Author Note: Hello! I'm starting a new story in between writing my other stories.

I've been harboring this one for a while; I actually wanted to write a whole arc before pushing the first chapter but I decided to release it just to test the waters.

And I just wanted to release one work before the end of the year (on my side of the world) since I couldn't get one more chapter out of my other stories.

A Nuts & Dolts vs. Whiterose fic that I wanted to see through. Its slightly AU: takes place couple of months before the first episode and characters would meet much earlier on.

Hope you enjoy with just Ruby so far. Let know what you think.

Waiting On Her

Have we met?

Chapter 1: Gift of Responsibility

Dawn broke out a couple of hours ago. The small room, two beds, only one occupied by a small sleeping body, was lightly lit by the morning sun slipping in between the curvy green curtains. The last fifteen minutes or so, as dictated by her internal clock, informed her somewhere in the recess of her subconscious that it had been rather busy with activity.

A tiny nose on a fair face twitched furiously when a wave of sweet smell suddenly entered the bedroom for two; whatever lively (and sometimes, noisy and clumsy) activity was happening sure produced an aroma that just beckon the olfactory to take another sniff. Another wave of aroma invaded from down the hall. A little more powerful. And it went from enticing to literal mouth watering.

Hush voices manifested nearby. Outside the unconscious bend of never-ending darkness she could hear them close by. Behind her own light breathing, she heard them devolve into a hush argument.

A patter of feet on the wooden floorboards whooshed past the bed, then the sound of the curtain drawing by its brass rods spooked her, but she did not opened her eyes; her face only scrunched up in annoyance. Streams of the heating sunrise reflected brightly off the narrow river of drool which made it glimmer. The young girl's face scrunched up again, she groaned irritatingly before retreating inside her red blanket. There was a giggle to her left side of the bed.

A giggle, followed by passive sigh, and then gruff yet affectionate man saying: "She maybe a teenager, but she's still my little Ruby."

"Well pipsqueak needs to wake up." another man said, annoyed. "I thought she was a morning person? Then again, I like to sleep in during the weekends too."

An older girl chuckle lightly. "Ruby is...but she's been up all night, tossing and turning in anticipation because someone promised my little sister a banquet of a morning breakfast."

There was a pause.

"I always spoil my little girls!" the affectionate man said, "You know that, Yang, both Ruby and I made breakfast in bed for you too on your special day."

"True, but I don't mind if you dialed it down to just some eggs and less strips of bacon, Dad." the girl said to him. "Especially when times are getting a little tougher here in Patch."

"What? Nonsense! We can afford this."

"Tai, let's be real about this, your girls can't always live off the fat of the land." the other man said to him. "There is less fertile grounds around to grow food, and the Grimm aren't always the cause. You need to take some time off Signal and get some missions in you, because you know just as me, that miser Headmaster Greycliff ain't paying like he used to."

"I-I can't leave my girls alone."

"We can take care of ourselves, Dad."

A longer pause.

"Whatever..."

"Anyway, Tai, it's not time for drama. It's Daddy's little girl's special day. And she's still sleeping."

"I have a way to wake her up! I know my little sister's nose being good at picking up certain smells. Hand me that chocolate-chip waffle with the cinnamon and whip-cream, Qrow."

Ever since they've entered the room-each individual was fondly identified-the faint aroma grew in the company of sizzling noises. The clatter of a plate brought that heavenly smell of chocolatey batter that came in a warm passage through the nostrils.

By instinct they took a big and long whiff, and…

"Ah! Chocolate waffles with chocolate chips! Is there syrup?!"

Ruby burst alive, flinging her blanket covers away, she stood up kicking her bed sheets to the ground with her arms stretching up and mouth salivating with hunger. After a moment of clarity, she found herself an audience of her small family.

Her older sister Yang showed a toothy smile, she in between her smirking uncle Qrow to the right, and her father Taiyang beaming a proud broad smile, he was holding a large cake coated with icing and decorate with more pink frosting on the layers: on top of it were lit candles, fifteen in total.

"Happy Birthday, Ruby!"

"Make your wish!" Yang said, she was full of excitement and warmth, just watching her little sister hover her head towards the candles.

