Sorry for the delay! Here it is, now!
A knocking at the door threw Ruby from her dreams, the redhead shooting up in surprise, eyes dashing towards the clock as she dropped from her hanging bed. 6:30am, at least she hadn't been woken up by another nightmare. Landing with a soft "thud," Ruby made her way to the door, rubbing tired eyes as she opened it, only to jump slightly in surprise as she spotted who was on the other end.
"Miss Rose." Professor Goodwitch looked not too pleased to be there this early in the morning, not that Ruby could exactly blame her. In her hand was a small black box, which she reached out towards the diminutive redhead. "This is your new scroll. You have until the end of the day to transfer any information you wish to it before you need to turn in your old scroll."
"Ah! Y-Yes ma'am!" Ruby squeaked out, accepting the box and bowing her head frantically. Gosh she was not dressed for meeting one of the professors this early! Thankfully she had decided to go with her full pajamas last night, the humidity from the ocean air had made it rather unbearable just a few nights ago. "Thank you, Professor Goodwitch!"
The blonde professor gave little more than a slight "hmm," nodding her head towards Ruby before making her way down the hall, the nervous redhead giving a sheepish wave as the older woman entered the staircase. Brothers she was intimidating as heck.
Giving a tired sigh, Ruby shut the door to her dorm, opening the box and removing the new scroll. It didn't look much different, aside from a black and red trim. That was weird, she hadn't expected anything so customized or anything. "Oh well." She mumbled, yawning as she opened it, placing it on the table across from her and Weiss' beds, fumbling around for her old scroll before placing the two beside each other.
After setting up a data transfer between the two, Ruby made her way to the bathroom, quickly preparing herself for the day before the rest of her team woke up. When she'd finished, she found an awkward stalemate of sorts in the dorm room as she returned, towel still in her hands as she dried her hair.
Blake and Yang were both awake, but neither were speaking to each other. It was a bit eerie, to be honest, after how close they'd seemed to be. "Blake, do you want to get ready?" It wasn't a request, despite being phrased as a question, and luckily the Faunus caught her leader's intent, slipping past the redhead and into the other room. "Hey, Yang."
Ruby could tell that something was up, she could tell even earlier than that, having first noticed something wrong the day before, but now she could at least act. Ruby slipped up to her bunk, a few petals falling in her wake, the redhead patting the space beside her indicating her sister should take a seat. The blonde reluctantly complied, but thankfully the rather dubious appearance of the hanging bed had little bearing on its actual sturdiness.
"What's up, sis?" Yang asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, as though something wasn't clearly wrong.
"I don't know, Yang." Ruby replied, shrugging ineffectually as she looked into tired, red eyes. Not red like when Yang was angry, red as in Yang had been crying. Something was seriously wrong if her sister had been crying. Ruby offered the blonde girl a gentle smile, the same sort she would offer Ruby as a kid, when the teasing from classmates had gone too far. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I…" Yang hesitated, Ruby reaching out to offer a reassuring pat on her sister's leg, doing her best to put on the same motherly airs her big sister had for so many years. "It's stupid…"
"Hey," Ruby interjected forcefully, looking at her sister with the utmost seriousness. "It's not stupid. Whatever has you feeling down isn't stupid, it's important. You're important."
"I-I just… I really thought I had a chance this time." Yang admitted softly, violet eyes watering up again as an errant few tears ran down her cheeks. "Th-there was a chemistry between us, a-and she said she felt something, too, b-but I messed up, a-and there's no way she'll be interested in me, is there?"
"Oh, Yang." Ruby pulled her sister into a hug, gently rubbing her back like Yang would rub hers as a child. "It'll be okay. Can you tell me what she said?"
"Sh-she said that she wasn't ready." Yang mumbled, arms clinging to Ruby tightly as the blonde fought to keep back tears she couldn't keep contained. An errant thought crossed Ruby's mind, that she was glad she hadn't gotten changed into her uniform yet, but she pushed it away as Yang continued. "She couldn't commit, b-because she was still so soon out of her relationship with Adam."
"That doesn't mean she doesn't like you, Yang." Ruby offered softly, smiling warmly at her big sister. "If she's not ready yet, that just means you have to wait."
