The table, hosting eight people that night, was a long rectangular table of white walnut wood, covered by a rose-colored table cloth. The chairs at the table were white cushioned, held up by legs of white wood. They were oddly comfy.
Almost too comfy, Yang thought as she took her place next to her uncle.
At one head of the table, closer to the wall, was Francis. To his left was Drizella, sitting next to a man neither Yang nor Qrow recognized. To the man's left was Anastasia. At the other head of the table sat Avril. To her left was Daisy, and to the child's left were Yang and Qrow.
The Chrysanthe dinner table was adorned with medium plates and large bowls, along with spoons and various glasses. Everyone had a glass of water, filled with light ice cubes. The adults had wine glasses while there was one red solo cup at Daisy's spot. At the center of the table was a bottle of blueberry wine, uncorked and ready to be poured, and a pitcher filled with a dark blue liquid.
"I will admit, I was not expecting to have two extra guests tonight, but the two of you seem to be nice people if you know Anastasia." Francis greeted. The host turned to Qrow. "Would you like some blueberry wine?"
"Yes, please, thank you." Qrow turned to his niece. "Would you like some as well?"
The blonde brawler briefly pondered her decision. "I would like a glass. Thanks."
Surprised they didn't ask for my age, even though I can legally drink here…
She looked at the unknown man as the wine glasses were passed and started to be poured. The man had black hair and blue eyes. Upon his fair skin and cleft chin was the stubble of a five o'clock shadow. He was wearing navy blue dress pants and a sky blue dress shirt. He had a look of contentment, and appeared to be both handsome and delightful.
Yang thought, Then again, maybe the wine would calm my nerves…
As the man cracked a joke that Yang didn't hear, Drizella laughed in response, and Anastasia looked nervous.
Would my family still love me if they knew the truth? The huntress wondered. What will Yang say? Is she going to hurt me, or lash out at me for being a 'coward'?
"Don't worry, Daisy." Francis told his youngest daughter, "We have something for you too. We have some blueberry lemonade for you."
Daisy cheered, "Oh yay!"
As Daisy's cup was passed to the middle and the delightful man poured her some blueberry lemonade, the wine glasses were given back to the adults. Yang soon took a sip and looked at a baked dish. Not too far from it was a big serving spoon, a pair of kitchen tongs and a platter with bread, pita chips and vegetables, presumably for dipping.
"Is that cheese dip?"
"Not quite, but it can easily look and taste like the real thing." Avril began, as Drizella, the mystery man and Anastasia began to serve themselves. "It is a vegan Cajun-style hot 'crab' dip, made with hearts-of-palm, onion, dairy free versions of butter and cheese, and bell pepper, among other ingredients. And for dinner," She gestured to a large pot with a nearby spoon rest holding a pink soup ladle. "We have a hearty seafood gumbo- with shrimp, mussels, crab meat and oysters."
Yang blinked. "Oh wow."
Qrow paused from sipping his glass. "That sounds… quite luxurious."
"Indeed it is. We normally have vegetarian and/or vegan diets, partially for economic reasons and partially for the planet, but since we're celebrating some special occasions…" Francis began.
"You chose to go the full nine yards."
"Precisely. Don't be shy, help yourselves!" Avril offered.
Yang and Qrow obliged, taking a modest portion of each dish. Soon those who had not yet served themselves got their fill, getting slightly bigger offerings. Daisy took a sip of her lemonade, happily sighing in content.
"So, how exactly do you know Anastasia again?" Francis asked.
Yang scooped up some dip from her plate onto a piece of bread, pausing to consider her answer. "Well… How much has she told you about… the Trojan Alliance?"
She took a few pieces of bread and celery sticks as Avril appeared perplexed. "The Trojan Alliance?"
Anastasia suddenly grew fearful, nodding her head and trying to get Yang to drop the subject, to no avail. Qrow briefly paused his chewing, his mouth partially full from bread and dip.
