Island of Patch… Vale… Wednesday evening…
"Girls, dinner!" Tai called from the back porch as he wiped his hands on a dish rag. Ruby and Yang had gone outside to spar after finishing their homework. At the moment, Cresent Rose was at its full extension, and Ruby was spinning it rapidly around her body, creating a zone of deadly force that made it difficult for Yang to get in close to use her hand-to-hand skills. "Come and wash up!" He would be more concerned about what they were doing if he didn't know that there was a guard on the blade of Ruby's scythe so that if she did actually hit Yang, it wouldn't cut her.
He was proud of Ruby's progress – he knew how much she wanted to be a Huntress like Summer, and how hard she'd worked, not only with her scholarship, but also to hone her fighting style. Yang's fighting style took after his, and while Ruby was still lacking a bit in hand-to-hand combat, according to her teachers, she was getting better and better with her scythe every day, and her marksmanship when Crescent Rose was in its sniper rifle form was unmatched among her classmates at Signal. She still had two more years to work on developing her hand-to-hand before she could apply at Beacon, however, so there was still time to make improvements there as well.
As for Yang, he was just as proud of her, and he had little doubt that she would be accepted once she submitted her application to Beacon. She was near the top of her class in every area, and she had the same sort of fire and passion that he had had when he had first arrived at Beacon. It would be sad to see her go, since she had so much energy, but he wasn't going to hold her back from doing what she wanted to do.
"Girls!" Tai called again. "Food's on the table!" At his feet, Zwei whined eagerly, wanting his own supper. He reached down and rubbed the corgi's head reassuringly.
He watched as Yang backflipped away from another slice of her sister's scythe before collapsing her gauntlets into their bracelet form as Ruby slowed her spinning blade and came to a stop before collapsing the blade into the form she used to store it. "Coming Dad!" the older girl called. As soon as the scythe was safely stored, Yang approached and threw her arm over her sister's shoulder and they began walking towards the house together, talking animatedly the whole way.
As they crossed the yard towards the house, still talking, Tai's Scroll chimed with the ringtone he'd assigned to Qrow years ago. He pulled it out of his pocket and thumbed the button to accept the call. "Qrow? You don't usually call when you're on a mission."
"Hey Tai. Yeah, I know and I wouldn't be calling now, but I need a favor. You won't want to do it, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"I'm listening," Tai replied as Yang and Ruby entered the house and headed to the sink to wash their hands and faces.
"You're getting really good, sis. Trying to find an opening when you've got that sort of reach isn't going to be easy. By the time you're ready to take the entrance exam to Beacon, you'll be one of the best in your class!" Yang said, distracting Tai for a moment so that he missed what Qrow had said.
"Sorry, say again?" Tai said into the phone as he pointed towards the table. "The girls were being loud."
"It's a long story and I'll talk to Oz about reading you in on the situation soon, but basically I went to find Raven."
Tai hissed slightly at the name. "Why would you do that?"
"Who are you talking to, Dad?" Yang asked as she dried her hands. Tai waved her to silence.
"Oz needs to talk to her – we think she has some important information that we can use to gain an advantage over Salem. We're in Mistral at the moment, but we need to get back to Beacon as soon as possible. It'll take too long for us to take an airship back, and Raven doesn't have a bond with Ozpin so we can't open a portal directly to him."
"You want to use me as a relay, right?"
"I know it's a huge thing to ask," Qrow admitted. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
Tai rubbed one hand against the back of his neck as he moved towards the living room, ignoring the feeling of the girls' eyes on his back. "I don't like this idea, Qrow."
"Please Tai. It'll take too long for us to get back to Beacon any other way, and Raven needs to speak to Oz as soon as possible. I swear we'll arrive, walk off your property, and change into our alternate forms. We'll be gone in two minutes, unless you have anything you want to say to Raven."
"I don't," he said, glancing back at the kitchen where the girls were watching him curiously. "But I get the importance of it. Give me five minutes to get outside and then you can come. I'll send you a text when I'm in position." He ended the connection before Qrow could respond and moved towards the door.
"Dad?" Ruby's voice was filled with curiosity. "I thought we were about to eat?"
"Go ahead and eat, girls," Tai said. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Yang asked.
"Just outside for a second. Your Uncle Qrow is coming back with someone who needs to see Ozpin. They can't go straight to Beacon for some reason, but the person he's with can open a portal to someone Qrow is familiar with, so they're going to use me as a relay point."