"But what if she's just saying that? T-To let me down easy?" Yang asked, clinging tightly to the redhead.
"Blake wouldn't do that, Yang." Ruby said sternly, though not without affection. She wanted to comfort her sister but she couldn't let her go down the road of assuming the worst of their teammate. "If she says that she isn't ready, I'm sure that she isn't. She's not going to treat you like some of the girls at Signal, okay?"
"B-But what if she does?"
"She won't." Ruby stated, poking her sister on the forehead with her free hand. "I know that you get scared, sometimes, about that kind of stuff, but you've always been the girl I look up to most, Yang, and I'm sure that Blake likes you a lot. If she's not ready, then she isn't."
"I know things won't be perfect between you two right away," Ruby continued, her expression softening as she smiled at her sister, "but I'm sure that you'll get back to the dynamic you had before."
"I," Yang took a deep breath, blinking away some of her tears as a sheepish smile made its way onto her face. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess, Ruby. I-I just really thought that I might've found someone who really liked me for who I was."
"Hey, don't apologize." Ruby poked her sister on the forehead again, eliciting a rare pout from the blonde. "And don't think you haven't. Blake might not be ready yet, Yang, but maybe she will be. And even if she isn't, don't think that it's too late to find someone else. You're super cool and I'm sure that there are a lot of girls who would want to date you!"
"Thanks, sis." Yang smiled warmly at the redhead, ruffling Ruby's hair with a soft chuckle. "I… I think I'm gonna take a walk, after I get ready for the day. I just need a bit of time alone, okay?"
"Sure, Yang. That's fine." Ruby nodded, giving her sister another quick hug. "Let me know if you need to talk again, okay? I love you, Yang. Don't forget that for a second."
"I know, Rubes." Yang replied, dropping from the bed with a gentle "huff," smiling up at her sister while stretching her arms. "I love you, too."
The rest of the morning had been somewhat hectic, if only because Weiss was running late again. Ruby made an effort to include her partner more, even if it meant she couldn't sit between her boyfriend and girlfriend, but that only lasted a couple of classes before the Atlesian grew tired of the longing glances she was sending their way.
It was just after Plant Science with Professor Peach, and Ruby found herself wandering the academy's gardens on her own, Team JNPR busy assisting the professor after Nora had accidentally caused a small disaster in class. She was admittedly lonely, but she'd offered to linger behind for them during the free period until Stealth and Security with Professor Greene.
As for now, she was letting her mind wander as she slowly stepped through the verdant expanse kept tidy by Professor Peach and several members of the non-teaching staff. In particular, she was thinking of the upcoming date she had over the weekend, the first official one she'd have with Pyrrha and Jaune. It was definitely an odd thought to cross her mind, but Ruby genuinely didn't know… what was she going to wear?
"Hey there, Ruby!" The diminutive redhead let out a startled squeak as she was drawn out of her errant thoughts by a familiar voice.
"Oh, h-hey Velvet!" Ruby chirped nervously, offering her older friend a sheepish smile. "What're you up to?"
"Not much! We had a double combat class today, so our afternoon is free." The rabbit Faunus explained cheerfully, though her head tilted slightly to the side in curiosity as she looked at the redhead. "What about you? No Jaune or Pyrrha today?"
Oh, gosh, did she really spend so much time with them that it was almost expected she'd be with them? "No, they're with their team. Nora got caught fooling around in class." That was certainly a more favorable way of putting it than saying "Nora somehow blew up Professor Peach's thistle," and would hopefully be a good enough explanation. "I'm just waiting around for them to finish talking to her, it's nice to get to walk here."
"Yeah, the gardens are nice. Not a lot of people appreciate them, but Yatsu enjoys meditating here on the weekends." Velvet smiled softly at the mention of her teammate. "You look a bit preoccupied, though, did you need help with something?"
"I, um, not really, just…" Ruby hesitated, but then a thought crossed her mind. Of all the people to go to for fashion advice, there was always one option that stood above the rest: "do, um, do you think you could ask Coco to help me? I, um, I need… help with clothes."
Velvet held back the urge to coo at the embarrassed look the redhead had on her face, a playful smirk instead gracing the Faunus' lips. "Help with clothes? I thought that Coco liked your style, what do you need help for?"
