Let's get to it, folks. Let me know what you think so far.
Legend:
Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Journal Entries/Flashbacks/
The upbeat music that filled the bar brought with it new life. The patrons were livelier and two were even singing it on the other end of the bar in their drunken stupor. Hell, even I could feel enthusiasm creeping its way up, but that also had to do with the next story I was about to tell my tipsy companion. I opened my mouth and a light burp escaped me and the hot rising bile accompanied it. Thankfully I was able to stifle it and wash it down with another sip of whiskey. That would have been a quick ticket out of the bar and a pissed off Schnee had I failed to do so.
"Once again, you are proving to be a savage." Winter swirled her glass.
"Hey, it comes with the drinking. Bet money you'll be doing it soon enough with the amount you pounded down, Ice Queen," I teased back.
"Unlikely. Now, tell me this new story. You said it was about team building."
I ignored her haughty taunt and nodded to answer back.
"That's right. Before we go any further, what do you remember about my team so far?" I asked as my fingertips caressed my stubble.
Winter looked surprised at the question. She was more than likely expecting me to have her take another drink instead of challenging her memory. She opened her mouth and her eyes trailed to the ceiling as she tried to recall what I told her earlier.
"Your team was consisted of you, your sister, the flirt and your niece's mother," she began.
"Okay, what else?" I grinned.
She was about to answer again, but her eyes narrowed.
"Wait, you never said anything else. Just that your sister didn't respect Summer and that Taiyang's foolish flirting only made things worse," said Winter.
"Good, you're still here. It took you a minute, but you're doing well," I answered with a nod.
"You are annoying."
"And you're still here talking to me, so clearly I'm more entertaining than whatever the hell else you had planned tonight."
"Oh, for the love of…"
Winter drowned her frustration in a long drink and I took that as my cue to continue my end of the bargain.
Our initiation test had gone fairly smooth. Summer and I were one of the first pairs to reach the location of the relics that were to be acquired and based on whatever pieces we took, we would be paired with others that completed the set. And as fate would have it, or maybe it was just divine intervention messing with me because I was being a smartass to Raven earlier, she and Taiyang were the next ones that came upon the clearing with us and had the pieces necessary to complete our team.
That smug look on Raven's face soured me. Like I said, I loved her dearly, but I wanted her to be able to grow and be more sociable with others outside of me. Hopefully Summer and Taiyang would be able to help with that, though. They seemed lively enough and although that would get on her nerves, I felt they would be the best bet to help pull her from her shell. Those thoughts went on the backburner as we had to fight our way back to the cliffside to finish the initiation.
This is where I made my observations of Summer and Tai. Another little skill I picked up and took pride in was attention to detail. Summer and Tai were a lot like me and Raven in terms of combat. Given that they had known each other before Beacon they probably trained and fought Grimm together enough. Their teamwork was pristine. Movement was just as timely and synchronized as mine and Raven's would be. Sometimes even able to move and communicate with a simple nod or look. It was impressive. Very damn impressive. Blurs of red, white and yellow to resemble that of a fast-moving fire.
Tai was up close and personal with hand-to-hand combat. Combinations of kicks and punches that would stun a Grimm or shatter their hide completely. His golden gauntlets were infused with dust crystals that would grant him elemental assists with his attacks be it fire, ice, lightning, even gravity. He would be a very fun guy to spar with down the line.
Then came Summer. For a small woman, she was able to handle her large polearm with grace. A crimson halberd with a sharp tip on the opposite end that could act as a spear. Her hands were fast and I could see her inserting a dust crystal every now and then with each Grimm we came across. The crystal's energy would manifest in either the main blade or the tip. The kicker was that her halberd had the ability to release a ranged attack from the main blade if she decided to release its power as a whole. I remember seeing Raven's interest peaked when a five Ursa were reduced to smoldering ash upon a wave of searing fire. It was the first shred of respect towards Summer from her, but it would take more than that.
