Soul Searching - Finale

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Requested By : Polemoduke

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Atlas was a cold, hard, stiff sort of place. Frigid and stiff, and not just from the cold. The people had been just as firm. Just as rigid. She'd spent years watching them come and go, all fake smiles and narrow eyes. And spent years being watched, too. By people that saw the collar on her neck, saw her sneaking bites off of nearly empty, cold plates of food, saw her exhaustion. And either didn't care at all, enjoyed it in their sick, muted way or, somehow worse to her, just didn't care enough to give her more than a grimace. And, sometimes, a few extra morsels left on their plates when they were done.

Though she may have just been reading too far into things there…

Patch, though…

Patch was just as tight, at least in some places, as Atlas ever was. It had a small town huddled together at the closest tip to Vale, protected by a simple palisade of stone whose cracks and vines told her was older than anyone inside it. The houses and stores inside were packed together for it, albeit in a more piecemeal fashion than in Atlas. Stairs and walkways climbed up over well-worn roads, and walkways stretched over them, bridging the spaces between them while stone and wood constructions speckled all over the place, dotted by aging supports and wider, circular areas around them full of seating, planters with little fruits and all kinds of other chaos.

Chaos Atlas would have despised…

The people were just as strange and off putting, at least to her, too. She couldn't even walk without people smiling and waving. Asking how she was, how she was settling in, if she was alright. Because of course they all knew who she was. Who would have missed them coming back the day before yesterday with Ruby hanging off her back like an overly cuddly monkey? 

Or a limpet…

"Patch is older than dirt." Qrow explained a few days after they'd gotten there, kneeling in the dirt of his garden and muttering curses as he stacked up dead or ruined growths and weeds in a pile. "It's been hit by pirates and Grimm more times than anyone knows."

"So…?" She asked, sitting with her back against the wall and her knees tucked into her chest. It felt strange, wearing shorts and no sleeves, but the breeze actually felt nice. 

And it was so warm out…

"So people have learned to build where they can." He shrugged, tugging her attention back onto him. "And it's, you know, just easier to just fix the wall and build up rather than out."

"Is it not dangerous…?"

"We know what we're doing." He chuckled, turning to give her The Look - the one where he smirked and raised both his eyebrows - and said. "I looked into it for the same reason."

"I don't know what you mean…"

"Ruby's school is on top of a few stories." Qrow cocked his head, "Highest any of 'em go is five, and she's right up there. But it's fine. You can't see 'em, but supports run up through the buildings, too."

"I see…"

"Feel better?"

"I… Suppose."

"Hey." She looked up as Qrow turned to her, frowning thinly. "Don't do that."

"What…?"

"Bottle up." He grunted, turning to face her and smiling thinly. "This is home. Not… Not Atlas. It's okay to be anxious, and it's okay to say so. I know you're still adjusting, but…"

"I know." She sighed, "I'm…"

"Trying?"

"Yes."

"That's all we ask. Alright?" She nodded and he turned back to his work, humming quietly as he did. 

They sat in that silence for a little while, until Cinder started to fidget anxiously and went to stand. "I could help if you-"

"Do you want to?" He cut her off, not even turning as he added, quietly, "Or do you feel like you need to?"

"I…" It was an argument they'd already had twice since she woke up yesterday, as early as ever, and gotten up to get to work. 

By the time Qrow had gotten up to make breakfast, she'd almost finished hand scrubbing the floor along the walls, detailing it just right. How the Madame had shown her. 

"I just…" She sighed, resting her chin on her knees and frowning. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He grunted, "But if you won't tell me what you're thinking, I can't help. I won't force you, but…"

He let the thought, the invitation, hang and she eventually frowned. He wouldn't let it go, she knew that already. His first recourse when she'd been 'caught' trying to work on the dishes that morning had been to call Ruby. And she was sure he'd just send her at Cinder again today, too.

So, finally, she admitted, "I… I need work. I need something to do. I-I just- I can't do nothing."

