Chapter 5: She's what?! He's a WHAT?!
Time flew by as team ASHN adjusted to their new lives at Beacon, slowly but surely coming out of their shells and embracing the college lifestyle. They had grown quite close to team RWBY and JNPR. Alexandrite became especially close to the guys, the first time he's had more than one male friend. It was some time before the Vytaal Festival's official start and students from the varying kingdoms were arriving at Beacon.
"Remind me again why we're here?" Yang asked annoyed. Team RWBY walked through the grey streets of Beacon, in tow of one Weiss Schnee.
"Oh the Vytaal Festival! This is absolutely wonderful!" she cheered as they passed by banners and decorations going up.
"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss. It's kinda creeping me out." Ruby joked placing her hands on her hips. The team continued along their journey to God knows where as Weiss marveled at all the preparations taking place.
"I don't get what's the big deal, it's just some festival," Yang snorted earning a rather disdained look from the heiress.
"Ugh, of course, you don't get it. It's a festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! Dances, parades a tournament! The amount of preparation that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!" Weiss gushed.
"You really know how to take something fun and make it sound boring," Blake commented.
"Oh quiet you," the girl in white returned.
"Okay but why exactly are we 'here, at the docks," Yang asked gesturing to their surroundings. They were on what appeared to be a pier.
"Ew it smells like fish!" Ruby said pinching her nose.
"The new students should be arriving any minute now and I believe it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this kingdom," Weiss said with a slight air.
Blake flipped her ribbon, "She wants to spy on them so she has the upper hand in the upcoming tournament." She stated with a smirk.
"You can't prove that!" Weiss defended.
"Woah…." Ruby said as they passed a broken down dust shop. It looked like someone cleaned out the place of house and home, then took the walls for added measure.
"What happened here?" Ruby asked one of the guys who were working around the scene, it had been taped off with yellow caution tape, a couple police officers analyzing the area.
The man who had been scribbling on his notepad looked up, "Robbery, second dust shop this week! I swear this place is turning into a mess." He said exasperated.
He moved to look around when he yelled out in frustration, "They left all the money again!".
"Huh, what kind of robber leaves all the money behind?" Yang asked, positively confused.
"No clue, but all the dust is gone." The man replied.
"Dust? Who would need that much dust?" Weiss wondered.
"Torchwick?" Ruby input.
"Probably but what would he want with dust?" Yang asked.
"Not sure, the first time I met him he was robbing a dust shop…," Ruby said.
"Who the hell is Torchwick?" Weiss asked.
"Oh, just some crook, criminal mastermind of some kind." Ruby brushed it off.
"Hey officer any idea who did this?" Ruby asked the man, he turned to his partner.
"Who would need this much dust an army?" he asked. The partner raised his eyebrow, "I'm thinkin' the White Fang," he responded.
"And I'm thinkin' we don't get paid enough for this." The man commented.
"And I'm thinking I wouldn't put it past the White Fang to pull something like this either…" a new voice interrupted. A very familiar, slightly tall, dark-haired, heterochromatic boy stood with his hands placed up to his masked chin.
"Alex! What are you doing here?" Ruby asked sounding overly chirpy, instantly she moved to fix her clothes and straighten her hair, which didn't go unnoticed by Yang. The blonde smirked and leaned toward her sister, "Sis, I don't think he would mind if your hair was normal," she whispered ruffling the younger girl's head.
"Was out shopping… it's um, well it's Sapphire's birthday in two weeks so I figured I needed to find a present for her before something crazy happens and I lose track of time." He said rubbing the back of his head.
"OH! When is it? How old will she be?" Weiss asked excitedly, she really liked that small girl, she was adorable and brilliant.
"The 17th, she'll be fifteen." He responded. "Anyway, I was wandering around looking for something to get her when I found you guys over here. Thought you could give me some advice on where to look for this sort of thing."
"Aw, it's sweet that you're shopping for your sister so early," Yang said, "See sis, he's handsome and thoughtful, perfect for you," Yang patted Ruby on the back.
"PFFT HAHAHAHA!" Ruby laughed awkwardly, "Pay no attention to her, she's crazy." Ruby said gesturing to Yang, trying to cover Yang's mouth, much to the blonde's protest.
"Rriiight," Alexandrite blushed, he coughed into his hand, "Ahem, ah right so the White Fang are most likely behind this," Alexandrite said pointing to the scene.
"The White Fang? What an awful bunch of degenerates." Weiss said raising her nose. Alexandrite visibly flinched, stealing a glance at Blake who looked ready to bury someone.
"What's your problem?" Blake asked, narrowing her eyes at Weiss' comment. She was clearly angered, the spontaneous burst of emotion was rare for the usually mellow girl. The slightly angry face sparked a rather, familiar feeling in Alexandrite as if he'd seen it before, especially the way her brows crinkled.
