Reunion

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Beans, Priapus, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore, Old man of the mountain

New Game Plus, GOTY Edition

Chapter 07: Reunion

– Cinder Fall –

Staring at Roman, she wondered if anything was ever going to go right for her again.

"What do you mean you've 'lost' Neo? Has your little attack dog slipped her leash?" Cinder asked with a scowl, getting a frown from him in return.

"Neo wouldn't run off, not from me anyway," Roman replied, clearly confident. "I told her to keep an eye on someone I wanted to recruit, the smuggler I told you about."

Shiro Eis, who was probably a Schnee bastard. He'd have been useful in moving all their Dust with less risk; he might still be useful when she worked out her next plan. Especially given his ability to invent since she wasn't going to ask Watts for help.

"And? I thought he was fairly harmless," Cinder replied, making Roman nod with a frown.

"He was; he was just a small-time smuggler with a useful semblance working for Junior. Nothing special," Roman agreed. "But he's changed tack, went on the offensive and took down a local gang, stole their money and used it to establish himself. Publicly, he's the owner of a new nightclub that's opening this weekend, but he's also making his own gang behind the scenes. Neo found out he's responsible for that fun new drug, Euphoria, that's hitting the streets."

"That's all very interesting, but that doesn't answer the main question. Where's Neo?" Cinder pointed out. "I might not like your pet psychopath, but she's a very good fighter. Some wanna-be gang lord shouldn't have been able to take her down."

"That's what I don't get. She followed him to his new mansion, and then she just stopped responding. It's not unusual for Neo to disappear for a while, but she always lets me know where she's going," Roman scowled, acting more like a concerned father than a master criminal. "I'm going to find her, but the Fang are paying attention to Shiro because he freed a bunch of Faunus from some slave ring and gave them to the Fang. The last thing any of us need is that beast of a new leader making my insides outside."

Roman's habit of pissing people off had finally come back to bite him in the ass. His casual racism (which he only did to piss off Adam just because he could) meant Rengar had put a bounty on Roman's head. The White Fang wanted Roman dead, and Rengar was more than willing to do the deed himself.

"Do you want to take Emerald with you? We can't afford to have Neo AWOL like this," Cinder offered, making Roman give her a slightly grateful look. Mercury was still out of commission, so he would be of no use.

"No, I'll draw less attention on my own. Despite popular belief, I can actually be subtle, and you three are on Vale's most wanted list right now," Roman pointed out, making Cinder frown. "I'll find her. Don't you worry your pretty little ass about that."

His smugness couldn't hide his concern for his missing partner in crime, but as he left, Cinder smirked slightly. Neo being missing meant that Roman couldn't flee like he'd been considering; he'd never leave her behind, so it delayed any escape plans he might be making.

Shiro Eis. He might just be more useful for her than she expected if he had the Fang owing him. He had the funds, connections, technology, and skills she wanted. The fact that he may have Neo locked up somewhere only made things more convenient for her as long as Neo was still alive.

The question was, how was she going to get him to join her? Threats weren't an option, as much as it annoyed her to admit. She'd tried that with Roman, but without the Maiden powers, and having lost the Fang meant she just didn't have the power to force him to join her mission. She might have been able to get some more help if she admitted to Salem that she was struggling, but at what cost? She couldn't show weakness to Salem and her other followers like that. No, she'd do this without any help.

Going outside was an issue with their faces known to Ozpin. There were cameras all over Vale, and their faces were posted on every TV. Neo would be perfect for this since, unlike Emerald, she could trick cameras. Emerald's hallucinations only worked on minds, not technology.

With a good enough disguise, maybe she could risk going out, but she couldn't take too many risks when she was already on the defensive. She needed a time and a place she could guarantee that Shiro would be… such as the grand opening of his new club.

It had been a while, but it looked like it was time to put on her dancing shoes once more.

– Neo Politan –

Waking up, she gasped in the realisation that she'd been had. Gas just wasn't fair; what was she supposed to do about that? Well, she of all people wasn't going to say people had to fight fairly, but it was only funny when she cheated.

Sitting up in a cell, she scowled to herself. She hadn't lost in years, and decided she didn't particularly like the feeling as she looked around. She was underground, probably under Shiro's fancy new mansion.

Her cell had a glass wall, but an experimental punch told her that it wouldn't be as easy to break as it looked, another electrocution making her yelp in pain. Her clothes and weapon were gone as well, as she'd been stripped down to her underwear with a tight metal collar around her neck.

