After looking at everyone's suggestions and doing a few pages to test both ways, I decided not to do a flashback. I could make arguments to do either way, but I think just having Raven mention what happened with the bare details would lead to Jaune asking more questions. Plus, maybe there's some way in the future Jaune could actually find a way to learn the full truth. Maybe someone big and blue could help him. Who knows? Either way, this chapter did what I wanted. Jaune learned secrets and it might affect the way he views Ozpin and Qrow. Major timeline changes have already happened.
I am looking for people willing to beta chapters. Many of the people who have helped me in the past are busy with their own lives and responsibilities.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
"I haven't had contact with Summer for a couple years," Raven started, looking at a spot over Jaune's shoulder. "Not since I left my daughter Yang in the hands of Tai-..."
"Why did you leave her?" Jaune interrupted. "Ruby said she was… er… looking for you for a long time…" His nerves failed him under those piercing red eyes.
"It was either be a mother to her, or lead the tribe," Came the blunt response of the woman, as though it was an immutable fact of life. "I could not do both. The needs of my tribe outweigh any emotional attachment I may have had with her."
"Bullshit!" Jaune spat out. "She's your daughter! There's no way you would— No way you could leave her so easily!"
"I see you have developed Qrow's distasteful mannerism of interrupting." Raven looked down at him scornfully, as if he was a piece of filth on her shoe. "There would be better things to learn from him. His skills may have dulled, but he still outweighs most of the so-called Huntsmen under Ozpin's thumb. Now, are you going to keep interrupting or not?"
As much as Jaune wanted to say something, he resolutely kept his mouth shut. He needed to hear this.
"Wise choice." The woman paused for another moment before continuing. "I didn't see or hear from her for several years. During that time, Summer got together with Tai and had that girl there… It was probably for the best, as Summer could give him a life I could not." Her tone seemed to betray something else to Jaune, but he couldn't quite place it. "To my surprise, one day, out of nowhere, she approached me for help with some mission she was planning to take without Ozpin's approval."
There was a palpable tension in the air as Raven's hand tightened around the arm of the chair she was sitting in.
"She wanted to kill the Queen of all Grimm, Salem."
Whatever Jaune had been expecting, of the million different things Raven could have said, it wasn't that. Maybe fighting some really powerful Grimm that ended with her losing her life, but a real Queen? Grimm didn't have a real leader outside the local Alpha or any especially long-lived members of a given species, like a Queen Lancer or Queen Arachne. Part of him wanted to reject Raven's declaration. He couldn't though, for such a thing would have been entirely futile, nothing more than a lie to himself. Seeing her expression, hearing the powerful woman's tone waver?
Jaune could tell in his heart, only the truth was being spoken now.
"Did you believe her?" The question slipped from Jaune's lips instead.
"Summer wasn't the type of person to lie. She was honest, too honest sometimes…" The woman clicked her tongue, seemingly out of annoyance. "Besides… Ozpin. He told us about her, but… he managed to leave out a few key details!" Her hand slammed against the wood of her seat and the wood cracked slightly. "She wasn't just the leader of Grimm. No, Salem is far more than that. That thing is a nightmare incarnate."
Every fiber in Jaune's body told him not to interrupt.
"With our skill, we traveled to the Dark Continent and confronted Salem…" There was another pause as Raven seemed to lose focus. Her eyes were almost glazed over as she recalled that moment. "Salem wasn't— isn't— like any other Grimm. She's not some mindless beast or facsimile of any animal. Skin devoid of color except for twisted red veins. Eyes deep blood red that held an endless darkness. Voice like poison honey that draws you in only to end your life… Salem is almost human, or as close to one as any monster ever could be."
A shiver ran down Jaune's spine. The way Raven was talking about this Salem. Either Yang's mom was the world's greatest actor or things were a lot bleaker than they appeared. Jaune's brain was already trying to put together a picture of it, and his blood ran cold. He couldn't imagine actually seeing her in person.
"Ozpin never told us she cannot be killed."
Instantly, Jaune snapped out of his imagination.
"W-what did you say?" The boy choked out.
"As far as we discovered, the Queen of Grimm is immortal," Raven elaborated, holding out a hand and then closing her fingers into a fist. "Everything we did, anything anyone's ever done… was all for nothing."
"Maybe she's just really strong…?" Jaune didn't care if he sounded childish. Immortality was something that only existed in stories, like video games and fairy tales. If the supposed leader of the Grimm was truly immortal, then what could humanity do? Why didn't she just invade the kingdoms and kill all humanity in a single endless assault, until there were no more resources or people to fight back? They couldn't stop her if that was the case. "Anything that rules over all the Grimm we know of obviously can't be weak."
The short laugh that escaped Raven's mouth was anything but amused.
"You could only wish that was true. Beheading her, disembowelment, explosives, collapsing a building on her, nothing we did worked. Even Summer's… unique skills did nothing but slow her down. But the worst part? She let us try everything. Just stood there and took it all, while mocking us. That monster knew we could do nothing, but let us continue to try as countless Grimm watched and waited at her order."
Jaune's throat went dry.
"After we tried everything, we had no choice but to flee," Raven continued quietly. "That's when that creature showed her true colors. Her abilities were not Semblance based like ours, but her own brand of power. She summoned hundreds of dark hands out of shadows that were stronger than we could break. Salem wanted to try an experiment of hers, and we were the perfect test subjects."
The woman's face went pale, almost sickly, at the memories.
"I was bound and locked up for what could have been days. Monitored and bound so I couldn't escape even with my Semblance. It was then Salem retrieved me and brought me to meet Summer… or, what was left of her."
Jaune would not have been surprised if venom flew from Raven's mouth. Every single hair on Jaune's body was standing up, and he was leaning forward slightly in a mix of impatience and anxiety to hear the end of the tale. Part of him didn't want to learn about this thing called Salem, but knew he would regret not listening. If nothing else, at least he could tell Ruby what happened.
Though it sounded like she would be better off not knowing.
Would ignorance be bliss here?
"Salem… she corrupted Summer. Fused her with one of her abominations. Half-human, half-Grimm… that's the only way I could describe her."
Whatever control over himself Jaune had left his body, an almost instinctual thought of fear and panic flooding him at the description. The blood drained from his face, his arms shook, and cold sweat broke out all over his body. He desperately wanted to disbelieve what he was being told. One look into those red eyes and all doubt vanished. What Raven saw happen to Ruby's mom… was being told to him now.
