A few days before the fall semester began, students started returning to Beacon. Ruby and Yang were the first members of their team to make it back. Ren and Nora were waiting for them. One by one, the other four all returned to campus. Once they were all there, it was time for Ruby to put her plan into motion. She summoned them all to a rec room on campus. She got in touch with Glynda, too. She was going to be extremely important to what Ruby had in mind.
She had Yang help her find all of the instruments that they'd need. Some of them were easier to get than others. Especially Ren's shamisen… If not for the fact that Beacon already had a piano, Ruby wasn't sure what she was going to do about something that massive. Yang sat at the drum set, lightly tapping away at the drums and cymbals.
"I can't wait to tell them!" Ruby said. "This is going to be so much fun!"
"If none of them complain, anyway. And you're still okay with what I wanted to tell them?"
"Yeah, I'm okay with it. I think doing something together would be important, before we're too busy."
"You know that's no-" Yang sighed, "Well, as long as you haven't said 'no'."
The door to the rec room opened and the other seven all filed into the room. They all stopped for a minute when they saw the instruments.
"Oh, no…" Weiss said.
"Hello, friends!" Ruby said, arms outstretched. "I want to thank you for coming out here today."
"Ruby, what is all this?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, you all know about that cultural festival we're going to have during Vytal, right? We're going to put on a show!"
"Boo!" Nora cried, "Yang already called the drums?"
"Sorry, Nora!"
"That explains why you asked about instruments." Ren walked over to the shamisen, lightly picking it up and inspecting it.
"Okay…" Weiss crossed her arms. "I see drums, three electric guitars, an acoustic guitar, a violin, a piano, and a shamisen. That's all eight of us covered…" She gestured to Glynda. "But what about her?"
"I'm just as curious, Miss Schnee."
"It's a song I wrote!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You write songs?" Jaune asked.
"Well, it was just the one. It's about my mom. I need someone to sing her part, and Glynda was the only person that came to mind…"
"You want me to sing? In front of a crowd?" She asked.
"Yes! Will you do it?"
"I…" All of the students' eyes were on her, and several of them were already fiddling with the instruments. It was clear more of them were interested in Ruby's idea than not. She couldn't very well let them down, could she? "Fine… I'll do it!"
There was a small chorus of cheers, and then Ruby descended on Weiss. "I'm going to need your help too!"
"What?"
"I need you to teach me how to sing!"
"D-do you not already know?"
"Not as good as you!" Ruby said.
"So let me get this straight." Weiss started walking towards the piano. "We all just got back, you just tell us we're going to put on a song for a festival happening in two months, you want us to get ready for it even with all our homework and training, you want Glynda to sing with you even though she has work, and you want me to teach you to sing on top of all of that?"
"Well, uh… that sounds about right, yeah."
"I would've thought you insane, back in April. Now this just seems very… you." Weiss sat down and gently stroked the piano. "Well, I guess I'm going to be really busy then."
"Yes! We're going to have so much fun, everyone!"
As Ruby was hopping around the rec room, Yang steadied her cymbals. Her drumming had been background music for the rest of the group so far, and when it stopped, the sudden silence drew all of their attention. That wasn't her original intention, but if it got their attention, it definitely worked.
"Alright, folks, we're getting back to it real soon. I want us to do something together before then. One last hurrah, you know? So…we're going to the beach!"
"Why, that sounds lovely!" Before any of the others could react, Professor Ozpin walked in, taking a drink from his mug.
"The beach?" Jaune asked. "I've never really thought about any beaches near here, but there has to be one, huh?"
"There's one near Amity Park!" Yang said. "It sort of sucks that there will probably be a lot of people there, but it isn't like we can't still have fun, right?"
"Hm… I'm going to have to see whether or not I actually have something appropriate for the beach…" said Professor Ozpin.
"Are you going to be joining us, Professor?" Ruby asked.
"Well, it wouldn't be proper for a grown man to join his young students to the beach would it? It isn't like this is an official field trip or anything. Though if we conveniently happened to be there on the same day at the same time, I suppose it's all on the up and up, yes? Shall we go and do some shopping, Glynda?"
"I see you've already decided I'm going with you," she said.
"Oh, don't act like you didn't think it was a fun idea!"
"Oh, I just realized that I don't have a swimsuit…" Blake said.
