Episode XI

(Yet Another) Christmas Carol

"Ho ho ho!" Ruby chortles as she appears in the center of a very festive dorm room, dressed in a santa outfit. "It's time for the Rose-Xiao Long Show! A very special Christmas to spend with your hero, my sister, Yang Xiao Looooong!"

Yang comes through the door, wrapped in several heavy coats that still leave her looking somewhat blue as she grins. "H-h-hey, everyone!" she greets through chattering teeth. "G-g-great to see you- t-t-t-time to celebrate our first C-C-Christmas together."

"Care to tell them why you're... like that?" Ruby asks, smirking.

"Oh, th-this?" Yang asks, gesturing to the several coats that don't seem to be doing a great job of keeping out the cold. "Well, Ice Q-Q-Queen d-d-didn't appreciate the p-p-prank we p-p-pulled on her..."

"We pulled on her?" Ruby interrupts, placing her hands on her hips. "As I recall, it was all your idea, and I didn't even know about it until the end!"

"Oh, shut up," Yang grimaces, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. "At least you got some c-c-c-cookies out of it."

"That is true," Ruby ponders. "Wanna tell them what that prank was?"

"Oh, yeah," Yang nods. "S-s-so we f-found out she never s-s-saw A C-Christmas C-C-Carol, so I th-th-thought it would be f-funny to l-let her live it f-f-firsthand."

"And she got everyone in on it except for me," Ruby pouts.

"Rubes, there's n-no way you w-w-wouldn't have g-g-given it away," Yang points out. "I th-thought we were d-d-done for when V-Vomit B-B-Boy messed up at the b-b-beginning..."

Ruby laughs raucously. "Yeah, when you said Jacob Marley, he heard Bob Marley."

Yang grins. "Y-yeah. Even if he d-d-did ruin the p-p-prank, it would have b-b-been worth it. He h-hops into our d-d-dorm with a g-guitar around his n-n-neck, st-starts telling her about the other g-g-g-ghosts... she st-starts freaking out, and he starts singing."

"Don't worry about a thing!" Ruby sings. "'Cause every little thing gonna be alright!"

"He c-c-can sing, he j-j-just can't write his own s-s-s-songs," Yang giggles. "I'm g-g-guessing that's why Ice Q-Queen didn't recognize him."

"That, his clothes, and the wig," Ruby adds. "He didn't go halfway, that's for sure."

"If only we g-g-got the same d-d-dedication from certain... others," Yang mutters darkly.

"Cool story sis, and imma let you finish," Ruby beams, "but we need to get going to the next segment!"

Yang glances at her sister through half-closed lids. "D-d-don't ever d-d-do that again."

XXXX

BLAKE'S FILM REVIEW

Blake sighs as she sits down in a room with dim red and green lighting. "Once again, all my plans are destroyed by my own partner...

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to my film review. I wanted to review A Christmas Carol- the original book, you know, maybe compare some of the movies- but after the incident with Weiss, I think we're all a little Caroled out. Instead, I'll be reviewing a classic stop-motion Christmas movie..." She sighs heavily. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose!" Yang butts in from off-screen.

"Yang, shut up!" Blake repeats the phrase that it often feels she is cursed to repeat ad-infinitum. "Anyways, I'm sure you know the story, but how does the original film stack up? If you're into the old classic stop-motion Christmas movies, then you'll enjoy it- it's got everything that people seem to like from that genre. It's got some light-hearted songs... but the story... the story..."

"Just for the record, I wanted her to review A Christmas Story," Yang chimes in. "She insisted on this-"

"Yang!" Blake interrupts. "Ugh... I'm sure you already know what I'm going to say, but that's not going to stop me from saying it anyways. This story is disgusting. Because of his shiny nose, he is shunned and abhorred by all the other reindeer- even his own parents consider it such a disgrace that they cover it up with coal and force him to wear it all the time, making him sound like his nose is perpetually stuffed. But what do they care? At least people think their child is 'normal!'"

"Blake, you're getting excited-"

"Even Santa Claus doesn't help- that fat *REDACTED* just sits on his fat *EXPUNGED* *REDACTED* and lets it all happen!"

"Blake, you're doing that thing-"

"So he runs away and finds an increasingly large band of outcasts who actually accept him- an elf who wants to be a dentist, a miner out looking for silver, or gold, or whatever the *REDACTED*, and a friendly yeti. But then fog sets in, and suddenly they need that special power of his- they should come crawling to him on bended knees, but nooooo!"

