Hello friends! I wasn't expecting to get this chapter done so soon, but here I am surprising myself. I guess I didn't want to leave you all on that cliffhanger last chapter for too long.
ZeroExe3: I agree, good things can't last, but neither do the bad things, I've found out!
Artful Lounger: I'll be honest, eating eyes grosses me out and I didn't want to have to describe that which is why it happened the way it happened. Sorry about that!
SkyChaser17: I don't know what you mean about an excuse, or what the game's narrative has to do with what I wrote, but I guess I'd have to know what you were talking about in the first place to understand that.
KnightOfZaku: Maybe I should have used "Calm Before The Storm" as the name of the last chapter. I like your ideas though!
maskedkeeper: thanks!
CykaBlyatintensifies: Thank you!
Incognito74: I hope it wasn't too unbearable!
Khiione: and I'm always happy to get encouraging reviews.
Itharax: I don't think that you're a terrible person; maybe eager, but not terrible! Hope you have a great day too!
artem-abramov-2004: I love when you (and others) make predictions, and thank you for the review!
: I don't plan on abandoning this story, and I'm glad to see that you've enjoyed it so far!
Yoyon586: Updated!
Greer123: I'm doing okay now, thanks for the kind wishes!
itsFAX: I tried to take my time, but I got it done a bit sooner than usual.
Ziggy2277: I'm glad to be back, thank you!
Chris: That's an interesting idea!
808Joker808: I'm used to being shamed by my discord friends, but I apologize anyway for the cliff hanger last chapter!
MiaMorn: Thank you!
OpKingDimond: I'll go back to fix that, thanks!
candrariski155: So that people will come back when I update !
Rando: It is!
Toastdude1: You're welcome!
Hellibleri: You're absolutely right about Kaneki's competency in self-defense being a contributing factor to Coco's suspicions of him!
DALucifer13: You got it in one!
Love it love it: From the research I've done and the experts I've consulted, yes, you're correct, except it's that a Ghoul has a high, RC count, not a low one.
Okami2312: You and KnightOfZaku had the same idea!
Guest: Yes, you're right about the RC count being the only difference between Ghouls and humans from Kaneki's world, and Neo could definitely help if she knew Kaneki's human identity.
hiholly123: I'm so flattered by your excitement and your enthusiasm made me excited to write more, thank you!
GraveDigger: I hope so too!
orpheusxv: Thank you for reviewing!
Red XIII-2: I don't think it's wrong to feel anyway towards a character, as long as it doesn't turn into a sort of bashing-fest of that character, so you're good!
Skye6392: I'm actually not sure if the blood separated from the body would still retain Aura, but that would be an interesting idea to explore!
Tri-Edge: I hope you liked it!
Guest: I don't know what that would have done, nor if he would have thought of that in a fit of anger, but interesting idea!
Eragon135790: Thank you so much!
Extenzya: Thank you, and I hope you have an amazing day too!
Dragomemoirs: I have been asked around my discord, and a lot of them would agree with you about Velvet and Kaneki being a cute couple (the other popular couple being Neo and Kaneki). I'm so glad that you agree with Coco's mom's profession making Coco a bit more insightful than most. I wasn't sure if anybody has mentioned it before! As for her listening to Fox, I feel like Coco, despite being older than the main cast and being a leader, is still learning and is capable of making mistakes or overlooking things. Heck, I feel like I might have made her a bit too unlikable by making her a bit too stubborn. I really do think that Ruby and Hinami had a fair number of parallels, even if they do have enough core traits that make them unique characters. I would have loved to read all your thoughts and opinions on my story, so don't ever feel like you're writing too much! I read every comment and review, and long ones like this one are my absolute favorites! They really make me feel like I'm doing something right! I would love to read your Tokyo Ghoul fic if you ever decide to write it! From the stories I saw on your profile, I'm familiar with two of them, but I'd give it a read after you binged mine! Hope to hear from you again!
Guest: I'm sorry! Don't die from anticipation!
Daneu: Me too!
Guest: I will! Thank you!
Oddballzebra: I'm so sorry that my depiction of Coco has angered you so much! I didn't think my writing would or could invoke such strong emotions in anybody, but I understand where you're coming from, I just felt, from my interpretation of her anyways, that Coco would act in that, or in a similar fashion in the face of something like this. You are free to disagree, but please calm down a little bit, it's just a story, not even canon!
