Chapter 21

The Best Birthday Brunch Extravaganza Ever!


The Cerulean Cafe was the preferred gathering place for the younger crowd of the City of Vale, particularly the huntsmen in-training of Beacon Academy. It was located in the middle of the Cerulean Plaza, the busiest plaza in the commercial district and also home to the city's busiest avenue. Restaurants, shops, and boutiques lined both sides of the street for as far as the eye could see, and the plaza itself was also home to the Cross Continental Transmit tower, or CCT for short, and like all yellow brick roads in the City of Vale eventually they all led to the Emerald Tower of Beacon.

Besides having gourmet food and something on the menu for everybody, including insatiable chocolate-holics and professional dieters, the Cerulean Cafe was also home to the trendiest music and was the ultimate deciding factor whether a song was a hit or not. Today was no exception and the playlist had been carefully selected by two of Vale's most gifted musical connoisseurs. A singer who had performed in front of audiences of tens of thousands, and the other a nightclub enthusiast who had danced to in front of audiences of just as many. Their partners however had been warned to stay far away from the jukebox...

The cafe despite being busy was relatively empty today, and also nowhere near as rowdy due to the huntsmen in-training flying all over Remnant on missions, except in the back room, where there was enough commotion going on to make one think every able bodied huntsman in Vale had come to pay tribute to the tall blonde wearing the lilac-colored 'Birthday Girl' tiara.

Despite the sun hiding behind rain clouds sunshine was radiating off of The Little Sun Dragon as she gleefully ripped open a small box with crimson wrapping paper. Her three companions sitting at the booth with her occasionally had to shield their eyes or put on sunglasses just to look at her, but they were more than happy to risk going blind if it meant gazing upon a brilliant, infectious smile that caused warmth in even the darkest of places.

When she finally got the box opened a pair of shiny brass knuckles fell into her palm and she gasped.

"Oh, Ruby," Yang said breathlessly. "A-are these what I think they are?"

Sitting beside her against the wall with hardly any elbow room, Blake leaned forward for a better look and noticed how darkness swirled around the metal and how snowflakes trickled down whenever they moved, and taking a deep breath she received a lungful of fresh roses.

On the other side of the table sitting catty-corner from her sister Ruby giggled. "I made them out of old parts from our weapons, and if you look in the box you'll find a couple of rings too. They're all saturated with our auras and should stay that way for at least a year or so. That's not even the best part though! If you look on the front of the knuckles they have an engraving that say-"

"'Kiss My Brass'!" she squealed. "Oh my God, Ruby! They're beautiful!"

"Yep! And if you look closer you'll notice the words are shaped kinda funny. This way when you punch somebody they'll see 'Kiss My Brass' coming at them but they'll have-"

"'Brass Kisser' imprinted on their stupid faces!" Yang slipped them onto her black padded fingerless gloves that had a bumblebee in each palm that read 'Beauty is in the eye of the bee holder', which had been a gift from her partner, and began shadowboxing. Blake and Weiss meanwhile scooted as far away out of punching distance as they possibly could just to be safe.

"I thought you might appreciate them."

*sniff*

"I love them! Best birthday ever!"

"It will be if our food ever gets here..." Blake grumbled, eyeing the caped-girl directly across from her before going back to nursing her tea.

"Forgive me but punching people in the face is totally barbaric," Weiss said in disgust, turning her nose at the brass knuckles but glancing curiously at the jewelry, and like Blake with perhaps a hint of jealousy. Ruby gave her partner a playful nudge and handed her a pair of rings. A white one that like Yang's gifts had all of their auras and emblems, and a red ring with rose engravings with just Ruby's.

Weiss blushed and slipped the ring saturated in her partner's aura onto a slender finger followed by the one with everyone else's, and after admiring them scooted closer to Ruby and held her hand under the table, who she realized was wearing a white ring made of her own chilly aura. Blake grinned at the pair, and her grin only widened when Ruby handed her a pair of rings as well. A black ring with all their auras and emblems and a yellow ring with just Yang's. She quickly slipped them on as well admiring their beauty and craftsmanship, and the person she felt around her finger.

"And what?" Yang laughed, still shadowboxing and wearing her own yellow and black rings. "Stabbing someone with a sword that can set itself on fire is civilized?"

From the look on Weiss' face it appeared that was exactly what she thought, and she happily closed her eyes and rested her head against her partner. Blake seeing this as her chance reached across the table and presented another gift in front of Yang which she immediately began tearing open.

"OH MY GOD!" Yang squealed. "HOW!? WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS!?" She stood up causing the whole table to wobble and held up a black leather jacket with yellow shoulders and a pair of stripes around the biceps. A bumblebee patch had been sewed onto the left shoulder and a black cat riding a yellow dragon on the right, as well as both of their emblems intertwined on the left breast. And as Yang humorously noted the collar almost looked like a pair of cat ears.

