"So, they're letting you escape tomorrow?" It was at the crack of dawn the next morning when Ruby, Qrow, Jacques and Tai had returned to the girls' hospital room. Weiss was once more in her traditional, white dress, her hair tied back again into a long, straight ponytail.

"Yeah, they seem reasonably satisfied that Yang's not going to be punching any more holes open," Blake answered Ruby dryly. "Not really sure why they couldn't just let us out today if that's the case, but something about protocol."

"Yeah, sorry we won't be able to see you off at the air shuttle, but doc's orders, I guess…" Yang told her sister, jumping from her bed and giving Ruby a one-armed bear hug. "Just take care, alright? And you-"she continued, backing up for a second so she could give a stern look down at Weiss, who was in her wheelchair to Ruby's side, watching. "You'd better," Yang pointed a finger into Weiss' shoulder for emphasis. "Keep her out of trouble." Weiss opened her mouth for a moment before closing it and giving Yang an incredulous look and gave a short gesture to the wheelchair she was confined in. Yang's gaze held like a rock for a few seconds before she broke into laughter, leaning back before putting a hand onto Weiss' shoulder in a more gentle gesture. "Sorry, but I gotta do my big sister duty. I'm sure you'll be fine. But seriously, you know Ruby, just make sure she doesn't do go too crazy."

"Yang!" Ruby indignantly proclaimed before flicking her sister on the ear. "I'll be fine! And I'm right here, thank you very much," she finished in a huff.

"Ahem, yes, well," Jacques interrupted with an obtuse cough. "While it pains me to interrupt, I would be very grateful if we could finish our farewells. I'm quite anxious to be getting home."

"Yeah, you guys'll have a long trip," Tai agreed. He leaned in and gave his youngest daughter one last hug. "Now, do you have everything?" He asked Ruby.

"Well, everything that I've got, anyways," she shrugged. "Lot of it's still back in our dorm, but I don't think we'll be getting that back any time soon."

"Worry not," Jacques told them. "We'll get you sorted out after we've settled back down in Atlas, there's plenty of shops downtown to pick from."

"Looks like you don't need your old man much, now," Tai told her with a smile, though a hint of sadness tinged his voice. "Oh, but, actually, Jacques," he turned to the elder Schnee. "Could you give me your address or post box? I'll see if there's any of Ruby's things back home that I could send, or, maybe just a letter every so often."

"Ah, naturally, do you have your scroll on you? It's…."

Ruby broke herself off from the two and walked up to her Uncle, who was leaning against the wall, eyes closed.

"Well, kiddo. Ready?" He asked her, eyes still closed.

Ruby nodded with emphasis. "Yup. It'll be interesting, I guess. What're you gonna be doing?"

"Me? Eh… I've got to chase down some contacts that Oz had. Stir up some leads." Ruby frowned slightly, which Qrow caught as he cracked open one eye. "Hey," he continued, lowering his voice to almost a whisper as he looked over at Tai and Jacques still in discussion. "I meant what I said the other night. You've got something special about you, Ruby. For now, just help your friend, get used to being out there. When you know, you'll know."

"Wha-"

"Well! With that settled, are you ready to depart, Miss Rose?" Jacques and Tai had evidently finished. Ruby gave a last glance at her uncle.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready. You set, Weiss?" She asked, looking down at her friend, who gave a confident nod.

"Well, then we'll be off," Jacque said with a deep bow, holding his right arm before him at a ninety-degree angle at the elbow. "It was a pleasure. " With that, Jacques departed the room, followed by Ruby guiding Weiss out, the two offering a last wave to friends and family before departing.

"Woah."

Ruby was staring at an upscale, deep burgundy sedan, which pair of tall, leggy gentlemen in black suits were currently loading up with their luggage.

"I know," Jacques muttered from behind her. "It's a shame it's impossible to find decent rental vehicles around here. Still, this will have to do, I suppose."

