Raven Branwen's nipples had never before been exposed to direct sunlight. It had taken nearly an hour before the young woman had finally relented to Kali's endless requests to remove her top, and even then, she had kept the lower half of her bikini firmly in place. Where the faunus was content to parade around completely nude, Summer and Willow had at least remained slightly more conservative and kept their lower bodies covered as well. It was only for their sake that Raven finally decided to partially disrobe and join in… or at least, that's what she had told herself as she untied the knotted strings behind her back.

The reality of the situation was quite different in a way that Raven didn't really appreciate- the feeling of the warm Vacuan sun upon her chest felt good. Almost immediately, she understood Kali's insistence at stripping down and felt more relaxed. Despite the total embarrassment that caused her cheeks to turn a deep red as her friends stared at her sizable breasts, Raven found that the feeling of liberation was totally worth it. For only the second time in her life, as ridiculous as it seemed to her, Raven Branwen felt completely free.

"See?" Kali said in a smug voice as she stood before her sitting friend with her hands planted firmly upon her naked hips. "Much better, isn't it? Let the twins breathe a little. They don't need to be bound up in your tight robe all the time."

"…I don't know," Raven said as she avoided the faunus' eyes. She held out her top as though it was something undesirable and dropped it beside herself. The garment landed on the edge of the beach towel upon which Raven sat. "I feel… conflicted."

"You're in good company in that regard," Willow pointed out as she continued to stare up at the sky while laying atop her own towel, her cheeks burning. "It does still feel a bit strange to me to be so bare outside, but it's nice that we're all… in this together, as it were."

"Besides- you've got great tits," Kali observed as she took a step toward Raven. "Definitely the biggest out of us."

"That's close enough," Raven warned as she put a hand up defensively. "If you push it, the top goes back on. Under no circumstances are you touching them. Get back to your towel, Kal."

The faunus blew a raspberry and turned away from Raven to begin moving back to her designated area, swaying her hips the entire way. It was only then that Raven noticed Summer staring at her chest with an expression that she couldn't quite decipher.

"…something on your mind?" Raven asked, meeting her friend's eyes.

"Nothing much," Summer said quickly as she turned her attention up to the sky. "Just… it's nice to see more of you. Not even literally, I mean, it's feeling more and more like we're all… family, I guess? You never would have done this last year."

"…I never would have done this as recent as this morning, if you'd have asked then," Raven mumbled as she finally laid back and folded her hands behind her head.

"What changed?" Willow asked. "Kali usually can't beat you into reconsidering something with annoyance alone."

"I guess it's to avoid bringing down the mood?" Raven tried, though the answer didn't feel quite like the truth to her. "Or maybe I just don't want tan lines, considering I'm sharing a room with Tai and he might see end up seeing them..."

"You don't sound convinced," Kali accused as she settled back onto her towel. The faunus rolled over onto her stomach and folded her hands beneath her chin as she looked over toward Raven. "But you do sound more relaxed already. Maybe it's a sign that you should be more spontaneous. Chill out, a little. It's good for ya."

"I am plenty spontaneous," Raven insisted as she closed her eyes. Knowing that Kali's were upon her was bad enough. She didn't want to know where on her they had settled. "Maybe you should focus more on long-term planning and having concrete goals, so you don't end up getting so emotionally distraught so quickly when things start to go wrong."

"Raven, don't be mean…" Summer started.

"…no, she's probably right…" Kali chimed in with a sigh as her ears flattened against her skull. "I don't really handle sudden stress well. Long-term stress? Whatever. That comes with the job. But when something comes up like the call we got this morning, it kinda fucks with me in a way that I'm never prepared for."

"And I'm the opposite," Raven replied. "Unpredictable situations and a sudden need to perform? I feel like I need that in order to stay on my toes. Long-term, lingering bullshit? It eats away at me until I finally snap. Consider this right now my way of compromising and trying to walk on your side of the street, for once."

