56

Chapter 56: ...Are Berated Together

The Previous Night

"Roman, you utter bastard! You planned this!"

Qrow watched from the couch as Raven screamed in Roman's face, her eyes blazing. He let out a sigh, contemplating taking a swig from his flask. He decided against it, figuring he'd have greater need for a drink very soon. With a grunt, he put his arms behind his head and put his feet up on the coffee table, content to just watch the show. The girl sitting next to him, Neo, Roman had said, eyed him warily, even as she scratched the ears of the happy corgi panting in her lap.

Ten minutes. They'd actually managed a whole ten minutes before a fight broke out. That had to be a record. And, of course, it was all his fault, After hearing the whole story, from Roman's first fateful encounter with Ruby to his enlightening conversation with an enraged Adam Taurus, Qrow just had to blurt out the one question that would piss Raven off:

"Don't you two think we should tell the girls about this?"

Roman just stared back evenly, the glint in his eyes clearly showing that on the inside, he was laughing his head off. "Me? Plan this? Oh, no, I'd never do such a thing," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then he grinned cheekily. "Though, I did kind of hope."

Raven let out an inhuman growl, her arms coming up and her fingers twitching like she was going to start strangling Roman any second. "It's not the right time! We're going to tell them-"

"On Red's 16th birthday, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, you told me already. But, newsflash, Rea: if we can't manage to take down Taurus, she ain't going to live that long!"

Raven growled incoherently, too absorbed by anger and a myriad of other emotions to vocalize her frustrations. Before she got the chance to let her fists talk for her, Qrow chose to jump back into the conversation. "You think Taurus would be that hard for us to beat?"

It took a moment for Roman to tear his gaze away from Raven, letting out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "By himself, probably not," he admitted to Qrow. "He's strong, fast, and just about the most brutal guy I've ever met. I've also heard rumors that, whatever his Semblance is, it makes sure that anyone he puts down stays down. But working together, we could probably take him, especially if we have Musclehead with us

"The problem is, the bullheaded asshole is never alone. He's always got at least a few guys with him, not to mention that Lieutenant of his. The guy's practically attached to Taurus' hip, and he's nearly as crazy and mean as Taurus is. And that's if we manage to get him somewhere secluded. All his guys have earpieces. The second we start something, we're going to have dozens and dozens of pissed off Faunus after our asses."

Raven grit her teeth as she seethed. "You told me we could handle it."

Roman threw his hands out flippantly. "I lied. It's what I do." At her enraged snarl, he raised his voice. "Come on, Rea, I know you. If I just flat out said, 'we can't do this by ourselves, we need all the help we can get,' you would have kicked my ass on principle and gone out to kill Taurus by yourself. Sorry, I already lost one sister, I ain't losing the other!"

Whatever comeback Raven had caught in her throat, her rage cutting out with a blink. She eyed Roman curiously, her features softening slightly. Roman blinked in confusion at her until his own words registered. He looked away for a moment, scowling to himself before speaking again, his tone much quieter than before.

"Taurus has an army. A lot are just kids off the street, but a good chunk of them have Hunter training. Academy dropouts, ex-military, home-schooled prodigies. And they're all wearing identical masks and armor, so you can't tell who's a highly trained killer and who's just a dumb kid with a gun and delusions of grandeur. Frankly, I ain't sure which is scarier. They've got the most advanced and dangerous weaponry on the market- I know, I gave it to them-"

Qrow suddenly perked up, his eyes narrowing. "You what?"

Roman waved him off without a thought. "They had the money, I had the means, yell at me later. Point is, Taurus has all that and has it all laser-focused on his ex and her girlfriends, i.e., your kids." He fixed Raven with a hard stare, which she met stubbornly. "And on our side we have… us." He held his arms out wide to the room at large, head swiveling mockingly to the other three people in the room. "A missing mom, a drunk uncle, and a soon-to-be-unemployed conman. That's it. Yeah, we're going to do great." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Neo glaring at him. "Yes, I know you're helping too. I'm trying to make a point here!"

Qrow put a hand to his head, a headache forming the longer Roman talked. He glanced to the side, seeing Raven still glaring stubbornly at Roman, arms crossed and jaw set. Since she obviously wasn't in a talking mood, Qrow decided to ask what he knew Raven was thinking. "Not that I'm averse to the idea, but how would telling the girls help any of that?"

