Ruby stared down into the flickering flames of the campfire as her uncle Qrow finished his tale. Ever since that fateful Night she and Alex met outside that dust shop in downtown Vale she could safely say she'd come to learn more about the world then she'd ever thought possible, the multiverse, magic, aliens and so much more she was still having trouble wrapping her head around.
But even she found her uncles story just a little hard to believe. The Story of the Seasons, a tale of four sisters on a journey across remnant and their chance encounter with a reclusive wizard, a fairytale her dad and sister must have told her over a hundred times while growing up. A story that she'd just found out was more truth than fantasy.
"So... When were you planning on telling me?" Adam finally broke the silence, the Black Ranger sending a scrutinizing look Qrow's way as he leaned back against the boulder beside him. "I get the need for secrecy and all, but we're on the same side here."
The red-eyed huntsmen sighed, taking a long sip from his flask before glancing up at his travelling companion "We had a long trip and didn't need the drama." Tilting his head back towards his Niece and the remaining members of JNPR, raising an eyebrow at the latter's lack of a reaction, although given their Fall Maiden candidate was among them it didn't take a genius to realize why.
"I take it you filled them in." Qrow asked receiving a small nod in response from the Emerald spartan and a confused glance from his niece "Well most of them..." Qrow trailed off, while she may have blabbed about Oz's offer to her team it looked like that was where it ended at least he hoped so, the last thing they needed right now was a rumour -even if it were from just a couple of kids- about the Maiden Power resurfacing.
Ruby looked between her uncle and Pyrrha in suspicion "Filled in on what?" She finally asked, turning her questioning gaze to her fellow red-head and teammates. "Pyrrha, did you know about this?"
Pyrrha sighed through her nose, reaching up she began playing with a strand of her hair as she explained "The headmaster approached me a few days before the final bouts for the Vytal Festival. Apparently, the previous Fall Maiden Amber had been attacked some months prior, and the headmaster believed that once she passed I was the one next in line to receive her power."
"So...you knew her?" Ruby inquired
"I'd never seen her before in my life." Pyrrha shook her head, images of the comatose maiden trapped inside that horrid machine flashed through her mind. Pyrrha shuddered a feeling of guilt and regret bubbling up inside her, she couldn't begin to imagine what she must have gone through, the pain and suffering Amber had been forced to endure during all that time... suffering she'd likely prolonged with her indecisiveness.
Looking back on it now, Cinders arrow almost seemed like a blessing for the young woman, an end to her torment... she just hoped that poor woman finally found some semblance of peace at the end. "Then how?" Ruby asked looking back to her uncle for answers " You said when they die their power... or whatever, goes to a girl they cared about, right."
"That's how it's supposed to go." Qrow nodded along, taking another swig from his flask before continuing. "When she was attacked, her assailant who we now know is Cinder was somehow able to steal part of her power, but not all of it. We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well, which means we needed someone else to take it first." He finished.
"So you were just going to force the power on her?" Adam scowled.
Qrow glared back at the Black Ranger "They didn't force me to do anything!" Pyrrha quickly interjected before the two could argue further. "They explained the situation and gave me time to think on the offer, it was my decision whether or not to accept the power in the end."
"Really, so you thought over everything even what you might be giving up if you accepted?" Adam asked her, he didn't blame the kid for wanting to do the right thing but by the sound of it being a Maiden was a lifetime deal. Even Rangers were given the chance to step down or pass their powers on to a worthy successor if they decided to hang up their helmet, and if what happened to the previous maiden was anything to go by, taking the other half of that power would have just been shoving that girl right in the line of fire.
"If you took that power, any chance you might have had at a normal life would have gone out the window." Adam rebutted, Pyrrha shrinking back slightly under the Black Rangers scrutinizing gaze. "You'd have a target painted on your back for the rest of your life, with the ones that went after Amber coming after you as well and after what happened back at Beacon, you can be damn sure there be no line they wouldn't cross to take it from you."
"That's enough!" Ren spoke up, reaching out he took Pyrrha's hand and pulled her back down on the log beside her, Nora resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The more we argue the more chance we have of attracting the Grimm, and if your right Ruby's uncle may be in no condition to fight."
"I told you, I'm fine." Qrow said, it had been hours since he'd been stung and so far they hadn't seen any sign that he'd been poisoned. He just needed a nights rest to let his aura recharge and he'd be fine by morning.
