Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: So this is a new thing I'm trying out. I had a thought the other day of 'What if there was no evil Grimm in Remnant (they were just your everyday animals like crocodiles or pandas and whatnot) and their world was much the same as ours?' Naturally, with no Huntsman or Huntresses the academies would just be expensive boarding schools (can anyone say... Hogwarts?) that parents send their kids off to so they can enjoy their lives (the parents, I mean). And, of course, what kind of daughter would make a father send to another continent just to attend school? Why, his disobedient, rule-flaunting, girl-crazy teenager of a daughter, Ruby Rose, that's who.
And so, we have this story of love, loss, and sweet, sweet Whiterose goodness.
I should also note that this story is being co-written by Jman23423. Whose assistance with helping with the writing process, brainstorming, checking, reviewing and editing my numerous mistakes are greatly appreciated.
Enjoy.
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All's Fair In Love and... Well... Love
Chapter 1
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Atlas Academy smells like fresh paint. At least, the main foyer does. Sitting in a supremely uncomfortable chair outside the Headmistress's office, seventeen-year-old schoolgirl Ruby Rose taps the toes of her polished leather shoes against the tiled floor, wondering just how much longer this is going to take.
Her father is inside with the Headmistress, finalizing her admission, and she can hear every word they're saying about her. Why they bothered sending her out of the room in the first place is a complete mystery.
"I thought the discipline of a boarding school might be good for her," she hears her dad say with a heavy sigh. "It certainly can't hurt."
That's parent code for: I've tried everything, and just don't know what to do with her anymore, so now she's all yours.
Its par the course as far as Ruby's concerned, and she hadn't been the least bit surprised when the threat of boarding school was first mentioned. After all, they did the same with the family dog.
Zwie wouldn't stop humping the sofa cushions, so they sent him to a training facility called The Dog House. He was kept there until he started behaving in a more socially acceptable manner, then he was shipped back home, a fully reformed pooch.
Poor Zwie. His spirit was irreparably crushed.
Sliding her hips forward in the chair, Ruby leans her head back and stares at the ornate ceiling. Plaster reliefs frame a large chandelier at the center, mimicking floral vines spreading outward and creeping down the walls. It all seems overly fancy just for the sake of being so, which is in keeping with pretty much everything else she's seen since her arrival forty minutes ago, starting with the large and totally pointless marble of the school's founder at the head of the driveway, the Atlesian motto inscribed on its base: Guidance and Unity.
Well, isn't that lovely.
The main school building itself is a sprawling mansion with numerous additions added over the many decades since it became a privately run educational institution instead of owned by the provincial government. This place is fancy – posh, Ruby thought she heard the word used once before – as you'd expect from a private boarding school in Atlas, and for Ruby's father, that's even more important than the school's impressive exam scores and outstanding educational inspection reports.
As time drones on, the back-and-forth between her father and the Headmistress continues, and the doublespeak abounds. When questioned as to why they he felt the need for such an abrupt mid-tern transfer instead of waiting for the new school term to begin, her father's reply was simply, "She had some difficulty with a teacher."
Translation: She's disobedient, unruly and insubordinate.
Upon being quizzed about his decision to enroll his youngest child in their boarding school rather than moving her to, say, another private school more closer to home, he says, "I thought the experience abroad might be able to teach her some responsibility."
Translation: I want her to grow up a little.
Thanks, dad.
On his election of Atlas Academy in particular, "She needs strict routine and some discipline, which she can't really get at home."
Translation: I blame myself for her wayward behavior. Since her mom died, I've indulged her far too much, and what she really needs is a good spanking.
More on that, "She has fanciful ideas, shows no respect for the feelings of others, and needs to be given a healthy dose of reality."
Translation: She's displayed some lesbian tendencies, and while I have no issue with that in and of itself, some perspective might do her some good.
Ruby's not really sure how he thinks they're going to achieve that by sending her to an all-girls school, but she's definitely not complaining. She is sick of listening to them slander her, however, so she gets up and meanders around the foyer to kill some time.
