Hello !
No, I'm not dead, I just took an eternity writing this chapter because I had a lot of things to put in it !
So yeah, Rook, is actually Robyn Hill, it was planned from the start, just like Raven's death, and you have no idea how hard it was to find her a fake name ... One person in the comment had actually find out before the reveal but I didn't want to spoil the surprise so I pretended I didn't notice, so, to Zerg97, congratulation for finding out before everyone else !
Also, if some of you have noticed, I started another fic about Raven staying with Tai and raising Yang and Ruby, it will mostly be short funny or cute stories because I think there aren't enough of them about Raven, but there will also be more serious things later on n_n
Good reading !
.
-So… your real name is Robyn?
-Yep, Robyn Hill. Why? Doesn't suit me?
Falcon said nothing for a few seconds, before lowering her head with a sigh of despair.
-Why do you have a bird name and I don't …?
Robyn just shrugged.
-Who knows, I wasn't in your mother's head when you were born.
Falcon sighed again and sank back against the back of the sofa.
-Since we are already talking about names. Falcon, this is Joanna, we've known each other since the Academy. Joanna, this is Falcon, my little apprentice.
Falcon scowled at the word "little" but said nothing, and Joanna waved at her with a friendly smile.
-Nice to finally meet you, Robyn couldn't shut up about you every time she comes.
Falcon raised an eyebrow as Robyn blushed.
-Okay, introductions are over! Joanna, what did you want my help with?
-Sort the papers. There was a pretty big car accident in the east end of town the other day and insurance companies keep pretending they haven't seen anything until you put the right forms right in front of them.
-I hate administration …
- Me too, but someone has to do it.
-I know … I'll be there in a minute. And you …
She turned to Falcon with a hard look.
-You are going to eat something for good or I'll really get mad, is that clear?
Falcon looked surprised but nodded. Robyn smirked and walked into the kitchen to cook something for her. The instant she closed the door, her smile dropped and she let out a long sigh.
Although she obviously didn't like the paperwork, it wasn't what irritated her. Mantle depended on Atlas for almost everything, safety, work, supplies, even food! Almost every building in the city had Atlasian owners who had never laid eyes on them and didn't care whether the places where entire families lived were livable or not. Technically, there was quite a bit of financial aid to be had, again coming from Atlas, but the administration that went with it was so huge and deliberately complicated that most people gave up and preferred to go back and kill themselves at the task for a living.
Robyn took a pot of water and put it on the fire. She hated this system. She still remembered the first time she had set foot in the city of Atlas to attend the Academy, she had rarely felt so much disgust as that day, and it only GOT worse when she met the students, each more arrogant than the next… And even those who were not had no idea of the state of the city above which they lived, in their eyes Mantle was just "a lot less rich" than Atlas. Not technically wrong, but so far from reality …
With a sigh she poured a good amount of pasta into the water, Falcon had barely eaten anything in days and Robyn surely wasn't going to let her starve to death. Since the day she graduated from Atlas she had had nothing on her mind other than Mantle, for years she had done nothing but help her hometown in any way possible, by killing the Grimm that approached it, by working as an assassin to send them money … But now she was also taking care of Falcon …
Robyn came out of the kitchen with a plate of pasta and put it on Falcon's lap, who hadn't moved from the couch. There wasn't enough room on the table and they were going to work on it anyway.
-Here, and I don't want to hear anything until the plate is empty.
Falcon rolled her eyes and began to eat half-heartedly. They both knew she didn't talk much, especially with people she didn't know, and it wasn't like Robyn could actually threaten her, but she did as told anyway.
-Ok, that's one thing done … The papers now.
Robyn sat down at the small table across from Joanna and glanced at the amount of paperwork in front of her. They were going to have a lot of work …
Yang was looking lazily out the window of the small apartment. She had been sitting there since yesterday, on that same old couch, combing her doll's perfectly untangled hair or sharpening each of her Dust blades. Rook, or Robyn apparently, had tried to strike up a conversation a few times but she preferred not to answer, not only was she not in the mood for a chat, but Rook's friend was there too, and Yang didn't know how much she could trust her.
-Falcon.
Yang looked up, Rook was tying her crossbow to her left arm.
-I'm going on a quick mission just outside of town, wanna come?
-We are supposed to keep a low profile.
-I'm still a Huntress, remember? There's nothing suspicious if I'm going to kill some Grimm.
-Oh… No, I'm going to stay here.
-You're sure? It would help you let off steam.
-I'm sure.
Rook looked at her worriedly but didn't push and left on her mission.
Yang got up and looked out the window to see Rook come out of the apartment and join Joanna and a girl with short white hair. The girl in question seemed quite excited, she was bouncing on the spot chatting with her friends, they looked happy. After a moment the three Huntresses started to move away to go on their mission, Rook looked up the window one last time and her gaze met Yang's. The little blonde immediately walked away and stood still for several minutes, then collapsed on the old couch, staring at the ceiling.
She didn't like being indoors, having walls around her to keep her from leaving and a roof to keep her from flying, it was unnatural for her. She would have liked to go with Rook, to get some fresh air and let off steam, but she didn't want to risk being noticed, Mantle was very guarded and she had been there once before, it was too risky. Besides, Rook didn't need her to kill Grimm.
Yang hugged her doll close to her. She felt so stupid, she could have killed this Megoliath alone very easily, but since she had been too stubborn to remember that she needed to eat, she had barely been able to give a few sword blows before she fell from exhaustion, and Rook had to fight alone while watching over her.
She was a Maiden! She was one of the strongest warriors in Remnant! Why did she always end up being a burden to the people around her?! She was supposed to be the strongest, the one who took the lead in battle, the one who guided others in battle, the one who set an example and gave them courage! Not drag them back because she was too weak to kill a Grimm!
Yang straightened up and looked at her hand, making a small flame appear for a few moments. Then she tried to make another element appear, earth, ice, lightning, popcorn! Anything! But nothing, not the slightest drop of water or spark, only the fire worked. As if she had no power at all.
-What is wrong with me?!
Only silence answered her.
-And there, it was the last …
Robyn closed the crossbow on her arm and walked away from the decaying Sabyr to join Fiona and Joanna who had just finished taking care of their Grimm.
-There was more than what the mission board said.
-Are you really surprise?
