A/N: A thousand apologies for this taking so long. Holidays and a hospital stay for the wife didn't help either.
Chapter 14
Perception
Yang's eyes shut as the warmth and droning roar of her hair drier took over the confined space of the bathroom she shared with her sister. Her hands worked from memory, long accustomed to caring for the luxurious mane she kept in memory of the only mother she'd ever known.
For not the first time today, Yang stifled a twinge of heartache for Summer Rose, still missing the woman who had stepped in when her actual mother couldn't be bothered to lift a finger. Her brain knew she shouldn't be so damned sensitive on the subject, but her heart had always burned brightly. Her greatest strength, and biggest weakness, and she wore it on her sleeve like a badge of honor. Hell, her Huntress emblem was a literal interpretation of it.
So while she understood that Jaune hadn't known precisely why his words had hurt so badly, it was still a transgression that she could not easily forget, no matter how much she might want to. His own grievances against her, she had to ponder further. There was a fine line between pushing someone to toughen them up, and abusing the weak, and she'd apparently crossed it without realizing where the line lay with Jaune.
The rational part of her mind knew that their chosen profession was dangerous, and that weeding out the non-hackers was clearly doing them a favor. Passing your exams and getting your license only to get killed by the first Grimm that you ran across was hardly a happy ending for the Huntsman or a benefit to the Kingdom that had invested the time and resources to train them.
Her emotions, however, were a jumbled mess.
He'd compared her to Cardin fucking Winchester, for starters. That alone made her blood boil, but the reason for it nearly tore her heart in half. While Jaune certainly wasn't the best student, and socially inept to boot, he truly had the heart of a Huntsman. Apparently the backbone of one as well, given the morning's events. The fact that he hadn't died in his first year at Beacon with no prior experience was remarkable to say the least, even if you discounted having Pyrrha Nikos as a partner. Had she really treated him as a joke the whole time?
In a word, yes.
The nicknames, the teasing...hell, she'd actively encouraged his romantic pursuit of Weiss not because she thought he had a chance, but rather because annoying the stuck-up heiress was funny. Yang could only wonder why he hadn't snapped at her before this, and what exactly had changed in her friend. She still saw him as one, his own assertions to the contrary, and the notion that she'd done wrong by him wasn't sitting well with her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the odor of singed hair, and she realized she'd stopped moving long enough to overheat some of her treasured mane. Tossing away the offending device, Yang inspected the ends of her bangs, lilac eyes narrowing at the slight darkening of a small patch of hair.
"Shit," she hissed quietly, hoping that most of it would heal with some of her high-end conditioner, as the alternative was an amputation she was loath to perform. "It'll have to do," she mumbled to herself, standing up and shucking her towel. Hanging the damp terry cloth on its normal hook, Yang afforded herself a brief inspection of her nude self in the mirror, giving her reflection a knowing smirk. "Oh, yeah. I'd do me," she said saucily before going about the business of getting dressed.
Several minutes later, Yang bounded down the staircase, fully combat ready with Ember Celica gracing her wrists. Once she reached the living room, she saw that another form of combat awaited her, Jaune and Ruby going at each other like crazed weasels.
"Soaring Ninja wins!" said the announcer.
"That combo is such cheese!" Jaune grumbled.
"And turtling the whole match after you get a lucky hit in isn't?" Ruby retorted angrily.
"They still need to nerf that juggle starter."
"You're still on about that?"
"How long have they been like this?" Yang asked quietly of Amber, settling next to her on the loveseat.
"About half an hour. Is this normal?" she asked, leaning in conspiratorially.
"And when was the last time you logged in to patch your game?" Jaune asked accusingly.
"Pretty much."
"They broke fifty thousand more things than they fixed last time!"
"You going to stop them?" Amber asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You just don't want to play fair!"
"Nah. Let 'em wear themselves out a bit," Yang replied, speaking from experience.
"You just want to win!"
"Sounds like a plan."
"Of course I want to win! What's the point otherwise?"
"Where'd my Uncle Qrow wander off to?"
"He said he'd be back in a little while," Ruby piped up readily, managing to follow both conversations simultaneously. "Asked us to keep Amber company," she added, flicking her gaze briefly to a fully-deployed Crescent Rose leaning against the wall. Yang's eyes narrowed briefly in response, wondering what their uncle had gotten himself into this time.
"Oh...kay," she replied slowly, still unsure as to the proper course of action.
"Besides, she's nice, Yang!"
"All right, Rubes," Yang relented, getting up and walking over towards the kitchen, mussing Ruby's hair along the way and drawing a growling grunt of protest from her. "You want anything, Amber?"
"No, thank you, I'm…"
Without warning, a set of four perfectly timed and uniform knocks sounded from the front door.
"Is it just me, or was that the most professional sound you've ever heard?" Ruby asked.
"Are you expecting someone?" Jaune asked, seeing the tension in Yang's frame.
"Not until this afternoon, no."
Ruby's eyes went wide, an excited gasp escaping her lips. "They're early!" she chirped, bolting for the door, Yang following cautiously after.
The front door was thrown wide open by an excited Ruby Rose, revealing a tall, exceptionally well-dressed gentleman in a pale grey suit standing next to a large pile of matched designer luggage. Nearly concealed behind this was the slight form of Weiss Schnee, an eyebrow cocked dubiously at the rustic nature of the cabin for the split second it took her partner to lock on to her location and smother the girl in a stifling hug.
"Weiiiiiiissssss! Ohmygosh you're here! We're going to have so much fun, and I can't wait to tell you everything that's going on, and…"
"Can't...breathe," Weiss managed to gasp out, her face red in a combination of embarrassment and positional asphyxiation.
"Easy there, sis," Yang said warmly, unwrapping Ruby from around her partner. "Don't wanna overload the Ice Queen in her first minute, do you?"
"Nice to see you too, Yang," she offered sarcastically with a roll of her pale blue eyes.
"You know you missed us."
"In spite of myself, yes. Yes I did. Aaron, please ensure that all my luggage makes it out of the truck," she said, addressing her driver and the large, SDC-marked SUV parked a short distance away.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, going back to double check his work.
"You have more?" Yang asked with a smirk.
"Yes, and try not to knock any of them over, Ruby? I don't need a repeat of last year."
"Sorry," she said softly.
"I thought you weren't going to be here til this afternoon," Yang added, still nervous over the charge her uncle had left them with.
"Favorable tail winds."
"Wow, lucky us," Yang replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes nearly out of her skull.
"You know you missed me."
Yang gasped softly in surprise at Weiss' snark. "Yeah," she replied simply, giving Weiss a brief, sisterly hug. "Welcome to Chez Xiao Long!" she chirped with a smile and sweep of the arm.
"I'm actually surprised you pronounced that correctly, Yang."
"Yeah, well, I had help."