"That's perfectly alright!" Nora said, "I don't either! So it's shopping time! Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, you're with me!" Nora wrapped her arm around Ren's and started dragging him towards the door.
"And you're bringing me because?" he asked.
"Well, we have to match, of course! You have to go shopping with us!"
"H-hey, what about me? If you steal Ren, who do I go shopping with?"
"Eh, you'll be fine, Jaune. You'll find something cool looking. I believe you!"
The people she had summoned shared a look then started following after her. Before long, Jaune, Ruby, and Yang were the only ones left in the rec room.
"I could go shopping with you, Jaune," Ruby said, "So you aren't too lonely, anyway."
"Thanks, Ruby, it means a lot."
"I'll come with. You need someone to tell you what'll knock the ladies dead, Jauney Boy," Yang said.
"Thanks, you two. It means a lot. Well, I guess we should get going, huh?"
Tukson was in the back of his store, unloading some new purchases he had recently received. These books were in high demand. Some of his regulars had asked after them, so there was no way he couldn't order them. Once he put them out, he'd have to start sending out some S-Mails so the people who were waiting wouldn't have to wait much longer. As he was stacking some books, he heard the bell out front.
"Be right there!"
He walked out into the storefront, placing his stack on the counter. There were two new customers. A young man and a young woman. A couple, maybe? No, they must've been travelers, with the way they were dressed. They didn't even look like tourists to him. They looked more like huntsmen, far as he was concerned.
"How can I help you?"
"Just browsing, big guy," said the young man.
"I was looking around, but I don't think I saw The Thief and the Butcher. You do have it in stock, right?" Asked the young woman.
"Ah, yes I do." He pointed towards the front of the store. "It would be right there with the mys-"
"Oh! What about Violet's Garden? And in paperback."
"It's here." The young man slammed the book closed. "And hardcover, too."
"It never hurts to have options," she said.
"If it doesn't have pictures, I don't care about it." Another book slammed shut. "Anything that'll help me there?"
"Graphic novels and comics are on that wall over there." Tukson gestured towards it. The longer they were in his store, the more uneasy he felt. Especially the book slamming. Why the book slamming? What was the point of it all?
"Actually, there was one I was really curious about!" The young woman leaned in close across the counter. "How about The Fourth Crusade?"
Tukson's body tensed up. The Fourth Crusade? No, that couldn't be right. These two were human. At least, they looked human. They shouldn't know that name; that phrase. Maybe it was all just some sort of misunderstanding?
"I, uh, don't think I have that one."
"Are you sure about that?" Rather than going towards the graphic novels, the young man wandered near the front of the store, where the mysteries were. "I think you ought to know a lot about The Fourth Crusade. Seems like a book you'd want the people to read."
"It's a very… controversial book. If I did carry it, some of my customers would be very, very upset."
"So that's why you lie to them about being in the Fang?" Asked the young woman. As she spoke, her companion started lowering the shop's lights. "About who you are? Because they'd be upset?"
"Why are you here?" Tukson asked.
"A little birdie told us you plan on skipping town. Hopping on a flight all the way to Vacuo. Is that right?"
"...Maybe."
"Listen here, Tukson, I'm going to give you a choice," said the young woman, "You can give up on these little plans of yours, and we can kiss and make up, or you try to force us out of your store and leave a little prematurely. I'd say your odds are pretty good for the first one. Wouldn't you agree?"
He swiped at the stack of books, sending them flying towards the young woman. She vaulted out of the way. He jumped onto the counter, his claws shooting out of his fingers, and he lunged. He slashed at her, but when he did, she vanished. He looked up after he landed, trying to find her, and when he did, he saw the young man hovering over him, a leg drawn high up. Then he brought it down on Tukson's head, hard.
The next day, Ruby and her friends headed to the beach, just as Yang had planned. Once they arrived, they split up to change. Ruby was feeling a bit self conscious, as she was changing into her swimsuit. It wasn't anything overwhelming. She had signed off on her sister's plan specifically because it gave her a natural, low pressure way to let the others know about what had happened, all those years ago. Deal with a few stunned faces, answer a few questions, and then go on with her life. She must've taken longer to change than she thought, because Yang had to go and pick her up. A simple yellow bikini top, emblazoned with Yang's signature flare, and a pair of black shorts. Yang whistled when she saw her little sister.
"I've got to say, I wasn't thinking I was going to see you showing so much skin, Ruby."
