"Weiss… Please, come back! I'm really sorry!" Ruby followed Weiss through the gardens. The sun had set, shrouding the sky in darkness, the moonlight only seeping in through the thick, vast clouds. Weiss walked hurriedly in front, doing her absolute best to stay far from Ruby.
"You complete dunce... Do you have any idea how many long hours into the night I have stayed up to complete that paper?!" Weiss stopped in her track and turned on the spot. She placed her arms on her hips, glaring angrily into Ruby's eyes.
"Well, do you?!"
Ruby let out a soft squeak. She looked down, fiddling nervously with the hem of her tank top. Ruby knew how hard Weiss worked on that paper. She knew very well that Weiss disappeared into Vale all afternoon at one point to get as much research possible from the library and local historians. She even lost count of how many meals Weiss had skipped to cram in as much detail into her essay as possible. Ruby gulped, slowly looking up to meet the icy blue orbs glaring into her very soul. Ruby thought she may as well start digging her own grave.
"I'm so sorry Weiss…" It was barely a whisper, but it was enough for Weiss to storm up to Ruby, only stopping when their faces were merely inches apart.
"SORRY. YOU'RE SORRY?! Sorry isn't going to recover the sixteen pages on the history of Vale, now will it?!" Ruby leaned back as far as she could. Though she was much shorter than Ruby without her usual attire, Weiss was very threatening for such a tiny girl. Weiss continued:
"Gosh, Ruby… Couldn't you have been more careful?!" Ruby and Yang had been in an intense pillow fight an hour previously, and although both Yang and Blake had both strictly reminded Ruby to stay clear of the hot chocolate they had brought up from the dining hall… she had, of course, knocked not one, but two of the mugs onto Weiss' bed - which she so happen to had left her essay. The parchment was completely soaked – the first few sheets had torn apart as the three girls attempted to recover it. The drink had smudged the ink on majority of the pages, leaving some parts unreadable. Yang and Blake had given Ruby an apologetic look before they had taken refuge in Team JNPR's dorm. Though it was on the opposite side of their dorm, it was not far enough. Within a few short minutes, a high pitched scream had students peeking out from their dorms, curious of what had happened. Hushed murmurs had ridden the brief silence. Heads turned as a door flung open. Weiss darted out, her long, white hair flailing behind her, delicately clutching the wet papers in front of her, as if they could fall apart any second. Ruby was left standing motionless in their dorm. Pyrrha had urged her to give Weiss some space, but Ruby had ignored her, lunging into a fast sprint to catch up with the heiress.
"Weiss…" Ruby muttered softly. Weiss dropped her arms to her side, a look of disappointment and sorrow had now replaced her scowl. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes drifting off into the distance. Ruby's eyes opened wide in shock at the sight in front of her. She had never seen Weiss in such despair before, even having been at Beacon for five months. An ache was building up in Ruby's chest, and she suddenly felt sick. There wasn't anything else she could possibly say to ease Weiss' pain. Unaware of her actions, Ruby threw her arms around Weiss' neck, gripping her in a tight hug. Weiss was idle for a few seconds. Once realizing what was happening, she brought her hands up to Ruby's chest and roughly shoved her away. Ruby winced, rubbing the area where Weiss had pushed her. The white haired girl let out a frustrated growl:
"No Ruby… you don't understand. Don't you dare think that by giving me a lame hug, I'll forgive you? You listen here…" Weiss pointed her finger at Ruby, and spat bitterly: "I will never forgive you, you stupid brat. Just… stay away from me, okay? You've ruined everything! I. Hate. You." With that, Weiss had turned back around, storming off. Ruby felt like she had shattered into tiny pieces. She stood there, watching as Weiss disappeared into the distance, trembling from the event that had occurred, as well as the sudden drop in temperature around her. She let out a long, shaky sigh, before wrapping her arms around herself and turning to walk back towards her dorm. As she reached the large wooden doors, Ruby had stepped onto something moist. She bent down, peeling the damp piece of parchment off the bottom of her foot. It was part of Weiss' essay. It was then that Ruby realized that Weiss wasn't carrying it with her just now, though she left their dorm with it. Ruby jumped up to her feet and searched the nearby area. Ruby's speculation was correct. Weiss had abandoned her essay behind a shrub. Ruby gazed at it for some time, lost in thought. After a minute or so, she carefully picked it up, finally making her way inside.
-x-x-x-
"Hey… has anyone seen Ruby at all?" Yang approached her team member, Blake, as well as Team JNPR at the dining table for lunch, taking a seat between Jaune and Nora.
"Nope, she wasn't in Grimm Studies this morning. Why, is everything okay? Last night was really… something," said Jaune, raising his arm to rub the back of his head, replaying what had happened in his mind. Yang chuckled nervously.
"Oh… just checking. Ya'know, after with Weiss and all, I just wanted to make sure she's alright. I mean, what she did was purely her own fault, but she's my sister… I-I need to be there…" Yang folded her arms onto the table, resting her head on top. Nora dropped her spoon into her plate with a clatter, bringing her hands up to play with Yang's golden locks.
"Nawwh, don't worry about it! I'm sure she just went on a walk or whatever people do when they completely ruin something their friend has worked so so so har—mmphh!" Nora both struggled and squealed in delight as Ren covered her mouth with his hand. Ren, with his neutral expression, winked at Yang, who gave a weak smile in return. Pyrrha and Blake both face palmed simultaneously on the opposite side of the table. Yang let out a sigh:
"Well… whatever she's chosen to do, I sure hope she's okay…"
-x To be continued x-