"No way, don't be stupid!"

"Don't be biased!"

It had been a relatively peaceful morning. Until the shouts woke her up. It was odd to be woken up to shouts. Normally, she'd wake to silence and isolation. Subtle rays trickled through the windows, beaming on her form. If the shouts didn't wake her, the sun would have eventually.

Interested in what the argument was about, Weiss rolled out of bed feeling refreshed. She missed the warmth and soft mattress immediately. That was probably the best sleep she'd gotten in her entire life.

After wiping her eyes from the haze of sleep, she strolled out to the front deck. Just as the door opened for her to step outside, Ruby yelped.

"My sweetheart has more firepower!"

"Are you kidding?!" Yang retorted. "Have you seen the recoil on these babies?!"

Confidently, the blonde lifted her arms. Attached was a pair of yellow gauntlets that matched her wild hair. An interesting weapon of choice that somehow fit her boisterous personality.

Not wanting to join their argument, Weiss approached Blake. The faunus had been lounging on a chair reading her book. She looked like she was peaceful and content, even though her cat ears were flicking wildly.

"How on Remnant can you focus on reading?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, hey," Blake greeted, setting the book in her lap. She was probably so focused she didn't notice her approach. "You get used to it. How did you sleep? Do you like your room?"

"It's perfect," the former heiress said with a small smile. "I have to admit, I didn't think I'd get my own room."

That comment piqued Blake's interest. "Why not?"

"At first glance, the Howling Thorn isn't that large," Weiss explained, glancing around to confirm. "It's much more spacious than I thought."

"It has everything we need, so I guess that's all that matters," Blake added, glad her new crewmate had no problems with it. "It's a humble ship, do you like it?"

"Very much," the former heiress said. "It's worlds better than my previous house. I've only been here for a day, but it feels like home already."

Hearing those words made Blake extremely happy. "I'm glad."

Suddenly, a husky voice joined the conversation. An outstretched hand stuck out in the middle of the two. In the open palm were bandages and medicine. The girls looked to Qrow.

"Here," Qrow said, offering the items to Weiss. "Don't you need to change your eyepatch soon? Take it."

For a moment, Weiss paused as she processed this interaction. She never thought an older male would look out for her. Not even her dad cared this much. It was unexpected, but welcome.

"Yes, I should change the bandages," Weiss replied, thinking it was nice he thought of her own needs. "Thank you," she said, accepting the medicines.

"Don't mention it."

"Wow, Qrow," Blake said, blatantly egging him on. "That's awfully nice of you."

Qrow only shrugged, not giving her the benefit of a reaction. "She's one of us now."

Most of the time, Qrow cringed from displays of affection like hugs. Instead, he showed that he cared about them by thinking of them and their own needs.

One time, Ruby ran out of ammo and forgot to buy more. He happened to notice her ammunition was low and bought her more bullets. One time, Yang ran out of her favorite drinks, so he let her drink his own stash. Another time, he stole a book for Blake to read. A novel about a mysterious romance, a genre he noticed that she liked.

Qrow noted Blake's smug expression and he rolled his eyes. "Stop grinnin' at me like that."

All Blake did was smirk as Qrow gave her an unamused look.

"Oh!" Ruby chirped when she saw what was in Weiss' hands. "Do you need help changing the bandages?"

They'd been so caught up in their conversation they didn't notice the sisters had stopped yelling at each other.

"Perhaps- agh!"

"Come on!"

That was all Ruby needed to hear. Instantly, the two became a blur of white and red as they disappeared inside the ship. Behind them was a trail of rose petals that drifted to the floor.

"Ruby, you dunce," Weiss said, somewhat amused and irritated. "Stop dragging me around."

That was about the second time Ruby had whisked her away by this point.

"We can't have it getting infected," the captain said as she guided her inside the bathroom. "We have to take really good care of it. Idon'twantyoutogetaninfectionthatwouldbetheworst- oomph."

Before Ruby could ramble more, Weiss simply closed her mouth with two fingers. Her lips were soft, which caused Weiss to blush and let go.

"Ruby, I'll be fine," Weiss reassured. "Don't worry so much."

"Easier said than done," the captain smiled.

From how much she cared, the former heiress felt her heart flutter. The concern was for her and her alone.

Ohmygosh she's blushing, Ruby thought, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Easily, Weiss unwrapped the bandages around her head. There were so many only to keep the wound secure and to staunch the bleeding. Underneath, a large band-aid covered her entire eye. All around it was the medicine, which was slimy on her pale skin.

