The mornings in Vale were always...bright.
Whether it be from the distinct lack of excess pollution when compared to some of the more industrial city of Atlas, or from the tendency of the larger buildings to reflect even the tiniest amount of light, the morning's rays seemed to bleed into almost every nook and cranny of the city. To its' citizens, this aspect of the city was either a blessing or a curse.
If one were to ask a person who had the unfortunate luck to work a job that required him or her to awaken before afternoon, the way the Sun's rays cut through the morning fog as it rolled back into the sea was quite the beautiful sight. As one of the city's founders once stated, "It was like a thin veil of mist blanketed the land, disappearing into ocean as the Sun blossomed across the horizon."
If you were to speak to one of those merry few whose work carried them into night hours, however, you would find them cursing the luster of the city with a disdain parallel to the most nocturnal of beasts.
Keeping both in mind, it is not too surprising to find that a common architectural feature among the more lavish parts of the city is inclusion of large (often unnecessary so) viewing windows and thick curtains to cover them. Meant to stand as a testament to one's wealth, the windows served little more than irritate any building designer that happened to pass by and give their maids, butlers, and servants something to clean.
Why do we even have these? Yang thought, staring out the one such window in question. After giving the questions a second's more thought, the tall golden-haired woman shrugged and took another sip of water from her sports bottle. Pulling the top of her orange tank top to circulate some air across her upper body, Yang turned back to the rest of the room and looked across the expansive gym for the next piece of equipment she was going to use that morning. "Think that's enough strength for today." she muttered aloud, "Now for a little cardio."
Taking a quick look at the clock near the entrance, she smiled to herself when she saw that she had plenty of time to spare until the sturm and strang of her normal weekday caught up with her. Moving from machine to machine, she eyed each one as her earlier smile slowly bled into a look of boredom. Could've sworn we had a little more variety. As she made her way past the treadmills and elliptical machines, she paused to give the motorized climbing wall a second glance. One of her father's purchases, Yang sighed to herself when she saw the same configuration of hardened plastic holds had been in place for the better part of a year.
Come on, Dad. She thought sadly, continuing on as she neared the end of the gym. However, Yang's eyes slowly lit up as she saw a familiar piece of metal sticking out from the wall. Guess it's been a while since I've done any heavy bag drills. A quick double-check to ensure she had enough prep time made her smile. "This ought to be fun."
A few minutes later, Yang stretched the last section of her hand-wraps onto the Velcro and gave her hand a quick squeeze to test the fit. Satisfied with the tightness, she reached over to the nearby counter to press the play button on a nearby remote. As a heavy mash-up of rock and electric began to pound through the speakers installed in the room, Yang slipped on a pair of yellow, padded gloves and made her way back to the heavy bag she placed on the wall mount.
Stopping an arm's length away, Yang slipped into her stance and took in a deep breath as the song that played around her began to lead itself into a crescendo. As the note reached its peak, she lashed out with a vicious series of right jabs at the bag, each one making sharp, snapping sound as they made contact. Weaving with her punches, Yang suddenly threw a left straight into the center of the bag, making it shudder and launch back until it hit the wall.
Tsk. She thought, chiding herself. Little more control.
Letting the bag sway until it came to a less wide swing, Yang began to pepper the unfortunate bag with a series of jabs, hooks, and straights with each one causing it to shake violently. Soon, the snap from her punches began to bleed into the thumping bass of the song blaring from the speakers. As the tempo began to rise, Yang began to add more footwork into her combos. Bobbing and weaving as though she was evading a barrage of invisible blows, Yang soon found herself smiling as the sweat continued to pour from her forehead and down her face. One thought pierced though her concentration, letting itself echo through her mind:
Man, I missed this.
The minutes began the drift by as song after song continued to play. With each new beat, the muscles in Yang's arms and legs sang out in an odd mixture of pain and joy that would have been more at home in one of the more risqué nighttime establishments around Vale. Paying them little-to-no heed, Yang's punches became heavier, the previous snap becoming a thunderous boom as her fists landed upon the heavy bag. Forgoing her practiced self-control, she continued to rain blows relentlessly as the current song ramped up to a deafening roar. After delivering a straight right, Yang quickly slipped in and followed with a series of devastating left and right hooks, causing the bag thrash from side to side. As the music burst into the apex of its crescendo, Yang stepped in with her left foot, turning her waist as she threw a crushing right hook. As soon as the blow connected, the heavy bag darted sharply left, the fabric and chain connecting it to the wall mount groaning under the strain and causing it to fly upwards until it was nearly upside-down.