Ruby contemplated her unknown wish, inhaled and blew until all of the tiny flames were snuffed black. She watched her father pluck the pink striped candles from the top layer, eyeing the cake, the urge to swipe a taste of the decorative frosting was great. Ruby had happened to glanced at Yang who was watching her, who looked like she was meditating an urge too: Revenge, for pushing her face first into her cake on her birthday several months ago.

Yang picked the knife off the tray beside the cake. "What's the matter, Ruby?" she asked ominously with a grin. "You look a bit scared." her gesture of slicing and dividing the cake was threatening, Ruby chuckled nervously while Yang kept staring at her with that devilish smile. "Shame if something sweet and messy were to smoother your face, and ruin your hair?"

"Quit with the Mafioso shtick, Yang." Qrow placed four empty porcelain plates. "You ain't fooling no one. And besides. I'm the one who dared Ruby."

"Qrow!" Yang steamed while Ruby laughed.

"Aw, honey, don't be mad, it's of kinda a tradition carried from our team." Taiyang let his smile die down, he glared at Qrow. "Which we can afford."

Qrow rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Well then…" Yang placed a slice of cake on the dish, it was position firmly flat on her hands in an attempting throwing motion. "Let's continue that tradition, shall we?"

"Eeep!" Ruby hid under the covers.

Taiyang swiped the indented cake weapon off Yang's hands, "Nope." he chided, giving the cake gently to his youngest daughter.

Everyone had their share of the birthday cake; for Ruby, it was just an addition to the tray of waffles, a stack of pancakes, a complete breakfast of scrambled eggs with bacon and ham fixings, and of course a bowl of her favorite strawberries. All that she enjoyed at the comfort of her bed. She ate plentifully (like a hog), both Qrow and Yang each were mouthful of their own slice watching her shovel the food down; they wondered if exorbitant amount of food was too much, but eventually they compromised that one special day wouldn't hurt in the long run.

Next, presents were given out. Yang was the first to plaster Ruby with hers, a large stuffed teddy bear, and as Ruby soon figured out, made with the red cloth that was once an old cape of hers. Ruby couldn't express any more gratitude for her older sister in finding a way to re-purpose the red cape that she was fond of. Taiyang in the background, became bemused, a quirky smile graced his worried face.

Although more than happy, the birthday girl expressed offhandedly that now she wished she had a new one.

And which, with a wide grin, her Uncle Qrow came forward and presented a small flat white box, Ruby eagerly slid the top lid off, and with that her eyes glistered and squealed. It was bright red cloth folded. Gingerly digging her slender fingers into the container, she carefully lifted it, and it unfurled from her fingers; a brand new cape. After pinning the cross-shape pins into her rose-pattern pajama top Ruby instantly gave her spindly-body uncle the biggest hug.

And last, her father Taiyang knew what her daughter would be most excited for: the latest of the Grimm action figures line. One would be embarrassed at that age, but Ruby expressed her desire to play out her spirited imagination with her new action figures.

Adding to the rest of the gifts, Ruby felt fully content with love and attention lavished on her as stomach was full.

The birthday celebration was seemingly going well like always...

A loud monstrous screech broke the jubilant atmosphere, leaving them speechless.

Another ear piercing cry followed, longer than the previous, and closer too. Something black briefly covered the window before the sunlight returned. Another screech emerged that was louder and longer and closer than ever. They covered their ears, the loud flapping sound of heavy wings became noticeable after the cry, they all simultaneously tilted their heads towards the flapping overhead. The window near Yang's empty bed had the glass panels shake, the rest of the room vibrated, and the large, black body of an avian creature draped its shadow through the window. One final distant screech before it flew over the forest lines.

Everyone regarded the event calmly but quietly concern.

Ruby, like the others didn't leave her gaze; she felt for her just-gifted toys, and grasp the miniature of what surely invaded the skies overhead. Ruby confirmed the identity, "A Nevermore."

"Looks like its heading towards Kindling Town." Yang said, troubled.

Qrow said, "Hope it's not gonna live to its name."

Ruby removed the breakfast tray from her lap, and hopped out of bed. A smile grew from her determined face. "It won't." she said very confidently. "Because that Grimm doesn't know that four of the greatest warriors living in Patch live right next door to Kindling Town." leaving a blur of rose petals, she sped over to her wood crafted cabinet near the doorway, at the slowest drawer where she found her prized possession wrapped in worn, beige cloth. "Time to kill some Grimm! Come on guys!" she took her hidden object under her arm, and sped again towards the door- she didn't make it.

