wanderer's lullaby

I do apologise for the unannounced hiatus here... I kinda burned out for a bit, but we are back!

***

Yang rolled over and slitted her eyes as sunshine filtered through the curtains. What? But it’d still been somewhat light out when Qrow had been there. Was it really the next morning? She’d been so tired she’d apparently slept well past twelve hours. What a long night… She hadn’t slept so long since she’d been a kid and Summer had put her to bed. Thankfully, it was a Sunday so she didn’t have to worry about things too much. Though she still had homework to finish since she hadn’t gotten her usual time yesterday… She kissed Ruby’s head and her little sister stirred, looking up at her with wide, silver eyes. She yawned and slid out of bed. “Sorry for sleeping so late, Rubes. Last night took it out of me, I guess.” Ruby was a naturally late sleeper, so it wasn’t a huge deal. They didn’t normally eat until about eight on weekends anyway. SHe headed downstairs and thawed breakfast, checking her scroll while eating. Will sometime between now and one on Patch work today? Of course, it was from Qrow. She’d finally meet Raven that day… She’d finally get the answer of why she left. There was still no excuse in her mind for any of this, none at all. She was her daughter and she should have stayed. Adults were the absolute worst. But what would Ruby do while she was gone? If only the old upright piano in Summer’s room were tuned and Ruby knew how to play… Then again, she could probably figure out some on her own. But it was a hunk of junk that hadn’t been touched since Summer’s death… And Ruby wouldn’t want to spend time with Winter either. Juggling her baby sister could be so hard— She heard the sound of something outside and peeked out the sliding glass door. Winter moved around with a saber, bobbing and weaving against an invisible opponent. So she had her sword with her, huh? While Ruby wouldn’t want to spend time with an adult, her love of weapons would definitely override that. Though the weapon looked minimalist… There might not be enough to occupy her for the time Raven and her talked. She slipped back to the table and finished eating outside. She thought Winter was fully absorbed in her drill, but then came, “Can I help you with something, Yang?” She froze a bit before nodding. No point in denying why she was out here. “I was wondering if you could maybe keep Ruby occupied while I talk to Raven. I know it’s a big ask especially after what I said first thing. But I don’t want to worry her while I’m away.” It was one thing when she was a chapel or a Band meeting. Ruby could keep herself busy and wouldn’t worry. But with Raven in the mix, she would worry until Yang returned. Winter seemed to hesitate before giving a small nod. “I can help. But how do you suppose I do that…? I don’t know anything about your sister. I don’t exactly have much experience with children.” She seemed to shift a bit, her gaze dropping to the ground. Yeah, that would be rough to figure out…if it weren’t for Yang helping. She pointed to Winter’s saber. “Talk about that. I know most Hunters don’t like giving up the secrets of their weapon. But Ruby loves weapons and learning about them. As long as you can keep talking about that and showing it off, you’ll be golden.” Ruby would be so enraptured that she wouldn’t be able to look away. She’d be so occupied that she wouldn’t worry. And that was exactly what Yang needed to keep her little sister from worrying herself sick. “If that’ll help her, then I suppose…” She didn’t seem too enthused but it would be the best way to keep Ruby occupied and not worried. She doubted even video games would help much, though… “Do you know anything about music? That would also be a good topic.” Those two things would be the best and easiest way to keep Ruby occupied. If they wouldn’t have been Huntresses, she could see Ruby going into music. She excelled in it, though not quite as much as combat stuff. “Not really, unfortunately. My education didn’t include much music. If given time, I could learn. Music is more of my little sister’s thing, though.” That was a pity. Ruby would’ve loved to learn about Atlassian music. What little bit of Branwen music Summer had written down really interested her. There were a lot of recordings of stuff performed by Raven and Qrow, but Yang tended to avoid those recordings for someodd reason. “Well, you talking about your weapon and fighting style should go a long way. Raven and Uncle Qrow will be here sometime between noon and one. Not sure how long it’ll take. Sorry about that.” She smiled sheepishly and Winter shrugged. “It is what it is. I would like to get back to my drills if you’re done.” Her tone was polite but a little curt. Yeah, she didn’t blame her there. That and most people would be able to sense that the conversation was winding down. She nodded then went back inside the house. Today would definitely be a day she remembered for the rest of her life whether good or bad. That point remained to be determined.

