Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They arrived in Vacuo and headed for Shade academy, as they planned to meet with the headmaster, DD, as soon as they arrived. Despite some unexpected detours and adventures along the way, they eventually made it. Qrow told the group that the headmaster was a very strong and smart person but they are also very caring. They ran the school in a similar fashion as Ozpin but with a bit more of an iron fist. Their biggest weakness was their fondness for home. They were from Mangieri, but due to their role as headmaster, they rarely got to go home. All they had recently wanted to do was to retire and go home. Ozpin had been looking for their replacement prior to the fall of Beacon. Since then, they had understood that they would need to stay quite a bit longer than originally planned.

When the teams arrived in their office, DD was ready. Qrow was part of Ospin's inner circle and after the fall, they had been informed by some Beacon students about what actually happened. Then the White Fang and other students from Mistral informed them that Haven had nearly fallen and that Qrow and some Beacon students were there. They had received notice about Lionheart's death. Since then communication from Haven and Beacon professor's only arrived occasionally via the White Fang, as they began helping with written mail delivery since the attack on Haven. A necessity since communication between the kingdoms was down due to the fall of Beacon’s CCT. But with the embargo of dust from Atlas, there had been no communication from Ironwood, which concerned them greatly.

Before Qrow spoke, they beat him to it. "I assume Atlas still stands?"

Qrow was so taken aback from their comment that he forgot how forward and direct they could be. He also forgot just how tall they were. Being part giraffe tends to do that to a faunus.

"Ah...in a manner of speaking." They raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting him to continue. "Well, Salem attacked and Atlas…" Qrow's voice cracked and he looked down. DD is surprised as they had always known Qrow as someone who was very rarely emotional in public, preferring the smug and cocky routine and avoiding topics that brought emotional thoughts. They stared at him and then sniffed the air.

“How long have you been sober?”

Qrow had really forgotten how observant they were. “Uh.. a few months.”

“So let me guess, how this all happened. You were at Haven when Lionheart died during the attack on Haven. You left to go to Atlas, where you stopped drinking, cold turkey. Dealt with Ironwood’s paranoia. Conflicts ensued when politics and military collided in major disagreements. Salem’s people got into Mantel, since it is easier to infiltrate and cause havoc while all of you try to help with whatever scheme Ironwood had cooked up. Despite his best efforts and all of yours, Salem attacked in a spectacular way and somehow you defeated her army and saved whatever is left of Atlas and then rushed here to tell me that she is planning on coming after Shade next.” They thought about mentioning the relics, especially since one of them was hanging off the belt of the entourage that Qrow brought with him, but they were not ready to have that conversation about that just yet. Some cards were better kept close to the vest.

Qrow again forgot just how intuitive they were. “Uh..Yeah that is.. the short version.”

“You can fill me in on the long version later. It likely doesn’t change much when it comes to protecting Shade.” They paused, pressed a button on their scroll and then looked at the rest of the eight kids he has with him. “I assume that they all know?”

Again, they caught him off guard with their intelligence and then remembered their semblance. Qrow wished they would stop reading him so easily. It was irritating, but he deflected and answered their question. “If you're referring to the relics and the maidens, then yes they all know.”

“Good. Come in.” They said towards the door, even though there was no knock. The doors opened and three people walked in. Qrow doesn’t recognize any of these huntsmen or huntresses.

“Similar to Ozpin, I have my own inner circle and I do not like wasting time, so we will discuss the next steps openly. This is Qrow Branwen, a member of Ozpin’s inner circle. The other eight are aware of Salem, the maidens and the relics, so speak freely.” DD paused. “I don’t know their names, so let's start with introductions. I am Dorianna Deluge, the headmaster of Shade. Please call me DD.”

For the next minute, Team RWBY and JNOR, as well as the three new guests, went around the room and introduced themselves, including that Oscar is Ozpin’s new reincarnation. Once the conversation got too off topic, DD interrupted. “What else do we need to know?”

Ruby took the lead here, to start with what happened at Beacon and then at Haven, but Oscar interrupts before she gets to what happened with Jinn.

“May I fill DD in on the rest? You have all had a long trip. Perhaps DD could provide you with food and lodging while we catch up on old times,” Ozpin had done his due diligence to clearly convince DD of who he was before he ever stated it outright.

“Oz has a point. Please go and get some rest. We will let you know if there are any other pressing matters, tomorrow. Qrow please stay.”

After Ruby and the young huntsmen headed out, Qrow lingered, assuring Ruby and Yang that he would join them shortly. DD addressed Oscar directly.

“Is it just me or do your incarnations seem to be getting younger each time?”

“It is not just you but I believe it had more to do with the age of my former life, when I was killed than anything else.”

They catch up on some old times and Ozpin explained what the new plan was regarding the relics. DD was still not convinced that humanity was ready to be judged. They argued with Ozpin about the many conversations that the two of them have had over the years regarding this possibility. Despite progress towards uniting humanity, they did not believe that humanity was anywhere near ready yet, but admitted that they are getting closer than they ever had before.

Ozpin gave control back to Oscar and he took his leave, as he too is tired. After Oscar left, DD addressed Qrow.

“I’m proud of you for staying sober while dealing with your loss.”

Again, they pissed off Qrow regarding how well they could read a situation. Whether it was all over his face or in the way he walked, they always knew something without being told, thanks to their semblance. They followed up their statement.

“Who were they? What was their name?”

Qrow had forgotten how politically correct they were by not assuming gender, given their own fluid state. “An Ace Op in Atlas. His name is… was Clover.”

They waited and then they responded. “There is more.” The loss and separation was palpable, especially for DD.

Qrow nodded his head, as he looked at the floor. “His semblance was good luck.” They gasped and he turned to look back at them. Qrow had known them for a long time, even if they did not know each other well, and could not recall a time that they had ever been surprised. They went to Qrow and hugged him. They could always look at a person and just know what they needed and Qrow needed this. He hugged back and started to cry quietly on their shoulder. They just waited and hugged him for as long as he needed. They may have been short and to the point with conversations and important details but when people needed each other they knew how to slow down and help.

“I suspect that you are not ready to talk about this yet. And you have some of your family with you who would be more than happy to help you in your grief. However, if you feel that you do not want to burden them, I would be more than happy to listen to you with anything that you would like to share.” Qrow looked so broken and they never thought that he would ever look so old and yet all of the tragedy that he had experienced in his life just kept piling on.

They tried to think of something that could help him process and take his mind off it, even for a short time. Then it came to them. “Meet me tomorrow at 2:30. I will send the location to your scroll.”

“What’s this about?”

