Training Room (Early Evening)

The unmistakable sound of metal clashing against stone reverberated through the training room, as well as all the adjacent rooms. Dominic, with his eye burning, was using his new control over the Earth Element to form spikes around the size of himself, then shattering them with his weapon.

"I can't believe her!" he yelled as he conjured another row of spikes. "Telling me I'm underwhelming. The nerve!" The blonde, furious, swung downwards, perfectly bisecting the stones. "She has no idea how much you and I fought to earn our place at Beacon." he told his younger sister, who was watching on the sidelines with an Ice-Dust powered portable AC unit.

"I know, but try to forgive her. She's just worried for Weiss and Connor." Ruby said, eating a bowl of frozen chocolate chips.

"She's not the only one who tries to keep her family safe." Dominic said under his breath. "But, I understand where you're coming from. I'll try to forgive and forget." the blonde said, his eye returning to it's normal hue as the flames surrounding him went out. "Thanks for bailing me out back there by the way. I swear, I was seconds away from pulling one of those pillars out of the ground and beating her over the head with it."

"Aw, don't mention it." Ruby said, turning off the AC. "Seriously, don't mention it. You'll get arrested again." the girl deadpanned.

As the duo left the room, both their Scrolls started to ring. Opening them, their eyes widened in excitement.

YellowDragon002: QROW'S HERE!


Fountainside Courtyard (Early Evening)

"You're leaving?" Weiss asked her elder sister, a dejected expression on her face.

"Yes." Winter answered. "I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was lost to an ambush. I believe you had a run in with it's cargo actually. It's fortunate those Paladins were still in the prototype stage. Otherwise, your team may not have fared so well."

'Never let Dominic know you said that.' Connor thought to himself, knowing how explosive his partner's anger could get. In the distance, he could hear the unmistakable sound of metal clashing against stone.

"Weiss, Connor. You've done... well out here, on your own." Winter said, holding her siblings' hands. "You two should be proud." Weiss smiled at that, making her brother's eyes glow green for a half-second. "I'll be honest. It was quite amusing seeing Father's face the day you left for Beacon."

"I can't wait to show him what I've learned." Weiss said, proud of herself.

"Oh? And what do you think you've learned?" Winter asked, smirking.

"What do you mean? I've been getting better and better with my Glyphs. I've even started Time Dilation." Weiss explained.

"And what of your Summoning?" Winter asked, knowing that was the toughest part of the family Semblance for her sister to master.

"I... No. I can't." the younger Schnee admitted.

"Don't be ridiculous. Every Schnee has the ability to summon. We have for generations." Winter said.

"I've tried!" Weiss said, frustrated. "It's just... It's the one thing I'm having trouble with. I've been training with Connor, but we haven't made any progress."

"We Schnees are unique." Winter said. "Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But that doesn't mean it will come easily. Your Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it, if you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible, then you'll never truly grow."


Team RWBY Dorm (Evening)

"You'll never beat me, old man!" Ruby proclaimed.

"You're nothing but talk, kid." Qrow responded.

"You can do it, Ruby!" Yang, Gregory, and Dominic said in unison, with the eldest of the three waving a red flag with his younger sister's emblem on it. Unfortunately, the cheaply made flag did nothing to stop Qrow from decapitating Ruby's fighter.

"Ouch." Ruby said, hanging her head.

"And by the way, don't ever call me old." Qrow said to his younger niece.

"She's not wrong though. When was the last time you looked in a mirror?" Dominic blanched, eliciting a glare from his uncle.

"MY TURN!" Yang said, pushing her sister out of the way.

"Now, where was I?" Qrow asked rhetorically, knowing Ruby would answer him.

"You were telling us about your last mission." the girl said, excited.

"Right, right." the huntsman said, recalling the story. "I came across a small village in the swamps west of Mistral. Right off the bat I knew something wasn't right."

"Wait, what were you doing in Mistral?" Gregory asked.

"I needed information." Qrow explained. "Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to start my search at the town's inn."

"Because of course you did." Dominic said, rolling his eyes.

"Can I finish my story, please?" Qrow said, frustrated. "Anyways, the place was crawling with lowlifes and thugs. Even a few huntsmen that I can only assume had been hired by less than reputable people for less than respectable jobs. And that's when it happened."

"What happened?" Ruby asked, dying to know.

"I was defeated... by the mere sight of the inkeeper's skirt length." Qrow said, trying to sound dramatic before getting water dropped on his head. "I deserved that."

"That you did." Yang said, tired of her uncle's shenanigans.

"You want a turn?" the man asked Dominic, who gladly obliged.

"So, how did you get in trouble with Ozpin, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.

"Nah. Me and Oz go way back. We're cool." Qrow said.

"Cool or an old guy." Yang joked.

"Not funny." Qrow deadpanned.

