Alright, here's chapter 25. I added a RWBY Chibi reference, I wonder how many of you will catch onto it. It's fairly easy to spot.
Also, Happy New Year to everyone. I hope your celebrations went well and all that junk. I actually went bowling for New Years, and had a blast!
So, please enjoy the chapter and drop a review. Tell me what you think, what you like, what you dislike.
I tried to go back to my old and more popular style of backtracking from the previous chapter, then continuing on. I need to get back into the habit of doing that. It's always been my strong suite and I shouldn't step away from it too much.
POV: YANG XIAO LONG
Chapter 25 - Gifting Advice, and Advice for Gifting
I tilt my head as Weiss turns her scroll so I can see the display. When I can see the screen clearly I read the message and who the sender is, that being the Beacon Staff, and the message itself is telling her that a package has arrived.
That has to be . . . MINE!?
I make haste and scramble for the door, forgetting everything aside from the clothes on my back while I fight to get onto my feet and break into an all-out sprint towards Storage. Beacon's storage is probably one of the more visited areas any given day of the week. Anything from ammunition, spare clothes, and any packages that come into Beacon for teachers and students alike.
Most of the time when I go down to Storage is to grab ammo for Ember Celica and Crescent Rose. Ruby got me into the - bad - habit of ordering only the best ammo for my Babies. I end up spending a little more than I want to for our ammunition, but I guess it's all worth it in the end. It makes maintenance on Ember Celica a lot easier since the buckshots I use tend to leave less debris in the chamber and barrel than the surplus rounds I usually get.
As I sprint my way through Beacon I catch several wandering eyes and questioning glares which are probably thanks to the clothes I'm wearing. The moment I got into the dorm room I took off my outfit since it completely reeked of gunpowder and debris, so instead of my usual brown jacket and skirt, I'm stuck in my black borderline booty shorts and orange tank-top that doesn't do too well with keeping the sides of my bra from showing. Honestly, I should've remembered my shoes at least, but some things just take complete priority in my mind, and Blake happens to be one of those things.
My lack of footwear is noted when I shoulder charge through the double-doors of the dormitory to cross the courtyard. The feeling of my weight slamming down onto concrete and brick forces me to focus my aura just enough to null each impact so I can keep at a full sprint without any discomfort. As I sprint through the courtyard I spot an Atlas uniform passing by and almost mistake it for Weiss for some reason, but I blame my rush to get to Pick-up for that mix up.
After getting into Beacon's storage room, I walk up to the Officer's Area of Concentration (AOC) that keeps all the weapons, ammo, and other goodies separated and out of reach from anyone who enters. To complete the security of the inventory, every inch above the wall-to-wall desk is covered with a giant chain-linked fence and plexi-glass to make sure the person on the other side is completely safe from harm.
The floor is dark and dirty. The material is obviously solid, smooth cement while the walls are reinforced with solid, stainless steel to assure that the room is the most well-protect from the outside world. The ceiling is pretty low, sitting at about twelve feet (which I think is pretty low for a storage unit) although behind the counter I can tell that it gets higher the further towards the back you go. The lighting overhead isn't the brightest thing in the world, but does manage to illuminate the room well, at least until you notice the slightly darker spots between each light from how dim they are.
"Hey, pickup for Weiss Schnee." I say while I walk up to the person on the other side of the plexiglass. To my surprise, the person standing there this time around is Professor Goodwitch. Perhaps the fact that I forgot my scroll might not be too bad since she knows I'm teammates with Weiss.
"Ms. Xiao Long . . . Why are you picking up Mis. Schnee's package?" Goodwitch glares at me from behind the frame of her glasses. In the dim lighting of the room and the slight reflection of light her glasses have, it's almost more intimidating than her normal stare.
"Well . . ." I begin, thinking of an excuse, "you saw how messed up Weiss got in that last match. Just doing her a favor, y'know?"
Damn, I'm smooth.
"I see . . . and why couldn't Ms. Rose come and retrieve the package for her partner?" Goodwitch prods a little further this time. "I'm certain your team leader would have more responsibility than that."
"Well, Weiss and I had to have a small talk. Miscommunication on the field and all that junk. We wanted it to be between us, so we asked Blake and Rubes to give us the room for a bit. Just so happens that Weiss got the notification at the same time and I decided to come get it as my apology to her . . .I kind of got tunnel-vision during our battle." I explain, hoping that will be the end of things and I can get my package from her already.
