Big Issues
AN: Welcome back everyone! First, I'd like to thank Asofis for the fave of this series as well as viverosjr26 for the faves and follow of both this series and myself as a writer here. Secondly, I'm not sure how many of you noticed that I have begun the prequel to this series, called Small Issues. Yes, I know it's not the most imaginative title but it does help to connect both as one larger set. As of now, Small Issues only has its introductory chapter posted but the next is under way and hopefully can be ready for this weekend.
I hope you enjoy Small Issues as much as you do Big Issues.
Onto another subject, I hope you all liked the upgrades to Blake and Sun's weapons that were properly introduced in the last chapter. Sun's gunchucks can now stay together as a pair of short staves and when as a staff, the entire weapon can lengthen to nearly double it's normal length. As for Blake, she now has a large shuriken that is stored in her sheath/cleaver half of Gambol Shroud and can be attached to her ribbon so she can use that as a weapon or to swing around and still use her sword or pistol while doing so.
And for that attack that Adam did using Blush, his rifle/sheath... it always struck me as odd that he rarely uses it outside of the original Black Trailer and why couldn't he have his semblance focused through that rather than his sword. So that fight covered both parts of that thought.
Anyways, on with the show!
Surprises
While everyone in the house was content to sleep in, mostly because they were up late and some had been busier than others the night before, that didn't last long after sunrise… mostly out of habit and training.
Yang and Denko shared their bed, of course. Not that they did anything but cuddle after their shower and light meal. What had been amusing for them is that Ruby had yet to notice Yang's arm and they were willing to keep playing the game until she did. Granted, there were others who knew or noticed but they didn't draw any attention to it, though Nora looked like she was going to burst once she caught on.
Raven wound up taking the couch and found it surprisingly comfortable, especially after spending the last few days in a car. And given that she didn't have to be in a crowded car with Yang and Denko snoring away, she slept quite well. The only downside of waking up would be the long talks about what she had been doing over the years.
Ren and Nora had no problems with their new beds and they had actually missed being so close to others. Likewise, Talon and Anya enjoyed their night in actual beds and being away from others for a bit. Qrow was out the moment he hit the pillow.
The real fun came from the last two. After going to bed without noticing that they had company in their rooms, both were confused to see one of their teammates on the other bed. Not that they minded much but it was still confusing.
"So… you were out late." Nora grins from her bed.
"We, ummm… lost track of time." Pyrrha turns away as she brushes her hair and uses that to cover her blush.
"Really? And what were you doing all that time?"
"Nora! What are you implying?" The taller girl nearly shrieks as her face turns as red as her hair.
Nora just starts laughing and kicking her thick legs. "I didn't really expect you two to go very far! C'mon! Look at you just from thinking that I thought you had done that!"
That did help to sooth the capillaries in Pyrrha's face and she calmed down thanks to realizing that her friend was just joking… mostly.
"But I do wanna know what you did!"
"Hehe, okay, okay." Pyrrha waves her hand to ward off the hyper girl a little. "We had a very nice dinner and went for a walk to see some of the sights of the city at night. Played a few stand games. Then we came back."
"That's it? Nothing else?"
"Well… I did kiss him on the cheek before we went to bed last night… um, this morning." That brought a smile and light blush at the memory.
"Eeeeeeee! This is so good! I wish I could have seen that!" Nora squeals as she rolls on the bed holding her pillow to her chest.
—-
"Umm… Ren?"
"Yes Jaune?"
"Why are you getting dressed in my room?" Jaune sits on his bed as he watches as his teammate and friend finishes the clasps to hold his shirt closed.
"I moved in last night."
"Okay… not that I mind but why?"
"To make room." Ren answers vaguely before leaving the room, presumably to get breakfast started.
"That really didn't help much." The blonde mutters as he starts his basic morning stretches and gets dressed once he finishes.
Downstairs, Jaune found Ren at the stove, as expected. Pyrrha was helping him, no doubt getting some lessons in the process as she needed them. Nora was waiting patiently as she played a game on her scroll. Qrow was also there, sipping away at some tea.
But he could still hear some people moving around upstairs.
"Did Ruby stay up all night reading comics or playing games again?"
"Hello!" Pyrrha practically sang as she greets him with a warm smile, though Ren had to grab her wrist to remind her that she was still holding a knife. "I'm sorry."
"She's making more noise than normal." Jaune comments as he sits at the table.
"We got some visitors last night while you were out. Since they are old friends of mine, I let them stay here with us rather than making them go through the paperwork of getting one of the other places." Qrow explained as he uses the tea to wash down his medicine.
"That's nice of you. I guess they're going to join us for breakfast?"
"Yeah, and some of us gotta go out and buy stuff for lunch." Qrow adds.