"Blake, you really need to take one of your chill pills-"

"So, the moral of the story is, don't worry if you're different, just wait for others to arbitrarily need your help, then suddenly forgive them for every-"

*THUNK!*

Blake's eyes widen, and she flops over on the couch, fast asleep. Yang enters into frame, wiping her brow and blowing on her tranquilizer gun.

"Borrowed some tranquilizers from the producer," she explains off-hand. "Only way to stop Blake once she gets on one of her tirades. Anyways, good movie, check it out!"

XXXX

TALES OF VALKYRIA

Ren and Nora are outside in the courtyard, rolling up a colossal snowball. "Keep going, Renny!" Nora cheers as it becomes increasingly difficult to roll. "This is gonna be the greatest snowman ever made! People are gonna come from all over Remnant to see it!"

"Of course they will, Nora," Ren placates her as he briefly stops to wipe some sweat from his brow.

"Let's just hope it doesn't turn out like that time the snowmen came to life, right?"

"...I don't seem to recall that occasion."

"Well, I'd just seen Frosty the Snowman, so I decided to buy an old silk hat off a street vendor and try bringing one of my snowmen to life- it did, but then it tried to take over the world! It built its own army of snowmen and launched an assault on our house! You don't remember that?"

"I distinctly don't remember that."

"You don't remember trying to take it out with more snowballs?"

"That seems remarkably ineffective."

"It was! It only made it bigger, then it packed more snow onto itself and its minions, making an army of deranged killer monster snow goons!"

"I have a nagging suspicion you've been reading too many comics lately."

"It's true! Fortunately, I managed to get my hands on another silk hat and make my own army of snowpeople! It was a grueling war that lasted for days- until we finally sat them around for a peace treaty, and I slipped them all some hot chocolate!"

She stands proudly with her hands on her hips. "And that was the end of the snow goon menace!"

"Wonderful, truly wonderful," Ren indulges. "Now, I don't think this snowball can go any further. What say we-"

"We can't stop now, Ren- we need nine more!"

Ren blinks, meeting her with a steady gaze. "Nine more?"

"Well, yeah, this is just one of the toes!"

Ren sighs, pulling out his own thermos of hot chocolate. Good thing he'd predicted something like this...

XXXX

PRANKSTER'S HANGOUT WITH YANG

"H-h-hey, everyone, and w-w-welcome to m-my c-c-c-corner," Yang chatters as she sits behind her usual workbench. "I kn-kn-know you're p-p-probably l-looking forward to some C-C-Christmas p-pranks, b-b-but after... the incident... I f-f-figured it would b-be better to unwind with something s-s-simpler- we're g-g-gonna c-catch Santa.

"N-now, when it c-c-c-comes to c-catching Santa, the s-s-simpler, the b-b-better. The d-dudes been evading c-capture for over t-t-two thousand years now, he expects all those c-c-complex t-traps. No, you want s-s-something so m-m-mundane that he'd never think anyone would actually t-t-try it! W-w-we are g-g-gonna use a b-b-basic p-pitfall!"

She grins, and begins putting objects on her table. "F-f-for this operation, we're g-g-g-gonna need a s-s-saw, a p-p-plate of c-c-cookies, a g-g-glass of m-milk, and, of c-c-course, the ultimate w-weapon in any p-p-prankster's arsenal- d-d-duct t-tape."

She takes a deep breath. "Okay- what w-we're g-gonna do is h-head back t-t-to our d-d-dorm..."

SSSS

"And s-s-saw open the f-f-floor in front of the c-c-cookie table!" Yang continues in her dorm, producing the saw and quickly opening a perfectly circular hole, smirking at the camera. "I'm sure W-W-Weissy will f-forgive m-me when I show her S-Saint Nick- she's almost as excited as R-Rubes.

"Now, st-st-step 2- d-duct t-tape the hole shut! I happen t-to have t-t-tape that p-p-perfectly m-matches the f-f-floor, so I'll just do that..."

She expertly duct tapes over the floor, doing it so effectively that the casual onlooker would hardly notice. "N-n-now, we l-l-lay the b-b-bait, and w-w-wait."

SSSS

Night time falls, and Yang peers gleefully out at her trap. Her heart nearly stops when a figure in red appears in the doorway, eagerly making its way over to the cookies- only to fall with a loud, feminine scream as they break the duct tape. Yang's eyes widen, and she jumps down.

