A/N: I mentioned that this story is going wildly different places than canon, this is the chapter that starts that snowball more than any other. Further notes at the end for those interested, enjoy.

The Heart of Winter

VI – Maybe It's Time

Ruby Rose

The sun had begun to set on their fifth day as Raven's prisoners. It'd been three full days since Uncle Qrow had left on the mission forced on him, what little contact Raven had allowed him to have with Ruby had been watched carefully and what he could tell her limited. Since his departure Ruby had spent nearly all her time chained to a stake, waiting.

Waiting which was finally paying off as Ruby was released and brought, rather summoned, before Raven.

A part of her had been surprised to even be called after she'd been otherwise ignored by the bandit leader outside of her existence being used her to blackmail her brother. But Sheep silently showed her into Raven's tent, grabbing a makeshift seat for her before bowing deeply and making a hasty exit.

Ruby didn't sit. Instead, she just watched Raven, as Yang's biological mother, examined a map of Nowhere; probably plotting their next move. An actual map of Remnant hung on the wall behind her.

It took a moment before Raven's red eyes flicked up to look at her. The older woman just rolled her eyes; "Suit yourself," she said before sitting back in her chair, properly taking Ruby in.

There was silence as Raven took examined her, every last little detail noted: "You really are your mother's double. But I see some of your father in you, you got lucky there." Rubs eyes narrowed as Raven stood from her chair for a moment, moving to a small stand behind her chair where a tea set sat.

"Tell me," Raven spoke with a coolness that unsettled Ruby as she placed down the tray carrying a teapot and cups. All the pottery had once been broken and glued back together. "What has Taiyang told you about Summer? Or Qrow for that matter?"

"Dad doesn't really like to talk about her," Ruby replied, unsure of why she went with that exact response but it seemed appropriate at the time. Raven just raised one eyebrow as she poured them both some tea. "Uncle Qrow is… vague. He gets this really sad look on his face whenever he talks about her."

"I'd imagine as much." The was a hardness to her voice now, her eyes narrowing and Ruby suddenly felt unsure of whether she'd said the right thing or not. After a moment though Raven's gazed relaxed before she rested her elbows on the arms over her chair, tenting her hands.

"Summer Rose was unlike anyone else I have ever met," the bandit leader said, "even now I haven't decided on whether that's a good or a bad thing. Now tell me this: what has Qrow told you about the war you've found yourself in the middle of? I take it he's told you enough to quell your curiosity without telling you enough that you'll start asking the right questions."

The right questions? Ruby blinked, but she supposed it made sense that Raven would want to try and get information out of her. "We know about the Maidens – and the relics."

"And what about your eyes?"

"He told me that I'm something called a Silver-Eyed Warrior."

"No, you're not." Raven looked angered that Ruby would even dare to claim as much. "Summer Rose was a Silver-Eyed Warrior, one of the last. You are a scared little girl that has done nothing but wallow in doubt and self-pity since you were brought to this camp. You're a disgrace to your mother's name."

Ruby's jaw dropped as words escaped her.

"Having silver-eyes does not make you a Silver-Eyed Warrior," Raven continued her tirade against her, "you have none of the training or the strength of will a Silver-Eyed Warrior should have. You are just a child who has been coddled by men who are too afraid to share the truth with you. So, I will do it for them." Raven's tone softened towards the end as she nodded towards the seat.

This time Ruby took it, realising she was going to need it. She also decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a long sip of her tea.

"Now before I say anything more tell me what exactly what my brother has told you about who you are." And Ruby did. Uncertainty plagued her thoughts as she spent most of the time staring at the edge of the desk as she spoke, but she would occasionally look up to gauge Raven's reaction but often found her looking frustrated. "Look at me when you talk!"

Ruby just about jumped in her seat, her words about the Maidens suddenly forgotten. Taking a breath to steady herself, Ruby lifted her head and did her best to glare at Raven before she continued her story. She did not break eye contact with Raven until she finished recounting what her uncle had told her that night he was poisoned.

