There is no such thing as selflessness in this world. You have to fight if you want to live, and steal if you want to eat. There are no in-betweens.
Emerald balled her hands tightly into fists, barely managing to steady her swimming vision enough to make out the figure standing before her. Her ears were ringing, likely from when she'd banged her head on the ground earlier, but it was a small issue in comparison to her inner turmoil.
She could register vaguely what was happening right now, and become certain when a kind voice filtered through her muddled ears and processed through her brain.
"Hold them off for a bit. I'm checking Emerald for injuries."
"No problem." A softer, more vexed voice replied.
Pulling a face, Emerald felt it when a hand gently placed itself on her head looking over the abrasions she knew had formed over her forehead above her left eye. Instinctively, she tried to wrestle away, her lips pursing as pain shot up her leg and bruised torso.
"I'm not here to hurt you. You need to relax."
Relax? Relax?
She blinked up to look into concerned bronze-coloured eyes from behind a featureless mask; they were windows that expressed more emotion than mere words could ever convey in this moment.
It was Archer, the one that had been the most vehement about not letting her join in the search for the woman who shot her.
In the end, the one who came off as dismissive and judgemental of her habits as a thief was the first to come when troubles ailed her.
She looked stunned to see him at all like the concept was alien to her, and then she couldn't hold the torrent back anymore.
"Why'd you come back and let her get away?!" She demanded, pushing him back if only to corner herself with her back against an alley wall.
She didn't understand it. She didn't want to understand it.
The concept that letting go of one's own objective just to help a stranger was too foreign in her mind, and frankly, it was shattering her sense of normalcy.
People weren't supposed to be like this. People weren't supposed to be kind especially to the dregs of society.
They were supposed to be two-faced, selfish, and greedy.
Of course, she knew that she was being biased in her views, but it had always been easier to perceive things in this way:
That this gnawing feeling of guilt after every theft had nothing to do with her; that it was only right to have stolen from beggars and malnourished street rats that were sure to die as they would have done the same if she was any weaker.
When kindness was shown and even showered over her, it made every crime and action that she'd undertaken to survive feel that much more like a mistake; like she could have found another means, but opted for an easy out.
She bit down on her lips before her shoulders drooped and she just stared up at Archer in exhaustion and disbelief as she stewed with her inner grievances.
"Was it wrong to come back to help you?"
That was the wrong thing to say.
"Yes! Yes, it is!" She shouted while pointing at herself, then at Summer fighting the hired bandits and gangsters. "These bastards were my problem. As for us, we're nothing. We're strangers. If you were normal, you wouldn't have helped me again!"
"But I did," Archer replied evenly, cutting the wind of Emerald's sails.
"You did," she said subduedly, eyes drooped before staring back up with more strength and fire. "You did! And I still don't know how to feel about it!"
She gritted her teeth and winced from the muffled sound of fighting in the alley.
Showers of sparks erupted from metal striking metal, and ricocheting bullets. Several downed bodies moaning in unconscious pain already littered the dark alleyway, but there was a dozen more adversaries to contend against.
"Not to interrupt, but can I get some help now?" Summer grunted while trying to keep the enemies back by herself, but all the remaining ones had Aura.
Thugs without Aura were one thing, but the hired bandits around Summer appeared trained in the art of murder, each possessing a violent disposition.
Capable as Summer was, dealing with a dozen people with Aura was tough for any seasoned Huntsmen or Huntress to achieve.
Emerald noticed Archer nod in acceptance at his partner's request, about to turn around to help, but she riveted him in place with confused, almost anxious eyes.
Emerald was ignoring Summer's words, too heated, too exasperated, and unable to comprehend the meaning of kindness. That, or she was refusing to acknowledge it.
"You don't make any sense!" She complained like a hapless child, ignorant of the bigger picture. "If you stopped getting your priorities wrong you would have gotten that bitch by now and out of this shitty city!"
Archer kept silent as she ranted.
He obviously didn't deny her words, as they were true. However, this didn't mean that he agreed with them.
"Not everyone just thinks about themselves," he said, striking her right where it mattered.
"Then you don't know of hardship," she accused with narrowed eyes. "You can only say that because you got lucky and lived a better life."
Archer grunted at her before looking deeply into her gaze and shaking his head. He didn't even argue the point anymore as if he was just that disappointed.
