Cinder treaded very carefully around Taiyang Xiao-Long. She didn't really know any other way to do so. Even Raven seemed halfway between awe and terror at the man, for his actions in taking the two of them in. He seemed to simply square his shoulders and march onwards, even as the world bent him.
A week had passed since the day Raven had thrown her, Vernal, and herself into the man's living room, a week in which she'd seen a few changes, some welcome, others much less so.
One of the more welcome changes was that Yang existed in her life. A part of Cinder was astonished to have found such a person in Yang Xiao-Long, and another was eagerly waiting for the "other foot to fall" as Raven had said. But Yang continued to prove that she wasn't as much of an idiot as Cinder had initially taken her for.
That wasn't to say they weren't fighting, though.
"That's cheating!"
Said outburst had poured out of Cinder's lips as the blonde brat had once again sent her sprawling to the floor. Yang may have been disgustingly sunny and optimistic, but Cinder had to admit that she was a talented brawler that took no prisoners.
"Raven said it's not cheating if you win!"
Cinder growled.
"Raven also said I'm not allowed to use my bow!"
Yang grinned.
"Yeah, cos' it's too easy for you to keep me at a distance and your fancy martial arts can't beat me yet!"
Cinder rolled her eyes dramatically, and took the offered hand of Yang with a gentleness that surprised even her.
It was stunning to think she'd ever have gotten along with another girl her age, especially after the hotel, after Madame, and after Clove and Iris.
But… Yang had somehow managed to worm her way into Cinder's heart and had her, begrudgingly admitting that she at the very least was if not welcome, then at least she was tolerated in such a way that Cinder didn't hate her presence.
Wasn't that a funny thought?
"Sooooo we're going again? Or are you chickening out?"
Cinder turned and faced the gap toothed, smiling maw of Yang, and in answer, she slugged her.
This time, she had the upper hand, as Yang's eyes flickered red momentarily.
Raven's eyes were red, darker to be certain. But…
Yang's could be a dead ringer for Raven's… easily.
Now they just had to wait for her to come back from her scouting mission.
Well, and she had to punch that stupid grin off of Yang's face. Even if it took her all day of sparring.
By the time that Taiyang called them in for dinner, Cinder had not, indeed, managed to punch the smug off of Yang's face. Having instead been thoroughly, and soundly beaten for the entire afternoon, she was covered in bruises and furious with that.
Taiyang raised a single eyebrow at her and Yang's disheveled appearances, before saying simply.
"Are you two ok?"
Cinder nodded mutely, and Yang, ever the instigator, merely said.
"She's been trying to knock my smugness off my face for the entire day, but she's getting better all the time!"
Why were Cinder's cheeks heating up at the praise, this didn't-
Oh, Yang had said she was getting stronger, that was it, wasn't it.
Ruby, Yang's younger sister was one of the better things, the little girl smiling widely at her and running up to show her a new drawing, something that both she and Yang were quietly happy to see.
"See! I'm going to be a big and strong huntress and I'll save both of you when you get into trouble!"
Ruby… wasn't taking her mother's death well.
The girl was convinced she wasn't gone, and Cinder and Yang hadn't bothered to try that hard to convince her she was gone. They'd… be there for her when she cried and when she broke down, and they'd try their absolute hardest to make sure she didn't cry that much.
Of course this was where the first of the problems came in.
Vernal wasn't taking any of this well.
It didn't help that the girl was a melted puddle and utterly useless whenever she was around Taiyang, but the man wouldn't let her get away with any of the things the Branwen tribe raised her to do.
That being swear, drink, smoke or do any of the things that Vernal actually wanted to do. Although fighting was on the table.
Said girl had been incorrigible for that week, but… Taiyang had told them all that there was news this evening, and so the girl stomped her way in, looking filthy and pissed, but calmer, slightly, than she had been.
Personally Cinder didn't think her drinking was a good idea, but she'd never dream of telling Vernal that to her face, the last time Yang had done it, it had ended in a three way brawl that had made Taiyang break them up. In that case by quite literally picking up Cinder and Yang in one giant hand each, and firmly stating "no" to a flustered and very embarrassed Vernal.
All of them had agreed to never speak of the incident in front of Ruby, who'd likely end up drawing something that would make them all look even more ridiculous than they felt.
It would ruin Cinder's perception as the cool and elegant older sister, it would ruin Yang's "unbeaten" older sister title, and it would make Ruby even more wary around Vernal, and that wasn't something that either Yang or Cinder wanted.
Yang wanted everyone to be friends, and Cinder could see the way that Ruby's shying away hurt Vernal, even though the older girl put on a tough face.
"Girls, wash up."
A chorus of "Yes Taiyang/Yes Dad" rang out, and a procession of slightly sullen vernal, calm Cinder, excited Yang and Ruby sat down at a table Cinder had seen Raven stare at, but never sit at.
"Raven's called and left a message for all of you, her mission is taking longer than expected."