"Well, I mean, we went to the beach!" Ruby had brought a sunhat along with her. She pulled it down over her face to hide her growing blush. She didn't think what she was wearing was too bold. A simple red and black two piece swimsuit wasn't going to surprise anyone too much, was it?
"We can't keep the rest of the group waiting too long. I want to spend as much time having fun in the sun as we can! Let's go, Ruby!"
Yang turned to lead her sister to the rest of the party. The long claw marks on her back were impossible to miss. Ruby wondered if the others had already seen them. She took a breath, lightly slapped herself on the cheeks, and followed Yang outside. Ruby spotted the rest of the party in the distance before they noticed her and Yang. Professor Ozpin and Glynda were even nearby.
Weiss was wearing a snow white swimming dress, and she was wearing a sunhat just like Ruby. She was sitting on a beach chair under a parasol that Jaune had brought with them, placed next to a cooler. Blake's swimsuit was a simple black one piece with white accents. It clearly had a hole for her tail, but Ruby wondered if it was specifically made that way, or if she had to cut it out.
Ruby wasn't sure if she'd ever seen a swimsuit like Pyrrha's before. The top was almost like a short tank top, showing off her midriff. It also looked like it buttoned up the front. The entire swimsuit was a similar color to her hair, though Ruby could've sworn it was a bit darker. Her hair was still tied into a ponytail, but she wasn't wearing her golden tiara.
Ren and Nora were wearing matching black wetsuits. They were identical, except Nora's was trimmed with pink and Ren's with green.
Professor Ozpin and Glynda were sitting just like Weiss was. She was surprised to see Professor Ozpin reclining in the chair, wearing little more than a black speedo and an open button down vacation shirt. Ruby could only guess that Glynda was wearing a bikini of some sort, but the purple shawl she was wearing covered her up enough that Ruby couldn't tell. It was really weird seeing them without their glasses.
Ruby laughed when she saw Jaune's swim trunks. There was a shark on them, but that wasn't what she found so amusing. The shark was vomiting a rainbow of all things. There was a cat riding the shark, too. She found it hilarious when he bought it, and she still found it hilarious now, even if he said he wanted something with a rainbow since he and his sisters were all named after a rainbow's colors.
Ruby's laughter caught the party's attention. Nora started waving at them, but it was short lived. Looks of surprise, concern, and terror flashed across her friends' faces, even if it was only for a moment or two before they started collecting themselves. Ruby had scars matching Yang's, stretching from her chest to her stomach.
"You two look great!" Pyrrha said when they approached. Her voice was a little shaky.
"Thanks!" Ruby said. "I wasn't sure if this swimsuit would've been good enough…"
"Well, I think you look adorable!" Weiss said.
"Yang!" Nora thrust her hand out towards Yang. "You, me, race, now!"
"Oho, you don't have to tell me twice!"
The two started tearing off across the sand towards the sea. Jaune settled down on a beach towel near Weiss, Ren and Blake started walking after Nora and Yang, and Pyrrha walked over to Ruby.
"You know, I live on the sea, but Argus just has a lot of cliffs. Doesn't make for a really good beach town, right?" Pyrrha said.
"I guess not. My parents would take me and Yang here sometimes, when we were young. My mom and uncle were away a lot. They were huntsmen. So I always looked forward to getting to do something as a family."
"So you have huntsmen in the family too?" Pyrrha asked. "My dad was a huntsman. Even if our town didn't have a beach, we'd still try to have little family vacations, when he was alive."
"Oh." She said it so casually that Ruby didn't quite grasp the gravity of what Pyrrha had told her at first. "Oh! …My mom is dead, too. It was a while ago. Eight years, I think? She just went on a mission once… and never came back."
"You must've really loved her and her work, if you're here now."
"I did. I saw the things she and my uncle did, and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to save people the way they did." Ruby told her.
"It wasn't until after I lost my dad that I realized how important his work was. I guess you could say that I'm carrying on his legacy." Pyrrha laughed dryly to herself. "This is sort of depressing, isn't it?"
"Well, that's death for you. It doesn't hurt as much to talk about it now, though. I miss her, but I've accepted the fact that she's just gone."
