Ruby stretched her arms and legs, working the stiffness out of them. Oscar had already left her to think and rest, so she had been alone with her thoughts for some time. Her wounds had mostly healed in the few hours she had, but the patches of new skin were still sensitive, so she covered her arms with thin, elastic detached sleeves and wore black stockings over her legs. The material was wafer thin, but just enough to protect her from the worst of the elements.

She normally would have waited a little longer, but she knew she couldn't. She had to go find Yang and then her uncle, and soon.

Ruby sighed as she thought about her sister. She felt bad about what she said to Yang earlier, and wanted to apologize. Ruby may have chosen to ascend as herself, but she still had her insecurities and doubts, as well as the feelings she had kept within. The biggest problem was that she wasn't able to keep those feelings down anymore. After her first meltdown in the Ever After, she started to realize that she couldn't hold in her emotions as well as she used to. That meant she needed to start dealing with them, or they would keep popping up when she needed to be focused. And the best way she thought she could start was by finally getting real answers about her mother.

A knock on Ruby's door got her attention, and she turned to look, only for her eyes to shoot open.

"Yang?" Ruby shrieked as the blonde walked in. "What did you do to your hair!?"

"I cut it," Yang said simply, walking over to sit on the bed. Ruby got the message and sat down with her.

"Listen, Ruby, I'm sorry I lied to you. And I'm sorry I didn't trust you back in Atlas. You're right—if I'm gonna tell Ozpin not to lie to us, to trust us, I gotta practice what I preach." She smiled softly. "But that's gonna change. From now on, I'll be the sister you need me to be. You shouldn't have to carry the world on your shoulders. Start putting some weight on mine, and let me help you."

Ruby blinked, then smiled gratefully. "I'd like that, Yang. And I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Don't be," Yang assured her. "I had it coming."

Ruby nodded. "So, did you find out where Qrow is?"

"Not exactly," Yang admitted, "but I found Robyn, and she said she knows where Qrow is. Or at least, where he has to be to get a drink." She then nodded at Ruby's arms and legs. "You think you're ready?"

"Yeah. They're still tender, but I can manage. C'mon, let's go knock some sense back into our uncle."


After meeting up with Robyn and Joanna, the group followed her through the streets of Vacuo towards what looked like the seedier side of the kingdom. People were meandering around, trading weapons and Dust and strange substances.

"What are we doing here?" Yang asked.

"You wanted to find Qrow, right?" Robyn reminded her. "Well, chances are that he's at a tavern called The Golden Apple. Don't let the name fool you, though. It's a place where only the rowdiest people go to. Brawls break out there on the regular, and while nobody's died there yet, it wasn't for lack of trying."

"Sounds like somewhere I'd enjoy," Raven admitted, "but I doubt you could find my little brother that easily."

"Little brother?" Joanna repeated. "You're twins, aren't you?"

"We are. And when you have a twin, every second counts. Qrow is a full six minutes younger than me."

"Never thought I'd be glad to be an only child," Robyn said, rolling her eyes. Then she stopped. "We're here."

The group stopped in front of a large sandstone structure with few windows. It looked too big to be a bar, but the noise inside was telling. In front of the wooden doors was a hanging sign that read The Golden Apple.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Ruby asked, staring at the large sandstone building.

"It's my best guess," Robyn replied. "He's racked up a gigantic tab in every other bar in Vacuo, and this place is the only one in the kingdom with an unlimited tab. If he's not here, he's either in a random alley, or lost completely."

"You sound so sure of yourself," Raven scoffed.

"You doubt me?"

"Yes. Even drunk out of his mind, my brother is impossible to find if he doesn't want to be found. It's part of the reason Ozpin recruited us in the first place."

"Real ego on this one, huh?" Robyn chuckled, nudging Yang with her elbow. "At least I know where you don't get the good parts of you."

Raven huffed. "Fine, lead the way if you think you're so sure."

"Alright," Robyn walked into the the tavern, with the others following close behind.

The Golden Apple felt even bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, with a wide central area and an outer ring with low separation walls dividing the two. Surrounding the edges of the tavern was a ring-like balcony, and the entire area was filled with tables and stools, with almost all of them occupied by loud people who were drinking, smoking and swearing up a storm. The place reeked of alcohol, tobacco and herbs.

"We're gonna have to check our weapons," Robyn said over the noise.

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"Because she won't let us in if we don't," Joanna answered, pointing to a table near the entrance, where many weapons were kept. Standing next to the table was a woman who could only be described as impossibly beautiful, with lush bronze skin, dark hair, bright yellow eyes and an hourglass figure that put Yang's to shame. She was dressed in little more than a thin, strapless yellow top that did little to cover her breasts, a light yellow loincloth that trailed down to her ankles, and more jewelry than Ruby had ever seen anyone wear. Behind her was a large rack that was stocked with various weapons, and among them was Qrow's Harbinger. That told Ruby that her uncle was here.