"Hey, Weiss."
"Jaune!?" Weiss gasped. Her eyes were wide at seeing a ghost in the flesh as it were, even one wearing that damned goofy smile of his. The armor was different, and his hair was a veritable disaster, not to mention his clothes, but it was undeniably him.
Jaune took in her appearance in an instant, the slate grey of her dress fading to a pale ash at the hem, a stark, mature contrast from her largely white combat skirt of the year prior. The long sleeves were skintight, unlike the bolero with flared cuffs she'd worn last year. Myrtenaster hung from her left hip, elegant and sharp as always and a perfect match to its wielder. The expression on Weiss' face, however, was conflicted, not to mention shocked beyond belief, and one ill-suited to her personality. It didn't look like Weiss. "The new dress suits you, Weiss. The pendant and earrings really bring out your eyes, Snow Angel."
Said eyes went wider still for a moment before her brow furrowed in anger, the soft dirt underfoot muffling Weiss' trademark angry heel clicks as she marched over to where he stood. There she is, he wisely kept to himself, even as a smile twitched at the corner of his lips.
"Do you have any idea what you've put everyone through?! I have half a mind to kill you myself after all of this!" she began, a single, delicate finger pointed accusingly two inches from his chin.
"Weiss…" Ruby utterly failed to interject.
"Do you know what I had to do to devote SDC resources to looking for you? The scroll calls I've had to make? The political capital I had to burn? I even called in a favor from Neptune. Neptune, Jaune!" she growled with barely concealed distaste.
"Sorry, Weiss. Didn't know you cared so much about me," he stated flatly.
"You...idiot! Of course I care!" Weiss huffed angrily. "It's just...you had everyone worried," she said after a brief hesitation, her expression beginning to soften before she remembered the reason for her ire once again. "And just where in the hell have you been?"
"Okay, executive summary. Jaune's not dead, he's been training in secret, he won't tell anyone who or where, he only got back yesterday, and nobody knows besides us and the one sister here on Patch because the Vale CCT is down. I miss anything, Jaune?" Yang asked, nearly out of breath.
"I think that about covers it," he said with a shrug.
"I was wondering why my scroll wouldn't work when I tried to call you," she began absently. "Wait a minute, your wife doesn't even…?" she began, aghast.
"Not married, yes it's mine, no I didn't sleep with my sister-in-law."
"Oh."
"Yeah, kinda forgot about that part, sorry," Yang added.
"This is already getting to be annoying," Jaune grumbled.
"Says the boy who wouldn't leave me alone for a whole month?"
"That's...fair. Still, I already apologized for that, Weiss," he said evenly, missing the slight downturn in Yang's smile.
"Yes, you did. You're still taking all this inside to make up for everything," she ordered imperiously.
"What's the magic wooorrrrd?" Ruby sang.
"Now," she growled in annoyance.
"Rude."
"I'll give you a hand, Jaune," Yang offered with a smirk for her fellow blonde.
"Really? Thanks!"
Yang gave him a polite golf clap in response.
"I...really should have seen that coming."
"Oh, lighten up, you," she replied, hoisting a couple of Weiss' bags herself and grunting with the effort. "What the hell do you have in these? An entire dust shop?"
"Just my essentials," Weiss retorted, a look of cool indifference settling over her face.
"Underwear, toiletries, weight set," Jaune listed off nonchalantly.
"Touch my lingerie and you start losing fingers."
"Come on. I've got sisters."
"And yet you have no clue with women."
"Yeah. Pretty ironic, really. It's good to see you again, Weiss."
She let out a sigh, carrying the last of her immediate anger with it. "I'm glad you're safe and sound, Jaune."
"Oh my gosh, you mean there's actually a human being in there after all, Ice Queen?" Yang quipped with a grin.
The angry growl Weiss gave off gave Jaune a reason to smile, as her ire wasn't directed at him any more. "You wanna give us a hand, Weiss?" he asked, getting a blank stare from her for several moments before she recalled where she was, or, more pertinently, where she wasn't.
"Oh, right. Sorry," she said, remembering that she was in the presence of friends, not staff.
"So when were you going to tell me Weiss was coming here?" Jaune asked of Yang as they started trudging up the stairs, ahead of Ruby and Weiss.
"As soon as you tell me all about where you've been all summer," she shot back playfully. "This was all Ruby's idea. Last chance slumber party before school starts up again."
"But don't you all sleep in the same room at Beacon?" he replied, puzzled a bit, even for Ruby Rose logic.
"Yeah, but it's not the same. I wouldn't expect a boy to understand."
"Ehh, whatever works, I guess. So that means Blake is coming too?"
"In theory, anyway. Scroll traffic to Menagerie is sketchy on a good day, so all we've been able to do consistently is text."
"Menagerie?"
"Yeah, visiting her family."
"At least you got to stay in touch. Yeah, I know. I told you, I tried."
"Pyrrha's gonna let you have it when she sees you."
"I'm more worried about Nora."
"Oof, yeah. If it's any consolation, I will respectfully mourn your kneecaps when the time comes."
"Such friends I've got," he replied through a grunt as they reached the top of the stairs. "Where are we going?"
"We'll just put this stuff in Ruby's room for now."
"Okay. I think five or six more trips should do it, huh?"
"I'd joke about throwing my back out, but Weiss Cream would just blame it on my boobs."
"I...no comment."
"Clever boy."
"I somehow doubt that, Yang," Weiss acridly chimed in as she stood in the doorway, the smallest of her bags in hand.
"Weiss," Ruby chided behind her, half buried under her load of luggage.
"Ugh, fine. Please be careful with the steamer trunk, it's got my Dust stores for first semester inside. That goes double for you," she said, fixing Ruby with a withering sidelong glance.
"Weiss, do you think you can move so I can set this down? Please?"
"How about we just leave what we can downstairs instead of risking bringing it up here?" Jaune asked. "Matter of fact, what all do you need for what, two nights?" he added, knowing that they'd be taking a shuttle to Beacon on Monday morning at the latest.
"Knees...buckling."
"Oh, just this valise," she replied cheerfully.
Yang's palm immediately found her face, a decidedly better choice than her fist finding her teammate's. Yang was nothing if not hospitable.
Jaune blinked once, fixing Weiss with an unamused, half-lidded gaze before Ruby unceremoniously collapsed under the weight of Weiss' luggage.
"Ow."
"Why didn't you say something, Ruby?" Weiss asked innocently. "Besides, if you insist on having everything upstairs, we can just have Jaune do it. It's one of the few things he's good at, after all. What?" she asked, blinking at the flat stare he shot back at her.
"You were joking, right, Weiss?" Yang asked, an edge in her voice.
"Just because it's more refined than your plebeian tastes doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor, Yang," she scoffed before reading the mood of the two blondes, pale blue eyes slowly flitting back and forth. "Did I miss something?" she asked, her face showing concern and confusion.
