Yang came out of the portal into a room she didn't recognize. It was a tight space, with no windows and only a single door behind her, which appeared to be locked. Raven was already there, as were Qrow and Vernal, and they stood beside a metal bed with someone lying on it.
Or rather, a body.
"Yang!" Qrow took his eyes off the body and came to shake her by the shoulder. "You're here. With all arms and legs. Good, I guess." He stepped back and crossed his arms. "I swear you're the most boneheaded kid I've ever known - and I've known myself. What were you thinking?"
"What? I told you I was going to talk with Raven," Yang said. "How was I supposed to know she was gonna send me on a magical death-journey?"
"I guess you couldn't have known," Qrow said, rubbing the corners of his eyes. "But you could afford to use a little more common sense every once a in while."
Yang grinned. "I learn by example." She glanced at Raven and Vernal, then leaned towards Qrow and whispered, "I have so many questions."
"I figured you would." Qrow looked her up and down, blinking slowly with a furrowed brow, like she was some sort of alien creature. After a moment, he shook his head and looked her in the eye again. "Did your mother dunk you in a pool or something?"
"Huh?" Yang looked down and realized she was still soaking wet from having fallen into the river. "Oh, man. I could explain, but it's a lot. Fairies and stuff."
Qrow snorted. "It's good to have you back, Firecracker."
Raven cleared her throat from the other side of the room.
"If you two could pause the family reunion," she said. "We have business."
Qrow walked back over to the bed, and Yang followed. She looked at the body and frowned. It belonged to an adult man, dark hair and reddish skin. The cause of his death couldn't be more obvious – there was a hole above his left eyebrow where a bullet had passed clean through.
Yang swallowed dry, and looked at Raven. "I'm guessing we're in one of your Haven hideouts?"
"You've got the right idea," Raven said off-handedly as she studied the body.
Vernal lifted her chin proudly. "The Branwen tribe hides from no one."
"Um-hum. And I feel so cool now that I'm part of the club," Yang said. "So, anyone care to tell me why we're staring at a dead guy? Who is he?"
"One of Shay's men," Raven said.
"You mean the guy that screwed you over?" Yang asked.
Raven scowled at her. "Precisely. He sent this one and a few others to sell the crystal. Must have struck a deal with another city gang," she said. "This is how Vernal found him, alongside a dozen more good-for-nothing thugs."
Yang wanted to point out the irony of Raven calling other people thugs, but she figured that wouldn't lead to anything productive.
"So there's even more dead people? How did that happen?" Yang said.
"Deal went south. One side tried to pull some sneaky shit on the other. Both sides did, probably," Vernal said. "That's how it always goes."
"Well, this poor fellow died from a gunshot. Something else happened to the rest of 'em," Qrow said. "You said you didn't find the crystal, right?"
"I searched every inch of that place," Vernal said, bristling. "You want me to take you there so you can see for yourself?"
"No, I'm just saying what we're all thinking," Qrow said. "Someone got hold of the crystal during the deal. Maybe they were with the ones selling, maybe the ones buying. Things went the way they go-" He nodded at Vernal. "-and that someone got a good dose of murder demon down their throat. And then…"
He made a slashing motion over his neck, then stuck out of his tongue and lolled his head to the side.
"Yes, thank you for the vivid imagery, brother," Raven said dryly. "That's not a great revelation. We reached that conclusion days ago."
"Forgive me for being thorough," Qrow said. "If it'll make you any happy, I looked at the rest of the bodies while you went to fetch Yang. I'm pretty sure the other guys were Malachite Spiders."
Yang saw Vernal stiffen, her eyes darting to Raven and then away as she grabbed the edge of the table.
"The Spiders," Raven said, dragging out the name as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "You're sure about that?"
"As sure as I can be without speaking to the dead," Qrow said. "It makes sense, right? Malachite's always been interested in getting in on your business, hasn't she?"
"That, she has," Raven said. "I suppose she saw her chance and took it."
"Someone remind me, who are these Spider folks again?" Yang asked.
"The Malachite Spiders. Just the biggest underground crime gang in the entirety of Mistral," Qrow said. "Their boss calls herself Lil' Miss Malachite. Not a nice lady."
"Oh. Yeah, I totally knew that," Yang said. "Are we going to kick her ass?"
"We'll see about that. First, we'll talk to her," Qrow said. He looked at Raven. "If that's a-okay with you, Sis. Wouldn't wanna step on your toes."
"It's a lead," Raven said. "I suppose you know where to find her these days?"
"Sure. We're the best of buddies, obviously," Qrow said.
"Good for you. We'll take the car, then," Raven said. "Vernal?"
Vernal looked up and nodded. "Yes, Raven. I'll bring it around to the front."
She walked out of the room. Raven followed her with her eyes, then shook her head almost imperceptibly and grabbed a tarp to cover the body with.
"Before we go," Yang said, raising a hand. "Can I get, like, some dry clothes? And a towel." She paused. "And maybe a hair dryer, if you've got one laying around."
Raven looked at her and sighed. "Qrow, get your sidekick what she wants, will you?"
Yang scoffed. "I'm not his sidekick."
"Yeah," Qrow said. "She's just some weird kid who keeps following me around. Starting to worry she's, you know…" He spun his finger around his ear. "…unstable."
"Your face is gonna be unstable after I – hey!"
Qrow grabbed her by the back of her neck and dragged her away.
"Always gotta be about the face with you, huh?"
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Yang couldn't remember going through a more awkward, and simultaneously terrifying experience.
Vernal's daredevil driving was only exacerbated by Haven's busy traffic. Yang had lost count of how many times they'd narrowly avoided crashing against another car, and the worst part was, every time it happened, Vernal would stick her head out the window and shout at the other driver as if it was their fault.
Raven sat shotgun, her sword on her lap, looking bored out of her mind as she stared out the window. It was almost impressive, if not a bit disturbing. And Qrow sat beside Yang, sprawled out with a new flask in his hands. Yang assumed he'd gotten it while she'd been gone.
