It was a wet evening, a small child like person enters a bar out of nowhere. Whoever they are, they are dressed in a sweater that was both hiding her face and her general appearance. Not to mention, it clearly looked too big for the child. But nobody in the room cared enough to comment. Instead most were too busy drinking beer.
The child calmly walked towards the bar, clealy caring little to the fact that her mere presence is in every capacity an anomaly. No child would enter a bar, filled with drunken men, during peak evening hours and wearing only a sweater while its raining out. Regardless, here they are.
The child took a seat at the bar and waited for the bartender to notice her. This took a surprisingly long time. But either the child was very patient or didn't care. She continued to wait, well into the late nights. After a solid three hours of waiting, the bartender finally took notice.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here...? A child? At this hour?" The bartender yelled at the child. "And a girl no less."
"Sir..." One of the still sober clients spoke up, "She had been waiting for three hours."
The bartender's eyes widen at that information. Feeling guilty he takes his hat off and dusts it off. "Well excuse me, lassie. I was quite busy for a moment."
The girl simply nodded, she wasn't much for chatter. But she atleast acknowledged the long waiting time.
"So then, how can I help you... finally?" He asked curious.
"I am... searching for someone." The girl child finally said. Her voice was devoid of emotion and the stare she gave the bartender suggested that she had seen... things.
The bartender blinked at the mention, "Normally I would ask for money... But I will give you a freebie for my lack of... attentiveness. So, who are you searching for?"
"The... girl I am searching for... Is currently unaware of my last known location. I... have been missing according to the information given by the CCT tower. While I cannot reveal my exact location. I want you to send them a message that I am atleast still alive. Can you do that?" The girl asked.
"Without intruding too much. May I atleast ask why you cannot reveal yourself?" The bartender ask with a sudden shift of tone. Suggesting that he was worried for her.
The girl looked away, "I am currently being held... By powerful but hostile people. They make me do things. Things of which I shall reveal none. But they turned me into... something that isn't human. That much I can reveal. I am searching for a way out. But that takes time. All I can do for my family is to offer a sign of life. No more, no less."
"I understand." The bartender said, "These people..."
"My uncle is a hunter. He will understand. Send the following message to him..."
"Wait. Before you do, I need to know one crucial thing."
"Which is?"
"Do you need immediate help?"
"Bartender... Do you know of the Metal Grimm?" The child answered his question with another question.
"Yes. But as far as I know they have been defunct by the order of the gilded knight. At the end of the great war. Why?" The bartender asked, but his eyes widen as he just answered his own question.
The child nodded, "They are still active. In fact they have been kidnapping people to turn into war machines. Or in my case, into a monster." The child then showed her right arm, it was an arm that looked a lot like a beowolf claw, if it was made of metal that is. She also moved her claws to prove that they are real. Much to the shock of both the bartender and that sober client.
Unbeknownst to the child, the bartender was once upon a time, a part of the organization. He was in charge of communications, he was also the reason why the organization fell in the end. And now, as if fate would have it, he has an opportunity to stop it again. The bartender's mouth fell onto the bar as he realized the implications of it all. But most importantly, he now saw a child that was mutilated by this organization. And it stunned him.
"What is the message?"
"The Red Grimm prowling the night is a friend to Roses. An victim to the unknown. And seeks help of that which hunts the grimm." The child said.
"What is your name, child?" The bartender said with a smile. After realizing what that message meant. The client that was also seated at the bar also smiled.
"I have been... confused by them. So I have forgotten my name in true. All I remember is this, My surname has something to do with a Rose. And my first name has an object that is colored red. They call me, R4DG1M. With a given nickname of Red."
"Red, huh? Well Red, don't worry. Your uncle will hear of this. What was his name?"
"I do not remember. I do remember my sister's name." Red admitted.
"Which was?"
"Yang Xiao Long."
"Ah!" The client at the bar said, "I think she means, Qrow. Qrow Branwen."
"That name sounds familiar. I will catalog it for later. But that is likely his name." Red replied as an reaction. The name gave her a tinge of happiness. Of what little emotion she could muster, that was plenty.
"I think I am excited to be rescued. I lost my emotions long ago, so I don't know."
"You-" The bartender was about to ask, only to get interrupted by a familiar beeping sound coming from Red.
"I need to go. They are beginning to get suspicious. Bartender please hurry. My options are running out. Please seek either my uncle's aid or my sister's aid. Whoever you choose is your options. And-" Red was about to ask, only for her communicator in her frontal lobe extension to go off again. This time a bit more forceful.
"Goodbye." Red said as she disappeared as fast as disappearing Grimm.
The bartender watched her leave. He sighed as he grabs his favorite scroll. He then types something to beacon Qrow to his establishment by offering him some of his best and strongest whiskey for free. Something that gained Qrow's attention instantly.
'Qrow. I got some of the best whiskey waiting for you. Just this once, it's free and on the house.' the bartender typed on his scroll.
'Well I will be. Finally apologizing to me, you old scruff?' Qrow almost instantly replied.
'That too, I suppose. Listen, I got some intel... Very Classified intel waiting for you. You need to come here immediately. Someone made me aware of some movements in regards to a certain organization. An organization I thought was dead.' The bartender typed.
"Omw." Qrow replied, going offline right after.
"He is enroute." The bartender said.
"Understood. Don't worry. That child looked really strong. She will be fine." The client said.
"I know boss. But still. I worked so hard to destroy it. Now I see it again in full force." He said while sighing. The bartender removes his outfit for a moment to look at his bloody badge.
