Chapter Text
Ruby checked herself in the mirror for the third time that morning. She was cleaned, dressed, and ready to go. Now, all she had to do was meet everyone else downstairs, because they were still unsure about letting her go see Ashen. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she ran downstairs.
"What did I say about running on the stairs?"
"Sorry." Ruby hopped off the last few steps to her dad's displeasure. She gave him a sheepish grin that he returned with a frown. He sighed as he let his shoulders slump.
"You really want to go see this guy, don't you?"
"Yep."
"Do you realize that there is no way I'm going to leave you alone with this guy?"
"But he won't show up unless I'm alone," she protested.
"Ruby, do you know how bad that sounds?" Yang asked. It took Ruby a moment to think it over before her eyes widened in realization. Yeah, that did sound bad.
"Yeah. Now you see why we don't want you going alone," Tai said.
"But he's not going to do anything," Ruby objected. "We can trust him."
"Ruby, you're the only one here who has actually met the guy, so it's a bit much to ask us to trust a guy we have never spoken to," Tai argued. "Are you going to back me up here, Qrow?"
The two shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them, before Qrow shook his head. Tai sighed in frustration.
"As much as I want to stay and be a part of this, I have to head into town. I have some important matters that I need to take care of today," Qrow explained. He turned to Ruby. "Before I go, mind if I borrow that coin he gave you?"
"Why do you want it?"
"If I got time, I want to stop by a jeweler who could appraise it and see how much it's really worth."
"You don't think it's a real gold coin, do you?" Yang asked.
"You'll be surprised, Firecracker. The badlands are filled with ruins scattered about for those brave enough to explore them. So, Ruby. Do you mind letting me borrow that coin?"
Ruby planted her hands on her hips as she glared at her uncle. "You're not going to try to sell it, are you?"
"I'm not. Relax." Ruby hummed in a disbelieving tone. Qrow let out a tired sigh before he raised his hand. "I swear I won't sell your precious coin no matter what its value is." He shot Tai a glare when he heard him snicker.
She nodded in satisfaction before she bounded up the steps once more.
"What did I just say about the stairs?"
"Sorry!"
Ruby came running down the stairs... or she would have, but a glare from her father froze her in place. She walked the rest of the way down before handing Qrow her coin."
"Don't lose it, okay?"
"I won't. Have some faith in your uncle." He ruffled Ruby's hair before turning to Tai. "Looks like you're going to have to deal with everything on your own. Good luck." Neither girl noticed the subtle wink he shot towards Tai before he walked out the door.
"So, it's all left to me, huh," Tai muttered. He rubbed his chin as he mulled things over. "Alright, Ruby, I'll let you go meet with this guy, but—"
"Yes!"
"—it'll only happen under two conditions."
"You're actually going to allow it?" Yang exclaimed.
Ruby waved a hand at her sister. "Hush, Yang." She ignored the death glare that was sent her way as a smile grew on her face. "So, what are they?"
"Yang and I are coming with you."
Her smile wilted and died. "But he won't show up if I bring anyone with me."
"That's why we won't go down with you. We'll wait up top, so we'll only be a shout away if anything happens. This way, you can still meet with him while we can still keep an eye on you."
Ruby frowned as she tried to find fault with her dad's plan. Technically, they wouldn't be with her—they would just be nearby, so she wouldn't be breaking Ashen's rules. She still felt very unsure, but couldn't come up with a counter-argument.
"What's the second one?" she asked.
"I want you to take Zwei with you." Zwei let out a happy bark.
"Oh, I think that would be okay."
"It should be," he said. "He didn't mention anything about dogs. Besides, if he is anything like you said he is, then Zwei should be able to help him a bit. I know he helped me." Zwei sat up straighter as his tail wagged. Tai couldn't resist leaning down and patting his head.
Ruby mulled everything over and found that there wasn't anything she could really complain about. Regardless, the most important fact was that she was currently burning daylight, and the sooner she got going, the more time she would have to spend with Ashen. Besides, who could dislike Zwei—he's adorable.
