Chapter 28 - Nightingales and Slippers

Ruby's life had become a series of opposites. She spent most of her days tired from handling Cinder's dirty laundry and plethora of other chores the night before. But Yang knew about it and so the two could feel better, together. Cinder made her too busy to keep up with her weapon-smithing hobby, so much so that she was starting to lose customers, but she spent every day for a long while texting or calling Weiss.

Weiss could not find her music piece, but neither could Ruby really remember anything about anyone at the competition. And besides, the two had talked about so much more besides weapon-smithing and competitions. A fact that had really and truly surprised her. She was Ruby Rose, weapon-smith supreme. The girl who lived and breathed the stuff.

Yang always said that her blood was really machine oil and bones were spare parts. But talking with Weiss? Surprisingly, she and the heiress to the richest family in the world got along really well.

Was it because of how well Blake and Yang got along? Well, Ruby feared that possibility at the start. Until Weiss shot down that thought with a few harsh, but well-meaning words.

Ruby guessed it also helped that whenever Blake wanted to come over, Weiss would be there too. While she had never been invited to visit or sleep over at her friend's house, she had given the white-haired girl the offer sleep over at her own. This idea seemed to come as a surprise to Weiss, who had never once heard of a sleepover before. In the end, for fear that news of the blossoming friendship would make its way to her parents, it was decided that it would be best to stick with what they had been doing these past few weeks.

That was alright with Ruby. As long as she got to message Weiss as often as she wanted. Which she did. Even if she was pretty sure that she was annoying the heiress.

Especially at that very moment while Ruby was in class, sending message after message to her friend.

Can I please, please pretty please see your painting?

No.

Aww… Why not?

I don't like showing it to anybody. And most definitely not until it has been complete.

Then why do you show it to Blake?

How do you know that?

Yang told me.

Is it too late to request that she breaks up with your sister?

It is!

Well, then I show it to her because she is my best friend.

Then what am I? Chopped liver?

Pardon?

… Nevermind. Am I not your best friend too?

No Ruby. You're different.

How?

Ruby waited for a response for a moment, hiding her scroll underneath her desk as her teacher walked by. Still no reply. That was fine with her. Weiss often did just stop responding in the middle of a conversation. She always apologized later and promised not to do it again. It was cute of her.

If Ruby were to guess, Weiss probably had a tutor come in for her lessons or something. It was so cool that Weiss had tutors to teach her. Ruby wondered what it would have been like to be born as rich as that. So rich that their home had a backyard in the middle of their house. She was confident that there was a pool somewhere in that estate that she just hadn't been able to find during the competition. It was probably in the parts that contestants were not allowed through.

That just meant that once Ruby finally convinced Weiss to let her come over to hang out, she would have a mission to find it.

The bell rang and Ruby breathed out a sigh of relief. Another day finally done. She picked up her bag and headed for the door, falling behind the groups of friends chatting their way to their lockers. Conversations often turned towards movies they planned to see over the weekend, or what new parties people were throwing.

She rarely involved herself in them, not just because she lacked the necessary conversational skills to handle them properly. But also because the only topics on her mind were Beacon University; a topic of more interest to those graduating that year, than those only partway through high school, or Weiss. And she doubted anybody would want to know about Weiss.

Okay, she was lying to herself. They all wanted to know about Weiss. It had been a strange day when she told her classmates that she had met the heiress. But they were more fascinated with her love life, or what clothes she wore, or any other super shallow topic. And what she did want to tell them about. How she was so poised and collected, yet still vulnerable. How she painted in her free time and remembered the names of many of her own staff. How her secret best friend (aside from herself!) was her own servant who liked to snip at Weiss as much as Weiss loved to snip at her.

But no. Those things were a secret. Something that she promised Weiss she would never tell anyone. And she would not lose her one close friend's trust just to become closer with a few classmates who she would probably never see again after that year.

At least she hoped so.

"When is that letter coming?" She quietly asked herself, running her fingers through her hair.

Her walk home from school was pleasant enough. That being, there was no rain or wind to damper her already tenuous mood. As soon as she reached her house, she checked the mailbox. With a whine, she closed it back up. Still nothing there. She had checked the mail for the letter from Beacon, every day since their meeting with the headmaster and head of admissions. She was sure it would be coming soon.

Any day now.

"Oh well," she said to herself, glumly. "Maybe tomorrow."

Now that the best part of her day was over, it was back to work for her. Opening her front door, she dropped her bag off and shut it without stepping a foot inside. She had no time for that. Not anymore. It was right to Miss Fall's house for her.

At least Miss Fall was kind enough to start messaging her, her daily chores. And it looked like a pretty short list! Ruby half-skipped in excitement. If she as lucky, she would be done before Yang came home from work and the two of them could have a nice late supper.

Using the key under a rock, she stepped into her landlord's house. As she grabbed the feather duster from the closet she felt her phone buzz. It was another message from Weiss.

You're such a dolt, Ruby. I'll be seeing you.

