Good news today as the European Parliament decides to vote against Article 13, which means no shakeup of Fanfiction. Yay! It could have been a real problem for this site because it has adverts on it, which means Article 13 could argue it profited from copyrighted material.

Hopefully, it will be amended before it comes back, which seems likely since trying to reintroduce it in its current form would just see it being voted back out again.

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 73

Pyrrha shivered in the cool night air and huddled closer to the large hound at her side. A part of her brain reminded her it wasn't a dog but she ignored it, not wanting to deal with what was her crazy life right now. Mannie was, whatever his heritage, a lovely thing that spent almost every night snuggling up to her.

Did it make her a traitor that she appreciated that? Did it make her a freak?

"Huff," Mannie grunted, pushing his snout against her hand. She patted him quickly, realising he'd sensed her discomfort.

"It's okay, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

A voice piped up from behind her. "Whatever about, my dear?"

Pyrrha flinched at the woman's voice – Salem, she reminded herself. Jaune's mother, her treacherous brain added. It had been a few weeks now and she was still nervous around the woman who could so easily kill her. She wasn't sure anyone could have blamed her for that.

Salem noticed her fear and the way she slid behind Mannie. "Fear not," she said. "I granted you permission to roam the halls at will. You have done nothing to displease me."

"You'll forgive me if I'm not convinced," Pyrrha said a little defiantly. "You're a Grimm. You've been killed humanity since time began."

"Hmph. Is that what they tell you?"

Pyrrha remained silent.

"Time began a long time ago, girl, and I can assure you I was not born commanding the Grimm, let alone waging war on humanity. It may be as far back as your pathetic history recalls, but my memory extends further. Much further."

Intellectually, Pyrrha knew Salem was probably right. It was a little far-fetched to assume everything had been like this instantly. There had to be a starting point somewhere, either the Grimm appearing or humanity doing so. She assumed it was the Grimm, because seriously, how could humans have even managed to band together and form settlements if Grimm were everywhere? It didn't make sense, whereas the Grimm appearing and destroying settlements until the four Kingdoms were founded did.

"It doesn't really change anything," Pyrrha said. "You still attack and kill us. The Grimm still rule over ninety-five per cent of Remnant. People are being slaughtered all the time."

"And I have granted you the final five per cent for quite some time," Salem drawled. She rolled her eyes and crossed both arms beneath her large breasts. "Do you believe I could not wipe out your paltry Kingdoms if I wished it? Do you think the destruction of Vale is beyond me? Or Vacuo?" she added. "Vacuo, for crying out loud. Its walls barely even stand."

"I-"

"It would not be difficult to throw Grimm at it until one side gives. When was the last time a concerted attack fell on Vale?"

"A few weeks ago," Pyrrha said pointedly.

"Orchestrated by the White Fang," Salem said dismissively. "I had no hand in it."

"Mountain Glenn, then," Pyrrha challenged.

"Ah, Mountain Glenn. Yes, I remember that." Salem tilted her head toward the ceiling and smiled whimsically. "The first expansion out of Vale in goodness knows how long. Reports were brought of it to me. I allowed it to be completed. I waited for it to be filled with people. I even gave it a few years, just to let people build up their hopes and dreams. Do you know what happened when I finally decided to attack it?"

"You destroyed it."

"No, I did not."

Pyrrha hesitated. "What?"

"It's hard to destroy something that has already been destroyed. By the time I felt the time was right, I learned that some idiot had decided to experiment on my Grimm and caused the fall of that foolish settlement on his own. Vale and Atlas sealed the tunnels, condemning the people to death." Salem huffed, almost annoyed. "I did not get the chance to destroy Mountain Glenn, because you irritating humans did it on your own."

"I… well, I…"

"And before that as well, the faunus wars, Menagerie, the civil war in Atlas, the Great War." Salem rattled each off with a wave of the hand. "Even the attack on Beacon that resulted in your being here. None of those were my responsibility, let alone orchestrated by me or mine, though one could argue the latter had Cinder's involvement. But even so, the White Fang were not created by her or I. Their existence falls on you humans. Those were all your little wars, your little conflicts."