"This was all a sick game to her." Raven wasn't looking at Jaune anymore but at the door to the tent as if Salem would jump through at any moment. "She could have killed us both anytime she wanted. Instead, she let us tire ourselves out so she could experiment on Summer." Her hands clenched into fists. "I was allowed to leave if I could escape."
Raven gritted her teeth.
"That bitch released Summer to hunt me down for her amusement!"
"Wouldn't Summer fight back…?" Jaune croaked out, his arm shaking.
"The Grimm part of her overwhelmed all her humanity, or maybe Salem broke her with whatever dark magic she used. I never found out." Raven admitted dryly. "I was too busy trying to survive. Summer was one of the strongest fighters I knew, even if she was emotional and soft. Combined with the mercilessness of the Grimm? She was a force to be reckoned with. What made it all worse was I could still see some of her under that darkness…"
Things began to become clear to Jaune as he pieced together everything. His hands gripped together to stop the trembling. Why Raven was so focused on strengthening her tribe. The reason she doesn't ever look at Ruby if she can help it. Everything was clicking perfectly into place. As Jaune's mind connected the dots, what Raven told him before swam to the front of his mind.
"...The secrets he kept from us directly led to Summer's death."
There was only one outcome. Raven never said Salem killed her.
"You… struck her down, didn't you?" The words felt so foreign and far away as it left his mouth.
"I did." Was the only response the boy received.
"You regret it," Jaune accused.
"I do NOT!" Raven spat out. "What she became… Death was a mercy. Her strength and speed were exponentially increased. If I hadn't, she would have been forced to be that monster's toy. Doomed to kill everyone in her path."
Even as Jaune patiently took in every detail of Raven's story, he felt something else tugging at him. Something that didn't add up with the rest. Raven mentioned once Ruby didn't have near her mothers skills, and yet Ruby was incredibly strong for someone her age. The Branwen tribe only respected strength. Even with some of the insults like Summer being too honest thrown out, Raven didn't really speak about her like she did Qrow, Ruby, and himself. If Ruby's mom really was that strong, and the Grimm mutation made her even more powerful…?
"How did you manage to stop her?"
Raven's eyes widened ever so slightly and then they grew narrow as she glared at him. The boy gulped automatically, feeling as if he did something wrong. The air in the tent felt like it dropped a few degrees.
"Vernal did mention you had some brains in you."
"That doesn't sound like her." The sarcastic response escaped Jaune's mouth before he could stop himself. 'Damn it. I've been around Qrow too long.'
"She said it in her own way."
To Jaune's surprise, she didn't hit him, or even tell him off. Instead, the woman looked thoughtful. Pissed off still, but that seemed to be her default expression. It almost felt like she was deliberately changing the topic of the conversation. While that would have been the safe route, Jaune had to hear from her what happened. For Ruby's sake if nothing else. His friend deserved to know the truth of her mother's final moments.
"How did you manage to beat her if she was so powerful?" Jaune repeated, forcing himself to stare into those red eyes.
"I cut her down with my blade." Raven explained with little more than a shrug and a tone like she was commenting on the weather.
"You know what I mean. We both know you aren't stupid."
SIlence stretched out as the two stared at each other.
"I fought with everything I had, but with Summer's skills enhanced by the power of Grimm, she overwhelmed me. I was pinned to the ground with her fangs inches away from my neck. Then… she pulled back." This time, it was Raven's turn for her arm to shake. Jaune didn't blame her for needing a moment before continuing. "Gripping her face and howling as she struggled against herself. Her voice emerged from the jaws of the beast and managed to get out two words while she had control."
Raven's eyes didn't have tears, they didn't seem sad, if anything, there was only anger.
"... kill me…"
Two little words had so much weight to them, Jaune felt like he couldn't breathe. The boy's imagination ran wild as his brain developed a picture of a half Ruby, half Beowolf creature. What kind of horror would it be to witness something like that? A close teammate and friend being turned into a monster. No wonder Raven hated Ozpin. Partial information can cause even more problems than false information. If they had known she was that powerful, maybe they wouldn't have gone, with Ruby and Yang still having their mom.
"After that… I fled back to Mistral and I could still hear that bitch's voice mocking me." Raven growled. "You entertained me for today, I'll let you leave… Salem simply enjoyed our suffering. To her, humans are nothing more than insects. Barely worth noting. When I returned to the camp, after days of traveling, I was tired and exhausted, but I knew what had to be done. Armies, huntsman, none of that would stop her should she decide to march on the kingdoms. I had to make tough decisions and rid the tribe of the weak blood."
"You killed your own tribe members?" Jaune gasped, his face pale. "Right after you were forced to stop your friend?"
"Did you expect anything less of me?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. "The short time you've been here… do we coddle the weak? The slow? No, we push them off the deep end. They either survive or they die. If you can't endure the training, we won't waste resources on you. It was a mercy to them. They would have suffered otherwise."
For a brief moment, Jaune thought Raven's red eyes were glowing with a small flame, but the light vanished as quick as it appeared.
"This explains so much about you…" Jaune mumbled and then slammed his mouth shut. The last thing he needed to do was anger her.
"You actually believe me?" Raven asked skeptically. "Are you going to tell Summer's kid?"
"Yes and no…" Jaune tried to put his feelings into words. "It doesn't feel like you're lying. I'm hardly an expert at detecting lies though. This is a lot to process and I need to think about it. As for telling Ruby… not yet. I need to verify this information. There's always that small chance you're using this story to manipulate me."
"You can doubt people, good." Raven actually looked slightly impressed. "Only fools take what their enemies say at face value."
"Are we enemies though?" Jaune questioned out loud. "I thought you wanted us to join your tribe."
"Trial memberships don't enjoy the full benefits."
"I feel like you're taking out your frustration on us sometimes."
"If you want, I can do that with my blade." Raven's hand reached for her sword.
"Woah!" Jaune's mouth was going to get him into trouble. He needed to stop talking like he did with Qrow. Especially to people who could cut him in half with a single swing. "No need for that! We're still getting used to the change of environment."
"You should realize that Qrow can talk like that because he has the skills to deal with those that take it personally," Raven reminded him. "You do not have that luxury." She removed her hand from her blade. "I have rewarded you for your help. You can go now. I have nothing else to say to you."