"My problem? I just don't care for the criminally insane," Weiss' heiress attitude was showing quite clearly now. Alexandrite knew the heiress of the Schnee company would hold some level of distaste for the White Fang but he didn't think it ran this deep that it warranted slander.
"The White Fang are hardly a bunch of psychopaths, they're just a bunch of misguided Faunus." Blake huffed.
"Misguided?! They want to wipe humanity off the face of the earth," the heiress said incredulously. Alexandrite couldn't argue with her there, "In the past, they were just a peaceful organization, most still think they are, but since their... change in leadership... they have been more open about their extremism..." he added earning a cold glare from Blake, which turned to mild surprise... How did he know about the leader change?
"Okay so they are very misguided, but that doesn't change the fact that they are fighting for their freedom." Blake folded her arms.
"The police never caught Torchwick so it was probably him," Ruby input trying to ease the tension between her teammates.
"That may be, but it still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat and steal." She said with a pout. "Why are you even defending them?! They're just a bunch of low life criminals who do nothing but cause anarchy and chaos." Weiss' fists were clenched in anger as her face flared with rage.
Alexandrite could feel his blood start to boil from the anger, the Faunus comment made him see red momentarily, not because it was racist towards his own people, but because he despised racial stereotypes, the same anger he felt now could be expressed if a Faunus had said all humans were murderers and slavers. He had to take a moment to breathe and calm himself, no need to lose his cool over this... afterall Weiss wasn't completely wrong, a lot of them were, but humans weren't any better.
"That's not necessarily true…" Yang started but was interrupted when someone yelled, "HEY STOP THAT FAUNUS!"
Team RWBY and Alexandrite turned around to see some crew members of a ship chasing a monkey Faunus with golden hair around. The boy in question ran straight past team RWBY and Blake could have sworn he winked at her; the thought made her blush a bit.
"That filthy degenerate is getting away! Quick we must observe him!" Weiss called out dragging team RWBY behind her. They chased him a bit before completely losing sight of him.
"Ugh we lost him." She said dejectedly.
"Weiss you need to stop slandering him," Blake warned.
"I'm sorry did that rapscallion from before catch your fancy?" she taunted.
"Stop that! Stop calling him a rapscallion, stop calling him a degenerate, he's a person!" Blake cried out in anger.
"Weiss you better ease off, before you say something you regret," Alexandrite warned, he could feel Blake's aura flaring wildly and if he had any less self-control, he would be the same.
"Oh, I'm sorry did you want me to stop referring to a trash can as a trash can or a lamp post as a lamp post?!" Weiss had crossed the line.
Blake was fuming, "Ugh you are impossible! Why can't you see that the Faunus have been oppressed and treated unfairly, discriminated and hunted since the beginning of time, and now they're just fighting back! Sure, they're doing things the wrong way but that doesn't give you the right to slander them, slander all Faunus like that!"
"The White Fang isn't a bunch of crazy killers and the Faunus aren't a bunch of degenerates! Yeah sure, there are a few bad eggs, but that doesn't mean all of us are bad!" Alexandrite couldn't hold back anymore, his brain almost exploded when he realized his own slip of the tongue before anyone could pick up on it he amended with, "We humans aren't any better, Weiss you should stop mouthing off on things you don't fully understand." calling himself human felt wrong in every sense of the word but he had to save face.
"Understand? Oh, I understand completely. Do you know what it was like living in fear all your life? Your family and friends, close business partners, murdered or disappear never to be seen again? Every day a shipment of dust goes missing or something happens and your father comes home in a blind rage, it doesn't make for a very comfortable childhood." Weiss finally released it.
Alexandrite was taken aback, he had no idea the other side of the fence was like that. He guessed that the actions taken against the SDC would have at least angered its owners but he didn't expect a blue-blood family such as the Schnee's to be domestically abusive.
"Weiss, I'm sorry about that I really am but it doesn't give you the right to desecrate the Faunus race based on a few rotten apples." Alexandrite sighed.
"I…guess you're right… I just, growing up, hurt so much…" She said solemnly.
"Blake I…" she paused.
"Hey, where's Blake?" Ruby asked raising attention to the situation. They all glanced at the empty spot where the girl once stood, she had long disappeared during the heated argument.
"She must've run off to cool her head," Alexandrite said knowingly, he'd have done the same in her shoes, her own team had no idea she was a Faunus.
"We need to go after her!" Ruby exclaimed bolting off only to crash into something hard, the recoil sending her to the floor.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," the victim of the crash said, picking up Ruby and placing her back on her feet. She was an orange-haired, green-eyed girl with freckles, she wore a green and white uniform styled dress with black thigh high boots with a green stripe running up the side.
"This happens sometimes, I hope I didn't hurt you," the girl said, dusting off Ruby.
The dazed team leader steadied herself, "Ah I'm fine, hey have you seen a girl with long black hair and golden eyes pass by?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, you mean the Faunus girl?" She ran past but I didn't see where she went.
