#* get my gray hairs from you = qrow + winter *

[flightofaqrow]

also: [ BACK ] or some combination of any of them + reverse because she has long hair gdi somebody has to play with it

hair ** always accepting [ BACK ]: sender, noticing a strand of hair fall from the receiver’s hairdo, carefully tucks the strand back behind the receiver’s ear. + [ BRUSH ]: with a hairbrush, comb, or their hand, the sender begins to gently brush the receiver’s hair. + [ BRAID ]: sender, sitting behind the receiver’s back, begins to braid their hair. + reverse all

qrow can't pretend not to notice.

this... feeling good... the worst part of Misfortune.

they made it to Atlas. the kids have better adults to look after them. qrow's taking care of himself for the first time in decades. the headaches, the nausea, the tremors, the demons on his shoulder and in his throat all fade now. feelings are stronger and colors are brighter and his brain sits right in his head instead of swimming.

every reason he can't help but notice everyone else and all of the kingdom fraying at the edges while he thrives. it's not fair, never fair. the weight on child soldiers' shoulders falls heavier. The Ace-Ops spread thinner. Penny can't compute things and Ironwood's eye bags make him look less human by the day.

Winter sits down next to him, staring into a 4pm coffee, sharp tongue dulled to silence and that perfectly placed bun falling apart. she must not even have had the time to look into a mirror today. too many demands from her rank and responsibility, carrying out all of Ironwood's unreasonable orders with only the support of worn out recruits offering varying degrees of respect. middle management sucks.

he reaches out with blazing intensity behind ember eyes, yet hardly a thought behind them; tucking two fingers beneath a stray wisp. he tries to lift and flatten it back into place, push it under the hairtie or bobby pin or whatever it was she kept her ice queen crown set in place with. he only succeeds in setting free more than a few loose loops. he can feel the chill pools of her eyes shift to icicles, and cuts her off before she can chide him, slices through the tension by taking the first strike.

"forget this," he grumbles, hand lowering from head, to shoulder, to the small of Winter's back, ushering her up with no room for retort, "i'll fix it."

he could. this is something he can do. whether she listens to and believes him, or just realizes she must not be up to her own standard enough to be seen in public regardless, if even qrow had a problem with it, he doesn't know and frankly doesn't care. it's about time he returned the favor, anyway.

her quarters were closest. she could even bring her coffee if she wanted. they sheathe any further words for now, for fear of wounding the tender truce between them lately, for not knowing what to say about it anyway.

Winter settles in front of her vanity, and qrow tucks a bunch of supplies from it away in his pockets. she doesn't ask and he doesn't tell. for the first time, he undoes Winter's hairdo himself; gentle plucks pull away all restraints until white waves fall freely, and qrow's fingers can work into them.

he combs his hands through clusters until they break apart, scratches zig-zags into her scalp until strands settle into even places and pieces around her head. then, he starts to brush. top to bottom, over and under. he finds a rhythm in the strokes, in the soft swish it makes, and keeps this beat the the rasp of a reticent chant beneath his breath, until every bit is smooth and silky and evenly spread.

finally, he speaks, if only to explain what he plans to do next, "y'wear all this hair up so tight all th' time an' it's just gonna start tearin' away some day, y'know. gotta let it breathe sometimes. Little sis has th' right idea." by that he means a braid.

Winter seems well-soothed enough into her seat that she doesn't argue.

qrow quiets again, shoving a few of those pins from his pockets between his teeth for easy access. after all that work, he yet separates her hair into pieces once more, though more tailored and textured. he falls into a calm, pleasantly empty mental space, familiar patterns from long before his more metaphorical pulling of her ponytails. a little boy foraging through a field and building flower crowns, a little bandit making his sister and her playmates pretty, a little bird weaving a nest in one of his safe spaces.

for Winter, it gave time for a good, long look in the mirror.

qrow twists and ties and tugs (and maybe some of those pins bounced off never to be found again, but...) until - as promised - the loose, knotted pattern of a braid fell overtop a gentle cascade of perfectly straight remaining layers.

nothing too tight, but nothing so wild that anyone could accuse her of presenting anything less than professional. his palms place on her shoulders and he presses a kiss to the top of her head to punctuate the gesture, let her know it was all done, and he would let her get back to whatever she needed without any other fuss.

well, she could keep it or not, but personally qrow thinks it looks better than a bun too demanding to keep held together, especially for a single evening. surely Winter was allowed a partial hair-down day now and again?

[kitkatopinions]

Nitpick Number one - What the heck is up with the colors?

I’m not gonna talk more about the main four characters either losing the prominence of their main colors or having those colors desaturated, because that’s a bit more important than just a nitpick actually. But I’m gonna talk about everyone else’s colors, because there’s no rule or rhyme or reason and it drives me freaking up the wall.

Jaune’s color is yellow,

Yep, that’s... A lot of very prominent and bright yellow there. At least he has strongly desaturated and gold colored armor later, but it still doesn’t look like he’s a character who has yellow as his main color. He doesn’t look like he has a main color. (Side note, is it annoying to anyone else that Jaune clearly has grown much more muscled over the course of this show, but Yang and Nora haven’t? Because I’m gonna throw something over that fact.)

Sun at least also has yellow in his shoes, but again, just looks like an ordinary bloke who isn’t based around color. The only thing blue about Neptune is his hair. The only thing orange about Penny is her hair (which was originally very short and less stand out,) the only thing green about Oobleck was his hair, the only thing orange about Torchwick was his hair.

And then you have characters like Ironwood, Winter, Whitley, the Ace Ops, Jacques, all with the exact same color scheme that’s Atlas. And I know, I know, it’s because they’re all from Atlas and most of them are in uniforms, but for a show that’s supposed to be all about color, it’s freaking irksome to have a good amount of characters all wearing the same five freaking colors. We get it, Atlas people wear white, gray, blue, and black with splashes of red. We know.

And then you have the large amount of characters who are just freaking wearing earth tones, or just wearing neutral colors, because I guess it’s too much to ask that Tyrian actually have the color he was named after in his outfit or appearance at all.

This is Tyrian Purple by the way

Beautiful! Where is it????

And you have the characters who don’t seem to have a main color, like Robyn or Pietro or Oscar (if anyone tells me his color is meant to be orange, I will flip my lid because 

Also, there are too many main characters who have the same color. Ruby’s color is red, as is Adam’s, as is Cinder’s, as is Pyrrha, and presumably Qrow, and Raven, and it’s a very prominent Salem color as well. Yang’s color is yellow, and so is Sun’s, and so is Jaune’s. Penny and Oscar apparently both have orange with white, green, and black actually making up most of their look. I’m just saying, I know there are tons of mains, but if they’re all supposed to be based off color, isn’t it less boring to at least mix it the heck up? Maybe RWBY should’ve paid more attention to shades. Ruby is bright red, but Pyrrha is crimson, and Cinder is orange-red and Adam has a dark garnet or mahogany. Yang is bright yellow, Sun is light yellow, Jaune is gold. And Penny can be electric green while Oscar actually leans more into the orange.

I don’t know, I’m just saying that the way color is used in RWBY continually irks me especially outside of the main cast. Does it matter to the plot of the show? No. Should I get over it? Probably. Do I actually hate many of the looks I’ve just complained about? No, actually, I like quite a lot of the side character looks in RWBY. But this is Nitpick November and I don’t like how color is used in characters as a general whole.

[good-rwbyaus]

evil ozpin au but...

Anyway, I managed to temporarily fix my router and get internet back again plus there’s an evil Ozpin cropping on my dash. Sooo evil Ozpin time! Except in this AU he’s not big bad mastermind evil, more like holy crap that’s hella inconveniencing and immature - i hate you - please stop doing that - evil. 

evil ozpin au - mod lilac

Picking the Kids Up:

“Is there anywhere else to sit?” said Ruby as she got on the Bullhead. All the seats were occupied with several students already standing, and then there’s this gray-haired green-clad guy just lying down and taking up a whole row of seats with those long legs of his.

“Hey, sir. Can you get up? There’s more people who need to sit.” 

Ozpin’s response was to groan, turn around, and ignore her. 

---

“Hey. Who’s the asshole?”

“Don’t know. Is he another student?”

“He looks kinda old to be a student.”

“Can’t be a professor though. Have you seen a professor act so shameless?”

“Hey! Asshole! You’re taking up the seating,” the guy tried to shove him off, only to yelp in pain. “Ah my nose.”

A cane smacked him straight on the nose, its owner blindly swinging at him while ‘sleeping.’

“You piece of- I’m gonna kick your a-Ow. OW! Stop hitting me!”

----

“Everyone please depart from the Bullhead. And welcome to Beacon,” said the announcement.

Yawn.

Ozpin opened his eyes and put on his glasses. As he turned around and sat up, he was met with a whole bullhead’s worth of righteous, anger-filled gazes. 

“Please don’t look at me that way,” Ozpin said bashfully, slowly standing up, “I’m very shy.”

The glaring intensified. Some were already cracking their knuckles.

Just as someone opened their mouth to speak, Ozpin interrupted, “In any case, welcome to Beacon. I’m Professor Ozpin. And I’m sure we will have an enjoyable couple of years together.”

The looks of horror on the students’ faces warmed his soul. 

------

The Start of the Vytal Festival: 

The meeting room was tense after everyone entered into the her office. Qrow and Winter’s scuffle merely added to that. The silence continued to persist, occasionally broken by the pointed stares and snickering between Qrow and Ozpin. 

For a second, Glynda hoped she wouldn’t have to explain the embarrassing situation, but as usual, James disappointed her like he always did. 

“Glynda. Why does the CCT tower look like a giant dick?”

The man pointedly ignored the choked laughter shared between the most irresponsible of her professors.

“It’s because my professors decided to take a joke I made seriously,” Glynda stared at the other two with a long-suffering sigh.

“Hey. Don’t blame it all on us,” Qrow rebutted, unscrewing the cap to his flask and bringing it close to his lips. “You’re the one bringing in fleets,” Qrow nudged his head at James and then turned to Glynda, "And Glynda just wanted to win the d-ackcka.” The man choked on the flask that was suddenly shoved into his mouth by an unseen force.

“-win the dick-measuring contest,” Ozpin continued on helpfully without missing a beat. Glynda just leveled a glare at him and gave a more apologetic look at the other Headmaster..

“What do you mean fleet, Ozpin?! I only brought a single warship!” James barked back. It was pointless to blame Glynda here - if these idiots wanted to do something, they would’ve found any excuse. 

“A single dong-shaped warship!” Ozpin emphasized, “It’s an obvious threat to Glynda’s headmistresshood.”

Pressing a finger to her temples, Glynda recited the words she found herself saying many times in her life, “Shut up, Ozpin.” She sighed, glancing at Winter who was ready to pull out a sword and Qrow ready to meet her, “Look. Let’s reconvene in 5 minutes. All of you cool off or something.” She glared at the troublesome pair, “And the both of you, get that stupid tarp off my tower.” 

She wove a hand to dismiss them all.

Ironwood and Winter, shooting Ozpin and Qrow a glare, left through the elevator first.

“You know, Oz. I think old Jimmy took everything rather well,” Qrow said, amused.

Ozpin paused.

“...Did the students put up our billboard of James before or after he came in here?”

A roar of rage exploded out of nowhere. 

“METALDONG69!? Qrooooow! Ozzzpiiiiiiiiin!"

“Haha. Got ‘em,” Qrow laughed.

A pair of high fives.

Glynda just buried her face into her desk and groaned.  

[tanakavox]

A look into the multiverse chapter 6.

Aka the worst written chapter I've ever done. I hate the reacts for this one, feels... weak. Hope you guys enjoy it.

The theater screen lights up and carama begins to pan over a city during night time Citizens mingle down the sidewalks on evening strolls. Above them, a helicopter flies low between the buildings heading for something. A red orb of light appears to chase after it. Shortly thereafter, a flash of gray bounced between the building at high speeds landing on the roof of one. The gray blur was a young Mercury Black, a grin on his face as he looked over the city. He looked to be around 11-12 and his hair was spiker then normal. He had a pair of ears on his head and short tails.

"Ah,yeah! This is happening!" Mercury exclaimed smiling.

"Mercury? Oh no."Emerald said shaking her head afraid of the ego trip her panter might get from this universe.

"He's fast, and… so young." Ruby pointed out.

"What's happening and why is he a fanaus?" Yang asked.

"He's not. He has two traits." Blake pointed. "He looks like a hedgehog though.

The young boy turned to sounds of sirens, looked down to see four police cars rushing to an emergency with screeching tires. He jumps down just in time to see them disappear around the corner.

"What's going down there?'' he mutters to himself. He curls into a ball and rockets after the cars, rolling like a bowling ball.

"That's actually a cool move." Mercury pointed out with a grin.

The police cars have formed a perimeter in front of a large building. Two helicopters hover overhead with their searchlights on as an odd watery figure lands on a police car and stand in place without moving or making a sound.

"That's a interesting creature…" Salem gave a little smile cross her legs thinking of a grimm similar to it.

"You are completely surrounded! Surrender yourself!" officer yelled as the squad aim their guns at figure. It hop over the police squad and they take aim and fire. The bullets only drop to the ground after colliding with it, the aqua figure giving off a low growl.

"Oh, no! Our weapons are useless! Retreat! All personnel, fall back!" The officer cried, him and the rest of the squad running away, a few firing a few more rounds as they ran.

"So it's bulletproof as well? This creature gets more and more interesting." Salem's smile grew larger as she watched the creature in action.

Mercury lands on the car and grins, looking at the being in excitement.

"This could be fun!" He stated he jumps into the air and attacks the monster with a kick, hitting it in what seem to be it's faces knocking it into a car, denting it. Mercury smirks a bit and immediately gets hit by the car that he had sent it into. The boy lifts the car off himself, not seeing to care that he got hit by a car. He cruels into a ball and rams into the creature and soon after the creature starts to run away. Mercury had a look of disappointment of how easy the fight was and chased after the creature.

Come on, ya big drip! Where ya goin'?"

"Yeah Mini me. That was an easy and boring fight." Mercury said with a shake of his head..

"Such a disappointing creature." Salem mutters while uncrossing her legs."

"That 12 year old got hit by a freaking car, and his only reaction was to pick it up and throw it back." Weiss pointed out. "Does nothing think that's amazing for a 12 year without AURA?" When one no answered she just looked back at the screen and muttered to herself: "I guess not."

The creature falls through a drain getting away, Mercury snaps his fingers in frustration as the camera pans into the air and shows smirking, evilly as he looks down at the hedgehog.

"Foolish child. That was Chaos, God of Destruction! And soon my plans will be realized! Watts begins to cackle madly.

Salem raises an eyebrow at the sight of Watts and Chaos. "God of destruction? An unfitting name for such a weak creature."

The scene cuts to Mercury lounging near a pool, sleeping as he hears a noise of a plane. He turns to see a younger Oscar flying out of control.

"Hey look another tiny Oscar!" Nora cooed at the sight of the farmboy." Oscar blush a bit in embarrassment.

"Why is he flying a biplane?" Ren asked.

"Tails?" He asked no one in confusion. His eye widen as he watch out Oscar's plan begans to pummel toward the ground. "Watch out! You're gonna crash! AHHH!" Oscar's plane crashs on the beach and Mercury facepalms groaning a bit. "Oh Tails. What am I gonna do with you?" Mercury curl into a ball again in a blink of an eyes rockets towards where Oscar had crash landed. He sees two legs poking out of the ground and grabs one, yanking the boy out of the sand and giving a closer look at Oscar. He was a fox, but a fox with two tails instead of one and he looked to be around 8.

Blake's stares a bit a Oscar's tails. "That's…. New. "

"Yeah a 8 year old flying a biplane is new right Blake?" Ruby said.

"I think she meant the fact the Oscars had two tails Ruby." Jaune replied.

Oscar blinks a few times and grins at the sight of his friend.

"Oh hey Sonic! Long Time no see huh?" He said casually.

"A child his age surviving a plane crash and only casually reacting to it. He must be very durable." Winter mused to herself.

"Hey Tails." Mercury greeted back, placing Oscar on his feet. "What happened there? You're too good of a pilot to make such a sloppy landing.

Oscar rubs his head. "That was a test run using a new prototype propulsion system. It's got a few bugs to iron out." Mercury raises an eyebrow. "Okay…... A Lot of bugs."

"No shit kid." Mercury snarks

" Why not just use my plane, the Tornado?"

"Thanks, but you gotta check out my newest power supply! Ta dahhh!" Oscar pulls a purple looking gem.

"WHOA! A Chaos Emerald!" Mercury looked it over in astosment.

"Oscar smiles a bit. "Yep! I just happened to find one of the 7 Emeralds during one of my test flights. This thing has unlimited powers, ya know... So I figured, why not use it to power my plane. Super charged! You gotta come over my workshop, Sonic! I've got something I've gotta show you! It's in the Mystic Ruins. The fastest way is by train. Let's go!"

The scene cuts to Mercury and Oscar running in a field when a voice stops them in their place.

"Ha ha ha ha! If it isn't !" Watts descended down in an egg shaped pod grinning maniacally. Oscar's tails stiffen in fear and he hides behind Mercury. Mercury however just looks at Watts with a grin.

Look! It's a giant talking egg!

Yang begins to laugh hard. "He does look like an egg!"

Salem didn't say anything but quietly laugh to herself, not seeing Ozpin catching her laugh with a bit of shock before quickly turning back to the show.

"Silence! I am , the greatest scientific genius in the world!" Watts growled

"Whatever you say, Eggman!" Mercury replied with a roll of his eyes and a dismal wave of his hand.

"Damn. Kid's got balls." Qrow said.

"Hell yeah I do. I'm always badass." Mercury boosted.

"Enough! I've got big plans and now I'm gonna put them to work!"

"You're always up to no good. Now what d'ya want?" Oscar piped up from behind Mercury. Watts glared at Oscar, causing the fox cub to to flinch and hide behind Mercury. Watts begins to rise higher in his pod.

"Awww. He scared little fox Oscar." Nora cooed again.

"I want all the Chaos Emeralds. Better not interfere! Or else!" Watts said looking down at the two.

"Or else what wimp?" Mercury taunted.

"Or else I'll take them from you by force... the hard way!" Watts goes behind the cliff and raise with his pod turning into a hornet like form.

It flies after the two firing missile that Mercury and Oscar dodge without any problems. Watts snarls as he attempts to ram into Mercury, the boy hopping over the machine, causing it to get stuck in the ground. Mercury land on his feet and curls into a ball, rocketing into Watts' machine knocking it loose from the ground. Watts flies around again firing more missiles at Mercury, But he plays hopscotch on each missile, About to reach the Egg hornet before Watts smiles as Mercury falls for his trap.

"Felt for it fool!" Watts cried and he powered the machine up for another ram attack. Before he made contact with Mercury's body, in a quick blur Oscar grabbed Mercury's hand and flew away from the attack, using his two tails as like helicopter blades to fly.

"Holy shit, he can fly?" Yang asked in surprised."

"Why the hell does he need a plane then?" Qrow asked being surprised as well.

Watts screamed in rage as he got stuck in the ground again. Mercury look up at Oscar and smiled.

"Nice job Tails now throw me so we can end this!"