They just smiled and walked back toward their desk. They knew that he could never turn them down, as his curiosity always got the better of him, despite his cautious nature. They also knew that they could make it an order, considering they were the headmaster of the school. But due to his current condition, they didn’t want to pull on that thread just yet.

Qrow met DD the next day. He was surprised that he walked in on a class in the training arena. One of the professors was teaching and DD was in the back waiting for Qrow to arrive. He saw them as they finished watching the current match. The professor deferred to DD, who then introduced Qrow. His reputation preceded him from his academy days and the Vytal tournaments that he had participated in, although he was only known by a few of the students, as most had no interest in history, which he could empathize with. His more recent activities have been secret and for good reason, so not being well known was a good thing.

At the end of class, one of the students challenged him to a duel. He respectfully declined because he didn't want to hurt a student and it was really not a fair challenge, even if he gave himself multiple handicaps. Then another student suggested a match with DD, for which Qrow also declined because he knew that they were in fact better than he is, which was saying something, although her semblance had a lot to do with that. Then as if on cue, the professor stepped up and offered to spar with him instead.

DD gave Qrow a shove and said “Show the students what you got, unless you want them to think that you’re a rusty old has been.” Qrow just shook his head, now having realized that this was a trap from the beginning.

But with DD in the room, he didn’t risk them getting involved so he reluctantly agreed. Having not worked with most of the professors at Shade he didn’t know much about their abilities. DD ran a pretty tight ship and they never really needed much from Ozpin or the other hunters from Vale, give or take a few special Salem plots that he helped uncover. Considering how much he hated the sand, he didn’t complain. The battle with this professor was likely dependent on how much they knew about Qrow’s fighting style. As the match began, Qrow quickly realized that this professor was completely in the dark about him or his abilities. Qrow easily won the match and the students cheered. The professor congratulated him and DD smirked behind him. They always knew what people needed just by looking and Qrow realized that he needed this.

The class left and they caught him as Qrow headed for the door. “Not so fast. There are three more classes after this one that need your expertise.” He really didn’t want to do this but he couldn’t say no to them. And despite denying it out loud, he did feel better. So Qrow stayed and sparred with three other professors, all of which he defeated. At the end of the last class, DD sent him a message to meet them for dinner. He responded in the affirmative, begrudgingly.

A few hours later, they had dinner with him in their office. They asked Oscar, rather Oz, if Qrow liked anything in particular and so they had the school chefs prepare it special. They had tea made too, as he had started becoming an avid tea drinker while in Atlas and in their mind, because of Clover, as an alternative to alcohol. They began eating, so they asked how he was feeling after his matches with the professors.

“You knew that it would make me feel better. Why do you bother asking?”

DD smirked and continued to eat, for a few minutes. Then after they had eaten a portion of their dinner, DD noticed that Qrow was mostly picking at his. DD sighed and then pulled out their scroll and started reading from a document on their scroll.

“Top of his class, from humble beginnings in Argus and Mantel before attending Sanctum.” Qrow froze, staring at his plate, as he listened. “An only child. Fisherman father. Mother died when he was young. Huh, this is interesting...so he had his own demons too.”

Qrow was beside himself. He didn’t know half of that stuff about Clover. Most of their conversations had been about Qrow, training their semblances, the kids or the missions they were on and ideas regarding the future, more than he had ever considered before, especially after the war was over.

What was this about Clover’s demons?

He looked up from his plate and put down his fork, as he felt the anger grow.

“What are you doing?”

They looked directly at him, straight faced. “Trying to figure out what caused someone as unwavering as you to waiver. Even if he is gone, you got to give it to the man who even surprised me with a semblance opposite your own, considering how unusual passive semblances go.” Qrow wasn't sure if he should be mad or confused. They had never admitted to not knowing anything and yet here they were acting as if they were uninformed. That was weird, even for them and it just pissed him off even more.

“What are you doing? Give me that.” Qrow grabbed their scroll and started to read all the information about the one guy he cared more for than he was willing to admit. He continued to worry that his bad luck would rear its ugly head at any moment even with DD’s perceptive skills.

He missed being around Clover because he was so damned optimistic and it was infectious, which affected him in a positive way more than realized. Clover also didn’t seem to mind being around Qrow or his semblance. What Qrow started to realize was that when he was around Clover, his own semblance was lessened in severity or was offset by Clover’s own. It gave Qrow the opportunity to not worry that someone was going to die because of it. He had ever started to focus his semblance because of Clover’s guidance, which was likely having some effect but he wasn’t sure how much. All of this made him realize that he was beginning to have hope that he could be around the people he wanted because eventually he would be able to control it without fear of hurting someone he didn’t intend.

Now that he was reading Clover's file, which had never occurred to him to do, since he trusted James, James trusted the Ace Ops and even Clover admitted to trusting James ‘with his life.’ Now he was learning why. As Qrow read his file, he finally understood why Clover kept praising him so much.

Clover too had to learn to deal with lots of fake people who wanted to be in his life because he gave them good luck when he was around. He had been used by a number of people, including one prominent family who had offered to help him control his semblance, when in reality the family just wanted to use him for his good fortune. It got so bad that Clover had attempted to kill himself once. He had clearly gotten so tired of false friends and broken promises to help him, that he let the darkness take over. Qrow could understand that, even if it felt like he was watching him suffer all over again.

Yet Qrow had never been in that bad of a place but then again, he also drank away his issues with bad luck verses dealing with them. Not exactly a better way of dealing with it and he admitted that drinking had almost gotten Qrow killed many times, but he survived them all. So maybe his semblance wasn’t as bad as he thought. But it was at this point, when James got involved in Clover’s life. It was James that helped Clover get out of this situation, go to therapy and learn how to focus and gain some control over his semblance. According to this report, it was even James’s idea that Clover use the conventional good luck charms like a horse shoe and a rabbit's foot. Apparently Clover was the one who created his four leaf clover pin. Qrow subconsciously tapped his pocket that held the pin.

It had never occurred to Qrow that Clover had a hard life. It was very different from his own but still, a hard life. He struggled and he was not perfect, but Qrow knew that from personal experience. Good luck did not mean he was a good person or would be perfect at anything. Just like Clover tried to convince Qrow that bad luck didn’t make him a bad person. In fact, Clover had once told Qrow that because he had been so successful in his life as a huntsmen, despite his bad luck, that it made Qrow stronger and his successes even that more impressive. Now, after Clover’s death, were his words finally sinking in that Clover was trying to get Qrow to recognize his own abilities and worth, just like Clover had done in his own life, but in a different way.

Qrow was in tears, across the table from DD. They reached across the table and touched his hand. “Felt that you ought to know. Having only spent a few months with the man and your clearly distraught behavior, after you told me about his semblance, I had some suspicions regarding what else he might have been helping you with. Clearly you didn’t know about his past and I am not surprised. I’m not sure I would have shared something like that with just anyone. But then again, maybe he did, in his own way, and that is what is making this harder.”

