Blood of The Rose

Chapter 32: Sisterly Bonding

Santa Monica

"So, Weiss," Ruby murmured as they entered the apartment building of her Haven and headed up the stairs. "You think maybe Blake earned some of your trust?"

"Perhaps," was the noncommittal response. Ruby just giggled, earning a glare. Notably, it lacked any heat.

She paused, though, at the end of the hallway in front of their door, eyeing the one across the way consideringly. "Hey, Yang, you still gotta see Kilpatrick, yeah?"

"Yep, sure do, not tonight, though."

"No, 'course not… I gotta do something for him, though, in this other apartment. Wanna come with?"

Yang grinned widely and cracked her knuckles. "A little breaking and entering with my baby sis? Hell yeah!"

With a resigned sigh, Weiss shook her head and pushed past the pair. "I shall leave the two of you to your criminal activities and get ready for bed."

"Okay, Weiss!" the brunette chirped, already pulling out her lockpick set. "See ya soon!"

As she crouched down, she was surprised to see Yang's hand held in front of her face. "Not so fast, Rubes," her sister declared. "What's the first rule?"

"Um… don't get caught?"

"Okay, the second rule."

"Ummm…"

Yang sighed affectionately as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb. "Make sure the place is actually empty."

"Oh, right! I knew that, heh heh…"

Still crouched, Ruby rapped sharply on the door. "Delivery for Miss Murietta!" she called out. "Looks like a case of wine!"

"Wine, really?" Yang stage-whispered.

"Hey, it could work," Ruby replied with the same inflection. "Who'd pass up free booze?"

"Point. Could've said whiskey, though."

"Nobody is gonna order a case of whiskey!"

"Uncle Qrow woulda."

"Nobody with an intact liver is going to order a whole fucking case of whiskey, Yang!"

"Fine, fine…"

With an amused chuckle, Ruby got to work, quickly popping the lock and easing the door open. "Okay, that was disturbingly easy," she murmured. "I gotta get the lock on my door replaced."

"Or get a deadbolt for the inside."

"Yeah, that'd work. At least for during the day." Ruby slipped inside, eyeing the mostly empty apartment with the same dimensions as her Haven, just reversed. Only an unmade bed sat in the middle of the room. "Hey, Yang?"

"Yeah?" the blonde answered, poking her head into the kitchenette area and wrinkling up her nose at the moldy dishes stacked in the sink.

"How do Kindred manage to stay safe? I mean… just about anyone could come across us during the day, or the building could burn down, or-"

"Hey, ease up there, Rubes," Yang chuckled. "Yeah, shit could happen, but that's true for kine in the middle of the night, too. The older, more powerful ones get themselves set up in a nice hidey-hole that's more secure an' all." The blonde smiled at her sister as she returned from looking in the bathroom. "Give it some time, you'll get set up better."

"Well… What about you, though? You said you sleep in a basement!"

"Yeah, in a Kindred bar that's guarded and staffed during the day. It's actually pretty damn secure."

"Oh, huh…" Ruby stood by the window, eyeing an old-fashioned answering machine that rested on the floor. "Um, do you know how to work one of these?"

"I think there's a 'rewind' and then a 'play' button."

"Oh, yeah, how about that… freaking old tech, here…"

The brunette fledgling crouched down and pushed the button to back the tape up before playing the recorded messages. As it turned out, there was only one, the voice smarmy and somewhat drunk-sounding, identifying himself as Muddy. She frowned after it ended.

"So, no idea where this Murien chick is," Yang summarized. "But sounds like he's downtown now, huh? With this Milton guy?"

"Yeah," Ruby murmured. "Skyline Apartments 2A, and he's workin' with a guy called Reno… Huh, y'know, I think that's the same apartment building I gotta check in with that ghoul, Paul, for Damsel… Whelp, that's enough for me to take back to Kilpatrick, don'tcha think?"

"Yep, definitely. Let's call it a night, huh?"

"Right behind ya, sis."

Weiss was already sitting with her back to the headboard, in her nightgown and perusing her phone. She gave the sisters a brief nod as they entered. While Yang shouldered the door shut and locked it, Ruby darted in and grabbed her night clothes to change into.

"Dibs on the bathroom!"

Yang barked out a laugh. "Y'know, Rubes, we don't have to pee anymore. I don't need to use the bathroom."

"Oh, well… Sorry, habit."

She emerged from the doorless bathroom shortly thereafter, clothes tucked under one arm. As she crossed the room, Yang snorted out a laugh from where she sat on the desk chair.

