Chapter 67
Ruby always thought she was a good driver, but now she had realized that maybe, just maybe, Yang might be better. The whole drive into town had been otherwise uneventful, the huge Chevron station wagon absorbing every bump and blemish on the road, turning the rough country highway into a smooth, mattress-like ride. The soft cloth seats were like sitting in a lounger made of pillows as well. However, the comfort and smoothness provided by the car were not the most impressive things about this particular journey.
That honour went to Yang's parking ability.
The Chevron Crusader was a big car. A substantially huge car. At an astonishing five and a half meters in length, it dwarfed Yang's little Atlas Syncro. Parking this beast of a car was a royal chore most of the time. It was too long for most regular parking spaces, and too wide to fit between the lines in most underground garages. But here, in the very middle of the village of patch, Yang and done them one better. She had found a place to parallel park the leviathan land yacht.
Ruby knew how to parallel park, of course, as it was required to be mastered to get a driver's license where they lived. But doing it in a vehicle that was a full meter longer than her own truck was a feat of pure skill, apparently only possessed by her sister. With the same sort of grace and ease that she had simply driving in a straight line, she had threaded the barge-like automobile into a spot right out front of the bar they were going to, right between two very expensive customized lifted trucks. The funny thing was, the Crusader was just about as long as the two full-size trucks.
Ruby was quite impressed as she stepped out of the low, comfortable car. Somehow, against all laws of size and reality, she had parked the car with mere inches to spare on each side, almost as if she had bent the very fabric of space time to get the very round Crusader into the very square hole.
"Oy, Ru-ster. You coming?"
Her attention was grabbed away from gawking at the feat of driving miracles and over to her sister, who was beckoning her over to the front of the little unassuming bar. Ruby gave the perfect parking job one last jealous glance, before skipping up the sidewalk to her sister. Yang, in some strike of compassion for her sister, had gone closet-diving and found a very appropriate bright yellow and strapless dress that she could put on and not have to struggle with the leather straps that were currently holding her right arm to her body. Over top of that, she had thrown their dad's black leather riding jacket he had been hiding away for a sunny day. With the big yellow bow on the dress and the polished nickel buttons on the jacket, Ruby could certainly agree that her sister looked like the most baddest of asses.
"Yeah, yeah, gimme a moment. You have longer legs than me, remember?"
"Coming from the girl who's semblance is literally running really fast. Hurry your bum."
"My bum moves at exactly the speed it wants, thank you."
Yang chuckled, her bright smile shining like the actual sun in the early-evening dim. Ruby had kept the flowery dress had given her than morning, though she had run it through the wash to clean the mud off of it. Their dad was right, dresses shouldn't be worn for farm work. They just drag on the ground and get in the way, anyways. Having Yang catch her in her underwear in the laundry room had been unpleasant though, and had resulted in the loudest and shriekiest of shrieks. She was fairly certain that the neighbouring kingdoms had heard her. The rocks on the moon had probably heard. She knew know that she'd have to lock the door of every room she went in, lest she be interrupted.
"The slowness of your bum is matched only by the slowness of your driving, Ru."
"Maybe you drive too fast. Besides, it's called the speed limit, not the speed suggestion. It's a law, and I follow the law, like a good girl."
"You? A good girl? Psh, don't make me laugh."
"Yang, I once measured two slices of cake to make sure you got the bigger half. Which was bigger by three grams. I think I'm a good girl."
"Alright, alright, you win."
"I sort my shirts by shade of cream on the buttons, then by width of collar, then by number of sleeves."
"Alright, I get it!"
"I always pay off my credit card on the same day. Even if it's over five-hundred lien!"
"Holy hell, what are you, some kind of millionaire? Jeez, you madwoman."
Ruby laughed, poking her elbow into her sister's side, making the taller woman squawk. They had finally made it up to the front door of the particular establishment Yang had chosen for them to have dinner in. The otherwise dull-looking grey brick building had only one faded red door and a little sign hanging that was in the vague shape of a mug of beer. If Ruby didn't trust her sister to make good choice, she'd have said this place was pretty sketch. Incredibly sketchy, actually. What sort of restaurant didn't even have have windows?
Yang pulled the door to the small hole-in-the-wall, and the smell of alcohol drifted out and into her. It felt like she had already had three pints by the time she crossed the threshold and entered the little bar. The inside was dim, lit by a few small wall fixtures and some tired table lamps placed up on the bar. The room was devoid of customers, save for one man enjoying a small plate of what looked like spaghetti in the far corner. Her sister seemed to know the place, striding in with confidence, right up to the bar.
"C'mon, pull up a stool."
Ruby tried to move one of the faded and tired bar stools. It didn't yield.
"Yang, it's bolted to the floor."
"You know what I meant, sit down."
With a smile, Ruby let the girl rub her hair with her good hand, before taking a seat at her left near the middle of the bar. The mirror in front of her and the pyramid of fancy booze bottles reflected the two of them, revealing that the bar had a sink behind it. It was nothing special, she just thought it was interesting.
"Where's the barkeeper?"
Yang smiled over at her, pulling her jacket off and folding it neatly onto the bar stool next to her.
"Oh that's the best part. Watch this."
Yang slammed her metal hand down on the bar as hard as she could, rattling the few glasses that were on it and leaving a dent in the thick hardwood.
"Yo, barkeep! You have two gorgeous and thirst customers out here! Get yer tush in gear!"
Ruby panicked, grabbing her sister and pulling her back down onto her stool.
"Yang, what is wrong with you?!"
Yang merely winked back at her.
"We're waiting! Gettin' pretty dry out here!"
A quiet snicker came from the man in the corner, seemingly finding this quite amusing. Ruby's voice got stuck in her throat. She hoped the world would freeze in this moment in time so she didn't have to wait for the proprietor of the creepy bar to come out of the back and murder them both. She didn't have to wait long though, as the deep voice of the dark spectre of death himself seemed to boom from the doorway behind the bar that led into the kitchen. The voice seemed oddly familiar, as well, and almost sounded like their old Grimm studies professor, just a lot more serious.
"Yes, yes, my apologies, I was helping my daughter with her econ homework."
