Author's Notes: Firstly, there's a pun in the second line. Lemme know if Yang would approve...Secondly...okay...so maybe I coulda split this in 2. Maybe not. I'm not sure. But here it is, the more or less final chapter! Admittedly I may go back to this at some time when I have more motivation. I left a few things open that I've got a bit of story to add to should I decide to add more. That said, I hope you all enjoy this, and if you get a chance, please leave a comment, review, critique, turkey leg, whatever. Also go find me on tumblr by the name BonhomieDragon. I sometimes post stories and other works, but mostly I reblog awesome stuff that people ten times my awesome come up with!
Also, for those interested, I've got a couple more Freezerburn projects in the works. I got a Body Guard thing I wanna do for about 5-10 chapters, A Dragon/Faunus AU with Yang as a Dragon captured by the SDC for evaluation and marketing (aka slavery more or less) Weiss isn't fond of the idea but initially goes along with it cause...well...it's what the family wants and she constantly puts the family before her self...but after interacting with Yang and Ruby, she can no longer stand the guilt, etc...I can't give the whole damn thing away. I'm shooting for maybe 10-15 with that one. And finally, a...Stripper AU? Yeah I know. I said it. Stripper. Like Yang and company are strippers. Weiss is a liaison for the SDC and is trying to woo a senator and whatnot for some political and business game. So she's tasked with taking out his oh so wonderful son and friends (team CRDL!) for a night on the town that ends in meeting a beautiful blonde that has no eye or tolerance for such crude young men. Pretty petite Heiress on the other hand...Maybe a 1 shot. Possibly 2. Ya never know, cause I certainly don't!
As always, RWBY is not mine. It belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, whom have been awesome in giving us such an awesome fun fun super cool thing to fall in love with. Thanks for all your hard work!
Please enjoy!
Stop in the Name of: Liquor and Lipstick
The first singer up on the stage was a young woman with long brown hair. She was cute though a hair mild mannered. She introduced herself before her song began to play, revealing a British accent, though once she started singing, it was impossible to have known it. Her song was upbeat and friendly, something to ease oneself into a night of singing. People who knew the words sung along and cheered for her the whole time, but at the counter, the mood was a bit heavier.
In hindsight, Weiss wanted to kick herself for letting her ego go on a rampage. This was supposed to be a nice and stress free evening out, one where she had hoped to make a connection. Instead she was somehow feuding, albeit in a friendly and hopefully flirtatious manner, with the woman she had desired. And now, she had agreed to a very risky game where the loser had to actually grant a wish for the winner. More so, she had no idea how good Yang was at singing, and she herself was probably a little out of practice. If this was a business, she was certain her stocks were about to plummet on the speculation. Still, she had her pride to consider, and it seemed like Yang was having fun.
The blonde gave Weiss a smile as she ordered another drink. Something red and orange in color, with a little umbrella as garnish. Yang held it up as Weiss did the same with her glass of wine and they gently clinked the glasses together.
" Good luck to you Weiss. You're gonna need it!" Yang cheered as she downed half the drink in a single gulp.
" To you as well Yang. I hope you're as good as you claim." Weiss responded with a confident smile, finishing her wine.
Blake came by and took the glass, refilling it once again then sat it back down in front of Weiss, " Sorry that you got roped into something stupid by Yang. She just has that knack."
An outraged objection was heard from the offended party, but Weiss laughed as she took another sip, " No, this is fine. I haven't had this much fun in ages. So how long have you two known each other?"
" Too long." they said in unison, before giving one another a friendly smirk.
" I met Yang a few years ago when she was a rookie. I didn't own the bar back then, I just worked here to cover living expenses and college loans while I was searching for a real job. Go figure, there was a big brawl and the owner had left me alone for the night. I called the police and suddenly this crazy blonde shows up a few minutes later, practically kicks down the door, knocks half the bar unconscious with only her bare hands and a night stick, then has the nerve to try and stiff me on a drink at the end of the night..." Blake complained.
" Stiff you on the drink? You said it was free cause I helped you clean up the place afterwords!" the blonde growled, shoving a finger into her old friends face, " And if I remember correctly, you practically had to twist my arm to take that drink. I was on duty, I'm not even allowed to drink!"
" You hear that Weiss? Drinking on the job? Quite the model officer." the brunette teased with a wink.
Yang huffed, returning to her drink, " Well anyways that's how we met, worst day of my life. Eventually she took over the bar and I helped her get the place back in shape, and now it sorta turns a profit...maybe if she didn't buy enough books to run a library, she would have more money to put into this dump..."
Yang was too slow to react to the raven haired woman as she quickly plucked a small plastic sword skewer with a pair of cherries and an orange garnish from the fridge and pressed it firmly to her neck, " Whatever. At least I can read a book without pictures."
Weiss couldn't stifle the laugh she got from watching the pair. Yang and Blake stared hard at each other for a moment before their expressions melted and joined in with Weiss. As the trio's laughter finally subsided, Blake made a second drink for Yang before waving the pair off as she still had work to do.
