Here we are with a little filler chapter before I get into Volume 2. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 15. Enjoy.


Chapter 15: Meeting the Family

The first semester is almost over, much to the joy of the Beacon Academy students. Little conversations about what the students are planning to do for the break before they come back for the second semester. However, Velvet doesn't really join in on those conversations. After all, it's hard to make plans at home during the break when your old home is a completely different world. On to better news, some of her fans have given up on trying to win her heart, albeit only some, and that was after she shot at three of them, and nearly sliced off another's manhood. Unfortunately, some still try to get a date with her, although she tries to be nicer to her female fans and tries to break their hearts more gently.

"At least this break will give me some freedom from these psychos. Honestly, I'm not even that cute," Velvet thinks as she fires a few ice shards at some training dummies.

Though she can use Dust with her demon claw more efficiently now, there may always be a chance that she could do more. Focusing on her arm itself, she tries to coat it in sharp ice spikes to use as a bludgeoning weapon. However, that is easier said than done.

"Hm. Maybe I need to absorb more than one Dust crystal at a time to do that. If I do, I should probably stick to two of the same type. Trying with two different types could backfire on me…Oh well, I guess I'll figure that out in the future," she mutters before deactivating her claw and checking her scroll. "Hm. It's already in the late afternoon. That should be enough for today," she notes and leaves the training room. On her way back however, she sees a female student with long blonde hair, and green eyes leaning against the wall, carrying some flowers in her hands. "Not another one. At least it's not a guy this time."

The girl notices her and straightens up, "U-uh Miss Velvet, I-I wanted to see you," the girl stutters, nervous.

"About?" Velvet asks, hand on her hip.

"W-well I wanted to know if you had any plans for the break coming up," she begins.

"Not really. Just going home," she lies.

"Okay, well if you have time before that, m-maybe we could g-go out to eat some time," she asks.

"It's easy to give men the boot; girls on other hand, not so much," Velvet thinks and sighs. "I'm sorry, but I'm not looking for a date or a relationship with anyone right now. You seem like a good girl, but I'm just not interested. Again, I'm sorry," Velvet replies.

This makes the girl sad, "Oh, I see…I'm sorry for bothering you then," the girl says, looking down in sadness.

Velvet looks at the flowers, "Are those for me?" she asks.

"Um, yes, they were…" she replies.

"Would it make you feel a little better if I accepted them?" Velvet asks.

"I…guess it would help a little," the girl replies, looking a little less sad.

"Then okay," Velvet says, holding out her arms.

This makes the girl smile a little, "Thank you, Miss Velvet. Here you go," she says, giving Velvet the flowers.

"Listen, it didn't really work out for me, but I'm sure there is someone here that would like to go out with you. You just have to find them, so keep trying alright," Velvet tries to encourage her.

The girl nods, "O-okay. Thank you," she says, shedding a few tears.

Velvet rubs her head, "Thanks again for the flowers. They're nice," she thanks her and leaves.

Once she's a good distance away, she breathes a tired sigh. A few minutes later, she makes it to her dorm room and opens the door to see the rest of her team inside.

"Hey Velvet. Took you long enough to get back," Yang says as she enters and quickly notices the flowers. She smirks, "Oh, another gift from your loving fan base?" she jokes.

This makes Ruby, who is studying, furrow her brows for a moment.

"Another girl asking me out on a date. I let her down gently, but accepted the flowers anyway so I wouldn't be rude," Velvet says as she throws the flowers into the trash. "It's not easy letting the girls down like this. The one good thing about the men is that I can send them packing without a care in the world," Velvet notes as she sits on her bed.

"You'd think they would get the hint by now. At least, the amount of love gifts you've been getting has been dropping, which means that if you keep this up, eventually they'll stop all together," Weiss says.

"Maybe, but right now I need a plan for the break. I don't really have anywhere to go back to and I'm not sure I can handle staying here by myself and deal with this for the whole break," Velvet says, crossing her legs.

This gets everyone thinking about Velvet's little dilemma. Each one of them have their own plans, but Ruby then gets an idea.

"I know. Why don't you come with me and Yang back to our home?" she suggests.

"With you two? Are you sure that's alright?" she asks.

"Yeah. I mean, Weiss is going back home, Blake said she has her own plans, and we have an extra room you can use while you're there. Besides, I'm sure that our dad won't mine meeting one of our teammates," Yang adds.

