Being Summer Rose's child wasn't easy. Since Ruby first expressed interest in becoming a huntress she had been compared to her mother. As if it wasn't already hard enough to stand a chance against her sisters, no, she apparently needed to compete against one of Vale's very own legendary fighters. Everyone had heard about team STRQ and their righteous but fearless leader.
And of course Ruby was proud to have a super mom like her.
It was just…
'I'm not my Ma…'
All the things she had done, her grades, her rather good instincts, pretty much all of her accomplishments had been attributed to her being just like Summer.
But she was not!
And Beacon would reveal exactly that…
She was going to be one giant disappointment when she wouldn't be chosen to lead a team. But…did she even want to?
Nevertheless, people would talk and tell her how unlike her mother and sisters she was…
There was just no winning this.
Ruby hadn't been able to focus on Professor Ozpin's entrance ceremony speech, she was too busy scanning the area, trying to spot Yang again, but to no avail. Her older sister was perfectly hidden in the crowd of students around her. She had no words to express how thankful she was for having met Pyrrha beforehand. The redhead was such a nice and considerate person. Ruby almost couldn't believe she accepted her as a friend already.
And without her, she would have never been able to smooth things over with Weiss, who was…fascinating to say the least. And then there was also Jaune, the goofy, but very sweet boy who had been unfortunate enough to get himself lost.
Maybe Cinder had been right after all…maybe being herself was exactly the way to go about this.
But…
'How do I know if that's truly me?'
She was more than relieved when Professor Goodwitch took over and told all of them they would sleep in the ballroom for the night, before dismissing the first year students.
Soon enough they all split up and mattresses were brought by the teaching stuff to accommodate them, making sure to divide the boys and the girls to give them each their own section.
Trailing after her group, she waved Jaune goodbye, whose unsure smile pulled on her heartstrings. She hated being alone as well. It wasn't a nice feeling.
Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby made their way through the hall to search for three unoccupied beds, when a familiar voice reached the younger girl's ears, making her look up in search of its source.
"Yang!", she called out once she spotted her older sister chatting up a dark haired girl with a book in her hands, who appeared to be only partially interested in their conversation.
The blonde haired girl spun around, at first taken aback, but when she realized who had called her name, a wide grin spread over her face, as she excused herself to the girl she was talking to and went up to her.
Her eyes trailing over Pyrrha, settling on Weiss, seizing her up with keen interest.
"Hey Rubes, you got some new friends?
Who's the princess over there?"
'Uh-oh…'
Before Ruby was able to deescalate the situation, the heiress stepped forward, pointing her index finger at Yang with a glare that could only be described as deadly.
"Excuse me, who do you call a princess, you…you ruffian!"
Needless to say her sister was a bit more than caught off guard by Weiss' demeanor. Deciding to ignore her, she lowered her voice and leaned even closer to the younger girl.
"Aaanyway", she drawled, quickly searching for a new subject to talk about,
"how's your first day going, little sister?"
As much as Ruby loved Yang, she felt a wave of annoyance wash over her at that.
What did her sister think would happen to her after she had left so abruptly?
All alone with Pyrrha, someone they both hadn't even known before this very day.
A complete stranger of sorts.
But then again…this was as much a new experience to Yang as it was to her.
…didn't mean she hadn't a right to her feelings right now.
Blinking blankly at the blonde haired girl she scowled petulantly.
"You mean since you ditched me and I made a complete fool of myself?"
"Yikes.
Meltdown already?"
Her sister's rather nonchalant reaction threw her off, so she tried to explain it in a bit more detail this time. Twiddling her thumbs, she searched for a way to keep her hands occupied to distract her from her nerves, her voice rising slightly.
"No, I literally tripped over my own feet…and a bunch of trunks and there was a lot of yelling and I almost started a fight!"
"Are you being sarcastic?"
'Goddammit Yang!'