Roman rolled his eyes, speaking slowly as if to a child. "We. Could. Coordinate with them. Maybe their kitty cat girlfriend has some info on Taurus that I don't. They'll get a heads up that someone's trying to kill them and could prepare. Hell, maybe we could even fall back on my old plan and just send them back to Patch for a while. All shit that, in normal circumstances, I know at least you would have done already, Qrow." Then he chuckled, a hint of frustrated mania in his voice. "But, we can't do that, because if those girls are half as stubborn as we were at that age, they'll throw themselves straight into the damn fight. At which point they're going to wonder where the hell you came from." He gave Raven a pointed stare. "You want that moment to happen on the battlefield, or somewhere where you may have some semblance of control over the situation?"

Still, Raven didn't respond, save from breaking eye contact with Roman. Her silence made Qrow uneasy. Raven was never one to mince words, always saying exactly what she was thinking. But for her to be so silent now, coupled with the clear unease in her eyes, something was obviously eating at her.

With a deep breath, Qrow spoke slowly. "Raven, much as I hate to admit it, he's not wrong."

There was a jolt of surprise that went throughout the room, both Raven and Roman turning to him in shock. Roman recovered quickly, a smug smile forming on his lips. "Aw, why thank you, Bird Brain."

Qrow shot him a glare. "Don't push it, Roman." As Roman backed off, still grinning, Qrow hauled himself off the couch, moving to be in front of Raven, who was looking at him like he'd just said he'd given up drinking. "Raven, the longer we keep this going, the harder it's going to be to tell them. We were already going to tell them on Ruby's birthday. We just do it a couple of months early."

Raven scowled at him, though Qrow noted that there was very little fire left in her eyes. "You know it's not that simple." She shook her head, glaring at the ground. "And what about Taiyang? You think he's going to be okay laying everything out like this?"

At that, Qrow couldn't help but snort. "Honestly, he'll probably just be happy to get it over with. He's been tearing himself apart over this whole mess, ever since you finally let us set a date to sit the girls down. He's convinced Ruby is going to hate him, and it's killing him." His eyes hardened. "He's still doing it, Raven. Just because he doesn't like it, doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do."

As Raven tried to glare a hole through the floor, Roman looked between the two, his eyes calculating. "Y'know… I was joking before, but… are you guys really that scared of a couple teenagers?" He let out a bark of incredulous laughter when they just glared at him. "Seriously? What the heck do you think they're going to do, disown you?"

Raven glowered at him, officially done with his flippant attitude. "Are you serious, Roman? Once they know the truth, that they've been lied to for so long…" She looked down slightly, an uncomfortable look on her face. "I wouldn't be surprised if they did hate us."

Qrow winced at the thought. He tried to put himself in Yang's shoes, and even knowing the whole story like he did… well, given Yang's temper, there was no question how she would react. And Ruby…

To the utter irritation of them both, Roman just scoffed. "Oh, please. They're teenagers. They don't even know what hate is yet."

Qrow couldn't help but fire back in irritation. "So, what, you don't think they'll be angry over all this?"

Roman rolled his eyes, looking at Qrow like he'd just pulled the lamest joke ever. "Of course they will! They're hormonal teenage girls who punch and slash monsters for a living. They're gonna be pissed!" As Roman kept speaking, his voice grew more passionate, gesticulating with his arms as he spoke. "They're gonna yell, they're gonna scream. Hell, they might even throw a punch at ya. But you know what? After the inevitable screamfest they're gonna put you through is over and everyone's calmed down, you know what you can do then? You can deal with it, like gods-damned adults!"

Suddenly, Roman froze, his arms hovering above his head in mid-gesture. A look of horror overtook his face as he realized what he was saying. "Good Gods, I'm turning into Summer! What nightmare am I in where I'm somehow the most responsible one in the room?" He shuddered at his own words. "Gah, I need a drink." Roman threw his hands up in frustration, stomping over to the kitchen.

From the couch, Neo watched Roman with concerned eyes, holding Zwei up against her chest like a stuffed animal. The corgi let out a soft whine, not liking the feel of the room.

The siblings watched Roman walk away, neither sure how to break the stunned silence in the room. As it stretched on, getting more awkward by the second, Qrow groaned. "How bad did we screw up that Roman is making sense?"

Raven shot him another glare, but there was little heat in it. She folded her arms, her eyes darting back and forth across the carpet. Then she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as her eyes slid shut.

