Thanks for responding to that last question, everyone! I'll keep with the usual pace of chapter releases due to the pretty much unanimous opinion.

Day 21/30

"Heeeeey, Yang~!"

Ruby poked her head into her sister's room, a big stupid grin on her face. Yang knew exactly why she was acting this way; it was that time of year again. Prancing over to her sister's bunkbed, Ruby peered up onto the second mattress with only the top of her head and her silver eyes visible to Yang. The blonde put down her video game to humor her.

"What's up, sis?" Yang asked, already aware of the answer.

"Oh, you know. Nothing much. Just a certain day is coming up and all. Not a very important one, but it's still coming."

"Huh. I don't know what day you're talking about at all." The blonde smirked. She knew just how to agitate her little sister when it came to this. It was the same routine every year.

"Ha-ha, Yang. I'm not falling for that trick again. We both know you know which day I know about!"

"What day we talking about?"

"Gah!" Ruby screamed at the new voice, falling back off her sister's bed and onto the floor with a thud. She looked across the room at Sun, who had poked his head out from underneath his covers to reveal his presence. "Sun! Don't scare me like that!"

"How long have you been under there?" Yang asked the monkey.

"The whole time. Was trying to take a nap till Rubes came in and woke me up."

"Not watching TV for once?"

"Cinder has the remote. I won't be caught dead watching soap operas."

"Stop changing the subject!" Ruby interjected, flailing her arms angrily, "We're supposed to be talking about my birthday!"

Yang hopped down from her bunk to help her sister up. "And she finally says it."

"It's no fun to just come out and say it! It makes me feel greedy for presents."

"But isn't that the truth?"

"…You win this round."

"So when's the big day?" Sun asked, finally getting out of his bed and yawning.

"Nine days away, actually! I bet Ozpin planned this so it would fall on the last day. He's clever like that."

"Or maybe just dumb luck," Yang suggested otherwise.

"So…" Ruby said slyly before zooming in close to her sister's face for an interrogation, "Did you get me anything yet? Huh? Did ya?"

"Maybe… or maybe not."

"Stop being so cryptic Yang!"

Before Ruby could grill her sister any further, there was another visitor at the door. Velvet peered around the corner, one of her ears wrapped up in a bandage. "Hey everybody…"

"Velvet!" Yang rushed over to the Faunus to get a better look at her injury, "What happened? Did you get your ear caught in the fridge again?"

"Not exactly," Velvet said, rubbing her wound, "It's something we need your help with, actually."

"We? What do you mean by that?"

"It's outside, actually. Come with me."

The two girls left immediately, leaving Ruby and Sun alone. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say. "Say Ruby… We don't talk to each other very much, do we?"

"Not really, no."

Silence.

"Well, I'll see ya later then!"

"Ditto."

A small group of housemates were standing outside when Yang and Velvet arrived on the scene. To the former's surprise, all of them had little red marks on their body. Penny was busy applying bandages to their injuries when she spotted the blonde savior.

"Hello, Yang!" Penny said, knocking Roman over as she jumped up to try and hug Yang. The blonde grasped her by the shoulders to hold her back from crushing her spine.

"What's the problem here, everyone?" Yang asked everyone around her.

"That," Roman grunted, with Neo pointing up to the house to show her the problem. Just above the window to Yang's room hung a big brown nest, with little black rapier wasps hovering around it. "Those little bastards have been sneaking in the house and stinging us all morning."

"I was just brushing my hair when one got me on the ear," Velvet said, stroking her ear again, "I'm not sure why they're so aggressive."

"I volunteered to go retrieve the nest, but Velvet refused to see me get stung," Penny added, "I still feel like I could be very useful in this situation, but I would hate to go against her wishes!"

The most injured was Nora, lying back on the grass covered in little red lumps. "Avenge me, Yang! Don't be defeated as I have been!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have started swinging a broom at them then," Roman mumbled at Nora.

"The best defense is a better offense!"

"But why me?" Yang asked, "I'm not exactly an expert at getting rid of pests."

"Yeah, about that," Roman gestured to Neo, who brought up a randomizer app on her phone with every housemate's name on it. Yang's name sat at the top of the list "Lady Luck said otherwise. Besides, you're tough. A couple bugs shouldn't bother you any, right?"

Sighing, Yang looked up at her target. "Wasn't there any repellent in the shed?"

"Yes," Velvet nodded, "But there isn't a ladder big enough to reach the nest. If we opened a window even more would get inside."

Yang needed a plan, and she needed it quick. While the best strategy was probably to wait until nightfall so the wasps would become less active, it would mean others might get stung throughout the rest of the day. The nest needed to go now. Looking around the yard, she noticed a square machine tucked away behind some hedges. She soon realized what it was, and a plan came to mind. "Alright, guys. Velvet and Penny, you take Nora inside and get her out of the field of battle. Don't need her getting stung anymore. Roman and Neo, I need you two for backup. One of you go get some pillows from inside. I got a plan that's going to give those bugs something to buzz about."

