Choice Extra: Holiday Special Part 1

Ruby Rose

Writing is an odd industry. The creative process is an emotional one, it lacks machinery and factory automation one can find in any other mass production. Still, there are ways to gin something up from the void, make use of the creative well, even one long too abused. Writing whenever one had a moment is key, channeling even the smallest, minute semblance of inspiration into a several hour session. The milk of imagination is finite, every drop lost is a joke untold, lovers who never met, and another tragedy forgotten.

Ruby, for once, found the creative juices flowing through her veins without a struggle. Fingers typed giddily, crafting a scene for her snow white princess, the W in RWBY, a horribly wonderful character derived from her own partner, not openly of course and not completely. Still, the thought of her, the adventure of a new country, it all brought out the drive to work on the old project from college, the early days.

The country of Germany sped past the window of Ruby's sleeper car. A long ride between Berlin and the wealthy, but small town of Weissenburg, apparently different from Weißenburg, a vocal distinction that escaped Ruby. Beyond the glass was mostly snow, trees, small town stops, and more snow. It blanketed the northern side of the nation this winter, a perpetually white Christmas. Annoying for the Germans, inspiring for a foreign girl that lived in what had to be the world's most temperate rainforest.

Stealing glances, Ruby formed scenes for the future, more winter sets in a series endlessly frozen in autumn months. She was more focused now, less worried, anxious to see Weiss, but steady knowing the moment approached. The cabin door knock solidified this position.

"Entschuldige die Störung, aber wir erreichen in fünfzehn Minuten deine Haltestelle," a voice called out from behind the plastic entrance, barely the size of a grown adult. Ruby darted for it, sliding through the thin space of the sleeper cart, just barely catching her at the door.

"Miss!" The attendant was already walking away, stopping at what had to be an unusual greeting for her. Ruby tried gathering what she could of the native language, but at this point, why bother? She managed Spanish, barely. German? That wasn't happening. "Sorry, I don't speak Deutche," knowing the word for German being the width of her knowledge, "What were you trying to tell me? Do you speak English or Español?" The young girl, easily Ruby's age or maybe younger, smiled, brushed her straight blonde hair ,and nodded.

"Yes, your stop, it is in fifteen minutes. Please be ready to depart." This sort of linguistic luck had to be drying up for her soon, Ruby realized, sighing with a thank you. Her stuff was easy to gather, a backpack and single suitcase, a classic combination.

The departing deck was nearly empty, Weissenberg only a small stop on the way to the metropolis: Cologne. This left one solitary businessman with her, warmly dressed in a full suit, earning an envious glare from Ruby, who had trapped herself in a lone Christmas sweater and jeans, a "comfortable" outfit for Portland, a grave error in Germany. Maybe instead of writing on your six hour train ride you should have, I don't know, busted out the snow coat?! Ruby chastised herself harshly as the train doors opened and a full frontal winter gush bashed against her body. Wasn't as cold as Berlin. Barely.

Stepping off the platform, it wasn't hard to spot her ride. A black Audi, one she recognized, waited patiently in the station square beside an oversized and over decorated three story Christmas tree. The station itself was barely two rails wide, one heading to Cologne, one heading out. Despite that, it was clearly meant to look complicated. Cafes, all closed, lined up with the plaza, string lights connecting to the tree and flashing in red and green morse code. The whole affair felt two distinct flavors, manufactured and expensive.

The businessman went his way, quick to walk with a book in his hand along the left sidewalk, likely home for Christmas eve. It was past noon now, the midday train the last till tonight. In the spirit of companionship, Ruby went on her way, a steady step towards the car, expecting any minute the windows to roll down and Weiss Schnee to crawl out, naked besides a snow coat, big enough for two with... nevermind.

The windows did roll down, at least the drivers. "Angel of Small Death", an old Hozier song dated to when Ruby was like twelve played loud enough for the whole community to dance to its dangerous tones. It seemed, both surprisingly and dreadfully inevitable, for the driver to be the only Schnee who disliked her. Silver hair pulled over her right eye like a fang, leaving a single blue gem to stare at Ruby with a, totally not sexy, death glare. Unlike Weiss', she didn't make Ruby go all mushy inside, instead brought on actual fear of, well, death.

