Chapter 3: Xiao-Long Cabin
"Welcome to the Xiao-Long Cabin!"
"Here is where you will stay for the foreseeable future Kuro, I don't accept no's in this household. You saved my life, so you can live here until you rent an apartment in town. Let's get you acquainted with the house!"
Kuro smiled at the excited Yang as they enter the cabin. Inside the house is different from the log theme outside, it has a modern appearance with fully furnished appliances. Entering the main door leads to the living room. The center of the living room is dominated by a light green rug, with a dark green couch and matching chair and a wooden coffee table centered on the rug. Between the couch and chair is an end table with a lamp on it, and at the other end of the couch is a dog bed presumably for their pet. Across the couch is a wooden TV stand with a black box resting on it along with a potted plant, he wonders what kind of device this is until Ruby ran past the duo and used a remote to open it, showing a holographic display that what looks live a cartoon show, at the corner of the room there are stairs leading to the second floor.
"So this is our living room, it has all your needs such as television or books if you're bored reading in your scroll. I can't wait for you to meet our pet dog Zwei, named after Zweihander. I know, it was named by Ruby. Come on this way to the kitchen."
Kuro is being dragged by Yang as his eyes shone with determination.
"Well, here comes the (relatively) peaceful life I wanted. Sigh. It's a matter of time until these two become the center of the world."
Kuro has seen the kitchen, the bathrooms, and the porch on the first floor. The Master's room, Ruby and Yang's room, and two spare guest rooms are on the second floor. As the pair enters the last room, which is now his, Kuro is tired from traveling all the way from the hospital and would like to get some rest. Yang notices as she placed some daily necessities in the bed.
"I know that you're tired from all the walking so clean up, arrange your stuff and take a nap. I took a peek at your bag earlier and found that you have no spare clothes, so I borrowed some of my dad's old clothes until we can buy you something to wear."
Kuro looks at Yang with gratitude as he thinks that she is really like a mother at times, granted that being forced to raise Ruby made her like that. He looks at the eyes.
"Thanks Yang. I appreciate what you're doing."
Yang smiles at Kuro as she punches his shoulder. This time it feels like a dull thud rather than a heavy hit, he thanks his aura for protecting him from the pain. Yang took out some blankets and fixed the bed before going out of the room, looking back at him she smiles.
"I told you before, this is thanks for saving my life, so quit being so dramatic and have fun!."
Yang closes the door as she exits, leaving Kuro to his mind. He starts to organize his bag, which contains a laptop, with all the accessories, a solar charger, some cables, and a few external hard drives containing his favorite games, music, and shows, which also include the RWBY series.
Taking a long look at this drive, he keeps it in a hidden compartment that he found while searching the room. Kuro knows that he has to show this eventually and will endure their rage, but for now, at least until the canon, he will enjoy living with them. Finished with the job, he took a bath and started to think about his goals.
"I know that my goal is to live peacefully. But to do that I need money, how will I get a job here? I can't rely on Yang forever. Electronics are a nope, the devices I've seen so far are too different from what I am used to. I'm lucky that Ruby's box only took fixing the wires. I could learn but the training takes too long. And being a hunter is in it for a world of pain."
Kuro looks at the time when lived by himself, which meant doing all the chores by himself, rummaging through his memories he found that he is pretty good at cooking, since buying raw ingredients is cheaper than buying meals outside the apartment in the long run.
"I should find a restaurant or a bakery to apply for, I hope that food science here is still the same."
Tapping his plans into the journal, he dressed up and went to sleep.
At the kitchen
Yang is wearing a brown apron written in it is a cooking pun, with a black hair net to prevent her hair from messing with the ingredients, she prefers for her hair to flow freely without restriction, but in the kitchen, it can make a mess sometimes, and she doesn't want to waste any more time to prepare a dinner party for the boy who saved her life.
Taking out her cookbook, where she makes unique food her family likes, having to cook for them at a young age, she ponders what kind of dish she'll prepare for Kuro. Thinking about it for a bit, Yang decides to make a mixture of Vale and Mistral cuisine that she found, to show him that he is welcome in their home. (Noodle soup, Rice, and Chicken)
"Alright, it's time to prepare for the party. He won't know what hit him."
As she began working in the kitchen, Ruby has just finished watching the cartoon show in the living room. As she closes the TV with a remote, she sees the lights in the kitchen on, deducing that her sister is making something for the new resident, she dons her cape, and walks to the kitchen seeing Yang kneading dough, rolling it with ease. Ruby thinks that she's making bread until her sister made the dough into a donut shape with fire in her eyes as she prepares to make the noodles, curious about what she is making, she continues watching Yang as she pulls the dough, turning it into 2 large strips of noodles, then to 4, then to 8, until the 5th iteration where the noodles became long and thin, perfect for ramen.