Oscar smiled and threw Mercury as hard as he could. Mercury curls into a ball again and rams into Watts machine breaking it down. Oscar lands next to Mercury and they look over their work.

"Well, that wasn't so hard!" Mercury turned and ruffled Oscar's hair. Good work Tails!"

Watts fake being unconscious for a time and then let out a :Aha!" as giant claw came out of his machine and grabbed the chaos emerald Oscar's person. TThe two look in horror as Watts laughed himself silly. "Come on Chaos, time to eat!" The same creature Mercury fought last night appears and Watts give it the Chaos emerald, The creature name Chaos growing bigger. Watts look over the creature in glee. " Ooooh, yes! It's just as the stone tablets predicted. Ha ha ha ha ha! His strength increases every time I feed him a Chaos Emerald! With all 7 Emeralds in him, he'll be invincible! And work for me! Together, we'll destroy Station Square! And on its ruins, I will build Wattsland, the ultimate city! Where I will rule it all! Come on Chaos! Let's find another Emerald, shall we?" And with that Watts teleported away with Chaos." And with that, Watts and Chaos teleport away.

"So if he eats more of those gems he gets stronger? That doesn't sound good!"

Salem's interest in the creature was back and she was excited to see more of it.

The end!

.

See? This is the weakest I've done by myself.

[help-i-need-a-cool-username]

@taiqrowweek

SINCE ALL THE FICS ARE SAD im going to go ahead and make a happy one. (Well... its bullet notes so maybe more of a fic outline?). Can be consider as Free Day or AU Day since its canon divergence

Ive been dying to see a Tai comes to Atlas fic so im making this one a reunion in Atlas fic

Qrow isnt in Atlas when Tai arrives. Hes out on a Amity Tower mission with Clover

Qrow and Clover are actually in the middle of flirting with each other when Qrow gets the call

Its Ruby and shes talking so fast Qrow cant understand a single thing. "Woah Ruby slow down. Whats going on" theres a deep gasping breath and then "DAD IS HERE. DAD IS IN ATLAS"

Qrow is stunned. Tai made it to Atlas?

Clover is thinking about how on Earth he could of gotten into the Kingdom.

Qrow finds out through Yang (she had to take Ruby's phone away since she wouldnt stop screaming) that the girls are waiting for Tai since Ironwood is having Winter personally escort him (Qrow figures that either he got arrested on arrival like they did or that Ironwood wants to know everything Tai knows about Salem despite being removed from the situation since STRQ fell apart)

Clover notifies him that they wont be able to get back to the city for another three hours, and then Qrow tells the girls, who are disappointed but tell him theyll "let Dad know when he gets here"

Most of the way back Clover is trying to get information out of Qrow about what Tai is like. Its both friendly small talk and adding to what Clover knows about this group of children + Qrow. The group is part of Ironwood's inner circle now which makes them important

Qrow briefly wonders how his reception will be. These days hes always the one coming to see Tai, and its 50-50 on if Tai's happy to see Qrow. Qrow considers running away from the encounter entirely but hes trying to be a better man now and that means sobriety and facing his problems. Besides he'll have to see Tai eventually

So lets backtrack a bit. Tai and Qrow used to be a thing wayyyy back in the day. Defining their romantic relationship is complicated. They tried dating before Tai ever got with Raven and it only lasted a few days because they realized the attraction was just sexual so they went back to being teammates who makeout when theyre drunk (thats how they decided to start dating in the first place). So through the early years they were Friends With Benefits. After the dark years of Raven and Summer they became Friends With Benefits That Only Get Together When Theyre Feeling Heartbroken. Its sad sex and half the time one of them is crying. Their friendship is good while the the girls are young. They disagree on a lot of things when it comes to the girls as they get older. That animosity plus arguments about Qrow's  espionage job plus Qrow's worsening alcoholism are the reason theyve drifted far apart today. Theyve still been through so much together so that history and Qrow's dedication to being a uncle are the only things holding their friendship together.

So anyways lets get to the good stuff. The reunion:

Tai is actually waiting for Qrow at the garage

The girls are with him because they missed him. Ruby has her arms around him while talking and Yang is standing besides them smiling

Qrow gets a little scared. The fact Tai is waiting for him doesnt bode well. Him and Tai try to have their disagreements when the girls arent present. Qrow thinks its fair to assume that Tai is so absolutely pissed at him that he cannot wait another moment to yell at him. Clover goes "i guess you wont have to hunt him down after all. He mustve really missed you all" and Qrow really hopes thats the reason

Qrow decides to break the ice before it forms by insulting Tai as he's getting out of the truck

"Two and a half continents away and i still cant escape the sight that is your hideous cargo pants" "says the man who's idea of fashion is a 25 year old ripped cape"

As soon as Qrow gets close enough Tai puts his hands on his shoulders, takes a deep breath, and yells "YOU GOT POISONED"

Turns out Tai was just worried about him after Ruby explained what happened on her trek through Mistral

After answering his questions they hug and its the kind of hug where you sway a little bit

For the next few hours Tai yells at Ruby for running away, Tai yells at Qrow for going sober and not telling him, and Qrow goes with Tai to meet Ironwood (and stop Ironwood from asking too many questions. Hes actually soley focused on Salem and he doesnt even ask Tai how he got through his military blockade)

That night in Qrow's room Tai explains to Qrow how he got there. He lied to the girls. Made up some story that had plenty of holes in it. It was Raven. She opened her portal to Yang as far away as she could and Tai landed there. She had come to him after Haven, told him a few things but clearly left most of it out. Tai managed to get her to promise to take him to the group whenever they got to Atlas and had adjusted.

He came for two reasons. 1) to see exactly how close his children were to Salem. 2) to see if he could protect his kids any way he could, knowing they wouldnt back out now. But the reason he was telling Qrow all this (instead of sticking to his if-it-involved-Raven-i-dont-talk-about-it mentality) was because of one of the few things she mentioned about Haven: the disowning.

Tai wanted him to know that despite all their problems that Qrow was still his family. Not because Raven is still legally married to Tai, not because hes Yang's blood uncle, but because Qrow has been apart of Tai's life and chosen family as far back as STRQ.

Qrow's felt like a outsider to Tai ever since (and every time) things got serious with whoever Tai's dating. Qrow felt like a third wheel when Tai was with Raven, and Qrow was to raw from the increasingly strained relationship with Raven to let go of Summer and Tai when they got together. And ever since Qrow has felt like he was there in Tai's life but no longer apart of it. Even after Tai recovered from his depression, Qrow felt like a visitor in the house he still considers his home despite being called "uncle".

And Tai knows Qrow broke ties with Tribe soon after Beacon, and Raven hadnt truely been his sister in 20 years, but to have what you known from literal birth taken from you still hurt. And now Tai knows Qrow isnt drinking so the only way he can cope is by not thinking about it.

So Tai had to tell Qrow what he meant to him

And when he found out about Tyrian he realized Qrow couldve died not knowing Tai still loves him

Tai ends up ranting about all the things he loves about Qrow, about how he regrets that almost every word said to Qrow in the last 15 years has been unkind

Qrow is now confused to if this is a fixing my mistakes kind of thing or a love confession

So he asks

And Tai gets a little sheepish because it was a fixing my mistakes because i love you thing but a little past halfway into his rant he realized hes IN love with Qrow and has been for a while now

And Qrow decides f it. Tai is doing his embarrassed thing Qrow still finds cute even now when theyre middle aged adults getting their first gray hairs. So Qrow gets up from the cheap academy table theyre sitting at and kisses Tai

"After the world stops ending do you wanna try that dating thing again?" "You think we'll make it past one week this time?" "I actually meant since you havent gone on a date in about 15 years." "Oh. Well im pretty sure you havent been on a proper date since Beacon" "Are you gonna take me on a proper date then?" "Yeah"

[homogrimoire]

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Fair Game Week 2020: Day 2 - Date / Domestic

Read it on AO3 here.

Against his better judgement, he told Ruby, who then got Yang, Weiss, and Blake involved, that he was going on a date with Clover. He ended up spending the latter half of a day with them at what seemed like a million different shops. It was torture, but had to admit it was nice to spend some time with them outside of a life or death situation. He could once again see that his nieces had more … unique tastes. Ruby kept recommending outfits that were pretty cool, but were also too much for a date. Yang had her father’s fashion sense, of course, but unlike her father, she could pull it off. This meant that her choices weren’t particularly good for a date either. Qrow considers it a miracle Tai ever got any dates. Weiss and Blake fared much better in helping Qrow. Blake recommended more sensible outfits that he found more agreeable. Weiss’ recommendations were a bit more eccentric than Blake’s, but were still appropriate for a date.  Sure, it was all a lot of fuss for what wasn’t even their first date, but Qrow did have fun, and the girls did get some new clothes too.

Qrow ended up getting a new pair of black slacks, a simple red and black leather vest, and a dark gray long sleeved shirt to wear under. While it wasn’t their first date, it was their first one to an actual restaurant and not the cafeteria or one of their rooms. Having the girls approve of the new outfit helped him feel more confident about what was probably their first real date. When Weiss asked what restaurant they were going to, he told her it was some place called “The City of Commerce”, which, according to Clover, was “nothing too fancy.” However, seeing her jaw drop when he told her made him concerned.

“Uhh, Weiss?” Ruby asked, trying to break her out of her stupor. She did shae herself out of it after a moment.

“Nothing fancy!? What does he do, eat with the gods everyday?! Forgive me,” she said, regaining her composure, “it’s just that it’s literally the most difficult restaurant to get into in Atlas. My father was on the waitlist for a year before he could make a reservation. My father. Head of the Schnee Dust Company. A year! We’ve only been here a few months!” Her expression shifted from crazed to that of someone who realized something. “Oh my gods were sending you dressed like that.”

“Come on Weiss, his outfit isn’t that bad.” said Yang. “Vests and slacks are fancy clothes, right?”

“No, Yang, you don’t get it. My coat was made from the fur of an extinct animal. My dress had cost more than what your dad will probably make in his lifetime, and that was just me. They almost didn’t let Winter in because they said her earrings didn’t match her outfit. They were purple diamonds from our mother that were cut to look like the Schnee logo and had a solid gold outline. They cost more than everything we have on us.” They all could only stare at Weiss in disbelief, and then at Qrow with concern. By that time, they were already back at the academy and all the shops were bound to be closed, and Qrow certainly didn’t have the time to get a fitted suit made. He considered asking James, but the man was built like a truck, so anything he had would be too big. He couldn’t call Clover because the man had a sleep schedule that he rigidly followed, and Qrow couldn’t bring himself to wake him up. Even worse, their reservation was in the morning, just as the place opened.

“I think it’ll be fine. If Clover had any concerns, he probably would have told you, right?” Blake said, breaking the dreadful silence, only to be met with more silence. “... Right?”

“I mean, she has a point. It’s Clover we’re talking about, the leader of the Ace Ops, General Ironwood’s right hand man, the man who will be hurt very badly if he breaks our uncle’s heart! He’s not gonna mess this up.” There were murmurs of agreement by the girls. Yang laid a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “You’ll be fine Uncle Qrow.”

“Yeah, I guess I will Firecracker.” He gave her a little smile, which she returned in full.

“That’s what I like to hear!”

“I’d like to hear the sound of my head hitting a pillow if you ask me.” They laughed at his little joke.

“Alright, alright, we’ll get going. Good night Uncle Qrow.” said Yang.

“Good night Uncle Qrow!” said the rest of them as they went their way. Hearing Weiss and Blake call him that still seemed so surreal. Even Nora, Ren, and Jaune had started calling him that a while back too. At first, he would tell them to knock it off, and that he could hardly qualify as their uncle. Despite this, they persisted and he eventually gave up on getting them to stop, even though he still felt that it made no sense for them to be calling him such. Only recently did he see why they did think of him as their Uncle Qrow, and that was thanks to Clover. Clover helped him see that he did do a lot of good for those kids, and that they cared for him. Not to mention that Ren and Nora were orphans most of their life, so Qrow was probably one of the few adults to really care for them. The only adult, as far as he knew, that really cared for Weiss was Winter, but she could only be with Weiss for so long because of her job. He had a good feeling that Blake was gonna be his future niece-in-law, so he would probably have to get used to it eventually. As for Jaune, he couldn’t really think of any reason he could call him Uncle Qrow, save for the fact that was common among all the kids: they all cared for Qrow, just as he cared for them. At least now, he could accept that he wasn’t so undeserving of such love.

As Qrow laid down in bed, hair still somewhat moist from a shower, he hoped that the morning would turn out alright. Despite his talk with the kids earlier, there was still a nagging feeling of dread. It was fortunate that he was slowly but surely learning to ignore that irrational voice. Qrow knew that he was loved, and was deserving of love. He knew that Clover wouldn’t get something like this wrong either. Soon, he fell asleep, hopeful that tomorrow would be alright.

-

Qrow awoke early in the morning to get ready. It had been some time since he had been on a real date, and even longer he had been on one sober. It was exciting, but still very terrifying to him. He just didn’t want to mess things up, which he had felt he was prone to do because of his semblance. While Qrow had been making progress in controlling his semblance, which he was training with Clover to do, his control was not yet where he would like it to be. But, any sort of control was better than none, so Qrow wasn’t going to complain. If anything, he felt a bit proud of that growth, and that was in part because Clover was genuinely proud of him too. Qrow remembers the first time he showed some control over his semblance, and Clover congratulated him with his bright smile and a pat on the back. It was at that moment that Qrow realized that he was in love with the man. Coincidentally, Clover confessed to him a few days after and they had been dating since.

Before leaving his room, Qrow looked at himself in the mirror. His clothes that needed to be ironed were freshly ironed, free of any wrinkles, and fit his body rather well. His hair was gelled and styled nicely. Ever since Clover expressed how much he liked his gray hairs, Qrow had felt more confident about it. He could understand where Clover was coming from, since he found Clover’s gray hairs to be pretty hot too. He had also applied some eyeliner that Blake recommended. He mentally noted that he should stock up on some of that brand. Over all, Qrow was very pleased with how he looked. If there was anything he was ever confident about, it was his looks and fashion sense, and felt that the outfit really made him look good, especially since it displayed all his best assets well. As a last minute addition, he tied a green handkerchief around his neck. He checked himself out in the mirror one last time and left his room feeling very good and satisfied, and made his way down to the front of the academy where Clover had texted him a taxi would be waiting.

Qrow was the first to arrive and waited just inside of the Academy for Clover. It was too cold to be waiting outside, especially in the morning. Qrow was too eager to be doing much else, so he stared at the elevator, waiting for his date to pop out, which happened soon after he sat down. With a ding, the elevator doors opened and revealed Clover. He was wearing light grey pants that were tucked into black boots, and a green sweater vest that was textured with an interweaving pattern. The sweater vest, which had his signature pin tacked on, was a surprise, but the real kicker was that Clover only wore a white collared tank top underneath, with the collar flipped up and open, rather than folded flat and closed. And of course, this left his arms showing, with his red handkerchief showing on one arm.

Qrow wasn’t sure what he expected Clover to wear, but it wasn’t an outfit like that. The pants and boots were normal enough, but the top was just questionable. Normally, he would have been heavily judging the outfit, but Clover somehow made it work. Qrow had almost felt ashamed for finding it hot. If Summer were here, she would have had to hold back a laugh because the outfit was ridiculous and Qrow was ridiculous for finding the simple outfit hot.

“Hey there hot stuff.” said Clover as he exited the elevator. All Qrow could do was stare at Clover, his mind dissonant because he couldn’t decide if he liked the outfit or not. But, the more he looked, the more he liked it, though that just could have been because Clover was wearing the outfit. Oh the things people do for love. “Based on your reaction, I guess I’m hot stuff too.” Clover gave Qrow a kiss on the cheek, which managed to bring Qrow back to reality.

“Sorry, I just realized that it's my first time seeing you in a normal outfit. It looks pretty good on you. Besides, its definitely a lot better than the outfit of some snobby Atlesian.”

“Ha! At least someone can appreciate my fashion sense.” Clover told him half jokingly, with his arm around Qrow’s as they walked to the taxi. “Seriously, you have no idea how often I get told I have a terrible sense of fashion.” As they got to the taxi, Clover opened the door for Qrow with an “After you.” and bow. Clover could see a light blush rising in his love’s face.

“You know just how to make a guy feel special, don't you?”

“Only for the best.” Of course, Clover winked. As he was getting in, he noticed that Qrow’s lap looked very enticing. He could see himself  sitting in Qrow’s lap, one leg over the other and his arms wrapped around Qrow who would be adorably flustered. But, decided that a car probably wasn’t the best place to do that.

“Clover? Can I talk to you, from one ten to another?” Qrow asked once they settled down.

“You’re an eleven, but yes, you can.” Qrow wondered how Clover could possibly be so smooth.

“Okay, we're both hot, and I’m at least conventionally fashionable, right?”

“Right.” Clover responded.

“So, I’m curious, why that outfit?”

“Hmm… If I’m being honest, its the most formal clothing I have, besides my uniform. A sweater vest is the most formal I can get while still not wearing sleeves. Ugh.”

“What do you have against sleeves, lucky charm?” Qrow made sure to put emphasis on his sleeves. Seeing Clover laugh at the display made him laugh as well.

“If you must know my dark history with sleeves, its that I find them too constricting.”

“Damn, I wonder why.” He noticed that Qrow was looking at his arms.

“Don't patronize them Qrow. They've got a sleeve count higher than your grimm count. Before the end of my first week in the academy, none of my shirts had sleeves.” Clover gave a jokingly wistful look, as if he mourned the sleeves. Qrow hates Atlas, and couldn’t have been paid to attend its academy, but if he were forced to, he imagines it would have at least been somewhat tolerable if he were with Clover.

“And here I thought my fashion mishap during my first week at Beacon was bad.” Qrow silently cursed the can of worms he had opened, and by the look on Clover’s face, his expression had shown his regret. For a moment, they were silent.

“... So, you gonna tell me what it was?” Clover asked. Qrow kept his head facing forward, cause he knew that if he turned to face Clover, he could not resist giving in. However, Clover was too strong, and Qrow gave in, looked at his cute face, and sighed.

“Alright, alright, you win. My sister tricked me into thinking that skirts were a part of the uniform for everyone, so I was stuck with only skirts to wear for my first week.” Qrow expects to hear a laugh, but doesn’t.

“That must have been quite the sight. Makes me wish I went to Beacon instead.” And of course, Qrow noticed Clover eyeing his legs, though Qrow certainly didn't mind. Before they could continue their conversation, the vehicle came to a stop and their driver alerted them that they reached their destination. Qrow quickly got out as Clover got out his wallet to give the driver a tip. He appeared on the other side of the car and opened the door for Clover.

“You know just how to make a guy feel special, don't you?”

“Only for the best.” said Qrow with a wink of his own. It warmed his heart to make Clover blush and laugh a little. Arm in arm, they walked towards the entrance of the restaurant. Once inside, Qrow remembered all the stuff Weiss had told him, and he was filled with dread. Clover immediately picked up on this and asked what was wrong.

“Weiss told me about this place, and it sounded harsh.” Qrow could feel himself beginning to sweat.