Ruby was instantly caught and effortlessly picked up by her father's strong arm. Ruby struggled, turning her head at her father, looking bemused. "Dad!" she huffed.

Taiyang shook his head disapprovingly. "No, Ruby." he said sternly. "This will be taken care of properly, so you'll stay here with Yang." he turn to Qrow. "Let's get going."

"Don't look at me." Qrow shrugged. "It's my day off." he glanced at his eldest niece. "Why don't you take Yang."

Yang tilted her head, one eyebrow rose in bewildered question. "What?"

"What?!" Ruby was shocked and betrayed.

"What are you talking about?" Taiyang was baffled. He then approach his old teammate aggressively. "That was freaking Nevermore, Qrow. An advance level of Grimm. You can't expect me to take any of my daughters with me to fight it. You and I are the only ones remotely qualified to take one down."

Qrow didn't refute immediately. Causally, he ambled and sat on Yang's vacant bed, smiling carefree. "I'm not feeling up to it." he stretched to the sight of Taiyang in irate disbelief. "Besides, it's really not that big (or powerful) of a Grimm. You and Yang can take it no problem. You've been teaching her everything you know right? Its the right time to put it into practice."

Taiyang didn't want to hear another word.

Yang however, was agreeable to her Uncle's suggestion.

Taiyang protested without Yang's word. "No. I'm not having it. Signal is one thing, but this is the real deal. I won't allow it."

He was a stubborn, protective father who saw around him with rosy colored glasses. For the longest time he's been like this, there was no argument that would fault him for becoming this way. His two were the only ones left of salvaging the painful events of his past. The two girls carried a bit guilt for why he held them so close, but now it was interfering in their lives, their future and his own, and the cold hard reality encroaching around them.

Yang wanted her father to see the truth. She glanced at Ruby, she was harboring her own objection but knowing her little sister would be too meek to say anything to her father's face. And while Yang agreed that Ruby was too inexperienced to take down a giant like the Nevermore, she wanted to pave the way for Ruby to succeed, and to make their father understand.

Yang moved in front her father and told him: "Dad, if you don't trust your own training then why didn't you even bother with me?"

Taiyang regarded her thoughtfully for a silent minute.

"Okay." he said, wearily. "Just get all your equipment prepare like I told you, and follow my every lead, Yang."

"Got it." Yang nodded.

"We'll leave in a couple of minutes." Taiyang turned and pointed at his youngest daughter. He attempted to dash any hope that she would join them. "But not you Ruby."

"B-but!"

"No buts!" he put his foot down at the protest. "You stay here with your uncle until we get back, you hear?"

Ruby drew her eyes at Yang who shook her head in a clear answer. Ruby seeing no outcome, reluctantly submitted to their wishes. She sighed heavily and drawn out. "Okay."

After everything was said and down, Taiyang gave Ruby's forehead a quick kiss in which she recoiled in mild embarrassment. She wasn't happy, but tired for an encouraging smile as her father and elder sister left on their hunt.

Ruby reluctantly sat on her bed without much to do, and resigned in hanging her head over the gaze of the boring floor. She was left alone with her uncle, still perched comfortably on the adjacent bed with a lazy smirk.

"It's not fair. It's my birthday; how come I don't get to join?" Ruby said out loud, almost a mumble.

Qrow answered her. "You have good head on your shoulders, so you know why, which is the reason you haven't disobeyed your dad and left by now. You're not strong enough yet."

Ruby was frustrated. "Then when am I going to be?!"

"Beats me." Qrow shrugged. "Sure, you may be lucky and take down a Grimm that an inexperienced girl like you should not have earthly business in beating it, but luck like that, it ain't going help you."

"I know that!" Ruby huffed, she brought her knees up and hugged them, placing her pouting face against them. "I just want to show how far I am now. At the very least some practice."

"Practice huh?" Qrow said. "Seeing as I'm your teacher…" he reached behind a hidden pouch that hung from his back, he pulled out a grey ammo cartridge that Ruby instantly recognized as compatible for her own weapon. "How about some extra credit on the field?"

