Alright, so… Holy shit. This chapter is so insanely heavy on dialogue that it's not even funny. It is the biggest info drop of the entire story and we still have a projected 40 chapters to go before the end, AT LEAST. Yeah, let that sink in. You're going for a ride, now!

Before I leave you to the story, I should point out two huge discrepancies that I made last time. First off, TheShadow977 deserves another shoutout for pointing out my lack of continuity with Pyrrha's mom's name. Second, a shoutout to Kid Nonexistent. Turns out that no, Pyrrha's parents names weren't revealed. I have yet to see the latest chapters of RWBY (time has not been on my side and I stopped at ep. 6), and my friend convinced me that those names were their names. In actuality, they are the names of Pyrrhus' parents, the historical figure that Pyrrha is based off of.

Whoops.

I'm not going to change my mistake in the AN, I'm owning it as my own for not doing my own research. And, I'm sticking to my guns that whenever the real names are revealed, I will change them accordingly for both Nora and Pyrrha, and everyone else's parent who I will have gotten wrong.

Now that that's out of the way, I leave you with a sea of information. Go nuts and I'll see you at the end!

Ruby led Blake up to her apartment after sneaking by a seemingly irate Neo, who was on the phone with a worker. The only reason Ruby knew it was a worker was because nobody else earned the loving nickname of "Dipshit McDumbass", a prestigious title only held by one… And that was Junior on a bad day. After she had put her covers away, that were graciously donated by her boss for the night, Ruby pulled out her keys and tried her best to quickly unlock the door, much to Blake's surprise. Since she got into Neo's home, she hadn't seen her neighbor pick up or drop anything, which made her wonder where the set came from.

"Hey," The faunus began her inquiry as the plank pushed open, "Do you… Did you sleep with your keys in your pocket?"

Ruby easily nodded with a stoic expression, "Yeah, I did. I do that, sometimes. It's no big deal, it's only one key." When, in reality, it was two… Still, Blake accepted the nonchalant reply and was allowed entrance to the abode of her old friend. Walking into the familiar space, she truly began to get an understanding for what Ruby was dealing with. Turning on a heel, the faunus shrugged, almost as if she was going to ask a question. Instead, however, Ruby beat her to it. "I know that you know by now that there really isn't much to do, so… It wouldn't hurt my feelings in the least if you went back to your place while I do my thing. Just saying."

Amber eyes closed slightly as their owner considered the proposition. Really what would she do in the apartment? She didn't even know what Ruby had that could keep her busy… As reluctant as she wanted, Blake left it to logic. "I don't want to be a distraction. Go ahead and do your thing, just call me when you're done."

Ruby nodded easily, accepting the reason. Though, she saw through the lie. Blake wasn't going to be a distraction, she just wouldn't have anything to do, here. She wasn't hurt by it, actually understanding more than anything. Her soon-to-be-guest walked off to her own home, leaving Ruby a time limit that she gave herself. Twenty minutes to shower, dress and call Blake back. Packing for tonight can wait.

She ran inside and closed the door behind her, shedding her clothes as quickly as possible. Her sweatpants were probably good for another night, despite the fact that she slept in them, but in all honesty, it didn't matter. Saturday, she was going to Yang's, what could she expect from the informal Xiao Long family? Jumping into her bathroom, she decided to time herself and see how quick and thorough she could be with this level of excitement.

She turned the water on and let it run, allowing it to get up to heat while shedding the last remnants of her clothes, tossing them across two doors and into the basket beside her dresser. Somehow, she was getting better at basketball, but only if the ball was various articles of clothing. She glanced behind the door and ensure that she had a dry towel, which she did, and placed it in the dry sink. Another towel on the floor to keep her from slipping and all was set, allowing her to jump into the soothing shower. Really, it was a bathtub, but it had a shower head on it, and two different dials for either a bath or a shower. Ruby never really noticed this before, or maybe she just never cared.

She glanced outside her bathroom and noticed the door she left open (on purpose, of course), going so far as to not even pull the curtains closed. She didn't care, it was her apartment with nobody else in there. Who did she have to hide from? She even locked the front door so nobody could get in, and even if Neo decided to barge in, what would be the surprise? Not like the woman hasn't seen it all before anyway. Ruby never really cared about privacy when she knew people, hence why she was a completely different person at school than she was at home.

Putting that all aside and shaking the thought free, Ruby realized that she was on the clock and picked up the nearby shampoo bottle. She didn't know what brand it was, all she knew was that it was strawberry scented, and that was all she needed. Getting a good lather out of a nickel-sized puddle in her palm, she massaged her scalp away from the falling water, forcing her eyes closed, lest she face the burning sensation of a few getaway suds. Once she was positive that her short hair was all lathered, she ran her head under the running water and reached for the body soap, another brand she didn't recognize but of course, did care for. She repeated the process as before, only this time with her body and let the water rush over her for a few extra moments before finally shutting it off. That had to be less than five minutes, tops! New record!

Jumping out and grabbing the towel she went to work and quickly dried herself off, though part of her wondered just why she went so fast. What was the point off all of this? She had, what, three hours alone with Blake? Probably more! Maybe it was excitement, maybe it was happiness? Maybe she was eager to find out where her long-lost friend had been all this time.

