Blood and Roses

by The Snow Mage

Chapter 8: Nearly two years have gone by since Raven killed her ex-husband, and Ruby has delved deep into the criminal underbelly in her city searching for answers. When Cinder returns with a much more proactive plan for taking over the city, Ruby comes to understand exactly the forces she's involved herself with - just in time for Beacon High to collapse.

1. Chapter 1

Note as of 6/1/2018: Part 1 (Chapters 1-7) of this story is very slice of life, with only minimal references to the crime drama that it was supposed to be. This changes in Part 2 (starting at Chapter 8), where the main characters are more involved. And emotionally disturbed, but that's less relevant. Oh, and it was secretly a sort of crossover with Bloodborne; specifically, its going to tell a version of Bloodborne's backstory using RWBY characters, but that's a long term goal that probably won't actually start until part 4, which will denote the end of this section of the story. At that point, this - Blood and Roses - will be flagged as "Complete" and I'll begin posting the second half in the Crossover section of this site.

If you would like to skip to Part 2, ignoring the slice of life segment of this story, please proceed to Chapter 8. I have attempted to make it somewhat easy to start reading at that chapter. End Note.

As is the norm for my stories (starting at Fallout: Remnant), you can skip to the set of bolded X's if you want to skip the opening Author's Notes. I know that not everyone wants to read them, and I like to have a plan ready just in case I go off on a massive rant for whatever reason.

Hello, everyone. This is the story of a girl with a very strange fate...

You know what? No. Fuck that.

RWBY. High School AU. You know the drill. There will be fighting, but most of that comes later.

Abandon your preconceptions at the door. This is as much a thought experiment as a story. Characters will not always fit their canon depictions; in fact, that will become exceedingly rare as this story marches on.

Very brief explanation: the high school depicted is a three-year school, going from freshman straight to junior and senior; this is based off of the Japanese education system, and there will be other holdovers as well (no elaboration for now). Other than that, though, expect many Americanisms, especially regarding the police force.

You may have noticed the tags for this story's genre are fairly unusual. That's because I'm only allowed to mark it with two genres, and had a hard time deciding between the multiple genres I'll wind up hitting throughout this story. So, Crime/Friendship it is. We'll get to the Horror/Angst/Hurt/Comfort/etc. later, and there'll be some Romance throughout.

For the few of you who care about my other story, I'm putting it on hiatus for the time being, and I'm gonna rewrite it almost completely when I get back to it.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with Rooster Teeth or RWBY. This is a purely fan-made project that isn't being used to monetize or advertise anything. At absolute most, I'll say "Hey, I've got news, check my profile!" if something along those lines comes up; the extra step will likely dissuade most of you.

Second Disclaimer: I make no allowances for children. If you're a kid reading this, f*** off. It's rated M for some gods d***ed good reasons, crude language being the least of them.

Enough chatter: let's dive on in, shall we?

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

The moon was full, as it always was in her dreams. Silver eyes met the same rotten holes she'd been seeing since she was little, peering into the black mind of the monster in front of her. The tube-like tendrils it had in place of hair swayed gently in an absent breeze as the moon turned red behind it.

Blood poured up from the earth beneath her feet as the creature stepped closer on its long, shambling legs. As its hand reached for her, silver light flashed between them and she heard a piercingly mournful wail.

"Gah!" Ruby Rose exclaimed, jack-knifing upright in her bed. Sweat-damped black hair clung to her forehead, the red highlights shining in the morning sunlight creeping through her window's blinds. She groaned, placing a hand to her aching head and dislodging the white-and-pink sheets that had clung to her sweaty pajamas; her silver eyes were held in a squint as she glanced at the alarm clock sitting on her bedside table, and she let out another groan when she saw that she'd woken up a full three minutes before it was set to go off. "Great," Ruby sighed, letting herself flop backwards, her head burying itself in her frilly pillows with a low whumph.

She stared up at the wide dreamcatcher hanging above her bed, the latest addition to the four others that surrounded it. "Waste of money," Ruby grumbled, shutting her eyes tightly for a moment before she blinked them rapidly, clearing as much lingering sleepiness as she could. "Well, might as well get up," Ruby muttered under her breath, sitting upright again.

The morning was a simple routine for Ruby: shower, brush teeth, get dressed, get breakfast. She shared a bathroom with her sister, but she didn't mind: Yang typically slept in as long as she could since her part-time job tended to keep her out late, and Ruby liked to get up nice and early just in case she needed the extra time.

She'd laid out her clothes the previous night. It wasn't something she normally did, mind you, but she'd been excited to be able to wear them; granted, her recurring nightmare seemed to suck that excitement from her like a vampire or a well-practiced hooker, but Ruby was still looking forward to today. Indeed, as she walked the short distance from her room to the bathroom, her new school uniform and some clean underwear bundled between her arms, Ruby hummed a soft, quiet tune to herself, something she rarely ever did.

The moment the door to the modest bathroom was locked, Ruby started stripping off her pajamas, grimacing with distaste when she had to peel them away from her skin; despite the setback, she was in the shower mere seconds later, steadily warming water cascading over her as she starting scrubbing the sweat from her body.

Ruby let out a sigh when the water finally started to steam, pausing in her washing to just take in its warmth. Then she yelped when her shampoo started to drip into her eyes, and she hurried to finish cleaning her hair and rinse it out of her eyes.

Her shower only lasted a few minutes, but that was the way she liked them: start cold and get out just as it starts getting too hot. She dried herself off with a fluffy white towel, noting with some disdain a couple of oddly stiff lines; Yang had been using her towel to wipe off her mouth after brushing her teeth again, it seemed.

"Why?" Ruby mumbled to herself as she reluctantly wrapped it around her shoulders and started to drag it across her arms. "She knows I dry my whole body with this, right?"

She took longer drying herself than she'd been in the shower; Ruby loved her towel, despite what her sister had done to it, and she loved feeling its soft fuzziness on her arms and legs. She used a different towel for her head and hair, not willing to put her lips anywhere near something her sister's had touched.

Once she'd finished drying herself, Ruby started brushing her teeth with a bit of strawberry flavored toothpaste; she couldn't stand mint. As she brushed, she looked herself over in the mirror, mostly looking at the muscle definition on her legs, stomach, and arms. She'd been working hard to make sure she got stronger and faster without getting too overly muscled; she didn't much like the way body-builders tended to look, and had no intention of looking like that herself. Of course, she also looked at her breasts, but that was mostly to compare herself to her sister, whose own assets had developed far better, in Ruby's opinion.

After brushing her teeth and getting dressed, Ruby took her sweat-soaked pajamas back to her room and threw them in the small clothes-basket sitting in one corner of her room, then walked downstairs to the kitchen, where she saw her father, Taiyang, making breakfast. His short blonde hair was well groomed, though Ruby still didn't know how he managed that before she was done getting ready most mornings, and he wore a plain sand-colored apron over his white shirt and blue jeans.

"Morning, Dad," Ruby said cheerfully, pulling out a chair from the simple oaken dining table and sitting down at it, being careful to lay the back of her pleated black skirt straight beneath her legs so it wouldn't fold and wrinkle; her white blouse would have been an odd contrast to it if not for the black blazer with red trim she wore over it, and her black leggings and plain white sneakers meshed with the outfit more easily than she'd first thought.

"Good morning, Ruby!" Taiyang exclaimed happily, turning to give her a grin and wink one of his blue eyes at her. "Pancakes sound good?"

"Sure," Ruby said, glancing up at the ceiling as she heard a muffled thump come from Yang's bedroom. 'She must've fallen off her bed again,' Ruby thought to herself, stifling a giggle by biting her lip.

"Good, cause that's what I made!" Taiyang said, placing three still-hot pancakes on a plate and covering them with whipped cream and strawberry syrup. "Eat up, Ruby!"

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at seeing her father like this; it seemed to her that he was more excited than she was. "It's just my first day of high school, Dad," Ruby said, taking the plate and a fork from her father. She'd already cut a wedge from the stack of pancakes and shoveled it into her mouth by the time he turned back around, and she sighed with pleasure as the sweetness of the cream and syrup mixed on the fluffy cakes. "This is amazing," Ruby managed to say between bites.

"Glad to hear it!" Taiyang said, grinning over his shoulder at Ruby as he flipped the currently cooking pancake. "So, you ready for the big day?"

Ruby rolled her eyes as she chewed her latest bite, waiting until she'd swallowed it before she said, "Yes, Dad. We talked about this last night, remember?"

"I know, I know. Just making sure. Is Yang still planning on driving you there?"

"As far as I know," Ruby said, licking a stray bit of whipped cream off of her hand; how it got there, she'll never know. "She's got work after school, though, so I'll be taking the bus home. And before you ask, yes, I know which bus stops to go to and how to walk home from there."

"Okay, okay, Ruby!" Taiyang said, giving a self-deprecating laugh. "Jeez, you'd think I was asking to hold your hand on the trip there."

Ruby shook her head as she continued eating, glad to let the conversation stop where it had. She typically enjoyed talking to her father, but she had a hard time tolerating it when he was being over-protective.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Ruby heard the sounds of heavy footsteps stomping down the staircase and looked over her shoulder to see her half-sister, Yang. The blonde's hair was wrapped up in a towel (which was actually Ruby's, much to the younger girl's annoyance) and she was still a bit damp from her shower. Yang blinked owlishly at the scowl Ruby was giving her, her violet eyes dull until she understood why.

