rwby · summer celebration · ruby rose · weiss schnee · blake belladonna · yang xiao long · fireworks · friendship · slice of life · patriotic
**VALE** Midnight on the Fourth of July. Distant fireworks stitch the sky with brief, brilliant light, their far-off whistles and deep booms rolling across the warm night. Ruby leans into her mother, Summer Rose, passing a buttery cob of corn between them. Weiss stands flanked by her sister Winter and their mother, Willow, who watches the display with a rare, sober stillness. Blake and Kali Belladonna share a plate of grilled salmon, their Faunus ears flicking at each distant pop. At the barbecue, Yang works beside Raven—a sight so ordinary it feels almost fragile. Pyrrha smiles softly at the bursts of color. Nora vibrates with unchecked excitement. Coco and Velvet linger at the porch rail, soda cans in hand, observing the scene in comfortable silence. They’d all forgotten to buy fire…