"Uh… no, it's fine," Ruby stammered out. She wheeled Weiss up to the back door as Jacques took his place in the front passenger seat. She moved to open the door, when Weiss hobbled up on her right leg, waving her off. "Wait, Weiss! Careful to-" She was cut off when Weiss shot her a glare as she leaned against the car door on her good leg. With a huff, she managed to open the door, sit herself down, and with a bit of clear effort, swung her legs up into the car. "Uh… right…" Ruby walked herself over to the other side as one of the men fetched Weiss' wheelchair and collapsed it down. When she sat herself down on the black leather in the back seat, she saw Weiss furiously texting on her scroll before handing the device over to Ruby.

I'm not helpless, dolt.

"I know that, Weiss," Ruby answered quietly as their driver began to rev the engine. "I just wanted to help." Weiss frowned at her as Ruby stared down into her lap, snatching the scroll back.

Sorry.

"Ah, Miss Rose," Jacques called back to her. "Do remind me, after we've boarded the airship, we'll need to go over some ground rules before get back, very important!"

"Oh, right… and could you just call me Ruby?"

"Of course, sorry, habit. I'll try to remember. "

"Hey," Ruby turned back to Weiss, who was staring inscrutably up at her father. "I know you're still Weiss Schnee, heiress, huntress, and general badass. But, it's okay to let me help. That's why I'm here, right?" Ruby set a hand on Weiss' shoulder as she beamed at her friend. A faint crimson briefly touched Weiss' cheeks and she coughed for a moment, pried Ruby's hand off her shoulder, and stared pointedly out her window.

"Oh..." Ruby pouted and stared down at her lap in response. "Okay, well, I mean-ah!" Ruby exclaimed with surprise as Weiss leaned backwards onto Ruby's shoulder with the faintest of smirks on her face.

It had been a while since Ruby was on an airship like this. The closest she could compare to was her original voyage to Beacon, which put a little extra in to impress its new students. There was a certain sparkle to the floor as she pushed Weiss' wheelchair along after Jacques that made her want to see if she could slide across it in her socks like an ice skating rink. For the time being, however, she decided to retain her dignity and followed Jacques into an expansive, luxurious suite, complete with padded, leather seats, an in-cabin bar with a personal attendant, and a pristine, metallic table set with silverware.

"Man, this is going to take some time to get used to," Ruby muttered to herself as Weiss extracted herself from her chair and hobbled over on her good leg to a seat.

"Pardon me, ma'am," a servant seemingly appeared from nowhere behind Ruby to stow the wheelchair away.

"Wait, first I'm miss, now I'm ma'am? I don't look that old, do I, Weiss?" Ruby pleaded to her teammate. Weiss gave a noncommittal shrug before casually turning her shoulder to glance over the other direction. "Wait, c'mon!" In a blink, Ruby was at Weiss' side. "You're kidding, right? I'm not a ma'am, right?" Ruby put a hand on Weiss' shoulder and gave it an earnest shake. "Weiss, throw me a bone here, just lie and say I'm young!" Ruby cried out as she splayed down on the seat next to Weiss in shame. After letting Ruby stew for a few seconds, Weiss finally turned herself around in her seat and looked down at her teammate with an attempt at a sympathetic glance that was betrayed by smirk.

"Miss Rose, you'll have to forgive the manners of the crew," Jacques finally decided to speak up as he set up his scroll into a computing format, though he also had a faint smile on his face. "In Atlas, it is common to address females all females with "miss" or "ma'am", regardless of age. I assure you, the staff is not commenting on you being 'too old'."

"Phew..." Ruby sprang back into a normal sitting position. "Wait, you knew!" She pointed a finger accusingly at Weiss, who returned the accusation with a sarcastic roll of her eyes before powering up her scroll. "You could have to-" Ruby cut her off as she realized her faux pas when Weiss shot her a sideways glare without bothering to move her head. "I- I didn't mean... blegh," Ruby slid back down into her chair further.

"Now, if you girls are done," Jacques spoke up with a bit of pep. "Miss Rose, I require your assistance. I've been working on your contract for employment over the last day, and I believe everything is in order. If you could swing over here and see if everything suits you?"

