Hello!
I know, I took ages again, but I have an excuse! That excuse is ... I had 130 episodes to catch up on Boruto. Yep. ...
Also I had my first job this month but they didn't keep me after the trial period because apparently I "don't communicate enough" ... AS A SEAMSTRESS ?!
At least it lets me more time to prepare for the cosplay contest next week, I will be going as Raven again. And I started a cosplay of Alyx! Yes, from Volume 9, I already have the hair, shirt and boots so why not?
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Four years.
It had been four years since Yang had been able to fly for the last time, yet her bird body remembered all the aerial moves and acrobatics she loved to do as if she had last flown yesterday. The wind in her feathers, the ground closing in at full speed as she swooped down but looked like it was zooming in slow motion, the breathtaking view from the clouds… She had never seen an island from the sky, she had never flown above the mistralian forest, and although the trees changing color was a breathtaking sight, it was absolutely not comparable to the beauty of the ocean, an endless sea of the brightest and softest blue she had ever seen, reflecting the thousand shades of orange in the sky as the sun went down. Gorgeous…
There were probably many other places with such a beautiful view in the world, and now that she had her wings back, she was going to explore them all!
Yang transformed back into a human and landed with a backflip before jumping and running towards Qrow and Rook who were playing cards, and seeing the frown on Qrow's face and Rook's cocky smile, it wasn't very hard to figure out who was winning.
She was really happy that they ended up getting along, she still remembered their first meeting, they looked like they were going to kill each other as soon as she turned her back, and she couldn't remember hearing them talk about each other with anything other than insults. She hadn't paid too much attention to it, at the time she didn't really care what they thought, if they wanted to work together despite their differences, it was their problem, she didn't force them to do anything, besides, the people she grew up with had a much more colorful language than that and they still got along. But now that she saw them interacting without actively trying not to tear each other apart, that she saw them laughing and spending time together even when she wasn't there... Yeah, that was what she wanted her family to look like.
"Oh come on!" Qrow huffed, tossing his cards between them as Rook smirked victoriously.
"I don't think I've ever won so many times in a row. Thanks Qrow." she said while picking up the cards, until she noticed Yang walking towards them, "Hey look, firecracker is finally back."
Qrow turned to her, and his scowl immediately changed to a smile, "Ah good, I was starting to wonder if you'd made yourself a nest on the side of the cliff."
Yang rolled her eyes and sat down with them, "I went for a walk around town and then flew around a bit on the way back."
"Skipping training to go shopping? It's not very serious." Rook joked.
"What were you doing in town?" asked Qrow.
Yang shrugged, "Not much, I ate skewers, played in the sea a bit… Oh, look what I picked up!"
She opened the leather pouch attached to her belt that was supposed to be used to carry Dust ammunition for her tantos, and pulled out a large handful of seashells. She didn't really know what she was going to do with them, but they were just so pretty, she couldn't resist…
"Nice loot." Qrow took a sip from his bottle, before putting it next to the one he drank the day before. He drank a lot, and she didn't even know where he kept all those bottles, there definitely wasn't enough space in his tent.
"Why don't you use a flask? That way you wouldn't end up with a collection of empty bottles." That was what most people did in the tribe.
Rook dropped her head in her hands with a desperate groan, while Qrow rubbed his chin thinking "Not dumb. I'll see if they have any the next time I'm in town."
Yang nodded and put her seashells back in her pouch, "Ah also, I talked to one of the two guards you found in the mountains, the one that almost fell off the cliff." she said turning to Qrow, "He works in a tattoo parlor now apparently and he told me he'd give you half price if you wanted, as a thanks for saving him."
"I don't really plan on getting butchered in the coming days, but it's nice of him."
"You're sure? I can totally see you with 'birdbrain' written on your forehead." Rook joked, and Qrow responded by raising his middle finger to her.
Yang hesitated for a moment as she played with a strand of hair, before finally asking, "While we're at it… Can I get a tattoo…?" The two adults immediately stopped their bickering, and slowly turned to her, staring at her with wide eyes, "Please."
Qrow looked horrified at the thought, and he opened his mouth to let him know, but Rook beat him by half a second.
"Sure, why not?" she answered with a shrug.
"Really?!" Yang asked enthusiastically.
"Really?!" Qrow asked with a shocked expression. They clearly did not have the same opinion on the matter but Rook was on her side, she just had to convince Qrow.
"Of course, you're old enough to decide stuff like that on your own." Rook explained.
"She's fourteen!" Qrow exclaimed.
"So what? She's got a tree digits body count, are you really gonna make a big deal out of a drawing?"
