Weiss was screaming internally. How. On earth. Did Ruby think doing this was a good idea?! Weiss was currently standing next to dragon Ruby, who had some poor guy trapped under her paws. Front legs? Claws? Hands. There really was no proper way to say 'dragons front limb paws' was there?

[[Mission accomplished! We've saved Yang from dragon trackers!]] Ruby boasted proudly.

Weiss was going to tear her own face off. "Yes, we have. And now, what do we do with HIM." She said through gritted teeth as she pointed at the guy.

[[... Oh yeah. I guess I didn't think that far ahead?]] Ruby turned her head away from Weiss guiltily.

Weiss covered her face and groaned. "I'm not ready to become a murdererrrrrrr...!" The guy struggled some more at hearing her say that. "Why haven't you knocked him out yet?!"

[[What? How would I even do that!? I'd probably kill him if I bopped his head! You humans are pretty fragile!]] Ruby snapped her jaws at Weiss. Weiss stood her ground and stared Ruby down.

"Fine, you're right. Just, let me talk to him for a minute. Move the claw off his mouth, ok?" Weiss asked. Ruby grumbled and looked away from Weiss again. She didn't move her claw. "Rubyyy!" Weiss scolded. "Hey! Look at me!" She walked around to face Ruby's head, but Ruby turned it the other way when Weiss came up to it. "Don't you turn your head away from me!" Weiss barked. "What's wrong?"

Ruby glanced at Weiss, and grumbled sadly. [[He was courting you...]] She said sullenly.

Courting? Weiss barely even registered what Ruby was implying, but she quickly denied it. "Ruby, I don't think he was trying to–"

[[He was! I could sense it! And it's not fair for him to try and court you when I got here first!]] Ruby squawked some sort of angry sounding sound.

"Ok, ok. Well, I won't listen to him if he does it again. Ok? I want to talk to him to see if I can get him to keep quiet about YOU. Is that alright?" Weiss folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

Ruby made a low rumbling sound again, but lifted her one claw off the guys mouth. He didn't make a sound. "Hi." Weiss said. She bent down, and stared him in the eyes. She started saying whatever came to mind. "This, isn't real. You're dreaming. You got mugged in the forest and bandits stole your dragon scale. I am a figment of your imagination. Got it?" Weiss said in a slightly threatening tone. The guy opened his mouth to speak, but seemed hesitant. "Go on." Weiss encouraged.

"... Are you a legendary dragon tamer?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"Uh. Yes. I am, in fact that. Dragon tamer. Definitely. A DREAM dragon tamer, since none of this is real." Weiss hoped that he'd buy the whole 'this is a dream' thing.

"How did you do it? Become a dragon tamer? In all the stories, the dragon tamers just appear out of nowhere and then vanish without a trace. I've always wanted... To become one..." The guy was beginning to calm down. Looked like he was starting to buy the dream thing. If this was a dream, he had no reason to be afraid, right?

Weiss looked at the sulking Ruby, and held in a laugh. "It wasn't really my choice, to be honest. It was hers." The guy nodded.

"... Are you going to kill me." He asked, more like said, in monotone.

"No. And that doesn't matter anyways, seeing how this is a dream!" Weiss was sticking with the dream thing.

The guy squinted at her. "Is it though?"

"Yes."

"Is it?" His gaze was almost screaming the phrase 'I wasn't born yesterday you know'. Shoot. Well, this was a pickle. They really needed to convince this guy he truly was dreaming, or Ruby and Weiss would be screwed. No way the same dude that was bragging about a dragon scale to the whole CITY wouldn't talk about how he met a 'dragon tamer' in the forest. What to do, what to do...

Ruby moved her head away and rustled in a nearby bush, then returned it to above the guy, and dropped a rock the size of basketball on his forehead. He fainted immediately. "Ruby!?" Weiss yelled, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid having her foot smashed.

[[You said to knock him out! I was just doing what you said to!]] Ruby huffed, puffing out her chest like an distressed bird would. Cute...