"I haven't made an effort to actually remove you all from Remnant for decades. I never get a chance. Every time I feel like it, your kind goes and implodes before I can so much as look in your direction. I've been raising children for the last quarter of a century and you're still stuck in your kingdoms, hiding behind your walls, whining about how the Grimm are hunting you to near extinction. They're not, by the way. When was the last time the Nevermore in the Emerald Forest flew up and attacked Beacon, hm? When was the last time the Beowolves scaled the cliffs or the Goliaths charged the gates of Vale?"

"That's not fair-"

"All the while you've been brewing your own little petty dramas. Racism, terrorists, criminal organisations, proxy wars and mining expeditions. If it's not about pride or egotism, it's about dust and lien." Salem rolled her eyes and stepped past Pyrrha, though she paused as she did to snort in barely concealed amusement.

"The reason I have not bothered to attack the Kingdoms is because I do not need to, even if I was given the chance. All I ever needed was put you all in close proximity; lock you into small areas where humans would brush up against other humans. And to wait. You'd think by granting you all a common enemy, I'd have at least saved you that drama. Alas, humans will be humans."

Salem leaned down to place a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, and to whisper in her ear.

"You kill one another far more effectively than I could ever hope to."

/-/

Weiss stared at the ceiling contemplatively until Emerald left for her own room, at which point she let out a long sigh and collapsed back on her bed, arms splayed on either side of her. The mattress and quilts were soft and expensive. The room was over-large and yet minimalist, with enough open space to make it completely inefficient, especially after she'd gotten used to her dorm in Beacon, shared with three other people.

Another sigh escaped her, taking her mask away with it and exposing the nervousness that lay beneath the surface. She might have put up a confident front for Emerald, and even Ironwood, but the truth was anything but and she wanted nothing more than to crawl under her sheets and stay there until everything sorted itself out.

Except that nothing was going to sort itself out if she didn't do it first. Her father had become even more ornery, a feat she'd thought impossible, and he'd torn her away from Beacon and her team without so much as a care for her opinion. Now he wanted her to take up singing again, a valuable tool that would help him show her off like some sort of prized songbird.

And despite her rebellion, she wanted nothing more to surrender to that and sulk. She wanted to rant, rage and throw stuff about, all the while howling about how unfair it all was. She wanted to do that, but at the same time she lacked the energy and just wanted to sleep for a whole month.

"Like that'll fix anything," she grumbled, rolling over.

She was a team leader. She was a decision-maker. That meant she had responsibility now, something she'd never realised back before, when she'd been an arrogant fool trying to impose her will on the team. Even now, they were out there doing goodness knows what, though she could imagine whatever it was, it was dangerous. Ruby and Jaune were idiots like that. They were out there probably mucking things up in their own way, specifically because she wasn't there to direct them.

And so, there was no time to sulk, to get angry, to sit back, do nothing and hope for someone or something to save her.

Taking over the SDC? A means to an end, if she could pull it off. She'd have considered just running away if she thought it were even remotely possible. What was she supposed to do, sneak off at night, walk to a Bullhead and tell the pilot to take her away? As if anyone would just do that, let alone fail to notice her leaving when it was obvious she was a flight risk.

Her father was callous, but he wasn't an idiot. If she wanted to beat him, it would be at his own game.

For that I need Emerald… or her skills.

And wasn't that the kicker. Her recruiting a known villain into her employ. Even Ruby would raise an eyebrow at that, not that Weiss would blame her. But what was she supposed to do? Emerald was up the creek without a paddle and desperate enough to do something foolish if Weiss hadn't offered her an out. The cornered rat was dangerous, better the devil you knew, keep your enemies close – and loads of other little sayings that proved the right thing to do was take Emerald on.

Better an ally than an enemy, right?

Sort of…

Maybe…

But Weiss still sulked at being compared to someone like Cinder Fall. She scowled and rolled over, burying herself in her blankets. If Emerald wanted to kill her in the night, she'd have unprecedented access and opportunity, but that was the thing about trust, wasn't it? The only way she could know for sure Emerald wouldn't backstab her was to give her the chance.

"I bet Ruby and Jaune don't have to put up with stuff like this. I bet they're having the time of their lives." Weiss huffed. "So unfair…"

/-/

Jaune didn't so much as crash into the tree as the tree behind it, after entering and exiting the first tree in an explosion of sawdust followed by a cracking screech as gravity took hold and tore the now decapitated trunk to the ground. His back struck the bark of the second and, momentum drained enough, he bounced off it like a Ping-Pong ball, crashing through a bush that might have generously been called a shrub, and more realistically a tangled mess of thorns and sharp bits with the occasional leaf.