"I'm just worried it will make her more recognizable during missions. If anyone sees a girl on the street with the same tattoo as the Burning Falcon…" he began to explain, before getting cut off by Rook.
"And on that day, mankind invented clothes." she said dramatically as if making an announcement to an audience.
Yang lowered her head, she hadn't thought of that. She was trying so hard not to let anyone link Yang to Falcon, and a tattoo might ruin it all… But she really wanted one! She had progressed so much here, with her powers, her transformation, Rook and Qrow finally getting along, a place safe from Ozpin where she could spread her wings again… She was getting tired of living in fear, she wanted to be able to do what she wanted when she wanted, be free like she used to! If she wanted a tattoo, she would get a tattoo!
The sky began to cloud over, and small drops began to fall.
Yang looked up determinedly, and saw Rook glaring at Qrow while growling in his direction. He turned his head away, and fell on Yang's puppy eyes, a few drops of rain were dropping from her wet bangs like little tears.
"Please Uncle Qrow."
"Why did I agree to this again…?" Qrow lamented, sitting in a chair in the only tattoo parlor of the island.
In front of him, Yang was excited and barely able to hold still while the old woman who owned the salon prepared the equipment. At least it really seemed to make him happy.
He didn't like the idea of her getting a tattoo, and not because she might get noticed or because she was too young to make a decision like that and might regret it. The problem was that Tai had a tattoo, on his arm just like she wanted. He knew she hated her father and didn't like the parts of her that resembled him like the color of her hair, and having that in common with him might make her pretty mad when she found out. But he couldn't resist her puppy eyes… Ironically, that too she got from Tai, because anything cute about her certainly didn't come from her mother.
"Okay, everything's set up. Are you sure of your choice?" the old lady asked showing Yang the drawing on her left arm with a mirror.
"Yup!" she nodded enthusiastically, which made the lady laugh.
"Well, in that case. And remember, no Aura or the needle will break on your skin."
Yang nodded, and the tattoo artist started her work. Qrow saw her wince in pain when the needle started to pierce her skin, and he couldn't help but clench his fist on his pants, as if he were the one in pain. He knew she had faced much worse, if he had to choose between a severed arm and a tattoo the choice would be obviously, but that didn't mean he liked seeing Yang suffer.
When he was a kid, there was a guy in the tribe who did tattoos, he stayed for a few weeks and tattooed almost everyone for free before moving to a village to open a real parlor. Qrow really wanted to get a tattoo too at the time, he wanted a 'mega cool' sword tattoo, but he was too afraid that his Semblance would blow up the machine or cause some other disaster, so he stayed away. But faced with the insistence of Raven who had even promised to get a tattoo with him if he went, he finally dared to ask. Only to get kicked out because he wasn't even ten.
Would Raven have approved of Yang having a tattoo? Would she have let the kiddo do whatever she wanted regardless of her age, or would she have found her too young? Hard to say. But Rook had a good point about that, after everything Yang had already done, what was the problem with a picture on her arm? The ends of her hair were still purple. Raven had taken Yang on a raid when she was eight, she probably wouldn't say anything about a tattoo… Although, according to the girl herself, her mother was sometimes very strict with her on certain topics, so who knows, maybe tattoos would have fallen in this category.
In the end, it didn't matter. Raven was gone, it wasn't up to her to decide of that, it was up to Qrow and Rook, and they had decided that Yang could have a tattoo at fourteen if she wanted. Although he had almost changed his mind when he saw the size of the tattoo she wanted… Seriously, this thing was the size of his hand, prominently displayed at the top of her usable arm, why couldn't she start with some little shit on the ankle like everyone else?!
The light in the room dimmed, and Qrow turned to the window to see that the sky was getting cloudy again, just like yesterday. It hadn't rained more than a few droplets, but this time it looked like a downpour was coming.
"Ouch!"
The tattoo artist rolled her eyes and continued her work without caring about the complaints.
He was going to be here for quite a while, since Yang was a minor she had to have an adult with her, so Qrow settled more comfortably in his chair and glanced at his Scroll. He'd had fifteen missed calls from Summer in the first week alone, then a good hundred messages ranging from 'Is everything okay?' to 'Qrow Branwen, if you don't call me back within the next five seconds, I'll come get you in person and pop out your eyes with a rusty fork!'… She was so insistent that he almost gave in, but each time he looked around, and saw Yang doing her best in her training, Oceane participating despite her injuries, and Rook constantly making sure that everyone was in a good mood… And then, after a few weeks, the messages had stopped. Radio silence. Once again he had been tempted to call back to ask if everything was okay on her end, but he was able to resist. Still, he knew he couldn't escape the lecture of the century the next time he saw his teammate, maybe a few minutes late if Ruby was there.
