Semblance of Brutality

Not Your Average Demon Slayer

Qrow's perspective

Within five minutes of being in the house, Yang and her friend had cleaned their plates... and my fridge. I stand in front of my empty fridge, my mouth hanging open. Behind me, Yang belches as she finishes the last of my food. I turn to the two of them, admittedly more angry than I should be.

"How can two kids eat so damn much?" I ask angrily.

Yang presses her hand to the back of her head.

"Sorry, Qrow," she apologizes.

"'Sorry?' You two have eaten me out of house and home! Now I've gotta use the rest of my Lien on groceries!"

I let out a long sigh. Yang appears much more sincere about her apology than she had a few moments ago. I can't stay mad at them, even if they did eat all of my damn food. I pull out my pocket flask and take a swig.

"Listen," I start, "I'm sorry. It's been an interesting couple days. I didn't think I'd have to use the rest of my money on groceries. Look, why don't you two go do something while I go buy more food."

They nod in agreement before seeing themselves out. I sit still for a moment before yelling "And no eating it this time!" after them. I hear a couple giggles from outside and relax a little more. I wait for a couple minutes before heading out myself. As I leave, I take another swig before screwing the lid back onto my flask and tucking it back into my shirt.

The Haven market is crowded, almost abnormally so. I am barely able to walk two feet before bumping into another oblivious shopper. I hear the sound of a porcelain vase shattering behind me, and tuck my hands a bit deeper into my pockets, hastening my stride. Damn semblance, I think ashamedly. Even if it isn't my fault, I still feel like it is; I guess that's what being a bad luck charm will do to you.

I make it a point to pick up my groceries as quickly as possible. I grab a couple loaves of bread, some lettuce, a few potatoes, and other, miscellaneous foodstuffs, hardly counting the Lien I throw down as payment. Before I even know it, I am quickly leaving the marketplace with my food in a paper bag. I am almost home when the caw of a Nevermore echoes overhead. Another Nevermore? I ask myself silently.

The ground shakes as it lands over a hill in the distance. I drop my bag of groceries, draw my sword, and begin running towards where the Grimm bird had landed. When I finally near the Nevermore, I see Yang and her friend have already started fighting it. She is using her Ember Celica to keep it off-balance, while Doomguy uses what appears to be some sort of chainsaw-sword hybrid in an attempt to kill the beast. I pull in on a lever on my sword's hilt, transforming it into a scythe.

I dash towards the sinister bird and clip its wings with two accurate slices. It screeches in pain before kicking me backwards. I try to control the momentum, but fail, and end up falling onto my back. I look to Doomguy and shout "Now! While it's distracted!" He nods and, with one slice of his chain-sword, cuts the creature's head off. I stand up and brush myself off as the body of the Nevermore dissolves into ashes.

"Haha! Suck on that, birdie!" Doomguy shouts triumphantly.

"Nice sword," I announce. "Where'd you get it?"

"We had Ruby design it while you were out. Once she got the idea down, we went to the nearest weapon-smith and had them make it," Yang explains.

"That quick?" I ask, a bit astounded at how fast the weapon had been created, especially considering its seemingly-reliable quality.

"What can I say? Haven smiths are something!" she answers.

"Tell me about it!" Doomguy agrees. "Check this out: not only is it a sword with a freakin' chainsaw blade, but..." he pushes a button on the hilt, "it can turn into a shotgun!"

"I'll admit: it's a nice blade. Make sure it doesn't go to waste," I warn him. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I have to go finish carrying my groceries to my house."

I stow my sword and shove my hands back into my pockets before beginning to walk away. I hear Yang shout "Thanks, Qrow!" from behind me. When I get back to where I'd dropped my bag of food, I see all of it has been lying on the ground, unprotected by the paper bag. "Freaking Grimm..." I grumble to myself while picking up my groceries. When I am almost entirely sure I've gotten everything, I stand up and resume the walk to my house as the sun begins to set.

A couple hours later, I hear the front door click shut. I open one eye, still laying on my back in bed, and listen for any voices or words. When I don't hear any, I grab my sword and quietly make my way out into the living room and see Yang's green-armor-clad friend. I put my sword away and shake my head to myself.

"Where have you been?" I ask from the darkness, startling him a bit and giving me a little laugh.

"Geez, Qrow; don't do that to me," he says, trying to calm down. "And I was with Yang, trying to work on my semblance. We think we came close."

My eyes widen a bit, partially because he'd been with Yang all this time, but mostly because he'd apparently come close to unlocking his semblance. Ah, screw it; this isn't the first time curiosity has gotten the better of me. I plop down on the couch, narrow my eyes a bit, and make unwavering eye contact.

"So," I begin, "How'd you do it?"