A/N: Hello, everyone! You all my recognize these drabbles from my collection Bad Times And Good Times. Originally, I was just going to keep them there. But the patron who's been requesting them has continued to expand upon the idea. So I decided to make it its own story! Future chapters for this AU will be posted here from now on!

For those of you who don't know the AU, it's simply one in which Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and Neo are a normal (not evil) team of students from Haven, visiting Beacon for the Vytal Festival and tournament. The premise, obviously is that Cinder develops a crush on Ruby.

As you'll see, Cinder's personality has some resemblance to her canon character, but her "preferences" are hilariously opposite. Also, keeping to my writing of mute Neo for now!

As shown by the title the patron created, this is meant to be more of a humorous story than anything else!

These chapters are the monthly P-a-t-r-e-o-n rewards for s22132!

If you'd like rewards like these, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Chapter 1. On The Prowl

Cinder Fall had worked hard in developing a reputation for herself.

She was a mysterious, alluring, and highly attractive student with a taste for other girls – perhaps even literally.

But as Haven's infamous, mysterious ladykiller, there were a few things she couldn't allow herself to get away with.

For example, showing excitement over traveling to Vale for the Vytal Festival.

Everyone, including her own teammates, were clearly excited all the air ship ride over, but Cinder needed to maintain her composure, despite how thrilled she actually was.

At one point on the ride, Emerald had had enough of Cinder's tough-girl act, and she privately called her out on it so only the team could hear.

"Come on, Cinder. You can at least act excited, y'know."

Cinder, with one knee crossed maturely over the other, turned her focused gaze from the window view to her teammate's rustic eyes.

"There's hardly anything to be excited about," she drawled. "We're simply going to the Festival."

"Uh, yeah," scoffed Mercury from the seat facing hers. "Our first ever Vytal Festival as students of Haven Academy. Don't be so uptight. It's obnoxious."

Cinder sent him a frigid glare, chilling despite the warm color of her eyes.

"You're acting like children. There's nothing to be so antsy about."

"Tell that to your shoe," Emerald mumbled. Cinder snorted and instantly put a stop to the tapping of her foot, a habitual tell that she was anticipating something she knew she'd enjoy.

Next to Mercury, Neo couldn't keep the smirk off her face as she signed the finishing blow. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet some cute girls at Beacon.

That was a comment Cinder couldn't even be upset at.

Neo was right. Cinder had already been through every girl at Haven who'd struck her fancy – in some cases, more than once. Though they'd all had their own unique charms and beauty, not a single one of them had managed to keep her interested for much longer than a week.

There were some girls that Cinder had chosen to enjoy to the fullest, in every sense of the word, but even those couldn't satisfy her for long.

All of her relationships thus far had ended in much the same way. The other girl would become absolutely infatuated with Cinder, to the point where they'd start to brag about her to no end. They'd follow her around like puppies, beg to do her bidding as though they were her slaves.

It was almost disgusting, more pitiful than flattering. She couldn't stand people who couldn't think for themselves. They all worshipped her as though she were some kind of goddess, and it was so off-putting to Cinder that she'd ended every single relationship as soon as she'd recognized the first signs of decline.

They all seemed to want her to be in control and were eager to mindlessly follow her wherever she went, and she couldn't bear that notion. Just once, she would've liked for someone else to have taken charge.

Perhaps she'd get lucky and find such a girl during the Festival.

. . .

Their ship landed at Beacon a short while later, and all Haven students began filing out the doors, chatting excitedly now that they'd finally arrived.

Their professors paused them all before they could disperse, calling out instructions about what they should do next. They would need to head over to the school building and locate the dorms where they'd be staying for the length of the Festival. After that, they were free to enjoy the fairgrounds as they pleased.

But Cinder and her team all had other ideas.

Silently and simultaneously, by sharing smirks and glances, they all agreed to slip away from the crowds and head to the bustling fairgrounds first. It was a simple feat for the four of them to go about undetected as they split from the group, and they soon found themselves surrounded by various vendors, gift shops, and food stands.

While her teammates began to enjoy themselves with the festivities, Cinder was already on the hunt for something else.

Every girl she passed by, she would casually bump up against with a sultry apology, or lure in with a simple, entrancing glance.

But by now, she was experienced enough to know what kind of girls they were after just a few minutes of conversation.

After about an hour of wandering the property, she'd probably flirted with just about every other girl outside. But she could already tell that none of them were the type she was looking for.

But that didn't mean she didn't let herself have a little fun.

At the very least, she left all of them with her number and an indescribable tightness in their chests.

She knew that few of them would ever send her a text, and the few who did wouldn't do so for long. Cinder had more or less abandoned the game of serious dating and was now having fun, trying to entertain herself. She liked to play with her food, even if she didn't get to eat it in the end.

These girls were her playthings and nothing more, just people to temporarily entertain her before she'd drift away so smoothly they'd never know what hit them.

Every girl she spoke to at the fairgrounds that afternoon was the same; though Cinder hadn't even met them until today, she'd dated every single one of them before, and knew exactly how those relationships would end if she were ever to initiate them.

So she refrained to spare herself the headache, though she did make sure everyone knew she was still on the prowl.

At each failed attempt, her teammates would sigh and shake their heads. They all knew what she was looking for and how unlikely it was for her to find, especially considering who Cinder was.

She was notoriously gorgeous, dangerously charming, and exceptionally superior on most mental and physical levels. It would be next to impossible for her to find someone who'd suit her tastes.

But they all anticipated it, wondering if some day they might discover who would be Cinder Fall's perfect match.

They just... hadn't expected it to happen like this.