Alexandrite facepalmed, well that was it, secret's out for Blake. Let's hope she doesn't magically sell his out either.
"Faunus girl? But Blake's not a…." Yang started but slowed down as it dawned on all members of team RWBY.
"She does like Tuna a lot…" Ruby sealed it.
"Oh my god…and all the things I said… all those awful things…" Weiss covered her face in shame. "She must hate me…"
"Hate you or not she's still our teammate and our friend. We need to find her!" Ruby was distressed.
"Look... Blake will be back on her own, she just needs time to cool off, trust in her," Alexandrite said placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"But..."
"The best thing you can do for her now is giving her space," he tried to comfort her mind.
"Yeah I guess you're right," Ruby turned to the new girl.
"Hey thanks for the help…" she started but the girl was already halfway gone, "Friend…" she finished unsure of how to address her.
Instantly the orange-haired girl rushed back at a speed that sent wind whipping through everyone's hair. "What did you just call me?" she asked excitedly.
"Huh?" Ruby was confused.
"Friend, you called me friend. Is it true? Are we friends?" the girl said overly cheerful.
Ruby glanced at her team who were all feverishly shaking their head to say no.
"Uhh sure, we're friends." Ruby smiled awkwardly, everyone just groaned.
"Oooh my first friend, this is going to be great. We can paint our nails and stay up all night and talk and…" she started then realized she hadn't properly introduced herself.
"Oh, how silly of me. Sal-u-tations, My name is Penny Polendina." She stood quite stiff.
"That's an odd way of speaking," Alexandrite commented but no one paid attention.
"I'm Ruby, this is my sister Yang and my friends Wiess and Alexandrite," Ruby introduced everyone. Alexandrite dreaded attention being brought to him seeing as how Blake's identity was uncovered just at a glance.
"It was really nice meeting you all but I must be leaving... and the mask is very nice Mr. Dragon." Penny smiled before walking away. Alexandrite flinched at the name, he had no idea how she could see through his disguise but she did and that unnerved him, but he couldn't feel any hostility from her at all.
"Dragon? What does she mean?" Weiss turned to ask Alexandrite. The boy in question played it off as smoothly as possible.
"My sword, she was referring to me by Asura," he held out his blade, the golden dragon that curled around the base of the hilt and on the sheathe glinting in the sunshine.
"Oh, weird." Weiss nodded, no one questioned it surprisingly.
"Anyway. Blake will be fine, just trust her. I gotta get back before my sister gets suspicious about where I've been. I'm god awful at lying to her." He said placing Asura back at his side.
"So soon?" Ruby asked dejectedly. Alexandrite felt a twinge of guilt at her solemn face, she must have wanted to hang out with him.
"Yeah, but um, to make up for it how bout we hang out tomorrow around 2?" he asked, he was smiling sheepishly but she couldn't tell through the mask. Weiss and Yang just blinked incredulously, did he just...ask Ruby on a date? Spontaneously?
"Um s-sure that sounds great…." She blushed. Yang and Weiss gave each other a knowing smirk, he most definitely did, even if he didn't say it, or mean it like that.
It was only after he left he realized it sounded like he was asking her out on a date, the thought sent him into a frenzy of emotion, It's just a friendly hang out, as friends. He tried to reassure himself but he couldn't help but wonder if he had asked it as a date if she would have accepted.
The next day Nova woke up in a flurry as it thoroughly dawned on him, that he invited a girl to hang out alone.
"Nitro, you gotta help me, bro," he said shaking his friend out of the bed.
The red-haired boy woke up groggily, "Stuff it and go back to bed, it's too early for this." He groaned.
"It's like eight in the morning, so get your ass up. I need some advice." He shook him.
"Ugh, what's all the noise, we don't have classes today go back to beeed." Luna groaned from the top bunk.
"Sorry sis, I sorta invited Ruby to hang with me today and I'm freaking out." He apologized.
"Oh, for real? Here that Hex? Bro grew a spine." she called over.
Hex grunted, "Took him long enough," she said sitting up, her purple hair sticking up in various spikes.
"Is this what you woke me up for? Dude, just be cool, you're friends, aren't you?" Nitro said now fully awake.
"Well yeah but…" Nova paused, were they just friends? She definitely felt like a close friend, but compared to Hex and Nitro she gave a different vibe. She made him feel a constant state of euphoria just being near her.
"Dude just chill, and hope you don't make a fool of yourself," Nitro reassured him. "I'm spending the day at the gym with Jaune, said he needed a workout buddy."
"Why didn't he ask me to come to?" Nova raised his eyebrow, "I thought I told him I'd help him when he needed it."
"Yeah he was going to ask you but the gym has a strict no ninja mask policy." Nitro folded his arms.
"Really?" Alexandrite asked raising his eyebrow, genuinely curious about the rule.
"Of course not, you pyro. He didn't have your number so he asked me, but considering if you're going to be working out you'd be doing it in your disguise and do you honestly think that's a good idea?" Nitro explained.
"Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense," Nova nodded.
"What about you girls, any plans to help me?" Nova asked turning to Luna.
She peeked her head over the top bunk. "Sorry bro, Me, Hex, Yang and Weiss are decorating the auditorium for the dance."
Nova sighed in defeat.
He carried about his daily duties, going through class notes and cleaning his gear. It wasn't until around one in the afternoon when he decided to open the room curtains. The golden warm sunshine gleaming down, it was an inviting feeling, his dragon instincts took hold of him in that instant and before he could stop himself, he had stripped his gloves and long sleeve shirt and curled up on a floor mat, sunning himself, letting his scales bathe in the warmth of the sunshine. It wasn't long before he dozed off forgetting his plans.
Ruby checked her scroll for any messages from Alexandrite, it was nearly two in the afternoon, precisely when they said they would meet up but she hadn't heard a word from him. Alexandrite wouldn't set me up, he probably preoccupied, I'll just go check on him.
She exited her dorm room and knocked on his and waited, no answer. She tried again, this time louder, still nothing. She rang up his scroll but it went to voicemail. Sighing she did the only thing she figured was an option, sneaking in.
Ducking out of her own balcony window, she used her semblance and zipped around the side of the building landing on his balcony window. Thankful for the fact that the curtains were drawn, she went to tap on the glass when she noticed Alexandrite curled up in front of the window on the floor.
Wait…. Her brain slowed to a halt, lying on the floor was a shirtless Alexandrite, instantly she blushed realizing he fell asleep on the floor. She wanted to look away but her eyes wouldn't listen, staring at the way the sunlight reflected off his fit body, his toned muscles, Ruby wasn't one to ogle at guys like Yang but she couldn't deny that Alexandrite was indeed incredibly hot.
Her eyes wandered upward and her brain instantly melted. He wasn't wearing his wig. She felt almost guilty staring but she could see it, the very white head of hair, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, and two tiny black things poking out from the top, she leaned in cautiously but her shadow blocked out the sun causing 'Alexandrite' to stir, she instantly tore herself from the window, unable to bare the guilt of infringing upon one of her best friend's secrets. Is he a Faunus? Is that why he hides his identity? She couldn't help but wonder, unable to stop her mind from honing into the image burned into her memory, she still hadn't seen his face or the rest of him.
It has to be more than that…. She rationalized. He had his reasons for hiding his identity, and while she now knew what he looked like under his disguise, she couldn't pry. The guilt was eating at her, she had seen something she wasn't supposed to, she was betraying the trust he held in her, but she couldn't tell him, she just couldn't. So she did the only rational thing she could do, and that was play it off.
Heading back to the door, she knocked a lot louder, this time, actually calling him out. It took a while, she figured around ten minutes before he finally opened the door. He was wearing a red jacket and black undershirt, however, he wore black jeans this time and Asura wasn't with him, the mask and wig back on him.
"RUBY! Oh shit, I'm so sorry, I um…kinda fell asleep…" he rubbed the back of his head.
I know, she wanted to say but held herself back. "It's fine I wasn't waiting long," she lied through her teeth, he didn't notice.
"God, see now I feel bad, come on let's go grab some ice-cream, my treat." He smiled though she couldn't see his mouth, his eyes held all the emotion.
Vale city was abuzz with all the festivities and preparation, the streets were lined with decorations, banners hung between every lamp post. The people themselves seemed to be preoccupied with preparation, not a single thing was lazy. The food stalls seemed the most occupied, with tourists and visitors roaming the streets trying to get a taste of traditional Vale cuisine, not that Vale had much of a specialty when it came to food. The one thing they did have was amazing ice-cream, home to the number one ice-cream making company in the world of Remnant, Frosty Huntsman.
The two team leaders stood buying some frozen delights from a nearby ice-cream stall.
"Are you sure this is okay?" Ruby asked concern on her face, though she couldn't fight the temptation.
"Like I said, I made you wait for me, so as a means of amends, go nuts" Alexandrite folded his arms.
"Well, when you put it that way…" Ruby's eyes gleamed as she began ordering, to both the vendor and Alexandrite's surprise, a quadruple scoop double topped ice-cream cone.
"The little lady's got a big sweet tooth," the vendor said, his brown mustache covering his lips, the thick eyebrows seemingly bouncing with him as he laughed.
"She sure does," Alexandrite mused looking at her devour the monstrosity of flavours she opted to mix. His musings were laden with a level of horror as he watched her tear the ice-cream a new one... he silently prayed for the ice-cream's family if it could have one.
Alexandrite fished out a few Lien to give to the rather large stocky man, his blue uniform and white apron slightly stained from accidental spills. "Y'know, my mother told me that if you meet a girl with sweet tooth big enough to eat cookies for three meals a day then she'd probably be sweet in personality too. She told me if I ever met a girl like that to hold on to her, you might never find someone that good again," The old man chuckled.