The blonde brawler looked sorrowful and frightened. "She never told you?"
Avril blinked. "No. Who are they?"
"Long story short, they weren't really good people. And Anastasia… was once part of that."
Several gasps were heard. Qrow ended up coughing some of the wine.
Oh no, I'm not trying to hire a criminal, am I? he feared.
Anatasia focused her glare on Yang, her eyes saying, How could you?!
"Look, I didn't ask to be dragged into the Trojan Alliance." Anastasia answered as she spooned dip onto a piece of bread before placing it onto her plate. Qrow sighed in relief. "The only reason I was a member was because Noah dragged me into that dark web. It was not my finest hour."
Yang glared at the huntress. "It doesn't help that you ran away like a coward."
Qrow looked tense. "Yang…"
"I am not a coward!" Anastasia retaliated, aggressively shoving her spoon back into her soup, nearly spilling it. "It was practical for me to leave Garnet Scarlatti, the Trojan Alliance and Aquarian. I never wanted to be there, and, if my former teammates were defeated like I presume they were, all four of us would be in jail instead of three."
"Actually only two of them are in jail." Yang continued to glare at the huntress, her eyes turning red. "Evan left his team and stayed behind to fix the mess you left him in."
She raised her eyebrows, feigning shock before her eyes narrowed. "Then he only stayed because his family was in Aquarian. I left because I missed my family."
"And why should I believe you when you tried to kill me and the remnants of team SOLR?!"
The entire family gasped.
"Yang, calm down…" Qrow tried again, only to be ignored.
"I never meant to kill you or anyone else! I've never killed anyone!" Yang glowered at the huntress, not believing her. "At worst I put my enemies in the hospital, and I'm not without regrets!" She sighed. "I should have left my team and went back to my family much, much sooner. I've only been able to see them for a few days, and while I've enjoyed every minute of it, it isn't enough to make up for the last ten years I've been gone."
Yang blinked, her eyes turned back to lilac. "Ten years?!" The blonde brawler looked down in immediate regret. "Oh…"
She went quiet, taking a long sip of her wine.
"What about the leaders? Were the baddies ever beaten?" Daisy asked.
Anastasia gave a sad shrug. "Heck if I know."
Before taking a bite of bread with 'cheese' dip on it.
"Actually, the leaders of the Trojan Alliance have been defeated." Qrow revealed. "Do you remember the names Kiaran Barrow and Alva Parker?" A look of horrified recognition was shown on many of their faces. "They formed the Trojan Alliance to take out the Nikos family by using Pyrrha's incident with Penny as a reason to persecute her. Me and the newly formed team AVNRR (Avenger) faced those two and other threats in Kuroyuri. We barely made it out alive."
Daisy gasped as Avril raised her eyebrows in alarm.
"Oh my!" Francis exclaimed.
"That sounds dreadful!" the mystery man exclaimed.
Drizella looked the veteran huntsman in curiosity. "AVNRR?"
"A team that arose from the ashes of Beacon's ruin. Consists of five members and two co- leaders. Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrka Nikos, Lie Ren and Ruby Rose. Led by both Jaune and Ruby." Qrow clarified.
Yang blinked before smiling.
Glad to hear my sister is doing well.
The blonde brawler took a bite of celery and dip.
"Now let me ask you something; why are you here?" Anastasia asked.
Qrow looked at the angry flower huntress in nervous anticipation. "Ms. Chrysanthe, I have a favor to ask you…"
"No." she answered in hostility.
Qrow looked aghast. "No? But I haven't even told you what it is yet."
She put up a finger, indicating she was still eating. Moments later, she asked, "Okay. What do you want?"
"I want you to help me and my allies defend Haven Academy."
The flower huntress nodded. "Still no."
She took another bite of her gumbo.
The father turned to his second daughter. "I do understand and support your right to refuse, but don't you think you should hear him out before you outright reject his offer?" Francis suggested.