Of course when I called Raven out on this she made my first week of Beacon a nightmare. In this case, all the pants for my school uniforms were reduced to shreds. It was cold, both figuratively and literally. I would not be able to get replacements until the end of the week and I had to improvise at expense to my reputation. Summer being the kind hearted partner she was loaned me some of her skirts at Tai's suggestion. Whether she knew he was joking was another story. Now I will admit, the humiliation stayed with me forever, but those skirts were comfy and I was able to move a little more freely.
"Lookin' good there, Qrow!" I heard a group of classmen call from across the hall.
"I actually make this look good!" I retorted back to howling laughter.
A wicked cackle came to my left and I could see the shit eating grin on Raven's face as she put a piece of sausage in her mouth.
"Serves you right," the edge evident in her tone.
"I don't think Qrow deserved that. He was just teasing you, Raven," Summer said with a fold of her arms.
Raven's red eyes fell on her.
"I'm aware of that. You try growing up with this idiot for seventeen years and we'll see how you like it," she answered back, her attention now completely on her.
Summer did not flinch under my sister's gaze and calmly met her challenging stare. After a moment, Summer smiled sweetly and that seemed to irritate Raven by not taking her prod.
"How is that any different from me and Taiyang? We tease each other all the time, but we do it because it's fun and we're friends. Friends mess with each other, too," Summer offered her response.
"It's childish," Raven replied.
"You do it too!" I chipped in.
Summer shot me a firm look and I picked up on it. She was driving this conversation. She was the leader of our team after being appointed by Ozpin, so it only made sense to let her handle the situation. Teams needed to be able to work together and when it came to bonding, we sucked to put it simply.
"Qrow makes a point," Summer said getting Raven's attention again. "I've seen you teasing him."
"Only because he starts it. That's why I take part in it, otherwise I refuse to get pulled into it," Raven said in return.
This time Taiyang spoke up.
"Come on, Raven. Being serious and wound up all the time isn't the way to be. Loosen up a little, eh?" He grinned at his partner.
Raven's gaze shifted over to Taiyang who grinned at her. She looked ready to reply back to him but stopped and looked back at Summer. I could see the wheels in her head turning and this would be her way to end the conversation or manipulate the situation to the outcome she desired. She was clever that way.
"I simply don't see things the way either of you do. We're here to become stronger and become better than we are. If we fail to do that, well, you saw what happened to some of those trainees during the exam," she said.
Taiyang's face fell and Summer's eyes trailed to the table for a second at the mention. Although it was an entrance exam, one's skill as potential huntsmen was to be tested in combat and survival. While we had no issues, some of the recruits were gravely injured and some never came out. Harsh, but true.
"So tell me, am I really being unreasonable here? Because I think we are wasting our time with needless fun. If we can fight together and survive, that's all that matters," Raven continued as she got to her feet.
"You're not wrong, no," Summer said with a shake of her head before meeting her eyes again. "But we're also a team here as well. Like it or not, we need to be civil and support each other outside of missions. I agree that we need to be able to fight together as a team, but we also need to be able to live like a family. There's more to life than fighting."
Raven scoffed and turned to make her way out of the hall.
"Where are you going? We're not done yet," said Summer.
"To train. Class doesn't start for a while and I have time," said Raven.
"And I'm still speaking to you. Please sit back down."
Taiyang and I spared each other a look. The tension was starting to build between the two of them. Raven was getting more defiant and I could tell she was truly testing Summer's patience. The girl was sweet, but she would not tolerate disrespect any further.
Raven turned to look over her shoulder. Her eyes were sharp and she was ready to give the last push.
"No. You may be the leader, but you can't tell me how I can spend my time," she said.
"Raven, let me be clear. I'm done asking. I do not appreciate the way you've been speaking with me and I do not appreciate the way you've treated Tai and Qrow," Summer firmly replied.
"And what are you going to do about it?"
Raven was now fully facing her, a ghost of smirk on her face. She got what she wanted in instigating a fight with Summer. Looking back at Summer I could see her furrowed brow vanish and become relaxed.
"I'll make you a deal. If you beat me in a duel, you don't have to spend time with us," Summer began.
