Hello there again. So before anything else, I'm going to start endorsing fics at the beginning and end notes. Not fics with hundreds of reviews that are clearly popular, but fics that I personally think are great stories and aren't getting enough attention for whatever reason. That being said, check out the following. (Will put either Fanfiction, A03 or both to specify location)

Bodyshock by YinYangBangBang (mainly freezerburn, BiGender Yang, 80000 words!) Fanfiction

Stay Afloat by Blood Shinobi (PyrrhaxNora (Valkos), 50000 words) Fanfiction

Red Flowers Bloom by sombreromoustache (Pollination aka RubyxBlakexWeissxYang, 20000 words) Fanfiction

Any of the multiple stories written by Xekstrin, A03

Saint's Rose by Latham02 (no ships as of yet, but it's WAY too funny to pass up.) Fanfiction

Second, sorry for the delay, and this shorter length. But this was all I could manage in 3 weeks of smashing my head against the writer's block.

Cover art commissioned and completed by jo3mm. You can find them on tumbler, same name

/

It's gonna be one of those days Neo thought as she continued to look at the woman she only knew as E. She was a memento from her past, someone that she had never expected to see again. People like her existed in the darkness, the underbelly of society, while people like Blake or Yang and their friends existed in the light. She had figured that E was the same type as her, but based on the now awkward situation they were in, obviously not.

The last time she had seen her, E had been a redhead, but apparently that had been a wig. Now her hair was a mixture of white and black, stylized so well that Neo was unsure what color was natural and what color was fake. Her eyebrows were black but they could be dyed as well, so it told her nothing. Otherwise E was still the same: medium height, slim build, eyes a piercing royal blue. Her face resembled that of a 16th century Victorian high society lady, high cheekbones and all. She was wearing a pale blue sundress, her feet bare and hair slightly tousled.

But there were two main differences as far as Neo could see. The first was her change in health. The last time Neo had seen her, E had been….. gaunt, exhausted, half-starved were the words that came to Neo's mind. Her clothing had told of money but her appearance was that of someone who hadn't eaten a good meal in a month or slept in a week. Her skin was extremely pale, like she was kept inside and unable to leave her house for days or months on end. Her face was covered in bruises, some fresh and others fading. Based on the way she had walked the few times Neo had seen her from a distance, her body was probably worse off than her face. Neo figured that someone was abusing her, or the woman was self-abusive, but either way she was in a very bad place.

Now she looked much better: her skin was flawless and had acquired a healthy tan, her face was bruise free and her body was unmarred, except for a single surgical scar that ran down her lower leg. She still looks tired, but who doesn't? The world runs on caffeine. And if she lives with Ruby and Weiss, poor woman must run herself ragged.

The other difference was simpler, and probably tied to the first. E actually looked happy, or at least content with her life. It wasn't obvious, as her face was even more closely guarded then Weiss's was when she was at the apartment. It was so cold and emotionless a glacier would be envious. But her eyes contained not a trace of terror, despair, or pain. There was a small amount of fear, but Neo chalked that up to her presence.

A quiet cough from Yang made Neo realize that she had been silently staring at E for almost a minute, and E had been staring right back. Yang looked at the both of them and asked "So, do you two know each other or something? You both look like you've seen a ghost."

E thankfully had no qualms about lying, and quickly responded "Oh, I was just admiring her hair, it's so artfully done. It almost looks like she was born with it. I'm Emilia, Emilia Lund. I've heard so much about you." E, well Emilia, walked toward Neo and extended her hand as she spoke. Her eyes were screaming at Neo, begging her to play along with the charade for now.

Neo responded, shaking Emilia's hand as she said "Neo, nice to meet you." She locked eyes with Emilia, hoping to communicate her willingness to pretend. For now.

The panic in Emilia's eyes receded a little, and released a shaky breath before withdrawing her hand. Turning to Yang, she looked her over and said "You two are covered in sweat, and stink. Come inside. Ruby is showering upstairs, so you'll have to shower downstairs. Neo, you'll have to wait to shower until Ruby gets out." She paused for a second, her words taking on a hidden meaning as she continued "That will give us a little time to talk. Ruby and Weiss didn't have much to tell us, Summer and I have been wondering what Blake and Yang's new roommate is like."