"Big sis? You know how to make noodles? I didn't see you making those before."
Yang notices Ruby as she brings out high-quality rice, washing it in the sink. Continuing her work she tells her story.
"A few days ago when Kuro was still in the hospital, I was thinking of the kind of food he would like for the party. He said that he was the son of Vale and Mistral parents, but lives much closer to Mistral. So I want to make something Mistralian, there are always tourists from around the four kingdoms that shops and restaurants from other cultures also serve here in Patch."
Ruby sat down as she helps to cook with Yang, despite being banned from using an oven without supervision, she always helps her sister with daily chores, with her ideal that heroes always help others in need. While they cleaned the area, she continues listening to Yang.
(Two days ago)
Yang was just exiting the hospital as she was thinking about how to thank Kuro properly, as she was wandering across the street, she saw tourists swamping the sights and attractions, and today is the final day where everything is on sale for the festival event before the academic year starts. She decided to go towards mistralian themed stalls and restaurants to decide what kind of food she will make.
Trying out some of the food, she noticed that most of these foods are nutritionally balanced, a healthy mix of vegetables and meat, unlike Vale which has a preference for heavier diets. Yang obviously prefers Vale cuisine more than the others and decided that these meals don't meet her requirements.
"Ughh, how will I find a good dish for Kuro" As she was about to go home. An elderly voice reaches out to her.
"Hello there young lady, are you willing to try this stall's specialty for this year? The Steak Ramen, where I combined the ingredients mainly used in Vale which are heavy in taste, and the lighter seasonings of Mistral. What easier way to introduce tourists from Mistral to Vale than to present them with food familiar to them with a touch of this kingdom's culture."
Yang was about to decline his offer until a smell reaches her nose, making her salivate as her stomach desires the dish being presented. "A hit" The shopkeeper gleefully thought, another one for today, being the owner of 'The Simple Wok', he knew that no one can resist his noodles. Yang thought that she could use a proper meal, seeing that Mistral dishes are low on carbs and protein, being the bodybuilder she is.
"Sure, this seems like what I'm looking for."
Giving the shopkeeper lien, She was presented with the most wonderful meal she had tonight, a bowl with a glistening juicy steak, with some toppings on the side soaking in the clear beef broth, resting on the white noodles, taking her spoon out (she doesn't know how to use the delicate chopsticks), she dug into the bowl and ate her best dinner today. As she finished eating the dish with a satisfying burp.
"This is the perfect dish to make for my party, hey old man shopkeep, will you teach me how to make this?"
The shopkeep is surprised, looking into her eyes as he nods. Yang gets excited before the old man points his finger towards the back, where all the magic happens.
"Well, no pain no gain."
(Present)
"And that's how I learned to make noodles. And earned some side money that I used to buy a present."
Yang just finished seasoning the meat as she placed it in the pan, searing the sides as Ruby finishes cutting the toppings, setting them up for later. Ruby really likes helping people and felt like she needed to do more.
"Anything I could do to help sis?"
Looking at Ruby, it seems that Yang is almost finished with the dishes, she only needs to double-check everything before setting up the living room, although decorations are a little lacking.
"You could help me with the decorations later. Oh, I know! Ruby, can you draw something for our new friend?"
Ruby excitedly nods as she zooms out the door and into her room, picking up paper and markers, leaving her sister to do some drawing. As she is trying to think about what she could create, she felt a tugging in her mind. Shaking her head, Ruby thinks that she is getting a bit tired. An idea takes up her mind, she starts to draw line by line.
A few minutes later, Ruby looks at her drawing, dissatisfied, like something is missing. She doesn't have this mental block before, and she is usually a creative person, as evident by her preparation for prototype weapons. Ruby can remember Kuro's features as she met him a few hours ago, but somehow, something about him is missing from her memory.
Ruby is starting to get confused, until she realizes that she is a bit tired, making her recollect less, so a few details here and there can be missing. Well, that's an easy solution, Ruby thought, as she goes to Kuro's room.
"Sorry for intruding .. Kuro. I just need to take a refresher on what you look like."
As she enters, she lays her eyes on the familiar room, with the usual furniture in their guest room, only with the boy's belongings placed over the desk, with a bag slightly opened. Stepping inside the room quietly, she takes a good look at the sleeping boy.