"Uncle Qrow?!" Ruby squealed. "But we want to say hi!"
"Can't we come out and see him?" Yang asked.
Tai hesitated, knowing it would mean being in Raven's presence for longer than he wanted to, but not wanting to deny the girls the chance to say hello to their uncle, even though they'd just seen him a few days ago. "You can stay on the porch and I'll send Qrow over to say hi. I'm not sure who he's bringing through with him, so I don't want you to get too close," he lied. More than anything, he wanted to keep Yang and Raven apart. He knew how much Yang wanted to know about her birth mother, but he knew that she wasn't ready. Her temper was too volatile, and he didn't trust Raven not to try to sow discord between he and Yang if they came face to face and Yang started demanding answers. He didn't even fully understand Raven's reasons for running the way she had, and he knew it would break Yang's heart if Raven showed any callousness towards her or refused to answer her questions.
Ignoring the food, they all headed outside. Yang leaned casually against the wooden balustrade, while Ruby was practically vibrating with excitement and bouncing in place on the tips of her toes. Tai moved out into the yard and crossed far enough away from the house so that he could intercept Qrow and Raven and hopefully keep Yang from getting a good look at her mother.
Once he felt that he was far enough away, he pulled his Scroll back out and sent a quick message. Tell Raven she can open her portal.
There was a build-up of energy around him – rather like the moments before a lightning strike or the split second before a Dust crystal exploded, before the distinctive and familiar red and black colors of Raven's portal appeared a few feet ahead of him and Qrow stepped through, followed by Raven, wearing a white mask painted with the face of a Grimm. Raven clenched her fist and the portal closed behind her.
"Thanks for doing this Tai," Qrow said, reaching out to clap him on the shoulder. "I owe you a big one."
"You owe me more than one for this," Tai corrected, his eyes never leaving Raven. "The girls are on the porch – they wanted to say hi."
"Right." Qrow looked between his two former teammates. "I can trust you two won't try to kill each other for two minutes while I go and say hello, right?"
Tai nodded stiffly, and Raven jerked her head upwards in response. Qrow glanced between them a second time, before turning and heading for the porch, where Ruby looked like she was about to throw herself over the railing and into her uncle's arms.
The silence was heavy once Qrow was out of earshot, and – despite his personal resolve to not say anything to Raven – he finally couldn't take it, especially since he couldn't see her face behind the mask she was wearing. "Raven." Just being around her again – the first time he'd seen her since she'd abandoned them – was causing tension to run up his spine. He had loved her so much, and the idea that his love hadn't been reciprocated was hard and it had taken him a long time to come to terms with. It had only been after he'd fallen in love with Summer that he'd been able to move past Raven.
"Tai." Her voice was the low, throaty tones that he remembered. She paused for a moment before reaching up and pulling her mask off, shaking her long black hair back from face as she tucked her mask under her arm against her hip, while her other hand grasped the hilt of her sheathed sword. "You look well."
"I am," he said, neutrally. Better to find another topic than talking about himself or Yang. He didn't want to give Raven any ideas. "Qrow said in his texts that the two of you were going to talk to Ozpin."
A scowl flickered across her face for the briefest moments before her face smoothed to neutrality again and she shrugged carelessly. "Apparently Ozpin wants to talk to me. Qrow seems to think that Ozpin has some new informant with important details about Salem's plans. I don't see the point since I want nothing to do with this anymore, but what the hell? If it gets Qrow off my back about the whole situation, I'll do it."
There were so many things he could have said in response to the coldness in her voice – reminding her of all the missions they'd gone on together, the information she and Qrow had gathered for Oz to help thwart Salem's plans – but he wasn't in the mood to argue with her about it. While he didn't work for Ozpin as directly as he used to – needing a steady job in order to raise two daughters didn't leave time for missions or clandestine spying after all – he still was on Oz's side in this shadow war, and he still trusted the old wizard. Maybe once both of the girls were at Beacon he could start taking a more active role again.
Raven's eyes flickered away from him and towards the porch where Qrow was standing talking to Ruby and Yang. "They've grown up."
"No," Tai hissed, his calm broken by the simple statement. Raven's gaze snapped back to him. "You don't get to do that. Not after the way you left me. Not after the way you left Yang and ran."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Raven said, her voice low and overly controlled. "You don't know my reasons."