Minutes ticked by, the silence only broken by the tinkling of glasses as Roman shuffled around the kitchen in search of a proper drink.

Then, her eyes still closed, Raven let out a long, heavy sigh. Her voice was filled with frustration, resignation and… when Qrow thought about it later… a hint of desperation.

"What do I even say to them?"

Pulled from his own musings, Qrow slowly turned towards her, eyes widening as he registered her words. Deep in his soul, a spark of forgotten hope flickered. "I'm not sure… but it's not like keeping quiet will make them like you more." Raven grunted in response to his pathetic joke. With no other ideas go off of, Qrow played his final trump card, his Hail Mary. Something that would either get through to Raven or was guaranteed to piss her off so much that they wouldn't see her for at least another couple years.

He met her eyes, speaking softly but firmly. "Summer would want this."

Raven slowly looked up, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Qrow stared back evenly, challenging.

"..."

"..."

"...dammit…"

Qrow blinked as Raven hung her head. She spun on her heel, scowling fiercely as she marched over to stare out the window, the Vale lights just starting to flicker on as the sun started its descent over the horizon. He smirked as he turned around, pulling out his scroll as he went to join Roman in the kitchen. "I'll call Taiyang."

Raven's silence spoke volumes.

Present, RWBY Dorm

The silence in the room was deafening, oppressive tension blanketing the dorm. Ruby looked between her uncle and her sister, at a complete loss of what to do, what to say. Weiss and Blake watched on off to the side, neither understanding what was going on, but both shocked by the confusing myriad of emotions swirling within Yang. Zwei, sensing his human's distress, waddled up to Yang and sat at her heels, looking up at her in concern.

Yang stared at Qrow with wide eyes, her voice trembling. "Raven… she wants to talk to me?"

Qrow gave a slow nod. "Yep."

"...really?"

Despite himself, Qrow's lips twitched upwards. "Really really."

For a brief moment, a smile crossed Yang's lips, fragile and tentative. It sent a pang through Qrow's chest as, just for a moment, he was reminded of a much younger Yang looking beneath the surface. "Why now? Where has she been? Where is she?!"

Qrow grimaced as her voice rose, putting his hands up in a calming gesture. 'Yang! Calm down and let me explain."

Yang's eyes flashed red, and Qrow tried not to wince at his latest screw-up. Telling Yang to calm down was the guaranteed way to ensure she would not calm down.

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

Case in point.

Before Yang could launch into her building tirade, however, cool feelings of Calm, Confusion, Worry blanketed her mind, holding her tongue. A hand pressed against her shoulder, Blake slowly coming into view.

"Yang?" she asked. "Why are you upset? Isn't this a… good thing?"

It was the hesitance in her voice that cleared Yang's mind, if only slightly. Flashes of watching Blake worry over her own parents came to mind, and the Confusion coming off the Faunus made more sense.

Yang forced herself to calm, not fully succeeding given that, though her eyes were still lavender, the ever familiar burning sensation was slowly building behind them. She met Blake's eyes, glancing towards Weiss as well, who had moved next to Ruby. Their eyes reflected their emotions perfectly, questions burning within.

Yang took a long, deep breath, the air around her nose shimmering as she let it out. "You both remember what we told you about Ruby and I's moms?"

Her girlfriends shared a look, both noticing the sad, resigned expression on Ruby's face as she watched her sister. After a moment, Blake quietly answered, "Yours left."

"Yeah," Yang confirmed, nodding sharply. "Ruby's mom, Summer, had to raise me because my mom Raven took off when I was a baby."

As Yang said this, Weiss noted an odd look come over Qrow's face, his mouth opening to say something, before he snapped it shut with a slight grimace. She almost said something, but the pure Turmoil coming from Yang held her tongue.

"I never knew her," Yang went on, not looking anyone in the eye for fear of seeing their pity, ignoring her mind telling her that she'd Feel it before she saw it. Her voice grew bitter as she went on. "I didn't even know I had a different mom until Summer was… gone. Hell, if it weren't for that, I probably never would have known."

"Don't be so sure," Qrow muttered under his breath, too low for anyone to hear… well, anyone without cat ears that is. Blake looked at him in question, but his dark, even stare kept her from speaking.

Unaware, Yang said, "I've been trying to figure out where she is, hell, who she is, since I was five. And all I've got to show for it is one damn picture."

