Chapter 7
He Who Hesitates II
Jaune Arc was becoming increasingly convinced that his newfound partner had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Their initial meeting had been so sinister that he had automatically assumed her to be an extremely competent individual, but when they passed through the same clearing for the fifth time with her apparently none the wiser he began to wonder if he had misevaluated her.
"Haven't we been here before?"
Ruby blinked in surprise. "Have we?" She scanned the clearing. "I dunno. It all looks the same to me."
Had she not noticed the highly unusual brilliant red flower growing out of a crook in one of the trees? It had jumped out to him immediately.
"I'm not sure. This place just feels familiar."
Ruby hummed noncommittally. "Maybe. You want to try leading? I'm getting pretty turned around."
"Sure. I'll give it a shot." He'd seen the jagged peaks of some cliffs in the distance. With any luck, it'd be a good vantage point to scan the forest, as well as shelter for the night. It was already afternoon, and being stranded in the forest was a death sentence, especially with only two people.
They had barely walked for thirty seconds when Ruby broke the silence, no longer occupied with the arduous task of forging a path through the thick wood. "That's a beautiful sword. What's its name?"
Name? An odd question to start with. "Crocea Mors," Jaune declared proudly. "It's been in my family for generations. It was my dad's sword, before-" a calculated pause, to imply he had stolen it. "Before I got it." Deliberately ambiguous. Hinted at shady entry into Beacon.
If she noticed the "slip," Ruby didn't comment. "A family heirloom, huh? That's amazing! I love the classics. They're so old fashioned and romantic."
Romantic? Was this girl serious?
"Not that you're old fashioned!" Ruby blurted. "Or old. Just that Crocea Mors is. But in a good way! Ancient, like trees or mountains. Except, maybe not that old."
Jaune Arc internally sighed. Of all the things he had expected his partner to be, ditzy was not one of them.
"I get what you mean," Student-Jaune chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It's just a sword, anyways."
"Not just a sword," Ruby said, suddenly intense and solemn. "Our weapons are a part of who we are. They're a piece of our soul. How it looks, what it does, it all shows what kind of person you are."
That was certainly a… dramatic way to look at it.
"And what you do with it," Ruby continued, "shows what kind of person you'll become. Your weapon is what you're like at your core, no matter what you appear to everyone else."
"What does Crocea Mors say about me then?" He asked teasingly.
"You're serious," Ruby claimed without hesitation. "Straightforward. Trustworthy. Honorable. Loyal. Determined."
Was he? Was he really? "That's a pretty big claim."
She shrugged. "Haven't been wrong yet."
Funny, how he had put so much work into crafting a careful image as a hapless but likable klutz, and yet this quirky girl with questionable social skills had managed to pierce much closer than she possibly could have known.
"What's your weapon?" he asked, partly as an attempt to steer her away from dangerous lines of thought, partly out of genuine curiosity. "Is it that knife?"
"Dagger," Ruby corrected, as if the clarification was of paramount importance. "And no, Thorn's just my back up. I love him, but my baby is right here." With an enthusiastic flourish, she deployed a massive red scythe, and Jaune noticed that as it unfurled it sliced through a thick branch like a spoon through oil. "Crescent Rose," Ruby cooed, stroking the shaft lovingly. "Worked on her since I was eight. She's an overhauled dust-boosted scythe, and also a high impact sniper rifle."
That seemed… needlessly extravagant. Also, the way she was cuddling a wicked instrument of murder was a bit unnerving.
"A what?"
"A gun," she explained.
"Oh. Cool." Should he ask? Why not, at least see what she said. "If weapons have meaning, then what's Crescent Rose's?"
Ruby twitched, startled out of her reminiscing. For a brief moment, Jaune caught a glimpse of… something. Regret? Longing?
"Can't tell you," Ruby finally said with a cheeky grin. "It's your job to figure it out."
What could such a weapon imply?
"Ah, come on. I'm new at this. Give me a hint?"
"Nope!" Her grin widened.
"Fine, fine. I'll think about it, then."
Another item on his growing list of questions.
Navigating through the forest often required literally hacking a path through the vegetation, and after a while Jaune felt himself growing tired, even with his excellent physical condition. Thirst was rapidly becoming an issue; he'd found a stream earlier, but that had been hours ago, and with no way to transport water he'd been forced to leave it behind.
"Can you get a better look around?" he gasped, pointing a gloved finger towards the top of one of the taller trees. "Maybe see if you can find water. Or food, actually. I need a break."
"Sure!" Ruby chirped, and in a flash of rose petals she was gone. Jaune leaned against one of the trees, reveling in the short break. After an all too brief moment, Ruby dropped next to him with a soft thump. "Some of the mountains are pretty close by. I saw smoke, too. You think other students made it there already?"
"Guess we'll find out," Jaune groaned, shoving himself off the tree onto unsteady feet. "Can you take the lead?"
