Cu traced the edge of his cup with a clearly disappointed expression. He didn't care to mask it when Qrow got his first shot of vodka, and it only worsened when Qrow ordered his tenth. "The tracker says our culprit isn't here."

"She will be."

"How can you be so sure?"

Seriously, they had a tracker ready for a reason. Part of him believed that Qrow was simply trying to drink and hold off the search for as long as possible. He had been far more aloof since finding that grave the day before, and while the tracker could easily tell them where to find the woman Qrow claimed to know, Qrow insisted that they do this his way.

"We can't just barge in on her. She won't take that well," he had said. "Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing."

The certainty he expressed convinced Cu that his plan would be the best course of action, but now he was not as sure. His perfect fit into the label "drunk uncle" made his credibility drop significantly when they stepped foot into a tavern of all places.

Sure, Cu could appreciate alcohol, but not when they were supposed to be looking for what could have been another one of Salem's assailants. Was it Cinder? Just imagine the earful Glynda would give him if she learned Spring died just recently.

"This is why you should have hurried to complete your mission, not dawdle around like a buffoon!" she'd say. "Why do we even tolerate your carelessness?"

He heard that plenty of times before, mostly for something minor like a destroyed town gate or a field of ravaged crops. Nothing at this scale and nothing that could give Salem a considerable advantage.

"Hey, are you going to finish that?"

Cu downed the liquid in one go to which Qrow scoffed and ordered another. "I swear, if this is just to waste time—"

"I would never do that," Qrow bit back, surprisingly not drunk. His tolerance was impressive for Remnant. "Ugh, I'm too sober for this."

"That's the issue. Stop drinking and call your pal to come here."

"She's not my pal."

"Acquaintance then." Cu shook his head and sighed. Why was he like this? "How much longer will it take?"

Qrow drank the shot and laced his fingers. "That's not up to me. She'll come when she wants to."

"That could take days."

"Or weeks, if we're lucky."

Cu huffed a laugh and leaned back into his chair. "This better be worth it."

Qrow sipped his drink in response, turning his head away unconcerned and set his eyes on the display of drinks. "We'll be here for a while. Order another glass as we wait."

"Unlike you, I don't have a steady source of lien."

"Unlike me, you don't really need lien."

True. He didn't need to eat, sleep, drink, or do anything else to maintain himself. He would be lying if he said lien wasn't useful, though. A hundred plus years on Remnant made him bored, and without lien, he couldn't make it very enjoyable. The food was different from what he was accustomed to, as was the alcohol and the addition of beverages like soda, and construction advanced far beyond anything he saw in his time on earth. Fighting was still by far his favorite pass time, but even that changed, evident by the mana imitation called aura.

"Then you're paying."

"No."

Cu drank his fill and ordered another glass as Qrow suggested. He winked at the waitress as she came by and managed to get the drink on the house. Qrow gave him the deepest frown he'd ever seen as a result.

"Aren't you supposed to be unlucky?"

"Luck has nothing to do with this," Cu argued back and drank.

"You just got a free drink."

"With my charm, not luck."

The day passed outrageously slowly, even slower for Cu. The customers around them cycled through several groups of people and they were still waiting in the exact same spot, fruitlessly endeavoring a meeting with the mystery person who buried Spring. Cu already did everything he could to pass the time and express his impatience, whether consciously or not. Qrow had to tell him several times to "Stop tapping your feet" and "Quit pouting. That's not going to do anything."

The sun started to set and the tavern filled significantly before Cu found his frequent walks and challenging people to arm wrestles boring. This was only the first day of waiting for Qrow's pal to show up, and in the worst case scenario, this won't do jack.

"Alright, I'll bite. Who is she to you?"

Qrow swirled his drink gently with one hand and tapped the table with the other. He slowed down his alcohol consumption significantly after a while. He had this cup for the last hour or so.

"Not much. Not anymore."

"What, was she your lover at some point?"

"No, that's disgusting."