"You couldn't have possibly made it here in that." Winter's kind of hello. To say her words matched her name was an insult to the holidays everywhere.

"Oh yeah, I realized. Can you open the trunk?" Ruby managed despite the competing chorus and her own shivers. Winter said nothing, but the trunk popped open and the redhead had no complaints. She tossed her bags in with such haste and so little regard for the car, she could practically hear the hate build. "Thank you!" Ruby uttered, sliding into the passenger seat. Winter wasn't stopping her, so that was a plus.

"My father wanted to pick you up, and my sister actually, but last minute party concerns arose." Winter shifted gears into drive and pulled out in rush, way too lead footed for Ruby's taste.

"No sending Alfred the butler, huh?" Ruby joked, trying to ease the mood and delay her impending heart attack. Winter just kept speeding up as she turned onto the town's main roads, the only saving grace being the entire place felt abandoned.

"We don't have a butler. Maids come to clean, and we have a maintenance staff for the Castle, but my father finds the concepts of man servants repulsive. As do I. I didn't serve four years in the Bundeswehr to have someone get my groceries for me." Ruby didn't know what the speed limit was down these roads, but the roads sure as heck weren't meant to take turns like this. In winter. As it snowed. How?

"The Bundeswehr?"

"The army."

"You were in the army?" Ruby noted, reaching for some small connection, maybe finally melt down this unseasonal coldness, "My mother was in the army as well, well the Marines, she was a combat engineer." Winter failed to react, probably because, as Ruby remembered so wonderfully from the night they met, she already knew.

"You don't act like it." Well I tried.

"Maybe not, my mom was kind of... well I can't really call her a hippy. She did run a private security company after all, but like, she always wanted to do good, all that protecting people stuff. I don't know, but I think, even if we didn't keep the discipline, or roughness, my mom kept that like, moral importance in our lives. All protect and serve." Her mom cared about making a difference, in her own way. Ruby did, too. Totally different tools, assault rifles and pens only connection being the fingers that held them, but to the Roses the concept was the same.

"I fail to see how giving up her job in the army and becoming a soldier of fortune is exactly an honorable action. As I see it, she took her training and ran towards the quickest avenue for gain." Ruby clenched up, but didn't take the bait. The whole no mercy for mercenaries ideology wasn't new to her. They didn't see how much time Summer put into picking her contracts, reaching out to efforts that couldn't afford companies like her's normally. Being independent to Summer meant controlling what, and on whose side of, conflicts she was on. The power to make a choice, agency.

"Please don't insult my mother, thank you," Ruby replied robotically, but it seemed to cause a twitch in Winter, perhaps, just maybe, guilt gurgling in her gut? "Least I think I get why you hate me so much. That's progress." The attempt at a joke gained no traction, only further erratic driving.

"I don't hate you," Winter replied, after a long silence, cold tone and all, "I am distrustful of you. I know you think me and my sister hate each other, but we were really close once. Why I tried to pull you apart is because of who you are. A novelist? Perpetually poor more likely than anything else. A leech on Weiss. She has a habit of that, buying love. After I came back from the military, her girlfriends tended to be reasons why we fought. Emerald? She destroyed our relationship. I tried to warn her, I came to her before our father found out. She didn't listen. I didn't see you as any different." Ruby felt her blood begin to cook in her, Christmas cold sure as heck found its way out of her body. After all her effort, no one on Earth had any right to make that comparison.

"I haven't taken a dime from Weiss, in 5 years, till this trip, and it wasn't—"

"Your choice. I know. Weiss told me she threatened to break up with you if you didn't come," Winter interrupted, quick to cut Ruby off before the core went critical, "Coming on a Christmas trip once a year is not what I mean. I expected her to buy your clothes, your food, expensive gifts in the mail each week. She hasn't. I am surprised." Winter spoke with an almost confused dispassion, like a machine unaware of what to do with the data it received. Ruby wondered how much they fought about this. It was certainly comforting to know exactly what side Weiss was on.