"That guy, Tyrian." Ruby spoke up drawing all eyes to her "Why was he after me?" She could understand Psycho Crimson coming after her, but some random Faunus, even if he was a part of the White Fang or something why go to all the trouble just for her?
Her uncle sighed "Well, you defiantly painted a target on your back with what you did back at Beacon." Qrow tapped his cheek just under his left eye " I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. And the fact that you were able to use them, seems to have upset some very powerful people." Ruby glanced back towards the fire.
"I take it Salem, is one of those powerful people." Adam spoke up recalling the so-called "Queens" name from their little chat with Tyrian and Psycho crimson back in Oniyuri.
Qrow gave a low hum in acknowledgement "She's known about them for a while, and I doubt she's very happy that one's resurfaced, and what we just saw it's pretty obvious she's shacked up with those old buddies of yours." Adam Nodded along with the huntsmen words, it certainly explained a lot, if this Salem was as powerful as Qrow was letting on and had the resources to match it, it was little wonder Fall and her underlings had managed to sneak their way into Beacon.
"Then why not travel with us?" Ruby asked looking back up at her uncle. "That seems like it would've been easier."
"Because he needed you to draw them out." Adam narrowed his eyes at the Black Reaper "That's why you asked me to tag along. Once Salem filled the Psycho rangers in about your niece, you knew they'd all come after her." Ruby looked back towards her uncle a hint fo betrayal in her silver eyes, had her uncle Qrow really used her like that?
"It's not like that." Qrow shot back. Look, he got why the guy was angry about being kept in the dark for so long, but no way in hell would he have knowingly put his niece in danger, that was why he'd gone to Adam, to begin with, he was good but the possibility of one of her agents popping up with one of those maniacs in tow, was too big of a risk not to take extra precautions. "Even if I had told you, would you have said no?" Qrow asked
"...No." Adam relented, even if he'd known about Salem from the start he'd have still tagged along with Qrow, he was still a Ranger, but that didn't change the fact Qrow had gone behind his back. "But we could have avoided all of this if you'd been straight with me from the start."
"The situation was complicated enough as it is, alright" Qrow retorted.
"Then make it uncomplicated!" Nora jumped up, throw her arms into the air before gesturing towards Ruby "In case you haven't noticed, Ruby is being hunted, the school was attacked by a bunch of wackos, who by the way mind-controlled our leader and took him to who knows where! And now were finding out there's someone else out there coming after us." Nora listed off, her voice steadily rising. "Why! Why can't you just tell us what's going on!?"
Qrow stared back at the red-haired bomber, the silence that followed her outburst filled by the red-eyed huntsmen gently tapping the edge of his flask against the log beneath him as he stared down at the forest floor in thought. After a few moments, he slouched forward with a sigh. "Fine, fine." He relented; kids would have found out once they reached Mistral anyway. "Just quit the yelling, I'm stressed out enough as it is."
Settling back down on the log beside her partner, Nora crossed her arms over her chest staring at Qrow expectantly, a look shared by the Black Ranger. The red-eyed huntsmen moved to take another sip of his flask but paused as his lips touched the rim. "Not many people are super religious these days." Capping off his flask he set it down by his feet.
"This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real." Qrow explained much to the surprise of the four students, Adam himself nodded along in understanding, he'd heard a few other teams had tangled with what many considered god-like beings in the past The Dai-Shi, Dark Specter and Queen Bansheera just to name a few so the concept wasn't all that unbelievable.
"They were two brothers. The older sibling, the God of Light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the God of Darkness, spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife."
"And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the God of Darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returned. So, one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything."
Ruby frowned, as did her teammates it didn't take a genius to realise what this supposed god had unleashed onto their world that night. "The creatures of Grimm." She muttered aloud.
"You guessed it." Qrow affirmed, honestly he was a little surprised they were taking it all this well, he and his team had just about gone catatonic when Oz let them in on the secret. "The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece."
"The younger brother agreed. This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the path of darkness. And that is how Humanity came to be." Qrow paused giving them all a few minutes to let the information sink in, after all, it wasn't every day you found out there was something up there, it made you realize just how small the world really is, how small you were in the long run.
"But... what does that have to do with us?" Ren then asked
"Well, that's the kicker. See, the four gifts to mankind knowledge, creation, destruction, and choice aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the Gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them is extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world." Qrow explained, and while it might sound good on paper the reality was anything but, especially if 'she' was the one to finally do it.
"That's exactly what the enemy wants. The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose - guarding the Relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress." Qrow paused to take a swig from his flask. "Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach."
