AN: Chapter 4 is here~ I'm so sorry for the long wait this chapter gave me...issues...
Ruby snuggled into Yang's gentle hold. They had long finished bathing each other, and now Ruby was just enjoying her sister's warmth. Yang gently reached up and ran her fingers through Ruby's short hair. Yang was so soft and gentle...Ruby couldn't help but rest her head on her shoulder and begin to fall asleep, trusting Yang to hold her.
Yang shifted positions, hooking her arms around Ruby's torso when she felt her relax. The dragonling smiled a little and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the water surround her. She could lay here forever, her precious sister laying against her with her tail brushing against her leg.
The serene scene was suddenly interrupted by someone calling out. "Ruby! Don't sit in that tub all day! You have chores to do!"
Ruby groaned and stirred a little, opening her eyes to find Cinder staring down at them both. She nodded and pulled herself from Yang's hold as Cinder nodded and walked off, going down the small path towards the town.
Yang reached out for her sister as she tried to pull away, tiredly grasping for her sister's warmth only to find cold air.
"Yang, we should get up now," Ruby scolded as she started to shake the water off herself, then putting on her discarded shirt and skirt.
"But...snuggle…" she mumbled softly.
Ruby laughed and shook her sister's shoulder. "No, get up. We can snuggle after you go find Weiss."
"Weiss?" Yang mumbled in confusion as she lifted herself out of the warm water, shivering as the air cooled her skin.
"The bunny I met. You said you'd go find her!" Ruby stated as she grabbed her cloak and pulled it around her.
Yang nodded and stretched. "Oh yeah...that…" she mumbled softly.
Ruby sighed and shook her head. Yang was always slow to become alert...but there was one thing that always helped. Ruby circled around her sister, stopping behind her and reaching out, gently running a finger down her scales.
Yang yelped and jumped to awareness. "Ruby! No!" she snapped.
Ruby laughed and shook her head. "You're way too sensitive...go get dressed."
Yang smiled and flexed her muscles, showing off...well everything. "You want me to cover all this up."
Ruby rolled her eyes and leans up, kissing Yang's cheek gently. "I don't, but I think you'll freak that little bunny out if you don't."
Yang sighed, putting on a joking pout. Then she rubbed Ruby's head and walked inside. The smaller girl rolled her eyes, her ears laying back as she gathered the rest of the clothes. She put them out to be washed later. Then, as she straightened out her cloak, she walked inside the small hut that was her home.
Ruby sighed when she found Yang lingering at the entrance to the lab. "Yang, you know you're not allowed in there."
The older girl sighed and nodded, stepping away. "Sorry….I thought I heard something…" she mumbled softly before walking upstairs.
Ruby waited, listening to the wood creek underneath Yang's weight, it was comforting to know she was here with her. And that she wasn't alone with...her. Ruby took a deep breath and stepped inside the lab, grabbing a note off the desk. She waited until she could hear Yang moving up in their room, then she spoke softly. "Cinder would be mad if Yang saw you...you do remember that Emerald?"
All she received was an almost feral grunt from the far corner...though she knew that's all she'd get. Ruby looked over at the corner and found a young woman with tan skin sitting in the dark, her mint green hair hiding her face. The halfling let out a long sigh and walked over, kneeling down and gently brushing Emerald's hair aside. "Hey, are you awake in there?" she asked nervously.
Emerald's red eyes flicked to Ruby's face and she batted her hand away, grunting in annoyance. Ruby sighed and stood, Cinder's little pet was...as awake as she was going to get. Ruby shook her head and grabbed the list of chores. "Looks like you're going to have to help me, Emerald."
Emerald grumbled a sound of dismissal and shook her head, seeming to try and retreat further into her dark corner. Ruby rolled her eyes and started to try and reach for the ingredients. Emerald never wanted to help unless Cinder was around...she'd do anything to avoid getting in trouble with her master.
Ruby stretched to reach an ingredient on the top shelf, grumbling to herself about how tall Cinder is...and about how she wished Yang could help her. She hated having to be separated from Yang, but Cinder said she might get hurt if she was in here. Ruby glanced at Emerald out of the corner of her eye, remembering Cinder say once that Yang might end up like the mint-haired girl. Ruby shivered at the thought of her precious sister ending up like that, mentally numb grunting in a corner.