Wordlessly, he walked away to help Summer, instantly diverting over half of Summer's pressure, but leaving Emerald with a sense of loss. She could feel as if she might have struck a nerve due to her Semblance making her experienced in reading another's body language.
Nursing her injuries, she carefully propped herself up to get a better view of the fighting just as Summer drew near with her opponents.
"Did I say something wrong?" Emerald called out to Summer.
Summer didn't answer for a long moment, and it wasn't because of the random thugs she was dealing with. Evidently, she'd been listening in while keeping the aggressors before her at bay, and was thinking about how best to answer the question.
Summer grunted while forming a low sweep with her legs, tripping one man while forcing back another, before delivering quick blows to their temples, knocking them out.
"He's probably the one who knows most of hardship," Summer eventually answered, much to Emerald's stupor.
"You're lying. Him?" Emerald stressed, thinking of how naïve Archer could be to trust and help others unconditionally, but Summer was serious.
Taking a moment to catch a breather, Summer regarded Emerald ruefully.
Summer had spent many years to get to know Shirou, so she had some semblance of an idea of the things he's been through.
"Archer lost his parents young and any memory of them before he got adopted, but his foster father died shortly after," Summer explained the tragic series of events. "He dreams of being a hero, but as you might have expected got betrayed or abandoned time and time again until he was utterly alone. That man only ever wanted to be a Hero, but nothing ever went right, yet he stubbornly keeps going. If you truly think that he knows nothing of hardship, then you'd be mistaken because he simply chooses to look past them instead to continue striving forward."
Emerald felt her mouth dry as the information sunk in, but Summer didn't give her much more time.
"Let's end this conversation here for now. The sooner we defeat these people, the sooner we can apprehend that woman."
Emerald pursed her lips, and put her doubts aside.
On Summer's statement, she could agree.
Emerald grunted, picking up a pair of guns that had clattered near her feet courtesy of Summer.
Emerald pressed her back against the building behind her and began aiming.
She didn't want to be just some damsel in distress.
If you cross a street kid, then you better expect retaliation.
Because after all…
Other than her life, she had nothing left to lose.
The recoil of the gun's bullets numbed her arms as she started firing. Perhaps she was subconsciously affected by Archer's naivety, but she didn't aim for any heads or fatal shots. Instead, she found quickly that she didn't even have to do anything.
If Summer was just holding the opponents at bay, then Archer was overkill
His movements were elusive, his actions decisive in their sheer simplicity.
Archer would point, and then a flurry of blurred metal would pelt the enemy from out of nowhere in a pile of steel that quickly faded to reveal the unlucky foe frothing at the mouth and unconscious.
Emerald craned her neck up to see if there was any construction above to explain the hail of steel, but there was nothing.
Is that a Semblance too?
"What the hell is this guy?"
The only reply to the question was another pointed finger and a shower of blunted steel. The clanging noise echoed throughout the entire alley, and it stunned Emerald with how easy it seemed Archer could take random thugs out.
Even the bitch, Carla wasn't spared and got herself knocked out.
"Cheater," Emerald heard Summer mutter from the side, but Emerald thought the display anything but.
How powerful. How efficient.
She debated how good it would have been if she had a Semblance like this, so that no one would dare mess with her, but honestly, she still preferred her own as it was useful to scavenge for food.
When the last adversary was defeated, Summer made a loud noise at the front of the alley to call in some police forces before both she and Archer stood to help Emerald up.
"Thanks," she said mutedly, her lips twitching abashed in half gratitude and half embarrassment.
Archer merely grunted in response, but still moved to help steady her.
He was…he was a good guy.
There was no other choice but to admit this and one other thing.
"Sorry, I let the woman get away. I'll make up for it," Emerald grew determined if nothing else.
However, contrary to her expectations, Archer just shrugged and gave her an odd look.
"Who says we didn't catch her?"
Huh?
This wasn't a sight that anyone expected to see by the end of the dark alley.
Shouts of barely repressed frustration had increased in volume such that it was clear that the speaker was on the verge of exploding.
Right before everyone's gaze was Cinder bound on the ground by her shadow. Directly next to her was a clueless child poking the Black Key as if it were some legendary sword. The child was obviously trying to take the sword out, but was clearly too weak to do so…or just not so smart.