Loud thumps came down the stairs, almost as if someone was skipping and dragging someone behind them. The guess proved accurate as Ruby bounced to the bottom and holding the hand of…
"Weiss?" Jaune was certainly surprised as he hadn't heard anything from or about her since she went to Atlas with her sister. He almost didn't realize he stood up.
"Hello Jaune. Did you have a good evening yesterday?" Weiss asks with a teasing grin, one that was only matched by Ruby with her own excitement.
"Y-yeah! It was pretty good." He responds with a blush and scratching his neck, just now really finding that his hair had grown a fair bit.
"I'm happy to hear that the two of you are finally together."
"Y-yeah? I-I mean I guess you do after… what I did back at Beacon."
"Jaune." Weiss had marched up to him to look face to face… though it would be more accurate to say face to chest given their height differences and she wasn't wearing her heels, just a simple nightgown, matching pants, and slippers.
"Yes Weiss?"
"Back then, it was really annoying having to put up with you asking me for dates so often. But do you want to make that up to me?"
"Yeah, anything."
"Then treat Pyrrha well."
"Umm, what?"
"You heard me. Treat her well and I'll see if I get any good stories out of her."
"You got this Jaune!" Ruby was just as 'well dressed' as Weiss, though in a black button down nightshirt and matching pants, not even bothering with footwear.
"Now I'm going to talk to your other half for a bit."
"W-w-what? O-other half!?" Jaune sputters out as the girl giggles behind her hand and walks into the kitchen where a small commotion could be heard.
"Pyrrha! The knife!" Ren could be heard around the corner.
"I'm sorry!"
"Hehe, that went over well." Ruby stood by and giggled at the interaction.
"Why didn't anyone say she was here?" The blonde hangs his head.
"And spoil the surprise? Nah!"
"Get used to it kid." Qrow grins from his seat as Jaune flops onto the floor.
"Good thing you're still taking your medicine, Uncle Qrow."
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about me too much."
Footsteps from the stairs drew attention once more as four more came down. "Hey sis! Breakfast should be ready soon!"
"Not if Pyrrha can't use a simple knife correctly!" Ren calls out, followed by a small whine from the champion and a giggle from Weiss.
"Hey Ruby!" Yang followed Denko down the stairs and stood on his left, Talon and Anya walking around them for the kitchen.
"We'll help get the food going faster." Anya informs them.
"And to make sure there's enough to go around." Talon adds. Both of them were in their normal mission gear, minus boots and weapons.
Qrow rolled his eyes at seeing that Yang was hiding her arm from her sister, though he could tell last night, or was it this morning, that it was out of amusement rather than shame.
"Do I want to know how you are such a great fighter with a sword but can't use a simple knife correctly?!" Talon could be heard from the kitchen.
"I'm sorry!"
"Just… watch closely. I'm gonna go fast to get this done. I can give you a better lesson at lunch."
"Oh, thank you."
"What was that about?" Yang asks as she sits at the table with Denko.
"Hehehe, funny thing we found out on the road." Jaune laughs as Ruby gets equally embarrassed next to him. "Pyrrha's… not the best cook."
"Really?" Denko raises an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me that she can somehow burn water."
Jaune's eyes went wide at that and was glad that the tea Ruby had just poured for him wasn't being drunk. "She's not that bad!" He blurts out quickly, though he becomes embarrassed as he adds. "But… it may be safer to let her make meals where we just add water for now."
"Yeah… that sounds pretty bad." Yang couldn't help but to laugh at her friends. "Did Ruby get any better at cooking during your trip? I heard you had a long walk."
"My food is just fine, Yang!"
"If you keep her to making something simple, she's good." Qrow interjects with a grin.
"Uncle Qrow! I thought you'd be on my side!"
"Oh, I am. I'm also just being honest. Though I wouldn't mind some cookies again, it's been a while."
"That… I could do." Ruby seemed satisfied and relaxed. Then she noticed something. "Hey Yang?"
"What's up?"
"Umm… I know the table is going to be a bit crowded but we do have room to spread out for now." She had seen that the blondes were sitting extremely close, any closer and she'd be on his lap.
"I know you guys were close back at Beacon but…" Jaune trailed off as Yang began to smirk. That usually wasn't a good thing for him.
"What's wrong? I'm not allowed to cuddle with my boyfriend?" She emphasized by giving Denko a little shake since her arm was already wrapped around his waist.
Jaune had the vantage point to see that Denko had his arm around her as well, though he gave her love handle a squeeze.
"EEEEEEEEEEEHEHEHEEE!" Ruby squealed in joy, unintentionally nearly deafening everyone at the table and causing Pyrrha, Weiss, and Anya to look around the corner for the source of the noise.