Taiyang's voice rumbled as he spoke, and Cinder searched his expression for a trace of a lie.
When she found one, she would have liked to say she was surprised, but she wasn't, really.
"She's… not coming back, is she?"
Yang, frustrated, spoke first. And Cinder bit back a retort as Vernal cut in.
"Boss lady says she's busy, she's busy, no sense in pushing against her. It won't make her come back."
Taiyang shook his head, before he placed his scroll on the table and pressed a button.
"Hello girls, I'm afraid this mission is running longer than expected, and I'm not going to be back when I said I was. But I wanted to call to tell you all that Taiyang and I have been speaking about the future…"
Cinder frowned. That sounded like Raven was coaching her words, and that wasn't a fun idea.
"We'd like Vernal to attend a huntsman Academy this fall, and Yang and Cinder to start at Signal next year. Provided Cinder's scores in school are up to the task."
Feeling like a heavy stone had sunk into her stomach, Cinder looked across the table to see Vernal's reaction, and the girl was frowning at them all.
"Whaddaya mean an Acade-?"
She froze, halfway with a fork to her mouth.
Her face began to get red, and Cinder calmly pulled her plate towards her, nodding to Yang.
Vernal may not have had many buttons to press, but separating her from Cinder or Raven for an extended period of time, was one.
"THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN?"
There it was.
Cinder stood up and marched out of the dining hall, with Yang and her towing Ruby by the arms as each one held their plates up.
The living room wouldn't be isolated enough, but… there were picnic tables outside. That should be fine, right?
The trio of girls walked into the calm evening air and took their places, and a moment later a grey blur manifested into Vernal, running out the door, only to be intercepted by a massive arm, and firmly tugged back inside.
"Vernal- just calm dow-"
"FUCK YOU, YOU BAST-"
Cinder froze, Yang froze, Ruby froze, even Taiyang looked befuddled for a moment.
You could hear leaves hit the ground as Vernal seemed to shyly move her feet back and forth. Before the man simply let out a long aggrieved sigh.
"Vernal, what have we said about language?"
The girl muttered something, and Cinder focused her senses to try and pick it up.
"That it makes me sound uncivilized…"
"Mhm."
"And that I shouldn' do it…"
"Yes and?"
"And that I'm sorry Mister Taiyang."
"Good, now, let's go back inside, and speak about this like the near adult you are and the adult I actually am."
The door shut, and Cinder, unable to hold it in anymore, fell off the wooden bench laughing, Yang following alongside her.
"What's so funny?"
Ruby's wide silver eyes asked, the girl having a slight smear of mashed potato on one cheek as she looked at her older sister and Cinder.
"We'll- haha- tell you when you're older."
Yang barely choked out, before peals of laughter consumed her again.
Cinder was not used to time passing in the blink of an eye, and yet, that was exactly what occurred. Days spent in sleepy summer light, and warm heat, days spent having… actual fun with Yang and Ruby, days spent running into the woods and seeing the effects of Taiyang's grimm hunts, and even the rare few days they got Vernal involved when she was allowed to be free of Taiyang's merciless, clear, and persistent studying routines.
But it still was a strange, strange feeling. To have this sense of weight lifted off of her chest, to be allowed to, outside of training and fighting just live.
The days were growing shorter already, and Cinder remarked that she missed the sensation of the longest, sleepiest of summer days, the days where she and Yang and Ruby lay on the soft grass and watched the sky rumble past them with it's patchwork quilt of clouds.
As for her mother, Raven, she'd been on a mission the entire summer, she'd visited once, apparently to drop off essentials and lien for Taiyang, but… then she'd moved out, another mission, always far away, and always, always, Taiyang would look at her with that infuriatingly forced smile and sadness blurring his eyes. Cinder noted that the bags of trash she helped carry somehow… clinked more, now.
Cinder hated it, she hated being lied to, hated being hurt, and she hated the way that Yang looked at her with something akin to jealousy, and rage whenever Raven was brought up.
It boiled over until Yang popped the question, a few weeks into the last month of summer.
"Why you?"
Cinder, lazily reclining in a plush chair that overlooked the front of the Xiao-Long/Rose house, looked up from her book at Yang, who was sitting at the patio table.
"Huh?"
"Why did she go through so much to save you-?"
Cinder shrugged.
"Summer."
Yang flinched, the bluntness of Cinder's answer catching her a little off guard.
"Summer wanted to save me… Raven… just took me with her after I ran into them on the mission."
Yang leaned in closer.
"The mission?"
"Wait- did- did Taiyang not tell you?"
Cinder stuttered slightly, disbelief coloring her view.
"He said mom and Raven were out doing normal stuff…"
Cinder shook her head.
"They were after someone… a bad guy. He called himself Tyrian…"
Yang shrugged, and Cinder didn't continue.
"I'd… rather not talk about it, y'know?"
Yang leaned forwards and stated.
"I don't really feel like asking more, but… why didn't she come back? Why isn't she here?"