Taiyang opened his mouth to protest, but a quick look from Summer made him close it. Raven, meanwhile, had a wicked grin spread across her face.
"Now you have my attention, but I'll humor you too. If you by chance happen to win?" She challenged as she walked up to her.
Summer waited until Raven was just in front of her before speaking again.
"You drop the attitude and cooperate with all of us."
Raven chuckled.
"Fine. In fact, I'll give you extra incentive. If you beat me, I'll also do anything you ask for a whole month."
Raven extended her hand and I could see the excitement almost pouring out of her. She wanted to fight Summer in the worst way and was about to get her wish if Summer agreed. Without hesitation, Summer's hand gripped hers tightly and they shook in agreement.
"Combat arena, ten minutes. Don't be late."
With that Raven turned on her heel and left the hall.
"Ah man, why can't we just be friends?" Taiyang shook his head with a sigh.
I took another drink from my glass and scratched my stubble again. Winter set her glass down and leaned forward clearly intrigued with the story.
"What happened next? Did Summer end up winning the duel?" Winter asked.
Her curiosity almost reminded me of the many times I babysat Yang and Ruby and read them bedtime stories. The specialist almost looked as if she was bouncing in her seat waiting to hear more. I felt the corners of my mouth curve up a little at the sight. It was cute in a way.
"What do you think?" I teased.
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you!" She wryly retorted.
"I suppose I could tell you, but you need to wait."
Winter reached for her glass about to take a drink, but I stopped her with a gentle grip. She gave a slightly annoyed look and I got off the chair.
"I admire your enthusiasm to follow through but I meant wait as in I have to take a piss, Ice Queen," I said.
"That's disgusting, but if that's the case then I'll use the bathroom too," said Winter.
"Fair enough. Take your drink with you, don't leave it alone."
"Babysitting a drink seems a bit much, don't you think?"
Her retort was supposed to be funny, but I wasn't going to chance it.
"You know what happens when someone drugs your drink?" I grabbed mine.
The smile quickly vanished and a brief look of horror came to her face. I put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.
"Relax. I told you that for a reason, Winter. Come on," I said as I led her to the other side of the bar.
I felt Winter's hand grip mine a little tighter as we wormed through the crowds. I sighed under my breath and my stomach twist in guilt. I didn't mean to kill the mood or scare her, but I wasn't going to risk her betterment from a careless mistake. Although this bar was usually good about keeping track of people, one could never be too careful. The last thing I wanted was for Winter to fall victim to a naïve sense of trust of others.
"I'll wait for you out here. Don't go throwing up on me," I said.
"Shut up, Qrow," Winter said with a roll of her eyes.
Being a drinker comes with a lot of downsides and one of them was the need to use the bathroom frequently. This would be the first of many trips of the night for me and Winter, but it was best to have the first one now since the rest of the story I had to tell her would be longer than the first part. After finishing by business and quick wash I left the bathroom and saw Winter coming out as well.
"You good?" I asked.
"I feel much better. Now, tell me what happened between Summer and your sister," said Winter.
"Be patient, woman. We have nothing but time right now."
"That may be true, but I indulged and let you have your break. Start talking."
I grabbed her hand and began to lead her back to the bar, but found our seats were taken. A quick scan of the bar and I found a vacated high table by the window. Perfect. Once we reached the table I spun the specialist in place and let her hand go and she plopped into her new chair, jumping a little in surprise.
"Pop a squat, Ice Queen." I smirked as I took the opposite one.
"Ever the gentleman," said Winter.
"Always. Now, let's get back to the story…"
I leaned on the railing overlooking the combat arena with Tai beside me. He had spent the better part of five minutes trying to convince Summer not to fight Raven, insisting that it would only make it worse. To be fair to his thoughts were valid and would probably be truthful if it were anyone else, but he would learn my sister's mannerisms over time as her partner. This was how Raven communicated early with new people. One had to earn her respect and prove themselves worthy of her time, then she would open up.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Tai looked at me.
"Probably not, but the boss thinks so," I said back with a shrug.
