A/N: Hi there, and welcome to a companion to my other fic, Birds of a Feather. So many of you have sent requests and I will get to them. Though this one from Artesy is a bit time sensitive since it is a Christmas omake. Or should I say nondescript winter holiday. As stated before these are all not canon in any way without further ado here's a bit of Christmas. Merry Christmas.
Shiloh never thought she would dislike anything, she took everything in stride. She was even tempered and there wasn't anything to rattle her. But she hated this. The wind was cold and blowing on her face. Though wind shouldn't be the problem; there was plenty of wind from her home. It was the cold. It was the snow that coated everything, sending the world to a peaceful sleep. With the vegetation dying, the blind girl could only see the auras of her motely team. The various colors bright in the dying color around them. "Hey, you need help there?" Asher asked, his voice concerned rather than the joking or flirtatious tone he normally have.
"Your offer is kind, but to take the easy path would be like forsake my personal growth," Shiloh said. She shivered slightly in the cold. Asher chuckled standing a bit closer to her.
"The wind is picking up. We should find shelter before it gets worse," Robin's more commanding voice called out. Shiloh listened as the rest of the group debated on the direction to go. Either back from the small village they left from or forward in the hopes to find shelter. They decided forward.
Asher stayed by Shiloh's side. They were joined by Salken, the taller man getting to her left. Judging from the mixing colors in front of her, Jay and the others were doing the same huddling together for warmth. Shiloh squinted her eyes against the wind. Her right foot sunk deep into snow. Salken righted her and guided her along.
"I see a building," Tanya called out. She sounded happy and relief which was better than her normal paranoid self in Shiloh's opinion at least. "What if someone lives there?" she asked, nervousness filling her voice.
"Then Jay can just bribe them a little," Asher responded with a laugh. Shiloh chuckled and she could hear Harriet as well.
"I am starting to run low. Someone keeps eating all my gold pieces," Jay responded with false heat.
"A goblin?" Salken asked excited. "It has to be some fantastic creature. None of us have been eating gold."
"I meant Asher has expensive taste," Jay clarified.
"Though he could be adding gold shavings to his meals," Robin added.
"Hey, I'm not the only one who spending too much money. You bought all of us coats, including Oriole and she isn't even here," Asher complained.
"Asher has a point," Harriet added amused. By this point the group was at the door to the small cabin. Shiloh couldn't see it, but Salken and Asher filled her in. Taking point, Robin knocked on the door. The group waited with baited breath. The snow was starting to fall. The white flakes building on their shoulders. Shiloh sniffled.
"Just kick it in," Asher said, pushing his way to the front before kicking the door down. Or at least Shiloh assumed that he did so. Salken guided her after the rest of the group. She sighed in relief. The wind was gone, blocked by what smelt of wood. The group of colors lowered themselves to the floor.
Tanya stood up first. She was lifting something that Shiloh couldn't see. Moments later, the blind girl could feel the warmth of the fire. She moved closer to it stopping it when Harriet reached out with a pink aura hand on her shoulder. "So now what?" Asher asked.
"We warm up some food and bunk down here till the storm passes," Robin replied. "I hope you all like potato stew... again."
The group fell asleep with full bellies after conversations and stories about past nondescript winter holidays.
Shiloh woke up to someone shaking her. From the excited voice, it had to be Salken. She opened her red eyes to see Robin's green aura. He had to be fearful from the way his aura felt. "Is there danger?" she asked.
"Someone broke in," Robin responded. "Tanya is checking the perimeter again."
"I thought this was abandoned," Shiloh responded.
"I was positive it was. I just don't understand how they snuck past me," Robin said, seriousness weighing down his voice.
"What did they do?" Shiloh asked, now worried searching for Jay's blue aura.
"Presents," Salken's voice broke through. "The magic elf brought presents."
RWBY~RWBY~RWBY
Oriole ran up ahead, hurrying to the tall man in front of her. "So what did you do for Nondescript Winter Holiday?" she asked Carmine.
The mercenary turn to barely face her. "It wasn't really celebrated where I was from," he responded without much heartache. The princess gasped.
"But that is the best time of year. With sweets and presents and family stuff," Oriole said words running together.
"I didn't really celebrate it either," Roux added, "I don't think most Faunus do."
Oriole shook her head, "My servants did so every year. But that doesn't matter. It should be a crime for Nondescript Winter Holiday to be celebrated. " She would have spread her arms out to show her displeasure, but they were bound in front of her. Carmine looked unamused while Roux just laughed.
"Carmine, Faunus," a deep voice called to them. The trio turn to face a man with striking blue eyes approach them.
"Happy Nondescript Winter Holiday, Demetri," Oriole chirped. "You know I would really like to visit home for the holidays."
Demetri narrowed his eyes into a glare. He didn't even bother to respond instead, facing the two he called. "Amari wants you to go with the hunting party," he ordered the mercenary. "And you, the laundry."
