A Ship In Harbor
Chapter 2

"And just where do you think you're going?" Yang asked tiredly when Winter began prying herself from Yang's grasp.

"To shower." Winter said.

"God damn, the sun's not even up yet, babe." Yang muttered unhappily.

"I am aware of that, however I do not control the rising and setting of the sun. You know I must maintain my routine when and where I can. Even on leave, I cannot allow myself to fall too far out of line." Winter replied, her tone cool, but not unkind. "Furthermore, I need time to think."

Kali stirred at the sounds of the whispering thanks to her sensitive hearing. "So early?"

"Indeed." Winter replied without further preamble as she made for the bedroom.

Even the finest opulence afforded to their hotel room still paled in comparison to something of equal pricing found in Atlas. Winter often commented as such. If she wasn't so frequently sent away for military duties, she would have purchased a proper place to live in Vale. The entire notion had been out of the question so long as Yang attended Beacon.

Yet, as Winter flicked her gaze over her shoulder, she began thinking otherwise. Perhaps owning a place of her own might hold some measure of merit.

After all, if this new arrangement had any prayer in the world at working, the three women would need someplace more suited to their needs. Something private, and well away from the public eye. Winter had more than enough propaganda to squash underfoot back in Atlas. She certainly could do without the insane rumors that would inevitably fly around unhinged the moment the press found out about Yang, let alone Kali.

In fact, truth be told, Kali alone would be a rather grievous insult to most bluebloods and their moronic sensibilities. As for Yang, well, she was a more complicated matter.

While it was true that Yang was an adult, she was neither privileged nor accomplished. She was merely a student. Remarkable fighting talent meant nothing until after graduation. Yang was an intellectual on a worldly level, but it was obvious that her skills in academics were among the weakest on her team. Even Yang's younger sister, Ruby, bested her in several subjects where hard facts outweighed opinion. Likely, that was because Weiss so avidly instructed Ruby in her studies, but the truth of the matter stood, regardless of the reasons.

Still, the blonde was bright, personable, and stunningly beautiful. She was fun to be around, engaging for conversation, albeit slightly crass. Military personnel had found lesser reasons to find a love interest. There were plenty of selfish reasons to welcome someone into their bed, and it was common to turn the other cheek about such matters.

Winter had planned to publicly announce their relationship on her terms, just as soon as Yang graduated and became a full-fledged huntress. Now that Kali was also joining them, such a plan would seem ill-fitting. Winter had to rethink how she would proceed professionally and privately, and she needed the space to do so, alone.

Thankfully, Yang knew Winter well enough to know that she was far from displeased. The blonde rolled over sleepily, regarding Kali. "Don't mind her. If she sleeps in too late, she gets a stick up her butt. Sometimes she's even up way earlier than this."

"The crickets are still singing outside." Kali lamented.

"That's just the way it is." Yang shrugged. "I get up this early too, on missions anyway. Like hell am I dragging my ass out of bed this early when I don't have to."

"Then, I'm glad you don't have to." Kali said happily.

"Mmm." Strange, outright blasphemous situations always seemed to find her, and if this wasn't one such occurrence, Yang had no idea what was. "Yeah, well, it'll happen soon enough. Don't be surprise if you're scraping me off the sidewalk later."

"Why?"

Yang smirked, an almost proud expression dancing in her eyes. "Blake's got a nasty right hook, learned it from me. Problem is, she's faster too. No blocking that hit, I've tried. Best you can do is try to take the hit full on and return with one of your own."

"Hunters and their arguments." Kali lamented with a long roll of her eyes, a fondness in her voice. "It would be nice if you could just talk things out instead of trying to harm each other."

"Eh, comes with the title. Good practice too, if nothing else..." Yang trailed off then, her smirk faltering.

It was one thing to say she was perfectly fine with the concept of polyamory. She wasn't a jealous person by nature, and she knew she could be a somewhat clingy, if not entirely exasperating girlfriend. When she wanted attention, she'd go to great length to get it. In that light, it would probably be a good thing to have two lovers. While the rationale was sound and secure, actually accepting the advances of the other woman was something Yang struggled with.

