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When Summer had suggested a board game night, it was supposed to be a nice, calm bonding exercise for the new team. Help STRQ get to know each other, have some downtime after the hectic past few days and just relax. What had happened instead?
“Hah! Suck my nuts, blondie!”
Not that.
“What! Again!?” Tai grumbled, staring in shock at his little dog piece, sitting squarely on one of Raven’s houses. What Summer and Tai hadn’t realised when Raven and Qrow both very quickly agreed to play ‘Property’ was that the game was VERY popular. Popular enough to find its way out of the main cities of the kingdoms. Out into the vast countryside.
And squarely into the hands of two very competitive bandit children with a lot of spare time on their hands and insatiable needs to beat any and all competition.
A light sob came from Tai as he mourned his lost notes, all whilst Raven gleefully took them from his pile, counting up to 390. Even if Tai was just before Go, Raven had nearly bankrupted him on his go around the board. And that would only leave Summer and Qrow to stand in Raven’s way, and Summer was not going to lose this one. She needed a plan, stat.
“Okay!” Summer stood up quickly once Raven was done counting her even greater wealth, clapping to get everyone’s attention. “Why don’t we have a quick break! Raven, can you come help me grab some snacks and drink for everyone?”
“What! Why me?” That earned her a jab in the side from Qrow, who smirked as she scowled at him. “Oh, come on, Rae. I know you don't wanna keep the poor lady waiting.” He teased, waggling his eyebrows which apparently was something that set Raven off, making her go scarlet.
Summer really didn’t get siblings.
“Fine! Just shut up.” She stood up, flicking her hair back over her shoulders, before turning and jabbing a finger in Qrow’s face. “And don’t touch my money.”
Qrow chuckled slyly, placing a single hand on his heart. “Oh, don’t you worry, dearest sister. I’ll keep your hard-earned gains away from that devil Tai.”
“It’s hardly Tai I’m concerned about.” She growled back, looking at said boy's sad form as he stared solemnly at his single 5 note. Raven just shook her head and followed Summer into the dorm's small kitchen area.
“Okay then,” she said, putting her hands on her hips as she spoke. “Where are the snacks?”
“In the cupboard,” Summer said with an edge in her voice. Suddenly, she spun round, startling Raven as she got straight in her face. “But that is not why we’re here.”
“...right. Welp, I’m gonna jus’ head back then-”
“NO, WAIT!” Summer quickly grabbed Raven’s hand in hers, standing there whilst she tried to formulate some thought, all whilst Raven’s face slowly reddened. Eventually, she came up with something.
“I… want to team up.”
“...what?”
“In Properties. I want us to team up for a bit.”
“Oh really, huh?” Raven took her hand away and placed both on her hips, staring smugly. “What happened to ‘showing us Branwens the ropes’, huh?”
Summer pouted, crossing her arms. “Okay, yes, I may have been a little too confident at the beginning; I’ll give you that. But I’ve learnt my lesson. And now I want us to settle our differences and work together!”
“Okay. But you still haven’t given me any reason to team up with you.”
“That’s simple! Oh, can you pour a jug whilst we talk?” Summer replied, opening a cupboard as she did so and beginning to pull out different packets of crisps. Raven meanwhile acquiesced to the girl's command, making up a jug of berry squash. “And as for your question, the reason genuinely is simple. You want to win, right?”
“Duh.”
“Well,” Summer slammed the various snacks she’d grabbed onto the counter and began to pull out multiple bowls and dishes. “You’re not gonna manage that against Qrow’s semblance. Not by yourself.”
“Okay, that may be true.” Raven did have to admit that Summer was right. Qrow’s semblance, Misfortune, certainly gave him a big leg up in games like this. And even if they were twins, both were in the game for themselves. “But why should I team up with you?”
“You think Tai’s gonna give any meaningful resistance. He spent all his money on the dark blues; he’ll be selling his only properties soon.”
“Eh, fair. Blondie isn’t gonna be in much longer.” Raven finished putting ice into the jug and placed it next to the bowls of snacks. “Alright, I’m in. Only until my brother is knocked out.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” It was Summer’s turn to get into Raven’s face, standing slightly on her tiptoes to match Raven’s height, wearing a sinister smirk. “Once he’s gone, you are goin’ down.”
“Heh. Sure, shorty.”
~ ~ ~
The plan went perfectly.
