Pearls on a String

Volume 3

Chapter 30: Threats

Downtown Mistral

"This," Beryl declared wearily, "has been a colossal waste of our day."

Not for the first time, the diminutive blue-haired girl wished that her normal combat outfit was less… covering. It was a bit of a switch for the normally shy and reticent girl, as her baggy brown tee shirt and leggings that she wore under her cobalt-blue armor were normally more than adequate to cover up her knobby knees and generally boyish figure. Two things served to temper that notion, however.

Firstly, her Faunus girlfriend seemed to be accepting of her physicality, wholly and without reservation. It did a lot for her confidence when she first wore her new, rather skimpy in her opinion, sleepwear. The glow in Evie's sapphire blue eyes spoke of nothing but desire, and honestly made her feel more loved than any mere words.

And then secondly, there was the city through which they now traversed, firmly in the grasp of summer weather. Hot, sticky, damp, humid, torturous… She'd made a bit of a game of it, coming up with new adjectives to associate with her sweltering misery.

The four members of Team PERL had set out early enough in the day that the weather hadn't yet reached its peak, and so she hadn't minded too much. But now that Beryl was absolutely soaked through and through under her armor, well…

Yep. She was miserable.

"It has not been all that much of a waste," Lustre spoke up softly as they strolled along the boulevard in downtown Mistral, sheltered by the dubious shade offered from the towering structures on either side. The dark-skinned Mistralian native had foregone her usual white jacket that bore her emblem, instead merely settling for her white shorts and light blue tank top. Of the four of them, she seemed best suited for the weather, striding along with her staff in hand.

Figures, Beryl grumbled internally, though unable to get overly upset with her partner.

"True enough," Evie conceded from where she walked next to Beryl. The Cat Faunus seemed to be handling the humidity a little better today, even in her black leggings and crop top. Her tail swished behind her as the furry ears atop her head swiveled around at each noise coming from around them. She did not, however, offer to hold Beryl's sweaty hand.

Once again, the diminutive shield-bearer couldn't really blame her.

"Yeah, I mean, any lead that doesn't pan out, it's just another thing we don't need to bother with, right?" Pip offered cheerfully. "Gives us more time to track down good leads!"

Beryl glared daggers at the back of her team leader. Pip, on the other hand, was ably deserving of her ire. Ever since she'd been infused with red dust, heat simply didn't affect her.

"Be nice," Evie murmured, breaking into her thoughts before she could delve too deeply into decidedly uncomplimentary thoughts about the tall blonde.

Beryl blushed lightly as she ducked her head. She knew it was unfair to even think of Pip in such a way, the rangy girl certainly hadn't asked for such a dubious gift. Had almost died from it, in fact, and she'd definitely undergone her fair share of strife to get to the point where she could even control her abilities and not self-combust.

In any case, the girl in front of her, who she regarded fondly as her big sister, was undeserving of such dark thoughts.

She was just so Dust-damned sweaty.

Beryl shook her head, damp bangs of cobalt blue plastering across her forehead. "So, where to next?" she asked with subdued and patently false cheer.

Her girlfriend gave a soft sigh next to her, shooting her a wry grin and a wink at the attempt. Beryl just shrugged her bony shoulders, unable to really muster up more of an effort.

"Well, there's this one marketplace up ahead, on the seedier side of town," Pip began. She spun around to continue to walk backwards, her long blonde ponytail catching on the hilt of the greatsword sheathed across her back. "Hey, babe, exactly how seedy is 'seedy' hereabouts?"

Lustre pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I would not say they are at the seediness level of Vacuo," she answered. "But perhaps a bit more so than in Vale."

"Excellent!" the team leader cheered, spinning back around once more to resume walking normally.

"Yeah, we're gonna get in a fight before the day's over with, aren't we?" Beryl grumbled.

"Knowing our fearless leader?" Evie smirked. "I have no doubt."

"So anyways," Pip continued, "in this marketplace, they got some folk who hire out for some, um… unsavory jobs, y'know? Might be a chance of one of 'em hearing about… Jewel."

The blonde voice softened slightly at the mention of her mother's name. That was the entire reason they were in Mistral, after all, to track down some trace of the mother she never knew. All they had was a name and a picture to go off of. So far, though, they hadn't had any luck with the usual Hunter hangouts. Granted most of the Hunters they came across were only recently out of Haven Academy themselves, but Beryl thought at least someone would have heard of a Huntress by the name of Jewel Cerise.