Yang merely shook her head, a small smile on her lips, as she said to Emilia "Don't grill her too hard" before going to the bathroom, a long hot shower sounding like heaven to her tired limbs. Emilia directed Neo towards the kitchen on the right side of the house, pointing her towards one of the chairs around the kitchen table. Without a word she filled a glass with water and shoved it in Neo's hands. Neo chugged it down, and Emilia refilled it, the process repeating itself several times. Her thirst sated, Neo motioned for Emilia to sit down opposite her, hoping to get the conversation out of the way as fast as possible. But as soon as Neo tried to think of something, anything to say, her mind went blank. And based on how Emilia's brow was furrowed, she was having the same issue.

Both women sat at the table for almost a minute, neither of them able to say a word. The atmosphere, tense already with the weight of their past connection, grew heavier with each passing second. A tightness settled over Neo's chest and her breathing grew labored as she struggled to contain her calm. The fact that Emilia knew about Neo's past meant that she had power over Neo, could threaten her with that information if she wanted. The mere thought of her secrets being revealed was causing Neo's stress to build uncontrollably, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could remain calm. Based on how hard it was to keep her breathing steady and her hands from shaking, not much longer.

Neo wasn't sure if it was because of her past, her natural pessimistic attitude or her well-developed sense for danger, but whatever the reason was she had a problem with anxiety. Well it was a problem in the same way that the sun was a little bright or lava was a little hot. Whenever something had even the slightest possibility of going wrong, which was everything, her mind instantly assaulted her with dozens of negative outcomes, each worse than the last. Within seconds her body would be overwhelmed with stress, her entire being unable to make a decision in fear that it was the wrong one. It was something that she had been working on for months, with frustratingly little success. Her only successful method so far was to envision every possible scenario beforehand and think through each one ahead of time, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the premise. It had worked well so far, but never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would find herself in this particular situation. She hadn't been in a position of this much vulnerability in a long time, and she was not coping well.

Emilia's voice cut through the silence and dread in her mind, slicing it to ribbons as she spoke "Weiss is at the vets, if you're wondering." When Neo could only manage a confused "huh?" Emilia elaborated "Weiss took Artemis to the vet for grooming. She's going to bring Blake back with her, so she won't be back until Blake gets out of work. Ruby is going to take at least another 20 minutes for her shower, and if Yang takes under half an hour I'll eat my third best pair of shoes. Which means we have time to talk, alone. So, why did Cinder send you here?"

Neo, now more confused than ever, answered "What makes you think Cinder sent me? And I'm guessing Artemis is your…cat?"

"Dog. More specifically a dark grey corgi. And it's technically Weiss's. Ruby got it as a Christmas present for Weiss soon after they started dating. From what she told me, after meeting Zwei Ruby saw how much Weiss wanted a dog of her own." She paused for a second, her tone taking on a sad note. Her eyes grew dark and her expression became pained as she continued, "Unfortunately Weiss's home life was rather…..difficult, and pets were one of the many things she was not allowed. So Summer offered to keep it here and Weiss could visit whenever she wanted. Once Weiss moved in, well let's just say she dotes on that dog like it's her own child." Emilia said the whole sentence without pause, forcing her to take in several large gulps of air as soon as she stopped speaking. It seems that Neo wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the current state of affairs.

Her breath restored, Emilia leaned back, pausing for a moment and lacing her fingers together, before saying "As for why Cinder sent you, I have no idea. But I know you work for her. I remember seeing you at that seedy basement gambling hall. Among a bunch of huge, angry gangsters a short girl with soulless eyes tends to stand out. Even without the pink hair"

Neo leaned forward, laying her arms on the table and burying her head in them for a few moments, groaning as she did so. She took a deep breath, raised her head up and said "I don't work for her, not anymore. That's in the past. As hard as it is to believe, this is all a huge coincidence."

