She looked back at the lavender-haired boy that she had met back in Mistral with a light smile. When she had first met him, she'd sensed a warmth from him that only drew her closer. It was all too interesting to pass up, and she'd just had to know more. Now here they were again; a few months had passed and they had had the good fortune to meet once more.
"You!" he said in disbelief.
"Uh-huh. It's me," she replied in a high pitched and playful tone as she approached him.
"So, you're with Haven Academy?" he asked. She found his expression to be amusing; he had never seen her like this before.
"Now I wonder what gave that away?" she replied once more in an equally playful tone. "So, have you become a hero yet?"
"Still working on it, I'm afraid," he replied, to which she giggled.
"I thought it would take some time, especially since it's only been what, a couple months since we saw each other in Mistral?" she said, stepping merrily in circles around him, her eyes still glued to him.
He stood in place and traced her movements with his eyes. He smiled.
"Yeah, it's been a while, and you are still as bubbly as before," he said.
"Of course!" she answered whimsically. "This is an auspicious day! The denizens of the kingdoms, humans and Faunus alike, get together and celebrate the peace with one another and fellow Huntsmen and Huntsmen-in-training get together to sing, eat, drink and celebrate. And then, of course, there's the upcoming tournament!"
"That's quite a way to put it," he chuckled again, this time following her movements as he too began to step in a circle to keep up with her.
"That's not all. You get to see the best things that each Kingdom have to offer, from the technologically advanced Atlas to even the humble Vacuo," she concluded.
"Humble is a nice way to put it," The lavender-haired boy replied with a half-smile.
"They may be thought of as thieves, but they look after their own," she replied with a wink. "They are coming today as well, aren't they?"
"I believe so," He muttered as he looked off into the distance, and sure enough, more airships were approaching, marked with Shade Academy's sigil.
"Ah, so many new people to meet, I can't wait to greet new faces and learn new names." She twirled, and stepped right next to Haiiden as they both watched the incoming airships.
"I still don't know your name," he said as he smiled and looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"Now, now, remember our deal, 'hero'. I won't tell you my name until I hear your name on the tongues of people throughout the four kingdoms," she teased. Her name was Lumina, and for now, it would be her little secret.
"That's a while away, if ever. Besides, we will be seeing each other a lot more, I would like to at least call you something," he answered with a huff.
"Call me anything you want," Lumina teased again.
"That's a lot harder than it sounds," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"What is the saying? 'Such is life'? If everything were easy then it would all be boring," Lumina replied, as she mocked his stoic tone.
"True but it would be better if things were easier," Haiiden crossed his arms.
"And that is why we're here," Lumina replied and she saw him look at her curiously. "Even with peace between the kingdoms, there is still always trouble; we are here to make things easier."
He nodded silently.
"Hey, girl!" Lumina heard as she and the boy both turned to see a group of three other women, other students from Haven, approach them. "You went ahead of us!"
"Sorry about that; got excited," Lumina said while the boy took a step back. "I can see why; it's great!" one girl exclaimed, a squirrel Faunus, who grabbed Lumina by the hands and hopped in place. "Beacon is so pretty! It is so different from Haven!"
Lumina giggled and looked back at Haiiden and shrugged at him, before she calmed her friend and turned to him.
"This is my team, DASL," Lumina said.
"Makes sense; you stand out quite a bit," he chuckled, as he noticed that the rest of the team likewise wore bright colored outfits.
"Mhm! My name is Daisy," the Faunus girl replied, wearing a dark orange top that exposed her midriff and a short skirt. "Is he a new friend of yours?"
"You could kind of say that," Lumina replied. "We met back in Mistral a couple months back."
"What was a Beacon student doing in Mistral during the school year?" another girl in a soft, green dress asked.
"Long story," he said with a half-smile.
Something then went off in Lumina's mind; the tone in his voice and the way he lowered his eyes for a moment made her realize that even if he had the time, he would not tell. Still, it wouldn't stop her from picking at him until he told her what had happened.
"Well then, that is for another time then," Lumina replied as she then motioned towards green clothed girl. "This is Spring."
The boy turned to Spring and bowed. Lumina noticed Spring shied away and hid behind the teammate closest to her, who stepped forward.
"And this is Amaranth, Spring's brother." Lumina pointed to a tall and scruffy male who simply stared down at the lavender-haired boy. "He's quiet, and pretty protective of his sister."
"We're all friends here," thboy replied and reached his hand out to greet Amaranth. After a few moments of silence, Aramanth reached out and shook hands. "Besides, I understand. I have two teammates that are twins."