Ruby recalled the previous night, having been interrogated by Neo over why it looked like she was crying, who had hurt her. She had to spill her guts, but was glad to do so. She had to tell somebody about her discovery, that her own feelings were correct and that she had been reunited with one of her closest childhood friends who mysteriously disappeared one night.

Fully dry, she hung up all of her towels and shut off the lights in the room, walking into her room and flipping the lights in there on. For some reason or another, it was rather brisk in there. Even though the door was open and the air could circulate… Stupid science and stupid air for not working the way she wanted! She pulled open her drawers and found a pair of matching undergarments, dressing herself as she checked the time on her phone. She was almost right, just about seven minutes of shower and dry off time. 'Pretty good,' she thought to herself, as usually Saturday showers were long and relaxing.

Once finally dressed and phone in hand, the brunette flipped her device open, but had a second thought. She knew the walls in this place weren't the thickest in the world because she could hear her neighbors on either side of her walking around or even talking. The people who used to live where Blake currently resides talked very, very loudly, a lot.

More so than Neo and Junior…

She walked closer to the wall that sat behind her bed and leaned in, having her progress be stopped by the nightstand, and knocked against the wall four steady times. She waited a moment to see if she could hear a rustling or any form of movement before repeating the action, her fist hitting the wall harder than before, but not too hard. This time, she was met by three light taps back.

"Blake?" Ruby whispered, retracting her hand to her chest, "Can you hear me?"

She could make out a faint giggle from beyond the wall, "Yeah, I hear you." Ruby smiled lightly at the response, knowing now that this could be a better way of communication between the two. "Is this your call? Are you ready, now?"

"Yeah, I'm good." She realized that she was still without a shirt, but that was a quick fix. Besides, her modesty was still covered and Blake had been in the locker rooms with her, so what was the big deal?

'… Oh my god, I'm becoming Yang…'

Ruby shuddered at the thought before calling back, "If you're still there, my door is unlocked so come on in." Turning towards her dresser, she pulled open the second drawer and noticed a distinct lacking styles, only having two shirts left… Odd, she usually had six, two deep-red cotton (one of which having a rose embroidered on the front, left chest as a gift from Neo last Christmas), one black shirt with Beacon's insignia on the same position as her school uniform. This one was deemed to be acceptable as a uniform, so long as you wore the appropriate pants that matched the outfit, just in case you didn't have a proper uniform to wear. The other shirt was a skin-tight white shirt that was usually used for work around the apartment, or general play outside of home. The last two shirts were light grey, thin cotton that went over something. However, all but the Beacon Alternative Uniform and one grey shirt was left… 'I could have sworn I did laundry…'

Shaking the thought away, she knew she had little time before Blake walked in. None of these were what she wanted to wear, but to go with the black with a red-tint sweats, she would take the BAU for right now. It, too, was cotton, which made Ruby realize that she really didn't have much in the way of general style. But what was she to do? She didn't have a lot of money… Besides, the BAU was also a recreational shirt, so she didn't have much to worry about.

As she threw the black-and-red shirt over her head, the young teen heard the front door open and a voice call in. "Ruby?"

"O-oh! Yeah!" Crap! "Just one minute!"

"If you're not ready, I can-"

"No, no! I'm good!" Even though her head wasn't through, her arms were and most of her body was covered, which was good enough for her. Ruby rushed out, stubbing her toe on the end of the dresser on her way out, causing her to wipe out and crash into her door with a thud. "Ow!" She cried as she slid down the plank, half of her face shining through the gap in her shirt.

Blake gasped, covering her mouth in stunned surprise by what she just saw. Quickly approaching the entrance to the bedroom, she stared down at the girl with only one-eye revealed, who glanced up and chuckled softly, "Heh, uh… Whoops."

"Are you okay?" The faunus inquired with a worried tone, kneeling down beside her friend.

Ruby nodded and forced her head through, shaking herself free of any constrictions, "Yeah, I'm fine. My pride's a little hurt, but other than that…"

Amber eyes blinked and their owner giggled before standing back up and offering a hand to her hostess, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what I just saw." The would-be victim of a prideful massacre accepted the help up, achingly rising to her feet and nodding in thanks. While she did, Blake took the time to glance inside her room and examined it quickly, noting a great mess of clothes scattered across the floor. Though it was dark, she could see clearly within and even saw an open dresser drawer. "Didn't get to laundry, yet, huh?"

"O-oh… No, I haven't." Ruby replied defeatedly, causing Blake to chuckle again. "Sorry about the mess."

"Oh, please, that's the majesty of having your own place, right?" Ruby was about to counter and continue with a familiar lie, but stopped herself, realizing what was happening. "You do live here alone, right?"

"I mean… I think you know the answer to that." Finally, the cat was out of the bag… No pun intended. Ruby nodded towards the couch, gesturing for her guest to have a seat. It was about time that they had a much-needed talk. It was just passed eleven now and they had hours before they could leave for Yang's. "You knew since you first moved in, haven't you?"

"It's very easy." Blake admitted, sitting on the far side of the couch, nearest to the window. Ruby had yet to join, standing just beside the furniture and clasping her hands together, biting her lower lip in worry of a beratement, but was pleased to hear only another explanation. "When you live next to someone and hear, let alone see, no other sign of life, most people would come to that conclusion too."

