Chapter 10: Everything

Ruby Rose

"You think she's mad?"

"Who mom? Nah," Yang replied paused at the doorstep, the wooden entrance unpainted with a little looking glass piece that stared at them coldly and hatefully on this surprisingly bright late afternoon, "Yeah, probably."

"Should we knock?" Ruby asked, her home's big yard behind her a pleasant field that reached the gravel street and the shed that hid Yang's bike from the rain. It wasn't that considerable a walk back to their mini motor vehicle. Just a drive to Beacon really, where she could hide under Weiss' bed forever.

"I mean, I have the key. It's my house." Yang running away with her was out. This was it. No escape.

"'Abandon all hope ye who enter here'," Ruby quoted, nodding to herself, "Do it."

"Grim much, Rubes, geez. It's not like she can eat you, goths are not exactly a Spanish delicacy." She turned the key, lock snapping back into place and hinges squeaking in much need of some grease. Ruby noted how, without question, doors were always louder when she did something wrong.

"Namá? Papá? ¿Estáis aqui?" Yang called into the lightly lit foyer.

"Sí, aquí." It was Miss Long, Ruby knew the voice. It put an iron ball in her belly, but she knew she could do this. Breath, she whispered to herself, breath.

"I'm home!" Ruby shouted, not like normal announcing, she let out a panicked and falsely enthusiastic bellow, diving right into this. She had just the tiny bit of her courage so now was the time to face her executioner.

"Welcome home. How was school?" Miss Long replied, and that was it. Just pleasantries. It was so weird even Yang made a face. It was a trap, Ruby was sure of it, her liver was going to be floating down the Río del Valla.

"It was, uhh, good." Ruby's voice cracked on the good. Courage was gone, she was just a lonesome gringo, ready to be shanked by her in effect stepmother. Still she had to. There was a note in her hand that needed getting to this terrifying pseudo-parental authority.

"Ruby! Come on in, I'm making early dinner!" The angels cried out in a chorus through the heavens as her father announced from the kitchen. No stabbing around dad. She could survive the night.

The kitchen was unchanged over the day's departure from home. Still smelled like any variable Spanish cookhouse with plenty of fresh spices hanging everywhere, added boxes of imported Chinese condiments their dad bought in bulk, and an almost constantly in use rice cooker, a staple in both cultural diets.

Father was in the kitchen with his chief's smock on, splattered with stains and bad permanent art drawings Yang made as child. He shared in the cooking responsibilities, making some tortillas, the Spanish variant a combination of egg and potato, not the cornflower base Ruby was more familiar with in America. They were tasty though, often filled with pork or some assorted meats with, at least for Ruby, copious cheeses.

"Welcome back, Rubes. Yang said you were coming. Café con leche?" He asked, handing her plate of the folded yellow mini-meal. The drink in mention was a little coffee thing that was loaded with so much milk and sugar it would kill someone with diabetes just by the smell of it, least the ones Ruby drank from her dad, else it was always too bitter.

"Yeah, thanks dad. Sorry," Ruby mumbled the end while taking her plate. Her father smiled, his dark black hair getting in his eyes and thin lines of facial hair, he looked a lot younger than he was, she noticed.

"Don't worry, Rubes, you eat," her father, Taiyang, replied with a gentle voice, hand reaching out to squeeze Ruby's shoulders. One of the saddest things about her dumb running away idiocy to her was that she hurt him, made him worry. Still, it was so nice to have him just be sweet. "You want anything, Yang?" was added when her sister stepped into the kitchen, tossing her bag at the door and combing through her massive golden locks as she did whenever she was home.

"Nah, I'm making a steak later. Got to gain that muscle for the tourney!" The drama averted, Yang was back to thinking about the upcoming set of matches, the fire in her eyes lately was a sign of her dedication to the Vytal Festival. She was champion in women's kickboxing last year, she had to be again, everything seemed a little superfluous to her.

"Sure you don't want me to go?" Ruby asked, knowing the answer. It was always something not for the family to get involved with, but still, she wanted to at least be clear in her desire to support her sister. There was also the matter of avoiding sitting down. Furnished with only one table, and the most dangerous person was sitting at it right now.