"And we are team DASL!" Daisy said excitedly as she got in between Lumina and Amaranth and pulled them in by the arms. "We are going to dominate the Tournament this year; you can even say we will 'dazzle' them with our performance."
"Remember Daisy, they have Pyrrha Nikos this year," Amaranth interjected softly.
"I said dominate and dazzle. I never said we would win," Daisy said through pursed lips.
The boy laughed.
"You have a nice team," he said but quirked a brow before he looked over at Lumina, and grinned slightly.
"You know, I don't know her name," he said to Daisy, pointing at Lumina.
"Oh? Her name is–" But before Daisy could utter anything else, Lumina reached over and covered her mouth.
"Now, now, 'hero'. That's cheating," Lumina said with a smirk and winked.
"Ah," Amaranth scoffed.
"She's playing the game again," Spring added quietly with a giggle.
"So, she's done this before?" The boy asked.
"Only with those she finds interesting," Daisy added as Lumina finally her hold over her Captain's mouth.
"At least you find me 'interesting,'" the boy, Haidden, acknowledged with a shrug.
"Very." Lumina replied and she swore he turned red before turning away. "Now then, will you show us that fabled Beacon hospitality?"
0-RWBY-0
Cardin and his teammates stood in a row in Headmaster Ozpin's office. They stared outside of his window and they saw the multitude of airships coming in from the other Academies.
"Do you remember why you were being disciplined in the first place?" Glynda asked as Ozpin sat quietly and let Glynda go first.
"We started a fight," Cardin said quietly, eyes lowered and fist clenched.
"Quite the understatement: you started an unsanctioned fight that involved weapons outside of instructor supervision, which resulted in the injury of your fellow student, Haiiden Shiro," Glynda elaborated.
"Normally, we would have expelled you from the school, as you have proven to be trouble time and time again. However, Haiiden was forgiving, which did factor into our decision as to how discipline shall be meted out."
"Of course, they know how and why they ended up in this situation," Ozpin finally chimed in. "Today was the last day of your punishment, and I would like to thank you."
CRDL looked up at their Headmaster; confused and curious as to what he meant.
"We didn't decide janitor duty arbitrarily, we chose it as it would get ready for the arrival of the Academies," Ozpin said and smiled slyly.
"Well, you're welcome,. I guess," Cardin said with a raised brow, and Ozpin's smile grew a bit wider.
"CRDL, I would love it if you would continue to stay in my school; I see a potential for something great in each of your lives," Ozpin continued.
"Not many of the teachers really care too much about our 'potential,'" Cardin replied.
"They are teachers, their duties are to teach you and simply hope that what they impart to you sticks," Ozpin added, then leaned against his desk and gazed at Cardin.
"I choose the best to come into my school. Those who don't make the cut always have the opportunity to try another year. You have passed the initiation, but now you also seem to be falling behind in your schoolwork; n the beginning, you did well on your sparring, but as everyone finally showed what gifts they had, and what they had learned, you fell behind in that respect, too."
CRDL stood silently again, none of the members could think of an adequate answer.
"So I have to ask: did I make some kind of mistake? Was I wrong, perhaps?" Ozpin asked before he took a sip from his mug. "However, I'd like to think I have a good eye for people and their abilities to become Huntsmen. I still stand by my decision to allow you admission into my school as you have shown the drive initially, but that drive seems to have… diminished."
Ozpin looked over at each individual member once more; again, none of them had an answer.
"Perhaps there is another question that should be asked: why are you here? What drove you to become a Huntsman?" Ozpin asked, but this time, CRDL looked at each other with confusion.
"Ummm," Cardin mumbled, and for a moment he looked over to his teammates for help; instead, they all shrugged and they turned back to Ozpin once more.
"That is usually not a good sign," Ozpin said with a sigh as he stood from his chair and walked towards CRDL.
"I'd like to boast that I have a good relationship with students and there are a few with whom I spend quite a lot of time when they needed it. I may be busy as a Headmaster, but what kind of Headmaster would I be if I didn't take personal interest in my own students?" Ozpin asked as he now stood in front of the team. "I have come to notice that I have not dealt the same hand to you… I'll tell you what, try to think of a good reason as to why you want to become Huntsmen and then return to me with your answers."
"Why does that even matter?" Cardin asked flippantly.
"I find a good way to find a student's motivation is to know what it is that they want," Ozpin said quickly. "Do you want to protect? Do you want fame? Do you want excitement? Money?"
