Raven Branwen

"I've stared death in the face over and over again! And every time I've spat in that face and survived because I'm strong enough to do what others won't!"

Raven Branwen

"I… I'm sorry."

Yang didn't see it, she didn't turn around fast enough to, but for just a moment Raven shed tears. Tears for the life she could have had, tears for the daughter she abandoned, tears for all the mistakes she made, but old habits die hard. So she ran away again, vanishing into thin air just moments before her daughter looked back her way with an offer on the tip of her tongue, but it wasn't to the tribe that she fled. No, the tribe was a poison she wasn't strong enough to fight any more, or not at the moment at least. Nor could she go back to Patch, to Taiyang and his little home that they had built so long ago. There was only one place she could go now, one person that would and could take her in, and she hoped to the brother gods that he'd managed to make it out of Vale before the fall.

"I was wondering when I would see you again," his voice was just as smooth as she remembered, the streaks of grey in his hair hadn't changed since she was Yang's age, and that damn smile of his still got under her skin, "It's been a while, would you like a cup of tea?"

"Harry," she should have known that the fall of Beacon wouldn't kill him, not like it did so many other people.

There he sat, his form illuminated by the soft roar of his fireplace and making his emerald eyes glow as if they were gems. Even from this far away, Raven could make out the distinct smell of tea and expensive cigars, or maybe it was the one resting on a small gold ashtray next to his leather armchair. She'd thought him a bit handsome back when she attended Beacon, in a mature and refined way that most girls found older dashing men at that age.

"You look tired, why don't you set Omen against the wall and join me," Harry gestured to the chair next to him, on the other side of the small table that held two cups of steaming tea, "It's been far too long since we last had a casual chat."

Raven did so without question or complaint, her emotional turmoil at the moment made her a bit more docile than normal. Her bickering with Qrow and being all but disowned by him, arguing with Yang, being told to her face the same thing she'd always feared was the truth, it was all so draining. She just wanted to scream, or cry, maybe curl up into a ball in the corner and hope the world ended?

The rich taste of tea passed her lips, the steam filling her nose with all kinds of fragrances, and all the tension left her body like a river flowing into the ocean.

"You… You were right, about everything," those words were a bitter pill to swallow, it wasn't in her nature to admit when she was wrong, but another shaky sip of tea made it a bit better.

Harry continued to stare into the fire, his next words weighed and measured, "I wish I wasn't, I wish I hadn't been right about a lot of things, but life is hardly fair even to me."

Slowly he reached out with his cane and stuck it in the fire, pushing one of the small logs around without a care, before pulling it back to reveal it to be unburnt. Raven had seen that trick before, almost a lifetime ago no, except last time it had been his own hand and it was to snatch a picture from the flames.

"Did Summer come to see you too, before it… before…," the words struggled to get out, emotions long since buried, saw the cracks in her walls and slammed into them like a raging Grimm.

"She did," Harry's words were like a sucker punch right to Raven's gut, "She was afraid and wanted to make sure it would all be worth it."

"And"

Harry stayed silent, still watching the flames flicker back and forth. For just a moment Raven could have sworn she felt something graze her cheek, only for a teardrop to land in her cup. Then came another, then another, another, and a few more. Her hands trembled, the cup vibrated back and forth along with the tea in it, and it clattered to the ground as she wept.

"Come, you must be tired," Raven blinked away the river of tears just long enough to see Harry now standing in front of her, her focus was on his outstretched hand, and those emeralds continued to glow.

"I…," her throat constricted, her vision started to go black, and the last thing she saw was a haunting pair of silver eyes and the flutter of a white cloak.

"You idiot! You just nearly let that guy get away with all your money!" Raven had never been so annoyed in her entire life, which showed by the way she got right up in her partner's face to scold the absolute hell out of her.

"I know," Summer's voice was meek now, her head bowed just a bit as Raven jabbed a finger at her, but then her eyes snapped to Raven's and the huntress in training froze.

"Sum-?!" Raven was cut off by a hand clamping down over her mouth and another over her throat; her back hit the ground and Summer sat on her waist with a very un-Summer like smile.

"It's all your fault! Everything's your fault! You left us Raven, you left ME, you left your own daughter!" Raven could feel her mind going blank as this bastardized version of Summer choked the like out of her, "I'm dead because of YoU, YOuuu kIlLeeeD ME!"

Raven shot up with a scream, her body covered in a cold sweet and her arms flailing about as if to fend off some unseen attacker. Flight or fight instincts kicked in, instincts born and honed by surviving the most dangerous places Remnant had to offer, and she was on her feet a second later. Only to trip and fall on her face with a loud thud, cursing under her breath, and looking back to find she'd just tripped over her own boots! Then something bright hit her eyes, the sun shining through the cracks in the shades, and she cursed again; much louder this time.

Raven relaxed and just let her body slump against the cool wood floor.

"Awake at last," Harry's voice spooked her, but the near instant smell of his tea made her forgive him, "Would you like something to eat?"

Raven's response was weighed and measured, "Sure."