Granted, Jewel was a fairly common name, all things considered. Ever since the end of the great wars so many decades ago, the people of Remnant had been naming their children with colors in mind. Various jewels were immensely popular, especially in their parent's generation.

"So, we are to simply ask around?" Lustre inquired in her lightly-accented voice. "Or do you have a particular merchant in mind?"

"I got the name of a stall," Pip replied with confidence. "Shady Trader. Don't know the guy's name, though."

"Shady Trader?" Beryl asked skeptically. "Really? That doesn't sound, um…"

"Dodgy?" Evie offered.

"Yeah, that works. That doesn't sound dodgy at all?"

"Sketchy would work too."

"Yep, I was thinking more like dubious."

"Hmm, nice one. How about shifty?"

"I like it."

Pip let out an amused sigh. "You two comedians done?"

"Dunno," Evie smirked at her partner. "I think there's some room in here to make fun of you still…"

The blonde snorted a laugh. "Yeah, yeah…"

"Before we continue on," Lustre interjected. "May we stop at the cafe ahead? There is a particular Mistralian beverage I believe the three of you might enjoy."

"Is it air conditioned?" Beryl asked hopefully.

"It is, yes."

"Yes!" both Beryl and Evie cheered as one, giving each other a wide grin.

"Fine, yeah," their blonde team leader chuckled. "This one here?"

"It should suffice, yes," their silver-haired host proclaimed. "And the marketplace should be the next block over."

"We're not gonna run into any unsavory types in here, are we?" Pip asked humorously as they entered the mercifully cool shop. "I mean, this is supposed to be seedy and all…"

"No, it should be fine." Lustre pointed the other three to a table near the window and proceeded towards the counter. She returned soon thereafter, Beryl having cooled off enough to hold Evie's hand once more. Four large covered cups were in the tray that she carried.

She wordlessly passed them out, taking care to note the markings on the side of each. "There we go. Enjoy."

"Um, and what is this, exactly?" Evie asked skeptically as she eyed the container in front of her.

"I am dismayed that you do not trust me, dear," Lustre replied with a humorous twinkle in her pale blue diamond eyes. "These are iced coffees."

"Iced…?" Beryl's smile grew wide as she eagerly took a sip of her beverage. "Ohhhh, this is nice…"

"Oh, yeah," Evie murmured, her tail swishing happily behind her. "Very nice."

"Aww, and you even made it the way I like it," Pip grinned. "Thanks, babe!"

"Of course," Lustre replied with an answering smile. "Consider it an apology for the dreadful weather. Honestly, I do not recall a summer in recent memory that was this unpleasant."

"Must've been expecting us," Beryl laughed.

"So what did you get?" Evie asked after taking another grateful sip. "I know you don't drink coffee."

"No, this is an Iced Chai tea, quite pleasant." Lustre smiled once more. "If a tad strong."

"Well, it wouldn't be you if it weren't," Pip snickered. "So, we gonna talk about our tail?"

Lustre nodded solemnly. "I concluded this would be as opportune a time as any."

"Yeah, she can't really follow us in here without our noticing," Evie agreed.

Beryl blinked her bronze eyes uncertainly. "Um… what, now? A tail?"

"Yep," Pip sighed, stretching her long limbs out. "Picked her up after the last stop at that bar. Dunno how she can think she's all that stealthy, bright red hair and about as tall as me."

"Yes, the gold armor tends to stand out as well," Lustre murmured.

The compact blue-haired girl shook her head. "I swear, I have the situational awareness of a sloth sometimes," she grumbled.

"Don't be like that, sweetie," her raven-haired girlfriend giggled, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on her cheek. "Your element is the battlefield, not skulking about."

"Is that what we're doing? Skulking?"

"Well, it's what our tail is trying to do. We're just acting oblivious about it."

"Then I'm happy to help, seeing how I really am oblivious."

"So, then," Lustre interjected. "Do we confront her?"

"Nah, let her make the first move." Pip downed the last of her drink and let out a small but happy belch. "Oum, that was good. Ready to head out?"

"But Pip," Beryl whined quietly. "It's nice in here…"

The blonde chuckled, giving the shorter girl's hair a ruffle. "C'mon, you."

"Fine…" She stood, gulping down the last of her unexpectedly tasty drink and tossing it into the trash on the way out. Now that she knew what to look for, she immediately spied the tall redhead across the street, supposedly window-shopping at a men's clothing store.

"Oh my Oum," Beryl snorted behind her hand. "She really is bad at this, huh?"