"Childhood friend?"

"You'll see. Gods, you're so impatient."

Supposedly, 12 hours isn't long enough to deem this a patient wait.

"I don't get why you're so secretive."

Qrow's eyes widened as if he realized something. Turning his head slowly, he stared at Cu with an indecipherable expression. Then, like a switch, he grinned, "Now it's your turn to be confused."

Cu raised a brow and lowered his cup just below his lip. "Wowww. Real mature of you."

"What can I say when everything that concerns you is mind-boggling? For once, I'm the one with answers and you're the one asking for them."

"I didn't realize it was such a big deal to you," Cu said, rolling his eyes. "But whatever. If you want to keep it a secret and look fishy while doing it, then by all means go ahead. I've got nothing to lose."

"Except maybe your nagging curiosity."

"Hm."

The second day was just as uneventful as the first, only more boring and twice as long. Unlike before, Cu spent most of his time outside of the tavern. Qrow said he would call him when [if] his pal showed up, but made him promise not to wander far. It was a stupid notion, really. Like Qrow was trying to keep him on a leash.

He was able to score a few points from a pack of Beowolves spotted north of the town. They could hardly see him, let alone react. He did get a few townsfolk to see the little extermination, earning him some lien as a reward and credibility among them.

"You remind me of someone," a man said as he shook Cu's hand. His weak frame made Cu handle his thanks with care. "Someone I met when I was a boy. He was a great man, as I'm sure you will be, too."

Cu nodded and accepted the elder's words with silence and a smile. Now that he thought about it, this man looked similar to that one kid he saved more than seventy years ago when traveling to Vale. The aftermath of the Great War was still prominent then as the villages between the four major cities rebuilt themselves from ashes.

Grimm attacks were frequent and the huntsmen academies barely expanded into what it is today. Hardly anyone finished their training, and those who did stayed in their hometown, leaving thousands of people at the mercy of the Grimm. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time, although that depended on the village. He couldn't save everyone.

Anywho, that was all in the past. The Great War is nothing but a history lesson now. There's no use dwelling on it.

In Beacon at that moment:

"The Great War was a worldwide conflict that attracted a global increase of Grimm. No one knows where they came from, particularly since Grimm populations exploded during that time without precedent, even in the wild and in scourges prior. This war not only shed the blood of warriors fighting for their country, but also the innocents left to fend for themselves. The world had never seen such a tragedy before, nor since."

The professor set his cup down and leaned forward with a whisper.

"Let us all give a moment of silence for the people who fought bravely and lost their lives. This is no mere lesson, it is your future as huntsmen and huntresses to ensure nothing of this scale occurs again."

Yup. No one's dwelling on that anymore.

Adding a light skip to his steps, Cu made his way back to the inn he and Qrow were staying at until either mystery lass shows up or Qrow gives into Cu's suggestion of tracking her down. It was close to the bar and cheap to boot. The rooms were well-kept aside from the occasional mouse scurrying between the walls.

Cu stopped in front of the entrance and slid his hands into his pockets. The stone was warm with mana, but otherwise unchanged. This was getting nowhere. His other hand pulled out his scroll (a new one that didn't have the tracking device installed in it). Several notifications from Qrow telling him to "update" his status sprung up when he opened it.

Ha, yeah. No. He wasn't going to answer to the guy who was wasting their time in this shoddy place (not that the village was bad) for drinks and the off chance Miss Culprit came up around the river bend. That and Cu didn't feel obligated to answer to anyone in the first place. He played along with rules and laws and all, but unlike a standard summoning by the holy grail, he had no master.

Actually, the god brothers could be considered that, but they left him alone long enough to give him independence.

"Alright, what to do next."

As if fate heard him, his scroll rang. It wasn't Glynda, which was good. He didn't feel like talking to her when Spring would be brought up, guaranteed. He could do without a lecture.

"Good evening, Cu."

"Hey, Theodore."

Coded conversations weren't exactly welcomed either. Did he have to do this now?