That surprised everyone in the room, sans Ruby. Qrow jumped a little in surprise, though no one noticed, all eyes focused on Yang. "A picture?" Weiss asked.

Yang blinked at her, then ducked her head nervously. As she tried to think of what to say, she felt a hand slip into her own. She looked up to meet concerned silver eyes.

"Yang… show them."

Yang held Ruby's gaze, contemplating, before looking between Weiss and Blake. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she reached into her jacket, pulling out the old folded photo, crumpled with age. She handed it wordlessly to Weiss.

Weiss paused as she held the folded photo, glancing towards Blake. The Feelings Yang had about it… Happiness, Longing, Frustration… Shame? Blake could only shrug helplessly, moving to her side as the heiress unfolded the picture.

A few tense seconds ticked by as the pair analyzed the people in the photo, a beautiful dark-haired woman smiling softly at the blonde-haired baby girl in her arms. Yang watched them anxiously, for reasons she wasn't even sure of.

Blake slowly looked up from the photo, her brow raised. Then, she smirked. "You were a cute kid."

The statement was so odd and out of nowhere that it startled a laugh out of Yang. Some of her tension bled away when Blake's grin widened, even more so when Weiss gave a slight giggle. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as Yang's frustrations faded, if only for a moment.

Biting her lip to stop laughing, Yang said, "Gee, thanks." Her small smile quickly faded, but she felt a little calmer than before as she went on. "That's the only picture I have of us together. I don't even know what she's like or why she left." She shot a harsh glare towards Qrow, before forcing her gaze back to her girlfriends. "Dad and Qrow refuse to tell me anything about her, no matter how many times I asked why she left us or where she was-"

"Mistral."

Qrow's rough voice hit Yang like a punch to the gut, her every thought coming to a screeching halt. Her head snapped to the side, eyes wide with shock. "What?"

Qrow didn't answer. He didn't even look her way, his eyes having been locked on the photo in Blake's hands since it had appeared. "Can I see that?" he asked, holding his hand out towards Weiss.

Weiss started a little, instinctively pulling the photo closer to herself. She looked at Yang, silently asking what she should do. It took a moment for Yang to break her stunned gaze away from Qrow, glancing only briefly to Weiss, giving a weak nod. Trying to ignore the tension slowly building between the two, Weiss handed the picture over.

Qrow held the photo in both hands, staring down at it with an odd look, almost… wistful? He gently ran his thumb across the creased paper, turned fragile with age. "Where did you find this?" he asked quietly, not sounding angry or accusing, just genuinely curious.

Yang's eyes narrowed, darting between him and the photo. "I found it in the guest room, under an old dresser."

Qrow quickly looked up at her, something flashing through his eyes. "I'm surprised you never said anything."

Yang scowled at him. "Why would I? Every time I asked about Raven, you and Dad just shot me down. I thought…" She paused when she felt Ruby's eyes on her, begging her through the Link to stay calm. She tore her gaze away from Qrow, looking down at the ground as she admitted, her tone managing to sound both guilty and suspicious, "I was afraid you would take it from me."

Qrow said nothing in response, staring at Yang for a long moment before looking back down at the photo.

His silence seemed to pour fuel on Yang's fire, her ire rising and she demanded answers. "Why was she in Mistral?"

It was a long time before Qrow looked away from the photo, almost half a minute. When he did, he held the photo back out to Yang, who quickly took it and hid it back within her jacket. They just stared at each other, before Qrow answered, "It's where she and I grew up before we came to Beacon. When Raven had to leave, she went back to where she had some roots."

"'Had to leave'?" Yang echoed back, looking just as perplexed as she was frustrated. Ruby, surprisingly, perked up, her eyes growing wide. To Blake and Weiss's confusion, a spark of Hope flickered out from her. Yang shot her sister a sharp look, before going back to Qrow only slightly calmer. "What do you mean she 'had' to leave?"

Qrow let out a slow breath. "That's… not something I can explain on my own. Raven wants to give you that story herself."

Judging from the look on her face, Yang was far from placated. Before she could ask another desperation-filled question, Ruby butted in by saying, "I didn't know you grew up in Mistral."

Qrow couldn't help but grin at her. Though the question was genuine, there was no missing the nervousness in Ruby's eyes. He had to give her credit, trying to change the subject and distract Yang… but much as he hated to admit it, there was no more putting anything off. With sympathy in his eyes, Qrow answered, "There's a lot you don't know, kiddo. But, after tomorrow… well, hopefully, everything will be cleared up."