Ruby stuck her hand out for her dad to shake. "Okay. Deal."
"Alright, let's get going then." Ruby was the first out the door with Zwei at her heels. Tai noticed that Yang had not budged an inch with a displeased look on her face. "Aren't you going to join us?"
"Are we really going to let her meet with this guy alone?"
"Don't worry, Yang. Ruby will have us nearby."
"But who knows what he could do to her in the time it takes us to reach them. He could snatch her and run. Then what?"
"That's why she'll have Zwei with her. He'll help prevent that or, at the very least, slow him down for me. Have some faith in your old man. Please?"
Yang sighed. "Fine."
Tai gave her a sheepish smile as she walked past him. Outside, Ruby was yelling for the two of them to hurry up. He managed to withhold his own sigh. If Tai was honest with himself, he didn't like this plan either, but he was unable to think of a better one. Or a plan that Ruby would be patient enough to wait for. He could already feel a headache coming on.
Why did I let Qrow talk me out of installing bars on Ruby's window...
Tai had learned years ago to trust his instincts, because right now, they were warning him that today was going to be a very long day.
The walk to the cliffs was peaceful for the most part. Ruby dashed around ahead of them with Zwei chasing after her, nipping at her heels. Her peals of laughter filled the air around them. The sight brought a smile to Tai's face.
"I'm just saying, can't we wait for Uncle Qrow to get back?"
He sighed as, for the umpteenth time, Yang voiced her displeasure with the coming situation.
"And I told you to trust that I know what we're doing." Tai briefly glanced upwards. "Besides, Qrow has a habit of showing up when you least expect him to."
Whatever Yang was going to counter with was cut off as Ruby shouted, "We're here!"
Thankfully, instead of dashing to the edge like they feared, she kept a fair distance away from it as she waited for them to catch up. When Tai peered over the edge, all he saw was an empty clearing.
"Doesn't look like he is here."
"Welp! It looks like this trip was a bust. Time to head back home."
"Yang!"
"Come on girls, don't fight," Tai said as he stepped between the two. "Ruby, are you certain he said he will meet with you today?"
"He did. Ashen said that if he wasn't around it would be because he was clearing out any nearby Grimm, so he should be back soon."
"Yeah, but how soon?" Yang asked. "We can't be waiting out here all day."
"I have to agree with Yang. We don't know how long his little Grimm hunt could take."
"Can we at least wait a bit?"
Tai sighed. "Fine. I'll give him ten minutes. If he doesn't show up, we're going back home."
"How about twenty minutes?" Ruby pleaded.
Tai raised an eyebrow. "Fifteen minutes and not a second more."
"Okay." Ruby tapped her fingers together as she shuffled in place nervously. "Um...would it be alright if I wait for him down there?"
"Why can't you wait for him up here?"
"What if he shows up and leaves again because he thinks I didn't come? He won't know I'm here if he doesn't see me," she argued. Ruby begged with wide eyes and a trembling lower lip. Yang was shaking her head behind her. Tai spared a quick glance to the forest. After a moment of silence, broken only by the cawing of a bird, he let out a resigned sigh.
"Fine... just be careful. If a Grimm shows up, you call out for me immediately. Understood?"
"Yep! Thanks, dad." Ruby gave him a brief hug before doing the same with Yang. She called out for Zwei to follow as she headed down.
Tai walked over to his wife's grave. Yang silently followed behind him. From the displeased look on her face, she obviously didn't agree with his decision. He sat down in front of the headstone. The familiar stonework brought a dull pang to his heart.
"Ruby continues to be quite the handful," he said. "She takes after you a lot. She really does."
(Line Break)
If it weren't for the steepness of the ramp Ruby was currently on, she would be skipping in joy the entire way down.
"Wait till you see him, Zwei," Ruby gushed. "He looks like he came straight out of a fairytale."
Zwei barked in response.
"Hey, who do you think is stronger, him or Uncle Qrow?"
Another bark.
