Omake: Birds of Omen

Qrow was drunk. Anyone who knew him for more than a minute or two wouldn't be surprised by this. After all, the man seemed to take the state of the world as a personal offense, one he'd spent years battling before exhaustion beat him down. What was strange, though, as he sat and drank outside the ramshackle tavern in the midst of a slowly rebuilding Vale, was the quality of whiskey. Qrow was unafraid of the bottom-shelf liquors, he practically prided himself on his willingness to get drunk on the foulest of brews, even. And with the state of Vale, certainly he had reason not to bother with anything close to 'the best bottle you got' but there it sat, half empty, with an empty glass across from him.
When the raven alighted on the eves of the building above him, Qrow took his time pouring himself a glass before enjoying a swig. Setting the glass down, he ignored the glare of the bird and leaned back in his chair.

"Could have used you during the attack, Raven." He said, taking another sip. "I'm sure you know that."

The raven cocked it's head before shifting it's wings, and Qrow swirled the ice in the glass. "She's a lot stronger than you think she is, sis. Might just surprise you."

"I know. Yang is strong enough now." Raven muttered, taking the seat across from him. "I'm sure she'll be excited to learn about your little club."

"She knows. Wasn't exactly keen on telling them, but..." He paused, finishing his glass and pouring another before speaking again. "Her team's strong. Reminds me of us, really." After a pause, just before Raven could speak, he added "But they aren't us. They... They're better. They didn't break. Not Yang, not Ruby, not the other two."

"No, they didn't. Which is why I intend to speak to my daughter."

"Be my guest. But my money's on her punching you before you can get a word in." Qrow muttered in response before taking another swig. "Before all this, she might have listened. Her team's her family now, too, though. And Yang won't abandon her family. Learned not to from you."

Frowning, Raven replied. "I still intend to talk to her. She deserves the chance. And I should speak with this 'Obsidian' that has been teaching her." Anyone else would have missed Qrow's involuntary twitch, masked as it was when he started to chuckle, but Raven was his sister. "Or you could tell me what you know first." She murmured quietly.

Qrow took another drink, smirk drifting across his lips briefly before he answered. "That's not mine to tell, Raven. Lot going on that you missed."

"You know I couldn't be there." Raven almost growled.

"Yeah, yeah. You had to go lead the tribe. As if they mattered more than your family." He answered, reaching forward to grab the bottle for another refill when Raven gripped his wrist.

"They are our family. And you abandoned them."

"Real twisted definition of family, sis. You picked murderers, rapists, and thugs over your own daughter."

"I chose the people who raised us over Ozpin, Qrow. And he's dead. He lost."

Qrow sat back, one arm over the back of his chair, raising his glass. "He's lost, yeah. We'll see about if he lost, though. Would be easier if you'd help, you know."

"Yes, well." Raven muttered, standing up again and, after a moment, Qrow sighed, staring past the mostly empty bottle as the ice in his glass settled with a clink.

"Right. And Obsidian's watching too... At least the weather's nice." He said, waving for a waitress to bring another bottle.