#i am really annoyed with tai though and i just need to vent

[ellsieee]

Unpopular opinion maybe, but I've really had it up to here with Tai's selfishness. Despite Patts using violence because he was jealous, which is a big no no for me, I'm on his side this time around. I can understand Tai having trouble communicating, but Patts told him very plainly again and again that he just wants to hear Tai say that he chooses him; that he's 1st in Tai's heart. Instead of giving Patts the reassurance and confidence he so desperately needs, why does he ask Patts why he has to choose? Tai might believe that the soulmates thing takes care of everything but he should know that Patts does not have the same dogged belief in the soulmates destiny thing. On top of that, he now has two soulmates which makes things as clear as mud. Couldn't Tai have said a simple "you're my boyfriend"? I think that would have gone a long way to comforting Patts about their relationship. Tai lied about hanging out with Lomfon and refused to affirm his relationship with Patts so I can't blame Patts for feeling frustrated and lashing out. I almost wish Patts had just walked away after asking to break up rather than begging for forgiveness and sniveling by the door. 😅

Tai acts the same way regarding his parent's divorce. He is only focused on how he feels, we never see him comforting Tien or any of his brothers. He's so obsessed about the soulmates thing from his perspective that he does not consider how his father actually feels. His father has clearly accepted the divorce and moved on, but Tai only wants to believe his narrative of the divorce instead of believing what his father is telling him.

Tai is frustrating me to no end. Sometimes he is quite considerate (he was nice to Nara), but other times he spares no thought for other people's needs or feelings. Tai could really be a better brother too. I'm mad Tien was all alone with his pain at the end of the episode. It's not really on Tai since Tien is an adult and can stay out without Tai calling or looking for him, but since I'm already frustrated with Tai, what's one more thing to add to the list? 😅

[of-muppets-and-men]

A Rose and Her Thorns

A piece I finally found the time to finish.

Spring.

Arguably Raven’s least favourite season. Summer was always warm and inviting; never sullied by the rain. Autumn was cool, its winds delicate and gentle; not to mention the breathtaking beauty of the forest. Winter, while bitter and unforgiving, at least gave her a reason to hunker down in her tent; warmed by fresh tea and heavy blankets. But Spring?

Spring was what it always was: Groggy and Wet.

The near constant rain seeped into everything it could; her clothes, her tent, and more annoyingly, the earth. The ground became a thick field of mud, making setting up camp a pain. Trees and foliage damp to the touch, making campfires all the more difficult to light. Raven had been through this time and time again, and with every passing year, she hated it even more.

And so, Raven sat quietly, trying to enjoy a cup of jasmine tea. A steady beat of raindrops pelted the roof of her tent, causing the bandit queen to seethe. With a deep sigh, she took a slow sip from her porcelain cup. The tea brought warmth to her numb fingers as she relished in her favorite tea. But her bliss was rudely interrupted when she heard the loud stomping of boots headed towards her tent.

The Bandit Queen nearly dropped her cup as Vernal and two of her scouts came fumbling in, trodding mud with every step. Raven was surprised to see her scouts so badly beaten. They may not have been her, but they definitely knew how to handle themselves. One of them was basically being carried by Vernal while the other stumbled inside, clutching his ribcage. Raven half-heartedly walked over to inspect the damage of her comrades; Vernal dressed the injuries best she could.

“Who did this to you?” Raven asked abrasively “C’mon. Speak up.”

“No idea.” Her scout spoke “This chick just ambushed us out of nowhere. Didn’t even have time to fight bac-”

The well built man winced in pain as Vernal bandaged his broken ribs. His partner was nursing her concussion with a bag of ice. Raven scoffed in disappointment, but led onto the more pressing question.

“This woman… Was she a huntress?”

“Maybe.” The other scout piped up.

“What did she look like?” Raven questioned again.

“Short. Couldn’t see her face under her cloak though.” The scout explained.

“Cloak?” Raven spat, eyebrow cocked.

“Yeah… big white and red cloak surrounded by flower petals.”

The Bandit Queen’s eyes grew wide in realisation. She stood back up, fists clenched and body tense. A deep sigh followed as her subordinates looked on in bewilderment. Raven had long dreaded this would happen. The day she left her family, her team; she knew one day they’d come looking for her.

“You okay, Boss?” Her scouts asked in unison.

“Vernal. Get these two patched up in the medical tent. I’ll tend to this myself.” Raven declared.

Her lieutenant attempted to protest ��Raven, Are you sur-”

“Yes, I am. Now go.”

