Sorry this took a while to get out but Life... which oddly looks like a lot of beer and whiskey.
Chapter 3:
"How has Velvet been?" Pyrrha asked the blonde woman sitting across from her. That had been another big thing they had been worrying about. Even though it was nice to see Yang had been holding up at least enough to function, they all had to admit that form their scant interactions with Velvet that she didn't seem anywhere near the functioning stage. Something that had pained everyone sitting at the table.
"She hasn't been doing too well. A few nights ago I went out looking for her and found her sleeping on Ruby's grave. She is snapping at me and anyone she passes by that might have known Ruby. If I didn't know better I'd say she is bipolar to the nth degree." Yang said softly as she grabbed hold of her mug. The way the light greenish yellowish tinge to water made her smile.
Sighing lightly, Yang lifted the mug up and took a small sip. Just enjoying the comfort the green tea Blake had brought over brought her. She knew that this was easily going to be another hard night on both her and Velvet. Especially if Velvet was going to stay at Ruby's grave again. Just the idea of how Yang knew what the woman was doing to herself was just a nightmare to the blonde woman.
"Maybe we should get her to talk to someone. It helped me when my brother, father and mother died." Weiss said softly as Yang just smirked a little at the thought of that. It was something they all knew would help but in Weiss' statement there was a few problems.
"There is a big problem Snow Queen, Velvet would want to talk to someone and she is possibly going to kill herself because the person that helped you killed herself." Reese said softly as to not disturb the sleeping child on her lap. She could see Weiss just shooting a glare at her as Yang begun to get between the two trying to defuse what was happening.
"Weiss, Reese is just trying to help. But she has a point. Velvet needs to want to talk to someone who is alive to help her. Her parents refuse to talk to her unless she moves back home to Menagerie, and the closest she has to family here is me and Coco. Neither of which have been able to get through enough." Yang said as Weiss just looked back at the cup just in front of her.
"Where is Coco?" Blake asked as she picked up her own mug and took a gulp finishing it as she reached across the table to grab the teapot and begun to pour herself a new mug. "I mean, I haven't seen her since the funeral." Blake continued as she wrapped her hand around the ceramic cup and could hear an almost dry chuckle coming from Yang.
Looking up from the slightly empty mug to look at the feline Faunus. "She is taking it just as hard as Velvet is if not more so worse because Velvet has stated outright that she doesn't want Coco to contact her until she contacts her first. Or did you forget out of everyone Ruby bailed out that night, Coco was the only one to commit an actually very serious crime instead of the rest of us." Yang just spoke softly as she could see Pyrrha moving the teapot closer to her.
Reese begun to resituate the child in her lap as she looked at her watch. "Pyr, it is getting a bit late. We can stay for one more max." Reese said softly as Pyrrha just smiled at the statement. All seemingly just wanting to fall back into the silence. The silence that only got periodically broken by the sound of the mugs and teapot getting picked up and placed back down.
The only reason the noises seemed to be partially bearable was because the silence was still just so unbearable. At least with the current sounds, it broke up the monotony of the silence. It all just seemed too far bittersweet. The best that could be done was the slight loosening of the awkwardness.
Downing the mug and placing it down a little rougher than intended, Pyrrha just smiled looking at child in her wife's lap. Still remembering how Reese reacted the first time they had met him. How she was close to just killing him. But now she'd never want to be away from him for long. Something that just seemed to increase two fold since they buried the closest thing they had to an angel.
"Are you sure you three don't want to stay?" Yang asked as Pyrrha and Reese begun to exchange who was holding their son.
"Sorry Yang, but Jason has school in the morning. Let Velvet know we were asking about her." Reese said with a deep breath. She really didn't want to leave until she could see Velvet, but she wasn't going to jeopardize her son after Ruby spent so much effort to get Jason to them. It was the least they could do was make sure the child was going to go far in the world and she knew that Pyrrha was in an agreement they would be damned if they let something stop them or Jason.
"I will. I should probably go out soon and find her. It is nearly midnight." Yang said as he stood up from the table and walked with them towards the door with them as Pyrrha begun to bend down a little to try and make it easier on Reese to put on his shoes and jacket.
Everyone just smiled a little at the sight before them. The way the child that Ruby helped to bring into all of their lives just seemed to be also one of her lasting legacies. The other being the deep schism that Velvet was intent on ripping further and further open. They all knew that Velvet wasn't meaning it, but that still didn't make it hurt any less.
As Yang saw her friends leave, she smiled at the sight of Pyrrha holding Jason tight again in one hand as Reese held onto her other. 'At least something good still remains for now Ruby. I just wish Velvet was pulling through better.'
Ruby smiled as she grabbed the red dress off the hanger and held it to her form as she spun around to look at her sister getting caught in her mocking stride of holding a fake noose tightly around her. Pouting, the brunette quickly kicked the bed her sister was sitting on.
As Yang laughed lightly as Ruby just begun to glare at her sister who just begun to look at her rubbing her eyes a little.
"Yang, take this seriously. I'm freaking out here. Pyrrha and Reese's future matters on this meeting. So take it seriously!" Ruby yelled as she could see her blonde sister just chuckling still. As if this had been nothing but a joke to her.
"Ruby, clam your tits. You don't own anything slutty enough despite my constant bitching about it. And you can do your makeup so much better than me. You'll be fine provided you don't say they sell drugs and sell child sex slaves." Yang said as Ruby rolled her eyes out of irritation and anger.