"Of course, Qrow would be more forthcoming about the Maidens than anything else," Raven rolled her eyes, tapping one finger against her desk. She fixed Ruby with a pointed look that seemed meant to measure Ruby rather than intimidate her. After a long second, she picked up an old-fashioned coin that was lying on her desk, turning it over in her fingers.

"I can see this conversation will last longer than I'd hoped," Raven grumbled, not pleased that she was the one that had to explain whatever revelation she was about to reveal. "See this coin?"

Ruby nodded, unsure what else she was supposed to do as Raven thrust her arm forward so she could see the side of the coin which bore a carved dragon and old Mistralian writing around the edges.

"Imagine that this side of the coin represents the Four Maidens," again, Ruby nodded as Raven flipped the coin around, showing her the side that bore a crown, "and this side represents the Silver-Eyed Warriors."

Ruby let her head tilt to one side. Uncle Qrow had mentioned both the Silver-Eyed Warriors and the Maidens on separate occasions but never seemed to make any reference to the idea that they might be connected.

"Qrow left out a vital part of the Tale of Four Maidens." Raven sighed, looking forlorn for a moment. "The wizard that gifted these Maidens powers in the first place knew that those powers would pass in time and others might not use them as selflessly as the first Maidens had. So, the wizard devised a plan, he sought four brothers with strange eyes and together they created the four clans of Silver-Eyed Warriors which would each defend one Maiden before scattering to the far corners of Remnant.

"As I said though, the wizard knew that not all future Maidens would be pure of heart. So it was decided that if a Maiden were to stray from the righteous path, to forsake her duty and fall into darkness that her guardian would become her executioner. That is why the Maidens are highly susceptible to the power of silver-eyes, the wizard ensured that the protectors could do what was needed if things came to that. It is also why Silver-Eyed Warriors have always carried scythes – in case they were required to reap a Fallen Maiden. Who else do you think would teach someone like Qrow how to wield a scythe of all things?"

"Mom taught Qrow?" Raven nodded. Ruby could only sit there stunned as she tried to understand what had been told to her. "But Uncle Qrow never mentioned Mom using a scythe or teaching him whenever he talked about STRQ…"

"Let me guess," Raven snorted in response, "he and Taiyang have also filled your head with how STRQ was a well-oiled machine from day one. That we were always the unstoppable force that we were by graduation, is that what they told you?"

For what seemed like the hundredth time, all Ruby could find herself able to do was nod silently.

Raven laughed.

Not a small laugh or a snigger either, but a full-blown maniacal laugh that had her shaking as she threw her head back. Ruby could only sit there and wait for the laughter to stop.

"The truth is STRQ was a dumpster fire of a team in our first year." Raven shook her head when she finally finished laughing; "Qrow and I didn't exactly play well with each other let alone strangers and Tai was, well, himself, and getting your mother to say anything was like pulling teeth. The only reason we put up with each other is that the alternative was expulsion. Even our second year didn't go smoothly, STRQ could tolerate one another by that point but it wasn't until the mission with the Leshrac and Dahlia Blairwood that we truly came together."

"The Leshrac? Dahlia Blairwood…?"

"A nasty Grimm that would've killed us if not for Summer's eyes," Raven explained nonchalantly. "It's funny how a near-death experience can bring a team together. The injuries we suffered facing that monster stopped us from competing in the Vytal Festival. Come the beginning of our third year Professor Ozpin was appointed headmaster and STRQ began to see extra training and special missions. When our fourth year began we breezed through everything Ozpin put in front of us. Qrow's precious team photo was taken days before graduation."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Ruby asked curiously, noting of all things she'd mentioned Raven hadn't addressed Dahlia Blairwood further.

"I'm telling you this because the world is cruel and it is never what you think it is," Raven said with no sign of sympathy. "It will beat the weak to the ground and then eat them alive. You are weak. You have been treated as though you were made of glass by scared little men who have forgotten how harsh Remnant is. I haven't forgotten. The Summer Rose I know would never be dragged down by doubt or indulge in her own self-pity. She was strong.