A tone of voice Vernal knew well and she knew it wasn’t wise to stick around. The lieutenant ushered the scouts of the tent, hoping not to exacerbate their injuries. Raven ambled toward Omen, clutching her weapon’s scabbard intently. She fastened it to her hip, unsheathing the crimson blade. The red glint comforted her in its own strange way, a poignant reminder of her own strength. The Leader of the Branwen tribe resheathed her blade, donned her mask, and set out in search of the trespasser.

In a moment’s notice, she flew above the treeline.  As much disdain as she held for Ozpin, this was far and away the best thing he’d ever done for her. Raven glided through the air, relishing in the freedom of flight. There she gazed upon the earth for a sign, any sign of human life.

And sure enough, a plume of smoke protruded from the canopy; an obvious signal to lure her in. The smoke was too thick to be just logs. No, someone had intentionally let it billow. A clever ploy at the very least. Raven dived back into the forest to better trace the source, noticing hints of flame through the damp thicket.

With a surge of magic, Raven returned to her human form and hid within the treeline. A move she’d learned as a child and perfected as a huntress; She laid an eye onto the clearing. And the lack of… anything, worried her. Other than the fire, there was nothing; no bedroll, no provisions, nobody. Every bit of this reeked of a trap. Raven gripped Omen tight; the mechanism swirled and locked in a blade. Hesitant to expose herself, the bandit queen waited for the perpetrator to act…

*Swish*

Three dust bolts flew past her head, embedding themselves into an adjacent tree six inches above her. Her cover blown, Raven blitzed out of the treeline. Her gaze zeroed in on the direction the bolts came from; a large oak tree. The closer she got, the silhouette of woman became more apparent within the branches. Another volley wisped past the brush. Raven sidestepped them before lunging at the trespasser. But before Omen could connect, the mystery woman exploded into flower petals. Raven’s eye widened in disbelief, only to sharpen once more as she turned around.

The edge of Omen’s blade nearly an inch from the woman’s throat; countered by the fact a blade hovered over Raven’s heart. A smirk formed on the Bandit Queen’s face as she breathed the woman’s name.

“Summer. Long time no see.”

“Likewise Raven. Do you… want to continue?” Summer inquired.

The old friends chuckled before resheathing their weapons. Their eyes remained locked on one another; hostility not entirely off the table. Raven could see her former leader’s eye glimmering in the shade; a sight that made her nervous.

“Let’s talk over there.” The smaller woman said, gesturing over to the clearing.

Raven nodded and followed Summer back into the dim light of the afternoon. With a couple cleaves, Raven had made a tree into something relatively comfortable to sit on. They awkwardly sat at opposite ends, facing away from each other to avoid eye contact. Silence enveloped them as they both pondered on what to say. After all, in the grand scheme, Raven had only departed one and a half years ago. Such a long time and yet equally not. But ever abrasive, the bandit queen started her inquiry.

“What the hell are you doing here, Summer?”

“A girl can’t catch up with an old friend?” the smaller woman answered coyly.

“You could… But I highly doubt you roughed up my men just for a chat.”

“Hmph… I missed your skepticism.”

Summer let out a deep sigh, her hands trembling as she did so. A thing Raven found odd to say the least. Summer, as far as she knew, was the most cheerful beacon of hope she’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. So seeing her former leader downtrodden was alarming to say the least.

“I really am here to talk, Rae. I have a thing I need to vent about. I can’t tell Tai and I sure as hell can’t tell Qrow, so if you could bear with it without bitching at me; That’d be great.”

It took a moment for Summer to realize she had begun to cry. She half-heartedly wiped the tears away with her sleeves, only for more to take their place.

A sight profoundly alien to Raven. In the many years she’d known her, she’d never seen Summer with anything less than a grin. And now to see her former leader falling apart at the seams, it… scared her. In ways she hadn’t felt for a long time.

Raven shuffled closer to her old friend, rubbing her back to calm her down.

“Summer. What’s wrong?”

A still teary Summer looked up at her old friend and managed to whimper out an answer: “I’m pregnant, Rae.”

Her answer lingered in the air for a spell; Raven’s shock telegraphed by her eyes. She didn’t know how to feel about it. Should she be happy? After all, despite her current position, this was still a momentous occasion. Or should she be angry? Considering Summer and Tai had been living together. A fact she knew as a result of her snooping. The latter would have to do…

“That’s… incredible, Summer.” A stale attempt at enthusiasm.

