31

Chapter 31:

"Where are we heading?" asked Ruby, her eyes roving around to take in their surroundings as they walked.

"You'll see," said Ashley.

The Faunus Quarter wasn't demarcated by any specific border or boundary, but it stood out from the adjacent sections of Vale enough that Ruby had been able to recognize the transition, even without seeing a preponderance of ears, tails, horns, and antlers on the people now walking around her. The buildings looked more dilapidated, with cracked walls and crumbling corners. Scattered trash blew around the streets and collected at the bottom of stairwells. The streets, like the walls of the buildings around them, were cracked as well, also being decorated with a fair number of potholes, which was probably just as well, considering the lack of automobile traffic.

It seemed that not many faunus owned cars or other means of transportation. Every now and again, a bus hummed past them to stop at a corner. But other cars were a comparative rarity and, Ruby assumed, probably from outside the quarter, passing through on their way from one section of the city to another.

Some buildings sported graffiti, decorating their sides with various shapes and colors, sometimes appearing to consist of spray-painted words that Ruby couldn't read. Passing an alleyway, she caught a flash of red. Turning, she saw a lion-head over a background of three parallel slashes residing on a portion of the wall not easily visible from the street.

Of course, there were faunus everywhere. Ruby was used to faunus, having grown up around them. But it was a bit of a shift to see just faunus around her, as opposed to them mingling equally with humans. But that was the nature of life in the Kingdoms right now, it seemed. As it was, she certainly caught her fair share of odd, confused, incredulous, and even hostile looks from the faunus she passed in the street, making Ruby wish she could don her cloak, but resolving not to. As it was, any of the hostile ones were keeping their distance and moving on, so Ruby figured she wasn't about to be a victim of the same kind of attack Ashley had suffered from human delinquents when they'd originally met.

Ashley led Ruby around a corner and, suddenly, Ruby's nose was met with the sweet, robust smell of baked goods, leaving her fighting back the urge to drool. Ahead of them was a corner bakery, positioned not all that differently from the flower shop Ashley worked at. Unlike the flower shop, the bakery's profile matched that of the building it was built into, not rounded. Wide, flat windows made up a significant portion of the bakery's walls.

In comparison of the building it was built into, the bakery itself was clearly well-maintained, the walls relatively undamaged and the windows looking pristine. The front was swept clean of the grime and detritus that was omnipresent throughout the rest of the district. None of the lights gleaming from within flickered. The sign, hanging just over the door, was immaculately clean, and wasn't marred by a single scratch.

"Beary Best Bakery," read Ruby, staring up at the sign.

"Puns aside, it's probably one of, if not the best bakery in all of Vale," said Ashley proudly.

"The owner a bear-faunus?" asked Ruby in a deadpan tone.

"Yep," Ashley answered in a matching tone.

"He use a lot of honey?"

"Yep."

"But he complains about being stereotyped, doesn't he?"

"Uh huh."

"Bring it on," said Ruby, looking at Ashley, the pair of them sharing matching smirks, before breaking down laughing.

"It'll definitely be the best you've ever had," promised Ashley. "This place looks small, but they have a pretty big clientele. It's one of the few places I've seen that actually draws humans into the faunus quarter."

Ruby could definitely see that it was successful, given how well-maintained the shop was, in comparison to the buildings around it. That did say a lot for the owner's skills as a baker, so Ruby felt she was in for a treat. Amongst her adopted family in the Mibu, none of them were truly prolific bakers, save Sasame, when there was pumpkin to be had. Ruby, Sasame, and Sora had made cookies and cakes on occasion, but nothing overly special or gourmet. By comparison, the aromas currently assaulting her nose now were making her stomach rumble out of reflex, and she'd had lunch not too long ago.

"Come on!" said Ashley eagerly, taking Ruby's hand and pulling her up to the door.

Inside, the aromas were even stronger, and Ruby found herself in a little mix of bakery and cafe. The front section was occupied by several small tables, with their accompanying seats, arranged alongside the windows. Several of them were already occupied. Farther back was the glass counter, with its shelves prominently featuring cookies, cakes, scones, and other sundry pastries. Golden-brown crusts practically shined out from behind the glass.

"Wooooooow!" squealed Ruby, her eyes shining eagerly.

"Hello there," announced a grizzled, giant of a man entering through the door behind the counter. "Welcome-Oh! Ashley, what are you doing here? Don't you have work?"

"I was meeting my new friend, so Chrys let me go early," said Ashley, gesturing to Ruby, who gave a shy wave in response.