Uh oh. Yang thought as she followed the bag's path. Springing back, Yang watched the heavy bag plummet back down until the chain caught hold, stopping it from hitting the floor. As the bag continued to sway back and forth like a drunk pendulum, she let out a sigh of relief. At least it didn't break this time.
Suddenly, the music stopped and a dainty ping resounded through the gym. Turning to the door, Yang watched as a tall, mature-looking woman dressed in a black, uniformed lapel dress covered by a V-necked apron stepped into the gym. "Good morning, Miss Xiao Long." She began, her bobbed, chestnut hair falling forward as she bowed slightly. "Pardon my interruption, but it's almost time for breakfast."
Taken off guard, Yang stole a quick glance at the nearby clock. "Geez. My bad, Maia." She said, scratching the back of her head with her right hand. "I was just really in the zone, ya know? How long've you been looking for me?"
"Not too long Ma'am." The maid began, letting out a chuckle. "There aren't too many places I would imagine you to be this early in the morning."
"Heh. True enough." Yang said, letting her hand fall to her side. "Is Ruby up yet? I saw her tinkering with something when I came in last night down in the workshop."
"I was actually going to Miss Rose's room after..." Maia started before pausing, sniffing the air with a curious expression. "Miss? Do you smell something burning?"
"Huh?"
"It smells as though..." Maia began, her eyes darting across the room for the source before settling on the heavy bag behind Yang. "Oh my."
Turning, Yang faced the heavy bag and noticed the large, darkened spot where her last blow had landed.
Geez. Maybe I got a little too carried away. She thought to herself. At least it doesn't look that bad. Some tape should fix it right...
Yang's musing was quickly interrupted by the sound of fabric ripping as the black hole began to bleed sand onto the wooden gym floor.
Crap. Yang thought, turning back to Maia. "I am soooo sorry. I'll clean this up, I promise." She spat out quickly.
A look of confusion drifted across Maia's face for a moment before giving way to a gentle smile. "You really are his daughter."
"Wha?" Yang sputtered out before shaking her head slightly to clear her confusion. "You're not mad?"
Letting out a relaxed sigh, Maia smiled at the younger blonde. "Miss Xiao Long, this is not the first time I've dealt with a destroyed heavy bag." She began, letting out another chuckle. "Between you, Mr. Xiao Long, and Mr. Qrow, I wouldn't be surprised if the regular purchase of these were included in the annual house budget."
Picturing her father and uncle being scolded by the woman in front of her, Yang let out a chuckle of her own. "Still though, I should at least help you clean this up. I mean, it is kinda my fault."
"Now there'll be none of that, Miss Xiao Long." Maia said firmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest as the ebony bracelet on her left wrist jiggled slightly. "We all have our pride and I wouldn't be worthy the position of Head Housekeeper if I made you clean something like this."
"But." Yang began before silencing herself under the woman's stern glare.
Maia's rigid features quickly melted back into her usual softness as she placed a finger at the bottom of her chin. "Hmmm. However, if you are adamant on assisting me, would you be a dear and awaken Miss Rose in my stead? I'm sure Barton would be irritated if the breakfast he made for you two were to get cold."
Yang grimaced at the thought of the last time she had missed breakfast without telling the chef beforehand. The passive aggressive lunch of toast and water she was offered that afternoon, coupled with the comment of "I had thought you were going to sleep through this meal as well" had put her on less than good terms with him for at least a week.
"Alright then, Maia." Yang said, turning to leave. "It's been a while since I've been able to anyways."
"Oh. And Miss Xiao Long?" Maia sang out cheerfully.
"Yeah?"
"You might want to take of your glove first."
Glove? Yang thought looking down at her hands. While one was still wrapped and gloved, her right hand looked as though someone had sheared off the yellow glove at the wrist, making the Velcro wrap of the glove look like a makeshift bracelet.
"Oh come on! I liked these!"
Making her way down the long hallway, Yang silently counted the doors and hallways she passed by on her way to her little sister's room. Passing by the occasional piece of overpriced (in her opinion) artwork or antique (old and therefore expensive) vase, she mused on just how different the Rose estate was from her modest dorm room back at Beacon.
With all the unused rooms there are, I could probably fit half of my class in this place. She thought, turning a corner into another hallway. I swear, nearly a year and I still can't get how used to how big this place is.
Suddenly a chipper voice spoke out near her, surprising Yang enough to break her out her thoughts. "Ah! Good Morning, Miss Xiao Long!"
Gah! Where did she come from!? Yang nearly blurted out in her head before regaining her senses. A glance let her see the see that the woman beside her had the same uniform Maia was wearing, save for a small, silver bracelet on her left wrist. The deep olive skinned woman stood about a head shorter than Yang, not counting the set of pointed, fur covered ears that set on top of her sea-green hair.