"I'm going to only think about that now Yang! Even though they don't do anything like that." Ruby yelled at her sister as she tossed the dress onto her bed as she begun to pace reaching up and grabbing her hair in large fistfuls.
Ruby knew that it was going to be a tough challenge to overcome, but she also knew how much Reese and Pyrrha needed her. She was the one that stated that Pyrrha was okay to release into the public all those years ago. Hell she was already seconds away from snapping and killing Reese for mentioning that almost long since forgotten stint in her care.
She could feel her sister dragging her by the waist towards the bed and forcing her to sit down on the bed. Feeling her sister squeeze her shoulders tightly to try and reassure her of something. She had no idea what but the thought of her sister trying to help her just seemed to bring up some of the most painful memories.
"I know what you are thinking Ruby." Yang began as she tapped Ruby's forehead. "Get. Out. Of. Your. Head." Yang spoke, punctuating each word with a tap of two fingers onto Ruby's forehead.
"You said it yourself. Pyrrha is perfectly fine mentally. As long as she isn't around her parents for a few months straight." Yang said with a smirk as she stood up with an almost explosive pop from her crouching position. A snicker ever present in the way she was holding herself much to the annoyance on the smaller of the duo. "Besides, aren't you also going on a date with that one slutty woman afterwards?" Yang asked as Ruby begun to open in close her mouth. Unsure of where she should pick apart her sister's comment.
"She is just a rabbit Faunus Yang. And we aren't dating. Because... well... you know." Ruby said as her sister just shook her head.
"I'm telling you Ruby, don't try and find someone who is only concerned with that surface level crap. And if the stereotypes about rabbit Faunus are true then she won't have a bad bone in her body and will be horny like all the time." Yang spoke ignoring the blushing coming from her sister as she she walked over to the wardrobe and bent down to pick up a pair of a pair of flat bottom shoes. "Here, flats aren't really the classiest, but comfortable and judging by the look of these, a nun is getting more." Yang said as she tossed them onto the other side of her sister away from the dress.
Walking towards the door, Ruby had to speak up in defence of her friend and would simply ignore the comment about her. "Stereotypes aren't always true Yang!" Ruby yelled as she heard a laugh as the blonde mane came back into the frame of the door with a smile on her face.
"Then explain Blake's desire to sleep in boxes, and her fear of dogs, or even her chasing a laser pointer?" Yang asked as Ruby stood up and crossed her arms.
"A minor case of agoraphobia brought about from racist people attacking her when she'd sleep on the streets once she ran from that cult, packs of feral dogs attacked her when she was a child and you being a bit of a poo head trying to piss her off." Ruby said pushing her sister out of the way so she could close the door.
As Yang got moved, she just shook her head. Knowing that she did her job and got Ruby's mind off the near trivial topic of a conversation. "I'll leave some dinner in the fridge for you. But I'll be out. There is this sick party happening." Yang yelled back as she heard the door open partially followed by Ruby just sticking her head out to look at her.
"Don't get into any fight this time Yang. I don't want to get any more familiar with the police than needed."
Yang frowned as she could see her Faunus sister in law curled up into a ball on the patch of dirt. As though she was trying to hug said patch with all her might in a futile attempt to find comfort during this miserable weather.
Walking over, Yang could see the way the large rabbit ears just twitch to the sound of her footsteps causing the blonde to just shake her head. Taking her jacket off, Yang begun to rest it onto Velvet as she crouched down and lightly grabbed onto her shoulder.
"Hey, Velvet, come on." Yang said softly as the Faunus begun to look up in fear as she tried to regain her bearings. Once that happened she could take in the feeling of the jacket just resting on her shoulders. She already knew what this was, and she had to admit that she was already too tired to fight it. Even though she wanted to fight it just so she could stay with her beloved, but she couldn't over power Yang in her current state. She doubted that she would even be able to make it difficult for the blonde.
"I'm useless Yang. I can't even remember to get her flowers." Velvet muttered as Yang begun to help her up, taking slight care to dust what loose dirt she could off of the woman. Already knowing that she was going to need to wash the clothes, but wouldn't be able to for a while from how Velvet clinged to them.
"It's going to be fine Velvet. She wouldn't mind about that, she would however mind this thought process." Yang said softly as she tried to pull Velvet closer as if she was trying to share some of her warmth with the cold woman, to just feel said woman push against her and away from the one armed hug.
"Don't touch me like that." Velvet said with a slight sneer to her voice as she wrapped the jacket around her tighter. She wanted so desperately to see Ruby again, but knew that Yang wouldn't let her go that easily. Something that had already started to become a thorn in her side to her very existence.
"I'm just trying to help Velvet." Yang muttered as she heard a simple comment from Velvet, one that just crushed her a little more.
"Well don't."
Author's Note:
Okay... hope you guys enjoyed that. It is nearly 4 in the morning right now and it is hot as balls. So quick edit followed by some sleep for me. But onto the Guest Reviews...
Guest 4: This chapter and the precious I think I said 2 weeks since the funeral... so it is clear the day of. And I do blame prohibition. Which fun fact for you some counties still have the laws from that in act. The Irish eighteenth is something entirely different.
Posh: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I oddly find this an interesting thing to write after being gone for so long.
Death390: I am not Satan. Different guy all together. Learn your theological book of choice. I'm closer to Lucifer in the sense I only have desires that generally involve other people's misery and I can make compelling cases
Oh and before I forget, I highly suggest reading a story by me called 'My Way' if you haven't. It involves a Blind Pyrrha... and is the first Punk Metal story.