Alexandrite gawked at his astute assumption, "How did you know she eats cookies that much?".
"Wait really? I was right?" The vendor said putting away his utensils. "What's with that weird saying anyway, I've never heard that before," Alex felt his sweat drop.
"It's not weird, my family has been in the confectionery business for generations, we have our own... unique idiomatic expressions," he said a little miffed. "Either way, your girlfriend seems like tops to me, you best not let her go, sonny," he finished, his tone changing back.
Alexandrite turned crimson, "She's not my girlfriend…" he muttered.
"You mean, not yet. Better snag her before someone else does." The man said before heading back into the freezer to prepare another ice cream.
Ruby, oblivious to the conversation, was eagerly digging into her confection when she spotted Alexandrite staring. "Oh, sorry did you want some?" Ruby asked apologetically.
Alexandrite laughed, "No, I'm uh, lactose intolerant."
"Shame, this is amazing… Well more for me!" she said as she finished the remainder of what was probably the most ice-cream anyone has eaten in three hundred years.
The rest of their time was spent exploring different shops, mostly dust and weapon shops, and talking about their experiences.
The two eventually found themselves on the docks again, the sun setting on the horizon, painting the sky in a mosaic of orange and pink.
"I had a lot of fun today," Ruby said smiling, Alexandrite could have sworn the radiance of it rivaled the setting sun. "We should hang out again," she said turning a little red at the implications of what she was saying.
"Y-yeah we should," Alexandrite affirmed, nodding his head. The two sat on the docks in silence, their feet hanging over the water. Ruby periodically stealing glances at Alexandrite as he gazed off into the distance.
"You know this was rather different for me," Alexandrite said taking a deep breath and looking toward the sky.
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Well, I've never actually gone shopping with anyone before. I've never just hung out with someone when it wasn't life or death." He said almost quietly.
This took her by surprise, "Huh? Surely your mom or someone must have dragged you along to go exploring." She said without really thinking of it, instantly regretting it when she saw Alex visibly flinch. To make amends she offered her own story, "My mom um…kinda died, but as Yang was growing up she would drag me with her and now that I have my team we hang out like this all the time." She smiled. Alex could see the sadness in her eyes, even though she was smiling.
Alexandrite instantly felt sympathy for the girl, he knew all too well what it was like growing up without a mother, "While... I do feel for you... I won't say I'm sorry... pretty sure you're tired of hearing it anyway, still, I offer my condolences." his words, while on the surface quite stiff, there was an emotional tone that resonated with her.
She was a little shocked, that was probably the best thing anyone could have said in response, "Ah it's fine, it's been many years anyway." She said though it still hurt to think about.
"Mine, kinda…disappeared, when I was eight. There was an incident and my sister and I got separated from our parents, I haven't seen or heard from them in nine years and I'm beginning to think they might genuinely be gone." He said, his voice melancholy yet somewhat stoic. "My sister is still very young and Hex isn't one for shopping unless it's for tech." he laughed at that last part.
"Hmm? Wait, hold up. What makes you think they're dead?" she asked.
"There was a house fire, and...while no one found any bodies, they were proclaimed dead. Besides if they were alive, wouldn't they have tried to reach out to us by now?" he said almost angrily. The look in his eye said don't press for details so she didn't.
"Well... I guess you might be right." She said looking at no one in particular, "Then again, you might be wrong." She returned vaguely, a bright smile on her face.
Alexandrite stared at her incredulously. "What?"
"Never give up the hope that they might be alive. There's the chance they could be trying to find you like you are trying to find them. Alive until proven dead….err so they say." Ruby said with confidence. There was a moment of silence where Alexandrite just stared at her, baffled that someone would have this much optimism.
Alexandrite suddenly burst out laughing, "You're really weird you know that?".
"Hehehe. Like you're one to talk." She smiled.
"Touché Red." He ruffled her hair earning a pout from her.
A comfortable silence fell over the two again as Ruby stole a few glances at his face.
She couldn't help it honestly, after witnessing him without his wig, she couldn't help but try to figure out his real face, even if all she could do was imagine it from looking at him. The idea reminded her of her guilt, the fact that she knew his secret but didn't tell him was devouring her soul once more. She couldn't take it.
"Alexandrite." Ruby said, her voice calm but slightly shaky.
The boy in the red jacket turned to her with a raised eyebrow, " 'Sup Rubes?"
"There's um, something I need to tell you." She looked down at the boards of the pier as if the grains of the wood were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Sure, what's bothering you?" he asked, concern marring his features.
She breathed deeply and hesitated. Did she really want to tell him? It might ruin their friendship, today was the most fun she'd had in a long time and honestly, she treasured him above a lot of things in her life. No, she needed to say his, he had a right to know.
"I know." She said firmly, gathering the courage and staring into his eyes.
At first, he was confused, but the look in her eyes held something that sent a subconscious fear through him as he felt a shock instantly reverberate through his body, but he held firm. "Know?" he had to be sure.