Cinder bit her lip and worried at it, biting harshly before continuing to speak.
"I-"
Her mind flashed back, flashed to the way that Summer had mocked Raven gently, before she shrugged and said.
"I don't know-"
Yang continued, cutting her off.
"Why you- why couldn't she just- be here…"
Cinder let her continue, as Yang's eyes started to fill and crinkle, and the girl choked back a sob.
"S'not fair… why did she go after you- why are you more 'mportant…"
Cinder froze. She was terrible with people who were crying, but she wanted it to stop, wanted Yang to know… what, that Raven wasn't dysfunctional?
That she wasn't kind of a mess who'd never really gotten over Summer's death?
"I'm… not…"
Her voice surprises her, the shaking in it and the hesitation not aiding her. Yang casts her gaze up and looks at Cinder, her cheeks red and eyes puffy.
"I- she only- Summer-"
Cinder's breath is coming in shorter gasps now, the memories, the stench of blood and rot, of sickness and pain, the maniacal laughter of Tyrian as he stalked them through tundra and town alike, always them just a few steps ahead.
She remembered the bandages soaked in puss and wounds, the blood, the scent of iron and medicine, the way she'd been so terrified of Sienna, and of Adam. The way the Fang in the camp had looked at her. Why they had looked at her that way.
The events of the past half a year crashing down on her shoulders, the sound of Tyrian's laughter never that far behind her, never far behind Raven-
"She must be protecting us."
That was the only answer that made sense, the only reason she'd fly so far away for so long.
"What do you mean?"
Yang's eyes, still filled with tears, Cinder's own sympathetically responding and prickling.
"Tyrian… he tracked us from Mantle to the shores of Solitas, then from there to Argus… he wasn't even there for me but he still found us."
Yang sniffled, Cinder sniffled, and the two of them looked at each other.
"Raven must be protecting us, must be keeping us safe by not going near us while he's out there."
Yang frowned.
"Ugh… I hate this."
Cinder nodded and turned back to her book. Before Yang spoke up again.
"Wanna spar before dad gets back?"
Cinder's book snapped shut with an audible "clack" as she stood back up and turned to face Yang, already up and on her feet.
"Best two out of three?"
The fiery blonde girl ran a finger across her nose and then threw a wild punch at Cinder.
Cinder, recoiling from the blow, jumped her.
They broke apart, their rough brawl turning more structured as Yang assumed a stance she'd been learning from Tai and Cinder settled into one that she remembered Vernal and Raven using.
"Yaaaaaang, Cindyyyyy"
Both of them flinched as a red blur rocketed into view. Ruby Rose stood up, took one look at both of them, and then put her hands on her hips and said.
"You said you'd stop fighting!"
Cinder looked down slightly at the tiny girl with her massive cloak.
"We're sparring, it's different."
Yang took her side, nodding and replying in kind.
"Just practicing, Rubes, that's it!"
Ruby fixed Cinder and Yang with a glare that was all Summer in every single way that mattered.
"Then I want in."
Yang and Cinder exchanged a glance. Ruby had made noises about wanting to be a huntress strongly as she'd begun to comprehend the truth behind Summer's death. There had been a lot of crying those days, and Raven had even shown up to tell her about how much of a hero Summer was.
But Raven still sucked with kids, and Cinder and Yang found themselves, alongside Taiyang, often being the pair to reassure and help out when the youngest of their household started sobbing or having nightmares.
It helped that Cinder felt a kinship with the sisters. She had no real contemplation of just how much they'd lost, but she'd seen Summer's death, and she felt that loss too, just… in worse ways.
In some ways she found herself enjoying Yang's boisterous company or Ruby's quiet adoration of the stories she told. Because Ruby truly seemed to think that Cinder's burgeoning library was the coolest thing ever.
What she did not agree with Ruby on, was the way the little girl was a total gun nut and wanted Cinder to be one too.
Cinder didn't like guns, she'd use them if necessary, but she'd loved learning to shoot a bow with Raven, and it felt like betraying her mom's intentions to pick one up and start using it as easily as the sisters did. But she didn't begrudge the young girl that much… and Ruby had extracted a promise from Cinder that when the time came to get her real swords that she'd be the one to fully tune them up.
Yang held no such apprehension, and eagerly, excitedly talked to Ruby about the design for a pair of what Cinder could tell would be something involving shotguns, lots of punching, and a great deal of explosions.
Cinder didn't get the appeal, but she could appreciate that Yang and Ruby were happy. Even if she didn't… quite feel those emotions as strongly as she felt she probably should have.
Those emotions were strange to Cinder, Iris and Clove had drilled most of her easy reactions out, and the somewhat dull pulses of a faint warmth within her were, far and above not exactly easy. Cinder wondered why it was easier with Vernal and Raven, why she felt closer to them.
Was it because they were as damaged as she was?
