Chapter 2- Dramatic Meetings

Batman made it look easy.

Seriously, Ruby had been through dozens of side-alleyways and streets, but the most exciting thing to happen was when Zwei started following her out of the house. Of course, Zwei was amazing and loyal, but it didn't help when Ruby was trying to find some kind of terrible crime to foil using her huntress skills. Now she had to keep an eye on her dog too!

Matters weren't helped by the fact that her neighborhood was more than quiet. It was practically silent! The only event she was able to find was the time a cat got stuck up a tree, but Ruby didn't even get to save it because the cat scampered down the moment it noticed Zwei. Then, Ruby tried chasing it down to pick up the cat and find its owner, but the stupid cat outran her! Ruby's semblance was super-speed! That was her thing! And the cat outran her by ducking into a hole too small to crawl into!

Some start to Ruby becoming a powerful huntress. She couldn't even save a cat right.

"And now I have to carry you Zwei. Look at this. This is your fault!" Ruby whispered into Zwei's cute face, holding him in her arms so he wouldn't get lost in the streets. Zwei obviously didn't say anything back, but he did lick Ruby's face nonstop as Ruby patted down her awesome Huntress costume to check for loose cloth or any accessories that might have been knocked aside.

Her hands came up empty. At least her suit was holding together. She even got complimented on her costume by an old lady she walked past! Of course, the old lady was probably confused about Ruby being a real huntress, but Ruby took the compliment to heart anyway.

"Maybe we should move along Zwei."

"Bark."

Really, there was nothing exciting happening in the neighborhood. Which was good because Ruby lived in this area most of the time, but when you were looking for problems to solve, peace and quiet did not exactly convey itself to huntress training.

Ruby could try going deeper into the city, but a little voice held her back. Ruby and Yang were barely used to living this far into the city in the first place. Their home in Patch was too far away for their dad's work though, which meant that they needed to move close enough for him to… whatever his day job was. Teacher maybe?

Didn't matter. What mattered was that Ruby was stalling. She was a huntress! She shouldn't be scared of going deeper into the city that could easily lead her into getting lost! Ruby explored the island of Patch all the time when trying to practice with her semblance. How different could a major metropolitan area be?

"Hold on tight Zwei." Ruby steeled her voice, grabbing Zwei so he wouldn't go flying. Zwei started wagging his tongue in excitement. Ruby's semblance was really cool after all. She could move super fast! She could disappear into a flurry of roses which was also really cool when she wasn't trying to carry her dog with her.

Look. Ruby Rose's semblance was amazing by virtue of existence. It wasn't like anyone else even had aura to protect themselves. Ruby, on the other hand, was pretty much indestructible. She once spent an entire evening accidentally running into trees, but she came out without a scratch. Clearly, her aura could deflect anything truly hostile. The only problem was that Ruby didn't exactly come with an instruction manual of her amazing powers.

Was this how the first Huntress felt? The Grim Reaper must have had to learn how to use her powers too. Did she spend long hours running into walls like the one weekend that Ruby tried to get an understanding of her rose teleporting thing? Did she need to get used to unwieldy turning speeds? After all, as awesome as pure speed was, Ruby needed to learn how to turn on a dime if she didn't want to hit walls when she accelerated.

"Well that's why we're here Zwei. I'm going to learn to be the bestest huntress!"

Even though Zwei probably didn't understand what Ruby was talking about, he probably could understand Ruby's tone of voice. He put his paw on her heart and barked once. If Ruby could speak dog, it would probably come across as something super inspiring and wise. Of course, a sneaking suspicion in the back of her mind told her that Zwei was probably just hungry…

Didn't matter! Ruby was taking it as inspiration. "Hold on buddy! Let's rev it up!"

Crickets followed that proclamation. Yeah, that catchphrase really didn't work. Zwei turned his head on his side, still sticking his tongue out. Ruby winced, knowing that her cheeks were going red in embarrassment.

"Ummm. Gotta go fast? Let's kick it into overdrive?"

Zwei stared back at her, making no move to show support for any of Ruby's killer catchphrases she borrowed from the television. Look, it was a work in progress, alright!

"Nevermind. Let's just go Zwei."