"A new friend?" The man's dark-brown eyes dropped to the sword resting at the small of Ruby's back. "You didn't tell me you'd made friends with a Huntress, Ash."

"Student Huntress," corrected Ruby nervously.

"Uh huh," said the man, folding his muscular arms and nodding his bearded head. "So...Beacon student?"

"Yes, sir," said Ruby.

"Don't 'sir' me, Miss," said the man, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm the one who calls people sir, around here."

"O-okay," said Ruby.

The man chuckled at her nervousness. "Don't worry. I don't bite. What's your name?"

"Ruby Rose," said Ruby.

"I'm Bruno, the owner and master artisan of all these lovely treats," said the baker with a grin. "What can I get you girls?"

Ruby surveyed the case, her initial impulse to try at least one of everything. However, she knew that would be ridiculous. However, everything looked so wonderful, she just couldn't figure out what to get.

"Let's get two slices of your honey cake," said Ashley, grinning at Ruby's hesitation. "We'll have two large cups of your house chai, while we're at it."

Bruno grinned. "Perfect choice for a newcomer."

After a brief, confused bout where each of them tried to pay for the other, Ruby and Ashley wound up splitting the bill, to Bruno's amusement, then settled at the table to wait for their food. It didn't take long, Bruno delivering their cakes, along with their tea.

Ruby gasped at the sight of her wedge-shaped slice of cake, staring in awe at the thin, orange-brown layers of cake, sandwiching equally thin layers of white frosting of some kind. She counted eight layers of each. The top and outer edge were dusted with a crumb layer to contrast with the layered interior.

"Go ahead," urged Ashley, watching as Ruby sank her fork into the cake with a grin.

Ruby took a small bite and hummed in bliss as her teeth sank into the confection. Calling it cake seemed to be a misnomer, as its texture hovered somewhere between cake and cookie to her teeth and tongue. The flavor of honey was prominent, but not overwhelming. The cream was actually slightly sweetened sour cream of some kind, its light, slightly sour flavor complimenting the heavier flavor and denser texture of the cookie layers. It was heavenly.

"Wow!" gasped Ruby, after she'd swallowed. "So gooood!"

Ashley laughed at her reaction. "I told you this is the best bakery in Vale," she said proudly.

"You did...and I agree," said Ruby with a grin. "I don't even think I need to try any other places."

She tried her drink next. She knew that chai was considered a kind of tea. Growing up among the Mibu, Ruby had become accustomed to various types of tea, particularly green tea, to which the Mibu seemed to be especially partial. She didn't even remember coffee until she'd returned to Beacon, and had seen it on offer in the dining hall. Trying it once had been enough to convince Ruby to turn right back to tea, convinced that there was no way for her to make such a drink palatable without a generous addition of sugar and cream.

As it turned out, Bruno's chai was a drink that was right up her alley, with the fragrance of tea, but mingled with numerous spices, brewed in milk instead of water, and sweetened with honey (of course). It was absolutely delicious, and the perfect compliment to her cake.

"This is soooo good!" gasped Ruby, setting her mug down.

"Isn't it," agreed Ashley, beaming proudly.

They ate a little more, before pausing, an awkward silence falling between them as the two of them realized they didn't know what else to talk about. The cake was a wonderful treat and a good conversation starter, but neither of them really knew how to keep the conversation going.

"So...um..." Ashley looked down at an angle slightly.

"Yeah?" asked Ruby.

"I was wondering...what's Beacon like?" Ashley asked, her tail twitching nervously behind her.

"Well...I haven't been to school in the Kingdoms since I was in elementary, so I'm not sure how it compares," said Ruby. "Uh...What are regular schools like anyway?"

That made Ashley snort. "Well, I never thought a Huntress student would want to know what goes on in a regular school," she commented.

"Sure," said Ruby. "I'll tell you about my school and you'll tell me about yours."

"Uh...I guess that works," said Ashley. "You're probably gonna be bored though. There's no way regular school measures up to a place like Beacon."

"Are we heading back?" asked Weiss.

"Yes," said Sasame, the two of them calmly walking down the road in the general direction of the docks. "I want to get to know your other two teammates some more too. I'd like to do that in a timely manner. I know I promised I'd stay awhile, but I don't want to overstay my welcome. I do have to report back to Sora-sama sometime. Ruby-chan just wants some guidance on how to help all of you with your training, when you reach the later stages of it."

"And you can do that?" asked Weiss.

"A little," said Sasame. "Admittedly, this is uncharted territory to me as well. I've never taught Manifestation to someone who already has a Semblance. Observing you as you develop might give me an idea of where you can go from here."