"There has to be another way, Qrow. I trust Summer, but I think this will just make it worse."
I looked at Tai and could see him looking down at Raven in the arena as she inspected her sword.
"Look, I know Raven better than you and you know Summer better than me. But trust me, this is the best outcome. I think we can agree that once their minds are made up, there's no stopping them," I said.
Tai sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, you got that right. For as long as I've known her, Summer is not one to quit or give up," he said with a laugh.
"Exactly. All I'm asking you is to put that trust that you have in Summer into me and what I'm telling you now. This is going to work out, Tai," I assured him.
Tai grinned and raised his fist at me. I looked at it and then back at him.
"Bump it, dude," he told me.
I raised my fist and bumped my knuckles to his. I didn't have any friends growing up and didn't count Raven since she was my sister, but that felt really good.
"You're a pretty cool guy, Qrow. Even in a skirt," Tai said.
"Thanks…" I nodded back before realizing his tail comment. "Oh, fuck you!"
Tai laughed at my response and I pointed a lone finger at him.
"I'm gonna' get you back for convincing Summer to loan me her skirts."
"I doubt it, but you're welcome to try," Tai said through his laughter.
That's it, he was getting itching powder in his underwear later. He would not see it coming and it would be glorious. That would teach him to mock my temporary skirt. I was broken from my thoughts when I saw Summer enter from the doors on the other side of the arena. Her entrance got the attention of Tai who stopped laughing as well as Raven who turned to face her.
"Right on time. Good," said Raven.
"I gave you my word, Raven. I never break it," said Summer as she pulled out her halberd.
Her thumb pressed the hidden switch and the halberd sprung into its full length. Summer's silver eyes had gone from warm to sharp as she waited for Raven to get into her stance. My sister gripped her blade with two hands and sunk her stance.
It was fast, a blur of white and red as both of them shot at each other and screeching metal met my ears. Metal continued to ring as their weapons collided and Raven soon towered over Summer pushing her blade down on her. Summer remained collected as she stared up at Raven and her arms trembled a little as she held back her teammate. A quick push and twirl of her weapon and Summer stabbed at Raven with a flurry of jabs, the small spear narrowly missing my sister with each shot.
Raven put distance between the two of them and swung her blade, forcing Summer to jump high into the air and avoid it. Her hands were fast and she went for a cleave to intercept Summer but it was parried with a quick swing. Metal rang again Summer shot forth faster than before and Raven deflected her swing. Raven had an opening and her leg landed a blow on Summer's back. It prompted a retaliating back stab from Summer's halberd and it caught a piece of her arm, penetrating it.
Back and forth the two of them went with their attacks, both matched in speed and weaponry. It was wild to see Summer dodge attacks from Raven that no one else could, but there was a reason for that. It almost seemed as if she teleported in a wave of petals to escape each other attack and it was quite the treat to see Raven both shocked and irritated at being unable to do what she must have assumed would be an easy feat. To keep pace her attacks became more reckless and left her open like she normally wouldn't be.
Two more loud clashes and Summer was sent away. Before she even landed on the ground Raven was inside her guard again. Her knee burrowed into Summer and I could almost hear the air leave her lungs as she staggered back with a harsh wheeze. Raven continued her onslaught and was on her again, but this time Summer was fast with a counter. The spear embedded in a ground and like a top, Summer spun herself around and had landed two kicks on Raven, the first across her cheek and the follow up right under chin. Raven flipped away and landed just in time to see a wave of ice flying to her from Summer who unleashed all the energy of her dust.
Raven, thinking fast, sliced through it and the floor behind her became coated in a thick sheet of ice. Another click resounded as Summer loaded another dust crystal and the blade of her halberd began to emanate heat as it coursed with fire. Raven tucked her sword away and pulled a fresh blade from her sheath. Much like Summer's her weapons also infused with dust granted similar abilities. Fire as well. The two jumped at each other in another clash, the ripples of heat coming from their weapons could be seen and neither would want to get hit by the other. Raven put more power into her swing and sent Summer back and swung again, unleashing the wave of fire. Summer's skid across the floor made her stumble, but she stayed with the momentum and swung with pinpoint accuracy. Two waves of fire flew at each other and met head on, colliding into a ball of flame that pushed out a gust of heat and flame that filled the arena.