Cyricist001: I see what you did there.
Halo 69: Zebra was directing their anger towards a character, so it's okay!
Guest: I will, right now, actually! Hope to see you again!
Velvet was nervous as she walked into the rough neighborhood. She had suspicions where Ken lived given how much he knew her mother could afford to pay him, but she had not imagined it would be this bad. The sidewalks were uneven with huge sections either sticking up too high or pressed down too low, the street lamps flickered (if they worked at all), and there seemed to be an atmosphere of dread lingering around them. While she wasn't afraid for her own safety due to her training, she could only imagine how Ken would feel having to return to this area so late at night.
"Can you spare a Lien, ma'am?"
Velvet turned to a Faunus man sitting by a metal trash can. His small tusks were discolored and he didn't seem to expect anything despite asking. Velvet's heart ached and without hesitation took out her wallet from her purse. She took out a few cards and handed them to him. "I wish I could help more," she said. In truth, she knew that her mother and her weren't exactly in a financially stable place, but she simply couldn't refuse.
"Gods bless you," the man said with a weary smile. Velvet gave him an apologetic smile and pressed on. She took out her scroll, reaffirming that she was on the right track. She had half a mind to call or text Ken before arriving but as she was about to pull up his number, she noticed somebody stalking out of an apartment complex. Her first instincts were to shout for them to stop but given the distance, they would likely get away if they were alerted. Instead, Velvet quickened her pace and hid from the person's line of sight. Luckily, she had her fair share of stealth missions as a second year student, so she managed to get within a few meters unannounced. She took a closer look and her heart nearly sank.
It was the Faunus Killer.
If there was any doubt in Velvet's mind, it was washed away as soon as the figure turned his face to reveal the same toothy grin dripping with blood. He even went so far as to gather a bit of it with his finger and suck on it, before walking off. As much as she wanted to chase after him, she did not have the confidence to be able to hold him off alone while her back up came. Still, she immediately sent a silent S.O.S. signal to her team and professors. Velvet looked back towards the door that the Faunus Killer had left and her hands began to shake. There were no signs of bloodshed, but she got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she entered the apartment. It didn't help that she realized that this was in fact Ken's residence. As much as she wanted this to be a coincidence, she couldn't help but feel he was calling her for help.
She got to Kaneki's apartment number and felt her heart sink when she noticed the broken door. Bracing herself, Velvet pushed open the door slightly and called out, "Ken?" There was no answer back, but she went on anyway. She noticed that there seemed to be signs of a struggle. "Ken? Are you here?"
"In here," she heard him call out. She walked further in and saw him sitting on the ground still dressing the wound on his arm. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this."
"What are you talking about?!" she asked, rushing over to his side. She knelt down and took the gauze and began to wrap his arm. "Find out what? The Faunus Killer, he was here, wasn't he? What did he do to you? Why didn't he…" Velvet's hands froze as she stopped herself from talking.
"Why didn't he kill me?" he asked her. Velvet looked at him, tears welling in both of her eyes. Kaneki laughed humorlessly and shook his head. "Is that what you wanted to know?"
Velvet, despite the feeling in her stomach, nodded. "Ken, how does that monster know you?"
"My Semblance," he said, looking away from her. With his uninjured arm, he wiped away some blood from his face. "I told Coco what he did to me, but I never told her why he didn't kill me. She started asking things that got under my skin, treating me like I was somehow responsible for all the killings in Vale… I got angry and was never able to explain the truth."
"Ken, what do you mean?" she asked, cupping his face. His eye patch was missing and she could see the empty socket, but it didn't bother her. She was more concerned with the guilty expression he wore. "I didn't know you had awakened your Aura, much less have a Semblance… but what's that have to do with the Faunus Killer."
Ken looked at his now bandaged arm and then to his fingers. "Velvet, I'm going to show you why he kept me alive all this time, but you must promise not to tell anybody, okay? If word got out about my condition… I can't live through something like that again."
"You're scaring me Ken," she said. "I promise, I won't tell anybody."
Kaneki gestured for her to give him some space and he grabbed one of his fingers with one hand. His hands shaking, he snapped it all the way back causing a loud crack to be heard. Velvet gasped and was about to ask what he was doing, but he raised his good finger to pause her. "I don't have a lot of Aura, hell, I never have it activated because I'm constantly using it to do things like this," he said, showing him his finger slowly shifting back into place, sickening popping sounds echoed in the quiet apartment.
