Ding-di-ding!

The chime of a bell above a flimsy wooden door echoed through the small, empty shop. Dusty sand rolled into the store, carried on the hot desert wind, depositing itself around the entrance where a thin layer of sand had built up from throughout the day. Even with the AC cracked up inside, it was still Vacuo; dry, hot and stifling.

Two pairs of boots creaked the old, rickety floorboards as the pair parted, one heading for the front while the other made their way towards the snacks in back.

Up at the front desk, the customer leaned casually against the counter. Cigarettes, cigars, Dust and liquor were kept behind the cash register, out of reach of children. A fan whirred from above, mounted to the wall in direct line of sight to where the cashier would be standing all day.

"Just a moment! Be right with y'all!" A warm and inviting voice with a heavy drawl called from a room behind the counter. Just as she said, the she emerged within moments. She was a middle aged woman, as dusty as the desert with hair to match the rolling dunes and light brown eyes that were tired at best.

"How-" She paused, taking a moment to find her balance again after seeing the two strangers in her shop. One in the back cloaked in red hood and all, humming to herself a gentle tune while she sorted through sugary snacks. The other, a strikingly beautiful blonde with lilac eyes and toned muscles, her skin kissed by the sun.

"How can ah help ya?" She smiled politely. "Sorry, don't get many visitors around here, mostly Huntsmen and Huntresses passing through."

"Not surprised, we saw more than a few Grimm out on the road here, and there's nothing to do in this place besides drink." The blonde sighed, taking off her wide brimmed hat, letting her short, curly golden locks free. She was clad in ragged short short-shorts with a studded belt, brown knee socks came up from her heavy boots. At her top she wore a dark green chiffon vest with a white frilled low cut top underneath.

"Yeah, they're always a problem but since this is the only real town between here and the city, at least if you care about get'n there fast, we get good protection from Huntsmen." The shop owner shrugged. "I'm betting by the way you're carrying yourself, you and the little miss in red over there are Huntresses, am ah right?"

"We're just passing through, it's a long ride to Vacuo, figured we'd spend the night and restock a bit. Speaking of which…" The blonde's eyes wandered over to the liquor. "Two bottles of the strongest stuff you got."

"Ah had ya figured for a gal who can hold her liquor! Here, ah got just the thing for ya!"

"Ooh, Yang! They have strawberries! I didn't think they'd have them this far into the desert!" The girl in the hood bounced on her toes with excitement.

"They ain't exactly cheap but boy do they really hit the spot." The establishment's owner turned from the shelves of alcohol with two big bottles of high proof whisky in each hand.

"You know, we never got your name. I'm Yang, the girl losing it over strawberries is Ruby." Yang was pleasant and affable as she reached into her pocket for her wallet.

"I'm Chrysanthemum Holly, but y'all can just call me Chryssie, everyone around here does." Chryssie put down the large glass bottles and went to her cash register. "Alright, that'll be thirty-seven Lien, I'll throw the strawberries in at a discount, folks around here don't appreciate a good strawberry much as they should."

"Really! Thanks bunches!" Ruby beamed so brightly it was almost blinding as she skipped to the counter with her favorite food in the whole world.

"Hey, thanks, you really made her day." Yang's words dragged a bit, colder and heavier than before as she placed her money on the counter.

"Not a problem, out here, we all gotta look after each other. Maybe you can tell yer Huntsmen friends to stop by if they're passing through, word of mouth and all that." With a wink, Chrissy reached for the Lien… before her hand was caught and pinned to the hard counter by Yang.

"H-hey, what do you think yer-"

"I'm really sorry about this." Ruby lowered her hood, revealing eyes that shined like mirrors made dull by sorrow. "See, we actually picked up a job in the last town, seems like you owe someone big money and you haven't been making your payments."

"W-wait, hold on now! I told Jamison that I'd have his money next month! Business has been slow and-"

"Babe, let her go, I don't want to be more violent that we have to." Ruby sighed, running her fingers through her oily, red tinged black hair.

"Right…" Taking a deep breath, Yang pulled her hand away, leaving the visibly trembling hand of their victim shaking alone over the small pile of Lien.