Speaking of Ruby, she was about to turn twelve. She too was growing up fast, and he wasn't there to see it, which obviously made him a little sad. Even though Ruby wasn't his biological niece like Yang, he still held her when she was a baby, he bought her candy behind her parents' backs, he let her fall asleep on his shoulder when they watched a movie together and carried her to bed afterwards… He had never questioned it, family and genetics had always been completely different things for him. Yet he couldn't deny that he was doing much more for Yang than he had ever done for Ruby.
Of course it wasn't just about genetics, he had met the girls in very different circumstances, Ruby had two loving and responsible parents who looked after her every day, he didn't have much more to do than to visit her from time to time and play with her, while Yang was practically orphan, without a home and without any other family than him, if he wasn't here for her, no one else would be. She had Rook, yes, but that was a freak fluke.
But that didn't stop him from missing Ruby…
Qrow opened his Scroll's photo gallery, and went to the bottom of a secret, password-protected folder to find the photo Rook had sent him some time ago, of Yang petting a pigeon on her shoulder, smiling in the streets of Mantle, the first smile he ever saw from her. It was risky to have that photo with him, just as much as the paper photo of Yang and Raven, but it was a risk he was willing to take, to remind himself why he was making all these sacrifices. He just wanted to see her happy.
"OUCH! »
He still had a lot of work to do…
"Ouch…"
Why did she want a tattoo again? It hurt like hell! And she couldn't even use her Aura to dull the pain! When Vernal got her tattoo, she told her that it was uncomfortable but nothing more! LIAR!
"Come on princess, it's almost over, I only have the eyes left to do."
Yang nodded and clenched her fist. She still remembered when she was little, maybe five or six years old, and she asked her mother if she could have a tattoo like Vernal. Of course, the answer was a non-negotiable no, and it didn't stop her from complaining to anyone who would hear her for several days. At the time she thought they were sympathizing with the unfairness of her situation, but now that she thought about it, they must have just had a good laugh behind her back.
But her little campaign had worked in the end, because when they returned from the next raid, a dozen people had brought her temporary tattoos for children. She hadn't asked them, she didn't even know these existed, but she had been so excited, and all summer long she had had her arms and legs covered in tattoos of candy, funny patterns, and characters from cartoons she still hadn't watched. She also remembered refusing to bath for almost two weeks for fear that the tattoos would come off… Until her mother had enough and threw her fully clothed in the river. And she would deny having cried until the end of her days.
But she was no longer a child, she no longer needed a temporary tattoo, she had a real, permanent one, like Vernal.
Suddenly, the needle that was cutting into his skin stopped, as did the machine that made it work. Yang looked at her arm excitedly, but found herself disappointed to see that the second eye wasn't done.
"What's wrong? Did you run out of ink?" she asked.
The tattoo artist tapped the machine with a worried look, but nothing happened, "No, I think the motor just gave up on me. Just before the end, that's really unlucky…"
Yang sighed and looked at the tattoo on her left arm. It was a plain black bird with its wings outstretched, as if flying up her arm, just below her shoulder, it wasn't a specific type of bird and it was vague enough that it could be a raven, a Nevermore or a big sparrow. It was supposed to have two red eyes with flames coming out of them, like a Maiden's eyes, but the machine had broken before the left eye could be done.
"Will you be able to finish it?" Qrow asked.
"Unfortunately, it's the only machine I have. I rarely have enough demand to need to do two clients at once." the lady shook her head, "I can get it fixed but it will take a day or two."
Yang looked at the bird again. It was really well done, she wasn't an expert but the lines were smooth and clean, not a thing sticking out, and the red of the only eye was bright and the flames on the side, although small, were flowy and vibrant and looked exactly like the ones that came out of her own eyes when she used her powers.
"Actually, I like it that way."
Qrow and the tattoo artist turned to her with wide eyes, and she simply shrugged.
"Well yeah, it's so well made, it doesn't matter if it's missing an eye, I'm missing an arm and I'm doing fine." she explained, pointing at her stump with her left hand, then immediately regretted it when her upper arm reminded her of what she had just been through, "Ouch…"
After a moment of silence, the old woman burst out laughing, "I like the way you think, girl! Come on, for the trouble I'll give you a little discount."
Qrow looked hesitant, but said nothing. He looked conflicted, maybe he still didn't agree with the tattoo? He wasn't wrong that it might cause her trouble when she was working as the Burning Falcon, but it was high enough on her arm that any sleeve could hide it. Besides, after training so much, she deserved a small reward.
