Everything about the plan that they had come up with was insane.
It was completely insane, it was completely without reason, and if anything, Cinder couldn't help but feel like she was being used as a pawn. The fact of the matter was that she had been brought into the center of a small city, and set loose to do what?
Look for useful teenagers- like that was a good set of guidelines on any level.
And god, if there wasn't anything about it that didn't piss her off.
She didn't even know what the others were expecting for her to do. She hadn't exactly been given all of that much to work with, she hadn't even been give that much in the way of clear directions.
Hazel hadn't been happy with the plan, and he'd been surprisingly vocal about that during their meeting. Watts hadn't cared as much, since he was only interested in what he could do for his own good.
And Tyrian... had seemed almost disappointed for a moment. Not that she had any idea why.
It was all very strange.
A part of Cinder was sure that she was going to find herself being cut off from the men that she was beginning to consider her teammates. In a lot of ways, Watts and Hazel felt like two fathers to her- very different types of fathers, but fathers all the same. The balanced out in a strange way, and having the two of them made things feel almost stable. Tyrian was becoming more like a brother than anything else.
Not that she could ever really tell either of them that.
Cinder walked through the street, glad that she had managed to find clothes that would cover most of her body up. The scarring was unseemly at best, and if she was in this city to make friends then she didn't need any obstacles.
Meanwhile Watts and Hazel were off doing whatever it was that they did, and Cinder didn't even want to know what Tyrian would get up to in his free time.
Not that he'd decided to come into the city himself.
The first sign that she'd found her big break was the sound of shouting from a nearby road.
By everything that Cinder was able to tell, there had been a robbery, and the culprit had all but disappeared.
And that at the very least made things interesting. Perhaps it could be useful. Cinder reached back to check that her bow was there, strapped to her waist, and finally decided to begin her pursuit.
It was a difficult search, but she eventually found the person in question.
The woman in question was about the same height as Cinder was, and possibly a year or two younger. She was little more than skin and bones, with soft looking skin the color of tilled soil, and dirty jade green hair. Most interesting, were the striking red eyes that the girl possessed.
And she was clearly someone that had learned to fight at some point, if the pair of guns strapped to her back were any indicator. From looks alone though, that didn't seem to mean all that much.
Cinder stepped into the alleyway and reminded herself that this was dangerous.
"Stop." Cinder commanded.
The girl saw her and jumped, shoving something deep down into her pocket that Cinder had to guess was valuable.
A simple street thief. It was almost tragic.
The girl reached back for one of her guns with a free hand. "Leave me alone!" She shouted, shifting her weight just slightly so that she could peer over Cinder's shoulder. "I don't know what you want!"
"I heard everything." Cinder managed to say, glad that she actually had her voice. It wasn't going away as much as it had been before. "And I don't think that you would be able to fight me."
And that was cocky, but Cinder was sure of herself.
The woman stepped back a little further into the alleyway, body drawn tight like she was preparing to spring and attack. "What do you want?"
"Nothing, right now." Cinder said, cocking her head to the side just slightly so that she could get a better look of the girl. "I just want to talk."
"I didn't do it." The girl said again, her voice getting quieter this time. "I don't-"
"You disappeared." Cinder said calmly. "How did you do that?"
The girl blinked and lowered her hands slightly. "I'm not telling you that."
Cinder nodded. "Why don't you come with me?" She suggested. "I think that you and I could be good friends if you just agreed to help me with something."
"I can't help you with anything." The girl responded. "I'm just-"
"A thief?" Cinder asked. "If you come with me, you won't have to steal."
And if anything, that seemed to get the girl's attention. He picked her head up and something in her sunken eyes screamed hunger.
"You... mean that?"
"I do." Cinder replied. "I think that I could use your help, and if you help me, I'll make sure that you're taken care of."
The girl nodded, and then as quietly as possible asked one question:
"Who are you?"
"My name," Cinder began, because that was the least that she could do if she was supposed to get this girl's help. "Is Cinder Fall."
"Cinder." The girl repeated. She still looked more than unsure of herself, and Cinder loathed her for it. This was a waste of time, which meant that she needed to be able to do her own work to fix it.
That didn't make it any better.
"Yes." Cinder confirmed. "And what is your name?"
The girl blinked and looked back over Cinder's shoulder again, still scared. Finally, she whispered an answer of her own. "Emerald Sustrai." The girl said quietly. "I-"
"Good." Cinder said, holding her head up high and looking at Emerald down her nose. "Are you coming with me or not?"
