One year, six months ago

Weiss was feeling great.

It had been several weeks since she... well, escaped to Vale - for lack of a better term - and she was finally beginning to settle into her new life. She had never lived alone with anyone before, let alone a new girlfriend, so suddenly moving into someone else's apartment had taken quite a lot of getting used to. It was quite the odd feeling, living with Vernal, fending for herself, so to speak, but not unpleasant. Not in the slightest. Sure, it was certainly not the easiest situation to get a grip on - especially considering where she came from - but all her life, Weiss had been the isolated rich girl, never having been able to stray far from her father's stern grasp, and now... she was free.

Was it a perfect life? Of course not. Vernal could be a tad... rough around the edges sometimes, but that did not matter. Weiss had felt better in the past few weeks than she ever did in that big empty manor she once called home. She had been sleeping better, waking up earlier, feeling more energetic throughout the day, and most importantly, she had not had any bad thoughts or urges since before her first night in this apartment. It was... honestly indescribable. Not only that, but Weiss did not feel the need to look her best anymore, because no matter her appearance, Vernal made her feel beautiful anyway. One thing she did notice was that the messier she appeared, the more her girlfriend seemed to smile and compliment her. Definitely a bit unorthodox, but a nice surprise nonetheless.

After their initial one-night stand, Vernal saw to it to introduce Weiss to the rest of her little family at the bar... which she only then realized was called The Perch... Really shows how utterly wasted I was that night. First there was one of the other servers: Yang, this bubbly blonde who was likely the friendliest person she had ever met - even including her adorable sister, Ruby, who she met soon after with her -fiance-, Pyrrha. Next there was her uncle, Qrow, who was... certainly an interesting man to interact with. A bit too flirty for her tastes, but at least he was not unpleasant. Finally, the boss: Raven. The one word Weiss could think of to describe her was... tired, like she could not give less of a shit if she tried. An interesting bunch to say the least, but even after only a few weeks, she could tell they were good people.

The only major downside of the move was that Weiss had been unsuccessful in finding a job so far. Of course, she was still in the process of transferring money from her old bank account to her new one, but she was not about to fully rely on a finite pool of funds. Especially since she still had a number of things to buy. A larger tube of toothpaste, more floss, blades for her razor, shampoo, soap, deodorant, tampons - essentially a full-sized set of toiletries - and most importantly, clothes. Considering when Weiss moved in, there was only enough in her suitcase for maybe a week. So, the search for a new wardrobe began, just... not how she originally planned. At first, Weiss merely bought more of the same - a lot of designer labels of whites, greys, pale colours, things like that - but the more she found herself wearing Vernal's shirts each morning, the more she felt the need to alter her own style. It was a bit odd, but she was almost... more comfortable in clothes that were completely different than those that she was used to wearing, what she was told to wear.

Even now, as Weiss attempted to get pancakes right for when Vernal woke up, she was still clad in nothing but a pair of white panties and one of her girlfriend's deep-red band T-shirts. Or... at least she was fairly certain it was not hers. Over the past couple weeks of slowly buying new clothes, she had noticed that her wardrobe was beginning to... take inspiration from Vernal's. What used to be... sterile, and soulless, was now a patchwork of punk, flannel, leather and band shirts, skinny jeans and short-shorts - or booty shorts as Vernal referred to them as. Though even with all of that, she still found herself wearing her girlfriend's clothes every so often. Were they a bit too large for? Of course, but Weiss did not care. She liked it. They were cozy, and smelled like stale smoke, musk, and cheap deodorant. Things that that should normally disgust her, but represent the only thing that set her free. They smelled of Vernal, as if she were being held by her. In all honesty, she felt safe, free, wanted. Three things that she had never in her life felt outside of the few truly private moments she got with Winter, when they could actually spend time alone as sisters.

Weiss remembered how she and Winter used to talk about all the crazy things that they wanted to try. Running away, getting elaborate tattoos, dying their hair a series of absurd colours... Unfortunately those were merely dreams... before they were forced to grow up. When they were young, the sisters attempted to treat life like an adventure, but their father drilled into them that it was a series of trials that they must always succeed, always be perfect, and manifest that perfection. Or else it would destroy them. Yeah, real model parenting right there. Well, not like mom was any better. But none of that mattered anymore. Weiss was finally free from that man's grasp, and she was going to do everything that was impossible before. Everything that her father would hate.