With shaking hands she threw it over her shoulders and slipped her arms into the sleeves, and after a few more squeals she fell atop her partner. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

Blake's spine was being broken as she was showered with kisses but she didn't shrink away one bit from the affection. Their auras were intertwining and soon enough Blake forgot whose birthday it was exactly, and who was doing the kissing. Yang raised herself up once she'd said a sufficient amount of 'thank yous' openly and privately, and went back to admiring her new jacket and how it looked on her. Blake sat up as well wiping the lipstick off with a napkin while Ruby and Weiss giggled at her. With her face bright red she ignored them and retrieved another jacket from the box, this one noticeably slimmer.

"I know how much you loved your jacket that got ruined by-" she stole a glance at Ruby who was busily taking pictures of them, as well as her milkshakes. "-by that guy we met in the city, so I thought I'd get both of us matching jackets. That's not dorky, right?"

"I LOVE THEM!" Yang screamed, hopping up and down in her seat as Blake slipped her own jacket on, wiping tears from her face. "OH MY GOD! IT LOOKS LIKE MY WEISS-MUFFLERS HAVE CAT EARS!"

Blake followed where she was pointing and shook her head laughing. Of course the jackets had been purchased with emphasizing Yang's favorite assets in mind, and while it wasn't something Blake was entirely comfortable with wearing as normally preferred her and her body going unnoticed, looking down at herself in one of the few v-necks she owned Blake thought she could get used to any attention she might receive. It even made her considering buying a few low-cut tops later today, or at least try them on and see what Yang, the resident expert, thought of her in them.

'It's about time,' said an intrusive voice in her mind. 'Want me in there helping you try them on, or-'

'Shut up, Yang.'

'That's not a no,' the voice sang, somehow off-key even as an internal voice.

They gave each other a couple of playful nudges as they continued admiring their new jackets and how they each looked in them. On the other side of the table however Weiss' eyes closed once more as she wondered in the back of her mind whether she'd ever be able to get the stupid grin off her face. However, just as she began to drift off asleep leaning against Ruby's shoulder, listening to the squeals across from them, Weiss' seemingly never too far away migraine made its triumphant return.

*sssllliiirrrppp*

Weiss shuddered and glanced up to see her partner with a purple face attempting to finish her sixth chocolate milkshake all in one go. Before she could drain the glass completely however her puckered lips unlatched themselves from the straw and she let go of Weiss' hand and buried her head on the table underneath her arms whimpering.

"One day," Weiss said, scooting away in disgust of her partner and their moment together being ruined, "I'm going to give you a brain freeze so bad that your entire head falls off due to frostbite."

From the muffled moans it sounded as though Ruby wasn't not been entirely against this unconventional medical remedy, but that might've just been wishful thinking on Weiss' part. Across the table meanwhile Yang's shrill cries were only getting louder and louder, and Blake watched in bemusement as a vein protruded from the heiress' forehead.

"Could the two of you please control yourselves!" Weiss snapped. "Our faces are going to be all over the television now that coverage of the tournament has started, and you're not only representing the most prestigious huntsmen academy on Remnant, besides maybe Polaris, but more importantly, ME!"

"And what a shame it would be for your cousin to have to report this terrible incident," Blake deadpanned.

"Cousin?" Ruby asked, still cradling her head.

"She's referring to Lisa Lavender," Weiss explained in her most courtly sounding accent. "She's my second cousin on my mother's side."

"Now that you mention it she does kinda look like you," Ruby said, followed by a low groan. "Make it stop, please..."

"Lisa was the youngest field reporter ever for Vale News Network," she bragged. "She was also the first person to do an in-depth interview with Pyrrha after she won her first Mistralian regional tournament, and-"

"-and the person who got you her autograph and phone number that you were too nervous to ever call," Yang laughed. "Didn't your cousin only get the interview because she and Pyrrha happened to grow up around the same neighborhood and she literally just walked across the street while she was getting her mail?"

"So that's why they sound so much alike! Ow..."

"-and," Weiss seethed, "Lisa's currently the lead daytime news broadcaster and quickly working her way up to nighttime."

"Which may or may not have something to do with being a Schnee," Blake said dryly. "It'd explain why the SDC's corruption gets a free pass on VNN..."

Weiss glared at the faunus and huffed. "Every news corporation has an agenda and someone who's their public enemy number one, and my family learned long ago not to sit on our hands while the media attempts to destroy them. Also, don't forget who's paying for this meal and funding our little shopping excursion and trip to the spa later today."

Blake smiled sheepishly and quickly went back to nursing her tea.

"You wouldn't happen to have any other hot- I mean cool, rich and single cousins would you?" Yang asked semi-seriously. "Preferably male? Hey, Sis, wouldn't it be cool if you and Weiss could be related by marriage?"

Ruby's head rose and she stared at her partner starry-eyed, who was staring back at her frightfully. "We'd be like second cousin sisters-in-law twice removed..."

"You stay away from my family." Weiss pointed an accusatory finger at Yang who smiled not so innocently. "We have enough gold diggers already!"