She giggled. "I don't know. I think a drunkle Qrow would have trouble against him. He seems very strong."
Ruby's laughter cut off as she suddenly froze in place. She didn't register Zwei's confused whine. Her eyes were locked dead ahead at what was supposed to still be an empty log. Ashen was currently sitting on it, facing her... but that was impossible. She was just staring in his direction a moment ago and it was empty.
Ruby took a step back and Ashen vanished. She blinked once. Twice. Three times before she vigorously rubbed her eyes. Still an empty space. When she stepped forward, he simply faded back into existence. One moment he was gone and the next he was back. It was almost like—
"Magic," she breathed out. It was just like how he made the wall out of thin air to hide the cave. He knew magic!
Before she could shout out her joy and excitement, Ashen raised a finger to his helm in the universal sign of silence.
Ruby clamped her hands over her mouth before she ran up to him. She hopped in place as she squealed unintelligible words behind her hands in her excitement.
"I believe you need to remove your hands if you wish to have a conversation," he commented, amused. She flushed redder than her cloak as she pulled her hands away. "Is your companion going to join us?"
Ruby blinked in confusion before she turned around. Zwei was keeping his distance while he whined in concern. She didn't understand why he was acting this way. He was acting as if someone was hurt, but the only people here were her and Ashen.
"I believe that my presence is what is causing your companion distress."
Ruby looked at him surprised. "How?"
"Can you bring him over? I want to be sure before I say anything."
She nodded and tried to coax Zwei over. It was surprising to her how much he was hesitating. He approached them at a slow pace as he aggressively sniffed the air. Ashen held his hand out toward him. For a long moment Ruby watched in silence as Zwei sniffed Ashen's hand. He suddenly nuzzled his hand as he whined in concern, which confused Ruby as he was acting as if Ashen was hurt, but he seemed fine as far as she could tell.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"My scent no doubt has confused him and made him concerned for my well-being," Ashen explained as he rubbed Zwei's head in an effort to calm him. "Do you remember how I mentioned that I have been referred to as Undead?"
"Yeah."
"The term is a bit more... literal than you would expect it to be. The best way I can explain it is that I'm rotting and your little friend can smell the scent of death that clings to me."
"Rotting," Ruby whispered to herself, aghast.
"When you take repeated, severe injuries to the same location of your body, the flesh can be damaged beyond scaring and 'rots', for lack of a better word. No doubt that— Zwei, was it?" Ruby nodded in confirmation. "No doubt that Zwei here is confused as to why a living man smells like a corpse."
"That's horrible," Ruby muttered.
"It is just how things are for me now." Ashen gestured to the trees around them. "You will notice that no animals come near this place now that I am staying here. They smell death; therefore, they all keep their distance from here."
Ruby frowned before she leaned forward and sniffed him. "You just smell like ash to me. Huh... is that why you are called Ashen?"
"Do you have a habit of smelling people?" Ruby blinked before she once more flushed a bright crimson. Ashen chuckled as he returned his attention to Zwei. "While I am not too surprised that you didn't come alone today, I was not expecting you to bring someone like Zwei. I have never seen a breed like his before."
"He's a corgi," she explained. "My dad wanted me to bring him along so it's not just the two of us."
"And the fact that you father is waiting on top of the cliff?" He smiled under his helm as her eyes widened in surprise. "Calm yourself. I am not upset; in fact, I was expecting something like this to a degree."
"How-How did you know?"
"My hearing is sharper than most people's. A necessity when missing the sound of a single pebble shifting can cost you your life. It also helped that neither of you were trying to be quiet."
"It's... not a problem... is it?"
"As long as he does not bother us, I have no problem with it—"
Ruby noticed how Ashen's helmet was following something behind her before jerking upwards. She followed his gaze and saw...
A c row?
"—but your uncle is another matter entirely." Ashen rose to his feet. "I need you to stay here. I will come back."