-No …
Robyn sighed as the three Huntresses began to walk towards town. As expected, the mission had been dealt with pretty quickly, especially with the three of them, and even though there had been more Grimm than expected, they just killed them without a hitch, and it was already time to return to Mantle. The ride was pretty quiet… except for Fiona who was hopping with excitement.
-Oh I can't wait to meet your apprentice! Hey Joanna, you've met her already, haven't you? Tell me tell me! How is she?
-Very quiet, she hardly said a word since she woke up, and she spent all her time playing with her doll.
-Playing doll? That's pretty cute.
-Not when the doll comes straight out of a horror movie… Seriously Robyn, where did you find that kid?
-She managed to sneak under my nose during a mission. You could tell she was new in the business and since she was very young, I thought it would be safer to take her with me, to prevent her from falling into extremes, you know?
The girls entered the city, and as they walked the streets, Robyn's gaze came to a candy store, two young children, Faunus, were looking through the window longingly. Without even slowing down, Robyn changed direction and entered the store. It was quite small and not very decorated, in fact it was already astonishing that there was a candy store in Mantle, sweets were far from a priority in a town that struggled to pay for its heating. But at least it brought some color to the gray landscape of the concrete walls.
Robyn came out of the store and crouched down in front of the two children.
-Hi.
The children jumped and looked like they were about to run away, but stopped when Robyn handed them a paper bag, smiling.
-Here, it's for you.
The children looked at each other, then the older one picked up the bag with a shy smile.
-Thanks ma'am …
And they ran away. Robyn stood up and watched them go with a sad look. She joined Joanna and Fiona and continued to walk with them, with a weight on her heart.
-I wish I could do more …
-Don't beat yourself up like that, you already do a lot for Mantle!
-Not enough.
As a famous assassin, she was paid handsomely for every mission she did and since she did a lot and didn't need to spend a lot on herself, she could afford to send large sums of money to Mantle. But even that was not enough, over time she had helped many families to get out of debt problems, unpaid rents, building defects that no one wanted to take the time to repair or even maintain … She knew it wasn't nothing, but the problem was that an entire city wasn't supposed to depend on the criminal career of one person, if anything happened to her, all these people would end up with money problems up to their neck again!
-By the way, how long are you going to stay here? I don't mind helping but my apartment is rather small for three people.
-I don't know, at least until her uncle calls me back but it's going to take days. And after that it will probably be the end of the world …
-Is it that bad?
-You have no idea …
The worst part was that even she didn't know how far this was going. Assassination contracts for all of Anima's Huntsmen, a witch, a secret group with the directors of the Academies, a Huntress who ran away from them by hiding in a bandit tribe, her daughter who had two Semblances, even the Atlasian army was involved … She didn't even know if these people were meant to be good or bad, children were easily impressionable after all, so while Falcon's paranoia was not to be overlooked, neither was it a certitude. In fact, the best unit of measure she had was Qrow. He was in this group and he was bothered that Falcon was hanging out with a criminal so it could be assumed that he did not consider himself as such, and apart from his alcoholism he didn't seem to be inherently bad. Rude and annoying as much as possible, sure, but he genuinely cared about his niece, he did everything he could to protect her, and protecting her included keeping her away from the group that he himself was a part of … It didn't make any sense!
The girls went up the small staircase to the apartment building where Joanna lived and entered the apartment. Falcon was still sitting on the couch, this time staring at the palm of her hand with extreme concentration, and also a lot of frustration apparently…
-We're back.
Falcon jumped, and a blue flame shot from her hand, thankfully dissolving in the air before burning anything. There was a moment of hesitation in the room, until Joanna broke it with an annoyed, but surprisingly not angry, sigh.
-Okay, rule number one, don't set the apartment on fire.
Falcon looked away, and Robyn couldn't suppress a smirk as she saw her "I'm sorry but I won't say it out loud" face. Sometimes she was way too serious for her age, sometimes she had childish reactions, and sometimes she actually acted like a rebellious teenager.
Robyn's smile widened when she saw Fiona sit down next to Falcon with a big, friendly smile on her lips, bouncing the old couch as well as the person sitting on it.
-Hello! My name is Fiona, I'm a friend of Robyn and Joanna. Oh I'm so glad to meet you! Robyn was right, you're really adorable!
Robyn's smile fell immediately as she saw Falcon's eyebrow twitch at the word "adorable". To add to the tension that had just set in the room, Falcon didn't respond and just fixed Fiona with a flat gaze. It took almost a full minute of awkward silence for the young Huntress to get the message and get up with an embarrassed laugh. Fiona had always been a very cheerful and social person, but as Faunus she was also sadly used to being repelled like this. Let's just hope she wouldn't mistake Falcon's grumpy mood with racism …
-Okay … Girls, I need to talk to Falcon, can you give us a little moment please?
Joanna nodded and Fiona and she walked into the kitchen, it was almost dinner time anyway.
-"Adorable"?
Robyn scratched the back of her head with a nervous laugh. Falcon stared at her for a moment, then sighed and brought her left leg up against her and rested her head on it, while Robyn pulled up a chair to sit on it upside down, hands on the backrest.
-So … blue flames? That's new. It's cool but you should wait until you're outside to do this kind of thing.
Falcon looked down at her hand and spoke in a voice so low Robyn barely heard her.
-I was trying to make my powers work. I don't know why I'm always stuck with fire, and it annoys me …
Robyn couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or if she just didn't want Fiona and Joanna to hear her from the next room, but she didn't think about it, because something else had caught her attention.
-"Powers"?
Contrary to what she expected, Falcon didn't freeze in fear upon realizing what she had said, as she did when she said her mother was called Raven, or when Robyn pointed out that it wasn't normal to kill a Geist with a punch. Instead, she had a touch of anger in her gaze and frustration in her voice.
Robyn sighed and came to sit next to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. Falcon had never been very open to the world, she was always afraid to talk about herself, she tried to hide her emotions all the time, she was never interested in her surroundings, she had a hard time trusting people … Robyn had seen it all, and that was part of the reason she had become so attached to the little girl, with such a state of mind, the road to murder was a one-way street to insanity. She might have been more than strong enough to protect herself from others, but she needed someone to protect her from herself. So Robyn had made a commitment to fill that role, and she would stick to it.
-Look … It's okay now, you're safe here, no one knows where you are, no one will think of looking for you in Mantle, and Qrow is doing his best to cover your tracks. You have no reason to be afraid here. And even in the worst case, I'm here to protect you, okay?