Emilia let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, the tension melting out of her body as she processed Neo's words. When Cinder Fall was involved, things could only go from bad to worse. "Good, that's good. So you really are their roommate? And why the pink hair"

Neo nodded, and said "I feel asleep on the couch after staying awake for a week straight, and Yang was unsupervised. I had eaten some dessert she had been saving, so she considered it payback. Blake stopped her when she was halfway through. I liked it enough that I decided to keep it." She paused for a moment, enjoying the look of incredulity on Emilia's face, then asked "And I'm guessing your Summer's wife?"

"Long-term girlfriend would be a better term." Emilia answered, her tone growing slightly warmer as she continued "After my last marriage, I'm in no hurry to commit again. And Summer has never been the marrying type." Her face hadn't shifted from its emotionless mask, but Neo could read Emilia like a book regardless. Growing up among criminals gave you the skills necessary to survive, and reading between the lines was on the top of that list. Neo could hear Emelia's love for Summer in the way she spoke her name, as if speaking about her own personal savior. She could see it in her eyes, like the mere thought of her lover brought light to a thousand burning fires of passion in her mind, bringing warmth and life into her otherwise cold exterior.

Her eyes remind me of Ruby's Neo thought. They resembled the light Neo had seen in Ruby's eyes when she looked at Weiss, but with a stark difference. Ruby wore her emotions on her sleeve, and exposed her love to the world without a worry or care about how it could be used against her. Yang was similar to her in that regard, and she figured that Summer was the same, being Ruby's mother. But for her, Blake, Weiss and Emilia emotions, especially love, were seen as weaknesses that could be used against you. So they kept their emotions close, under lock and key, not to protect themselves but those they cared about. Because when people want to hurt you, the best way to do that is to hurt the people that make your life worth living.

Silence once again descended upon the two women, but this silence was far more comfortable. It brought a sense of tranquility and gave them both time to digest the last few minutes in quiet contemplation. Eventually Emilia asked "So do you know about Summer's injury?

Neo shook her head, saying "No one mentioned any injury, all I know is that Weiss had to bring her to the doctors."

Emilia nodded, to herself as much as to Neo, and muttered to herself "I'm guessing they thought it wasn't their place." She stood up and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge, her face asking Neo if she wanted to join her. Neo shook her head slightly, politely declining. She needed her wits about her.

Emilia grabbed a wine glass and sat back down, pouring herself a generous measure of Riesling. She took a sip and said "I don't have time to tell you the whole story, so you'll have to settle for the short version."

Emilia paused, and everything about her shifted in that moment. Neo thought she had been on guard before, but that was nothing compared to the stone person that now sat before her. If it wasn't for the movement of her mouth and the slight rise and fall of her chest, Emilia could have passed as the world's most realistic statue. Everything about her was tensed up, making her look like she was one tap away from shattering into a million pieces. This is not going to be a happy story Neo thought.

Emilia began to speak, her tone clinical and calm. It was as if she was talking about the ancient history of some other long dead person and not about her own life. If not for the slight wavering in her tone, Neo would have thought she was talking about someone else.

"About four years ago my then husband was arrested for a….variety of reasons. He was a terrible person, and a worse husband, so I wasn't sad to see him go. Summer was the one that actually arrested him, which was actually how we first met. She was particularly happy about the one to cuff him, she couldn't stop smiling as she shoved him into the police car. I figured he was going to just bail his way out of jail, and nothing would be solved. But thankfully he died in the interrogation room. The official reason is he had a massive heart attack brought on by a congenital heart defect and the stress of the situation." Emilia paused at this, a small but cruel smile gracing her lips. "Personally I believe it was due to the knife shoved into his chest, but who knows? He had plenty of enemies, so there was no shortage of people that wanted him dead. I have my suspicions, but in the end I'd rather never know."