One night of sex was easy, it was fun, and Yang had more than enjoyed herself. It was this early and quiet morning that proved difficult.

The aftermath had Yang pondering the long-term implications. After all, at the end of the day Kali was Blake's mother, that little detail could not be forgotten. False bravado wouldn't serve her in the way it usually would. She had been much more confidant a few hours prior, before the older woman proved herself to be every bit of a brazen seductress in the bedroom.

Yang tried to keep in mind that sex wasn't the only thing needed to keep a relationship stable. It was a slowly failing effort. Glued quite firmly in the confines of her own mind, Yang hadn't realized she had been openly gawking at the woman seeking to earn her affections.

Kali gently cleared her throat, plucking Yang's attention from where it had previously plastered itself. "Yang, you're going to catch flies."

The blonde woman took a breath trying to find where her confidence had skittered off to. "Uh, yeah, let's go with that."

Kali had been laying on her side, her hand propping up her chin against the pillow. The blankets did little to hide her nudity as they bunched around her hips. In fact, Kali wasn't at all modest in showing off her shapely form. Yang had experienced her advances directly, there was nothing more to hide about her body, or her interests. "Oh, come now, I can't be that intimidating up close and personal, now can I?"

"Well, no, not really," Yang began distractedly. "I mean, you're not intimidating. This is just, erm..."

One dark eyebrow raised in amusement. "Yes dear?"

A clawed finger gently followed the curve of her jaw in a way that Yang couldn't compare to anything else. Her own hands sported rough callouses, years of battle marking them up with scars. In comparison, Winter's hands were smooth, firm, and insistent in everything that she did. Kali's hands were soft, gentle, and blatantly flirtatious.

"How do I put this?" Yang sighed thoughtfully. "This is weird, isn't it? Then again, maybe I'm just being stupid. I could be thinking too hard or something." Except for the fact that the older woman was, in fact, intimidating. Maddeningly so, if Yang were honest with herself. "Am I being stupid?"

Kali shook her head, her trailing finger disappeared, replaced by her palm. It lingered upon Yang's cheek before slowly guiding that lilac gaze to her own. "No, of course not. Why would you even think that?"

Yang had several reasons to think it, in her humble opinion. "I mean, this is really going to be a thing now, isn't it? Us, I mean."

Kali considered this, but made no attempt to halt her traveling hand as it traced patterns upon tanned skin. "You're right, it might be a little strange at first. It can take some getting used to. Are you having second thoughts?"

That was the million lien question, one that Yang was truly struggling with. "I'm not, but…"

"Yes?"

"Let me put it this way. You're hot, okay? Like, really hot. Last night, damn, that was just awesome." The blush staining Yang's cheeks wasn't doing her composure any favors. "It's just that, before yesterday, I didn't even know you were interested in me like this…"

"Well, rest assured, I'm very interested, Yang."

"That's not why I'm worried." Yang protested softly. "The thing is, I always do stuff way too quickly. I don't think, I just go with the flow. It's never been too big a deal before, but, I can't really do that this time, can I? I need to think about this."

Kali nodded, understanding where Yang was probably coming from. "I don't see the issue with enjoying the company of another. Then again, you're perfectly correct. Our coupling may in fact bring some interesting complications."

Yang licked her lips uneasily. "Personal question, sorry, but I kind of have to ask."

The sound of jewelry clinking together broke the otherwise silent air. Kali flicked her ears thoughtfully, cocking her head to the side. "Well, then I'll likely have to give you a personal answer."

"Right, well, have you ever shagged one of Blake's friends before?"

Kali burst out laughing, finding nothing but humor in the depths of Yang's worried inquiry. Some might have found it offensive, but Kali couldn't have subdued her amusement if she tried. "Up until last night? No, I can't say that I have."

It was a beautiful laugh, Yang had to admit, but it didn't do anything to soothe the slowly growing anxiety she felt as she glanced towards the clock. "You know she's going to shit a brick, right? We're meeting everyone for breakfast in a few hours, and you they're going to ask questions. What are we going to say? It's going to be awkward as hell."

