Chapter 6

Yang woke up. She was confused. It was quiet. She was comfortable. Where was she? Certainly not in her apartment. Then she remembered. Winter's house. It was paradise. She looked at clock on the dresser. It was already mid-afternoon. She should probably get up. But the bed was so comfortable. Yang just lie there for almost half an hour, enjoying the luxurious softness of the bed. Then, reluctantly, she forced herself to get up. She grabbed a few things from her bag and exited the bedroom into the bright light of the main room. Her eyes adjusted in seconds and she spotted Winter sitting on the couch watching television, some business news channel. "I'm up." Yang said. "I'm just going to shower."

"Sleep well?" Winter asked, not turning around.

"Better than I have in a long time." Yang replied. She headed into the bathroom, placed her toothbrush and toothpaste on the edge of the sink, then placed her razor and bottle of shampoo on a shelf in the shower. Yang had allowed herself few luxuries, but good shampoo was one of them. She undressed and checked the temperature before stepping into the shower. She set which shower heads would be used and adjusted the angles. Then she just stood there for a long time, letting the water run over her. It was so relaxing, being able to take a shower without being crammed into a too-small space or having to worry about the hot water suddenly running out. After just enjoying it for a while Yang washed up then turned off the water. She stepped out, toweled off, then blow-dried her hair.

Yang brushed her teeth, did her hair, and wrapped a towel around herself before exiting the bathroom. "Everything alright?" Winter asked. "You were in there for a long time."

"I was just enjoying it." Yang said. "I haven't taken a really relaxing shower since I lived on Patch. This place is just incredible."

"I'm glad you like it." Winter said. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm kind of hungry, but there's nothing here." Yang replied as she searched the refrigerator and cabinets.

"We could go out somewhere." Winter suggested.

"Nah, I'd rather settle in." Yang said. "We could order delivery. There's this Mistrali place I really like that I haven't been able to afford for a while. Their menu is actually one of the few papers I brought with me."

"That sounds good to me." Winter said. "Just bring me the menu and I'll take a look." Yang ducked into her bedroom, grabbed the paper and brought it to Winter, sitting on the couch beside her. Winter looked over. "Yang, put some clothes on." Yang was still just wrapped in a towel.

"Do I have to?" Yang groaned.

"You don't have to, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you did." Winter replied as she looked over the menu.

"Fine." Yang sighed. She got up and headed back into her room, emerging a few minutes later fully clothed. "Decide what you want?"

"Yes...I think." Winter replied. "I'm open to suggestions though."

"Everything's good." Yang said. "Just let me know what you want and I'll call it in."

Yang got a big meal of pasta and chicken while Winter had seafood. Winter found the food quite good, somewhat reminiscent of take-out she had eaten while away at college. Yang consumed her food so quickly Winter had a hard time believing she could have tasted any of it. After dinner Winter was at a loss. Back home she would still be working, even if she were not at work. Now she was on vacation and had nothing to do. During the day she had tried to occupy herself by watching the news but it was becoming stale and repetitive. Yang helpfully introduced Winter to a few decent sitcoms. After watching television for a while Winter headed to sleep. Yang stayed up for a little longer, watching some late night talk shows, before she too retired for the night.

Winter woke up mid-morning. She dragged herself out of bed, put on a robe and staggered out of her bedroom. Something smelled good. She was vaguely aware of Yang walking around. Still half-asleep, Winter stumbled over to the coffee maker, fumbling with the single-serve cups. Then there were hands on her shoulders. "Don't bother sleepy head, I already made you some." Yang said. Winter dropped the little plastic cups and Yang guided her to a chair beside the old table. Yang pulled the chair out and Winter plopped down, briefly putting her head down on the table.

"Morning...tired…" Winter groaned. "Need coffee."

"And here it is." Yang said. Winter lifted her head just as Yang placed a mug and plate before her. The mug contained some sort of coffee and Winter did not care what, taking a sip of the dark warm liquid. Good enough, maybe a little too much sugar. On the plate were a few pieces of toast, along with a knife and some bits of butter cut off a stick. "Thanks."

"No problem." Yang said, taking a seat across from her with coffee and toast of her own. "I would have made more but all you had was bread."

