Chapter 57: Mistral City - Trials and Tribulations

Cover Art by Mi Chumi

The hearing was to be held in one of the smaller courtrooms of Mistral City's central judiciary authority, which frankly was still much too large to hold the miniscule number of people who were attending it in person. As with all of the higher bits of Mistralian government, the building it resided in was nestled in the upper reaches of Mistral City, safely isolated from the unseemly slums and surrounding swamps that plagued the lowest reaches of the city.

And the interior reflected the status and atmosphere. Expensive woods trimmed out in polished brass. Comfortable seating where the judges would normally sit, slightly less so in the audience areas.

Sitting behind the curved bench were the five members of the Board of Inquiry, representing those who had an interest in either the individual or the situation at hand. The windows at the judge's backs overlooked Lake Matsu in the distance. Facing both was a central lectern, where whoever was presenting arguments would stand. To the left, a set of clerks sat, ready to document the proceedings or provide additional documentation to the Board as needed. To the right, seating for any witnesses to be called, including one large holographic screen for any remote ones.

The tables where the attorneys would normally sit were empty. The seats further back where the clients, witnesses, family members, and observers would sit likewise.

The temporary plaques on the bench proclaimed the names and positions of those currently seated. Council Chairman Luo Steele represented the Mistral governing Council itself, with Councilwoman Alabastra Zenyi and Constantine Croton representing the interests of Southern Mistral and Northern Mistral respectively. Mistralian law enforcement was represented by Police Lead Advocate Cherry Efts. And the fifth member, dressed in formal attire with his dense mane of hair and beard neatly trimmed and groomed, sat behind the plaque proclaiming himself the Headmaster of Haven Huntsman Academy.

Chairman Steele opened the gathering formally, and the clerks began taking notes immediately. "This Special Board of Inquiry, regarding recent events surrounding the Mistralian Settlement of Kuroyuri, the City of Argus, and the status of one Raven Branwen, is now called to order." He began, clearing his throat. "I would like to clarify, for the record, that this is a fact-finding and decision-making body, not a court of law, despite the surroundings." He tilted his head toward the sole man standing before the Lectern. "Advocate Black, since you appear to represent the interests of the woman in question, please feel free to bring forward your first witness."

Advocate Drufus Black had been hired two months prior, through intermediaries, by Raven Branwen to 'represent her interests in Mistral'. Until that moment, he'd known of Raven Branwen and her so-called Tribe only through rumor and news reports. And his initial reaction had been disbelief. Even his limited exposure had painted a picture of Branwen Tribe as a bloodthirsty group of thieves and ruffians at best, led by an extremely dangerous Aura user. He'd even told the contact no at first.

And then they'd explained how much they'd be willing to pay him. For a young, struggling Advocate, it would have been enough to bump himself up from a junior associate to something more secure. But he'd still been wary, and his initial research into the Tribe hadn't made him feel any more confident about his chances.

And then he'd reached out to the list of contacts that had been provided to him. Contacts that would be willing to testify, on camera, regarding recent events. That was when he'd begun to feel the beginnings of confidence that he could actually pull this off.

And so he stood before the lectern, young and smooth-faced, with dark eyes and a mouth that seemed to smile even when he wasn't in a pleasant mood.

Of the five people on the Board, some of them were easy reads. Croton was entirely too influenced by Atlas cultural and legalistic influences. He'd choke on the mere idea of Raven Branwen's existence, and would consider her presence in his popcorn pretty of a city a personal insult. Police Lead Advocate Efts likewise would have a difficult time with the idea of Raven Branwen being rehabilitated. That meant two likely no votes on anything that might benefit his client.

Councilwoman Zenyi was more difficult to predict. It was her region that had borne the brunt of Branwen Tribe's years of savagery and banditry, and she was from that region. It was possible she even had family members who'd been directly attacked at some point. But on the other hand, the idea of neutralizing Raven Branwen as a threat, and the potential positive impacts it might have on Southern Mistral, might outweigh any personal or legalistic concerns about Raven's past activities.