"What you told me… what would happen if I told others?" Jaune asked, standing up.
"Find out for yourself." Raven scoffed. "I don't care either way. My tribe already knows about Salem."
"Yeah, they probably wouldn't believe me," Jaune guessed her meaning. "But wait… you met Salem after you left Yang, right?"
"Get out!"
Jaune darted out as Raven was currently reaching for her blade. The expression indicated she was no longer in the mood to simply mention amused threats. Yang was a taboo topic it seemed. The boy had a lot to think about as he made his way back to the tent, the weight of what Raven told him began to sink in. Yes, it was an incredibly dark story, but it hadn't fully registered in the boy. Every step he took, he felt his body grow heavier and heavier.
Ruby had to know about this.
But could he tell her?
'How do I tell her Raven killed her mom because of an immortal Grimm Queen?'
"JAUNE!" Ruby cried out happily, the moment he stepped back into their tent. "I was about to go looking for you. You took forev… What's wrong? Did something happen?" He should have known Ruby would be able to tell something was wrong, no matter how much he tried to hide it on his face.
"I had to heal someone who got injured fighting Grimm." Jaune answered, sitting down on his cot. Ruby looked confused at that. The wheels in her brain were spinning to figure out why helping heal someone was a bad thing. Finally processing what could have happened to make her friend upset, Ruby's expression sombered and pity appeared in the depths of her eyes before she spoke.
"Did he… die?" Her tone was weak and broke slightly, as she tried to learn what happened.
"No, he survived…, but then Raven took me to her tent to reward me for helping." Jaune explained, rubbing his face.
"Did Raven… do something bad to you?" Ruby's hands covered her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.
"NO…! I mean… no, of course not." Jaune wasn't sure what Ruby's innocent mind would have come up with to be considered 'bad things,' so he didn't try to clarify. "We only talked and she let me ask some things." He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "The answers were… not pleasant…"
"Jaune…" Ruby sat down on the cot to his right and wrapped her arms around him. "You can tell me anything. You know that right?"
"I know…" Jaune tried to smile as he leaned his head on hers. "It's just… what she told me? I don't know if it's true or not. There's a few details I need to verify. I have to talk to Qrow… maybe Ozpin…" He grabbed her hand with his.
Ruby noticed how cold and clammy his hand felt.
"Are you okay?" The girl asked worriedly. "You're so pale."
"Ruby… I promise to tell you everything once I talk to Qrow," Jaune continued. "I trust you completely… but what I learned… I wish I could tell you now, but if Raven was lying to get us to trust her over Ozpin, then sharing it now might be part of her trap."
There was silence and Jaune had no idea what Ruby was thinking. Then slowly, her hug tightened around him.
"I understand." Her tone was soft and reassuring. "Jaune… you're my best friend. If there's a reason you can't tell me something, I know it's important. You promised to tell me when you can, and I know you don't make promises you won't keep. Tell me when you're ready. Just know I'll always be here for you."
Jaune choked back his emotions. What did he do to deserve such a friend? It felt like someone was stabbing a knife into his heart. Ruby understood him so well. More than any of his sisters, maybe even his mom. She knew he would tell her and did not doubt it one bit. How could such an amazing person exist?
All Jaune wanted to do was hold off telling something that would be deeply upsetting to the young girl until he could verify the information. There was no reason to burden her with knowledge that may turn out to be untrue. No matter how much he tried to convince himself of the latter, Raven's tone and expressions seemed to indicate the woman was telling the truth. Worry continued to gnaw away at him with every passing moment.
That night, the two of them shared a bed again. This time though, Ruby was not the one being comforted as they fell asleep in each other's arms.
A few days passed as Jaune and Ruby continued their lives in the Branwen tribe.
Getting up at the crack of dawn to get to work wasn't unusual for them. In fact, it was probably the activity they were most familiar with. Breakfast was slop that sort of resembled food and still tasted better than Atlas ration bars. After that, they got to spar with more of the tribe members. Hand to hand combat, they were way behind even a normal bandit. Jaune could win sometimes with Aura enhanced strength while Ruby had speed to back up her attacks. If they fought someone with Aura, they pretty much got laid flat on the ground.
Jaune could take it, but Ruby had a hard time getting pummeled.
The one guy, Dune, was the only one who actually taught them hand to hand combat. Everyone else was just sparring. Ruby and Jaune were immediately reminded of Qrow's way of teaching. He would knock them around, show them what they did wrong and how to correct it, then knock them around some more until they got it. Dune was a little more forceful than their real mentor, but they were learning some new skills. Not only that, the hand to hand combat was building up muscle, which Ruby desperately needed.
Jaune noticed she was getting voluntold to move stuff and unload trucks of 'salvaged' goods if they arrived while Jaune was made to do other things. A couple times, he even helped with the cooking. The tribe seemed to have a rough rotation of job responsibilities, but some guys were forbidden from going near food due to past incidents.
"Shay decided to put some fresh mushrooms into the pot and gave everyone massive diarrhea." Dune told them once. "Raven tied him to a pole and left him outside the camp for a couple days for his carelessness."
"Almost as funny as the first time Ruby chopped wood and the ax bounced off the log, nearly hitting her in the face." Jaune laughed.
"JAUNE!" Ruby punched him in the shoulder. "Don't make me tell them about some of your training sessions."
"I'll behave." Jaune replied quickly, shrinking down. Some of those stories would cause him no end of grief. He didn't think Ruby would do it, but he shouldn't be telling stories about her if she didn't want them to know either. "Yeah, I've done a lot more stupid and embarrassing things than Ruby ever has."
"We all have, Dumbass." Dune grunted, as Jaune and Ruby still had their bandit nicknames. "It's just we don't let people forget it and mock them constantly. Well, except Vernal, because she won't take it lying down."
"No, I do not." Vernal smirked, walking up to them. "Speaking of, Midget. You got a new task for you while Dumbass is cooking."
Overhearing them, Vernal had Ruby assigned to wood chopping duty for a while.
The only positive thing was besides Vernal, Raven, and a small handful of some of their main fighters, Jaune and Ruby were stronger than pretty much the rest of the tribe members when they had weapons. Short of Vernal and Raven, the remaining bandits would get decimated by Ruby's skill with her scythe in a one-on-one match. There was only one other guy with a huge claymore that could beat her. Jaune lost to a few other people with Aura and training, but he still held his own. That pretty much left Vernal to spar with them now and then while Raven worked on others.
