Four and Twenty Black Birds

A RWBY Fic

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter 2

Magpie stared at her reflection in the mirror, a stunned look on her face. Her long black hair was washed and combed straight down her back. She was wearing a long black coat that stretched down to her ankles, split down the back for mobility and patterned with an array of pockets, pouches, zippers, straps and buckles. Underneath the coat, she wore a clean pair of gray trousers lined with cargo pockets, as well as a matching gray vest laden with even more pockets over a white cotton tunic. All in all, her new outfit wasn't flashy or eye-catching. But it was clean. It was new. And it was hers.

"Is this…really all for me?" she said in staunch disbelief, turning around in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.

Qrow had woken her up that morning and informed her that they were going shopping. The two of them had departed the inn, with Magpie freshly bathed for the first time in months, her body smelling faintly of flowers. They were now visiting one of the markets in the upper-mid sector of Mistral, where the merchants and artisans did business, a place she had only ever dreamed of going before. They had been browsing through tents and stalls where the merchants sold their wares, when Qrow had steered her in the direction of a merchant of fine apparel.

It had been a novel experience to be sure. Magpie was not used to moving around other people so freely. Usually crowds only meant that she was fair game for any bullies or brigands who turned her way, and even walking alongside her mother had provided precious little protection when all the eyes around her were usually filled with anger. But Qrow was a taller, more towering presence than her or her mother had ever been, the hilt of a transforming great-sword protruding from behind his hips at all times, the unmistakable air of a Huntsman about him. Walking next to him was like walking next to a lion. Nobody spared her so much as a glance for fear of drawing the ire of the one standing at her side.

It felt…liberating.

"If you want it, it's yours," Qrow said, standing outside the small enclosure in the merchant tent that allowed customers to try on various clothes in privacy. "Get yourself a second outfit while you're at it. Always good to have a spare when one's in the wash."

Magpie felt like she might still be dreaming! Not only had Qrow given her food to eat and a bed to sleep in, but now, he was buying her clothes too! And once he'd learned about her semblance, any scolding she received for any of his possessions that went missing had utterly ceased. At first, he'd kindly asked for her to return his belongings whenever they popped into her possession, but that had soon become tiring to the old man, and after a while, he had simply let her hold onto something of his – specifically his flask – until such time as he had need of it.

She and her mother had fallen into a similar pattern, living under the same roof up until recently. As long as she had something of her mother's in her hands or her pockets, none of mother's other things would ever go missing for as long as she was around. If Magpie ever gave the item back, or if the object ever became "hers" – such as the locket around her neck, which her mother had simply given to her after so many disappearances – then something else eventually found its way into her possession.

It was a frustrating and confusing gift to live with. It had been helpful on occasion, particularly whenever there came a need for pocket change to buy food, but more often than not, she got caught by whoever she had inadvertently stolen from, and scolded or even beaten as punishment. But it seemed that Mister Qrow had also figured this out about her, and had been coaching her to help her work around her predicament was much as possible.

"That'll be sixty-four thirty, Sir," the large, bronze-skinned shop-keeper said.

As Qrow withdrew a handful of lien from his pocket, before the owner began looking around his stall.

"Now then, where did I put those receipt slips?" he mumbled.

Magpie was still admiring her reflection in the mirror when she felt a nudge from Qrow. She flinched, and immediately began checking her pockets. There were a lot more places to hide things in than her old rags – something Qrow had been very deliberate in picking out for her – but she eventually found a bound pamphlet of parchment paper in a cargo pocket in her vest, which must have been the item the shopkeeper was looking for. She withdrew the booklet from her pocket surreptitiously, giving a guilty look to the Huntsman at her side.

Qrow simply gestured at the shopkeeper, who was still fumbling around behind the wooden counter, clearly at a loss.

"I know I had it around here somewhere…" the man muttered.

Magpie cleared her throat.

"Ummm…excuse me, s-sir…" she said nervously, practicing the words Qrow had taught her as she offered the bound booklet of receipt slips up to him. "I…think you dropped something?"