"I don't think it ever really hurt me. I was shocked when I first heard about my dad's death, but I threw myself into my training right away. It was probably just me trying to keep myself so busy I couldn't focus on that feeling of loss, but I always thought of it as a way to be close to him, even with him gone." Pyrrha closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "I just chalked it up to destiny, too. We were all convinced it was his destiny to be a hero. When he died, I thought that it didn't quite change, but that it wasn't the whole story. Part of his destiny was to inspire me. So with it fulfilled, I had to do my part."
"Destiny?" It had been quite some time since Ruby heard about something like that. Since Professor Ozpin had first met her, in fact. Were Summer and Ruby's destinies so closely connected? She had decided to become a huntress because of her mom, of course, but wanting to do the same thing as your parents was just normal, wasn't it? Could something like that really be described as destiny?
"This is just my opinion, but I would take a guess that it's your destiny to do something great, Ruby."
"How come?"
"Well…" Pyrrha compared their heights. Ruby was just short, but their difference in height just made their age difference more noticeable. "Getting into Beacon at your age is impressive. Not just anyone can do that. Try not to worry about it too much, though. All this 'destiny' business isn't for everyone, I know. Now, we came to the beach to have fun, so how about we go and have a little swim?"
"I'm sort of out of practice, but let's do it!"
Weiss watched Pyrrha and Ruby head off after the others towards the water. Jaune was still just sitting by her.
"You aren't going to swim?" She asked him.
"Not yet," he said, "How about you?"
"In this dress?" Weiss lightly tugged at its hem. "I'm fine doing other things with the group, but I'd rather not get myself wet."
"Hey, mind if I ask you something, Weiss?"
"Well, I guess it depends on what you want to know." She raised a brow.
"What's it like being a Schnee? I mean, your family's name is all over the world. I don't even know if there's someone out there that doesn't know the SDC."
"What brought this on?"
"Nothing, really. I just thought that it must be a huge pain. How do you deal with that sort of pressure? Growing up with the whole world's eyes on you."
"That's a good question."
"What? You don't know?"
Weiss shrugged and said, "I don't know. It's just how I grew up, so I'm not really sure how to put it into words. I… never did that much growing up. Dinner and parties, all sorts of tutors coming in and out, and recitals. Then rinse and repeat. Parents were busy. Older sister was busy. Little brother was…" Weiss trailed off. Was she sharing too much?
"That sounds sort of…" Jaune glanced at Weiss, almost like he was waiting for her permission to speak. She nodded. "Sucky. I mean, that must get boring after a while, right?"
"You definitely get used to it. Then days just sort of bleed together. I don't… miss it, but I understood it. The Schnees are the quintessential Atlesian Elites. My upbringing is simply what's expected of people of our social standing. Nicholas Schnee worked for decades to get us to where we are now, so it's my duty to help the family he built stay in the good graces of Atlas, and the world."
"Nicholas Schnee, huh? Well, I know the SDC CEO is some guy named Jacques, so I guess Nicholas is your grandpa? I guess we're kind of similar, then."
Weiss just stared at Jaune. She wasn't quite sure how the two of them could be more different. When she first arrived at Beacon, she couldn't see herself acknowledging Jaune's existence. It's only because of their teammates and the fact that they lived across the hall from each other that they were even able to talk the way they were now.
"You want to make sure you live up to his Nicholas guy. I want to make sure I live up to one of my ancestors. Roland, from the Great War. He was a great hero, and I want to be, too. Our name used to mean something, but not anymore. I want to make it mean something again." Finally, Jaune stood up. "I have seven sisters, and a nephew. I want them and their descendents to be able to be proud about the fact that they were related to someone who was able to leave his mark on the world. If I can leave them anything when I'm gone, I want it to be that pride. Well, I think I've had enough of sitting around. I'm going to go take a dip."
It was an odd feeling. Weiss obviously didn't know much about Jaune, and she definitely didn't know anything about his family, either, but hearing him talk like that made her respect him so much more. Maybe they really weren't so different after all. Weiss really needed to learn to stop judging books by their covers. First Blake, and now Jaune.
As Jaune headed off to swim, he passed Ren and Nora. They were standing on the water's edge, watching Nora and Yang as they raced each other.
"I think this is a nice way to end the summer, don't you think?" Blake asked.
"A bit standard, if anything. It's been a long time since I had a summer this nice."
"Same here. I told the rest of my team about it after we got back, but it was my first summer home in a long time."
"I haven't spent a summer at home in a really, really long time. Probably because there isn't a home to return to, anymore."