Cinder frowned to herself as she watched the Xiao-Long and Rose sisters move towards the house, the spar being forgotten as Yang animatedly spoke to Ruby about the weapon she'd thought up in her mind.
Cinder looked back up at the tree and her book, shrugged, and climbed back up there a moment later.
The two sisters weren't unwelcoming, they were sweet and kind and she liked Yang more and more, even if she could get annoyed over the blonde's rather intense attitude and personality.
But… Cinder found her thoughts often returning to Vernal and Raven, and how she missed both of them terribly. A clawing, lonely feeling in her chest that ate at her because for all of the wonderfulness of the Rose/Xiao-Long family… they weren't Raven or Vernal, she hadn't fought side by side against monsters with them. She hadn't bled for them, and they hadn't for her… so were they really family?
Cinder opened her book, but her thoughts wandered far away from the tale of the Girl in the Tower. She wondered if Yang and Ruby had ever bled for each other, if they ever would. She'd seen siblings in storybooks, but these two were just so… real, that it made her feel strange.
"Hey Kiddo"
She cast her eyes down from the tree at the older, masculine voice, and her eyes met the muscled form of Taiyang Xiao-Long, shading his eyes from the sun with one hand.
"Taiyang."
The man gestured at her, and Cinder obliged, climbing down from the tree with her book under one arm.
"You're not in the garage with Yang and Rubes, so I thought I'd come out looking for you to make sure no grimm caught you."
He squatted down to her level, something that definitely didn't frustrate her at all, no way, no how, that would be silly.
"None of the grimm on this island could hurt me before I turned them to ash."
She tried to ignore how Taiyang Xiao-Long winced when she said that, or how he muttered something under his breath she didn't quite catch, before he reached out and ruffled her head.
She was not blushing.
She wasn't!
"You've… been really quiet, don't get me wrong, Rae told me you tend to be more of an observer in strange environments, but I'll confess I'm a bit worried about you. Yang and you spar constantly, and you're beginning to take Ruby into it as well. Do you have other hobbies besides fighting?"
His question was bluntly phrased and yet gently shrouded in words designed to not provoke her sense of threat.
Cinder raised an eyebrow. He was good, very good, but she was tutored by Raven! She was immune!
She was not immune.
"I like books, and fashion."
The blonde man nodded, before he spoke once more.
"Would you like it if we got you a sewing kit and something akin to that for clothing?"
Cinder froze.
There was no other explanation, Raven was a good mother for keeping her alive, yes, but Raven and Cinder were focused on survival. Entertainment was always what small paperback books could be carried in their light bags for long term travel. She'd never asked Cinder for what she wanted, so… what did Cinder want?
Was it ok for her to even have wants? She liked the fashion of some of the things she'd seen on the streets of Mistral and Atlas, the tight pants and flowing coats… and the cool dresses, the ones that even Raven thought were badass, all sleek silk and flowing lines. The ones that Raven would die before admitting, but the ones she had stolen at least a couple of from people who didn't deserve them.
If… Raven could have things she wanted, and Vernal could have things she wanted… would it be ok for her to ask the same?
Cinder made up her mind, and nodded gently, shakily, her nervousness freezing the nod into a half present jerking motion that only made the blush on her face worse.
Taiyang smiled at her, and simply stated.
"I'll ask Qrow to find one in Vale, we should have it before the end of the week, would you like some books on how to sew as well?"
Another half nod, and Brothers wasn't Cinder, just ready to die of sheer embarrassment. She felt like she had when Sienna had told her that she would help her if she needed it. All surrounded by sudden warm emotion-things that she couldn't handle.
Cinder was suddenly struck with a horrifying thought. Taiyang Xiao-Long was not just a "friend" of Raven's… he was her husband, former, but… if he could turn her into a stupid emotion filled mess.
Who was to say he couldn't do that to Raven again?
The thought was so terrifying that she froze up and Taiyang clearly noticed, because he started speaking again.
"It's okay, kiddo, no one's gonna deny you stuff anymore just cause we could. This is just because you seemed a bit lonely out here all the time when you're not just sparring with Yang. You can't exactly hunt grimm out here anyways, so… I thought I'd see if you wanted to do anything with your time between studying and all the training."
Cinder finally found her words.
"I would like that, Taiyang."
The man smiled at her, and didn't that just send a flood of strange warmth through her entire body.
Why did that feel nice? Why did she want more of it?
Hmph. Taiyang Xiao-Long was dangerous. That, Cinder was certain of, was this what Vernal felt whenever he said things to her? Because now she understood, and felt a sudden moment of solidarity with the girl who was likely even now raising utter hell with Qrow Branwen.
Served him right, the traitorous bastard. Who abandoned their family like that? Especially because she didn't even have a good reason for it!
It just didn't make sense, what was so good about the crusty old bastard Ozpin, anyways? Raven hated the man, and made no secret about it, and Tai wasn't exactly on good terms with him, either.
So why were they in Vale, then!?