"So yeah, that about sums it up." His story coming to an end silence fell over the campsite once more, the four students and lone power ranger slowly processing the red-eyed huntsmen revelation.
"When you said 'Her'" Breaking the silence, Ruby looked up at her uncle. "You were talking about Salem weren't you."
"That's right." Qrow nodded back to his niece. "Not a lot is known about her, but quite frankly that's not what important right now, what matters right now is that she wants the relics, and if she gets 'em, it's not going to end well."
"Then where do we start?" Adam asked drawing the huntsmen eye. " I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the rest of that brotherhood you were a part of knows about this as well, which means Ironwood and likely a few others out there knows about it as well, you gotta have contingencies ready in case something like the fall of Beacon ever happened."
"And why doesn't the rest of the world know." Pyrrha added if Salem was as big a threat as Qrow made her out to be, why had they never heard of her, why wasn't anything being done to stop her. "If she's as great a threat as you say, why haven't the kingdoms done anything already?"
"They're right." Nora jumped in, the implication of her teammate and Adams words quickly dawning on her. "If all this is true why are you here with us and not at Haven warning the headmaster, they could be next?" Qrow gestured for the three of them to calm down.
"The headmaster of Haven saw what happened at Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard." Caution had always been Leo's game and with the threat of Salem looming over them now more than ever, the academy had likely been pretty active over the last couple of months. "Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight?" Qrow then pointed back at Pyrrha." And to answer your question, it's the same reason we asked you to keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the Relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. "His face darkened for a moment "We'd have another great war on our hands and this time, you'd be the ones that had to fight."
"I don't think you're giving the people enough credit." Yes, if the world learned about Salem, a lot of people would look at her and see it as the end of the world. But once the initial shock had passed, now that their enemy was revealed for all the world to see, the people would still be scared but they would also be united, and when she made her move, they would be more than likely to push back.
They'd take that fear, the grief, the outrage Salem had used to manipulate them and sharpen it into a weapon to strike back at her. "Like you said she works in the shadows, she manipulates and uses people to get what she wants and leaves everyone pointing fingers one everything said and done." Adam looked back to team RRVN "But you shine a light on her, you take away the enigma and give the world something real, something that can be fought, something that can be beaten."
"Or we back her into a corner, where she'd be more than likely to lash out at the kingdoms." Qrow rebutted, leaning back the red-eyed huntsmen looked up at the shattered moon above, Adam might have had a point but taking the fight to her like he was suggesting wasn't in the cards.
His niece then asked "So what do we do now?"
Qrow chuckled to himself, now that was the million Lien question "I don't really know." he replied earning a few shocked and nervous looks from the teens around him, while Adam just pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look Oz put a lot of trust in the Headmasters. Like I said the schools are an important part of stopping Salem." Qrow continued " After the fiasco in Vale Atlas is on high alert and Vacuo is... Vacuo" Qrow lamented drawing a blank on any decent qualities he could link to that Kingdom.
"Even with those new friends of hers, It's not going to be easy for her to convince a bunch of killers and thieves to fight one another." Especially with those Crown fanatics still operating inside the kingdom, if anything they'd be the ones he expected to resist Salem's influence the most. "Take that, add in the fact that Cinder and her crew claim to be from Haven, and I think it's likely the next target. So, we're on our way to the Headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack." Qrow stared down into the fire for a moment. "I'm hoping he might have some answers."
Qrow moved to stand up. "Alright, I think its time you kids got some sleep." A hand rested on his shoulder pushing him back down on the log.
"And you can join them while you're at it. We still don't know if that venoms toxic to Humans or not." Adam added, Qrow batted his hand away with a noticeable wince as he gripped his bandaged side.
Qrow shrugged off the black rangers concern, besides a little distance right now would probably do those kids some good, it'd give them time to process everything, without him around tempting them to ask some of the more... difficult questions that he'd rather leave alone, at least until Oz was back in the picture. "I already told you, I'm-"
"Uncle Qrow" Ruby spoke up hesitance in her tone.
Qrow looked back at his Niece, now on her feet "Yeah?" He asked
"Look, I understand this is a lot for us to take in." Ruby began rubbing her arm nervously. "It sounds crazy...er then what we've already been through, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to help. Because I trust you" Ruby swallowed "Even if you didn't trust us before, with all the secrets and... other stuff." Ruby trailed off, a look of hurt in her eyes. "But...Why couldn't you trust me, why couldn't you have travelled with us at least then we could have-"
"Look, it's not about trust alright. I...It's just... it's a long story, alright." Qrow sighed and glanced off to the side.
