Jaune was stirring to life, straightening himself up from his slumped position. He looked around, trying to gauge how far they must have been from the village.
"Oh, good. You're awake." Sun said with a smile. "We tried to wake you up before we headed out, buddy, but you were basically a corpse to the world." He chuckled. "Dead as a doornail. So we just, like, strapped you in and went driving."
Jaune pulled himself forward, a thin layer of dust collapsing from its lattice formation. Rolling his neck, he leaned forward to shake his bones back into functioning order. "How far are we from town?" He asked the driver.
"Oh, about thirty minutes or so?" Sebastian guessed with a shrug. Jaune nodded, leaning back in his seat. The car hummed along, bouncing up past the mountain path. Jaune watched through the back window their progress. They passed a rudimentary gate, signifying that they had entered town. There was a little bit more driving, until the car came to a stop.
"Alright, everyone out." Dr. Cortez said, turning the keys. Everyone undid their seatbelts and filed out, pouring out of the van like a rather bland looking clown car. Looking around, Jaune quickly deducted that they had parked behind an inn of some form. He could tell by the large sign hanging infront of the doors.
"Cullens Drunken Inn?" Rheese asked curiously. Sebastian shouldered his bag, looking up at the dinged sign.
"Yup. It's a good place. Nice cheap alcohol and decent enough bedding, for where we are." He sighed fondly, marching up to the door. Pushing the door open, the students were ushered inside. A bear faunus woman was behind the counter, cleaning out a wooden tankard.
"Oh, god, is it that time already?" She muttered to herself, putting the tankard down. Arslan could hear her fret "Please not the Spaniard, please not the Spaniard."
Sebastian sauntered in after the students, and the barkeep let out an audible "FUCK!" before biting her tongue.
The gunslinger walked up to the barkeep, a disarming grin on his face. "Urtha!" he greeted. She just looked at him, rather unimpressed. Her bear ear twitched, betraying her discomfort.
"My name is Ursa." She answered flatly. "And it's a little early in the year to do this mission, ain't it?" Her accent was that one could expect from the Western Mountains. A little rough, most certainly not educated to any notable degree, and it held that kind of particular exoticness in it that let you know that you were far from anyplace like Atlas or even Orleans.
"Ursa." The Huntsman corrected with a nod. "Well, Ursa," He said, emphasizing the correct name, "I just happen to have a very good excuse, but you are correct. It is a little early, by three weeks, for this mission."
Ursa looked intrigued. "Oh, what excuse is that?" She asked.
"Huntsman's business." Sebastian's response was curt. "Anyway, two of your family sized rooms." The lien hit the bar table with a light clatter.
Ursa nodded, looking over the group. "Top floor, rooms one and two. Here are your keys." She put down some keys. Dr. Cortez pocketed two, and handed one to Sun and Arslan.
"Arlight children, don't loose these. Because if you do, it's coming out of your paycheck." he said as they pocketed it. Sun blinked, his face lighting up.
"Wait, we get paid!?" It was a loud exclamation, born out of excitement over the prophet of income. Sebastian laughed, clasping his hand on the monkey faunus's shoulder.
"Hell no." he said in between chuckles. "Student's don't get paid. I mean, you're going to die anyway…" He trailed off. "But in better news, you probably won't die today. Take the rest of the day off. Look around town, take a nap, I honestly don't care. Be back here by three though." he waived them off, collapsing into one of the wooden chairs. "Might was well try to teach yall something of use while we're stuck here."
Arslan watched Jaune turn for the door with surprising speed. "Oh no you don't." She said, reaching to grab him by his hood. He was jerked back by the lioness, almost falling to the ground. "The last time we let you out of our sight, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
He gave her an innocently confused look, and for a moment Arslan could just picture him having golden dog ears, bent down slightly. Huh, cute. She thought, before putting it away in a box for later. He tilted his head, only enforcing the mental image. "Did I do something wrong last time?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "I mean, not really. You just have a habit of vanishing." She explained. "And I can't help but feel you, if given the opportunity, would cause quite the headache."
Nadir let out a sound something in between an indignation and a happiness. The sound couldn't quite be described in the usual words one would describe sounds, but the tone was clear. "You should play him in Chess." The rifleman suggested.
Reese let out a good natured sigh. "So, I know that we can technically sit here forever but I would like to explore around town." She said, shuffling her team plus Jaune out the door. Sebastian gave a little absent minded wave to them.
