Yang drove home from Weiss' house, struggling to focus on the road. Her mind kept wandering to her friend, out in Forever Fall with fifteen criminals. It was only a few years ago that Weiss was still the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, with more money than could be imagined in Yang's wildest dreams. It was true that life in the Schnee family had been difficult. Weiss had a difficult childhood with an angry father and a distant mother. She lived in a state of fear. She was afraid of the White Fang, of her father, and of being a disgrace to the Schnee name. She was much better off distancing herself from her family and her company, but things only went downhill from there. Weiss went from a wealthy former heiress hailed as a hero to a criminal with a choker around her neck, caging her like a dog surrounded by an electric fence. She'd lost her wealth, her once chance at saving her closest friend, and even her reputation. Everything in her life was falling apart, and yet she remained strong. Even with her whole world coming down around her, she kept moving forward, as if challenging life to try and hurt her more than it already had. Blake had turned to violence and Yang herself had turned to alcohol, but Weiss kept walking without a crutch. And yet, to Yang, she was more vulnerable than ever.
It was early in the morning, so there were very few cars sharing the road with Yang. As such, it didn't take long for her to get back home to Ruby. She parked her car, opened the door the the apartment, and found herself greeted by the dim voice of her sister a few rooms away. Closing the door, the blonde yawned and walked in the direction of her sister's voice.
"Hey, sis, I'm home. What's going on?" She asked, and Ruby said a few words that Yang couldn't make out before shouting to her.
"Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang! Something super amazing happened! Come over here!" The blonde hurried to her sister, who was holding her cellphone and looking like she just won the lottery. She was rocking back and forth in her wheelchair, using her free arm for support.
"Holy shit. Holy shit holy shit holy shit! Is what's happening right now what I think it is?!" Yang asked in amazement, standing on the balls of her feet.
"Yes it is! I, Ruby Rose, have got a job! I'll do maintenance on people's weapons and it'll be totally freaking awesome! I start the day Weiss gets back, so I have some serious preparing to do. It's been a while since I've got to work on a weapon aside from Crescent Rose," Ruby said excitedly. Yang screamed in joy and gave her sister a massive bear hug. After ten seconds of pain, she relinquished Ruby from her grip, still jumpy from hearing such good news. She had been happy to hear that Ruby was being considered for the position, but that wasn't a confirmation. Now, knowing that her sister's employment was guaranteed, she felt as if a massive weight was lifted from her chest. This would be the first good news she'd heard in a month. It felt foreign, being happy about something. Yang had been happy before, of course. But every time she was, there would always be something lurking in the shadows ready to take her joy away. Now, in this moment, she didn't feel that way at all. There was nothing to spoil her glee, nothing to bring her down. She was truly happy for Ruby, and that made her happy for herself.
"I got the call a few minutes after you left, actually. I've just been talking with Jaune for a little while, hearing all about what he's been doing. Do you want to talk to him?" Ruby asked her suddenly.
"Jaune?" Yang asked, more to herself than to Ruby. Her voice cracked when she said his name. She was trying very hard to keep her smile. She didn't want the sudden rush of anger that flowed through her mind to put a damper on her sister's joy, and hearing the name of the man who she blamed for Ruby's current state made her very angry indeed. She began to shake, and she desperately hoped that Ruby would assume she was shaking with excitement.
"Yep! I think he'd really like to talk to you."
"You know, I'm kind of tired. I woke up way earlier than usual, so I think I'll catch up on my beauty rest. But we are totally celebrating tonight! I've got a few party tricks up my sleeve, so you'd better be on your toes, sis," Yang replied quickly, still barely managing a smile. Ruby blinked in surprise before nodding.
"You'd better impress me, Yang," she said. As the blonde winked and walked away, Ruby kept talking to Jaune. Behind her, Yang's eyes turned red.
Jaune hung up, sighing. He was happy for Ruby; she had gotten a job, and what's more, it was a job doing something she loved. But whenever he talked to her, he couldn't help but feel sad. Any contact with her in general reminded him of painful memories that he would much rather forget. However, the pain was lessened by the knowledge that Ruby didn't hold it against him. She talked to him just as she would anyone else, and he was extremely grateful for that. Even though he blamed the tragedy on himself, it was nice to know that she didn't. It was just a shame that the same couldn't be said for Yang. He knew that, if it were up to her, he would never see or speak to Ruby again. While Yang was usually a kind, encouraging person and could see past most things, all bets were off when it came to her friends' safety, especially her sister's. When it came to her, Yang held grudges. Jaune understood her anger, and out of respect and fear, mostly avoided her. But Pyrrha had encouraged him to face the pain instead of running from it, and he reluctantly took her advice. There were only two simple steps he had to take: he had to go see Ruby and Yang and apologize.