Losing to Jaune and Ruby was a great way for the losers to get extra torture-... training.
"Ugh, why can't you help!" Ruby complained, as Jaune began to scoop up the chopped wood. The two of them were currently outside the camp by the tree line. They were given clear instructions that Ruby chopped and Jaune brought the wood back into camp. Ruby was cutting mostly dead trees, but the logs had to dry before they could use them for cooking and warmth. Things like heaters were luxury they didn't have out here. "Vernal is doing this to be mean!"
"You're already beating everyone during sparring matches," Jaune pointed out, not wanting to tell the girl she was probably correct in her assessment. Vernal seemed to delight in tormenting that girl. "It's not technique you're lacking, but basic strength. Think of it like when Qrow has us working on the fundamentals."
"But she does it purely to harass me!" Ruby declared, swinging the ax down and splitting the log.
"You're getting better at it." Jaune pointed out with a grin.
"That doesn't make me feel better!" Ruby pouted as Jaune took the broken pieces of wood and tossed them into the bag. She had been chopping for a few hours and Jaune was sent to collect the product. "Has she been… er… dealing with you?"
"Outside of practice, not much?" Jaune shrugged and thought about it. "She stops by every now and then, but I'm pretty sure that's on Raven's order. Vernal isn't the kind of person to worry."
"But I hear a lot of people saying she favors you." Ruby exclaimed. She wasn't making this up. Plenty of the bandits had been commenting on the way Vernal treated Jaune.
'HAH!" Jaune couldn't resist laughing. "I guarantee it. Raven is just having us doing the minimum so we'll decide to join permanently. If Vernal really was favoring me, the most I can remember is her hitting me in the face with a hard roll when I asked if I could get more food."
Ruby didn't say anything. Even if her friend didn't notice small things, she did. Vernal was there when Jaune got back from missions, would give him extra food under the disguise of bullying him, then she would also talk to him, giving him tips and tricks to survive. Sure, Jaune told her the tricks, but Vernal never mentioned them to her directly. Even simple ones like before their first salvage run about first come, first serve.
Vernal had to like him. Ruby was sure of it. She was just doing it in a weird, bandit-y violent way. Part of her expected the woman to just drag Jaune away one night.
Jaune didn't seem to have noticed it at all.
"I have good news though, Ruby," Jaune suddenly grew serious. "I pinpointed our location on the map. I know where we are."
Ruby's eyes widened and she missed the log she was aiming at, nearly hitting her foot.
"You do?!" The girl gasped, pulling her foot back. "How close are we from the nearest city?"
"The nearest one on the map should be about a week's walk, minimum," Jaune admitted. "With that four-wheeler, we should be able to reach it without running out of fuel, or at least get close. How big it is, I have no idea. Or even if it's still standing. If it wasn't for them taking us on those scouting trips, I wouldn't have found the landmarks."
Over the last few days, while they couldn't take their four-wheeler, they had gone on some scouting expeditions. Monitoring Grimm activity, killing them if they got to close, and seeing if any new towns or people sprung up. 'Easy Pickings' were what the tribe called the small groups of settlers who tried their luck. The kids were just glad they didn't see any. If they had been made to attack them with the bandits? There were things they would do to survive, but hurting innocent people? That was crossing the line.
"Should we attempt it?" Ruby asked. "There's still a lot of uncertainties. We need to be able to get our weapons, our vehicle, and food supplies." Her eyes twinkled as she imagined escaping. Something Jaune noticed.
"I take it you know how to get our weapons?" The boy asked, knowing Ruby had been watching the armory tent for a while.
"Shouldn't be too hard, it's mostly unguarded." Ruby grinned. "They are getting lax around us. I can zip in, grab our gear, and zip out before they even know what happened. I even saw where they keep my Dust Rounds."
"We'll need them," Jaune agreed. "They made me help cook enough, so I know where the food storage is. I should be able to snag enough rations to last us until we get to the town. That leaves only one big problem left."
"Getting the four-wheeler out of the camp without being shot?" Ruby supplied helpfully.
"How do you make dangerous missions sound like a walk in a park?" Jaune sighed loudly, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"It's my gift." Ruby puffed out her chest. "When I'm around, everything is easier."
"Except reaching the top shelf."
Ruby smacked him in the leg with the handle of her ax, making him jump up in pain as his Aura was down. If anything unnerved Jaune during their interactions at the Branwen tribe, it was that Ruby was a lot more physical than before. Sure, she would lightly punch his arm, but she actually kicked him once in the ankles yesterday after he made a joke and now used an actual tool to hit him. The bandits would hit each other a lot for fun, so Ruby had to have picked it up from them.
This environment was not good for a young girl. It would change her soon enough. They had to get out.
"So our next objective is to grab our getaway vehicle and escape." Jaune muttered, as he continued to pick up wooden chunks. They were in view of the camp walls. If someone was watching them, they had to look like they were working. "I just don't know how we'll go about that. We have to find the key and the moment we start the engine, everyone in the camp will know."
"Could we get it to be used as part of a scouting trip?" Ruby wondered, hefting the ax back up and swinging it down to appear busy.
"Maybe, but I think if they did that, they would separate us, I would at least." Jaune considered, straightening up and stretching his back. "I doubt Raven or Vernal would overlook something so obvious."
"Yeah, they don't trust us…" Ruby agreed and then a small smirk formed on her face. "For good reason."
"For good reason," Jaune repeated in agreement. "We'll have to think of a way to get the vehicle outside the walls. The gate is closed and locked unless someone is entering or leaving, incase of surprise attacks."
"Getting over the walls isn't too difficult," Ruby glanced at the wooden barricade. "There's stairs and ladders on the inside. We can just hop over. If one of us can get the vehicle outside, the other just has to run and jump down. I could do that. With my speed, you won't have to get that close and risk getting shot at."
"I do dislike getting shot at," Jaune replied seriously, with a nod of his head. "It's definitely in my top five. Under getting eaten by Grimm and facing off against your sister when she's mad."
"I think most people would rather be shot than either of those."
The two best friends shared a laugh at the thought of Ruby's rampaging older sister before turning back to business.
"I think you should get the vehicle out if possible," Ruby continued, growing serious. "As I said, I can bolt out over the wall in seconds, while you would take a little longer. No offense."