The soon-to-be mother didn’t respond. She only continued to lazily wipe away her tears.

“It’s no wonder you haven’t told Tai. The blond idiot couldn’t stop celebrating when I told him. Couldn’t imagine it happening all over again.” Again, Summer remained silent.

“Y’know Sum? I’m almost proud. Snatching up Tai as soon as I was out of the picture. Didn’t think you had it in you if i’m being honest…”

“Raven, stop…”

“No, I’m serious Sum. I didn’t think you had an assertive bone in your body, yet here you are carrying my ex’s ba-”

“IT’S NOT TAI’S!!!!” Summer snapped, standing now with her fists clenched.

Once more, Raven sat dumbfounded, “Not Tai’s? Then who’s?”

With her hood pulled over her head, Summer spoke: “Qrow’s”

Silver eyes shone through the shadow of her hood, fear and uncertainty shrouding their beauty. The mirror-like gaze matched by deep scarlet. Raven was at a loss for words. Today was turning out to be far more eventful than she had thought. She hadn’t seen anyone from STRQ in well over a year. Now, in a matter of a few fleeting minutes, her former best friend drops back into her life and tells her she's going to be an aunt.

But Qrow? Qrow?

Her pissant little brother was going to be a father. The cursed brat of the Branwen tribe. She could barely believe her ears. Raven stood in stunned silence while Summer gave that annoying look of hers.

“See my problem, now?”

It took a moment for Raven to find the words. Where should she start? Her entire perception of life as a student was just uprooted. Summer and Qrow. The thought of them together made her stomach churn. But how long had they been this way? And how did she never pick up on it? Too deep in thought, Summer piped up to give the answers she required.

“Second year.” Summer voiced.

“What?”

“We’ve been together since second year.” the little woman clarified.

“You’ve been keeping this secret for 3 years?” Raven fumed, nearly impressed by the resolve. “Does Tai know?”

“No. And It wasn’t our intention for it to be this way. We were going to tell you two when we graduated, but then you left… Tai was in a bad place and I chose to help him. We both decided it wasn’t the time or the place, which is why I’m here now.”

The Bandit Queen scoffed, her fists clenched with frustration, “So that’s why he stayed...”

Raven shot up from her makeshift seat, Summer puzzled at her sudden change in temperament. The Bandit that was once her friend started to make her way back to the tribe she’d left them for. The smaller woman followed close behind, intent to change her mind. Their boots sloshed in the mud as Summer grabbed her wrist.

“Where are you going?” Summer badgered.

“Home. I’m done with our little talk.” Raven snarled in response.

“Then you’re going the wrong way.”

Scarlet eyes whipped back, clearly laced with insult. Summer looked back defiantly, unfazed by Raven’s temper.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You have a home, but it’s not here. It’s back on Patch where your husband, daughter, brother, myself and now your niece are waiting for you.” Summer lectured, clutching her abdomen. “Your FAMILY.”

Raven said nothing in return. Only rolling her eyes as she pulled her wrist from Summer’s grasp. Family? What a joke. The wilds were the only place for her now, as much as Summer begged to differ. It was Qrow’s too, but he was a fool, just like Oz and the rest. Raven would have no part in it. She stormed away, back through the thicket and loose earth.

It stung. Watching her friend choose a group of lowlifes over the family they made. A low scoff wisped passed her lips.

“You were a lot of things, Rae. Strong, Stubborn, Proud. But I never took you for a coward.”

Coward. The word struck Raven like a punch. In a flash of rage, she lunged at her former best friend. Omen’s blade sliced through the air, narrowly missing Summer’s head. The Tiny Huntress flowed around the weapon’s edge, sidestepping it entirely. With a solemn look, Summer then kicked Raven clean in the jaw, sending her tumbling into the mud. In her anguish, she’d forgotten to engage her aura.

Raven rubbed her aching chin, looking up at the woman who beat her. Summer gazed back, her expression dripping with disappointment. And with a shake of her head, she left, dissipating into a shroud of flower petals, leaving Raven alone. The bandit picked herself up and made the walk back to camp.

Vernal stood waiting for her, pacing by the gate. As soon as her leader appeared from the treeline, she rushed over to assess what had transpired.

“Raven? Gods, what happened out there?” The lieutenant questioned.

“NOTHING.” Raven barked as she trotted back to her tent.

Vernal watched her leader vanish behind the vestibule. Raven tossed Omen aside in a pile of cloth. She angrily poured herself more tea, recounting the day she’d had. Gods above, she hated spring, but summer was becoming a close second.