"This isn't going so well," Remy pointed out. Helpfully.

"You think I don't realise that!?"

"Oh Jauneee~" Tyrian called out, skipping forward with a manic grin. "Are we playing hide and seek, young master? I love hide and seek! Okay, I'll count to ten."

Jaune bolted for cover.

"One, two, skip a few, ten!" Tyrian crashed into him, both blades locking on his. Jaune tried to push back and managed it through sheer strength alone, only to go very still when something wrapped around his ankle.

"Don't-"

Uncle Tyrian did, the bastard. He tore Jaune off his feet with his tail and sent him sailing through the air. One of the tents broke his fall. Ruby's toolkit inside then broke his back, or at least felt like it. With a groan, he dragged himself out of the wreckage and glared at his opponent.

"You cheated!"

Tyrian, Tyrian of all people, rolled his eyes, acting for all the world like Jaune was the one being an idiot. "You should transform if you wish to face me," he said. "You can't beat me as you are."

"I'll give it my best shot."

"It won't be enough," Tyrian said with a shake of his head. "If you choose to fight as a human, you will lose as a human. I'm older than you. No matter the training you've undertaken, young master, I have been through more."

"He's not wrong," Remy warned. "You're needlessly handicapping yourself if you fight him on his terms. He's going to wipe the floor with us."

"I know, but I can't transform."

"Jaune…"

"It's not my ego," he argued. "Don't you see? If I transform here and Qrow comes back, I'll be screwed. Uncle Tyrian wants me to turn because win or lose, it'll mean I have to go back to the Grimmlands. It's a trick."

Remy remained silent, perhaps realising what Jaune had. Uncle Tyrian was insane, but insane didn't mean idiot, and the old man was anything but. If Qrow weren't here he could transform and probably hold his own, but then again if Qrow wasn't here, he'd be fighting against Sapphire – and that would be a loss.

His best bet was just to soak up what damage he could and buy time. Ruby and Nora would be done with the Grimm soon enough.

Tyrian crashed into him again and all such thoughts were washed away. They were a whirling mess of steel, sparks flying whenever he managed to catch his uncle's weapons on his shield, and the loud staccato of gunfire pounding into said shield, rocking it so much that his arm almost went numb. He barely had the presence of mind to roll away from the tail. It didn't try to stab and poison him thankfully, but Uncle Tyrian could use it to restrain, trip or even choke him out.

"You're above these humans," Tyrian ranted as they fought. "You waste your time with them. Your very presence is a gift they don't deserve."

"T-They're my friends," he gritted out, struggling to contain the fury of his uncle.

"And is not the redhead your friend?" Tyrian asked, leaning forward. "The one that resides even now in your room?"

Pyrrha…

Jaune broke free by twisting his shield to the side, using his sword at the same time to push Tyrian off him. He staggered but remained standing.

"She is alive, of course," Tyrian said. "Very shy and quiet, but alive. I could take you to her. We could go and see her even now. All you need to do is leave your friends behind. I'm sure she would like to see you again."

"I'm sure she would, but I'm not leaving Ruby and Nora." An idea occurred to him. "Unless you want to bring me and them to mom?"

Tyrian giggled and shook his head. Well, it was worth a shot.

"Can you pass a message onto her, then?" he asked.

"If I win, you can pass it on yourself, but very well, since it is a request from my favourite nephew and because I am your favourite uncle, I will do as you request. What is the message?"

"Tell her… Tell her I'm on my way. Tell her I'm coming to save her."

"Oooh, I'll tell her," Tyrian laughed. "I like it when her face goes red. That'll make her explode. But if you want me to pass the message on, you'll still need to defeat me," he warned. "Otherwise, I'll be gift-wrapping you up for her." Tyrian paused to consider that. "I think that would make her explode, too, especially if I tie your hands behind your back."

"Um..."

"Oh, nothing, young master," Tyrian giggled. "Just try to beat me, though I doubt you'll be able to on your own."

"Yeah, I know." Jaune grinned. "Luckily, I managed to keep you talking long enough."

"Long enough for…?"

"Long enough for us to finish off the Grimm," Ruby yelled, landing behind and to the left of Tyrian, with Nora following suit off to the other side. The three of them trapped him in a wide triangle. "Surrender and we'll go easy on you."

