After the Battle, Before the Storm
This set of stories follows on from Volume 7 – Friends and Enemies, and operate as a transition between Volume 7 and Volume 8.
A Bagatelle
Weiss receives some surprising news. I mean, really surprising.
"Hello, Winter," said Weiss.
To Weiss' surprise, Winter jumped up from her chair and hugged her. "Hullo, Weiss!" she said. "Thanks for coming on such short notice."
Weiss tried to remember the last time that Winter had thanked her for anything. It was ... never.
She sat down at the table in the cafe. It was hard to accept that Winter was sitting there, drinking coffee and finishing a pastry. Winter signalled the waiter for another pastry, and one for Weiss.
She was smiling.
And she was not wearing her sword.
But it was the smiling thing that was ... disturbing.
"You're scaring me, sister," said Weiss.
"I have news," said Winter. "Good news."
"Our step-father died from an excess of temper tantrums?"
"No." She chuckled.
"Whitley has come out?"
"No." Another chuckle.
"Alright, I give up."
"Well, here it is. Are you ready?"
"To tell the truth, I don't think so. But tell me anyway."
"You, Weiss ... are going to be ... an auntie!"
"Uh, what?"
"I'm going to have a baby!"
Whoa, thought Weiss. That's ... that's ... it's hard to find the right word. Or indeed any word.
"Er, uh, good," Weiss finally managed to say.
"It's not just good, it's great! I'm puking every morning! And putting on weight! Say, are you going to eat that?"
Weiss handed the pastry to her. Two bites and it was gone.
"And it's all thanks to you!" said Winter.
"Uh, I think Qrow probably had something to do with it. Er, we are talking about Qrow, right?"
"We are. But you know what I mean."
"Is Qrow ... alright with this?"
"Yes, he is. Happy. Scared. Like me. We might get married at some point. Maybe." She signalled the waiter again for more food. She undid the buttons on her jacket.
Weiss considered. So if my sister marries Yang's uncle, that means that Yang and I would be ... what?
"Too confusing," she muttered.
"What's confusing about it? People have been having babies for some time now. In fact, it's a reminder to people who do what we do that despite all this – the training, the fighting, the Grimm, Salem, all the rest – that we can have something like normal lives. And that happiness can be where you find it."
Weiss thought about it – for a long time. "Yes, you're right," she said eventually. "Say, do you mind if I send a message? To Ruby." She took out her scroll. "She's ... well, she has started to see someone. Sort of. But she doesn't know what she should do, what with being, er, the leader of Team RWBY and everything."
Winter could not reply on account of her mouth being stuffed with cupcake but she gestured for Weiss to go ahead. She loosened her belt.
Weiss typed a message.
Grab him. With both hands. Even if you have to stand on a chair. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't. But do it anyway.
Send.
"Winter," said Weiss. "I'm really happy for you. Surprised, yes, but very happy. For both of you. Hey, can I have one of those?"
"No, but we can order some more," said Winter.
"Let's do that," said Weiss. "Let's order every cake in the place."
"A wonderful idea, Auntie Weiss," said Winter.
Weiss' scroll buzzed. A message from Ruby.
Smiley-face.
END
Eat Dessert First
Because life is short.
"What are you thinking about, lovely girlfriend of mine?" said Yang.
Blake smiled. "How good it is to be with you," she said. "How good it is to share a bed with you."
They were standing on the verandah of the Belladonna family house in Menagerie, drinking wine and watching the dusk gather over the town.
Yang nodded towards the bed in Blake's room. It was a tangle of sheets and pillows, the result of an afternoon of pleasurable passion. "No argument from me," she said. "But I am not sure your mother approves. I'm not sure why, since you said you had had relationships with women before."
"Faunus sexuality is … different … to what you might be used to," she said. "On the one hand, it's a lot freer and more open, and it starts early. Sexual relationships between women, or between men, are entirely accepted – up to a point. There is an expectation that eventually you will settle down with a partner of the opposite sex. And start producing children. It's an animal thing. A relationship between two women is seen as something that should be youthful fun rather than a solid, lasting connection."
