Pinkish Red

I, Silva, am undergoing my usual self-training with Aura control. I felt my Aura, guided it to the claws in my dominant right paw, and compressed it along the edges of my claws. I focused until I could no longer compressed my Aura, then slashed at the cliff in front of me and unleashed five flying Aura slashes. The Aura slashes hit the cliffside and added a new set of claw marks along with numerous others from my previous practices. My black-colored Aura flickered, then gave out from exhaustion and started my next phase of training.

I asked Raven, once she started training me on a personal, how do I increase my Aura? She told me that Aura naturely grows as you get older, but there is a training method to increase one's Aura forcibly, and that is to exhaust your Aura and let it naturally recover. This method is inefficient compared to the natural growth of Aura with age because my nearest estimate is this method on a daily bases increases Aura by zero point one percent if Aura measuring devices are anything to go by, via my Scroll. But I use this method regardless because while I have not unlocked my Semblance, it does not change the fact that Aura is the fuel behind it, so more Aura means more use out of my future Semblance.

As I take a seat at a nearby stump to rest and recover my stamina, but it will take my Aura several hours to fully recover from its exertion in my training. I took a drink out of my water bottle and looked up at the sky, and wondered what my Semblance could be and how to unlock it. I sighed and shook my head, then focused on practicing with my glaves to try and get as much dexterity from my paws as I could despite the handicaps. As I went through my kata for my twin polearms, Raven showed up.

I stopped my practice and faced the black-haired bandit chief, then asked with the bare minimum of respect.

" What do you need?"

Raven neutrally asked me in confirmation.

" Have you finished accounting for all the Dust we acquired from our last raid?"

I sighed in annoyance at the fact most bandits can't use math well enough for Raven to trust them to have the numbers right. I told her the exact amount of Dust we stole a few weeks back from the mining settlement.

" Roughly over eight hundred kilograms of raw unrefined Dust, a hundred and fifty kilos of Dust repellent, and over a dozen cut crystals."

" Good, it's time to offload the Dust for other supplies the tribe needs, and I want you along for the negotiations to sell it."

I looked at her curiously and asked.

"Kuchinashi, home to the largest black market in Remnant."

I need to try and remember if there was anything special in Kuchinashi in canon or otherwise. I can remember minor details about the main cast and my favorite characters, but other things take more of an effort to remember. It has been over ten years since I last watched RWBY, so forgetting a few things is not surprising. Mental note to self get a journal to write everything down about RWBY, plus encode it to make sure no one else reads.

***

I admit Kuchinashi matches my idea of a seedy town run by mostly criminals with an oriental flair for architecture. As Raven leads the way to the fence that would buy the Dust off the tribe's hands, we soon enter a bookstore called Fairy Tales & History. I saw an older gray-haired man running the counter, and as he saw Raven, he greeted her.

" Ah! Ms.Branwen, welcome once again to my humble store; how may I help you?"

" I need to offload a lot of Dust. The sooner, the better."

The older man nodded to her, then noticed me, and asked out of curiosity.

" Should I be referring you as Mrs.Branwen now?"

" No."

Raven curtly replied, and the older man held his hands up in surrender at her cold tone. As they negotiated, I poked around the store to see if there was anything I wanted. As I saw the labels on the bookshelves, I quickly figured out how the store is organized and went for the books on Glyphs, if there are any, weapon design, programming, and hopefully some on robotics because robots are a big thing here on Remnant. Thankfully I managed to get some cold hard cash out of the bank account Raven and Qrow set up during my stay with Ruby and Yang before they closed it after it served its purpose.

I got some useful books on all of the subjects I wanted then headed back to the front counter when I heard Raven talking to another woman that apparently knew her.

" Raven Branwen, I can't say I am surprised to see you here in Kuchinashi."

" And your Arrastra Skye a... friend of my brother's."

I saw a woman in square glasses with blue eyes and matching hair in a ponytail. She was pale-skinned with an odd blemish on the right side of her forehead and left cheek, wearing a brown leather jacket over a black and blue shirt and dark blue shorts. What drew my eyes were the large crossbow slung over her shoulder and her blue cat-like legs. I kept my distance until I got a clearer idea of their relationship, but unfortunately, I was noticed by the blue-haired woman.