"But here you are, feeling sorry for yourself because you weren't ready to get your hands dirty. You're a soldier and don't have the luxury of second-guessing yourself. If you're alive then it doesn't matter if your choices were right or wrong. The moment you accept culpability for anything beyond your own actions is the second you expose yourself to death. You'll have forever to think about what you could have done better when you're dead so stop indulging in your self-pity and grow a spine."

A part of Ruby wasn't sure if she was hearing correctly because it almost sounded like Raven was giving her some sort of pep talk. It was a strange one, but she was pretty sure it counted as one. Or at least the closest thing the estranged Branwen twin could give.

"Also, if Taiyang and Qrow won't tell you the truth then the responsibility falls to me," Raven added with a note and glare that told Ruby that punishment would swiftly follow if she ever dared breathe a word of what came next to anyone: "as your godmother."

Ruby was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open in surprise, "G-godmother…!? But you were gone by the time I was born!"

"Do you know that for certain?" Raven replied coldly.

"Yes, I do!"

"You believe the story we wanted you to," Raven's reply was icy, her eyes narrowing, "don't act like you even remotely understand what happened when you were young or the choices that were made so you and Yang could grow up in something that resembled a safe and healthy environment."

Again, Ruby found herself at a loss for words as she tried to make sense of everything she was being told. But none of it did make sense. All her life she'd grown up to believe this woman had just up and left one day because she didn't care. But here Raven sat, implying the complete opposite.

Ruby's gaze fell on the table for a moment, taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her racing heart and calm her frantic mind.

"But if you were around when I was born why don't I remember you?" Ruby looked up again, determination burning within her now as she realised what this was. All her life she'd asked questions about her mother, about STRQ, only to have her father and uncle dance around them with vague responses and placating answers. Raven was offering her the uncensored truth and she was damn well going to get the answers she'd been denied her entire life. "Why does Yang not remember you? Why did you leave?"

"Qrow, your mother and I were all involved with Ozpin's war against Salem." Raven's darkened at the mention of Ozpin's name as the former headmaster was brought up once more. "Taiyang knew some of what was going on but chose to stay as uninvolved as Yang was his priority. Then, fifteen years ago we encountered Dahlia Blairwood for the first time since she and Leshrac almost killed us as second years."

"Who is Dahlia Blairwood?" Ruby said in a pleading voice, "What does she have to do with everything that's happening now?"

"She was Salem's pet Maiden before Qrow removed her head from her shoulders." Whilst Ruby did not pity anyone who served Salem and died for it, but she could have done without the image of her beloved uncle beheading someone. "Dahlia was the Winter Maiden and perhaps the single most terrifying woman I have ever met. Shortly before our last confrontation, she corrupted another Maiden. The then Fall Maiden; Luna Nightingale. She also happened to be Ozpin's only daughter."

"Professor Ozpin's daughter…?" Ruby stammered. "I – what, how?"

"Luna committed the taboo a Maiden and Ozpin took steps to ensure his daughter's mistake couldn't be exploited by Salem." Raven scowled deeply. "His actions had the opposite effect – as Summer told him they would. Luna vanished before she returned years later and joined Dahlia in her bid to seize the Relic of Winter.

"Your mother and Luna had been close friends," Raven said after a while in silence, "whilst Luna was older your mother was Luna's sworn protector. Luna poisoned and betrayed your mother in one last act of spite after Summer was forced to do her duty."

"Poisoned?"

"The power of the Maidens and silver-eyes are two sides of the same coin," Raven nodded her head to where the coin now lay on the desk, "but they cannot coexist within the same being. If a person were to possess both then the powers would destroy one another, killing the host from within. Luna purposely passed the powers of the Fall Maiden to your mother to take Summer with her. It worked. Combine with her injuries the powers of the Fall Maiden only took a handful of hours to kill your mother."