"But why tomorrow?" Yang burst out, taking a step towards Qrow. Her teammates jolted at the sudden spike of Agitation and Desperateness shooting across the Link. Blake and Weiss shared a startled look, Blake putting a hand on Yang's shoulder in concern, though the frustrated blonde didn't notice. Ruby, however, could only watch Yang carefully, her face full of pain and sympathy.

Qrow let out a sigh. "Yang, Raven-"

"She's in the city, right?" Yang cut him off, taking a step forward. With her every word, the temperature in the room seemed to raise as her hair started to glow, her eyes tinting. "She has to be if we can get to her by tomorrow. So why can't we talk today? Wh-why do I have to wait?"

"Yang, please, just… relax." Qrow swapped his wording at the last second, but his intention was all too clear to the enraged brawler.

Yang felt like she was going to explode, all her tension and frustration and a million other things building in her chest. So close, she was so close! Her breathing grew heavy, her fist clenching so tightly her gloves were on the brink of tearing. Her eyes blazed red, her hair glowing…

A small hand pressed into the small of her back. Yang's head snapped downward, giving the full force of her enraged glare to whoever was foolish enough to touch her.

Calming pools of silver stared back, hardened with determination.

Calm. Sympathy. Worry. Love. Understanding.

Ruby's emotions washed over her, the innocent calm battling against the inferno within her. Ruby just held her stare unflinchingly, unafraid of the intense rage being leveled at her.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Yang felt her rage fade. Oh, it wasn't gone, not by a longshot. But as Ruby held her gaze, the anger and frustration slowly receded, her hair and eyes returning to normal as the inferno wound down to a contained simmer. The loss of that righteous anger left Yang feeling drained, breaking eye contact with Ruby to stare at the floor.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure if calming Yang was even possible, but she'd still had to try. Seeing that Yang wasn't in any shape to keep talking, she turned to Qrow, rubbing soothing circles on Yang's back. Qrow stared at both of them, his eyes filled with sympathy and… nostalgia?

"When does Raven want to see Yang?"

"Tomorrow, around noon." Qrow smiled a little, impressed by how Ruby took charge. "And not just her. She wants to meet you, too."

Ruby jolted in surprise, Yang looking up as well, surprised and confused. "Why does she want to see me?" Ruby asked.

Qrow hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something. "Again… not really my place to say. Look, girls…" He paused, looking between the two of them. For a crazy moment, Ruby almost thought he looked… guilty.

Suddenly, Qrow let out a frustrated sigh, scowling to himself. "Oh, screw it," he muttered under his breath. He crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. He was silent for a full minute, his brow scrunched in thought. When he met their gaze again, they were surprised by the hard gleam in his eyes.

"Girls, I'm going to be honest with you." The sheer intensity in his gaze, so unfamiliar from their easy-going uncle, stopped either sister from responding. "Tomorrow ain't just going to be about Yang meeting her mother. Tai and I will be there, too. That's why we're doing this tomorrow. Your father and Raven- and myself, once I get back to them- we're trying to work out exactly what we need to cover." He paused, and for a moment, his eyes dimmed out of exhaustion and dread. "We… have a lot we need to explain. To both of you."

Seconds ticked by as Ruby tried to adjust to both the tonal shift and this strange, tired old man who had replaced her usually aloof and laid-back uncle. Finally, she asked, "What do you need to explain?"

Qrow stared at her, then gave a humorless chuckle. "In short? Everything."

Yang let out a low snort. "That's encouraging…" she muttered under her breath.

Qrow let out a huff of a laugh. "Yeah, I know how it sounds. Like you said, Yang, we've been keeping tight-lipped for… quite a while. Now that we're coming clean… it feels like I'm trying to break a bad habit… with a sledgehammer."

At that, Weiss couldn't help but ask, with an utterly baffled look, "How does that even…?"

Without missing a beat, Qrow said, "Because I'm doing it fast, blunt, and probably making a mess of things while I'm at it."

Weiss' cheeks tinted at being answered so bluntly, causing Ruby to give a slight giggle. Yang managed a slight smile, but still looked troubled, her thoughts jumbled.

Seeing this, Qrow put his hand on Yang's shoulder, giving her a soft shake. "Hey. You managed to wait this long. Just one more day." He gave what he hoped was a comforting grin. "Okay?"