He offered them a word of advice "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Or would. Or don't. Y'all technically adults, you can make your own dumbass decisions now." He watched them leave with an almost melancholy wistfulness. There was something special about the younger generation, even if the gap was less than most. He could only hope they didn't do anything too stupid.
"Arslan's got a good head on her shoulders." Sebastian shrugged, turning to Ursa. "Barkeep!"
Qrow shivered from the cold, pulling his jacket even tighter around him. "Why did that rat bastard want to meet in this rinky ass town anyway?" He grumbled as he made his way to the inn. It was still midday, and the Huntsman was thankful his semblance didn't make his trip here insufferable. Pushing his way into the nearest inn, he stumbled in as the door caught on his jacket. Cursing, he untangled the mess and made his way over a rather useful ally of his.
"Why must we meet in the worst, out of the way places, Cortez?" he grumbled at the man at the bar, who was nursing what looked like a sidecar. Sebastian raised his glass to the grumpy man.
"Come, friend! Let me get you a drink, and then we can talk about my poor choice location, eh?" Laughing with the motion, he spun to the barkeep. He held up two fingers, and Ursa began to mix another set of Sidecars. "So, how was the trip?"
"Miserable, but thankfully short." The gruffed gothic Huntsman said, taking a swig from his hip flask while the bartender made a set of drinks. "I flew up here from Sedel. Dead end of a lead, but the women were nice." he said, not taking his eyes off the flask. Sebastian let out an introspective sigh, looking blankly at the wall. The drinks slid across the bar, which was deftly stopped by Qrow.
"You know something interesting?" the gunslinger said after a moment, garnering the interest of his fellow Huntsman.
He shrugged, downing half the glass in one go. "Sure, kid. What?" He asked.
"The buildings on fire." He said flatly, as though it were a trivial matter on the same level of "There's a slightly interesting fish in a pond." Or "I had eggs for lunch"
Qrow looked at him, confused but mostly concerned. His eyes darted around, looking for any sign of fire. There was none. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Sebastian nodded to the door. "It's on fire, burning down. The bartender, I think his name will be Jackson, is throwing snow on it." he gestured to a column than ran up the side of the inner corner, connecting to a supporting truss in the roof. "And it is being built. The wooden pillar there is being placed by Cullen himself. And we're sitting here, talking about it. Right now. All of them. destruction, creation, and entropy. Isn't that just so cool?" he said, the broad gesture with his arm making his drink slosh, threatening to spill. The gunslinger evidently didn't care, as he continued on. "Time is so fucking cool man. Everything's a wave on a plane, Time, space, nachos, everything. It's all happening, right now, right here, somewhere and sometime."
Qrow raised an eyebrow, already done with his drink and eyeing Sebastian's second longly. "Just exactly how many of those have you had?" He was incredulous. Sure he had gotten somewhat used to the usual eccentricness of Huntsmen, but he had yet to see Sebastian Cortez, Grimmslayer, Mercenary Breaker, Wrathbearer, El Carazor, the list went on (not that it compared to Qrows list, but it was an impressive list nonetheless), act quite as… philosophical as he did right now. Admittedly, Qrow's experience with Cortez was somewhat limited, as they had only come into semi steady contact with each other in the last two years, and even then it was sparse. He had gone with a mission when team RMSY was still a thing, but that was nearly half a decade ago. He had yet to see Sebastian drunk. The gunslinger shrugged, downing the rest of his own drink.
"Enough that you can have the other." He responded cheekily, softly putting his own glass down. Qrow drank it faster than most. "So," He burped, shaking the burning down his throat. "To business then?"
Cortez nodded, seeing the time for his pondering had passed. "You first." He nodded, standing up. Qrow followed him, quickly downing the last drops of his drink. The walked out the bar, heading to a more secluded part of town.
"Why do I have to spill first?" Qrow complained as they entered a back alley.
"Because I bought drinks, Qrow." Sebastian explained dryly. "So get on with it. What's the word from Oz?" There was no to little humor in his voice, the question dry and unenthused.
Qrow shook his head, shaking the effects of the alcohol off of him. "Ozpin needs a new Fall maiden." he admitted after a moment. Sebastian wheeled on him, surprised at the news. Ozpin guarded his maidens jealously, and hearing that he needed a new one was news. Particularly one that was so young.
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said after a moment. Qrow nodded in agreement.
"She's not dead, but the maiden powers have been partially stolen from her." The Huntsman said, before holding a hand up. "Don't ask how, I don't know. Anyway, Ozpin's been looking at replacements."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at what that insinuated. "He didn't have one already?"
"He did." Qrow sighed, leaning up against a wall. "But apparently she failed a test he gave her. Her partner had entered illegally, and Ozpin wanted to test her loyalty."