"Summer! Raven!" Tai called out to the massive cloud of smoke covering the arena.
I looked on silently and waited for the smoke to clear. Clashing met my ears again and then a hard thump. Raven was sent straight into the air, eyes wide with shock and surprise as she came to terms with the hard hit. She quickly regained composure just in time to block a strike from Summer's halberd as she rocketed out of the smoke, eyes lit with determination.
"Damn-it, you are really annoying with that thing!" Raven growled out.
Summer said nothing as she continued her ruthless onslaught with precise, fast jabs with the tip of her halberd. She had the upper hand on Raven who was now acting on raw instinct with each move instead of logic. Every strike she saw her arms moved to keep up on reflex. Her hand snatched out and she gave a hard tug, yanking Summer to her. She reared her head back and brought if forward as hard as she could with a sickening thump. Summer's head snapped back from the sheer power and she was sent plummeting to the ground after a firm foot from Raven found its way into her stomach. A crash followed a second later as Summer landed hard on the floor and went rigid.
Raven landed a moment later and briskly made her way over to Summer, blade ready to finish the fight. It was at this moment that Summer pushed herself back up and leveled Raven with a sharp glare that briefly halted her in her tracks.
"Do you now see the difference in our power?" Raven asked.
Summer got to her feet once again and wiped the blood from her nose. She crouched down and vanished in a white blur. She moved fluidly and quickly around Raven with no hesitation a quick jab or slash was too much for Raven to handle as Summer reappeared around her in a swirl of white petals, completely overwhelming her. With a firm plant of the spear of her halberd in the ground, Summer swung up and the tip of her foot connected under Raven's jaw and launched her off her feet. She dropped her sword in being sent airborne and it landed with a loud clatter and she fell spread eagle. As she tried to get up, Summer towered over her and had the tip of her spear pointed at Raven's neck.
"Yield," was Summer's only order.
Raven said nothing and Summer only inched the tip of her spear to Raven's neck.
"Yield, Raven." Her voice firmer than before.
Raven's eyes were sharp as she glared up at Summer, disarmed and held in an otherwise lethal position. The scowl on her face was strong as she begrudgingly raised her hands as a surrender. Summer then pulled the tip of her halberd back and offered her hand to her teammate. She got her wish when Raven reluctantly took it a second later.
Beside me I heard Tai let out a sigh of relief.
"That was intense, yeah?" He looked at me.
"Yeah, it was," I said with a nod, not taking my eyes off Raven and Summer.
Tai and I hopped into the arena as Raven walked over to her blade and picked it up, her back still turned to us.
"Raven, can I expect you to keep your end of the deal?" Summer asked.
My eyes drifted over to my sister and I could see her head was looking toward the ground, possibly in embarrassment, shame and anger at her loss after talking a big game earlier. She didn't trust her voice as her head bobbed in agreement. This garnered a wide smile from Summer as she tucked her halberd away.
"Great! Then let's get cleaned up and get to class. When classes are done, we're going into Vale for some fun!" Summer grinned.
Winter had her head propped up in her hand as she stared back at me, completely enamored with the story. She straightened up in her chair and held her glass as she looked back at me.
"Just how strong was Summer? All I know is that you and your sister were no pushovers at this point, but for her to do that it says something," said Winter.
I paused as I brought my glass to my lips. While I was not going to tell Winter everything due to classified information and personal reasons, I could at least give her an idea of how powerful Summer really was. After taking a small sip from my drink I set it back on the table and opened my mouth to speak again.
"Summer was special, Winter. I can't go into the full details, but take my word for it. If you even heard half of her feats, you probably wouldn't believe it."
"Perhaps. Then again, I would almost expect one to vouch and boost the competency of their partner," said Winter.
