Author's Note:

Sorry for the (long, very long) wait, was busy working on a few other stories. Hope everyone has been well.

"What the hell is this Junior?"

Staring down a peeved Qrow Branwen wasn't Junior's idea of a fulfilling Saturday afternoon, but he made for his best, tilting his head inquisitively, all the while masked by an indulgent smile. "I'm not quite sure what you are referring to Qrow. As a reputed information broker, it is not in my business to partake in any sealed or filed information passed on through me. If you would like I could-"

Dropping the folder, Qrow slammed his palms onto the counter, spread wide and clawed dangerously, matching the glint in his eyes that left no room for doubt. "Don't give me that bullshit, I know you vet any and all information you get, sealed or filed or whatever excuse you feed your other clients. Now I'm going to ask you this once, and if I don't get something I'm satisfied with, I'll make what Yang did look like a child messing around with dough; who sent this information?"

Junior gave a faux sigh, rubbing at his face wearily, and superficially weighing the consequences of relinquishing a name. Though he really was annoyed, where did Ruby learn to make deals like this? Maybe she was learning a little more than hand to hand from Miltia. Grumbling inner monologue for later, he would just have to play along to her plan for now, and boy did she know how to push Qrow's buttons.

"Someone who wants to redirect your attention to some flaws in your information network."

Ruby mentioned the punch would follow soon, 3, 2…Hrk! A little ahead of schedule, but he was prepared all the same. Jerking his head back straight, he rubbed at his cheek, having the decency to look affronted and equal parts surprised by the blow.

Doing his best to not stumble back from the Aura coated finger that was jabbed into his chest, he met Qrow's seething glare. "I don't give a shit about the info, old news. I asked for a name, or would you rather I start giving you a lot more than a bruised face?"

Old news eh? Damn, went straight for his skills and she got exactly what she wanted. He would have to be careful of Ruby in the future, all he's been doing is following her script, and she played a trained Huntsman like a freaking carnival dog.

"Ok ok fine, when have I ever been anything but helpful. Look I don't know the girlie, she was wearing a red hooded cape, looked like one of those winter cloaks they would wear at those fancy Atlas balls. She kept her head beneath the hood the whole time though, like she was afraid of revealing something about her face. Judging by how you're grilling me about her now, I'd say she had good reason."

Qrow's eyes widened, a relieved laugh interposing the fury that he had wielded. "She's in Vale…", he muttered, though audible enough for Junior's experience to zero in on.

"I reckon this is the girl you've been hounding me about?"

SLAM

"Gah, shit!"

A moment ago, all he had done was throw Qrow a seemingly harmless question, and now he had a hand up to his gushing nose, a spreading stain on the countertop where he had been slammed into. How fast did he move…?

He jerked forwards when his shirt was grabbed, bracing himself with two frantic hands on the countertop as he was yanked swiftly till the lower half of his body was left dangling. With his hands on the counter, he had no choice but to let the blood flow freely, staining his suit, and bleeding its way into the wood that furnished the edges of the bar.

He met Qrow's eyes, steeled and whetted, a swirl of foreign trepidation that pounded at his chest, escaping in pained wheezes that he struggled to tame.

"Now, I'm assuming she didn't say anything about where she would be holed up? Feel free to correct me, no charge." He shook his head on cue. "No matter, if she's in Vale, I'll find her. Now as for you…"

It was a sudden realisation that Qrow had him in a grip enacted by only one hand, and when the dagger in the other tickled at his throat, he affirmed that he really didn't like working with Qrow Branwen.

"A word to anyone, that's all I need. That's all I need to throw you and every Xiong alive somewhere no being of sound mind will ever hear your screams. Who knows? Some of you may live, the twins maybe. Fact of the matter is, I don't give a fuck happens to you."

Choking as he dropped onto the counter, he watched as Qrow turned around with a departing scowl, before stalking out onto the busy street, drifting into the waves of people as though he hadn't threatened over 400 people without a thought.

The scariest part was that Junior knew he wasn't bluffing.

Raising a glower to the ceiling, he raised a wobbling finger at a roof panel left ajar, sniffling on the blood that clogged and stifled his voice. "There, our deal is done. You proud of yourself Ruby?"