"You're the one who started it, or was it really my sister's one-of-a-kind personality that attracted you to her?" She gestured toward Ruby who stared at her partner with disbelief and amazement, and before Weiss could get a single word out Ruby threw her arms around her causing them both to fall backward onto the seat.

"Unhand me at this instant!"

"I-always-knew-you-liked-me-for-more-than-just-my-awesome-scythe-moves-or-because-it-was-between-picking-me-and-Jaune! Ha! Told-you-Yang! She-likes-my-personality-too!"

"No I don't, and fair warning, Ruby, but if you don't get off of me your sister's going to get a very lifelike ice statue of you for her birthday!"

Ruby released her and sat back up straight with Weiss popping up a moment later out of breath and taking great care to readjust her hair and clothing.

Yang batted her eyelashes coolly. "In case you've forgotten I don't take kindly to threats to my precious baby sister-" She grinned devilishly and showed off her shiny brass knuckles that almost looked to be gold plated- "but leaving a permanent 'Brass Kisser' mark on your face would probably be considered child abuse, eh?"

"Or attempted murder," Blake added, catching her partner's meaning.

"Excuse you?" Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"I'm officially an adult now," Yang said, sitting up straight in her seat and looking down her nose at the heiress, "which means I no longer have to listen to children like you." She stuck her tongue out before quickly going back to playing with her new toys.

"Since when do you listen to anybody?" Blake laughed.

Weiss groaned and covered her face, knowing this was going to be repeated ad nauseam until her own birthday next month.

While Yang savored her inability to come up with a witty comeback, Weiss sank deeper into her seat watching, and listening to Ruby finish another chocolate milkshake. Before she could begin the ritualistic task of licking the glass clean however Weiss yanked it away from her.

"Another milkshake, please! And our food while you're at it!" She moved the empty glass to the table's edge for the waitress whenever she passed, avoiding a dozen or so gift bags and wrapped presents that still had yet to be opened. One such present couldn't help catching her eye as she'd been glancing at it every so often since their arrival. It was about the size of Ruby's 'Best Birthday Ever!' binder on the table with them, and was so poorly wrapped in white wrapping paper that Weiss was sorely tempted to throw it into a gift bag just as she'd done yesterday until running out of bags, before anyone could notice her less than perfect work.

Instead however she fought her perfectionist instinct and sneaked it to the very front of the pile. Ruby and Blake's presents thus far had been absolutely incredible, as she'd known they would be, but despite being able to buy Yang virtually anything from a new motorcycle to a her very own beach house Weiss had been on the verge of tearing her own hair out worrying over what she could get Yang that could compete with anything given to her by her sister and partner.

This had been her solution, and she quickly hid her unsteady hand underneath the table. While Ruby stared at the mostly empty milkshake licking her lips and Blake snuggled with her new jacket, Yang continued playing with their gifts likely imaging what she'd look like in all future bar fights. Weiss had thought that the normally impatient blonde would've torn all the presents open just as quickly as they'd been wrapped, but instead she seemed to be savoring each and every present, and Weiss found herself to be the one losing patience.

"Hey, Yang," she said, casually pointing at the presents as a reminder that it was her turn, "later when we go shopping remind me to pick you up a dust controlled mattress pad like the one I gave to Ruby. I plan on picking up another for myself, but this way we won't have to look at you shamelessly sprawled out atop the sheets in your undergarments because you're hot."

"I know I am, but I'm glad you think so too!" She winked and grabbed the nearest present wrapped in white.

Weiss' heart skipped a beat but she continued speaking as normal. "Not even remotely what I meant..."

"Now I'll be able to sleep in my birthday suit without you prudes complaining!"

The heiress shuddered while the other two girls gave her dirty looks. "I change my mind. Blake, you normally sleep atop the covers, would you like a-"

She quickly shook her head, watching with curiosity as Yang unwrapped a present that had been wrapped about as poorly as her own. "It would only give her an excuse to try and sleep with me, and I already have a heater above me and an air conditioner to my right."

Yang unceremoniously tossed the wrapping paper onto a large pile across the room and rubbed her hands together. Wiggling her fingers in anticipation she opened the lid to the box and immediately covered her mouth.

"Weiss, I-I don't know what to-" A shrill, ecstatic scream filled the air and everyone but Weiss, who up until this point had been holding her breath, leaned forward to see why. Yang reached into the box which was quickly disposed of and retrieved four plush dolls in the likeness of herself and her teammates wearing almost exact replicas of their weapons and huntress attire. They looked to be about the perfect size to ride Zwei Ruby noted, and despite their cartoony appearances and large heads it was obvious painstaking detail, as well as love, had gone into making them.

Ruby's plush had a gaping mouth as though she were in the middle of talking and like her real-life self had chocolate stained on her lips. Weiss' doll seemed to be pouting but small, innocuous smile hid in the corner of her mouth. Blake's had a bow in her silky hair but running her thumb over them Yang could feel something poking up underneath, and her own doll had a cocky, crooked grin so wide it practically took up her entire face.