"Look, we already took the job. If we don't come through, well, you know, word of mouth and all that." With a nod, she compelled Yang to grab the whisky bottles from over the counter.

"Jamison is tired of waiting, we did a little digging and found that you've got really good insurance on this place." As Ruby spoke, Yang began to pour the high proof alcohol all on the counter while Chryssie could only watch in petrified horror.

"You seem like a nice person, you just got into debt with the wrong kind of people. Take that Lien, take everything from the cash register and get out. We don't want you to get hurt." Her voice and eyes radiated earnest and empathy, even as her partner doused the store in accelerant. "Don't go to the sheriff, don't fight back. You couldn't win against us and you'd only bring the Grimm if you tried. If you send Jamison his money from the insurance, you'll never see us again and you'll be free to rebuild."

"If not…" Ruby pulled back her cloak, revealing just part of her weapon holstered on her back.

"Please… this shop is all ah have, ya burn this, without that insurance ah won't be able to rebuild anything. I'll lose mah home, everything." Her eyes were shimmering as tears pooled on their surface, begging for mercy.

"Yang… let's get this over with." Shaking her head, Ruby grabbed her strawberries and turned to leave. Without either girl hesitating for a moment, Yang lit a book of matches she took from her pocket.

Ruby could hear Chryssie frantically scrambling to get every lien out of the cash register, quietly sobbing. She couldn't turn to look, she couldn't handle seeing what was about to happen. Even as she heard the alcohol ignite, Ruby just kept walking.

We aren't getting paid enough for this… Was all she thought to herself as the faint smell of smoke reached her nose.

Ding!

The door's bell rang just once more as Ruby and Yang emerged from the burning building.

"If Jamison stiffs us for this gig, we're killing him." Kicking the toe of her boot into the sand, the younger of the two sisters growled bitterly.

"Hey, come here." Before Ruby could say anything, she felt powerful, warm arms embrace her like golden rays of sun wrapping around her body. Pulled against her older sister's soft and very comfortable chest, she felt her bitterness burned gently away.

"That sucked, but she knew who she was getting involved in when she took his money. Thanks to this job, we'll have enough Lien to not be sleeping on the streets of Vacuo." Keeping her grip on her little sister with one arm, Yang slowly reached up until her rough hand brushed Ruby's bangs up from her forehead.

With no resistance, Ruby let her big sister pull her head gently back, until she was staring up at those big, loving eyes looking down into hers with playful light. Strands of golden hair tickled her face just moments before a warm, tender kiss fell on her forehead.

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the sweetest sensation of her lover's kiss, never feeling safer than when her big sister held her. From stormy nights as small children up to right then… She's never stopped making me feel like everything is going to be okay.

"Yang…"

"What it is, babe?" She grinned so enticingly that Ruby almost forgot what she was going to say.

"The building's still on fire." With a soft giggle she pulled away grabbing her sister's hand.

"Oh right! Haha, oops." She blushed, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "Wait! Ruby, is it getting hot in here or is it just you?"

"Yang!" Slapping her palm into her face Ruby turned on her heels before her dump smile could encourage her sister to do more.

"Did you pick up a bad habit, because you're smoking?!" Snatching up the remaining bottle of whiskey, she ran after her sister.

"That's enough Yang…"

"Uh-oh, you're getting mad, I guess making more puns would be whiskey!"

"You're going to keep doing this all the way back to the inn aren't you?"

"No need to get so heated! Just don't desert me!"

"Uuuhg!"

This is our life, me and Yang, together on the road. A couple of renegade sisters doing whatever we can to get by, not many jobs we pass up, it's just how this life goes.

We've lost everything else, our home, our family, friends, you name it, but as long as we have each other, that's all we need.

Okay, on paper we might not make much sense. Sisters who are lovers, renegades from a family of Huntsmen and Huntresses, even our criminal records might seem weird without knowing our story.

I don't expect you to understand, in fact, I don't care if you judge us, or pity us... because only one person matters to me.

If you still want to know, then I'll tell you the story

Maybe I should start from the beginning…