Down an obscure switchback just outside the humble log cabin, lay a clearing at the bottom of the hill that served as a training area. This out of the way area in the middle of the tall pine woods became Ruby's inception of her Huntress lifestyle, and the realization of her childhood dream.

Bare dirt of the small open field barely held grass; a few grass blades rose without having being sliced, burned, or have the occasional bullet wound that withered the blade. And in another second, quick like lightning, more grass blade suffered similar fates.

An obscured entity rapidly left the encompassing skinny woods, moving exceptionally fast it surfed the battlefield like a shadow, and in the middle it met another shadow descending. A black figure emerged from the tree lines, covering the noon sun it slowly fell, then began to rotate rapidly until it became a red and black blur. In a brief and precise move, Qrow sprinted swiftly, veering his heavy sword to meet the intimidating scythe clashing downward, the owner of the scythe showed a complete expression of surprise, then petty anger.

Ruby jumped back and sprinted after landing, she heaved her scythe for a drawn out slash that spelled heavy damage if a hit landed. But no such luck. The wide swing was much too slow for the wrong target, and Qrow only had avoid the bulky blade by moving a few inches to the right or left. He didn't bother to counter, and his layback smile at her only infuriated Ruby.

The small girl shot off with tremendous speed into the air. Leaping forward, Ruby pulled her arms behind holding the shaft of Crescent Rose above her, the scythe head readjusted the blade to arch back into a stabbing position. Qrow waited below, bringing up his sword horizontally against chest and he flicked it against the attack; the long and wide blade wobbled which was followed by a dull clang, the sword itself fine without any flaws. Upon landing, Ruby felt a distinct shift in the weight of her weapon that had her stagger trying to keep it balance in her possession.

"Wow, someone is getting a little angry." Qrow snorting derisively at his upset niece beginning to glow red and showing a fit. "Careful birthday girl. If you act like brat, recklessly waving your scythe around and disregarding everything we went over, then I'm liable to break your toy treating it like one."

Crescent Rose, or "Sweetheart.", as Ruby personally refers to her Sniper-Rifle Scythe hybrid of her own creation and design. As far as she could remember, the iconic image of her honorary Uncle's Scythe has been burned into her memories after a traumatic event in her hazily remembered childhood. And for years Ruby regarded it with awe, and the first realistic inspiration of her gallant dream of storybook heroes.

The dream stayed a dream for a while. And it took years chasing that dream much less training for it. What she learned throughout the years was that the style of weapon was not only legendary in her own mind, they were regarded as the most dangerous in par with its useful output, and few mastered it, decently. Eventually that dream inched closer as Ruby grew up.

With the tools provided by the training Academy of Signal Ruby was finally able to built her weapon, with more trials and errors that she would like to admit on its changing designs, that led to spreading gossip that the gutsy girl wouldn't had gotten this far if not for family in the faculty.

But Ruby proved them wrong. Eventually. Her use in the legendary weapon was "garbage", but she shown discipline and hard work that came naturally from the sometimes ditzy girl. A natural prodigy that made use of her time. Qrow down the line saw her promise, and took her under his wing. After nearly a year now, she shown significant strides towards her dream, but as he noted right now, it was going to take a lot more than guts and progress. She still showed no realistic respect for her future profession, nor her own weapon. Something was holding her back.

Only one of them kept their cool on the surface. Ruby pivoted to face her uncle and target his defense, had she payed attention to her own weapon Ruby would have noticed the frame next to the complicated head wobble as she planted the scythe blade to gain stability. Something Qrow mentally snide over.

Ruby immediately fired a ballistic round, Qrow turned his wide sword in lighting fast reflex that deflected the bullet in such a quick session that it was sent back towards its mid-air spent shell casing, Ruby yelped at deafening noise next to her. Out of panic she twisted herself to dodge, bending her embedded blade into a loose angle.

Not deterred, her single focus mind kept her finger on the trigger as she became increasingly erratic and naive. It only increased after her uncle stopped deflecting as took it as an excuse to test his evasiveness by moving around so fast he left an after image. Spent shells riddled the dirt creating a small mound, then the silence of gunfire replace by loud clicks of trigger producing nothing, there went on three clicks before it became painfully obvious.