Headmaster Lionheart likewise. Headmasters had a particularly hard-to-pin-down attitude toward Huntresses who'd gone rogue. His vote might depend on whether he was more angry with Branwen for betraying Huntsmen everywhere, or more hopeful that he might draw her back into the fold.

And finally, Chairman Steele. That man was a purely political animal and wouldn't even vote if the decision was already settled without him.

Black would have been much happier if the Board of Inquiry had omitted Croton in favor of some other member of the Council, though. That man would be poisonous through the entire hearing.

Why did they have to portal to Argus of all places?!

He smiled nonetheless. "Of course, Chairman Steele. I'd like to bring the board's attention to the screen to your left and introduce Lieutenant Mavro Tourmaline." On the screen, a small room blinked into view, where an Argesian police officer, in his dress burgundy uniform, sat with his own suited advocate to his left. "Lieutenant, you've been sworn in?"

The officer nodded. "I have."

"Am I correct that you are a detective with the Argus Police forces?" The man nodded. "Thank you. Can you describe how you became aware of events on the night in question?"

Mavro Tourmaline shifted in his seat. "Sure. I regularly monitor emergency frequencies in the evenings," he gave a wry grin, "which makes my wife less than happy." This elicted some low laughter in the room. "We'd just finished dinner when my scroll pinged with a dispatch alert requesting multiple first responders for a large-scale medical emergency at an address in central Argus, not far from my residence. The description indicated that we would have close to two-dozen grievously injured due to Grimm attack, and that those injured would be arriving at that location, for reasons that were not at that time clear."

"I see, and what did you do upon hearing that dispatch call?"

"Because I live in that area, I used my official vehicle to meet the arriving emergency services at the scene, provide support, and enroute I directed other units to assist in traffic control."

"And what did you find upon arriving at the location indicated?"

"I found a large… well at the time I wouldn't have known what to call it, but afterward everyone called it a portal... through which a steady stream of wounded and injured individuals were being transported into Argus." His face took on an expression of discomfort. "Next to the portal was a dark-haired woman, dressed in black and red, who appeared to be concentrating on maintaining it."

"And were you informed, after the fact, the identity of that woman?"

"Yes, I inquired with others in the vicinity and was informed that the woman in question was Raven Branwen."

Councilman Croton spoke up. "You say that wounded were being transported into the city. Can you describe them, and the individuals who were transporting them?"

Lt. Tourmaline raised a questioning eyebrow.

Black clarified helpfully. "I think the Board would wish to know whether they were citizens of Mistral, or something else?"

"I wasn't paying close attention, but they were mostly dressed in Southern Mistralian style," the officer said. "I can tell you that the wounded were in bad shape. Crush injuries, lost limbs, bodies torn open." He shook his head "It was bad."

"So, you were not aware that some of the individuals, both wounded and those carrying the wounded, passing into the heart of Argus were, in fact, members of a Bandit Tribe?" Croton interjected.

"Objection," Black said.

"This isn't a trial, Mr. Black," Steele reproached.

"I still object, for the record. All individuals participating in the emergency evacuation of mortally and seriously wounded individuals from the town of Kuroyuri were, in fact, operating within the law at that time. Their past status has no bearing on this matter."

Black noted that both Croton and Eft seemed unhappy at his characterization of the situation. Zenyi and Steele seemed more neutral, while Headmaster Lionheart seemed mildly amused.

Croton made a dismissive gesture. "Alright fine. Then did you recognize any of the individuals present or passing through the portal as being from Argus itself?"

"I did. There was a small team of Security Consultants based out of Argus at the scene. I recognized a couple of them. I'm not sure whether they were initially in Argus or Kuroyuri when the Portal opened, but they were assisting with the wounded as well." It did little good to deny their presence, considering there were video and photos of them, but he'd agreed to keep their role as generic as possible and characterize it as part of Reggie Cass's Security Company.

Advocate Eft spoke up. "And to confirm, the woman who you later identified as Raven Branwen was present."

"Yes ma'am."