Trying to tamper with it made her once again yelp, the predictable result being her getting electrocuted again. It felt quite nice, despite the strength of the shock, but she didn't want to get knocked out again.

She could see that there were at least a dozen cells, all empty except hers. What was Shiro planning that needed so many? Speaking of the smug prick, he strutted towards her cell as she crossed her arms and stared at him through the glass.

"Ah, finally awake?" Shiro asked, making her roll her eyes. "You've been following me around for a while now; I'd like to know why Roman's partner in crime is so interested in me. Care to explain why you've been spying on me?" 

He'd known all this time? How? She'd been sure she hadn't been caught.

She just gave him an innocent look, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Don't play dumb. You might not have realised it, but I've been watching you as well. You lead me back to Roman's hideout; I got a front-row seat for Roman pissing off the White Fang. I've heard their new leader wants his head; wonder what he'd pay for Roman's location… or his partner," Shiro threatened, making her scowl and glare at him.

She didn't mind the zaps, but threatening Roman was another thing.

"Now, want to explain why you've been spying on me?" Shiro asked, getting a frustrated sigh. Calling on her Semblance, she made some helpful illustrations. "Ah, I should have known. I can imagine how useful my little pocket dimension could be, especially given how much Dust Roman has stolen. Unfortunately, I'm no longer available for hire. I've moved up in the world," Shiro taunted, a smug smile on his face. "So, next question. Who is 'Cindy', and why does she have Roman by the balls?"

Neo's eyes widened, impressed at his knowledge. He must have been spying on them in turn, to have heard Roman complain about their new boss.

She had exactly zero loyalty to Cinder, so she changed her appearance to match Cinder, the words 'Cinder Fall, Terrorist' appearing above her head. 

"And what does she want with me?" Shiro asked, but she shrugged. She didn't know, beyond Cinder wanting to move the Dust, so she didn't have anything to tell him that he didn't already know. "Figures."

Breaking the illusion, she gestured for him to let her out, getting an amused look from him.

"And why would I do that?" Shiro asked. "You know a little too much about my operations for me to want to let you out."

Neo paused before opening her mouth and shaking her hand next to it, miming a blowjob.

"Somehow, I have my doubts that putting my penis anywhere near your teeth would be a good idea," Shiro said bluntly, making her pause before she nodded in agreement. He had a point. "No, I think I'll keep you right here until I decide what to do with you."

She gestured again, illusions of her escaping appearing. 

"I wouldn't recommend it; that collar is under your aura, and it can do more than just shock you. If you leave the designated area, that cell, it goes boom, and you go with it," Shiro warned, making her pout and cross her arms.

He was actually impressing her, but she wasn't going to tell him that. 

"You just sit tight and get comfortable. I'm sure Roman will be able to buy your freedom sooner or later," Shiro said. Ah… she was being held for ransom? That actually made her relax slightly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and giving Shiro a searching look. 

He was actually kinda fun; shame she was probably going to gut him when she got out of here. 

– Shiro Eis –

Leaving Neo in my underground prison, I smile to myself. The prison itself is below my mansion basement, shielded from scans, and the only way in is through an elevator that doesn't have a button that goes to that floor. 

There's more security as well, including drone patrols through that level, and the elevator can gas its occupants if they aren't authorised, with my VI watching closely. I made plans for Neo's Semblance as well. She can hide her presence, but there are more ways to detect people than just visually, such as the elevator being able to tell the weight of whatever is inside.

If I'm in there, but the elevator is reporting that there's the weight of two people, we have a problem. I have the same thing set up all over the mansion, factory and the more private sections of the night club as well. That's not even mentioning the nanotech cameras and the new VI that manages the security of all my properties.

I had Sombra test it for me, and I caught her every time. If even she can't hack into my VI, then it should be safe from damn-near everybody. I've already had some attempted break-ins to the club, but my security team (currently 100% androids) have managed it.

I've also started to spread Euphoria, which has been exactly as big a seller as I was expecting. In a world this depressing, people will pay a lot to forget their problems for a few hours. You can only buy it at a few nightclubs, usually in different parts of the city to where my club is, and I plan to cut off the other clubs later. Spending the extra time and money to make Euphoria legal was definitely worth the investment because it means I don't have to sell it under the radar.