"Could we really go anywhere?" asked Weiss. "I mean, I know a person's Semblance can change over time, but..."

"It makes sense," said Sasame. "A Semblance comes from your Aura, which comes from your soul. A person's soul, their sense of self, is not something immutable and unchangeable. You are not the same person you were yesterday. Nor will you be the same person tomorrow. To learn and grow is to change. Likewise, if you can change the essence of your soul, you should be able to change the shape of your Semblance as well."

"I wonder how that would work," mused Weiss with a frown.

"I'm not sure," admitted Sasame. "But I will endeavor to do my best to find out."

"I...I guess I should thank you," said Weiss, looking away. "I'm not sure I deserve to be treated so well."

"Now where did that come from?" asked Sasame, coming to a stop. When Weiss turned to look at her, she saw that Sasame had rested her fists on her hips and was pouting at her, looking ridiculously childish.

Weiss fought back the urge to laugh. Then Sasame puffed out her cheeks and Weiss couldn't stop herself anymore.

"There it is," said Sasame, her pout melting into a pleased smile at the sound of Weiss' laughter. "You are a wonderful young lady, Weiss-chan. You are also one of my Ruby-chan's precious friends. Of course I'd be willing to help you."

"Th-thank you," said Weiss, wiping her eyes. "I'm just not used to someone helping the way you do."

"Really now?" Sasame tilted her head.

Weiss sighed and looked away. "To be honest, I'm a little jealous of Ruby, having a sister like you."

"You don't like your sister?"

"I do!" protested Weiss. "I love Winter! She's done so much for me, and I admire what she's done with her life."

"You said she went into the military, right?" queried Sasame. Seeing Weiss nod, she hummed thoughtfully.

Weiss could tell that Sasame was, once again, about to diagnose her.

"Our military is different from those of the Kingdoms," said Sasame. "However, I've encountered enough Kingdom soldiers to know something of them. I imagine your sister has quite the rigid manner, stiff and formal with you, rarely showing affection openly."

Her throat tightening, Weiss nodded.

Sasame sighed. "I see, so, aside from your upbringing, that's where your rigidity comes from, out of a desire to emulate her. But you desire affection."

"I..." Weiss shuddered.

Sasame gently tugged on Weiss' arm, pulling her into a hug. Weiss flinched sharply at the unexpected contact. But the feeling of warmth from Sasame's embrace was incredible. A second later, Weiss gave in and hugged her back.

"There you go," Sasame said softly. "It's not weakness to want affection, Weiss-chan. It's what all children need."

"Y-you aren't saying Winter...she...?" Weiss found herself blinking away tears at the thought.

"Of course not," said Sasame, pulling out of the embrace, looking Weiss in the eyes. "I imagine she loves you greatly. She does the best she can with you. But her understanding is incomplete I imagine. It's the same thing that created the rift between Yang-san and Ruby-chan. It's nowhere near as bad between you two as it was between them, of course. But the underlying truth is the same. You are not your sister, Weiss-chan. You never will be. You'll have to make your own path, and become your own person. You can admire her and love her, while not trying to become her."

"I'll think about it," said Weiss, letting go of Sasame, the pair stepping away from each other.

They resumed their walk. However, that was interrupted when a group of people emerged from an alleyway up ahead of them. Weiss swallowed and tensed at the sight of them, recognizing trouble when she saw it.

They were dressed in various clothes, but they were all unmistakably faunus. Weiss saw one woman flex her hands, her fingernails extending out into hooked claws. Another man flexed his hands, powerful muscles rippling beneath the gray fur covering his arms. Yet another lashed what looked like an alligator tail behind her.

"And we were having such a nice conversation too," sighed Sasame, resting her hands on her hips as she stared at the faunus blocking their way.

There were about eight of them all told. Weiss swallowed nervously. Her first impulse had been to haughtily demand that they step aside. However, she could already tell that they had no intention of doing that. Worse, she could also tell that she was the reason they'd gathered here. They had seen a Schnee out in the open, and were willing to do something about it. Worse still, Weiss caught flashes of white amongst the faunus in front of her and realized that at least three of them were wearing familiar white masks, masks designed to emulate the bone masks of the Creatures of Grimm. White Fang!

A few of the faunus in front of them parted, not to let the pair through, but to let one of their own step up from behind. He was a well-muscled man with spiky, brown pair, from which a pair of curling ram horns spiraled out. He was one of the masked faunus in the group, the red lenses over the eyeholes gleaming slightly as they glared at his intended victim. Reaching up, he gently stroked the narrow goatee that extended from his chin.

