Chapter Fourteen: Settling In
"Whatcha doing, Weiss?" Ruby asked as she walked over with a glass of orange juice. The wolf Faunus leaned over and noticed the paper in Weiss' hands. "Classes? Oh, right, I forgot you were registering for classes."
"Yup, just need to drop this off at Haven's admissions office and I should be all set for the semester. Definitely will not be easy and I will have a lot of long nights." Weiss replied, with a shrug, her ears twitching in annoyance at the idea of staying up till the early hours of the day.
"It'll be worth it though." Ruby stated, sitting down next to the cat Faunus as she took a sip of her juice. "So which classes were you thinking about registering for?"
"For now just the basics. Anatomy, Biology, etcetera. I'll get into the heavier topics later once things are more settled." The alabaster haired Faunus answered.
Ruby's wolf tail twitched at that and she smiled. "Well you better not think about replacing me as a roommate when you meet new people there. I still got you for a few more weeks, y'know."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't burn down the apartment while I'm dropping this off. You want anything while I'm out?" Weiss asked, smirking a little at her roommate.
"Hmm… Would it be a bother if I thought about it for a bit and texted you later? I mean, anything is usually fine with me, but if I get a craving, I can let you know." Ruby responded.
The cat Faunus slipped her class forms into her pocket as she replied, "No trouble at all. You have anything planned for the day?"
"Work, chill out and see what the day has to offer. So not much different than any other day. Only thing is that I get paid today." Ruby said with a grin on her face.
"Nice, that just means we won't end up scrounging for groceries or ordering noodles from the noodle stand down the street again." Weiss chuckled, she did actually enjoy the food from that stand but everything in moderation.
"Didn't Blake almost get into a fight with that guy who works it?" Ruby asked, remembering her friend visiting the other day and see the fish that was also being served there.
The blue eyed Faunus shook her head at the memory, "Remind me to never get between her and a freshly caught tuna. I mean I love fish but damn I'm not that crazy."
Ruby chuckled as she thought about Blake diving into an ocean just to get some fish. "Hehe, well you know that you get a little crazy when there's-."
"I know there is none in the fridge. And I'm trying to pace myself thank you very much." Weiss replied, pouting slightly as she went to get a mug of coffee.
"You are so not going to slow down on that, Weiss. And hey, you know you should take a breather on the coffee this time. I mean, if the person working at a coffee shop says to take a break on it, maybe that's a sign." Ruby said as she walked over with her orange juice in hand. "Maybe try some juice?"
"This will be my last mug today I swear. And besides I blame you for being able to make the perfect brew." The cat Faunus said pouring her mug, tail swishing in delight at the scent of the coffee.
"As long as you promise me that much, and thanks. I'm glad you like how I can brew." Ruby said as she drank the rest of her juice. "Huh, didn't notice the time. I gotta head out for work."
"Alright Ruby, have a good shift I'll see you later today. Text me if you think of anything you might want or need." Weiss said, as her wolf Faunus roommate grabbed her purse.
"Will do. See ya later." Ruby called out as she left the apartment for her shift.
Downing the rest of her coffee, Weiss picked up her own purse and made for the door, "One week down but it's been a fun one."
"Ruby, we need a strawberry smoothie and an iced coffee with two shots of espresso!" Coco called over to her coworker.
While Ruby was getting that ready, Neo sighed and sat down from bringing over a bunch of orders. "What is up with today? Seriously, there's a lot more people here."
"Just another one of those busy days, Neo. Then again Haven's classes start soon so people could just be getting in as many smoothies and iced coffee for that last taste of summer as they can." Ruby interjected as she passed the customer their order.
Neo raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Coco, seeing as she was looking a little distressed about something. "Yo, something bugging you, Coco?"
"Just some bill trouble. Nothing you need to really worry about." The manager said.
Even though she wasn't trying to listen in, Ruby did still pick up on what Coco had said. She felt a little bad for her, since she knew bills were not an easy thing to deal with. As she walked back over to the counter though, the wolf Faunus started thinking about how she could help out. "I still feel like you should've told us about this." Neo stated while pulling a cup of coffee over to drink.
The brown dressed barista said, shaking her head morosely, "They didn't start piling up till recently. Water bill, lighting, etcetera."
"Sheesh, that sounds annoying. Any idea on how you're gonna deal with them? I mean, I could lend you some money if you really need it." Neo offered after taking a sip of her coffee.