The darkness, framed acutely by the manoeuvred panels and unfiltered by the lights merely stayed silent, as though contemplating his agony, before it pulled at its improvised window, shifting it back into place and closing the gateway to the void.

Damn Hunters.

"I think its safe to say, Mils and I never entertained the thought of being this close to VPD Central Station. Before you march in, righteous glory aflame and ordaining the pep in your boots, let me remind you that I think...nah, know this is a stupid plan that would normally have me wondering if you were mentally unsound, had I not gotten familiar with your 'morals and uncompromising mission'."

"First of, I detest your mockery...I didn't say it like that. Second, you really think there's another way to get this to the top? Like council level top? They're the only ones who can force Ozpin to do something."

"Yeah, report it, put it up on a sign, that's what everyone else seeking justice does."

"And when Qrow catches wind of these reports, what then? He'll come down hard on the Xiongs."

"…We can take him."

"I don't think you even believe that Miltia. Even if we could leak this to the VPD anonymously, you really think they'll report it up, and shine a spotlight on an issue that highlights their negligence and abysmal intelligence network? I haven't been in the scene as long as you or Melanie, but it's no secret that the VPD's inaction is the reason why gangs like yours are thriving."

"Gangs like ours? You're a Xiong too, you know? You've been a part of operations long enough that it would be difficult to consider you anything else, even if your methods differ from ours."

"Not for long I will be. I'm not deluded enough to think Xiong reach extends past the walls of Vale Prison. Seeing as how you guys won't be able to help me if I end up in there, and the undoubtedly large number of rivals inside, I would much rather not be affiliated with the Xiongs, or any gang for that matter."

"Doesn't Qrow think you're spider? He seemed pretty surprised to know you were in Vale, instead of prancing around with those insects back east."

"He does, but the notices posted out to the public omitted his suspicions. In the masses' eyes, I'm wanted for being an accomplice to murder. Hopefully Qrow didn't open his mouth wide enough for any stirrings of me being in a gang to brew."

"We already fed Qrow all the evidence we could scrape together of White Fang's activities over the past month, there's no doubt he'll take it back up to Ozpin."

"Slipping him that folder of evidence to report back to Ozpin isn't something I expect to work. I don't believe for a second that Ozpin is dumb enough to not realize something is up with all the dust robberies. As much flak as I give him for how he runs Beacon, that man knows more than he lets on. If I had to guess, he's keeping the city calm, handling this issue under the tarp, probably why Qrow doesn't want Junior mouthing off about this."

"There? You said it yourself, he's handling it, why do you have to set yourself on the chopping block?"

"It's how he's handling it that's the issue. The dust robberies go back more than half a year, all the way before I even entered Vale, and yet there have been no raids, and no progress. With Qrow slipping up, and revealing that they knew about the possibility all along, it means Ozpin hasn't even deployed Hunters despite knowing of the persistent threat! Vale will fall if he doesn't go all hands-on deck, and the council is the only one that can get him to do it. You guys have to trust me on this, I know what I'm doing."

"...Alright then, it's past noon, they're probably back from their lunch breaks. Listen Red, I know I haven't been the most pleasant to be around, but I imagine just like Melanie, I'm glad you came to play with the Xiongs, even if just for a while. Sorry for everything, and anything else in between."

"Damn Miltia...I know we disagreed on a lot, and I'll never be completely ok with the things that you do, but I guess you guys are far from the worst bunch in this city. I don't know if this is a permanent goodbye, but if by some miracle I...Wait, Melanie, are you-?"

"sniff...Godspeed Ruby Rose"

Of course the front lobby looked extravagant. VPD Central station teetered the border between districts, beset on both sides by the wealthy, the privileged, and the wanting population of the High-Class and Commercial districts. Lavish and clean, prestigious and elegant, pompous with eyes sky cast to avoid the grime of the underbelly.

Officers walked under a coffered white ceiling with trimmed black accents, their navy uniforms preaching military tradition, buckled with belts, trimmed free of loose threads, attuned and woven to the finishing of a military dress uniform, reminiscent of the Atlas' military parades peered at through the grain of a heavily bargained, distorted display. Though her eyes had been drawn to the event's peripherals, where the Ace-Ops stood facing the populace.

