Ruby shot forward with a flare of her semblance, rose petals trailing in her wake. She could feel her heart pumping what felt like a hundred miles an hour as the wind whipped violently against her face. The Vytal Festival Tournament is finally happening. She was in it. Participating. As a leader. Just like her mom! Ah~ It was actually happening! Though, from the records she had been able to uncover, Summer Rose had only made through the initial match and Team STRQ had been eliminated in the second round. It had been such a shame. Only the finals matches were archived.
In her case, however, she was aiming in proving to her team and to the world itself that Ruby Rose was the best option for the finals match. Perhaps then, when Kirakishou revived her mother once more after everything was said and done, Ruby would be able to make her mother smile. She would be able to accomplish what Team STRQ had failed.
Her Crescent Rose let loose a round of dust mid-rush, the velocity propelling Ruby further into a surprised Mistralian that had the poor choice of being her allotted target for the opening match. Some burly dude dressed up in yellow and armed with a collapsible staff. Bolin Hori was his name, judging by what she could see on the holographic display showing atop Amity Colosseum. A member of Team ABRN- the team that Kirakishou had predicted would be their opponents for the Vytal Festival Tournament's first round.
And here she was. Fighting Team ABRN. She was going to be giving her doll a whooole lot of kisses once she whooped butt and advanced her team on to the next stage!
However, it did confuse her as to how exactly Kirakishou was able to accurately predict which team of trainees that Team RWBY would be facing and devise an accurate strategy for defeating them seemingly overnight. From what Ruby was able to assume given the nature of the Rozen Maiden's powers, the N-Field needed to be involved somehow. It was, as Kirakishou had said during one conversation, the root of all her abilities.
Yet even her N-Field needed to have its limits. There was just no-
Leaping away through pure instinct, she narrowly avoided an errant bolt of dust sent her way by a ricochet shot from one of her teammates. Glancing around, she could spot her big sister Yang fighting against Team ABRN's leader, a girl by the name of Arslan Altan. For the most part it had been a rather equal pairing as both combatants were primarily brawlers. However, whilst Yang possessed her Ember Celicia, Arslan's secondary weapon, a dagger of some sort, appeared to be able to reflect dust shots- an ability that ABRN's leader was using to subtly assist her teammates throughout the battle.
"Quick reflexes, Red. Impressive. Guess you Vale kids aren't half bad." Bolin nodded his head respectfully, flourishing his staff. "Quick-witted, too. Just one look at that shot and you figured out the boss' little secret. Not too many could identify what happened in the heat of battle."
"Kid?" Ruby retorted, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not a kid! And my name isn't Red! It's Ruby! And I drink milk!" she crouched down, a single hand on the ground and another brandishing her scythe as she activated her semblance to burst across the arena and cross the distance between them in an instant.
A second later and she was send barrelling into a nearby icicle formation, courtesy of a redirect from Bolin at the last possible moment. Her aura flashed dangerously from the sudden impact, an unbidden sharp gasp tearing itself away from her as air was forced out ofher lungs.
"A solid strike against Miss Rose!" one of the announcers called out, Doctor Oobleck from what she could assume given the fast speech. Oum, she hated his classes sometimes. Most of his speeches were neigh-incomprehensible at the best of times and he posed way too many pop quizzes to check if people were listening. Why in the world such a man was chosen to co-announce the Vytal Festival Tournament was beyond her.
She ground her teeth, pulling herself out of the rubble with a growl of frustration. The last thing she needed to was to be made a fool of in the first damn round! This wasn't how things were supposed to happen!
Wasn't how things were supposed to happen.
Wasn't how things were supposed to happen.
Not allowed.
Not allowed.
"Hate to break your heart, Red, but you're certainly not the fastest girl I've ever danced with in the field. Barrelling into combat like a cannonball only works when your opponent isn't actively watching for such movements. The second you revealed your semblance to me at the start of the match, you lost the advantage of surpise."
Damn him.
Thorns.
Damn him.
Thorns. Thorns.
DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM-
"Ruby!" A worried voice called out from the side as a rough calloused hand grasped her shoulder in a tight grip. "Are you-"
From what she could assume, it must have been the look on her face that stopped the voice in its tracks. She was done playing around.
"...Yang."