"Um, okay," Ruby replied meekly. She could feel an intensity coming from Ashen. Did something happen between him and Uncle Qrow? Dad did say that he had a bad habit of picking fights with people. As Ruby watched Ashen walk away, she noticed how silent he was. She couldn't hear a single sound from him and just like earlier, without any warning, he vanished. She mouthed out a silent "wow".
After a short moment of silence, a small object shot out from between the trees. Ruby looked up in time to see it knock the crow out of the sky with a loud squawk.
"Birdie, no!" she cried as she watched it plummet to the ground. Ruby ran around with her arms outstretched to catch it and found herself dodging out of the way at the last second as the crow turned into a man. She stared, wide-eyed, at her Uncle Qrow. He let out a low groan of pain as he rubbed his forehead. Her mouth gaped like a fish as she struggled to comprehend what she just witnessed.
"Qrow! What happened?!" Ruby turned to see her dad running toward them, a faint dust cloud left behind him.
"I'm fine. I think the bastard hit me with a rock," Qrow growled out as he rose to his feet. There was a faint purple mark growing on his forehead.
It took Ruby a moment to register what he said before she pointed and shouted, "Bad word!"
"I'll make sure he puts some lien in the swear jar later," Tai said as he stepped up next to her. "I saw you get knocked out of the air. What happened? Did you see him?"
"No, I—"
"Hey!" Yang cried out as she ran up to them. She paused to catch her breath. "You just ditched me! Did something happen? Ruby, are you ok?"
"Okay, how about everyone calm down first," Qrow said as he waved everyone down. He absent-mindedly rubbed his forehead, already starting to feel a headache coming, and he knew that it was only going to get worse. Ruby waved her hand in the air as she hopped in place, eager to get his attention. "Yeah, Ruby?"
"You were a bird." She wrapped her arms around herself in a visible effort of restraint.
Qrow winced. He was not looking forward to explaining that, but fortunately, the unpredictability with Semblances gave him a lot of leeway to work with. With a sigh, he admitted, "Yeah, I was." Ruby's squeal was all the warning he had before she tackled him in a hug.
"That's amazing! I didn't know you could turn into a bird."
"Your Semblance lets you turn into a bird?" Yang said in disbelief.
"Something like that," he responded as he tried to pry Ruby off himself.
Yang's eyes narrowed as she planted her hands on her hips. "You wouldn't have been using it to harass me during practice?"
"I would never do such a thing to you. Besides, if you can be distracted by a bird, how can you expect to fight Grimm?"
Yang growled and opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off when Tai put his hand on her head.
"You can chew him out later. Do you mind telling us what happened?"
"Yeah, the bast— the guy knocked me out of the air with a rock." Qrow rubbed the now purple mark on his forehead. "Thing is, as far as I could see, the area was clear of anyone else." He turned to Ruby. "Did you notice anything while you were waiting down here?"
"Um—"
"Hold on," Tai cut in. "I thought I heard Ruby talking to someone. Wasn't he already here?"
"I've been watching her, and the only one I saw her talking to was Zwei."
Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Uncle Qrow! Were you trying to spy on us?" she accused, finger pointed at his face.
Qrow was taken aback by how defensive Ruby was acting. A bit too defensive, now that he thought about it. He leaned forward with an eyebrow raised in suspicion, and Ruby slowly wilted under his intense stare.
"So, it was just you and Zwei? Nobody else?"
Ruby turned to the rest of her family only to find two sets of the same glare staring back at her. She couldn't even get help from Zwei who was looking around confused by everything happening.
"Something you want to share with us, Ruby?" Tai asked.
"So, Ashen was here," she admitted.
"Here in the clearing?" Qrow cut in.
"Yeah, he was sitting right there." Ruby pointed to the log next to them. Qrow glanced back and forth between the two.
"Ruby, there was no one here," he stated gently.
"He was!" Ruby pouted. "He was waiting here the whole time."
"When I looked out here earlier, I didn't see anyone. Are you saying he was invisible?" Tai asked.
"Sort of," she replied. "One moment he wasn't there, and when I got close; poof! There he was."
"How, though?" Qrow asked. "I couldn't see him, but you're saying you could."