"I see." Ruby nodded, "Would you like anything to drink? I've got some milk, water… That's it, really."

Blake chuckled and nodded, closing her eyes as she did so. "Some water will be fine, thanks." Ruby nodded and walked out of sight into the kitchen, where she could hear a glass being pulled down and water running, a long silence drawing over during the retrieval. This apartment was very… Quaint. There really wasn't much in it, which made Blake wonder just what went on here. If she was employed the shouldn't she have some sort of income to expend on herself? She didn't have her thoughts to herself for long as Ruby returned, handing over a single glass of clear water, filled just over three-quarters of the way. "Thank you." Blake said, taking the glass as Ruby sat down on the edge of the couch, "So… How long?"

Silver eyes blinked before perking up at the question, their owner stuttering to speak at first. "H-how long what? Since I've been here? How long has it been?" The disguised faunus nodded slowly, leaning back into the couch that felt as though it was a bed. It was brown with a maple-frame. The red-themed hostess took a deep breath before exhaling sharply, "Well, I've been here for just over three years, now."

"And how did all this happen? How did a fifteen-year-old afford to handle this on her own?"

"Well… It's… Not what it looks like." Ruby dejectedly replied, peaking Blake's interests. "See, it goes all the way back to when I left Salem's… I managed to snag a peek at my file and wrote down some vital information about my dad. It didn't have a name, but it did have an address."

"Oh?"

"Oh, is right. It was a small house on the other side of town on the edge of the residential district nearest to the docks. When I got there, I found a 'For Sale' sign… He was long gone and since I didn't have a name-"

"-There was no way to look him up."

"Right. I… Spent some time-" She swallowed hard, the memories of those days returning to her before nodding out the window, "-out there, on the streets." Amber eyes went wide, their owner caught in stunned silence as the speaker continued, "I was there for about two, maybe three months. I met a couple of other homeless people, and it turns out that they look after each other. One of them specifically kept me fed and warm, she even taught me how to pick locks! I also learned how to defend myself from those people, in case I ever got jumped. Believe it or not a twelve-year-old kid is prime targets for… Some people.

One day there was a storm and I got lost from my group. I was wandering the city, lost and hungry, until I came across an alley. In that alley was nothing more than trash, darkness and closed doors, except for one, which was barely centimeters away from being clicked shut. I took a chance, walked inside and found a reception area with nobody around. A door to my left said 'Employees Only' and I thought it was a lounge or something, so I used my newly acquired skills and broke in… Turns out it was an apartment."

"Neo's apartment."

"Yeah." Ruby nodded in affirmation. "Nobody was home yet so I took my chance and took some food and, well, as if on que, Neo walked in and caught me red handed."

"Oh, my god…"

Again, Ruby nodded, only this time not as solemnly. This time, it was with a light chuckle and a small smile. "We fought, she won, I was at her mercy, to be short about it. But, she was merciful. I woke up, clothes still soaked from the rain and handcuffed to a bar in their bath tub. She said I was so dirty that the tub was the only place I belonged." Ruby giggled at the memory, but shook her head after a moment whilst her guest stayed silent. "I had to tell her everything before she uncuffed me. She took a chance on me, let me shower, fed me and let me rest for a night on their couch. The next morning, she and I had a talk and she let me stay with them. After a few weeks, I was working as her assistant and they agreed to give me this apartment, and that same August I was enrolled in school. I finished elementary, then went to Signal Middle School before my grades were discovered."

"By whom?"

"By Beacon." There was a hopeful gleam in the teen's eye, one that Blake had seen before, which caused her to smile. "I was accepted into the academy at the age of fourteen and they even bumped me up two grades. I swear, I was nervous enough just having been accepted but I was scared stiff when I was told I was a sophomore!" Ruby began to laugh, gradually getting loud as she remembered that first day at school. "Oh man, it was so bad, Blake. Honestly, you'd be disappointed in me."

"Oh, no, Ru, never." Blake responded to an astonished surprise to Ruby, who glanced over towards her guest as the sun's illumination went away behind a grey cloud. "I mean, after all that you had accomplished to lead up to that point, I don't think I could be disappointed or upset. Actually, I'm impressed… I'm amazed… You managed to keep yourself alive and healthy and managed to get a roof over your head in the process."

"Really? You… You mean it?"

The faunus leaned in, scooting over one spot and sitting beside her brunette hostess, taking her hand in the process and gripping it firmly with a smile. "You survived so much and managed to accomplish the impossible. You took initiative, you stepped up and even though you didn't reach your goal you didn't stop. You didn't stop moving and refused to give in and now look at you! Attending the best college-prep academy in the world and sustaining yourself with a job at the same time! And you're not even an adult yet!" Ruby smiled and turned away, blushing at the compliment she received, but before she could respond, she was pulled into another embrace, just like the one from yesterday. Silver eyes blinked twice in surprise, before closing as their owner accepted the hug, though she couldn't help but hear something from within Blake's chest.

It wasn't her heartbeat… No, it was a low growl… No, wait, that's no growl!

Ruby giggled quietly, causing Blake to crack an eye open with mild concern. "Blake, you, uh… You know you're purring, right?"

"Just let it happen." The faunus curtly replied. "I don't know where you'd get the idea that I'd be disappointed."

