Ruby squeed, shoving between people to look at the weapons for sale. Oooo, look at the knife pistol! That gunblade! That-

"Ruby, come on," Qrow called. Ruby pouted, leaving the weapon stall, and joining her uncle's side. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were walking in front of him, Ren and Nora looking at the various stalls as they walked, Pyrrha staring straight ahead.

"Sorry, Uncle Qrow, but they have so many cool weapons here!" Ruby said. Qrow chuckled.

"Thought you kids might like the scenic route. First time in Mistral City after all." He glanced at a whiskey stall as they continued forward. "But we can do some shopping later. We have business at Haven right now." He said.

The Mistral City Market was teeming with people, stalls and shops crammed next to one another, people dressed in robes, and tunics perusing the shops. The hair of the various people were done up in fashions Ruby had not seen before, and their clothes seeming simpler, yet better made then the ones back home in Vale. So many different smells wafted by Ruby as she walked; spices, herbs, and foods she couldn't name; the smell of raw Dust, and gun oil, of leather, perfume, and incense. She could hear birds squawking, and the cries of various animals.

She could see the Lifts in the distance, large wooden platforms built on tracks carved into the mountain side. Hundreds of people rode on each one, rising and descending down the mountain.

"It's kinda weird being on one of those things for the first time," Qrow said. Ren and Nora looked back at him. "You kids should try to stick to the mid to upper levels. It's a lot safer up there."

"What's down in the lower levels?" Ruby asked.

"Poverty. Disease. Crime. Anything you can think of, and you'll find it down there," Pyrrha said. They looked over at her.

"Yeah, what she said."

They reached the Lifts. Ruby bounced on her heels as the lift began to ascend, the wind blowing around them. They were heading for the very top of the city. To Haven Academy.

Weiss leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms as she looked at the Pilot.

"Are we almost there?" The Pilot raised a hand.

"Almost. We're in the home stretch now." He lowered his hand. "Been harder than I thought staying off the radar."

Weiss shifted, rubbing her wrists.

"Thank you, again. I hope I wasn't a burden." She said. The Pilot chuckled.

"Course not, kid. You Schnee's are welcome on this ship." Weiss cocked her head to the side. "With that haircut of yours, I thought you were your brother at first, to be honest."

"You know my brother?"

"Yeah. He's got a finger in just about every Dust smugglers pocket." Weiss frowned.

"Why?" The Pilot shrugged.

"Couldn't say. Just told us to give him a cut of our profits, and he doesn't turn us and our trade routes over to Ironwood. Didn't ask for much though, so I can't complain too mu-"

Static filled the cabin, the Pilot looked at the dashboard, his hand going to the radio.

"Is everything alright?" Weiss asked. The Pilot shook his head, turning the radio's knob.

"We're over Lake Matsu, too far out for any signal from Mistral Ci-"

"Mayday! Mayday! We're a passenger ship, and our Huntress is-is-! Please someone help! It's the Grimm! Please! Anyone! We're four hundred clicks off the northern shoreline! We can't-"

The radio clicked off, the Pilot turning the ship. Weiss went up to him, looking at the radio, grasping her wrist.

"We're going to go help them, right?" she asked. The Pilot shook his head.

"If we got the transmission someone else will have too." Weiss looked at him, her mouth parting.

"But…they'll die."

"And so will we if we try to help them. This is a cargo ship, kid, not a fighter ship." He looked at her, and then back out the window, sighing. "Look, I just want to get you to Mistral and go back home, my husband's waiting for me."

Weiss said nothing, looking out the window as the ship turned, flying in a new direction.

Whitley flicked the knife blade open and closed as he watched his scroll. He moved his thumb, refreshing the page again. He smiled as he saw the money wire into his account.

"Pleasure doing business," he said.

He looked back at the sound of knocking at his door.

"Master Whitley, your father wanted me to let you know that you two will be departing momentarily for the CEO meeting."

"Thank you, Klein. I'll be right out."

He collapsed his scroll, looking at the pocket knife's blade, at his grandfather's name engraved in the steel. He closed the knife, pocketing it as he stood up. He straightened his collar, smirking as he went to the door.