Ah, the bane of intellectuals.
"PULL not push! AAAAHH Are you stupid?!" Cinder had reached her tipping point and gnashed her teeth. "What are you waiting-"
Cinder suddenly noticed them watching.
"Oh, just kill me now," she gave up from an aneurism as the child scampered away, scared off by the masked monsters and Emerald's glare.
Time passed rather quickly after Cinder's capture, and the group soon found themselves seated on a Bullhead headed back to Vale.
Near the back compartment and isolated by a small door, Summer stood glaring at a bound Cinder while trying to look imposing.
"Why would you work with Salem? What possessed you to do so?" Summer demanded for the umpteenth time.
Like always, Cinder said nothing, refusing to be cooperative and turning her gaze away.
Summer could only sigh, and walk out of the room before closing the door behind her. Fierce wind from the bullhead's windows blew over her figure, but she quickly found her seat and buckled herself in.
This bullhead was outdated compared to Vale's latest models, so it experienced much turbulence and was often rocky due to damaged parts barely holding together. They got lucky and managed to reserve this ride for free only through Archer's skills as a handyman.
Speaking of Archer, he was seated across from Summer, and was looking at her while waiting.
"What do you plan to do with her?" Archer asked. By 'her,' he was obviously referring to Cinder. "You're not the sort to be good at interrogation or the whole keeping people against their will thing."
Summer knew that Archer got her there.
She'd never resorted to torture or harassment which was likely why Cinder wasn't scared of her. Only when Archer was present did she grow somewhat apprehensive.
Still, Archer wasn't exactly one for torturing either, so no information had been gleamed from Cinder as of late.
"I'm going to take her to Ozpin," Summer eventually spoke her mind while crossing her arms and reminiscing. "He was always someone that I felt was reliable." A fond sparkle came to her eyes as she thought of the past and about her old team days.
From what Summer had told Archer of Ozpin, Archer supposed Ozpin was a good choice to handle Cinder.
"At least you've decided to contact someone. At this rate, you'll stop hesitating and get to the rest," Archer said with a nod, much to Summer's chagrin.
"Yeah. Suuure," her eyes refused to meet his gaze.
"What about Tai?" Archer said exasperatedly.
"…" She didn't answer and shied away from the topic. Of course, she did, but what did he expect?
Tai would be heart broken. Then there was the fact that Tai was an awful liar and could wear his emotions on his sleeve. He was team STRQ's hothead. It was true that he'd mellowed out and matured over the years, but there was no way he would be unaffected with the knowledge of her. Then there was Yang who would be able to spot something wrong with Tai a mile away, and do her own investigation.
Summer knew her girls well, and it was almost certain to happen.
"Then how about Qrow?" Archer proposed another name.
This time, Summer slowly nodded.
If she was to make contact with Ozpin, then there was no way that Qrow wouldn't be around, or at least not be able to catch wind of anything considering his working relationship with Ozpin. Moreover, Qrow had already seen her in Mt. Glenn.
There was just no getting around it no matter how much she wanted to avoid her friends and loved ones in her present state. At least with Ozpin, she could trust him to do what was necessary if she went out of control.
Qrow? Tai? God forbid her daughters? They'd sooner try to harm themselves by trying to detain her than even attempt to put her down in the worst-case scenario. Put her down? It wouldn't even be an option and they'd fight anyone who'd say otherwise.
Well, there was one other person who she may be able to reveal her secret to, but she refused.
It was kind of disheartening that the only other person aside from Ozpin that she could trust to do what was necessary if she lost her sentience was Raven, and they weren't on the best terms right now.
Based on her silence, Summer was thankful when Archer shifted the topic once more.
"You're texting or calling Ruby, aren't you?"
"Mmhm," she nodded, already pulling up her scroll to see the numerous messages Ruby had sent and meticulously answering each one with hearts and emojis.
She honestly looked relaxed while doing so; quite happy and content actually like any mother would be to interact with a child that they had years of catch-up work to do.
"Will you come with me to meet Ozpin?" Summer suddenly asked, snapping Archer out of his stupor. There was a hopeful tinge in her tone, as she knew that he'd likely be a boon in Ozpin's shadow game against Salem.
However, Archer was going to disappoint her.
"Not yet," he said flatly.
