"So... she's still looking for Raven, huh?"
A man dressed in long robes, with a hood covering his face, sat at a small booth in a rundown inn in the middle of nowhere. Across from the man, sat a familiar gray haired man with rusty eyes. Qrow gave Red a tired glare, before slumping slightly. Qrow stared down at his drink fora few seconds, before glancing back up to Red.
"Yep."
Qrow popped the 'p' as he took another sip of his drink. The inn wasn't anything special, situated in the middle of the mistralian swamps. It functioned more as a rest stop than anything, and considering the fact that it was the only option for another 30 miles or so, it didn't need to necessarily look the prettiest. Regardless of how rundown and broken the inn looked, it still served its purpose. It had a bar, beds, and a roof.
"She's gonna get herself in a bad situation if she keeps that up." Red stated with a hint of concern.
Qrow looked to the man, grinning slightly before letting out a low chuckle.
"You know how Raven was. Mix in Tai and you got yourself a little firecracker."
Now it was Red's turn to let out a low chuckle.
"I suppose you are right."
Red had been instructed to meet with Qrow to collect all of the information that the elusive huntsman had managed to gather. He had been on one of his rather long missions, having been in Mistral for around five months now. Thus, Red also served as a messenger to update Qrow on what was happening everywhere else. Red also took the few times he met with the harbinger to inquire about family matters.
Red had always been distant when it came to his sister's family. He wanted nothing more than to get to know his nieces, but he couldn't risk exposing Ruby's existence to Salem. Red's moving to the Haeshasen served a dual purpose, to not only become the next Grand-Master but to also protect his family in isolation. Red had his own family, but that didn't mean he was going to completely abandon his sister's.
"Yang's fourteen now, can you believe it?" Qrow asked with mirth in his voice.
"That's just kids. Pink has been growing so fast as well. You know she just started kindergarten?" Red responded, an equal amount of mirth.
Qrow looked a bit shocked at Red's statement. It was always hard to believe that the stoic and cold counterpart to the ever bubbly Summer Rose would have a kid. However, when it came to who exactly he had married, it truly wasn't too surprising.
"That's good. Glad that you and Magenta finally stopped being stupid, you know when we were students there was a betting pool around when you two would finally get together." Qrow smiled, a bit of tease in his tone.
Red chuckled once again as Qrow smiled ruefully. Their first meeting after Red's resurgence had been more than awkward. Full of questions and answers for both sides. But once on the field, it had felt just like old times. It took a couple more missions, and the expected fist fight, for Red and Qrow to finally make amends.
"How's Ruby doing with her training?" Red asked, a familiar glint in the assassin's eyes.
Qrow recognized that glint, one associated with the almost limitless thirst for battle. While Red is stoic and somewhat hard-laced, he is quite the battle junky.
"She's learning well. I'm shocked that she took to the scythe like a fish to water. Not many scythe wielders left these days. In fact, Oz mentioned that you and I might just be the last scythe masters on Remnant." Qrow explained, Red nodding towards the end.
"Good. I anticipate that Ozpin is probably gonna look for a reason to get her in Beacon early. Best she get ready as soon as possible."
Qrow nodded grimly as he took another drink from his glass. It was no secret that Salem's agents had been more active recently. Something was happening, and they didn't quite have a full picture yet.
"The queen is making more moves than we thought." Qrow idly muttered. "You've been a big help, we have reason to believe that Amber may be in danger. But, you know how she is. I know it's a bit of an ask, but can you have at least a few of your guys following her? Probably me and Oz being paranoid, but I just got a bad feeling that something may happen in the next few years." Qrow asked, his voice an eerie serious.
"Understood, if the situation gets more dire we'll try and convince her to come to the Sanctuary." Red agreed, Qrow shoulders sagging in relief slightly.
The two men continued to chat idly. They talked about different topics as the inn's bar remained busy with their patrons. As Red finished his small glass, with Qrow on his fifth, he glanced at the crowd from their booth. It was a relatively relaxed and small crowd, but still somewhat busy enough to make it seem a bit difficult to spot someone.
The platinum white hair that poked out above the patrons at the entrance however...
"I assume she's your contact?" Red asked, a bit of sarcasm lacing his voice.
Qrow glanced to the entrance, spotting a certain Atlesian Specialist trying to make her way through the crowd. Almost facepalming, Qrow finished off his fifth glass.
"Pffft. I wish she was just a contact, she's gonna be my partner for the last leg of this mission." Red could almost feel the exasperation in Qrow's voice. "That's your cue, though. I'll see ya when I see ya."
Qrow turned back to Red, who nodded slightly. His mouth, revealed slightly by his hood, formed into a small grin. Getting up from the booth, Red began to make his way out of the building. Red stopped suddenly, reaching into his robes and producing a few lien before turning and putting them onto the table. Pulling up his hood enough to allow Qrow to see him wink, Red lowered his hood back down and proceeded to make exit the inn.
