deernet | video; un: harbinger

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video; un: harbinger

[The scruffy, middle-aged man that appears on the screen looks a bit uncomfortable. Videochat is certainly not his preferred mode of communication on these devices, but he does figure it would be helpful to see his face for what he's posting on the network to say, so.]

Uh...hey. I'm Qrow. If you don't know me from Deerington, I'm a Huntsman. Which--mostly means I've fought a lot of monsters and sh--[hm. children.]...crap like that.

So anyway, it's halfway through October, and the streets aren't overflowing with blood and corpses, and far as I know nobody's gotten eaten by monsters or lost their mind and gone on a murdering rampage. But that probably just means the town's waiting for us to let our guard down.

[Or maybe that's just paranoia. But Qrow would rather err on the side of paranoia rather than complacence, considering his last October.]

Point is, now seems like as good a time as any to learn to defend yourself if you don't already know how to fight. I uh, I used to teach teenagers in a combat school, a few years ago? So I've got some experience.

...Don't expect a lot, I quit for a reason--[that reason being, honestly, Ruby getting admitted to Beacon a full two years early, but shhh]--but you can get the basics down.

So yeah. Let me know.

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[Winter raise an eyebrow at the accusation of being dramatic.]

That's funny coming from the man who felt the need to take out two AK-200s just to get my attention. You knew exactly where to find me and my proper name and title. Yet still resorted to name-calling in a drunken stupor.

And. . .

[Winter went quiet for a moment. It had been the insults against Ironwood and Atlas that had pushed her over the edge, and finally made her lose her composure. But now, she felt like an idiot looking back at it. Her tone lost a bit of its edge.]

You were right about him, but at the time you caused him of those things he wasn't. I put my faith in him and what he believed, thought that it was for the best. But in the end, I was wrong. And I suppose you're right.

Just don't do anything dumb trying to impress a bunch of kids.

Sorry, Win, you know how I feel about paperwork. Who knows how long it'd take to get through all that red tape for an audience?

[Is it time for new stupid nicknames? Yes, yes it is. There's even a shit eating grin to match.]

Assault, though, that's such a intense way to put it. You make it sound like I tore through half your army.

[...ah, so they are going to talk about it, then. He sighs.]

...You know, we didn't see eye to eye even half the time, probably, but I didn't hate him. There was a time I would've even called him a friend.

[So like, it's not that he takes particular pleasure in being "right" about him. He'd felt betrayed too, when Ironwood decided to put him and team RWBY under arrest just for not bending the knee to him. He'd wanted to trust him, when they came to Atlas with the relic.]

Edited 2021-10-27 01:45 (UTC)

Not just paperwork, rules in general it seems, or anything resembling respect. And despite how it may sound it's an apt description, you assaulted and dismantled two Atlesian Knight guards. Whether or not you felt they were sentient garbage or not.

And don't flatter yourself, you're not that talented Qrow.

[Win she could somewhat bear with though, it was a step up from Ice Queen even if it was a juvenile attempt at shortening her name. As for talking about Ironwood, Winter would have been happy to have left it there. But no matter what it seemed that the general was going to continue to come up in her life. Much like her father had.]

Is that supposed to be comforting? I respected him, I followed him, supported him when everyone else was against us. In the end, friend or not, it didn't matter what you called him if you questioned his orders.

[It felt a little condescending, she didn't want Qrow's pity, or even understanding. No, they had every reason to be angry with Winter for following his orders as long as she did. If she had acted sooner, then maybe. . . maybe things would have turned out different. She didn't want to be let off the hook that easily. Not with everything that had been lost.]

Gimme a break, they weren't alive. It's not like that girl Penny.

[He doesn't think he should get asshole points for breaking the equivalent of an automatic toaster ok!! At least let him earn them properly huff.]

And hey, don't underestimate me. Me and the kids did manage to steal that airship right out from under Cordo.

[Which...he was against from the start and sees the kids as more responsible for that success but look, a bird's gotta preen.

Winter's last remark, though, feels a little like getting an olive branch slapped out of his hands, and he scowls.]

Of course it's not comforting, the guy went all the way off the deep end. It sucks.