"You can repair your body?" she asked, confusion temporarily overwriting her concern.
Kaneki nodded, then looked at his arm. "Injuries like this… they take a lot more out of me," he admitted. "The Faunus Killer… he went a bit overboard a few weeks ago and I didn't want you to be worried about me."
"What are you talking about?! I've been concerned about you ever since I met you," she confessed. "Ken, you showed up with nothing, had amnesia and even now, you're skin and bones, you never seem to eat and it seems like you're always hiding something." Velvet wiped her tears away, not seeing the guilty expression on Kaneki's face. "Even with all of that going on, you still go out of your way for my mum, are nice to everybody I've introduced you to and even let Coco interrogate you without me there. If I had known about any of this, I could have helped you, Ken! Had I known that the Faunus Killer was using you as some sort of sick quick snack whenever he wanted, I would have chased him down when I saw him outside. I refuse to let him use you like this."
"Please don't try to fight him," Kaneki pleaded.
"I might not be strong, Ken, but I chose this path," she said, determined. "I will gladly risk my life to protect you." Velvet snapped back to the situation at hand and helped Kaneki up. "Come on, I'll take you to get some help. I've already called for backup."
"You w-what?" he asked, nearly jumping back from her. "Why?"
Velvet wore a confused expression as she led Kaneki out of the apartment. "What do you mean? I saw him, Ken. I cannot let him go, but I had to make sure you were okay. I'll explain everything to everybody, you just let me help you."
"I don't want to go to a hospital," Kaneki refused. As if to prove a point, he stood up on his own, albeit shakily. "I'll be fine on my own."
"This is not the time to be tough, Ken. You're bleeding."
Without hesitation, Kaneki tore off the bloodied bandage to reveal his stained, but intact skin. "I don't need medical attention, Velvet." He realized how harsh he sounded and immediately began to clarify. "I'm sorry, I… I've just had a bad experience with doctors…"
"I… I understand," she said, surprising Kaneki. She wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the smell of blood on him. "I just want you to be safe, but I won't make you do anything… Thank you for trusting me, Ken. I know it must have been hard for you to open up about something like this."
Kaneki returned the embrace for a moment. "You said you called in for backup. Exactly who is going to show up?"
"I'm not actually sure," she admitted. "Professor Ozpin just told us to use it if we caught sight of the Faunus Killer. I think it just alerts all Huntsmen in the vicinity. My best guess is that they're combing the streets right now. If any of them make contact, they're supposed to ping us again… although I don't know if I have clearance to engage with him, so even if they did find him, I don't know if I'll be notified."
Suddenly a new voice called out from the front door of Kaneki's residence. "I'm afraid that you wouldn't, Ms. Scarlatina." The pair looked over to see Specialist Schnee walking in with two Huntsmen flanking her. "Fern, Alabaster, please secure the perimeter." The Atlesian soldier walked over to the two and looked them up and down. "Ms. Scarlatina, if you would, please brief me on what happened."
"Oh, of course," she said, standing at attention. She looked visibly nervous as she began. "I was in the neighborhood when I saw a suspicious figure exiting this residence. I got close enough to confirm the figure was indeed the Faunus Killer, but my Headmaster had instructed all his students to keep a distance and call for backup, so I did. I wanted to tail him, but I noticed there was a trail of blood leading up here, so I followed it and found Ken."
"You know him?" Winter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, yes, ma'am. He's a close friend of my family," she admitted. She looked over to Kaneki who was staring at Winter with distrust. Velvet turned back and cleared her throat. "I, um… I found him here, where I'm guessing he lives."
Winter narrowed her eyes at her report. "You've never been here before?"
"No, she hasn't," Kaneki spoke up. "I don't exactly live in a good part of Vale."
"Please do not interrupt," Winter said sharply. "Ms. Scarlatina, continue."
Velvet noticed that Kaneki frowned slightly but obliged. "Yes, ma'am. After I confirmed that Ken did not encounter the Faunus Killer, I stayed here for both his and my safety. Professor Ozpin made it very clear that we are not to engage the Faunus Killer."
Winter looked over to her two Huntsmen who gave her a nod, then focused back on Velvet. "Is there any reason that you stayed in this apartment and not the others?"
