Chapter 29

Though still hesitant to leave Penny at home, Glynda had returned to work. She had a duty to Penny, but she also had a duty to her patients, and Raven seemed to be getting along with Penny well enough. Penny was still noticeably cautious around Raven, but at least they could sit comfortably in the same room without one or both being traumatized by the experience. Raven still felt uneasy about some aspects of taking care of Penny, but they were making good progress.

The building block kits had brought the pair together and opened new avenues in their relationship. Raven was still useless when it came to Penny's more complex models, but she enjoyed watching Penny work, and for her part the girl talked about them with an enthusiasm usually reserved for when she was explaining something to Glynda. The documentaries Penny enjoyed still usually vexed Raven, but she was at least able to pick up some points, at least enough to have a discussion.

Penny and Raven sat at the coffee table, a documentary Penny had seen many times playing on the television, though neither was really paying attention to it. They were constructing a large building block kit, an elaborate fire station complete with firetrucks and firemen. They had started working on it just after Glynda had left for work, and now, hours later, they were almost done. "Raven, can we have lunch?" Penny asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh...is it that time already?" Raven looked at the clock. Sure enough it was a little after noon. "Man, that kit took a long fu...freakin' time. I guess we did take a few breaks. Uh, sure, lunch. Whaddya' want?"

"Can we have pizza?" Penny requested. "I always have pizza for lunch on Thursdays."

"Sure kiddo...I think we have what we need to make one." Raven agreed.

"No, pizza from Rosso's." Penny shook her head. "Father would take me to my appointment with Glynda, then we would go to Rosso's. I get a personal pizza, plain with light cheese."

Raven hesitated for a moment. "Alright...you know how to get there?"

"Yes." Penny replied.

"You're just gonna' wait in the car, yeah?" Raven asked. Penny nodded in confirmation. "Okay, put some shoes on." Penny slipped on her shoes, tying each with an elaborate knot, as Raven slid on her already tied sneakers. "All set?"

"I am ready to go." Penny announced, picking up her child booster seat.

"Okay, let's go." Raven could not help but chuckle. Seeing Penny happy and enthusiastic made her feel surprisingly good. Beyond Penny's initial phobias, Raven had been worried that she would not connect with the girl, but that fear proved unfounded. She led Penny to her car, unlocking it and slipping into the front seat. Penny placed her booster seat in the back, climbed atop it, and belted herself in. Raven started the car and the radio immediately blared high-pitched, harsh metallic sound, combined with electronically modulated screaming. Penny screamed in response, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. "Oh shit! Sorry!" Raven smacked the power button to shut off the radio and the car fell silent.

Slowly, Penny moved her hands away from her ears and opened her eyes. "Is it...i-is it over?"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry." Raven apologized. "I forget how loud I play my music sometimes."

"That was music?!" Penny gasped.

"Yeah...uh...black metal." Raven replied.

"It was very scary." Penny observed. "Why do you listen to it?"

"Well...sometimes, when your emotions are really powerful, you can only work through them is by aggressive, violent exclamation." Raven attempted to explain.

"You yell and scream very loudly to industrial sounds and electronic distortions?" Penny asked.

"It's actually kinda' therapeutic." Raven shrugged. "Not for everyone though."

"Maybe...maybe if you turned the volume down a little, it would not be so bad." Penny suggested. "That decibel level is potentially damaging to your ears."

"You're not wrong kiddo." Raven chuckled. "There's a reason my hearing's garbage."

"Can...can we go for pizza now?" Penny requested.

Raven smiled, looking at Penny in the rear view mirror. "Sure, I think you've earned it."

Qrow and Melanie walked along the forest path, a gentle summer breeze rustling the leaves overhead. They were in a park on Patch, once popular but now mostly deserted after a population shift away from the area. The two might be the only to visit the place all day. Qrow carried a sizeable basket, the main reason behind their presence. "I still can't believe you wanted to go on a picnic." Qrow shook his head.

"Yang said Patch is a picnic paradise." Melanie explained.

"It just doesn't seem like something that would interest you." Qrow observed.

"I'm a closet romantic." Melanie deadpanned. "Besides, I love relaxing outside."

"Your utter lack of a tan tells me otherwise." Qrow jabbed. The path opened up into a clearing with a large pond at its center. It was like a scene out of a postcard. "Well, here we are. Pick a spot and we can get started."

"Hmm...not just yet." Melanie mumbled, walking to the edge of the pond. She crouched down and ran her hand through the water. "I think I'll go for a swim first."

"Seriously?" Qrow pressed.

"It's a nice day, the water's warm, it would be a waste not to." Melanie noted. She took off her shirt and tossed it to Qrow, then kicked off her shoes and began to shimmy out of her jeans.

"What are you doing?" Qrow asked.

"What?" Melanie shrugged. "Don't wanna' get my clothes wet." After the jeans she removed her bra, then panties, passing them to Qrow as he did his best to avert his gaze. With a smirk, she strode into the water, dipping down until it covered her shoulders. "Care to join me?"