Sometimes she could be just as dense as their Mom and Cinder with picking up on other peoples' emotions.
Sighing softly Ruby shook her head, contemplating just how she could make herself understood.
"No! I-"
"You!"
The loud shriek made the younger girl jump back, maybe even in fear of being yelled at again by that penetrating voice she had come to know quite intensely this day.
But the heiress' pale, icy eyes weren't focused on her.
With two deliberate steps Weiss crossed the distance and faced Yang furiously, effectively inserting herself between the two sisters.
She crossed her arms sternly.
"Stop making light of this!
Are you even taking her words serious?"
'…huh?'
Was Weiss…actually somewhat trying to take her side here?
To defend her even?
The animosity radiating off of the Schnee didn't go unnoticed by her sister either.
"Wow…
Look, uh…"
She trailed off, searching for the right words, as she tried to sort through her obvious confusion, holding her hands up in a, what she hoped, placating way.
"It sounds like you and me got off the wrong foot!
Why don't we just start over and try to be friends, okay?"
Offering her hand, Yang settled on a rather charming smile, one she had so clearly copied from Cinder.
"Hi, I'm Yang. You seem really chill.
Wanna hang out?"
"Yeah, and we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde and scraggly over there!", came the prompt over excited answer, as Weiss pointed at Jaune, who had just been passing by in search of a free mattress on his side of the ballroom, her tone such a fake sugary sweet, that even Ruby had to snicker a little.
Her sister on the other hand was not impressed, her expression darkening, pulling her hand back with a dramatic sigh.
"A simple no would've been enough, ya know?"
"…No!"
Rolling her eyes, Yang turned towards Pyrrha, who had observed the events unfolding in front of her with keen interest, pointing at Weiss.
"Is she for real?"
"Hey, I heard that!"
"You were supposed to!"
"Sorry, could you keep it down?
People are trying to sleep."
The girl Yang had talked to before had put her book away, reprimanding them in her soft but firm voice, as she laid on her mattress unamused, motioning to the other students in the room, most of who had already gone to bed.
Yang huffed in annoyance.
"Great, see what you did?
We were getting along so well before you ruined it with your loud voice!"
"So this is MY fault?!", retorted Weiss hotly,
"I'm not the one who-"
"Shh! Guys, she's right!", the younger girl interrupted the fighting pair, putting a finger to her lips, shushing them effectively.
"People are trying to sleep!"
Picking up on the brewing unrest in their group again, Pyrrha yawned excessively, trying to put an emphasis on Ruby's words.
"Yes, it has been…quite a long day for all of us I imagine."
Giving the redhead a thankful smile, Ruby stretched her arms and yawned softly as well, continuing her search for a free mattress.
With the tension dispended, their group easily settled down, managing to secure a spot that allowed all three of them to stick together. Even Weiss wanted to tag along, taking the spot on Pyrrha's other side, leaving the redhead to sleep between them, something she was adamant she had nothing against at.
When the younger girl finally changed and sat down, Yang threw herself into her pillow happily.
"It's like a big slumber party!"
Not bothering to look up, Ruby rummaged through her back, having decided to write some letters. One to her friends at Signal and another she wanted to send home to ask her parents to send her a picture of Zwei.
She really did miss her dog.
So much in fact that she kinda stole his favorite pillow…and hoped he wouldn't notice.
"I don't think Mom and Dad would approve of all the boys though."
Yang's smirk widened, as she let her gaze wander over the ballroom again.
"I know I do", she positively purred, causing Ruby to snicker,
"What? I have eyes and there are plenty of good looking people here…girls included."
A soft chuckle escaped her once she interpreted where Yang was going with this and a certain picture popped up in her head.
"Please tell me you didn't use a pajama pickup line again."
"N-No!", shot her sister back hastily, averting her eyes almost mortified, mumbling the rest of her sentence into Ruby's pillow,
"I complimented her bow first."
At Ruby's raised eyebrows and disbelieving look she finally relented.