The other girl's armor was indeed gold and shining brightly in the sunlight, tempered with blue accents along the edges. A bright blue skirt separated the metal corset chestpiece from her golden armored boots that came up past her knees. She wore a small golden buckler on one forearm and had what looked to be a short spear across her back.

As they exited the cafe, Beryl took once last surreptitious glance at their obvious shadow before moving along. If she had to guess, the girl looked to be perhaps a few years older than them, in her early twenties or so.

"She doesn't look like a bad guy," Beryl murmured thoughtfully.

"No, if anything, I would presume her to be a Huntress by her garb," Lustre agreed. "But her behavior is suspicious."

"How so, though?" Beryl protested as they entered the sprawling open-air marketplace. Crowds bustled about under the awning that stretched across an entire city block, two stories above their heads, and offering a decent amount of shade.

"What do you mean?" Evie asked, her brows furrowed. "She's following us!"

The diminutive shield-bearer chewed on her bottom lip. "Um, okay, but… I mean, aren't we acting suspicious, asking all these questions? We never really identified ourselves as students or Huntresses or anything…"

"That's because we're not here officially," Pip replied, though her own words were slow and thoughtful as she pondered what Beryl had said.

"Yes, but she has a point," Lustre said with a rueful smile. "She may very well be a Huntress investigating our odd behavior. And here we are, leading her towards an unsavory shopkeeper."

"Oh." Pip stopped and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I'm such a godsdamned idiot… Yeah, okay, new plan. Let's talk to the Huntress."

"Aye aye, oh fearless leader," Evie quipped.

"Oh, shut it, you," her partner snarked back.

The four of them paused and spread out, looking as unthreatening as possible. Well, as unthreatening as four heavily-armed and -armored Huntresses-in-training could be.

Pip had a wide smile on her face as she spied the redheaded woman duck through the crowd. The golden-armored warrior came to a halt, a look of perplexion on her face as she saw her quarries waiting for her.

"Hi there!" Pip called out cheerfully. "Um, so, can we talk?"

The other girl nodded warily as she approached. Her right hand twitched as if she was contemplating arming herself with the short spear still on her back, but she stepped forward instead with a hesitant smile. "Yeah, sure," she replied with a light and cheerful voice. "I'm Merri."

"Pip," the blonde greeted her with another smile. "This is my team, Evie, Beryl, and Lustre."

"Team?" the redhead asked, her smile widening slightly.

"Yep, we just finished our second year at Beacon."

"Oh my Oum, that's awesome!" Merri cheered, her face now alight as she came closer. "I was seriously thinking about calling for backup, I mean, yeah I'm good and all, but you guys looked like you got some serious mojo going on here! I just graduated from Haven last year!"

Beryl blinked her eyes at the suddenly bubbly and enthusiastic girl. Something was tickling the back of her mind about the newcomer, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

"So what are you guys doing in Mistral?" Merri continued brightly.

"Oh, well Lustre is originally from here," Pip explained, her smile growing in the face of the enthusiastic girl. "And we came home with her. I'm actually trying to track down my mom. Well, hopefully it's my mom, I mean, I never knew her, but that's what I was lead to believe."

"That's sooo cool!" the redhead chirped, flinging her long braid back over her shoulder. "Can I help you guys, maybe?"

Pip opened her mouth to reply, but she was forestalled by the warning hand that her partner placed on her arm.

"We've got trouble," Evie warned quietly.

By now all five of them were looking about in alarm as patrons of the marketplace were streaming hurriedly away from them, leaving them alone in the center of the stalls. All around them appeared rather menacing-looking figures, armed with a variety of ranged and melee weaponry. Some were rudimentarily armored, but the majority wore paramilitary garb in urban shades.

"Oh, great," Merri sighed. "Dragons."

"Sorry?" Pip prompted, a dangerous glint in her pale coral eyes. "Dragons?"

"Black Dragons, one of the prominent criminal gangs in Mistral. They have their own private army."

"Yes, I believe we can determine that much," Lustre replied dryly. "Friends of yours?"

"Only in that I keep beating them up," the redhead smirked. Merri's bright blue eyes twinkled as she turned to the other four girls. "So, would you guys be up for a not-so-friendly brawl by any chance?"

Pip gave an answering smirk of her own. "Babe, you just said the magic word. I'm always up for a brawl."

Beryl's mouth opened in shock as the glanced between the two girls, but before she could articulate her sudden realization, a rough and angry voice echoed across the marketplace.