In practically an instant, the world turned to molasses. Alright, maybe Ruby wasn't that fast. She could dash at high speeds. The world temporarily turned to molasses every time Ruby dashed forward like she was the main character of a videogame abusing the dodge button to leap across the map. Maybe speedster speeds like the comics would come later, but for now, Ruby was pretty happy with her semblance.

In no time at all, Ruby was dashing past the long streets heading towards the bigger city. Of course, Ruby would probably get lost trying to find her way back, but for now, Ruby extended her hand to trace against walls as she sped past buildings and stores. The smile on her face was just as ecstatic as Zwei's. Her dog was sticking his tongue out as Ruby carried him faster than any car could have in traffic.

If Ruby started paying attention, she might have noticed the startled expressions of those passersby and pedestrians she sped her way past. Her dashing technique made it so that her features were far too blurred for anyone to see, but the combination of her cloak and new costume added to the credibility of several existing rumors of a local cryptid too fast for cameras to track. The rumor mill-fed legends of the Red flash, the Crimson demon, and the walking soda advertisement would all gain more substance from this point on, but in terms of story relevance, they didn't matter.

(Ruby would spend several hours investigating the city for signs of these monsters later on, all while feeding rumors of their existence through her semblance. While it would be a hilarious self-fulfilling cycle that Ruby would never quite catch wind off, the story relevance was again immaterial).

In what seemed like no time at all, Ruby hit the Generic Warehouse district of Vale. Using her semblance always made her lose track of time because of all the awesomeness, but Ruby could see that the sun was starting to sink down.

Here at the Generic Warehouse district was as good a place as any to look for crime. Ruby stopped, her combat boots skidding on the pavement of the street. Her speed slowed as a scraping noise filled the air, drawing the eyes of passersby to the spot where Ruby was failing to cut her speed down. A nearby wall quickly became larger and larger, but stopping might still have been possible if she didn't accidentally stumble on a rock.

"Oh. Macaroons." She shut her eyes.

Ruby tripped, spinning out of control and hitting the wall with a solid CRACK. The kind of sound much like a baseball bat striking a ball, or in this case, a brick wall striking a young superheroine in the face. That was one problem that Ruby always ran into. Stopping that is.

"Owww."

"Bark."

Zwei wriggled out of Ruby's arms, perfectly safe from the crash thanks to the way she spun out of control. Ruby opened her eyes too and tried not to think of the headache she now had. The good news was that her aura was amazing and already patching up her injuries.

Ruby didn't noticed the concerned citizens who started pointing at the crash site, but she would have been ecstatic to realize that her amazing silk mask was doing its job in concealing her identity. Well the mask and the cloud of dust and rocks she kicked up when trying to stop. That was the major factor. Ruby didn't notice it as her attention soon turned to being a super Huntress extraordinaire.

"We're here Zwei! I can smell it!'

Ahh the Generic Warehouse district. Ruby could still smell the sea from the Generic Docks district nearby which made it doubly sure that she'd be able to find tons of criminal to stop. The rumor mill in Vale always had good stories about this place. Like the gang of people in expensive suits or the association of people with spider tattoos. Even that new guy, the gentleman thief, was supposed to be hiding somewhere in this area. These streets were perfect! And… delicious?

Ruby sniffed. She could smell the scent of hot dogs drifting in on the seabreeze. Zwei could smell hot dogs too because he started wandering towards the main street. The whole place was lit up with food stands that only served to remind Ruby that she didn't have a wallet or cash on her. Sure, she ate a snack earlier, but now she was getting hungry.

"Bark?" Zwei obviously didn't phrase his whining bark like a question, but Ruby would like to think he would have. He began to trot forward.

"Bad Zwei. We're working. We can eat later."

Zwei whined but circled back to Ruby's heels. Good. She had her dog, so now, she could go be a huntress. Now she just needed a criminal to stop, but for all the criminality this Generic Warehouse district was said to have, Ruby knew she faced a terrible task. It could take hours to find a real crime. She'd need hours of detective work before-

"Aghhhhhhhhhhh!"

Ruby's head snapped up as a girly scream sounded through the area, but she failed in suppressing the smile that grew on her face.

"This is it Zwei!"