"Seriously?!" Nora piped up once more, looking between uncle and niece in disbelief. "Now you're tired of telling us stories."
"Nora!" Pyrrha cut in, fixing the red-haired bomber with a stern look.
"It's fine." Qrow Breathed out a sigh through his nose, the amber light of the campfire dancing across his dull red orbs, as he stared into the flames. With the cat out of the bag, it was better they knew, for their sakes." Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck?" He began a solemnness to his tone. " An old superstition, but it's how I got my name." Kneeling Qrow picked up a stick and began prodding at the flames, a cloud of embers puffing up out of the fire and rising into the dark sky above. "See, some people can absorb electricity and some people can burst into rose petals and some people are just born unlucky."
"My Semblance isn't like most - it's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune." Qrow chuckled bitterly " I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends..." He looked over to Ruby " and family."
Adam nodded along slowly, that defiantly explained some of the strange happenings, that had gone on during their time shadowing RRVN. It also explained why he'd shot down if not flat out refused the idea of revealing themselves to the four up until recently, had they reached out to the four and Qrows semblance had flared up at the wrong moment anything could have happened, the Psycho Crimson and Tyrian might have caught up with them sooner.
Adams mind drifted back to the village they'd passed through a few days prior, looking back on it now he couldn't tell if it was good or bad that they hadn't been found sooner given recent circumstances, that village had its own militia and a few resident Huntsmen that would have fought beside them if push came to shove. plus an infirmary, something Qrow could have used after their brawl with Tyrian, at least then they'd have assurance his life wasn't on the line.
"So that's that." Qrow shrugged his piece said the red-eyed huntsmen stood up, tossing the stick into the fire he turned and began walking away into the forest.
"Qrow" Adam called out to him.
"Where are you going?" Ren asked.
"For a walk" He replied scooping his flask up off the ground as he passed.
"There's nothing else you want to tell us?" Ruby called out to him one last time. Qrow paused, tilting his head back he peered up into the canopy above his eyes locking with a single solitary raven perched on one of its branches. The avian cocked its head to the side staring back at him almost expectantly.
"Not tonight." he replied, continuing on his way into the darkened forest leaving the five behind in silence. Ruby looked on in concern, her faith in the red-eyed huntsmen shaken... she'd never seen this side of him before. A hand rested on her shoulder offering a comforting squeeze, that the red-clad reaper appreciated more then she cared to admit.
"It's late, the four of you should get settle in, I'll take the first watch." Adam spoke up, the RVN of Raven slowly stood and began setting up there be rolls for the night ahead, while Ruby continued to stare off in the direction her uncle had wandered off. "I'll keep an eye on him while I'm at it." Adam reassured her " If anything happens I'll wake you."
"Thank you." Ruby replied offering him a small smile.
"Just get some rest, we've still got a long way ahead of us." He said patting the younger girl on the shoulder as he passed, summoning his power axe into his right hand Adam hopped up onto the bolder taking a seat at its peek he kept watch as the youngest teen joined her team in prepping their campsite for the evening, every so often he would spare a glance back into the forest watching as Qrow walked the perimeter of the camp, drinking more and more from his flask as time went on.
Adam sighed, it was gonna be a long night.
/
Stepping out onto the balcony Blake slid the door shut behind her, the last few days had gone better than she'd expected, despite her initial worries her parents hadn't pushed her away, they didn't scorn her for what she'd done, instead, they welcomed her home with open arms. Blake chuckled softly, she didn't want to believe it at first, after everything she'd done to them after all the pain, that they would seemingly forgive her so completely.
But in the end, Alex had been right, no matter what they still loved her. She wished he'd been there to see it, that her parents could have met him, she had a feeling they would have liked him. Her hand slipped into her pocket fingers curling around his Plumbers badge, just holding onto it was always comforting in a strange way.
Pulling the badge out into the open she fiddled with the small device, rolling it in her hands it's red lens glinted in the moonlight. Even after all these months she still had no idea how to get it to work, not for lack of trying or anything. To think she held a piece of alien technology in her hands, something decades perhaps even hundreds of years ahead of anything Atlas could hope to produce in her lifetime, had they known what she had during her stay at Vale's hospital, they'd have likely confiscated it or if that failed, make her a generous offer.
As if she'd have ever given it to them, to begin with.