"It's just one of those things that you had to see it, I think."

"Ah." Amber eyes cracked open yet again, examining the apartment illuminated by the return of the natural light of the sun. She had just a few more questions to ask before she passed the baton, specifically about a certain blonde nurse-in-training. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Just who is Yang to you?"

"Haven't I answered that before?"

Blake shook her head with a sigh, "That was when you were lying to me… Which, follow up, why lie? What's the point?"

"Oh, well…" Tapping her index fingers together, the young hostess pondered the question before escaping the hug, carefully leaning back away from her long-time friend. "See, what I said about Yang before wasn't a lie. She's someone who cares about me very much and honestly puts up with more of my crap than anyone. She's like the sister I never had, you know?"

"Okay, well that answers one question." Blake easily chided, "But if she cares so much, why do you have to lie to her and the others? What's so bad with telling them all of this?"

Dejectedly, Ruby's shoulders dropped and she exhaled sharply, "It's just… I don't want them to worry, you know?" Blake raised an eyebrow, gesturing with her hand for her friend to continue, "If they knew I lived alone I'd never get them off my back! The last thing I want is them checking in on me every day like Velvet used to do. I've never even invited anyone in the group to my apartment."

Glancing around them room, Blake nodded with a smirk, "I can understand why."

"Honestly, I love them all, it's just… Ah, how do I say it?"

"You want more space?"

"Sure, yeah that's good enough." The raven-haired teen shook her head with a familiar, soft smile, though Ruby ignored it. She answered the questions and had nothing more to add, but she herself had questions for the would-be runaway before her. "Anything else?"

"How much do they know?"

"About?"

"You. Your past, where you came from?"

"They know I came from Patch, and that's it… I'm… Still having troubles talking about… That day, you know?"

"The fire?"

Ruby nodded, solemnly, "Yeah, the fire." A long-standing silence fell over the duo, both unable to speak for a while. Ruby's home was the one thing she had the most trouble getting over as a kid, having lost everything in a half. Growing up, both Blake and Velvet wished that they could do so much more for their friend rather than comfort her after every nightmare, but there was nothing more than be the shoulder to cry on. Blake wondered if the girl before her had gotten over it at some point? "I won't even tell them why I don't go swimming with them for gym class, which will probably come up tonight. Pyrrha likes to press that, a lot, you know?"

"Don't think I do, no."

Ruby smirked and held up a hand, turning her gaze to the glass of water that had remained untouched during the discussion. "Never mind, I'm sure you'll find out." Silver eyes turned back and locked firmly onto amber orbs, the owner of the former taking a deep breath, "Anything else?" Blake slowly shook her head, satisfied with the information, especially now that it came from the horse's mouth rather than the bunny's. "Good, now it's your turn."

"Oh, fun." Blake clapped before rubbing her hands together quickly, stopping when she saw four fingers flash in her face: An index, middle, ring and pinky finger mere inches from her own nose, causing her to stop dead in her tracks and admire a smirk on her hostess' face.

"Four questions:" Ruby firmly began, balling her hand into a fist, save for her index finger, "Why did you leave?" The middle finger joined, indicating question two, "Where did you go or who were you looking for?" The ring finger jumped in now for question three, "What happened in the time that you were gone?" Finally, the fourth finger jumped up, signaling the final question, "Why are you back? Not saying that I'm not glad that you're back or anything, but… It seems kind of odd that you live right next to me."

Nodding firmly, the disguised faunus raised an eyebrow and sat back on the couch, getting comfortable, "So, to answer the last question first… That was honestly luck of the draw. It was so unintended and I can't even fathom the odds of this happening. Seriously, it's just… Wow. Who would have thought that the two of us- runaways from a damn foster home- would be defying fate so well, huh?"

"Yeah… It is ironic, isn't it."

"I'll say. Now, I'll go in order, because they'll all flow in with each other like that." Ruby nodded, sitting back on her spot, though more of a cockeyed angle, her right arm being used as a pillow and her eyes stayed locked on her friend, intently listening to the story like she never could in school. Blake herself leaned back into the smooth cushion, interlocking her hands and placing them on her lap. "Do you remember why I was at the home?"

Ruby shook her head slowly, "All I know is that your parents put you there on purpose. I also know that you left to go find them, because one of them were on the island."

Raven-colored hair hung in front of Blake's face, causing her to move it back behind her ears with one hand as she continued. "You almost had it. See, my dad was an ambassador to the Global Council for Menagerie. However, in time he saw something coming, a storm on the horizon he said. He was afraid that we were all in danger. Well, his worries came true one day and we all had to scatter and disappear. My mother put me in the home and said she would come back for me when it was all safe.

She never left the island, only going to Vale when absolutely necessary. When I left, it was because I couldn't take it there. I knew where my mom's address was and went to find her… I had better luck than you did, no offense."

"None taken." Ruby smirked, "I'm happy for your luck. Where was you dad in all of this?"

"Home. Working under an assumed name, one that we all had. My mom moved us to a secondary location, another safe-house in Vale that the government gave us to hide out in. We didn't know what was going on back home, but it had something to do with the White Fang. What do you know about them?"

"Probably not as much as I should."