"Alright, try to convince me why I should help your cause. If you succeed, then I might be convinced to aid you. If you fail, you must leave and never come back."
She took another bite of gumbo as dread coiled in Qrow's stomach.
All the while, Weiss continued roaming through the forest. The damp dirt crunched under her bare feet. The magic mirror showed an image of a village, held within Weiss's hand. The Arma Gigas walked behind her, watching her back and ready to strike anyone or anything that would attempt to attack her.
"Alright, we should be getting close to civilization. I'm not even sure where the mirror is guiding me at this point…" She sighed heavily. "I've been out here for who knows how long. It's getting harder to remember when this all started. Winter is gone from Argus, Fenix Atar is dead… And my efforts to find freedom and become a huntress.. What good has it done? I've found a magic mirror that is only showing me sorrow, and I haven't really done anything noble during this isolation."
The Arma Gigas gave her a titled gaze at her, seeming to silently question her. "Misty? That was one person. Arguably it doesn't matter much in the long run." She sighed. "My memory is fading…"
"My memory is fading…"
But it's still faintly there...
[faded flashback]
Brief flashes of the past went by; Weiss and her Arma Gigas were shown in Carapace Gorge, the former extending her hand to a lone crying woman in the mountains, Misty hugging her parents, and Weiss leaving the reunited family to continue onward.
The brief flashback faded to the present.
"Maybe I should have stayed with them, even if only for a little while. Maybe I wouldn't have found this cursed mirror. Then again… it's the only thing I've truly gained by leaving home… I found freedom… but at what cost?"
She sighed as she stopped, sitting on the ground and looked into the mirror, letting the image of the village disappear.
"Show me Winter."
White energy swirled in the mirror's glass, showing Winter Schnee in combat training with Harriet and a turtle shelled faunus woman that Weiss didn't recognize.
"Show me Whitley."
The scene dissolved in white to show Whitley practicing his cello, his fingers moving fast as he played an upbeat concerto.
"Show me mother."
Willow was shown drinking from a wine glass in the gardens at a small table. A worried Estelle stood close by, now wearing a snowflake necklace.
"Show me father."
Jacques was shown in his office, reading over a business memo in dismay. From his chair, he stared at the wall in anger before turning back to the business memo, looking over the sender; it was from Boris Gogal, the CIO.
The email subject line; Dust Shipment Stolen
"This does not bode well."
Before he could figure out how to respond, a knock was on the door.
"Enter."
Merla Valery entered the room. "Good afternoon, Master Schnee. I have finished dusting the library as requested, in addition to all my other duties." She paused tentatively for a moment. "And, I hate to be a burden, but did you see my request to have the entirety of June 30th off?"
"Excellent work, Ms. Valery." He commended her. "And I see no reason to deny this request. You've done well, especially over the last few months."
Merla smiled, almost in relief. "Thank you."
The CEO paused and looked at her. "Your morale has improved significantly. Any particular reason?"
"I've been catching up with… an old friend." Jacques raised an eyebrow as he took in her statement. "Is there anything else you require? Coffee? Water?" she offered.
"That will be all. You may go."
She gave a respectful nod and took her leave.
"Something's amiss. She's never been this happy." Jacques spoke to himself. "Or rarely anyway… Perhaps I am thinking too much."
He turned back to the business memo with a heavy sigh.
Weiss willed the last image to disappear, leaving the mirror back to its reflective state.
"Once again, I've learned nothing new, and nothing has truly changed. I'm more alone now than I ever was. Maybe I shouldn't have left Atlas…"
She sighed again and settled into the arms of her summoned knight. "Show me the nearest settlement."
The mirror turned back to the village she was looking at earlier. She pointed in a northwest direction and the Arma Gigas went forward.
I don't know how long I've been here or where I'm going at this point… Or what I'm even doing… I just need some form of shelter from this world. Some of my memories are fading… I need to speak to someone. Anyone that's real…
Weiss went forward, hoping to find a new home.
