I'd like to apologize for the delay for this chapter. Over the last four days (November 5th to the 8th) I was only able to get about 5-700 words typed total due to not being able to find enough time for it. As a result, I feel like this chapter's too short. From now on, I'll be trying to get at least two chapters out each week if I can and try to keep them within the 3-4000 word range if possible.

I forgot to mention this last chapter, but I had help from Bookah figuring out what Ruby and Weiss' home might look like. They've helped me out with this chapter as well, but we had a bit of difficulty this time around.

Chapter 53: Bumblebee's Home and Winter's Not-Date

Bastion, Rose Quarter, Yang and Blake's Residence

Yang let out a sigh as she dropped onto the couch. "Alright! We've got everything in!" She looked around with a frown. "Too bad this place is so plain though…"

Blake nodded. "Considering the fact that each of these residences has a private arboretum to serve as a yard and an entire district of the city set aside for them, I figured the Rose family would have some interest in luxury… Maybe it really is just some cultural thing and obsession with secrecy," the cat faunus muttered.

Yang shrugged and looked up at the console connected to the wall. "That's the only interesting thing here, really… It seems like there's things like that everywhere though, so I have no clue what it's for," Yang muttered before turning to Blake. "Soo, what do you want to do, kitty?" Blake looked at Yang in confusion.

"Is there any reason you call me that besides me being a cat faunus?" Blake asked.

Yang smiled meekly. "Well… you're my amazing and adorable kitty cat. Why wouldn't I call you that?"

Blake sighed, a slight smile on her face. "Really, Yang? You're giving me a cute little nickname now?" Yang scratched the back of her head.

"What? I thought you'd like it," Yang said meekly, causing Blake to sigh. "Come on, there has to be something you'd want to call me!"

"Yang, not every couple has to do that, you know…" Yang looked at the cat faunus expectantly, causing her to roll her eyes. "Alright, give me a minute…" Before Blake could think, there was a knock on the door. Yang hopped up and went over, opening it to find the other half of their team outside.

"Oh, hey Ruby! Did you guys finish unpacking already?" Yang asked with a smile.

Ruby grinned and stepped inside. "Yep! We got unpacked and even…" Ruby looked around, frowning slightly at the bland look of the room. "Um… Why is everything so bland?"

Yang and Blake looked at each other. "What do you mean? This is how we found the place, right kitty?" Yang said, scratching her head.

Blake looked at the two cloaked girls strangely. "All the houses are set up like this…" Ruby and Weiss looked at each other with a sigh before the White Rose tapped on the console, causing the walls to turn a bright yellow. Yang and Blake jumped slightly. "What?" the cat muttered weakly.

"Every residence and commercial area in Bastion is probably set up like this," Weiss said, removing the tablet from the wall and handing it to Yang. The blonde grinned before taping on it, changing it to a more subdued yellow. Blake blinked in surprise.

"This thing is so cool!" Yang said with a grin, moving to tap a few more spots. Blake watched as the cream couches turned tan and the floor was covered by a gentle shag carpet. The last thing she added was a flatscreen to the wall across from the sofa. Blake stood up and took the tablet, walking into a nearby room as she tapped a few buttons. The group followed her into the room, watching as a collection of bookshelves formed, taking up the walls from floor to ceiling except for the wall facing the arboretum, where a few small windows formed. A few easy chairs and couches made of dark leather appeared to match the dark wood of the shelves and hardwood floor. A reading lamp appeared behind the chairs, ensuring comfortable and easy reading. On the opposite side of the room, a desk appeared. Yang let out a whistle. "Looks like my little kitty's thinking of really expanding her collection…"

Blake rolled her eyes. "You know I like reading…" The cat faunus paused as she looked into the blonde's eyes, briefly getting lost in them, admiring the spirit and color. "…lilac." Yang blinked before grinning.

"Alright, I can work with that," Yang said, causing Ruby and Weiss to blink.

"Um… What?" Ruby muttered, causing Blake to glance at her.

"Yang wanted me to try to come up with a cute nickname for her. I think I'll use lilac unless something better comes to mind," the cat faunus said as she dropped into the chair behind the desk, letting out a sigh.