"Sweetheart, I'm married to a gay man. My life bypassed awkward eight years ago." At this, she leaned in close, cuddling into Yang unrepentantly as she nuzzled the crook of Yang's neck. "If they ask me anything, Blake particularly, I'm going to give them the truth. They're not a children, I have no reason to make excuses for my actions."

Yang said nothing to that, instead wrapping her arms around Kali. It was a gratifying experience, sharing the simple contact of skin on skin. In truth, she hadn't gotten much sleep during the night, and felt particularly tired as she began to doze off, lulled by the sound of Kali's resonating purr.

The two of them stayed like that, so intimately connected, and that's how Winter found them as she exited the bathroom.

"So, do you two keep up with the sideways mambo and all that, or don't you?"

Ghira very nearly spluttered his drink. The hangover cure tasted terrible, but, he forced it down his gullet. Qrow assured him it would work wonders with just one glass. The bitterness was a distraction for the question at hand. "That's a very private matter, don't you think?"

"I think we bypassed private the moment we sucked each other off." Qrow shot back.

"Perhaps." Ghira murmured. Honestly, it shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it was something distinct and personal. The sort of thing Ghira had trouble airing to even his wife, let alone to a man he had expressed a vested interest in. He looked down at the glass in his large hand. "Kali values particular intimacies, but that remains a complicated topic, even to this day…"

"What, can't keep it up for her anymore?"

"She feels as though I force myself to be with her in that way." Ghira sighed then, his large frame folding in on itself as he slugged down the rest of the terrible concoction in the glass. "I don't dislike my intimacy with her, and to some extent I find most of it rather pleasant. It's merely that intercourse with a woman, in and of itself, isn't fulfilling."

"So, ya don't then." Qrow surmised.

"We do observe particular traditions of our heritage, and that will never change. Faunus hold many festivals and celebrations that are, to put it frankly, quite provocative by nature. This obviously leads to intercourse for committed couples." Ghira corrected slowly, unsure of just how much Qrow understood about the culture. "Beyond that, I have no desire to seek sexual gratification from her. I do, however, allow her to seek me out if the urge strikes her. More often than not, she finds other bedfellows, just as I do."

"Huh, interesting." Qrow took Ghira's glass from him and carried it to the small kitchen.

"That isn't a problem for you, is it?" Ghira asked.

"No reason for it to be." Qrow said with his back turned.

"Good, I'm glad." Ghira spoke pleasantly.

Qrow's humble apartment didn't offer much, but he was so rarely home. Honestly, the place had seen better days, and it was not the kind of location a person like Ghira belonged. It wasn't the place they planned to end up, but, then again it seemed as though all of his plans had gone awry recently. If little else, Qrow was sure that sleeping with Ghira hadn't been in his job description.

Curiously, he glanced over to the small living area as he washed the dishes in the skin. "So, uh, where do you want me to fit into all this, exactly?"

"I suppose that depends on where you would like to fit." Ghira replied. "In Menagerie, it isn't uncommon to have multiple partners. I don't face the same sort of complications there, that someone in a position of power might in any other part of the world. Although, I tend to be a very private person. Even if it would be troublesome, I don't often air my interest in men."

Qrow only sighed. "Listen, I get it, but you're looking in all the wrong places. I'm a hunter with a semblance from hell, knee deep in my vices. I'm the guy you hit it and quit it. People don't look for anything more out of me than that."

"Perhaps they're not invested enough to care." Ghira took to the measured response with one of his own. "We all have our vices, I do as well. No one is exempt from having them."

"A night with a happy ending, I'm good with that." Qrow told him. "Thing is, my future isn't a good one. I know where it leads. It doesn't have any room for anyone else. I promised myself, the only person's life I'm going to screw up with my semblance, is mine. Being with anyone, for any length of time, puts that into question."

Ghira considered the cold words, no less worried by them. "I'm a man of import, and I do realize there are ramifications for my actions. All of that being said, I seek the same thing any lonely man wants. A place to hang his hat and warm his heart." He regarded Qrow genuinely, come of it what it may. "Therefore, if you would be willing, we could continue to have "happy nights" if you were interested."