Summer deflated before putting away her scroll and focusing on Archer.
"What do you plan to do in the meantime then?" She probed with interest.
Archer saw no reason not to indulge her curiosity.
"I don't have a Master," he iterated. "I'm mainly relying on Faith energy at the moment, but it can be both reliable and unreliable at times based on following. Therefore, I have to find a leyline I can tap energy from. Vale seems to have one, so that seems like a good start."
Archer placed a hand beneath his chin, and leaned his head on it.
"In the meantime, I'll follow through on the agreement with the 'Master' thief, and keep a watch on him. I figured I could reduce Vale's crime rates while I was at it since I don't have to worry about Ruby with my other self with her. Maybe I'll do some mercenary work to clear Grimm here and there."
Summer immediately brightened at the last bit.
"Mercenary work? Mind if I join from time to time?" Summer was thinking ahead. The worst torture for her was staying idle after not being able to do anything as a ghost for years. "It's quite likely that Ozpin would just keep me hidden in Beacon, so I'd rather be doing something productive instead."
"Suit yourself," Archer accepted, causing Summer to clap her hands in glee.
"Great, just like in Mt. Glenn then! We'll be called the Rose Mercenaries!" Summer proclaimed boisterously. Sometimes her resemblance with Ruby was just uncanny.
Shirou sighed and acceded the point. He didn't agree with the name to begin with, but whatever.
Excitably, Summer turned to the most recent addition of travelling companions. "And how about you? Have you thought my offer over?" She called out to Emerald who'd been silently peering down the bullhead's windows.
It had actually been Summer's idea to take her along due to the potential she saw in her. If trained right, Emerald could be a stellar Huntress. All that really needed work was her skewed moral compass derived from living on the streets on her own for too long.
Emerald was a street kid through and through, and it showed in her behaviour.
This was likely Emerald's first flight, and this was evident with how keenly she was taking everything in with wide eyes. Still, when Summer had called out to her, she shrunk in on herself almost like a defensive measure.
"I'm with him," Emerald pointed at Archer and said nothing else, almost hissing at Summer.
It wasn't personal, or a grudge against Summer, but Emerald was far from taken with the idea of going to some goody-two-shooed combat school. She was adamant on sticking to Archer instead as she felt he was more relatable.
Summer gave Shirou a dubious look at Emerald's response, but said nothing else as the bullhead continued on its way back to Vale.
It would land a few hours later.
Archer steadily made his way back through Vale's underground society with Emerald trailing behind him. He didn't exactly know how to feel while keeping out of sight in the shadows, but he couldn't help it.
Right now, he was just too famous to show himself openly anywhere in Vale.
Being split from the original, he had his own personality and powers to draw from while sharing the same memories and experiences before the split occurred, but right now he kind of envied his other half. At least Shirou as the Huntsman of Red could remain in spirit form to avoid any troubles, but he was an exception to that rule.
Reaching Junior's pub, the amount of people began to decline as he and Emerald neared the shadier parts of Vale.
As for Emerald, he had a tacit agreement with Summer that it probably wasn't in anyone's best interest to let Emerald walk down a dark path, so it was either up to him or Summer to help guide her. As Emerald had turned Summer down, it was up to him to look out for her.
"Keep close," he instructed Emerald who mutedly nodded back at him.
It was like she'd lost her voice. More often than not, her eyes were practically glued to her scroll which updated with the latest news and videos as soon as they had neared one of Vale's numerous free hotspot café's.
Her eyes had been glued to her scroll ever since.
Curious, he took a peek at what she was looking at so intently, and of course it was videos about Mt. Glenn. She practically did a double-take when his segment of the video was displayed, but he pointedly pretended as if she wasn't staring holes into his back.
If he saw the occasionally flash of admiration and wonder she directed at him, he didn't see it.
Another half-hour of careful maneuvering, and he eventually reached the same empty warehouse he'd met Roman at before.
"I see you've got yourself a lacky," a voice called out before the entrance to the warehouse was opened by Neo who mimed a curtsy.
Emerald immediately glared at the direction of the voice, but not wanting to cause trouble for Archer, scoffed and turned back to her scroll when Roman Torchwick walked out to invite everyone in.
Archer complied, and soon enough, he, Roman, Emerald, and Neo were seated on a small table.