The tattoo artist explained to them how to take care of her arm and Qrow paid, and they headed towards the beach. The sky had cleared up compared to this morning even if there were still some clouds, the ground was still wet from the rain but the children were playing in the streets and jumping with both feet in the puddles, and a toucan decided to come to rest on her shoulder, staring at the newly tattooed arm with a confused expression.
"I think he's wondering what type of bird it is." Qrow said with an amused smile, and the toucan made a small affirmative noise.
"None in particular, there are so many that I like, I couldn't choose." Yang replied, scratching the neck of the toucan, who seemed to appreciate it, although he left to join his friends on the roof of a house, probably to tell them what she had just said. Birds were usually very curious and they loved to gossip.
"Is it just me or can you actually talk with them?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, it's just like with someone who's mute, just because they don't speak doesn't mean they can't communicate." she explained. Maybe it was because of her power, but she had no trouble understanding what the birds that came to see her wanted from her, and they didn't seem to be afraid of her in the least bit, especially since she could fly again.
After a while, the two Branwens arrived to a stone building near the beach larger than the usual wooden houses, painted in bright colors that looked like multicolored waves, with a large playground in which stood two basketball hoops and a few abandoned balls. Through the windows, she could see children sitting quietly at their desks, listening to the teacher who was talking, walking back and forth in front of a blackboard.
Yang had never set foot in school, it was her mother who taught her to read, write and count, told her the history of Remnant and the war between Ozpin and Salem, explained to her the properties of the plants she could find in the forest, and taught her how to lead the tribe and be a good leader. It had taken some time of course, but that was all she needed to know.
It made her a little curious, she knew these kids were learning different things from her, but she couldn't imagine what. Of course she knew that they would never hear of magic and that their history lessons were mainly focus on the history of Faunus and Menagerie, it made sense, but other than that, what more could they learn that she didn't know? Through the window she could see a triangle drawn on the board with things written around it, but she had no idea what that meant, maybe geography?
Suddenly a shrill noise sounded, scaring away all the birds in the area, and the children gradually came running out of the building, some of her age and others younger, followed by a few adults in the middle of which was Rook. She had been asked to do a little presentation on her work as a Huntress, since there were apparently very few Huntsmen on the island and since they had all lived here for a long time, they did not have as much worldwide experience as she did.
Qrow waved at her and she joined them with a smile on her face. She apparently enjoyed talking to children about her job, which was a little silly considering she had worked as an assassin much longer than she had worked as a Huntress.
"So how did the tattoo go?" she asked them, leaning towards Yang's arm wrapped in plastic.
"It hurts, it's like repeatedly sticking a knife in your arm in slow motion. And in addition the machine broke before the end. Yang complains.
Rook's smile fell, "Oh… I hope you're not too disappointed?" she asked guiltily, she was the one who encouraged her to get it after all.
Yang glanced at her arm and shrugged with a smile, "No it's okay, it looks cool."
Rook looked reassured by her answer, and the small group set off towards the mountains.
With her sore arm, she couldn't train today, but it didn't matter, according to Oceane it wasn't the physical training she needed to focus on right now. She was getting closer and closer to being able to use the rest of her powers, sometimes when she closed her eyes she even felt like she was already using them, she felt her blood cooling enough to freezing everything around her just like it boiled when she used her flames she felt a connection to the wind and the ground and could almost see them moving with her eyes closed the same way she understood birds without them actually speak. Yet when she opened her eyes, nothing had moved, nothing had changed.
She was so close to finally get it, and after that they could leave the island and each go back to what they were doing before their lives were interrupted by her teenage crisis. Oceane would go back to do missions for Ozpin, hopefully staying vigilant, Qrow would probably do ordinary missions now since he had left the group, and Rook would continue the assassinations, just like before. But... Maybe it was selfish, but Yang didn't want to leave, she felt safe here, she could use her powers without holding back and without fear of the consequences, away from the threat of Ozpin, she could train and hang out in nature all day, and when she came home she had dinner around a campfire surrounded by all the people she cared about, like in the tribe. It was the lifestyle she had grown up with, the one she was most comfortable with, and she didn't want to lose it again.
But she didn't want to be a burden on Qrow and Rook either, they also had things to do.
"Damn, the sky is starting to cloud over again." Rook sighed. Sure enough, the little moment of sunshine was over and dark clouds were beginning to invade the sky again.
"I knew it had passed too quickly." Qrow looked at the mountain in front of them they hadn't started to climb yet, then the town they had just left, then turned to Rook, "Firecracker and I can fly there, but I don't know if it's a good idea for you to make the trip in the rain, it's already not super safe usually so now..."