"Yeah. He told me that he has a lot of tricks."
"What kind of tricks?"
"He made a—" Ruby cut herself off as she remembered that she had promised not to talk about that.
"Don't stop now," Qrow said. "What kind of tricks did he show you?"
"I, uh, can't say," Ruby meekly replied.
"What do you mean you can't say?" Yang spoke up.
"I promised not to tell. It's private."
"What, a promise to some stranger is more important than your family?"
"Yang," Tai admonished, "ease up, will you?"
Ruby trembled in place as she found herself in a moral dilemma. She didn't want to lie to her family, but on the same token, she didn't want to break her promise. Her mom taught her that lying to your family was one of the worst things that you could do. What was she supposed to do? She was trapped between a rock and a hard place. The expectant looks the three were giving her weren't helping either. Feeling overwhelmed, Ruby did the only thing a child her age could do.
A sniffle broke the silence, causing all three to take a sudden step back. Now, they found themselves standing on a landmine as Ruby's eyes watered and threatened tears.
"It's okay, Ruby," Tai said gently. "You don't have to tell us if you made a promise not to."
"Yeah," Qrow added, "Yang didn't mean to push so hard." He ignored the glare sent his way. Zwei walked up to Ruby before pawing at her leg with a low whine. She picked him up and clutched him to her chest like a security blanket.
"I don't want to break a promise," she muttered.
"And you don't have to." Tai knelt so he was eye-level with her. "I think we can all agree that today didn't go how any of us wanted, and I don't think your friend is coming back. So, why don't we all just head back home?"
Ruby nodded with a glum look on her face. Qrow stepped forward and scooped her up into his arms as she still clutched onto Zwei.
"Come on, squirt, don't make a face like that. I'm sorry that we scared your new friend away. We just wanted to keep an eye on you to make sure you were safe."
Ruby nodded in understanding. Despite today not going how she wanted, she couldn't be upset at them. She just hoped they hadn't chased Ashen off that she would no longer be able to see him.
Qrow decided to carry Ruby the rest of the way home. He wasn't too fond of the smug look Zwei was constantly giving him, but there was nothing he could as Ruby was holding onto him like a stuffed animal. It was a habit she picked up after they first got him—an obvious sign of how fragile she still was despite her upbeat nature.
Qrow had to suppress a laugh. They were all still messed up after Summer's passing. He could make out bags under Tai's eyes from lack of sleep. And he wasn't thrilled with his plan to spy on Ruby and Ashen—seriously, who calls themselves Ashen—but Qrow was confident that he could have stepped in before anything serious happened. How was he supposed to know he had some way to become invisible?
He glanced toward Yang. She was the one least affected by today's events. In fact, she was almost happy that things didn't work out for Ruby. Qrow felt torn over what to feel. On the one hand, he was glad to see Yang protective of her sister, but on the other hand, it was heartbreaking to see how she was forcing herself to grow up faster and a bit concerning how overprotective she can get over Ruby.
Don't forget you're still a kid.
"Uncle Qrow," Ruby piped up, cutting into his thoughts.
"Yeah, what can I do for you?"
"Is it made out of gold?"
Qrow blinked, confused. "Is what made of gold?"
"My coin. You said you would get it checked," she whined.
"Oh, um, about that..." Qrow looked to Tai for help, who took a step back as a ghost of a smile twitched on his face. Bastard. His silence dragged on a moment too long as Ruby came to a conclusion.
"Uncle Qrow, you promised."
Qrow sighed as he realized that he now had to actually get the coin appraised by someone and get proof that he did so.
There goes the rest of my day.
Tai couldn't help but wonder what exactly had been his plan when he set out this morning. He had been standing on the cliff overlooking the clearing for nearly half an hour now and still could not spot a single trace of... Ashen. Then again, what should he have expected considering that the man can apparently turn himself selectively invisible.