"Morning Beryl." Yang replied, recognizing the upbeat woman. Taking a breath to calm her still-pounding heart, Yang smiled. "One day, you're going to have to show me how you guys are able to pop out of nowhere. It's like all the housekeepers here are part ninja or something."
"Well, Ma'am." Beryl hummed, her light-gold eyes glinting mischievously. "I wouldn't call us ninjas, but according to Miss Maia, one of the most important attributes of a housekeeper is the ability to fade seamlessly into the background when the situation calls for us to do so."
"That...sounds exactly like a ninja." Yang stated flatly.
"Hmm. Now that I think about it," Beryl paused, a thoughtful expression flashing across her face as she gazed drifted upward. "That would explain the scrolls I had to read after I was hired."
Yang blinked wordlessly, her brain trying to process what the younger lady had just mentioned so casually.
"That was a joke, Miss Xiao Long." The sea-green haired woman said plainly, her expression neutral.
"Oh." Yang replied, her thoughts drifting away from images of ninja maids and butlers flinging silverware in lieu of shurikens and back towards reality.
"The manuals I had to memorize were pretty thick though." Beryl sang out with a bright smile. "It took me a while to learn everything, but I should be eligible for the next rank soon."
"...Right." Yang sputtered out before giving her head a quick shake to get her thoughts back in order. "Anyways, do you know if Ruby's awake yet?"
"Miss Rose?" Beryl mused aloud. "I don't believe so. She was awake fairly late last night."
"I thought as much." Yang replied, moving away from the housemaid. "Well don't let me keep you from whatever it is you were doing then."
"It's no problem, Miss." Beryl said quickly, bowing her head slightly at the taller blonde. "Have a nice day, Miss Xiao Long."
"Same to you, Beryl." Yang replied, walking past her and continuing down the hallway. As she made her way to around the corner to the hallway that held Ruby's room, Yang stopped, a puzzled expression on her face. Turning around quickly, she darted to the edge of the corner she just walked through and slowly peeked around. Instead of seeing the Faunus housekeeper walking away, Yang saw an empty hallway, devoid of any sign of life.
Ninjas, I swear. Yang thought as she turned, continuing her trek to her sister's room.
Reaching her destination, Yang paused as she stood outside the door to Ruby's room. Aside from the red rose crest that adorned the deep oak colored door itself, it was virtually indistinguishable from the many others she had passed on the way here. Taking a breath to ready herself, Yang raised a hand and rapped her knuckle against the wood. "Hey Rubes, you awake in there?"
Hearing nothing in reply, she waited a few second before taking the doorknob in her hand and turning, pushing her way inside. "If you're doing something I shouldn't be seeing, you're going to help pay for both our therapists!" She chimed as she looked into the room. While the fairly thick curtains blocked a majority of the light from entering, the little slivers of light that managed to seep into the room let Yang see nearly everything she needed.
Hasn't changed in the last few months. She thought to herself as she stepped in. A large, king-sized post bed dominated the center of the room, its dark brown columns reaching nearly halfway to the nearly twenty foot tall room as a pair of nightstands decorated both sides. Making her way in, Yang noticed that the deep red sheets were tucked neatly across the bed with the comforter folded back enough to precision to allow enough space for a set of white, downy pillows to rest comfortably on the intricately carved headboard. "No Ruby though." Yang muttered, plopping herself onto the edge of the bed.
Taking in the rest of the room in the muted daylight, she began to notice all the familiar features of the room. On her left sat a large oak-colored bookcase, stuffed to the brim with a generous mixture of various mechanical manuals, engineering textbooks, Dust manipulation guides, and a fair amount of fictional novels, ranging from old fairy tales to science fiction. Adjacent to the tomes, a thin computer monitor sat atop a large desk behind a wide keyboard, a large pad sitting near in lieu of a mouse. Above sat a few picture frames containing honorary degrees from various fields of engineering.
Turning to her right, Yang saw a wide, ornate dresser adorned by an immense mirror that managed to reflect nearly the entire room. Its color falling in sync with the muted color scheme of the room, the handles that attached to the various sized drawers gleamed in the morning's rays. Her gaze drifting, Yang spotted a tall, thin cabinet nearby that was filled with the trophies and awards that shone behind the clear glass door.
There's a few more than last time. Yang noted to herself, letting out a wistful sigh before standing up. Well, if she's not here, then there's only a few other places where she'd be. Pausing, she thought back to what a certain Head Housekeeper said about her earlier. Letting out a chuckle, she moved to the only other door in the room.