"I, um, I'm g-going on a date." Ruby squeaked out, head dipping sheepishly at her friend's smirk. "I-I don't want to just take my combat outfit, e-even if I really like it."
"I'm sure that Coco would be happy to help," Velvet agreed, though she still had a playful glint to her eye that made Ruby a little nervous, "but we'll probably need a little more information than that. Who are you going on a date with? Jaune? Maybe Pyrrha?"
"I, um…" Ruby's cheeks warmed, taking on a hue more befitting of her cloak, hands nervously fiddling at the end of her skirt. "B-Both of them."
"Both of them?" Velvet squeaked out, eyes widening in surprise. She was, quite frankly, not expecting that answer. She, and all of Team CFVY, had a bit of a bet going, to see how the little supposed love triangle would go.
She had assumed Pyrrha would ask Ruby out, while Coco was banking on Jaune. Fox had suggested that Pyrrha and Jaune would get together. Only Yatsu had suggested that the three might all get together, and everyone had dismissed him! "S-So you are all three going out together? That's… bold."
"I, um, y-yeah." Ruby ducked her head nervously, cheeks red, not from embarrassment, but rathert shame. "I-I know it's weird b-but I really care about them both."
"Hey, it's not weird, I just… wasn't expecting it." Velvet tried to reassure the shorter girl, offering a sheepish smile. She hadn't intended to make her underclassman feel bad about it, she just hadn't really expected the answer she received. "If you like them, then you have nothing to be ashamed of."
"Yeah, I do." Ruby mumbled, smiling slightly. "That's why I want to get help with what to wear. I-I want to impress them."
A soft smile graced Velvet's lips, the older girl chuckling a little. She could certainly relate to wanting to impress certain people, especially since it felt like neither of them noticed her that way. "I'm sure that Coco will want to help you, Ruby, and I'm happy to help you, too."
"Really?" Ruby's face lit up cheerfully, smiling widely up at the rabbit Faunus. "Thank you!"
"Oh, there's no need to thank me." Velvet waved a hand dismissively, "you'll be regretting it after Coco is done with you."
Well, that sounded ominous.
If anyone asked Weiss' opinion, she'd say their team was in a bit of a shambles at the moment. Sure, she and Ruby were doing okay, but whatever had happened between Blake and Yang was clearly a tension the team really didn't need right now.
Ruby was off dawdling about waiting for Team JNPR to be liberated from Nora's latest tomfoolery, and Yang and Blake had quickly made off in different directions, leaving the Atlesian to her own devices. Unfortunately, she wasn't really sure what to do. She could always study, but… she wanted to work on her semblance. She wanted to make her sister proud.
After a moment of indecision, Weiss decided to go to the training rooms. She could at least practice her summoning in one of them as long as she was going to be alone. "Sal-u-tations!" Or not.
"Hello, Penny." Weiss offered her most proper smile to the redheaded Atlesian girl who had just greeted her. "Are you having a pleasant afternoon?"
"Absolutely!" Penny chirped cheerfully, giving a wide smile to Weiss. "I was curious, do you want to, I believe the term is "hang out?" I've never used it before! It sounds fun!"
"Oh, well, I suppose I am free." Weiss offered, looking a bit curiously at the artificial girl. Of things she hadn't had an opportunity to do, the Atlesian supposed that maybe it wasn't so strange she hadn't had a chance to, as Penny put it "hang out." To be honest, Weiss hadn't, either, until joining Team RWBY. "What would you like to do?"
"I am fine doing anything you want, Weiss!" Well, that wasn't helpful. Weiss rolled her eyes, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. If she hadn't spent a little more than four months interacting with Ruby almost every day, she would've hated this, but instead, the Atlesian found it slightly endearing.
"Well, do you want to help me train, then?" She suggested, offering the taller girl a friendly smile. "I was just on the way to do that when we… bumped into each other."
"We didn't bump into each other! Not this time!" At Weiss' deadpan, Penny gave a nervous chuckle, her cheeks a light green. "Oh! That wasn't literal, was it?"
"No, it wasn't literal, though…" Weiss gave a soft laugh, smiling shyly at the redhead, "I suppose given how we first met, I could've chosen a different phrase."
