Weiss Worries II

"Weiss, are you alright?" Ruby asked, putting away her scroll after she finished taking a selfie with the Nevermore cadaver.

She pursed her lips in thought, taking pause to gaze at the fading Grimm before her. After a moment, Weiss answered, "I'm fine. I admit, I did not expect you of all people to take out a Grimm of that size alone."

A bright beam burst from the younger girl as she laughed. "I'm strong because I drink milk." Weiss leveled a glare back. "Okay, okay, no need to be upset. I dunno why I'm that good. I just is."

"That isn't remotely grammatically correct." She sighed. "You've certainly exceeded my expectations. You win our wager."

"Awesome! No more complaints about me being your partner?" Weiss nodded. "Great!"

"Still, I reserve the right to admonish you if you deign to step out of line!"

She was met with only laughter as the younger girl went off to talk to Nora and Ren. Left alone, Weiss wished she was able to scream and shout to release her frustration. How? How was it possible that Ruby was more capable as a Huntress than she was? She was younger! She lacked the maturity!

Yet… what Weiss saw proved that she was far better than her impression gave off. Ruby wielded her scythe as if it was another limb. Her use of her semblance was like witnessing a master at work. Not only that, there was a sound tactical mind and focus underneath that blinding cheery façade she always had. Ruby was… better than her. That fact gnawed at her for some reason. She knew there would be better skilled people at Beacon, but why did she feel so upset that Ruby, specifically, was better than her? It befuddled her.

Weiss heard the rustling of bushes and she immediately tore away from her thoughts to raise Myrtenaster and herself into a defensive stance. Instead of Grimm, she watched Jaune jogging out of the woods with Pyrrha not far behind him.

"Phew, we're finally at the ruins," Jaune remarked, panting.

"Are you alright, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, placing a hand on his back.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I don't exactly have the best stamina."

Weiss commiserated. "Pyrrha. Jaune. It's good to see you're both alright," she greeted them, smiling more at Pyrrha than at Jaune.

"Weiss! It's good to see you. I must apologize, I'm afraid I couldn't keep my promise to find you."

She shook her head. Weiss never expected Pyrrha to break the rule to begin with. "It's fine. Unfortunately, I, myself, found a partner in his girlfriend."

"Jaune!"

Speaking of, Ruby, using her semblance, dashed straight into Jaune's open arms. All traces of the ruthless Huntress that could kill a Nevermore in one swipe gone.

"I took out a Nevermore!" Ruby boasted.

He laughed. "Yeah, I got your text. I'm surprised Weiss is your partner."

"Yeah, definitely! What are the odds of that actually happening, right? Still, she isn't too bad. How's working with Pyrrha of all people?"

"Did you know she can function as a compass?"

Weiss cleared her throat to capture the attention of the two lovebirds. "Excuse me, you two, but both your partners are standing right here. You can converse with us." Beside her, Pyrrha awkwardly chuckled.

Jaune and Ruby turned to them with sheepish looks.

"Sorry, Weiss," apologized her partner.

Weiss nodded, accepting the apology. "Pyrrha, how was the trek here?"

"Uneventful. Jaune led the way for the majority of the time. He was very careful avoiding any danger."

Her younger partner huffed, crossing her arms as she pouted. "Really, Jaune? I thought we promised to be badasses together! I expected you to bring me a Deathstalker trophy!"

The Schnee Heiress raised an eyebrow at that comment. While she was not one to pry someone else's affairs, tasking your lover to take on a dangerous Grimm seemed to be the kind of thing to get rid of one.

"Umm, I didn't mean to make it sound that he did a bad thing, Ruby!" Pyrrha shouted, worry was written all over her face.

"Sorry, Rubes, but the Arc style is being cautious, careful, and cunning," Jaune boasted, not dismayed by his girlfriend's admonishment.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Cautious and careful are the same thing," she commented.

Jaune turned red. "Well… you get my point."

"Sorry, babe, I'm not seeing the cunning part right now either."

"Ruby!"

The couple began to bicker, but the lovers' spat appeared to be nothing more than playful ribbing between the two. Weiss found it odd that the two just met the previous day and were already acting like an old couple. Sure, she saw that happen often on television and movies, but for it to happen in real life? Strange. Then again, Huntsmen and Huntresses attracted all manner of strange.

Weiss glanced at Pyrrha beside her and took note of the forlorn gaze she was giving the couple. Was that envy she saw? Weiss wondered if the girl left a boyfriend back in Mistral. She overheard a few girls last night that was undergoing the same thing.

"Pyrrha, are you—"

A giant crash erupted in earshot not a few yards away. Weiss cut off what she was saying to turn to the source of the noise. Along the edges of the clearing, she saw trees crashing to the ground. Two people were sprinting forward as a Deathstalker chased after them. One of them, she noticed, was Ruby's sister, Yang. She and another girl were racing across the field as much as their feet could take them, but Weiss calculated that it would no longer take long for the Grimm to catch up now that they were in open ground. They needed help fast.

Before she could make an order, Weiss felt a rush of wind past by her and red petals danced out of the corner of her eye.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted as she watched her partner speed across the field, seeing no notable features save for the red of her cloak.

Next to her, Jaune chuckled.

"Looks like I'll get that Deathstalker trophy for her, after all…"