"That's alright, not much of a swimmer." Qrow rolled his eyes. He instead found a level spot in the grass, and set about arranging the picnic. After placing the basket and Melanie's clothes on the ground, he laid out a blanket, smoothing it before taking a seat. Melanie swam towards him, bursting from the water, back arched, bare breasts on display. Qrow faux yawned. He dug into the basket and grabbed himself a sandwich. Her first attempt at seduction having failed, Melanie began floating around on her back, positioning herself for maximum allure. Qrow seemed to take notice, but then… "Hey, is that a drone?"

"What?!" Melanie gasped. She flailed, frantically covering herself and hiding beneath the water. Qrow laughed hysterically. "You're terrible!"

"So are you." Qrow grinned. "Now get over here and eat. I brought honeycomb…" Melanie did love honeycomb. Pouting, she emerged from the water, shaking off as much as possible before dressing. She sat beside Qrow and joined him in eating. "Gotta' admit, you've got a hell of a physique. You work out?"

"I'm a model." Melanie noted.

"I didn't ask if you ate." Qrow joked.

"You're full of it today." Melanie grumbled.

"And yet here you are." Qrow teased.

Melanie mumbled under her breath. "You're lucky you can cook."

"Thanks for the tip Sum, worked like a charm." Raven praised as she, Yang and Summer worked on a building block kit. "You're raising a genius Yang."

"You're welcome!" Summer cheered.

"Winter's the one focused on molding her into a genius." Yang noted. "Me brain no work good."

"That makes two of us." Raven chuckled.

"So everything's going well with Penny then?" Yang asked.

"Mostly." Raven nodded. "Now when I'm around she plays with her cube thing without looking like she's going to crush it in terror. And she doesn't try to hide from me, unless we're playing hide and seek."

"I love hide and seek!" Summer announced. "Can I go play with Penny sometime?"

"Uh...I don't know." Raven hesitated. "She'd probably be afraid of you. Somehow."

"Why?" Summer asked.

"Penny's afraid of anyone new." Raven replied. "It's like...Summer, what are you afraid of?"

"Um...spiders I guess." Summer replied.

"Well when she sees new people...it's as if you saw everyone new as a spider." Raven tried to explain. "I don't know how she sees new people, or why she's afraid, but she is. It takes a lot of work to get her to be comfortable around you."

"What if we built stuff together?" Summer suggested.

"I mean, that's kinda' my thing, but I guess we could give it a shot." Raven shrugged. "I'll talk to Glynda about it, don't want to try it until she thinks Penny's ready."

"Okay." Summer agreed. "I can't wait!"

"So...mom...you said things were mostly alright with Penny." Yang observed. "Why not totally?"

"Well...there are some aspects of taking care of her that I'm just not comfortable with yet." Raven sighed. "Like giving her baths. It's weird to be around a naked kid, especially since she's not my kid."

"Yeah, I guess you never got to give me baths to get used to it." Yang allowed. "I still don't see how it's a big deal though."

"I just can't help but see nudity as sexual...which is really weird in the context." Raven explained.

"Nudity doesn't have to be sexual." Yang scoffed. "Is everything you do with your clothes off sexual?"

"It is when someone else is in the room." Raven countered.

"Eh, I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually." Yang shrugged. "I guess I have an advantage there. Growing up with Ruby, we'd take baths together all the time, splash and play and wash each other's hair. It's kind of the same with Summer, except the age difference is way bigger, and the questions are a little weirder."

"Such as?" Raven inquired.

"Such as why my boobs are as big as her head." Yang chuckled.

Summer laughed too. "They're like big fluffy pillows!"

"Last time she poked my nipple and said 'boop.'" Yang deadpanned.

"She should probably spend less time around Aunty Nora." Raven suggested.

"Winter said the same thing." Yang noted.

"Aw, but Aunty Nora's really fun!" Summer complained.

Yang grinned. "Wait until after she has her kid. If she goes back to anything like the way she used to be, she'll really be something."

It was time for another pregnancy shoot, part of a busy day at Solstice Modeling. With Yang and Melanie in for shoots of their own, it was all hands on deck. Nora waited on the break room couch while Pyrrha did her shoot. She was wearing the same bikini she had for all the previous weekly pregnancy photos. It had started out rather loose, but now, several months in, it was almost uncomfortably tight. That was the case with much of her wardrobe. Add to that aching feet and ankles, and pregnancy was downright miserable. But now, as Summer giggled while rubbing Nora's belly, it all seemed worth it.

"You're gonna' have a little cousin soon!" Nora cheered.

"I can't wait!" Summer exclaimed. Yang, leaning against a nearby counter and reading a magazine, smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Good, because I'm gonna' need you to help take care of...hmm…" Nora trailed off. "Can you keep a secret?"

"I sure can!" Summer replied.

"You can't tell anyone." Nora insisted. "Well...except Yang, Pyrrha and Sun, they already know...but no one else!"

"I won't tell anyone." Summer nodded.

"Okay." Nora leaned in to whisper in Summer's ear. "I'm having a little girl!"

"Awesome!" Summer smiled.

"She's really growin'." Nora continued. "Sometimes I can feel her kick!"

"Does it hurt?" Summer asked.