First came the escape. Losing his favourite daughter to some random bartender was sure to piss him off, and the fact that it was a chick likely made it even worse. He always despised that she was mainly attracted to women, as it probably ruined his plan to have her set up with a son of one of his rich business colleagues. Next was the dramatic change in wardrobe. He would kill her if he even knew the types of clothes she was beginning to wear now. Band shirts? Leather? Booty shorts? Gods, it would give him a stroke. But it also made Weiss feel so... alive, knowing for a fact that she was doing all these things that her father would absolutely detest. She wanted to go further. But... what else could she do? She already ran away to another continent, moved in with a woman that she had only just had a one-night stand with, completely abandoned her old wardrobe... Wait a minute.

Briefly lowering the heat on the stove, Weiss leaned down to catch her reflection in the stove window below. One of the only things that were still the same about her was the ivory locks that currently flowed down passed her shoulders. Her father always hated it when she even let her hair down, but... that was not enough. No, she needed something more drastic. More... absurd. Then it hit her. Perhaps... I could get it dyed... I bet it would look great in another colour, like... black. Oh I know Vernal would love that...

Then a firm knocking rung upon the front door, startling Weiss, and pulling her from her rather pleasant thoughts. Looking toward the apartment entrance, she furrowed her brow. It was barely past nine in the morning, so... who could that be? No one visited ever Vernal, unless they called ahead of course... Turning off the stove and putting her cooking utensils aside, Weiss hesitantly made her way through the apartment. Unfortunately, what awaited her on the other side would leave her absolutely frozen. Upon opening the door, what stood before her was an exceptionally large man, dressed in a jet-black suit, shirt and tie. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but Weiss could still feel his piercing gaze. For a moment, she was confused as to who this man was, or why he was there... but then he spoke, voice deep as raspy, like steel scraping against rocks.

"Weiss Schnee? Your father says it's time to come home."

Merely hearing those words sent a wave of panic through Weiss' entire being. He found me... Her first instinct was to slam the door in his face, to run and hide, somewhere where she could not be found, but it was as if her whole body was frozen solid. All she could manage was to stare at this huge man before her, eyes wide in fear as her heartbeat shot through the roof, breathing becoming unsteady. She wanted so badly to get out of there, but her legs refused to move. Weiss had a feeling something like this would happen at some point, but... she thought she would be more prepared...

After several moments of unbearable silence, Weiss' legs decided that they would obey her again, but sadly it was of no use, as the moment she took a step back, she slipped on one of her new sneakers, yelping as she fell to the floor with a painful thump. Now she was staring even farther up in sheer horror at this giant of a man, tears starting to pool in her eyes as she began shaking slightly.

I can't go back there... I won't...

Someone help me...

"Hey, asshole, the fuck did you do to my girl?"

With tears now streaming down her cheeks, Weiss slowly turned her head to find a rather tired-looking Vernal, clad in a faded-brown tank top and a pair of black panties, expression that of pure aggravation as she stopped next to her girlfriend.

"I was sent here by Mr. Schnee to bring his daughter home to Atlas at once." The man explained. "And if she does not come willingly, I have been informed that her bank account will be drained, and her inheritance stripped away."

But... I haven't finished transferring my funds yet...

All of a sudden, Weiss felt a poke on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw her girlfriend a hand, which she took with her still shaking hand before being pulled to her unsteady feet.

"You said you didn't wanna go back there, yeah?" Vernal inquired, to which her partner just nodded slightly. She then turned to the man at their doorstep, smirking a bit. "Alright, you've got your answer, douche in black. Now fuck off, and relay the same to Daddy Mustache McGee."

"I'm sorry, but I must insist-"

"And I've gotta insist that you get your ass off our fuckin' doorstep and back to your boss before I decide to break your fucking nose." Vernal threatened, taking a step forward, which actually caused the man to back up a bit. "She's not comin' with you."

"This is not up for discussion-"

"I'm not going with you!" Weiss yelled, actually taking a step forward as well, reaching out to grab her partner's hand as she glared through tears at the man that was attempting to take her back to her father. There was no way in hell that she was going to leave this place, her new life, and if she had to lose the remaining balance in her old bank account, or her precious inheritance to do it, then so be it. As far as she was concerned, she did not want to be a Schnee any longer. From this point forward, she was just Weiss.

"That is unfortunate to hear. I'm sure your father will be profoundly disappointed." The man warned, finally turning away and walking down the hallway as Vernal almost slammed the door behind him.

"What a prick." She spat.

Rather than speaking, Weiss merely threw her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, squeezing tight as her trembling legs threatened to collapse beneath her, and Vernal half reciprocated with a pat on the back. "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it." Vernal assured. "Wasn't about to let some jackass in a suit take you somewhere you don't wanna go."

After a few moments of silence, the tremors faded, and Weiss found herself listening to the beat of Vernal's heart, steady and strong. But eventually, she had to release her, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Now that she was almost officially separated from her old life, it was time for a change. "Hey... Vernal?"

"Sup?"

