A/N: So for those who haven't read this story, Pearls on a String was a rather lengthy OC spin-off of a one-shot featuring a much older, grizzled Ruby, called Retired. This particular chapter takes place during Team PERL's third year at Beacon, which is set forty years after the events of RWBY.

Days of Yule

Chapter 2: Pearls for the Holidays

"This will be fine," Beryl muttered under her breath. "Fine, it'll be just fine…"

"Sweetie, please calm down," her girlfriend murmured reassuringly. Evie ran her hand in circles along the diminutive girl's back, trying to ease away the stress. "We're going to see your parents, not mine, there's nothing to worry about."

"I know, I know I shouldn't be so… ugh." The blue-haired girl wearily leaned into her Mate's embrace, holding onto the hand of the Cat Faunus' arm now wrapped around her. She smiled softly as a black furred tail also snaked around to wrap around her waist. "I'm just a little anxious, okay? You've met my dad, but with both of my parents at once…"

"You do not think they would object to the two of you, do you, dear?" her partner inquired from across the aisle of the airbus.

"No, Lustre, I know they'll be cool with it, just… They're a bit… smothering."

"Eh, it'll be fine, babe," their team leader yawned as she stretched her lanky frame out before pulling the braid of blonde hair back over her shoulder. "Besides, you'll have us along, right… peanut?"

"Pip, I will eviscerate you in your sleep tonight," Beryl growled at the use of her detested nickname from her parents. In fact, the only thing she might hate more was the use of her given first name.

"See, feeling better already," Evie laughed lightly. "Making threats against our fearless leader."

"Well, it would not be a day in Team Pearl without threats to life and limb," Lustre agreed with a smile.

Beryl rolled her eyes but couldn't conceal the grin that crept across her face. She'd been an only child growing up, the diminutive blue-haired girl feeling like the runt of a litter of one, especially compared to her mammoth father. But she'd trained long and hard to lift her oversized shield, Dahl, wielding it with eventual skill alongside her sword Shashka as a member of one of the best teams at Beacon. Easily within the top five of all student teams on Remnant itself, were she to give her opinion on the matter.

All this came at the detriment of what some might consider a normal figure for a girl of her age. She often bemoaned the fact that she was burdened with the body of a muscular twelve-year-old, but the affections and reassurances of her girlfriend, now Mate, went a long way to improve her self-image.

Especially the way Evie looked at her when undressing like she were the most beautiful creature she'd ever laid eyes upon. She couldn't quite comprehend it, really, but with the link they now shared through the Mark, an easy two-way street thanks to their Aura Bond, she knew how genuine the Cat Faunus' feelings were for her.

Love. Acceptance. Warmth. Belonging.

There was always an undercurrent of awe and incredulity in the feelings they shared as if neither girl could quite believe they'd ended up lucky enough to find their true Mate. Someone who was their best friend first and foremost, someone they respected and loved with all of their very being.

Beryl sighed softly as she snuggled further into her lover's embrace, relishing in the soothing feelings that were pouring across their bond.

"You're right," she admitted with a wry smile. "I'm just fretting for no reason. This will be great, having everyone together for Yule."

"It's gonna be a lot of traveling," Pip warned, though she seemed as unconcerned with the prospect as she would ever be, even when faced with insurmountable odds. "After here, we go see my mom and Glory, then hit the Black household…"

"At least that will not be overnight," her raven-haired partner interjected. "A family as big as mine, there's really no place for us to stay."

The blonde shrugged with an easy grin, flipping her braid back over her shoulder once more. "Yeah, we can sleep on the airship ride to Mistral. I'm glad we're spending Yule itself there, between Lustre's parents and then Aunt Pyrrha and Uncle Jaune."

"And Merri will be there as well, correct?" the dark-skinned woman inquired softly. She'd struck up a fast friendship with Pip's boisterous cousin, the two of them of a like mind concerning the avoidance of relationships altogether.

"Yep, and a whole bunch more," their team leader grinned widely. "Lotsa aunts and uncles I haven't met yet, and cousins… Oh! That reminds me, my mom and sister want to travel with us to Mistral, that cool with you guys?"

"I don't see why not," Evie returned, though a smirk briefly flitted across her features. "Will Tim be coming along?"

"I… Er, that is… I dunno for sure…" Pip's faced was flushed as it usually was when the Wolf Faunus boy was brought up. Theirs was a contentious, tentative relationship.

"She started out so strong," Beryl sighed with false moroseness. "Hated his guts right away."

"And then she fell for his charms," Evie added, the gleeful undertone to her words difficult to conceal.

"Sad to see someone fall so far from grace…"

"Another victim to a pair of golden eyes…"

Pip let out an irritable huff, unused to being on the receiving end of such teasing. "You guys suck," she grumbled mildly.

"Yes, dear," Lustre stated soothingly, giving her a pat on the arm. "And yet we love you anyway."

A sudden lurch to the airbus brought their bantering to a halt. The door across the way slowly lowered, and a cheerful voice over the intercom announced their arrival at the village of New Hope.