"…fine, but can we please keep this between us?
I don't really want Cinder to know-"
"Don't want me to know what exactly?"
'Cinder!'
Now this was a nice surprise indeed. Ruby had thought she wouldn't see her oldest sister until after the initiation exam, but here she was…and with Emerald as well.
Yang muttered a soft curse under her breath, before leaning back lazily, plastering a smug smile on her face, while firing back:
"That I'm going to take all your top spots, naturally."
"I sincerely doubt that", scoffed the dark haired girl with a roll of her eyes, when Emerald placed her hand above Cinder's, nudging her gently.
"Well you never know, people can be full of surprises."
Spotting the girl next to their sister, Yang brightened up even more, sitting up in a fluid motion, winking suggestively at her.
"Em!
Finally come' to your senses and switching that one out for a better candidate?
I'm still available."
With a soft groan, Cinder just pinched her left arm subconsciously, commenting almost to herself:
"What a shocker."
"Watch it!", Yang shot back defensively and Emerald decided in that moment to end their petty back and forth.
"I think I'm keeping her.
She has very ambitious plans after all.
One of them involving a flying dragon and a sunset if I remember correctly."
The grin she send the dark haired girl and the way it flustered her were enough to peak Yang's curiosity.
"Oh? Do tell."
Ruby couldn't help but smile at the mint haired former thief.
Since she had entered their lives and started dating her oldest sister, Cinder had been far more approachable. Not that she had been closed off before…but it had been hard to get past her walls. Sometimes she had even wondered if the dark haired girl even wanted to stay with them or if someone forced her.
In her opinion Emerald was the best thing that could have happened to her family.
Clearing her throat, Cinder tried to regain some of her composure, stemming one hand into her hip, her tone gentle, but chiding.
"You're impossible.
We just wanted to wish you the best for the initiation tomorrow…not that you need it."
Her amber eyes finding Ruby's, as she spoke with a conviction the younger girl wished she possessed as well.
"You will do just fine."
…but what if she didn't?
…and what if she did?
'Why is there never a middle way?'
Yang's voice ripped her out of her thoughts.
"I'm going to do more than just fine, just you watch!"
That sounded like a challenge if she ever heard one. Not that this was a rare occurrence. But normally Cinder would just disregard the blonde haired girl and be done with it. That she seemed to ponder over this was…unexpected to say the least.
"Alright, I'll be watching."
"Really?"
To Ruby's immense surprise, it was her who had voiced that question.
Having Cinder watch would be…actually really nice. She and Yang were the only ones after all who...didn't put any kind of expectations on her.
"You will?", Yang asked, the puzzlement in her voice almost palpable.
A pleased smirk spread over Cinder's features, as she regarded their dumbstruck expressions.
"Of course, but Yang", she turned away, scouting the people around her, halting her sentence for dramatic aesthetics,
"I expect it to be just as you promised.
Make it worth my time."
"You betcha!"
Without acknowledging her sister's last words, Cinder and Emerald made their way back through the ballroom, passing Pyrrha in the process, who was given a friendly smile and wave oddly enough.
Then again…it had been the dark haired girl who had first introduced them…
Maybe they were friends as well?
As if the redhead could read her thoughts forest green met silver.
With Yang now as hyped up as she could get and Weiss already fast asleep, Ruby realized just how tired she actually was.
Pyrrha's gaze softened, as she leaned nearer and squeezed her hand.
"She is right, you know?
You will do great tomorrow."
Ruby felt some of the tension leave her body at these words.
Maybe…with so many people believing in her it would work out in the end.
Lying down, she snuggled into her pillow, the smell of home finally lulling her to sleep.
xxxxxxxxxx
To say Ruby was nervous the next morning was an understatement. She had heard so much about the initiation exams from Cinder that she had more than a little respect for them.