Ruby flung out her hand, letting her cloak catch the breeze so that it flowed behind her. This was it. Time for her big break. Ruby Rose was no longer her average-knees self, for a true huntress appeared. Whoever it was that screamed was about to be so saved!


"Aghhhhhhhhhhh!"

For a single moment, a single second even, Weiss Schnee winced in sympathy. Of course, the sympathy flew out the window when she remembered that she was being kidnapped by a group of criminals. When one considered that angle, Weiss felt much better about kneeing one of her attackers in the groin.

"W-why does it h-ic- hurt so much?"

The thug that tried to grab her arm, a man dressed in the same posh suit as the rest of the gang, groaned into the pavement. His hands were covering his waist after Weiss made her… objection to his approach. His compatriots who had been approaching now stood still in shock.

Weiss paid the fallen thug no further mind as her mind went wheeling in place. These thugs, all men, were well-dressed. The suits were a reasonably high quality brand, the kind Weiss might recognize at a formal function. Weiss wasn't too familiar with the kind of gangs in Vale, and Atlas had little to no criminal elements to speak of which meant her frame of reference was off. Gangs were more for Vacuo or Menagerie. Still, the number of organizations that went around in this kind of finery couldn't be too high. It should be child's play to find the culprit.

Of course, that information only helped if Weiss managed to escape.

"Schnee brat. You're going to pay for that." The main speaker, the apparent leader of the thugs, smirked.

Oh, dust. The man thought he was funny...

The situation was simple. Actually it wasn't, but Weiss was a Schnee and could think under pressure. Therefore, the situation was simple. Weiss was confronted on both sides of the alleyway. On one side, four men in suits and wielding machetes were scowling at her. The other side of the alleyway was blocked off by a single man wearing the same kind of tailored suit.

Planning was essential for her escape. While there were one or two metal ladders attached to windows above her, they would take too much time to climb up. Weiss would need to overwhelm the man behind her and slip into the main street. Once free from the constraints of the alleyway, she'd be able to call out for the policing force of Vale. Her plan was simple to conceive but difficult to implement.

Difficult for anyone but a Schnee. Her name came with numerous benefits she could take advantage of. Overwhelming wealth wasn't useful in this situation, in fact presumably being the cause of her attack, but there was another aspect of her family that Weiss could utilize. These men probably saw her as a shelterted and spoiled heiress. The man groaning in pain on the ground next to her, in their minds, must be just an unwelcome fluke.

"Come on princess. You wouldn't want us to get angry." The thug must have thought his line was clever because he smirked. The other thugs laughed at the line, meandering forward. Clearly, she was a helpless widdle princess, too powerless to stop those awful criminals. Little did Weiss need to tell them that she was no sheltered princess. She was a damn Queen.

Weiss curled her hand into a fist into a perfect form for punching to minimize damage to her hand. Like it or not, Weiss wasn't going down to a bunch of ill-mannered thugs.

Now, the story of Weiss' life could have gone many ways. Ups and downs and tosses all around. What happened next was a once in a lifetime occurrence of fate. Weiss would have been fine by herself, but that really wasn't the change in fortune that shaped her world. Even in her old age, Weiss knew that what happened next shaped her life forever. Her world seemed to freeze as a loud voice called out a challenge.

"Attention criminals!"

Everything in Weiss's life changed after the girl in the red hood wandered in.

For a moment, Weiss couldn't move. She couldn't breathe because the stranger in front of her was nothing less than breathtaking. The wind seemed to pick up at just the right moment, or else how could Weiss explain the flurry of rose petals following the girl's dramatic declaration. The roses seemed to circle around the mysterious stranger like they were a natural manifestation of her cloak, dancing around in the breeze like red fairies.

The Rose Girl, for what else could Weiss term the character, made her declaration wholeheartedly final. Even those thugs that were harassing her seemed to pause in their steps as the light hit the silver cross on her chest, reflecting it across the alleyway. The Rose Girl was like an ancient fairy from the old stories. She was charismatic, ethereal and completely dangerous, and the very world seemed to freeze as it waited for the Champion's next move.

"Bark! Bark! "

And like that the moment was ruined.

"Not now, I'm trying to monologue!" The Rose Girl tried to shush the dog that was yipping at her heels, a mangy mutt who snarled at the thugs. The Rose Girl, distracted by the dog, lost any sense of wonder that her entrance built up. The four thugs that blocked Weiss' way forward turned their attention to the new stranger.

