Yang and Ruby stood side-by-side as their hands danced with the joysticks of the fighting game machine. The seventeen-year-old and the nineteen-year-old stood out amongst the crowd of preteens. Ruby was completely unaware of the gazes that landed on her back—too focused on the game. Yang, however, knew quite well, using the attention as a small form of entertainment every now and again.
Their hands moved in blurs and Yang asked, "So, Vacuo?"
"Yep," she replied with a pop of the 'p'.
"Got everything ready for that?"
Ruby shrugged, "Yeah, I just need to sow some ice-Dust into my clothes."
"Ice-Dust?"
"To keep cool—it is a desert."
Yang blinked, "Wait, so you're not gonna get a new wardrobe?"
Her sister rolled her eyes, "No." She shook her head, "I hate shopping."
"You should get some new clothes anyway." She shrugged, "You'll probably have to replace the Dust eventually. Maybe get some clothes for the weather to save the lien."
She pouted, "I hate it when you make sense…"
Yang smirked towards her sister, "Heh, comes with the territory." She shrugged, "I'll help."
Ruby let go of the joystick, "Thanks…" She coughed as she began to walk off, "Oh, and I win."
The blonde turned to the screen, spotting the defeat screen, "Wha—Hey!" She then spun on her heel, following after the younger. Once the older caught up, she wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders, "Okay, little Ms. Show-Off, let's get this whole shopping thing over with." She shrugged, "Dinner will be around before we know it."
-\ XXX /-
Ruby groaned as she stumbled into her room, dropping several shopping bags on the floor. Her whine became muffled as her face befell her pillow. Yang leaned against the doorway, rolling her eyes, "You're so dramatic."
The brunette turned her head from the pillow, "I didn't need to visit a lingerie shop!"
The blonde shrugged, "Nothing wrong with checkin'." She smirked, peeking into one of her bags, "And it was more for me anyway. Ren's gonna love this~."
Her sister's groan turned into a growl, "I don't need to hear that!"
She smirked, "Nora will love it, too?"
"I hate your team."
Yang shrugged, plopping herself on a chair in front of a desk, "Hey, who knows, maybe you'll find love like us."
Ruby turned on her back, drawling, "Love?"
Her sister frowned at the insinuation, "Hey-hey, I know you're stingy from the shopping, but don't shit on my teammates."
She sighed, sitting up, "Sorry."
"It's whatever."
The reaper rolled her eyes, "I can't believe you have a harem at Beacon."
Counter: "Polyamorous relationship."
"What's the difference?"
Yang twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, "A harem is a bunch of people loving one person. Polyamory is about a group of people who love each other." She smiled warmly, "I love my ninja, my knight, and my Valkyrie. They love me and they love each other."
"It's still a bit weird."
She nodded, "I can get that—it's not a common thing anyway." She leaned back in her seat, "But, to be clear, it's not a perfect relationship. We're as flawed as anyone else, but then we talk. Communication is key in any and all relationships, little sister."
Ruby's back met her bed, looking towards the wall, "Yeah… I guess keeping a secret for someone's entire life can really mess with a relationship."
The blonde rubbed the back of her neck, "Y-Yeah…" She scratched her cheek, "You, uh, haven't met them, have you?"
"I have not met team YLAN (Yolande), no."
"Well, we should arrange something. I'm sure you'll love them."
Ruby blew raspberries, "Not like you."
Yang nodded, "Well, I would hope not."
"I would hope not as well."
"Girls! I'm home!"
The siblings spoke at the same time, "Hey, Dad!"
Yang blinked as Ruby disappeared in a burst of petals. Her gaze slowly followed her sister's path before her eyes shut. Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose before a sigh escaped her lips. "I need to make a phone call…" She lowered her hand before making her way out of the room and down the stairs.
Taiyang Xiao Long turned to Yang, "Ah! There you are, ya Little Sun Dragon."
His blond hair was didn't quite shine as brightly as it did in his youth. His build was still muscular despite his age. He still towered over the two girls. His clothing consisted of simple business wear. After all, he was working at Signal only a while ago.
His daughter smirked, "Little?"
"Right-right… Neither of my girls are little anymore." He sighed, "God, I feel old."
The youngest of the trio chuckled, "You are old."
Taiyang rolled his eyes as he stepped deeper into the house, "Oi. I'm still young—still in my prime."
Yang winced, "Delusional too."