“Oh, about the dress code and wait list and all that? Yeah, I don't have to worry about that. I saved the owner’s children from a grimm some time ago. They let me make a reservation the day before and bypass the dress code. I also get fifty percent off the food. Lucky me huh? Oh, and don’t worry about being in all … that.” he said, motioning to all the snobbish Atlesians. “I got us a private booth.”

“Ooo, lucky us.” They both laughed.

“Reservation for Ebi, Clover.” he told the receptionist.

“Ah, yes. You again.” His words held the slightest bit of disgust. “Please take a seat, we will call you shortly.” Clover, ignoring the receptionist's distaste, noticed that there was only one seat available, and immediately hatched a clever play.

“You can take the chair Qrow.”

“What about you?” Qrow asked, unaware of the other man’s plan.

“I’ll be fine. If I’m lucky, a seat will open up soon for me.” Qrow only gave a chuckle as he took the seat. A moment after he sat, Clover said “Found one.” and proceeded to sit right in Qrow’s lap. Just as planned, Qrow short-circuited into a blushing mess. He was quick to recover his mind, but there was nothing he could do about the blush. “Oh! I’m sorry. Is this seat taken?” He asked as he patted one of Qrow’s thighs as if it were an empty seat.

“I was saving it for my boyfriend, but I guess you’ll do.” Qrow replied, trying to hide his embarrassment but unable to.

“You have a boyfriend? He must be a very lucky guy to have a man like you.”

“You could say that.”

“Your table is ready, sirs.” the receptionist made no effort to hide how done he was. They both got up.

“Looks like my date isn’t here yet. Wanna join me instead baby?” And in an act of revenge, he winked. Now it was Clover’s turn to try to hide a blush. Qrow was out for blood, and his weapon was pet names. Regardless, Clover tried to still act cool as they followed their waiter to their table.

“How could I say no no a face like that. I feel bad for the unlucky guy that didn’t show up.” He managed to get Qrow to laugh again. He wouldn’t trade the little moments like those for the world. As they walked and talked, they noticed people turning their heads to stare at the two men who stood out so much.  Soon, they were at the back of the dimly lit restaurant where there was a booth that had a thick purple silk curtain for privacy. Inside was a decently sized round table with a lit candle in the center that gave off an almost divine scent. The curved seating allowed them to sit next to each other. The waiter left them with their menus and gave them a device to notify the waiter when they were ready.

“So, Clover, you’ve been here before. What’s good?”

“Literally everything Qrow. This place is six out of five stars. They even serve just about anything, as long its classy or exotic. That’s why this place is called The City of Commerce. They have all kinds of foods from all over Remnant, though the embargo has made things a bit tougher to get, this place manages somehow. I think they stockpile stuff, or grow it all themselves somewhere around here.”

“Or maybe they smuggle it.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“What do you usually get?”

“Fish, though I try to try a different kind each time.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll try the … I can't even pronounce this, but It looks good.”

“Oh gods I’m not even going to try either. It does look good though.” They both continued to search and read through their menu, showing each other some mouth-watering food that looked like it was made by the gods. Eventually, Qrow reached the desserts, and was left in awe of a certain dish.

“By the brothers...”

“What is it?” Clover questioned, intrigued by what could prompt such a response.

“Is it bad if I have dessert for breakfast?” Qrow asked, still staring at the menu in awe.

“I’m not gonna judge you. I would come alone to the most expensive restaurant in the world just to have some fish. Besides, it’s our day off. We should have some fun.” Qrow still hadn’t looked up from the menu. “You know what?” Clover shut his menu. “I’ll have what you're having.” Clover activated the device and gave the waiter, who appeared almost instantly, their order “What is it anyways?” Qrow flipped his menu, which the waiter let them keep in case they wanted anything more, over to show him. It looked kind of like a fancy layered dark chocolate cake and nothing more.  

“It’s made from a rare plant that’s only in season for a few months every few years. It’s not like anything you’ve ever tasted before. I think you’ll like it.”

“Color me intrigued. It certainly looks good.” Cloer hoped that he would like it. It was rare to see Qrow so excited over something, so he didn’t want to disappoint him

“Oh, you're gonna love it. If there’s anything good that came out of that tribe, it’s that dessert.”

“And you.” Clover reminded him. If someone had told Clover that he was going to fall in love with the greatest huntsman alive and go on an actual date with him, he would tell that person that he wasn’t that lucky. Yet, here he was, and Clover couldn’t be more grateful to be loved by the great Qrow Branwen.

“Alright, and me.” Qrow had to admit that Clover’s constant insisting that he was a great man was working on him. He did feel really good. After chatting, laughing, sipping on their drinks, and eating the complementary biscuits, their order finally arrived.

“It looks even better in person.”

“It’ll taste even better than it looks. Take a bite! I wanna see your face when you try it!” Qrow was visibly excited to share one of the few good parts of his past with Clover.

“Don’t worry, I am.” Clover got his fork and took a piece of the moist slice. Immediately, his eyes widened. He swallowed the piece and told Qrow “Oh my gods this is so good.” He immediately took another bite, savoring the flavor and texture this time. He looked at Qrow as he took his first bite of the slice of cake. “Is it as good as you remember?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, definitely. Maybe even better.”

“Lucky you, huh?” Qrow replied with a small laugh. They continued to enjoy being in each other’s presence as they ate. However, Clover noticed a wistful look on Qrow’s face. “What’s wrong Qrow?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing. This old bird is just being sentimental.” Qrow said as he looked down at the cake slice.

“Want to talk about it?” Clover asked as he took another bite.

“I was just thinking about when I was in the tribe. Looking back, it was pretty bad, but it wasn’t all bad, you know. I guess I just miss the small things like this, back when me and Raven were younger and close. But, that’s all in the past. I’ve got better things now, like the kids, you, … this cake.”

“Aww, Qrow.” Clover knew that he shouldn't be surprised that Qrow thought so well of him, all things considered, but he was still caught off guard. Sure, he had received tons of compliments before, but they were superficial more often than not. However, this complement was very genuine, and from the man he could say with confidence that he loved.

“Don’t be going soft on me now Lucky Charm.”

“I think I can afford to be a little soft when I’m on a date with my boyfriend.”

“Hmph, if you say so.” Qrow replied, his own expression also soft.

“But, speaking of cake, how about we see if we can get a full cake to take back with us. We can share it with the kids, and make some new memories.”

“That … sounds nice. I’d like that.” Qrow noticed that Clover was lovingly gazing at him, obviously enamored. Qrow knew that he wasn’t a lucky man, but if the universe had ever given him any compensation for his bad luck, he knew that it was Clover. “Hey, Clover?”

“Yes?” he responded. His head on one of his hands as he still stared lovingly at his boyfriend.

“I just want to say thanks. For all these past months. You’ve helped me out a lot, and stuff. So, uh, thanks. Again.” Before Clover could respond, Qrow moved in for a kiss on the lips. It was not a short kiss, nor a long one, but it was still intimate nonetheless. “Love you.” Qrow could see that Clover was somewhat surprised. “I’m not the best with words, so-” He was cut off by Clover gently pulling him in closer for a slower, longer, and passionate kiss.

“I love you too Qrow.”

[androgynoussublimeangel]

A Series of Misfortunate Events

AO3

Summary:

"So when do you want to tell them?" Clover asked hand carding through Qrow's dark hair. Gazing down at the pale very naked man sprawled beside him in his bed.

"Tell them?" Qrow questioned without opening his eyes, leaning into the touch unconsciously.

"Your nieces and their team members?" Clover supplied. "About us."Qrow blinked as if the concept was just dawning on him. He rolled onto his side to face the other man, hand reaching out. Clover caught it without a second thought, tugging it upwards to press kisses to Qrows calloused fingertips.

"I was gonna wait until the right moment, ya know?" Qrow glanced up at the other man sheepishly through his dark lashes. Clover gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze.

"Fine by me, wouldn't want to push my luck." The ace operative delivered the line with a waggle of his eyebrows and a wink. Laughing at Qrows deadpan expression before leaning down to steal a kiss. "Don't worry pretty bird, we can wait to tell 'em when we're ready."

Turns out things don't always go quite according to plan.

Chapter 1: Lie Ren

Ren had just been looking for a quiet place to meditate. A habit his father had instilled in him from an early age. One that he’d continued both out of routine and as a way to preserve his father's memory. He’d discovered that one of the upper levels of Atlas academy had a large balcony garden, though perhaps ‘garden’ was an exaggeration. Besides a few hardy looking shrubs in concrete planters, some tall lamp posts and solid stone benches it was barren. It wasn’t exactly luxurious, painted in hues of gray, much like the rest of Atlus.

It was, more often than not, deserted. Most people weren’t keen on braving the frigid temperatures caused by the altitude and approaching winter months. Ren, however, had been training his aura since he was a child, one of the first things his father had taught him how to manipulate his aura to control his internal temperature. Besides he valued solitude and silence, more than he was bothered by the chill.

He’d settled himself into a shallow alcove to the left of the glass doors he’d entered through. He’d found sitting on the benches in plain sight proved too much of a temptation for nosey Atlus students or cadets. Being friends with Nora had taught him patience, and he valued her friendship because when he expressed his need for space, she was happy to respect it. But the students and cadets weren’t as keen to take a hint, so he’d resorted to being tucked away out of sight.

It had its benefits, the alcove protecting him from the harsher winds but still allowed him a view of the impressive skyline. It also meant if someone did wander outside they were likely to leave without ever spotting him. Though that had proven to be a double-edged blade. He’d once had to witness a truly awkward breakup, the girl had been left standing alone in the cold, a sobbing mess. When she’d finally turned to leave she’d spotted Ren and he’d been nearly as embarrassed as she’d been. Despite all that, he still felt as though the pros outweigh the cons.

He was now cursing his past self for his reckless optimism.

The young huntsman had been meditating peacefully, finally allowing the built-up stress of constant missions and interactions to melt away. These moments of peace and quiet were a necessary respite for Ren. His semblance allowed him to mask emotions, but it didn’t remove them and to some extent it allowed him to sense the emotions of others. It was useful, he couldn’t deny that, like their run-in with Tyrian. He’d been able to sense the fauness’ overwhelming blood-lust easily. But it could become overwhelming, constantly being barraged with other people's emotions. Their happiness, sadness, jealousy, lust, and fears. Sometimes Ren felt like he would lose himself.

The calm was interrupted by the sound of the balcony doors being thrown open, followed by noisy, playful squabbling. Ren would usually ignore the intruders, most people didn’t stay long.

But he knew those voices.

Ren fought the urge to lean forward to peak out of the alcove to confirm his suspicions, but he resisted the temptation. His patience was rewarded as the pair made their way to the edge of the balcony, easily now within Ren’s view.

It was Ruby’s uncle Qrow being dragged by the Atlas ace operative Clover. He wasn’t surprised exactly, he’d recognized their voices after all yet part of him was still startled. When the ace operatives had first introduced themselves he hadn’t really thought the two would have gotten along, especially considering their contradictory personalities. He knew differently now but still found himself intrigued. Rather than going back to his meditation he watched the pair with interest, unable to resist his curiosity.

As soon as the pair reached the balcony railing, Qrow tugged his wrist free from the brunette's grip. He grumbled something unintelligible but despite his grumpy demeanor, there was a small smile ghosting across his lips. Clover responded by flashing the other man a blinding smile. Both huntsman slowly relaxing, obviously not having noticed Ren’s presence. Qrow propping his elbows against the balcony banister while Clover leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms across his chest.

Ren fought the urge to shift nervously, Clover's attention was focused on Qrow but if the brunette so much as turned his head he was the more likely of the two to spot him. Yet despite Ren’s fears Clovers attention didn’t stray from the older man.

Ren didn’t consider himself a people person. He preferred his own company over the company of others. He found social niceties frivolous and struggling with expressing himself, not for lack of trying but still. Unlike Nora who could befriend practically anyone Ren always found himself clumsily stumbling through social interactions. But even with his social ineptitude, the heat of the men’s shared gaze was practically palatable, and Ren felt his own cheeks heating in response.

“Any reason you dragged me out here? Other than to freeze my ass off that is.” Qrow’s playful ribbing shook Ren from his own flustered musings.

“What, couldn’t it be possible I just want to get a little private time with you?” Clovers grin was so salacious that even without the accompanying eyebrow wiggle, Ren could tell it was meant playfully.

“A little private time that required us to be outside in the cold rather than inside where it’s warm,” Qrow shivered as another gust of freezing wind ruffled his gray-streaked hair, unconsciously tucking himself closer to the larger, warmer body. “And where my nipples wouldn't be hard enough to slice a grimm in half.”

Clover responding bark of laughter drew a small smile from Qrow.

“Is that part of your semblance too?” Clover teased, biting back lingering giggles. Qrow’s own smile dropped into a pout, annoyance saturating his expression. He smacked the brunette's shoulder several times.

“Ow! Okay, okay!” Clover leaned away from the assault, raising his own hands in surrender. “We came up here, other than for the amazing view,” Clover motioned grandly outward to the expansive skyline.

“So you could show me your other special skill.” The statement ended in a mock whisper. Clover leaning in conspiratorially and over-exaggerated wink. Qrow blinked at him in surprise, glancing around as if they were in a crowded room and not a deserted balcony. Ren quickly ducking back into the alcove to avoid the man’s sharp eyes.

“You want me to show you now?!”

“Why not! This is the perfect spot, nobody ever bothers coming out here and there’s plenty of room.” Clover spread his arms, motioning to the empty space. “Besides you already promised.” The brunette wagged a finger in Qrow’s face, who scoffed shoving said finger away.

“I didn’t promise, I only agreed so you’d stop bugging me about it every chance you get.”

“Same difference!” Clover insisted. “Now enough stalling, show me some magic!”

Qrow sighed with an exasperated shake of his head but he didn’t protest further. He gracefully lept upwards, standing on the railing of the balcony. He turned to face Clover, spreading his arms wide. Then with a playful grin and a wink reminiscent of Clover’s own Qrow fell backward off the balcony.

Ren felt a cold stab of worry that wasn’t his own, watching Clover's expression furrow. Rushing to where Qrow had thrown himself off. One hand clutching the railing hard enough that his knuckles were white the other reaching for where Kingfisher was hooked to his belt. Just as Clover craned his neck over the edge a black blur shot upwards, startling the other man backward.

As Clover recognized the shape of a crow, the worry on his face melting away, breaking into a relieved smile. The bird gliding gracefully above them, circling above the ace operative. With a powerful flap of wings, the crow rose higher into the air. A loose feather was shaken loose and floating down. Clover easily catching it, spinning it absentmindedly between his fingers as he admired the blackbird soaring above him.

The crow began to slowly descend, Ren watched the brunette huntsman quickly tuck the feather into his vest. As Qrow’s avian form drew closer Clover followed beneath the shadow of his wings. Following as the man-turned-bird came to one of the lamp posts, settling on the decorative finial atop the light fixture.

“Welp, you’ve thoroughly convinced me,” Clover said, eyes intent on the little blackbird. “You can change back now, I’m starting to miss that grumpy face of yours.”

If birds could glare, Ren was sure Qrow would be sending Clover the nastiest look he could. Yet the crow bobbed it's dark head, red eyes shining as Qrow granted the ace operatives request.

Ren was still fascinated by Qrow’s ability. When Ozpin had told them he’d granted the Branwen siblings the ability to turn into birds, he’d imagined something more...graphic. Skin stretching and tearing, bones cracking and rearranging painfully. But the change was almost instantaneous. One moment he’s looking at a crow perched on a lamppost then in the blink of an eye, it was replaced by a man with the same namesake.

Qrow stood balanced atop the lamp post. Hands propped on his slim hips, smirking down expectantly at the other huntsman. Clover whistled loudly, making a show of clapping slowly. Qrow gave him a wry look while bowing dramatically. The brown-haired man chuckled at his theatrics.

“Well, I’ll admit that was a neat little trick you got there.” The ace operative said wearing a shit-eating grin, fully aware of how he was ruffling Qrow’s feathers, pun fully intended. The smaller man rolled his eyes hard enough that it made Ren wince in sympathy. Qrow glared down at Clover a playful pout playing on his lips.

“Only you would call turning into a fucking bird a neat little trick.” Qrow sighed.

“What can I say, I have high standards.” The brunette gazed up at Qrow, smiling warmly, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Must be why I like you.”

Ren inhaled sharply as he was doused in an intense wave of pure affection and endearment. Even from where he was tucked away he could see the redness that flooded Qrow’s face as the dark-haired huntsman sputtered.

“How can you spout cheesy shit like that with a straight face!” Qrow had to restrain himself from hiding his face in his hands, his embarrassment almost palatable. Clovers responding laughter did little to soothe Qrow’s sheepishness.

“Not cheesy if it’s the truth.” Clover insisted, his smile falling when Qrow rolled his eyes with a huff of humorless laughter.

“Not the truth if it’s exaggerated,” Qrow snipped, leaning forward and sticking his tongue out. “We both know your standards are even lower than mine.”

“Your deflecting again.”

“I’m not--!” The half-hearted denial was cut short as the finial he’d been balancing on suddenly snapped off. Qrow toppled forward, bracing himself for a rough landing. Ren’s own body tensing, ready to rush forward to help, even at the risk of exposing himself.

Clover beat him to it. Moving with a speed Ren could only hope to one day possess, the brunette caught the raven-haired huntsman in his arms with only a quiet grunt of exertion. The ace operative quickly straightening from his half crouched stance, his firm grip as he cradled Qrow never wavering. The two men gazed at each other, Qrow blinking up at the taller man, eyes wide. Ren couldn’t quite name the emotion that hung in the air but it caused a shudder to run up his spine. Clover finally broke the silence, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips.

“That was a real stroke of bad luck, good thing I was here to save you.”

“Pff whatever,” Qrow slapped his broad chest before crossing his arms, turning away to hide his face from the Atlas huntsman. But Ren could see the small indulgent smile tugging at the corners of the surly huntsman's mouth. “lucky catch.”

Clover snorted, squeezing the other man in retaliation. Qrow trying to wiggle free from the ticklish sensation with an aborted giggle. The ace operative allowing his legs to drop to the ground but keeping his arms wound around Qrow’s slender waist.

“Nah, that was all skill, pretty bird.”

“Uh-huh, whatever you say, boy scout,” Qrow said, unconvinced but an affectionate smile quirking his lips. Taking Clover's face between his hands, pulling him down into a gentle kiss. A kiss that quickly grew deeper and more heated. Ren averted his eyes in embarrassment but he couldn’t block out the soft sounds of their mouths moving together. When the older men parted to breath, Ren sent a silent thank-you to the heavens.

When he dared to raise his eyes the two men were still tangled together, bodies pressed together tightly. One of the brunette's arms still wrapped around the dark-haired man’s waist, the other hand now cradling the back of Qrow’s head. Qrow’s face was buried into the crook of Clover’s neck, eyes closed as their bodies rocked gently together to the sound of Clover’s humming. Clover’s eyes slid open just slightly, burying his nose in Qrow’s raven locks, still humming. The overwhelming feeling of affection radiating from them almost made Ren dizzy and his cheeks flushed at witnessing what was obviously a private moment.

He’d later scold himself for letting his own embarrassment distract him because it was in that moment that Clover’s eyes raised just a smidgen and locked with his own.

Ren froze, rose petal colored eyes wide, feeling very much like a child with their hand caught in the cookie jar. Clover’s own teal eyes were boring into the young huntsman, his entire body suddenly stiff, abruptly going quiet.

