Qrow couldn't help but feel like his Semblance may have played a part in his presence out on the deck with Bartholomew, Professor Calavera, and Sienna Khan. He understood that due to his relationship with the faunus, he was one of the two best possible candidates to meet with the small group as the STRQ representative in lieu of Summer, but he still hated having that level of responsibility. Qrow felt that Raven would have been a far better fit, but she had insisted that he handle it for reasons he didn't quite understand.

And one reason he did, which was that his sister was busy handling Taiyang upstairs.

All the same, Qrow knew what the goal was- to figure out what, exactly, the path forward could possibly be. So much was up in the air in terms of their participation in future efforts against Salem, so many secrets had leaked, and so many unlikely allies had joined the fray that it was becoming impossible to keep everything straight. Fortunately for Qrow, he didn't need to take the lead on the conversation, and he knew that he could trust his professor to handle it.

"Well, this is a fine mess," Maria commented as she lowered herself into one of the lounging deck chairs and looked over at the small group. "Never thought I'd be fighting alongside a member of Those Above All. Well… other than you and your sister, Qrow."

"We're not a part of them anymore," Qrow rebuked. "But I know what you mean. Sienna is…" he paused, feeling the tigress' eyes boring into the side of his head as she sat down on the edge of the jacuzzi, "…not… like the rest. And a good teacher."

"…what a stunning endorsement," the faunus said flatly as she rolled her eyes and then focused them upon the professor. "Calavera- you have nothing to fear from me. Our order, all this time, was dedicated to keeping the Relic of Knowledge safe from both Ozma and Salem, lest they attempt to utilize it for ill. Now that the Relic is in play and held by one of my two former enemies, while the other controls the mountaintop… I am left with little choice but to ally myself with all of you."

"Quite a change of tune from when we first met you," Bartholomew commented, electing to stay standing alongside Qrow. "You seemed incredibly hesitant to get involved with us at all upon your arrival here. What convinced you of Qrow and Raven's ability to stand up to Salem so quickly?"

"In truth, this isn't about either of them," Sienna admitted, her ears flattening. "More that I took some time to consider the situation without my own personal biases, and I must admit that… of my two enemies, one is clearly a greater threat at the moment. Ozma, at the very least, is not summoning demons from corrupted aura and attempting to use them to conquer Remnant. For now, at least, you will have my aid in standing against her. Having my former students here alongside me in resisting her is simply a fortunate coincidence."

"…I am starting to like you quite a bit," Maria offered as she folded her arms back behind her head and looked up at the sky. "It really is a simple decision. Should things change in the future, we'll renegotiate your status with us. Until then, welcome aboard, I say. The main reason I wanted to talk to all of you was to ask two simple questions, in light of the current situation. Sienna- is there anything you need from us, and is there anything you can tell us that may be of use in standing against Salem?"

Sienna blinked and narrowed her eyes, looking between the two teens before turning her gaze back to Maria.

"…I have no need of anything, other than your trust in bringing Cerise up to speed. I see potential in her. Potential beyond even the Branwens, despite her humble and disappointing upbringing thus far."

"…ouch," Qrow replied, feeling somewhat legitimately annoyed. "And what about that second thing? We need all the help we can get when it comes to handling Salem. What do you know that we might not?"

"Perhaps not as much as you would hope," Sienna offered with a noncommittal shrug. "If the staff at Beacon has taught you anything useful, you should be aware of how the grimm work, how to banish them, and their affinity for aura. Given that you've thrown yourself in with Ozma to the point of being on a team of his attack dogs, it is far more likely that you know more than I do at this point, and you'll need to fill me in. Arowana was… not very forthcoming with his intentions, nor was he very honest with what he was doing behind the scenes with the Lamp. I do know that, according to our intelligence, the Crown of Choice is supposedly here, somewhere in Vacuo."

Maria suddenly sat upright, her relaxed expression turning to one of complete seriousness.

"…tell me everything you've heard about that."

"There may not be a need for that," Bartholomew cut in. "I believe that Qrow and I have seen it… though until now, I assumed that such a thing must have been a simple replica. There was a golden tiara with three green jewels inlaid within it and the emblem of Beacon Academy carved into the largest of them. The Oaks are holding it at their museum, within the central city. I'd have said something sooner, but with everything that has been going on, I've had trouble keeping my head on straight."

Maria and Sienna were both silent for a moment, until the professor spoke in a tone of deadly seriousness, her face pale.

"That is… an exact description of the Relic, as per Ozpin," the woman replied. "The Oaks are currently underground chasing some other artifact, are they not? Getting into the museum would be easy enough, though making it into their storage, or office may b-"

"Whoa, whoa," Qrow interrupted, eyes wide as he looked the woman over with sudden suspicion. "We're not… we aren't breaking in and stealing the Relic! Those are good people- trustworthy people- and since when are you the type to just start organizing a heist out of nowhere?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask Roman and Kali that very same question?" Maria retorted, causing the boy to stiffen. "Yes, I know all about what you and yours have been doing throughout the year."