"Of course I don't! You didn't bother to talk to me before you left. Yang was barely a month old when you abandoned us, Raven. She needed her mother, but you didn't care about that."
Raven's eyes flashed angrily and she opened her mouth to retort, but before she could say anything, Qrow loped back over to join them with his long strides. "Okay, I've got the half-pint and the firecracker satisfied for now, but we need to get going Raven. I'll message Oz as soon as we hit the trees beyond Tai's property and let him know we're on our way so he knows to expect us…" his voice trailed off as he looked at their angry expressions. "Brothers… I thought you two said you wouldn't try to kill each other if I left you alone for two minutes?"
Tai clenched his fist. "I'll get the girls inside. It should be easy since we were just about to eat dinner when you messaged me, Qrow. As soon as we're in, you two can head out." He turned on his heel and stormed back towards the house. Yang had pushed the back door open, but was still standing outside, watching Qrow and Raven. Ruby had calmed down, but her excitement over whatever she had told Qrow was still obvious.
"Let's go, girls. Your uncle needs to head out and dinner is getting cold," he said as he mounted the three wooden steps up to the porch.
"Wait, they aren't staying?" Yang said. "How are they going to get to Beacon? The ferry over to the mainland has already closed for the day. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning? Or at the very least stay for some dinner?"
How was he going to answer that? He studied Yang for a moment, trying to come up with an answer, when Ruby, who was still looking over at Qrow, suddenly straightened up. "Hey, Yang – don't you think the lady with Uncle Qrow would look like you, if you had black hair?"
Panic flooded through him as Yang glanced back over towards their uncle and straightened as suddenly as Ruby had. He knew what was coming even as his sunny dragon's mouth opened and the damning word passed her lips.
"Mom?"
Schnee Manor… Atlas… Wednesday evening…
As the hover car turned into the long driveway leading up to the family manor, Weiss withheld a sigh of relief with an effort. She kept her hands folded demurely in her lap, as her father expected of her, and waited patiently for the car to come to a stop in front of the main entrance while her father worked on a small personal tablet. The last thing she wanted was a lecture on proper decorum. The fundraiser for Mantle had gone on far too long and she was exhausted, but she knew better than to show it where her father could see her.
The hover car came to a stop, and the driver got out, hurried around to the rear door, and held it open. Weiss waited, careful to hide her impatience while her father tapped a few more times on his tablet before he finally exited the vehicle. Then, as the driver held his hand out, Weiss took it and slid very carefully over to the open door, keeping her head low so that her hair wouldn't brush against the upholstered ceiling of the vehicle and mess up her ponytail.
Her father was moving towards the door, and Klein was already there, holding it open for him. Weiss knew what was expected of her and followed quickly in her father's wake as he headed towards his office. Klein smiled and nodded at her and she managed a small smile back before hurrying after her father. The walk towards her father's study was done in an uncomfortable silence that Weiss was used to by now. As soon as her father entered his study and Weiss – just two steps behind him – pushed the door closed, the interrogation began.
"Tell me what you saw and heard," her father demanded immediately as he moved over to his desk. He reached for a decanter on the small sidebar behind the desk and poured himself a drink, as if he hadn't been drinking the entire night during the fundraiser.
Weiss folded her hands behind her back and stepped across the room to stand in front of the desk. She took a moment to compose herself before she began reciting the names of the people she'd seen at the fundraiser, especially the ones she'd personally spoken to, as well as the things they'd talked about. As the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, this was something her father had told her was expected. Ever since Winter had left home to join the military as a Huntress – and thus had been disowned from her place as the heiress – Jacques had been training Weiss as the new heiress, and her father constantly emphasized the need to be aware of what social circles they were moving in and the ones who attended their fundraisers.
Jacques nodded as she finished her report. "Good enough. It wasn't an extraordinary crowd there tonight, so the fact that you picked out as many important donors as you did shows you're learning."
"Thank you, Father," Weiss said immediately. She paused for a moment before speaking. Her Father was in a good mood after the success of the fundraiser and her report, so maybe… "Have you given any further thought about my request to apply at one of the Huntsmen Academies?"
Jacques scoffed. "I've considered it. Running off to join the military like your sister? The answer is no."
"I don't want to join the military, Father," Weiss said, carefully. "I just want to continue my training and serve the people, exactly like Grandfather Nicholas always said that we should. Since we have wealth, it's our duty to help those who are less fortunate. Grandfather attended combat school so that he could lead expeditions to find new Dust veins. There may come a time in the future when I may need to do something similar, so being trained as a Huntress will not only enable me to fight, but I'll also know about all the different types of Grimm that an expedition party could run into."