"Shush, I don't want anyone in the stand blubbering when I make a mistake," Yang repeated her usual mantra, sneaking back into the kitchen for an apple to munch on as she cooked, the process of steak making for her was something of a long and interesting one, coated in brown sugar and soaked in oddly enough several Spanish sodas. Combined they would make a delicious fusion of energy and protein she needed to work out at her near constant rate.

"But you never make a mistake," Ruby argued to no real avail as she watched Yang pull the meat out of the fridge in a stained plastic bag. It would be delicious, but uncooked it looked rather nasty.

"She's very, what's the word ey, obstinate, about it. Don't bother, Ruby. I can't get her to invite me to go," Envida, Miss Long, cut in, not looking at either of them, her eyes locked comfortably on her laptop screen, working likely from home on some of her unknown projects. Ruby had no idea what her job was, but dad had suggested it was something that paid well and had a free schedule. Perhaps another time she should ask. "You can't eat and stand Ruby?"

"Oh yeah." Miss Long's words snapped Ruby to attention and she sat herself right down on the opposing side of the table, a few feet between them, Ruby with her dinner and Envida with her work, typing with one hand and brushing her only lightly faded hair with another, something Ruby associated as a mark of focus.

"Umm, Miss Long, I uhhh," Ruby was choking on her words, but it needed to be done. She still had the envelope in a clutches with a much more pointed apology for her, as well as a few promises and assorted ramblings. Weiss thought it was a stupid idea, Yang a bit much, but if Ruby was going to pursue a future of rainbows and happiness, this was a big step. "I'm sorry and I wrote this for you and I hope it's okay so please read it when you can, thank you!" The redhead shoved the envelope forward and at first there was nothing but silence, nervousness, and motionless confusion on Envida's end.

"Okay," it took a second, but Miss long breathed and started, ripping open the envelope and reading it silently. To Ruby's pleasure she never said a word out loud, the personal writing was more meant for her to quickly read to herself. Now though, Ruby was at least happy for the matter to be settled. "Aye, Dios mija, Ruby this is no good," she was still reading, eyes dancing across the paper with intense fervor, but she seemed more sad than angry, "No no no, mija this is too much. It's okay. You don't, ey, skip school anymore and we'll do just fine. This, this is too much." She slid the paper down and seemed exhausted, doing Ruby the favor of looking at her, not on the bright LED screen that was probably way more important right now.

"You're not mad?" Ruby asked and Envida sighed.

"I don't like everything you say, but I'm not so old I forget what it was like to be you. I disappeared for two years in universidad. Sometimes, you need to escape. I am glad it was one day and not two years, eh?" Punctuating with a sigh she went back to typing, setting the note down on the wooden table, she seemed to think it was a much more shut case than Ruby did.

"Here you go, Rubes," Taiyang whispered to his daughter, patting her on the back and sliding over a false porcelain cup of brown steaming liquid that reminded her of chocolate milk. Taking the drink from him, the thin man slid a much more reserved and darker cup to his wife, hugging her sweetly as she worked. "It was actually in those traveling days I met her. She was dying her hair black and calling herself Raven Branwen, something from Walish myth. She even had these red conta—"

"Por favor cállate, you don't need to mention this no?" Envida cut him off, gently swatting his face, a hint of embarrassed red creeping on her cheeks. Maybe the shiny goth look wasn't actually something that would upset her, after in all the trippy fashions Ruby had run through, colored contacts were a step farther in the high school rebel direction than she ever dared dreed. "Sometimes you just need to breath. It's over now."

"Mama was a dangerous vagabond when she was younger," Yang announced from the kitchen, the loud bang of a baking sheet and poor cooking practice ringing throughout the house. Ruby couldn't tell if it was the embarrassment or Yang's butter fingers that made Miss Long look more exasperated. "She's still got all this biker gear and this wicked white and red helmet. I'll show you after I put the steak in!"

"Please don't," Envida mumbled in defeat, head resting in her hands.

"I never knew you were so cool, Miss Long!" Ruby remarked with a laugh, taking a sweet sip of her drink, the milk heavy coffee.

"Not cool, it's silly," she was laughing at least, "I'm a grown woman now."

"Never too grown up for adventure, mama!" Yang shouted, slamming the oven closed as hard as she could and causing every single person in the room to seize up. How had she not broken everything in the house?