He was hoping that maybe he could spot the rustling of bushes or footprints appearing in the dirt, but there was nothing. It was eerily silent, with the occasional gust of wind. After the first few minutes, Tai noticed how dead quiet it was around here. The sounds of wildlife were completely absent—not even the presence Grimm would drive them away. Yet, it felt like they were avoiding this place.
Tai knew that Qrow would have some choice words for him when he got back. Call it a hunch, but he was certain that he would never be able to find this man if he had Qrow with him. He apparently had no issue with him and Yang staying nearby, but drew the line when Qrow showed up.
More and more, Tai found himself becoming concerned over who the hell this person was. He let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. It would be easier to go search for Raven. That was a person who could also turn into a bird, and on top of that, able to sense his location and portal away. Tai thought back to the conversation he had last night with Qrow and the information that brought him out here.
The two sat facing each other in the living room. In the background they could hear Yang badgering Ruby over her coin. Tai didn't hear any sounds of collateral damage yet so he was willing to leave them bee for the moment. He still found it hard to believe that the coin Ruby received was not only real, but was carved out of solid gold. Carved, not minted.
"Okay.So, what else did you find out from that coin that you wanted to share with me?" Tai asked.
Qrow took a swig from his flask before slumping in his seat. "The damn thing's a piece of history."
"I would think that was obvious considering it is made out of solid gold."
"I'm not talking about our known history; I'm talking about Remnant's pre-history."
Tai felt a lump form in his throat. "Are you sure about that?"
"Positive. The jeweler I went to made a few calls that eventually got us in touch with an archeologist, a Mr. Oobleck, who was able to confirm that they had just recently discovered a new site of an old kingdom. They apparently used a language that he believes originates from what's on the back of the coin. If you want to find relics that are older than what's been discovered then there is only one place you can go."
"No man's land," Tai whispered. There was not a single veteran Huntsman in the world who didn't know about the pockets of No man's land that dotted Remnant. In all his years working as a Huntsman and for Ozpin, Tai had never set foot in no man's land. It would be suicide for him to even try. No man's land was the deepest pocket of Grimm territory with the highest concentration of Grimm. It's suspected that there may even be undiscovered breeds of Grimm living there. A full veteran team would be lucky to last half a day.
"I can think of only two ways for someone to get their hands on an artifact from a place like that." Qrow paused as he took another sip from his flask. "I even called Ozpin to ask for his opinion."
"And what did he say?" Tai leaned forward. "How much of a threat does he think we are dealing with?"
"That's just it, Oz doesn't think that this guy is related... and, well, I have to agree with him."
Tai had to restrain himself from jumping from his chair. "How can you agree with that? This guy has been stalking us for who knows how long, and he apparently knows about your little secret as well. How is he not suspicious to either of you? And I'm supposed to trust Ruby to be alone with this guy? Who knows what he might do to her!"
"Tai, calm down."
"Don't tell me—" Tai cut himself off with a wince as he realized how loud he had been raising his voice. Luckily, it seemed that the girls had not noticed, and now, he could hear that Zwei had gotten involved. He was not looking forward to cleaning up whatever mess they left behind.
"Mind explaining to me why you and Ozpin don't think this guy is a threat?" he asked with a sigh as he slumped back in his seat.
"Hey now, I didn't say he wasn't a threat, only that me and Oz don't think he is related to her," Qrow explained. "Oz told me that the last time he heard of any knights walking around was during the years after the Great War, when the academies were first founded. Now and days most don't bother with heavy armor and Oz hasn't heard of anyone who matches our guy's description. The only huntsman who comes close is Winchester, and he's currently in Vale."
Qrow paused to take another slip from his flask as Ruby and Yang ran up the stairs behind him with Zwei hot on their heels. Tai shot them an annoyed look, before returning his attention to Qrow and motioning for him to continue.
"If this guy is working for her, then he would have to be a new addition. Considering all the time he had to make a move against us — I mean, what would be the point of waiting till now to do something? It would be way too obscure to be a part of some plot of his."
