Family

Barn...

Oscar Pine carries a pitchfork into the barn, which has loose bits of hay strung about the floor. He passes a sink with a mirror behind it, and something makes him pause and take a closer look. He sees his own reflection and lifts a lock of his hair, as if expecting something different.

He leans forward and examines the mirror more closely.

"Hello?" Oscar asked.

Just as Oscar is about to back away, a voice booms out, sending him crashing backward.

"Hello! I'm Professor Ozpin!" Ozpin said.

Oscar looks up at the sink and mirror from the floor of the barn, breathing heavily. From outside the barn, a woman's voice calls out.

"Oscar? You be careful with those tools!" Oscar's aunt said.

Patch...

Yang Xiao Long is inside a nightmare. All around her are broken pieces of buildings and darkness. She looks around, confused, and lets out a small gasp when she looks down. She raises both of her arms and turns them, examining their presence, particularly her right arm.

Yang looks up from her arms to see Adam Taurus walking toward her. The red accents in his hair, mask and outfit have a surreal glow. Yang steps back defensively and discovers that she is suddenly wearing Ember Celica. She blasts Adam five times, but they do nothing to him while he steadily continues walking closer.

Adam puts his right hand on the handle of his sheathed sword. Yang tries to attack him again, but her weapon is gone, as is her right arm. She stares for a moment in confusion and disbelief and then startles when Adam is abruptly directly before her. He grins at her and starts to unsheath Wilt from Blush.

Yang's bedroom...

Yang awakens with a gasp. She is in her room, lying on top of her bed. The robotic arm given to her by General Ironwood rests on her bedside table, out of the box. Yang looks at it for a moment before turning her face away. She hears laughter coming from downstairs.

Patch...

Yang heads downstairs to discover Professors Bartholomew Oobleck and Peter Port sitting at her kitchen table and laughing with her father, Taiyang Xiao Long. There's a bowl of fruit at the center of the table.

"And, and, and then, in comes Qrow, wearing a skirt! I was just a TA, I-I didn't know what to do, so I just...I just left the room to laugh!" Port said.

Yang comes to the kitchen door while the three laugh.

"We told him it was a kilt! He'd never worn a uniform before, so he didn't know!" Taiyang said.

"That is terrible! What is wrong with you!?" Oobleck exclaimed.

"Hey! The girls all said he had nice legs! I did that jerk a favor! Besides, that's not even the best part! See, then we…"

Port puts his right leg on the tabletop, cutting off Taiyang, "Like what you see?"

The three laugh and Port loses his balance. He tries to save himself from falling, but ends up on the floor.

"Whoa-oh!" Port said.

There's even more laughter. Taiyang claps from mirth and Port joins in the hilarity from the floor. Yang giggles too, covering her mouth, but the three teachers become alerted to her presence. Oobleck stands while Port gets up off the floor.

"Oh, uh, Miss Xiao Long! Uh, please, join us." Port said.

Yang enters while Oobleck laughs, a little bit embarrassed.

"Oh, yes, yes, pull up a chair. Please, pull up a chair." Oobleck said.

"I'm good." Yang said, hoisting herself backward up onto the kitchen counter, beside where her father stands. Port and Oobleck sit back down. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Despite popular belief, teachers do have a life outside the classroom." Oobleck said.

"Professor Goodwitch is working 'round the clock to restore Beacon to its former glory! But, Mistral wasn't built in a day. And we all need rest from time to time." Port said.

"Now look, let's not worry about that right now. So, there we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow, wearing a skirt. Then Oz tells everyone, 'It's time to work on our landing strategy!'" Taiyang said.

"The Branwen twins have always been...interesting, to say the least." Oobleck said.

"That sure didn't seem to stop young Tai." Port said.

"Hey, come on, man, she's right here." Taiyang said.

"Oh, please! She's a mature young woman! If she can handle combat, she can handle a few jabs at her old man!"

"That's not the issue, Pete! And besides, she's still a teenager!"

"'She' is also in the room, and can be directly spoken to. And I think I've been through enough to be considered an adult at this point." Yang said, angrily.

"Adult or not, you've still got a long way to go before you're ready for the real world." Taiyang said, sighing.

"Oh my gosh! Does every father figure have the same three condescending phrases?"

"Yeah! But we only use them when we mean it!"

Port and Oobleck look at each other as father and daughter argue, a touch uncomfortable. Oobleck takes a sip from his mug while Port pulls at his collar.

"Is that so?" Yang asked.

"As a matter of fact, it is so! If you honestly think that you're ready to go out there on your own, ha, well I guess you lost some brain cells along with that arm." Taiyang said.