"I... I-I want to dye my hair." Weiss informed, managing a small, teary smile.

Vernal quirked a brow at the idea. "What? Why?"

Weiss merely shrugged a bit, her gaze falling to the floor in slight embarrassment. "I don't know... I just... want the change."

A moment passed, then Vernal grinned a bit, likely at the mental image of her girlfriend with differently-coloured hair. "Alright, come on then. Let's get you cleaned up, and we'll go to the store."


Present day

As Weiss almost nervously stood outside the front door to her and Vernal's apartment, just having arrived there from work, she took a deep breath.

You can do this.

No, I can't.

Yes, you can. She's your girlfriend for fuck sake. You know you can tell her anything.

Then why am I standing outside my own apartment door like a little bitch?

Because you're nervous. Just do what you always do: Count to three, and walk in, whether you're ready or not.

One...

Two...

Three.

Pulling her key from her pocket, Weiss timidly inserted into the lock, opened the door, and stepped into the apartment. While she knew that Vernal would not be at work, since her own shift had ended a little while ago, she was hoping that her girlfriend would be napping, or at least out of the apartment, so that she could have a little more time to prepare. Unfortunately for her, the woman in question was currently at the kitchen table, fiddling with one of the parts from her motorcycle - likely adjusting or fixing it. Upon seeing her girlfriend, Vernal offered a slightly tired-looking smile.

"Hey Snowflake, have fun at work?" Vernal wondered, taking a sip from the beer that was sitting on the table next to her little project.

Weiss just rolled her eyes as she hung up her leather jacket. "Is that really a question? Fuck no." She grumbled, before pausing, merely staring at the hung up item. Don't let her distract you this time. You can do this. Taking another deep breath, she hesitantly turned to her partner. "Vernal... I think we need to talk."

Raising a brow, Vernal put the can back onto the table. "Uh oh, am I in trouble or somethin'?"

Though she was trying her absolute best to remain focused, Weiss could not help but smile at the reaction. Even with the two not quite being in sync since her confession of love, that woman was still able to amuse her. No, stop it. Focus. She told herself, closing her eyes for a moment before approaching the living area and sitting upon the couch. A brief silence followed, with Weiss attempting to find the words, but sadly coming up with nothing. She loved Vernal, so very much, but she was also afraid of what might come from this talk. "No, but it's... it's a couch talk."

Freezing for a moment, Vernal put down her tools, then nodded. "I'll go wash my hands. You want a drink?"

"Water, please." Weiss requested, to which her girlfriend simply nodded again before standing and heading to the kitchen sink. While she washed her hands, Weiss got an unfortunate chance to stew in her anxiety. Just breathe. You can do this. Everything is going to be fine. It will just be nice, calm conversation where we'll get a chance to work things out. No problem. I just have to-

"Here." Vernal suddenly spoke, causing the other woman to flinch, as she turned to see her girlfriend holding out a glass of water for her.

"Oh, thank you." Weiss almost mumbled as she took the beverage, taking a small sip before timidly holding it in her lap.

"So..." Vernal began as she took a seat on the couch next to her partner, comfortably leaning back and bringing the beer can to her lips for a drink. "This a life problem, or a people problem?

Weiss merely stared at the glass in her lap, unable to look up at the woman before her. "It's an... us problem."

Upon hearing that answer, Vernal reached up to rub the back of her head. "Ah, did I uh, did I hurt you? I know you said not to be gentle, but..."

"No!" Weiss quickly interrupted. "No... It's not... sex-related... I just..." Then she sighed, her gaze falling to the glass in her lap again. "I told you that I loved you, and... you didn't say it back..."

Vernal was quiet for a moment, idly staring off at the other side of the room. "Oh... ah..."

"I thought after all this time you would feel the same, but... I understand if you don't..." Weiss mumbled, her gaze remaining glued to her drink.

"It's not that I don't lo- I mean I- but, no... I uh..." Vernal heaved a deep sigh, rubbing her chin. "All that matters is I care about you. I just wanna make you happy, it's all I ever wanted."

Weiss could not even manage to look up at her girlfriend. "But... you don't love me..." She really thought that she had accepted that fact days ago, but... hearing it again... really hit hard. Almost as if it set her back to square one. After years of being alone, Weiss finally thought she had found someone who loved her for who she was, just as she loved them, but it seemed that that was not true. As she merely sat there in silence, thinking about the admission, one thought went through her mind: What has the last year been then?

"Why does it matter what I feel, or what words I describe it with?" Vernal bit, crossing her legs on the couch and fumbling her hands together. "I like havin' you here, and you know I hate having people at my place, but every day we're here, together, and I'm happy with you. All I want is to make you happy too."