Another scoff from her father. "The odds of you ever needing to lead a Dust expedition when we have drones that can easily do the work are slim to none daughter."
"We don't know what the future will hold, Father," Weiss countered. "If I go to one of the Academies for a few years, it will also give you the chance to train Whitley while I'm gone. Once you retire, the two of us can work together in partnership to further the company. I may be good at it, but Whitley enjoys the day-to-day aspect of the company more than I do, but he doesn't like the idea of travelling, even for inspections or negotiations. Right now I'm the future face of the company, since Whitley is so young and not in the spotlight. By becoming a Huntress, I can make connections with other students from the other Kingdoms and learn about the other Kingdoms in a more practical, hands-on way, which can only benefit us down the line."
Weiss could tell that he was considering her points, although he didn't give much away with his expression. "I'll… consider it further, if that's truly what you intend to do."
"Of course. I'm proud of the Company," Weiss said. "I want to see it thrive once you retire but having diverse leadership – with Whitley and I both taking on different responsibilities – will make us stronger in the long run." She didn't mention her growing desire to see the world beyond Atlas, since that would almost certainly turn her father against the idea. The stories Winter had told her about the things she'd seen and done since joining the military were tantalizing.
She missed her sister and hoped she'd be back soon. Her training was going well, but she truly wanted to test herself against someone other than her classmates, and Winter wouldn't go easy on her. She hadn't had any notes or letters from Winter since she'd left, but that wasn't unusual when Winter was on a mission, but it made her individual training sessions rather lonely when Winter wasn't there to critique her.
She took a deep breath, not wanting to push her father too hard, but needing to impress some urgency on him. "I just need to know if I can start applying for positions for next year. The first deadline for applications will be coming up soon, and then there are the entrance exams, the interviews..." Another point that might sway her father to her side occurred to her and she added it in quickly. "The whole process would be another good learning opportunity for me, Father. If Whitley and I are going to run the Company one day, having the experience of needing to actually apply for something – even just a place at school – would be valuable when it comes to hiring others. I'll get in, of course, since I'm at the top of my class in academics and combat, but the experience would still be invaluable. Your managers and foremen will retire eventually as well and will need to be replaced with competent workers. Shouldn't one of us have some idea of what other people go through so we can help to judge the best candidates?"
Her father seemed to be considering this. "Very well. You may begin submitting your applications, but we'll discuss which Academy you'll be attending later. Ironwood lured your sister away and caused a breach in the family. I won't allow that to happen again."
Weiss wanted to defend Winter's decision but knew from experience that wouldn't go over well. The only reason Winter was still allowed to come to the manor to train her was because it created the appearance that the Schnee family was still united. She knew how much her father valued appearances, especially where the public was concerned. She tightened her hands behind her back for a moment. "Thank you Father. May I be dismissed? I'd like to say goodnight to Mother and Whitley before I retire."
Her father nodded and waved a hand dismissively. Weiss curtsied before turning and leaving the study, carefully closing the door behind her. Only once she was back in the relative isolation of the hallway did she let out the breath she had been unconsciously holding while she waited for her father to answer her request. She had permission to start applying, and her father hadn't specifically said she could only apply at Atlas, so that was one hurdle out of the way. Convincing her mother was another matter, but she didn't think that her mother would be opposed to the idea, if she knew how much Weiss wanted it. Between both of her parents, her mother had always been the more lenient, more generous one, even before she'd begun drinking so much.
But that was a task for the near future. She needed to start looking at all four of the Academies' enrollment information and begin trying to decide which school would be the best for her. The more reasoned arguments she had when it came time to make a final decision, the more likely her mother would stand with her, and the more likely her father would concede to the idea. But the permission to begin applying was the more important part now.
"Hot cocoa, Miss Schnee?" Klein asked as she rounded the corner towards her mother's room, a white porcelain mug with the Schnee crest blazoned on it balanced on a tray. "It's rather late for coffee, but something warm and soothing before you go to bed?" His eyes twinkled gold, and his expression was contagious and enough to lift her spirits.
Weiss smiled. "Thank you Klein. Have my mother and brother gone to bed?"
"Your mother retired two hours ago, yes," Klein said. "I believe your brother just retired a few minutes before you and your father returned."