"Oh," Yang said, letting herself flop down into a chair next to her sister; she didn't bother adjusting her skirt, which was a variant of plaid with yellow as the main color, and her jacket was brown leather instead of the cotton-polymer blazer that was part of their uniform. "Sorry about using your towel again, Rubes. You know how I can get in the morning."

Ruby sighed and rolled her eyes. "We need a second towel rack," Ruby said to Taiyang, who chuckled.

"Pancakes?" Taiyang asked Yang, holding up a plate with a stack of four pancakes; instead of the sweet toppings that he'd laid on Ruby's pancakes, Yang's held a handful of chocolate chips melted into them.

"Thanks," Yang said, stifling a yawn into her hand as their father set the plate down in front of her. She didn't bother using a fork, instead tearing off small strips with her hands and eating them that way. "Good as always," Yang mumbled around a mouthful.

"Thanks!" Taiyang said, just as happy as he'd been when Ruby had praised him. "Oh, my two little girls!" Taiyang exclaimed suddenly as he looked at them, drawing a raised eyebrow from each of them. "One's just starting high school, and the other's starting her last year!"

"You really need to stop narrating things, Taiya," came the very feminine voice from the staircase. Ruby glanced over her shoulder and smiled as the older woman walked down slowly, the red highlights in her black hair brushing against her cheek as she gave Taiyang a warm, loving smile. Her silver eyes drifted to Ruby, and her smile widened at the sight of her daughter in her new uniform. "Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, Mom," Ruby said, grinning as Summer Rose reached the bottom of the staircase, idly adjusting her police uniform to keep her badge, tucked away in one of her blue jacket's inner pockets, from rubbing against a rather sensitive spot on her breast.

"Good morning, Ruby, Yang," Summer said, nodding her head at the two girls. "Taiya," Summer said when she reached him, tilting her head up as he leaned down to kiss her. It was brief, with no tongue, but it still caused Ruby to shift uncomfortably in her seat; much like most people, she didn't like seeing her parents be physically affectionate towards each other. "You made pancakes?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as Taiyang grinned at her.

"Felt like celebrating," he said, his voice low and quiet; it was an old habit of muffling his usually ecstatic self just in case she'd had a bad day, but it had gotten to the point that he just always acted like that around her, even this early in the morning. He was still feeling all his usual emotions, he just wasn't showing them anywhere near as much as usual. "And it's a good day for it, too!"

Ruby rolled her eyes at that, finishing her last bite of breakfast and chasing it with what was left of the glass of milk her father had set in front of her at some point. Taiyang handed Summer a massive stack of eight pancakes and gave her another little kiss, then started piling a fourth plate high with the rest of them as she sat down at the table.

"So, Ruby," Summer said, picking up one of her plain pancakes and tearing it into little strips; she liked to drag them through a lake of maple syrup, especially if she got to lick her fingers clean afterwards. "You think you're ready for today?"

"I was ready last year," Ruby said, rolling her eyes again. "Besides, today's gonna be easy: the principal's gonna talk to us at the morning rally, freshmen will be assigned their homerooms and the teachers will come to introduce themselves to us and talk about what they're going to teach us. There shouldn't even be any homework."

Summer smiled at that, nodding her head. "Glad to see you're prepared," she said, gesturing with a bit of pancake she still held. "How about you, Yang?"

"Sure," Yang said, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyes were no longer half-closed from drowsiness, and she accepted the glass of lemonade Taiyang offered her with a "Thank you."

"Oh?" Summer asked, raising an eyebrow. "This isn't just the first day of your senior year, you know. It's also the first day I'm going to start yammering constantly about what colleges you should apply to."

Yang grimaced, hurrying to finish her latest bite before she spoke. "I still don't really know what I want to do with my life, Mom," Yang said, shaking her head slowly. "I've been considering a couple of things, but they don't really seem like they'd be that important to me."

Summer frowned, but nodded her head. "You've still got plenty of time," she said, putting a smile back on.

"Besides, there's been more and more people taking a year between high school and college," Taiyang said, settling himself down at the table with a mug of tea and a plate of pancakes, peanut butter and slices of banana layered between them. "You'll have more time than you know what to do with, if you do that."

"Now, now, don't go giving her any ideas," Summer chided him, though the amused spark in her silver eyes and her continued smiling showed that she didn't really mean it. "I do want to see her get a successful career before I die of old age, you know."

"You could always try law enforcement, like I'm going to," Ruby said as Yang continued to eat, only to raise an eyebrow as her older sister shuddered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Rubes," Yang said around a mouthful of pancake. "Just don't think that's the sort of thing I'm interested in."

"Come on, Yang! Catching bad guys, helping people; what's not to like?" Ruby asked, not noticing that her parents had gone silent.

Yang grimaced, then shook her head and sighed. "Ruby, I'd rather not do anything that'd make me go anywhere near Raven," Yang said, making Ruby flinch. "Becoming a cop like Mom, or going to the Bureau like Uncle Qrow, seems like a bad way to stay away from her."

"S-sorry, Yang," Ruby said, lowering her gaze to the table. "I wasn't thinking."

Yang gave her sister a small smile and put her arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, Rubes. I know you just want to help."

Taiyang couldn't help but smile at his daughters, glancing to his wife to see that she evidently felt the same way. They were happy. Content. Not a single thing wrong in their lives, not a single thing they wished happened differently, and not a single thing they'd want to see more than their children continue to grow and prosper.

Not yet, anyway.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Thanks for the ride, Yang," Ruby said, taking off the simple black helmet Yang had loaned her as she dismounted her sister's motorcycle, its curvy yellow-and-grey steel frame gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"No problem," Yang replied, winking at Ruby as she took the spare helmet from her. "I'm gonna go park this thing, probably be gone for a few minutes, but then I'll give you the tour, okay?"

"Sounds good," Ruby said, smiling as she watched her sister drive away. With a nervous breath, she turned to face the school that she'd be spending the next three years of her life at: Beacon High.

There were three buildings at Beacon High: the main building, often referred to as the "Crown" for the oddly deformed bricks jutting from the third story, an oddity for a building made primarily from wood; the science building, a single story made from brick that housed the equipment for everything a high school Chemistry or Biology class could possibly need; and the two-story art building, which held a number of painting supplies, musical instruments, and various other sundries and supplies that would facilitate the various arts students might take an interest in. The art building was also called the "Clubhouse" by some students, due to the number of rooms that had been appropriated (with a teacher's permission, of course) by the various clubs the students had created.

Ruby wasn't paying much attention to the school's three buildings, however; her eyes had caught onto something that drew her attention much more easily. Four young men, likely seniors at Beacon, had surrounded a short girl with brown hair, and were grinning maliciously as they spoke to her.

Ruby sighed as she walked towards the group, already resigning herself to what she was about to do. 'Not the best way to start the new school year,' Ruby thought to herself, only for her eyes to harden and her pace to quicken when she saw the tallest of the group, a man with short but well-groomed brown hair, shove the girl hard, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground.

"Hey!" Ruby called out as she approached, drawing the attention of the four men. "What's going on here?"

She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but the group of men suddenly bursting out laughing wasn't it. 'They must've made a height joke or something before I got here,' Ruby thought, scowling up at the tallest of them.

"Another little girl?" one of the group asked, his dyed-white hair cut into a spiky Mohawk, grinning widely as he strode out to intercept Ruby. "Why don't you go back to kindergarten, huh?" he asked, raising his hand to shove her in much the same way his friend had shoved the other girl.

Ruby, however, wasn't a normal teenage girl. She'd decided years ago to join the police force, at the very least, and had learned from her mother that she likely wouldn't grow very tall. So, she'd decided to learn how to fight against people larger and stronger than she was.

She showed that off now, tilting herself just barely out of the path of the older boy's shove and grabbing his arm with both hands. She spun on her heel, taking advantage of the senior's overbalancing to throw him to the ground behind her. He landed hard on his side, and let out a groan as the pain from hitting the concrete caught up to him.

Ruby didn't stop walking, however, until she was standing mere feet from the group. "I'll ask again," Ruby growled, glaring up into the tallest's eyes. "What is going on here?"

With a start, she realized she recognized him: Cardin Winchester, one of the people Yang had told her to stay away from if at all possible. Yang had been tight-lipped about the details, but said that she knew he was part of a bad crowd. Letting her eyes wander to his companions, she recognized them as well, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark, which made the thug she'd sent to the ground Russel Thrush.

"Better question," Cardin began, stepping up close to her and glaring down at her, "who the hell are you?"

Ruby smirked, and asked, "Does it matter?"

Cardin let out a low chuckle, a malicious smile stretching across his lips and not diminishing his glare in the slightest. "Least you know that much," Cardin said, cracking his neck to one side. "So, what makes you think you deserve to know what's going on here, huh?"

"Well, when I see a guy trying to prove he's got no dick, I get all intrigued," Ruby said, feeling her smirk grow as Cardin's eyes widened. "Seriously, that girl's even shorter than me! What, you're not strong enough to pick on someone your own size? Gotta find little girls to play with?"

"Little bitch," Cardin growled, swinging his fist at Ruby. She ducked beneath it and rammed her palm into his stomach, making him flinch but otherwise doing nothing. Ruby shook her hand as she backed a few steps away, trying to get some feeling back into it; she felt like she'd just hit a brick wall.

She knew this part, though. Taunting, making your opponent overestimate you in some ways and underestimate you in others, subtly controlling the flow of a fight; she'd been taught them all by her mother.