Even with how she was currently feeling, Weiss could not help but smile a bit. "I'm happy with you too..." Then she paused. "Do... Do you think you could ever love me?"

Vernal just shifted uncomfortably before shrugging. "I... S-sure, maybe, it's... just a big word to handle."

Finally looking up from her glass, Weiss looked at her girlfriend, though still finding it difficult to maintain eye contact. "I know it is... b-but... we've been not only dating but living together for over a year... I just... never mind..."

"Don't... Don't be afraid of bringing things up with me, Weiss." Vernal attempted to assure, though sadly to no real avail. "I know I'm not... I'm not great at all this, but I wanna try, for you, I really do."

After a moment, Weiss nodded slightly. "You're right... I'm... I-I'm sorry...

"No, no no no, don't be sorry, Weiss." Vernal stressed as she reached out, freezing halfway before taking Weiss' hands into her own. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm just... I'm me, and you're... You know what you want and that's fine, okay, never be sorry for wanting more. It's what got you here, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Weiss just shook her head. "No, I... I should not have dumped that on you... We should have discussed it first..."

"Weiss, we're not really- well, I'm not really the discussin' type." Vernal reminded. "Either we talk or we don't, and I don't want you to think I can't listen, it's okay."

A brief pause followed, with Weiss merely staring at the pair's connected hands. Now that she was aware that her girlfriend... did not love her... One question began to circle her mind. "Is... Is there a reason why you don't love me?"

Vernal quickly shook her head at the question. "No, Weiss, it's not you, you're perfect... This is a me problem."

Finally looking up to meet her girlfriend's gaze, Weiss instinctively squeezed her hands. "Then tell me, and we can work on it. You said you can listen, I can too."

After a moment of the pair just staring into each other's eyes, Vernal's gaze fell. "I... I can't. I'm not ready for that."

Upon hearing the other woman's admission, Weiss froze, unsure if she just heard that right. Ever since they met, she had trusted Vernal with everything, and now... there was something that she could not tell her? Does... she not trust me enough? After several moments of silence, Weiss let her hands slip from her girlfriend's as she nodded slightly. "Okay..." She murmured, voice barely above a whisper. Slowly raising from her seat, she slowly made her way out of the living area, tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she did so.

Weiss heard her name softly called from behind her, but could not bear to turn around.


For the first time since Coco began staying with them, Pyrrha and Ruby were finally able to have some alone time.

It was an afternoon for relaxation, an empty apartment, clean and calm. No work to distract them, no friend to take care of, nothing. Coco was out with Yang having burgers... at least according to the former's texts, so now it was just two lovers, one laying back against the other on their living area couch, as they idly watched a show that was currently on TV. As innocent as can be. With Ruby comfortably in her arms, Pyrrha tilted her head down to plant a soft kiss upon her wife's, eliciting a small giggle. While it had only been a few days, it really felt like it had been a while since the last time they just... relaxed like this together. Between busy jobs, at times a near-alcoholic sister, and now and injured and depressed friend, time such as this was somewhat difficult to come by, and like always, Pyrrha was not about to let it go to waste. But Ruby, being the simple soul that she was, did not want to go hiking, or working out, or out for a nice lunch. Instead, she wanted to snuggle up on the couch, calmly relaxing together, the TV droning on some program that Pyrrha was not really paying attention to, as she focused on the dozing woman in her lap. Her scent, her body, how it felt pressed up against her own... It was almost funny. Even though they had been together for so many years, it never ceased to be the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Though at the same time, one other thing that the couple had not been able to indulge in recently had left Pyrrha feeling a tad... pent up in certain regards. So now finally having the apartment all to themselves for a while seemed like the perfect opportunity to remedy that. So, pulling her arms back slightly, Pyrrha slipped her hands beneath Ruby's shirt and started lightly trailing her fingers along her stomach, drawing out suppressed giggles from her partner. Though after a few moments, those giggles began to trail into soft whimpers, as her position shifted with the gentle touch of her wife's fingers.

"Pyrrha..." Ruby quietly moaned, reaching up to take hold of the other woman's right hand, slowly pushing it down toward the hem of her jeans.

And that was all Pyrrha needed. With a grin spreading across her face, she accepted her wife's invitation, slipping a hand under both her pants and underwear, past the small patch of hair to meet the damp warmth below, while the other moved upward to begin fondling one of her breasts. As her hands went to work, Ruby let out a series of soft moans as her body began to react to her partner's touch. After a few moments, Pyrrha felt her wife start to move, so she pulled her hands away as Ruby flipped around to straddle her, a blushing smile gracing her features. Once she was settled, the redhead grinned, displaying her right hand for her partner to see before licking the wetness from her fingers, causing the woman atop her to shiver. Upon slowly finishing with the last digit, she began to lean forward, but was quickly interrupted by lips attacking her own. Taken by surprise, she was unable to contain the slight moan that escaped her. It was not often that she was able to see Ruby like this, as Pyrrha normally drove everything, but ever so often, her wife got a burst of energy, allowing her to partially take the lead.