Roman reclined on his chair, pulled out a cigar and lit the tip before taking in a few puffs.
"Before we talk business," Roman tossed Archer a newspaper he'd been keeping tucked under his coat. "They're calling you and that Arc boy the Pride of Vale."
Archer glanced through the paper, but it was honestly nothing compared to what he'd already seen uploaded on the CCT filled with various accounts and comments from people throughout Remnant.
"What's your point here, Roman?" Archer asked with a sigh, not one for theatrics and preferring to be frank.
"You're a hero," Roman said with the cigar held in-between his teeth. "I saw what you did on my scroll, and I honestly think I'm ready to give the finger to the stuck-up bitch trying to boss me around and agree to do Dust heists then get on your bad side. That's all I'm trying to imply here."
"You're just trying to butter him up," Emerald snorted, using her experience to prevent Roman from doing any hood-winking.
"Quite a lackey you've got there." Roman's lip twitched. "Still, as per our agreement, I'll listen to your requests from now on as long as you don't take things too far or cross my bottom line."
"And what if he does? Not like you can even touch him," Emerald sneered.
"Shut up, kid." Roman was getting annoyed, especially when Neo could be seen grinning in amusement from the side. There was nothing wrong with trying to keep his image up, alright?
Archer ignored the way Roman, Emerald, and Neo glared at each other, and instead focused on what he should do from here. Roman was a Kingpin in Vale's underground society, and based on prior knowledge from Yang's former information provider, Roman wasn't that bad of a guy.
Roman was a criminal, but that didn't mean he could just be categorized as evil. If anything, Neo wouldn't be acting so nonchalant despite being incredibly tense in order to spring into action if he made a move on Roman. This kind of loyalty and devotion wasn't something a heartless criminal could inspire.
"Can you turn a new leaf?" Archer asked first to clarify all else.
Roman seemed like he'd swallowed a fly. "No can do with that one. You can't expect a Master thief to stop stealing, can you?"
Emerald perked up at the mention of 'Master thief.'
The notion that Archer knew a 'Master thief' only further cemented Emerald's view of him as a role model. Still, she didn't find Roman all that pleasing despite his title.
Archer gave Roman a flat stare, causing the man to break out into a nervous cold sweat, but Roman was adamant, forcing Archer to concede a bit.
"No robbing the innocent," he said. This was his only concession, and Roman could tell.
His shoulders slumping, Roman agreed to the terms, but not without complaints. "Look, I'm thankful and all for the help in a tight pinch, but how do you expect me to make enough money to keep the operations afloat? The thing about stealing from the corrupt, is that it gets incredibly difficult."
Archer was unperturbed.
"Isn't that simple?" He tossed Roman and Neo a pair of masks and spoke with a deceptively solemn tone while Roman's complexion took a turn for the worse.
No. Kid no. There was no style, no grace.
Don't say it. Don't you dare even suggest it.
"Welcome to the Rose Mercenaries."
Roman's smile was utterly strained.
With the flutter of wings and drifting black feathers, Qrow swooped in through a window of Beacon Academy's Headmaster's office. Polymorphing wasn't the most comfortable thing, but he'd long since gotten used to drastic changes in perspective and size.
In any case, he wasn't in any mood to really care much about such minor inconveniences, and was just thankful that Ozpin always kept the windows open so he could just swoop in.
Landing inside Ozpin's familiar office, Qrow instinctively reached a hand for his flask of alcohol, but grimaced when he remembered that he'd yet to refill it after he'd drank it all in frustration when that Archer fellow managed to elude him.
Honestly, his pride felt damaged.
As a former member of the Branwen bandit tribe, tracking was a skill he should have had no equal in save for Raven as the both of them could turn into birds.
Dammit.
He still failed to find any clues of where Archer had even gone with Ruby and Summer, and the only real hope he had of maybe catching their tail was Raven, and she was being moody like always.
Sighing, Qrow scratched his scraggily beard and habitually moved to slink his ass down on the nearest recliner facing Ozpin's desk where said man was pinching the bridge of his nose from the scent of alcohol.
Unmindful, Qrow propped up his feet on a center table, and considering that he'd just returned from Mt. Glenn, the forest, and then Patch, loose dirt and mud caked over his combat boots made a mess on the table.