"Oh, that's too bad," Weiss said, taking the mug and taking a careful sip of the steaming liquid.
"How was the fundraiser?" Klein asked, walking along beside her as Weiss turned in the opposite direction, towards the wing where she and her brother had their suites.
"Tedious," Weiss replied honestly. Klein was the one person in the house, other than Winter, whom she really felt like she could talk to without fear that her father would find out about it. "The concert at the beginning was the only interesting part. Once everything moved to the reception, it was just mingling and talking politics, economics, and the Company with everyone so I could report back to Father."
"I am sorry, my dear," Klein said, his eyes turning to their more common brown, even as his expression changed to one of sympathy.
Weiss sighed. "I miss Winter. I hope she comes back from her mission soon."
"I'm sure she is eager to return as well. She cares for you deeply," Klein replied.
Weiss took another careful sip from her mug. Learning to walk and drink or eat neatly at the same time had been one of the lessons her governess had insisted upon from the time she was very young, since so many fundraisers and parties offered finger foods and drinks to their attendees. "Father gave me permission to begin submitting applications," she said, changing the subject, knowing that Klein would know what she was talking about.
Klein's eyes went back to gold again. "How wonderful for you, my dear girl. Do you have a preferred Academy in mind?"
"I've been thinking about Atlas, but I think Father would oppose that one just out of spite, after the way Winter left," Weiss admitted. "Joining the military like she did would give me a chance to travel to other Kingdoms, but I don't know if that lifestyle would suit me in the long term. If Father has his way, I have no doubt he'll want me to go to Haven Academy in Mistral, since the company has such a presence there and he has people who can keep an eye on me."
"How long before you have to decide?" Klein asked.
"I'm going to submit applications to all four Academies," Weiss said. "I'm sure I'll get admitted to all of them, and I would have to choose by the end of the spring term, so I have some time to decide. When Father and I go to tour the Mistral refinery next month, I might ask him if we can stop by Haven Academy and take a tour of the campus. I doubt he'll let me take a trip to Vale or Vacuo, especially on my own, but I might be able to convince him, especially if it's part of the entrance exams. I have to do some more research on the whole process now that I have permission to apply."
"You'll be accepted," Klein said confidently, "and whichever school you choose, it'll be the right one for you."
"Thank you, Klein," Weiss said. She smiled at him again as she paused outside her door. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Of course, Miss Schnee. Do you have any preferences for breakfast tomorrow?"
Weiss considered the question for a moment. "A poached egg and a fruit salad, I think." Klein nodded and Weiss pushed the door open. "Good night, Klein."
"Good night Miss Schnee."
Once the door was closed behind her, Weiss relaxed into her sanctuary. The cool blues and silvers of the décor soothed her, allowing the tight knot of tension between her shoulder blades to fade away. She carried her mug of cocoa over towards the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed out at the city. Atlas was all that she'd ever known, but she was ready to see more of the world. She wasn't content just staying here among the things that were familiar.
One hurdle overcome. The race was just beginning, but the goal was not out of reach. Tomorrow was another day and she could take the next step towards her goals. Winter would be back soon and she could show her sister how much she'd improved while Winter had been gone. She sipped at her mug and watched a ship fly past the window in the distance.
Hopefully one day soon she'd be on a ship heading for one of the other Academies, taking the chance to see and experience more of the world. It would be work to get there, but she'd never failed at anything she set out to do, and she wasn't about to fail now.
Beacon Academy… Ozpin's Apartment… Wednesday night…
Oscar looked up from his book as the elevator door slid open and Ozpin entered the apartment. The Headmaster seemed tired, but that honestly didn't surprise him. Ever since their conversation with Glynda and Qrow on Saturday, Ozpin had been throwing himself into his work, trying to make and implement plans that could help to prevent the events that Oscar had warned them about. There was added stress on both of them over the fact that Amber was still on her way back to Vale and thus was still in danger. The last update they had from the Maiden indicated that she expected to arrive Friday evening, but the waiting was getting to both of them.
Ozpin hadn't asked him too much more about what to expect in the future, but Oscar knew that didn't mean that the Headmaster wasn't taking steps. It had taken weeks for RWBY and JNR to fully accept everything they'd learned from Jinn about Oz and Salem, and Oscar was prepared to give the wizard as much time as he needed to absorb and come to terms with what he'd already shared. In the meantime, that just meant going from day to day and taking things as they came.