From the appearance, Ruby gawked at it. Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to do since Weiss looked flustered.

"Does it look bad?" Weiss asked.

"I need to see it first, silly," Ruby said.

Slowly, Weiss peeled off the band-aid.

Underneath, a single red line was carved over her eye. Gradually, Weiss opened the injured eye, pleasantly surprised the action didn't hurt. From the sight, Ruby's mouth almost hung open in awe. The red line made her blue pools pop dramatically.

They match the sky. Woah… Ruby thought. They're prettier than the sky, actually.

"W-well?" Weiss asked, uneasy.

"I-it looks really cool," Ruby reassured her, trying not to show how much she liked the mark. "It's healing nicely. It looks like a clean cut. No signs of infection at all."

"Thank you for the diagnosis, Dr. Ruby."

Jokingly, Ruby bowed. "You're very welcome, mad'am."

"Does it look unpleasant?" Weiss suddenly asked. "Be honest."

The moment she asked that question, Ruby looked dumbfounded. So shocked that she wondered how Weiss could even think that.

"No way!" Ruby said without missing a beat and added without thought. "It actually makes you look cuter if that's possible…"

"Pardon?" Weiss asked, not catching the last part.

"I- I think it adds to your beauty," Ruby said genuinely as she shyly glanced away. "Y-you look nice…"

DidIjustsaythatohmygodgetagripme!

From the unexpected compliment, Weiss was surprised. Heat raced to her cheeks. Was Ruby blushing, too?

"Thank you, Ruby," the former heiress said, trying not to show how flustered that made her.

"Y-yeah! No problem!" the captain hastily replied. "Um, here, I'll do it slowly."

Ruby grabbed the medicinal paste that'd been resting on the counter and soothed some on her fingers. When she lifted to dab it on her wound, Weiss closed the injured eye.

Ruby was very meticulous with her movements as she soothed the paste over the red line. "That's it…" she murmured, trying not to hurt her.

There's a slight dent, Ruby noted sadly. It'll probably scar. I wonder if she's alright talking about it.

"If you don't mind me asking, how'd you get it?" Ruby asked as she dabbed a little more paste onto the wound. "What did he do?"

"Father was indirectly responsible," Weiss answered softly, enjoying the cold paste and Ruby's gentle touch. "He made me fight a tough opponent. I won but at a cost."

What a bizarre punishment. Qrow was right. He's an absolute jackass, Ruby thought. It's a good thing Weiss is with us now. Who knows what else her father would've done if she stayed.

"I really don't like your dad," Ruby said, not liking the word 'hate.' Although, she supposed if she hated anyone, it would be Weiss' father.

How dare he do this to you.

"Get in line," Weiss agreed.

Carefully, Ruby placed a small bandage over her eye to keep it protected. The conversation almost had her go into protective mode.

For a moment, Ruby only gazed into her blue eye that lit up the room. She was seemingly in a trance until Weiss spoke.

"Ruby?"

"O-oh, uh, looks good as new," the captain said, proud of her work. A tan bandage covered her right eye. It was small compared to the usual wrap. "I bet you won't need treatment in a few day's time. Which kinda sucks because then you won't look like a pirate!"

Weiss almost laughed from her reasoning. "None of you look like pirates."

"Does saying 'argh' count?" Ruby asked jokingly.

"I've never heard you say that," Weiss said, amusement in her voice.

"Argh, matey!"

"Such a dunce."

"Are you ready for the tour?" Ruby asked eagerly. "It shouldn't take long."

"Lead the way," Weiss said, mildly excited to see the rest of the ship.

From the reply. Ruby grinned widely. She could tell her crewmate was just as eager but didn't show it. Gently, she grasped her hand and lead her around a few corners.

Woah, her hand's so soft, Ruby briefly thought. And cold… it's kinda hot in here.

At last, Ruby enthusiastically opened a door. "You'll love this one."

Inside was clearly the work out room. There was a treadmill, an exercise ball, several dumbbells ranging in all sizes, and a blue matt. Overall it was a simple room, but had the essentials necessary.

It was almost perfect, but Weiss had to ask. "What do you do for leg day?"

"Yang helps us with that, she's the squat master," the captain chirped fondly, which earned a skeptical look. "She can bench press Blake at least a hundred times."

"In no way does that surprise me," Weiss said. Has she really bench pressed her?

"Right? I use the treadmill a lot even though it's tricky with the waves and the swaying and all that," Ruby chirped. "There's only so much space to run on the ship."