"Oh, uh, right." Ruby hopped up and swung around the table to Jacques' side, who plugged his scroll into a monitor on the wall for a larger screen. "So... what do we have here," Ruby began as she began into the document. "Personal conduct?" She queried Jacques.

"Well of course, we have standards for the Schnee household, which you will of course be requested to uphold. Now, I will admit, some of these will be enforced more or less strictly than others," he admitted.

"Okay, well, lessees... first rule, do not speak to the family unless spoken to first? Wait, I can't even just talk to Weiss?"

"Well, I think that will depend on Weiss, of course," Jacques said, gesturing with his eyes over to his daughter, who put a hand to her chin in a thoughtful look.

"Weiss...?" Ruby gave Weiss her deadliest weapon; her puppy dog eyes. Weiss put her hand up to her mouth and gave a silent chuckle before nodding her head in approval.

"Now, for the rest of the household, I highly suggest one hundred percent adherence to this rule unless stated otherwise, especially my wife. I don't mean this to sound hostile, but the Schnee family expects certain conduct. As long as you're being respectful, I will give you a reminder of this rule if you act outside of it, for a few times, at least. But, I must insist you follow it to the letter with Mrs. Schnee."

"Ooookay. Gotcha," Ruby nodded in confirmation. "Alright, number two... while on duty, must always be in proper attire. Uh, what's proper attire, exactly?" She asked Jacques with a confused look.

Jacques held a hand up to his mustache with a thoughtful look. "Well, this black dress of yours would not be... too out of place, I suppose, but that hood is rather out fashion. But, the attire of household employees is not normally my realm; usually, that will be my wife. So, we will have to consult with her when we arrive. I wouldn't worry too much; the primary point is that you are presentable."

"Okay, alright, that's fine I guess," Ruby said looking longingly down at her black and red dress. "Anyways, number three... I am always on duty? Wait, does that mean I have to sleep in my uniform?"

"Oh, dear, of course not. That rule is because you are employed as part of the security. What that means is, should there be an emergency, there's no taking a coffee break or "clocking out" as they say. Of course, you'll primarily be attached to Weiss during active duty, and that doesn't mean you two girls can't... well, gossip or whatever it is girls do in their free time. I realize you two are friends, but I am also employing you for her safety, so I fully expect you to be on your toes at all times. Am I clear?"

"Oh, yeah, that makes more sense. So, the rest of this..."

Over the next half hour, Ruby and Jacques poured over the rest of the document, which ranged from expected sleep hours to etiquette while outside house grounds.

"Now, one last thing to take care of," Jacques commented. "The matter of your compensation, of course. Normally, household security are salaried, but I feel that it may be better in this case to go monthly. You are young, and while I do want this to work out due to the debt the family owes you, I think this is most logical for both parties. Now... let us see, here we go, does-"

"A hundred thousand lien?" Ruby interrupted him, her eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"Oh, don't worry, like I said, that's monthly, not an annual salary."

"Right, it's just..."

"I assure you, Miss Rose, that's a highly competitive pay rate for household security!"

"Oh, no, it's not that... I've just never had that much money myself," Ruby admitted. "That's plenty, thank you!" She added with an emphatic nod of her head.

"Oh, excellent, excellent. I was hoping to avoid a lot of haggling; I can only imagine what I'll be in for when I get back with things piling up in my absence." Jacques pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose in disdain. "Well, with that settled, we've got ourselves at least another half day before we arrive home in Atlas. Sir!" He called over to the gray-haired gentlemen attending the bar. "A bottle of champagne, and three glasses, please." The man nodded and began digging out three fragile looking glasses. Weiss looked at her father with narrowed eyes and tilted her head.

"Uh, what's the drinking age in Atlas?" Ruby asked with a confused look as the attendant set glasses before each of them before returning to fetch a bottle.

"Oh, don't give me those looks; this is a time to take reprieve and toast that we are returning home!" Jacques proclaimed. "For the record, Miss Rose," Jacques continued as he picked out a bottle from the three that the attendant presented to him. "The age is twenty, like most kingdoms. But there's always allowances for special occasions. And this," he added, pouring for the girls. "Is definitely a special occasion. So, cheers," he said, raising his now full glass to them. "To you, Miss Rose, for being such a help to my daughter. And to you, Weiss. I know I haven't always said it as such, but I am proud of you. And to a better future!"