"I want to know everything! C'mon! Tell me! Tell me!" The excitable girl was bouncing in place, though Qrow was wiggling a finger in his ear to stop the ringing.
"Oh, this should be good!" Nora paused her game and put away her scroll. "Don't leave out any details!"
Weiss walks over and sits down next to Ruby as daintily as she could. "Trust me, you don't want all of the details. That would be for a mature audience."
"Haha! Yeah, I guess you're right about that one Weiss." Yang was shaking all over from laughing, Denko next to her grinning but blushing brightly.
"What does that mean!? I'm mature!" Ruby pouts as her cheeks puff out in frustration.
On the side, Nora connected the dots and her eyes went almost impossibly wide. "Oooohhh! I see! When did this happen?"
"Am I missing something?" Ruby whines as Yang grin grew.
"That we can say easy enough." That really got Nora's attention as well as Ruby's. "We wound up making things official on my birthday."
"That's so cuuuute!" Nora was wriggling in her seat.
"Yeah! It was great! Dad and my man here had breakfast ready for me." She gave Denko a little shake that made him squeeze her a bit in return. "Then the two of us had a little fun, went to Hestia's, then the beach!"
"Hehe, sounds like a great time!" Ruby cheers with Nora agreeing wholeheartedly.
"Oh, you'll like this." Yang grins as she leans in, prompting the other girls and Jaune to do the same. "When we got back home, Denko had a present waiting for me." She paused to let the tension build and even Qrow looked interested. Only Denko and Weiss seemed to be not, mostly because the former was there and the latter had heard it before.
"What was it?" Nora asks as the pause draws too long for her liking.
"New weapons based on her usual ones." Denko proudly tells them, though his smirk was a bit from taking Yang's fun away. "Call them Hiryu Shoten and they make a great set with her Ember Celica."
"Ha! That's a real Huntsman couple! Skip the flowers and make the lover a weapon!" Qrow laughs.
"Oh, we're not done yet, Old Man." Denko smirks at the annoyed look the man gave him for the name.
"Yeah! 'Cause just as he gave them to me, Grimm attacked the house!" Yang adds.
Just then, the door opens and Raven walks in with a bag in her arms. "Got some more eggs for you and a few other things while I was there." She went straight to the kitchen.
"Umm… who was that?" Jaune asks as nobody seemed surprised by her walking in.
"Brought her with us when we picked up Weiss." Denko responds quickly. Yang, Weiss, and Qrow picked up that while he was honest in what he said, there was a lot left out. Even Ruby hadn't picked up on much, mostly because she was more focused on having Weiss and her sister back than the strange, quiet woman last night.
"First round is almost done." Raven tells the group at the table as she takes a seat next to Nora.
"Hey, we were just talking about my birthday." Yang greets her mother.
"Oh? Good story. Did you get to the part where you killed the Beringal with one arm?"
Qrow was taking a sip of tea when she said that, leading to some of it going down the wrong pipe with predictable consequences. As he hacked to clear his throat, he saw his sister smirking victoriously at him. Clearly that was planned… and he should have anticipated that.
"Are you okay now, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby pats him on the back.
"Yeah, I'm fine now. Just… wasn't expecting that."
"You beat a Beringal?!" Nora slams her hands on the table and rises to her knees as she stares incredulously at the hefty blonde.
"And one arm?" Jaune asks, more shocked that the Grimm was beaten and the pair acted so casually about it.
Immediately, Yang's face fell. "I guess there's no hiding that now." She shrugs as she releases her hold on Denko and he moves his hand up to give her shoulder a squeeze before folding his hands in front of him.
Ren and Pyrrha came in with plates full of omelets and began to set them in front of everyone. "What was that about hiding something?" The Spartan asks.
"You're going to need to sit down for this." Raven tells her.
"Should I get Talon and Anya for this?" The redhead offers.
"They are well aware of what we need to say. It's just your side of the story that they'll need to hear." Qrow tells her, prompting the girl to sit down.
Around the corner, the sisters saw what was about to happen and went back to finishing the meals.
Yang let out a deep breath as she pulled her right arm in front of herself and held it over the table. "This is part of what I need to talk about."
Eyes trailed over the limb and took note of the polished metal surface that ended a few inches up her upper arm. Several gasps were released as they came to their own conclusions.
"Yang… but your arm… it was getting better… right?" Ruby was barely able to be heard but her sister caught it clearly.
"Ruby… we thought my arm was getting better but… it wasn't." The arm detached and fell into her waiting flesh and blood hand to leave the stump with the attachment point for them all to see.
Denko reaches up and points at the end of the limb. "From what the doctors could find, her arm should have healed decently but they found that Adam's aura was in her and prevent the healing process, acting more like a slow poison in her arm. By the time it was noticed, it was too late."