"Look kid. You better scram and let the grown ups handle this." The leader of the thugs spoke up. He motioned with his machete in an obnoxiously stupid movement, miming a cutting motion.

The Rose Girl, to put it frankly, seemed unintimidated.

"No, It is you who better scram! You fiendish… fiend! Your villainous ways end here!"

Weiss took in a deep breath. That stupid statement. Weiss' eyebrow twitched. What kind of moron pretended to play superhero then deliver lines like they were on a television set? What sort of dolt would confront actual criminals like that? Whatever the case, Weiss wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. The thug's eyes were all on the Rose Girl which meant that they weren't on Weiss. Rather unprofessional when trying to kidnap someone, but it was their mistake to make.

If there was one rule in life, it was that no one should take their eyes away from a Schnee.

"Alright, umm does anyone want to surrender now?"

The four thugs in front of her and the one thug behind her all stared in incredulity at the Rose Girl even as the stranger began to expand on her tirade against their "villainous viles." For a moment, Weiss wondered what the guys would do until she realized that they were too busy being parlyzed… with laughter.

"Hehehehe. Looks like we've got a real joker."

"Bet you anything the costume's homemade."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure she's just plagiarizing that one Pumpkin Pete commercial."

The last comment was from the thug blocking the exit whose attention was entirely encapsulated by the Rose Girl's foolish actions. It was a golden opportunity, and Weiss was more than capable of taking advantage of it.

"Surrender criminals! For I am the power at night that wakes the sleeping… criminal guys! And girls. I''l stop criminal guys and girls too! Wait, where did those machetes come from…"

"Aghhhhhh!"

While the crowd was distracted, Weiss lunged forward like it was just another fencing match. However, instead of an unsharpened blade striking against a tinfoil suit, Weiss herself was the weapon. Weiss slammed into the thug blocking her way, stomping her foot down on his boots. Now in an ordinary situation, the heavier set man would have been able to shrug it off, but the thug's attention was entirely on the Rose Girl. The sudden pain distracted him just enough for him to let go of his weapon. And for what Weiss did next? Well, it was uncouth but utterly effective...

Weiss kneed a thug in the groin for the second time that day.

"Du-dust. Why?"

With that move, the stalemate was broken. The leader of the thugs sprung into action. "Get them! Both of them!" Weiss began to run, grabbing the fallen machete as she ran towards the exit. Weiss would have continued running until she hit safety if not for the singular rose petal that drifted by on the seabreeze. The petal whirled past which made her glance behind her shoulder.

The Rose Girl was still standing still as two of the thugs approached her, her dog growling in more defiance than anything the girl seemed to muster...

"What are you doing dolt?" Weiss called out as the Rose Girl swept her cloak behind her back like a cape, creating a wasteful and unnecessary distraction that might just end up hurting her.

Weiss looked towards the exit. She could start running and be free. Even get the police force in to arrest the thugs. But leaving the girl behind put a sour taste in her mouth. A Schnee did not flee from danger like a coward. The machette in her hands weighed more like a bludgeoning bat that required upper-body strength that Weiss was sorely lacking in, but two of the thugs were about to reach the stupid, doltish, moronic girl who still wouldn't stop monaloguing. Weiss turned around, holding up up weapon in a stance more suited for her fencing matches, but it was the best she could do without learning the appropriate theory and coursework.

This was a stupid plan, and the evidence was clear that she'd never be able to make it to the Rose Girl in time. The best she could do was run and not look back. Or at least, that was what Weiss would do if she wasn't stubborn.

"Run you dolt! Do something!"

Weiss started running back. Two of the thugs blocked her way, but she could try and distract the lot of them. She wouldn't run away because who would she be if she left behind that utterly stupid Rose Girl?

The two thugs approaching Weiss grinned as she ran towards them, probably rejoicing in the fact that Weiss was an idiot, but her eyes were only on the two thugs approaching the Rose Girl. The closest one raised his machete, but even with her dog growling in defiance, the Rose Girl Would! Not! Move!

Unit she did move, and it was at that moment that the world changed for Weiss Schnee.