Qrow put the scroll down on the table and looked up at them, as he felt the single tear fall, trailing a line down his face. He had not truly grieved for Clover. After Clover died on the tundra, he had not cried since then. He had felt numb in the transport to jail with Robin, while clutching Clover’s blood stained pin, which he didn’t even remember picking up. After they broke out, he had worked with everyone to save the city, so there hadn’t been time. Everything had just led to the next thing and the next thing. He had buried it, like all of the other losses in his life and despite being sober, it had become second nature to bury the pain and shove it down, hoping that he could deal with it later or perhaps, not at all.

DD looked at Qrow with a small sympathetic smile, just watching him, waiting. They knew Qrow was a very private person, but with their own ability to read people, they knew that he was about to talk. A lot.

“Clover complimented me….constantly and tried to get me to see...that I was not my semblance and that my...my efforts and abilities...far outweighed my semblance. H..he tried to get me to see my importance to those kids, for which I would give my life for any of them...but it took him to make me realize that I was just as important to all of them, which I had not recognized. Clover...he became a part of the group, more so than anyone else. And from what I read...he saw a version of himself...in me and...he wanted to repay the kindness that he received, since no one else would be able...had been able to do it. I see so much more...now. But, I also feel like it was more than that…” Qrow leaned back and looked down at his hands in his lap.

DD raised an eyebrow. They was rarely surprised but they were also a little dense when it came to their own romantic relationships, having been asexual since they were young. However, with their semblance they could spot connection between others a mile away with how people behaved around each other. But with one of them deceased, it was a little harder to predict.

Qrow shifted in his seat and looked away from DD for a moment and just remembered all of the times that Clover and him spent time together. Most of it was working on missions but there were other times when he would visit with the kids. Clover clearly had no idea what he was missing out on when it came to a team that felt more like family. But now Qrow realized that he had not had much of his own family, losing his mom young and being an only child. He remembered that Clover seemed to make an effort, as the days and weeks went on, to spend more time with the kids and with Qrow. Maybe that was because he had missed out during his childhood. And Clover had found a way to connect with everyone. As memories of him flooded over him, he finally lifted his head up to DD and then looked back down.

“I wish I would have had the courage to..to... all of those times that he winked at me or was showing off. He fucking pulled off wearing no sleeves...in Atlas weather... but..” He paused, not sure if he should say more. DD said nothing and just waited. “Was it more than just being friendly? There was something...there. I can’t be sure of what it was and I blew him off. I was so stuck in my own head that I was bad for him, the kids and everyone. I believed that I didn’t deserve to be around someone, anyone. Not sure that I still do... and yet, he would compliment me and support me and chose to spend time with me outside missions. He never stopped and I just…” Qrow watched as his vision burled and then he felt the hot wet tears as they poured down his face.

At this point, DD got up from the table and went over and kneeled down next to him and held his hand. They were aware that Qrow didn’t quite ‘love’ the guy but he was starting to let down his defenses so that he could. He cared enough that it was becoming more than just friends. That had not happened to Qrow since his days at Beacon, not from what they knew of his past. He had dated a few people or had many drunk one night stands but nothing ever came of those relationships, because he made a conscious choice to avoid being around people long term. STRQ had enough romance issues for multiple lifetimes, but most of it was not related to Qrow. He was always the intermediary. For Qrow to be at the center of something like this, this was big.

“Qrow, you need to find a way to make peace with this. Write a letter, go fight some grim in his name, talk to your nieces, something. If not, this is going to continue to eat away at you and I worry that you will lose your sobriety.”

Qrow looked down at DD and considered their suggestion, as his face turned angry.

“I will not lose my sobriety! I won’t do that to my girls! Or to any of the kids ever again.” His voice caught in his throat, as he tried to calm down but swallowing had become difficult. He took a deep breath before he continued. “But he was proud of me too...To..to choose to do that and disappoint any of them is not in the cards.” DD continued to console him some more by grabbing his other hand and rubbing the back with her thumbs. “I just need some time. I just…”

“The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you'll never have.” DD said, as they quoted an old philosopher.

Qrow looked over at them, as they were still kneeling next to him and then a sob left him followed by another. He had not expected a single sentence to bring him such sorrow yet here he was. They had turned him into a blubbering mess and he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. DD pulled him into a gentle, almost motherly hug, as they tried to soothe him but let him express his grief the best way that he could.

After a few minutes, he stopped crying and pulled away from them. As good as they were with understanding people, they don't really want to be the de facto therapist in the long run. “Why don’t you finish eating? Maybe you can eat your feeling away.” They joked badly. They grabbed their scroll of the table in front of Qrow, where he had left it and stood up and went back to their seat.

He chuckled while choking back tears, despite the silliness of it all. There was nearly a full meal of some of his favorite food sitting in front of him. So he took a bite and realized that it tasted really good and that he was rather hungry. He recalled that he had not eaten since the previous day, despite the sparring fights that he had earlier. DD went back to their seat and ate their meal with him, mostly in silence. They commented on a few school goings on and the like to avoid it being uncomfortable quiet.

After dinner Qrow bid them goodbye. He leaned against the wall just a few feet from their office as he was still trying to process what he just learned and realized. It still hurt, a lot, to think that he lost the person that supported him for who he was and constantly looked beyond Qrow’s semblance, unlike so many others. He remembered smiling with Clover and joking and laughing in ways he had not done in years. Like in the years before Summer disappeared.

Was losing Clover my semblances way of punishing me?

He was starting to think so. But then he heard Clover’s voice in his head.

‘Not all bad things are your semblance and not all good things are mine.’

So for now, Qrow was not going to believe that his semblance caused Clover’s death. No. That was all Tyrian. Even if Clover and himself had made some bad choices too. There was so much that had gone wrong that night in the transport. Even Robyn had apologized for playing a role in what happened. Although she didn’t say it, he suspected that her guilt lay in Tyrian’s escape more than anything. Eventually Tyrian would get what was due to him and Qrow only hoped that he would have the pleasure of ending that vicious meanous, once and for all.

Qrow went to bed and slept for hours, clearly having missed out on sleep during the previous few days while they traveled to Vacuo and across the desert to get here. The next day, Qrow woke up and did what DD suggested. He wrote a letter to Clover’s aunt, as Clover’s oldest living relative. When he finished, he made a plan to give it to DD, so that they could have one of the Dust cargo ships personally take it and have it delivered for him.

