Author's Notes: The wild garbage ride continues, I guess. lol. Thanks for the reviews and stay safe out there, everyone.
Momentum Transfers
Chapter 2
Yang and Ruby barreled up the porch steps, play-fighting through the door that led into the house proper. Once indoors, Ruby promptly slipped her mask on and trotted upstairs to see if she could jump scare Jaune, while Yang threw back on the comfy chair in the living room, journal in hand. She was absorbed in a paragraph detailing the local fae elements of the forests surrounding Beacon, and how one should avoid making deals with them whenever possible, when her Uncle's rough voice greeted her from the doorway.
"Sup firecracker! Whatcha got there?"
Yang only just managed not to jump. Knowing her uncle would only make fun of her for seriously reading a paranormal forest journal, Yang scooted it under her right thigh and hefted one of Uncle Qrow's own magazines up.
"Oh, just checking out ah…Pomades for the Rebel At Heart? Seriously, old man?" Yang snickered, meeting her uncle's pale red eyes. "I knew you were kind of a secret dork? But I greatly underestimated how far that rabbit hole went, apparently."
Uncle Qrow pulled a face as he folded his arms, lip crooking upwards in the hint of a smile.
"Hey," he protested. "They're good products. Just cause you don't care about your hair or how you smell, doesn't mean the rest of us don't. Maybe you should pick somethin out for yourself, huh?"
Yang did not flinch. This was a part of their daily, heckling ritual. Said ritual started at dawn after morning coffee, and lasted until the other admitted temporary defeat; or until Ruby interrupted them. Thus, it was written, and thus it would be, until the end of time; or at the very least, summer vacation.
"Yea right! I smell great. I smell like a forest mountain covered in wildflowers in springtime, unlike you, you cranky old goose," she retorted. "You smell like the inside of Jaune's work boots."
"That so? Why are you sniffing the inside of my employee's work boots, Yang?" Uncle Qrow rasped, eyebrows raised in concern. "I hope you at least asked the poor kid out first. Buy the man a coffee, or something, geez."
"Oh yea? I thought we didn't kink shame in this house, Mr. 'I alphabetize my leatherman magazines'-"
Uncle Qrow scowled immediately.
Ah yes. Victory for Yang, once again.
"Stay out of my goddamn room, Yang, I already told you-"
"I didn't go in your gross room," Yang kicked her feet up, grinning victoriously. "I just made an educated guess."
He continued to glare at her for a moment, before smirking and rolling his eyes.
"Mhm. Bullshit. You're fired."
"That's ablest discrimination."
He scoffed, brushing his hair back with his fingers.
"Not if you won't do your damn job, it isn't. I bet you didn't even put up those signs."
She felt the edge of the journal pressing into her thigh and shifted about in the chair.
"Speaking of that - who sends a one-armed person out to hammer something?" she asked, incredulity bleeding into her voice.
He shrugged, unimpressed.
"Me. Cause in this household, we don't kink shame OR discriminate based on ability. We do, however, call out smartass nieces who think that waving their stump around is gonna get them out of doin chores they are more than capable of doin," Uncle Qrow declared dryly. "Don't forget about those signs."
"Yea, well don't forget to rub your Rogaine in," Yang called as he stalked off down the hallway. "It's getting a little thin up there! That widows peak is looking more like a widows dome these days!"
"Thanks! I'll remind your dad to rub some on his dick while I'm at it- I'm sure Summer will thank me later!"
Yang pretended to vomit. Loudly.
"Gross, gross, gross, gross!"
Uncle Qrow cackled nefariously from down the hallway as Yang continued to dry heave dramatically.
"That's what you get!"
"That joke violates the Geneva Conventions, you jerk-"
"Uhh. Whaaat did I just walk in on?" Ruby asked, having come around the corner, Satch mask in hand. Yang had not heard a frightened Jaune yelp anywhere overhead, meaning her fellow blonde had been spared. For now.
"Nothing," Yang coughed, recovering instantly. "Just, ya know! Talking about pomade."
