Looking at the over-eager young girl in front of him brings back memories of training with another yet older silver-eyed maiden.
It's been a week ever since Ruby discovered her Semblance.
And with Tai training Yang in hand-to-hand, it is up to Qrow to train Ruby Rose the foundations of being a huntsman.
That's right, as of right now, Qrow Branwen is training Ruby Rose on using her Semblance.
If you think that someone like Qrow, who has a Semblance that constantly affects the metaphysical concept of luck, would having nothing to teach Ruby Rose, who has a vastly difference Semblance that requires a triggger. Then you would be wrong.
Ruby's Semblance allows her to transform into a cloud of rose petals that speed away very fastly. She first discovered it when she wanted to get away from Yang during one of their tickle fights. At first she was ecstatic, now she's just annoyed. Because really, how do you even just transform into a cloud of petals and streak away?
Ruby has been trying very hard to replicate her first use of her Semblance but all its doing is making her do funny faces and stand in place. Eventually, after days of trying, she finally asked her very cool uncle who knows everything about being a very cool huntsman for to deny Ruby anything, Qrow of course decides to help.
Unfortunately for Ruby, Qrow does not have a Semblance that requires a trigger like hers.
Fortunately for Ruby, Qrow just has an ability that allows him to transform like hers does.
So standing in the backyard of their house, with Tai and Yang watching them while taking a break from their own training, Ruby Rose tries to follow her uncle's lessons.
"Concentrate! Think on hownthe first time you did it. Are you doing it?"
"I'm trying Uncle! It's not working!" Ruby grits out at her now less cool uncle.
"It's working alright! It's working on making you look funny!" Yang laughs at the sidelines, only to receive a smack at the back of her head from her dad.
"That's not funny, Yang. How would you like it if someone mocked you while you were training? Apolpgize to your sister now." Tai frowns at his eldest daughter.
"Sorry Rubes. I didn't mean it." Yang says with a pout and a downtrodden face.
"I'm proud of you, Yang. It's okay Ruby! I know you can do it! It's Qrows fault for giving you bad advice." Tai pats Yang comfortingly while throwing encouragements at Ruby with a smile.
Qrow, unwilling to give up and let his cool reputation be besmirched by his failure to teach Ruby, tries another angle.
He thinks back to what Ruby's Semblance does according to Yang. Comparing the transformation factor to his own transforming into bird ability, Qrow thinks he'd have more success using that as a basis.
"Okay, new plan. Take a breath. Calm down. You can do this Ruby, I know you can." He smiles at takes a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"Good, now close your eyes. Keep taking deep breaths. We'll do this slowly and surely."Ruby nods with a small smile on her face as her eyes close.
"Now focus your Aura on your form and your body, hold it there and make sure you really feel it. Your Semblance is a part of you so you should feel it make it easier for you to transform." Qrow says as he closes his own eyes.
"..Yeah, I think I feel it."
"Good, now your Aura should want to follow pathways in your body now. Let it flow slowly." Qrow knows she's succeeded when he hears a gasp from the sidelines.
Ready to congratulate Ruby, Qrow prepares a smile on his face and open his eyes. What he sees is not Ruby or a cloud of rose petals. What greets him is a small baby black bird.
"Shit." Is the last thing he thinks as a barelling Taiyang slams into him."YOU SLEPT WITH MY WIFE!"
Raven Branwen was in the middle of leaving the town Kuroyuri in Mistral when she felt it.
She just finished scouting one of their potential targets for a raid this season when she felt the sensation of one of her bonded being in danger.
YANG!
Not even hesitating for a second, Raven Branwen drew her sword and cut a rift through space. Jumping through it and immediately deflects a giant flying sword streaking towards her, Raven assesses the situation as fast as she can.
What she sees shocks her. She's not greeted by a horde of grimm about to kill Yang or a group of slavers intent of kidnapping her daughter. Instead, she's met by the sight of Tai and Qrow wrestling and shouting on the ground.
The flying sword she deflected earlier? It was Qrow's, thrown away by Taiyang. It's target? Her shaking daughter, Yang, carrying a small black bird on her hands behind Raven. Locking eyes with her own terrified child for the first time, Raven Branwen feels a fury she has never felt before.
"What the fuck?...What the fuck are you two assholes doing?!" Raven turns to her brother, and her ex-maybe still-husband who both go still at the sound of her voice.
""Raven?!"" Both men shout in shock at the same time, still locked in combat with each other.
"I came here because I felt Yang's life was in danger! Now, I found out she was in danger from the both of you?!" Raven shakes not just in rage and fury but also from fear. Fear that the people she trusted to protect her only possible weakness could fuck up so badly.
"Oh don't pretend to care sister! You left her with Tai!" Qrow rolls his eyes at her, disengaging from Tai.
"...Mom?" A hitched sob comes from behind Raven which causes her to flinch.
""SHUT UP, QROW!"" Both Tai and Raven shout at the same time, causing their eyes to widen at the same time.
"I left because I knew Summer would be a better mother than me." Raven says coldly.
Contrary to popular belief, Raven Branwen is self-aware enough to know that she is not mother material. She is also not oblivious enough to not see Summer's affections for her ex-maybe still-husband.
"Well, Summer's dead and you still didn't come back." Qrow replies equally cold, not noticing Yang's flinch from behind Raven.
Her defense comes from an unexpected source.
"Don't talk about my wife like that!" Tai screams in anger, shoving Qrow back.
"Which one?"
"SUMMER, you asshole!" Tai screams again restarting their fight with a punch aimed towards Qrow's face.
There's a pang of pain in Raven's heart at not being mentioned by Tai, but she crushes it. Sighing at the two men fighting each other again, Raven turns back to her daughter. Mother and daughter look at each other and the universe takes a breath. Their first conversation starts like this.
"What happened?" Instead of greetings or concerns, a harsh question comes out of Raven's mouth.
Flinching at her mother's voice, Yang avoids her eyes for a moment before gathering her resolve and looking back at her with fire in her eyes.
"Ru..Ruby turned into a bird." Yang stammers showing Raven the black bird in her hands, not really knowing how to explain the situation outside of blurting out just what happened.
As for Raven, her eyes widen at the two children. One human, her own child with Tai, and the other a bird, Summer's and apparently Qrow's. Feeling a headache approach, Raven pinches the bridge of her nose and turns back to the two men still fighting.
As furious and savage looking their fight is, neither men are really injured seriously. There's scratches, bruises, and busted lips but as long as no one is losing any limb Raven thinks they're safe. On the contrary, she thinks there should be broken bones for it to even be called a fight between warriors of their caliber.
"Come on you two, let's leave them to it." Raven calls out, unsheathing her sword and making a portal.
"Where are we going?" Yang asks, still holding Ruby on her hands.
That actually makes Raven pause. There's a part of her that wants to say home, but she knows that the Branwen camp won't ever be these girls' home. She left Yang to Tai to prevent that from happening in the first place.
"...Vacation. We're going on a vacation." Raven settles for that answer instead.
A/N
Just a story that I can't get off of my head. Might continue this once more inspiration for this story comes.
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