Eugh, she hated adults, stupid idiot adults, they should have just stayed in Mistral, with Argus' news talking about how the heroic actions of a number of Ace-ops and civilian vigilantes had saved the city from a group of terrorists.
The reports never mentioned who the terrorists were, and there was no mention of the White Fang.
Cinder hated that, and she had written angry letters both to Amber and Sienna about that.
Sienna's reply, which she'd received shortly, was not particularly helpful. With Sienna simply stating they were used to it, and mourned their people in their own way.
Amber hadn't replied immediately, but when she'd voiced that to Raven, here for a brief visit before setting off again, the older woman had gotten a strange look on her face and said she'd see if she could make contact and deliver another copy of Cinder's letter in person.
That had been a month and a half ago.
Now she was biting at the bit, and unhappy that there hadn't been an update, or even a visit by Raven.
"C'mon kiddo, let's go get some dinner and see what Ruby and Yang have forged in the garage."
She'd not realized Tai was still there, squatted in front of her and waiting for her.
She tried not to blush brilliantly, before she followed dutifully behind him as he moved towards the house.
Vernal could never know about this, ever.
If she told anyone she'd lose all credibility she ever had, and she could not, would not allow that to happen.
Cinder Fall, blushing in front of a stupid idiot adult because he made her chest feel all mushy?
Disgusting.
She hated it.
She liked it a little.
But she did follow behind Taiyang as he entered the house, as they passed into the kitchen and into the garage, where a cackling laugh from Ruby announced that she'd finished… something.
The sound of a cocking shotgun, and then the ignition, accompanied by a flying blonde meteor, crashed into Taiyang at speed.
"DAD!LOOKWHATMEANDRUBYMADEIT'SSOCOOLCANWEMAKEMEAFULLSIZEDONE?"
Cinder hovered by the door, waiting as Tai slowly disconnected his daughter from his midsection enough to get at what she was wearing.
Yang had a large, silver gauntlet on her hand, crudely atop it, was the form of a shotgun barrel. The thing looked incredibly dangerous, and had so many moving parts that a part of Cinder felt that it would fall apart at any moment, but for all of that worry, as Yang yanked her hand backwards, the thing actually chambered another round as Taiyang smiled at the two of them.
"Let's wash up, clean up the garage and forge, and then get something to eat, ok?"
Yang, with Ruby not seconds behind her, began to rush about, with Yang slowly getting out of her sister's way as the little girl moved faster and faster until she was a near blur.
"Is that her semblance?"
Tai and Yang shook their heads.
"Nope. Mom and Dad believed we should have our aura's unlocked as soon as we could bear the strain of training to control them, and Ruby's always been really fast by nature."
"So she's just… doing that?"
Which meant the earlier blur hadn't been Ruby's semblance, just her pure, aura augmented speed.
Cinder licked her lips, she had to learn how to do that.
"Can… she teach that?"
Yang frowned, and Taiyang shook his head before replying.
"No, I'm afraid that might not be the wisest decision, Ruby is fast, but she's fast by sheer talent and the unique ways her aura has entered into her body and reinforced it. She's just… naturally talented at being fast, and somehow her body can handle the strain. Yang's tougher than most are, and I know she gets that from me, perhaps we'll figure out what your specialty is soon enough, hmm?"
Cinder paused, before she asked.
"Specialties?"
Tai frowned, shaking his head slightly.
"Something to be discussed tomorrow, or the next time Raven's in town, she might have a better idea of what yours is. I know I can't stop you from experimenting, but if you push aura into anything and it starts hurting… I want you to stop doing that immediately, ok?"
Cinder nods before she can stop herself, and feels that same stupid mushy warmth in her stomach as it jumps for joy.
He cares for her.
The realization is sudden, and she finds her eyes welling up slightly with tears, which she hastily wipes away.
"Is everything alright, Cinder?"
Yang and Tai are looking at her, and she sniffles slightly and nods.
"M'fine."
Neither of them believe her, but for a moment she thinks she's gotten away with it.
She is misinformed, as that moment ends with Yang wrapping her arms tight to Cinder and pulling her into a hug against the larger girl.
When had Yang gotten taller than her? This wasn't fair!?
"It's ok… I promise to be the best sister I can, ok? You're family now, Cinder, Ruby likes you too much to ever let you go, after all!"
Cinder wants to scream at them, but she finds the words dying on her lips as that mushy feeling and flip flopping stomach sensation fill her up until she's just letting Yang hug her, all thoughts of resistance gone.
She hates this, but she likes this, is this what having a family is supposed to be like?
Vernal liked her, yes… but family? Maybe? She'd bled for Raven… Raven wasn't touchy like this, why did it feel so… different?
"Alright, lets get going, Yang… let her go please."
Taiyang, smiling at her, and she wants to crawl away from them. This feeling isn't what she expected when Yang decided that touchy feely stuff was ok!
"Not yet! She's gotta know we won't abandon her or leave her, she's ours now, Dad!"