☼

Yang’s scroll went off at noon and she grabbed Ruby’s hand, taking her over to Summer’s room. Winter ushered her in then shut the door. It felt…strange. She hadn’t trusted Ruby to anybody except Ein since Summer had died. How was she supposed to feel about this? She didn’t even trust Taiyang with her. So to hand her over to somebody she really didn’t know… It felt so very wrong. But she didn’t want Ruby to worry about her. She’d tell her what happened afterward. She still wasn’t sure what to think about all of this… She’d eventually go live with Qrow and Raven… The woman that had been absent from their lives would soon become a daily fixture in it. SHe really didn’t know how to take it… She headed out into the forest a decent ways away from the house and started running through drills. Different types of punches, different levels of energy, kicks, dodges… All of it until her scroll chimed. Ready for us to come over, Yang? She took in a breath then let it out. She should at least hear the woman out before flying off the handle. It was hard, though. SHe’d been a factor in completely running their lives. Yeah, I’m away from the house, so there’s no chance of Taiyang seeing.No point in trying to call him ‘Dad’ here. Qrow and Raven knew he didn’t take care of them. She shuddered a little as a strange sensation tugged at her aura for a brief moment before the telltale portal appeared. SHe’d seen it countless times in the videos. But seeing it in person was another thing entirely. She shrank away from the ominous energy. Qrow and Raven walked through then it closed. “Hey, kiddo. Sorry about the dramatic entrance, but there’s not much we can do about its appearance.” She looked up at Qrow, wide eyed, but she nodded. “I thought seeing it in videos had prepared me, but I guess not.” She felt like such a child for being so scared. SHe’d seen the thing probably thousands of times. But she still balked in the end. The tugging on her soul had definitely not helped matters either. She’d neverhad someone invade her soul like that before. In theory, Sienna could, but she’d never had the woman manipulate her soul before. The twins laid down a thick blanket and placed a basket in the middle. “Feel free to take what you want, firecracker. It’s pretty loaded up.” He settled on the blanket with his sister who didn’t look up. Yang settled across form them and looked through the basket. Coleslaw sandwiches and some potato salad. Score! She unwrapped one of the sandwiches but Raven caught her eye as she went to take her first bite. She had aged gracefully thus far, no grey hair (unlike her brother), but Yang could still sense a world weariness to her. Her shoulders hung a bit limply and her gaze was distant. This…was not the woman she had grown used to seeing in Summer’s videos. Raven had been proud, nosy, and downright hyperfor lack of a better term. This woman was not that. Her eyes were a bit glassy and she looked…practically broken. And it didn’t seem like an act either. It seemed genuine. THen again, she could be wrong. Some people were very talented in manipulating others. But she’d never seen Raven as such in the videos… It was Summer who was the master manipulator in the end… Even shecould admit to it. But… What should she say? Should she go for the jugular or should she try to engage in some small talk? Or should she let Raven go first? She was normally good with conversation and people. But there weren’t exactly any norms when it came to talking to one’s estranged mother. She reminded silent as she munched on the sandwich until Raven sighed. “I feel like I should cut to the chase rather than pussyfoot around. Yang. do you remember what your uncle said about there being evil in the world?” Her voice was a bit quiet and shaky, a totalcontrast to the confidence in the videos. One of Raven’s hands gripped the blanket. She still didn’t look up either. SHe felt her eyes shift hue as she swallowed then nodded. “Yeah.” She still felt like it was an excuse. Of coursethere was evil in the world. There were evil people like Jacques Schnee and Adam Taurus. ‘Evil’ was no excuse to abandon a child. “This is more than Qrow will want me to tell you, but the Grimm…have a leader. She’s evil incarnate. She wants to see humanity burn and will stop at nothingto accomplish her goals.” She saw Qrow’s eyes widen and he spluttered. “Rae, you’re painting a targe on her back! Do you have any—” Raven put a hand on Qrow’s face and pushed him away. “Shut up. I have to be honest with her.” Was this reallywhat Qrow had been avoiding telling mer? The Grimm had a leader? What was so bad about that? Though it felt entirely far fetched. They were mindless beasts of destruction. Surely they couldn’t follow anyone or anything. “Okay,” she said passively. She really didn’t believe it. But with Qrow’s reaction, there had to be somethingto it. He wouldn’t have such a violent reaction if she were lying. It raised a lot of questions, but she still didn’t believe the claim. “…I can feel your disbelief and I don’t blame you. It’s hard to think that such mindless beasts would have a leader. But we can promise you she exists. I…I met her. She captured and tortured me. That’s…what led me to having you in the first place.” Thatmade Yang quirk an eyebrow. “Explain.” That raised a lot more questions. She wasn’t sure if she wanted them answered or not, honestly. But if Raven was baring her soul, then she might as well know the full truth. There was no reason in trying to hide from it. “Well, you’ve watched the STRQ videos. You’ve sussed out the dynamics, right?” Yang nodded. Qrow loved Summer who loved Taiyang who loved Raven who didn’t seem to care about him in any romantic sense. There had been care, of course, but only in a friendship sense. She always had wondered how the tides had changed. There really hadn't been much in the way of videos after she’d been born… At least not involving Taiyang and Raven together. “…I wasn’t in my right mind. I shouldn’t have been making any decisions, let alone like that …” Raven sighed, resting a cheek in her hand. “Your father and I made some…bad decisions when I shouldn’t have been making anymajor choices…” Thatgot Yang to look down. So she was nothing but a bad decision, huh…? No wonder— “I neversaid that, did I, Yang? Though… You really don’t believe me. Would you like to see what I went through instead of telling you? I mean that with the Salem stuff, not…your father and I.” She flushed hotly and Yang sighed. “It’s probably the best way to get me to understand.” She sighed again and wiped her hands on a napkin. Though eww… The idea of seeing her and Taiyang do the deed was notappealing. No kid wanted to see their parents do it, estranged or not. Raven held her hand out and Yang placed her own on it. She closed her eyes and let out a breath before letting Raven drop her into her memories.