"I know, that you're probably a Faunus," she said shakily.
His eyes went wide. "How? And Probably?" he instantly went rigid.
"Earlier today, when you weren't responding to my calls or when I came to meet you, I thought if I knocked on your window it might get your attention, so I came up and I saw you, lying on the floor asleep. I saw your real hair, the two black things on your head, I'm assuming they were horns" She said trying to calm herself.
Alexandrite was speechless. He had gotten complacent and careless. His time at Beacon he felt so safe he forgot how to be careful, HOW COULD HE ALLOW HIMSELF TO RUIN EVERYTHING?. Calm down... Calm down... this is Ruby... she has proven herself to be a good friend.
But what if she hates you now? What if this whole thing was a ruse to trap you? his skeptic side shot back.
His thoughts were torn when she saw his downcast gaze and concentrated eyes, laden with worry.
"It's fine, I swear on my life, on my reputation as a huntress and as a team leader, that I will keep this a secret, no one will know." She said trying to appease the situation.
Alexandrite blinked in surprise, he expected instant hate, that was the common reaction after all. It was all over, she would tell everyone and kick him to the curb, his new life, his team's new life, was over. At least that's how he expected things to play out but they didn't.
"I know you probably have your reasons to hide your identity but, it's okay, I don't care if you're a Faunus, you're my friend and nothing is going to change that." She said sternly. "I know I overstepped my boundaries and I'm sorry but, I needed to let you know."
Alexandrite released the breath he had been holding unconsciously. Of course, he had nothing to worry about. This was Ruby, not some stranger, she was someone he could trust, the fact that she came out of her way to tell him proved that.
"Thank you, Ruby." He finally managed. "My race isn't why I'm hiding my identity though, I…I'll tell you in time, everyone, but right now…It's not safe for you or anyone to know so no matter what, this stays a secret." He locked her eyes with his.
She nodded, the determined gaze said it all. Alexandrite had gained an ally on the inside that day.
-Two Days Later-
"So you mean to tell me the White Fang, for sure, are the ones causing the attacks in Vale recently?" Nitro said incredulously. Concern evident in his voice. Team RWBY and ASHN sat together in RWBY's dorm room. "Shhh not so loud," Weiss hushed the young man.
"Right right, classified info, so that's what you guys were up to this time?" he asked. "Yeah, a few days ago, long story short, we followed a guy named Roman Torchwick around the city, by 'we' I mean Blake. We found her trying to stop a group of White Fang members from getting away with crates full of dust," Weiss continued.
"Sun and I were around the city when we spotted Torchwick, you don't know who Torchwick is but he is a pretty bad dude, works with the white fang, they are planning an attack on Vale and we aren't sure when." Blake finished, she had opted to remove the bow this time.
"Who is Sun?" Yang asked a bit confused but overall understanding the situation.
"Me! I'm Sun, Sun Wukong wassup?" A voice came from the window. Everyone in the room flinched at the sudden interruption. Sun Wukong, a monkey Faunus with a golden coloured tail came in through the window. He wore a white unbuttoned shirt and no undershirt, blue jeans and sported blonde hair.
"Sun! How did you…" Blake began trying to rationalize how no one picked up on his aura. "Don't sweat the small stuff, I see you're out with the ears huh," he drew attention, particularly Alexandrite's to Blake's bow, well it wasn't a bow it was a pair of ears.
"Oh hey, you finally took the bow off," Alexandrite said unsurprised. Though the pair of black cat ears were sending a storm of thoughts in his mind, searching his memory... to recall where he had seen them before... No... it couldn't be... but black hair, cat ears, named Blake. It was like the signs had been staring him into the face this whole time...but he had to be sure... but how could he ask if she was his childhood friend without giving away his identity?
His thoughts were torn from him when Yang spoke, "Wait you knew? As in before, you met us at the docks?" she asked.
"Well I thought it was pretty obvious, plus I could tell," Alexandrite stated, returning to reality.
"You could tell? How?" Weiss interjected. Alexandrite began to sweat a little he had come to trust these girls too easily that he just let his mouth run unconsciously.
"Ahem, so Weiss you and Blake cool now?" Alexandrite asked the heiress.
"Yeah, I have decided that no matter what happened in the past, even if Blake was a White Fang member, it doesn't mean anything now, she is my friend and I will accept her regardless," Weiss said with a stern face trying to mask her emotion. Blake just smiled at her.
"Uh this Torchwick guy, he sounds like bad news so what's good?" Alexandrite was trying to bring attention away from his previous statement.
Thankfully Blake followed along with his diversion, "Yeah they plan on stealing some military tech and assaulting Vale, we aren't really sure how," she said. 'Oh shit she knows' Alexandrite thought.
"We can't do much about that now, Ozpin knows it's only a matter of time," Ruby said confidently. "Well this is all well and good but we have a dance coming up and we aren't even prepared, we need to stop thinking of things above our authority," Sun said.