And there it was. The one thing everyone refused to talk about, her mother's death laid bare before her. For years Ruby had been led to believe that it was a mission gone wrong, an unnamed Grimm had been her mother's murderer. But she was murdered by a person, her friend.

Ruby finally knew how her mother died. And it only left her feeling hollow.

"All of STRQ had counted Luna as a friend," there was a sign of deep regret on Raven's face as spoken, but when she continued with the story she forced it away with a scowl; "but for all her niceties Luna was a rather jealous and petty person at heart who had been born to measure up to impossible standards and she couldn't stand the idea of your mother having the one thing she couldn't."

"What was that…?"

"A child." Well, that wasn't what Ruby had expected. "When a woman becomes a Maiden, she forsakes all familial ties that could distract her from her mission. It is meant to be a lonely existence spent helping better Remnant. Luna became pregnant shortly after becoming the Fall Maiden, a few months after STRQ graduated. She carried the child to term only for Ozpin to hide the child.

"Losing her daughter broken something in Luna," Raven said slowly as she frowned. The bandit leader gave pause for a moment as though unsure how to best word what she needed to say next. "It must've been all the worse to know it was her father who took her daughter from her. She was never the same; Luna distanced herself before vanishing. Your mother attempted to track her down, but there were circumstances at the time that prevented it."

"Circumstances?" Again, the older Branwen twin looked hesitant at Ruby's question. It seemed Raven wasn't going to tell her everything after all. She could hardly complain about being given answers for once in her life but more questions kept on coming.

"Ask Qrow about Robin." Ruby blinked in confusion. Who, or what, was Robin? "He'll want to be drunk when he tells you but make him do it sober. You'll understand why he needs to be the one to tell you when he does. Robin aside there isn't much left to tell," Raven said as she tented her hands once more after drinking the last of her tea, "Qrow took over the hunt when your mother couldn't and was barely heard from again until Luna remerged six years later. They weren't easy times. I was also working closely with Ozpin at the time which resulted in me being on missions for long periods of time. Eventually, I came home one time and my own daughter didn't even recognise me."

Whilst Ruby wasn't a master of body language but even she noticed the change in Raven in that moment. It was hard to tell what exactly was going through her mind when the bandit leader closed her eyes, masking her expression. But from the woman's tone, Ruby could tell she felt some kind of regret over leaving.

"Our conflict with Dahlia and Luna lasted only a few weeks, with several small battles across Vale and Atlas. When it was all over Summer was dead, Taiyang had been hospitalised and Qrow had decided to try and drink himself to death." Raven opened her eyes again, hard and cold. Ruby could only wonder how she and Yang didn't remember any of this. "My own daughter had no idea who I was, my marriage was dead and I had lost enough to Ozpin's stupid war. So, I made sure Qrow wasn't going to do anything stupid and I left because there was nothing for me on Patch anymore. And here we are now, fifteen years later."

There was a finality to Raven's words as she briefly slumped in her chair.

Still, for all the information Raven had given her Ruby had dozens of new questions. Questions she still needed answered. But there was one that burned hot that all the rest.

"But Mom and Dad…" Ruby said to herself, utterly confused as to how all of this really worked. Why were things hardly simple anymore? Had her parents had an affair whilst Raven was on a mission one time? Was the relationship Raven and dad had an open one? Just how did she fit into this entire mess if Raven was still around when she was born?

"This conversation has gone on long enough."

"But–"

"Enough!" Raven barked and Ruby just about jumped in her seat. "Leave now."

"No."

"No?" Raven repeated dangerously and whilst frustration boiled inside of Ruby she knew she wasn't getting any more information. But maybe she could get something else.

"Not until you let Jaune and I free of our restraints," Ruby hoped she sounded as bold and confident to Raven as she did to herself in that moment, otherwise this would amount to nothing. "...And return our weapons." Return my scythe. Was what she was really saying.