"I heard Poe started gardening."

(Ozpin told me about your mission to find Spring. I want some details.)

"Do we have to do this?"

"Chulainn."

Cu mentally prepared himself, taking in a deep breath to stimulate his brain for the incoming puzzle that was everything out of Theodore's mouth.

"Yeah. I heard about it. Sounds like a disaster if you ask me. His flowers withered last time, but if he wants to try again, that's up to him."

(It got complicated. Spring's dead, but I have a lead for who was in her last thoughts.)

"Should I buy him some fertilizer or pesticide?"

(How dire is the situation? Does it include Salem, or was it an accident?)

"Just make sure he waters them. I have a handbook if he needs one."

(It doesn't seem too bad. I have Qrow with me and he's not all that concerned.)

"I don't trust handbooks all that much."

(You're sure he's not mistaken?)

"Read the fine print. It helps."

(I'm sure. It'll just take some time.)

"I see." Theodore exhaled into the scroll, trying to take the information as stoically as possible. "Well, how are you?"

Cu ran those words through his head several times. No amount of analyzing gave him the secret message hidden in the vague question. It could mean a lot of things: Are you looking for Fall's attacker, too? Did Spring die naturally, from poison, by a person, or by Grimm? Is there anything that might threaten Vacuo? Have you heard about the White Fang? When was the last time you talked to Leonardo? Literally anything.

"Sorry, you lost me there."

"It's a straightforward question."

"You don't give a lot of those, and much less about my health. What are you playing at?"

Theodore inhaled sharply and groaned. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

The shadows stretched far as the sun finalized its descent. "What about you? How was your break?"

(What about Summer?)

"Uneventful busywork."

(She's safe and training.)

"Ah, good. Wouldn't want a repeat of Poe's gardening fiasco..." his voice faded into a sigh. "If that's all, I'll be going."

"Okay. But before you hang up, just know that if you need any help-"

"Yeah, yeah. Knowing you, you'll turn that into a favor I owe you for. Bye."

He hung up before Theodore could respond. God, that was annoying, definitely enough brain exercise for the day. Barely a minute passed before his scroll rang again. For once, Cu wished it was Qrow. He at least kept things simple and non-accusatory.

Taking a deeper breath than his lungs could hold, he declined the call and stared with one eye. A second call followed immediately and he released his breath, groaning. He rubbed the back of his neck and brought the scroll to his ear.

"What is it now?"

"Care to explain why Spring is dead?" came Glynda's lovely voice.

Cu touched his temple in an attempt to ease the developing headache. "Nope. Ask Qrow-"

"He told me."

"Go figure..."

Qrow insisted that Miss Culprit would come soon and that Cu should stay at the bar in preparation for her arrival. His bribe of paying for drinks helped persuade him. The little exchange of stories and the sporadic calls from his nieces also helped keep him from wandering off in search of something more interesting. It was a shame Qrow didn't actually let him talk to them. The older one, Yang, was more than a little vocal about it.

"Why. Are you worried I'll fall for him?"

"He's older than you are, kid."

"Way older," Cu noted helpfully. He couldn't hear what she was saying since Qrow refused to use the speaker, but he got the gist of it. "Mentally, at least."

Qrow rolled his eyes and turned his head the other way, to which Cu shrugged and sipped on his drink.

"Don't worry, uncle Qrow," Yang said in that suggestive tone of hers. "I'm not going to flirt with him or do anything special."

"You're not fooling anyone. And shouldn't you be more focused on studying?"

"Bet you studied a lot in school."

"I did!"

The outburst earned him a pitying look from Cu, several stares from nearby customers, and a relentless laugh from Yang.

"Yeah, well it was nice catching up. Wish you'd asked more about me instead of my acquaintance."

"Pff. Yeah right. I'm pretty sure you would've said everything was confidential and left it at that."

"Hm. You're not wrong."

"Anyway," Yang hummed out, "I gotta go. Ruby's dying to try out some team moves."