Yang ran a hand through her golden locks and leaned back in her stool. " Blake's a lot of fun. She used to be really quiet and mousey, but owning the bar has done her a world of good. She smiles a lot more now and is a hell of a lot more confident. Big change of pace from when we used to date."
That last sentence caught Weiss' ear, and she couldn't stop herself from inquiring, " You used to date?"
" Yeah. We dated for a while after she bought the bar. I helped her get this place renovated and everything. I'd always come over after my shift and help her close up. It was nice, but she was here 7 days a week so we hardly got to spend any alone time together. I like to joke that she only wanted me for the manual labor, but the truth was that she wasn't really ready to settle down. We've stayed friends, and sometimes more than friends at different times...but I think that point in our life is done with. She's pretty much married to the bar, and I would rather be married to...I dunno...someone cute and fun, who wants to get off work and rushes home just to be with you, ya know?" the taller woman bemused.
The heiress couldn't help but stare at Yang who seemed to look off to the side as if she were trying to hide some kind of embarrassment. Admitting something like that wasn't easy, no matter who you were. Part of Weiss had wanted to reach over and cup her cheek and give her a kiss, tell her that she was beautiful and that she was wanted. But Weiss didn't have the nerve for such displays and she wasn't sure they had really known each other long enough to make such claims. But Yang's smile returned quickly, it's shine chasing off any negativity floating about them.
" Enough of that crap. So tell me about your work with the SDC. What's that like?" Yang asked, turning in her seat to face Weiss.
Before she could answer, the music died down for a second and Sun's voice was heard over the loud speaker, " Alright Yang Xiao Long! Come on up! You're next!"
A blonde brow raised, and she downed the rest of her drink before dashing off, " Well, I guess it's time to get this competition under way! Wish me luck Weiss...get it? Wish?"
Weiss couldn't stop her eyes from rolling at the comment, but also wasn't going to stop her eyes from watching Yang's back side as she made her way up to the stage. She took another drink to try and cool her libido before it drove her crazy. Up on the stage, Yang waved out at the crowd and called out to some of the faces she recognized, using up the precious few seconds before the song started to grand stand instead of prepare. Suddenly a heavy guitar riff kicked up and Yang's vocals were quick to come in.
" They see you as more than helpless, they see you as just a child. Surprised when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild!"
The song was pretty good, though Weiss wasn't sure where she had heard it from. Hard rock wasn't typically her preferred genre of music, but there was something to appreciate in it. More so though, Yang was much better than she had anticipated. There was a number of fairly high notes sung almost in falsetto that Yang was able to maintain with relative comfort. When the music had finally ended, Yang shouted out a thank you as she leapt from the stage and onto the dance floor, taking in the applause she received. As she approached the bar where she and Weiss had been sitting, Sun's voice boomed over the loud speaker.
" Alright alright, Yang's pretty good, so lets see if our new comer can follow that act with something with a little more class! Everyone put your hands together for...ah crap, how do I pronounce this...Weese? Wee-is?" the blond fumbled.
" I think it's Weiss, Sun..." Neptune corrected over his speaker.
" Ah...yeah. Weiss! Come on down, and please don't hit me! I didn't mean to screw up your name!" Sun pleaded.
Weiss' face turned 3 shades of red darker, feeling a bit mortified at the butchering of her name. She stormed all the way down to the stage and took the microphone from Sun, giving him a hard glare as she awaited her music to kick on. Neptune was quick to get her request loaded, doing what he could to spare Sun any further wrath. With that, a quiet set of piano chords opened up the song, and Weiss had about 8 measures or so of rest to prepare herself.
The lights in the room dimmed slightly, and all the bright streaking neon lights slowed down and changed to a moodier blue to match the pace of the song. Weiss took a deep breath and focused on the screen in front of her. Just like delivering a speech before the board of directors, just like every shareholder meeting where she was requested to explain the labor laws and practices of the various factories that had come under fire for odd labor figures, and just as those few piano recitals that she had, she cleared her head and kept her stare beyond the audience. And with all her preparation complete, she opened into the soft and slow vocals.
" One life...is not a long time. When you waiting...for a small sign. Patience...is hard to find. Shadows...seem to fill your life. Don't be disappointed. Don't let your heart break. Don't spend another minute...in this way...It's okay..."
Yang felt completely dumbstruck as she heard Weiss sing. She was good. In fact, she was better than good. She was terrific. Aaaaand she was also way better and Yang knew it. But the song was beautiful, and Weiss sang it so well that the whole bar quieted down to hear her. Yang had heard the song a number of times, it was mildly popular about ten years ago. It was a bit sappy, but after she had haphazardly spilled a bit too much of her heart out to Weiss, this song felt so wonderful to hear. As relieving as it was for Yang to get up and sing a little hard rock after a slightly depressing story like hers, Weiss' song felt as though it had poured itself into Yang's soul and filled some of the cracks in her heart. As she finished singing and the piano's instrumentals faded, Yang had to try two or three times to wipe the tears from her eyes that had begun to well up. For the most part, she was successful, which is good because Weiss was on her way back to her seat with a deafening applause chasing her heels.