Falcon looked away… Usually she reacted quite well to comforting words, especially when she was stressed, it was as if she was unable to convince herself that things could improve and needed someone to do it for her, but now it was to wonder if she had heard. But Robyn wasn't out of ideas, the next few days were going to be a long and stressful wait, so she already had several ideas in mind to keep her apprentice busy.
-Here, I have something that will cheer you up.
She took out of her pocket a small bag of marshmallows wrapped in a transparent white fabric with jagged edges, closed with a purple ribbon. Falcon took it half-heartedly, and stared at it for a few moments without really looking at it, as if an old memory was playing out before her eyes. Finally she came back to reality and looked away again.
-Not very hungry.
-You're not going to stop eating again, are you?
-No. I just don't want candy in there now.
-Okay.
Robyn picked up the bag and put it in Falcon's bag. The latter said nothing and went back to looking at her palm with red, focused eyes. She was still wearing the black fingerless glove and red armor that she had brought back one day, they were in good condition but clearly not new, and adult size, they probably belonged to her mother, like all the material possessions she cared about. Robyn expected the palm of the glove to burn from the blue flames, much hotter than her usual red and orange flames, yet it still looked flawless, probably intended to withstand extreme temperatures …
-Falcon, could your mother make fire like you?
She hesitated a moment before answering.
-Yes, but she was better with ice.
-Ice?
Falcon opened her mouth but paused before speaking, and ended the conversation by turning her head away, like every time she felt she had said enough. Many might have taken it as mistrust, but Robyn saw it mostly as a sign of trust, and that was enough to reassure her. If Falcon was still able to open up to her then she didn't have to worry too much just yet.
-We can train together tomorrow if you want, I know a place where no one will bother us.
Falcon nodded and snuggled up to her again, and Robyn hugged her. Things seemed to be improving.
-Maybe I should review my definition of "improving" …
A few yards from Robyn, Falcon was punching the rock, hair on fire and smoke literally coming out of her ears. They were currently in the mountain gorges next to the city, it was a hell of a hike but where they were airships couldn't see them unless they passed right above them, and even in this case, there were Grimm in the area so nothing suspicious about finding a Huntress or two there.
They hadn't been here for very long, they had just had time to warm up and do some hand-to-hand combat, they were mostly there to help Falcon let off steam, and possibly test those blue flames. that she had done the day before. But …
-WHY. WON'T. IT. WORK?!
Robyn already had some doubts, but she was now a hundred percent sure it wasn't a Semblance, because a Semblance didn't go crazy like it was the case in front of her. It was very simple, Falcon's flames, once created, were completely out of control, they were much more powerful than expected and went off in random directions, destroying everything in their path, without their creator being able to extinguish them by herself as usual. It never happened before. Lack of precision, yes, but now, the fireball had completely turned around and Robyn had to jump to dodge it while she was behind Falcon!
But if it wasn't her Semblance, then what could it be? She called it "powers" but that didn't really help her, Semblances were powers too, they were just given a name. Besides, her mother had the same "powers", but could also make ice. Falcon never made anything other than flames, but she did mention that she was "stuck" before, so in theory she should be able to do other equally surreal things that had nothing to do with a Semblance. Plus, it was apparently something she got from her mother, and Semblances weren't hereditary.
How was that even possible? What could it be?
-If I ask Falcon directly, I have a fifty percent chance that she'll answer me with vague informations that will confuse me even more …
Falcon attempted a jet of flame that exploded against the rock wall, leaving a large trail of char, as a part of the rock melted in the heat. Considering Falcon's angry reaction, it clearly was not the expected result.
-… And fifty percent chance of getting burned alive. As usual.
Now that she thought about it, Robyn never clearly asked Falcon what was happening to her, she didn't ask who were the people looking for her or why they were looking for her, she just gathered information during their conversations and made her own theories and conclusions from it. At first she had tried to do some research, but it didn't really help her. After that, she only focused on Falcon, on making her feel safe, secure. She didn't know what was going on, she just knew that it was something big, and that it was destroying a little girl from the inside, so just like with Mantle, she was doing what she could, even if it wasn't much.
But at the rate things were going, there wasn't much she could do if she stayed in the dark. She needed to know. But Falcon probably wouldn't say anything to her… She needed to have a little chat with Qrow.
-Fuck!
Robyn snapped out of her thoughts to see Falcon rub her forehead and wipe off a small amount of blood, there was blood on the rock wall as well. Did she just try to headbutt it…?
-Oooookay, I think it's time to go home.
-What?! But we just got here!
-And you can see you're not gonna make any progress like that. You might as well go home and find something more constructive to do.
-Like what?
Robyn smirked. Fortunately, she still had a few things in stock to keep her busy.
-If you don't mind, I'd love to show you around my city.
Gray buildings that all looked alike, the smell of smoke, very little chatter in the streets, the sound of boots on the concrete, the noise of cars passing every five seconds … There was nothing exciting about Mantle, and Yang still didn't understand what Rook found so attracting in that town. They had been walking the streets for a while now, Rook pointing to a specific spot every now and then …
-Oh, this is the alley where a guy tried to steal money from me when I was your age. He spent a hell of a lot of time in the hospital afterwards …
Yang rolled her eyes. Not that she didn't like spending time with Rook or listening to her talk, but walking for hours on endless streets that all looked alike wasn't really her definition of 'constructive' … She would rather be training right now. She had to train! She had just managed to make this blue fire, she had to learn to control it! It had been years since she got the slightest change, the slightest evolution in her powers! She couldn't let this opportunity pass! No matter how much the rest of her powers refused to work correctly! She didn't have time to admire brick walls!
-And there-…
-I want to go back to train.
Rook sighed.
-Falcon, you really need to learn to slow down.
-I don't have time for that. I only have a few days before Ozpin sets out to search for me, I have to get stronger before he finds me.
This time Rook stopped and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
-Ozpin?
Yang stopped behind her, looking away. She still didn't know what to say to her. It was only a matter of time before she had no other choice, if Ozpin was after her then Rook would be in his way, and as reassuring as it was to know that she had someone to protect her without even asking a question, Yang wasn't so cruel as to let her blindly fight something far too big for her.
