Author's Notes: I've decided that Patch the island and town draws a lot of inspiration and similarities from southern France and its villages

Holiday

Chapter 7

The farm rested near Patch's lime cliffs, snuggled onto a beautiful little plateau that was apparently covered in wildflowers and herbs during the summer and spring. There was a gorgeous view of the ocean as well; one could spy the ring of smaller, pale islets beyond the break water. Weiss fell in love with the cobbled farmhouse and fields the instant she climbed out of the bed of Qrow's beat up truck.

Blake seemed similarly smitten with the view, her mouth parting as her bow twitched. Briefly, Weiss wished that Blake had left the bow at the cabin, before chiding herself. That was hardly her call to make.

However, over the last several days, she had grown accustomed to seeing her teammate without it. While at times Weiss had found herself observing the faunus, it wasn't with a feeling of malice or cold judgement; instead, she was merely appreciative.

Then the morning contemplation was dismissed, as the more exuberant half of team RWBY bolted towards the farmhouse. The monochrome portion exchanged amused looks before trailing after their partners. Ruby beat Yang to the door, trailing petals still, before knocking rapidly.

The door swung inwards, and there stood a woman of middle height, with bright, lavender eyes and shoulder length, wavy gray hair. She was wearing a flowery set of overalls; her rolled back flannel sleeves revealed dozens of tattoos.

In fact, even her neck was decorated with delicate, violet and green patterns. Weiss realized that she had never in her life seen a woman over fifty with so many tattoos; or a nose ring, for that matter. The woman smiled, eyes crinkling at the edges in a manner identical to Taiyang.

"Ni-ni!!" Ruby yelped and darted forwards, wrapping her arms around the woman's waist.

'Ni-ni' beamed sweetly, before scooping Ruby up in a crushing embrace.

"Oooh my little muffin! Look at you!"

"Hahaha! I missed you!"

"I missed you, too! Yang, wow! Look at how tall you are!"

Yang looked up at the sky, hand over her brow.

"Huh. Yea I guess I must be-"

"Oh come here, smartass," Ni-ni chuckled, pulling Yang into the hug as well. The two managed to somehow not crush Ruby, who was protesting squeakily between them.

After not crushing Ruby, Ni-ni met Weiss's too polite Schnee smile.

"Hi there! I'm Florence, or Flo. Or Ni-ni. You two must be Ruby and Yang's partners!"

Blake scooted imperceptibly closer after this introduction, Flo having passed some unknowable test.

"Blake."

"Weiss Sch- just Weiss, actually."

She was tired of wielding her last name like Nora's hammer; it was an ugly habit, one that she wasn't entirely sure she could break from. Ruby shot her a look at her fumble, silver eyes filled with curiosity.

"Well Blake, just Weiss, it's a pleasure to meet you," Flo said, smiling playfully. "Come in, come in – where is that son of mine? What, you think you're too old to say hello to me?"

Taiyang and Qrow had approached from behind them, and apparently Taiyang did not think he was too old to say hello to his mother. The martial artist swooped forward, picking his willowy mother up in his own crushing embrace with a goofy, childish laugh.

"Hey mom!"

"Oof! You've gotten such a farmers tan! What have you been doing?"

"Ah you know. Teaching toddlers how to punch things, killing Grimm and cultivating rampant skin cancer," Taiyang chuckled.

"Oh hush," Flo swatted him. "Don't say things like that."

"Yea dad, geez," Yang ribbed him, frowning slightly.

Ruby's smile had flickered, and Weiss met her eyes again, trying to interpret the emotions there.

"Ok, ok," he set his mother down gingerly. "I'm sorry."

Weiss watched the exchange, noting that it did not end is some other cheesy joke or pun; perhaps Mr. Xiao Long had had a cancer scare in the past?

Florence fussed over her son and grandchildren before finally waving the group inside, Qrow and Blake slinking behind them like autumn leaves blown through an open door. Weiss was smitten with the inside of the house as well; its tile, cobbles and architecture had clearly been there for centuries, but it was well kempt and precious. She knew dozens of Atlassian socialites who would die to own something like this for a summer home, but was equally aware that one could not put a price on what the home possessed.