So when Cardin started charging her, Ruby let her knees drop and used his momentum to hammer her fist right into his groin. She hopped backwards and onto her feet in a well-practiced maneuver as Cardin collapsed, hands clamped to his likely bruised genitals and pitiable whimpers leaving his throat.

Ruby glanced over at Dove and Sky, giving them a glare that made them step away from the young woman they'd been harassing, and walked over to her. "Come on, let's go," Ruby said, grabbing her arm gently and leading her away. "I'd rather not get in trouble for this, you know?"

The girl blinked rapidly at Ruby as she was dragged away, as if unsure whether to thank her or scream for help. Ruby found her lack of response a bit odd, and glanced over her shoulder at her as the two of them entered the main building, leaving the bullies behind. A few locks of her rich chocolate-brown hair, the bulk of which fell to her lower back in a barely controlled braid, cascaded over her shoulders and framed her heart-shaped face. Her skin was somewhat pale, in a mostly unattractive way, but she filled out her uniform well enough, despite her stature; Ruby decided she must not like going outside all that much.

But it was her eyes that Ruby's own were drawn to. Brown irises so rich and deep that they made her hair look pale, each bearing an odd circle around her pupils: a bright, vivid pink in her left and a creamy white in her right. Ruby was so lost in her staring at them that she didn't even realize that they'd stopped until the girl started tugging at her arm.

"Oh, um, sorry!" Ruby said, sheepishly scratching her cheek as she let go of the girl's arm. "Uh, don't take this as me hitting on you or anything, but you have really beautiful eyes. Really distracting."

The girl blinked at Ruby again, her cheeks flushing pink as what the raven-haired youth said sank in. She looked around them nervously, then bowed her head deeply, as if in thanks, which made Ruby blink at her.

And then the girl made a series of hand gestures that Ruby couldn't even begin to guess the meanings of. "Uh," Ruby said, cocking her head sideways and making the girl pause. "I'm just gonna go out on a limb here, but that was sign language, right?" The girl nodded, agitated that she couldn't communicate. "Um, well, I can't understand that. Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, twisting at the waist to start digging around in one of her skirt's pockets; in her opinion, they were her uniform's best feature. "Aha!" Ruby exclaimed, pulling out a small notepad and a compact pen. Handing it to the girl, she said, "Here. Might be useful, you know?"

The girl rolled her eyes, an action that threatened to hypnotize Ruby again, and accepted them. She wrote very quickly, and turned the notepad sideways as she showed it to Ruby.

Thank you for back there.

Turning it back to her, the girl wrote down another brief sentence before showing it to Ruby again.

And for this.

Blushing, she wrote another sentence, and looked away as she showed it to Ruby.

And for the compliment.

Ruby couldn't help but chuckle, making the girl send her a brief glare before turning the page over and writing something else.

Why do you have this, anyway?

"My dad's a private investigator, and orders a whole bunch of them at a time," Ruby said, leaving out the fact that her mother was a police officer who used them just as often; she didn't really understand why, but most people started treating her differently when they learned that. "He lets me and my sister take them when we want to. I like having one with me, just in case, but it's not really a big deal, so you can keep it, if you want."

The girl nodded her head, but started writing again.

Thanks. Again.

"No problem," Ruby said, smiling at her. "By the way, my name's Ruby."

Neopolitan, but call me Neo.

"Well, Neo," Ruby said, glancing out the windows set into the front doors and seeing her sister looking around for her, "ah, sorry. That's my sister out there," Ruby said, pointing, "and, well, the rally and all."

Neo rolled her eyes, but nodded her head, already writing on the notepad again.

It's fine. Nice meeting you, and thanks again for the help.

"No problem," Ruby said, grinning at the shorter girl and waving as she walked back outside.

"Where'd you go, and why did I see Cardin stumbling away with his hands on his junk?" Yang asked in a deadpan as she jogged over to Ruby.

"Ah, well, you see, there was this girl," Ruby said, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "They were picking on her, so I wound up getting involved."

Yang just stared at Ruby for a long moment, then sighed and shook her head. "Of course you did," Yang said, smiling warmly at her sister. "So, this girl... is she cute?"

Ruby blushed crimson, and stammered, "Y-y-yang!"

"Yang, stop," a black-haired young woman said, sidling up next to Yang. Her amber eyes were narrowed disapprovingly at the blonde, and the two feline ears atop her head twitched with displeasure. "She's still young enough to not know whether or not she's attracted to women. Best not to force the issue."

Ruby, having thought Blake was going to save her from her sister's teasing, blushed even further. "Yeah, yeah," Yang said, rolling her eyes and trying to hide the wide grin she now wore. "You know what year she's in?" Yang asked, changing the topic while still keeping to the same subject; it was something that always infuriated Ruby, which was why Yang made a habit of doing it.

"N-no!" Ruby said, glancing rapidly between her sister and her sister's best friend. "Why would I know that?"

"Fair enough," Blake said, giving an idle shrug.

"Before I forget," Ruby said, eager to get away from the topic, "I've got that book you loaned me, Blake."

"Oh?" Blake asked lazily, though the perking of her ears told how she really felt.

"Yep," Ruby said, shrugging out of her backpack and rooting through the front-most pocket until she'd found it. "Here you go!"

"Thanks," Blake said, trying to ignore the curious glance that Yang was giving them, though she found herself blushing very faintly as she hurried to stow it in her own backpack. "Did you like it?"

"I don't know," Ruby said with a frown. "There was a lot more... indecency than I'd've expected. But the story was okay, and the action scenes were pretty good."

"Indecency?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow as Blake blushed even harder. "Blake, did you trick my sister into reading porn?"

"I didn't trick her," Blake mumbled, looking away from the blonde, her ears pressed flat against her head.

"Hey, girls!" another young woman said, jogging over to the trio. Her long white hair was tied into a ponytail at the side of her head, and her wide smile made little lines appear at the sides of her deep blue eyes. "Guess who's back?"

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, excitedly hugging the white-haired girl. "It's so good to see you again! Did you miss me?"

"How could I ever miss you, twerp?" Weiss asked, winking at Yang as she hugged Ruby back. "Insufferable little ruffian."

Ruby laughed as they released each other, grinning broadly until she noticed the boy standing next to Weiss. His white hair was kept short, and was only barely styled; or, rather, it was heavily styled to look like it stuck up naturally. He was wearing the male uniform of the school, which consisted of the same blazer as the female uniform, a pair of slacks in the same colors, and a white button-down shirt. One of his eyebrows was cocked as he stared at the exchange with his own blue eyes. "Hello," Ruby said, offering a polite smile as she extended her hand to him. "I'm Ruby Rose, and you are...?"

"Whitley Schnee," the boy said, tentatively shaking her hand. "Weiss's brother."

"Whitley, these are Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long," Weiss said, gesturing to each girl in turn. "They might not look like it, but Yang and Ruby are sisters."

"Well, half-sisters," Yang said, folding her arms as she looked Whitley up and down. "But that doesn't mean she means any less to me. Understand?"

"Uh, Yang?" Ruby asked, cocking her head to one side as Yang scowled at the younger Schnee. "What're you doing?"

Weiss sighed, pressing her hand to her temples in an attempt to stem off the headache already forming. "She's doing the big-sister-protective-instinct thing, Ruby. She thinks Whitley might make a move on you. Romantically," Weiss added when Ruby cocked her head further sideways.

"Huh?!"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"For years, this school has stood proud in our city, so plagued by intolerance and crime," Principal Ozpin was saying, addressing the crowd of students filling the school's auditorium. His hair, which had long since turned white, was untidy in a rather tidy way, lending him a rather approachable image, and his suit matching the green of his eyes only added to said image by making him seem somewhat eccentric. "It is a Beacon, so to speak, of all the good that can come about when children your age are given proper guidance and education.

"In this school, you will find that you are allowed a great many things. You have the freedom to wear clothing other than your uniform, as long as it does not go against the school's dress code. You have the freedom to pursue the extracurricular activities that you wish, including employment, even if your grades begin to slip. During your break periods, such as the lunch hour, you have the freedom to roam and explore, and even leave the campus, if that is your desire, though we would greatly appreciate it if you were back in your seat when it's time for class," Ozpin said, pausing to let a few of the older students let out short, soft laughs.

"Many of you come from different backgrounds," Ozpin continued. "Rich or poor, Faunus or Human, from families of great renown or families with dark histories. All of you now hold something in common: you are students of Beacon, and will always know what it means to be one." Ozpin leaned closer to the microphone, adding, "I hope each and every one of you enjoys your time here.

"Now, I think I've spoken enough for the time being," Ozpin said, smiling warmly down at the assembled students. "The teachers and faculty of Beacon will introduce themselves to you, as well as tell you your homeroom assignments for this year. Pay attention to them. The last thing you want is to not know your room assignment."

With that, Ozpin stepped away from the simple wooden podium and gestured to the first teacher, a portly man white a wide grey mustache and well-groomed hair. As he approached the podium, his bulging gut jiggled beneath his rust-colored jacket, and he never once opened his eyes.

"Hello, students!" the man said, his voice a booming baritone that likely would've carried throughout the auditorium even without the microphone. "I am Professor Port. I teach Biological Science and am the homeroom teacher for Class 1-A. I look forward to spending this year grooming you to be the best you can be!"