Ruby could hear birds chirping as they made their way through the entrance of Haven Academy. She smiled, looking around at the various buildings. At the multitude of large spiraling towers, the grass courtyards interconnecting the wooden buildings, and the topiary trees and flowers adorning every part of the campus. Wood and stone lamps sat near the buildings, yellow and red Dust crystals flickering inside them. Stone benches littered parts of the campus.

They passed a large building; she could see 'library' carved above the entrance. Ruby smile faltered as she was hit by dizziness. She sat down on one of the benches, trying to catch her breath.

"You okay?" Qrow asked. Ruby nodded, breathing slowly.

"Yeah, just, had a hard time breathing for a minute." Qrow nodded.

"We're at the top of the mountain this city is built into. The air is thinner up here. You might not be used to it." Pyrrha said. Ruby nodded, taking several breaths.

She exhaled, still feeling slightly dizzy, and got to her feet, nodding at her uncle and friends.

They continued on, reaching the Grand Hall. Qrow opened the door, following after them after they all entered. It was cavernous, the walls a green, the floors, pillars, and stairs a brown. There was a statue holding up the balcony of the staircase; a robed woman adorned with chains. Ruby looked at the statue as they made their way to the stairs, racking her memory for why it looked so familiar. Oobleck did a lecture on religion, who was that again? Oh! Djini, the patron saint of the Brothers religion. Ruby smiled, mentally patting herself on the back as Qrow opened another door, leading to an empty hallway.

"Is the school closed right now?" Nora asked.

"Yes." Pyrrha said. "Unlike Beacon, Haven doesn't have summer courses. The campus won't be officially reopened until the fall. I'm sure there are some teachers here, and the Headmaster."

"Damn kid, you really know your shit," Qrow laughed.

They reached the end of the hallway, a large wooden door before them. Qrow went up to it, raising a fist. The door swung open, a scream ripping through the air. Qrow yelled, leaping back. An old man fell against the doorway, clutching his chest.

"Qrow! What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!" the old man yelled.

"Only on the inside, Leo. And I thought you got my text?" Leo frowned, still clutching his chest, breathing heavy. He unclenched his chest after a moment and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his scroll. He looked up, smiling sheepishly.

"I seem to have put your number as spam, I didn't receive it." He said. Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Great." Leo looked past Qrow's shoulder and at them.

"Who are you four?" he asked.

"I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby said with a smile.

"Nora Valkyrie!" Nora exclaimed.

"Ren Lie."

Pyrrha was quiet for a moment before saying

"Adrestia." She finally said.

Leo nodded at them, his lions tail swishing behind him.

"Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. A pleasure to meet you all."

Qrow rested a hand on his hip.

"Leo, is the staff still here?"

"At the moment, but they will be going on vacation until classes resume soon though." Qrow frowned.

"Until classes resume? Who are you going to have guarding the Relic?" Leo's eyes widened, glancing over at them. "Don't worry about them hearing, I already told them everything." Leo's eyes only grew wider.

"E-everything?" he stammered out.

Blake slide the door open, nodding at the guard standing as she stepped onto the balcony. The humid night air swathed over her, the sound of the nocturnal district a humming in the distance.

"Good evening, princess. Do you need anything?" Blake shook her head.

"I was wanting to be alone for a little bit." The guard nodded.

"If you need me, let me know." The guard said. They ducked their head under the doorframe as they entered, sliding the door shut behind them.

Blake went to the railing, resting her arms on it, looking out at the trees surrounding her home.

"You're not very good at stealth," Blake said. She turned her head, looking at the other end of the balcony.

Ilia stood on the railing; her face obscured by her Grimm mask.

"You're making a huge mistake, Ilia." Blake said. She moved away from the railing, facing Ilia. "My father went to the Albain twins, and they denied everything that we found on the scroll. That they are horrified by what Adam has planned. They put all of the blame on you, you know." Ilia said nothing. Blake shook her head. "We've sent a messenger, it's only a matter of time until Sienna learns of the cous and kills him. When we go public with that information tomorrow, the people here will cast you out."

"Adam has the will to do the things that Ghira, Sienna, your family, are too afraid to do. He will be the one to end the discrimination the Faunus face. The people of Menagarie will see that."