"And we're really glad you didn't get home without seeing me first, Ruby."
"Wh-why is that?" The girl was already near tears at seeing what had happened to her sister. She only managed to get through things before thinking that the limb was healing and Yang would be back to normal by the time she returned.
Yang put her arm back on and took out her scroll so she could bring up a picture. "Well, we cleaned up Mom's gravestone a bit and…" The picture of two graves were on the cliff and Ruby saw that her mothers stone was noticeably cleaner and the rose emblem was now filled with white paint. But the one next to it bore the name and emblem of her sister, though curiously only the left flicker of the flame was filled with gold.
"Oh… that wouldn't have been good without an explanation." Qrow comments as he saw the details clearly.
Raven couldn't help the feeling of guilt in her stomach from hearing her own daughter calling another woman 'Mom'. Summer may have been her teammate and friend, the second wife of her own husband who had a second daughter with her, but it still hurt. Yet she has a promise that she swore to her daughters to keep.
The rest of the table saw the picture as well and there was a moment of silence.
"Anyway, that's enough about me. What were you up to all this time?" Yang deflects as she pockets her scroll but knew there would be more detailed explanations to give later.
"Hehehe, it's a long story." The younger sibling laughs nervously.
"Better eat while you talk. These are best hot." Anya seemingly came out of nowhere with another round of omelets, a slight frown on her face as none of the food from earlier having been touched.
—-
Vernal raised a fist to signal the tribe to stop. Suddenly, all of the noise from the wagons and conversations stopped as everyone looked and listened in every direction around them.
An airship flew overhead and disappeared over the trees but there was a small clearing nearby that they heard the ship land in.
Vernal held up three fingers and pointed at where the ship went and a trio of scouts split from the caravan and vanished into the forest.
A few minutes later, one of them came back with a report. "Four of them are coming, two men and two women. They aren't carrying much on them but we can tell they are trained fighters, probably Huntsmen."
"We can speak for ourselves." A commanding voice came from the treeline and onto the road walked an older man with slightly greying hair in a suit, a woman with short black hair that covered the left side of her face and a red dress with a sleeve that concealed her entire left arm. It was the woman who had spoken.
Following them like bodyguards, a taller young man in black and grey and a shorter girl with dark skin and green hair.
"State your business or move aside. We don't have time to waste." Vernal orders to the newcomers.
"My, my… aren't you a little young?" The older man antagonizes before looking around at the tribe, not caring that they were beginning to draw their weapons. "Now, where is your leader? I have a proposition for them. I can ensure that it can be mutually beneficial."
The young bandit leader cocks her hips and rests a hand there, very close to her weapons. "You're looking at her!"
"Hmm, really? And just how do you keep these men in line to follow your orders?" The man was certainly condescending.
"They do as I say because I'm the strongest here." Vernal states plainly, even as Tater steps up next to her. "Now what do you want? I could be generous and let you go now or we'll just take everything of value you have."
"Going by that suit and dress, I'd say they're loaded." One of the men behind her says to another, a few others agreeing.
"We're looking for someone. A very specific person." The woman in red declares, though doing so made the man scowl slightly. "A woman with great power. We had a lead from a very reliable source that told us she'd be here."
It didn't take Vernal a second to know exactly what these people were after. "I don't know who you're looking for, we're just a tribe living off the land and moving south before winter comes."
The man suddenly pulls out his scroll thanks to a beeping alert. Reading the message, his eyes widened slightly before a smile seemed to split his face. "Ah, not so fast. You see, I just ran an identification check on you and you've been missing for a decade now, Vernal Sakura."
The use of her full name surprised her and the man's grin only seemed to grow from that.
"Now… where is your dear sister hiding? A Maiden shouldn't be hidden away."
"Don't you speak of her!" In a flash, both of her hands were occupied by her pistols, the barrels already glowing from the Dust rounds inside.
"Ah, that protective of her I see. Then this should be simple for you. Within Haven Academy is a vault that can only be opened by her, the Spring Maiden. All we are asking is that she opens the door for us and we can part ways."
Vernal refused to lower her weapons but saw that the boy had moved so that he could run or jump at the tribe and the girl had her hands on the grips of her pistols. The woman was simply watching everything.
"That's it? Just open a door for you?" Vernal asks.
"That is all we really need, good lady. But I do not ask this without providing payment for your troubles."
"And what is it that you're after in this vault?"
"Oh, nothing that should really be of any concern to you." He dismisses. "Mr. Black, would you mind running back to the ship and getting one of my gifts? And bring those two snooping around back with you."
Internally, Vernal cursed that the scouts had been found somehow while everyone was here. Must have some kind of alert when he looked her up.