When I cut off the other clubs, the addicted crowd will make their way to my club in search of their happy pills. I also sell it at Junior's place, but it will be cheaper to buy from me, so it shouldn't cut into my profits.

Keeping Junior happy will be useful in the long term since our businesses are different enough for me to tolerate him in my city. For now, anyway. When I move into the intelligence business, he'll be faced with a choice: join my organisation or move on.

Whether that's from Vale or from life is up to him.

"I took care of them," Blake says, making me look up. My maid is back in her cloaked armour, a mixed look on her face as she takes her helmet off. "I didn't kill them, just scared them off."

"That's fine. They're a minor gang trying to use the vacuum to become bigger. They should get the message," I say, typing away as I give her a proud look. Some minor gang wanted to cause trouble and rob my factory, but I had Blake drive them off. "I'll keep an eye on them."

She agreed because I convinced her that they were racists and they'd just replace the racist gang we just got rid of if we didn't cut them off at the knees, but she doesn't seem to realise how comfortable she's getting as my enforcer.

Someone paid them to target my factory, and tracing the funds led me back to Mistral. The first salvo from the Syndicate? I also have some vigilante causing trouble with my shipments, but she isn't as subtle as she thinks she is.

Not all the goods I need for my research are entirely legal, and shipping them into Vale attracted the attention of some do-gooder vigilante. I have plenty of contacts from my time as a smuggler, so getting the stuff wasn't hard, but I might have to pay her a visit if she keeps inconveniencing me like this.

Kiriko probably thinks she's clever, but she was doing the same shit back in Mistral, and my research into the gangs of Mistral revealed her little gang of vigilantes. It isn't a coincidence that the fox-masked defender of Kanezaka disappeared, and another fox-masked vigilante showed up in Vale. She should have stuck to messing with the Hashimoto back home.

Then I just had to find people fitting her gender and age group who had moved from Mistral to Vale in the timeframe between her disappearing from Mistral and appearing in Vale, and voila… Kiriko Kamori.

Some hacking later, and I had my answers. She's starting at Beacon soon at the request of her mother. She led a gang of vigilantes back in Mistral called the 'Yokai' and she's still in contact with them now. I bought some of my goods from the Hashimoto, the Yokai tracked the shipment, bringing Kiriko's attention to me.

The Hashimoto were a minor gang before another gang called the Shimada Clan fell to pieces. Their leader died, his eldest son killed his younger brother over some dispute, then vanished. Without leadership, they fell apart, and the Hashimoto took their place. I have suspicions that this Syndicate had a part in the Hashimotos' rise to power, but I can't prove it from here.

I decided to do business with them to see if I could bait the Syndicate out since what I ordered from them was fairly unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I could afford to lose these shipments, but that doesn't mean I'm thrilled that Kiriko has turned her vigilantism towards me.

But to put it simply? I know where she lives. She's far from home, with no one who would notice that she's gone missing. The only reason I haven't started planning to take her out is that I suspect she'll lose interest in my operations when she starts at Beacon. Almost all of my operations are currently legal, aside from some questionable goods I need for my research. Sure, I don't plan to stay legal, but for now, all she can do is harass some smuggled materials.

Worst case, I expose the identities of the rest of her gang back home to the Hashimoto and sit back and watch her Yokai get hunted down like dogs without their brave leader. She'll run home to help them and won't be my problem anymore. 

"What are you working on?" Blake asks, looking over my shoulder at the blueprints I'm finalising.

"Acquiring as much property in the cheapest part of the city as possible, I'm basically designing my own tiny district of the city," I explain. "This is the design for the apartment block I intend to build once I've torn down the shitty buildings that are on the land at the moment. I need to get as much of the land as possible before I start working on it because once I get started, the property value will rise considerably."

Many buildings around the edge of the city are run-down; in some cases, they didn't even have a legal owner anymore, so I had to go through the Council to get the deeds. It's eating into my savings, but it'll be worth it in the long run.

"Wait, an apartment building?" Blake asks, eyes widening in realisation.

"Cheap housing for Faunus, like I mentioned to you before. It's the logical starting place. The idea is to make a 'Little Menagerie', a district primarily for Faunus," I explain. I also plan to make a similar district for Omnics, but they have different needs, so it's a work in progress. 

"What's in it for you?" Blake accuses, making me chuckle. "You said we didn't have the kind of money or influence to really make a difference yet."