"I suppose I did... Thanks for that." Weiss put a hand to her chin. This was a problem. The guy was knocked out, and it was almost sundown. If Ruby and Weiss just left him there, he'd be eaten alive by shadow wolves. Or, whatever shadow creatures lived in a forest this large. There were sure to be some big ones. Maybe Ruby would have an idea? "We've got to get back soon, so they don't close the gate." Weiss stared at the guy. Ahg, they hadn't even learned his NAME and they'd basically mugged him. "And if we leave him here, he will die. Ruby?" Weiss turned to Ruby. "What should we do?"

We're dead if this doesn't work." Weiss muttered under her breath.

"Sure it will! Just stay cool!" Ruby chirped. Ruby and Weiss were taking the guy they had knocked out to the gates. Ruby hand his arms, and Weiss held his legs. It was as if they were carrying a deer they'd hunted down. "Good day, sirs!" Ruby said happily as they came up to the gates.

The guard on duty looked at them, and their cargo. "Uhh..."

"We found him passed out in the woods! I think he got robbed. Its the guy who was talking about stuff in the town square earlier!" Ruby nodded to herself. Weiss had briefed her on what to say and how to say it, and she had recited her lines perfectly.

"I... See..?" The guard said slowly. He looked to Weiss, automatically considering her the more sensible of the duo due to Ruby's peppiness.

"You heard her. We thought he'd die of we just left him there, so... Can you lock him up in a cell or something till morning? Just so he won't die. I would have just left him if my conscience wasn't yelling at me so much." Weiss tried to sound convincing, but grumbled that last part. Her thoughts swirled around her head. What if this didn't work? Would they be arrested? Held until morning, where the guy would single Weiss out as someone who had robbed him? And if it did work, what then? They leave him there, but he'd still remember. What if Weiss ran into him in the city? Would it be better to pretend not to know him? No, she'd have to know OF him, since she saw him in the town square. She'd have to remember that, if they did meet up again. Remember, remember.

Luckily, the latter happened. The guard nodded, took a look at both Ruby and Weiss's IDs, and let them through. Weiss tried her best not to walk so stiffly as they went deeper into the city. As soon as they were out of sight of the gate, Weiss fell to her knees in relief. "Dear GOD that was stressful..!" She shot Ruby a quick glare. "Never do anything like that again! Got it?!" Ruby shrank back a little from Weiss's anger, and nodded. Weiss groaned, and stood back up. "I'm not, I'm not mad at you. It's just.. I'm worried, ok? I don't want anything to happen to you, and, despite how 'all powerful' you really are, at times like this–" Weiss sighed as she saw Ruby tilting her head cutely in confusion. "–you seem so fragile."

Ruby poked Weiss on the arm and gave a half smile. "I could say the same to you." She hugged Weiss, burrowing her head into her neck and side ponytail. Weiss accepted the hug, and squeezed her back.

"Come on, let's go meet up with Yang and Blake." Weiss said, tugging Ruby's arm. "Oh, and here." Weiss reached into her pocket and handed Ruby the tiny scale from before. Ruby smiled brightly.

"Perfect! Now, just forget about it completely. So it'll be a surprise!" She beamed devilishly, skipping beside Weiss.

They arrived at the guild, and saw a very worried looking Yang pacing back and forth.

"It's fine Yang, they'll be here any minute." Blake said, sitting near Yang at one of the tables, reading a book with one hand and keeping Yang tethered with the other

"No, no! I'm used to Ruby being late, but she's with Weiss! Weiss is so punctual! Something must have happened. Maybe I'll go look for them–" Yang said, as she tried to walk away. Blake had a firm grip on one of her arms, causing Yang to walk in place.

Ruby skipped over to Yang. "Yo~"

A huge wave of visible relief washed over Yang, and she returned to her usual big sistery persona. "Jeez! You had me worried there sis, I was about to bust down a few walls to find you! Oh, nice cloak!" Yang ruffled Ruby's hair.

"We saved you!" Ruby said proudly.

"Saved me?" Yang said in an amused voice. "From what~?"

"Trackers!"

Yang's smile disappeared. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"They can't track you anymore!" Ruby folded her arms proudly.