[With another grumbling huff, he switches the feed to private. It's more of a courtesy than Ironwood deserves, honestly, but it's a sensitive topic for them both. They could use the breathing space.]

To Ironwood, you were with him or against him. That's always been the problem with you Atlas types--you'll just do what you're told without thinking about if what you're doing is right.

[That last sounds more bitter than he'd like. Clover's death had become fresh, in the days before the dream crumbled. It's been a bit over a month now, in Trench, but that grief still lurks in his heart.]

But that doesn't mean I'm gloating about calling it or something. My nieces might be dead because of the mess he put us in. Your sister, too.

Edited (typo orz) 2021-10-27 03:59 (UTC)

It's what we're trained to do, and it was because we believed in him and he had earned our trust. He saved each of us from something, and after everything we've been through, the people we've lost. You should be able to relate to that.

[All of their deaths were fresh, for Winter she had just spoken to Penny. She'd seen Weiss fall, seen her vanish into nothingness. And for a moment there's a tear in Winter's voice, anger welling up renewed.]

I know. I never wanted them to be involved, I wanted them to just leave and run. Even if I knew they wouldn't. I had hoped that by sending them with the evacuation they would at least be out of harm's way.

But I failed, Cinder got the staff. Penny, Weiss, Ruby, they're all gone. We lost everything. Penny entrusted me with this gift, and I still wasn't able to save them.

I don't relate to obedience, Winter.

[No stupid nicknames for this. It's not something he feels particularly lighthearted about.]

Sure, I didn't question Oz a lot, [and maybe he should've; his devotion might've been as blind as winter's. Still.] but he didn't throw people in jail for getting in his way. He didn't try to take back anyone by force who didn't do what he said.

[He shakes his head, tired. Qrow had been angry when he learned what Oz had been hiding, but it was a very personal hurt, calling into question how much Oz had ever trusted him. It didn't change that Oz had won him over in the first place precisely because he never demanded anything from him. The choices he made may not have been real, given the truth -- but they had been his to make.]

Hell, the kids came up with a way to use the Staff to get everyone away from Salem, not just Atlas. If James wasn't ready to kill them for defying him, they could've worked together on it. We could've had the military at our back to stop Cinder from getting into the damn portals in the first place.

Edited 2021-11-07 04:56 (UTC)

But you do relate to trust, and losing those that you believe in.

[Obedience, orders, no she knew that those were two things that Qrow would scoff at. But she had seen the way he was with the kids, and the way he had worked with Clover in the short time they'd teamed up. Winter might have been the Ice Queen, but that didn't mean she was blind or dumb.]

Originally the council would have been able to offer a means of keeping him in check, but everyone was so scared, so uncertain of what to expect. It wasn't as clear at first, but yes by the time I acted he was willing to kill any of us that dared to question him.

But there's no excuse, I could see what was happening. I bear just as much blame as him. Cinder as well. If I hadn't led her directly to Fria, if I'd just been able to take her down at that time, then things would have been different.

I'll never be able to make up for what's gone. Next time though, Cinder will pay for all that she's done.

[...Yes, that he does. Qrow goes quiet a moment. He wonders how much Winter knows, at this point. How much Ozpin has told her; they were living together for a time, as he recalls, but he'd barely been on speaking terms with the man at the time. And by the time they'd managed to reconcile, Ironwood was in Deerington, and Qrow didn't know how far he could trust Winter.]

Didn't exactly help that he had two seats on the council, either. It always was trouble that you guys combined the Academy with your military.

[He sighs, tiredly. What's done is done. Being bitter over it won't change the past.]

...But yeah. Our counterparts back in Remnant'll keep fighting, until they kick it themselves. And the war will keep on going. Forever.

[He's not sure if she knows that. He's too tired at this point to hide it if she doesn't.]

There's no point dwelling on it anymore.

Edited 2021-11-12 13:45 (UTC)

It was effective. And graduates had the option of other career paths outside of the military.

[Perhaps trying to let it be done was the best, but there are still ghosts haunting Winter and those who didn't entirely trust her for the events that transpired and her former ties to the general.]

I know. At least here we'll be able to continue fighting as well. Though it does bring up some complications.

"Options", riiight.

[He literally makes air quotes.]