"Yang's right, you look great in it still," Taiyang half joked it seemed, picking up his own food for the night, before taking his seat at the dinner table. A plate of tortilla and a mound of white rice with some dumplings, a cultural taste extravaganza just for him.

"Shush, you love dangerous women too much," she countered, poking the slightly smaller elephant in the room, but she seemed not to mind it, not to mind Ruby, just a fact of condition. "I just have to be the most dangerous. I'd turn you into my next coat if not, eh?" She smiled when she looked at her husband despite the death threats, and Ruby was convinced that the two of them were in love. The redheaded child was the result of the exception, not the rule, she was sure of it.

"Not too bad though Mama. I got a free sister out of the deal!" Yang called out, always pushing the edge so frighteningly close to over. Envida smiled through, her envy of a dead woman at an all time low. Yang sat with them. Though her meal was still cooking, she had her apple that she ate happily, taking only a moment to slip off her vest revealing the low cut yellow tank underneath. Somehow this inevitable fight ended in family dinner.

"True, but we don't want several thank you, Yang, Ruby will be all we need, no more," she looked at Ruby with lilac eyes, so much like Yang's, so unlike her own gray disks, "No less."

'We're meeting at the docks no later than 18:00, understood? I'm leaving if you're late.' It was Weiss, her text having come in during Ruby's quick shower, instructions for the festival outing they had been planning all day.

'of course! I wouldnt be late for the world! :D' Ruby replied as she sat naked on the bathroom toilet, still sopping wet from the shower, her thick black and red hair mix sticking to her face in an all around messy, yet clean, dishevelment. It was more important to respond than it was to make sure the tan tiled floor of her bathroom wasn't completely soaked.

'I've heard that before,' Weiss replied quickly, the phone buzzing and coming to life before Ruby could even put the it down. The sputtering of the android was turning into one of the most stupidly heart stopping experiences the petite girl had in her life, which was odd considering how absolutely clinical Weiss' texts were, and a little sad, but the communication was enough.

'as ya should! ;P' Ruby hit sent before she could stop herself, the line between flirting and friendship growing needle thin in their texts lately. It was so hard to take it seriously that she felt a little protected when it wasn't in person, though it did leave her chronically giddy.

The response was taking a while, Ruby found the time to dry herself up, brushing down her body with green towels that featured prominently in the mostly tan home, Spanish homes tended to have warmer color palettes than their American equivalents. It was dusk now, but Ruby wasn't going anywhere. She wrapped her hair in a towel, slapped on a pad to deal with monthly business, and slid into some PJs, the polka dot pants and usual loose tank with no bra. She had no company to impress and it wasn't like the older teen was packing too much heat from the get go.

Just when Ruby was starting to get nervous, brushing her teeth with wild gusto, eyes glancing between the relax wear girl in the window, and the black screen resting on the false marble sink. The light went off and a buzz sounded as it vibrated gently.

'I suppose you aren't horrible either, one could do a lot worse.' Weiss took her time with that one. Their flirting resulted in nothing but laughs, but the pauses between the German girl's responses always puzzled Ruby. Either signs of irritation or nervous consideration.

'your a charmer.' Ruby had no pause, she snapped out her response with a happy grin. The bathroom exited right into her private little basement apartment, a home onto itself, one she was not afraid to strut around in PJs with her towel bun and a stupid smile. The only one there to judge her was Yang, and she was currently burning off her steak in the form of grueling one-handed push ups, small droplets of sweat sliding off her sun infused skin.

"Heya, sis!" Ruby took the short trek from the tan tiles over to the comfy couch they had so lovingly acquired for her. Landing on those cushions was all she needed after being so stressed. It was pretty, everything was aglow, as the red dusk sun reflected off the ocean and into the room through the basement windows. This near apartment wasn't a terrible place, Ruby was grateful for it.

And again the phone buzzed. 'Only to people unimportant to me.' That was a flirt. Ruby blushed a vivid red and just couldn't stop smiling. Immediately she knew she was over reacting as a giggle escaped her lips and another message came in. 'Also it's you're Ruby, we've been through this!.' Breath, she reminded herself, don't make mountains out of hills.

'so I'm important? :'D' Was Ruby's joking response, laced with a serious question. Yang must have noticed the girl's giddy gushings granted the grunts of her workout came to a close, lilac eyes looking at the gray ones illuminated by a bright phone main screen.

