"I'm impressed," Pyrrha stated softly from where she perched next to Blake. "She took in with her more of a pile than I was expecting."

"True, I didn't imagine her to actually want to clothes-shop," Blake murmured, resting her head on the redhead's shoulder. They were sitting on a bench in front of the changing rooms of a clothing store known for mostly contemporary designs.

"Okay, you guys ready for the first outfit?" they heard from behind a stall door.

"Indeed!"

"Bring it on, little rose!"

The door opened to reveal their petite girlfriend, though she stayed inside the cubicle itself. They were expecting to see one of the jeans or hoodie outfits that the brunette had picked out, not…

"What do you think, too much?" Ruby asked coyly, though she was blushing quite a bit.

Both Blake and Pyrrha were definitely outshining their girlfriend's blush, however, as they stared slack-jawed at the rather skimpy negligee that was wrapped around Ruby. It covered enough but left plenty to the imagination, particularly her toned abs and muscled limbs.

And then, of course, she spun in place, showing off her very defined rear end.

"Pyrrha?"

"...Yes, Blake?"

"Do I have a nosebleed?"

Without tearing her gaze off of the now-giggling brunette, Pyrrha shook her head slowly. "No, dear, I'm sure that's just drool."

"Oh. Of course."

"Yeah, maybe too much," the brunette finally snickered, closing the door and permitting her girlfriends to regain some semblance of sensibility once more.

"How can she possibly affect us that much?" Pyrrha asked, giving herself a shake to dispel the lingering cobwebs.

"To be fair, you affect me just as strongly," Blake laughed lightly. "All it takes is one peek at that magnificent bosom of yours…"

The redhead, whose face was just returning to normal, flushed once more from her cheeks to the back of her neck. "Er… yes… Well, so long as we're being… truthful, I do rather enjoy your… ahem… posterior."

The Cat Faunus blushed as well to match. "Mmm. Er… thank you."

"You two are always so adorable," Ruby snickered loudly from the changing room. "Can you not honestly say 'boobs' or 'ass' while in public?"

"I could," Pyrrha defended weakly. "I just… choose not to…"

"Mmm." Blake didn't bother with a denial, knowing the effort would be fruitless.

"Sooo cute," the brunette sang out. "Okay, let's try this one out…"

Both of the other girls opened their mouths to warn their girlfriend against further teasing, but the door was already flung open, Ruby standing there with hands on her hips.

"Well, that one is actually quite nice," Blake murmured.

"It is a very nice robe," Pyrrha agreed. "Silk?"

"Yep!" Ruby spun once more to face the rear wall, the ends of the short red robe flaring out. "Yeah, I never really owned anything like this before… Or this…"

While turned, she let the robe slip off her shoulders, revealing her backside. Under that robe she had donned nothing but an incredibly skimpy g-string.

With an inelegant squawk, Pyrrha fell backwards off of the bench.

"Ruby, you broke our fluffy fox," Blake admonished breathlessly. "Er… would you like some help in there?"

"Nope, I'm good!" the brunette giggled merrily, closing the door once again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, there's not much room in here anyways…"

"I am certain we could make do," Pyrrha moaned from the floor.

"We have fit in tighter spaces," Blake conceded.

"Thanks for the thought, guys, but I'm fine… Yep, just me and my naked little body will try to fit into some more skimpy clothes…"

"I'm giving her another minute," Blake growled heatedly. "Then I'm breaking down the door."

"Now, kitty cat," Pyrrha huffed out as she struggled back into her seat. "There's no need for violence."

"But-"

"Besides which," the redhead grinned, wiggling her fingers. "I can just take the hinges apart."

"No semblance use!" Ruby called out. "That's cheating!"

o o o

"I don't know what her problem was," Ruby huffed while standing in line. She shot a glare over at the older female store employee, who was returning the look with interest.

"Well, you were half-naked," Blake murmured in amusement.

"But it's not like there are any kids around!" the brunette exclaimed mutedly.

"Yes, love."

"'Tone it down' my ass… She's just jealous of my gorgeous girlfriends."

"Yes, I'm sure those were her exact thoughts. Speaking of your… ass…"

"Yay, got you to say 'ass' in public!" Ruby cheered quietly.

"That is not as much of an accomplishment as you'd like to think it is. In any case, did you get enough underwear that fits you now?"

The brunette nodded happily. "Yep, some more sporty ones, and lots of lacy ones. Top and bottoms."

"Mmm." Blake glanced over at the large pile contained with her girlfriend's arms. "All red and black?"

"Yep!"

"Well, those do look good on you."

"And off of me?"

"Don't push your luck, little rose…"

Ruby stuck out her tongue in response, which caused the Cat Faunus to quirk an eyebrow.

"Promises, promises," Blake smirked.

Just then Pyrrha nonchalantly slid into line, her face somewhat flushed still. "So, I reassembled the door once more," she stated bashfully.

Ruby snorted humorously, but then noticed something in the redhead's hands. "Oooh, what didja get, fluffy fox?"

"Er, yes… some… lingerie caught my eye."

"Well, I'm sure it'll catch our eye as well," the brunette leered.

Off to the side, the salesperson, still watching them like a hawk, cleared her throat pointedly.

"Irritating old bat," Ruby grumbled under her breath.

o o o

Once out of the store and clutching bags of their new purchases, the three of them meandered their way towards the airship back to Beacon.

"Hey, can we stop by the bakery?" Ruby asked excitedly, swinging her bags from one hand while clasping Pyrrha's in the other.

"I don't see why not," Blake mused from the other side. She was carrying Pyrrha's small bag simply so that she could hold hands with the redhead as well.

"Yay! I'm gonna treat you guys to a cookie!"