Over the last few days, they'd started to develop a routine – they would have breakfast together in the morning, after which Ozpin would help Oscar treat the burn scar on his chest and apply clean bandages. Then Ozpin would go up to his office to take care of his responsibilities as Headmaster and Councilman, while Oscar found things to do to keep himself occupied. Normally, that involved taking walks down to the courtyard a few times a day, reading, doing some light housework like laundry and dishes, or doing the therapy exercises the doctor had given him to try to regain his strength and stamina. Ozpin had given him a tour of the campus on Sunday afternoon, but Oscar hadn't gone much further than the courtyard and the landing docks yet, since he still found himself getting short of breath if he walked for too long.
The last two days he'd ventured to the dining hall for lunch, careful to do so near the end of the lunch period when it wasn't as crowded and he could avoid drawing attention to himself. He was still an outsider on campus, but he also knew that he wasn't the most socially forward person to begin with. He wasn't sure if Ozpin had told the rest of the staff about him, but so far none of the teachers had said or done anything to acknowledge him, other than Glynda and the brief encounter he'd had with Professor Port in the courtyard.
When Ozpin came home for the evening, they would share dinner together. After dinner Ozpin usually spent a great deal of time on his Scroll, communicating with his agents across Remnant, and Oscar usually read for a little bit before retiring to bed early – his habits from the farm still engrained in him, even after all this time.
"Good evening, Oscar," Ozpin said, smiling, even if the smile was tinged with weariness. "I hope you had a good day today."
Oscar nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I'm still getting a little short of breath when I walk for too long, but I can walk a longer distance each time."
An all-to-familiar look of concern crossed Ozpin's face, but the Headmaster didn't say anything about it. "Speaking of which, I took a call from Doctor Ashburn today. She wanted to know how you've been healing and would like to see you for a follow-up appointment on Friday."
"Um, sure. I don't have a problem with that," Oscar agreed.
"I don't have a Council meeting that day, but I do have classes, so I arranged for an appointment as soon as my first-year class ends," Ozpin replied. "I'll meet you at the ferry after the final bell rings, and we'll go to the hospital together. Hopefully by the time we get back to Beacon, Amber will have returned, and that will be one less thing for us to worry about."
"Yeah." Oscar glanced down at his hands. "What will you tell her? I never met her, so I don't know how she might react to all of this."
"I'll tell her that Salem may be planning to make a move against the Maidens and the Academies and that we need her to stay close for the time being," Ozpin said. "Actually," he looked thoughtful for a moment. "She might be a good candidate to help with a new class I was considering implementing – she's worked with a lot of outlying villages, so she knows how things work out beyond the Kingdom." He pulled out his Scroll and tapped on the screen a few times.
"That's good," Oscar said. "Um, I made some pork chops and potatoes for dinner for us. It's just keeping warm in the oven."
"That sounds wonderful, thank you Oscar," Ozpin said with a small smile. "Are you ready to eat then?"
"Sure." He marked his place in the book and set it aside before getting up and following Ozpin into the kitchen. As Ozpin went for the cabinets to gather the plates and utensils they would need, Oscar grabbed a potholder and opened the oven, pulling out the steaming pans and setting them on the cooktop before turning off the oven.
It was nice to have a dinner routine again – especially one that didn't involve going to the Atlas Academy dining hall alone. With RWBY and JNR constantly out on missions, Oscar had more often than not eaten alone most meals once they had reached Atlas – at least until everything fell apart.
They had just settled in at the table with their meals in front of them when Ozpin's Scroll beeped. The Headmaster sighed and fished it out of his jacket pocket as he put his fork down. He slid it open and tapped at the screen for a moment before. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Oscar asked immediately, wondering what had gone wrong and if this was the first sign that his warnings were coming to pass.
"It's Raven and Qrow."
Patch…
"Mom? Is that you?" Yang wasn't sure what she was feeling at the moment. Hope, excitement, confusion… She'd been looking for her mother for so long, and yet, here she was. Right in front of her. This was her chance to get answers to all of the questions that she had, but she didn't know what to ask first.
The black-haired woman glanced between her father and her uncle before shaking her hair back from her face. "Hello, Yang."
Yang just stared at her, unable to voice any of the questions that were swirling through her. Ruby, innocent as ever, looked between her sister and the woman. "Wait, are you really Yang's mom? But – why did you leave? Where have you been all this time?"