Yang met his eyes, still hesitant. She swallowed before asking, "She'll actually be there?"

Qrow frowned at just how small Yang sounded, at the doubt that was being aimed his way. He racked his brain, trying to think of what he could do to earn back her trust. He glanced around the room, his eyes briefly landing on Ruby. An idea struck him, one that made him smirk. "Tell you what," he said as he reached for the strap going across his chest. He pulled at the worn leather and ducked his head, removing his sword, sheath and all, from his back. Without hesitation, he held it straight out towards Yang. "Take it."

Yang jerked back in surprise, looking between her uncle and his prized weapon, stunned by the sudden demand. However, it was Ruby who had the strongest reaction.

"What?!"

Qrow shot Ruby a glance, grinning at her flabbergasted look, before turning back to Yang, who was staring at the sword in complete confusion. "Think of it as... collateral. You can give it back to me when you see Raven tomorrow. She ain't there, it's yours. Keep it, smash it, sell it to the highest bidder; I don't care."

Ruby let out a high-pitch squawk, looking absolutely horrified between the blade and her family. "But…!" She started stuttering. "Butbutbut…!"

Much as he wanted to watch her mini-meltdown, Qrow kept his eyes on Yang, watching her face as a dozen emotions flicked across it. He kept his arms out, the blade completely still in his grip.

Something suddenly sparked in Yang's eyes as she slowly looked up from the sword to meet Qrow's. Her voice was quiet, near-silent with fragile hope. "...she's really going to be there… isn't she?"

Qrow gave her a tender smile, all his humor bleeding away into pure care. "She will be, little dragon. I promise."

Yang held his gaze, trying to sort out all her thoughts and feelings. After almost a full minute, she took a calming breath… then put on her usual smirk.

"Alright," she said with a small nod. Then her arm jabbed out, snatching the sword out of Qrow's extended hand. "Then I'll just hold on to this for a while."

Qrow smirked back, crossing her arms loosely. "That's cool. I expect it polished and sharpened when I get it back."

Yang snorted as she smirked back, waving her newly-acquired blade flippantly in his face. "Yeah, keep dreaming."

Ruby watched the entire exchange with mounting horror, finally jumping forward when Yang waved the blade a little too hard, it making a loud clacking sound as it slid a bit out of the sheath. "Yang, don't just wave that around! You've got to be careful with her!"

Yang blinked at her nervous tone, briefly meeting Qrow's eyes. A sly smirk crossed both their lips. "Lighten up, Ruby," she said in a too-happy tone. "It's just a sword."

Ruby's mouth fell open, her face twisted into a betrayed expression usually reserved for hearing family insulted. "Harbinger is not 'just a sword'! Qrow's had her since he built her when he was our age! I used her as the base for Crescent Rose! She's like Crescent Rose's mama! How can you…"

"Aaaand, she's off," Weiss muttered to Blake, shaking her head in amused exasperation. Blake nodded back, trying to stifle a laugh as Yang calmly questioned how a weapon could have a mother, her amused smirk never wavering. Ruby, in turn, rapidly explained, her voice growing louder with every word. As the two got louder and more animated, Zwei jumped up from where he lay, tail wagging as he bounced around their heels, wanting to join in the apparent excitement.

Qrow watched with a smile as the sisters started bickering, just as they always had growing up. He glanced briefly at Blake and Weiss, catching sight of the exasperated but kind smiles they had watching the two. He grinned wider. He didn't need any pseudo-psychic empath power to know that, despite Ruby's annoyed shouts and Yang's egging, there was a sense of trust and relief between the two sisters, one he knew all too well… and missed deeply.

Qrow was no fool. Tomorrow was going to be a disaster. How could it be anything but? But maybe, just maybe, after the punches were thrown and the tears were shed… Yang and Ruby were strong. They each had the best traits of their mothers, and now had two caring, powerful girls of their own in their corner. No matter what happened the next day… maybe they'd all be okay.

Hey… he'd seen weirder things happen.

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Well, I bet you all can't wait to get to the big talk, eh?... Well, get ready to hate me then. One more chapter before our favorite sisters have a sit-down with Raven. It's back to the high seas to check on Ilia and the Belladonnas. Riveting, I know. Though, there might be a little something that will make it worth it… how close is that ship to Vale again?

See ya later!