Not much to say, here, but these are getting later and later than I'd like. Hopefully I can change that soon for you all. I'll see you at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy!

Edit: Thanks to reader TheShadow977 for calling out a crucial technical mistake on my part, which has been fixed

Blake pulled her car into a parking space, the same one that she was able to snag the day prior. If this string of luck kept up, she might just be able to claim this space! It sat in an underhang that was specifically meant to keep the cars dry and that same design wrapped around the outside of the parking lot for the whole structure. However, as you got closer to the building itself, this kind of cover became scarce, and even though there was a bit of a walk between the spot and the front door, it would all be worth it, especially during the winter. She had seen winter time in Vale before, and she knew just how bad it could get.

Speaking of weather, a line of dark clouds were currently rolling in from the sea, indicating that more random acts of rain were upon the city. Oh well, the sunny days can only last so long on the coast. Vale's climate was very mild, having the sea to cool them down, but it also made things very muggy, too. Nearly three-quarters of the time it was cloudy, rainy, snowy, windy, hot, and overall annoying. But sometimes, more during early spring and mid to late fall, they would get a mild streak where the temperature was a nice sixty and the weather would hold off. In fact, these days were so rare and so lucky to come across, schools in Vale had sets of snow days and sets of "nice days", which was like a snow day, only instead of digging out from mountains of annoyance, you were to stay and enjoy the day. Of course, Beacon had adopted this strategy, but they have yet to use it.

She finally parked the vehicle and turned the key, killing the engine as well as the radio. Not like they were listening to it anyway, it had been only a minute since they returned to a tense silence. She glanced at the lowly-sitting passenger, who did her best to keep her gaze locked to the dash and away from the driver. Blake smirked and threw her door open before unclicking her seatbelt and stepping out of the beat-up black car. "Come on," She ordered, "We're here."

Ruby came to life and mimicked the action of the young woman beside her and stepped out of the car, but as her right foot hit the pavement, she felt a sharp tinge in her side, just below her rib. This felt like the same feeling she had a few days ago, in gym class, but it was much more sharp. She clinched her side tightly and groaned lightly in pain, but as quickly as it started, the pain died away. 'What was that?' She pondered to herself, unable to put into words what she just felt.

Blake walked around the back of her car and leaned against the trunk, watching as the younger passenger stalled for time with just two legs hanging out. "You okay in there?" She called with a chuckle, forcing Ruby out of her stupor.

Ruby shook herself free of her thoughts and picked up her backpack, which sat at the foot of her seat and lifts herself out of the car, closing the door as she threw the bag around her shoulders in a two-strap carry. "Yeah, sorry." She said with a blush, "Guess I just got away for a moment."

Blake shook her head and waved the silver-eyed teen off, easily, before walking back to the complex entrance. Poor Ruby was so worried about what was going to happen that she was zoning out, just like the good old days. Nothing really has changed, has it?

The duo walked in together and marched through the lobby that was usually empty, but actually had a few people hanging around. Ruby recognized two or three as crew members, but another group of older men and women, probably seven or eight of them, were gathered farther to the right in a carpeted area of the lobby and sitting around a TV that was playing the weather channel, though it was on mute as the seniors laughed and reminisced. "Hey, wait here for a sec, okay?" Ruby ordered, more than asked. "I should check in with Neo real fast." Blake nodded in agreement, understanding an obligation as it was but was still confused as to why and how this came to be.

She watched the young girl walk into the back area, past the three people, two men and one woman with black shirts and blue overalls, and maneuvered through a door that had a sign: Employees Only. She stood by in silence, fastening her bag tightly to her shoulders and trying to keep her gaze away from the people present in the large room, many of whom she could just feel were gazing upon her.

Clasping her hangs together, her right hand over her left, she hung her limbs in front of her body, her hands falling just below her waist in a respectful stance. Amber eyes rose from the tile floor and glanced around the brightly lit room, first locking onto the female in the maintenance crew, who had been staring with near quizzical interest. Blake passed a nod her way before sighing, glancing away to the carpeted area once the young woman had nodded back. She then turned her attention to the now quiet group of elders, noticing that one or two kept glancing up at her, making her feel uneasy. She had seen how hateful older people can be, and the fact that she was under their watchful eye gave her the shivers.

Why was she given the death stares from so many so early? She was a new tenant and so far, these people were not very welcoming! What was stopping her from just heading upstairs and waiting for Ruby? Because this did not feel right. Luckily, though, the aforementioned brunette didn't take long and reemerged, for some reason with a concerned look on her face. She shook her head at the trio in front of the door, all of whom dropped their shoulders, sighed or shook their head in disbelief and let the teen off while they grumbled and growled.

"Something wrong?" Blake asked, honestly, noting Ruby's odd mood.

The teen shook her head quickly and turned her attention towards the door to the stairs, "No, it's fine, just…" She sighed heavily, "I don't understand adults sometimes."

"… I can totally understand."

"Hey! You there! Girl with the bow!" An older man's voice called, causing the duo to stop harshly. Blake's muscles stiffened as she slowly turned around, Ruby sighing and shaking her head as her neighbor acknowledged the older gentleman in the lobby, staring at a man with a shaved, grey head who had garnered the attention of the rest of the people present, his head craned around his couch. Blake froze as she felt several pairs of eyes on her, understanding just why Ruby would feel a little shy under this kind of pressure in school. "You got a name, sweetheart?" His voice was raspy and congested, but he made no effort to clear his throat. Blake nodded slowly, unsure if the man was able to see that. "You wanna tell us?"