"Knew you bitches were up to no good!" A burly man strode through the encircling gang members, stopping just in front of them. He crossed his arms, the bulging muscles preventing his hands from going past his elbows. "Poking your nose around my business, and now you hook up with this other troublesome little bitch. You think I wouldn't notice, huh? You think The Black Dragon himself wouldn't be paying attention?"

"Oookaaayyy," Pip drawled. "I'm lost, here."

"Um, yeah, Mr Dragon, sir?" Evie spoke up hesitantly. "We have no idea who you are, really. And we haven't been asking about you. 'Cause, you know… we don't know you."

"Right," the man barked, shaking his head in amusement. "Boys, get 'em."

"Well, so much for diplomacy," Beryl muttered, slipping her shield around and twirling Shashka in her hand. The sword quickly changed over into its carbine form. "Pip, orders?"

"Watch each other's backs," the blonde replied, drawing Odachi Dahlia with an eager grin. "And try not to die."

"We have so got to work on a better battle cry," Lustre sighed. Winter Contus twirled in her hands, and the silver-haired girl bore a small but anticipatory grin on her face.

"Well, how about one of our favorites?" Evie smirked, crouching with her scimitar Dao in hand and her tail swishing eagerly.

The blue-haired girl laughed lightly, knowing exactly what her girlfriend was referring to. She hoisted her carbine over her head and let out a fierce shout.

"Come get some, bitches!"

And with that, the battle was joined.

It was, as Beryl reflected while deflecting numerous incoming rounds with Dahl, quite a bit different from fighting packs of Grimm, or even the structured tournament combat of the Vytal festival. This was a confused melee of flying bodies and wild attacks. Their opponents had some veneer of professionalism and skill, but it couldn't stand up against the five academy-trained girls.

At one point, Beryl found herself back-to-back with the tall redhead, who used her small buckler in much the same way that the blue-haired girl herself did, though with far more agility. Merri's short spear flashed around, spinning every so often to turn into a rifle and fire off a few rounds at those who were content to stand at the edge of the battle and pepper the combatants with ranged support. That advantage ended soon enough once Evie got in amongst them.

The Cat Faunus flashed past Beryl's vision, materializing on the shoulder of one assault-rifle-toting henchman. She flipped over his head, bringing him around so that he was hurled into a pocket of his comrades. She gave them a healthy dose of a concussive blast before blinking back off again.

As for Pip, she was like a fiery goddess, striding through her opponents with her brightly-glowing greatsword swinging. The veins in her arms were pulsing red, and each swing trailed fire as she slammed into any of the Dragons who dared to stand in her way. Lustre darted in and out from behind her, watching her teammate's back and efficiently taking down targets of opportunity.

"I gotta say," Merri laughed gaily as she sent one of their opponents flying back from where he'd tried to flank the two of them, "you guys are awesome fighters!"

"Yeah, we try," Beryl replied modestly, slamming her shield into the face of one brawler with gauntleted fists. The distinct crunch of cartilage breaking was clearly audible over the sounds of battle. "Did well enough at Vytal this year."

"No way, you guys made it into the Vytal Tournament? Um, duck." The redhead swung her spear in a tight circle, felling two henchmen on either side of them. "Oh, I wished I could've seen it this year, but I was out in the field! Ugh, that sucks, I bet you guys were fantastic!"

"Made it to the final round," Beryl agreed. She fired her carbine at the legs of a sword-wielder that was rushing at Pip, dropping him to the ground while howling in pain.

"Sweet!" the redhead cheered. She took down one opponent with a bash of her buckler, followed up with a solid strike of her spear. Another pair darted in towards the duo, but Merri gestured curtly towards them. The ground beneath their feet seemed to surge upwards, sending the henchmen flying off to the side.

Huh, neat, looks like she has an earth-based semblance of some sort?

The whole affair was over with in less time than was expected. Many of the Black Dragons, including the titular head, had fled when it became evident that these were no ordinary prey. There were a number of bodies lying on the ground, some motionless and some groaning in pain.

"Any fatalities?" Merry asked breathlessly as she strode through the area, her bright blue eyes scanning the ground.

"I don't think so…" Pip mused.

"At least two," Evie spoke up solemnly. "I didn't realize their aura would be so weak… I stopped using Dust when I saw that I'd broken the necks of two of them."

Merri smiled softly as she gave the Cat Faunus a nod. "It happens, though we work very hard to avoid such. Nobody would blame you, though."

"I know." The raven-haired girl accepted a hug from Beryl, sighing heavily. "Doesn't make it any easier to stomach, though."