"Are you saying we're good now?" Ruby asked, trying to chill herself. It was Christmas eve after all, beating up the older sister was hardly a classy gift for the Schnee family.

"Consider yourself on probation, Ruby Rose, but remember: Emerald had such a hard time getting a job out of university while Weiss started over, and I'm why." And what great things came of it, Ruby mumbled in her own mind, remembering vividly how it tore Weiss up, Emerald targeting her again, made desperate by Winter's justice. Perhaps it spoke to the redhead's nievity, but between Weiss' smile and revenge, there was no question.

The rest of the ride was silent, only broken up once Winter turned into the complex gate, an intricate iron set of doors, bars beat into snowflake symbols each matching the black mark on Weiss' body. Even from here, paused as Winter whispered a handful of German at the gate keypad, Ruby could see the tops of this Schnee Castle. Much more modern than the stone structure of El Vale, a cross between a mansion and a cathedral. The structure meant to show off prestige more than defense, constructed in an age when cannons rendered traditional stonework pointless. Still, it robbed Ruby's breath, the white topped roofs, snow building up on every extension, something of a fairy tale.

"Before you have any delusions of owning this place one day, the property is already divided between multiple segments of the family and government. You won't be marrying into a royal fiefdom, don't even bother trying." Ruby ignored Winter, opting instead to let her inner child out. As the car drove through the gate into this late period Castle grounds, Ruby devoured the sights. Signs of garden mazes sat on other end of the plaza, likely once alive with flowers and now draped in a preserving white cover, resting for Christmas. From above, she wondered if they drew images in the earth of snowflakes, the Schnee seemed permanently locked with the sigil. Today though, everything had to appear a flat field of pristine snow, still and perfect.

Weiss grew up here, Ruby realized, imagining a child, molded in silver from head to toe, dancing through the crystalline grounds. How much adventure there had to be, things to explore. To live fantasy, no wonder she thought Ruby's books a little silly. That was okay, so long as she was reading. So long as Weiss was waiting.

She was. Still forged in that pure sterling metal, watching from the door. How could she stand like that, against the winter's cold, white thin dress with black lace clinging to her shoulders. The thick parka cover could only protect her so much, nothing for her exposed legs, or frozen feet, cramped in heels. Ruby needed out.

"What the hell is my sister doing?" Winter whined. Ruby would have agreed if they had the moments left to spend. Not thinking a thing of it, the redhead tossed the door open as soon as the car slowed, ducking out into the snow littered plaza. Weiss stared down, nonplussed expression hiding the excitement she showed in the tap of her foot or the twist of her smile. Not that it mattered. Weiss was a Christmas present worth a dash.

"Weiss!" Ruby charged her without a hint of concern, skipping steps on the short entrance climb. That pushed the Schnee over the edge, she couldn't wait, stepping down to her partner.

"Ruby," Weiss shot back, real happiness in her voice. Totes worth the cramped flight followed by a cramped taxi, cramped train, and cramped car with a bonus scary sister. Just so worth everything. "What the hell are you doing in a sweater? Get a jacket you idiot—Hey!"

Ruby's retort took the form of locking arms, quick to wrap around her body. Damn, she was frozen. "I'm busy loving on you, hold on!" Ruby joked, easily picking Weiss up and twirling around, dangerously close to slipping on icy steps. The redhead could almost hear Winter protest as she gave Weiss little kisses on her collar.

"Let me down!" She struggled to no avail.

"Nope, you have to say the magic word!"

"Both of you!" Winter roared, reminding Ruby she existed, "Get inside now, you look like buffoons out in just that!" Weiss looked ready to fight as her sister strolled by them with menacing eyes and the redhead's bags. It was whatever, Ruby didn't care. She giggled, happy to put Weiss down and get inside.