"It's Blake." She replied, shakily.

The man chuckled before raising a glass of a bronze liquid, "Well, Blake, be careful with her." He nodded to Ruby, who had not turned around yet and just smirked, "She's the jewel of this building, you know."

"Really?" Blake inquired incredulously, eying the teen before her as Ruby blushed, inserting the code to the door, "I'll be sure to keep her safe, then." Ruby quickly unlocked and opened the door, entering first and keeping the large plank open so her friend could enter behind her as she quickly tried to escape the public eye. Blake followed shortly before waiting at the first stair for her neighbor to follow. Ruby caught up and led the older teen up the stairs, keeping quiet for a moment or two, before the awkward silence finally got to her.

"Sorry about him." Ruby sighed, cautiously, "I forgot that group meets every Friday."

"Oh, no, it's okay." The bow-wearing teen slyly said, following her friend to the second-floor landing, "Little jewel."

"Okay, no. You don't get to do that."

"Aw, why? It's so cute!"

"And that's just it!" Ruby argued, "I have a reputation here, and that led to me earning that nickname, but that's it! I don't need it to leave and get to someone like Yang, okay?"

"Does Velvet know?"

With a defeated sigh, the teen nodded, "Yes, her and Coco. The latter gives me the most crap for it."

"Oh, I can imagine. Don't worry, though, your secret's safe with me." With a snicker, she paused and covered her mouth, "Little Jewel."

"Stop it!"

"A reputation, huh?" Blake continued to tease, "Just how long have you been working here to earn something so sweet?"

"I kinda do all the PR around here." Ruby meekly responded with a shrug. "I've slowly become the face of management without intentionally becoming the face of management. I didn't ask for this but everyone seems to like me. Even some of the workers."

Bronze eyes went wide with surprise. This soft-spoken teenager had that much say and that much command and respect over workers and tenants of the building? Either the owners are pushovers or Ruby isn't. "That's… Very impressive, actually."

"Thank you." The duo finally arrived to the third-floor landing and since Ruby was the first one up, manners dictated that she must open the door first. She abided by the rules set forth by members of society long past and opened the door for Blake, who nodded in thanks. Once through the door, the duo stood and waited for a moment before the younger spoke up, "So, which apartment are we going to?"

Blake shrugged and bobbed her head around before replying, "Let's go to mine. I don't want to disturb your parents, if they're home, at least." Ruby winced slightly at the mention of her parents, and Blake noticed this, opting to capitalize on it this time. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You didn't seem to like it when I mentioned your parents… Is there something wrong?"

"N-no… No, it's fine." Ruby assured. "Can we just…" She nodded down the side of the hall where their apartments were, indicating that she wanted to proceed, which Blake accepted, leading the way to her place. Ruby sighed freely, happy to have successfully shaken off another attempt. Or so she thought…

"So, how do your parents feel about you working here?" Blake asked honestly, "Because if it were me, I don't know if I'd be so open to the thought of my child working just yet."

"I guess parenting styles differ from person to person, then." Ruby easily replied, "They think it's okay, as long as it doesn't get in the way of my school. Besides, all I do is paperwork, anyway. Neo or Junior would never put me in harm's way willingly.

"Would they, now?" A lone eyebrow was raised to that comment as the duo arrived at their destination, far quicker than either anticipated. Blake pulled her key out and unlocked the door before glancing back to her guest, "Interesting. Go on in, but if you don't mind kicking your shoes off? I'd like to keep my carpet a little clean for a while."

"Sure thing." Ruby agreed, "Can I drop my bag down somewhere?"

"Oh, anywhere is fine. How about under the coat rack?" The hostess closed the door and nodded towards a coat rack across from a matt that said "Shoes" on it, which was literally the biggest hint that said 'put your shoes here'. Once her red and black uniform lace less sneakers were off, Ruby dropped her backpack down across the aisle and stood by respectfully, waiting for Blake to remove her shoes. "Don't wait on me." She waved the young teen off, "Go ahead and get comfortable."

"Oh, thanks." Ruby said with a nod and turned back into the apartment that she had visited once before, noticing a stark difference. There was actually some furniture under the boxes! "Wow, you've sure gotten used to this place in a flash, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Blake said with a happy sigh, "It's still a mess, but home is home."

Ruby nodded as she glanced around, the apartment looking so much like her own. To the left was the kitchen, which had two doorways and in-between those two was a glassless window that peeked into the cooking area, enough of a space to allow for food to be passed through or additional anything to be placed for extra room. This addition caused Ruby to be very jelous for a moment or two, until she peered right and found something else to be jealous about.

Blake's family room was an area was a couch and a loveseat surrounding a bookshelf with a display monitor for a TV sitting nicely on top. How those worked was you needed a flat surface and bam, you have a TV screen without the TV. Surprisingly inexpensive, despite the many upsides and conveniences that would totally justify an increased price. Despite all of that though, Ruby noticed that the bookshelf was just teeming with books, so much so that there was a favorable stack beside the shelf in itself. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a bookshelf?" Ruby inquired, pointing to the pile.

Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Yeah, it does." She said, annoyedly, "I had to send back an additional shelf I had. It came in all busted and warped and made me so mad."

"Yeah, that sounds obnoxious."