Right as he said that, small drops began to fall, and Yang looked up at the sky. If only she had already learned to control the weather...
Rook thought for a moment, then sighed, "Yeah, go ahead without me, I'll find shelter in town and join you when it calms down." she said, pulling the hood of her scarf over her head. She looked disappointed, was it because it was raining, or because she couldn't come with them? She didn't feel left out, did she?
"Wait! I'll stay with you!" Yang decided. Rook looked like she wanted to protest, but Yang took her hand and started pulling her towards the town. She was causing her mentor enough trouble like that, she didn't want to leave her alone in the rain.
Once in town, they entered the first place they found, which turned out to be a small supermarket, almost empty, there was only a cashier and another customer. Outside the rain wasn't very heavy, but it was enough to make the mountain trails treacherous, they probably wouldn't be back at the camp until tonight.
"Great, it was supposed to be a good day." Rook complained, "Looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while so we might as well grab something to eat."
She then walked to the section of the store where the sandwiches were and took two of them, went to pay and sat down at a table in the back in a corner where people usually came with a coffee and their laptop, as indicated by the few accessible outlets and the sign with the wifi password. Yang went to sit next to her and ate her sandwich in silence. The rain was falling rhythmically on the roof, creating a pleasant but not very entertaining background noise. There wasn't much to do while waiting for the rain to pass, and Rook seemed too focused on her Scroll to argue. What was she doing anyway? Usually she would have already started the conversation by telling her about her day or gently making fun of Qrow, it wasn't like her to be so quiet.
Yang leaned over to take a look.
May: But it's already been two months!
Robyn: I know, I'm doing my best
May: Thanks, that really helps me…
May? She wasn't one of Rook's friends that Yang had met in Mantle.
May: Come on Robyn, we need you, Mantle needs you
Robyn: Look, just give me a month okay? We're almost done here
May: According to who? You, the drunk guy you're always complaining about, the blue-haired chick you just met, or the whiny kid you carry around all the time?
"Hey! Who is she calling a whiny kid?!" Yang indignantly read the last message.
"Who said you could read my messages?!" Rook closed her Scroll, and Yang flinched at the aggressiveness in her voice. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction...
"Sorry, I was just curious…" she answered a little guiltily.
"That's not a reason, that sort of thing is private." her mentor scolded her.
Rook sighed and put her Scroll in her pocket without saying anything, which reassured Yang a little. She probably wasn't too upset, otherwise she'd be throwing insults at her. But it still hurt to see her angry...
"Mantle needs you."
Yang clenched her fist. She had almost forgotten why Rook was an assassin, it wasn't for fun or boredom, it was to help Mantle. The entire town depended on her financially as Atlas completely ignored them. But here, she obviously couldn't take contracts, and even the missions she did were free. For two months now an entire town had been cut off from its main financial support... Yang single-handedly put an entire town in danger, all because she was unable to use the rest of her powers.
The rain was now quite heavy outside, and the sound of raindrops on the wooden roof echoed through the nearly empty store.
Rook stood up and motioned for Yang to wait for her, leaving her alone in the secluded corner of the store.
She remembered going through her mother's things without permission once, although she couldn't remember what she was looking for or what she found, but she remembered her mother got angry as well. She should have learned her lesson, but it completely slipped her mind. As usual, she acted first and thought later.
She didn't want to be a burden on the people she cared about anymore, she was tired of her weakness causing them problems. If she had been stronger the night her tribe was attacked, her mother wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself. If she had been stronger on the mission in Atlas, she could have avoided the General finding out she was a Maiden, and Qrow wouldn't have all these problems with Ozpin. If she had been stronger on the train, she could have killed Oceane and the other Huntress and leave no witnesses, and Rook could focus all her attention on the town she cared about so much.
As soon as her arm recovered from the tattoo, she would double her efforts in training to be able to go back as soon as possible, even if she wanted to stay. Mantle was more important.
Right then, Rook came back and sat next to her, and handed Yang a bag of marshmallows.
"Eat, time will pass faster." she said with a warm and reassuring smile. She didn't seem upset at all anymore, yet when she was mad at someone it usually took her more than a few minutes to calm down.
Yang took the bag hesitantly, "You're not mad at me?"
Rook shook her head, "Of course not, although I really don't appreciate you reading through my messages, it's not the end of the world. But don't do it again, okay?" she said firmly, and Yang nodded.
They both started eating their snack, marshmallows for Yang and chips for Rook.
"Who is May?" I don't remember having met her. Yang asked with his mouth full.
"An old friend I made at the Academy. She had some stuff to deal with in Atlas when you were in Mantle." Rook explained, "She's the one who handles the money I send over there and makes sure the administration doesn't see anything suspicious when poor families suddenly get a lot of cash. I'm honestly not sure how she does it, but I trust her."