"Better them than us," the blue-haired girl murmured.

"Yeah," Evie whispered, pressing a firm kiss on the top of her head. "Definitely."

They looked up at the sound of a sharp crack. Lustre stood, practically bristling with irritation, over the prone form of one of their opponents.

"Um, Lustre? You okay, babe?" Pip asked hesitantly.

"Fine," the silver-haired girl bit out. "Perfectly fine. Why is it, do you suppose, that a person would feel compelled to actively flirt with me after they had just gotten their… ass handed to them?"

"Damn," Beryl grinned at her partner. "You must be riled up to actually cuss."

Lustre let out a huff, slipping her staff over her shoulder. "I simply do not understand what possesses a person to behave so."

"It's a pain in the ass," Merri agreed with a nod and a grin. "Can't count the number of guys that tried to pick me up right after I arrested them."

"And after I defeat them in combat!"

"Yep, I don't get it either."

Lustre sighed heavily. "I do not understand it at all, any variation of it at any point in time. Do I truly require a sign to wear around?"

The redhead laughed heartily. "Oh, Oum, yeah I've thought that a few times myself. Maybe just a tee shirt when I'm out of armor, that says, Not Interested…"

"...And Never Will Be," Lustre added, a grin starting to creep across her face as her earlier irritation was eased.

Merri held up a hand towards Lustre. "Solidarity, sister!"

"Indeed," the dusky-skinned girl agreed with a chuckle, returning the high-five.

"Gods, there's two of them now," Pip sighed good-naturedly as the happily chatting pair walked around the perimeter, dragging unconscious forms back into the middle of the clearing.

Soon enough there was a bustle of activity as the Mistralian law enforcement arrived. The four members of Team PERL were eyed with considerable mistrust, even with their Beacon documentation that allowed them to remain armed within the limits of a city, but Merri's assurances went a long way towards creating acceptance. She cheerfully explained to the officers in charge how the four girls were under her supervision, assisting her in the apprehension of the dangerous criminals.

"Does this make us, like, Deputy Huntresses now?" Beryl asked humorously.

Evie giggled lightly, bumping her with her shoulder from where they sat against a stall selling textiles. "I don't think you get a badge or anything."

"Yet another preview of what lies ahead of us," Lustre mused thoughtfully from the other side of Beryl. "It will not always be the fighting of Grimm."

"Well, we kinda get a choice though, right?" Evie asked with a trace of concern. "I mean, I enjoy fighting Grimm and all, but this… Don't get me wrong, I'm more or less okay with having… killed two of them, but…"

"It's not what we signed up for," Beryl agreed quietly. "And yeah, I'd think we would have some choice in what we do. Unless we attach ourselves to an organization, like the Specialists in Atlas."

"Precisely," Lustre said softly.

Beryl eyed where Pip and Merri stood near the officers in charge of the scene, reciting their depositions yet again. She was again reminded forcibly of her earlier epiphany and cleared her throat before finally voicing her thoughts.

"So, either of you notice anything about our fearless leader and our new friend?" the cobalt-haired girl asked casually.

Evie's Faunus ears twitched as her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, similarities."

"Well," her girlfriend began slowly, "they're about the same height, almost the same build though Merri is more willowy, still muscular but not as much as Pip… Um, both have long hair, kinda the same texture, maybe? But different colors, different eye color… and…"

She trailed off as the pair turned in their direction to face another of the officers as he presented further question for them to answer. Beryl nodded slowly as she could practically see it dawn upon both of teammates what she herself had seen.

"Oh my Oum," Evie breathed.

"They have the same face," Lustre murmured. "Same nose, same eye shape, same bone structure…"

"So it's not just me, right?" Beryl asked with a small grin. "They look like they're related."

"Holy fucking Grimm balls," Evie sputtered suddenly. "We gotta tell 'em…"

"Hold up, now," Beryl laughed, pulling her girlfriend back down beside her. "We can do that when they finish up."

The three of them waited with barely-restrained impatience as the law enforcement officials finished with the other pair. Eventually, though, they were all allowed to leave, and they unhesitatingly took advantage of this to return to the cafe they were at earlier.

While Pip and Merri stood at the counter to retrieve their drinks, Beryl grinned at the open-mouth stares that Evie and Lustre sported.

"I don't know how I didn't see it earlier," the Cat Faunus murmured. "I mean, look how they stand, even!"

"It is eerily similar," Lustre agreed. "However, I do not think you should be remiss in discrediting dear Beryl's observational skills. While she may miss things in the big picture, she is quite adept in noticing the finer details."