"Oh well, free shelf!" Blake cheerily retorted, walking into the space, "So, do you know why you're here?" Ruby slowly, carefully nodded, "Good, I've been in suspense all day." Blake chuckled easily as she took a seat at the counter, inviting her guest to the empty chair beside her. Though Ruby politely declined, interlocking her fingers together and standing a few feet away. "So, you think you have the answer, huh? How about you go through your thought process with me? I'm eager to know."

"Okay." The teen nodded in agreement, still very tense. With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, Ruby began her explanation: "Well, when I first met you I had a slight sense of déjà vu. I knew that you looked familiar but I just couldn't put my finger on it. As the week went on and I spent more time with you, I began to understand why." Blake raised an eyebrow curiously, but said nothing as Ruby continued, "See, I have never gotten along well with anyone. Never. Unless I knew them somehow. Like, Velvet, for instance. Her and I got along well because we knew each other, but when she introduced me to Yang, I shut down and stayed quiet for a really long time.

It's just tough for me to be comfortable around people, I guess. But you? It was easy to be myself around you and I couldn't figure out why, unless I had to know you somehow…"

"And where do you know me from?"

"Well…" The younger teen rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, glancing away towards the shoes that were neatly placed together near the door, but soon found determination and turned her attention back to the hostess who let her in. "See… I was… We were at a foster home together on Patch a few years ago."

"Oh?" Amber eyes blinked in surprise as their owner smiled internally, "And you're sure of this?"

"I am… Almost. There was a girl who was a lot like you, there. She was nice, welcoming, very polite… She even read to me sometimes. She was the reason why I'm so interested in books, even though my own writing is… Subpar, at best. She had black hair, amber eyes, really liked fish, and the icing on the cake was that she had a pair of cat ears where your bow is now."

A sharp silence followed the revelation, Blake opting to say nothing. Her heart raced with anticipation, with eagerness, but she had to stay as stoic as possible. Part of her wanted to just jump for joy and wrap the little girl she once knew into a big hug, but a more mature side reigned those emotions back and kept her in her seat. She leaned in, turning away from Ruby and fully towards the counter with a big sigh, intentionally twitching her ears, but not to a great degree. "Yeah? And?"

"Blake…" Ruby cooed, reaching out and taking her friends right hand with her left, trying to get her attention, which worked. One amber eye glanced at her, watching a hopeful gleam in silver orbs, "I know who you are, I can feel it. There's just one way for me to figure it out… Please? May I…?"

With another longstanding sound of silence and a tense atmosphere between the duo, the older of the duo considered her options. Ruby figured it out, no doubt, but this last question… Was it really necessary to remove the bow? Blake could just nod and say 'Congratulations, you found me!' or… No, it had to happen. It would mean so much more, wouldn't it? She closed her eyes and sighed, opening the hand that her guest was currently gripping and flipped it over, allowing two palms to meet before closing it again. "Alright, sure." She said with a nearly cheery overtone in her voice, scooting her chair back in jumping down, standing tall above the red-themed teen.

Ruby, who was no taller than Blake's chin, seemed intimidated by the raven-haired teen's near eagerness to commit. She stopped, dead in her tracks, unable to think or move. If she was wrong, then she just gave up a huge part of her history that not even her closest friends at school know about, but if she's right…

Blake smiled lightly at a small blush that reddened Ruby's cheeks, her grip on the hand staying firm, yet lovingly light as she pulled the connected hands up, stopping just below Ruby's chin. "Are you going to do it? Or do you want some help?"

"W-what?" The younger teen stuttered, eyes growing wide with confusion. Blake's smile softened before she bent her knees, allowing herself to be perfectly level with her guests, staring straight into confused silver eyes. Her grip softened as she guided the foreign hand to the top of her head, and she could tell how nervous the teen before her was. If Ruby's heart hadn't jumped out of her chest before, it most certainly would now. From the hopeful, fearful and worried look in her silver orbs to the determined beat of her heart, Ruby took over, and instead of benign guided she strengthened her left hand to overpower Blake's and brought her fingers up to the crown of her friend's head, searching for the knot that kept the bow together.

She easily found it, bringing up her right hand while she fiddled with the knot, careful to not pull too hard, else she could hurt her friend. Blake watched as Ruby's eyes were firmly locked to the crown of her friend, her fingers gently maneuvering and finding the loose strand of fabric to the black, tightly done bow. She pulled the string, bringing the knot undone and finally pulling off the fabric. Blake knew it, the look in those silver eyes, that Ruby finally understood.

The bow didn't make it to the ground before the duo locked eyes, one amber set firmly staring into soft, wet silver orbs. The owner of the latter began to breath heavily, rapidly, her lips quivering with emotion, what Blake could only assume was pure joy.

"B-lake?" Ruby stuttered first, her muscles growing weak, her legs shaking at the face of a friend that she hadn't seen in years. "A-a-are you… are you really…?"

She could not, and would not, hide it any longer. Blake's heart was beating just as fast as Ruby's, and as best as she tried to hold it back, she could feel the dams ready to burst, as well. "Yeah." She said with a slow nod and a smile that went ear to ear, "Yeah it is. I'm the girl from-" She was cut off by a rushing force slamming into her chest, a pair of arms tightly wrapping around her neck. She could hear the soft weeping from beside her as Ruby rested her head on the raven-haired teen's shoulder, trying her best to hold in her emotions. Blake quickly reciprocated the tight hug, having the advantage of being at Ruby's shorter level, she wrapped both of her arms under Ruby's arms, rubbing the teen's back with her right hand while holding up her head with the left. "What's wrong?" She softly asked, knowing the answer to her own question, "Happy to see me?"