"Yeah. A lot, actually. C'mere," Yang said, grabbing her by the shoulder and guiding Weiss to her own bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"What's that all about?" Ruby asked from the floor.
"I don't know, Ruby. Where do you want all this?"
"Ehh, we'll just stack it in the corner."
The pair made short work of the assorted bags, making a neatish pile of doubtlessly expensive luggage before making their way down the hall and downstairs, Jaune giving a long glance to Yang's door, still wondering what was going on.
"So...best fifteen out of twenty-nine?" Ruby asked cheerily.
"Maybe in a bit, we need to clean up from breakfast first."
"Do we really?"
"Yeah, we gotta do the adult thing."
"But I'm not an adult yet," she began, pausing before a smile lit up her face. "Ha! Have fun, Mister Grown-up!" she shouted gleefully, nearly escaping before Jaune got a hand on her hood, dragging her into the kitchen. "But Soaring Ninja needs meeeee!"
"When we're done, cheesemaster," he chided, more than accustomed to his sisters' attempts at ducking chores. "Oh. Hey, Amber," he said, spotting her by the sink with the majority of the dishes already gathered next to her. She gave no response, her index finger tracing over the surface of the wooden cutting board. Jaune approached her carefully, looking over her shoulder at the finger painting she had made using dishwater on the thick maple butcher block, the water darkening the wood slightly. "Amber?" he asked gently, the fingers of his left hand finding her bicep. "You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Was woolgathering for a minute there," she said softly, shaking her head briefly.
"What's that?" Ruby asked, drawing their attention to the board.
"I was just doodling, I guess," she replied, a bemused smirk ticking at the corner of her mouth for a moment.
"Nothing I've seen before either," Jaune added, regarding the doodle for a long moment.
What appeared to be a compass rose surrounded an eye, slitted vertically. The topmost corner of the eye aligned with the presumptive North point, South having a spray of five small petals or feathers extending over it. The details weren't crystal clear, given the medium, but it seemed to have a definite purpose behind it.
"Don't worry about it on my account. Please?" Amber spoke softly, embarrassed by the lack of control she was displaying. Without another word, she swept her hand over the cutting board, obliterating her work. "I'll wash, you rinse, and you dry?" she said, indicating Ruby then Jaune in turn.
"Sure," Jaune spoke for both of them. "We'd be glad to help," he added, fixing Ruby with his best big brother stare, getting Ruby to roll her eyes back at him.
The three of them made short work of things, despite Ruby's recalcitrance, with Jaune slightly behind them both by dint of his assigned role. "Hey, I'll finish up and join you guys in a minute, okay?"
"Okay, Jaune," Ruby replied cheerily, turning to Amber as she dried her hands. "You ever play Ultimate Street Combat Four?"
"I'm...not sure."
"Ahh, it's easy to learn. Come on!" she reassured her, practically dragging a wryly smiling Amber into the living room.
A short while later, the last glass was slid into the drying rack, and his towel wrung out and hung on its hook. Jaune stretched his arms and back, clearing his hunched working posture and taking a deep breath at the end of a job well done, however small it might be. He turned to leave, but was brought up short when he found Weiss standing in the doorway, her right hand loosely clamped over her left forearm.
"Hey," he began softly, unsure as to the cause of her nervousness.
"Hello, Jaune."
"You uh, need something?"
"It's...I need to apologize. Last year...it wasn't all your fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Yang told me she encouraged you."
"Yeah?" he replied, an eyebrow cocked in confusion.
"As a joke," Weiss clarified.
"Oh," he said softly, his eyes finding the floor. "Guess it's obvious in hindsight. Not sure why you're the one apologizing to me, though."
"Because I should have seen it too. You bore my anger when not all of it was deserved."
Jaune paused for a moment, looking Weiss in the eye and finding genuine contrition there. "That's fair, I guess. I'm still sorry for not taking the hint sooner, though. And for making you have to talk to Neptune. I didn't realize that had ended that badly."
Her pale eyes found the floor for a moment before she walked over to the counter, leaning against it next to him.
"It ended, end of story. I don't know if maybe I was hoping for something more, but having the possibility cut short…" she trailed off.
"Yeah, I can imagine."
"I'm also sorry for dismissing you as a person; probably more than anyone in our two teams. You're a better person than I gave you credit for, and I should have been a better person than I was."
"Thanks, Weiss. That means a lot, actually."
"Well, I also have to thank you for Ruby. Don't," she said flatly, heading off any humility he was about to interject with a raised hand. "She's probably the first real friend I've ever had, and if I'd lost her...I don't know what I'd do."
"Yeah, me too," he concurred with a sigh.
"You two aren't…?" she asked, her visage darkening with worry.
"No! No, it's not like that, Weiss."
She regarded him cooly for several moments, weighing her words carefully before she spoke. "Jaune?"
"Yeah?"
"I promise it wouldn't bother me if you were."
"Were what?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration at his density once again. "If you two were dating, dolt."
"Oh. Didn't realize we needed your permission."
"That's not what I…" she fired back angrily, until she saw the smirk on his face and deflated. "Yang's right, you have changed."
"We all have, Weiss."
"I suppose we have," she replied with the beginnings of a smile on her lips.
"I mean, you and me having a civil conversation like this? Who'da thunk it a year ago?"
A soft puff of air escaped her nostrils as the corners of her mouth ticked up ever so slightly. "Indeed."
"As a matter of fact, I'd like to ask you something."
"What is it?" she asked warily, unsure of where he was going with the line of conversation.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about you all summer, and now that you're here..."
"This had better not be…"
"Oh trust me, Weiss. This is much, much better," he said with a smile, looking over his shoulder for a moment to ensure their relative privacy. Seeing the sisterly pair of Yang and Ruby going at it over video games yet again, but still unwilling to let his plans be shared with anyone but Weiss, he leaned in close, whispering softly into her ear.
"Ugh, Jaunnnnne," Ruby whined in disappointed exasperation.
"What?" Yang asked, following her sister's gaze into the kitchen, seeing Jaune and Weiss in a close and intimate posture. "Oh, this oughta be good," she whispered mischievously, drawing even Amber's attention.
They could see Weiss' face from where they sat, and it passed through a whole litany of emotions before their eyes. First was as close as could be without crossing the line into utter revulsion, the scar over her left eye crinkling along with her face in disgust as she physically leaned away from Jaune's very presence. This faded quickly, however, transitioning into a visage of confusion, her gaze flitting to the floor and back to him several times, her lips slightly parted as she listened. Next was surprise, her eyebrows shooting up before her face turned slightly towards him, the gears clearly turning in her mind now. Ever so slowly the corners of her mouth turned upwards, a satisfied smile gracing her features. It was almost a full return to her previously famous haughty look, complete with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Jaune at last leaned back, his head cocked as he awaited an answer.