"None taken, no one's as fast as you." Jaune held up a hand. "Okay, so any idea how I can convince Raven to let me take a vehicle on a joy ride?"
"Does it have to be Raven…" Her tone was nervous and Jaune zeroed in on it.
"What's your plan?" The boy asked quickly. "We probably won't have much longer before they expect me back with the wood."
"There might be another person you could ask…" Ruby felt her mouth and throat drying out. She REALLY didn't want to tell Jaune this, but there wasn't much of a choice. "If you could convince… Vernal to let you go… she might have enough sway to go out."
"Oh, yeah… that's going to go REAL well." Jaune rolled his eyes. "Hey, Vernal. Want to go on a joy ride outside the camp? I'm bored here."
"I'm serious!" Ruby stomped her food. "Seriously, Jaune. Vernal lik-... doesn't think you're trash. Maybe it's because she appreciated your help with the Queen Arachne. If you approach this right, I really think you can get her to agree to let you go. Not necessarily with her, but someone else as she might be too busy to go."
"Let's assume she agrees, but decides to go herself," Jaune doubted this would work, but he was willing to consider all possibilities. "That would mean we somehow have to meet up, defeat her so she can't stop us fleeing, all before the others show up."
"True…" Ruby's silver eyes dulled as depression took over. "B-But… What other choice do we have? Uncle Qrow still hasn't shown up yet!"
"If the camp moved, he might not know where it is," Jaune rubbed his chin as he thought about it, then quickly grabbed the bag of wood. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. It won't hurt to ask, and maybe she'll stick me with someone else. The worst case situation isn't that she says no, but she comes with me. Honestly, we need to try to leave in the middle of the night. Traveling is going to suck, but if it's light out…"
"Easier to track." Ruby knew exactly what he was talking about. They were usually on the same wavelength. "Okay, sooner the better. Once we get to the town, we'll find a way to contact Uncle Qrow and get instructions. Let me know what happens and try to convince her not to come."
"Looks like we're on our first mission without him." Jaune forced a grin, trying to lift her spirits.
"You've done it already," Ruby pointed out, a smile of her own forming. "Go on and see if we can finally escape."
"Give me the hard job, why don't you?" Jaune grunted as he hefted the bag over his shoulder.
"It's training!" Ruby called out, as the boy staggered back to camp. Even with Aura enhanced strength, wood was heavy.
Jaune was left to consider how to go about carrying out Ruby's idea. He had the feeling Vernal didn't treat him that badly compared to others, even with his big mouth provoking her more often than he should. It hadn't been an issue lately, because the constant punches were a good deterrent. The two of them had a pretty intense adventure with the Queen Arachane, as Ruby had pointed out. He just wasn't sure what to say to Vernal to actually get the two of them out by themselves. Thinking about it, asking her along might alleviate suspicion as who would try something under her watch. Maybe she'll even assign someone else to go with him instead.
'Hey, Vernal. Want to go for a ride on my four-wheeler? It's mine because I found it and I want to take it for a spin. You can sit on the back.' Jaune chuckled, imagining Vernal's shocked face before she punched him. 'Seriously, what can I say? Hey, want to go somewhere private for a bit? Just the two of us?' A shiver ran down his spine. That almost sounded like he was trying to ask her out. That was a surefire way to get his ass kicked.
"I have no idea what to do!" The boy rubbed his face with his free hand.
Still racking his mind hoping to spark some kind of ingenious idea, Jaune went back into the camp and dropped off the wood by the stoves. Besides torches, there wasn't a lot of light at night besides an occasional fire and some flashlights. Most of the wood was used purely for cooking or building. A few of the tribesmen were repairing a section of the wall with the building supplies they had gotten from the salvaging mission a few days ago. Jaune was just going to walk by, as he hadn't been ordered to do anything else for now, when his footsteps slowed.
Vernal was supervising and yelling at one of the guys on the wall.
Taking a deep breath, Jaune slowly walked over. The woman was always busy and seemed to be supervising most of the tribe's activity as Raven's right hand. All the bandits respected Vernal, even if they constantly complained and joked about her. She was strong, smart, could make decisions quickly, pretty much everything a leader needed. If she wasn't violent, sadistic, and prone to anger, she could be an amazing Huntress.
His presence did not go unnoticed as the woman in question's head swiveled to glance at him.
"You done?" Vernal asked curtly.
"Pretty much, all the wood Ruby cut so far is here. I'll go out and check on her in a bit." Acting slightly disinterested seemed to be the way to go right now. Jaune didn't want to seem too eager to talk to her. Vernal might get suspicious he was up to something. Which in all fairness, he was. "What happened there?"
"Wood was rotting and we finally got supplies to fix it." Vernal answered, sounding bored. "This isn't' my area of expertise, but I can make sure those slackers up there don't goof off!" Her voice grew louder so the workers could hear her.
"She's full of herself, Dumbass!" One person shouted at them. "Can you take her away so we can get real work done without constantly listening to her insults?!"
"I wouldn't have to insult you morons if you didn't mess up all the time!" Vernal snapped back. "One more screw up and I'm feeding you to a Grimm."
"Yeah, yeah, slave driver…"
The bandit ducked as a hammer flew at his head. It was the closest thing Vernal could grab. Jaune was trying not to laugh at the banter, knowing it would probably upset her more. He needed to get her permission to take the four-wheeler later that day or the next day so he and Ruby could prepare an escape.
"Do you supervise everything?" Jaune asked Vernal. "Seems like everyone relies on you."
"Most of it," Vernal shrugged, still glaring at the guy who insulted her. Wisely, he was back to being hard at work repairing the wall. "Not everyone has my skill. Might makes right, but you have to have a degree of intelligence to survive out here. Being stupid will end in an early grave, including playing the hero."
The last comment was obviously directed at him.
"I understand that," Jaune admitted. As much as he hated the way Vernal tended to phase her thoughts, at a certain fundamental level, she was right. How many times had Qrow said the same thing, just in different ways? Disobeying orders nearly got Ruby killed against someone far stronger than them. The Arachne Queen wasn't something they could have taken down without a plan. No matter how strong you were, you had to use your brain too. Reckless and impatient actions would get you killed. "Nearly dying multiple times teaches that lesson. Don't be stupid."
"Really, you learned that?" Vernal raised an eyebrow, but looked less angry now and more amused. "Could have fooled me."