She didn't need to look to know that her big sister was nearby, moments away from speaking up in defence of her. Whether it be out of some righteous anger over the taunting from Bolin or a hesitant offer to switch targets with another weaker teammate- she wasn't certain. In the end, however, regardless of what Yang was going to say her answer would have been the same.
"...Don't interfere."
It would appear the crowd had noticed her growing anger, as the cheering had notably lessened in anticipation for the upcoming engagement and the jumbo-tron screen was directly displaying her downtrodden form. Oum, she looked awful. Her dress was torn from the impact and covered in small patches of ice. Plus her hair was everywhere. But it was nothing compared to the hateful scowl residing upon her face.
Once again she crouched down, her movements slow and methodological. Not for a single moment did Ruby allow her eyes to leave Bolin's form. He looked determined. Patient. Awaiting her attack rather than working to fight against it. The decision reminded her of Laplace-no-ma, or Laplace's Demon. Whatever it was called.
That creature, the one encountered atop the Transmit Tower during the night of the Vytal Festival Dance, had underestimated her at the time and suitably paid the price. It had underestimated the Master of the Seventh Rozen Maiden and instead focused on the Rozen Maiden herself. All Laplace had assumed was that Ruby Rose was nothing but a child living a lie. A child that hadn't known a single thing about the girl she had proclaimed as hers. A child that knew nothing about how the world truly works.
But she was not just some little girl with a big scythe. Kirakishou understood that- so what if this random guy from Haven Academy didn't understand her heart? He didn't matter to her. If his personality was anything like what he demonstrated in the midst of combat, then Ruby doubted that she would ever enjoy his company.
All that mattered was that he was an enemy, and that he was in the way.
"Trying again, huh? Well, I can at least respect your perseverance. Not many would think to stand up after a-"
Crescent Rose propelled her forward, a round ejecting into the icicle as the recoil from the dust strike compounded her momentum once again. Ruby activated her semblance mid stride, pushing her body and aura as much as was possible in her beaten and broken form. She did not allow the pain to effect her, even if her aura was forced to activate against her will.
She had seen the vids what felt like a hundred times. Kirakishou had used a similar technique against Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai when Ruby had fallen unconscious. Her beloved Rozen Maiden had been traumatised by those horrid people striking Ruby and, in her grief, opted to ignore her injuries in favour of continuing to attack. It was a strange ability, one that none had even spoken of following the end of the battle in lieu of discussing her more visually appealing abilities.
But Ruby had seen it. Whether the ability had been a result of her artificial doll body or a power of the N-Field, she wasn't sure. All Ruby understood was when the time came, her Rozen Maiden hadn't cared about such paltry failings in order to defend Ruby's unconscious body and punish those responsible.
Pain didn't matter. She would endure, as her doll had endured for her in the past.
A burst of dust registered on her shoulder. A strike of fire-natured dust sent forth by the end piece of Bolin's staff. It was a quaint feeling, really. Burning her skin, singeing her clothing and violently activating her aura in response to the strike. But her aura would protect her from the worst effects of the burn. Even with the brunt force damage from her previous failure still present in her body, elemental effects weren't an immediate concern. His strike hadn't been meaning to deal damage- only to send her away. Retaliatory strikes, those of an enemy trying to escape her.
Even with the speed she presented with her semblance and her continuing endurance against his dust shots, Bolin still continued to stand his ground in an apparent silent gesture of faith in his own abilities. Once again, she was being underestimated by her opponent.
It would be his downfall.
Blake Belladonna had known something was amiss the moment her team leader had pulled them all aside prior to the match and voiced her concerns. Although privately Blake could admit to the young trainee huntress displaying some veritable skill in strategy given her previous triumphs against both grimm and White Fang alike, there had been something different this time.
How had Ruby been able to accurately predict which team they would be facing?
How had Ruby known exactly what to do in order to limit Team ABRN's effectiveness?
If she possessed insider information regarding this specific team, why then was the typically shy girl fighting with such unbridled ferocity? What had occurred to trigger this type of response from Ruby Rose?
In spars Blake had witnessed Ruby being as excitable as she always was- taking to combat with a wide and excited grin on her face. It had seemed more of a game to her than anything. Something enjoyable. While admittedly the girl was far too childish to be as battle-hungry as some of Blake's old comrades in the White Fang, there was no possible denying that her team leader held a certain eagerness for combat. However recently, in certain instances Ruby's demeanour had become noticeably colder against certain foes- ever since the time she sparred alongside Kirakishou in a doubles match against Emerald and Mercury.
