A/N: Day three of RWBY relationship week. Had to post early because of reasons. In this episode: Blake and Ruby bond over clouds. (If you spot the reference to a certain podcast I recently started listening to and dropped in here, you win a free internet.)

The sun smiled gently on the busy streets of Vale, highlighting the bustling traffic with a cheery shine.

It was beautiful outside. The sky bluer than blue, a slight breeze flowing through the town and cooling the citizens with its wonderful chill, and the clouds that rode that very wind were fluffier than cotton balls, contorting into random, spongy shapes. Their random forms resembling just about anything to the eye of the observer. The cumulonimbus blobs passed by the town in silence, to destinations unknown.

Blake sighed in contentment as she took it all in. Her seat at the outdoor café she currently settled by providing a fantastic view of the brilliant azure sky.

At least, it would, if she bothered to look up from her novel for more than three seconds. The sun unable to reach her vision and distract her from reading thanks to the shade of the yellow umbrella she resided under. The barrier giving her eyes relief from the harsh rays, allowing her to contemplate in peace.

For she was not really reading her book, she was reflecting on her life. Thinking about her current situation and how she got here.

From the start of the semester at Beacon, Blake had found herself to be a little overwhelmed. Thrust into a team with complete strangers threw her for a loop at first. Mostly because the people she met seemed like fruit loops. She was not used to making new friends, and did not think she would have to.

After learning about a mandatory partner and team, it would be accurate to say she was at least a little disheartened. But she reserved judgment, waiting until she had a partner before she drew any hasty conclusions about what her life at Beacon would be like.

In the beginning, she thought she might like her new partners, fighting alongside them already proved itself to be fun, exciting, and efficient. Not to mention with a healthy dose of crazy.

Everyone on team RWBY even had their unique perks. Ruby, with her clever mind and latent maturity, both hiding beneath a childish exterior. The red cloaked leader proving herself in battle as an amazing scythe wielder and a great moral supporter to her teammates. She always believed they could be better, and they always were. And the younger girl's unexpected love of books had connected the two of them in a binding friendship. Blake was happy to have her on the team.

Weiss, with her cold front, kept everyone out as she hid behind a wall of solid ice that she built around herself. But silently, she hid a caring heart underneath, not allowing any of them to give up until they succeeded. She always knew they could succeed and would not allow anyone to prove her wrong. The snowy girl had also shown that she could be open minded and welcome to change, which truly showed the depth of her character. Qualms had arisen due to her stubbornness, especially when she showed her ugly, bigoted side. The side of her that was not even her own opinion, but the opinion of her parents' and what she was raised to believe when she slandered the Faunus. She and Blake had managed to get through that rough patch, and were becoming better friends for it.

Then there was Yang. Her initiation partner. With her, every moment felt like a party. A time to cut loose and have fun. Not that Blake ever did. It was just the atmosphere the blonde exuded wherever she went. It was Yang that ended up surprising her the most. What with her usually loud and joking demeanor, it was a pleasantry to know that she played her role of a big sister seriously. Watching her baby Ruby sometimes was both amusing and heartwarming, especially when Yang started doing the same to Weiss and her as a semblance of friendship. Blake grinned at the thought.

She had landed herself such a strange team, but she would not give them up for anything.

However, it had become a bit of a ritual of Blake's to get away from them every so often. Their shenanigans and bickering setting her on edge more often than she liked. Picking a random time, she would go into town by herself for a couple hours, settle outside her favorite coffee house, get a cup of their splendid Matcha green tea, and read. Deciding she could return her attention to her novel, she began reading again.

Her serene mood did not last five minutes before she heard the sound of hurried footsteps stomping across the pavement. Looking up, Blake was met with the sight of a panicked Ruby running straight towards her.

The red cloaked girl waved, shouting to her. "Blaaake!" Ruby stopped in front of Blake's shady, outdoor table. Panting heavily and bending over slightly with her hands on her knees. Just how far had she run?

"Hello Ruby." Blake answered, feigning indifference. "How are you?"

"Oh you know - *gasp*- fine, just out for a little -*wheeze*- exercise. Great weather for that -*inhale*- ya know?"

"So I see."

Her breath starting to even out, Ruby nodded toward Blake. "What are you doing?"

Blake held up her book with one hand and gestured to the cup of tea on the table before her. "Relaxing on a beautiful day with a good book and deliciously brewed cup of tea."

"Oh, sounds nice."

"It is." Blake responded with nonchalance.

Neither of them speaking, Ruby began to fidget. Her silver orbs swiveling in their sockets as she kept an eye on both ends of the boulevard that the café nestled between. Something was bothering her. Or chasing her. Blake did not know. But as a friend, she supposed it was her responsibility to find out.

Exhaling in defeat, she knew Ruby would not simply walk away. "Would you like to take a seat?"

Ruby nodded vigorously. "Sure!" She plopped herself on the veranda chair opposite Blake, the sun warming the young girl's back.

Closing her book, Blake laid it on the table, giving Ruby her full attention. "So, Ruby, what brings you here?"

"Oh this and that." Ruby flopped her hands left and right as she talked. "What brings you here?" Now she was just avoiding the question.