"Well, show me your fine estate, you beautiful princess of the northern folk," Ruby joked, faking a bow as she stepped up the stairs, happy to get out of the freaking cold slush. Weiss's eyes turned over in distain, but quick to follow her girlfriend up to the entrance.

"This way, your sister and company have already arrived," Weiss mumbled, opening the front door, warm melting air flowing out of the largest foyer in the history of man, a wide hall, tall enough to support a Christmas tree that looked like a redwood's baby cousin comfortably. With the evergreen splitting the center, stairways reformed both sides, colored to look like rolling white banners down the steps. Everything in this castle was either unmoved monochrome, or Christmas additives of green and red lights bursting in from the left hall, the ballroom more than likely.

`"Yang?" Ruby asked without thinking. Her whole family was invited to come, not too surprising, considering they were a few days away by bike, that they'd actually make it. Been too long since she saw her sister, dad, or Envida.

"Rubes!" The golden girl's voice was more exhilarating than the Berlin air on a naked body. The redhead was smiling before her eyes even caught up to the heavy assailant, the flurry of yellow hair and tightness of hug gave Yang away in an instant. Her company managed to send a stronger shock.

"Hey Ruby, how have you been?" Blake, strapped into so many sweaters she made it obvious that this thin Italian girl was about as well adjusted to snow flurries as a shaved cat.

"Hiya Blake, I've been great. Glad you could come!" The family sort of included her, both as Yang's, sometimes off, but ninety percent on, girlfriend of like five years now. Barring their stupid spats, the pair always ended up back together, and, at least from Envida's perspective, were practically married. Blake didn't talk to Ruby much, but she gathered the girl was still in Beacon for law now, getting involved in local politics or some other, probably exciting trouble.

"Good to see you, Ruby," Envidia said. She of course came with them, in full Raven persona, heftier leathers as dark as her colored hair, definitely helped her feel and look younger than her years. "Your father could not come, he is off in Nigeria again thanks to El Hombre del Dinero, Señor Schnee." The money man. Spanish could neither hide the indignation in Envida's voice, nor the words' meaning. Schnees were, after all, about the most multilingual family on the face of this planet.

"I promise, it's a short, month long excursion. He's setting up some self-sustaining projects there and coming right home. I can't keep a family man away from his wife if I wanted to!" Mr. Schnee, as he always seemed to be, appeared quick to clean up the spittle from any Schnee messes, his joyous smile and easy tone wielded in perfect balance. Still, Ruby had grown, not quite close, but a little fond of his goofy ways. His financial aid for education meant many a phone call to get to know one another when the semester bills started piling up, always making good on his grad school promise.

"Hi William," that sounded way weirder to say in person than the thousand times Ruby had done it over the phone, "Thank you for inviting me."

"Ruby, I'm so glad you could make it. I've been telling Weiss to bring you over for Christmas for years now," overly comfortable, the larger gentleman patted Ruby on the back like old friends, a gesture equal parts disarming and awkward, "Weiss already has your dress ready and picked out, other than that I wanted to say hello before the caterers drag me kicking and screaming back to the ballroom. Please, if you need me, tap me on the shoulder, I'm just looking for an escape. Merry Christmas."

"Yes, and please tell me you have something more fitting for a ball than, well, that Mrs. Long?" If there was an opposite to disarming, Winter was it.

"Winter, sweetheart, you're needed," Mr. Schnee took the opportunity to get rid of the family time bomb as he made his escape, leaving the Long clan to further boil their leather jackets in hate.

"La bruja is testing me." Envida's ever so descriptive nickname got a silent chuckle from Weiss.

"Don't worry, Mama, I'll kick her ass in my bitchin' heels," Yang remarked, hefting a worn duffle bag, weary from way too many road trips, "Rubes, you got to check out the dresses we snatched up in Lyon on the way, Blake's is just fabulous."

"After we spend an hour ironing everything, what were we thinking. Who goes to a winter ball on motorcycles," Blake complained, snatching another bag from the floor, its threads tight and fresh, unmarked by trips that never happened.

"It was fun," Yang countered, throwing one arm over her partner's shoulders.