"Anyway, after he died things were good for a while. I hadn't had much freedom in my marriage. I was told what to eat, what to do, what to wear for so long I had almost forgotten who I was and what I liked. I actually went a little crazy with all the freedom. I ordered nothing but takeout for a week, binged on beer and Chinese food. Spent thousands of dollars on clothes I hadn't worn in years. I bought 30 pairs of sweatpants, 30 pairs. For a while, things were good. For me at least." At this statement Emilia shook her head to herself, as if scolding her past existence for such foolish behavior.

"But about two months later, a month before Ruby's freshman year was over, Summer was involved in an accident. She was driving home from the late shift and was hit from behind by a drunk driver. The impact knocked her into an intersection, where her car collided with two others. The result was she was pinned inside her car, her left leg crushed by the collision with a truck. She was badly injured, and bleeding out fast by the time paramedics arrived. They had to make a choice, and saved her life in the end, but they decided to remove her left leg at the scene. Everything below the knee. She barely made it to the hospital alive.

From what Weiss told me the surgery took close to six hours, and Summer almost died twice. But in the end she pulled through. She woke up in the hospital two days later, and was there for another two weeks, recovering from her ordeal. Ruby didn't leave her bedside for almost a week, Weiss actually had to drag her out of the room to get her to go home and take a shower."

Emilia paused to take another sip of wine, her throat growing dry from all the talking. Her spell was temporarily broken, and Neo realized that she had been unconsciously leaning forward, completely captivated by the story that Emilia was weaving. She took a deep breath and righted herself, once again sitting up straight.

Her thirst parched, Emilia continued her tale. "The recovery process was….difficult. For everyone." Emilia paused, and Neo braced herself for what was to come. Based on the way her voice grew tight with pain and her eyes brimmed with fresh tears, this portion of her past was painful even by her standards. "Summer had a hard time adjusting to…everything. But I think Ruby and Weiss had the hardest time. They could do nothing but watch as she…" Emilia paused, and her gaze shot towards the doorway. "Ruby, how long have you been standing there?"

Neo's head whipped around as she looked at Ruby standing in the entrance to the kitchen, a sad expression on her face. Neo suddenly felt guilty, like she was caught intruding on things that were none of her business. Why didn't I just ask Yang, she could have told me everything! Neo thought, then started to panic as she realized the full implications of what just occurred. If Ruby has been there the whole time, she knows EVERYTHING. I may be in some deep shit here.

"I just got out of the shower," Ruby said, and based on her still soaked hair and slightly damp clothes, Neo had no reason to not believe her. Upon closer inspection, she realized Ruby was different than the last time she saw her. Her cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a sadness that did not suit her. Ruby was meant to be bright, energetic, a cheerful presence that lightened the atmosphere wherever she went. But the subdued, saddened girl that stood behind her was almost a stranger, so different was she from how Neo perceived Ruby to normally be.

Ruby walked over to Emilia and hugged her from behind, bringing a small smile to Emilia's lips. They both brightened a little at the contact, drawing strength and support from each other. Ruby stood, standing behind Emilia and placing a hand on her shoulder as she asked Emilia "Do you want me to take it from here?"

Emilia grabbed Ruby's hand in her own and smiled up at her as she said "Thank you, please."

Ruby nodded, then turned her attention to Neo. Her voice was serious, grave and carrying the weight of past suffering as she spoke. "At first things were…stable. Mom was still recovering from the accident, and it was close to summer vacation so Weiss or I were almost always around to keep her company, help her with whatever she needed. Mom was always independent, and suddenly needing help with everything was hard on her. So for a while we didn't worry when she spent all day in bed or on the couch, sleeping. But when nothing improved with time, well Weiss and I started to panic. We were around since it was summer vacation, but we couldn't be around all the time once school started up again."

Ruby paused to smile down at Emilia, squeezing her shoulder tightly before continuing "Around that time Emilia was busy being unemployed, so we asked her to stay with Mom during the day, keep her company, help her with whatever." Ruby paused, her face wondering if Neo was confused about anything she had heard so far.

Neo, merely wanting the story to continue, asked "What happened next?"