"Humana humana humana," Yang muttered as she ogled the woman, before being elbowed in the ribs by Ruby.

"Yang!" She hissed. "You're spoken for!"

"R-right! Right..." Yang squeezed her eyes shut and focused on why they were there—to find Qrow and knock some sense into him. "She's the bartender?"

"Bartender, owner, bouncer," Robyn answered. "She basically does everything around here. And she doesn't let anybody in unless they check their weapons." She then slid her bladed crossbow off her wrist and handed it to the woman. "Hey, Jasmine."

"Robyn," the woman smiled. "You here on business or pleasure?"

"Business, sorry. Gotta reunite a hopeless drunk with his long lost nieces and put a broken family back together."

Jasmine made a face. "Shame. Well, you'll find him where he normally is. Word of warning though: he's in the worst mood I've ever seen him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Robyn said, winking. She then turned to the others and gestured to Jasmine.

"Alright," Ruby sighed, and unlimbered Crescent Rose and handed it to the woman, who smiled gratefully.

"Smooth and easy," Jasmine said. "I like that. Most people cling too hard to their pieces. Don't worry, your weapons will be safe as houses until you're ready to leave."

Ruby nodded, then waited as the others handed their weapons over as well. Yang tried to hide her blush as she removed her gauntlets and handed them over to Jasmine.

"What's the matter?" Jasmine asked knowingly, crossing her arms and hefting her large breasts up. "Don't know where to look?"

"I... uhh..."

"That's alright, sweetie. I don't know where to look, either~."

"T-taken!" Yang squeaked uncharacteristically, her face beet red. "I'm already taken!"

"Awww, that's a shame," Jasmine purred, "or maybe not. Depends on your partner."

"Okay, that's enough," Robyn interjected, dragging the stunned bombshell away. "Remember why we're here."

Yang took several deep breaths to calm her heart down, then nodded her thanks at Robyn. "Is she always like that?" The blonde asked.

Robyn laughed. "Yeah, that's how she rolls. Jasmine Lagneia, the Goddess of Love. She loves flirting with anyone who catches her eye, mostly 'cause she likes seeing them blush." She then looked back at Jasmine. "And that's not a challenge for her, with looks like that."

Ruby rolled her eyes at Yang and squeezed past a few of the patrons to start searching for her uncle. She figured it was probably best to keep that little exchange to herself.

Ruby was surprised to see just how packed the tavern was. There had to be close to a hundred men and women in the crowd, ages ranging from barely older than herself to nearly twice the age of Qrow. They were all clearly fit—the harsh desert of Vacuo didn't allow for lesser builds—and many of the women were nearly as pretty as Jasmine. Some of the women were wearing similar "outfits" to Jasmine, and were walking around and serving food and drinks to the patrons. Eventually though, her eyes fell on a familiar tattered red cape, and she maneuvered around the crowd to get a better look. What she saw was Qrow, no doubt about it, but the Huntsman looked even worse than Ruby imagined. His hair had grown longer and messier, and the scruff around his chin was now a full beard. It wasn't even a good beard, either.

Concerned and frustrated, Ruby made a beeline for her uncle. "There you are, Qrow," she said.

Qrow looked up from his glass right at her, but didn't react the way she expected. It was almost like he couldn't see her.

"What the hell do you want?" He growled, his voice slurred.

Ruby blinked at the harsh tone in his voice, but kept going. "To get you out of here and back on your feet."

"Tch. Piss off."

"Wha... I... well that's a great hello!" Ruby snapped. "I thought you'd be happy to see me again after six months!" She moved to snatch the glass from his hand, but he moved out of her reach and took another swig. "Qrow, it's me! It's your niece!"

"My nieces are dead," Qrow snarled, "they tried to get me back on my feet, set me straight, and then what!? They get themselves killed and leave all of us to figure things out! Heh, just my luck, I guess."

"Qrow," Yang joined in gently, "we're not dead. We're right here. Don't you recognize us?" She also made a grab for the glass, and again, Qrow avoided her hand. "C'mon, unc. Don't do this."

"I do whatever the hell I want! That's how Qrow Branwen works!" He raised his voice so that the whole tavern could hear him. "When I'm not cutting Grimm to shreds, I'm pissing the hard stuff!"

A cheer rang out through The Golden Apple as Qrow knocked back the rest of his drink, then poured another glass full from a bottle.

"That's just sad," Raven sighed, shaking her head in shame.

"This isn't you, Qrow!" Ruby insisted.

"Says who?" Qrow slurred.

"SAYS ME!" Ruby shouted angrily, slapping the drink out of his grip with a backhand. The glass sailed through the air and shattered against one of the patrons, who turned around angrily.