"Okay…But what about your mom?" Velvet asks, but immediately regrets saying it as she knows the answer.

This makes Ruby look down, losing some of her happy demeanor, "Oh, uh…don't worry…She won't mind either. It'll be alright," she says, but shakes it off to regain her previous demeanor. "So what do you say?" she asks.

"Um, okay. I guess that'll work, as long as you guys won't mind," Velvet agrees.

"Awesome, It'll be like a little slumber party," Yang pumps her fist up.

"Great…" Velvet mutters, not liking that idea.

The beginning of the Break finally rolled around and Ruby, Yang, and Velvet are on a ship ride heading for the island of Patch where Ruby and Yang live. They already bid Weiss and Blake farewell, taking a few bags with them back home, although Velvet only had one bag. During the trip, the three girls made some small talk, with the sisters telling Velvet about their home and what she can expect. Since Patch wasn't too far away from Vale, it didn't take long for their ride to make it to the island. Once they reached their destination, the three girls began the hike to the sisters' home. During the trek, Velvet took in the landscape, noting the lush green forest that encompassed most of the island.

"Do you guys get a lot of Grimm here?" Velvet asks.

"Not really. We really don't get too much Grimm here. Maybe a few every now and then, sometimes there'll be a big group, but its peaceful most of the time. That's why we have our house here," Yang says.

"I see. That's good," Velvet notes.

After walking a little while, they eventually make it to Ruby and Yang's home. This gives Velvet a chance to take it all in. It looks like a big two-story log cabin with a metal sheet roof, a mailbox outside, a wooden fence, with some plants set around the house, a porch on one side of the cabin, and several windows around the sides. All-in-all, it looked quaint.

"Huh, kind of reminds me of my old home," Velvet notes.

"I told you it was nice. Come on, I'm sure Zwei would love to meet you," Ruby says as she makes her way to the front door.

"Zwei is your pet corgi, right?" Velvet asks.

"Yep, and probably the only thing cuter than Ruby's puppy dog eyes look. But, he's a dog, so of course he'd do better than that," Yang jokes.

Ruby opens the door, and not a second later, a small black-headed tricolor Pembroke Welsh Corgi with gray eyes and wearing a red collar runs up to her and jumps in her arms, licking her face.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha, Zwei! That tickles! Oooh, I missed you two!" Ruby says as she pets the dog's belly in her arms.

"So that's Zwei," Velvet says, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. Don't worry, he doesn't have quite as much energy as Ruby…sometimes," Yang replies as she walks around them to sit down on the living room couch.

"Zwei, we have a guest. Say hello to Velvet," she says as she points the dog at Velvet.

Velvet and Zwei look at each other for a moment before Zwei suddenly jumps out of Ruby's arms and into Velvet's, shocking her as she tries to keep the dog from getting drool all over her face.

"Hey, what the Hell?!" she yells, while Yang snickers.

"Aww, he likes you!" Ruby says, hands clasped together.

At this point, Velvet has Zwei at arms-length, "Well, if he keeps this up, I won't end up liking him," she says, growling, while Zwei tries to lick her face again.

"Okay, okay. Come on Zwei, let's give her some space," Ruby says and takes Zwei off Velvet's hands.

Free from the dog assault, Velvet takes a look around the house. First is the living room. The center of the living room is dominated by a light green rug, with a dark green couch and matching chair and a wooden coffee table centered in the rug. Between the couch and chair is an end table with a lamp on it, and at the other end of the couch is Zwei's dog bed. At the end of the rug is a wooden TV stand with a holographic projector lying on top of it and a potted plant at one end. On the wall behind the TV stand is a doorway leading to the kitchen, a large portrait depicting a night scene, and a shelving unit containing numerous books. To the left of the couch is a large brick fireplace with small pictures on the mantle and a large landscape featured above the grate. To the right of the couch is a corner staircase leading upstairs, with the door to a cabinet and a pair of small landscape pictures underneath. A low bookshelf and another green rug lie along the wall at the end of staircase, topped by another lamp. A trio of landscapes are vertically stacked on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Behind the couch is the front door. A barrel is tucked in the corner of this wall, next to the fireplace. There are at least three windows in the room, all hung with matching green curtains.

