"Hi, Yang."
Raven held Yang's gaze for a moment longer, before her eyes wandered to Qrow. In an instant, all warmth fled from her face.
"Qrow."
"Sis," Qrow said. "Long time no see."
"Not long enough," Raven said. "I'd say this is a pleasant surprise, but to be quite honest, I feel it's neither."
"Well, if you knew I was coming, you could at least have prepared a welcome banquet," Qrow said. "You get much wild game around these parts? Any chance I can get my hands on some roasted boar?"
"You well know we're not savages, Qrow," Raven said. "Besides, you lost that privilege a long time ago."
"While I'd love to argue that point with you," Qrow said, "I think we've got more important things to be discussing. Don't you agree?"
Raven shuffled, looking like she'd be not at all distressed if he fell dead in front of her very eyes.
"I don't suppose you could be intimidated into walking away," she said.
"You know me better than that," Qrow said. "You used to, at least."
Raven sighed. "So be it. But let's take this inside."
She walked towards the biggest tent in the camp. Unlike the rest, which stood on natural soil, that one stood above a wooden base that protected it from the elements. It was a small luxury, but compared to the others, that went a long way.
As Yang followed, she became acutely aware of the stares the other people in the camp threw their way. They didn't seem to know what to make of her, but how they felt about Qrow couldn't be more obvious. Yang could only wonder what her uncle had done to evoke such disdain and anger.
They stepped inside the tent, and Yang was surprised by how cozy it looked. The interior could almost pass for a bedroom of a proper house, with all the appropriate furniture, and the temperature felt quite nice too.
Raven gestured to three pillows at the center of the tent, and sat down on one of them. Qrow splayed out on another, and after a moment of hesitation, Yang pulled the remaining the pillow next to his and sat down too.
Vernal entered shortly after them, a jug of water in her hands. She didn't say a word as she walked over to a cabinet and started shuffling through it. Watching her, Yang realized she was picking out tea packets, and that, out of everything she'd seen so far, mystified her the most.
"Jasmine for me, Vernal, thank you," Raven said. "What tea do you prefer, Yang?"
Yang blinked. "I… don't know? I'm not a tea person."
"She'll have the same as me," Raven said to Vernal, and turned her head to glare at her brother. "And I needn't remind you, Qrow, that I don't allow alcohol within my camp's limits."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Qrow grumbled. "I lost my drink on the way here."
"Poor you. Jasmine it shall be for us all, then."
Not another word was shared while they waited for Vernal to finish preparing the tea. Raven seemed quite comfortable with the silence, her gaze shifting from Yang to Qrow in an almost lazy manner, and aside from some grumbling and the perpetual scowl on his face, Qrow acted with similar ease. Yang, on the other hand, felt like her heart might fall out of her mouth at any second.
Finally, Vernal poured the tea into three cups and brought them over, bending down to hand over the drinks. Vernal paused as Yang accepted hers, her whole body going still as the space between them shrank. Vernal didn't make a sound, but Yang saw the challenge written in her eyes as clear as day. Any other day, Yang would have risen to the challenge, but today the words choked in her throat.
What was happening to her? Sure she was nervous, but she was Yang Xiao freaking Long. She wasn't supposed to get shaken up like this.
Vernal blew the air from her nose and pulled away. She handed over Raven's cup, and stepped back from the circle.
"Thank you, Vernal," Raven said. "Leave us. I'd like you to bring the truck inside the walls, and prepare it for the journey back." She took a sip of her tea, giving Vernal a significant look through the steam which rose from it. "We'll talk later."
"Yes, Raven," Vernal said. She bowed her head respectfully, threw Yang another scowl, and walked out of the tent.
Qrow leaned back and scoffed. "Still a mamma's girl, that one, eh?"
"She's loyal, and she's reliable," Raven said. "Which is more than I can say for certain individuals."
Yang stared at the two of them, her breath hitching as she picked up her teacup. Mamma's girl? Raven and Vernal shared hair colors, and from what little Yang had seen, they seemed quite close… But surely that was just a manner of speech. Just Qrow being Qrow.
"Can we talk about why you ripped apart two dozen people now?" Qrow asked.
"Please, ripped apart is a bit much. I was merciful. And we can talk about that once you've partaken of the tea I've so generously shared with you," Raven said. "You are my guests, after all. It's only polite."
Qrow rolled his eyes and grabbed his teacup, downing it all in one gulp. Grimacing, he all but slammed the cup down on the floor, then turned to Raven implacably. Raven narrowed her eyes at him.
Yang watched them nervously. She slowly brought her own teacup to her lips and took her first sip. It wasn't the kind of drink she preferred, and the flavor didn't please her all too much, but it was soothing in a way. The warmth coursed through her body, and though her hands still shook, she thought she might be able to form a complete phrase without her voice breaking like a fourteen-year-old's.
"It's a good question," Yang said. "Why did you kill all those people, Raven?"