And then, like a scene from a bad dream, the doorway filled with a huge black shadow. She let out a gasp.
"Now, what can I- oh, it's you."
The massive man's voice went from apologetic to annoyed in a breath. He paused, still only illuminated from behind. His huge shadow made him a lot more intimidating than was necessary, really, but Ruby found herself in no position to object as the man stood a clear two feet taller than she did. His tree-trunk like arms were also fairly evident from the silhouette. Yang, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease.
"Hei Xiong. How's it hangin'?"
The spectre let out a dejected sigh.
"Why do you keep coming back here, Xiao-Long?"
"Because I like the food!"
The huge man, who Ruby now recognized was Junior Xiong of all people, finally moved out of the doorway and came up to his place behind the counter. The last time she had seen him was seven or eight years ago, running a fancy nightclub in downtown Vale, remembering his fancy suit and tie as well. This man's black t-shirt on jeans combo somehow made him look less like a mob boss and more like a mob enforcer. She didn't know which she feared more, really.
"Nobody likes the food here. Except Paul. But he has no tastebuds, so..."
"Maybe I like the music selection on the jukebox!"
Ruby looked around the room. No such music player existed around the dark oak-walled room.
"Don't be ridiculous. We don't even play music here. Keep trying before I remove you from my bar. Again."
Yang leaned forward slightly, parting her lips slightly. Ruby winced, knowing exactly where this was going. Yang made the effort to discreetly push her breasts slightly together with her biceps, but Junior's eyes didn't once drop down to the low neckline of the strapless dress. A miracle of self-control, Ruby figured, as she herself had a modicum of difficulty not looking at that moment.
"Alright... what if I like the bartender?"
Junior leaned over his side of the bar, resting on his large hands. He maintained eye contact with her needlessly flirtatious sister, not even flinching as Yang seemed to lean her face up to him, coming a few inches away. Even Ruby found herself biting her lip in anticipation.
"The bartender doesn't like you."
"Is that so..."
Junior brought a hand up, gently placing it on Yang's cheek. Ruby's face lit up like a bright red spotlight. There was no way this was happening. No way! The large and aggressive bartender softened visibly, trailing his fingers down her sister's neck, bringing his hand to a rest on the girl's shoulder.
"...Very much so."
He turned his hand over, and with a forceful yet polite shove, manually put Yang back onto her bum on the tall stool. With the crisis averted, Ruby let her heartbeat slow and the excess blood drain from her face. The awkward air in the bar settled as soon as Junior stood upright again, giving Yang another opportunity to make conversation with the annoyed business owner.
"Aw, c'mon now. You know you love me!"
The big man snorted as he picked up one of the empty glasses from the bar and began washing it in the sink. Ruby always wondered why bartenders did that, knowing full well they had a dishwasher in the back. Maybe it was for effect. Junior gestured up to the wall behind him.
"If I did, blondie, I wouldn't have a 'No Yangs Allowed' sign, now would I?"
True to his word, a sign bearing No Yangs of any variety may enter this establishment at any time hung on the wall above the big mirror behind the bar. It looked like it had cost a pretty penny to have made up, as it was glazed and fired ceramic, bearing a little picture of Yang's face as well. An impressive sign, she thought. Cheeky as well, as it was clearly too high off the ground for her sister to reach if she had wanted to steal it.
"You'd miss me too much if I wasn't around, Hei. Besides, I'm your best customer."
Junior put the cup down with a solid crack of glass against wood.
"No, I would not. I have other pressing matters to attend to other than your weird attraction to this crappy bar. Why are you here, anyways?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for you, big guy!"
Ruby poked her sister in the ribs again. The blonde took it without flinching.
"Yang, shut up."
Junior just laughed, not registering the response her sister was expecting.
"That'd be the day, Xiao-Long. That'd be the fuckin' day."
Yang laughed at him.
"Nah, we're here for dinner. Thought I'd bring the Ru-ster out to my favourite restaurant, seeing as she's livin' with me'n dad again. Besides, after dinner, I thought you and I could, you know... talk business ifyaknowwhatI'msayin. Wink wink, nudge nudge."
"God, I hope you're joking. Yeuch."
"Could you maybe sound a little less disappointed, Hei?"
Junior rolled his eyes at her, and pulled two short, single page menus out from a sleeve behind the counter and sliding them over. Ruby gave her page a glance, and seeing the prices, suddenly realized why no one seemed to come here. Thirty lien for a sandwich and fries! It was astronomical!
"So what do you want, Yang? Make it snappy."
He turned to Ruby and dropped the aggressive attitude.
"Sorry, sweetheart. What can I get for you? Something to drink to start?"
Yang cut in before she even had the chance to open her mouth.
"Give 'er a strawberry sunrise, and get nuts with the tequila."
"Yang! No!"
Another rib-jab was delivered via express post to her sister's side.
"Sorry, Mister Xiong, sir. Uh, whatever is cold and fizzy and preferably cheap."
He smiled at her, grabbing a clean glass from the rack behind him, quickly filling it with a fizzy purple soda she guessed was PLG. He set it gently down in front of her on a coaster, dropping a tiny paper umbrella into the cup in a swift and fluid movement.
"Of course, my dear. And you can call me Junior. Mister Xiong was my father."
"Nice, an informality exchange! High five for higher language conversation!"
Yang held up her hand, expecting Junior to give her a high five. He instead gave her another angry look.
"It's just a saying, Xiao-Long, don't get all up in arm."
"You mean up in arms, Hei."
"Not for you."
Ruby choked on her drink, laughing harshly as the fizzy drink went down into the wrong pipe. Yang's mouth fell open, halfway between another 'Hey!' and a more aggressive 'Fuck you!', yet neither of which got said. Junior's face broke into a smile.
"That's so mean, Hei! Why would you say that to me!"
He just shrugged.
"I dunno, probably had something to do with the fact you burned down my nightclub and assaulted my staff. Ruby, sweetheart, have you decided what you'd like?"
"Do you have poutine?"
"Not on the menu, but I can make it for you."
"Hey, why does she get special treatment and I, your best and most beautiful customer, do not?!"