He stepped away from the two, "Ha-ha!" He began to climb the staircase, "You two are hilarious." His voice carried through the house, "I'm gonna get a platter of cookies and just hog it all to myself!"
Ruby laughed, shouting after the man, "I'm going to set the table!"
His voice pierced the thin walls, "Okay! Sun Dragon, could you check the smoker out back?"
The blonde nodded, "Aye-aye, daddy-O."
Yang slipped through the first floor, moving past her zipping-about sister, through the kitchen, and out the back door. She noticed a plume of smoke from the smoker—go figure. "Guess he must've gotten something ready before the exam…" She walked towards the device, peering at the thermometer that was connected to the meat inside. "All good, I think…" She straightened before peering back into the house, spotting her sister within.
She reached into her pocket and fished out her scroll. It slid open before she circled through her contacts and tapped on a magenta-eyed face. It rang once.
His voice came through—it had deepened since their first year at Beacon, "Yes, Yang?"
She smirked, "Hey there, One-eyed Wily."
A swift reply followed, "I'm hanging up."
"Hey! Hey, calm down you."
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
She leaned against the windowsill, "Hmm… I don't know. What are you wearing?"
"Vest—leather armor."
The blonde cooed, "Anything underneath that armor~?"
"A shirt…?"
Her smile persisted, "Come on, give me something to work with."
"Pink socks? Sandals?"
"You... You're wearing socks and sandals, right now?"
He sighed, "I'm in our dorm-room. Nora isn't here to mock me. Yes."
"Do hear that?" asked her with a smirk.
"Hear what?"
"The valley is going through a sudden drought."
"I know what you're going for. I get the joke, but that isn't an audible thing."
She rolled her eyes, "Come on! Play along!"
"Orange boxers?"
"What!? Orange boxers!?" Outraged, she was, but she was smiling too.
"Jaune's present for my birthday, remember?"
"I can't believe you're still wearing them!" Her hand landed on her forehead as she laughed, "I thought you threw them away!"
"They're fine."
"They say 'Fat Bitch' on the ass!"
"Literally no one can see them."
Yang turned, pressing her back against the house, "I have to see them."
Ren laughed, "I feel like that isn't where your eye usually is when I strip."
She grinned, "Ooh, now we're getting spicy."
There was a moment or two of silence before he spoke, "Yang, are we joking? I can take this more seriously if we aren't."
A silent moment or two passed before she blushed, waving her hand, "It's a joke." She scratched her nose, "But… uh… Stay by your phone just in case."
Ren whispered into the phone—effectively whispering into her ear, "Promises-promises…" His voice shifted back to normal, "So, not that I mind, why did you call?"
Yang turned, peering through the window once more. She spotted Tai laughing with Ruby as they moved into the kitchen. A joke was passed between them, and warmth exuded from the two. It brought a different type of smile onto her face. "Qrow isn't around… It's only natural…"
She finally spoke, "Nothing…" She turned around once more, leaning against the house, "I guess I just wanted to hear your voice."
"Well, you have it."
"So, have you eaten yet?" Her mind wandered, "What kind of shitty habit it is to forget whole meals every day…?"
"I'll probably grab some food from the mess hall before curfew. You?"
"Smoked brisket."
"I'm jealous."
"Next time, I'll ask if I can bring you guys along."
"Taking all of us to meet the parent, huh? What a step."
Yang laughed, "Yeah…" Her eyes drifted skyward, "How's Jaune and Nora?"
"Date."
"And they didn't invite you?"
"Needed to study. I have a make-up exam to do for Port."
Yang frowned slightly, "Right…" A smirk quickly replaced it, "Too bad, though. We could've made a sort of… team effort later on."
"Maybe next time, Sunshine."
She cooed, "Ooh, I love it when you call me Sunshine."
"Then be sure to call me back, it'll be the only thing that'll leave my mouth."
Her face flushed as she let out a slow chuckle, "That sounds…"
Tai's voice yanked her out of her haze as the door swung open, "Hey, Yang! How's the smoker?"
Her eyes widened, "D-Dad!" She quickly turned her back to him, whispering into her phone, "I'll-I'll c-call ya back."
Ren returned, "Promise?"
Yang smirked, "Definitely." She ended the call as she straightened, fixing her hair.
"Who ya talking to?"
She quickly tucked her scroll away, "N-No one!"
Tai's face contorted, "You're looking a bit red. Are you okay?"