"I see;" Goodwitch responds before she looks down at a clipboard that holds the manifest for the storage room. "Then I'll just require your ID, team roster, and written acknowledgement that you can accept Ms. Schnee's packages."
Dust me sideways . . .
"Yeah, ummm . . . about that." I start to chuckle and at the same time I can hear the door to the room open up again.
"So this is where you were in a rush to. Hey, Glynda." I turn towards the doorway to see Uncle Qrow walking in, although he takes his time getting to us while he observes all the gadgets and weapons decorating the back room. "Not bad at all . . . Got any surplus?"
"What are you doing here, Qrow?" Glynda asks with more hostility than usual. I guess she's had to deal with Uncle Qrow one too many times.
"Well . . . I came to a little revelation a couple of weeks back and figured I'd test things out. You got a minute?" Uncle Qrow asks, finally reaching the counter to place a forearm on it.
"I hardly have the time to deal with you or your games, Qrow." Glynda glares at him then at me. In an attempt to get away from my Uncle I see her turn around and disappear for a moment, leaving me and Uncle Qrow a couple of moments to speak.
"So, what are you doing here?" I decide to ask to sate my own curiosity.
"Well, I'm not gonna just watch my niece sprint by in her PJs and not think something's up. Where's the fire, Firecracker?" He asks while taking glances at the other side of the plexiglass to make sure Goodwitch isn't within earshot.
"Well . . . I ordered something in Weiss' name - yes, she knows I did - and it just came in. I'm just super excited to get it. It's for Blake." I elaborate, but decide it's best not to tell him what it is. I want my entire team to know what the gift is before anybody else.
"Good for you, Kiddo. How're the younger couple making progress?"
"Well . . . I don't think Weiss ever took Ruby out on a date . . . She took Ruby clothes shopping and all that junk, but Weiss is always trying to get Ruby something she wants, so that's easily overlooked. They're still going strong, and I've stopped bugging them like you wanted. If-"
"It's not just like I wanted, Yang. I could see how annoyed your favorite Faunus would get when you bothered them. On top of that, the duo you chose to bother didn't like it one bit. You were too tunnel-visioned to see that you were bothering everyone else with your big sister mood." He corrects.
"You're the second person today to tell me about my tunnel vision, ugh! Wait, did you ever ask Glynda out yet?" I ask once I remember the declaration he made a while back.
"I see, my niece has yet again found a girl . . . I wonder how long this one will last. I give it a week, and if it goes passed, then well . . . I'll ask out that Glynda lady at Beacon next time I visit."
At the time Blake and I had already been together well over a month, so that left Uncle Qrow with immediate regret when he found out from Blake herself.
"I was hoping you'd forgotten." He sighs.
"As if. Just let me take my package and get out the door before you do it. I don't want it getting damaged." I snicker. Uncle Qrow stares at me with one of his lesser amused glares just as he sucks his teeth.
"You should be concerned about your uncle getting massacred." He practically shouts. "Kids nowadays never respect their elders."
"You'll be alright. You're not that much of a geezer just yet." My comment earns another glare from Uncle Qrow, followed by his usual denial that comes anytime I tell him he's old.
"I'm not old."
Before we can get any further in our conversation, Glynda comes back with Weiss' package and passes it to me.
"Look at that A+ service. Get that out of here before something happens to it . . . with my luck something will." Uncle Qrow jokes.
"Yeah, yeah. Just start doing your thing." I dismiss. I'm quick to take the small box and make my way out the door, somehow managing to stumble before I'm quick to regain my composure..
Of all the times . . .I'm not falling with this in my hands. Never in a million years.
With my footing regained, I walk out the door and take a small sidestep to listen for what's going on. Unfortunately, Uncle Qrow keeps his voice down, but Goodwitch's voice starts to pick up in volume until I can hear her threatening my uncle to get out. Before things can get much worse, I start my jog back towards the dorm to make sure I get there before Blake and Ruby get back.
I follow the same path I came, retracing my steps with a little more patience now that I have a gift for Blake I can only hope she'll cherish as much as I do. I almost want to open it up now and make sure everything's okay, but waiting until I'm back in the safety and privacy of the room may be the better bet.
