"U-Uncle Hawkins?" Ruby stammered.
"Yes?" The magician answered for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Shouldn't Jaune have come back by now?"
"Hm... perhaps you're right." Shuffling his cards, Hawkins surmised the chances of Jaune encountering a Grimm or wild beast still stood below ten percent, but that didn't mean something else could get him.
"18% chance he's succumbed to an injury."
"23% chance he's still looking for his paper."
The second reading drew new concerns. If Jaune had already collected his lost test, then why did he stall on his return?
"74% chance he's lost."
Ruby bit her lip after her uncle's third reading and pleaded to him to search for his son. Though he rolled his eyes, a sense of duty nicked his conscience and he readied to venture into the thick forests. However, no sooner had he taken three steps, a familiar voice called out to him and his little companion.
"Hawkins? Ruby? Is that you over there?" Sam panted as he hurried over. His face dampened with sweat, he patted his chest then rested his hands on his knees.
"Is something wrong?" Hawkins curled a brow at Sam's vexed visage.
"Have you seen Qrow by any chance? Everybody else is at the junction, but we started getting worried when you, Ruby, Jaune, and Qrow were still missing." Sam glanced around. "Actually, speaking of our little knight, where is he?"
"He went to chase the flying test paper he lost." Ruby piped up with an innocent smile.
"Okay... how long has Jaune been chasing that piece of paper?"
"A really long time now... he's gonna be mad that I ate all his cookies." Ruby sulked in shame.
The deer Faunus frowned at the relayed information and focused his sights on the stoic magician before him.
"Hawkins, didn't Carla and I stress that in order to be a good father you had to keep an eye on your son?" He sighed wearily.
"Jaune isn't in any danger," Hawkins grunted, "I've been performing tarot readings the moment he left, and the likelihood of a Grimm or wild animal finding him still stands below 10%."
"That's not the point." Sam rubbed his temples and veered his sights towards an innocent little reaper who met his stare with happy silver eyes.
"I was about to fetch him," Hawkins said in a tired tone, "bring Ruby back to her parents as I'm sure they're worried about her."
"Will do!" Sam grinned. "Come on, Ruby, everybody's got their hairs in a twist because you've been missing for so long."
"Okie Dokie!" The little girl chirped and jumped on her honorary Grandpa's back for a piggyback ride.
Now alone, Hawkins ran a hand through his golden locks and narrowed his sights on the surrounding forestry. While a goofball, Jaune wasn't a complete idiot and knew not to throw himself recklessly into danger. So, with that knowledge, where did the little knight scurry off to?
/-/
"Come now brother, this performance is pitiful!" Raven jeered as she somersaulted to a position atop the tallest tree in the area.
"That's funny," Qrow spat, "I was thinking the same thing. What's wrong sister, holding back against your own flesh and blood? If you truly saw me as an enemy, you wouldn't be wasting your time with midrange combat."
The foliage surrounding them, save for the tree Raven stood upon, lay wasted by steel and dust ammunition.
"Fine, if you really want to die that badly, then I guess as a good sibling its my duty to deliver your wishes. Right, brother?" The bandit sneered as she wiped the blood from her cut bicep and eyed her twin's scratched leg like a predator.
Qrow rolled his eyes sarcastically. "And here I was thinking that you hated jokes."
While his tongue was sharp, his muscles and bones begged to differ. Not that Raven was doing any better, but the constant trades of fists, knees, kicks, and headbutts had taken a punishing toll on his aura reserves. Or what was left of it that is.
Time on the low, he dashed towards the tree line and pressed the interchanging mechanisms holstered in his weapon's hilt. The large sword collapsing into a savage sectored scythe, Qrow scaled the tree to clash steel with Raven once more.
"That climb was almost impressive," his sister hissed as she parried an overhead swing. Her balance tested, she shifted on her heels and attempted to slash her brother's midriff, but taking the direct approach was unwise.
The branch, its splintering bark unable to uphold the weight of combat, snapped in two after a loud metallic clash. Thus sending both Branwen siblings to plummet toward the dusty soil below. Raven was the first to recover, stabbing her sword into the trunk of the tree and using the downward momentum to land a swift kick against her twin's cheek.