Next, she walked into the kitchen. The kitchen is a large room that also doubles as the dining area. On the wall to the immediate right of the door is a shelving unit containing various books and another doorway, with a small landscape painting tucked away in the corner. A shovel can be seen leaning against this wall as well. In front of the archway is a large yellow rug, a mid-sized wooden dining table decorated by a matching yellow table runner and green bowl containing various fruits, and a pair of chairs with green cushion. A landscape decorates the wall next to a large window behind the chairs on the wall opposite the archway, with cream curtains, next to a door leading outside. A coat rack is attached to the wall on the other side of the door with two coats hanging from the hooks. The far end of the room contains numerous benches which wrap around the outer two walls. A large stove sits in the middle of the benches on side and a sink occupies the center of the other side. Both are directly beneath a window, though only the stove window is curtained. The wall behind the sink is decorated with a brick-style splashback and also supports five overhead cabinets. A drying rack sits on the right side of the sink. A large refrigerator is tucked in the corner against the wall opposite the sink.

"I must admit, you guys got a nice place here," Velvet notes as she walks back into the living room.

"Thanks. We also got a shed out back where our dad keeps some of his tools. I also keep Bumblebee out there two," Yang says while Ruby sits down with Zwei in her lap.

"Bumblebee?" Velvet asks.

"Oh, yeah, I never told you. Bumblebee is my motorcycle. A sweet ride that I've tweaked a little bit over the years. Good times," Yang says.

Just then the front door opens up and a man walks inside, carrying a few bags. The man has blond hair with two small strands sticking out from the top and blue eyes. His facial hair consists of a soul patch and a small stubble along his jawline. On his right arm is a tattoo similar to a heart. He wears brown cargo shorts with a dark brown belt, black shoes, a red bandana on his left arm, and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off. He is also wearing a metal spaulder, leather vambrace, and a brown fingerless glove on his right arm. Zwei runs up to him and the man puts his bags down to affectionately pet him. He then looks up and get a big smile when he sees Ruby and Yang.

"Ruby! Yang! Oh, it's good to see my girls home for the break," he says as he walks up to them to give them a big hug.

The girls return the hug, "Hi Dad! We missed you too!" they reply.

The man release them and then notices Velvet, "So, you want to introduce me to your friend here?" he asks, gesturing to Velvet.

"Oh right. Dad, this is our friend and teammate, Velvet Crowe. Velvet, this is our dad, Taiyang Xiao Long," Ruby introduces them.

"Um, nice to meet you, sir," Velvet tries to be polite, raising a hand for him to shake.

He shakes her hand, "Please, just Taiyang is fine. Nice meet you…Crowe huh? I thought I only one to deal with," he jokes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Velvet says, a little offended though she doesn't realize the joke.

Yang snickers, "He's talking about our uncle. His name is Qrow, like your last name, but spelled differently. Don't worry about it," Yang clarifies.

"Heh-heh, yeah that's what I meant. I'm just playing with you. Though I do gotta ask, how old are you? Because you seem older than Yang here," he asks.

"I'm nineteen," she says.

"Then why are you on a first-year time, especially one that already has four members? Ruby and Yang sent me a letter after initiation saying that there were only four of you," Taiyang continues.

Yang steps up, "Well, truth is Velvet actually got accepted two years ago, but had to drop out right then and there due to some family issues, and only managed to get back two years later to start her training. She came back a week after the semester started, so she went through initiation, passed it like a pro might I add, and ended up on our team. That's about it," Yang explains.

"Oh, that's what happened. Interesting. What was the family matter about, if you don't mind me asking?" Taiyang asks.

"It's personal. I'd rather not talk about it," Velvet says, looking away.

Taiyang quickly gets the message, "No problem. We all got family issues we'd rather not talk about. I understand," he says, then notices Velvet's left arm. "Is your left arm okay? Did you get it injured?" he asks, a little concerned.

"It's fine. It's not an injury. I just keep it bandaged like this because of my semblance," she answers, feeling a little uncomfortable at all the questions.

"It's a long story, Dad. How about you hold off on any more questions until dinner at least?" Yang asks, seeing Velvet get a little uneasy.

"Oh, okay, sure. I brought in some groceries for that. having pasta tonight. Yang, care to help?" he asks.

"Sure," she replies.

"Ruby, why don't you take up your bags and show Velvet where she can sleep. We have the spare bedroom that she can use," he says.

"Sure thing. Come on Velvet," Ruby says while grabbing hers and Yang's bags.