Raven looked at her, the animosity she showed Qrow waning. "I suppose that's the reason you came to me. To confirm whether or not your mother is a bloodthirsty monster."
Yang flinched. It was no mystery, but this was the first time Raven acknowledge their relation, and she did it without missing a beat.
"That'd be nice to know, yeah," Yang said.
"And that is only fair," Raven said. "For the record, I'm not ashamed of what I did. Nor do I regret it."
Yang frowned. "You don't regret it? Sorry, did I walk into the wrong building back in town? Because I'm pretty sure that shade of red is not a popular wall color."
"I took no joy in killing those men. But it had to be done," Raven said. "They were compromised."
"Compromised," Qrow repeated dryly. "So you had to kill them. That's convenient."
"It was certainly convenient for you," Raven said. "I took the matter into my own hands. I'm sure your master would appreciate that."
Qrow bristled. "I don't think you realize the position you're in, Raven. You want to bring Ozpin in? We'll bring Ozpin in."
Raven smiled. "I'll have to get my sword first, if you don't mind."
Yang put down her teacup.
"I'm sorry, am I the only one that's completely lost track of what's going on here?" she said. "What's Ozpin got to do with anything? And what do you mean those people were compromised?"
"Yes, what did you mean by that, Raven?" Qrow said, raising an eyebrow.
Raven was silent for a moment, studying Yang coolly.
"Your uncle hasn't told you a thing about me, has he?" Raven said.
"Not really," Yang said. "But to be fair, the topic hardly ever came up, seeing as you were literally never around."
"What do you think I do, Yang?" Raven said, unfazed. "What do you think this place is?"
Yang pursed her lips. With the all-encompassing madness that was meeting Raven, she had hardly taken a moment to take in everything else that was transpiring around her. Minutes before, she'd walked into a camp full of nasty-looking people in the middle of some dark woods in the middle of… who knows where. And hours before that, she'd gotten into a brawl with a girl who had shot her with wind and fire, and pulled some kinda trick to switch places with her. Also, her biological mother was a mass murderer.
What the hell was happening?
"I… Uh…" Yang swallowed dry. "Well, this is like a… camp. Like a tribal camp. So you people must be very… spiritual? Like you dance around a fire and chant spooky songs, make offerings to the gods, that kinda stuff." She slowly raised a finger. "Wait a minute. You didn't murder those guys for a ritual, did you? Were you summoning a demon? A Grimm?"
That, at last, broke Raven's composure, as she turned to Qrow, shaking her head incredulously. "What is she going on about?"
"Yang's got an overactive imagination," Qrow said. "Although, to be fair, she's had experiences."
"Ruby got kidnapped once," Yang said. "They tried to ritual sacrifice her."
"Yeah, that happened, I was there." Qrow rubbed his forehead. "Thankfully, we tracked her down and rescued her before it was too late."
"Technically she escaped on her own first, but we were there to help after," Yang said. "Look, it was a whole thing. Can we move past that?"
Raven nodded listlessly. "I'll take your word for it."
Yang took a long sip of tea, though she made sure to leave a good amount for later. She had a feeling she might still need it if this conversation lasted much longer.
"Uncle Qrow and Vernal kept saying the word tribe earlier," Yang said. "But you people aren't, like, literally a tribe, are you?"
"Is the idea that outrageous to you? What is a tribe, if not a group of people who share a common culture, common goals, common blood," Raven said. "Going by that definition, you could say a tribe is no different than a family."
"And apparently you're a scholar too," Yang said, unimpressed.
"This," Raven said, gesturing around her, "is the Branwen tribe. My grandparents founded it. My parents inherited it from them. And then it was my turn to take the reins, and I've been comfortably steering them for twenty years now."
Twenty years. As long as Yang had been alive, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. No coincidence there.
"Okay, but what do you guys do for a living?" Yang said. "Somehow I doubt you've got your people growing turnips all year long. And I'm discarding the ritual sacrifice angle, for now."
"We used to steal, kidnap, ransom… Among other things," Raven said. "You'd be dismayed to learn how unsafe Mistralian roads have always been."
"Wait, are you saying you're bandits?" Yang said, ready to spring to her feet and fight.
"Used to be," Raven said. "I changed that when I took leadership."
"Don't go getting your hopes up, Firecracker," Qrow said. "Raven didn't make things much better. I'd argue she made them even worse."
"And we're all very interested in your opinion, Qrow," Raven said. "Would you like to fill her in?"
"No, I want you to see you try, actually." Qrow leaned back. "Should be fun."
Raven finished her tea in silence, and looked Yang in the eyes.
"What if I told you there's more to reality than just ourworld?"
Yang blinked. "You mean like, planets and stuff? Sorry to break it to you, but we figured that out centuries ago. With a telescope."
"Not planets. Worlds that exist here, but that the regular person can't see or step into," Raven said.
