Winter woke to an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She didn't remember getting into her hammock but it was swaying dangerously. She climb out and stood on the floor, just to fight that the whole ship was creaking and swaying. Winter had been in ships before, but typically airships. The old seafaring vessel they were on was not what she was used to.
She held her stomach and slowly made her way up on deck for some fresh air. She opened the door slightly and slipped out into the deck. It was raining, but not hard. The wind was very fierce though. She made her way to the railing of the ship and saw that the waves were very harsh and choppy, slowly growing bigger as the gusts blew.
She gave into the distress and leaned further over the edge. Oh how she hated wasting good food. She was shaken but felt well enough to stand on her feet again. She took a few moments to breath and spit, wishing she could take the taste out of her mouth. She leaned back against the side, gathering her strength to return to the hammock.
"Hey, Ice Queen! Winter! Come here!" Or not. Winter rolled her eyes as she turned towards the ship's wheel. Qrow was waving her over. She breathed deeply to settle her stomach and approached.
"The storm is starting to pick up. I need to secure the sails before they can get messed up. I need you to hold this." Qrow ordered. Winter was surprised, she had never heard him be professional before, but she agreed.
"Alright, I suppose if I'm just holding a wheel still I can manage." Winter breathed deeply again as her stomach bubbled. Winter waited for Qrow to move from the wheel and let her take over. Qrow didn't move from wheel. He looked at her expectantly.
"You need to come here so I can make sure you have the right handle on it. If you lose the wheel we could wreck, if you move the wheel we could get lost." Qrow rolled his eyes.
Winter frowned, hiding her embarrassment with indignance, but nodded in compliance all the same. The last thing she wanted was to get up close and personal with this man, but she supposed that she had little choice if she wanted to arrive in Mistral in one piece. He lifted his right elbow and she ducked under it to stand between his arms. She matched his wide stance and placed her hands just above him on either side of the wheel.
"Now, don't grip it too tightly or your arms will get tired and weak too fast. That being said if you grip it loosely you might lose the wheel. You need to think of it as a baby, it will be still sometimes and squirm with the wrath of a wyvern the next. You need to hold it securely but be ready to adjust your grip as needed. Got it?" Winter nodded.
Qrow grabbed her hands one at a time and positioned them correctly. His hands were rough, as one would expect from a sailor, but they were gentle. He was being astonishingly serious. Winter gripped the wheel the same way he gripped her hands. As he slowly released she found just how hard the ship wanted to move. She held fast and didn't let the wheel budge an inch, just as she was commanded. Qrow stood in front of her, attaching some rope to his belt. He smiled, it was a small smile but it was there. She was doing well.
"Not too bad for a first timer. Think you can hold this stance for the next 15 minutes?"
"If this is what it takes to get us to Mistral, I'll hold it for 20." Winter responded haughtily.
Qrow smiled and winked before shifting into bird form. Winter watched as he flew up into the captain's quarters then up to the first sail and transformed back into a man. His balance was impressive. A sleepyheaded Tai stumbled out in shorts and a plain shirt, obviously still in a sleepy haze. He took a minute to realize a storm that was brewing. He jumped into action and he and Qrow had the sails secured in easily 15 minutes.
Winter expected to be relieved of her duty but found Qrow heading down to the galley. She waited patiently for another few minutes, slightly annoyed. He was so close to punctual but of course he couldn't just do as he said. Winter closed her tired eyes and sighed, still holding her stance firm. She felt a warmth behind her and opened her eyes quickly, not wanting to be caught sleeping on duty. A mug sat on the flat wooden stand of the wheel and strong hands laid on hers again. Winter stepped out of Qrow's arms and eyed the steaming mug suspiciously.
"It's ginger tea. It helps with seasickness. I figured it would be nice to get the taste out of your mouth." Qrow said without looking at her.
She blushed and thanked him before taking the mug. It was spicy, but it was soothing. More importantly, it was warm. As her borrowed shirt got wetter she found herself shivering with each gust. The sun was beginning to rise but it was hard to see behind all of the storm clouds. Winter finished her tea and headed down to the galley. As she entered she saw Yang rummaging through a modest pantry. She addressed Winter teasingly, without turning.
"Need more tea for your gi- oh," Yang turns and ends her sentence with a jump. " Hi Winter, what brings you down here?" Yang blushed and returned to stacking plates.