"Dance?" Nitro who had been sitting quietly with the rest of his team asked. "Yeah you don't know? The Beacon Dance, it's some stupid social thing Ozpin wants us to do," Weiss replied. "When is it?" it was Hex's turn to ask, "It's a few weeks away…" Sapphire's eyes widened as did Hex's.
"We need to prep A.S.A.P come on Sapphire," Hex said as she grabbed the younger girl's arm and bolted out the doo leaving a bewildered Alexandrite and Nitro. Yang saw the confused look on their faces, "Girl stuff you wouldn't understand,".
"Well then I guess, we should get done with our 'guy' stuff," Sun said as he gave Nitro a wink who understood immediately. Sun grabbed a confused Ren and Jaune while Nitro grabbed Alexandrite. The trio were then escorted out of the room.
"Um I like being manhandled about as much as the next guy so can you put us down?" Alexandrite said slightly peeved. "And what guy stuff?".
"Well duh, we need to get you outfitted for the dance!" Nitro said frantically.
Thus Jaune, Ren and Alexandrite were reluctantly coerced into a guy's only shopping trip to find Vale's best suit fitter while the girls ventured off on their own expedition.
-Flashback two nights ago -
Blake stumbled into her dorm room, around 2 a.m. "Mind explaining where you've been?". The lights in the darkroom turned on and Blake jumped at the surprise. She didn't expect anyone to be awake at this hour much less her whole team. "What it's perfectly normal for me to be out this late ahah….." Blake held her left shoulder with her right arm, her ears drooping a little in shame at being caught.
Yang took a look at the girl before her. She had dark circles around her eyes, her skin quite pale. 'She hasn't been resting' came the conclusion. Weiss snapped, "Blake you don't think we know what you're doing? Every night we see you going out and never coming back until the morning, you're out every night looking for Torchwick aren't you," the anger evident in the heiress' voice. Blake held her tongue unable to speak.
"Blake you need to get some rest, stop doing this to yourself, Ozpin knows we'll get 'em eventually, just calm down, take it slow," Ruby said trying to be reasonable.
Whether it was the exhaustion or some other third party controlling her emotions, Blake finally snapped as well, "SLOW?! Slow?! You expect me to take things slow? When there is..is this CRIMINAL out there? You expect me to just sit by while Torchwick is out there doing who knows what?!" fury radiating off her. She looked at her young leader's face and immediately regretted it.
Yang had had enough, "Listen, Blake we just want to help you, like FRIENDS are supposed to, so if you want to keep doing this then it's on you, just get some rest," Yang said. That was what they thought to be the end of that discussion.
-Back to present-
"So... any of you have a date?" Yang asked as they browsed clothes in one of the local stores.
"Nope, didn't know that was a requirement," Ruby said as she eyed a particular dress.
"You could ask Alexandrite? Though I'm surprised he hasn't asked you out yet." Hex said smirking to Yang, the two of them had grown particularly friendly over their time at Beacon.
"Yeah baby sis, hear that? Alexandrite is free." Yang nudged her sister causing her to blush furiously.
"Stop it's not like that… plus I don't really like dances and I don't need a date!" she defended, though she wouldn't mind if he did ask her. Their relationship wasn't anything further than platonic, she was sure that's all they were.
"Speaking of dates, how was yours with our leader a couple of days ago," Hex said skimming through some clothes. Yang suddenly became interested, the whole ordeal with Blake made her completely forget about it.
"It wasn't a date!" Ruby practically yelled. She calmed herself down, "We just hung out and... ate ice-cream... nothing happened..." she said almost trying to convince herself.
"That 'nothing happened' doesn't sound like nothing happened..." Yang input, narrowing her eyes.
Ruby looked around for a way to change the subject, "Uh... BLAKE! Who're you going with?" she turned to the cat Faunus.
"I uh…don't really plan on going," Blake said, under her eyes were black from lack of sleep. Ever since she discovered Torchwick and the White Fang's involvement she spent several sleepless nights searching for clues, much to the distress of her team.
"Blake you really need to get some rest, relax, we can't do anything about him now!" Yang practically yelled, apparently tired of this conversation. Blake brushed her off and left the store. Yang's anger flared, her eyes turning red... but she immediately calmed herself, "Ugh what she does is none of my concern," she muttered. Hex nodded to Sapphire. Paying for her stuff, Sapphire left the store to follow after Blake. Sapphire was the best diplomat they had and was the best at calming people down.
She found the older girl sitting at a water fountain a couple of blocks away from the store. It was a particularly crowded area but she stuck out like a sore thumb. Blake seemed lost in thought, too engrossed in her own mind she didn't pick up on Sapphire, it wasn't until she spoke did she acknowledge her. "Blake…" the young girl placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. Blake jolted eyes wide turning to the pink-haired girl.