What started as a light drizzle an hour ago is not a downpour beating down outside. The full length glass doors at the main entrance offer an unbroken view of the school's track field to the right – large puddles already forming in the turf – and covered ball courts to the left.
Catching her reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall beneath a large sign that reads 'Are you presentable?', Ruby ponders the pros and cons of her new uniform. The slip-on leather shoes are the same ones she wore at her old school – so no change there. The knee-high socks are almost identical, too, except these are black where her old ones were white. The pleated, plain black A-line skirt is a few inches longer than she'd life; it comes down to her knees. The black skirt is starchy and stiff, the top button undone; she feels like a rebel.
Her blue and silver necktie hangs a little loose, which she'll probably get in trouble for, but she prefers it this way. Having something so close against her neck make her feel as though she's choking, and she hates that the tie is a compulsory part of the uniform. At least the colors are a vast improvement over her old school, which was a shade of orange so bright it was almost fluorescent. It was the color of strained carrots, but they called it 'tangerine'. Either way, it made Ruby want to throw up.
The worst part about this new uniform was undoubtedly the blue cardigan. When she first heard there was an option to wear a cardigan instead of a blazer, she thought it would be liberating. The blazer at her old school was heavy and thick, weighing her down and restricting her movement, but this cardigan does far something far worse: it covers her boobs.
Not that they're that big to begin with, but now they're almost invisible. Perhaps that's the point of it, she thinks. The longer skirts, the flat shoes, the potato sack cardigans are all designed to make students look less sexually appealing to another. Ugh. Now she's going to have to put more effort into her hair.
She drags her finger from crown to tip, teasing out the tangles in her shoulder-length, dark locks. Did she remember to brush this morning? She couldn't remember. To add insult to injury, makeup is strictly forbidden. She'd been permitted to keep on a subtle shade of pink lip gloss, but was forced to remove everything else. Never before has she felt so grateful for having a smooth complexion. Her only real complaint is that her pale silver eyes seem somewhat lost on her pale face without any mascara or eyeliner to make them stand out.
Well, fuck it.
She pivots away from the mirror, looking for something better to do than pick out the faults with herself, and a large notice board by the main doors is the first thing to draw her attention. It's chock-full of flyers for all sorts of different after-class clubs, but the sign-ups were closed weeks ago. She'll have to wait until the next term to start running again, or take up fencing, or take up a musical instrument.
Fortunately, things start to look a lot better when she hears the slap-slap of shoes and turns to see a girl skip up the steps to the front doors, sheltered from the rain by a large silver umbrella bearing the school's crest. As she reaches the top of the steps, protected by the overhand of the building, she turns her back to the doors and shakes off her umbrella, trying to close it up without dropping a bundle of books she's carrying in her arms. At the same time, she backs into one of the glass doors, pushing on it with her ass, her cheeks pressed up against it, trying to open it without the use of her hands.
After a few seconds of watching her struggle, Ruby makes a move to help, but the brief hesitation costs her and someone else gets there first. The girl – uniformed like her, her hair matted from the rain, her clothes damp – runs up from out of nowhere, her timing perfect. She takes the umbrella from the girl's hands, buttons it, and then holds open the door.
"Thank you," the girl murmurs her thanks, checking the books to make sure she's managed to save them all from the onslaught of the weather.
The new girl – about Ruby's age along with the first, short black hair cut into a bob, her cheeks dark from running to get out of the rain – hangs the umbrella on a rack near the doors, then turns to the first girl's aid.
"Can I help you with anything else, Weiss?" She holds her hands out to take the books.
"I don't think so, Ciel." She rejects the offer, her voice soft and clear, making every word sound distinct, prim, and quite frankly, incredibly sensual. "You're all wet."
