Gotta rehash some canon here. Pardon me.

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"Really? No questions?" Qrow demanded from his wheelchair.

"Of course we have questions," I pointed out. "This is a lot to take in."

"So these maidens. They don't need dust or semblances to do magic," Ruby affirmed.

"Yeah," Qrow nodded.

"And there are four of them?" Nora questioned.

"Always. One for each season," Qrow answered.

"And when they die, the power transfers to another woman? Someone they care about?"

"Whoever was in their thoughts last. It's an important distinction. Best option its someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls become combined in a way."

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha?" I demanded with some heat. "The night the tower fell."

"The previous fall maiden, Amber had been attacked. She was young and inexperienced. And her assailant who we now know as Cinder managed to steal some of her power. But not all of it. We were afraid that if we did nothing the power would reunite."

"So you forced Pyrrha to make a choice," I observed.

"We didn't force anything. We explained the situation to Pyrrha and gave her the choice. And she chose to contest Cinder. You were there. You heard her."

I walked to the edge of the hotel room. I clenched and unclenched my fists.

"That guy Tyrian, why was he after me?" Ruby wondered.

"Well you definitely painted a target on your back with what you did at Beacon. I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. And the fact you were able to use them seems to have upset some very powerful people. Not many people know about the silver eyed warriors. But those that do aren't very happy one has surfaced. That's why I tailed you. Kept an eye on you. I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Well why not travel with us? It seems like that would have been easier," Ruby pointed out.

"My semblance is bad luck. It caused some rifts before. It makes making friends and staying with family difficult. My power is a blessing and a curse. It's a misfortune."

"What the fuck is going on?" I demanded with fire. "Will you just tell us why all this is happening?!"

"Will you sit down kid? You're stressing me out." I did. "This world is old. Old enough that people hav invented thousands of gods. Not many people are religious anymore. But according to Ozpin two gods are actually real. Two brothers. One of light and one of darkness. The crown and the world. Keter and Malkuth. The older brother would spend the days making life and animals. And the younger brother, when he saw what his brother created, would become furious. He would destroy his brother's creations. One day the younger brother created something soulless. Something hollow. Something which shared his desire for destruction and malice."

"The Grimm," Ruby interpreted.

"Right," Qrow responded. "Well knowing that their feud couldn't last, the elder brother interceded. And proposed they make something together. The younger agreed with him. Together they made the Cetra. Something with the power to choose either destruction or creation and armed with knowledge of the world around them."

"What's this got to do with us?" Ren wondered.

"Well the gifts the gods gave the Cetra weren't just metaphorical. Knowledge, creation, destruction and choice are physical objects. They represent relics before the gods abandoned Remnant. Ozpin's predecessor built up the schools around the relics to keep them safe from her. Whoever controls the relics would have access to great power. And the enemy wants them. Therefore they cannot have them."

"I can dig it," I decided. "But her, Salem, what is she?"

"Not much is known about the enemy and that's not what matters. The important thing is keeping the relics out of her hands."

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"No this isn't right." I stopped wheeling Qrow in his chair and listened to him. We'd booked a train to Mistral after we killed the Nuckelavee. We had the evidence to bring back of it's death in the form of the ancient weapons on its back and it fetched a fair price from the locals.

Most of the time proving you had killed a certain Grimm was a pain but in this case we had an exception.

We didn't score enough money to get Qrow back on a new pair of feet but enough to get passage and start the process. Qrow needed a set of Titania legs and his weapon was non-functional entirely. He'd probably need his new legs to be Atlesian and damn near custom. Just like every part of his weapon would have to be custom, too. We could afford a chair for him, though. That was something.

It wasn't so bad since he could go to the bathroom in his bird form, but I could tell he hated it. Who wouldn't?

"The relic should be guarded at all times. This place is dead empty." He took a long sip from his flask in the chair. "Lionheart's office is that way." He pointed down the well furnished corridor. The Mistrali architecture and garnishment, what with the gardens and paintings, made Beacon look drab and dreary by comparison.

Ruby led the way forward following her uncle's directions. I followed more slowly with the chair.

An older looking man with graying hair and a square shaped face hidden under a bushy mane burst the door that Qrow had indicated open. "Qrow!" he let loose. Then he collapsed, a hand rising to his head. "What happened to you?"