Port stepped away from the podium, nodding amicably to the man with spiky green hair that took his place. Spectacles covered his blue eyes, and his attire was at once lazy and professional. "Good morning, students," the new man said, his voice a nonstop rush of syllables that passed by nearly too quickly to catch. "I am Doctor Oobleck, that's Doctor, not Professor, and I teach World History. If you are planning on pursuing a career in education or science I am more than willing to take a bit of time to assist you, even if you aren't in my homeroom."

Oobleck walked away from the podium as well, letting a woman take his place. She was tall, with bright blonde hair and vibrant green eyes, all of which made her seem years younger. "Hello, students," she said, her voice calm and soothing compared to the prior teachers. "I am Professor Glynda Goodwitch. I teach first-year mathematics, and my homeroom class is held in room 1-C. Because my colleague failed to mention it, I must inform you that Doctor Oobleck's homeroom is held in class 1-B," Goodwitch said, directing an annoyed scowl to her colleague before turning her attention back to the students. "I am also one of the teachers you can speak to about starting a club here at Beacon, and have made a list of the clubs already existing; you may find copies of this list on the table next to the bulletin board on the first floor, where first-year students can find their room assignments."

Goodwitch left the podium, nodding at the woman walking up to replace her. It was at this point Ruby started zoning out, as nearly two dozen teachers each introduced themselves, saying what they taught and where their homeroom was. And then there were another dozen faculty members, including three school nurses and the head janitor, who wound up introducing themselves.

By the time the janitor left the podium, Ruby was bouncing on her heels, trying to get as much of her weight off of them as she could. She was relieved when Ozpin walked back up to the podium and started speaking again, believing that the assembly would be over soon.

"I would like to thank all of you for your patience," Ozpin said, letting his gaze roam over the students; his eyes briefly caught on Ruby, and his friendly smile took on an amused tone as he saw what she was doing. "Today, there will be no real lessons; at least, not for you first-years. Today is a day of introductions, after all, and I sincerely doubt all of you know each other. Head to your homerooms; Professors Port and Goodwitch and Doctor Oobleck will be ready to give you your seating assignments when you're there. For now, you are all dismissed."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as Ozpin walked away from the podium, which made Yang, who'd been standing next to her for the whole assembly, chuckle. "Ugh, my feet hurt," Ruby whined to her sister, needing to raise her voice to be heard over the din of chatting students; it had risen suddenly, practically the moment Ozpin had stopped talking, and was fairly oppressive, as far as Ruby was concerned.

Yang chuckled again, planting a hand on Ruby's head and mussing up her hair. "You don't have to walk up two flights of stairs, Rubes," Yang said, grinning as Ruby tried to push her sister's hand away.

"You two still at it?" Blake asked as she, Weiss, and Whitley sidled up near them. She'd left the two of them after they'd wound up in the middle of the crowd of students; Blake didn't do well in crowds, and Weiss had decided to stick with her to lend her some comfort, if needed. Of course, Whitley had stuck with his sister because he didn't know anyone else and had felt a little nervous at the prospect of striking out on his own. "You know we're in public, right?"

"Since when has that ever stopped me?" Yang asked, grinning at Blake. She didn't notice Weiss's blush, or the hard shake of her head she made to dispel her thoughts.

"Never, I suppose," Blake said with a sigh. "Well, we should probably get going. The bulletin board for us seniors is on the third-floor," Blake added, as much for Ruby's benefit as Yang and Weiss's.

"Damn, that blows," Yang said, shaking her head. "I just hope we're all in the same room this time, Blake."

"That would be preferable," Weiss said, shaking her head. "But it isn't likely to happen; the teachers tend to sort us based on academic performance. On the bright side, though, that means Ruby and Whitley will probably be in the same room, so I won't have to worry as much about my dear little brother being around strangers."

"Hey," Whitley said, trying and failing to put a growl into his voice. "I'm not that bad around new people."

"Yes, you are," Weiss said offhandedly, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry, Whitley; Ruby's the same way."

"Only with people my age," Ruby mumbled, blushing as she scowled at Weiss. "I'm better with people older than me."

"Which means that we're practically her only friends," Yang said, grinning as she mussed up Ruby's hair again, much to the younger girl's displeasure. "And if you do anything to hurt her," Yang suddenly growled, glaring at Whitley hard enough to make him instinctively take a step away from her, "I'll put my foot so far up your ass that your tongue will have grip."

"Yang, calm down," Blake said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You made your point earlier, remember?"

Yang did calm down at the reminder, but only barely. She was still glaring at Whitley suspiciously when Weiss started guiding her away, offering a "See you after school," to her brother and Ruby. Blake went with them, leaving Ruby and Whitley alone in a room full of students still milling about.

Whitley glanced over at Ruby, who just shrugged. "Is your sister always like that?" Whitley asked, not bothering to hide the bit of fear that crept into his voice.

"No," Ruby said, shrugging again. "But I've never really spent any time around boys, either. This might just be something she's always had ready, or something."

"Great," Whitley said sarcastically, his shoulders slumping. "I'm so glad I decided to come here."

Ruby giggled, shaking her head. "Come on, we should probably get going before we wind up being late," Ruby said, starting off towards the doorway Yang and the others had gone through, Whitley following just a few steps behind her.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Now that you all have your seating assignments, shall we introduce ourselves?" Professor Goodwitch asked, glancing up from the papers on her desk to look out at the thirty-two students in her classroom. There were seven rows of five desks (three were being held in reserve, just in case there were transfer students), all of which were smaller than her own desk, of course, yet the room somehow managed to not seem crowded. "Let's start with Miss Rose."

Ruby stared at the professor for a moment before she stood up, wondering why her teacher had chosen to start with her. She wasn't in either the front or back row, and she wasn't alphabetically first or last; she'd been assigned a seat in the third-to-last row, right next to the window. "My name is Ruby Rose," Ruby began. "I... don't really know what you want from me, Professor."

"Two things you like, one thing you dislike, something you think we'd find interesting about you, and something you plan on doing within the year," Goodwitch explained, her encouraging smile making Ruby sigh in relief. "I apologize for not explaining this before I put you on the spot like that."

"Okay," Ruby said. "So, I like reading books, mostly science fiction, but I sometimes go for fantasy, too. I also like learning about other cultures, even if they aren't around anymore. I dislike people who abuse others, everyone from bullies to corrupt politicians. As for what I plan on doing this year, well, I hadn't really thought about it," Ruby said, rubbing at the back of her neck sheepishly. "I guess... getting a driver's license. And, well, the most interesting thing about me is probably my having nightmares every night since I was six."

More than a few students seemed taken aback by that comment, as did Professor Goodwitch herself. "Thank you, Miss Rose," she said after a moment, nodding her head as Ruby sat back down. "Next is Mr. Schnee."

Whitley made sure his face was bereft of emotion as he stood up. These were people who he'd have to deal with nearly every day for the next year, and he wanted to make absolutely sure that he didn't make himself a target; his name did that enough on it's own. "My name is Whitley Schnee. I enjoy fixing things, especially cars, and like learning how they work. I plan on restoring the oldest model of automobile I can possibly find this year," Whitley said, feeling a bit of tension ease out of him as a few of the people in front of him stopped scowling at him and started giving him an approving look. "The most interesting thing about me, in my opinion, is my skill with a needle and thread; I'd imagine most people wouldn't expect someone like me to know how to patch up a pair of old pants," Whitley added, letting his head dip a bit as he smiled, only for that to fade away as he neared the last bit of his introduction. "As for what I dislike... I dislike people who dislike me based on what my family has done, as if I was to blame for their more controversial actions."

Whitley snorted out an angry laugh as he sat back down, trying to keep his breathing even without it seeming like he was trying. There was another pause, similar to the one that had followed Ruby's introduction, before Professor Goodwitch sighed.

"Next we have Miss Eiden," Goodwitch said, hoping that there wouldn't be anymore dramatic introductions like Ruby's and Whitley's.

Near a dozen introductions came and went before the professor's hopes proved wrong. As the student who'd just introduced himself sat back down, she looked at her list to see who was next, and her heart sank as she read the name and remembered the special circumstances behind this one.

"Everyone," Goodwitch said as the next student rose nervously, looking around shyly as the class full of students looked between the two of them, "this is Miss Neopolitan Torchwick. As she is mute, she is unable to introduce herself to all of you at once, and may have trouble introducing herself to you at the moment. For the next two weeks, any of you who is interested in learning sign language may visit me in this classroom between four and five p.m. I will help you fill out the necessary paperwork to bring to your parents or guardians to attend a class on sign language at the college."

Ruby couldn't help but stare at Neo, who just happened to be sitting right behind her. Neo couldn't help but catch her staring, and looked down (barely) at her nervously, only for Ruby to smile and nod encouragingly. Neo let out a quiet breath that she didn't know she'd been holding, and mustered the nerve to smile shyly at the rest of the class before sitting down, a light blush covering her cheeks.

It took a lot of willpower for Professor Goodwitch to not chuckle, as she often did when she felt something was cute, but she knew that laughing now would only cause problems for her students. "Now then," she said, just a bit forcefully. It did the trick, drawing the class's attention back to her. "Continuing the introductions, next we have Miss Sporre."

Ruby could barely sit still for the rest of the introductions, and she kept sneaking glances behind her whenever she got the chance. She couldn't believe that she was in the same class as the girl she'd saved from bullies just this morning, nor could she believe that they were sitting so close to each other. So, once Senka Grace introduced herself and Professor Goodwitch declared the rest of the first period a free period to give more personal introductions, Ruby spun around in her seat to talk to Neo.

