video; un: harbinger

[bolstafir]

[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.

Comments

[inkedspell]

[She is still considering it. It's been a while since she asked anyone for help with things related to magic. Especially since she came here and decided to do most of her research herself. But if he did have all of that experience...]

If he knows anything about rune magic, I'd take the outside perspective before I start rewriting my ink.

[bolstafir]

There's only really one kind of magic in Remnant. It's kinda all-purpose as far as I know.

[It can let people turn into birds and make fire and ice out of nothing and create pocket dimensions so, like,,]>/small>

But you'd have to ask him for more details.

[inkedspell]

Cool. Thanks for the recommendation. Hopefully, Professor Tick-tock doesn't mind people bugging him for advice.

[At least this is giving her some direction to go in. Her hand has been one of the things holding her back, keeping her from fully getting back into everything. It takes so long to work on things when she has to be slower with her left hand.

And no, she is never done making up pun nicknames.]

So, about the quid pro quo... You're helping me. Let me do a favor in return. Within reason.

[bolstafir]

Heh. Pretty sure working on other people's problems is one of his favorite pastimes, so probably not.

[Especially now that the weight of winning an unwinnable war is lifted and pretty much all they've got to do in retirement is this sort of thing or like .... unpacking their own emotions about the life they chose to leave behind and hahahaha as if any of them are going to do that.

But as to Sarona's offer of exchange, Qrow immediately shakes his head.]

I don't want anything. That's not what this is about.

[inkedspell]

You not wanting anything doesn't mean I'm not going to do something, so you may as well just think of something. You're doing something for me and I like things being even.

[She isn't someone who is cool with people doing for her if she can't do for them in turn. Even as a child she felt the need to repay people. Probably something she should be talking to a therapist about. Good thing she doesn't have to go to one of those anymore.]

[bolstafir]

I'm not really into being repaid for something that's related to basic survival in a place like this.

[He sighs, after a moment.]

Look, do what you gotta do, but I'm not going to ask for anything.

[inkedspell]

You know, you could just go along and pick something simple if you don't want anything big...or I could ask Ruby for ideas.

[Oh yeah, she's pulling that card.]

[bolstafir]

[She gets an eyebrow-raise.]

And what if my request is that you don't do anything for me?

[two can play hardball ok]

[inkedspell]

Then I get Ruby to do it for me.

[Because then she wouldn't be the one doing it herself and thus it fits without his request.]

But come on, just ask for something. I could reinforce your scythe, give you a protection runestone, a free tattoo...a vile of darkblood to use for something. It's fair trade.

[bolstafir]

I mean, if Ruby wants to do something nice for her favorite uncle, who am I to say no?

[His grin lasts all of a few seconds before it crumbles again with a sigh. She is not going to let this go, is she.]

...Look, I just don't like to do things that way. I decided not to be that person anymore a long time ago. So if you absolutely have to, go ahead and ask Ruby, but I won't take anything directly from you, and that's final.

[inkedspell]

[She's a little frustrated, letting out a little groan and reaching up to tighten her hair in the bun its in. A little tic to keep her hands busy.]

Is this just a weird teacher thing? Why are teachers like this.

[Roan is just as bad and it drives her crazy. At least JD would give in and let her do things for him to get her to stop.]

[bolstafir]

It's a "exploiting necessary skills for favors from kids is shitty" thing.

[Not that he'd feel that great about it with an adult either but it feels especially gross with someone Ruby's age okay.]