"DUST *REDACTED* YANG!"

Yang winces, smiling sheepishly, knowing she doesn't even have any ground to get mad for the profanity. "Oh- sorry, Rubes! Forgot I had another cookie-lover on my hands! If it makes you feel better, you can keep the cookies!"

Yang turns to the camera, smiling shyly. "So, I guess that's that- we'll finish the episode on Christmas Day..."

She wraps up her segment, happily oblivious to the dark Ruby-aura rising above her. "Until then, remember, ladies- if the guys don't find you pretty, they should at least find you punny- OOF!"

XXXX

INTERVIEW WITH A ROSE

Ruby is prancing around the hall once again when she is greeted by a beaming Neo. "Oh, Neo!" she says brightly, before suddenly tensing. "Wait, aren't you the one who fought Yang on the train during the breach?"

Neo raises her hands to her chest and bats her eyelids. Me? I would never!

"Okay... I'll trust you for now," Ruby decides tentatively. "I mean, it is Christmas, and all. So, how're you spending Christmas? With your team?"

Neo shakes her head rapidly and fervently, beckoning Ruby to follow her outside, where she begins scooping up fallen snow- of which there is an abundance. It is nearly four feet deep- the two girls are using their weapons just to fight their way through.

Neo then leads her back to her dorm, where Emerald and Mercury are absent- Neo loads the snow into a red, solid plastic ball, and suddenly throws it at Ruby without mercy.

Ruby lets out a yelp, but manages to catch it. "What was that about?!"

Neo beckons at her- C'mon, throw it back!

Ruby tilts her head, but does as she is bid- Neo catches it and wings it right back at her. Ruby begins to smile as they toss the ball back and forth for several minutes, until suddenly, Neo stops, taking the ball and opening it up, dumping the contents into a bowl- Ruby's eyes widen as she spies a bowl of soft-serve ice cream. "Wow! An ice cream maker!"

Neo signs away at her- Snow makes the best ice cream.

As evidence, she offers Ruby the bowl, beaming happily as Ruby tasted it, her eyes widening. "This... this is really good!"

Neo shrugs as she spins the ball around on her finger. Gift from my Dad- I use it every Christmas.

She pushes the bowl back into Ruby's hands. Ruby's eyes widen. "I can... take it?"

Merry Christmas!

"Best interview ever!" Ruby gushes. "Any closing comments?"

Neo raises a finger to her chin in thought, then smirks before signing a message.

Those cookies you like are about to come back in style.

"Uh... okay?" Ruby blinks the question marks out of her eyes before turning and dashing back down the hallway. "Thanks!"

Neo waves her off before getting started on her next batch of ice cream.

XXXX

WE INTERRUPT YOUR NORMAL BROADCAST TO BRING YOU:

SILLY SONGS WITH EDITOR GEORGEKYST

GeorgeKYST is standing in the middle of a large field, shoveling at coal. He heavily resembled Ren, but with violet eyes and hair streak instead of magenta. He is shoveling in time with his song.

You're a *EXPUNGED,* Cinder Fall.

You really are a heel!

You're as cuddly as a cactus

and as charming as an eel, Cinder Fall!

You're a bad banana with a...

greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Cinder Fall.

Your heart's an empty hole!

Your brain is full of spiders,

you've got garlic in your soul, Cinder Fall!

I wouldn't touch you with a...

thirty-nine and a half foot pole!

He picks up a forty-foot net and throws it casually behind himself before continuing to shovel.

You're a vile one, Cinder Fall.

You have termites in your smile!

You have all the tender sweetness

of a seasick crocodile, Cinder Fal!

Given the choice between you, I'd take the...

Seasick crocodile!

He takes another moment to spit in the direction he's shoveling, then gets back to singing.

You're a foul one, Cinder Fall.

You're a nasty, *EXPUNGED* skunk!

Your heart is full of Gamer's socks,

your soul is full of gunk, Cinder Fall!

The three words that best describe you are, as follows, and I quote:

"Stink, stank, stunk!"

He spits again.

I *EXPUNGED* hate you, Cinder Fall.

You're the queen of sinful sots!

Your heart's a dead tomato,

splotched with moldy purple spots, Cinder Fall!

Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgusting rubbish from Gamer4's nest, mangled up...

In tangled-up knots!

He beckons a black-and-white cat to relieve herself in the pile of coal he's shoveling, then smirks wickedly at the horrified look on Cinder Fall's face before continuing his shoveling.