Ruby made for a far less cautious leader. She happily cleaved a wide path of destruction whenever she deemed necessary, and although he appreciated the ease of travel Jaune winced every time a falling tree sent a deafening crash tearing through the woods. To his surprise, no Grimm came charging to meet them. While they were primarily drawn by negative emotion, the creatures still possessed adequate senses of hearing and sight.
"Water!" Ruby suddenly cheered, and heedless of any danger she tore ahead of him. Jaune followed her, albeit more cautiously, and he was rewarded by the sight of a silvery snake of a flowing stream. That was a relief. Moving water was much safer than stagnant to drink, and aura was more than sufficient to protect against potential bacteria or impurities. He kneeled and drank greedily. At his side, Ruby imitated him. When they had finished, both of them left only reluctantly.
"I don't suppose we can just take it with us," Ruby said, with a longing glance backward.
"I wish," Jaune said mournfully. "I'd kill for a bottle right now."
Now that they were getting closer, Ruby took frequent breaks to get their bearings from treetop vantage points.
"We're really close now," she said after one such trip. "I think we'll make it in under an hour. At least I hope so. It's starting to get dark."
Even though he had lost clear sight of the sky a long time ago, Jaune could feel that they didn't have much daylight left. The gloom was somehow growing even thicker, almost choking, and a bitter bite of cold punctuated the oppressive weight.
"So Jaune, where you from?" Ruby eventually asked, in a noble effort to distract from their surroundings.
Hmm. How much truth to tell?
"Vale," he lied. "Mostly, anyways. My dad's retired military, so we moved around a lot." Partial truth would make his facade easier, and multicultural upbringing would help explain any Atlesian slips he might have.
"Oh. Where'd you go to school, then?"
An innocent enough question, for most kids. For Beacon students, what it was really asking is how they learned to fight.
"Dad taught us when he could," Jaune said. "The rest was self taught."
"And you still made it into Beacon? That's amazing."
Oops.
"I was really surprised myself," he backpedaled. "Guess I got really lucky."
"I know the feeling," Ruby murmured softly. "Sometimes I think I don't belong here."
"Why? Just because you're younger? You're amazingly skilled." Draw attention back to her.
"I wanted to go to Signal, but the headmaster sent me here, instead," Ruby admitted. "I wish he hadn't. I'm not so good that I should be skipping three whole years!"
Three? Hardly. Three years was grossly underestimating her.
"Where'd you go to school? I'm surprised they didn't advance you before now."
"Homeschooled, like you," Ruby said. "My uncle taught me a lot. I was complete garbage before his help."
Unlikely.
"Who's your uncle?" Jaune asked curiously.
"Qrow Branwen. He's a teacher at Signal."
Qrow Branwen? The Qrow Branwen? He was one of the few men that his father ever spoke of in high regard; merely teaching at Signal was the least of his accomplishments. It would certainly explain why she was so good.
"We're here," Ruby said before he could respond. Jaune looked up. The mighty stone arm of a rocky spire loomed in front of them, reaching as if it could grasp the orange-pink sky of sunset above it.
"Look," he said, pointing at a faint glow of red, faded against the sky's brilliance. He may have missed it, were it not for the slim column of ash grey smoke wafting from it. "I think other students are there."
"You think they have food? I'm starving," Ruby complained.
"I hope they're willing to share," Jaune said. "Maybe if we sing and tell bad jokes?"
"Good ones would probably be better."
The climb was arduous, but there were enough crags and fissures that they could find purchase in the rock. Jaune led the way; Ruby was understandably hesitant to climb above him given her attire, tights or no.
Honestly, he didn't really get the whole "wear a skirt in combat." Was it just a girl thing? He was pretty sure his father would disown his sisters if any of them tried such foolishness.
Even with their exhaustion, both of them were energized by the promise of warmth, light, and company, and the climb passed swiftly. Only a few minutes passed before they dragged themselves onto an outcropping, gasping for breath. Two figures rushed to help them, firm hands aiding them through the last remaining inches.
"Finally made it," Jaune whimpered. He turned to his supporter, intending to thank them, but the words died in his throat, instead replaced by a wide grin as he saw who he had found.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed joyously. "Oh, it's wonderful to see you again!"
::-::-::
Ruby collapsed backwards against a rock, sighing contentedly. "Thanks for the food. Haven't eaten all day."
Pyrrha's partner, a lithe, black haired girl with golden eyes, nodded once in response. "You're welcome." Her voice was quiet, a tad rough, but also warm and rich. It was a slightly paradoxical combination, but it fit perfectly with the way the girl watched everything around her with a relaxed, yet razor focused eye. Unusual, yet understandable.
As Ruby and Jaune had predicted, Pyrrha and her partner had built a small fire at the mouth of a cave in the hope of attracting the attention of other students. Even better, a small spring bubbled only a short walk away, and at some point the pair had managed to catch some fish.
