Hazel stepped into the lab with a cough, raising his hand to his face to stifle the worst of the smell while dropping the sack he had been carrying. Rot, feces, blood… fuck, it was disgusting, what had happened here?

Hazel's eyes landed on the crumpled form of Doctor Merlot, pressed against the side of his computer. Striding over to him, he turned the doctor over. A wide, horrified eye stared up at him, grey beard and white coat stained burgundy with long dried blood. Well, that explained why he hadn't been answering the calls.

"Salem?" Hazel said, kicking open the sack he had been carrying. The Seer rose up, yellow light glowing from within, "He's dead."

I see, Salem's voice came from the Seer, Any sign of what did it?

"No," Hazel said, "but I can guess. If those creatures attacked us…"

They likely attacked him, Salem finished with a disappointing sigh, and we're still no closer to discovering what they are. I can only hope Ozpin has something on them when we access the CCT. Gather what information you can from his database, Hazel, and any of the serum left over. I am changing your objectives.

"To what?"

Vale. According to Cinder, Ozpin brought another Maiden there. Confirm this, and then help her acquire the powers… and kill Ozpin.

Hazel's face split into a wide grin at those words, fists clenching. Finally, finally he would get his vengeance for Gretchen, "Understood."

Good. Do not let me down, Salem said, Not that I suspect you will. I'll have a special package sent towards Vale, just in case. Happy Hunting, Rook.

Hazel let out a rumble, hooking his Scroll into the database and walking towards the glass container holding a glowing vial. He didn't need luck, he had been preparing for this for years.

Ozpin would die by his hand, his prized students' bodies would be broken like Gretchen so he would feel a fraction of what Hazel felt before the end. And then, when Ozpin returned, he would make him feel it again. And again. And again.

And then maybe Ozpin would understand why Hazel hated him with such ferocity.

-X Skuld X-

Skuld followed the group through the crowd, the blonde haired girl, Yang, in the lead along with Ruby's dad. Ruby herself trailing behind her, talking with the black haired girl, one hand holding Sora's hand.

Skuld's hand was occupied by Riku, who was skipping alongside her with a smile on his face, a doll in his hand. Skuld stared at it, mouth working before a weak, "Chirithy?" came from it. Riku looked up, a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah!" Riku said, holding him up, "You know him?"

"I… I think so?" Skuld said, taking the plush, "He… I feel like I know him?"

"I've never met you before," Chirithy said, "but maybe you knew another Chirithy?"

"There are others?" The black haired one asked.

"In the Age of Fairy Tales, every Keyblader had one of us!" Chirithy said.

"Really?" Ruby said, "I didn't know about that…"

Then why did Skuld recognize him? And what was the age of Fairy Tales?

Black hummed, not saying anything for a second, before holding out her hand towards Skuld, "I just realized, we didn't really introduce ourselves. I'm Blake, Ruby's partner."

"Oh," Skuld said, taking the hand, "nice to meet you…"

"Same," Blake said.

"I'm Pyrrha," the redhead said, "Yang's partner."

"And I'm Yang," the blonde greeted, "Ruby's sister. Stick with me, we'll get you some nice clothes."

"Trust Yang on that," Ruby said, "I'm not one for clothes shopping, but Yang's great at it."

"O-" before Skuld could finish Riku let out a noise of excitement, letting go of her hand and starting to rush towards the wide building they were walking towards. Ruby reached out, snagging him with his free hand and stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Don't run off, Riku," Ruby said, "We'll be at the mall soon enough."

"But- but-!" Riku whined, struggling against the grip before sighing, "Fine…"

"Let's pick up the pace," the man with them said with a laugh, "before Riku explodes from excitement. I'm Tai-Yang, by the way. Ruby and Yang's father, but call me Tai."

"Ok," Skuld said, smiling at him. He smiled back, a broad, happy thing, "Nice to meet you."

-X Tai X-

Tai watched Pyrrha disappear out back with Skuld, cracking a smile as Ruby grabbed Riku and Sora by the back of their shirts with an exhausted sigh. Riku let out a whine, struggling against the grip, "Ruby, why can't I go?"

"It's nothing for kids your age," Ruby said.

"Blake," Tai said, fishing out some lien and handing it to the Faunus, "can you take Riku and Sora to get a snack? I need to talk to Ruby and Yang."

Blake met his eyes, before nodding and storing the lien, taking both kids' hands, "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream."

"Yeah!" Riku said, a wide grin on his face and completely forgetting about wondering why Ruby was keeping him from entering the underwear section of the store. Sora took Blake's other hand, and Tai resolved to thank her when they got back.

"You two," Tai said, turning to his daughters with a sigh, "are in a lot of trouble."