It's too much, too fast, and Cinder feels herself slightly faint, before Taiyang bodily pulls the two of them apart.
"Yang… please."
Yang stomps into the house in a huff, followed by a nervous looking Ruby, as Tai smiles at Cinder and says.
"She gets… affectionate, and overly so sometimes, I'm sorry she made you uncomfortable."
Was Taiyang's semblance mind reading? That was bullshit how he read her so fast.
How the fuck did he know!?
"She'll get better, promise, but for now… Pizza?"
Cinder decided in that moment, mind reading bullshit aside, Taiyang wasn't so bad.
She would come to regret that statement, in the months later.
Raven
I find him easier than I expected to. For being my miscreant brother and wanted by the entire tribe, Qrow is easily found in a crappy watering hole near the edge of Vale. Why he's here is an interesting question, but I assume it's partially my fault. While Ozma would not challenge me directly by sending my brother onto patch, this is a method of allowing him to keep tabs on us even after all this time.
I approach him, to the chagrin of the woman behind the bar, who shoots me a look as if to say I could do vastly better, which of course, she's correct. But I didn't quite anticipate Hei "Junior" Xiong to be missing at this time.
"What do you want?"
I attempt to keep the bile out of my voice as I speak, but some of my venom escapes.
"Can't a sister visit her brother?"
The man snorts at me, before answering.
"Sure, but you're not my sister, haven't been, since our bastard chief threw me out of the camp with you at his side."
I bite the urge to snap at him.
"That makes two of us now."
Qrow finally looks up from where he's been pretending to nurse his drink, his eyes are slightly unfocused, but that's not exactly atypical for him.
"Seriously, Rae? Who the fuck did you piss off?"
I roll my eyes at him.
"Shit happened. Not here, the usual spot."
He raises an eyebrow at me, but it's not one of his mocking ones, it's genuine concern, he takes in my appearance, the dark bags under my eyes and the new scars, the stiffness with which I hold myself.
"I'm fine."
I do not mention the wounds, because the prick has the audacity to express worry in a public setting, especially one like this one.
"Fine."
But he nods, and I stand up and turn to leave Juniors bar, a different me would have offered the woman behind that bar a wink and a sashay, but I am not that woman anymore.
I have too much to do, and too little time to do it.
Official adoption papers are not sourceable, at least, not this quickly, but if I have to deal with someone, it might as well be this man.
The streets are calm, I know that the girls sleep safe and sound on Patch, I know Taiyang will watch over them until I take up vigil on the roof. I know I have 4 hours until I need to be flying back to the island to take up positions near to it. I know that in that time deals will have to be cut, and information and favors traded to get what I came here for.
Roman Torchwick is not a figure I thought I would ever see in any capacity beyond the bounties passed out by the Spiders.
But he's here in Vale, and I'll need to see about retrieving papers from him.
However, he is not my first choice, and it is because of this reason that I am knocking on the door to a seedy bar in the darker parts of town.
The snarl from behind the door has me raise an eyebrow. That is a wolf, and I know Marka, she is not the type for such canines. I am somewhat surprised to find a tall faunus, raven wings strapped down on her back, opening the door, and handling a massive, snapping ball of teeth and fur with one hand.
She studies me for a moment, and I meet her gaze, before I am waved through and into the foyer.
Seated upon a throne, with a near nude woman in front of her, is Marka "Fast Hands". Rogue huntress and the one who runs most of the identity trade in Vale. She is a disgusting woman, all hard angles and sadistic, pure enjoyment of the worst parts of the flesh and drug trade, and she runs a disgusting ship. It's funny how I would have freely associated with her not even a year ago. Now I can feel my skin crawl as she stares at me.
She is not who I would prefer to work with. But my options are limited, and I will try all of them first, before I confront the beast in his lair as my last option.
"Branwen. Whatever does the disgraced queen have for me?"
"I need to commission you. Papers and identities, for 2 girls."
The woman cooly meets my gaze and smirks.
"Why shouldn't I have Prussia take you down here and sell you back to your tribe? Do you have any idea how angry they are at you?"
I meet her gaze. Marka is a bully and a bastard, but she should know better than to challenge me, or does she think herself capable with this new bodyguard.
"I'm not blind, and I know what I did."
Marka rolls her eyes at me.
"Then you should know the price is up. I want pictures of you, for a catalogue, and say… half a million Lien, that should cover it."
I resist the urge to kill her where she sits for even suggesting it, but I'm not fast enough to stop my hand twitching towards my blade.
I feel the sudden shift in the tension in the room, as a young, multicolored in shades of brown and cream girl appears at Marka's side.
"Mom~! You didn't say we were having guests~!"
The woman does not acknowledge the younger girl for a moment, and her act does not fool me. Cacao may look innocent and childish, but the woman is a huntress of equal skill to her mother, and she is completely insane. She is watching me with the casual, careful glances of a cold, hardened killer. The same eyes I saw in Nightingale and some of the worst of her forces when I fought against them with team STRQ.
