wanderer's lullaby

Winter walked into the house and sank down on the couch, panting heavily. The air conditioning felt wonderful compared to the outside. Holy Father, she would neveradapt to the heat at this rate. Weren’t forests supposed to offer shade and respite, not make things so beyond unbearable? She didn’t understand. Ruby climbed up on the couch then turned the TV on. She started a screen then selected a folder: Rhythm Games. What was that…? The little girl remained quiet as she started up one of the items in the folder. Well, she certainly wouldn’t complain if she was going to self-entertain for now… It meant she could recuperate in relative peace. Though…hadn’t Qrow said something about food in the kitchen? It was getting close to two now. Eating something especially after that trek would be welcome. She slipped away from Ruby found the basket on the chair. It was laden with more than enough food for a couple of aura users. So she made herself a plate then settled on the couch again. Whatever a rhythm game was, Ruby certainly excelled at it. The UI was at least simple to understand, so she could tell the little girl wasn’t missing anynotes. The number climbed higher and higher, not a single stroke missed. It seemed like Ruby would be at this for…a while. So she swiped the falconry books form upstairs and settled in to read on the couch. The music was definitely distracting but she’d dealt with far worse in the field…

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The day eventually wound down and Raven watched Ruby go up to her and Yang’s room. Yang had barely moved from Qrow’s arms, clinging to him tightly. But he stood up and kissed her head. He tucked the two girls in, saying he needed to talk to Taiyang. Yeah, with the promise from earlier, it made sense. But leaving Yang and Winter to hear the argument wouldn’t be good for either of them. Eventually, the two men found their way about five minutes away from the house, Raven tucked into the shadows of a tree. “What the helldid you do to her, Qrow?” The question came out as a hiss and she saw Taiyang’s blue eyes flare. His aura burned white hot. Even with the estranged relationship, he did love his daughters… Someone that didn’t care wouldn’t be reacting so negatively. “I didn’t do anything. Raven—” “Oh, don’t go dragging her into this! Youdid something and—” He stopped abruptly when she landed on his shoulder. She fluttered off and transformed. “He’s telling the truth, Taiyang. He didn’t do anything to Yang. If you should blame and be mad at anyone, it should be me .” She stared him down, voice hard. She sensed Taiyang’s hand grip into a fist. “Do you reallythink hitting me is a good idea? Compared to your STRQ days, you’re all washed up. While I, on the contrary, have continued growing more skilled through the years.” Her tone was harsh, but it proved a point. Plus, Taiyang had always been the weakest of the team. He was a normal guy trying to keep up with a magically enhanced super soldier and two people from what was considered to be the best warriors on Remnant…sans those with silver eyes. “What the hell were you doing talking to Yang?” Taiyang growled. Well, she wouldn’t have expected anything less. She’d been absent and now she was suddenly talking to the daughter she’d abandoned. There had to be some majorreason for it. “Frankly, it should be none of your business. But I’m back. I finally got my head screwed on right thanks to Qrow.” That much wastrue. It wasn’t any of his business. If Yang wanted to hear her out, it wasn’t his concern. Yes, he had custody of the girls, but it was on Yang. She was twelve. She could make that decision herself. “None of my— You have my daughter and then fuck off to central Mistral for twelve years! And suddenly you want to be in her life again?! What makes you think you have anyright?! I could so easily have the courts block you—” “Oh really? And what would they do when I tell them Yang’s been taking care of the house for the past six years?” She could feel him deflate a little at that. True, she’d been away and had left her daughter. But she hadn’t been the one who had supposedly been caring for the two girls. She was an eyewitness to both girls being neglected. Yang had notebooks on notebooks of shopping lists and bills. The townspeople knew. There was more than enough evidence to prove that Taiyang hadn’t been caring for the girls. Raven closed her eyes and sighed. She really didn’t want to talk about this, but there was no choice. “Do you remember when Salem took me, Taiyang? She torturedme. That’s why it took me so long to get my head screwed on right. That’s what I showed Yang: some of the images Salem forced into my head. I had no other choice. She wouldn’t listen to me otherwise.” She felt the wind die from Taiyang’s sails completely. Even for as angry as he was, he could see some sense. “And you have got to stop blaming Qrow for Summer’s death. It’s nobody’s fault but Salem’s. She wanted to break the team apart and she succeeded.” “But it’s his fault with that damn Sem—” “Take a look at yourself, Taiyang. Do you reallyblame him or do you blame yourself for knocking her up?” She’d figured it out quite some