Ruby's fingers brushed against the cool glass, bringing her back to the task at hand, she was so close to being tall enough and yet she was just falling short. "Emerald, Cinder is going to be mad if I don't do this! Come help me!" she ordered swiftly.
As if those were the magic words to awaken a golem Emerald slowly stood. She stretched for a moment, then walked over to Ruby, not giving the smaller girl even a passing glance as she looked over the paper and reached up, grabbing the two ingredients Ruby needed from the top shelf. Ruby smiled and took the two vials. "Thanks, Emerald."
Emerald glanced down at the girl, grunting before returning to her corner. Ruby sighed and shook her head...maybe one day she'd talk to her. Ruby shook her head, refocusing herself on the chores at hand. She flipped through her book of beginning spells and potions to the proper page and started adding ingredients into a small pot.
As she was crushing up some dried mushrooms she heard Yang come downstairs. "I'll be back Ruby!" she called out.
"Don't forget your hat!" Ruby called in response, earning a nervous chuckle in return. Ruby laughed and watched out of the corner of her eye as Yang grabbed her hat and walked out the door, leaving the house in silence. Ruby slouched a little over the counter, she hated being alone...but she had to do her chores or Cinder would get mad...then she'd really be alone…
The house was silent until the door opened once again about an hour later. Ruby looked over-excited, expecting to see Yang walk in, but instead she saw Cinder standing in the doorway. She smiled contently and turned back to her book as she crushed a few herbs.
Cinder walked up behind Ruby and put her arms around her waist. "Hello dear, how are you doing? You should be past this now."
"Oh, I'm fine...I just messed up a few things and had to redo it."
Ruby continued working, but she could feel Cinder's crimson gaze on her. She knew Cinder wouldn't hurt her, but there's something about how she speaks that puts her on edge.
Cinder squeezed Ruby lightly, "Ruby...where's your sister?"
Ruby gulped softly and shifted positions nervously. Yang and Ruby aren't allowed to leave the cottage without permission, or a really good reason. She had to come up with something very quickly...or Yang would get in trouble. "I asked her to get me some saplings and seeds from the mountain for an experiment I want to run," Ruby explained smoothly.
"An experiment?"
"Yeah," Ruby said quickly as she reached up and grabbed a botany book. The young girl wormed out of Cinder's grasp and flipped through the book. "I wanted to try a different type of growth enhancer, so I sent Yang to go find some specimens for me."
Cinder nodded then walked to her half of the house, where the sisters aren't allowed at all. Ruby mixed together the powders she was working with and added a few drops of pure water. She smiled as the mixture started to turn a light green color.
Suddenly, Cinder peaked back in. "Ruby, Yang didn't come into the lab, did she?"
Ruby jumped slightly and quickly looked over, noticing Emerald trying to hide herself behind her mistress. The small girl glared at Emerald as she told the truth. "She thought she heard someone moving inside the lab, but she didn't go inside."
"Oh really?" Cinder mused, looking down at the green haired girl. She yelped and quickly scurried away deeper into Cinder's side of the house. Cinder sighed and shook her head, then glanced at Ruby out of the corner of her eye. "Well be careful...we both know what would happen if people who don't know what they're doing plays around with magic." Ruby gulps and nods, knowing exactly what she meant. "Call me when Yang returns, I need to talk to her."
"Yes, ma'am!" Ruby called after her, then she returned to her chore...but she couldn't help but wondering what Cinder wanted with Yang.
Yang wandered through the forest, unaware of her sister's nervousness. She was focused more on finding the little white bunny in the mountains. As she approached the area where her sister played she could smell something on the wind. The scent of a strange, unknown halfling, and the stale scent of human both wafted on the gentle breeze. The large blonde looked around, but she couldn't see anything, just an empty field of grass and flowers.
Yang was a reptilian...she could pick up smells humans couldn't, but there was no way she was going to be able to track anything. "She was here...but where did she go?" Yang mused to herself. She rocked on her feet and closed her eyes. "Well...let's think...Ruby said she's human...or she was...so that means she's probably going to try and find some shelter...there is a cave system nearby…"
Yang grinned and nodded, making a decision. She was comfortable in caves, so she might as well check them first before wandering out in the open of the forest. Yang stuck her hands in her pockets and continued up the mountain towards a nearby cave, the lowest on the mountain and probably the best to set a camp in.
