Chapter Twenty-three: She Looks So Perfect

"Booooooored," Ruby announced loudly as she furiously scrubbed a stubborn speck on the counter. Penny laughed beside her, but she wasn't doing any better with her colour coded sugar packets. "Someone sing a song or something!"

"You're the show choir coach, you sing!" Penny shouted back, throwing a sugar packet at Ruby. She easily caught it and tossed it back, hitting Penny square on the forehead. "Hey!"

"Your fault for throwing it in the first place," Ruby said, sticking her tongue out.

Penny tossed two more in retaliation. "Jerk!"

"Wha—hey!"

"Can you crazy kids keep it down?" Yang asked with her head sticking out from the order window. "I'm trying to watch dough rise."

"That's just sad," Ruby muttered, leaning back against the counter.

"Perhaps," Yang shrugged, "but at least it's more interesting than whatever's going on out here."

"I guess you can say we're the yeast of your problems?" Ruby grinned.

"No." Yang glared at Ruby. "Just no."

"Aw, c'mon! It was funny!" Ruby said.

"If this is your attempt at a 'dad joke,' I'm gunna hafta warn Weiss," Yang said.

"Weiss loves my jokes!" Ruby argued.

"It isn't hard to get that girl laughing," Yang said nonchalantly. "I mean, look at who she's dating." Penny snorted. "See, Penny gets it."

"Screw you, Yang," Ruby shouted, giving her sister the middle finger. "Screw you too, Penny! I thought we were friends."

"Wow, you are so immature," Penny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, like you're any better Ms. Moves-to-Vale-to-hang-out," Yang snorted.

Penny blushed and argued, "I didn't do it because of you two!"

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Yang gushed. "She's talking like Ciel!"

"I am not!" Penny screamed with a furious blush.

"Yup," Ruby nodded in agreement. "That bashful response has Ciel written all over it."

"Fine, I see how it is. Let's turn the tables on you then and see how you like," Penny said, leering at Ruby with a smug grin. "I'm sure you've picked a few things up from Weiss."

"Oh, I have a great Weiss impression!" Ruby eagerly exclaimed.

"Uh… you guys?" Yang said.

"Wait, wait, Yang, listen to this," Ruby said, clearing her throat. "Ooh, look at me! My name's Weiss. I know facts. I'm rich."

"Oh no…" Yang facepalmed. "Ruby, you dumbass…"

"Is that what I sound like?" Weiss asked with a perfect eyebrow arched high.

Ruby let out an ear splitting screech as she jumped up in fright and clutched at her chest. "Weiss, for fuck's sake, wear a bell!"

"That's a little kinky don't you think?" Weiss said, crossing her arms, looking completely unamused. She was with Amélia and another statuesque woman who looked a lot like Weiss but taller… much, much taller.

"I must say, it was a good impression," teased the woman, though her thick accent made it hard to understand her. "I don't think I could have done a better job and I've been told we sound quite alike."

Ruby assumed this lady was Weiss' fabled older sister.

And she was right.

Shit.

"Winter…" Weiss grumbled.

"I must concur," Amélia chuckled as she gently looped her arms around Weiss' left. "Bonjour, Ruby. It's nice to see you so lively on such a dreary day."

Ruby shyly looked at Amélia and gave her a shy little wave. "Hi."

"Sorry, the bell's broken," Penny said, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Our boss was supposed to replace it, but he hasn't gotten to it."

"Nor has he fixed that one burnt out lightbulb," Weiss chuckled. "How long has it been?"

"Months," Ruby laughed.

"So, hey, introductions?" Yang interrupted with a goofy smile directed at Winter. Or Amélia. It was hard to tell. But knowing Yang, it was probably both.

"Right!" Weiss clapped her hands. "The woman to my left is my mother-in-law, Amélia. And the grumpy one to my right is my sister, Winter."

"Hello," Amélia said, smiling.

Ruby introduced her best friend Penny first and she instantly endeared herself to Amélia with her cheery personality and charm. Then, with much reluctance, Ruby introduced Yang.