"Oh…" She had spent a lot of time with JNPR during the spring semester, but it wasn't like she knew much about them. "I'm sorry to hear that…"
"There's always a danger of losing your home, in a world like ours. It's sort of regrettable that we had to leave, but it isn't like we had much choice."
"Regrettable…" Blake remembered the day she had seen Adam and Ilia in her home. She had been so angry that she didn't really talk to them. She had never spoken to them much even while she was in the White Fang. Not about anything meaningful, anyway. For an organization full of faunus who were tired of being mistreated, she didn't know what had driven either of them to join its ranks. They were misguided, and in Adam's case disturbingly so, but that didn't exactly mean they were irredeemable. Yet she ran, when things got too hard for her. Now there was no going back. It wasn't exactly like she could just crawl back asking to become one of them again. Even if she would be forgiven, she didn't want to be a part of what the White Fang had become. "Is it something you think about often? Your hometown, I mean."
"There probably isn't a day that I don't. I just wish there was something I could do, for the people who were lost the day my town fell. I don't know if there is, anymore." Ren looked over at Blake. She was clearly distressed. Her ears were dropped, she was hugging herself, and her tail was curled around herself. "If there is something you regret, if you can, you should try doing something before it's too late. Oh. I think Nora lost."
Blake looked out towards the sea. Nora was cheering and flailing about as Yang just floated face down past her. "Well, that's awfully dramatic." The two of them started into the water to get to their friends.
Yang picked herself up and wildly shook her head to get rid of some of the water. Blake and Ren were heading towards them. She had really tried in that race, too! She'd have to challenge Nora to a rematch sometime.
"Are you okay, Yang?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, I'll live! Well, I don't know if my pride will, though."
"You'll get her next time." Blake helped Yang out of the water and back onto land.
"Thanks, Blake. I think I can handle it from here. Think you and Ren can find us a volleyball net or something? Can't have a good beach day without volleyball, right?"
"We'll see what we can do."
Nora sent Ren off with Blake.
"Don't beat yourself up," Nora said, "Maybe you'll beat me next time!"
"It's definitely going to happen. You just got lucky!"
"Yeah, sure." Nora waved her hand dismissively. "I mean it, though, about not beating yourself up."
"What does that mean?" Nora pointed a thumb at her own back. "Oh, those? Those are old news. Why would I beat myself up about it?"
"Well, you and Ruby have matching scars. That can't be a coincidence, can it?" Nora slightly tilted her head. "Want to talk about it?"
"My parents and uncle did all the talking that needed to happen, really," Yang shrugged, "but you're a friend, and it won't kill me. We were attacked by Grimm, when we were kids. Real surprising, huh? They say your semblance can unlock when you're super stressed, so it makes perfect sense that's when mine first kicked in!"
"You don't blame yourself for it, then? Grimm means it was just a freak accident, but I know if I had a little brother or sister and they got hurt on my watch, that would screw me up."
"Don't mean to sound like a bitch, Nora, but you aren't me. Doesn't mean we'd feel the same about it."
Nora sighed and walked past Yang, patting her on the shoulder. "I've known Ren for over a decade. You'll have to try harder to hide how you feel from me."
Yang clenched her fists once Nora was gone. Yang had seen Ruby and Pyrrha heading towards the water earlier. They were still playing together in the water. Her little sister looked like she was having a lot of fun. Even after all these years, she had never made it clear that she was angry with Yang about what happened, or anything, but she still couldn't quite forgive herself. It was the older sibling's job to protect the younger, after all, and she had failed at that. Even if she's been doing a lot better ever since then, it still hasn't quite made up for that initial failure. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to.
Yang took a deep breath when she heard Blake call her name. Today was a happy day, to spend with her friends. She couldn't let herself be depressed and ruin the day for the rest of them. Blake was waving over to her from a volleyball net. She called for Ruby and Pyrrha and ran over. Yang finally saw Weiss getting up from her chair. Even Professor Ozpin and Glynda started to move.
"Great!" Yang said. "So we got a five versus five game! RWBY and JNPR! I call Glynda!"
"Since when was I someone you could 'call'?"
"Well, I think it's only fair to ban semblance use," Professor Ozpin said, "Miss Xiao Long is very crafty, recruiting the one with telekinesis for her team."
"Come on, Oz! Let us have a little fun with it!" Yang protested.