"Jaune?"
"Yes?"
"I would love to. Get your things, we're going into town."
"What, now?"
"Yes, now!" she fired back testily. "We have a lot of time to make up for, after all," she added, her voice prim and proper again.
"Okay!" he said with a smile, stomping off towards the corner of the room and grabbing Crocea Corax, settling the weapon on his hip before plucking his gauntlets from the counter where he'd set them to wash dishes. "Lemme hit the can and we can get going," he added, trotting to the downstairs bathroom.
"What?" Ruby asked quietly, her eyes blinking slowly.
"The hell just happened?" Yang elaborated, equally stunned.
Thankfully, for the sake of the sisters' current mission, Qrow had made it back to the house soon after Jaune and Weiss had departed. Thus relieved of sentry duty, and with the aid of Yang's beloved Bumblebee, the pair had gotten to Port Arcadia in record time. Adding to their good fortune, they were now only faced with the task of finding two of the most out-of-place people in a small town.
Further aiding them, Ruby's Semblance came into play, launching her up the staircase in the central clock tower in seconds, Crescent Rose deployed into its rifle form to give her better vision from her lofty perch. Scroll to Scroll calling had limited range, but in Port A, it was hardly a concern, and so Ruby was calling out long distance targeting data to her sister, who was on the ground for more in depth reconnaissance.
"Okay, they just walked into the Dust shop on Peridot and Sawyer. Be careful, Yang, they almost saw you!" she whispered, in spite of the fact that no one was there to hear her.
"Relax, sis. I'm the sneaky one, remember?" she heard through her earpiece.
"You're the 'destroy a bar' one," Ruby muttered.
"I heard that."
"I still can't believe she's refusing to admit that this is a date."
"And that's why it's going to be so much fun getting these spy shots to pass around when she denies it. Little Miss Fussybritches needs to lighten up and not be so uptight all the time."
"I'm not sure this is what we should be doing, Yang."
"Would I steer you wrong, sis?"
"You really want an answer to that?" Ruby answered, clearly unamused.
"Aw, come on, Rubes. Don't you wanna know what your bestie is doing with your other bestie?"
"Well, I...crap! Break left!" she barked, spotting their quarry exiting the dust shop from a side door.
A quick dive and roll later, and Yang was seated on the ground, her back against a large planter box, the adrenaline of the chase putting a healthy flush on her cheeks. Her soft panting nearly gave her away as Jaune and Weiss walked past her hiding spot, chatting amiably to Ruby's eye. "Hold position," she said as she watched them turn the corner, counting to five before speaking again. "Clear. That was close. What were they talking about?"
"Weiss complaining about the quality of the Dust they had, saying that an SDC-affiliated shop would be soooo much better," she added, and Ruby could practically hear her sister's eyes rolling from fifty yards away.
"But we don't have…" Ruby thought aloud, her eyes going wide as the realization hit them both.
"The docks!" Yang said, verbalizing their epiphany. "I'll cut across the alley and head down Topaz, see if I can get ahead of them."
"Don't blow your cover, Yang. I'll take Peridot; they've got rooftop dining at the Sands Cafe. I should be able to get overwatch going there."
"Got it. Moving," she concluded tersely, getting quickly to her feet and dashing to her chosen street and heading towards the water.
Less than a minute later, Ruby was again peering through her rifle scope, perched above the boardwalk while the retired couple two tables over eyed her nervously over their mimosas. The late summer day still had a sizeable tourist crowd, but their manner of dress was easy to distinguish from two Huntsmen-in-training, as was that of the locals. "In position," she muttered softly, updating her sister.
"Almost there," Yang replied, her breathing slightly elevated from the five block dash. "Okay, I've got eyes on the docks from Saleen's."
"Got you," Ruby replied, quickly picking her sister out of the crowd before she resumed scanning. "Do you have a line of sight going up Sapphire?"
"Yeah, I've got a clear shot, but I don't see 'em."
"Okay. Keep your eyes peeled, I don't care how good that waitress looks, Yang."
"Meh, I've seen better."
The next minute was an exercise in patience, both sisters increasingly worried they'd missed something.
"You don't suppose they ducked into an alley to make out somewhere along the way, do you?"
"He's on a date with Weiss, not you."
"Hey! That was one time!"
"Then what was Dad talking about when…" Ruby trailed off, hearing the rising sound of a Bullhead preparing to take off from the nearby airport. "You don't think…"
"But how the hell did they get there before us?"
"Speed glyphs, you dolts."
"Weiss?!" Both sisters exclaimed in shock.
"Next time you want to run covert surveillance, Ruby, don't use the same team tactical channel that your target set up for you in the first place," she lectured, and they could hear Jaune in the background, utterly failing to suppress his laughter.
"Oh."
"And for the last time, this isn't a date. Jaune just wants my input on some shopping he has to do."
"I bet that isn't the only input he's interested in," Yang quipped before she could stop herself. Not that she would have wanted to.
"Ugh, Ruby, restrain your sister. I told you, we'll be back in time for dinner. Don't follow us," Weiss practically growled before she closed the connection with an audible chirp.
"Rude," Ruby muttered, stowing Crescent Rose across her hips and stomping downstairs to find her sister.
"You know, the more she protests, the more I don't believe her," Yang groused, crossing her arms under her bust.
"Let's go double check that they've actually left."
"Ooh, good call, sis."
That a Schnee had bought two tickets to Vale from the teenager in the ticket booth had been memorable enough as it was, before she had just bought out the entire flight so they could leave immediately. Confirmation that she'd boarded along with Jaune was unwelcome, if needed, news as well. The icing on the cake for Ruby and Yang was that between the flight time there and back, and refueling in Vale, they were looking at over an hour wait. Just long enough to be still more expedient to fly rather than take the ferry.
"Fine, two tickets on the next flight to Vale," Yang said, her anger barely under control at this point. She slid the Lien across the counter, receiving two printed tickets in return.
"So...smoothies at the Sands?" Ruby asked, mouth already watering over her usual strawberry double chocolate chip with whipped cream on top.
"I mean, I guess," Yang grumbled, still stewing over being given the slip. "Getting the usual?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Dunno. Mango melon madness maybe?"
"That sounds delicious, actually." came a third, familiar voice, the sisters turning to address the newcomer.
"Blake!" Ruby cheered, quickly hugging her, nearly causing her teammate to drop the small rucksack she was carrying.
Blake was taken aback at the enthusiastic reception before she remembered that this was normal, and expected in Ruby's case, and she embraced the shorter girl with her free arm, smiling as much as she typically allowed herself. "Hello, Ruby. I missed you, too. Both of you," she amended, cutting her gaze to her partner.