"None of the other apartments had open doors and I didn't want to cause any panic. These people have enough to worry about without having a Huntress knocking at their doors in the middle of the night asking if they'd seen anything suspicious."
"What were you doing out here in the middle of the night, exactly?" Winter asked.
Before Velvet could answer, a gravelly voice from the hallway called out. "What do you think, Ice Queen? The two are kids probably trying to have some midnight fun. Maybe if you ever had a date, you'd be able to piece that together."
"That's not- '' Velvet began, but stopped herself as she felt herself turning red. To her surprise, Kaneki grabbed her hand reassuringly. She dropped her voice to a nervous whisper and nearly squeaked when she felt him close the distance between them. "I-i-is th-that w-why I'm he-here?" she stuttered.
Qrow looked at the two teens and grinned. "So, Ice Queen, anything useful here, or are you just tryin' to get in between the two lovebirds?"
"That's enough Qrow," Winter said with an exaggerated eye roll. She turned back to Velvet and sighed. "Be sure to report this to your Headmaster, Ms. Scarlatina. As for you, Ken, was it? Try to get that door fixed."
Kaneki nodded, not really paying any attention to her. His gaze was stuck on the drunk Huntsman who was quietly scanning the apartment. For a moment, the two's eyes met and Qrow grinned at him. "Don't mean to judge, kid," he said apologetically. "You just move in or somethin'?"
"Don't really have much to move in," Kaneki replied, looking away. Qrow awkwardly cleared his throat and straightened himself out. He took out his scroll and typed away for a moment before heading out the door. "I don't mean to be rude, ma'am, but I would like some time alone now."
Winter shook her head and conceded. "Alright. Ms. Scarlatina, if there is nothing more you'd like to add to your report, I'll see myself out."
"No, ma'am," replied Velvet, her heart still racing from Kaneki's proximity. "I-I'll report to Professor Ozpin first thing in the morning." Winter gestured to her two Huntsmen and walked out, leaving the two alone. Velvet nervously turned towards Kaneki, her face red. "K-Ken, I don't k-know if I'm ready for—"
"That's not why I asked you to come over," he replied, letting go of her. "I just saw an opportunity and I took it. Those Huntsmen… I didn't like them."
"You mean Specialist Schnee?" asked Velvet. "From what I heard, Professor Ozpin brought her in specifically for the Faunus Killer."
"Specialist?" repeated Kaneki. "Do Huntsmen have ranks?"
"No, not really," Velvet said, scratching her head. "I'm pretty sure she's part of the Atlesian Military. I'm not really that familiar with what that all means, but she's really strong." She looked over to Kaneki who seemed tense. "Are you sure you don't want to get checked out? Even if your Semblance lets you heal physical damage, there might be some other lasting damage."
"I'm sure, Velvet," he answered tiredly.
Velvet stood in front of Kaneki and cupped his face to lift his gaze off the floor. "Ken… I hate to ask this now… but when you said the Faunus Killer keeps you alive because of your Semblance… does that mean that…"
"I have to let him," he said, moving her hand away from his face. "If I don't, he'll find somebody else to eat. I'm the only one who can keep him fed… or I was," he corrected. "I guess I'm not healing fast enough for his liking. Still, if I stop now, there's no telling how many more people–"
"Ken, stop," Velvet said firmly. "You can't let yourself be his victim even if you think it's for the greater good, especially now that he's still out there killing. If you keep this up, there's no telling when he'll go too far and you'll be left here bleeding out!"
Kaneki ran his hands through his hair as he tried to think of a response, but found nothing. "I'm sorry Velvet," he said simply.
"Don't be, Ken," she said softly. She gently grabbed his hands into hers and rubbed circles on the back of his hands with her thumbs. "You're amazing, Ken, and I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You carry all these burdens alone and still try a way to help alleviate the burdens of others… You're the strongest person I know, but even you need to take a break. Let me help you."
Kaneki was speechless as he looked at Velvet's resolve. Silent tears fell down his face. He looked at Velvet in a new light, which only made his guilt deepen for lying to her. When he felt Velvet wrap her arms around him once more, the floodgate opened. "I'm sorry," he said, sobbing. I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm sorry for causing so much hardship to your mother. I'm sorry I'm the reason the Kingdom of Vale is on lockdown. I'm sorry that I can never tell you what I am. I'm sorry for being a ghoul. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, shaking in Velvet's embrace.