"You're just saying that because your semblances would be busted!" Jaune said.
"It's 21 points to a set, right?" Blake asked.
"Then the third only goes to 15! First to two sets won takes it all home!" Yang gestured at Ren, who was holding the volleyball.
If semblance use had been allowed, Team RWBY would've dominated. Ruby's Petal Burst would make it almost impossible for her to miss a ball as long as she had Aura. Weiss's Gylphs would keep the ball from hitting the sand without any of them needing to move. Blake's Shadows could help provide an extra boost if she was just coming up short. Glynda's Telekinesis would've basically trivialized the entire game since the ball wouldn't be safe no matter where it went. When they were forced to rely solely on their own athletic talent, they were terribly outclassed.
They lost the first set. Yang was still hopeful to tie up the game and force it into the third. Then JNPR's lead just continued to grow more and more, until it was their game set. The final point of the game was given up as Weiss just barely missed diving after the ball. It hit the sand as Weiss just laid there, groaning. Yang loomed over her, having picked up the ball, and Weiss looked up. Yang bounced the ball off her face.
"Hey!"
"What was that?!"
"I'm no good at sports!"
"No good at sp-" Yang whipped her head towards Blake, who just shrugged, then she turned back to Weiss. "You dance around with a sword and people are lucky to actually hit you, but when you need to run around and hit a ball, you just can't?"
"It's complicated, okay?"
"It isn't like I did that much better, Yang." Ruby walked over and offered Weiss a hand, which she gladly took. "Being good in a fight and being good at sports aren't the same thing. You're just good at both."
"If I practiced more, I'd be fine!" Weiss declared. "...This just happened to be my first time playing."
"Alright, who's up for a little snack?" Blake asked. Hands shot up all over. Glynda and Weiss were the only ones who didn't raise theirs. Blake ran over to the cooler. Ruby wasn't sure what was in it. She didn't tell them when she first appeared with it.
"Is she…?" Ren chuckled when she saw Blake lift a watermelon and piece of cardboard out of the cooler. "So they do it on Menagerie, too."
"Oh, I know what this is!" Jaune said. "This is that game where you hit the watermelon blindfolded! I don't think I know what they call it, though."
"Suikawari," Ren said, "It's rather common to see in eastern Mistral, during the summer."
Blake laid out the cardboard and placed the watermelon on top of it. As the others walked over, she took out a blindfold and a collapsible baton out of the cooler as well.
"Okay, who wants to go first?" Blake asked.
"So you just… hit the watermelon?" Weiss asked.
"You're blindfolded and spun around," Ren told her. "Then the others in your party have to direct you to the watermelon. When you think you're there, you take your swing."
"I think Weiss should go first!" Ruby said.
"Why are you volunteering me?"
"Well, you're the last person I'd ever imagine doing this, so I think it'd be fun." Ruby gently pushed Weiss towards Blake. "Go on, give it a try!"
"Don't you think this is… beneath me?"
"If you think you're too good for it, how're you supposed to relate to the regular old people who rely on the SDC when you inherit it? You have to get down and dirty to learn how your customers think!"
"...Well-" Weiss couldn't deny that Ruby had a point, though she couldn't understand what smashing a watermelon had to do with it.
"Have fun, Weiss!" Blake wrapped the blindfold around her friend's head. Weiss let out a small yelp when she was plunged into blackness.
Once Blake handed Weiss the baton, she took hold of her shoulders and started to spin. With each revolution, Weiss only got more disoriented. People found this enjoyable? Though, she did have to admit that the sensation of being spun was a little entertaining. When Blake stopped, Weiss almost tripped over herself. She steadied her grip on the baton and tried to keep her balance.
"Take a few steps forward, Weiss!"
"No, turn a bit to your right first!"
"Wait, wait, no! That's our right. It's your left, Weiss!"
The cacophony of voices telling her to do so many different things definitely didn't help. Weiss stumbled about, searching for the watermelon. She was more aware of the cries of the other beachgoers, and of the subtle sound of the ocean, but neither of those helped her find the silent, teasing fruit.
"There it is, Weiss!" She heard Ruby shout, "It's right in front of you, so show it what you're made of!"