The pair stared one another down for a long time. Given the coldness with which Raven looked down on her, Ruby was sure her demands would go ignored. Her belief was only confirmed when Raven stood from her chair, Ruby scrambling up herself, Raven grabbed her by the scruff of her cloak before she could do anything.

Raven dragged her out of the tent like she weighed nothing, throwing her out. Oddly the throw seemed fairly feeble given Raven's ability to drag her around like it was nothing and although she staggered a few steps, Ruby was able to maintain her balance and not fall flat on her face. A second later Raven stepped out behind her. "Sheep!"

The bandit appeared from thin air at the call of his name, looking oddly nervous; like he expected some sort of punishment.

"Yes, Raven?"

"Let the blonde idiot off his stake," both Ruby and Sheep blinked at the command, "we've let them skate by long enough. Tomorrow put them both to work and make sure they earn their keep." Raven moved to return to her tent but took a second to look back at Ruby one last time. "Prove you can both behave tomorrow and I might consider your other request."

Ruby blinked again and Raven was gone. Perhaps her decision to try and stand up to the bandit leader had been the right one. When she turned around to head back over to the large bonfire again she saw Sheep was already freeing Jaune. Good. But, she wasn't sure she was ready to face her friend yet. Jaune would obviously want to know what happened with Raven but Ruby was still struggling to try to process it all and she really didn't want to talk about it to anyone.

How much of her life was a lie? Shaking her head she did her best to bring herself back to the present and deal with more pressing issues. Right now, she needed to make sure Raven did give her and Jaune back their weapons. Then they could figure out an escape. Then they would find Ren and Nora. Then they'd go to Haven and stop Cinder just like they'd planned all those months ago.

Then Ruby would get her answers from Qrow. All of them.

Qrow Branwen

Qrow winced slightly as he downed the glass of piss water this so-called bar tried to pass off as whiskey.

It'd taken him almost three days of nonstop travel from Raven's camp to reach the city of Mistral. Time wasn't something he had much of; now he was in the city he was going to have to act quickly before Raven moved the tribe but old addictions weren't easy to kick. Of the nine days Raven had given him, discounting travel, he had three days. That was all he had left to either kill Lionheart or find an alternative to his current situation.

Regardless of what he ended up doing he wasn't getting anything done with a busted weapon. He needed to get Death's Respite repaired.

Raven had given him the address of a weapon smithy in Mistral that she was on amicable terms with. It seemed odd that Raven would have a contact inside of a major city but that wasn't what had set off the warning bell inside his head. Raven had warned him that the reunion might not exactly be a happy – meaning he knew this smith too.

After finding out Harimau was alive, the ageing Huntsman wasn't anxious for any more reunions with old friends. Which was why he'd taken a few moments to get a quick drink to steal his nerve. So he told himself. His flask could also do with a refill but he wasn't going to pay for any more of this place's piss.

Paying for his overpriced drink, Qrow made to leave – he'd find somewhere else to get drunk whilst he got Death's Respite fixed. Checking his Scroll, he saw that Lionheart had been quick to respond to his request for a meeting – at least getting in the door wasn't going to be a problem. Although it was tomorrow afternoon, he scowled. He really could have done with a full day in the city before meeting the turncoat. It'd have given him more time to find friends he could rely on should everything go south as it tended to do.

On the upside, it just meant he could make his own move quicker and return to Raven and have her release Ruby and Jaune. The longer he was away the more time his twin had time to put ideas in Ruby's head. A part of him was more than nervous about what his sister might tell Ruby to spite him. Raven knew how much power she had. Raven wasn't bound by the same rules he and Taiyang had agreed upon when Summer died. That was what made her truly dangerous in his eyes.

When Qrow came to some of the winding stairs that connected the many levels of the city, Qrow was genuinely surprised to find he was headed up instead of down. He'd suspected to be dealing with some of the shadier black-market merchants, not some of the more respectable citizens.

Admittedly when he reached the level he was looking for it was still in the more middle-class section of the city. Looking around though it was defiantly a lot nicer than most of what he'd seen until now. Just who was he dealing with here? He checked the address again, Gale Force Smithy didn't ring any sort of bell.