Junior simply scribbled a short order on a slip of paper and stuck it into his pocket.
"See above. Also, you kicked the shit out of my daughters. Do you know what it's like to have them one weekend a month, and you try and spend as much time as you can with them, inviting them to the VIP room at your nightclub so they can meet their favourite celebrities and then they get beat up by you because I refused to serve you?"
Yang shrugged.
"I was thirsty."
"You were a minor! I had to send them back to their mother covered in bruises and scrapes, not to mention Mel's three cracked ribs! You have no idea how many meetings I had to go to, and the amount of money I spent on lawyers fees to prove that I was a good father in court."
"Oh..."
"But look on the brightside. After the insurance finally paid out, I was able to rebuild the club and most of my men survived with no injuries, so that's all right."
It felt like a baited brightside, actually. Ruby patiently waited for the incoming 'but', watching Yang's face as she did.
"...That's good?"
"BUT the government deemed me a bad parent, so my bi-weekly custody was revoked and my children given permanently to my ex-wife, then my business partner slept with my girlfriend, and I lost my business when the bank told me they were repossessing because I 'defaulted on my loan' or some shit like that."
Yang's smile faded, replaced by a very embarrassed pout.
"I'm sorry."
Junior's face broke out into a huge smile, followed by a raucous bout of laughter. He slammed his hand down on the table, having to support his huge torso from folding over onto itself. None of what anyone had said was even remotely funny, and Ruby was both confused and scared at the short interaction.
"I've been waiting almost ten years to hear you say that! Oh my god, I had to go into a dark place to pull that out. The Academy Award goes to me, motherfucker!"
"What, you mean none of that was true?!"
Yang's face was in full panic.
"No, most of it was. Some of it was pure acting. Your face, Yang. Goddamn priceless."
"Bu- whu- I don't- speh- what?!"
"Well, the part about Mel's broken ribs is true, still a little upset about that, and so is the fact that I had to go to court when my girls were returned to their mother. But in all fairness, I did win that case when I presented the security footage of me, their brave father, defending them and my nightclub against an attack from a violent demi-god. I got custody back and now we're a family again. No more actually abusive ex-wife controlling them."
"You... argh!"
Ruby chuckled at her sister, watching the blonde woman have a crisis on the skinny stool next to her. Junior continued to chuckle to himself as he disappeared back through the doorway into the kitchen again. Ruby could hear him mumbling to someone and the sound of a gas stove being lit. He reappeared shortly after, having donned a white apron that bore a few faded stains. Now he looked the part of the shady bartender.
"So, Ruby, it's been a while since you came to one of my establishments, how've you been?"
Ruby shrugged, taking another sip of the highly caffeinated purple drink. She was going to be awake for hours.
"M'okay, I guess. I moved to Atlas after I got drafted, and I've been living there wasting time, really. I don't really get out of the house much."
"You were drafted?"
"Yep. Right out of Beacon after the attacks. General Ironwood requested me specifically. That's why I don't live in Vale anymore. Speaking of, why aren't you in Vale either? Did you really lose your business?"
He smiled, pouring something from a clear and label-free bottle into a glass and setting it down in front of Yang. Her sister didn't even move as it hit the hardwood.
"No, it's still there. My business partner runs it. I get a significant cut of the profits, of course. It's still my nightclub. Few years after winning custody of my girls again, we moved out here to Patch to get away from my ex-wife. Found this little hole in the wall and bought it for cheap, and now I run a new sketchy bar. Reminds me of my first business venture when I was running a bar out of someone's basement."
"But why Patch?"
"Couldn't get away from my best customer."
Yang shot up off the countertop, a huge smile on her face. Junior chuckled in her direction.
"Nah, I'm kidding. The real estate was cheap out here, and Mel's attending U of P so this is convenient for us."
Yang's face fell, but not enough to be considered a pout. She took a sip of the suspicious clear liquid she had been provided, her face contorting as she did. Ruby hummed, enjoying a second glass of PLG she had been given.
"Gosh, what is this stuff, Hei?"
"Strawberry-banana vodka. Made it myself. It has a low percent alcohol so you don't get blasted immediately and can enjoy it for longer."
"Why is it clear? It looks like rubbing alcohol."
"Gives it a mysterious look I think, like you don't know what it's gonna taste like. For example, whisky is yellow-brown, beer is supposed to be dark brown, a good wine is deep red, almost black, and cream liqueur is solid white. Good alcohols all have a distinct colour, but then you know what you're getting. Know what I'm saying? This is a mystery."
Yang smirked, taking another drink.
"Huh. Well it's excellent. Don't pour me any more though, I have to drive home."
"I can drive us if you want to have more of a strange clear alcohol given to you by a man who tried to kill you with a Bat-Zooka once."
Yang looked over at her sister, a look of concern on her face.
"Ruby, it was mutual. We tried to kill each other, so we're friends now. It's all good. Hei wouldn't try and kill me with alcohol. Right?"
Junior made the most obvious 'No promises' shrug Ruby had ever seen. Despite this, Yang finished her clear booze and set the glass down on the table. They all sat quietly for a moment, enjoying the dim serenity of the little bar. From the back room, Ruby could hear a deep-fryer sizzling.
"So how are Mel and Millie, anyways? Still doing ballet?"
"Nah, they stopped when we moved out here. They have been keeping up with Sikaran, mind you. Problem is, I can't help them train anymore. Not as flexible as I once was. Forty-six caught up to me real fast. Word to the wise girls, don't try to grow up too fast."
Yang chuckled.
"Ah yes, Sikaran. The art of cheating at boxing."
"Not cheating if they're two different sports. Anyway, Mel's studying business at University, and Millie has been taking night classes in advanced thermodynamics from AtlasU online. She helps around the bar in the daytime. They're good girls. Much better than me, anyways."
"I'm surprised you need help around the bar, Hei. You managed a whole nightclub by yourself, and you managed to muscle me out of it most of the time."
Junior snickered, taking Yang's empty glass and placing it in the sink.