" And you must be Qrow's "little brother," Silva, that he told me about a while back."

I kept on guard, which I raised as she walked past Raven towards me, and I had my claws ready for a fight. To my surprise, she knelt to my level and looked me in the eye, and said.

" Qrow joked he might have dumped you on me due to our similar Faunus traits and personalities, but I told him he was drunk."

" He's always drunken."

I could not help but retort, which made Raven and the blue-haired woman snort in amusement. The woman got up and told Raven in a blunt tone.

" I don't care why you're here, Raven Branwen, nor will I ask why but start anything, and I will take you down."

" You and what army?"

Raven retorted as she clearly did not think the blue-haired woman could face her; this started a stare-off between them which I ignored and purchased my books. After their little stare-off went for a few minutes, I asked Raven in exasperation.

" Can we leave, please? We got other things to do Raven."

Raven did not spare me a glance and replied while watching the blue cat.

" Fine."

As Raven left with me, following her from behind, the blue-haired Faunus then said to her.

"You're lucky I have a mission to focus on Raven Branwen because otherwise-."

Raven interrupted her and had her hand on her blade.

" Otherwise, what?"

Before another stare-off could start, I pushed Raven out of the store because it was obvious to me these two were only an argument away from going at each other's throats, and I wanted to avoid that right now as we went off to complete our other errands for the tribe. Time flew by, and it was now evening; as we went to a secluded place for Raven to open a portal back to the camp, we saw some guys mugging a hooded girl.

" Leave me alone!"

" Now come on, sweetheart, we aren't going to hurt you... much unless you donate your valuables to the generous charity of us."

" Yeah, what he said! Donate to the charity of us!"

I sighed at the two's idiocy and looked at Raven to see that she was content to let this play out. One of the guys grabbed the girl's arm, and what happened next surprised me.

" I said leave me alone!"

As the girl called out, her eyes lit up like flames, and she shot lighting out of her hands, electrocuting the goons. As the guys fell to the ground, blackened and smoking, I heard clapping then saw it was from Raven. She walked up to the girl while clapping and told her.

" Impressive, very impressive. Tell me are you looking for work?"

I rubbed my eyes, not believing what I was seeing; Raven was being friendly to a complete stranger! The hooded girl was on guard and told Raven.

" Stay away!"

Raven held her hands up to show she meant no harm and asked the girl in a gentle tone. Who are you, and what have you done with Raven?!

" Are you being chased?"

The girl stiffened, and Raven talked to her in the same gentle tone.

" You are, aren't you? I have an offer if you are interested in listening."

" What offer?"

As the girl questioned Raven, the black-haired beauty smiled and pitched her idea to the hooded girl.

" Aside from a safe haven from Ozpin and the "Queen," I can help you master that power of yours."

" How do you know about them?! Who are you?!"

As the girl panicky asked Raven, she answered in a calm voice.

" I was once a part of Ozpin's inner circle until I got disillusioned by his shadow war with "her" and decided to leave and make my own path."

The girl kept silent as she processed the new information, and Raven touched her weapon Omen which made the girl on guard again until she saw Raven give her sword to me then walked to the girl as she calmly asked her.

" Did you run because you realized that Ozpin's shadow war is a losing battle like I did?"

" Is it really?"

As the girl asked Raven, she simply nodded in reply, and Raven made a gentle ultimateium.

" You can come with me, join my family, have a home away from the war, and learn how to utilize your gift fully or continue to run and jump at every shadow."

Raven extended her hand out to the girl to offer her a choice and said.

" The choice is yours."

After a few moments, the girl took Raven's hand, and the black-haired bandit chief then asked the girl.

" Since you are now a part of the family, why don't you tell me your name."

The girl answered Raven nervously.

" Vernal... Vernal Kazehana."

" Welcome Vernal to the Branwen tribe."

While I felt annoyed at being forgotten in Raven's little play, I realized what was going on from the girl's name. She is the Spring Maiden before Raven and the namesake of the decoy Maiden that died for Raven down in the Vault.