A few minutes later, the boy returned with the scouts who were looking a little rougher than when they left and the boy was holding a fancy looking rifle of some sort.
The man took the weapon in his own hands and held it ready, glad that Vernal had lowered hers during the wait and even more so that Cinder was keeping her mouth shut. "This here is what I'm willing to pay your tribe with. We have a dozen more onboard."
"And what do they do besides lookin' fancy?!" A man calls out.
PEEWW! Boom!
A single squeeze of the trigger and a brilliant bolt of energized Dust left the weapon and hit a tree, blowing out a large chunk of the trunk.
"How is that for a demonstration?" The man with the rifle asks, looking far too pleased with himself.
"That'll do it." The same man says meekly but is in awe of getting that gun.
"Mind telling us who you are at least?" Vernal jumps back into the conversation, giving her pistol a small wave in the fancy man's direction.
The posh man had the dignity to look briefly embarrassed but covered that up with a cough to clear his throat. "My apologies, where are my manners today? I am Dr. Arthur Watts and these are my associates, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald." He motions to each of them in turn.
"Hmm…" Vernal looks them all over once more before turning to Tater and they had a silent conversation with looks and small expressions alone.
"Fine, we'll hear out your plan."
—-
It certainly was a long story, though it was mostly having to do with the dozens of small missions that the team did along the way in exchange for lodging and supplies. The breakfast was eaten just fine, with compliments to the cooks. But then there was the fight against Tyrian…
"That bastard is still alive!?" Raven slams her hands on the table.
"Unfortunately, yes." Qrow sighs and pulls up his pant leg to show the scarring left behind. "He got me good during our fight on the way here but the kids took his tail in return."
"That slowing you down at all?" Denko asks, pointing at the leg as the man puts the leg down right.
"Not sure yet. Still technically recovering from it since we only got here last week. Came pretty close to dying though, that sucked."
"Can't imagine why." Anya scoffs at his attempt to play it off.
"But Uncle Qrow still managed to help us in the next fight! Took out a bunch of Beowolves even when he could barely move!" Ruby tries to be positive.
"Next fight? How many did you have after Tyrian?" Talon had to ask.
"Mostly a few wandering Grimm, nothing to worry about." Nora dismisses.
"But trying to save time by going through Kuroyuri we ran into the Nuckelavee." Ren adds, surprising everyone with how calm he was saying that, though Nora still took his hand under the table.
"The Nuckelavee!" Raven, Denko, Yang, Weiss, Anya, and Talon yell at once.
"How did you get away? I've kept track of that thing for years to make sure we'd never cross it. It's been getting more ruthless, even for a Grimm." Raven asks with her hand on her head.
"About that…" Pyrrha gives everyone an awkward laugh. "We didn't get away from it."
"Huh?" Talon utters.
"Yeah… we actually beat it." Jaune concludes. "Ren and Nora got the final blow in." Then realized that he made a pun given the way the Grimm had been killed.
And the tale of that fight had to be told, leaving the newcomers shocked and amazed.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that thing is dead and gone." Raven sighs as she finally relaxes.
"You said it." Yang agrees as she leans against Denko for comfort.
"At least you weren't too far away from help." Denko was glad that his mentor had pulled through.
"Damn! It's that late?!" Talon suddenly bursts out, including using a burst of air to rise from her seat.
"What's happening? What's wrong?" Ruby asks her panicking friend.
"We need to get the food for dinner! Finding the good stuff and preparing it will take time!" She quickly runs upstairs to get her swords and boots.
"I'll go too. Anyone else?" Anya asks as she follows her sister at a slower pace. Ren was fast to volunteer, as were Nora and Pyrrha. They were soon out the door and heading for the markets.
"You said there's a training area downstairs?" Denko asks Ruby.
"Yep! I've been wanting to really check it out. Come on!" The cloaked girl led the three blondes and Weiss downstairs leaving the twins alone at the table.
"What now?" Qrow leans back on his arms. It was odd that his sister was around and wouldn't be running off on a whim.
"What do you mean? What were you really following the kids for?"
"I had my own leads to track down for different things, which included figuring out where you were. But I did say I'd help keep them safe, just didn't expect them to take most of the year just to get here."
"And you didn't bother getting them a ride?"
"I let them find their own way. I knew where they were usually going and could pop off to deal with my own thing and find them again before they got too far. If they did move faster, they were easy to track."
"I see not all of the Branwen left you."
"Pretty damn easy to pick out the junk and toss it. That's why I gave up on the tribe life."
"Hmm… and what was your mission in coming to Haven? Or theirs?"
"Their mission was to talk to Leo and get any and all records on Cinder and her crew that Haven should have and bring that back to Glynda." He didn't miss her eyes narrowing. "Me? I was going to check in on what he's been up to and find out why he's been so quiet to Oz before the shit hit the fan."
