Blake walked slowly next to her girlfriends, enjoying her pistachio ice cream cone. Her Faunus ears flickered in the warm breeze of the late afternoon, carrying with it the smells from the ocean.
It truly was a lovely place, and she could see how Ruby grew up the way she did in such an environment.
Even though the brunette had claimed the ice cream stand was just at the end of the block, that was a tad misleading. The houses here were set upon rather large tracts of land, spread out so that their neighbors were not usually within sight of each other through the encircling trees. So it was in actuality a good fifteen minute walk for said ice cream.
Not that she minded in the slightest. She was enjoying herself thoroughly, and not just because of the wonderful company of her girlfriends.
"How are you doing, love?" Pyrrha murmured towards Blake before catching a stray drop of her cherry ice cream that had landed on her arm.
"I'm well, fluffy fox," she replied warmly. "Really, it's… not bothering me as much as I thought it would."
She had emerged from the house earlier with her Faunus ears uncovered, and had decided to simply leave them as they were. Ruby and Yang both had related how Patch was pretty much an oasis for Faunus, as much of the anti-Faunus sentiment simply didn't trickle over to the island. There were always exceptions, of course, but she hadn't gotten any strange looks while getting her ice cream, nor did the human girl serving them hesitate at all.
The feeling of being outside, as who she actually was, for the first time in so many years was unbelievably liberating.
"D'you think you might leave them uncovered while we're here on vacation, kitty cat?" Ruby asked, reaching up to ruffle her ears gently.
She grinned, giving her ears another flick. "I just might. I suppose we'll see." She eyed the three-scoop towering monstrosity of strawberry ice cream that loomed over her petite girlfriend's cone. "Are you going to be able to eat that before we have dinner?"
"Pfft, of course I can," the brunette scoffed. "What kind of question is that?"
"A foolish one, I know," Blake chuckled.
They strolled along for some time before reaching the dirt driveway of the Xiao Long residence, the three of them turning down and heading for the house set far back into the woods. Blake noted with amusement that her girlfriends had somehow wordlessly agreed to keep herself protectively in between them as they walked, just in case someone had decided to give her grief.
"I love you girls," she sighed happily. "And I am so very glad I get to spend the break with you both."
"Love you too, kitty cat," Ruby grinned. She skipped to the side so that she might hop up on her tiptoes to give Blake a cold, wet, strawberry-flavored kiss. "And I'm really happy you guys could come home with me."
"There is nothing that could have kept us away," Pyrrha remarked with a smile. "Patch is a lovely place. Will we get to visit more of the island tomorrow?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely. Got a lotta places to go see, and I wanna go to the beach with you guys, maybe take a boat out, all kinds of fun stuff!" Ruby bounced alongside cheerfully as she wrangled with her ice cream cone. "We're gonna have a blast!"
They had to move to the side of the driveway as Taiyang's pickup truck turned down the lane, the man himself at the wheel. He paused the vehicle next to the trio.
"Not spoiling your appetite, are you?" he asked humorously.
"Nah, you know me, dad, this is just an appetizer," Ruby replied cheekily.
"Well, good thing, because I just picked up a whole truckful of pizza."
"Awesome!" the brunette cheered. "See ya in the house!"
He gave a friendly wave to them as he continued on. Blake gazed thoughtfully after the truck. "Does he know what kinds of pizza we like?" she murmured.
"Oh, well yeah, I already told 'im," Ruby replied nonchalantly. "Olives and light cheese for my fluffy fox, and anchovies with sausage for my kitty cat."
Blake changed her direction so that she was walking closer to the petite brunette and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You are so good to us," she laughed, planting a cold, wet kiss of her own on her cheek.
"Yes, you are," Pyrrha smiled.
Ruby waved away the sentiment, blushing lightly. "Eh, it's no biggie…"
They reached the house but paused as they noted a particular white-clad form standing on the porch. The slim, white-haired girl stood with rigid posture and with her arms crossed, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Um," Ruby gulped. "Maybe we didn't avoid the murder after all?"