"And it causes problems that you no longer take contracts?" she finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Rook hesitated to answer, then stuffed a handful of chips her mouth, "The city isn't on the verge of bankruptcy if that's what you're asking, but yeah, the absence of my paychecks is noticeable."
Yang looked away. Just like she thought, Mantle was in trouble because of her...
A hand landed on her shoulder, and when she turned her head, she found Rook looking at her with a worried face.
"You're all right firecracker?" she asked.
"Yeah yeah. I'm just sorry to give you trouble." she admitted softly, clenching her fist in frustration, "If I didn't suck so bad at magic you wouldn't be stuck here for so long… I'm doing my best, I swear, and I'm almost there! I don't understand why I can't!" she exclaimed before pulling her leg up to her chest and resting her arm on it. Her freshly tattooed skin protested but she ignored it, she didn't have a thousand ways to cross her arms...
Rook shook her head and put her arm around Yang to pull her close, and the not-so-little blonde girl instinctively rested her head on her mentor's shoulder. She really liked that, it reminded her of her mother's hugs, the same warmth, the same gentleness, as if nothing could happen to her, cradled by the sound of the rain on the roof.
"Don't worry about that. Whether you like it or not, you're the child and we're the adults, so let us handle the big problems and focus on growing up at your own pace, okay?" Rook replied, and Yang nodded somewhat reluctantly. She knew Rook was right but still, she wasn't a just child anymore!
A warm hand rested on her head and gently stroked her hair, like her mother did when she was little, and Yang allowed herself to close her eyes. She thought back to her first meeting with Rook, when she came to talked to her with confidence, how easily she read through her thoughts, her offer to take her on as an apprentice, the way she had just switched hand when she saw her right arm was missing, without asking about it and without looking at her with pity like she was some wounded animal.
If Rook hadn't reached out to her that day, she would have stayed all alone, probably forever, she was barely in contact with Qrow at the time and she had no one else, she didn't want anyone else. Her heart was shattered in pieces and she felt nothing but anger and fear, but Rook hadn't let her drown in her loneliness. She had taken her under her wing, had given her space while reminding her that she was there, she had never insisted on knowing more about her past but she had always listened, she had comforted her whenever she needed it, had taken her to safety before she even knew what the danger was, hadn't let her down after realizing what she was getting herself into...
Yang let a smile appear on her lips. She was glad Rook found her...
Robyn chuckled as Falcon swallow down marshmallow after marshmallow without stopping. Luckily she always remembered to brushing her teeth on her own or she already wouldn't have any teeth anymore.
Taking advantage of the calm, Robyn pulled out her Scroll again and glanced at the latest texts from her chat with May.
Robyn: So 1, her name is Falcon, and 2, if I tell you we're almost done, we're almost done, trust me
May: Wow, calm down ok? Seriously what's going on with you lately?
Robyn: A lot of things so let me take care of it, I already have enough things on my mind without you pressuring me even more
May: I don't want to pressure you, it's just that everything is collapsing without you here
May: Seriously Robyn, what's so important about this kid that you're abandoning Mantle for her?
Robyn stared at the bright screen biting her lip, her finger above the keyboard not knowing what to write. She hadn't told her friends about what Qrow had told her about the Maidens and all that, she didn't have the chance yet and she didn't even know if she should or not, it would be the first time that she would have to keep such a big secret. She hated being lied to, and since she wasn't a hypocrite, she had always been honest with people, she always said what she thought, good and bad, and she never kept secrets unless it was a matter of privacy, and her friends knew it, they trusted her. But now…
Robyn: I can't explain everything by text, but it's big, very big
Robyn: And I'm not abandoning Mantle either, I just can't be everywhere at once.
To be honest, May's insistence these past few days was really starting to get on her nerves. She knew that Mantle depended heavily on her income from her work as an assassin, and that the longer she stayed here, the more the town lost what little money it had. And the worst part was that Falcon understood that as well...
It was a little weird, she had spent her life doing everything in her power to help Mantle, she volunteered to help her neighbors all her childhood, she attended Atlas Academy to change the things from the inside, she had literally killed dozens of people to keep the town financially afloat, but now her biggest worry was that a teenager she had met just four years ago was feeling guilty for the situation.
But she could also understand May's concern, even though Robyn shouldn't be carrying so much responsibility alone, she still did, she couldn't just disappear off the radar for months without a backup plan...
She was about to apologize, when she received another message.
May: Yeah well maybe you should review your priorities!
