Sorry it is a day late, but after reading it the first two times I had to do a re-write. Sometimes it happens. But I listened to a few reviews and did my best to adjust and make the characters sound more like themselves. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I want to see if any of you can guess what was whispered to Qrow towards the end.
...
Arrival in Mistral felt like stepping off of a bullhead and straight into a melting pot. The sun was out and the winds from the coast brought humidity that clung to every nook and crevice on Jaune's body. He dredged on and the entire time he was glad he hadn't worn his old hoodie. Qrow seemed to not mind the change in climate at all. His walk had remained even, his brow had no sweat on it, and his posture still was a gentle slouch.
Passing through the small town they had landed in, he noticed that the majority of the industry here was related to fishing, or building boats. That was understandable given the close proximity to the ocean. But the smell from said fish markets took the pretty look of the town and quashed it down. Jaune happened to like fish, but right now he could feel every sensory nerve leading to his nose screaming for it to end.
"Well, we should be close to the train station. Might as well call Tai and let him know we made it here in one piece." Qrow said over his shoulder.
"Yeah, you got it. I swear he acts like my mom." Jaune says with a chuckle as he presses on Tai's icon from within his contacts.
"Yeah, all this time as a parent has given him some gimmicks." Qrow said leading them out of the markets and on towards a long metal building at the end of town.
After a few rings, Tai picked up the call.
"Hello?" Tai's voice sounded out from the device.
"Hey Tai, Qrow and me are in Mistral now. We are going to the train station to get a ride into the city. We are calling to check in and make sure you know." Jaune explained as his free hand guided itself to rest on Crocea Mors' pommel.
"Oh, well that is good news! Listen Jaune, not that I don't want to talk to you or anything, but could you put Qrow on the scroll?" Tai said.
Something in his voice said it was a personal matter, so Jaune didn't take any offence in it. After all, if Tai didn't want Jaune to worry about it then no problem. That just means less on his plate.
"Yeah, no problem! Just a sec." Jaune said before jogging up to Qrow and thrusting the scroll into his hands.
With practiced ease, Qrow flipped it up to his head and made a small grunt of acknowledgement to let Tai know he was there. After a few seconds, Qrow sputtered.
"Wait, what? How did she even… Oh of course he told her! To save his own ass I bet. Glad that we both trust each other so much!" Qrow started, before letting Tai continue over the scroll line. "So did you manage to douse your house out after she tried to burn it down?" He finished with sarcasm.
Jaune happened to hear a chuckle from the other end and that set his heart at ease. For a minute it almost sounded like someone came to siege the Xiao-Long house. Jaune listened for a little longer trying to make out the conversation before giving up. Eventually a sentence did catch his attention again though, as is natural for someone eavesdropping.
"So she isn't hunting him down any more? That is a relief. How did you manage that one?" Qrow asked with a characteristic swig from his flask.
Well that was ominous. Jaune could start to piece things together now. Contrary to what his sisters all told him and the snide teasing from his two mentors, he wasn't a dull spade in the shed. Sure, he looked rusted and bent out of shape, but he held his edge. Judging from how Tai didn't want to bother him with the conversation, and from the way Qrow kept glancing at him as they walked, Jaune knew this was related to him.
The destructive comment from Qrow made him think that it was someone they knew well enough to know their wrath. Not only that but Qrow said she, not he. So based on that he could deduce that it was a female their age or close to it. His gut already had the answer if it twisting in on itself was any clue. Of course it had to be her, why else hide it from him.
"Well i'm glad you avoided that shit storm before it hit Tai. Good job on handling the situation. We will call you tomorrow before we go out." Qrow said.
After a few seconds, and apparently after Tai had said goodbye, Qrow tossed the scroll back to Jaune in a lazy motion of his arm. A few weeks earlier Jaune felt he might have missed the catch with comedic levels of surprise. But he found himself grinning when out of reflex his hand snatched out to grab the scroll from the air at the top of its arc. Three weeks of having things thrown at him, swung at him, and kicked towards him had helped make everything he did more controlled.
Sure, he wasn't going to be able to catch a ball thrown by a professional ball-player, but the leisure scroll toss was child's play now. Maybe when he sat down and got his Aura unlocked tonight it would all change. At first on that topic, Jaune had no clue what it was or why he would need it. But with some of the written assignments that Tai brought home from Signal a few times a week had helped him catch up on the basic knowledge of the tool. He knows how it works well enough that Tai gave him an A on those assignments when he was quizzed on them.
"Well here we are, the train station. Let's hope that we can get to the hotel by nightfall, I am running out of my trusty bourbon." Qrow said shaking his flask and letting Jaune hear that it was near to empty.
"Of course that is at the top of your priority list." Jaune said with a deep sigh and a smirk.
…..
Yang hated Port's class. Sure it was easy as taking candy from a baby, but the boredom you got from it wasn't even worth it. Port rambling on began to make her tired after three sentences. With nothing better to do, she got on her scroll. Conveniently, it sat under her desk in her hands. All resting in her lap, which Port could not see. Thankfully, after all she hadn't forgotten that time he made a pass at her.
