I apologize for a delayed release. The crew was...very troubled by the death of Chadwick Boseman, as well as me kinda moving into my college dorm. Still paranoid about COVID at this place, but...eh. I'll survive.

Taiyang stirred his pot carefully- making Pot-au-Feu was a delicate process, for him at least. He always messed it up somehow- it would taste too dry, have too much broth when he swore he added the amount the instructions online said, or somehow set it on fire.

It was why team STRQ refused to let him in the kitchen during their school years. But he was a grown up now. He could handle this.

Plus, he had some extra help today- a taste tester.

Taiyang poured some broth in a shot glass (not his, Qrow left it behind a few years back) and offered it to his assistant, one of the many raccoons living in their house. "I promise this won't poison you," he joked.

The raccoon grabbed the glass and sniffed it. It smelled good, but taste would make or break it. The little guy downed the whole glass-

And began gagging. Too meaty for his liking, somehow. The creature scurried off to eat something that would drown out the flavor. "Well, what do you know anyway?!" Taiyang yelled out, putting the shot glass in the sink. He turned back to his pot-

...only to be met with someone standing over it, adding their own ingredient.

"You should've added some bay leaves for extra flavor," Raven told him, her mask muffling her voice slightly. "It would've added a subtle hint that would've kept your soup from being too heavy."

Taiyang stared at her. "This is a surprise. I thought we weren't meeting until next week."

Raven took off her mask. "I know. I was in the area and thought I'd drop by. And, I guess, help you with whatever the hell this is supposed to be."

"...you tried it again, didn't you?" Taiyang asked, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't answer.

Raven and Taiyang had...an interesting relationship, to say the least. When they were younger, the two were on the same team at Beacon. They were well-known among their peers, probably more (in)famous than RWBY and Zeta were right now.

Taiyang really hit it off with Summer's partner, Raven. Like, really hit it off. They were married a few years after graduating, and they thought that they'd just raise a kid or two and do occasional Hunter jobs. While Taiyang liked being a Huntsman, he always wanted to settle down and have a family, and he already had a sweet teaching gig at Signal lined up after graduation. A year later, Yang was born, and Raven hoped that would be it.

Sadly, things didn't work out too well.

There were a few factors to blame. One of them was Raven's past. Not only was she a young parent, but Raven and Qrow were born into an abusive bandit tribe, and she was terrified of repeating the cycle of abuse. Said cycle was incredibly oppressive- the twins didn't even know about technology or pop culture until they went to Beacon.

(Qrow claimed he wasn't affected by his upbringing...but his drinking said otherwise.)

Ozpin had also been pressuring the two to return, because while he had Qrow and Summer on his leash, Taiyang and Raven were free agents. And considering who Tai and Rae were, Ozpin expected Yang to be just as amazing as them, if not more so.

(There are other factors at play here. But as a particular professor would say, "Spoilers.")

Raven knew Ozpin had his eyes on her daughter. Taiyang and Summer could not calm her down. Qrow could not calm her down. Raven was convinced that if she stayed, Yang would be a target.

So, she left. She was fine with Summer helping out Taiyang during the rough periods, and just as fine with her marrying the guy. Raven kept in contact with her team, and occasionally watched over Ruby and Yang in bird form.

...but she never interacted with them. For their own safety.

Summer always made a better mom than her- because as much as Raven loved Yang and Ruby, she wasn't a mother. She was not afraid to admit that.

And so, Raven hid.

At this point, Raven felt like a stranger in her own house. She and Taiyang built this little cabin from scratch, and obviously, there were changes made in the past 20 or so years.

"So, you got cold feet again." Taiyang stated. They were sitting at the kitchen table, bowls of soup in front of them.

Raven nodded. "My mother and I disagreed about everything and we always fought each other. It usually ended up with me in the med bay. I was worried that my first conversation with Yang would just end up like that. I'm not even trying to approach her as a mother, just as someone she could trust."

"Understandable," Taiyang told her, setting down his wine glass. "Being scared you'll say the wrong thing is a present thing in all relationships. Especially ones with kids. It's never easy."

"I want to say that's where the story ends," Raven said.

"...did you fight another kid?" Taiyang asked incredulously. "It was bad enough when you told me you fought Ben, mainly because he was, what, 12? 13?"

"Ok, in that case, I was honestly looking for him," Raven defended. "I...I just recently heard about Max's passing."

Taiyang paused. "Oh…I forgot to mention that."

"I wanted to see if he was holding up. I figured that he'd be honing his alien powers somewhere in the forest, so I went there," Raven explained, spooning some soup into her mouth.

"Didn't find him, did you?" Taiyang asked.

"I found some other kid with similar powers. Some tall and brooding teenage boy," Raven described.

"Oh, yeah, Kevin Levin," Taiyang said, smiling fondly. "He's a good kid. Shared eggs with him once." At Raven's odd look, he hurriedly said, "Long story, I'll tell it another time. Anyways, continue?"