Cardin went silent once more, and the fact that his team had no answers either didn't help.
"There are no wrong answers," Ozpin continued as he stepped a bit closer. "I'm just curious as to why you chose to fight monsters when you could be living comfortably doing almost anything else."
Cardin looked up and for a few minutes, made eye contact but looked away suddenly; Sky just rubbed his arm sheepishly.
"That will be your homework, then. Who knows? Maybe I will come in and check on you myself," Ozpin smiled. "Speaking of homework, you have been falling behind on that as well. Remember, you either pass together, or fail together."
"Yes, Headmaster," CRDL replied quietly.
"Go on. Everyone is meeting the new teams from the other Academies. Go on and meet them," Ozpin concluded as he turned to make his way back to the seat behind his desk.
One by one, each member of CRDL began to walk out of Ozpin's office, but Cardin just stood, frustrated. He tried desperately to find his answer, but once again, he couldn't come up with one.
"I look forward to our time together, Cardin," Ozpin added whimsically.
0-RWBY-0
CRDL stepped off the elevator once they had reached ground floor. The corridors were bustling with strange new people, a lot of them wearing different uniforms that Cardin assumed were from Haven and Shade. Some were wearing casual street clothes, apparently students from Vacuo.
He didn't care for these newcomers. With what had been happening the past couple weeks, it had left him drained, and he simply wished to rest. However, when he turned around to face his team, they were nowhere to be found.
A part of him knew where they were headed, so he turned and made his way to his dorm and ignored the groups of new students as he forced his way through the throng.
0-RWBY-0
"Oh, the excitement is killing me," Lumina exclaimed as she danced through the crowd while following Haiiden.
"There will be many chances to mingle with the other students," Haiiden said. "We will be taking classes together, after all."
"Awww, I came to celebrate and fight, not to keep taking classes," Daisy huffed.
"Now, now, Daisy. It wouldn't be fair to those back home," Lumina giggled.
"We still have a bit of time," Haiiden said as he turned to face Lumina's team. "Maybe a couple days of the teachers getting ready and going through some kind of orientation with you guys."
"See? We can still see what Vale has to offer," Lumina replied.
"Anyway," Haiiden looked down at his scroll before he looked back up at the door and pointed toward it. "This will be your dorm room for the duration of your stay here. You are allowed to move the furniture around if you want, as long as you don't break anything."
"Thank you, 'hero'," Lumina winked. "Perhaps we can take a walk around the festival grounds sometime."
Haiiden instantly turned red.
"Ummm, yeah, totally," he replied as he looked from side to side. "If you need any help, just call me on my Scroll."
"Will do! Thanks!" Daisy said excitedly before she opened the door and stepped in and one by one, each member followed except for Lumina.
"It's time for me to go, need to check on a few things and head back to my own team," Haiiden said before nodding his head and turning to leave.
"Thank you for your time then, 'hero'," Lumina replied. "I expect good things from you."
Haiiden stopped for a moment before he continued out the door.
0-RWBY-0
"Ah, so cozy," Daisy sighed as she relaxed on her bed, the light shone through the window behind her, right above her head.
"Beacon certainly has its charm," Lumina giggled as she stepped into the room, unbuckling the sword belt from around her and setting it next to her bed post. Likewise, she unbuckled the straps that held her armor in place and began to remove them.
Meanwhile, Amaranth slid another bed across the floor and next to his sister's, with a night stand in between them.
"Thank you, Amaranth," Spring nodded and sat down at the edge of the bed he'd just moved as Amaranth nodded quietly.
"I'm hungry," Daisy grumbled and sat up on her bed. She watched Lumina change into her summer dress as she waited for an answer.
"I'm sure they will be serving meals soon; it's almost noon," Lumina answered as she pulled the dress down and stepped into some sandals.
"But isn't there going to be an assembly soon to address Haven and Shade?" Daisy asked.
Lumina applied the strap on her sandal and tightened it, before she smiled to Daisy and stepped over to the window. In the distance, the last ships from Haven and Shade were departing.
"I would assume so, but it seems as though Atlas is a little late," Lumina said in a quiet voice.
"Maybe something happened?" Daisy wonderedout loud.
"Unlikely," Amaranth answered.
"Exactly. They would have called if something had actually happened," Lumina said calmly but then skipped away from the window and twirled towards the door.
"Well, I am going to go mingle," Lumina said whimsically as she opened the door and stepped through.