"And you're not wrong with that, but Summer always succeeded in what she did. She was the embodiment of a hero you'd tell stories about to kids before bed."
Winter swirled the contents of her drink as she mulled over my words before meeting my eyes again.
"So, Raven lost and had to do what Summer said as part of that deal. What happened next?" She asked.
A chuckle escaped me as I remembered the look on Raven's face when Summer told her what the team exercise was.
"Have you ever gone to a karaoke bar?" I leaned back in my seat.
Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in surprise, but also struggled to stifle her laughter. A snort left her and she broke out into a fit of giggles.
"You can't be serious? She forced you all to do karaoke?" Winter's face burned with laughter.
"Yeah, she did," I said with a laugh myself.
"You can sing?"
"Hell no, but that's the point. You're not going to find a someone with talent in a bar like that, Ice Queen. It's supposed to be fun and a place not to take yourself seriously."
Winter nodded in agreement and took another long drink from her glass. Her lips pursed as the drink went down and sent a shock through her. She was probably close to puking as she brought her finger in front of her mouth and took a long breath.
"Okay, so keep going. She drags you all to a karaoke bar to sing," said Winter after regaining her composure.
Class seemed to fly by that day much to the delight of Summer and myself, albeit for different reasons. Summer was happier that her goal of getting Raven to cooperate and be a team player was about to come true. Meanwhile I was more ecstatic at my sister being knocked down a peg and having to admit defeat. She had always been a very proud woman and for her to be beaten like she had by someone lesser in her eyes had to have left a huge bruise on her ego. My words to Tai earlier did run through my head though. This really was the best outcome at the end of the day. Summer beating her was the only way to get our team to start cooperating better.
She had led us into Vale after class and with some guidance from Tai, brought us to a small corner shop in an active part of town. Nightlife was starting to pick up for people getting off of work and making their way to happy hour. The building had some tinted windows and resting above the door was a wooden sign that had a microphone and music notes on it.
"Here we are!" Summer beamed.
"Where are we?" Raven crossed her arms.
"Moss' Karaoke! Hope you got some singing chops, Raven," Tai answered her.
Raven's eyes widened briefly and narrowed as she glowered at the revelation. Definitely not what she was expecting by a longshot.
"I don't sing," Raven said firmly.
"Too bad, Raven. We had a deal, so let's go!" Summer appeared behind her and began pushing her inside.
"Hey, don't push me!"
I chuckled as Summer pushed my sister inside who did everything in her power to stay rooted to the spot. Me and Tai followed them in and were met with some music and mediocre singing coming from the other side of the bar. Some red-haired woman was trying to hold a high note but struggled mightily as her voice cracked.
"Qrow, Tai, go find us some place to sit. Me and Raven will get some drinks!" Summer looked at me.
"Got it." I turned a thumb up.
It didn't take long for us to find a place to sit and we came to a table close to the front of the stage. I wasn't sure how Summer was going to have us do this. Maybe we would do it as a team? Maybe she would send us up one by one to allow for fun and teasing later? I could see her coming to one of those decisions given her mischievous side. While we waited for Raven and Summer to come with our drinks, Tai and I watched the red head finish her song to a mix of applause and jeers.
"Tough crowd," I said with a small smirk.
"Oh, it's expected. You just want to do better than the last guy up, so it's not too bad. Summer and I usually pull it off," said Tai.
"You guys come here frequently?"
"Enough to know the owner."
Chairs scoffed the floor and Raven and Summer appeared with our drinks. Raven sat by Tai and by Summer while the latter took her seat by me. The soda was cold as I picked up the glass and brought it to my lips.
"Hey, hold on Chuckles! We do this together," said Summer picking up her glass.
She waited for Tai and Raven to follow suit and our glasses met with a clink.
"To a first week of classes and team night!" She smiled.
I gulped down my soda and set my glass back on the table. No one was on the stage yet and I was curious to know who was up next. I didn't want to go just yet and wanted a minute to relax and enjoy some other performances first before I embarrassed myself.
"Alright, up next we have Chuckles!" An amplified voice came from the bar area.
