27A/N: Exactly one year since I posted the last chapter of Cobwebs and Crows, here's the (real) sequel! You don't need to have read CC to understand anything here, but if you're in the mood for a Qrow-centric fanfic, head on over and check it out! This one is going to be fairly Oscar/Ozpin-centric until we hit canon Volume 5 then the cast will expand (obviously) but the focus will still be on our wizardly duo.
Anyways, please enjoy!
The plan was simple: head to the city of Mistral, meet Qrow at the Black Cat Bar around six, get his (Ozpin's-his-their?) cane and go from there.
The plan could've maybe used a little more forethought.
It started to rain not twenty minutes after he left his aunt's farm, and when he arrived at the train station well over a mile from home, he found out that the little bit of allowance he'd saved up wasn't even close to being enough to pay for a ticket to Mistral. Cold, wet, and seriously considering that he ought to head home before his aunt found the note he left for her to explain his sudden absence, he almost didn't hear the giant coming up behind him. Almost being the key word, because the man (that Ozpin knew and was wary of for some reason unrelated to how big he was) was hard to miss.
Luckily, the tall man only wanted to help him by beating the ticket machine into spitting out a one-way pass then heading out on his merry way. It was good that he hadn't wanted to hurt Oscar, because aside from a few sandwiches, books, and an apple, he had nothing on him of value. He wouldn't make a good punching bag either so… lucky him.
The train left not long after and the trip took a few hours. Too jittery to stay seated for the entire ride, he wandered up and down the aisles and immediately regretted it when they arrived in the city. His first sight of Mistral that wasn't a blurry smudge on the horizon comprised of stairs, stairs, and more stairs.
Great.
"You couldn't have picked a flatter city to meet in?" he grumbled to Ozpin under his breath, careful not to jostle anyone on his way away from the train station. "Or somewhere less busy?!" There were more people on this one street than in all of Yellow Brick.
The wizard hummed without sympathy.
Overcome with the feeling that he really should have packed walking shoes, Oscar sighed and took the first of many flights of stairs on his path to the Black Cat Bar. The place was built in concentric circles, or something that used to be circles but had widened to almost ovals as the population grew, and there wasn't exactly a "direct" path to any one place. Well, unless it was built along the old main roads, but that only connected to itself.
At least the city was pretty. The buildings, built partly into the side of the mountain, were brightly colored and shaped in a sort of box-like fashion with wide porches and swoopy roofs. There was plenty of plant life around too, which did a lot to calm him when the crowds got too pushy. If trees and flowers could survive, then he could make it for at least a day.
The strong, savory scents of a food stall pulled him towards a crowded neighborhood where men and kids crowded every available space. They were dressed normally (well, normally for the city- his neighbors didn't dress like any of these people) while the street was decked out in reds, oranges, and orange-reds. There was a worrying amount of open flames and torches everywhere, but they seemed to lead somewhere and were well out of the way of little hands so he followed the trail.
Past the stalls that lined the street was a tall, circular marble building that was decorated just the same as the street. The top of it was engraved with something that looked almost familiar, held up by two rows of skinny columns. Just as he was about to get closer to investigate, a heavy bell tolled four times and the crowd quieted to a hush aside from soft, rhythmic music.
"What's happening?" he asked, more for himself than anything.
An old man shushed him with a sharp motion. "The Maidens walk among us!"
What? Even Ozpin was confused. Surely the old man didn't mean the Maidens from the fairytale, so…?
Before he could entertain the thought of running for more than a moment, a procession of women turned the corner and the crowd became completely silent.
There were about forty of them, led by a group of four girls dressed in short white outfits with red and orange shawls or sashes (they were really leaning into that color theme weren't they?). The other women ranged in age from a little older than him to elderly, grandmother types. Some wore the white dress that the leading girls wore, only much longer, and others were dressed more casually. The only thing that seemed to unite them were the golden cups they carried and the fact that all of them were barefoot, even the girl in a wheel chair.
The leading group broke away from the larger crowd and circled around the building before coming to a stop in front of a large, almost cone shaped dish with torches in hand. They lowered the torches to the dish as one, and a gout of flames curled into the sky to loud, deafening cheers.
"Come forth!" two of the girls commanded.
"The Maiden lives in the eternal flame!" the other two proclaimed.
He watched, mesmerized, as the women walked up in twos and dumped a cup of wine into the fire, some of them shouting and some of them speaking too softly to be heard. Near as he could figure, they were asking for blessings but from who, he couldn't figure out. (These were definitely not the Maidens Ozpin knew.)
It was over soon after with a short speech and another four bell tolls. Families of the women surged forward with happy cheers and he turned away, the spell broken. Mistral was certainly different from Yellow Brick.
-[-]-
Lumi threw her head back in a laugh as her team crushed her in the center of a group hug.
"You were great!" Eve shouted in her ear. "A real Maiden!"
"Tell me you got to try whatever was in the cup," Twila pressed with a gleam in her eye.
"Ooh what did you wish for?" Sahar twined her arm through Lumi's.
"Back up you wolves!" she elbowed her friends with another laugh. "I don't need to suffocate before we get to dinner!"