Kuro is wearing their dad's old clothes that didn't likely match him, his black hair showing a tint of white on the tip of his hair, wait…. white? Looking closely, Ruby notices that the shade isn't exactly white, but more.. greyish. Like the color of her eyes, she thought.
Snapping out of her trance, she quickly realizes that she is getting too close, and takes a few steps back, only for her to bump into a chair, making it fall, along with the bag resting on top of it, spreading the contents to the floor. The boy rolled around, to Ruby's dismay.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Kuro, I didn't mean to.."
Panicking, she froze before exhaling with relief as the boy only moved to the side. Sighing in relief, she mentally scolds herself for being clumsy. Well, she knows what is missing from the drawing she thought. As Ruby placed the materials back in the bag and set the chair back in its original place, she grabbed the wire of gray metal as the metal felt warm in her hands. Questioning the property of the material, she starts fiddling with the metal, before hearing Kuro mumbling about. Quickly placing all the stuff back in the bag and placing it in the chair, Ruby goes out of the room and finishes the drawing while wondering what happened back there.
As the girl was drawing, Kuro's room was filled with silver light for a few seconds, before dying out, making it look like an illusion.
A few minutes later
Poke, poke, poke. At the side of the bed, Two silver eyes look at Kuro as he adjusted his posture, trying in vain to wake him up. Poking harder, it seems like drastic measures are needed.
"Wake up. It's time for your party. Hello? You up? Looks at Yang Are you sure he'll be fine?"
Her sister says it's fine and he won't be angry with her.
"Guess I'll have to do my secret technique."
Kuro feels someone is climbing up the bed, opening his eyes, he saw a red figure falling above him.
"Secret Technique: Waking my sister (but not really my sister but a friend) dive!"
"Wait a second I'm fully… ack!"
Kuro's body felt like it was pounded to the ground, feeling a bit of pain. He is really glad that aura exists. As he sits up, he looks at Ruby, who is now trying to whistle, failing badly. Looking at her being so cute, he found that he couldn't be angry with her, instead of scolding her he pinched her cheeks and she begins to pout, making the scene more adorable.
"I'm sorry for waking you up like that Mr. Kuro. It was my sister's fault, she said I could do that to you"
Glaring at Yang in the doorway, she smirks at him saying, what are you gonna do? She ought to be thankful that Ruby is around. Ignoring her comments he looked at the pouting girl.
"Just call me Kuro, Mr. makes me feel old, I'm just a bit older than your sister, that being said I'll handle her later. So, what are you up to Ruby?"
"We're here to invite you to dinner! Yang made something special today."
It seems like Yang has already prepared for this moment, dissolving his irritation about her, and feeling well-rested. Kuro feels hungry as he thinks about what kind of dish he'll eat today, hospital food isn't really appetizing to the mind.
"Alright Ruby, let's go downstairs then."
It seems like Yang has already gone downstairs, Kuro goes out of the bed and stands up, making himself more presentable as Ruby is getting more excited and walks out the door, with the boy following her. He notices more decorations appearing before seeing a banner that shows "Welcome to Patch!" in bright colors, with the side his face is expertly drawn and colored, while a small drawing of a town with Yang and Ruby showering his face with confetti.
"SURPRISE!" "Bark!" "Zwei!"
As he was standing there, a black object collided with his stomach gently, holding it tight, he saw Zwei, who looks as cute as in the show, just younger, smaller, and unusually strong for a corgi, as the dog goes out of his hands, circling the trio with cute barks, Ruby began chasing and cuddling Zwei as she scolds the dog for hitting guests, Yang goes to the kitchen, he felt a warm feeling in his heart and was glad that he dropped at Patch.
The living room was decorated with black and gold, it seems that this party is also for Yang, for surviving the brutal fight. Kuro begins to get embarrassed by this amount of kindness given to him. His stomach grumbles as he goes to the kitchen, where it is also a dining room.
He sits at the table, which is filled with meat dishes, with bread on the side. Taking a bite on the bread he's surprised that it's harder to chew as if the crop that was used was already tough, then he remembered that aura strengthens all living beings with a soul, which also meant that plants and animals are tougher and heal faster than the ones on earth.
Feeling dismayed about the food is not as soft as he wanted, continues to eat, as it is still delicious, despite the problem. "Come to think of it, the hospital food was harder than the ones back home. Is this why the food in the 2nd volume was actually viable as a weapon? Gotta get used to it." he thought. As he was struggling to adapt to the food in remnant, a middle-aged man enters the kitchen.
"Hey girls, what's with the decorations, are we celebrating something?"