"Cacao, act your age."
The woman steps off of her mother's lap and springs up into a low fighting stance.
"Finnnnnnnneeeee, but you're boring and I'll have you know that even Prussia knows how to sing when I ask her too!"
A conspicuous lack of response is clear, I may have an ally here if I need to call upon one.
"No deal."
I don't turn my back on her, but I do step backwards, as Marka calls out.
"Oh hear me out Rae~ You need those papers, and this is the cheapest you'll get them for, promiseeee~!"
Her tone is sing song, and again, perhaps a year ago, I would have considered it. But there are some things that are just worth swallowing the damned bullet for.
Summer trusted Ozma, right?
Didn't that have to be worth something?
So I turn to leave, but as I do, I catch sight of the girl who let me in, her wings strapped to her back, and I find myself reminded so much of the look in Cinder's eyes in that hotel lobby. The spark dying out, and I find I cannot stop myself from speaking.
"You should leave, before she destroys you."
The other girl freezes, and I feel her wolves, two of them, begin to see me with new light.
Marka's tone darkens furiously as she demands.
"What did you just say?"
I feel Cocoa reaching for her blade, see it in the currents of air blown through this dingy, awful bar, see the others of Marka's group preparing to reach for their own weapons.
I should run away from this, I should leave my kids behind again, and flee from Salem in the hopes she'll forget about my involvement and the fact that I am the spring maiden.
I should hope to the Brothers that she leaves me till last as she chases Ozma's servants across the planet in this stupid, awful war of theirs.
I no longer have those hopes. Because I am a coward, and I know that she'll never stop chasing me now that she knows. I can go to ground and wait, and she will attempt to force me out, but if I play cards carefully here, she could be delayed, perhaps not found out.
I should kill this winged faunus alongside Cacao, Marka, and the rest of their gang. She may not be at that level yet.
"Cacao, Prussia, kill her."
I feel the former move, and the latter retreat, and in that moment, choices have been made, the faunus retreating away from me, her wolves falling utterly silent as they flank their mistress.
I nod, and close my eyes, whispering.
"Goodbye, Marka."
When I open them again, they blaze with brilliant red flames, and I am moving.
James Ironwood
"I- how did this happen…"
He stands over the coffins, armored in white, the sigil of Atlas embossed uncaringly onto the smooth wood. His emotions are no longer masked as he looks over the room. His actions caused this, his allowance of Mettle to fly off the leash caused this.
Caroline stands at his side, ever faithful, and Winter Schnee watches the room from the exterior.
"We-"
Ironwood does not wish to cut her off, he does not wish to diminish her achievement, or to harm her when he demands answers.
He does so anyways.
"We failed. Cordovin. We failed and it cost hundreds of innocents their lives, alongside members of Argus' finest. We were fighting against something that subverted us at every turn, all in a desire to grab a single child from her caretaker."
Cordovin sputtered indignantly.
"Sir you can't- surely you don't mean-"
He did not let her finish.
"I was wrong. We were chasing someone who does not deserve to be chased, when we should have focused on the real threat."
Cordovin's face falls.
"We were so caught up with the possibilities of that girl that we never treated our enemies like they were enemies and it cost us dearly."
"Sir we had no idea-"
He lets her finish as she cuts herself off.
"We had no idea Nightingale was alive, or in the city, we didn't know what she was planning, and it was a miracle we stopped her in time."
Ironwood pauses, his hands tapping at the coffin.
"We must do better."
Cordovin freezes, but nods a moment later.
"I want a full audit on our systems, and on how Raven Branwen eluded us again. I am unconvinced that devoting further resources to the task of pursuing her at this point is warranted, with reconstruction efforts ongoing and the White Fang seeming to be rapidly transitioning towards an arming movement."
Cordovin begins writing things down, and he continues.
"This was a battle that went deeply poorly, but our enemies have given us a chance to rebuild and invigorate this city better than we ever could have priorly. Lets see to it that it gets done."
He turns, metal hand tapping a comforting, steady rhythm on his leg.
"Cordovin, get me an appointment with Sol as soon as you can, and then make the council of Atlas find time. If they can bicker with each other, they have time to listen and help me plan how to respond to this emerging threat."
The shorter woman scrambled to keep up with him, before barking out.
"When, sir?"
Ironwood turned his steel gaze towards the sky, towards the distant location of Vale.
"In a weeks time."
The moment he was through the door, he was speaking again.
"Winter, charter us one of the new fast frigates, and get it on a course to Beacon Academy, as soon as possible."
The fresh graduate eagerly snapped into a salute, before she bolted for the communications relays.
"We will win this war against Nightingale and her incumbents, if she wants to get violent, so will we. The mass murderer she worked with, Callows, any further information on him?"
Ironwood subconsciously winces as he recalls the psychopath, and the two huntresses from Vale who had arrived months ago to kill him.