"By killing the humans? By doing the same thing to them what they did to us?" Blake took a step forward. "He doesn't care about the Faunus, Ilia. He's willing to kill any of us, just as he is a human, if it means he'll get what he wants. He isn't the Faunus' savior; he just wants revenge against the humans." Ilia tilted her chin.

"It's what they deserve, isn't it?" She motioned with her chin toward Blake. "How much persecution did you face from them when you were with us? You've seen how they are." Blake caressed the blue ribbon on her arm.

"I have. I've seen that the humans can change."

Red spots flashed through Ilia's skin. Ilia turned her head, looking away.

"You should leave, Blake. Your plans are going to fail." Ilia reached for her mask, taking it off, her face cloaked in shadows. "And I don't want to have to hurt you." Blake stared at her, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm done running."

Ilia exhaled, closing her eyes and placing her mask back on. She stepped off the ledge, disappearing into the foliage below.

Ruby stood off to the side, resting her hands behind her back. Qrow stood in front of Lionheart's desk, glaring down at Lionheart.

"There was nothing to report back to about before the Fall, Qrow. And you're one to talk about going long periods of time without communication. Do you know how often we thought you had been found out and killed?" Lionheart narrowed his eyes. "And I need not remind you that the Fall didn't just affect Vale. Mistral City has been in turmoil since that day." Lionheart got to his feet, going to the windows of his office, looking out them. "Hunters being deployed all across the Kingdom to combat the Grimm surges. Many of the remaining few we had kept in the City have been killed by some cult. The black market down in the Lower Levels has been growing larger and larger, and the Atlesian military has only just now withdrawn. Do you know how worried we were that Atlas would use their military presence here to begin an invasion? Not even touching on how strained the Mistral Council is with Ironwood now that he's made himself the Consul of Atlas." Lionheart turned to look back at them. "And we still have no idea where the Spring Maiden is."

Qrow pulled out his scroll, setting it on Lionheart's desk.

"I think I might have an idea about that part, though," he said.

"Are you serious?" Lionheart asked. Qrow nodded. He pressed something on his scroll, a large blue map of Mistral materializing. The map was carved into four sections, from the west coast to Mistral city was marked 'Branwen'. The southern sections, covering the Fire Isles off the coast was marked 'Comhachag'. From the central part of Mistral to the east coast was marked 'Eala'. And the northern swaths were marked 'Iolar'. A blue dot appeared on the map, in the Branwen territory, off in the wilderness. Lionheart's face fell as he looked at the map.

"The Spring Maiden is with the Branwen's. Raven has her."

"S-she's a Raider?" Lionheart asked. Qrow nodded. Ruby frowned. Raider? Raven Branwen.

"Wait… Yang's mom is some type of bandit?" She paused. Branwen. "Wait… were you… a Raider too, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked. Qrow said nothing before glancing back at her.

"I've done a lot of things in the past I haven't told you, kiddo. I'll explain later." He turned back to Lionheart. "We need to gather the remaining Hunters, and mount an offensive, and get Spring out of there."

"I can't do that, Qrow." Lionheart said. Qrow frowned. "We need the remaining Hunters we have to defend our villages. I'm sorry. But this is something that you will have to do alone. I'm not the fighter I used to be, and my city can't afford to go Raider hunting." He said.

Qrow growled before grunting, swiping his scroll off the desk.

"Fine." He said. He headed for the door, swinging it open, and storming out. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora followed after him. Ruby went to the door and looked back at Lionheart. She waved at him before closing the door.

Leo exhaled, resting a hand on his chest, feeling the irregular rhythm of his heart. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. He saw a faint blue light in the corner of his eye, and grimaced at that cold, calculating voice.

"You need to work on your improvisational skills, Leo." Watts said, her voice garbled by the connection.

Leo looked down at his desk, at the blue W shimmering in the air. He held his tongue; She no doubt wanted him.

Qrow shoved his hands in his pockets, grimacing at the soreness and aching pain in his body as he walked.

"What do we do now?" Nora asked. He looked back, the kids had stopped, and were looking at each other. He pulled a hand free, running it through his hair.