Even though practical exams were where she could excel the most, the knowledge of instructors observing and grading their every move was enough to cause her stomach to twist and turn in protest. Yang though appeared to be mostly unbothered, yes practically vibrant today. Maybe it had to do with Cinder's promise. She wanted to do well as well, especially knowing her older sister would watch, but for Yang it was like a long awaited challenge.
Since their mothers brought Cinder home from a mission there was this…rivalry between them. Ruby suspected it must have also to do with the introduction of their Mom, Raven, into their lives, but she couldn't be too sure.
Nevertheless, Yang would give it her all today, so she would as well.
She just hoped the team she wound up in would be worth it.
The younger girl sighed, inspecting her provisional locker when she heard someone giggle loudly, turning her attention towards a, what she could only presume, couple that just passed them.
"Wonder what those two were so worked up about", she muttered, facing her locker once more, causing her older sister to look up, her eyes immediately spotting the spunky girl and the more reserved black haired boy, perking up considerably as she called after them:
"Nora! Ren!
Wait up!"
"Friends of yours?"
If Ruby was honest to herself she kind of dreaded the answer.
"Kinda, more importantly my possible teammates I met yesterday.
I've gotta catch up to them!"
"Oh…"
She couldn't stop her face from falling slightly.
Yes…just like she had suspected.
Yang's eyes softened a bit when she seemed to pick up on her little sister's souring mood, declaring amicably:
"Don't worry, Rubes, there is always a place for you in my team, promise."
'That's not it!'
But she didn't want to rain on the blonde's parade. Beacon was their dreams come true. She shouldn't expect her older sister to stick with her. She had her own goals to accomplish.
…but it still hurt somewhat.
The younger girl opened her mouth to…say something?
She didn't know.
But before she was even able to string a coherent sentence together Yang's impatience had won out, her eyes widening as she witnessed Ren and Nora leave the building.
"Okay gotta go.
Good luck to you out there.
Love ya."
All Ruby could do was watching her sprint off with mixed feelings.
"There she goes.
Seriously what kind of sister-"
Startled she turned around.
Weiss and Pyrrha appeared to have come over from their lockers both having rather curious expressions on their faces.
Holding up her hands, she stopped the heiress midsentence.
"No, don't worry about it. That's just how she is."
And she didn't mean it in a bad way. Yang and Cinder were amazing older siblings. If someone would dare to hurt or threaten her they would immediately eradicate them. They loved her and she loved them.
The sudden change from Signal to Beacon was just a bit overwhelming for her.
There was no way she could blame Yang for that.
Weiss for her part didn't seem convinced, but simply clicked her tongue in annoyance, turning her attention towards Pyrrha, who gave Ruby a kind, understanding look.
"So, Pyrrha have you given any thought to whose team you would like to be on?
I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well known individual, such as yourself."
The redhead didn't appear too surprised by the heiress' words.
"Hmm…I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."
"Well, I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."
Just what was these peoples' obsession with teams?
At least Pyrrha seemed as neutral and disinterested to them as Ruby.
A fact she was rather glad for.
Pyrrha hesitated, giving the younger girl a short questioning look, before winking at her.
"I don't see why not.
What do you say, Ruby, would you like the three of us to be a team?"
'…wait…WHAT?'
"YES!"
This was...absolutely awesome.
Was this a dream?
Pyrrha wanted to form a team with her?
And Weiss as well?
She could feel happiness bubbling inside her, drowning out the bitter taste of Yang's sudden absence.
"Great, so how about we-", the heiress began without batting an eye to Ruby's inclusion, when a certain blonde haired boy stepped between her and Pyrrha, leaning casually against a locker, cutting her off once more.
"You know what else is great?
Me, Jaune Arc, the cute boy you mentioned yesterday."
Startled Weiss almost jumped back, narrowing her eyes at Jaune, rolling her eyes.
"Ugh, you again?"
"Hey there, Jaune."