"You don't have to do nothing," Qrow said, finally turning back to her, "you just have to not do everything. And I know that's why you're out here, instead of inside."

"I just…" She sighed, "The carpets need vacuuming. And the dishes aren't sorted properly. And-"

"Pick one."

"I'm sorry?"

"Pick one thing." He sighed, turning back to his work and shrugging. "One thing out of three. Do that. I'll do one of the others, and Ruby can do the last one."

"But that's not fair." She argued, "Ruby-"

"Had a chore list before we found you." Qrow cut her off, laughing and standing to move to another spot in the garden a few yards away. "And it's literally a fair split. Three people, and each one takes a third of the work. It's math. Math is math."

"I…" She sighed, pursed her lips, and frowned. "Fine. I'll… Vacuum the carpets?"

"And I'll do the dishes." He nodded, "Ruby can take the trash to the burn pit this evening."

"The bag-"

"Is lighter than it looks." He chuckled, holding up the wicker basket and adding, "You can get the compost while I get wood together, too. We'll make a fire, roast some wieners once the trash has burnt off… Make a nice night of it."

"That…" Actually sounded wonderful, but her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rush of excitement. Which slammed into her precisely thirty seconds before a red missile made up entirely of flower petals did, bowling her over as Ruby wrapped her up in a hug.

"Hiiii!" The little limpet crowed, grinning up at her from Cinder's chest. "Did you miiiiiss me?"

"I-"

"She did." Qrow cut her off, chuckling when Cinder shot him a scowl. "We were talking chores. Make sure all the trash is together for a fire tonight while she vacuums. Then yall can work on your homework."

"Can we have cookies after?"

"I'm making brownies and fried chicken." Qrow chuckled, waving them off. "Go, or you get broccoli. Steamed. No salt."

"Ewwwww!" Ruby squawked, flashing up with a shower of petals and offering Cinder a hand and a smile. "C'mon! Sooner we get done, sooner I can show you Avatar!"

"I'm not one for cartoons…" She muttered, letting her Bonded tug her up and rolling her eyes when Ruby pouted at her. "But fine. It can't hurt to try…"

"Yay!"

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Cinder watched the fire crackle and shivered in the brisk air as the last of the trash burned away and Qrow dropped a log into the heat, feeding sticks and some bundled leaves in around it to make sure the fire didn't die out before the log took. He had a little case with him full of ice and 'hot dogs', though she wasn't entirely sure yet what those meant, and a couple bottles of soda, too. But he sat away from them, letting Cinder sit and watch the fire.

While Ruby played at braiding her hair, trying to do it in a braid on one side.

"This is way harder than it looked on the video…"

"It's a skill." She chuffed, "It takes time to learn."

"I guess…" Ruby muttered, yanking her hands away when she tugged a bit too hard and Cinder hissed. Scooting away, she murmured, "Sorry."

"Come here, Rosebud." She growled, rolling her eyes and waving Ruby in front of her. Her hair was long enough to pull it around in front of her, so she did, carefully pinching out long 'stacks' of hair and weaving them around each other slowly, "See? Loop and tug, slow and gentle, until you know the way."

"Right…" Ruby nodded, watching her so closely Cinder could have sworn she was teaching her how to do surgery or some such rather than how to do a braid. "See? Like so."

"Yeah." She smiled, taking the strands when Cinder offered them and trying to copy. It was awkward and stiff, but she was doing better already, and Cinder smiled while she worked.

"Here." She looked up as a bun and a sausage was put in front of her, steaming from the heat.

"Hey!" Ruby whined, "We were supposed to do it!"

"Yeah, you were busy being cute as hell, though, so I did it." Qrow smirked, sticking out his tongue while Ruby hopped up and punched him in the arm. He staggered away jokingly and Cinder chuckled, taking a bite of her hot dog and humming.

"Not terrible…"

"Yeah, well, smores are next." He chuckled, waving Ruby at the cooler and grunting. "Go on, girl. Bake a few more for us."

Cinder watched her bounce over and smiled, taking another bite of her food.