Advocate Eft continued. "And this is the same Raven Branwen who is a known criminal wanted in relation to numerous crimes across Southern Mistral including but not limited to robbery, assault, aggravated misuse of Semblance, violations of Huntsman licensing, felonious use of Huntsman Training, kidnapping, manslaughter, murder, theft, and…" she consulted a sheaf of documents in front of her, and her face took on an incredulous look…. "cat juggling?"

"That last one sounds questionable, ma'am."

"Yeah, I'd say so." She coughed. "Regardless… and to confirm, you did identify Ms. Branwen while she was still there in Argus?"

"Kinda hard not to. Yes, I did."

Councilman Croton leaned forward. "And are we to understand that knowing Ms. Branwen's status and reputation, you did not see fit to immediately take measures to apprehend said Raven Branwen?"

"I was little busy, sir. For one thing, at the point her identity became known to me, I was also informed it was her Semblance which was allowing the continuing transport grievously wounded civilians from Kuroyuri to the middle of Argus." He shook his head. "Considering the degree of injuries I saw, the fact that they were suddenly fifteen minutes from two state-of-the-art medical facilities made the difference between stabilizing them and a body bag, if you'll excuse my bluntness. Had I attempted to interfere, it's likely we would have cost many people their lives."

"If I might interject," Black said. "I would also like to point out that Ms. Branwen committed no offenses during the time she was in Argus, and was accompanied by her original Beacon Team, two of whom are registered Huntsmen of impeccable standing out of Vale… " he consulted a paper… "three if the rumors are to be believed, and they would likely have resisted any attempts to detain their teammate."

"We are a kingdom of laws, Counsel," Steele objected.

"Oh indeed. Indeed." He turned to the witness. "Lieutenant, just for clarity, in what manner would one have… detained... Ms. Branwen once you identified her?"

He laughed. "We wouldn't have. We would have kept our distance and notified Sanctum or Haven and let them handle it."

Lionheart spoke up for the first time. "And clearly you didn't do that either," he said, "since any such messages would have come to me."

"We were a little busy," Tourmaline replied, eyes narrowing. Dealing with dying people who we were busting our asses to save.

"Lt. Tourmaline is not on trial here," the suited man standing behind him said flatly.

"Didn't say he was. We're just trying to ensure everyone understands the situation fully." Lionheart said, hands making a placating motion.

Steele attempted to drag the discussion back on track. "Yes. Let's focus on the matter at hand. Officer, can you tell us exactly what you did see and hear?"

Tourmaline nodded. "When I arrived at the scene, I observed the first ambulance arriving at the intersection between two streets. At this location, there was a large, crackling portal, through which a steady stream of injured were being carried on stretchers."

"And could you tell what was on the other side of that portal?" Councilwoman Zenyi asked.

"It was a village or town, in the architectural style of Southern Mistral. I was later informed that it was Kuroyuri, south of Lake Matsu."

Zenyi nodded. "That is my understanding as well. Kuroyuri is one of the larger, more prosperous towns in that region. And what was the condition of the town, from what you could see through the portal."

"It looked ugly. I could see at least four buildings that were on fire, others looked like something large had torn the roofs off of them. There were covered bodies in the street."

"I see, and how would you characterize the injuries you saw?"

"Grimm-related, mostly. A few were burned or crushed."

"You're sure of this?" Zenyi asked.

"I've seen Grimm attack injuries before. I know the difference between firearms, blades, and Grimm. So yeah. I'm sure about that."

Advocate Black interjected. "And was there any evidence that any of the injuries were due to blades or firearms?"

"No. And for the record, I reviewed the hospital records, and they agreed with my observations. All of the injuries were attributed directly or indirectly to Grimm incursion."

"Thank you," Councilwoman Zenyi continued. "And to confirm, you saw Ms. Branwen maintaining the portal, and she was doing nothing else?"

Tourmaline laughed. "She was cursing a lot, and yelling at people to 'move their asses or more people would die'."

Croton paled. "She threatened Argesian citizens!?"

Tourmaline rolled his eyes. "If that was a threat to Argesian citizens, then I'm guilty of it during emergencies, too." That got a laugh from several of the Board members.

Lionheart spoke again. "And once the wounded were through, did she then close the portal?"