"Hey! Alright, which Bozo did that?" He looked over at the group, and Raven pointed at Ruby with a knowing smirk.

"Wait, what!? No!" Ruby said in a panic as the man approached her. "Please, I swear that-that was an-OW!" She winced as he shoved her by her arms, causing her to suddenly remember the pain from her wounds. "Hey! I'm still sore!"

Yang stepped in between the two and glared at the drunken man.

"Back off, creep." She's growled.

"Heh, make me," the man challenged, shoving her next.

"I said back off!" Yang shoved him back, hard. The man staggered backwards into several other patrons, spilling their drinks and causing them to look at the two girls angrily. "Oh, oops."

The angered drunkards all advanced on Ruby and Yang, with most of them focused on the blonde while the first man set his sights back on Ruby and threw a punch at the girl. Ruby ducked out of the way, but backed into the table and lost her balance. The man took advantage of that and grabbed her by the neck, slamming her hard into the table. After several seconds of struggling, Ruby reached out and grabbed the nearest stein, hitting the guy in the side of the head with it. This caused him to stagger back and let her breathe again, and she threw the stein in his face to make more distance between them. She was then knocked off her feet as another patron barreled into her from her left, and she hit the ground hard, rolling under the table.

"You're pissing me off!" Ruby heard Joanna shout, and looked up to see the large Huntress picking up one of the men and slamming him onto the table she was under. Thinking quickly, Ruby used her Semblance to rush out from under the table before the body of the guy landed and collapsed it, only to hit her head on the separation wall, stunning her for a moment.

"Still got it," Joanna chuckled, looking around to see more and more patrons setting down their drinks and joining in on the fight.

Ruby shook the stars out of her head and stood back up, only to see the drunk man she originally angered standing right in front of her. He charged at her, only to be tackled by Yang into the same separation wall that Ruby hit while Raven cheered at her daughter's aggression. The impact knocked chairs and barrels down from the upper balcony, and Ruby had to move under the balcony to avoid the falling objects. She then saw that several of the patrons were waiting for her. With a gulp of nervousness, she got into a fighting stance and threw a left cross at the first woman who charged her. The fist connected, and the woman was stunned long enough for Ruby to follow up with another punch, then another.

Ruby had improved greatly in hand to hand combat, mostly thanks to her training with Oscar in Mistral and with Harriet in Atlas. While she was never going to be as good as her sister, she was much more adept than she used to be, and could knock around less skilled opponents. Add in her reinforced gloves letting her put more into her punches, and she was able to make quick work of the drunks in front of her.

Once she took care of the last one, she looked around at the rest of the tavern. It was complete pandemonium—everyone was fighting someone else. Many of the patrons were brawling amongst themselves, but most of them were focused Ruby's allies. Yang was still wrestling with the man who was after her sister. From how well he handled himself, Ruby thought he must have been a Huntsman.

Robyn and Joanna were fighting back to back, knocking their opponents down like it was nothing. Robyn looked more annoyed than anything, but Joanna seemed to be having the time of her life tossing people around and punching their lights out.

Raven, meanwhile, hadn't joined in at all. She was simply leaning against a wall and watching everything unfold with an amused smile on her face. Frustrated, Ruby sped over to her.

"You can help out a little, can't you?" She asked frantically.

"I can," Raven agreed, "but I won't. Let's see you fight your own way out of this."

"But-" Ruby was interrupted when another man tackled her over another separation wall, spilling food and alcohol everywhere. They rolled to a stop with him on top of her, and he began to strangle her while she desperately reached around for something to use as a weapon. Eventually, the fingers of her left hand closed around something, and she brought it around to strike the man away. As she gasped for breath and stood up, she looked at her hand and her eyes widened as she saw what was in it.

It was her weapon, Crescent Rose, still folded up. She looked back at the place where she left it near the entrance to the tavern, which was well over a hundred feet from where she was now.

"How did-" Ruby began, only to duck out of the way of another punch and unfold her weapon into its scythe form, bashing her opponent over the head with the blunt end and knocking him out.

I don't know how this happened, Ruby thought, but that's a problem for future me. Right now, I just gotta get Qrow and everyone out of here!

Looking around again, she scanned the tavern for any signs of her uncle. Eventually, her eyes settled on him with a bottle he likely snatched during the chaos. He somehow looked even more plastered than before.

Growling in frustration, Ruby began to make her way over to the washed up Huntsman, only to be stopped by the same guy who was hit by the glass she slapped from Qrow's hand. "There you are, you little punk!" He snarled.

"Oh, come on!" Ruby said, exasperated. "I told you, it was an accident! Can't you just let it-" she ducked out of the way as he swung a bar stool at her head and countered with a hit from the blunt end of her scythe. The hit knocked him off balance long enough for Yang to tackle him onto a tilted table and straddle him. With him pinned, Yang started throwing punch after punch to his face, one after the other as Raven sauntered up to watch the display.