Winter Schnee was not having a good time as she attempted to make it past the bar goers to find Qrow. As she finally made her way past the crowd, she bumped her shoulders with a hooded figure. Turning to make an apology, Winter was shocked to find that the figure had disappeared. Shaking off the encounter, Winter turned to find Qrow sitting at a booth. Joining him, Winter sat across from the infamous huntsman.
"Ice Queen." Qrow greeted, his signature smirk present.
"Branwen." Winter greeted with her normal glare.
Lie Ren was many things: calm, focused, and vigilant being some of them. His own semblance reflected these personality traits. Ren had few things he loved in this world, ever since he lost it all a few years ago. Although, it is less about things loved but more about who he loved. And that person he loved more than everyone was Nora Valkyrie. For Nora, Ren would do anything. And for Ren, Nora would do the same.
Which is why the situation that both Nora and Ren have found themselves in has both of them so panicked. It had started as a routine day, the huntsman and huntress couple who agreed to train them had sent them on a normal quest to destroy a small beowulf nest. However, after they completed their task, they had been set upon by a grimm horde. They had done their best, but two fourteen year olds could only do so much.
The situation was dire, Nora had broken her right leg badly. Ren was forced to carry the stricken girl as they attempted to escape the group beowulves and ursa that were giving chase. Ren had all but exhausted his semblance in his vain attempt to run away. He knew that he had gotten some distance from the main horde, but there was still a rather large group still after them. Ren ran with all of his might, moving as fast as he could.
It was a shame that he tripped on a raised tree root. Ren fell face first and Nora landed a few feet away from him. The scream in pain from Nora was expected, and the grimm immediately knew their location. Ren had never felt so hopeless, the grimm had encircled him. In a last ditch effort, Ren had crouched himself protectively over Nora.
"Tsk."
Ren heard the familiar sound of metal flying through the air before meeting flesh. Looking up from his crouched position over his best friend, he saw an amazing sight. A robed huntsman with an ornate straight sword easily cut through the beowulves that surrounded them. Spinning on his heel, the huntsman quickly decapitated a charging ursa before leaping in the air. Producing two revolvers, the huntsman unloaded as many rounds as he could into the group of grimm. Once he landed, Ren witnessed the huntsman effortlessly switch back to his straight sword and cut through the remaining ursa with ease.
After a few minutes of a, rather one-sided, fight. The robed huntsman sheathed his sword on his back, before turning to the two teenagers.
"You two are quite unlucky. Grimm hordes normally do not form in the Mistralian swamps." The robed man stated, taking a step forward before noticeably pausing. "It appears one of you is injured, do you need help?"
Ren quickly looked at Nora, his panic at seeing his best friend injured so horribly rising.
"Yes! Please! Help her, I'll do anything!" Ren desperately pleaded with the man.
"Ren! No, it's okay. Sir, please don't listen to him. I'll be fi-"
"NORA!" Ren snapped, the ginger girl looking at shock before looking down with hurt on her face.
"Calm yourselves, you two." The hood revealed a small smile. "Do you have belt, young man?" The man asked Ren calmly, the boy rapidly nodding. "Okay, take it off and have the young lady bite down on it. I must warn you, miss, this will hurt."
Nora nodded with some trepidation as the hooded man grabbed her injured leg, one hand on one side and one on the other. Ren quickly undid his belt and offered it to Nora, who nodded before biting down gently on the leather. Ren did his best to give Nora a comforting look, trying his best to convince her and himself that they'll be okay.
"Okay. On three. One! Two!" Red didn't finish before setting Nora's leg in place, Nora screaming into the belt as he did so. "Young man, hold her leg just like this and I'll make a splint."
Ren nodded and held Nora's leg in place just like the man showed him. He didn't trust the huntsman, not really, but he was their ticket to survival. After a few minutes, the robed man finished his makeshift splint. It took another few minutes before the man tightened it down. Ren let go of Nora's leg and, seeing that the splint was working, quickly hugged the girl for dear life. Nora returned the hug, red dusting her cheeks as she did so.
"ahem." Red cleared his throat, Nora and Ren snapping out of it but refused to let go of each other. "Okayyy. Well, do you know where you are?"
Glancing around the area, Ren indeed recognized the shrubbery around them.
"Yes, I do."
"Good. How close are you to home?"
Ren thought to himself for a few moments, before turning to the robed man.
"Less than five minutes."
The robed man nodded, before turning around from them abruptly.
"Then you can make it on your own. Don't get in any trouble, for I will not turn around again."
His warning known, the robed man began to walk into the woods. Ren realized that the man was walking towards one of the main roads, which meant that the man had indeed taken quite the detour to save him. Turning to Nora, Ren stood up and offered his hand. At Nora's blank stare, Ren simply facepalmed and picked the ginger bomber up.