Eve and Twila took the hint though Sahar stayed on her arm like an escort despite being the shortest of the group. They made their way through the crowded streets up to the fourth level, chattering all the while until they reached the restaurant district. Then began the usual debate of where to eat, what to get, who was going to split what and whether or not a shared appetizer needed certain toppings.
Twila, not one to dawdle, marched towards Blue Jay's when it was clear that Sahar and Eve weren't going to come to a quick decision. Lumi sighed and herded the other two along, not that it stopped their discussion (argument). A waiter sat them and nearly got a backhand to the face when Sahar threw her arms up. He dropped a stack of menus on the table and scurried away before anything worse could happen.
"We are not getting mushrooms on top, they're disgusting!" she hissed.
"Well then pick them off," Eve said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"So, Twila, how's your day going?" Lumi ignored the bickering duo.
"Eh," she shrugged. "Woke up, little brother stole my eyeliner, other little brother ate the last doughnut, mom flipped when she saw what I did to my hair." She rolled her eyes. "Same old same old."
"Wait, so that's not another wig?" she flipped to the drink section.
"Nope!" She shook her head, hair ash blonde where before it used to be chestnut brown.
"Nice," she smiled and brushed back a lock of her own dyed hair. "That's such a good color on you."
"At least someone appreciates me," she side-eyed the other half of their team.
"I appreciate you plenty!" Sahar protested. "That's why I suggested we party tonight!"
"Ooh, that sounds fun," Eve set aside her menu, and their drawn out argument. "Where are we headed?"
"We aren't headed anywhere," Lumi cut in before they could get too out of hand. "I have work in the morning."
"Lameee," Twila jeered.
Conversation devolved from there, her friends' arguments in favor of going out growing stronger when Eve pointed out that they'd been a team for nearly a year. Unfortunately for Team ESTL, their one year anniversary wasn't until the fall term started back up and Lumi couldn't be persuaded to show up to work hungover or tired in celebration of nine months together. (Here they argued that a child could be conceived and born in nine months so it was almost like a birthday therefore Lumi had to go- but she wouldn't give in.)
"You're all ridiculous," she huffed.
"You know you love us anyways," Sahar leaned her head onto her shoulder.
Lumi rolled her eyes with a smile, no denial on her tongue.
-[-]-
Oscar ducked his head, the bartender's hand a heavy weight on his shoulder as he was escorted out. No one matching Qrow's description had been in the Black Cat Bar in over a year, and after asking around he found out that as of a few weeks ago, there were no Hunters in the city at all.
"This bodes ill," Ozpin murmured.
That was putting it lightly. They had no money, no food, nowhere to stay, no chance of getting home and now they had no hope of finding any Hunters, much less one who didn't even live Mistral!
"Let's not panic just yet," he said. "There is somewhere we can go, if you're not averse."
WHERE? And WHY didn't he say anything earlier when they first got to the city?!
"The festival we passed on our way here," he reminded him. "That was a Temple for the Hearth Maiden. They'll likely take you in for the night if you ask."
After the Great War he had taken care to learn more about Mistral's Temples, and this particular one (while under a new name) was known for helping travelers and protecting children- of which Oscar was both.
The boy took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay- but only if you're sure."
He was.
Another deep breath to gather his nerves; they set off. The street lights were on, Oscar's usual cue to be indoors, and he tried to keep what little food was in his stomach in place as he weaved through the loud, possibly tipsy crowds. No one seemed particularly interested in him except to note how young he was- even then they didn't stop him or try to talk, just walked past with a shrug.
That was… odd. If anyone caught him wandering the streets at night back home, they'd escort him back or at the very least make an effort to figure out what he was up to. Here, no one cared (and that was just a little terrifying).
Before he could start to worry that he'd gotten lost and would never find the temple (meaning he'd have to sleep on a park bench somewhere and worry about his backpack though he had nothing of value really- except his life and what if a mugger decided to stab him because he couldn't pay up?) the top of the building peeked out from between two houses. He sighed in relief and hurried closer.
Finally, something was going right.
-[-]-
Lumi fell onto the couch with a deep, content sigh. She'd eaten more than her fill at dinner, and after a quick stroll around the neighborhood where Sahar tricked some drunken schmucks into playing her at darts, they grabbed dessert and finally split ways. Her three teammates had gone to get ready for a night out but since she had work in the morning to make up for not going in today, she went home and did a load of laundry.
Boring, yes, but necessary. After the drama and intensity of last summer, she was glad to have a break. She was also glad that whoever was in charge of the local TV station had kept old episodes of House Hunt because the show was mindlessly entertaining and a great way to fill the silence while she folded clothes.
She hummed the theme song and half watched as she stacked a set of matching towels. The couple on screen argued between two different color palettes for the kitchen while the front door rang- wait, the front door? Her teammates were quite clearly out clubbing (they'd tagged her in no less than eight posts) and anyone else who might want to visit her would have texted first. She shook her head, ready to dismiss it, until someone knocked firmly three times, heavy and official.
With a frown she quickly wiped from her face, she rose to answer. "Hello?"