"I didn't think that'd stop you," Weiss said with a smirk.

"Sometimes it doesn't," Ruby replied, grinning.

When they were done inspecting the equipment, they shut the door. Next stop, Ruby took her new crewmate into a room she'd already been familiarized with.

"This is the dining slash living room."

A small wooden table was in the corner with four chairs. The refrigerator and freezer were in the center along with a stove, microwave, and oven. A typical kitchen. Smaller than most, but efficient.

Ruby pointed to the television further in the back. In front of it were two small chairs.

"We sometimes play video games on it. Although, we only have two games we've played forever. We don't get new ones often. I can teach you how to play them if you want."

"Maybe later," the former heiress said, having never played a video game. She was willing to try eventually if that's what the crew liked to do to pass time.

"We have a new board game if you're into that," Ruby said in excitement. "If you like those better, we can play that, too."

Honestly, Weiss hadn't played any kind of video games or board games. Growing up, all she did was study, study, and study. She barely even got to watch television.

"That sounds nice," Weiss said sincerely. "I've never played one before."

"Okay, then we're definitely playing later!" Ruby chirped, almost not believing her crewmate never once played a game. "What'd you used to do for fun?"

"Fencing," Weiss simply replied. "I've always had my rapier, so it was my go-to."

"You also have us now."

Ruby said that so warmly and casually that it caught Weiss off guard. The captain was totally right. She wasn't alone anymore. She had friends to depend on.

"Yeah."

With that, they rounded a few corners. Ruby simply pointed at two doors on the left and right side. "Those are Yang and Blake's rooms. Just a few feet down is Qrow's, mine, and your's."

"All close together," Weiss observed.

"Yep! And here's the back deck."

After walking through the narrow hall, the two stepped outside.

"In case you couldn't tell, we sometimes spar here," the captain said jokingly.

A white eyebrow rose from the sight. There were lots of dents in this area. Some of the wooden floor was cracked. The railing of the ship had been busted in one area.

Nothing she was staring at that part, Ruby chirped. "Yang did that. Qrow dodged one of her punches."

Azure orbs widened when she noted the damage. "If he didn't, he might have died."

"Qrow can handle any punch," Ruby waved off like the aftermath was nothing. "Oh, and you know where the front deck is. There's a watchtower there. Sometimes we use it to look for land. Most of the time Blake likes to go up there for the view. Sometimes she reads up there."

"To get away from your shouting," Weiss said.

Ruby dryly laughed. "Yeeeeah, probably."

Suddenly, the entire shipped rocked hardly. Must've been in rough waters. This caused Weiss to fall onto Ruby. Easily, Ruby caught her.

"S-sorry," Weiss apologized as she found her footing again.

Woah, Ruby thought. She's so light.

"That was a wobbly one," Ruby admitted with a blush. "I-I gotta show you the coolest spot! It's one of the best views."

"Lead the way."

Happily, Ruby darted ahead.

"Wait up, dolt!"

"Oops, I didn't forget you, I swear!"

Eventually, the two made it to the front of the ship. In the corner, there were stairs. The stairwell was cramped and led to a confined room.

"Up here's the captain's deck," Ruby said as they ascended. "Usually, Qrow is up here because he likes to steer. We switch off sometimes."

As expected, Qrow was behind the wheel when they reached the top. The room was small, but spacious enough to get the job done.

From the new arrivals, Qrow whirled around.

"Looks good as new," Qrow observed, referring to the small eyepatch. "Good work, kiddo."

From the praise, Ruby beamed a smile. "Are we docking somewhere soon?"

"We should be there tomorrow," Qrow estimated. "We're still going east, right?"

Easily, Ruby grabbed the small compass hanging around her neck. "Yep!"

Not having a clue what was going on, Weiss asked. "Where are we going?"

"A town called Carnation," Qrow informed as he casually leaned on the wheel. "We need to get more food. A certain someone keeps eating everything," he said, glaring at Ruby.

"It's only the strawberries!" Ruby defended. "Yang takes all the meat!"

"Don't drag firecracker into this."

"She's just as guilty as me," Ruby defended. "Tell him, Weissy."

"Now you're draggin' Weiss into it!" Qrow exclaimed. "Such a troublemaker."

The conversation slowly drowned out as Weiss watched the waves. The sea was calming and danced. The ship was humble and cozy. Her friends were here.

This was home. She was home.


Stay dandy,

~Toto