Hidden Meadow, Harmony, capitol of the Sequoia Tree
8 months after the events of RWBY: Darkfall
Light streamed through the small openings in the purple curtains that hung in Liz's and Jozy's bedroom. The room was empty and the bed was still unmade; the lavender duvet wrinkled beyond recognition. In front of the bed was a white door that lead to a large walk in closet that held the majority of the couple's clothes. To the right of the door was another door that lead out to the rest of the house. Along the walls were pictures of Jozy and Liz on their wedding day; and some more recent ones involving Ruby and Weiss, Tyler, Kale and Mackenzie, and Saffeara. On the bedside tables they had pictures of Orchid and their newest addition; a baby girl named Fuchsia Glass.
The door opened suddenly and Liz entered; her wet hair rolled up in a towel, and a white towel wrapped around her body, which showed off her hourglass figure nicely. Liz was still baffled as to how she maintained such a young figure; but she chalked it up to the many hours of training she did every day. She shut the door and immediately went to the closet door and opened it. There she walked in and threw the towels to the floor behind her; waiting to be picked up later. Inside the closet was a mirror that one could look into and make sure that they looked their best.
Liz walked over to the mirror and turned around. She looked at the tribal tattoo that would appear on her body every time she absorbed a new semblance; and silently wondered if one day it would overtake her entire body.
"No, Jozy wouldn't allow that. He would save me." Liz mumbled to herself.
She grabbed a black bra and a pair of matching lace panites and slipped them on before turning around. She looked at her body from multiple angles until she tripped on one of her shoes; and started to fall.
"Crap." Liz said; the floor rapidly approaching.
Luckily a hand grabbed her right wrist and guided her to its owner. Liz suddenly found herself held close to Jozy; who had both of his arms around her lower back.
"Now I'm no expert; but I think I just saved your life." He laughed.
Liz scoffed before putting her forehead to Jozy's chest. She could hear his heartbeat which at this point had lulled her to sleep many a night.
"I'm not that bad." She said.
"Well there was that time you almost killed a waiter when we went out eat that one time." Jozy responded; looking to the ceiling.
Liz looked up at him, her cheeks rosy, "Y-You're such a ass."
"Heh, and you're a dick. I guess we make one dirty joke." Jozy said; trying to contain his laughter.
Liz, however, couldn't and started laughing uncontrollably. After a few moments she quieted down and wiped her eyes.
"Thanks for that; but now I really need to get dressed." Liz said; starting to pull away.
"Aww I thought you had time for something else." Jozy said; looking her in the eyes.
Liz smiled, "I wish; but it's not a safe day."
Jozy hooked a finger around her panty's left waist band, where it wrapped around her hip.
"Who said it wasn't just for you?" Jozy asked.
Liz's expression changed to a seductive one as she felt his finger follow her waist band towards the front of her panties and what lay beneath. However, she stopped him halfway, although her body didn't want her to.
"Sorry, but I still have to do stuff today. Yet, I wouldn't mind relieving some stress later." Liz said; winking at him.
"Pssh, alright." Jozy said; smirking.
With that he turned around and disappeared from view. Liz smiled to herself as she turned back to the task of figuring out what she wanted to wear today.
Suddenly Jozy grabbed her from behind and spun her around so that she was facing him again. He kissed her before she could protest which sent shivers down the spine of the receiver. When he pulled away it left Liz breathless; her mind barely registering what had happened.
"Happy birthday." Jozy said; before letting her go.
He chuckled as he left her there standing in her underwear; her eyes wide and cheeks rosy. When he left, Liz, lightly tapped herself on the cheek and untensed her shoulders. Another shiver ran down her spine as she turned back to the clothes, a soft smile gracing her lips.
A few minutes later Liz came down the stairs dressed in a red button shirt and a pair of black, straight leg, jeans; which were pushed into her red, high heeled, boots. Hidden inside the pitch and along the shank of the heels were a set of serrated blades that were dipped in chile powder; for fun.
She went into the kitchen to find Jozy sitting at the dining room table feeding baby Fuchsia; while Orchid had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and was cooking breakfast. It really was Liz's birthday. Both of them heard her heels on the hardwood floor and turned towards her.