"Ah," said Yang. "So Kali is worried that she might not get any grandchildren."
"I suspect so. She wanted me and Sun to get together, I think, even though I told her it was not going to happen. Anyway, he broke up with me a while ago – not that, in my view at least, there was anything to break up from."
"Really?" said Yang. "What reason did he give for breaking up? By which I mean 'breaking up'."
"He said that my life was too dull for him."
"Huh. Go figure."
"Yes, go figure. Actually, there is something else I was thinking of, just then. The news from Weiss, that Winter is pregnant."
"Yeah, that's weird," said Yang. "Who would have thought? I mean, she was the most tightly-wrapped person you could ever meet, made even Weiss look laid-back. And now, according to Weiss, she is spending a lot of time eating profiteroles and telling everyone how wonderful it is to throw up every day. Hey, I should call Qrow and get his take on it."
"Mmm, it's hard to imagine him as a father."
"I think he might rise to the occasion. But are you trying to tell me, Blake, that this thing between us can only be temporary? That at some point you might have to obey your faunus hormones and want to settle down with a nice fellow and have kids yourself?"
Blake frowned. Clearly, this was an issue that had been on her mind lately.
"I … I don't know," she said. "But how about you? Do you want to have kids?"
Yang sighed. "Oh yes," she said. "I do. I always have. A lot of them. A tribe. But there is also the complication of us being Hunters. I don't think Hunters get to retire gracefully and build normal lives for themselves. Someone once told me that it can be a pretty awful path, but if it is in your heart you have to walk it anyway."
Ghira came onto the verandah. He handed Blake a book. "Thanks for this, it was very interesting," he said. "May I borrow another one?"
"Sure, help yourself," said Blake. They watched him go into Blake's room and take several books from the shelf and go back into the other part of the house.
"Odd," said Blake. "I don't remember him ever reading a book before. In fact, aside from me faunus are not great readers. Except cookbooks. They all love cookbooks. And, for some reason, books about shoes. But lately there has been an explosion of reading. Novels, poetry, history, everything. Very strange."
"Hmm," said Yang. "Why do I get the feeling there is a story there?"
They were both silent for a long while. Then Blake said: "You know, when I was being held captive in Salem's castle, I started thinking that that might be the end for me. That my life could simply stop, right there. Or if not then, any other time. The next fight, or the one after, or the one after that. You die. Plain as that. You never get to wake up again. Or eat chocolate. Or have sex. Or sneeze. Or tell someone you love them.
"Yang, think of all the times we have survived by a lucky whisker. Eventually, if we continue to do what we do, the odds will turn against us. A bullet or a blade or a claw or something else."
"Are you saying … that you want to quit? Quit Team RWBY? Quit being a Hunter?"
Blake considered. "No," she said. "I am saying that there will be a day when I do."
Yang was silent. Eventually, she said: "Until then … what?"
Blkae smiled again. "I happen to know a store in Menagerie that sells the best chocolate you have ever had," she said. "Let's go get some. And then … let's go back to bed. And not worry too much about the future."
Yang took Blake into her arms and kissed her. "Sounds like a plan," she said.
RWBY
Two weeks before, in Atlas
The doctor was silent as she studied the test results. "I have to say," she said, "that this is outside my area of expertise. Probably outside the expertise of everyone."
"Like I needed to hear that," said Yang. "Look, all I want to know is why I occasionally get the shakes in my hand. And why it seems to be spreading."
"Well," said the doctor. "My speciality is artificial limbs, and I can tell you that your prosthetic arm is working exactly as it should. The issue seems to be that there is a conflict between the technology and something else in your body. Some other force that is hard to identify. Anything unusual about your family?"
"Only everything. Do you know what a Maiden is?"
"As I understand it, they are women who possess great powers, sometimes magic. I saw them on the newscreen over the battle at the airport a while ago."
"Well, one of the Maidens is my mother. She was a Maiden when I was born."