"More than anything." Ruby softly whispered back, her legs finally giving out, causing her to slide to the floor. Blake allowed this to happen and instead of keeping the full weight of her friend up with herself, she followed the red-themed teen down, both collapsing to their knees. This once again created a height difference between the two, just slightly, however. Still, it was slight enough as Blake tucked Ruby's head under the nook of her neck, repeating the actions of a few seconds ago as the soft sobs and careless breathing continued. "I thought… When you didn't return…" Ruby sighed through the hiccups and tears, "I was afraid that something… Happened. I'm so glad you're okay!"

Blake winced, knowing the truth may ruin the moment. No, Ruby didn't need to know all that, especially since she herself was trying hold back her own tears, to really no avail as a few drops escaped her eyes with periodic blinks. "I'm glad you're okay, too." She said, "I have so many questions…"

"I do too!" Ruby quickly broke the embrace, keeping her hands on her friend's shoulders, as Blake did the same with Ruby's back, "What happened? Why are you here? Did you-?" She was quickly silenced by a lone finger being placed over her mouth, giving her yet another sense of déjà vu. She must have been rambling, and only Blake did that to her when they were kids.

Silver eyes blinked and focused on a soft, caring gaze from the faunus before her, whose smile was nearly never-ending, but more of a half-grin, almost. With the same hand that was used to silence the younger teen was now wiping away tears that vandalized a beautiful face that never seemed to age from childhood. Ruby retracted slightly to the sudden touch, but quickly realized just what Blake was doing and stayed in place. "We'll have time to discuss the past soon enough." Blake said softly, "Now, though, I want to just enjoy the moment."

Ruby's face softened from a confused look to an understanding and nearly thankful smile, accompanied by a nod before being pulled into another tight embrace, closing her eyes as she made contact with the body of her formerly long-lost friend. Formerly… Yeah, that sounded good to say. "I missed you so, so much, Blake."

"I missed you, too."

Yang pushed her cart through the store aisles, filling it as she went along. Currently she had three boxes of cans, one box of Red-Dew for Ruby, a strawberry flavored Dew drink that actually wasn't half bad, one box of root beer for Nora (against her better judgement, of course), and a box of Coke for Pyrrha and her. Really, Yang was fine with whatever to drink, she wasn't picky, so she'd probably just take whatever she wanted from the stash (as if anyone would care). To be honest, though, she wondered about Blake and what to get her, but hoped that the new kid would be fine with whatever was available.

As she meandered through the superstore, the blonde kept her mind on… Other things, but not too far away from the raven-haired teen. Blake had been introduced by Ruby less than a week ago, and already they were really good friends and for some reason she wasn't able to shake the feeling that there was something more. What was worse was Pyrrha's words that had been buzzing in her head for a few days now.

'And that might be part of the problem.'

Ever since that conversation, Yang had been doing some serious internal reflection, mostly on her prior actions towards Ruby. She worried that perhaps Pyrrha was right and that she was suffocating the younger teen, but at the same time she worried that perhaps she was doing just enough. After all this time, Ruby was finally starting to respond and was becoming the person that everyone knew she could be, and all it took was a little elbow grease and a friendly disposition. That's what she's known to work.

Turning her cart to face the next aisle, she mindlessly walked the path, keeping an eye out for the snacks on her list, most of which were down the same aisle: Aisle seven. Notorious home to all of the junk food and whatever is bad for you, which was a fair warning for parents to not bring their kids down, lest they face a tantrum. However, for a young adult like herself, Yang and her friends dictated that they could handle the awesome responsibility of the sweets aisle. Whether or not that statement is true is still up in the air.

As she continued her march through the store, her mind went back to her previous thoughts and concerns. For so long she had cared for and watched over Ruby at school and even tried her best to do so from home, but could never understand why. 'I barely even know her,' she thought, 'why do I go out of my way so much for her? Am I just that nice of a person?'

'You don't do this for many other people.' Another voice countered her, quickly.

'Well… That's because nobody else really needs it…'

'Are you sure Ruby needs it? Or are you just assuming so?'

She honestly thought that maybe, just maybe, she was suffocating the youngest member of the group. But why would she care so much? There must be another reason to this. Perhaps it was the relationship she had with her mother that made her so motherly? Maybe she's just acting out what she wants? No, that answers too easy for the blonde to come to, to be right. If there's one thing Yang has learned in her short time on Remnant, it's that if the answer to a complex problem is simple, it's probably not the right answer.

Each time her thoughts trailed off they instantly came back to the same point, the same question, with no escape in sight. 'Why do I have such a problem with this? Am I really jealous of Blake that much? Come to think of it, just who the hell is Blake, anyway!? What's her relationship with Ruby and just what does she have that…'

"Oh my god, I really am jealous…"

Just as she spoke to herself, being brought back into the realm of reality, she began to blink and glance around, finding herself at the complete opposite side of the aisle from where she started and, judging by the barrenness of her cart compared to her list, she zoned out long enough to walk the entire distance without ever picking up any of the provisions she needed. With a heavy sigh, Yang shook her head, brushing her widow's peak away from her eyes and began to march down the aisle again, turning her cart around in mild embarrassment.