"You and Ruby always talk about how you want action figures of yourselves, so I asked one of the SCD's toy divisions to have these created for you and oversaw the project myself. No, they will not be appearing on store shelves any time soon, but you're more than welcome to put them up on our shelves if you'd like."

'Or over your bed,' Weiss thought to herself, thrilled to finally be able to get her own set out of hiding.

"Oh my God I love them! Just look at us!" Yang handed the dolls over to Ruby and Blake who quickly began inspecting their accuracy. "Your Bellabooty's never looked better, Blake, but is it just me or do my Ruby-Pillows look a little small? We don't have BRBI doll anatomy do we?"

"I think it's just your giant head that makes them look small," Blake said, marveling over and approving of her doll's amount of detail.

"They look so good," Ruby squealed, peeking underneath her and Weiss' skirts before blushing and smiling sheepishly at her partner.

"Humph!" Weiss snatched them away and handed them back to Yang. "I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until your own birthdays to get a set of your own."

"But my birthday isn't until next July!"

"Tough."

"Hey, um, Weiss?" Blake took her eyes off the dolls for the first time and anxiously began playing with her hair. "You know I don't actually know when my birthday is but I've always felt like I was a fall baby. The only reason my student ID says March is because that's when I left the White Fang, b-but my fake ID says my birthday was earlier this month!" She forced a convincing, awkward-looking smile but that only seemed to cause Weiss even more pleasure.

"Well maybe you should've left the White Fang a little earlier, huh?"

The faunus narrowed her eyes and her bow folded back, and like Ruby glared at Weiss before jealously staring at the dolls. Selfishly Blake had hoped that due to the heiress' reliance on money that her gifts would've been more about the price tag than the actual thought or effort behind them, but clearly that wasn't the case. Blake knew she was going up against stiff competition with Ruby being Yang's sister and all, and being able to create by hand practically anything in the machine shop had predictably been her biggest obstacle. But while Yang's birthday certainly wasn't a competition of who could get her the best gift, Blake has still wanted to win...

Weiss saw the look on their faces and smiled inwardly a much warmer, kinder smile than the one she wore outwardly. She'd let Ruby and Blake sulk for now, but soon she'd surprise them with their very own sets of team RWBY dolls. Once she'd gotten her fill of them being extra nice to her of course, or once they gave in to her list of demands...

*sniff*

A tear fell onto the dolls followed by another and another like raindrops, and the girls glanced up to see Yang biting her quivering lip as streams threatened to come out her eyes.

"Yang..." they breathed, wiping something away from their own eyes.

She hugged the dolls tightly to her chest and buried her nose in them and her jacket, and light began swirling around her brass knuckles and rings. Sunlight filled the room but nobody took their twinkling eyes off her, and only after giving each doll a kiss on the head did she finally look up.

"Thank you s-so much," her voice cracked, still shaking. "I-I love all of you so much! Even you, Weiss!"

She stood up nearly causing the table and everything on it to topple over, and pulled her sister and friends into an embrace.

"Please stop," Weiss choked, the table digging into her sternum.

"Ribs breaking," Ruby wheezed.

"Dying now," Blake added.

Yang didn't seem to notice or particularly care, but before anyone could suffocate or irreparable damage be done she released them and saw everyone smiling up at her, and one by one they took turns giving her a savoring hug with Ruby giving her a kiss for good measure.

"Happy birthday!" they said in unison.

*sniff*

Once everyone settled back into their seats Weiss felt a tug on her sleeve followed by the sound of a trumpet being blown.

"RUBY!"

"Y'all are both so sweet! I don't know what we'd do without you!" She blew her nose again unable to be shaken off.

"Cut it out!"

Blake and Yang laughed and watched in amusement as Weiss tried everything minus cutting her own arm off before finally admitting defeat and wiping her eyes on Ruby's cape.

"Weiss, you're crying."

"I'm not crying, you're crying!" They blew their noses simultaneously causing the two to shake their heads and laugh even more, as well as dab their own eyes.

*twitch*

Blake's bow perked up and angled toward the kitchen, causing her to nudge her partner. Yang however took this to mean that Blake wanted another embrace, so while she made choking sounds, Ruby and Weiss overjoyed sobs, and Yang excited giggles, a polite cough caused everyone to pause and look up at the young, redheaded waitress standing before them, or more specifically, the trays of food she was carrying and had set down on the neighboring table.

Without a word they quickly began moving the presents and gift bags out of the way to make room for their feast, but Weiss also took a moment to shove her partner aside and pretend as though she'd simply had something in her eye. She still kept Ruby's red cape wrapped around her however.

The young waitress named Misty swallowed. "We're t-terribly sorry for the long wait, miss Schnee. There was a lot of food to prepare a-and I've been working the front too, and-" She froze and slowly, so as not to draw anymore attention to herself, began backing away from the huntresses in-training that were staring at her and the food like ravenous dogs. "I-I'll just leave this here and check back on you in a few minutes..."