The heavy-set shop keeper looked up from his confused fumbling, before his eyes widened.

"Oh, there it is!" he proclaimed in relief. "Thank you kindly, young lady."

Qrow paid the man and the two of them walked off out into the Mistral bazaar, Magpie wearing her new outfit, while the Huntsman carried a shopping bag containing a few other necessities, such as underclothes, pajamas and a toothbrush for the girl in his care.

"Mommy never got me anything like this before," Magpie said, still enthralled by her new outfit, twirling her arms around as she walked, feeling like a completely different person. "She would always say it was too expensive, but that maybe if I was good, I might get something on my birthday. Are you sure it's alright to get all this stuff?"

Qrow kept pace with her, casting his gaze around for any signs of trouble, as was his custom nowadays.

"Don't worry about it, kid," he said dismissively. "I can expense most of this stuff to Professor Ozpin while I'm out here. But more importantly, you did really good back there."

Magpie beamed at the praise. "I thought he was going to be so mad after I showed him that paper thingy. But instead, he actually said thank you! I can't hardly believe it!"

Qrow nodded, a look of pride on his face.

"People will believe anything if you give them a good enough reason to," he said. "Steer their expectations, make it look like it was their fault for losing their belongings in the first place, and most decent folk will gladly go along with it and let you off the hook without a fuss."

He patted her freshly washed head of hair affectionately.

"Of course, not looking like a ragamuffin probably helps too," he said with a wink.

Magpie's cheeks flared red.

"I'm not a ragama-whatever-thingy," she pouted cutely, stumbling over the unfamiliar colloquialism.

Qrow just laughed.

Their path through the bazaar brought the two travelers by a food stall, where a cat Faunus was preparing something hot and sizzling on a grill that made Magpie's stomach rumble. Wordlessly, Qrow got in line to order the two of them some lunch.

"Whatever you do, don't let anyone see you take their stuff out of your pockets," he continued lecturing as they waited in line. "If you give them reason to suspect you, people will gladly point fingers. Some people may do it anyway, just because they can. So you've got to be ready to come up with an excuse at the drop of a hat."

A group of rowdy laughing kids ran past them on the street. As they did, one boy amongst the group with a mop of messy black hair bumped into Qrow before stumbling past him. Right away, Magpie noticed the boy snatching something out of the Huntsman's pocket.

Evidently, so did Mister Qrow.

"Hey!" the boy yelped as Qrow grabbed him by the arm before she could even blink.

Magpie stared aghast as the Huntsman held the boy's arm, a familiar looking pocket book clutched tightly in his hand. Without even speaking, Qrow slowly twisted the boy's arm.

"Ow-ow-ow-OW!" the boy yelped, before finally releasing his prize.

Qrow retrieved his wallet and let the boy go with a gentle shove, not enough to cause any harm, but enough to get the message across to not mess with the Huntsman again.

The boy staggered to his feet, stuck out his tongue at the old man, before disappearing into the crowd once more.

"Whoa…" Magpie blinked in astonishment.

"You can't plan ahead for everything," Qrow said, resumed his lecture as though nothing at all had happened. "But there's plenty that you can do to minimize the damage when the worst happens. Trust me, I've got a semblance that gets me into a world of trouble sometimes. Eventually, I just had to learn to think on my feet and adapt to new situations as they come up. And you're going to have to learn to do the same."

They were finally next in line at the food vendor, and Magpie could see a tall, thin man with black cat ears behind the counter, wearing a grease-stained apron that may have been white at some point, with several steaming woks in front of him, filled with delectable smells.

"Alright, I'll have two of whatever these things are," Qrow said, pointing to an array of shish-kebab sticks, dripping with fried meat and glazed in sauce. "And something sweet for the kid here."

The man behind the counter plucked two shish-kebabs from the bunch, wrapped them in parchment paper and napkins, and handed them both to Qrow, along with some sort of cinnamon-sugar covered donut stick that made Magpie's mouth water.