Ruby and Weiss acknowledged the toast with a tinny clang. Ruby pulled the glass up to her nose and gave it a sniff, inhaling a scent that reminded her of a toasted fruit mixed with winter. She looked over to Weiss, was taking a dainty sip, then over to Jacques, who seemed in thought as he gently swirled his glass. Well, it's probably like going into a pool, she reasoned to herself. So with no more hesitation, she drained the glass in a single gulp. Weiss looked over at her teammate with an eyebrow just slightly raised before letting out a breathy sigh and gently set her head in her hand.

"D-did you enjoy yourself, Miss Rose?" Jacques was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"...A bit sweet," Ruby gasped out as burned at her for her aggressive drink.

"Here..." Jacques poured her another glass. "Try sipping, Miss Rose. Champagne is to be savored."

"Right, sorry. Champagne isn't really a thing back home," Ruby admitted. "Okay," she admitted upon trying her best to emulate Weiss' dainty sip. "Definitely better sipped."

"Good," Jacques tipped his glass to her. "Now, girls, my apologies, but there's a few things I'd like to get worked on while we've some free time. I'll need to get a letter ready to send to the Missus as soon as we get back on the Atlas network, as well as the board of directors so that I can hit the ground running. If you need anything, there's a ringer here," he said, indicating a white button on the side of the table.

"Right, thanks, uh, Mr. Schnee," Ruby said with a short nod of her head as he left the cabin for a more private room. Ruby turned back around and grabbed her glass, finding Weiss setting her scroll in front of her. "Eh?"

You drink with the grace of your uncle.

"Hey! I can drink perfectly fancy, thank you very much," Ruby responded in a huff as she gently tipped the glass back to her lips for the tiniest possible sip. "See?"

I'm surprised he took that so well.

"Huh?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Okay, what's up, Weiss? You've been weird every time your dad comes up."

Weiss frowned and experimented again trying to speak, with no better luck than last time. She briefly drummed her fingers on the table before grabbing her scroll again.

It's complicated. But appearances are important in my family. To mother, too.

"Right, so, like, I should be fancy, right?"

Let's settle for dignified. Like me!

"But, you hated when I tried to impersonate you for Halloween!" Weiss gave her a dirty look. "Okay, so maaaybe I wasn't being totally serious then. I can do better!" Ruby continued as she took another sip. "So, uh, since I'm getting to meet her soon, what's your mom like? You never really talked about her at school." Weiss looked away with a small frown. Ruby waited as Weiss fiddled with her scroll, running her fingers along the edge, but not really committing to any text. Ruby could practically feel distress running off her teammate.

"Look, I'm sorry, you don't have to-" Ruby stopped as Weiss held up a finger to shush her, before finally commencing text.

She doesn't care. Ruby's eyes went wide at the revelation as Weiss snatched back the scroll to continue.

She pretends to care. She'll say nice and empty things, but she never wanted the Schnee legacy, just the life. That's why father runs the business. Weiss' typing seemed to become more frenetically paced the more she typed. The only thing she cares about is her hobbies. So he lets her indulge in art and music so he can do the important things while she pretends to manage the house. Weiss set the scroll down with a bit more force than necessary as she finished, a scowl adorning her face as she let herself have a moment to drain her own glass.

"I... I'm sorry," Ruby finished lamely. "Look, Weiss, you can tell me these things, you know that right?" She asked, looking down at her lap and twiddling her fingers. "I know we're... a little different, I guess. But, you trust me, right?" Ruby turned her head up at Weiss, a plea written on her face.

Weiss' frustration slowly melted away when she looked at Ruby, and she allowed herself a smile and reached over and grabbed Ruby into a hug, which lingered for a second until Ruby gently pried her off.