She ran for her life back toward the kitchen while Yang, Blake, and Ruby began digging in without preference or any regard for who had actually ordered what. Weiss on the other hand had to contend with her partner practically climbing over her to get to the chocolate shakes on her search for salads and anything even remotely healthy, though she did steal the occasional greasy-looking chili cheese fry when she thought nobody was looking.

When they each finally had stacks of food in front of them the team bowed their heads and Ruby said a several hundred word prayer that lasted no longer than three seconds before they attacked like a pack of wolves.

As the feast went on Blake continued scooting closer and closer into the corner and away from her partner. She generally preferred eating in peach and quiet, and away from the crossfire of the sisters, and more than once had to hold her knife in the threatening manner when a hand strayed too close to her fish fillet.

Weiss was the only other person to almost solely use a fork and knife, and like Blake occasionally had to defend herself from the savage sisters who were so hungry that not even the once sacred rule of 'dibs' was safe.

Once the frenzy began to slow and room was made Yang would occasionally pause to open a present, and full mouths would say 'thank you' and 'your welcome' before a hug that nearly caused both parties to explode.

After all the presents had been opened and the food mostly eaten, and the Yang doll sat atop her teammates the victor of an epic battle, where of course Weiss lay at the bottom, Misty returned to the table with a half-chocolate, half-vanilla cake with yellow icing and a lit candle in the shape of an eighteen on the top. With a simple hand-wave from Yang the candle's flame turned gold just like her aura, and everyone around the table sang her happy birthday.

"Make a wish, Sis!"

Yang closed her eyes and seemed to be deep in thought before she blew the candle out with a gust so strong that Weiss' hair blew like she was riding in an open bullhead, which caused everyone including Weiss to cheer. She beamed at them all, and Blake got the feeling that her partner's wish might've already come true.

Once it was made clear that Ruby was NOT to eat the entire cake by herself under penalty of torture and death everyone got a slice for themselves and Blake scooted closer to her partner trying to hear her thoughts or whatever she might be feeling inside.

"Not gonna lie but I was kinda hoping someone was gonna jump out of the cake," Yang said to her, only semi-joking.

Blake chuckled. "Sorry but Weiss and I are saving that surprise for tonight. You did say you were taking us to 'Every Body Needs Some Bawdy', didn't you?"

Yang nodded and Blake leaned her head against her shoulder feeling suddenly sleepy after a late night and her belly full of fish. Yang's aura hadn't dimmed since waking up not long after they'd gone to bed, and with her own thoughts beginning to slow Blake had little trouble intertwining their auras and getting lost in her thoughts and feelings.

As happy as Yang felt and as satisfied as her body was after eating, Blake sensed that something was still missing. There was a hollowness within her partner buried deep below the surface, and Blake couldn't help but feel guilty and worry she wasn't enjoying her birthday, and so began searching within her partner deeper than she normally allowed herself.

Desperate she dug deeper and found that something wasn't missing, but rather someone, breaking Blake's heart. The girl's father and uncle were far away outside the kingdoms and likely wouldn't be able to wish her a happy birthday today, and their friends barely had enough time to say hello yesterday and today before shipping out. She thought perhaps it was her mother and step-mother that she was sorely missing today and decided to continue digging.

No, that wasn't it she eventually decided, at least not entirely. All of Yang's thoughts and feelings were slowly becoming her own, and while those were all painful with the loss of her mother and step-mother being almost unbearable some days, they were familiar pains and dull compared to the absolute agony they'd once been. This however was still sharp and fresh in her mind.

'Amber', a sad voice whispered in her head. 'This is the first birthday I've spent without Amber...'

Blake swallowed and tightened her eyes having been caught. 'I-I'm sorry...'

'It's not nice to poke inside people's heads without asking, or without buying them dinner first. If you wanted to know what was bothering me all you had to do is ask.'

'I-I know...' Blake didn't quite believe that was true, and hoped her thoughts didn't betray her mistrust. 'Yang, I've been meaning to ask you. I know you said that Amber was your training partner back at Signal, b-but was she your partner-partner?'

'Do you mean was she my huntress partner or my partner-partner, if you know what I mean?'

'I mean was she like you and me?' Blake realized how that sounded and by Yang's playful chuckles that wasn't enough clarification for her. 'Was she supposed to have been your huntress partner instead of me?'

'Don't worry about it, Blake.'

'I'm not worried about it. I-I'm just sorry is all. I can tell you really cared about her...' The idea of Yang having a partner before her bothered Blake more than she knew it should have, especially when she'd had her own partner, but Blake could feel there was something special between her and Amber, and couldn't help feeling a little jealous. 'You didn't have to keep secrets from her like you do with Ruby and me, and Weiss. And you shared more of your aura with her than me too...'

'Blake, I-I...'

The faunus realized she'd crossed a line and ventured too deeply without permission and quickly began backing off, apologizing profusely as she did. Blake knew she was being hypocritical as she'd shared her heart and soul with Adam like she never had with Yang, and the fact that she had abandoned her partner while Yang's had been taken from her also weighed heavily on her mind. Before her curiosity could get the better of her Blake buried any thoughts of Amber or Ruby's strange fairy tale deep within herself, and let her mind wander aimlessly within Yang's warm aura.