You nauseate me, Cinder Fall.

With a nauseous super naus!

You're a crooked, jerky jocky

and you drive a crooked hoss, Cinder Fall!

You're a rancid steak marinated in cat urine for three days before burned to a charred crisp,

with arsenic sauce!

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

XXXX

"Well, that was... unsettling," Yang notes nervously as she and Ruby watch that footage back. "I guess he... really doesn't like Cinder."

"Now all we need is for Gamer4 to get involved," Ruby sighs.

"Nah, he's busy taking care of something back home," Yang shakes her head. "Won't be interfering with us for a while."

Ruby smiles as she shoves a cookie into her mouth, left over from the previous night. Yang snaps her fingers. "Oh, right! My story! So Jaune left after his Bob Marley act, which was pretty funny, now that I think about it, then we sent in Pyrrha playing the ghost of Christmas Past! We figured she was the best candidate- she probably has the best understanding of Weiss's background, what with the whole, 'being a champion' thing and everything."

"But that's what messed her up in the end," Ruby sighs.

"Yup," Yang agrees. "She got a little too into it, started describing her own backstory, which just confused the *REDACTED* out of Weiss, I'd imagine, especially when she started describing falling in love with a blond boy who's completely oblivious to her affections."

Ruby snorts. "Yeah, that's when I noticed."

"We had to get her outta there in a hurry," Yang recalled. "Then we set up Nora as the Ghost of Christmas Present- she wanted to do future with Ren, but when she found out she got a big ol' pile of pancakes, it was a lot easier to convince her. She got really into it, describing all the reasons she loves the holiday, showing off how Team CFVY was celebrating at the time- they had a bottomless coffee bar, it was rough keeping Nora away from that- before she suddenly started talking about how Ruby was gonna drop dead if she didn't change her ways."

"Why would she say that?" Ruby wonders. "I really didn't get that part- how is Weiss being Weiss gonna lead to me dying?"

"Caught me by surprise too," Yang recalls. "I mean, I know it was in the original story, but you'd think she coulda toned it down a bit."

"That's why she got me the cookies, right?" Ruby puts in.

"I think it was something along those lines, yeah," Yang nods. "Eventually, she managed to swing past us into the coffee, and that's where things got really strange- she decided that Velvet and Coco were her daughters, told Velvet she needed to stop seeing Cardin-"

"Milk came out of my nose when I heard that," Ruby snorts. "Then again- it is Christmas, so maybe-"

"Don't go too far down that road, sis," Yang cuts her off.

"I think I will, actually," Ruby smiles. "IN THE NEXT SEGMENT!"

"But I still haven't finished-"

XXXX

SISTERLY ADVICE WITH RUBY

"So, it's Christmas time," Ruby smiles behind her desk. "Christmas time is great! Who doesn't love it? Even if you have a different name for it, you still love it! Call it Hanukkah, Kwanza, whatever! That's why I don't get upset if anyone said Happy Hanukkah or Kwanza, and I don't think they get upset when I say Merry Christmas- at the end of the day, it's all the same feelings of well-wishes, right?

"There's no need to get upset over what someone calls the holiday, as long as the feelings are there! I can say Merry Christmas, then have Sun reply with Happy Kwanza, then have Professor Peach chime in with Happy Hanukkah, and we're all just wishing each other well- none of us have done anything wrong!

"I mean, this is the time of year that brought the War for Remnant to a halt- the feelings of goodwill towards our fellow man were so strong that soldiers on the front lines laid down their weapons and broke out their booze- at least, that's how Uncle Qrow always told the story. He would focus on that...

"What I'm trying to say is, for today, I think we can all set our animosities aside, and just join in and be one big family. Today, I'm giving you homework- go to the person you have the biggest grudge with, and give them a big ol' hug. Please? For me?" She blinks her silver eyes in her best puppy-dog impersonation.

"Well, that's my time for now- until next time, remember- I'm standing with you- we're all in this together!"

XXXX

ADVENTURE TIME WITH PYRRHA AND JAUNE

Hello, again, and a Merry Christmas to you all! Oh... sorry! Happy holidays? Happy... non-denominational winter holiday? That... takes too long to say. I'll just say Merry Christmas.

This year was... interesting, to say the least. Jaune and I went into Vale on Christmas Eve to get some last-minute presents for Ren and Nora, and ended up getting chased around by a couple of crooks- they were rather... stereotypical, in black-and-white striped clothing. Jaune took the opportunity to drop another hint at his desire for an official Nomad of Nowhere air rifle, which I refused- I have no desire to see him shoot his eye out.

