The bandits surrounding the camp began to cheer and shout, sensing the oncoming combat and pushing to get the best view. The circle crowded in, tents and other items pushed away as a ring was roughly formed, not ten metres in diameter. The walls of it were flesh, muscle and the odd weapon. Had Qrow or Jaune wanted to leave, they wouldn't have been able to. Through it all, Raven smiled, goading her warriors on with a nonchalant air.
"Fight him?" Qrow asked, not at all bothered by the display or at least hiding it well. He looked Jaune up and down in what could only be a dismissive manner. "Alright, shouldn't be too hard." He brought forth his weapon and started to swing it, loosening his muscles. "But if I win, you have to stick to your side of the deal."
"I don't go back on my word."
"Heh, I guess that's at least one thing you're good at sticking with. It's a shame you never managed it with anything else."
The barbs and taunts never ceased and the crowd loved it, lapping up the tension and the promise of a good fight. Jaune was less keen and caught Raven by the elbow, pulling her aside. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "I'm not your champion and this isn't my fight. I don't want to fight him."
"It's a little late for that now."
"No, it's not. Fight him yourself. I've got no reason to do this."
"Oh? And here I thought you wanted your sword back," Raven smirked when he froze. Her hand gently took his, prying it off her arm and pushing it back against his chest. "Fight Qrow on my behalf and I shall give it back, no questions asked. You'll have what you came for and be free to leave."
It was a good offer… or at least a good point. He had to fight Raven to get it back anyway, and Qrow was on the same level as Raven, at least when she wasn't using the Spring Maiden's powers. He had no idea if she actually had those yet, but if he had to pick between fighting her and Qrow, then Qrow would be the easier choice, if only because he knew more about how the man fought.
The bigger problem was that fighting Qrow aligned him with Raven and against Ozpin, and while it was definitely the case on the latter, he didn't exactly want that to be a known fact. His anonymity was supposed to be his biggest advantage, and that wasn't just being thrown out the window - it was being mailed directly to Ozpin with a gift tag. There was no way the headmaster wouldn't be hearing about this the moment Qrow got back to Vale. If he won, it would only be worse!
"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, pulling Raven aside so that Qrow couldn't hear them whisper. "What do you have to gain?"
"That is for me to know and you to find out." Raven shucked off his hands and reversed Crocea Mors, holding it by the blade and pushing the hilt out towards him. "But if you need a little more incentive, I shall give it to you. Your goal is to reach Vale, and as soon as possible, no? The journey would take a week or more, perhaps two. I can have you there tomorrow, or close enough to cut your travel down to just a few hours."
Her Semblance; he'd almost forgotten about it. She could only move to people she had a bond with as far as he understood, but the hint on travel time suggested she had Taiyang in mind, which meant Patch. The small island was close to the city, barely six hours away by ferry. It would cut a lot of time off his trip and save any more distractions like this one. The only reason he hadn't thought of it before was that there was no real way to convince Raven to open one for him, or there hadn't been until now.
Again, she made it sound like such a good offer.
"The alternative is that I fight him," she said. "We're evenly matched, so if he wins I'll need to travel to Vale to see Ozpin. It might take a while for me to have the freedom to face you, which means I shall be keeping hold of your weapon for quite a while longer, and you'll have to accompany me to Vale if you want it back. Of course, even should I win, I might be too injured to fight you – so you would need to wait another week or so for me to heal. Can you afford to waste so much time?"
No, he couldn't. Even assuming she won, he'd end up stuck here. If she lost, then she'd have to go to Vale, and he – needing his sword – would be forced to follow. Meeting Ozpin this early wasn't just a bad idea; it was madness.
With a sigh, Jaune accepted his sword.
Raven's eyes sparkled like gems.
"I'm not doing this for you," he pressed. "I'm doing this because it helps me."
"I would have no respect for you were it the other way around. I'm not a damsel in distress who needs a man to fight her battles for her. This is simply entertainment. That and confirming something."
Well, that was certainly an ominous way to put it, but he shouldn't have expected any less. Jaune held his hand out for his sheathe but hooked it to his belt after a moment's thought. On the one hand, fighting without his shield would be a little harder, but having a surprise weapon against Qrow would be useful, and since this was inevitably going to be reported back to Ozpin, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to show a weapon's ability that would be identical to the one a certain student would have in ten years' time. Crocea Mors' blade looked different enough from the one that would exist in this time, but the shield did not.