The dragonling approached the cavern, peering inside it. It was a shallow cave, and Yang could easily see signs of life, smoldering embers of a fire, some discarded remains of food, but no sign of the actual inhabitant of the camp. Yang looked around, sensing someone hidden watching her.
The large girl chuckled softly, then walked forward to the dying embers, hoping whoever was watching her would step out. Yang knelt beside the campfire and poked the ash with a finger. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on her hearing.
She heard soft footsteps behind her, someone trying to be sneaky and clever. Yang didn't move, even when the footsteps stopped behind her...at least, not until she heard the sound of something moving through the air. Yang spun around, raising her arm and blocking the sturdy branch that was being swung at her head.
"Whoa there!" she said in surprise, ignoring the pain in her scales. She slowly stood, pushing the branch aside to get a proper look at the wielder. It was a small girl with pure white hair and ice blue eyes. Her dress was a little dirty, her smell was diluted and stale, it was clear even to Yang she's been up here a while. But what drew Yang's attention, was the long pure white ears folded back on her head. "You're Weiss, aren't you?" Yang said quickly.
The girl's eyes went wide and she stepped back, holding the branch between the two of them. "I am not going back to father!"
Yang stepped back, holding her hands up. "Whoa there Snow White, I don't mean any harm."
Weiss' eyes narrowed, her scar making the expression look more threatening that it probably should from a little bunny. "I am not going back to father, you can go and tell him that."
Yang blinked in confusion and looked down at the shorter girl. "What are you talking about?"
Weiss paused and slowly lowered the branch. "You...weren't sent by the Schnee Company?"
Yang paused and looked down at the small girl. The...Schnee Company? That name sounded familiar, but based on the look in Weiss' eye it might not be best to bring up right now. Yang sighed and shook her head. "No. Someone had told me that a girl was living on the mountain, and I wanted to help her. I didn't know who it was," Yang half lied.
"You would...want to help me?" Weiss asked carefully, finally putting down the large branch. Her ears slowly raised, the left ear twitching a little nervously.
"Of course," Yang said with a smile. Then she bowed, taking off her hat as she did to reveal her horns. "Halflings have to stick together~"
Weiss suddenly frowned and shook her head. "I don't need help from an animal."
Yang suddenly paused. Ruby hadn't mentioned she was one of those. Yang stood up straight and put on her hat. Her expression was calm, almost unnervingly so. Before Weiss could step out of reach, Yang lashed out, grabbing her by her collar and harshly pulling her close.
Weiss looked up into Yang's red eyes and gulped as she spoke in a dark voice. "I..am not...an animal. No more than you are."
Weiss squirmed and put a hand on Yang's. "I-...I'm sorry. I didn't think before speaking. I apologize," she said quickly, her left ear almost shaking.
Yang sighed a little and nodded, releasing her iron grip. "I realize you're new to this...but I'm trying to help you."
"I don't need your help," Weiss said, retreating to grab her branch. "I'm fine up here."
Yang chuckled and shook her head. "Sure ya are. That branch is gonna do a lot against the bears."
"Bears?" Weiss asked, her ears suddenly pricking straight up in alert. "What bears?"
"The bears that migrate up here to hibernate. They'll be coming soon," Yang said with a shrug. "Of course...if you found a home in town, then...you'd be safe."
Weiss growled a little, her ears laying back, but she didn't argue. She crossed her arms and sighed. "Fine...but I can't go into town like this," she said, gesturing at her ears.
Yang smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about that. Me and Ruby'll figure out a way outta that."
"Ruby?"
"Oh yeah, you met her earlier. She's my little sister."
Weiss groaned and sighed. This was a situation she didn't like...but if what Yang said was true, she couldn't avoid. She nodded and waved Yang off. "Fine, go get your sister, I won't leave here."
Yang nodded and waved bye to Weiss before running off back to the cabin to get her sister.
AN: You guys wanna know why this took so long? Three words: Freezerburn is awkward. At least for me...but with Ruby in the mix the next one shouldn't take so long.