With a small chuckle, Blake smiled and shot a caring glance to the young hostess beside her before taking a drink. "One of these days I'll give you a lesson that not even Beacon could give."

"What happened next?"

The faunus shrugged, "It's mostly a blur. I left when I was eleven, when I was twelve my dad came back for us. We went back to Menagerie, cleared our name and now the world is against the White Fang. The group had tried a coup d'état to take control of the government and went as far as committing assassinations of certain political parties that wouldn't play ball. My dad was one of those people but got us all out alive. Now, he's retired and living on the other side of the country and using the restitution that Menagerie gave us, along with his pension, to pay for me to be here."

"Wow… Quite the exciting life you had."

"Thank you." Blake blushed, meekly. "Though, I wonder if it would have been safe to have lived out at Salem's for the time I needed to. I put both myself and my mom in danger."

"But at least you found her." The red-themed teen reasoned, "That's more than I could say." Amber eyes shot a confused look her way, their owner surprised by the sudden comment, causing her to raise a hand defensively. "It's okay, honest."

Unsure of what to make of the comment, Blake simply shook her head, shrugging it off to the best of her abilities. She remembered, for a time, that Ruby wasn't even able to make a comment about her family without breaking down, and even remembered the argument that Pyrrha and Nora had earlier in the week about when the athletic teen insulted Ruby's family, causing her to break down then. Was she really over it or is it a hit-or-miss type deal? Curious.

"Yeah, well, that's basically it. I'm back for an educational experience… According to my dad."

"If you're in the clear, why the disguise?" The hostess honestly inquired, realizing just one more question. But, follow-ups were always allowed.

Blake nodded and happily responded with the truth. "See… Just because we're in the clear, doesn't mean that the extremists aren't out there. And believe it or not, it does work. They don't expect me to be in Vale, as far as they know we're on Menagerie still, so." She shrugged, "For now it's just a precaution.

"Very nice. I'm happy for you!" Ruby happily complimented with a smile, "You got the happy ending you deserved!"

"Oh, please, we aren't anywhere near a happy ending." Blake giggled, "I better not be having an ending at least, but you can never tell with stories like ours."

Ruby stood up and stretched her muscles, squeaking lightly as a few of her bones popped under the pressure, "I say take what we can." She invited her guest to her feet as well, offering a helping hand off of the oddly comfortable furniture, which Blake accepted. Though the couch was in a vertical L shape, it was leaning back a few degrees which made leaving it impossible. Ruby noticed the glance of the amber eyes and chuckled.

"I've never seen a couch like that before, Ruby… Where did you guys find it?"

With a smirk, the young teen quietly gestured for her friend to vacate the area. Once Blake did as she was told, Ruby slid the coffee table away and pulled the couch out before flattening it all at once, creating a queen-sized bed in the empty space. "Ta-da!"

"Oh, wow."

"Just in case I have guests… Which never really happened. Velvet and Coco never stayed past eleven, even during the summer."

Before Blake could inquire further, an audible growl was heard by both parties, the youngest biting her lips and blushing at the sound of her own stomach betraying her. She looked away and gripped her belly in embarrassment, completely forgetting that she had forgone breakfast for this. Honestly, though, this and sleep over food almost any day. The embarrassment only became worse when Blake began to giggle, covering her mouth as she did so and giving Ruby an odd sense of Déjà vu.

And apparently, Blake felt the same. "Well, that brings back some memories." Ruby's blush deepened, her face now as red as her bangs, hugging herself as she tried to keep a lack of eye contact. How could she let something like this slip? 'What could you have done to have prevented it? Last I checked, we were running on empty, here.'

'Gah! Brain, shut up! I don't need hindsight right now!'

"Th-that was embarrassing…" Ruby stuttered out, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh, it's not that bad." Blake easily waved her concern off. "Being hungry isn't anything to be ashamed of, especially when you sleep through breakfast." Again, Ruby's blush deepened; she hated sleeping in, unless absolutely necessary. Today, it wasn't. "How about this? It's…" The guest checked her scroll for the time, "It's almost noon. How about we pack up and go get something to eat? Then we'll head right to Yang's."

Oddly enough, she faced reluctance at first by her neighbor, who obviously wasn't thinking for some reason or another. Was she really this embarrassed about being a little hungry? "U-uh… Okay, sure. That'll work."

With a nod, the faunus turned on her heel and began to walk to the door, seeing herself out "And if I recall, I owe you a meal for completing the bet."

"Woah, hey, no!"

"I'll be right back with my stuff."

"Blake!" Before she could protest, her friend was gone and out the door, an audible thud being hear behind her. "Ah! Crap!" If there was one thing she hated, it was being given handouts. She's tried her hardest to make a person of herself, to being better than this and not needing help. To being independent, even though she pretty much relied on Neo and Junior for everything she currently has. Last thing she wants is her friends sacrificing over her.

She meandered into her room and glanced at her backpack, coming to a stunning realization… "Oh… I haven't packed for tomorrow… Double crap." Now, she was in a bind. No spare clothes, but she did have a pair of pajamas that could last all through the night, and these clothes that she was currently wearing would certainly suffice for the morning if she packed them away properly. Still, she had an extra pair of unmentionables, which those should probably be packed, too. Socks, also. What else?