Emerald hesitated and then sighed. "Will you get me something to eat?"
"I have food at camp." Cinder said. "Will you come?"
"Yes." Emerald said finally, her voice barely above a squeak. "I'll come with you."
Cinder smiled.
"Good." And with that she turned her back, and began to leave so that she could finally talk to this girl somewhere safe. Emerald followed nervously after Cinder, and even began to lead her through back alleys and out of the view of anyone who would arrest or harm her.
Cinder brought the girl through winding streets until the two of them were finally outside of the city and in the camp that Cinder and her team were staying in. When the two of them arrived, the camp was thankfully empty, something that Cinder intended to take advantage of.
Emerald looked around the camp, and she looked exhausted. Maybe the walk had been a little bit more than the starving girl could handle. Figuring that the least she could do to earn Emerald's trust is feed her, Emerald went over to the space next to Watts' bedroll and reached in to remove a small ration pack.
EMerald saw it and her eyes went wide. The girl took two steps forward, reaching out for the package before Cinder yanked it away.
"You and I need to talk, Emerald." Cinder said, handing it down like it was an order, and really, it was.
"I'll talk, I'll help you, just please-"
Cinder offered the package again, and Emerald took it this time.
"How were you able to disappear?" Cinder asks, since that was the first place that she figured she could try to get a conversation going. She thinks back to the things that Watts and Hazel had said that they would need to keep in mind, and decides to try to coax some help out of Emerald. "From whoever you robbed?"
Emerald paused and let out a slow, quiet breath. "I didn't... disappear." She explained quietly. "I just... tricked him is all."
"How?"
"My semblance." Emerald managed to get the words out, though they came haltingly and between bites of food. "I make people see things that aren't there. So I made it look like I had just disappeared, but..."
"You actually ran away." Cinder finished, understanding. "And then I found you."
"Yes."
"And you didn't try to run?"
"You'd figured me out by then." Emerald said. "And doing it that often is... hard."
This girl wasn't ideal, was all Cinder could think. She didn't really know what good someone that got by on trickery could really be to her. Emerald had weapons, but Cinder couldn't even say for sure whether or not the girl knew how to fight, let alone defend herself.
It was entirely likely that she had just run into a very talented street thief.
Cinder wondered what the others would have to say if they found out about Emerald. Would they think she would be as useful as Cinder got the feeling she would be?
Cinder didn't know, and so the best that she could do was see what happened.
Emerald was standing there, picking at the corner of the ration bar that she'd been given nervously. She looked up at Cinder, and she looked worried. Cinder decided that there was more to talk about.
"So you can create delusions?"
"I can." Emerald confirmed. "Is that... bad?"
"No," Cinder sighed. "I believe that you could be very useful to us."
"...Us?"
"I'll explain once I know that you're with us." Cinder said, because she didn't exactly know what else she could say. "Do you know how to fight?"
"I do." Emerald confirmed. "I'm not from one of the academies, but-"
"Good enough." Cinder said, holding her head high and really beginning to size Emerald up. She didn't look like she had any real muscle to her. If she was a good fighter, Cinder was sure that it was because she took people by surprise.
Emerald nodded. She walked over to a fallen log and took a seat there, making herself comfortable. Cinder just stayed standing and watched Emerald.
Maybe, just maybe, she'd found what she needed for the them to be able to keep moving forward on this assignment. Now, she just needed to see what the others would think.
Blake walked into an empty training room late at night, alone and silent.
The last few nights had been exceptionally difficult. With everyone else around her spending their time around the families, it left Blake feeling like she was out in the cold. It left her wondering if going home again could ever be possible, or whether or not her family would want her again.
As a result, Blake had several unfinished letters to her parents stuffed under her mattress that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to send.
What surprised her was that the training room wasn't completely empty though. Blake had been intending to relax a little, drop her bow, and jump into action against a simulation. The least that she could do when she was so tired was try to improve.
Instead, there was a pair of students training. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that one- a girl with flaming red hair that Blake knew to be named Pyrrha Nikos, was training a boy with blonde hair by the name of Jaune.
There was something about it that felt a little too intimate, and Blake was about to turn and run when she heard a voice.
"Wait!" Pyrrha called to her, walking up to the edge of the ring and looking back up at her. "You don't have to go!"