"Well done, sister," he said, addressing Sasame. "I do not know how you managed to coax a Schnee, of all people, out away from her bodyguards and weapons, but you will be handsomely rewarded for this."

"Honestly," huffed Sasame, still, resting her hands on her hips. "You have a lot of nerve, talking as though I was working for you. I was treating one of my little sister's friends to a day out, and you just had to bungle it, didn't you?"

Apparently, the group's spokesman didn't like that, his lips pulling back in a snarl that bared his teeth. "How dare you protect a Schnee?"

Sasame shrugged. "Because I like her and I feel like it," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Now, if you don't mind, shoo. We're heading back to Beacon now. I have better things to do with my time than discipline a bunch of louts who wrapped up in delusions of righteousness."

"Delusions?!" barked a voice behind them, making Weiss gasp in surprise as she now realized that a similarly-sized group of faunus had taken their backs. The speaker was another White Fang member, with a pair of black, floppy, dog ears extending above the top of his head. "How dare you talk about our cause like that, you filthy traitor?"

Sasame sighed again. "I'm not interested in starting a lecture with you," she said, her unflappable demeanor irritating the faunus surrounding them even more. "Move aside or I will move you. Attack and...I will punish you like the naughty children you are."

Angry growls sounded from all around them, but Sasame ignored that, already starting to walk forward. Weiss, with no small amount of trepidation, started to walk too.

"Don't worry," said Sasame, smiling sidelong at her. "I suppose this is my fault as much as anyone else's. I should have realized that taking you into the vicinity of the Faunus Quarter would have consequences." She sighed, shaking her head slowly. "This is a mess I've made. Please allow me to clean it up."

Weiss nodded slowly, feeling nervous all the same. She didn't know just how much right Sasame had to her confidence. What Weiss did know was that she, herself, was in a bad position. She'd come to Vale without her weapon. Sure, she could summon her locker with her scroll, but that would undoubtedly incite the faunus around them to attack, and she didn't know if she had the skill to hold so many attackers at bay with just basic combat techniques and her Semblance until said locker arrived, not having an ounce of Dust on her at the moment.

Still, she walked alongside Sasame as the older girl strode confidently forward, looking as though she couldn't be stopped by a solid wall. The faunus behind moved to follow, the faunus ahead tensed, hands reaching for weapons. Yet Sasame appeared to completely ignore them, her eyes not even moving as the ram-faunus drew out a telescoping baton of some kind. Others drew their own weapons, some genuine, others improvised from chunks of wood or lengths of pipe. Some of them brandished sets of claws. Still, Sasame showed no reaction.

When the first of them moved to attack, Weiss caught a flashing blur out of the corner of her eye. She gasped as Sasame's tail whipped around to strike one of their attackers with enough force to send the unfortunate woman flying across the street into the side of a building. The suddenness of the move, along with the strange way Sasame used her tail, gave all the faunus pause as they stared incredulously at her.

Sasame's tail twitched and rippled, and Weiss' eyes widened as she saw Sasame's tail begin to split, unraveling along its own length, proceeding from the base down to the tip, dividing into nine separate tails, as though they had all been braided together, and now that braid had been undone.

"Wha-what are you?" demanded the goat-faunus, reeling back away from Sasame, the others following his lead.

"I am Sasame," said the girl honestly. "Out in the settlements, I have sometimes been favored with the moniker, Sasame: the Nine-Tailed. If you do not enjoy the taste of pain, I suggest you step aside."

"G-get them!" shouted the ringleader, already throwing caution to the winds.

Weiss and Sasame were surrounded by the reddish blur of Sasame's tails as they went into motion, moving like whips, but hitting like hammers, batting their attackers aside effortlessly, and sending them sprawling all across the street. Weiss stayed where she was, unable to pry her eyes away from the spectacle, but also unable to follow it at all. It was over in just a few seconds, the only signs of the battle having taken place (if it could be called that) were the scattered, prone, and groaning forms of their attackers.

"Now then, that should be enough out of you lot," said Sasame cheerfully, stepping over the prone form of the goat-faunus. Treading carefully, Weiss followed suit.

"You traitor..." growled the man, looking up, his Grimm mask cracking, half of it falling away. "You've made an enemy of the White Fang now. We'll see you hang for this."

"You have no idea how little that worries me," said Sasame dismissively. "You should reflect upon your actions, and find better ways to apply your energy. Come, Weiss."

"R-right," said Weiss, following Sasame as she led them away from the group.

"Will you be all right?" she asked as she drew even with Sasame.