Qrow handed her one of the shish-kebabs, and she took a bite of one of the juicy hunks of meat on the end of the stick. It was steaming hot, and she had to wrestle it off of the stick with her teeth, but she eventually got it into her mouth, and began chewing. Despite the overwhelming heat, it was one of the best things she'd ever tasted. Most nights, she was used to going hungry, and what food could be scrounged up in the slums was usually spoiled or rotten. Her mother had tried her best to keep her well fed, often skipping meals herself when times got tough. Having something fresh off the grill like this was a luxury she and her mom had never been able to afford.

Magpie was about to go in for another bite, when Qrow nudged her again. She blinked up at the Huntsmen, he gestured to the Faunus cook with his eyes. She flinched, nearly dropping her lunch, as she began feeling around in her pockets, before her hand closed around a pocket watch, and she felt a familiar lump of dread forming in the pit of her stomach.

It had happened again.

Stealthily as she could, she withdrew the trinket and slowly made her way back to the counter to offer it to the man.

"Excuse me, mister," she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. "I think you dropped this."

The cook looked down at her, his eyes widening in surprise as he retrieved the item.

"Oh, how silly of me," the Faunus blurted in a flustered voice. "Thank you, little one."

She smiled and hurried off to rejoin Qrow as he led her away from the crowded bazaar.

"Good job," he complimented her. "We'll keep on the move, so we don't spend too much time around people if we don't have to. You should get into the habit of checking your pockets regularly, especially if you have to stay in one place for longer than usual. You've got a lot more pockets to check now, so you're going to have to get a sense for how they each feel when they're empty and when they're full. Eventually, you won't even need to use your hands to know when you've filched something, but until then, try not to be too obvious about patting yourself down if someone announces they've been robbed."

Magpie was still focused on getting another hunk of meat off of her shish-kebab with her teeth.

"Nnng…" she tore into her lunch as she struggled to walk and eat at the same time. "Mmm…why did you get me clothes me so many pockets then? It's just more places for other peoples' stuff to get lost in."

Qrow gave the girl a wry smile.

"Because one day, you may find that you want to keep some of the stuff that you steal," he said with a grin. "This semblance is a part of you, and there's no reason you shouldn't benefit from it when the situation calls for it. And should that need arise, you'll benefit from the extra pocket space."

Magpie's eyes widened in revulsion.

"Mommy said that I should never keep what I steal though," she protested. "Even when we really needed it, she would always get really mad when she found out I kept something without giving it back."

Qrow stopped walking as they passed by a scenic cliff-side vista that offered an astounding view of the surrounding countryside. The entire kingdom of Mistral stretched out below them. Magpie couldn't remember ever being so high up in the city before. She felt like she could reach up and touch the clouds.

"Your mother was a good person, Mag," he said somberly. "She probably wanted to teach you to be a good person too."

He sighed, tossing the last of his lunch over the cliff.

"Never forget the lessons she gave you," he said sadly. "As long as you keep them close to you heart, then she's never really gone."

Magpie squeezed the locket around her neck with her free hand. She missed her mother fiercely, but bringing her up around Mister Qrow always seemed to make him upset, so they had both been avoiding the topic thus far.

"But the way I see it, being a good person has to go both ways," Qrow went on. "If your power ever effects good people, then you should do whatever you can to treat them good in return. Give back anything that gets taken from them, and if you can't do that without giving yourself away, then leave whatever they lost somewhere they can easily find it and it won't get stolen by someone else."

Magpie nodded, trying to follow along with Qrow's logic as best she could.

"But don't feel like you need to extend the same courtesy to someone who treats you like trash," he said in a darker tone of voice. "The world dealt you a pretty crappy hand, Maggie, and it's only fair that you take what you can get when life gets hard. So if someone hurts you – or threatens to hurt you, or someone you care about – then you shouldn't feel like you're under any obligation to do right by them, especially if that means putting yourself in harm's way."

She flinched as Qrow jabbed a finger at her chest.

"That means if someone pushes you around or gives you a hard time, and you walk away with something of theirs in your pocket afterwards, then don't stress yourself out trying to figure out a way to give it back," he said forcefully. "Unless of course they get so mad about losing it that it that you think they might hurt someone because of it."