Tyrian rolled his eyes again. "That's cute and all, but you realise I can beat you even three on one."

Ruby and Nora suddenly looked nervous. They glanced at Jaune for confirmation.

He tried not to wince.

"It's an even fight," he called, hoping to hell they believed him. It was even, but only in the sense that the three of them could maybe match Tyrian when they had him pushed. If he managed to knock one of them aside, even for a few seconds, he would have the edge over the other two and might be able to take one down.

But it was still a damn sight better than him against Tyrian.

In the distance, a tree exploded into dust and started to topple. It was followed by another, and then a third – with a cloud of dust kicked up and gunshots interspaced with the devastation. They all paused to listen, none moving for a long moment.

"Heh heh," Tyrian giggled. "Looks like the big, bad huntsman is having problems."

"Hey!" Ruby yelled. "My Uncle won't go down that easily!"

Tyrian readied himself with a wide, confident grin. The four combatants stared one another down for a long moment, each preparing for the moment to strike. Tyrian's foot shifted, Jaune's weapon came up.

And a feminine scream rent the air.

"TYRIAAAN!"

/-/

Qrow winced and kicked off the tree he'd been knocked into. A sword pierced through it a second later, propelled by a woman with inhumanly white skin and crimson eyes. Her face passed close to his as her momentum carried her forward. Their eyes met for a moment, an infinite moment in which her calm features met his firm scowl. They passed. He ducked away and brought his scythe back up before him. She swiftly drew her blade from the tree trunk and whipped it to the side.

"You are skilled," she said. He detected a faint hint of surprise, but the Grimm was otherwise emotionless, revealing little in the way of any interest.

"Not every day a Grimm compliments you."

"Not every day a human stands up to me, and I'll thank you not to refer to me as an animal."

"Oh? Then what am I supposed to refer to you as?"

"You may call me Sapphire."

"Nice name. You pick it yourself?"

"Tch."

He brought his scythe around in time to block the sudden thrust aimed for his heart. Her free hand came up, aiming for his face, but he thwacked that aside with the butt of his weapon, twisting to get the blade back and into her. A black tentacle reached for his foot but he caught it and stamped down. The scythe's blade swung and sheared through it.

The Grimm, Sapphire, if that was her name, hopped back. Despite the blood pouring from the severed stump, she seemed unaffected, or at least didn't show any pain. The tentacle retracted back into her body and all of a sudden the wound was gone.

That said, it didn't come back out. He'd reduced her to only a single tentacle now, the other two already wounded in combat and removed. No telling if that was a trick, though. Qrow didn't trust enough to rely on it being an actual victory for him just yet. That was how arrogant huntsmen got themselves killed.

"Not going so well for you," he teased, hoping to rile her up. "What's the matter? I thought you were going to kill me."

"Did I ever say that?"

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "No… but it was kinda implied. You are a Grimm."

"Am I? Is that what your feeble, human mind tells you?" The girl smiled, and for a second he was caught by how pretty she was – eyes and skin tone notwithstanding. He'd always had a thing for strong women, though this one looked a little young, even for him. He'd have put her at twenty-five or something.

No, he had to stop thinking of her like she was a person. Twenty-five by human appearance, but she might have been only a few days old as a Grimm. She was nothing but a monster.

"That won't work on me," Qrow said.

"Oh? Whatever do you mean?"

"You're trying to distract me," he accused. "I may have a rep as something of a playboy, but if Salem thinks I'll be distracted by a pretty face and a pair of tits, she's got another thing coming."

It was a new angle, sure, and he had to admit that if he was going to fight off against some kind of monster, it might as well be appealing to look at – unlike those spider Grimm he'd seen in Vacuo that he still had nightmares about – but most Grimm were animal-like for a reason. It let them run faster, hit harder, fly or whatever else they needed. Humans might have been the dominant race, but that was because of intelligence and the use of tools. Not something a hastily made Grimm could hope to master.

So, why was said Grimm – aka, mindless monster of destruction – now staring at him with something resembling mortification and horror on her face? And why did she have her blade pointed out toward him but her other hand cast over her breasts, which she'd tilted away from him, almost shielding with her entire body?

"Y-Y-You," the Grimm gasped. Wow, it could even do feminine tones resembling embarrassment too. That was pretty advanced. "Y-You absolute man!" she howled. "I'm not trying to distract you! Any such distraction is your own perversion! How arrogant can you even be?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow. The Grimm was calling him a pervert? That was new.