"Don't think I don't see you there!" Weiss called out imperiously. "Get over here, you three!"
The trio slunk forward, glumly accepting their fate.
"Um, hey Weiss," the brunette began. "Sooo how was the talk with dad?"
"Fine," she huffed. "Remarkably enough, not nearly as bad as some might have indicated."
Pyrrha laughed weakly, rubbing the back of her head. "Yes, well… we apologize for that, just a bit of… harmless fun… right?"
Weiss' glare was a thing of legend around Beacon. Over the past year of school, there were many hapless individuals on the receiving end who came off much for the worse, some to be traumatically scarred evermore. Ruby herself seemed to have developed a bit of an immunity towards it, perhaps only because more often than not she'd been the recipient for them.
If the three girls were under the impression that Weiss had mellowed from her new relationship with Yang, they were sorely mistaken.
"Please don't murder us," Blake whimpered, her ears flattened against her head.
"Oh, hey, Weiss!" Ruby suddenly chirped. "I got dad to order your favorite pizza! White with pineapple and mushrooms!"
As if a sudden pressure had been lifted, Blake and Pyrrha felt as though they could once again breathe. The sun was shining once more, and the looming visage of death removed.
"Thank you, Ruby," the heiress replied primly. "That was very considerate of you."
"You bet, partner!"
The two diminutive girls cheerfully walked into the house, chattering away about their plans for the following day.
Blake and Pyrrha shared a relieved look. Oddly enough, their melting ice cream cones had strangely frozen back up again.
"I believe our impending doom has been averted," the redhead murmured.
"It would seem that way…" Blake began, but trailed off as the heiress poked her head back outside once more.
"Oh, and before I forget," Weiss stated with a small smirk. "You both are on kitchen cleanup duty tonight." Her white mane ducked back inside once more.
"Mmm," the Cat Faunus shrugged. "Could have been worse."
"Indeed."
o o o
After the remains of dinner was cleared away by the raven-haired and redheaded girls, they made their way back towards where Ruby had told them her room was. Once they opened the door, they were in for a bit of a pleasant surprise.
"Oh, my…" Pyrrha breathed.
"Isn't it cool?" Ruby cheered, bouncing on her toes next to the window excitedly.
At one time Ruby and Yang had shared the room together, before the blonde moved into her own across the hallway. The spacious area still had a pair of twin beds, but they were now pushed up against each other to form one overly large, king-sized bed. Taiyang must have had appropriate sheets already from his own bed, because it was made up and with a matching off-white blanket resting at the bottom.
"Your father is something else," Blake murmured appreciatively.
"Glad you think so," a male voice spoke up from behind.
Both Pyrrha and Blake let out an eep of surprise, turning about to see the smirking man leaning up against the door frame. The Cat Faunus graced him with a quick glare.
"How can you even sneak up behind me?" she asked incredulously.
Taiyang gave her a cheeky wink that was pure Yang with perhaps more than a little Ruby as well. Evidently the Xiao Long genes were quite strong, passing along more than just the good looks and powerful physique.
"So, will this work for you girls?" he asked blithely, ignoring Blake's questioning.
"It's awesome, dad!" Ruby laughed, leaping forward to give him a hug around the neck.
It was only because of her Faunus hearing that Blake could pick up her girlfriend's next murmured words. "I really, really appreciate this, dad. You're the best."
"Glad you like it, then. Alright, get some sleep, we might get some rain tomorrow or the day after so plan accordingly." He turned to leave, but then paused with his hand on the door knob. "And hey, I'm really glad all three of you came to visit. Um… and make sure you lock the door, alright?"
"Yes, dad," Ruby smirked, closing the door before he could admonish further. She slid the lock shut with an audible click.