"Still... do you think maybe you could work things out with her?" Ruby asked. "I mean, maybe you and her just don't see eye to eye? Hopefully?" Ruby added the last bit on as Weiss' expression began to sour. "Look, it's just, well...well; I guess it just makes me think of Yang's mom. We haven't seen her in ages, but Qrow said she's still probably around somewhere. I always really hoped she would come around some time, because even though she wouldn't ever admit it, it always bugged Yang and I just wanted her to be happy and oh no I shouldn't be talking about this-" Ruby was finally shushed as Weiss pressed a finger to her lips and reached back for the scroll.

Okay. I get it. But, I doubt that there's going to be anything that groundbreaking. You'll understand when we get home. Weiss paused for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. I'm sorry I never told you about my family. Right now, I really just wish I could talk like a normal person. Texting is getting really old already.

"You'll get better, though, right? That's what your dad meant by 'excellent news', right?" Weiss frowned and glanced to the side. "...Right?" Ruby added, this time a hint of desperation in her voice.

Doctor didn't know anything. Just guesswork.

"We'll get you going again. I'll get you going again, if it's the last thing I do!" Ruby declared with added emphasis. Weiss smiled at her teammates' honest determination, faint tinge of pink gracing her features as she watched Ruby abandon her manners once more and drained the remainder of her champagne in one swig.

Back in Vale

"Well, here you go, girls." Tai was seated next to his eldest daughter in the hospital, ignoring the hospital workers changing the sheets for the bed Weiss had occupied. "Like you asked, two tickets to Kuo Kuana. This look alright?" Blake paced over and inspected the tickets he held in his hand.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Xiao Long," she said with a short bow of her head.

"Please don't call my dad that," Yang complained. "That's just... ugh," she trailed off, shaking her head.

"You know that I do have students that call me that all the time, right?" He asked her with an amused look.

"Yeah, but I don't have to hear th-"

"Besides," Tai cut her off. "Isn't that the proper address someone should give to the father of their girlfriend?"

"Why... you..." Yang stumbled out with a strangled gargle. "You're still having fun with this, aren't you?"

"What, would you rather I throw a temper tantrum that my daughter has a girlfriend?" He questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"No! Just... argh, can you maybe tone down the smartass? Please?"

"Yang, its fine," Blake assured her as she sat down back on her bed, tickets acquired. "A little bit of ribbing is ok-hey, these are for the same room?"

"Well yeah, there's a lot of demand for tickets to menagerie, weirdly," Tai answered her, scratching the back of his head. "I mean... I don't see how that's an issue, right?" At this point, Tai looked thoroughly confused at Blake's noting of their arrangements.

"No, that's fine, why's there so much demand for tickets to Menagerie, though?" Blake wondered aloud.

"Well, hey, at least-" Blake held a finger up to non-verbally shush her teammate as her ears perked up. "Wha-"

"We've got company," Blake groaned. Sure enough, Sun Wukong came to a screeching halt as he turned into their doorway with a large, cloth bag in his left hand.

"Hey guys, howsit- hey, what the heck? Did I miss Weiss leaving?"

"Well, you were gone for a couple days," Blake pointed out wryly as Sun walked in and helped himself to a chair, spinning it on a swivel before planting himself in it. "Yeah, she and Ruby left for Atlas this morning."

"Ah, damn. Sorry, I was running around doing some stuff. Well, I guess that means they're doing ok-wait, Ruby went to Atlas?"

"Yeah, Weiss wants to have her around while she rehabs," Yang said with a bit of evasiveness.

"Huh... so, uh, about that stuff I was doing the last couple days," Sun brought the cloth bag up and set it on his lap. "Got you guys some presents." Sun reached with both hands and his tail and pulled out a small collection of paperback books.

"My books!" Blake exclaimed as Sun dropped them on the foot of her bed. "Sun, how did-you went back to the school?!"

"Hey, it's not a big deal," Sun brushed it off with a shrug as he dipped back into the bag. "Neptune had dropped his scroll at some point during the attack, so we were in the neighborhood anyways."

"You went into a grimm-infested battlezone to find a scroll?" Tai asked him incredulously. "You don't hang out too much with this guy, right?" He asked semi-jokingly to the girls.

