March 13th
Patch
7:23 AM

"Damn it…" Caitlin groaned as she reached for her scroll and shut her alarm off before it could go off in seven minutes. "I could have had seven more minutes of sleep…"

"Wakey wakey," Yang said as she passed the open door to her sister's room. "Wasn't expecting to see you up this early."

Caitlin glared as she shoved on her glasses. "Shut up."

Yang grinned as she came into her room. "So...what classes do you have today?"

"Language arts - honours - world history - advanced placement - study hall, calculus," She said, putting on her bra and then starting to pull on her black tights, skirt, cream blouse, and tying her tie into a cute, limpy bow with long strings dangling from it. "Why do you care? When you were a year ten, you only had to take basic language arts and world history, and you took algebra level two instead of calculus -"

"I didn't want to kill myself by taking classes as hard as yours," Yang told her as she slipped on her black ballet flats. "Not wearing heels to your classes anymore?"

Caitlin sent her another glare. "Mommy banned me. Said that I'll hurt myself."

"You know," Yang said as her sister picked up her purse and brought it into their shared bathroom to put on her makeup. "Since we live on Patch, we live in the only part of the kingdom that doesn't require uniforms, why do -"

"Because I look cute like this," She said, rubbing her concealer into her pale skin. "And I wear things that cover me because I don't want people to be staring at me or to flirt with me. I try to limit my social interactions while I'm in my classes, you know?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on."

"Hey," Caitlin said as she applied her deep violet, sparkly lipstick. "Don't tease me just because you're a social butterfly or that kind of thing!"

Yang grinned as she turned to her and capped her makeup. "What?"

"Yang, really," Caitlin said, swinging her purse over her shoulder. "I've got fifty minutes until I've got to get to the bus to downtown and to my classes -"

"Yeah, yeah," Yang said dismissively as they walked down the hall. "Are you sure you can't miss a day or two to visit me at Beacon?"

Caitlin sighed, picking up her purple backpack. "Yang, listen to me. I'm happy for you, and I'm glad you're excited about becoming a huntress but I have a lot going on right now and I can't. Once summer starts I'll only have my summer assignments for advanced placement language arts and advanced placement Valerian history so I'll be able to be more relaxed."

Yang nodded as they walked down the stairs. "At least promise me you'll pack more for lunch than a sparkling water, a peanut butter sandwich, and a yogurt."

"That's a perfectly suitable lunch," Caitlin replied as she shoved her yogurt into the small cold compartment of her bag along with the water. "Now, where's the -"

Yang giggled when Zwei ran into the house with Ruby behind him and almost tackled Chatton. "Hi Zwei."

"Zwei!" Caitlin exclaimed as she began making her sandwich and the tiny corgi sat down by her feet. "What the hell? Leave Chatton alone!"

The small, three legged black cat all but snorted in superiority and began to brush up against Caitlin's leg.

"Aww...aren't you a sweet kitty?" Caitlin smiled as she bent down slightly to pet her cat. "I know, Zwei is stupid."

"Hey..." Ruby said darkly as her cousin finished making her sandwich, slipped into a small bag, and then dropped it into the cold compartment as well. "Don't be mean. Zwei's a sweet doggie, isn't he?"

Caitlin groaned. "Adorable, Ruby, but you know I don't like dogs."

"That's because, during those few years when we lived in the actual City Of Vale for dad and uncle Qrow's work as huntsmen, our neighbour had two poorly trained rottweilers," Yang said slyly. "If I recall, they used to chase you."

Caitlin rolled her eyes as she unplugged her computer and shoved it and her charger into her bag along with her notebooks, calculator, sketchbook, and rather large pencil case. "Shut up."

"And then there was that bitchy girl who lived in the townhouse across and down two from us that you -" Yang started, though she stopped off of the dangerous look her sister was giving her. "And then one of your friends was fine alone but tried to push your other friend out of her treehouse over a doll -"

Caitlin smacked her with the side of her bag. "You're not funny."

"I'm not trying to be," Yang said with a small smirk. "I'm just pointing out why you hate dogs. You used to be jumped by rottweilers, so it's understandable that -"

"Yang are you antagonising your sister?" Tai asked as he came down the stairs in slippers, silk pants, and a matching silk robe wrapped tightly around him. "You know she's worse in the mornings and will rip your throat out."

"Metaphorically speaking," Caitlin protested as she pushed up her glasses. "I could never beat Yang or Ruby in an actual fight!"

"You ripped that guy's hands - and he was bigger than you - off your throat when he tried to strangle you," Yang shrugged. "I know that was one fight, but then you beat him to the ground and successfully did the same to his buddy."

Caitlin gave her a bored look. "Oh, great, I'm a fighting prodigy! I should go to Beacon like you next year! Maybe, I'll be an archer huntsman like fucking Robin of Hood!"

"Language," Tai reprimanded, though he wasn't angry. "Don't get detention for swearing."

She crossed her arms. "I've never gotten detention."

"Yeah you have," Ruby said, and Caitlin scowled at her. "But you got out of it, didn't you? I was in year nine with you up until -"

"Up until two days ago," Caitlin grumbled.

"And I convinced you to take theatre with me because I thought it would be fun!" Ruby exclaimed though her face fell slightly as she went on. "Although the theatre teacher sucks."