time ago. She kept watch over the house and had seen him crying over Summer’s portrait more than once. Understandably. But she’d heard him apologise to her over and over for getting her pregnant. Her underdeveloped body hadn’t taken to being pregnant well at all. “I…” His voice was quiet. She felt a familiar lifting in the energy next to her. Mind if I cohab? MeMe, are you sure about this? Qrow’s not gonna take it well when he learns… This felt like one of Summer’s greatest gambles yet. Did she really mean to talk to the two men? It really would notgo over well. Qrow would be beyond distraught and she wasn’t sure how Taiyang would take it. Trust me, Rae. I know these two idiots inside and out at this point.That much was true, she supposed. Summer always knew exactly what to say to get the reactions she wanted. If only one could handle the two chucklefucks, it was her. She let Summer take over and Summer patted her body down. “Huh, so this is what being tall and busty is like.” Summer and her ever-skewed priorities. It felt weird to have words come out of her mouth that weren’t her own. “…Raven, this isn’t funny.” The harsh tone came from Taiyang. “How dareyou—” “Oh, no, Taiyang, how dare you!”Her arm raised and she closed the gap between them. Her finger burrowed into his chest and their eyes lacked. In that moment, he knew. He knew it wasn’t Raven. She could see the tears roll down his face even in the weak moonlight beneath the trees. She could sense her brother’s distress, but there was nothing she could do at the moment. “How fucking dare you leave our daughters like that! I left you with a family to care for and you did nothingbut get drunk, then ignore them for two years! I know losing me hurt, but you had a four-year-old and a six-year-old that depended on you!” “I—” “And then you went and blamed Qrow for this and drove him away from the only family he had left! I’m not just pissed at you; I’m disappointed in you. Is it any wonder the girls want nothing to do with you? I’m pretty sur you’re at the point of irreparable. You will never have a relationship with them again.” Taiyang looked down and buried his face in his hands, starting to sob. A harsh revelation but a true one. She’d seen how much Yang cursed Taiyang’s name. There was no salvaging thatrelationship. She wasn’t entirely sure about Ruby, though. Her emotions were more subtle and muted than Yang’s bombastic ones. SHe was hard to read from a distance. “And you.” She turned to face Qrow who shrank away a bit. Summer’s fury had always been something to fear. And after that display… She grabbed the front of Qrow’s shirt to pull him down, then kissed his cheek. “I’m disappointed in you too. You lost sight of everything. You went to the bottle completely. But I understand. You still did the best you could by the girls. Plus, you’re pulling your life together again thanks to Winter. You have my blessing to keep doing what you’re doing.” Her tone was soft and a gentle smile spread over her lips. She felt warmth radiating out of Summer like a spring day after a harsh winter. “I love you. I’m sorry I was too blind in life to do anything about it.” Qrow made a strangled noise and she heard a similar one from Taiyang. That did have to be a major blow to the blond man. Summer hadloved him dearly. But to go back on it now… Ouch. With that done, she turned to face Taiyang again, her voice and heart hardening. “Qrow will be taking the girls in a few months whether you like it or not. There’s no hope of you caring for them properly ever again. Yang hates you and so does Ruby. If anything, Ruby hates you more than even Yang does. There is no hope of them pursuing a relationship with you ever again. It’s best if you accept this grace and understanding. Qrow and Raven have the best chance of helping them grow again. So shut your fucking mouth during the court case and fess up to your neglect. Don’t even try to fight back. The girls are done with you and I’m done with you. I hope you enjoy the life of solitary youchose when you abandoned them.” Her tone dripped with venom during the last sentence. Raven felt Summer leave her body and her energy dropped. She also heard Taiyang fall to his knees, sobbing his heart out. A shift in the natural energy made Raven look around. “Qrow, help me with Taiyang. We don’t want the Grimm to get him.” She could sense the Grimm coming in. They knew to stay away from the house, but this big of an upset was too big for them to ignore. They were babies, but with Taiyang so vulnerable, he wouldn’t be able to fend them off. “Leave me here. It’s what I deserve,” Taiyang croaked. Frankly, she concurred, but she wouldn’t leave him. With Qrow’s help, she got him hoised to his feat. She opened a portal to the master bedroom and shoved Taiyang to the bed. Qrow rested against her and she helped him out to the couch. What a knight… She hadn’t expected Summer to show herself to them. But it was important to hide anymore, she guessed… Qrow leaned against her and she ran her hand through his hair. “How long have you known, Rae…?” The question came quietly in the still, tense air. It was understandable after what had happened. “Basically since she had her contract. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I knew it’d only impact you negatively.” He would never have moved on had he known Summer was so close. The whole tribe knew more or less. She was glad he could move on, though… Had he known, he might have let Winter flounder. Qrow was loyal to an absolute fault. He still remained loyal to Summer. He didn’t even hate Taiyang for pushing him away from the girls. She honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to patch things up should Taiyang be willing. It was crazy just how loyal Qrow was… Qrow sighed and she felt him agree. “You have a new life in front of you. Don’t let this stop you from still moving forward.” Hopefully his loyalty would let him stay loyal to Winter now. She didn’t see him divorcing her or anything. But he really was between a rock and a hard place now… Hopefully he would choose Winter. “I’m not going to abandon her. I promised her I was in this for the long haul and I am. I’m hers in whatever capacity she wants me. But it is going to be hard… Knowing Summer loves me now…” He sighed and dropped his head onto her shoulder. Torn loyalty was so hard. But at least he wasn’t going to abandon Winter. The lastthing the poor girl needed was to lose one of her few pillars in this strange land. She remembered how overwhelming Vale had been on leaving the tribe… “Take some time to rest and think on things. The girls are in bed so you have the time. And I’ll be here if you need me. For now, let your mind rest and process what happened.” Qrow nodded. Raven let him lay down on the couch and she settled in one of the chairs. What a mess Summer had made of everything. But it was the Summer way. What her ultimate goal was remained yet to be seen… But there was no doubt going to be far-reaching consequences none of them except Summer could foresee…

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Darkness floated around and Yang cried out. Where was everybody? She hadn’t seen them in so long. It felt like it’d been forever. Qrow, Summer, and even Raven… Where were they? Nobody heard her crying. But, then again, nobody had for the past six years. Nothing ever went her way. She was alone. Nobody had cared since Summer had died… Tears rolled down her face. No, nobody cared about her. All the adults cared about were themselves. Adults said they cared about kids, but it was all a lie. Lie… Lie… Lie… It echoed in the darkness with her cries. Nobody would ever hear her. She would always be alone. She would always have to bear everything alone. She’d care for Ruby the best she could. But it always came up short. She was the worst big sister in the world. “No, you aren’t, Yang.” The voice made her heart skip a beat and a hand slid under her chin. It raised her gaze to look up. The tears continued rolling down her cheeks. How much worse would this nightmare get? First the crushing darkness, now her mind taunted her with Summer’s likeness. She didn’t see Summer often. She’d almost completely blocked out the memories of her mother. They only came at times like this… It was a mocking torment of the woman she had loved so dearly. Summer shook her head and held her hand up. The crushing darkness turned into the living room as it had existed six years ago. What? This wasn’t wasn’t how these nightmares played out… Though why was hse aware? She never had control of her dreams… “It’s because I’min charge right now, Yang. You know how you always thought the books were moving? That was me. I never left you girls.” Summer pulled her into her lap and Yang curled in on herself. This was a weird dream… But it wasn’t bad. She was glad she didn’t have to deal with the crushing darkness. However, a familiar warmth wrapped around her and she looked up. Dreams could do a lot, but she’d neverfelt one replicate the sensation of Summer’s Semblance. And this one felt so real… “It’s not real, but it’s an extension of my Semblance. I can control people’s dreams.” Summer smiled at her. She felt the tears well again. This couldn’t be real, could it? She knew about the chapel’s little helper but… “Is it really you?” she croaked. It felt impossible. It really did. Summer had been dead for six years. She couldn’t have come back, right? She had to be in the afterlife, right? Warmth wrapped around her again as Summer kissed her forehead. There was only one thing that feeling could come from… She started sobbing all over again. Summer had seen everything. She’d seen her failures time and again. She’d seen the losses. She’d seen the mess ups. She’d seen so much that should have stayed where it died. But no… She knew what a failure in general she was. Summer kissed her head again, a feeling of pure, unconditional love surrounding her. “You haven’t failed, Yang. You’ve done amazingly for what you have. Most people wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure you did at such a young age. I’m soproud of you.” That set her sobbing even harder. She wasn’t anyone to be proud of. She’d failed everyone around her so completely. She couldn’t even hold it together when talking to Raven. She wanted to curl up and die. “I love you.” With that, everything went black as she fell into a deep slumber.