"Just don't blow up the school." Cu perked up at this. Qrow decided to ignore him for the time being.

"Sure thing, boss. Peace out."

Qrow held the scroll for a few seconds after the call ended with a complacent smile before pocketing it and taking a few gulps of his liquor. It took him a while to notice that Cu was watching him expectantly.

"What?"

"The way you said that earlier... have they blown up a school before?"

"No, of course not," Qrow answered immediately, then stopped to think. "Actually, there was one time..."

"Can I go now?"

"No."

"Hm."

Day four ended and day five started out the same way. Uneventful and boring. Cu would be worried about Winter and Summer, but James and Theodore already took to safer precautions long before the Fall incident occurred. The little Cinder issue was also put on hold by this wait-and-see approach, and the other two trackers still haven't said anything potentially useful.

"Don't you spend a lot of your downtime fishing?"

Cu looked up from weaving a small straw doll and shrugged, "It's relaxing, why?"

"Basically, you sit around with a fishing rod, waiting for a fish to bite—possibly for an entire day—without moving."

"What about it?"

Qrow quirked a brow. "And you can't stand more than an hour waiting for something bigger than any fish you've caught?"

"Har har."

"No, seriously."

"It's been more than a day, if you haven't noticed."

"You were all over the place the first day. You've never had a stakeout before?"

"I'm not the most patient person. If you know me, you'd know I'm the type of guy who lives in the moment."

"Who likes to fish."

"Is there a problem with fishing?"

Qrow held out a hand to placate any ill-intentions. "I just find it a little ironic."

Near the end of day seven, the tracker started to disintegrate, meaning it was close enough to the person of interest. It pointed sharply to the stairs behind Qrow, straight at a pale woman in a Grimm mask with hair that stuck out like a porcupine's quills. When she saw him, her hand grabbed the sword at her side and she bent her knees to run.

Cu pointed past Qrow and his gaze followed him. "Hey, is that—"

"Raven!"

At the sound of her name, the woman dashed away, pulling out her sword and slashing a rift in the air. Channeling mana to his legs, Cu rushed after her. He crossed the distance in no time. Just before the portal closed behind her, Cu snatched her collar and yanked her back, nearly toppling into the portal himself. The wooden floor cracked beneath his feet and the portal dissipated in a cloud of red.

"Unhand me!"

"No can do, lady. We've got some questions for you to answer."

Rather than respond, she seethed and glared at the huntsman still seated with a cup in hand. "What is the meaning of this, Qrow?"

Cu stared at her, trying to remember why she looked so familiar. Weird sword, spiky hair, Grimm mask, red clothes. It shouldn't be that hard to remember someone like her. Then it dawned on him. "It's you!"

Qrow glanced at the woman and back at Cu with a frown. "Did you two meet at one point?"

"Yeah! About five years ago when her bandits stole my lance!"

"And you almost killed me!"

"Oh right, forgot about that. How's the arm?"

"You think you're smooth, don't you."

Cu shrugged casually but his grip on her remained steadfast. "One way to find out."

"As much as I would love to enjoy this little... reunion, we have a more pressing matter to discuss," Qrow cut in. He nodded at Cu, who clicked his tongue and released the woman. "I'm sure you already know what it is."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she bit back, although her eyes betrayed her, flickering between Qrow and Cu, and the thin line of escape. She bit her lip and her hands twitched. She wasn't one to be scared, but seeing her like this gave Qrow what he needed to know.

"Tell me you didn't."

After taking in a deep breath, she answered, "You'll have to be more specific than that."

A/N: The first chapter implies that Cu and Raven met each other, but it's in passing. You might have missed it. I just wanted to note that in case it seemed out of the blue.

Sorry about the late update. I've got writer's block. I tend to write only 2-3 chapters of a story at full speed, then slow down considerably or stop completely (it's the reason why only 5% of what I write gets posted anywhere). I'll try to continue writing, but there are no guarantees.