'I guess I should be happy for Ruby. After all, Blake seems quiet enough, they can probably relate to each other easily. Plus, they live right next to each other and have, what, five or six classes with each other? Of course, Ruby would concede more easily to Blake, seeing as they drive to school together… Blake does seem like a nice person… Probably less overbearing, keeping her distance a bit more than I would. Maybe that's the issue? I'm just too lofty?'

That seemed like a viable answer. She treated Ruby like a kid, instead of giving her the respect someone at Beacon deserves- especially someone who made it in so early. But how could she change that? It would be difficult, but it would be best to try…

Lilac eyes blinked again as Yang examined her surroundings, noticing something familiar… The milk and other refrigerated goods were to her left and the rest of the store's produce was to her right, far and down while closer to her was… More aisles… Turning around, she saw a noticeable vacant treats section and looking back into the cart, it was still barren…

"Son of a bitch!"

"Are you excited?" Pthia quizzically inquired as she stood back to back with her daughter, Pyrrha, passing freshly cleaned clothes from the drying machine so that the young adult could fold them. It was a house rule within the Nikos home that you had to do your own laundry, but sometimes Pthia would break that rule and help, just to give herself something to do. "Having a whole weekend off and a few days of fun? I would be."

Pyrrha, who had finished folding her first workout shirt and stacked it on top of her school uniform, which was the first to come out, smirked and pondered about what she could expect tomorrow night. Yang called them game nights, but they were so much more, as it usually involved other extracurricular activities. Sometimes they'd go swimming in the Xiao Long's inground pool, sometimes they'd play a game of two on two football, or even basketball. Sometimes they'd play a game of Cop's 'n Robber's, a call back to their 'friendly' childhood game, using Yang's many rubber-band guns that were hidden throughout her abode. Regardless, the days and nights spent there were usually long, tiring and fun, even with the addition of Ruby last year.

"Of course I am." She responded to her mother, still smiling lightly. "It's nice to get out of the gym and the house every once in a while."

"Don't you and Jaune have your little date nights?" Her mother slyly inquired, causing the teen to blush before turning a stern gaze towards the woman whom she resembled so much of. Aside for Pthia's blonde hair, Pyrrha was nearly an exact match of her mother. Same height, same eyes, same hair length and type: Long and straight, easily kept up- same body type, the only difference was that Pyrrha far surpassed everyone in her mother in terms of pure athletic skill and strength. Even her father, Aeacides, couldn't hold a candle to the young Nikos.

"Mom." Pyrrha blushed, annoyedly, "You can either call them little get togethers or date nights, not a mix."

"Aw, don't be like that." Pthia passed along another shirt, this one was a recreation shirt that her daughter usually changed into after school. "It's the only solace I have, knowing that you're old enough to date. I need something to maintain my youth."

"Oh, please, mom, you look beautiful."

"Sucking up to your mother will only take you so far." A cheeky smile was all the older woman received, causing her to shoot a half-smile while handing over the final shirt. "Do you know what you have planned?"

Pyrrha shrugged easily, "Not exactly, we usually just wing it. Although, we are entertaining that new girl I told you about. Ruby got the OK from Yang and invited her."

"Oh, let's see if I remember that name… Nope, I forgot."

Pyrrha softly chuckled, stacking the last shirt. "It's Blake, mom."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, she lives right next to Ruby apparently, so we thought it was only right."

"That was nice of you." Pthia sweetly replied as Pyrrha grabbed her stack of clothes, following the teen out to her room on the second story of the house, "And how is Ruby doing since Tuesday? Have you two talked more about the volleyball tryouts?"

"No, we haven't." The red-haired teen depressingly sighed as she entered her room, placing her clean clothes on her bed and turning towards her mother, "I told her that whenever she wants to talk about, I'm here. She seems interested, but it's tough to get a bead on her sometimes, you know? Real tough girl to read."

"I see."

"That's not to say I'm not trying, though! I just have to do the opposite of Yang and take things slow with her, give her space to think about it. We might talk about it tomorrow, though."

"I hope you do." The light-blonde woman said assumingly, "She sounds like she has a lot of promise and potential. She'd be a good student of yours." She walked away from the door and back down the stairs, leaving her daughter behind to put away her clothes while she herself moved to finish the laundry of herself and her absent husband.

Pyrrha sighed heavily, closing her eyes as she exhaled at the thought of teaching Ruby. It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was that she didn't have to. "Yeah, she does, doesn't she?" She spoke quietly to herself, standing by her low-lying bed in her fairly large room.

Ren and Nora hurriedly worked over the running stove as their mentor assisted, the dinner rush now in full swing. Due to the POS system, the Nordic Lotus upgraded to last year, taking and making orders has never been more efficient. It was part of the reason why so many enjoyed their time here: Not only was the orders easy to read, but they were all set up so that you could see up to seven table's orders on the same screen, which was a forty-inch TV. Sweat dripped from Nora's brow as she rushed to complete her task, thankful for Ren, who had come down from the second story to help. He said they had more than enough people upstairs that coming down wasn't a big deal.

Though Ren specialized in his parent's floor and their food more, he was also adept in Nora's family specialty, just like Nora was with both. This made them mavericks and easy-to-place chess pieces, as Ren's father put it, as if they were ever needed (like they were now), they could assist in the kitchen, on the floor or even on dishes, though the latter-most rarely happened.

A large man walked through the knob-less door, his pure orange hair hidden under a baseball cap, and he examined the workers around him. "Doing good back here?" He inquired to all, to which he received silent nods from his loyal crew. "Good. We've seated everyone so we should die down in an hour or so."