Yang coughed, "Yep!" She turned to the smoker, "I, uh, didn't want to open it to screw with the whole cooking process."
"Ah, yeah, thanks."
"So, uh, how have you guys been?"
"All good." He chuckled as he looked over the meal, "No offense but teaching teenagers can be hell."
"No offense to me, I'm not a teenager anymore."
Tai straightened, ruffling the hair atop her head, "Well, you'll always be my little girl."
She pushed his hand off, "Yeah-yeah." She put her hands on her hips, "How's Ruby? There's only so much she'll tell me."
"Good." He frowned slightly, "But… She doesn't really talk to Qrow anymore. She doesn't even write him."
"I mean I get why…"
Tai scratched at his teen, "Me too." He shook his head, "So, you know, I can't blame her. I can't push her either." He then shrugged, "She'll do it at her own pace."
Yang chuckled, "That's Ruby, alright…" She tilted her head, "So, Vacuo?"
He nodded, "I didn't like it in the beginning, but it's her life. If she wants to see the desert, that's her." He then shrugged, "I'll just keep my scroll on me, just in case."
His daughter laughed, "Yeah, I'll be doing the same."
Tai blinked as he noticed something sailing through the air before turning to Yang, "The food should be ready soon. Could you head inside and find that big flower plate for me?"
Yang nodded, "Yeah, sure." She turned and stepped away to slip back into the house, encountering her sister along the way.
Qrow Branwen dropped from the roof, landing out of the view of the back door and the nearby windows, "I thought you got rid of that thing."
His spiky, slicked-back hair was dark with hints of grey streaking through his locks. Stubble decorated his jawline, turning him into a gruff looking man. His build was lean and tall—like a scarecrow. Her top consisted of a two-toned dress shirt that was lined with black and held a long tail. His legwear was simply a pair of black slacks and his footwear were simple dress shoes. And, attached to his shoulders, he had a short, tattered cloak colored in red.
Tai shrugged, "I did."
Qrow fished a flash from his pocket, "Heh, good cover—only works once though."
"Why don't you come inside?"
The crow shrugged, "Can't. I'm on the job." He took a short swig, "Just thought I'd swing by."
"Qrow…"
Qrow shook his head, peaking into the building, "You know me, Tai." His head lowered before taking a long swig, "Family dinner's aren't really my thing…"
Tai crossed his arms, "You know, they might be if you actually attended one every now and again."
"Heh…" He shook his head before taking another swig, "Nah…"
"She's graduating Signal, you know."
"No shit."
Tai waited for him to take another swig, "She's applying to Shade Academy."
The bird choked on his drink, "S-Shade?"
"Yeah."
"W-Why?"
"Why do you think?"
Qrow recovered into a murmur, "Hm…" He then rubbed the back of his head, "She's really trying to distance herself from me…"
They both peered into the house, looking at the hooded reaper. Tai smiled, "Not that much…" He sighed, "She loves you Qrow. You know that."
"…"
"Just come inside—talk to her."
Qrow took another long swig before letting out a sigh, "Your smoker's burning…"
Tai's eyes widened, "Huh?" He spun on his heel, rushing to the smoker, "What!? Oh, shit!" He looked it over before looking over the brisket. "Huh?" He straightened, "Wait, it's fin-" He turned and saw nothing but a drifting feather, "Goddamn it…"
Yang's voice came after the swinging back door, "Dad! I can't find the plate, so I just grabbed this dumb lookin' one." She twirled an emerald-green plate before passing it to him.
Tai nodded, "Right…" He turned to the brisket, "Isn't this the plate Ozpin gave us…?" He twirled it before shrugging, "It'll do."
X|X|X
AN: Howdy! New chapter with some focus on Yang and Qrow. Both will be recurring characters. At times, we will leave Ruby in Vacuo and fly with YLAN during their senior year at Beacon.
The next chapter will send us straight to Vacuo and we will be doing some flyby character introductions. Their altered stories will be explored in the following chapters. Some will be sooner than others.
Posting that new chapter will be awhile. I have three stories currently running. Due to the nature of this one and Brothers of Hope and the schedule of my job, I don't have a lot of time to write. So, in order to keep my sanity and keep things in order, I will be posting SUD and Brothers of Hope on alternating months. Meaning February is Brothers of Hope and March will be Shadows Upon a Desert.
I do apologize for this schedule, but it is necessary. I can't exactly get an income from this.
And, well, thank you for reading and criticize away!