"Honk at me again, asshole!" Vernal shouted out the window. "I'll turn this car around and shove – yeah do the world a favor and hide your face! Even your mother couldn't love that!"
She moved the car forward again, and it lurched and jumped precariously as it went.
"Goddamn pile of trash." Vernal slammed her hands on the wheel. "What incompetent ass built this thing?"
Raven turned her head to look at her. "Perhaps relax on the gas every once in a while," she said placidly, and returned to staring at the sky.
"I am relaxing," Vernal grumbled. "I'm the most relaxed motherfucker in this town."
Yang breathed deeply as an awkward silence set in once again.
"So. Uncle Qrow," she said. "I was meaning to ask you something, but I'm not sure how to."
Qrow lowered his flask from his lips. "Shoot."
"Okay." Yang sucked in air through her teeth. "Can you turn into a bird?"
Qrow stared at her, blinking slowly. He took a big gulp from his flask, then corked it and sat up straight.
"You tell her, Raven?" he said.
"She's here, she's involved. I see no point in hiding our magic from her," Raven said. "But no, I didn't tell her much of anything. I figured I'd leave that up to you. You did always have a fondness for telling stories."
"You know me so well," Qrow said dryly.
"So you can turn into a bird. Both of you can," Yang said. "You're saying you're magic or something?"
"We weren't always. Travelling across planes like we used to do, you tend to pick up a few changes along the way," Qrow said. "Some advice – if you end up venturing beyond Remnant again, avoid picking up strange red orbs with your bare hands."
"I don't think Yang needs such advice, brother," Raven said. "She seems to have a good head on her shoulders, for the most part. I doubt she'd ever do something so colossally idiotic."
Qrow threw his hands up. "You told me to pick up the orb!"
"Did I? I don't remember it that way," Raven said. "But maybe that's how it happened. You've always been quick to do what you're told, after all."
"Act smug all you want. You touched it right after," Qrow said. He looked at Yang. "We stayed like birds for hours afterward, we couldn't figure out how to turn back. It was a pretty traumatic experience, to be honest. After all this time, you can still see the effects it had on your mother's brain."
"Right. Cool story," Yang said. "Is that a thing that happened often, you two getting, uh… magicked up by weird otherworldly stuff?"
"That was the worst that happened. We were more careful after that," Qrow said. "But magic always has an effect on you, even just by you being around it. The longer you stay out there, the more attuned to it you become. The more it clings to you, too. You can't see it, but Raven practically exudes magic all the time."
Yang looked at Raven, and though it was difficult to make out with how unruly the car was moving, she could see the air almost shimmering around her.
"Nope, I can see it alright," Yang said.
Qrow frowned. "You shouldn't be able to. You weren't out there for more than a day."
"Maybe I'm special," Yang said. "I am a fire child, after all. Whatever that means."
"Huh." Qrow looked at the back of Raven's head for a moment, and shrugged. "Got no clue either. But good for you, kiddo."
Vernal swerved suddenly, and Yang nearly slammed her head against the window.
"So, follow-up question," Yang said. "Is it a coincidence that you can turn into birds and your names are… you know."
"There are no coincidences when it comes to magic," Raven said.
"It's funny you say that, though," Qrow said. "Some people choose to change their names when they join the tribe. Like Raven's boy, Shay."
Raven grimaced.
"What do you mean?" Yang asked.
"Well, from what I heard, he used to go by Michael D. Mann." Qrow grinned. "But then he changed his first name to Shay."
"Wait… Shay D. Mann?" Yang leaned back, beaming. "Shay D. Mann! And you trustedthat guy?"
"I never trusted him," Raven said. "He had his uses, that is all. I never liked him."
"Sure, but you kept him around," Yang said. "Maybe Qrow's right and your brain is part bird all the time!"
She laughed and clapped her hands, and Qrow joined her, raising his flask in celebration. Even Vernal couldn't hide a snicker.
"Yes, laugh it up," Raven said, her face bright red. "I'll fly the rest of the way, thank you very much."
She opened her window and turned into a bird. She hopped in her seat for a moment, throwing a raven-glare at Yang and Qrow on the back, then flew out of the car and took to the skies.
"Heh." Qrow took a swig. "She still can't take a joke."
"Do you think she eats worms and insects?" Yang said.
"Oh, for sure."
"You're sure this is the place?" Yang said. She closed the car door and looked at the bar in front of her. "Doesn't look like an ultra-secret criminal hideout."
"That's the point," Qrow said, stopping beside her. "Nice establishment in a nice district. Who'd guess to look, right?"
"You, apparently," Yang said.
Qrow shrugged. "I know my way around."
Raven swooped down from the sky, her feathers shimmering as she shifted mid-flight. She bent her knees as she touched the sidewalk, landing right next to a man who just happened to be walking by. He stopped in his tracks, mouth hanging open as he stared at her.
"What?" she said, looking him straight in the eyes. The man closed his mouth and scurried away, nearly tripping over himself as he looked over his shoulder at her.
Raven walked past Yang and Qrow and leaned to look inside the car. Vernal hadn't gotten out yet, one hand on the keys in the ignition, the other grasping the wheel tightly.
"Wait for us here," Raven said.
Vernal frowned. "I should come with you."
"No. You keep the car running, in case we need to leave fast," Raven said. "We won't be long."
Surprisingly, Vernal gave no objection. Raven nodded and joined Yang and Qrow.
"Maybe you should wait in the car too," Qrow said. "At least leave the sword?"
Raven didn't dignify him with a response, going ahead and entering the bar. Qrow sighed. Yang shrugged at him and followed.
The interior of the place caught Yang by surprise even more than its frontside appearance did. It wasn't spacious, but it had room enough for a dozen or so clients to sit comfortably across four tables, and for a dozen more to sit at the bar itself. The only source of lighting came from a huge chandelier which hung from the center of the ceiling, not too bright but not too dim. The ceramic floor was so clean Yang could see her reflection on it as if she were staring at a brand-new mirror.