"Thank you, little rose," Pyrrha chuckled warmly.

The three paused at a musical ringing tone.

"Oh, that's mine!" Ruby chirped, letting go of her tall girlfriend's hand after giving it a quick squeeze. She dug her scroll out and answered it.

"Hey, Jaune!" she greeted her friend cheerfully. "What's up? You usually don't call me, anything wrong?"

"Hey Ruby, not exactly, I just…" Jaune peered out from the scroll. "Um, are your girlfriends there?"

"Of course," the brunette grinned, strolling alongside the others still. "Where else would they be?"

"I know, attached to your hip as usual," the blond chuckled half-heartedly. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to endure the ribbing…"

"Now Jaune, you know I would not tease you," Pyrrha piped up.

"I might," Blake murmured, earning her a good-natured smack on her arm.

"Behave," the redhead whispered.

"So what's up, then?" Ruby prompted once more. They were outside the bakery now, standing by the patio edged with a grass lawn and some outdoor table settings.

"Right," Jaune sighed, embarrassment bleeding through the scroll connection. "So… I need some advice."

"Okaaay," Ruby drawled hesitantly. "About… what?"

"Relationships."

The brunette gaped at her scroll incredulously. "Seriously? Why me?"

"Because everyone I talk to says you're the expert now!"

"Huh." Ruby looked over at her girlfriends, the both of them trying to stifle their hilarity. She grinned and put one foot up on a chair, throwing her head back and striking a heroic pose. "Well, I am at that."

"Oh, really?" Pyrrha snickered, sneaking up behind the posturing brunette. With a lunge, the redhead had Ruby tackled to the ground and pinned beneath her, tickling mercilessly.

"Ah-hahaha, n- no, P- Pyrrha, no fair!" Ruby protested in between helpless laughs.

"Someone's been a little full of themselves lately," Pyrrha pronounced, not letting up in the slightest.

"B- Blake!" the brunette pleaded breathlessly from the grass where she lay, fruitlessly squirming. "G- Get your girlfriend off of me! I have to answer Janue!"

Blake had sat their bags down and was lounging on one of the chairs, her legs crossed at the knee and foot bouncing lazily. "She's your girlfriend too," she snickered. "You knew what you were getting into here."

"HEY!" Jaune's voice shouted from the scroll now lying under the table. "Can you guys not be gay for like two seconds?"

Giggling, the redhead rolled off of her conquered brunette lover and grabbed hold of the scroll. "Nope, not happening!" she replied cheerfully.

"Gimme that," Ruby laughed, swiping her scroll back. "Go order your cookies, I'll join you in a second."

"Love you, little rose," Pyrrha grinned, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Love you too, fluffy fox," the brunette grinned back from where she now sprawled out on the grass.

Blake and Pyrrha both laughed once more at Jaune's pained groan. "Oh my Oum you guys…"

Soon enough, Ruby plopped herself down next to the others at an inside table, taking the unoccupied chair not laden with shopping bags. "Whew, okay then…"

"You still need to order, love," Pyrrha pointed out amusedly.

"Right! Right, I knew that…"

Ruby bounced back up and raced over to the counter, picking out a cookie and paying for the three of them. Once she was back with her fudge-iced double-chocolate chip monstrosity, she gave her girlfriends a look-over.

"Really, Blake? A sugar cookie?"

"I like sugar cookies," the Cat Faunus mumbled around her bite.

"How about you, fluffy fox?"

"White chocolate macadamia," Pyrrha announced proudly.

"Oooh, nice one…"

"So?" the redhead prompted curiously. "Who is it my partner has his eye on?"

"Wellll… You guys know that transfer student from Haven, the cute girl with mint-green hair?"

"Oh!" Blake exclaimed. "Er… Emerald, yes?"

"That's the one! Anyways… her."

"Mmm." The Cat Faunus took another nibble from her large sugar cookie. "And what advice did you give him?"

"Ugh," Ruby groaned. "I dunno what all he expected, all I could tell him was to just follow his heart. Oh, and for the love of Oum, not to try serenading her."

"Yes, that advice alone is worth its weight in gold," Pyrrha agreed.

"Poor Weiss," Blake murmured. All three girls shared a shudder at the memory.

"So, you're Beacon's great relationship advisor now, hmm?" The redhead had a humorous twinkle in her bright green eyes as she took another large bite from her cookie.

Ruby nodded, giggling as she swallowed her own bite. "Apparently. Maybe I should charge."

"Somehow I do not believe your earnings would surpass those of Grimm bounties."

"No?"

"Indeed. I believe the saying is… Don't quit your day job."

"Harsh words, fluffy fox," Ruby snickered good-naturedly. "Harsh words."

A/N: The Ruby tickling scene was inspired by a comic posted by lonelybus on tumblr. Credit for the clothes shopping and teasing idea goes to readers Jack Inqu and Nicodemus Cain. And yes, this makes the second potentially hetero relationship. Renora was lonely as the only token one, figured we could have Topaz join them peripherally (place your bets…). Originally I had, through earlier suggestions, intended to pair Jaune up with Fox, but there's only so much gay one story can contain…

Much love for my reviewers (and blanket apologies for the nightmare-inducing Grimm spiders, though they likely won't show up again here, they're fair game for Pearls on a String): Allen Ramsey II, DeamonHunter, Jack Inqu, Boombox94, kaiju62, ILikeHotDogs, ExKage, Gorsouul, eltiochips, DschingisKhan, THB4, lkdog, Reaper Whisper, Marauderby, MakaS0ul, Vexy Minion, Fennec9, and SamuraiShippo. My apologies for not answering as many reviews as usual this week, work has seriously been kicking my ass.

Stay shiny!