The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins

WARNING! IMPORTANT!

There is racism and prejudice in this story. Unlike in canon RWBY, however, this does affect the characters. It will be explained later, but I will let you all know this: some of the main characters will hold racist views due to their upbringing, the biggest example being Yin and his affiliation with the Church (one of the biggest reasons I didn't name him Y/N in this story. The other reason being that I wanted to break away from Yin being a reader insert and be his own character).

Certain main characters later on will also face prejudice - it's not just race that is discriminated against in this story, there are several people who are discriminated against.

I do not support racism. Racism and prejudice are present in this story because Twist, the world TBatG3 takes place in, was built by me for the express purpose of being a dark fantasy.

...

Soon after agreeing to let Salem accompany them - not that they felt like it was a choice - Yin and Vao had returned home while the princess rented a room in the Guild. When Yin and Vao parted ways, and the cleric stepped into his home his mother sniffed the air.

"... Why do you smell like smoke? Why are you all slimy?"

"Vao."

"... Nevermind."

Nothing needed to be explained when Vao's name was mentioned. Yin pulled his robe off as he walked upstairs, leaving him in just pants and boots. He tossed it in a tub of water - he'd clean it later. When he stepped inside his room, Ruby was sitting on her bed. A book was laid out in her lap, and from the little drawings Yin could tell it was a book about weaponry and their various uses among knights and adventurers. Ruby looked up, arching a brow. "... Yikes... You look like you had a rough day..."

Yin nodded. "Vao set a ruin on fire, nearly got us killed by slimes, and..." He trailed off. He was still having difficulty believing the princess even knew they existed - Yin and Vao weren't famous by any means. They were known only in their specific Guild branch, and not for a good reason. "... The princess came looking for us," he finished after a moment. Ruby stared at him like he had grown a third arm.

"... Did you hit your head, too?"

"What? No, I'm being serious," Yin replied. "She... Well... Wanted to come with Vao and I on adventures..."

Ruby snickered. "Come on, Yin. I'm not that dumb."

No matter how hard Yin tried to convince her, she wasn't buying it. At dinner, Summer didn't, either. But Tai was all ears. He swallowed his bite of bread, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Holy... Yin, that's amazing!"

Summer sighed, setting down her fork. "Rosebud, are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"I'm fine," Yin repeated for what felt like the millionth time. "I'm being serious!"

Tai snickered. "Be careful, Yin. If the princess came to you for a quest, it could be hard. Or I guess you could say-"

"Dad, please don't-"

"A royal pain in the ass."

Ruby snorted, choking on her food. Yin just groaned, putting his head into his hands. He wondered how Vao was doing with his mother and their uncle.

And at the Branwen household, Vao was going on and on about Salem. Raven only believed it for the sole fact that someone was looking for him that morning, but Yang didn't. Qrow, on the other hand, had his priorities straight. As drunk as he always was, he rested his elbows on the table and pressed his fingers together, straightening out his back like he was in a business meeting. "Was the princess hot?"