It was dangerous, how she was acting. Thankfully Weiss and Yang appeared to be of a similar mind to Blake in that they hadn't spoken a word about her sudden change in demeanour to Ruby herself. Perhaps out of a desire to maintain the fragile friendship that still existed with their team leader. That had certainly been her reasoning, after all.
There was no denying that Ruby was growing. Rapidly. Perhaps, Blake wondered, too fast for the comfort of some.
In their team huddle prior to the match, Ruby had outlined that she believed they would be facing up against Team ABRN of Mistral. Weiss had immediately asked how in the world Ruby had come to the conclusion they were facing that particular team, yet Ruby had adamantly refused to disclose her source. Eventually the heiress had seemingly given up questioning before moving on to asking what Ruby knew of the team.
To a girl like Blake that had observed her team leader, it was obvious as to where the information had come form. However, raising the question brimming on her mind prior to the upcoming tournament match would only cause undue stress among the team.
What had followed after Ruby's altercation with Weiss had been their team leader pulling out her scroll and listing the official description for the supposedly opposing team, along with what appeared to be notes taken from several choice conversations with other Mistralian teams throughout the day prior. It had been a rather eye-opening experience for Blake herself, who had been surprised to learn that their team leader had utilised her time throughout the day for something other than messaging her new paramour and giggling at various responses.
Thankfully their leader had been able to put her childishness aside in favour of discussing the information she had gathered about Team ABRN, yet it had been a rare instance in a sea of endless supposed 'cute moments'.
Ruby's softer side had been exactly as Blake had anticipated when she had first wondered how their leader would be were Ruby ever to discover romance- the girl was as childish in a relationship as she was with practically anything else excluding combat. How in the world Ruby was able to draw the romantic attentions of a girl with even less emotional maturity was a mystery that confounded Blake immensely.
Yet, in a few short months the two girls had become as thick as thieves. Considering what little she had learnt of Kirakishou's prior romantic history on the day they had found the girl on the docks, everything Blake knew about romance suggested that there was no possible way in which an immature girl like Ruby Rose with a strong passion for her developing huntress career could ever successfully connect with a girl with her head so high up in the clouds that Blake wondered if Kirakishou would ever be able to connect with anybody outside her 'beloved reaper'.
Remember, Blake, you were there. She reminded herself. Kirakishou explained on that night when Weiss and I approached her in her dorm room. From what she explained, she does everything for the girl she loves. Everything. Her entire motivation stems from Ruby's whims, supposedly.
But I cannot shake the sneaking suspicion that her understanding of Ruby is not as perfect as it seems. She's up to something. She has to be. Oum. Why did I have to find another just like him?
That same charisma, to pull someone in and hold them close- yet in this case singularly devoted to a single soul. To chase away others until all that's left is their bond. Yet, where Adam resorted to… certain things… all Kirakishou has needed to do is watch as Ruby herself changes and destroys all the developments she's made ever since arriving in Beacon.
What scares me is that she didn't need to lift a finger after the resurrection of Summer Rose- Ruby's mother. That one action changed everything for Ruby. She fell in love with her mother's rescuer practically overnight. Grew possessive just like Yang predicted she would. All with one action. It was too perfect to be just sheer happenstance.
But how? How in the world did Kirakishou know what to do to affect Ruby this much? How did she learn about Summer Rose in the first place? If the trauma surrounding her mom is even half as bad as Yang suggests, then there's no way that Ruby would have ever told a complete stranger about it.
Nothing makes any sense. Doesn't Ruby realise something is wrong? Even in the early days with Adam, I could tell he was different. Not like other men. Sure, I ignored it at the time, but the suspicion remained. However Ruby doesn't even seem to notice nor care that the woman she loves knows far too much than she should.
Somehow, despite all odds, the two remained strong even as Ruby cut ties with every outside connection seemingly with no regard for any broken hearts or hurt feelings. It was the definition of a toxic relationship, yet all Blake could see was the two flourishing together. From her own experience, such a thing should not have been remotely possible.
