Qrow wandered through the dimly lit streets of Argus, his flask heavy in his grip. The cold evening air bit at his skin, but he barely noticed. His mind was too preoccupied, his thoughts circling back to Ruby's voice—her anger, her disappointment, the way she looked at him like he was nothing.

It stung. More than it should have.

He had been called a screw-up before. A drunk. A waste of potential. But Ruby... she had never looked at him like that before.

He sighed, rolling the flask in his fingers, but he didn't drink.

Eventually, his aimless walking brought him to a familiar place—the war memorial in the heart of Argus.

The towering stone slab was etched with names, a silent testament to those lost in battles past. But on one side, a newer plaque had been added, commemorating the victims of the Fall of Beacon.

Qrow's crimson eyes scanned the names. So many young lives snuffed out too soon. Students, teachers, civilians—people who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He exhaled sharply through his nose and sat down on a nearby cement bench, resting his elbows on his knees. His hands clenched around the flask, but still, he hesitated.

Then, a sudden crunch of boots on the gravel made his ear twitch, but he didn't bother looking up. Probably just some passerby. He wasn't in the mood to be social.

A second later—

Bonk!

"Ah! What the h—?!" Qrow jerked upright, his hand instinctively going to his weapon—only to freeze when he recognized the short, hunched figure standing before him.

Maria Calavera.

She adjusted her visor with one hand, the other still gripping her cane—the same one she had just whacked him with.

"You were brooding," she stated matter-of-factly. "And quite frankly, it was getting embarrassing to watch."

Qrow scowled, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "So your first instinct was to hit me?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Qrow huffed but didn't argue. Instead, he leaned back against the bench and gave her a sidelong glance. "What do you want, Maria?"

Maria hummed, tapping her cane against the ground. "Oh, nothing much. Just checking in on the local drunk who looks like he's contemplating whether or not to ruin his liver again." Her sharp gaze flicked to the flask in his hand. "You gonna drink that?"

Qrow hesitated.

"...No."

Maria arched a brow. "Huh. That's a first."

The silence stretched, but Maria continued. "Ya know, I saw you and Ruby at the park earlier."

"You spying on us now?" Qrow asked, raising a brow.

"Not really. I just happened to be there, and saw my apprentice walk away on the verge of tears." She turned to Qrow, "So, what exactly happened?"

Qrow sighed, leaning forward again. "Ruby chewed me out earlier. Said some things I probably deserved to hear."

Maria tilted her head. "And?"

"And..." Qrow clenched his jaw. He didn't finish it.

Maria remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"I've been a mess since Beacon. Since Ozpin died. Since I lost my team. Since I lost my friends.. The last 20 years of my life—I tell myself it's just my bad luck screwing things up, but..." He exhaled shakily. "The truth is, I let it happen. I let myself sink."

Maria nodded slowly. "And now?"

Qrow stared at the flask in his hand. "Well, I've known Ruby all her life.. not that means anything but.. I think I'm starting to lose her too."

"Oh, that'd be a shame. She's gonna need all the help she can get. Don't want her to wind up like old and alone like us two codgers." She said, smirking slightly.

"I don't think she wants my help anymore.. I don't think I can give it either."

Maria tilts her head and points to his flask with her cane, "Can't or Won't?"

Qrow's fingers tighten around his flask, "It's the only way I can—"But before he could finish, Maria jams her cane into his foot making him wince in pain.

"Don't give me that! You're too old for excuses!" Maria said.

"Rghh.." Qrow groaned at her. But before he could retort, Maria stood up and pointed her cane to his chest.

"There are reasons you don't hear about the Grim Reaper anymore." She spoke.

Qrow narrowed his gaze, "You got old and retired?"

She points more insistently "No. It's because I made too many mistakes and gave up." she answered.

Qrow shook his head in disbelief "You are a one-woman army, what would make you give up?"

Maria slams her cane into the ground "Same thing that happens to every Huntsman. I don't know your teammates and I bet you can't name any of mine."

Qrow praises her before offering his flask, "Sorry, I didn't know."

He continued, "Sounds like you might need this more than I do." Qrow said as he gestured to his flask. Maria looks at it before shaking her head sadly.

"No.. What I need—what we both need are our teammates."

He pulled back his flask and narrowed his eyes at Maria, "Hard to keep anyone around when I'm walking Bad Luck Charm."

"And drinking for the past 20 years helps with that?" Maria asked, Qrow shook his head.

Qrow chuckled briefly, "It helps me—"

Tuck

But Maria cut him off by jamming her cane into his foot a second time.

"Stop doing that!" Qrow said, voice a bit louder. Maria's cane pokes into his chest again.

"I'll stop it when you stop feeling sorry for yourself! I just said no excuses. Nothing good was ever found at the bottom of a flask!" lowering her cane and her tone.

Maria continues, "You'll just keep on burning whatever Bridges you have left. Whether you know it or not, that girl is going to need you, or at the very least you'll need her."

Qrow groaned, rubbing his temples as he leaned back against the bench. "You're real good at kicking a guy when he's already down, you know that?"