Jaw jostled and sight blurry, Qrow made a hasty decision and latched onto Raven's extended leg. Dragging her down with him, the siblings crashed through branches and leaves then hit the ground in an explosion of dusty earth.
"Okay, that could have gone better," Qrow grunted as he cracked his neck.
Given no more than a few seconds to blink, the crackling noise of electricity alerted his ears of an impending attack and he dove to the ground on instinct. His pale red pupils narrowed on the changed blade of his sibling, it was no longer red and was now a sparkling yellow.
"Added a few new variants to Omen, huh?" Qrow coughed as he eyed his sister's weapon.
"My former partner had her uses I suppose," Raven sighed, "then again her shortcomings aren't really worth the trade-off considering her naivety."
Qrow felt a bulge peak on his forehead.
"Why don't you just shut up and fight already?" He growled. "Because to me, it sounds like you're the one who's trying to compensate for her poor choices."
"I chose to pave my own path, brother! Unlike you and everyone else who follows Ozpin like blind dogs, I strive for the ultimate goal of survival!" Raven yelled and lunged with flaring eyes that rivaled fire.
Collapsing his scythe back to its massive sword mode, Qrow twirled the sharp steel around his waist then went for a diagonal slash. His counterattack was met head-on and the burning sparks between his weapon and his sister's shook the nearby foliage.
Pushing forward, the loyal member of the original STRQ pushed forward with all his might. Forcing his sibling back, her heels dug into the ground as she made an abrupt twist and lodged the tip of her blade beneath the edge of her brother's hilt. After a great heave, Qrow was disarmed and his legs faltered.
Forced to kneel, the spiky-haired hunter glanced at his fallen blade then at the one who was responsible for getting it dirty. Victory at hand, Raven reached for her Grimm-themed mask and unhitched the straps around her chin and forehead.
"Huh, it's a surprise really, I didn't expect you to get uglier with age." Qrow laughed through muffled coughs.
"It's the least your older sister can do," Raven hummed while wearing a vile smirk, "it's better to witness the death of traitors in person don't you think?"
Though her lips displayed satisfaction, the faintest gathering of tears, those that would be overlooked by anyone other than family twinkled ever so pitifully in the corner of her fiery eyes. Qrow definitely noticed, as due to risking more than an arm and a leg to rescue his sibling during their younger years in Vacuo.
"Say hi to the old doctor for me, if he's still around that is."
Raven's hand slowed and her weapon lowered a slight fraction. "I'll send Brick your regards, but I don't think he'll be happy to hear that I had to cut you down."
"Well, you don't really have to," Qrow smirked.
"Nice try, brother, but you're not as cunning as you think you are."
"It was worth trying," her twin shrugged lazily, "I just hope that you're ready to get your ass whooped by Summer and Tai when they find out. As for the last member of my team, I'm not sure if that gloomy guy would really give a damn if I kicked the bucket."
"A new team member?" Raven curled a brow.
"That's right, someone with a stoic attitude who actually helps when he's needed. A perfect replacement when compared to a certain someone if you ask me."
The personal jab made Raven's brow twitch. The grip around her weapon's handle tightened, the brooding emotions hidden behind her moon-skinned visage did not go unseen by the one she called brother.
"You know, it's not too late to turn back, you can still come back, Raven. I won't be easy, that's for sure, but if you're willing to put in the work-"
"I've worked hard enough!" Raven snarled. Pinning the edge of her blade against the neck of her twin, her narrowed gaze pierced through his defenses and opened an untold wound.
"You think it was easy carrying you from a pathetic weakling to a respectable warrior? Who fed you when the tribe's rations grew small? Who was the one who taught you how to wield a sword? Who was the one that risked her life more times than she can count because of your idiotic semblance!"
"I never wanted to leave at first..." Qrow said slowly, "but it was because of the four years we spent in Beacon that I realized what kind of shit our tribe was really feeding us. Those who claim to be warriors of Branwen are nothing more than petty killers and thieves, and I know that we both can agree that the loyalty of those bandits you call family is questionable at best."