Yang grinned before turning to Ruby and Weiss. "So, have you guys thought of any cute little pet names or anything?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and opened her mouth when Ruby spoke up. "If I did have a nickname for Weiss, it'd probably be angel." The other girl looked at her in surprise, causing Ruby to blush, rubbing the back of her neck. "What? You're beautiful, caring, and have a divine singing voice. What else would I call you?"

Weiss looked away with a blush, smiling softly. "Thanks, Ruby…" Yang let out a laugh, causing the White Rose to glare at her. "Is there something you'd like to say, Yang?"

Yang grinned. "Sorry, it's just I couldn't help but think about how much you changed. It used to be that you'd explode if someone even thought of calling you angel or something like that. Now when Ruby flirts you look like you're a teenage girl. It's just so cute how she's melted that heart of yours!"

Weiss blinked for a moment, thinking back. "I can definitely say I'm happy with the way Ruby's influenced me…" Weiss shrugged and looked at the blonde. "Does it really matter? I want to become someone better than the girl that left Atlas and that's what I'm doing."

Ruby smiled and wrapped her mate in a hug. "As long as you're who you want to be at the end of it, I'll still be happy," the wolf said, causing the fox to blush again.

"Dolt…" she muttered before Yang grabbed the tablet from Blake, marching out of the room. The other occupants followed behind her as she entered a room, tapping the screen and causing exercise equipment to appear. The room's walls turned a warm yellow and a punching bag came down from the ceiling. Weiss rolled her eyes at this. "Of course a brute like you would want something to destroy…"

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "I've gotta agree with Weiss, Yang. You aren't exactly gentle with those things…"

Yang rolled her eyes. "C'mon, I'm not that bad!" Yang turned around and delivered a few solid punches, quickly snapping the chain. She went to let out a frustrated sigh when the entire bag was lifted in the air, the chains quickly reattaching and becoming thicker. "Wait… What?" The blonde clenched her prosthetic fist and swung, striking the bag hard enough for it to swing into the ceiling before jumping out of the way of it.

The four girls looked at each other in surprise before Ruby shrugged. "I guess whatever it is that lets us change things around like this is set up to repair damage and prevent destruction of anything it makes? I have no idea…"

They quickly went through the rest of the house, blacks, tans, and various shades of yellows dominating the Bumblebee pair's new home. The bedroom floor had a tan carpet, bright yellow walls, a few reading lamps, and a bed frame of dark wood. The mattress was covered in tan sheets and a comforter. Once this was done, Yang and Blake quickly went outside. A few trees stood outside near a corner of the arboretum, which quickly became a small meditation garden for the cat faunus. A pool with some lounge chairs took up a portion of the remaining yard. "I think this went fairly well," Weiss said. "This place is very much something the two of you would make and it feels welcoming enough."

Yang grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said before her eyes lit up. "Oh! We should do something together! We haven't spent time together as a team since Ruby's birthday and that…" The blonde glanced meekly at the White Rose.

Weiss sighed. "It's fine… But I agree, it has been a while since we did anything as a team…" Weiss tapped her chin. "Although, at this point anything beyond training and team activities might just count as a double date if it's just the four of us."

Yang grinned and looked at Ruby. "Movie night?"

Ruby smiled. "Weiss and I will get everything set up, you guys get everything packed and meet us at our place, okay?" Ruby said, waiting to get a nod from everyone before the group split up again.

Bastion, Surface Commercial Area, with Winter and Aurelius

Winter looked around the restaurant that Aurelius had led her to. It was a small establishment with a cozy, quiet atmosphere. She looked around at portraits hanging on the walls, noticing that none of the towns or landscapes looked familiar. "What are these locations?" she asked as they sat down at a booth in the corner.

"Each of these are locations on Draconys," he said, before pointing at a few paintings. "That is Point Refuge, the Clockwork City. It's the oldest settlement in Remnant, or at least its ruins are…" The Blue Rose's eyes darkened briefly. "Ozpin was in control of it during the Triumvirate's reign. That one there is Sanctuary," he said, pointing at a painting of a large city of towering buildings and sweeping buttresses, a Dust crystal sitting atop the central tower illuminating the city in early twilight. "Before Bastion was constructed, the Crown Crystal stood as the largest Dust crystal in existence. Over there is the entrance to the Dragon's Talon mountain range…" Aurelius continued naming off a few others before someone walked over.