"Happy birthday, Mom." the now eighteen year old Orchid said.
Orchid grabbed a plate of food and set it at the empty place in the table next to Jozy. Orchid's face grew a soft smile and her eyes shined with sincerity behind her black framed glasses.
"Thank you, Ori. Can it be my birthday every day?" She joked.
Orchid snorted, "Sorry, but I still have responsibilities," Fuchsia started crying. "And I think my sister wants to see her mother."
Liz turned to see Jozy stand up and hand her Fuchsia, which she cradled her gently as she started to rock back and forth.
"Shh shhh, it's okay, I'm here." Liz said in a soothing tone.
This seemed to do the trick and Fuchsia quieted down; her orange eyes transfixed on her mother's own. Liz smiled before placing Fuchsia on her shoulder and started to burp her. Jozy's scroll started to ring and he quickly answered it. Orchid took the opportunity to put the skillet and other cooking supplies in the sink. Liz finally heard Fuchsia burp and proceeded to hold her as she waited for Jozy to get done.
After a few moments Jozy put his scroll down.
"Welp, Team RWBY and Saffeara made it in." he announced.
Liz was confused, "You didn't tell me they were coming in."
She turned to look at the rest of the house; and while it had already been cleaned she just couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed a spot.
"Nope, and I didn't tell you about your birthday dinner either; but I figure I've repented enough since planning it." Jozy replied.
Liz was taken aback, she couldn't believe that they managed to hide something from her for so long; not that she was complaining of course.
"But, who's going to take care of Fuchsia while we're gone?" Liz asked; looking between Jozy and Orchid.
Orchid raised her hand, "I got it; besides it's not the first time I've baby sat her."
Liz breathed a sigh of relief when she heard how her family had planned this so perfectly.
"Alright, I'll admit you guys are pretty clever; and I love you guys; but this really a lot for a 35th birthday." Liz said; shifting Fuchsia in her arms.
Orchid saw her mom's discomfort and went and took Fuchsia from her. She softly bounced her in her arms while her dad responded to Liz.
"Don't worry, Lizzy, we love you enough to celebrate for two weeks straight; but that doesn't mean we want to spend the money on it." Jozy said; with a mischievous smirk.
Liz felt her eye twitch when she heard that name, "Oh? I might just have to take you up on that if you keep calling me that name."
Jozy just snickered at his wife, whose topaz eyes were glowing like fire.
"Anyway, dinner's at 3 o' clock so until then I'm going to run some maintenance on our weapons so I'll see you when I get done." Jozy said; standing up.
Both women bid him farewell and went back to their daily routines.
Hours went passed and eventually lead to Liz sitting in front of her vanity trying to get her hair to cooperate. She had been sitting here for at least thirty minutes and just could not get her hair to do anything nice. "Oh my God! This hair is worst than trying to build a goddamn sniper rifle!" Liz yelled in her mind, the frustration setting in. Luckily before she punched a hole in the mirror, Jozy, entered their bedroom and moved over to Liz.
He put a hand on her shoulder, "Need some help?"
Liz's orange eyes looked up at him before nodding. He smiled before picking up a comb and running it through her naturally red and black hair. He made sure to gently work out any and all knots, before picking up the curling iron.
"Heh, this reminds me of that time we were suppose to go to the school dance, but you were panicking about your Grimm anatomy final; and I had to calm you down whilst helping you get ready." Jozy said, starting to curl her hair.
Liz chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I was a bit of a dits back then."
Liz had poked herself with the cheek while saying this and her long fingernail allowed her to pierce the skin.
"Ow." Liz said; as she saw blood on her fingernail.
Jozy snorted as he pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Liz.
"Thank you." She said, meekly.
Jozy finished curling her hair and swept the left portion of her hair behind her ear.
"You're still a dits, Elizabeth," he kissed the top of her head, "but you're my dits and I wouldn't want you any other way."
Liz felt her heart flutter as she grabbed the hand on her shoulder, her engagement ring and wedding band glistening in the soft glow of the orange lamp light.
"You damn sweet talker." She said; turning around and pulling him down by his coat collar.