"Hi, you're—wow—you are a lot of woman and I'd let you top me any day," Yang said to Winter without a hint of shame or remorse. Ruby groaned out loud and facepalmed while Weiss politely hid a laugh behind a hand.

"That can be arranged," Winter smirked. "But before that," she turned to Penny and said, "you look familiar."

"I do?" Penny tilted her head curiously.

"Yes, yes… I believe I met you at a science expo once upon a time…"

"Science expo… science expo…" Penny tapped her chin in thought. "The last one I went to was about three years ago with Papa."

"I still regret not going…" Ruby pouted.

"You can come next time," Penny beamed. "If it's okay with Weiss that is." She side-eyed Weiss and waited for a response.

Weiss didn't take well to the jibe and crossed her arms. "Ruby doesn't need my permission to do anything."

"I'm glad to hear that," Penny smiled, her tense shoulders relaxing.

"Right…" Weiss warily replied.

Winter cleared her throat and said, "Where do we order?"

"Right there," Penny pointed to the register.

"Retro," Winter commented as she stepped around Weiss to talk to Penny. Yang took that as her cue to dip back into the kitchen.

Ruby awkwardly toed the floor, looking down at it guiltily. "I'm sorry," she said, "we were just joking around."

"Mhm…" Weiss frowned.

"I didn't mean it…"

"Which part?" Weiss suddenly laughed, her angry façade slipping away into a jovial smile. "I am rich, and I do know a lot of facts."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief and leaned a little closer to Weiss. "Y'know, I'm still messed up over the banana thing."

"Oh, you poor dear," Amélia said. "She got me with the same fact years ago; I haven't been the same since."

"Don't blame me, blame Chrys!" Weiss huffed. "She refused all the other bedtime stories we had for '101 Fun Facts About the Wild World We Live In.' Nicole and I had to listen to her giggle nonstop about why koalas aren't bears."

"Because they don't have the koalafications?" Ruby childishly snickered.

Weiss shot her a dirty look and said, "Funny, but no. It's because they're marsupials. I would have honestly preferred that corny joke over learning the fact that koala young sustain themselves by consuming their mother's fecal matter."

"Wait, what?" both Amélia and Ruby said at the same time.

"They also have fingerprints like ours," Weiss added, increasing the horror by twenty percent. "And don't get me started on chickens—those things are vicious!"

"I am both curious and terrified," Ruby murmured. Amélia silently nodded her head in agreement.

Winter loudly cleared her throat and beckoned her family over. "Are you two just about finished because I'd like to actually eat sometime before dinner."

"Wow, she's snarkier than you," Ruby whispered to Weiss.

"She's turned it into an art form at this point," Weiss whispered back, barely holding in her laughter.

"Does she know we're dating?"

"She does," Weiss nodded, "so prepare for her to grill you."

"Did she do that to Coco?"

"Nicole? No," Weiss snorted. "My wife had the exact same reaction your sister had when she first met her."

"You mean she…?"

"Weiß, food. Sometime this century. Please," Winter huffed impatiently.

"Just a minute, Winter," Weiss said.

"Enough with the flirting," Winter insisted. "I was promised a free meal I wouldn't forget."

Weiss rolled her eyes and sauntered up to the register with Amélia laughing behind her. "You can pay for your own food, you know," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Penny, my usual please."

"The 'usual'? What's the 'usual'?" Winter asked.

"A drip black coffee, the soup of the day, and a turkey club—hold the pickles and light on mayo," Penny dutifully replied. "Oh, and a cheese croissant to go."

"Perfect as usual, Penny, but no croissant today please," Weiss smiled. She turned to Amélia and linked their arms together. "What about you, Maman?"

"I'd like the same coffee as Weiss. Oh, and is the salmon available?" Amélia asked in a hopeful tone. "Neptune recommended it."

"Let me check," Penny said before popping her head into the kitchen. She popped back out a second later and said, "It's available."

"Perfect!" Amélia smiled. "I'll have that along with the soup of the day… which is what exactly?"