"…which means we have no leg to stand on to stop you," Bartholomew considered, rubbing the side of his face. "In all fairness, several of us have tried to curb their vandalism and thievery. The rest of us stuck to side jobs that were more based in vigilante justice…"

"Not quite," Qrow chimed in. "If we're going to play dirty, then let's play dirty. Here's our leg to stand on- Adam's gotten close with the Oaks, to the point where he's spent almost more time underground with them than with us since we've gotten to Vacuo. If you make an enemy of them, he's not going to be happy about it."

Maria heaved a sigh and shook her head before raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"…Branwen. This is a potential Relic we're talking about. While I do care personally about Adam, and I understand your point… Ozpin might not. That museum, especially while those two are away, isn't the most secure location. If Sienna knows that the Crown is in Vacuo, there's no telling who else is aware. With Salem at the helm of Those Above All, who's to say that she hasn't sent other agents from the mountaintop to begin combing the city for it?"

"Me," Sienna answered, raising a hand up to shoulder level. "So far as they are aware, I am currently still loyal, and all that is needed to track down the Branwens and the Crown. They would not send another to undercut my efforts. Not with my reputation."

"Arowana wouldn't," Qrow agreed. "But what about Salem herself? Do you really think she cares whether or not you're offended? If she got wind of the Crown being here, I wouldn't expect her to sit on her hands and just wait for you to deliver it. She doesn't know you at all. You've been tailing us since before she took over, right?"

Sienna fell silent and pulled a face.

"…the child makes a valid point… but this affords us an opportunity. I have an idea. One that could benefit all of us, and keep Ozma happy at the same time. It would be dangerous…"

"That's what I like to hear," Maria encouraged. "Out with it."

"Allow me to call Shrike," Sienna offered. "I will summon him from the mountaintop and relay that I have found the Relic, the Branwens, and a whole host of their friends protecting them… but say nothing of Ozma himself to keep Salem from descending upon the city. Once we lure him here, we can dispose of him, leaving Salem none the wiser that one of her high-ranking agents is dead while also affording us leverage to negotiate the Crown away from the Oaks, citing that it is too dangerous for them to hold on to it any longer."

"…and how long will that take?" Maria asked. "Days? A week?"

"To be fair," Bartholomew began, "we've no idea how long the Crown has already sat up in that office untouched. There's no reason for us to believe that it's in immediate danger at the moment, provided that Sienna can be trusted. The larger our network of allies, the greater our chances of success in this overall war in the future. I like this idea."

"Me too," Qrow added. "And we've got the numbers to take down Shrike, even if he's… a lot to handle. Sienna knows his fighting style inside and out."

"I do," the faunus confirmed. "This is an opportunity I do not think we should let escape us."

Maria paused for a moment to consider the plan before laying back once again and looking up at the sky.

"…fine. But we wait until nightfall and run it by Ozpin first. I like where this is going… but I'm not about to act against him and spring something of this magnitude on him later. I know where my loyalties lie."

"Wil, are you good?" Summer shouted up toward the booth, her hands cupped around her mouth to amplify the volume.

The heiress gave Summer an uneasy smile and a thumbs up before she leaned forward to speak into a microphone. Her voice echoed around the cavernous room, coming through speakers inlaid in the walls and ceiling.

"I believe so? I know what about… a quarter of all of these readouts mean, and I can hazard a guess at what some of the buttons here do. I'm not going to touch any of them other than 'Record', just in case. This is somewhat nerve-wracking…"

"Are they not labeled?" Ghira asked up toward the protective glass, his voice booming throughout the arena as he spoke with authority.

"They are, but… technology such as this isn't my forte. Dust crystals and power grids, I can handle. Something like this is… entirely foreign to me. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Sage encouraged as he drew his massive sword from his back and leveled it forward toward Summer in a two-handed grip. "I'm sure your headmaster can work with just regular video footage. This should be interesting. To fight a Maiden…"

"As if any of us fully understand what that means," Velvet reminded as she cracked her knuckles. "What can you do, Summer? What makes you so much better than us in combat that you can take all three of us at once?"

"I don't fully know, yet," Summer admitted sheepishly as she held Pearl Phoenix in a death grip. "And I'm honestly not sure that I can. Let's just get this over with."

"Agreed," Ghira echoed as he settled into a crouched stance. "Make the first move."

"Recording has started," Willow announced from the booth.

Summer closed her eyes, focusing hard for a moment as her breathing quickened. When she opened them once again, silver flames manifested around their edges.

Author's Note:

And there's the rest of Volume 2 set up- the Maiden festival, the trap for Shrike, and what to do with the Relic/s. It's gonna be a wild ride.

-RD