0-RWBY-0
With a song in her head, which she hummed as she walked down the hall, Lumina paid attention to every little detail of the school, from the view outside the windows, to the people she passed in the halls.
Things were quieter now, and she assumed most of the students had already been shown to their dorms and gotten themselves situated.. Occasionally, however, someone appeared suddenly from around the corner, but Lumina simply stepped to the side with a twirl and easily avoided them, but not before giving them a soft smile as she continued on.
As she spotted an older woman with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail walking down the hall with purpose, and looking at her Scroll intently; Lumina picked up the pace in order to catch up with her.
"Excuse me," Lumina called out. The woman turned her attention towards her. She wore a violet cape, carried what appeared to be a riding crop holstered against her thigh, and had spectacles.
"May I help you?" The woman asked.
"Sorry if I am disturbing you, but are you part of the faculty?" Lumina cocked her head to the side.
"I am. You may call me Professor Goodwitch," the woman replied and Lumina couldn't help but light up.
"Ah, I see; it is a pleasure to meet you, Professor. You must be proud to work at Beacon. It has a reputation in Mistral and even Headmaster Lionheart speaks highly of your school," Lumina commented, and Professor Goodwitch looked almost taken aback by the praise.
"I am honored to be given the opportunity to be part of the faculty. Teaching the next generation of Huntsmen, while not easy, is necessary," Ms. Goodwitch replied softly. Lumina smiled back; she liked the answer.
"And you love what you do," Lumina stated and noticed Ms. Goodwitch raise a brow; it seemed that for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
"I never really thought about that, but I suppose I do. Watching the students grow into fine warriors is rewarding," Professor Goodwitch said.
"I am sure it is," Lumina agreed. "I won't take any more of your time, but I must ask, where is the dining hall?"
"Oh. In the main wing; let me show you," Ms. Goodwitch said. She walked down the hall, with Lumina following behind.
0-RWBY-0
The dining hall was bustling with conversing students from the different Academies. Lumina almost couldn't contain her excitement at the different people she saw before her, many people from Shade and Beacon mingled with her friends from Haven.
Lumina herself wasn't hungry, but she thought that this would be the best time to meet new people. It was between classes and the students from the visiting Academies were probably famished from their trip over.
She walked slowly between the tables that were lined up end- to- end. She eyed each person as she walked by; she saw a rabbit Faunus, a large person with dark skin and even team ABRN from Haven. Then from the corner of her eye something caught her attention.
"Where are Weiss and Blake?" A blonde girl asked, sitting at the table to her right.
"They're still back in the room," answered a younger girl who sported short black hair with red highlights, who sat next to her.
"Excuse me," Lumina asked as she leaned forward over the table's seat and looked at the young girl inquisitively.
"Hmmm?" The black-haired girl looked up at her. "Can I help you?"
"Mind if I sit with you?" Lumina motioned towards the bench in front of her.
"Sure," the young girl tilted her head at Lumina and watched as she sat down. "I've never seen you here before."
"I doubt you would have, I'm from Haven after all," Lumina replied and giggled lightly, at which the the young girl smiled.
"That's so cool! I couldn't wait for the other Academies to arrive," she hopped in her seat excitedly.
"So, how's Mistral these days?" The blonde-haired girl asked as she set her elbow on the table and rested her head against her palm.
"Quiet. The Council does well to allocate the necessary Huntsman to defend such a large area," Lumina replied and she looked over to the young girl again. "My name is Lumina."
"I'm Ruby," the girl with the red highlights replied and turned towards the blonde. "And this is my sister, Yang."
"Sup?" Yang greeted.
"Sisters?" Lumina eyes darted between the two. "I'm sorry, but you two look nothing alike."
"Half-sisters," Yang grumbled, but then pulled Ruby over with one arm and hugged her tightly. "We have the same dad but that doesn't matter, she is still my sister."
"Yang. Yang!" Ruby said through a strained breath. "You're embarrassing me, and I can't breathe!"
Lumina giggled and watched Ruby struggle. She could almost feel the love as Yang lay her chin on top of Ruby's head, almost protectively, as she continued to embrace her. While Ruby struggled, Lumina could see that she genuinely liked the attention through the smile that she tried her best to hide.
"I hope you don't mind me saying but you look a bit young to be here," Lumina commented.
"That's just because she kicks so much butt," Yang grinned as she let go of her sister.
"But- but just how old ARE you?" Lumina asked, her eyes widened now.
"Ummm, I'm fifteen," Ruby answered roughly as she breathed in deeply.