"You have to remember, Xiao-Long, I was a completely legitimate businessman at that time, so I had... associates who did most of the legwork. Now that I'm an... even more legitimate businessman, I've had to do all of this myself. But I will say, twenty years of doing my own taxes and investments for completely legal business practices means I can help Mel study for her econ midterm."
Who knew being a mob boss would prepare a man for teaching economics to one's children. Ruby gave him an impressed look. Maybe she should get into 'legitimate business' like Junior used to be. After a moment more, another figure appeared in the doorway holding a tray in it's arms. The delicious and glorious smell of turkey gravy and melted cheese filled the room as the figure appeared. As soon as it was in the light, Ruby could identify the person as a woman no older than she, wearing the same black t-shirt and black jeans as Junior, with shoulder-length black hair tied back under a faded red bandana. She had a very soft face, with only a minimal adornment of makeup around her eyes. She too wore a white apron, complete with a little beermug-shaped pin affixed to one of the straps. In her hands was a big round chrome tray with a large salad bowl filled with fries, cheese, and gravy.
"Poutine for- oh, you're here..."
The girl stopped a good ten or so feet away, keeping her eyes on Yang. She seemed frozen in place, and her face carried an obvious anger. She seemed to seethe. This was to be expected, of course. Yang wasn't exactly a popular girl in this family. Ruby leaned passed her sister, waving.
"Hey, Millie. That's for me."
The girl softened immediately, a tiny smile coming to her face.
"Oh... Hi, Ruby..."
She brought the tray over and gently placed the large bowl of starch and milk fat down onto the countertop, placing a set of utensils wrapped in a napkin next to it. She lingered for a moment, giving Ruby a second to unwrap her napkin and place it across her lap.
"Thanks, Millie. You're the best."
The girl smiled at her with a hint of red in her cheeks, looking down at her feet and brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear.
"N-no problem."
With that, the girl skittered back through the doorway and into the kitchen, with a tiny squeal that only those with the strongest microphones would have heard. Ruby hadn't. Yang, on the other hand...
"I think she likes you."
Ruby dropped her fork.
"Excuse me what?"
Yang gave a quick flick of her hair, looking back over at her.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't see that. She was completely giving you 'the eyes', Rubes."
"It's true."
Junior's interjection made her jump. During the last year at Beacon, Ruby had gone to Junior's club a few times just to get away from the school for a few hours. The big mob boss used to let her into the VIP section and give her a private booth so she could relax, do homework, play video games or whatever she wanted. She remembered Millie, who insisted everyone except Ruby call her by her real name, would spend a lot of time in the little private booth as well. Ruby had mastered chess and backgammon playing against the young girl, spending at minimum one night a week in the classy bar.
"It... it can't be! Right?"
Yang and Junior nodded. It couldn't have been true! Her and Millie were pals! They played board games together! They hung out chilled together! They did exactly the same things her and... Weiss did... together...
"Oh. Oh."
"Yep."
Ruby's face fell into her hands, her face turning beet red.
"Oh god, why..."
Yang gave her a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, sis. Every gay girl has a crush on you at some point. You're just so damn cute!"
Ruby huffed, laying her arms out straight. Yang had already stolen her pouting and was busy eating it at this moment. Not that she cared anymore.
"What do you mean 'don't worry'? All I'm gonna do now is worry that every girl I meet is gonna fall in love with me! Or maybe I'm gonna convert all the straight girls into gay ones and then they're gonna fall in love too!"
"Rubes, I never said Millie was gay, she just has a crush is all. 'Sides, I know for a fact that even the very straight faunus we lived with thought you were cute when we first met."
"I think that's a different kind of 'thinking I was cute', Yang."
Yang shrugged, shovelling a huge forkful of the fries into her mouth.
"Same diff. Right, Hei?"
"I don't want to interfere. This is between you two. Last time I interfered in a relationship, you were born, Xiao-Long."
Yang slapped a hand onto the counter.
"Oh that's right, you went to school with dad! Rubes, did we ever tell you that Junior went to school with our parents?"
"How is that supposed to help?! You just told me Millie is in love with me!"
"Ancient history is more interesting, shush your face."
Junior gave Yang an angry look, likely in response to implicitly calling him ancient.
"Yang's right. I was in fourth year when your parents started at Beacon. You've never been told this? I'm surprised, Tai was always a loudmouth."
"Stop changing the subject!"
"I remember one time he thought it would be a fun idea to push Qrow down the dorm hallway on a baggage cart, scream-singing What's Up at the top of their lungs. At four in the morning. And your mothers had absolutely nothing negative to say about them, in fact they seemed to be encouraging their shenanigans."
Both Yang and Junior laughed. Ruby's crisis increased.
"Ooh, tell her the library story! Tell 'er!"
Ruby did not want to hear the library story. She didn't want to hear any story for that matter. All that was in her mind was the now-refreshed memories of her time spent in the bar with a woman who now very clearly had a thing for her. And how she had ignored her. And after fourth year was ended abruptly by the attacks, she had run away. It all seemed familiar. Too familiar.
"Right, right, the library story. So I was studying for I think a final or something, maybe chemistry, I don't really remember anymore, and I was sitting by that huge glass window in the north corner, I'm sure you girls remember which one. And into the room stroll your father and your mother, Yang, and they were just screaming at each other, like I'm talking full-on sirenfest. Of course, in follows your uncle Qrow and little Summer, sheepishly apologizing to everyone in the place."
And on the topic of running away from women who loved her, she had left Weiss in the same manner. Although their relationship had been quite different than that of her and Miltia. On literally every level. Her heartbeat was uncontrollably hard, almost audible outside in the bar. Both Yang and Junior seem to have noticed her grief.
"Okay, hold up. Millie!"
The young girl stuck her head out of the doorway.
"Yeah, dad?"
"You did it."
"You owe me fifty lien."
"Ha! Yes I do!"
After that very confusing exchange, the girl disappeared back into the kitchen again. Ruby huffed into the table again. Fifty lien or not, nothing would fix how she had suddenly be made to feel. She had betrayed the friendship of her first and second closest friends.
"Go on with the story, Hei."
The story didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Junior knocked on on the counter next to her head.