" Okay...so you're not bad." Yang lied, giving Weiss a very wide and sheepish grin.
Weiss smiled back as she took her seat, taking Yang's obviously false critique in stride " I love that song. It's been a while since I heard it, but it helped me get through a few things. The SDC as well as just the S in that acronym particularly. My job's kind of boring. Mostly going over various charts, graphs, figures, and legalities, and finding ways to improve on any or all of those, then convince the board members that I do know what I'm doing and that they should just trust me to keep doing what I'm doing. It's not a lot of fun, but I get to travel a decent amount."
Yang took another sip of her drink, " Sounds like police work. I mean, the bad part is that I'm stuck behind a desk half the time pushing pencils and filling out bullshit reports when I could be on the street actually doing something worthwhile. Did you know that when I find someone with an open container with an alcoholic beverage, I'm supposed to take said beverage, pour it into 3 different containers, one for evidence, one for lab, and one to keep in case something happens. I have to send them to 3 different departments, write up 2 pages of paperwork a piece, all so the guy can go to jail for a night, and otherwise get out with a small fee. Or I can save myself a lot of time and dump the damn thing as long as he's cooperative and telling him to not let me catch him doing that again. Stupid, right? But the good part is that I do get to get out there and make a difference. That's what I want to do, help and protect people. Worlds tough enough without humanity trying to screw one another over..."
There was a hint of annoyance and melancholy in Yang's words, and it dimmed her beautiful brightness, much to the heiress' displeasure. Weiss smiled and put a hand over one of Yang's as she leaned in towards her, " Well, I'm grateful that you were there today Yang. You saved my life. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't showed up S-so..so...I...just..."
Weiss began to trail off as the pair slowly began to lean into one another, lavender and celeste eyes meeting halfway as the pair drew closer and closer together. But before it could escalate any further, the sound of a throat being cleared brought the pair back to Remnant where they separated in order to address the person standing behind them. Weiss turned first and wore the best glare she could muster given her elevated fluster. Yang turned in suit with a slightly flat look, seeming to have been annoyed at the interruption.
" Officer Xiao Long, I didn't realize you felt so dispassionately about your job. Perhaps instead I could just bust you down to a meter maid. Then you'll get plenty of time on the streets..." the high pitched voice threatened.
Surprised, Weiss saw a slightly younger woman who had black hair that faded into reddish tips. It was kept a little shy of medium in length, but was otherwise freely styled to just bob about as the girl moved. She was attractive, with pale skin and silver eyes, wearing a black dress with red lacing. Yang's expression elated from it's previous look as she hopped up out of her seat and embraced the smaller girl in a bone crushing embrace. Seeing the commotion at the end of the bar, Blake was quick to make sure Yang wasn't actually starting a fight.
" Yang...I thought we agreed to no fights in...oh! Sergeant Rose! You here for inspection? Or are you picking up a drunk? That blonde there's had a few too many!" Blake teased as the silver eyed woman laughed.
" No no Blake, I don't go anywhere in uniform unless I'm on the clock. Right now, I'm dressed to have a good time! Plus, ol' rough and tumble here made some extra paperwork for me to fill out this evening, so I think I'm gonna put a couple of drinks on her tab, if you don't mind!" the silver eyed woman joked as she ribbed Yang a bit, " But serious Yang...did ya have to break the guys collar bone? I mean, he was practically in custody. I mean, yeah, everything should work out okay because he's got a laundry list of felonies and misdemeanors to avalanche any brutality claims, but you know better..."
" Sorry Ruby, he pulled my hair so I lost it. Plus he had a knife. But I'll try and make sure not to over do it again." the blonde apologized, though didn't seemed convinced she wouldn't do it again.
Ruby sighed, " Well, I already lectured you about not drawing your gun already, so we won't have that argument again. Just be more careful out there..."
Whatever the matter was, it now seemed settled, though something told Weiss that there were a number of unresolved issues lying just a bit below the surface. Still, it wasn't exactly her business, and she was going to make certain to avoid those topics as best she could. Silver eyes fell upon her own as Ruby leaned closer to Weiss, almost as if inspecting her.
" Excuse me. It's rude to stare. You might be Yang's boss, but it wouldn't kill you mind your manners a bit..." Weiss scolded, garnering a laugh from Yang and Ruby.
" Wow. She's feisty. Nice to meet you, I'm Ruby Rose, Yang's younger sister!" Ruby introduced with the offering of a friendly handshake.
" Little sister." Yang fired.
" Younger. Sister." reinforced Ruby.
" Kid sister." the blonde fired again.
" Younger sister, damn it!" Ruby growled.
" ...Baby sister." she chimed a third time as fast as possible.
Ruby gave Yang a hard look, then turned to Blake.