"Potato bacon soup," Penny replied. "It's one of our best selling items."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Amélia said. "Have you had it before, mon trésor?"

Weiss nodded. "It's amazing. Winter you should order one as well."

"I think I will," Winter said.

Penny read back the entire order for confirmation and Weiss handed over more than the necessary amount. Penny, as usual, tried to decline the generous tip, but Weiss resisted her charms and added even more to the tip. After paying, Weiss' family sat down at her usual table and Penny handed Ruby their drink orders.

"Sooo… Weiss' sister is kind of… wow," Penny whispered, looking visibly flustered. "I thought she was going to throw me against the wall and ask for my lunch money."

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't need it."

Penny blushed and whispered, "I would've given it willingly. Jeez, she's pretty."

Ruby let out a quiet laugh and said, "You have a thing for the strong silent type, huh?"

"I'm beginning to think so," Penny awkwardly laughed before clearing her throat. "Anyway, two drip coffees, black as the night, and one mocha latte—heavy cream—with two shots of hazelnut and three sugars."

Ruby subtly glanced over to Winter and blinked. "That's surprising. I was sure she'd get a black coffee or an expresso."

Penny stole a peek too. And when she turned back to Ruby, she said, "Holy sheep, Ruby, why is Weiss' entire family so… so…"

"Hot?" Ruby offered with a knowing grin.

"Ugh…" Penny ground the heels of palms into her eyes and groaned in frustration. "Was Weiss' wife insanely good looking too?"

"Yeah?" Ruby shrugged, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "She was a model, I think?"

"Gosh darn it," Penny whined.

"Wow, that's the closest swear I've ever heard you swear," Ruby said with a look of astonishment.

"No F-bombs from me yet, sailor," Penny giggled. "Okay! Enough chit-chat, we have work to do!"

They high-fived and went their separate ways so they could each focus on their individual tasks. Ruby did her best to ignore the fact Winter and Amélia were watching her like a pair of hungry hawks. It was nerve-racking to say the least, and the task she'd done thousands of times suddenly felt alien to her. Was her arm too high? Was she pouring too fast? Could Weiss see how hard she was trying? A billion and one more questions filled her brain and her only saving grace was the order window bell.

"Order up!" Yang announced loudly, ringing the bell once as she slid a tray with three healthy servings of the day's soup onto the window.

Penny picked up the order and Ruby heard them whisper to each other.

"Keep an eye on how they react to the food, please," Yang said, her voice strained with worry. "I put a little extra effort on the presentation… does it look nice?"

"It does and I will," Penny whispered back encouragingly. "This smells amazing, Yang. I'm sure they're going to love it."

"Appreciate it, Pen."

Ruby smiled at them and gave Yang a nod. She would have given her a thumbs up, but both of her hands were dedicated to pouring. She could hear Penny's usual customer service spiel and the polite gratitude Weiss' family gave her in turn. But in a few seconds Ruby would be on the chopping block next.

Three… two… one… and perfect. Ruby set the two drip coffees aside and got to work on Winter's latte. Once it was done, Ruby loaded it onto her tray and set off to serve.

Each step towards Weiss' table felt like a step towards the end. Ruby had never been this nervous serving Weiss before. But she did eventually make it and, thankfully, they were more interested in the soup than they were in Ruby's robotic walk. Winter was inspecting a spoonful of soup while Amélia took a small taste. Weiss, however, was focused solely on her family's reactions.

"How's the soup tasting?" Ruby casually asked as she served everyone their coffees. Weiss was the first to take a sip of Ruby's hard work. Her satisfied moan made Ruby blush, reminding her of the afternoon they spent together last week.

"Perfect as usual, Ruby," Weiss said. "I've been craving for this all week."

"Well, we've been open all week," Ruby laughed.

"Sorry," Weiss said. "With Maman in town we've had lunch meetings and dinners all week." Weiss suddenly gasped in horror, her eyes wide with realization. Amélia and Winter gave her a curious look. "I haven't had dinner with Chrys in a week," she practically hissed.