"No, after that, she requested emergency services pass through into the town from Argus to assist in putting out the fires and treating less seriously wounded onsite."

"And did that occur?" Zenyi asked.

"Yeah. I saw several teams of medics pass through, as well as a dozen other local volunteers. By that time, a pretty big crowd had gathered, and they included some people with disaster response training."

Black addressed Tourmaline, "So would you characterize Ms. Branwen's actions as nefarious, or assisting in a legitimate emergency situation?"

"She was clearly helping."

"And would anyone else have been able to provide this particular assistance?"

"Uhh. I'm not an expert in Semblances."

"Right. Right. Nothing further." Does the Board have anything else for Lt. Tourmaline? If not I'm sure he'd appreciate being able to get back to work."

Another face had appeared on the screen.

"Your name for the record?"

"Wang Lin."

"And your position in Kuroyuri?"

"I have been Mayor here for seven years."

"You must be quite popular," Steele said with a smile. Zenyi merely frowned.

"No one else wants the job. Governing a small town in the borderlands of Mistral is a thankless job." That elicited another round of low laughter.

"I'm sure that is true. But you can't be unpopular, or they would have voted for someone else." Mayor Lin shrugged. "Regardless. Advocate Black has alleged that you have a contractual agreement with Raven Branwen…" He shook his head, face reddening at even using the words.

Mayor Lin looked uncomfortable. "Um… yes. That is… I signed a contract with Branwen Tribe several weeks ago, where I agreed to pay a monthly retainer in return for…. er…. protection."

"Protection, or extortion?" Eft asked.

Black interrupted. "I would like to point out that it's only extortion if the person you're protecting them from is you, and/or you give them no choice in agreeing or not."

"You can't sign a contract with a Bandit Tribe," Eft objected. "They're a lawless organization with no legal basis, so the point is moot."

Black turned back to the screen. "Mayor Lin, you have a copy of this contract in front of you?"

"Er… I do."

"And would you be so kind as to read off the first few lines?"

"Um… it says 'This Contract between the Town of Kuroyuri, hereafter referred to as THE TOWN and the duly registered entity known as Tribal Protection Services, hereafter referred to as THE TRIBE, outlines a binding agreement to provide the following services for consideration…"

"That's good enough for the moment. I would point out, members of the Board, that Tribal Protection Services is a duly registered corporation in the Kingdom of Mistral, in good standing." He handed over several copies of a document to one of the clerks, who distributed them to the Board. "Included in this packet is a copy of the contract that Mayor Lin signed, as well as the articles of incorporation for TPS."

Steele began murmuring as he read… "Tribal Protection Services… hereafter to be referred to as 'THE TRIBE' … a registered security consultancy of the Kingdom of Mistral… Employee-owned…. Shares to be divided based on tenure or as determined by board of directors…. Chairman and CEO Raven Branwen…'" His face registered complete disbelief. "Someone allowed this farce to be registered?!"

"I assure you, it is no farce. This is a valid and duly registered Mistralian Corporation."

"Run by a criminal and her collective of bloodthirsty…" Croton began.

"Ah ah ah," Black raised his hand, "There is no law in Mistral that says being an accused criminal prevents one from owning and operating a legitimate business." If it did, we'd have no businesses. "And mere association with a particular collective does not automatically make one complicit in the crimes of some of its members, which are, I must point out, unproven in court at this time."

"Legitimate. Business." Croton said flatly.

"Absolutely."

Eft had finished her first pass through the agreement with the town. "I'm reading through this contract, and it does read more like an extortion than a security agreement."

Councilwoman Zenyi shook her head, more familiar with the social and business realities of the region in question. "On the contrary, Cherry, from my reading this is commonly used language for… shall we say… the more outlying communities of our fair Kingdom. Lushu has a similar agreement with a local security contractor."

"Surely this was signed under duress, though," Eft objected.

All eyes turned back to the Mayor, who looked uncomfortable. "Well… I will admit to some… trepidation…" if he was remembering Raven's threats and how he'd wet himself at the time, his face didn't betray it, "when Raven… that is… Ms. Branwen, first approached me. But… " he shook his head, eyes expressing a strange wonderment. "The simple truth is, that we'd all be dead if it we hadn't had this… if she hadn't shown up and brought her…" he blinked, "well…. employees? …to Kuroyuri."