Jaune stalked away from Raven and toward Qrow, who stood waiting for him in the centre of the ring. The man, though it felt odd to call him that when he looked so young, watched him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"Finished flirting?" he asked.
"I wasn't flirting with her," Jaune replied. "And I'll thank you to not involve me in your family squabbles. Whatever is between you and her is between the two of you. Leave me out of it."
"Not possible. Not when you stand alongside her."
I don't, asshole, Jaune felt like saying. Unfortunately, Qrow would never believe him. He had no reason to, and there wasn't much else of a good explanation for why he was here, nor why Raven had chosen to call him her champion.
Losing on purpose wasn't an option, as amusing as it would have been to see the look on Raven's face. If he lost, she'd show her displeasure by keeping his sword all the way to Vale and forcing him to meet Ozpin. Between beating Qrow and earning suspicion or losing and having to meet Ozpin directly, the choice was easy.
Assuming he could beat Qrow at all, that was. Jaune readied his sword, held in two hands before him in a guard stance. I guess we'll soon find out.
"You shall fight until surrender, injury or death," Raven called, leaping up onto her raised platform where she would have a wonderful view of the fight. To both his and Qrow's annoyance, she made a show of sitting down on a seat, slinging one leg gracefully over the other. "Do try to avoid the last option. I don't need a corpse stinking up my campsite."
"No promises," Qrow said.
Seriously? Jaune wasn't sure if it was to try and get into his head or not, but this Qrow seemed a lot more bloodthirsty than he was used to. Raven's terms were as brutal as he'd expected, though he doubted she had aura meters of combat arenas out here, so she did have an excuse. The lack of a ring-out option was a problem, but he'd just have to fight on and hope for the best.
Luckily, he knew Qrow's combat style, both from watching the man fight and sparring with him numerous times. The moment the bout began, Qrow would bait him in with some taunt, taking a defensive stance and waiting for an opening to—
"Begin!" Raven called.
Qrow rocketed forwards with a roar.
Jaune's eyes had a moment to widen in shock before he backpedalled, catching Qrow's sword on his at the last second and knocking it aside. The huntsman pushed forward and used both hands to force Jaune back, hurling him away. Jaune landed hard, stumbled on one leg, but ignored it as he parried the next attack, Qrow attacking with blistering speed and aggression.
Too much so! Qrow was faster and stronger than he had been before, now in his prime and more than willing to use that to his advantage. Jaune found himself pressed before he could realise it, falling back under a withering hail of blows. It was all he could do to parry and try to put distance between them. Sweat beaded on his brow as he flicked another thrust aside, and took the chance to counter-attack, knocking Qrow back and giving himself some space to think.
This was madness. This wasn't how Qrow fought – not at all. Jaune ducked under a wide swing and slipped under the man's guard, coming up behind him but leaping back when Qrow spun and cut down towards him. The constant assault was so bizarre that he had no idea what to do. Qrow was quick and strong, but had always been something of a strange combatant. He wasn't a strategist by any means, but he fought cautiously, using the terrain and every trick in the book to overwhelm his foe with brutal efficiency.
He was not a male version of Yang Xiao-Long, replete with grunts on every attack, laughter whenever he knocked Jaune back, and a mocking smirk. And yet that was what he found himself facing. This was a Qrow in his prime, though as Jaune quickly realised, it was Qrow's his physical prime, not mental.
"What's the matter?" Qrow taunted. "Is that thing an ornament or are you going to swing it?"
"There's time for talk in a fight, but only in very specific circumstances," a more grizzled and guarded Qrow had told him. "If you need to stall, fine, but in all other cases the one who talks the loudest is the one who isn't paying attention. Don't be that idiot."
They'd all been like that once, not only him but Yang, Ruby and Nora, all. They'd learned better as they grew older, only talking to shout out commands or warnings to one another. Was it possible Qrow hadn't learned that yet?
It looked like Qrow's lesson in the future had been built on personal experience.
"Nothing to say?" Qrow mocked.
