Interlude 1 Chapter 14: All's Faire

AN: Here we are, the final chapter in the first interlude. This has been fun to see the evolution of: went from seven chapters planned, to ten, to seventeen, and now we're on fourteen chapters. This has certainly been different from the previous forty-four chapters. I'll type more in the second author's note, because something's changing once this chapter comes out. If you don't read the Author's Note, now's a good time to start. Well, if you don't read the AN's you won't read this reminder to start reading them, so… why am I writing this again?

Anyway! In the part of the chapter you care about, it's time for Kassidy and Yang to go on a date! Nothing bad could possibly happen! Heh, yeah. Guess it's time to find out if I actually mean that this time.

(Perspective: Kassidy)

I don't know what I'm doing. Why did I not give this part any thought whatsoever? Kassidy sighed as she looked at her vast wardrobe consisting of maybe four separate outfits. She had enough copies of her typical combat outfit to get her through the week, but there were a small handful of items that were almost never worn. It didn't amount to much, however, and she had initially planned on wearing her combat outfit, until she started second guessing herself. Yang sees me in the same stuff almost literally every day. Is that a bad thing? Should I try dressing up? Can I even dress up with this stuff? What can-

A couple knocks on her door got her attention. "Hey, Kass, can I come in?" Okay, just Ruby. Get a grip, Smith. Kassidy opened the door, and then shut it as soon as her team leader walked in. "Alright, I was hoping to check if you were ready yet… but it looks like you're not." Kassidy continued to look over her assembled wardrobe without progress, which prompted Ruby to continue. "Do you… need help?"

Kassidy nodded vigorously, though she didn't look away from her meager collection. "How is it that I can fight Grimm with no issues, but choosing what clothes to wear while going out with your sister is making me freeze up? I don't even have that many choices to pick from!"

"You're thinking too much. Just go with it." Ruby's comment confused Kassidy, who whirled around to see her team leader shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, it's what I do more often than not. Now come on, relax. Actually, may I take a look?" Kassidy nodded numbly, though she didn't move. Ruby, however, was more than happy to drag her away lightly and take her place in front of the bed. "Hmm, you don't have a lot to work with. Might need to fix that at some point. You still have those other boots, right? 'Cause you're not going out tonight in combats."

Kassidy just nodded, her brain still working on overdrive. "I don't even know why I'm so worried, I've got everything planned out. Of course, you know what they say, no plan survives first contact, so I've got plans B, C, D, E, and F dealt with. I've got the general layout, I've got possible escape routes, and I've even made more ammo for Rogue. I know what I want to hit, when I want to hit it, researched places for dinner, I've-"

"Nope."

Kassidy's head shot up to Ruby at her statement. "But what if something happens?"

Ruby put her finger on her chin. "Hmm… nope!"

"What if I didn't plan for something?"

"Nope!"

"But what about-"

"Nope!" Ruby suddenly stepped forward and hugged Kassidy. "You're thinking too much again. You'll be fine."

Kassidy could only snicker as she tousled her leader's hair. "You're sure confident about things."

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Ruby broke the embrace and looked up with the same smile she almost always wears. "You don't need to plan everything out. You like Yang. Yang likes you. It'll be fine! I've hung out with friends a couple times, and as long as you like hanging out with each other you'll find something to do." Before Kassidy could reply, Ruby shoved some clothes into her arms. "Also, try these on." She turned around to give some modesty, and Kassidy shrugged and changed accordingly.

The outfit that Ruby had chosen had black leather calf-high boots obviously more built towards form than function, blue jeans, a sleeveless shirt that was in black this time, and a navy blue zippered light sweater. Ruby turned around after being given the all-clear, and quickly squealed before dashing over in a burst of roses and colliding with Kassidy's midsection; it took all of her strength to keep from getting bowled over. "Oh, you look great, Kass!"

Kassidy laughed and tousled her hair, before extricating herself from Ruby's grip. "You did a good job. The only thing is…" Ruby's face dropped while Kassidy patted around herself. "It's gonna be real hard to hide my gun anywhere."