Winter yawned and stretched. "We'll go shopping today." She said. "We need to get you some clothes anyway."

"Clothes?" Yang asked.

"Yes, clothes." Winter confirmed with another yawn. "I'm going to help you find a job. At some point you're going to have an interview and you'll need to look the part."

"That makes sense." Yang shrugged. "I do only have like three outfits and none of them are really business appropriate."

The shopping center was crowded. Pyrrha had to park her car some distance away from the grocery store. She and Nora got out and started walking toward their destination. Nora skipped along, gazing in the shop windows as they passed. In front of a lingerie shop Nora came to a stop. "See something you want?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not for me." Nora replied. "You should get that." Nora pointed to a set of lingerie on a dummy, a red, lacy, revealing number.

"I don't know Nora, I don't think I have the body for it." Pyrrha sighed.

"Nonsense." Nora said. "It would look great on you!"

"Nora!" A familiar voice called from nearby.

Nora looked up and spotted Yang. "Yang!" Nora exclaimed. She rushed straight for her friend with Pyrrha a few steps behind, just trying to keep up.

Yang braced herself for the inevitable impact just before Nora slammed into her, immediately wrapping her in a tight embrace. "Hey Nora, it's good to see you too." Yang said.

"What are you doing here?" Nora asked as Pyrrha arrived on the scene.

"Just grocery shopping." Yang replied. "Winter's house is empty. I saw a pink puffy vest bouncing around and I knew it was you."

"Winter's house?" Pyrrha said with a confused look on her face.

"Oh yeah, I'm moving in until I find a job." Yang explained.

"I hadn't thought to buy food." Winter laughed. "I haven't lived on my own in a long time."

"Come on!" Nora exclaimed, grabbing Yang's arm. "Let's pick some stuff out. Pyrrha doesn't let me have snacks."

"That's a good idea." Pyrrha said. "You can go with Yang while I grab some things."

"I'd hate for you to be alone…" Yang started.

"I'll accompany Pyrrha, if that's alright with both of you." Winter offered.

"Sounds good." Yang said. "Want me to get anything in particular?"

"No, just get whatever you want, and don't worry about overspending, that's no issue." Winter said. "If anything interests me I'll grab it myself."

"Alright Nora, let's go." Yang said as she grabbed a shopping trolley. Nora grabbed a basket and bounced along beside her as they disappeared into the store.

"Shall we?" Pyrrha asked, gesturing toward the store.

"I wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Winter said. She and Pyrrha grabbed trolleys and headed inside.

Winter and Pyrrha wound up and down the aisles, occasionally grabbing something. "So, what's it like living with Yang?" Pyrrha asked.

"She only moved in yesterday, so I'm not really sure." Winter replied. "After she showered she walked around the place in nothing but a towel for a while. That was interesting." Pyrrha blushed brightly. "Oh that's nothing. College was much worse."

"Do I even want to know?" Pyrrha asked.

"Probably not." Winter laughed. "So you're helping Nora with her shopping?"

"Yes." Pyrrha replied. "She can't drive, and she would probably just buy junk food anyway. I enjoy our little trips. Nora can be a handful but she's fun to hang out with."

"I get the feeling the same could be said about Yang, but for different reasons." Winter said. "It's nice of you to take care of Nora like this."

"It's my job." Pyrrha shrugged. "Someone needs to make sure she's taking her medication and taking care of herself. Plus we've become good friends."

"We're back!" Nora shouted as she and Yang approached. Without realizing it Winter and Pyrrha had wound themselves through almost the entire store. Yang's trolley was filled with fruits and vegetables, various meats, noodles and pasta, and all manner of spices and other ingredients. The composition of Pyrrha's was much the same, albeit on a smaller scale. Winter had nothing but salad ingredients and frozen dinners. Nora's basket was filled with snacks.

"That's what you're getting?" Yang asked, gesturing towards Winter's trolley.

"This is what I would normally get." Winter shrugged.

"How do you keep your figure with this diet?" Yang asked.

"In Atlas I have a personal chef who make meals based on my nutritionist's suggestions." Winter replied.

"And in college?" Yang pressed.