"I'll be fine," said Sasame. "Even if the White Fang does start going after me specifically, there is very little they can do. At the very best, they might make me decide to use my hands."

Weiss gulped, looking down at Sasame's delicate-looking hands, wondering what that might result in.

"But enough of that for now," said Sasame. "Let's return to Beacon, shall we?"

"Yes," said Weiss, reflecting upon what she had heard about the Mibu from Ruby. I guess she wasn't exaggerating.

"I've got you this time!" cheered Nora as she bobbed her body in excitement, almost as though she was the one fighting, and not her chosen cartoony avatar on the screen.

"Bring it on!" Yang exclaimed back, grinning as her fingers danced over her scroll's screen, the device serving as the controller for the game. "Show me what you've learned, Grasshopper!"

After a couple more minutes of intense gameplay, a deep voice from the screen in front of them intoned "K.O! Burning Ninja wins!"

"Ha!" shouted Yang, pumping a victorious fist in the air as Nora wailed and toppled over backwards.

"No fair!" she cried. "How'd you get so good at this?"

"Heh heh...It's a secret," said Yang proudly, rubbing her index finger beneath her nose.

She neglected to mention that she herself was routinely pounded by Qrow in this same game, on every occasion that he visited.

"Perhaps you could go easier on her," suggested Ren, watching from his desk, where he'd been working on homework, before taking a break to watch the pair of them play.

"Nah, trust me," said Yang, "going up against someone better than you is the best way to improve rapidly. But I can teach you how to pull off some awesome combos with your character, Nora."

"Oooh! Really!" Nora perked up.

"Yeah," said Yang. "You aren't gonna get very far if you just keep button-mashing. You only land a few lucky hits every so often that way."

"Cool!" said Nora, her previous despair over her defeat evaporating like the mist.

Ren chuckled softly, watching the pair of them play like they'd been friends for ages, instead of a little over a month. Now that Yang had reconnected with Ruby, she was much more easygoing, no longer seeming always slightly on edge. She'd also started treating Nora almost like a sister as well.

Unfortunately, that meant there were times where they were more rambunctious and disruptive than ever. Ren seriously wished that he could follow Blake to the library, and bask in some peace and quiet. But Nora had a tendency to follow him or...failing that, pop up unexpectedly. He had no wish to inflict that on Blake, who valued her quiet time dearly. However, it meant that he had to spend his time in the same room as Yang and Nora, both of whom excelled at making a ruckus. Of course, almost a lifetime spent as Nora's constant companion had conditioned Ren to filter out the commotion...most of the time.

As it was, he watched with fond amusement as Yang began to walk Nora through some of the nuances of the game they were playing. He was so lost in the moment that he nearly missed the sound of someone knocking on the door.

His first thought was that Blake had returned...except that Blake wouldn't have bothered knocking. Why would she have needed to? She could come and go as she liked. Getting up, Ren moved to the door and opened it.

He found himself facing a tall, well-muscled man with a head of slightly-grayed blonde hair. His blue eyes met Ren, and the man favored Ren with an easy smile. Ren's eyes moved down slightly, taking in the soul patch on the man's chin, and the slight stubble around it.

The man was dressed in a tan, sleeveless shirt, over which he wore a brown, leather vest, showcasing his powerful arms to the fullest. His legs were covered by a pair of brown cargo shorts. Taking him all in, Ren found that there was something familiar about this man's appearance and manner.

"Can I help you?" asked Ren.

"Hi," said the man cheerfully. "I came to visit my daughter. I heard this is her dorm."

Ren blinked and the pieces came together. "You're Yang's-?"

"Dad!" Yang had noticed the knocking, but hadn't given it too much thought, since Ren had gotten up to answer the door. However, upon hearing that familiar voice, she shot to her feet, eyes wide as she turned to face Taiyang Xiao Long, her father. Turning to look at Yang, in response to her shout, Ren noticed that she was smiling...but that said smile looked rather strained.

"What are you doing here?" Yang asked, having dropped her controller/scroll and rushing to the door with rather indecent haste.

"I can't visit my daughter?" asked Taiyang with a playful, easygoing grin.

"But what about your work at Signal?" asked Yang.

"Yang, it's Sunday," said Taiyang simply enough. "Signal's closed."

"Oh…uh…right…" said Yang, before laughing awkwardly. "Forgot about that."

"You have the day off from school, but you forgot that it's the weekend for everyone else too?" teased Taiyang.

"Sorry, I just can't really see you taking the day off," said Yang, with a sheepish grin, folding her arms behind her back, trying her level best to keep from shifting nervously...and not entirely succeeding.

