Dusty Old Crow (Rewritten)
Dusty Old Crow
General Ironwood had given his students — his former student in the case of Penny and his future student in the case of Belladonna — a little bit of a headstart before he, too, descended from his ship to Beacon.
He had suspected that there might be a reception committee waiting for them on the landing pad, and he hadn’t wanted to kill the mood with his presence.
Given the large crowd of Atlas students — and Twilight — that he had seen making their way from the landing pads when he arrived, including Dash and Glimmer carrying Belladonna on their shoulders while she protested ineffectually, it seemed that he had been right about that.
Penny, meanwhile, he had spotted with the members of Team SAPR.
Penny’s situation was one of the reasons why, as he rode the elevator up the Emerald Tower to Ozpin’s office, he couldn’t smile, as much as the sight of Belladonna surrounded by her new comrades might have prompted him to do so. For as much as he was gaining a wonderful new student in Belladonna, one that he had been gently angling for — and tacitly encouraging Dash to angle for — for some time, he was also losing a student, and it was his fault.
He had not treated Penny as … as he treated his other students. Which wasn’t to say that he never made mistakes with his students — he did — but never severe enough to drive them away as they had Penny.
Perhaps that’s because, even when I made errors with students like Glimmer, their comrades acted as a tether to hold them at Atlas. Penny didn’t even have that.
Ironwood believed in his people. He believed that, though he might make errors, his kids, his men and women would, with their courage, skill, and commitment, redeem those errors and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
But that did not apply in Penny’s case, because the kids had been — without meaning to apportion any blame to them by saying so — part of the error.
I should have let the chips fall.
Like with any other student.
At least there is still time to make it right, even if there isn’t time to keep her for Atlas.
As the lift ground upwards, Ironwood turned his eyes up, as though he could see through the elevator ceiling to his destination at the very top of the tower.
His journey up here, and the reason for it, was another reason why Ironwood could not smile. Ozpin had decided that the time had come for Miss Nikos and had requested his presence at the meeting, along with Glynda.
Ironwood … Ironwood had a great many emotions about this, starting with relief that it wasn’t Dash, in the end. Yes, he had put her name forward, because the times, the circumstances, demanded that he hold nothing back, that he put forward his best, but, in all honesty — and who could you be honest with if you couldn’t be honest with yourself? — if he had wanted to make Dash a Maiden, then he would have put her forward for Winter when Luna fell ill. But he hadn’t. He had suggested Glimmer instead because, while competent — very competent, or so it had seemed — he didn’t … he hadn’t wanted to lose Dash, to stuff her away in Canterlot like a miser’s gold.
He still didn’t. He was still relieved that he wouldn’t.
But that relief didn’t mean that he was without sympathy for Miss Nikos and what would be asked of her. He had supplied the machinery, but that didn’t mean that he was unaware of the aspects of this that some would find … unethical.
His mind briefly returned to his conversation with Dash, Soleil, Belladonna, and Penny from just a short while earlier. If they thought that Penny’s treatment was bad, it would be as nothing if or when they found out about this.
If or when. He didn’t know how much leeway Ozpin was planning to give Miss Nikos in terms of telling other people about all this. He was planning to tell Miss Shimmer as well, to give her at least some support — a support which did make Ironwood wonder if Ozpin’s secret hope was that Miss Nikos would refuse — but as for the rest of her team, or anyone else for that matter, he didn’t know how much she would be allowed to say.
He didn’t know how much either of them would respect any boundaries that Ozpin tried to place upon their tongues.
Nor did he know how Miss Nikos would take all this, and that lent a slight nervousness to go along with his sympathy for her. She was undoubtedly very talented, very well thought of, intelligent — but all of those things had been true of Glimmer as well, and it hadn’t made her strong enough to bear the weight. He didn’t want Ozpin to make the same mistake that he’d made.
It was a lot to put on someone, even the strongest. Of the last four girls to actually assume the powers of a Maiden, two of them had tried to flee after the fact. It was not an easy burden to bear.
Not to mention the question of how possibly the most famous girl in Mistral is supposed to disappear in Vale and be forgotten about.
But, in the present time and circumstances, they couldn’t afford to hold anything back. Ozpin needed his best, and he had decided that that was Miss Nikos.