Now that Qrow finished that, he went back to sleep. Since drinking was out of the question, sleep was the next best thing to help him deal with his grief. It also meant that he didn’t have to see his nieces or any of the kids and be worried that he would break down in tears in front of them. DD, in their infinite wisdom, has food delivered to him twice a day. And they had the teams working on other activities, just enough to prevent them from disturbing him during his grief and mourning.

During his sleep he dreamed of previous conversations with Clover and how they had worked together to make things better in the world. They spoke about when they learned about the maiden’s and Salem. The shared stories about different jobs, as well as Qrow’s fight with Tyrian in Anima and the fight at Haven with Cinder, Haven, Mercury and Emerald. Clover shared with him when his gripe against Tyrian occurred, as Tyrian had injured one of his colleagues during his apprehension in Atlas the first time. Clover rarely held a grudge but Tyrian was crazy and did things that made no sense just for the sake of doing them, including poisoning people for fun despite it not helping him escape. He ruined a few lives and careers because of his poison. Clover had been called in with his contingent shortly after the initial capture, as backup and he had witnessed just how crazy Tyrian was. His cackling crazy laughter lingered with Clover, as Tyrian spouted out nonsense about how fun it was regardless.

They both shared their experiences during the fall of Beacon, while in Vale compared to what was plastered all over the CCT network and what actually happened after the CCT fell. Clover told him about what Ironwood did when he returned; the push to fix Penny by Pietro; the embargo to prevent being attacked by the other kingdoms; the increased security in Atlas due to the virus in the system during the fall and the queen chess piece used to represent the virus; the recall of all of the military to Atlas, and the push to fix the CCT in Beacon that shifted to the Amity colosseum. It had been crazy during the broadcast, as he, the Ops and the rest of the military failed to prevent the walls in Mantel from failing during the fall of Beacon, when Atlas citizens began to panic about what was being broadcast on the CCT, it had drawn more grimm into both cities than anyone had seen in their lifetime. That one really bothered Clover, since he had been left in charge while the general and a majority of the military was in Vale.

They shared a few stories of growing up but not a lot, as they both have baggage and during these first two months in Atlas, neither felt comfortable sharing the darker parts of their life with the other just yet. The trust was growing but the ability to choose to be that open with each other was still scary.

They both shared stories of their time at their respective academy and about their teams that they were on. Qrow shares stories about Raven, Summer and Tai, as well as how his nieces were related to him and how he helped raise them after Raven left and Summer’s death, which was why Patch was Qrow’s home. He didn’t get into too much about the details around Raven and Summer and that made it easier to talk about. He shared stories of being a professor at Signal and how he had helped train Ruby and so many other young potential huntsmen and huntresses. He included that Tai still taught there and how he thought that Tai and Clover would get along.

Clover shared stories of watching Qrow when he was younger during the Vytal tournament, as well as some of the stories about Qrow that proceed him, from what Ironwood has shared and Winter too. Although hers are not as nice, as she told Clover about Qrow and Winter’s trist at Beacon during the Vytal festival. Apparently she had tried to keep it to herself, but with everything else that happened, she had shared a bit more than she had hoped, including Winter’s regret that she was not present to help during the fall. Clover kept some of his conversations with her to himself.

Clover also shared some stores of growing up with his parents and things that they did together, including fishing. Qrow shared with him when he started drinking and how it progressed and changed over the years.

During their early weeks in Atlas, Qrow and Clover had talked about their semblances. After some discussion, Qrow finally conceited to letting Clover try to help him control it. He was not easily swayed that he would be successful but he left Clover drag him to a sparring room.

Clover began by showing him how he learned to control it and began asking Qrow to try, mostly by just talking through it and getting a feel for when his semblance was active verse not. It led to many unsuccessful experiments but eventually there was a breakthrough. They were calling it a day and heading out when Clover had a thought.

“You know, it might be that you couldn’t control your semblance previously because you used to drink all the time?” Clover commented. Qrow made a face, sharing his disbelief. “Since a few years after leaving the academy, I haven’t really touched the stuff. Not that I don’t enjoy the feeling now and then. But I can actually feel how chaotic my semblance becomes because I have less control over myself, both mentally and physically. Even when I didn’t know what my semblance was, I could feel something reacting in strange ways.”

“Are you trying to say that if I stayed away from alcohol that I could have learned to control this a long time ago?” Qrow asked.

“It’s a possibility.”

“Shit.” Then he thinks a little more about it and smirks. “How about you go get drunk and come here so you can show me how it changes your semblance.”

“As much as I would be willing to do that... I don’t think that would be fair to you,” Clover explained.

“Why not?”

“Who would I go with? I mean, you’re not exactly available for such an event.” Qrow frowned again. Clover looked at Qrow and realized that he was not convinced that Clover getting drunk was a bad idea.

“How about we keep trying it this way for a while. If it doesn’t work after a month, and you still want to see what happens to me, I’ll do it, just for you, to prove it and show you how crazy even my luck can get.” Clover thought for a moment and added “‘If I do it, I won’t with you. And I will make sure not be around you for to long,” Clover frowned to himself and then seemed to get flustered

Qrow noticed the flustered expression, “What? Do you think I can’t handle seeing you after you are drunk?”

“No. I just don’t want the smell of alcohol to tempt you into losing your sobriety,” He paused as he looked down. “I also do not know how inappropriate I may behave when I am not in control.”

“Afraid you are going to say something that you don’t have the balls to say now?”

“Yes and from what I remember of my academy days, people told me that I am a bit of a happy-go-lucky, love everyone, touchy-feely kind of drunk,” Clover explained.

“Better than the sarcastic angry grouch that I became.”

“Isn’t that you all the time?” Clover joked.

Qrow shoved Clover’s shoulder, “Shut up.”

That had been one of his most memorable conversations about their semblances that he would carry with him forever. Clover never had the chance to get drunk to show him and Qrow never got the chance to really try and train his semblance as much as they had planned, with the brutal schedule that James insisted on after the election and the subsequent attack in Mantle. One of the few regrets that he hoped to remedy, as he planned to continue trying, as one of his unspoken promises to Clover. And with Clover’s pin in his breast pocket, over his heart, he hoped that he could borrow a little luck to help him get there.

Qrow finally woke up after three days of sleeping off and on, in between bouts of despair, sadness and guilt. He realized that he was at the point where he couldn’t sleep any more. So he got up, showered and decided to go to the café to get some food. He didn’t see any of the kids around, but it isn’t a typical meal time at 8 pm.

After he ate, he went for a walk around campus and then decided that he needed to stretch his wings. The bird brain should help take the edge off of everything, considering their lack of emotional connection. He needed a break after letting himself actually feel for once when he normally avoided this sort of experience. But he needed to actually mourn Clover if he was going to get through this and keep his sobriety. There was no way to avoid his emotions when he felt things so fiercely now that he was sober. The numbness would not return and he had mixed feelings about that, but he could use what he had and the simple brain of a corvid was going to do the trick.