It's not long before I'm back in front of the room door, but more than anything I'm surprised to see that it's just barely cracked open, just enough that I can tell the lock wasn't able to secure. Out of slight worry I push the door open with assertion, only to see Weiss, her older sister, and an obvious lack of a bed.
"Umm . . . where did my sister's bed go?" I ask. While I wait for an answer I step into the room, using my foot to push the door shut behind me. My first priority is getting this box put away for now. I don't want to open it while Weiss' sister is here, and I'm not going to kick the lady out since I wouldn't want Weiss to try kicking out Uncle Qrow or something should he visit. I'm starting to get this common courtesy thing down to a science.
"The ropes were fragile. I took it upon myself to discard it before my sister gets hurt. I'm sure you can understand as an older sister." Winter says while I kneel down next to her to slide the box underneath Weiss' bed. I guess if I saw something was a danger to Rubes, I'd more than likely want it gone. The bed was dangerous, but it's held up well the past few months. If Winter is anything like me, then she probably took it upon herself to get rid of it and ignored whatever Weiss was saying on the matter. If I can take anything out of the situation, let me at least see if she plans on getting my sister a new bed. Beacon takes way too long with request forms.
"I mean . . .are you getting her a new bed?" I ask, making sure the box is well hidden, but also at a spot I can reach easily. When I'm done I move to my feet, keeping my attention on the older Schnee sister.
"Well, if needed I could get them a queen-sized mattress.-"
Ah, so the older sister is helping the relationship. This makes more sense . . . You have some good backup, Weiss.
"-It's certainly more comfortable than a twin-bed." She says in a pretty dismissive manner.
"Hey, if you're being generous. I could use one for me and Blakey." I kid, already knowing the gameplay here is to get Ruby and Weiss just a little bit closer. Why should she bother with me and Blake? It's still fun to mess with a Schnee if they all have the same fuse as Weiss.
"That can be arranged if needed."
Wait, what? She's messing with me.
"Seriously?" I start, then clear my throat to take on a more nonchalant tone. "I mean . . . sure. I'd love a queen-size for me and Kittycat."
"The beds will be here by morning. Is that soon enough?" Just as she says that she moves to her feet and takes out her scroll. "If you want it before then, I can have them arrive and be installed by ten in the evening if you wouldn't mind waiting that long."
Why couldn't she have been the one to come to Beacon!? She's way nicer than Ice Queen! Okay, let me not say that . . . Weiss seriously saved my ass last night, but still . . .if Weiss was this nice when I first met her, I think we would've been friends waaaay sooner. Wait, she could still be messing with me. I hope not.
"Are you pulling my leg?" I ask with disbelief still fresh in my mind. "Don't joke around with that, I've always wanted a queen-size." I admit, hope fresh in my tone.
"I'm not 'pulling your leg'." Winter reassures, making my face light up in happiness. "They can be here before ten, but I require your . . . 'expertise' in a matter in exchange." She says with a serious look in her eye.
My expertise? So . . . she wants me to beat someone up? Can't be that easy, can it?
"Ummm," I hesitate, weighing the situation before realizing the result is me getting to share a bed with Kittycat for the next few semesters. Nothing will ever outweigh that. "Sure?"
Upon my agreement, Winter makes her way towards the door. My feet practically move by themselves to follow behind her, leaving Weiss alone while I try to find out what the elder Schnee sister needs from me. As we enter the hallway Winter turns left, taking the path that appears to be longer. However, halfway down the hallway she stops; making me realize that she chose the spot where there were barely any doors for someone to eavesdrop on us.
"So, what's up?" I ask, leaning on one side of the hall while Winter stands against the other wall directly across from me.
"I don't- The ceiling?" She answers with a quirked brow.
"Wow." I shake my head and throw my forehead into my right palm. "It's slang; 'What do you need?' is what I meant to say."
"As surprising as it is, I need your advice on a sensitive topic." She starts to say, immediately piquing my curiosity on the subject.
"Oh? 'Bout what?" I push myself off of the wall to stand upright.
"Well, it regards-" Winter places her hands on her hips and starts to gaze around like I would do before bringing up a stressful topic. She then takes a loud inhale through her nose, then exhales from her mouth before making eye contact with me once more. "It regards that insatiable gamin you've apparently known for a while."