"Stop looking at them!" she demanded. She brought her sword back, using that arm to cover her chest as well. "I-If they're so distracting, look elsewhere."

"Yeah, how about no? I'll be keeping my eyes centre-mass, thanks." Not like he was going to look away and leave himself open to an attack. Did she really think he'd be that easy?

Still, for a Grimm she was really putting on a show. He'd have to talk to Oz about this, see if the old wizard knew anything about these new infiltration-type Grimm. He could see someone more weak-willed, or just less in the know, surrendering to her or even letting her into their home. For all intents and purposes she had the human acting down to a tee.

Shame it was just an act. Shame there was nothing behind those eyes, no intelligence of personality, just a set of commands hardwired into her – like a Beowolf set to kill, except so much more complicated. Still, if he was going to fight, might as well have some fun. Right?

"Tell you what, if you strip naked I might be convinced," Qrow said offhandedly.

"W-WHAT!?"

"I'm just sayin', if you're trying to distract me you might as well go the whole hog. What use does a Grimm have for clothing anyway?"

The Grimm gaped at him. Far from her distracting him, it almost looked like it was the other way around. Damn, she's good. I'd almost believe she was a real person. Of course, he wouldn't be caught dead talking like that to an actual person. If Summer were still alive and heard him, she'd kill him.

"Y-You are a beast," the Grimm shouted, somewhat hypocritically. "A beast of a man! I'm not taking my clothes off for you. I hardly know you! Not that knowing you would change anything, you… you… you scoundrel!"

"Scoundrel?" Qrow raised one eyebrow. "Where did Salem get your speech patterns from, badly-acted period drama?"

"ARGH!" The Grimm roared and charged him, swinging her sword wildly down for his head. Qrow barely had the time to dodge. Her speed had gone up or so it seemed, but the blow was clumsy and she over-extended. He couldn't get his scythe back around in time, but if making her angry got her to make mistakes, he was fine with it.

So he slapped her ass with his free hand.

"EEP!" She darted away, one hand clutched to her rear.

Qrow stood where he'd dodged, fingers opening and closing. "Huh, that actually felt real. Weird, I just assumed you had a Grimm-like body under there." Something resembling a Beowolf but bipedal. It wasn't like Grimm had reproductive organs, no matter what some crazy fetishists liked to suggest. Considering how simplistic most Grimm were, he'd figured her clothing was to hide the bits of her that didn't match her human face.

Looked like Salem was pulling out all the stops.

"Nice ass," he complimented.

The Grimm-woman, so calm and emotionless before, stared at him with wide eyes and crimson cheeks. Her mouth opened and closed but no words came forth. He half-expected her to throw the disguise away and go with an animalistic roar, and she did, but not quite as he expected.

"TYRIAAAN!"

Huh. Now what?

A loud curse and a crash from the side had Qrow ducking back, bringing his scythe to guard as another enemy smashed through the foliage, eyes narrowed and tail flicking angrily behind him. He was a new one, alright. Open chest, long coat, absolutely livid expression, like he was ready to tear Qrow to pieces.

"My princess," he gasped, and Qrow's eyes widened at the term of address. "What is wrong? Are you hurt? Uncle Tyrian is here!"

"Uncle Tyrian…?" Qrow murmured. Since when did Grimm have family, specifically faunus family.

"That fiend groped me!" the Grimm said, anger mixing with embarrassment mixing with something else to create a rather eclectic cocktail of humiliated indignation. The Grimm had been so calm before, so calculating, but now she pointed at him as if he were some horrible beast that she had never before seen the like of and never again wished to see.

Worse, the kids came hurrying onto the scene at that exact moment, having apparently chased after the Tyrian guy.

"U-Uncle Qrow?" Ruby gasped, having heard everything. "You didn't!"

"Hey, hey, you on her side of what? Besides, she's just a Grimm. She isn't a real person."

So, why was Ruby shooting him such a disappointed look? And why did the orange-haired girl look so annoyed. Not to mention the blond, who looked absolutely pissed at him for some reason. He stepped between them and the enemy, but it didn't look like the fight was going anywhere now.

Which was a little weird now that he thought about it, and a little worrying. A Grimm wouldn't actually be bothered with his teasing. It wouldn't have the mental capacity. He'd assumed it all just a ruse to get him to let his guard down but, well, she still looked positively horrified, and was using her fellow – her Uncle – like a shield, watching Qrow from over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.