"We don't, but I'm working on it. What's in it for me? In the short term, labour. Grateful, hard-working labourers who are unlikely to try and cheat me when I literally own their homes," I point out, seeing the mixed look on her face.

"For your gang?" Blake asks, making me shrug.

"Some will be, but I have a lot of legitimate businesses that need manpower," I point out. "This gives them a source of income, mostly legal, and housing. For the long term? My charitable actions will help me when I run for Councillor."

"Wait, you want to be on the Council?" Blake asks, making me nod easily.

"I need influence for my plans, and what better way to get it than to join the Vale council? They won't take me seriously due to my age, so I need a reputation and power base to make them take me seriously. Making my businesses thrive, getting a reputation for generosity and caring for the downtrodden people of Vale will help," I explain easily. "Faunus make up 16% of the population in Vale, Omnics make up 2%. I can easily secure their votes by being seen as someone who genuinely cares about their plight."

It won't be enough to guarantee me a seat at the table, but it's a start.

It also makes me look better with the White Fang and Menagerie. I've already made a good first impression with them, so why wouldn't I capitalise on it? If for no other reason than to stop my businesses from being targeted by the Fang, who have a habit of attacking 'racist' businesses and their owners.

It'll get me some heat with the less tolerant people in Vale, but I can work with that. I've weighed the pros and cons, and this is going to be worth it.

The Menagerie imports a lot of goods, and as I set up more businesses, it could be profitable to undercut the other import companies and start trading with them. It would give me another source of income and influence, giving me an in with another Kingdom even if Menagerie is barely worthy of the title.

I plan to make my public persona that of a charitable entrepreneur with a finger in every pie. To quote another mechsuit-loving man, 'Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, and Philanthropist'.

"Do you need help with anything else?" Blake asks, not quite hiding how mixed her emotions are.

"Not right now; the true fight is going to start when I begin construction. Gangs will try to push into the new district, and we need to be ready to drive them off," I say, making her nod seriously. "Be ready for deployment, but right now, we're still in the planning phase. Take today off. I have a meeting soon, and I'll be out for the rest of the day."

– Blake Belladonna –

Leaving Shiro to get a shower, her mind was running a mile a minute.

Shiro's plans were so much bigger than hers; the idea of making a Faunus-dominant district in Vale was both a good one and a worrying one. People would fight against his plans, both legally and otherwise, and she knew that Shiro didn't really care.

He just saw an opportunity; their plight could be his profit. But, if his plans worked, if he became a Councillor like he wanted to… he'd be in a position to truly change things in a way that the White Fang never could.

He already had dirt on another Councillor, and she was sure he wouldn't tolerate any rivals. He wasn't a good person, but he was going to be a very powerful person and her decision to stay with him was looking increasingly wise.

Shiro would help her people, if for no other reason than because it would make him look good and because he could use them to turn a profit. He wanted cheap, loyal labour, and if he was this saintly figure giving cheap housing and affordable groceries to Faunus, he'd get exactly what he wanted.

You couldn't change the world by playing by the rules, and Shiro seemed oddly familiar with the game. He had big plans, and her people had found themselves a part of them, for better or for worse.

All she could do was try and keep him on the more benevolent path even as he started his criminal organisation.

– Yang Xiao Long –

Arriving at the location Shiro had sent her, she looked over the address one more time to make sure she'd got the right place. The Nightclub proudly declared itself 'Lux', the sign announcing its grand opening this Friday night.

But as she tried to work out if she'd gotten lost, someone gestured for her to enter.

"Miss Xiao Long, correct? Mr Eis is waiting for you inside," a cute Faunus girl in a nice outfit said. "Just go straight through to the back; the boss is in his office."

Huh, guess this was the right place. Shiro was moving up in the world. She'd heard about Lux's opening; social media was going wild with rumours about the newest nightclub in Vale. 

Her heart pounded as she headed upstairs. This was it; after years of searching, she was finally going to be reunited with her mother. She'd told her dad that she was going to visit a friend, which wasn't a lie but also wasn't exactly the entire truth. Reaching the office, Shiro called for her to come in before she could even knock on the door.

Entering the room, she gave Shiro a nervous smile as he leaned against his desk, putting down some paperwork.

"Is she here?" Yang asked, skipping any small talk.

"Not yet. she's due to arrive in…" Shiro paused, checking his watch. "Two minutes and seven seconds, and she's never late."

This was it. Years of fruitless searching reduced to a matter of minutes. She didn't know what she was going to say, how she was going to react, her heart beating against her chest. 