Yang had to admit, although this wasn't her particular flavor of establishment – she liked some space to dance with a stranger, and a private corner to maybe drag them off to later – she was impressed. She wondered if this was all to better serve as a front, or if this Miss Malachite actually cared about this aspect of her business.
"Follow my lead," Qrow said, and took a seat at the bar. Yang sat to his right, and a moment later Raven sat beside her.
There was a man behind the counter, his back turned to them as he cleaned a row of glasses with a rag. He turned after a while, and his expression soured when he saw them sitting there, Qrow specifically.
"Oh, great," he said. "It's you again."
"In the flesh!" Qrow said, spreading his arms. "And is that any way to talk to an old buddy?"
"We are not buddies. In fact, I barely know you, except that you're a pain in my ass every time you come here," the bartender said. He looked at Yang and Raven, his eyes narrowing when he saw the latter's sword on her waist. "Who's the ladies?"
"Workmates," Qrow said. He put his hand down on the bar. "Let's get straight to the point. I wanna speak to the boss."
"I am the boss," the bartender said steely.
"Of course you are," Qrow said. "Do I need to show you my badge?"
The bartender tossed his rag behind him and leaned on the bar, scowling at Qrow.
"The boss' not taking visitors at the moment," he said. "You can come back later."
"This isn't a come back later type of deal. I need to speak to her now, and I'm not leaving until I've done that," Qrow said. "And word of advice – turning away a Beacon agent? Pointless. And extremely unwise."
"Yeah, well, that's what I'm doing. What're you gonna do about it?" The bartender shrugged. "Door's that way."
He turned back to the glasses and started wiping again. Qrow shifted his weight on his stool, leaning back and crackling his knuckles. Yang watched with guilty excitement – things were about to get good, and she was absolutely going to help.
"You said Malachite's not taking visitors," Qrow said, resting his chin on his hands. "Must be some type of situation going on. Maybe related to a half-dozen missing friends of her?"
The bartender's shoulders tensed. He looked back at Qrow. "What do you know?"
"A lot. All things that should interest your boss greatly," Qrow said. "So why don't you go tell her I'm here, and then she can decide for herself if she wants to talk."
The bartender stared at him, still hesitant, though that seemed to come from a place of fear more than anger now. "She's not taking visitors."
Qrow started to speak again, but Raven cut him short.
"Tell him Raven Branwen's here to see her too."
The bartender looked from her to Qrow, then sighed and walked away, taking a door at the opposite end of the entrance.
"Aw, man." Yang deflated. "I thought we were gonna have a bar brawl. Make him listen to us with our fists, that kinda deal."
"Let this serve as a lesson," Qrow said, joining his hands sagely, "that patience is always the better alternati-"
One of his stool's legs snapped in half, and in an instant the whole thing fell to the floor in pieces, with him in the middle. He looked up at Yang, a little embarrassed, and deeply frustrated.
"Yeah, sure. Thank you," he said to no one in particular, grabbing another stool and planting it fiercely at his previous spot. "Just great. Probably overdue at this point."
"You're right," Raven said, a shit-eating grin on her face. "That was great."
Qrow sat down, and Yang patted him on the back. He probably didn't appreciate the pity, but she could see how awful he felt.
"And you," Qrow said, looking at Raven. "He was going to do what I said. I didn't need you to step in."
"You're probably right. But it helped seal the deal," Raven said. "And this is bigger than our prides. Correct?"
She chuckled, and Qrow huffed and leaned over the counter, grabbing a clean glass. He felt around until he found a bottle of whiskey, and quickly poured to the glass's capacity.
"Want some, kid?" Qrow said.
"I think I'm good," Yang said. "Thanks for the offer, though."
Raven leaned her elbow on the bar and stared at Qrow, her grin shrinking, but the derision in her eyes stayed. "No wonder you're familiar with the place."
Qrow stared at his glass for a moment, his shoulders sagged, before he leaned back and downed half the glass in one gulp. Raven scoffed.
Yang clenched her fists. "Hey, here's an idea." She rounded on Raven. "How about you cool it with the snide comments for a minute?"
"What, you're going to defend him?" Raven said. "Maybe you can't see it. He's a drunk."
"I can see him, alright. And I don't care what he is or what he does, 'cause you know what, he's been here. He's always been here," Yang said. "So shut up. I don't need to hear you judging anyone. Got it?"
Raven sat up straight, her eyes boring into Yang's without blinking. A storm brewed in them, begging to be unleashed. Her hands trembled on the counter.
The moment seemed to last a lifetime, and then Raven turned away, back to her air of indifference. She waited, her eyes set forward, as if nothing had happened.
Yang drew in a sharp breath. Her heart was racing, and her ears felt like they had been set on fire. She didn't know where that had come from – well, that was a lie, she knew exactly where that had come from – but she hadn't planned for it come out that way. Or at all.
She felt a touch on her arm, and turned to look. Qrow nodded at her, an unspoken thank you and an apology in his eyes, and slid his unfinished glass well away from where they sat. Yang smiled, but it was shaky at best.
The bartender chose that moment to come back, and somehow, he looked even more nervous. "Miss Malachite will see you now."
Qrow hit the bar with his hands. "Amazing." He briefly checked his stool, then hopped off.
They followed the bartender through the same door he'd taken before, which led into a hallway considerably less fancy than the business-side of the building. Yang turned her nose at the musky smell, and made a point of staying clear from the walls, which was easier said than done, with how narrow they were.
As they walked, another person passed them, going the way they came. Yang had to rub her eyes and give another look as they walked past – maybe they just looked young, but Yang could swear they were twelve at most. And yet they walked like what she expected a city gangster to walk like, and they were dressed like one, with the chains and the purple bandana and everything. It was almost stereotypical.