"Heyyyy, partner. Finally decided to, umm, what's the word?" she began hesitantly, snapping her finger.
"What?" Ruby asked, before she stepped back, her eyes going wide at what she wasn't seeing. "Oh my gosh, your ears!" she squealed, still thinking them one of the cutest things on the face of Remnant.
"Is it bad here?" Blake asked, her bared Faunus trait drooping in apprehension.
Yang stepped in and gave her a hug as well, far more gently than her little sister had. "No worse than Vale, really," Yang reassured her. "It's a new look, that's for sure."
"That's not exactly a ringing endorsement," she replied dryly.
"No! You look, like, really good," Yang sputtered as she backed away a bit. "You look like...you," she added, an awkward paragon of clarity.
"Well, I should hope so," Blake replied with a slight smile. "I don't think I'd look good in a ponytail and tiara. Speaking of, is Weiss here yet?"
"She was," Ruby answered through clenched teeth.
"Was?"
"Yeah, she got here, parked her luggage at the house, and then took off into Vale on that Bullhead," she pointed at the barely visible speck in the distance, "on a date with Jaune," Yang listed, ticking off each point with a finger.
Blake's eyes went wide at the revelation, her eyes darting slowly between the two sisters.
"Does it make me a horrible person that the most shocking part of that sentence is the word 'date'?" she asked apprehensively.
"Nope," both sisters answered firmly.
Blake's eyes did another visual inventory, spying the two tickets still stuck between Yang's fingers. Doing the mental math, she sighed her best put-upon sigh, eyes closing halfway before she pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're following them. Aren't we?"
"Yup."
"Good thing I travel light," she replied, throwing her pack back over her shoulder. "Someone said smoothies?"
"Yeah. Come on, Blake, we'll grab another ticket and then get you up to speed while we wait for the next flight into Vale."
Having learned from their earlier failure, Ruby, Yang and Blake had spread out over several blocks upon landing in Vale proper. The locator function on their scrolls had been Blake's suggestion, as well as a more private group chat allowing them to coordinate and triangulate the position of their missing teammate. True to her word, they were indeed in the mercantile district, and a consensus was reached between the girls to simply intrude and wrangle their wayward fourth back into the group.
Even so, the three of them remained seated at a bus stop outside the original Adel's location, the Huntsman-oriented fashion house having long since opened branches in Mistral and Atlas. Vacuans, as a whole, tended towards a nomadic, junker aesthetic, and the Adels hadn't even tried to penetrate that particular market yet.
"Any idea why she felt the need for even more clothes?" Blake asked, the vaguest hint of irritation in her voice.
"I dunno. She's Weiss?" Yang replied, shrugging her shoulders.
They all jumped slightly at the door opening next to them, only to discover that it was simply a regular, well-dressed customer exiting the building.
"Why aren't we just barging in there again?" Yang asked.
"Too many potential exits to give us the slip," Blake answered easily, checking the locator app on her scroll again. "Still in there."
"Surveillance is boring," Ruby whined.
"This was your idea, Ruby," Blake countered.
"No, it was Yang's."
Blake's ears pricked up momentarily before drooping, her palm finding her face. "I can't believe this."
"You know you missed us, Blake," Yang replied over her shoulder, her focus on the door she was sure would disgorge their absent teammate any moment now.
"No, I…" Blake began.
"And just what are you three doing?" came the high-pitched query, Weiss Schnee in full annoyed heiress mode as her heels angrily clicked against the concrete sidewalk.
"What? How?" Ruby asked in exasperation, checking her scroll again.
"I let Jaune borrow my scroll to access the local network. He's got quite a lot of paperwork to do when we get back to school, apparently. That still doesn't answer the question. And hello, Blake. I would have thought you above such tomfoolery," she sniffed.
"Not like I had anywhere else to be," Blake countered with a smirk, deflecting the blame onto her other co-conspirators.
"And you...oh," Weiss stopped, taking in the absence of her teammate's trademark bow. "I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to not hide who you are, Blake." Weiss approached her, giving her a perfunctory hug, punctuated by a cheery beep from Yang's Scroll. Weiss stepped back, regarding the blonde miscreant with a raised eyebrow. "Yang, if my father saw that, he'd burst a blood vessel."
"Well…"
"Would you like the Scrollmail address for the Atlesian Tribune?"
Yang could only blink in surprise at Weiss' sass before she remembered her true mission for the afternoon.
"Once I get a picture of you on your date, sure! Schnee heiress seen in Vale with mysterious blond dork!"
"It's not a date, Yang. How many times do I have to tell you before you get it through that thick skull of yours?"
"Until you give me a good reason to believe it, frosty," she fired back testily.
"Guys?" Ruby interjected, unsure why her sister seemed so on edge about this. It wasn't like Weiss was stealing her boyfriend or anything, right? "Can we just calm down already? I just want us to have a good weekend together before school starts. Is that too much to ask?"
"We'd better not end up in another food fight, Ruby," Weiss chided her.
"Pfft, that's only between semesters," she scoffed, waving her hand dismissively.
Ruby's three teammates all shared a soft chuckle at that particular memory, before Yang wrangled them into a crushing group hug, garnering a squeak of protest from Weiss.
"I missed you guys," Yang confessed.
"Mmrph mmhr!" Weiss grunted in protest, her face mashed into Yang's cleavage.
"Team RWBY is back together, aww yeah!" Ruby cheered as they were released.
"Be still, my beating heart," Weiss deadpanned.
"I told you ditching your team wouldn't work," Jaune chided her gently.
She simply sighed, shaking her head gently as the realization of what she'd gotten herself back into hit her fully. "That you did, Jaune."
"Wow, you clean up nice, Vomit Boy," Yang pronounced, looking him over from stem to stern.
"If he's going to be associated with me, he'd better look the part," Weiss stated matter-of-factly.
The tattered remnants of his blue jeans had been replaced with form-fitting, if not outright tight, trousers in a deep blue, with well-concealed cargo pockets in addition to the normal ones. The old, ramshackle steel-toed boots that wouldn't have been out of place on a Valerian dock hand were now polished black and square-toed, nut brown gaiters reaching from his just below his knees to a stirrup under the arch of his foot. His trademark hoodie appeared now to be absent, though its replacement was identical in color and fit, save for the floppy collar now being a broad, upright affair reminiscent of a military uniform. The sleeves still ended just before his elbows, but the impression of the entire ensemble was far more professional and clean.
"Still need a haircut," he muttered, brushing a strand of his bangs out of his eyes before pulling a large, wheeled suitcase forward and standing it on its end.
"Don't you think that's a little much to be adding to your mountain of luggage, princess?" Yang quipped dryly.
"Oh, this is all mine, Yang," Jaune volunteered.
"Suuure it is."
"Come on, you saw the state of my clothes!" he squawked.
"Ehh, fair," she conceded.