Photos and art dotted nearly every surface, without coming across as cluttered. A plant covered terrace overlooked a rocky slope that preceded the ocean below. Flo was still talking with Ruby and Yang, having invited them all into the dining room.

"Have you eaten?" Florence asked, looking at them all. There were polite noises about the room, before Ruby dove in.

"Nope! Buuut I was hoping we could after? If you don't mind?"

Her grandmother smiled affectionately.

"Of course dear," the older woman glanced up at Qrow and Taiyang. "Boys?"

Taiyang shook his head before Qrow grinned sheepishly, scratching his stubble.

"If ah…I wouldn't say no to any chocolate brownies you've got hidden around. Ya know. If it's not a big deal?"

Flo laughed, waving for him to follow after her. Qrow, who shrugged at the bemused look his partner gave him, slunk through the room almost sheepishly. Tai rolled his eyes, but was smiling regardless. Team RWBY busied themselves with looking at the paintings on the walls or the photographs.

Weiss squinted at the one to her left. It was of a blue sailboat, with a tall, brunette man in his forties showing three young people how to tie a particular knot; two of those teens were clearly Qrow and Tai. The other was a woman that Weiss did not recognize.

Before anyone could comment on her nosiness, Qrow and Flo came back into the dining room; Qrow was carrying more brownies than a man that skinny could possibly know what to do with. However, that was likely the older woman's argument after foisting them upon him. He did not look to be complaining at least.

"Ok! You guys ready?" Florence beamed.

"What exactly are we getting ready for?" Blake asked, having been investigating the paintings on the stone wall.

"Oh you didn't tell them?" Flo asked, squinting at her family. Ruby beamed and wiggled where she was sitting on a barstool.

"Not yet! It's a surprise!" their team leader chirped, unrepentant.

Yang shrugged, trying to look innocent; it was a valiant attempt, but the slight smirk tugging her lips ruined the effort. Blake gave her partner a dry stare.

"I see," grandma Flo chuckled. "Well you all seem dressed well enough, so let's go!"

Ruby hopped off her barstool, took Weiss's hand, and nearly hauled her out the front door in her excitement. Weiss made her customary princess noises, as was tradition; but they lacked heat and barbs in general. It was difficult to think when Ruby held her hand lately, as if all of Weiss's tact and mental machinations had stalled out and refused to start up again; she'd turn the key a few times, and her brain would cough and shrug at her.

However, Weiss regained her dignity and her words once they had rounded the farmhouse and spotted the hidden field cradled between the cliffs. Several animals, mostly horses, were already waiting by the gate; they started nickering insistently once they spotted Florence, who laughed lightly.

"Oh you would think the big babies were starving to death," she shook her head. "Don't let them fool you! They eat twice a day, and already had breakfast."

Weiss studied the animals as they approached the gate, noting it was as diverse a lot as one could hope for. However, the two gelding Frisians caught her attention instantly. They were at least seventeen hands, with inky manes, tails and feathering. One had a milk-blue eye, indicating that he was blind in it.

Then there was the donkey, a palomino saddlehorse who was dancing energetically about the gate, tossing her head, and an actual llama. Weiss stared at the llama, who was chewing and glaring at the intrusion into its domain balefully.

"After Gare and I finished our world tour, we decided to settle down in Patch again. But we get stir crazy easily, so we adopted some rescues to keep busy," Flo explained. "And they've been a lot of fun! But sometimes I fear they don't get as much exercise as they need. We're both getting old, and Garnet still works part time, and I can get caught up with clients. Sometimes we get kids from town to ride them when we don't have time. Mostly Abigail, who as you can see, is always just so full of energy."

She nodded at the palomino, who has having a conniption at this point. Weiss hummed in thought. An animal that energetic and intelligent likely needed a sport or job to keep her content.

"But Ruby said that you love riding, Weiss?" Florence smiled at her. Weiss's eyebrows rose briefly, but she recovered with a nod.

"I do," Weiss smiled. Ruby was beaming again, looking very proud of herself.

"Well, if you would like, we can saddle somebody up. And if any of you would like to ride, we have plenty of tack," Flo offered sweetly. "And plenty of space. There are a lot of good trails in the area too, and practically no Grimm – not that that would stop a couple of huntresses."