"My witty charm and good looks makes people not see me as a threat." Vernal snorted loudly and then punched him in the arm, hard, for causing her to make that sound. Jaune was pretty sure she left a bruise. "When we met, I was trying to figure out what to do. Charging into the nest wasn't my intention."
"You're lucky your Semblance is good for endurance battles, or you would have died as a loser," The woman reminded him. "Luckily you ran into me and in my infinite generosity, I decided to help."
"Don't lie about that, we both know I bribed you with explosives."
Jaune expected to be hit again, but instead, he was surprised when Vernal started laughing.
"I guess that's true, they sure were useful." Her eyes then focused on him. "What do you want anyways?"
"Not sure what to do with myself and I'm getting stir crazy," Jaune answered, rubbing his neck. "Been traveling too long and want to get out."
"Understandable, and when you prove yourself more, you'll get better missions." Vernal assured him. "You're mostly doing the grunt work, Dumbass. Same with Midget."
"How long until you call me by my real name?" That question had to be asked.
"What was that again?" Vernal sneered. "Joan, Jacob?"
"Aww, I knew you would remember." This time, Jaune braced himself and amplified his Aura a bit to absorb the punch aiming for his already bruised arm. When Vernal's face grimaced for a second, he was sure she felt it. Of course, that woman wouldn't take it lying down and kicked him in the shins for daring to protect himself from a well deserved beating.
"Going to call you Punching Bag soon enough." The grin on Vernal's face showed she was in a good mood. "Beating you is so cathartic."
"Glad I can be of help," Jaune replied with a grin of his own. Yes, his ankle hurt, but it wasn't that bad. Just a dull throbbing. "But seriously, what do I have to do to take my four-wheeler for a spin."
Twitching ears indicated Vernal did not miss his emphasis on the word 'my.'
"Give me a reason to let you go, and I'll think about it." Came the curt response. "We don't just do… joyriding. Wasting valuable Dust out here is not something Raven allows."
This was the question Jaune had been pondering since his conversation with Ruby. What good reason could he give to convince Vernal to let him go? If he gave a weak answer, it would decrease her opinion of him, which would make it harder to get the vehicle in the future. A lie easily recognized would only cause problems down the road. His answer had to be reasonable and believable to her.
'Be careful and think things through,' Jaune told himself mentally. 'Don't answer like Qrow would.' Seriously, his mentor was rubbing off on him and getting Jaune in way too much trouble.
"Well, yeah." Jaune agreed with Vernal's statement. "Surely there's something I can do that requires me to take it out for a spin. Exploration, scouting, Grimm extermination. Something to get out of the camp for a bit."
"Well… you can hold your own…" Vernal mumbled, rubbing her chin as she thought about it.
Jaune couldn't believe this was working. Maybe there was a chance they could pull this off after all. It all depended on if there was an actual mission they could go on. Keeping his cool, the boy remained silent as Vernal thought about it.
"One of our scouts reported a few Grimm in the south," Vernal eventually said. "Shouldn't take more than an hour to get down there. The two of us should be able to handle them."
A heavy weight fell in the pit of Jaune's stomach.
This was probably the worst case scenario. Even more so then they would not be allowed to go. If Vernal had told Jaune that he couldn't take it, he and Ruby would have figured out a plan to steal the vehicle and take off anyways. That was easy enough. Vernal was able to take both of them at the same time, which meant they wouldn't be able to escape. Still, they had considered this. If Ruby thought they could escape with Vernal close by, who was Jaune to doubt her.
Every day they delayed leaving, it felt like it would get harder to leave.
"I'll find you this afternoon when we're ready to go," Vernal decided. "I have to watch these morons first along with doing a couple things Raven wants finished. Play your cards right, and I'll let you drive."
"Great!" Jaune tried to sound excited. "Some real combat at last. It's been too long."
"Heh, getting a taste for blood, we'll make a true warrior of you yet." Vernal actually grinned without hitting him and waved him off.
Jaune took that as his cue to leave. Things weren't perfect, but if anything, he was getting in Vernal's good grace. If she hadn't decided to come, they could definitely escape that night. They still had a decent chance with her around though. If Vernal was dealt with quickly, before she could get her guard up, there was a possibility. Ruby did have speed on her side and they proved in past spars she could reach her.
"It's possible…" Jaune muttered, eyes darting around the camp. "Ruby should be back soon and she'll need to know." Without much to do right now, he headed back to his camp and waited.
Eventually, a sore and tired Ruby returned, letting Jaune explain the situation and his idea.
"Are you nuts!" Ruby hissed, trying and failing to keep her voice down. "I know we talked about it, but I assumed you would try to go with someone else and she would be too busy. A guard or two is one thing, but Vernal? You know how risky this is if she catches on? She'll beat us both and drag us back."
"Who knows when we'll have another chance?" Jaune pushed back. There was a reason he didn't try to argue with Vernal once she decided to go. "Think about it. We need the absolute minimum number of people with us to give us a chance to escape. There's only her. Then there's a real reason for me to be out with the four-wheeler. No one else will bat an eye. We'll kill some Grimm, drive back, and you can dash over the walls, knock her off, and we head out before she even realizes it."
Ruby considered this for a few minutes. Jaune could see his friend's mental gears turning behind those silver eyes.
"I don't know when we'll have another opportunity like this." Jaune added for good measure.
"It's risky, but you're right." Ruby eventually nodded. "This is too golden of an opportunity. We've been waiting for days for this. We only have a couple hours at most today to get everything."
"We already planned that out." Jaune reminded her. "I'll grab us enough food and water for a couple days, won't be great, but we'll survive. I'll hide it behind our tent in case someone checks in on us. You grab our weapons and be prepared to meet when we return. We'll come from the south, opposite of the gate. Then we'll head east."
"What if something goes wrong on my end?" Ruby considered the scenario real in her mind. "How will you know?"
"I'll slow down and wait as long as possible," Jaune decided. "The timing is all on you. I won't know when we get back."
"I'll have our gear, promise." Ruby suddenly wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Be careful. Don't let Vernal do anything bad to you."
"Not much I can do when she wants to hit me," Jaune laughed weakly. "I'll try to avoid smarting off to her. Qrow's really rubbed off on me."
"That's not…" Ruby bit her lip. "Yeah, he has. Don't imitate him too much."