" Something delicious and top shelf! Surprise me! Oh and make it expensive..." she ordered, shooting Yang a menacing grin.
" You two are a trip." Blake laughed as she began reaching for the good liquor.
Yang eyed the drink warily as Weiss sought to read Yang's expression. Watching the pair for a moment, the gears turned quickly in Ruby's head as she put two and two together, " So I didn't catch your name miss...?"
" Weiss Schnee. You can call me Weiss." she responded politely.
" Wait...you mean the victim from earlier today? The one from the mugging? YANG!" Ruby scolded, turning to her sister who let out a sigh, " You cannot pick up dates at crime scenes!"
Yang turned around in her seat to defend herself, but Weiss was quick to step in setting down her half empty wine glass so she could use her hand gestures without risk, starting with an accusatory point " Hold on. No one is picking me up. I came here on my own and without an invitation. Yang did mention that she was coming here...but since I've got the whole weekend free, I thought it'd be nice to have a drink, especially after the day I've had. Yang did eventually show up, but she had already planned to do that, without knowledge I was even going to come. Truth be told though, I'm having a good time. I'm old enough to drink, and I'm old enough to suffer the consequences for it tomorrow morning. So don't blame her for this. You can blame me, for all the good that'll do you..."
There was a moment of silence amongst the four of them as Weiss ended her rant. Soon though, Yang and Ruby began to giggle and laugh.
" Whatever you say ma'am!" Ruby said snickering, then turning back to her sister with a whisper, " She's a handful...good luck!"
Yang waved Ruby off with a laugh as the music died down in the bar again for Sun's voice to boom over the speakers, " Alright Yang, you're up again! And make it a short song so we can all hear Weiss sing again!"
Yang expressed herself in a hand gesture for him as she approached. Hopping up on the stage, she knew that she wouldn't beat Weiss with just her voice alone. So she decided to tap into more of her repertoire and include some dancing and crowd interaction. Leaping up to the stage, she snatched the microphone out of his hand and gave him a friendly elbow to his side. As he left the stage, the music began with keyboards accompanied by chimes and light percussion. A couple measures in and Yang held a long note before the lyrics began. Her body began to turn and shimmy to the beat of the music as she approached the edge of the stage.
" Dream of anything...I'll make it all come true. Everything you need is all I have for you! I'm forever...always by your side. Whenever you need a friend...I'm never far behind!"
Finishing the remainder of her glass of wine, Weiss set it out for Blake to refill. By this point in time, Weiss had stopped counting how many glasses she had, but if she were to hazard a guess, probably 5 so far. Thankfully, she was quite the practiced wine enthusiast, being able to hold her liquor quite well. But she was definitely feeling the alcohol regardless of her impressive threshold. Still, she was in control, feeling comfortable, a just a bit lighter off her feet, so she figured she could go on for a couple more hours like this. She clapped for Yang as the blonde danced across the stage, her hips swaying with the the trills in her singing. Weiss even began to shimmy around a bit in her own seat. Should her colleagues see her now, she might be mortified, but no one knew her here, so what did it matter? She really was having a great time.
As the song wound down, Yang returned the microphone and took a bow at Sun's insistance, basking in the hurricane of applause and shouts she was receiving. Weiss hated to say it but Yang nailed that song. It was a cheerful and uplifting song, and Yang's dancing was lively and just a tad seductive. It definitely made the Heiress' night worthwhile. As Yang made her way back to where Weiss was seated, Sun called up Weiss in turn, soliciting quite the response from the crowd. The pair exchanged high fives as they passed one another. Once on the stage, Weiss stiffened up a little bit, knowing that she had never sang the song she was about to perform before. Not wanting to be thought of as inflexible, she picked a much more upbeat song, something akin to what Yang sang for her opening number. Strings and piano opened up the song, and the vocals fell right in with it, giving Weiss little time to muster up any more courage.
" There's a point where it tip, there's a point where it breaks. There's a point where it bends and point we just can't take...anymore...There's a line that we'll cross and there's no return. There's a time and a place, no bridges left to burn, anymore!"
Yang raised her brow as she heard Weiss on the stage. The lyrics were fast and took some upper register work to get the pitches just right. She did a good job of it, though looked a bit uncomfortable with this genre of music. Still, she was doing well, and as long as Weiss was having a good time, that's all that really mattered. The crowd seemed pretty interested as well, and bobbed their heads and shoulders about in rhythm with the beat. As the song ended, Weiss let out a sigh of relief. She didn't feel as good about that one, but was happy to receive applause and whistles none the less. Yang waved her over, but Weiss pointed elsewhere and began to head for the restrooms as Yang gave her a thumbs up to confirm she understood what the smaller woman was trying to convey.
" So, whatcha think Yang?" Ruby inqured, giving her older sister a nudge with her elbow, " You two are getting along pretty well..."
" What's that supposed to mean?" Yang led with a discerning eye.
" Oh, I dunno...maybe that I think you guys look pretty cute together, that's all..." the younger sister answered with a theatrical shrug.