Weiss drew the baton up as high above her head as she could. She brought it down, but didn't feel any sort of impact. She didn't feel anything like a fruit breaking beneath her either. Weiss peeked out from behind the blindfold. She had just barely missed it. A few measly inches over and she'd have hit it dead on. Weiss turned and looked right at Ruby, who shrunk back at her gaze.
"Well, it looked right to me!"
"Who's next?" No use in crying about it now, Weiss thought. She had been close, but she had also failed.
"May I have a go?" Professor Ozpin asked. "Much as I'd like you children to have your fun, I'm quite famished."
"Well, you're confident," Glynda said.
"Naturally." Once Ozpin was blindfolded, he did an extravagant flourish with the baton. "Now, onwards, boys and girls, to refreshing fruit consumption!"
Professor Ozpin was much more methodical in his approach to the watermelon. He would often stand still for seconds at a time as the others shouted their instructions. The closer and closer their orders got to each other, the shorter his pauses became. Then he suddenly struck, before anyone told him it was safe to. The watermelon splintered and its pieces fell apart onto the cardboard. He took off the blindfold and picked the smallest of the watermelon fragments off of the ground.
"Well?" He asked, taking a bite of his spoils.
The rest of the group all approached and took a part of the watermelon. As they ate, they took the time to discuss how they'd spend the rest of their day at the beach. Nora and Yang had raced each other, but how would the rest of them fare? That was what the two wanted to know most. It took some prodding, but Weiss finally agreed to go in the water with them, once their break to eat was done.
Torchwick examined the map of Vale before him. There were a number of pins stuck in it. He remembered when the map was completely and utterly empty. It made him proud, to see how far they'd come. A few spots were circled. Their next targets. It'd been quite a while since the last time he was personally involved in one of their little heists. He was looking forward to getting his hands dirty again. He glanced back to see a colorful young woman reading a comic book. A grin crept onto his face. As long as the two of them were together, he was sure that nothing would be able to topple them. When she lifted her head and looked out into the distance, Torchwick followed her gaze.
"Well you're late. Where the hell have you two been?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know, ascot?"
"Mercury, you little bastard…!" He prodded him with his cane. "Get yourself a better fit before you start talking shit about my clothes, punk."
"If I was dressed like you, I'd drown myself in the bay." Mercury slapped the cane away.
"You'll learn to appreciate the finer things in life when you're older." Torchwick rounded the two and wrapped his arms around them. "So, lay it on me. Where have you two been all day? On a little date?"
"Date? Me and Emerald?" Mercury gagged.
"Grosses you up that much? Shame. Not sure who else would be able to stomach you. It's a miracle she hasn't just snuffed you yet." Torchwick released them and started walking back to his map. He unfolded a small piece of paper he had lifted off Emerald. When she saw it, she started babbling incoherently.
"How did you-"
"I'm a professional, sweetheart. I've been doing this as long as you've been able to walk and talk. Zip your lip, watch how a master does it and maybe you'll learn a thing or two. Why do you have this address?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald asked.
"I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't. Now get to talking."
"Well," Mercury began, "we can't have people deserting, and you were sitting on your ass so long Tukson was a week away from being in Coquina sipping some margaritas by a pool."
"I had it under control," Torchwick stressed.
"Under control, sure. Guess those extra airship tickets he had definitely were having it under control, huh?"
"You had no business getting involved in this." Torchwick crumpled the paper, glowering at Mercury. "Just a word from me and our little friends in the Fang will take you out back and-"
"And they'll do what, exactly?"
The same young woman who had come to Torchwick's rescue the same day he first met Ruby was on a higher platform than them, in their makeshift hideout. She rode an elevator down as the three watched in stunned silence.
"Cinder!" Emerald exclaimed.
"It sounds like there was an issue with Tukson?" She asked.
"No, there wasn't!" Torchwick insisted.
"He was about to let Tukson run off to Vacuo!" Emerald said, "And he was going to go with him, too. Mercury and I did his job for him and took Tukson out before he could expose us."
The two expected praise. Cinder had wanted everyone working under them to be loyal, and with any dissenters disposed of. They were simply following her orders. Instead, she was scowling at the two.
"If anyone was in danger of exposing us, it was you. It's the middle of the day!"
"I just thought-"
"That's enough, Emerald. It's too late now. Just be more discreet next time, if you absolutely have to kill someone." Cinder told her.