She kissed him passionately before pulling away her eyes filled with love and gratitude.
"I can see why I married you." Jozy said; backing away so that she could get up.
Liz got up and threw away the tissue, Jozy had given her. From the standing position one could now see what she had chosen to wear for the evening.
She had settled on a white blouse that was low cut enough to just show the beginning of her cleavage, but nothing more. Its sleeves were short so that her tattoo would show on her right arm. For her pants she wore a grey dress that had frills to match the frills on her blouse. Finally on her feet she wore her red and black, high-heeled, boots.
"You look amazing; but I think you forgot something." Jozy said; pulling out a small red box.
Liz looked down and yet another smile spread across her face. Jozy opened the box and withdrew a necklace that had everyone of her family's birthstones on it with the center piece being her alexandrite birthstone.
"Wow, someone is really trying hard this year. It's as if he expects a reward." Liz playfully mocked.
She turned around and let Jozy put the necklace on her.
"Maybe I do; but that can wait till later." Jozy said; snapping the necklace chain together.
He made sure to leave his fingers touching the back of her neck for just a moment longer before pulling away. Liz's lips curled into a soft smile before standing up. Grabbing her purse she followed Jozy out of the room where they would get into their car and drive to downtown Harmony.
Downtown Harmony was filled with the hustle and bustle of normal city life mixed with the high octane importance of government bureaucracy. The city was still developing; but most of the major necessities had been handled by the Sequoia Tree which was the literal government in this city.
Jozy and Liz arrived at a steakhouse on the western side of the city; and were immediately sat at their reserved table. There they waited for the others to arrive. The first ones to arrive were Team RWBY and Saffeara who had just gotten into the city a few hours earlier. Liz went over to welcome them starting with Ruby.
"Hey rosebud." Liz said; hugging Ruby.
"Hi Liz! It's been too long since I last saw you." Ruby said; giving her a quick squeeze.
Liz chuckled before letting go and turning to Yang.
"I see you over there, Yang. You keeping this one from getting her head blown off?" Liz asked; pointing to Ruby.
Yang smiled, scratching the back of her head, "I try; but she's a bit of a hot head now a days."
"Yang!" Ruby said; puffing out her cheeks.
Weiss snorted and grabbed Ruby's hand, "You're such a kid."
"I see well I guess there is one person who's looking out for, Ruby." Liz said.
"Oh, that's good because if you wanted someone to look out for Ruby, you should probably look for someone other than the person who almost killed Neo the other day." Blake chimed in.
"Oh? Do tell." Liz said; as she made note of Yang's jaw hitting the floor.
"Neo put gum in her hair one day; and we spent the entire day cutting it out of her hair." Blake laughed, at her girlfriend's expense.
Yang just covered her face with her hands as both women laughed. Ruby and Weiss snickered at them as they laughed.
"Okay I suppose we better sit down." Liz said; turning towards the table.
"What am I? Chopped liver?" Saffeara piped up, crossing her arms.
Liz let the others go before her as she went over to Saffeara.
"Sorry, I would have hugged you; but I thought you wouldn't like getting smothered by my boobs." Liz said; with a carefree smile.
Saffeara's face deadpanned, "Did you forget who I was? I will never get sick of your boobs."
It took all that Liz had to not laugh and instead she just hugged Saffeara.
Saffeara entered a state of bliss as her head squished into Liz's ample chest. While she wasn't as big as when she was pregnant, Saffeara, wasn't complaining. She was in seventh heaven right now. Unfortunately, it ended all too soon as Liz broke the hug.
"Better now?" Liz asked; still holding Saffeara's hands.
"Yes, but I would much rather fall asleep on them." Saffeara said; a bit dejectedly.
"Oh so that's why you like my boobs so much." Liz said; bending her waist a little bit.
Saffeara laughed, "You caught me."
Both of them brought their conversation over to the table where the others were talking amongst themselves.
The next party guests to arrive was Kale and Mackenzie who were on their last day in Harmony. It was one of the few times that any of them actually got to see Kale's mouth, well Mackenzie got to see it all the time but that wasn't the point.
"Happy Birthday, Liz. How have you been?" Mackenzie asked; hugging her.