"Is that… Is that the Count from Sesame Street?"

Ruby grinned proudly, giving a quick twirl in her new nightgown. "Yep!"

"You are still such a massive dork," her sister sighed fondly.

"Too true!" the brunette chirped before tossing her evening wear onto the pile by the desk, along with her combat knife, bat, and revolver, and leaping lightly into the bed.

"Okay, then," the blonde groaned as she stood up and stretched languidly. "I'll just…" She paused at the doorway to the bathroom before turning back around, hands on hips. "There's no tub."

"Oh… Oh, shit, I'm sorry, Yang," the brunette replied anxiously, suddenly recalling that there was only a shower stall. "I didn't even think about that!"

Yang just shook her head. "No prob, gimme a sec…"

Ruby and Weiss shared a perplexed look as Yang exited the room again. She was back mere moments later, wrestling a mattress in and plopping it in the center of the room, locking the door behind her once more.

"Is that from next door?" Ruby snickered.

"Well, yeah, ain't like she's gonna need it."

Weiss sighed and shook her head humorously. "Delinquents, the both of you."

The siblings shared a grin. "Yep!" they answered in unison.

With another sigh, Weiss plugged her phone into her charger and set it on the mattress beside her before stretching out. "Well, it is close to time. I suggest we get comfortable."

Ruby lay beside her, turning so that she could view her sister on the floor. "Yang, you want anything to sleep in?"

"Nope, I'm good. 'Night, Rubes, Ice Queen."

"Goodnight, Yang," Weiss sighed one final time in resignation. "And, goodnight, Ruby."

"'Night, partner!" Ruby replied cheerfully before turning back on her side, regarding her sister warmly. "'Night Yang," she whispered. "I'm… glad I finally found you again."

"Me, too, Rubes," the blonde murmured just as the sun began to crest the horizon. "Me, too."

Santa Monica

Early the next evening, Ruby led the small group down the passageway towards the beach, once again hit by the smells and memories of better times spent in sunshine and sand.

"Hey, Yang?" she called out softly over her shoulder.

"Yeah, Rubes," her blonde sister murmured, a trace of sadness in her voice as if she knew exactly what Ruby was thinking. "I remember, too."

The brunette just nodded back, straightening her thin shoulders as she walked on. The cobblestone pathway clacked under the three Kindreds' feet, soon enough giving away to a softer surface.

Standing at the water's edge was Mercurio, a broad smile on his face as he gestured to the women.

"Hey, hey! Just in time!" he chuckled before giving Ruby a broad wink. "You, hey, what can I say? I know I already mentioned it, but yeah, you preserved my ass. I truly appreciate you not sayin' anything, and I want you to know, I take care of those who do me favors. So from now on, you need equipment, info, you come see me at my apartment. Don't hesitate, okay?" He held up a finger as if remembering something. "Oh, and yeah, I got a cellphone on me here, gonna give it to your girl next time I see her. Left the blade behind, though, you just pop by to pick it up when you're ready."

"Awesome, thanks, Mercurio!" Ruby grinned. "And, y'know, the same goes for you, okay? You need anything, you let me know. You got my number!"

"Thanks, kiddo, that means a lot to me, it really does." The leisure-suited man let out a huff of air as he took in the other pair with her. "So, I see Ice Queen is still with ya, looks like you're makin' a few new friends, though, huh?"

Over Weiss' muttered "Why does nobody ever use my actual name?", Ruby grinned widely as she gestured the blonde Kindred forward. "Yeah, this is Yang, she's my actual sister! She's who I came down to Santa Monica to look for in the first place!"

"No shit?" Mercurio laughed, giving Yang a friendly nod. "Well, yeah, same goes for all of you, then, you need something, look me up. A friend of Ruby's, here, is a friend of mine."

"Should I tell him who I'm actually with?" Yang murmured at Ruby's shoulder.

"Let's just hold off on that," Ruby murmured back. In a louder voice, she addressed the man in front of them once again. "Looks like you're feeling better, now, huh?"

"I tell you, that blood you guys got's an amazing thing. Helped close up a few wounds. This back-alley patch fixed up the rest. I needed that beating - good reminder not to overestimate my ability. Last time it's gonna happen."

"Cool beans. So, looks like we have a boat to sneak onto?"

"Yep, you got it." He gestured behind him where a tiny inflatable raft with an outboard motor rested, bobbing gently in the water. "This'll take you guys over to where the Elizabeth Dane is moored just offshore. When you're done, just leave the boat here on the beach, I'll get it in the morning, okay?"