"So, what are you doing here anyway?" Gregory asked. "Mom said you were stuck in Vacuo for the next few months."

"Well, a professional huntsman, like myself, is expected to get results as soon as possible." Qrow explained.

"Yeah, I get that. We're pretty much pros too." Ruby boasted.

"Oh really?" Qrow asked.

"Have you watched the news recently?" Dominic asked rhetorically. "We basically saved Vale! While also destroying 12% of the city in the process."

"Funny, because I heard that Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train." Qrow said.

"Like I said, we destroyed 12% of the city." Dominic deadpanned.

"Well, we managed to take down Roman Torchwick." Yang said. "He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since. That's basically a bounty mission."

"Sure, you may be acting like huntresses, but you're not thinking like them." Qrow said. "You really think four kids and their friends can end all crime in a kingdom?"

"Well..." Dominic said, trailing off.

"I mean, I did before you said that." Ruby said, dejected.

"Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed. It's stopped. Completely." Qrow said, making Dominic and Gregory's eyes flash in their respective colors. "No White Fang activity anywhere around the city. You cut off the head of a King Taijitu, but now the second head's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."

"Let's face it, neither can the rest of the planet." Dominic blanched. "Wait a minute, you know Steeldong?"

'Steeldong?' the other three siblings all thought at once.

"Hey, I know everybody to some extent." Qrow shot back. "Remember that you're talking to a member of the coolest team to ever graduate Beacon." The man pulled out an old photograph of Team STRQ, which had the portion with Raven incinerated almost instantly. Everyone glared at Dominic when this happened.

"What?" the blonde asked, unable to see what he did wrong.


Fountainside Courtyard (Evening)

"Excellent form." Winter said to her sister, who was currently trying to use a Summoning Glyph. "Now think to your fallen foes. The ones that force you to push yourself past who you were and become who you are now. Think of them, and watch as they come to your side."

Weiss concentrated as hard as she could, but the Glyph wasn't stable. It kept flickering in and out of existence until eventually it imploded with an embarrassing 'toot'. "I can't!" the heiress yelled in frustration.

The eldest Schnee sibling slapped her sister in the head again. "Stop doubting yourself!"

"I'M TRYING!" Weiss shouted.

"If this is what you call trying, then you have no hope of winning the tournament. Let alone succeeding as a huntress." Winter scolded. "Why don't you just move back home? I'm sure Father will give you a nice job as a receptionist."

"Too far, Winter. Too far." Connor said, scowling. The Atlesian Specialist flinched when she saw that face, but only for half a second.

"I don't need his charity." Weiss said, gritting her teeth.

"But you do need his money, don't you?" Winter asked rhetorically.

"Wait, how did you know about that?" Weiss asked, shocked.

"Lucky guess." Winter said with a small smile. "I may have been in a similar situation when I joined the military."

'Would not have guessed that.' Connor mentally blanched, his anger abating.

"So, what have you two done this time?" Winter asked, sounding almost sincere.

"That's the thing. I'm not sure." Weiss said, confused.

"We tried to pay for our friend's lunch, but the card was declined." Connor explained. "Speaking of which, never let him know where you sleep. He holds a grudge like there's no tomorrow."

"Hmm." Winter said, contemplating her brother's words.

"Why would he cut us off like that!?" Weiss asked.

"Perhaps so you'd stop avoiding him and call home?" Winter suggested sarcastically.

"He has our number. If he wants to talk, he can talk." Connor said, his green eyes shining brilliantly as electric currents flowed from his legs and into the ground.

Weiss, furious at her father, attempted to create another Glyph. Noticing the Glyph's frailty, Winter laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Emotions can grant you strength, but you must never let them overpower you. It sounds to me like you both have two choices in front of you. You can either call him, beg for his money back and explain once more why you want to study at Beacon over Atlas. Or, you could continue to explore Remnant. Discovering more about the world, and honestly, yourselves."

He didn't feel it, but a single tear fell from Connor's face.

"It's time for me to go." Winter said, hugging her siblings.

"It was really good to see you too, Winter." Weiss said, smiling.

As the siblings left, they failed to notice the glowing tiny lance that appeared in the ground.


Qrow Branwen

Age: 43

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Semblance: Misfortune

Element: Dark

Battle Class: Knight


Training Room (Night)

Sighing, Connor raised his staff. "Think to my fallen foes." he said to himself as he waved his weapon in a circular motion. A Glyph appeared on the ground, emitting noxious smoke. "The ones that force me to push past who I was and into who I am now." The smoke gathered into a sphere-shape as lightning surged through the room. "Think of them, and watch as they come to your side." The smoke ball increased in size until it was barely smaller than the room it was in. Two ethereal hands spawned from the smoke, and a menacing aura enveloped the Sorcerer.

"NO!" he screamed, dispelling the smoke. "Not yet. Not yet. I can't allow that thing to destroy this planet too."