"Girls, go back inside the house," their father said, his voice tight with tension. Beside him, Qrow had his Scroll out and was doing something, but Yang didn't care about that. All she cared about was the fact that her mother was right in front of her, close enough that Yang could actually touch her.
Yang ignored him and vaulted over the railing in front of her, landing in the grass and straightening before she slowly began moving towards the adults. Her eyes drank in the sight of her mother, and with every detail she picked out, she could see more and more similarities between the two of them. Their hair was similar in length and style, their face shapes were nearly identical, they were the same height… Clearly, she'd inherited her father's hair color, rather than her mother's jet black, and while she had violet eyes instead of her mother's blood red, her father had blue eyes, which made sense and explained her unusual eye color.
"Is it really you?" Yang whispered.
"Yang, go inside the house," her father said again, his tone sharper and more commanding than it had been.
"No!" Yang snapped, her eyes not leaving her mother's face.
"Yang," Qrow began, "I know this is important to you, but we need to leave. Ozpin is expecting us."
"Have you known where she's been all this time?" Yang asked. "Have both of you known where she was?"
Both men looked uncomfortable, and Qrow seemed a little guilty. "You did!" Yang accused. "All this time, all these years, I've been begging you to tell me about my mother, and you've never said anything!" Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she dragged the back of her hand across her face harshly, not wanting to think about the years of lies and deceit on their part, focusing instead on her growing anger.
Ruby slipped up beside her and snaked her smaller hand into Yang's in a show of support, and Zwei rubbed up against her ankle.
"Yang, we'll talk about this inside," her dad said again, but Yang ignored him again.
"Where have you been?" she asked, directing the question to her mother. "Why did you leave us? Leave me?"
"I –"
"Raven, don't," her father started to say, and Yang clenched the fist that wasn't being held by Ruby.
"Shut up, Dad!" she burst out, seeing red and feeling her aura flare with her anger. "You don't get to say anything, not after lying to me all these years about Mom and where she's been." She redirected her focus to her mother – Raven – her father had called her. "Well?"
"I don't owe you an explanation, Yang."
"Like hell you don't!" she burst out, shaking free of Ruby's grip on her hand. "You left me! You left Dad, with no warning, no explanation. Did you just not want me? Was I that much of an inconvenience to you?"
Uncle Qrow stepped forward, prepared to interpose herself between them. "Firecracker, you need to calm down before you say something that you're going to regret later. There's a lot about the situation you don't know, and –"
"Of course I don't know about it! You and Dad never bothered to tell me anything," Yang screamed, tears of frustration gathering at the corners of her eyes. She didn't bother trying to wipe them away anymore. "No matter how much I begged you, no matter who I asked, you never said anything!"
"Yang…" Ruby said softly.
"I'm tired of asking! I want answers!" Yang yelled. "Why?" She intended the question for her mother, but in all honesty, it could have been directed at any of the adults.
"It's simple, Yang," Raven finally said, and everyone froze, their eyes locked on her. "I left you with Tai because I knew he'd take better care of you than I could, and I couldn't take care of an infant where I was going."
Yang didn't know how to react to that. On one level, it implied that Raven had cared enough about her to make sure that she would be taken care of, but on another level, it still didn't answer the biggest question of all. "But why? Why did you leave in the first place? Why didn't you stay with us?"
"That's not a question I am going to answer," Raven said coolly. "Now, do what your father and uncle said and go inside. Qrow and I have somewhere else we need to be."
"But…"
"Now, girls," Tai added. "Take Zwei inside with you. I'll be there in a minute."
Yang looked between the three adults, her temper building again. "I hate you!" she screamed. "You can't even give me a proper answer!" Turning, she fled, not towards the house, but towards the trail that led in the direction of the cliff and Summer's memorial. She needed to get away.
"Yang!" Ruby called. "Wait up!"
Qrow ran a hand through his hair in frustration before looking over at Tai. "Look, I'm sorry about all of this, Tai. I didn't mean…"
"Just go, Qrow," Tai said, sounding as if he was controlling himself with an effort. "Both of you just… go."
"After we talk to Oz, I'll come back and help you explain…"
"I don't need your help to deal with my daughter," Tai bit out.
Qrow sighed. "Right. I'll… I'll call her and talk to her once she's had time to calm down. This all came as a shock and…"
"Are we going or not?" Raven asked. "If you'd rather deal with this family drama, I'm perfectly happy to go back to the tribe."