Pyrrha and Jaune were happily chatting deeper inside the cave, leaving Ruby with the quiet girl across from her. The fire crackled in front of her, a dull but mesmerizing red in the pitch black of the night. "What's your name?" she asked. "I don't think I caught it."
"Blake." She turned golden eyes towards the cave. "Our partners are too occupied to introduce us, it seems. You're Ruby, right?"
Ruby raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Yep. How'd you know?"
"A guess," Blake said cryptically. "I heard some things back at Beacon. The clothes were a dead giveaway."
"I suppose they would be," Ruby chuckled. "Did you catch the fish? Pyrrha doesn't seem the type."
"Caught and cooked, yes."
"It was delicious."
"I'm glad."
A pause. "I suppose it makes sense, that a cat faunus would be good with fish."
Blake stiffened, gaze whipping back to meet Ruby, eyes blazing. "Cat faunus?"
"Aren't you?" Ruby asked in surprise. "You don't move like a human. Too graceful. And your eyes. Sorry, I just assumed. Am I wrong?"
"No, you're right," Blake said, the words dragging out agonizingly. "It's somewhat embarrassing you noticed so easily. I was trying to hide it. Faunus aren't… welcome, in a lot of places."
"Yeah," Ruby said regretfully. "Well, I think it's cool. You shouldn't hide things. People will find out eventually."
Oh, now isn't that an ironic thing to say, Little Miss Wisdom. Do dispense more of your great teachings. They're just so relevant.
"If only everyone could be so accepting," Blake murmured.
"Someday, they will," Ruby said confidently. "There's a lot that's messed up in the world, but we can change it all. We just need to take action."
And I am.
Blake hummed thoughtfully, but said nothing.
Jaune and Pyrrha walked out of the cave, eyes averted from their partners in embarrassment. "Sorry about that," Jaune said. "We met each other at Beacon and wanted to catch up. Shouldn't have ditched you, though."
"No problem," Ruby said, waving a hand dismissively. "We took care of the whole introductions thing for you."
Jaune and Pyrrha took their own seats around the fire. None of the four said anything, content to rest from the strains of their day. Despite their lack of bedding, it was a warm, comfortable night, and the chirp of insects and the occasional hooting owl contributed to the tranquil atmosphere. For a while, Ruby was almost fooled into thinking it was just a camping trip. Periodically, however, terrified, agonized screams tore through the night air, ghoulishly muffled by the blanket of warmth and trees, a ghastly reminder of who- and what- else inhabited the forest.
Not everyone was lucky enough to find shelter.
Another shriek pierced the calm, but none of them flinched. The weak, careless, or plain unlucky would die in initiation. Harsh as it was, it would be far worse for them to fail when they held the lives of the innocent and helpless in their hands, as full fledged huntsmen. Here, only they bore the consequences of their failure, and for them to die in solitude was the best anyone could hope for.
The only thing worse than one death was more.
"I'll take first watch," Ruby finally said. "You guys should get some sleep."
With a grateful nod, the other three retreated deeper into the cave. It would be a rough, cold night, but they would survive. For her part, Ruby fed some more fuel into the fire from a small stack Pyrrha and Blake had gathered before settling against a boulder, eyes vigilant. The flames cast dancing shadows across the rock face, but no leering red glares accompanied them.
Time dragged on at a quiet crawl. The screams had stopped, leaving Ruby to battle the day's exhaustion in silence. Twice, she almost dozed off, only to snap back awake in a startled panic as soon as she realized. It was a hopeless struggle, and she felt her exhausted body collapse bit by bit as weighted eyelids dragged themselves shut.
She was just about to go wake one of the others to replace her when a hissed curse floated upwards from the cliff below. Curious, she darted to the edge, peering cautiously below.
"Hello?"
Her only response was another curse, louder, shriller, and very, very familiar, and she felt a rush of excitement as she fumbled with her scroll, turning on a flashlight to illuminate a path. Sure enough, only a few feet away, the piercing beam of light revealed a dirty white figure struggled valiantly to climb upward, arms shaking with exertion. As soon as she was in reach, Ruby bent down, practically yanking the other girl through the air in her enthusiasm.
"I am never going to climb a bloody mountain at night again, Grimm or no!" Weiss Schnee complained, words directed at an unseen recipient below her. "So you keep your idiotic ideas to yourself!"
Another girl's voice echoed back in response. Ruby couldn't catch the words, but Weiss did, because she reacted with an irritated huff.
"And you!" she snapped, this time directed at Ruby. "What were you thinking, shining that insufferable light in my eyes! Were you trying to blind me?"
"Weiss!" Ruby cried, scroll forgotten in her joy. "You're alive!"