Qrow looked out a window. Since it was getting dark, this was the perfect time to go flying. In the bright daylight his crow form roasted in the sunlight, but in the dark, it was no colder than flying around Solitas. So he was getting ready to head out to a balcony over the desert when DD found him.

“Planning for a trip?”

“How’d you know?”

“Seems like a nice way to clear your mind.”

“You have no idea.”

“Did you get enough sleep?”

“More than I deserve.”

“Doubtful. Enjoy your trip.” DD walked off. Qrow glanced back in her direction, always amazed at her ability to say just enough to put you in the right mindset and steer you in the right direction, all while being short with you. Such an oxymoron. Qrow walked around and up some stairs to find the best balcony to jump off of and did just that, as he took flight in the cooling air.

Chapter Text

After being in Vacuo for a week, the teams began helping out with some issues that cropped up in the forest on the far side of the desert, Qrow had little to do, especially since he was without his entourage, who didn’t need him to supervise them now that they were officially huntsmen and huntresses. After staying primarily confined to his room or flying at night, for the better part of a week, DD stopped having meals sent to his room. He decided that he should at least go to the dinning hall to eat or he would get yelled at when they got back. So he took to eating in the dining hall, sometimes with Oscar who was attending classes. This was something that Oscar had decided, mostly so that he could catch up on details that were not readily known to him, despite Oz being in his head. There was also the small detail that Ozpin was close at hand, should DD need him.

One evening, while he was eating in the cafeteria, Qrow and Oscar wound up dining with some of the students that had watched him spar with their professors when he first arrived. They were all amazed at how well he fought and had questions about his fighting style and his weapon. Some of these students remind him of his own gaggle of children.

One of the students asked him for help.

“Would you please help me. I could really use some pointers, so that I can get better at sparring.”

“Sure.” He agreed, “Let’s see what you got first.” He turned to Oscar, “Please be her sparring partner.”

“Okay,” Oscar agreed. He appreciated this more hands-on approach. They headed outside and began.

Qrow watched and then gave her tips as she fought against Oscar, stopping and starting again, eventually giving Oscar a run for his money. Although, she was bigger than he was, so she had a bit of an unfair advantage.

Others watched the match and it quickly became big news around campus. By complete accident, Qrow became the person to talk to about getting specialized instruction for fighting. He was quickly approached by more and more students who wanted his help with training. He didn’t have anything better to do and since he missed helping the ragtag teams that he had traveled with back in Mystral and he did miss teaching, to some degree, he obliged to anyone who asked, with the added bonus that there was no paperwork since he was doing this for fun.

He liked helping students so much that it became an impromptu class that met just after dinner every day, outside where students could spar with each other and he could help them by teaching small tricks and tips along the way. He helped each and every student who attended, using what they had to their advantage. Originally this assistance started with only hand to hand combat, but weapons were quickly added, although he never used his own. He even assisted a few of the students by making modifications to their weapons so that it benefited their style and semblance.

At the end of three weeks of ‘sparring class,’ which the students had deemed it, DD approached Qrow, as they subtly caught up to him and began walking side by side to wherever he was headed around campus.

“So do you want to teach again?” He was not at all surprised that they knew about what he was doing. He doesn’t even look at them, preferring the view of the city surrounding Shade Academy at dusk.

“Hell No! What I am doing is just for fun.”

They frowned, although more for the purpose of pouting than surprise. “That’s a shame. It would be nice to see the students excited for a class again.”

He glared at them, “That’s not going to work. Classes here are plenty exciting, as the students talk about how much they like them.”

“Fine, have it your way.” They shoved him in the shoulder, and he gave them a look. They reached into their pocket, pulled out their scroll and pressed a single button. “I added your ‘not class’ to the schedule in the dueling arena. Please use that space verses making them go out into the desert. I really don’t want to deal with dehydrated students or some unexpected grimm attack when some of the students get mad or humiliated.”

Qrow stopped dead in his tracks for a moment. “Y..Yes ma'am.” Qrow was again not inclined to disobey them or fight them in any way. He made that mistake years ago shortly after they first met. He would not do that again, bar saving someone else’s life.

DD didn’t stop when he responded. They just kept walking and waved over their shoulder at him. They were happy to see that Qrow seemed to be getting back to himself. His banter was light again and due to his sobriety, there was a life in his eyes that they had never seen before. He was clearly dealing with his grief and he was also not the lonely spy he once was prior to the fall of Beacon.

After a few more weeks in Shade, communications were restored via Amity Arena. After making the necessary repairs to Amity, they used the staff to get it into orbit, just like it had once done to hold Atlas in the air. Once there it didn’t need the power of the staff any longer, or so Pietro explained. They had made a world wide announcement about their achievement, hiding the real reason of how they fixed communications so as to prevent someone from attempting to destroy it again.

The headmasters made plans to make an announcement about Salem and that her next target was Shade Academy in Vacuo and what her intentions were and how they all needed to work together to defeat her. It was planned for two pm sharp, three days after communications were restored. Everyone from the professors, the students, the huntsman and huntresses, as well as the Atlas military bots and the White Fang were prepared.

The messages about Salem didn’t just come with doom and gloom. It came with a message of hope and how every being on Remnant could help in the future. Uniting as a force to keep the grim at bay and slowly putting an end to the grimm threat for good. They danced around the conversation about defeating Salem over destroying her, but that mattered little as long as the main focus was to encourage everyone to help in their own way.

As the populace began to understand what they were being told, screams and shouts of fear could be heard all over the world. Shortly after, as predicted, the grim descend upon the cities, towns and villages, drawn in by fear, anger and all sorts of negativity. The whole world was going to war with itself.

But due to the preparedness of all of the kingdoms, this fight is not a hard one. There are some larger grim in the large cities that are a little harder to handle, but despite that there are few casualties and less than a quarter trained huntsmen were injured, of which the injuries are minor.

With the exception of Vacuo, it is nearly over in the course of eight hours, with a majority of it being over after the first 3 hours.

The only problem was that Salem had already begun to rebuild her forces during the month that they were in Vacuo and she did in fact have her eye on Shade. She knew that the kids would be there, as she intentionally let the information slip, hoping that they would go there and make it all that much easier to obtain not one but two relics.

Salem made more of the smaller grim but spent a lot of time making the larger grim as well. Even Ruby, with her eyes, couldn’t take on all of these larger grim by herself and she was counting on it. So this larger, more brutal force was just waiting for the right time and when the CCT made their announcement to the world, it gave her the perfect time to attack, as all of the other grim in the area would be attacking as well. This fell right into her plans.

