[It's almost been two months. Qrow had avoided Ozpin at the last full moon and kept himself steady by getting blood from the vampire bar ahead of time and keeping to himself after sunset, but this one was rougher. Something was going on with the moons this month, because the only thing that kept him stable was the Coven opening up a barricaded area where bystanders couldn't be harmed and killing Shades until the sun came up.
But the new moon is coming soon, and going bondless is more dangerous for Witches. It's still early, he knows, and yet Qrow is accustomed to worrying about the loved ones around him, expecting misfortunes to befall them. That hasn't really changed here, not even with his Aura suppressed as it is.
Still, it's awkward. He hadn't offered a Bond to Ozpin when he'd first told the man about them, and they haven't talked about it since. He doesn't want to admit to not having one, or that he doesn't want one. On the one hand, he thinks he should mind his own business and leave well enough alone. If Ozpin needs his help, he'd tell him, right? For all his reservations, he'd Bond with Oz in a heartbeat to keep him safe.
On the other hand, it was Oz himself who made it Qrow's business to mind other people's business, and the closer it gets to the new moon, the more anxious he feels about it.
One evening, Oz will find the following text appear on his watch:]
hey i'm going out for some things
[by which he means "for blood", but he really really hates saying that.]
need me to pick you up anything while i'm at it?
[He presses send. On Ozpin's end, the "..." of someone typing persists for another full minute. Maybe two. Then:]
[ Ozpin hasn't even thought of bonding since their talk, it's true. If he's being honest he's trying to formulate how to keep things...to himself throughout the whole experience. He knows it's hard, if not impossible, to keep thoughts and memories entirely hidden and that's where the trepidation really comes in. Not having those around him that knew of his secrets was also alarming, if not a bit anxiety inducing. Ozpin the king of trust issues, actually having to trust others? He couldn't imagine.
But he gets Qrow's messages and he's quick to reply as he types something back to the other. ]
Things? Do you need any help? [ He's a bit curious what one could possibly need at this time of the night, but Ozpin does have some...inclinations on what Qrow might be referring to. He never did press the other man about what his monster might have been. But his reactions towards blood, even the faintest of it, has been rather...telling. He's not one to force things from people and so he left it at that. Qrow would tell him, should he wish to, in his own manner and time. ]
It's going rather well, if I'm being honest. Though I do believe I have a slight advantage over many others here. [ You know being thousands of years old and all... ]
guess magic is about the same no matter which planet it's from, huh
[It's going well. So maybe he doesn't even need to worry. He's probably keeping himself balanced on his own, right? It's fine. It's--]
are you going to that hunt the coven's doing
[What do you mean that's a non sequitur, that was a totally normal and natural segue from one topic of conversation to another. Shut up you're not his real dad.]
[ Hm. Strange but not entirely something Qrow wouldn't do. He was used to the other man being alone when he went on his missions. Ozpin still has to wonder though. ]
In a way. It's certainly a bit different from that on Remnant, there's more...applications I feel. [ So many different classes to learn about and try. ]
Hunt? Yes. I was going to ask if you were as well. [ It totally wasn't! Qrow, please... ]
[He'd vastly prefer being a Witch to being a vampire, honestly, but the studying feels like it'd be a pain in the ass. He wasn't great at the school part of Beacon twenty years ago and he wouldn't be great at it now.]
yeah it's a good idea, sounds like it'll be a convenient way to work off energy from these moons especially for the newbies
[You know, the ones who wouldn't have bonds, because they're super new. Sure is a good thing people who have been around longer have them, right. Riiiiight. He's the subtlest bird who has ever birded.]
The areas in which certain classes cover varies. More so than the magic of Remnant, it also affects things outside of elements. It's rather interesting, perhaps I may show you some time, if you'd be interested?
[ If not, well, he's certain there are others around that would indulge him. ]
Yes I suppose you're right. Though I'm sure some of them will have bonded by the time this mission is underway.
[ Ozpin hasn't forgotten their little talk. If anything he's been stewing over it since he arrived?! ]
I do believe there is a sect of magic for that. Transmutation they call it. Would you like me to try my hand at it? I can probably get you the exact same wings as before. [ Transmutation should come easy to him, given that. It'd be a simple little thing to do and it might make the other feel better. Giving him a sense of normalcy in a place that's...abnormal at best might not be such a bad idea. ]
You don't think so? Some people enjoy the comfort of knowing they won't explode or turn feral. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to bond after hearing all of that.
[ That sure is one big elephant. ]
And what if they're not a stranger, but a friend from home?
