So, I promised you all this story, and I have finally delivered! Yay!
Now, for those of you who never read the original story, this is a sci-fi story that will take place in a totally different universe (nearly quite literally) than the show's. Particularly, it is set in what would be our future, about 600 years or so. I have decided that, in order to prevent me from having to retcon this story as RWBY progresses, that this will be set with our knowledge of Volume 3 up to Episode 6. Why episode six? Well, the direction the show seems to be going from that point on will be extremely difficult to explain in a world more set in reality than RWBY.
Well, with that out of the way, welcome to my newest story. Hope you guys like it.
July 31, Year 582 of the Vytal Standard Calender
Vytal. Its history is that of ours. Its legacy is that of ours. They are the guiding hand, the common goal of all of humanity.
Forged in the fires of war, and built on its ashes, The Order of Vytal has maintained the status quo of the four kingdoms for nearly six hundred years. They bind the four Orders; Vale, Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo; into a common unit, rallying them together in times of crisis to stand as one.
As with the other Orders, Vytal has its own military, consisting of the four traditional branches; Army, Navy, Marines, and Space Corps. However, while the others have a fifth branch (Planetary Guard) that focuses on the defense of each Order's individual assets on a planet that the others would be too clumsy to do reliably, Vytal has a branch focusing on the protection of the entirety of humanity as a whole; the Hunters. It is to them that the survival of humanity falls to.
But, just like any other hero, no Hunter is ready in a day. Training to become a Hunter takes years. Four years, to be precise, at one of four highly specialized combat schools. These four schools are the pre-requisite for joining Vytal's Hunters, and as a result, they only take the best of the best.
Ruby Rose had always dreamt of being one such Hunter. She had practically been born for it; her mother, father, and uncle were all Hunters or former Hunters. She had trained for most of her life to be one herself. She had attended Signal, Patch's largest combat school, in the hopes that she might make it into Beacon, Vale's very own Hunter Training Academy.
Normally, even a four-year stint one of the lesser combat schools wouldn't be enough to join a Hunter Training Academy; most only take students who have completed six years, and even then, some don't make it. Having the youngest cutoff age of any of the branches in the four Orders (21 Standard years old), if you didn't get in early, chances were you'd never make it in. Sure, you might be able to transfer in from one of the other branches if you have high enough accolades, but this was a rarity; not something one could reliably do.
But Ruby Rose was special. She had gotten her letter of acceptance from Beacon after completing her fourth year of Signal. Uncommon, yes, but not unheard of. Yang, Ruby's older sister, had to wait until she had completed her sixth year of Signal before getting her letter. The entire family showered praise onto the two girls. They were about to embark on a journey that would take them across the Orders, protecting the weak wherever they went.
But no one ever told Ruby of the long, boring waits she'd have to endure during her initial processing.
The dark-haired girl sat in a large waiting room on the surface of Vale, the capital planet of the Vale Order. She had never been off-world before, so even with the excitement of becoming a Hunter fresh in her mind, the feeling of loneliness was strong. A stranger in a strange land.
It was currently 4:32am Local time, so the sun was still a few local hours from rising. As such, if one were to look up, as Ruby had done several times in her boredom over the last hour, you could see the night sky through the clear glass roof of the Military Entrance and Processing Center. There were several things that Ruby saw that were familiar to her; even through the glass and Vale's light pollution, she could make out the most notable constellations, in some manner or another.
But there was one thing that Ruby had never seen, at least with her own eyes, hanging in the sky. Though it wasn't more than a thin crescent, Patch was still the most dominating feature of the night, bright even despite its lack of reflected light. It was poignant, really. All of her life, Ruby lived up there, not travelling more than a few dozen miles from her house, and in the span of a day, she had already gone to another planet, albeit one she had seen every day of her life since she could ever remember.