"You're realizing this now?" Winter asked with a skeptical laugh.

Weiss nodded. "I'm a horrible mother."

"Er," Ruby blinked, unsure of what to say. "I'm sure she understands?"

"It's not that she doesn't understand, Ruby. Chrys knows full well that some sacrifices must be made to maintain the lifestyle she's grown accustomed to; Weiss is just being dramatic," Amélia said calmly.

"Maman!"

"What? It's true" Amélia shrugged.

"I must concur," Winter agreed, taking a sip of her latte. "That dramatic flare of yours is going to get you in trouble someday."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Wait, wait… so is Chrys okay?" Ruby asked, trying to get the topic back to her favourite little girl.

"She's fine," Amélia said. "She's been having dinner with Neptune, Ciel, and Klein."

"Oh, that sounds good," Ruby smiled, though she didn't know who Klein was.

"No, it's terrible," Weiss cut in. "Ruby, I don't think you understand how dangerous Chrys is to those three."

"Huh?"

"She once got Klein—sixty-seven-year-old, rheumatoid arthritis Klein—to go rock climbing with her," Weiss said. "She also convinced that one"—she pointed to Winter who innocuously looked away—"to go to an animal shelter two days ago."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Ruby optimistically said. "That actually sounds like a lot of fun."

"She's allergic," Weiss deadpanned. "Cats, dogs, morons—you name it, and she's allergic."

"I should step away then," Ruby whispered, scooting a few steps away from Winter. That earned her a good laugh from everyone. "Okay, okay, I get it. Chrys is charming as hell and impossible to say no to. How is not having dinner with her bad?"

"Allow me to answer this," Winter said, still chuckling from Ruby's joke. "My niece has a taste for the finer things in life. I can assure you that every night has been spent in luxury."

Ruby racked her brain for a witty or clever response, but all she could think about was how Chrys asked for a fancy steak dinner the night Ruby got Weiss' number.

"I really hope she asked for something sensible…" Weiss sighed. "Other nine-year-olds ask for macaroni and cheese or pizza for dinner, mine asks for ribeye steak and broiled lobster tails."

"Wow… I had instant noodles and teriyaki beef jerky on rice last night…" Ruby murmured.

"That… doesn't sound healthy," Amélia said, sounding concerned.

"Well, Yang made it fancy," Ruby laughed. "It was actually pretty good."

"She made that 'fancy'?" Winter asked, her left eyebrow arched high. "Weiß."

"Hm?"

Winter said something in Western Atlesian and Weiss nodded her head. "Interesting."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked.

"Nothing," Winter replied curtly. "I was just confirming a few things."

"Good things?"

"Winter was just double checking some facts with me," Weiss said. "She's a major investor in my little project, as is Maman."

"Oh, neat," Ruby said, tucking that little piece of information away for later.

"Order up!" Yang announced, ringing the bell twice.

"That's my cue," Ruby said. "Enjoy your meal."

Ruby went into the kitchen and found her sister nervously pacing back and forth. She approached her carefully and called out her name. "Yang. Yang!"

"Huh?" Yang looked up from her musings, nearly tripping over her feet. "What's up?"

"First of all, please tell me you're joking about sleeping with Winter."

Yang shrugged. "None of your business."

"Yang, that is my girlfriend's older sister!" Ruby hissed, pointing to the door. "What about Blake?"

"If Blake can see other people then so can I," Yang said, crossing her arms.

"I get that, but I thought you were serious about her?"

"I am—was… I don't know!" Yang huffed. "I thought we had something special, but when she went out with Sun—"

"Her roommate?" Ruby asked, her nose scrunching up.

"Yeah," Yang nodded.

"That's fucked up…" Ruby winced. "But was it a date-date or was it a friend date? Y'know, like 'haha, it's a date, bro'?"

"It was a date-date," Yang confirmed.

"Well, I gotta warn you, Winter's an investor in Weiss' restaurant," Ruby said. "I'd be careful if I were you."