" She's certainly cute, that's for sure. Still, she could do so much better than me..." the blonde answered with a hint of melancholy.
" Oh my god, the Yang Xiao Long, scourge of the dating circuit at Signal Academy thinks that she isn't good enough for someone else? You really do like her!" Ruby exclaimed.
Yang reached up and grappled Ruby, pulling her down into a headlock, " Superior or not, you were never better in a fight than me! Now I think you need to drop the subject little sister! Remember, off the clock, I'm big sis!" Yang joked, mussing Ruby's hair.
The pair rough housed a bit in their seats as Blake began to yell from across the bar at them, hoping that they would keep the horse play to a minimum so that they wouldn't break anything this time. Weiss returned to witness Yang carrying Ruby over her shoulder as she looked ready to dump her little sister onto the ground in some kind of flashy pro wrestling technique.
" What are you guys doing?" she inquired, her eyes checking to ensure that her drink was not harmed in the scuffle.
" Oh you know, getting some sparring practice in..." Yang said as nonchalantly as possible while putting Ruby down gently.
" Yeah...so maybe you two have had too much to drink..." Weiss joked, eliciting a laugh from the sisters.
" Yang's still got her clothes on, so she hasn't had that much to drink yet..." the red head joked as Yang and Weiss' eyes shot open.
" Why don't we continue where we left off..." the blond growled as she made a motion to grapple Ruby once again.
" Oh! Save me Weiss! She's so mean to me!" Ruby cried with crocodile tears in her eyes as she sought shelter behind the heiress' slightly smaller form.
Yang shrugged it off with a laugh, exchanging a smile with Weiss, " Oh well, guess I'll let it slide this time...but that was one time Ruby...okay it was twice actually. But Nora dared me, and you know how infectious her crazy is!"
" Okay okay. Well, enough about that. You hear the song that they're singing? We should totally go up there and dance! Come on guys!" Ruby shouted, grabbing both Weiss and Yang by the arm and dragging them up to the dance floor.
Once there, the three stepped out across the smooth wooden landing taking position in a semi circle. As it was a faster song, the trio took a few moments to find a rhythm they could all follow. While Yang was more oft to muss and play with her hair while allowing her arms to spread out and take in the music in a stylized manner, Weiss was more prone to complicated footwork, shuffles, turns, and spins while her arms stayed close and her shoulders comprised of most of her upper body rhythms. Ruby had a more unique style that didn't seem to match up as well as the other two. While Yang and Weiss seemed to prefer smoother and more sultry styles, Ruby's dancing possessed more popping motions with light and quirky gestures. The trio danced and chatted through a few songs, until someone began to sing a slow song. Immediately, Ruby gave Weiss a slight push into Yang's arms, offering an apology as she made her exit.
" Oh hey, I gotta go uhhh...take this call! I'll be back! Have fun guys!" she spouted as she left the pair and made her way to the bathroom.
Weiss and Yang stared at each other for a moment, then their eyes followed Ruby as she fled into...the bathroom? Yang smirked, knowing what Ruby was up too, but decided to make the best of it.
" Well, I suppose I should ask to have this dance?" Yang asked with a mock bow, doing her best to appear as refined as possible.
Weiss stifled a laugh, enjoying the gesture, " Certainly! Just try not to step on my feet."
Taking Weiss' right hand into her own left, Yang placed a hand firmly at the valley of the Heiress' lower back for support as the pair stepped closer together. For Weiss, it had been a long time since she had been so intimate with someone. In a way, she found it pathetic. A slow dance was the most intimate she'd been with anyone in a few years. However a glance up to Yang's lilac eyes and soft smile yielded a reprieve from such negative thoughts as her brilliance seemed to drive away such notions within the Heiress.
The pair swayed and slowly floated about the dance floor for the duration of the song. While Weiss had been enjoying her various conversations throughout the evening, and though she had many more questions for Yang and the others, the silence they shared at this moment was enchanting. A slow drop in Weiss' right arm to the small of Yang's back drew the pair ever more close together, and Weiss became more aware for the fact that their noses were practically touching. While her heart began to flutter, she kept her composure enough to pass off the extra blush she was feeling as the alcohol still running through her system.
Once the song ended, the pair stood together for a just a moment or two longer in their closeness. Finally, Weiss motioned to separate with a slow step back, taking one last look up to Yang. However, her heel didn't land proper, causing the pale haired woman to stumble backwards, saved only by Yang's quick intervention. With a gentle pull upwards, Yang was able to lift Weiss to her feet with ease, almost surprised by how light she was.
" You okay?" she asked.
"Ah...uhhh yeah...I'm...I'm fine. Thanks." Weiss answered coolly, trying to contain her embarassment, " Maybe I've had a bit too much to drink..."