"But was it signed of your own free will?" Eft insisted.

Mayor Lin stared for a few minutes, considering his words and their consequences. Finally he squared his shoulders. "Yes. Absolutely." He wondered at the fact that he was lying to cover for Raven Branwen of all people. "And knowing what I know, I'd do it again. And I'll be suggesting the other towns do the same, if they haven't already."

That caused some murmurs in the room. Councilwoman Zenyi especially looked very thoughtful.

"Mayor Lin," Headmaster Lionheart leaned forward. "I'm sorry to ask you to do this, but could you go through the evens of that night for us? We need to understand how, exactly, all of this occurred."

Nodding his head, Mayor Lin launched into a detailed description of the events of the prior month, including how he'd been working late on paperwork, when the first of the screams had brought him to the window of his office to see the horrific Nuckelavee heading toward the gates of the city, shrugging off the firearms and arrows of the town militia. He described his sense of dread and panic, and knew that the entire town would soon be a magnet for Grimm because of that very feeling. That this would e the death of Kuroyuri.

And then his panicked gaze had fallen to the birdcage, where a small gray bird sat contentedly pecking at its seed dish.

Out of desperation more than hope, he had released the bird. At the least, he'd saved one innocent creature from. He'd dared hope that perhaps the Tribe would come and find a handful of survivors.

Instead, within a half hour, he'd found himself huddled in the local school building, surrounded by and protected by a mass of Branwen Tribe members who were holding the Grimm at bay while he sought to calm the citizens under his care.

. . .

"And you say that there were multiple licensed Huntsmen accompanying Raven Branwen," Lionheart stated.

"Yes. I was told they were with Team STRQ," Mayor Lin said, pronouncing it 'stark'. "There may have been others, but I was too preoccupied to make careful survey."

"Team STRQ," Lionheart repeated. "Raven's former teammates, all licensed Huntsmen in good standing, doubtless brought in by Ms. Branwen's Semblance." He turned back to Mayor Lin. "And you say the Huntsmen and these… members of Ms. Branwen's Tribe focused solely on fighting the Grimm?"

"Yes sir. The bandits… er… that is… The Tribe, held off the Nevermore while the Huntsmen destroyed the Nuckelavee, and then they cleared the town of remaining Grimm together."

Croton was shaking his head, face red. "Mayor Lin, how do you know Branwen didn't lure the Grimm there in the first place?"

Eft rolled her eyes at that, and Zenyi openly scoffed at the man which caused his face to darken further. Lionheart answered him more politely. "Ah, Councilman Croton, that is exceptionally unlikely. The only way to do that would have been for Branwen to use a large number of terrified people as bait prior to the attack, and there's no evidence of that." He turned back to the Mayor. "Thank you, Mayor Lin. I'm sure you have your hands full with recovery."

"At least we have something to rebuild," he said. "We wouldn't have, if help hadn't come." Advocate Black had the satisfaction of seeing Councilwoman Zenyi nod once in agreement.

After the lunch break, the hearing reconvened to a split screen on the holographic display. On the left, designated Patch, were a muscular blonde Huntsman seated next to a dark-haired Huntress sporting an eye-patch. On the right, labeled Beacon, was a single, lean and slightly scruffy Huntsman with pale red eyes and dark hair.

"Your names for the record?" Steele began.

"Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long," the woman on the left said. Her voice was warm, and she smiled as she answered.

"Qrow Branwen," the man on the right rasped, and took a drink from a flask that he held.

There were some murmurs at the last name, which Steele waved off, "And we are told that you are licensed Huntsmen of Vale, graduates of Beacon Academy?" All of them nodded. "Can you describe the events of the night in question?"

"Qrow, why don't you take this one?" the blonde male suggested.

Qrow grinned. "Sure thing, Tai. So, my bitch of a sister-"

"Qrow!" Summer gasped, face paling in horror.