But on the other hand, her mother had always told her that magic should be kept a secret, even in the tribe, although almost everyone knew roughly what Salem and the Maidens were, they didn't know that Raven was the Spring Maiden herself, or that she and Yang could turn into birds. They just knew they had one of the most powerful people in Remnant to protect them and that gave them peace of mind. Yang was like that too, thinking that nothing could ever get to them, until she saw for herself the damage that the war of Ozpin and Salem could cause, even to those who took no side …
Yang had already lost everything because of all this madness, now that she had someone to count on again, she didn't want to risk losing her too …
-He'll be after me soon, I need to become stronger.
Rook stared at her for a moment, before sighing, shaking her head.
-That's not how it works, with your state of mind, training will do you more harm than good.
Yang opened her mouth to protest, but Rook cut her off.
-But if you really want to do something useful right now without taking time to rest, maybe I have an idea.
-How many ideas do you have?
-Enough to keep you from being depressed for days.
-And what's it gonna be this time …?
-Follow me and you'll see.
Yang growled and followed Rook to yet another part of the town. She didn't really cared about it when she came here on that mission with Mercury, but Mantle was absolutely huge, both in height and width, and that was without counting Atlas above their heads. Of course, Yang had grown up surrounded by tall and majestic trees in a forest that seemed to extend to infinity, but it wasn't the same here, everything was gray and square, the wind wasn't blowing through the branches, and the only birds were pigeons whose song couldn't be heard because of the cars. Poor things, they would be so much happier away from here, it was as if they were locked in a concrete prison … Kinda like her who was chained to the ground because of her missing arm …
Yang looked up at the sky, there were a few clouds but the weather was pretty clear, it was the kind of weather she liked to fly in … Oh how she missed it …
As if it had heard her think, a pigeon came to rest on her right shoulder, and Yang pet its neck with her finger.
-You're lucky to be able to fly you know.
The pigeon turned its head to look at her with each of its eyes, then rubbed its head against her cheek as if to console her. Yang couldn't help but smile and gently pet the gray feathers.
Click!
As if it just remembered that it was surrounded by humans, the bird got scared and flew away. Yang watched it go with a sad expression, then turned very slowly to Rook, who was standing a few feet away from her with her Scroll in her hands and an embarrassed smile on her face.
-Sorry, I had to.
Yang didn't even bother to complain, it wasn't worth it, and continued to walk through the gray, noisy landscape. She really didn't see what Rook liked so much in this town …
They walked for a few more blocks, which all looked alike, and finally arrived at … a pharmacy?
-So that's your idea?
-Your uncle mentioned that he took care of your arm himself when it happened, and I guess you haven't seen a doctor since?
-No …
She didn't see the use of it, she knew how to take care of an amputated limb, she had done it a few times in the tribe when she was too small to go on a raid. She didn't look like it, but she had quite a good medical knowledge, she even knew the medical properties of certain plants, those that heal as well as those that kill. Maybe she should make some stock of both, just in case … In the meantime, she would just trust Rook's doctor.
The two girls walked in, and Yang would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised. Where the whole town seemed to be made of bricks and dreary concrete, the walls of the room she was in were occupied by old wooden wardrobes and bookcases, the shelves were covered with medical records and books that seemed almost only there for decoration as she had often seen in wealthy Mistralian houses, there was a small table in one corner with two brightly painted child-size chairs and drawing materials, as well as several awkward drawings hung on the adjacent wall, several paintings and medical or scientific diagrams were hung all over the place to hide the sadness of the concrete walls, and finally there was an examination table and highly sophisticated equipment in another part of the room. It was a funny mix that seemed to bring a touch of crazy to an otherwise boring city.
-Hello, is anyone here?
-Coming, just a minute!
Seconds later, the back door opened, and an old man who must have been Ramy's age entered … in a spider-like wheelchair …?
-Excuse me, I was doing some cleaning. It's been a while since I've seen you here Robyn, what can I do for you? Do you need a checkup?
-Probably, the last one was quite some time ago, but another time, today I came for her.
Rook pointed to Yang who slowly approached.
-Falcon, this is the Dr. Polendina, he's the reference doctor of Mantle.
-You give me too much credit, I just do what I can to help. And how many times have I told you to call me Pietro?
The old man, Pietro, leaned in to take a closer look as he adjusted his glasses, and where many took surprisingly long to notice, his eyes fell almost immediately on her missing arm.
-Oh. I see. Come over there, young girl.
Yang followed him to the tech corner of the room and sat down on the examination table, removing her jacket, while Rook did something on her Scroll. Pietro joined her while putting on latex gloves and took a first look at her scarred stump.
-Hmm… When did you get that injury?
-A few years ago.
-I'll need you to be a little more specific.
-Almost four years.
-Have you ever seen a doctor for it?
-No, I already knew how to take care of it myself.
Pietro glanced at Rook who simply shook her head and returned to her Scroll. After that he asked Yang some other normal questions, such as what medication she had used, how did she make her bandaged, how long the phantom pains had lasted … There was not much to say, apparently she had handled her injury very well. For Yang it wasn't a surprise, when fighting Grimm, losing a limb is a significant risk, it was normal to know how to deal with it, wasn't it?
-Well, I think that's it, even if you still should have gone to a doctor to make sure everything was okay. Health is a precious thing and you only have one body, you have to take care of it.
-I know …
The moment she said this, Rook coughed into her hand, muttering something incomprehensible, although Yang was pretty sure it had to do with her refusal to eat the past few days. When was she going to leave her alone with this?!
-Since you're here, I can give you a little checkup right now, just to see if you're growing properly. Adolescence is a very important time for growth.
Yang just shrugged. It couldn't hurt her. As long as he didn't touch her hair …
To be honest Robyn expected Falcon to be more reluctant than that to see a doctor, it was a nice surprise to see her so cooperative. She generally had her head on her shoulders when it came to her health, but after the events of the past few days, Robyn half expected her to try and bite Pietro … Yet the blonde teenager was quite calm and attentive, when she was in a bad mood a few minutes ago, enraged when she was training, and completely depressed when she was in Joanna's apartment. And that was not to mention the moments of panic she had whenever a sensitive topic was brought up. Robyn did all she could but she wasn't a therapist, and she could recognize when she needed help.
-Well, I see that everything is in order, no major problem to note … You should however be more careful with your left hand, breaking your wrist too often may cause permanent damage, even with the help of your Aura.