"I kind of figured," Yang said with a relieved laugh. "But don't worry, it was just a joke."

"Are you sure about that?" Ruby asked skeptically.

"Yup," Yang snorted. "Plus, did you see the way she looked at Penny?"

"Penny?" Ruby narrowed her eyes. "What about Penny?"

"I don't think Weiss is the only one with a taste for redheads. And I think you and Pen might share a type too."

Ruby gasped, scandalized her sister would even suggest such a thing. Honestly, Penny and Winter? Talk about an awful match. But then Ruby recalled the little conversation she had with Penny a few minutes ago and hesitated. Was it a possibility?

"You're looking at me funny, but I'd bet you money Penny would jump on that pony in a heartbeat," Yang teased. "Girl has some seriously good taste in women."

"Penny has a girlfriend!" Ruby hissed, keeping her voice low so no one else could hear.

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, but for long?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby crossed her arms. "Ciel would never leave Penny."

"Naïve," Yang said. "But I never said Ciel would leave."

"So you're implying Penny would?" Ruby asked. "Haha… Yang, you're losing it. Penny's being a little shy about her new relationship, I was too, but I don't think she'd do what you're implying."

Yang nodded her head and said, "I get what you're trying to say, but that really isn't what I meant."

"What do you mean then?"

"Penny's still trying to find herself," Yang gently explained. "She's testing the waters."

"So you think Winter's on the block next?" Ruby asked. Yang shrugged. "She's way older than her, Yang."

"So? She's fucking hot, dude, and Penny's not a kid. She can think for herself," Yang laughed. "And don't get me started on Amélia—mrow… sexy."

"Oh god, that is my girlfriend's mother-in-law!"

"Again, your point?" Yang laughed even harder. "You need to relax, Ruby."

"Shouldn't you be more, I don't know, nervous?" Ruby asked.

"I'm nervous as fuck, Rubyn," Yang said seriously. "But this and that are two different things."

Ruby shuffled between her feet and nodded. "You're right… I'm sorry."

"It's cool, Ruby, I know you're just looking out for me," Yang said, hugging her sister tight. "But if Winter dooooeeesss hit me up, I'm still totally going for it."

"Yaaaaang!" Ruby whined.

Ruby went to go check on Weiss' table midway through their meal and caught them talking in low whispers. She cleared her throat and announced her presence, not wanting to eavesdrop any longer.

"Ah, Ruby, perfect timing," Weiss said.

"Huh?"

"Does Yang have a minute to spare?"

"I can go ask," Ruby said. "You guys have been our only dine-in customers today; no joke."

Winter quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, we—"

"Robin!" shouted a heavy set man as he marched up to Ruby. "I need to have a word with you."

Ruby gritted her teeth and put on a forced smile. "Just a minute, Braun. Kind of with a customer."

"Let Penny take care of it," he huffed. Braun looked at Weiss' family and smoothed out his greasy mop of black hair, trying his best to look charming. "Hello, ladies," he said, eyes lingering on Weiss, "I hope you're all enjoying your meals."

Amélia raised her chin and arched an eyebrow. "Yes, we are. You have an exceptional chef in the kitchen."

"Thank you," Braun beamed, his eyes shifting to Amélia. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you before." Amélia gave him a fake smile and took a sip of coffee to avoid speaking. "My cook is one of a kind," he said, trying to restart the conversation. "That's why I pay her the big bucks."

That got Weiss' attention and she nearly spoke out in anger had it not been for the desperate look on Ruby's face. Weiss simmered down immediately and folded her hands above her lap.

"Maybe I should give her a raise if her cooking can bring in ladies as fine as you," Braun mused aloud, patting Ruby's shoulder hard enough to make her lurch forward with each hit. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you all." He squeezed Ruby's shoulder and jerked his head towards the kitchen. "Come on, Robin."

"I'll catch you guys in a bit," Ruby grumbled. Weiss reached out and caught her hand. Ruby smiled. "Enjoy your meal."