At every point, the two worked perfectly. In each bid, one tap meant no, two meant yes. Slowly but surely, they took property after property, quietly sliding one another money when they landed on each other’s property. Summer took orange, Raven took Red. After only a few rolls, they had the two boys cornered, until…
“Hah! Bankrupt!”
Summer stood triumphantly, laughing as Qrow sighed and slid the last of his money over to her pile, along with his only property left. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. No need to rub it in.”
Raven gave him a mock look of compassion. “Aww, but then what would be the point in winning.” Qrow rolled his eyes at her response, laying back with crossed arms. Summer smirked as she rolled the dice.
4.
Their plan had worked. Now all that came was the stab in the-
…
“Oh.”
“Looks like someone owes me muh-neee.” Raven mocked as Summer stared down at the board. She’d landed on yellow. Right atop Raven’s hotel.
“No…..”
“Yep!” Raven began taking her notes as Summer kept staring at the board, completely despondent. Thinking about her mommy, that meant most of her properties had to be mortgaged, having been sat with very little in cash after buying so many houses. She’d practically handed Raven the board on a plate.
“Oh, Summer, Summer, Summer,” Raven spoke mockingly even as she shook her head as if in sympathy, placing a hand on the sad girl’s shoulder. “You should know never to trust a Branwen.” Summer just pouted in response.
“Anyways!” Once Raven finally had her money, she picked up the dice and rolled them herself. “Come on, give mama some good luck.” They rolled, and rolled, and…
A 7.
“Okay! 1, 2,3….” Property after property she went, until…
“Crap.”
She’d landed on one of Tai’s greens.
“Looks like ‘mama’ had some bad luck, huh?” Tai mocked, taking all the notes Raven had just gained and more as she could only watch. Grumbling quietly, she turned to Summer. “Hey, Sums-”
“No. You broke the alliance; now you deal with the consequences.”
“Hmph. Rude.”
The rest of the game would only be a disaster for them. Again and again, the pair was chipped away at, Tai slowly accumulating their wealth as each dice roll drew them closer to…
“Bankrupt!” Tai cheered as Summer landed on his final blue space, just a dice dot from Go. Summer watched in silence as the last of her money went before flopping on Raven with a despondent wine. “Raven, console me!”
“Don’t touch me!” Raven yelled back, but didn’t fight as Summer wrapped her in a pitiful hug.
“Welp, that’s what you get for trying to team up against us,” Tai offered a hand to Qrow, still lying on the floor, who took it as Taiu helped pull him up. Summer and Raven both looked at them in confusion. “Wait, what!?”
Qrow just shrugged. “Yeah, you two weren’t exactly quiet with your plotting in the kitchen, so I just told Tai I’d keep him in the game so neither of you won.”
“Yeah, it was fairly easy, too,” Tai continued. “Qrow just kept passing me money whilst you two weren’t looking. You were so focused on your own sneaking you didn’t notice.”
“I can’t believe you two,” Summer shot back with a quivering lip. Qrow just shrugged. “Hey, that’s just capitalism.” Tai nodded thoughtfully, turning to his partner as the other two stared in disbelief. “Anyway, wanna watch a movie.”
Qrow shrugged. “Sure. Just not that sparkling vampire one again.”
“Hey! Dusk is a very underrated series!” The two continued to bicker as they moved over to the lounge area of the dorm, leaving Raven to flop onto the ground, with Summer still latched onto her.
“Damn. Can't believe they beat us at our own game.”
“I knoowww.” Summer winded into Raven’s now very crumpled shirt. “We were so close too. Tai had nothing left.”
“Yeah. Until someone didn't want to keep the alliance.”
“Hey!” Silver eyes met red as Summer pouted, making Raven look away with a blush. “You betrayed me first!”
“Meh, that’s just semantics.” With a fair bit of effort, Raven stood up, stretching whilst Summer still clutched onto her shoulders. “Ya know, you kinda need to let go, right?”
“Nope! After screwing up our alliance, you owe me, so start by carrying me to the sofa!” Raven sighed, but after looking at Summer's determined eyes and pouting lip, she knew there was no arguing. So, she made her way to the sofa to a cheerful “Yay!” from the girl hanging onto her. That quickly became muffled screams when Raven flopped onto said sofa, burying Summer under her.
If the two stayed wrapped together on the sofa for the entirety of the movie, Qrow and Tai would never say.