Instantly, Weiss's face drained of color, and she took a reflexive, horrified step backwards. "Ruby?" She whispered. "Oh no, no, no. No, not now."
"Aww, come on," Ruby pouted. "That's how you greet me? Am I really that bad?"
"No! Not that," Weiss rambled. "Look, my life's been insane, and there's some news I needed to tell you but I didn't get the chance, obviously, so I just need you to stay calm and-"
"Weiss…" Ruby said suspiciously. "What's going on?"
"It's my partner-"
"Anyone mind giving me a hand down here?" a cheerful voice called out. Ruby frowned, suddenly struck by an immense sense of familiarity. Where had she heard that voice before?
She took a step forward to help, but Weiss blocked her, pushing her back with a shaking hand.
"Weiss?"
"My partner. You know her already. It's- it's- I need you to promise me you'll stay calm."
"Guess not," the voice called out with a tinge of crossness. "Fine, fine, coming up!"
"Stay calm!" Weiss gasped, desperately pleading, but as a head of long golden hair vaulted onto the outcropping her words went unheeded.
For the first time in nearly a decade, silver eyes met amethyst ones.
Ruby's scroll fell out of slack hands, bouncing off the rock slab with a sickly crack. The brilliant white light was snuffed in an instant, leaving only the dark flickers of a dying fire to witness a long delayed reunion.
Two sisters stared at each other with wide eyed, undisguised shock.
"Yang?"
::-::-::
Weiss was very, very stressed.
As soon as she had seen Ruby's reaction, the heiress knew that the worst case scenario had been realized; Ruby was unstable, wild, and unpredictable. The younger girl took one halting step backward, then another, before disappearing into the inky darkness in a red blur. Yang swiveled to watch her, one hand absently coming up to catch one of the delicate rose petals that drifted through the air.
"She has a semblance now," Yang murmured sadly. "When did that happen? She barely even had aura before."
Yes, it turns out people change in seven years. Quite a surprise, isn't it?
Not that Weiss could say that. As far as their cover was concerned, she had only met Ruby yesterday.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," she informed her partner, and the insuring glare came effortlessly. "You know her? Bad history?"
"That's one way to put it. I didn't- didn't expect her to be here. How'd she even get into Beacon? She's too young."
"Too young? What do you mean?"
Yang sighed shakily, and now that she looked more carefully Weiss realized the older sister had been affected as well; she trembled in violent bursts, before returning to statue-like stillness. For someone who almost never stopped moving in some way or another, it was a startling change.
"I'll explain everything later. I don't think now's the time."
You better.
Weiss turned regretfully in the direction Ruby had gone; the darkness stretched in a thick sheet, challenging her to enter and be devoured. As much as she wanted, there was no way she could find her partner. Ruby would hopefully be ok, but as good as the reaper was her current, negative state would draw Grimm like a lure.
There was nothing Weiss could do. Better to die alone than to drag others with you.
A nimble shadow slunk out of the cave, startling both the heiress and her partner. Both of them instinctively reached for their weapons, but the other figure stepped into the fire light, revealing a graceful girl with long black hair and shining amber eyes.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," the girl said. "I heard voices."
Mind still whirling, Weiss automatically fell into seventeen years of ingrained etiquette training. "My apologies. My partner and I saw your fire and came to investigate. Are you the other girl's partner?"
"No. There are more of us inside." The black haired girl gestures behind her, eyes focused on Yang. If she wondered where Ruby had gone, she gave no sign of it. Probably she had heard the whole thing. "You're welcome to stay the night, but we may wake you to take a watch."
As expected. "Very well. We will be happy to take your offer, then." She elbowed Yang sharply, but the blonde barely reacted. "Won't we?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Yang said distractedly. "Thanks."
The other girl nodded. "Sleep. Introductions can wait until tomorrow."
Weiss made her way into the cave, steps hesitant in the blackness, before giving up and lying down where she was on the cold stone. Even with her exhaustion, the unyielding rock and chill night air left her with crippling discomfort, and all of her tossing and turning just applied more pain to her body.
Why did I ever agree to follow this disaster?
The answer, a little girl in a red hood, had abandoned her, lost somewhere in the night.
When sleep finally came, it was worried, uneasy, and fitful.
::-::-::
A/N:
Thanks for reading. All of your guys attention, especially the reviews, means a lot. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me motivated. I'm happy to see people enjoy this story, because half the time I don't even like it. Maybe all writers doubt their own work?
Anyways, this chapter has way more dialogue than my previous chapters. I'm experimenting with my style. Not sure how I feel about it yet, but at least it's evolving…?
Next chapter will probably conclude initiation, and with it the complete departure from anything similar to canon events, but we'll see. This is already far longer than I had expected, but my initial plan felt too rushed, so this happened instead.
Please review! It might be inconvenient, but it makes writers inordinately happy. Or at least it does for me. No matter what you say, it's all helpful!