Ruby smiled, holding her scroll close to her chest. She knew that Weiss liked her. They were great friends, no doubt about it. Now with a happy hum, she began her first task of the day. A little dust around the windowsills, and some hiding in the corners of the many tables and desks. She had lost track of time quite quickly, thanks to her song.

As she hummed the tune, a few words she remembered would appear, before slowly fading back into her happy humming.

"Sing sweet nightingale

Sing sweet nightingale.

Hmm hmm hmm.."

Next was cleaning the tiled floors of the kitchen. The thought of her landlord slaving away over a hot stove brought a giggle from the girl. No, Miss Fall would most likely have Emerald or Mercury do it. Though, thinking of either of them made her laugh just as hard as thinking of Cinder. For a second she tried to think of Weiss in the kitchen, a cute apron around her waist and her long, beautiful hair tied back in a cute ponytail. Stirring a pot over the stove, humming a tune eerily similar to the one Ruby was at that moment, while an imaginary Ruby was doing her work.

She shook that thought from her head. No, if it were a choice between the two of them, it would be Ruby working in the kitchen, while Weiss was doing her work.

Why they would be living together was a question Ruby didn't bother asking herself. It made little sense, but how often did dreams ever make sense?

All too soon, her chores were complete. And not a minute past nine. Ruby had just enough time to get home and start heating up some leftovers in the oven for when Yang returned.

When Yang finally did slam open the door, she looked tired, but pleased with herself.

"Hey Yang. How was work?"

"Not bad, Rubes. Long day." Yang hung up her jacket, walking over to Ruby and giving her a big kiss on her forehead.

Ruby responded with a tight hug of her own.

"How was Cinder?"

"I think she's running out of nasty things to do to me."

"Took her long enough, that witch."

Ruby giggled, knowing Yang only said 'witch' for her sake. Yang sat down hard on a chair around the kitchen table. She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a slow breath. As she opened them, she narrowed in on her little sister.

"Ruby, something came for us."

Ruby gasped. "Is it…?"

Yang slowly nodded, placing two sealed enveloped on the table. "Please just… don't open them yet. I'm scared what they'll say. So… I have something I've been working on that will hopefully balance out the news. If it's not what we're hoping for."

Ruby gave a solemn nod, taking a seat opposite Yang's as her elder sister went upstairs to fetch the gift.

It was a small purple cardboard box, no bigger than her own palm, carefully wrapped with a red ribbon. Yang placed it in front of Ruby with a sad smile.

Ruby carefully traced her fingers over the ribbon and bumps of the cardboard. This looked like a lot of work to go through, just for a small cheer-up gift. Removing the ribbon she looked inside.

Two rolled up strands of cloth.

"What's this?"

"I know that your favourite sweater was ruined. Mom's sweater was torn up. But, I could never throw it out. It meant so much to you, to both of us. So… here's what I was able to salvage from it. Two ribbons. Long enough for a hairband or two. I thought that if you couldn't wear her sweater, at least you could have something that belonged to her still. To feel her around you always, you know?"

Ruby could feel the tears falling before she even realized she had started crying. At once she shakily lifted one ribbon from the box and tied a short ponytail in her already very short hair. She hiccuped into a teary giggle. "I-I need to grow out my hair."

The two ran into a tight hug, tears falling freely between them.

"I love it Yang. Thank you so, so much."

"Anytime Rubes. I love you so, so much."

Ruby pulled back a little, "is the other one for you?"

"They're both yours Rubes. You can do whatever you want with them."

"I want you to have that one. She was your mom too."

"Thanks Ruby."

Their hug continued. There was safety in each other's arms. Safety and assurance that the other would always be there for them. When together, nothing could stop them. They were the Rose-Xiao Longs. Undefeatable no matter what. Held together with the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.

At last it was time to look at the letters in front of them, Two letters, one addressed to each sister, both from Beacon University.

"Together?"

"Together."

The room was silent, but for the scratches of paper ripping open to unleash their hidden contents. They each silently read through their own letters.

"I… I got in. A circumstantial scholarship," Yang said in a voice just above a whisper.

Ruby looked back at Yang with a shocked expression of her own. "I got a full ride."

"What?"

"A full scholarship. I-it says it right here. I got in with a full tuition scholarship. I-I just need to show them proof of my sound system I used for Weiss's weapon. But I got in."

And now the two were hugging and crying again, but with large smiles on their faces.

"We did it. Our lives can only get better from here. We did it."

Yes, the title of this chapter is a direct reference to the animated movie that is also based on the source material for this story (I don't want to give it away for those of you who haven't figured it out yet! Hopefully you have though. If not, look up Rhodopis).

And yes, there was a time skip.

chinaluv - Thank you. Always got to have a reference to Hamilton if you can slip it in there

Read and stayed - Darn that Mercury and his perceptive eyes! *shakes fist at clouds*

Darknight2124 - You shall see of so soon!

See you all next week.