Strong emotions were an expected occurrence in the battlefield; whether welcomed or vilified depended on the situation and individual and how they react or if use it to their advantage. Yang was one to use her emotions as an element in her fighting style. Ruby however was not. As her mentor he had to put Ruby in her place, disregarding all the practice they acclimate for some fit. And as her Uncle he was full blown piss offed.

Ruby didn't bother to add more ammunition her weapon, she erected the scythe next to her, towering over the girl in intimidating display Ruby shown a cool and collective face. For a minute Qrow's glower receded in hopes that Ruby had her anger diminish, but that hope soon squandered with Ruby darting heedlessly followed by a squeaky sounding war-cry.

This stops now, Qrow thought. As Ruby tried to reap a successful strike he waited for the perfect moment, saw it as the curved scythe blade lifted at an angle, and before Ruby could react caught and held it by its dull flaw side. It was plucked so fluidly from her hands that Ruby didn't miss it from her grasp until she felt the major off balance making her trip and stumbling pass Qrow.

Ruby stunned and oblivious, she looked everywhere and every nook to find it; finally she turned behind her, Qrow holding her beloved and misplaced weapon held upside down by its head. She demanded it back in an annoyed whine, her whining became a horrified gasp when Qrow chucked Crescent Rose in a thrown hatchet motion, and it rolled in the air where it embedded itself on one of the thicker trees. Qrow apathetically watched Ruby scramble over to tree, tugging and pulling, making it an Arthur and Excalibur struggle as she finally free it. But to her quickening dismay Ruby examined blade chipped, the whole blade head fell into the ground.

After a few seconds Ruby turn her head over her shoulder, "Why did you do that for?!"

"If you going to treat your own weapon like a toy then you'll invited the same courtesy over to your opponent, kid." Qrow strained and tiredly met her teary hissy fit as stoic as possible.

"I'm not treating Crescent Rose like that!" Ruby vehemently protested. Swinging around her scythe in anger she brought close to her, the sudden jolt had the head creak, it became loose and the red crescent frame without its blade started hanging by the muzzle. Ruby's glance darted between it and her uncle, she still held the glower of an upset puppy. "And I'm not a kid! It's your fault! You didn't even use your scythe's full form, you were not taking me serious again and I got angry! It's not my fault!"

Qrow wasn't fazed by this tantrum; he was just disappointed. He crossed his arms and said nothing at the girl. Ruby showed good heart, driving force, and a league of skill, but took them for granted at times. But she was smart; Seeing the error of her ways sooner or later. Judging by the sad self-realization on her face, it was soon.

"I'm just frustrated." Ruby admitted straightforwardly. Shoulders slumped against her battered weapon, she tried to keep a level gaze as her head drooped towards the ground. "I'm sorry Uncle Qrow, I'm just frustrated."

"Can't say you caught me being ignorant." Qrow relaxed his tense posture. "Still a word to the wise: That current attitude of yours won't win you any victory; either from me or the Grimm."

"You're right…" the young girl saw the clarity of the elder's words. "Even if it bugs the heck out of me you're right. I'm sorry. I'll do better, Uncle Qrow."

"It's okay. Sometimes emotions get the best of us. But I just want you to not let it happen during an important moment. Especially during a life or death one." Although he didn't show it, there was a feeling of pride in his student. Qrow said. "So I feel it would be best if you tell me what's bugging your old' noggin."

A reluctant sigh escaped from Ruby trying to find the right words, she drummed fingers on the scythe shaft before they came up. "I feel like I'm getting nowhere recently."

"Ruby, you basically just started this with only a solid year or more of training with your weapon. Even I didn't get half as good as I am now with just a couple years of training."

"Then I guess that makes me full of myself, huh?" Ruby said, felling more opened, and vulnerable. "I wanted to help people. I could have been a soldier or police, but I saw being a Huntress as a challenge that was harder but more rewarding. So when I started to get good early I thought nothing could stop me. I even went as far taking some challenges of mine own; pretty awesome ones."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Qrow asked.

"Well there was one late night where I snuck out and fought a whole pack of Beowolfs. It was pretty rad." Ruby admitted innocently and absentmindedly. Which almost immediately caught her in a panic vice. "Oops! Don't tell Dad or Yang, Please!" she desperately pleaded.

