"You killed someone?" Whatever it was that Tai been expecting, it wasn't that revelation.

"Yeah." Yang sounded worried; and she was. It was one thing to kill Grimm, they were monsters. Beating dangerous people up so they could be thrown in jail and not hurt anyone, that was also fine. Straight up killing someone though? That was a whole different thing.

"Was it on purpose or accidental?" Yang looked at Tai. He didn't have a judging look on his face, and his voice had the same calming tone. She was silent and Tai nodded, accepting her silence as the answer. "I'm not gonna ask if they deserved it or not, that's not for us to decide. But tell me about it, it'll help to talk."

So, she did. Yang sat next to Tai and told him the whole story and left nothing out. "...and I stabbed him in the back, and Blake stabbed him from the front. In his chest." Yang's hand was trembling, and her voice had become more monotone as the story went on. When she finished she breathed out heavily.

Tai nodded and gently gave his eldest a hug, kissing the top of her head. "You're gonna have nightmares for quite a long time. Your hand will probably tremble like it is now in random moments." Yang focused and stopped the trembling, holding onto her wrist with the other hand. "You took a life. That's something big. And regardless of the reasons behind it, it will haunt you for a very long time." Yang looked at her Dad, petrified he was judging her for it. "But at the same time there wasn't any other way. He sounds like someone who can't be persuaded or talked to, who only understands violence and the possession of things he believes belong to him. There wasn't any other choice, because he would have kept coming and coming until he had made good on his promise to Blake and destroyed everything she loved, including you." Yang nodded, feeling relieved her Dad wasn't angry or judging her. "So, whilst I won't say don't worry, because you will, and taking a life has a burden and a toll of its own, you did the only thing you could to protect your partner and your team. You did the right thing."

Yang gripped Tai tightly, she'd been terrified of telling him, afraid that whilst he approved of her and Ruby becoming Huntresses, he'd be disappointed in her for killing someone. She'd lost Summer, she'd lost Raven twice by now, and she couldn't lose the last parent she had left.

"Plus, I'm a little proud." Yang pulled back to look at him as if he was crazy. Proud? Of her killing someone? Seeing the look on her face he laughed, "Not like that. I'm proud because you faced off against the asshole who took your arm. The first time you fought you charged right in, full of rage to protect Blake, and you lost instantly. This time you didn't become blinded by anger or revenge, you tried to get him to leave you two alone, then when he wouldn't you fought back using your brain, and you fought him together. You didn't just rely on your semblance to win, you timed it to maximum effect, and used it in the best possible way. Shows you actually paid attention to your old man in the summer!" Tai laughed again and gently pushed against Yang's shoulder with his fist.

Yang smiled, "Yeah, those sessions were actually helpful. Surprisingly. Guess there's a reason you're a teacher eh?" She elbowed him in the side gently.

"Ouch! Harsh!" Tai exclaimed dramatically leaning to one side clutching his side. Yang laughed and shoved him a bit harder in the shoulder and he laughed as well. Whilst Yang and Tai were talking, Blake had slipped off to Yang's room to call her parents.

"Blake, sweetheart!" Kali was overjoyed to see her only daughter, the smile reaching her eyes, which were crinkling a little at the corners.

"Hi Mum," Blake's voice was quiet, but she was very happy to see her Mum again.

"I'll just get your father, Ghira!" Kali leaned back to yell at a closed door. Kali and Ghira had rebuilt the manor that had been badly damaged by the fire the year before, updating it a little bit but mostly keeping the same aesthetic.

"I won't be much longer dear, just finishing this report!" Ghira's deep voice called back.

"Your father, working even on Solstice." Kali chuckled, a soft and light laugh, "Then I guess you won't be able to say Happy Solstice to our daughter then!" Kali's voice was good natured, and she winked at Blake, who smiled as the door to what she guessed was her father's study was thrown open, and Ghira came out straight away.

As soon as he saw Blake on the call his face split into a massive smile and he came round to sit next to his wife, who gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Blake! Happy Solstice, I'm so happy you called."

Blake smiled back, she could see that they were both really happy, and she couldn't deny that she was too. "Happy Solstice."

"So," Kali's eyes twinkled with mischief, "Your dorm room looks a little small, I thought Beacon's dorms were four person dorms?"

"Oh! Um. I'm not at Beacon right now. I was invited to spend Solstice with Yang's dad." Blake's ears dropped a little, realising immediately that her mum had known she wasn't at Beacon straight away, and guessing where the conversation might be heading.

"Yang? She's your partner, isn't she? The tall blonde girl from Haven." Ghira might have been a formidable fighter, and an excellent diplomat and leader, but he could also be just a little dense at times.

"Yes, she is."

"Well, is there any reason we haven't been introduced yet?" Kali's eyes were still twinkling.

"Muuuuuuum..."

"What? Is there anything wrong with me wanting to meet my daughter's partner? I take it you two managed to patch everything up between you if you're at her house." Kali's voice was teasing, and she was smirking.