As much as Tai didn't want to, he had to agree with Qrow. If he was one of her minions, one of Salem's, then he had plenty of time to ambush him or Qrow, or even kidnap Ruby to use as leverage against them. His actions were too contradictory if he was an enemy.
"So, if he isn't working with her, then how did he get the coin?"
Qrow sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Now this is what I think may be more likely, but if I were honest, I would rather that he be one of her pawns; I think the guy grabbed the artifact himself."
Tai blinked in surprise before he laughed in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"
"I wish I was. If he was a pawn, then he would be something we could handle—but this is something else entirely. We are most likely dealing with a guy who went into no man's land, found some treasure, and did the impossible—he came back."
"Qrow, do you understand how crazy what you're saying is?"
"I know. Look, nothing about that coin is absolute. Maybe it's a really good fake, trying to gain some extra value with the history nuts. I could be completely off and this guy may not be that big of a deal. The problem is that my gut's telling me that I'm not wrong. This is a guy I would not feel comfortable facing head-on in a fight, even if it would be two on one."
"What do you think our odds are if we have to fight him?"
Qrow downed the last of his flask's contents before answering. "I would want Ozpin with us before I even think about trying to face that guy. We may be some of the best Huntsmen of our generation — definite top ten percent, for sure — but this is a guy who survived no man's land. If he proves dangerous and we have to fight him to protect Ruby, then it would be best if we go into this thinking that we are not going to win."
"You think our odds are that bad?"
"I don't think they're unwinnable. We've been in some pretty crazy situations ourselves, so I believe we could pull something off.Just... expect it to be our most difficult fight yet."
"You know, you could pass for a fine gargoyle," an unfamiliar voice called out.
Tai jerked in surprise as he was yanked from his thoughts. He quickly scanned the area for the source of the voice, but the clearing was still empty, and he couldn't see anyone peeking out from the tree line.
"Don't bother searching. Your eyes will never find me. You will have to settle with conversing in this manner."
Tai frowned at that, but he would accept it, considering he made more progress than he thought he would.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I believe your daughter, Ruby, has already told you about me, but for the sake of being polite, I am Ashen. Now, may I have the honor of knowing who I am speaking to?"
"Tai Xiao-Long," he responded with a raised eyebrow. The man must really enjoy acting in character, because he had never heard anyone speak in such a formal, archaic manner outside of period dramas.
"Interesting. I assume you gave your daughter your wife's last name."
"Yes. In fact, my daughter is the reason I'm out here." For sure, the voice was coming from below, inside the clearing. As tempting as it was to jump down to better confront him, Tai restrained himself. If this went sideways, then he would be unable to properly defend himself. Whatever Ashen was using to hide himself was flawless as far as he could tell.
"Concerned for her safety, are you?" Ashen chuckled. "Fear not, my intentions toward her are benign."
"Do expect me to take your word on it and trust you?"
"Unfortunately, my word is all I have to give."
"Yeah. Well, it's not enough," Tai growled. "I don't know who you are or what you want—you're suspicious. The fact that you are hiding yourself isn't helping your case." Maybe he was being a bit too aggressive, but there was no way he was going to risk either of his girls' safety.
"Is your family not the same?" Ashen countered back.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tai uncrossed his arms and moved to the very edge of the cliff.
"I've seen the way you and your brother move. You two are experienced fighters."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Normally, nothing... were it not for your brother."
"Qrow?" Did this guy know him? Now, Tai had to consider if maybe this wasn't someone with a vendetta against Ozpin, but rather Qrow. He had made his fair share of enemies while working for Ozpin.
"I have seen his ilk before. His eyes are what gave him away."
"What are you talking about?" Tai asked.
"I have kept the company of a variety of individuals. Some of them, thieves and cutthroats along with other less... savory individuals. Some of these men bore the eyes of individuals born into the shadows of civilization. Your brother, Qrow, bears a look similar to theirs; a look I often find more associated with spies and assassins. Men who were not born in the underbelly, but spend their lives working in it."
Tai couldn't help but tense up. If this guy didn't know who Qrow was, but was able to tell what kind of work he did from a glance, then that definitely said a lot about him as well.