"Uh, we've also figured out parallel universes. Or at least we know they can be a thing," Yang said. "I didn't pay much attention in Physics class, but Ruby and Jaune are always going on about-"
"Yang, you fight Grimm, do you not?" Raven said. "Where do you think they come from?"
Yang frowned. "Another dimension. But that's just what Beacon's told us. That doesn't mean it's true."
"That's a wise attitude to take with those people, though I'm afraid they're right, for this particular subject. But obviously they haven't shared the finer details with you," Raven said. "There is another world that exists close to our own, separated by a veil we can't cross or see. That's where the Grimm come from. And there are other worlds besides that one. Worlds of eternal winter, worlds where the rivers run with fire instead of water. They're countless – and they're all entirely unlike our own."
Yang processed that for a moment. Her ears were in perfect condition, she was fairly sure of that, but what Raven said was just too unbelievable.
"Are you trying to tell me that there's a bunch of… magic worlds out there?" Yang said.
"I thought you'd get to that word on your own. Magic," Raven said. "Once upon a time, I might have argued the semantics with you. But yes. I'm pretty much telling you that magic is real."
"You're bullshitting me," Yang said. "Uncle Qrow?"
She turned to Qrow for help, but he took one look at her face and started laughing.
"Uncle Qrow! Stop it!" Yang punched him in the shoulder. "Don't tell me you believe this crap too."
"Believe it? Yang, I've lived it," Qrow said. "Your mother and I might not see eye to eye, but I'm not gonna say the sky's red just 'cause shesays it's blue."
"Ours can be a difficult reality to come to terms with, Yang," Raven said. "But it is reality. That much I can assure you."
Yang set her jaw. "And why in the hell would I believe anything you say?"
"For one, your uncle is corroborating my words. I would hope you have some faith in him," Raven said. "And surely you've come all this way for a reason. It'd be a shame for you to put all that time and energy to waste because you refuse to open your mind to the truth."
Yang fell silent. The whole idea of other worlds and magic was outlandish, but she had to admit that a lot of things in her life could be described that way. She had superpowers, as did all her friends, and their job description was beating up evil alien monsters to save the world. Nowadays she accepted that as normal.
"Okay. Say I believe you," Yang said. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I said that regular people can't enter those worlds. But there are exceptions, and I'm one of them," Raven said. "My Semblance allows me to pierce the veil between worlds to traverse between them." She paused. "Among other things."
"And…?"
"And, there's a lot to be gained from exploring those worlds. They are inherently magic, and so is everything found in them," Raven said. "The objects we find out there, we call them artifacts. They can do all sorts of useful things, and they don't lose their properties when they're brought over to Remnant."
Yang nodded. Suddenly her fight with Vernal made a lot more sense. She didn't have a bunch of powers – that ring of hers was magic, and Yang was willing to bet her blades were as well.
"What Raven does," Qrow spoke up, "is she takes her goons across and has them find those artifacts, then they bring them back and sell them off to the highest bidder."
"You sell them off? Seriously?" Yang looked at Raven, eyebrows shooting upwards. "That doesn't sound very safe at all."
"It isn't," Raven said matter-of-factly. "But it is profitable."
"And Beacon just lets you do that?" Yang said.
"Raven struck a deal with Ozpin a long time ago," Qrow said, his tone of voice leaving no question about what he thought of the matter. "She behaves herself, keeps the most dangerous artifacts within the tribe, and Beacon doesn't come down on her."
"You can call it a deal, or you can call it what it is," Raven said. "A courtesy on my part, and a compromise on Ozpin's. Because you couldn't stop me if you tried."
"Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that, Raven," Qrow said. "We could make life very difficult for you, and you don't want that."
"You're right, that would be a headache." Raven rested her head on her hand and smirked at him. "But oh, could I return the favor. And dear Ozpin doesn't want that."
For what felt like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, Qrow and Raven locked eyes, each trying to outdo the other with their death stares, as if that would somehow resolve anything. Groaning, Yang finished her tea, and put her cup down forcefully. That, thankfully, drew the siblings' attention back to her.
"This is all very fascinating stuff, really. Can't wait to have an existential crisis over it later," Yang said. She looked at Raven. "Explain to me how any of it is relevant to those people you murdered."
Raven stiffened, her eyes flaring with anger, but it was gone a second later. Though it startled her, Yang didn't give ground, continuing to stare at her mother until she got her answer.
"Thosepeople I killed," Raven said, restraining a sigh, "were a bunch of good-for-nothing delinquents. Their leader was a former member of the tribe, and that, I regret. I certainly wouldn't have brought him in if I knew what a rat he would turn out to be." She paused. "He's the reason I had to do what I did."
Qrow sat straight, his face skeptical even as he paid rapt attention to Raven's words. "I checked the bodies, or what you left of them. I didn't recognize any of them as tribe people."
"That's because Shay's body isn't in this plane anymore," Raven said, and stared off for a moment. "At this point, it's safe to say it's not in any plane."
Yang wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn't.