"A game? What game are we talking about here? Total Annihilation? I know some pretty sick combos in that game that'll-"
"I'm not talking about a videogame, you boob!" She bites with a firm stomp of her heel into the carpet.
"Don't go getting a rack attack on me. I'm trying to help you out here; and I'm not all boob, I've got some butt to add to it." I gloat, further enforcing my point by turning my left side towards Winter, giving her a good view at my profile. I place my left hand on my hip and my right hand on the back of my head to send my hair over my shoulder while I strike my pose. "Case and point."
My tease towards Winter makes her stare at me awkwardly for a few seconds, then shake her head once she recovers. She raises her left hand to me, gesturing me to stop with the clear-as-day look of annoyance coating her face.
"It's this precise reason why I need your advice, unfortunately." She sighs, "I am talking about the insufferable, annoying, inconsiderate, flirtatious faunus that you seem to know pretty well."
"Hito?" I question, surprised that Winter would have anything to ask me about her. I guess she's finally had enough of Hito's advances. I can't say I'm too surprised, though. Hito's always been an aggressive flirt. "I'll tell her to calm down. Sorry about that, she means well."
"Excuse me? She hasn't been very . . . forward with me. If anything, she's been a little more respectful of my personal space . . . My question is more . . . complex than that." Winter says, this time avoiding eye contact with me.
"Well I'm not a mind reader! Spill it, already!" I shout, my lack of patience proving to be a weakness of mine.
"How do you do it?"
"What?" Her question makes me pause, more out of confusion as to what she's asking about.
"How do you do it?" She repeats, this time being a little more assertive which makes me feel at ease. I get the same vibe from Winter as I do from Weiss; if Weiss is ever uneasy or hesitant when we talk I start to feel uncomfortable.
"How do I do what? You aren't making a lot of sense." I sigh, definitely not ready for a conversation that is going to keep leading in circles.
"How do you . . . talk so confidently around . . ." She says one more word, but it's a little too low for me to catch it.
"What was that? Didn't catch that last word." I say to her. I take a step closer and turn my head to hopefully have an easier time listening.
"How do you talk so confidently around . . ." She trails off again, this time pissing me off enough to punch the wall next to her.
"Look, if you want my help, then I'll help. I can't help if you're going to keep being a mute on what you need from me. I'm not a mind reader. Either you spill it, or I walk." I rant.
"I need to know how you're able to speak so confidently around . . . people."
"What? You're kidding right? Aren't you some sort of high rank in the army? Why would you need advice about being confident around people? What does this have to do with Hito anywa- ohhhhh."
"What are you thinking!? This has nothing to do with that flirtatious feline!" Winter practically shouts.
"Oh? Then why did you say it was about her when we first started talking?" I ask while taking a step closer. A smirk starts to cross my face as I piece together the puzzle bit by bit. "Now that I know what this is about . . . care to start being honest?"
Winter takes a deep breath and looks down both sides of the hall before she starts to speak up again.
"Her company isn't terrible, and while her flirtations make me uncomfortable . . . they also offer me a sense of . . . confidence in terms of my appearance."
"So she makes you feel attractive. She's good at that. Go on."
"I doubt I have any form of attraction to her . . . I just want to accept her compliments properly but . . ."
"But you got a slight case of homophobia, is that it?" I ask with confidence that I hit the mark. When she gives me a look that confirms my suspicion in a questioning manner, I decide to explain how I caught on so easily. "Let's face it, if she gives you confidence yet manages to make you uncomfortable, it means you like what she's saying, but the fact that she's saying it brings you discomfort. See, I doubt anybody could compliment me and creep me out unless well . . . they're a creep, but Hito's far from that."
"I didn't say I want to encourage her." Winter argues,
"I think you do. Even if it's just to see how her attitude will change. Besides, you have the head strength to fight her back if needed. Here's the best advice I got: Call her by a nickname, any nickname. Promise you that'll make her kick it up just a notch. You don't even need to act differently or talk differently. Now, if that's all . . .I need to head back and open a package."
"I see. Thank you for your time."
With our conversation concluded, Winter and I walk back to the room to see that Weiss is still alone. At the moment she seems to be texting Ruby from her scroll while sitting on her bed. Winter takes the time to sit down next to Weiss while I go underneath the bed to pull out my package. It's not until I set the box down on Weiss' night stand that she finally starts talking to us.
