The first and last building in Shion was an Inn.
The innkeeper, a dog faunus, emerged from the back room with a platter of roast chicken.
Aqua's stomach growled. She licked her lips.
"Oh, nice!" Jaune exclaimed.
The Innkeeper set the meal before them, and laid out porcelain and silver for them to eat from. These plates were the most civilized furnishings in the room.
Evening rays filtered in through the ceiling rafters.
Jaune unfolded his napkin into his lap.
Aqua forgot the importance of custom and quickly dug in with fork and knife.
She saw Jaune eat a wing with his hands, and ditched her silverware entirely.
She ate bird like pig.
So she didn't notice as the whole town's population trickled in to watch her.
"This is really delicious," Jaune said through a mouthful.
Aqua nodded her agreement and devoured thigh. Her fingers shook tremendously.
The Inkeeper stood by as a waiter.
Aqua glanced at him, gulped her food, and said, "Thank you so much, Sir. I was starving."
He bowed. Reaaaaally bowed. The dog ears atop his head flattened in submission.
Still licking her fingers, Aqua glanced to Jaune.
He was eating, hungrily. But he was looking at her more than his food. She noticed the crowd forming around the table. Everyone was looking at her, awed.
A quick survey told her she was the prettiest girl in the town. But not by this much. She wasn't even the best dressed.
In the Inn's corner, a young woman in a wheelchair hid herself beneath a white shawl. But while her face was concealed, the scar tissue along her chin and throat and chest were not. And the red kimono she wore, its gold filigree, sparkled in the Inn's sparse sunlight.
Her attendant appeared to be a boy. But that was an illusion. Aqua blinked through several magical lenses. She couldn't break the illusion. She had more pressing concerns.
More people piling into the room.
More people staring at her.
Someone nudged the Innkeep and asked for a beer, and was politely turned down. "Haven't you heard? I have an important guest."
Aqua stared at the interaction.
The innkeeper asked, "May I fetch you anything else, Miss Aqua?"
Cautious now, she set down her chicken leg and sucked the fat from her fingers.
"Um…" she looked at everyone.
Everyone looked at her.
Another man entered. Branwen. The Huntsman whose life she'd saved. He pushed to the front of the crowd and ordered, "Don't crowd her. She's eating."
Showing deference, the crowd stepped back.
Now that he was standing, Branwen looked lively. Though a bit like an animal, for a man. Unshaven, unkempt, uncouth. He wore a crucifix on his necklace, but off-kilter, like his resting frown.
He pulled out a chair and mounted from behind as if it had a saddle. He nodded to the Innkeep. "Rufus. I'll pay for her."
The Inkeeper shook his head. "No need. It will be on the house."
Branwen nodded to Aqua. "Name's Qrow. And if you ever need anything, you can use it."
Aqua hesitated. She knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. So instead of "Why?" she said, "That's… Very generous of you. I was only trying to help."
Rufus murmured, "Just like in the stories."
Aqua watched him, the incredulous expression, like she was a saint stepping forth from stained glass. She wiped her hands on her napkin. "Qrow, why is everyone staring at me?"
He stared at her. "Seriously?"
Jaune, through food, mumbled, "Earlier, she asked me what Grimm are. And… Hey." He turned to Qrow. "How did you get here?"
"I've got legs," Qrow grunted, still staring at Aqua.
"Yeah, but I thought you were staying with Tai and Yang at the cabin."
"Best laid plans." Qrow nodded upwards, to Aqua. "Where are you from?"
She was caught off guard. She'd been inspecting these two. Jaune and Qrow didn't seem star struck. They were intrigued, maybe impressed. But something set them apart from the rest of the crowd. By their zealous gazes, she realized that the commoners were investing hope in her.
And that Jaune was not.
To Qrow, she was a curiosity. He frowned and chewed the inside of his cheek, waiting for her to answer.
"W-where am I from?"
"Yeah," Qrow asserted.
"She wouldn't tell me, either," Jaune answered. "I figured she's not from Atlas."
"Obviously," Qrow grumbled.
She didn't like this line of questioning. There was probably a wrong place to be from.
"And her shoes are weird," Jaune said. "No offense," he amended.
Aqua looked at her boots. Metal rims, pointed toes, steel wing-blades to protect her from bolos. These were high-fashion most places she went.
"Yeah," Qrow sighed. "Where'd you find her?"
Jaune stopped eating- pulled a pensive face. "Kinda hard to explain," he decided.
"Let me try," Qrow offered. "You were walking on the trail when something weird happened. Then you were in a black desert. You found a floating ball with a piece of Remnant inside it, and when you touched the ball, you were back here. And then Grimm attacked."
Qrow broke eye contact with Aqua, and looked to Jaune for confirmation.
"Yeah." Jaune nodded. "How'd you know?"
"That's about the fifth time I've heard that story today. And it happened to me, too." He looked back to Aqua. "So where are you from?"
"Hang on," she protested. "I'm getting really uncomfortable. Why is everyone staring at me?"
Qrow looked at the crowd, watched them watch her, then shrugged. "Well… How do I put this…?"
He put his feet on the table, leaned his chair back on its hind legs, and pulled a flask from his jacket. Thinking, staring at the roof, he took a swig.
As he did, a stranger leaned out of the crowd and asked, "Miss Aqua… Are you… Are you a Maiden?"
All motion stopped.