"Relax. I have no intention of fighting you as long you do not draw on me."
Easier said than done. "What do you want?" Tai demanded.
"Peace."
Out of all the possible reasons he could have received, Tai was not expecting that one. "Peace?"
Ashen sighed loudly. It reminded him of Ozpin during those rare moments when he allowed his façade to drop.
"I have been alive for far too long. I am done fighting for petty causes and sacred duties. It is why I take issue with your brother—men like him rarely act by themselves. It is almost always at the behest of someone in a high station, and I have no intention of being dragged into the mechanisms of another. I have fought enough. I have done enough." Ashen broke out in hysterical laughter. It was the laughter of someone pushed to the edge far too many times. "Is it too much to ask for? I simply want to watch over the final resting place of my comrades and stare at the clouds in the sky. If I could do that till the end of my days... I think I would be content with that."
Now, Tai was beginning to understand what Ruby meant when she said he was broken. If Qrow was here, he would probably claim that Ashen was acting, but Tai wasn't so sure about that. He didn't think it was possible for a person to fake this level of exhaustion and despair. It was to the point where he could tell that Ashen has all but given up on life. He himself had been there multiple times already. If he was honest with himself, if something had happened to Yang or Ruby when Yang took them out to look for Raven, he can't say that he would still be here.
"What about Ruby?" All the hostility was now gone from Tai's voice as he took a step back from the edge.
"I saved her life, so she sees me as her hero. She will be enamored with me for a time, before eventually moving on with her life. After some time, I would simply become that one hermit who lives in the forest to her." Ashen paused for breath. He drew his sword and planted it in the ground. While the motion was invisible to Tai, the sound of steel and the newly formed indent in the ground was enough for him to understand what he had done. "I swear to you, during the time she is under my watch, I will not allow any harm to befall her. You have my word."
"And how do I know you will keep it?" He questioned weakly.
"My word is the only thing left I can lay claim to—I do not intend on losing that as well. I can tell you this with absolute certainty; I have never once abandoned a child to harm. Your daughter will be safe with me."
The level of conviction in his voice reminded Tai of village defenders, those who would stay behind to buy time for evacuations from the Grimm. Now, he no longer saw some lurking threat that would take his girls from him, but rather, he found exactly what Ruby said he would. A broken, exhausted huntsman who just wanted to hide away from the world. It reminded him of a certain someone from a fairy-tale.
"Alright," he said with a sigh of resignation. "I'll hold you to your word."
"You're putting your trust in a complete stranger. You may never know what that means to... someone like me. I thank you."
"Yeah, don't make me regret it." Tai said as he turned around to leave. He planted his hands on his hips and called out over his shoulder. "For the record, Qrow is my brother-in-law."
At least now, he felt like he had taken a large weight off his shoulders. Now, he had two conversations waiting for him when he gets home, and knowing Qrow's luck, he was probably going to have to deal with the difficult one first.
Ruby was ecstatic. She got the all clear from her dad yesterday, so she doesn't have to worry about another incident like Monday happening ever again. Uncle Qrow wasn't too thrilled about it, but she was certain that he would come around eventually. Even Yang calmed down a bit after a talk with her dad. Now, she and Zwei had the whole day to spend with Ashen. Okay, maybe not the whole day, but she still had a couple hours before her dad came to pick her up.
Just like before Ashen "appeared" on the log. With a squeal, she took a seat next to him. This time, it seemed Zwei had no problem approaching him. She picked him up so she could plop him right between them.
"Morning," she greeted with a sunny smile on her face.
"Good morning. I see someone is excited," Ashen responded as he stroked Zwei.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head, chagrined. She pulled out her Scroll to show him.
"So, I forgot that my Scroll has a map in it, but at least I can guarantee that it's up-to-date." It took Ruby a moment to activate her Scroll's projector mode, making it display a map of Remnant on the ground. From the way Ashen tilted his head, she was sure he had never seen anything like this before either. "So... where do you want to start?"