"So," Ruby said, smiling when she saw Neo's smile. "What're the odds, huh?"

Neo giggled, shyly looking away as she pulled out the notepad Ruby had given her earlier and wrote a single word.

Low.

Ruby chuckled at the response, glancing to the side as she saw Whitley walking over. "You two know each other?" Whitley asked, making Neo blink at him, confused, and producing a shrug from Ruby.

"We only met this morning," Ruby explained before turning back to a somewhat confused Neo. "Neo, Whitley here is the little brother of one of my friends. I only met him this morning, too. About a minute after I met you, actually, but Weiss told me a few stories about him."

"I don't even want to know what she said about me," Whitley said, letting out a groan. "You know how an older sister can get, Ruby, right?"

"Yep," Ruby drawled, nodding.

"Well, I've got two of them," Whitley continued, making Ruby wince and give a low whistle. "Yeah. It's like that. No brothers or little sisters, either, so I'm bottom of the totem pole when it comes to this sort of thing."

"Yikes," Ruby said, shaking her head sympathetically.

Neo, desperate to get a word in, tapped her pen against her desk when she was done writing, then showed her notepad to Whitley.

Nice to meet you, Whitley.

Whitley let out an embarrassed chuckle, scratching his cheek sheepishly as he said, "Sorry, Neo. I'm not much good with people."

Neo blinked: that hadn't been the response she'd expected. She hurried to scrawl down her next statement before Whitley and Ruby started talking again without her.

What brought you to Beacon?

"Huh?" Whitley asked, making Neo blush and add another line.

The Schnee family is from Mantle, right? Why come here for school?

"Oh, that," Whitley said, feeling his cheeks warm as he shrugged. "Well, my sister, Weiss, came here for some reason, so I'm trying to figure out why. And why she decided to keep coming back here, too."

"I could probably answer that second bit," Ruby said, feeling a wide grin stretch her cheeks. "Weiss has had a bit of a crush on my sister ever since they first met. Latched onto her like a lost puppy, the way Blake tells it."

Whitley covered his face in his hands as Neo giggled softly, hiding his blush from the two girls. "I don't really think I wanted to hear that," Whitley mumbled, only barely loud enough for them to hear. "So," Whitley said, removing his hands from his face and hooking his thumbs in his pockets, "change of topic: you said you like reading, Ruby? Mostly sci-fi?"

"Yep," Ruby said, nodding. "Pretty much anything involving inter-galactic travel, so I'll sometimes go for fantasy if it's got that."

"Really?" Whitley asked, raising an eyebrow. "I prefer seeing the types of futuristic technology the writers dream up. Most are so far out there that it's almost funny."

"That can be fun, but I like it more for the escapism," Ruby said, shrugging. "The last time I was on a plane I wound up sick for a week afterward. Something about travel just doesn't sit well with me, so I like to explore in a way that doesn't leave me bedridden after."

Neo tapped her pen on the desk to get their attention, then hurried to write her statement.

I prefer fantasy, mostly, but I like sci-fi too. Mostly the stuff that explores a big city or space station, though; not so much anything dealing with travel.

"Huh. What're the odds we'd all like reading science fiction?" Whitley asked, only to watch as Neo flipped to a previous page in her notepad and showed it to him, sending Ruby into a fit of giggles and lifting the corners of Neo's lips.

Low.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Ruby, come with me."

Ruby looked up from the books she, Neo, and Whitley had spread out on Neo's desk, seeing Professor Goodwitch standing with a stern expression just by the door. The final period of the day had just started, and Goodwitch had been a couple of minutes late, so the three of them had decided to take the opportunity to recommend their favorite series to each other.

"Uh, okay?" Ruby said nervously, fighting the urge to glance around the classroom; she already knew everyone was staring at her, and knew that she'd only freak out more if she saw them staring. Her breath caught in her throat as she followed her professor out into the hall and realized exactly what she'd done to garner this reaction: she'd fought Cardin and his friends before school had even started.

"Wha-what'd I do?" Ruby asked when she saw Professor Goodwitch close the door behind them, leaving them standing alone in the hallway.

"Fighting is strictly prohibited on the grounds, Miss Rose."

Well, not quite alone.

Ruby whirled, her eyes growing wide with panic when she saw Principal Ozpin standing half-hidden behind a wooden outcropping, a steaming mug held in his right hand and an intricately carved willow cane in his left. "I must say, though, that I find it extremely odd that someone with your upbringing would actively seek out four older boys to fight with," Ozpin continued, stepping out from behind his partial cover. "In fact, I don't believe that's what happened at all, Miss Rose. Would you care to tell us what actually happened this morning?"

Ruby froze, hesitating under the stern, but not quite harsh, look Ozpin was giving her. After a moment, she said, "Okay."

And then she told them everything.

Come on, she's planning on becoming a cop; what type of cop would she be if she didn't respect authority?

"Now that, I can believe," Ozpin said, nodding his head as Ruby finished her story. "Cardin and his friends have been reported for this sort of thing before, but usually there's been a few more bruises than that on both sides."

"I'll have their teachers give them detention," Goodwitch said, addressing Ozpin more than Ruby. "However, there's still the matter of your punishment, Ruby," she added, turning to face Ruby fully and causing her to freeze again. "As Ozpin said, fighting is against the rules of Beacon."

"It might be your first day here, but this is still something we'd like to avoid," Ozpin added, his voice soothing the obviously distressed girl. "Even in this situation, we'd still rather set a precedent against this sort of thing."

"But... but..." Ruby stammered, eyes wide as she glanced between her teacher and the principal. "But there are laws specifically granting protection to people acting in self-defense!" Ruby finally exclaimed, latching onto the first thing she could that could get her out of trouble.

"Yes. In self-defense," Goodwitch said. "When someone else is being harassed, you find someone who is supposed to help with the problem. In this case, you should have gone to a teacher and asked for help, not jumped in yourself and injure two of our students."

The door to class 1-C practically flew open, revealing Neo standing as tall as she could as she met her eyes to Goodwitch's and Ozpin's. She started moving her arms and hands frantically; it took Ruby a moment to realize that she was using sign language, and another to realize that the professor and principal could both evidently understand her.

"I see," Ozpin said after a few moments, a small smile settling onto his features. "Well, then, Miss Rose, it seems you won't be getting punished after all."

"What?" Ruby asked, blinking rapidly as she looked between the three people standing in front of her. "Why?"

"It looks like they'll be needing multiple detentions, then," Goodwitch said with an angry sigh, giving Ozpin a brief scowl before walking back towards the door. "You two should return to your seats," she added, pausing at the door to look at Ruby and Neo.

"What just happened?" Ruby asked, again looking between the three of them as Goodwitch and Neo returned to the classroom and Ozpin wandered off with a chuckle.

Neo looked at Ruby over her shoulder and just gave her a smile, happy to have helped.

"No, seriously, you're going to tell me what happened, right?" Ruby asked, following the two women back into the classroom. She froze again when she noticed everyone's eyes on her, then steeled her nerves and returned to her seat silently, trying to ignore the stares.

Whitley was still standing by their desks, glancing between the two girls with a perplexed expression, only to return to his own seat when the professor called for the class to do just that. He couldn't help but look over at them again as he sat down, though, wondering exactly what had happened.

"Now then," Goodwitch said, pulling a stack of folders out from one of the drawers of her desk. "Since this is your first day here, there are a few things I should go over before you all go home for the day. Where you're allowed, how your schedules will work, the dress code: everything."

"Uh, Professor?" a student said, raising her hand; it took Ruby an effort to remember her name, but she managed to recall that it was Isabella Siverand. "Is going over the dress code important when we have a uniform?" Isabella asked, idly twirling a lock of her platinum blonde hair around a finger.

"The uniform is simply the easiest way to adhere to the dress code, Miss Siverand," Goodwitch said, sitting at her desk and opening one of the folders. As she flipped through a few of the pages within the folder, she added, "I'm sure most of you have seen how many of your upperclassmen have made modifications to their uniforms or have chosen to wear something else entirely. We are actually rather lax with our dress codes here, as long as you maintain a certain basic decency."

"Then why do we have uniforms?" Isabella asked, blinking her bright blue eyes owlishly.

"So that we can revoke your right to choose your own outfit if you violate the dress code on a regular basis," Goodwitch said. "If you do not uphold a basic level of decency, or go against the dress code in some other way, the faculty can restrict you to only wearing your uniform while on school grounds. It is not a punishment we have had to hand out often, nor do I expect to need to level it against anyone in here, but there are a few people currently attending Beacon who are confined to uniform."

What followed was an extremely dry statement of every last rule at Beacon High, including things like "skirts must be no shorter than ten inches long unless you are wearing it over pants or shorts that are acceptable, unless they are between six and ten inches long, in which case they may also be worn over tight leggings, which are only acceptable when worn with skirts longer than six inches or loose-fitting shorts with a belt" and "piercings must be no longer than one inch if worn from the ear, and no longer than half an inch if worn anywhere else." It was incredibly dry, and consisted solely of Professor Goodwitch reading from the folders she wound up passing out to her students anyway, meaning that she really didn't need to say all of it to her class.

After an hour of that, the bell rang, a deep chime that cut Goodwitch off mid-sentence. She wound up finishing that sentence anyway, then dismissed the class; the moment she did, Ruby turned around in her seat to face Neo, who immediately adopted an innocent expression at the inquisitive look Ruby was giving her.