It really was good…

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Ruby felt the wind rush out of her as her back slammed into the dirt and she groaned, laying in the grass while her uncle sighed and squatted down by her head. She glowered up at him for a second, but he just smirked, shrugged and said, "Hey, not my fault you keep tryin' the same damn trick like it might actually work one o' these days. Training oughta beat a lesson into you eventually you know."

"Bully…"

"Yeah?" He scoffed, "And what're you gonna do about it? Aside from showing off for your little darling that's totally not doing the dishes or spying on us from OUT THE WINDOW!"

She looked up in time to see something flash out of the window and sighed, "Qrow, don't be mean…"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll send Uncle Clover a message~"

"You little…" He thumped her on the nose and stood while she whined, holding it and scowling after him. Wagging a finger at her he sighed, "Oughta know better than to blackmail me, kiddo. I know the wifi pass and you don't."

"You're evil…"

"Regular Grimm in a stylish coat." He chuckled, dropping onto the ground and resting his back against the tree behind him. "And frankly, after you ruined Tai's favorite skillet, you're lucky you have wifi at all."

"I make her breakfast cuz it has to be special!"

"Yeah, and you give her a special bonfire half the time." Qrow grumbled, shaking his head when she just sat up and sighed.

"I just want her to feel better…"

"Doesn't she?"

"Sometimes." She nodded and shrugged, "Sometimes not."

"Yeah?"

"She… Cries sometimes, when she thinks I'm asleep." Ruby flicked him a look, not sure whether to go on or not. But, eventually, she just sighed and said, "And… I know she's uncomfy asking, so sometimes I pretend like I had a bad dream for snuggles. It helps, but…"

"Not enough?"

"Yeah." She nodded, "She's doing better, I think, but…"

"But?"

"I don't know what to do!" She snapped, rubbing at her eyes and rolling over to face away from him. "I help her clean, we hang out, she loves cartoons, but… But she's not better."

"It's only been a month, Ruby." Qrow told her, "Coming back from shit like she did? Takes time. Time and effort. And luck…"

"Yeah." She frowned, "Dad always said I wanted stuff way too fast…"

"To be fair," Qrow chuckled, "literally everything about you screams 'gotta go fast'. It'd only be worse for you if you wore blue instead of black and red."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't-" She sat up and gave him a look and he sighed tiredly, hand tapping at his waist anxiously. She knew what he was looking for, and she knew he had it, but after a second he sighed and just reached up to scratch his beard and chuckle, "Well. Now I feel old."

"You are old…"

"And you're short."

"Hey!" She scoffed, glaring at him, "I am not short! I'm just… Vertically challenged! And Daddy says that if I drink my milk I'll get taller."

"Mhm." Qrow nodded, rolling his eyes. After a second, he added, quietly, "Talked to him the other day, you know."

"You did?" She smiled, "How is-"

"They're on the right path, shouldn't be too long now." Qrow cut her off with a wave and a sigh, "But we were talking about you two."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and…" He pursed his lips and shrugged, grimacing like he was thinking about something before he finally went on, "And… Look, I know she really doesn't like it, but we have a doctor's appointment scheduled for Wednesday for both of you."

"But we're not hurt…?"

"Wrong kind of doctor." He grunted, "Psychologist. Should help with… You know, everything."

"But…" They'd already talked about this, a week ago. "Cinder doesn't like doctors."

"She doesn't trust 'em." Qrow shrugged, "But she doesn't trust much of anyone that ain't you. Which is why your dad said not to buy anymore strawberries until you can get her to agree to go. You know, willingly. Shit works better that way."

She frowned, unhappy at the suggestion that she push Cinder into it, but… She wasn't getting any better, not just with Ruby's help. And her Uncle and Dad had to know how to handle it better than either of them, between how young she was and how… Well, how Cinder Cinder was.

So she just flopped on the ground and sighed, "Swear jar…"

"Sw- Oi!" He grunted, "I ain't in the house!"