All the color drained from my face and my heart briefly stopped. Turning my eyes back to Summer I could see a wide smile on her face and a sickeningly sweet one on my sister's.
"You put her up to this, didn't you?" I growled to Raven.
"Maybe," she said back with a lighthearted shrug.
"Get your laughs in, then."
Taking a deep breath I got out of my seat and made my way up onto the stage. Each step I could feel my heart pound harder and it was about to burst as I came to a stop in front of the mounted microphone. Taking in the area, I felt very small. Every eye of the club was on my and I could almost feel a thin coat of sweat form on my forehead. Looking back at my table I could see the wicked smiles of my teammates. Well, might as well see if I can set the standard and outdo them before they had the chance. That was the only way to approach this. They screwed up by sending me first because I was going to crush this.
Pulling the microphone off the stand my eyes fell to the monitor in front of me where the lyrics to whatever I wanted to sing would light up. I hadn't been exposed to much music since arriving in Vale and heard a wide variety, but I had a feel for what I liked so far. Something that required a bit of challenge, but nothing absolutely out of reach. After finding the song I wanted I rolled my shoulders and took a deep breath as the opening notes emitted from the speakers behind me.
I set my glass back down on the table and looked back at Winter who had a wicked grin that could put Raven's to shame. She seemed to relish in the story and the potential embarrassment I had by being the first one to be fed to the lions that day during our night of fun.
"I would have paid to see that. Cruel as it is, I feel you deserved it," Winter said with a teasing tone.
"Of course you would. With how many times I roasted you, it doesn't surprise me that you'd want to see some kind of comeuppance," I answered back.
"So how did it go?"
"I actually won. They gave me a chance to seal the win out the gate and they learned never to do that again whenever we went back."
Winter gave me a flat look at that and shook her head.
"How did it really go? You're not the singing type and for a first timer, there's no way you won that," she said.
I laughed and nodded back.
"Alright, you got me. It sounded like a screeching cat," I said.
"That I do believe," said Winter with a laugh.
"But in all seriousness, that night was a lot of fun. We ended up doing a group effort at the end to some old hair metal. Tai and I added to it with some dancing."
Winter snorted and hacked as some of her drink left her mouth in a spit take.
"No, you didn't," Winter said with a growing grin.
I got out of my chair drink in hand and slowly rocked my hips as my memory recalled the song we did that night. It may have looked off since I could feel myself sway a little from the alcohol in me, but I got the reaction I wanted. Winter was now laughing hard as she clutched her sides.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" She wheezed in between.
I laughed again and took my seat, not paying mind the looks of amusement we got from other bar patrons that had taken interest in the sight before them. The rest of my drink raced down my throat as I lowered it and set it back on the table. A sigh escaped me as my eyes looked out the window. I blinked when I saw a black bird perched off the railing of the porch looking straight at me. The red eyes locked eyes with mine and I did not flinch as I kept my gaze with it.
"Qrow?" Winter's voice reached me again.
"Hmm?" I looked back at the specialist.
"Is everything okay?"
My eyes glanced back where the bird was to find it gone, but it would be back. The night was far from over and I was expecting it to swing by soon enough.
"Yeah, zoned out for a second there," I replied.
"I could tell. I'll get this next round," said Winter.
"You're buying? I think my heart just stopped."
"Shut up and have my next story ready when I get back."
Winter got out of her chair and made her way to the bar with our empty glasses. While she was gone I thought about the next story to tell her. To keep pace with what was said so far, I would stick to it. Time for the next bad one.
"Here you go," said Winter setting my fresh drink in front of me.
"Thanks." I took it in my hand.
Winter crossed her legs as she took her spot and sipped her drink.
"So, where were we?" She asked.
"This one is a twofer," I said in return.
"Oh, now you're spoiling me?"
"I guess that's one way you can look at it. Regardless, it's a bad one."
Winter's attention was wrapped once again and I scratched the stubble on my chin.
"I'm going to tell you about our first A-Ranked mission and how I discovered my Semblance."
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