Falcon looked away with a slight blush. She broke her left wrist almost once a year. But it wasn't completely her fault, she was right-handed, it was normal that her left arm was a bit less trained than her right arm and sometimes struggled to compensate. Also Robyn might have been the one who broke her wrist once …
As Pietro put away his auscultation equipment, Falcon put on her jacket and shoes. She was used to do everything with one hand now, but some things were slightly out of her reach, her boots had zippers because it would be too difficult for her to tie laces, and it was of course out of question that she asks someone to make them for her. The same for anything that had buttons, she never opened them so as not to have to close them.
-Can we go now?
Falcon had her hand on her hip with an impatient look on her face. She didn't even know where they were going next …
-Can you wait for me outside for a moment? I have a few questions for Pietro.
Falcon shrugged and walked out of the pharmacy, as the old doctor approached Robyn with an amused smile.
-She seems to have a bit of temper.
-You have no idea …
Robyn went to grab a chair and collapsed on it.
-Is everything alright?
-Yeah yeah … As I said, I have questions for you, or rather, I need some advice.
Pietro stopped his spider wheelchair in front of her, showing that he was listening to her carefully. As far as Robyn could remember, Pietro had always been Mantle's grandfather, even though he lived in Atlas. One of the reasons she had come to him for advice was because she knew he was someone she could trust, a listening ear who knew how to respect boundaries and keep secrets. He was also one of the few people who knew what she was doing for Mantle, and while he did not approve of her methods at all, he had not reported her to the police and had always greeted her whenever she needed medical attention. And he knew how to deal with children. He would make a wonderful dad.
-It's about Falcon. It's a pretty complicated story but to make it short, she went through some traumatic events and that made her very … unstable.
-Hmmm… Do you have any examples?
-Well, she's rather grumpy and kind of cold most of the time but not more than a teenager of her age, but if something annoys her she immediately becomes very violent, she prepares to draw her sword by reflex as soon as she feels a threat and even though she got used to being with me she tried to kill someone out of excess of rage barely a few days, and when that happens she only stops when she ends up hurt herself, I even had to brake her wrist once … There are also times when she panics to the point of sometimes not even hearing when I call her, or her obsession with getting stronger when she already crushes half of Remnant, I mean, I saw her with my own eyes killing skilled Huntsmen without any difficulty, she is way above average but she has as much composure as a two year old after swallowing an entire bag of candy!
Pietro laughed at the comparison, while Robyn let out a tired sigh. Even though she hated to admit it, taking care of Falcon exhausted her, and the worst part was that she couldn't complain to anyone, on the one hand because she knew it was her responsibility as a mentor, and on the other hand because with all these stories of witch and secret group and several Semblances, she wasn't even sure of what she wanted to complain about.
-No wonder she's hiding, that stuff would drive anyone crazy …
Pietro snapped her out of her thoughts, coughing into his hand.
-Well … I see you really needed to talk about it … It all seems like a very complicated situation to me.
-And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what is commonly called an understatement.
This last remark had at least the merit of making them both laugh.
-More seriously though, I just gave you barely a sample of the problem. The thing is, she's super paranoid, it took her years to open up to me and she hardly said anything to me, she has a really hard time trusting people. She is very, very unstable emotionally, she was acting quite normally earlier but just yesterday she was crying in my arms, and as I said if anything annoys her or scares her she has only completely disproportionate reactions. I don't know what to do …
Robyn let her face fall into her hands. Pietro moved closer and put a warm hand on her shoulder.
-You know, every time you come to see me to talk, it's usually to complain about the inequalities between Atlas and Mantle, about all the problems that plague the city and your lack of ideas to find solutions … I believe that it's the first time in years that I've seen you care about something else.
-So what?
-So that shows how much she means to you. I know everything you do to make things better here, and if you care about this little girl as much as you care about Mantle … then I wouldn't worry about her, because I know you won't let her down. If she's as damaged and unstable as you say she is, then she'll need someone as determined, caring, and loyal as you to help her keep it together. You have to make her understand that she can count on you when she needs it, maybe not like a mother, but like a big sister.
Like a big sister? Yeah, come to think of it, that was pretty much how it worked between them … And she sure couldn't take the role of her mother anyway. But that didn't fix Falcon's instability problem. She knew she couldn't do much right now except distract her while waiting for news from Qrow, but when she saw her in pain and couldn't help … There had to be something she could do!
-So what? Do I just doing what I was doing until now without changing anything?
-Well, you said she ended up opening up to you, it's proof that you're on the right track, you just have to be patient and persevere.
While Rook was still in the pharmacy, it had started to rain outside. Yang had put on her hood first, but she soon found herself completely soaked, she would have gone to shelter in a building, but apparently there were only lodgings around her, so she had to wait under the rain. Yet the weather was clear not long ago, but the clouds had appeared in just a few minutes. It reminded her of when Raven manipulated the weather to their advantage during raids, a thunderclap to signal the beginning of the attack, and another to signal retreat. The Maidens could manipulate nature as they saw fit, bending the elements as they wished.
She couldn't even control her flames anymore.
Yang lifted her head, letting the drops fall on her face as she gazed up at the rooftops. There was no longer a single pigeon outside, they must not like to fly in the rain, unlike her. She really missed flying … If she could fly, she wouldn't have so much trouble hiding from Ozpin, that old bastard had his nose way too deep into his stupid war to think of looking up, and no one would think of looking for a bird, and even then there were thousands of falcons in the world. But like every time she wanted to spread her wings, the same problem arose, her arm. She still didn't know if she would still have her right wing, and that terrified her. She didn't want to hope just to be stuck on the ground forever.
.
.
.
Usually that was when Rook called her to snatch her out of her thoughts and distract her from her worries, but now she was still talking to Pietro. He was quite nice, he reminded her a lot of Ramy but less gruff, Pietro probably didn't have a bottle of whiskey hidden behind his desk.
-Atchoum!
Okay, Rook better hurry or she would go home without her! Or maybe …
Yang looked up at the clouds. Discreetly, she opened her left hand and arched her fingers up. With her eyes closed, she tried to imagine the sky clearing and the clouds leaving, she saw them regroup in a single point, compact themselves into an object the size of a pearl …
A drop fell right on her forehead, followed by another on her nose, then another at the corner of her lips. Yang opened her eyes, the clouds were still there.
-I don't even know why I try …
Finally, Rook came out of the pharmacy saying goodbye to Pietro.