“What’s wrong?” Qrow asked, pulling away from the ace operative in confusion at his sudden change in body language. Clover’s hard stare didn’t budge from Ren, as if the other boy would disappear if he so much as blinked.

“It would appear, one of your little hatchlings has snuck up on us.” Clover’s muttered, but even from a distance, Ren could read his lips. It wasn’t the first time one of the ace operatives had referred to their little ragtag group as such. He’d also heard Harriet refer to them as ‘little chicks’ and Marrow jokingly calling their combined teams a murder of crows. None of the ace operatives made these jokes around Qrow, though Ren was unsure if this was because they were intimidated by him (i.e. Marrow) or because they didn’t want him to think they were childish (i.e. Harriet, Vine, Elm). Apparently neither of these things applied to Clover.

“One of my what?” Qrow asked, confused laughter in his voice as he glanced over his shoulder to follow Clover's eyes. Ren couldn’t bring himself to meet the older huntsman's eyes but the way Qrow’s entire body jolted he knew the moment he’d been seen. “Ren!?”

At the surprised shout of his name, Ren shot to his feet, desperately wanting to flee but he forced himself to hold his ground. He tore his eyes from his feet, slowly raising his gaze to the older men. The two were no longer entangled, instead standing a respectful distance from each other. But the heavy flush painted across Qrow’s pale cheeks and reddened state of Clover’s ears spoke volumes.

Qrow’s cleared his throat roughly, crossing his arms and expression settling on stern. He motioned with one hand for Ren to come closer and Ren couldn’t find it in himself to disobey. He didn’t slouch or drag his feet but Ren was positive if he’d had a tail like a fauness it would be tucked between his legs.

He stood in front of the older huntsmen, trying not to fidget. His face felt like it was practically on fire and he couldn’t bring himself to meet either of the men’s gazes. Keeping his eyes firmly on their shoes. The silence dragged on for what felt like a lifetime before Qrow finally offered him mercy.

“Wanna tell me what the hell you think you were doing?” Ren cringed at the bite in the man’s voice, chewing his lip nervously, trying to pick his words carefully.

“I didn’t mean spy.” Ren offered quietly.

“Then what exactly are you doing out here?” Clover intervened, his stance mirroring Qrows, arms crossed and expression steely.

The younger huntsman never felt more like a scolded child than at that moment. Ren was sure if his face got any redder he was going to explode, he could only be glad Nora wasn’t here to tease him about it. Small mercies.

“I was already out here,” Ren said quietly when both men raised a brow in unison he continued. “I come out here to mediate since it’s usually empty. Then you both came out here and I just didn’t know...when..to...leave. Sorry.” He finished awkwardly, guiltily looking up at the older huntsmen.

“Just,” Qrow exhaled heavily, roughly massaging his eyes. “get out of ’er kid.”

Ren nodded enthusiastically, more than eager to make his escape. With a quick bow of his head, he practically ran to the double doors leading inside. Just as his hand rested on the door handle the sound of his name being called made him pause. He turned to face the older man, brows furrowed, worried to further prolong this embarrassing experience.

“Relax kid, I’m not gonna chew you out.” Qrow assured him, raising a hand in a placating gesture. Ren remained tense despite the reassurances, still vibrating with nervous energy. “I figure, if you’ve been there since the beginning, you probably saw all of that?”

The extra emphasis made it clear to what Qrow was referring to. Ren’s voice had abandoned him so he only nodded in response, the blush that had been fading returning full force. The redness in Qrow’s own cheeks also looking more vibrant. He coughed awkwardly into his fist.

“Would you mind, maybe, not telling anyone?” Qrow grumbled. Despite Ren’s overwhelming urge to end this conversation as soon as possible, he couldn’t stop confusion from coloring his expression. Qrow sighed, roughly running his hands through his hair. “Listen, this is all still kinda new and I’d just rather Ruby and Yang hear it from me first.”

“They might already know.” Ren blurted before he could stop himself. Qrow blinked at him, just as surprised by Ren’s announcement as Ren himself.

“How would they already know, nobody knows.” Qrow’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“I knew.” Ren corrected blankly.

“What!?” The older man blanched. “How did you know?”

“My semblance allows me to suppress emotions but it also allows me to, uuh, sense them to a degree,” Ren explained hesitantly. When the older man’s expression remained clouded in confusion Ren sighed.

“When you two are together I can feel the love you share for each other quite clearly.” The younger boy stared at his feet determinedly, hands tucked behind him as he shifted uncomfortably. “Even when you just looked at each it was such a strong wave of affection I just assumed--”

“Stop!” The dark-haired man pleaded motioning sharply with one hand, the other hand covering his furiously blushing face. “I get it, you -- you can just go!”

Ren didn’t hesitate to finally make his escape without a glance backward. Eager to get back to his team, to submerge himself in their familiar and comforting presence. Jaune with his easy and comfortable brotherly affection, Oscar and his shy yet hopeful friendship, and Nora and her bubbly, practically contagious exuberance. Ren was more than ready to lose himself in their chattering and let the days slightly uncomfortable events fade away. Though he was sure he wouldn’t be able to make eye contact with either of the older huntsmen anytime in the near future.

*

“So,” Clover began, approaching the more temperamental huntsman who was still rooted to the spot where he’d been talking to Ren. Wrapping his arms around Qrow’s waist from behind pulling their bodies flush, his chest pressed tightly along the curve of the smaller man’s back.

“You gonna tell me what he said that turned you into a tomato?” He gently poked Qrow’s brightly flushed cheek, hooking his chin on the darker haired man’s shoulder. Qrow swatted his hand away but otherwise didn’t reply. Still hiding his face in his hands. Clover chuckled softly, hands snaking around to grip the smaller huntsman’s wrists and tug them away, revealing his face.

Clover’s breath caught. Qrow’s face was still red but the color had softened, no longer a drastic red that sharply contrasted with his pale skin but now a gentle pink softening Qrows natural pallor. His bottom lip was plump and wet, after being gnawed on nervously, still caught between his teeth. His red eyes, now locked with Clovers' own teal ones, were large and shining. His brows were slightly furrowed and if Clover didn’t recognize this expression, he would have thought the other man was distressed. But he was familiar with many of Qrow’s expressions, but this one especially.

This was the face he wore when Clover caught him off guard with a compliment. This was the face he wore when he woke up with Clover still beside him gently carding a hand through his dark hair. This was the face he wore when Clover talked about the future and included Qrow in his plans for what came next.

It was a mixture of hopeful surprise, disbelief and a hint of distrust. And someday he was going to make sure Qrow never had a reason to doubt the good things in his life enough to make that face ever again.

Clover spun the smaller man around and dove forward, kissing Qrow deeply swallowing the gasp that escaped the smaller man. The kiss was devouring and wild, Qrow practically melting into his arms. When they finally tore their mouths apart they were both panting. Qrow scowled at him, smacking his chest roughly, but Clover could see the warmth in his eyes.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He grumbled, Clover couldn’t help the peals of affectionate laughter, the sound only puttered out when Qrow continued to hit him grumpily. The ace operative gently caught the attacking hands in his own, pulling them upwards to press a kiss to calloused fingertips.

“I know.” He murmured with a smile. Pressing their foreheads together, eyes slipping closed. “I know.

[blackcatmanor]

RWBY V7 Ch11 Photo review (spoilers)

A really great episode showing a lot of good strides made by the crew as storytellers! Pictures below  

Story stuff that was good:

Fights- Both action and the fighting in Ironwood’s office was well done. So much, in fact they deserve their own mini-breakdowns: 

Combat fights:

Ironwood vs Watts- I appreciated the apparent disparity between their combat styles. Ironwood was clearly a stronger, more aggressive, and overall better fighter, but Watts used his smarts and ability to manipulate the anti-gravity fields to help gain an advantage (I called that- yay!). I am really glad how this fight played out because it shows that the crew really thought about it and didn’t just make it a generic match between two opponents. The setting and dynamics of the anti-gravity field were also great and I think this will end up being one of the top fights of all time in RWBY. 10/10 

I hated watching the end, though but for the right reasons: Watching Ironwood peel his skin off to get free from the shield was excruciating and awful to watch, which really matches the tone of the scene. Watts just sort of standing there flabbergasted was even kind of appropriate, because you could tell he expected to trap Ironwood and did not expect the lengths Ironwood would go to in order to free himself. Some of the dialogue was a bit hammy, such as “You don’t want even MORE parts of your body made of metal,” and Ironwoods “I will sacrifice WHATEVER IT TAKES to stop her” but it wasn’t too distracting.

 Tyrian vs the Qrow, Clover, and Robyn (aka the throuple). 

This fight was very well choreographed but it was overall a bit of a mixed bag, mostly good but unexpected when considering what was teased in the opening cinematic. The opening cinematic promised a lot more interaction of Qrow and Robyn, with Robyn engaging Tyrian hand-to-hand, but Robyn literally stayed on the sidelines taking pot-shots and just got the final takedown by chance. If Tyrian had just dodged that last arrow, she wouldn’t have had the takedown and cool one-liner moment at all. Clover similarly was somewhat sidelined but he definitely had way more involvement in the fight than Robyn.

However, despite my criticism that Robyn and Clover were somewhat sidelined, I actually liked how Qrow was the main force behind the fight, because it gave him a chance to get revenge for his poisoning in Vol. 4, and he landed a lot of really good punches and kicks. It’s a nice callback even though the fight was slightly muddled by the different tone previewed by the opening cinematic, which promised a lot more cooperation rather than a Qrow vs Tyrian re-match.

Fights (verbal)

The fight in Ironwood’s office was great. Some of the dialogue was a bit wonky at times but overall it had the perfect impact: I felt re-invigorated in rooting for our girls and I wanted to punch the Ace Ops in the face! The clash of ideals was awesome and shows a great juxtaposition between our idealistic huntresses who never back down from a fight even if they may not win and the  Military/Strategic and Tactical style from Atlas, with Huntsmen and Huntresses willing to sacrifice lives for a greater victory (losing the battle to win the war). 

I think they did a good job of showing subtle differences in Ace Ops, as Vine and Harriet seem more in-line with Ironwood, Marrow seemed super conflicted (bordering on miserable), and Elm was somewhat in the middle. However, as they are the military, all of them fell in line at the end, showing a possible struggle between RWBY and the Ace Ops. 

The conflict between ideologies carried into the Throuple as well, and it was a great show vs tell moment where Qrow and Robyn are allied in the idealistic paradigm, with Clover literally on the opposite side. 

Basically: 

Ruby is Captain America, Yang is the Hulk, Weiss is Ironman, Blake is Spiderman. 

Cliffhangers

The cliffhanger in this volume is much more natural than volumes 5 and 6. In the previous two volumes, the last few episodes simply chopped up existing fights and stretched them out, pausing the combat to just resume a week later. This episodes’ cliffhanger was spectacularly done. The two main combat fights of the chapter are finished, but there is still plenty of conflict set up for later, and the ideological battles seem like they will escalate naturally in the next part. I expect the next part to have a Cinder vs Winter fight, and Neo vs Oscar/his team, but I am honestly more excited to see how the ideological conflicts escalate, with RWBY/Qrow/Robyn conflicting with the Ace Ops. 

Interestingly, this style of cliffhanger also fits well with the Military style of combat, which ties into Atlas as our setting: The battles of this chapter are over and won, but it’s clear a greater war is still raging, and the next batch of battles are just around the corner.  

Story stuff that was bad not as well-executed:

Overall I have a few minor complaints- one larger than the other

Oscar’s shopping spree: Oscar has a serious addiction to take out that many robots just to disappear and go shopping again. In all seriousness though, it would have been nice to see Oscar fooled and taken, since it was teased that Neo would use her semblance to disguise as Ruby to get to him. We already knew explicitly that Neo was going after him, so the “reveal” of him being gone at the end wasn’t a reason to skip the cool part of Neo tricking him and overwhelming all the robot guards. The amount of stuff that happens with Oscar off-screen is maddening.

Ironwood’s plan has a pretty big hole in it: This one is my larger complaint. Ironwood wants to take Atlas into the sky, but everyone knows Cinder is there on campus, and Ironwood even explicitly says “For all we know Hazel’s here too.” So, why would you try to get yourself high away from Salem’s forces when possibly two of the strongest foes are hanging out right there? (ok from what we’ve seen Cinder is not the strongest, but in-canon with the Maiden powers she is supposed to be one of the strongest).

I suppose Ironwood wants to get them high enough before reinforcements can arrive, because it’s better to deal with a few saboteurs in your city than wait for Salem to show up, but the fact that they don’t address this is kind of odd. You have an unknown number of people who are actively trying to interfere with your plans and you know they are in your school- so how are you going to mitigate that threat?  

 Character stuff that was good

Ironwood- This volume has done a much better job of establishing a morally gray character, whereas the Writers totally face-planted with Ozpin in the past. You feel for Ironwood because he has good intentions, but he has been driven nearly-mad with PTSD, which has given him a hair-trigger and causes him to make irrational and objectively bad decisions. I think the story can go further with his character, with his development arc being his struggle to reign-in his fear and paranoia and redeem himself. Ironwood’s V/A is also one of the strongest, so I think he can handle the possible complexity of the character’s arc going forward.

Ruby- Ruby was really good this episode. The episode had her trying to be a confident leader by telling Salem she will fail, but her speech wasn’t cheesy or ham-fisted. It was also great to see her confidence immediately crumble seconds later with the reveal that Salem was behind Summer’s death. Ruby’s anguish was a highlight of the episode, as it was well animated and pretty well acted (the animation carried most of the weight. Lindsay’s performance was pretty good, but I think it was hard for her to play Ruby’s kid-like voice in anguish. This is another reason why I hope the Ruby kid-voice thing becomes less prevalent in the future). 

I was also super stoked on getting a better idea of what happened to Summer. This scene was great and I hope it will have a huge impact on Ruby going forward as she learns to cope with this information and overcome her grief. 

 Character stuff that was bad:

Watts, we hardly knew ye- RIP To Watts. It was nice to hear Watt’s somewhat deranged motivations, but I’m bummed he’s gone. I think he was an interesting character and it would have been great to delve into his madness more- maybe a conversation with Pietro once they knew Watts was still alive. Pietro could have been a great vessel to explain Watts’ past to the group, and establish his villainy even more. Overall, it’s unfortunate the interesting villains keep getting killed off or sidelined (Hazel where art thou?). That being said I don’t think Tyrian is done yet. I think that Salem coming means she will spring Tyrian out of custody once again, as a poetic reference to his backstory we got earlier in the chapter.

 Overall 9/10. The episode was really good with a few minor issues. The fights between people are becoming a lot more thoughtful again, with efforts to showcase individual strengths and weaknesses. Ironwood’s extreme measures are a good way to paint someone with good intentions making the worst decisions, something they failed to do in the past. The cliffhangers are much more thought-out and organic rather than just slicing big fights into chunks.   

Is her model’s giant head pasted onto a smoke body?  >,<  I kind of lol’d when Salem first appeared because of her floaty head but it becomes less distracting as her dialogue goes on. 

[drunkdragondoes]

Songbird

It comes and goes like winter snows Fierce and fleeting, never quiet It always shows Your love is nothing if not cold Unforgettable

It was from an old song, a remake of the original. The lyrics were tacky, even for the time period that it was from.

You’re distant ‘til you’re here The breath of a coming storm And that’s all I want from you It’s the norm I just can’t let you go

And yet there was something in the words, in the way the piano softly played in the background. The original piece was accompanied by string instruments, as was common at the time, and it seemed to try and sound mournful. But now it was more of a person’s musings, as if lovestruck.

And when I feel your chill My body shakes It’s the storm, the surge My nerves lay still I’m ruined by you

The singer’s interpretation was, for better or for worse, good.

General Ironwood paused the meeting. “Are you still with me, Winter?”

Her eyes scrunched together. The earlier-than-usual morning was still taking its toll upon her. Cooped up in the basement of an ‘abandoned’ office building, the sterile white walls and fluorescent lights were harsh upon her blue eyes. She might have had her morning coffee already, but that didn’t meant it was working its magic yet. “I was rushed over at your request, sir. I suppose I’m still a bit tired from the trip over. Continue please.”

The old general leveled his eyes with her before giving a nod. “This is Qrow Branwen. I won’t wax poetic on his history - you’ve been with us long enough to know that anyone we bring up is under suspicion of not being fully human.” He pressed a button, and an image slowly sharpened onto a projector screen, revealing a man that looked to be in his early to mid forties. Dark hair, graying just at the sides, and a bit of a stubble, he matched the imagery of a man that could be just charming enough to get away with something.

“The case with him, though, is unusual. Most of the time, we function as quiet observers. The non-humans know of our existence and we don’t need to do any policing. However, he reached out to us for protection services.” The screen changed, this time revealing him at events in a black tuxedo, sometimes with another person, but usually alone. “And while we normally wouldn’t act in this situation, Branwen is a rising musician celebrity in our world. A lot of eyes are watching him, so our hand might be forced here. In addition, he’s offered a payment for our services, which includes a hefty advance if we take on the task. Any questions so far?”

Her lips pursed together, teeth raking across the top behind it. Asking for protection was not uncommon, and it was often turned down. They were observers and keepers of peace after all, not a task force. “There has to be more behind this. We wouldn’t be taking on a simple protection job without a good reason.”

The soft hum of magical gears and rotors spinning and humming to the rise and fall of his chest. “You’re right.” He looked her in the eye. “We’re taking on this case because Branwen implicated that he is a siren.”

She blinked. “A what?”

“A siren.” The screen changed again, this time portraying a series of pottery and art from older civilizations. “Greek and Roman mythology were among the first to describe these creatures, though facts often vary between the sources. Some depict them as similar to mermaids, others as avian amalgamations. And while most pieces depicted them as both male and female, over time it has portrayed them as female.”

“And he’s claiming that they exist and he’s one.” She found herself staring at the screen again.

“Indeed. In the end, we don’t know much about them, and if they’ve been this secretive about their existence, who knows how long they have been in the background.” Ironwood took a deep breath. “And that brings us to why we brought you in on such short notice. This is our potential first contact with a siren, and we want you to facilitate the relationship, maybe even make an ally out of him. Who knows how his powers could benefit us, after all.”

“And do we have any grounds to believe what he says?” she said, keeping her eyes on his pictures, looking for any unusual tells that would give himself away.

Nothing.

“There isn’t much outside of his word.” Ironwood clicked over to the next slide, leading to pictures of him singing in concerts and events. “But given his public profile as a rising singer, there’s reason to believe him.”

“How do we know it’s not a trap?”

A long breath. “We don’t. We staked out his apartment-” the screen switched to reveal a posh building, “and so far nothing unusual. Unless we use more invasive techniques, we can’t pick out anything else for now.”

Familiar words, but it came with the business. With one last blink, she rose from her seat. “I’ll get started then.”

Ironwood nodded before standing up as well. “His request seemed urgent, so you’ll be flying out late tonight. When you arrive in Vale, you’ll be checking in at the branch to pick up a body monitor before heading over to arrive at thirteen hundred hours local time. He knows we’re coming, so he should be expecting you.”

“Understood.”