Adorned in the latest technology and with their custom fitted weaponry, she had fallen asleep more than once in front of a looping playback, her idled mind absentmindedly conjuring and assembling the makings of her very own instrument, the scraps and puzzle pieces of a dream slowly but surely encroaching upon a line, crossing from a desire to a need.

Perhaps the position of a Huntress wasn't attainable any longer, but that didn't mean she couldn't still help. However, this whole place was...Pathetic. The officers weren't even armed, with no security installations nor procedures implemented to protect against any infractions of peace, instead opting to appeal to the comfort of the upper-class with faux décor, a benign uniform, and plush armchairs.

She eyed the frequent packs of arrestees pacing between the entrance to the holding cells, glancing across dusted faces, decrepit clothes, and clogged fingernails. Her time in the 'sordid' districts of Vale had enlightened her to the lack of VPD patrols in those areas, meaning that these people were picked up in the more wealthy districts.

While these people could have been criminals, she doubted it was a coincidence that every arrestee from the wealthy districts dressed to embody the appearance of poverty, more likely they had been picked up for daring to venture into the prestigious districts, 'tarnishing' the good name of Vale in the eyes of frequenting foreigners.

She felt the first flames of useless anger begin to lick it's way up the expanse of her collar bones and the back of her neck, a bleeding flush making a home in her cheeks, pulled taut and made strict with the gritting of teeth.

Tossing her hood back, she shook aside the shock of hair that fell across her face, sweeping across the room boldly in long, petal ushered strides, her cape fluttering along the tracks of an induced gust as she approached the counter.

"Good afternoon, I'll be with you shortly." An officer sat at the desk, typing rapidly away at his terminal, his eyes glued to his task. Her anger rose up the hollow of her throat, an ugly, infuriating thing that clawed its way free in the form of a disbelieving scoff. She had strolled through the main headquarters of the VPD, made a beeline to the counter without any disguise whatsoever, and still she was undiscovered, being ignored while standing right in front of their faces.

These were the people put in charge of protecting Vale? These were the people entrusted by Ozpin and the unknowing public, to safeguard the sanctity of order? These people, whom she had delivered herself to their gaping maws, and yet they were so inept, unable, bordering incapable of apprehending a suspect whose face was flashing periodically across their overhead monitors, which supposedly existed solely as an assurance to entering citizens that the 'esteemed' VPD was on the case.

What a joke.

Hearing Ruby's scoff brought out the beginnings of a sigh from the officer, his eyes dipping low and darkening just a shade, before he adopted a painfully artificial smile on his face, tipping his head up and meeting Ruby's unimpressed glare.

"Welcome to the VPD Central Station. How may I help y-"

Ruby caught it as happened, the flicking of his eyes to a monitor behind her that flashed a timely portrait of her face, ripped from Beacon's records, and plastered with: 'WANTED FOR MURDER/ACCOMPLICE TO MURDER.DETAIN ON SIGHT.' wording written in obtrusive crimson. She endured past the moment where his eyes widened at the double underlined words she knew to be at the bottom of her photo, the ones that said: 'AURA AND SEMBLANCE UNLOCKED. DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED UPON RESISTANCE.'

It seemed an eternity as the man darted helplessly between the monitor and her face, as though trying to struggle past a clouding veil that reduced him to mere gapes and gawks, instead of pressing the alarm Ruby knew to be at the underside of the table.

Frustration bubbled within her, besetting her patience, her voice coming out in a low dangerous rumble. "Are you going to do your job? Or do I have to escalate?"

Swinging a hand back into her cloak, she wrapped around Crescent Rose, pulling it out and deploying it in a swift, unhesitating motion, hoisting it up to her waist as she levelled the barrel over the desk at the officer's face.

Never in a million years would Ruby ever convince herself that she was going to pull the trigger, but the loud whirring of Mechashift and the shock of 'Ruby Rose: Accomplice to Murder' wielding a 6 foot weaponized Scythe was what spun every nearby officer into action, snapping their heads and stumbling at varying degrees to the nearby alarms positioned on the columns.

Ruby panned her head idly as officers came rushing out of interior doors, forming up, and barricading her path to the exit with a semicircle encasement that trapped her between the counter, and them. Though these ones were armed with handcuffs and light pistols, they were still discernibly unprepared for a threat trained in Aura control.