That shouldn't sound dirty, but it does. The girl's positively oozing sexuality, even wearing the frumpy, god-awful school uniform like everyone else. The flat-soled shoes did nothing to hide her long, sock-clad legs, the hem of her pleated skirt rolled up to just above her knees, her ass and hips hugged tightly by the fabric. Her long-sleeved cotton blouse – not the cardigan, Ruby notices – is snug around her bust, the top button left undone, creating just enough of a plunge in her neckline that releases the bare, milky skin of her neck.
Long, silvery hair is tied harshly back, neat bangs parted in the middle, not quite long enough to reach her eyebrows. As she brings a hand up to tuck a stray wisp of hair behind her ear, a small, sapphire cufflink catches the light. The shade of dark blue matches the studs in her ears, which match the barrette in her hair.
Sensing the attention of someone's eyes, she looks over and meets Ruby's gaze. Her lips are a light pink, slightly parted and curled into a small smile. Her long, makeup free eyelashes flutter, her ice-chip blue eyes shimmering in the glare of the foyer lighting.
Ruby's not too sure how much time passes this way, with blue eyes hooked unwaveringly onto silver, neither female able to break away, but it feels like hours.
"Are you new?" the girl asks at last, taking a step closer, turning her back to the other girl. "Is this your first day?"
Ruby nods, clasping her hands behind her back so that she doesn't fidget. "Um, Yeah."
The girl keeps advancing, her shoes slapping quietly on the tiled floor. She has an elegant sway to her hips, and the hem of her skirt swings from side to side with each step. The movement of her whole body is hypnotic, her poise graceful and self-assured. When she gets within arm's reach, she extends a hand towards Ruby's face and fingers some hair out of her eyes, trailing a fingertip down her check as she moves the wayward lock of her hair aside.
"You're cute," she coos softly. "I think you'll fit in here quite well."
Over her shoulder, the wet girl is dripping on the floor tiles, glowering. Ruby can see the look of disdain on the girl's face, but give it little regard. The gorgeous silver-haired girl is fawning over her – forget everything else!
Much to her disappointment, though, the door to the Headmistress's office suddenly swings open, causing the girl to withdraw in a flash. Excessive physical contact between students is, while common, usually prohibited. While short touches of the arm or hand is accepted, much more than that is frowned upon.
Ruby vaguely remembered reading that somewhere and scoffing.
"I should go." The girl checks her watch, excusing herself immediately. "Welcome to Atlas!" she says as she heads for the main staircase, calling over her shoulder as she departs. "Good luck!"
Ruby is left feeling a little dazed. Did that really just happen? They didn't even exchange names. Who the hell was she? There's no time for contemplation, though, as her father steps into the foyer, followed by the headmistress, Professor Wilkins, who sets on her without pause for any pleasantries.
"You'll have to brush that mop of hair and secure it with a clip." She peers at Ruby's ears, examining her earrings. "Simple studs are permitted, but all other jewelry is forbidden." She examines one of Ruby's hands, picking at the black nail polish. "Clear nail lacquer only. You'll find polish remover in your dormitory bathroom." She drops the offending hand. "I'll fetch someone to give you a guided tour of the school, and that'll be all for today. You'll start classes as normal tomorrow morning." She hands over a thick pile of school supplies, naming them off one by one. "A day planner, class schedule, book list, dormitory rules—"
She goes on, but Ruby stops listening. Now in her late fifties, Professor Wilkins has probably been a teacher her entire adult life. At least, that's the impression that Ruby gets. She has a practice austerity about her, and a face that makes it appear larger as though she seldom smiles. Her lips are thin, slightly pursed, her cheeks somewhat gaunt. She has jowls, almost like a dog, as if all the plumpness from her face just sort of fell to her jawline when she hit menopause, and hard.
While one eye works actively to take in every detail of her surroundings – form the torrential rain outside, to the small puddle of water left behind where the scowling girl was standing before she practically chased the silver-haired girl up the staircase – the other eye remains eerily still. The two eyeballs aren't even the same color. One is paled from age and approaching blindness, while the other is a rich hazel. The fact that it's a false eye couldn't possibly be any more shockingly apparent, even if it still had the price tag on it.