She unpacked her school supplies and began to fold her pajamas that were strewn across the floor. Maybe Neo was right, maybe she did have to keep her room a little bit more tidy. Especially with Blake next door, she'll probably be over quite a bit. Velvet and Coco didn't care (hell, their room was ten times worse) and this was actually a good way to keep them out of her personal area, while Neo had gotten used to it over the years. In fact, Neo was the one who had bought Ruby all of the clothes the teen currently had, so it wasn't like there was a surprise in store for her or anything. Maybe, she stayed out to give her assistant a little more privacy… Ruby shook the thought away and concerned herself with the task at hand. She had only seconds until Blake arrived and should be packed and ready to go…

Oh, who was she kidding? Like Blake of all people will be mad?

Her PJ's packed, she turned to the second drawer out of three on the left side of her dresser that only came up to her hips, finding her last pair of both socks and undergarments. "Man, I really dropped the ball, here." She chided herself. She didn't do laundry that long ago, what the heck happened? "Tomorrow, regardless of how tired I am." She promised herself, shoving the lace down to the bottom of her bag and throwing the shin-high socks on her bed, as she would need them for right now. Once she got to Yang's though, no way.

Just as she packed away the last of her clothes and began pondering what else, if anything, to take, her door once again opened and a familiar voice chimed in. "I'm back."

"I can tell." Ruby shot back with a small smile, though Blake wasn't there to see it. The returning guest meandered her way to the door of her friends' bedroom admiring the dark that was only illuminated by the greying skies outside of her large window across the room. "Give me two minutes to figure out what else I need and we can go."

"Take your time, sheesh. We've got more than enough time… Unless you're really that hungry, of course." The sudden comment forced a blush to the cheeks of the young tenant, who stopped in her tracks and glared daggers into the soul of the faunus, who shrugged and fixed the bag around her own shoulders so that it was more comfortable to carry. "Alright, fine. Be that way."

"I will." Ruby curtly replied, pocketing her phone and pulling the charger out of the wall near her nightstand, tossing it into the bag on the edge of her bed. "On our way to… Wherever we're going to eat, I should call Yang and tell her that we're on our way. Or that we'll be there soon, at least."

"Whatever works." Blake nodded easily, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the door frame. "One more question, though, that bit you told me last week about your phone?"

"All true." Ruby interrupted, "I really don't have a need for any other phone. Nobody texts me or anything enough to warrant it. Oh well." She sat alongside her bed and slipped her socks on under the gaze of her neighbor, who patiently waited. While she did so, another growl emanated from her stomach, but luckily this one wasn't as loud as the last. Still, though, Blake was a faunus, so she definitely caught it.

"We'll get something in ya, don't worry."

Her socks on, Ruby sighed and slipped on her shoes, tying them one at a time, right first then left. "Never said I was worried, Blake."

"Never said you were hungry, either, but…"

"Okay! Okay! I get it!" She playfully yelled, grabbing her bag as she put her fee to the floor. "Are you ready? Do you have everything?"

"I should be asking you that, after all you're the one who just got packed." Ruby shot a blank gaze at the faunus, who rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ruby, I have everything. You ready?" She nodded happily, gripping both straps of her bag, "Good. Let's get going, then."

Yang walked into her kitchen, the tile floor chilling her bare feet, dressed in 'comfies' as she put them, which was just loose fitting sweatpants and sweatshirt. Honestly, she could be going to work out right now. Her pants were a solid gold with a black strip running along the outside of each legs, while her shirt was a short-sleeved grey with a black half-circle running through the chest. It cut itself short so that Yang could show off her midriff. She pocketed her phone and looked towards the table where a man sat with a newspaper and a coffee. "So, uh, I guess Ruby and Blake are on their way." She said. The man nodded as he peeked over the paper at the blonde, "I'm not sure if you really care or not."

"Yang, if I cared, I'd leave." The man said, standing up, "Besides, I kinda want to meet some of your friends. You talk so highly of them."

Yang opened their fridge and peeked inside, "Oh, you'd love Ruby. We just met Blake, though, so I'm still on the fence about her." She pulled out a can of soda and opened it, "Still, you'd like them."

"It's been a while since I've seen Nora and Pyrrha, too."

"Daddy, it's only been two months."

"Yeah, that's a while." Taiyang defended. He was a man of average build, boasting a tattoo on his right arm, but most of it was hidden by his sleeves. He was tan with short, blonde hair and a faint beard that was more of morning shadow, but Tai never shaved it off completely. He liked the lighter beard and mustache style too much. "Doesn't really matter, I don't need to leave until about seven." He took a sip from his glass mug on the table, setting down his newspaper, "So, what are you all planning on doing tonight?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Yang teased, playfully, leaning into the table, "We're going to play some games. Pretty much staying downstairs for the night."

"Fun."

"Always, that's why we do it." She planted a kiss on her father's cheek as he walked past and she walked into the family room. "Knowing the way Ruby eats, we should have some time before they get here."

"She's one to enjoy her meal, huh?" Tai called, refilling his coffee.

"Hardly. She just eats slowly all the time, even at school! I gotta nudge her every now and again to get her to hurry up, we only a half hour to eat."

"Which is really more than enough?"

"Clearly not for her." Yang quipped as she jumped down onto the couch, pulling her scroll back out and browsing the web. All the while, her father pondered something aloud.