[ You can do it, Qrow. Ozpin is making it very easy for you right now!! ]
["What could possibly go wrong?" is the line here, isn't it? Except for a harbinger of misfortune like Qrow, he can already think of so many things. He could get stuck in that form, or somewhere in between, or it could interact badly with his new constitution as a vampire somehow and cause him to go feral.
But he trusts Ozpin more than his own self. Whatever goes wrong, they'll figure it out. He's not worried about it. As to the rest....well. That's more complicated.]
there's a lot that comes with bonds though might not seem worth the benefits to some people, especially when the worst can be put off for awhile
and sometimes it gets even harder with friends letting people feel the things in your head like it was theirs? why the hell would you want that for them, right?
It could be, yes. Although I worry what might happen if I get wrong.
[ It's been awhile since he's used magic like that? He's a bit rusty to say the least. ] But your faith and interest are noted. I'll try it out on other objects first before we do anything drastic.
[ It'd be better for them both, honestly. Though as he reads Qrow's reply Ozpin can't say the other man is wrong. There's still so many things that he hasn't made mention to the other man. Salem and her immortality being the biggest factor. But it's easy to hide something in the confines of one's mind. ]
For awhile, but it is finite, and I'm sure they wouldn't want to become feral and lead to more problems by attacking those they care about. [ And, well, witches explode so you know??! ]
I understand that entirely. Sometimes there are things you don't want others to know. But sometimes there is a bit of trust that needs to be involved in order to survive circumstances, isn't there? Perhaps that trust...is not misplaced depending on your friends a little bit here.
[eXCUSE U OLD MAN, u can't just comment on things like faith to birds with fragile hearts okok!!]
it'll probably be fine and if anything blows up you totally didn't do it
[Believe in the Qrow that believes in you and channel your inner troublemaking Beacon student if that doesn't work out. As to the danger of not bonding .... Qrow doesn't respond to that. He knows, of course. There's a limit to how long you can put off Bonding, and that limit becomes more and more urgent the more dangerous the type of monster you are. He gets it. Still.]
what if it's not about trust? for some people
[It's difficult for him to talk about this. They're not fooling anyone with these hypotheticals, especially as Ozpin edges close to a direct callout, but he needs the distance. There's a degree of separation here that lets him pretend he's not talking about himself.]
maybe they're not concerned about what can be learned so much as what it'd be like to deal with what they find all the time
maybe they can't ask someone to tie themselves to that because it's more trouble than it's worth
I appreciate your confidence in me. But even so, I rather not mess up something as...delicate as this. [ Also you shouldn't trust him, Qrow!! ]
I can certainly understand that and where the worry comes from. Not wanting to be a bother, not wanting people to hear or see what it is that plagues you.
[ Even now Ozpin has some caged feelings about the whole thing, but what is he to do? If he doesn't bond then, well, he dies. Which would make matters entirely more complicated. ]
But you're not going to be a bother, Qrow. [ Ah there we go. That's the callout he's been trying to avoid through this entire conversation. ]
If you think you're the only one who feels like they're more trouble than their worth, I doubt it, truly. [ Ozpin, on the one hand feels similar, but he's not going to ever express that. The unspoken truth, the lies, the trust he and the others have put in him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all? But he knows the other man and he knows he won't bond with anyone unless pushed. ]
If not me then at least someone you feel you can be yourself around.
[Ozpin is met with radio silence as he pulls that security blanket of "some people" right out from under Qrow. He can't do this. He's not ready for this conversation. All he wanted was to know if Oz had found someone or if he was still in need, and now they've come to this.
It's a full hour before he even touches his watch again; he takes the time to get halfway to hammered on blood-laced alcohol at the vampire bar before he feels even remotely competent to touch that last message (or any that have come in since), and he almost doesn't do it even then. Any talk of transfiguration into birds is dropped outright as unimportant, and he settles down on a bench in a park to try to sort out how to explain anything of what he feels or if he should even bother. He's downed about a quarter of the flask he keeps on his person in addition to what he had at the bar by the time Oz gets a reply.]
there isn't anyone i trust as much as you it's not about that if you need someone i'll do it, that's not even a question alright but i shit oz i don't even like being in my head you don't need to be here too when there's other options
[ Well that radio silence isn't worrying or anything, Qrow?? But perhaps he might have pushed the other man too far? He knows he's...not the best of people for this either. Even his own stance on bonds is tenuous at best. Having to share all of that with one person relies on a rather strong amount of trust. Something that Ozpin doesn't even think he himself is ready for, but then again who is? Ozpin's past is just as bad in terms of keeping people close as Qrow's seemed to be.