The doctor leaned back in her chair, thinking.
"Ah," she said. "Well, that explains your unusual strength. If you inherited some of her power, then that might be what is causing the problem. I doubt that magic and technology go well together."
"Should I stop using the arm?"
"The integration with your nervous system has already taken place, as it is supposed to. Not using the arm now would have no effect. And I should tell you, Miss Xiao Long, that the problem is likely to grow. There is already evidence that your heart and other organs are starting to suffer damage. I can give you some booster drugs but that is, at best, no more than a way to slow it down. Without your Aura – that is the term, isn't it? – you would be in much worse shape.
"I wish I had better news for you. But … it is what it is."
Yang was quiet as she considered the news. "Yes," she said at last. "It is what it is. And life is short."
END
Qrow vs A Punching Bag
He loses.
Ruby was drinking her morning coffee in the garden of her father's house in Patch when she heard a noise from the little barn. She went to check it out.
It was Qrow, pounding away at Yang's old punching bag. When he saw her he stopped.
"Hi kiddo," he said. "I dropped in last night, your dad said I could stay for a day or two. I know that he's at Signal at the moment. Hope I didn't disturb you."
"I'm always glad to see you, uncle," she said. "But what do you have against that punching bag?"
He looked at his bruised knuckles. "Damn, what did Yang stuff this with, rocks?" he said.
"Of course not," said Ruby, with a laugh. "It's just off-cuts of wood and pieces of old pipe."
Qrow gave a grunt and went back to slamming the bag. "I guess you heard the news," he said. "About Winter."
"Yep, Weiss has sent me several messages. She says that Winter is eating everything in sight. And is annoyingly happy."
Wham, wham, wham.
"Does that mean that you are not so pleased with the prospect of a new addition to the clan?" said Ruby.
He continued to punch.
"Huh," said Ruby. "And here was me thinking that you had fallen in love. Because you shave now."
"Wrong, wrong, wrong," said Qrow. "I … I … I just … it's just that Winter, well … she's very attractive, you know. That's … all it has ever been. Physical. Otherwise, I have no interest in her at all. She and I are completely different. Completely. Nothing in common at all. Absolutely nothing. Zero. Nada. Zip."
Wham, thunk, wham.
"Are you saying that to me or to the bag?" said Ruby. "Or are you trying to convince yourself?"
He stopped punching and stared at her. "When did you get to be so wise?" he said.
"It's been a busy couple of years," she said. "Uncle, I can understand that you feel … uncertain."
"Uncertain!? You think that's the right word!? Damn, Ruby, I've killed thousands of Grimm, been in more battles than I can count, faced any number of bad guys. And I can tell you that right now I'm more terrified than I have ever been, of anything."
Ruby smiled. "Scared of loving someone, or scared of being a father?" she said.
"They rate about equally on the fear scale." He began to punch the bag again. After a while, he said: "There's something I haven't told her."
"Ah," said Ruby. "The bird thing."
"That's one way of saying it. I have no idea what effect the magic that Ozpin put inside me might have. Damn, the kid could pop out with feathers."
"Uh, you do know that one of my best friends has got cat ears, right? Plenty of people walking around with horns and tails, there's sure to be some with feathers too. But in this case it probably won't happen. After all, Yang is Raven's daughter, and she didn't inherit anything aside from a quick temper."
Qrow considered. "Hey, that's right," he said. "I didn't think of that."
"Nevertheless, it's probably something that you should discuss with Winter. Just in case."
He nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Just in case. But how should I raise it? 'Hey, sweetie, I can turn into a crow. It might be contagious. Funny, huh?' "
"Good a way as any. Take a box of chocolates. A big box."
Qrow gave a little laugh.
From the front of the house there was a sound of a motorbike. Ruby called out: "In the barn, Yatsu!" She turned to Qrow. "And here is another surprise, uncle," she said.
"Don't tell me that you have a boyfriend, munchkin," he said.