"It's okay, Ken," she said, squeezing tighter.
No it's not! No it's not! NO IT'S NOT! NOIT'SNOT!NOIT'SNOT! NOIT'SNOTNOIT'SNOTNOIT'SNOTNOIT'SNOTNOIT'SNOT!Kaneki began to shake more violently in her embrace as his silent sobs became a mixture of wailing and laughter. Velvet simply began to squeeze him tighter, unwilling to let her friend be alone.
"Where did you get this sample from, sweetie?" asked Libby, confused. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"What do you mean? What did you find?" Coco asked. She leaned forward towards her mother's desk to see but the results were impossible for her to read.
Libby blew up an image of the bloodwork taken with the microscope and pointed to one of the blood cells. "This is what the red blood cell should look like, but the sample you bright has a lot of things riddled within that resemble red blood cells, but upon closer inspection, look very different. They almost look like… fetuses."
Coco was only further confused. "What does that mean?" she asked.
"I have no idea," she admitted. "I would have to send this up to our analysis, but with the situation in Vale, I'm not sure how long that would take. All hands are on deck to catch the Cannibal." Libby sighed and looked at Coco. "I already asked, so don't avoid the question; where did you get this?"
Coco hesitated for a moment, unsure of what sort of damage this could do to her relationship with Velvet. Still, she knew as leader she would have to make the hard decisions and deal with the consequences. "I got it from Ken Kaneki, that new guy at Velvet's mom's shop.."
"This came from Ken?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "Are you certain?"
"Of course, I had him in my dorm when I was grilling him."
Libby let out an exasperated sigh. "Coco, are you interrogating him because you don't want him dating your teammate, or do you have just cause? We've been over this before."
"Mom, no! I mean, at first I was, but stuff wasn't lining up and there were too many coincidences for me to ignore."
Libby narrowed her eyes at her daughter, but sighed not too long after. "To tell you the truth, I've had some suspicions about him too, but he's clean."
"He's not clean, he doesn't exist!" Coco insisted. "I've looked him up using Beacon's computers and it's like he just showed up one day."
"Are you telling me that you have more clearance as a second year student than the entirety of the VPD?" Libby asked, clearly annoyed. She noticed Coco's expression and rolled her eyes. "What did you do?"
"Promise you won't be mad," Coco said, uncharacteristically nervous. When her mother didn't give her any sign of agreeing, she conceded. "I might have used one of my professor's computers that was still logged in."
"Do you know how much trouble you can get if they report that?" Libby warned. "The moment your professor finds out that you tampered with–"
"He won't find out," Coco assured.
"How can you be so sure, Coco?" her mother demanded. Coco looked away ashamed and sighed.
"Because it was Professor Oobleck's computer…" she whispered. "I came into his classroom not long after finding out… well, you know." She refused to look her mother in the eye as she tried to explain herself. "I just didn't believe that it had actually happened, but seeing how his classroom with the last notes he wrote on the board, the seats that weren't pushed in… I don't know, it hit me. Then I thought about how Velvet would take it…"
"You needed a distraction," Libby realized. She pulled her daughter close and sighed. "Sweetie, I have no idea how close you were to your professor, but you if you don't grieve him, you'll end up doing what you're doing now; chasing any lead you can find."
"But Mom, I know I'm on to something! I mean if his blood is all screwed up and he has connections with the Faunus Killer, there must be something we can do, right? Can't you put him in a holding cell for a while? Just to be sure?"
"Coco, listen to yourself!" Libby snapped. "You're talking about putting a civilian in a cage because of a gut feeling. As much as I agree, we need solid evidence, alright? I'd run this by my department, but I think you'd be better off giving this to your Headmaster. It's entirely possible that this Ken kid has some sort of blood disease, or even that he's some sort of Faunus that's rare around these parts."
Coco shook her head in frustration. "You said you were suspicious of him too, right? Why won't you believe me?"
"I told you, he's clean!" she reiterated. "He has no criminal history at all. I can't arrest him for living in the slums."
"What about tax evasion?"
Libby let out a long sigh. "Coco, if I go about that route, I'd have to take Marble in too. Not only is she a friend, do you know how bad it would look for the VPD to arrest the only selfless person helping out the Faunus quarter? She shut down her own business to organize fundraisers, feed, clothe and shelter anybody she can. Listen, you're still young, so I understand you being unable to see the bigger picture, but you can't just hound somebody because you don't like him."