"So, a nightclub?" Yang asked, trying to take her mind off the imminent reunion.

"Yup, I've decided to move on to bigger and better things than smuggling," Shiro admitted, giving her a proud smile. "This is one of the businesses I have planned."

Looking around the nicely-decorated office, she mentally placed Shiro into a much higher wealth bracket. How had he gotten the money for all this? Maybe it was better if she didn't ask.

She went to speak, but she must have taken longer to think than she thought because a rift formed in the office, making her words die in her throat as a woman stepped through it. Red eyes looked between the two of them, almost indifferent, as she turned to Shiro.

"Business first; you have my order?" Raven asked, ignoring her daughter, her voice utterly calm.

"Of course, have I ever let you down?" Shiro asked, clicking his fingers as six crates appeared in the room with them. Raven went to each one, Yang staring in disbelief at the utter indifference Raven was treating her with. Once Raven checked each one, she nodded and handed something over to Shiro. "A pleasure, as always, Mrs Branwen, but I think someone else wants your attention now."

Raven turned to her, giving her a once over, her face still utterly blank before she smiled ever-so-slightly.

"You didn't tell your father or Qrow you were meeting me?" Raven asked, and something in her snapped. It had been years, and that was the first thing she asked.

Lunging forward, Raven just raised an eyebrow as Yang tried to punch her in the face. Shiro stepped in, grabbing her arm and holding her in place as she glared at her mother.

"Yang, I realise you may be a little angry, but I didn't go to the effort of arranging this for you to make Raven leave immediately," Shiro warned, making Yang freeze. Raven just looked slightly amused.

"No, I suppose I deserved that," Raven admitted. "But don't try it again, I hit back. You wanted to meet me, here I am. You had questions, ask them."

Yang took several deep breaths, glad Shiro was literally holding her in place before she moved out of his grasp and stared at her mother.

"Shall I leave you two to-"

"No, stay," Raven ordered, making Shiro's eyebrow raise. "I have something to discuss with you both."

"Why did you leave?" Yang asked, cutting in.

That was the key question, the one that could change everything else she wanted to know. 

"Because I realised the rest of our team had fallen for Ozpin's lies. I will not die fighting Ozpin's war," Raven answered, making her blink. 

"Professor Ozpin? From Beacon?" Yang asked, flustered and confused.

"He's more than just that. Ozpin knows where the Grimm came from, and he's been lying to everyone for longer than you can imagine. This war? We can't win it, and he knows it. The source of all Grimm can't be stopped, and Ozpin is just training people to die for his mistakes. He told us, Team Stark, and the others bought into his lies, willing to lay down their lives for nothing," Raven scoffed, a deep scowl on her face. "I planned to leave earlier when it became clear that Qrow, Taiyang, and Summer had all joined a hopeless cause, but… I got pregnant."

Her mind was racing, trying to understand how a simple question about why her mother had abandoned her resulted in this. 

"Why did you stay then? Why not take me with you?" Yang asked, making Raven laugh darkly.

"The place I was going, back to the tribe, it's not a place I'd ever inflict on a child. Not to mention, Taiyang and the others would have chased me if I'd tried to take you with me," Raven explained. "Would you rather I did take you? To have grown up where you had to fight for your life every day, where my enemies and rivals would target you just to get at me? Where you'd likely have been raped multiple times before you even hit puberty? The tribe is a brutal place, and even I couldn't have protected you."

Qrow had never talked about the Branwen Tribe, but if that was how Raven had grown up, then maybe that was why she was so… odd. Yang didn't want to use the word broken.

"So, I stayed. I tried to be a normal housewife and a good mother. Within a month, I wanted to strangle Taiyang; within a year? I am not that woman; it was never going to work," Raven scoffed. "I know my place, and it isn't playing housewife. It isn't playing Huntress; it is with the tribe, far from Ozpin's games."

Yang went quiet, staring at her mother who turned to Shiro and asked for a drink, a strange smirk on her lips.

"Did you even love Dad?" Yang asked, staring at her mother intensely as Raven paused for a moment, seemingly in thought.

"I didn't dislike him; he was strong enough to be an equal partner, but love? No, I don't think I ever loved Taiyang," Raven admitted with an indifferent shrug. "I took Taiyang as a lover because he was the strongest around and to show that I was better than Summer. It was never about love, perhaps lust and some affection. My upbringing isn't one that leads to romance, and I think Taiyang always knew that deep down."