"Well, then, ladies," the brunette grinned. "I don't know about the two of you, but I fully intend on making the most of our very private room."
"That sounds grand," Pyrrha smiled, stripping her shirt off so that she was standing in her bra.
"Er, Ruby," Blake interjected. "Just out of curiosity… do any rooms border yours?"
"Nope," Ruby replied cheerfully. "Just the laundry room on the one side."
"I see," the Cat Faunus replied with a small grin.
Ruby nodded as she stripped off her clothing, glancing at Pyrrha who was still undressing. "Might be helpful if…?" she whispered just on the edge of her Faunus hearing.
Blake glanced at Pyrrha as well. The statuesque redhead wasn't paying attention as she walked into the adjoining bathroom to begin her nightly routine, clad only in panties. "Perhaps," she breathed with a wide smile.
Who knows what this summer might bring, she thought to herself. It sent a quick thrill of anticipation surging through her body, one she knew was shared by the petite brunette if her answering grin was any indication.
A/N: Who knows, indeed… Well, okay, that's a lie, I know but I'm the writer so I don't count. But… perhaps readers of A Thorny Bind might have some clues by now, hmm? So this chapter actually takes place directly after the last one. I don't usually string them that close together, but there you go. And, in case one was curious, yes Zwei is here and in the house. I'll be going into Blake's reaction next chapter, which takes place the following morning.
And I look forward the the reviews with everyone's favorite pizza toppings. Personally, mine is pineapple and pre-cooked bacon.
So, let's talk schedule here. I enjoy writing this story so very much, but honestly, I'm almost at the end of what I had sketched out. I mean, I have another three chapters done, and another five or six planned after that, and then we're back at Beacon for their second year. Problem is, I don't have any story lined up after that. And I got far, far less writing done this past weekend than I wanted to. What I need to do is sit down and come up with some ideas to keep this moving forward, but not let what I have come up with catch up to me. Does that make sense? So I'm seriously thinking about going to, say, a Monday-Wednesday-Friday publishing schedule, that way I can avoid any sort of hiatus. It will also give me the time to come up with second-year ideas, as well as keep up with Pearls and Ember Legacy, not to mention Thorny Bind. I'm going to try it this week and see how it goes.
THB4: Definitely a beach trip planned while they're at Patch (already written, actually). As far as the Freezerburn couple goes, I'm gonna say yes, Yang was Weiss' first.
Demonic Angel C: Thanks, and yep I think I'm definitely gonna stick to weekday postings. I've shuffled the remains of my sanity into a little corner, I'll use the weekends to nurture it, maybe give it a little water…
Jack Inqu: I think Weiss let them off pretty easy, all things considered. Sometimes the threat of imminent doom is better than presenting the doom itself.
chaosglory626: I haven't gotten the details of the Mistral trip completely ironed out yet, but I do have an idea how I will handle Pyrrha's parents. They'll be a little… different… from Ruby and Yang's relations.
FelipeCH98: I think it's indicative of how close they have all grown as friends, Pyrrha included, that they can prank Weiss like that. And yes, caught the Remnant's Reclaimer reference there. It's my headcanon until we actually see Tai's weapon. Many thanks!
LE Whisper: Thanks, hope you enjoyed this one as well!
ILikeHotDogs: My youngest has ADD. She is not allowed within ten feet of a Red Bull.
allie300093: Hope you enjoy their time on Patch! More fun to come!
Gorsouul: So happy you loved the chapter that much!
TacoKing23: Evil is such a strong word… Weiss can hold her own, though.
RealTerminal: Yeah I'm sure they had plenty of practice from Port's classes…
niceguyasexual: Thank you on both accounts! And welcome aboard the fluffy crack ship!