"This is a horrible plan you know!"

Crouched down behind a plank of plywood, Roman shook his head at the ridiculous scheme Yang had cooked up. Beside him sat a power washer, humming loudly and in the crime boss's ear. Its hose led around Roman's cover to Yang, ready to wield her high-pressure weapon. Pulling her sunglasses over her eyes, she gave Roman the signal.

"When I say go, turn that bad boy on!" Yang looked to her left at Neo, hiding behind the bushes with insecticide in her hands and pillows strapped around her exposed skin as a sort of cushiony armor, "Neo! As soon as it falls, run over and hit them with the worst mist they'll ever feel!"

"This isn't going to work!" Roman shouted back, the strategist ignoring his plea completely.

"Now, Roman! GO!"

Rolling his eyes, Roman flipped the switch. The humming sound cranked up to eleven as the machine did its thing, sending water rushing up the hose at high speed. Yang's nozzle erupted, and the blonde was caught off guard by how powerful the stream was.

What happened next was the physical representation of a plan getting fucked up.

"Lilac, please… I don't want to lose you…!"

Wiping her eyes as her favorite character abandoned her fiancé, Cinder reached over for another box of tissues. Normally she wouldn't express such emotion in such a high-traffic area of the house, but a season finale such as this was too important not to watch on the big screen.

"Damn this show…" Cinder sniffed before blowing her nose. She tossed the dirty tissue into the pile on the couch as the program went to commercial. The ad for drainage protection sounded unusually loud this time, the rumbling sound of thunderstorms literally echoing around the room.

Cinder realized too late the sound wasn't coming from the advertisement.

Suddenly, the front window exploded into shards of glass and an immense stream of water shot in front of Cinder. Ducking down for cover, Cinder tried to catch her breath as the sudden burst of water vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

"...I don't even want to know what's going on out there right now."

"Whoa there!" Yang grinned, finally gaining control over the hose after dropping it for a split second, "Don't run off on me again like that, you hear!"

"Nice going, blondie!" Roman yelled from behind cover, "You punched a goddamn hole in the house!"

"Just a bit of collateral damage! Nothing major!" Looking up at the swarm of bees above, Yang took aim at her target. "Hey bugs! Its BEE-n nice knowing ya!"

The stream of water burst through the nest like a knife through butter, its remains plummeting to the ground below. Dozens of bees tried their best to fly away, their wings too soaked to keep them airborne. Once Roman turned the machine off, Yang pointed in the next player's direction. "Now, Neo! Go for- Neo?"

No Neo in sight.

"Where'd she go?!" Yang turned to Roman for an answer. The crime boss just shrugged in response.

"I don't know! Probably just didn't wanna get stung again, I guess!"

"But we put the armor on her and everything!"

"Those were pillows, blondie. Freaking pillows."

"Then we'll have to do this ourselves!" Yang narrowed her eyes as the horde of insects still flying around the former spot of their nest set their sights on the two. Not noticing that Roman had fled to shelter inside, Yang ran over and grabbed the cans of insecticide Neo had left behind and prepared for the worst.

"COME GET SOME!"

"Ow!"

Lying on the floor of her room, Yang winced as Penny pulled out yet another stinger from her arm. Velvet and Ruby sat nearby, having come to check up on the wounded fighter.

"Don't worry, Yang!" Penny said, pinching her tweezers, "Only one more to go!"

"Finally…" Yang sighed, preparing for the next removal.

"I'm sorry we made you do that, Yang," Velvet apologized, "We shouldn't have just dragged you out there without warning."

"Look on the bright side," Ruby followed, trying to be optimistic, "All the wasps are dead, and at least they didn't get you on the face!"

"Can't say the same for my legs. Or my boobs. Or my hands- Ouch!"

All done!" Penny patted her patient on the arm before standing, "I'll be right back with some bandages!"

The cybernetic girl left the room, giving Ruby a chance to interrogate Yang for more info on her birthday plans. She bounded down the staircase into the lounge, waving at Ren as he installed some wood to cover up the broken window pane. Walking to the storage room, she felt something strange coming from nearby. A chilling, cold sensation; odd, because she usually didn't experience such physical sensations.

Looking around, she found the source of it: a closet, just by the TV. Penny approached it, debating whether she should open it herself or let anyone else know.

The moment her hand touched the knob, everything just-

"Penny? Ren had noticed her leaning against the wall, seemingly in pain. He dropped his tools and walked over to check on her. "Are you okay?"

What Ren didn't see was the small purple glint in her eyes before her new occupant turned to him, grinning widely at his future victim.

"Just grand, Lie Ren," Virulet spoke through Penny's voice, "I've never felt more alive."