"And me?" Yang continued, already preparing herself to be told that, no, her mother didn't love her. "Do you love me?"

Raven paused, taking a sip of the drink Shiro gave her. 

"You, I do love. I didn't intend to become a mother, you were an accident caused by too much alcohol and not enough foresight, but I knew I loved you from the moment you were born. It's why I didn't leave immediately like I planned to. I tried to stay to be with you, but it could never be. I couldn't be the mother you needed, and the longer I stayed, the harder it became to leave. I knew if I didn't leave when I did, I never would, and I'd be stuck dancing to Ozpin's tune," Raven admitted, Yang's heart pounding at the admittance. The fact that she was an accident would have amused her if she wasn't too busy being happy as fuck that her mother loved her.

"I almost took you with me despite it all, but Tai would have chased me to the ends of the earth with Summer and Qrow by his side," Raven said, making Yang's eyes widen. "And as I said, where I was going was no place for a child, especially a girl. I didn't know if I'd be able to keep you safe from the tribe; you'd have become a weakness they could exploit."

"So you just left me behind," Yang said bitterly, making Raven chuckle.

"Is that so bad? I would have not made a good mother, but I knew Summer would swoop in and comfort Tai, that she would make a far better mother for you than I could. Do you wish I'd taken you away? That you'd grown up away from Tai, from Ruby?" Raven asked, making Yang freeze before she shook her head.

"No, I just- I don't know," Yang admitted, making Raven smirk.

"This was for the better; you are happier where you are than you would be with me," Raven said simply and with such certainty that Yang couldn't bring herself to disagree. "But I was always watching; I attended your final exam at Signal, and you broke the other boy's aura and kneecap with a single punch. I was proud to see that you were becoming a true warrior. I was there when you took Ruby into the woods, looking for me. I almost revealed myself to save you, but Qrow beat me to it. My semblance allows me to closely monitor those I truly care for."

She gasped, staring at her mother in shock. How had her mother been able to watch her? She didn't doubt it for a moment; she'd never talked about the time she almost got Ruby and herself killed, and who else could she have heard it from?

"What happens now?" Yang asked, making Raven tilt her head.

"I suppose that's up to you. I won't ask you to come with me. Beacon is a good place to grow strong even if it's run by him. Attend and use Beacon for all that it is worth, but do not trust Ozpin. It's his fault Summer is dead, and that is the smallest of his sins. Still, while I don't think it would be good for either of us to take you back to the Tribe, that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to actually get to know my daughter," Raven said, making Yang smile.

She still wasn't entirely sure what Raven was talking about when it came to Ozpin, but the fact that he had something to do with both her mother leaving and Summer's death meant she wasn't exactly feeling pleasant feelings about him.

"I'd like th- wait, what about Dad?" Yang asked, making her mother frown. Her dad had been depressed for years after losing both Summer and Raven, surely-

"Him, I have no desire to reunite with. I knew Summer had feelings for him, but after my disappearance, it took less than a month before she'd replaced me. Tell him and my idiot brother you've met me if you like; it doesn't matter to me," Raven scoffed. "Taiyang may decide he wants me back, but I barely cared for him before he jumped into bed with Summer. He's nobody to me now, and he's become so pathetic over the years. He used to be a true warrior, but now he's just… not."

Raven's cruel words made her frown, wanting to defend her father, but she hadn't missed that Ruby wasn't that much younger than her. Her dad had moved on quickly. Even if Raven had left, surely it hurt her to know she was so easily replaced by Summer.

"Pass me your Scroll," Raven said, pulling her out of her thoughts. Obeying, she watched Raven calmly enter her own details. "We are often in places where there is no signal, but with this, we can stay in contact while you are in Beacon. During the break, if you wish, I will train you myself. It can be a mother-daughter bonding trip away from the Tribe. I should be in a position to take some time away from them by then. You can bring Summer's daughter as well, I'm sure she's equally impressive."

She said it so casually, but Yang felt her heart beating so fast as she took it back from her mother. Constant contact with her mother, the chance to train with her? It was everything to her, even as she tried to work out how she was going to explain this to her father and Drunkle Qrow.

She knew one thing, though, turning to where Shiro was watching them with a thoughtful expression. She owed him more than she could ever repay for setting this up; marching forwards, she grabbed his expensive shirt and pulled him in for a heated kiss. If her mother wasn't watching, she'd probably ride him right there on his fancy desk.