" No biggie. I'm feelin it a bit too, but I think I want just a few more before tonight's over. A good buzz is nice, so I'd like to keep it going, ya know?" the blonde assured,
Weiss nodded in agreement, and once she found her footing again, the pair strolled back up to the bar for refills. The night continued on at a relaxed pace for the remaining hours the bar would be open. Weiss had a few more drinks between her other songs of varying genres. While her slow and emotive songs were of wild success, she still found it difficult to really find comfort in the more upbeat and heavier tunes. But, she wasn't one to shy away from a challenge, nor did she want to be a one trick pony, so she continued to sing all varieties of songs despite her comfort level. And still she was met with applause and praise every time.
Yang on the other hand never seemed to find any discomfort up on the stage regardless to what she was singing. Though she lacked Weiss' talent when it came to the more soulful melodies, she was still pretty solid with her overall ability to emote with both dance and stage antics. She was a born entertainer through and through, and had been doing it for years now. Still, she carried a few doubts about where her standing was with Weiss and this whole contest she cooked up. But no matter the outcome, Yang was enjoying herself, so it was all icing on the cake for her.
As the bar slowly emptied out with the passage of time, Blake found more and more free time to spend with the trio. Conversations ranged from comparing work and customer related horror stories to tastes and preferences in music, even to movies and television properties. Though Weiss seemed to lack a bit in knowledge of that final category, she certainly seemed to enjoy Yang and Ruby's animated explanations and story telling techniques.
Finally, the clock was winding down as the 2 O'clock hour began to surface. Sun was quick to pick up on it, and took stage once the previous singer had finished up.
" Alrighty folks, it's been great to have you out here tonight. Looks like we've only got a little bit of time before me and Neptune gotta go pack up. So without further ado, I'm calling you back up to the stage Yang Xiao Long!" he called with enthusiasm.
Yang was quick to make her way up to the stage, grabbing at the microphone in Sun's hand and calling out to the crowd with it.
" Hey everybody! I just want you all to know that I'm glad you all were able to make it out tonight. If you love the songs you've been hearing, make sure to tip your KJ's up here, and if the drinks have been just right, remember to also tip your bartender. But becareful no matter what...cause she bites!" the blonde finished as Neptune gave her a thumbs up suggesting he was ready. With a nod in return, the music kicked on.
Heavily distorted guitar opened up with drums in a staccato style, and Yang's vocals were quick to fall in afterwords, " Come at me, and you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye...You think that, you'll break me...you're gonna find in time; You're standing too close to a flame that's burning, hotter than the sun in the middle of July! Sending out your army but you still can't win; listen up silly boy cause I'm gonna tell you whyyyy..."
The song seemed to have been made for Yang. Confident, brash, and upbeat, Weiss couldn't shake the feeling that Yang may have written it herself. A mix of hard rock and a bit of techno in the synthesizer, it certainly was catchy. There was even a short rap solo provided by Sun as the pair of blondes show boated across the stage from one another. In a way, Weiss was sad that it had to end, because Yang seemed particularly fired up for this song, figuring that Yang saved it till the end because it was probably her favorite. Weiss couldn't deny the notion, she had done something fairly similar.
As Yang's performance came to a close, the blonde gave a final wave and even blew a few kisses from the stage to her adoring audience. With a final wink in Weiss' direction, she hopped down and made her way back as Sun's voice boomed past her.
" Alright! That was Yang with her usual finale, and now we have just enough room for one more...so whom should it be? Hey...you guys wouldn't wanna happen to hear Weiss sing once more, would ya?" Sun called out, getting the crowd nice and worked up for the Heiress.
A slight pink fell across her cheeks as the crowd seemed to roar in agreement with Sun, prompting him to call her up, " Alrighty Weiss, you're fans await! Let's see what you're closing the night with! Something hard and fast? Perhaps soft and sweet? Well come on up girl! Show us your stuff!"
Weiss took off towards the stage, doing her best to walk with elegance. Certainly she had her fill to drink this evening and was enjoying the faint tingle she had received, but climbing up onto that stage was an almost sobering experience. She would be the last singer of the night, and she picked one of her favorite songs to sing. Something that really resonated with her on so many levels.
It represented something she lived through, something she continued to battle with, and something she maybe feared would come again to haunt her. But no matter what pains and fears she associated to the song, it also gave her strength, as it let her know that she wasn't the only person with such plights and worries. And that was something she wanted the world to see, that through her imperfection, she was also perfect in her own way.
The song opened up quietly with a soft piano playing a sort of music box style melody. The crowd was almost immediately silenced in anticipation.
" Mirror...tell me something...Tell me who's the loneliest of all..."
Strings, slight percussion, and a quickened piano pace immediately followed, bringing up the tempo and creating a palpable tension.
" Mirror...tell me something...Tell me who's the loneliest of all...Fear of...what's inside me...Tell me can a heart be turned to stone!"
The song continued in a dramatic and almost operatic manner. Yang couldn't help but keep on the edge of her seat as she watched Weiss give the song her everything, and at the toll of a bell from about the half way point, the mood changed drastically with Weiss holding a beautiful set of chords as the tempo picked up just a bit more. Weiss really found her stride in the frantic piano runs that mixed well with the desperate tone the song set, leaving Yang's heart racing. Finally the song winded down from a somewhat feverish pitch with a final line that seemed to bore itself just a bit into Yang's heart.