"Dad-" Yang started, shifting uncomfortably, "We-"

"Do you know how dangerous that was?" Tai demanded, "Raven… she's… there's something wrong with her. Mentally, I mean… I don't know if you two know this, but… she's been leading a bandit clan since she left."

"She has?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Yang said, not meeting Tai's eyes, "She has…"

"And she thinks of that clan as her family," Tai said, "More than she does us. You or me or Qrow, Yang. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you for standing together… but if Glynda hadn't stepped in, I don't doubt Raven would have fought you to the death. And… and I don't want that."

"We wouldn't have died," Ruby said, "I still had some tricks-"

"But then Raven would be dead!" Tai snapped, before breathing in and closing his eyes, "...And I can't do that anymore. I know she doesn't care about me anymore, Qrow tried to get her to come back and she refused, but… I still loved her, and I don't want her blood on your hands either. And you say that but-"

Tai reached up, brushing the left side of Yang's face, feeling the rough texture of the scar that hadn't been there last time he had seen her, "Dad?"

"-What happened?" Tai asked, "Who did that to you?"

"We got into a fight," Ruby said, "it was my fault, and Yang got hurt because-

"I wanted to come," Yang said, "I'm sick of sitting around and having you come home hurt! You're my sister, and maybe we're not as close as we-"

"You don't think we're close anymore?" Ruby asked, voice choked.

"...You were gone for a long time," Yang said.

"But you're my sister," Ruby said, shaking her head, "You… You're my sister!"

And then again, weaker, more broken, Ruby said, "You're my big sister. I… I could never replace you, anymore than I could replace Dad or Mom… W-why would you ever think I could-"

Ruby curled up into a ball on the bench there were seated on, tearing brimming in her eyes.

-X Yang X-

Yang watched Ruby begin to have a near meltdown in the center of the mall, and did the only thing that made sense. She reached down and pulled her sister into a tight hug, resting her chin on the younger girl's head. Seconds later, Tai joined them, pulling them both into a hug as the noise of the outside world died, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad, I just- I guess I'm worried. You spend so much time with Blake now, that I just… it feels like you didn't need me anymore."

"I didn't think I needed to say that," Ruby said, voice cracking, "I'm flying blind here, Yang. I don't know what I'm doing! Of course I need your help."

Yang cracked a smile at the turn of phrase, tightening the hug, "I don't know much about training-"

"You helped take care of me when I was younger," Ruby said, stealing Yang's thunder, "and I need that too. Especially now that Skuld's here."

"Yeah," Yang said, "...Sorry to change topics, but when did you and Braig start talk-"

"That-" Tai suddenly threw himself away from Ruby and Yang, off the bench, with a look of anger on his face. Seconds later, the rolling heat of a blast furnace hit them, and Tai backpedaled further at the flinches, anger fading, "Sorry, sorry… I forgot your Aura was down. Are you two alright?"

"Yeah," Yang said, "just surpris- how'd everyone get so far away?"

Yang looked around the wide berth around the bench, wider than it had been minutes ago. Ruby coughed, rubbing her neck, "That'd be me. I wanted the conversation to be private, if that was ok?"

"Of course it is," Tai said, rubbing his head as the heat vanished entirely, breathing in, "That was… that was Braig?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, "and I don't really know, it just sorta… happened. He's not as bad a guy as I thought, annoying, but not bad."

"I don't want you talking to him," Tai said.

"I don't want to talk with him," Ruby deadpanned back, "but he just kinda shows up like he did today. I don't get a choi-"

"Mr. Xiao Long? Yang? Ruby?" Pyrrha called, stepping from the crowd with Skuld holding a large paper bag and looking around, "Are you nearby?"

"We'll continue this later," Tai said, "at Patch."

"But-" Ruby started.

"Raven can learn," Tai said, voice icy, "That if she wants people to have to follow her damn schedule, she's got another thing coming. I'll call Oz, let him know Team RNBY is gonna be at our house for the next couple of days."

Ruby was quiet, before dropping the spell, smiling at Skuld, "All set?"

Skuld nodded, clutching the bag full of underwear with a blush, "Yes… thank you."

"It's nothing," Tai said, "Now, let's go find Blake and head to the next store. Ruby, you could use some clothes too, and no, a new coat doesn't count before you argue you already have them."

Yang cracked a smile at the inarticulate grumbling from Ruby.

- X Ruby X-

Ruby crossed her arms with a sigh as they walked into the next clothes store, directing a half-hearted glare at the back of her dad's head. There was nothing wrong with her clothes!

Well, other than her not getting the opportunity to wear skirts as often as she would like. She had tried, back when her training started, but had pretty much destroyed her entire supply when she messed up summoning her armor (and her coat would have likely been destroyed too if it wasn't self repairing). Maybe she'd pick up a couple while she was here… or not, considering it wasn't gonna ever be seen under her coat.