"You four are going to need to find us a place to live for the forceable future." Ruby cocked her head aside.

"What about you, Uncle Qrow?"

I'm gonna go get shitfaced

"I have…other business I need to take care of." He waved a hand dismissively, the worried look in Ruby's eyes cutting into him. "I won't be gone long, just text me when you've found a place."

He turned away, walking down the empty hallway, feeling Ruby's eyes on his back.

Pyrrha shoved through the crowds, ignoring the dirty looks shot her way.

Her mother's house had never been too far away from Haven, just one level below it. Her body moved on autopilot as she walked through the crowd of finely dressed people. The streets were immaculate, the scent of perfumes and incents filling the air. Large mansions jutted out of the mountains side; their sweeping wooden frames finely crafted.

She took a turn, feeling her pace slow as she drew closer to the place she hadn't been to in almost two years. She came to a stop, cocking her head to the side.

Her house was taped off, a 'For Sale' sign on the front door. She blinked, confused. This…this was her house, wasn't it? The bright red wood was the same, and so was the gold trim. The umbra roof was the same, only thing that looked different was the garden was beginning to become overgrown. She looked away from her house, at a passing stranger.

"Excuse me. Pyrrha Nikos' family lived here, right?" she asked. The stranger stopped, looking her over, distaste in their eyes as they answered.

"Yeah, Thetis Nikos used to live there. After Pyrrha died, people kept swamping her house, and I heard she moved. Don't know where to." The stranger didn't wait for her to reply before walking away.

Pyrrha looked back at her old home, a pain in her chest as she looked at it. She closed her eyes, exhaling, before opening them, and making her way toward the lift.

Nora yelped as she was thrown to the curb, Ren grunting as he landed beside her. The hotel security guard shook his head as he went back into the hotel.

Nora sat up, crossing her arms, pouting. Ren sat up, rubbing the back of his head. People walked around them.

"I hope Ruby and Pyrrha are having better luck than us, this is, what, the third hotel we've been thrown out of?"

"Fifth, actually." Ren said.

Nora rolled her eyes, stretching her arms as she got to her feet.

"Well, sixth times the charm. Let's go, Ren!" Nora began marching through the crowd, Ren chuckling as he followed after her.

She raised the onion up, inspecting it before setting it in her basket. She handed some lien to the merchant and turned away from the stall. She raised her basket up, counting the various foods as she walked.

Ginger, onion, chives, chicken, salt, peppe-

She yelped as she crashed into someone, her peppers falling from the basket and scattering across the floor.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" The person said. She grabbed her peppers, stuffing them back into her basket before turning to the person, smiling reassuringly. Her smile fell at the sight of the girl in front of her.

Her mid-length hair was black with streaks of red, her eyes a shinning silver. She was dressed in a tattered black and red gothic dress, ripped black stockings covering her legs, and her black and red spiked boots were held together by belts. A silver rose necklace dangled from her neck, nearly hidden by a huge, tattered red cape.

The girl cocked her head aside, looking at her.

"Are you okay? I didn't ruin the peppers, did I?" She shook her head.

Her…her face… she looks like…

"Where did you get that necklace?" she asked. The girl looked down at the necklace before grabbing the chain, lifting it up.

"This? My mom left it for me. Why?"

But… Summer had a son?

"Do you have an older brother?" she asked. The girl shook her head, confusion in her silver eyes. "May I ask what your mother's name was? Please?" The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Summer. Her name was Summer Rose. Why are you asking?" The girl squinted at her face for a moment before her eyes widened. "You…you have…"

"Silver eyes."

"Who are you?" The girl asked. She smiled. Brothers, after so long. After so, so long.

"I raised your mother. I'm your Aunt Ivory." Ivory said. The girl stared at her blankly.

"Who?"

He stared at the sign hanging over the bar, hearing the laughter and voices from inside. This was the last bar on this level of the city, he had to be in here. Oscar pushed the door open, holding up a hand and smiling sheepishly at the patrons that glanced his way.

He made his way through the bar, sidestepping people and servers, scanning the crowd. He stopped, squinting at a man at the counter. He was tall and scraggly, dressed in gray with a weather worn black and red cape, a large scythe holstered against his back. That was the guy. The one the voice had promised had a job for him.