"So, you got a girlfriend, Rubes?" Yang asked with her prying eyes that could see through all secrets. There was only one way to hide now. Playstation on, MK in, and console ready, hide in a match, focus on face punching, and not on the red that could never hide away in her pale face.

"No," it wasn't particularly a strong defense, but it wasn't a lie either. Wasn't long before matchmaking started and another buzz sounded from her phone and Ruby dove for it. It would only take a few seconds to read it and respond.

'Yes.' Ruby burned all the way to her ears and couldn't help it for even a moment.

'how am I important?' was the response, no hiding behind anything this time. Finished and sent right in time to pick random on the character select screen, the perfect response to the jerks online that just waited to pick whatever character was better against her's. The match started with a flurry of kicks and projectiles. Ruby was winning, but barely. And of course the buzz, the evil buzz. The decision was now, throw the match and find out immediately, or wait. There was no choice.

"Wow, stopping in the middle of an online match, this is love," Yang joked, laughing to herself, but this was no joke.

'Why should I tell you?' Ruby read that along the background sounds of a round one loss. Total and complete disappointment.

'that's cheating!" The reply sent, the redhead tossed her smartphone into the farthest corner with a groan. It was in time out now. No way around it. The second round was still salvageable, and with minor face obliteration, Ruby was already starting to feel better.

"Oh my, what'd she say to make you so mad?" Yang asked, staring up at the screen while continuing her push up set. She was using two arms now, must have been getting tired or found Ruby too interesting to ignore. Maybe she just hungered to play, the siren call of combat.

"Nothing," Ruby replied, blowing a loose soaked strand of hair that rested uncomfortably on her eyelash, the red bouncing right back into her face. Evil. "Just stuff. I don't know, Yang. Weiss is, I just can't tell if she's into me or just like friends. She still seems a little hung up on her ex." Round three started and the phone buzzed. She wanted to check it, but disappointment still stinging, Ruby waited for the turnaround victory, catching a narrow tie breaker win with the infamous teleport punch.

"Make her forget, Rubes, whoever was her boo ain't got shit on you! See what I did there? It rhymed!" Yang giggled self-satisfied while her sister checked the text.

'We are playing games now? What are the rules?' Weiss had a quizzical response, perhaps an invitation. Question game, question game. Such a risky little move. Screw it, Ruby thought, mom always said fortunate favored the bold.

'alright weiss I ask a question you answer a question my question is whats your favorite food?' Start safe, Ruby thought, feeling a bit clever and confident. Yang was right. If Ruby wanted Weiss to forget about that Emerald girl she needed to give her a reason to. "Thanks Yang, you're the best sister. How are you feeling about the tournament, about you know, stuff? Any boys or girls or whatever you wanna gush about, I can't be the only one looking dumb here!" Ruby tried to laugh off her own embarrassment, but her concern was real enough. Yang had a nasty habit of hiding stuff, some people required a shovel.

"The tourney will be easy, I'm a beast," Yang responded with a smile as she switched to crunch position, the smile faded. "I haven't been seeing anyone, even casually like I use to. Hasn't felt right since last year." The golden girl's short pause was over and the crunches started, the quick repetition of a natural.

'My favorite food? Probably Lobster. I know, obvious rich girl answer. That or fine sushi. My question: Ruby, who was your ex? You mentioned you had one. I feel at a disadvantage not knowing.' Weiss asked the hard question off the bat, a reminder of exactly the kind of dangerous girl Ruby was playing with. This was a deadly game of texting chess, one where the winner or loser was defined by the depths of their embarrassment and deadened cheeks. Ruby could not falter.

'a girl named Cinder in my highschool. we had a "adopt a freshmen program" and she was the senior assigned to me we dated for a year broke up got back together broke up again later she was always pressuring me to do bad stuff I didnt like the person she wanted me to be so I dumped her. not as interesting I know sorry XD' It was a lot more heart wrenching then, though thoughts of those golden eyes did nothing for her anymore. She was over it, ended before she did anything totally stupid. 'Oh and weiss what got you into music?' She added in a second message forgetting her turn. Then there was the Yang.