"Wow," Lumina whispered to herself. "I'm sorry but I'm just surprised is all. And impressed. You must be a skilled fighter."
"Hehe, yeah," Ruby replied bashfully. "I have my uncle to thank for that, though."
"He must be a skilled fighter himself; you are fortunate to have an uncle like that willing to train you," Lumina said and kept her gaze on Ruby, leaning forward on the table.
"Yeah, he's pretty cool," Yang grinned.
"Yet you are so young, are you sure you want to be a Huntress?" Lumina asked as her smile faded.
"More than anything," Ruby replied, assuredly.
Lumina stared at Ruby, examining every detail about this young girl who was being so interesting, but as she turned her attention towards her eyes…
"Fascinating," Lumina whispered reverently, mesmerized.
"Hmmm?" Ruby hummed and turned to her sister.
"You have silver eyes," Lumina said, a bit louder this time, a soft smile grew on her face.
"Yeah. Weirdly, Headmaster Ozpin also commented on my eyes," Ruby said as she blinked.
Lumina giggled to herself, then once again addressed Ruby when she had settled down.
"I am not sure if you are into fairy tale stories, but in the village where I came from, we had many old legends and stories of great heroes," Lumina continued.
"Oh yeah?" Ruby asked inquisitively, while Yang watched curiously.
"Mhm, and your eyes reminded me of one of them." Lumina clasped her hands together on the table. "We call it the 'Silver Eyes Legend.' It's not a really unique name but it gets the point across."
Ruby listened quietly and attentively.
"The legends tell of amazing Huntsmen and Huntresses in history who were special due to their silver eyes. That it gave them special powers and with it, came a special destiny. They can slay Grimm by the hundreds, and it's said that their gaze can instill fear into even the most unfeeling of Grimm; and depending on who's telling the story, can even turn them to stone," Lumina explained as she stared at Ruby.
"Well, I can't do that," Ruby mumbled, as she fiddled around with her fingers.
"Well it is just a legend," Lumina said softly. "I don't believe in coincidences though. You being here at such a young age must mean that you have a great destiny waiting for you, Ruby."
"Way to lay on the pressure," Yang chuckled and ruffled Ruby's hair. "But I am sure that she can deal with anything that's thrown her way."
"Yang," Ruby whined as she raised her hands up to try and pull Yang's arm away. "My hair; stop!"
Lumina watched but then took a look around the dining hall and from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of fiery red. She stood up to look over the heads of the other students and once again caught on to the fiery-haired woman in Beacon's uniform who sat just a few feet behind her.
"Well, well, Pyrrha Nikos," Lumina exclaimed with a devilish smile as she caught the attention of the fiery-haired girl, who looked from side to side, then behind her; whose eyes then widened.
"Lumina?" Pyrrha said, almost in disbelief as she stood up.
"Everyone said you would be at Beacon this year, I'm glad I bumped into you," Lumina said as she stepped towards Pyrrha, who stood from her seat and likewise stepped over to Lumina. They embraced each other.
"So good to see you," Pyrrha said excitedly.
"Friend of yours?" Yang asked Pyrrha as she watched.
"Ummm, not sure if friend is really the right word," Pyrrha replied hesitantly.
"I think the better term would be 'rival'," Lumina answered.
"You have a rival?" Ruby asked Pyrrha.
"Well," Pyrrha said again.
"I am more of a self-proclaimed rival," Lumina replied. "Back in combat school, between the tournaments that she would attend, I would challenge her often."
"It's true," Pyrrha said. "She did."
"And lost every time," Lumina said with a smile.
"Is that something to be happy over?" Yang asked, perplexed.
"I thought the best way to improve would be to challenge yourself, and what better way would there be other than to challenge the one person who can't be beaten?" Lumina continued. "Plus, we often studied together."
The girls continued their conversation as it melded with the commotion in the dining hall until Professor Goodwitch stepped towards the end of the room.
"Students, may I have your attention please?" Ms. Goodwitch announced. The talking died down slowly to whispers, then silence.
"It would seem as though the assembly to address the Academies has been postponed for now, as Atlas seems to be running late," Ms. Goodwitch continued. "Instead, we will continue today's classes as normal. Finish up your meals and make your way to your classes, the instructors will begin orientation for this semester shortly."
There were a few groans in the hall as most of the students stood up to leave for their classes.
0-RWBY-0
Cardin walked down the hall, his footsteps heavy as Ozpin's words weighed him down. It had been just one problem after another since he had joined Beacon, and it had gotten to the point where he grown weary of it.