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Qrow watched Cinder hesitate at the threshold of Menage-A-Taste, one of the older fish restaurants up near the top of the Stacks, right near the coast. She was wearing a dark hoodie and a simple skirt, like Ruby who stood beside her, watching her worriedly. Cinder was nervous enough that he could see her hand trembling beside her. And Ruby could see it, too, wringing her hands and stammering something Cinder only nodded at.

"Hey." He grunted, clapping a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit and turned to regard him, though she didn't look away from the entrance - and the no doubt familiar noise coming from inside. "If you ain't ready, we can wait. But the doc said this was important."

"I know." Cinder murmured, "I just…"

"Your Bond is right here." He muttered, reaching up to ruffle her hair playfully and earning a hot glare from her. Which was at least better than the fear, so he was more than happy to take it. Waving at Ruby, he said, "Lean on her."

"I… Will try." She nodded, turning and holding out a stiff arm that Ruby wrapped herself around. Which, odd as it was to see, seemed to make her feel better. Dipping her head, she stepped toward the restaurant and turned when Qrow didn't follow.

"We have a reservation." Qrow grunted, leaning against the old stone railing that ran along this outer walkway overlooking the old wall. "Just drop my name and settle in. I have a call to make."

Cinder hesitated a bit more and then nodded and let Ruby tug her along inside.

He waited a second to flick a look either way, but aside from a few people heading into buildings up the way a bit, no one was nearby. A perk of Menage-A-Taste was that it was just isolated enough in the corner that, unless people were heading there specifically, no one came out this way.

"It's-" A flutter of feathers and a whump of wind against his back cut him off and he sighed, crossing his arms as Raven smoothed out her skirts and he muttered, "clear. Hey, Rae."

"Hey."

"What brings you this way?" He asked, a worm of worry creeping up his spine. "Nothing happened, right?"

"No."

"Then… What?" He scoffed, shaking his head, "Here to give the brats your whole 'one save' talk or something?"

"No." She shook her head, "I…"

"Yeah?"

For a second, it looked like Raven was going to say something, from the way her lips thinned and her gaze softened. But, finally, she shook her head and just said, "Just wanted to see them. Make sure they were alright, for Tai."

"Uh huh…" Qrow hummed, "And you care?"

"The brat is all that's left of her." Raven snapped, "Of course I care."

"Figured." She shot him a look and he stepped away, clapping a hand on her shoulder as he went. "C'mon, then."

"I-I can't. I-"

"If you so much as breathe 'bout losin' Sum being on your head, again…" Qrow warned, turning to her with a deep glare that he saw made even Raven pause. "I will knock you into the damn ocean. Not your op, not your plan, not your calls- Not your fault. Disagree and leave… Or come in, have fish with us, and live your damn life, Rae."

"Who do you think you are talking to the Bandit Queen of Mistral like that, you walking mid-life crisis?"

"Her dumbass brother." He snapped back, "Now you coming or what?"

"Fine." She sighed, "I could stand to eat…"

"Awesome." Qrow grunted, "You can buy dessert, then."

"Excuse you-"

"Or I can tell 'em all about what you were like in Beacon."

"...Fine, but I only have a little Lien."

"What happened to being a queen?"

"I left my wallet with my other sword."

"You only have one sword!"

"Qrow, I literally have dozens." Raven sighed as they reached their table and Ruby shot up. "Hey! It's fairy god mom!"

"Fairy what?"

"Well," Raven sighed and shrugged, "she's… A third right? Half? Qrow?"

"I'm ordering extra sake." He sighed, plopping into the booth and shaking his head. "Friggin' psychos… I haven't had a headache just from walking into a place like this since we were kids."

Ruby, after doing obvious mental math, squealed with excitement, "Fairies are real!"

"Triple sake…"

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The End~

Of this story!

Ya'll ready for the second story in the Soul verse? Bet Y'all not ready! Blooming Bonds be next! -Polemoduke 

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Lea : 

Indeed!

Njgronlund : 

Banditry is all about opportunism! Of course she's gonna sack the Glass Unicorn.