When they entered the kitchen, Braun shoved Ruby toward the schedule, nearly throwing her into the trash bin. Yang shouted his name, but he ignored her.

"What the fuck, Braun?!" Ruby screamed, catching herself on the lip bin, nearly cutting her hand on a broken beer bottle. She whipped around and glared at him; Yang stood back in horror.

He got up in Ruby's face and jabbed a finger at the schedule behind her. "What the fuck is that there?"

"What?" Ruby asked, recoiling from his breath and their close proximity.

"You marked unavailable next Thursday."

"I'm allowed to mark myself unavailable," Ruby said.

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!" Ruby shouted, stepping around him to stand by Yang. "I swapped shifts with Lore."

"That's not allowed," Braun stated, crossing his arms.

"Like hell it isn't!" Ruby growled. "Should I just take a page out of Verti's book and just do a no show instead?"

"Verti had my permission to take those days off."

"So you knew he wasn't showing up, but didn't tell us?" Yang asked.

"Stay out of this, Yang," Braun warned. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Oh, I think it does," Yang said, putting herself between Ruby and Braun. "I'm the one that has to shuffle the schedule around when he doesn't show up."

"That's your job."

"No," Yang shook her head and pointed to the stove, "that's my job. A job you're barely paying me to do."

"I pay you what I think your skills are worth," Braun laughed. "Anyone can cook the slop you make."

"Excuse me?" Yang said, offended.

"You're excused," Braun replied smugly. "Now step back. I need to talk to that little freak standing be—"

"No!" Yang furiously screamed. "You can say whatever the fuck you want about me, but you will not, and I repeat, will not ever talk about my sister that way!"

"Yang, it's okay," Ruby said, placing a hand on Yang's shoulder. She tried to pull her back, but Yang shrugged her off and marched up to Braun's face. "Yang!"

"You think you're all that, but you're not," Yang said, towering over her boss.

"You're just a cook," Braun said. "I can replace you in a second."

Yang let out a loud laugh and looked down at him. "Can you? Can you really?"

"I can replace all three of you slackers by the end of today if I need to."

"You hear that, Ruby?" Yang asked, glancing back at Ruby. "He thinks he can replace us."

"I heard him," Ruby nodded.

"Okay then." Yang took off her apron and dropped it onto the floor. "He just made my decision for me."

"Okay," Ruby said, taking her own apron off.

"Huh? Where are you two going?! Get back here! We're not done talking yet!"

"Yes, we are," Yang said with finality.

Ruby followed Yang back to Weiss' table and it was becoming clear their "private" conversation with Braun hadn't been as private as they thought. Weiss got up and hugged Ruby, asking if she was okay.

"I'm okay," Ruby said, kissing Weiss' forehead. "But I'm not the one you should be focusing on."

"Huh?" Weiss looked at Yang.

"When can I start?" Yang asked.

"Immediately," Weiss replied without pause.

"Can we still negotiate that contract?"

"Absolutely," Weiss said, holding her right hand out towards Yang.

Yang looked at her prosthetic hesitantly before reaching out to shake Weiss' hand. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Weiss said. "You are an extremely talented woman, Yang. And I would be terribly remiss to not give you the chance you deserve."

"I agree," Amélia said, getting up to shake Yang's hand. "This food has been absolutely sublime."

"Thank you," Yang blushed.

"Uh, guys?" Ruby said, pointing to the kitchen door. "Heads up."

Braun had flung it open, spooking Penny by the register. He glared at her and stormed towards Yang, screaming profanities left and right. Winter got between him and everyone else, her tall stature dwarfing him considerably.

"Move aside!" he shouted.

"I will not."

"Move aside before I make you."

"And how do you plan on that?" Winter chuckled.

"This is my restaurant and those are my employees!"

"Not anymore," Weiss said, speaking up. "As of this moment, Yang works for me."

"And I quit," Ruby grinned, hugging Weiss.

Winter nodded her head. "I heard some unsavoury words being shouted earlier—are you aware you can be sued for harassment and discrimination?"

