A/N: So I got an Editor, but he's busy right now, so the only way for me to edit this chapter at the moment, is by using my program.
~They're still at it…~ Sarah thought to herself, as she watched the ongoing game of chess through the kitchen doorway. By now both Yang and Weiss were down to four and five pieces each. Both players were deep in thought and had been so for the last thirty minutes. Sarah had heard of professional chess players staring seemingly for hours at the board, planning ten moves ahead. She already got a headache by calculating the possible third move. Since the game was going nowhere, she had decided to cook something up for herself and her rather unusual guests. The fact that she had guests at all was a completely new concept to her, let alone a literally colorful bunch such as these girls.
Nevertheless, she would do her best to be a good host and that meant keeping her guests fed. She asked earlier if the girls were okay with noodles and some supposed cutlets, but who knew what was actually inside. Sarah politely left out the last part, mind you. None of the guests had any objections about the menu, even if it just consisted of two simple things that literally anyone could cook up in a couple of minutes.
As the water began to boil and the oil in the pan began heating up, Sarah opened the window, shuddering as the cold night air entered the kitchen. "Fucking weather." she cursed, quickly going back to the stove. She held her hands above the pot and pan, using it like a fireplace.
In the meantime, Blake and Ruby had settled down to watching TV, while Yang and Weiss were having their match of minds. The two in front of the smaller screen didn't complain, when Ruby turned the sound back on, seemingly lost in their little game. Occasionally one could hear a soft grunt or hum coming from one of the two as their brains worked overtime, trying to find the one move that would obliterate their respective opponent.
Blake had zapped through the channels earlier until she eventually settled on one that showed a rather old documentary about a desert and it's creatures living there. While that in itself sounds rather boring, the documentary was anything but that. It had a clever narrator, who explained the things on the screen in a not only clever but also funny way, which was further underlined by the music and sound effects playing in the background. Like when the ostrich chick instinctively slumped to the ground and a piano note being plate.
"Aww~" Ruby cooed, upon seeing the little ostrich struggling back on its feet and continuing to wander aimlessly further and further away from the nest, from where its siblings had yet to hatch.
"So cute!" the cloak wearing girl squeaked. "I want one!"
Blake could only shake her head at the comment, thinking of how messy their dorm would get if they actually took one of those in as a pet. Or took in a pet in general. She herself wasn't against the idea of having a pet, but the responsibility that was needed to take care of a pet, not to mention time spending with it, cleaning up after it and not to mention the food. Pet food was pretty expensive, especially for students such as them. On second thought, money wasn't exactly a problem for Weiss, but the raven-haired girl doubted her friend was someone who would enjoy having something around that constantly left its hair all over her bed.
The documentary went on for a couple of minutes, continuing to show the lives of the ostrich, before changing the scene to a group of dark skinned, almost naked humans that lived in the desert. The narrator explained as to how these particular humans must be the happiest ones in the world, not worrying about wealth, fortune or other things humans normally were after in other countries. One elderly man was imitating the local wildlife in front of children, seemingly teaching them about the behavior of each animal.
"I wonder how they can survive without weapons, with all the Grimm around," Ruby commented off-handedly.
"Maybe the infestation isn't simply that big. Which begs the question why there isn't a town, even a small one build there. Of course, that could be easily explained due to the harsh conditions of living in a desert." Blake stated as a matter of fact.
"Huh? Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, it's weird seeing people with almost no clothes on."
"Different people, different cultures." Blake shrugged. "Personally I have never heard of them before. They must live in a pretty secluded place from faunus, humans and Grimm alike."
"I wonder if there are any faunus living in the desert. What would they look like?"
Before Blake could come up with any suggestions, a mechanical voice coming from the small table blurted:
"CHECK. MATE. WHITE. WINS."
Weiss casually waved back her ponytail, looking smugly over to Ruby's older sister. "And once again the "Ice Queen" has proven her superiority over the lowly "commoner" Yang Xiao Long," Weiss said in a parody tone of that of an evil queen.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it, "your highness"." Yang smiled. "I wasn't giving it my all anyways, you know? Just...checking out your strategy, you know?"
"Of course you did," Weiss replied, giggling at Yang's mock hurt expression. "But in all seriousness Yang, I have to admit I am impressed. I never thought you would be into chess, let alone be that good at it. No offense."
Yang in return shrugged. "None was taken. People are always surprised when they figure out that I like chess. I actually like all kinds of strategy games. Same with Rubes. Right rubes."
"Yup." Ruby nodded curtly, her eyes glued to the TV-screen. It didn't look like she was actually listening to what her sister had to say.
"Ah yes, that one game you have been so...enthusiastic about." Weiss sighed. "In any event, care for another round?"
The blonde shook her head. "Nah, not right now. Ya fried my brain pretty good back there. That and I'm starving. Didn't have anything decent to eat, since we left Beacon."
"Yes, I'm feeling rather famished myself. Hm? By the way, where's Sarah?" The supposed Ice Queen asked, looking around.
