Yang leaned her head against the shower wall, letting the steaming hot water run over her, soothing her aching body. She was fighting to stay standing now, the adrenaline and fear that had kept her going fading into a distant, throbbing memory. The tears she'd been fighting back came now, racking sobs that shook her body in relief. Maidens, she was so tired, down to her bones, past that into her soul. The archons had pursued her without relief; she'd evaded one group just to find another waiting for her. Yang had managed to find a temporary safe haven in an abandoned building last night, but what sleep she'd gotten had been fitful at best, jerking awake at every little noise, real or imagined, wondering if she'd been found.
The bathroom door opened, and a voice she didn't know said, "I'm putting some clothes in here for you. Dinner's cooking, so get dressed and find me in the kitchen when you're done."
"R-Right," Yang stammered, hoping the woman would hear her, but she was already gone.
She dressed, wincing at how much of their shampoo she'd used. Hair as long as hers took a lot of work, and at home, she'd gotten used to paying for her own shampoo and stuff, but that was going to be a problem now. Maybe she should help out at the temple while things got sorted out, or consider cutting it. Yang suppressed a shudder at the idea of cutting her gorgeous golden mane. Okay, extra helping out was the better path, probably.
A delicious smell led her to a kitchen, where a black-haired woman was busily cooking. The noirette looked up at Yang's approach, smiling. "You must be our new guest," she said, feline ears on top of her head flicking, an earring catching the light as she handed Yang a steaming cup of tea. "I'm Blake, and you're Yang, I hear?"
"Y-Yeah, that's me. Sorry about the bother," the blonde answered, sitting on one of the cushions by the low Mistral-style dining table. "This is nicer than I expected," she added, looking around the living room and kitchen. Everything looked relatively new, not worn-out and broken, and there was an immense flatscreen television hanging on the wall."
Blake shrugged as she tasted the contents of the pot simmering on the stove. "Beacon temple is one of the oldest and most prosperous temples in the city. It's not a life of luxury, but it's a comfortable one, I suppose."
"How-how many people are there living here?" Damn. Yang wasn't usually this tongue-tied, but even sitting here with Blake, she was still more scared than she'd ever been before yesterday."
"Well, there's myself, Ozpin the high priest, who I assume you met, Weiss, who's the newest member of the priesthood here, our groundskeeper Sun, and now you. So that makes five full-time residents. Oh, and there's Glynda, too, but she rarely stays the night, just visits a lot."
"Sounds like a houseful," Yang replied, sipping her tea. She wasn't normally one for tea, but she'd make an exception for this stuff. For once it tasted as good as it smelled, and she could feel the warmth seeping through her body, down to her fingers and toes.
"It is, but with a bit of understanding, everything works." A grinning blonde man who'd obviously been working outside all day came in, and Blake went to hug him, only to be stopped by a raised hand. "No touching till I clean up today, babe. I finished digging up that water line by the Spring gate today, and it's leaking pretty bad. I can't fix it myself. Oh, hey, a new face. I'm Sun, Sun Wukong, groundskeeper, and handyman extraordinaire. Didn't catch your name, you a new priestess or something? We could use one."
Blake elbowed him in the gut. "This is Yang, and she's claimed sanctuary. She collapsed at Weiss's feet this afternoon, the archons literally at her heels. The prelate himself showed up to try and bully us into giving her up, but Weiss summoned up two of her creations to run him off. Now go wash for dinner. Sorry about that," Blake added after Sun had left. "Sun's really passionate about this place and gets a little carried away."
"It's okay. I'm imposing on all of you and I guess I have to put up with some things." Yang hesitated, then asked the question Blake had just put back in her mind. "Weiss... is her dad really the prelate?"
"Of Atlas City, yes. She doesn't talk about him much, but from what she has said, he was aiming to be the prelate of the whole kingdom. But her being blessed by the Maidens and being here is probably not helping that." Blake had a satisfied smirk on her face for a moment, then shook her head and replaced it with a warm smile. "But if you're worried about her, don't. You're safe here and among friends."
"Indeed you are." A severe-looking blonde woman stood in the entryway now, her arms crossed and regarding Yang with a stern expression. "I take it you are our new guest? My apologies, but Ozpin neglected to give me your name. I'm Glynda, Glynda Goodwitch."
Yang gulped. Glynda Goodwitch, of Goodwitch & Associates, one of the top law firms in the city? Eep. "That's me, Yang Xiao Long. My dad, he hired your firm a few years back, a zoning dispute. He says you're freaking awesome."
Goodwitch nodded as she sat down on a cushion near Yang. "I don't specifically remember the case, but I appreciate the compliment. I'm also the legal counsel for this temple, most of the other temples in the city, and the local temple council."
"And Ozpin's girlfriend," Blake tossed in from the kitchen.
"I am not that aimless fool's girlfriend!" Goodwitch snapped, making Blake laugh. Yang couldn't help but laugh too; Blake's laughter was infectious and Goodwitch's obvious discomfort just made it worse.
"The sooner the two of you just admit it and just carry on like a normal couple, the better off we will all be," Weiss said, shaking her head as she sat next to Yang, making her jump; she hadn't even seen the white-haired girl come in. "Doing better now, Yang? It seems like you've met all of our little family now."
Family... "Oh crap! I need to call my sister and my dad, let them know I'm okay." Yang started to get up, only to stop mid-motion as Weiss laid a hand on her arm.
"Relax," Weiss said with a smile. "Call them after dinner, when you've had a chance to rest and don't sound so wrung out. Or ask Ozpin to call them; it might be more reassuring from him."
"Indeed. You're not the first person we've had claim sanctuary in my tenure here, and you won't be the last if the prelate continues like this." Ozpin found his own seat next to Goodwitch. "He's got archons stationed at all four gates, by the way, and I expect they'll try to sneak people in with our regular visitors so I don't think we should leave Miss Xiao Long alone for the time being. Now, enough gloomy business for the time being. Let's eat."
The six of them sat together, talking and laughing as they ate. Yang couldn't help but join in the laughter; the sense of community and joy was contagious. Weiss had used the word 'family' to describe the temple's residents and it fit. Ozpin and Glynda were obviously the 'parents' (Yang had to agree with Blake and Weiss; their feelings for each other couldn't be more obvious if there was a flaming neon sign), Blake and Weiss the near-adult children, Sun Blake's bad-boy boyfriend, and Yang, Yang was... She stopped a moment. Where did Yang fit in this? Where did she fit anywhere? What would happen to her now?
Almost by magic, Weiss leaned over and started telling Yang the story of how Sun came to be their handyman/groundskeeper. It involved a chainsaw and a bouquet of flowers, and soon Yang was too caught up in the story to worry.
She was safe, and among friends.