He went up to the man, playing with his hands as he stood behind him. He cleared his throat. The man didn't notice him, taking another drink from his glass. He cleared his throat again, faking a cough. Again, nothing.

"E-excuse me?" he said. The man looked back at him, cocking an eyebrow at the sight of him. "I was told that you would have a job for me? And that you would have a cane for me?" Something flickered in the mans red eyes. He turned in his seat.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked. His voice was hoarse, and gruff.

"O-Oscar. Oscar Pine." The man tapped the side of his head.

"And…that guy up there. What's his name?"

"How do you know about that? You mean I'm not crazy?" The man shook his head.

"No crazier than the rest of us." Oscar played with his hands, taking a breath before answering.

"I think… he said his name was Ozpin? Or something like that." The man smiled and nodded. He reached into his coat, pulling out a small metal object. He handed it to him. Olive branches were engraved into the grip of…whatever this thing was. A large trigger ran down the object.

"Good to see you again, Oz. And nice to meet you, Oscar."

She inhaled the scent of the garden's roses, closing her eyes at the sweet aroma. Willow opened her eyes, straightening her back. Her lips tugged down at the white and blue flowers surrounding the roses.

She turned away from the flowers, walking toward the table where her juice was.

"Willow…"

She stopped, looking behind her.

Nothing.

She exhaled, closing her eyes, and rubbing her temple as she continued toward the table.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

She kept her eyes closed, grimacing as she felt the table hit her legs. Her hand fumbled as she tried to find the juice pouch.

You're not real. You're not real.

She groaned as she felt her hand smack the juice pouch, hearing it hit the grass. She bent down, cracking an eye open.

The juice pouch was in the grass, juice dripping from its straw. She reached for it, her eyes opening at the sight of bugs crawling down her hand. The juice continued to drip, a puddle forming around it. Willow shook her head, biting her lip as she felt them crawling over her.

This isn't real. This isn't real.

"You're a hypocrite, Willow."

She bolted upright, yelping as her head smacked against the table. Her vision was fuzzy, her head throbbing as she looked behind her.

Nothing.

The grass swayed as a breeze blew. Willow swallowed; her throat itchy. She took a step forward, hearing a squish. She looked down; the grass was soaked with juice. She looked back at the pouch, the juice running from the straw, the grass around it flooded.

She backed away from the table, rubbing at her temples.

This isn't happening. Thi-

A hand grabbed her shoulder, ice firing down her spine. She glanced at the hand on her shoulder; a twisting, hazy, shadowy claw. She felt Its cold breath in her ear.

"You can't drink us away anymore."

She rounded on it, her lip trembling as she stared at it. Its body was shifting, changing, an evermoving shadow. Its red eyes glared down at her. Willow took a step back.

"I didn't lie to her," she spat. It stared at her. "I needed that poison to help deal with what he was doing to them."

It smiled at her, the teeth white, unnaturally long.

"You were drinking before that."

The world around It started to sway, Willow's head aching as the gardens began to twist. Its smile grew, more and more teeth filling its mouth.

"You're afraid, Willow."

The flowers bloomed, icy blue eyes staring at her. Its smile disappeared, twisting shadow's replacing it. The flowers eyes split open, teeth lining them.

"Afraid she'll be just. Like. You."

Willow fell to her knees, clutching her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She fell forward, pressing her head against the grass, feeling the juice gushing past her, the bugs crawling over her skin.

Not real, this isn't real. Dust damnit this isn't real!

She felt Its icy claws trail down her back, the flowers whispering words she couldn't understand.

Just ignore it. It'll be over soon. You can do this.

She felt Its claws brush the hair away from her ears.

"She has your tainted blood."

She didn't answer, pressing her head further into the wet grass.

It continued to stroke her hair, purring as its claws raked down her head and back.

She felt the grass grow dry, the voices slowing to a stop. She opened her eyes, the green grass filling her vision. She looked up; the roses and flowers had returned to normal, she craned her neck, looking behind her shoulder. It was gone.

She sighed, getting to her feet, going to the spilled juice. She brushed a few ants off it before picking it up, sucking on the straw.