"I won't, Crater Girl." Using their nicknames for each other really helped lighten the mood. "There's no way I'm leaving you all alone here."
Ruby looked away from him as she continued her hug. She didn't want him to see her face that had turned the same color as her old cloak. All she had was the purple cloak they had found. It wasn't as comforting as her red one. Jaune's warmth made her feel much better. Taking a few deep breaths, Ruby calmed herself down and looked up.
"Let's do it, Vomit Boy."
There was one task Jaune had to do that would be difficult for Ruby. Since he had helped enough times with prepping meals, he could go over to the cooking area without being suspicious. Two men and a woman greeted him as he joined them, disguising his mission by helping them chop and peel things as needed. They chatted a bit about which spice was superior to the others, and then about a few rumors in the tribe. Nothing unusual and no one suspected a thing. Jaune then got up and left, as he wasn't officially assigned here. He was just helping out, which got him in their good graces.
None of them noticed the stolen food Jaune had pocketed.
'One nice thing about these bandit clothes, lots of pockets.' Jaune thought to himself, as he headed back to his tent. When no one was looking, he slipped under the back and hid the bag in a patch of tall grass. No one should notice it today. 'Now, we play the waiting game.'
About an hour later, Ruby returned with a huge smirk on her face. It seemed she was ready. All that was left was…
"Dumbass! Get up! We're going!"
As if trained, Jaune had jumped up from his cot without conscious thought. It might have been funny how trained he was if the situation wasn't so dire. Vernal wouldn't be patient, so he had to get going. Sharing a knowing look with Ruby, the boy rushed out the tent with Ruby following him.
"Hold it, Midget!" Vernal held out a hand. "Dumbass and I have our own task. You stay here."
"What?! Why?!"
Jaune had to suppress a grin as Ruby did an amazing job at pretending to be a child who just didn't want to be separated from him. Vernal wouldn't consider her a threat or that they were planning anything if she acted like Vernal saw her. People would regret underestimating Ruby. They always did.
"Because you're not needed." Vernal sneered, pushing Jaune forward. "We're going to clear out some Grimm. We don't need you to tag along."
"What!?" Ruby looked affronted and Jaune wondered where she learned these acting skills. Did she always have them? All those times she was upset with someone at Beacon, was that an act? "I want to kill Grimm too! It's why I was even out here in the first place!"
"Today's not your day then." Vernal continued to push Jaune forward after he stopped to give Ruby what he hoped was a pitying look. "It's a two-person job and there's no way you two will be sent unsupervised."
"Sorry, Ruby." Jaune apologized. "I'll try to hurry back.
"We might be late," Vernal sneered, putting her hand on his shoulder. Then she turned around and stared directly into Ruby's eyes before giving her a sinister grin. "Don't wait up."
Ruby's cheeks puffed out indignantly, as the air around her grew cold. One person who was near her quickly backed away as the small girl glared daggers at Vernal.
This was supposed to all be an act, but anger and hatred welled up from within Ruby. Why she was so upset over that little comment confused her. Vernal was just trying to rile her up. The plan was working perfectly. Jaune would go with that woman to clear some Grimm and return shortly before nightfall. Ruby would then bolt over the wall, surprise Vernal, and jump on the four-wheeler. The two of them would bail, leaving the tribe behind forever.
Yet an awful taste filled her mouth for some reason.
A couple bandits climbed the wall and looked out as Jaune and Vernal started to head out. Without missing a beat, Ruby joined them. Jaune was driving and Vernal had her arms wrapped around his waist. It was the natural position for two people to ride that vehicle. However, Ruby's stomach churned uncomfortably, and it wasn't from the slop the camp served.
"Huh, looks like the rumors were true. Vernal found a guy." One guy commented.
"She'll get bored of him in a couple days." A woman yawned.
"I don't know, it's obvious she favors him over anyone else." Another man laughed.
As the bandits discussed the possibility of one of the toughest woman's flings, Ruby's hands made fists at her side. Teeth grinded together before she pulled her gaze away from their retreating backs. She jumped down off the wall and prepared her half of the plan. Jaune would be back. She knew that for sure, as his word was important to him. Still, Ruby didn't trust Vernal. That woman was up to something and maybe should be pushed off a cliff.
The girl blinked and suddenly felt awful thinking that.
Driving the four-wheeler was pretty fun and Jaune really enjoyed taking it out for a spin. If only it had been under different circumstances and Ruby was with him instead of Vernal. The woman riding behind him didn't say much except for shouting over the engine to direct Jaune to where they were going. Not that he expected anything different. Shouting over the engine would only end up with her getting a sore throat.
"Here we are!" Vernal shouted in his ear. "Stop!"
Jaune slowed down and came to a complete stop before turning off the engine. Vernal hopped off and looked around, placing her hands on her back and stretching. The woods around them were quiet and Jaune didn't see any immediate sign of Grimm activity from their position.
"Are there really Grimm out here?" The boy asked, climbing off himself and pocketing the key. His hand moved toward the sword strapped to his hip.
"Just a small number," Vernal informed him, pulling out her own blades and spinning them around in her hands. "Close enough that we need to remove them before they become a threat. I take it you can understand that, Dumbass."
"Nah, that's pretty standard procedure for what we've done before," Jaune admitted. "Clearing out smaller Grimm groups before they get larger for cities. Nothing unusual there."
"Only this time, you're doing it for your tribe and not random strangers." Vernal huffed, glancing over at him for a moment.
"Why don't you want to help others?" Jaune couldn't resist asking.
"Because we shouldn't risk our lives for people who wouldn't do the same for us!" Vernal snapped. "The Branwen tribe is a family. We know we can trust each other to cover our backs."
"Don't you abandon the weak people in your tribe?" Jaune countered seriously.
"They wouldn't survive out here and only suffer," Vernal scoffed. "Which increases Grimm attacks on our camp. We do them a kindness."
"Like you do with other villages when you attack them?"
That comment was pushing his luck. The air grew cold as Vernal slowly turned toward him. Her eyes were flashing dangerously. Jaune stepped back automatically, when Vernal grabbed his shirt.
"They don't care about us and would toss us to the Grimm in a second if it meant they could survive," The woman hissed. "We're just returning the favor. I would have died out here if it wasn't for Raven taking me in. Vernal isn't even my birth name. I gave it up to sever my link to the assholes in the kingdom. You'll see one day, Dumbass. People are only out for themselves."