"No, it was cold, and windy, and I am taking a train back!" Blake hissed, earning a self-enthused grin from Yang, quick to laugh it off and pull her lover closer, clutching her like a grumpy cat trying to get away.

"Don't be pissy now," Yang demanded, muscular arms wrapped around Blake's shoulders, easily cutting across her slender frame. The Italian, despite not being a fighter, made sure she paid for that. "Ow, god damn it, she bit me! What are you, four?" Blake did not reply, smile spread across her lips as Yang detached and hopped away. The small bite mark bruise on her arm was going to be an interesting thing to explain to the party goers. "Okay, someone needs a nap, we need an ironing board, and I need a band aid."

"Don't be a wuss, it was barely a nibble."

"It's been two years and after ten minutes in my house, Yang's already injured herself. Jesus," Weiss opened, rubbing her temples trying to edge out the pain in her head.

"Your dress is pretty," Ruby mumbled only to her, taking a bull's rush approach to making Weiss feel a better. She sighed, either regretting Ruby or thanking god for her. The redhead wondered if these were mutually exclusive options.

"It's beautiful, way too expensive to be pretty," Weiss' voice, despite the content of her words, went from angry hot to happily warm, and her hand, cold but welcome, gripped Ruby's. "Yours, I must say, is even nicer. Shall I show you all to your rooms?"

She was right, Ruby's dress was too damn good. "Wow," the redhead mumbled, looking at herself, impressed for once. Sure, the heels made walking harder than chess, and what little remained of the girl's baby face came back to haunt her, but the red dress preformed age redefining wizardry. The dress was held tight by a black center ribbon and black netted shoulders, that thankfully was so thin and soft it breathed for her skin, heck she didn't even mind the weird cleavage slit. Maybe it was the dress, maybe it was finally gaining Yang's height in stupid heels, or maybe it was having Envidia and the bumble bee duo form an official "make Ruby hot" tribunal do her make up. Whatever it was, the end result was feeling more mature, more classic, more—

"Damn, you look really grown up, Ruby," Blake mumbled from Ruby's temporary bed, leaving her own and Yang's room for the golden girl to change while she chilled in Ruby's. Which, considering Weiss, was definitely going to see no use over the break aside from being a nap enabled changing stall.

"Thanks, Blake." The older girl already had her own dress on, a super pretty, but a little less Schnee style extravagant, purple get up, with a side slit that showed off her legs in a way Yang probably appreciated. Complete with a little black bow, Ruby thought her absolutely adorable.

"Don't thank me, please just go back to being a cute little baby child, because you're really making me feel old." Blake smirked, signaling the innocence in her remark.

"No, so long as we are in school, we're still children. Totally doesn't count! You can't make me an adult, Blake, I won't let you!" Ruby groaned. How the wonders of childhood were dissolving into the doldrums and terrors of functional adulthood. "But from what I hear, someone, wouldn't know who, has begun running for city council now. So responsible!"

"Yeah," Blake mumbled, red streaks darkening her complexion, always a sucker for compliments, "I just got tired of not being able to do anything, thought I'd try. I'm probably not going to win, but hey, maybe I can put some pressure on people? Make them deal with the stagnant injustices no one wants to even discuss. It's my responsibility as a citizen, even if it's not my homeland." Blake, despite being embarrassed, kept her voice steady, head high, convictions polished perfect. She'd do great. "And hey, while we're at a fancy event, I mighty find myself some wealthy donors to corrupt me." As if they could.

"You'll win them all over with your stirring passion, Blake! Start with Mr. Schnee, he's kind of a big fluffy pushover. Well, a pushover that's really good at making people buy stuff," Ruby remarked, giving a final glance at the full body mirror, one of the many amenities a Castle guest room had, including and not limited to a TV twice the size of Ruby's home set, full bath made of hopefully fake marble, and a balcony outstretched into the snowy German winter. This place was huge, even considering the entire west wing was a barred off national museum.