Roux groaned and made some quip while Carmine just nodded and left the group. "Hey, don't wander off too far, Oriole," she warned as she walked away. Oriole waved them off as they went away.
"I guess, it's just me and you then," she said with a grin. Demetri frowned, grabbing her arm roughly. He pulled her to the center of the encampment.
"Sit and Stay," he ordered, turning to walk away. Oriole watched him enter his tent before getting to her feet. She had to do something about the travesty that Carmine and Roux just admitted to. She pouted as she thought. A wide grin spread across her face. Looking once again at Demetri's tent, she hurried to Amari's tent.
"Hey," she called out as she entered. Amari sat on her bed roll, glaring at the princess. "Do you still have those cookies you bought from the last village we passed?" she asked.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," the shaved woman responded.
"Yea, you do. I saw you eat one just this morning along with a bit of chocolate," Oriole countered.
"What do you want?" Amari growled, getting to her feet.
"I want to trade," Oriole responded, "Chocolate and cookies for um, this." The orange-haired girl tugged at the silky orange material that created another layer over her skirt. "It's real silk. Worth a lot." She held out the torn fabric. "Or you could use it to cover your bald head."
"Oriole," the woman growled again though she grabbed the fabric from the princess. Her rough fingers rolled over the soft fabric. She tossed the orange cloth on her bed roll. Grabbing a bag hidden in her things, she tossed it to the girl who caught it clumsily. "They were gross anyways," the woman grumbled.
Oriole cheered exited the tent without a thank you. She opened the bag to see the sweets inside. She hurried to her next target. "Hey, Demetri," she called out, entering his tent unannounced. The man was sharpening one of his many knifes.
"I thought I told you to stay," Demetri said.
Oriole shrugged. "Do you want a bar of chocolate?" she asked, reaching into her bag to pull some out. The blue eyes focused in on the bar in her hand. He reached out to grab it. The princess pulled it away. "I'll trade you for it," she said.
Demetri grumbled, "What do you want?"
"One of your knifes. It can be a dull one," Oriole responded.
"Out," Demetri commanded.
"I'm not going to escape," she whined as he pushed her out. She marched to the center of the camping ground and plopped to the ground in a huff. To her left, one of the younger men was whittling away at a small piece of wood. "Do you have any finished pieces?" she asked.
The young man nodded, reaching into his bag to pull out a wooden wild cat and wolf. "I got this," he responded. "They aren't worth much since I messed up."
"Are they worth a bar of chocolate?" the princess asked, offering the bar to him. The man nodded, wrapping the pieces in his bandana and giving it to the girl. She gave him the chocolate. "Thank you," she replied as he began to munch on the sweet. She got to her feet again, walking to her own tent that she shared with Carmine and Roux. The whittler followed behind, keeping an eye on her. Oriole put them down before looking up at the tree branches. She walked along the tree until she found what she was looking for.
…..
Carmine trudged back to the camp. He brought the kill to the others to dress and cook. Roux bounded up beside him, looking miserable and wet. As he entered the place where the three slept, he searched for his captive. "Where is Oriole?" he asked. There was a whistle and the two looked up. Hanging in the branch over head, was the princess. She held a branch with white berries in her hand and a cheeky grin.
"Heya, so the bird name wasn't random," Roux called out.
The girl groaned. "Don't you get it?" she asked, shaking the branch in her hand. "It's mistletoe. You guys got to kiss." Roux gave Carmine a sideways glance and he glared up at the girl. She sighed. "Fine, just catch me then," she relented. She dropped herself down. Carmine acted quickly, speeding up to catch her. She landed heavily in his arms. She laughed, quickly pecking his cheek. The man dropped her and she dropped the mistletoe as well. Roux laughed, wiping her eyes.
"Are you done?" Carmine asked, unamused. Oriole shook her head, running to the small fire the group had. The other two followed wearily.
"I made soup, tada," she said, sitting herself down excitedly. Roux served the food into bowls and the three sat down. The faunus ate it first, face twisting.
"This is uh pretty bad. What's in it?" she asked.
"Mistletoe, that was all I can find," Oriole responded. Roux and Carmine dumped their bowls while the Faunus spat out.
"That's poisonous, Oriole," Carmine said.
"Oh, oops. I, uh, sorry for almost killing you. Here's this instead," the girl reached behind her and pulled out two cloth bundles tied with orange ribbon. She gave one to each. Carmine looked at it suspiciously. "Open it, it won't kill you."
Roux shrugged opening hers first. The cloth fell away to reveal a couple of cookies, a half bar of chocolate, and a wooden wildcat. She looked at Carmine who had a similar gift except with a wooden wolf. "Happy Nondescript Winter Holiday," Oriole said smiling. Both Carmine and Roux looked at each other then back at the gift and back to the girl. They returned the greeting back.