During the siege of Shade, the teams worked in rotations so that no one team was ever burnt out. RWBY and JNOR rotated with CFVY and SNNN. Juane was told not to use his aura to heal everyone but just to mitigate major injuries, so as to conserve his own aura. He hated it but he agreed.

During one round of battles with teams RWBY and JNOR, Veridite, the Summer Maiden, was fighting nearby, helping them with one of the giant grimm that Salem created. Ruby was trying to use her eyes the way that Glass, another silver-eyed faunus huntsman, had taught her and she was successful to a degree.

She petrified half of the giant grim in front of her, but it didn’t fall to dust right away. But with a few short hits from the others it was gone. Ruby tried to use her eyes again and again, as she froze part of the larger grim but did manage to knock out some of the small grim too.

Then she heard someone scream. That was Verdite’s voice. Nearly all of them turn toward the sound, a good 40 yards away, to see Veridite injured, kneeling on the ground. Jaune ran towards her so that he could deal with any injuries. In their haste to see what was going on with Veridite, they lost sight of the battle around them. The grimm surrounded them and were ready to strike, having the upper hand. Ruby prepared to block the worst of the attacks, hoping that her aura would absorb the others. She noticed that her team was doing the same.

Suddenly, three of DD’s inner circle and Qrow appeared right in the nic of time.

“You can’t get distracted. I understand that you have made new friends since you have been helping but you need to focus on the fight in front of you before you end up hurt like that or worse.”

Ruby and the rest of the team jump back into action without another thought. Juane worked to boost Veridite and she was back up and on her feet in no time. She used her powers to take on a few of the larger grim, smug look on her face as they turned to dust.

Ruby focused really hard to try and control her eye ability and take out one of the large grimm and she was successful as her blinding light enveloped most of those around her, she could see that it had caused the whole grimm to begin to disintegrate. She was excited, as she quietly said ‘yes!’ while pumping her fisted into the air.

But she didn’t get much time to celebrate, as immediately after, there was another scream from Veridite.

Bloodcurdling. Loud. Painful.

Ruby glanced at her team and they understood as she headed towards Veridite, Qrow following close behind. This time there is blood and a lot of it. Both of her legs are gone from the middle thigh and down. Confusion sets in.

Veridite was propped up by her teammates, but she was staring at Ruby, breathing through the pain. Veridite realized that the light coming from her was killing the grim but was hurting her at the same time. But why? She wasn’t grim. She felt her life as it began to slip from her and the maiden power pulled towards Ruby.

Juane was already nearby and quickly began to work his semblance to boost her aura to try and stop the bleeding. He yelled at everyone else.

“Focus on the battle. That is the most important thing you can do right now.” He didn’t have to say that he was going to try and save her, since they all knew of his unique ability. Qrow just smiled as he began to realize how mature he Juane had become.

One of her teammates refused to leave, while everyone else jumped back into the fight.

Ruby nodded her head and turned to join the fight again but suddenly she felt weak and fell to the ground. She was being overwhelmed by something. But what? From where? She looked behind her as she could almost see it, the magic, coming from Veridite. She pushed herself up, resting on her heels. She heard Veridite’s voice, almost like a whisper in her head.

“The power is seeking you. I don’t know why. It seems that you are destined to succeed me as the Summer Maiden.”

As Ruby became aware that she was becoming the Summer maiden, she began to panic. This was not what she wanted. Despite the increase in power, something seemed off. She felt a pain behind her eyes and realized that her using her eye abilities had taken their toll, since she was not fully trained in using it. She collapsed, falling to her side, as she passed out.

Qrow noticed when she fell the first time but she immediately pushed herself up so he hadn’t been too concerned. He fought off a few smaller grimm with ease, as he kept Ruby in his peripheral vision. So when she fell to her side the second time, his fear of losing yet another person close to him raged its way to the forefront of his mind.

Juane, having healed Verdite enough to stop the bleeding, having almost lost her entirely, let her team take her inside to be treated. He saw Ruby when she fell to her side, while he was still tending to Veridite. Instantly, Qrow are at Ruby’s side. Jaune soon followed.

“Ruby!!” Qrow grabbed her limp body, cradling her, as Jaune infused her with aura.

“She has a low aura but she isn’t injured from what I can tell. Let me...”

Just then a particularly nasty grim made their way straight for Qrow, Ruby and Juane. Qrow and Jaune both reacted as they prepared to block with their shield and sword respectively.

A familiar sound of a fishing line and a barbed hook zoomed in front of the grim and pulled it away from them, a moment before the grim got close enough to hit. Qrow, despite his desire to help Ruby who was still cradled in his arms, was shocked as the familiar figure helped take out the grim that almost hit the three of them.

“Take her inside. She should be fine but have them take a look when they can.” Juane quickly said, before he returned to the fight with his team, as noted by his previous statement, that it was more important to focus on what they could control. Qrow nodded.

“Thanks.” He had turned to look at Jaune before he joined his team.

Qrow looked up as Clover landed in front of him, a wide smile on his lips, which quickly disappeared when he saw Ruby in Qrow’s arms. Clover rushed over to Qrow.

“Is she okay?”

“She just passed out unexpectedly, but she has been using her eye ability a lot today and especially during the last few minutes. It may have drained her aura somehow.”

“Then let’s get her to safety. You carry her and I’ll worry about the grimm.” Clover turned and quickly cleared a path for Qrow to carry Ruby inside.

As he rushed her to medical, he noticed the rotation timer on the wall and once someone had came to check on her, he stepped away just for a moment and called Sun over to make sure to get team RWBY and JNOR off the field and to send the teams to where he was in medical. Sun agreed and headed out with his team, Team CFVY and Team NDGO.

It wasn’t long before Yang showed up, and the first to ask.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I saw her use her eye ability quite a few times and she got a whole grim and some stragglers. Then Veridite screamed a second time, she went to check on her. After Jaune tended to Veridite, she went back to focus on the battle and then collapsed.” He paused for a moment, as he was a little out of breath from the fear of losing her.

“I already checked and despite her aura being a little low, she has no injuries.” Juane interjected. “I am going to go check on Veridite and some of the others. Let me know if anything changes.” Despite that not being part of the plan, since they had wanted him to save his aura, no one stopped him.

DD was also inside for a reprieve when they saw the group gathered around Ruby. They had already checked on Veridite and despite her injuries, she was going to live. Thank the Gods. Juane was a miracle worker in many ways.

When they approached Qrow, he was farther away than the rest of the rag tag group. He was sitting in a chair, his head in his hands. They tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up at DD and they saw tears in his eyes. Qrow really was a changed man when sober. He quietly spoke to them. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

DD put a hand on his shoulder, slowly rubbing back and forth. “Don’t worry, with her strength and purity, whatever that ails her doesn’t stand a chance”

They waited for what felt like forever, wondering what would become of her. Suddenly, Ruby bolted up right from where she lay. “Where…where am?…Oh my head hurts.” And she laid back down.