He looked her in the eye. “And remember, Winter, werewolves might be a dime a dozen and we’re long past the age of shipwrecks. But if there’s one thing to be aware of, it's that sirens are born to sing. Be careful.”

“I mean, he even told me he was expecting someone, and here you are, at the time he told me, so-”

Even though it was a redeye flight, taking off at three in the morning, it was impossible for her to sleep. The seat was uncomfortable, and sleeping upright was never easy to begin with. And once she touched down in Vale, it was business as usual. Check in with headquarters and get her body monitor, check into her cheap hotel. Sit in a car for half an hour to go ten miles.

“Sometimes I think he does this on purpose, but don’t tell him I said that.”

Walk into an apartment complex, and suffer through the unlucky attendant’s third attempt page his apartment.

Nothing.

“Come on, pick up.”

Winter sighed, taking a moment to rub her eye. This was taking too long. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see if I can get in contact with my agency and get them to reach out to Branwen. Thank you, though.”

With a little more than a nod, she left the front doors of the lobby. Making her way out of the complex, her eyes scanned for any security cameras or staff. Once she made sure that she was out of sight, she began to let her magic work. She could feel her body shifting, becoming as light as air and blue like the sky.

With a tiny flash, she was gone, traversing through walls and floors until she was sure she was at the right one. Sensing that no one was by, she let the spell fall away, her body rematerializing in the posh hallway lights and at his apartment door. Her hand slipped into her coat, and she turned on her body monitor. “I’m in, commencing rendezvous.”

A tiny voice fed into her ear confirming that they got her message, and she was alone again. With a heavy blink of her eyes, she rang the doorbell in front of her.

Nothing. Again. Winter didn’t even hear a tone on the other end. For all she knew, the button could have been broken. And with a few more presses in vain, it might as well be.

No matter. Blinking her eyes and doing her best to ignore the scratch of sleep, she let herself slip through the cracks of the doorway again. Instead of letting herself shift back, however, she remained in her wispy, ethereal state. No one would be able to see her like this, so some recon of her own sounded appropriate.

So far, the grandiose apartment seemed silent. But if she strained her ears, there was something soft in the air, striking through at odd, unusual intervals. Simple. Elegant. And maybe another word she couldn’t think of at the time being.

Might as well take a peak. She drifted through the air, going through the few short halls to encounter a wide open area. One side was a television, two couches posed like an L, and a coffee table. To the other side was a piano, and at its front was the man she saw on the slides - dark hair, sharp red eyes. Qrow Branwen.

\As he played, fingering each key until they became a cohesive rhythm and tune, his lone humming echoed with the chords. Sometimes he would pause, but just as quickly he would pick up again. The tune might change, the keys might alter, but the tones of his unsung piece remained the same.

Winter didn’t really understand it. Music was taught to her at a young age, but now it was just a bygone afterthought. She couldn’t find the C key for the life of her, and she didn’t bother trying to stay in tune when following her favorite piece on the radio.

In fact, she didn’t remember much of it at all. Couldn’t remember the instrument she tried to pick up as a part of her class.

Another sharp blink, another breath, another step closer, Winter’s shoes gently clacking against the floor. Blink. Again. The jet lag must have been catching up to her. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on Qrow, but the only thing that seemed to register was his humming.

Her foot moved towards him, and her gaze drooped down. She was by the couch. For whatever reason, he started playing in earnest, his hums becoming more and more intense. Maybe this was why he wasn’t answering when the front desk paged him. He was too busy at work.

Surely he wouldn’t mind if she took a seat. She was a guest and they were supposed to have a meeting after all. Yes. Yes, that would be fine. He would stop, and they would talk and figure out this business.

Stay. Take a seat. Get comfortable.

Stay. Listen.

Rest. Enjoy.

Another soft hum.

Sleep.

When Winter first came to, she didn’t snap into action. Even though she was in an unfamiliar place at an unknown time, something felt peaceful. Whatever she was on was soft, softer than the bed she had at her own apartment halfway across the continent. Same with the blanket - warm and comforting. Safe.

Her immediate choice was to tuck the blankets around her again, roll over, and go back to sleep. Return to the land of warm and soft.

One tiny thing broke the spell, however.

“Arf!”

She felt her eyes snap open, and everything was wrong. This wasn’t her apartment. This wasn’t her blanket. This wasn’t her couch.

(In fact, Winter didn’t even have a couch.)

Quickly rolling over, she came face to face with a black and white dog - some kind of corgi.

“Arf!”

If there was one thing she knew she didn't have, it was a dog.

And to make matters worse, a pair of hands entered her vision to set down a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

This was really bad.

“Courtesy of my nieces, and an apology of sorts for missing our meeting.” Her eyes traveled up the arms and settled onto his sharp red eyes. “I got carried away with my work and, well, I guess it might have carried you in as well.”

It was like being caught red-handed. She tried to hide her embarrassment long enough to figure out a way to venture forth into the conversation, “Qrow Branwen, then, I assume?”

“That’s me,” his eyes scanned over her briefly, and despite the blanket around her she felt painfully naked, worsening the heat on her cheeks. “I’d shake your hand, but, well…”

She gave a huff. Might as well take the out he gave her. Slipping her arm over the blanket, she extended her hand. “Winter Schnee, Officer and Specialist of the Protectorate.”

A/N: Eyyo! Finally got this little bit ironed out. There might be more, there might not. I still have 2.59 and Summoner AU, after all. But hey - at least there is some more Qrowin in this world :3

[laserdog10]

Owing a favor pt. 3; Unexpected visit

*In the midst of morning, within the household of the Xiao Long-Branwen-Rose-Arc's, Raven Branwen was enjoying her breakfast, along with the family's beloved corgi, Zwei. But, Raven wasn't eating for she had already ate, and was now feeding her niece, Frost Schnee-Branwen, beloved daughter of Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee.*

Raven: Here comes the flock of migrating geese! *she said in a sing-song tone, whistling as the spoonful of veggie flavored baby food made it's way to the infant's mouth, Frost taking in joyous satisfaction.*

Frost: *giggles softly and tries to chew her food, only to make a gooey mess the moment she opened her mouth and onto her bib.*

Raven: And I thought Ashlyn was a messy eater... *Raven quipped about her granddaughter. She whipped Frost's mouth, the infant almost leaning in under her aunt's touch, but Raven somewhat recoiled at the gesture. But her hand stayed near her niece's face.* Just one more day..... *she said quietly to herself.* Just then, a knock came from the door, almost scaring the ex-bandit leader out of her skin. Yet a familiar voice came from the door. Two familiar voices, to be exact.*

Oobleck: Hello, is anyone home?! *he shouted*

Port: We thought we'd stop by and visit! Tai? Qrow? Are you there??? *The mustachioed Hunter followed up.*

Raven: *She sighed in relief.* I'll be right there! *She replied*

*Both of them were audibly surprised, both by the response and who gave it.*

Port: Oh, Mrs. Branwen! Fancy meeting you here. Errr...why exactly, are you here? He asked.*

Oobleck: We thought you went with your brother and husband to that meeting!

Raven: Yeah well, change of plans came up. *She said while walking up to the door. Opening it, she finished.* They stuck me with my brother and Winter's kid for the time being. And the runt and her boyfriend's kids, my daughter's kid, Winter's sister's kids, AND the Cat and Monkey Faunus' kids are all down in Mistral right now. *She said pointing eastward.* Wouldn't want to be them.

Port: Well, Mrs. Belladonna and Mr. Wukong will have Kali and Ghira to help them out. *He said hopefully*

Ooobleck: Aaaaaahhh, family needs. Anywho, Mrs. Branwen, we stopped and came by to tell you something. May we come in?

Raven, shrugging: Right this way, gentleman. *She gestured them to the inside.*

*As they made their way through the living room, they walked into the kitchen to see Frost sitting in her highchair. She looked and tilted her head at Port and Oobleck*

Port: Oh my, what an adorable little girl, you are!

Raven: Yup. That's my brother and sister-in-law's little crotchling alright.

Oobleck: Let me take a look. *He said quizzically. He walked over and put his pinky finger near her hand, to which she immediately grabbed, laughing.* Hmmmmm...good grip, strong mind. *He moved his hand to her mouth, she held her mouth open for a good minute, giving the green haired Professor time look in her mouth, commenting.* Healthy!

Raven: Ooookay, enough with the scientist experiment on my niece, please and thank you. *She said, picking up Frost from her seat and into Raven's arms.*

Oobleck: Sorry, Mrs. Branwen. When Frost here was born, the doctors said she was a bit jaundiced and, quote, "in a state similar to hypothermia", I presume?

Raven: *She stopped and paused for a moment, thinking back to when her sister-in-law just got done giving birth to the child she held in her arms at that moment.* Y-yeah, we don't know what happened there...hell even the doctors don't know what to make of that hypothermic scare.

Port: The important thing is that she's here and she's fine.

Raven: Yeah...you're right. *She said softly and caringly, she turned to Frost smiling, feeling her eyes get glassy and heavy. Frost giggled to her aunt, rubbing her face into Raven's shoulder.* So, what'd you two come to tell me? *She said sitting down in a chair at the table.*

Oobleck: Oh, yes! Absolutely, one second. *He reached into his backpack, pulling out a tablet. On it was a display of Remnant.* Did Taiyang, Qrow, or Mrs. Schnee tell why they had to go to that meeting?

Raven: Not really, they were in kind of a hurry. All they said that it was really important.

Oobleck: I was afraid that might've been the case...

Port. clearing his throat: You see Mrs. Branwen, there has been a strangely large spike in Grimm activity over the past several years...despite Salem's demise...

Raven, eyes widening a little: But that's impossible...how could they still be alive?! *She was utterly dumbfounded*

Oobleck: That's the scary part, no one knows where this came from! Not even Ozpin himself knows how or why...

Raven, paling in horror: So what's your tablet for? Where exactly they're popping up? * She questioned*

Oobleck and Port: Precisely. *Oobleck continued* There have been several cases of your average Grimm sittings and the occasional run in. Hunters and Huntresses are already having to come out of retirement because of it. Look here in Atlas, locals have claimed to see a large half-deer, half-human Grimm. As far as up in the mountains or near the base of villages.

Port: And here in Vacuo, there was a strange occurrence of King Taijutu like one. Though it wasn't conjoined at the body, but rather it had two heads atop its body.

Raven: *The onyx haired woman could only stare in disbelief and shock. Grimm were coming back, and in different forms no less?!* I honestly can't wrap my head around this...

Oobleck: Unfortunately, it gets worse and weirder from here.*'Of course it does', Raven thought to herself.* Some Grimm have been seen having strange crystal like growths coming out of them. Some green crystals that have caused unusual mutation but no real change in behavior, and others with magenta-black crystals, but have fallen off after causing the Grimm to mutate, rendering the crystals drained of their power. Upon further inspection, these crytals have been identified as some new undiscovered type of Dust!

Port: I understand if this is a lot to take in, Mrs. Branwen, but bear with us when we say we haven't the slightest clue of what's causing this either...

Raven: *She almost felt like this was a dream. That the war with Salem was over, and Remnant could finally be at peace. But now, she wishes she was dreaming, and not living in the reality that the Creatures of Grimm have returned, in greater numbers and undergone horrid transformations. She raked her hand through her mop of hair, letting out a long exhale* Is...is that all you came by to tell me...?

Port: It appears so... *He said almost somberly*

Oobleck: *Packig his tablet back up, he broke the silence* Thank you for your time, Mrs. Branwen.

Raven: No, thank you. It was nice having company stop by for once in a while. And please, call me Raven, let's skip these formalities.

Port, chuckling: Heheh, it was no problem, Raven. Glad we could make our stay a welcome one. And a farewell to you, little miss Frost! *He said, trodding off to the door and exiting, Frost laughing and attempting her best at waving bye.*

Oobleck: We'll see you later, and if anything happens, don't be afraid to call us. We'll be down here with Glynda and James as soon as we can!

Raven: Thanks, appreciate it. See you later. *And like that, Oobleck was off, not too far behind his colleague Port. Raven walked out to the porch, watching the two professors chat and gradually fade out in the distance.* Those two never get tired of each other I swear.

Frost: *Lets out a long yawn. 'Speaking of tired', Raven thought.* Let's get you down for a nap, honey. *Raven said quietly, walking back inside with the tired infant.*

-----

*Far off in the distance, a young man in a gray short-sleeve hoddie on a ledge, looking down towards the residence. His bandaged arms, concealing black vein-like markings, his piercing crimson eyes with black sclera from behind glasses, a ghoulishly toothy grin spread across his face. Lowly laughing to himself, saying.* Ooohhh what they don't know...heheheheheheheeee...*A gust of wind kicks up, blowing the hood from his head, revealing silvery, bone white hair and more black vein markings around his neck.* I'm coming for you, Ruby Rose. I will have my vengeance.........

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

Qrowin Week Day Four: Rendezvous

It had been the winter the war began, and he had been drafted. God, it felt like years ago. It made his stomach churn just thinking about it. He had been one of the few who knew what war was all about. The other kids in his troop were ridiculously naïve. They had been so eager to serve their country, and maybe, in many ways, to die for it. In the coming months he had watched that eagerness slowly melt away from their expressions. Eagerness was replaced with understanding, a dark, dark understanding. The war no longer became something out of fiction, it became a necessity.

         He was gone for a long time. He had been assigned to different posts across Remnant. It was then that he had met her—Winter Schnee. She had been a young recruit, part of James Ironwood’s specialist team. They had been off duty when they had first met, at a bar in east Mistral. Qrow had been assigned to a base near a little town, he had forgotten the name since. It had been his night off, so he had happily left the base and headed into the town for the night. Winter had been passing through. She had been assigned to inspect the base while she was on her way towards Haven.

         They had met at the bar, of course. Winter had been a little tipsy, She was wearing a swing dress so Qrow had asked if she’d like to dance. She had laughed at him, it seemed, but didn’t hesitate in taking his hand.

         That night had ended with him asking that dreaded question: “when can I see you again?” The answer was silence. With the war going on, even he knew it was unlikely they’d ever see each other again.

         It was only a month later that Qrow found himself stationed in Northern Vale.

         “Hey!” some young thing with blue eyes, and a smile that was a little too bright slipped into his bunkroom around noon. “You’re Branwen, right? I heard from the others that you were in the trenches at the battle of East Mistral!” Qrow blinked up at the young man, and then shook his head,

         “Yeah, I was there, so what?”

         “Not many people were left standing during that battle. You’re a hero—”

         “Were you here for a reason, or…?” Qrow sat up from where he lay on his bunk and glared.

         “Uh…y-yeah! Sorry. I’m delivering mail. There’s a note addressed to you.”

         “A note?” Who would he have gotten a note from? Maybe Ruby or Yang?

         “Here you go!” The young man handed Qrow a postcard. “Looks like it’s from around here. Weird way of communicating if you’re this close.”

         “Did you have anything else you needed to do or were you leaving?” Qrow said. The young man shook his head,

         “Uh… I’ll leave you too it!” In a second he was gone. Qrow examined the front of the postcard. It was an old postcard, from before the start of the war, featuring the cool gray beaches of Northern Vale with a yellow sun setting beyond the clouds. Fades letters across the top read: MISS YOU.

         “Huh…” It had to be a mistake—though the young man had said his name. Who would send him a postcard like this, from this area? Qrow flipped over the card, and sure enough, in neat scrawl was his name: Qrow Branwen. And the right barracks number. On the left were a couple very meticulously written sentences.

         I heard you were stationed here. Can we meet at the docks—Tuesday night around 7? I saw your schedule. I hope you’ll come.

         ~W

W? Who was W? Qrow scanned his memories for anyone with the name, but nothing came up…? Then he remembered that Tuesday was tonight. “Guess I’ll find out in a few hours.”

         The sun was setting when Qrow reached the docks. It cast brilliant colors on the ocean waves. Qrow had forgotten how nice the weather was here—cool and dry, besides the light mist that came in from the sea every so often. As he approached the end of the pier it seemed that he had gotten there before W.

         He felt bad now, waiting in the light of dusk. He should have changed from his old uniform. He hated the color green anyways. Why did they have to wear green--?

         “Branwen?” The voice was soft, and strikingly familiar. Qrow turned away from the ocean to see who was meeting him and he instantly recognized her.

         “Schnee,” he whispered, letting surprise overtake him. “You’re… wow…” He had forgotten about Winter Schnee, almost. Forgotten her first name was Winter, at least. Tonight, the way the sunset cast light on her face, she was beautiful. Her long hair, which had been down when they first met, was in a bun. Instead of a swing dress with a lace collar she wore a green uniform like his own, with wide-cut pants and a belt at her waist.

         “I was afraid you wouldn’t come,” she said, joining him at the railing.

         “I can’t believe it’s really you,” he whispered, still feeling guilty that he didn’t remember her first name. “Ice Queen, in the flesh.”

         “What did we say about nicknames?” Winter gasped, “My name is not Ice Queen.” Qrow beamed at her irked expression. Some things never change.

         “Why did you send me the postcard? I didn’t think you were all that interested when we first met.”

         Winter’s pale cheeks turned pink, “To be honest, I didn’t either, but… I found myself…” she paused, glancing up at him. Qrow was finding himself trying to memorize each curve of her shape, each line of her face. “I found myself missing you.”

         He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, words formed and then fell apart in his mind. “I… I thought of you a lot,” he whispered, finally, still trying to come up with something to say as the words tumbled out of his mouth. “Sometimes I couldn’t get you out of my head.” Sometimes it’s the only thing that kept me going… through the trenches.

         Winter let herself relax a little, Qrow watched her shoulders drop just a hair, and a smile form on her lips. “Do you want to get a drink,” she whispered, “Like the first time we met?”

         “Do I?” Qrow grinned, “Darling, you don’t have to ask twice.”

[flightofaqrow]

✏️

completely accurate quotes ** accepting

[soloragoldsun]

Freezerburn Week- Day 4: Double Date

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite pair of high schoolers!” Yang exclaimed, picking her sister up in a tight hug.

“Hrk! Hi, Yang!” Ruby muttered through gritted teeth, letting out a breath as she was put down.

“Oscar! C’mere, buddy!”

Oscar wisely braced himself before he was pulled into a crushing embrace that left his spine in questionable condition. He stumbled a bit as he was placed back on the ground, and Ruby gently held his shoulders until he got his bearings back. “Ow… Nice to see you again, Yang.”

“If you’re done breaking their poor backs,” Weiss said as she exited the apartment complex and walked over. “Perhaps, you can help with their luggage?”

“What luggage? They only brought a tiny suitcase each, plus a sleeping bag. Not everyone goes as crazy as you do when travelling,” Yang noted, pecking Weiss’s cheek before taking both suitcases out of the car.

“Actually, I also have a cooler in the trunk,” Oscar piped up.

“Ah, right. That’s the veggies for our hot pot party tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. I got eggplant, cabbage, squash, carrots, potatoes, and sprouts.”

“Sounds good, except for the sprouts,” Yang laughed. “But I fully expect you to devour those on your own, buddy.”

“Hey, sprouts are good if prepared right.”

Ruby was nodding. “Yeah, he kinda sold me on them.”

“Wait, what?” Yang gasped. “My sister is eating sprouts? What is this?!”

“If you cut them in half and fry them in bacon grease, they’re really good!” Ruby insisted.