"Well, I actually get a few of them, now that you're out of the house," said Taiyang, his grin widening. If he noticed Yang's unease, he apparently didn't feel the need to comment on it. "I figured I'd come up to see you, after you'd had time to settle in."

"Um...thanks," said Yang, her eyes flickering to the clock. It was getting to be late in the afternoon, hedging on towards evening. She had no idea when Ruby would be back from her day out with Ashley. Ruby wouldn't want to stay out too late, not with class the next day. If she came back while their father was still there, things were going to get ugly for sure.

However, her father finally seemed to notice her nervousness. "Something wrong, Yang?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"No! Nothing's wrong!" protested Yang, grinning and waving her hands frantically in front of her. "Everything's fine here! We're all fine! How about you?"

"Hmmm...I know that tone of yours," said Taiyang. "You're hiding something from me, Yang." His gaze wandered around the room, before coming to rest on Ren. "I know! Did you get a boyfriend?"

"What?!" blurted Yang.

"Is it him?" asked Taiyang, his gaze becoming even more intense.

"What? No!" protested Yang, completely off-balance by the sudden shift in the conversation.

"Is it you?" asked Taiyang, a slight growl entering his voice.

"No," said Ren plainly, not even seeming fazed by the question, nor the tone in Taiyang's voice. "As far as I know, Yang is not in a relationship at the moment."

"You said that awfully quickly," growled Taiyang. "You not interested in my daughter?"

"Dad!" protested Yang. "Don't threaten my teammates!"

"I'm not currently looking for a relationship at the moment," said Ren, his gaze going to Yang and his lips quirking in the slightest of smiles. "I don't think I could keep up with your daughter anyway."

"Hey!" protested Yang, whirling around to glare at Ren. "What does that mean?"

"Who cares!" shouted Nora, interjecting herself into the conversation with her usual subtlety...or lack thereof, rather. "You can't have him anyway." She threw her arms around Ren's shoulders, practically hanging off him like a toddler, which Ren hardly reacted to.

"Ah, I see," said Taiyang, the slight hostility in his attitude abating, and his grin returning.

"You do, eh," said Ren, raising an eyebrow at the man. Like father, like daughter, I suppose. They both appear to excel at wearing me out...without actually doing anything.

"Where's your partner, by the way?" asked Taiyang, turning his attention back to Yang. "I'd like to meet her."

"Off by herself," said Yang casually. "Blake's not really a people-person, so she's probably in the library, reading."

"Ah, I guess we shouldn't disturb her then," said Taiyang, grinning again.

Would that you could take that attitude with me, thought Ren ruefully.

"So, you just dropped by to visit?" asked Yang, once again reminding herself that she needed to get her father out of Beacon before he happened to bump into Ruby.

"Yeah," said Taiyang. "I know it's a little late, since you've been here for more than a month already, but I figured I'd take you into town, and we can have dinner to celebrate you passing the initiation."

Yang's eyes widened, and an excited bubble of hope rose up in her. "That sounds great!" It would get her father away from Beacon, and the possibility of running into Ruby. Vale was a big place, and Yang figured that, so long as they steered clear of anywhere around the Faunus Quarter, they weren't likely to run into Ruby anywhere in town either. And, of course, Taiyang would probably head straight back to Patch after they were done, rather than come back to Beacon with her, ensuring that he wouldn't run into Ruby then either.

"You want to come?" asked Taiyang, his eyes turning to Yang's teammates.

"We'll pass," said Ren, smiling slightly. "You and your daughter deserve some time to yourselves."

Thanks, Ren, thought Yang gratefully.

"Well then, let's get going," said Taiyang, leading Yang out the door and closing it behind them.

Quiet descended on the room for a moment, before Nora spoke up.

"Ren, isn't he...?" Nora asked, her voice trailing off into uncertain silence.

"Yes," said Ren, nodding slowly.

They'd heard enough about Yang and Ruby's father by this point that neither of them had needed to be told that even mentioning Ruby would be a bad idea around this man. Neither of them had any idea how Taiyang would react to the fact that his long-lost youngest daughter was staying in the room directly across from where Yang was. All they knew was that Yang and Ruby both apparently agreed it would be a bad idea.

Still, thought Ren, if he's going to make a habit of popping over like this, I don't think we'll be able to keep Ruby's presence a secret for long. It's practically inevitable that the two of them will run into each other at this rate.

"Well, at least we're out of trouble for now," said Nora.

"Hopefully," said Ren, a feeling of foreboding still hovering over him.