With a gust of wind, the Rose Girl disappeared. As in one moment she was there, and the next, a swirl of roses had taken her place. Even her dog seemed to freeze, cutting off his growl to blink incessantly. The thugs approaching her were equally confused. "Where did she-"

Weiss froze because the flurry of roses crossed the alley like some kind of magic act, sending petals into the faces of the thugs to obscure their vision. The storm of petals passed over the now blinded thugs, crossing the alley and appearing behind the two thugs that were about to reach Weiss.

"Flying Axe-Kick Go!"

Then, another impossibility for the day. The Rose Girl appeared out of the flowers and kicked one of the thugs in the face.

"Yeah! Take that!" The Rose Girl flipped herself off the thug's face like a springboard to land on her feet, almost as if she was daring physics to call her into question. Weiss' hands felt limp, the piece of metal in her hand weighing like an anvil because that was impossible wasn't it? The Rose Girl crossed the alley in a storm of petals only to kick the thug in the face. It was incredible, impossible, and unfortunately quite ineffective.

"How the dust did you do that?" The thug's only reaction was to wipe away spittle from where the Rose Girl's boot hit him in the face and blink. He seemed more confused than anything, lowering the weapon in favor of just staring at the spot where the Rose Girl appeared.

The other thugs seemed equally stunned, frozen in place for who knows how long. Perhaps the Rose Girl had another part to her plan. Weiss looked back to her saviour, who despite the awkward start, was perhaps more competent and powerful than anything Weiss might have dreamed off.

"Ummm so that didn't hurt you? At all? Well... no hard feelings right?"

It was official. They both were doomed.

The period of being stunned ended when the closest thug cut forward with his machete, and the only reason the distracted Rose Girl wasn't nursing a cut the size of her torso was because Weiss threw herself forward at the last minute and knocked both of them to the ground.

They both hit the ground, and if it wasn't currently an emergency, Weiss might have blushed by the fact that she landed right on top of her. Blushed kinda like how the Rose Girl's face went red when their eyes met.

"Wow… You're super pretty..."

"Watch out before you get the both of us killed!" Weiss snapped, but she felt her cheeks go red at the comment, a gentle heat that she might have welcomed if they weren't in such a compromising situation. Also danger. That too. There were still four thugs approaching. Perhaps the only reason the two weren't being harassed was because they were as equally stunned as Weiss. Who wouldn't be stunned by the impossibility of the girl that Weiss was currently laying on top of.

"She just turned into a bunch of freaking roses!" The closet thug cried out.

"Like a real cartoon. Magical girl maybe?" That comment was from behind the two closest to Weiss.

"I don't care what just happened! She kicked me in the face! Get both of them!" The lead thug snarled. He was the one was kicked. Now, he looked too angry to be stopped by whatever nonsense the Rose Girl would pull out nowhere. At this point, Weiss fully expected a whole menagerie of useless powers that would mildly annoy their attackers into submission.

They were so dead.

A hand fell onto Weiss' shoulder. Thinking it was one of the thugs she took care of earlier, Weiss thrust forward with her machete. All too late did she see that the two thugs she attacked earlier were still on the ground and groaning in pain which meant there be only one person so stupid to place a hand on her shoulder in the middle of a crisis.

The Rose Girl's eyes widened as she disappeared once again, exploding into a petal of roses that caused the attacking thugs to once again halt in their tracks in the face of inexplicable power.

"Dust! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry Princess! Please put the machete down- "

Weiss blinked at the nickname, but the Rose Girl continued, speaking at a rate that would impress even the famous historian Dr. Oobleck.

"Look. We're in trouble here, so I need you to listen carefully to my plan because you might get hurt, and I'm so sorry because I'm the superhero, but I left my collapsible scythe-sniper at home and…"

Weiss glanced behind her. The thugs started to shake off their confusion which meant they had ten seconds to think of something. Weiss placed a hand on the Rose Girl's shoulders, and with a voice that would impress even her older sister, commanded, "Plan. Now."

Weiss' only partner in this debacle pointed at the cluster of thugs and grinned. "I'm going to go really fast and disorient the gaggle! You're going to need to hold onto something!"