See, this? This was why Ruby hated clothes shopping. What did it matter what she was wearing, so long as she had her coat? That was the only part that mattered.

"Can I just grab some blouses and call it a day?" Ruby asked her dad, "I really don't want much."

"...Fine," Tai said, sighing and rubbing his head, "You know, it wouldn't kill you to drop the trenchcoat?"

Yeah, but it was kinda her thing. Unless she was in Keyblade Armor or her school uniform, she wore the coat. Call it paranoia, but Ruby was rapidly coming to the opinion that paranoia was the intelligent response to the way her life had been going.

...Maybe she did need that vacation.

No shit.

Well, he'd been awfully quiet.

Busy, busy. Anyways, take care of Skuld, Lux. She's gonna need it.

No nickname for her?

Give me time. I'll come up with one.

Joy.

"Everything alright?" Blake asked, touching Ruby's arm, "You're scowling."

Just the manchild in her head, normal stuff, wouldn't trade it for the world, "Just thinking about what color blouse to get. Probably just gonna go with black."

Love ya too, Lux.

"I'll come with you," Blake said, "maybe you'll pick up one in red? I never got a chance to say it, but the new coat looks good on you."

"Thanks," Ruby said, cracking a smile and watching Yang drag Skuld towards the neatly folded pants and skirts, sighing, "I'm not sure I'm ready for this."

"Then why not ask Master Yen Sid? Or Mickey?"

"Gunblades aren't easy to use," Ruby said, scratching her cheek, "I can help her with that more than Mickey or Yen Sid… plus, if I'm honest, it's probably better for her to be somewhere she can meet other people. I don't want her to end up like… well, like me. If she doesn't remember anything, then we're gonna be teaching her how to interact with people, and I'm not exactly the best.

"Neither am I, but I'll try to help," Blake said, "and so will Yang, Pyrrha and Tai."

"Yeah," Ruby said, smiling at Blake, "now let's pick out the stupid shirt before Dad forces me to buy a… oh, no."

"What?"

"We've got the Beacon dance in a month," Ruby said, face palling, "I don't wanna wear a fancy dress…"

"Then wear a suit or something," Blake said, "I'm sure you can get away with it. They let you wear a boy's uniform."

"Technically it's a girl's uniform with slacks," Ruby said, walking towards the blouses, "but I get your point."

-X Skuld X-

Skuld picked up the belt embedded with metal studs, mouth dry. It seemed so, so familiar… but why?

"You like that?" Yang asked, leaning on the table as Skuld's eyes jumped up to meet hers. Skuld looked down at the belt, gripping it tighter.

"Yeah…"

"Well," Yang said, "at least you know something you like. Maybe this won't be hard."

"Why… why are you taking this so calmly?" Skuld asked, "You're just… you don't seem worried about me being here."

"Ruby seems to have made up her mind about teaching you," Yang said, "And if I couldn't get her to stop with Riku, the chances of me getting it with you are even smaller."

"Are you… are you two in a relationship?" Yang stared at her for a second in amusement, before chuckling and planting a hand on Skuld's hair, messing it up. Skuld ducked away, blushing, "What?"

"She's my little sister," Yang said, purple eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Oh," Skuld felt her face get redder, ducking it and playing with the belt. Tai had mentioned that, after all, "I… uh… it's not super obvious."

"It's fine," Yang said, "Now, let's get to shopping, huh? We've got a lot of stores we can check, and if anyone here's gonna help you find what you like, it's Aunt Yang… Yeah, never using that again. Uhg, it just doesn't sound right."

Skuld smiled at the face Yang had pulled, "Alright, Aunt Yang- ow!"

"Sorry!" Yang said, pulling her fist back from where she had hit Skuld on the head, who rubbed the spot. It hadn't actually hurt that much, just taken her by surprise, "used to people with their Aura unlocked!"

"It's alright," Skuld said, rubbing the aching spot, "What's Aura?"

"It's… it's a bit like a forcefield to deflect blows, we'll unlock yours at some point," Yang said, "Now, let's start with the pants and skirts, since we're already nearby."

-X Yang X-

If there was one good thing to be said about Skuld, in Yang's opinion, it was that despite her amnesia, she quickly took to shopping with joy. She had grabbed six combat skirts, an equal number of black t-shirts and a light jacket before ducking into the changing rooms. Compare that to Ruby, who had stepped into the room with three blouses, two black and one red, grumbling all the while.

Yang rolled her eyes affectionately, ruffling Ruby's hair. Ruby smiled at her before ducking into the changing room.

-X AN X-

Not the best chapter I've ever written, if you ask me, but the start of a dual page cooldown Ruby desperately needs, and Yang begins to access Burn Unchained. Next time, they go to Patch, while Raven and Jame can get fucked and wait.

Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?