"I hope your conversation went well. Oh, Blake and Ruby are on their way back. Team JNPR are already expecting you to knock on their door. You can open the box there." Weiss says to me with a smile. "If I can offer my opinion . . . staging an altercation in the hallway for her to break may be the best way to give it to her. She'll be worried, then surrounded by friends. It may be the best mood shift, at least in my opinion."
"Look at you, Weiss! You're a love guru!" I tease.
"At least I'm trying. After seeing how happy Blake's been after your date, I personally want to take a trip with Ruby. Father knows about us, so there's no point in us hiding too much from the public. Ruby and I can play things off and let the rumors stay as such for the time being."
"Just be careful, Weiss." Winter interrupts. "Enjoy yourself, but don't do it just to spite Father. I'm sure Ruby Rose would want your affections to come from the heart, not out of spite or obligation. Do what you feel will be best."
"Should practice what you preach." I bite at Winter, smirking when the older sister stares at me with disapproving eyes. I pick up Blake's gift, completely unaffected by the stare and make my way into the hall to knock firmly on Team JNPR's I'm not waiting long before Ren opens the door and beckons me inside as quickly as possible.
"Weiss was very abstract over her scroll, but we assume you have a gift for Blake that you don't want her seeing." Ren explains while he closes the door behind me.
As I enter I see Pyrrha and Jaune sitting together on the bed furthest from the door along the right side of the room. Nora, on the other hand, is sitting against the wall on her bed which is the furthest along the left side of the room. She's wearing her headphones and is reading through a comic book of some kind. At first glance I assume that it's the new issue of Grognak The Barbarian. I may end up skimming through it while I'm here.
"Hey, Yang. So, mind telling us what you got her?" Jaune waves at me while I place the box on the closest bed possible.
"She'll tell us if she wants, Jaune. We're just providing her a safe place from Blake's eyes to open it." Pyrrha nudges him as she talks, but starts to giggle right after.
To my surprise, Nora's been completely quiet, but the moment I start to look around the package for tape I can rip off, Nora disappears from her bed and reappears at my side to overlook the unboxing.
"Oooo, so whatcha get her? Is it a new bow? Blake loves her bows! Or maybe it's a kitty toy? Catnip? Oh, I got it! You're just giving her the box!" Nora starts to guess, and while all are pretty good gifts that I wouldn't hesitate to get her. For once I decided to be completely serious.
"I'll be glad to show you if I could find a way to open this stupid box." I groan.
"Oh, allow me." Pyrrha calls out from her side of the room. I look towards her direction to see her hand holding a dark tint around it. I throw the back of my forearm into Nora's collarbone, moving her from the box while I do the same. In one quick motion I see Pyrrha's sword swipe through the top of the box but I don't see any motion from the cubed container at all. Immediately after, with the flat-end of the blade, she pushes the top of the box to show that it slides right off after the clean cut.
Nora tries to beat me to the box, but I decide to beat her to the punch and slug her in the arm to send her towards Jaune and Pyrrha while I reach inside to pull out an even smaller box that's just about 6 centimeters in terms of length, width and height. Instead of being a brown color like the box it was in, this one is completely white. I shift the item into my left hand so I can reach in and find the second box that's a little bit flatter, but also wider in terms of length and width. This box is a jet black.
"So, if I had to take my guess." Pyrrha calls out now that both of my gifts are exposed. "One may possibly be a ring of some kind. You two haven't been together too long for marriage . . . but a Promise Ring can be an adequate gift to prove that Blake is the one for you. The other may be another kind of jewelry, but by the shape of the box, I'm going to assume it's a necklace, possibly two. One with your emblem for her to wear? Then the other is her emblem for you to wear? Or will you let her choose which she wants to see if she understands the purpose?"
My jaw drops as I look at Pyrrha while she not only guesses the contents, but the plan I have to go along with them. The way she talks, she's more sure of herself than questioning. It's pretty impressive, or maybe I'm just that predictable. Either way, Pyrrha's right on the money.
I'll take your look of awe and admiration as confirmation." Ren whispers. "Congrats, Yang. You and Blake were practically made for each other. I'm sure she'll accept your gifts with a smile."
