Bright rays beamed down on the front deck. The sky was bright blue as the yellow orb hung above the clouds. The occasional bird encircled the ship, singing melodic chirps.

There were barely any waves created. It was so calm that the ship hardly swayed. The previous storm lasted all night and the next morning was absolutely beautiful. Perfect, even.

Most of the Thorns were lounging on the deck like they didn't have a care in the world. Ruby adorned a red, two-piece swimsuit as she stretched her arms above her head and let out a content sigh.

"Isn't this the best?"

Casually, Weiss lowered her sunglasses. She adorned her own light blue swimsuit as she lounged next to her captain. "I suppose."

That earned a wide grin. It was obvious to Ruby that her crewmate was enjoying herself as well, even if she didn't admit it as happily.

They'd been outside for about two hours now. The rays had soaked into their skin with welcome warmth. The occasional breeze made sure they didn't get too hot.

Surprisingly, Ruby had been calm and not her usual eccentric self. Perhaps the sun drained her. Weiss was glad to relax in silence next to Ruby.

Sometimes, enjoying each other's company in the same space was the best rather than having a constant conversation.

"You are so gonna get burnt," the captain commented, referring to her pale skin.

"And you won't?" Weiss asked, setting her book in her lap.

Leisurely, Ruby stretched out her legs as she felt her muscles loosen. "I'm wearing tons of sunscreen."

Playfully, Weiss rolled her eyes. "As am I. I'm wearing the same sunscreen as you, dolt. Qrow gave it to me, remember?"

"Ooooooooh," Ruby mumbled in realization. "Still, you're super pale. You should probably reapply soon."

Rather than take offense to that, Weiss said. "I wouldn't exactly call you tan, either."

That earned a laugh from the captain. "I never said I was tan. That's a dream worlds away," she conceded with a smile and a slight blush from the sight of her. "Hey, uncle Qrow?"

For a while, Qrow was in-and-out of consciousness. The pirate had been napping on a comfortable lounge chair with an open bottle of mead loosely in his grasp. The residue had become warm.

"Wha- huh?" Qrow groaned from the haze of sleep.

Ruby held out the can of sunscreen when she caught his attention. "Where'd you get this, anyways? It's kinda sorta magical. We've been out here for a while and I don't even feel burnt!"

From the question, Qrow smirked. "It's not important as to how I got it," he said groggily. In other words, he probably stole it. "If it works, accept it and shut up. If you want to keep your color and enjoy the sun, wear it. Look at me, does it look like I get tan at all?"

For a few moments, Ruby and Weiss examined him. The pirate adorned a loose t-shirt and a black pair of swim trunks. The color indeed made him look pale. Ruby couldn't even think of a time when he was tan. And they'd spent most of their lives on the sea, which was an impressive feat.

"I could say the same thing," Weiss added. "I don't think I've ever been darker than my hair."

"That's really impressive," Ruby almost gawked. "It takes talent to be that pale."

"Hey!"

Suddenly, a new voice chimed in the conversation. This was followed by several footsteps.

"If you squeeze a tube of toothpaste, the paste'd be tanner than you!"

The three looked up to find that it was Yang who cracked the joke. Next to her was Blake, who sent her an unamused glare.

"Oh haha," Weiss said sarcastically as she adjusted her sunglasses. "So funny."

When there was an overarching silence, the former heiress wondered why. It was then that she gazed around and noticed the shocked expressions of her crewmates. Ruby and Qrow were staring at the black and yellow pair.

"Why does everyone look like that-"

After sitting up, Weiss noticed why. Yang and Blake were holding hands. The two had held hands before, but they couldn't stop grinning and deliberately maintained eye-contact with their crew as if to tell them something.

"Since when?!" Ruby asked cheerfully.

"Since last night!" Yang matched her sister's eagerness, adorning a wide smile.

From how excited they were, Blake blushed.

Qrow smirked from the revelation. "It's about damn time."

"See?" Ruby eyed her sister and Blake. "Even Qrow could see there was something going on. It took you long enough."

Everyone seemed so… not surprised. This left Blake to wonder.

Cat ears folded on top of Blake's head. "Was it that obvious?"

"Painfully," the former heiress met her gaze. "And I haven't even been on board for that long."