There really was nothing, so Jaune leapt in and sent a probing attack for Qrow's left side. The man's blade parried his with ease, knocking it aside with a sharp bark of laughter. He cut inward, aiming for Jaune's throat, but a tilt of his body gave it nothing but air. In turn, he slipped in and drove the pommel of Crocea Mors into the side of Qrow's ribs, and then used his own weight to push the man back.
As much as it irked him to admit it, Qrow had the advantage when it came to a typical fight, even with Jaune knowing the man's fighting style, and Qrow being ten years younger than he had before. Still, there were some small differences and it was one of those Jaune decided to place his faith in. As he rammed the man, and before they parted, Jaune let go of Crocea Mors with one hand and sent it crashing into Qrow's face. It caught him in the jaw and knocked his head back, for once cutting off that smirk as Qrow bit his own tongue.
The bandits cheered wildly, deciding Jaune was the better one to support even though Qrow had once been a part of the tribe.
To Qrow's credit, the blow barely fazed him. He staggered back, warding his sword before him to prevent a follow-up. Once there was a little distance between them, he reached up with one hand to test his jaw, wincing.
"Tch," he said, spitting a little blood to the side. "Cheap shot."
Had it been any other situation, Jaune might have fainted. Cheap shot? Cheap shot!? This was a fight. Not only did anything go, but the one he'd learned that technique from was the person currently insulting it. Hell, he'd only learned it from Qrow because the asshole kept using it on him. There were only so many times you could be punched in the face before you had it down by memory.
This really wasn't Qrow at all, was it?
Or it was, but it was different. The physical factors were there, but he'd not counted for the other parts – the ten years difference between the man who stood before him and the man he'd meet at Beacon. He'd expected things to be different, that maybe Qrow would be a little weaker, but by this much? No, not weaker. Less refined. Qrow's strength and speed was ridiculous, as was his skill, but the huntsman was somehow less tempered. He didn't have that wary edge that gave Qrow the advantage; that constant caution that spoke of a man who'd been through hell and learned to expect it at every moment.
Perhaps that was it. Perhaps this Qrow just hadn't been through enough. But what could have changed in just ten years to turn a man from the sober huntsman before him, who resembled Yang at her best, to a jaded and paranoid shell of a man willing to give his life for Ozpin? Something big, that much was for sure.
Their blades crashed together again, Jaune giving ground as he parried each attack, keeping his sword central to his body and refusing to take any of the gaps Qrow left him. In the future, those would have been traps, and a part of him still saw them as such and feared Qrow getting the upper hand. The worst part was that given by Qrow's savagery and lack of guard, they really weren't traps at all. Qrow really did have gaps in his defence.
It was on the next pass that Jaune decided to test one. Qrow's attack came in high and clashed off his sword, but Jaune ducked low, stepped under and rammed his shoulder into Qrow's gut. With their swords locked above them, he drove the huntsman forward and let go, tossing him a few feet. Though Qrow managed to land, it was awkward and clumsy, and that left him unable to properly defend when Jaune slashed down with a two-handed blow.
Qrow tried nonetheless but his footing wasn't there. He managed to deflect it but flew back, falling on his ass before he rolled away and staggered back up. As the crowd jeered and laughed, Qrow's cheeks tinted.
"Alright, so you're no mere bandit. I guess I'll have to take you seriously."
"A real huntsman always takes his foe seriously," Jaune said, breaking his own rule to speak. He couldn't help it, though. Qrow's words felt like a personal insult to his own teacher, as ironic as that sounded since he meant Qrow himself.
The older Qrow wouldn't have taken someone anything less than seriously, no matter who they were or what they looked like.
"Oh, the bandit thinks he knows something about being a huntsman?" Qrow mocked, fighting to regain what confidence he'd lost. "That's cute. I'll have you know I graduated from Beacon Academy, the best academy in all of Remnant. I'm one of the strongest huntsmen in Vale."
He was, and to be fair if this were a fair fight of Beacon-sanctioned spar, Qrow would have won easily. The problem was his attitude though, and the fact that Jaune had been trained to ignore things like honour and fair play and seek victory wherever he could. Like Qrow said, the older one that was, the only thing that mattered in a fight was winning. And seeing this Qrow stood before him with a cocky smirk and a lackadaisical attitude?
It was honestly a little disappointing.