"Oh, hey...Blake…" he trailed off, his eyes flicking upwards for the briefest of moments.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, an undercurrent of trepidation in her voice.
"No! No, nothing wrong! I mean, you do you, right? I just thought you were all about keeping that a secret."
"People change."
"Yeah, I guess we do. I mean, I always kind of saw you as this 'inner cat' person to begin with, right?" he began, complete with air quotes. "The fish obsession, plus you have the whole 'cool, aloof beauty who'll scratch your eyes out if you pet her wrong' thing going. It's just neat to see you embrace that. Like, you're showing off that you're all that, but you've got a cute, playful side to you too, you know?"
"Jaune?" Blake began, and his heart sank in shame.
"Yeah?" he replied timidly.
"That is without a doubt the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."
"I know," he said, hanging his head.
"Thank you," she added with a slight, soft smile.
"For?"
"For caring enough to see me as just a person."
"Oh. Well, my grandmother would've tanned my hide if I hadn't."
"And for disappearing on us."
"What?" he asked, blinking in confusion.
"If it hadn't been for you, I might never have reconnected with my family."
"I don't follow."
"I hadn't seen my parents in five years. It took a reminder of my mortality to get me to realize I needed to change that."
"I'm glad my death served such a noble purpose," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Sorry," Blake added, hiding her surprise at Jaune's turbulent emotional state.
"I'm just glad you're not dead at all, and we're all back together again," Ruby added, heading off the conversation before it got dark and belligerent.
"Yeah, me too," he said, letting out a deep breath.
"So now what?" Yang asked, growing rapidly bored.
"Well, the last thing I need is to get a haircut. I've got everything else I need for school on Monday. Do you trust me to do that on my own, Weiss?"
"Eh, you've shown decent fashion sense so far. Just make sure it's fitting for the image, like we discussed?"
"Yes ma'am, right away ma'am!" he barked like a raw military cadet.
"Need I remind you that this was your idea?" Weiss retorted through a scowl.
Jaune relented, offering the group a soft chuckle at his own expense. "Yeah, it was. Thanks for everything," he added, handing Weiss' scroll back to her.
"Oh, don't thank me yet. I still have a lot of work to whip you into shape, Jaune. I'm an all or nothing kind of girl."
"I know," he replied, smiling now. "We all know."
"Damn, first fight already? You work fast, Jaune," Yang chimed in with an easy grin.
"Hoping to pick me up on the rebound?" Jaune fired back smoothly.
"Like you could handle me," she rebuffed him, cocking her hip seductively.
"Is that an invitation?"
"What the hell am I watching?" Blake whispered to Ruby.
"I swear I'm getting a spray bottle mod for Crescent Rose," she growled.
"Like I'm that desperate, Jaune," Yang continued.
"I don't know, you were pretty worked up over me this morning. I found you in the barn and you were just drenched."
"In sweat, blondie. Don't go thinking you're hot stuff because your ass looks good in those pants," she warned him, drawing a blush from Weiss once she glanced in an unsuccessful attempt to debunk Yang's claim.
"You really think so?" He turned around, twisting to try and take a gander himself.
"She's...not wrong," a wide-eyed Blake confided to Ruby, who was as red as her namesake.
"Well, damn. You can thank Weiss, I guess. She helped pick them out for me." Jaune smiled coyly as he saw Yang take the bait, focusing on his shopping partner's already scandalized expression as proof of their budding relationship.
"I bet she did."
"Well, they were also on sale, so...win-win?" Jaune admitted sheepishly.
"Since when does Adel's have anything on sale?" Yang asked, suspicious and intrigued simultaneously.
"I dunno. Never would've been able to afford all this otherwise," Jaune replied with a shrug.
"Well, as long as we're here, we can all spend time together!" Ruby piped up hopefully.
"We really need to teach you about boundaries, Ruby," Weiss replied.
"Don't be like that, Weiss! Besides, there's an awesome arcade around the corner! Next to comic book store, Jaune."
"Maybe after my haircut? I'm really close to broke right now."
"Oh, all right. If you ask real nice, I'll even let you read the issues of X-Ray and Vav that you missed," Ruby added in a singsong voice.
"You still have 'em? Sweet!"
"Just make sure you don't get lost again, Jaune," Yang joked.
"I get it, okay? Do you need to hold my hand all around town?"
"Nah, that's Weiss' new job."
"Pass."
"Aww, don't be so hard on your boyfriend, Weiss Cream," Yang pressed on.
"Not a date. Definitely not my boyfriend," she retorted sharply.
"Suuure."
"Just let it go, Yang," Jaune stepped in firmly, the firm set of his jaw giving Yang pause for a moment before she deflated with a sigh.
"Sorry," she said quietly.
"Apology accepted. Am I allowed to wander off, or do I have to hold someone's apron string?"
"Jaune, it's not like that, okay? You had all of us worried sick," Yang assured him, "well, almost all of us. We're allowed to be a little paranoid. Especially if we can't contact you directly."
"All right, when's the last flight back to Patch? I can't get any of my paperwork done 'til at least tomorrow; courthouse is closed."
"Five, unless they've got seasonal traffic. Even then, it'd be better to take the five P so we can get back in time for dinner. Dad's supposed to be getting home today, if he isn't there already."
"What about the Beacon faculty?" Weiss suggested.
"Huh?"
"Surely this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Especially for Huntsmen."
"Yeah, Jaune, I think Professor Port might have mentioned that once or twice," Ruby added brightly.
"More like fifty," Yang grumbled.
"You know, I think you may be on to something. Would anyone even be there on a Saturday though?"
"Only one way to find out," Blake observed with a shrug.
"Guess the haircut has to wait. If I can't catch a flight back to Patch tonight, I'll grab a hotel room in Vale, okay?"
Ruby gave a resigned sigh before she answered. "Okay, but you be careful!"
"Come on, Ruby. I'm walking five blocks across the mercantile district and getting on a Bullhead to Beacon. What could possibly happen?" he asked before shooting a glare at Yang, his finger pointed at her in admonition. "Don't. Say it."
Yang closed her half-open mouth into a knowing smirk, the joke heard and received without having to speak a word. "Flight leaves at five, okay?"
"Got it. Now, lemme see if I can go get my life back."
"Good luck, Jaune," Weiss said calmly
"Thanks!" he replied over his shoulder as he trundled down the sidewalk, suitcase in tow.
"You're still looking at it, aren't you?" Yang whispered to her partner.
"No!...Yes," she quickly admitted, her ears drooping in shame. "He really did work out a lot, didn't he?"
"That's what he says. But forget about that. You too, Ruby."
"I was not staring at his butt!"
"Better not, or Weiss'll cut you."
"I refuse to put up with this. Come on, Ruby. I suddenly feel the need for coffee."