She looked over at the garden entrance, at the doors to the house.

She pulled out her scroll, her fingers trembling as she pressed the contact. She held the scroll to her ear, listening to it ring for a moment.

"Yes, Lady Schnee? What may I help you with?" Goethe answered. Willow hesitated, pulling the juice free of her lips. She looked at it, the phantom taste of wine flashing through her mind. She shook her head.

"I need you to take me into the city. I…I need some help."

Neo stifled a yawn as she shoveled the ice cream into the bowl, the customers yapping voices a droning in her ears. Dad was at the cash register, arguing with some prick about their change. She grabbed the sprinkles shaker, the rainbow flakes covering the vanilla ice cream.

"Hey, you stupid Animal, I said no sprinkles."

Her lip twitched, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the shaker. She looked up at the customer, at their stupid face, and flashed them a sweet smile. She saw the fear flash through their eyes, savoring it.

"Uh, a-actually, I'm fine with them."

She finished the order, sliding it down to the cash register. She motioned the next annoyance over to her, setting a new bowl.

I could kill everyone in here and use their blood for the strawberry syrup.

The thought made her smile as she made the order, tuning out the annoying lady.

How far could I shove this scooper into your eye before you stopped squirming?

She slid the bowl down, motioning the next customer.

Grind up your bones and use it for the sugar coating.

She slid the bowl down and motioned to the next one.

If I break this bowl, I could cut your jugular with the shards.

Slide the bowl, motion next person.

Rip out your entrails and use them for decorations.

Slide, motion.

Roman took a drag on his cigar, blowing out a ring of smoke as he looked over the bills. They were going to have to start doing something different, they were barely making any money. He heard Neo walk up behind him, resting her head on his shoulder, looking down at the bills. She dug her chin into his shoulder, moving her chin back and forth.

"What is it?"

Neo lifted her chin; he looked back at her.

"I'm bored," she signed.

"Then go watch tv or something. I'm busy right now, Neo." She pouted.

"This place isn't fun. I don't like this new job. I don't like the people."

"It's all we've got." Neo frowned.

"It was more fun when I could hurt people."

"And it's more fun for me knowing that you're safe!" Roman snapped. He got from his seat, towering over his daughter. "Look, I know this sucks, I hate doing this shit too, but we can't get back into all of that. This is our fresh start; I want us to be able to be normal." He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "Your mother loved me for who I was, but I knew deep down she would have wanted me to get out of that business. If not for your sake but for hers."

"But what if I want to be part of it?" Neo signed. "I am going to go crazy working this job. I don't want to do it anymore. I want to-"

"You're not!" Neo's eyes widened in shock, her mouth parting. "As long as you're living with me, we're going to be normal schmucks, doing boring, terrible jobs! You're going to get yourself killed working with Cinder or anyone like her!"

Neo said nothing, glaring at him. She turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her as she left the room. Roman sighed, sitting back down in his chair.

You'll thank me one day

Yang opened the glass door, coolness drifting past her sweat drenched skin as she rifled through the drinks. She grabbed several waters, eying the various booze they had. She shook her head; none of them were strawberry flavored. She grabbed a strawberry soda, carrying the drinks under her arm pit. She set them on the counter, the Bartender ringing them up.

She glanced down the counter, two people were sitting at it, one happily munching on a greasy burger, the other with their head resting on the counter, a half empty beer in front of him. The one resting his head caught her gaze and winked at her. She grimaced, looking back at the Bartender.

"Yous a Hunter?" the man asked, lifting his head. Yang sighed and shook her head. The man snorted. "Coulda foosled me with that get up." He scooted down, taking the seat next to her. He reeked of cheap beer. "It's been a while since I've seens a woman as pretty as you. You came in on that bike, right?" Yang said nothing. He smiled at her, licking his lips. "I could give you something even better to ride."

"Not interested, pal."

"Ahhh, come on nows, don't be like that. Just look at ya. So much muscle." He leaned toward her, brushing the side of her hair as he spoke. "I love a woman who looks like she could rip my arms off."

She grabbed his hand, wrenching him from his seat, holding him up by his collar, sneering at him before kicking him in the gut. He yelled, flying back, crashing into the door. He groaned, his head slumping onto his chest.