Weiss frowned. “Doesn’t that take away the nutritional value?”

“Uh, no! No nutrients are zapped from the sprouts. Adding bacon doesn’t equal subtracting healthiness. Come on, Weiss. It’s basic math.” Ruby rolled her eyes.

Oscar snickered, giving his girlfriend a fond look before turning to Weiss. “Oh, is there a gas station nearby? We didn’t see one when we were pulling in.”

“It’s just down the road that way. We can stop there on the way to the butcher’s shop,” Weiss assured him. “For now, let’s get you two settled in.”

The four went up the stairs, and then up several more stairs until they reached the third floor of the complex, where Weiss unlocked the second door down the hallway and invited them in. The interior of the apartment was cozy and clean, with a futon taking up the living space, along with two small armchairs. A table bearing a large pot sat near the kitchen area, which was also in immaculate condition. Lights had been strung along the ceiling to make the place more colorful, and various odds and ends showing signs of Yang and Weiss’s college and fandom-related lives were scattered everywhere.

“Whoa!” Oscar’s eyes lit up as he put his sleeping bag on the ground, noticing a shelf of movies and games. “You have all the Studio Ghibli movies!” He stared at the DVDs. “Oh, Princess Kaguya. I haven’t seen that one yet.”

“Wait until you’re in the mood to bawl your eyes out,” Yang advised, shooting Weiss a glare. “I wasn’t sufficiently warned.”

“Consider it payback for introducing me to Grave of the Fireflies without telling me anything beforehand,” Weiss shot back.

“I really like Pom Poko,” Ruby piped up. “Though, everyone makes fun of it.”

“Most people see the giant tanuki balls, and don’t see anything else,” Yang said with a shrug.

“I don’t get that,” Oscar sighed. “I mean, it’s a bit weird, but it’s part of the lore surrounding tanuki in Japan, and there’s so much more to the movie than just that.”

The four continued to chat amicably as they unpacked Ruby and Oscar’s things. Then, talk went to plans for the weekend.

“So, we still need to get the meat and other stuff for tomorrow’s hot pot,” Weiss said. “And the butcher’s shop is closed on Sunday. We could walk around town a bit, do our shopping, then come back in time to get ready to go clubbing.”

Oscar’s eyes lit up. When planning his and Ruby’s visit to Yang and Weiss’s apartment, each of them had been asked what they wanted to do while there. Ruby, who had been jealous ever since Yang got a double-sided hot pot and hot plate for Christmas, begged to have a hot pot dinner. Oscar, whose social experiences were limited to pumpkin picking on his farm and the lame high school homecoming dances, wanted to go dancing in an actual college town.

“So, my age won’t be an issue?” he asked. While Ruby was eighteen and wouldn’t have any trouble getting into the clubs, he had only recently turned seventeen.

“Nah. There are some clubs that won’t let you in, but I did my homework,” Yang assured him. “There are enough clubs to last us several nights. You’ll just get two exes on your hand instead of one.”

“I can deal with that.”

The four went into town next. After filling Ruby’s car for the drive home on Monday morning, the group went to the butcher’s shop for beef, then the grocery store for shrimp and crab stick.

“I wish we could get more variety,” Weiss muttered.

“Hey, we’re on a college budget,” Yang reminded her. “This is pretty good, all things considered. Besides, most of our weekend money just went toward the soup ingredients.” They would probably be eating mostly potatoes until their next pay day, not that Ruby and Oscar would ever know that.

“Still worth it, though,” Weiss said, watching Ruby and Oscar with a smile. The two were looking at the large salmons on display, and Ruby was talking excitedly about how Taiyang would sometimes smoke salmon and other fish during the summer.

“Definitely.” Yang looped an arm around Weiss’s waist, hugging her briefly before calling to her sister.

As they walked to the checkout, she couldn’t help but notice how domestic this felt. Sure, she and Weiss had been living together since the beginning of their junior year, and they did nearly everything together from cleaning to shopping, but there was something special about this. Maybe it was the fact that they were technically preparing for their first real dinner party together, even if that party only included two more people.

She found herself imagining living in a nice house with Weiss post-graduation, having a huge holiday dinner with their combined families (minus Weiss’s asshole of a father, of course). Qrow and Winter were glaring lightning bolts at each other while Taiyang sat between them, masterfully keeping the peace. An older Whitley, who had managed to distance himself from his father by this point, was opening up to Ruby’s relentless kindness and even laughing a bit. Meanwhile, Yang was in the kitchen, preparing a kick-ass turkey while Weiss mixed drinks and the two kept smiling at each other over their shoulders. It was a pretty nice image.

Speaking of nice images, Weiss looked drop-dead gorgeous whenever she dressed up to go clubbing!

There was a handful of clothing items that Weiss had gathered since moving out of her father’s house that were reserved purely for casual, fun situations, and Yang loved it when she wore them. Not only did Weiss look amazing, but she always loosened up in a way she rarely ever did whenever she went to the clubs.

That night, the ensemble consisted of pale blue tights, a jean skirt that was shorter than anything she would have considered wearing a few years ago, a darker blue tank top, and a short jean jacket that had come with the skirt. She also wore a few silver bangles, and a blue choker Ruby had given her for her birthday.

Yang had decided to go with her favorite black short-shorts, a ripped yellow tee-shirt worn over a black tank, and black fingerless gloves with studs on the back.

Ruby had gone with her usual look: black tights, red and black skirt, and one of her rose-printed tee-shirts, though she did have a spiked wrist cuff that had clearly come from Spencer’s.

Oscar was wearing a black tee with a giant skull on it (also obviously from Spencer’s) with gray cargo shorts that bore a single silver chain going from one pocket to the other. He had also tied an orange bandana around his neck and was wearing a spiked wrist cuff that matched Ruby’s. He looked freaking adorable, and Yang had to bite her lip in order to keep from saying so.

The first club was a goth place that let people in for free on Saturdays as long as they were dressed the part. Thankfully, they were pretty lax and considered the spiked cuffs, studded gloves, and choker to be goth enough. Oscar and Ruby both got stamped, and they hurried in.

Oscar openly gaped at the neon-lit bar, the people stumbling about, and the loud bass music coming from the nearby dance area. “Okay, this is nothing like homecoming.”

Yang ruffled his hair. “Welcome to adult partying, kiddo. Have fun. Just make sure to keep hydrated.”

“And stay together at all times,” Weiss added firmly. “Our phones are on, so find us if you need anything, or if you want to leave.”

“Got it,” Ruby held up her phone with a grin.

The four stayed together for a half hour of dancing, during which time Yang and Weiss learned that Ruby and Oscar could absolutely not dance to save their lives. Then again, neither could most of the people there.

Eventually, Yang and Weiss retired to the bar while Ruby and Oscar got a quick drink of water before going back to dancing. Yang ordered a rum and coke while Weiss got a Dirty Shirly.

After taking a sip, Yang cast Weiss a sidewise smile. “Hey, gorgeous. You come here often, or am I just lucky?”

Weiss smirked, immediately going into character. “I come here on occasion, though I’m not sure what you mean by ‘lucky.’” She sipped her drink, giving Yang a coy glance.

“Getting a look at those beautiful eyes, of course,” Yang said with a dashing grin.

Weiss suppressed a giggle, though her cheeks turned a definite shade of pink. “Are you sure it’s my eyes you’re looking at?” she asked in an overly-prim voice.

“Among other things, yeah,” Yang answered smoothly. She spun around on her stool and rested her elbow on the bar. She cocked her head, her dazzling grin still in place. “What about you? See anything you like?”

Weiss made a show of eying Yang up and down, resting her chin on her hand as she did so. “Hm. Perhaps. What would it matter if I did?”

Yang leaned closer, her lavender eyes glinting conspiratorially. “Well, I got a pretty sweet pad not far from here. Perfect for entertaining a lovely lady, such as yourself. What do you say? Wanna get out of here?”

Unable to hold it together any longer, Weiss burst out laughing. Yang quickly followed, the two dissolving into mirth, putting their drinks down to keep from spilling.

“It’s no wonder I’m your first girlfriend,” Weiss gasped. “You are awful at flirting!”

“Hey! I am freaking amazing, and you know it!” Yang huffed. “And Blake was my girlfriend in high school for, like, a month! That counts!”

“Oh, please.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “‘Getting a look at those beautiful eyes?’ That is the corniest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Shut up, you love it!” Yang elbowed Weiss gently, snickering as she took a sip of her rum and coke, which was starting to go flat. She poured more coke into it before gulping it down.

It was nice to relax and go drinking, especially now that their exams were over. As a rule, due to the history of alcoholism in both of their families, they didn’t keep booze in the house. They only drank in social situations, and only got drunk at parties and weddings. So far, they were doing pretty well. Neither one planned on getting overly drunk while they had Ruby and Oscar to mind, of course.

“I may take you up on your offer,” Weiss said as she finished her own drink. “Once our guests go home.” She winked before putting enough money for both of their drinks on the bar, grabbing Yang’s hand, and leading her back toward the dance floor.

They were making their way to Ruby and Oscar, when they saw someone else get there first. It was a college-aged boy who was clearly inebriated, and who started dancing a little too obscenely and a little too close to Ruby. Oscar quickly put himself between the larger boy and his girlfriend, and the two moved to a different part of the dance floor. When the college boy tried to follow, he found himself blocked by Yang and Weiss.

“Aren’t those kids a bit young for you?” Yang growled, her eyes taking on a reddish tinge.

“And no, that wasn’t an offer from us,” Weiss clarified. “Shoo,” she said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

The guy took a step forward, paused, glanced at Yang’s clenched fists and obvious muscles, and thought better of it. With a shrug, he walked off, stumbling a bit on his way back to the bar.

Yang turned to Ruby and Oscar, who were gazing at her and Weiss like they were the coolest people on the planet. “And now you’ve both had your first Club Creep,” she said. “In the future, if Weiss or I aren’t around, look for the nearest bartender or bouncer. Got it?”

“Oh, we know!” Oscar insisted. “We were just about to go to the bar when you two showed up.”

Ruby shrugged. “I could’ve taken him. I’ve been taking self-defense classes. My hand-to-hand is getting pretty good.”

“Hopefully, you won’t ever have to use it.” Yang ruffled her sister’s hair affectionately. “So, want to hit another place? There’s a club nearby that’s having a Gay Night as well as a drag show in another half hour.”

“Yeah!” Oscar said eagerly.

“Let’s go!” Ruby insisted.

The four ended up visiting three clubs overall before Weiss noticed Oscar stumbling with exhaustion and called it a night. Even though both she and Yang were fairly tipsy by this point, they ended up supporting Ruby and Oscar during most of the walk home. Everyone was so tired, they fell asleep almost immediately, Ruby on the futon, Oscar on top of his sleeping bag, and Yang and Weiss in their shared bed.

They were slow to wake up the next day, with Weiss waking up first at noon and showering immediately. Next came Oscar, then Ruby, and finally Yang. Once everyone was awake, they had a light late breakfast at Weiss’s favorite coffee shop. Though they were hungry, they carefully avoided eating too much in anticipation for the hot pot meal that night.

Back at the apartment, Weiss set to work preparing two hot pot broths, one spicy, one not. Ruby openly gaped at her.

“I can’t believe it!” she gasped. “The person who set our oven on fire is being allowed to cook without supervision!”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “That was one time, and it happened several years ago,” she huffed. “I’ve gotten better since then.”

“If there aren’t any fires, I’ll believe you.” Ruby’s nose wrinkled as she watched Weiss sauté the peppers and spices. “That’s a lot of spice.” She also detected a burning aroma from where Yang was prepping a pot of hot oil.

“Don’t worry, sis. That’s why the pot is two-sided. And we got sesame sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil for dipping.” Yang took a taste of the hot oil, grinning as her tongue was immediately numbed. “Perfect!”

“I can chop up the vegetables, if you want,” Oscar offered.

“Go for it,” Yang said. “Ruby, can you get the meat?”

Ruby obeyed, looking skeptically at the plate of shrimp. “Are you sure we don’t peel it before cooking?”

“Completely,” Weiss assured her. “You cook them in the soup, suck out the head, then peel the rest before dipping.”

Yang snickered. “Yeah, sis. That’ll be the only head you ever suck, amirite?”

Ruby groaned. “Again, with the ace jokes!” She elbowed her sister and smiled to show that she didn’t actually mind.

Dinner was a long and very fun affair, and there was more than enough food to go around. Yang, of course, ate a good amount of beef, as well as the eggplant. Weiss enjoyed the potatoes and mussels. Ruby went for the beef, as well as many of the vegetables. Oscar mostly ate the vegetables and shrimp. He and Ruby decimated the sprouts. Eventually, Yang relented and tried one. After cooking it in the spicy broth and dipping it in some sesame sauce, she begrudgingly admitted that it tasted pretty good.

After cleaning up, the four were pleasantly drowsy, but not ready to go to sleep just yet. So, Yang broke out the sodas and popcorn and put in Spirited Away. She and Weiss made it to the end, while Ruby and Oscar fell asleep halfway through. Carefully, the older girls got up and rearranged the two kids so that they were lying fully on the futon. Ruby mumbled something in her sleep and cuddled closer to Oscar, who smiled slightly at whatever he was dreaming about.

Yang had to cover her mouth to keep from squealing. “They are so adorable! I can’t!”

Weiss smiled fondly. “They certainly are.” She pulled the blanket over the two, turned off the television, and took their copy of Castle in the Sky from the shelf. “Want to continue this in our room?”

Yang grinned. “Definitely!”

The two cuddled together in their bed, Weiss’s laptop propped up on both of their laps as they started the movie. Weiss nuzzled against Yang’s shoulder, smiling as Yang kissed the top of her head and hugged her closer with one arm. A half hour later, she was sound asleep.

Yang carefully folded the laptop and placed it to the side before maneuvering herself and Weiss into a lying-down position. Pulling her girlfriend close, she shut her eyes and let out a contented sigh. Normally, she’d entertain a sappy thought or two concerning her girlfriend, her sister, Oscar, or a combination of the above factors, but she fell asleep too quickly for even that.

~

I thought I’d give you a nice side of Rose Garden with your @freezerburn-week entry today! I seriously can’t get enough of my adorable babies!

If you like what you see, feel free to check out my Fanfiction page and my Patreon.

Peace out!

[renaroo]

Day 12 Present: Just for You

Disclaimer: RWBY and related characters are the property of Rooster Teeth. Warnings: Language, Canon-typical violence Rating: T Pairings: PennyxRuby Synopsis: It’s been many years, but Ruby never forgot. And she’s hoping, with her present, that Penny hasn’t either. RubyxPenny. Sapphic September: Present

A/N: I realized just recently that I related to Ruby so much because I, too, am robosexual. hence the Transformers addiction and so on. So here’s to the fellow robosexuals of the world.

Ruby walked down the cold halls of Atlas’ premiere institution and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of why Weiss had made the choice of coming to Beacon all that time ago instead of staying true to her family’s traditions. It was certainly a decision that wouldn’t have been hard for Ruby herself to make under the same conditions.

But she was there for a reason, and she had more determination with each step she took behind the former stalwart soldier.

“It will be just a little bit further from here,” Ironwood informed her, looking back just enough to meet Ruby’s eyes and looking away again. “I’m sorry that it took us so long to track you down to tell you what progress had been made. It’s my understanding that you two are incredibly close.”

Are, Ruby thought on the word, on the sound of it in her own ears. It felt… so right. It felt so good to think of someone in the present tense again after so long of thinking o so many in the past tense.

She took a deep breath and rubbed at her neck. “Well, that’s the difficulties of having a mobile lifestyle I guess! My dad’s been trying to convince me to get a mailbox in one of the cities but… heh, it’s hard enough to imagine me staying in the same district long enough to check it, let alone cities.” She realized a moment too late she was babbling and lowered her arm back down to her side.

Ironwood was still walking stiff as a rod. It reminded her of Weiss and Winter.

“Um, Mister Ironwood,” Ruby spoke out. “Is it just like… an Atlas thing for everyone to be so stiff all the time? Not that you’re stiff. I mean. Unless in Atlas that’s a good thing. In which case cool. But. Um. Obviously I don’t go north very often. Even when Weiss and I hunt together it’s mostly in the south…”

“You can call me James, Ruby,” he assured her without even breaking his stride. “I am a friend of your uncle, after all. And you’re more than my equal by this point in your career.”

Ruby looked to the side, pursing her lips. “You wouldn’t think that of Uncle Qrow if you heard him talking about you…” she muttered, only all too late realizing it was still loud enough for Ironwood to glance back at her again. “Oh! Uh… Sorry. I mean. I’m sure you’re actually friends and all! You run around with the same people and… shutting up.”

“I’m not offended,” he assured her. “The fact that he talks about me at all is proof to me. After all, have you ever heard him speak kindly about anyone he considers a friend?”

“Me,” Ruby answered, almost preening.

“Yes, well, you’re special,” Ironwood agreed, coming to a stop at a large, ominous looking metal door. “Well, this is the laboratory. You’ll find Penelope.”

Taken off guard, Ruby slowed to a stop and looked with wide, gray eyes toward the door of this supposed laboratory. She blinked a few times, feeling a rare wave of intimidation she hadn’t felt since she was a child. She swallowed and then looked back to Ironwood, swallowing down her nervousness. “Really? Just… behind that door. Like that? I don’t have… some weird trial I have to complete in order to… I don’t know, earn the right? Swear allegiance to some military effort first? Anything like that? I just… walk in and there’s a Penny?”

Ironwood’s eyes belied some slight amusement at Ruby’s expense. “There’s no grand effort against you here that I’m aware of, Ruby. And you’ve more than earned any privilege Atlas or any other continent could afford you by this point.”

Looking to the door again, Ruby couldn’t help but hold her hands together, like some sort of whispered prayer.

There were so many that she had lost in her life already. She was young, but in experience she was older than most seasoned Hunters. And as defeatist and against Ruby’s disposition as it may have seemed, she had long ago gotten used to the sensation of not expecting others to come back after they were gone.

Then there was Penny… And there was what Ruby lost when she lost Penny too young.

Those questions of what could have been, unlike waiting for someone coming back, was a sensation she had never really quite gotten over. Because she had only really experienced it the once.

“Also, just for clarification, it’s the Penny,” Ironwood corrected her. “One of a kind.”

“No one like her,” Ruby agreed. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, focusing on her calm and waiting… waiting for it to not be real. But the door was still there when she opened her eyes. And immediately, all the determination she had built up during the long walk down the hall came back in full. “Okay. Open it up, James!”

He blinked at her, confusion written all across his face. “It’s… not locked… but… Okay,” he said before awkwardly crossing to the other side of the door in front of Ruby and pulling the door open for her, as if it was some grand prize on the other side. Like she didn’t know exactly what she was about to see.

Both things were not entire inaccurate.

Because the moment she saw the cropped red hair, the tall physique, those bright green eyes, those speckles of freckles on porcelain skin — the moment she took it all in, Ruby hadn’t been ready. Nothing could have prepared her for what it was like to see Penny again, to see Penny grown up. To see Penny smiling at her again in that way only Penny had ever smiled.

“Ruby!” Penny called out, stepping forward.