"You know, I've been keeping my ear to the ground for things like that. You may be interested in what I have to say." Raven shrugs. "Though we'd actually have to talk to him a bit to verify the info."
"What is it?" His own eyes narrowed this time, hoping that she wasn't just baiting him for fun.
"I have my own network, as you might remember, though I wouldn't be surprised how many of our sources are the same." She shrugs that off. "But what I've been hearing is that the lion isn't as loyal to Oz as we thought. Or at least not anymore."
"That's a pretty big accusation."
"I did say it needed some firsthand verification."
"It's certainly not going to be you doing that, one look at you and he'd call everyone in the city to come arrest you."
"Not to mention that he'd clam up."
Qrow sat up and let's put a deep breath. "Well… on the plus side, he's not expecting you to be here, or the others from last night. When I told him that I narrowed down where the Spring Maiden is and pointed at the last location I knew for your camp, he began trying to get the Council to call back some Huntsmen to help us retrieve her."
"He's chasing a ghost then."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you think? The team found me and we came here. Did you think I'd have the tribe stay put?"
"Ah… right. Given the season, they must be heading south, probably one of the cave strongholds."
"Figured you'd remember that." She rolls her eyes.
"Still, we need to find Spring and keep her safe. She began making her moves and Vale suffered for it. We just got lucky that a hothead was too excited and didn't get the Relic while she was there alone."
Raven took a deep breath. She had promised her daughters she would do this. "Your search is already over."
"What do you mean by that? I already figured out that you know where Spring is. It's just a matter of getting her now."
"Or she could be closer than you thought." She couldn't hold back the teasing tone as her eyes lit up with pale red flames that she knew he'd recognize the significance of.
Qrow leapt to his feet at the display, feeling a small twinge of pain from his leg. "But how!? Why?" He readied himself for a fight. "For how long?"
Raven let the power recede as she tried to keep herself calm, knowing that she'd have to explain some of the hardest parts of her life again. "It's been a few years but-"
Knock knock!
Someone was at the door and immediately Raven was gone, a much smaller black streak flying around the windows to the open door of the garden. Qrow glanced back at his sister in corvid form hiding among the plants and shook his head as he walked to the door.
"Hello?" He asks as the portal opens only to find someone he wasn't expecting.
"Ah, Qrow! You're looking better after some rest." Leonardo greets him.
"Hey Leo. I thought you'd be sending someone else." Qrow saw the thick folder under his arm but waves the older man in.
"Oh, believe me when I say I was." The lion laughs. "But my secretary can be a very convincing person when she wants to be. Makes me glad she's not on the Council and opposes me."
"What? Did she tell you to get out of the school for a few hours?"
"That she did. Even made sure to lock me out of my office until she goes home tonight."
"So, what's that ya got there?" Qrow sits back down at the table and gestures for the Headmaster to do the same.
"Ugh, my knees aren't what they used to be." Leo complains as he takes a spot across from Qrow at the low table. "But here's the documents the children were asking for."
Taking the folder and flipping through some pages, Qrow noticed something noteworthy about the team; they weren't noteworthy in the slightest. Nothing to set them apart from others, average grades, no special skills, no detention… it's like they simply existed.
"Hmm, thanks. I'll have to give this a closer look with the team before they head back to Beacon and hand it off to Glynda."
"That's not a problem, you said you'll be around for a few days to rest anyway."
"Any luck with the Council about going after Spring?"
Leonardo obviously didn't like the change of subject but went with it anyway. "You know I couldn't tell them the real goal of the mission."
"But…"
"I at least got their attention once I told them that Weiss Schnee had been captured by them and a ransom demand was made for her return."
"They what?! How?"
"Not long before you first arrived here, a team from Atlas had left after performing an investigation as to why there was a bounty on both of Jacques Schnee's daughters. They were here for a few months for that mission."
"How much help did you give them?"
"They didn't ask for anything beyond letting them handle things on their own. They didn't want any interference or risk of leaks so I was the only one who even knew of what they were doing in the slightest. Otherwise, we simply arrested those they caught and helped clean up the damages done."
"Damages?"
"They took down a rather influential broker and her gang not too long ago."
"Hmph, why am I not surprised?" Qrow shakes his head as he lets out a small chuckle. "But I'm assuming that they got the job done?"
"I believe so. When they came to me on their way out, they said they were done and left not long after."
"But somehow one of them was captured on the way? What about the rest of the team? Did they make it back to Atlas?"
Leonardo let out a deep breath, looking older than he was. "When I was contacted by James about the situation, he told me that they were fine and one of them was leading a search party. And I've already sent a pair of Huntsmen familiar with northern Anima to assist them."