Opening the door inward, Yang had to quickly shut her eyes as the automatic lighting flooded the deep walk-in closet with light. As her eyes slowly adjusted, she was met with two tiers of elaborate and fanciful dresses, stretching about eight feet inward. To her left, a long row of wall-high shelves containing various boxes of shoes sat, all displaying their high-class brand names proudly.
Shame she never wears any of this. Yang thought idly as she made her way in. Moving towards the end of the shoe side, she saw that one section of the shelf jutted inward glaringly, attached to the other section by a hidden hinge. Course she would be there.
Walking around to the other side of the shelf, Yang pushed it further inwards to reveal a small keypad that was flush into the wall. I hope she didn't change the password yet she mused, pressing 7829 into the keypad. The small bar above the pad flashing green, Yang breathed a sigh of relief as a small mechanical hum echoed through the space, ending as a six-foot panel moved slightly deeper into the wall and slid away, revealing a different room. Letting the light from the closet guide her, Yang pressed a switch on the inside of the entrance. As the room was suddenly bathed in light, the only other occupant groaned in agony and quickly cocooned herself on the small, twin-sized bed within. Letting out a small chuckle at her sister's irritation, Yang stepped inside.
Even at first glance, the small alcove paled in comparison to the extravagance of the connected room. Aside from size, the room lacked almost all the amenities of the former, save for the bed. Instead, the room housed a tall workbench that was littered with tools of assorted sizes and shapes, half-finished blueprints, and random pieces of machinery at various stages of completion. Moreover, the mess seemed to bleed over onto the floor, the pale linoleum awash with crumpled up pieces of grid paper, marred black stains, and the occasional loose nut or bolt. Weaving through the debris, Yang plopped onto the foot of the small bed and, with a wide grin, poked one side of the red cocoon. "You know that this was supposed to be your safe room and not a spare workshop, right?"
Slowly, the other side of the bundle sheets parted slightly, revealing a childish, ivory face and squinting silver eyes. "Yang?" The swaddled occupant groaned tiredly.
"Yup." Yang replied cheerfully. "Come on, Rubes, it's time to get up."
"Guhhhh." Ruby answered eloquently, retreating back into the covers. "Too early for morning to start."
"Oh really?" Yang said with all the menace an older sister would have when facing a sleeping younger sibling. "Is it too early for this?" As she finished, the blonde pounced upon the mound of covers, slipping underneath and gripping it tightly in a loving bear-hug while rolling back and forth
"I'm up! I'm up!" Ruby cried out, her flailing doing little against her sister's enthusiastic embrace. In turn, Yang stopped, still gripping her captor.
"Hmm. Gonna do a couple more to be sure" Yang sang out, laughing as she continued to roll across the bed. Soon, her laughs were echoed as Ruby began to laugh alongside her.
The minutes ticked by as the two rolled around playfully, all sense of prior obligations forgotten. Eventually, the tumbling pair slowed to a halt, the red sheets laying crumpled on the floor. Sitting up at the foot of the bed, Yang breathed out a relaxed sigh. "I missed this, you know?"
"Missed what?" Ruby said moving to sit beside her. "Finding the new, embarrassing way to wake me up every morning?"
"Hey." Yang chided, waving her finger playfully. "As an older sibling, I'm morally obligated to embarrass you in some way as often as I can."
"You certainly do that well."
"I try." Yang replied, smiling as she ruffled Ruby's black and dark red hair. "But seriously; between those last few years at Signal and then Beacon, I missed hanging out with you, little sis."
"Little?" Ruby quipped, brushing off Yang's hand. "I'm pretty much eighteen already."
"Your birthday was only a few months ago." Yang interrupted. "You're barely seventeen."
"Seventeen and a half then."
"Maybe so." Yang began, throwing an arm around Ruby and giving her a side hug. "But you're still younger than me and I doubt that's going to change any time soon."
Seeing no room for argument, Ruby let out a sigh. "For what it's worth, I missed you too." Leaning in closer, she continued. "Moving from Signal to the company was a bit rough, but you visiting as often as you did made things a bit easier."
"It was what you wanted, right? To use that genius brain of yours to help out people?" Yang asked, mussing her sister's hair.
"That's true, I guess." Ruby replied slowly, her eyes glancing downward. A silence drifted across the room for a sparse few seconds before she spoke again. "Hey Yang?"
"Yeah, Sis?"
"You smell like a gym bag."
"Well you're no field of roses yourself there, grease-monkey." Yang quipped playfully, hopping off the bed and stretching her arms upward while making her way to the door. "Come on. It's almost time for breakfast."
"Err." Ruby uttered slowly, moving to follow. "How late so you think we are?"