"Shay." Qrow nodded. "Yeah, that checks out. What did he do to earn your wrath?"
"He broke the rules," Raven said. "Six months ago, he approached me about leaving the tribe. Wanted to carve out his own place in the world, some nonsense like that. Normally I don't entertain that from my followers, but he was starting to be more of a pain than he was worth, so I let him go. And of course, that little shit showed his appreciation by sneaking off with a bag full of the tribe's artifact stash, and my own."
"What did he take with him?" Qrow asked.
"Nothing too dangerous," Raven said. "Except for one item, which I recovered myself years ago, through no small effort. It's a crystal-like shard, dark, and when I held it in my hand, my strength, resilience, speed – they were all amplified, and greatly. The same was true for any other person that held it."
"Sounds like something we don't want out there in whoever's hands," Qrow noted.
"You don't understand the half of it. Let me finish," Raven said. "That thing isn't just some artifact. It has a will of its own. Anyone that uses it, it takes over their body. They grow stronger and stronger, but at the same time, they lose all will of their own. All they know is to fight and kill in search of a stronger host, and they won't stop until they do… or until they're reduced to a lifeless husk."
Yang shifted in her pillow. The thought of an evil thing like that going inside her and taking control of her body… It made ritual sacrifice sound almost trivial.
"I'm guessing you found that out the hard way," Qrow said quietly.
Raven clenched her fist over her knee. "Yes. After I realized how dangerous that thing was, I hid it in my personal stash. That didn't stop that idiot from taking it while I was away."
"How do you stop it, then?" Yang asked. "From taking over people?"
"It's simple," Raven said. "You kill the host. That forces the creature back into the crystal."
Yang wished she hadn't drunk all her tea. Her stomach was terribly upset all of a sudden.
"That's why you killed those people? They were… possessed?" Yang asked.
"I couldn't risk the chance any of them might be," Raven said.
"But none of them were," Qrow said. "You didn't recover the crystal, did you?"
"No. By the time I realized it was gone, Shay had already sold it. To whom, I don't know yet," Raven said. "That's what I'm in the process of finding out."
"Oh, you're in the process! Mistral is saved, then," Qrow said. "You should have reached out to Beacon right away, Raven. To me, at least. Innocent people could die because of this!"
"You think I don't know that? I'm working on it. I've been working on it, that's what led you here," Raven said. If she'd been hostile towards Qrow before, now Yang thought she might actually get up and hit him. "This is my responsibility, Qrow. Of that, I'm very aware. So I don't need yours or anyone's help, and that's the end of it."
"So, let me get this straight," Qrow said. "You had a dangerous object in your possession, which you carelessly let some rat get his hands on and sell it off, you don't know where it is now, it could kill tens of people before you find it, and you're refusing any help… because of your pride."
Raven got up, Qrow following her cue instantly. Their eyes locked, Raven took a step back, her fists taut near her waist. Yang watched from the ground, not knowing what was about to happen, not sure what she should do, if she should do anything-
Finally, Raven looked away. "Fine. I'll accept your help, Qrow."
"Good," Qrow said, his posture loosening ever so slightly. "We can work together on this."
"Yes, yes. You don't need to say anything more." Raven sighed. "I'm tired. We'll talk about this in the morning." She turned around and gestured dismissively over her shoulder. "Find Vernal outside. She'll get you a place to stay in for the night."
"Yeah, thanks," Qrow said. "Yang?"
Yang looked towards her mother. There were a hundred more questions she wanted to ask her, but they were all so daunting, and she hadn't even started to process what she'd learned so far. She couldn't bring herself to leave, yet staying didn't feel any easier.
"Oh, stab me with a dull knife. You're as difficult as her," Qrow muttered under his breath. "I'll be outside whenever you're done."
He walked out of the tent, and Yang jumped to her feet. Just a second alone with Raven, and the decision to leave or stay was no longer a decision. She walked towards the outside.
"Yang."
She turned and saw Raven sitting at the edge of a cupboard, studying her with an expression Yang couldn't decipher.
"Before you go. What's the verdict?" Raven said. "Am I monster, or am I something else?"
Yang paused. She didn't know what answer Raven wanted out of her, and she didn't know how she would answer honestly because she didn't know what she felt. She had imagined so many ways her mother might be, how she might receive her – with a warm embrace; with a cold indifference – but the woman before her was somewhere in the middle of all those versions.
An unknown, like she'd always been.
"Jury's still out," Yang said, and walked away.
The tent Yang and Qrow were given was of a thin and flimsy material which barely protected them from the wind, and that, combined with the fact that they were as far away from the bonfire as they could be within the walls, made for miserable sleeping conditions. It also didn't help that Yang could still feel the grass and mud slushing under her, even with a sleeping cot between her and the ground.
She turned over to look at her uncle. He lay on his own cot, apparently much more comfortable than she was, but she didn't know if he was asleep yet. His back was turned towards her, so she couldn't see his face.