Jaune went on the attack suddenly, closing the distance between them and lashing out with wide and heavy blows, forcing the huntsman onto the defensive. He'd always been more of an endurance fighter himself, never quite capable of the graceful techniques Pyrrha had tried to impart. He'd learned them as best he could, but flips had to be traded for rolls and snap-kicks for shoulder-charges.
Pyrrha was one of a kind while he was just one of many, but that didn't mean he hadn't picked up a few tricks, and as he pushed Qrow back toward the crowd, it was one such he employed. With a mighty crash, he knocked Qrow's sword wide, but also allowed his own to over-extend, providing an opening. Qrow saw it, and like the aggressive fighter he'd never really been, couldn't hold back from taking advantage, lunging in.
Jaune's knees hit the dirt, along with his shoulder and body, watching Qrow sail by overhead, wide-eyed at his opponent's sudden dive. As Qrow stumbled over him, Jaune scraped up a healthy pile of dust and pebbles and threw them in Qrow's face.
"Arghhh!" Qrow staggered back with one hand clutched to his face, trying to wipe the debris from his eyes. He cried out again when Jaune's leg swept around, catching him in the back of the shin and sweeping his foot away. Qrow fell hard and tried to roll away.
But Jaune was on him before he could. One hand grappled with Qrow's sword, wrenching it from his grasp and tossing it away, while his other – too close to use his own – instead hammered down with the pommel, striking Qrow in the neck with a blow that left him gasping for breath.
With a grunt and a final kick to the groin - just to make sure he stayed down - Jaune scrabbled off and pointed his blade down to tickle Qrow's throat. "You've lost," he panted. "Yield."
In the end, Qrow hadn't fired off a single shot, nor revealed his weapon as a mecha-shift. He'd not had the chance on account of how he didn't take Jaune seriously, relying on what he believed to be a natural advantage in skill and ability. Raw skill and talent wasn't everything, however. It worked to a degree, but there was always a way for the weaker combatant to eke out an advantage. It all depended on how hard they were willing to train… or how low they were prepared to go in his case. Puling hair, low blows, dirt in the eyes, ambushes, the man he knew as Qrow had taught him and his friends all of that and more.
But the Qrow beneath him hadn't realised that yet. Had he, the fight might - would - have gone a different way.
Instead, he stared balefully up at Jaune.
"Dirty move," Qrow coughed, wiping an arm over his face. "What kind of bastard taught you that?"
"A really mean one. But a good man, and someone I respected even if he did drink too much." Jaune laughed, before he raised his voice to call out, "The fight is over. I could have slit his throat but didn't. We're done here."
The crowd started to cheer, shout and groan in equal measure, some having no doubt bet against him. None seemed willing to help Qrow up however, who lay on his back with a frustrated and shame-faced scowl. Again, it wasn't like the Qrow he knew, but Jaune felt a little sympathy for him nonetheless. He knew what it was like to be in that situation, and really, he should have been happy the Qrow he'd met here wasn't the same as his. It meant he was happier, if not at this moment then at least in general. His Qrow had always carried something around on his shoulders; something he drunk to forget. Jaune moved forward and held a hand out, offering it to his opponent.
"Good fight," he said. "Just be prepared for an opponent who fights dirty next time and you won't have any problems."
Qrow stared at the hand in surprise for a moment, but a scowl soon replaced his expression and he slapped it aside. The huntsman forced himself up and spared a brief glare for his sister, and then a much longer one for Jaune. Without a word, he limped away, defeated.
A man could change a lot in ten years. Jaune had gone from being useless to what he was now in three or four, and it looked like Qrow still had a little growing of his own to do. I guess the fight against Salem doesn't really kick off until later. Qrow's still a fairly new huntsman now, so he probably hasn't had a chance to really test himself. Or to realise how much stronger he can be. How much stronger he needs to be.
Maybe their spar here would help him. Like any other huntsman, Qrow wasn't someone who took a loss lying down. He'd improve himself.
Raven's hands clapped together as she descended her dais. He knew she'd done so early to make sure Qrow heard, and if the man's stiff shoulders as he picked up his weapon were any indication he certainly had. He didn't pause to speak with Raven, but instead pushed through the crowd, knocking one person aside as her jeered at the huntsman.
"Ignore him," Raven said, laughing delightedly. "Qrow will fly back to Ozpin to sulk like the little child he is. He was never one to accept defeat gracefully, nor embarrassment."