"Good evening miss," a girl (woman? she looked about Lumi's age) greeted and inclined her head. The nervous boy at her side scrambled to mimic the motion. "Is Healer Forhan in?"
"She's away on a pilgrimage, but I'm her apprentice," Lumi relaxed at the title. Rue had mentioned something about being called on by the local Temples at all hours of the night. "How can I help you?"
The other woman was wearing a pleated linen dress with a burnt orange shawl, typical Hearth priestess garb. While the boy had some obvious dust and grime from a long day, nothing about him stuck out as being in desperate need of healing or medicine. He was awfully cute though, especially when his already pink cheeks deepened in color when he caught her eye.
"Oscar is looking for family in the city, a Huntsman," she said and gently motioned him forward. "Would you be willing to shelter him in the meantime?"
Ah, so this was one of those.
"Of course," she smiled sympathetically at him. He looked up in surprise and she had the irrational urge to wrap him in a big blanket. "Thank you for bringing him by Sister."
"May your fire burn long," she made the sign of the Hearth Temple.
As was tradition, Lumi returned it with the sign of the Moon Temple. The other woman walked off and she opened the door wider to let the boy- Oscar- in. Standing in the light, he looked tired and a little pale, but the freckles smattered across his face were that much more apparent (gods it was like someone had designed him to be the cutest thing in the room).
"I'm Lumi," she introduced herself with a wave. "If you leave your shoes on the rack, I can show you to a room. Seems like you've had a long day, hm?"
"My name's Oscar," he said, then remembered that the priestess had already introduced him and fumbled with his bootlaces. "A-uhm, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for taking me in."
"No problem," she reassured him and moved away to clean up the piles of folded clothes spread across the couch and coffee table. The space allowed him to relax a smidge, like she figured it would, and she nearly sighed.
So he was one of those. Well, at least he wasn't as prickly as she'd been at his age.
-0-
Between the living room and kitchen was a set of stairs and a door. The door, as it turned out, hid another set of stairs that went down to a surprisingly big in-law suite with dark hardwood floors and pale blue walls. There was a tiny kitchen (a kitchenette, Ozpin corrected), bathroom, bedroom, and sitting area complete with a TV, a few bookshelves and a striped rug. Like the rest of the house it was decorated with sturdy but plain furniture, yet he got the feeling that even the throw pillows were more expensive than anything he owned and made sure not to touch anything.
Lumi laid down a few ground rules while she gave him a tour, but his attention wandered. (In his defense, it'd been a long day.) From down here, he couldn't even hear the washer upstairs or the show she was watching before he showed up. It made the place seem disconnected from everything in a soothing way, like an oasis of peace in a big, busy city.
Ozpin, thankfully, listened well enough for the both of them and prompted him to respond when she asked questions. It was for that reason that he was sitting at the kitchen island on the main floor with a selection of warm, fragrant leftovers instead of curled up on couch with a stack of books as tall as him.
Apparently he was starving and it must have showed because Lumi pulled out a few more leftovers and settled them within easy reach- oops? He couldn't find it in himself to be too embarrassed, though Ozpin definitely could and chastised him for eating with his gloves on.
"Shut up," he grumbled through a mouthful of chicken stir fry.
Lumi glanced up from her plate of apple slices, head tilted to the side. "Did you say something?"
"Ah," he nearly choked in his haste to swallow. "I said it's good."
"Thanks, dear heart," she accepted the lie easily and smiled in a way that had his stomach in knots. "Say, if you're not too worn from the day, would you mind telling me about who it is you're looking for? I won't be able to really start looking until tomorrow after work, but I can do a bit of light searching in the meantime if I have a name or an ID number," she tucked a wavy bang behind her ear.
He rattled off Ozpin's ID, realized the problem that might cause then quickly added, "Ah, but he's not the one I'm looking for actually."
She frowned at that.
"He has- had a best friend that's supposed to come to Mistral to give me his weapon," he averted his eyes and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. "I just don't know when he'll get here since he's from Vale."
"What's his name?" she leaned forward with a sympathetic expression. "I used go to Beacon; I might know him."
He looked up at that. Ozpin didn't recognize her like he had with the man at the train station, but she was young enough that she could have easily graduated within the last couple of years and come into contact with any number of other Hunters.
"Qrow," he said with a wave of familiarity that wasn't his own.
Lumi reared back. "What."
"Qrow Branwen?" he tried again. The look on her face was not promising and Ozpin readied himself to take control if a fight broke out. "Uh, my uncle was named Ozpin if that helps…"
She stood abruptly. "I need to go- lay down. Enjoy your meal," she hurried away, frantically typing on her Scroll.
… Just what had he gotten himself into?
A/N: I hope you lovely readers enjoyed! I have the next four chapters written so they just need a polish before I post them- expect an update once a week. Also, I know some people are iffy about OC teams, and while Lumi has one (because it'd be really weird if she didn't) they don't play a huge role so I hope that soothes any concerns you might have.
Please leave a review if you liked the chapter, even if it's just to keyboard smash your feelings out. Heaven knows I do that often enough, haha :)
See you next week!
See you next week!