"Doing something foolish like that, Ruby?" Qrow crossed his arms, showing some disapproval. "And what makes you think I won't punish you myself?"

"Because we're of the same feather? Hehe?" her jittery grin and shy face broke out in sweat. "Oh, sorry, Uncle Qrow! Please don't be mad!" Ruby pleaded skittishly to her uncle. Her rapid, whiny pleading became a headache to Qrow that echoes around the woods. Fearing the local, regular and aggressive, wildlife might be attracted, Qrow snapped his fingers at Ruby until she finally stopped-she now winced at each snap.

"Relax, relax. I could see you're safe now. And I've done some reckless stunts back in the day. I personally think I'm a better person cuz of it." Qrow impressed a mellow outlook on Ruby. And while she was at eased by the evident smile of hers, Qrow was well aware as his role as an adult to his niece who looked up to him for sound advice, Qrow took the opportunity to ask her what was concerning her. "But let's talk seriously. Was there something you wanted to prove? Got over your head and became the frustrated brat that you are now?"

Ruby's small smile was lost to a pout. "I'm not a brat." her boast deflated quickly under his unwavering gaze. "I just wanted to be taking seriously. That's all."

"It's lot more serious 'than that's all'. Hate to tell you this but you almost could've gotten killed. If you don't properly maintain your weapon it's gonna be a guarantee."

Ruby nonchalantly shrugged. "It would take a lot more than that to kill me." her arrogance was blatant.

Qrow internally huffed. He was starting to get annoyed, and he knew why. "You're starting to remind me of your father now. Rose colored glasses wearing idiot who always took the wrong time to shut himself off when there was trouble." his disdain was thinly veiled.

"Could you blame dad for acting that way?" Ruby glared at her Uncle.

Qrow return the glare. "I know he's your dad, admirable man who manage to care for his daughters despite what happen, but all I know him as my former teammate. When he was better; even if an insufferable smiling jackass. Now he's a washout, and begin to reek of loser. And I'm thankful he was never leader else the team wouldn't have worked."

"Please don't talk about Dad that way, Uncle Qrow." the hiss was practically visible from her clenched teeth.

Qrow backed off and looked away, "It's just...like I said it use to be a better man. I know very well for the last decade why he is the way he is; after all, Tai was like a normal brother to me when my own unconventional, blood family was very small, smaller than it is now." He turned back to Ruby, narrowing the reds of his eyes. "So I'm mad. That man needs to get his head out of his ass, if not for himself, but for you and Yang."

Ruby pause, slightly frowning. "I guess I can see it from your viewpoint." she empathized, deflating her bitterness. "But you have to see it from my viewpoint too. I want to be a Huntress. I want to challenge. I know dad cuddles us, me and Yang, and that he's been through a lot but I can't see any other way in trying to get any kind of response. He keeps suffocating us by making us stay in the island. I just don't know what to do, Uncle Qrow."

Qrow saw Ruby clinging against Crescent Rose, dejected eyes wandering, looking utterly defeated. The moping atmosphere wasn't for him, and neither was inaction. "First off, before we get in depth with your troubles, fixing your weapon should be numero uno. A Huntress without her weapon...well it's better to worry about that before anything else." taking a gander at the broken Scythe in her hands made him cringe. "A whetstone won't cut it. So tell you what: let me chip in for the replacement parts, I'll even reinforce its structure like mine. It will be heavier, but you'll eventually compensate for it."

Ruby looked at him with a pessimistic glower. "What's the point? I'll just end up struggling; just end up breaking my weapon, and throwing a tantrum. I think I do better if I get it myself; even if the parts I want aren't within the budget-exhausting my funds."

"It's a hefty cost." Another wrinkled cringe formed on Qrow's face when the loose red panel that Ruby listlessly played with fell on the ground, making her frown darker. "Classes start this fall. Whatever you have will have to do by then. Either that or you could get a job like Yang."

"Yang has a job?" Ruby's face bloomed. "She leaves the island?!"

"She even has a motorcycle." Qrow said rather proudly. A man for mischief and rebellion.

"When did she get a job? What does she do? How long have you knew about it? Does Dad even have a clue? Why are you letting me ramble without answering my questions?!" Ruby almost flew off in the way her arms fan from her sides.