Ignoring the fact that the plan amounted to the girl running really fast using her unexplained powers, Weiss couldn't help but wince at the dangers present in that action. The logistics involved with such a feat. The plan was stuppid, asine, moronic, and the only thing that they had.

"Do it!"

The Rose Girl nodded. The red-dyed tips of her hair shook with the action. Then in an instant, a gust of wind blew through the alley. No, not a gust of wind, the shockwave from the Rose Girl suddenly accelerating towards the cluster of thugs. Weiss stumbled in place before throwing her arms around the metal staircase nearby.

The Rose Girl's physics breaking powers obviously had something to do with speed. That or it involved roses for some reason. Whatever the specifics, the effects were dangerous The Rose Girl appeared behind the the closet thug and swung with an easily telegraphed punch, but that punch was quickly overshadowed by her real technique of running away. Almost a second after disappearing, the girl would reappear in a different spot, striking at the thugs with an ineffective punch or kick before disappearing again with a much more effective shockwave.

Was she accelerating and decelerating? Was she teleporting in a way that created a shockwave each time she reappeared? Weiss' brain moved as fast as the Rose Girl's attacks, but she felt powerless to move in the sudden storm of petals that accompanied every move, petals which circled the thugs and obscured their vision.

Something had to give, and it certainly wasn't the girl who looked like she was racing against a group of turtles. Weiss held onto the wall, bracing herself as the Rose Girl grabbed one of the thug's weapons and sent it flying in the wind. Eventually, the thugs sunk to the ground, unable to keep up with the sheer speed that the girl produced every second. The buffeting of petals and ineffective kicks stacked onto one another into a storm no human could possibly match.

For once, things were looking good. Perhaps that's why the Rose Girl tripped on a loose rock.

"Watch out!"

One thug still stood despite the swirl of roses. The man sporting a bruise in the shape of boot raised the machete in his hands. His eyes were wide with fear, but he seized upon the one chance he had to turn the tables. Weiss wasn't close enough to help. She could only watch as the Rose Girl threw up her arms...

And the true saviour of the day appeared.

Unnoticed throughout the fighting, the Rose Girl's dog stumbled to his feet. No, it wasn't a dog. Weiss could see his face. He was a m-mutt. A mangy little… puppy. A cute widdle puppy with the most adorable eyes and…

Weiss blinked as the puppy growled. Perhaps sensing the hostile intent from the thug attacking his master like a good boy he was, the corgi jumped at the man. Sharp teeth met the thug's arms right before his master could be harmed.

The thug screamed as teeth sunk into his expensive suit. He swung his hand around in a circle, managing to knock the dog aside. Despite the brief respite, the only thing it served was to anger the little corgi. The dog's teeth were black with the thread from the thug's suit. His fur was unruffled which was incredible seeing as he was still standing after the shockwaves brought down three other grown men. He was also the cutest thing that Weiss had ever seen.

"Stupid d-dog..." The thug, managed to gasp out before the Rose Girl took a flying leap and slammed both of her boots into his face at incredible speed. Needless to say, the man went down.

Weiss let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding, but her heart was still beating like a drum. Her adrenaline wasn't helped by the sight of roses swirling around the spot where the mysterious girl picked herself up from the ground. The Rose Girl went back to beaming that cocky little smile. Back to an almost ethereal air of power. Like the feeling one got in their chest when seeing a butterfly or finding a secret garden of flowers in the cold of Atlas. She seemed much like a flower, small and dainty despite the fact she broke a man's jaw only a few seconds ago.

The girl didn't seem to care as she knelt down next to the corgi and scooped him up into a fierce hug."Good job Zwei! That was so brave! You know what? Why don't you become my sidekick?"

Weiss untangled herself from the metal staircase. Her hair was a mess, her jacket and dress was torn, and pride broken, but Weiss was alive. She wasn't being kidnapped. It was a win in her books, but one entirely based on the actions of one particular stranger.

"Did you bite the nasty man?

This was her savior? A young girl who couldn't focus on a dangerous situation? Who postured around in a suit that looked like it was thrown together by a bargain bin shopper? Worse was that she clearly had incredible control over her powers or whatever that blistering speed was. Weiss curled her trembling hands together.

"And what, pray tell, was that?"