Liz returned the hug, "I've been great, thanks." Liz backed away from the hug. "Damn, you look good."
"Ha, thanks. Sorry, we haven't been by to see you guys," She hit Kale in the side. "But we got really busy."
"That's okay, all that matters is you're here now." Liz said with a smile.
Mackenzie was in fact Liz's best friend. They had bonded after Kale met Jozy and quickly became very good teammates and fierce rivals.
The two parties sat down and waited for their last guest to arrive. About fifteen minutes later, Tyler, arrived clad in a black suit since he was on business from Atlas.
"Happy birthday, Liz." he congratulated in a booming voice.
"Thanks." Liz said; hugging the much taller man.
No more words were said between the two as they wanted to begin the festivities.
The food was served and the amount was enough to feed a small army. Ruby was trying to eat all the sweets, but would get her hand slapped by Weiss. Mackenzie was trying to not spit her drink all over the table as Kale had made a joke that she could not get over. Tyler and Saffeara looked like they were having an eating contest although they were just eating. Jozy and Liz were already feeling full; both of them were lightweights when it came to food. Finally, Blake and Yang were practically feeding each other, whilst laughing. However, at one point Yang's right arm appeared to have a mind of its own and locked up, leaving her thumb pointing straight out.
She got up with a reassuring smile, "Excuse me."
Yang walked away and headed off to the bathroom; carrying her purse in tow. Liz watched her as she walked away and whispered in Jozy's ear. She then got up and followed Yang into the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, Yang, had set her arm up on the counter and had opened the side of it to reveal the mechanical workings of it. When she had last her arm 5 years ago she had gotten a robotic prosthetic; but unlike Ruby's arm her's was old and a prototype to boot. Thus it needed to be replaced once every year, however, that cost money that Yang didn't have and she didn't want to pester her family like her mother would have done.
She set her purse on the counter and got a tool bag out of it and started to work on her arm. However, her eyes went wide as she heard the door open and close. She turned to see Liz standing there eyeing the arm. Yang jumped back knocking her purse and the tools onto the floor.
"Liz! I-I can explain." Yang said; bending down and starting to pick up the contents of her purse.
Liz calmly bent down and placed her hand over the frantic girl's real one.
"Yang, honey you don't need to worry. I'm here to help." Liz said; wiping Yang's eyes.
Yang sniffled before forcing a smile. Liz's iconic soft smile returned, before she helped Yang get her stuff together. She then had Yang sit on the counter, and held her arm out so she could see the inner workings of Yang's arm. She grabbed three of the tools and started to fiddle with the inner workings; well that's at least what it looked like to Yang. Suddenly she could move her thumb again.
"Wow, Liz! You did an hour's worth of work in fifteen minutes!" Yang said; excitedly.
Liz wiped her brow, "I would have done it faster; but that thing is filled with more rust than Crescent Rose was when I rebuilt it."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Yang said; about to jump down from the counter.
Liz stopped her, "Wait Yang, I'm no idiot. That arm needs to be replaced otherwise you are going to get tetanus so bad that you'll need twenty shots."
"I know, Liz, it's just I don't have the money for it and I don't want to have anybody give it to me, because that means I haven't earned it." Yang explained.
Liz's smile returned, "Yang, I understand what you're saying; but you also have a job to do. Whether it be protecting the bar, or defending Blake you can't do either single handedly; and that's why when I go back on active duty next week I'm going to give you a new arm free of charge."
Yang started to tear up, "You can't do that, Liz. I mean to most people the bar isn't even that important to most people."
"You're wrong, Yang. Most people look up to the Huntsmen Bar and see it as a place of safety in the frontier." Liz said; wiping the younger woman's eyes.
She then hugged Yang, who gingerly accepted.
"T-Thank you, so much." Yang said; sniffling.
"Heh, don't cry, Yang, you'll ruin your make up." Liz chuckled.
She took a few extra minutes to get Yang cleaned up before they returned to the others.
The evening went on without further incident and eventually lead to Jozy and Liz cuddling on the balcony of their home; looking up at the starry sky.
"So all in all how was your birthday?" Jozy asked.
Liz smiled as she listened to his heartbeat, "It was good."