“We’re so glad you're alright, Ruby.” Blake stated. She waved a hand in the air, while her other hand was on her head trying to rub her head ache away.

Everyone on both teams let out a sigh of relief. Juane came back over to the group, as he saw that Ruby was awake. He had news that he was certain was going to make their task even harder.

“You are not going to believe this. I just spoke to Veridite and….she doesn’t have the summer maiden’s power anymore.”

DD just stared, jaw dropped. Again this group seemed to be a beacon for surprises. Their partner would likely laugh at them when they told them what happened. Qrow also looked just as shocked.

“How is that possible?” Qrow asked.

Ruby slowly sat back up and looked at the group. “Because I have it.”

And when they all looked at her the tell tale signs of her eyes ablaze showing that she did in fact have the maiden’s powers.

“How?” Wiess asked

“Veridite told me that she felt the power start to leave her when she felt like she was dying and due to the blood loss, she likely would have… had I not been there. I was able to stop the bleeding and replenish her aura from, essentially, zero.” Juane paused, as he looked down at his hands. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

There was a pause before DD jumped into the conversation this time, as she moved to Jaune’s side, “I am so glad that you did.” They placed a hand on Jaune’s shoulder to show her appreciation. Then they turned back to the group “Does anyone know what happened to her?”

Blake finally spoke up this time. “I think that Ruby’s eye ability injured her. I couldn’t tell the first time when it was minor but when Ruby did a bigger force the last time, it was while Veridite was in the air using her maiden power…cutting right through her, at her legs.”

The group just sat in awe at the idea and considered what would happen now.

“We should rest now. We will need to relieve team CFVY and SNNN soon.” Ren added, the voice of reasons, as always. DD felt it best to suggest this too but he beat them to it.

No one needed to say anything else, as the fight was all that mattered now. They had to focus on that. When it was over, then they could deal with this new revelation. Then they could figure out what to do next.

Qrow went back out to the fight, sooner than the kids, having only jumped in when Veridite had distracted everyone. He also had someone he needed to see, if not confirm that it wasn’t a dream. Juane had assured him that it wasn’t a dream before he went back out, but Qrow needed to talk to the man for more than 5 seconds to be certain.

After Qrow jumped into the fray, within minutes, Clover was right by his side, fighting in tandem, like they had done so many times in Atlas. Despite the smile that wouldn’t leave Qrow’s face, he decided to start with a jab.

“Glad to see that you’re not rusty”

Clover just chuckled, not at all surprised by Qrows comment.

“Good to see you too.”

They didn’t really have much time to talk during the grim fighting, as it was rather intense, even if most of the giant grim had been handled previously. The numbers were quite substantial, even 3 hours in. What felt like a few minutes of fighting with Clover, turned out to be almost an hour and team RWBY, JNOR and DD’s elite group were back at it to relieve CFVY, SNNN and NDGO.

All of the kids told Qrow to get off the field and after being prevented from taking a few shots and killing grim, he finally took a hint and took a break. Clover followed, as he needed a reprieve too. Clover would never admit it at that moment, but he was really pushing himself toward the end, especially after his speedy recovery from his substantial injuries.

The two men made their way inside the school. Right after they were both safely inside the doors, Qrow turned and gave Clover a big hug. Qrow squeezed hard, as if he was checking to see if he was really there. Clover was so surprised. But after the initial shock, he hugged him right back.

“It's really… you.” Qrow whispered into Clover’s shoulder. Qrow didn’t let go for a few minutes and that was just fine with Clover. He didn’t really get a lot of hugs while going through his physical therapy. Atlas being focused on strict physical therapy protocols and all. So this was rather nice.

Finally, Qrow pulled away and Clover immediately missed the warm feeling from where Qrow had once been holding him. Qrow took a small step back. After about a minute of just staring, watching search the others face, Clover could see the torment and the fear that lingered in his eyes as he processed what to say or do next. Qrow let go and looked at Clover with tears in his eyes “On the ice you…died. How…how are you…here…alive?”

Clover expected as much and had a whole speech prepared for Qrow and the kids, but as he looked directly at Qrow, watching his reaction, none of it would come to mind. Guess he was going to have to keep it short and sweet. “You can thank Peitro.”

Qrow tried his best to hold himself together. He started by wiping the budding tears away “So what, you’re a part metal man now, too?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

Qrow just dropped his jaw, “Where?”

Clover had not expected that personal of a question from Qrow, but he didn’t mind sharing.

“Mostly my spine but also a few of Pietro’s regeneration inventions internally.”

Qrow seemed to relax to hear that, “I thought at first you were exactly like Ironwood where your whole torso was ah…well...metal.”

“Oh….no. Despite some similarities with the surgical procedure, I didn’t have nearly the extent of damage that Ironwood had.” He gestured towards the table and moved towards it, now that they were having a bit more of a private conversation. Qrow quickly followed.“Peitro and his team have made significant medical advances since Ironwood had his surgery, so that if that were to happen now, even Ironwood would not have the extent of metal that he does today.”

Clover decided not to go into the great detail that was the process of blood transfusion and semblance sharing that occurred to help bring him back. Or how close to staying dead he actually had been. Strange as it was, the cold of Solitas had actually helped save his life. Had that battle happened anywhere else, he would not likely be here today.

Clover winced to himself, as some of the memories resurfaced related to those first few days after he came out of the colma. He was either in pain or uncomfortable and had limited mobility. But each day got better and Clover had pushed himself to get better, as well as focused his semblance inwards in ways he had never done before. He never got used to the metal in his spine but he was happy to be alive. Seeing Qrow again was the best thing he could have wished for once he had recovered. There was so much he wanted to say but never got the chance. Now he had a second chance and he was not going to waste it. Despite all that had happened, he didn’t want to discuss too much of it now. There was still a battle to be fought first.

Qrow was glad to hear all of this. They both sat down at the table. There was silence at first, as neither was sure where to begin, as they both still had things that they needed to say. Qrow looked down and broke the silence first.

“I’m sorry for what I said on the Manta and on the tundra. I should have realized how hard it would be for you to…to disobey an order…especially from James.”

Clover was surprised that Qrow was being so straightforward and to the point. He had clearly thought a lot about that incident. It had been months since it had occurred, which had coincided with Clover’s recovery. Yet despite his grief, Clover could tell that Qrow had continued to grow. He looked good. Really good. He had more color, looked fuller in a healthy way and surprisingly light in the face. There was a brightness emanating from him that wasn’t there when they had been in Atlas. Maybe it was the weather but he suspected that there was more to it.