"So what, I just do nothing?"
"I told you, take this bloodwork to your headmaster."
Coco rubbed her forehead in frustration. "If I give this to Professor Ozpin, he'll ask that I back off."
"Then do it!" Libby shouted. "Coco, ever since this freak has shown up, I don't know when will be the last time we will get to see each other. Not only you, but everybody I know! I'm doing my damnedest to figure out where this bastard is, and I know your heart is in the right place, but Gods, please think about what you're doing to those close to you! Does Velvet know you're finding any reason to get rid of her new boyfriend? Have you run any of this by your friend Fox or Yatsuhashi? Those two are the only two I know that can keep your head on your shoulders."
The young leader sat there in stunned silence. She knew she was doing a lot on her own, but her mother's words rang in her head. "You're right," she said, keeping to herself that she wasn't going to let this go. "I'm sorry to bother you with this."
"Sweetie, you're taking this the wrong way," Libby said, her voice softer. "This whole situation is stressful for all of us. Why don't you and I just take a break from this and come back to this in the morning, okay? I haven't slept at home in weeks it seems."
"I'd like that," Coco said, smiling at her mom.
Winter scowled as she watched Qrow order a drink from the bartender. "You do realize that we're still on the clock, right?"
"Great, then I'll make sure to write this off as a business expense," he said, taking a deep drink.
"Why did you bring me here anyway? We should be reporting to Ozpin."
Qrow gave her a dry look and shook his head. "You Atlas drones are all the same, aren't you? Do you think that Oz and I are unaware of what you're really doing here?"
Winter straightened her already straight posture and looked him in the eye. "I don't believe I know what you're talking about, Qrow."
"Oh come on, Ice Queen, Jimmy has been acting paranoid for the last few weeks. We'd have to be downright negligent to just trust you on his say-so. Ozpin may want to play nice, but I figured I would shoot straight with you."
"And what gave you that impression, Qrow?"
Qrow took another sip from his drink and set it down on the table. "You had the same hunch I had about that kid, didn't you? But that's not something you can take to James without any solid evidence, is it?" Qrow smirked at Winter's slight change of expression. "See, I was thinking about bringing it to Ozpin, but I'm in a similar boat as you."
"What makes you so sure that I'm suspicious of that kid?" Winter asked, genuinely curious. Any malice she had in her voice had disappeared at seeing the drunk doing his job for once.
"I know you noticed the bloodstains on that kid, yet his little girlfriend insisted that he had no contact with the Faunus Killer, right? Not only that, but that apartment was just recently moved into."
Winter crossed her arms at Qrow's 'evidence'. "You realize that everything you've said is simply speculation? If that girl did see the Faunus Killer leave the scene, how do you explain the kid in the apartment?"
"The Copycat Killer," Qrow said simply. "That blood on his arm looked like it was hastily cleaned off, the bandages on the ground were soaked but I didn't see a single injury on that kid."
"That's… actually not a bad theory," she admitted. "To be frank, I wasn't concerned with the Copycat Killer but if he has a direct connection with the Faunus Killer… we might be able to take them both down."
"Exactly," Qrow agreed. "So here's my plan–"
Winter stopped him before he could start. "Why should we follow your plan?"
Qrow groaned and rolled his eyes. "Do you really want to start this right now? All I was going to suggest is that I tail the kid while you keep up the search for the Faunus Killer without me. I don't imagine that James would be happy with you shifting your focus on what he thinks is the small fry."
Winter gritted her teeth, but nodded. The plan was sound but she hated that it came from the disgrace of a Huntsman that sat before her. "Fine, but if you find anything, you'll tell me."
"Same goes for you, Ice Queen," he said, finishing off his drink. "Also, your two flunkies don't get in the way. It looks like Oz was really scraping the bottom of the barrel if that's all he got."
"It's still too early to judge them," Winter replied curtly, although she was inclined to agree with him given first impressions. "Neither of us have gotten to see them in action so I'd save your comments before they make you eat your words."
Qrow stifled a laugh as he got to his feet. "Yeah, right, I'm sure they're the cream of the crop. I'm just glad that I'm not the one on babysitting duty." With that, Qrow walked out of the bar.