The four girls readily grabbed their baggage and weapons, their status as Huntresses-in-training allowing them the leeway of traveling armed, and headed onto the landing platform. Their welcoming committee was readily apparent, if not by the size then from the booming voice that seemingly echoed off of the nearby mountains.

"RADIANCE BERYL!"

"And here we go," the blue-haired girl sighed with a rueful smile.

"Hey, at least he didn't call you 'peanut' right away," Evie snickered.

Corvid Beryl, towering over the rest of the passengers and residents of the village, strode over towards the disembarked team, grinning widely behind his bushy black beard. "Ah, Dust, it's good to see you again, peanut!"

"Nevermind," the Cat Faunus laughed softly at her girlfriend's indignant groan.

The crowd parted before the giant Ursa of a man like waves before the prow of a dark battleship. Soon enough, Beryl's father was sweeping all four of them into a hug. Impressively enough, he managed to do so all at once.

"Welcome to New Hope!" he boomed heartily. "And how have you girls been?"

"Good," Pip squeaked out, buried somewhere between Lustre and the man's bicep. "Um, can we get on the ground again, please?"

"Oh, my apologies!" he chuckled loudly, setting them all on their feet once more. The four girls readily clung to each other until their balance was restored. "I'm just so very happy you all took us up on the invitation! Now, come along, girls, the missus has been cooking all day long!"

"Did she make the honey mustard?" Beryl asked, an excited gleam in her bronze eyes.

"Of course she did, peanut! It wouldn't be a family Yule without that for the ham!"

"Awesome," the blue-haired girl giggled, before shaking her head at the looks her team was giving her. "You don't understand," she proclaimed, "but you soon will."

"Okaayyy," Pip drawled. "If you say so."

"So, then, are you still treating my Radiance right, Miss Black?" Corvid inquired, his voice easily carrying over the sounds of the crowded streets. They were walking along the main thoroughfare of the walled village, the shops and streetlamps decked out with boughs and tinsel.

Evie blushed slightly. "Er, yes, sir, I do try, anyway…"

"I'm sure you do," Corvid chuckled. "A good relationship is based on love, friendship, and a warm bed, I always say…"

"Dad!" Beryl squeaked out.

"Oh, come on now, Radiance, we're all adults here! I'm sure you and your… Mate, yes? That is the correct term?"

"Yes sir," Evie nodded, a slight smile on her face from how readily Beryl's father seemed to be taking their status since the previous summer. They'd not had a chance to meet with Beryl's parents since, and while her lover had reassured her often that they were perfectly fine with their relationship, the blue-haired girl could tell over their bond how relieved Evie was to witness it first-hand.

"Very well… So, you and your Mate are sure to keep each other entertained between the sheets, yes?"

"Oh, for the love of Dust," Beryl groaned, burying her beet-red face in her hands.

"Oh, yeah, they sure do," Pip laughed merrily. "Sometimes while we're still in the room, but we pretend to not notice."

"Hmm, yes I do recall that as being particularly problematic in a four-person dorm," Corvid rumbled thoughtfully. "Why, I remember my time at Beacon, when-"

"Oum's balls, no!" Beryl shouted, her crimson face a match to that of her lover's. "I so do not need to hear about your sex life in school, dad! Even less than I want you to hear about mine!"

"Language, Radiance," her father reprimanded mildly.

Pip, of course, was laughing silently, tears streaming down her face, while Lustre wrapped a comforting arm around her partner.

"So, Mr. Beryl," the silver-haired girl spoke up hurriedly, "this is the village your daughter grew up in? How long have you lived here?"

"Ah, yes, well, me and the missus moved here right after we married," Corvid stated, a soft smile making the bristles of his beard twitch. "Fresh out of school, I was, and eager to protect those who needed it. Alice, now, she always wanted to live out on the frontier, and New Hope was one of the more successful of the outlying settlements."

The towering man paused in his gait, drawing the sword from his back and using it as a pointer. In any other man's grip, it would have required two hands, but he hefted it easily in one meaty paw. "You see, the Vale mountains are close enough to provide natural borders, with the sea just on the other side of that forest. So all we need to worry about…" His sword swung back to point directly west. "...Is one front, and for that we have regular patrols and watchtowers. Plenty of good folk living here, retired and active Huntsmen alike as well."

"It's a good place to live," Beryl agreed, her earlier mortification eased somewhat. "Plenty of resources and enough people to maintain a school and workshop…"

Corvid nodded amicably as he sheathed his greatsword and continued on their trek. "I volunteer at the blacksmithery every weekend," he stated. "We all pull multiple duties, but we manage to get by well enough."

"It all seems very nice," Lustre smiled. "The populace seems quite happy."

"Crowded, though," Evie frowned slightly as she dodged another group of laughing children as they scrambled by.

"Ah, well, with the holidays upon us, we have more visitors than usual," Corvid chuckled. "Plenty of family returning, just like you!"