"Well, it doesn't matter! I'll keep it in mind for next time!" Penny chirped happily, "do you want to lead the way? I don't know my way around the academy yet, and I'm trying to avoid just downloading a map. My father always said it was better to learn things first hand, instead!"
"Well, I suppose that would be an… admirable goal." Weiss conceded, her smile softening slight as she took Penny's hand into her own. The redhead seemed not to be concerned at all with the physical contact, so the white-haired girl did her best not to get flustered, either.
"So, what sort of training do you have, Penny?" Weiss inquired, guiding the girl through a crowd of students, easily dismissing the whispers of gawking onlookers. Really, it shouldn't be any big deal at all, holding hands could be totally platonic, even if she did enjoy spending time with Penny. There was just something endearing about how eagerly she would greet her!
"I am trained for many things, Weiss!" Penny exclaimed cheerfully, pausing for a moment to think before continuing. "Why, it would be better to say I am just capable of everything a Huntress needs to be capable of!"
"I'm not quite sure how you can help with my training, though." Weiss commented, brow furrowing ever so slightly. "Maybe just having you as moral support will help."
"What is "moral support," Weiss? General Ironwood never spoke of that before." Penny inquired, as though the question was at all a normal one.
"Moral support is…" Weiss paused briefly, thinking back to tireless days of training at the Schnee manor, Klein waiting on her whenever she needed him, a smile slowly forming on her lips. "Have you ever had someone there, not really helping you, but their presence makes you feel a little better?"
"Why, yes, I think I understand what you mean!" Penny announced, finger pointed in the air dramatically as though she'd made some grand discovery. "My father would attend each of my training sessions, long after the initial test period when they weren't sure if I'd work or not. Just having him there watching made me want to do even better!"
"Your father sounds like a good man." Weiss could barely even contain the jealousy in such a statement, though Penny didn't seem to mind. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Doctor Polendina, I don't think he and my father get along well. Do you think that, after the Vytal Festival, when we've both been made to return home to Atlas, you might be able to introduce me?"
"I'd be happy to!" Penny agreed, bringing Weiss into a spontaneous hug, the pale-haired girl grunting at the unexpected embrace. After letting her go, the redhead gave a wide smile towards Weiss, grabbing her hands tightly. "Father always wanted me to be able to make friends, but General Ironwood was concerned it might be a distraction. I'm so glad he reconsidered! Being friends with you and Ruby has been such a delight!"
"I'm glad that it has, Penny." Weiss agreed softly, giving a playful huff as she continued leading Penny towards the training building. "It's been… harder than I'd like to admit, making friends, but I'm glad that you were open to being my friend."
"I'm glad, too!" Penny gleeful nodded, tightening the remaining grip she had on her friend's hand. "I was very lonely for a long time! It's hard to say the exact time because I spent periods of my development in and out without being operational, but for as long as I can remember, until I ran into you near the docks, I didn't have any friends!"
"It seems to me we had a far more similar life than I realized," Weiss said, smiling back at Penny as they entered the training building. "Neither of us were given the… opportunity to make many connections, because of the burdens placed on our shoulders."
"Maybe, but that just means we have to try harder now!" Penny replied, returning the smile with one of her own. "I've got you and Ruby, do you think you could introduce me to the rest of your friends? We don't have to tell them my secret. General Ironwood would prefer if no one knew."
"Of course we won't tell." Weiss reassured the girl as she led her to one of the training rooms. "We promised that we'd keep your secret, and we will. Now then… let's get to training! Or, well, moral boosting, in your case!"
"I'm combat ready! Well, not combat this time, but I'm happy to help!"
"You look tired." Jaune stated, the shorter redhead stared dully at her boyfriend as he gave an awkward grin, realization that maybe he shouldn't have made that sort of comment.
"What Jaune meant to ask was "how are you," Ruby?" Pyrrha corrected with a chuckle, sending the embarrassed blonde a sympathetic smile.
"No, he's right." Ruby announced with a sigh, shoulders sagging dramatically' "I'm tired. Stealth and Security doesn't really give me a good chance."