"We got plenty of time" I think. As she turned her head to reply, Yang paused to take a second look at the girl follow her.
Heh. She's really growing up.
Reaching about Yang's shoulder height, the red and black haired heiress seemed to be the antithesis of someone who held such a title. Her short, wolf-cut hair draped messily from her head to the top of her shoulders with the occasional red-tipped end sticking up in some places in defiance to any form of gravity or hair-care product. To compliment her haggard appearance, she wore a loose fitting red shirt, specked with the occasional black spot that barely clung to the edge of her shoulders exposing the thick black straps of a sports bra. Her haggard black denim jeans completed the outfit, their loose cut cuffs hanging barely a centimeter from the floor with the backs torn from the multitude of times they were caught underfoot.
"Sometime soon, I'm going to have to drag you to the merchant district for a makeover" Yang snarked as she walked into the closet.
"What's wrong with the way I dress? It's comfortable." The girl asked as she turned back and pressed her code into the keypad, the whirl of mechanical gears moving the wall back into place.
Besides, with something like this, I don't have to worry about getting anything on them. I can't exactly wear these," she continued, gesturing to the expensive dresses that lined the closet. "Into the workshop."
"Yeah, yeah." Yang replied dismissively. "I'm just saying, I'm sure I can put together something like a happy medium between these and that. Like some clothes you can go walking around town in, but maybe turn a few heads at the same time."
"Since when did you become so concerned with fashion?"
"Picked up a little here and there. Having a friend who was a huge fashionista helped out." Yang laughed, remembering all the times a gold, brown, and black clothed woman dragged her from store to store while looking for the new outfit.
"I'll think about it." Ruby said noncommittally as the two walked into her room. "See you downstairs?"
"Yup." Yang answered, moving to the door. "I'll hit the shower closer to my room first though."
"That sounds like a good idea; Maia hates it when I show up in greased clothes." Ruby replied over her shoulder as she began rummaging through her dresser.
After stepping into the hall and shutting the door behind her, Yang began to make her way towards her room. However, her pace slowly grounded to a halt before she could turn the corner. Standing with fists clenching tightly and her brow scrunched together in frustration, Yang eventually began to feel the tell-tale sensation of her Aura flaring brightly. Letting out a conceded huff, she quickly reeled back her emotions as her frustration simmered into regret.
Why couldn't I just ask her? Yang thought to herself as the image of her sisters resigned look from a few minutes ago playing out in her mind. Bringing both her hand up, Yang let out an annoyed growl while scratching both sides of her head. Irritation at herself subsiding, she let her arms fall to her sides and restarted her trek back to her room. I'll just talk to her after breakfast.
As she turned the corner, Yang began to wonder about the best way to phrase her question; however, her thoughts were promptly disrupted as a smaller figure plowed into her chest. Thanks to her solid build, Yang was barely pushed back while her assailant was sent stumbling back. Yang stifled a laugh as she watched the Faunus maid she had talked to earlier rubbing her face.
"Heh. Sorry about that, Beryl. I was kinda dazed out there for a..." Yang began before her words caught in her throat as she began to take in the maids' disheveled appearance. A far cry from the exuberant woman she had seen before, Beryl's face was contorted in a mixture of frantic worry and panic. The red tint along the edges of her eyes which lead to a trail of drying tears only served to unsettle Yang further. "What's wrong?"
The housekeeper quickly looked over her shoulder before looking up to Yang. "I'm so sorry Miss." Beryl began, her voice tinged with panic. "I was cleaning the office when I picked up the phone and when Mr. Qrow asked if the line was secure, I didn't know what to tell him so I said yes and he told me to find Miss Maia and tell her it was an emergency but since I didn't know where she was, I had to run and find her. But when we got back, he had already hung up, so Miss Maia had to call him back and the two of them talked for a few seconds and then she just collapsed into your father's chair. I mean, I never seen her like that before. So when I asked what was wrong and when she told me what had happened, I didn't know what to do because I've never had to deal with something like this, but she specifically told me to keep quiet about this and only tell you and Miss Rose. So I..."
"Slow down, Beryl." Yang said calmly, interrupting the growingly frantic Faunus. "What did Uncle Qrow say?"
Noticing her own anxiety, Beryl closed her eyes and took a calming breath. Meeting Yang's concerned gaze, Beryl's light gold eyes began to water as she spoke. "I-I'm sorry Miss Xiao Long. There's been an attack. Y-Your father is in the hospital right now."
The blonde stood rock-still, her heart pounding into her throat as she tried to understand what she was told. Before she could respond, however, a small voice from behind her whispered out Yang's thoughts.
"What?"