"And you didn't think to tell us about that? We could help."
Now Leo looked cross. "Don't say that to me. This happened before you arrived in Mistral and you weren't in any shape to go on a rescue mission. Still aren't with that limp you have." Qrow had the decency to look embarrassed for his outburst. "But I'm sure that between the men I sent and the Atlas team, they will find her."
"But you said the Branwen Tribe has Weiss?" Qrow couldn't help but feel skeptical about what Leo was saying, especially with what had happened since last night.
"From all of the information I was given, yes. That included pictures of the girl strapped to a bed and their demands."
"Great… just great. A rescue for two people and we'd need to try to maintain the secret about Spring." Qrow rubs his eyes as some fatigue washed over him and the headache that was coming.
"Yes, well the Council knows that I have sent the men as scouts but even they know that they and the team from Atlas would be overwhelmed. And I know that your sister is equal in battle to you."
"So… are they gonna get us the manpower to get out there or not?" Now Qrow was getting annoyed at the politics.
"They are still debating that, last we spoke. Some would rather let Atlas do the job themselves, another wants a joint mission. I'd rather get it done with our own people because this is our Kingdom." He let out a sigh. "But… the only thing really agreed on is that they want to wait for confirmation of Schnee's location. Only then do they want to fully commit to the rescue operation."
"Damn it, this is why I hate politics. Always too damn slow to act when needed at the best of times!" He slams a fist on the table.
"Trust me Qrow, I know the feeling. But in times like this, there is no way one person can handle the coordination required."
"That only makes it worse." Qrow finished the tea in his cup and found that it was cold. "Do you at least have a list of Huntsmen who could be ready to go once they approve the mission?"
"I haven't had time to make such a list, running the school and all. Plus trying to keep up to date on all of the Huntsmen who are in the field, home, or injured is nearly impossible right now."
"Fine, I get it. You're a busy guy. I guess I'll go around town and see if I can find some old associates I've worked with in the past to help us out. They may not be the best but adding them with the kids and the scouting teams, we should be pretty well set once we get the green light."
"You can do that. If you have the commitment from a group, that should help sway the rest of the Council."
"Alright. I guess I'll get started right away. Stretching my legs should help the healing a bit anyway."
Leonardo stands up, feeling a few joints cracking in the process. "I'm going back to Haven, my list of things to do isn't getting any shorter."
Qrow walks him to the door. "No problem. And thanks for dropping the files off with us. It'll make the team's day that they have them."
"You're welcome. Now, I must be off. We can talk again sometime later."
"Yeah, see ya." He watched as the lion walked up the street a short way before closing the door, not surprised that his sister was at the table already.
"It seems that someone is far from informed." She comments as she warms the pot with a small use of her power to create a flame in her hand.
"Alright, I see your point." He flops down to his seat again. "Is that really the best use of your powers?"
"It's practical and helps to train small scale use." She set the warm pot down now that it was steaming.
"Right… and when are you going to properly introduce yourself to the team?"
"I'll have to explain more than just that, won't I? Yang's been doing her best not to say anything too."
"I've noticed. I also picked up that she wasn't calling you mom."
"Then you should have heard her coming here. Plus she's damn good at guilt tripping me." She scowled.
"Hmph, good to know that you do have regrets."
—-
Night had come to the Branwen Tribe and they had made camp not too far from the airship that held their new allies. What was curious was that the Grimm stayed away from the camp, but the bandits weren't going to complain about that.
But one man snuck out from the camp to the airship.
Knock knock
Cinder opened the hatch to find a wiry blonde man standing there for her, a 'smooth' grin on his face once he saw her.
"What do you want?" She asks him coldly.
"Hehe, Miss Cinder! Good to see you this evening!"
"Get on with it and this better not be a waste of my time." Her fingers twitched under her long sleeve and he noticed the agitation.
"Ah, y-yes! Well… just so you know, Vernal hasn't been honest with you."
"I figured as much from bandits. But you have more to say on the matter, don't you?" Her irritation was fading slightly.
"Let's just say, we could really help each other out. I give you all the info you really need and you help me take over the tribe. Maybe with me in charge, we could work together a bit more."
Arthur walks to the door at that moment, having heard the conversation. "Information is the key for everything, come on in and I'll see what we can do for you, so long as you can deliver on your end."
"Oh, it's not me I'm worried about delivering." The man says confidently as he walks up the ramp and Cinder steps back to keep him out of arm's reach.
"Tell me." Arthur begins as he sits at his desk. "What's your name?"
"Heh, the name's Shay. Shay D. Mann."
"Pleased to meet you, Shay." Watts shakes his hand. "Now, take a seat and let's begin with what you have for us."
"How about I know who this Maiden is you're looking for and where they were going?"