"I wished to return this mug. Do you need help?" Winter asked as the girl attempted to lift a stack of plates half her own height.
"Yes please!" Yang squeaked. Strong as she was, being able to see would make this job much easier.
"Is it going to be safe to raise the table in this storm?" Winter asked with concern.
"No, it wouldn't be. It wouldn't be safe to have any of the faunus on deck either though. Everyone gets breakfast in bed today, though it'll be lighter than normal. Ruby is delivering the buckets and washcloths below now." Winters stomach lurched at the implication and she now wanted to do anything but return below deck.
Yang continued counting out slices of bread and laying them out on a metal sheet. Winter wasn't sure what she was expecting to happen next, but she was most definitely not expecting Yang to breathe fire out of her hands across the sheets of bread. She dropped the plate the she was holding in shock.
"Whoops, sorry. I forgot you might not be used to magic users. It's just a lot faster to do them all at once. Gives a nice even crisp." Yang gave a half smiled before flipping the bread and repeating her actions.
"No, I am familiar with magic. I have never seen anyone use theirs to make a hundred pieces of toast at once though." Winter half joked, but was still slightly stunned.
Really, she had never seen a human breathe fire. But it was odd that the first human she met with the ability used it to make toast for emancipated faunus slaves and not by laying waste to the four kingdoms. She smiled as she plated up the toast and placed the plates on a tray. She chatted amicably with Yang as they worked together and Winter promised to help with the dishes in exchange for not having to return to the quarters below deck.
"It's not that I don't appreciate everything, I really do. And I am awfully tired. But the hammock just makes me so ill and being surrounded by others being sick…" Winter trailed off shyly.
"Oh, you're an empathy puker. I get it. No big deal, I'm not too great at it either, hence why I stay in the kitchen and hand Ruby the trays." Yang shrugged and smiled. Winter's smile faltered at Yang's words but she continued her work nonetheless.
They opened the doors and called out to Ruby and descended the stairs. It was not as bad as they had expected, though the storm was not quite at its peak. The girls spotted Ruby and the Doc handing out supplies and ginger tea. They worked their way around the other side of the barracks to hand out breakfast. Eventually everyone was content as they could be and the crew and Winter ascended.
The storm was growing heavier and Tai swapped out with Qrow to steer the ship. Qrow quickly ordered them to tie down anything loose and secure the tarps over the cargo holds. Winter followed into step with the others. It was more work than she had ever done in her life, but it thrilled her. She had a purpose, even if right now that purpose was to secure a tarp over a hidden cargo hold that was full of stolen raw dust crystals. She tried to keep up with the lingo and the pace of the others but they had been doing this for years, she hadn't even been here a day.
She was largely successful until she stood up to check her handiwork. She was tackled to the ground by someone who wasn't looking where they were going. They were on top of her and very heavy. She hoped in vain that it was just one of the girls, but unfortunately it was the worst person possible.
"God dammit, what are you doing? You're supposed to be down below with the others keeping safe out of the rain, not tripping me up in the middle of a storm!" Qrow shouted, jumping off of her and scowling.
"Shut up Qrow, we've been short staffed for too long. We finally have some help, don't scare her off for learning." Yang shouted at her uncle. He rolled his eyes and stormed off to do something helpful on the other side of the boat. Winter nodded her thanks to the girl and continued to work on securing loose cargo.
The rain began to come down harder, but the wind died down. The Doc offered to take the wheel so that Tai could eat and get dry for a bit and Tai eagerly accepted. Winter helped Yang clean the dishes and put on another pot of ginger tea. Tai sat in the chair nearest the stove and wrapped himself in a towel. Yang hugged her father and handed him a plate of toast with scrambled eggs. She placed 5 similar plates at the small counter and Ruby eagerly ran over to take a plate and dig in. Yang walked over and grabbed one and began to eat. She looked at Winter expectantly.
"Don't you want any?" Yang asked skeptically. "If your stomach is still upset you can just have some ginger tea," she offered. Winter was stunned.
"I didn't realise… I thought it was just for the crew." Winter blushed.
"Well yeah, but you were out there working just as hard. Even earlier too, I saw you holding the wheel while Qrow and I secured the sails." Tai smiled and handed her a plate.