Thank Dust Yang isn't here right now, she'd be having a field day. Blake decided to tell the truth quickly in hope that it would stop her Mum teasing a little. "The invite was for the whole team. Yang's talking with her Dad right now, and Weiss and Ruby are calling Weiss' sister."

"So, we'll just have to wait even longer before we're introduced? Are you embarrassed of us?" Kali pulled back and put a hand to her chest in shock, but her voice was still full of laughter, so the shock wasn't even remotely genuine.

"No! No." Blake's ears dropped completely to flatten against her head. "I could never be embarrassed of you."

"We know that sweetheart. Your mother's just teasing you." Ghira's deep voice softened her nerves and her ears went back to their normal position.

"I'm sorry for teasing Blake, I just want to meet your friends. We barely got a chance to say hello to them back in Haven and I know how important they are to you." Kali's voice softened like Ghira's, the teasing gone completely, her own ears dropping slightly.

"I...I know. I'm just still getting used to having you both back in my life. I missed you a lot. I still do." Blake's voice cracked a little. Seeing the way that Yang and Ruby had been around Tai, and the kind way he'd treated both her and Weiss had made her miss her own parents.

"Oh, sweetheart we miss you too, terribly." Ghira's smile was soft and full of love for his daughter.

"I have an idea, as there won't enough time for a visit before you go back to school, I doubt Beacon's Solstice breaks are any longer than they used to be, but why don't you all come to Menagerie for a few weeks in Summer? It'll be good to relax and you can show your friends around. Plus, we can see you more." Kali was excited, having thought up a great way to both spend time with Blake and get to meet her teammates and friends.

"That's...not a bad idea. I'll definitely ask them, and I think they'll agree with it." A thought suddenly came into Blake's head, "Are you sure it'll be alright for them to come down? As um...one of them is Weiss Schnee..." Whilst she knew her parents would be accepting of her, Blake was a little worried that some other Faunus might not be.

"You mean the Weiss Schnee who arrested her own father and rather publicly had him sent to jail? The younger sister of Winter Schnee who, having assumed partial control of the Schnee Dust Company before passing it to board members, immediately improved working conditions for all Faunus to at least tolerable levels with promises of continued improvement? Promises that have actually been stuck to?" Kali smirked at her daughter.

"I can understand why you'd be worried sweetheart, but enough news from Atlas has travelled down here that I think she'd be perfectly welcome. Plus, she's one of your teammates and friends. We'd be willing to give her a chance even without all of that." Ghira helped ease her worries.

"Ok, good." Blake was relieved to hear it.

"Now, tell us all about your start back at Beacon!" Kali smiled, happy she was able to question Blake about her life again, she'd missed far too many years of her daughter's life.

Blake smiled and her ears flicked up in happiness, "Well it didn't get off to the best start, we'd been made Huntresses in Atlas but..."

As the others were having talks with their parents, and Blake was filling in her parents on the year so far, Weiss had called Winter. She wasn't alone however, Ruby butting in on the call as didn't want to be left alone whilst everyone else spoke to someone.

"Good evening Weiss, Ruby, I hope you've both had an enjoyable Solstice." Winter's polite voice came through smoothly, the work on repairing the CCT network clearly progressing well.

"Thank you sister, it has been enjoyable so far. I hope yours has been too." Weiss' walls were back up, and she'd reverted to her more formal and polite way of speaking. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but it was still more formal than the way she spoke around Ruby and the others.

"Happy Solstice Winter, umm may your year be...as white as the snow?" Ruby tried.

Bless her, she tried. "Bright" Weiss whispered out the corner of her mouth next to Ruby.

"Bright! As bright as the snow." Ruby sat further upright and beamed as she finished saying it, as she did so a small smile crept into Winter's mouth.

"Thank you Ruby, and to you as well." Winter nodded at Ruby before turning her attention back to Weiss. "In answer to your question Weiss, my Solstice has been...productive."

A sudden shout rings up from a distance offscreen, "If by productive you mean attempting to work the Council members half to death, then yes, it was highly productive." Weiss and Ruby looked at each other, they hadn't been expecting Winter to have company.

Winter rolled her eyes in a way that Ruby found very reminiscent of Weiss before she replied, "My apologies for trying to get the cities of Atlas and Mantle back to normality. But I believe you were the one who insisted on being present at all times as a representative of the citizens of Mantle. I sincerely apologise that you're unable to keep up with the demanding work rate that requires. If you no longer wish to occupy the role Councilwoman Hill, I'm sure I can arrange a press conference for you to resign publicly."

"Ha! Your sarcasm is improving Ice Queen, but I'm not the one slacking off with video calls here." Robyn Hill's voice came back through with a laugh before she directly addressed Ruby and Weiss, "Happy Solstice you two! Pass it onto your teammates and Qrow!"

"Happy Solstice!" Ruby yelled back, leaning slightly as if that would help her voice reach to wherever in the office Robyn was. Weiss grabbed the back of Ruby's trousers and pulled her back to sitting down next to her.

"Do you really have that much work left to do?" Weiss' formality dropped and was replaced with a voice that rang with concern.