“Penny,” Ruby replied breathlessly. “It’s… It’s really you! I knew it was… I knew they said. But. But…”

Before she could bumble through an even less acceptable reply, Penny was on her, pulling her into the largest of hugs and squeezing so tightly with that monstrous strength only Penny could have. But she wasn’t the only one hugging for long. Because the moment Ruby pulled her arms free, she wrapped them around Penny as well and squeezed Penny as tightly as her human body could.

“I was so worried when it was taking so long to find you!” Penny exclaimed. “I wanted you to be the first one to know besides my father and James. It was super important that I got to see you again first because… You were the first person I thought of when I woke up.”

Ruby had a thousand things she could thing to say to that. There were probably a hundred more that were more appropriate, but none of them came out as she uncharacteristically crumbled against Penny and hung onto her for dear life. “I wasn’t ready to lose you forever,” Ruby managed to get out instead. “You’re so pure, Penny. You’re so good. And I never… I never wanted to believe that you could love someone so much and them be gone. But you were. You were the first to go and…”

“Oh, Ruby, I’m so sorry,” Penny answered, letting go of Ruby enough to brush hair from her eyes and tears from her cheeks. “I was damaged and offline long enough that it took a lot of creative innovations from my father to recover my exact memories and data. I know that it sounds like I’m dismissing how you felt, but it’s not… I could have been in perfect working order a year ago. But I kept them working on me.”

Sniffing, Ruby looked into Penny’s face, confused. “W-what? Why would you do that?”

“Because my memories and personality weren’t complete yet, and I needed to remember everything from before,” Penny explained, smiling at Ruby. “Because all I could remember from before was you, and I knew that, no matter how long or hard it was for me to remember you, I wanted to. Because remembering how special you were and how much love you made me feel for the first time, I knew it was all worth it. Just for you.”

At that, Ruby broke down into tears and just stepped forward to brace herself against the matured Penny’s body, feeling the hum of life across all her parts. And letting Penny wrap her arms around once again.

This was the great love they had been missing, but Ruby was more than ready to start making up for lost time.

[moonsandstar-s]

The Final Warning - Chapter XXVIII

Chapter XXVIII - Alone and Apart 

Summary:  As the year draws to a close, peace has finally dawned. The time for unity has arrived. In the Vytal festival, it is time for heroes to rise, bringing glory to their kingdoms. But as autumn dies, the first winds of winter blow over Remnant, chilling the hearts of the people; breathing doubt into their souls. Long-buried secrets will triumph, and every action will have a consequence. Ruby must reconcile herself with her own fate. Weiss struggles to escape her legacy. Blake cannot erase memories. Yang’s search leads her into more peril than ever— but none of them can outrun fate. Shadows turn on shadows, and bonds shatter as they are tested to the limit. For in dividing them, they will fall and burn; at the eye of the storm, no peace lasts forever. In the end and beginning of time, there is a place where the sun never rises, and the dead delight to teach the living. A great danger is rising from the darkness. It’s time to take sides. The final warning is coming. The first chill of winter is the most deadly; it is the chill that kills more than any other. The first betrayal is the most damaging; it is the act that shatters bonds of love and trust, crushing even the strongest heart, tearing teams apart. AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/7745314/chapters/22506284 Yang 

The sun was setting outside, rays of tawny fire spilling across the great white drifts of snow. The trees clawed at the steel gray sky, and birds called mournfully outside her window. Yang had been lying here for what seemed like forever, though she knew dully that it had only been four days, so long she’d memorized the cracks in the walls, the peeling paint, the smudged glass.

She was numb.

An ice had settled in her bones, wrapping around her heart, tightening each day. She knew— distantly, very distantly, like an echo that she had long-forgotten— that the world was still going on, that reparations were being made, that life went on. But not for her. She had lost so much: Penny, Pyrrha, Ozpin, Weiss— Blake— and in this, a part of herself had died, too. So many people had left her, that, at this point, she couldn’t pick up the pieces anymore. Her fight had drained, her fire snuffed to ash. She couldn’t break out of this kind of vicious cycle.  

Blake is gone, Taiyang had said, almost hopefully, not dead, not missing.

Not dead. But gone.

That seemed to be the case with everything; that it was all gone, forever out of reach, and yet so tantalizingly close. It was a joke, really. Yang knew what had happened. No amount of optimism from her father, or encouragement from Sun, would change reality. Only months ago, she had sat here in this very room with Blake before the tournament. And in this very house, she had offhandedly mentioned how Blake was like Raven, in some ways— and now, apparently, she was exactly like Raven in the way Yang had never wanted her to be.

“I don’t want to alarm you,” Yang had said, on that day all those months ago, “but I think Dad wants to talk to you.”

Blake had looked taken aback. “Me? Why?”

“You read a lot of books, you should know this! All parents talk to their kid’s significant other, brainless. Besides, it’s not your fault at all and it’s totally dumb, believe me, but I think you remind him of Raven a little, and he’s worried.”

“Why would I remind him of Raven?”

“Raven was his partner, and she ran off on him soon after they married. You’ve run off on us, too, even if it is in the past now, and you almost resemble her a bit, with the way you look; I mean, I can’t deny that there are some similarities, even if I disagree with him, because I do… I mean, God, Blake. He’s never in his right mind when it comes to her, and neither am I. She broke his heart.”

“History repeats itself,” Yang murmured aloud, her voice gravelly. She knew Blake had abandoned her as carelessly as Raven had seventeen years ago. And, despite her father’s words of encouragement, she knew that others had died— Pyrrha, Penny, Cinder, Cardin, Roman, Fox, Neon— leaving emptiness in their wake. She had felt a flicker of guilt when he told her— remembering how she and Neon had quarreled— but it was quickly buried by numbness once more.

She knew that it must be selfish to mourn for herself in the midst of tragedy, but she couldn’t help it. It felt like a punchline to a cosmic joke, that everything important had been somehow taken away: Raven, vanished; Blake, run away; Weiss, taken; Ruby, a shell of her former self. And her own physical form was now ruined; her weapon, her arm. Gone. It was gone. They said that those who lost a part of themselves could feel the missing part, sometimes, giving phantom twinges of pain. Yang supposed it was true. She could feel the hollowness of where her heart used to reside, as well as her arm. But her heart hurt worse, by far.

Her sister didn’t give up. Despite everything, she still forged ahead. Yang knew it took a lot to break her. Underneath her innocent exterior, there was a warrior tougher than steel. Ruby didn’t give up— and Yang knew she’d been forced to grow up. They all had. The fifth time Ruby visited her, Yang forced herself to look away from the window, to associate, to forget about the fading sensation in her right half.

To forget about the fading sensation in our Bond.

Ruby walked in, just as she thought it. There was something different about her sister’s gait now; she had used to walk around in a trotting, stomping manner, but now there was a hesitance and fear there that almost hurt Yang. They’d all been changed by the Fall of Beacon, in some ways that they were only just beginning to comprehend.

“I brought you a sandwich,” her sister said brightly, failing to hide the undercurrent of anxiety in her tone. “Turkey, remember? It’s your favorite, and Dad and I thought maybe you’d be hungr—”

“Put it down on the nightstand.”

“Oh,” Ruby said, deflating like a balloon that had been punctured. “Okay.” There was a gentle clatter of glass against wood as she set it down clumsily, skirting the bed to sit at the footboard, the bed sagging slightly under her weight.

There was a long silence, before Yang heard Ruby let out a rustling breath from her lungs, shifting around. “Are you ever going to talk to me, Yang?”

“Talk about what?” she asked stiffly. “If you want to talk, talk. No one’s stopping you, are they?”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I’m done having one-sided conversations with you. You can’t pretend nothing happened,” her sister snapped. “Look. Look up here at me. In the eyes.”

Yang looked, and flinched as Ruby’s eyes met hers. They were bright, angry silver, and she had heard Qrow and Taiyang whispering about them, late into the night— she had heard what her sister had done, what she was capable of, how she had killed three people. How Ruby wasn’t just Ruby Rose, small and simple, but a girl straight out of a legend. Much as she missed Blake, the reality of her sister’s power scared the hell out of her. The idea that Ruby wasn’t just Ruby anymore was more frightening than anything. “I’m looking.”

“You’re worrying me and Dad,” she said without preamble. “And you— Yang, you know there’s a huge difference between healthy mourning, and cutting yourself off. You’re not living. You’re just a shadow, sitting here, not doing anything to fight back against what happened—”

“Maybe I’m done fighting,” Yang snapped. “Don’t you get that? I fought Mercury, and I got framed. I fought for Beacon, and it fell. I fought to find my mother once, and I almost got you killed. I fought Adam for Blake, and I—” Her throat closed up, constricting all the words that had welled up inside of her, and she choked on them, tears streaming down her face. “Even after trying my hardest and doing my best, I still lost her, too…”

The bed creaked as Ruby came over and hugged her silently, her arms going around Yang as she sobbed, because she had forgotten that, without a Bond, there was no outlet, nowhere for her emotions to go, and they were drowning her, clamoring in her mind and threatening to send her spiraling into insanity. “Oh, God,” she croaked. “She’s gone, she’s gone and she left me here and she’s not coming back…”

“I’m not Blake,” Ruby murmured,  “and I’m not going to lie, or anything… I don’t know why she left. But what I do know, and what I’m sure of, is that Blake loves you.” Her voice was soft and sincere. “I know that as much as I know that my name is Ruby Rose. Don’t ever think she doesn’t. The way she looked at you, the way she said your name… I know what love looks like. I saw Mom and Dad, and I remember that. I always will. I remember how she would do anything for you— anything, anything you ever wanted— and sometimes, when I woke up the middle of the night and looked down at your bunk bed, she was awake, just lying there and playing with your hair and looking at you.

“And she loved you, sis. I’m not saying this to hurt you, Yang. I would never do that. But you need to know the reality of it; she didn’t leave because she didn’t love you. That’s not to say she doesn’t still love you— but what you should remember is that while Blake was, and is, a huge part of you— she’s not all of you, okay? A part of you existed before you ever met Blake, before you ever knew her name, before she was ever important to you… and a part of you should exist after Blake, because you’re more than just Blake’s Yang.” Ruby’s hand squeezed on her shoulder, insistent. “You’re so much more than that. You’re my sister, my best friend, and you’re a fighter. I’m not saying you should forget about her… but separate yourself from what you’ve lost and don’t let it consume you. Don’t repeat what happened with Dad. When Raven left and Mom died, he… he shut down. I can’t stand it if you do the same thing.”

Ruby ran her hands through Yang’s hair, calming her wrenching sobs to quieter, broken sniffles.“I lost my partner too,” Ruby continued quietly. “And do you know what happened before I saw Pyrrha get murdered?”

“What?” she asked, her voice flat, without inflection.

“Weiss kissed me,” Ruby said abruptly, making Yang straighten in shock. She sounded calm, but there was a tension like live wires running underneath her words, and when Yang looked over in astonishment, she saw that her sister’s hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists on top of her knees.

“Well,” Yang breathed, her exhale hoarse. “That’s unexpected.”

Ruby looked thoughtful, something flickering in her silver eyes. “Is it?”

“I knew she had feelings for you, and I told you as much,” Yang said shortly. “You didn’t believe me. Why so shocked now? Of course Weiss would have done something; she knew you were running up to the Tower’s top and risking your life… she’s not the type to stand idly by, you know. I wouldn’t think it was a big thing out of the blue.”

“Because she also said something else,” Ruby told her. “She told me that she loved me.”

Yang’s eyes widened. “Did she?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, looking Yang in the eye and squeezing her single hand between her own. “And I think that if someone loves you, that’s worth fighting for.”

There was a long silence. Ruby seemed to be struggling to formulate the right words, before she said, “Dad always told us that love is the most powerful force on earth. That no matter what, love would find a way. Even after Mom died, he believed that, you know? And he has a point. Love is worth whatever it might cost you, in the end. So many people have lost the people they loved, and they were left behind. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Jaune lost Pyrrha. Dad lost Mom. Qrow lost Ozpin. You lost Blake, and I— I lost Weiss.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I know it can seem impossible, but we can’t lose ourselves, too.

“Yang, I understand that you’re grieving, and that’s okay. You need to grieve, or else you’ll never heal right, you know? But you and me— we can get through this, no matter how hard it is, no matter how much we feel like just giving up. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, really, but I can get an idea. I’m never going to be your innocent little sister anymore, and you’re not going to be the overbearing older sister… we’re new people now, but maybe, just maybe, we can keep going. But we can’t do that at all if you don’t talk to me, and at least try to start healing.”

“I lost everything because of one stupid decision,” Yang whispered, her voice trembling. “If I hadn’t charged in there like an idiot, like some sort of savior… I could have saved Blake, and myself, and I could have killed Adam for touching her. Ruby, I… I’m afraid if I make another stupid choice like that, I won’t be able to heal, or to come back— not ever.”

“You’re scared,” her sister whispered. “I’m scared too. Qrow told me I almost died on top of the Tower because of—”

“I know about your eyes,” Yang croaked. “Qrow came in here and told me even if I didn’t talk back to him… he just came in here and said it and left…” Her voice abruptly hardened. “So, it’s a legend, and you’re the subject of a legend. Your power wasn’t enough to save everyone. It was only enough to keep you alive, and to murder Cinder. That doesn’t do anything—”

“Yang, that’s not the point—”

“—it’s a legend!” she shouted, twisting away from her sister, rage bubbling up inside her as she made as if to grip the bedpost before realizing she couldn’t do it, because her arm was gone, further igniting her anger. “Legends don’t help anyone; they didn’t help you or me! They’re just stories made to explain people people who don’t understand themselves.”

“Tell me if this isn’t real,” Ruby said, glaring down at her, and Yang could almost feel the frost and coldness from her gaze, like dark, cold water had filled her heart to the brim, and was trickling over, sending a chill through her veins, weighing down her stomach with dread. “Because everyone in Vale that night felt it. Like it or not— and trust me, I’m not sure I like it at all— I’m separated from all of you by something as simple as the color of my eyes, because I’ve got the power to destroy even the strongest with only a look. If you want to sit here and give up, I can’t stop you, because that’s what you’re determined to do. But I’m going out there to fix my world, because I have a duty to protect Remnant, no matter how I might feel about it.” She rose from the bed, and Yang noticed, detachedly, that her sister had gotten taller and leaner, her gaze holding a new, haunted shadow. As she turned to go, she whisked around, scrutinizing Yang through narrow eyes. “And maybe do a little considering about why Blake ran away, and what Adam was to her.”

Yang flinched.

“You’re not the only one who’s scared to death of what comes next. You’re not the only who who has no idea what she’s doing or how to move on! And trust me, you’re not the only one who lost everything that night.”

With that, she left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

/ / /

“What do you mean she’s gone?”

Yang lifted her head dully as two loud, quarreling voices intruded upon the silence enveloping her room. It sounded like her father and uncle were right outside her door,  bickering with each other.

“Well, she’s damn well not hiding under the bed, Tai. I mean her room is empty, and there’s a trail of footsteps leading away from the house. She’s gone. She left a note saying as much—”

“You told her about Haven, didn’t you?” There was the sound of displaced air, a thud of impact, and a scuffle, followed by a loud crash and a flurry of swearing. “You— told her— and she— left! This is all your fault!”

Yang slid out of her bed and fought off a wave of dizziness from hunger and lethargy, slowly padding to the door, and peering out. Her eyes widened in mild shock as she saw what had happened. Taiyang had caught Qrow off-guard by tackling him to the floor. The thudding noise had been Taiyang tackling him, the scuffle had been the moment where they both fought to stay upright, and the sound of the crash had been when they’d hit the ground and continued to scuffle there. Tai was lobbing clumsy punches at Qrow, who was easily avoiding them, a look of irritation on his face. That annoyed expression convinced her that the argument wasn’t out of hand.

“Well,” she said drily, making her father pause mid-punch, “I wasn’t expecting to see this, Dad. Mind telling me why you’re using this old bird as a punching bag?”

Taiyang clambered off Qrow and got to his feet, still looking pissed off, and Qrow straightened up, dusting himself off.

“He let Ruby run off on some idiotic mission for answers,” Taiyang hissed. “Your sister is gone, already fled Patch on a boat, and it’s his fault!”

“Ruby’s… gone?” Yang stumbled back, her heart giving a constricting pang, but neither of them seemed to notice; they were still bristling in fury at each other.

“You knew this would happen,” Taiyang accused him. “You knew she’d run off because she felt responsible, like she feels responsible about everything—”

“I won’t lie to you,” he said. His face was flushed an angry red where Taiyang had slapped him. Yang remembered what Ruby had said to her last night— Dad lost Mom. Qrow lost Ozpin— and she frowned, brows knitting together. Grief expressed itself in different ways, and if this was the outlet they had— beating up on each other— she didn’t think it was a very good one. “Yeah, I did think that. But I also know that she’s not some pansy. If you ever want her to heal right, Taiyang, this is the only way it’ll happen. Staying here will just break her. She needs answers.” His gaze softened and he looked between them both, Taiyang and Yang. “And that’s something you both should understand.”

Yang flinched away— the comment was barbed, no doubt he was hinting at the time he had saved her life after she’d endangered it with her stupid hunt after her mother— but Taiyang just looked more enraged, his blue eyes nearly black with anger. “You let a fifteen year old girl run off without supervision into the wild? She could get killed by Grimm, or by some rogues, or— or God knows what else—”

“The Grimm don’t pose a threat to her,” Qrow said irritably, “and they never have, as you damn well know— and now she knows, too. And she’s not alone. I can tell you that with certainty.”

“What do you mean?” Yang broke in. They both looked startled at her intervention, their eyes flicking to the bandaged stump of her arm, and her mood blackened. “Stop staring at me like I’m an injured animal and spit it out,” she prompted, the faintest hint of a snarl embedded in her voice. “Ruby’s gone, but I doubt she went alone. So who’s she with?”

“I think you know them,” Qrow said, looking wary. “Those kids, the team of the girl who died. Team JNPR. Scrawny blonde boy, a girl with a hammer, and a boy that rather reminded me of your Blake.”

“She’s not my Blake,” Yang growled, eyes narrowing, and he seemed to realize he’d made a mistake, an expression of guilt shadowing his face. “But— so she went with Jaune, Nora, and Ren? How the hell did they get to Patch? I mean, she told me she was leaving, but I thought she would—”

“Ruby told you she was leaving, too?” Taiyang stared at his daughter, his eyes filled with betrayal, and Yang backed away. “Am I the only one who didn’t know my own daughter was fixing to leave?”

“‘I’m going out there to fix my world, because I have a duty to protect Remnant, no matter how I might feel about it’,” Yang quoted, lifting her chin and eyeing her father right back, a bitter, twisted voice in the back of her mind, egging her on, even though she knew what she was about to say would hurt her father. “That’s what she said to me. I didn’t know. I suspected, sure, but who’s going to listen to me? I’m just the crazy girl, or so the world thinks, after I almost killed Mercury.”

Taiyang looked like she had slapped him in the face, but he fell quiet, his mouth working.

“None of us think you’re crazy,” Qrow informed her drily,  “but if you keep up the dark comments, we just might.”

Yang flipped him a gesture that heavily relied on her middle finger, and Taiyang scowled, before whirling around and jabbing an accusatory finger into Qrow’s chest. “Why don’t you use your semblance to go after her, or— or stop her, or something? Anything!”