"Hey, kid. Sit up."
Ruby sat up, her face awash of red and pain. She looked the man in the eyes before realizing he was laughing at her! She felt confused, hurt, lost, and damaged beyond repair. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and as hard as she wanted to wince away from him, she didn't. She felt at ease, as if it was flowing from him and into her.
"How do you feel?"
She sniffed.
"I... like shit..."
She collapsed back onto the table.
"Okay, why?"
"I abandoned Weiss."
Her heart went completely into overdrive, thundering as she collapsed again.
"And why did you do that?"
"I was scared. My friend just died. I didn't know what to do."
"And how do you think Weiss felt when you did that?"
Ruby didn't know. She hadn't even given it any thought. Not once in the last three weeks had she even imagined how Weiss had felt in that single instant. Now, it had all come flooding back in.
"Abandoned."
"Alone, betrayed, forgotten, tossed aside. Probably a lot more things. Why don't you go back?"
"She wouldn't want to see me, Junior. I'm not her friend anymore."
"What evidence do you have that that is even remotely true?"
Ruby sighed, covering her face with her sleeves.
"...Don'tknow..."
Junior smiled at her, in her depressed and melted state.
"Well, it's a good thing I still have contacts in Atlas from my previous legal businesses, and they told me that she misses you. That she had a bit of a freakout when she got home. Did some... damage to her house."
Ruby sat up a little.
"She... misses me?"
"Of course she misses you. She loves you. Right, Yang?"
The blonde's good arm draped around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.
"Of course she does. I've never met another person who loves you as much as I do, other than the Princess of Pissed-Off herself."
"However I don't think you should go back just yet."
Ruby wiped her nose on her sleeve, sniffling back the tears before they flowed.
"You... don't?"
"No. Your sister called me earlier and told me you guys were coming for dinner. I called around for info. I mean, I still don't like you in my bar, Xiao-Long, but whatever. This is for you."
"Why shouldn't I go back?"
The large gentleman exhaled slowly, turning to Yang. On cue, her sister spoke up again.
"We think you need some more time to... adjust. But, in the mean time, I, your beautiful and talented sister, am gonna help you get back on your feet. Even if you are the one with better balance."
Ruby smiled, sniffing pathetically with a lot of nose-noise.
"Think of it as a sabbatical. You're here to make yourself stronger. I'll even help you keep in shape. Not that you need it, Ru-ster."
She smiled that million-lien smile, showing off her pearly whites. Ruby felt at ease. Yang pulled her close again and rubbed her back. Yang was right. She didn't have the mental strength to go back to Atlas yet. She was going to stay in Patch for the time being. Maybe she'd take up her sister's offer of training. She hadn't been on a mission in a while, and she was kinda out of practice.
"Okay. I'll stay. For now."
"You go back when you're ready. Okay, kid?"
She nodded at Junior.
"Okay. I will."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Could you finish your story?"
He smiled, and Yang chuckled into her drink, which she had somehow got another of.
"Of course. So there I was, studying, and in strolls Rae and Tai, screamin' at each other. Something about how he was being a pain in their room or something to do with sleep being lost, I don't really remember. So I put up with it for a few minutes longer, but I really needed to study. So I get up and march over. Now, you can imagine me, all six foot eleven, I cut a pretty intimidating figure as I made my way up to them."
"You're damn right, Hei."
"Little Summer and your uncle I think tried to stop me, I don't really remember them putting up a fight. I remember Qrow saying, or at least trying to say 'Hey buddy, stop', then he hit the floor ass-first. Tai and Rae had sat down at a table across from each other, which was kinda cute that they had, but it gave me even more opportunity to get in their faces. I broke the table in half and flipped it out from in between them."
Yang laughed with a clap.
"Hardcore. What happened next!"
"Hush, Xiao-Long, you've heard this story. So anyway, now they're sitting six feet apart with nothing between them, so I grab their chairs and just go like- woosh- and pull them towards the other, smashing their knees together. They go silent and I lean in all like 'You will be quiet, or you will die.' and they just become completely white in the face. Of course, they're still upset at each other, so I decide to permanently diffuse them. I was like 'Now kiss and make up.' and I turned and walked back to my notes. By the time I looked back, they were tongue-deep in each other's throats. It was... disgusting, but productive, apparently. Because they spawned another annoying, blonde, muscular heathen."
"What can I say? I'm the product of my upbringing!"
"No, because then you'd be docile and polite, like your dad became after you were born. You wanted to be a rebel. Your sister is the real product of her upbringing. A goddamn clone of her mother, really."
They both looked at her, their faces soft and full of nostalgia. It was true, she had gained absolutely zero traits from her father. Not the facial structure, not the skin tone, and certainly not the eyes. It was all her mother, and so much so that people often confused her for and actual clone of her mom. The only similarity between her and her dad was that they both had a rigorous workout routine and had lightning fast metabolisms. Yang sighed, reaching over and gently pushing some hair back behind her ear.
"Yeah, she's Summer's daughter alright."
Even Junior sighed with a contented smile.
"If only we could have everything back the way it was."
Yang spun on her stool, directing her attention back over to the man.
"Speaking of 'back the way it was', you and I need to talk business."
He frowned.
"Uh oh. What do you mean 'business'. This better not be another attempt to hit on me."
"Psh, nah. You'll come around eventually. No, what I need is something different. In fact, I think you could even lend me a hand with something."
He stood up slowly, a look of concern crossing his face.
"...What do you need a hand with?"
In one movement, Yang pulled her entire right arm off, slipping out of the leather straps and dropping the lightweight appendage onto the table with a thud.
"A whole new arm."
Junior blinked a few times. Ruby blinked a few times. Neither wanted to speak first. A loud groan came from the man sitting in the corner. He booed her pun. Ruby wanted to as well, but she kept quiet. Junior did his best to control his obvious rage at the smiling blonde. Everybody in the room knew that in an instant, he could crush her head like a grape in his arms, but chose not to. Instead, he gently picked the arm up off the table and brought it close to his face.
"What did you do this time?"
"I dunno, just wore it out I guess."
He gave her a look. She wasn't having it.