So he could understand the reasoning of the other to not entirely want to do this. So he reads the flurry of incoming texts with narrowed eyes, before sighing and responding. ]
And you think mine is...much better? No one is perfect, Qrow, not even myself. But if there is anyone here I can put my trust in...it is going to be you. After all we've known each other for many years now.
[ Lies and half truths aside he does mean it, well, as much as he can. Ozpin has never been good at trusting anyone but in a place where it's implemented in such a way...well Qrow was definitely someone he would choose. ]
But if it makes you uncomfortable...I don't mind finding someone else. But I am worried about you.
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text; un: dustyoldcrow
But the new moon is coming soon, and going bondless is more dangerous for Witches. It's still early, he knows, and yet Qrow is accustomed to worrying about the loved ones around him, expecting misfortunes to befall them. That hasn't really changed here, not even with his Aura suppressed as it is.
Still, it's awkward. He hadn't offered a Bond to Ozpin when he'd first told the man about them, and they haven't talked about it since. He doesn't want to admit to not having one, or that he doesn't want one. On the one hand, he thinks he should mind his own business and leave well enough alone. If Ozpin needs his help, he'd tell him, right? For all his reservations, he'd Bond with Oz in a heartbeat to keep him safe.
On the other hand, it was Oz himself who made it Qrow's business to mind other people's business, and the closer it gets to the new moon, the more anxious he feels about it.
One evening, Oz will find the following text appear on his watch:]
hey i'm going out for some things
[by which he means "for blood", but he really really hates saying that.]
need me to pick you up anything while i'm at it?
[He presses send. On Ozpin's end, the "..." of someone typing persists for another full minute. Maybe two. Then:]
also
how's witch stuff going
text; un: ozpin
But he gets Qrow's messages and he's quick to reply as he types something back to the other. ]
Things? Do you need any help? [ He's a bit curious what one could possibly need at this time of the night, but Ozpin does have some...inclinations on what Qrow might be referring to. He never did press the other man about what his monster might have been. But his reactions towards blood, even the faintest of it, has been rather...telling. He's not one to force things from people and so he left it at that. Qrow would tell him, should he wish to, in his own manner and time. ]
It's going rather well, if I'm being honest. Though I do believe I have a slight advantage over many others here. [ You know being thousands of years old and all... ]
But I'm fine, thank you for the offer.
no subject
be back in a couple hours, tops
guess magic is about the same no matter which planet it's from, huh
[It's going well. So maybe he doesn't even need to worry. He's probably keeping himself balanced on his own, right? It's fine. It's--]
are you going to that hunt the coven's doing
[What do you mean that's a non sequitur, that was a totally normal and natural segue from one topic of conversation to another. Shut up you're not his real dad.]
no subject
[ Hm. Strange but not entirely something Qrow wouldn't do. He was used to the other man being alone when he went on his missions. Ozpin still has to wonder though. ]
In a way. It's certainly a bit different from that on Remnant, there's more...applications I feel. [ So many different classes to learn about and try. ]
Hunt? Yes. I was going to ask if you were as well. [ It totally wasn't! Qrow, please... ]
no subject
[He'd vastly prefer being a Witch to being a vampire, honestly, but the studying feels like it'd be a pain in the ass. He wasn't great at the school part of Beacon twenty years ago and he wouldn't be great at it now.]
yeah
it's a good idea, sounds like it'll be a convenient way to work off energy from these moons
especially for the newbies
[You know, the ones who wouldn't have bonds, because they're super new. Sure is a good thing people who have been around longer have them, right. Riiiiight. He's the subtlest bird who has ever birded.]
no subject
[ If not, well, he's certain there are others around that would indulge him. ]
Yes I suppose you're right. Though I'm sure some of them will have bonded by the time this mission is underway.
[ Ozpin hasn't forgotten their little talk. If anything he's been stewing over it since he arrived?! ]
1/2
you learn how to turn anyone into a bird yet?
[This is both a joke and not. He misses being able to turn into a bird at the drop of a hat tbh.]
no subject
in their first month? i dunno about that
[Or maybe that's just him, being a paranoid fool with trust issues.]
bit of a large ask, sharing yourself with a stranger right away like that, don't you think?
[God, he's stupid. He should just fucking ask Ozpin if he needs a Bond. Why can't he just do it? Ugh.]
no subject
You don't think so? Some people enjoy the comfort of knowing they won't explode or turn feral. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to bond after hearing all of that.