To think that all of this had occurred from some random interaction at the docks of Vale was utter lunacy in her mind. It was madness. Complete and utter madness. How had meeting with Kirakishou changed Ruby so much as to create the woman standing before her in the Vytal Festival Tournament? A girl who once upon a time would bumble over simple words at the sheer prospect of social interaction, now speeding towards an enemy combatant with a scowl worthy of Adam Taurus?!
How can one event change so much?
The match had been a simple one at first. That much was for certain. Weiss had found herself experiencing a momentary sensation of surprise and elation upon discovering that her team leader's prediction regarding the opposing team had indeed been correct, her initial feelings had soon lessened into a cold rational scepticism.
Everything that Ruby Rose had suggested had come true. They were, indeed, facing Team ABRN of Mistral. The match had been randomly selected before her very eyes and the results had been exactly as predicted. Team RWBY vs Team ABRN. In a way, she should have been overjoyed to have gained the upper hand by way of information gathering- after all, such a tactic had been her initial plan for the Vytal Festival before the randomisation process was announced. Her plans had fallen through almost instantaneously following the proclamation as, without gathering the appropriate data regarding the randomisation process itself, there shouldn't have been a possible way to predict an outcome such as this with any degree of accuracy.
And yet, Ruby Rose had achieved that which she could not. How? What was different?
There was a particular sinking feeling in her stomach that told her the answer. Kirakishou. The small little blonde that had been behind every major event involving Ruby for the past few months. If she were involved, it could significantly affect each and every outcome by her sheer presence alone. Such would imply the girl to be able to somehow predict the outcome of a randomised selection process with perfect accuracy, as well as suggest appropriate tactics for defeating their opponents.
Knowledge that she has no way of knowing.
Were it not for the small braid hanging off Ruby's hair, Weiss would likely have dismissed her thoughts as absurd. However, considering how Yang had reacted to the braid this morning at class- a sudden widening of eyes before falling silent for the remainder of the day- it was clear that Kirakishou held significant influence over Ruby's actions. Thus, there was the possibility that the small flower-eyed blonde also held sway over the selection process and may actively be manipulating the Vytal Festival Tournament.
Somehow.
If she were correct, there may be far more to the odd little paramour of her Team Leader than what Weiss had originally thought.
With a heavy grunt of exertion, Ruby cleaved downwards- seemingly intent on shearing through Bolin's aura using the blade of her scythe. The Mistralian was forced to narrowly dodge backwards instead of preparing a counterattack, seemingly surprised by the lack of a repeated lunge that he had been expecting given Ruby's previous attempt.
Ruby wasn't stupid. Repeating the same strike on an opponent who had the gall to actively taunt her over the move in the first place was just begging for failure. No. Instead, she needed to get his guard down and surprise him- it was a tried and true method for overwhelming fighters that relied upon defensive positioning and redirects. If she could not rely on brute force and speed for defeating her opponent- she would use her mind.
Guile and cunning had their uses in the battlefield. If the baddies could use it, then so could she.
"You're fast, I'll give you that." Ruby muttered, "You've got a keen mind and quick reflexes too. In most cases we'd be equally matched. But you've forgotten one simple thing."
Bolin huffed, drawing his staff up into a defensive pose and glaring at her.
"Oh? And what's that?"
Ruby spun her scythe forward, firing off a shot with Crescent Rose to send the blade swinging downwards.
"Nothing. I'm just messing with you. Good distraction, huh?"
"-What?"
In an instant she struck forward whilst her opponent was processing her smack talk, timing the downwards swing with her blade with a burst of her semblance to send the blunt curve of Crescent Rose forward- essentially using her scythe as an improvised battering ram powered by her semblance.
Bolin had moved to block a slashing attack, leaving him unprepared for a sudden bashing strike like what Ruby had planned. The force impacted his staff and pushed him backwards with enough strength to send him falling backwards with a grunt of exertion.
Ruby wasted no time in ripping her scythe upwards and spinning the blade to face the downtrodden Mistralian, cleaving downwards and violently ripping across his aura in a savage strike that he was powerless to defend against. She managed to tear a cry of pain out of her opponent and Ruby downright relished the sound.
The sound of the elimination buzzer chiming in the distance signalling the end to Bolin's participation in the match was nothing but mere fuel to her fire.
She turned her attention to the rest of her team that were in the midst of fighting against the remaining members of Team ABRN.