However, Clover needed to make his own apologies, yet he didn’t want to mitigate what Qrow had said. “I forgive you.” He paused to let what he said weigh on them both. “But you were not the only one who made mistakes that night.” He takes a deep breath and then looks directly at Qrow, having noticed the surprised look on his face. “I am sorry that I didn’t understand what was happening and why Ironwood was placing you under arrest when you had been working with us…with me the whole time in Atlas. It made no sense. Ironwood even included Oscar, who was just a child…It was…unethical.” He paused. “Despite being a soldier and the order to arrest you…I should have considered more of what you said. You even offered to go talk to Ironwood to figure this out right after I told you and I should have let you….”

Qrow was happy to hear that even Clover had doubts about Ironwood’s behavior that day. But he also knew that neither of them should dwell on the past, so he pushed forward.

“I think we can chalk that one up to a bad situation with no good options.”

Clover was surprised that he didn’t make mention of his semblance and was proud of him. Clover smiled, knowing that despite the tragedy that was his death, somehow Qrow was not focused on it and had not reverted to drinking.

Qrow took a deep breath before he continued, “Besides, I think that there are more important things to worry about.”

Clover agreed as he looked towards the door, “Yeah, this grim battle is...” He stopped mid sentence as he felt a hand grab his own, as he turned to look, first at his hand and then directly at Qrow across from him. Qrow had a soft but genuine smile on his face. Qrow squeezed Clover’s hand.

“I am really glad you're here.”

Their eyes stayed locked for what seemed like for minutes, which was likely just a few seconds.

“Likewise,” Clover smiled and squeezed Qrows hand back.

Clover was rather surprised. He had flirted with the man for weeks, months even, prior to the fight on the Manta. Qrow had even flirted back, slowly building up trust between them and slowly pushing them closer together. They had worked together to help Qrow control his semblance but he was forever the pessimist and cynical guy. Here, now, he was seeing Qrow in a whole different way. Lighter, more optimistic and less burdened by his past. Perhaps his semblance training continued after Qrow came here. If it did, he could imagine that being a big part of this change.

They sat in silence, sometimes looking directly at each other and other times observing the people around them, all while they were just holding each other's hand as they sat next to each other. No one spoke to them or interrupted. What they were, what they meant to each other, Clover and Qrow didn’t have a name, but they didn’t care, as long as he could be beside each other, nothing else mattered. They just sat, waiting for the inevitable return to battle, as this was a marathon not a sprint. At the moment, they were both just relishing in the comfort that they were both near each other again, two sides of the same coin now whole, reunited again, knowing that the journey that they were on was just beginning.

After about twenty minutes, Qrow broke the silence, but continued to hold Clover’s hand.

“Now you can go back to being a show off.”

“I am not a show off.”

Qrow laughed, music to Clover’s ears, “Oh yes you are. Even today, when you first showed up to attack that grim that was headed for me, Juan and Ruby. You could have just killed it out right. But noooooo. You had to be all crazy with Kingfisher and make a show out of it.” Qrow just continued, all while chuckling. “Then you landed in front of us, with a smirk on your face, so proud of yourself, with your hand on your hip, like you had just walked out of one of Ruby’s superhero comic books.”

Clover at this point is chuckling too, especially at Qrow’s noted details. “Okay, so I’m a little…over dramatic.”

“But you sure know how to make an entrance.”

“What better way, when returning from the dead.” They both laughed but lightly at this one, both recognizing how much of a dork Clover was.

“And look at you,” Qrow gestured to his new uniform. “What’s with the new outfit?”

Clover forgot that he wasn’t wearing his previous uniform.

“Oh, this,” As he gestured to his new uniform. Clover was wearing khaki colored loose fitting pants, and a green sleeveless loose fitting shirt with a low v neckline, under a dark brown vest, similar to the white one he used to wear, all with a red sash around his waist and dangling down on his right side. “Just something that I dug out of my closet.” Clover joked and Qrow laughed. This uniform came with an additional detail that Clover chose to keep to himself, for the moment. “Pietro couldn’t help himself, when Ironwood announced that he was sending forces to the different kingdoms, so he made all of the Ace Ops and Robin’s Huntresses new uniforms for this mission.”

The rest of the hour was followed up with general chit-chat and a trip to grab drinks and food to help replenish their auras. They had a lot to catch up on and they might as well start now.

As they conversed, a thought occurred to Qrow. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out Clover’s pin, opening up his hand where it sat dead center on his palm. Qrow had keept it with him every day since he thought Clover died. Clover looked down and gasped.

“So you do have it,” Clover smiled big, as it confirmed something that went unspoken prior to his death.

“It was the one thing you used to help focus your semblance and even though I took it as more of a way to remember you, I secretly hoped that I might be able to use it to focus mine.” Qrow started to hand it to Clover

Clover put his hands on Qrow’s, closing Qrow’s fingers around the pin.

“No no. You keep it. I had a new one made.” Sure enough, just as he said, there was a new pin on the front of his new uniform, but with a slightly different design. Qrow looked down at the pin in his hand and put it back into his breast pocket, then looked back at Clover.

“So why the change in design?”

“I felt that with my second chance at life, it meant changing some of the things in it.”

Qrow looked a little closer and noticed that it was missing the horseshoe, but around the clover was a gear design that seemed familiar but Qrow couldn’t pace it. Qrow didn’t get much time to think about it, as it was time to return to battle. But they both knew that more conversation would come in time.

“Ready to be ‘over dramatic’ some more,” Qrow joked.

Clover smirked, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

After Clover and Qrow rotated back into the battle with team CFVY and SNNN, there were no more of the giant grim left. According to Weiss, she assisted a few dozen students with her glyphs to help them attack each one, all at once and collectively they took out the last two of the giant grim. Ruby had not used her eye ability since she collapsed last time and despite her new maiden powers, she focused on her basic abilities with her weapon. Despite the smaller grim and less danger it posed the school, Qrow and Clover, along with the other teams chased RWBY and JNOR back inside for a breather.

Yang lingered at the door to the school and Blake retreated a few steps to check on her.

“What’s wrong?”

Yang just watched for a few moments as Qrow and Clover worked together to take out dozens of grimm in short order, noting how they were watching each other. Yang just smiled, looked down for a moment and then looked back up at them. It was like watching partners dancing, which is what this was at this point since the major threats were gone. Both Clover and Qrow had smiles on their faces and were laughing while they were fighting and exchanging glances. Yang recognized the sentiment and then chuckled to herself. She looked back at Blake, who looked a little concerned but mostly curious, as Yang smiled. Yang then looked back at her uncle and Clover, “Nothing. I am just happy for him.”

Their reconciliation had just begun.