"Oh, okay!" Ruby replied. "Five p.m., no trashing bars, Yang."
"I'll try my best!" she replied cheerily, getting an eye roll from her sister before they turned to leave.
"You know, I have just the thing to take your mind off that fine butt," she said with a wink, pulling her scroll out of her pocket.
"This had better not be another dick pic."
"Oh, come on, that was one time!"
"It was still disgusting."
"-ly huge! Seriously, the size of that thing," Yang said with a shiver, getting a flat amber gaze from Blake in response.
"It's just my new scroll wallpaper. See?" she asked, tapping her password in quickly and getting several icons floating over the mostly bare torso of a young man. Abs like granite cobblestones were whipcord taut as the man's torso was twisted slightly, arms up and pulling off, or maybe on, a white shirt. The garment obscured the fellow's face but for a small shock of blond hair just visible in the corner of the photo.
Blake's gaze became even flatter, her ears drooping noticeably. "I'm going to kill him."
"What?"
"Half the summer, Yang. He spends half the summer dropping subtle and not so subtle hints that he wanted to be more than just friends, and then he sends you this the second I leave for Menagerie?"
"What are you talking about? I just got this this morning."
"I thought the CCT was down," Blake replied, slightly confused.
"Yeah, has been since Thursday."
"Then how the hell did Sun send that to you?"
Yang's face twisted into a mischievous, knowing grin.
"Wrong blond, kitty cat."
"What?" she asked in confusion, before the realization hit her and Blake's eyes flew wide open.
"Yup."
"Damn," she whispered appreciatively.
"I know, right?" she muttered, closing her scroll again. "So...shopping?"
"What for?"
"Well, there's a sale, and I'm legit curious what they've got," Yang said, getting a slightly annoyed smirk from her partner. "Clothes first, books after?" she added with a hopeful smile.
"Deal," Blake said, her ears perking up with her smile.
The front door of Adel's opened with the barest hint of a squeak from the hinges, an old-fashioned bell hanging from the door announcing their arrival. Yang and Blake stepped up to the counter, amber eyes darting to and fro over the various mannequins and garments on display as her partner spoke to the front clerk.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to Adel's, I'm Larson. How may I help you today, Miss Xiao Long?" the immaculately-dressed and groomed man said with an even warmth born of decades of experience.
"You know me?" she replied with an eyebrow cocked in confusion.
"Mister Adel has a perennial luxury box in Amity Coliseum. Wherever the tournament is held, local employees are encouraged to attend to stay on top of Huntsman fashion trends. I must say, your bronze medal match against Sun Wukong was quite the spectacle."
"Hear that, Blake? I'm famous!" she said with a wide grin.
Blake simply gave her partner a bemused smile and light eye roll in place of a reply.
"We're looking for a new look for the upcoming school year," Yang continued confidently.
"Always the best time for a change, ma'am. And who might this be?" Larson asked, already beginning to type into a large tablet-scroll.
"My partner, Blake Belladonna."
Larson's gaze cut to Blake for a moment, flicking up briefly before he raised a brow almost imperceptibly. "I thought I recognized you."
"There a problem?" Yang asked, as loaded a question as any, even as her partner seemed to wilt under the scrutiny, her ears folding back.
"Not at all, Miss Xiao Long. I was merely surprised by the lack of a bow. I've got quite an eye for detail; serves me well as Concierge. If I may be so bold, Miss Belladonna, you look better without it."
Blake's eyes went wide for a moment, before Yang gently elbowed her side. "See? I told you," she said with a smile, earning a slight blush from Blake.
"Will you be buying off the shelf, tailored or bespoke?" the narrow-faced clerk asked, sharp eyes the color of melted chocolate already taking in their current combat gear and apparent tastes.
"Tailored at least. I was looking through your online catalog last week, and there wasn't anything I liked in my size," she said, crossing her arms under the ample, bouncy reason why.
"I could see how that might be a problem," Larson remarked dryly. "And you, Miss Belladonna?"
"Depends on the price, really."
"Aww, come on, Blakey, treat yourself! It's not like you're hurting for Lien, my little island princess."
"My father was elected Chief, Yang. I'm not actually any sort of royalty," Blake retorted with an amused eye roll.
"Ehh, civics was never my strong suit," Yang replied with a shrug.
"If you'll follow me, ladies?" Larson said, leading them further into the plushly appointed shop, his oxfords clicking softly on the few stretches of polished teak flooring separating the patches of rich burgundy carpet. At last they came to the fitting parlor, a three-panel body mirror flanked by racks of coats and trousers on either side. A large, cylindrical holo-display took up a chunk of the floor, four feet wide and eight tall. The only piece of actual furniture was an ornate, and therefore antique, chaise lounge, darkly stained oak upholstered in a burgundy velvet.
Reclined upon this was a slender gentleman, dark charcoal trousers pinstriped in an ash gray and a pewter-colored vest over a long sleeved white shirt, the whole ensemble accented with low-heeled black leather boots and a dark red ascot. Legs crossed at the ankles and hands folded across the abdomen, the figure clearly indulging in a nap, as the wide-brimmed black hat resting upon his face further indicated.
"Sir?" the concierge gently asked.
"Have I not told you on several occasions, Larson, that my precious few moments of respite are quite dear to me?" Came the response from under the hat, a lilting drawl lending a measure of playful character to the words.
"You have customers, Mate." Larson replied flatly, clearly willing to indulge the shop's tailor only so far.
"Oh is that so?" he asked with a hint of enthusiasm. "Tell me, what canvas have you brought to brighten my dreary existence?" He continued, sitting up and removing the hat from his face. Bleary blue eyes, darkened bags beneath them, regarded Yang and Blake momentarily before recognition bloomed on the man's haggard and weary face.
"Well now, isn't this just a peach?" Mate asked, a smile curling his lips and shifting the slim moustache perched above a small, matching triangular patch of hair below his lower lip as he took in the appearance of the pair of Huntresses, standing as he did so. "Miss Xiao Long, I must say, your reputation precedes you. My sister's tales of your beauty, while crude, were quite accurate I see. My name is Mate, by the way, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he added, taking her hand "And who is this exquisite creature?" he asked warmly as his gaze shifted to her left.
"This is my partner, Blake Belladonna," she replied, a suspicious eyebrow cocked at the smooth flattery they'd both received.
"A wonderful contrast, the both of you. This shall be quite the ensemble. Back to school makeover, I'm assuming?"
"Yeah, school starts up again on Monday."
"Is this your current combat attire?"
"Both of us, yes," Blake answered.
"Let me see," Mate said, his keen eyes roving over Yang and Blake as he slowly circled them. "Hmmm, not bad. What are you looking to change?"
"Ehh, just looking to go a little more mature, I think. How 'bout you, Blake?"
"Maybe a little warmer? Winter wasn't fun last year."
