Chapter 5: Live and Let Live (4)
"Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul. " – Dave Pelzer, A Child called 'It'.
Chapter 5: Live and Let Live (4)
After finishing lunch, the final preparation before moving back to Craw's Bay commenced and soon we marched towards the city-port, reaching it two hours later.
I think some were surprised when behind the column of Faunus walking towards the port, there was a truck moving slowly.
Yay, Truck-kun was safe and sound with its content and… the shotgun. My little friend, the one thing that actually wasn't being used to compensate for something… and the reason behind the diplomatic envoy being forced to camp outside the city was given the moment I stared at the glances the locals gave to the Faunus.
It wasn't hatred that caused this behavior, but I could see distrust and lack of willingness to approach and treat the group as equals. You know, walk normally by the sides of the road without giving too much weight about their appearances.
Maybe I was too much pampered to the idea that those kind of differences shouldn't matter by the end of the day, because both groups shared red blood and equal thinking capacities. And souls.
I had expected that the means to reach Menagerie would have been a large naval ship but… it was an airship. Like a smaller, wooden version of the Hindenburg.
The mere reminder of the blimp that caught fire and crashed down was a good reminder of why they hadn't used it for the rest of the trip. It's difficult to survive from high altitudes even with Aura and sabotages were excluded from the life of being part of the White Fang.
Ghira had been quite blunt and graphic in narrating some morbid episodes of losses happening during some of the rallies and strikes, deaths caused by 'mistakes' committed by the very individuals in charge of defending the peaceful protesting group.
I don't think I need to return back to my previous monologues about this world and how it is worse than ours but… yeah, it sucks twice as usual.
I think the reason why the man had told me this kind of tales was mostly to deter me from officially joining the organisation but… this kind of stuff just makes me even more eager to join.
Also after suffering two deadly experiences during my attempts to reach Vale, I think I wouldn't be totally wrong in saying that my luck disagrees with my previous plans.
I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was the Gods' intervention as I knew that would be far too much farfetched to be true, especially with the world still existing and having not been purged.
Boarding the airship, I was given a large room that I was going to share with Nora and Ren which sadly had only a queen-sized bed inside, but my solution to this problem was quick and simple.
Since I had to get stuck in the wheelchair until the cast was removed, and that meant for at least a full week it was going to be the case, I might as well sleep on it during night time and leave the bed to the children.
I think the girl, having started to grow attached to me, might have been doubtful of my decision, hesitant even, but I was thankfully helped around by Ren.
The boy might have eased around me, but he hardly perceived me as someone worth of being considered some kind of family.
Nora was an orphan from the very beginning and she would easily trust someone that had shown to her nothing more than selfless kindness. Plus I think my rudimental cooking skill seemed to have hit a soft spot in her heart as she had asked few moments before lunch if I could be the one cooking for her.
I gained a compromise by promising her that I would be the one cooking once we reached our newest home.
Ren saw his parents died, he could remember his time with his family before the Grimm sieged Kuroyuri and he certainly wouldn't be as quick to trust someone with some simple, friendly acts.
Obviously I wasn't surprised by the minor distrust but this impasse left me in quite the pickle to deal with.
When I had said that Nora had opened up to me, it was more like she had started to calmly sit near me, walk beside me and sometimes ask for some fairy tales when she wanted to go for a nap (While it was unusual for a child her age, I found out that she had been having recurring nightmares during the night and so she needed to rest once in a while).
I was… family? Maybe I was going a little far off the mark, but she trusted me just like a child would trust a close relative.
This situation, coupled with Kali's not-so-subtle hints to adopt both children, left me to plan how to get the boy to warm up to the idea of being officially taken care by me as a guardian.
And it wasn't because I wanted to keep some canon going, knowing far too well that my mere presence in Remnant was already causing some changes in the timeline.
The boy was traumatised and he needed to have Nora around. The girl had taken the least from the Kuroyuri's destruction and she seemed to be the only now as of now Ren could trust completely.