Raven sighed. "What happened was…"

Kevin glared at the stranger standing amongst the trees. He wasn't a big fan of stalkers- last time someone saw a display of his powers, it ended in some of the worst trauma in his life, and as a domino effect, ended up with the most annoying "cure" anyone could create.

"Can I help you?" Kevin asked, annoyed.

Raven stared back at him from behind her mask. "Sorry. I thought you were somebody else."

"Understandable. Doesn't explain why you're stalking me, lady," Kevin snapped. "Mind telling me who you are?"

"I'm an omen," Raven said, stepping out from the trees.

"That's never a good sign," Kevin said. "So, what, are you some alien warning me of some galaxy-sized asshole that's coming to devour the planet?"

"No." Raven shook her head. "I'm an omen you can trust...and I'm here to warn you. These good times won't last long. Have you forgotten why you came here?"

Kevin clenched his fist, and the AntiTrix started to glow-

"You're really asking me that?" he growled. "You think I don't know about the shit going on behind the scenes? I know I act like I don't give a damn or take most things seriously, but believe me-" Kevin held up his wrist, revealing the AntiTrix- "I know why I'm here. Are you just here to rub salt in the wound?"

Raven looked away- from the pictures she'd seen, Kevin's arm had healed up considerably since he was a child, but even now it was hard to look at. She didn't know the full story behind it, but she figured it wasn't a pretty one. "I see. I apologize for the insensitivity."

"As you should," Kevin said. "And about that 'trust' part- how do I even know I can trust you? I don't even know you."

"True. But I know many things about your friends, Ruby and Yang," Raven said. "I know Yang has excellent taste in romantic partners, and that as much as she likes to flirt, she is endlessly loyal and supportive of Blake. I know that as much as Yang likes motorcycles and driving fast, she also likes slow drives down country lanes where she can safely talk to her beloved. I know that Ruby has been trying for ages to create that perfect cookie- the one that crumbles and melts in your mouth. I know Ruby's been working on her story writing in her free time. I know she trusts that Tennyson boy with anything and everything."

"...I'm so tempted to call the police on you, you stalker," Kevin spat as his arm became black, ice forming in his hand. "Who are you?"

Raven sighed as she took off her mask, revealing her true face. "You can trust a face you recognize, can't you?" She half expected Kevin's face to soften like Ben's did all those years ago...but instead, he got angrier.

"If anything, I'm more disgusted you'd try to win me over like this," Kevin snarled. "You're Yang's absentee mom, right? I don't want to hear your stupid sob story about 'how you left for the better' or 'how you've cared from the shadows'. It helps to actually be involved. The fact you're nowhere CLOSE to her and you instead wanted, I dunno, a friend of hers to relay a message?" Kevin turned around. "You make me sick."

Taiyang nodded. "Yeah, that's what I expected. Kid grew up in a similar situation, so I can see where his anger is coming from."

"It's strange," Raven said quietly. "It's the words I've been telling myself for years, and yet, having someone else say it for me...it feels weird."

"I know how unusual our situation is," Taiyang told her. "You just need more time to change yourself for Yang, you know? I know she doesn't want anything to do with you right now, especially with everything that's going on in her life. You just need to improve yourself, and find that moment where you can insert yourself in her life again."

"...what if it's never?" Raven asked softly.

Taiyang paused. "Sometimes never has a break in it? I dunno, I'm just ad libbing here. Most of my advice comes from cheesy dramas and sitcoms."

Raven breathed out a laugh. "You really have changed. I remember when you hated that crap."

"Time changes people, Rae," Taiyang said gently. "You just need to let it change you as well."

"It's changed me for the worst...but I'll work to get myself to a better position." Raven sighed. "Not the first time I've dug myself out of a ditch."

"That's the spirit," Taiyang chuckled.

Kevin walked back to his dorm, still angry about his encounter with Raven. He could completely understand why someone would walk away from a complicated situation, especially someone who probably had her own issues. They weren't right or wrong, but he got it.

However...that didn't excuse it.

Kevin was old enough to realize something- his biological mom? Not the best. She was a victim of Harvey's abuse, but that didn't excuse all of her behavior. She tended to be distant and uninvolved until something happened she didn't like, and then she'd swoop in and either be the hero or the hard ass. It was infuriating for Kevin to think back on. And it was exactly what Raven was trying to accomplish.

"So," Doppler drawled, popping out from Kevin's wrist. "Are we going to talk about what happened earlier?"

"What's to talk about?" Kevin grumbled. "She tried to use me to send a message I already know. The end times are coming. Big fucking deal."

"I meant, are we telling Miss Xiao Long?"

"Doppler, I'm gonna be honest with you," Kevin stated. He tensed up- Kevin usually called him 'little shit' or 'fucker' or some other inappropriate nickname he'd resent. "I don't have any plans to tell Yang."

"Isn't that keeping a secret?" Doppler countered. "It's better to get it out and let the healing start, rather than allowing it to become more toxic."

"Would you tell her about her shitty mom approaching me and not her?" Kevin asked pointedly. "Wouldn't that just cause her more heartache?"

Doppler paused. "A fair point," he conceded, before retreating back into his watch.