"I would imagine the ears were especially uncomfortable," he remarked dryly.
"Oh, and maybe something more in the back. Getting a little tired of people staring at my butt all the time," she grumbled.
"While I would agree with most of your peers that covering up such a piece of art would border on the criminal, I will nevertheless accommodate your wishes, "he said smoothly.
"I like this guy," Yang stage whispered to her fiercely blushing partner.
"Miss Xiao Long?" he asked, extending a well-manicured hand to her, leading her to the center of his workspace. Mate closed his eyes for a moment before releasing her hand, a small smile gracing his visage before he spoke. "Hmm, interesting. Now, I will be touching you in places you might not think normal, but I assure you, it is necessary to achieve a proper fit. If you at any time feel uncomfortable, please let me know, and we can pause, or find someone else to do the job," he added, cutting his bloodshot eyes over to Blake.
"Just as long as you're not creepy about it."
"Of course," he concurred, plucking a long tailor's tape dangling from the coat rack, jostling a long coat that matched his pants. Also hanging there was a leather harness, dyed a deep mahogany brown and bearing a holster cradling an elegantly engraved revolver. "Feet shoulder width apart please, arms at your side for the time being," he instructed, pulling a scroll from his pocket and securing it to his forearm with a pair of garters. He started from the top, getting the circumference of Yang's neck, and then her torso in five places, his movements professional as he entered each number into his scroll.
"Do you have any thoughts on color, miss? We have a wide palette available, even when considering some of our newer materials. Dragonskin ballistic weave also has flame retardant qualities you in particular might find useful."
"I...how did you know?"
"I am a man of many talents, Miss Xiao Long. Arms straight out please," he added, continuing in his work with the occasional request for movement, taking over fifty measurements before he was finally done.
"Now then, let us see what we can work out here."
A single press of a button transferred the detailed dimensions of Yang's body onto a wireframe model that shimmered into view in the display tank. It rotated slowly as Mate took several pictures of her, the computer taking a short while to translate her current clothing into a digital model.
"Oh, yeah. I'm hot," she said, getting a soft chuckle from Blake, enjoying her partner's antics first hand again.
"Now then, more mature, you said. Anything else?"
"Yeah, I ride a motorcycle, so something more suited to that?"
"Better insulated, longer coat tails," he began, manipulating the image through the use of a tablet scroll and stylus. "Tails...detachable. Larger, thicker collar to mate with a helmet. Jacket...double breasted, bit more concealment of the decolletage. Maturity, hmmm, a bit more black in the jacket, and full pants. Taller boots, and...done." he said at last, though he'd taken less than a minute to effect the wardrobe changes, leaving Yang and Blake to gawk openly at the transformation.
"Whaddya think, Blake?" she asked, her voice hiding her nervousness from anyone without a second set of ears.
"It suits you," she said with a smile, her own pending makeover now far less daunting.
"Yeah. And I thought Coco was good at this," she muttered softly, too engrossed in her digital avatar to notice the slight frown that flickered over Mate's face. "How much?" she amended, finally asking the most pertinent question.
"Something bespoke like this would normally fetch a princely sum, as it's likely the last I'll be doing for weeks. However, I can offer to outfit you both for two thousand Lien. On one condition."
"Which is?"
"When you are asked about the outfit-and you will be, I assure you-I merely require that you give them my business card," he said smoothly, plucking a short stack of them from the inside pocket of his vest and handing them to Yang.
"Oh...kay," Yang said, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Now then, I can have that done for you and ready by Monday. That goes for you as well, Miss Belladonna."
"That's...fast?" Blake stated dubiously.
"I don't sleep much."
"No rush, really. We'll be busy next week, plus they don't let any outside civilians into Beacon for the first two weeks of class," Yang replied.
"What a delightful coincidence," Mate replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Monday it is, then. Merely send me a scroll message to let me know where in the dormitories I can find you. My contact information is on the card."
"Wait a minute. You're not an upperclassman, I'd've recognized you."
"You are correct, ma'am."
"How old are you?" she asked, clearly finding something amiss.
"Seventeen. And yes, I will be an incoming freshman at Beacon this year." he answered her next question without having to hear it. "I don't sleep much," he reiterated, causing Yang to cock her head quizzically.
"What?"
"It's why I look like I'm thirty-five. That was your next question, was it not?"
"I, well, kind of?" she admitted sheepishly.
"You're far from the first to ask it, I assure you. I've long since stopped taking offense."
"Well, that's good, I guess," Yang said quietly, unsure where to take things from there.
"Indeed. Now then, Miss Belladonna," he trailed off, giving Blake a hand up, "let's see what I can do for you."
Ruby regarded a small metal box the size of a thick paperback book on the cafe table with a curious eye as Weiss' well-manicured nails tapped a button near the corner. An audible click preceded the lid popping open a crack, and she tilted it back, showing the deep blue velvet lining, custom made to cradle the two objects inside. Both were nearly identical, around the size of a small candy bar, gleaming metal polished to a satin finish reinforcing the impression of solid, meticulous craftsmanship.
"I had this custom built just for you, from the dimensions you gave me for Crescent Rose. I had it delivered to Vale because I didn't think it would be ready in time for the start of the school year."
"Uhh, thanks, Weiss. What is it?"
"It's a hardlight shield generator. Here," she said, opening her scroll to display the schematics and documentation for the device. "It will give you several options for field configuration, but it's optimized for a two point five meter spherical field. That's just enough room for you to fit inside, especially when you're using your rifle."
"Ohhhh. But won't that throw off my balance? It's a weapon attachment, right?"
"It only weighs 362 grams, Ruby. You'll barely notice it's there."
"I dunno…" Ruby said, her brow crinkling skeptically.
"Please, just try it at least? I don't want you blindsided again," Weiss said softly, her hand covering Ruby's. "You're my friend. My partner. I don't want to lose you," she said softly, barely keeping a tremor out of her voice.
"Aww, Weiss," Ruby replied, blushing at the frank and honest words.
"Just don't let that go to your head."
"That's more like it," Ruby replied with a warm, playful smirk. "I guess I could…" she began before a scroll alert chimed for both of them. Weiss pulled her device close and opened the messaging app, her eyebrows perking up in mild surprise.
"Well, looks like Jaune got his scroll working at least. Last flight to Patch is at eight thirty, meet us for dinner at six. Us?" she asked, looking across at Ruby, who was reading the same message.
"Iunno. Ooh, Greenbriar? That's like, the fanciest place I've ever been to eat!"
"So, tolerable?" Weiss snarked. "And wasn't Jaune talking about being broke?"
"Be nice. We're all going, right?"
"I suppose."
"I'd better let Dad know, if he's...yup, still in Vale," she amended as she tapped quickly at the Scroll's keyboard. "And Dad makes five! This is gonna be great!"