Her work wasn't over. Not yet. There were still three remaining opponents on the battlefield, but the tide of the battle had changed in their favour now. It would only be a matter of time until they were all defeated and Team RWBY was victorious. Oum, her team would be so proud of that strike. All of Ruby's training had finally-
"What in Oum's name was that?!" a particularly loud voice screeched.
Ruby wished she was back in Amity Colosseum.
"Please stop yelling at me." She kicked a stone as she walked through the fairgrounds with her team, wincing at the particularly loud tone that felt like it was still ringing in her ears. Ever since they had overcame Team ABRN in then Vytal Festival Tournament, they had all been really mad at her and she didn't understand why.
"...We're not yelling at you, Ruby. At least, we're trying not to." Blake put a hand to her head as if fighting off a potential migraine. She sent a significant look at Weiss and pointed up at the bow covering up her faunus ears, which had suffered from the heiress' verbal assault though mere proximity.
"Right," Weiss continued in a significantly quieter volume, that did little to change the frigid hardness blatantly apparent within her tone. "But you just have to understand that what you did in that match was dangerous and reckless, even for you. We're concerned."
"And how exactly was it reckless?" Ruby countered snappishly, crossing her arms. "If you're talking about that thing with Bolin, then I-"
"Rubes, you even recognise the moment we mean and you're still trying to say you have no idea what we're talking about," Yang cut in, sighing disappointedly. "Look, I get that what he said pissed you off. That much was obvious. Heck, it pissed me off a bit too. It'd piss off anyone to be undermined like that. But that's no excuse to just go charging into battle like a damn berserker. You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt."
Ruby rolled her eyes.
"In a way, you did get hurt, Ruby," Weiss added immediately, gesturing to the still-apparent singe in her combat uniform where one of Bolin's retaliatory strikes had grazed her. It had been during her daring lunge forward- Ruby had blocked out the pain and charged onward in the hope of surprising the Mistralian with her strength of will.
Ah. Right. Her dress. The dust bolt had left a significant burn mark on her, but she was forgetting all the damaged she had taken prior to that final strike. Perhaps that's why people kept staring at her after the match. She'd need to get her fixed up some time, if only to stop the stares. Or at least change into another duplicate dress the first chance she got.
But still. Of all the things for them to be concerned about, it was something so overwhelmingly insignificant as a little bit of pain. Had her team members always been this utterly irrational, or was it only when she tried something new?
"Okay…" Ruby breathed out a sigh. "First off, Yang, I recognised the moment that you were all on about because I knew it was a little bit out of character for me. I was hoping you'd all be proud of me for trying something new."
"...The middle of the Vytal Festival Tournament isn't the time for trying out new, dangerous techniques, Rubes." Her sister crossed her arms, shaking her head.
"And secondly!-" Ruby cut in, glaring at her sister before returning to the two other members of her team. "If you didn't realise, I'm fine. Notice the distinct lack of hospital time. My aura took the blunt of the blow, as I knew it would. I just wasn't going to let some moron with a stick fire off a shot and derail my entire plan. Who cares if it hurt, or damaged my silly uniform? It wasn't life threatening. Kirakishou did the same thing when she fought against Emerald and Mercury and I don't see you all complaining to her about it."
"You really shouldn't be measuring the effectiveness of your time spent in combat by your lack of time in the hospital, Rubes," Yang deadpanned, shaking her head. "You're better than that. Please, don't sell yourself short."
"I… think we're getting a little off track." Weiss put her hands up in a placating action. Ruby narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the attentive looks sent her way by Blake and Yang in response to the motion. "We understand that in the heat of battle sometimes we can come up with untested strategies that, in the moment, seem fine. However, they can in fact be quite dangerous. We just don't want to see you get hurt, Ruby."
Ruby sighed, looking down.
They're babying me again. Just like Yang. Just like everybody else that looks at Ruby Rose. Psh. I bet if someone like Pyrrha Nikos pulled off a move like mine then people would be praising the ground she walks on. Ruby thought. Not like she'd even be able to pull it off in those heels. But, hm, maybe Kira could do it if she wanted to. I'd be happy to teach her, if only to spend some time with her.
Kira would be happy to see my technique. Yes, that much is a given after everything that's happened recently. She would understand- my team just doesn't know what it's like. They don't know what it's like to have something like Laplace fighting against them.