"Yea. Sure Yang," Ruby eyed her skeptically, before her smile widened exponentially. "By the way, I have date tonight, so I'm not gonna be around-"
"Um, excuse me, what?" Yang bounced out of the comfy chair, spooky journal in hand. "You what?"
"Where did I lose you?" Ruby asked oh so 'innocently'. "Do I need to explain what a date is?"
"OOOOH BURN! GET HER, RUBY!" Uncle Qrow hooted from the kitchen. Ruby giggled.
"Mind ya beeswax!" Yang shouted back, before refocusing on her sibling. "Ok, I need details! Like right now, I need them. Details. Let's go."
"Oh my god, Yang," Ruby grimaced, clearly a little embarrassed. Yang however was relentless. Her little sister had never, ever, ever been on a date before; and now she'd met someone in the first week they'd been here, apparently.
"That is not a detail Ruby!" Yang bounced, smiling ear to ear. "This is exciting, come on! Where did you meet them? What are they like? Who asked who? Are they cute?"
"I uh – here. She lives nearby, apparently and was checking out the shop. And she's um," Ruby's face had turned increasingly red. "She's really cool. I was uh, definitely looking a little? Annnnd she noticed, and then we started talking, and then she asked me out, and she's really pretty and gosh-"
Ruby inhaled deeply.
"I'm gonna go? Yea? I'm gonna get dressed, so," Ruby shuffled awkwardly as Yang continued bouncing on the pads of her feet.
"Do you want help?!" Yang beamed.
"….Yes please?" Ruby simpered. "Just a little, though! I'm not wearing anything crazy-"
Yang grabbed her sister's hand, laughing as she led the way, hauling her sibling up the stairs.
"Ruby, I got you! You're gonna look like the bee's knees!"
"But I don't wanna BE the bees knees," Ruby groaned. "They're friggin weird! They don't even have kneecaps! Or bones! I need those things!"
"Fine! You'll BEE the bee's trochanter then!" Yang laughed.
"Gross, the what?!"
….
Yang paced outside the upstairs bathroom. Ruby had rejected most of her suggestions, and settled on her favorite jeans and red hoodie, because that was what she was most comfortable in for a first date. Yang could not argue with that logic, at least not against Ruby; her sister had let her help with some other things, like very, very light makeup, and her hair, before shooing her out.
"Ruby, come onnnn," Yang whined after a minute.
"Chill your pills woman! I will not be rushed!"
Yang sighed loudly, sliding down the wall outside as she waited. And waited.
"What's up, dude?"
Yang tilted her head back, staring up into curious blue eyes.
"Hey Jaune. Ruby's gotta date, and she won't let me help her get ready."
"You helped enough, thank you!"
Yang blew a raspberry at the shut door.
"Ahh yes," Jaune nodded seriously, sliding down the wall to take a seat next to her. "I remember when my sisters helped me get ready for my first date."
Yang's eyebrow rose a fraction as she glanced at him. Jaune was the baby brother of seven older sisters.
"Was it um? Was it that bad?"
"Oh yea. I still get flashbacks," Jaune's eyes went round and distant for a moment. "It's ok though. Don't tell Blake this obviously, but I'm pretty sure she had it way worse with like five brothers. They're all french-canadian lumberjacks and they have precisely zero chill."
"Seriously?" Yang chuckled. "But she seems like, so chill."
"That's because this is her happy place. She comes here to get away from all the noise at home, not to actually work," Jaune whispered behind his hand. "That's a secret though. Don't tell her I said that."
"Pfft, awww. Are you scared of Blake?" Yang teased him. "What's up? Does Jauney have a little crush?"
If so, she couldn't blame him at least. Blake was very pretty. She just didn't seem interested in really engaging with anything around her; at least from what Yang had seen so far, which was admittedly not much.
"Oh, my sweet summer child. I am absolutely scared of Blake, and you ought to be, too," Jaune insisted, holding his hands up. "One time? I saw her throw a literal axe that cut her brother's sandwich clean in half! While he was holding it up to take a bite. It stuck into a spruce behind him, deli meat and all. That woman was raised by sweaty, plaid wearing mountain lions, and it shows when you get on her bad side."