"This way," the bartender said, opening a door at the end of the hallway. He looked at Raven's sword, as if pondering whether to ask to take it from her. He seemed to reach a pretty strong conclusion, as he drew out of the way and gestured at the doorway, clearing his throat.
The room they entered was dusty, and aside from a collection of purple banners hung across the walls and a single wooden desk in the middle with two chairs, it was bare. A woman sat behind the desk, short and rotund and with blonde hair cut in a bob. She was far from Yang's image of a crime lord, but the cold look on her face as they entered dispelled any doubts of who and what she was.
But Malachite didn't hold Yang's attention for long. She was drawn instead to the woman's bodyguards. There were four of them, one on each corner of the room. They watched silently, arms dutifully on their sides, just inches from the guns on their belts.
And they were all kids.
Yang rolled her shoulders, forcing herself to look away. The idea behind all of this, she imagined, was for her to feel threatened. Yet all she could think about was how weird and disturbing it all was.
"Agent Branwen!" Malachite clapped her hands. "Here once again. You're a persistent little bugger, aren't you?"
Qrow cast a look at her bodyguards, and then at the Miss herself. "So I am."
"Well, I'm afraid we'll come to the same conclusion we always do. My little Spiders are all quite happy and healthy, and they'll be quite willing to tell you so in private. You're simply barking up the wrong tree," Malachite said, showing her perfect white teeth with a smile. "But I will happily point you to the right trees, if you so wish."
"That's not what I'm here for. Not this time," Qrow said, and pulled back the other chair to sit across from her. "I think you know why I'm here."
"I hope I do," Malachite said, her eyes narrowing. "I'm afraid I've got a bit of a situation going on as of late. A few of my precious Spiders have gone missing, and for the life of me, I cannot find them anywhere. You wouldn't happen to know what happened to them, Agent Branwen?"
"They're dead," Qrow said.
"Oh. That is a shame." Malachite sighed and shook her head. "And you know that how…?"
"They were conducting a deal with another gang, and things went south," Qrow said. "Really south. All those involved are dead."
"Oh my. That's quite upsetting. Though I have some objections. First, I don't know about the other side, but it is quite erroneous, not to mention rude, to call us a… a gang! My Spiders and I are a family, and a closely-knit one at that," Malachite said. "And second. A deal, you say? That doesn't sound like something my Spiders would do. But I suppose I have no choice but to trust your word. You are an honorable agent of the law, after all."
Yang had never wanted to punch someone in the face so badly – and she had wanted to punch a lot of people in the face before. Thankfully, she managed to keep herself in check. It helped that Qrow seemed to be barely containing his frustration as well.
"Play the part if you must," Qrow said. "I've got a dozen dead street gangsters to deal with. So if you could help with that at least, that'd be great."
Malachite interlaced her fingers atop the desk. "And how do you imagine I could help you?"
"Something happened during that deal, and I'm trying to find out what exactly," Qrow said. "The item your Spiders were trying to acquire, it wasn't just any normal item. It's the reason why they're all dead, and now it's missing. It's in everyone's best interests that I find it quickly."
"I see… So this item got a dozen people killed, just like that." Malachite hummed. "I suppose that's why you're here."
She looked at Raven, and Yang balked at the look on her mother's face. She thought she was angry with Malachite, but compared to Raven that was nothing. Raven didn't show it in her face, of course, but it was alarmingly clear in the way she met the gangster's stare, and how her hand had come to rest on the handle of her sword.
Maybe the bartender should have taken it away, after all.
"I never thought I'd see the day Raven Branwen came to see me again," Malachite said. "How long has it been? Ten, fifteen years?"
"Not long enough," Raven said tersely.
"Right. Because – what was it you said last time - you're too good to do business with the likes of me?" Malachite scoffed. "Gone are the days when you'd come begging me to buy scraps off of you. How quickly we forget. Got an in with the high-class folks and now kind Lil' Miss Malachite is as good as dead to her." She shook her head. "You know I could pay just as much as they do, right? Double, even."
"I like my business partners reliable," Raven said. "Now, can we cut the bullshit? Do you have the crystal or not?"
"Crystal?" Malachite said. "No, I'm sorry to inform you, but I have no such thing in my possession." She pulled on her sleeve, throwing Qrow an askew look. "And no, I'm not being coy when I say that. Not that I ever am coy with you, Agent."
Raven sighed. "Great. So this was a waste of time." She turned away. "Let's go."
"Now wait just a second." Malachite raised a hand. "You said all those involved are dead. That's not exactly true." She looked at one of her bodyguards and nodded. "Fetch him for me, dear."
The bodyguard exited the room in a hurry. As the door closed and silence fell, Malachite leaned on the desk and looked at Yang.
"And you…" She pursed her lips. "I think I recognize you from somewhere. But I'm positive we haven't met."
Yang crossed her arms. "I'm the newspaper gal."
Malachite smiled. "Oh, I like that. And I think I remember now. You're one of those Huntresses that's on the news every other week, aren't you? That was some excellent work you did in Vale, by the way." She looked her up and down. "It's never too late to change careers, you know."
"I think Yang's quite happy doing what she does," Qrow said steely.
"It never hurts to try new experiences," Malachite said.
"Malachite."
The sound of Raven's sword sliding a couple inches from its scabbard filled the room.
"My brother wouldn't be nearly fast enough."
Malachite paled. "Well." She shifted in her seat. "That's bold of you."
"Very," Qrow said, but made no signal that he disagreed with Raven.
Malachite raised her hands amicably, and said nothing more. Raven sheathed her sword.
Yang looked at Raven, hopelessly confused. What the hell is up with you? Do you actually like me or do you not?
The door opened, and the bodyguard returned with another kid in tow, a boy that Yang thought might be thirteen or fourteen. He looked just short of terrified, and Yang couldn't tell if it was because of Malachite, her visitors, or something else – or all of the above.
"Miss," he said, bowing his head to Malachite.
"This precious, naughty little Spider showed up at my doorstep three days ago, looking like a ghost." Malachite gestured at Qrow. "Tell the good Agent what you told me."