Rare and sweet, to experience Ruby so hungry, so passionate it was awe inspiring. People so often saw Pyrrha as the more beautiful of the pair, because she was tall and strong, but to her, she was nothing in the face of Ruby. So comfortable in her skin, oblivious to her true beauty, and in times such as these, she was a goddess, and Pyrrha wanted to worship her until the end of time.

So that was exactly what she did.

As the couple passionately kissed, Pyrrha once again slipped her hands under her wife's shirt, but this time not for her breasts. Instead, she reached up to just above Ruby's bra strap and clawed down her back, causing her to arch her back as she shuddered with pleasure. Then she paused, pulling back from the kiss to grin at the redhead, reaching down to grip the hem of her shirt before pulling it up over her head and tossing it aside, revealing a plain white bra, which she soon unclipped and discarded as well, exposing her bare chest. Gods, Pyrrha loved this view.

Ruby then leaned forward to continue their fiery kiss, but Pyrrha had... another idea in mind. Raising a hand to place a finger upon her partner's lips, she grinned, planting a quick peck on her cheek before trailing kisses downward, lower and lower until she reached her breasts. Pyrrha gave one a kiss, then the other - both eliciting giggles from her wife - before she moved on to lavish each one with her tongue, drawing out a series of louder moans as Ruby wrapped her arms around the back of her head, fingers running through her red locks. Sure, she might not have the largest cup size around - especially when compared to her wife or sister - but the redhead still loved them all the same. And every time they were in a position such as this, she was able to prove it to her lover, with her mouth.

Unfortunately, Pyrrha would not be able to tend to her lover for very long, as the sound of punk rock was soon heard emanating from Ruby's pocket, signaling that there was an incoming call. And even worse, she knew exactly who was on the other side. Normally, when the couple was... interrupted in this particular regard, they would first check to ensure that it was not an emergency, then return to their activities, but with the knowledge of who was currently calling her wife, Pyrrha was beginning to... lose her appetite, so to speak. Though at the same time, she found herself... confused, as she knew that person only called when Yang had fallen off the wagon again, but... she was currently with Coco, so... what reason did they have to call?

Leaning back to slip her scroll from her pocket, Ruby's eyes widened in excitement as she turned the device toward her wife to show off the name that currently displayed on the screen: Blakey. While Pyrrha was not exactly happy to see that name again, she knew very well that Blake was like a second sister to Ruby, and that she sorely missed her. Her wife viewed that woman as family, and though what happened with her and Yang was a sad mistake, she only wanted them to heal. And Pyrrha understood that. She wished that Blake had never done what she did to her now ex-friend, but the unfortunate truth was that what happened happened, and Yang had to suffer the consequences.

"Hi Blake!" Ruby burst upon answering the call, which even given the circumstances, was a tad amusing, as she was still completely bare from the waist up and currently straddling the redhead. "Long time no talk! How's it goin'? Uhuh... Uhuh... No freakin' way! Are you serious?! That's awesome! Uhuh... Yeah... Well I'd have to talk to Pyr about it, but there's always... you know what, lemme call you back in a few, 'kay? Alright, see ya."

Pyrrha had a bad feeling about that call. The fact that not only had Yang's name not been brought up a single time, but Ruby said that she needed to speak with her about something... It meant that there was something in that conversation that she was not going to like. Not in the slightest. Taking a breath to prepare herself, Pyrrha put on a warm smile, not only for her wife, but for herself.

Lowering the scroll to her lap, Ruby almost uneasily looked up at her partner. "Hey, Pyr?"

The woman in question merely kept her smile as best she could. "Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

Ruby was silent for a moment, struggling to maintain eye contact with her wife. "Y-yeah, um... I uh... i-it's just that... B-Blake is... thinking of visiting Vale next week... for a trip- er, a little vacation- t-to see some old friends, and uh, I was thinking... um... M-Maybe she could stay here? If that's okay with you of course! I don't wanna force anything on you, it's why I said I'd talk to you first before offering anything... It'd be really nice to see her again... But it's okay if you don't want her staying here! I totally get it! I uh... Sorry, I'm rambling..."