True, she watched them interact whenever they'd secretly meet up. But now that she lived with the pair, their feelings for each other were painfully obvious.

That caused the bumblebee couple to blush.

"Damn…" Yang mumbled, disappointed in herself. "Better late than never, right? Right? Tell me I'm right," she practically begged.

Ruby gave her a nod. "Right!"

Playfully, Blake held onto her arm. "My girlfriend is so needy."

Rather than retort, Yang was on cloud nine when she felt her girlfriend hold onto her. She leaned into the affectionate contact with a wide grin. The sight caused the others to smile.

"She's like a golden retriever," Ruby said jokingly. "Be sure to give her lots of food and attention and don't forget to take her on walks."

"Don't treat me like I'm a dog!" Yang yelped.

Teasingly, Blake pet her on the head. "There, there."

While Yang pouted, Weiss watched them with a smile. "Congrats, you two. This was long overdue."

From the comment, Qrow scoffed. "A decade overdue."

"We get it!" Yang flailed her arms. "I'm dumb!"

"Nonononono," Ruby stopped the thought. "We're not saying you're dumb. We're saying you're both dumb."

"Wow, thanks," the blonde said teasingly. "That makes me feel so much better."

Blake giggled a bit. "Very reassuring."

There was a brief pause of silence. Only the tides reached their ears.

"Hey, where are we headed next?" Yang asked, curious. "Do we have a plan?"

Usually, they always had a path to somewhere. The Howling Thorn must always have a destination. Not float around uselessly.

"We're going to an island called Acacia," Ruby informed, recalling the conversation she had earlier with her uncle. Ultimately, it was the destination they settled on. "It's not Khan territory and it's the closest land to us."

"Whew," the blonde was visibly relieved. "I'm glad we have a plan. What'll we do when we get there?"

Almost annoyed, Qrow sighed. "We need money."

"We're stealing?" Weiss asked, sounding hesitant.

"Yep," Qrow said like it was obvious. "We only steal from people who deserve it," he said, trying to reassure her and to give it justification. "At least, we try to take from bad people. Getting the innocent involved isn't our style. That being said, does anyone have any suggestions?"

There were a few moments of silence as the crew pondered. Typically, the crew would get tips about who to rob. Those who have done wrong. Since no one had been to Acacia before, they were coming up blank.

"A dust shop."

Surprisingly, the suggestion came from Weiss. From her words, Qrow stared at her in utter shock. He was the only one on board who knew her last name. The only one who knew who her father was. The fact that the escaped Schnee heiress suggested this…

She must really want to get back at her father, Qrow deduced. And she would be doing it off the grid. Smart, sneaky Schnee.

"Weiss, you're a genius!" Ruby chirped in amazement. "Only rich people go to places like that. I bet it'll have even more money than a bank."

It looked like Blake couldn't agree more. She confidently stepped forward.

"It's also well-known that the owner of Schnee dust is a horrible person who treats faunus terribly. We'd be stealing from him. I have no qualms about that."

"Me neither," Yang agreed and crossed her arms in finality. "Anyone who treats anyone like crap has this coming to them."

It seemed they were all in agreement. Happily so. This left Weiss to ponder her position. This would not only serve as a 'fuck you' to her father, but they would be getting partial justice for Blake as well.

Weiss recalled multiple occasions when she watched her father berate the faunus. Watched him treat them like garbage. All those times, she stood idly by and let it happen. She did nothing about it, but now, an opportunity presented itself. She could do something.

Fuck Jacques. Fuck him and his money. And fuck his stupid mustache.

"It's settled then," Qrow said.

When they all agreed by nodding, Weiss faintly smiled. Was it bad she was actually looking forward to this?

Ruby held her chin in thought. "The only problem is that we don't know for sure if Acacia has a dust shop."

Not every island had dust shops. Only places that were well-off did. The crew knew nothing about Acacia. Only that it was safe to tread and that it was nearby.

"We'll scope the place out first," Blake chimed. "We'll rob the nearest dust store, and we'll leave immediately. If there's no dust store, we'll have to improvise."

"Decent back-up plan," Yang only shrugged. "Sure."


Lyrics from Strike Back: "We gotta stand up and go with the pride. It's like the sun rising way over the clouds."

Stay dandy,

~Toto