A/N:
Hi friends!
Welcome back to RWBY: The Selection! The White Fang attack is drawing nearer, and tensions are starting to brew... After the last rose ceremony, thirteen girls remain, competing for the heart of Prince Jaune. But before the dates begin this week, they must face: classes.
Once again, please review with any comments/questions/concerns/reactions/anything else that strikes your fancy!
Shoutout to those of you who reviewed on the last few chapters! Huge thank you to all of y'all!
To Ravell Aqim, I know right?! We had to read some Machiavelli for WHAP, and Sienna and Adam clearly have not done the same... Yes, being a genuinely good person with emotional vulnerability will get people a long way in this competition, just like it will in real life :) but Salem being intimidating... yeah, there's more of that to come ;)
To Six02, me too! I feel bad for Weiss as well. She is best girl. She is just so good. Weiss and Jaune's relationship (be it a friendship or otherwise) has always been one of my favorite parts of the show, and so expect some Weiss/Jaune to continue. Very interesting theory you have there on your second review ;)
To TheReckless1One, I'm glad you agree with Jaune's pick :) And Ghira and Kali are still generally anti-murder (they don't know about this upcoming attack), but because the White Fang has a large presence on Menagerie anyway and because it is such a sense of hope for Faunus especially with the caste system, things are cordial between Ghira and Sienna, at least for now. They believe in the same goal, they just have different methods through which to achieve it, and the extent of these differences hasn't been fully realized by Ghira yet.
Without further ado, RUBY! I mean, uh, enjoy!
Chapter 48: Ruby
Now that they could use weapons, Huntress training became, if possible, even better. The majority of Monday was spent going over weapons safety, which Ruby found kind of dull, but Tuesday and Wednesday were an absolute blast. They practiced landing strategies. They learned various aggressive and defensive tactics. In Professor Port's class, they even got a chance to take turns fighting a Boarbatusk.
"You can do it, Weiss!" Ruby cried as her friend was paired up against the Grimm.
"Stop distracting me!" Weiss snapped. The Boarbatusk rolled at her, and she dived out of the way in the nick of time.
Ruby inhaled sharply. "Weiss! It has a weak spot on its belly! If you just stab it there, you can-"
"I can do it on my own!" Weiss yelled. As the Boarbatusk charged her again, she plunged her sword into its soft stomach.
"Oh ho!" Professor Port exclaimed, "well done Lady Weiss. Of course, I doubt you could have completed it without the help of your teammate," he winked at Ruby. Ruby beamed, but when Weiss glowered at her, she shrunk away.
"I did not need your help with that," Weiss snapped as they walked from Port's Grimm class to history with Dr. Oobleck.
"You would've been crushed without me," Ruby murmured. Why did Weiss have to be so mean all the time?
"I would have been fine. I've fought worse."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. Most Twos had hired Huntsmen to protect them, so that they never needed to fight monsters on their own. What had Weiss meant by 'I've fought worse'?
She didn't have the time to ask this vital question, however, because just as she opened her mouth, Dr. Oobleck rushed by, zooming past them to get to his classroom.
"Come along, ladies!" He cried to the thirteen girls behind him. "Quickly now, to your seats! History awaits!"
Ruby stifled a groan as she followed Weiss into the classroom. History (aside from everything that happened on Thursday princess days) was her least favorite class. Learning cool huntress techniques and crazy Grimm monsters was one thing, but history was just… boring.
"Welcome everyone to today's history class," Dr. Oobleck exclaimed once everyone was in the classroom (but before they had all found their seats). "Today we will be covering the history of the caste system, an important establishment that keeps us all in line and keeps us all safe. Now then,"
Ruby found it difficult to stay awake as Oobleck droned on and on. His constant energy and rapid speech should've been infectious, but instead it left most students slack-jawed and glassy-eyed as he continued his lecture. Occasionally, he would ask a question, but Weiss or Pyrrha were always quick to answer, leaving Ruby with the security that she could doze off. As Oobleck continued, Ruby found herself doodling aimlessly on her notepad. She drew several weapons, a collection of chocolate chip cookies, and a rather unflattering picture of Professor Port.
Finally, finally, the bell rang, signifying that the lecture was done. "Remember," Dr. Oobleck announced as students packed their bags and headed for the door, "all of this information will be on the exam next week,"
Ruby winced. She craned her neck, hoping Weiss would share her notes, but the white-haired heiress quickly snapped her notebook shut, glaring at Ruby. All Ruby was able to get from Weiss's notebook before it was whisked away were two words: Queen Salem.
Ruby cocked an eyebrow, a series of questions flooding her head. Had King Ozma gone through the Selection too? Had he chosen Queen Salem? If so, where had she come from? Had she been a Two, like Weiss, destined for royalty? Or had she been a Five, like Ruby, destined for… other kinds of greatness?
"Dr. Oobleck?" Ruby asked as students around her flooded out. She approached his desk nervously.
Dr. Oobleck looked up. "Yes, Lady Ruby?"
"I was just wondering, what caste was Queen Salem before she became Queen?"
Dr. Oobleck's smile quickly morphed into a frown. "Have you not been paying attention the entire lecture?"
Ruby looked down. "I may have zoned out for a bit."
Oobleck sighed. "Understandable…" he muttered. "When Salem became Queen there was no caste system. She, along with the late King Ozma, invented it."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. The caste system had been around as long as her parents had been alive, and likely as long as her grandparents had been alive, but that didn't line up. Jaune was only a few years older than her, and Salem certainly didn't look ancient enough to be her great great grandmother.
"How old is Queen Salem?" she asked hesitantly.
Dr. Oobleck opened his mouth to answer, but seemed to freeze, no words coming out.
After a few seconds, Ruby began to get worried. Had she broken him somehow? "Dr. Oobleck?"
Dr. Oobleck shook his head violently. "I don't know how old she is," he admitted, "but I'll do some digging, and I'll get back to you,"
Ruby beamed. "Okay!"
"Lady Ruby,"
Already to the door, Ruby turned, confused.
"In the meantime, perhaps you ought to keep that question to yourself."