Blake paused, because that was something that she hadn't been expecting at all. She stood there with one hand on the door, unsure of whether or not she should just leave or talk to Pyrrha.
Manners won out, and Blake stepped away from the door.
"I don't mean to intrude."
"Well, there's plenty of room here." Pyrrha said, waving her hands to the sides to show that the arena was certainly large. "I doubt that Jaune and I would mind sharing the space."
"I wouldn't mind." Jaune said, reaching back and scratching back at his hair. "We aren't using that much space anyways."
Blake hesitated and reached back, feeling for her weapon. Maybe this was going to be able to work, it was just a matter of seeing how this could go. "If you're sure..."
"I think we are." Jaune said. He walked up to Pyrrha's side and smiled up at Blake. "You're on a team with Ruby and Yang, right?"
"Uh, yeah." Blake confirmed, finally taking the chance to hop down into the arena. "And you're-"
"We're from team JNPR." Jaune said with a shrug. "Does your team have a name yet, or..."
"No-" Blake began. The idea that they didn't have a name for their team being a big deal was something that hadn't occurred to Blake. But things were changing, maybe that was coming soon. "Not yet."
Pyrrha had a little bit of an odd look on her face. She glanced over at Jaune for a moment, and Jaune was the one to speak up next.
"I'm sure that it won't be long." Jaune said with a shrug. "Things are probably busy for Professor Ozpin, or they might be trying to make sure that your team is compatible. It's probably fine."
And oh, Blake wished that was enough to make her feel better about how things were going, but it didn't quite do the trick.
She just made her way over to one side of the arena and removed her sword from her back. Maybe it was going to be a good chance for her to relax. Or maybe she could get to know someone from outside of her team.
At the very least, it was a chance for Blake to tire herself out before things could get any more stressful.
Back behind her, Pyrrha was saying something to Jaune. Something about getting into position for a fight, and getting into a proper stance. That was certainly interesting, but Blake didn't want to read into it too much.
Not when...
The door to the training room opened again, and there was the sound of someone coming in. Blake felt her torn ear twitch under her bow, and when she looked up she saw that it was Qrow of all people.
What was he doing there?
Blake groaned and sheathed Gambol Shroud once more.
Qrow walked up to the side of the ring and shouted.
"You guys shouldn't be in here!"
"Sorry." Blake muttered, and Qrow stopped, raising his hands up in front of him.
"Hey, I'm not making you go." Qrow said again, watching as the three students in the arena turned to face him. "Just letting you know that you shouldn't be here this late."
"Oh," Jaune said, looking over at Pyrrha nervously. "Thanks, Professor Branwen."
"I'm not a professor." Qrow bit out the words, sounding even irritated. "What the hell are you three even doing here? You aren't even all on the same team."
Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a look before Pyrrha spoke up. "We were trying to get some late training in, sir."
"And you?" Qrow asked, staring down at Blake. There was almost something that reminded her of fondness in his look, but Blake really didn't want to think about that. Not when things were the way that they were and she was already worrying about people liking and wanting her around. "What's got you up?"
"I couldn't sleep." Blake said finally.
"Got it." Qrow said with a shrug. He reached over and pat the console at his side. "Want me to fire this thing up for you kids?"
Blake hesitated, because while she definitely wanted to be able to just give Qrow an answer, she didn't want to do that when this wasn't her in the arena alone. Really, a part of her just wanted to be able to go and talk to him a little more personally.
Somehow, she had serious reason to doubt that telling anyone about what they'd seen out in the woods was a good idea.
Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a look, and Pyrrha shrugged, waving it off. "We'd prefer not to." Pyrrha announced, standing up tall and relaxing slightly. "This was meant to be a simple practice."
"Got it." Qrow said. He looked among the three of them, and when his eyes fell on Blake, she just looked back at Pyrrha and Jaune before making an approach. She climbed up to where Qrow was, and he understood.
He took the way out, and Blake followed just after him.
"Hey, kid." Qrow greeted her more personally now that the two of them were alone for the time being. "What're you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep." Blake said, hanging her head just slightly. "Can I talk to you?"
Qrow paused, and looked to the door. "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Blake paused. "The mission," She started, because that was the best vague answer that she could give him to begin with. "And some other things."
"Private, then?"
"Yes."
Qrow shrugged and reached down into his pocket, pulling out a ring of keys and leading the way through the building. Blake just followed after him silently until the two of them were finally stepping into a tiny office.