"You seem tired, Jaune. Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune sat at a long wooden table in a light brown room, intense lights brightening it up. His head hung over a plate with slightly burnt eggs, long strips of bacon, and a piece of buttered toast. He had made breakfast, unable to go back to sleep after calling Ruby. He had gotten word from Bard that she had the job early in the morning, too excited to even be annoyed or wonder why he was called so early or why Bard was even awake. Jaune had only been able to get an hour of sleep afterwards, too eager to tell Ruby the good news. After trying to fall back asleep and ultimately failing, he called his friend out of excitement, only to find that she was up as well.
"...I guess not. I mean, it's nothing really bad. I'm just nervous," he replied. looking up. Pyrrha, unlike himself, looked wide awake and ready to face the day. She had already finished her food, claiming to enjoy it immensely. Jaune suspected she hadn't, but was grateful that she was humoring him. He wasn't a good cook and his making breakfast was a rarity, but he had felt bad about keeping her up talking after he finished making his call.
"I know. Anyone would be. But you've already done so much for Ruby, and I'm sure she'd love to see you in person. I don't believe she was ever angry at you, but telling her how you feel would life a huge weight off of your chest," Pyrrha assured him, reaching her hand to lie on top of his. He looked up slowly and smiled.
"Thanks, but she's not who I'm worried about." Pyrrha chuckled.
"Yang will come around, especially if Ruby's there to encourage her." Jaune moaned, but knew that her advice had merit.
"I really don't want to do this. At least, not today."
"Then you don't have to. You do, however, have to finish your food. We're leaving in five minutes, fearless leader," the redhead said. The blonde's eyes widened, and he began to shovel food into his mouth. Smiling, Pyrrha went to get the car ready.
Blake sat in the library, a large book lying on the table open to about the halfway mark. Just like the rest of the prison, the room was gray and depressing, but the startlingly brown wooden shelves full of books with all kinds of differently colored binders added some life to it. To Blake, however, appearances didn't matter. It was what was on the inside of the books that counted, and she wasn't disappointed. Despite being a prison library, there were some good selections. But it wasn't easy to read. Nearby, the startled gasps and squeaks of Primrose and the sickly sweet laugh of Cinder wafted into the ears of the reading faunus, and she grimaced as she was broken from her concentration every few paragraphs.
"Excuse me, Cinder, but can you take your shameless flirtation somewhere else? This is a place for reading, not seducing. Besides, isn't your interaction breaking some prisoner-employee rules of conduct?" Blake said testily. Cinder turned around and Primrose turned bright red, bowing her head.
"I'm really sorry, I know that libraries are for reading and I should leave and-"
"Don't let her boss you around like that. Look at me, for example; I just don't care," Cinder said assertively. Her cellmate frowned.
"I-I should really leave..." The dog faunus repeated nervously.
"Hm? But I was really enjoying our conversation," Cinder pouted, turning around. She fixed Primrose with a wide-eyed stare, but she was looking down and didn't see. Bowing again, she ran off and Blake grinned. Her cellmate walked over to her, sitting down. The black-haired faunus stopped grinning. Her plan had backfired.
"If you're getting jealous, you could just say so. There's no need for this passive-aggressive game you play," Cinder said, leaning forward.
"I thought you liked when people played hard-to-get," was the reply. Blake pointed towards where Primrose had run off, eliciting a chuckle from her friend.
"You've got me there. I do enjoy a chase." A silence fell over the table as Cinder tried to make out what she was reading.
"What is it about her, anyway? What's gotten you so interested?" She asked suddenly. Cinder smiled, looking up at her.
"You are jealous, aren't you?"
"Just curious," Blake replied. She was also suspicious. Cinder had, on multiple occasions, pursued Primrose. She seemed to know that the dog faunus liked her, and there was a more than decent chance that her feelings didn't stop at that. But Cinder was no flirt. She was certainly seductive, but never went beyond joking around. With Primrose, it was different, and Blake felt that a lot more than love was on her friend's mind.
"Well, if you must know...I think she's struggling. She lives in a world that isn't kind to people like her. People who are kind, who are trusting. She needs some help from someone who knows better," Cinder answered, losing her joking tone. Blake didn't believe for a second that her affection for Primrose was the only reason for her flirtation, but her words rang of truth. For all of her intimidation and unflappable calm, she cared for those who she felt were oppressed.
"In a lot of ways, she reminds me of your friend," Cinder told Blake, getting up. The black-haired faunus' eyes widened and she grimaced. She knew that her cellmate was referring to Ruby.
"Did I got too far?" Cinder asked, looking down at her sitting friend.
