"And you're sure his name was Talon?"
"That's what he said." The woman before him, the leader of the town's local guard, shifted aside her bayonet, subtly readying it. "You know, you're asking a whole lot of questions for someone just passing through. In my experience, you loners prefer to mind your business, not stick it in others."
"Normally you'd be right, but I'd say family's a good enough reason to make an exception." Qrow said, stepping back from the woman and leaning against the fences just beyond the town's gate, one hand testing the weight of his refilled flask and the other near his waist, away from his weapon but still close enough that he could make a grab for it. The gesture worked well enough, the brunette fully lowering her weapon as her brow arced.
"Family, huh? Must not be on good terms if you've got to go around asking some strangers about him." She pointed.
"I wouldn't say that. It's complicated."
She gave a weary smile. "It always is."
Everyone had their own set of circumstances, but Qrow highly doubted she or anyone else across Remnant could truly relate to just how complicated that whole situation was. Raven leaving had been one thing. He'd expected that sooner or later.
She'd never taken to life away from the tribe. Not really.
Talon setting out on his own after her? That'd taken all of them by surprise. All the shit that followed only complicated things further.
"All of you keep your eyes peeled and keep to your schedules! Unless your sick or dying I don't want to see anyone passing off their work!" The woman ordered, turning to face the people standing along the small town's modest but fortified walls. A chorus of affirmatives followed before she turned back to him, giving him a once over. "I assume you drink." She said, eyeing his flask for a moment before nudging her head towards the heart of the town.
Qrow pushed off the fence, the woman taking that as an answer and leading him back towards the bar he'd just come from.
"The way a few of your guards tell it, he helped you handle a Grimm attack." Qrow said. He'd thought nothing of some of the conversations he heard back at the bar, but all these years had taught that it was always worth keeping an ear out. That foresight paid off, the mentions of a black mask and giant sword tipping him off to something he never would've expected.
"If by helped you mean taking out a nevermore all on his own then thinning the ranks of the rest with just a few waves of his hands, sure that sounds about right. Saved us a ton of ammunition and probably a handful of lives." She glanced back. "And you know what he asked for in exchanged? Some sweets. He did all that and all we had to do was have Coal's old lady bake a pie and write down the recipe for him. Still find it hard to believe he was a merc and not one of those high up huntsmen."
A low chuckle slipped free from Qrow. "Yeah, sounds like him alright. Kid always had a sweet tooth." Just like people said, the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Still, Talon protecting strangers? Not something the tribe could've been involved in.
"Kid?" She questioned. "You're going to try and tell me you're his father or something? I know you look a little on the older side but not that old. There's no way a kid was moving the way he was."
"Uncle." He clarified. "And Talon's always been a little ahead of the curve."
"Huh, how about that? I assumed he was mentoring those two girls he was with or something. Never would've thought he was around the same age as them." She said, talking more to herself than him.
"Girls?"
"Drinks first." She said, waving off the question.
It didn't take them long to reach the town's local tavern, many giving the woman nods or greetings, the waitress even bringing over a bottle before they sat down at a table centered along the railing up on the second floor. It gave them a good view over the entire place, the woman keeping as much eye on him as she did everyone else while pouring them both a mug from the glass.
She was in charge of far more than overseeing the town's walls.
"So, those girls?" Qrow questioned, picking up his mug to swirl the dark purplish liquid around but refraining from any drinking quite yet.
"Compared to him they didn't really stand out." She said after taking a sip from her mug. "One had green hair and red eyes. Actually helped fight off the Grimm too. Looked like your typical huntress or mercenary. The other was a bit different. Dressed more like some city street rat if you ask me and didn't bother lifting a finger during the attack. Honestly, the oddest group that might've come through here."
That didn't sound like anyone from the tribe. And, as much as Talon could go against the grain there, the acceptance of new members was up to Raven and Raven alone. That chances of not one but two girls having anything to do with them was slim to none.
"Any chance you know exactly what brought him here?"
"He was here for me." She said. "My old lady back in Mistral hired him and his friends to get a package to me."
"And this was recently?"
"About two or three weeks ago at this point."
Talon was taking on mercenary work. He was traveling with people who had nothing to do with the tribe. And apparently going out of his way to defend a town.
He wasn't with Raven or the tribe. Not right now.
"Thanks for the info." Qrow said, his chair squeaking as he stood up, a few lien cards placed on the table.
"Hold on, you're not even going to touch your drink?" The woman called out as he stepped away. "And the sun's already setting. Not sure heading out this late is a good idea."
Whether or not his semblance had a little do with it, he got the look she was giving him often enough to pick up on it from the very beginning. While he usually wasn't one to pass on a drink to end the day, especially one he paid for, or a looker like her, this was too good a chance to pass up.
"I would but-"
"Family." She finished, raising her mug towards him. "Give Talon and his friend our thanks if you see him."
Qrow nodded, leaving the table, and soon enough, the entire town behind.
If Talon had broken away from the tribe, then this was the perfect chance. Maybe he'd actually be able to convince the kid to come back home for once.
But first, he had to find him.
XOXO
There was a change in the air.
It was nothing too noticeable, people across the bar keeping up their laughs, drinking, and conversations as he passed, but Qrow picked up on it. Eyes from all around on him. A few subtly maneuvering themselves to have a better angle in case of a fight.
All the usual for a place like this. It didn't help that they knew him.
None the less, Qrow took up a spot at the bar, refraining from waving for a drink.
The conversations kept going but the topics had quickly switched, a few murmurs having put everyone here into the know that there was a huntsman around. Any chance he had picking up free information had gone down the drained before he had a chance to listen for it.
It looked like she wasn't giving him any other choice but to be direct right off the bat.
Pushing off the bar, Qrow headed towards the one and only guarded table in the whole place, those keeping others from it, stepping aside for him.
"Qrow." Miss Malachite, high and mighty as always in the heart of her operation, greeted him with a slight tilt of her head, smoking pipe held aside. "What brings you to me this time?"
"Just thought this was a good place to grab a cheap drink."
"Hmph, right." She barely entertained the excuse, leveling a stare at him as she took a draw from her pipe, letting the smoke rise into the air of the quieting bar. "We'd rather not have a huntsman sniffing around right now so make this quick."
That was unusual. Miss Malachite wasn't the type to take attitude or trouble from anyone, but she also didn't often jump straight into business like this with him. She usually like fishing for a bit of information from a professional huntsman herself beforehand. Something must've been going on.
Well, he wasn't looking to spend too much time beating around the bush either.
"I'm looking for someone." Qrow said. "Black mask, long dark hair, a sword that looks like he's compensating for something. Seen anyone like that?"
"You already know the answer to the question." She said without missing a beat. "Question is, what do you want with him?"
Even more unusual. She was never the type to give without taking, there was no getting around that, but she preferred subtly until it proved ineffective. Cutting straight to the heart of things like that almost seemed defensive. The way some of the people at her table eyed him after that description only added to it.
It felt more like he asked for information on one of their own members rather than a stranger.
"Thanks Miss Malachite, but there's no need for that." Qrow twisted aside. Near one of the bar's corners, where a small group had been gathered, said group moving aside and revealing one person at the opposite end of the table.
Black mask, long hair, and oversized sword.
"I know him." Talon said, his mask's dark slits focused directly on him.
XOXO
Power Stone Goal: 500
(A/N: Qrow! Naturally his arrival will bring answers which will also bring questions. All very interesting stuff trust me. I really enjoyed writing the chapters I've got in store for all of you anyways. Hopefully you enjoy them.
Anyways, the link for those who want to read ahead:
patreon .com/ thirdratewriter
I shall see you all around.)