"Maybe you need to meet new people? No one doing it for you? Wanna talk about it?" Yang was always the liberated woman, though Ruby always wanted to be more conservative with her own body, that was her business, there was something truly respectable to the golden girl's way of life. She never lied, she never toyed with people, she fooled around but with the body never the heart. She crushed hard and was a fast living girl. Yang told Ruby more than once about the guys or girls she's been with, but kept romance special for the few. It was rare for her to live detatched from touch for a year, unheard of really.

"I found people, I just... Oh Rubes, I don't know. Yang got herself rejected, little sis." The unbeatable heartbreaker collapsed herself on the floor, dotted with sweat and blessed with a smile that wedged its way into everyone's mind.

"Someone for real?" Ruby asked, not needing to.

"Yep."

"Blake?"

"She is cheeky," Yang looked up at Ruby with that grin of a child, caught with a face full of desert. It was adorable, but sad. Blake obviously meant a lot. Though if anyone had asked Ruby the two of them already seemed a couple. The few people who had rejected Yang had never beaten her down. The Italian was something unique.

"Wanna hug?" Ruby offered, seeing the light on her phone shine, but her sister was of slight greater importance. They kept eye contact, a moment passed by and Yang shook her head.

"I smell gross, dude, you're going to want me to shower first."

"I don't mind," Ruby replied.

"Trust me, you will or we need a hygiene talk." Both of them laughed, "Imma run up stairs, get fresh, then we can talk about hugs." Yang winked those lilac irises at Ruby to show everything was stable-ish. With a quick kick, the golden girl flipped herself onto her feet in one fluid motion that would make an Olympic gymnast turn. Her sister clapped and whistled, and in a tank top, soaked through gym shorts, and a mess of oily hair, Yang took her bow, disappearing upstairs.

She was going to be okay.

Now for the text.

'It was never a moment, as a child I loved it, I always asked my father to play Ludwig or Mozart for me, some Chopin. Then American blues. World music from African tribal dances to Irish folk songs. Canadian maritime shanties to British Punk Rock. Everything fascinated me, it would be like asking, Ruby when did you realize you needed to eat? Or as a writer, when did you realize a story had value?' which was quickly followed by, 'Sorry, that was a little, intense. Who's your favorite of the dorms?'

'you easy' Sorry Penny! 'And yours?' Cheap response, but totally valid. Soaking in the last light of the sun, texting Weiss, being devoured by her couch, awaiting her boisterous sister, ignoring the lit paper that was due in less than twenty-four hours. This was the life she was content with, at peace. Mom was missed, deeply so, the ache would never really leave, but right now, it was alright. She could shut the game off, let the sounds of the air blowing past the window reverberate in her.

'Ruby, I don't have any other friends, idiot.'

'penny's your bud now! It'll grow after we all hang out together during the festival :D tho I'm like the best' there was a pause here, Ruby searched for the word, right one to represent something and nothing, 'partner you'll ever know.' Ruby hit send before considering the very specific meaning that had within the homosexual community. Panic time. 'I mean like who else would be your science partner!' Smooth.

'Well Penny is in the class,' don't you dare, 'but I think I'll keep my answer. I don't know about befriending the others. Blake still has a hit on me.' Ruby had found herself overturned on the couch, the green towel left to languish and her loose hair wild and wet still, the autumn chill giving a cool feeling to her scalp. This was a sad topic, but Ruby was hopeful.

'blake doesn't know you it'll be fine.'

'How are you going to fix everything, magical Ruby? Shake your wand and make everything okay?'

'Yes! and for added bonus, just let you meet. No one couldn't love you,' love was converted quickly to like, though Ruby didn't even know if she could say that her feelings were so intense, the impression was too much even for her and their flirty texts. 'also I suppose that makes it my question? ;P' Ruby added, knowing there was one thing left she wanted to ask.

'Alright, and?' Weiss replied just as Ruby expected. Standard cool tone that matched her icon on Ruby's phone, a forced selfie together with the German's eyes rolling in disinterest, the background packed with instruments that represented her musical soul and what Ruby pretended was just the mildest hint of a smile. The real Weiss poking her head out behind the layers of ice.

'Alright I want to know what makes me special to you ;P' Too much, Ruby deleted it and started again, fingers oddly nervous, 'why do you spend time with me?' Again it was off, too desperate, too lonely, too sad. 'the first question ;P why am I important?' Ruby felt like her hands were going to smash the phone she clenched it so hard after the little delivered marker showed up. It was gone, soon there would be an answer, paid for, no escape. Maybe, just maybe, it might give her some courage.

