Chapter Text
"Raven."
"Summer."
The two women stared each other, neither drew their weapons. They were in the woods, with Grimm at every turn, it was better not to risk it.
Raven's eyes were fixed on the newborn wrapped in Summer's white cape. "I see Taiyang got over me quickly."
"Her name is Ruby," Summer replied. "She has my eyes."
"Oz must be pleased," said Raven. "My mistress won't be."
"I've come to talk about that, actually." She motioned to the bundle of white. "Do you believe she would take Ruby in?"
There was a pause. Raven raised an eyebrow. "Switching sides now, are we?"
"You were right, Rae," she said. "It's too late for me, but Ruby still has a chance."
"Won't the boys come after the tribe as soon as they find out we have Oz's backup silver-eyed warrior?"
"They won't know you took her," Summer insisted. "I can buy you time, feed them lies, sabotage them from the inside. All I ask is that you take care of her."
Raven sighed before taking the sleeping baby in her arms. "I suppose Yang will appreciate another child to play with. Am I right to assume her surname is Rose?"
"Don't curse her with my name, Rae," said Summer. "She deserves a name given to her by someone she loves, not a stranger she never knew."
"Ruby Branwen, then?"
"Yes, thank you. Be a better mother than I was."
With that, the silver-eyed warrior left.
***
Roman Torchwick believed he was a decent father. He paid a fat check in child support each month, sent gifts on all dates that require gift-giving, and made sure to stay away as to keep his enemies from doing something to the kid in order to get to him.
So, of course, when Raven told him that the tribe had spotted a nuckelavee near his daughter's village, he didn't hesitate to go there himself to make sure she was out of harm's way.
His little visit resulted in him discovering that his ex had kicked the girl out and was pocketing the money he sent for the kid. The other thing he learnt was that his daughter had been reduced to a beggar.
Well, he did try to keep her from following his footsteps, but it seemed being a criminal was her best option. So Roman left the village with Nora in tow.
The moment he got back home, Neo excitedly greeted her new little sister. He had had hesitations about taking in a street rat who tried to pickpocket him, but seeing Nora cracking her first smile since he found her made him sure that taking Neo in was the right choice.
***
There was enough money to eat. Emerald could cry in relief from the fact that she'd be able to afford a hot meal tonight.
"Excuse me, little lady," a voice came from behind her. "I believe you have something that belongs to my niece."
Emerald froze. She was in a dead end alley, there was no way to run. Still, if she could just use her semblance, she'd be fine. Yeah, just trick whoever was behind her into thinking they got the wrong person.
"I think you have the wrong person, ma'am." Emerald turned around with fake confidence. "As you can see, I don't have anything on my hands."
"That's a lie, you're holding the liens mom gave me!" said a younger voice.
Well, heck, there were two people. No problem, she could handle two. It would give her a headache, but that was worth her first decent meal in the past two weeks.
"Yeah! That's Yang's!" Oh, there was a third person.
Emerald sighed. There was no way she could use her semblance on three people at the same time without passing out. Guess it was goodbye to her hot meal.
"Look, I don't want a fight," she said as she extended the liens. "Here, just take it."
Cinder remained silent. The girl's semblance was notable, she had been unable to see the liens that were now clear. The more she looked, the more Cinder could see the ratty clothes, the worn shoes, the dirty hair, the bones poking out beneath the skin, all signs of a child who was not being taken care of. Cinder used to be in a similar situation long ago, before Salem found her.
She shivered. She had almost... no, thinking about it only made it worse. Picking at mental wounds was never a good idea. She had Salem now, she had friends and family. No need to dwell in the past.
At any rate, there was a more pressing matter of the homeless girl getting increasingly more nervous since Yang took back her money, but Cinder had shown no signs of leaving, so Yang and Ruby waited in quiet confusion.
Cinder should really say something.
"You know, I've been looking for an apprentice." Cinder cringed internally at that one. Good going, ashes-for-brains, that sure did not sound suspicious at all. "How about we talk over lunch? My treat." Okay, baiting a starving child with food was a dick move, Cinder would admit that. Still, the girl had a useful semblance and Cinder was pretty sure Salem would not mind. Salem liked kids, her mother instincts were kind of dull but that was what Cinder and Raven were for. They could handle the child-rearing while Salem did whatever it is she did.
Emerald's stomach growled. She knew she was in no position to deny a meal. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.
"Yeah, that sounds good," she mumbled, hoping against all odds that this weird lady would not turn out to be a total creep.
***
"Hey, quick warning," Emerald whispered to Mercury. "My cousins can get a bit intense, so be on your guard."
"I can handle it," he whispered back, changing his posture to better ward off any foes.
"Hush, you two," Cinder interrupted. "We should make a good first impression."
The two nodded. Cinder smiled softly at them before opening the front doors and entering Salem's castle.
"NEW COUSIN!"
Mercury was never as thankful for his training as when he managed to catch Nora a nanosecond before she hit him with a tackle pounce. She looked absolutely ecstatic at his reflexes.
"I like you," she said with a grin before he put her down.
"Sorry about that, Nora's a hugger," a blond girl said. "Name's Yang. You're Mercury, right?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, welcome home, Merc," said Yang. "Hope you stay a while."
Mercury hoped living with them would be better than living with his father.
***
Once upon a time there was a heiress.
When the heiress was a child, she made friends with a servant boy. He was a few years older than her and rarely had time to play because of the many chores he had, but she was lonely and he indulged her. They promised to never tell anyone about their friendship, a servant and a heiress shouldn't be friends, he'd get a beating and she would lose her only friend.
One day, the heiress had an idea. If she were to show interest in dancing, she could ask her father to let the servant boy be her partner. They were close in age and he had yet to have a growth spurt that would make him too tall for her. It would also relieve him of some of his chores, as her father would want him to be in good condition to practice with the heiress.
And so, for many years, the servant and the heiress danced together.
As they danced and talked in hushed whispers, the heiress learned the truth of the servant. He lived in a farm before being stolen by a hunter and made into a slave. He dreamed of escaping from the heiress's father and becoming a hero who saves others like him. He dreamed of dancing with her, not as a slave and a master but as friends, to show the world that he was just as important as the heiress.
The heiress, in turn, told the servant about how she was bound by the will of her father. Her father said she had a big future ahead of her, but until then she was a doll meant to be paraded around and never speak her mind. She hoped to one day become a good huntress, one who did not steal and enslave others, and spend the rest of her life making it up to everyone her father had harmed.
The servant and the heiress made a pact to run away together. They would join the rebels, the heiress would leave behind her title and the servant would leave behind his chains. They would dedicate their lives to make things better for everyone.
And they did.