Yang gave the handyman a skeptical look, before realizing he wasn't pulling her leg. It was hard to wrap her head around the idea of the quiet, sarcastic book nerd putting the fear of god into a bunch of lumberjacks. However, she should really know better than to be judging a book by its cover, by now.
"Huh," she exhaled after a moment. "That's kind of...cool? If a little bit crazy?"
"Ha, that's just life out here, dude," he smiled. "You'll see. Anyways, I'm gonna get back to it, I guess."
Yang smiled cheesily.
"Need a hand?" she teased.
"Actually, that reminds me!" he lit up, digging something out of his pocket. It was a plastic wrapped, sticky hand, the type you get out of the vending machines at the grocery store. "I thought that YOU would like a hand. Eh? Yea?"
Yang stared at the offered toy, accepting it slowly. She finally pulled it out of the open end of the wrapping, using her teeth a little, and then slapped the neon green hand across the hallway to the other-side. It stuck to the wall there, sliding menacingly down the wallpaper; it was impressively sticky.
"It's beautiful. I love it," Yang said seriously, before glancing his way. "Thanks, Jaune."
He beamed, awkward but sincere, and popped to his feet.
"Anytime."
He started shuffling off down the hallway, before pausing, and whispering conspiratorially her way.
"By the way, if you find out who Ruby's date is? I can probably tell you if they're trouble or not. Not a lot of single gals running around Beacon, ya know?"
Yang winked at him before a tiny fist thumped threateningly against the bathroom door.
"Stay in your friggin lane, Jaune!"
"Oop," Jaune flinched away. "She's got really good hearing, see ya!"
Yang chuckled as Jaune fled the scene, moments before Ruby burst from the bathroom.
"You are so nosey!" Ruby proclaimed, a mock scowl on her face.
Yang popped to her feet, a bit more gracefully than she would have even a few weeks ago; her body was growing more accustomed to the difference in balance.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Yang smiled. "I'm just happy for you! I'll try to mind my business, I promise."
"Mhm," Ruby squinted at her. "She picks me up in half an hour. Be nice."
"Wha- I'm always nice!" Yang protested.
Ruby gave her a stare so dry, that Yang almost offered her some eye drops.
"I am!" Yang yelped.
Said dry stare transformed into an impish laugh, and Yang realized she'd been punked.
"Yea, I'm just messing with you."
"Wha- oh my god, you're turning into moooom," Yang bemoaned. Ruby giggled, shoving her hands inside her hoodie pocket.
"So?" Ruby stuck her tongue out, before darting away as Yang swatted Jaune's sticky-hand playfully at her. "Hahaha! Ewww, hey! No fair, I just did my hair!"
"The power of christ compels you!" Yang shouted, flinging the sticky hand with wild abandon.
Ruby pretended to hiss and scamper away, bounding down the stairs and Yang gave chase, accidentally slapping a few pictures off the wall. This game devolved quickly from there, up until Uncle Qrow was shouting at them from the gift shop to stop scaring the customers, unless they wanted to become new exhibits.
…
The doorbell rang. Yang had posted up in the living room to deliberately not spy whatsoever on this mystery chick. Had this been a half year or so ago, she may have been posted out front instead, hitting pucks in the driveway as hard as she could; now though, she had realized that that would not be particularly impressive, because she had not yet remastered such skills.
Now THAT would be a flex, though. Maybe I can jerry rig my prosthetic so I can play again?
Ruby opened the door, her voice sounding a little high and nervous.
"Hey! Wow, um, would you like to come in for a bit?"
"Sure."
Yang perked up, but reopened the spooky journal, doing her best to appear disinterested in what was going on. Meanwhile, Ruby fluttered into view, smiling, clearly unsure what to do with her hands. Yang finally glanced up, preparing to put on her best 'friendly and not at all intimidating' face. The greeting that had half formed on her tongue died.