"Uncle Qrow?"
Qrow shifted slightly, and a second later his voice rumbled throughout the tent. "What?"
"Just wanted to know if you were awake," Yang whispered. "I can't sleep."
"Well that's terrible," Qrow said. "You want me to read you a bedtime story?"
Yang turned to look at the ceiling. "Sorry."
She should have known better than to bother Qrow. He'd had a terrible day overall, and she partly responsible for that. When he'd learned that his sister had gone on a killing spree, he'd surely not been expecting to also have to introduce his niece to her. He deserved a break.
"That was some wild stuff you heard in there. How are you taking it, kiddo?"
Yang looked at Qrow. He'd turned to look at the ceiling too, a surly expression on his face, though now there was an air of patience about him.
"Mostly okay? I guess when you do what I do, nothing can really surprise you," Yang said.
"Eh." Qrow shrugged. "Just you wait."
"Well that's a comforting thing to hear," Yang said. "Uncle Qrow, why are you and Raven so… you know, at each other's throats?"
"Is that what it felt like?" Qrow said, and Yang couldn't tell if he was joking or if genuinely hadn't noticed. "Sorry, kiddo. Things have been tense between us for a long time. We didn't part ways in a cordial manner, let's put it like that."
"When was the last time you two saw each other?"
Qrow scrunched his forehead. "Three years ago. Or way longer than that. I can't be sure."
Yang wanted to ask how he couldn't be sure about something like that, but she figured she would just get an answer along the lines of it's complicated or because it's your mother. And to be fair, now that she'd met the woman, she understood the excuses.
"Everyone seems to hate you here," Yang said hesitantly. "And earlier, Vernal called you a traitor."
Qrow scowled. "You wanna ask what I did, don't you?"
"No! I mean, I wanna know, but obviously you don't deserve any of their attitude," Yang said, shaking her head. "These people are all weirdos and borderline criminals. You are an awesome agent of Beacon. And the greatest uncle ever."
"Yet only Tai ever got the celebratory mugs." Qrow sighed, but Yang heard the mirth hidden behind it.
"So…" Yang said. "Did you leave the tribe or something? Well, obviously you did. You know what I'm asking."
Qrow was silent for a good while, just rubbing his chin in deep thought, and Yang started to wonder if this was going to be another complicated topic.
"Look, if you ask Raven, that's what she'd tell you. That I left," Qrow said. "Truth is, we both left the tribe when we were kids. We just wanted to get away from our parents. Tried our luck on the streets, just surviving each day, which was still better than what we had before."
"Oh." Yang hugged herself. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"It's alright, kiddo. That was a long time ago, and I don't stress about it anymore, so neither should you," Qrow said. "Never saw the point in telling you. Probably for the best you didn't know."
"Probably."
Was that why Qrow drank so much? That explained a lot of things, actually.
"Anyway, it was during that time that we found out we weren't regular kids," Qrow said. "Raven could make portals and teleport around and take us to explore strange planes, and I… I was a bad luck magnet. That got us into a lot of trouble, trust me. Both our things did."
"Wait, you explored those places Raven talked about when you were kids?" Yang said.
"Look, we weren't exactly kids by that point. And it was easier than looking through trash cans, depending on where we went," Qrow said. "You've got no idea what's out there, Yang."
"Elves? Giants? Three-headed hounds from hell?" Yang asked.
"Yes, absolutely all of those, as well as sentient frying pans," Qrow said. "Moving on. Eventually, our antics caught Beacon's attention. We avoided them for a while, but we were dumb, so we got cornered. Somehow, Ozpin talked us into working with him. We became agents of Beacon."
"Sorry, but I can't picture Raven working for Ozpin," Yang said.
"Well, we got food and comfy beds, so that helped," Qrow said. "To be honest I'm still not sure how he convinced her. Maybe it was for the sake of us staying together. Simpler times."
"Simpler times," Yang said. "But it didn't last."
"Nope. One day, Raven just up and left. She went back to the tribe and took control of it, made it into what it is today, while I decided to stay with Beacon," Qrow said. "She never forgave me for that. Which I guess is kinda fair, 'cause it still baffles me that she left like that."
"I don't get it. If things were so much better for you two, why did she come back to the tribe? Why did she leave?" Yang asked.
"Beats me. I never got a straight answer out of her, and to be honest, I've given up trying to figure out what's happening inside that woman's head," Qrow said. "Maybe you'll have better luck. But I wouldn't build up hope if I were you."
Yang nodded. "Did she leave before or after she had me?"
"That's a tricky question. The timing… I think she might have been pregnant already. I couldn't tell at the time, though, so take that with a grain of salt."
Yang's head was swimming with questions. When exactly in all of that mess had she been born? And how did her father factor into the story? She wanted to ask Qrow, but from the way he spoke, he might not be able to answer, and that would only make him feel worse.
"Thanks, Uncle Qrow," Yang said. "This is a lot to think about. But I guess we should sleep now. We've got a spooky crystal demon-thingy to track down tomorrow."