He also recalls the sudden appearance of Ozpin, and the choice to have the man airlifted to the rubble as soon as possible.
He had never seen Ozpin cry before, and he still feels shivers as he remembers the way the man sobbed brokenly at the masonry and dust that surrounded them.
"None, sir, both have gone to ground."
Ironwood resists the urge to snarl.
"Find him. Find his singing cultist leader too, and put a bullet in both of them the moment you do."
Cordovin snaps into a salute, an eager, confident smile playing out across her face.
"Yes, sir!"
Then, she's marching down the corridor and James is left alone with his thoughts and the monstrous gun at his hip.
The experiments had been monumentally successful, and his weapons were proof of that, but getting access to more people with that unique genotype had been nigh impossible. There just weren't any in Atlas, it seemed.
Then why did Vale have so many? Alongside Menagerie.
As he turned towards the airdocks, Ironwood frowned and whispered to himself.
"Three Days, Ozpin. I hope you have your answers for me."
Ozma
His fingers press against the glass, and Ozpin stares into the face inside, at the woman who should be dead and yet lives. At the slumbering, comatose form of Summer Rose, who lies in situ, unable to wake from the powerful drugs coursing through her system.
His second is not allowed down here, only Oobleck and he know of the laboratories that run deep under Beacon, and only they are aware of this room, even if Ozpin is the only one who knows who resides within it.
"You foolish, foolish girl."
The old man chides her memory, a wistful, pained smile on his face. She cannot, bound as she is, if she heals, she will try to kill Ozpin, but if he's lucky he'll never endure that. If he's lucky she'll never wake up, nor feel it when they have to pull the plug on her.
His thoughts turn to silver eyes and talent… and daughters…
He has been watching Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao-Long, and he knows they will grow beyond any of the others, they will exceed STRQ.
Salem has been pushed back, without his direct interference, for reasons he is not sure of, for actions he is unable to pinpoint or seek out.
He knows the Rogue, Raven Branwen has a hand in these actions, and he knows he is frustratingly behind the curve.
He remembers the promise he made to Summer, Raven, and Taiyang, alongside Qrow.
"Your children will not be a part of this war, not while I breathe."
He remembers how it felt to know he was lying through his teeth as he said it.
Salem will not stop until she is allowed to die and take him with her. He knows that she is gone, that her insanity has breached into suicidality so direct and painful that she must die as soon as she is able.
He had hoped to have a few more years of preparation.
He does not.
He had hoped to have a few more talented hunters he could rely upon, like Qrow.
He does not.
He knows that Salem's game, her insanity is pushing hard at her fragile, broken mind. Her barely present courtesy, the things she does in their mismatched game of horrible chess, played across the centuries.
He knows that she craves the maidens not because they are simply keys, but because just as they reminded him of their long dead children, they do the same for her.
He knows that the more each Maiden grows distinct from the powers that formed her, the worse that power takes its toll upon her.
Amber is fading, and it is only a matter of time until she's gone, her personality blended into the others, a construct of people who fight against him, because they're just as broken as he had hoped to avoid when he gave them a voice to speak beyond death.
His hands tremble against the glass of the tube, at the woman wrapped in what amounts to a burial shroud, he reflects upon how happy he had once been to see Salem, how he'd wrapped himself in her arms and how they had ruled a kingdom powerful and ancient.
He knows too much about her goals, he smiles sadly at Summer, whispering.
"I am sorry, dear girl… you should never have been placed into that position, and never should have had to deal with the monsters in the dark. But you came far, far too close to things I cannot allow anyone to know."
He does not know why he confesses to this woman as though she is a confessor, and he the confessee, he does not know why he grieves her as though she is his daughter, he does not know why he wishes that he did not have to take the steps he does. He wishes he could allow her to die and be done with it.
But her silver eyes and innate talent, he cannot lose that. Before Amber is truly gone… he will call her back, and he will make certain she passes her powers to this girl, he will ensure that those powers mix, and he then will have his answer.
No one can be trusted to fight Salem on equal footing, he knows this. The allies he has in this life are useful, but as pawns, pieces to buy off Salem's ire, to drag out their war just a little longer, until he has enough power to directly challenge a god's curse.
He must see her smile again, even if it is in death. He will maintain their detente, he will stop her from enacting these plans, but he'll do that himself.
If Ironwood's pet project can help him with that, he'll ensure she gets here to aid him, costs be damned.
Ironwood is on his way to his school, to demand answers that Ozpin won't give him, because it will shatter the fragile man that is James, and with the skirmish in Argus so recent, Ozpin cannot have his fragile human allies shatter like that.
He pushes his glasses back up on his nose, and steps back from the tube.
"I am sorry, my child. For what I will do to you in search of those powers."
If the silver eyes had hurt Salem, and they could… then he would do anything he could to find out how.
Summer Rose slumbers on within her tube, ignorant to the changes of the world around her or the sacrifice she will make to save this planet.
He is certain she would make the same decision he has, were she awake.