Sucking in his last breath as the sharp steel nicked blood, Qrow readied himself for the inevitable outcome that was sure to pass. He really deserved it when he thought about it, as he had once again betrayed the bond between his leader and partner that he had worked so hard to earn with this secret meeting.
Though in all fairness, Raven had decided to pop up without warning during one of his secret missions for Ozpin, but that wasn't the point. All that mattered, was that he was going to see lord Oum a lot earlier than he expected.
Or he should have if it weren't for a sudden projectile that bounced off Raven's noggin. The pebble rolling to an ominous stop, both siblings craned their necks to see a young blonde tyke whose knees were buckling at an alarming rate.
"L-Leave my Uncle Qrow alone!" The boy squeaked in false bravado.
While his spiky-haired uncle paled at the intrusion, his sister did nothing but raise a very high brow as her blood-colored eyes met with a familiar-looking pair of cerulean.
"Jaune, what the hell are you doing here?!" Qrow coughed and tried to stand.
However, his efforts to put up a front were dashed by a blunt blow to the back of his neck, courtesy of the hilt of his elder twin's weapon of course. Aura drained and consciousness slipping, Qrow landed face but latched a firm grip on Raven's heel. Of all the days for his semblance to act out of line, it had to be when Hawkins and his goofy son came to visit.
"You..." Raven freed herself from her brother's grip with a strong heel and carefully approached the trembling boy.
"I-I don't know who you are, but I've learned plenty from my dad and Sora the warrior of the sea so be warned!" The boy somehow managed to take a brave, albeit clumsy, step forward.
"He's not who you think he is," Qrow croaked, cursing his future should anything happen to Jaune.
"Not who I think he is? What are you..." Raven stilled. The gears in her mind clinking together to create one conclusion, her eyes widened at a supposed revelation she had not considered.
In Jaune's point of view, the lady in front of him was no more than a stranger, a stranger who'd bashed his uncle's head in with a heavy piece of metal. On guard, the boy plucked the bottom of the barrel for courage and puffed out his chest. His dad never showed any emotion when he was going into battle, so why should Jaune be any different?
Well, for one Hawkins was a veteran pirate with a history painted in blood, but in Jaune's case, the wee youngling puked at the idea of cutting a pig for crunchy bacon. His throat dry of words, Jaune did his best to meet the approaching woman's stare, but the task proved easier said than done.
Her armored heels crunching against the dirt and gravel, the long shadow the stranger was rivaled only by her midnight locks; and contrasted by her moon-tinted skin.
"Who is your father?" She demanded in a tone that commanded respect.
Her question earning nothing more than a bewildered face, she changed her approach.
"Who is your mother?"
At this, the boy's eyes widened. Not because he knew what the crazy lady was talking about, but because she'd asked a question he'd never considered. Did Jaune have a mother? He asked his Granpa and Grandma about it a few times, but all it took were a few chores and well-earned sweets to deter his curiosity on the matter.
Cupping his chin, the blonde boy put his brain into overdrive as he considered the possible outcomes. Now he really wished he'd done more lessons in regards to arcana and tarot cards alike. Because if he were his dad, all he'd have to do is shuffle a few cards and he'd have his answer in a heartbeat. That's what he assumed anyway.
Witnessing the boy's muddled expression, Raven sheathed her blade then rested a hand on her hip. The more she thought about it, the similarities between this blonde goofball and her former husband were transparently thin. From the way he scratched his cheek to rubbing his scalp, not to mention his hair was of a similar tint. The only visible difference was the shade of their eyes. While the boy sported a pair of deep cerulean, they weren't quite as dark as Tai's indigo pupils.
Nevertheless, the fact that the boy was on Patch of all places and addressed her younger sibling as an uncle, the possibility of him being Summer's offspring...
"U-Um... are you okay? You've been staring at me for a while and it's kinda creeping me out..." Jaune said meekly.
"Qrow... I recall you saying something earlier about another child didn't you?" A smile stretched on Raven's lips, but given its nature, one would not associate it with motherly warmth. Instead, the aura the woman emanated was that of a blizzard, eager to swallow and kill off anyone unfortunate enough to be in its path.