At least the Goodwitch wasn't around, or she'd already be nagging into Qrow's ear while holding a trembling riding crop, barely repressing the urge to throw him out the room.
Ozpin shook his head. "Must you really? Glynda comes early on school days and she's sure to notice."
Qrow glanced up at Ozpin, then back to the dirtied center table, then merely grunted before crossing his feet into a more comfortable position, thereby caking off more mud and dirt.
"This isn't the first mess she's cleaned up, and it's certainly nothing compared to what some of Beacon's students can do." Qrow reasoned without care, his back sinking further into the cushion of the recliner while he inclined his neck back onto the head rest. "I'm sure I should have the leisure to relax a bit after the shit I've just been through…and it was a lot of shit. Holy shit, like mind blowing stuff, and complicated shit, like unreasonable teammates. You'll have to excuse me in that anything Glynda could possibly do to me doesn't phase me right now."
Qrow just felt tired. More tired than he'd felt in many years and even on the day team STRQ split up and went their separate ways.
He glanced haphazardly around the room, using the brief moment of Ozpin's incredulousness to sort out his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Ozpin shook his head ruefully, but didn't pursue the matter even though Glynda would obviously nag at him later. Crass as Qrow's words were, it didn't change the fact that they were true.
Ozpin put away a few stacks of paper he hardly wanted to do, finished his coffee on the side, and then clasped his hands over his desk.
"I've already read through the report you sent on your scroll, but seeing is believing I suppose," Ozpin began while staring intently at Qrow. "Please reiterate the events of Mt. Glenn."
Qrow shut his eyes tiredly, before opening them again and nodding. Word for word, he began recounting his experiences in the settlement that by all prior accounts, should have been doomed to fall.
Qrow spoke of the people he met there, the miracles he witnessed, and finally the conclusion of it all while Ozpin absentmindedly processed the various ramifications all the way up until Qrow took out a certain sword.
Durendal the Peerless.
The name spoken by the Huntsman of Red himself.
Long lived as Ozpin was, even he failed to recollect the history of the sword likely because it stemmed from his own era or even further beyond. It couldn't be helped that in his days of youth, he'd never really paid too much attention to the truths of story and myth.
A tragedy, but one he could rectify by digging into Remnant's history a little more closely.
"This is the sword?" Ozpin spoke in slight wonder when Qrow gingerly tossed it over to him.
Its blade was exquisite, gleaming with a blackish silver tint and stemming down to a plain yet ornate gold hued cross guard. The pommel itself stored a jewel bound by four rounded protruding ends.
A humming noise echoed as Ozpin gingerly gripped onto the hilt, the magic stored within the sword resonating with Ozpin's own. Both shared the same origin as magic energy derived from Remnant itself.
"Remarkable," Ozpin inwardly marvelled while keeping his features carefully schooled. "The sheer purity of the magic I can feel stored within is incomparable to anything able to be produced by any magic user in this era. It reminds me much of the glories of the past."
Trailing off, Ozpin tapped into the well of energy within Durendal and coaxed it out. He watched in stunned amazement as the energy within the blade extended out well past Qrow's maximum of ten meters. He surmised that this had to do with his proficiency in wielding magic.
Humming in thought, he switched from using his magic to funnelling in his Aura. Magic and Aura were similar enough to activate the blade, but Aura could only unlock a portion of the weapon's true capabilities.
For a second, Ozpin was tempted to see if he could replicate the Huntsman of Red's earlier feat in Mt. Glenn. He felt strongly that with his magic aptitude, he could unleash all the stored energy in Durendal at once, but he quickly suppressed such whimsical urges.
The energy within Durendal was finite, and shouldn't be wasted unless he could randomly call on the Huntsman of Red to recharge it which was unlikely.
"A good sword," Ozpin commented while placing it down on his desk, his eyes immediately narrowing when the blade's edge threatened to cut his desk in half with no pressure whatsoever. "Dangerously sharp too."
Ozpin gave the blade back to Qrow who's expression brightened up for a moment.
"I get to keep it?" Qrow asked unsure.
"It's better out on the field then gathering dust in this office. I'm sure that the Huntsman of Red wouldn't have wished the sword not to be put to use either like the Sword of the Sun in Vermillion. That is if he is who I believe he is. It's just too soon to assume."