As the petrified officer stared down the encroaching 50. Caliber barrel with his hands held up shakingly, for what purpose she couldn't fathom seeing as he was equally as defenceless as the previous officers, a Sergeant stalked forth from the encasing formation, obviously better trained and hardened in comparison to his men, aiming his pistol at center mass.

"Ruby Rose. You are wanted for being an Accomplice to Murder, and a prime suspect to Murder. In addition to that, you are charged with carrying an unauthorized Class 4 Mechashift weapon, and threatening a Police Officer with said weapon. Surrender yourself now!"

Ruby rolled her eyes, jamming Crescent Rose forwards abruptly, driving the barrel slightly into the cheek of the officer, eliciting a pained cry that finally drove a few daring men to lunge at her. Her eyes seized by a thin film of shimmering scarlet, she watched as they paused mid stride, before dancing along to the momentum of her roses, collapsing Crescent Rose and placing it gingerly onto the counter.

She didn't fancy any of the officers slicing themselves up when trying to fold up Crescent Rose, or at worse, damaging its mechanisms, better for all parties this way. Eying her weapon, she took an assuring breath, filling her lungs with the courage she desired, and consoling the squirming qualms that rioted in her gut.

Releasing her hold on the world, she raised her hands as the officers resumed their dash for apprehension, offhandedly commenting as her arm was pulled down into the embrace of a cuff.

"And now you've got me for assault."

From Beacon student, to ungraceful expellee, turned gang member, wanted criminal, and now, a Detainee of the VPD. No turning back now, she could only hope mum agreed she was doing the right thing.

There was but a faint hope that their cells, kept out of the public's view, would maintain the same standard of spruceness as their outward facing lobby. She should have known better than to hope the VPD of all people reserved some empathy for the human condition of arrestees, especially when the opinions of Remnant didn't factor into the construction of their cramped cells.

The walls were scarred with fractal cracks, damp and revealing patches of peeking mold, which had thrived under misted conditions contributed to by intruding rainfall and poor ventilation. Truly a place that contended for the ruin that plagued the industrial district, though she much preferred the open space and brief intermissions of fresh air that she managed to catch when occasionally running along the rooftops during operations.

Sitting herself on the metallic bench so graciously provided, she cringed as the creaking of its weathered screws stung at her ears, instinctively lifting herself up slightly, if only to alleviate the risk of the bench collapsing altogether.

Annoying, her neck was itching again. Sighing out her frustrations as she brought a hand up to fidget at the Aura Dampener Collar, she winced as the device sparked chidingly, refuting her attempts at reaching the spot where the pronged collar jabbed into her neck, ready to deliver a shock at the behest of the VPD.

Well at least they weren't completely clueless.

Doing her best to ignore the tangy scent of rotten water that assaulted her sinuses, she shifted to a relatively dry section of the wall, leaning against it, and closing her eyes. By now they should have forwarded her demands to speak to Ozpin, and if not, she could do with a little more sleep. Striking that deal for Junior to speak to Qrow had her out in Vale for more than a few nights, often dipping into dawn, but she supposed her end of the bargain was moderately better than Junior's, seeing as how he was temporarily incapable of sounding intimidating with his clogged nose.

It was faint at first, almost like she had conjured it up as the beginnings of a dream, but soon it became undeniably present, the flapping of wings. But there was something strange about it, like it was dipping in and out of buildings, ducking and weaving around structures in a frenzied search.

She raised her eyelids, directing her attention to the solitary window that hung above her head in confusion. Twisting herself around, she kicked herself up onto the bench, standing on her toes in an attempt to elevate her eyes over the accursed edge.

No luck, she was (hopefully) about 2 years short of peering over that window. It was an oversight that she stopped drinking milk after Beacon, now she was paying the price.

Her new height closer to the window did allow her to hear the flapping clearer though. It sounded quite close to her left, getting louder as it weaved in and out of existence, escaping her only to emerge but a moment later.

To her left…? Holding cells. It was ducking in and out of the holding cells, far too consistent for it to be any normal bird. Leaping backwards off the bench, she stood hesitatingly against the glare of sunlight, decidedly shifting herself slightly such that the backdrop of flaxen fire didn't burn out her eyes.