"Are you gonna tell me what you told them to get me out of trouble?" Ruby asked, making Neo wince. After a moment, the mute girl nodded her head and pulled out the notepad Ruby had given her.

What happened before you came by.

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that, and Neo only shook her head, unwilling to write any more about it. After a long, tense moment between them, Ruby sighed and, her face hard with determination, stood up. Neo blinked, confused and worried, as Ruby walked over to Goodwitch's desk.

"Yes, Miss Rose?" Goodwitch asked, folding her hands in front of her as Ruby approached.

"I'd like to sign up for the sign language course," Ruby said, making the professor smile and Neo sigh in relief.

"Of course you do," Goodwitch murmured softly, masking her smile by looking down to one of the drawers of her desk. "I'll warn you: by its very nature, it is a college-level course, and you will still need to maintain a good GPA here to continue taking it. It is not an excuse to let your normal school-work slip by."

"I know," Ruby said. "I'd still like to take it."

"Very well, then," Goodwitch said, pulling out a small stack of papers and handing one to Ruby. "You'll need a signature from one of your parents. If you have any questions about anything you need to fill out, you can ask them or stay after school tomorrow so I can help you."

"Well," Whitley said from next to Ruby, startling her, "I plan on taking it too, if possible, but my dad's in Mantle."

"In that case, do you have anyone who might qualify as your legal guardian?" Goodwitch asked, making Whitley shrug.

"Maybe?" he said, his voice turning it into a question. "My sister Winter might, since she's an adult and Weiss and I are staying with her while we're here, but... maybe?"

"I would recommend asking her," Goodwitch said, handing him one of the papers anyway. "Since your father is in Mantle, I'd imagine your sister would know whether or not she's your legal guardian while you're here."

"I want to take it too!" came a very bubbly voice from Ruby's other side, startling her again; if she wasn't too busy trying to remember the name of the girl with shiny black hair (with three horizontal silver accents) and bright amber eyes, she would've made a mental note to become more aware of her surroundings.

"Alright, Miss Veon," Goodwitch said as she handed the girl a paper, getting Ruby to remember the girl's name: Lilith Veon.

"U-um," a male voice came from Ruby's other side, making her realize that she was still standing in front of the teacher's desk despite not having a reason to anymore. As she left, she caught sight of the boy asking for a paper, who she managed to remember was named Solon Uziel; his eyes and hair were the same shade of grey, and he had a rather thick beard for a fifteen-year-old.

In the end, Ruby watched from her seat as everyone in her class asked to take the sign language course; after a few moments, she glanced over her shoulder to see Neo staring at everyone, her mouth open and a vibrant blush on her cheeks.

Ruby couldn't help but smile at the mute girl's reaction, which Neo happened to see; it only made her blush harder, and Ruby's smile turn into a full-blown grin.

"Looks like everyone wants to be able to understand you, huh?" Ruby asked softly, nodding at Whitley as he walked back over to them, his backpack slung over one shoulder. Neo's cheeks turned even redder, and she turned to look out the window, hoping that she wouldn't get any more embarrassed.

"So," Whitley said, shifting on his feet awkwardly, "sorry to just run like this, but I just got a text from Weiss. Apparently Winter wants the both of us home before she leaves for work, so we've gotta get going before the next bus leaves."

"That's fine," Ruby said, waving one hand dismissively. "I'm in a similar boat with my dad. Say," Ruby said suddenly, nearly managing to cut herself off as a gleeful glimmer appeared behind her silver eyes, "how about we all hang out this weekend?" she asked, gesturing between herself, Whitley, and Neo, who blinked at her, surprised to be included. "We could go shopping for books, or go to an arcade, or see a movie or something."

"Sounds good to me," Whitley said, letting a relieved smile cross his lips. "You cool with that, Neo?" he asked, making the effort to include her even more obvious.

Neo's mouth dropped open again, and she nodded her head fiercely, half because she desperately wanted to and half to hide the tears that were starting to brim in her eyes.

Whitley's phone chirped in his pocket, and he sighed, adjusting his backpack. "That'll be Weiss asking where I am," Whitley said, turning to leave. "Sorry, but I've gotta go."

"See you tomorrow," Ruby said, waving along with Neo as Whitley left the room. Ruby's phone went off a moment later, and she pulled it out from one of her skirt's pockets. "Oh, it's from Yang," Ruby mumbled, swiping her thumb across the screen to open the message.

Blake + I are off 2 work, CU at home l8r

Ruby rolled her eyes at the message, then sent back a brief response. "Well, my bus doesn't get here for another twenty minutes," Ruby said, lounging back in her seat as Neo raised an eyebrow at her. "Want to look around the grounds with me, or do you need to leave soon?"

Neo smiled and wrote a single word down, then showed it to Ruby as she picked up her backpack.

Yes

"Wait, yes to which question?" Ruby asked as Neo started walking away, making the mute girl laugh. "Neo?"

Neo paused at the doorway, then gave an exaggerated motion of her arm, telling Ruby to come with her. Ruby hurried to comply, grabbing her backpack and shrugging into it. She didn't even notice the dozen students still in the classroom who'd watched the whole exchange, nor the fact that many of them starting laughing the moment she left.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Yo, boss!" Yang yelled out as she swung open the broad wooden door of the warehouse. It was a small thing, but its owner put it to good use; pallets piled high with cardboard boxes and plastic tubs formed a maze-like path from the door to the office areas, which were just small plywood rooms that had been added in after the fact. Blake followed Yang in, making sure to close the door behind them. "You in here?"

"Of course I am, Yang," the man's voice said as he opened the door to one of the offices. "I wouldn't have asked you to meet me here if I wasn't going to be here."

"So, you got work for us?" Yang asked, making Blake sigh.

"Why would... no, you know what? I'm not finishing that question," the man finished in a mumble, turning to beckon them into his small office space, the tails of his white coat flaring behind him with the motion. He sat down on the desk in the room, taking off his bowler hat to run a gloved hand through his mess of bright orange hair, and looked at the two young women with his bright green eyes. "So," Roman Torchwick said, "there's three deliveries for you to make today, Yang. Two duffel bags and a box."

"Got it," Yang said, nodding her head. "Those right there?" she asked, gesturing to the two duffel bags and the thin cardboard box sitting next to the door.

"Yep," Torchwick said. "Addresses are on them. Get them there before six, if possible."

"You got it, boss," Yang said, already stooping to pick up one of the duffel bags. "I'll be back in a flash for the others."

"I know," Torchwick said, inclining his head to her as she left. "Now then, Blake," he said as Yang left, "I expect you want to take your usual hour before you get to work?"

"Yes, sir," Blake said, letting the corners of her mouth twitch up in a small smile.

"Very well, then. Now, get moving; there's a lot to do today," Torchwick said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Blake nodded at him as she left the room, only to pause just inside the building until she'd heard the roar of Yang's motorcycle fade into the distance. After it did, she left the building entirely, her pace quick and hurried.

"You spoil them, you know?" asked an undeniably feminine voice from behind Torchwick. He didn't acknowledge the speaker as she stepped out from behind the plywood wall she'd been hiding behind, revealing dark brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes. "They could be much more useful than this."

"I know, I know," Torchwick said, rolling his eyes. "We've had this conversation before, remember? You don't tell me how to run my business, and I don't tell you how to do your job."

"That was before you started wasting an opportunity like this," the woman said, scowling at Torchwick. "The step-daughter of a police detective could be a valuable asset to you, but you just have her running courier assignments."

"Only until she turns eighteen," Torchwick corrected. "Then I'll set her up as Junior's apprentice. She'll need to pose as one of his waitresses at first, of course, but it'll be worth it. The long game is much more useful to me than you realize. Of course, with someone your age, it makes sense why you'd be focused on short-term goals."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the woman asked, her scowl morphing into a glare.

"It means that you are still young, Miss Scarlatina, and the youthful don't always know how to plan for the long-term," Torchwick said, gently batting his hand at one of the rabbit ears growing from the young woman's head as he turned to face her. "Now, I assume you're here for a reason other than chastising my method for grooming employees into higher positions."

"Yes," Velvet Scarlatina hissed out, her glare turning playful as she grabbed the ear he'd hit and gingerly massaged it. She didn't typically like anyone else touching them, but she made an exception for him; they were quite sensitive, in a way that she wasn't always happy about. "You were right: there's someone trying to take over your territory."

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"Good, you're home," Winter Schnee said the moment Weiss and Whitley walked in the door; the eldest of the Schnee siblings looked much like the younger two, with her white hair and blue eyes, through she was a fair bit taller than them. Their home in Vale was far from the vast mansion they'd known in Atlas; Winter was renting a comparatively small three-bedroom apartment with only two bathrooms, which neither Weiss nor Whitley was happy about, as they were forced to share. "How was school?"

"It was fine," Weiss said with a shrug. "I still don't get why the teachers call themselves professors over here, though."

"I thought that was strange," Whitley said, sliding off his backpack and all but collapsing onto the broad couch set up in the living room. "But everyone else seemed to accept it. Is that really normal here?"

"I wouldn't know," Winter said, glancing pointedly at Weiss. "I didn't go to high school here."

For her part, Weiss just waved her hand dismissively, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from her brother.

"So, since we're all here, should we have an early dinner?" Winter asked, drawing a curious glance from Whitley. "I don't need to be at work until six, and I'd rather eat beforehand."

Whitley shuddered, but nodded his head. "Sure," he said. "Though I still don't understand how you can do your job with a full stomach."