"Yang, this is Coco, Coco this is my sister, Yang!" Ruby chirped, clearly fighting the urge to rock on her heels.
'Coco' smiled languidly, tilting her head ever so slightly as she appraised Yang behind black sunglasses. Yang stared back. Coco looked like she had just rolled off a runway, or had flown up from Los Angeles in her parents jet; and normally, that wouldn't have impressed Yang all that much. Money didn't actually make people interesting, in her experience.
However, there was definitely something off about this chick; Yang had good instincts for people, and could tell almost instantly if someone was trustworthy or not. Coco did not make the cut.
For starters, who the hell wears sunglasses at night, besides literal pre-nineties era vampires? That and Yang didn't feel like Coco was actually a local. She would have noticed a girl this distinct hanging around the shop or immediate area before now; and she knew that Coco hadn't driven up in a car, because the lot was empty now and she would have heard tires on the gravel. Coco didn't look like she could have walked up to the store via one of the trails, either. Not in those shoes.
"Uh, hey," Yang said after a long moment. She realized she sounded suspicious, and Ruby was giving her an odd look. "Nice to meet you!"
"Same."
Coco kept smiling, but said smile had sharpened a little at Yang's tone. Yang didn't like that expression at all. Ruby, sensing the mounting tension in the room, decided that now was the time to bolt.
"Welp! See ya, sis!" Ruby waved, edging away towards the door to freedom. "I'll be back in a few!"
"Wait, you got your cell right?" Yang called, following after them. "And where are you guys going?"
"Yes, and uh-"
"The graveyard," Coco supplied coolly, still watching Yang's movements. "That's where lots of people go."
"The...graveyard?" Yang repeated slowly. "You're serious?"
"Yea," Coco shrugged. "It's a Beacon thing."
"Ok? Well, have fun then," Yang said, never taking her eyes off Coco's dumb shades. Coco grinned a little and sashayed away, looping her arm in Ruby's, who jumped a little. Coco then waved as they walked out the front door.
"We will."
Oh, I do not like her.
Yang glared for a while longer, before grumping her way back to the living room and flopping into the comfy chair. She knew it wasn't her job to hover, and honestly, she genuinely did not want to. However, there was a difference between being overprotective and ignoring her personal instincts that were repeating the mantra, "danger!" over and over over.
Frowning, Yang flipped open the journal, lost in thought. After a moment, she paused and started to actually absorb what she was reading.
"-there is a local vampire coven, so watch out for them."
Wait….what?
"Don't panic. Just because they're dead, doesn't mean they all magically became geniuses; unlike the Hollywood stereotype, most of these guys are genuinely stupid. (like most living people, what a surprise). You can pick them out easily if you just pay attention. For starters, you'll never see them in full daylight; only evening or after dark. Their outfits won't match their environment most of the time, since they dress for decadence, not practicality or to blend in."
Yang looked up from the journal and stared at the screen door leading out into the evening air.
"They typically conceal their eyes, because at certain angles they have night shine - like an animal. You'd think they might have discovered the magic of colored contacts by now, but considering half of them can't even figure out a calculator, that might be asking a bit too much."
"You've got to be kidding me," Yang muttered, her lavender eyes wide. Had her sister just waltzed out the front door with a legit vampire?
"Still, the real nail in the coffin? Is that you have to verbally invite them in. Or they can't enter your home. Foolproof vampire test. And that, kids, is why you never verbally invite a stranger indoors when it's dark out."
Yang stared at the page and illustration there in, disbelief battling with panic between her ears. The owner of the journal had sketched out their version of a local Beacon vampire, and while it wasn't a carbon copy of Coco, it certainly shared the general theme.
"Oh shit," Yang cursed, scrabbling out of the chair and bolting for the front door. She pulled it open roughly, allowing it to slam as she leaped down the steps onto the grass.
Violet shadows were spreading like spilled ink in every direction. The woods were unnaturally silent; and Ruby and Coco were nowhere to be seen.