They can't know. They're just students. I meant what I said to them at the infirmary- these things involving Kirakishou are dangerous. Kira and I can protect each other to a degree, but considering how effortlessly it defeated mom, I can't afford to make them think about fighting Laplace. All I can do is get stronger to try and protect them.
Oh how she just wished they would stop nagging her. It was beginning to test her patience. But, in the end Ruby supposed that it was an acceptable loss in the quest to protect Team RWBY from an opponent they had no hope in defeating.
So what if they get a little bit mad at me for trying new things? Wouldn't really be a first. They'll… they'll understand eventually. After I defeat Laplace once and for all. They have to understand... They're my friends. That's what friends do...
With her silence, the rest of Team RWBY seemed to thankfully drop the matter and return to the task at hand- namely finding some place serving food to fill their stomachs. Ruby had originally wanted to return to Beacon to grab some food and eat with Kirakishou in her room, but had changed her mind after hearing that General Ironwood had opted to return to Beacon Academy for the remainder of the day.
Ever since General Ironwood, Glynda Goodwitch and Ozpin had revealed the nature behind the Four Maidens and requested her involvement, Ruby had taken to avoiding the three staff members with all her might lest she find herself in an unfortunate position.
She... did not want to upset the status quo, as odd as it felt to admit. Whilst her beautiful doll had assured Ruby that any decision Ruby made would be supported wholeheartedly, opening that particular can of worms would spell doom no matter what she did. Whether it be agreeing to the transfer of the Fall Maiden's power or to reject the offer outright, both posed with them severe repercussions that would only cause more stress during an already stressful period for Ruby Rose.
Accepting the Fall Maiden's power, as a tiny dark part of her desperately craved, would invariably connect Ruby to whatever nefarious happenings that the three faculty members were involved in. None of them, not even General Ironwood who seemed to trust her, had opened up about the full story and she suspected that it would cause a lot of problems for Ruby down the road.
From what she had learned from fighting Laplace-no-ma, those with powerful abilities will always be targeted. The creature had underestimated her as being but a simple girl- however, had she possessed the Fall Maiden's power, then perhaps the entity would not have toyed with her.
Considering her anger at the time, there was no doubt in her mind that Laplace could have easily killed her that night. The creature simply hadn't felt the need.
It terrified her.
However, rejecting the Fall Maiden's power held the potential to cause significant disaster for her in the long term. Whilst there was a slight voice in her mind telling her that it wouldn't happen, Ruby could not deny the possibility that were she to deny the offer, those within Ozpin's circle may not take it… lightly. After all, the man responsible for confining her mother's Rozen Maiden corpse and experimenting on the body was a part of the same group. Would he go so far as to attack a student in pursuit of his own form of twisted justice? To protect the world from the truth?
Ozpin was another variable to consider. From the scene Kirakishou had showed her of Ozpin speaking with General Ironwood, he displayed an interest in James' experiments on Summer's body. The tone of which implying it had been discussed multiple times. Such a line of conversation indicated a troubling detachment towards Summer Rose, a woman that had reportedly trained to become a huntress under Ozpin in the same school grounds. His words had been clinical- lacking in empathy. Yet the same cold-eyed man had successfully bartered with Ruby in order to allow Kirakishou to go to the dance. He was fallible. Capable of being manipulated by her doll and, by extension, Ruby herself.
Perhaps he could be manipulated to the point where his concerns wouldn't be a problem anymore.
Though she doubted it. Ozpin was the headmaster of Beacon Academy and thus a man that had born witness to countless attempts at subterfuge and deceit. Anything that a silly little fifteen year old girl from Patch could come up with would be downright laughable in his eyes.
"...So, I'm feeling like something greasy. What about the rest of you?"
Blinking, she turned back into the conversation. In her absence, the group of trainee huntresses had turned to looking around the fairgrounds. Oh. Right, the fairgrounds. Ruby had almost forgotten that she was even there whilst riding through the storm of thoughts occupying her mind.
"Honestly, Yang, you really need to eat something healthier. Having more unhealthy food won't be good for you in the long term," Weiss retorted with a huff, before glancing off. "There was this wonderful little salad bar that I noticed previously on the northeast corner-"
"Oum. No. Anything but that." Blake cut in, shivering. The trio of girls shot her a look filled with equal parts confusion, indignant ire and vague interest depending on the girl in question. "Er, right. When I was studying with Weiss a few days back, I made the poor decision in allowing her to pick a place to grab some lunch. Never again. My poor stomach was aching for days."