"Why would you need to be armed?" Both Kassidy and Ruby jumped as Taiyang manifested from the doorway. Kassidy quickly got over the shock, however; it seemed that jump scares were Taiyang's deal.

"Why wouldn't I be? The worst things tend to happen when you're not expecting them. I always need to be ready."

Unexpectedly, Taiyang sighed, folded his arms, and shook his head. "Patch is a safe place, Kassidy. You don't always need to be on your guard. Even if something bad does happen, you and Yang are both Huntresses-in-training, and you're bound to not be the only ones there with some sort of combat experience."

"Don't forget," Bob added, "Your birthday gift to Yang was basically a bulletproof vest that doubles as a fashion accessory."

Kassidy planted her hands on her hips and stared at the ground, still unconvinced. Taiyang planted his hand on her shoulder. "Look, nothing bad's going to happen. I can guarantee it. Just make this night about you and Yang. No weapons, no Grimm, no… whatever else you've been dealing with. Don't be Huntresses-in-training tonight; just be a couple of teenage girls going on a date."

"Don't forget your exceptionally talented and aesthetically pleasing computer!"

Kassidy snapped. She groaned and threw her hands into the air, before explaining, "That's it! You've been a pain all day today! You're definitely not welcome anymore. Ruby, he's all yours. If he gives you any trouble, throw him into the infinite loop program."

Ruby and Taiyang chuckled, and the older man got her attention again. "Probably for the best; tonight's supposed to be about you two, after all. Now come on downstairs, Yang said she'd be picking you up right about…" Taiyang was interrupted by a series of loud knocks coming from the front door downstairs. "…now."

The small procession made their way downstairs, and it wasn't long until Kassidy stood before the front door. This was it. Yang Xiao Long – her combat partner, best friend, half-sister of her team leader, and apparently soon-to-be girlfriend – was standing on the other side. A final check to ensure that her bun was sufficiently tight, and she opened the door… only for her jaw to immediately drop.

The first thing she noticed was that Yang was actually taller than her somehow. A quick look down revealed that heeled boots were the reason why. Kassidy looked back up – up the black pants, black and gold belt, white shirt that was really low cut, and her new jacket – to Yang's face, who had quite the amused look on her face, and who just had to ask, "Like what you see?"

"Um… yeah. It's just…" Kassidy shuffled her feet. "Now I feel really underwhelming, though. All I've got is-"

"K? You look great." Yang's interruption made Kassidy shoot her head back up. Yang suddenly struck a pose and hummed for a bit while rubbing her chin. "It's just missing… ah, I've got it!" Kassidy's eyebrow raised as Yang pulled one of her new pairs of aviator shades from her pocket.

"Ooh, ooh, Kass, turn around! I want a picture!" Chuckling and slipping the glasses on, Kassidy and Yang struck a pose as Ruby fished out her Scroll. Taiyang also got in on the act, and it didn't take long for the two to take an adequate number of photographs. Ruby flipped through her Scroll a bit, then dashed up to try and wrap both Kassidy and Yang in a hug. "Oh, you two are so cute together! You're going to be great tonight, I know it!"

"I have no doubts about it." Taiyang walked up to them, ruffling Yang's hair a bit (much to her consternation) while gently prying Ruby away from them. Suddenly, his smile disappeared as he pointed a stern finger in their faces. "Now, I want you both back by eleven, and no teenager funny business! Got it?"

"Ugh, Dad!" Yang bickered with her father for a moment, but before long everyone was back to smiles and saying their farewells. The two blondes turned back to facing one another, and Yang shifted her weight to one leg while planting her hands on her hips. "So, I figured we've got a good night ahead of us. Especially if you're alright with a late dinner, we should be able to squeeze in quite a bit at the fair."

"I imagine." Kassidy took another look at her partner – Since when have I had to look up to look Yang in the eye? – and thought for a brief moment. "I must admit, when I said that I look up to you, I didn't quite mean it in a literal sense at the time."

Yang's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and laughed for a good few seconds. "Yeah, figured I'd go with something different. Spice things up, y'know? Speaking of spicing things up, ever been on a motorcycle before?" When Kassidy shook her head, Yang's grin turned devious. "Well, you're going to be in for quite the treat tonight. Hop on board!"