Qrow barked a laugh, roughly knocking Tai’s hand away. “Why don’t you trust your own daughter?” His voice lowered, and he shoved his face forward, a vein standing out in his neck. “Is it because of Summer? Is that it? Are you so controlled by your fears that you can’t even realize that your own daughter is not Summer Rose?”

“Watch your mouth,” Taiyang snarled back, his eyes smoldering with fury.

“Watch what? The truth? Or are you so scared of it that you can’t admit it to yourself?”

“God forbid I try to protect her!” Taiyang exploded, his voice bouncing off the walls. “God forbid I try to protect her from meeting the same end as her mother!”

“Dammit. Taiyang,” Qrow whispered. “I miss her too, more than you’ll ever know… but Ruby isn’t Summer, do you hear me? She’s not.”

Yang left them to argue and trudged back into her room, slamming the door behind her. She fell into her bed, taking a deep breath, before it hit her, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

Ruby’s gone, she thought blankly. She’s really, really gone… gone for as long as she can stay away… Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, Penny, Ozpin, my mother, the school, my sister… it’s all gone. Everything is gone.

And there in the emptiness of the desolate room, snow beginning to fall outside and obscure the footprints of her sister’s flight from home, Yang succumbed to her tears.

/ / /

“Can I come in?”

She didn’t reply as her father’s quiet voice rang into the silence, and he took it as a yes, moving into the room with a hesitancy borne from the days of her cold silence, her dead stare out the window. “Yang, sweetie,” he said softly. “I know you’re hurting. It’ll probably hurt for a long time. But I understand, honey, you know that I do.”

She looked down at her hand dully, and he sat on the edge of the bed, letting out a long sigh. “Qrow’s gone,” he said finally. “He shifted and left a few hours ago to follow after your sister. She’ll be alright, you know. She’s strong, stronger than either of us really realized… she’s got the heart of a lion, your sister. She won’t let her grief stop her.”  

Yang opened her mouth to speak and was greeted by a stale, brittle puff of air. In a brief, flitting moment of terror, she wondered if she’d been silent so long that she had forgotten how to speak, but in a moment, she realized her fears were unfounded. “Is that an insult to me? Because I’m letting my grief stop me? You of all people should know that everyone leaves me eventually,” she said hoarsely, looking bitterly outside the window. “Raven. Mom. Qrow. You. Ruby. Weiss.”

“And Blake,” Taiyang said gently, and she caught his glance of worry as her hands tightened on the sheets, knuckles whitening. “You must spill your emotion, Yang, or it will drown you. Not acknowledging it won’t change the fact that it happened, believe me.”

“What do you want, Dad?” She snapped, feeling thoroughly put-out by his dodging the issue. “I told you that I don’t—”

“A letter came in the mail today. There’s no sender address, but…” He shrugged weakly. “I think we both know who it’s from. And you deserve to know.”

Her head shot up so fast that her neck popped, and she took a deep inhale of breath, the world suddenly spinning around her, as if tipped on its axis, sending her sprawling. “Can I— do you have it?”

Wordlessly, he held out a folded piece of paper. The front of it was scrawled in loopy, spidery handwriting that was hard to read, but Yang would know that sleight of hand anywhere. She’d spent its countless hours with its owner, watching those words move across the page as their writer frowned down at them, and she’d seen them in class, on little notes of sweet nothings left lying around for Yang to find, of essays and books and—

Yang took a deep breath to steady herself, and reached out with her shaking hand, gripping the paper. The edges were timeworn and ragged, but all she could see was Blake, Blake’s face, as if it was tattooed on the backs of her eyelids. Her slightly lopsided smile, genuine like Yang had seen it in the Emerald Forest. Her burning amber eyes that glowed in the night, the way they were dark like syrup in shadows, and glowed like fire in sunlight, flecked with gold and rich brown. The barest hint of freckles dusting the bridge of her nose. The way the edges of her eyes crinkled when she grinned. The seriousness of her expression. Her raven-black hair with just the slightest touch of brown scattered through the strands. The white scar on the edge of her jaw from when she was very little. Her expressive ears, always pricking or flattening with the rise and falls of her mood. Blake’s terrified face, bloodied lips shaping her name, before everything went black as Adam struck. The face Yang loved more than any other in the whole world, the face she would know even if she was blind, and the face she would never see again. Thoughts clamored in her mind, threatening to pull her down and drown her, and a flurry of shadows raced through her mind.

Clutching the letter so tightly she was afraid it might tear, Yang looked up at her father. “Dad, go,” she whispered. “Please.”

“You need to be alone, I got it.” He gave her a wavering smile, brushing back a lock of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. “I’m always here for you, sweetie. If you need to talk, just call me, okay?”

With that, he padded out of the room, and Yang, her hand shaking, fumbled with the letter, a mixture of pure anxiety and anger at her arm— only having one was still so, so hard— racing through her, and with a quiet flutter of paper, the letter opened to a cramped page full of words. Blake’s voice, small and matter-of-fact, began to talk in her ear, and still, Yang could only see her face, and now she knew why they called it heartbreak, now she knew why people wrote songs and cried and tore themselves apart with the agony of love lost. Pain burned in her chest, something uniquely horrible, and nothing could douse the blazing agony in her heart at the thought of Blake, her voice, her face, her eyes— her.

“Yang,” the letter began. “My love, my light, the dearest to my heart.

I don’t know where this will find you, or when. I would not blame you, if I were you, if you ripped this letter to pieces without reading it, for what I’ve done is unforgivable. I know that. I was given a letter from a dead man once, and now it seems cruel to do the same to you, for the Blake you knew, and the Blake I was— she is dead, surely, back in the ruins of Beacon. Except my father was driven to do what he did by a quiet courage. My motives aren’t nearly as noble as that. Fear is not noble. Fear is for cowards, and a coward is all I am.

The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said, never explained, and I’d never wish more pain upon you than I’ve already caused… so I hope this is an adequate explanation. It pains me more than anything to have left you, to not be by your side. And it made me want to die when you almost did perish for me. For we all have lost everything for one another. That is a sacrifice I could never ask you to make for me, and it is a debt I will never be able to repay. Parting from you makes every other pain I’ve ever suffered seem like a drop of rain within an ocean. Leaving you in the shadow of ruin that I brought upon you makes me want to give up, to lay down my weapons and surrender to what darkness has been haunting me ever since I saw your light die. But it is not just about you or me, and we were fools to think it was, ever since we first Bonded. We are all extinguished, for now. And I am afraid, most of all. I’m scared, Yang. I thought I knew fear before… but I didn’t, not really. What I feel now: this is fear. This is what makes your blood turn to ice. It makes everything uncertain, like you’re hovering before an endless abyss. So I chose to turn and walk away, preserving myself— and in some other ways— you, as well.

I don’t know where I’m getting the energy to keep going on, much less to write to you, but perhaps it is knowing how ashamed you would be if I didn’t that drives me on. I want to be with you, Yang, but how selfish of me would it be to remain by your side when my very presence would only bring you to destruction? How selfish would it be to love you when to love you is to kill you with my past?

So we lived in a dream for a while, in happiness and— I know this more than anything— in love. But the poison was still there, waiting to split us up. There have been enemies at so many turns, waiting to rip us apart, to tear us away from each other: Ayran, Adam, the ghosts of the past, Roman and Cinder and all those with darkness in their hearts. But we managed to pull through, until now. How cruel is it, that it was I who succeeded in dividing us, and how ironic is it that— out of the one Bond I have lost and all the people I’ve let go, that this is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done? I’m sorry. I am so sorry. As in regards to all else, you must believe me when I say that. I will never stop regretting that I had to go. Never.

Maybe it was too much. Our Bond was strong. I can’t help but be focused on you when we’re together. If you’re in the room, I want to be next to you. If you’re gone, I think about you. You’re who I want to talk to. In a fight, I want you at my back. When we’re together, the sun is shining. When we’re apart, everything is in shades of gray. I hope you’ll forgive me someday for turning our worlds into shades of gray —at least for a while.

Yang, you promised me something once, on a day that seems like an eternity ago. On the cliffs of Forever Fall, when you first extended that olive branch and we became friends, you promised you would never leave me. And now I’ve taken that choice away from you. So— hate me. It would make it easier for you to move on, and I would never wish to cause you more heartbreak then you have already endured. And I would hardly blame you if you did hate me already. I won’t be so arrogant as to ask for your forgiveness. But should our paths ever cross again, know that I loved you, and still love you, more than I ever have loved anything in the duration of my life. You were not the first dream of my heart, Yang. But you were the most important, and you are the one I will never forget. You were the only dream I was unable to stop myself from dreaming of. There is a part of me that wants you and will always, always want you, no matter what.

Three words don’t really mean much, but they are all I have. I love you. I’ve said it before. But it’s not enough and it never will be enough. I love you more than I have ever loved anything. I love you like I love the sun and the stars and every beautiful thing in life. I love you catastrophically, and I cannot untie you from my heart, blood, mind, flesh, or soul. And isn’t there some law in life that says love must be given freely, and that it must not be selfish? And isn’t it selfish to want to stay by your side, whatever cost it might take, whatever you might owe to heaven or to hell if I were to do so?

I believe that once, we were a fairy tale, you and I. And I was the idiot who was foolish enough to believe I could escape my past so easily, with barely a whimper. There’s always consequences— always repercussions— mine are just a little later in coming, that’s all. You gave so much of yourself to me— too much, I know that, so much more than I deserved. Because this is a fairy tale no longer, and happy endings are nothing more than a myth. I was told that, once. I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. But I believe it now— after I saw you lying on the ground, unconscious, wounded because of my own folly— I have no choice but to impose exile upon myself because if I can give my life to one last cause, it is to protect you. You are not safe with me. Everyone I love will die. I destroy everything I touch. That’s my legacy, Yang. That is who I am, no matter how I might try to deny it. I have nothing to show for the life I have lived, nothing except failure and pain. And I have nobody in my life who’s better off for having known me.

We are all ashes right now— ashes and fires that have been doused to nothingness. The CCT has fallen. Penny was destroyed. Pyrrha has died, too young. All these people who were my friends have suffered. Weiss has returned to a nightmare of her own. Your sister, who I began to love as my own flesh and blood, has grown up, but I think you know that already. I saw her silver light explode from the tower that night, Yang, and she is on a path none of us can venture down. We are all separated… and I do not think it is possible to be united again. Not without all hurting each other, and I have hurt you more than I ever wanted to. More than I ever could forgive myself for.  

So what do I ask of you? I’m not sure I’m allowed to ask anything of you… but please, for me… live. Live on, and survive. That is all I want out of this life, out of this life and all the lives I may ever have. There is happiness before a tragedy… there must be happiness after tragedy, too. Goodbye, Yang. I am so lucky to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye too… and I realize it now. I had everything with you, and I will never, ever stop being thankful for it.

Always yours,

— Blake

Yang wasn’t aware of the letter falling from her hand, of the cry that worked its way up from some visceral place inside of her, her hand scoring red lines against itself as if she could tear out the grief inside of her. All she could feel was the way everything inside of her felt like it had been shattered, the way she now truly knew the meaning of heartbreak, because what she felt before was nothing compared to this, nothing at all, for she could not be angry at Blake. At Blake, the love of her life.

She was gone. And now, Yang knew for sure, because even that slightest flickering flame of hope had been extinguished, she was never coming back.

The reason it hurts so much is because our souls are connected.

Blake loved her, still did love her, with a quiet sort of fierceness, and that fierceness and the pain of silence had nearly killed her. She loved me, Yang thought, really, truly understanding the depth of it for the first time, and the last. Enough to leave me, enough to put my safety above however she felt, above all the pain it brought her to even think of letting go…

And then: Blake loved me more than she loved her own life.

And it was true, wasn’t it? Blake had been completely destroyed by Adam, all the parts of her that Yang loved had been scattered. Even if she met her again, which was more unlikely than her magically regrowing an arm, Blake would never be the same. She had given her life up, her whole life and who she had once loved, to save Yang, when she could have just given up, let her die, and kept every part of herself intact. Blake had loved her enough to leave behind her home, her friends, her dream of becoming a Huntress, to keep her safe…

Yang pushed herself up, half-hiccuping on a sob, and tried to fold the letter again. She struggled, anger bubbling under her skin as her useless stump of an arm wiggled slightly, before she flung down the letter with a frustrated scream that dissolved into hot, furious tears. She cried, hot, angry tears that gradually subsided into misery and quiet keening, a keen of grief that felt like it wrenched straight out of her bones, pain wracking every cell in her body.

Hours passed, and the sun fell outside; the log cabin in Patch grew dark as the fires died and night settled in. The house that had once held a laughing mother, a doting father, and two innocent children was now empty, devoid of everything except a broken man and his broken daughter. Miles away, over the violent ocean, a crow was struggling against the buffeting gales of bitter winter wind, and in the house, the broken man slept, troubled by dreams of his daughter. But one girl lay awake long into the night as the shattered moon kept sentinel over an even more shattered kingdom, her eyes searching the darkness for someone who was not going to come back.

There were only two three-word phrases tattooed on the backs of her eyelids, one after the other.

I love you.

                                                                         Everything must go.

[canaxalberona-blog]

AU’s: RWBY, Canon Divergent

The following Verses are accepted in this blog and will be labeled as such.

Threads with those verses will be marked with v; *____

RWBY VERSE

v; Huntress of the Cards (as Teacher)    v; CELL (as Student)

Semblance: Fairy Glitter (Dust Infused Deck)

Teacher at Vacuo

v; Huntress of the Cards

Age: 27, 2nd Year Teacher, Defense Mastery

Cana has been a teacher at Vacuo for over two years, teaching defense and technique mastery. Her adept Dust Infused cards have made her a prior champion in the 32nd Annual Vytal Festival. She has a history of getting herself into trouble with law enforcements back home and is mentor to Scarlet David (based on his Origin affiliation to Peter Pan in Scarlet).

At some point during the series, she has had a run in with Qrow and Winter, but her talks with either one of them give her headaches. Winter chastises her for her inappropriate dressing as a teacher and Qrow just flirts with her constantly.

Student at Vacuo

v; CELL

Age: 18, 2nd Year Student

As leader of Team CELL (Cana, Evergreen, Laki, and Lisanna), Cana has been leading the team in strong hand-to-hand combat. Although her choice of combat is stronger to distance and long range, she has shown that she is quick to adapt to any situation.

Her bands on her wrist and arms also show that she has a strong resiliency to electrical attacks and can absorb electrical damage which she can re-direct to her cards if used in a quick motion. Otherwise, she cannot hold onto the electrical charge for more than two minutes or she will get shocked, regardless of her band’s powers.

Does well in water conditions and her Semblance can create a band of bright light directed from her dust infused bands into a ring which drains enemy abilities.

Canon Divergent AU: Daddy’s Girl

Fiore Year X780

Fairy Tail, under the command of Makarov Dreyar was a prosperous guild. A 6 year old shows up at the doors of the bustling building, its current inhabitants bright and very well skilled. Off in the corner of the building she could see mages of different classes and ages through those doors. Unbeknownst to her an orange haired man comes out with a bag in tow and walks out of the doors to see her approach.

“Hey there little lady, you lost or something?” the auburn man asks.

The violet eyed girl shakes her head yes and holds tighter to her dog’s leash. The poor puppy whimpers as he is slightly pulled.

“Oh, sorry Cabbage” she says talking to the dog.

“Cabbage, huh? That’s a weird name for a dog”

“Gildarts, you’re going to be late. Now get a move on and get on that train” an older, but somewhat taller man says to the ginger.

“Right. I better get going” he says as he takes a few steps.

Gildarts. That was him. No doubt about it. Almost losing sight of the man, Cana runs a few steps and yells at him. “CORNELIA!”

The man stops in his tracks as he looks back at the small girl. The annoyed gray haired man looks at the child with a small curious tone. “Little girl, what do you think you’re doing” he scolds her.“Can’t you see Gildarts is busy and doesn’t need to be bothered?”

The small girl retreats as she is talked down to. She takes a few steps away from them, holding onto her small puppy’s body. As the little white dog barks at him, Cana retreats further. Not looking back, she bumps into Gildarts leg.

“What did you just say?” his voice asks in a low tone, almost cynical in a matter.

“I-uh—umm. I said ‘Cornelia’” she bites back the fear in her eyes.

“How do you know that name?” he continues asking, a small tear falling from his eye.

“She’s was…she is my mom” Cana says in a hushed tone.

“Now hold on a minutes, Gildarts, what is she talking about?”Makarov asks as he exchanges glances between the two. Seeing the violet eyed girl in sadness and the orange haired man’s expression, he gets the gist and walks away. “Gildarts, take your time. I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about”

Canon Divergent AU: Guildmaster’s Daughter

Phantom Lord Arc

Phantom Lord has gone to war with Fairy Tail. Feeling a sense of urgency, Cana and Mirajane call the only person they can as Cana looks at her father’s card.

Not yet.

“Laxus, you’re our only hope” Mirajane pleads as she looks at his reflection on the orb.

“Hehe, I really do hope that geyser knows he’s in over his head and should just hand over the guild to me”

“Listen you pompous ass, we’ve been hit really badly. Levy, Jet and Droy are in the hospital due to these douche bags” the brunette says as she looks up from her cards into the lacrima orb.

“What are you gonna do for me? Strip? I always did like that nice little body of yours” the blonde smirked.

“Fuck you Dreyar! You’re no better than Ivan at this point” she said in anger. Seeing his eye twitch, he hung up.

“Did you really have to go that far Cana?” Mirajane asks in desperation. “He could have helped us”

“No! Fuck him and his asshole nature. He’s not the only one with issues you know! He’s leaving us to fend for ourselves and who knows how long its gonna be until their next attack. Now lets focus on tending to the wounded and beating these guys.”

Two Days Later

The funeral of Makarov Dreyar marked on of the saddest days in Fiore. No one said a word to each other as tears streamed across everyone’s faces. Natsu held Happy tightly as Lucy shed tears in Erza’s arms.

The cold silence was short lived as the blonde approached with the Raijinshuu not far behind. The cold cobblestone floor sounded of clanking heels as the brunette came rushing at him. Slapping him clearly across his face, Cana cried as Gray and Mirajane held her back.

“It’s all your fault Laxus! You should have been here!” she screamed as the ice mage continued to pull her back into his arms.

Gildarts approached the blonde with a small envelope.

“I’m sorry Laxus, but you left us with no choice” the eldest mage said as he handed the paper to the smaller blonde.

“Your actions proved that you could not be trusted. Therefore, as the senior S-Class mage, I must expel you from Fairy Tail until such a time as deemed suitable by the Magic Council” he sighed.“You proved to us that you are not ready to lead this Guild.”

“Then who is?” he asked in disbelief.

Mirajane spoke up. “At the moment we are without a guild master until the Council appoints someone. But Gildarts is acting Master until they decide. I’m sorry Laxus” she cried as she kissed his cheek and ran off crying next to the brunette and the ice mage.

Laxus was in disbelief as he looked at the rest of the guild. Had this really happened?

[2 Different Canon Divergences I had been working on at some point in the past week. Please let me know if you guys like or if you would like to plot any of them. I will be posting these to my @dark-cana account as well portraying the darker versions and evil Guild of Fairy Tail.]