MakaS0ul: Yay another new sailor on the crack ship! And please - that was by no means an overly long review, but I love getting reviews of any length or salt. I appreciated your insight into tri relationships, honestly most of what I go off of are books I've read and, well, just common sense to me. Never been in one myself, or actually known anyone who was polyamorous. But I'm so very glad this successfully comes off a authentic and caring! Hope they continue to entertain!
growlscout: Yeah… I think Weiss is gonna want to work on that 'stamina' with some more bike rides for sure. And as for the Qrow/Tai comment… well, read on… And thanks for all the kind words!
DandyHandy: Yep, Freezerburn is already doing the sheet tango. Or whatever euphemism you want to use.
DarthMaine: Well, if you insist… this omake is for you, DandyHandy, and growlscout!
"Qrow!" the big blond man called out in surprise as he opened his front door. "What are you doing here, old man?"
"Who you calling old, Tai?" the lean, raven-haired man retorted in a rasping voice as he brushed by. "Can't I visit a friend?"
"Pfft, not unless you need something from me," Taiyang joked as he ushered his former teammate into the living room. "Or want to give me a hard time. Or want to exhaust my alcohol stash."
"Well, I'll take you up on your last notion while I regale you with the second one," Qrow laughed as he sprawled on the couch.
Taiyang busied himself with a pair of glasses and a bottle of good whiskey. "So, where'd you come from this time?"
"Funny enough, Beacon."
"No kidding?" Taiyang handed his old friend a glass, clinking them together before sitting back. "Cheers."
"Cheers," Qrow replied, knocking back half the glass. "Ahhh… yep, still good stuff. I should put that in my flask."
"The way you go through it like water, that'd be a waste. So, you see my girls?"
"Yep," Qrow nodded amicably, his coral eyes glinting mischievously. "Yang's doing well, little firecracker is coming along in her training still. Seems happy."
"And Ruby?" Taiyang asked.
Qrow waited for the blond man to take a sip of his whiskey before continuing. "Seems your little girl got herself a girlfriend."
The spit-take was glorious, and Qrow chuckled heartedly as Taiyang coughed, desperately trying to get his breathing under control. "She… what?" he gasped.
"You heard me."
"But… But she's always been so… so…"
"You knew it was bound to happen eventually. She's been more interested in that stuff than you give her credit for. I spent a lot of time with her, remember."
"Yeah, I remember," Taiyang replied solemnly, remembering the days when he'd been such a pitiful excuse for a father. "Wow. So, she's got a girlfriend. My little baby girl's all growing up on me…"
Qrow eagerly waited for him to try for another sip before he delivered his next line.
"Oh, and I misspoke. She's actually got two girlfriends."
This time the spit-take managed to hit the window across the room.
"What?" Taiyang choked out.
"Two. Girlfriends. As in she's seeing two girls at once. Apparently, from what I saw, they're all involved with each other. Pretty heavily, too."
"You're killing me here, Qrow."
"Who, me?" the raven-haired man smirked.
"Yes, you, you bastard." Taiyang shook his head, sadly regarding what was left in his glass. "I'm gonna need more whiskey."
"You sit there, I'll get it. We'll get drunk off our asses tonight, and by tomorrow you'll feel better."
Taiyang snorted humorously as Qrow refilled his glass. "Somehow I doubt that. How did this happen?"
"You seriously asking me that? With your genes?"
"Well, that's true," Taiyang reflected. "Xiao Longs can't help but love their women. It's in our blood. Just wasn't expecting Ruby to take after me that strongly. Yang, sure, but Ruby?"
"Keep tellin' ya, she's more like you in that regard than you want to admit."
"Oh, I'm doing all sorts of admitting right now. Like admitting I'm feeling old."
"Well, that's because you are."
"Fuck you, you're just as old as me."
"Nope, five months younger."
"I'm still prettier."
"Can't debate that." Qrow raised his glass amicably. "To our little girls, not so little anymore."
"Yeah," Taiyang grinned ruefully. "I can drink to that."
That was a long omake. And, yep, I'm gonna consider it as canon within my story. Cheers!
Stay shiny!