Ruby thought about it. "I don't think I'm ready to call him a boyfriend," she said. "But we like being with each other, I think. And we have fought together as well."
"A good place to start," said Qrow. "Wait, you mean, fought on the same side, not fought each other, right?"
"I would say shoulder to shoulder, but there is a substantial height difference," said Ruby.
Yatsuhashi Daichi appeared. Ruby introduced them.
"It is an honour, sir," said Yatsuhashi, shaking Qrow's hand. "I did not know you were Ruby's uncle."
"It's an honorary title," said Qrow. "Do you guys have something planned?"
"I thought that we would ride to a little inn up in the hills, have lunch there," said Yatsuhashi.
"Sounds fine," said Ruby, taking Yatsuhashi's hand.
"Mister Branwen, will you be here when we get back?" said Yatsuhashi.
Qrow considered. "No," he said. "There is someone I should see, say some important things to."
Ruby smiled. "Good luck, uncle," she said.
"And good luck to you too," said Qrow.
END
A Visit to Grandma's House
What sharp teeth you have, Grandma.
Faber Schnee looked at her granddaughters. She gave a sigh that was probably one of disapproval.
"So I am soon to be a great-grandmother," she said.
"In five months," said Winter. "You will be pleased to hear that the father is an unshaven, poorly-dressed drunkard."
"Although not as much as he used to be," added Weiss.
Faber sighed again.
Weiss and Winter looked around at the house. It was not large but everything in it was of the highest quality. It smelled of money. There was probably a troop of servants hiding somewhere.
"Are you going to offer us something to eat?" said Winter.
"My dear," said Faber. "I don't do that sort of thing. If you wanted to eat you should have gone to a restaurant. Or brought something with you."
In response, Winter took a candy bar from her pocket. She unwrapped it and began to eat.
Faber sighed once more. "Why are you here?" she said. "The Schnees have never been big on social calls."
"We have come to inform you," said Weiss, "that your daughter Weide, our mother, passed away a week ago. She did not come out of the coma."
Faber leaned back in her well-padded chair. "That is ... a pity," she said. "If not entirely unexpected. Tell me, how did Jacques take it?"
"We have had nothing to do with him, but I doubt that he was terribly broken up." said Winter. She finished her candy bar and quite deliberately put the empty wrapper on the low table between them.
"Ah, Jacques," said Faber. "Did you know that it was me that introduced them?"
"No, but somehow I am not surprised," said Weiss.
"Well," said Faber. "Is that it? Will you be leaving now?"
"I guess there is no reason for us to stay," said Winter. "Although you might like to know that the will has been read. Weiss and I have inherited the major portion of Weide's interest in the company that controls the Schnee conglomerate. Klein was also given some shares – three percent, more than enough to make him quite well off."
"He's going to start a bakery-café," said Weiss.
"Well, isn't that nice," said Faber. "You know, I have a few shares in the company lying around somewhere."
"Really?" said Winter. "How much?"
"20.37 percent. Now, I am sure you must be going. Thank you for the news. Winter, please take your wrapper with you."
Weiss and Winter said goodbye and walked to the waiting airship.
"So that's where the Schnee genes come from," said Winter. "Oh, darn, I forgot the wrapper." She chuckled.
"You can take Schnees out of the family but not the family out of the Schnees," said Weiss. "Correct me if I am wrong, but our inheritances were each 14 percent of the company, right? And Klein was given three per cent. Add that to Faber's 20 percent, and it comes to ... "
"Over 50 percent," said Winter. "How about that."
END
Cake vs Cookies
Things are going well in Remnant – aside from the dark shadow in the background.
"I have never understood your attachment to cookies," said Weiss. "Clearly, cake is superior."
"The thing is," said Ruby, "you can't crunch cake."
"She has a point, young madam," said Klein. He set down a slice of cake in front of Weiss and a plate of cookies in front of Ruby.
"Oh my," said Weiss.
"Oh double my," said Ruby.
"Wait, don't start without me!" said a voice. Weiss and Ruby looked around.