Finishing with the last of the customers, Ruby chimed into the conversation, "I could talk to Yang, she's got a spare room now that I'm out of the apartment. Not to mention I think she could use the company, I think she's gotten a little lonely."
Coco was surprised by the sudden suggestion, thinking back to the party they had recently. "Huh, I mean I think I did overhear Yang talking about that at the party, but hold up. How would I just barge in like that? No way it's that easy to just say, 'hey, can I be your roommate cause shit just isn't working out?'"
"How about something less blunt? 'How about, I'm having a few issues with bills; I mentioned it at work and Ruby suggested I room with you now that's she's got her own place. What do you think?'" Neo suggested, swirling her coffee.
Coco sighed as she sat down on the other side of the counter and laid her head on it. "I don't know… It's not easy just relying on someone the instant things get a little tougher than usual, y'know."
"Just bring it up to her. It wouldn't be the end of the world if she said no, but unless my sister was replaced by some alien within the last week, I think she'd be willing." Ruby said, leaning against the counter, her ears twitching thoughtfully.
Coco shrugged it off, but sat there thinking about it, and wondered if it really was okay to just stick with a roommate. For a moment, she thought about Ruby and Weiss' situation. "Hey, how was it? You know, moving in with Weiss." The manager asked as she lifted her head up.
"I was actually against the idea at first. I wanted to try and go solo but the last week has actually been worth the change of plans. That and we're running a trial month for right now, we'll see how things go after that." The wolf Faunus said.
"Huh, so even though you doubted it would be a good idea, you still went for it…" Coco said as more of a statement, trailing off as she thought about Yang. "Look, if things really are… well, not fixable, then I'll think about giving her a call tomorrow. For today though," Coco got up and looked to Ruby. "We're gonna keep on working. So no slacking off, got it?"
Giving a smirk and a mock salute Ruby replied, "Aye, aye!" before turning to clean out the smoothie maker so that it would be ready for another order.
Neo grinned when she could see the blush on Coco's face. "So, the manager was brought to tomato face because of the newbie being all cute and giving her a suggestion? Didn't think it was that easy."
"Shush, you. I think the beans need to be restocked, mind taking care of that?" The barista asked her smaller multi-colored counterpart.
"Sure." Neo drank the rest of her coffee and got up, heading to the backroom to start restocking, but she had a grin on still, since it was always a treat to see the manager blushing.
With the wind blowing against her cat ears, Weiss sighed happily as she was sitting in the passenger seat of Sun's car. "Thanks again for helping me move some of my things I left behind."
"No sweat, Weiss, how did signing up for your classes go?" The monkey Faunus asked.
"Simple enough, though I'm a bit, how do I put this… Not as driven as I was before. I don't know. Maybe now that… She isn't there I don't feel as competitive to be at the top." Weiss said, knowing full well that Sun would catch on to who she was talking about.
"Sounds like it's less about trying to one up Pyrrha and more like you can take things at a slower more normal pace. Just means you will actually keep from pulling all nighters like you used to when we were in school." Sun said, giving the cat Faunus a sidelong glance.
Weiss blushed in response, since he wasn't wrong. She had kept herself up on some nights just to try and beat Pyrrha at her own pace. "I suppose that is how things went, but no more of that. And besides, I remember you pulling all nighters too, but for some stupid reasons that I can't even remember completely."
"You mean besides wanting to make sure I had free time to hang out with you and the gang during the day? I'd say that was a pretty good reason." Sun smirked, as he batted her playfully with his tail.
Weiss gave him an unamused look. "Wait a minute, no, I do remember. You stayed up three nights in a row playing some stupid game with Neon. Ugh, and you tried making me feel bad about it too."
"To be fair, she was hopped up on caffeine each time and I needed to distract her or Flynt would have lost it." The blonde monkey Faunus replied.
"Fine, but I still don't see why you didn't just keep her from drinking so much in the first place." Weiss noted.
"That would be like trying to keep you out of the freezer when there is a tub of blueberry frozen yogurt in it." Came the chuckled retort.
"You are so lucky you're the one behind the wheel right now, or I'd slap you." Weiss said as her ears drooped a bit in embarrassment. "I had Ruby commenting on that too."
"Ah, so she does know about that, how has the first week of living with her been?" Sun asked, interested.