"This is partly your fault, Raven," Qrow said. "I wouldn't be so flippant right about now."
Raven rolled her eyes and shook her hair back again. "If we're going, then let's go."
"Fine," Qrow growled. "Tai, I'll talk to you soon. As soon as Oz can shake me loose, I'll come and talk with Yang and Ruby and we'll get this worked out." He gave his brother-in-law an apologetic look. "Sorry." He looked back at Raven. "Let's go." Again, he concentrated on the magic inside of him and a moment later felt the magic tugging at him as his body was reshaped into his alternate form. He saw Raven doing the same thing next to him, and within a matter of seconds, both of them were rising into the air on their black wings. Despite the fact that Raven was larger in this form than he was, he kept up with her easily enough as they circled above the house to gain altitude before angling their flight east towards the water and the mainland.
It would be a flight of at least an hour or two, especially now that the sun had gone down and there weren't any thermals to help them glide, but at least Raven had agreed to meet with Ozpin. He felt a little bad that it would be late when they arrived, especially since Oz was likely done working for the day, but he had a feeling Raven wouldn't have agreed to wait until tomorrow. Once he had her agreement, he hadn't been about to wait to give her time to change her mind.
Get Raven there, get her and Oz to talk, and then deal with Yang and Ruby, he told himself. Tai could handle the girls for another day or two and then he could sit down with them and try to explain what little he knew to Yang and hopefully make her understand.
Summer Rose's Memorial…
Ruby followed in Yang's wake as her sister tore down the path at a dead run, heading straight for Mom's memorial. She was determined to be there for her sister, no matter what. Even if she had to spend all night by the cliff just holding Yang and letting her vent or cry over the whole situation, Ruby resolved to do it. After all, Yang had done similar things for her over years, especially on days like Ruby's birthday or the day when Summer had left on what would turn out to be her last mission and the grief was too much for Ruby to handle on her own.
"I'll always be here for you, sis."
How many times had Yang told her that over the years, and how could she do anything else?
As she came out through the trees, she saw Yang had flung herself down on her knees near Summer's stone and was pounding the ground with her fists in rage. Ruby darted over to her sister's side and threw herself across Yang's back, wrapping her sister up in a tight hug, her red cloak spread over both of them. She didn't say anything, just squeezed Yang tightly and pressed her cheek against Yang's golden hair and held her sister tightly.
Yang was too upset to say anything at first, and just kept pounding her fist into the ground over and over again. Ruby waited her out, knowing how hard this had to be for Yang. Finally, the pounding of her fist slowed and Yang began to shake all over. Ruby just squeezed tighter and waited, while Zwei tried to nose his way in between the two of them, softly whining the whole time.
"She was here. She was really here and she still couldn't answer the question I wanted to know," Yang said, her voice sounding thick with repressed tears. "After all these years, all my searching, and she couldn't even give me that much."
"I know," Ruby murmured.
"And Dad and Uncle Qrow – they've known all along, and they lied to me about her. Every time I asked them, they flat out lied to me. Why would they do that? Mom – Summer – was always going on about how important it was to be honest with each other, but I probably wouldn't even have found out that she wasn't my mom if she'd come back from her mission."
"I don't believe that," Ruby said. "I think they would have told you when you were older. You're right – Mom was always talking about being honest. I think they just didn't tell you because you were so young when Mom went on her mission." She tried to think of something else she could say to comfort her sister. "But it sounds like your mom – Raven – had the best intentions for you. When she left, she knew it wouldn't be safe to bring you with her, so she left you here where you would be safe."
"But why did she need to leave in the first place?" Yang cried. "It doesn't make sense!"
"Dad and Uncle Qrow are probably the only ones who know that," Ruby pointed out. "Maybe if you ask them again, now, they'll be honest about everything. I mean – you've met her now. There's no point in lying anymore."
"I don't know. I'm still so… so mad at them," Yang sniffed.
"I'll be with you the whole time, when you're ready," Ruby promised. "If you want to stay here and calm down a little more, we can do that too. Whatever you want. Dad saw where we were going, so he won't worry about us."
"No – we should probably go back," Yang said. "We didn't bring our weapons and I'm upset enough that I don't want us to draw any Grimm in."
"If that's what you want to do, okay," Ruby said, squeezing Yang tightly again before sitting up and allowing Yang to straighten up.
"Let's go," Yang said. "I want answers – for real this time."