And we saw how well that went for any Huntsman or Huntress that disagreed with good ol' Jimmy, didn't we? When your boss is trying to capture and arrest anyone that gets in his way, that's not exactly having options.

[It's one thing about how Atlas operated that he could never really get behind. Atlas students either joined the military or they left Atlas, honestly. Robyn's group were just about the only ones that didn't take the path of least resistance there.]

What complications?

He wasn't always like that, and you know it. After Beacon, after we were humiliated and our own forces were turned against us, it changed him. It changed everything.

[Usually, if they didn't want to join the military they left before ever enrolling in the academy. Winter had always figured that's why Weiss had gone to Beacon.]

I'm not certain that I want to return, there are things here, people that I don't want to lose now. I don't think it's someone else back there, I remember everything and I did go back for a short time.

And what happens if they come here. What if we bring our problems and our war to this world? Furthermore, I've died here once, if that happens again what happens to the maiden powers?

How am I supposed to face Ruby, or Penny, or Weiss if she shows up again? Is it really alright to encourage them to find happiness here knowing what is going to happen?

He wasn't always that bad, no. [As Qrow had said, once upon a time, he'd called the man a friend.] But the whole 'my way or the highway' thing wasn't about the Fall, that's just how he always was. Seem to remember that whole fleet being in Vale in the first place wasn't exactly something Oz signed off on.

[He's Just Saying. He hasn't forgotten those "if you were one of my men I'd have you shot" remarks even back then!!]

Anyway, I think it's more complicated than that. Remember the whole freaky cocoons we'd wake up in after "going back"? Anyone who woke up for real just disappeared from Deerington, like Yang.

[He shakes his head.]

Ruby and Yang were in Deerington for months before I ever got there, but they were never missing from Remnant. Not to mention, from the beginning we were all from different times. None of it makes sense, not unless Cynthia was right--that there's other versions of us living those lives like we never left.

That dream could make us believe anything, even that we'd lived totally normal lives without Grimm or Salem in it, remember? Not exactly a stretch to show us more of the lives that we left behind like we actually experienced it, too.

[Qrow isn't sure what would have happened if he'd gone into those lighthouses in the storm, to head back home, if he would've retained anything from the dream or what, but the decision was already made by then. He didn't want to go back to a life where he'd have nothing left. There's nothing to be gained by looking back now. He actually scoffs a little, in no small part because he's already had this crisis and moved past it and he is not eager to revisit it.]

...Winter, Ruby doesn't even hate Neo. You'll be fine. As for the war...[he lets out a tired exhale] the relics aren't here. This place has its own gods, that the Brothers've got no power over. The old stakes don't matter, anymore. Salem wasn't immortal in the dream, and I'd be willing to bet she won't be if she ever comes crawling out of the ocean. We'll handle it, like we did before.

Until then, the war's over and done, at least for the rest of us. You've got to find a way to bury it, too, or the what-ifs'll eat you alive.

You're right, none of it makes sense. But I'm certain of who I am, all those other times, the times when they tried to make us forget. Something always felt off.

[As for just letting go of the war, or the complications and the guilt of everything back home. It was a lot easier said than done, though Winter had promised she would try, she'd made a promise and even had a ceremony to bury the past with Rei. But right now, that particular flower wasn't blooming well.]

I don't think Ruby could hate anyone, neither would Penny. But Weiss, I should have listened to her from the beginning. I should have been there for her more. She wasn't ready, none of them were. I won't let those who aren't prepared make the same sacrifices or pay the same prices here. That's the only way that I can bury it.

Maybe they don't feel off because they really happened. Just...I dunno, not directly to us? Like a piece of our soul got drawn into Deerington, and that piece won't be the same as it was--but the rest's still out there.

[He shrugs.]

Like...how Oz can't go back to old hosts, maybe. He's different each time, but he's still Oz, right?

[Qrow's not even sure if that makes sense. He just has to have faith that Cynthia was telling the truth when she told them they had the opportunity to be something new, without guilt. Damned if he understands how these dimensions work, but nothing else lines up with all they've experienced so far.]

But hey, don't sell those kids short. They're the whole reason we were able to get as far as we did, after Haven. Your sister's tough, I've seen her in action.