She knew the dangers of letting such technology fall into the hands of a world that was nowhere near ready for it. The laser lances the White Fang had used during the attack on beacon were reason enough to keep it hidden, it might have only been a communication device but if the machinery inside, the software that ran it could be replicated any of its more mundane applications that could have been put to use would likely be overlooked in favor of its offensive capabilities.
She wouldn't let that happen.
Pocketing the badge Blake turned her attention towards her most pressing challenge at the moment, starting up at door to her father's study she felt the weight of her past beginning to catch up to her, he'd said time and time again since she'd arrived that there was nothing to forgive, that he didn't care about what had happened.
So why was it so hard for her to believe that her Mother and Father had put years of their life into the creation of the White Fang, into building it into something respectable, a force for good, and she and a few like-minded individuals had torn it all down, forever staining the Fang and her father's name with blood.
After all that, did she even deserve to be forgiven?
"You know, you can always go in and say hi." Stifling her startled yelp, Blake turned to face her mother tea tray in hand, who could only giggle softly "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you."
"I-It's fine, Mom." Blake replied rubbing her right arm nervously as she glanced back towards the door. "I just don't want to bother him."
Kali gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "A father's never too busy for his daughter."
Blake hummed humorously, a few of the stories Weiss had shared with her team about her father immediately coming to mind, none of which painted the Schnee Patriarch in a flattering light. "A friend of mine would disagree with you about that."
"Here." Her mother shrugged, stepping forward Kali passed the tray into Blake shaking hands, her daughter glanced between the tray and her in confusion. Planting a kiss on her daughter's cheek Kali turned and pulled open the sliding door leading back into the manor.
"Wait! Where are you going." Blake called out to her.
Kali paused in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder towards Blake she said "You've never been all that talkative, but that boy you brought back sure does love to run his mouth." She smiled teasingly "I want to hear more about the adventures of Team RWBY." Stepping through Kali slid the door shut behind her before Blake had any time to offer up a retort.
"Kali!" Ghira called out from inside his study. "Is that you dear" Blake stiffened the tray wobbling in her grasp the china sliding to one side, Blake gasped and quickly balanced it before anything slid over the edge. Winning to herself she turned back towards the door, she knew she'd have to talk to him eventually, she'd just been waiting for the right time. Then again when was the right time to drop down on your knees and beg for someone's forgiveness after destroying what could be considered their life's work, now it seemed her mother had provided such an opportunity.
If she walked away now, she may never have the courage again "Now or never." she muttered, balancing the tray on one arm she reached out and slid the door open and stepped into her father's study. The walls and flooring were primarily wooden, with bookshelves lining nearly every wall, with numerous potted plants and paintings hung from the ceiling and walls, sectioned off at the very back of the room, resting atop a marble floor was a large oak desk, a mural of Kuo-Kuana adorning the wall behind it.
Her father sat behind his desk; his head buried in some papers. "Hey, dad." She called out to her father.
Ghira glanced up from his paperwork, his face brightening up at the sight of his daughter "Blake! Well, this is a present surprise" He said, shoving the papers into one of the draws Ghira stood and gestured to the black sofas surrounding the coffee table at the center of the room. "Please, come sit." Blake nodded back nervously and move to join her father around the coffee table, setting the tray down by her father she started to prepare a cup, only for Ghira to wave her off.
"Don't worry I've got it." he said gesturing to the empty spot beside him "Sit down, sit down. "He urged her, slipping past her father Blake glanced between him and his desk, he'd looked busy when she came in, maybe now was a bad time?
"I don't want to keep you if your-"
Her father chuckled good naturedly as he started prepping their drinks "Nonsense, I've been cooped up in here all day." He replied adding a sugar cube to one of the cups "You still take sugar right?" he asked while giving it a quick stir.
"Oh, actually, uh-"Blake trailed off.
"Oh!" Her father flinched back nervously "Sorry" He hastily added.
Blakes's eyes widened 'No, no, no no, it's fine' she started to panic "A little sugar is fine, sugar is just fine" Blake laughed offering her father a nervous smile in an attempt to reassure him he hadn't done anything wrong before reaching out to take the cup.
"Oh here, take this one." Her father practically stumbled over his response shoving his own into her hands.
"No, really." Blake replied setting the cup down in front of him and taking back her own. "It's, it's no big deal."
"You sure?" Ghira asked once more.
"Positive" Blake replied taking a quick sip from her tea for assurance, only to wince slightly as the scolding liquid washed over her tongue, Blake gasped slightly and immediately regretted her decision as the tea continued its way down the wrong pipe, leading to a small coughing fit, Ghira reached out and gently patted his daughters back.