"I met plenty of people who are, yes." Jaune slowly was forced to admit. "But I've seen people who sacrifice a lot to help others too."
"Those kinds of people get an early death." Vernal reminded him. "Raven said she told you about Salem, did she not?"
A shiver ran down the blonde's back.
"It's kind of hard to believe that someone like that exists." Jaune muttered, not really wanting to think about it right now. "Sounds like a myth."
"Are you calling Raven a liar?"
"Would she lie to me?"
For a brief moment, Vernal smirked.
"You're learning, good." The woman laughed instead of answering his question. "Question people, doubt them, figure out what they want from you. You'll live longer that way."
"It almost sounds like you care about me." He couldn't keep his amusement out of his voice. "But seriously, thanks to a lot of your advice, it made surviving out here easier. Otherwise Shay would have walked all over me."
"I heard you put him in his place when you took that four-wheeler," Vernal laughed at the memory. "That was priceless."
"Why did you help me though?" Jaune finally asked a question that he had been wondering since she gave him that advice before their salvaging mission. "You never offered Ruby any support."
"The Midget doesn't have the brains to understand what you have to do to survive out here," Vernal answered, waving her hand dismissively. "She's got some combat skills, but eventually, she'll break down. You didn't seem like the type of person who would. I saw first hand your will to survive against the Queen Arachne, so I gambled my chips with you."
"I think you're underestimating Ruby." Jaune warned her. "She's a lot stronger than you think."
"And I think you should drop her and stick with me if you want to grow stronger." Vernal countered and then her eyes narrowed. "Hang on." With a twist of her wrist, she tossed her curved blade. Bouncing off the trunk of a tree, the weapon disappeared into the shadows.
"RAAWWWWRRR!"
A painful roar followed seconds afterwards. From the tree line, a Beowolf lumbered out, the curved dagger embedded in its eye. Vernal charged forward, leaped over a clumsy clawed slash by the Grimm, and jabbed her other dagger into the second eye. Jaune flinched at the high pitch distressed roar before Vernal took both her daggers out and silenced it by slashing the back of the neck. She landed on the other side, weapons held up.
"Time to work, Dumbass. We got company."
From the trees, multiple Beowolves emerged. Besides the one Vernal killed already, there were six more. Before Jaune's journey with Qrow, that might have seemed to be a lot. With his current skills and Vernal, who could take them all down by herself without breaking a sweat, this number was nothing. By the time Jaune had drawn his blade and started charging forward, Vernal had already taken down two more.
Pulling his sword back, he jabbed the blade deep into the nearest Beowolf's side, then slashing outwards to block the strike of a second one. Raising his shield and taking a step forward, metal met claws with a loud clang. His shield held firm and a quick horizontal strike cut into the head of the next Grimm. The bloody corpse fell next to the first. Looking up, Jaune readied himself for the next opponent, only to lower his weapon the next moment.
Vernal had already taken care of the last few.
"Just as strong as I remember." Jaune commented, sheathing his sword after checking his surroundings.
"Nothing like a little warm up," Vernal yawned. "Was hoping something bigger would show to really get the blood pumping."
"So Raven was the one who taught you to fight like that?" Jaune asked, conversationally.
"Yeah, through strict training and live combat, I went from being a powerless child to who I am now." Vernal put away her daggers. "You'll learn it too eventually. Right now, you're working the basics."
"You sure it's just not you all enjoying punching me?" Jaune rubbed his arm automatically.
"Pain is an effective deterrent." Vernal explained simply without a hint of sympathy. "You'll improve faster if it means you won't be beaten."
Jaune wanted to say that wasn't true, or at the very least misguided, but he couldn't. Qrow had told him the same thing, just in a nicer way. Also, it was kind of true. Pain didn't have to be physical. Knowing he was weak and others had to protect him was painful in its own right. Losing people close to you because of your own weakness was also painful. Like the time Ruby almost died. He wasn't going to live through that again and he needed strength to ensure that.
"There's definitely stuff to learn from you." Jaune admitted, glancing at the dissolving Beowolves.
"I might be willing to show you some tricks now and then as long as you keep showing improvement." Vernal smirked and slapped his back. "If you surprise me, I might just spend more time with you. Come on, Dumbass. Let's go. We took care of everything here."
"Shouldn't we check if there are more Grimm?" Jaune kept looking around for any signs.
"Nah, Beowolves travel in packs, so once we started fighting, the others should have shown up." Vernal waved his concerns off. "This was a gift to you, moron. I normally wouldn't have gone on something so simple myself."
"Oh…" Jaune blinked and scratched his cheek as Vernal headed back to the Vehicle.
Starting up the engine, the two of them headed back toward the camp. Jaune had a lot to think about now. Salem occupied a big portion of his thoughts. It would be a while before he could find anyone who would be able to collaborate Raven's story. Pushing that to the side, he thought about Vernal. Something really bad must have happened to her home to get picked up by Raven. Maybe her town was abandoned to a Grimm attack or something?
It would explain why she didn't trust people.
And how she was about to distrust him too if the plan worked.
When they approached the camp, Jaune's mouth began to grow dry. This was it. If Ruby could get her gear, their supplies, and meet up, they could finally flee. It all depended on if Vernal was about to see her coming and react in time. With Ruby's speed, they had a good shot at succeeding. As they drew closer, Jaune slowed down. Vernal didn't seem to object, as there was no reason to go full speed when they were pulling toward the front gate. Jaune's eyes darted around, looking for any sign of his friend.
A grin tugged on his lips.
"Sorry, Vernal."
"Huh?" The woman sounded confused and he didn't blame her. First, he doubted the bandit tribe ever apologized. Second, there was no way she expected what happened next.
A red blur collided into her, throwing her off the back seat and crashing into the ground. Her hands were reaching for her weapons as her eyes adjusted. Ruby was sitting on the back seat of the four-wheeler, looking back at her. One hand was pulling down her eye lid as she stuck out her tongue. A victory expression of her own.
"Surprise!" Jaune yelled, as he revered the engine and took off.
Vernal let out a howl of rage and started shooting, but the two floored it between two trees.
They were finally free, but for how long? It wouldn't take Vernal long to get the other bandits on their trail. For now though, Ruby's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist as she laid her forehead on his back.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Now, Qrow will show up a short time later and wonder where they went. Who can imagine Raven ad Qrow talking about that?