Ch 3: RWBYs' Arrival

"We're home!" Ruby sang as she pushed open the door to her family's house and walked in with Yang, Blake, and Weiss following behind her.

"Hi Home, I'm Dad." Taiyang Xiao Long called back to his youngest daughter from inside the kitchen.

*Ugh* Ruby and Yang groaned as they rolled their eyes at their father.

"Sorry about him." Ruby apologized to her teammates while her sister headed into the kitchen to help.

"You look more like a hoe mey than Ruby in that getup, Dad."

"What are you saying? Mr. Cragg, down the road, said I was rocking these sweet threads."

"How do you think he mountains his single status?"

"He's a boulder man with boulder vision."

*Ugh* "Was that joke made of paper. Cause it was tearable."

"You're house is very nice." Blake commented with a stiff smile as she tried to ignore the comedic disaster in the next room over. Yang's puns were bad enough, but now dad jokes?

She and Weiss had decided to join Ruby and Yang on their home visit this first week of the break because there was no way either of them would be visiting their own homes. At the time, spending time together had sounded more fun than hanging around a deserted academy.

Now, however, Blake was starting to regret passing up on the tranquility of an empty school. Just imagine how much reading she could have gotten done without having to worry about constant interruptions. Instead, she had to suffer puns and dad jokes galore.

"Yes," Weiss agreed, already an expert at ignoring out all three of the siblings' annoying antics, "It's quaint but homey." Although, the Xiao Long family's log cabin was far smaller than her mansion in Atlas or even her beach house in Argus. But, the simple warm decor and the familial love that you could feel permeating the entire space made her realize what the difference between a house and a home really was.

"Why don't I show you around." Ruby offered, her face scrunched up in an embarrassed grimace. She can't believe her father was embarrassing her like this in front of her team.

"You can do that after we eat," Tai said as he glided into the living room on a skateboard wearing a reversed baseball cap over his greying blond hair, regular brownish-yellow cargo shorts, and a brown vest over a tan dress shirt. "Welcome home, Ruby." Tai's voice was thick with fatherly love as he wrapped his daughter in a tight embrace.

"Thanks, Dad." Ruby smiled as she returned the hug and felt some of the weight of being a leader that she hadn't realized had been bearing down on her lift. "But, uh, what's with the hat, and why are you skateboarding?" she asked, pulling back slightly.

"Wha?" Tai gasped and hopped back up onto his board, "I'm a cool dad. All tha cool peeps wear their hats backward and cruise around on their boards." He explained as he circled around Ruby, Blake, and Weiss, trying to act cool.

*ahaha* Weiss and Blake chuckled awkwardly as they backed towards each other.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xiao Long. I'm Weiss Schnee. Your daughter's-" Weiss started to introduce herself politely, but. "Zwei, NO! Quick, stop him! Dad, Ruby! Zwei has stolen the chicken!" was interrupted by the sounds of violent crashing and Yang's yelling coming from the kitchen.

*Arf* Before they could react, a small black and white corgi tore out of the kitchen and out the front door carrying a whole chicken in its mouth that was as big as him in a blur of black, white, and perfectly roasted golden brown.

Recovering from her surprise, Ruby burst into a storm of rose petals that shot through the doorway after the speeding dog. "Gotcha!" She cried as she rematerialized atop the fleeing pooch. *Gooff* and roughly slammed into the ground as he executed an abrupt 90-degree turn and quickly disappeared into the forest around the sides and back of the house.

"He's gone into the woods near the shed!" Ruby shouted as she heard the back door slam, indicating that her sister had joined the pursuit.

"You stay on him! I'll try to cut him off!" Yang called back.

Back inside the house, Weiss and Blake exchanged a look before simultaneously shrugging and took off after their teammates.

"Wait! Girls-" *Oof* Tai cried out after them, but a skateboard wasn't built for the bumpy terrain of the forest. He quickly fell flat on his face and lost sight of them as Weiss used her force glyphs to elegantly glide just above the ground, and Blake took to the trees, bounding from branch to branch as they followed the trail of fading rose petals.