Jaune nodded and sheathed his sword, relieved to have it back on his hip. He wiped away some sweat with the back of his hand. His breathing was a little heavier but not overly so. The fight with Qrow had been hard but not long, mostly because he'd cheated to end it sooner, forcing a surrender instead of the two of them beating one another into near-unconsciousness. It could have been so much worse, and Qrow's strength and speed couldn't be underestimated. Or his Semblance. I'm lucky the fight didn't last long enough for it to take effect.
Or he was unlucky; it was hard to tell with Qrow's semblance sometimes.
"I was right," Raven said, looking him up and down with a wry smile. "You really are strong – and not just as a huntsman. The brutality you showed, the way you fought, even the lack of pointless conversation. I can see why you were strong enough to defeat the Nucklelavee."
"And now Qrow is suspicious about me," Jaune said, panting lightly. "Thanks for that." He couldn't help but think that was intentional on her part. At least he'd managed to hide the sigil on his hand, wearing one of his leather gloves.
"Is it Qrow you're concerned about, or Ozpin?"
Jaune tensed. The action didn't go unnoticed and Raven began to laugh. She continued to do so until she had to take a step back, one hand over her mouth. Several of the people in her tribe watched her curiously, so she motioned for him to follow and stepped back into her tent, closing the flap behind her. He followed.
"Care to share the joke?"
"Not so much a joke as satisfaction," Raven replied, finally controlling her amusement. "I was so very certain, but had no way of proving it. It was a gambit for sure but it seems it paid off. Even someone like I can occasionally take pleasure in fooling another." She leaned back into a seat and gestured to one opposite, on the other side of a thin, wooden table. "Drink?"
Jaune didn't sit. "You promised me a way to Vale. I think I'd like to collect."
"I promised you that tomorrow. The means for said transport isn't ready yet," she added when he made to complain. "If I tried to use it now, you would fall into the ocean."
Confusion warred within him for a moment, until he realised she was talking about her Semblance's limit. If it could only connect to people she'd bonded with, then she must have meant that Taiyang or Yang were on a boat somewhere. It was the only thing he could think of, since Raven wouldn't have known Ruby to make a bond with her, and Qrow couldn't have been too far gone at this point. If there was nothing she could do, there was nothing she could do. Not that he had any way to prove or disprove what she was saying.
"I'll take you tomorrow when they settle down." She gestured to the seat again. "Sit."
This time, he did so, grudgingly. He unhooked Crocea Mors and laid it against a crate beside the table, next to Raven's. It was an oddly casual gesture, though after chatting with her for the better part of two weeks, it felt natural.
"I wasn't so certain at first, but little things started to add up," Raven said. "Your desire to reach Vale, but your goal of taking the huntsman tests in Atlas. Your reaction to Qrow, and what you said about Ozpin. You know him, don't you?"
Jaune's instincts said to deny it. His brain knew it would be pointless. "I know him."
Raven leaned forward. "And you don't trust him."
"Oh, I trust him," Jaune replied, earning a small frown. "But trust doesn't mean I agree with him. Ozpin will do what he thinks is right, and maybe it is, but I don't approve of his methods."
"He's not the man he portrays himself to be," Raven said ominously.
"No," Jaune agreed. "He isn't."
Raven laughed again, delighted at something only she understood. "I'm not sure why I'm so happy. I think I'd given up hope on ever finding someone who could see the truth as I do. Ozpin always shows himself to be the kind and caring grandfather figure, but he's not."
"He is," Jaune countered, "but he's also more than that."
Because even now, he knew Ozpin had cared about them all. He'd cared about Beacon, Vale and their teams, but he'd just cared more about defeating Salem. Enough to leave Beacon when it fell, abandoning his former colleagues. Enough to lead children on a dangerous quest across the kingdoms, regardless of the risk. Enough to send them against Salem, and to not only trade their lives for victory, but to accept death on behalf of Oscar, too.
Ozpin cared, but that caring was always second to the bigger picture. That was what made him so dangerous, and what led to Jaune both hating and not-quite-hating him. Either way, he didn't have to despise the man to work against him. In an ideal world, they could have worked together, but Ozpin had no reason to trust him and if he knew the future, he'd want it re-enacting perfectly. If the easiest way to achieve that was to kill the outlier, himself, then so be it. In the end, Ozpin and he were enemies. They just weren't hated ones.