Sebastian nodded, his scarred eye twitching slightly. He moved to rub at it, before answering. "Nikos turned him in, didn't she?" He asked. He already knew the answer. Qrow wheeled on him, his eyes full of panic.
"How do you know that!?" He said, forcing his voice to be a whisper. Suddenly this place didn't seem so safe anymore. Sebastian waived it off.
"I'm not stupid, nor are you my only point of information, Qrow." He said, still relaxed as ever, despite the grizzled Huntsman's attitude. "Just as i am not your only contact. So, as you were saying?"
Qrow took a breath in, knowing his panic wouldn't serve him well. Giving the surroundings one last quick scan, he continued. "Ozpin's not exactly enthused by his options to take the maidens. Pyrrha was a for sure pick until her partner left. It's left her… emotionally unsuitable." He decided. He didn't have all the information on the students, only what Ozpin and Glynda told him. And his nieces, Yang and Ruby. He would have to visit them soon, ask about school and boys and whatnot. Probably weapons when it came to Ruby. The Huntsman saw his compatriot looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "Right, so anyway, we've been looking at two others, but everyone has some trepidations. Pyrrha might just be our best bet, despite her less than ideal state." He stopped for a moment, only to keep talking. "I've suggested that he look to other schools, Haven in particular. You had a student that was promising, what was her name-" Qrow was stopped as a fist was suddenly constricting his air intake. Cortez had leapt at him, chokeslamming him into the wall before Qrow could even react. Which was impressive, because Qrow had dodged bullets before. Qrow was forced to look into the gunslinger's eyes, and found them as sharp as a knife.
"If you bring up my students like that again, I will make you disappear. Am I clear, Qrow?" He growled. Qrow could feel every cell in his body go into fight or flight mode, only decades of training and stressful situations keeping him from decking the Spaniard and running. 'They're huntsmen already, I will not allow them to be caught up any further in Ozpin's tonto scheming."
"Yeah, Yeah, I got it." the gothic man choked out, wheezing as he waved it away. Sebastian held him there for another moment, judging him. He passed, because the Spaniard stepped back, releasing him from the wall. Qrow hunched forward, resting his hand on his knees. He brought in a few deep breaths before standing upright. "You couldn't kill me if you wanted to, you know that, right?" He said. It wasn't a jeer, but an honest truth. Qrow had been an active agent on the battlefield against the grimm for up to three decades at this point. He was quite possibly the most skilled hunter out there right now. He knew he had at least a dozen years on Sebastian, and enough skill to back it up. Sebastian simply turned to look at him, his arm pulling a six shot revolver out of… somewhere?
"You want to bet, amigo?"
Qrow considered it for a moment. He probably could take Sebastian Cortez on right now. He was within range of his weapon, Harbinger. Then he felt his semblance kick in. It was telling him to fight, telling him that he could take it, whispering and egging him on in the back of his ear. And considering his semblance, that ment fighting was a bad idea.
"Nah. gamblings bad for my health." Qrow sighed, shaking his head. "Doctors orders and all that." Well, at least the gunslinger had the humor to smile at the joke.
Sebastian nodded, putting his gun away and acting as though nothing had happened. "Anything else I should know? The spring maiden, perhaps? Or are you going to stop with threatening my students" He probed for further information, but this was good. Well, it actually was very bad. Ozpin having control over a maiden was not great, but him not having control of a maiden was worse. Qrow shook his head.
"No, most of my time has been hunting down Amber's attacker. Speaking of which, what do you have for me?"
Sebastian sighed, rolling his neck. Quid pro quo and all that, even if he had suggested that one of his students take on the mantle of maiden. "Huntsmen are being hunted down in Mistral by Salem. To be more precise, Tyrian Callows." He handed Qrow a sealed envelope. "That's the profile I've made for him. Beyond that, Hazel Rainart is his current accomplice, also under Salem's control. The grimm have been making moves east, there's a bit of a congregation in the further parts of Forever Fall. And…" Sebastian faltered, unsure if unfounded suspicions counted as valuable information.
"And?" Qrow prompted.
Sebastian decided to lighten the truth, or make it as broad as possible. "There is someone working against us inside the Mistral Hunt system. I don't know who, but they at least have the ability to get unvetted missions into the database." He frowned.
Qrow nodded solemnly. He had to expect that at least some systems had been infiltrated, given how old with little shadow war of theirs was. "I assume your looking into it?"