Velvet grabs her bag and follows Ruby upstairs. First, they enter Ruby and Yang's bedroom. A bed for each girl is pushed against the wall opposite the doorway, decorated with pillow cases and a throw blanket in the girls' respective colors. Between the beds is a bedside table topped by a lamp. Yang's bed has a set of drawers and a wooden desk with shelving built above it, containing a few books, with a single chair. Ruby's bed has a matching wooden desk and chair at the end of it, though her shelves have Grimm figurines on display and a string of lights hanging around them. A pair of landscape paintings decorate the wall immediately beside her bed, and on the wall opposite is a mirror. Beneath the mirror is a dog bed for Zwei. Windows occupy the walls on either side of the room, hung with green curtains with cream, red and yellow ends. Ruby drops off the sister's bags on their beds.

"This is mine and Yang's bedroom. Next is where you'll be sleeping," she says and they leave for the next room.

They enter the spare bedroom and Velvet glances around. It contains a single bed with plain bedding, a bedside table decorated with a vase of flowers, and a circular white rug. A large window occupies the wall next to the bed, hung with pale curtains.

"It's not much, but I hope you like it," Ruby says.

"It's fine. Don't worry," Velvet says as she drops her bag onto the bed and the two head back down to the kitchen.

When they enter the kitchen, they see Taiyang and Yang finishing up dinner preparations. Taiyang looks back to them.

"Excellent. We're almost done, so could you two set up the table?" he asks them.

"No problem," Ruby says while Velvet nods.

They get the tables set up with plates and utensils while Taiyang and Yang finish up the pasta. A few minutes later, dinner is served with Taiyang sitting across from Velvet and the sisters sitting in between them. For a little while, the four eat their meals with relative small talk about school, until Taiyang decides to pick up where he left off with Velvet.

"So Velvet, I'll stay away from any family related questions, but how about you tell me about where you're from as a start," he says.

"I grew up in a village outside of the kingdoms, though that village is long gone now. And I have no intention of going back," she says.

"I see…Sorry to hear about that. What about your semblance? You said it was the reason why your left arm was so bandaged up," he asks.

"Well…My semblance is that my left arm can turn into a demon claw of sorts that absorbs energy and can use Dust for different types of attacks, as well as my own fire-type attacks," she says.

"A claw that can absorb energy and Dust. I've never heard of a semblance like that before. Sounds very unique," he notes.

"Are you kidding? She and I had a sparring match one time, and she used it to absorb my strength and aura until I was eliminated. I admit, it freaked me out a little bit, but it was awesome," Yang adds.

"Absorbs aura? Now that is very unique. I bet your family and friends back at your village were feeling pretty proud that you unlocked such a semblance," Taiyang says, not knowing the truth. Ruby and Yang frown at their father's words and look at Velvet, who stops eating and looks at her plate with a sad expression. Taiyang soon picks up on it. "Hey, are you okay, Velvet?" he asks, concerned.

"I'm fine, I just…ate too much. I need some fresh air. Excuse me and thank you for the food," she says and leaves the table to head outside.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" he asks his daughters.

Ruby scratches her head, "I probably shouldn't say this without Velvet present, but…Velvet doesn't really like her semblance. She sees it as a curse," Ruby says.

"What? Why would she think that?" he asks.

Yang joins in, "Velvet said that when she unlocked her semblance, everyone in her village except for her family hated her. She said they called her a monster because of it. She also said that she had a little brother, but he was killed. We don't know everything, but it seems her village is not a happy memory for her," Yang explains.

"That's so awful, and here I am praising her about it like it's a gift. I'm such an idiot," he berates himself.

"No Dad, you didn't know. It's not your fault. Velvet has just had a difficult past. She has told us a lot about it, just not all of it, but we agreed to let her go at her own pace," Ruby says.

Meanwhile, Velvet stands on the porch, arms crossed over her chest as she looks up to the night sky.

"Why did he have to say it like that, and more importantly, why am I getting so worked up about it? Someday, I may have to tell them the truth, but I'm just not ready for it right now. I really don't need this right now," she sighs.

She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, and opens her eyes as she looks down into the forest around the house. However, when she looks into the trees, she sees a dark silhouette of what looks like a person pocking out from behind a tree before it runs deeper into the forest. Feeling uneasy about it, Velvet looks back to the house for a moment before deciding to go after the mystery figure herself, and runs into the forest.


And there's chapter 15. Sorry about the late update. I've had a busy weekend. Who is the one spying on Velvet? You'll have to wait until next chapter. Until then, please Read and Review.