It took a few seconds for her anticipated visitor to appear, and…it was a crow. Wearing a feathered coat of midnight, with beady, bleeding eyes, harsh and cutting as they burned, admonishing her to a degree which its rudimentary expressions failed to convey proportionately. It was larger than any crow she had ever seen, and the wild look of fury that rested in its eyes had far too much rage in them for her to even consider it unknowing. It was looking for her.

Through her appalment, she found her voice, taking but a split second to remember when she would chat with the array of pastel flower bushes that Mom had tended to, seeking comfort where there was none.

"You've been looking for me, haven't you?"

Following it attentively as it descended, emphasised by an indignant hop, accentuated by the firm flap of wings, scattering dust darting away in spiralling patterns. There was a brief interlude where Ruby was uncertain of what to do, other than meeting the glare of the crow. It wasn't like it could answer her even if she asked questions, she wasn't even sure if it understood her words.

But then…She slid her foot back in alarm, eyes wide and perplexed, even as she raised her hands up in open palms, a stance selected for defence, the one that Miltia had taught her. Its eyes were shimmering, dark red pools of glassy and oiled patterns that swirled through the sea of anger.

It had Aura.

She was Auraless, and she was trapped in here with it. A tinge of icy fear found its way into her chest, dispersing a fresh wave of rippling goosebumps that ran up the length of her arms and neck. Had the Fang somehow caught on? If so, White Fang wouldn't send just one person if they weren't sure they would be enough, renowned for their strategic use of limited manpower as they were. The possibility of a White Fang assassin didn't bode well for her.

Her mind raced possibilities, each developing plan given rapid bursts of consideration. No escape routes, no Aura, no weapons. 2 months of Hand-to-Hand isn't going to match up for long against a trained Fang operative with real experience, only one option left for me then.

She kept her eyes fixed on the crow, muscles tensed and coiled, sliding her feet back in minute, almost imperceptible movements, navigating to the holding cell door that encased her within this cell.

The crow's beady eyes flicked to the door, sharp and knowing, wielding a steel that carved its way straight into her chest, dissecting and sectioning her shielding courage into neat little pieces, exposing how her heart fulminated to the magnitude of cracking gunfire.

Raising its wings, it unfurled coiled feathers, expanding its wingspan to the fullest potential. It looked like it was stretching, seeking to meet the upper limits of height and width that were indented by bone and muscle, but…it kept reaching.

Reaching and reaching, and somewhere along the contortion and perversion of its nature, beady eyes gave way to snarling red, wings to arms, talons to feet, feathers to clenched fists. Where a crow had been before, Qrow Branwen remained, infuriated and terrible.

Ruby had expected her uncle to eventually catch up to her whilst in VPD custody, and she had sworn by the anger that lined her thoughts when it came to him, but now all she could think of was…was that a crow?

"You're a crow?"

Her voice came out astonished, like it didn't even believe the conjured words that emerged from the depths of her surprise, and she couldn't even fault herself that perplexment was what tumbled out of her mouth, collapsing in a messy heap, instead of the eloquent anger she had revised through intervals of fervid fists on a punching bag.

Qrow scoffed, his rage not at all dimmed. "There's so much you don't know Ruby, and yet you insist on playing hero, all the while not knowing the many, many hands at the table."

Just like that, her anger returned, crackling and retorting. "Don't even start Qrow. I may not know the bigger picture, and I suppose you might think that you and Ozpin have it all handled, but you are playing a dangerous game, letting the Fang build up their stores, letting them fight on their terms."

"The White Fang aren't a threat to Vale. Do you have any idea how many have stood against Ozpin? Are you even able to comprehend the threats that he has faced? You have no idea how small of a speck the White Fang is to him."

Ruby gave a sceptical laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "And so you would risk a White Fang attack rather than strike decisively? If the Fang is allowed to gather their resources, the lives that'll be lost to them will devastate Vale. They have enough dust to stock an army!"