" I'm the loneliest of all..."
It wasn't so much that the line was sad or dramatic, but just in the feeling she got from Weiss singing it. Yang could feel something real, something almost tangible in that last line as the final notes of the song faded and Weiss provided a brief curtsy. Someone couldn't sing something like that, and sing it with such vigor without experiencing it themselves. Yang wasn't really known for being one to so easily tear up, but the feelings the music seemed to bath her in couldn't be so easily dismissed either. A frantic wipe of her eyes while no one noticed seemed to clear them up, but the thought of Weiss as so alone made if feel as if her heart were being wrenched. The crowd seemed to respond in kind as well, with a rousing applause that was nearly without end.
Sun eventually got on the microphone to remind everyone to go pay their tabs, tip their bartenders, and come back next friday. Once Weiss rejoined Yang and Ruby, the trio chatted quietly while the bar finally emptied out. With the night over and the bar to themselves, Yang pitched in a bit to help Blake with the final closing duties, like putting away the empty kegs and corking all the beer spouts. With the last of her duties attended, Blake led the trio out of the bar as she shut the lights off and locked up. The foursome then moved to the middle of the lot where a quartet of vehicles had parked within a fairly close distance of one another.
" Alright you guys, I've actually gotta work in the afternoon, so I need to get some rest. Don't get into any trouble, alright?" Ruby waved as she opened the door to her car and sat down inside.
" Have a good night Ruby. See you next week I hope." Blake said coolly with a wave.
" Be careful driving home Ruby. It was nice meeting you." the Heiress called.
" Sunday dinner with Dad?" the blonde called out, receiving a smile and nod before her car began to pull away.
" I'm actually with her. Unlike some of us, I don't really get days off..." the dark haired woman smirked as she sat down in the drivers seat of her own vehicle.
" Hey! Wait a second...miss disinterested third party...who won our little bet?" Yang asked, almost offended that Blake had seemed to be skipping out on it.
" That's right. I forgot all about that..." she lied in a very false tone.
" So let's have it. Who won?" Yang pressed again, eager to find out.
Weiss felt a piercing worry in her stomach. It wasn't like this should really be a big deal, but she was also curious as to who won. However, despite mulling over the idea throughout the night, she didn't really come up with a feasible wish for Yang to grant that was appropriate. Maybe a kiss good night? Or a date? Those seemed nice...but she was feeling a bit trigger shy now that the possibility that she had won their little game was in sight. Plus they had only just met...it just seemed like too much to ask out of someone...
" You did actually. I really thought Weiss woulda had you there after your first songs, and that last one was almost the tide turner. Buuut you are pretty good at what you do Yang. So congratulations. Weiss? Sorry. I actually made a bet with Ruby that you'd win. So you ended up costing me 20 lein. Please be sure to come back again and spend more money to help me make up for that..." Blake joked before shutting the door to her vehicle.
" ALRIGHT! I'M STILL THE CHAMPION!" Yang cheered at the top of her lungs, possibly waking up the entire neighborhood.
Weiss wanted to scold the blonde for such an outburst at this hour, but she was a bit more relieved that she didn't have to come up with some laughable wish for Yang to fulfill. Of course, dread was quick to follow as she also knew that she was now obligated to grant some kind of wish for Yang. This compounded more so as Blake drove off, leaving the pair on their own, as they waved goodbye.
" W...well congratulations Yang. You were really good..." Weiss praised, a mixture of nervous, anxious, and happy.
" Oh please, I know I got lucky. You said it yourself you hadn't sang in years. A few of those songs you've never even sang before. Still, a win is a win, even if it's by the skin of your teeth..." the blonde reasoned, crossing her arms with a shrug.
An awkward silence set in between them. Weiss wanted to ask Yang what she wanted, while Yang considered how she would ask what she wanted. Finally, Weiss broke the quiet., turning her back to Yang as she looked up at the large broken moon in the sky.
" It's a really nice night out here..." the smaller woman commented, leaving her jacket partially unzipped despite fiddling with her zipper.
" Hmmm..." was all Yang could seem to say.
" Well, you're the big winner Yang. So...just say the word...and...I'll uhhh...grant...your wish..." Weiss stated with anxiety dripping off each word.
Weiss was not used to feeling so timid. Should this have been a business meeting, or even any old person off the street, she was just be her usual and straight to the point self. She didn't really care for feeling like this, but friendship, romance, matters of the heart were not exactly her forte, so she was never as confident as she would have liked to be in regards to it. Yang on the other hand was enjoying the view of Weiss from behind with the moon as a back drop for her silhouette. There was no denying the woman was beautiful, and after taking a few moments in silence to figure out how she wanted to put together her wish, she let out an approving grunt.
" Alright Weiss, are you ready to hear my wish?" she asked.