Before loneliness destroys me completely…
All the while, team AVNRR (Avenger) had finished their dinner. Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha had decided to do some combat training. Nora stood outside, waiting for Ren to finish the dishes. As she stood waiting, dread coiled in her stomach.
What if he takes this the wrong way? What if this ruins our relationship? I love him… but I don't want to lose part of myself if something should happen…
Soon Ren opened the door, leaving the two of them alone together. "Nora?" He shut the door behind him before facing her. "You said you wanted to speak to me?"
How do I say this?
"Well, there's something that worries me." Nora confessed.
"And what's that?"
"I love you Ren, and I don't want our relationship to end, but… I'm worried that I may lose myself in this relationship if I don't take a few steps back." Ren looked at her confused. "When the Grimm invaded Kuroyuri, you found me- alone and scared. We became Ren and Nora. But when we fought the monster that destroyed our hometown, I realized more clearly that… I could have lost you. And if that happened… I wouldn't know who "Just Nora" is. And... I still don't know who she is. And… if I'm ever going to find out, then I have to do it alone."
Nora looked down, closing her eyes, trying to brace herself for how Ren would react. "I understand." She opened her eyes upon hearing his voice. "You're scared that if something happened to me, you literally wouldn't survive. For the last several years, we've had to focus on survival."
"You're not wrong there."
"And I can comprehend the need for self-improvement." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Take as much time as you need. I'll still be here."
"Thanks for understanding."
The two held each other, Nora holding him tighter before she ended the embrace.
"Good night, and... good luck."
Soon Nora was left alone, already feeling colder.
This isn't going to be easy… But I need to find myself while somehow balancing everything else…
She gave a sigh as she looked into the sky, the last few rays of the sun fading away.
Well, Nora Valkyrie, who are you?
Back at the Chrysanthe family home, dinner was almost over. Some of the glasses, plates and bowls were empty. Daisy, Avril and Francis were finished eating entirely. Drizella was finishing the last of her dip, the mystery man drank the last of his wine and Anastasia, Yang and Qrow were all finishing their gumbo.
Yang took the last bite of her gumbo as Qrow continued to try and convince Anastasia to defend Haven Academy. The blonde brawler finished her wine glass as Qrow gestured to the woman he was trying to persuade to help them.
"Don't you want to see the CCT tower in Haven still standing by the time Beacon is restored?" Qrow questioned.
"Why would I need to contact anyone from afar if I plan on staying here? Everyone I love is here in Zephyros- my parents, grandparents, sisters, future-in-laws... Find someone else."
"There is no one else!"
The flower huntress raised an eyebrow as she finished her gumbo. She pointed her bare spoon at Qrow. "What do you mean by that?"
The unlucky huntsman downed the rest of his glass. "They didn't tell you?"
Anastasia grew tense, briefly biting her tongue as her stomach began forming a giant knot. "Tell me what?"
"Mistral has been facing the worst huntsman-huntress shortage in decades." Qrow revealed.
"Huh?!"
"What?!" Avril and Drizella exclaimed in unison.
Francis and the mystery man gasped. Daisy held back a wail of sorrow, her eyes blinking out tears.
Even Yang, who knew what was happening, looked saddened at this revelation.
They didn't know… the blonde brawler thought.
A quiet shuttered gasp escaped from Anastasia as Qrow continued, "You're asking me to find someone else when there is almost no one else left. Not counting the bodyguards guarding Lionheart, you are the only huntsman or huntress I've been able to find in this entire kingdom. Almost all of them have been killed. Everyone else is either injured, retired, kidnapped, jumped ship or possibly mailed to an uncharted island. Not to mention those that have gone rogue and/or are still missing. I thought you would have understood, but apparently, I was wrong."
Anastasia blinked, holding back tears.
This can't be…
Her stomach churned, whether from guilt or indigestion she didn't know.
"I'm sorry for wasting your time." Qrow turned towards Francis. "Thank you for dinner, and for the wine. Come on Yang, let's go."