The boy turned to face Qrow and swallowed. "Uhm… Me, and a few others, we snuck off to do a deal with some people. We were gonna buy a crystal-thing from them, Miss said- we thought it was magical or something."
"Mhmm." Qrow leaned forward. "What else, kid?"
"We were doing the deal, and one of the other guys pulled a gun on us. So we pulled our guns too – 'cause we carry them for self-protection," the boy said. "I'm not sure how but I think one of them got killed. And then another person showed up."
"Another person?" Qrow said.
"Yeah. Was a woman, your age kinda. She had a gun too, but it was one of those fancy Dust-powered ones, and she told everyone to drop theirs, and the crystal too," the boy said. "So we did, except one of the other guys tried shooting her when she took the crystal. And then… I don't know what happened after, really. She just went crazy and started killing people with just her hands - tore through them like they were paper."
He shuddered.
"I only got away 'cause I tried to run and I fell and hit my head." He pulled up the hair from his forehead, showing a sewed-up cut, the skin around it a purplish hue. "I think she thought I was dead already. Soon as I woke up, I came to see Lil' Miss Malachite and she stitched me up."
His story apparently finished, he bowed his head and went quiet.
"Sorry you had to go through that, kid," Qrow said. "You're not in trouble. But the woman that showed up, was she a policewoman?"
"I don't think so," the boy said. "I think she was one of your type, actually."
"An Agent," Qrow said. "Did she give you a name before it all went down? If she was intervening, she had to have identified herself. Can you remember?"
"Uhm…" The boy looked at Malachite, and she nodded. "Agent Simons or something? Sanders? I don't know."
"Shields? Agent Shields?" Qrow said.
"Yes! That's what she said."
Qrow pulled back, grimacing.
"What, do you know her?" Yang asked.
"Yeah. Heather Shields, met her a few times over the years. She's stationed in the city," Qrow said. "Good Agent, that one."
He sighed and stood up.
"If she left the scene with the crystal – possibly possessed by it – we need to find her and we need it to have done it yesterday," Qrow said. "Good news is, Beacon can help with that. I can get an address, and I can pass by the Haven headquarters to see if she's there too."
They started to leave, but Malachite cleared her throat.
"Now, now. What about my missing Spiders?" she said. "If they're dead as you say they are and you've found them, I can only assume you have their bodies. And I'd really appreciate having them back, to bury them, and inform their families."
"Seriously?" Yang turned around. "Like you care. You just wanna hide the evidence or something, you balloon-shaped hag!"
Malachite gasped, and her bodyguards reached for their guns. Qrow put a hand on Yang's arm.
"Now, Yang," he said. "I think it's only fair that we do what she asks. We have few options and I don't think we have the luxury of picking and choosing the best one right now."
Yang pursed her lips. She supposed there was little difference in who had the bodies – she didn't know Raven's intentions, but she doubted it was anything particularly respectful. And it was too late for those kids, anyway.
"Fine," Yang said.
"Raven, you can make the arrangements," Qrow said. "Unless you wanna accompany me to Beacon."
Raven huffed. "I'll see to it."
"Excellent." Malachite smiled widely. "From one family to another – it was a pleasure doing business with you."
Maybe Yang had been too fast in calling the last ride the most awkward she'd ever had. At least then she'd had Qrow to talk with, and to a lesser extent Raven. Being alone with Vernal was… an experience.
Fortunately, Vernal was driving like a sane person this time, and that seemed to be because her mind was somewhere else. The only time she'd spoken since Yang got in the car had been to confirm the address Qrow had given them.
Yang couldn't blame her for being quiet. She too was absorbed in her own thoughts. Thoughts of what exactly had happened between Qrow and Raven for them to be so hostile with each other; of why Raven seemed to welcome her presence one moment and then pretend she wasn't there the next; of what the hell was happening inside that bar back there.
Maybe she could get some non-complicated answers to that last question, at least.
"Hey," she said, turning to look at Vernal. "You know what's up with that Malachite woman?"
Vernal blinked and glanced at her. "Depends on what you mean 'what's up'."
"Like, she had a bunch of kids working for her," Yang said. "I'm not crazy, am I? Those were all kids, and they were way too young to be working at all, let alone for a gangster like her."
"I don't think organized crime cares about child labor laws," Vernal said. She turned a corner, and Yang thought that was it for the conversation, but then, "You're not crazy."
"I guess that's a good thing," Yang said. "But if she's doing that, why does nobody stop her? This is kids we're talking about."
"They didn't teach you much about Mistral where you came from, did they?" Vernal asked.
"They taught me a hell of a lot more than I ever wanted to know, trust me," Yang said.
Vernal snorted. "I'm sure they did, kid," she said. "Mistral's got a youth problem since I don't know when. We have orphan and homeless kids to fill a city. And lots of these kids end up working for people like Malachite, because that's what they gotta do to survive."
"That can't be right," Yang said. "How can that be a thing?"
"That's just how it is. Different cultures, different realities," Vernal said. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."
Vernal was right, Yang couldn't understand. She didn't care if Mistral had a different culture, how could that many people care so little about what children went through that they'd let that sort of thing go on and not try and stop it?
Though that certainly put some things in perspective. Like what Qrow had said about him and Raven surviving on the streets as kids. And – hell – it even made Pyrrha's questionable childhood make a lot more sense.
"Still," Yang said. "Someone should kick that woman's ass. I'd be happy to be the one to do it."
"Go ahead. But remove Malachite, and someone else will swoop in and take in those kids. Maybe someone even worse," Vernal said. "Malachite's just the biggest one, for now…"
She tapped the steering wheel with her fingers and shook her head.
"Wait," Yang said. "You used to run with those guys when you were a kid. Didn't you?"
Vernal didn't reply, but her silence spoke volumes.
"You did," Yang said. "That's why Raven told you to wait outside. She wanted to keep you away from Malachite."
Vernal still didn't speak, her eyes focused on the road with scary intensity.