"Hello! What can I get for you?" the woman said, giving Aurelius a smile. Winter subtly glared at the other girl. Aurelius simply stared down at the menu.

"Is it the same chef as down in Vale?" he asked getting a nod from the girl. "In that case, I'll have a hamburger. If memory serves, his burgers are excellent."

Winter looks up at the man in confusion. "Hamburgers?"

Aurelius looks at her in exasperation. "By the gods, you don't know what hamburgers are? I'll admit they're not the best, but they're common throughout the kingdoms. Please tell me I misunderstood."

Winter scoffed. "Do I look like a fool to you? Of course I know what a hamburger is!" Winter turned to the girl and spoke up. "I'll have one as well." The girl nodded, looking at the pair strangely before moving off. "…I have no idea what a hamburger even is…" she thought to herself before glancing at the man across from her. "…It would be nice if this was a date…"

Aurelius leaned back in his chair, glancing around but keeping an eye on Winter subtly. "I wonder if she's figured her feeling out yet… it would be preferable if she actually did considering how enjoyable her company is…"

Before the silence could get awkward the girl returned with two burgers. Winter looked at it in confusion before Aurelius sighed. "It's ground beef mashed together into a round patty. The thought that there's no normal food in Atlas is concerning though…"

Winter blushed before glaring at him. "We have normal food in Atlas!"

Aurelius grinned at her. "Then how do you not know what a hamburger is?" he asked, taking a sip from the soda the waitress had left.

Winter let out a frustrated sigh before changing the subject. "Exactly how hard is it to learn Dust manipulation?" she asked.

Aurelius took a bite out of the burger and took a moment to think. "It depends on the person. Some are more gifted than others, and having an elemental or Dust-related semblance, such as the Rose Storm, Weiss' Flash Freeze, Yang's Dragon's Fury, or the Schnee family Glyphs, often have a strong grasp or affinity for their specific element, allowing them to learn much faster when using it."

Winter took a bite out of her own burger, taking a moment to process both this piece of information and the taste of the burger and its various toppings. "perhaps next time I'll remember to ask what they put on something before I order it…" she thought before swallowing. "So, I assume Weiss will soon be learning how to do this?" Aurelius nodded and a thought briefly crossed her mind. "Would it be possible for me to learn as well by any chance?"

Winter tried not to squirm when the Blue Rose's attention landed squarely on her. He hummed for a second before speaking up. "Normally I would say no. With you being a member of the Atlesian military there's no way to be certain they won't make you pass on this information to others that might become unstable…" Winter looked down, trying to suppress her disappointment. "However, you have potential and you're someone I know I can trust, so I'll give you a test beforehand." Winter blinked in surprise before she spoke up.

"You're not lying, are you?" she asked, causing Aurelius to let out a sigh.

"No. I promise I'll teach you… if you can pass my test. I won't tell you what it is or when it happens, but you will be getting tested soon." Winter nodded and the two ate in relative silence, the woman mentally cheering her small victory.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was 2-3 days later than it should have been. As I explained to a few people, this was an arc I was not planning to have happen (to summarize, Weiss was originally supposed to be dragged back to Atlas after finding out about the significance of a Rose's cloak but before Ruby woke up, forcing her character development to happen parallel to canon's events and destroy half the Schnee Mansion in her escape, but people wanted them together, I didn't want to put it off, and after that I didn't have the heart to go that way) so there's very little I know what to do with. In the lead up to Volume 4's events, we will hopefully regain a bit of steam and get things moving.

As I said in the opening AN, a lot of ideas for Bumblebee's home, just like Ruby and Weiss' home, came from discussions with Bookah and I'd like to thank them for their help.

Winter asking about learning how to control Dust is something that I've considered having happen in the past, but I thought her asking him on a whim might fit here.

As always, let me know what you think.