It was an appealing offer, and Qrow felt himself tempted. "Depends for how long…"

"Well," Ghira hesitated. "I suppose, until it no longer suits us to do so..."

Weiss recounted the hard facts.

It was seven in the morning. They were to be at the bistro for breakfast at ten sharp. She had gotten drunk. She woke with a hangover. Lastly, most importantly, she recalled blowing off a little steam with Blake and Ruby. The outcome was far from innocent, and Weiss remembered every bit of it. It was stupid, and it was a mistake. One of the worst in her life.

There was no other conclusion for her to make, so she pointed her ire inward, ashamed of herself.

She scrubbed her body under the hot water furiously, trying to rid herself of any ill-begotten contaminants. It was a silly thing to do, really. Logically she knew the medical status of her entire team. It was in the Beacon code of conduct. Medical records were open information for team members. She had access to any pertinent information she needed to know.

Therefore, as of their last medical exam, everyone had a clean bill of health in every single way.

Thus, it was obvious that Blake and Ruby didn't have anything to pass on, and Weiss prided herself on her own stringent practices when it came to romantic ventures.

She had been so careful, so mindful, to never lay with another person while inebriated. Weiss always took every precaution. Latex, honesty, and privacy commingled with her prudish demeanor. Most people thought her to be a blushing virgin. They had no reason to assume otherwise, since Weiss wasn't talkative about her romantic life, or recently, the lack thereof.

Last night obviously shattered that illusion to great effect.

There were no dental dams in the trash, no latex gloves turned inward to be found. Blake's sheets were soiled, and her own body was sore in the way only a night of illicit acts could make it. Like it or not, a poor decision had been made.

For the first time in her life, Weiss Schnee had engaged in unprotected sex with two other women. There was only one thing to do. Put the completely idiotic action, and move on accordingly.

Dressing herself primly and properly, no outsider would have the slightest clue at what transpired. Even those who knew her well would never guess. One look at her roommates told her that the same could not be said for Ruby and Blake.

"Ruby, Blake, we need to get moving." Weiss ordered, seeing that the two of them had yet to move from their positions on opposite sides of the bed. Blake at least had thrown on her underwear, but Ruby huddled buried under Blake's blankets, unwilling to move.

"We're not going anywhere if we can't get Ruby out of bed." Blake said, trying and failing to comfort the youngest among them. "Trust me, I've done everything I can think of."

Weiss frowned deeply. Ruby was understandably at a loss with herself, they all were, but her heart and soul were inexperienced in these matters. Of course Ruby would take last night to heart.

The white haired woman guiltily set her gaze on her curled up partner. "I should have expected this, strictly speaking, we both should have." Then, another thought came to mind. "Unless, Blake, you aren't new to occasions like these, are you?"

"I wasn't a virgin, if that's what you're asking." Blake said quietly. "I wasn't really planning on waking up the way we did. It never really crossed my mind, at least, not sober."

"Obviously!" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, her head still throbbing as she sighed out the entirety of her ire. Annoyed or not, Weiss knew this was her own fault, at least in some capacity. She was the one that drank herself beyond her own limit, and clouded her own rationality.

Blake was not to blame for those actions, even if she was the one to suggest it.

"What are we going to do, Weiss?" Blake asked, her golden gaze beseeching as she looked down at Ruby with equal amounts of guilt and sadness. "She won't even look at me."

Weiss positioned herself on the edge of Blake's bed, finding it in herself to meticulously toy with the strands of unruly hair sticking up all over the place. It was a comfort to Ruby in ways Weiss would never understand, and she had no idea what in the world prompted Ruby to even take a liking to it in the first place.

"Ruby, I need you to talk to me." Weiss said with a firmness that had come from her experience in dealing with her partner. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

In the smallest voice Ruby could possibly have, she murmured her answer with her face still hidden under the blankets. "I feel like crap, and I don't remember last night at all."

"That's a hangover, probably." Blake murmured to her.

"There's no probably about it." Weiss said evenly. "Ruby, I need you to look at me…"

"…nu-uh."

"Ruby-"

"No!"

Blake sighed when Weiss sent her an aggravated look. "See what I mean? It's no use."