'I love you, Blake, and I wouldn't want anyone but YOU to be my partner...'

For how long they remained connected Blake wasn't sure but after awhile she began hearing empty plates being pushed aside and pleasurable sighs. She snuggled closer to Yang who leaned back and patted her belly with a satisfied grin, while across from them Ruby was laying on the table buried underneath a pile of desert plates and empty milkshakes with drool around her chin. Beside her, Weiss was staring at the desert menu feeling her self-control slipping when Yang stretched and clapped her hands together getting everyone's attention.

"Before we pass out and we're too hungover for tomorrow's proper hangover, we should make plans for tonight."

Blake rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I say we just go back to the room and take naps. Actually I take that back. Here's good..."

While she got herself in a more comfortable position using her partner as pillow Weiss studied the blonde looking both surprised and impressed. "You? Plan?"

Yang nodded and pointed at her sisters drool on the table. "Rubes, you're our designated driver."

The heiress' heart sunk as she should've seen it coming but had gotten her hopes up.

"Um, Sis?" Ruby said, trying to raise her head. "I can't drive, and all we have is your motorcycle, my little red wagon, and Weiss' tricycle."

"Her name is Stardust," her partner corrected pointedly, "and she rides like the wind and was a gift from Nana."

Yang waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure out the details later. If everything goes my way tonight you won't even realize that you're driving anyway."

Weiss glanced at Blake who opened her eyes just long enough to share a private conversation with her.

'Yang doesn't know what a designated driver is, does she?'

'Why does that surprise you?'

The waitress passed by the table and laid down a small black book beside Weiss. She opened the book and despite the small print everyone could see the large number their extravagant feast had cost and flinched, all except the heiress who didn't even give the number a second glance.

Instead she dug around her dust pouch and retrieved her wallet, and after a moment of hesitation pulled out a small little gift box with a snowflake emblem on the front. She handed it to Yang who didn't seem to know what to do, and after a reassuring nod removed the lid. Inside was a baby blue card with a white snowflake emblem just like on the box, and when the card moved it produced a flurry of snowflakes reminding those still conscious of a snow globe. After marveling over its beauty Yang's eyes finally glanced back down at the box and saw a strip of paper with a number scribbled down that caused them to become the size of saucers.

"That is a SDC corporate credit card," Weiss said. "This is for you to keep, and the number you see before you is it's monthly limit, which will reset at the beginning of every month."

"Weiss-" Yang shook her head- "Y-you can't do this!"

"I can and I have, and the SDC can afford it. I would've made an account for each of you but Ruby's still a minor and giving her a corporate credit card might not reflect well on the company or its heiress depending on the purchases, and Blake's, well..."

"A faunus? A former terrorist who once swore an oath to destroy the SDC or die trying?"

"Actually I was going to say someone who doesn't have a birth certificate and would probably rather not have their name on file in the SDC's database, but the latter works just as well."

Blake grinned sheepishly. "Point taken."

"The card is in your name, Yang, and mine, and while its use might technically be for team RWBY's huntress training related needs, feel free to use it however you see fit."

"When you say however I see fit, does this mean-"

Weiss sighed. "You're legally an adult and there isn't anything you could possibly purchase that would surprise the SDC's accountants, or me. So yes, you may used it at whatever morally depraved nightclub you and Blake plan on going to tonight, or for whatever nefarious deeds you can think of. Trust me, you won't be the first person to use a corporate credit card at 'Every Body Needs Some Body'."

"COOL! Hey, Blake!" She held the card up for her partner. "Looks like Weiss is gonna pay for your first ever lap dance!"

"Thanks but I'm good..."

Yang chuckled and wiped something from her eye. "I-I don't know what to say, Weiss. This is amazing!"

"Honestly it's nothing." Weiss smiled at her but it faltered when Ruby pulled her sleeve.

"Y-you're not going with them?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

Weiss shook her head. "They'll be just fine without me. I'm staying back in the room with you. We can watch movies or play games until they drunkenly stagger back."

"No you're not," she said earnestly. "I'm a big girl, Weiss. I don't need somebody babysitting me all the time."

"That's not what I meant! I'd just get in their way and be a buzz-kill." She glanced at the pair and winked, proud of her pun. "And to be honest I don't want to go anywhere that Yang considers fun."

"Yes you do," Ruby said, gently laying her hands atop her partner's. "You're nervous about going out and partying but deep down you want to do it more than anything."

"Ruby," she whispered, looking around to make sure nobody was listening. "I-I'm not leaving you alone back at the dorm while I go to a-a-"

"Glorified strip club?" Blake asked perhaps a little too loudly for the heiress' liking. "The food and lap dances are to die for, or so I hear..."

"The sights are even better..." Yang purred.

Weiss growled at them and once again made sure nobody was looking. "Yang, please talk some sense into your sister! I have never liked how you leave Ruby alone to go party, and I refuse to abandon her back in the dorm while we all go out and have the time of our lives!"