"Rubes! I'm coming down!" Yang was back, her steps down the stairs carried a heavy weight, her jacked body not light by any standards, especially by the uniquely silly measurements. She dressed in the usual evening wear, jammies and a lone sports bra for support. While they weren't close enough to just chill around naked together, neither of them found anything special nor interesting about one another in just undies. The sweat pants were more cause of the cold air, but after that workout Ruby couldn't blame her for wanting a cool down.

"Hi sis, feeling any better?" Ruby asked, watching her descend, hair blow dried yet still a little wet. That had to be the most unending pain, still she kept it clean and free, wild too, still beautiful.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Yang strutted over, lifting Ruby's legs from the couch and dropping them to make room. "I'm actually thinking of asking out this Pyrrha chick. I mean like it's not like Blake, but maybe it's a step, so root for me! I'm going to do it after I win the tourney! Better root for me." Yang snapped herself back faster than anyone could ever dream. She would have handled losing Envida better than Ruby did Summer, but the sister would never wish that on her. Ever.

"Want me to go?" Ruby asked in vain, she wasn't thrilled about the idea of canceling plans with Weiss, but A, that wasn't going to happen anyways, and B, Yang was her sister. She always came first.

"Nah, I don't like family being around for my bad habits," Yang said with a wink, hiding perhaps something else. Maybe scared to lose in front of family? Didn't matter, Yang always wins. "You could give me that hug you promised?"

With a laugh, Ruby put her arms around her big sister, much more muscular arms encased her and she felt safe like only her mother ever made her feel. Yang was an amazing sister, an amazing person. If Pyrrha could like any girl, it should be Yang, and if Blake couldn't see that, no matter how cool she was, Ruby preferred someone else for her champion.

"You're the best sister," Yang mumbled as a buzz went off behind her. The cell was there, shining with Weiss's name. Ruby tried reaching for it, but her hand was a touch short in the embrace. She let go, but Yang didn't, arms tightly clutching her.

"Yang, can you let go?" the redhead asked with a raised eye. Yang just smiled.

"No."

"Why?!"

"It's really cold. I should have kept the tank."

"Yang!" Ruby struggled, but there was no escape. Yang was stronger, a girl made of near nothing but muscle and hair. She was a demon, a demon in search of a human blankey

"No! I need your body heat, Ruby you little teenaged sweater!" Ruby deployed her only known advantage, a tickle spot located between the abs on Yang. It would not free her, no, but buy her time, much needed time to grab her phone. Secrets had to be revealed.

"Ruby, no! Please! Don't deny my sisterly love!" Yang's gripped weakened in a fit of giggles, there was a chance, the chance for freedom. Ruby went for it. Hand diving out, fingers laced around the plastic casing of her andriod. The boxer pulled her right back into the hug, but it was too late. It was over. She had the phone now. Sliding the lock screen out, staring out from over Yang's shoulder, the message poped up and Ruby knew what it was like to die happy.

'Everything.' The first message said. Everything. 'Or nothing, I don't really know.' The follow up didn't diminishes the meaning or the burning sensation that danced aflame on her cheeks, visibly melting into the couch. Stupid Weiss, making it unclear, she thought silently, finding no other complaints worth muttering that day.

***Hello! Hope you enjoyed this shorter chapter in today's release of Choice. Things are a little on the slower side, but next chapter will be big, I promise! On a writing note, creating the dialogue for Envida Long (retrofitted to be Raven cleverly I might add ;P) is kind of like writing my mother. Sorry for the bad Spanish, it's just what I remember from my childhood! :D My Spanish is from what I remember as a kid so if I make any big mistakes just tell me!

Thanks so much to LazyKatze for editing Choice, her work is amazing and I did a wonderful name of layers of ice in here but also check out her story Fighting a Beautiful Death, which is hosted by A-rav, so check it out. I promise she is amazing! Thanks also for all the reviews, the support was super uplifting last time and I'm so happy to get it! See you all next month! or Next week if you're an AV fan!

P.S. In lieu of the news, I wish Monty a speedy recovery. My best wishes go out to him and his family.