suddenly, the elongated shaft of the scythe pulled in toward the blade, dragging the boy along with it as the curved scythe clicked back into sword formation. The resulting transformation brought Qrow within striking distance, and he laid into Raven with a quick series of alternating diagonal strikes.
Raven managed to turn away each in kind as she backpedaled farther across the stage, looking distraught. As Qrow brought the sword down once again, he engaged the transformation mechanism and flipped his grip to allow the shifting scythe to drag across Raven's neck and shoulder as she raised her katana to guard in the wrong direction. Her aura flickered dangerously as she was dragged down to one knee, and she let out a yelp of surprise. The girl tucked into a roll as Qrow brought Harbinger down in a reaping swing, midway through its transformation back into a scythe. In a final, desperate move, she lashed out with a wide sweep for her brother's ankles as the roar of the student body raised to a crescendo.
The sound of rapid gunfire drowned out the distracting noise as Qrow leapt into the air and began revolving at dizzying speeds, using the recoil from the shots to increase his velocity. He flew up and over Raven, his scythe hooking around her katana as he went. Using the momentum of his spin, he wrenched Omen from her hands and flung it directly into the wall at the back of the stage. The sword impaled itself into the plaster and began to wobble as Qrow landed and spun into a standing position behind his sister. Harbinger immediately collapsed into its shotgun form just before his feet touched the stage, and Raven felt a cold gun barrel against the back of her head.
The girl closed her eyes and balled her fists as she was overcome with hot shame. She clenched her teeth as her head pounded with both the noise from the crowd, and the deafening swarm of thoughts clouding her mind. What felt like an eternity within her head passed in mere seconds outside of it, and she spoke before she could stop herself.
"I yield!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the stands as Qrow lowered his weapon and walked around to face Raven. Upon seeing her anguished facial expression, he sheathed Harbinger upon his back and drew her into a tight hug, which she immediately struggled to escape. The girl shoved her hands into Qrow's chest and began to walk for the curtains to hide herself from the crowd as she felt tears begin to sting at the corners of her eyes.
"Raven…?" Qrow questioned, his voice full of worry. "Are you alright?"
"…leave me alone. I feel sick," she said simply, before hurrying into the darkness backstage.
Qrow moved to follow before thinking better of it and looking out into the stands. He barely managed to spot Taiyang before the boy disappeared through the exit door, moving at a brisk pace.
Author's Note:
Two chapters to go before we hit the climax of Volume 1…
-RD