Ruby couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's over the top entrance, her and Pyrrha both giving him a short greeting, though the latter appeared to have vividly brightened up at the blonde's presence.
"Hello again."
He waved them off however, leaning even closer into Weiss personal space, as he took a few steps forward, nonplussed by her reaction.
"Yeah yeah, so Weiss, been hearin' rumors about teams!
I was thinking you and me would make a good one.
What do you say?"
The younger girl hadn't expected that something like this would rattle the heiress, but it appeared she had thought wrong with how spooked and positively taken aback she looked right now.
"Alright, that's a bit too close!
Pyrrha, a little help please!?"
Before Ruby could react, Miló sailed right past her head, pinning Jaune against the nearest wall, Weiss pinching the bridge of her nose as she walked outside, her head held high when she passed him.
Now…that had been excessive if she dared to say so herself.
Rushing over to the boy, Pyrrha and Ruby decided to unspear him, as the redhead took her weapon back, giving him an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry!"
"I don't understand…
My dad said all women look for is confidence.
Where did I go wrong?"
It wasn't clear if he was talking to them or to himself, but Pyrrha seemed to sympathize with him, patting him on the back encouragingly.
"I don't think it's a good idea to generalize women.
Try to be…more true to yourself."
Just…be yourself.
There it was again.
That dreaded advice.
And yet no one had been able to tell her yet just who exactly she was.
With a small sigh, she helped the blonde haired boy up, her tone somber when they finally made their way outside to the meeting spot where the initiation was supposed to take place.
"Come on, Jaune. Let's go."
xxxxxxxxxx
Now this hadn't been the kind of test Ruby had expected. It was way too hard to keep track of her friends and possible teammates when she had to concentrate on landing correctly. The only sound that reached her ears, as she sailed through the air, seemed to be Jaune's faint shriek of surprise. It seemed his hesitance about landing strategies had a reason after all.
She hoped the instructors would not actually let him fall to his death. Yes they were here to learn how to fight and protect, but purposefully leaving them to die was rather extreme and…wrong in her opinion.
Bracing herself she grabbed her weapon and waited for the right moment to lightly hack it into a passing branch of a tree, spinning and looping her around, lowering her further to the ground. This kind of speed had always been her thing. It was so…freeing. The sharp wind ruffled her black reddish hair, as her feet connected to the ground, the momentum causing her to topple over, performing a summersault to gain her footing again, as she sped through the Emerald forest in search of her friends, tugging her weapon away. It would only hinder her and lower her speed.
'Gotta find Pyrrha, gotta find Weiss, gotta find Pyrrha, gotta find Weiss!'
Yes, that's what she had to do. She would worry about Jaune at a later time. It was probably nothing. This was Beacon after all. Everyone got either scouted or had transcripts in their favor. Jaune would be just fine.
Cutting to the left, she managed to spot a flash of white out of the corner of her eyes and she cried out, probably way too relieved.
"Weiss!"
Coming to a screeching halt a few meters before her, she managed to look up in time to observing Weiss' surprise morph into…gratefulness? when it finally sank in just who made eye contact with her and was now her partner for the next 4 years.
"Ruby!"; she called out with something akin to excitement, her voice mirroring some of the relief she herself felt upon seeing a familiar face. Maybe the heiress was actually really glad to be partnered with her.
"Thank god, I was worried I would get stuck with that Arc guy."
…or that…
'Well, better than nothing.'
Managing a sheepish grin, Ruby looked around somewhat at a loss.
"Alright", she offered after an awkward pause, folding her hands behind her head,
" so…what now, teammate?"
Weiss seemed taken aback by her question, but gave her a pleased smile, as she motioned for Ruby to step closer under the tree in front of them, before she mustered their surroundings. Ruby got that she probably wanted to make sure that no Grimm was in their immediate proximity. She would have done the same thing if the choice had been up to her.
Satisfied, Weiss turned back to the younger girl.