The person with the burger looked from the man to her, and gave a thumbs up, a pickle falling from their lips.

"These are on the house," the Bartender said. He held up a bag, her drinks weighing it down. "That guy's been driving me crazy." Yang's hand trembled. She closed her hand, waiting for the trembling to stop before she took the bag. "So what brings you out here, stranger? We don't get very many new faces around here."

"I'm looking for Raven Branwen."

Terror filled the Bartender's eyes, the person with the burger starting to cough, bits of burger flying onto the counter.

"W-why you looking for her? Her and her tribe are bloodthirsty killers! They're a terror around these parts! Their right to kill you and feed your body to that weird god they have."

"I know. But I need to see Raven. I need something from her." She nodded at him, and at the burger person before heading for the door, sidestepping the man. "Thanks again," she called over her shoulder.

The sweltering heat hit her as she left, the air thick with the buzzing of insects. She went to her bike, placing the bag of drinks into one of her packs.

"Lady!"

Yang growled, turning around and looking at the entrance. The man stood leaning against the doors.

"I know where to find her," he said.

Yang lowered her aviators. He smirked at her, several of his teeth rotted and missing.

Ruby shifted her pack as her….aunt? unlocked the door to her house. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora stood behind her, looking at the older woman, occasionally glancing over at her.

Ivory opened the door, walking in.

"Make yourselves at home, I have plenty of rooms to spare." She said, flicking on the lights. Ruby's eyebrows raised as she looked at the room; it was large, well furnished with red, silver, and black furniture. Several Cats mewed at them as they entered. A multitude of plants, books, and framed photos filled the bookshelves.

Ivory walked past them, heading further into the house.

"I'll see what I can make for you all. Chicken and rice is okay, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ren said.

Ren, Pyrrha, and Nora took to the couches and chairs. Ruby went to the bookshelf, resting her hands on her knees as she looked over the book spines. She glanced at the photos and paused. She straightened up, grabbing the photo, and lifting it up.

It was a picture of her mother. She was a kid, and it looked like she was forcing a smile for the camera. She set the photo down, glancing at the others. They were of her mother, and several people that she didn't recognize.

"Ruby?"

She looked back at them. Nora was scratching her head.

"Soooo, who is that lady? Why didn't you tell us you had family in Mistral?"

"I…I had no idea I had family over here." She craned her head, straining to look down the hallway that her aunt had gone down. She could faintly hear humming. "I've never seen that lady before."

"How do you know she's really your aunt then?" Ren asked. Ruby pointed at the photos before pointing at her eyes.

"We have the same eyes, and she has pictures of my mom. She has to be related to me somehow."

There was a knocking at the door. Pyrrha got to her feet, going to it.

"You sent Qrow the address, right?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah," Ruby said.

Pyrrha opened the door and looked down. A short boy with tattered work clothes stood outside.

"Can we help you?" Pyrrha asked. The boy seemed nervous, squeezing one of his hands with the other before nodding.

"Is there a Ruby Rose here?" he asked.

"Why are you asking?" Ruby asked. The boy looked around Pyrrha, and at her. She saw something in his eyes before he looked away, a blush on his cheeks. The boy yelped, Pyrrha remaining unfazed as Qrow appeared from the darkness outside, grabbing a hold of the boy's shoulders and shaking him.

"I found him! I found him, guys!" he exclaimed. He grabbed the boy's wrist, dragging him into the house, Pyrrha quietly shutting the door and leaning against it. Qrow let go of the boy's hand, who stood awkwardly off to the side as Qrow flopped down onto the couch, throwing up several fists, wooping.

Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"Uncle Qrow." His arms froze in the air. "Are you drunk?"

"Maaaaybe," he said. Ruby exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose. She turned to the boy.

"Who are you?" she asked. The boy fidgeted for a moment.

"My name is Oscar Pine. But your uncle says that you would better know me as," he took a breath, perplexion in his hazel eyes as he looked at them all. "Professor Ozpin?"

Qrow slid from the couch, faceplanting onto the carpet, giggling. Ruby's lip parted as she stared at Oscar in confusion.