"Don't you say it, Hei. Not doing that."
"Of course not."
He pulled a magnifying glass out of a drawer behind the bar, shutting the drawer with his hip as he brought the delicate glass up to his eye. He looked the metallic appendage over a few times, moving the elbow joint and wrist joint by hand. He seemed to be listening for something. Ruby couldn't not squeamishly convulse as he moved each one of the little pads inside of the bicep-grip mechanism.
"Feels like something in here. Have you noticed a drop in performance?"
Yang shrugged.
"Not really. The power cells usually take a week of use before it starts to go soft. That's normal, eh?"
"That's pretty good."
He flipped the arm around, looking directly into the attachment point. Ruby gagged on air as he brought it forward and sniffed. He recoiled slowly, a frown on his face.
"Something smells wrong."
"Well, I don't sweat from the stump, so don't blame me for that."
"No, it's not that. Uh, do either of you have a six millimetre Torx on you?"
"Hei, neither of us carry random tools on them."
Ruby perked up, reaching into the front pocket of her coat.
"Wait, I might."
She pulled a handful of screwdrivers out of the pocket and lay them on the table. She dug through the pile, ignoring her sister's confused stare. Years of using a weapon that was prone to sudden, catastrophic self-disassembly necessitated carrying tools on her at all times. She knew she had the right one, as she remembered that the short pike-blade on the end of her scythe was bolted on with Torx bolts. It took a second, but she found it, reading the 6mm engraved onto the side of the driver. Junior took it from her outstretched hand.
"Okay, this should do. Thank you, sweetheart."
With a few twists of two flush-mounted screws, a side panel on the upper part of the arm came free, revealing the wired internal circuits. He sniffed the inside of the case again. It was weird to watch the large man examine Yang's arm so intimately.
"Smells burnt. Ruby, dear, you don't happen to have a multi-meter on you, do you?"
She shook her head.
"Nope, sorry."
"Ah well. I think I know what the problem is. The circuit responsible for the arm gripping servos up here has only two encoders for power control. I suspect you overloaded the circuit and blew one of them out. You do any heavy lifting recently?"
"Uh, probably. I mean, I work on a farm, so I probably overexerted myself a little. And if it's the encoders not being up to the job, can we install more powerful ones?"
"Not unless you want what's left of your arm to be crushed."
Both Ruby and her sister recoiled at the notion. Yang seemed at a loss, so Ruby spoke for her.
"Wait, why would her arm get crushed?"
"The arm uses the grip servos usually reserved for the Achilles joint on the Knight-200 series units. They're thin but incredibly powerful so the robots can run and carry weapons and the like. We use re-purposed V-regs and encoders from the Knight-130 hand and wrist circuit to avoid having the servos work to their full strength and actually crush your arm. Aura protection or not, you would be severely injured."
"Jeez. And I keep this dangerous thing? So can you source new parts so we can fix it?"
By 'we', Ruby could tell Yang meant 'my sister', given the looks she kept getting. She rolled her eyes at her, a little annoyed that she was being given more tasks. She looked back over to Junior, who was giving Yang a very incredulous look.
"... you realize that me getting you these parts is very illegal, right?"
"Oh, come on, you've done it before, it can't be that hard."
He sighed, putting the arm back down.
"That was during the aftermath of the Beacon attacks, when I could get away with salvaging broken robots for most of the parts before they were collected and incinerated. The stuff you wear on your arm is actually Atlesian military secrets, which is very very against the law to have. Most of that fancy circuitry had to be sourced from some of my old contacts, who had to steal and break down real, functioning Knights and pull the computers and such out, then make it look like an accident."
"I believe in you."
"I'm not a criminal anymore, Xiao-Long."
"But you can get the parts."
He stared at her, his frown not wavering. With a sigh, he digressed.
"Yeah. Yeah, I can."
Yang cheered, jumping up and down on her stool.
"Sweet! Thank you so much, I-"
"It will cost you."
"Oh, pshaw, I knew that. Money is no object. When can I expect it?"
Since when was money 'no object' to Yang? They were farmers, not international businessmen. There was no way that she could- and she had pulled out a huge wad of cash and handed it over. Junior took it, giving it a quick rifle through before sticking it into the pocket of his apron.
"Next Friday, with a guarantee. I'll call my guy. He might think ten is not enough, mind you. He's a bit of an extortionist."
"How about fifteen?"
"That might be more reasonable. But don't worry, I'll pay the rest. Least I can do for you."
Fifteen thousand lien?! Ruby blinked a few times, her mouth falling open. That kind of money could buy a reasonable car.
"Why thank you, Hei. You're much too accommodating."
He shrugged.
"What can I say? You are my best customer. As long as you don't burn down my bar again, you're mostly welcome in here."
"Mostly?"
"Pay for your drinks more often, but otherwise we're good."
Yang smiled at him, handing over another five lien for the two drinks he had given her earlier. Junior took the money and pocketed it.
"There we go, then. And Ruby, dear, don't worry about your bill. Your sister ate your poutine, so I won't make you pay for it. Least I can do for making you sit around a dingy bar and feel bad about yourself."
It was Ruby's turn to smile.
"It's okay. I'll heal. Besides, Yang said she was not gonna drink, so I have to drive home."
"It wasn't even that much!"
"Safety first. Don't drink and be Yang."
"Psh."
Junior chucked, grabbing his cleaning rag and tossing it into a hamper across the bar. Ruby stood up off the stool, pulling her jacket back on as Yang did the same. Of course, her sister wasn't anywhere near boozed enough to not be driving, but she surrendered the keys anyways. Their dad was quite strict about drinking and driving.
"Thanks for having us, Junior. I'm gonna take Yang home to make sure she doesn't spend anymore money."
With a smile, they waved goodbye.
"Of course. You drive safe. Come back anytime."
With that, they left the bar, retreating back into the cool evening air.
/.../
It took her a few minutes and every ratchet extension she had, but the last bolt finally came loose with a resounding crack. She set the ratchet down on the towel she had draped over the fender of the big, dirty pickup. She reached into the engine bay and grabbed each end of the plastic rocker cover and pulled, breaking the likely-original gasket as it came free from the head. The wide cover was placed aside, next to all of the induction parts that had come off as well on the work bench. Ruby wiped her forehead on her sleeve, grabbing the worklight that was magnetically stuck to the underside of the truck's hood.