"Are you helping us, dad?" Nora inquired. Her father, a man (literally) twice the size as his daughter in terms of both height and width, nodded, his shaved arms raising up as he held a thumbs-up in approval. "I'm helping the girls pass out food down here. Ren, I can't thank you enough for helping us down here."

The green-apron-wearing boy shook his head as he plated an order of lamb, "Don't worry about it." He said, "I'm happy to go where I needed. Besides, this kitchen smells like variety, Cyrus."

The large man heartily laughed, placing his fists on his hips, "I'll be sure to leave that comment down here, young man. I'll be honest, though, I came in here to have a word with my daughter. Sweetheart, do you have a minute?" She grasped a spatula in her right hand, flipping an order of well-done steak while spinning a bowl of soup with her left to keep it from stagnating and drying out. She glanced to her dad and simply shook her head, which he didn't mind. "Then I'll just say it now: We can't get a hold of Barron, the boy who you traded schedules with. We can't confirm that he'll be there on Sunday."

"What!?"

"I know, I know." He held his hands defensively, holding back an unfortunate barrage from his energetic daughter. "I don't want to do that at all and I wish that I had another replacement in mind, but you're the only one who knows the morning crew and we're already down two guys! I'm filling in for one and we're just undermanned in that department."

Nora looked to her friend with a pleading, begging look in her eyes, but knew deep down it was a futile attempt. Ren would be closing down and that meant staying until possibly two in the morning. Making him open at seven and prepare for the post-church crowd wouldn't be fair to him. The restaurant has been… Lacking in the early day shifts, only because it's tough to find good people willing to work that early.

With a reluctant and reserved sigh, the daughter and crown jewel of the Nordic side of the Nordic Lotus nodded in agreement, "Okay, dad. I'll be on call."

"I'm sorry, honey." Cyrus said solemnly, "I'm trying to find someone to fill that spot. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, dad."

Blake walked out of the shower and picked up the nearby thick towel, beginning to dry herself off as her body adjusted to the chilly room. In all honesty, it wasn't chilly, but it also wasn't a ninety degree shower. It was nice to finally bathe again in her own abode, now that the "crisis" of the water main was fixed. In fact, the issue was resolved so quickly, Blake wondered if it was even a big deal at all. Didn't seem so to Ruby, at least.

While she finished cleaning herself, she opened her door and walked into her room, which was no more than five feet from the bathroom, a rarely appreciated luxury, for sure. She glanced at her dresser where a set of clothes that she had picked out prior to the shower sat: A white undershirt with a black button-up over shirt accompanied by pitch black skin-tight pants. It wasn't exactly the most modest thing for her, but her mom said that it looked good on her. Then again, Kali has always been one for more form-fitting attire, no matter what.

As she began to dress herself, she glanced outside her window and out into the sunny day, the city of Vale in the skyline. From here, it was actually quite beautiful, seeing the city the way it was. Her first night there, she spent time on her patio, just standing and watching the city as the night overtook the sky. In the morning, she awoke extra early just to see the sun rise over the horizon, the city in front of it, backlit majestically, though she wondered what the view would be like without the towers and skyscrapers of the big city blocking the coast. Either way, the view was marvelous.

Buttoning up her over shirt, Blake began to ponder about her neighbor and her preset plans for the weekend. Really, she wanted to know more about the current situation with Ruby, as the night prior the two finally got reacquainted on the level they truly know each other. After a very pleasant half-hour where they silently shared an embrace, they began to reminisce on old times- not necessarily the happiest of times, but they were still memories with each other. Those childhood thoughts brought the two to wonder about what happened to the foster home they once called home, and of the old tyrant that ruled above them, and they gladly began to theorize that either the law got to her, liberating the other kids, or that the heavens got their brand of justice and washed her away in a flood.

Both were accepted options, even though they were just jokes in themselves.

What Blake wanted to ask was how the young teen had gotten here, specifically; what led to her current condition and a vast, detailed history that not even Velvet could give. And Velvet can make anyone talk if she asked nicely enough. Alas, the moment they had a chance to talk it over and discuss situations, Ruby received a call to work, one that even she couldn't deny. It wasn't too bad, though, living next to each other, they literally have all the time in the world to talk about this! Plus, Ruby looks like she's here to stay and from her meeting last week with that special someone, it looks as though this is finally a more permanent option for Blake- mainly so that she can receive the literal best education in the world at her current level.

Finally dressed, Blake concluded that she couldn't wait any longer. Patience was a virtue, but excitement was palpable. During her travels, she worried for not only Velvet, but for Ruby's wellbeing and wanted her two closest friends to have nothing more than their dreams come true: Velvet finding her loving home, and Ruby finding her loving family. Glancing at the clock, she said aloud: "Ten-twenty-three. Perfect timing." The thought planned in her head: She owed Ruby a meal, so instead of wasting it on a dinner that would probably be covered by their friends (she just didn't see going out as an option, for some reason), she would treat Ruby to lunch, and they would take the time from now to when they leave and all the way until they arrived at Yang's house to talk. Hopefully a simple idea, considering that leaves a good four, maybe five hours of heart to heart discussion.

She picked up her phone and instantly went to her contacts app, scrolling to the 'R' tab and finding the only contact: Ruby Rose. She hit 'dial' and waited while the phone rang… And rang… And rang… Until finally, she hit the voicemail… Wait, it's passed ten in the morning and Ruby isn't up? That's not right… She tried again, only to be sent to voicemail again after four or five rings.