"He is certainly not the person I imagined." Blake's expression morphed, eyes low, scanning nothing, mind's eye looking internally. Her jaw locked, finding and dealing with something inside, a story Ruby didn't know. Mr. Schnee certainly had that effect. "I think we should go now. Party's started, hasn't it?" A polite request to not deal with this right now, one the redhead thought better of refusing.

Ruby nodded, taking wobbly steps out of her room, Blake following on her tail with all of the girl's missing grace. Envida awaited them outside, her outfit was longer, frillier, a touch cheaper and inverted color from Ruby's. Black as its primary, the Spanish style folded with a gradient of red. "Hey, we match Ruby."

"Well, I should be pretty stoked to look anything like you, Envida," Ruby half joked, impressed by how well Yang's mom aged. One might confuse her for an older sister, but maybe that was just her biker aura.

"Do not flirt with a crone now, Weiss is waiting in the ballroom. Go." Envida waved her off, happy to wait for her daughter, Blake the same. Ruby considered adding herself to the list of hall denizens, but, despite the repressive castle shrinking her down, the uncomfortable pressure on her back heels, or the horror that would be the steps in these things, Ruby couldn't wait. Weiss had paid well over a thousand euros to insure a super awkward date, and god willing she survived the descent, Ruby was not ruining it.

Yang Xiao Long

Frankly, Yang looked better naked. Not to diss the simple ivory strapped dress entirely, it was the best formal gown that didn't look off against the curved chaotic surface of her muscled shoulders. It was rare Yang actually felt like she took a step down dressing up after years of cultivating such a killer style and fashion sense. Oh hell, maybe this was just the work of impressive body confidence boosting Blake had been laying on her lately. Sometimes with her words, other times with her hands, and her mouth.

"Still looking sexy, Yangarang," she whispered to her mirrored clone, each Yang flipping double thumbs up for the other. Dress on, makeup perfected, hair lush and wild like the jungles of southeast Asia, the golden girl was ready for her mission. Make as many old German dudes start sweating as she could. Most important of these old German dudes being Blake of course.

Yang kicked her door open, for dramatic effect of course. It slammed against the hall wall, hopefully not breaking anything, and alerting her travel companions that the one true Long had come for them. "Yo Blake, how do I look?"

Blake's giggle bubbled up, just a little from her comedic boiling core. "You look, well a little wild for a ball," she managed to answer, eyebrows rising up just a touch, her tired brand of happy. Envida, less enthused, cursed silently in Spanish, quick to check the door for any mysterious holes it might have magically punched into the walls.

"Well, you know me, my kind of party only starts when bases bigger than me get rolled in," Yang announced, chest out and chin skyward, happy to protest against the snobbish and funless nature of the Schnee family. Except maybe William. Yang kept a silent suspicion that the old man knew how to party when the time was right. He was a product of the seventies, how could he not? "But seriously, am I the stuff of your dreams or not?"

"My dreams are a little more appropriate than you," Blake joked, eyes shining with a dim light one might mistake as dead. Something was dragging her down, draining. With mom there, Yang resisted asking outright, preferring to slowly sway toward her and keep up the cheer.

"Excuse you, my dress is fairly conservative," Blake was quick to point at Yang's chest, noting her choice of push up bras. Now that was just rude. "Compared to my usual clothes, I mean! Plus a little cleavage is perfectly cool, even Ruby's dress shows off the knockers a bit, and she barely has any." Blake's lips curved up for a moment, Yang's silliness successfully swerved at least some of its way past the fog of funk Blake seemed surrounded by.

"Okay, yes, you look positively seducing Yang Xiao Long." Blake's choice of words intrigued Yang, pushing her into Blake's gravitational pull. The bigger girl was eager to get her arms around her girlfriend, the soft fabric of their dresses providing very little separation between them.

"Alright," Envida interrupted, stepping past this entangling lover's mass, "I'm going down to the party. You two, just don't get caught." Yang laughed, grasping her mother's meaning. Someone was jumping to the meaty bits a bit quick.

"I'm having a moment mama, don't ruin it!" Yang mock shouted, showing off a grin so her mother didn't go all stereotype and kick her ass with a wooden cooking spoon.