It was at that moment that Kassidy finally saw the yellow and black motorbike behind Yang. Damn, that thing looks like it's got some power behind it… like I would totally expect anything else from Yang. Her eyebrow raised as she asked, "I can't help but notice there's only one seat."

Yang winked at her before straddling the seat and patting behind her. "Got room for two. Come on, they're gonna have all the fun without us!" Kassidy blinked, then walked over and took the seat immediately behind Yang. Alright, I'm on the bike. Dunno why Dad was so adamantly against these things, but shouldn't I have handles or something?

Kassidy's question was answered when Yang reached back, grabbed her arms, then brought them around her waist. Kassidy blushed, while Yang winked again. "Alright, K, hold on tight. And watch where your hands go!" Kassidy quickly found the means to blush harder, making Yang laugh. "Okay, with that out of the way, awaaaaay we go!" Wasting no time, Yang revved Bumblebee's engine and shot off down the road.

Kassidy buried her face in Yang's back and held on for dear life. It took about fifteen minutes of winding roads and forest scenery that Kassidy would have surely found beautiful if she weren't busy trying to hide in the back of Yang's coat. Eventually, however, the bike came to a stop. Kassidy could make out the sounds of music and laughter, with the odd little kid screaming his or her head off. "Hey, relax, we're here. Jeez, K, I knew you liked me, but I didn't know you liked me that much."

Willing her eyes open, Kassidy finally released the death grip she held on Yang's stomach and pulled away, before stepping off the bike. "Well, that was… that was a thing."

"Yup, it sure was." Yang arched her back in a stretch, and Kassidy wasn't the only one who didn't miss how much the action pushed her chest forward. Yang dipped out of the stretch, then hopped off Bumblebee herself. "C'mon, K, let's see what we can find that's worth doing around here. I'm willing to bet I'm better at these carnival games than you are!"

From Kassidy's current vantage point next to the bike, she could make out skeeball, a water pistol game, and a strength-based contest. That last one I stand no chance of, but the others… what was it? 'As long as you like each other, you'll find something to do.' Score one for Ruby. Finding Yang's hand as the two began walking down the lane, Kassidy looked over – and up. Damn, I'm never going to get used to this – to her partner with a grin. "You're on."

"It's no fair!" Kassidy whined. "You had to have cheated, it's the only explanation!"

Yang snickered next to her, one arm wrapped around Kassidy's and another wrapped around a three foot tall teddy bear she won from consistent domination of all the game booths. "Someone's a sore loser. I mean, I even got a prize for you!"

Kassidy looked over and scowled at her nemesis. I can feel that bear looking at me. Judging my choices in life. Mocking my lack of skill at meaningless carnival games. "I mean, the punching bag, we didn't even need to try that to know who would win at that one."

"Nope." Yang popped the P as they kept walking, head on a swivel as they looked for a decent place for dinner. However, she paused briefly to smile at Kassidy. "Doesn't make it any less fun to try, though. You've gotten some pretty good form over these past few months. Now we just need to put some meat on those bones."

"If you insist." Kassidy rolled her eyes with a smirk, but then scowled again as she kept going over what they've done so far. "Alright, so the punching bag was obviously going to be your win. But… skeeball? That's rolling a ball up a ramp and hitting a target. That's precision aiming. I should've wiped the floor with you on that."

Yang continued grinning at her, which at the moment was equal parts endearing and annoying. "Maybe… if you weren't dealing with Patch's resident Skeeball Champion, having honed her skills against the one and only Ruby Rose. Also, if you hadn't tried to throw those first two balls overhand."

"Okay…" Kassidy noted the crowd's reaction to them: a couple pointing fingers, a few smiles, maybe a gasp and widened eyes were they worst they got. Nothing overtly negative, however, which was the big thing she was worried about. "Then explain the water pistol game to me, again. Please, I would love to hear your rational explanation as to how you beat me there."

Yang waved her free hand, which wasn't actually free as the giant bear was shaken around. "I know that guy personally. Not saying that he's a sleazebag, but he's rigged the guns. Rubes had drug me over to that enough times, though, that I've figured it out."