" Whatever you want Yang. Those are the rules..." Weiss said, trying to steady her nerves and sound composed, " What is your wish?"
A wide smile began to creep across Yang's face, " My wish is...for you to close your eyes..."
It took a moment for the wish to register in Weiss mind, " Wait...just close my eyes?"
" Yep. Close'm. I'll tell you when you can look again..." the blonde answered.
Weiss took in a deep breath, then did as she was asked and shut her eyes. A moment of silence, then she heard a zipper open. Then some shuffling around. Then a snapping sound. Then a gentle pop, following by the same snapping sound again. Finally another bit of shuffling, and the zipper again. Blush hit her cheeks as she prepared herself for anything. But she was not prepared for what came next.
A sudden closeness of proximity. The smell of a light, flowery perfume. A gentle hand slid up her neck and cradled her head back, and the press of lips to her own. The surprise of it made Weiss' eyes shoot open for just a moment, but the sound of Yang's voice and the caress of her lips seemed to drown out all other senses, " Hey now...I didn't say to open them yet..."
Snapping her eyes shut, Weiss complied with both Yang's voice and her body. She could feel Yang sliding up against her tighter and tighter.. A gentle hand now placed itself on the center of her back to help cradle her a bit more and provide Weiss with just a bit more support. The kiss was soft and gentle, not like a hard crushing of lips from two feverish lovers, or a sloppy and desperate display from a pair of forlorn soul mates. It was simple, and it was warm. Yang was so warm, that Weiss felt as though she would melt in her embrace. Like those soft, warm lips could start a fire, or even burn down a house. And now they were pressed against her own, and she felt as though she would never feel cold again.
Yang opened the kiss up just a bit as the pair began to find a sort of rhythm within each other. More and more, the pair fell into sync with each other and Weiss reached her hands up to the hem of Yang's shirt and gripped at it as she began to rest them at the blondes midsection. Small gasps for air between the two met gentle moans of approval as they continued to kiss under the moonlit sky, their rhythm never breaking. Finally, Yang brought her other hand around to cup the other side of Weiss' face as she deepened the kiss for just a moment more, tracing the inside of Weiss' lips with her tongue before slowly pulling back with a smile. Weiss looked up at Yang with her lips in yearning, but didn't dare to open her eyes for fear she was dreaming and would wake from it. Yang released her cheeks and reached for Weiss' hands, taking them into her larger palms.
" I gotta say, I really enjoyed that even more than I thought I would..." Yang admitted with a smile.
" I...I uhhh...I did too..." Weiss stammered, her heart racing.
Weiss secretly chastised herself for sounding so in eloquent. Still, it seemed her sentiment had been reciprocated and Yang allowed their lips to brush together once again, even if it was all too brief, " I had a lot of fun tonight Weiss. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see you around some more...
However despite it seeming like it lasted forever, Weiss felt Yang slowly pull away, leaving one last final kiss on her cheek. She pressed it fairly hard, almost as if to prove a point, and as she walked away, she called out to Weiss, " You can open your eyes again sweetie."
Slowly, almost as if she had been lost to a magnificent dream, Weiss opened her eyes to catch sight of Yang as she was walking back to her motorcycle. Stretching one long leg over the bike and slipping across in a straddle, Weiss felt as if she had never seen anyone or anything so elegant and beautful. With soft touches, Yang leaned into the hand grips to fire up the engine and brought herself right up next to Weiss.
" Be careful driving home Weiss. If anyone pulls you over, just show'm your little souveneer and tell them it was from me. They'll leave you alone..." Yang said with a wink as she leaned in to nuzzle her cheek into Weiss' neck and jaw.
" Of course Yang...you be careful too..." Weiss answered still in a state of absent minded bliss.
Yang gave Weiss a wide smile and blew a kiss in her direction as she strapped on her yellow helmet and took off down the street. Weiss slowly wandered over to her car and before she could pull the handle on the door to open the vehicle up, she noticed something in her hand. Something white and made of cotton, like a...
Immediately Weiss inspected the cloth article in her hand, confirming that it was in fact a handkerchief. However, something was written on the inside of it.
' It isn't a nice silk personalized handkerchief, but now we're even. Call me. XOXOX ~Yang Xiao Long'
A simple message followed by a personal cell phone number. Weiss brought the small cotton article close her chest, relishing that it faintly carried Yang's scent. Was Yang's phone number? This...this meant she was definitely interested. This...did this mean they were dating? Or...what would you call what they were right then?
The Heiress sat down in her car and turned on the engine. She checked her rear view mirror to see if it was aligned how she wanted it, and noticed the lip stick print on her cheek in a bold pink color. A smile quickly spread across her face, followed by a laugh as she understood what Yang meant earlier about needing this. She looked at the number again and began to enter it into her phone. Sure, Weiss had some questions. And she certainly had her fears. But she now also had Yang. And they could talk all about it tomorrow. Or maybe...in a little bit once Weiss gets home...