Despite Ashley's worries that Ruby would find the concept of regular school boring, Ruby seemed fascinated by the various classes that Ashley had taken. She was surprised that Dust Science and History were courses that both Beacon and Ashley's school had in common. Ashley seemed surprised as well, mostly at the idea that her school had anything in common with a place like Beacon.

While it wasn't forbidden for the public to visit Beacon, it wasn't exactly easy to do. Its location, relatively isolated from the rest of Vale, made it a bit difficult to get out to, the sole road running to the school being primarily used for supply deliveries. Access, while not forbidden, was restricted. Anyone who wasn't a student, family of a student, an active or retired Hunstman, or an alumnus of the school, needed to apply for permission to visit school grounds. The only time the public was granted free access to the grounds was during the biannual Vytal Festival...which Beacon and Vale themselves only hosted on the order of once every eight years or so.

That lack of access had infused the school with a sense of mystique to the civilian populace. Rumors abounded of what happened, up above those lonely cliffs overlooking the Kingdom. There were stories that the school was one in name only, essentially being nothing more than a giant battlefield, where the Grimm ran rampant and the students had to fight constantly against them, and each other, to survive and graduate. Ashley was shocked to learn that Beacon actually had teachers and classes and homework and school uniforms...all things she had associated with as the province of civilian schools, like hers.

They'd gotten caught up in their talking, chatting long after they'd polished off their slices of cake. Despite that, neither of them felt any need to go elsewhere. Bruno showed no signs of impatience at their lingering. Instead, he appeared happy, excited even, that a student of Beacon was patronizing his establishment, and had befriended one of his regulars. He'd even given them each a free refill of their tea.

Checking her scroll, Ruby found herself sighing. "I guess I'd better head back," she said. "I'll want to catch an airship soon if I want to be back in time for dinner."

Ashley, much to her own surprise, felt a sense of melancholy at the prospect of Ruby's departure. It had been a shock, at first, seeing Ruby in normal clothes, though her sword was still present. Ashley hadn't expected to find herself so engrossed in chatting with a Beacon student, and she was surprised that she now thought of Ruby as a friend. A week ago, she'd never imagined that she'd be friends with a student Huntress.

Much like Beacon itself, the Huntsmen and Huntresses that graduated from it were also infused with a sense of mystique. They were a different class of people, who went out beyond the safety of the Kingdom walls to face and fight the monsters that a civilian like Ashley had only ever been taught to stay away from. Beyond the walls was another world entirely, a world that a person like her would never survive long in, but that people like Ruby regularly entered and left over the course of their work. Finding herself sitting in front of Ruby, chatting easily with her, Ashley was amazed to find her so...so normal.

Which actually made it a bit sad that they would have to call an end to their day here.

"Oh!" said Ruby, standing up abruptly, making Ashley jump slightly. "I almost forgot!"

"Forgot what?" asked Ashley, getting up as well and following Ruby to the counter.

"That cake was amazing," said Ruby, her eyes shining. "I want to bring some back so that my friends can try it."

"Oh ho!" crowed Bruno, posturing proudly. "Enraptured by my work, eh! I don't blame you, Missy. How many friends do you have?"

"I have seven-er-eight," said Ruby, having to remember to include Sasame in her count. And maybe Velvet too, she thought, not sure if she'd get a chance to share this with Velvet that night. Velvet's team had come back from their mission, but Ruby hadn't gotten a chance to meet them yet.

"Hmm..." Bruno tapped his chin. "Tell you what, I'll give you a special deal on two of my whole cakes to take home with you."

"Huh? Really?" gasped Ruby, her eyes sparkling. "That would be awesome!"

"I'm glad to," said Bruno with a grin. "Roping in customers from Beacon would be a pretty big boost to my business."

"I'll let them know," said Ruby eagerly, already fishing for her scroll.

Ashley couldn't keep from grinning as she watched Ruby pay for the cakes and then wait eagerly for Bruno to box them up. Afterwards, they said their farewells to the bakery owner and headed out, pausing on the street outside the establishment.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" asked Ruby.

"No, it's fine," said Ashley. "This is the Faunus Quarter, after all. So it's not like I'm going to bump into some racist humans around here. Besides, from here, it'd be a ways out of your way to come with me, if you're heading to the docks afterwards. It's probably best for you to head straight there."

"Okay," said Ruby. "I hope we can do this again soon."

"So do I," admitted Ashley. "I don't think we can manage it every week. I do have my job after all."

"Yeah," admitted Ruby reluctantly. She couldn't ask Ashley to leave work early on a regular basis. She supposed they would have to find other times to hang out. She'd review her own schedule, and see what openings there were.