"Awesome, thanks, Mercurio!" the brunette chirped, giving him a friendly wave as they moved past. "See ya!"

"Right, then," Weiss murmured from the water's edge. "That's not a very big watercraft, likely only two of us-"

"I'll stay behind," Yang interjected quickly.

"Oh? But-"

"Nope, I'm good. I'll guard your landing point."

"It's fine, Yang," Ruby assured her sister, giving her hand a squeeze. "We'll see you soon, okay?"

"You betcha. Take care, Rubes. You too, Ice Queen. Watch your backs."

The pair of smaller Kindred hopped aboard the small craft and, with a little bit of fumbling, managed to get underway. Weiss steered while Ruby sat in the bow, staring forward into the foggy night.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah, Weiss?"

"Why was Yang so adamant about remaining behind?"

The brunette was quiet for a few moments before turning with a slight grimace. "Okay, you gotta promise to keep this to yourself, alright? Seriously, no teasing her about it."

"Even though that oaf refuses to call me by my proper name?" Weiss retorted indignantly.

She rolled her eyes at the stubborn set to Ruby's jaw, the brunette sitting silently with her arms crossed.

"Alright, fine," the platinum-haired fledgling finally conceded. "It shall never pass from my lips, nor shall I ridicule her over this information."

"Okay." Ruby uncrossed her arms, gripping the seat on either side of her legs. "Yang's terrified of the water. She almost drowned at the beach, once, when I was just a baby, and can't go into the water since."

"Oh." Weiss blinked her eyes. "Well… That's a pity. I assure you, I would not make fun of her for such a phobia in any case.." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Even pools?"

"Yep, even pools. It's an effort for her to get into a hot tub, but I think she manages."

"Very well." The other Kindred craned her neck to look around Ruby. "I think I see the silhouette up ahead."

"Looks like where we need to go. So, you're gonna stay in the boat?"

"I shall. If you need help, call for me, alright?"

"You betcha." As they drew closer, Ruby shucked off her red hoodie, leaving her in just a black tank top, matching jeans, and dark grey converse shoes. "Do I look all stealthy?"

"Yes, quite appropriately ninja-esque," Weiss deadpanned.

Ruby stuck her tongue out playfully, tucking her revolver into the waterproof bag at the bottom of the boat, along with her hoodie and cellphone. They'd decided on the walk to the beach, during an impromptu planning session, that Ruby should go in unarmed and as inconspicuous as possible. If caught, she'd have a much easier time explaining her way out of a situation if she didn't have any sort of weapon on her.

Privately, the brunette was fairly certain that was going to happen anyway, but she'd rather not have a shootout with the police. Regardless of the Prince's orders, to her, the police were still the good guys, it wasn't their fault they were mixed up in all this supernatural crap.

Weiss cut the motor a ways out, allowing their small craft to drift towards where a rope ladder dangled down the side of the massive container ship. Wordlessly, Ruby grabbed hold of the ladder, drawing them in close. There was a thinner rope dangling from the end of it which she quickly tied as best she could to their little dinghy before hopping up onto the ladder itself. She paused as she felt a small hand grasp the bottom of her leg.

Looking down into pools of pale blue, Ruby was given a small but reassuring smile. "You can do this," Weiss whispered. "I have confidence in you, Ruby."

The brunette gave her a brilliant smile in return and a wink. "Thanks, partner," she whispered back. With that, she was scrambling up the rust-streaked hull like a monkey. Perhaps not the stealthiest, but nimbly enough.

And she didn't drop back into the water halfway up, which she considered a bonus, at this point.

Ruby slipped over the railing into a crouch. She scanned the deck, her enhanced vision unable to pick up on any movement.

Until her gaze rested on the uniformed figure not ten feet away, staring at her incredulously.

She gulped nervously, standing upright and clasping her hands behind her back in as innocent a manner as possible. "Well," she murmured to herself under her breath, "this was the world's fastest blown stealth mission…"

Worst. Vampire. Ever.

A/N: Ahhh, Rubes, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?

Massive props to my talented and patient cowriter, SilvanaCrowe, who got through the four chapters I'd completed this past Sunday. Know what that means? A month of weekly Blood updates! Woohoo! Hugs to you awesome readers and reviewers! Blacsparrow, booman118800, Sharkdude5, kinigget, JimmyHall24, Nicodemus Cain, ramsay, randomlolguy, zerosabers, Crescent Sunrise, Haley Earthstone, thanks as always for the encouragement!

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