"What!?" Qrow smirked. "Fine. My darling sister who is the epitome of all good things—"

Advocate Black coughed, "Huntsman Branwen, may I remind you that you are under oath…"

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Fine. Like I said, my bitch of a sister…" he paused, waiting for someone to object, and when they didn't had to stifle a laugh before continuing. "…told us several months ago that she was turning over a new leaf, believe it or not, and wanted to push the Tribe in a different direction. She said she might need our help."

"What kind of help?" Lionheart prodded.

"She was planning on setting up a rapid response of some sort, in the event of a Grimm attack, and wanted us to be available if it turned out to be too big for her to handle," Qrow continued. "Have to be a hell of a Grimm for that, but I said yes. Summer and Tai did too."

"I see… and did you have any forewarning at all that something was about to occur last week?"

"Nope," Qrow continued smoothly, leaning back and slipping an arm behind his neck. I was in a bar getting thrashed when my scroll blew up."

Police Advocate Eft's brow quirked. "Excuse me?"

Summer sighed, "Raven had set up a code that would set off an emergency alert to all our scrolls. That told us to get ready. We'd done a couple of mock drills. The idea was she'd hit the code, and that would give us fifteen minutes to gear up and be ready to roll."

"Or finish our beer," Qrow muttered, raising his flask and taking another drink.

"Dang it, Qrow!" Summer Rose glared at her friend's image.

Lionheart on the other hand was grinning from ear to ear. "And did that occur as you expected?"

"Yep. Fifteen minutes later, a portal opened in my living room, and Tai and I joined Raven in Kuroyuri. Then she opened a portal to Vale where Qrow was, and then to Argus.

"Argus?"

"She apparently had a contact there with some third-party Security guys." They'd agreed to include Garek as just 'some guy' with Reggie Cass's team. "Once everyone came through, we set an ambush for the Nuckelavee." Her silver eye glinted, and her face went feral. "Sucker never knew what hit it." It had felt good, getting back into killing Grimm, a rifle in her hands, even it if hadn't been Sundered Rose's mechashift form.

Lionheart looked pleased. "That is good to hear. And after that?"

"We relieved the Tribe, who'd been holding off the Nevermore, and then helped with mop-up, securing the perimeter, and dealing with wounded."

Eft spoke up. "Did you observe whether, at any point in all this, any of Branwen's 'people' did anything untoward?"

Summer frowned, "Uhh… like what?"

"Looting? Threatening the locals?"

"Oh that. Nope. Well… there was one guy that tried to pick through the rubble of a house, but Raven threatened to cut his bits off, and he backed off. I thought you meant like… being jerks. A couple of them tried to hit on me." There was some laughter, though Tai's eyes hardened dangerously.

"Still got it, Sum." Qrow leered.

"Shut up, Qrow."

Advocate Black cleared his throat. "Back to the matter at hand. The three of you have known Ms. Branwen for most of her life. Would you characterize her as a good person?"

"Oh hell no," Qrow scoffed. "My sister's a bitch."

"Do you disagree, Ms. Rose?"

"Ehhh, she's got her flaws."

Police Advocate Eft frowned and interjected. "Murder, kidnapping, and extortion are not flaws, Ms. Rose."

Summer looked pained, but it was Advocate Black that intervened. "I would like to point out to the Board of Inquiry that there is no evidence that Ms. Branwen ever directly participated in murder, and she has never been convicted of these other crimes," Black stated smoothly.

"Oh, come on," Councilman Croton objected.

Lionheart raised his hand, asking for the floor. "Huntress Rose," Summer's face lit up at the title, "do you believe that Raven Branwen legitimately intends to 'turn over a new leaf'?

Summer's face hardened, silver eye going steely. "She'd freaking better, or I'll wring her neck."

There were a couple of gasps at that, but Black felt a nice, warm feeling deep in his gut.

People tended to believe Huntsmen.

"So, to summarize," Black finished smoothly after all of the witnesses had been dismissed, "Ms. Branwen has determined to redirect Branwen Tribe to a less… disruptive course. And the most recent activity is illustrative of her and her… followers… participating in a legitimate and valid anti-Grimm exercise and resulting recovery mission, in the company of licensed Huntsmen, based on a duly signed contract with the recognized authority of Kuroyuri."