"You know… You lose one fight…" The man in question said from the chair. "Enough of me, why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"

Lionheart pulled a watch from his robes and checked the time. "Oh right! Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

"You're joking," Qrow sighed.

"Where is everybody?" Nora wondered.

"Ah you must be the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart regained his footing.

"Yes sir, Ruby Rose."

"Jaune Arc."

"Nora Valkyrie."

"Lie Ren."

"A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart at your service." He gave a quick bow. "I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume."

"What?" Qrow demanded from the seat. "Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the relic?"

"Qrow! The children..."

"Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?"

"You filled them in?"

"So is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?" Nora wondered to Ruby.

Well it wasn't going as we planned; the situation seemed fucked.

This is more or less what I thought would happen. Yeah.

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"I have to say, Qrow, that this all seems very reckless. Even for you."

"No, reckless is leaving one of the relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages."

"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon but since that day Mistral has been in chaos. Vale wasn't the only kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens, and then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. Mistral's controlled territory is the widest reaching in the world you know, and that makes it infinitely hard to protect. We lost so many great huntsmen. Teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse." Lionheart finished.

"What do you mean?" Ruby wondered.

"We may have dealt with the Grimm but the Mistral council is still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First it was the dust embargo. Now it's the closing of borders. I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies." He sighed. "On top of everything we still don't know where the spring maiden is."

"All the more reason we need huntsmen and huntresses here."

"Okay! Okay. Things are bad. They're bad." Ruby glared at her uncle. "But we can figure this out. Why is the spring maiden so important?"

"I thought you filled them in." Leonardo jabbed.

"Mostly filled in. Look there's a lot to cover, okay?" Qrow drew his flask. "I quit teaching for a reason." He took a long drink and Lionheart sat down.

"The four maidens are capable of performing feats of magic. And they are the only ones capable of reaching the relics."

"What?" I wondered aloud. Tightening my grip on Qrow's chair. He tried to swivel to look at me before giving up.

"The relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice, and Spring for Knowledge. Spring is the problem."

"What happened to her?" Ren interjected.

"She was determined at first when she inherited her powers. But the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now."

"I know. At least I have a pretty good idea," Qrow began.

"Are you serious?"

"It's not exactly good news."

"What are you talking about, after all these years?"

"I did some digging around. Looks like after spring ran away she was picked up by the Khans, specifically the Branwens."

"Raven." Leo murmured.

"Yang's Mom?" I tried to confirm. She was showing up again.

"That's right," Qrow said.

Qrow set his scroll on the desk and pulled up a map. That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven has managed to gather a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe. I'm sure when the spring maiden showed up they only made things easier."

"Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?"

"That's right."

"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the spring maiden and I know where she is. We need to go as soon as possible."

"And perhaps you didn't hear me. This kingdom is in shambles. As soon as possible does not mean tomorrow. It means as soon as I can convince the rest of the council that Khatun Branwen is a greater threat than the Grimm. Unfortunately bandit tribes aren't at the top of their list of priorities. Especially with the threat of war just on the horizon."

"What about unified bandit nations? She's going by Khagan now." I interjected.

"Khagan Branwen…" Lionheart murmured before he was interrupted.

"Then damn the council we'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers."

"Qrow…" Leo looked down at Qrows absent legs, then quickly back up to his face.

Qrow struggled. "You're right. I… I forgot." Ouch. "We're working on it. We're doing the best we can."

"I'm sure you are. I'm doing the same." Leo's voice was much more gentle. "Myself and these kids cannot defeat your sister, a bandit tribe, and a maiden. You should focus on healing, much like the kingdom."

"What about Cinder, she came from Haven? Do you have anything on her?" I demanded.

"We pulled her, Mercury Black's and Emerald Sustrai's files after Blackout-Day. Nothing but lies and forgeries."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Well I can't say this has been a warm reunion Leo."

"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."

"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being. Stay in touch. Let's go kids."

"It was nice meeting you." Ruby parted, as we filtered out of the room.

"Likewise."

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"What do you mean you don't have any range?"

"I have eight-ish feet of range with this thing." I gestured to the weapon on my back as I rolled Qrow up to the bar.

"I mean a gun, kid."

"I don't like guns." I was petulant but determined. I don't like 'em. I think they're cheating. I think you should have to see the person or thing you're killing. I think that's fair.

"What do you do when the other guy has a gun?"

"I have a bigass shield."