His nerves rattled and skin drenched in sweat, Jaune snuck a quick peek at his uncle Qrow, who quickly took advantage of the calm situation for a surprise tackle. Ramming his sister in the back, the two Branwens hurdled to the ground in a dusty cloud of soil.
"Run, Jaune! Go find the others and tell Summer that the midnight beauty is on Patch!"
"Qrow!" His fellow ravenette screamed. Wrestling with her brother's flailing limbs, she punched him square in the cheek but got an elbow in the gut as a result.
Knowing his weak muscles would offer little to his uncle's plight, Jaune made a mad retreat toward a clearing in the trees. Though he might not know where he was, he was sure that if he ran in the general direction of where he came he'd run into somebody. Well, as luck would have it, he ended up crashing against a muscular leg that happened to be owned by a very mighty figure, but this person wasn't his auntie Summer. It was a stoic magician who appeared to be just as confused as Jaune was.
"Jaune?" Hawkins curled a brow at his son's panicked rambling and decided to deliver a light knock on his skull to set him straight.
"S-Sorry," Jaune whimpered with a steaming pink lump on his head, "b-but Uncle Qrow's in trouble! Some crazy lady started attacking him, then she got the upper hand, and then I threw a pebble at her!"
The tyke's fists pounded his skull as a crucial detail flashed to the forefront of his mind. "O-Oh yeah, Uncle Qrow said to tell Auntie Summer that the Midnight Beauty of Beacon is on Patch!"
Rolling his eyes, he pulled out his scroll as Jaune continued to wail.
His lips veering to a long frown, Hawkins grumbled as his index finger fiddled with the many blinking icons on his scroll. Tukson never got a chance to show him how the device worked, and now his lack of knowledge of the unfamiliar mechanisms annoyed him to no end. Scrolls weren't like tarot cards, as you couldn't shuffle your way into a call.
After many tries and failures, Hawkins finally managed to dial Summer's number much to the red reaper's surprise.
/-/
Still awaiting Hawkins, Jaune, and Qrow, the rest of the hiking group talked among themselves until a melodious ring broke the cheerful banter.
"Summer? I think your scroll is ringing." Tai scratched his cheek and pointed to his wife's combat belt.
"Oh, it looks like it is, maybe it's Qrow? He hasn't answered any of us for the past two hours." Summer replied with furrowed brows, though her silver eyes widened at the name requesting a call.
She pressed her scroll against her ear and answered. "Hawkins, is that you?"
"Yes," came the magician's usual stoic tone, "I don't know what's going on exactly, but I found Jaune."
Summer smiled. "That's good news, did you have any luck in locating Qrow?"
"Apparently my son has seen him."
"And?" Summer pressed on, slightly annoyed with the dull answers she was receiving.
"Qrow appears to be in trouble with someone of the epithet, Beacon's Midnight Beauty? Do you know of such a person?"
The red reaper froze and her fingers barely supported her scroll. Tai shuddered at the mention of his ex's nickname, but he couldn't believe that Raven had decided to reveal herself after five long years of mimicking a ghost.
"C-Come on, dad, we have to help Uncle Qrow! He was losing when I left him!" Jaune's voice rang through the scroll which ignited all sorts of turbulent emotions in Summer's mind.
Without warning, the huntress' eyes burst into a dazzling display of silver and activated her semblance.
"Carla, Sam, Tai, bring the kids home and make sure you're prepared for anything!" Her piece said, Summer tapped the location icon on her scroll and in a couple of seconds a red dot leading to Hawkins appeared on a map.
"Summer, wait!" Tai shouted, but his cries for patience fell on deaf ears and he was forced to trail the rose petals his beloved left behind.
"What in Oum's name is going on?" Carla huffed with her hands on her hips.
"Um, are we still going to hike?" Ruby asked with Trifa and Yang looking to the last remaining adults for guidance.
"I think it's best we end the stroll here," Sam rubbed his neck and rallied the kids, "how about we get a head start on lunch? I don't think we'll be seeing anyone else for quite a while."
"Can we have cookies?" Ruby tugged on Carla's pant leg with twinkling puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, but those will be for dessert after dinner. I can't have you kids spoiling your appetites!" The cow Faunus grinned and led the group back to the Xiao Long Household.