Several things came up on both Beacon's Student website, and on social media. Yang listened every now and then when Weiss would scold Ruby for falling asleep, or Blake for reading in the open. Yang knew she didn't get reprimanded because Weiss feared retaliation. After a few minutes of scrolling through things Yang saw something she was interested in.
The lower districts of Mistral were in the middle of an open gang war. And a sudden drop in Huntsmen and Huntresses has left the police forces there heavily outnumbered by criminal forces. Several pictures of burning buildings and snapshots of explosions and gunfights popped up in the article. It seems that these gangs have had power in the lower districts for decades. Somehow the normally allied groups have come to full conflict with no regards as to casualties or collateral damage. There was even a comment from Headmaster Lionheart, promising his aid.
"Hey guys, check this out." Yang whispered as she passed the scroll to Weiss.
"I am sure it isn't as important as our lesson… Oh." Weiss said as she began to read. "Well that certainly is bad." Weiss stated.
"Oooh let me see!" Ruby said not so quietly as she snatched the scroll. A minute of reading made her lip curl down to straight. "This is bad… This is really bad isn't it?"
"If it is a report involving violence I would take a guess and say yes." Blake stated, bored and with her eyes glued to the pages in front of her.
"And I thought Vale was having trouble with criminals. That blows." Yang whispered while gesturing for her scroll back.
"I agree. Do you think that Vale is going to help them? Maybe Atlas, they seem to be good at military stuff." Ruby asked.
"I think that doing so before it is clear that Mistral cannot handle the situation would be bad for their image. If it escalates further then I have no doubt we would help them." Weiss said while handing Yang her scroll.
"How does that even make sense?" Ruby asked.
"Let's say you are doing your homework, and right before you finish it I take the pen from you and finish it for you and then take credit for doing your homework. Is that fair?" Blake elaborated.
"Ooooh… I get it. It would make them look bad if we did their job, when they can do it fine." Ruby said, nodding. She did not notice Weiss facepalming.
Yang was about to wrap this up and shut her scroll down, when she got a notification. A glance told her it was from her Uncle Qrow. Instantly she sat up straight and stashed her scroll in a pocket before crossing her arms and acting normal. Yang was the teasing one of the group, she was the one supposed to deal out jokes and nuances. So any evidence of messages from her Uncle were now classified at the highest level.
Bad enough that her team keeps figuring out her passwords and sneaking looks at them to get blackmail. The worst part was that none of it was even realistic! Her and Jaune legit met once! They talked for a total of ten minutes top. But if you were going to listen to her team, they were romantically involved and had fifteen children.
Ok, so it wasn't actually that bad. But Yang felt she was justified in her exaggeration. Especially after this morning when Qrow had sent a picture of Jaune asleep on a bullhead somewhere. Ruby had also received that particular picture and had instantly shown her partner. It went to shit after that.
"Well it seems that is all we have time for today's class. Make sure to come back tomorrow to hear about the time I choked out a full grown Ursa Major!" Professor Port exclaimed proudly.
"Yeah, can't wait. Anyway, come on Team RWBY, let's go get lunch!" Yang says striking a faux fighting stance and pointing towards the door.
"Finally." RWB all said, following eagerly.
…..
Jaune had a horrible feeling in his stomach. It started when he and Qrow were stopped several times throughout the train station in Mistral. They had to provide Qrow's Huntsman license to several guards and to the checkpoint personnel due to them openly carrying weapons. Qrow reassured him that it was probably because of some VIP coming in from the coast or something. And while that had pacified him for a little while, soon enough they ran into their first clue as to what was happening. The Police, who were all outfitted in full riot gear and armed with rifles, were patrolling on foot in groups. Every street they walked had a squad of Policemen and women inspecting most of the passer-bys.
It was so frequent that they had four guns aimed at them, and shouts to put their hands up, that Qrow had his scroll on his license held out almost constantly to dissuade the forces from arresting them.
"Ok, I know that I am naive and probably have no idea what Mistral should be like… But this can't be right." Jaune said to Qrow while glancing from building to building to see if there was something more to see.
"For once, I can say you nailed it on the head kid. This has an emergency written all over it. When we get to the hotel, I will call around. Maybe I can dig up some information." Qrow said, rounding the corner and smiling. "Here we are, the best hotel in all of Mistral."
Jaune doubted that very much. It was a bar, admittedly there were several rooms above it that had been turned into rooms for guests with the lien for it. But it screamed out that it was a drunk's version of a bed and breakfast. Jaune would have thought the place closed in this emergency, but the lights in the bar were on and gave out an inviting glow. Even on the street corner, Jaune could hear the sounds of nightlife from inside the establishment.
"You have to be joking! Qrow, this is a dingy bar, not a hotel!" Jaune said following his sense of judgement.
"Oh whatever." Qrow said dragging out the second word. "Just go with it and stop being scared of your shadow." Qrow said hooking his arm around Jaune's neck and leading him towards the front doors.