Yet, anyway.
There was no telling what first impression Qrow would be taking back.
"He can't be trusted," Jaune continued. "He's a man that will lead others to ruin, which is why I want to avoid him. His heart's in the right place, but it's his way of doing things that I don't like. He always puts others in the way of danger and wants them to fight on his behalf. It'd be different if he actually joined in, but he's always the one behind the scenes pulling the strings."
"Hm, that much I can agree to. Qrow is a fool for trusting him."
"And I thought you didn't care for your brother. I see I was wrong."
"What?" Raven gasped over her drink. "I do not care for Qrow at all!"
Jaune chuckled and drank his own, marvelling at how nice it was. He'd half-expected some horrid, overly-strong booze, but Raven had probably stolen nice wine from somewhere. "I think you do, otherwise you wouldn't want him to stop trusting Ozpin. You're trying to look out for him."
Raven huffed but refused to answer. She took a long drink and slammed the cup down. "Qrow isn't who we are discussing here."
"Who were we discussing? Ozpin? I think we've both agreed we don't like him much."
"That's what is so unusual." Raven leaned forward. "I've not met a single other person who sees him the same way I do. That man doesn't allow people close to him and he keeps his secrets against his chest. How do you know him so well?"
"I trusted him once," Jaune admitted slowly. While the whole truth was out of the question, a little couldn't hurt. "I listened to him, followed him and believed in him." He took another long drink, banishing memories of what had happened to his friends. "I paid for it. My friends paid harder."
Raven was unusually quiet. "And now you no longer trust him," she said. "I see. Perhaps that is why I found it so easy to speak with you. I don't normally find it so simple to bond with another like this." She gestured towards him, her and the table between them. "You intrigued me from the moment we first met but I couldn't understand why. I get it now."
"It's not my magnetic personality?" he joked.
"No. It's because we are the same."
Jaune frowned. "I'm not sure I like that comparison…"
"Similar, then," she decided, too excited to let it go. "We both trusted Ozpin and both discovered the truth, striking out on our own paths. You can deny it all you want, but our circumstances are the same. I'd imagine both of us faced some level of disagreement from our old friends."
He didn't, on account of them all being dead, but try as he might to deny Raven's words, he couldn't. Had Ruby still been alive, she would have sided with Ozpin still. She was selfless like that; willing to see her life end for a chance for peace for everyone else. He wasn't. He was selfish.
Jaune finished his drink and poured himself another.
He had never abandoned his family for one. Oh sure, he'd left to become a huntsman but it wasn't like he'd done so without a message and without occasionally sending a letter home. He hadn't walked out on a spouse and child.
But he couldn't argue against them sharing some similarities.
"Our situations are similar," he admitted. "But we're not. We are different."
"Of course. It would be foolish to suggest otherwise. I'm just pleased to find someone else who shares my opinion. Few do."
He nodded. "Makes sense."
Raven offered the flask again. "Drink?"
Jaune held out his mug.
/-/
Rays of sunlight peeked through the tent flaps and poked him in the eye. Jaune fought against it for as long as he could, but when not even rolling over got rid of it, he groaned and opened his eyes, pushing himself up on his hands.
Long, flowing, black hair greeted him.
His eyes widened. Had he-?
No. The impact of his hangover struck first, followed by reality as he noticed that not only was Raven fully clothed, but that she was half slumped on her cot, one arm and leg over the edge, and that he'd fallen asleep at the table, also still in his outfit. The stench of alcohol permeated the tent along with some scraps of beef or chicken they'd had later on. Two plates remained on the table with scraps remaining, alongside three empty flasks.
Had they really drunk themselves to oblivion? That felt remarkably unlike him, and her to be honest, but that was only because he still struggled to see her as anything other than a power-obsessed absent mother. Then again, she was a Branwen. He was more surprised she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep near him. Did she trust him so much that she felt no fear letting her guard down?
Or maybe she drank so much she didn't have a choice. Either way, I need her portals, so it's not like I could do anything to her, and she knows it.