When he finally found the place, Qrow decided it wasn't exactly much to write home about, looking much like any other ageing smithy he'd seen in his day. Built from old oak wood and iron with small glass windows and several vents. A few large chimneys puffing smoke and a few extensions jutting out the back of the building. There was a little wooden sign bearing a read tornado hanging above the door with the store's name in matching paint. The whole place looked like it needed a bit of a touch-up and a new coat of paint. It was honestly kind of out of place among the other clean and well-kept businesses around it.

Pushing open the door, Qrow heard the slight jingle of the bell. He entered a tiny lobby that wasn't much bigger than a basic toolshed. What space there was had been cut in half by a counter that faced the door. There was a handful of weapons proudly display on what little wall space was available

"How can I – what, Qrow!?" Wait, I know that voice, Qrow thought as he turned to face the person behind him. But before his eyes could confirm anything, a wrench came flying at his face. It might have caught him unawares if old reflexes hadn't kicked in as though years hadn't passed since this had last happened to him. The wrench eventually collided with the axe on the wall he'd been examining before the smithy had emerged from the back.

The axe and wrench hit the floor with a clatter but Qrow was deaf to it. The woman now behind the desk was wearing dirt-stained overalls, even if she'd shrugged off the top and tied the sleeves around her waist and a tank top that might have been white once upon a time. Her hair was still the deepest black with vibrant red tips kept in a well-managed bob cut which was longer at the front than the back. Her silver eyes shone like stars in the low light, the glare still had him gaping in speechless panic.

Fucking Raven. That bitch. Of all the people, she could have sent him to, she sent him to Ingrid.

"I-Ingrid!" He knew he was staring, but it was hard not to. Even now the resemblance was always inhuman, and aside from the stark height difference which had always been the telling difference between the two Rose sisters, Qrow was certain Ingrid would be the spitting image of her little sister. Or would Summer be the spitting image of Ingrid seeing as she was the younger sister?

"I go by Poppy Gale now," Ingrid hissed with the look of a cornered animal, her eyes flicking wildly to the door as though she expected someone else to follow him inside. "Makes hiding under Lionheart's nose easier as we've never met. Can't risk any of Ozpin's cronies finding me and dragging me back into that mess."

Shit. She must've fought he was there on Ozpin's behalf or something similar as she was clearly grasping for a weapon hidden behind the counter. He had to fix this quickly. Throwing up his arms, Qrow got his brain back in gear: "Oz is dead, Ingrid."

"Uh-huh, for how long this time?" She sneered back and Qrow had no rebuttal. Although Ingrid still spoke with suspicion her shoulders seemed to relax and she brought her hands up from behind the counter into view; "But if Ozpin is dead then how the hell did you find me? What are you even here for?"

"I got caught up in one of Raven's messes again," Qrow admitted as he gently approached the desk, laying Death's Respite across it, "had a run in with a Minotaur about six days back." He felt bolder now he could see Ingrid's hands, knowing they weren't clutching onto Bloody Valentine which was no doubt hidden on the underside of the desk.

"Typical of you," Ingrid muttered as she folded her arms over her chest before taking a long look at his scythe. "What'd Summer call you? A bad luck charm. Still, I'm waiting for the other shoe, Qrow." He nodded slowly, he needed to choose his words carefully, Ingrid had always worn her heart on her sleeves and was clearly unsettled seeing again. He knew he was seeing her. Angry too. So very angry. There'd be time for that shouting match later.

"She captured me after the battle," Qrow shrugged one shoulder, instinctively going for his flask, only to remember it was empty, "she captured a pair of young Hunters I was with. One of them was Ruby. Your niece."

Ingrid said nothing for a long moment as she processed what he said. "I have a niece?"

"You'd know that know Ruby," Qrow said before taking a deep breath, closing his eyes; Clam, stay calm, he kept repeating to himself because he couldn't have this blow up in his face, "If you'd not disappeared off the face of Remnant. Or come back to Patch for your sister's funeral."