"Not as crazy as I thought it would have been. In fact, it's quite enjoyable living with her, though I do have to deal with that sister of hers barging in sometimes. She's not… annoying, but she can get on my nerves at times." Weiss answered.
The monkey Faunus nodded, "So a bit like Neon usually is. I guess it could be worse, least your roommate isn't on house arrest."
"You make it sound like Neon was a training dummy to future annoyances, and yes, I understand that it must be difficult. Still, I'm sure you can handle her problem a lot easier than you make it out to be." Weiss assured.
"It's not the house arrest that's the problem. Reese is still clamming up on a few things, I bet if I were an otter Faunus it'd be easier." The young man sighed.
"Really?" Weiss gave the boy another unamused look as they got to the apartment building. "Look, try not to think so much on that. Reese may be difficult, but she shouldn't be your whole world. It wouldn't be fair to you." Her soft tone was evidence that she still cared about her friend's feelings very deeply.
"I know, I just wish she'd let me help." Sun said, turning off his car, "Did Ruby need us to get her anything?"
The white haired cat Faunus stepped out of the car after opening the door. She walked over to the trunk and waited for Sun to pop it open, but not before answering. "Doesn't seem that way. She did text me, but not to bring anything over. And again, I'm sure you'll be able to handle things with Reese, but for now, don't focus solely on her. Now come on and help me here, monkey boy. I need to get some of these suitcases in, and I am not carrying them inside by myself." She gave him a smile to try and cheer him up a bit.
Lifting one of the cases, Sun almost lost his balance, "What do you keep in here, buckles?!"
"Stop complaining and act like a man." Weiss said as she lifted one of the lighter suitcases. "And don't fall behind. I'd like to actually relax and going back and forth to get these suitcases is not my definition of relaxing."
Sun grunted in reply as he hoisted the case, "Lead the way, onward and upward oh Queen of the North."
Weiss rolled her eyes as she pulled her keys out. Once she opened the door, she was greeted by a fluffy tail, making her blush as she walked right into Ruby's tail. "Gah!"
"Wha-? Oh, Weiss, sorry. I didn't know you'd be back yet. I was just finishing putting together a desk I picked up on my way back from work. I figured you could use it." The wolf Faunus said, her hair was tied back and she was wiping down the piece of furniture, a pile of tools nearby.
The bright red faced cat Faunus almost fell over after realizing that she had walked into Ruby's tail, but she recomposed herself and put the suitcase down. "U-Uh, I, um, sorry about… wait, a desk? Why did you-?"
"Weiss, questions after I put the suitcase full of buckles, or possibly rocks, down please!" Sun said from the doorway.
After hearing that, Weiss sighed and moved the suitcase she brought in out of the way to let Sun through. "Fine, but you really are over exaggerating on that. It can't be that-." She yelped when Sun made her hold it and she fell with the suitcase since it was in fact heavier than normal.
"My money's on it containing enough bricks to build a house." Sun said panting, "Seriously what is in that thing?!"
Ruby leaned down to help Weiss up, and after opening the suitcase, Sun saw the contents of it. "Books, you idiot. That's all that was in there… and I swear if they got damaged because you dropped it on me, you will know my wrath." Weiss said as she rubbed her arm.
"Medical textbooks… well at least you can use the desk while you pour over them." Ruby said looking at a few of the titles, as she used her tail to dust Weiss off.
Weiss managed to blush even harder since Ruby was dusting her off with the fluffy tail. "W-What are you doing?"
"You picked up a lot of the dust I sent flying around when I put that thing together," The wolf Faunus said pointing at the desk in question, "I still need to take a duster to the rest of the apartment."
"I… how… okay…" Weiss didn't want to fight it, since she knew her blush would be something Sun would make fun of, so she looked over at the monkey Faunus. "G-Go get the rest of my things… now."
Sun couldn't keep from chuckling as he closed the door behind him, "I'll be right back!" The sounds of his laughter echoed down the hallway.
After Ruby finished dusting Weiss off, she smiled and walked her over to the desk she had finished up. "Do you like it? I wanted to get you this since I knew you'd be busy at times with schoolwork and would need a place for that."
"I, yes, I do thank you, Ruby. But you didn't have to go through all this trouble." The cat Faunus said, her tail swishing and her ears flattening in embarrassment.
