The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 43: The Hot Wind, Part Two

The sun beat down on the adventurers as they walked across the sand, the sound of laughter mingling with the crashing of waves on the shore. Tai, Pock, Chuck, Alice, Midori, Pip, and Violet all stared in amazement at the vast blue salty waters that stretched over the horizon. They had never seen the ocean before; their awe was justified.

Ozpin took a deep breath in, letting out a sigh. "Oh, I missed that smell..."

Yin couldn't help but agree. He liked the ocean; it was so much different from the rivers and creeks that he and his siblings used to play in just outside of Faralda. With a grunt, he began to climb out of his armor, his friends doing the same. He didn't see much of a need to buy anything other than a pair of shorts. His only issue was that he felt exposed like this - defenseless. He had grown used to wearing his armor all the time.

Jasper floated above him, wearing a tiny, frilly one-piece swimsuit. Because of the nonhuman population in the Secret City, finding herself swimwear wasn't as difficult as they thought. Yin wiggled his bare toes in the sand, trying to relax. Any hope of relaxing was immediately destroyed when Ozpin screamed angrily.

"Vao, what the FUCK are you wearing!?"

"My swimsuit."

Yin rounded his head, immediately regretting that choice. Vao was wearing a bikini. The blonde shrieked in horror, covering his eyes. "For the love of fuckin' hell, Vao! What is wrong with you!?"

Vao looked annoyed. "I think I look good in it."

That was the problem. Vao looked too feminine. He was managing to pull it off. Yin didn't know how to feel, and he didn't want to know how he should feel about his older brother looking good in women's clothing. Jasper blinked. "W... Where's the bulge?"

"Oh, I tucked everything between my legs."

"Please, don't EVER say that again," Salem begged. Salem herself was wearing a bikini, but it was much more appropriate given that she was actually a woman, whereas Vao was not. Midori sighed, rubbing her temples. She was wearing a frilly swimsuit.

"I cannot tell if I have a father or two mothers..."

Tai was looking away, staring at the sky. "... Can you change, please? I'm not very comfortable with how much you look like your mother..."

"Oh piss off, dad. I almost got caught stealing this."

"You stole it!?" Pyrrha gasped. Vao glared at her.

"I have no money, wot was I supposed to do!?"

"Ask one of us! We'd have paid for a pair of shorts!"

Vao crossed his arms, gritting his teeth. "One time I wore a pair of shorts and no shirt while shopping with my Uncle Qrow. He almost got arrested because the guards thought I was a little girl. Uncle Qrow almost got twenty to life."

Chuck hated that he remembered that day. "... That was the day we first met," he muttered. "You stole my wallet."

"Can I wear a bikini?" Pip asked. Alice looked at him in confusion.

"W... W-why do you want to wear a b-bikini?" She stammered quietly.

"Becoz mum and dad are wearing them! Violet and Midori too!"

Yin clicked his tongue. "That's because three of them are girls, and your father is just a crossdressing weirdo."

Vao looked like he was about to snap. And just as suddenly, his face went back to the way it always was. Wearing his signature grin, he sauntered his way towards Yin, pressing his upper body against his younger brother. "Oh, come on mate... Don't you think I'm cute?"