The bandits chased us into an empty building, where Jaune took charge of the situation- he began pulling all sorts of supplies out of his pockets. It strained believability, but that's how his pockets are- I simply smile and nod at this point.

With the various paraphernalia in his pockets, we began laying traps for the bandits- he said he'd seen this in a Christmas movies as a kid. I was skeptical that a children's Christmas movie would involve a pit full of needles that one must go through to find a key to the exit, or a shotgun set to go off when triggered by nearly invisible wire, but he is my leader, so...

It was rather painful watching them go through some of those traps, and Jaune wasn't done- he managed to get a glass box onto one of their heads and start filling it with water- that bandit- a woman, by the looks of things- had to creatively use a pen to get herself out of that one. It got a little unnerving when he tricked one of them into triggering a flamethrower trap- it was almost like he was starting to enjoy it. I mean, I assume that's what the wild cackles meant. Difficult to say for sure.

The final straw seemed to be when one of them got a bear trap stuck on the woman's head- Jaune shoved the key down the man's throat, and they ended up chasing each other out of the building. Jaune stood tall and proud, ready to give a victory speech, when he accidentally triggered one of his own traps, leaving some very nasty scars in his face, causing him to clap his hands to his cheeks as he screamed.

I managed to help him use his aura to mostly heal them, but there's some scarring left over. It just makes him look more charming in my opinion- er, did I say that out loud? Forget I said that.

I just wonder how he plans to explain those scars to everyone back at Beacon...

XXXX

THE LONG MAILBAG

"Alright, Christmas mailbag!" Ruby cheers as she dives into her seat at Yang's side. "Three letters for the reading!"

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit," Yang pats her on the head. "How fitting."

"Alright, first from Zagreus, who would like to recommend something called Welcome to Night Vale!"

"Isn't that the working title for the producer's other story?" Yang asks, confused.

"Nah, that was just 'Welcome to Vale,'" Ruby corrects. "Now just Vale. No, I think I've heard of this one! It's a podcast- NightMind talked about it a ways back!"

"Really?" Yang asks, interest piqued. "Is that one of the episodes that got pulled for copyright?"

"Nope!" Ruby beams, popping the p.

"Huh, may have to check it out at some point," Yang nodded. "Things are a little rushed right now, but I'm sure we can make some time."

"He says we won't regret it!" Ruby chirps. "Alright, now for SpiderShadow- he's upset at your response to his pun."

"Okay, I'll admit, it wasn't bad," Yang shrugs, "but I don't take kindly to people trying to hijack my schtick, capisce?"

"She worked very hard on it," Ruby deadpans through half-lidded eyes. "How very dare you, sir?"

She clears her throat. "Anyways, he'd also like to recommend a movie for Weiss to review."

"Oh, sure, what is it?"

"Some animated movie called Food-"

Ruby squeaks as Yang suddenly slaps a hand over her mouth, glancing around in horror. "Don't say that name, it's cursed," she hisses. "Okay... I'll see what I can do. I hope you realize what you're asking for, here."

She stops and pulls away when Ruby licks her hand. "Urgh!"

"Learned it from you, sis!" Ruby grins at her, before turning to the final letter. "Okay, finally, from Konstantinsen- he wants to congratulate me on my Crocea Mors job! Thank you very much! We're gonna keep this train going! I'm already laying out some more plans- Weiss actually put in a request of her own, as I'll show-"

"Don't get carried away, sis," Yang interrupts, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We still gotta wrap this segment up."

"Oh, of course! Please, drop some letters into our mailbag for next episode! It would be a perfect Christmas present for us! See you at the end!"

XXXX

WEISS'S GAMING EXPERIENCE

Weiss sighs as she sits at her gamestation, her profile booting up. "You have no idea how difficult it is to find anything qualifying as a 'Christmas' game," she grumbles. "The best I've been able to find after nearly a month of searching is..."

The screen shifts to the title screen of Kingdom Hearts.

"Yes, Kingdom Hearts, 1.5 plus 2.5... Guns of the... Evangelion." She sighs wearily. "I don't get these titles, to be perfectly candid. I've not played any games in this series since the first, but I have been made aware of a Christmas Town in the second title, so that's what I'll be playing today. The first game's plot was decently simple- I see there are two games on this collection as well- Chain of Memories and... er... 358 half days? Hmm... 179 days?"