"When did you join Raven?" Yang asked. "Did you change your name? And why Vernal?"
"Look," Vernal said. "I don't know what you're trying here, but we are not friends. I'm never going to be your friend. I don't know why Raven is keeping you around when all you do is ask incessant questions and waste everyone else's time, but I'm respecting her wishes. So respect mine and leave me the hell alone."
Yang sank in her seat.
"Sorry."
They were silent for the rest of the ride.
Yang couldn't knock on the door.
She turned and skipped down the steps, leaning on her knees as she breathed in and out shakily. This had not been in her plans for today. Or ever. She'd rather get tossed into another plane again.
She met eyes with Vernal, still sat behind the wheel inside the car. Vernal raised an eyebrow, as if asking if she ought to come out and do it herself, and that steeled Yang's resolve. Though Vernal could probably get the job done without freaking out, Yang doubted she had the sensitivity to do it well.
Yang nodded and turned back around. She went up the steps to the porch and lingered in front of the door before finally, she managed to knock on it.
The door opened surprisingly fast, and Yang was met with the face of a man a little younger than Qrow, brown haired and stout. He had dark bags under his eyes, vestiges of a night badly slept, and as he looked at Yang his expression seemed to darken.
"Yes?"
"Hi. I'm… I'm Yang Xiao Long," she said. She wasn't sure how this was supposed to go, but introducing herself was only polite. "Are you Heather Shields' husband?"
"I am." He stepped forward eagerly. "Have you seen her?"
"I'm sorry, I haven't. I'm actually looking for her," Yang said. "She's not home, is she?"
His expression closed. He looked at the door, as if pondering closing it, and Yang raised a hand.
"Like I said, I'm looking for her. I'm actually working with Beacon," Yang said. "If we could talk, there might be something you can tell me that might help us track her down."
He looked at her, desponded. "I've called Beacon already," he said. "But if you think it might help. Come inside."
She walked into the house. It was a small but cozy place. The living room had a couch with a tea table before it – with a cold kettle on top of it currently – and that was where the husband told Yang to sit. One of the walls was a paper divider, and through it Yang could see a miniature garden. There was a kitchen area as well, and to the side of that, a hallway with three doors.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," the husband said, sitting across from Yang in a wooden chair. "Brian."
"Shields?" Yang asked.
"Yes." He smiled somberly. "I actually took her name when we married."
"Oh, is that a custom here? My… My mother is from Mistral, but I grew up in Vale, so I'm not very familiar," Yang said.
"No, it's still uncommon here. If anything it's more common for both spouses to keep their family names, or merge them," Brian said. "But Heather insisted I adopt her family name, and I was happy to oblige."
"That's cool," Yang said. She blinked. "I mean, uh… She sounds like a very special person."
Brian nodded. "Do you have any idea where she is?"
Yang shook her head. "Can you tell me when was the last time you saw her?"
"Two nights ago. We went to sleep, and when I woke up in the morning, she was gone," Brian said. "I haven't seen her since."
Two nights ago. That meant, three days after the deal, if Yang had her timeline straight.
"Did you notice anything strange about her before she left?"
"Yes… Five days ago, after she returned from work, she was quiet. That's not unusual – her line of work can be rough on her sometimes – but it was more this time," Brian said. "Then the day after, she didn't go to work because she felt sick. She barely spoke. But the most worrying part was, she didn't even acknowledge Sadie. It was like she was avoiding her, and I don't know why she'd ever do that."
Yang frowned. "Sadie?"
"Our daughter."
Like an anchor, Yang's heart sank.
"The day after that, she only left our bed to eat. I stayed home too to look after her," Brian said. "And there was something else. The night before she vanished, I swear I saw her holding something in her hands. I don't know what it was, and when I looked again, she didn't have it anymore. I thought I was seeing things because I was so worried, but – I'm sorry, is something wrong?"
Yang blinked. "I – no, it's alright. Everything's alright. I was just thinking about what you're saying," she said. "This thing she was holding, was it like a crystal?"
"A crystal?" Brian pursed his lips. "Maybe. It was just a glimpse. Why, do you know something about-"
There was a knock on the door, and Brian stood up. He looked at Yang worriedly.
"That might be my, uh… partner," Yang said.
"I'll see them in, then."
He left, leaving Yang alone in the room. Except she wasn't really alone – as Yang shifted her weight on the sofa, she felt a pair of eyes on her, and looked up to see a little blonde girl in a pink flower dress peeking at her from the hallway.
"Hi," Yang said, conjuring up a smile. "Are you Sadie?"
The girl looked behind her, then waddled over to her.
"You're pretty," she said, looking up at Yang. "How old are you?"
"Aw, thanks. I think you're pretty too," Yang said. "And I'm twenty. How about you?"
"Five," Sadie said. "What's your name?"
"I'm Yang. I really like your dress."
"My grandma gave it to me on my birthday." Sadie spun around once, then looked at Yang again, a serious expression on her face. "Are you gonna find my mom for me?"
"I… Yeah," Yang said. "I'll bring her back to you. It's gonna be like she never even left."
Sadie smiled and stepped back, twirling again in her dress.
Brian came back with Qrow behind him. They both stopped in their tracks at the sight of the little girl, and Qrow met eyes with Yang, a silent understanding passing between them.
"Sadie…" Brian said. "I thought I told you to stay in your room."
"I heard voices. I thought maybe it was Mom," Sadie said, bowing her head shamefully. "Sorry."
"Ah. No, that's okay, sweet pea. You're not in trouble."
"Thanks for filling him in, Yang, but I think I should take point from here," Qrow said. "There's some things Brian and I need to discuss."
"Sure," Yang said. Frankly, she was happy to leave the conversation to someone else. Brian appeared to be a nice man, but she didn't know how long she would be able to talk to him, especially with his daughter right there.
Brian seemed to be facing a similar problem now. He stared at Sadie, looking lost as to what to do about her, and put his head in his hands.