"...I don't know. I really don't know," Blake hurried out of her seat and nodded as if to say goodbye before walking off. She wasn't lying. She had no idea whether she was angry or surprised. How Cinder could possibly make a confident assumption about Ruby was anyone's guess, and why she would mention her was even more of a mystery. Just like Cinder herself. Blake made a mental note to keep an eye on her friend. As much as she seemed to trust Blake, she didn't change at all since her defeat at Ruby's hands.
Yang grinned, setting up plates and utensils at the table. Ruby was working on some weapon-related project in her room, so the blonde was free to set up her surprise dinner. After a long day of fighting Grimm, she had come back and made preparations. She got a special cookie cake and the board game Remnant: The Game, a strategy game where you could choose to play as one of Remnant's four continents and manage your army. The game was all about risk versus reward; careful planning had to be used to defeat your opponent, or with more than two players, opponents. Luck also helped, but that was the case with anything. It was a game that team RWBY had played often during their time at Beacon, and Yang thought that it would remind her sister of better times. While money, for the two, had to be spent sparingly, the older sister would spare no expense in celebrating Ruby's new job. She wrapped it hastily with a bow and wrapping paper, put it under the table, and set out two large pieces of cookie cake on plates. Glasses of milk were poured and Yang prepared to get her sister. She was determined to show Ruby that she still cared, and more importantly, she was determined to show herself the same thing. No matter how many times she went out late at night to drink, her heart would always be at home with her sister.
Ruby leaned against her sister, her head nestled between Yang's neck and right shoulder. The TV blared in front of them, the volume low. They were watching a movie called Beam Squad, a comedy that was released after The Fall. Ruby, despite laughing to the point of snorting on quite a few occasions, was now half asleep. She'd had a long day. Yang found the movie hilarious as well, but her attention was focused more on her sister. She was truly happy for her. She and Ruby had more fun than she had even imagined, and it was just them. No one was around to remind her of the outside world, of the troubles that plagued her day in and day out. Tonight had been Ruby's night, and she wanted it no other way. They had eaten the entire cookie cake, competing to see who could stuff larger pieces in their mouth at once, and Yang had almost choked. With an Aura-infused punch, Ruby had unclogged her throat, but it led to her sister vowing to defeat her in Remnant: The Game. The two had fought in three vicious matches, with Yang barely pulling off two victories to win the set. It came down her very last soldier, but in a genius move that involved the Vacuo soldiers' terrain resistance and the destruction of her biggest trade route, she emerged triumphant. Afterwards, the two had spent half an hour making fun of movies on TV, and decided upon the one they were watching now. This, Yang realized, was true happiness. Not the empty feeling she got from drinking, but the full feeling she got from being around her sister. Ruby meant more to her than anything. If there was anything she could savor from her life, anything she could cement in her mind as a permanent memory, it would be the times she spent with her.
"Mm...sis?" The brunette piped up. Yang's lilac eyes titled to the right and she smiled.
"Yes, oh sister of mine?"
"Can we see everyone else?" At this, Yang tensed, but her smile didn't fade.
"Yang? Are you okay?" Ruby asked, noticing the change in her sister's demeanor.
"Ah, I'm fine. Just stiff. I mean, if you really want to, we could get everyone together. I just don't know when I'll be around."
"But we should all be together, just like old times. We hardly talk anymore; we're all so busy."
"That's life. People grow up, sis. They move on."
"That doesn't mean we should ignore our friends. They were more than just some school friends; they were fellow Hunters and Huntresses. Our lives were in each others' hands." Yang chuckled at this, unable to deny that Ruby spoke sense. They were more than just friends, but not all for the right reasons. Some, Yang didn't even fully know anymore. She briefly thought of Blake, but quickly shook those thoughts from her head.
"How about we save this for tomorrow? You seem really tired," she said. Ruby smiled.
"Alright." Yang helped her drowsy sister into her wheelchair and watched as she pushed herself to bed. Ruby always insisted on doing a lot of daily tasks by herself. She wanted to be as self-reliant as possible, and Yang could respect that. After a few minutes, she crept towards her sister's room and found her fast asleep. Leaving a note in case Ruby woke up saying that she had gone for a walk, Yang left for the bar.
The lights of Vale made Yang grimace. She just wanted to get to the bar and drink, ignoring all of the brightness. She had no idea why she was out, though; she had no reason to drink. She was happy. Spending a wonderful night with Ruby made her happier than she'd been in a while. She drank to relieve herself of pain. Now, she had none. What problems she did have were put off until tomorrow, and the blonde had intended on just going to sleep. But she couldn't. Her body didn't want her to. Like an addict with a fix, she had to drink. The comparison made Yang grimace even more. A dull though came from the back of her mind, but she ignored it. It was too painful. However, at the same time, it was a reason. It was a justification that she could use for herself. Her grimace lightened up, and then returned full force when she saw a familiar face outside of her usual bar.