[ That sure is one big elephant. ]
And what if they're not a stranger, but a friend from home?
[ You can do it, Qrow. Ozpin is making it very easy for you right now!! ]
no subject
["What could possibly go wrong?" is the line here, isn't it? Except for a harbinger of misfortune like Qrow, he can already think of so many things. He could get stuck in that form, or somewhere in between, or it could interact badly with his new constitution as a vampire somehow and cause him to go feral.
But he trusts Ozpin more than his own self. Whatever goes wrong, they'll figure it out. He's not worried about it. As to the rest....well. That's more complicated.]
there's a lot that comes with bonds though
might not seem worth the benefits to some people, especially when the worst can be put off for awhile
and sometimes it gets even harder with friends
letting people feel the things in your head like it was theirs? why the hell would you want that for them, right?
no subject
[ It's been awhile since he's used magic like that? He's a bit rusty to say the least. ] But your faith and interest are noted. I'll try it out on other objects first before we do anything drastic.
[ It'd be better for them both, honestly. Though as he reads Qrow's reply Ozpin can't say the other man is wrong. There's still so many things that he hasn't made mention to the other man. Salem and her immortality being the biggest factor. But it's easy to hide something in the confines of one's mind. ]
For awhile, but it is finite, and I'm sure they wouldn't want to become feral and lead to more problems by attacking those they care about. [ And, well, witches explode so you know??! ]
I understand that entirely. Sometimes there are things you don't want others to know. But sometimes there is a bit of trust that needs to be involved in order to survive circumstances, isn't there? Perhaps that trust...is not misplaced depending on your friends a little bit here.
no subject
[eXCUSE U OLD MAN, u can't just comment on things like faith to birds with fragile hearts okok!!]
it'll probably be fine
and if anything blows up you totally didn't do it
[Believe in the Qrow that believes in you and channel your inner troublemaking Beacon student if that doesn't work out. As to the danger of not bonding .... Qrow doesn't respond to that. He knows, of course. There's a limit to how long you can put off Bonding, and that limit becomes more and more urgent the more dangerous the type of monster you are. He gets it. Still.]
what if it's not about trust? for some people
[It's difficult for him to talk about this. They're not fooling anyone with these hypotheticals, especially as Ozpin edges close to a direct callout, but he needs the distance. There's a degree of separation here that lets him pretend he's not talking about himself.]
maybe they're not concerned about what can be learned so much as what it'd be like to deal with what they find all the time
maybe they can't ask someone to tie themselves to that because it's more trouble than it's worth
no subject
I can certainly understand that and where the worry comes from. Not wanting to be a bother, not wanting people to hear or see what it is that plagues you.
[ Even now Ozpin has some caged feelings about the whole thing, but what is he to do? If he doesn't bond then, well, he dies. Which would make matters entirely more complicated. ]
But you're not going to be a bother, Qrow. [ Ah there we go. That's the callout he's been trying to avoid through this entire conversation. ]
If you think you're the only one who feels like they're more trouble than their worth, I doubt it, truly. [ Ozpin, on the one hand feels similar, but he's not going to ever express that. The unspoken truth, the lies, the trust he and the others have put in him. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all? But he knows the other man and he knows he won't bond with anyone unless pushed. ]
If not me then at least someone you feel you can be yourself around.
cw alcoholism reference
It's a full hour before he even touches his watch again; he takes the time to get halfway to hammered on blood-laced alcohol at the vampire bar before he feels even remotely competent to touch that last message (or any that have come in since), and he almost doesn't do it even then. Any talk of transfiguration into birds is dropped outright as unimportant, and he settles down on a bench in a park to try to sort out how to explain anything of what he feels or if he should even bother. He's downed about a quarter of the flask he keeps on his person in addition to what he had at the bar by the time Oz gets a reply.]
there isn't anyone i trust as much as you
it's not about that
if you need someone i'll do it, that's not even a question alright
but i
shit oz
i don't even like being in my head
you don't need to be here too when there's other options
no subject
So he could understand the reasoning of the other to not entirely want to do this. So he reads the flurry of incoming texts with narrowed eyes, before sighing and responding. ]
And you think mine is...much better?
No one is perfect, Qrow, not even myself.
But if there is anyone here I can put my trust in...it is going to be you.
After all we've known each other for many years now.
[ Lies and half truths aside he does mean it, well, as much as he can. Ozpin has never been good at trusting anyone but in a place where it's implemented in such a way...well Qrow was definitely someone he would choose. ]
But if it makes you uncomfortable...I don't mind finding someone else.
But I am worried about you.