Qrow chuckled. "We, huh?"
"What, you're gonna try and stop me from going along? 'Cause you know how well that worked out for you last time," Yang said. "…Quitter."
"I'm not gonna argue with you. I'm more worried how Raven will take it," Qrow said. "She's prideful to a fault, Yang. You saw what it took to get her to cooperate with me."
"Well, maybe it'll be different with me," Yang said. "I'll talk to her in the morning. And if she says I can't help, I'll convince her otherwise."
Qrow shuddered, as if that was the most terrifying proposition he'd ever heard. "Yeah, think I'll let you two hash that out by yourselves and sleep in. Good luck."
Yang's sleep came in sporadic bursts, accompanied by dreams too wild for her to comprehend in the short time they lasted. At some point she'd woken up and found herself unable to close her eyes again, so she spent the next hours staring at the ceiling, not thinking about anything in particular.
Eventually sunlight filtered in through the tent, and birds started to chip outside. Yang looked at Qrow to see if he was still sleeping, then got up and exited the tent. She stood at the entrance for a moment, basking in the fresh morning air and trying to shake off the exhaustion in her bones.
Apparently, she was far from the first person in the camp to wake up. There were a good number of people already out and about, seeing to their tasks. There was a group of four at the extinguished bonfire, one pair removing the ashes and burnt wood, the other placing new logs for later. No one spared more than a glance at Yang, but she couldn't help but still feel unwelcome among them.
Well, that was their problem, not hers. Yang shrugged and walked towards Raven's tent. She almost expected someone to try and stop her, but luckily for all parties, no one did.
She hopped up the steps to the wooden platform and stepped towards the entrance, but stopped when she saw the flap was zipped shut. She'd assumed Raven would be awake already – Yang couldn't imagine her being the type of person to sleep in – but maybe she'd been wrong.
Yang turned around, thinking she ought to come back later, but stopped when she heard a voice behind her. It had come from inside the tent, she was pretty sure, and she confirmed her suspicion when she approached the flap again and tilted her ear towards it.
"Believe me, we're not making it a custom of working with him," Raven said. "But we've been at a dead end, Vernal, and if there's one person who can actually be useful in this sort of predicament, it's Qrow. I don't like it any more than you do, but it is what it is."
"We don't need him," Vernal replied. "I can find the crystal by myself. I just need more time and I'll bring it to you."
"If that were within your capability, the crystal would already be in my hand. Alas, we still don't know where it is," Raven said. "I've heard what you have to say, Vernal, but my decision is final. Unless you think there's something else I've failed to consider?"
"No. I put my trust in you, as always." There was a pause. "I'll drive back to Haven, then. Should I bring people with me?"
"No, that won't be necessary," Raven said. "Be prepared to receive me."
"Yes, Raven."
Yang heard footsteps approaching the flap, and jumped away from it. Panicking, she spun around and put her hands behind her back, and started whistling a little tune. Or tried to – Yang had never really gotten the hang of whistling, and she was paying for that now.
A couple seconds passed, and Vernal stepped out of the tent. She halted in her tracks immediately, staring at Yang with the usual animosity. "What are you doing here?"
"Enjoying the morning air. I didn't know the weather was so good around these parts – shows what I've been missing on!" Yang said, smiling wide. "Is Raven up yet?"
Vernal's eyes narrowed. "Were you listening in on us?"
She took a step towards Yang, taking them both dangerously close to the edge of the platform. Yang dropped the act in an instant, clenching her fists as she glared back.
"So what if I did? I didn't hear anything important," she said. "Just you whining like a brat and getting scolded for it." She leaned to the side and made a show of looking Vernal up and down. "Wait, where did your tail go? Coulda sworn I saw it between your legs a second ago."
Vernal's hands flew to her blades. Yang shoved her away and took a stance, raising her fists before her.
"What, you want round two?" Yang said. "First one didn't work out so well for you."
"Way I remember it, you were the one who had to be rescued by her uncle," Vernal spat.
"Wow, it takes some mental gymnastics to think I was the one being rescued there," Yang said. "Come on. Try your little magic trick on me again. What are you waiting for?"
They stared, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Vernal's fingers tightened around her blades, and Yang lowered her stance, calculating a precise counter-attack to knock her on her ass.
"Are you two quite done?"
Raven walked out of her tent, sipping on a cup of a tea. Her gaze shifted from Yang to Vernal, a lazy amusement in her eyes.
"As entertaining as it is to listen to you two hissing at each other," she said, "I think you both have better things to be doing at the moment. Am I wrong?"
Vernal put her blades away. "No," she said. "Sorry, Raven. I'll be going now."
She looked at Yang, communicating very clearly that the apology did not extend to her, and walked away.
"See ya," Yang said, waving. "Don't let the door hit ya."
Vernal flipped her the bird over her shoulder and kept walking.