Now this was messed up. She could be in the shower… No, wait, Blake couldn't hear the water running. That was the one upside to being neighbors, she could not only hear the water running through the pipes of the wall, she also could hear Ruby's footsteps (compliments of faunus hearing!), so Blake was able to take a guess at just what the young teen would be doing. However, in the half-hour that she herself had been awake, she had yet to hear her old friend next door. Worry began to wash over her as she decided to investigate. Grabbing her keys off of the counter, she headed out the door with no shoes and ensured the door behind her was closed before approaching the next door down. Knocking a few times, she inched her way closer to the plank, and heard nothing within the abode.

This did not bode well. Either Ruby wasn't home (which was an odd thought) or something happened to her… Please let it be that she wasn't home right now. Perhaps she was getting some last-minute work done with Neo? She quickly walked back to her door, opened it, slipped her lace less shoes on and ran out the door again, making a B-line for the stairs. Blake remembered her neighbors departing words last night, after receiving a phone call from her boss at just past six.

"I've got to go," Blake recalled Ruby saying, almost shakily, "Something doesn't sound right, down there…"

What could it have been that provoked such a fearful response? From what she could tell, Neo was annoyed by something on the phone, which made her worry that she and this Junior person had once again gotten into a fight. And Ruby would be walking right into the middle of it again? That's not a good thought.

'This really is like the good ol' days.' Blake chuckled to herself as she descended the flights of stairs, 'I'm worrying about Ruby just like I did on Patch.' She made it to the bottom floor and walked into the main lobby, examining the empty surroundings until she found a familiar reception area, this time inhabited by one of her targets. Neo sat, her left hand occupied by a paper and her right hand tapping a pencil into her temple in annoyance with a face that said 'what the hell am I reading?'

"Neo!" Blake called as she approached the desk, rousing the short woman to attention.

The di-chromatic-eyed woman smiled softly at the sight of her newest patron, "Hello, Blake." She greeted back, "Good to see you again. I hope you're enjoying your time, here."

The black-haired teen nodded firmly, "Yeah, it's pretty good here, so far." Her tone indicated that she was in a bit of rush, which confused Neo. After all, all night Ruby went on and on about how usually patient of a girl Blake could be. What could this be about? "I was just wondering, because she won't answer her phone, have you seen Ruby?"

Oh, that's what this is about? Well, she could answer the question, or… "Hm…" The woman sat back in her chair in deep thought, rubbing her chin and dropping her pencil, "Ruby, Ruby… Girl, about, eh, yay-high-" She held up her hand to a height barely reminiscent of the young teen's accurate height, "- Wears mostly red, has red streaks in her hair?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Haven't seen her conscious today."

Amber eyes blinked before their owner raised a brow, "What does that mean?"

The short, commanding woman jumped out of her chair and wagged her finger at her new tenant, silently gesturing to follow. Blake did as she was told, hoping to get an explanation. She didn't have to wait long, as Neo began to talk when they reached a familiar door on the right side of a hall. "I called her down last night because there were some… Discrepencies in her paperwork from earlier this week. I don't know if it was an honest mistake or not, but the banking for the building was all wrong and, since the bill isn't due until tonight, she and I had to go through the whole thing together and find the problem."

"Ruby and math problems? That doesn't sound right…"

Neo smirked before opening the door, revealing her humbler abode. "You seem to know her already." She led Blake in before silently closing the door behind her, allowing the tenant to review the accommodations. A holo-TV monitor sat at the farthest side of the windowless space. On the direct right side of the room after walking in was a bathroom, the door closed but the light off. After that, there was the kitchen on the left, an open space with a U-shaped counter. On the right side of the space was a table with five chairs around it and beyond that was a small hallway, the lights to both dining room and hall off but the kitchen remained on for some reason. Passed the counter there was a couch and to the far right a reclining chair. As she entered the space more, she heard the soft, faint snoring from the far side of the room.

"Once she found the issue, she assured me that she could handle it. I've seen her tackle tougher issues on her own, so I let her be for the night. When I got up this morning to set everyone up for their jobs today, she was passed out over a seal envelope." Blake could picture the sight as Neo stepped in front of the couch, waving the teen over, "I couldn't bring her back to her room so I helped her here." Turning the corner, the bow-wearing teen let out a small 'awe' at the sight: Ruby was faced down on the couch, her feet sticking out of the blanket as they sat on the arm rest of the couch, her right arm tucked beneath the pillow while her left arm kept the blanket- more of a comforter- over her shoulders. "She's been here since about seven this morning."

"I don't mean for this to sound… Off, but… D'aw!"

"Doesn't she look so adorable? Only when she's sleeping, though, right?"

Blake shrugged, her smile still not letting up by the sight, "I wouldn't know." She whispered back, "I've only known her awake."

"Oh please, Blake." Neo easily and harshly replied, waving off the girl, "I know every little thing that goes on in Ruby's life. You don't think that I wouldn't know the arrival of one of her old friends the moment it happened?"

"Wait, what?"

The woman could tell by the confused tone that Blake was confused and concerned, so she explained, "See, last night Ruby had this never-ending smile, so when I inquired why, she told me about you. Everything that she could remember about you. She seemed really happy, about as happy as her first day at Beacon."

"R-really? So…?"