Mentally, Blake shrugged. The young girl would talk eventually. She never could keep a secret for very long. "I come here every week. As I stated previously, I like to come to town and read with a good cup of tea."

"Ah, right, right." Ruby bobbed her head up and down as though the answer was obvious and had known the whole time. "Why?"

"I like a change of scenery every once in a while."

"But why come here by yourself?" Ruby tilted her head to the side, silver eyes shining with her curiosity.

"I suppose I like the quiet. It allows me time to think."

"That's cool. That's cool." Ruby now crossed her arms and nodded sagely. The girl's various expressions and movements made Blake grin in amusement.

Ruby then directed her gaze up, her eyes skimming over the sky. "Beautiful day huh?"

"Gorgeous." Blake agreed.

Lifting a finger up, the red girl pointed to a misshapen mass of white. "That cloud looks like a wheelbarrow."

Random. Ruby could be so random. However, her silly observation caught Blake's interest. Amber eyes turning toward the blue dome above them, she asked, "Which one?"

"That one."

"Oh, I think I see what you mean. But I think it looks more like a tuna."

"That one over there looks like it's glowing!"

Blake alighted her eyes on a faintly rainbow colored cloud. Probably thanks to the sun and whatever condensation lingered in the air. "Yeah, it does."

"I'm gonna call it the Glow Cloud. All hail the Glow Cloud!"

"The 'Glow Cloud' Ruby?"

"ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD!" Ruby pointed a finger in Blake's face, the Faunus looking straight back with an unflinching stare. Ruby returned her gaze to the clouds, setting her sights on another. "What about that one? What's it look like to you?"

"Hmm…. a saxophone?"

"Oooo, that one over there looks like vanilla ice cream! No, wait, coconut!"

Blake chuckled. "Isn't it still just a round white ball either way?"

A huff. "It's just having identity issues! Maybe it wanted to be whipped cream, or even a golf ball, but it couldn't!"

"I was not aware ice cream and golf balls had such issues."

"They do! Don't crush my dreams Blake!"

"Haha, okay. Sorry." Blake held a hand over her mouth to contain her mirth. Ruby could be so silly sometimes.

A few moments of silence stretched between the two. Blake now enjoying her cloud watching, Ruby at her side. It was different from her normal routine, but it was one of the things she expected life to throw at her now-a-days. Being apart of team RWBY never held a dull moment.

Ruby suddenly called to her, her voice strangely solemn. "Hey Blake?"

"Yes Ruby?"

"We're friends, aren't we?"

Blake widened her eyes in disbelief, snapping her head away from the sky to face the younger girl. "Of course we are, why would you even feel the need to ask that?"

Ruby lowered her head, eyes focused on the clasped hands in her lap. "No real reason. I just… it feels like you push us away sometimes."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well," Ruby gestured to Blake, looking between the coffee house and her. "you go out on your own a lot. Not just like today, but every once in a while it feels as though you still don't want to be our friend. You do know there is no team RWBY without you, right? It would just be team ruey, and I don't think that's even a word!"

Blake laughed despite the gravity of their conversation. "I know Ruby."

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that, if you asked, I would have gladly accompanied you! I could've brought a book and we could have been book buddies!" The young girl puffed out her cheeks, making her annoyed statement less serious.

Blake shook her head, the grin on her lips stretching across her face. "I will be sure to keep that in mind next time." Pausing for a second to collect her thoughts, she added, "Thank you Ruby."

Ruby's hands flew up to cover her chest, eyes widening dramatically. "Whaaa? I didn't do anything!"

"No, but you reminded me that I'm not alone. So thank you."

Displaying a toothy grin, Ruby exclaimed, "Anytime friend!"

Blake held a hand to her head. This girl. "Please do not say that. You sounded just like Penny."

"Oops, sorry."

Without warning, Ruby jumped in her seat at the sound of a high pitched screech. "I FINALLY FOUND YOU RUBY ROSE!" The scream sounded an awful lot like a particular heiress. That must of been what Ruby had been running from. At least it was not Penny randomly finding them at the mention of her name again. That just freaked Blake out.

Ruby shrieked in panic. "Help me friend Blake!"

Smirking, Blake decided to have her fun. Her expression set into her poker face, she said with a serious air, "Sorry Ruby, but, as a friend, I must encourage you to solve this problem on your own. After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"

"What good are you?!" Ruby shouted at her, sprinting away from the sound of her icy teammates voice. The red girl dared not use her semblance, the rose petals sure to follow would have left an obvious path to her. She turned a corner at the other end of the boulevard, out of sight before Weiss could see where she went. Blake did not know what Ruby did to Weiss, and she may or may not deserve it, but Blake was having too much fun to care.

Rounding a shop sign and spotting Blake, Weiss stomped up to her, growling.

Blake jerked her thumb down the street. "She went that way. To the left."

She grinned a Cheshire cat grin as she watched Weiss run in the direction she pointed in. It was the wrong direction, but the snowy girl did not need to know that.

Good luck Ruby. Blake mused, sipping what was left of her tea. She found it to have cooled, but the warm feeling inside her chest found her not caring.