"Why thank you, partner," Beryl grinned.

"You are most welcome, partner," the silver-haired girl replied with a small smirk.

The others returned by that point and passed out the iced drinks. Humorously enough, Merri seemed to enjoy Iced Chai as much as Lustre did.

"See?" the redhead stated cheerfully, hoisting her beverage cup up. "Sisters!"

"Hmm," Lustre smiled, tapping her cup against their new friend's. "Speaking of which…"

Evie and Lustre both turned to Beryl, wordlessly giving her the opportunity to reveal their suspicions as she was the first to notice.

"So, here's the thing," Beryl began quietly after taking a sip from her cup. "Pip, when you look at Merri, what do you see?"

"Um… well…" The blonde glanced over at Merri, eyebrows quirked upwards. "...Not following you here."

"Beryl, dear, we do not have all day," Lustre spoke up in amusement at the identical looks of confusion on both Pip and their redheaded companion.

"You guys look alike," the blue-haired girl stated exasperatedly. "Same hair texture, same faces."

"Huh," Pip replied intelligently, her coral eyes roaming across Merri features.

"How about that," Merri mused, her own bright blue eyes doing the same for Pip.

"Oh for…" Beryl groaned. "Okay, let's try this. Merri, does the name Jewel Cerise mean anything to you?"

The redhead blinked her eyes as she turned back towards the rest of the table. "Jewel… Wait, you mean Aunt Jewel?"

"Aunt Jewel?" Pip asked, her features beginning to light up with excitement as she fumbled her scroll out. "You mean… her?" The picture showed a blonde woman who looked like Pip herself might several years down the road, though her face seemed to be far more worn and lacked the humor that was usually dancing in Pip's coral eyes. The only other major difference also concerned Jewel's somber eyes, which, Beryl noted humorously, were quite similar to Merri's in color.

"Yeah, that looks like the pictures I've seen… of… her…" Merri's eyes widened as she looked up and back into Pip's eyes. "Wait, you said you were looking for your mom, is… is that her?"

Pip nodded quickly, tears of happiness and relief building up in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah I think so," she replied in a broken whisper.

"Well, fuck me sideways with a Dust shard," Merri proclaimed solemnly. She broke out into a wide grin. "I have a cousin I never knew about."

Pip couldn't speak, her throat closed up with emotion. She could only nod as she brushed the tears away from her cheeks.

"Wow," Merri breathed. "Um, so your last name is Cerise?"

"Yep, she's Pippin Cerise," Beryl interjected for her momentarily speechless team leader.

"Wow," the redhead said once more. "Well, I'm Merri Arc. Um… welcome to the family!"

With that the two embraced tightly, the both of them shedding tears of quiet happiness.

"How about that," Beryl murmured, a wide smile on her face. "Guess sometimes we can actually get some good luck for a change, huh?"

"Merri," her Cat Faunus girlfriend broke in softly. "Is Jewel here, in Mistral?"

"Oh, sorry, no," the redhead murmured, pulling back but keeping her arms around her newfound cousin. "We lost track of her years and years ago, I don't even know all of her story. You'd have to talk to my parents about that."

"Right," Pip stated softly after clearing her throat. "Um, can we do that? I mean, like, today? I'd love to meet your… I mean, our… family."

"You bet," Merri grinned. "Soon as we finish our drinks, let's go visit mom and dad, they're just across town, and I'm pretty sure Aunt Jilly is visiting too." She rolled her eyes humorously as she took another gulp of her beverage. "They keep bugging me to visit anyways, and this'll be an awesome surprise!"

The five of them were striding down the walkway soon enough, spirits lifted high.

Beryl was grinning widely as she held hands with her Faunus girlfriend, not even noticing the damp heat overly.

One more step closer to Pip reuniting with her mom, she thought happily to herself.

A/N: Holy shitbiscuits, I'm back! So, as some may have noted, this is now on a monthly updating schedule. I have a couple of reasons for this, mostly so that the quality of the story doesn't suffer any. By no means will I abandon this tale anytime soon, I have this entire volume planned out still.

Now, I'm not gonna make any note of the hints I left here, I'm sure you all can pick them up on your own. You'll just have to wait for the next chapter for confirmation.

Well, thanks all for sticking with me on this story, and for supporting the PERL girls still! Noticed a review from Nicodemus Cain from the last chapter, thanks for picking up yet another of my stories, friend! Reviews are always appreciated! Until next month!

Stay shiny!