Ruby's voice took on a happier tone as she said "Things got better, much better. About a month after school started up again she went into physical therapy to get a prosthesis, all at Emilia's prompting. We hadn't even considered it before since the nearest clinic was an hour away, and none of us could legally drive. Or had a car, since Mom's was totaled in the accident. But Emilia offered to drive her. And she did, brought her to every appointment for almost a year."

As Ruby spoke she looked at Emilia, and what her eyes and face told Neo frightened her to her core. Ruby looked at Emilia like she owed her a debt so massive, so great, she would never be able to pay it back. If Emilia asked, Ruby would do it, no matter what it was. There's something they're not telling me, something important. Weiss could have paid someone to drive Summer to the doctors, so it's not just that. What did Emilia do that Ruby owes her so much? Neo wondered. But she knew that prying would get her nowhere, and it wasn't her business anyway. People were entitled to their secrets, she knew that better than anyone.

The entire time Neo had been thinking, Ruby and Emilia had been silent. Realizing that the story, or at least what they were willing to talk about with a near total stranger, was over Neo asked "What kind of prosthesis did she get?"

Emilia answered her query "I'm not sure on the exact make and model. But most of the time no one even notices that Summer has it. From what the doctor told me, her losing the leg below the knee was actually really lucky. Apparently that makes the adjustment period and overall functionality more manageable. If the knee has to be replaced… well the prosthesis can still function, but it's much harder."

Neo nodded, taking a moment to think, before realizing the obvious and asking "Where is Summer?"

Ruby smile grew larger as she said "Work. She can't be a detective anymore, but still wanted to work in law enforcement. Her bosses didn't want her skill to go to waste, so now she trains new recruits."

Emilia loudly muttered "I'm amazed they have any recruits left after that woman gets to them."

Ruby shook her head at Emilia's words, her tone becoming playful and angry all at once as she said "Hey, that's my mother you're talking about. And I can't remember her ever getting angry at me or Weiss."

Emilia laughed, a self-deprecating smirk growing on her face, and responded "That's because you're her daughter, her little angel, and you can do no wrong. And Weiss is basically her daughter in law, so she holds the same enviable position as you." Emilia's voice grew quieter as she said "And you never forgot your 9 month anniversary." She probably didn't intend for Neo to hear that last bit, but her hearing had always been above the norm.

"Was that why you slept on the couch for a week?" Ruby asked, having never been told the answer to that particular incident.

"Yes, and if you ever tell Summer that I told you, I will kill you" Emilia teased, though part of her was serious. Summer had made her promise, on pain of abstinence, that the details of that particular night were to remain buried, forever. "Don't forget, I know where she keeps her gun."

Ruby, unfazed by Emilia's threat, smiled as she said "And I know where she keeps the bullets."

The whole time the two had been talking, Neo had been staring at them enviously. So this is what a normal family is like. Where they threaten and forgive in the same breath, love for each other oozing out of every word and motion. Though by those standards, Blake and Yang are my family now. The thought brought a smile to her lips.

Ruby and Emilia's conversation shifted to dinner, and a debate raged for several minutes on whether or not Emilia should bake cookies or brownies for dessert. Neo sat quietly, laughing internally when Ruby loudly declared "Why not both?" and her subsequent refusal to listen when Emilia had explained why that was impossible. Eventually they forced Neo to choose, who had mindlessly responded with "Cookies," bringing a grin to Ruby's face.

Without warning Ruby stood up, walked over to Neo and dragged her out of the kitchen, asking "You ever played Call of Duty before?" as she pulled her into one of the adjacent rooms, Emilia following after the shock wore off.

Neo, who had never played anything more than solitaire, shook her head in response. Ruby's smile grew wider as she said "Let's fix that."