"Volleyball, fencing and sex." Winter answered.

"Fencing?" Yang said.

"Sex?" Pyrrha gasped. Winter just shrugged. "Uh...volleyball though. I played in college. We won the national championship my senior year."

"Well, you must have played much more seriously than I did." Winter said. "It was just intramurals for me, more a hobby than a sport."

"I haven't played since gym class in primary school." Yang added.

"We should have a match sometime." Pyrrha laughed.

"I live on the beach." Winter said. "I can pick up some equipment."

"Oh...you don't have to...I was just joking." Pyrrha said.

"Maybe one day I'll actually do it." Winter laughed. "So, should we head for the checkout?"

"I'm all done." Yang said.

"Me too." Pyrrha added.

"Alright then." Winter said. "I can pick up the bill for you two as well."

"No!" Nora shouted. "I can pay myself!" She grabbed Pyrrha's trolley and headed toward the checkout lines.

"Uh...what was that about?" Yang asked.

"I don't know." Pyrrha admitted. "You know how Nora can be sometimes. She's probably just getting impatient. I hope you're not offended."

"No, of course not." Winter said. "I probably just came across as condescending, implying she was too poor to afford it. I apologize."

"There's no need to apologize, I know you meant well." Pyrrha said. "Now, I should go after her. I can't let her buy all that candy. She'll be bouncing off the walls."

Pyrrha rushed after Nora. Yang shrugged then followed with Winter in tow. They paid for their food and called the hired car back. After loading the groceries in the trunk with the clothes they had purchased for Yang they headed for home. At first Winter had only intended to buy Yang clothes for any job interviews she may get, but eventually that grew into purchasing a whole wardrobe. Winter picked up a few things for herself as well. With supplies procured they could now get down to the business of finding Yang a job.

Winter poked her head through the doorway. "Yang, it's almost noon." Winter said. "It's time to get up and start working on finding you a job."

"Tired...sleep…" Yang groaned.

"I'm serious." Winter warned. "We need to get going."

"No." Yang said.

"Get up Yang." Winter demanded. She flipped on the lights.

Yang groaned and pulled the cover over her head. "Go away." Yang said.

Winter walked up and yanked the sheets out of Yang's grip and off the bed. Still Yang refused to budge. So Winter grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off the bed. Yang just whined and curled up on the floor. "Last chance." Winter warned. Yang gave no response. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Winter briefly left the room. In the corner she spotted what she was looking for, a bundle of decorative sticks. Even she found them pretentious. She pulled one out and returned to Yang's bedroom. She stood over Yang who was curled up in the sheets and covers that were now on the floor. Winter sighed and poked Yang in the side with the stick.

"Stop." Yang giggled as the stick tickled her. She swatted at the stick but Winter just smirked and kept it in motion, poking different spots. Finally Yang took hold of the stick and glared at Winter.

"This is hilarious." Winter laughed, doing her best to hide just how amused she was. The whole thing felt familiar, giving her a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. "I don't know why...but it feels like…"

"My turn." Yang said. She sprung up and grabbed Winter before she could react, the pair falling onto the bed. Yang ended up in control, tickling her up and down her sides.

"Ah!" Winter gasped, doing her best not to laugh. "Yang no!" Yang kept tickling. "Stop!"

"Never!" Yang declared. She turned up the intensity and laughed hysterically.

Winter managed to spin out and slide away, getting to her feel, leaving sitting on the edge of the bed laughing. "Alright, alright." Winter chuckled. "Enough playing around. Grab some coffee and let's start working on your resume."

"Alright." Yang groaned. "Let me shower first." Yang followed Winter out, heading for the bathroom. After a quick shower she dressed and made some coffee and toast, taking it into the business center where Winter was already waiting at the computer.

"Alright Yang, do you have a resume?" Winter asked. "That's a good place to start."

"Hold on." Yang said. She left and returned with a business card, handing it to Winter.

"It just says your name and 'Hire Me!'" Winter said. "And you obviously just wrote it in pen."

"I found a box of blank business cards once." Yang shrugged. "It was good enough to get me all my previous jobs."

"This is really it?" Winter asked, shaking her head.