Maria smirked. "Oh, I know. But you needed a wake-up call, and I'm the only one here old enough to not care about your brooding." She tapped her cane against the cement for emphasis. "So, are you gonna sit here and keep feeling sorry for yourself, or are you gonna get off your sorry behind and do something?"

Qrow scoffed, rolling his flask in his hands. "Do what, Maria? It's not like I can go back and change anything. I already messed up." His voice dipped into something raw, something quieter. "Ruby's already given up on me."

Maria's gaze softened, but only slightly. "No, she hasn't."

Qrow turned to her, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "You didn't see the way she looked at me."

"No, but I saw the way she walked away." Maria crossed her arms. "She was angry, but more than that? She was hurt. And you don't get hurt like that unless you still care."

Qrow fell silent.

Maria sighed, taking a step closer. "Look, kid—"

"I'm forty-two," Qrow muttered.

Maria ignored him. "—you're not the first Huntsman to lose yourself in grief. And you sure as hell won't be the last. But you can't keep using bad luck as a crutch for every mistake you make. Yes, your semblance makes things harder, but it's not an excuse to throw in the towel."

Qrow's grip tightened around his flask. "And what if I just don't have anything left to give, huh? What if I'm just tired?"

Maria studied him for a long moment. Then, without warning—

Bonk!

Her cane smacked the side of his head again.

"Ow! Damn it, Maria!" Qrow snapped, rubbing his skull. "Would you just—"

"I will stop when you stop being an idiot," Maria emphasized again, her voice sharp. "You don't get to quit just because life got too hard. You owe it to those kids to be better than this."

Qrow gritted his teeth, his temper flaring. "And what if I can't be better? What if I'm just a lost cause?"

Maria let out a harsh laugh. "Oh, please. If you were a lost cause, Ruby wouldn't have wasted her breath trying to get through to you."

That shut him up.

He looked away, staring down at his flask. The worn metal was cold against his palm, its weight strangely heavier than before.

Maria exhaled through her nose, her tone losing its edge. "You know... I used to think the same thing about myself. That it was too late for me. That I had made too many mistakes to ever be anything more than a washed-up relic of the past."

She tapped her visor. "Then I met Ruby."

Qrow glanced at her, silent.

Maria smiled slightly. "That girl is relentless. She drags you forward, whether you're ready or not. And she believes in people, even when they don't deserve it."

Qrow swallowed hard.

Maria's expression grew serious again. "But she's not invincible. She's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she's sixteen. She shouldn't have to do that alone."

Qrow let out a shaky breath. "I know."

"Then prove it," Maria said simply. "Show her she was right to believe in you." She gave Qrow one last glance before walking past him. Qrow was left with his thoughts once again.

Qrow absorbed Maria's words as he reflected on them—his earlier actions, Ruby's words—everything.

He then pulled a picture of his Team—Team STRQ. His gaze was fixed on Summer Rose.

"She's.. just like you when you're angry."

Later

Qrow made his way through the quiet house, gently pushing the door open. The warm glow of the fireplace cast flickering shadows across the room, illuminating the two figures occupying the sofas.

On one couch, Rinko was sprawled out, fast asleep, his face buried in the open pages of Ninja of Love, Volume 11. A soft snore escaped him every now and then, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

On the other couch sat Oscar—no, not Oscar. The way he sat, hands folded neatly in his lap, posture perfectly straight, eyes half-lidded yet focused...

It was Ozpin.

Qrow paused in the doorway, his red eyes scanning the room before exhaling softly. He started toward the staircase, intent on heading straight to bed, but Ozpin's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"If you're planning to talk to Ruby," Ozpin murmured without turning his head, "I would advise you to wait until morning. She's already asleep."

Qrow froze, his fingers tightening around the stair railing. He didn't turn around immediately.

A moment of silence stretched between them before he let out a tired sigh. "Didn't ask for advice."

"No," Ozpin admitted, "but you hesitated the moment I spoke, which tells me you were debating it yourself."

Qrow huffed. "Tch. Always loved how you could read people like a book."

"It's a useful skill," Ozpin said lightly. "Though in your case, it's not particularly difficult. You carry your emotions like a weight around your neck."

Qrow scoffed, rubbing his face. "Great. Another lecture."

"Not at all," Ozpin replied. "Just an observation." He tilted his head slightly, watching Qrow with those knowing, ancient eyes. "She'll want to hear from you, you know. But not when she's exhausted and still hurting. Give her time to rest. Let yourself rest, too."

Qrow dragged a hand through his hair, shoulders slumping. "Not sure she even wants to hear from me at all."

Ozpin hummed. "Only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Qrow remained silent, his grip on the railing loosening slightly. He knew Ozpin was right. Pushing Ruby while she was still raw from their argument would only make things worse.

"Fine," he muttered. "Tomorrow, then."

Ozpin smiled faintly. "Good."

With one last glance at Rinko—who was still blissfully unaware of anything around him—Qrow turned and trudged up the stairs, the weight of the day pressing down on him.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he'd make things right.

Or at least, he'd try.

[End]