"Oof," Raven grunted teasingly, "your right cross looks a little rusty, Yang."

"WHY–AREN'T–YOU–HEL–PING!?" Yang shouted between punches, only to go flying with the Huntsman when Joanna slammed another patron into the other end of the table, catapulting the two through the air and onto the upper balcony. She rolled to a stop, then jumped to her feet as the Huntsman got up to his and snarled.

"What the hell do I have to do to make you stay down!?" She said, exasperated. The Huntsman ignored her question and charged straight at her, only to get knocked down by a final punch to the back of his head, his Aura flickering out and his eyes closing.

"Oh, that." Yang shrugged and turned her attention to the other patrons who were on the balcony with her, knocking them down as they rushed her. She took down nearly a dozen of them before they stopped coming after her, and then she peered over the balcony to see what was happening. It was still chaos, with Robyn and Joanna still brawling back to back and Raven still watching, while Ruby was desperately trying to get to Qrow in the middle of all the pandemonium. The owner, Jasmine however, was also watching with great intrigue and a big smile on her face. She looked up at Yang and gestured to the carnage, as if inviting her to finish the fight.

Yang heaved a sigh and stood up on the balcony railing, activating her Semblance. Her hair flared up in golden flames, her muscles tensed, and her eyes glowed red.

"Everyone duck!" She shouted over the noise, before jumping up into the air and aiming for the center of the tavern. Robyn, Joanna and Ruby immediately hit the ground while Raven braced herself. Yang plummeted to the floor and slammed her right fist into the ground, creating a huge shockwave that sent the remaining patrons flying into the walls with enough force to knock them all out.

As Yang stood up, Ruby finally reached Qrow, who was staggering around with a full glass of alcohol.

"Qrow, come on!" Ruby begged. "You can start over, try again! Just put the drink-" she stopped and sighed as Qrow knocked the entire glass back and collapsed hard on his back. Looking back at Yang, she gestured to their uncle. "C'mon, Yang, let's get him out of here."

Yang nodded and walked over to one side of her inebriated uncle and grabbed his right arm, while Ruby grabbed his left. Together, they hoisted him onto their shoulders and started carrying him out of the tavern. While they did that, Robyn, Joanna and Raven collected their weapons from Jasmine, who still had a smile on her face as she waved them off.

"Why's she so happy?" Yang wondered aloud. "We just wrecked her joint. Shouldn't she be mad?"

"Nah," Robyn replied, "I think you just won her a fat wad of Lien. That's how she really makes her money—she waits for a brawl to break out, then takes bets on who floors the most people. Turns out she bet on you."

"And you're just telling us that why, exactly?" Yang asked, frustrated.

"Because that's the rules," Robyn shrugged.

By the time they exited The Golden Apple, Qrow was beginning to stir again. Seeing that, the sisters set him down against the nearest wall and let him recover.

"Qrow?" Ruby asked, crouching down next to him. "It's me. You can see me, right?"

Qrow looked up at her, and again, it was like he was looking right past her.

"Why?" He asked, his voice full of emotion. "Why'd you have to go? Why'd you have to leave us alone like that?"

"Qrow, I-"

"You were the one person I thought was gonna make it to the other side," Qrow interrupted. "You always made it through the worst crap out there, and you always came back with that stupid smile on your face. You got me to go straight, and I started feeling better about myself. But you just didn't get the shit that I've been through."

"Oh, let me guess," Ruby snapped, standing back up. "You feel like everything's your fault and you're just not enough to handle it anymore? You wish you were someone else who didn't care about the weight of the world on them? You think everyone would be better off if you weren't around? I know exactly what you're going through, Qrow. Because I've just been through it!"

"And trust me," Ruby continued, "destroying yourself isn't going to do anyone any favors." She crouched down and looked him in the eyes. "I'm back, Qrow. And I'm here for you. Yang, Dad and I are here for you. Even when you're... here. We all love you, you know that. I just thought... I hoped... that this was finally over."

"Ruby..." Qrow's eyes widened, as if seeing her for the first time. "It's... it's really you...?"

Ruby knelt down and looked him in the eyes, holding back her tears. "It's really me," she said simply.

"But... but I thought you..." He turned around and saw Yang crouched on his other side. "Both of you...?"

Yang nodded, blinking back her own tears. "Both of us."

Qrow looked down at himself, his eyes wide and unfocused as tears streamed down his cheeks. The girls had never seen him so broken before, and they knew they had to be there for him from now on. Standing up again, Ruby offered her hand to her uncle.

"C'mon, Uncle Qrow," she said as steadily as she could, "I think it's time to get back to Shade. I need to tell everyone my story."