"You can walk down my street any time you'd like," Kali offered.

"…was that meant to be sexual?" Willow asked with a tired sigh.

"Of course it was," Raven answered. "It's Kali."

"Regardless," Willow acknowledged with a quick wave of her hand, "I think you two are on to something. We could all stand to learn something from each other. Yes, our personalities and perspectives have shifted a bit due to our constant company over the past year, but… we all still have our own personal struggles. Perhaps a part of this vacation could become about healing old wounds and self-discovery? I feel like I could certainly use something like that…"

"Me too," Summer agreed. "Given the whole potential Maiden thing… I'm going to need some help coping. We should make time just for us. The girls. I feel like I can trust all of you more."

"…are you saying you don't trust the guys?" Raven asked.

"No, it's not that I don't trust them," Summer said quickly. "It's just… they're almost all becoming more… involved with us. I'm not even worried about- or good at- the romance stuff, and I can see it pretty clearly. Other than Barty and maybe Adam, they're all kinda…"

"Desperately horny?" Kali tried. "Pent-up and full of testosterone? Looking to score with one of us?"

"…could you not have just said interested in us?" Raven asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Pff, no."

"Yeah, basically," Summer confirmed. "They're all sweet and they mean well, but I think their perceptions of us and their approach when we talk might be a little… skewed. We don't need to get into details…"

"Yes, we do," Kali insisted. "Hit me with 'em."

"We really don't," Raven denied.

"…but I think what we all have is more… pure," Summer finished. "You all feel like the sisters I never had. I like that feeling. It's comforting, even when things get a little… weird like this."

"I like it, too," Willow agreed. "But can we really be talking about 'purity' when we're all topless out in public?"

"…this isn't a sexual thing," Raven said firmly. "Shut up, Kali, before you even start. We're just… bonding, in a way we haven't, yet."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Kali added as she rolled over onto her back. "I actually agree with you, Raves. I'm just trying to get you all to loosen up and be free. It's not like we're going to have an orgy on the beach or anything. Not today."

"N-not today?" Summer asked nervously.

"Or any other day," Raven added. "She's just messing with us."

"Am I?" Kali replied with a filthy grin.

"Don't engage," Raven advised as she closed her eyes once again. "Just let her talk herself in circles. Eventually, she might even fall asleep. Keeping Roman entertained all night must be tiring."

"What exactly are you accusing me of?" Kali asked with an air of mock offense. "I would never do anything impure with that boy."

"We share a wall," Raven deadpanned. "You kept Tai and I awake for hours."

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" Summer asked as she squirmed on her towel. "It's so awkward whenever it comes up…"

"…I'd like to."

All eyes turned to Willow as the heiress kept hers on the clouds.

"…you'd like to what?" Raven asked.

"Talk about it," Willow answered as she looked over at Raven. "If that's alright. What's so great about… sex? Is it really as good as people make it out to be?"

"…Kali Moonglove, you have the floor," Raven said mockingly. "You have thirty seconds to respond."

Summer decided to remain very still, as though she was trying to slowly disappear into her towel and sink down beneath the sand. Even so, she didn't quite want to move out of earshot.

"Well, what do you want out of it?" Kali asked, her tone changing to something unexpectedly serious.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked. "Isn't there really only one thing you can get out of it? The, um… the feeling?"

"Not quite," Kali corrected. "The physical feeling is great, yeah- nobody doesn't like an orgasm. I mean, come on. But who you're screwing is just as important as how you do it. Sex can make an emotional connection way more meaningful, if you're both into the idea and looking for that kind of thing. If you're in a relationship, it's a special sort of thing that makes the bond that much deeper. Personally, though? I like it even more with friends. You can learn a lot about people by how they act when things get sweaty. It's almost like an initiation rite to take things just a little bit further. It's a special kind of trust."

"…oh," was all that Willow could bring herself to say. "That isn't really the answer I was expecting…"

It was Raven's turn to shift around as she rolled onto her stomach, mirroring Kali's pose.