After an hour of making their rounds and flirting with the locals and other visiting students, the team from Haven headed toward the school buildings. As they treaded inside, Cinder muttered about her misfortunes.

"Mindless lambs, all of them. They've got the looks, but you'd never have suspected that they'd have the brains to get into the Tournament. Such a shame..."

"Eh," Mercury shrugged. "Try again tomorrow after some more schools have arrived."

"He's right. As soon as the Tournament actually gets underway, there's bound to be more people. Fresh meat, y'know?"

An analogy most befitting for our tigress, Neo smiled.

Cinder let out a small sigh, one she'd only ever dare to show to these three people. They really did know her better than anyone, and she appreciated their support.

She'd probably never say it directly, but she'd never trade them for the world.

As they walked down the hallways of the unfamiliar school, the quartet searched for fellow Haven students, hoping they would be able to find their dorms. But the hallways were rather empty at this time, probably due to the fact that students had been told to find their dorms first and enjoy the festival later, orders which Cinder and her team had blatantly disregarded.

But that didn't stop them from strutting down the unfamiliar hallways as if they owned the place.

Cinder was at the front of the group, listening to Mercury and Emerald chat behind her about Beacon's campus while Neo skipped alongside them.

What happened next was so fast no one had time to react.

A girl with a red cape came flying around the corner, running at speeds that would put most cars to shame. She wasn't looking where she was going, and Cinder didn't have time to react.

Which resulted in a dizzying impact as the girl crashed right into her, hard enough to send Cinder staggering back against her teammates while the other girl landed on her behind on the floor.

"Whoa, there!" Mercury called out.

"Hey, watch it, twerp!" Emerald snapped.

The other girl sat up and looked at them with wide silver eyes.

"S-Sorry! Are-Are you okay?"

Cinder stared down at the girl, admittedly captivated by her peculiar eyes.

"Fine," she replied. "Just, perhaps, watch where you're going next time?" She offered her hand down. The girl didn't even hesitated to grab it and help herself up.

"Right, sorry. Um... I'm Ruby. Are you...new?"

"Visiting from Haven, actually," she replied.

"Ooooh! You're here for the festival! Oh! But exchange students have their own dormitory."

Mercury shrugged. "I guess we just got turned around."

"Oh! Hehe, don't worry, happens all the time!" Ruby smiled. "Uh, your building is juuust east of here."

The others nodded, and Emerald, Mercury, and Neo brushed past the girl. Cinder went last, making sure to pause beside the helpful, red-cloaked girl. She put on the best of her charms, eyes calm and mysterious, voice low and alluring.

"Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around."

Ruby paused, just for a second. It was long enough for Cinder to know her magic charm was working on her.

"Um... yeah, maybe! Oh! And welcome to Beacon!"

Cinder didn't respond after that. She merely followed her teammates down the hallway and outside once more, where they set their course for the east building.

Once they were outside, Emerald and Mercury got to gossiping.

"Well, she was a pleasure," Emerald scoffed.

"Plowed right into us first thing. Good start," Mercury agreed.

Neo pranced up beside them and nudged them each with her elbows. It seems someone enjoyed the encounter, don't you think?

Emerald and Mercury shared dubious looks.

"What? Neo, what the hell are you blabbering on about?"

"Em, she's not actually talking-"

"I know that you idiot! That's not the point!"

Neo smirked and had them both pause, pointing mischievously back at their team leader, who was now trailing behind.

Cinder hadn't even realized she'd been smiling to herself all this time until they all turned to look at her. She frowned right away.

"What are you three going on about now?"

"Ooohh," Emerald smirked. "I see what you mean. Really, Cinder? That little twerp?"

Cinder glowered at her.

"You're not explaining yourself. What about her?"

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, uh, Cinder?" Mercury chuckled. "Ya look like a schoolgirl who just got her first love letter or something."

"What?!" Her shout was a mixture of outrage and humiliation. "You're all imagining things! Bring this up again and you'll all wake up tomorrow at the bottom of the cliffs!"

With a snarl, she stormed past them and headed for the dormitory building.

To anyone who didn't know her, she would've seemed terrifying, enough to petrify someone if they angered her further. But to her teammates, they knew there was no real threat in her words. She was more embarrassed than angry.

Neo put a hand to her lips before signing to the others.

She's adorable.

"Crushin' on that red squirt?" Emerald sighed. "I don't believe it."

"And this isn't like the others," Mercury observed. "This one just hit her like a ton of bricks. Literally."

"She never saw it coming," Emerald added. "Maybe that's a good change of pace, though. It's about time someone got Cinder flustered and blushing instead of the other way around."

I can't wait to see how this turns out, Neo grinned.

"You and me both, sister," Mercury agreed.

"Buuut let's not mention it again tonight," his partner advised. "Let her sleep it off. Then we can remind her about it tomorrow. And every day after that."

"Sounds like a plan."

The three of them followed after their lovestruck leader, who was unsuspecting of all the teasing she'd be subjected to in future days.

But the fact that her teammates got a rise out of her every time suggested just how much she really did like this Ruby girl. It motivated her enough to devise a plan to see her again, which was a promising step in the right direction for Cinder.

She could somehow tell this girl would be different from the rest.

And she couldn't wait to see her again.

A/N: I basically switched up the episode from volume 2. Instead of crashing into Emerald, Ruby crashes into Cinder and steals her heart right off the bat!

I like writing Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo as just normal students. It's nice to let them have normal lives (as normal as lives can be in RWBY, anyway). And it's also ironic and humorous to have Cinder like girls who can think for themselves, which is the exact opposite of associates she wants in canon.

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