While Pyrrha was certainly not happy to hear news that Blake of all people was looking to visit Vale once again, she did her best to not let her smile falter, for Ruby. She did not want to displease her wife by immediately shooting down the idea, but... the thought of that woman staying in their home... It almost made her feel sick to her stomach. Not because she would have to see her again, no, not at all. Pyrrha could not care less if there was any awkwardness between the two of them, considering they were never really friends, per se. Rather, she did not want her around Yang. That woman had done quite enough to her sister-in-law over the years, and after so long watching watching Yang suffer with Blake making absolutely no effort to ever reach back, she had lost the right to even try.

Pyrrha was unable to resist the weary sigh that escaped her. "While I wish to respect the feelings you have for your friend, I must admit, I have grown tired of dealing with the issue of Blake. After all, has Yang not suffered enough?"

"I..." Ruby began, before trailing off as her gaze fell. "I wanna try, just one more time... I know nothing's really worked so far, but... Just give me one last chance, Pyr, and if it doesn't go well... that'll be the end of it. Promise."

Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha exhaled. "Fine, but." She held up a finger as Ruby froze mid-smile. "We will have words when she arrives."

Ruby managed a small smile in response, before nodding. "Thanks, Pyr."

Upon seeing her partner's expression, Pyrrha almost frowned, as she felt... guilty for almost refusing her like that. She hated feeling like that about anything, and she hated how... ugly her feelings on Blake were, especially when Ruby was still so hopeful. The fact that her own wife was so nervous to talk to her about something was... shameful for her. They should never be even remotely scared to talk to one another about anything. That was not how their marriage worked.

Doing her best to offer a warm smile, Pyrrha helped Ruby off of her lap and back onto the couch, where they both shifted to normal positions. "I... apologize for worrying you, Ruby. You should never feel nervous to broach any kind of subject with me." She almost mumbled, leaning in to wrap her wife in a gentle hug. After a few moments, they separated, and Pyrrha smiled once more. "Since Yang and Coco are occupied having their burgers, it seems we must alter our dinner plans. Would you like to have takeout?"

Ruby immediately perked up at the offer. "You bet! I do!" She burst. "How about... Floretta's?"

"I could go for some classic Mistrali pizza." Pyrrha agreed, standing from the couch. "I'm guessing you want your usual plain cheese?"

"Yes please!" Ruby excitedly answered, reaching down to collect her shirt and bra off the floor.

"Very well. I shall be back shortly." Pyrrha informed, heading toward the front foyer to grab her purse and shoes. Though as she turned away from her wife, her smile faltered. While she was glad to hear that this would be the final time the couple would have to deal with the problem that was Blake Belladonna, there were still things that she needed to... prepare for, so to speak.

And for that, Pyrrha needed some time to herself to think.


For the first time in quite a long while, Raven was terrified.

It had been days since she and Yang had fought, and... the two had not really spoken since. Of course there had been numerous times where Raven wanted to talk to her, to say everything that she and Cinder had spoken about after the younger woman's last therapy session with Glynda, but... she could never bring herself to do it. Instead, she merely... sat by for several days while her own daughter was miserable... all because of the bullshit that she told her. I yelled at her... told her she was wasting her life... Just thinking about that fight made Raven want to cry. Much... Much like she did when she got home that night. It was unfortunate that Cinder had already gone home earlier that day, as she really could have used her company. But, what happened happened, and finally, enough was enough. It was the end of the day, and she was going to talk to her daughter, no matter how difficult it would probably end up being, or how scared she was. But that did not matter. Not today.

I'm... gonna fix things.

I won't... I won't lose her... not again...

Slowly standing from her desk chair, Raven took a deep yet shaky breath. You can do this. She told herself, briefly looking out the office window to observe Yang and Cinder quietly cleaning tables. Alright, it's now or never. Taking one more deep breath, Raven made her way out of her office and almost silently through the door to the front area. Neither of the other woman seemed to notice her, so she was left to just nervously idle around the door for close to a full minute. She opened her mouth several times, wanting so badly to call her daughter's name, but nothing came out. Thankfully, as usual, Cinder saved her ass by noticing her awkwardly standing there behind the counter.

"Is everything alright, Raven?" Cinder wondered, prompting the blonde to also turn to look in the older woman's direction, but as soon as she noticed it was her mother, she merely turned back to continue cleaning the table she was at.

"I uh... I just..." Raven began, but found herself unable to continue, as she almost helplessly stared at her daughter.

Following her boss' gaze, Cinder turned back to Raven and nodded slightly, before looking to her coworker. "Yang? I believe your mother would like to speak to you in her office."

Putting down the rag she was holding, Yang let out a tired sigh. "'Kay." She simply responded, before quietly walked through the main room to the bar, where she flipped open the hatch and headed into the back area, not even looking at her mother.