"Of course they were rigged," Kassidy muttered under her breath. Shaking her head, she replied, "All right, best one for last: it's pretty obvious I suck at dancing… but you're wearing heeled boots! How the hell do you dance in heels?! How have you not tripped and snapped your neck yet?"

Yang actually laughed at that one, an action which definitely took the edge off of Kassidy's mood. Her partner reached over and poked her in the cheek, however, almost clobbering her with the bear in the meanwhile. "Sounds like somebody's never worn high heels before."

"That's a joke, right?" Finally finding a place to eat, they both took a break to order double cheeseburgers, collecting their meals and moving to an indoors cafeteria to eat. In between stuffing their faces, Kassidy got through, "You'd have a better chance of getting me to give an Ursa Major a backrub." Her eyes narrowed dangerously when Yang split into a grin, and she hastily added, "And no, I'm not giving an Ursa Major a backrub."

Yang snickered at that last comment, but as she was about to take another bite her face fell and her eyes bugged out. "Oh no…"

Kassidy raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem? Do I need to get ready for a fight?"

"Pretty much the only homophobe I have the displeasure of knowing," Yang muttered. Ducking down and finding her burger very interesting all of a sudden, she added, "Let me do the talking, okay? With any luck, he's just heading this way out of coincidence."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Xiao Long girlie. Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting you here." A rather… large man appeared on Kassidy's right, crossing his arms as he came to a stop in front of Yang. "Or for you to have some sort of floozy hanging off your arm."

Yang's eyes had the faintest flash of red, but it was Kassidy that had to be motioned to stay seated as her date stared their visitor down. "Can't say I was expecting you here either, Vermillion. Look, I'm kinda in the middle of something, so if we could do this later-"

"No, we can't." The newly identified Vermillion leaned with one arm on the table, and in a shocking move of bravery (or probably stupidity) returned Yang's glare. "I've never pegged you for smarts, girlie, but even I didn't think you were this dumb. Experiments like this aren't becoming of a civilized woman. And honestly, even if it were…" Vermillion looked behind him, towards Kassidy, then sneered as his head turned back to the front. "You can do better than Miss Sleeps With Knives here."

"You'd be smart to stop insultin' my partner," Yang growled out. She put her hand up, again motioning Kassidy to stay in her seat. "And if all you're here for is to insult us and question my choice of relationships, I'm going to need to ask you, very kindly I might add, to leave us be. There's plenty enough here to entertain yourself with that we don't factor into."

"It would be remiss of me to not perform my service to society." Vermillion planted his hand over his heart and bowed his head, as though he actually thought he were doing society some grand favor. "There's no denying your strength, girlie. We need that strength in the next generation. The Grimm hound us endlessly, and we need every fresh body we can get. If you decide that… entertaining this notion of yours is a good idea, you're removing two healthy, breeding bodies that could be making the next generation stronger. This isn't natural."

"Not natural?" Kassidy had had enough, and despite Yang's frantic waves she stood up and squared up with Vermillion. "Do tell me, Mr. Vermillion, was it? We're in the middle of an air conditioned cafeteria. I was formerly seated on a padded steel chair in front of a steel table. The most natural thing in our meals was the ketchup. And speaking of which… it seems the most natural thing on you is your quite impressive collection of nose hairs." Vermillion's face contorted as he snarled, but Kassidy put a finger up. "I'm not finished yet. Let's see, shirt and pants are made entirely of synthetic fabrics, the leather your shoes are made of is fake… you don't have a stitch of cotton or wool on you." Taking another step forwards, Kassidy sneered right back at him. "The scene and venue we find ourselves in, an air conditioned cafeteria inside a fair filled to bursting with synthesized music and flashing lights, couldn't get more artificial if we tried. But please, do tell me more about how unnatural our situation is."

Shock was quite plainly written across Vermillion's face, but he quickly snarled at her yet again. He was about to spout off some more at her, but then Yang cleared her throat quite loudly, prompting him to look around and discover that they've attracted quite the audience. A few quick glances both satisfied Kassidy's paranoia, and assured her that she wasn't the subject of most people's displeasure. Glowering for a few moments longer, their guest quickly excused himself and just as quickly found a different venue for eating.