However, there was another problem that he thought he should address first. He knocked on the door to his team's dorm and slowly opened it. Inside, the rest of his team were solemn: Sky lay on his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Dove sat in a seat in the corner, meditating with his arms crossed over his chest and Russel threw one of his daggers into the air, before he caught it by the blade.
None of them seemed to notice his presence, and Cardin guessed that they were probably plagued by the same thoughts that haunted him. He closed the door with a click, which drew the attention of his teammates. They all stared at him expectantly, but also with a hint of disdain.
"What do you want me to say?" Cardin asked roughly but was met with silence. "Do you want me to say I'm sorry?"
"That would be a start," Russel replied with a sigh.
"Well, I am sorry," Cardin shrugged. "I've been a jerk."
"Just that easy huh?" Russel spat.
"We need a leader," Dove added as he looked up from his seat.
"You already have one," Cardin said dismissively.
"No, we need someone to lead, to provide direction," Dove growled.
"Yeah, I mean, what have we been doing all year anyway?" Sky chimed as he sat up on his bed. Russel leaned back in his seat with a sigh.
"I really don't want to go back home to my parents as a failure," Russel groaned.
"We are not going home, we are going to finish our tenure at Beacon," Cardin stated.
"At this rate we won't be," Dove interjected. "Something has to change."
The room went quiet.
"Perhaps Headmaster Ozpin is right," Cardin said softly, defeated. "Maybe we have no real ambition. I was excited to come here but now… I don't know. I still want to become a Huntsman but I didn't think it would have been this hard."
"The other teams make it seem so easy," Sky commented as he stared at the ceiling.
"How about we do what Ozpin said we do, and look for a reason to become Huntsmen," Cardin stepped forward to the middle of the room. "Have you thought of anything?"
"Nothing good, besides, it hasn't even been half a day since he asked us," Dove said gruffly.
"Okay, maybe that is something to really think about, but let's at least show that we want to be here and willing to take things seriously," Cardin added. "He said that our studies have slipped, maybe we should just work on that for now?"
"How about our combat performance?" Russel piped in.
"Yeah, we should work on that too," Cardin agreed with resignation.
0-RWBY-0
Blake tightened up her blouse before she stepped towards the bathroom door and knocked on it.
"Let's go, Weiss, we don't want to be late. Ruby and Yang are already at Professor Port's class," Blake exclaimed.
"Hold on," Weiss replied loudly and before long, she opened the door to see Blake standing in front of her.
Blake stepped back and Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster from the edge of her bed and stalked towards the door.
"Okay, I am ready," Weiss announced.
"I heard Atlas is late," Blake said.
"Perhaps fashionably late. A lot of high class people come from Atlas, perhaps they are just taking their time," Weiss replied and turned to Blake. "You ready?"
"After you," Blake nodded and followed behind Weiss as she opened the door and stepped out as she made her way down the hall.
Blake turned to reach for the door and closed it shut but then noticed a mark on her door that was written in chalk; the letter "Z" was drawn right above the knob and Blake knew what it was, however, she didn't have time to investigate and instead wiped it away with her hand, leaving a white smear behind.
0-RWBY-0
Qrow took his time as he approached his friend's, Tai-Yang's, home with groceries in hand. He even snuck in a bottle of liquor to the list to relax after a stressful few days. He noted the lack of Grimm in the area as he followed the back up a hill and as he crested it, he could see Tai-Yang's modest home.
He walked up to the door and knocked on it; however, he was met with silence.
"Hey, Tai, it's me," Qrow yelled out and knocked on the door again, this time a little harder. "Tai, you there?"
Qrow grew a little worried but just assumed that Tai-Yang was simply out back, so he reached for the door knob and turned it to discover that it wasn't locked. He opened the door and saw a flash of brown disappear into the kitchen.
"Tai, did you not hear me knocking?" Qrow said with a chuckle and shut the door behind him.
Suddenly, Tai appeared from the kitchen, his eyes narrowed at Qrow and his fists raised, ready to fight.
"Woah now, looking for a quick spar?" Qrow grinned.
"Q-Qrow?" Tai-yang asked and lowered his fists and took in deep breaths.
Qrow quirked a brow and only when Tai-Yang lowered his hands did he really get a good look at him. Blood caked his clothes and his hands, and Qrow could see bewilderment in his friend's eyes.
It was a familiar look that Qrow remembered from a long time ago, and a scene that he wished he could forget. He dropped his bags and ran upstairs.