-Sorry, it took longer than I expected.
Yang shrugged as if she didn't care, but she knew Rook could see she was soaked.
-So, what's the program now?
-It depends, I had ideas but with a weather like that … Hey, in your arsenal of weird abilities, wouldn't you have a weather control power by any chance?
At this point, Yang really wanted to smash her head against a wall … But she didn't want to attract unnecessary attention, so she just glared at her. Rook raised an eyebrow, but as always, she didn't comment, instead she shook her head and put her hands on her hips, showing her usual smile.
-The rain might last a long time, we'd better get home for today. And I have an idea of what we can do tomorrow, I bet you've never been to the movies! There are some good horror movies out right now. I'm sure even you will be scared!
-Okay, note to myself: Falcon is not scared of horror movies. At all.
Next to Robyn, Falcon was crouched in her seat, her hand gripping the front seat firmly as she stared at the screen with extreme attention. She didn't look scared even once since the start of the movie, she just seemed to be deeply into the story …
-I mean, I should have expected that an assassin would not be disturbed by an imaginary serial killer …
At least it an activity that didn't fail and that she could reuse, even if the cinema was a bit expensive, it was worth it. It was always worth it if it could make her smile. Or as close as she could be to a smile.
Robyn thought back to the photo she had taken the day before. In almost four years, it was the first time she had seen Falcon smile. By petting a pigeon. It could have been completely absurd, but now that she thought about it … She had already mentioned that she had a good knowledge about birds, and it wasn't the first time that she approached one very closely without it getting scare, she had often found herself with a sparrow on her shoulder while scouting missions. On top of her choice of name … Did she have a special connection with birds? Besides her hereditary powers of fire and other stuff and her ability to get stronger when she takes hits? It wouldn't even be so amazing.
When the girls walked out of the theater, the sky was a dazzling blue, as if it was adjusting to Falcon's mood.
-What shall we do now?
-Well, it's lunchtime. You are hungry?
Falcon shrugged, and Robyn walked over to a tiny fast food restaurant she knew well. It was not haute cuisine, but it was edible, cheap, and the employees were friendly. It wasn't far so they didn't take long to get there, and as expected from a fast food restaurant at mealtime, it was packed, it wasn't even worth it to try of look for a place inside. There weren't too many options and Falcon usually didn't care what she ate as long as it was nutritious, so Robyn chose for her. After they finished eating, they found themselves walking the streets of Mantle with no specific destination.
It reminded her of when she lived in Mantle, when she trained for Atlas Academy and returned home exhausted with a rumbling stomach. Despite what people might think, she wasn't one of the most struggling, she had never been able to afford toys or nice clothes and the ends of the month were sometimes a bit hard, but she had always had a roof over her head and something in her stomach. Compared to the Faunus who lived in the slums, she had had a good life.
Besides, come to think of it, Falcon had almost had a luxurious childhood by Mantle's standards, she had hot food at every meal, her tent was spacious and insulated from the cold, she lived in a tight-knit community, if she wanted something she just had to take it during a raid … Yet she never complained, no matter in what conditions they had to eat or sleep since. She just adapted to her environment.
-If only she could adapt to people too …
-So? What do you think of my city?
Falcon looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged.
-It's kinda sad.
Robyn stopped dead in shock. What did she just say?
Falcon saw that she had stopped and turned around.
-What? It's true, everything is gray and cold, there is concrete everywhere, people all look depressed, and even when it is sunny it looks like everything's dead. How do people manage to stay here? It's like living in a cage …
Robyn blinked, her mouth open like a fish, unable to say anything. She obviously didn't expect Falcon to fall in love with Mantle after spending just a few days here, but neither did she expect to hear her adorable apprentice tell her that the city she would give her life for looked like to a cage to her. If anyone else had said that, they would have gotten an arrow between their eyes by now, but at the time, Falcon's comment caught her more off guard than anything else.
-A cage …?
Falcon nodded, shrugging her shoulders as if nothing happened. It wasn't important to her. Almost nothing was important to her. And Mantle wasn't important to anyone.
Robyn felt her blood boil. She hated to admit it, but Falcon wasn't wrong, there wasn't much here, no color, no greenery, no sounds other than car engines and the roar of the exterior heater, people weren't hanging out in the streets more than necessary because of the cold … and no one could afford to leave and start over on another continent.
But Robyn had grown up here, she had come to know every corner of this town, every person who lived there, she knew that even though this place looked like a ghost town from the outside, it was filled with close families, hard workers, talented people, like everywhere else.
But as much as Robyn loved her city, she also knew its flaws. The lack of resources and the dependence on Atlas, of course, but also many other things harder to discern. Mutual aid worked oddly enough here, everyone struggled to keep their heads above water, the slightest problem turned into a disaster, everyone sympathized, but no one came to help for fear of sinking too. No one would look askance at you because of your bad living conditions, no matter how bad they were, everyone would sympathize, but no one would lift a finger to do anything. Because no one could without risking being on the same level.
Except her. She was a Huntress, she had graduated Atlas Academy, she could easily make a living anywhere in Remnant without being afraid of the Grimm on the way. She could go and live her life without worrying about the rest of the world but that was out of the question!
She was the only one in a position to do something, she was the only protection Mantle had and she wouldn't let them down for the world!
-You might be right … But you know what? This is precisely why I work so hard. To change all that, to bring Mantle back to life.
-Why are you racking your brains for them so much? If they're too weak to fend for themselves, they don't deserve-…
-Because it's my family!
Falcon didn't answer, staring at her with wide eyes. It was the first time Robyn had raised her voice against her without her being already panicking or getting dangerously upset, and even then she had always tried to keep a calm tone. But even coming from Falcon, she wouldn't let anyone denigrate her city without reacting! Anyone!
-The Huntsmen are supposed to protect those who can't protect themselves, yet out of the dozens, maybe even the hundreds of Huntsmen from Mantle who have graduated from Atlas over time, I can count on one hand how many of them have put these skills to work for the city where they were born and raised, a city they know full well is in dire need of help. So even if I have to get my hands dirty and do all the dirty work myself, it's worth it! Also, if you consider the people here as "weak" then you are completely wrong! They work hard to make a living, everything they have they fought for it, and even more to keep it! Even with a flying kingdom full of pretentious assholes who have been looking down on them for decades, they keep their heads held high! Even though it's hard they don't let themselves be crushed and continue to work hard to make Mantle a livable place! They deserve to have someone to protect them just as much as any Kingdom! So I'll watch over Mantle, even if I have to do it on my own!