"I'm leaving!" Envida repeated, making her way down the stairs and leaving the bumble bee pair interlocked and alone. Perfect, time for real talk.

"Hey, I—" Blake cut Yang off with a sweet peck on her cheek, a sweet 'it's okay' in kissing form.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm acting strange. You know how I am about the Schnee family." Blake might have let go of her grudge years ago, but that wasn't the same as forgiving, or forgetting. This was her enemies' Castle, the company that seemed to chase her from country to country, getting involved for good, but often ill. Now she was in that company's beating heart.

"Must be weird for you, I get it," Yang whispered, squeezing Blake in her arms for support. She could keep Blake safe, no matter where they were. The fighter would take out the world if it made her feel better, and even if it would never come to that, Yang wanted to make sure she knew it.

"I was ready for it Yang, but it's so different than what I thought. Well, except for Winter, she's as tight assed as I thought," Yang couldn't hold it it, snorted a laugh for trying, "But like Weiss, I know she's alright. And William? I expected a malicious mastermind, instead he's more like an ignorant god, crushing us low mortals without even knowing it. He practically crushed me in a hug today and this is the guy whose factory cost my parents their job. I wasn't ready for a jolly old man." Blake's confession was founded on years of trust. Yang was amazed every day how far she came. Without even needing to ask a question, Blake opened up. That trust, god, it was beautiful.

"Hey, I might be the biggest loser on the planet, my little sister's about to get her masters, and I'm not even a finished undergrad, but I love you very much and whatever, I'm on your side. You want to stay up here, maybe watch some weird German TV, drink all the wine we can steal, and have crazy sex, just say it, and I will literally tear this dress from my shoulders," Yang announced, her voice steady, a clear rhythm, no exaggerations, no confusion.

"Yang, we just bought it."

"Maybe, but your feelings don't have price, not even in the fanciest Paris shops." Blake's smile was too bright for the "super level" girl. To hide it, she buried her face into her girlfriend's shoulder, nuzzled into the strong body of such a sweet idiot. Yang happily collected her victory, enjoying the cuddly Italian.

"Thank you, Yang, but," Blake pulled away, just enough to take a deep needed breath and blow out the fog of old pains in her lungs. Yang didn't fight her exodus knowing when to let her relax. "We're both grown ups now, you're finishing up school, I'm shooting for local politics, we got to let go of the past bullshit, don't we?" Yang nodded. Blake's lips curled and eyes burned with the right form of amber light. Taking Yang's chin in her hands, she quickly kissed her partner, not too intense, predicting plenty of that when the party had them all boozed up. "And hey, if we go down there, we can mess with Winter. What's better at exercising the ghosts of my teenage angst than fucking with the source?"

*** So this special was going to just be like a billion pages long so I split it. When you're at 14 and like "Nah it's missing content" you have a problem. And before you all say anything, I am very much aware it's a little late for the holidays, hope you'll forgive me. So bad news about it being a two parter. Longer wait for this chapter. Good news, short wait for next one.

In the meantime, in case the "Too many Lesbians" review missed my rebuttal last time, here it is again for you, an exact copy.

So "too many gay girls" Anon, who reviewed, again, after I told you to stop. Here's me addressing your concerns.

1. Reese the first straight girl? How about: Raven Long, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Glynda Goodwitch, Winter Schnee, Summer Rose, The Malachite Twins etc. Reese was just another on the long list of straight characters whom are as important to me as any other.

2. Short Story mistake: this is not a mistake, Ruby is a regular as in like Yearly, but she hadn't be able to sell her OWN book of short stories or any recent anthology (within the month), she just is in sporadic low paying anthologies. Most short story writers know this situation quite well.

3. And this is what pisses me off the most. LGBT is a genre. It has been for years. Don't even.

4. STRQ does stand for something. Security, Training, Recon, Quartering. All the services STRQ offers it's clients. Excuse me for not having Ruby go into a long explanation of what the acronym means. No one calls DARPA by its full name either.