While it hurt to see that, Raven still managed to flash a tired smile at Cinder before following the blonde. Twice in one day, Cinder saves my ass. Slowly making her way into her office and closing the door behind her, she found her daughter just standing in the middle of the room, faced away with arms crossed, staring at the floor in front of her. Raven took a couple steps into the room, opening her mouth to speak, but... nothing came out. What should she even say? What could she even say? She knew that Yang was obviously still pissed, so then... What do I do...? Seemingly noticing her mother there, Yang turned around, but remained silent, merely staring at her with a troubled expression on her face.

"Yang, I... um..." Raven started, but trailed off, letting out a sigh as her gaze fell to the floor. She had always been terrible with words - expressing her feelings for Tai, expressing her feelings to Summer, hell, she could barely tell Yang she was her mother - but now was not the time, she needed to say something. Anything. She was not going to lose her daughter over this. Then Raven heard it. A voice. Not her own, but Cinder's, repeating something that she said to her when the two had originally spoken about their fight.

No beating around the bush, just let her know how much you love her.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but once again, she could not find the words. So instead, she did the only thing she could think of, just stepping forward and wrapping Yang in a tight hug, one hand her back, the other reaching up to gently hold the back of her head. As her daughter hesitantly reciprocated, Raven instinctively squeezed tighter. "I'm... I'm sorry, Yang..." She morosely began. "I shouldn't have said any of that shit... I just... I just want you to be happy... that's all I ever wanted for you."

"Thanks, mom..." Yang acknowledged, tightening her hug. "And I'm sorry too... I-I didn't mean what I said..."

Raven just let out a bitter laugh. "It's okay to mean some of it, I know I'm not perfect."

"I still shouldn't have said it..." Yang mumbled.

"I needed to hear it." Raven assured. "We just suck at talking, it's what you got from me."

"I didn't just get poor social skills from you, mom." Yang defended. "I got a lotta good stuff too. You know that."

Raven chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I know... But I just..." Then she sighed. "I wish you could've been more like Summer... She got a proper education and a career, all while raising a daughter, two daughters... All I did was become nothing but a bad influence on my own daughter..." That woman was everything that Raven only wished she could be, but... was not, because she did not have the strength, or faith in herself.

"You're not a bad influence, mom." Yang stressed. "It's not your fault I'm like this, it's mine, and if I didn't have you, I'd be way worse."

Yeah, right. "If you didn't have me, you'd have Summer, and you'd be much better off."

"If I didn't have you, I'd always wonder why..." Yang countered "You're my mom, and I love you."

Raven felt her lip quiver at the statement. "I love you too, Yang... so much..." As a brief silence followed, tears stung at the back of her eyes as she tightened her hold around her sniffling daughter, who, unbeknownst to her mother, began to cry as well. How long had it been since they held each other for so long? Certainly a while.

After a few moments, Yang sniffled again. "I'm... not doing great, mom."

"I know..." Raven acknowledged, pulling the younger woman closer. "You wanna... talk about it?"

Yang just let out a sigh. "I'm trying, just trying to get along with things... Working helps distract me, makes me feel like I've got some direction in life. If I didn't have this... I don't think I'd bother getting up some days."

"Well... maybe try goin' out and meeting someone?" Raven suggested, hoping it would stick. "That could always help with motivation and stuff... at least it did for me when I met Summer and Tai..."

"I uh, kinda am." Yang informed. "Rubes and Pyr tried to hook me up with their friend, Coco."

Raven thought for a moment. "Coco... Adel?" She wondered, as she was always losing track of some of their friends.

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's uh, that's good to hear, kiddo... How's that goin'?" Raven somewhat awkwardly inquired. It was always a bit difficult asking about her daughter's love life, especially after the shit that happened with her now ex-friend, Blake.

"It's... It's goin'." Yang simply answered, which did not exactly instill confidence. "We're not exactly in a good place for each other, but we help."

"Do you like spendin' time together?" Raven asked.

Even though they were still holding each other, Yang shrugged. "It's fun, I guess. Coco's good company."

At least she's not unhappy, unlike with that little runt... whatever the fuck her name was. "Then that's what counts. You don't gotta be perfect for each other to make it work. Hell, look at Vernal and Weiss. You ever expect them to last so long?"

"Eh... I try not to think about Vernal too much." Yang admitted, clearly uncomfortable with the subject, but with her mother being the dense brick that she was, did not catch it.

Instead, Raven just chuckled a bit. "Yeah, guess it's easier not to think too hard about it."

"Yeah..."

Following another brief silence of the two merely enjoying each other's company, they eventually separated after a final reassuring squeeze. With both of them wiping tears from their eyes, they each offered a tired smile before Yang began to head toward the office door to return to her cleanup duties.

"Look, I won't try to stop you from working, but if you ever want to take a day or two off, it's okay."