"Hey, I know something," Yang said, getting up and crouching before Sadie. "How about you and I go play while your daddy and mister Qrow talk?" She looked at Brian. "Would that be okay?"
He couldn't appear more relieved. "There's a park just around the corner, you can't miss it," he said. "Sadie, you listen to what Miss Xiao Long tells you, okay? And don't wander far from her."
"Who's Miss Xiao Long?" Sadie asked.
"That's my last name," Yang said. "You know, like Shields."
"That's a really weird name to have," Sadie said. "Do you know how to play hopscotch?"
"Do I? I used to be the best hopscotch player in my hometown," Yang said. "Bet you can't beat me."
As it turned out, Sadie could beat Yang, and quite handily at that. That was mostly because Yang didn't remember the rules of hopscotch as well as she thought she did, and also because of Sadie's many custom rules. Like the one where when you hopped on a square, you also had to shout an animal's name, but you couldn't say the same animal twice, and also you couldn't say dog or cat because those were people, not animals. And also Yang was letting her win.
There were definitely many reasons Yang was losing, and none of them were that she was bad at the game.
"Elephant – tiger – rhino – giraffe – toucan!" Sadie spun around at the end of the court. "Wolf – deer – monkey – ape-" She paused. "Is monkey and ape the same animal?"
"Nope, I think you're still in it," Yang said.
"Shark – whale – lion!" Sadie reached the start of the court and hopped off, smiling at Yang. "I win again!"
"You sure do," Yang said. "Maybe I shouldn't have challenged you, after all. You're really good at hopscotch, Sadie."
"I know!" Sadie said, beaming with pride. "Can I go again before you?"
"Sure. Just let me fix that real quick."
There wasn't a ready-made hopscotch court in the park, and they hadn't brought any chalk to draw their own, so Yang had used a stick to outline one in the dirt. Unfortunately with Yang being so much bigger, and Sadie's overall excitement, the borders were fading easily as they played. Yang picked up another stick and set about fixing them.
"Miss Yang, are you like a superhero or something?" Sadie asked.
"Yeah. Something like that," Yang said.
"Do you kill monsters?"
"Sometimes," Yang said. Sadie was too young to learn about Grimm, even if she wanted to know. "Mostly I just rescue cats from trees, and compete with hopscotch champions in the park."
Sadie pouted. "But that's boring."
"Well, I'll tell you something that's not boring, then," Yang said. "My sister Ruby is an actual superhero. She even has a cape she wears, though these days it's more of a cloak. And she used to have a superhero name too."
Sadie cooed, her eyes going wide as saucers.
"One time, Ruby got kidnapped by a crazy evil scientist," Yang said. "Except she got kidnapped on purpose to rescue her robot girlfriend. And when she did, the two of them defeated him together using the power of love and friendship."
"Love and friendship?" Sadie repeated dubiously.
"…Penny shot a big laser or something, I don't remember the details that well," Yang said.
"Wow. Your sister sounds way cooler than you, Miss Yang," Sadie said.
"That's because she is cooler than me," Yang said. "But also she's a dork."
"That's not a nice thing to say about your sister."
"Trust me, you'd do the same and worse if you had one."
Yang finished fixing the court, and Sadie tossed the pebble they were using as a marker. She hopped off, merrily reciting a list of animals as she went. When she got to the end, however, she stopped on one leg and stared off at the distance. She hopped back in silence, and looked up at Yang.
"Miss Yang?" she said. "What… What if my mommy doesn't come back?"
"She'll come back, Sadie," Yang said. "I'll make sure she does."
"But what if she doesn't?"
Yang sighed. She crouched and took Sadie's hands, smiling at her.
"Well, Sadie. If that happens…" she said. "You're going to be very sad. And that's okay for you to feel that way then. But you'll also have to be strong, okay? Because your daddy, he's gonna be sad too, probably for a long time, and he'll have to be strong for you. So if you can help him, even if it's really small, I know he'll be so proud and grateful. And your mommy will be too."
Sadie thought about it for a moment, and nodded, a resolute expression on her face.
"But, you won't have to do any of that, Sadie," Yang said. "'Cause you're my friend, and I never let my friends down. Okay?"
"Okay!"
"Wanna go another round to make up for that last one?"
Sadie smiled and threw the marker again. As she hopped away, Yang felt a tingling in the back of her neck, like she was being watched. She turned her head to look and saw a raven sitting on the branch of a nearby tree, its eyes staring inquisitively at her.
Oh, great. Yang turned away hastily. How much of that did she hear?
"Hey!" Vernal approached the court, looking typically cross. "When's your uncle planning on coming out of that house? We don't have all day."
"Sure we do," Yang said, standing up. She nodded towards Sadie, who'd stopped to look at the new arrival, then stared steely at Vernal. "We've got all the time in the world."
Vernal opened and closed her mouth, her eyes going to Sadie and then straying away. "Right. I was just feeling a bit restless in the car."
"Who's this lady, Miss Yang?" Sadie asked, walking over to them. "She looks angry."
"This is Vernal. She's like a friend from work," Yang said. "And you don't need to be scared of her. That's just the way her face is."
"Oh…" Sadie smiled at Vernal. "I'm sorry your face always looks angry, Miss Vernal."
Vernal glared at Yang for a second, before she slumped her shoulders and grinned at Sadie. "It's alright, kid."
"Do you know how to play hopscotch?" Sadie asked.
"Oh, uhm… It's been a while, but yeah. But I'm not-"
"Do you know the special rules?"
"Special rules?"
Yang looked over her shoulder. The bird was gone from the tree, but she saw Raven sitting on a bench not far away from it. Yang walked away, leaving Vernal to entertain Sadie for a while.
She stopped before the bench, putting her hands on her hips. "Didn't your mother teach you it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"
"Well…" Raven looked up with a smirk on her lips, resting her arms atop the back of the bench. "The apple had to have fallen from somewhere."
"Touché."