But while I was thinking about this situation and the possible solutions, I decided to address an issue that I could now fix before it would spark some unpleasant situations.
"I am glad to hear that you received aid in the end, Mr. Bukharin. Still, I wish to apologise for having asked such a drastic solution-"
The man on the other side of the call sounded nervous, possibly because I had been able to contact him hours after the planned time for the extraction. Maybe he had thought that he had just heard my last word and… yet I am alive.
"There is no need for apologies, sir. I know that it had to have been quite difficult to pick the closest place that the Bullheads could reach."
I got hold of one of the Emergency Scrolls in the Airship by asking the Captain of the vessel, explaining the extent of my predicament and all.
The call was quick, some nervousness from the other side, but giving more details over the reasons that led to our survival seemed to placate the man enough to not warrant more questions.
I decided to omit the fact that the kind group of people that had saved me was Faunus, just as a precaution to avoid unneeded panic and distrust over the legitimacy of the call.
The day ended with the dinner prepared by the ship's cooks, some seafood with veggies and other green stuff I actually wasn't unknown of…
… Or at least I thought.
Returning back to my cabin I went quickly to the single bathroom to freshen up, clean my teeth, before leaving it to the children to use.
As the two went inside the covers of the bed and I moved the wheelchair close enough to be ready to intervene in case one of them, or both, needed my help.
I slouched my head on my hand, the elbow of my healthy arm standing on the armchair of the seat as I tried to get some sleep like this.
It wasn't the first time I would do something like this… but it was certainly the first time I slept this position at night.
Few hours passed and midnight struck uneventfully, my mind busying me with only darkness as the stress rendered any attempt to dream bleak if not impossible.
I used this time alone and in silence to call out Ozpin, to try and understand why he had been this quiet until now. Sure, I wasn't going to listen to him but I was feeling quite nervous as of why he was this silent.
The headmaster refused to answer any of the probes, limiting himself with just a sigh once in a while.
At least I knew he was here, but I was ignoring why he would be this limited in his talking.
Did he finally see the bright light of being in the wrong?
My musing ended right as I felt shuffling in the bed nearby, praising my light sleeping habits for having caught this situation as… Ren continued to tremble in his sleep, whispering names and broken sentences.
I didn't pause a moment as I moved the wheelchair to the other side of the bed and started to tug at the boy's sleeve, trying to wake him up.
His eyes snapped open, pink meet brown and his scared/panicky expression slowly melted away in one of relief as soon as he remembered where he was.
"You had a nightmare." I stated calmly, Ren nodding slowly as he stood up from the bed. Looking at the sheets in silence, trying to calm himself even more but… I decided to meddle now just a little.
"You know that keeping everything bottled up isn't healthy." My words managed to pierce through the melanchonic bubble forming around the boy, his eyes glancing my direction.
"Look Ren, I know that I should be asking this from you as you would prefer to keep it all away from people but… you need sometime to open up, let the stress leave and... maybe ask for some advices."
"Why?" His voice sounded so tired, like a child being repeated over and over something preachy without a proper explanation. His reaction was way more tame than any kids his age.
"Because you may be surprised to learn what others keep in their heart." I sighed quietly, thinking back home. I did leave the real world in a disappointing state… I wonder what mom is thinking now.
She was surely worried for my disappearance… but there wasn't much I could do about it.
"Do you… want to hear about my childhood?" The question was whispered and the boy looked confused at the words, but this nonethelss caught his attention. "Would you believe I was 'worse' than Nora?"
He blinked, then frowned at my face and tilted his head a little. "Really?"
I cracked a smile. "I sure was. Why, there was one time where I tried to 'clean' some flowers and… let's just say I discovered that bleach isn't a good product to clean plants." His lips twitched and I continued without a pause. "There was also that time when I tried to-"
An hour or two passed and I managed to get Ren smiling and giggling a little as I continued to narrate my disadventures as a young child.