The Rose Girl looked up, blinking like a deer caught in the headlights. In her hands, the adorable corgi bobbed his head up and down. Clearly, he was the brains of the partnership because he was so cute with the remains of the thug's arm on his little teeth...

"Th-thanks citizen. I mean, I had it under control, but you certainly h-helped me out a little." the Rose Girl rubbed the back of her head, still beaming that cocky smile that only fell when Weiss stomped right up to her.

"He almost hit you with a machete. I don't care what research facility you robbed, you could have gotten both of us killed!"

The Rose Girl blinked, perhaps because Weiss' proximity. Weiss was right next to her now and perfectly able to see the intricate details of the Rose Girl's costume. Like the way half the fabric was a mismatch of different fabrics sewn hazardously together. Certainly not Kevlar armor that could stand up to assault. Yet, this girl walked up to a gang of criminals without the slightest hint of fear.

Or caution for that matter.

"Well I thought my kick would knock him over but- hey! I didn't rob anything!" The Rose Girl's tone shifted into a pure defensive cry as she waved her hands up and down. Of course, she could very well be lying to cover herself.

"Explain the roses!" Weiss snapped, pointing her finger around the alley to the literal storm of petals still circling the girl. "And the speed. And the fact that your legs should be broken by suddenly accelerating and hitting those thugs!"

Each word brought Weiss a little closer to the Rose Girl, her finger wagging as she ranted, but the Rose Girl only cocked her head to the side and grinned. "Oh, that's just my semblance!"

Weiss froze. It was a fair reaction too because a semblance? An actual semblance? Impossible. They weren't real. Fairy Tales had more substance. Weiss should know as she'd had to listen to her father talked about how the Schnee line dated back into legend. Of course, he didn't believe in semblances either, but he took pride in the Schnee's role in the legend.

It was, put simply, nonsense.

Then Weiss looked to her surroundings.

The alleyway was a mess. Garbage bags blown by the wind lay scattered on the ground. The metal staircases, including the one that Weiss had used to anchor herself, were loosened by the sudden burst of wind. What was the weight those trashy constructions could handle? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't human. Someone with a semblance wouldn't be just an ordinary human. They'd be superhuman.

The Rose Girl moved her hair from her eyes, fixing that strands that were blown loose by the sudden acceleration. She had short hair, so there wasn't much to adjust. "Man that could have been bad. At least you're safe right… woah. Your hair is really pretty- I mean nice and brushed!"

It was the second time the girl had said that. Now, Weiss was used to hearing things like that all the time. She was Weiss Schnee for crying out loud, but this time, it hit home just a little too hard. Maybe it was because Weiss was still standing next to the girl. Perhaps that ethereal first impression was gone, but the Rose Girl was still very cute. The silly red strands of hair on that tiny head shook every time she swayed in the breeze. The Rose Girl's eyes were a striking silver that seemed to pierce into Weiss' very soul.

The Rose Girl was undeniably cute. Weiss could safely admit that. She even saved Weiss' life. Weiss wasn't in danger now, so who cared if she went a little red?

It was very picturesque. Almost romantic if one took a step back, Sure, Weiss was doing fine for herself, but the Rose Girl saved her the trouble of escaping. Like a storybook tale, the dashing hero swooped in to save the beautiful Queen. Weiss's mouth felt dry. The whole scene was like that of the start of a love story which was probably why it was immediately ruined.

"Help? I think you broke my face." A thug groaned into the ground only a few feet away from where the two were standing. Weiss shook her head as she cast her gaze around the piles of formerly armed thugs now laying on the ground. Her head was clearly muddled. Adrenaline simply made her unwilling to think, kinda like how the Rose Girl handled this whole situation.

"You were reckless."

Weiss crossed her arms and stared. The Rose Girl immediately bristled.

"I saved the day!"

"You could have made things worse by your jumping around!"

"Like you were doing so well by yourself!"

Like talking to a brick wall. A stubborn and doltish brick wall. Weiss curled her fingers in. "I had it handled! Need I remind you, I disabled two of my attackers!"

Said two thugs groaned into the dirt, too tired to protest Weiss' self defense.

The Rose Girl crossed her arms to mimic Weiss' stance. "You needed help. And I helped you. I would never regret that." From her lips, it was a bold declaration.