"Careful, sweetheart." He said rubbing soothing circles across her back.
Blakes cheek flushed "Sorry."
Ghira nodded back slowly "So..." He trailed off glancing between his tea and his daughter, more importantly, her state of dress or rather her lack of in certain...areas. Now the style he knew might have changed since he was younger, but was it really...necessary to show so much now? "Is it...warm... in Vale?" he asked an awkward silence following, Blake blinked, setting aside her tea she looked up at the father strangely.
"Uhh, Warm?" She asked.
"It's just... your outfit doesn't seem to cover much." Ghira replied gesturing towards her.
Blake looked down at herself, it didn't take long for the cat Faunus to catch on, her cheeks heating up slightly... ok so her outfit might have been just a tad revealing. Blake pulled her jacket closed and hastily tied its belt around her waist, hiding her exposed midriff and crop-top. "It covers plenty, see." She replied.
"I'm not saying…"Ghira trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "You can dress however you like; I just thought a little more armor might help, don't you think?" he asked, the awkwardness between them rising.
"I'm fine." Blake replied crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't need any armor; I can take care of myself."
"I..." Ghira sighed. "I know you can, I'm sorry." A silence enveloping the two, releasing a small sigh through his nose Ghira turned his attention back to their tea setting his cup down beside her own and reached out towards the teapot for a refill.
"Why?"
"Hmm" Ghira turned back to Blake, his daughter staring down at her lap in clear distress.
"W-why would you say that?" She asked once more a slight tremor in her tone.
Pushing the tray aside Ghira stood and moved to his daughter's side, kneeling down in front of her he reached out resting a comforting hand on her back. Had he said something that upset her? "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asked in a gentle voice, while silently cursing himself she'd been back less than a few days and he was already causing trouble "Was it something I said."
Blake looked up at him, tears welling at the edges of her eyes. "H-how can you s-still l-love me after e-everything I did?" she asked in a broken voice filled with sorrow.
For a moment Ghira was stunned. How... How could she think like that, where... in what world would they ever stop-... of course he and Kali still loved her how could they not?. "Blake...?" Ghira sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her he pulled his daughter into a gentle embrace. "Your mother and I will always love you."
"You were right!" A keening breath slipped past her lips, the emotional dam that had built up inside her over the course of six long years readying to burst "I shouted at you and yelled at you."She looked up into her father's gentle topaz orbs, tears streaming down her cheeks. "B-But you were right, y-you were always right from the start and I... I called you cowards."
Her head fell onto her father's shoulder a growing wet spot forming on his coat, all the while Ghira sat there in silence brushing a comforting hand through his daughter's hair as she poured her heart out. "It's okay." he whispered to her.
Blakes lifted her head off Ghira's shoulder. "I...I should have listened to you; I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom." Her head fell in shame. "If I had, then none of this would have happened." If she'd just listened to her parents instead of being so stubborn, then none of this would have happened, even if it led to her never joining beacon, even if it meant she'd never met the three girls who'd become like sisters to her...if she'd left with them all those years ago maybe they'd have been okay.
Maybe...Maybe Alex would still be alive. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."
"Blake" Ghira tilted her head back so she could look him in the eye, so she'd know everything he was about to say was the truth. "Your mother and I never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail." Whipping away a tear with his thumb Ghira smiled down at her softly. " I only ever feared was that you might fall down the wrong path, and I am so proud to see you haven't."
"But I did!" She grit her teeth. "I was-"
"And you pulled yourself out" Ghira cut her off before she could fall further into despair. "You came back. There aren't many who possess that kind of strength and even fewer that have the courage to face their demons again. "He assured her pride in his tone "Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon - you confronted the White Fang time after time."
Whipping the tears from her eyes Blake slowly looked up at her father "I didn't do it alone."
"No, you didn't. Which is why I wanted to ask you... why did you leave Vale?" Her father looked down at her quizzically "Why did you leave your friends behind?"
"I Just..." Blake swallowed thickly. "I thought they'd be saf-"
"Whoa!" A familiar cried out as its owner and the porch door crashed down into her father's study with a resounding bang, the father-daughter duo leapt up from there seat Blake's hand shot over her shoulder for Gambol shroud, only to grasp thin air while her father extended his claws. The two stared down at the would-be eavesdropper a pair of blue eyes and a familiar mop of messy blond hair stared back at them awkwardly "Uhhh, hey." He waved.