The gunslinger nodded. "I am. And when I find them I am going to gut them. Like a fish." Qrow nodded. If he found someone within the huntsman system working for the enemy, he would do less than kind things to them too. "You staying for long?" Sebastian asked. Qrow tilted his head for a moment, before shaking it.
"Can't say I can. I got places to be, things to do, all that jazz." the huntsman responded, looking up at the sky. "Why do you pick the worst places to meet?" he asked after a moment.
Sebastian looked at him like he was surprised. "You think we meet in bad places?" he asked.
Arslan was, much to her surprise, having a good time. There was not a lot to do in this small mountain town. Reese hated that. Arslan shivered, pulling her fleece pullover around her tighter. She thought she was prepared for returning to the mountain cold, but boy was she wrong. The sunny, low warmth of Haven had really spoiled her. Jaune looked over at her with concern, already moving to take off his thick cowl. "Cold, Arslan?" He asked, holding out the rug like cape. Arslan smiled at the offer.
"Thank you for the offer, but I think it would be a little large on me." She admitted, sizing the cape up to her frame. While she was by no means overly short, standing somewhere just under to 5'8, the cloak, on the other hand, was made for someone over six feet. Bolin quickly took off his own jacket, pushing it into Arslan's hands. He glared at the ranger, as though he was challenging him.
What does he want? B thought, returning the glare.
Jaune shrugged. Maybe he's cold? You think he wants my cloak?
Sure. A said cheerily. I mean, if Arslan's cold, Bolin must be cold without his jacket. Jaune nodded, holding the cape out to Bolin in offering. Bolin stared in bewilderment, before grunting and turning away.
His loss then. A thought as the cloak returned to jaune's shoulders. Ohh, what's that?
The 'that' in question was a wooden cart, draped in purple cloth and gauze. It was clearly a gypsy caravan of somesort, one that most likely sold fortunes or oddities. Currently a 50/50 as to the profession. Jaune looked around at his compatriots, seeing that they were just a bit ahead. So he took the opportunity to go and explore. Moving to the door, as silent as the grave, he ducked inside. Inside was as draped as the outside, with incense candles setting the mystical mood even more. Crystals, bits of wire jewelry and tiny wooden boxes took up much of the room, but it was dominated by a table in the center. Jaune gave it a knock, announcing his presence. There was a startled shuffling as someone from behind the curtains made themselves got ready to likey try to hawk something off onto him.
"Why hello." Croaked a voice as a tiny, withered old woman walked out, leaning on a walking stick adorned with bits of jewelry and gemstones on leather strings. "And welcome to Madame Cherrote's Museum."
Jaune raised an eyebrow, looking around. "Museum?" He questioned, not quite believing her.
"Mairifar Esbrotghtra" the Madame, assumedly Cherrote, muttered under her breath. The ranger was pleasantly surprised that he had caught it. He wasn't quite pleased at the insult, but he knew the word Mairi was collection.
"Mairi's translation would be Collection, not museum, tellor Cherrote." Jaune responded, moving to look at a glass ball. Cherrote was surprised at the human's Feral.
"You speak my home tongue well, Dreamer." Cherrote said, sitting on the other side of the table. Turning with great haste, the ranger stared down the old woman, his eyes sharp and focused.
"You know a most unusual title, witch." Jaune said in the forign language, moving to sit on the opposite side. The madame looked surprised, as though the guess was unexpectedly correct.
She chuckled, relaxing her shoulders and taking a puff of something in a ceramic bulb looking thing. It was similar to a hookah, but smaller. "You make good guesses, Alhamar kitshkaar." She let out a plume of smoke with a chuckle. That was a word Jaune was unfamiliar with, but would let it slide. She leaned forward, setting a wooden box down onto the table.
"I believe I have a reading for you, should you be willing to hear it." She said, a wide smile showing off her rotten and gap filled teeth. Jaune's only indication was a small nod to the witch.
Her smile grew wider, and the box was opened.
A new chapter and in record time! This one came smoothly and I am glad to have gotten this out before new years. Happy holidays everyone!
We get another actual main RWBY character entangled into this mess, at least slightly. And we see some of the scheeming/ actions that our main teenagers aren't doing.
A good chapter for conspiracy theories right now. From Jaune and the Witch to Dr. Cortez, there are plenty of hooks to follow.
I am glad to see everyone being very excited about the dragon corspe and absolutely buzzing with ideas about it. I know what I am going to do with some of it, but that leaves a whole rest of a dragon to work with. Loving the ideas being thrown around with it.
I look forward to reading your reviews. it really makes my day to know people are invested in this story