Winter rolled her eyes, then walked the short distance to the kitchen, though technically it was still the same room. "You get used to them after a while, Whitley. If you see one half-dissolved dead body dismembered by a serial killer, you stop caring about all the heart attacks and broken necks. Now then," she said, dramatically changing the subject as she rooted through a cabinet, not noticing how green her siblings had turned, "who wants spaghetti?"

Weiss shuddered, and shared a glance with Whitley. Neither of them was very hungry after that comment, but they knew they'd have to eat at some point. "Okay," Weiss said, swallowing down the bile building up in her throat.

"Oh!" Whitley said, unzipping his backpack and rooting around in it. "I just remembered something."

"Hm?" Winter asked, glancing over at him as she set a pot of water on the stove.

"Quick question: you count as my legal guardian while I'm here, right?" Whitley asked, making Weiss raise an eyebrow.

"Did you get in trouble already?" Weiss asked, a mixture of amusement and disbelief in her tone.

"What? Of course not!" Whitley exclaimed, scowling at her. "My class's homeroom teacher is letting us take a class at the college if we want to, but we need a signature from a parent or guardian to do it."

"Really?" Weiss asked. "Goodwitch didn't let my class take any college classes when I was in her homeroom. Why?"

"One of my classmates is mute, and it's a class on sign language," Whitley explained.

"To answer your earlier question, Whitley, I have filled out paperwork that lets me act as your legal guardian while we're in Vale," Winter said, drawing her siblings' attention back to her. "However, I'm not entirely convinced this will be a useful way for you to spend your time, and I doubt our father would see it that way either."

Whitley bit back a retort, knowing that insulting their father wasn't likely to get Winter on his side. "Taking a college course at my age would look good on a college application," Whitley began, trying to work out a few more arguments in a hurry. "Especially a language. And doing it to better communicate with a single classmate makes our family look good, too. I doubt our father would dismiss any good press at the moment, Winter."

Winter narrowed her eyes at her brother for a long, tense moment. Finally, she nodded her head. "Very well. I will give you my signature. After we eat."

Whitley let out a quiet sigh of relief as Winter turned back to her pot of water, only for Weiss to catch his attention. "So, this classmate of yours..." Weiss began, a twinkle in her eye. "Mind giving us some details?"

"She's short," Whitley said, making Weiss snort off a laugh. "Like, not even five feet tall. And her eyes are brown, but she's got rings of pink and, like, cream around her pupils. That's central heterochromia, right?"

"Yes," Weiss said, nodding her head. "Though I haven't heard about anyone having two different colors of central like that. You sure both her eyes are brown?"

"Yeah," Whitley said. "Like well-made chocolate."

"Ooh, sounds like you've got a crush, little brother," Weiss teased, poking him in the shoulder.

"You know I don't," Whitley said, irritated. "Besides, she acts like she's more into Ruby than me."

"Oh, yeah, she's in your class too, isn't she?" Weiss asked. "Are you two playing nice?"

"I'm not a little kid, Weiss," Whitley grumbled, rolling his eyes. "And you're not that much older than me."

"I know, but Ruby has a bit of trouble talking to people her own age," Weiss said, startling Whitley; he thought she'd been mocking him, not asking after one of her friends. "I know you're mature for your age, which is why I'm asking if you two are friendly or not."

"Well, Ruby, Neo, and I are planning on hanging out this weekend," Whitley said, scratching his cheek to hide the light flush in his cheeks.

"Neo?"

"The mute girl. Ruby's probably making an effort to get to know her, but we all wound up having some similar interests, so it'll be fine."

"So, what are the three of you are planning on doing?"

"That's still up in the air. Ruby suggested we go to an arcade or a bookstore, I think, but we're probably not going to do much planning for it," Whitley said, shrugging. "Besides, I don't think we could spend a whole day at either of those places."

"Huh," Weiss said, sitting up straighter. "Yang suggested something similar for us and Blake. Maybe all six of us could hang out together..." Weiss trailed off, eyeing her brother. "Or maybe I could dump Blake on you and Ruby so I could go off alone with Yang..."

"Why not just ask her out already, sis?" Whitley asked, rolling his eyes as Weiss blushed. "She might say yes, she might say no, but at least then you'll have an answer."

"M-maybe when we're in college," Weiss mumbled, ducking her head so she didn't have to meet her brother's eyes. "That way, Father won't be able to drag me away from her."

Whitley chuckled softly as he glanced over at Winter, making sure she hadn't heard them. He knew their father would never approve, and that she'd tell him just about everything that went on in the apartment she rented.

'Living with the enemy,' Whitley thought to himself. 'Wonderful.'

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Darkness. It was all he'd known the past five years. His eyes were beyond repair, his doctors had said, all but pulverized by the very edge of that grenade's blast radius. He'd received a Purple Heart for his pain, but that hadn't paid the bills. It hadn't kept his wife from leaving him, or his home from being taken from him.

Now, all he owned were the clothes on his back, the blanket beneath his legs, and the guitar in his hands. Sometimes he owned a cup or a hat that people would drop change in, but those often wound up stolen without him noticing.

"Hi, Adam."

The voice was one of the few constants in his life, and he felt a smile stretch his dirty cheeks as he turned his head in her direction, reminded of the two other things he could call his: the black ribbon wrapped around his head that covered his eyes; and the care of a young woman, who had gone to great lengths to help him.

"Hello, Blake," he said, strumming his guitar to a different tune, one more upbeat than the somber melody he'd been playing before. Her visits always managed to cheer him up, a fact that he let his music reflect whenever possible.

Her footsteps, soft though they were, were how he followed her position, until she knelt by his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I got you something," she said, placing a paper bag and a plastic bottle against his leg. "It's not much, but-"

"It's more than anyone else ever gives me, Blake," Adam said, interrupting her as he smiled at her. "Thank you."

He couldn't see her, but he imagined she blushed in the silence that followed. "Would you like me to read to you, today? Or would you prefer I sing?"

"Whichever you'd like, Blake," he said. He truly meant it; he loved hearing her voice, no matter whether she was reading, singing, or just talking to him. It was one of the few things left in his life that he actually enjoyed, and he wasn't going to do anything that could drive her away.

After a moment, he heard the sound of a zipper being opened, and a few moments after that he heard paper rustling. 'She's decided to read,' he thought to himself as he continued to play his guitar, more than willing to provide a musical accompaniment. Her singing typically made people more willing to donate money, of course, but he was fond of the stories she told, and could often lose himself in them for a while.

She stayed away from stories about battle, likely to keep him from remembering the events that had lead to his disability and homelessness, but he didn't mind. Fighting wasn't something he relished; it was just what he was best at.

And every night, his nightmares took him to war. Sword in one hand, gun in the other, men and beasts alike fell before him. He knew he wasn't the hero of his dreams, however; he often woke up sick from the things he saw and did in them. The worst part was that his dream self seemed to think that he was the hero, that he could do no wrong, even as he abused the people he loved and mercilessly slaughtered and maimed everyone in his way, no matter how important they were to him or his loved ones.

Adam's only solace was that he'd never truly see the blonde girl with violet eyes.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

"So, yeah, school was pretty boring," Ruby said, swinging her legs as she watched her father start preparing dinner from her seat at the dining table. He'd only gotten home a few minutes ago, freshly bought groceries in hand, and had immediately gone into the kitchen to start cooking; Ruby had helped him carry in the groceries, like she always did, and had wound up finding the strawberries he'd tried to hide from her. At his insistence, she'd refrained from eating more than eight of them, though she'd made sure to pick the largest ones. "I met some cool people, though. Especially everyone in my class. Literally the entire class decided to get the permission slip for a college-level sign language class because we have one mute girl in our class."

"Everyone, huh?" Taiyang asked, glancing back at Ruby with a smile. "That include you?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, nodding her head. After a moment, her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Could you sign it for me, Dad?"

Taiyang couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Sure thing, Ruby. Just give me a minute, okay?"

The sound of a key in the front door's lock distracted Ruby, who turned her attention away from her father. After a moment, it opened, revealing Yang walking into their home. "Hey, Dad, Ruby," Yang said, tucking her keys back into one of her pockets.

"Yang," Taiyang greeted her, glancing over at her as he methodically chopped up a pepper. "How was work?"

"Eh, it was alright. Only half a dozen deliveries, all over town," Yang said, sitting down in the chair next to Ruby and letting her backpack hit the floor with a thud. "It's still fall, though, so we're not likely to pick up more business for a while. So, Ruby," Yang said, turning to her sister, "how was your first day at Beacon?"

"It was alright," Ruby said, shrugging her shoulders. "Not really all that different from Signal, really. The class size is bigger and the people are different, but that's about it."

"Yeah, that'll happen when you go from private school to public," Yang said. "Speaking of different people, though, I got an interesting text from Weiss a little while ago. It doesn't really seem like something you'd do, so I've gotta ask: you're planning on hanging out with Whitley and a girl from your class this weekend?"

"Yes," Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "I do have friends my own age, Yang."

"You really don't," Yang pointed out, making Ruby blush and scowl. "You spend most of your free time with me and Blake, and Weiss when she's around. And there's all of the times you had Nikos tutor you in history, and decided to tag along with her and her friends when you couldn't be with mine..."

"That's probably gonna change soon, Yang," Taiyang said, butting into their conversation as he washed his hands. "Apparently, her whole class is going to be taking a sign language course at the college because one of her classmates is mute. That's some good bonding right there."