Moments later Neo found herself seated before a massive 60 inch flat screen television and a large pile of electronics, controllers and game cases. While Ruby busied herself inserting various plugs and searching through her massive stack games, Neo looked around, taking in her new surroundings. The room Ruby dragged Neo into could best be described as what would happen if a tornado formed inside a Best Buy. Various types and sizes of cords, wires and controllers littered the ground, some in perfect condition and others in pieces. One wall was bare except for a massive floor to ceiling bookcase, each shelf packed with cases of all shapes and sizes. The other walls were littered with various game posters, showcasing everything from the previously mentioned Call of Duty to some robot thing in a diving suit with what looked like a drill for an arm. But what dominated the room was a massive television, surrounded by a leather couch and several armchairs. In contrast to the rest of the room, the seats were clean and tidy, worn with constant use.

Emilia saw the look of confusion on Neo's face and explained "This house was built to house 10 or more, so even now some of the rooms go unused. When it was just Summer and Ruby they didn't care about any mess Ruby made, but Weiss moved in and quickly put her foot down. They tried and failed to help Ruby organize everything, so they decided to contain the chaos instead. This room is for her own personal use."

Ruby, who had remained silent till now, called out "Aw c'mon, it's not that bad."

"Ruby, I can barely see the floor." Neo said, her mind in shock that one person could cause this much of a mess. Even the warehouses she had lived in for most of her life were cleaner then this room.

"Maybe Weiss should cut off your allowance until you actually clean this room." Emilia suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Ruby merely laughed and said "She tried that threat before. Couldn't even last a whole day without relenting."

Neo, who had a good idea of how Ruby had broken Weiss, said "You used that pout, didn't you. That one you used in our apartment last week." Ruby called out "Yep" in response and went back to work. After several moments she had apparently finished whatever she was doing. She walked back towards the couch, two black controllers in her hands. She sat beside Neo and handed her one, before turning on the TV and booting up her chosen console. As she navigated through the menus, she explained the various controls to Neo, who was already out of her depth. When Neo asked her to repeat everything she had just said, Ruby just shrugged and said "its fine, you'll figure it out. Now, if you had to pick a gun, what kind would it be? Machine gun, semi-auto, pistol?"

Neo, who had no talent or preference for guns, asked "What about knives?"

Ruby paused for a second, her eyebrows scrunched up in thought. Seeming to arrive at a decision she turned her attention to the screen, her fingers a blur as she flew through screen after screen. Before Neo could ask what she was doing Ruby turned to her and said "Ok, when the game starts pick the bottom option, the one labeled knife. That option has a submachine gun, a revolver with a knife attachment for faster stabbing, a tomahawk and some flashbangs. It's mostly close quarters, so you'll be at a bit of a disadvantage. That ok?"

Neo grinned and said "Sounds perfect." This class is like my life. At a disadvantage from the start.

Ruby's response was to mutter "Blake and Yang certainly picked a strange one," before turning her attention to the screen in front of her. By this point the match was loading, and Neo asked "what about you, what do you use?"

Ruby grinned and said "Sniper Rifle" right before the match began, Ruby on the top half of the screen and Neo on the bottom. They spawned in what looked like some town filled with plastic mannequins, along with the other four members of their team. When Neo asked her what to do Ruby's only advice was "try not to die" before she focused on the screen and tuned Neo out completely. Her character took off, running for the house, while Neo's just stood there looking around aimlessly. After several seconds she figured out how to run and took off, running straight for the rest of her team. She went through the house and emerged outside, only to find herself in the middle of a massive firefight. Explosions and the sound of gunfire rang out from the TV, and within seconds Neo's character had been hit, though not killed. She ran back inside, screaming to Ruby "what do I do?"

Without looking away from the screen Ruby said "Use the right bumper to aim, and release to throw a knife. Aim with the left trigger, and fire with the right trigger." After several seconds the sound of a shot ran out, and Ruby cried out "Got the care package."

Neo, hoping Ruby's advice would work, charged back outside, and spotted another enemy. She pushed the right bumper, and paused to line up her aim. Which was apparently death in this game, since before she could throw the knife her would-be victim spotted her and shot her. Her character died, and reappeared in the same place as last time, only to be shot and killed seconds after coming back to life.