Adrenaline snapped through Aqua's spine. She was completely surrounded. There was no escaping without a fight.
She said, "Uhhhhh… Excuseme?!"
Jaune, through food, mumbled, "Phrasing!"
Rufus shouted, "Get him out of here! Idiot!"
The crowd roughly removed the fool.
Aqua breathed. Her heart thrummed.
Qrow swallowed his liquor and sighed.
Aqua nervously scooted her chair back from the table. "W-well, this has been lovely."
She stood from her chair, but Qrow waved a hand dismissively, for her to stop. "He means the story of the Four Maidens. You heard it?"
Aqua shook her head.
"It's a fairy tale," Qrow explained.
"O-okay. Listen, everyone. Have you never seen magic before?"
"No. They haven't," Qrow said. "Hear me out. And keep eating. You're shaking."
Her hands trembled, even as she gripped the chair. She was starving. She nodded, then cautiously sat and resumed, while Qrow told the story.
"So there was an old hermit. And one day he finds a young woman meditating in his yard. He shouts at her from the window, but she convinces him to meditate as well. To reflect on things. That's the Winter Maiden."
"You're not telling this right at all," Jaune interrupted.
Qrow ignored him. "So then another woman shows up. This is Spring. She starts tending to the hermit's garden. He watches all this from the window. Well then Summer shows up and convinces him to come outside. And finally Fall shows up, prepares a nice meal, and helps the hermit appreciate all that he has."
All the talking got him thirsty. Qrow took another swig from his flask.
"The hermit gave them all magic powers," Jaune finished, "Because they were so nice. He figured they'd use it to help people even more."
Qrow swallowed and wiped his mouth. "And then these four powers carried on across generations. Or so the story goes."
Aqua could tell that he believed it.
Qrow thumbed at the door. "So what that idiot meant to ask is, are you going to save us? Or are you just another bastard with power?"
He scratched his unshaved chin. The sound was like sandpaper.
Aqua didn't want to answer. They had a problem with heartless here. They'd had a problem with heartless, since time immemorial. So the problem was with the very heart of their world.
And she had a keyblade.
So she was honor bound to save them. No matter how badly she wanted to check on Ventus. No matter how badly she wanted to storm the gates at Radiant Gardens. To revisit all that remained.
She belonged here, on this world just outside the darkness. She had a chance to save this place from annihilation. And she had to trust that someone else was saving all that she cared about.
She didn't want to be here.
She took another bite of chicken and chewed instead of answering.
But Qrow was a very patient, very persistent man. He waited, glaring at her more like a hawk.
She eventually swallowed and asked, "You think I'm from a fairy tale?"
Qrow grinned, and she recognized delight. He'd seen through her evasion.
"I'm living proof you're from a fairy tale. And I don't know about the rest of you…" He nodded to Rufus, to the crowd, to Jaune, "But I do feel a certain tingling in the air."
Aqua felt it, too. She wasn't' the only mage in the room. Her senses keened, and she looked again into the corner, to the woman in the white shawl. But there was no reason to expose her.
Aqua looked back to her food. "I… Don't want to make promises I can't keep. But as long as I'm here, we're in this together. Whatever… This is. It seems you have a problem with Heartless."
Jaune raised an eyebrow. "You keep calling them that."
Qrow nodded. "Heartless. Yeah. And that's not our only problem."
Jaune pulled a tablet from his pocket and set it on the table. "Oh, hey. In case we get separated, what's your number?"
Aqua looked at the tablet. "My… Number?"
"You know, so I can call your scroll?"
"My what?"
Qrow's grin became a smile. And he accused, "You're not from Remnant, are you?"
Everyone looked at Qrow.
He didn't flinch. He kept his glare on Aqua, who nervously swallowed and looked down into her food.
Rufus scoffed, "That's crazy talk, Branwen."
"Maybe." Qrow pushed out his chair and stood. "Jaune, we've been here for an hour. Where's the rest of your team? Where's Ruby?"
Jaune swallowed. "We got separated. About five hours ago. When, uh… Well, you know. I figured we were all trying to get here. And we knew we were close. So I think we should wait here till tomorrow. Then head out and look for them."
"Good plan. You stay here and protect the town. I'm heading out to see if I can ride one of those portals."
"Not a good idea," Aqua warned.
Qrow waited for an explanation.
Aqua looked at Jaune apologetically. She didn't like bearing bad news. "You can't map that place. And… About your friends…"
He squared his shoulders to her. "Did you see them?"
She shook her head. "No. I… For you to find your way back here…" She licked her lips. "Jaune, you got really lucky."
"So they're still stuck there," Qrow asked.
"No. More likely…" She bit her lower lip. She didn't' want say anything too negative, nor give false hope. The truth was… "There are… A lot of other worlds. "
In the corner, the woman in the white shawl made a gesture. Her attendant wheeled them out. Aqua resisted the urge to watch them. She wondered what a mage did in a world like this, aside from hide.
Qrow put his hands on the table. Up close, and under his attention, she understood him a lot better. Qrow had the nicest clothing in the room. Everyone called him Huntsman. So he had status in society.
And yet he looked like a beast wearing a man's pelt. He'd eschewed city life for Nature's virtues. This man was ready to enter the darkness and slay monsters.
"Aqua," he said. "I appreciate you saving my life."
She nodded. "You're welcome."
"And I would further appreciate…" Qrow strained, "If you would help me find my niece."