"Oh, my."
The cam gallery at the top of the right-side cylinder head was a mess of oil and grime, all coagulated into a black and goopy substance that had the consistency of tree sap. She poked at it, smearing a gloved finger into the mess. Most of the sludge was actually metal filings.
"Dad's big on oil changes, it seems."
She grabbed a rag from her back pocket and wiped the majority of the collection off of the camshaft, revealing the tired and scuffed-looking steel shaft. She gave the long camshaft a wiggle to test each of the carrier bearings. The tolerances on the Sanus Motors modular engines were far from perfect, being mass-produced for many different vehicles, but the slop she could feel in this particular was way out. The camshaft moved almost a quarter inch in each direction. Worst of all, as she moved down the shaft, she could see that each of the cam lobes had been worn out, barely lumpy enough to even be considered functional. And right at the end at the back of the motor, the camshaft had actually broken. The valves of the number four cylinder weren't actuating as she spun the cam gear.
"Oh. Shit. I can't fix that."
She hopped down off the stool she was standing on.
"Damn it."
This meant a new set of cylinder heads at the minimum, a whole new engine at the worst. Overhead cam engines were notoriously hard to replace heads on, the Sanus engines being the worst of all. They were supposed to be reliable, but she supposed that after ten years of military service in Vacuo, the tired P-150 owed her nothing. Maybe a new engine would be worth it, just to keep the old darling around.
"Dad?!"
The garage was quiet.
"Dad?"
Nothing. She stood up and looked around. She could swear he had been sitting in his deck chair not five minutes ago. She shrugged. Maybe he had gone to get a drink or something. She pulled out her phone from her overalls, opening up the internet.
"Where... to... buy... used... engines...Island of Patch."
A few websites came up immediately, most of which were wrecking yards. She scrolled through a few choices, before seeing something she recognized.
"Oh, hey."
The surplus yard of the Vale Police Department was conveniently on page one of the search results. It was only a three or so hour drive away, and was the perfect place to source a new engine. All Sanus Motors police cars used the same fuel-injected eight cylinder as the broken ex-army truck. Of course, getting an engine from that yard would be a pain, seeing as she had just pulled apart the engine of the only pickup truck they owned. Not that driving this one on the roads was both unsafe and illegal, or anything. She looked over the agglomeration of parts once again.
"Yo! Ru-ster!"
Ruby jumped, dropping her ratchet set, each of the one hundred chrome pieces scattering all over the floor. Yang sheepishly pulled herself fully into the garage.
"No... my sockets..."
Yang scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, Ru. Listen, me 'n dad made a fire out in the yard. You wanna come out?"
Ruby smiled.
"Yang, I came out years ago."
"Yeah, we know, are you gonna join me at the fire?"
She looked down at the mess of sockets that littered the garage floor with a sigh.
"Sure, give me a minute to wash my hands."
"Kay. Hurry up, lazy bum."
Yang strolled into the garage for a moment, grabbing a cardboard box from the old white refrigerator next to the towering red toolbox. After that, Yang disappeared back into the evening dark through the open door. Ruby sighed loudly after, grabbing another rag out of her pocket and wiping her hands before tossing it into her open toolbox.
"This will be a nightmare. Fuck. Oh well."
She left the garage and ignored the mess of tools, pulling the door down after herself. The evening air was a little colder than she was expected, making her shiver. The smell of burning walnut filled her nose as she crossed the gravel yard, seeing the glow of firelight coming from the back of the house. She quickened her pace, just to get over quicker. Rounding the back of the yard, she approached the fire, seeing her sister sitting comfortably in a fold-out picnic chair. Ruby approached, skipping a little on the dried leaves and grass. Yang waved her over. She grabbed the back of the closest picnic chair, and hopped over and into it.
The warmth of the fire was felt immediately as she sunk into the fabric chair. As her hands hung over the arms of the chair, a familiar damp nose pushed itself up into her fingers. She looked down at the excited dog.
"Hello, Zwei."
Zwei sat up, his tongue falling sideways out of his mouth. She gave his head a rub, scratching behind his big triangular ears. Zwei's head fell away, coming to a rest on his front paws. It took no more than three seconds for the old dog to go from pet me to fast asleep. Ruby smiled down at him.
"I wish I cared as little about life as Zwei does."
Yang was quick to snap a response.
"It ain't hard, Ru. Just take more naps."
"I can't take naps, Yang. I have a real job. Where I go to an office. People depend on me to not be asleep at work."
Yang shrugged using her whole body, and it made her smile again.
"Eh, potato."
"No! Not potato!"
"Y'ever think that that is the reason you're so stressed out all the time?"
"Ugh, you are insufferable."
Yang laughed.
"Nice ten-lien word. Who'd you learn that from?"
"Does it matter?"
"Well, no, why don't you just answer?"
"Why do I have to answer?"
"Why are you responding to everything I say with a question?"
"Is that a crime?"
Yang leaned back, letting her hair flop over the back of her chair, a big grin crossing her face.
"Gosh, you'd make a great politician. Now answer the damn question."
"Which one?"
Yang rolled her eyes so hard her head might have fallen off if not for her neck being there. Ruby gave a half-smile as Yang reached over to the little cardboard box she had grabbed and pulled two dark brown bottles from it, holding one out to her.
"Whatever. You want a beer?"
"Yang, I don't drink."
Once again, she was given the eye-roll.
"I asked if you wanted a beer, not if you wanted to get drunk."
Ruby furrowed her brow, watching Yang slide the second bottle back into the case.
"Wait, Yang, give it to me."
"No, you said no. I'm not gonna make you do something you don't want to do."
"Give me the damn bottle."