"Heck yea, Ni-ni," Yang grinned. "Can I ride the llama?"

Flo gave her blonde granddaughter a mischievous look.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe? Bob is…something else."

"Bob's a jerk is what she means," Taiyang glared at the llama. Bob glared back, ears flat. The hate was genuinely palpable.

"Now that was your fault. I warned you," Flo hummed. "And you, as usual, didn't listen."

RWBY looked at Taiyang curiously, who was still caught in a death-stare with Bob the llama.

"Bob doesn't like boys. I don't know why," Florence chuckled. "He will not tolerate a guy anywhere near him, and he will barely tolerate anyone else. But he is immensely loyal to Cranberry the donkey. They were rescued together see? So if you get her saddled and take her out, he will follow."

"Dibs on donkey!" Ruby declared, sprinting towards the tack shed.

Yang laughed, and nearly dashed after her, before looking at Blake. Blake was eying the Frisians with interest, who had both stuck their noses over the fence to investigate her. The faunus was smiling, holding her palm out calmly.

"Blake? You um. You want to ride one?"

Blake hesitated, before glancing back at her partner with a half-smile that may as well have been a grin.

"I'd love to."

"Cool, me too," Yang shrugged, so casual it was ridiculous.

Weiss rolled her eyes affectionately at her teammates, before striding after her own partner.

Abigail was relatively easy to saddle, despite her eagerness to go. The palomino practically tossed the gear on for her, lowering her head for the bit instead of lifting her muzzle out reach or causing a fuss. Weiss spoke to her gently, adjusting the straps and buckles as necessary, while assisting her teammates.

Yang was riding without a saddle or even a bridle, while Ruby had laid a blanket on Cranberry, Bob sullenly standing guard to ensure his friend was in no way marred. The llama seemed tolerant of Ruby, who had bribed him and Cranberry with sugar cubes. Anyone else, however, he bared his teeth at and practically hissed, save Florence. Weiss deemed it best if she kept her distance.

Blake had chosen the Frisian with one eye, whose name was Odin. The faunus was a natural in the saddle, sitting as if she had been born to do so. Weiss checked her tack before giving the all clear, which Blake tolerated graciously.

After working out all the kinks, the team was unleashed upon the island. Abigail was clearly in need of a good sprint, so Weiss charged ahead, heading for the field. The palomino tossed her head eagerly, her gate smooth as they practically flew over the ground. Weiss smiled, feeling her tension and worries slip away.

This had been her escape as a child and adolescent, where there was no one and nothing to tell her how to behave, how to think, what to say. There was wind, there was thunder, and there was freedom. Propriety and politics be damned.

Weiss and Abigail tore across the fields, reaching the rode that led back towards the cabin before turning and sprinting back towards the others once again. Ruby and her odd posse were laughingly trotting after her, Cranberry leading Bob, Bo and Zwei on some sort of grand adventure.

She whooped as Weiss galloped past her again, cheering her on excitedly. Weiss wondered if this was how Ruby felt whenever she used her Semblance; if so, it was no wonder the girl dashed everywhere.

As they reached the end of the field once again, Weiss swerved Abigail around Yang and Blake, who were taking their time; Yang took this as a direct challenge to her honor and spurred her mount to chase after her. Weiss let Yang catch up, before waving daintily and taking off on her much faster mount.

Weiss was well ahead of Yang, a bubble of laughter escaping as she heard Yang shouting in protest, when a familiar red streak dashed past herself and Abigail; the palomino fortunately did not spook, though she did squeal indignantly. Ruby and Cranberry charged ahead, trailing rose petals as Ruby shamelessly cheated with her Semblance.

Weiss, Yang and Blake gathered in the field, giggling as Ruby let off the gas and let a disgruntled Bob catch up to her and Cranberry. There was a brief pause, before Blake, in a fit of impishness, took off on Odin; Yang and Weiss shared looks before laughingly giving chase to the faunus.

Team RWBY spent the rest of the morning racing, exploring the various trails that led up to the lime cliff, and being chased by a literal menagerie. At one point, they even turned their silliness into a bizarre game of tag, arguing over who the winner was as they cooled down their mounts. That day would go on to become one of Weiss's favorite memories.