"In the kitchen," Blake informed the other two. "She said she'd cook up some noodles and make something else along with it."
"Oh good." Yang stood up, stretching her entire body, it feeling stiff after sitting for a while on the floor. "I'm really glad we met her. I don't have a single Lien on me."
"It would have been nice if we would have met her under different circumstances," Blake interjected. "At the same time, I doubt she would have taken us in under other circumstances. In a way, her misfortune was our luck."
"Oh please. We simply could have taken a hotel." Weiss crossed her arms.
"Do you have any money with you, Weiss?" the youngest of the group asked.
"Of course, I have. I always have a little bit of money on me, just in case. You never know what might happen on a mission."
"You call 200000 Lien a "little" bit of money?" Blake asked in her usual deadpan voice but didn't hide the small smile appearing on her face.
"Seriously?" Yang leaned backward, surprised. Of course, she knew that her friend was quite frankly stinking rich, but 200000 Lien for a single mission? That was insane!
"H-how'd you know?!" Weiss glared towards her color-counterpart.
"I saw you stuffing 1000 Line-notes into your wallet. Nothing against being prepared, but isn't it a little risky to take that much money with you?" Blake pointed out the obvious, pointing with her finger to where Weiss' wallet was stashed.
"Oh please." the heiress waved off. "As if a simple thug could or would dare to attempt and steal from me of all people."
"You know, Weiss. There are more than enough people out there who don't care who you are or who your family is. In all actuality, it might be counterproductive. Seeing as you are part of such a rich family, some might even consider taking you hostage, hoping to get a lot of money out of your father."
"You know, that gives me an idea…" A silly grin appeared on Yang's face, as she tapped her chin with her finger. Weiss sent a death glare towards the brawler. Upon noticing this, Yang frantically waved her arms in front of her white-clothed friend, the smile never disappearing from her face.
"I'm just joking! Jeez, can't you take a little jest, your highness?"
"This is not funny, Yang. Not even by a stretch." The heiress huffed. "I am well aware of the dangers a prestigious name like mine brings with it. Believe me, I do. However, I am aiming to become a Huntress. I am already a more capable fighter than an Atlas soldier and I plan to only go up from here. I don't plan to be the little princess that needs to rescued by some wannabe prince charming."
"Not even from Jaune?" Yang asked in a teasing tone.
"ESPECIALLY not from him." Weiss deadpanned. "The idiot just can't take a hint."
"He must have really fallen in love with you if he keeps up his attempts." The blonde continued, causing Weiss to groan.
"I'll go and see what our host is doing right now." The girl with the ponytail stated, heading to the kitchen. She opened the door rather violently, feeling a bit enraged after the little jokes her friend had made. The result was the door hitting something soft, which was followed by the sound of someone feeling agonizing pain, vocalizing it with a pitiful "Ow. Not again."-whine.
"Oh! I'm very sorry!" Weiss exclaimed, upon noticing her blunder. "Are you alright?"
"Yes…" Sarah groaned, holding her stomach, which got hit by the door handle. She slowly rubbed the spot with her hands, trying to ease up the pain. "Can I help you somehow?" She asked, her voice still a little weak.
With the years of training, Weiss hid her embarrassment from the other girl but still kept an apologetic look on her face. This had been her fault after all.
"I simply wanted to see how you're faring."
"Oh. Umm, I'm alright. More or less." Sarah chuckled at her own misery. "Actually, perfect timing. The food's all done and now we can eat. Er just….sitting arrangements are going to be a problem…"
"Hmm, I think the solution is obvious." Weiss pointed at the table. "A few of us eat here, while the rest eats in the living room. Simple as that."
"...Oh, you're right." The brown haired girl laughed in embarrassment. "But I only got one...Nah, wait, I still got a chair in my room. Could you do me a favor and call the others?"
"Certainly."
Dinner was served without any hiccups. Each girl got in line, accepted the free food with a polite and one time even cheerful "Thank you" and went back to the living room. Well, except for the last one in line, who turned out to be Ruby. The girl had been staring at the television screen for just a second too long and was now demoted to sit in the kitchen with their rather generous host as a result.
"But I wanna watch this!" Ruby complained to the others, who cold-heartedly shrugged, indifferent about the arrangement.
"You spend way too much time with video games anyways," Yang commented off the hand.
"What's that supposed to mean?! You're playing way more video games than I do!" the red hooded girl exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her blond sibling. Yang simply replied with a wink and headed towards the living room. Sarah couldn't help herself but snort after seeing the entire exchange going on. Ruby grumbled something to herself, before submitting to her fate and sitting down on the rather small kitchen table. After getting her own plate full, she joined the red and black wearing girl on the opposite side. For a while the two of them just silently sat there, eating their respective meals, while the TV was still running in the background. Eventually, though it was Ruby who broke the silence.
"So, what kind of school do you visit?" the smaller girl asked with genuine curiosity.