"Blake, go take your shower, and I'll deal with this." Weiss said quietly, an edge in her tone was one that indicated she wasn't up for toying with the matter.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Blake began, but that irate blue eyed gaze shot daggers at her, and wisely she swallowed back the rest of her opinion. "I'll just... Shower… Right." Blake reluctantly made her way to the bathroom, a change of clothes in hand. "I'll just be in here if you need me."

Weiss waved her off, a hot breath of annoyance slipping from her lips. "Ruby, if you won't look at me, you're leaving me no choice." Weiss warned before ripping the blankets away from her shy partner. Ruby scrambled for them, but Weiss caught her deftly, half dragging Ruby into her lap as the blankets followed. Ruby clung to them tightly, reverting back into a little ball, though it wasn't nearly as effective as before. "Let go of the blankets, Ruby, I won't ask again."

"NO!" Now she was stuck on her partner's lap, naked, and so very confused. She hugged the blankets tighter than ever.

"I do hope that you realize that this is completely absurd." Weiss curled around her protectively, a lengthy sigh of resignation tumbling out as she rested her chin on Ruby's shoulder. "We're all girls. Last night notwithstanding, we live in the same dorm. We've all seen each other naked hundreds of times in passing. It isn't as if we have the luxury of privacy around here."

"You looked last night, though." Ruby told her. "We did things, and I don't remember them. My head really hurts too."

"What part of that upsets you?" Weiss asked, feeling as though she was finally getting somewhere. "That the three of us had sex, or that you don't recall what actually went on?"

Impossible though it seemed, Ruby curled further in on herself. "I don't know."

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

"Are you angry with Blake?"

"No."

"Then listen to me, there is nothing to be embarrassed about." Ruby flinched, and Weiss knew that she hit the nail right on the head. "You didn't do anything wrong. Not to me, and not to Blake. We probably shouldn't have been drinking so much, but, that was a choice we all made. We have to live with that outcome, all of us."

Ruby was quiet for a long time, but she finally found her words again as the sound of the shower stilled. "When you woke up, you were really mad."

"I'm still mad. More than that, I'm infuriated, but only at myself." Weiss said darkly. "I failed to hold myself to a particular standard, and that angers me greatly. You are not to blame for my actions in this regard. If anything, I'm more livid than I've ever been at myself."

"Why?"

"I made poor choices, and I find that unsatisfactory."

"I thought you and Blake were going to leave." Ruby murmured, then she tensed back up again. It was a terrifying thought, but it held weight. "She still might. What if she does? What then?"

"Ruby, look at me." This time, wet, steel colored eyes met those of cool icy blue. "I would never do that to you. Blake wouldn't either, not under this circumstance."

"How would you know?"

"I just do." Weiss retorted. "We'll figure this out. I promise that we will, but these things take time. That's not something we have right now. When we get back tonight, then we can all sit down and have the talk we need to have."

"Okay." Her nod lacked confidence but Ruby's hold on the blankets finally slacked and slipped through her fingers entirely. Without thinking too deeply about it, she curled into Weiss.

The older woman slowly rolled her eyes at the entire ordeal, feeling her head throb once more, though she made no indication that it hurt at all. They waited for Blake to exit the bathroom before Ruby rushed in, practically slamming the door behind her.

It was hardly a smooth start for the day, but as Weiss and Blake shared a wordless glance of acceptance, the tension in the room finally seemed to ease. It was the first good thing to happen since they woke up, and as Blake nodded her approval, she could only hope the trend continued.

AYangThang: Hello everyone, sorry this chapter took a bit of time to get out here. I was having some trouble with Ruby's scene. I also think it's interesting to have a sexually more advanced Weiss, since it cuts out the normal floundering from the expected "Useless Lesbian" trope. I personally think it'll be an interesting juxtaposition to her normally private and personal behavior. That, and shy Ruby is a cute Ruby. Blake's going to have her hands full with these two, that's for sure.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. All the spelling errors in this chapter are my fault, I have golf balls for eyes, and if I missed something that's on me. Anyway, the upcoming chapter is up to Dongyrn, so until next time, everyone!