Yang shared a look with her sister that neither of their partners' could quite read, and finally she sighed and leaned back into the booth. "We'll talk about it later, but as an acrobat I really think you'd appreciate the fine art of pole dancing, Weiss, especially at this one club where the guys use their teeth to take off each other's- Oh hey, Misty!"

Weiss' eyes nearly popped out of her skull as her head swung toward the scarlet-faced waitress standing over her who was trying to look anywhere but matching face down below.

Without a word Weiss held out her card for the waitress to take but with reflexes so quick that even Ruby was impressed Yang nabbed the ticket and held out her latest present.

"It's your birthday," Weiss insisted in a commanding tone. "I'm buying end of story."

"Well in a way you kinda are." Yang grinned holding the card up for Misty to take.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, and you've already spent a fortune on my presents and I know you're gonna spend even more me, my sister, and my partner at the mall. Even if your family does literally dig lien out of the ground it's not fair to you."

Ruby and Blake nodded in agreement and the heiress felt her face brighten.

"Please, Yang, it's the very least I can do for you, and Ruby and Blake." She touched Yang's hand and glanced down at the table. "I didn't have birthday parties growing up, so what I'd do is go shopping by myself and have my butler wrap up everything I'd purchased, and then I'd pretend to be surprised when I opened them. And then I'd sit in my room by myself and pretend I was having fun. I never had anyone else to share them with, so please just let me do this one little thing for you."

The table was silent with awkward glances until Weiss was flattened onto her back again.

"RUBY, GET OFF ME!"

The other two girls chuckled but Yang caught her partner's eye. Blake's smile faltered and she nodded. Being raised in abandoned buildings didn't sound too terribly different from empty mansions.

Yang whistled getting her sister's attention who was quickly shoved back into her seat with Weiss popping up a moment later. "How about we split the bill? You pay for all the food, and I'll pay for all my sister's milkshakes? Just remember though, when you and Blake's birthdays come around we're making up for seventeen other ones, so you better start getting prepared now."

Weiss and Blake beamed finding themselves excited but also slightly terrified of whatever Yang might have in store for them.

They both held their cards up for the waitress. "Just add fifty percent of the total to your tip," Weiss said, with Yang nodding.

"Oh my! Thank you, miss Schnee. T-that's very generous of you!" She pressed several buttons on her scroll to separate the milkshakes from the rest of the meal and afterward slid both cards. After a few more moments of pressing buttons she froze and slowly glanced up.

"I-I'm sorry, miss S-Schnee," she stuttered, "but b-both cards have been declined."

"WHAT!?" her teammates shouted, looking nervously at each other and the stacks of empty plates and milkshakes. Weiss however merely lowered her head and rubbed her temples.

"Figures today of all days..."

"You do carry lien with you, r-right?" Ruby asked.

Without looking Weiss retrieved another baby blue card with a snowflake emblem from her billfold and handed it to the waitress. "Just put both totals on the card, and add another twenty-five percent to your tip."

Misty nervously pressed a few buttons and swiped the card, and after pressing a couple more buttons handed all three cards back with a relieved grin. "Thank you for honoring us by dining at the Cerulean Cafe. We hope that you'll visit again soon." She turned to leave but before she could leave their private dining room Misty glanced back at the table with a sultry smile and a playful wink. "I know the place that you were talking about earlier, and I'll see you there later tonight! Oh, and happy birthday, Yang..."

She walked away swaying her hips with her aura visibly glowing, and after directing their bemused looks from where she'd been standing over toward a speechless Yang, everyone turned to the girl in white waiting for an explanation and looking concerned.

"Is everything okay, Weiss?" Ruby asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's just peachy," she grumbled, though not unkindly.

"It's your dad again, isn't it?" Yang said quietly.

Weiss stiffly nodded. "Father has a habit of freezing his daughters' accounts whenever we displease him or whenever a corporate meeting doesn't go well, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he chose this exact moment to do so just to embarrass and humiliate me in front of you all." She muttered a curse under her breath and tightened her fist, causing Ruby to tighten her grip on her shoulder.

"Maybe you should talk to him..." Yang whispered.

Venomous eyes glared up at her but unlike so many others including her sister, Yang didn't cower or even bat an eye, and after a few moments of her not budging the heiress looked away in anger and in shame.

Everyone at the table was silent, but the card in Weiss' hand couldn't help catching Blake's eye. She had seen the SDC' snowflake logo countless times in her life, both on everyday products and on robots shooting at her, but this snowflake was ever so subtly different, and she quickly realized it was the same symbol that appeared in all of Weiss' glyphs in varying sizes and locations, and in different combinations with ancient runes.

"If you're locked out of the SDC then what's that?" she asked, pointing at the card.

Weiss looked where she was gesturing and a small smile tugged on her lip. She put the rejected card back into her wallet and held up the other for everyone to see.

"Schi-nee?" Ruby read aloud, a garbled mess of consonants and vowels.