There was a moment of silence again, soft, light snow was beginning to fall, and Robyn was breathing heavily, trying to regain her composure. It was the first time since she had finished Atlas that she had the opportunity to say out loud how she felt for Mantle, it was years of frustrations and pent up anger that had just exploded … on Falcon.
And all of a sudden, all her confidence was gone. In front of her, Falcon looked as if she had seen a ghost, she had stepped back and was looking at her with wide eyes, her arm half raised in front of her as if preparing to defend herself.
Robyn also took a step back, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to yell at Falcon, the poor girl hadn't done anything wrong, Robyn asked her what she thought of Mantle and she just answered honestly! It was Robyn who had lost her temper and got angry with her unfairly! It was her fau-… Wait was she crying?!
-Falcon …?
The girl didn't respond, but small tears were starting to form at the corners of her eyes and her breathing seemed to speed up. Was she going to have a panic attack for this? Did it bring back bad memories in some way?
-Hey … Everything is fine, okay? I-I am sorry, I shouldn't have screamed at you for that …
Falcon looked at her as if a second head had sprouted from her, then wiped her eyes and turned her back to continue to Joanna's apartment with a quick step. Robyn caught up with her and walked in silence with her.
The apartment was empty when they arrived, and Falcon immediately slumped over to the old sofa, burying her face in the cushions, probably to hide her tears. Robyn hesitated to come and sit with her, but decided to give her some space for now. She still couldn't believe she had yelled at her like that …
-Talking about a big sister … In the meantime, I guess I can still take care of all these papers, keep my mind busy … Let's see …
Several long minutes passed during which Robyn focused all her attention on the documents in her hands, trying to determine which went together, which came from recent events and which were urgent. Right now she had two stacks of three sheets each, and at least fifty more sheets lying around the room.
The atmosphere and the silence were heavy, Robyn was almost afraid to make noise, but she tried her best to focus on what she was doing. It was important, the people of Mantle needed her, it was her duty to help them, no one else would …
-But Falcon needs me too.
Right now the girl was lying on her back, Robyn didn't hear her turn around, and was staring at the ceiling with a distant gaze. Whatever she remembered when she got yelled at, it had shaken her … What was she doing sorting papers? She had done something wrong and she was ignoring it rather than fixing it! This was exactly what she criticized Atlas for!
-Falcon?
She didn't turn her head, but her eyes were looking at her sideways, and Robyn wasn't sure if it was mistrust, anger, or something else inside.
-I'm really sorry I yelled at you … I lost my temper …
-It's okay, I know I'm not the one you were mad at.
Falcon straightened up and sat cross-legged, not facing her, but Robyn was pretty sure she had that distant look in her eyes again.
-I know I'm messed up inside. Mother tried to teach me to be normal but I didn't pay attention, I focused only on what would be useful for me to help the tribe, to read, write and count, to be organized and efficient, to fight against the Grimm … I don't understand using strength to protect the weak … But I know loyalty.
She finally turned her head, she still had little tears in the corners of her eyes.
-I understand that you shouted at me, I would've gotten mad too if someone had insulted my tribe.
Robyn was simply speechless. Falcon compared Mantle to her tribe? Was that why she had been so upset? Because she realized how much what she said could have hurt her? It was … It was the first time that she cared about someone else, usually she didn't care what might happen to the people around her, what they could feel after she had killed their loved one, even though she knew that pain, she had never shown the slightest trace of empathy until now …
But comparing Mantle to her tribe, and seeing how attached Robyn was to it and all she did to help them even though helping the weak didn't make sense to her … For the first time she could understand.
-Need a hug?
Falcon jumped off the couch and threw herself into Robyn's arms, sobbing. It had come completely by chance, but it was the biggest step forward they had made so far.
-And where is that one going?
-That one … Here.
Yang put the paper she had in her hand on the pile indicated by Rook, stepping over the piles on the floor as she passed. She had been helping Rook put the papers away since yesterday, and to say the least, it was a lot more complicated than doing the tribe's inventories. Still, she wasn't going to let her do it all on her own. It reminded her of when she was younger, and watching her mother stay awake until late at night to prepare for raids, she had always wanted to learn how to do the same so that she could help her, to be useful to her tribe. So instead, she would run around helping where she could, carrying a basket of laundry, cutting vegetables, cleaning weapons, whatever she was able to do, even if it was little, because it was her tribe, her family, and she would do anything for her.
She had never wondered why Rook was working as an assassin, it didn't matter to her, and she had never thought about the consequences when her new mentor took fewer high-risk, better-paying missions, and had narrowed her field of action, limiting her number of missions, to help her stay hidden, without even asking her from what … She didn't care.
But now that she knew… She couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty. Mantle was like Robyn's tribe, and if she had been in her shoes, Yang wouldn't even have considered making some near stranger who would surely bring her problems pass before her family. But that's what Robyn did for her, and what had she done in return? She had taken her to war without telling her by hiding from Ozpin behind her, she had made her work with a Huntsman who could report her to the police at any time and make Mantle lose the financial support she was giving them and that they really needed, and she had said horrible things about the city she would give her life for. If the roles had been reversed, Yang would have slaughtered her for less than that, still was giving her hugs and candies …
-You're crying again.
Yang quickly wiped her eyes and continued to tidy up. If that was the kind of regret her mother had felt the time she slapped her, she could totally understand why she passed out right after … except that Raven had only slapped her one single time, Yang had been a burden on Rook from day one and never cared about anything but herself, her secrets, her powers, her safety. She hadn't felt so bad since she had seen her mother pass out by her fault … She really deserved that slap in the face …
The least she could do right now was to help Rook take care with Mantle as if it were her own tribe.
The sound of a ringing Scroll echoed through the room. Rook glanced quickly at the screen and stood up, heading for the kitchen.
-It will just take a minute.
Yang nodded and continued to sort through the papers, or at least the ones she understood. She had never dealt with this sort of thing before, even when she was planning the raids. Maybe she should learn? Mother had told her that there was no such thing as unnecessary skill. But seeing how complicated it was, it would take a while, could she really ask Rook to take even more time for her than she already did?