"That's just nonsense-" Weiss cut off. Weiss wasn't wrong, being a perfect Schnee and all that, but she could have moments where she knew her family's propaganda was all that. Propaganda.

The Rose Girl might have acted foolishly, but she did act. No one else came in to help Weiss. She might have been able to escape by herself, but what if something happens? The fact that the Rose Girl acted at all should outweigh any other factor.

"Th-thank you." Weiss muttered to the ground in a voice too quiet to hear.

"What was that Princess?" huffed the Rose Girl, still crossing her arms in irritation.

"I said thank you!" Weiss spat out. Then she breathed, immediately calming her voice. "No one else happened to help. I shouldn't take my anger out on you for my mistake. So thank you."

"Oh." An eloquent response indeed.

The Rose Girl's dog padded his little paws up to Weiss. Perhaps it was improper, but she was already exhausted. Weiss knelt down next to the puppy and rubbed his little ears that waggled in the breeze. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched as the Rose Girl began to roll the thugs on their sides and started taking off their shoes of all things.

Weiss almost asked what the girl was planning when the Rose Girl blinked in and out of existence once more, brushing a soft gust of petals across Weiss' face.

When the Rose Girl reappeared, the thugs were all facing the wall with their hands tied up by their own shoelaces. Shoelaces didn't work as handcuffs of course, but given the fact that most of those thugs didn't look like they could move, it would probably turn out alright.

"Bark." Weiss let her beating heart still as she rubbed the corgi's ears. As her heart calmed down though, her mind started to race forward. The Rose Girl claimed to have a semblance. Was she born with it? Did she have the aura that was said to be unlocked by the hunters of legend? Caught up in her thoughts, Weiss almost missed the Rose Girl's next question.

"Ummm so where do you live?"

Everything about this day came grinding to a halt.

Did the Rose Girl not know? She was Weiss Schnee. Arrogant it may be, half of Vale knew who she was, but did she make the exception? No, being recognized didn't matter because Weiss was still wrapping her head around the fact this girl was using her semblance to tie shoelaces together.

"I mean, you might get robbed again, but if I walk you home, you can be protected! The Generic Warehouse district is pretty dangerous after all!"

Generic Warehouse…?

Weiss shook her head. The word choice didn't matter. The Rose Girl didn't know her. Perhaps because Weiss' hair turned into a nest after the wind ripped past her. Perhaps because her dress was torn to shreds. No matter. Weiss might as well answer the question.

"I'm from Atlas, but I was staying at the hotel near..."

"Got it! The non-descript hotel district!"

Weiss opened her mouth to say no, that wasn't the hotel she was staying at, but the Rose Girl had already grabbed her hand. Weiss began to put together what was happening, but it was a little too late. She tried to yell out anyway, but her breath was stolen from out under her lungs by a flash of rosy petals. Traveling at such high speeds made her head spin as a whole collage of lights and colors assaulted her sentences. By the time Weiss had found her voice, she was already sent stumbling next to the entrance of a cheap-looking building.

"There you go! Now be safe and watch out for criminals!"

"Wait!" But it was too late. The Rose Girl already turned around and disappeared in a flash of petals.

Unbelievable. She left Weiss in the entrance of a hotel that wasn't hers thank you very much. A hotel where she would have to call Klein from or risk walking home and getting mugged again. Five seconds. That's all it would have taken to tell the Rose Girl that she dropped her in front of the wrong building.

As if to mock Weiss' anger, A single rose petal drifted in the wind before landing at her feet.

Weiss's eye twitched, and that's the story of how Weiss' fate was shaped forever.


You know the scene in the foodfight where Ruby sends all the trash flying? I remember. Oh, and here's another extra bit.

Omake:

It was a slow day in the Jr. Detectives Agency. Or at least it was.

"Umm... Sun?"

"Yeah Neptune?"

"Do you remember arresting these guys?"

Sun blinked. Five men tied up with their own shoe-laces were dropped in front of the agency. Coincidentally, these five men were wanted criminals that the detectives had never been able to find. Now delivered to their door like they were a pizza.

Oh no...

He'd have to do paperwork now. So much paperwork...

Sun's false mustache slipped from his face as his cup of coffee dropped from his hands and shattered against the floor.

Neptune just sighed. "I'm taking that as a no then."