Once inside, Jaune was glad that no one seemed to notice them. For some reason he thought it would be like those western movies, and that they would enter and everything would go quiet. But the low roar of customers and the subtle sound of music from the jukebox in the back corner continued to fill the place. Half of the occupants looked like office workers, dressed in button ups and khakis. Though their drinking showed that they were able to cut loose. The rest of the people inside were clearly much different. Judging by how they were being given space, and the other occupants of the place kept glancing towards them curiously, they weren't regulars. They took up about a third of the floor space, and most of the bar. They all wore rugged clothes that looked like they hid important areas well.
Jaune would say that they looked like mercenaries, but for the fact that none of them had any sort of gear on them to prove that angle. But as his mentor made his way to the bar, with him in tow, Jaune could see a few of them glancing towards them. Or more likely, their weapons.
"Qrow Branwen! Been a while hasn't it?" A booming voice called out from behind the bar.
As they neared, Jaune could see the owner of that voice clearly. A large man, with arms large enough to make body builders blush. His barrel chest and bald head made him stick out. The apron he wore was almost too small for him, but did it's job well enough. The massive ginger beard the man sported drew Jaune's eyes quickly and finalised the image for him.
"Yes it has Davey. But I am here now." Qrow said sitting on a stool.
"Couldn't have picked a worse time Qrow, the entire lower district is screwed." Davey said grabbing a bottle of bourbon off the shelf and placing it on the counter for Qrow and Jaune.
"Yeah, what the hell happened Davey? A terrorist threat?" Qrow asked as he uncorked the bottle and poured some into his flask.
"Worse, a crime war. The Web is taking on the Sleeves and Dragons. Worst part is, they are winning the damn war." Davey said. And as that happened, several growls from the shady people at the bar and at the booths sounded out.
"You have a problem with me not liking your boss? Cause there's the door! This is still my damn bar!" Davey shouted at them, effectively silencing them.
"Malachite is winning? Wouldn't have thought she would openly attack the other groups like this." Qrow said, drawing Davey back.
"Well I couldn't tell you why. But the bitch is fooling the Police at every turn. A damn shame to watch honestly. So, who is this kid you have with you?" Davey asked, clearly trying to change the conversation to a higher note.
"This is Jaune Arc, I guess you could say he is my student. Brought him along on a mission to give him some lessons. Don't worry, he is seventeen." Qrow said sliding the bottle to Jaune.
"Well then it is a pleasure to meet you son! You have one hell of a teacher here. When the bastard isn't sober!" Davey said, shaking Jaune's hand and laughing loudly as he made his way down the bar to serve other customers.
"Davey has run this place longer than I have been a Huntsman. He is good people. We can stay here without being bugged by Leo." Qrow said glancing back over his shoulder to the people Davey shouted at.
"So, is this a gang war?" Jaune asked following Qrow's gaze.
"Yep. And a bad one by the looks of it. Those are a few of them right there. They run with the gang called The Web. They handle all kinds of militant activity for politicians and rich people with grudges. If you ever needed someone assassinated, then they could get it done." Qrow said sarcastically waving at them as they glared back.
"Is it really a good idea to make them mad?" Jaune asked as he rubbed his neck and tried to not look back too much.
"Nah, they can't touch me. I'll explain why later, but the gist is that if they mess with me, they get nailed by people worse than them." Qrow said.
"Well Qrow, I take it you want a room for a while. There is one open, and the cabinet is stocked." Davey said walking back over.
"I appreciate it Davey, we are gonna be here a couple weeks at the most." Qrow said, handing over a large sum of Lien.
"No problem...Qrow. Listen.." Davey said whispering something to Qrow.
Jaune watched as Qrow's eyes widened and he nodded before grabbing the bottle and motioning for Jaune to follow him. They ascended the stairs and walked to the end of the hall, where Qrow unlocked their room and let them inside. Two twin beds greeted them. The room was spacious and had a small kitchenette near the door. It had its own bathroom and a small t.v on top of a dresser.
"Well kid, good news is that the cops are calling for Hunstmen aid in mass numbers now. The bad news is that since I am one, I will be helping. But we have a mission that needs done. So give me your arm, it is time for you to have Aura." Qrow said facing Jaune.
Jaune extended his arm and Qrow gripped it by the forearm and closed his eyes.
"Held up by will and a hope for tomorrow, I release your soul, and by my side respect thee. For it is in company that we are strongest. With strength we become able to help those in need. Useful in it's utility and edge, I release your soul, and raise my blade to you." Qrow chanted.
And then, as if seeing the world in color for the first time, Jaune gasped.
"Welcome to the club kid." Qrow said, sighing and drinking from the bottle as Jaune's glow started to die down.
...
Well I know that it seems like a little much for Police to be doing so much. But that is the point I was trying to make. Is that this situation is large and dangerous. And that they are taking it seriously. I plan for Jaune and Qrow to have very little to do in terms of messing around. This whole trip will be training, and chaos. Hectic scenes and situations are not always great in stories, but the fast paced nature of the next few chapters will make the return to Vale much sweeter I think. And Yang is going to be getting some drive and purpose soon, so don't expect her whole part to just be stagnant student life. I hope you guys enjoy this one. Review and show some love!
-SlyShorty