Robyn felt a vein pulsate on her forehead and typed her reply so fast she barely realized what she had written before hitting the send button.
Robyn: FUCK YOU
She waited several minutes, but May didn't answer. Great, she had managed to argue with one of her best friends from across the planet. She would have quite a few explanations and excuses to make when she got back to Mantle...
"Hey, you two." the cashier called as he walked towards them, "It's stopped raining so get out." he said with some aggression.
It was really random here, some Faunus had no problem with them being human, while others gave them the side eye and insulted them behind their back before they even met them. Was that how Faunus felt in big cities?
Robyn didn't argue and she and Falcon got up to leave. Sure enough, there were only a few clouds left in the sky and this time it didn't look like another downpour was coming. It had been faster than she expected.
"Come on firecracker, let's go home." Robyn said holding out her hand, which Falcon took before following her on the way home. How many times had she reached out her hand to someone, only to see them recoil with a frightened look and mumble that she was going to read their minds or some other crap like that…?
As she expected, even though it was no longer raining, the ground was soaked and muddy, the rocks slippery, it was so difficult that Falcon had decided to stay in bird form while Robyn climbed on foot, dragging herself up with the help of her poor featherless human limbs… Though she would never admit it out loud, Qrow was right, she was totally jealous.
Despite her efforts, the small rocks under her feet slipped and swept her leg away, and Robyn narrowly avoided falling over the edge, her right leg hanging over the edge off the trail as the rest of her body lay in the mud. It was close...
The falcon perched above her transformed back, and Falcon helped her up.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"Yeah, but it's starting to get really dangerous here…" Robyn replied looking down the ravine as a drop of sweat trickled down her temple. She might be able to survive the fall thanks to her Aura, but she had no idea how she would get back up, and she sure didn't want to try and find out.
As if to make fun of her, as soon as she took a step, the ground moved again.
Robyn barely had time to react even though everything seemed to happen in slow motion, by the time she realized what was happening, the trail she was standing on a moment ago was already at eye level and kept moving further away quickly. This time it wasn't just a few small rocks, it was a huge piece of the path that was sliding down the mountain, like an elevator going down at full speed towards death.
In a fraction of a second, she deployed her crossbow and shot an arrow tied to a wire towards the wall. The arrow landed perfectly between two rocks, and Robyn let out a small hiss of pain as the full weight of her body tugged hard on her left arm. Her heart was racing and she was struggling to catch her breath, the piece of trail she had been standing on seconds ago crashed at the bottom of the ravine with a loud noise. It had been a long time since she had had such an adrenaline rush…
Another drop of sweat trickled down her brow as she peeked under her feet. She wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but she would be lying if she said that the hundred meters high wall covered with sharp rocks didn't intimidate her a little bit.
She then looked up. She was hanging about four or five meters from the trail where Falcon was still standing. A bit far but not dramatic, the wall was far from smooth so she could climb. She was still a Huntress, no matter how dirty she got her hands she was still able to fight against monsters of destruction that were many times her size, it would take more than a small rockslide to kill her.
While moving as little as possible to avoid dislodging her arrow, she put one foot on the wall, then the other, then clung on with her right hand. A few meters of climbing should go just fine.
"Rook! Are you okay?" Falcon called with a hint of concern.
"Yeah yeah, just give me a minute!"
Robyn took a deep breath and slowly pulled herself from one hold to the next as the cable of her crossbow slowly retracted to stay taut. And as she slowly got closer to the edge, her heartbeat began to calm down. It wasn't that hard and the wall felt stronger than she expected, and her cable kept her from falling any lower than she managed to climb back up. Easy.
Soon, faster than expected, she found herself less than a meter away from the edge where Falcon was waiting for her, holding out her hand to help her. Normally Robyn would have accepted the help, it was Falcon after all, she was more than capable of lifting a grown woman with one arm, but given the fragility of the ground, she didn't want to take the risk of making big sudden movements.
So she shook her head with a reassuring smile and continued climbing. She was almost there, no need to worry. The ledge was within reach, all she had to do was reach out, and-...
The sound of rock breaking echoed in her ears again as the trail got further away from her hand again, the arrow until now firmly stuck in the wall now falling with her.
Robyn panicked, her target disappeared from her reach when her leg hit a rock hard, soon imitated by every part of her body, forcing her to roll into a ball with hands behind head to limit damage. The wall wasn't completely vertical, it was tilted just enough that she found herself tumbling over the rocks at top speed. Luckily she had her Aura, because the sharp edges ripping through her clothes would surely have ripped bits of skin off her by now in addition to the bruises she was sure to have.
