Chapter 8 – Ruby Rose

A few minutes later, Tatsumi and Mine wait outside the building of the arena looking for the person Coco said would guide them around town. Mine looks around and notices all the students.

"They all are armed with a unique weapon, most probably as strong as the two we just fought." Mine says to Tatsumi.

"But none of them are imperial arms, none look like anything that we have seen before." Tatsumi replies, "Anyway, where is the person Coco said would help us out?"

"Hi there." A voice is heard from behind them. Both Tatsumi and Mine turn around to see a girl around there arg. She was wearing a red and black combat dress and a red cape, matching the description Coco gave them.

"Are you Coco's friend?" Tatsumi says.

"Yep, my name is Ruby and I guess I am your tour guild for the Kingdom of Vale." The girl says with a smile. Her silver eyes wonder down to look at the weapon Mine is holding. "Wow! I have never seen a weapon like that, what is it? It looks awesome!" Ruby says in excitement.

Mine, feeling flattered by Ruby, smiles as she brandishes her weapon, "Thank you, this is called Pumpkin, the weapon that gets stronger the more I am in a pinch." Ruby looks at Mine with eyes of interest. Tatsumi does not say a word as the two girls talk about guns.

"Amazing, how did you make a weapon with the ability to do that?" Ruby inquires. Mine takes a minute to think about what to say next as she puts her weapon back in its metal case.

"Well, I did not make this weapon, I was it given it by our leader because she thought I was more skilled with it than she was." Mine says, proud of herself in that statement.

"Oh, so where is the rest of your team anyway?" Ruby continues her questions as Tatsumi tries to answerer this question. "We lost them because of some bad luck that happened recently and if we knew more about the area we are now in. It may help us find them."

"I see, okay let us start our tour." Ruby says energetically as she starts walking towards a large tower. Tatsumi and Mine follow her. "We are here in Beacon Academy and that tower is where our headmaster, Professor Ozpin is. He is a nice guy who let me come to school here two years earlier than everyone else."

"Could we go a little quicker, it is really important we find out where we are to find our friends." Mine says as Tatsumi nods.

"Sorry, I will pick up the pace. I do not give tour guild that often." As Ruby finishes this statement, then runs off in the distance at an insane speed, leaving only a trail of rose petals behind her. Mine and Tatsumi look in shock of the speed they had just witness from out of nowhere.

"Come slowpokes." They hear a voice in the distance yell this at them and look to see Ruby was the one who called then. She looked like a red dot in the distance to them at the entrance yard of the school. Mine and Tatsumi try to catch up but as soon as they get close to her, she rushes off in the distance to their next location. This continues until Ruby reaches the center of a commercial district in the city.

"This is Vale near the port, where most visitors from other kingdoms first see come in. As you can see all the banners and excited people who are getting ready for the Vytal Festival. You probably have been here before if you came by boat. By the way, witch kingdom did you come from?" Ruby asks to look behind her and see only two little dots represent the people she was supposes to give a tour to, left in the dust.

She rushes back to see them in front of a store called From Dust till Dawn. The two are breathing heavily after trying to keep up with her. Ruby looks embarrassed at her misunderstanding of their ability to keep up with her.

"Sorry, I did not realize how far behind you were, you said to pick up the pace." Ruby says as she tries asking for forgiveness. Mine and Tatsumi both catch their breath and look around the area to try to see if anyone they know is nearby. They notice nobody familiar, but Ruby sees someone that she recognizes in the shop. She starts waving to a woman wearing an all-white combat dress with long white hair and a rapier on her side. The woman was finishing paying for something at the counter.

"Hey Weiss, over here." Ruby calls the person as she walks into the store. Tatsumi and Mine follow her, relived that it is only over a short distance.

"Hello Ruby, I thought you wanted to stay at school to do some studying." Weiss says to her friend, then noticing the two people following her. "Who are those two?"

"There new students that Coco asked me to show around the kingdom. They are also pretty good at fighting if they could beat her and Velvet in combat." Ruby says.

Weiss looks back at the two of them. Tatsumi wonders to look at the magazines, while Mine walks to the old store clerk. "What is it you sell here? This does not look like jewelry I have seen before." She says. The old store clerk looks to her with confusion.

Weiss stairs intensely at Mine, judging her silently. The pink haired girl wonders why Weiss was looking at is doing this until Weiss looks back at Ruby, "I do not buy it, this guy seems kind of strong but this girl does not even know what dust is. I think Coco let you two win so she could pawn then off on you, Ruby." The heiress says in a condescending tone about the pink haired girl. Mine, full of anger at this last remark, walks over to Weiss.

"What was that!? How dare you talk to me so lightly off a first impression, who do you think you are?" Mine says angrily as Weiss looks unfazed.