It was Winter, with Qrow. With her swollen abdomen, Winter was not as fast on her feet as she had been, but fast enough to reach the table, sit down, and take Weiss' cake from under her nose in a matter of seconds.
"Hey!" said Weiss. "Being seven months pregnant doesn't mean you're allowed to steal other people's cake!"
"Actually, it does," said Klein, putting another piece in front of Weiss. It was slightly larger than the one she had had before, so she was not dissatisfied.
Yang and Blake burst in. It looked as if they had run all the way from the Atlas airship port. "Please tell us there's some left!" said Yang.
"Calm down, we haven't even begun yet," said Klein. "Plenty for everyone, especially as you are my first customers and I haven't even officially opened for business yet." He handed them menus.
"Gosh," said Blake, looking at the long list. "How many types do you have?"
"Twenty-six. No, wait, twenty-seven, there is a special one just for you, not on the menu." He whispered in her ear.
"Please marry me," said Blake to him.
"Hey!" said Yang. "What about – "
"Is everyone here now?" said Weiss. "Can we start?"
"Too late," said Ruby, around a mouthful of crumbs.
"Two more guests to come," said Klein. "Ah, here they are now."
General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch came in and sat down. They were obviously … together.
The jaws of nearly everyone dropped.
"Are … are you guys … on a … date?" said Ruby.
"Er, no," said Ironwood.
"We might be," said Glynda. "Married people can go on dates, can't they?"
The jaws dropped even further.
"Heh, funny story," said Yang. "Yep, they're married. To each other. Have been for a long time, apparently. I found out about it when the General paid me a call to help me adjust to the tech-arm."
"And … you didn't think to mention it!?" said Blake.
"Uh, er, well … I guess it slipped my mind. You know me, not good on the details."
"In any case," said the General, "today is about Klein and his new enterprise, the best bakery-café in Remnant, The Cake Butler. So here is to him."
They toasted the venture with cake and cookies.
After a great deal of eating, they all leaned back in their chairs.
"Well, that was a good start," said Winter.
"It's probably a good thing that you are now on leave from the military," said Qrow. "Gives you more time to eat."
"Eating for two, you know," said Winter, as she loosened her belt. "I can only say that it's a very hungry bub."
"Have you chosen a name?" said Yang.
"We're thinking of something … birdy," said Winter.
"No we're not," said Qrow.
"Corvus, maybe," said Winter. "Or Rook. Vogel. Falke."
"All of which are totally unacceptable," said Qrow.
"So you told her, did you?" said Ruby to Qrow.
"Already knew," put in Winter. "Intelligence officer, remember. There's not much we don't know."
"Well, you certainly don't know much about naming kids," said Qrow.
"How about Ravenna, after your sister?" said Winter. "And Yang's mother."
Everyone stared at her. "Uh, have you ever met my mother?" said Yang.
"Can't say I have."
"Then take Ravenna off the list. Trust me."
Winter shrugged. "Plenty of time yet," she said.
Ruby gave a little laugh. "You know, it's fun to be able to joke around like this. Eat cake and celebrate things. Everything in Remnant is going pretty well, it seems. All the Academies are functioning, there's talk of a tournament. Even Vacuo seems to be improving."
"I heard that there is something like a government there now," said Weiss. "Someone stepped up and took over the Dust mines, stopped the Schnee Dust Corporation from playing off the small mining companies against each other. Tripled the prices, to something approaching fair. A real headache for Jacques, I would think. Heh heh."
"And good things are happening in Menagerie as well," put in Blake. "There's going to be a new school there soon, an advanced one. Might even be the start of a new Academy. Rather strange, if you grew up there and were the only person who read books."
"Maybe not so strange," said Ruby softly.
"And the best part," said Yang, "is that Salem seems to have vanished. Her castle in the Frostfire Wastes has remained empty, and there hasn't been a peep from her from months. I guess she knows when she's beat."
RWBY
At that moment, Salem was staring into the flames of a fire.
"I will kill them all," she said to herself. "Starting with … "
END