"What, really?" Yang asked, surprised. "You're taking a college class already, Rubes? Damn, Mom's gonna give me some shit after hearing that."

"Yang, language," Taiyang said as he sat down at the table, making Yang grin and rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "So, Ruby, you said that I'd need to sign something?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, digging the form out of her backpack, which she'd rested next to her chair. "I haven't read it yet."

"You were watching the news again?" Yang asked as Ruby handed the paper to their father.

"Yeah. Mom should be home on time tonight," Ruby said. "It didn't really seem like there was anything the police would be interested in."

"You know she calls me if she's going to be late, right?" Taiyang asked, giving Ruby an amused glance before he returned to reading the form. "And we'd call at least one of you if we're both going to be late."

"Yeah, but I like to know earlier than that," Ruby said, sending a pouting glare at him. "The last time you were late, you called five minutes after the time you'd said you'd be home by. And Mom can't always get to a phone if she's working late."

"Ah, the lives we investigators live!" Taiyang exclaimed dramatically, winking at his youngest daughter. "Look forward to it, Ruby."

"Are you gonna sign that or not?" Ruby asked, annoyed.

"Well, if you ask like that, maybe I won't," Taiyang said with a grin, pulling a pen out from his pocket and scratching his signature onto the form a moment later. "You're all set, Ruby. Just hand that in and you'll have even more work once the college's fall semester starts up."

"Thanks, Dad!" Ruby chirped happily, folding the paper in half and stuffing it back into her backpack as her father went back to working on dinner.

"So, what'cha cooking, Dad?" Yang asked, watching as he put a carrot onto the same cutting board he'd chopped a pepper on earlier.

"Does it look like I'm cooking?" he asked sarcastically, glancing over his shoulder to wink at Yang. "Tonight, we'll be having a variety of skewers, Yang. I'll be firing up the grill once I'm a bit further into the prep work, so if you're hungry you should pull up a cutting board and help out."

"You're not gonna grill those strawberries, are you?" Ruby asked fearfully, the horror in her eyes making Yang chuckle.

"No, those are going on the cake," Taiyang said, making Ruby sit up straighter. "I'm just glad I managed to surprise you with something this time, Ruby."

"Why'd you buy a cake?" Yang asked, chuckling again as she watched Ruby swallow lustfully at the thought of cake topped with strawberries.

"To celebrate, of course! Ruby's first day of high school and the first day of your last year of high school! Oh, my cute little girls are growing up!"

"Dad, are you crying?" Ruby asked, trying not to giggle at her father's antics.

"No! It's just the onion!"

"That's a carrot."

"Then why am I crying?!"

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Dinner had wound up being somewhat uneventful. Despite how excited Taiyang was about it, neither Yang nor Ruby had any real stories to tell about their first day of the new school year; granted, he should've expected it, since a single school day is rarely worth telling a story over, but he still wound up disappointed. Even if Ruby'd had a good story to tell, though, she and her mother were too busy eating their fill of the various meats and vegetables that Taiyang had wound up cramming onto a set of cheap wooden skewers to do much talking. While Yang and Taiyang needed to save room for dessert, neither of the Roses did; they considered their hyperactive metabolisms a curse, most days, but the rare occasion that Taiyang brought a cake home was enough to make them call it a blessing. For a few minutes.

So, after both of the blondes had taken their leave from the dinner table, Ruby and Summer had loaded up their plates with a second helping of strawberries, ice cream, and store-bought chocolate cake before they started slowing down enough to talk.

"Are you still planning on coming with me to the dojo on Wednesday, Ruby?" Summer asked as she sat back down.

"I don't know," Ruby said after a moment, waiting until she'd swallowed her food before she spoke. "Krav Maga sounds kind of... simple, the way you described it."

Summer rolled her eyes. "It's not all just punching people between the legs, you know," Summer said, making Ruby giggle. "There's a lot more to it that suits people in law enforcement. Awareness of the environment and threats, how to take down an opponent as quickly as possible, the best ways to counterattack."

"Yeah, but, don't I already know most of that stuff?" Ruby asked. "And don't I know plenty of martial arts at this points? I'm at second kyu in Small Circle Jujitsu, have a third-tier ranking in Capoeira, and learned a lot of the Chum Kiu in Wing Tsun. Adding any more to that seems kind of... overkill."

"Exactly what Krav Maga emphasizes: finishing the fight as quickly as possible," Summer said, nodding her head forcefully. "At least take a few of the classes with me? Pretty please?" Summer asked, winking at Ruby as she bit back a giggle. "You'll be able to decide for yourself whether you want to continue, but I at least want to show it to you so you can make an informed decision."

"Alright, Mom," Ruby said with a smile. "I'll go with you on Wednesday. But no promises on anything more than that."

"Thank you, Ruby," Summer said, beaming at her daughter. "So," she continued, her smile turning just a bit playful, "Taiya said you were going to take a college course soon, didn't he?"

"Y-yeah," Ruby said. "A sign language class. One of my classmates is mute, so our teacher is letting us take it as long as our grades don't drop."

"Are you the only one taking it?"

"No, actually. Everyone in my class asked for the permission slip," Ruby said, shifting in her seat; she didn't really know whether she should feel happy, proud, or anxious about it. "I don't know whether or not they'll all go through with it, though, or if they'll be able to get a signature."

Summer chuckled, shaking her head. "You shouldn't focus too much on the negative, Ruby," Summer said, resisting the urge to reach over and ruffle her daughter's hair; she still had grease on her fingers from one of the meatier skewers Taiyang had prepared. "I'm sure at least most of them will do it."

"'At least most'?" Ruby repeated, giggling as her mother rolled her eyes.

"Laugh it up while you can, Ruby," Summer said teasingly, pitching her voice lower. "Soon, you too shall succumb to my speech." Ruby just kept on giggling.

The two finished their dessert in contented silence, happy to spend time together.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Ruby lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was late. Too late; she was planning on getting up in six hours to get ready for school. But, still, she tried to stay awake.

It was better than the nightmares.

So, she stared up at the dreamcatchers she collected. The most recent one, a marvel of spun willow bark webbed with silk strands bearing obsidian beads, hung closest to her, dangling down from her ceiling by a cheap strand of string that she'd nailed into the ceiling herself. She stared at it intently, hoping that, this night, it would work, that any of them would work. To catch nightmares and keep them away, while letting good dreams pass through unhindered.

After a few minutes, Ruby rolled over onto her side, shutting her eyes tight and trying to keep those hopes in mind as she let herself drift into sleep.

The scythe was a familiar weight in her hands. Gleaming metal, the scent of fresh blood, the moon hanging half-destroyed in the night sky; familiar sights, if uncomfortable for her conscious mind. Fortunately for her, it wasn't her conscious mind that was in control.

It was the dream.

Silver eyes narrowed as they took in the surroundings: crushed buildings, smoke still rising from several of them; flashes of light flaring in the distance, signaling where her allies fought and bled; and the beasts. Heavy, muscular, and enveloped in black fur, they towered above her, their canine muzzles matted with blood both fresh and old.

She knew this part well.

Her blade was moving almost before she realized it, the blade scoring clean across the chest of the nearest beast. It howled in agony as the metal flashed through it, and its companions charged at her. She jumped, feeling her hair whip about her face as she easily cleared the charging wolf-creatures' heads, and swung her scythe down as she fell back to the earth, bisecting the injured beast's head and smacking it with the top of her scythe's snaith. It slammed into the ground hard, and dissolved into nothingness.

"One down," her dream self said, turning to face the remaining beasts. "Two to go."

She swung again, cleaving off the arm of the closest of the beasts. Another pair of swings and its head had joined it, in two pieces. One last swing buried her scythe's blade in the final beast's chest, drawing a howl of agony before it, too, dissolved.

The scent of blood curled around her like a cloak as she looked around, trying to find another target. She strode confidently towards it, ignoring the puddles of blood she walked through.

She swung her blade without thinking, and blood filled the air.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXxxX

Like I said at the top, you shouldn't expect canon depictions of characters to make much impact on how I'll be depicting them here. Adam, for instance: there's probably a lot of you half-hoping he turns against Blake in this story and gets put down for it. Hard. Maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't. I'm gonna be honest, I really fucking hate Adam. I hope Yang rips his head off with her new arm, or at least pulls his head back so Blake can decapitate him. But I won't let that effect how I'll be writing this story.

Anyway, onto other things.

If you care to know, I have decided to rewrite most of my other story, Fallout: Remnant. I really don't like how my writing looked back when I started it, so I'll be reworking it, especially those four prologues. Ugh.

For the time being, I'll be working on this story while working on those rewrites; I'll post the rewrites in lumps of two or three at a time, but don't expect them to come quickly. To better facilitate this, I'll be working on these stories in parts leading up to time skips. Any time it looks like I'm going to skip ahead a few months in one story, it means that I'll be going back to the other story for a while. Right now, Fallout: Remnant is looking forward to a six month time skip, and writing this is giving me a good chance to quietly expand at the back of my mind so that I can have a bunch of stuff ready for it when it's time to go.

And, before you ask, I do know where I'm going with this. The dreams have a purpose in this crime drama, but I won't be telling you quite yet. Of course, if you came here from the Rooster Teeth website's forums, you already know where I'm going with this. If not, it's your choice whether you want to find out or not; for now, all I'll say is that I'm planning that reveal for chapter 4.

Until next time! For now, go do something cool. Get it? 'Cause I'm The Snow Mage? Eh? Eh? No? Well fuck me then.