[He refuses to say "was". It's too much, too heavy to speak into the world.]

Still, it's a good step. Being too ready to make sacrifices for "the greater good" made so much go wrong before.

[He's not even just talking about Ironwood, here. It's the whole war. It's Pyrrha, the Fall of Beacon, Yang's arm. Summer. No, Qrow thinks he's rather had enough of sacrifices.]

There's better ways to do things.

[It wasn't as comforting a thought as Qrow most likely thought it was. But Winter appreciated the effort.]

We can never be the same then.

[Winter nodded once more.]

It was a bit premature, but they truly did earn their licenses. With a little more training, there was so much they would accomplish.

[And they already had the experience of huntress on the job twice as long. As for sacrifices, Winter had only promised not to let others who should never have to make them. She fully intended to continue putting herself in front of any enemy that appeared no matter the danger.]

Like working together for a change. A not trying to hide it when something's wrong.

Hell, a few more years and they'd have outclassed us.

[A beat. Lest he appear too overly sappy, he adds:]

--Well, maybe not me. [;)]

[As for that last part...he's not sure if that's meant to be a jab or not, but --]

Honestly? I'm real done with secrets for a lifetime or ten.

[So, so done.]

You're right, they'd only have needed a few more days to surpass you.

[The quip came second nature, and Qrow had set himself up for it. Though Winter wasn't entirely certain that he wasn't baiting her.]

As am I.

Wow. I'm ready for a rematch any time, Ice Queen.

[Come on and put your lien where your mouth is, Winter!!! He hasn't had a good spar in ages.]

There won't be anyone to interrupt it this time.

[She wouldn't be against going up against someone else of a high caliber for a bit of practice. Though it did beg a matter of where would an appropriate venue.]

Hah, the kids'd take bets on us before they'd intervene.

[Does he sound like he maybe wants to involve them in bets. Okay, maybe, just a little bit. But he still wants to fight more than rope them into questionable life choices, at least, so there's that.]

The beach is a pretty wide-open area. It's not new-arrival time, so we won't be bothered if we pick a spot far enough from the boardwalk.

The beach should be suitable then. Though you really should encourage minors to participate in activities such as gambling, even if there aren't laws governing it here.

[Was she actually going to give in and spar with this idiot that kept antagonizing her? Besides having a clear answer to what would have happened back in beacon had she not been called off what other point was there.]

What are the rules?

I wanna say I can't believe you're getting uptight about hypothetical gambling that's not even illegal, but that's not actually surprising at all. You should think about giving that stick in your ass a vacation from time to time, y'know. It works so hard.

[The point is fun, Winter. He knows that's a difficult concept for you but pls!!!]

How about we go to Aura break?

[He is maybe not quite so ready to go first-blood with an Atlesian with what happened to Clover still so fresh in his mind.]

Edited 2022-01-08 00:58 (UTC)

Is that your excuse for a lack of etiquette and morals? They've taken a vacation, or did they forget to check in and wander off like you tend to?

[The point is training and remaining in peak condition. Nothing about this was supposed to be fun.]

Agreed. Anything else?

[There is an instant, blink-and-you'll-miss-it, of cat-rubbed-wrong offense, wherein he looks as though he is gearing up to say something spectacularly nasty, genuinely hurtful. And then...it fades, and there's a smirk instead, albeit a forced one. He just said they need to be able to bury the war, and if he lets himself soak in that bitterness just for the sake of the last word ... he knows how easy it is to fall back into despair, and he knows what happens to him when he goes there.

(He remembers the farmhouse. Never again, he swore to himself, leaving Argus. Never, ever again)]

Oh, I never had etiquette in the first place. And I think you and I both know my morals would never take a vacation to Atlas, of all places.

[Still a jab, but it remains a light one. Part of something that can remain like a game. He doesn't think Winter of all people has the right to condescend to him about morals, but this isn't for her. This is about his family. If this is all he has now, then he won't spend it chasing ghosts of Atlas should-haves.]

Good enough for me, Ice Queen. Let's dance.

Edited 2022-01-08 08:07 (UTC)

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winter_bestowed - 2022-01-14 19:18 (UTC) - Expand

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video; un: harbinger

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sorry for all the edits lmao

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