"W-What?!"

"Your choice of words towards these ladies and how you touched Ruby without consent, throwing her against… what was it?"

"Trash can with some broken glass in it," Ruby said.

"He did what?!" Weiss hissed.

"I'm okay, baby," Ruby said, kissing the top of Weiss' head to placate her.

"I see…" Winter said. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I don't have to say anything!" Braun huffed. Winter glared at him. "Fine! Take them. I don't care anymore. They're useless anyway."

Amélia sighed and shook her head. "How can you call yourself a businessman when you throw away your most valuable assets?"

"I don't need to hear anything from a woman that's clearly leaching off her husband's money," Braun angrily shot back. The room went silent and he let out a laugh thinking he'd won. "You women are all alike."

"I see," Amélia said, her face stoic.

"Now get out of my restaurant, you're all banned for life!" Braun shouted. "Penny, get this shit cleaned up before I fire you too!"

Penny threw down her apron without hesitation and said "I quit" in the cheeriest tone her bubbly personality could muster.

"What?!" Braun screamed. "You can't do that!"

"I can and I just did," Penny said, reaffirming her stance. She left the register behind to stand beside Ruby and Yang. "I don't need this job. I worked here because my friends were here. And now that they're not, I have no reason to."

"But you're a student!"

"No, I'm not. I graduated university when I was eighteen," Penny shrugged. "I'm actually just here on an extended vacation."

"I…" Braun blinked as reality set in.

"Yeah, Penny's, like, a genius biomedical engineer… did you not read her resume?" Yang asked.

"No, you told me to hire her, so I did," Braun said in a deflated tone.

"Well, you heard the gentleman, let's be off and spend my husband's money on some food and drink," Amélia said as she shrugged her coat on.

"Party?" Yang grinned.

"Party," Winter smirked.

Yang, Penny, and Ruby all shuffled to the locker room and locked the door behind them in case Braun decided to chase after them. Ruby was eagerly tugging on her jacket, ready to get out of there, but Penny hung back a bit and checked on Yang.

"You okay?"

"I don't know… I can't believe we just did that," Yang said, sinking to her knees with her hands on her head. "Seriously, what the fuck did we just do?"

"We left an awful job," Penny said, wrapping her arms around Yang. "You and Ruby needed to get out of here, and you did."

"But…"

"Signing with Weiss is the best possible outcome here," Penny continued. "I've read each page of that contract and it's clear she wrote it with you in mind… I trust her. She won't mistreat you the way Braun did."

"You're warming up to Weiss," Yang grinned.

"I guess I am," Penny smiled back.

"Hey, so, I know this isn't really a good time, but what do you guys think about signing up with me?" Yang asked as she got up with a bit of Penny's help. "The contract says I can hire who I want…"

"Hm, I'll have to decline," Penny said. "I like her, but I don't want to spend too much time with her just yet… sorry."

"It's okay, Penny," Ruby said.

"What about you, Ruby?" Yang asked.

"I don't know… isn't it kind of a conflict of interest?" Ruby asked.

"I don't think so, but I guess we could ask Weiss," Yang replied. "No harm in that, right?"

Ruby tossed Yang her coat and handed Penny hers. "If it won't cause any problems, I'm game. But I don't know how good I'll do."

"You'll do great, Ruby," Yang said confidently.

"We'll see," Ruby said. "Still… I'm sad our regulars won't know we're gone until it's too late. I'm gunna miss Edgar."

"It'll be okay," Yang said. "Maybe they'll find us at the new joint."

"Yeah… anyway, if we have everything, I'm ready to say goodbye to this place forever," Ruby said.

They all glanced around the musty, old storage room one last time and left. Weiss, Amélia, and Winter were all outside, waiting by the front door, while Braun sat in a table alone and miserable. He looked up for a brief moment, his eyes begging for them not to go.

"Good luck, Braun," Yang said without a single shred of malice in her voice. "Really, I mean it."

Braun hung his head in shame. "Thank you."

Chapter seven has been edited.