"Look, I can show you some of what I know. It should help. What do you say?"

Ruby had convinced him to mentor me, then. That was fine. I needed the teaching and Qrow's weapon was a bit like mine. His experience also eclipsed mine by shades. "I don't have much choice."

"That's the spirit. Speaking of spirits, two whiskeys on the rocks," he ordered to the bartender in the little hole in the wall we'd found. Or Qrow knew about it beforehand. The rose wood walls were brightly lit. It had a comfortable feel.

"Should you be drinking that much?" he did lose a bit of weight recently.

"I'm not. You're drinking with me."

"I'm the designated driver."

"You're my designated roller at best."

"I don't have much choice in this either, do I?" The bartender, overhearing us, carded me. I handed him my ID while Qrow took the drinks. I suppose I was a match for the guy in the picture so the barkeep handed it back with just a single nod. "So, you mentioned some plan to get some legs?"

I figured he'd appreciate some brutal candor. It seemed like his style.

"I did. It's sort of something that Ruby doesn't need to know the details on."

"Oh I don't like that," I disagreed. I wasn't keen on secrets between her and I. It wasn't healthy.

"Relax. A quick trip to some of the lower levels and a deal with an old friend. And after that I should be walking again."

"Oh I really don't like that." I sighed. "I'm not sure I can handle any more meetings with your friends, let alone secret dealings with what are probably criminals."

"Cute." He swirled his glass for a moment and I listened to the ice clink against the glass. "Well I don't like not having legs or a weapon. This should solve at least one of those. Besides, my understanding was that you're a bit of a criminal yourself."

"It was self defense." Sorta. He had a weapon and was running at me. That counted.

"I meant how you snuck into Beacon. Ruby mentioned it. But what were you talking about?"

"I uh, I killed a guy. With my semblance. Sort of ripped him in half. Then I killed another guy. Bandits. The both of them."

"Stone cold killer. Who would have thought?"

"I don't know if I'd say that." I took a long drink on an empty stomach and my vision blurred fairly fast afterwards.

Qrow paused. "Did you cry?"

"Uh, no?"

"I cried the first time I killed someone. That makes you stone cold."

I swallowed whiskey. Qrow had no idea how much I really liked having power over who lived and who died and it was probably better to keep it that way. I was a bit of a mess and I was all over the place when it came to that sort of thing.

If my sisters knew that their big brother had become a killer… or worse my mother… well, the consequences would be dire and long lasting to say the least. I'm not sure what to make of my family. They probably didn't think I'd make it this far. And now that I had I was at a loss regarding how I would ever return to them. If I would ever return to them, that was. Maybe they'd find me somehow or someway. Home for me was with Ruby now. Ruby and the remnants of my team.

"Look," I searched my addled brain. "What sort of favors are we talking about here?"

"Probably running drugs. I've done it before for her for some information."

"What kind of drugs?"

"Does it matter?"

"It will when Ruby finds out."

"Ruby won't find out unless you tell her."

"That's pretty much how that's going to go down. She'll ask me one question: 'hey Jaune, where'd you and my uncle get those legs?' And then because I'm a bitch I will tell her. I will out you for absolutely nothing. Bet on that old man."

"Old man? If I wasn't in this chair I'd knock some of your teeth out."

"But you are in the chair. And unless you're gonna transform and try to peck my eyes out I have a pretty good idea of how it would go down."

"Cute. You think you're such a big shot now, don't you."

"Unlocked my semblance. Pulled your ass out of the fire. I got a big ass sword and it's pretty dope." I got the girl. "I'm doing pretty well for myself. You, on the other hand, have been sidelined. That chair you're sitting in is worth more than you are. You bag of bones. Give me a break."

"Bartender, another round." Qrow called over. The bartender poured our drinks and slid them towards us.

"We're running the drugs. Or doing whatever else is needed to get me out of this chair. And Ruby doesn't need the details. You feel me? I'm proud of her moral compass but it will only get in the way with this sort of thing. You and I are adults. We can handle ourselves. We don't need her nannying us."

"So is it just greens or something harder, like ether or hyper?"

"I don't know yet, kid."

"You don't even know if you can bang out this deal, do you?"

"..." Qrow rolled the ice in his glass around silently.

"Got it. We need a back up plan. One that sees you in a real hospital. Not some gangster's chopshop."