"My job history is a little lacking." Yang explained. "So is my education."

"Education, let's start there." Winter decided. She was obviously going to have to start from scratch.

"Well, I graduated high school." Yang said. "No college."

"Okay, that's not too bad." Winter said. "What high school?"

"Signal on Patch." Yang replied. "I don't know the address or anything."

"I can look it up." Winter said as she tapped away at the keyboard. "Alright then, jobs. What have you done?"

"I worked for two ice cream companies on Patch." Yang started.

"You sold ice cream?" Winter gasped.

"No, I delivered freezers." Yang answered. "I drove the delivery truck, lugged the freezers around. It's just manual labor really."

"Any other jobs?" Winter asked.

"I was a bouncer." Yang said with a smirk. "Until I punched a very nice white-haired lady."

"I'm sure someone will value this." Winter said, trying to stay positive. "I'll need more details on the ice cream jobs. What companies? Why did you leave?"

"The second one was at Oceanic Ice Cream Corp." Yang said. "I left to take Ruby to Vale for treatment."

"Okay, that's fine." Winter said. "How about the first?"

"That one was Carnival Ice Cream." Yang said. "I was fired when I ran the delivery truck into a low bridge. Full can-opener."

"You really did that?!" Winter gasped.

"Yeah...but it wasn't my fault!" Yang protested. "My navigator wasn't navigating!"

"Well, I'm sure we can spin this into a positive." Winter sighed. "Is there anything else?"

"Nope." Yang said. "I was too busy taking care of Ruby."

"If we round this out with some relevant skills I think it'll be enough." Winter said.

The pair wrapped up work on the resume, then spent the next few hours with Winter guiding Yang through the process of applying for a series of jobs. By the time they finished it was evening. It was already late so they just had some of the frozen dinners Winter had purchased the day before. They then retired for the evening.

Winter woke up, a little later than she would have liked. She could smell food, and it smelled fantastic. Strange, the kitchen was in a different wing. She should not have been able to smell it from her room. Wait. Oh. She was not in her mansion. She was in her vacation house in Vale. That meant only one person could be cooking. Winter got out of bed, washed her face in the attached bathroom, then emerged into the main room.

"Something smells heavenly." Winter said.

"Good morning!" Yang exclaimed in a sing-songy voice.

"Oh my." Winter said as she saw the collection of foods and ingredients arrayed around Yang.

Yang took a break from cooking to pour Winter a cup of coffee. "I was going to wake you up when it was done, but you have great timing." She said as she handed Winter the cup. "Sit down and I'll dish up everything."

"Everything?" Winter asked as she sat at the table, taking the side with the 2x4 leg.

"Eggs, bacon, french toast, and some blueberry muffins that are just about ready!" Yang replied. "You want some juice?"

"No thank you." Winter said. "French toast?"

"I haven't made it in years!" Yang said. "It's so good."

"Need any help?" Winter asked. Yang shook her head.

Yang took two large frying pans off the stove. One contained french toast, the other bacon and eggs. She slid the contents onto separate plates, then brought them to the dining table where Winter was waiting. She rushed back to the kitchen, then returned with plates and cutlery for both of them. "Bon appetit!" Yang cheered.

"This is...glorious Yang." Winter gasped.

"I missed cooking big meals." Yang said. "Cooking is fun, and people always appreciate it."

"Have you considered taking up the culinary arts?" Winter asked.

"I took an elective in high school." Yang shrugged. "But physical health was always my jam."

"You seem to take good care of your body." Winter observed.

"It's the one thing I've always been good at." Yang said. "I've never been the most intelligent girl in the room, and I wasn't going to coast off my looks either. I wanted to be useful, so I pushed myself physically, and it turns out I was a natural!"

"Well I'm glad you have the energy." Winter said. "Because we're going to spend the day looking at jobs again."

Yang groaned and slumped in her chair. "Aw...and after I bribed you with breakfast." She complained.

"You'll need more of a bribe than food Xiao-Long." Winter said.

"My body then?" Yang asked with a wink.

"Easy tiger." Winter laughed.

"Reow!" Yang faux-growled.

Winter tossed a tea towel into Yang's face. After a moment they burst into laughter.