≈

The blindfold gently came off her eyes and she watched as a massive castle came into view. THe sky was blacker than the darkest night, though the clouds were a strange scarlet. How was that even possible? Clouds shouldn’t— She groaned and doubled over as a fist rammed into her gut. “Don’t get used to the view. You’ll not be seeing it for a long time.” Her eyes closed as her captor spoke to her. She could feel her aura flickering in the high end. She really couldn’t risk anything so she stayed silent. Best to listen and minimise damage so she didn’t outright die. She still had to get back to her team… Why was it so hard to breathe here? She hadn’t punctured a lung or anything, she was sure of that. But she’d been struggling to breathe for a few days now. Why was the air here so different? It practically seemed to crackle with some unknown energy… The pain did start to recede a little and her eyes opened a bit, though it was hard to make anything out. She was draped over her captor’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. All she could sense was the fact that her captor was a woman who worked for Salem… They entered a room and the woman threw her to the floor. Yeah, that felt like bruised, possibly cracked ribs. She would be hurting for a while. “There you are, Your Majesty. I’ve delivered Raven Branwen to you.” She could barely see the woman bow from her peripheral vision. She could only look at the ceiling for all the pain radiating through her body. A figure with unnatural while skin came into view upside down. “You’ve done well, Maeva. It would have been better were it Summer Rose, but I believe I can make do with this.” The was smooth as silk and soothing as water. One ghostly hand reached out, then everything went black.

≈

Horrible images swam in her vision. Qrow mutilated and mangled. His arms disconnected form his body. His body bisected, entrails spilling out…

☼

A scream erupted from Yang’s throat, tearing her out of the grotesque image. “No, no!”Her uncle… No… Tears rolled down her face and she shook. She felt arms wrap around her and she looked up to see him. She clung to him for dear life. He might have betrayed her, but she still didn’t want to see that . She didn’t want him dead! She loved him too much. “Raven, what did you show her?!” His grip on her tightened and she saw him glareat her. “…Unfortunately it was graphic but I needed her to understand what I went through, Yang. I’m truly sorry for that. But those were the sorts of scenes Salme showed me and that wasn’t even the worst of it. Now imagine being subjected to seeing how that was done. To everyone you love. For hours a day for weeks. Can you understand now why I wasn’t in my right mind?” She heard Raven but didn’t respond. She clung to Qrow like a lifeline, shaking and sobbing. She didn’t want him to die or leave. She wanted him to stay right there…She never wanted him to go on another mission again. And he went on dangerous missions all the time. How had he not ended up like that before now especially with his Semblance?! She eventually calmed down though she remained tucked against Qrow. “Y-Yeah…” Her tiny voice shook as she clung to him. She understood now. If only half a second had shaken her that badly, how much worse must it have been for Raven? Weeks of that… How had she come out of the other side to tell the tale? How could anybody be sane after that? “How about we save the rest of this for a later time, firecracker?” The question was gentle and she nodded vehemently. She couldn’t take anything more today. She didn’t want to look at Raven. She just wanted to curl up and forget what she’d seen. Qrow picked her up and Raven packed the basket and blanket up. He also took the basket while Raven made quick escape with her portal. Yang sniffled and he kissed her head. “Dunno what you saw exactly, kiddo, but it won’t happen. I won’t die. No more crazy missions for me or anything. Just teaching at one of the combat schools in the city. Okay?” “Okay, Uncle Qrow…” She closed her eyes and stayed curled in his arms. It was going to take her a verylong time to forget what she’d seen…