Magpie wrinkled her nose. That didn't sound right at all. Her mother had told her that everyone deserved to be treated with kindness, no matter who they were! That hadn't stopped her from occasionally pilfering from the people that bullied her, but her mother had always scolded her afterwards, and even when she didn't find out, Magpie still felt bad about it.

As her mother had told her, she had no way of knowing who else was hurting. Someone may act badly because they were hurting inside. It wasn't her place to say whether someone was good or bad just from a few bad deeds. And it certainly wasn't her place to make them hurt any more because of it.

"What if…" she pursed her lips, her shish-kebab growing cold in her hands. "What if you don't know if someone's good or bad? What do I do then?"

Qrow smiled wistfully at her. She seemed to have a greater understanding of the complexities of the world than he had initially given her credit for.

"Then you go into the situation with the assumption that they're a good person, and reserve judgement until they prove otherwise," he said simply. "The most important thing is to protect yourself and to stay safe. But as long helping others doesn't compromise your safety, then you should always do what you think is right."

Qrow leaned against the railing, the wind whipping his cape to and fro. He still had the cinnamon sugar covered donut stick in his hand, which he offered to the young girl.

"That's the best compromise I can offer, kiddo," he said, her eyes widening as she snatched the confection from his hand. "Assume the best, but be prepared for the worst."

Magpie simply munched on her donut stick, her taste buds practically exploding from the overwhelming sweetness.

"Mmmmmh!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes. "Wow, this is yummy!"

Qrow arched an eyebrow at the child, suppressing a laugh. She reminded him so much of Ruby in that moment, the two girls sharing an unabashed fondness for sweets.

"Did you hear what I said, Maggie?" he grilled, good naturedly.

She nodded, eyes still closed in blissful rapture.

"I heard you, Mister Qrow," she said through cheeks filled of sugar and dough. "Assume the best, but be prepared for the worst."

The Huntsman smiled, reaching over to pat her on the head.

"Good girl," he said. "And just call me Qrow."

Magpie grinned up at him. She thought maybe she could get used to living with Qrow.

"Come on," Qrow said, standing up from his leaning position. "We shouldn't stay in one place for too long. Remember to keep checking your pockets, and if you find anything that doesn't belong there, leave it as close to its original owner as you can without making a fuss about it."

Magpie nodded, halfway through her donut stick, as she followed him back down the meandering path towards the slums and their room at the inn. She thought that Qrow might have taken the opportunity to continue lecturing her on how to keep her semblance hidden, but he seemed to have said his piece for today.

It was just as well, too.

Falling behind him along their journey down the mountain that was the kingdom of Mistral, Magpie reached into one of her many, many pockets, and withdrew folded piece of paper, revealing a note scribbled in hastily scrawled handwriting.

We need to talk. Meet at the usual spot. Come alone. – J

Mag frowned. She thought she had recognized the boy from earlier, the one Qrow had kept from filching his wallet. He had been hiding his face behind a mop of messy hair, but after Qrow had grabbed him, she had seen his face clearly.

Jackdaw.

She hadn't seen him since their mother died. He must have been tailing her for some time, with nothing but the note in his pocket in order for it to reach her unseen.

"Hey Mag, what's the holdup?" Qrow's voice came calling from up ahead.

Magpie flinched, slipping the note back into her new coat. They had almost made it back to the inn.

"Nothing!" she said hurriedly. "Just counting all my new pockets!"

She shoved her hands into her coat, hurrying after Qrow as she slowly took stock of her situation. She didn't think Qrow would be happy if she told him about Jackdaw just yet. Her mother had always told her that it was bad to lie, but she had never shied away from disclosing half-truths either.

Such as where her father had been all this time.

But now she had a lot of things. A new coat to wear. A warm bed to sleep in. A belly full of food. Her mother's locket, which she wore around her neck. Mister Qrow's flask, which still bumped against her hip from the pocket of her new coat as she walked. And now, a letter from Jackdaw, after she had thought he'd run away for good.

Maybe after he heard the good news, the two of them could finally come home together.