When she'd done thrusting various things into Ruby's hands, including a key for her dormitory, which she is told to guard as if her life depended on it, Professor Wilkins pulls a scroll from her pocket and taps out a quick message to one of the teachers in the building.
While waiting for the teacher to read the message and send the student who's been selected to conduct the tour, Ruby's father made a hasty departure, taking advantage of the temporary lull in the rainstorm. He tells her to behave, follow instructions, try to get along with everyone, and adhere to school rules – and the usual parental bullshit.
In the rush, he forgets to say 'I love you', but that's not an uncommon oversight in their household. Ruby stopped giving it too much thought a long time ago, and now's certainly not the moment to dwell on it. The doors are barely closed behind them when a bubbly girl with curly hair that's so red it looks like it's on fire runs down the staircase into the foyer, her rubber-soled shoes slapping against the tiles.
"No running!" Professor Wilkins barks before introducing them. "Set a proper example, for goodness sake." She shakes her head at the girl, tutting her disapproval. "Miss Rose, this is Penny Polendina, one of our more senior girls. She's been a pupil here for almost three years, and she'll be your guide this afternoon. It'll do her some good to practice being a mentor." That last bit was said with some inflection, like the older woman was trying to chastise without being too obvious.
As if being deliberately belligerent, Penny ignores the last comment and holds her hand out to Ruby. "Hey there! Nice to meet you! Wanna be friends?"
"Mentor, Penny." Professor Wilkins sighs. "Don't be so stubborn. Friendship comes after teaching her the ropes." She shooes them both away. "Off you go now."
Grinning, Penny grabs Ruby's hand and leads her away, clearly excited to break with routine and spend the rest of the day leading the new girl around campus instead of being stuck inside a classroom.
"What's your name?" she asks as they round the corner.
"Ruby."
"Roo-bee," Penny repeats to herself, thinking it over. "I like it very much," she concluded. "I love making new friends. Which dorm have you been assigned to?"
Ruby consults one of the many sheets of paper in her bundle of supplies. "Um, the Schnee dorm?"
"Ah! That's the same dorm Weiss is in! She's great – her family owns the school, but she's really nice. Truly, a great friend!" Penny clasps her hand over her heart. "You are so lucky! She's the best dorm leader in the entire school. She so pretty – and a native Atlesian, too," she adds with pride.
Ruby perks up at that. She wonders if Weiss could possibly be the girl she met in the foyer. The provocative, sexy silver-haired girl certainly fit Penny's enthusiastic and theatrical description: extremely pretty and really nice. At least, Ruby had thought so.
"Are you in her dorm, too?" Ruby wonders, amused that Penny is so besotted.
Penny shakes her head. "I've not yet had the chance. We change dorms every couple of years, but so far I have not had the luck."
Ruby nods, taking that in for future reference.
"Anyway, I may not have the chance before I graduate. It's a shame."
"And Weiss is nice?" Ruby presses, wincing slightly at how the words sounded out loud, but wondering how much more information Penny would divulge about this intriguing dorm leader.
"Absolutely!" Penny grins. "She's marvelous. You'll love her – everyone does. Just make sure you don't… um," her face pinches slightly, thinking of the words. "Fall in love with her? Or something like that."
Ruby snorts, "Fall in love? Why would I do that?"
Penny shrugs. "You wouldn't be the first to and you don't want to end up with a broken neck like that last one."
Ruby had a number of issues in that last sentence. She wouldn't be the first girl in Weiss' dorm to get lovesick over the girl – that much she understands. But a broken neck? Was that some sort of local slang that she didn't know? What was the context? Was it an exaggeration?
She can think of at least fifteen different follow-up questions right off the bat, but doesn't get to voice even one before the bell rings and students spew into the hallways.
And then chaos ensues.
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End of Chapter 1
A/N: *tsk tsk tsk* That Weiss... when will she stop being such an unwitting tease? Or maybe its on purpose! *le gasp!* Tune in next week to find out.
***Will work for glomps***