Yang made a face, grabbing the bottle back out of the case, and tossed it over. Ruby caught it out of mid-air. She watched as her sister stuck the cap of her own drink into the joint of her right wrist, using the aluminum case of her forearm and titanium palm-pad as a vice, cracking the top of with a hiss of pressure. Not to be deterred, Ruby gripped the top of her bottle in her very real and very fleshy fingers, and pried with all her might, ignoring the sting as the sharp carbon-steel cap tried to filet her hand. With a pop, she pulled the cap free and tossed it into the fire. Yang's eyebrows went up.
"Impressive. Painful?"
Ruby shrugged, taking a sip from the bottle. The dark, creamy taste of the alcohol was leagues better than she had been expecting, full of hints of both banana and caramel. She didn't even like beer, but this brew was quite flavourful.
"Eh, no more than most things."
They sat for a few moments, enjoying the crackling of the fire and the sounds of crickets and mayflies buzzing around them. Ruby gave the little site a look-see, not seeing their dad anywhere around. With a flip of her wrist, she checked her watch. The time was ten-thirty-eight, meaning she had been in the garage for nearly four full hours. Their dad was very likely falling asleep on his bed, watching whatever TV series he had pirated this week. She watched the fire crackle and spark, one of the little flying embers popping up and landing in the hole on the knee of Yang's jeans. Yang put her bottle down on a rock, grabbing her loosely-missing attention again.
"I have a question for you."
Ruby looked back up.
"Huh?"
"Like a serious question."
"...okay."
"Why do you like Weiss?"
Ruby paused. Her brain stopped functioning for a moment, creating a static noise in her head. She did not expect this or any line of questioning, really. There was no time to prepare an answer. Her thoughts hit a brick wall so hard they broke through.
"Wha- uh... pah... huh?"
Yang repeated herself.
"Simple enough question, if you ask me. But I will ask it again anyways: why do you like Weiss?"
This was so unexpected, Ruby dropped her drink. Her whole body seemed to be frozen, despite being so close to the fire.
"Wh... what do you mean?"
"What I mean is 'why do you like Weiss?'"
Ruby picked up the glass bottle from the dirt it had been dropped in.
"I don't... understand why you're asking..."
Yang sat up, taking one last drink of her beer before setting it down on the rock again.
"You wanted me to help you with your problems, right?"
Ruby nodded very slowly.
"Y-yes."
Yang offered her hands.
"Okay, so how about I put it like this; when you have a problem with... whatever, uh, Crescent Rose, a piece of plumbing in your house, your truck, do you just look at the problem and diagnose it immediately?"
"Well... no. But-"
"Okay, better example. You knew there was a problem with dad's P-150, so instead of just ignoring it and replacing the truck, you broke it down, took it apart, saw each problem individually, and now you know how to fix it. You understand?"
"I... guess?"
Yang leaned forward and took another drink of her beer. Ruby did the same, just to not feel so awkward.
"So! I promised I would help you, so here we are. I'm diagnosing your problem by getting to what I believe to be the root of it."
"Yang, I don't have a problem with Weiss, it's just..."
Her thought ran out. Yang seemed to have caught on.
"Okay, so... keep going..."
"I... do like Weiss."
"We know. Why?"
Ruby glared.
"I don't know."
"Not gonna cut it."
Ruby let out a breath. She didn't want to talk about this, but there seemed to be no way out. She took a moment, but relented.
"She's... pretty."
Yang wasn't convinced. Ruby groaned, draping her arm across her face and breathing into the rough cotton of her coveralls.
"I... she makes me feel safe."
"Safe from what?"
She winced, not prepared to answer.
"Well... do you remember the... problems I had at Beacon?"
Her sister gave her a concerned look, scratching her arm idly.
"No, I remember you enjoying Beacon. You had a chill job, you had a crappy car, you bunked avec moi, so I don't remember any problem. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Oh there absolutely was. There was such a huge thing that she wasn't telling. And she would never tell, if she could help it. She hesitated with her answer.
"N-no, of course not. I just... remember I was really antisocial, so being with Weiss helped me with that. She protected me from everyone else by being... you know... Weiss. We would hang out and stuff. Paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute... well, no we didn't do that. She was very much not a people person. But she seemed to tolerate me, so I guess I just clung to her."
Yang nodded, her fingers bridging together.
"Hmm, like a security blanket?"
Ruby fidgeted, taking a reasonably large drink from the brown bottle in order to claim some sort of false confidence.
"I don't think that's accurate either. She was my partner, and we were supposed to stick together, so we did."
"And all those times you ran off to Junior's? Where was the 'sticking together' then?"
That was an unfair question. Weiss had a job too at that point, and Ruby made sure to only go to the club on nights when Weiss wasn't going to be at the dorm. She had spent every possible waking hour with the woman. Something was telling her that Yang wouldn't buy that explanation.
"That doesn't matter. Also I'm still mad at you for making Millie do the fake crush thing earlier."
Yang shrugged again, keeping her hands interlocked and her nose pressed between her outstretched fingers.
"Hey, it got you to open up, and I was able to find out the source of your problem."
"Yang, Weiss isn't the source of my problems. She was... she was one of the solutions! She loved me when nobody else would!"
Yang leaned forward and levelled a very serious tone.
"Then why did you leave?"
"I don't know!"
Ruby stood with force, knocking over the fabric picnic chair. Her eyes burned as she stared back over at her sister, who hadn't moved and was now staring into the fire.
"I don't... know why. I'm a scared, stupid little girl who runs away when... when bad shit happens. I don't know why, okay?!"
Yang didn't respond, still looking into the fire, which had started to flame out. Ruby's face hurt. She had to leave. With a quiet grunt, she turned away, chucking the empty bottle as hard as she could into the darkness in the direction of the forest. It sailed silently for a few moments, before thudding into the grass. Ruby's shoulders drooped. It wasn't fair.
"I just..."
She took a step away from the fire pit.
"Ruby, wait..."
She looked back over her shoulder. Yang's face had sunken quite a bit. She seemed... remorseful. She watched each emotion cross the blonde's face, each one unsure of how it should act. It finally settled, and she tried to speak, her voice hesitant and full of regret.
"I love you..."
The lavender eyes held the words her sister had just said. She couldn't look directly at them. She winced. She didn't respond. Instead she turned back towards the house.
And started running.