His students, his choice.
The elevator reached the top, coming to a complete stop with a small thumping sound. There was the ring of a bell before the door began to open; even before the doors had opened completely, Ironwood was assailed by the sound of voices raised in argument.
All the voices were familiar to him, even the one he hadn’t heard in a while.
“There was very little choice—” Ozpin began.
“Don’t talk to me about having no choice, Oz! There’s always a choice, you taught me that! I can’t believe this … she’s a kid for crying out loud!”
“Qrow?” Ironwood asked, as he stepped out of the elevator.
There he was, the man himself: Qrow Branwen, Ozpin’s top and — until recently — only field agent. He was standing in front of Ozpin’s desk, one hand placed upon the transparent surface. At the sound of Ironwood’s voice, he straightened up — as much as Qrow ever straightened up, anyway — and cast a disdainful gaze upon him. “Jimmy. I gotta say, I’m surprised that you went along with this. And a little disappointed.”
James Ironwood was a tall man, but Qrow was nearly of a height with him, less than an inch between them, although Qrow seemed a deal shorter with the way he walked around with a habitual stoop, as if he was carrying an immense weight upon his shoulders — or as if he’d been born with a crooked back. He was wearing the same clothes that he’d been wearing when Ironwood had seen him last, over a year ago — which were still the same clothes that he’d been wearing years before that when Ironwood had picked up Team STRQ after their failed attack on Salem. Did the man only have one outfit, or did he have multiples of the exact same thing? Surely, he changed clothes sometimes?
Said outfit consisted of a pair of plain and unadorned black pants, with a dark grey waistcoat — no shirt underneath — and a light grey jacket with black lining visible on the collar and the rolled-up sleeves. Were it not for the ragged red cape, ripped and tattered at the hem, that hung off his shoulders, he might have looked like some sort of itinerant businessman, perhaps a travelling salesman down on his luck.
One who had forgotten to shave.
The only part of Qrow’s appearance that seemed well cared for was his jet black hair — he had not started going grey yet, lucky him — which he kept slicked back, save for the bangs that covered his forehead.
“I didn’t think it was possible for me to disappoint you,” Ironwood observed.
Qrow stared at Ironwood for a moment with his red eyes, before turning away, pulling a hip flask out of his pocket. “Yeah? Me too, Jimmy.” He unscrewed the top of his flask and took a drink. “Me too.”
“Thank you for coming, James,” Ozpin said, from where he was seated behind his desk. “As you can see, Qrow has returned—”
“To find out that I’ve wasted the last year and that everything’s turned into a real mess while I was away,” Qrow muttered, turning away from Ironwood and walking to the windows that looked out across the city and the school.
“Qrow—” Glynda began.
“Don’t,” Qrow cut her off, raising one hand. “Don’t defend this, Glynda, it… you should have called, Oz.”
“You were out of contact,” Glynda said.
“I sent you a message!” Qrow snapped, rounding on them. “I told you ‘Queen has pawns’; it was a warning.”
“And then we didn’t hear anything else out of you until now,” Glynda said. “We thought you were compromised — or worse.”
“You think that I’d get caught or killed that easily?” Qrow replied. “Nice to know you all have so much faith in me.”
He took another drink from his flask. “You could have called. You should have called. You know how it goes when I’m on an assignment like this; I don’t get in contact unless I have something to report, but you can always reach me if you need me! You need me to find Amber, you call me; you need me to find out who attacked Amber, you call me; you need someone to go to Mountain Glenn and check it out, you call me, Oz! You don’t ask Jimmy to find you some stuffed shirts, and you don’t get Ruby involved in all of this, you call me! Because I’m your guy, and I…” He turned away. “She’s a kid, Oz.”
“She has silver eyes,” Ozpin said softly. “You know how unlikely it is that she will be able to stand aloof from this struggle all her life. Nor do I think she would wish to.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” Qrow muttered. “Ruby … she’s got too much of her mom in her for that. But that doesn’t mean that she’s ready to jump in feet first; she’s fifteen! She should be worrying about boys, not the fate of the world.”
He paused. “I don’t actually want her worrying about boys, either; is there something else that you’re not telling me?”
“I don’t keep track of the personal lives of my students,” Ozpin murmured.