Yang gasps and pulls back from her father's face while a stunned Port leans forward and Oobleck's mouth drops open and his glasses slip down. There's a comedic beat before the mug slips out of Oobleck's hand to safely land on the table. All three stare at Taiyang for a few seconds.

"You...jerk!" Yang said, playfully punches Taiyang, and the father and daughter laugh together.

"Are we finally talking about the Goliath in the room?" Oobleck asked, whispering.

Taiyang and Yang look at each other and then laugh. Relieved laughter comes from both Port and Oobleck.

"Oh, Miss Xiao L...Yang, if you don't mind me asking, why haven't you tried on the arm yet?" Port asked.

"Oh, yes, yes! A piece of Atlas technology given out like that is rare indeed! Not to mention the effort it took to deliver it here. It seems a great many people want to see you returned to normal." Oobleck said, happily.

"I'm...scared." Yang said, sadly.

Taiyang takes a sideways step closer to Yang, watching and listening.

"Everyone keeps talking about me getting back to normal. And I appreciate it, but...this is normal now." Yang said, looking down at the part of her body where her right arm used to be.

Oobleck and Port exchange sad, knowing glances.

"It's just taking me a while to get used to it." Yang said.

"Well, normal is what you make of it." Taiyang said.

"What is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to just pretend like nothing happened? I lost a part of me. A piece of me is gone. And it's never coming back." Yang said.

"You're right. It's not coming back. But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming who you wanna be. You're Yang Xiao Long, my sunny little dragon." Taiyang said, putting his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You can do whatever you put your mind to. So whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there, I'll be there for you."

"I...I…" Yang said, at a loss for words.

"Fear is like any other emotion. It comes and goes. It's all in how you handle it. Why, even I find myself wrestling with that emotion from time to time." Port said.

"Really? You?" Yang asked, unconvinced.

"He's afraid of mice." Oobleck said, whispering to Yang.

"They bring only disease and famine!" Port said, pounding the table.

Yang laughs while Port rants about the creepiness of mice. Taiyang watches her.

"And don't even get me started on their tails! So hairless, and simply unnatural!" Port said, annoyed.

"Port, I assure you, you are safe. There's no mice here right now." Oobleck said.

Yang is taking the last steps at the top of the stairs. She turns partially and lifts her hand to those below, "Goodnight!"

Yang's bedroom…

The arm on the bedside table is the first thing she sees when she walks into her room. She looks at it for a moment but then moves to the window when she hears the front door to the house open followed by the voices of the three men. She decides to stand out of side beside the window and listen.

"Thanks for having us over, Tai." Port said.

"Any time. You're always welcome." Taiyang said.

"It may be a while before we return. There is still much work to be done at the school." Oobleck said.

"I hesitate to ask, but is there any word from young Miss Rose?" Port asked.

Behind Taiyang, Yang moves into visibility at her bedroom window.

"Not yet." Taiyang said.

"Have you thought about going after her? Trying to bring her home?" Oobleck asked.

"I've got to...look after some things." Taiyang said, letting out a sigh.

As Taiyang glances toward her bedroom window, Yang moves out of sight again and squeezes her right upper arm, looking dejected.

Woods…

"I can't wait until I meet Agatha Christie!" Jared said, eating some chocolate chip cookies. "The Unicorn and the Wasp."

"Um, aren't the bees disappearing over there?" Ruby asked.

"They are."

"And what are bees?" Ren asked.

"Right. I forgot that they may or may not exist here." Jared said, passing the cookies to Ruby to eat them.

"Not on the map…" Ruby said.

"Do you have Ren's pancakes?" Nora asked.

"Nope. Sorry." Jared said, sadly.

"It's fine." Jaune said. "Ren can cook another day."

On a path through the woods, Team RNJR and Jared moves forward with Ruby looking at a map.

"Come on, guys! If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset!" Ruby said, happily.

"Assuming it's still there." Jaune said.

"Of course it'll be there. This one's supposed to be pretty big! Hee-gan...bayn-a." Ruby said.

"Higanbana. It's a well protected village with a popular inn." Ren said.

"Which means, no camping in the rain!" Nora said, excitedly.

"See? Everything's going to be fine!" Ruby said.

"You know, we've had a lot of ups and downs. But things could be a lot worse. I really thought we'd see more Grimm." Jaune said.

"As did I." Ren said.

"I guess our luck is finally turning around!" Nora said.

"Yeah. I can't wait play Clue in real life too! After I settle my things down in the inn." Jared said, smiling.

Team RNJR and Jared are being viewed from above, a rocky outcropping just on the edge of the view.

"To Higanbana!" Nora said.

"To Higanbana!" Jaune and Ren said, at the same time.

