Chapter 12

The children that had taken Dahlia to the ground grinned up at the teen, still clutching her in their mutual embrace. The expressions that had lit up both of the girls' faces were practically sparkling in the morning sunshine.

"Did you miss us?"

"We missed you!"

Dahlia smirked down at the girls clinging to her chest.

"Nope. Why do you think it took me so long to swing by?"

Both the girls pouted, the younger one starting to tear up at Dahlia's words. But her following sentence cleared it all up like a wind blowing clouds across the sky.

"Kidding! Of course I've missed you two, how could I not? My silly little saviours."

Dahlia's grin was matched only by those of her teammates, as the girls were trying not to sulk at falling for such a trick, and Tai and Qrow were smirking behind them.

"MEANIE!"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry, Ruby." Dahlia freed a hand to rub it on the younger girl's head, calming her down. "I just couldn't help myself, you and Yang are just too adorable."

Hearing this, Yang started to push herself off Dahlia. As much as she had missed the older teen, she didn't like being treated like a kid.

"If I may interrupt," William stepped in, and Yang jumped back, dragging Ruby with her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. My name is William, and I'm Dahlia's team leader." He bowed his head towards the children, a gentle smile drifting across his lips.

"I'd also like to apologise for my teammates rudeness towards you. Had I known that she'd promised to call you before yesterday, I would have made sure she did. As such, I would like to make up for such an egregious oversight, with this."

He produced a box from behind his back. It was a small thing, but very well decorated. All present recognised the designs across its lid, being that they were distinctive to a particular bakery within Vale. One that had a reputation for exquisite flavours and delicate designs.

And whose flagship products were…

"COOKIES!"

Ruby's excited squeal pierced through the still air as she darted out from behind Yang and almost scampered up William's legs to try and seize the box from his hands. Fortunately, he'd had the foresight to hold it at arm's length, but he'd still been surprised at the small girl's speed. She almost seemed to disappear from sight, becoming barely more than a blur.

"Perhaps you should give those to the responsible adult of the household." Y'sh pointed towards Tai, who stepped over Dahlia, chuckling at the display of his youngest daughter.

"Yes, I'm starting to think that would have been the better option. Hindsight is a wonderful skill, I just wish I could make it work in the other direction."

"Yeah, well, if wishes were fishes, there'd be no water left." Qrow spoke up from his position by the front door of the house. He'd started to look decidedly less green around the gills over the last few minutes, and he'd managed to regain his typical smirk.

"True," rumbled Rust. "Besides, foresight is something that none of us could handle. Chances are, we'd all end up bringing the future we'd been trying to avoid into existence."

Tai took the box of cookies from William, and rubbed the back of his head.

"That's a bit heavy for this early in the morning. Come on, let's get inside. Ruby, Yang, have you finished breakfast?"

"Yep."

"Yes, Daddy!"

"Great, then you can help your Uncle Qrow with the washing up. The cookies can be your afternoon snack. And Ruby," the younger girl smiled at her father. "You're only getting one." Her face fell.

The group entered the house, Team WYRD looking around themselves with appreciation. It may not appear like much, but it felt warm, comforting.

The house felt like a home.

Two hours later

The washing up had turned into a minor battlefield, as Yang and Qrow started a water fight with each other, and Ruby had been bouncing from the walls in amusement at the mess that was being made. It took Tai stepping in to stop them, and Dahlia tried to keep an expression of disapproval up, but it quickly collapsed in the face of Ruby's excitable nature.

Once the chores had been completed, however, the eight of them sat around the kitchen table, with Qrow and Rust standing by the sink, as there wasn't quite enough space for them all, and they were the largest of the group. Ruby had insisted on sitting on Dahlia's lap, as if making sure she wouldn't leave any time soon. Yang, on the other hand, was sat facing Rust across the room, seeming to have difficulty not staring, as the Faunus had allowed his tail to unravel from his waist during their group introductions.