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A knock on the door and Winter blinked. Who could it be? The answer was revealed to be Raven a moment later. She shrank behind the door a bit but looked down at the woman. “Can I help you with something?” It was getting a bit late, so why was she here? Actually why was she here in the first place? Weren’t there tensions in the household that should have kept her at Persia’s? This made no sense… “I want to let you know that Me— Summer took things into her own hands tonight. Qrow is going to be rough for a while. Summer’s taking care of Yang tonight despite still needing to recuperate. You’ll probably have to help take care of the house until Yang’s back on her feet. I’ll be around, but I’ll mostly be taking care of my brother and Taiyang.” That…was a lot to take in but she nodded. She could help take care of the house. That was no problem. Sweeping, mopping, dusting, and other responsibilities were familiar to her by now. “Very well. Do you know Yang’s usual rotation of chores?” It would probably be best to follow what the little girl did herself. She was a guest in the house and going too far wouldn’t endear Yang to her. But if she had to make do, then she would. She had her own rotation on how to do things. Adapting that wouldn’t be too hard, though it would take muchlonger in a house than her tiny apartment. “Unfortunately, I don’t, but I can show you where the various cleaning supplies are.” That wasn’t the answer she was hoping for, but it was the obvious one. SHe hoped Yang wouldn’t get mad at her for messing things up ever so slightly. She was doing her best with what little she had here. “Very well. Is there anything else?” Raven shook her head. “Not really… I’ll go grab food from Persia’s tomorrow and handle the cooking. You already have your food settled for the week thanks to Yang. Have a good night.” With that, the woman left Winter in silence. She closed the door and swiped the laptop with the AI. “Were you keeping tabs on what happened earlier?” She wouldn’t get too deep into this. It was obviously personal and she didn’t want to stick her nose where it didn’t belong. But she had onequestion though… “Of course I was. I basically always do. But do you really expect me go to answering deeply person those deeply personal questions?” The little avatar folded its arms. If it was getting up in arms, it had to be extremelypersonal. It was usually willing to answer any question she had about Qrow. “I only have on question. Where do you think our relationship stands after what happened…?” She just had a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know what had happened. But with Summer having stepped in, there was no telling what had happened. The woman was entirely unpredictable. Hopefully this question wasn’t digging too deeply… “He’s not going to abandon you; I promise you that much. But he’ll probably be distant for a while when you interact. Summer…dropped a pretty big bombshell on him he needs to process. So be patient with him. Youhaven’t done anything wrong or to upset him. He needs to process that sudden truth bomb.” Winter gave a small nod. Maybe Summer would tell her, but she couldn’t ask until she came back. She could feel the rooms emptiness. It was odd to not have the woman constantly bothering her… But her daughter needed her for the night. She couldn’t begrudge that. “Very well. THank you for answering. I’m going to shut down for the night.” It was early to turn in, but she felt very tired. Once again, she was a stranger on the periphery. She was related through law, but she didn’t know these people. She had no stakes in their personal dramas. And with the way things were going, she would forever be on the outside…