"You have our attention." Cinder grins.
—-
"How is he?" Blake asks her mother in the waiting room. Ghira had been in surgery for a few hours and while Kali had been with him for some of the time, she, Blake, and Sun had been coordinating the efforts to clean up the damages to Kuo Kuana to distract themselves.
Itazura and Ilia were in charge of helping to round up the White Fang, alive or otherwise, with the Menagerie Guards. That left Sienna to deal with emergencies and calling in the White Fang loyalists from the island headquarters.
"He's going to pull through… but his arm is gone." Kali had tears running down her face and was immediately brought in for a hug by her daughter so they could cry together. To the side, Sun wasn't much better but glad the man was going to live.
"He's tough, I don't think he's going down any time soon." The blonde tries to encourage the women, only to be dragged into the sobbing hugs.
"Did they say how long until he wakes up?" This was almost as bad as the Vale hospital where she saw her team laid out in the beds with varying injuries and saw other patients who were worse off, some not making it through the short time she was there. And that wasn't including all of the people who couldn't get in or were treated elsewhere.
"It'll be a few hours at earliest and the doctors say to not hug him when he does wake up. The skin grafts need time to allow the real healing to begin."
"I'm guessing that the armor he wore there really helped take the worst of it?" Sun asks.
"I'd imagine so. I don't want to think of how we'd be if I lost him." A fresh wave of tears ran down Kali's face at the thought.
"We have every White Fang member we can find." Itazura walks up to the trio from around a corner. "Is… this a bad time?"
Kali pulls herself away to get back to her duty to the island. "No, go ahead."
"Okay, well… we have forty three here in the hospital and cuffed to their beds as they are being treated. Sixty five are in the jail cells, and fifty two are at the morgue." Itazura reads off her scroll.
"Damn… I didn't know there were that many attacking us." Sun comments as he keeps an arm over Blake's shoulder.
"To be fair, you weren't dealing with most of them. At the same time, we're pretty sure you have the biggest body count thanks to that stunt you did at the docks." Sienna says as she walks up to the group with Ilia in tow.
"How did your call go?" Kali asks the tiger woman.
Sienna leans against the wall as exhaustion begins to take hold of her. "They said that they will be here by tomorrow morning, though they need to keep some behind to take care of their own prisoners."
"The extra hands will be welcome in dealing with all of this." Kali pats her friend on the shoulder.
"Perhaps but.." Sienna trails off.
"But what?"
"Kali… I've been doing some thinking about the White Fang since Adam started this crusade against us." The tiger shakes her head. "No… what he did was in motion long before that, before Beacon."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll need to talk with you and Ghira… and the rest of you." She looks at the teens. "But we need some rest first… we haven't slept in over twenty four hours."
Kali nods in agreement. "We do need the sleep if we're going to be useful for anything." She let a long yawn run its course, unintentionally setting off a chain reaction with the rest of the group. "Blake, Sun, Ilia, Itazura… go home and get cleaned up and sleep."
"But mom, what about you?"
"I'm staying here with Ghira."
"I'll stay nearby, just in case." Sienna volunteers herself.
"Then we'll get an extra bed in his room if we need to. I'll just call up Mrs. Potts to run things until we wake up."
"Works for me. I'm too tired to argue right now." Sienna gives a small smile on her way to Ghira's room, hoping for a decent place to rest.
—-
Back at the Belladonna mansion, Ilia and Itazura made their baths quick before going to bed, though Ilia was dragged into the foxes room.
"H-hey!" The chameleon protested as she was brought in.
"Relax, your stuff is already here."
"What?"
"After what you had to do to earn the Albain's trust, your things were almost thrown out of the house. I just made sure to stash it away before it was chucked." Itazura grins as she drags out a large box from under the bed.
Ilia was shocked that her friend had gone so far, though given what they had done over the past few weeks that culminated into the events yesterday, there seemed to be no end to the lengths that the fox would go through for her.
"I-I don't know what to say." She says as she sees her belongings in the box.
"How about you shut up and get in bed?" Itazura gives a wide teasing grin, leading to Ilia breaking out in a blush. "Come on, it's more than big enough for both of us and then some."
Despite the nervousness of sharing a bed a few minutes later, the pair were drifting off to sleep as the exhaustion caught up to them.
—-
Sun and Blake had little to say. They simply saved time and took comfort as they showered together, got dressed, and slipped into bed where they held each other as they slept.
AN: And here we have it. Suspicions against Leo are rising with the twins, the Branwen Tribe are joining up with Watts and Cinder, Ruby finally notices Yang's arm and the couples are having fun showing off their relationships. Plus we are getting some of the aftermath of the attack on Menagerie.
More to come next time on those events.
Until next time my fans, reviews are welcome!