Ruby poked her forehead and smiled, pulling her over to it to let her sit on the chair she also got with the purchase. "I didn't have to, but that's the big difference, Weiss. I wanted to get this for you. Now sit. Tell me if the chair is comfortable for you."
Weiss squirmed a bit in the chair, but after a few moments she found that it fit for her needs perfectly. "This is a good fit, so yes I shall sit."
Ruby began to giggle, thinking it was too cute for how she said that. "I can't believe you just said that, Weiss."
"I think you deserve at least one, Weiss patented moment of insanity." The alabaster haired cat Faunus said, smiling slightly at Ruby's laugh.
Sun walked back in with another two suitcases and saw the two smiling and laughing with each other, so instead of butting in, he put the suitcases down and went back to his car to get the others.
Weiss did notice that and was about to call out to him, but Ruby cut her off. "Oh, and I also did get you some more ice cream, but no eating it so quick this time. I think you'll enjoy savoring it more that way. Plus I'll padlock the freezer if you go overboard again."
"I... Fine, but I'm going to at least have one bowl tonight." The white haired woman said, pouting a little.
"No complaints here, but I do want to try some of it if you don't mind." Ruby smiled as she started moving some of Weiss' books onto the desk for her.
"Of course you can. Strangely enough I've found it actually pairs well with a red wine, a bottle of which should be on the counter." Weiss said, pointing towards the kitchen.
"Huh, well hey, if you want to tonight, then I say we share a bottle and some of that ice cream." Ruby smiled and her tail swished back and forth as she kept on moving Weiss' books onto the desk.
"I think that would be a great idea!" Weiss said, as Ruby placed the last of the books on the desk and Sun walked back in with the last of Weiss' suitcases.
"Looks like you two are gonna have a fun night, but hey, I hope you don't mind me heading out. I need to get back to Reese. Can't keep her alone for long after all." Sun remarked.
"How is she doing by the way?" Ruby asked, as Sun turned for the door.
"Pissy… but she's getting better. Don't worry though. I'm sure she won't try to rob you again after talking with you at that party. Other than that, she feels a bit cooped up at times." Sun chuckled as he opened the door, but he looked back. "Hey, Weiss, about what you said earlier… Thanks."
"No problem, Sun." Weiss replied as the monkey Faunus closed the door.
"What did you talk to him about?" Ruby asked, but she wouldn't pry if Weiss didn't want to talk too much about it.
"Just about Reese being… difficult with a few topics. So how did work go today?" The cat Faunus asked.
"It was a bit uneventful, but get this, I think Yang is gonna get a new roommate soon." Ruby snickered as her tail swayed. "And you'll never guess who it might be."
Weiss arched an eyebrow conspiratorially at their gossiping, "Don't keep me in suspense, let me get the wine and then I need details."
AN:
Phoenix: Ok first things first, sorry about our absence, we had a few things to straighten out. On the plus side I did have time to start writing for a new fandom, it's been rather enjoyable so far. Second, sorry for any confusion we may have caused about our update status. FF is a bit of pain in the ass with what it flags as an update. Apparently removing a notice flags the story as updated. And third this chapter may be a bit off cause after not posting for a few months we didn't want to send it out for editing and force you all to wait.
Shadow: It's still longer of a chapter than we had thought it would be. Also we will allude to certain characters at times to show that they do in fact exist in this world.
Phoenix: And we will eventually bring them in fully it will just take time. Also I did fight Shadow over the cat meme idea. I do not take responsibility for it.
Shadow: It was the perfect time for it, so I have no regrets.
Phoenix: We hope you guys enjoyed the story so far, we will hopefully not keep you waiting too long for next time! Enjoy the journey, keep moving forward and don't feed the guard dogs! - Phoenix and Shadow signing off!
Random cat and wolf omake time!
Cat: Meow… Meow, mew. (So, what have we learned?) *The cat asked the now hospitalized wolf, who was only there because of the catpile that it had experienced*
Wolf: Ruff, ruff, woof. (To not get buried under walking hairball factories)
Cat: Hiss, meow *slap* (Ey, rude. That is somewhat racist and don't pretend like it was anyone else's fault)
Wolf: Growl. (Don't you have a tree to get stuck in somewhere?)
Cat: Meow? Hiss… Meow! (My five o'clock? Huh, yeah I think I should go do that… wait, it's four-fifty!) *Cat runs off to its tree appointment*
Wolf: *Hits a button and orders a steak after asking the nurse to restart the clock over the door*