"This is ridiculous," Croton objected. "You can't spend a decade as the scourge of the Mistralian countryside, and then just pretend none of that matters."

"Of course not, Councilman."

"So, you are agreeing with Croton that this changes nothing?" Steele commented.

"Oh, I disagree with that completely. What my client seeks is deferred adjudication and parole of all prior crimes for a limited list of individuals she is willing to provide to this Board." He waved a sealed envelope in their direction. "These represent the current registered employees of Tribal Protection Services. She is willing to submit this organization to quarterly review for, shall we say, two years, in return for their ongoing services in safeguarding commerce and trade between Mistral City and the city of Shion."

There were grumblings among several of the Board members, most loudly from Croton and Eft.

Steele turned toward Lionheart. "And what is Haven's opinion on this matter, Headmaster? Raven Branwen is accused of several crimes that directly utilized the training she received as a Huntress, misuse of a powerful Semblance…"

Lionheart's face went grave. "Haven's opinion is as it has ever been. The ranks of Huntsmen are never so full that we can afford to turn a cold shoulder to those with the training and ability to hold back the Grimm." He frowned. "Provided, of course, they do not use their license as a cover or shield for crimes against the Kingdoms or their citizens."

"Raven Branwen isn't a licensed Huntress," Police Advocate Eft objected, crossing her arms.

"Her Beacon license has lapsed, that is true. But I am willing to consider registering her in Haven, should the other portions of Advocate Black's proposal be found acceptable."

That gave the entire room pause, and Black's heart soared.

He'd gotten Lionheart on board.

Councilwoman Zenyi had been quiet throughout the last set of witnesses, leaning back with eyes closed and hands slid into her opposite sleeves. If he hadn't known better, he would have believed she was asleep. But Lionheart's words stirred her.

"I am of similar mind with Headmaster Lionheart. If we can be assured," she appraised Black carefully, " that this is legitimate, or that there are sufficient safeguards, making this agreement doubles the direct benefit." She looked out the windows of the courtroom, over Lake Matsu and beyond toward the region she was responsible for representing. "Not only do we remove the direct threat of Raven Branwen's so-called Tribe of Bandits from the region, we add those same individuals to the defense against Grimm and other dangers." She shook her head. "I cannot in good conscience pass up such an opportunity, though I will demand diligence in monitoring their fidelity to any agreements or contracts."

That was two. Two of five.

"Councilman Crot—" Steele began.

"You're all mad. And I won't be a party to this. Absolutely not." The Argesian sat stiffly, hands fisted on the bench before him. His face was twisted. "And I want it recorded clearly that I don't accept her or her Tribe's presence in any area whose interests I represent. And I am going to be requesting Argus law enforcement investigate these so-called third-party security firms that have allied themselves with her."

Black held his face still. He'd expected this reaction out of Croton, and on top of that, he knew that the man couldn't actually do anything to stop Branwen. If the Board approved his proposal, she'd have the right to come and go as she pleased. And he suspected, based on the conversations he'd had with Lt. Tourmaline, that any Argus PD investigation wouldn't go very far either. But it didn't make sense to provoke the man further by pointing any of that out.

He turned to Lead Police Advocate Eft. She represented the interests and policy of Mistralian law enforcement in general, and could, in fact, influence Argus PD, or even suggest that Mistral's kingdom-wide investigators look more deeply into matters. She probably had limited leeway on her own to use her own judgment, and the people she represented, career investigators and law enforcement heads across the Kingdom, tended to be somewhat fossilized in their thinking.

He watched with bated breath as she scowled, looking between Croton, Zenyi, and Lionheart. Finally she sighed. "Abstain." Black's face registered his shock, and Croton looked like he was about to have an aneurism. She shrugged. "Justice is important, but removing a threat is removing a threat. We'll defer to whatever the Board recommends."

Two in favor. One opposed. One abstaining. That left it in Steele's lap. He could vote no, which would essentially tie the vote and drag things out while they argued and tried to convince one of their number to change the vote already cast. Or he could vote yes or abstain.