"Curious as to why you care so much about someone you barely know."

"Hey, just because you don't know her doesn't mean that I don't."

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, "Okay, so tell me about her?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself when she gets here? You'll have enough time to!"

"Ah, you would be good at politics! All you're doing is shrugging off the question because you don't know the answer! Well I'm not falling for it, miss I-don't-know-about-my-friends!"

"I take offense!"

"I don't care!"

Yang gasped in mock horror at her father's words, crashing backwards into the three-seated, leather furniture. "My own dad doesn't care about me!" She wailed, covering her eyes as she cried false tears, all the while Tai cracked the newsprint in hand and went back to reading.

"Nope, you're totally right. All I did was pay for you to go to Beacon and get you a job with the potential to move up and learn like this was an internship. But no, you're right, daddy doesn't care. Oh, and a parking space at the hospital."

"Oh, geez, such dry humor." He sipped his coffee again, resisting the urge to crack a smile, all the while is daughter continued, "And I would be really careful with the 'getting to know you' stuff around Ruby. She can be very… Brief, sometimes." The blonde man gave a thumbs up from the kitchen, not bothering to inquire why. Some people just weren't talkers, and he understood that. You can understand a lot about various individuals while working in a hospital.

A few minutes passed in not-so-odd silence, Yang browsing the web and her dad browsing the paper. She would have turned on the TV, but with guests on the way saw no reason to. Usually, her and her dad would work together on the weekends, working night-shift at the hospital where Taiyang worked as a pediatrician, and Yang would be at reception. Though, more recently they've been permitting her to work with other nurses to get a better feel for a hospital and how it works, which will help her with her desired major.

Out of the silence and turning a page, Taiyang finally spoke up, bringing some form of life to his own abode. "So, what does Ruby and Blake want to do after Beacon?"

"I'd assume college?"

"Be more specific?"

"Why the interest?"

The man shrugged easily, "If I take interest with a few of your close friends, I gotta do it with them all."

Yang smiled and shook her head, closing her scroll but leaving it on her belly. "I haven't really talked about it with Blake, but Ruby is in the Engineering department of Beacon, so… Something related to that."

"Ah, building the future, I see."

"Don't get cheesy on her, please. She may be young, but that's just wrong."

"Oh, wah-wah." He taunted, making a fake crying noise. "My house, my rules."

"My friends, my rules."

"Oh, the Xiao Long sass comes back with a vengeance. Good to know I passed down more than my amazing hair and good looks and quick wit."

Popping her head above the couch, Yang raised an eyebrow and blinked at her dad incredulously, "May be taking a lot of credit for that…"

"Well, I'm the only one present to take credit, now, aren't I?"

"Woah." Her scroll beeped twice with high-pitched dings, indicating a text. Glancing at her device, Yang read the quick text from her friend that said 'Almost there'.

Yang picked up her light coat, which was hanging off of the back of the couch, and threw it on. "I'm gonna head out and wait for them, show Blake where to park. Remember, Ruby is the shorter one." Tai held up his hands, saying she didn't have to worry. Yang, however, didn't believe her father one bit, but still walked outside.

Yang and her father lived modestly, despite Tai's occupation. Their house was very well kept; a garage on the side easily housing two cars with a very long driveway leading up to it. Next to the garage was a walkway to the front of the house, which went relatively unused. Inside the garage was a side-door which led to the inside of the house. From there, there were two doors on the left and a hallway on the right.

The first door on the left led to the basement of the house. The second door was the restroom. The hall to the right led to the laundry room. That same hallway had a long coat rack along the span.

Once inside the house, there were two places to go. Going straight would take one to the Family room. Two leather couches forming an 'L' shape sat in the room, right in front of the TV, which was a flat-screen, fifty-inch screen hanging off the wall. Below that sat a small, yet very long table.

Go to the right after entering the home, and you get the kitchen. The only thing separating both rooms was a small divider wall, leaving two decorative gaps on either side; one to the actual kitchen, one to the dining area. In said dining area was the door to the backyard, a small fenced in area with an in-ground pool and enough space for a fairly large, concrete patio for a cookout, which were held often at the Xiao Long residents.

Past the Family room was another hall with four rooms. The first one to the right was Yang's room. Straight ahead was another, bigger bathroom that was big enough for a tub, not just a shower. To the left and down the straight-away was Tai's room, and hidden in the wall to the left of the straight-away was a guest bedroom. Tai constantly thought about changing the guest room into his personal office, but would always think against it.

Yang walked out of the garage and into the driveway, a rush of cool October wind blew right through her coat. She cursed as she shivered, being caught off guard by the unusual cool of the afternoon.

She stood patiently below a broken basketball hoop, the backboard damaged after years of wear and tear. Also, the elements didn't help much. She didn't have to wait long, however, as a black, beat up car rolled down the street and carefully pulled into the driveway. Yang could easily make out both Blake's and Ruby's faces through the windshield from her position and smiled, waving at her friends. Once the vehicle switched gears, Ruby jumped out, keeping her eyes locked on the blonde before her, "Blake wants to know if she's good here?" She called, knowing that Tai would be leaving for work that night. Blake had parked as far to the right of the driveway as possible, leaving enough room for a car beside her, but also for a car to exit the dual-car garage.