"It's pronounced shiny." she happily corrected, glancing at Yang. "I came up with the name myself. Clever, right?" Yang gave her a thumbs up.

"Where have I heard that before?" Ruby asked.

Everyone scratched the back of their necks looking as though the answer was on the tips of their tongues.

"Schi-nee is a company that specializes in toothpaste and toothbrushes, but we're also looking into entering the professional dentistry industry as well."

They nodded recalling the name from their tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes above the bathroom sink, except for Blake who tended to boycott all items with a snowflake emblem or imported from Atlas, with a few exceptions of course. Nobody could live a convenient life without buying some snowflake branded products, in which cases Blake would hold her nose and pretend the money went directly to the faunus working in the near pitch-black mines.

"It looks just like the other cards," Yang said, comparing the snowflake symbol in Weiss' hand and her own not seeing the difference.

Weiss frowned and held it up closer for her. "Well I assure you they're very different. One is the SDC's logo and the other is my personal emblem, and you three are looking at the majority owner of Schi-nee."

"You own a company!" Ruby exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us!"

"Honestly it's nothing," Weiss said modestly, though soundly like she only partially meant it. "It's just one of the many subsidiaries of the Schnee Dust Company, and since I'll be running the entire company someday Father wants me to get as much experience as I can. When I was fourteen I bought a small oral hygiene company and renamed it, and sold forty percent of the company back to Father for a profit. If I wasn't training to be a huntress I'd likely be running the company full time along with overseeing SDC operations and learning everything there is to know about the company, starting with answering phones, sweeping floors, and sorting the mail..."

"That's incredible!" she said, with Yang and Blake nodding in agreement.

Weiss shook her head. "I'm just doing what I was bred to do, and it's not nearly as fun or interesting as it sounds. What is fun however is having my own accounts that Father can't touch, but just in case I also carry a small fortune of lien with me at all times."

"Where do you keep it when you're sleeping?" Yang asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "The nightgowns you've been wearing lately don't exactly have many hiding places or leave much to the imagination."

"You're like a millionaire..." Ruby said in awe.

Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled at her while also ignoring Yang. "In case you've forgotten I was born a billionaire, and I might as well have been taking college business courses at the dining table since I was a little girl."

"No, Weiss-" Yang shook her head- "That's really impressive."

Blake nodded. "Especially for fourteen. You were younger than Ruby when you started running your first company."

She shrugged obviously not quite as impressed. "The SDC is still it's parent company, and it's not like I started it from scratch. Schi-nee was already making a profit before I bought it and I had a small team of advisers helping me, including Winter and my butler, Klein. To be honest all I do is make sure everything is operating smoothly and that Father doesn't try sabotaging us, which is what will probably happen eventually anyway..."

Weiss slipped the card back into her wallet and stuffed it back into her dust pouch. "I'm sorry about your present, Yang," she said, flustered with herself and the situation. "I'll get you another as soon as I can. This time from Schi-nee, though it's monthly limit will obviously have to be lower."

"Don't worry about it. Sounds like you've got your own problems, and if there's anything we can do all you have to do is ask."

"You don't even have to ask," Ruby said, wrapping an around around her.

"We're helping whether you like it or not." Blake added with a smile.

Weiss nodded and wiped something from her left eye, which twitched almost unnaturally they noticed. "Thank you, but this is something I have to do on my own."

"Then we'll be right there with you!" Ruby grinned.

"In the meantime," she continued, "I'm on a bit of a fixed income, so I'd appreciate it if nobody went wild at the mall or at the clubs tonight."

As they all gave understanding and sympathetic replies but Weiss interrupted them by giggling and slamming her hand on the table.

"I'm kidding! I may not be a billionaire at the moment, but I'm still a semi-respectable multi-millionaire."

Her friends smiled and shook their heads laughing alongside her. As all their auras flared and began overlapping, everyone's own happiness became everyone else's, as did their burdens and one person in particular's newfound sense of freedom.

"This is the best birthday ever!" Yang shouted tearfully.

"And it's just getting started!" they shouted back.


(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope that comes across while reading. Coming up with what the girls would get Yang for her birthday was particularly a lot of fun as I think it's a pretty good reflection of their personalities and/or how they've grown. Ruby gets her weapons that have their literal souls infused with them but also have a humorous element to them as well, and gets everyone a team ring and a partner ring. Weiss gets Yang dolls made in the likeness of the team so that nobody ever has to be alone, and Blake gets Yang and herself matching jackets with their "spirit animals" and emblems. I also enjoyed the alterations to Weiss' father cutting her off from the SDC and that she's already considered this a possibility and thought ahead, and that Weiss at seventeen (almost eighteen) already has some experience in the cut throat world of business, specifically toothpaste and toothbrushes. It just seemed natural to me, and I like characters being able to think ahead so that they can avoid disaster only to run into something potentially worse (We'll just have to wait and see if that comes to pass). Again thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the rest of Yang's birthday extravaganza. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and all you wonderful readers. God bless, and Merry Christmas)