"And what would your plan be? Raids? Sure, lets sweep through the districts, bet that won't give the public any ideas. The sheer volume of emotions as a result would be-"

Ruby shot forward, relishing in the way Qrow's eyes widened as she scowled, her frustration emanating from the jagged confines of gritted teeth. "Nothing compared to what it could be if the Fang succeed! Are you that afraid of the Grimm that you would rather look for an opening that may never come? Do they terrify Ozpin so much that he would take the risk, just to rather fight people than-"

Ruby paused. There it was, just a flicker, but it flared ever so often that it was undeniable now that she had caught a glimpse. It hallowed out his eyes, casting upon her a stare that spanned far beyond what she could comprehend. It was like floating in dread given form, torrential waves of viscous ooze that clogged her throat, and rolled around in her lungs, a heavy weight that threatened to drag her to the ground, choking and flailing.

It was terrifying, and suddenly all too real, screaming a question that thundered in her head: What scared Qrow Branwen?

Qrow took breaths in staggered halts, feeling his feet as he shuffled them lightly, as though he had to convince himself he was still here, and not off in whatever nightmare his mind had seized him by. "It's not about the Grimm. It's never been just, about the Grimm. It's about what comes with them."

Her mouth felt dry, cracked, a ferocious tearing and clawing that struck at her chords, a back-and-forth struggle to project her thoughts. "What…what comes with the Grimm?"

Qrow bore into her, and in that very moment, she was all too cognizant of the terror that loomed in his expression, the threat that balanced Vale on the tip of a testing finger, swaying and rolling to test the city's mettle. "In the current state of the city? Glynda thinks we have a fighting chance if we rally all the Hunters of Vale, students and active. As for Ozpin and me, we say it like it is: Remnant down to three kingdoms."

The room fell into stagnated silence, and for all her determination to saving innocents, Ruby could only scramble for her defence. What could she say in the face of such despair? How could she argue against a threat that she had no understanding of? One that scared possibly the most dangerous Hunter of their time, and the ever-composed Headmaster of Beacon? Who was she, an unknowing girl, to retort against the plans of the only people who truly knew what they were up against.

Yet, as much as this harrowing threat encroached, a flame burned that kept the ever-testing gloom away, kindled by her purpose, and the lives of the innocents. "That doesn't mean you just let the White Fang run free."

Qrow's eyes hardened with indignation, a disbelieving scoff escaping from his chest. "We aren't letting them-"

But Ruby had enough of his excuses, of Ozpin's excuses. "That's not what it looks like. What it looks like to me is you're waiting for a clear and clean shot at taking down the Fang without public panic, a shot that may never come. Meanwhile they're running around robbing dust stores, killing innocents like store owners and people who just so happened to chance upon them. People are dying while you and Ozpin roll the dice, hoping for a breakthrough in intelligence before they complete their plan!"

Qrow glared down at her, his fists crackling with red as his nails embedded crescents into his palms. "I have watched my fair share of people die, and not a single one died without a cause. The dead, though unknowing, will have sacrificed their lives to save the many. With Ozpin's experience, we'll get the White Fang, I'm sure of it."

Ruby stumbled back incredulously, unable to believe that the man that spoke so callously of lives, as though they were but pawns in a much larger game, was the same man that had balanced her on his shoulders, before Mum died and everything went to hell.

"You…So much faith in the man that you would bet an entire city? I may not know the threats you're talking about, but a Hunter's mission is to save lives, none more valuable than the rest."

"I already told you; people spot us doing raids and the panic will-"

"And I'm telling you, that if we aren't ready for whatever this threat is, chances are we never will be! What's your plan? You just cower and play ball, refrain from doing anything that would cause panic, throwing away opportunities to save lives? How many more casualties will it take for you to finally make a move?!", Ruby snarled, her rage rearing in a low growl.

Qrow dipped his head, his fists clenched tight as the charged air pinioned, thick and rolling in waves of molten heat that whipped at her face, inducing a hostile flush that crawled up the length of her neck. "You don't get it. It's not your fault, you're not meant to get it. This is a burden that you don't get to carry, and I was hoping we could do this the easy way…"

She sprung back as Qrow ducked a hand behind his back, the blood red hilt of Harbinger emerging, catching the sun, and gleaming a menacing threat that blurred at her confidence. Adrenaline rolled in her blood, only fuelling the tension that roared in her ears, eyes sharp and stabbing as she regarded the hand affixed to the hilt. "So, this is your plan. Play the saviour, whisk me away from 'cruel, bitter' Vale, keep me away from a fight where I lose?"