He stood with a little assistance from the table and limped over to a stack of crates, atop which lay a corked flask. Pulling it out, he sniffed the contents, and tested a little on his tongue when it smelt of nothing at all. Discovering it was fresh water, he guzzled at it, washing the headache away. Alcohol hadn't ever really been his thing, even if he'd tried a little. It was impossible not to with Qrow around.
Raven and he had talked through the night, he recalled blurrily. There hadn't been anything too deep or complicated, and they'd mostly just discussed strength, destiny and Ozpin a little more. He couldn't say he fully understood how much it meant to her to have someone who could talk on the level of an equal, and who didn't despise her for betraying Ozpin, but then again he'd only been in this world for a few weeks, so he didn't have much to go on either.
Nice or not, however, he had places to be. With a quick look to make sure her sword was out of reach – on the other side of the tent – he moved over and placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her gently. "Raven, wake up."
"Mmf…"
"Raven!" He shook her a little harder. "Hangover or not, you promised me a way to Vale. Wake up."
"Ngh." Raven's brow creased, but she slowly started to wake up. Like him, she sought to escape the light by rolling over, this time so that her face was buried in his chest. Her fingers gripped at the fabric of his robes. "You smell good," she whispered sleepily, eyes cracking open. She smiled and nuzzled against him. "Come back to bed, Tai…"
"It's Jaune, actually."
Raven's eyes snapped open. Her hand, still bunched in his chest, pushed away with sudden force, hurling him back into the table with a crack. When he shook away the shock, he was in time to see Raven stand and turn away, brushing a hand through her hair.
When she turned back, her face was business-like, with no sign of her earlier behaviour and a frown in place. "What are you doing in my tent?"
"I woke up here."
"You-?" Her eyes closed and she sighed. "Right, we were drinking. I remember."
"You called me-"
"You shouldn't wake someone up so easily," she interrupted, stalking past him. "Had I my sword to hand I might have cut you down. What time is it?"
"I don't know?"
"Hmph." Raven strapped her sword back onto her waist and peeked out the tent flap, shielding her bloodshot eyes from the light. "The sun is up. Someone will be making breakfast."
"Raven, you-"
"I'll create a portal for you after we eat. You can leave after that."
She wasn't going to answer his questions. Jaune let it go with a sigh, not sure he could take the answers either way. "Alright," he said. "Thank you."
Raven's mood persisted for at least another hour or two, long enough for them to eat in relative silence and for her to bark critique at several bandits sparing nearby. Even Jaune thought her demands too much for them and they stared at her open-mouthed. "Well?" she snapped. "Get to it! The strong live and the weak die. Do not disappoint me."
"Y-Yes, Raven!"
It wasn't the hangover making her act out, he knew, but at the end of the day he couldn't afford to ask and make things worse. He needed to get to Vale. Whatever issues she had were her own and chances were he'd just make them worse.
It was closer to noon when she finally calmed down enough to draw him aside, outside of the camp and in a small thicket of trees that concealed them from view. "My Semblance allows me to create portals," she explained, and he pretended to be suitably awed and unaware of all of it. Noticeably, she kept the part about `bonds` out of it. "I can make you one to Patch, which is a small island a short journey from Vale. You will need to secure a ferry for yourself, but that should not be hard."
"I'll manage. Thank you for this, and for saving me," he added. "You put me up for almost three weeks and helped me heal. I appreciate that."
"Don't ruin what respect I have for you by crying," Raven said. Her lips tugged up just a fraction.
"I'm not that grateful."
"How cruel. Still, it was enjoyable while it lasted." She made it seem like admitting that physically hurt. "Are you sure I cannot convince you to join the Branwen tribe? You would be a fine addition and I would welcome you."
"You can't. I have places to be."
"A shame..." Raven laughed. "But I could tell as much. Still, it does not hurt to ask." She turned a little to the side and concentrated on the space before her, slowly willing a portal to life. It was not the first time he'd seen them, but it was closer than any other and the first time he'd use one. "You can step through and into Patch," she explained.
"Thank you." He hesitated. As odd as it sounded, he would miss this. It was hard to explain, and maybe it was just him talking to someone for the first time in a while. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. Everyone else came first, and he really wanted to get into Vale and out before Qrow reached Ozpin. It would take the man a day or two by flight, which meant he was working on limited time. "I guess this is goodbye."
"We shall see one another again."
