The REDS of war

Volume Five Chapter Six

Rain is heard pouring outside. Qrow Branwen opens up a sliding door leading into a small restaurant. A man can be seen sleeping at a table in the corner, while the Ramen Shop Owner stands behind the counter sharpening his kitchen knife on a wood block. Qrow walks up to the owner, who is still paying attention to sharpening his knife. "Regular? Or the Special?"

"I'm actually looking for someone, goes by the name Shiro Wan. Ever heard of him? I heard he's a regular around here." Qrow asks.

"Who's asking?"

"Hey, I'm not some cop if that's what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig. We go way back." Qrow says.

The Ramen Shop Owner nods. "Way back, huh?" He stops sharpening his knife looking up at Qrow. "So, he's a friend of yours."

Qrow rubs his chin. "Hm, yeah, I'd say so. He's a pretty alright guy."

"Well, in that case..." The man's tone turns hostile, pointing his knife threateningly at Qrow. "You tell that jerk that he better not show his ugly face in here until he pays me the Lien he owes me!!"

"Uh, did I say friend?" Qrow nervously chuckles. "I, uh- I meant acquaintance." The owner angrily slams his knife into the counter. Qrow slowly backs away. "Really, we're just colleagues!" He nervously chuckles again. "Anyways, thanks for your time, buddy. I'll just be taking off now." Qrow exits the restaurant, quickly closing the sliding door. He quickly turns around, leaning against the door. He takes a drink from his flask before pulling out his scroll, which has a list of "CONTACTS" with the following names:

WAN, SHIRO
GRIFFIN, BLANKA
RAINE, BOYD
KREISS, AMETHYST
ALTHAM, IVY
RIVAS, AOI
VACCARO, FARROW
LUNSFORD, HARKIN

Qrow crosses off Shiro's name with a sigh. "Great start." Suddenly, the owner's knife is stabbed through the door cloth, barely missing Qrow's head.

Qrow then walks up to several people asking if they know any of the Huntsmen on his list; first, a pair of two men standing on the rainy street. Next, to a one-eyed, blonde blacksmith selling her wares. Then, he seeks the help of a beat-up man filled with bruises, resting while two other men are currently fighting in a match. After every person he asks, Qrow's expression and body language grows more aggravated, and each time, the number of Huntsmen he crosses off the list increases. Finally, he walks up to a small house with boarded-up windows. He looks at his Scroll for his two remaining contacts, the first of which had been crossed out.

FIORENZA, SHANI
SHIELDS, HEATHER

"Heather Shields." He mutters. He knocks on the door. A group of small children is seen near the house. After Qrow turns around from looking at them, since there's been no response, he bangs it loudly with the side of his fist. As he's about to bang on the door again, a man opens up the door. "Oh, uh, hey there. I'm looking for Heather?" The man just stares back at him. "Look, pal, I've had a rough day. Do you know where she is or not?"

"Daddy?" A small girl walks up next to her father. "Does he know where Mommy is?"

Having realized that Heather was missing in action, or worse, Qrow immediately regrets his mistake. "I um... I'm sorry to bother you." The man and his daughter go back into their house. Qrow walks back out into the rain. He removes his flask from his shirt and considers taking another drink from it, but decides not to.

Later, at the park, he looks up at the Mistral Bounty mission boards, listed as the following:

LUCERO, FLANN - MISSION TYPE: VILLAGE SECURITY
MISSION STATUS: IN PROGRESS 8 WEEKS AGO

DURHAM, AZURA - MISSION TYPE: SEARCH AND DESTROY
MISSION STATUS: IN PROGRESS 6 WEEKS AGO

COWAN, DOVE - MISSION TYPE: SEARCH AND DESTROY
MISSION STATUS: TERMINATED 1 WEEK AGO