After an hour and a half in Stealth and Security, the trio - and all first year students - were on their way to dinner in the cafeteria. Having noticed how drowsy Ruby seemed, Jaune opened an arm for the shorter girl, allowing her to lean on him as they walked.
"You're not normally this tired after class, what happened?" Jaune piped up, raising a brow as he gave the shorter girl a curious look.
"Let's just say… despite their name, Team CFVY can be quite exhausting." Ruby explained with a little chuckle. She'd have to tell Yang that one some other time. "I asked Velvet for some help- for this weekend. Or, I guess, I asked Velvet to ask Coco for some help."
Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged dubious looks, concern in their eyes. Team CFVY were a year ahead of them, and one of Beacon's most renowned (or notorious, depending on who one asked) teams in years. While not known for spreading rumors, the idea that Ruby had given direct confirmation outside their friend group that they were in fact dating was more than a little nerve wracking.
"So, um, how did they take it?" Jaune eventually asked, giving a sheepish grin.
"Oh, you know…" Ruby trailed off, holding back a chuckle.
"Pay up." Yatsuhashi calmly stated, holding a large hand out towards his teammates, a hint of a smile on his calm face. Fox was quick to deposit two bronze 1000 lien cards, followed by three from Velvet, before all eyes turned to their leader.
"Damnit!" Coco grumbled, fishing around her wallet before producing a silver 10000 lien note, placing it in the Mistralan teens had with an over the top groan.
"Coco!" Velvet whispered with a hiss, eyes darting towards a very perplexed Ruby, the Faunus' hands covering the redhead's ears. "She's right here!"
"So?" Coco deadpanned, batting her friend's hands aside so Ruby could hear unhindered. "You don't care if I say "damnit," do you?"
"Huh? No. Why would-" a loud, frustrated sigh escaped Ruby's lips as realization dawned in her mind. "Yang's been telling people they can't swear around me again, hasn't she?"
"Um. Maybe?" Velvet offered ineffectually.
"Darn it!" That earned a chuckle from Coco, a smirk on her and Fox's faces. That was weird, how Team CFVY seemed to do that sometimes. "I told Yang she doesn't have to do that. Just because I don't like saying those words doesn't mean I can't handle hearing them!"
"It doesn't really matter," Fox shrugged, speaking up for the first time since Ruby joined Velvet in entering the upper class upperclassmen's dorm room. "I want to know how Yatsuhashi was able to guess that you'd date both of them."
"I'm from Mistral, it's more common in our kingdom." The large teen explained, not quite speaking in a monotone.
"I-it's not going to be a problem, is it?" Ruby asked, eyes darting towards her boots as she shifted nervously in place.
"Of course it won't." Coco stated plainly, "we're Huntresses and Huntsmen, we don't give in to social norms. And if anyone gives you three crap," the older team leader's glasses seemed to give an almost sinister glint, "just let us know."
"They took it pretty well, I'd say."
"Well, that's good, right?" Jaune asked, looking nervously towards Pyrrha.
"It should be fine." The taller redhead agreed, offering a smile towards their joint girlfriend. "I trust in your judgement, Ruby. If you think it was appropriate to tell them, then I have confidence in your decision. Your team has spent far more time with them than we have."
"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "Besides that jerk Fox always calling me comedy relief, they seem cool, so I'm sure they won't spread any rumors."
A lighthearted giggle escaped Ruby's lips, the younger redhead grinning up at her boyfriend. "I dunno, Jaune. I think you might've got Nora beat. She doesn't have her shoes labeled for left and right."
"That was a prank by Saphron!" Jaune pouted, though Ruby could tell that he recognized she meant no harm. "Despite popular belief, I am actually impeccable with directions!"
"Well then why aren't we at the cafeteria yet?" Pyrrha asked, doing her best to sound innocent and unassuming.
"What? I was following you guys!" The blonde insisted, eliciting a laugh from both of his girlfriends.
"What kind of help did Coco offer, Ruby?" Pyrrha turned her attention towards the younger team leader, who blushed at the question.
"It's a secret!" The shorter girl insisted, smiling nervously. "You'll have to find out on Saturday!"
"Well, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait." Pyrrha replied warmly, fitting her hand over Ruby's and squeezing gently, before looking over to Jaune. "Let's get going, we don't want to be late."