"What!" Weiss cried, huffing. "I thought you liked the place…" she muttered.
Yang and Ruby looked at one another, feeling equally put out as the two girls started bickering about an event that neither sister had known about mere moments before.
"I liked the avenue, just not the food." Blake shrugged her shoulders helplessly, looking a little guilty in Ruby's eyes. "Sorry. It's just not my style."
Weiss shook her head. "No. That's fine. No need to apologise. I should have catered to your preferences. It was poor form. Perhaps next time we can decide our options together? Something we both mutually agree on?"
"I'd like that." Blake gave a warm smile that had the heiress turning away, her cheeks noticeably reddening.
Both sisters shared a second look following the display, internally agreeing to change the subject as quick as possible so as to avoid dealing with any awkward moments. Ruby did not at all want to peer into neither Weiss nor Blake's personal lives after spending so much time hating how inquisitive everybody else had become regarding her time with Kirakishou.
Perhaps if the two girls were busy with one another, then they wouldn't be able to bother her.
"Soooo~" Ruby awkwardly piped up, making both the Schnee heiress and disguised faunus noticeably flinch. "Um. I don't really care what we eat, just that we have it soon. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving."
"Agreed." Yang added immediately. "You know, I heard a rumour that the old man who runs the dust shop that Rubes used to go to also owns a small chain of noodle bars. Supposedly he's this retired hunter guy with a speed semblance that he uses all the time in the kitchen. Wanna go check it out?"
"Eh. Fine with me," she sent a light thankful smile in her sister's direction. Speed semblances were a little bit of an interest for Ruby, considering the nature of her own semblance. The idea of a person using it as a basic utility was a rather fascinating concept. What else could it be used for? She could only wonder at the possibilities.
Blake's stomach answered for her, the poor girl blushing hard enough to reach her hairline.
Finally, Weiss gave a curt nod. "It is acceptable, at least. Though I do wonder at the quality of food produced by a senior who manages two businesses simultaneously, retired huntsman or not."
Ruby gave a light giggle, the action alone drawing slight smiles from her teammates as they eagerly followed Yang's directions towards a particular noodle store, ducking and weaving through the various other tournament contestants and spectators in utter haste. Although despite their speed she couldn't help but notice a great many citizens and even a few of the contestants were clearly together, whether they be holding hands or simply basking in close proximity- it was easily noticeable in her eyes.
Oum how she wanted that. She wished the doll was with her. Walking about. Holding hands like they did the first time they met. The two of them giggling at all the different stalls set up in the fairgrounds. It was what had meant to happen, were it not for Laplace interfering and ruining everything. Now her beloved Rozen Maiden was trapped in her room, unable to branch out and experience the world without negative repercussions. It was unfair.
All Ruby wanted was for the doll to be there with her. Was that so much to ask of the world?
In an act seemingly unbidden by her thoughts, the Rozen Maiden ring bound to Ruby's finger gleaned ever so slightly. Were it not for her eyes drifting to the small golden band as her thoughts wondered, Ruby may not have seen it in the first place. The thorned ring adorned with a small rose had shone a red sheen for a flickering instant. Thankfully not enough to attract attention from her team-members, but it was enough to calm her thoughts.
That's right. Ruby found herself thinking back. You said you were always with me. Is this your way of reminding me, Kirakishou?
There was no response, but it didn't matter. Ruby had her answer and it was all that mattered in her mind. The slight flicker of unease in her chest went ignored, as it always would. Ruby had her doll watching over her- there was nothing that she couldn't do.
So what if her ring could glow? It was their proof of contract. Their bond. It was special.
As it turned out, Weiss would not be doubting the skills of a particular retired huntsman ever again. There was service, then there was the sheer ludicrous precision of a man that moved at what felt like the speed of sound- all in order to deliver absurdly oversized portions of the best damn noodles she'd ever had in her life. She wasn't entirely certain how the man could possess the strength of will to move at borderline breakneck speeds with any degree of accuracy, but she was honestly quite impressed.
His pricing was rather solid as well. Frankly, were it not for his dust supply store, Weiss would have considered introducing the man to her father. The man would make a killing serving those within the Atlesian council.