"No, but it surprises me sometimes." Nora answered. "It's like she's tryin' to say hi but can't speak yet."

The door swung open to reveal Melanie. She was obviously dressed for her shoot, hair and makeup already done. "Yang, can I talk to you for a minute?" She looked toward Summer and Nora. "In private?"

Yang placed her magazine on the counter. "Sure." She nodded. "I'll be right back Summer." The little girl seemed not to even notice, focused more on her conversation with Nora. Yang followed Melanie to one of the dressing rooms, where the latter took a seat, the former standing with her back against the door. "What's up?"

"So...your uncle...you think he's relationship material?" Melanie asked.

"Isn't it a little late for that question?" Yang scoffed. "You already moved in with the guy."

"Yeah, but at this point I'm not much more than a renter." Melanie explained. "It's not like we've done anything yet, haven't even had a proper kiss. We're both interested...I just want to know if I should take the next step."

"When he was around, Qrow was a great uncle to me and Ruby, kind of like a second father even." Yang noted. "When Summer died it hit him really hard, almost as hard as dad, but he did his best. Once things were sort of settled he joined the military, but that didn't really help him. He was home on leave when Tai killed himself. He asked to be discharged, for family hardship, but since me and Ruby weren't his kids, they refused, and then he turned to drinking. Apparently things went really bad from there, and I didn't have much contact with him until after he started therapy with Glynda. She helped him a lot, and now Qrow seems as stable and well-adjusted as ever."

"I wasn't asking for his life story." Melanie complained. "Just a yes or no would have been fine."

"Yeah, well, it's not that simple." Yang declared. "I can't make the decision for you, just give you a better idea of who he is. I want what's best for him, and what's best for you. If you think being together is going to make you both happy, I don't see any reason not to."

"How is he with relationships?" Melanie asked.

"I'm not sure he's ever been in a committed relationship." Yang admitted. "He used to make a lot of...off-color jokes, and he definitely got around, but lately he hasn't been like that. I honestly can't tell you what he'd be like in a relationship."

"Guess I'm flying blind then." Melanie sighed. "He did pass my test though."

"Test?" Yang asked.

"Went skinny dipping right in front of him, to see if he'd try anything." Melanie smirked. "He didn't. If anything the joke was on me."

"That's fucking weird Mel." Yang chuckled.

Melanie pouted. "You're one to talk."

The apartment door opened, and as Reese walked into her new home for the first time, it felt anticlimactic. "It's...big." The girl commented, looking about the living room, taking in the colors, examining the sculptures and artwork, all with a blank, passive expression on her face. "Weird."

Blake and Velvet shared a look at that. Reese did not seem as impressed with her surroundings as Summer. There was no wonder, no excitement, not even interest. She looked visibly uncomfortable. "It's a bit odd, but it grows on you." Kali chirped. "Would you like to see your room sweetie?" Whether the enthusiasm was fabricated or not, it got a shrug from Reese, and Kali pushed Velvet and Blake forward, whispering to go on.

"It's just down here." Blake explained, looking to meet Reese's bored gaze as she passed down the hall. "The bathroom is here on the right." She gestured to a door as she passed. "We have our own attached to the bedroom, so this one is yours."

"Okay, thanks." Reese murmured, following onward until they reached another door, on the left this time.

"This one is your room." Blake opened the door.

Reese peeked in. The room was more dull than the rest, a mix of white, black and grey, neutral save for a single cyan pillow on the bed, a spur of the moment purchase by Kali. Reese walked in, taking in her surroundings, still passive in her demeanor. She approached the bed and pulled herself up onto it, bouncing slightly to test its softness before looking up to the trio, her lips pulling together, in what may have been the closest thing to a smile they had ever seen from her. "Thank you." She whispered.

"It's a bit bare, I know, but we can go shopping tomorrow, get some things to make it feel more like your own." Velvet suggested. "That sound good?" Reese simply nodded. Blake and Velvet brought her bags, small as they were, into the room, sitting them at the foot of the bed.

"Would you like some time to unpack?" Blake asked.

"Yeah." Reese confirmed.

"Take your time." Velvet said. "When you're ready, come out and we can talk, alright?" Reese nodded again, meeting their gazes individually. Kali offered another smile, but Reese looked down again. Taking this as their cue to leave, they closed the door and retreated down the hall.

"That felt so awkward." Blake flopped onto the couch, Velvet taking the seat beside her. Kali remained standing.

"She thanked us, twice." Velvet noted. "That's progress, isn't it?" She looked to Kali.

Kali could only shrug. "We just need to give her time. She has a home now. When that sinks in, she'll become more social. The grey probably didn't help dear."

"I didn't want to make any decor assumptions." Blake explained. "The room is a blank slate. Reese can change or add anything she wants to it."

"It was probably a shock, going from all this…" Velvet gestured to the decorations that lined the living room. "...to that. She looked so uncomfortable."

"And that will pass." Kali soothed. "Girls, be patient. Nothing worth doing was ever easy."

"I can think of several smartass comebacks." Blake smirked.

Kali rolled her eyes. "You will keep them to yourself."