"Oh it's you… if you want me to stop or make amends or whatever I'm not," stiffness was evident in her voice though she made no attempt to move.
"That's not what I came for," Sapphire said. "What do you mean?" confusion evident on the cat Faunus' face.
"I know what it's like you know," Sapphire said after a long pause. Blake turned, now facing her, "Know what?"
"I know what it feels like, to feel helpless and angry, angry that there are things you want to put an end to but no matter how hard you try, you can't." she waited for Blake to respond but the older girl didn't. She simply stared as if those words echoed her feelings to a T.
Sapphire continued, "I… I'm pretty sure you know or at least think you know, but Alexandrite and I, we're like you, ah I shouldn't really be saying this here, especially without Alexandrite around but," She beckoned Blake to come closer, she obliged lowering her head to meet Sapphire's.
"The White Fang took a lot from us, they took more than you realize, we were forced to do some pretty unspeakable thing's just to survive when I was still a kid I was practically raised by my brother, without him, I wouldn't be standing here today. I spent a lot of my life feeling hopeless and trying my hardest to be better, at fighting, at cooking, at learning, I wanted to make things easier for my brother but more often than not it turned out the opposite. What I'm trying to say is, stop focusing on what you could be doing and think about what you want, try to be the best YOU, you could be and things will work from there."
Blake was taken aback by the younger girl's words. "But... he's out there... right now doing god knows what..."
Sapphire shook her head, "The more you run yourself ragged latching onto the possibility of finding and stopping him, the weaker you get. By the time you find him, you'd be too tired to fight back, you'd be dead." her words were cold but true.
The black cat just rubbed her arm raw, "But something has to be done..."
"And it will, but for now you need to be what your team needs you to be. And that's a regular teenager, enjoying her first school dance."
Blake just eyed the younger girl, as if weighing the options in her mind, eventually, she conceded, "I... fine, I'll go..."
Sapphire smiled in triumph, "And get some sleep to, those bags under your eyes make you look old."
Blake began walking back in the direction of the store with Sapphire, "Hey kid?".
Sapphire turned to look up at Blake. "Thank you... you're really mature for your age you know that?"
The two hadn't made it back to the store yet when they spotted Yang fuming walking up to them. "
Yang wait!" Blake said holding her hands in front of her. The fiery blonde stopped. "Listen I, I need to say that, that I'm sorry, I've been a major pain and I've made you guys worry, and…" she was cut off when the angry blonde walked up to her face, stared the frightened girl directly in the eye. "Yang?" she said clearly scared now. Yang enveloped her in a tight hug, "Don't go all moody again on us, please? Tell us what's wrong, let us in, we're your team, your friends," Blake leaned into the hug. Sapphire watched the exchange with a knowing smile.
-With the Guys-
"Well that didn't take long," Sun said, Nitro, Alexandrite, Jaune and Ren followed behind. They looked like an extremely colourful gang. Albeit the looked a little to handsome to be a group of ruthless gangsters but nevertheless people in the streets avoided them. The group didn't seem to notice or if they did they didn't care.
"So… Alexandrite, what's up with you and little red hm?" Sun put Alexandrite on the spot.
The young hooded boy blushed furiously, "There's nothing between us, just good friends, yeah that's it," he said as if trying to convince himself that was all they were and he felt nothing for her beyond that.
"Mhm and my tail is fake, come on dude you need to tell her, be confident, the chicks dig confidence," Sun said while flexing his right arm.
"Wait Alex? And Ruby?" Jaune said completely clueless.
Ren deadpanned. "You can't be serious, it's as plain as day!", the raised voice was very odd for Ren.
"What's plain as day? Someone, please explain," Jaune looked very confused, everyone just sighed in exasperation.
Nitro shook his head in disbelief, "Dude, really you didn't pick up on the vibes these two were givin off since day one?" Jaune simply shook his head.
"Ugh, let me spell it out for you, you see this dude right here," Nitro said as he pointed to Alexandrite, "Is head over heels for Ruby, and he won't acknowledge that he is."
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh," it finally dawned on Jaune.
Alexandrite clicked his tongue, "Listen it's not that I don't want to admit it it's that things are complicated for me."
"AHA SO YOU DO ADMIT IT!" Sun exclaimed a little too happily. This earned a groan of exasperation from the teen in question.
"Dude the dance is like a couple of days away you should ask her to go with you," Nitro said his arms behind his head.
"I'll think about it…" Alexandrite said nervously. "Well you better think fast you only have a matter of hours," Sun butted in.
SOOO That's that. This entire chapter felt awkward and difficult to properly write, but this is like the 9th time (No exaggeration) I've revisited and practically rewritten it. Every single time it came out so... off key, for lack of a better term. I'm just going to write this off as the black sheep of the chapters and leave it as is. Next chapter hopefully soon, Engineering semester 2 starts in a couple weeks so I don't got alotta time. Reviews, Suggestions and overall Criticisms are more than welcome.