“But as far as I am aware,” Glynda said, “no, there is no boy.”
“Thank gods for small mercies, I guess,” Qrow growled.
Ironwood took a deep breath, clasping his hands together behind his back as he walked around the edge of the room. “I take it that you’ve been briefed.”
“Like I said, I found out that I’ve been wasting my time,” Qrow said. “I come back to tell Oz that our enemy, the one who attacked Amber, is here at Beacon, and what do I find? I find out that you already knew that — 'knew' being the operative word because she’s gone now. I find out that you knew her name, which was more than I managed to find out.” He paused. “Do you think that Leo’s been compromised?”
“The thought crossed my mind,” Ironwood said.
“I do not believe it,” Ozpin said.
“I know that you don’t want to believe it,” Qrow said. “I don’t want to believe it either, but—”
“Leo has served me faithfully for as long as any of you in this room,” Ozpin declared. “I will not condemn him based on circumstantial evidence. He has explained his actions, and I have accepted his explanation. There is nothing more to be said on the matter.”
“You mean you accepted that he let our enemy waltz into Beacon wearing a Haven uniform because he wanted to win the Vytal Festival so badly that he didn’t do his diligence?” asked Qrow.
“There is nothing more to be said on the matter,” Ozpin repeated, more firmly and more heavily this time.
Qrow frowned but didn’t push the matter further. Rather he said, “And I found out that, as a result of all this, when you got a tip about this Cinder chick holing up in Mountain Glenn with the White Fang, instead of calling me, you decided to brief Ruby, and her friends, and some of Jimmy’s kids, and sent them off into that oversized tomb instead.” He looked at Ironwood. “I didn’t think you had it in you to do something like that.”
“Bring any of my students in?” Ironwood asked. “I’ve done it before.”
“Yeah, that kid who lost it,” Qrow said. “What was her name, Twilight—”
“Starlight,” Ironwood said. “Starlight Glimmer.”
“Whatever,” Qrow muttered. “I know the Great War was fought so we could all have colourful names, but sometimes, it gets a little ridiculous.” He paused, “But that’s different, that doesn’t … it’s different. I knew that you were ambitious, but I didn’t think you’d push your kids forward to take part in this war the way you have. I thought you’d think it was too risky for them.”
Again, he turned his attention outwards, to the city of Vale and to the fleet that guarded it. “You know, they’re starting to hate you down there.”
“I’m aware of the sentiments that are being expressed in some quarters,” Ironwood said softly. “It’s a few malcontents.”
“I’m afraid it’s a little more than that; they’re starting to really hate you down there,” Qrow said. “I felt it when I was on my way up here—”
“Trawling every bar along the way, no doubt,” Glynda muttered.
Qrow sniggered. “Hey, you wanna know what people are thinking, you could do worse than go to where they drink and listen to what they have to say.”
“And what are they saying?” Ozpin asked.
“A lot, and a lot of it not good,” Qrow replied. “It’s not just Atlas that they hate — I could understand that; I share the sentiment — but the faunus as well. Now, faunus are kind of creepy—”
“That’s not funny,” Ironwood said.
“Was I making a joke?”
“I hope so,” Ironwood replied in a voice that had just a hint of a growl about it.
Qrow looked back at Ironwood so that the latter could see him rolling his eyes at what he no doubt saw as Ironwood’s po-faced righteousness. “Anyway, the faunus don’t deserve to be hated, unlike some people, but they’re catching heat just as much as Atlas is.”
“I’ve already discussed this with the First Councillor,” Ozpin said. “He intends to beef up police presence during the Vytal Festival to protect visiting tourists.”
“What about the faunus?” asked Glynda.
“Councillor Emerald doubts that they would appreciate police protection if it were offered,” Ozpin answered.
“It might not be enough,” Qrow muttered. “There’s an ugly mood out there.”
“How bad is it?” asked Ozpin quietly. “How widespread?”
“I didn’t check the whole city,” said Qrow, “but widespread enough.” He turned around to face Ironwood. “You shouldn’t have brought your fleet with you.”
“Without my forces, Vale would have been in a whole lot more trouble than it is,” Ironwood said. “Without my forces, we wouldn’t be talking about the Vytal Festival but about where to settle refugees from Vale in Mistral or Atlas.”