I was a pest in my childhood, the complete opposite of what one would expect from my current introvert attitude, and I am sure I am the general cause of why my father had started to get grey hair at 37.
The following day, Patch.
Summer Rose was smiling as she finished preparing another batch of delicious chocolate cookies, pulling them out from the steamy oven.
Yang giggled at the sight of the delicious treat being placed on the single table of the Kitchen while her younger sibling drooled at the scene, her silver eyes glowing in hunger as her tummy demanded nourishment.
"And that is the last one."
The little blonde let another giggle out as pulled lil' Ruby in a baby hold and walked towards the plates filled with snacks, making the mother's smile widen at the adorable scene.
It had been few days since she had been conceded another stay at home from her work as Huntress and she had been enjoying it with Taiyang, Qrow and her daughters by doing simple things, like cooking and telling the children some brave tales about her job.
The day had started quite simple, her eyes opening at the sight of her dunderhead of a husband tiredly trying to catch some rest after some tiring day at Signal.
Summer had long thought about switching to a desk job, as a teacher, because of her inclination as a mother to properly educate little kids. That desire was easily forgotten the moment she returned to think about her missions, about the lives she was saving, of the contribution she was giving to the world.
It might sound selfish but… she liked helping people for the sake of it.
As the older Xiao Long woke up and got his morning peck, he was off to the bathroom and then to work, leaving the woman to deal with their beloved daughters.
It has been just like every single morning since she took the stay and, despite it was a repetitive routine, she found it refreshing. She was resting and nothing interesting was meant to happen while relaxing away from job.
At least that was what she had long thought before Qrow appeared out of the entrance's lounge.
"S-Summer, we have an issue."
The Rose raised a brow at the panic in her former teammates' tone but decided to merely nod at him as he prepared to explain whatever had happened to have him this nervous.
Her silver eyes glanced briefly at the long package in his arm and the small letter he was holding on his free hand.
"Do you remember how Tai got… married with Rae?"
The mere reminder of that interesting situation sparked some initial concern on her visage, knowing that if it was something about that, it had to be quite serious.
"I do."
He gulped nervously, handing over the letter to her.
To the Xiao Long Household (Taiyang Xiao Long, Summer Rose and Qrow Branwen),
I want to start this merry message with an apology if this reaches you in time of trouble or maybe in a moment where you are busy but… I needed to send this letter attached to the package.
Inside the package, there is Raven Branwen's sword that she had kindly left in my dying body before being promptly sent to hug several trees. Before causing any ruckus no, she is not dead (or at least I think so) and I am sending you this 'gift' as a mean to try to bargain something out of Big Bird (Yeah, I am calling her that because she isn't worthy of being called Mama Bird) to try and visit once in a while.
P.S. I still apologise if I had caused any unnecessary worry and I bid you a good day.
John Bukharin.
Summer re-read the short message again, then she blinked in a perplexed frown.
"He 'took' her sword. And he sent it to us." Her mind's gears rolled furiously as she connected the dots of Qrow's concern with the content of the letter.
"He doesn't know about… the tribe's rules." The black-haired man gave a 'Nope' and her frown deepened a little.
"Does Tai know about this?" Her question was met with a sigh.
"He was the one receiving the package first, he didn't even bother to check if there was the real deal inside the box and went to search for this 'Bukharin'."
She hummed quietly while folding the paper in her hands. "And do you know why he is doing that?"
"I think he is doing it for the poor bastard." Qrow commented lightly, the children far enough to swear a little. "I mean, after having known her for so long I do understand his logic."
"Then I guess I shall join him soon… after I tell Ozpin that I need to extend my stay."
"He will accept, Sum, especially with the longer hours you pulled last time." The Branwen agreed and soon the two started to talk about other topics.
Like why was Qrow not in Signal doing his job as a teacher.
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