It would have been a comfort to uncover a shade of guilt somewhere, but as his jaw tightened, his eyes firm and resolute, she shuffled backwards towards the door, the Aura dampener collar itching and scratching at the angry, scarlet skin that endured the scarpering bursts of snapping Aura.

"The path you're heading down Ruby, is the same path Summer took. We aren't letting you make the same mistakes she did, you're all we have left of her! You've got nowhere to run, not this time."

She slanted her body in a stance, shooting a quick glimpse at the metallic door that wobbled on the edge of her peripheral vision. Muffled footsteps were barely audible from the cell's interior, but enough so that she could tell that they were inching closer. She needed time.

"You remember what the Brush Rabbits in Patch did when backed up against a tree?"

It was almost comical how Qrow reeled back, blinking confusedly as his brows furrowed. "What?"

She knew that Qrow wasn't really asking her to continue, but she did so anyway, all the while listening for the footsteps that teetered on the edge of discernability. "Hunters would corner them against trees, thinking that they'd won. But then, the rabbit would run straight at the Hunters, neither cowering, nor lying idle waiting for their death. In between legs they would go, tripping them up, and blocking their line of fire with their fellow man." Just a little more to the side…there, perfect position.

She tilted her head back straight, her eyes resting on Harbinger, a count starting that decremented with the nearing footsteps that permeated through the door, close enough to hear without strain. "I quite liked the rabbit, always wanted one as a pet."

Flicking to Qrow, she smirked. "I know you and Ozpin sicced the VPD on me, criminals have done far more and have gotten less in retaliation. Beset on all sides by 'Hunters', I guess I'll take a page out of the Brush Rabbit's book."

Whirling around, she eyed the door through the veil of hair that whipped across her face, pivoting on her left foot as she brought up her knee. She heard the scampering of feet behind her, a mad dash that shot straight for her, but the distance she had put between them was perfect, and it bought her the time she needed.

Leaning back, she delivered a swift kick to the door, acute and fierce, maintaining the stance that kept a straight line from her heel, through her hips, to her head. Satisfied by the sound of reverberating metal in her blood, and the rapid pacing of footsteps that echoed outside the door, she re chambered her foot back quickly. What a kick, Melanie would be proud.

"HELP ME, PLEASE HELP!"

Surprisingly, it wasn't hard to inject the urgency into her yell, not when furious hands gripped painfully at her shoulders, spinning her around to meet her scathing uncle.

"Damn you Ruby, shit!"

It didn't need to be said, she could see it in his scowl, could feel it in the way his nails clawed closer and closer to her neck, like he was resisting the urge to strangle the audacity out of her. She said it anyway: "What do you think the VPD will do when they find Qrow Branwen, esteemed Hunter, attempting at a prison escape? Raise it up to the council I imagine, and what will they force Ozpin to do then?"

She half expected the shove that sent her slamming against the door, enough so that she tucked her head forward, preventing a nasty concussion. Upon the hasty unlocking of the door, a multitude of hands that fumbled at a key and lock, she smirked at Qrow, gesturing towards the window. "See you soon Uncle."

She almost missed it when he transformed, a smooth transition that had him darting up the walls, out the window in a rathe retreat, though she swore she heard his curses trailing closely behind, profanity laced auditory afterimages that cursed at her.

She darted forward as the door swung open, turning around innocently towards the officers that came stumbling in, batons oscillating with in search of the menace. They were wide eyed, panicked, pale as though they were uncomfortable in the weight and breadth of their uniform, unused to conflict.

"What happened?! Why'd you scream?"

Ruby didn't really have an answer other than the truth, and so she just shrugged. "Qrow Branwen was in my cell, he flew in as a Crow through the window bars."

"…Yeah right, I've heard that one before."

Well, don't say I didn't try.

Author's Note:

I'll be completely honest…I definitely write Weiss way better than I do Ruby, but hey, I'll learn as I go. Hope you guys enjoyed! Can't really put an eta on the next one, because there's a training exercise coming up in my base and boy, it's a big one. Also I know I said team RWBY would convene again in this chapter, and I am so sorry, but this chapter was definitely needed to set the stage for the latter chapters. Next chapter, Ruby is transported to Beacon to meet Ozpin, definitely can't avoid her old team now.