"The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. One of the most powerful companies in all of Remnant." Weiss says in a condescending tone to Mine, "How do you not know what Dust is, it is the most useful item any Huntress needs if they want to kill Grimm."

"…What?" Mine says in confusion over the words the heiress used. Weiss shakes her head in mockery

"Tatsumi, back me up here. She is just judging before getting to know me, who does that?" Mine says as she looks at Tatsumi, he give her an ironic look.

"It does not feel good being on the other side of the spectrum." Tatsumi says with a slight smile as he flips through a comic he found. Ruby walks over to him to pick up a magazine with him.

"I can say whatever I want. Pulse, I have every reason to make those claims. How do you not know the basics if you are in any academy that expect you to learn this before day one?" Weiss says, raising her tone of voice from before.

"At least I have better fashion sense than you?" Mine says in a rage, trying to think of a better comeback than that.

"Really, look at your clothes. It looks like you slept in those things, and the color pink just does not suit you as well as you think." Weiss says crossing her arms and raising her head. Mine gets even angrier at this statement as veins appear on her forehand.

"You…You …Ice Queen!" Mine says, think that was the best she could come up with.

"Like I have not heard that one before." Weiss replies as glaring at Mine. The pink hair girl glares back. Tatsumi and Ruby stay out of this argument and watch the two,

"Is she always like this?" Tatsumi inquired.

"Only to new people….mostly. She was just like this when I first meet her too. I still have the pamphlet she gave me." Ruby tells Tatsumi, who gives her an odd look. She calls to her friend to try to break the tension. "Weiss what are you doing here anyway?"

"I wanted to restock on dust to power up my weapon for our mission it starts in an hour, remember?" Weiss replies, breaking her glare form Mine. Ruby gasp as she remembers she had a mission today.

"I did forget, I am sorry Mine and Tatsumi, but we have to continue our tour later." Ruby says apologizing to two of them.

Weiss walks over to Ruby, "Yang and Blake went on mission earlier today and will not be back until after we leave." The heiress looks towards Tatsumi, "Could you and your friend give me a minute to talk with my partner?"

He nods as he puts the magazine back and walks over to Mine, trying to calm her down. Weiss then gives Ruby a serious look.

"Ruby, I did come down here for just that. I have found out that a large amount of the White Fang were found dead in this area last night." The heiress says in a low tone of voice. Ruby gasps at the knowledge that another enemy may exist in her city.

"Who did it?" she whispers so the people in the store do not hear her.

Weiss answerers, "Nobody knows, but the bodies were incased in ice when found. Because of that, people are starting to suspect the Schnee family. Only ice Glyphs are strong enough to do that. I know my family did not do any of this, so I need a favor of you Ruby. Tell the professor that I cannot go on this next mission."

"Why not, are you going to try and find whoever did this? If so, let me help you, we are a team after all." Ruby beseeches Weiss.

"No, they are discrediting my family's name and I need to be the one to clear it. Please understand Ruby, and do not tell Blake or Yang. I do not want them to worry." Weiss says in an imploring tone at Ruby.

"I do understand, but," Ruby pauses trying to find the right words to say to her friend, "I just do not want you to get hurt, that is all." Weiss puts her hand on Ruby's shoulder to reassure her friend. "Do not worry, I know what I am capable of, I am Schnee who needs defend her name and take out the person how thinks they can copy own Semblance."

"Okay, but you need to have some type of backup." Ruby calmed downed a bit asked. "Why do you not call Sun, Pyrrha, or Jaune?" She then realizes the irony in her last person she recommend.

Weiss disagrees this, but has an idea of what to do. "I will call Neptune. Will that make you happy?" Ruby nods and smiles. Weiss smiles back, wanting also to spend quality time with Neptune then. Ruby then walks back to Tatsumi and Mine.

"Sorry about that, Weiss cannot go on that mission with me for….reasons. Do you think you two could help on it? Then I can continue giving you the tour." Ruby asks the both of them.

"Sure, but could you tell use more about what dust is." Mine says, to witch, Ruby nods.

Weiss and Ruby walk out the store, Mine is about to walk out but is stopped by Tatsumi. He looks at her with slight anger, "What was that about, we need to find our friends. Not learn what Dust is or go on a mission."

"I know, but the more we find out about this world, the better we can inform our team when we find them." Mine says, "Plus, I want to show that girl that I am not a pushover because I do not know what dust is." Mine say as she walks out the store. Tatsumi lets out a sigh as he follows.

The four meet up outside the store. Weiss waves to the others as she walks away. Tatsumi and Ruby wave back, but Mine does not acknowledge the heiress. The three walk back towards the school while Weiss walks alone. She pulls out her scroll to make a call.