Any thoughts of home were broken when she heard her name called out over the intercom. "Ruby Rose, please report to Examination Room 6." The female voice ordered. Gathering the not-so-thin file she had been given earlier in the morning, one that had everything on her from school transcripts to biometrics taken in the last few weeks building up to now, the young huntress-to-be headed in the direction of the examination rooms, looking for the number six.
It didn't take long to find her destination, the room the only one with an open door. Inside, she saw all manner of simple medical equipment. Most of it, she doubted would be used, as barring anything unusual, this would probably be a simple physical.
The doctor in the room was a younger-looking woman, with short blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. "Ruby Rose, yes?" She asked, her voice softer but not the kind tone Ruby was expecting.
"Yes." The younger girl answered, handing the doctor her files. She was directed to sit on the small bed, while the doctor looked the files over.
After a few moments, the doctor set the folder aside. "Alright, take off your shirt and pants and step onto the platform over there." She said, nodding to a small, circular platform.
Ruby nodded and did what she was told, stripping to her underwear and standing on the platform. "Keep your hands to your sides." The doctor informed, just before pressing a few buttons on a small tablet. No sooner than Ruby had done so, a cylindrical glass tube came down from the ceiling, closing her inside.
Ruby was glad she wasn't claustrophobic, as the tube reverberated her own breathing to the point that it was almost deafening in the silence. "Alright, put your arms up." She heard the doctor say, her voice amplified by a speaker in the floor. Ruby reached skyward, and after she had done so, a thin beam of light fell down from the ceiling, descending to the floor before returning up, and repeating the process three more times.
On the fourth scan, the light faded. "Good. You may put your clothes back on." She was told, the doctor making a few motes in the files before closing the folder. Ruby gathered her shirt and pants, put them on quickly, and took the folder back, heading to the lobby once again. As she did, she saw that light had started to filter into the sky. The clock said 4:59am.
She huffed. One thing that had been hard to adjust to was Vale's day; Patch, being a moon, was tidally locked to Vale. As such, its day was also its 'year', so to speak. Each one took about 22 days, Standard time. As such, Standard time (sometimes called Remnant time), was the time that Ruby was most accustomed to.
Vale was much different. Most things were done by Standard time, and it was about 0729 Standard time. But, Vale had a faster rotation than Remnant. A much faster rotation. Each day was only 16 hours and 40 minutes. Each sunset was no more than 8 hours from a sunrise. So, each Vale 'hour' was only about 42 Standard minutes. This was a system that used throughout all other planets, too; adjust the local day in 24 'hours', either shorter or longer than Standard, if only because it was what early settlers were used to.
It took a while before Ruby did anything else. After the last of the recruits were examined, the group was taken to the next section of their processing. Ruby wasn't sure what that entailed, but if it was anything like what the last hour or so had been, then it wasn't exactly the glamor that she had expected of a Hunter.
Things were getting boring when the sun finally crested over the horizon, at some time around 5:26am local time. By then, Ruby had seen several other recruits called. It looked like they were going alphabetically, and with her last name, she'd be one of the later names called.
After what felt like an eternity, her name was finally called, this time by an actual person rather than a message over an intercom. With a heavy breath, the girl took her folder and walked into the office of First Sergeant Fjord, a tall man with a buzz cut and brown eyes.
The recruit sat in the chair that she assumed was hers, while 1SG Fjord shut the doorway. "So, Ruby Rose." He started, his voice fitting for a rough frame. Judging by the design of his emblem and uniform, he was likely a member of the Vale Army. "Your file says that you are interested in joining the Hunters, correct?" He asked, taking the folder from Ruby.
The younger girl nodded, probably more excitedly than she should have. "Yes, Sergeant." She answered simply. She refrained from breaking into the small rant about why she wanted to join; her recruiter found it endearing, but quickly told her than 'endearing' probably wouldn't work over well with actual soldiers and Hunters.
Fjord nodded, looking the files over. He let out a short, impressed whistle at the contents. "Top of your class in your fourth year, huh?" He mused, getting a small, proud smile from Ruby. "Well, I'll be real with you, Rose. Judging by your age alone, I would've never thought that you'd be ready for the Hunters." He continued, his voice not losing its musing tone. "But, I don't think I've ever seen someone with your accolades at your age."
It had been something that surprised all of her recruiters a few months back. Top of her class in all academic ranks at Signal, as well as one of the highest ranked students in elements like Combat Awareness, Marksmanship, and even Leadership skills. Many people thought she could've entered Beacon a year or two ago, but the school had a minimum entry age of 17.
The younger girl could only nod at the compliments. "Thank you." She said simply.
Fjord smirked. "So, let's get down to business." He said, turning to his computer. "Now, you'll be assigned to the Emerald Forest starting today, and from there, you'll head on your way to the Bulwark system, where you'll undergo the majority of your Hunter Training." He explained, a small screen that was in from of Ruby lighting up, showing the path she was about to embark on.
Ruby nodded, looking at the information. The Emerald Forest was one of the Hunter's training ships; large craft, sometimes large enough to be cities, complete with facilities that could simulate most environments that a soldier might face. Emerald Forest was considered Beacon's flagship, which explained why she'd be assigned there so soon.
Bulwark, on the other hand, was a distant system, around 266 lightyears from Vale. It was hardly populated; maybe 2 million people lived there permanently. As such, it was mostly known as a training ground for Hunters. It wasn't the nearest of the possible training grounds; her uncle Qrow spoke of Aurum, a planet only about 112 lightyears away.
But, she didn't need to know why she was headed to Bulwark. All she knew was that, for at least the foreseeable future, she was going to call the planet her home.
Fjord waited a moment before continuing. "Now, Emerald Forest will depart system after you are dropped off, meaning that after this, you will continue your training in the Bulwark system. After two years have gone by, you and your team will likely be moved to a different system." He added, drawing Ruby's attention back to him. "Which system that will be shall be determined at a later juncture."
After that, the man relaxed in his chair slightly. "I usually tell my recruits to ask me any questions they may have, for whatever reason." He explained, his voice lightening slightly. "So, Rose, do you have any questions that you want to ask before I send you off?" He asked.
To be honest, Ruby didn't really have any questions she didn't already know the answers to. With a father and uncle who not only attended Beacon, but were one of the best to come out of the school in the last few decades, any questions Ruby had regarding the Hunters and Beacon were quickly answered, usually in great detail. That said, there were a few things she was still uncertain about.
So, she decided to ask that, at the very least. "What can you tell me about Bulwark? I know it's a common location for Hunter training, but what about the planet itself?" She asked, her voice curious.
Fjord smirked. "Ah, Bulwark. Been there a few times myself while I was still a rookie." He said, pushing a few buttons on his keyboard, pulling up what Ruby assumed was a picture of the planet. "A bit cooler than Vale or Patch, but not so much that it's snowing all the time." He explained. The pictures of the planet from orbit looked too clear, barely a cloud in the sky.
Ruby was about to ask about it when she got her answer. "There aren't many clouds, and as such, there isn't much in the way of rain." He informed easily. "It's not a terribly bad place to live, but some people don't find it enjoyable. That's probably why it's such a popular world for training; not a lot of locals to get in the way."
Ruby nodded once. The pictures that were taken from the planet's surface were a bit more inviting, showing a world full of life, yet also somehow missing it. It was as if something wasn't there, and Ruby wasn't sure what that was.
Before she could think too hard on it, Fjord stood up. "Well, now's the part where I send you on your way." He said simply, motioning to the doorway. "You can return to the main lobby and wait for your name to be called for transport." He added. Again, the Hunter-to-be nodded once, saying a quick thank you before heading out.
The lobby of the center was full of people, some of the recruits waiting to be shipped to their first post, others waiting for the initial entry process to begin. Parents and family of those about to leave for what might be years were gathered, emotional farewells being had.
Ruby herself had already had those. Her father was a bit hesitant to say goodbye; the last woman he said a similar goodbye to never came home. The fact that both of his daughters were leaving within a week of each other didn't make it easier on him. Still, he knew this was what they wanted to do, and he wasn't going to tell them not to.
Her uncle Qrow, on the other hand, only offered words of encouragement and caution when she departed from Patch yesterday afternoon. He told her to keep herself out of danger, but to always be sure to remember what it was she was fighting for. It sounds contradictory; you can't stay out of danger if you're trying to keep others out of it. But, there were times that putting yourself in danger wouldn't accomplish anything.
There were a few things that Ruby could do for the time she had to wait. She could sit in the lobby, watching the news that was currently playing. Or she could go to the arcade, socializing with the other recruits who were in the same boat as her.
The second option was a more enticing one, since it meant she could kill time playing a video game of some kind. But, it also meant social interaction, something she was a bit…hesitant about. Funny, since the Hunters were perhaps the most social branch of all the possible military branches she could've chosen.
So, deciding that it wasn't worth doing, the young recruit simply took a seat in the lobby, watching the news silently as she waited for her transport to arrive. It was currently talking about local events, nothing that she had any context on. There was a passing mention of Patch, but other than that, she was lost as to what was happening.
"So, I see you've decided to avoid the arcade too."
The sudden voice, directly to her right, nearly made her jump out of her skin. She turned to the source of the words and made a slightly slapping motion, an instinct rather than anything malicious. Still, the speaker, a young man no more than two years older than her, flinched, putting his arms up to protect himself. "Whoa, whoa! Don't hurt me!" He cried out.
Once Ruby saw that this boy wasn't out to hurt her, she brought her hands back to her sides. "Oh, sorry…" She mumbled, head sinking down a bit.
The boy took her small words as a sign that he wasn't going to get slapped, and allowed himself to relax slightly. He had messy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a simple hoodie, t-shirt, and jeans, a decidedly average outfit for what was a decidedly average boy. "Right…" He muttered, his voice a bit less girly than earlier.
He cleared his throat. "Sorry about startling you." He continued, gaining more strength with each word. "Not many of the other recruits are hanging around out here. They're all in the arcade."
Ruby nodded once. "Why aren't you with them?" She asked curiously.
The boy chuckled awkwardly, waving her off. "Me? Nah, I don't do video games." He explained, though his voice betrayed him.
The girl chuckled. "Sounds like they won't let you play with them." She commented amusedly.
"N-no! It's not that!" He defended. Ruby, however, had already made her guess, and was simply chuckling at this boy's defense. "Hmph, fine. So why aren't you in there then?" He asked, possibly trying to sound smug.
The dark-haired girl stumbled, the sudden flipping of the tables not something she was expecting. "Well, I…You see…" She stuttered, trying to find the right way to say, 'I don't like people' without driving this person off.
The boy smirked, though it didn't last long. "So, what're you here for?" He asked after a moment.
Ruby only took a moment to gather herself before she answered. "I'm going into the Hunters." She said proudly.
The boy nodded. "Ha, so am I." He parroted. "Name's Jaune, by the way. Jaune Arc."
Ruby nodded. "Ruby Rose." She replied.
Jaune went to say something, but his words were cut off by an announcement. "Will all recruits departing for Emerald Forest please gather in the auditorium." The male AI voice said flatly.
Both recruits looked up instinctively. "Well, that didn't take long…" Ruby mused, before standing up. "Well, better get going before we get left behind." She suggested, holding her hand out to pull Jaune to a standing position.
The two headed to the auditorium, only a short walk from where they were, and saw only a few other recruits. The sat near the center of the area, waiting as only two other recruits entered in the next few minutes.
After it was clear that everyone was here, a short, dark-skinned woman stepped in front of the group. "Alright, now all of you will be leaving on a Bullhead transport for the Emerald Forest, departing at 0930 Standard time." She informed, handing each of the recruits a ticket that would let them onto the transport. "A shuttle will be leaving from here in ten minutes. If you have anything that needs to be done, now is the time to do it." She added tersely.
A few of the recruits looked a bit shocked to learn they were leaving so soon. But, it didn't shock Ruby that much. While the processing had taken longer than some people might think it should've, the military didn't like wasting time.
They were dismissed after that, and things remained uneventful for the hour and a half it took to get to the space-port and get boarded. It was only the second time that Ruby had been on an orbit-capable craft, the first being on her trip to Vale. Patch was still visible in the sky, though was starting to become washed out by the daytime sky as the sun continued its swift climb.
The Bullhead was a standard of transportation throughout the Orders. Civilian, military, it didn't matter. If you were headed into orbit, chances were you were travelling on a Bullhead. This particular Bullhead was a newer model; unlike its predecessors, this model gave up the pivoting wing-mounted engines for a more streamlined, classical engine system. Not nearly the iconic design of the standard Bullhead, but much more efficient.
Another thing that it had that older models lacked were momentum reducers. Momentum reducers are peculiar devices that work to reduce any inertial motion felt inside their field of effect. Basically, you can accelerate at a much faster rate than usual, because your passengers won't be plastered to the back of the ship if you floor it. They were something most people took for granted, but they were vital to interstellar travel.
Returning to orbit for the second time in as many days wasn't nearly as awe-inspiring as the first time. However, it was still breathtaking. Watching the ground fall away from you as you literally rocket into the sky, followed by that same sky going from blue to black, was something that had to be seen to truly appreciate. Not only the actual sight, but also the span of time it took. Even at full speed, it still took the Bullhead almost 10 minutes before they were considered in low orbit.
The trip to the Emerald Forest was going to take around an hour after that, during which Ruby, from her window seat, simply looked out into the expanse before her. She had a great view of Vale, and she was able to see the 'terminator', the line between day and night, about an hour ahead of where she had been. She also had a good view of the Progeny Cloud, a large nebula that housed Vale, Atlas, and Remnant, the home of humanity.
As the trip got closer and closer to its end, Ruby could see her destination in the distance; Emerald Forest. She hadn't seen the large ship before, and everything she knew of it came from secondhand accounts by her father and uncle. So, actually seeing it was a sight.
It was huge. Even with the distance between them, Ruby could see that. The fact that it was visible at all was amazing. A few of the other passengers, military and civilian alike, headed to the nearest window, trying to get a good look at the large ship before they arrived. However, it wasn't long after they had started that the captain came over the radio. "Attention passengers; we are now entering our docking sequence with Emerald Forest. We ask that you return to your seats and please return all tray tables to their upright positions." He announced calmly.
The descent and docking took a total of about 6 minutes, during which time Ruby was able to get a good, up close look of the exterior of Emerald Forest. It was, if she had to guess, nearly 3km long, and perhaps close to a kilometer tall. A few of the passengers looked at the ship in awe, some asking, "How can a ship that big even move!?"
Of course, once they were docked and safe to de-board, the passengers all began that mad dash for the exit. Ruby, being seated close to the back of the transport, was among the last to exit, almost 5 minutes after landing. As soon as she got out, she saw a group of what she assumed were fellow Hunter recruits; Jaune was amongst them, although he looked like he had just gotten done throwing up.
The blond boy gave Ruby a weak smile, but remained silent. Another boy chuckled. "Having trouble talking to a girl, man?" He asked, his voice gruff. He was a large boy, tall and broad, with ruddy red hair.
Jaune went to reply to that, but before he could, his cheeks puffed out, and he immediately ran to a nearby trash bin to evacuate the contents of his stomach. The red-headed boy chuckled again. "Man, they must be desperate if they're taking in weak-stomached fools like that." He commented, getting a few chuckles from the other recruits.
Ruby felt something akin to anger building up in her, but she bit her tongue for now. Instead, she simply headed over to Jaune, who had thankfully stopped puking, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" She asked softly.
The boy groaned. "This is really gonna be a long few weeks…" He mumbled weakly.
The younger girl chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, we probably won't be traveling by Bullhead for a while." She pointed out.
As Jaune found the strength to pull himself away from the trashcan, the group of recruits were approached by what looked like a high ranking officer. "Greetings, recruits." The woman spoke, her voice sharp but restrained. Ruby could tell she wasn't someone to get mad. "I am Colonel Goodwitch, and I am the Commander of the Emerald Forest. I will also be the one in charge of overseeing the first portion of your training." She explained, her voice curt.
The group of recruits remained silent, following COL Goodwitch as she lead them from the docking bays into a large, open structure that ran up the center of the ship. "This is the Central Mall. This acts as a junction for the Emerald Forest, and is where the majority of our civilian establishments are located." She then took the group to a large elevator, though from the looks of it, it didn't just go up and down. "In here."
After they were all inside, the lift came to life, moving them downwards for a few moments before heading to the 'back' of the group. "We are currently on our way to your barracks, where you will be staying for the next few days as you undergo your final processing." The COL continued. There was a collective, but silent, groan from the recruits. "After that, you will select your equipment and undergo your initiation."
The initiation both excited and terrified Ruby. She knew Initiation meant; a Training exercise that will not only gauge who is the most suited for leadership, but also form the teams that recruits will be a part of for the next four years. Ruby knew she'd have to join a team, but at the same time she was hesitant about who would be on that team. What if they didn't like her? What if she didn't like them?
All these thoughts ran through her mind as the lift came to a stop in what looked like a corridor of sorts, the two hallways diverging at roughly 45 degree angles. "Follow me." COL Goodwitch ordered, the group following behind closely.
The walls here were very Spartan. There wasn't much that set them apart from cold, heartless bulkheads. It was likely that this part of the ship had not been given that treatment since it wasn't likely that civilians would be here often enough to warrant it. Indeed, they had to check-in at a large door before they reached their final destination; a large room that looked like an armory of some sort.
It was here that Goodwitch stopped, turning to face the recruits. "Males to my left, females to the right." She ordered. The few females in the group split from the males, each line up where they were told. "There are two barracks here, one for each group." She motioned to the wall behind her, marked 'Barracks 1-8.' "You will head to the receptionist of each bay and be given your barracks for the foreseeable future." She added, before saying nothing else.
Taking the silence as a sign to move, Ruby led her line to the barracks. She stepped inside the bay area and saw two corridors, one marked "Male Barracks, 1-4," and the other "Female Barracks, 5-8." Each corridor had a Hunter standing in front of it, holding a tablet that likely had information on each recruit that had just came in.
As she approached, the female Hunter, a Corporal, looked at her. "Name and VID?" She asked tersely.
Ruby nodded. "Ruby Rose, 167-E70V-21S" She said, repeating the Vytal Identification Number that she had said or written down several times in the last few months.
The CPL put this into her tablet, which beeped after a moment. "Alright, Barracks 6." She was told. Nodding, the young huntress made her way to the barracks, stepping inside once she had found it.
The barracks was very plain, full of bunkbeds and footlockers. There weren't a whole lot of people here, and in total, there were only around 20 beds in all. Not exactly the most…vibrant of bays.
As soon as she was inside, she was approached by another recruit, likely the bay leader. "Hello." She greeted. She was already dressed in a simple outfit of grey t-shirt and black shorts, the standard PT uniform for every branch. "So, new girl, huh? Name's Mahogany." She continued.
The younger girl nodded. "Rose." She said simply. While first names were less ambiguous, most of the time, a person's last name was used. Something about making no one soldier seem more important than another. First names were still used, but they were typically reserved for teammates or friends.
Mahogany nodded. "Alright, well, we don't really have any assigned bunking. You can take whatever bunk you want that isn't already taken." She explained, nodding out to the bay. "Showers are back here, but that's all we've got. I think I heard something about heading out later tonight to get our basic uniforms, but we're pretty much just waiting around until chow time." She added.
Ruby huffed at that. More waiting. Well, at least this time she could get comfortable. Giving a quick thanks to Mahogany, Ruby started towards the bunks, looking for one that hadn't been taken, and preferably that hadn't had either taken.
She had found one that was currently empty on all counts when she felt a familiar presence in the room. Not too far away, there were some girls gathered in a circle, watching as two others practiced grappling moves. At first glance, Ruby would've dismissed them as simple horse playing.
But there was something that caught her eyes. A flash of blonde hair in the middle of the circle, currently overpowering another girl. "Alright, I give, I give!"
There was a satisfied chuckle. "See, told you. None of y'all are a match for me." The blonde boasted, releasing her opponent and moving back, resting on her knees. "So, anyone else wanna piece of me?" She challenged, looking around the circle. However, it seemed as though the challenge went unanswered, the girls shaking their heads.
It was here that the blonde finally noticed Ruby. A smile plastered itself on her face. "Well, if none of y'all wanna fight me, I'll let ya beat each other up instead." She said, standing up and heading over towards Ruby. The girls in the circle didn't care for her leave, deciding amongst themselves who should fight who next.
The blonde, however, made her way over, smile never fading. "So, who'd've guessed that of all the barracks on board, I'd end up having my little sister joining me?" The blonde mused, not giving Ruby a chance to even react before pulling the younger girl into a patented Yang Xiao Long bear hug.
A small smile became a weak grimace as Ruby's lungs were forcibly emptied, the shorter girl unable to move. "Can't…breathe…."She weakly announced, her words barely more than a breathless whisper.
Yang immediately let her sister go, though she didn't seem phased by nearly suffocating the girl to death. "So, how's it been?" She asked, her smile still a mile wide. "Excited that you're here?"
Ruby took a moment to catch her breath before speaking. "Well, yeah!" She remarked, her voice energetic. "Though I wish dad and uncle Qrow would've said something about the waiting. It's been so boring!" She added dramatically, her arms falling to her sides.
The blonde chuckled, heading over to a bunk a few feet from where they were, one that Ruby assumed was Yang's. "Well, duh. Did you really think you'd be doing all that cool stuff right away?" She asked in amusement.
Ruby huffed. "No! I just didn't expect it to take so long!" She countered, her voice sounding a bit less like a 17 year olds and more like a 5 year olds. Yang chuckled. "Okay, blondie, what've you been doing for the last week?" She asked in mild, if false, annoyance.
The blonde shrugged. "Not much. Eat, sleep, kick these girl's asses." A smirk. "And get my shots updated."
That made Ruby's face pale comically. "Wait, shots?" She squeaked. It was a well-known fact in the Rose/Xiao Long household that Ruby did not like shots. It was apparently one of many things that she had inherited from her mother.
The blonde's lilac eyes lit up deviously. "Yep. Lots of 'em. There's even one that they give right into your ass, too." She added with a poorly hidden chuckle, going so far as to smack her rear for emphasis.
The younger sister's eyes widened, but when she saw Yang barely able to keep a straight face, she immediately punched the other girl in the shoulder. "That's not funny, Yang!" She remarked, slight anger in her words.
Yang laughed, the punch barely more than an annoyance to her. "Aw, c'mon Ruby, you know I can't help it!" She countered, her face becoming more genuine this time. "Besides, don't you think that you have bigger things to look forward to?" She asked after a moment.
It took a second for Ruby to understand what it was that Yang was saying, but once the words set it, she knew what Yang meant. Ruby was here; she was about to head off to Beacon. She was about to begin her dream of being a Huntress.
If that meant facing a few needles, then so be it.