"Let's go home, Nora."
"Could never agree with you more, Ren"
"Ms. Nikos! Ms. Nikos!"
A male voice shouted loud over a frenzied crowd. The crowd had surrounded a red-haired girl, looking to be the age of fourteen, who was exiting a large arena. She was dressed in mismatching bronze armor, with heavy protection on the legs and light protection on the torso and arms. She was donned in light jewelry and a ringlet. Her weapons, a spear and shield, rested on her back. She was rather tall for a girl her age, and had eyes a brilliant shade of emerald green.
The girl's name is Pyrrha Nikos. And she had just won her first international junior combat tournament, being one of the youngest in the history of the league to do it. The International Junior Combat Tournament (IJCT) series was a prestigious competition similar to that of the Vytal Festival, in which people who have not yet enrolled in a huntsman academy can gather and compete in a simulated combat situation. The tournament served a dual purpose of entertainment and giving the opportunity for the competitors to essentially advertise themselves to the huntsmen academies. Additionally, the IJCT was one of the few junior leagues that paid the families of the contestants with a grand prize of one million lien.
"Ms. Nikos! Look this way!" A random photographer shouted over the crowd, which the young Pyrrha turned towards and was immediately blinded by a camera flash. Upon the visible discomfort, two of the police officers that were escorting the young champion hastened their pace. Additionally, an older woman who looked nearly identical to Pyrrha lowered the girls head to keep her eyes away from the flashing cameras.
"Ms. Nikos! How did you do it? How did you manage to defeat someone three years your-" A blonde woman with a microphone representing a news outlet had tried to get the microphone to Pyrrha, but was lightly shoved away by one of the officers.
"Ma'am! Keep your distance! She is not accepting any interviews from the press at the moment!"
Pyrrha couldn't help but wince at the officer's actions. So, when she was being rushed by she offered a quick apology to the reporter. She didn't have time to hear the blonde woman's response as she was pushed to keep pace. After what felt like an endless eternity, Pyrrha and her mother were finally in the back seat of a car. After two quick knocks on the window, the car began accelerating away from the arena.
"You did good, sweetie. And with the money we can finally afford our own place!" Pyrrha's mother smiled warmly as she patted her daughter's head. "I'm sorry that it turned out this way, though. The last thing I wanted for you was to be propelled this far into the spotlight." The mother's smile faded, as she looked down in slight shame. Guilt quickly made its way onto her face.
"It's okay, Mom. I know that we both need the money, and I don't mind!" Pyrrha smiled, but her mother knew it was fake.
Pyrrha shouldn't be surprised. Even if she didn't really like to think about it, she is aware that she is a prodigy. Pyrrha had been a standout when it came to combat and huntress training since she was 10 years old. Her father was a huntsman and her mother a simple office worker. She didn't know her father much, as he was killed during a mission when she was yet 1 year old. But, what she did know is that he was exceptional in combat prowess, to the point where he was requested for highly dangerous missions regularly. Her spear and shield combo, Milo and Akuou, was apparently very similar to her late father's.
Pyrrha had won her first tournament at age twelve, where she won the North Mistral 12U Combat Tournament. She proceeded to win three more tournaments in her local area before finishing a close 2nd place in the Haven Junior Tournament to a boy who was fifteen years old. She did not falter there, however, as she proceeded to win five tournaments at age thirteen in dominant fashion. It was after winning the Haven Junior Tournament that she was formally invited to the IJCT, her largest tournament yet. Thus, after her normal tournament season at age fourteen, she had competed in the IJCT.
She didn't just compete, she dominated. Pyrrha had essentially dominated every single opponent she faced in the IJCT, an impressive feat considering that the tournament had 64 competitors. It wasn't long before she became a quick favorite to win it all and those who had guessed were correct as she utterly dominated the previous IJCT champion, a girl who was seventeen and just about to enter into her first year at Haven Academy.
As Pyrrha was lost in her thoughts, she heard a sharp gasp from her mother. Quickly snapped out of her thoughts, Pyrrha whipped her head to her mother. Pyrrha's mother was looking down at her scroll, with a proud smile and some tears in her eyes. Turning her scroll to her daughter, Pyrrha's eyes widened at the message notification:
"Letter of Interest From Beacon Academy - Headmaster Ozpin"
Blake Belladonna has been unhappy for a while now. Her parents had betrayed their own kind three years ago, when her father had stepped down from his leadership of the White Fang. She remembered the news, and how Adam Taurus in particular was furious. Blake herself was angry, and since last year their home had been nothing but constant arguments. Blake had been looking for a way out from her home for a while now. Screw whatever her parents thought, if they wouldn't help then she would. Adam had already promised her safe passage to the White Fang headquarters in Mistral. For Blake, the string that bound her to her parents was growing ever thinner, and all she needed was a small excuse to finally sever it.