Still, they parted with smiles, both of them content with the feeling of a day well-spent. Ruby made her way through the Faunus Quarter, attracting odd looks, as a human, though most faunus didn't bother looking again, when they saw the boxes she was carrying. Apparently, being willing to shop at Bruno's bakery seemed to assuage any ill feelings there might be towards her for the time being.

It was an uneventful trip to the docks. However, once she reached them, Ruby was surprised to see two familiar figures waiting in line for the airship to Beacon. "Weiss, Sasame-nee..."

Sasame and Weiss turned towards her at the sound of her voice. Sasame's face lit up in a cheery smile and Weiss' own face betrayed a little surprise, though not much else, before settling into a small smile of her own. The sight of that small smile on Weiss' face warmed Ruby's heart nearly as much as Sasame's affectionate expression.

"Hello, Ruby-chan, finished with Ashley-san?" asked Sasame.

"Yeah," said Ruby, smiling back and hefting the back with the two stacked boxes in it. "And I brought back treats."

"Treats?" asked Weiss, her gaze going to the bag.

"Yeah, Ashley showed me this really great bakery..." Ruby went on to explain the course of her afternoon, talking about Ashley and the things that the two of them had talked about, continuing, even as they filed onto the airship and found their seats.

"I don't understand what could possibly be so interesting about a civilian school," said Weiss, frowning at Ruby.

"Well, some of it is things that we'd never get to study at Beacon," said Ruby.

"Of course we wouldn't," said Weiss, a trace of her haughty attitude returning. "As the future defenders of humanity, it isn't as though we need to worry about nonsense like home economics."

"I don't know," said Ruby. "Some of the things Ashley was telling me about sounded like they'd come in handy. I mean, you can't be on missions all the time. So, if you're going to have a home, you should probably know how to take care of it."

Weiss frowned, supposing Ruby had a good point. Growing up in the Schnee household, Weiss had never needed to learn the ins and outs of caring for a home, as it had always been taken care of for her. She didn't need to make her bed, not when Klein could do it in the time it took her to get showered and dressed for the day. She didn't need to cook, not when her family had an entire kitchen staff on call for everything from main meals to late-night snacks. She didn't need to worry about looking after or washing her clothes. All of that was the province of her family's staff, when it came to her, and the province of commoners for everyone else.

"There are many things you can learn from unexpected sources," counseled Sasame, resting a hand over Weiss'. "Running a home is akin to running a business. Both require you to understand and properly utilize the resources at your disposal."

Weiss nodded, taking Sasame's advice for what it was.

"In that vein, I imagine Ashley-san found the conversation quite educational herself," continued Sasame.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "I had no idea what regular people...er...civilians, I guess, think of Beacon. Ashley told me some really crazy rumors. She was surprised we even have classes..."

Their conversation continued as the airship crossed over the waters separating them from the cliffs that Beacon's docks were perched on. Sasame, understanding that the content of her conversation with Weiss had been intensely personal, kept Ruby distracted. She and Weiss, by unspoken agreement, also decided not to mention the attempted attack by disgruntled faunus and White Fang members.

Weiss felt a little conflicted about that. With their shift to violence, the White Fang had come to be identified as a terrorist organization. After the attack, there had been pretty much no other choice but to call the police, so that they could round up the now-subdued attackers. Weiss had gotten the impression that Sasame might have argued for a certain degree of leniency, but had ultimately decided to defer to Weiss' judgement on the matter.

The airship settled onto one of the pads at Beacon's docks with a light bump. The three of them got up and headed out through one of the open hatches, stepping out into the waning light of the early evening. The air was still warm and comfortable, so Ruby didn't have any issues with it washing over her bare shoulders. She figured she was getting used to this outfit, despite having only worn it for the second time.

As they left the airship, their path crossed with that of the students waiting to take the ship into town. As they did, Ruby felt a familiar presence and caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair and lilac eyes. Looking over, she smiled as she saw Yang amongst those waiting for the new arrivals to clear the pad. "Hey, Yang!"

Ruby waved, but found her smile dying as Yang did not react in the manner she'd expected. Instead of smiling and waving back, Yang's own eyes widened and her face froze in a shock of panic, her mouth halfway open, as though she'd been about to speak, but had cut herself off.

"Ruby...?"

The reason for Yang's panic became apparent as the new voice drew Ruby's attention to the man standing beside Yang. The happy feeling in Ruby's chest, the pleasant satisfaction of a day well-spent, evaporated into nothing as she found herself staring at someone she hadn't seen in years, someone she'd left behind.

"Dad..."