Black turned to Chairman Steele.

"In light of the arguments that I've heard, and the votes cast thus far, I see no value in opposing the proposal. I abstain as well."

"Luo! You gutless wonder!" Croton snarled.

Steele waved a hand dismissively and rapped the bench with a gavel. "This Board of Inquiry is adjourned. I'll have the clerks write up the full findings and agreement for my signature within the week. In the meantime, Advocate Black, tell your client to keep her damn hands clean. Or all bets are off. Clear?"

"Crystal, Mister Chairman. Absolutely Crystal."

"Ms. Branwen."

"Councilwoman Zenyi," Raven said warily. Mayor Lin had personally guaranteed her safe passage to and from Kuroyuri for, he had informed her, an important call. But he hadn't specified it would be a member of the Mistralian Council on the other end of the call.

"I wanted to congratulate you, personally, on the results of the Board of Inquiry."

Raven grinned. "Well shit. So Black pulled it off?"

"Oh yes. And I was pleased to cast my vote in favor."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Not that I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth, Councilwoman, but what makes you say that?"

"I have my reasons, both professional and personal. Southern Mistral has long been… neglected. I am in many ways the least regarded of the regional representatives on the Council, and the only reason I have any sway at all is because of the limited overland trade from Mistral to its Western Coasts facing Vale." She appraised Raven. "And I believe we have an opportunity to change that. To usher in a new era of stability and prosperity across Southern Mistral."

Money, power, influence. It always came down to these. But that was a language that Raven spoke.

"And the personal reason?"

"My niece lies recovering in a hospital in Argus," Alabastra Zenyi continued, face not betraying any emotion. "She was one of the first through your portal, carried on a stretcher by members of your… Tribe. A man and a woman who, months prior, would likely have been content to relieve her of all her worldly goods and leave her destitute to die in the wilds, or to ransom back to her family." She shook her head. "I do not know what precipitated such a change, Ms. Branwen, but like you, I am unwilling to examine gift horses too closely."

"Huh. Alright." Raven considered. Well, it was the polite thing to do, and she'd been practicing after some pointed comments from Summer. "How's your niece doing?"

She noted a flicker of surprise at the question. "The doctors say she will recover." Zenyi frowned. "Do not expect that I owe you any further debts, Ms. Branwen. You saved my niece's life. And I have provided you a chance in return. I will be watching you."

Raven Branwen smiled, showing entirely too many teeth. "Wouldn't expect it any other way. Have a great day, Councilwoman."

"And you, Huntress Branwen. And you," Zenyi finished, and ended the call.

. . .

What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

[A/N]Thanks to last chapter reviewers Shadowstorm-Vash, DragonL0RD, AtomicR4y, and Jack Redhawke. Glad to see you folks are enjoying the canon divergence in Kuroyuri and Raven's evolution now that she doesn't have the Maiden Powers and Summer has returned!

For those having a difficult time keeping track of my myriad OCs (and yeah, I tend to want to name freaking everyone):

Lt. Mavros Tourmaline is Grimmslayer Sarah Tourmaline's father, and is a detective in Argus PD. It was mentioned in the last chapter that Selene called him in to assist. He doesn't know about TLH's extracurricular activities, but he's willing to keep Garek out of the news as a personal favor.

The members of the Board of Inquiry are all my creations (except for Lionheart of course), along with their positions, since Mistral's governance is completely undefined in canon. I will likely have them reappear in future chapters in some fashion. Advocate Black (no relation to Mercury) is also an OC. He probably won't appear any further.

I struggled with this chapter in every way possible. I questioned whether to write it at all, then whether to make this 'hearing' the central focus or just a piece of a larger 'check in' with everyone. Then how much detail to write, then who to include, then back to whether to finish it at all. In the end, I guess I'm satisfied with it. I had a few bits that I really enjoyed (Summer and Qrow's testimony, Lionheart). So if it comes across kinda meh, well I can't blame you for that.

Next chapter will pivot back to Garek, Selene, and Cinder and will be a lot more exciting.