"Yeah, well . . . I didn't go small on them." I say more to myself than to the other four in the room. "Anyway, I need to find a way to give these to her."
"Oh . . . you need to find a special way to give Blake your gift." Ren starts to say before looking over his shoulder towards Pyrrha.
"Well . . . there is only one person fit for that role." Jaune continues, then also diverts his eyes to Pyrrha.
"True . . . I'm sure she'll be more than willing to help." Pyrrha adds, then turns her eyes back at me, or at least I think she's looking at me until one more voice speaks up.
"Gift giving? Leave it all to me."
Of all times . . . my fate now falls into the hands of Nora.
"All of you . . . are going to trust this to Nora? The Crazy Queen Nora?" I ask with hopes of this being a cruel joke.
"Hey, my gift giving skills are Renpai approved." Nora rebuts.
"Wait, 'Renpai'?" My eye shift slowly towards Ren who stares in return.
"I do approve of her gift giving abilities. She's talented when it comes to bringing a smile to others." Ren reinforces, but I'm sure he knows that I was staring because of something else, not to hear his confirmation of Nora's abilities.
"So . . ." I take a deep breath and gaze around the room, "You guys are positively sure that Nora knows what she's doing?"
From the other three members I'm met with smiles and nods. When I turn around to face Nora, she's holding her hands behind her back with her usual, cheerful smile worn across her face.
"Alright, Nora. Show me what you got."
At my acceptance of her help she launches herself onto her bed, landing directly in the middle with her legs crossed and her palms planted on her lap. She reaches forward with her right hand and starts to pat the spot in front of her while looking at me.
"Step into my office, Yang."
I give one final look at the other three, then make my way towards Nora's bed with both boxes in hand. I place them carefully at her side, then sit myself down in front of her, mirroring her posture.
"So, what does Blake like? She likes books, she likes ummm . . . quiet stuff, and obviously she likes you. Not a lot for me to work with, soooooooo . . . time for you to tell me every detail you got." Nora smirks.
"I think I'll prepare you both some tea. Sounds like this conversation is going to take a while." Ren announces before excusing himself from the room.
"What do you mean by every detail?" I ask, not wanting to throw out a little too much information.
"Well, does she like catnip? Does she like to drink? What's her favorite food? What's her favorite book? What's her favorite color? I need to know if you want me to help. Every person is different, but everyone likes gifts. Some may want it done in private, others may want it done in the open. The most important thing isn't the setup. The setup is probably like . . . third on the list. The first thing is right here." Nora says and pokes me pretty hard over my heart. "If you don't give everything from the heart . . . then why bother giving a gift, y'know?"
"Nora's right, Yang. You should see the gifts she gave Jaune, Ren, and I. She's truly a considerate gifter." Pyrrha calls out to us while Jaune nods his head in affirmation.
"That's what I do! Just in case you're wondering, number two on the list is the delivery. How you give it is super duper important. It took me sooooo long to realize how I should give Jaune his."
"It came down to her making me give it to Jaune, instead." Pyrrha explains with a chuckle.
"So, what did she get you, Jaune?" I ask out of curiosity.
"Oh," Jaune starts in mild surprise, "she got me a picture frame."
Jaune reaches towards a nearby nightstand to pick up a pretty advanced picture frame. From what I can tell it looks completely electronic and has a somewhat holographic screen just like our scrolls. He stands up to bring it towards me, letting me have a much closer look at Nora's gift to him.
"The bottom of it has this thing that keeps it floating Plus, well . . . I can program what pictures I want to put in it with my scroll. Nora took my scroll when I wasn't looking and added all of my family photos into it. She even captioned all of the solo shots of my sisters. I only told her my sister' names once or so, but she got every name right . . . Nora's pretty hyper, but she has the best ears, and the biggest heart."
"Come on, Jaune! It wasn't that big a deal. Your sisters sound super fun. I can't wait to meet them sometime!" Nora smiles at Jaune while I take the picture frame and look at the images as they appear. I remember Jaune saying he had seven sisters, but I don't even recall one name, let alone seven.
"Well, shit . . ." I mumble under my breath and hand Jaune back is picture frame. "Alright, Nora . . . where do I start?"
"Let's start with how much you two have done. Spare no details!" Nora announces with a smirk.
"Yeah . . . Jaune may need to step outside for this one."