Winter smiled, overjoyed to have someone pleased enough with her work to reward her. She ate slowly and did end up accepting some more ginger tea. Eventually the Doc entered the galley and Tai handed him a towel and let him take the chair by the stove. The Doc dug in happily and Tai headed towards the entrance to take the wheel again.
"Don't worry about that yet Tai, Qrow was very insistent that he take the wheel for a while," The Doc spoke up. Tai rolled his eyes and sat back down for another cup of tea.
"Is something wrong?" Ruby asked.
"With the ship, no." The doc replied and pushed his glasses up his nose. He finished his food then took the pot of tea and headed towards the barracks to check on the children.
The room was quiet. Yang frowned at the last plate of food and shot it with a blast of heat every now and then to keep it warm. Winter had a feeling that he was avoiding her. She supposed she should apologize and offer him a break. He was being a terrible ass about the situation, but she knew he was right. He has a lot to do to keep this ship sailing through the storm and he didn't need to trip over her feet in the meantime. Winter stood and grabbed a small towel, a mug of tea and the last plate. Yang was about to protest but Winter was already leaving the galley.
Qrow stood in the rain, holding the ship steady for well over an hour. He should just go and get some food. He was soaking wet and, if he was honest, a little drunk. It wasn't unusual, but he was trying to get better for the girls' sake. He closed his eyes for a moment to give them a reprieve from the hard rain. The wind was calmer now but bitingly cold and he wished for some warmth. Qrow was not used to getting what he had wished for, so he was understandably stunned when he suddenly felt a warmth seeping through his whole body. It spread even faster when he opened his eyes and realised what it was. Winter stood firm in a wide stance. She faced straight ahead, not daring to look at him, and placed her hands under his just as he had shown her that morning.
"Your nieces were concerned that you would not have enough sustenance to hold up to the storm. Really, if you are set on working so hard then you should keep up your strength instead of sulking in the rain." Winter looked to the ground by her feet.
He followed her gaze and saw a towel sitting on a plate. Once he was sure she had control of the ship, he wrapped the towel around himself and shoveled the food in. He hadn't realised how starving he was. He would have to thank Yang for keeping it warm for him all this time. He gulped down the tea then stood to take the wheel back from Winter. He does his place behind her, but she didn't move.
"You can send Tai to take over when he is ready. In the meantime you should go dry off properly. Heaven forbid we fail to get these children to Menagerie because the ship's captain gave himself pneumonia." Winter snarked. Qrow smiled, he could see through her icy tone. He let go, hesitantly, then head towards the galley.
Tai stood up silently with a smirk and moved to a different chair. Qrow sat nearest the stove and drank another mug of tea, though he add a little drop or two from his flask to warm him up a little quicker. Ruby told him all about how the kids are doing and how they enjoyed their breakfast and will probably want to stretch their legs soon and so does she so how long will it be until we're in Mistral? Qrow patted his niece and was preparing to answer when the galley doors opened.
"That is a good question, Ruby. When are we due to arrive in Mistral? I could really use some new clothes." Winter asked as she entered.
Qrow's response died on his tongue. She removed her hair from its bun and wrung it out before grabbing a towel. She was thoroughly soaked and it was killing him. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was wearing his shirt, it was now soaking wet and clinging to her. He could only thank that gods that the corset she wore underneath kept her outfit safely opaque. Qrow moved his seat over, not yet willing to give up the warmth but placed another chair beside him so that she could dry off. He was grateful the she was paying no attention to him as he found himself staring.
"Hello? Uncle Qrow? When are we getting to Mistral?" Ruby questioned again, waving a hand in front of her uncle. He snapped back into focus and put his flask away. It was suddenly warming him up too quickly.
"Just three more days. With the rate of this rainfall they should be able to return to the deck by the day after tomorrow. Hopefully this storm is the worst of our problems this leg." Qrow leaned back against his chair.
The galley was peaceful. Yang and Ruby peeled and chopped vegetables for dinner and Doc left to relieve Tai of his duties. Qrow was slowly beginning to sober up, but his head seemed to continue getting heavier and heavier. He wasn't the only one either. He heard gentle snoring to his left and saw that Winter had fallen asleep, her head at and awkward angle. He placed an arm around the back of her chair and rolled her head onto his shoulder. His own breathing began to slow and by the time Tai arrived the two were fast asleep together.