"We both know damn well why I left. Why I never came back," Ingrid said without looking him in the eye.

"Whatever. Back to the point," Qrow just sniffed, not willing to play that game, "Raven is blackmailing me into killing Lionheart, using Ruby as leverage to make sure I go through with it."

"Does she honestly think that'd work?" Ingrid snorted, unconvinced, "Raven would never harm Summer's daughter."

"Maybe not," Qrow conceded because he truthfully agreed, "but Harimau would. What's more, she also has one of Ruby's friends, I don't think his life is nearly as safe as Ruby's and I ain't getting more innocent blood on my hands."

Ingrid said nothing again, her gaze going to Death's Respite. There was a long moment of silence and Qrow watched a storm of different emotions flicker across the smith's face. A part of him was genuinely scared that she would tell him to leave and take his scythe with him. Yet when she ran a hand along the crooked shaft of Death's Respite Qrow let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding. A longing, distant smile pulled at Ingrid's lips.

"I'm sorry for how things ended,"

"We don't have time for that." Qrow knew his words came out harsher than he'd meant but it was the truth. Ingrid's eyes had come up hoping for something and returned to the damaged weapon just so she wouldn't have to look at him. The younger Branwen twin had known what she was hoping for and he also knew that even when this was all said and done he couldn't give it to her.

"Death's Respite really was a masterpiece," Qrow nodded as he decided to let Ingrid lead the conversation in the direction she felt safe in. The weapon had always been a sword it was with Summer's help and guidance that it became what it was. Ruby's obsession with weapons being a genetic trait every Rose woman seemed to have. For all the work, he'd put into his scythe over the years Qrow knew without his late partner it would've turned out the way it did. "How long do you have to kill Lionheart?"

"Three days. But I'm meeting him tomorrow."

"Well there's no way I can fix this in one night on my own," Ingrid shrugged despondently, "I can give you a replacement in the meantime but the amount of work I've got to do with this thing means it'll be a while before it's usable again."

"What kind of replacement we talking about here?"

"Nothing different," Ingrid shook her head, "It's a sword-scythe like this based on the original schematics for Death's Respite - although no firearm configuration. It's been sitting in a case gathering a dust for a few good years so it isn't state of the art but neither is Death's Respite by today's standards. I'll do you whilst I sort out this mess you've made. I'm glad you're still kicking, birdbrain."

"Yeah," Qrow nodded his head slowly, even if he'd know Ingrid was never dead in the first place it was a shock to find her in Mistral of all places. "Likewise, I guess, grease monkey. Don't suppose you've got any real whiskey kicking around this place."

"You drink now?"

"Yeah," Qrow winced slightly, forgetting the drinking had come after Ingrid had vanished, "and trust me you're going to want something for yourself. You've missed a lot."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like where this story goes?" Oh, if only she knew, Qrow thought.

Song: Maybe It's Time as performed by Sixx:A.M.

A/N: First I'd like to address that, after being asked about it in the last chapter, the events happening in this story are not in chronological order with the introduction of the Yang/Weiss plotline. I'm assuming that a lot of what happened in V4 wasn't shown in order either so I've used that to help the different threads of my story connect where and when I want. At the moment Ren and Nora and their plotline are first in the timeline with Yang's scene happening roughly eleven days later and the events with Ruby, Jaune and Qrow are in between those two points. Hopefully, that makes sense.

Second Ozpin does not come off in a positive light in this chapter. A part of that is Raven's obvious biases towards him (unreliable narrator) and partly down to the fact I view Ozpin in a similar vein to Dumbledore from Harry Potter. He's a man with good intentions who struggles against a great evil but that doesn't make him a good man. Sometimes to fight threats like that it means becoming a lesser evil for the sake of humanity. More on that later.

Lastly personal mythos theories galore this chapter with more to come in future. Have fun friends, see you next time!