Yang sat down beside Raven. In the distance, Sadie shouted something about dogs, and Vernal wobbled on one leg, looking extremely confused.
"What you told her just now," Raven said. "That's a lot to put on a kid."
"I know. It's not fair," Yang said. "But that's life for you."
Raven went silent, and Yang looked on as Sadie picked up her pebble and vehemently repeated the rules to Vernal.
She's just five. That's even younger than Ruby when- Yang stopped herself. Heather Shields wasn't dead yet. And she wouldn't be any time soon, if Yang had any say in it.
"I've been thinking about something," Yang said. "You were in Vale, weren't you?"
Raven raised her an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific."
"You know what I'm talking about. The Battle of Vale, when this whole mess with the Grimm exploded. I was fighting, and I saw you there, watching me from an alleyway," Yang said. "Course, I didn't know it was you at the time. And until my dad showed me your picture, I thought I had just imagined things. I still kinda thought that, even after."
"That would be one hell of a coincidence for me to be in Vale just as the world ended," Raven said.
"It would be, if it weren't for your Semblance," Yang said. "How long have you been bonded to me?"
The air shimmered around Raven, and Yang tensed. She would grab Raven and stop her from flying away if she had to.
"Some bonds are beyond my control," Raven said, slowly, as if it hurt her pride to admit that.
"Right," Yang said. "Was it also beyond your control to watch me like that? Couldn't even say hi, could you?"
"Would it have changed anything if I had?" Raven asked, scowling. "Are you unhappy with the life you've had? You had a safe home, parents to take care of you, and a loving sister. What more did you need?"
"That's not how that works," Yang said. "You left. Why?"
Raven whipped her head around, her eyes sparking. "Why are you here?"
"Don't dodge the question! Just give me a straight answer, for once!"
"I've been nothing but honest with you since-"
"You have not. I'm sick and tired of you and everyone-"
"I really hate to interrupt."
They turned to look, and Qrow stumbled back from the sheer intensity of their gazes. He made a gesture over his chest and exhaled loudly.
"Beacon's on the lookout for Heather Shields. They haven't found her yet, but they've found her car, so we've got a general area to look," he said. "Her husband asked us to walk his daughter back home. He's still a little shaken up."
Yang stood up. "I can do that. Anything to get me away from her."
She turned away from Raven and gestured to Sadie, and the girl left her round of hopscotch to run over to her. As she did, Yang pushed down her anger with a deep breath. The last thing Sadie needed right now was for her to turn from a friend to a fuming monster.
"What's happening, Miss Yang?" Sadie asked. "Do you want to play with us?"
"Sorry, Sadie, but I've gotta walk you back home now. Your daddy asked," Yang said.
"Aw. Okay," Sadie said. "But look! Look what Miss Vernal gave me!"
She stood on the tip of her toes to show Yang a wooden toy bird.
"That's cute," Yang said. "And did you thank-"
As she watched, the toy bird beat its wings and took off from Sadie's hands. It slowly glided around the girl's head, spinning twice as it came back to her front, and landed on her outstretched palms, inert.
"Wow," Yang said. "Yeah, that's very cool."
"How does it fly like that if it's wood?" Sadie asked.
"Magic."
Sadie pouted. "Magic isn't real, Miss Yang."
"Sure it is. I've seen it with my own eyes," Yang said. "And now you have too."
Sadie didn't need any more convincing after that, taking her toy and pressing it to her chest excitedly.
While they were talking, Vernal had walked over, and now she stood close to the bench where Raven still sat. Yang looked at her and smiled knowingly, and Vernal hastily looked away, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. It was a strange look on her, but cute, Yang had to admit.
"Did you say thank you to Miss Vernal, Sadie?" Yang said.
"Yes!" Sadie exclaimed, and turned to Vernal for good measure, "Thank you, Miss Vernal!"
Vernal dragged her foot along the dirt and shrugged. "'s nothing, kid."
Sadie looked at Yang. "Can you carry me back home?"
"Sadie, you are way too old to be carried places," Yang said. "Lucky for you, I'm all muscles."
She grabbed Sadie and lifted her up, putting her down on her shoulders.
"Yay!" Sadie clapped her hands. "You're the best, Miss Yang."
"So I've been told," Yang said. "But I like hearing it from you."
Raven leaned forward on the bench and smiled. "They raised you well."
Qrow whipped around, staring at her like she'd sprouted a second head and vomited a sea of rainbows and unicorns from it. A moment later, Raven seemed to realize what she'd said, and her smile waned as she looked up at Yang, uncertain.
For a second, Yang didn't know what to say, and so she stood silent, meeting Raven's stare. And then, like a bonfire getting a second wind, the anger from their previous conversation came roaring back.
"Whoop-dee-fucking-doo."
Raven's face darkened. Without a word, she stood up and stomped away.
Vernal cursed under her breath and went after Raven. Yang didn't care to look where they were going.
"I'll, uh…" Qrow looked at Yang awkwardly. "I'll check for updates and meet you at the car." He took out his Scroll and walked away.
Yang sighed.
"Miss Yang, what was that thing you said just now? What does it mean?" Sadie asked quietly.
"Oh, it means something like, I don't care," Yang said. "But it's a naughty word, so you shouldn't repeat it to anyone, okay? Definitely don't use it on your dad."
"Okay." Sadie nodded, and looked down at Yang inquisitively. "Who was that lady? She kinda looked like you."
"She did, didn't she?"
Yang patted Sadie's leg and started walking back to the house.
"Don't worry about her," she said. "She's just a stranger."
Mother-daughter drama! Took a bit for that to actually happen, huh? And you know what they say... no brakes on this train...
You know, if I was ever to commission an art piece for one of my fics, I think I'd do one based on this chapter. I have this very vivid picture in my mind of Vernal driving with her eyes twitching in annoyance, Yang and Qrow chanting "McDonalds! McDonalds!" in the back, and Raven looking indifferent to everything. Someday, maybe...
-Zeroan