What could she do?! She couldn't even try to hold on to stop her fall because she was too disoriented to know which way she was rolling, and her hands were busy protecting the back of her head from any rock with an angle slightly too sharp. Fuck! She could kill a Megoliath and walk away without a scratch but not survive a mountain fall?! She couldn't die like that! Especially not in front of Falcon! She had already lost her mother once, she couldn't-…
If she could, Robyn would have vividly shaken her head. What was she talking about?! She wasn't Falcon's mother! It was Raven!
She only had one option left… relying on her Aura to take the impact. A very bad idea since she was already spending some of it to not have a limb ripped off during her fall, but her Semblance couldn't help her, her weapon was out of play, and flipped all over the place like she was she couldn't concentrate enough to think of anything else!
Suddenly, her back hit hard against a flat surface, pushing all the air out of her lungs, and even though her Aura had cushioned the shock she knew she would still have a bruise. But the pain in her back was nothing compared to her relief when she realized she had finally stopped falling.
Robyn relaxed and lay back on her back, taking deep breaths. She had taken quite a fall but at least she made it out in one piece...
A falcon flew down to her and crash landed before transforming back into a blonde teenager.
"Are you okay?!" she asked, kneeling beside her.
"Yes yes, don't worry. That's the third time you ask me that." Robyn tried to reassure her as she sat down, but a small grimace of pain that made her smile quiver betrayed her. It might not be serious, but her back still hurt, "I hope my hair isn't too messy?" she joked, running her hand through her hair to flatten it. She hadn't cut it in a while, it reached a little below her chin now.
The joke had the desired effect as Falcon looked slightly reassured and even let out a small laugh.
"Are you kidding? You look like you tried to brush your hair with a tree branch." the teen replied with a cheeky smile, "Don't scares me like that again, okay?" she added softly, almost pleading.
"Yes, sorry." Robyn apologized with a reassuring smile.
Falcon finally smiled back, then her expression changed completely and she looked down, but not like when she was sad or feeling guilty, she was looking at something on the ground.
Robyn also looked down, but saw nothing in particular. Just the ground she had landed on, made of the same rock as the rest of the mountain… A little too smooth compared to the pile of rocks she expected to find… And now that she thought about it, her fall hadn't lasted that long for a cliff that high... So she looked around, and saw that she wasn't at the bottom of the ravine, she was barely halfway down... On some kind of platform that was certainly not there the last time she looked down...
"Falcon...Did you...?"
Falcon nodded, her shoulders shaking with excitement as a big smile slowly spread across her face. She did it, she used an element other than fire!
Robyn couldn't help but burst out laughing. She said it! She told May that Falcon was close to succeed! She knew she could do it!
The sound of a laugh other than hers reached her ears. Falcon was laughing with her, then threw herself on her neck, and Robyn felt her start to sob between two laughs. She had been waiting for four years to finally be able to use the rest of her powers, and even after two months of focusing on specifically that, she still couldn't do anything but flames. But she held on, she didn't give up, she kept trying, and she succeeded! She created a rock platform!
"I'm proud of you firecracker!" Robyn congratulated her, ruffling her hair, and a warm feeling spread through her chest.
Falcon nodded on her shoulder, then stepped back and wiped her eyes, before getting up and running towards the edge of the platform with a big smile on her face, and Robyn didn't feel an ounce of worry seeing her take a step into the void. Which did not remain empty, since a rock popped out the wall like a stair step, then another, then another, each time she was about to set foot.
After about ten steps, the young magician turned around, bouncing in excitement, red flames shooting out of her eyes as her hair ignited like the sun.
"What are you waiting for?! We have to show it to others!" she shouted at her before running away as if she was on regular land, while rock platforms kept appearing under her feet by the power of her mind alone.
Robyn got up and followed her, a little slower, with a big smile on her face as well, both proud and relieved. This time she had been here, she hadn't missed this important moment, she had been able to see the joy on Falcon's face, and she had been able to hold her in her arms to congratulate her. The warm feeling in her chest refused to go away.
And done!
Yeah! Little bird finally unlocked the rest of her powers!
For the tattoo, at first I wanted to give her a big yakuza style dragon tattoo, but here she's more about birds than dragons, and she has two somewhat responsible adults with her, so ... The giant tattoo will have to wait.
I also put a few things that I forgot to put before, like Qrow and Robyn's friends wondering why they disappeared. And I know you're probably wondering where did Oceane and Ilia go, did I forget about them? No I didn't, I just wanted this chapter to focus on Yang spending time alone with Qrow and Robyn, so she would be in the right state of mind to use her powers at the end.
Anyway, next chapter will be the last of the Menagerie arc, the last before going back to the world and see how that little break affected each character ...