*Ugh* "Zwei." Ruby groaned for the umpteenth time as she and her team returned an hour later with a noticeable plumper Zwei lounging in a coddling Weiss's arms who couldn't stop making baby noises at the very content corgi and rubbing his belly. They had caught the little miscreant, but not before he had finished devouring the entire chicken carcass. Ruby and Yang had tried to scold him, but from the satisfied smirk on his muzzle, the pampering he was receiving from Weiss, and the delicious meal he had just devoured were well worth a few harsh words in his book and days of only dry diet food.

"Perfect timing, girl. The pizza I ordered just arrived. I bet you all are hungry." Tai greeted the returning huntresses with a smile and was rewarded by a loud simultaneous growling from all four stomachs.

"All right!" "Yes, please." "Thank you. That was most considerate." After Weiss dropped off the pudgy pooch in his doggy bed by the couch, Yang, Blake, and Weiss thanked Tai as they headed into the kitchen to enjoy some cheesy goodness.

"Sorry, we couldn't save the chicken after you had worked so hard on it, Dad." Ruby apologized to her dad for their failure.

"It's fine." Tai reassured her, patting her head, "Even if you had caught Zwei in time, the chicken still wouldn't have been fit to serve. Now, why don't we go enjoy some pizza, and you can tell me everything you three have been up to this semester."

"Excuse me. Where is your silverware?" Weiss asked as they walked into the kitchen, where their dining table was set up to one side.

"Second drawer from the fridge." Ruby replied. Weiss nodded in thanks and then got out a knife and fork for herself so she could eat her pizza in a more civilized manner than Yang, who was double-fisting her pizza.

"Do you not like pizza?" Tai asked in concern as he saw that the dark-haired girl had put two slices on her plate but hadn't started eating them yet.

"My tongue is a little sensitive to heat, so I'm letting them cool a bit first." Blake explained.

*Scarf* "So, Dad…" Immediately after Ruby demolished her first slice in seconds, leaving only the bone behind, she started excitedly narrating for him everything that had been going on at Beacon, from the formation of teams to Ray's work as a teaching assistant and getting to teach his own classes, to the new friends she, Yang, and Ray had made and the Grimm they had fought.

"So, where is your brother anyway?" Tai asked as Ruby took a break to snag the last piece of pizza. She had been so distracted talking that she hadn't eaten more than that first slice.

"Oh, Jaune had to take some remedial lessons, so Ray is taking him out on a training mission to get the credits he needs to bump up his grade in combat class." Yang explained, "He said he would be by some time next week."

"Guess I'm not going to get all three of my babies back home at the same time that easily after all now that you all have grown up." Tai mused, feeling of melancholy weighing him down, but then a glint flashed through his eyes. If his kids were turning into adults then…

"So which one of you lovely ladies is my boy's girlfriend?" Tai's unexpected bomb blindsided team RWBY and sent drinks and food spewing out of their mouths and down the wrong pipe.

*cough cough* "We're not-" Weiss started to protest.

"We're friends, just friends." Blake drowned her out as she waved her hands frantically in front of her and started babbling about how Ray was a great guy, but they were just simple friends.

[Thou doth protest too much, methink] Tai smirked to himself. "Really? Not to brag, but I was pretty hot stuff back in my day. I married the two hottest girls in my class, after all. And Ray has definitely inherited my suave. You sure you just want to be friends? You are on a team with his two favorite sisters. This is your best chance to snag him before someone else does."

"Absolutely not!" Weiss protested. "Do you know what your son said to me when he confessed to me?" she pointed her finger accusingly at Tai, "That I would only be one of his women. Can you believe that!? Me in a polygamy relationship!?"

"Umm, what's so wrong with that? I married both Summer and Raven?" Tai questioned, not understanding what her problem was.

"And look what that got you?" Weiss snapped back as she sprang to her feet and gestured around to the house that distinctly lacked a wife's touch.