Would they, or was that just some means to make him feel better? He had no idea and Raven wasn't saying, her knowing smile the only answer he received.
"If you say so..."
With a deep breath, he stepped through the portal.
The cold hit him first. He wasn't actually sure what season it was, but it was a little later in the day and the breeze was far stronger than it had been in Mistral, with a salty air that told him the ocean was nearby. His feet landed on soft grass, and when he looked behind him the portal was already winking out of existence. Raven was apparently a lot better at goodbyes than he was.
He was outside what looked to be a pub or inn of some kind, with him being in an alleyway off to the side. It was made of wood with simple decoration and a sign hanging over the door marking it as the `Huntsman's Pride`. He wondered if Qrow was inside, before dismissing the thought. Even with his bird form it would take Qrow longer than this to reach Patch. It must have been Taiyang.
Neither really mattered. He had to find a ferry to Vale, which hopefully wouldn't be too difficult. Patch was an island, so even if he couldn't get directions, he could just head to the closest body of water and skirt around it. With that in mind, he stepped out from the alley, almost bumping into a short woman with dark hair and a white cloak.
"Sorry," he whispered, brushing by.
"Oh, it's my bad," she replied. "I wasn't lookin-"
The woman cut off with a gasp.
"You!"
But Jaune had already moved on.
/-/
Summer gasped, shook and tried to spin at the same time. Weakened as she was, she almost fell, and was only able to catch herself with one hand on the wall beside her. Had that been-? But he'd been in Vacuo! No, she wasn't wrong. She couldn't be.
Could she?
Her heart hammered in her chest as she scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a sight of him again. It had been less than a second but the face, the hair and those eyes, she couldn't have mistaken them. To her frustration, he was nowhere to be seen. The moment's shock that prevented her from crying out had been all he needed to elude her.
And any thoughts of chasing after him were ripped away when a voice called out her name. Or better yet, a title she loved all the more.
"Mommy!"
There they were, a little down the street and drawing more than their fair share of attention. Ruby struggled on her father's shoulder, fighting her way down and nearly causing Taiyang to drop her. He was no rookie, however, and lowered her with a laugh. Ruby streaked towards her, though Yang kept pace with her easily.
Once upon a time, hugging them both at once had felt awkward and complicated. Not now. Summer wrapped her arms around both and crushed them against her, fighting the urge to break down crying then and there. She was only partly successful and a few tears trailed down her cheeks.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Yang asked, suddenly afraid.
"Nothing, sweetie. I'm just happy to see you. People can cry when they're happy." She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell them how close she'd come to death. Maybe when they were older - when it wouldn't hurt them so much. Right now, she didn't want to ruin this moment.
Taiyang came in close behind them, leaning down to take her cheeks in both hands and lay a firm kiss on her mouth, one she reciprocated with an almost desperate need. He knew the truth. He knew how close he'd come to losing her, and she to losing them all. "Welcome home, Summer. We all missed you."
I was scared, his words didn't say.
"I'm sorry it took so long," she replied.
I messed up. Forgive me?
"All that matters is that you're home. Maybe next time you should take Qrow or me with you."
"There won't be a next time, at least not for a while. I've asked Ozpin for some time off. I… I want to spend more time with the kids. With you. I'll be doing simple huntress stuff in the area, but nothing so far away or dangerous."
Taiyang's face lit up. Although he'd never questioned her drive, the sheer relief he showed hurt a little. It told her he'd always worried, and that she, despite her best efforts, had never realised. She'd always put being a huntress before them. It was one of the things she wanted to change. Even if Taiyang always assured her Yang and Ruby loved her dearly, it was always distant. She did her best to be super-mum when she was home, but she so rarely was.
"I'll be spending a lot more time here," she said, this time to Ruby and Yang, squeezing them both. "How does that sound?"
"Awesome!" Yang crowed.
"Cookies!?" Ruby asked, giggling.
Summer laughed as well, as did Taiyang. It was that which finally calmed her down, but it also sapped what energy she had. Tai saw and caught her, supporting her with one arm. "How about we decide all the things we'll do as a family once we're back home?" he suggested kindly. "Your mom looks like she needs to sit down. Give her some room now. She's not going anywhere."
"I'm not," she promised, hiding her tears in his shoulder. "And home… home sounds perfect."