Caitlin laughed darkly. "She's new, she acts like a teenager, she gets her hair braided in class, she talks about how university is hell and much worse than what we're doing right now even in the otherwise highly advanced course load I'm taking, how if you double major you're screwed but she skipped class while at university so I'll take that with a grain of salt, she's rude to my friend with the terrible home life and life threatening disorder, she can't pick up on me patronising her -"

"You're so much like mom," Yang said, shaking her head. "You have a penchant for patronising people, you -"

"Yes, yes, your sister is what would have happened if your mother was a geek," Tai said with a smirk, and Caitlin looked at him in horror.

"I am a nerd with a passion for the arts! I'm a nerd that is a singer songwriter! I even..." Caitlin trailed off for a moment. "I even have a voice that people think is weird to go with it even though my voice is perfectly normal just significantly higher than average! Like my IQ!"

Tai started laughing. "I'm teasing you, okay?"

"That's not funny!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms. "And, amongst all her other sins which include being rude to another kid in the class for being a faunus, she's sleeping with a student's parent and talks about it openly - even up to humiliating him in front of us when he comes in every so often to get something because she's lazy."

"Isn't that bitch in your lyrical class a fan of hers?" Yang asked, and Caitlin shrugged.

"I don't know," She admitted. "But Kira is, and she's got her friend Madison who is a complete -"

"Dumbass?" Yang suggested, and she nodded. "Kira's jealous of you. Didn't she say that you make her look bad and that you're -"

"The reason she has no friends?" Caitlin finished irritably. "Yeah, why?"

"Just making sure," She said, shrugging. "Hey, so are you -"

"I've been in three relationships and they were all disasters," She snapped. "All three of them were crazy, and it's a ding on my intellectual capacity to date people who are crazy. I just didn't tell them that because I don't want to make them more crazy."

"Two girls and one boy," Yang sighed. "How's my bisexual baby sister doing in the world of -"

Caitlin swatted her arm. "Don't be a bitch!"

"Caitlin, don't call your sister a bitch," Tai said as he sipped his coffee. "And, Yang, don't push her buttons."

Chatton hissed as Zwei began to run about the living room and Caitlin jumped up onto a chair.

"Zwei!" Raven snapped as she came back into the house from her morning run. "Calm down and be quiet!"

He did so, and Caitlin slowly got off of the chair while her cat came over to her and stared at her with wide eyes.

"I've got to go in ten minutes, kitty," She said as she lifted up her cat and held it as if it were a baby. "But I'll see you when I get home, okay?"

"Don't feel bad, Zwei," Ruby said as she sat down next to her dog with her cape spreading out behind her. "You're adorable."

"He's a demon," Caitlin muttered. "He tried to lick my feet last night when I was studying."

"Catch," Tai said as he tossed her a granola bar which landed on the table. "Eat that on the way so you're not dysfunctional."

She glowered. "I'd be -"

"You in particular need to eat almost as soon as you get up," He told her, and she grudgingly set down her cat and took the granola bar in hand. "Otherwise you get irritable."

"Fine," She said as she swung her backpack and purse over her shoulders. "I'll do that."

"Want me and Ruby to come with just for fun?" Yang asked her, and she hesitated as she pulled out her scroll and plugged her headphones into it. "We could -"

"No," Caitlin said firmly. "That'd just be awkward. And I'm still mad at Ruby for being the reason that one of my electives is a year of theatre and not a semester of photography and a semester of painting and drawing."

"Sorry," Ruby squealed as she stood up. "At least let us walk with you."

She groaned but nodded. "Fine!"

"The beast has awoken, I see," Qrow commented as he slid down the bannister. "The arisen Caitlin Lily Branwen."

Raven glared at him as she let her hair out a rather messy ponytail. "Don't be an asshole."

"Hey, you and Tai and the girls don't have to live here," Qrow said with a shrug. "That cat too."

"Technically," Raven said, crossing her arms. "Tai or I could kick you out at any time because you don't -"

"Yeah, yeah," Qrow said dismissively as he pulled out his flask. "Heard from Cristal recently?"

She nodded. "Why?"

"Because she seemed particularly bitchy the night I picked up Ruby," He said as Caitlin walked out the door listening to Evanescence with Ruby and Yang following her. "It's not going to end well if they go to her classes with her."

Tai smiled in slight amusement. "I can see that being funny."

"I can see her getting annoyed with them for breaking her concentration," Raven said as he pulled her in and kissed her cheek. "And don't you have a mission, Qrow?"

"Yeah, why?" He said raising an eyebrow. "Didn't your tribe move back to Mistral thirteen years ago so you divide your time between there and here?"

Raven tensed. "Why do you care?"

"Because you spend a lot of time there and a good amount of time away from your husband and your kids," Qrow said simply. "Honestly, there was a part of me that was expecting you'd take Caitlin or Yang and leave when they moved back to Mistral."

"It felt more like home, that's why we did that," She snapped. "And I'm leaving again shortly after Yang starts at Beacon."

Qrow shook his head as he left the room. "I don't know what to think."

She sighed. "Tai, I -"

"I know you love me," He said, gently kissing her. "And I know you've been doing your best. You always are."

"Ruby's just like Summer was," She said sadly though she tried to mask it with bitterness. "Something that we both know is dangerous."

Tai saw through her. "I know you don't like talking about it, but Summer's death was hard on all of us."

Raven crossed her arms as soon as he released her. "Tai -"

"Raven, at least..." He took her hand for a moment and squeezed it. "I love you, and we'll talk while you're in Mistral for the next few months. Okay?"

She nodded. "We always do."