"Hey, I got feelings too... uh... oh, I bet your Yang's dad!" Sun figured as he withdrew a golden, metal cylinder. "So, uh... I think this is the right-"

"HOW?!" Yang burst out, jumping to her feet and stomping over to Sun, her hair beginning to shimmer. "HOW DID YOU-WHY DID YOU?" Yang snatched the other half of Ember Celica from him and turned back, staring down at it. "Not like I can even fucking use it," she muttered to herself as she stared at the gauntlet in her hand. Her hair calmed down to its normal shade of blonde. "Still... thanks, Sun. Don't wanna know how you got, actually," she said quietly as she shuffled over to her bed and sat down with the gauntlet in her lap, staring it down.

"Well, uh, no problem," he said quietly as Tai stood up and sat down on the foot of his daughter's bed. "And, uh, I had something for Ruby, too," he admitted as he pulled the last object out, a small, rectangular thing covered in a wash cloth. Sun pulled the cloth back and revealed a picture frame with a large crack running vertically along the middle. The picture was of a younger Yang and Ruby, flanked by Tai, and a woman wearing a white cloak, standing amidst trees in brilliant, autumn bloom. She had black hair, streaked with red, and the same striking, silver eyes as Ruby.

"Ruby showed that to me early in our second year," Sun muttered as he handed the picture over to Tai. "I just saw it on the ground while I was looking for things. Figured she'd like having it back, even if it's cracked."

Tai was looking at the picture with a wistful smile as Yang leaned her shoulder into him, looking down at the picture herself.

"Yeah... I'll get it reframed and send it over to her in Atlas. I'll make sure she knows you got it for her... uh..." Tai trailed off, realizing he didn't know the young man's name.

"Sun Wukong, sir," Sun reached his hand out for a handshake, which Tai took.

"So, nothing for Weiss?" Blake asked, looking to change the subject.

"Eh, she never really struck me as the sentimental type," Sun said. "Plus, I already had my hands full just trying to get with what I had," he admitted. "I can't believe how many Grimm are there now. It's insane."

"Well, thanks again for bringing this picture back," Tai said as he put a hand back on Yang's shoulder as she straightened herself back up. "It's getting late in the day, but maybe I can find a place still open to find a new frame for this. Girls, I'll see you tomorrow before you head out." With that, Tai departed the room.

"Heading out?" Sun asked them after he was gone.

"You know I wanted to go back home to Menagerie, Sun," Blake pointed out.

"Well yeah, but where're you headed, Yang?" Sun asked.

"She's coming with me," Blake said coolly. "We're... going on a little adventure, isn't that how we phrased it, Yang?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah." Yang set her extra gauntlet down on her nightstand and gave her head a vigorous shake. "Right!"

"Okay, cool, cool..." Sun trailed off, nodding his head.

"What about you? Gonna go find someplace new to be a vagrant in?" Yang teased him.

"Yeah, was thinking something like that," Sun admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Neptune already headed home almost immediately after we got back from searching around the school, so I don't really have anything tying me down here anymore. But hey, I'll make sure to see you both off tomorrow, okay?"

"Cool... and, uh, thanks again," Yang said quietly, looking back over to her nightstand. "I might not be able to use it for much, but it's good to have it back anyways."

"Well, actually, I have something else I brought," Sun said boastfully, though he shot a quick look back at the doorway. "I know the food can't be any good, considering the diner downstairs sucked, so..." Sun pulled out a black, cloth sack, which had blended almost perfectly with the larger sack, with his tail. With a flourish, he unveiled the plastic wrapping, and Blake and Yang could now both assailed by the smell of grease and cooked beef.

"Who wants tacos?"

A/N:

Two notes; first, I'm not sure what a Lien is worth, although the bar tab Qrow picked up in season 5 would be mindblowing if 1 lien = 1 USD. So, I opted for something more akin to the Japanese Yen. Second, I always found it strange that more wasn't made of Ember Celica post-season 3. Anyways, as always, I'm grateful to those who've been reading, following, favoriting, and commenting, even if I show it poorly. Thanks, truly.

Music o' the day - In my arms - Plumb