"Sun!" Blake shouted indignantly.
" D'yuh! Whoa!" Sun slapped the side of his head in mock surprise as he hastily scampered back to his feet." This, this isn't the bathroom. "Blakes glared intensified her right ear twitching rapidly, the monkey Faunus sweat dropped "Uh, don't mind me" He said picking up the door and hastily back out onto the balcony "Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!" He called out as he hastily slid the door back in place.
Her father sighed "I really, don't like him."
Blake groaned burying her head in her hands, she was starting to regret letting him tag along. Dragging her hands down her face Blake looked back towards the door, honestly, it felt like she was babysitting a small child rather than a huntsman in training. "I'll be back in a minute." She growled marching across the study towards the porch door.
Pulling the door open she stepped onto the porch, before violently slamming it shut behind her. "Uhh" Her head snapped to the side, her amber eyes glaring daggers into the blond monkey Faunus, an angry vein bulging across her forehead as a wave of murderous intent washed over him.
She stepped forward and Sun stepped back, Blake stalked across the porch towards the young man "Look I...I get your mad alright." He rambled as he back-peddling away from her and into the railing "But I had a good reason alright..." Glancing back over his shoulder Sun stared down at the long drop below, did he dare risk it.
"Yo-You see I...Uh "Sun froze, Blake stood before him her teeth clenched and right eye twitching, a low sound reverberating in the back of her throat. "Heheheh" Blake lashed out delivering a swift slap across the Monkey Faunus cheek.
"No concept of privacy" She growled, reeling her arm back once more, she struck him again "No respect for someone's Personal Space."
"I'm sorry, okay?!"He rubbed his reddening cheek, flinching as Blake pulled her arm back for another blow "Ow... I'm sorry"
Blake gripped the sides of her head and turned away from him angrily "I can't believe you did that!" Blake snapped throwing her arms into the air first her team's room back at Beacon now at her own house... she was starting to sense a trend. "Do you always just hang around and listen in on people hoping you might end up overhearing something personal!?"
"Look, I promise it was important!" Sun defended "I needed to find you to talk to you!"
Blake rolled her eyes, turning back to him she asked "What, Sun. What could be so important?"
"I was talking to your mom and she said something weird about the White Fang!" He revealed
Pinching the bridge of her nose Blake waved her hand towards the monkey Faunus "Alright, I am stopping you right there."
"But—" Sun tried to say
"No" Blake shot back her patience wearing thin. "No buts, I am not here to fight the Whtie Fang I am not here to fight anyone, something you can't seem to understand." She sighed, turning away Blake lean over the balcony railing "I came here to rest, to recover and spend time with my parents... to grieve." She said growling out the last part.
"Your mom said White Fang members don't wear masks in Menagerie." He started digging into his back pocket. " But I saw one at the market yesterday! I even have a picture!" he said holding his scroll out towards her.
"What did I just say!" Blake shot back.
"Look would you just take a look; I'm just trying to help." He said.
Blake snatched the scroll from his hands "Well did you ever stop and think, that I don't want your help!" Spinning on her heels she hurled the scroll of the balcony. She turned back to continue her tongue lashing, Sun meeting her glare with one of his own his face twisting into a scowl. Just then a feminine gasp echoed from the treeline.
The two froze and then slowly turned to the source, eyes narrowing. And then they saw it or rather her, just beyond the tree line was a dark humanoid figure perched on one of the shorter palm trees, their body blending in so perfectly with the darkness of their surroundings they'd have likely missed them, had it not been for the bone-white mask they wore.
Figuring out their cover was now blown, the figure leapt from their perch and into the air, the light of the shattered moon revealing their perpetrator was in fact a young woman with olive skin dotted by dark scaled with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail she wore a black, grey and dark grey sleeveless stealth suit with short legs that resembles a playsuit with black trim around the legs. The stealth suit's zipper is gold, and over it, she wears grey belt straps with gold buckles. She wore a pair of simple black boots with a cuff and a black glove on her right hand.
"A freaking Ninja!" Sun gaped
"A spy!" Blake realized.
"But why would—" Before he could finish Blake was already moving, hopping up onto the railing she leapt into the air, spring boarding off a palm tree she launched herself into the air in pursuit of the spy.