"Wow… nice job, K." Yang's voice prompted Kassidy to sit back down and finish her meal. "Sorry you had to go through that."

Kassidy waved it off. "I'm surprised we haven't had to deal with more of that." When Yang outright dropped her burger and looked up, Kassidy continued, "Where I grew up wasn't exactly the most… progressive of places. Dad always was the odd one out, and I guess he raised me and Matt to be the same way." They finished the remainder of their meals quickly, and Kassidy dumped their trash before helping Yang to her feet. Stopping for a second after doing so, Kassidy commented, "I still haven't gotten over the fact that you're taller than me right now."

"That's not a bad thing, is it?" Yang's tone had a joke to it, but worry was clearly flashing across her partner's eyes.

Kassidy waved it off. "Just because I haven't gotten over it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't like it. I just never pegged you as someone who would wear heels, I guess."

"If you stick around, you'll see I'm full of surprises. By the way, your turn to hold the bear. It's yours, after all." Yang took advantage of the opportunity of the furious blush that her comment and wink had caused, quickly shoving the oversized stuffed animal into her partner's arms. They continued walking for some time, trying to find something interesting to occupy themselves with.

"By the way…" Kassidy shuffled her weight, accidentally yanking on Yang's arm a little in the process. "Thanks for this. I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun. Thanks for spending the evening with me so far."

"Not a problem, K." Yang drew her closer, and while Kassidy blushed at the action she couldn't bring herself to complain. They continued walking for a bit longer, before eventually Yang drug her over to where it looked like someone had taped off a rather large dancing area, where people were already grooving to the music of the times. Yang's grin could be seen in her eyes, and Kassidy's denial was just as apparent, but before either could speak up the announcer's voice got their attention.

"Alrighty folks, this request promises to be a special one. This number from the lesser known artists Walk The Moon, courtesy of a 'Bob Smith', comes especially for tonight's proceedings. He submitted it in honor of, and I quote, 'the start of something great', and has a message for a miss Kassidy Smith in the form of, and I quote, 'just do it'."

Kassidy stared blankly ahead of her, not registering Yang's question. I swear to all that is holy, if this is what I think it is… Her suspicions were confirmed when the music started playing.

"Well, don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me. I said, 'You're holding back.' She said, 'Shut up and dance with me.' This woman is my destiny, and she said, 'Ooh, ooh! Shut up and dance with me!'"

"That computer…" Kassidy breathed out. "I am turning that computer into scrap. No, I'm melting him down. I'll-"

"Hey, K?" Yang's soft voice made Kassidy look over – and up – to her partner, whose mischievous grin had faded to a soft smile. "Shut up and dance with me."

As she got dragged over to the nearest open space, Kassidy complained, "You were in on this, weren't you? Besides, I think we've already established my complete inability to dance."

Yang giggled, "Just do what I do. Oh, and no, I didn't. I just saw an opportunity and took advantage of it." The rest of the evening started slowly, picking up a bit as Kassidy felt more comfortable, then slowing down again as Yang's legs were finally voicing their complaints. A good hour of dancing later, plus a decent rest afterwards, and Kassidy found herself back on Bumblebee, hugging Yang tightly as she held on for dear life with a giant teddy bear strapped to her back.

Well, this is it. We move back to Beacon the day after tomorrow. I'd be lying if I said that this summer break was totally planned. Kassidy clutched tighter as they went around particularly tight curve. But I'd also say that I'd be lying if I didn't enjoy it. I really liked tonight, and I'm pretty darn sure Yang liked it, too. Bring it on, Remnant. The dynamic duo of Kassidy Smith and Yang Xiao Long is coming for you. Do your worst.

AN 2: Alright, a couple things. First off, WE HIT ONE HUNDRED FAVORITES! A big congratulations to chloe mcphail.94 for being our one hundredth favorite! For such an auspicious occasion, I bequeath… a boot to the head. And another for Jenny and the wimp!