"I know about you and your time at Patch with her. And don't worry, just like I do with her, your secret's safe with me, too." She peered back at the slumbering teen on her couch and shook her head, "I know you have a thing with her friends today, so if you want to wake her up, that's on you. If not, you can just leave her here and I'll get her at… Say, noon." She began to walk away, but turned around as another thought broke her mind, "Oh, and Blake!" Amber eyes looked up with interest, "If you ever want or need to know anything about her that she won't tell you, come to me. You automatically have my seal of approval if you're like Velvet."

Blake smiled as the woman left, but when the door creaked shut, her face dropped. No, she wasn't like Velvet. She was nothing compared to Vel… The rabbit faunus would be happy to put on a brave face, but… 'I'm just a coward compared to her…' She shook the depressing thoughts out of her mind and glanced back at her old friend, once again feeling a sharp and gladly accepted sense of déjà vu. She recalled the time at the home when it would be morning and Ruby was still sleep, much like in the form like she was now. The brunette didn't move much, but Blake could recall an issue with actually falling asleep. How long had she been like this? Either way, now would be the best time to wake up, if they were ever going to make it to Yang's.

Blake bent down beside the couch and softly placed her hand on the nearest shoulder of the slumbering child, shaking her lightly before retracting the hand and waiting for the chain reaction to take it's course. She didn't wait long as her friend began to stir, clinching her silver eyes shut before receding into the couch more, hiding beneath the comforter with an audible groan. Blake smiled, not expecting this much of a reaction.

"Come on, Neo," Ruby complained, curling into a tight ball, "five more minutes."

The raven-haired teen shook her head before chuckling, moving from a kneel to a sitting position in front of the couch. "Even if I were Neo, I'd have to say no."

The rustling beneath the blanket stopped momentarily as Ruby began to identify the voice she just heard. It was definitely familiar, but wasn't Neo's. Nor was it one she was expecting… peeking her eyes above the purple comforter, she worriedly locked eyes with a familiar, disguised Faunus and gasped. "Blake! Oh, geez! What are you doing here?! Where's Neo?"

Blake laughed as her friend scrambled to a sitting position while attempting to cover her fully clothed body with the comforter. "It's okay, Neo invited me in. She really does seem like a nice woman."

"I told ya… but that doesn't really explain why you're here…"

"To look for you, silly." The Faunus chided, "you wouldn't answer your phone and I got worried. I didn't know what happened after you left last night. We still have a lot to talk about, you know?"

Silver eyes went wide with realization as their owner understood just what Blake was referring to, maneuvering to a fully seated position, her legs dropping to the floor as she threw the covers off of herself, exposing her recreational clothes that she changed into before coming to work. Ruby clasped her hands together and leaned inward, almost as if she was nervous about something. "Yeah, that… um, Blake? Is there any chance that we can… postpone that until, say, tomorrow after we get back? I know it might be more tension but-"

"Oh no, its fine." Was the interrupting response, accompanied by a simple wave of the hand, "I understand completely. It'll be easier, too, in the long run. I can wait."

"But we can totally take some time to talk now, while we're getting ready to leave! A-and even for the ride in! That won't be too bad, right?"

Blake simply closed her eyes and chuckled before shaking her head. "Sure, I think that'll work."

Ruby nodded thankfully before jumping out of 'bed', "Good, thank you." She turned and began to ball up the comforter, but left the pillow where it lied. "Let me just do a few things and we can get going."

The disguised faunus raised an eyebrow before standing straight up, folding her arms just below her chest, "What time do you think it is? I'm not sure if Yang would like us coming at this hour…"

"I… Wait, what time is it?"

"Quarter to eleven."

Ruby paused, standing with a thick ball of blanket folded in her arms, clearly standing in thought, "Oh… Well, I think we have a little more time…"

Blake's smile widened as Ruby placed the comforter where she knew it went: A crate beside the couch and behind the counter overhang, "I think so, too."

Would you believe me if I said this had a lot more to it? In all actuality, the way this went, it was set to be 15k, maybe more, but I learned my lesson from a few chapters ago and made this into a two-parter. That being said, I can already tell you for a fact that Yang's sleepover is going to be at least two parts, maybe even three, but it's going to be a lot of fun.

Next chapter is almost 90% Ruby and Blake with the duo eventually leaving for Yang's. We'll get to see a good idea of the Xiao Long household of this world, and maybe we can see just how Nora and Ren's family work out living conditions properly sometime in this story.

Speaking of which, I used Pyrrha's parents newly revealed names, HOWEVER I don't know if it's right for each one, so if we find out that, no, it's not right, I'll come back and change it. Also, Nora's parent's names are placeholders. All susceptible to change. I'll do it like nothing ever happened, too.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how was this chapter? Kinda jumped around the tearjerker bits, and Ruby finally pushed herself out of the corner and revealed what she knew to Blake. Now that their reunion is out of the way, we can concentrate on exposition for the future! Also, we saw Yang struggle with her thoughts and try to figure out just why she does what she does, even getting another mention of her mom! We saw that Nora's coworkers suck donkey dicks… Okay, I'm living vicariously through her on that one. My coworkers have pissed me off to the point where this one character is this guy I work with and he has no clue. Fuck it, dude's an unreliable douche. Anyway, rant over, we saw Pyrrha getting razed by her mom, something which I hope is actually canon. I see her parent's as orderly and proud, but not strict, actually being kinda lenient. At least, that's my personal headcanon.

So, as always, tell me what you think and just what you hope to see! One of these days I'll figure out exactly what day and month this story is in and adjust accordingly. We'll see you in the next chapter and as always:

Until Next Time!