"To Higanban...ban-a!" Ruby said.

"Now I want a strawberry banana smoothie." Jared said, smiling. "Or I can have it in milk tea form."

A Beowolf stomps into view and growls at the five kids. Just as it is about to leap, it is stabbed through by Qrow. Three disintegrating bodies of other Beowolves are just behind him. A black raven caws from a tree branch on eye level with Qrow, catching his attention. He looks at it and it flies off, following RNJR and Jared.

"Luck." Qrow said, scoffing.

Higanbana…

It's raining on the village of Higanbana. Through the window of an inn, the five kids are shown silently discussing with the proprietor. Qrow sits at a table, watching what Team RNJR and Jared are doing through a window that has the view of the inn.

A waitress sets a glass with liquor and ice in front of him.

"Oh, I didn't o…" Qrow said.

"From the woman upstairs. Red eyes. Said you wouldn't mind bottom shelf." The waitress said.

Qrow turns and looks up. An overhead shot shows the spacious lower level of the tavern and its several round tables, while the edge of a balcony is just visible.

Qrow turns back, "Thanks."

"But I went ahead and gave you top. Lucky you." The waitress said, winking.

With a pleased smirk, Qrow watches the waitress as she walks away. After she is gone, he looks through the two windows to see no one visible in the lobby of the inn.

"Yeah." Qrow said, taking his glass and heads upstairs.

Raven Branwen waits for him at one of the tables, her mask atop it, "Hello, brother."

Qrow stares at her from the top of the stairs for a moment before moving to her.

"Raven." Qrow said, pulling the chair that's beside her and drags it to a position across from her instead. With his hand on the back of the chair, he simply looks at her expectantly. Raven rolls her eyes and moves her mask to the side. Qrow sits down. "So, what do you want?"

"A girl can't just catch up with her family?" Raven asked.

"She can, but you're not. Now how 'bout we get on with it? Unless you plan on keeping these comin'." Qrow said, setting the glass down.

"Does she have it?"

Qrow doesn't answer right away, instead running his fingertip along the edge of his glass, "Did you know Yang lost her arm?"

"That's not…" Raven said.

"Rhetorical question, I know you know. It's just obnoxious that you'd bring up family and then carry on like your own daughter doesn't exist." Qrow said.

"I saved her."

"Once. Because that was your rule, right? Real 'Mom of the Year' material, sis."

Raven leans forward and grabs Qrow by the forearm, stilling his sarcastic, nonchalant motions. The view slowly spins above their heads as she speaks intently to him, "I told you Beacon would fall and it did. I told you Ozpin would fail and he has. Now you tell me. Does. Salem. Have it?"

"I thought you weren't interested in all of that." Qrow said.

"I just want to know what we are up against." Raven said.

"And which 'we' are you referring to?" Qrow asked, as Raven glares and finally lets go of her brother and sits back down with a noise of disgust. "You should come back, Raven. The only way we'd beat her is by working together. All of us."

"You're the one who left. The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them."

"They were killers and thieves."

"They were your family."

"You have a very skewed perception of that word."

Raven stands up, upset, "I lead our people now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival."

"I saw. The people of Shion saw, too." Qrow said.

"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules." Raven said.

"Well, you've certainly got someone strong on your side. I've seen the damage."

"We couldn't have known the Grimm would set in as quickly as they did." Raven said, turning away.

"I'm not talking about the Grimm." Qrow said, as Raven looks up and she is still not facing him, eyes widening slightly at his words. "And I'm not talking about you, either."

"If you don't know where the Relic is, then we have nothing left to talk about." Raven said, while she reaches for her mask, Qrow grabs onto the top of it.

"I don't know where the Spring Maiden is, either, but if you do, I need you to tell me." Qrow said.

"And why would I do that?" Raven asked, pulling her mask out of Qrow's grasp.

"Because without her, we're all going to die." Qrow said.

A moment of tense silence passes between them as a nearby lantern dies out.

"And which 'we' are you referring to?" Raven asked, scoffing.

Qrow grimaces as Raven walks away. The sound of her sword getting unsheathed is heard and he looks up, unhappy. Raven walks into her red portal and disappears. Glass breaks there's a gasp. Qrow turns to see the waitress, trembling at the sight of Raven disappearing. She takes a cautious step backward as she looks sideways at Qrow.

"Make this one a double." Qrow said, gesturing to his glass.

Patch...

Taiyang is outside the house, watering his bed of sunflowers. Yang comes out, wearing the robotic arm. She uses it automatically to shade her eyes from the sun, and then looks down at the metal hand interestedly, moving the fingers around.

Taiyang stands, "Okay. Let's get started."