"Hm, perhaps you should listen to the thing I need to discuss with you both first?" Raven asked, sounding highly amused. It was the most emotion she'd heard from her mother so far.

"And what would that be?" Shiro asked, making Raven's lips twitch.

"You're a Branwen, my idiot brother's bastard, to be exact. I had my suspicions when we first met," Raven deadpanned, making Yang freeze. That would make Shiro her… oh. "Long story short, Qrow had an affair with Willow Schnee and knocked her up. They were told you were a stillborn, arranged by Jacques, I suspect, and thought you were gone. I had my suspicions that you were that son when I first met you. You're the right age, and you had the looks of a Schnee with some Branwen thrown in. I had some other reasons to suspect, so I got my hands on some of your hair and had it tested. It was a match; you are, without a doubt, my nephew."

"Is that why you always used me for your orders?" Shiro asked, making her snort.

"No, your ability is just useful. I'm telling you this because there's something special about me and Qrow, thanks to Ozpin. He won't leave either of you alone, and I guarantee he'll try to pull you into his schemes," Raven explained, making her brows furrow. Why did she use the term 'ability' instead of Semblance?

The stress she put on that word told Yang that she was missing something. Raven knew something, and it didn't seem to surprise Shiro at all.

"I'll keep that in mind," Shiro said simply. "Unlike Yang, I have no desire to go to Beacon or become a Huntsman so I can keep my distance from him."

"I mean, I don't plan to join any war," Yang said, still not really sure what her mother's issue with Ozpin was. 

"Beacon is the best place to grow strong; just don't trust anything he says," Raven said, a frown on her face. "I have to take these back to the tribe. Do you have anything else to ask?"

Yang paused, a thousand questions running through her mind, but with her mother's number she could get answers later, and they didn't seem that important right now. Instead, she hesitantly moved forward and hugged her mother tightly.

Raven just remained still for a brief moment before her hands wrapped around Yang, returning the embrace. It didn't last long before Raven pulled back, a slight frown on her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not big on physical intimacy," Raven admitted, a small smile on her lips as she reached up and stroked Yang's hair softly. "It's been a while. Goodbye, Yang; sorry I didn't say it last time."

Stepping back, Raven opened the rift again and picked up one of the crates, pushing it through.

"I'll be in touch, both of you," Raven said, giving them one last look before she stepped through the rift and it closed.

"She's an odd woman, isn't she?" Shiro asked, scratching his chin.

"That's one word for it," Yang agreed, a mixture of joy and bitterness in her chest. "Maybe it runs in the family?"

"Perhaps, Cuz," Shiro teased, making Yang freeze.

"I was really trying not to think about that," Yang admitted, making him chuckle. Raven claimed he looked like a Branwen, but she couldn't see it. How was the handsome, fancy older boy supposed to be related to Drunkle Qrow? "How's it feel to know you copped a feel of your cousin's ass?"

"Pretty good, it's a very nice ass," Shiro replied, unbothered as she laughed. She did have a great ass.

"What are you going to do? Uncle Qrow thinks you're dead, but you're family…" Yang trailed off. "Where did you grow up?" 

She couldn't imagine growing up with no family, and it didn't sound like Shiro had grown up with the Schnees either.

"An orphanage in Mantle, it wasn't a great place, but it wasn't too bad," Shiro admitted, her frown growing. Some stuffy dickhead threw a bitchfit because his wife cheated on him, and her cousin had grown up alone because of it. "As for what I'm going to do, I genuinely don't know. I have a family, two people I grew up with, but I figured my parents were dead and gone. But now? I don't know. Frankly, I have the grand opening to focus on. Give me some time to work this out; it's not every day your regular client just casually drops 'oh, I'm your aunt, and your parents are alive' on you."

"Heh, fair enough," Yang agreed, going quiet. Shiro should have grown up with her and Ruby, not alone. It was good to hear he had some people he saw as family, though.

…He'd been doing business with her for years, and Raven never thought to bring that up? Gods, her mom was weird.

…She'd made out with her cousin. 

And despite how weird that felt, she kinda wanted to do it again. She had a thing for Shiro; she had since they first met, and it wasn't going away anytime soon.

"I don't suppose you want to set your favourite cousin up with tickets to your grand opening?" Yang asked, making him laugh.

"I'll see what I can do," he promised, giving her a grin.