"Yeah, you're not blocking anyone." Yang assured, "Daddy has enough room to work." With the confirmation given, Blake turned off the car and jumped out. Ruby had already collected her things and was now making her way towards the blonde. "How was lunch?"

Ruby happily nodded with a smile as Blake stepped out of the car, "It was very nice. We stopped at a diner in Downtown that Blake knew about and we had a nice, quick lunch."

"Very nice. Not that it's any of business or anything, but... I just didn't expect you to be here so early?"

"It's barely one, though?" The short-haired teen inquired with confusion, checking her older phone and finding that it wasn't even five-to-one.

"Yeah, and we aren't expecting Pyrrha and Nora until, like, four!"

"Oh, no! It's three hours!"

"Oh, ha-ha, sassy." Yang fired back, kicked Ruby's calves with her slipper-ed feet. "Just get in the house. Keep up that tone and it's going to be a long night."

Blake stood by in silence, watching with a smirk as the duo playfully fought amongst themselves. The youngest raised an eyebrow as she turned on a heel to face her taller hostess, "I thought you liked Sassy-Ruby?" She inquired with a cutesy smirk that made Yang proud.

"Did I sound sarcastic? I think not!"

Ruby shook her head and walked in first, leaving the door open so that her friend and neighbor could follow. Inside the garage was two cars and Yang's yellow and black painted motorcycle. The cover was yet to be on the bike, indicating that she had full intentions of driving it again before winter hit.

Once inside, Yang instantly opened the basement door and pointed. "Throw 'em down, girls!" She declared. Ruby complied while Blake opted to walk her belongings down. Why take the risk, something could break? Once she was back up, Yang walked into the kitchen., giving a mini-tour for Blake. "This is the kitchen, anything you want in the fridge is yours, just let me know what you're having. Snacks are mostly downstairs, and over on the table is my dad." Taiyang waved as he looked up from his newspaper. "Dad, this is Blake..." Yang pointed to her bow-wearing friend, who bowed in greetings. "And Ruby." She pointed to her other side towards the youngest of the group.

Tai examined both of the girls closely, first admiring the black-themed young woman he now knew as Blake. Amber eyes with a black bow atop her head, black hair to go along with it and a pale complexion. She stood by and bowed her head respectfully, her stance tall and proper: Back straight, chest out. She was from a dignified family, that much was apparent. She was dressed in skin-tight black clothes that honestly, if it weren't for the color, the man would assume that it was from his daughter's closet.

He nodded to Blake and then turned his eyes to Ruby, examining her. He had been in the same building as the girl but was asleep by the time she left, feeling bad about it, too. This was the girl that Yang spent so much time worrying about? Shorter in stature, but only due to youth with short brunette hair, the tips of her bangs tinted with red. She was standing straight, but not like the teen beside her, giving him the impression that her family was more laid back and easy going. She had a red jacket to go with Beacon's Alternate Uniform that clashed with her even paler complexion. The thing that spoke out to him, however, were her silver eyes. She looked... Familiar... He knew that face.

Still, he shook the thought and nodded again with a smile, giving Ruby the same treatment that he did Blake. "Nice to meet you two." He said. Both girls returned the greet with a nod, Ruby staying quiet as she noticed the man's facial structure. She had never met Taiyang before but now for some reason felt like she had known him for an eternity. Hm, maybe it was through association with Yang?

"Now!" The aforementioned blonde clapped, "With that out of the way, let's all grab a drink of choice and head downstairs! We can get an early start on games before Pyrrha and Nora get here."

All present proceeded to raid the fridge; Blake taking an 'Everybody likes Grapes' can, while Ruby opted for the Strawberry flavored drink (Yang knew how to prepare for a party) and followed their blonde hostess to the depths of the house, the man with the paper in hand chuckling at the sight. 'Ah, youth,' He thought, begrudgingly. He hated admitting her was old… Young enough to kick ass, but not as young as he wanted. "Have fun girls." He called as they finally found their way to the basement.

Well… Shiet. A lot to digest.

So Ruby and Blake finally got to their discussion, and boy was it needed. Salem gets a name drop and Taiyang makes a meaningful appearance for once, enough that he actually got a description! Hey, he's moving up in the world! We also got to see just who Neo is to Ruby, but we'll get a more in-depth look to that soon. Very soon.

More things happened that are so important to the story, I'm not going to tell them, just in case you skimmed and waited for my TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read). I want you to tell me something you noticed, give me your thoughts on how important you think it is. Actually, just go ahead and review the chapter as a whole. If I'm doing something wrong or right, I'd like to know. I'm trying to get better at this writing thing, because in time (really whenever this story ends) I'm going to write a book of my own. I'd like you guys to be my critics and help me get better before I get there, if you don't mind. Thanks in advanced, your help is graciously accepted and appreciated.

Now that all of my begging is out of the way, next chapter has been… Partly made. It was actually one of many pieces and chapters that were created long before I got the nerve to post the first chapter, so there's a good 1/3 of it that's usable. Other than that, I'm making the whole thing and will be posting it all at once and it will take at least two parts to properly make, unless you can handle another 15k long story? Let me know. As always, thanks for your support, and I'll hopefully see you all soon.

Until Next Time