The rest of the match, as well as the next several, went much the same way. Neo was used to taking her time, lining up her throw or stab perfectly to ensure instant death for her victim. She was a calm and cold perfectionist, a killer in the night. But that was in the real world, and this was a video game where the laws of logic and reason did not apply. She eventually discovered that a throwing knife would kill as long as it made contact with any part of the enemy, and from then on she improved quickly.

By the time they were on their sixth game Yang had finally finished showering. She came down stairs, grabbed a water from the fridge and wandered around, trying to find where everyone had went. She eventually checked the game room, and was horrified by what she saw. Neo, someone who had never struck her as a lover of video games, was playing some online game with Ruby, who was probably the biggest video game nerd in human existence. And if the final match scores were anything to go by, Neo was beating her.

Emilia, who was sitting on one of the chairs by the wall, looked up from her phone and said "Weiss just texted me, her and Blake left the vet. They should be here soon."

"Good, came out just in time" Yang said, then asked "What's the plan for dinner?"

Emilia got as far as saying "chicken parm" before she was interrupted by Ruby loudly saying "Neo, you got two guys right behind you. I got the left." A second later a shot rang out, and Neo's character turned around, only to be killed seconds later. Neo, without looking away from the screen, shouted "I thought you said you had left?"

Ruby shouted back "I did, MY left. My left was your right." Neo wordlessly nodded in response, and both girls fell silent again, the only sounds in the room the death tolls of the enemy team.

Yang stared for almost a minute, before turning to Emilia and asking "How did this happen?"

Emilia gave Yang a sympathetic smile and said "Apparently Neo is as good as Ruby when it comes to video games, or at least this one. From what I can tell, the two of them are getting more kills then the rest of the team combined."

Yang sat down next to Emilia and buried her head in her hands, groaning as she muttered "Rubes created a monster." Emilia rubbed her back soothingly, before asking her how her job at the gym had been going. Yang launched into the story of what had happened earlier that day while Emilia listened attentively, interjecting when Yang got to her confrontation with Cardin to offer her approval. From there they moved on to discussing Yang's upcoming classes and how Emilia's job was going, their conversation occasionally interrupted by shouts from Ruby or Neo as they continued to compete in their game.

20 minutes later the sound of a door opening and Weiss's shout of "We're back" made everyone pause what they were doing and gravitate towards the front door. Neo was the first out, hoping to give Blake a hug after what had probably been another tiring day for her. Her plans were ruined, however, by a dark gray blur that detached itself from Weiss's leg and began running straight towards her. She tried to move, to run or get away. But her brain and body were paralyzed, unable to react, or do anything but stand there and accept her fate. She heard someone shout "Artemis, No" but it sounded muffled, as if being shouted from a great distance.

As the blur came closer it launched itself into the air, aiming straight for Neo's chest. Time seemed to slow down, and Neo could finally focus enough to determine that the blur was not a blur at all, but a small, adorable dark grey dog. An adorable dog that was currently flying through the air straight towards her, but adorable non-the-less. Her last thought before she felt the dog slam into her, sending her crashing to the floor was so this is how I die, huh? Not from the barrel of a gun or the blade of a knife, but with a small dog jumping on me at mach 3.

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In case you missed or forgot the endorsements, here they are again.

Bodyshock by YinYangBangBang (mainly freezerburn, BiGender Yang, 80000 words!) Fanfiction

Stay Afloat by Blood Shinobi (PyrrhaxNora (Valkos), 50000 words) Fanfiction

Red Flowers Bloom by sombreromoustache (Pollination aka RubyxBlakexWeissxYang, 20000 words) Fanfiction

Anything by Xekstrin, A03

Saint's Rose by Latham02 (no ships as of yet, but it's WAY too funny to pass up.) Fanfiction

I just recommend giving them a shot. You like em, maybe give em a favorite or drop a review.

Feedback is definitely appreciated, and I will try to respond as fast as possible. Bring me your grammatical errors, your plot holes, your crazed guesses and general thoughts. Any and all questions are welcome, no matter what they are. Otherwise, see you all next time. Have a wonderful day/dusk/twilight/night/eclipse/whatever your weather is currently!