Raven sighed. "Must you antagonize her?"
"She's the one who started it," Yang said. "Girl acts like I stuck my foot in her soup or something. I'm not just gonna stand there and take that."
"And as admirable an attitude that is, I cannot find it in me to care," Raven said. "You're a guest of the tribe, Yang. I'd prefer you to keep that in mind in the future."
"Right. Sorry, I'll tone it down," Yang said. "…As long as she tones it down too."
Raven rolled her eyes and went back inside, and Yang followed her. She hadn't noticed it the previous night with all the excitement and nerves, but even for being in the middle of what was practically a bandit camp, this was no regular tent. There was an assortment of curious items scattered throughout it, left atop the furniture or displayed in glass cases.
Yang approached one of the cases and looked at the necklace that lay inside. She couldn't identify the purple gemstone, and though she was no expert in the subject, she doubted that was the reason why. It was probably from another world. She wondered what would happen if she put on the necklace. Would she gain the ability to levitate off the ground? Shoot lightning from her fingertips? Or maybe… she'd be turned into a frog.
Yang turned away from the case. She could live with not finding out.
"Tea?" Raven offered, refilling her cup.
"No thanks," Yang said. "Is that all you drink around here?"
"I'm sure we can find you some grape juice," Raven said. She leaned back against a desk and drank silently, her eyes following Yang's every movement as if she were some sort of exotic animal. Or a bumbling baby. Or a ticking bomb.
She probably took her for a mixture of all three, Yang figured.
"So. Vernal," Yang said. "I'm guessing she's always such a ray of sunshine, and I'm not a special case."
"Vernal is who she is," Raven replied nonchalantly.
"Mhmm." Yang crossed her arms. "Is she particularly pissed because she didn't even know I existed?"
"That is an interesting theory," Raven said. "I see you're capable of putting two and two together. Though if you want to get to know Vernal, I recommend that you talk to the woman herself, and not I. We speak for ourselves here."
"Maybe I'll give that a try," Yang said, though she really couldn't care about Vernal anymore. "So you really didn't tell anyone about me? No one here had any idea you have a daughter?"
Raven raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you go around informing everyone you meet about the mother you never knew?"
"No, but I tell the people I'm close with," Yang said.
Raven nodded. "That's good for you."
She sipped her tea, not saying another word, and Yang almost walked over and slapped the cup out of her hands.
"Why are you acting like I'm your neighbor you bumped into at the supermarket?" Yang said. "I'm your daughter. I'm here. Do you not care? Am I bothering you?"
"I've welcomed you inside my home, which is not something I do lightly," Raven said. "Did you expect to be received with a hug, is that it?"
"No, I didn't. I just-" Yang gestured at the air impotently. "I wasn't expecting anything, okay? But you're not making this easy."
"Well I'm sorry, Yang, but I'm not familiar with the protocol. You might be surprised, but I didn't wake up yesterday with a step-by-step plan of how to connect with my twenty-year-old daughter," Raven said. "I have things going on, if you haven't noticed. I have a life of my own. I didn't spring into existence the moment you set your eyes on me in this camp. And yet I'm freely giving you my time when I could have booted you out the gates. So please do tell me, what do you want from me?"
Yang stared, stunned silent. Raven pushed off the desk and put her cup away inside a cupboard, her hands visibly shaking. When she turned back to face Yang again, they had stopped, and her expression betrayed no larger emotion once again. But Yang couldn't forget.
"Why are you here, Yang?" Raven asked.
Yang didn't know. She had one question above all – why did you leave? – but she couldn't ask it. She wasn't ready to hear the answer. Not yet.
"When are you going to Haven?" Yang said. "To track down the… you know. Demon-thingy."
"I sent Vernal to drive back to the city," Raven said. "Once she's there, I'll open a portal to her and get myself and Qrow there."
"Why wait? Couldn't you just teleport to the city right away?" Yang said.
"Because that's not how my Semblance works," Raven said. "Opening a portal from one plane to another, that I can do anywhere, unless I'm looking to go somewhere specific. But to travel a long distance within the same plane, I need someone to anchor myself to at the other side."
Yang opened her mouth to interject, but Raven raised a hand.
"It needs to be someone I've bonded to in advance. And I can only do that with a few people at a time," Raven said. "Does that cover all your questions?"
"Yeah. So, basically, to do your stuff, you gotta rely on other people," Yang said. "Well, ain't that just so you."
Raven grinned humorlessly. "You take after your uncle."
"What can I say, he's a great influence," Yang said. "I'm coming with you to catch your ghost demon."
"Are you, now?" Raven said. "Why?"
"Because, it's a ghost demon," Yang said. "You've been really clear about how dangerous that thing is, to society as a whole, so I'm not gonna just sit by and wait while you and Qrow take care of it."
"Don't you save the world enough on your own time?" Raven said.
"I do. And this is my own time."
Raven sighed. She rubbed her forehead, thinking for a moment, then shook her head at Yang.