"Weiss." Blake hissed as she tugged at the white-haired girl's wide sleeves, appalled that she would say such a thing.

Weiss's eyes went wide as she realized how insensitive what she had just said was and quickly sat down and apologized.

In the uncomfortable atmosphere that followed Weiss's thoughtless faux pas, Team RWBY's thoughts drifted where they often did when they let their guard down. The disturbing revelations that Ray had shared with them before he left. Yes, they had spent almost the entire following day asking him questions and clarifying their doubts. But, they still couldn't help but feel uncertain about the future and if they truly knew who the red-haired young man who had shaken their entire world view.

Each time their thoughts started drifting down this dark path, they would remind themselves of Nora's words and convince themselves that Ray was still Ray. However, now faced with the man she trusted more than anyone else in all of Remnant, even her own twin brother now, and someone who was likely to know some of the answers she sought. Ruby could help but ask her father what was for her a very sensitive question.

"Hey, Dad. Do you know anything about the Lotus of the Spider Lotus Gang?"

Tai turned curious and wary eyes towards his little red riding hood. "Why are you asking about that guy?"

[There's no way I can tell him the truth.] Ruby tried to quickly think of a believable excuse when Yang came to her rescue, "I heard his name around one of the clubs I frequent. Something about him and Roman Torchwich being the two rulers of Vale's criminal underworld. And since Ruby had a run-in with Roman before school started, it got us curious."

"Just what kind of nightclub are you frequenting, young lady!?" their father snapped, shooting Yang a disapproving glare. "I don't want you ever going to that club or any place associated with the Spider Lotus ever again! Do you understand me! Lotus is extremely dangerous. His hands are stained with the blood of countless people on both sides of the law, criminals, huntsmen, and political and military leaders alike. Many of his victims were left as nothing more than dust and ash once he was done with them. He's nothing more than a glorified assassin who is accountable only to the highest bidder. He's wanted for numerous murders in all four kingdoms. The only reason he isn't at the very top of every most wanted list is that the Spider Lotus is the premium information broker in Remnant and is used by and has blackmail on every public official all the way up to the councils." Tai glared intently at all the girls seated around his table with fierce worry in his eyes, "I don't want to hear another word about any of you going anywhere near him or his people. It is far too dangerous."

All the members of team RWBY nodded silently in acknowledgment with solemn faces. But, inside, their hearts churned in turmoil, disturbing their recently filled tummies and making them feel slightly sick.

They struggled to rectify Tai's account of this monster in human skin known as Lotus with the kind, hardworking, and strict boy they knew and cared for. [[There has to be more to it than that. Dad's just trying to protect us by making him sound worse than he is. Ray must have had a good reason for doing such things.]] Such thoughts raced through each of their minds as they subconsciously shifted from doubting Lotus to defending Ray.

"So… If you "aren't" interested in my son... then perhaps it's my daughters you've taken a liking to?" Tai returned to tease them, enjoying his new duties as a father as he tried to divert the topic back to less unpleasant terrain.

"What do you say, Blake? Want to be partners?" Yang asked, raising her eyebrows in what she thought was a seductive manner.

"I thought we already were." Blake countered, lowering her head slightly and batting her eyes at the fiery bombshell bashfully.

"Hell, yeah!" Yang shouted as she threw one arm around the pretending girl and pulled her into a companionable one-armed hug even as a faint blush went unnoticed on both their cheeks.

Ruby didn't even give Weiss a chance to answer as she jumped onto the snow angel next to her and declared proudly, "We're BFFs!".

"Ruby! Cut it out! Get off of me!" Weiss protested as she tried to push the exuberant red off her, but there was little strength in her resistance, and she accomplished little more than preventing Ruby from rubbing their cheeks together.

*HaHaHa* "I see." Tai laughed joyfully at seeing his daughters and their teammates' interaction. The previous topic wholly forgotten by them all, but the seeds of change, or perhaps acceptance, had been planted and would quickly sprout and grow with the girls.