Plus she wanted more of those yummy noodles. Oum. Ruby was right when she'd announced Yang's idea as the best idea all summer. It had been a marvellous feast. Plus it had served to elevate their team leader's mood- which was exactly what Weiss assumed to be the real reason that Yang had suggested it in the first place.
She would have needed to be both blind, deaf and mute in order to not notice Ruby's souring emotional state after they had tried to explain why her reckless charge during the Vytal Festival Tournament was not as brilliant as the young girl obviously believed. When Ruby had eventually understood to a degree, she had become eerily silent afterwards. Lost in thought, almost. Downtrodden, perhaps. Yang had done as all big sisters were supposed to do and cheered up the girl as best she could.
It had been a stopgap at most- the underlying tension regarding Ruby and her recent emotional developments was still there. However, it was likely the best they could hope for at the time.
She wanted her team leader to be happy. Preferably, without the attentions of a certain blonde rose-eyed girl. Today, while utterly ridiculous in some aspects, had been proof that her dream was possible. Now all she needed to do was work towards making it an eventuality, rather than a simple one off.
Though Weiss suspected that Kirakishou wouldn't take lightly to her ideas, were she to learn of them. It seemed to be within the girl's nature to cause chaos wherever she went- almost as if she was some natural driving force that only served to generate conflict. It was an absurd notion born of her mounting frustration for everything that the girl's mere presence had caused for Team RWBY, but she found herself wishing it were true if only to have the utter excuse to-
A sudden alarm grabbed the immediate attention of both their team leader Ruby Rose and her big sister Yang, the two half sisters pulling out their scrolls. It was enough to draw Weiss away from her own musings and, from the look of it, startle Blake enough for the girl to meekly push the three now-empty bowls of food away from her with an embarrassed blush. She rolled her eyes fondly at the faunus, shaking her head.
A momentary silence ensued as the two girls seemed to read something on their scrolls, whilst the remaining team-members opted to patiently wait for them to finish. After some time, Weiss glanced over again at the two girls after paying the bill for their lunch, sending them an inquisitive glance when both girls remained seemingly glued to their screens.
"Is something the matter?"
"Well, not really. It's actually good news for a change. We just got a message from our Uncle, Qrow Branwen. You know the one that Rubes found back when she was out talking with Ironwood during the Vytal Festival Dance? Yeah, him. He's finally woken up from the infirmary," Yang explained, choosing her words carefully. "He was discharged a few hours ago and he wants to meet up as soon as possible to discuss things. We're just trying to coordinate a good time to meet up."
The Vytal Festival Dance… Where Ruby and Kirakishou became public knowledge. Where, supposedly, an entity known as Laplace-no-ma, or Laplace's Demon, infiltrated the transmit tower by possessing the body of this Qrow Branwen… Ruby and Kirakishou fought him off and somehow removed Laplace's influence before we could arrive in time. Now Qrow is awake? Oum. Of all times for this to happen, right after a fight. Ruby doesn't need this stress. We just got her smiling…
Blake, who had remained a silent companion to the group following her meal, decided to speak up. "Ruby? Are you alright?"
When Ruby failed to respond, Weiss noticed the girl was white knuckling her scroll and frowning rather severely. Yang herself had apparently noticed Ruby's frustration and seemed a bit worried, but also understandably confused as to the reason. From what they had heard about Ruby and her Uncle Qrow, the two were supposedly rather close. But, for some odd reason, the look on Ruby's face spoke otherwise.
It took a moment of prodding to get a reaction out of their young trainee leader, but when they did, the girl jumped in fright and fumbled with her scroll before blushing. It seemed a tad exaggerated in their eyes.
"Ah. Sorry. It's nothing."
A/N:
So, here we are! The first match of the Vytal Festival Tournament. A more combat-heavy chapter compared to other chapters, which will be a recurring theme for a little while. Please, let me know what you all thought about it. Describing combat is, well, janky at the best of times. But it seemed to flow decently enough, which is what I was aiming for in this chapter.
Notice any irregularities in the background? Things that are different from the original show? There's quite a few of them in this chapter, peppered all throughout it.
But, hey! Qrow woke up. Finally. Absolutely nothing can go wrong with him around!
Thank you all for the recent reviews and follows. We've gained a fair bit of traction now! Looking forward to making more chapters for you all.
Until next time!~