“And yet, they have put an energy in the air,” Ozpin murmured, “one that would not be present were it not for the vast military armada overhead.”
“If people don’t know why we’re here after the Breach, that isn’t my fault,” Ironwood said. “People’s reaction isn’t my fault.”
“The consequences of your actions aren’t your fault?” Qrow asked. “Very mature.”
“Qrow,” Glynda chided him. “As much as I find Atlesian displays of military prowess … ridiculous, James’ fleet was of great help during the Breach.”
“I’m just saying there’s no gratitude down there that I could find,” Qrow said. “I’m also saying there’s a reason we work in the shadows and use our discretion.”
“Discretion wouldn’t have done a thing when that tunnel opened up and a horde of grimm started pouring into the city,” Ironwood replied. “Discretion wasn’t going to remind … the people of Vale can hate me if they want to, they can hate the sight of my ships overhead, they can be as ungrateful as they like, but while my ships are overhead, the people of this city will know they are protected, and our enemies will fear our strength.”
“'Fear'?” Qrow repeated, taking a step towards him. “You think they’re scared?”
“I think that we’ve heard nothing from the White Fang since the Breach, so yes, I think that those that are yet living are intimidated by the power that we can bring to bear against them.”
“The White Fang aren’t our real problem,” Qrow said, “and the grimm don’t know fear. Just like you don’t know what’s waiting out there, the things that she’s made.”
“They don’t know me and mine either,” Ironwood declared.
Qrow looked away, out of the window. “I think I can see some of your kids,” he said, his tone becoming almost casual. “Looks like they’re having a party on the lawn.”
“Yes, they’re mine,” Ironwood said. “They’re celebrating.”
“'Celebrating'?” Qrow asked. “Celebrating what?”
Ironwood glanced at Ozpin. “One of your students has submitted a request to transfer to Atlas.”
“Ah, Miss Belladonna I presume?” Ozpin replied. “That is a pity, but not unexpected.”
“Someone wants to leave Beacon and go to Atlas?” Qrow asked in disbelief. “Is she stupid or just a glutton for punishment?”
“One of my students is also asking to transfer to Beacon—” Ironwood went on.
“Smart girl,” Qrow muttered.
Ironwood ignored him to go on, “I wasn’t going to submit the forms right away, because … you’re a little busy today.”
Ozpin smiled slightly. “Thank you for your consideration, James.”
“And so, this transfer student,” Qrow said, “she’s the one this is all about?”
“Belladonna has made quite an impression,” Ironwood explained.
Qrow snorted. “Picnics on the courtyard grass,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Gods, was I ever that young?” He looked at Ironwood. “They’re not ready for what’s out there. For what’s coming.”
“No,” Ironwood said softly. “But they’ll meet it bravely when it comes. If Salem takes their valour too lightly, then she’ll regret it.” He paused. “But that is why I brought the fleet, that’s why I brought all these airships that you hate so much, so that they wouldn’t have to be ready, so that they wouldn’t have to face it on their own without backup. And I’d do it again, though it incense the whole of Vale so much that they rise up against me.”
Qrow smirked. “Of course you would,” he murmured wearily. “Because they’re your kids. Except they aren’t, and you’d be better off if you remembered that.”
“How so?” asked Ironwood.
“You know how so,” Qrow said sharply. “There’s … eight kids down there on the lawn. Assuming they all live long enough to graduate, the odds are still good that half of them will be dead before they turn thirty. Chances are, by the time they turn forty, there’ll be two left at most.”
“I try and give them the tools to improve those odds where I can,” Ironwood said.
“Good for you,” Qrow said; it was hard to tell if he was being sincere or not because the drink gave him a perpetual surliness in his tone. “My point is that it doesn’t do any good to get too attached to anyone in this line of work. It’s a recipe for heartache.”
“I take it that Ruby and Yang can’t expect a visit from you then, while you’re here?” asked Glynda.
Qrow took another drink, one that seemed longer than the others. “It’s best if I stay away,” he muttered.
“Best for who?” asked Glynda.
“For them! Bad things happen when I’m around.”
“Qrow, your semblance is a part of who you are,” Ozpin said. “It isn’t something to be ashamed of, or feared.”