"Yang, don't stare!" hissed Ruby, and her older sister flinched, then blushed. Y'sh and Rust both chuckled at the interaction, which led to the two children wondering how they'd heard them.

"Ruby, most Faunus have greater senses than most humans." Dahlia murmured down to her. "And Yang, Rust isn't offended by you looking at him. If he were, you'd know." She winked at the small blonde.

"You don't need to say it like that, Dahlia." Rust looked like he was trying to affect an air of disgruntled embarrassment, but his teammates could see right through it, Y'sh especially.

"I get the feeling that Rust is one of the first Faunus either of you have met, correct?" Y'sh joined in the conversation, smiling kindly at the two youngsters. Seeing them nod, she waved her oldest friend over.

"Fortunately, Rust is a lot less scary than he looks. Unless you get between him and his tea." She whispered the last sentence, inspiring giggles from both of them.

"He's also my oldest friend, practically family."

"Only practically, huh?" Dahlia grinned at her partner. "You said he was like your brother yesterday."

"Yes, like. As we don't share blood, it felt… Presumptuous to call him such."

Dahlia reached over to her friend, resting a hand on her arm. The teasing smirk had left her face, leaving behind only an expression of sincerity.

"If there's one thing that I've learned, especially in the last month, it's that family isn't determined by blood."

Overhearing her words, Ruby and Yang looked up at the older two, wondering where Dahlia was going with her point. They seemed concerned, as they had found themselves seeing Dahlia almost as an older sister to them both.

"If you see someone as family, then they are family, regardless of whether or not they share genetics with you. On the other side of the coin, sometimes people who share your blood can be the farthest thing from family. What matters is how you feel, not what flows through your veins."

The others in the room could feel the atmosphere dim at Dahlia's words, including Yang and Ruby, the latter of whom squirmed around to give Dahlia the biggest hug her small frame could manage; the former hopped down from her chair and joined her sister in wrapping her arms as far around the pair as she could reach.

Dahlia had been surprised at the actions of the two sisters, but smiled gently at their attempt to cheer her up and disperse the heavy feeling in the air. She freed one arm, so that she could return their embrace. She could feel what the two were trying to convey thrumming through their souls' songs, and the notes that they carried did more to brighten her mood than anything anyone else could have thought of. She grinned slightly, and activated her Semblance, linking everyone in the room.

The gasps of Qrow, Tai and the girls were more than worth it.

Her teammates smiled in turn, hints of tears poking from the corners of their eyes at the sheer warmth of the two innocent souls before them.

Whilst Yang's song held notes of bitterness and anger, they were overshadowed by the chords of love and family throughout.

Ruby was pure joy and excitement, tinkling with notes of innocence in every verse. As she realised what was happening, her song brightened with delight, and she burrowed further into Dahlia's chest.

Qrow wrapped a core of despair and cynicism with tones of family and home, though notes of abandonment and loneliness tinged his song. But those were muted by the sensations of home that were permeating the room, and all present could tell that he hadn't felt it so much in some time.

Tai was humming with recent pain, buried shallowly. His song cried out that he'd only just managed to pull himself together, but the sight before him, and the feelings he was being shown through Dahlia's Semblance, made it clear that he'd done the right thing in taking the young woman in. He found himself feeling hope for the first time in over a year, and he knew that he'd never be able to repay Dahlia for it. The least he felt he could do, was to provide the closest thing to a home and family that he could.

And everyone could tell that the teen responsible for these revelations knew it too.

The faint blush creeping across her cheeks made the tears of joy and gratitude stand out even more, and she pulled her second arm free to wrap Yang and Ruby both into a full embrace, holding them in a way that she'd never received herself, and then she allowed her Semblance to drop, returning the room to silence.

Broken only by the sound of Ruby and Yang joining Dahlia in her joyful tears.

It turned out that her team wasn't the only place she could call home.

Or, eventually, family.