"Yes. Whilst Ironwood's martial law and other declarations have been removed and repealed, there is still much to do until Atlas and Mantle are closer together. Mantle has been shackled with too much for too long in the forms of various laws and court rulings. Undoing them all and providing a more equal alternative is proving to be a challenge. Especially with Atlas attempting to be a barrier in every situation."

Winter rubbed the bridge of her nose between her eyes, the tiredness finally evident in her voice. "I apologise for causing you concern Weiss, but I will be fine." Her tone shifted back to normal, "How are your studies progressing?"

Weiss allowed herself a moment to breathe and drop back into formality before she replied, "They are going excellently. Whilst I am not top of the class in every subject, I am still in the top three."

"And outside of studies? I see that you are not in your dorm room." Winter raised an eyebrow.

"No, Ruby and Yang's father was gracious enough to host our team for the Solstice."

Ruby had stayed silent through the back and forth between Weiss and Winter, keeping an eye on both of them, slightly comparing the two in her head. It's surprising how alike they are, similar facial expressions, the eye roll was practically identical, same posture. There are subtle differences too, Weiss allows her defences to drop much faster to show concern, she raised her right eyebrow, whilst Winter raised the left. Ruby also noticed that Winter was slightly loosening up, not considerably, but much like Weiss had in the first year after a while of being around people less formal than her, Robyn was starting to have an effect on Winter. The slightly drop in her guard to let the tiredness seep into her voice was potentially a result of that, but Ruby didn't know Winter well enough, she was basing it off Weiss. Who elbowed her in the hip out of view of the camera breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Ah! Yes? Sorry." Ruby blushed slightly, she'd got caught up in her own head.

"I was asking you to pass my thanks onto your father for agreeing to host Weiss alongside you and your sister." Winter repeated.

"Pfft it's fine, Weiss is part of the team! Course he'd host her." Ruby dismissed Winter's comments with a slight wave, then remembered it was Weiss' sister who had said it, and she wasn't at Weiss levels of informality yet. "Buuuut I will pass them on to him regardless."

Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly, before a loud bang made everyone jump. Winter looked to one side of the camera as a separate voice that Ruby recognised as belonging to May Marigold shouted out, "Right, I've had it with the pair of you! It's almost ten o'clock at night, on Solstice. Quit working and relax! You've been in here since eight this morning, nothing is going to happen anywhere until the Solstice break is over, so take some damn time off." She continued after a pause, "That goes for you too Ice Queen!"

Winter's eyes narrowed, "Excuse me for the interruption to this call Weiss, but I am going to have to deal with this intrusion."

She started to get up, but Weiss called out, "Winter!" She stopped standing and lowered herself back into the chair, before Weiss continued, "Whilst I disagree with her methods of barging in, May is right. There won't be any decisions to be made or council meetings until after the Solstice break, and if you've been working since eight then you need to take a break to avoid burning out. Please."

Winter sighed and rubbed her eyes again, "It...it has been a lot of work. Fine. I suppose if I burn-out from overwork and am unable to get anything done, then it will most likely come at a far worse time than now, so a break may be in order."

Weiss allowed her smile to spread across her face for a moment, before she controlled it and went back to her more formal expression. "Thank you, sister."

Winter nodded, "I will say my goodbyes now then. I will update you with further news on mother and Whitley when I have something positive to say about the situation."

Weiss' returned the nod with a pained expression, "Very well, thank you. Enjoy your break."

Robyn's blonde head suddenly popped into view, "Don't worry Ice Princess, I'll make sure she does." Her words were accompanied with a wink.

Winter bristled, despite not having seen the wink, "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Well Ice Queen, you've subjected me to over twelve hours of nearly solid work on the actual Solstice itself, so it's only fair you do what I say regarding taking a break." Robyn had moved back out of camera and was clearly standing opposite Winter, as her eye line was drawn to somewhere off screen and up to the right.

Winter looked back at Weiss, "Apologies to the pair of you, it appears I need to explain myself to this overexcited idiot that our ideas of 'taking a break' differ greatly." Weiss had just enough time to say goodbye before Winter hung up, cutting Robyn's response to being called an idiot short.

"Well...that was something." Ruby was the first one to say something.

"It was." Weiss shook her head, "and what in Dust did Robyn mean by Ice Princess?!"

Ruby burst out laughing, "Well maybe because she calls Winter 'Ice Queen,' and there can't be two Queens, so the next one down is Princess."

"Hmmph."

"Don't worry Weiss, you're still our Ice Queen!" Ruby beamed as she said it.

"Please don't start turning into your sister...dolt."

Author's Note:

Ok so the Solstice arc is going to take yet another chapter haha. Next one might just be a short one though, but it should be the final one! ...should. Don't hold me to it.

So Yang's talk with Tai feels pretty short to me, but I struggled with making it longer without going over the events of the actual show (something I'm mostly trying to avoid) or bringing up a crush on Blake, which I think is too early to talk with Tai about just yet. Anything else I tried to put in just really didn't fit, so I know it's shorter than the talks with Blake and Weiss, but they just flowed a lot more to me.