Chapter 16 - And the Game Begins

Checking in was quick and painless and only filled with a small amount of stuttering and mumbling from Ruby. And Ruby only had to practice what she wanted to say for five minutes before it was her turn! Truly a wondrous day for the young Rose.

An attendant led her to her table, placing a placard with a number which matched her lanyard onto it so that those watching the event could determine who was who amongst the noise of machinery. There wasn't too much for Ruby to prepare, in all. All major tools were provided, as well as most minor ones. There were three hammers; a large metal one, a small metal one and a large rubber mallet, along with screw drivers of varying heads, a soldering gun, welding torches, pens, pencils, rulers and anything else Ruby could think of. And what wasn't on the table or in the side-area for larger machining, there was a small notebook to write down what was needed and give to any of the numerous attendants to place in a rush order. Ruby had to whistle in appreciation. She loved her small shed in the back of her house, but what she wouldn't give to have even half this stuff.

All top of the line gear and each more expensive than the last. And it was for a competition that even 'peasants' like her could participate.

Ruby quickly rearranged her place, placing the pens and pencils closer to the front, and the welding torches towards the back. If all went according to plan, little to no welding was going to be needed at all. She pulled out her notebook which had the basic sketches and measurements she wanted and placed it down as well, flipping to the front page and making sure no pages were missing. Finally, came two cylindrical objects, one of wood and the other of thin mild steel. The original music toy and her metallic proof of concept she had been working for hours to perfect.

And with that, fifteen minutes later she was ready for the competition to begin… In one hour.

Curse her impeccable speed and efficiency! But it did mean more time to wander around the estate. Or at least to wander around the parts of the estate that weren't cordoned off. And so, Ruby left the central grounds and walked into the halls, only stopping briefly to admire the rose bush which was in full bloom. It was her favourite flower, and her last name was only three-quarters of the reason why it was so.

The tour-able part of the estate itself, from what the many maps around the courtyard explained, was made up of four primary areas: the central plaza where the competition was to be held, the main hall where the ball was going to be for the higher-class guests and the winner of the event whoever it was, the dining hall and the front driveway. That wasn't to be confused with the back driveway or western driveway, because of course the Schnees and their retinue had enough cars to fill up three driveways with space left over.

Having already seen the central plaza and arriving through the front driveway, there were only two places left worth exploring. And only one of those options had the potential to find cookies. Reading the map carefully to memorize the directions, she set off on her little adventure. It had been a while since she had the opportunity to truly explore somewhere brand new. Most often it was just the forest and creek around her house. That was, when she even had time to go exploring, which wasn't often thanks to her role as Cinder's lacky.

Old role, she had to remind herself with a small smile, growing larger as she repeated the thought again and again. It had been a waste. Cinder hadn't even kept her end of the bargain. She didn't reduce the rent on Yang or anything.

But Torchwick hadn't stolen anything from them while she was working for her, there was that. Her smile turned into a frown. If she stopped helping Cinder by doing her chores, would Torchwick return to stealing their few remaining possessions? Or would the worst happen and their family home burn down?

No, those thoughts were for another time. Now was not the time nor place to start psyching herself out. She was going to do the best she could and make a sword that would put Crescent Rose to shame.

Well, maybe not that good. Her baby was of course, the epitome of perfection. Even though it did have a loose gear. And a spring which kept popping out of place whenever she spun too quickly. Or a blade which would sometimes forget to retract properly and chip itself.

Okay, so Crescent Rose wasn't the most absolutely perfect weapon, yet! But it was getting there. For now, it was up to Ruby to make Weiss Schnee the most perfect weapon. One that befitted a girl as… something as she was. What was Weiss? Rich? Yes, but if she wanted a weapon that expressed her wealth, she would have had one custom made by the best of the best. Nice? No, not really. At least based on her interaction with her. Speaking of, she would have to find the girl and apologize for the paint incident. Hopefully her weapon-smithing could do most of the apologizing for her.

By the end of the day, Weiss was going to be all 'Ruby Rose, your skills are so amazing I just want to be your bestest friend ever.'

And now she was lost. Where even was she? She didn't remember seeing this part of the estate on that map. Was she supposed to make a left then a right at the knight armour? Or was it a left then a second left? She knew she had to turn left first. Did she even do that, or had she just wandered straight through a room without even glancing towards the direction she had been meaning to go?

"Hello?" She tried. There had to be somebody nearby. Maybe a butler or maid or something to point her in the right direction. Preferably not with a scolding. And maybe a tray of cookies. "Anybody there?"

Ruby opened a door and peaked inside. Empty aside for the white bed and white desk. "Huh, must be a guest room."

Shutting it, she checked the room next door. A very similar setup, but this one also held a crystal chandelier.

"How many extra rooms does this place have?" Ruby asked herself. Her own small home had an extra room in the basement for guests, but as she checked a third room and finding a near identical setup to the previous ones, it was starting to get excessive.

"I think I'm a little lost." She called out. How could there be nobody there? And why was there no fancy ropes or anything to block off parts of the building?

There had been a thin string which she ducked under but… oh. Okay, Ruby just wasn't paying enough attention to her surroundings again. This was her own fault. But, it was their fault for using string instead of fancy cushioned ropes. Or at least a sign or something.

"Hell-" Ruby paused as she heard voices.

Straining to gauge the direction they were coming from, she went down a hallway and placed an ear on a door. No, not this one. She waited again for the voices to return, then tried the door across from her. Again, no such luck. On the third try, she found them. Then wished she hadn't.

"-how dare you speak to your father that way," came a gravelly voice, laced with anger.

"I had not meant to speak so harshly," said a quieter, more feminine voice, laced with very much the same anger. "but I will not be breaking the rules of my own event just to ensure victory for the man of your choosing. It was agreed by you, mother and I that it will be a blind vote. The judges and I can watch the contestants build their weapons, but none of them will be labelled with any of their own names, nor will we be allowed to see their final assembly."

"You will find out which one was created by that Winchester boy and he will be named victor."

"Even mother has yet to bring up Cardin. Why are you so insistent on me breaking the rules for his sake? Isn't he supposed to be a gifted weapon-smith?"

"This has less to do with that boy you will marry and more with your lack of accepting your role and duty as my daughter."

"I apologize, but I still believe it would be best to maintain course."

The door in front of Ruby opened to a girl in white… everything. Straight white hair fell from her head and over one shoulder, descending well passed her chest. White elastics were on her wrist to tie up hair into a fancy style. White high heels covered her feet, bringing the girl to stand the same height that Ruby did. Her white dress sparkled with glints of light blue; the only real bit of colour in her entire wardrobe. It matched her eyes.

The two girls stared at one another, both shocked for very different reasons. And then, the world came crashing back to reality as the male voice, Weiss's father, interrupted them, "Weiss, is there a problem?"

"Sorr-" Ruby could barely finish her apology before a hand clamped down on her face as Weiss pulled her towards her with wide eyes and a finger on her own lips. Looking over, she noticed a shadow moving in the room. Then back at Weiss, her head in an almost imperceptible shake.

Ruby nodded.

"N-nothing's wrong. Just… wondering where the nearest servant is," Weiss called back to him, still entirely focused on the girl in the red hoodie in front of her. "I will… take what you had said into consideration, father."

"See to it that you do. You are mine Weiss. Even with the freedoms we allow you, remember that fact."

As the door closed, Weiss dropped her hands and sighed in relief. Her body trembled as her excess nerves slowly left her. Then her eyes darted up to the redhead in front of her. Silver and blue locked on each other once again, though Weiss's gaze quickly took in the rest of the girl she had just been clinging to.

"And what do you think you're doing here?"