Secondly, apologies for missing the Friday upload. The reason was insomnia. Yes, like our main character here, this has been an issue that's been plaguing me the last few months. Normally, it hasn't been a big deal – I might not be the nicest guy on five hours of sleep, but I can function just fine. However, after going a solid week with a grand total of eleven hours of sleep, plus missing a CS assignment and a report, things have gotten out of hand. I'll be visiting the doctor's office tomorrow to get a solution to this (fingers crossed for no narcotics/strong stuff). I did not intend to miss Friday's upload, and I apologize profusely for that.

Thirdly, Team Rookie is going on hiatus for the time being. With this being the end of the Interlude, the next chapter will start Volume 2. Before I get to that, though, I want to finally get to an issue that's been bothering me for some time now: the pitiful quality of the first few chapters. Every time I go back to the first half of V1, I cringe and ask, "Did I seriously write this?" So, before the next chapter goes up, V1C1 through V1C24 (inclusive) will be getting full rewrites to bring their quality up to what you would expect from me (sorry, but I've written off the Introduction as a lost cause months ago). Absolutely nothing plot-wise will change, but I will be going over them for ease of readability and quality of life changes.

On a related note, I do believe that I'll be putting out an entry for February's MonCon. For those of you who don't know, the RWBY subreddit has a Monthly Fan Fiction and Art Contest (I'll give you three guesses as to what it shortens to). Expect a ReNora story from me here in the next couple weeks while we're on hiatus.

I do not expect this hiatus to last for excessively long, probably only as long as it takes me to write ReNora and touch up the first half of V1. If I'm not back up by Spring Break (which is the second week of March for me – yeah, I know, we get it hideously early), I'll be thoroughly shocked. Unknown yet if I'll be forced to cut back to once weekly uploads or not. Will let you know when V2C1 comes out.

Okay, phew. That was a mouthful. And three minutes to upload time. Let's see just how quickly I can get these Reviewer Responses done.

Baconlord53: Indeed, my friend. Indeed.

James: I do like how I've paced the ship in my head. I guess time will tell if you guys like it in the long run, but so far reactions have been good. Glad to hear you've been liking it so far.

Myrillis: Believe me, I know all too well the feeling of finding a good fiction, reading for a while, then absently looking at the clock just in time to find out that you should've been in bed hours ago. So glad you've enjoyed RWKY so much, here's to hoping that I can continue pleasing.

FloriteFlower: Not yet, unfortunately. Glad someone thinks I did that part justice. Especially given the facts of absentee mother, only child, no girlfriends to speak of… yeah, I have literally zero practical experience with that stuff. And it turns out Wikipedia can only get you so far.

AgentDraakis: I once thought that stabbings were a great idea for parties, but then that theory got poked full of holes. And I can understand where you're coming from with the kiss, hell I was very tempted to put it here, but thought it would be too early since it's only the first date (but what the hell do I know? I'm talking so far out of my ass with the ship I can't even make a good anal joke about it). Let's just say… I've got some big plans. Some very. Big. Plans.

Tykene: So glad you've been enjoying things so far. And thanks for the well wishes on the job – things are definitely shaping up to be interesting around here!

AndJrew76: I can't say enough how glad I am that so many people are enjoying the story. Writing RWKY and interacting with you all is the highlight of my day, and it's definitely made the college grind far more bearable. Here's to many more months of excellent storytelling and excellent readers!

Matt Cyr: They didn't… until Kassidy told them how to make it.

Blake probably would've brought catnip. /totallynotracist

Firearm Legume: Hmm… going off of DND5e classes, I'd have to say Kassidy is that one asshole fighter that gets all the crossbow feats and just sprays bolts everywhere. Come on, you all know a guy like that. And if you don't, you do now, because I'm that asshole fighter character!

mcd3424: I will admit, plans have definitely changed as things have gone on. Can't say I'm complaining too much about where things have gone, though. So glad you've been enjoying it so far.

Well, shit, I missed the upload by about 10 minutes. Forgive me please? (Hides under a cardboard box I totally didn't borrow from Snake).

See you all in March!