"Being awfully cryptic here Oz, but I get the gist of it," Qrow took Durendal back and carefully placed it blade-side up to prevent it from cutting anything.
The topic shifted soon after.
"What do you intend to do with the Arc boy?" Qrow asked in genuine curiosity. "Knowing you, you must've sent an invitation to the Arc family by now, right?"
"Indeed." Ozpin didn't deny the claim and smiled softly.
Qrow felt slightly exasperated at how selfish Ozpin could be. If anyone or anything had potential, then Ozpin would try to acquire it, and in this case, Jaune Arc wasn't someone Ozpin was willing to let go of.
By importance of the flag standard Jaune Arc wielded alone, the boy was invaluable. The aura field unleashed by the flag had been seen to be able to awaken the latent Aura of those whose Aura had yet to be unlocked. This opened up an avenue to train swaths of new Huntsman and Huntresses, and it was debateable whether the risk of sending Jaune Arc against Grimm was outweighed by keeping him safely secured within the Kingdoms.
Qrow knew this was going to happen, and he would never believe that Ozpin hadn't considered the issue either. Still, a reminder might be due.
"You aren't the only one vying for him Oz." Qrow shrugged noncommittedly. "I'm pretty sure that the Sell-Out, and every single academy throughout the kingdoms is staring at that kid like a horny teenager's first time with a stripper."
Ozpin remained unperturbed if not even more determined at adversity. "I'll pull some strings here and there, and Nicolas graduated from my Academy. He's sure to influence his son's choice."
Qrow whistled. He hadn't seen Ozpin this fired up over somebody in years, and the last time was with Summer and her Silver Eyes. Speaking of Summer, his mood quickly plummeted.
"What do we do about Summer?" Here, Qrow's mood took a turn for the worse. He even sat up on his seat and pulled his feet away from the center table. "Its her. I know its her because I met her, but she was acting strange and keeping secrets. You never did tell me where you sent her on her last mission Oz?"
Ozpin pursed his lips, growing solemn in mere seconds. He didn't quite answer the question though and instead deflected the question with his own.
"You said that she attacked you and Ruby?" He asked.
"Yup," Qrow grimaced while recalling Ruby's heartbroken face while being held up by the neck. "She tried to warn me of something earlier, but I, I kept pushing and then everything just escalated. That's not the point though Oz. It's her. I know it's her, and right now I want to know what it is we should do? She was taken by that Archer fellow, and so was Ruby."
Ozpin pulled out his scroll and began tapping away in order to access Remnant's registry looking for anything to do with Archer, but once again coming up blank. The man didn't exist, granted Archer was likely an alias, and this wasn't the first time he'd searched up for clues on Archer.
"The man's a ghost, but if anything, his actions in Mt. Glenn prove that he doesn't mean humanity harm," Ozpin reasoned.
Of course, Qrow was still distrustful of Archer, but thinking that Archer might harm Summer or Ruby was worse for his mentality.
"So, what are we going to do?" Qrow stressed again.
"How can you be sure that it was her?" Ozpin asked for further verification, much to Qrow's annoyance.
"I sent you pictures, my accounts, and-"
Qrow suddenly cut off his tirade as a beeping noise from Ozpin's scroll pulled up a motion camera sensor at the front of Ozpin's office.
Instantly, a live video feed began playing from Ozpin's scroll, causing both Ozpin and Qrow to freeze as they stared at the intercom.
"Heya uhm, hi? It's been a while? I'm back?"
The voice was both nervous, and jittery. It belonged to a masked woman in dark colours with vibrant shoulder-length red hair parted at her bangs to reveal a stunning pair of silver eyes.
There was only pin-drop silence in the room.
"I have a present- no I mean a person. Yes, a person!"
The woman scratched the back of her head sheepishly before propping an irate Cinder in view of the camera. She then quickly realized she shouldn't treat a person like that and gingerly pretended as if nothing had happened.
"C-Can you guys let me in now?"
That uncertain way of speaking even as an adult…
Ozpin shared a muted look with Qrow.
"It's Summer."
Still, there was no answer at the door causing Summer to shift her weight uncomfortably from heel to heel before coming to a decision.
"I, ugh…" Slowly, she took off her mask, revealing the features beneath. "I messed up. I really messed up."
Qrow and Ozpin's breaths hitched.
The door into Beacon's Head Office soon opened without another word.
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