"If you just want to know whether or not the physical sensation is as good as people make it out to be… it's pretty… unique, I guess."

"…are you telling us that you and Tai finally screwed?" Kali asked excitedly.

"No," Raven answered immediately. "I just… take care of myself every so often. I think it's a little overrated, but it's pretty good. Every so often, it's worth doing…"

Summer coughed and rubbed at her cheeks. They were surprisingly hot to the touch.

"You mean like… um…"

"Masturbation is so not the same," Kali said with a roll of her eyes. "It's pretty good, yeah, and you two should absolutely try it… but Raven, you're missing out. It's one of those things that you just won't 'get' until you go all-in. Trust me on this one."

"I don't," Raven denied. "Tai and I… we're 'connected' enough, right now. He can literally read my emotions, and he isn't that hard to read, himself. We don't need to make things awkward between us."

"Why does it have to be awkward?" Kali asked as she propped herself up on her elbows. "It's totally natural. I mean, look at us right now. Sexuality isn't a big deal, girls. Just go wild. Take some risks. Learn something about yourselves and the boys."

"I thought you said what we're doing right now isn't sexual?" Summer asked, getting more flustered by the second.

"That's up to you," Kali replied. "What do you want out of today?"

"Alright, everyone calm down," Raven ordered. "Now, it is getting awkward and uncomfortable."

"But why?" Kali asked. "At least answer that. What's the worst that could happen if you just explore a little bit? Push your boundaries? Come on, be a little more open-minded. Willow wants to know what it's like, and I'm just giving my perspective. That's all."

"…what's the worst that could happen," Willow repeated.

"Kids," Raven said immediately. "Kids are the worst thing that could happen. Why is this even a conversation? You shouldn't just go around sleeping with everyone because 'why not?' That's… ridiculous."

"That isn't exactly what I meant," Willow clarified. "I mean, just… experimenting. Loosening up a little, finding out more about ourselves, like Kali suggested. Sharing things we're not completely comfortable sharing. It's just us, after all. So… what's the worst that could happen?"

"In the moment?" Kali asked. "Things could get a little weird. After the fact? Nothing, really. I don't think anyone here is the type to blackmail anyone else for sharing or trying something. So again, I say- let's go wild. Do a little self-discovery. Venture into the unknown. We're not going to be young forever, so let's do some stupid shit while we are. Life's more fun that way."

No one was quite sure why Willow stood up so suddenly. They were even less prepared to watch her roll down the rest of her bathing suit and use her foot to kick it off onto the towel. The Schnee heiress stood totally nude in the sunlight, stretching her arms up toward the sky as she remained facing away from her friends.

"…let's go swim in the ocean."

"Can we even do that?" Summer asked as she slowly sat up, her eyes more or less glued to Willow's rear. "You know, like that, I mean?"

"I literally own the beach," Willow said with a shrug as she let her arms fall to her sides. "Who's going to stop me?"

"Oh, hell yes," Kali chimed in as she stood up and jogged over to stand beside Summer. "Skinny dipping is the best. Come on, you two!"

Summer was the next to stand. It took her a moment and several deep breaths to sheepishly strip down before walking over to her friends. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to look at the other two girls.

"Raven?" Willow asked as she finally looked over her shoulder.

Raven Branwen didn't move from her towel. In fact, she didn't even look up at her friends, instead opting to keep her eyes closed and the remainder of her bikini firmly in place.

"…you three have fun. Call me if anyone starts drowning."

Willow offered her friend a look of disappointment before turning back toward the ocean.

"Do as you will, I suppose. Let's… go and do something stupid."

Raven sighed heavily as she listened to the sounds of the other three running down the beach. She picked up her scroll from the towel beneath her and navigated to Taiyang's number before spending almost twenty minutes figuring out what she wanted to say.


Author's Note:

And now for something completely different.

-RD