"Why don't we exchange some useful information about ourselves to see how we should proceed?"
Twirling the rapier in her hand, she let the small, color filled bottles right above the handle spin, as she presented it with a rather proud undertone.
"As you can see I use a multi action rapier, named Myrtenaster, supported by different types of Dust and my semblance are glyphs."
Lowering her weapon again, she tapped the sharp top against the ground, creating a bright, glowing circle on the forest floor, which funnily resembled a snowflake. Ruby had to stop herself from snickering loudly at that.
Snow Angel indeed.
"They allow me to create…a desired effect, so to speak."
'Oooh!'
That did spark some curiosity inside the younger girl, as she began to ponder how one could and would best utilize such an ability. Not that she wasn't already completely wowed by the lightshow Weiss had unwittingly caused.
"So, can you use your semblance as a supporter?", she asked, her eyes wide with childish glee, as she took in all these new information.
"Like, I dunno, assist from afar, rather than storming to the frontline?"
Trying to reinforce her point, Ruby flailed her arms around trying to mimic the movements she tried to describe with grand gestures.
"Could you slow down or freeze enemies, or enhance one of your teammates and make them faster for example?"
Weiss blinked almost owlishly at her, as she pondered over her questions.
"Yes…I suppose that would work. I haven't really done a lot of…team exercises before mind you."
She seemed…impressed for some reason, though the younger girl couldn't specify what about.
So she simply grinned, searching for her own weapon under her cloak.
"That's so awesome. You have such a cool semblance, Weiss!"
And she really meant that. Such a useful and fun ability to have.
Just like her Dad's…
Her Mom's…
Yang's…
Cinder's…
'Ma's…'
"Oh, before I forget", shaking her head to get rid of these uncomfortable thoughts she let Cresent Rose unfold its true form, striking a pose. She knew just how cool her weapon was.
"My weapon is a scythe, but it also transforms into a rifle. This is Cresent Rose.
I'm pretty good at fighting monsters in either close or distant combat, because my semblance…"
With a flick of her fingers Ruby dissolved into a bright red blur of rose petals, zooming past Weiss stopping on her other side, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.
"Is Speed."
Against all odds she had hoped to impress the heiress, but apparently only one thing of her demonstration had stood out.
"Rose?
Are you by any chance related to Summer Rose?"
'…crap!'
Her reply was rather hesitant to say the least.
"Yes, that's my Ma."
She could practically feel Weiss lighting up, the awe oh so clear in her voice, as she began to gush like one of these crazy fan girls Yang had once warned her about.
"That's incredible. No wonder you got in so early. Your mother is a true legend among huntsmen and huntresses."
No, no, no!
She got in because she earned it!
She fought a criminal.
She helped people.
She…
You…have silver eyes.
Just like…
No! She refused to think any deeper on this.
She might not be cut out to be a team leader, but she knew she was a capable fighter.
She got where she was out of her own strength.
"…I guess?"
She desperately tried to mask the insecurity of her reply with the biggest grin she could forcefully muster, but maybe she wasn't as convincing as she had thought, because Weiss' gaze became troubled all of a sudden, as she waved the topic off, deeming it as irrelevant for now.
"On second thought…let's save this for later. Our first objective is reaching the ruins where we hopefully will meet up with Pyrrha again."
'Huh?'
Ruby didn't know what changed the other girl's mind, but she was immensely grateful for it. And she couldn't wait to get this practical test started. Slaying monsters was the fun part after all.
A real smile stretched over her face, as she grabbed her teammate's hand and tugged her forward with a loud cheer.
"Well what are we waiting for?
On to the ruins!"
AN: Hello again =)
Yeah I know, it's a week late, but we were hit by a heat wave and I just
couldn't concentrate enough to write in that time.
But at least this chapter is a bit longer to maybe make up for this XD
Also, look at this amazing cover Austa drew for me! It's so amazing 3
Enjoy ^^