Taiyang looks at Kuro with concern, as the boy looks down being embarrassed by being the main focus of the celebration. The boy prepares to hear the dreaded 'don't go near my daughter' spiel as he surprisingly hears unexpected words from the man.
"Look, I approved being friends with my girls, you saved Yang after all. So you are welcome here to stay until you can rent outside"
Taiyang grabs his shoulders with a powerful grip, as he warns the boy.
"You do anything to hurt them, a grimm won't even compare what I could do to you."
Taiyang releases Kuro as he goes to his chair, the boy sweating from the pressure. Seeing that the dad is talking with Ruby about her day, the boy just quietly eats in peace, listening to the conversation as Yang comes near the table.
Yang placed the ramen in front of the boy. Sensing a familiar smell, Kuro looks in admiration as he looks at the main dish.
"I just learned this just to make you feel at home, since you are from the frontier near Mistral, I thought I'd learn a new dish."
Looking at the girl with appreciation, Kuro thanks Yang, feeling a welcomed person.
"Thank you so much Yang, I already felt at home when we walked to your home, it was fun seeing you play around with your sister."
Eating the dish, Kuro was reminded of the time when his mother cooked meals for him, smiling at the thought, even with the food a bit harder, he slurps with relish as the girls also ate their ramen. Ruby hums in delight as she enjoys her sister's dish, with Yang enjoying the fruits of her efforts.
Kuro felt like he ate a whole family's worth of food but still felt a bit hungry, questioning about this matter, it seems like people with activated auras do physically improve in all aspects, but their body also uses more energy due to it, they taught him its one of the reasons why everyone doesn't have their auras activated, and only those with a fighting profession or aiming to be one only has them, humanity's food production cannot keep up if every person eats a few kilograms every day, and there is only so much food to go around.
Due to grimm occupying most of the arable land outside the kingdoms, the agriculture sector is one of the main pillars of their society and treated with the utmost importance. Even high-profile criminals and corrupt politicians don't dare to destroy or inhibit it in any way unless they want to face the full force of the kingdoms and be abandoned by their peers.
After dinner, the family did many activities throughout the night, With Kuro and Taiyang bonding together well due to their focus on family, and when it's finally time to sleep, they cleaned up the decorations and dishes, and as they went to their respective rooms, Taiyang talks to Kuro.
"Alright kid, first thing in the morning I'm going to teach you on how to control your aura for your own safety, people with untrained aura can be a danger to their surroundings, even if they don't intend to."
"Yes! I'm kinda excited to be able to use aura properly, I'm sorry I broke some of your games earlier, I really can't control my increased strength so thanks for helping me. Good night and see ya tomorrow Mr. Taiyang."
As the family goes to their room, Kuro looks at the gift he received from Yang, a brand new scroll, the latest model money can buy, a small rectangular box, like two sticks glued together, with a button below it. Pulling the two stick-like boxes a hard light display lits up, showing simple instructions for setting up the scroll. Yang thought that his smartphone is an old piece of junk still in circulation in old frontier villages, seeing that the smartphones are indeed an archaic piece of technology that was used a few decades ago, until the utilization of hard light.
Playing with the device felt novel to Kuro, as he only imagined holographic technology as something from the far future, feeling curious, he summoned his phone and compared them to each other. After fiddling around, he was disappointed that the scroll's software and cybersecurity is as weak as the CCT and the scroll is just like the smartphone, just more compact, and even slower than his. It looks like smartphone technology didn't even get to reach its full potential upon finding that hard-light dust is easier to make a communication device with.
Looking at both of the devices, Kuro wonders what happens if they touched each other, as he did so, his vision is given a prompt.
[Phone detected a communication device. Scanning]
[Scan Complete. Assimilation is possible]
[Prompt: Will you agree to assimilate the devices? Y/N]
Kuro mentally accepts.
[Consent confirmed. Assimilating.]
[Completion Time: 8 hours. All ongoing updates are paused until the process is complete]
Feeling very tired all of a sudden, Kuro goes back to his bed and instantly fell asleep.
Author's Note:
Really glad I restricted myself to two chapters, I can't imagine writing every day without getting burnt out.
Anyways I felt hungry and thought I'd write about food.
Software sucks in RWBY like come on no redundant systems?
And I thought food being an important sector in RWBY makes sense. With grimm occupying most land in the continents with only four+1 kingdoms being the only place safe to live so they're limited to the amount of land they currently got. Good thing nature-type dust exists. My HC believes that every aspect of society involves some dust in some way.
I really like to do a world-building chapter but it seems I can't place it in the main chapters.
Maybe I should do it in a side story.