He hadn't actually… no, no way. He wasn't like that.

"Consider yourself lucky that I don't kill you now," Tyrian said, swishing his scorpion tail above his head. "Rest assured, Sapphire's mother will hear of this."

Mother?

Wait, what?

Grimm weren't born.

"Wait," Qrow called, taking a step forward. "Who are you?"

"I already told you. My name is Sapphire."

A human name. He'd assumed it picked for the sake of it. "And who named you that?"

"My mother, after she gave birth to me." she replied, smiling cruelly. She cut her hand on a knife she wore on her hip and held it out, spilling blood onto the grass. Before his eyes it morphed into juvenile Nevermore, which began to caw angrily. "You'd know her as Salem."

A veritable wave of Nevermore sprung up before he could move. It formed a wall between him and the two, one so impenetrable that when he shot into it, he barely cut a foot through, and then the dent he'd caused was sealed with feathers once more.

It lasted only a few seconds but when the Nevermore scattered, the two were gone.

Qrow stared at the spot the girl had occupied.

Her… mother? Salem…? There was no way she meant someone else, right? There was no way this was some terrible misunderstanding or coincidence. He'd… he'd actually. Oh fuck. This was his Semblance going on hyper-drive, wasn't it?

It was time to move. They needed to find Ozpin. Things would make sense after that. They had to! Oz would be able to explain what the hell just happened, who that was, and why he hadn't known Salem had actual children going around Remnant. Children he might have just accidentally sexually assaulted. Not that any court would uphold it, but he doubted Salem cared about serving him a restraining order. He'd be lucky if every Grimm across Mistral didn't come for his head.

Oh Gods, he'd groped the daughter of the Queen of the Grimm.

He'd copped a handful of tight, Grimm ass.

And Ruby was still staring at him, damning him with her eyes just like Summer would have. She wasn't angry. Just disappointed.

"Shiiit…"

/-/

Yang's motorbike came to a squealing halt. Her foot stomped down onto the ground. She removed her helmet with one hand and let her blonde locks flap in the air, even as people turned in her direction, armed and burly people surrounded by tents. She met their gaze steadily, daring any to step forward and challenge her.

With a groan, the bandit she'd kidnapped slipped off from behind her, falling to the grass and kissing it, muttering something about devils, speed and how he'd never get on a motorbike again. Heh. What a pussy.

"Is this where grandma lives?" Yin asked.

"It is."

"Are we going to talk to her?"

"Oh, yeah."

A few people dared to approach her, but they somehow recognised her and froze. The older ones held the younger ones back, hissing something into their ears, watching her not in fear, but a mixture of surprise and apprehension. I guess I must really look like her.

They closed in behind her as she walked through the camp, cutting off her escape while maintaining a safe distance. Up ahead she could see a raised tent upon a wooden platform. It was a wild guess, but if Raven was the type to obsess over strength like Uncle Qrow said, then Yang figured she'd be up on a raised platform, lording it down over all the other mortals.

Was she nervous? A little. This would be the first time she'd ever really spoken to her mother, and even if she wanted to give the woman a black eye, there was a part of her – a foolish part – that hoped for something more. An explanation, a reason, something she could cling onto that might explain why this happened in a different light, that she hadn't been abandoned because she wasn't important enough.

And then, there she was, stood on the stage with one hand on the hilt of her weapon, helm removed, and a cocky smile on her face. It was like looking into a mirror, albeit one with signs of age and stress.

Yang hated the height difference provided by the stage. Raven was looking down on her.

"Yang," her mother greeted.

"Raven," she replied. Both addressed the other by their name, nothing more. Yang's hand clenched into a fist.

"I see that the rumours about you losing an arm were exaggerated. You must have held yourself more admirably than I expected. Well done."

Yang didn't let the praise go to her head, not when it was delivered with such a sarcastic smile, like Raven was surprised, but not impressed. Like it shouldn't have been in doubt in the first place and the fact it was meant she was a disappointment.

Well, in that case the feeling was mutual. She certainly saw Raven as one.

"I need a portal."

"That's it? No words after finally finding me?"

"Nope."

Raven laughed. "Family. Only coming around when they want something."

"I think you and I have a different definition of family."

"Perhaps we do. A shame. I have words for you, Yang."