Beryl grinned as she pulled Evie a bit closer to her. They were almost home now, and she couldn't wait to show her friends, her sisters, where she'd grown up.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Alice Beryl had taken an instant liking to all of her daughter's teammates, Evie in particular. The slim woman, long blue braid hanging down past her waist, immediately pulled the Cat Faunus into the kitchen with her to assist with the last-minute preparations, and soon enough the two of them were laughing merrily and exchanging stories as if they'd known each other for years.

Pip, meanwhile, was perched across from Corvid and frowning down at a game of checkers currently underway. "So, lemme get this straight... "

"Mmhmm," the man rumbled before taking a long pull from his bottle of homebrew.

"You're absolutely sure you saw this?"

"Sure as my own beard."

The blonde pushed one of the red pieces forward and then sat back, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "I call Grimmshit."

"Grimmshit?" he barked out with a laugh.

"Corvid Beryl, you mind your language!" his wife scolded from the kitchen.

"Yes, dear," he grumbled. "Now, young lady, why would you say such a thing?"

"'Cause I don't believe you," Pip grinned. "There's no way you saw two Ursas goin' at it like that."

His massive shoulders shrugged once. "I saw what I saw."

"Grimm don't have sex!"

"Well, those Ursa were doing a bang-up job of it."

The blonde threw her head back and laughed uproariously. "Oh, nice one, I saw what you did there!"

Just then, the slender matriarch of the Beryl family stepped out, holding a large pot with her mitten-encased hands. "Corvid, are you telling that story again?"

"Now, dear," he placated, jumping up to take the pot from his wife and placing it on the table with his bare hands. "It's just a bit of fun…"

"And totally untrue."

"Now, listen here, woman, I'll have you know…"

Alice stood with her hands on her hips, staring up at the man who easily loomed two feet over her, an unimpressed look on her face.

Her husband fidgeted for only a brief moment before he hung his head in defeat. "Perhaps it was a bit… embellished…"

"That's what I thought," Alice replied smugly, turning back towards the kitchen. "Evie, I saw that, no sneaking tastes from the honey mustard!"

"But Mom," the Cat Faunus protested, "it's just so good!"

"Toldya so!" Beryl called out cheerfully from her perch on the living room couch. Their house was a rather cozy affair, one large room for the living and dining area with a separate kitchen. The living quarters were up the stairs, where Beryl had already taken Evie's bags alongside her own to her room. Pip and Lustre were more than content to sleep on the two couches downstairs.

"Is there anything more I can do to help, Mom?" Lustre inquired courteously. Beryl snickered softly to herself at the memory of her mother greeting each girl with a hug and an immediate insistence that they all call her Mom, as they were now family to her, and she'd not hear another word otherwise.

"No, thank you, sweetie, you go ahead and relax next to Radiance. Supper will be ready soon enough."

Her silver-haired partner walked from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel that she tossed across her shoulder before sitting next to Beryl. "How are you doing, dear?"

Beryl sighed happily, watching the good-natured ribbing that Pip and her father were now giving each other, needling as if they were old companions. "I'm good. I guess everything's okay in the kitchen?"

"Oh, yes, quite well." Lustre gave her partner a bump with her shoulder. "Though I must warn you, your mother is peppering Evie with rather… inappropriate questions."

"I don't doubt it," she replied with a small chuckle. "Mom's always been nosy. But that's okay, I'm usually the first to tell her about stuff anyway."

She leaned her head back, relaxing as she listened to the embarrassed stammering of Evie to her mother's line of questioning regarding underwear choices, of all things, while Pip and her father moved on to the most impressive wound each other had ever received.

"Hey, Lustre."

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you… think this is what it'd be like? I mean, y'know, growing up with siblings? A large family?"

Her partner, another only child, hummed softly. "It is possible. Do you regret your upbringing?"

"Nah, not so much anymore." Beryl turned to face the other girl with a warm smile. "Besides, this is our family now, right? And we've got lots more family all over that we're seeing this holiday. It's… nice. I could get used to this."

Lustre returned the smile but accompanied it with a gentle hug. "As could I, dear. And I could not imagine spending Yule apart from you all now."

"Same here. Happy Yule, Lustre."

"Happy Yule, Beryl."

"Aww, lookit you two, bein' all cute and snuggly," Pip chortled. "Better watch out, babe, kitty cat's gonna get jealous."

"Lustre, you stop trying to steal my woman!" the Cat Faunus sang out from the kitchen, though her joking tone was obvious.

Beryl rolled her eyes as she sat back again. "Yep. Definitely family."

Lustre nodded with a soft giggle. "And I would not have it any other way."

"Me neither, Lustre. Me neither."

Dongyrn A/N: Gods how I adore these girls, one of my favorite sets of OCs I've ever done. The ship name for Evie and Beryl, fyi, is Scaredy Cat.

Thanks for reading, and don't feel bad if you skipped it because you never read it. I mean, I think it was a cool story, so might be worth a read. Finally finished backfilling the chapters over on AO3. So, next up, let's revisit Asymmetrical, my alt-post-volume-three Freezerburn story.

Stay shiny!