"Hm?" Sarah made a gesture, needing to gulp down her food first. "I'm 22, you know. So I don't attend school."
"Oh." Ruby's mouth turned into the shape of an "o" for a moment or two. "S-sorry. I didn't think you were that old. You look like you're sixteen."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." Sarah smiled a little. "My colleagues at work never get tired of telling me about how "jealous" they are and what my "secret" is. Jeez, I swear they never shut up about it."
Ruby giggled at the comment. "So, what do you do for a living then?"
"Simple stuff." the auburn haired girl told the black and red haired one. "I was lucky and got an easy and equally boring job at a handicrafts shop. I work above the shop in a bureau that I share with two other people. Most of the stuff I do is writing orders, send suggestion orders to customers, every now and then I answer the phone...and of course, I bring the coffee to everyone since I'm the newbie."
"Wow. That sounds really boring." the smaller girl commented.
"It pays the bills. Easy job, easy money. Better than my previous job at the bakery."
"You can bake?!" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Not really." Sarah smiled weakly. "Everything was already premade and frozen, so all I had to do was to shove the stuff into the oven and sell it to the customer."
"Aw, really? That's cheap."
"It's how it's done mostly nowadays," Sarah informed the girl. "Personally I only know one shop that still bakes the stuff fresh. And that one is all the out in the middle of nowhere."
"Hmm…"
"So, I take it you all still go to school?"
"Uh huh." Ruby nodded happily. "We all go to the same school, share a dorm room, have the same classes and so on."
"Wait." Sarah held up both hands. "You have the same classes and share a dorm? No offense, but did you skip one or two classes by any chance?"
"That obvious?" Ruby let out a laugh. "It's really awesome! Our headmaster personally allowed me to visit his academy early after he had seen what I'm capable off."
"Really? The headmaster?" Sarah raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yup! Believe I was surprised as well when he suddenly stepped in and even offered me cookies! Come to think of it, how did he knew that I like cookies?" Ruby tapped her chin with her finger for a second, before shrugging. "Eh, probably through my uncle. It sounded like the two are good friends."
Sarah for some reason had a really hard time staying skeptic. Certainly, such stories existed, but what were the chances of something like this happening? Yet for some inexplicable reason, she couldn't help herself but believe this complete stranger, who happened to be the sister and friend of the two girls who saved her ass earlier. She eventually decided to let things be. It wasn't like she was going to really get to know the girl in front of her.
"So, you skipped like...one...two years?"
"Two." Ruby nodded. "It's really hard to keep up in class sometimes...well that's mostly my fault. Sometimes I get so bored, I just can't listen, especially when Professor Port tells us one of his "amazing adventures". Or worse, Professor Oobleck, who talks so fast! And he wonders how we have a hard time keeping up with his lessons. It's already hard enough for me. Sometimes I think it was a bad idea accepting Professor Ozpin's offer and entering Beacon two years early."
~Beacon...nope, doesn't ring any bells. Must be some small or unknown school. Maybe I'll bother to look it up tomorrow. If the internet works by then.~
"But luckily I have my sister, Blake, and Weiss helping me out whenever I need it. Weiss especially looks out for me, though she would never openly admit it. At the same time, she's kind of a slave driver when it comes to my grades. She often threatens to beat me up or steals my cookies, if I fail in a test. But hey, it works."
"That sounds...interesting," Sarah said on the outside. Inwardly, however...
~That's downright disturbing. Why'd that Weiss girl quote, unquote "care" so much about the grades of that girl?! And she threatens her with physical pain? Well, doesn't look like it's serious, else poor Ruby here wouldn't be smiling like an idiot.
…
Why does that remind me of a smile of an anime girl?~
"Anyways, can I have some more?"
Sarah blinked a few times, being forcefully brought out of her thoughts. Ruby held out the empty plate to Sarah, smiling ever so brightly, like a little happy girl.
"Sure." The auburn haired girl took the plate and walked over to her stove, filling it up once again. "Good thing I made much more than anticipated. Guess the other girls will come here too to get seconds," she said more to herself than to Ruby. When Sarah was back at the table, Ruby busied herself wolfing down the food, while Sarah wondered about the sleeping arrangements. There was her bed, which would need some new sheets if any of the girls wanted to sleep on it. She didn't have a second mattress, however, her couch could be extended and she did have enough blankets for everyone. However the couch would need to be shared and she only had two more pillows, meaning they too would be needed to be shared. Well, technically she could give up her own pillow for someone else, but still.
"Sarah?"
"Hah? Huh? Oh sorry. Was lost in thought there for a second."
"Huh. What were you thinking about?" Ruby asked, now curious.
"The sleeping arrangements." The auburn haired girl quickly explained the current situation they were in, considering sleeping arrangements. Once she was finished, Ruby stood up and put both hands on her hips. "Then it's decided. Team RWBY is going to have their first cuddle sleep!"
"Excuse me, what?!"