"That's nice an' all, but how about we don't and say we did? I'm not really all that interested in anything you have to say."

Because come on, the Queen of the Grimm was apparently a better mother than Raven was. At least she stayed with her kids. Yang wasn't asking for much, but she felt `being better than Grimm` should have at least been up Raven's alley.

"We do need to talk, Yang," Raven said, slowly descending from her stage. "I know what you want. You want me to help you reconnect with your foolish uncle and sister, to become pawns of Ozpin and his demented schemes."

"Well, the first bit's not wrong. I came to find you because-"

"You were patient, determined and strong enough to find me, to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang. That takes strength."

"What? But I-"

"And it takes strength to march in here and demand such a favour of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed."

"You've got the wrong end of the stick entirely," Yang said, exasperated.

"To question me in front of my tribe? That takes stren-"

"You know, you seem pretty determined to call me strong at the moment," Yang interrupted casually. Raven froze. "I mean, all three examples of that are pretty out there. Strong enough to find you? You aren't exactly well hidden or hard to get to. Strong of me to march in and demand a favour? Your `bandits` would run if I'd so much as farted."

"Talking to me like that-"

"Shows strength?" Yang asked sarcastically. "At this point I'm not even sure if it's me wanting something or you. You're certainly buttering me up enough."

"Hmph." Raven tossed her head back. "As if I would need anything from you."

I dunno. You could use a black eye from me. It was tempting, very tempting, but she wouldn't put it past Raven to refuse to make a portal if she did. Or, you know, get knocked out and be incapable of it. Best to resist a temper tantrum for now.

"I'm still waiting for my portal," Yang prodded.

"And we are still talking," Raven returned. "Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know, I trusted him once, too."

"That's nice, but-"

"Can you really go back to trusting Ozpin when he's kept so much from you?"

Okay, that was it. Yang's temper snapped and her eyes blazed red. "I don't give a shit about Ozpin," she roared. "I'm not looking for Ozpin, I don't care about Ozpin, and, I mean, isn't he dead, anyway? What's even the point of you bringing him up?"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "He isn't dead."

"Well, how would I know that!? Why would you even bring him up when it's of zero relevance to me? I don't want a portal to Ozpin. I want a portal to Ruby, or Qrow if you can't do her. I want a portal there because I need to find my sister and have words with her, then torture my boyfriend for knocking me up and running away to leave me with the baby!"

Raven's mouth fell open.

"And if you tell me that shows strength, so help me I will tear your eyes out of your skull!" Yang shook Raven by her shoulders. "I am not in the mood for Ozpin. I could not care less about Ozpin. No man is going to do a Raven on me. Give me my portal or I will raze this tribe to the ground!"

The woman in front of her looked lost for words. Raven's eyes, already wide, dipped down to Yang's stomach. "P-Pregnant!?"

"No. I had the shortest term known to womankind." And just because Raven looked like she could barely get her thoughts straight, Yang decided to make things even worse. "Oh, and congratulations on being a grandma, by the way."

"Bwah?"

Yang didn't get much of a chance to enjoy Raven's dumbfounded expression on account of her right arm suddenly transforming into a three foot long version of Yin in parasite form, six mandibles opened up in what any sane person would have considered a threatening manner, but which Yang knew was supposed to be an invitation for a hug.

"Grandma!" Yin chittered.

Raven's panicked scream was music to Yang's ears.

So, you'll notice that volume four is concluding rather quickly – much quicker than it did in canon, anyway. That's mostly because I thought V4 was filled with a lot of filler that I'm looking to avoid. Included in that will be the Nucklelavee fight, because frankly it didn't really serve a purpose other than to provide some flashbacks and insert a fight scene into the show when there hadn't been one for a while.

Had to amuse myself on the Raven conversation a bit. I did think in the episode that Raven seemed pretty damn desperate to call Yang strong. It was almost like she was craving Yang's approval or something. And even though I often point out Raven's words towards Ozpin as being interesting and intriguing, one has to admit they're a little out of place when to Yang's knowledge Ozpin is deader than a doornail.

On Salem, I've had a lot of people ask, but yes, I'll be going with something different to canon as to why Salem and the Grimm exist (not that Canon has revealed all that much yet. I know they did the legend of the twin gods, but I imagine there is more to it to be revealed later. Or I certainly hope so, lol).

Next Chapter: 12th July

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur