Fipp: My first RWBY fanfiction. Yes. Also the first new thing I'm writing on my new laptop, using a new writing program. Let's see how this goes.

EDIT: I am so sorry, but I have no idea where the random Kanji came from. I think something may be up with the Doc Manager because they kept showing up every time I made edits. Hopefully just copying the text directly from the original file works better.

Chain of Command

Ruby Rose looked down from her top bunk, and down at her teammates. Both and Yang and Blake were on their respective beds; the former reading a book, and the latter playing some sort of game on her scroll. Weiss, meanwhile, was sitting at the desk, writing a paper for a class.

Tapping her fingers to her chin, she contemplated the decision she was about to make. It was a difficult one, but one that had to be made sooner rather than later. What she had decided was to better her team, and make sure that it was in the best of hand should the unthinkable happen.

"Hey, Ruby?" Yang asked, "You've been staring at us for the last few minutes, are you ok-?"

"TEAM RWBY ASSEMBLE!" Ruby called out, jumping off her bed on onto the floor, and stood up straight with her hands on her hips. "Team meeting right now! Is everyone present and accounted for?"

"We're right here," Weiss deadpanned, spinning around in her seat. "Seriously, you can see us."

"Team meeting?" questioned Yang, jumping off her own bed and onto the floor, before falling back onto Blake's bed. The girl in question barely seemed to recognize the disturbance, as she was too engrossed in her book. "What are we talking about? Is this about that whole thing about the matching t-shirts?"

Weiss sighed. "For the last time, we are not having matching shirts."

Ruby shook her head. "Don't worry, I've decided that we're not doing matching t-shirts."

"Thank goodness-"

"We're doing matching, color-coded capes."

"You have got to be-"

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Yang asked, leaning forward.

"Nope," Ruby said. "I think it's time that we've set up some sort of chain of command in the team."

"What?" Weiss asked. "A chain of command? What for?"

Ruby shrugged. "In case something bad happens to the leader. Someone needs to take control in the event I'm killed, or worse."

"Killed?" Yang raised a hand. "Don't you think you're going a bit too far with that?"

"Not at all," Ruby said. "I mean, what if we're in the Emerald Forest, and I suddenly get ambushed by a Beowulf."

"A Beowulf?" Weiss tapped her fingers to her forehead. "You've taken out dozens of those, why would-"

"I mean yeah, I'm sure I could take out at least a couple hundred of them, and I'd be all-
Ruby than wildly swinging her arms, making kung-fu noises. "But than one of them would get the drop on me, and then I'd be dead! Or lose an arm!"

"How is losing an arm more dire than dieing?"

"Though, I suppose if I lose and arm, I could just get in replaced with a robot arm," Ruby rambled. "That would be really cool, it'd be all sleek and shiny, and maybe I could somehow attach Crescent Ro-" Ruby gasped. "I could actually be part of my weapon!" She gasped again. "Weiss, cut off my arm!"

"I am not cutting off your arm!"

"Who's cutting off what?" Blake asked absent mindedly looking up from her book.

"No one's cutting off anything!"

Yang turned back to Blake. "Oh, Ruby's just saying who's her Number Two is she gets killed or something."

"Oh. That's good. I guess." Blake turned back to the book for a brief moment before looking back up. "So, where do I fit in this?"

"That's what Ruby is trying to explain!" Weiss pushed herself out of her chain, exasperated. "But now's she's talking about robot arms!"

"But Weiss!" Ruby pleaded, getting closer to Weiss than she was comfortable with. "Think of it!" she squealed. "Robot arms!"

"Ruby," Weiss sighed. "Who is your second in command?"

"Oh." Ruby stood straight up. "Yang is-"

"Yes!" Yang shouted, jumping up off the bed, throwing her fist into the air. She cocked out her hip and placed her other hand on it. "Oh yeah! I knew I'd get a position like that. That just goes to show I can always count on Ruby to make the best decisions like that."

"Um, actually Yang..." Ruby said in very quiet voice. "I, uh, put you at the bottom of the chain. You're actually fourth-in command."

"Eh?" Yang titled her head to the side.

"I'm really sorry!" Ruby's voice gained a higher pitch and her speech became very fast. "It's just that I really put a lot of thought into this, and I was going to put you at the top but then I didn't think that the other girls wouldn't think that was fair that you'd gotten it because you're my sister and all and I really really REALLY didn't want to be accused of neon possums."

"Neon, possums?" Weiss said, saying the words unsure that they were an actual phrase.

"I think she means nepotism," Blake answered.

"Yeah, that!" Ruby pointed. "Sorry Yang. But look on the bright side! In the event that me, and Weiss and Blake all get killed you can lead Team RWBY!"

Yang look unimpressed. "But by then, wouldn't it be just Team Y?"

"Why do we keep mentioning us dying?" Blake asked.

"Because Ruby exaggerates," Weiss said. "So, what about Blake and I?"

Ruby nervously shuffled her feet, trying to ignore Yang's glare. "You're second, and Blake's third."

"That's cool." Blake went back to her book, and prepared to block out everyone.

"Great, so Weiss is in charge of everyone but you?" Yang sat back down on Blake's bed, and slumped forward. "I'd watch out Ruby, I think she might poison your strawberries or something."

"I would never do that!" Weiss crossed her arms and looked down at Yang. "How dare you even think I would do that! I'll have you know I have nothing but respect for Ruby as our leader, and her choices on where we are in her command structure. I happen to believe that this will bring only bring good things to the team."

"Oh my god," Yang said. "I can't believe it, you're only Ruby's right hand girl for a minute, and already you're a huge suck up."

"I am not a suck up! I am only stating my faith in her as our leader!"

"Blake, can you believe this!?"

Blake's response was to turn around, and face the wall.

"You're not fun." Yang frowned. "Ruby, what do you think about Weiss being a suck up?"

"I am-"

Ruby didn't answer, but only stared forward with a blank face.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked.

"I think I'd want about sixty percent of my body to be robot," Ruby suddenly said. "I don't want to be a brain in a jar."

"Again with this?" Weiss groaned.

"Or maybe I do?"

Another groan.

"Anyway, back to the agenda! Matching team uniforms!"

More groaning, but this time louder, and more agitated.

000

Please review,

Mrfipp