"Calm down will ya? Yang had a job for a month now. Just like with you and me, a revelation was had between us, and Yang had a conversation about the current situation with your dad. You already know your sister isn't one to stay and worry, so with my silver tongue I get Yang into the ferry in odd hours when convenient to her job in Vale's upper-class district up in the Northwest side: She works as muscle for hire for old money who need to stay relevant in the hip, young world; Don't worry, I accompanied her a few jobs just to keep an eye on her. And of course Taiyang doesn't have a clue, and judging by your look, neither did you."

"Then I guess gotta really work on my keen eye, otherwise you would have taking me to Vale in cool, secret trips too." Ruby said thick with jealousy. "I mean, oh wow, bodyguard, huh? Do you think-"

"Don't even think about it, kid." Qrow quickly swatted the idea off the air. "Being a bodyguard ain't all glitz and clamor, may not be as dangerous as fighting Grimm but it's way over your head."

"You sure know how to dash a young girl's dreams, Uncle Qrow." Ruby dejectedly groaned. She sharply inhaled. "I guess I gotta aim lower for my first job. Hoping Huntress would be my one and only. At least at that profession people would be grateful in seeing me, and not me being grateful that I did not got their order wrong."

Qrow chuckled. "Yup. Those kind of jobs that will definitely admonish you about any further interactions with the grey masses we call people. But for you, I wouldn't be concern in getting their orders wrong and more that you would just end up eating the food before leaving them on the counter, being the nervous eater that you are-I personally seen you eat more strawberries on your first day of school than you would have the rest of the year.

"Hey!" Ruby imitated a chipmunk as her cheeks inflated red. "It's an embarrassing habit that I thank you not to draw attention to it! Augh! It's so hard interacting people without a weapon; I-I mean showing it off, not, you know attack them."

"Look, if you're up with it I'm willing to escort you off the island for a temporary, mundane job. Heck, you could use that Semblance of yours to good use in a newspaper route."

It wasn't something Ruby wanted to hear, sighing heavily at the idea. "I only got one summer, Uncle Qrow. How am I going to get the money to fix Crescent Rose?"

"That's the only option I'm giving you." Qrow said clear and cut. "We both know that a summer's worth from a temporary job will be more than enough to to fix Crescent Rose."

She aware of that; with her know-how she could easily fixed the whole thing up less than what you would order out. Getting her first job, leaving the island meant much more than just finally getting respected like an adult in her father's eyes. Ruby was reminded of it as she looked at the chipped blade that made the scythe; somewhere out there, there was a better replacement that would be more expense than a summer's fund.

Ruby drew one long, breath through her nose. "Yeah, I guess, it's okay."

"Come on, if you want, let's talk over the wanted ads over some pizza." Qrow fastened his sword and started walking back towards the switchback, leaving his niece with a puzzling head tilt.

Ruby ran up to his side. "I thought we weren't suppose to splurge on food."

"Ruby, it's your birthday. It's my treat, and my money so I could do what I want with it, even in these tough times." Qrow smiled, bonking the top of her head with a soft hit. "Besides, it's just pizza."

"Yeah," Ruby said quietly, rubbing away the pain, and contemplating an inspiration. "Pizza."

A few days later...

Morning was already at work on the port side of the Kingdom of Vale. The waters around the docks shimmered dark orange, they splashed against the walls as the latest vessel was moored. A respectable, very worn, ferry carrying a couple of scores all the way from the neighboring island of Patch sat before a simple gangplank met the pier. Dull face of various backgrounds walked out, still waiting twenty minutes for their coffee to kick in.

And under the sunrise was a new addition to the workforce. A young girl with an uneasy smile walked a bicycle alongside the herding crowds. Minding the horrible, fishy smell, as well her uniform consisting of dark red slacks and a bright red shirt with a logo adoring the right pocket; a stylized pizza slice advertised with the franchise name of "Red's Pizza".

"Smell aside," Ruby kept her curly, half-smile. "It's going be an interesting Summer."

Author's end notes: Hope you enjoyed a little bit of it. It is a slow burn until Ruby meets Penny and Weiss but only a couple of chapters. Eventually you see the silly antics in Ruby in maid attire and love triangle that will surely bloom.

Depending on how it goes I might release another chapter next week.

Let me know any spelling mistakes or grammar in pm or reviews, I'd appreciated.