"Ghira, I'm sure you've heard of the numerous incidents that the White Fang has been involved in since Ms. Khan took over." A disembodied male voice sounded from the other side of the sliding door.
Blake was confused, she had no idea that her parents had a guest. And from the tone of the voice, she could tell it was serious. Through the sliding door, she could barely make out the figure of what appeared to be a man, with what appeared to be a robe and hood covering his face. Blake knew that if she entered, then the conversation would end. She couldn't help being slightly curious, after all you know what they say about cats.
"I'm more than aware on how Sienna's decisions have led to the White Fang becoming more... violent." Ghira responded to the man, Blake's fist clenching as her father delivered his response.
"I'm more than aware on how you've tried to negotiate with your old organization, but they aren't listening to you." The man responded, his tone seemed tired to Blake.
"I see. You're here to warn me, are you?" Ghira's voice trailed off, his tone becoming resigned.
"The White Fang has become a terrorist organization, although their founding cause is more than justified, their recent actions have targeted everyone in their path. They have no longer become a beacon of light for faunus, they have become a pillar of darkness and extremism for the vulnerable." The man's voice was admonishing, and Blake grit her teeth as she resisted the urge to barge into the room.
"And you, a human, could think to lecture me on issues of my people!?" Ghira's voice carried a sense of anger, and Blake's eyes widened in shock. A human, in Menagerie?
"I do not come to lecture you! I come to warn you of your former organization's path! Sienna Khan, and especially the White Fang cell in Mistral have become exceedingly more violent. People are dying, Ghira!" The man yelled in response, the sound of something shattering within the dining room following shortly afterwards.
The few moments of silence scared Blake, and she was half-tempted to grab her weapon. However, before she could,
"I apologize for the broken cup, Kali. And I'm sorry for what I said, Ghira." The man apologized, his voice returning to a tired tone.
"How about we just calm down? I'll go grab a towel." Blake recognized the voice of her mother, Kali.
Blake heard the approaching footsteps of her mother as she neared the door. Eyes widening in panic, Blake leapt off of the balcony. Once Blake landed, she looked up and noticed that her mother had not noticed anything off. Taking a breath, Blake rapidly grit her teeth and punched a nearby tree. If Blake had needed an excuse, this was more than enough. She knew what she needed to do now. Pulling out her scroll, she rapidly sent texts to Illia and Adam. Once done, she silently snuck back into her room and gathered what she could.
Once Blake gathered the essentials, she stepped out of her room onto another balcony. Piles of clothes and other things tucked underneath her arms, Blake leapt off of the balcony. Once again, she landed softly. She began to slowly and quietly walk away from her home, "former home," she thought to herself. She began to walk to a predesignated spot, but was stopped by a voice calling from the shadow casted by the trees in the moonlight.
"And where do you think you're going, Young Belladonna?" The man who was talking to her parents called out, and she froze.
"None of your business. After all, why would a human care?" Blake replied, refusing to face the man.
"I see. So that's how it is." The man's voice trailed off.
At first, Blake thought that maybe he would turn and walk away. But froze when a straight sword was quickly held to her throat. Her eyes widened in fear as she looked down, she couldn't exactly identify the weapon but knew by the slight stinging of her aura that it was lethally sharp.
"I will not stop you from your path, Young Belladonna. But, do be aware, that most of those whose path you are following have met their end by this very blade. I highly suggest that you stop yourself before you go too far. After all, the killing of an innocent is unforgivable. I have hope for you, Young Belladonna, and I hope that you can keep that semblance of soul and humanity within you."
Blake could feel her body uncoil in relief when the sword was taken away from her throat. She could hear the man behind her take a step away to leave, but tensed again when he paused.
"Good luck, Blake Belladonna. I fear that you will need it."
She didn't hear the man after that. After a few moments, Blake hesitantly turned around to find that he had disappeared. Taking a deep breath in relief, Blake stood there at the outskirts of her home. She simple contemplated, mulling over whether it was truly a good idea to leave. Her thoughts were interrupted by a text from Adam, and she quickly regained herself. Nodding with determination, Blake continued forward on her path.
An eagle sat perched on top of a nearby tree, watching with keen eyes as the cat faunus walked away from her family and her home. As the eagle observed, he saw the cat faunus meet up with a bull faunus and a chameleon faunus. Closing its eyes briefly, the eagle took flight, away from the island of faunus and away from the scene of a distraught Kali running to find Ghira. The eagle quickly found himself over ocean, and rapidly flew towards Mistral.
The eagle thought back to a conversation it had a few months back with a dusty-old crow, about a stubborn raven and wicked queen.
"The Queen is making moves, indeed."