"Then tell that uncle everything. Even things he might already know."
"Like the fact that that child has been missing for ten years and yet appears to still be around five years of age?" The bartender said with an raised eyebrow.
"I see. In that case, that child must be part of the elite force of that organization."
"Elite?"
"assassinations and hyper soldiers." The boss said, "Also known as War Machines."
"Or Red Grimm. God. That child, how strong?"
"If my memories serve me correctly, she might either be commando level or general level. Based on the sheer amount of high tech I saw in the claw of hers." The boss explained, "Not to mention, clear signs of advanced skeleton tech and frontal lobe replacement tech. Best of the best at that."
The bartender suddenly smiled, "I see. If all goes to shit, then she will curbstomp any opposition. She is their best and worst nightmare at the same time." His statement caused the boss to smile.
"Yes. That sounds... perfect. They really just did that, didn't they?"
"Hunter's child will always have a strong but simple soul. Making them moldable but when forced into a position, stubborn and waiting." The bartender said, "Also I think I finally figured out her full name."
"Oh?" The boss looked curious. "Please enlighten me."
"Ruby, a red gem. And Rose, friend to the roses. So Ruby Rose. The missing child of Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long." The bartender offered.
The boss nodded, he then looked at the door and felt a familiar aura. He then mouthed to the bartender that Ruby's uncle has arrived. He then left his seat and went upstairs. He then quickly went around and told everyone to be quiet.
The door was then opened, quickly revealing that it stopped raining. Showing a disgruntled looking Qrow, and sober at that. Something that was extremely unusual. Well, atleast that is what the bartender was told. Truth be told, the bartender knew that Qrow had stopped drinking as much as he did. He instead focused all his attention on finding Ruby Rose. Without much luck. Just like his semblence was like, but this time around he was lucky. Ruby had gone to the right person.
"Qrow old buddy! How are you?!" The bartender shouted at Qrow as he shook his hand.
"Well I am fine. Yang finally accepted that Ruby was likely dead and moved on with her life. Why?" Qrow admitted. Qrow saw the bartender's mood fall at that, but he didn't think much of it. Qrow saw the bartender then prepare the best whiskey he had and place it behind the bar for a moment.
"Before I give you the bottle and a glass. I got very serious information that needs to reach your ears." The bartender said, his mood and tone very serious. His previous friendly mood all forgotten. Something that Qrow has never seen from this particular bartender.
"What the Grimm giving you trouble again?" Qrow asked as he curses at his semblence.
"Not the kind of Grimm you are thinking of. The Metal Grimm is apparently active again, and has been for some time." The bartender said. Qrow nearly fell off his chair when he heard that. He begs for the bottle, but the bartender's iron grip prevented it.
"But that was just one of the two pieces of information. They got her."
"What?" Qrow said confused.
"Your missing daughter. Ruby Rose. Had been kidnapped by the Metal Grimm. Mutalated and brainwashed. The boss and me quickly identified her mutations. And-" He was about to further explain only to watch a shocked and stunned Qrow literally fall off his chair then proceeds to pick it up and crush it in his mere palms. Turning it into splinters.
Qrow proceeds to pick a different chair and sit down on it, then offered the bartender to continue. "Advanced Skeleton tech, Right hand and arm Beowolf tech and Frontal lobe replacement tech. Best of the best at that. She is a walking talking war machine. We identified those mutations."
"How was she herself?" Qrow asked, a chill could be felt as he was using his aura to calm him down. But he himself looked like hell had frozen over. As if it couldn't get any worse.
"Weak Aura. Could barely feel it. Was unable to check for any semblence. And..." The bartender gulped at what he was thinking of.
"What?"
"Curse of Ageless. She appeared like a five year old child despite actually being thirteen years of age." The bartender stated as he watched Qrow carefully. Qrow then calmly put her arms on the bar as he appeared to contemplate life itself.
"Bartender... Besides that, anything else?" Qrow asked as a deep sadness and incredible rage could be heard in his voice.
"Case of memory loss, emotionless and... Robot-like? But aware. She was aware of her actions, her orders. She obviously executed them without question. But she remembers and regrets it. She has been trying to find a way out of her personal hell for a while now. She is apparently running out of options." The bartender explained.
"Thank you. I will head back to Ozpin to relay the information. Keep your whiskey. I need to spend every living moment finding her and rescuing her." Qrow said, he was about to stand up when he got an alert from Tai.
'Qrow. I wanted to talk to you about Ruby. Are you available.' Tai had written at him.
"Before you go. We believe Ruby's nickname given by her superiors to be Red. But the nickname given to her by the people is... Red Grimm. The monster you have been hunting all this time." The bartender stated. Qrow's eyes widen as he nodded gratefully.
'Tai... I got some good news to tell you. I finally got a solid lead on Ruby's whereabouts. Meet me at Ozpin's office. The bad news is that she and the Red Grimm are the same person.' Qrow replied. He saw Tai writting for a long time.
'Okay. Meet you there.' Tai finally replied after a solid five minutes.
"Have a good night bartender." Qrow said as he stood up and walked to the door.
"Get them for me, yes? After all is said and done. Come back. I will celebrate your success with you." The bartender said while offering a smile.
"As much as that sound awesome. I rather spend a long time with Ruby instead." He said as he opened the door then closed it behind him.
'Ruby. I am coming for you.' Qrow thought as he transforms into a bird and flies towards Ozpin's office, post haste.