Yang turned her concerned gaze to Weiss. Weiss made a half shrug "I mean, she's kind of right? Uh." Weiss leaned close and whispered into Yang's ear. "We found some guy who had one of your scales, so we knocked him out and stole it. Ruby ate it. Also he mayyyy have seen Ruby in her dragon form and me scolding her while in said dragon form. Maybe." Weiss stepped back, waiting for Yang's reaction.

Yang kept a straight face, but put an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Let's head outside for a sec Rubes!" she almost dragged Ruby away.

Weiss and Blake were left alone. "What was that all about?" Blake asked, watching Yang and Ruby leave the building.

"It involves their deep dark secret." Weiss said, hinting to Blake that it was dragon related. "You should really tell her you know. Then she could talk about it more openly." Blake buried her face in the book she'd been holding as an answer to Weiss's query. "Also..." Weiss sat down, and scooted close to Blake. "There was something I wanted to ask you."

Blake peered over the edge of her book at Weiss. "... Ask away."

"How did you and Yang get together? Officially, I mean? How did you, confess?" Weiss leaned closer as she asked.

"Why would you want to kno– oh. Ohhh!" Blake closed her book, and looked at Weiss knowingly. "You finally admitted it to yourself, huh?" Weiss looked into her lap to stop her cheeks from turning red, and nodded. Blake thought for a moment. "Me and Yang? Ahh, our relationship was kinda complicated? She was just always, there. Wherever I went, she was there. Now that I think about it, she might have been following me... She didn't always talk to me, but she did enough for us to be considered friends. For me to regulate her with familiarity." Blake put a hand to her chin. "She was the one who asked... She just came up to me one day and handed me note that said 'Wanna go on a date with me?'. She wouldn't look at me while I read it, but it was so cute. I wasn't seeing anyone at the time, so I agreed." Blake laughed a little. "She always seemed so confident, but she was so venerable just then."

"That was it? And It was just smooth sailing from then on?" Weiss asked, trying to take in as much as possible that she could use as future reference.

"Oh, definitely not. We had a nice time together, but, some things happened. My... Ex, showed up. Me and Yang split apart for a while. We both got hurt, but, ended up together again after about a year. And I'm so glad we did, I really love her." Blake almost seemed like she'd forgotten Weiss was there. But was reminded a second later as Weiss's intense stare bore into her.

"So I should just hand Ruby a note?" This wasn't helping Weiss all that much.. But there wasn't really anyone else she could ask.

"Sorry if I'm wrong but, Ruby already said she likes you, right?" Blake asked. Weiss nodded. "Can't you just say the same?"

"But I already told her I didn't love her, that's the problem! Like a week ago! Isn't it weird to just change your mind like that in less then a week?" Weiss lamented her woes. Blake looked ready to laugh. "It's not funny, I'm seriously troubled!" Weiss pouted.

"Sorry, sorry. You two spent the day together right? How did that go?" Blake leaned back against the table a little.

"Pretty well actually.. I gave her that cloak she was wearing, and now she wants to give me one of her scales as a necklace in return. And, thinking about it now, I think she got jealous? I was talking to a guy, and she got mad because he was 'courting me'. ...Oh my god." Weiss thought back on what had happened, and blushed softly. "That was so cute~" She covered her mouth and tried to cool down.

"You're pretty lovestruck." Blake observed.

"You think? Is it that obvious?" Weiss pulled her cloak over her head, trying to hide herself.

"Only when you're gushing about her, trust me, she won't notice." Blake waved a hand nonchalantly. "But maybe it would be better if she did. It'd take a load off you mind, wouldn't it? Should I tell her for you?"

"Nooo! That's why I asked you instead of Yang!"

Blake thought a second, then smiled. "She would, wouldn't she? Just blurt it out. And then say something like 'its alright because–"

"–because your feelings are mutual'. Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of." Weiss rested her head on the table. Agonizing over what should have been a simple decision. But like most things, she was overthinking it. Her and Blake waited in silence for Ruby and Yang to return. They were so wrapped up in their reading, and thinking, that they didn't notice the figure in the back of the guild watching them. Silently observing.