*Taiyang

"Kiddo, give your dad a chance to respond." Qrow's voice came from behind me as he entered the living room. I turned to face Ruby, who looked like she was about to explode.

"Okay, now please explain to me why Yang is going to be a homeless street performer, who we're going to have to support financially so she doesn't also become a... starving hermit?" I asked, exasperated.

"You didn't see her face!" Ruby protested, making a dramatic gesture with her hands. She tried to mimic the horror show she had seen , but it only made me and Qrow laugh. Her cheeks turned red as she realized how silly she looked. I patted her on the head, trying to calm her down.

"It couldn't have been that bad, Ruby. You said they were awake. Let's go see the evil corrupting influence that wants your sister to be a hermit." I said with a chuckle.

I put on a fake serious tone and walked towards the house guest room. "Sunny little dragon, what's this I hear about you becoming a vagrant street performer?" I said, pretending to glare at her.

I froze when I saw how the twins reacted to me. They gave each other a quick glance and a discreet gesture, then positioned themselves in front of Yang as if I was a threat. They were shorter than Yang's 5'8", barely reaching 5'4" and 5'6", but they tried to look intimidating. I sighed and rubbed my nose, muttering a curse. As a middle school teacher, I knew the signs of kids with housing insecurity who had lived on the streets for too long and had good reasons to distrust adults. Their clothes were worn thin, their skin was unhealthy, and their eyes were wary and checking for escape routes.

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I didn't want to scare them more, so I put on a friendly smile and spoke in a soft tone. "Family meeting in the living room, little dragon. That includes our new friends," I emphasized the word 'our', hoping that Qrow would get the hint and not cause any trouble. I turned around and walked back to the kitchen, grabbing a platter of fruit slices on the way. I hoped that some food and friendly conversation would help break the ice..

I returned to the living room and saw Qrow tossing a watch to the girl. "You dropped this. Found it outside." He said casually.

The girl's eyes widened and she snatchs the watch out the air. She glared at him. "That's mine! How did you get it?" She snapped.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I was just returning it to you." Qrow said defensively.

I quickly intervened before they could start arguing. I placed the fruit platter on the coffee table and smiled at everyone. "Why don't we all eat some fruit and get introductions out of the way?" I suggested.

As soon as I said that, rose petals started falling from the ceiling, sprinkling the tray with a layer of red petals. I looked up and saw Ruby grinning apologetically with a piece of juicy melon in her hand.

"I'll make plates." I said, rolling my eyes at her antics. I grabbed some plates and handed them out to everyone. As I approached the twins, I noticed how they flinched when I got closer. They looked at me with suspicion, as if they expected me to hurt them or take their food away. I felt a twinge of sympathy for them.

Setting the plates on the table in front of them and returning to my seat I gesture at the plates. "No pressure. If you want the food, go ahead." I said gently.

The boy looked at his sister for approval. She nodded slightly, and he reached for a plate. He took it back to his seat and started eating carefully, as if he was afraid I would change my mind or something. They didn't look like they were starving, but they definitely seemed underfed.

"Great. Now let's start introductions." I said, sitting on the couch across from them. I smiled warmly, hoping to make them feel more at ease.