She didn't know what to do. Did she do something wrong? She couldn't sleep now, partially because there was now no one to keep watch but also because her mind was buzzing. "I just thought you should know…" repeated in her mind. What should she know? What did he mean? She had an idea of what it could be, but she dare not hope. She grabbed his flask and downed it. It stung and made her eyes water. There was a lot more left than she was expecting.
She stood up and adjusted her blanket. She checked on her corset and found it mostly dry. She put it on and wrapped the blanket again. She brought the mule back over to the stream and she filled up Qrow's now empty flask with water. She wished that he would have at least returned her clothes before disappearing but oh well.
She was aware that she was not walking straight but at least the thinking had stopped. It occurred to Winter that this was the first time that she had been drunk. She did what she assumed anyone in her state would do, she started cleaning. She started by braiding her still loose hair. Next she began taking inventory of everything in the cart. She filled another empty flask that was laying around so that they would each have one. She folded and refolded the other blankets. After 2 hours of productivity she decided to sit by the waterfall and dip her feet.
No wonder Qrow drank, she had never gotten so much done so fast. Maybe she should drink more often. Her head was swimming and she swayed slightly. Maybe next time she would eat and sleep first. She didn't realise that she was laying down until she woke up in the back of a moving cart.
She sat up slowly, suppressing a wave of nausea. Her head ached and the sunlight wasn't helping. She was wearing her clothes. They were clean. Qrow was driving the cart. But he had left, hadn't he? Was she dreaming? Was this whole thing a dream? No, they were still in the cart by themselves, so the fight with Tyrian happened. He was also fully clothed, so she was definitely awake now. Another wave of nausea hit her, harder than the last one. She leaned over the back of the cart and retched.
"Well good morning to you too, Ice Queen." Qrow deadpanned.
Winter flopped back into the cart and curled up, hiding her head from the sun. Something hard landed on top of her and she found the flask that she filled with water and eagerly opened it.
"Small sips, kiddo. Hangovers are wicked and you don't have enough food in your system to get sick again." Qrow frowned at her. Winter heard the word food and she began looking around for the pouch of berries. She found it and cheered triumphantly.
"I do have food!" Winter opened the bag and popped a berry into her mouth. She offered some to Qrow who took one and looked at it closely before sighing.
"Ice Queen, I never expected to say these words to you but… spit it out, right now. Do not swallow that." Qrow looked at her seriously, dumping the berries that she worked so hard to gather onto the ground beneath them.
"Make me." Winter crossed her arms like an indignant child.
"Winter those berries are poisonous!" He shouted. Her eyes went wide and the spat the berry out, and the last remainders of her stomach acid along with it. She sheepishly sipped from the flask and sat back down quietly.
"We'll be coming to a town shortly. If they're chasing us, they should now be ahead of us but we can dawdle. You're going to need to brave the headache kid." Qrow patted her head.
"How can you call me kid after you kissed me like that?" Winter pouted, still not 100% there yet.
"Kiss you like what? I didn't kiss you. You must've been dreaming about me again." Qrow smirked.
"It must have been a nightmare then." Winter teased then pulled the blanket over her head to protect her from the sun and from her own embarrassment.
Qrow winced at her comment and remained quiet for the remainder of the journey. He was at least glad that the drunk idiot believed him that she was dreaming, but also a little disappointed. He stopped the cart just outside of the town and hid it in a lush area. He tied up the mule but left it hooked up to the cart. He helped Winter wobble her way out of the cart and she handed him the money that Tai had given her.
They entered into the market square and gathered some basic goods; dried meat, oat biscuits, a metal sheet pan, two skins of water, some first aid basics at the behest of Winter, and the pair even treated themselves to a few apples. They were both fairly quiet and didn't even talk much to each other, until Qrow asked her what she wanted for dinner as it would be their last hot meal for a while. They ended up getting fried potatoes and grilled meat.
They returned to the cart quickly with their wares and stowed them. Qrow insisted that they couldn't stop to eat and began to head into the woods to drive around the city. Winter sat beside him on the front bench but let him drive. She ate her food slowly, savoring the warmth and flavor. A contented sigh escaped her lips and Qrow smiled. He couldn't wait to eat his, though it would probably be cold by the time they swapped. Winter grabbed his container of food. He was just about to yell at her to eat her own when a fried potato appeared in front of his mouth. He ate it happily and raised an eyebrow at the Ice Queen.
"Well I'm not going to let you starve, but I am also very against distracted driving." Winter stated firmly, holding a piece of meat up for him. He took it and grinned.
She would alternate feeding him and herself. If she wasn't getting to him fast enough then he would lean over and open his mouth, mostly to wind her up. He loved how indignant she get when he did it. She would specifically feed herself twice rather than give in to his petulance. He loved antagonising her. Once she finished her meal she started feeding him too quickly in revenge and he ended up almost choking in the process, which earned him a tutting and a few choice words about greed.
They swapped reins not long after and Winter continued on at a decent trot. Qrow got comfortable and sprawled out over his side of the bench. After a while she began having trouble seeing, so she looked around and began to slow. She turned to Qrow.
"It's getting too dark to see."
"Well I don't control the sun, Winter. We're just a few miles away from another clearing, what do you want me to do?"
"Trade with me." Winter looked at him. He raised an eyebrow.
"You know I don't have night vision, right? It's just as dark for me as it is for you."
"Yes, I know. I can do something that will help, but I need to focus to do it. I can't summon and drive at the same time." Winter stopped the cart.
"What are you gonna do?" He asked skeptically.
Winter held out her hand and summoned a robin. It was small, but fairly bright. It illuminated them well enough that they could see each other clearly. Winter motioned for it to fly and it flew in front of the mule. It wasn't so bright that it would gain attention, but they could make out the shape of the trees now and could avoid collisions. Qrow shrugged, admittedly impressed at her problem solving and took the reins.
It took another half hour or so, but they safely made it to the clearing. The robin fizzled out of existence and Winter reeled in exhaustion. This clearing was more open and was illuminated with moon light. There was a small babbling brook and a lot of lush grass. Qrow patted the mule and fed it half an apple before turning him loose to drain the brook. He made a makeshift tent by tying a blanket to a tree and the other side to the cart. He laid down a blanket and stood up.
Winter was very drained. She tried to stand and help but couldn't. Qrow approached her and lifted her bridal style. She tried to protest but she knew she wouldn't stay away if she kept first watch. He walked over to the makeshift tent and knelt down. Before he could put her down she reached out for him. She leaned in and gently kissed his cheek.
"I just thought you should know…" She smiled weakly and crawled onto the bed, wrapping herself up and promptly passing out.
He stood up and walked towards the mule with a unsuppressable grin. He tied the mule to the tree for the night and Qrow decided to use the first aid kit to patch himself up a bit better. It was healing nicely, and he was on top of the world. He knew it wouldn't last, it never does, but just for this moment, he was happy.