"I can't let you do that," she said.
"Excuse me? Who said anything about you letting me do anything?" Yang said. "And are you really gonna do the same thing you did with Qrow? Are you really that proud that you're gonna refuse my help too?"
"It's not about pride," Raven said. "You're not fit to accompany us, that's all. You're not strong enough."
"You just said I save the world all the time. I've wrestled so many Grimm to death I've lost count." Yang paused. "Do I need to flex my guns for you?"
"That's not the kind of strength I'm talking about," Raven said. "You saw what I had to do to try and contain that thing. I killed those people without hesitation. We might have to do even worse before this is over. And I don't think you're capable of that."
The sight and smell of the blood returned to Yang for an instant, and she flinched just thinking about it. But she didn't look away from Raven.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of," she said.
Raven stared at her for a while, as if pondering something, and Yang thought she saw admiration in her eyes. But she was probably just seeing what she wanted to see.
"Follow me," Raven said.
She walked to the wall opposite the entrance and lowered a flap Yang hadn't noticed before. They stepped out into a small area fenced off from the rest of the camp. Yang immediately felt something, a feeling she couldn't quite describe but was still familiar to her. After a few seconds, she remembered why – it was the same feeling she'd felt when she investigated Shay's office back in Haven. Something about the air there had been different, and it was the same here.
"What's going on here?" Yang said. She swatted in front of her face, trying to get rid of the feeling, but it didn't get any better. "I'm not crazy, am I? There's something off about this place."
Raven looked at her, for once genuinely surprised. "You feel it already?"
"Yeah? What is it? And what do you mean already?" Yang asked.
"Nothing to worry about. You'll understand soon enough," Raven said.
"Oh, great. More cryptic crap, just what I needed," Yang said. "What are we doing here? Are you gonna murder me and bury my body in your backyard? 'Cause I'd like to write my last will first, if you don't mind."
"You want to accompany me to Haven. I'll allow it," Raven said. "But first you'll have to prove your strength to me."
Yang stared at her for a moment, then stepped back and raised her fists before her.
"…What are you doing?" Raven said.
"Getting ready to fight," Yang said. "That's what we're doing, right?"
Raven looked at the sky and muttered something under her breath. A moment of silence passed before Yang realized she'd read the situation completely wrong, and she straightened up awkwardly.
"Uhm, so how do I prove myself or whatever?" Yang said.
"I'm putting you through the tribe's initiation test, the same one taken by anyone joining the tribe. Suffice it to say, it's a grim ordeal," Raven said. She took a second look at Yang. "Of course, taking into account how amazing you already are, I'll have to raise the bar for success accordingly."
"Gee, thanks."
Raven turned and walked to the center of the fenced area. She looked around, her eyes unblinking, as if she were staring at somewhere else altogether. Slowly, she raised a hand, and Yang shuddered as that unnamable feeling heightened. Then Raven swiped at the air with her hand, and where before had been only air, now floated a glowing red portal.
Raven looked back at Yang and gestured at the portal. "Well, you first."
Yang walked over to the portal. She slowly brought a hand towards it and looked back at Raven, who met her stare dispassionately. Swallowing dry, Yang turned and touched the portal.
For a split second, everything was red.
And then she fell face-first on soft snow. She jumped to her feet at once, slapping at her face – the snow was so cold it burned. As she flailed her arms and hopped from one foot to the other, her stomach turned suddenly and she bent over, leaning on her knees as she retched. Nothing came out, and after a full minute, the nausea subsided.
Yang stood straight, shivering. She was… in the middle of a snowstorm? Looking around, she found the glow of the portal behind her, and Raven standing there, watching.
"…the fuck?" was all Yang managed to say.
"Feeling nauseated?" Raven asked, her lips twitching. "Don't be embarrassed if you have to throw up. It's normal for first-timers."
"Thanks, I'm g-good," Yang said, wiping her mouth. "Is this part of the test?"
"No, but it's a good first step," Raven said. "Now, if you had doubled over and passed out, that would have been a disappointment."
"Yeah, sure. Very funny," Yang said. "Okay, so what now? What's the next part of the test?"
"It's simple," Raven said. "You survive for twenty-four hours."
Yang glared at her. "You really gotta work on your sense of humor."
Raven raised an eyebrow, and stepped back through the portal. It vanished, and Yang was left staring at the emptiness left behind.
"Uh… That was a joke, right? Raven? Hello?"
The snow buffeted her mercilessly.
She heard no response.
Raven, magic, other worlds... Yeeeeesssss... I've been waiting so long to introduce all this stuff, and it's finally happening! Yay!
Writing this chapter, I had one of those experiences where, until the whole thing was finished, I thought it was a disaster. So much exposition and character stuff to explore, I was bound to screw up. But I'm confident enough with how the chapter ended up, and hopefully you'll guys will enjoyed it too!
Next time... A chapter I had a lot of fun writing.
-Zeroan