“Easy for you to say; it’s not your semblance,” Qrow muttered.
“I’m sure they would be delighted to see you,” said Ozpin.
“I know that Miss Xiao Long has some questions for you,” Glynda added.
“And as you’ve pointed out, the mission that I assigned to you has been rendered rather superfluous,” Ozpin went on, “so I would like you to remain at Beacon, or at least around Vale, while the Vytal Festival goes on and this … this business is conducted.”
“You don’t want me to take your new guardian away?” Qrow asked. “Whisk her somewhere safe?”
“Not yet,” Ozpin replied. “Not until we know … more.”
Everyone was silent for a moment. No one blamed Ozpin for not elaborating on what he meant by ‘more.’ They all knew, and it was … difficult, to speak of.
“So,” Ozpin went on, “you will have time to spend with your nieces, and I would advise that you do. Although … in the circumstances, I cannot deny that there might be something in what you say with regards to the benefits of a lack of attachment.”
“You’ve chosen a guardian, then?” asked Qrow.
“Yes,” Ozpin said softly. “Yes, I have chosen. I have had my eye on her for quite some time, ever since she applied to Beacon, I thought that … that she might be the one. She is intelligent, caring, strong—”
“Is she ready?” Qrow asked.
“No one is ever truly ready,” Ozpin whispered.
Qrow sighed. “So … who is she?”
The elevator door opened, and Miss Nikos emerged into the office, accompanied by Miss Shimmer.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Professor,” Pyrrha said, as she looked around the room. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Not at all, Miss Nikos,” Ozpin said, making his voice sound a good deal more genial than it had sounded just a moment earlier. “I’d say you’re just in time.”
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Yeah, I'm seeing some very uncomfortable conversations happening in the next chapter.
I still fail to see how what they plan to do to Autumn is any less monsterus then what Cinder did to the poor girl.
Sunset could very well have rather strong opinions about the plan too. She knows just how intertwined magic and ones soul really is. Although Ponies can live without their magic, for a time, at lest.
Qrow's here? Does that mean you figured out what to do with him? If nothing else, that was a cool fight.
And the "goth chick" didn't seem to affect Ciel or Twilight. I find that intriguing.
Rainbow Dash has found a fellow hot head. Twilight is going full Iron Man. Sunset meets Qrow and is about to see what Cinder did to the true Fall Maiden. And Ironwood is likely about to learn Sunset's secret. This was a great chapter.
Also, if Sunset were to use her semblance on Amber, she would experience and live through everything Cinder did to her. The side that Cinder doesn't show to Sunset.
Qrow is really a jerkass. What if Ozpin and Ironwood weren't there? And Ruby and Blake were out shopping or something? Would the idiot have fought haft the school?
Good to see you, Qrow. His Semblance causing Ciel's gun to jam was pretty funny.
9752797
I imagine that if neither Ironwood, Goodwitch, or Ozpin were around, the commotion would have caused someone to contact one of them eventually. Besides, Qrow wouldn't randomly attack students. Yeah, Qrow provokes RSPT because he doesn't like Ironwood's methods and ships, but even then he doesn't seriously fight them. Eventually some professor would take notice and call Ozpin.
9752847
The thing is, one of Cinder minions uses illusions.
Think of that for a moment.
What if Cinder didn't have Sunset as a morality pet and just decided to make Ruby or Blake get killed by "uncle Qrow"?
After the whole Cinder Fall thing, what Qrow did was really a jerkass move.
9752941
I don't think Qrow knows that. He knows who Cinder is, not necessarily who works for her.
Oh dear. Yeah. I can definitely see why writing Qrow may be difficult... good effort though!
Good to see these kinds of changes for Qrow.
I’m sure that he’ll want to check with Yang after hearing Raven paid her a visit. And I’m sure he’ll especially want to check out Ruby’s team leader, the one responsible for his niece’s team. He’ll spot the tired and regretful look in Sunset’s eyes immediately, the weight in her walk. It’s the same he sees every time in the mirror, and Sunset will no doubt see the same in him. Now there’s a discussion I’m very much looking forward to!
Don't worry Crow, Ruby not into boys, nor into girls, she's only into saving the world. That's not really a good news for you, but...