After she finished sorting out what she could, Yang flopped down on the sofa and grabbed her doll. Its face was cracked, the wax that held her eyes had melted from the heat when she unleashed her powers in the wagon and now she could hear them rolling inside its head as she shook it. And to think her mother had taken great care of it all these years … All she had done was ruin it even more and buy it new clothes.
Yang gently put the doll next to her and looked at her hand. She focused, and a small flame appeared, no larger than a lighter flame, a blue flame.
-Rook! Look at that!
Still with the flame in her hand, she got up and ran to the kitchen, but as she was about to enter, the door swung open and nearly broke her nose. By reflex, she extinguishes the small flame before setting on fire the tons of papers that they had had so much trouble to sort.
-Hey watch out!
-What were you doing running into a door?
Yang didn't answer and ignored the amused tone in her voice, and relighted the little blue flame without a hitch.
-See? My control's back!
She looked up at Rook who was looking at her in astonishment, before regaining her usual smirk.
-I knew you were much cuter when you smile.
What? She was smiling? Yes, that's right, she was … She hadn't smiled since … since … she didn't even know …
Rook put a warm hand on her shoulder.
-I'll have to leave for a few days.
-What?!
-Don't worry. Remember, no one knows where you are, and no one will think of looking for you here. And Joanna isn't gonna to kick you out, even though she might make you think she is.
Yang nodded, although she didn't like it too much. She couldn't ask her to stay, if she had to go and leave her, she had to have a good reason, right …?
-Okay … When are you coming back?
-In three or four days at most, and I'll call you if I have a problem on the way. Can you manage without me until then?
-Yes …
Rook hugged her. She was already reaching her chest. Yang hugged her tighter than ever and felt the tears rise again. Finally, she reluctantly let go, Rook grabbed her bag, said goodbye, and walked away quickly, as if in a hurry.
Yang didn't try to look at her out the window this time. It felt like when her mother went on a raid, the same feeling of emptiness. She didn't even asked her why or where she was going. As if she didn't care. Again.
The days passed quickly enough without Rook. At the beginning Yang didn't dare to go out alone, and she had hardly spoken to the other girls. She had, however, continued to help Joanna sort through the papers that seemed to be multiplying in her small apartment, and sometimes helped her cook, although the young woman was skeptical of letting her do it because of her missing arm. Until she mentioned it, Yang had completely forgotten, after all these years it had become natural for her to do everything with one arm.
It was that thought that motivated her to finally get out return to training, now that she had regained her basic control over her powers. She still didn't know what had gone wrong last time, or why it had worked out, but she liked to think it was thanks of Rook. So she returned to the mountain gorges where Rook had taken her last time and practiced until she was exhausted. The blue flames demanded more concentration, but she was improving, her lack of precision was compensated by her power, even more destructive than before. A molten rock crater almost twice her size currently stood in front of her.
With a satisfied smile, she started to walk home, dodging the acid puddles from the Cenitaur she had just burned alive as she walked. She didn't take her weapon, she came here to practice magic, not swordship. Also, even if she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was better off without it. She only had one hand, obviously it was better for her if the hand in question was free! She mostly used the sword because it was her mother's, Qrow had given it to her before burying Raven because he felt it rightfully belonged to her. Of course at the time none of them knew that her mother had already had a personalized weapon made for her, nor that it was the least suitable weapon now that she had lost an arm …
Yang started to walk up the stairs to the apartment. Maybe she should practice with it anyway, just in case? She had a katana and a dagger, why not add two more blades to her arsenal? She would try this tomorrow, for now, she wanted a shower, the price of water was ridiculously low in Mantle, apparently they got it from the snow, but to heat it cost a fortune, luckily she used to wash in the river since she was little, so that didn't bother her. Even if she wouldn't say no to a good hot bath …
She entered the apartment dragging her feet with fatigue, and like every day, she came crashing down on the old couch that she had somehow claimed for herself, and let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes.
-Tired?
Yang immediately opened her eyes and straightened up, drawing the dagger permanently hidden in her sleeve, pointing it at the intruder, but almost dropped it in shock upon seeing the man leaning against the table with his gourd in his hand, and an amused smile on his lips.
-Qrow?!
Tadaaam !
It's been awhile since I wrote a long chapter like that, but it's easier to put several events together like that !
So several tings. First, the Maiden's powers ... I don't know for you, but in the show they really feel more like an overpowered Semblance than actual magic to me. I mean, Semblances and Dust are also magic from our point of view so the difference isn't that big. So I changed it a bit so that it reacts to Yang's emotions but also kind of have it's own mind ... does that make sens ? I just want it to feel magic and not just look magic.
Second, Yang's unstability is a PAIN TO WRITE BUT I LOVE IT ! It's actually pretty funny to purposly make her overeact and sometime embarass herself because of it n_n But it's also pretty hard to write correctly, to make the difference between what is on pursose and what is an incoherence, so I brougth Pietro in, because we all love him and deserve a big hug. And yes, he knows that Robyn and Yang are assassins but didn't say a word to anyone because he understand why she does it. And I added a kid corner in the pharmacy because it just suits him so well n_n
Third, am I the only one who notice how similar Robyn and Raven are? At first I just liked Robyn because of her style and attitude, but then I started to write the fic and I swear I didn't even have to try to make her talk, act and think the same way as Raven. Seriously, remplace Mantle by the Branwen tribe and pouf! Raven! They are both snarky, overconfident, they act before thinking about everything, they hate secrets, they are at the head of their respective people, they are super loyal to them and vice versa, they put their people before the fight against Salem (abandonning Mantle to send Atlas in the sky would have actually work or at least make them gain a lot of time), they caused trouble by attacking the "good guys" (attack on Heaven and on Clover), they have a bird name, a bird-related emblem, they are close to Qrow ... I could keep going, but in short, Robyn is just like Raven WITH BLOND HAIR AND PURPLE EYES ! SERIOUSLY WHO THE FUCK THINK OF THAT ?! DID THEY EVEN NOTICE ?!
*cough*
Sorry, it's just that I wanted to point it out for months now so ... damn I'd love to see those two have a talk, that would be fucking amazing ! Hey can someone write a fic about RavenxRobyn ? I don't have time to do it myself right now XD
Anyways, the next chapter will also take long to be post, sorry in advance. Next time, we will see those days from Qrow's POV ! And he won't have it easy either !
Bye !