With this, the two stood up from their seats, stacked and took their dishes and went over to the sink, placing them in.
Anastasia thought, All this time… I thought Mistral was thriving in my absence, and that they didn't need me. But now…
The uncle and niece were about to head out the door, the former having his right hand on the doorknob.
"Wait!"
Yang and Qrow turned to find Anastasia standing, setting her spoon down.
They may need me more than ever…
She sighed. "I'll help you to defend Haven Academy." Qrow released his hold on the doorknob and faced her fully. "But, there are a few conditions that I require." The huntress extended her right hand, counting on her fingers for each condition listed. "First of all, I will be allowed to purchase candles, scented soaps and all similar smell-good products. Second, you will not ask me to train anyone. If I'm feeling generous, I might test their mettle in combat. In such instances, I will refrain from maiming or killing, but I will not hold back any more than that.
"Third, you will tell me the truth at all times, even if it is not something the general public or anyone else is supposed to know. Fourth, this is very important, you will allow me to write to my family members as much as I wish, and, in the case of the CCT tower in Vale coming back, contacting them by phone as well. And fifth, I want some time to prepare for this trip, not only so that I can prepare myself emotionally, but also so that I can attend my sister's wedding."
Yang blinked in surprise. "Wedding?"
Qrow looked on in complete bewilderment.
"Did you not see his engagement ring?" Anastasia asked, half-mockingly.
At that moment, the two of them leaned in and saw a thick gold band with a square design in the center, the square itself being a 3x4 grid containing twelve slots. And within each slot of the grid, rested a small round cut diamond.
Yang and Qrow blinked, the former saying, "Oh."
"Yeah, oh. How did you not notice that earlier?"
Yang glared at Anastasia. "Look, we're not from here, and I can't speak for my uncle, but I've had a very long, emotionally wrecked day, and all I want is to see my sister."
Qrow put his hand on Yang's shoulder, both out of reassurance and trying to soothe her with a shoulder squeeze. "Don't worry, you'll be seeing Ruby before you know it." The huntsman removed his hand and turned back to his new recruit. "Now could you elaborate on this wedding? When is it, where is it taking place, and anything else we need to know. And how long do you want to stay after the ceremony is over?"
Anastasia held up her fingers in a set of three and later four at a time as she gave her answer; "The wedding is in three days. June 14th at approximately 4pm, Drizella Chrysanthe and Eric Owphiyr, soon to take the name of Chrysanthe, will be marrying in the Blessed Tree Cathedral. Dress like you would for any formal association. You might be able to borrow some clothes and accessories if you need to. There will be a reception afterwards at Royal Oak Hall, consisting of food, drinks and dessert, as well as music and dancing. I will be attending both of these and will leave at the earliest the morning after.
She gestured to the mystery man who had been at the dining table with them. "Oh, and this is the groom in question."
Eric extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." Qrow turned to Anastasia. "Alright Ms. Chrysanthe, we accept these terms."
The flower huntress faintly smiled, almost sighing in relief. "Thank you."
The drunken huntsman turned to the blonde brawler. "Well, I suppose we'll be staying here a while." Before turning to Francis and Avril. "Do you know a cheap motel where me and Yang can stay for a few days?"
"Well, we do have a spare bedroom here that was cleaned up just today." Francis answered. "The only problem is that it has one bed."
"We'll figure something out." Qrow told him. "Where is said room? There are a few things I want to speak with my niece about."
"Down the hall, straight ahead. Can't miss it."
"Thanks."
Qrow and Yang took their leave. As they walked by her, Anastasia felt a slight shiver.
Is it just me, or is there something strange about him? Anastasia thought. Maybe I'm overthinking…
"Well, this has been… quite the unexpected turn of events." Drizella remarked as she reached for the candle lighter wand. "Still, it seems everything will be alright in the end." She lit a scented candle, setting it down with a smile. "Now come, I believe some post-dinner games await."