"Hey, Yang!"
"Nora." Nora seemed to shimmer in the light, her constant movement giving her the appearance of a glow around her in the bright city. She looked different, though. Somehow, she wasn't the same. She was less spontaneous and more methodical, as if she was trying to put on an act. Immediately deducing that she had come to prevent Yang from her booze binging, the blonde took a slightly hostile stance.
"What's going on? I didn't know you drank," she asked.
"I don't! I just heard that I could meet you here from Sun, and I wanted to say congrats. For Ruby. I totally knew that she'd get the job but Jaune was all mopey, you know how he gets about her these days, and I just hit him on the back and he stopped arguing. I know that it seems weird to come out of the blue like this, especially when I haven't really been seeing you and Ruby, but I think that we should get together. You know, like old times. Ren could make pancakes; I know how much you love pancakes! Oh wait, that's me. He'll still make them, though." Yang almost laughed at Nora's boundless energy. She always had a soft spot for the orange-haired woman, but now, she had more important things to do than talk.
"Well, I'm just getting a drink. Nothing crazy. Think of it as a celebration," she replied, not responding to Nora's comments.
"Wait wait wait! I think we should plan details, you know, work out a get-together. Did I mention there would be pancakes?" Was the almost desperate plea from Nora. Yang had to keep herself from barreling past the woman. Sun had told her to keep Yang from getting into trouble if she drank too much, but she would take things one step further. Yang couldn't keep doing this. Nora knew her as energetic and carefree, even as much as the orange-haired woman herself. The beer addict before her wasn't that Yang, and she most likely hadn't been for a long time.
"Look, I'll call you later about that, okay? I need to get back quick and I want to have a nightly drink. Just one," Yang said, her ersatz smile gone. Nora stopped bouncing for a split second, shocked by her friend's anger, but realized that it was to be expected almost as soon as the surprise hit and recovered.
"I came all the way out here, you know? I think the least you could do is humor me," Nora retorted with her normal cheeriness. She wouldn't make Sun's mistake; she wouldn't get hostile. Looking at Yang, she gave her best smile. She would be kind and controlled and never directly bring up her drinking. Even if her friend knew what she was up to, staying calm would leave her with no opening to treat her like she had Sun. However, for all of her careful planning, she still failed to predict what Yang would do next. She sighed, waved, and walked away.
"See you, Nora. I just remembered that Ruby wanted something from From Dust Till Dawn," she said, hurrying off. Her friend tried running after her, but lost the blonde in a rush of people near the entrance to the club. Sighing, downcast, Nora decided to look some more. Yang couldn't have gotten far if she was trying to find somewhere else to drink.
Yang angrily slammed the door to her and Ruby's home, putting her hand against it at the last second to prevent the door from fully closing and waking her sister up, gently shutting it instead. Crumpling the note she left and throwing it away, she stalked to her bed. She threw off her clothes with careless fury and then put on her pajamas and lay down to sleep, while ignoring the new pile of clothes she made that Ruby would doubtlessly clean. Nora had ruined everything. Yang couldn't go to another bar; she would be looking. With no alcohol in the house, as the blonde had no desire to get drunk in her sister's presence, she had no choice but to sleep. She had nightmares.
Finished! This time, I went back in time a day and focused on drama in the city of Vale. There will be more Weiss to come in the next chapter though. This became, much to my surprise, a very Yang-centric chapter. I decided that her issues needed to escalate, slowly but surely, and so I gave her some conflicts. I feel that you need to build a character up to push them back down, and so that's what I tried to do. I gave Yang a reason to be happy and then tried my best to take it away. Feedback would be lovely, as always! Also, note the Remnant: The Game cameo from Welcome to Beacon. I'm just calling it that because that's what it was referred to on the wiki. That game needs to be made into a real thing pronto.
And guess who has a sister? Weiss does! Now I'm really torn as to whether I should add Winter to the story or not. Decisions, decisions. Also, guess who constantly amazes me with her character depth and multi-layered personality: Weiss does! My favorite part of A Minor Hiccup was when she was in the elevator, trying to put on a brave face. I feel like she was trying to appear as the perfect heiress her family expects her to be in case she had to talk to one of them. Childhood trauma is good for character development, as awful as that is to say. And finally: the new robots using the old ones as platforms during Ironwood's demonstration was a dick move. I've already decided that Ironwood is kind of a heartless jerk, just when I decided that I liked him in Welcome to Beacon. End of rant!