It was a mess, and it didn't look like it was a teacher's base of operations. Instead, there were copious notes and reports that were half-filled out on the desk. Perhaps this was just a place that Ozpin had offered Qrow?
Blake couldn't be too sure either way.
Qrow just dropped into the seat and gestured to a stool that was in the corner. Blake took the seat there, and she was about to try and say something when Qrow decided to start the talk first.
"So," Qrow began with a shrug. "You really couldn't sleep?"
"I really couldn't sleep." Blake admitted, sadly. "Things have been... strange lately."
"You mean the team, or do you mean the mission?"
"Both." Blake sighed, looking at the wall and letting her eyes scan over some of the things that had been pasted onto it. There was a photo of two young kids with Taiyang and a woman that Ruby looked almost exactly like, with Qrow sitting by with them. There was a photo of Qrow, clearly younger, with a woman that looked quite a bit like him. There was a photo of Ruby and Yang on their first day at Beacon.
It was just yet another reminder of one of the things that were bothering her so badly.
"Anything particular?"
Blake hesitated. She took a deep breath, and thens he finally allowed for herself to explain. "I didn't grow up in one of the kingdoms." She began to explain. "And I've had to come pretty far to be able to get here."
"So you're just homesick then?" Qrow asked, looking at her sympathetically. "How far have you had to travel to get here anyways?" He paused, like there was another question that he wanted to ask her first.
"Far." Blake answered. "It's been a long time since I've been able to see my parents. Now Ruby and Yang are spending time with their father, and Weiss' sister is here." She wanted to curl in on herself, or to find a way to reach out to home. It wasn't going to be simple, no matter what. "It's just been hard."
"Yeah, I get that." Qrow leaned back in his seat and raised a hand to gesture to one of the photos. He tapped on the photo of himself with the woman that looked like him. "My sister's been missing on my family for years."
"Dead?"
"Nah," Qrow sighed. "Just ran off on us, apparently had better things to do. It's been basically silent ever since. So I get missing people."
"Right." Blake mumbled, looking down at her hands. The night that she had first met Qrow, her hands had been bruised badly and she'd done everything to hide it. "I just wish that I could do something to get to them."
Qrow shrugged. "Well, you get good enough to be here, and then soon enough you'll be able to make that trip yourself. Not that I don't think you're capable. Kids don't exactly come in and out of cities like you do without being able to handle themselves."
And that did make Blake feel a little bit better about herself, but it also reminded herself of the grimm. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I think that I got lucky since..." Her voice trailed off for just a moment. "How long do you think that grimm was out there? The Beringel?"
Qrow seemed a little bit taken aback by the question. His fingers flexed out before falling into fists and resting on top of his armrests. His cheeks even puffed out and Blake watched as he turned in his seat, slowly. Looking for something on the wall, by the looks of things.
Blake leaned in slightly and listened close, just in case he ended up saying something that she wasn't supposed to be able to hear.
"I dunno," He said finally. "I tried to keep my hands off of the fight, but it probably wasn't out there long. If it had been, people would have noticed it. Ozpin likes to keep regular patrols on the forest for a reason."
"Like ours?"
"Yeah, among others. I get sent out a couple times a day if Ozpin wants me too." Qrow said with a shrug. "Back in the day I was more of less Oz's favorite spy."
"And these days?"
Qrow shrugged, and even smiled a little bit wider. "Depends who you ask," Qrow laughs. "Taiyang likes to call me a layabout, I consider myself... partially retired personally. These days I'm probably going to be going back to work now that grimm are out there again."
He gave Blake a look that she couldn't quite read and then hummed.
"You could make a decent spy yourself, Blake."
"You... think so?"
"Yeah," Qrow said, and with quite a bit of confidence in his voice when he did it. "I do." He leaned back in his seat. "You seem like you're good at keeping secrets."
"Is that what's the most important thing?" Blake asked, a little bit unsure of herself.
"It's a big part of it." Qrow said finally, leaning back in his seat a little bit. Within moments the two of them were changing their discussion to the woods and the monsters inside of them.
Eventually, Blake was being sent off to bed with her mind buzzing with things that she needed to be able to focus on if she was going to be able to relax at all.
In the end, talking to Qrow had done quite a bit to help, and Blake was more than glad for it.
He was a good man.
He made her miss home even more.