"I'm thinking, alright. I want out of this chair."

"Well, Ruby ran off with the last of our Lien to repair Harbinger." I took another drink and grimaced. I ignored his low chuckle at me. "So that's one of our problems down."

"Yeah. Just need to walk again and I'll be right as rain. So, we just need to get a favor from somebody on the lower levels. Now the reason I picked you is because I figured you were up to do something criminal, am I wrong? You're a murderer."

I groaned and slammed the last of my whisky. I hadn't realized I'd gone through my second one so fast.

"Ruby has decided that it wasn't murder," I defended myself halfheartedly.

"And what have you decided?"

"It was totally murder. I cut them down like it was nothin'. I did it like it was a sport going out of fashion. I meant for them to die. Ruby can cut it however she likes but my soul isn't like that. She comes up with these justifications for me and they don't do me any real justice. It's like she has no idea I'm a fuckin' disaster. She just sees what she wants to see, I think. Which I really, really appreciate her for. Don't get me wrong. I love that she gives me the benefit of the doubt."

"But she shouldn't. Because it was murder and you meant it," Qrow interpreted. "I knew a girl like that once. Really believed in me. She really couldn't see me for what I really am. A scumbag. Yeah I've fought for the good guys. But I didn't fight like a good guy. You know what I mean? I didn't fight with good intentions in my heart. And that's what really matters. Don't it?"

I leaned way over the bar and stretched. I sighed heavily. That was pretty much how I felt about it too. Outlaw justice. Yeah right. Give me a fuckin' break. I killed because I found it immensely tasteful to unwind another person's mortal coil. Killing Cinder… now that just might be better than sex.

"Excuse me?" A younger looking dude in farm hand attire approached the bar. We looked at him, then at each other.

"Aren't you a little young to be in here, pipsqueak." Qrow wondered.

To be fair, the dude looked younger than me and was about five two. A solid maybe on that five two. He was well under one hundred eighty centimeters but he didn't have a drink in his hand so it was probably fine. Probably. I wasn't sure about the rules of a bar like this. Or any bar really. I wasn't a bar guy.

"Shut up, I'm getting there." He said to the air next to him.

Okay?

Where was the wire?

Qrow didn't seem put off by this. Instead he wheeled himself around to fully face the guy.

Sure. Why not?

"I'm supposed to tell you, I'd like my cane back."

"What the fresh fuck?" I blurted.

Qrow reached behind him in the chair and pulled out a length cane with some gears and a switch at the gray handle. He tossed it to the kid and it extended into something like a weapon. And with a hunter's strength… fuck it. Why not? It wasn't like I really cut things up with the broadsword form of Crocea Mors. More of a crushing action. The Nuckleavee was big enough such that it was fine. Sure. It did some cutting. But on people it crumpled them more than sliced them.

"Bartender!" I turned and called.

"You're Jaune Arc." The kid said.

"You know me?" I asked. "How?"

"Um… I let you into my school."

"He's Ozpin," Qrow leaned back and laughed. "I did it. I found him. Bartender!"

"How the hell is he Ozpin?" I asked. "Headmaster Ozpin? Are you nuts?"

"Bartender!"

"I didn't believe it at first either…" the kid murmured. He stroked the length of the cane.

We got our third round. I hammered mine immediately. I gasped off the alcohol.

"Slow down, son," the bartender suggested.

"You…" I wavered. "Keep 'em comin'. You… one of you two… explain."

"When Ozpin died he was reincarnated into me."

"Why?" I demanded. "Can't he just die and be dead like a normal person." I spat out the word 'person' like it offended me.

"Um… it's a long story."

"Yeah. I'm in a real rush."

"It's a personal story, then."

"Okay. And you woke up one day and were cool with it."

"Well, I wouldn't say that at all. But… I have responsibilities now."

"Because- can Ozpin hear me right now?" I asked.

"Yes. He hears what I hear and sees what I see."

"Because you're schizophrenic." I finished. "You're delusional. You should go home. Do you even have your aura unlocked?"

"Well… no. But… neither did you? Wait, why didn't you?" The kid asked.

"And you knew I didn't have my aura unlocked? And you flung me into the emerald forest anyway? Why?"

"What's your name, kid?" Qrow requested from the chair.

"Oscar Pine."

"Well, Oscar, welcome to the real world," Qrow sat back and drank his whiskey.

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-WG