More footsteps approached from above. A young man, around Cinder's age, appeared on the platform above them. His black hair was cut short, his skin lightly tanned. The dark gray long coat he wore was fraying at the edges from age. A saber was hung at his hip. He sat down on the ledge, overlooking the others below him with a pair of silver eyes.
"Silver!" Cinder exclaimed. "I didn't know you were so close!"
"I only just arrived. What's this about killing?" he asked.
Cinder looked at Emerald and Mercury, who shrunk a bit under her gaze. Mercury gritted his teeth and stepped forward. If someone was going to be saying it, it was probably better that it came from one of them directly.
"Tukson," he said, "Emerald and I took him out, before he could leave Vale."
"It didn't occur to you to just restrain him and bring him back here?" No answer. Silver hopped down and approached Mercury. He may have been a bit shorter, but he terrified Mercury all the same. "I know you two are loyal to Cinder, but listen closely: no killing, if you can help it. That is an order. Do you understand?"
"Yessir," they both said.
"And you, Torchwick? You would run?"
"W-well, I wouldn't say run, exactly...!"
"So Emerald was lying to me, is what you're saying?" Cinder asked.
"There is no room for regret. Not anymore. You've made your bed with us, Torchwick. Fight, and live. That's the only option left for you." Silver looked towards Torchwick's partner, who had just been watching them the entire time like some sort of live show. "And her, too. If you really meant to run, I should have you bound and gagged right here and now, but I won't. Take this as a warning. We still have high hopes for you."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it…"
Silver turned away from them and walked over to Cinder.
"Watts says that the Ironwoods should be arriving with their fleet in the coming days."
"Then what's the plan? I know the others will be here in Vale soon, but do we just ignore him?"
"It would be too risky to try and get past his defenses with just us. Outside of Operation Paladin and the Breach, we lay low this month. When the public is more uncertain, and when our reinforcements arrive, we can begin Operation Beacon in full force, and make the Man of Iron's greatest tools into his greatest weakness."
When the sun started to set, Ruby and the others packed up their things, cleaned themselves up, and changed. They boarded the next bus heading back into Vale City so they could catch a shuttle back to Beacon. Ruby stared outside the windows of the bus towards the vibrant orange and violet sunset spreading across the horizon.
"I don't remember the last time I went to the beach," Weiss said.
"You don't remember? I'd expect you have half a dozen vacation homes in the tropics!" Nora said.
"None so close to a beach I get to go often," Weiss replied.
"We should do this again next year," Pyrrha said.
"Maybe we could go skiing after winter break?" Ren asked.
"The beauty of youth," Professor Ozpin said, "having so much free time as to frolic in the sand and snow with friends."
"Says the man who went frolicking with us," Blake said with a little laugh.
"Well, the summer is a special case, I suppose,"
"Don't listen to him," Glynda said, "He was just as busy as always. He pulled an all-nighter a few days ago to get ahead."
"And I thought I told you to keep that a secret," he said.
"I think it was nice that you came with us," Ruby said, "After all, it isn't everyday you get to see your teachers not… you know… teaching."
"It isn't like we'll get many more chances to do this, too," Weiss added. "Class, homework, training, Ruby's little concert stunt, and all trying to have enough time for self care so that you don't go crazy? It might be easy enough for one or two people to plan another trip like this, but a group this big? Not likely."
"Well, hopefully our practice will be fun enough to make up for it…!" Ruby said, fidgeting with her hat.
The next few months were going to be very busy for everyone. School starting back up was going to take some time to get used to, and learning how to coordinate with the group on the song she had written in only a few months wasn't going to make things any easier. Probably the most notable of all was the Vytal Festival itself. It was just around the corner, with the cultural festival and tournament that were its highlights following closely behind. Ruby wanted her team to participate in it, and if they were going to be taking part as representatives of the entirety of Vale, that would mean pushing themselves even harder to put on a performance worthy of their country. Her team had come a long way, she believed; they were much closer now than when they first met. That closeness should help them overcome the trials and tribulations that awaited them. Ruby believed in them, and as their leader, she thought that having faith in her and her teammates was one of the most important things she could do.
Author's Note
Alongside this chapter, a "Skit Compendium" was uploaded. To anyone who's played a Tales of game, you know what skits are. They'll be added to the beginning and end of each chapter, but they're also just here in one place. At the end of Volume 1, the first nine and the next eight chapters will get the same treatment, and then they'll just continue to be a thing. Just more small character interactions.