Briefly turning her head to face her mother, Yang smiled again. "Thanks, mom. And if you ever wanna do the same, you know I can run things here for a while."

Raven let out a bitter chuckle. "Even if I did, I wouldn't have anything to do. My social life died years ago."

Yang just shrugged. "Well you could always hang out with Cinder, you two seem to be getting along."

"I mean, we haven't killed each other yet." Raven commented.

"Which is pretty good for you, mom." Yang reminded with a slight smirk.

"Hey, no implications, I'm just trying to be a good boss." Raven admitted.

"And you are. Best boss I've ever had." Yang complimented, her smirk shifting into a brighter smile.

"I'm like, the only boss you've ever had." Raven mentioned.

Yang only let out a laugh at the comment. "Not important."

"Probably important." Raven countered. "But what do I know, I've had like, four jobs, and three of them were walk ins."

"Yeah yeah, no need to rub it in." Yang half-grumbled.

After a moment, the two women both laughed. Though as her daughter went to leave again, Raven called out. "Hey, can you go grab Cin for me? I wanna talk to her for a sec."

Turning back to face her mother, Yang quirked a brow, grinning slightly as she did so. It was then that the older woman realized that she had never referred to Cinder as Cin in front of anyone before. Well that's a little embarrassing. "Sure, I'll grab Cin for ya."

Raven just rolled her eyes, a small smile gracing her features as the blonde opened the office door. She's gonna hold that over me for a while. "Just go, before I fire you."

Yang only chuckled at the faux-threat. "Yes ma'am." She agreed before leaving the office.

As her daughter closed the door behind her, Raven was left alone. Though, not for very long, as the door to her office soon opened, revealing an unexpectedly somewhat-flustered Cinder, who, upon seeing the older woman's still-tear-stained face, immediately approached her with a look of concern.

"Raven, are you alright?" Cinder inquired, slowly walking closer to her boss, until they were barely a couple feet apart.

Even though she opened her mouth to respond, Raven did not end up speaking. Instead, she merely took a step forward, and almost against her better judgement - knowing full well that the two were not quite at that level yet, so to speak - wrapped Cinder in a tight hug, much like how she did with her daughter. What followed was a slight gasp from the younger woman, clearly shocked that her boss of all people was hugging her in such a way, but Raven did not care. She just squeezed tighter. Though not too tight of course. Cinder was not nearly as strong as Yang was.

"Thank you..." Raven mumbled, voice barely above a whisper, as she had to fight back fresh tears.

Cinder just blinked, unsure of exactly what to do in the current situation. All she could really do was attempt to stop her cheeks from heating up. Which so far was very unsuccessful. Out of everyone she knew, she thought that her boss would normally be the person least likely to ever hug her - well, aside from Vernal of course - yet here she was, with two strong arms currently wrapped around her shoulders. With her heart racing in her chest, after a few moments of silence, she hesitantly reached around to hug the older woman back. "Y-You're... you're welcome... Raven..." This... feels really nice... and warm...

After several moments of the two women merely standing there, relishing in the warmth that the hug offered, they finally separated, each taking a step back. Upon seeing her employee's face again, Raven noticed that she had quite the deep blush on her face. It was... honestly rather cute. The last time she remembered seeing the younger woman in such a state was when she woke up on her lap after Weiss' birthday party. The mere memory caused her mouth to curl into a slight grin. From the still-short time that the two had known one another, Raven knew that Cinder had a strong temperament, so seeing her... unraveled was pretty amusing. A bit similar to Weiss when she broke that punk character.

Then Cinder cleared her throat, attempting to look at the older woman, but not exactly doing a great job at maintaining eye contact.

"Well, i-it seems that... e-everyone just wants to hug me today."


"Hey."

"What's up?"

"You uh, you don't mind if there's another friend in the house, right?"

"Is it a problem friend, or..."

"She uh... she's got some issues that we're helpin' her work through, so she's staying with us for a little while."

"Do I know her?"

"I don't think so... We met her after you moved away."

"Oh."

"But that's not gonna be a problem or anything! I'm sure you'll get along just fine!"

"I'll try not to be a bother, I don't think I'll stay long."

"Look, I know this kinda stuff isn't easy for you, but you won't be, I promise."

"I... I don't think I can do this, Ruby."

"Yes, you can. I know you can. You've done it tons of times in the past, this time's no different."

"But never without her..."

"I know... but in my opinion, the only person you need to be strong... is you. Which sounds super sappy, I know, but it's true!"

"You're a dork, Ruby Rose."

"And you're a strong, independent cat woman, Blake Belladonna."

"I missed you."

"Missed you too. Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess."

"That's what I like to hear!"