Her scroll rings, and she answers it- a cascade of loud voices scream out of it- "THREE FIVE EIGHT DAYS OVER TWO!" Flames pour out of the speaker, prompting Weiss to squeak in surprise as she quickly drops the scroll and stomps it out.

"Very well, Three Five Eight Days Over Two!" she raises her hands in surrender. "My apologies! Anyways, I presume that these are mere sidegames in the franchise, that shouldn't impede my enjoyment of II- I'll only be playing to Christmas Town anyways."

She starts the game and starts bobbing her head along with the music. "Ah, Simple and Clean. I do recall enjoying this music. This is a nice recap of the first game, except- er..."

She tilts her head. "I don't recall Sora and Rikku playing tag in a white void in the first game. Could this be foreshadowing to events to come?"

She only grows more confused as the story begins. "...Roxas? Who is Roxas? Where's Rub- er, Sora? What is going on here?"

She continues playing, looking for any indication that this is actually a Kingdom Hearts title, until her eyes brighten upon obtaining the keyblade. "Well, at least we have that going for us. The keyblades are an excellent concept, if I may say so. Perhaps I can convince Ruby to craft one for me."

"Order taken!" chimes Ruby's voice- judging by Weiss's surprised reaction, she wasn't even aware of Ruby's presence.

"Okay... oh... oh dear..."

Her eyes begin to tear up as the prologue comes to an end. "How... how tragic... I don't know this character, but... I find myself drawn to him... and he must die for Sora to return? Why is Sora in that chamber anyways? What did I miss? Why must it all happen this way?"

Some tears finally fall as the prologue comes to an end- then immediately drops her into the main game.

"Hmmm," Weiss springs on the new worlds as a welcome reprieve from her grief. "Oh, Mulan! I always did appreciate that movie- it always reminds me of Ren, for some reason."

Her scroll rings- she checks it and rolls her eyes. "No, not because they're both eastern, Blake, get off my back!"

She grumbles and returns to the game. "Ah- Halloween Town- and presumably Christmas Town as well. Wait, does that mean-"

Her eyes brighten as she enters Christmas Town. "YES! Santa is canon! That... actually, I'm not entirely certain how to feel about that. Hmm... perhaps I should have asked Santa for directions to where my true father is- but I mustn't let that drag me down. I will find him eventually- and we'll celebrate Christmas together!"

She brings the game to a halt. "Once more, I may come back to finish this game at a later time, but I have fulfilled my intentions for today- I defeated... Oogie Boogie..." She wrinkles her nose, "through the power of Christmas magic. There is little more 'Christmas' to squeeze from this game- until next time, I must bid you farewell."

XXXX

"Huh- whoda thunk?" Yang muses. "She handled that pretty well, for skipping out on Chain."

"I guess she's too worn out after your prank to worry about much else," Ruby suggests.

"Yeah- dangit, Blake, for giving the game away," Yang grumbles. "Everything was going so well, even after Nora had her episode, when Blake and Ren come in, standing on each other's shoulders, wearing a big ol' hood. Ren was trying to keep closer to the story- he followed up on Nora talking about Ruby dying, but trying to change it a bit too- something about her losing her voice and never singing again. Then Blake decides she's going to hijack it and make the whole thing about faunus rights!"

"That was awkward," Ruby agrees awkwardly. "I hate it when people have to force things into stories where they don't belong..."

"Well, that's Blake," Yang grunts. "Since we hadn't really been talking about faunus up until then, that's when Weiss started realizing what was actually going on- Bob Marley, pancakes of human kindness, Pyrrha ranting about her own story... she knocked them both over, and Blake just gave me away! Some partner!"

"To be fair, I'm pretty certain Weiss already knew- Blake was just giving extra confirmation."

"Yeah, yeah," Yang grumbles. "Thanks to her, I spent all of yesterday frozen to the bone and chattering my teeth off! Merry *REDACTED* Christmas, huh?"

"A very Merry Christmas!" Ruby chirps brightly, far more sincerely. "And we hope all of you did, too! A very Merry Christmas from us to you! Thanks to our set designer, Breenut, our editor, GeorgeKYST, and our producer, Gamer4!"

"And, of course, to our inspiration, the Red Green Show!" Yang nods, bringing a smile back to her face. "See you all next year- until then, don't wait too Long, we've got Rose more coming your way!"