"Hey wait up!" As Sn called out to her, the porch door behind them open, Kali, drawn out by the sudden yelling stepped onto the porch looking around in concern.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"The White Fang is evil!" Sun replied looking back and forth between her and the way her daughter left. "I totally called it, and I'm bringing your daughter back." Sun spun on his heels and leapt over the railing into the courtyard below joining the pursuit.
/
Kicking some dirt on the smoldering embers of their fire Pyrrha turned and made her way back toward her belongings, tightening the knot around the end of her bedroll, she slid it into her pack beside the rest of her travel supplies before retrieving the map beside it. Zipping her pack shut she threw the bag over her shoulder and hopped back to her feet, unfolding it in her hands as she went Pyrrha hastily studied its layout, it didn't take long to find their route, her eyes following the road as it branched off in two around a mountain range.
One would take them through the mountains where if the map was correct, a settlement by the name of Omi had taken root in the cliffside, while the other led off in a valley to the west of the mountains that went on for a few more miles before finally converging on another village, Ishigami. Omi was closer by at least two days, but...
Pyrrha glance over the edge of the map to the source of this little detour. Qrow grit his teeth as Adam tied a fresh roll of bandaged around his injury, Qrow's cheeks had sunken slightly overnight and his complexion was far paler. The old dressing laid out on the stump beside him was stained black by the substance leaking from his would. She swallowed thickly, given the terrain and Qrow's worsening condition taking that path would likely sap him of his strength far quicker than the former, which while getting them to help sooner, might also hinder his bodies own ability to fight off the poison.
However, the same could be said for the other, while the route might be easier on him the added time to the journey would also allow Tyrians venom to spread further through his body, what did she do? Both routes were just as likely to harm him as they were to help him, but if they didn't reach help soon and the venom was allowed to run its course...
"Pyrrha?"
"Hmm?" Pyrrha jumped pulling the map aside she found Ruby stood before her.
The red-clad reaper glanced back over her shoulder towards her uncle and Adam her face twisted in turmoil. "Did you find anything?" she asked, Nora and Ren, paused in their own work to listen.
Pyrrha bit her lip "Well," Kneeling down beside the red reaper, Pyrrha unfolded the map in front of them, studying it for a moment to get her bearings she pointed to their current position, before dragging her finger towards the northeast. "This route here seems like our best option, I found two settlements along the way that might be able to help us." Ruby's face brightening at the revelation. "Omi seems to be the closest, but the route is what worries me, from what I can tell the road will take us through the mountains, the terrain would be hard for us even at our best, that, combined with the Grimm we will likely encounter along the way... well, I don't think it would be wise to push your uncle given his condition."
Ruby nodded along slowly "What about the other one?" She asked.
"Ishigami" Ren and Nora seemed to still for a moment the green-clad ninja stared down into his pack in silence. "The route will take us through the valley to the west of the mountains, it'll add a few days to our trip but it seems far less taxing-. Ren slowly tuned out his teammate's voice, Ishigami, he knew that village and if the route Pyrrha was describing was the one he was thinking of then that would mean they risked passing through-.
A hand settled on his shoulder breaking him out of his trance, tilting his head to the side he found Nora staring back at him a worried look in her eye, her grip on his shoulder tightened and Ren slowly nodded. Getting Ruby's uncle, the aid he needed took priority, and should they have to pass through that... place, to do so he was prepared to bear the uncomfortable memories that were already beginning to resurface.
Even now he could see the flames all around him, he could hear the screams of his fellow villagers as the creatures of Grimm flooded through the streets and the finally defiant cries of his father as he stood against the hoard before even they were deafened by the ear-splitting roar of the monster that in one night, stole it all away from him.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby startled cry dragged him back to reality, the sound of heavy coughing resounding through the clearing. Ren and Nora flinched back as the red-clad reaper zipped between them in a cloud of rose petals, the two hopped up onto their feet Pyrrha rushing past them to join the small crowd that had formed around the red-eyed huntsmen.
"Just breath ok." Ruby said from his left, rubbing soothing circles up her uncle back as Qrow hacked into his hand.
"What happened?" Ren asked.
"I don't know he just keeled over and then..." Ruby trailed off as she gestured aimlessly towards her uncle.
After a few seconds, his coughing fit subsided leaving the Black Reaper sucking in one wheezing breath after another. Feeling something clinging to his fingers Qrow pulled back his hand, his eyes widening slightly. Adam cursed under his breath while Pyrrha covering her mouth in shock, all the while Ruby stared down at the black gunk staining his hand in growing despair.
"Well..."Qrow wheezed he himself taken aback by the site "That's unfortunate."
To be continued