Ignore the troll spamming offensive guest reviews as usual

Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 60

The bells tolled in her ears as much as around her. Teeth gritted and eyes burning, the emotions tossed and turned under the surface – far more than should have ever been possible just because Malneux embarrassed her. Why!? she thought angrily. Why am I this angry? Stop! This was nothing compared to the time he'd spat in the river and hoped it killed someone.

Her magic pulsed and roiled out as the memory fed into it.

It wasn't being rejected. It wasn't even being embarrassed like this. It was the straw that broke the donkey's back. It was Martyn Malneux consistently needling her again and again and again, chipping away at her patience until she just wanted him gone!

Her fingers burned hot. Ruby felt the air between them tingling and her eyes snapped open. Her wildmagic was reacting, heating the air. The magic wove its way downwards, moving with sickening slowness and yet somehow remaining outside of her control, even as she tried to rein it in.

A Surge. Now. S-S soon-? Ruby's stomach clenched like the worst of monthly pains and she almost fell to her knees. Her wildmagic was reacting, working on instinct, and she just knew who the target would be. No, no, no. If Martyn died like this, everyone would point the finger at her.

I didn't mean it! Don't do anything to him. Don't do anything!

"What's the matter, Rose?" Martyn called over the tolling bells. "You're not crying, are you?"

A chasm opening up and swallowing him. Fire engulfing him. Ice encasing him whole. Lightning. Why stop at him either? This whole place was one stupid prison keeping her locked inside, hunting and harming her kind for nothing more than the fact they couldn't be as easily controlled as their own. Strike Martyn down, smash the Sanctum to pieces and walk out. It wasn't like they could stop her.

"No, no, no," Ruby whispered, eyes clenched shut as the power broke free. "Not like this-"

A hand touched her arm.

Everything winked out. The surge died in an instant, as did the spell she knew was blistering around her fingers ready to do who knows what to Martyn. The muscle cramps dissipated, and her eyes snapped open, breath coming out in a rush as she stared into a padded grey gambeson.

For the first time in several days, she felt clearheaded. Calm. No, she wasn't calm – there was still irritation and frustration toward Martyn, but it was such a small thing now. As small as it should have been. He was an asshole and she'd always known that. It was more that the unknown pressure of the surge pounding away in her head had relented, letting her take Martyn's stupid hazing for what it was.

The bells had stopped tolling, too. Older Arcanists who knew what they meant looked around in confusion, while the Initiates had no idea at all. Martyn had gone silent, though it wasn't until the person touching her spoke again that she realised she'd forgotten something. Her eyes roamed up the gambeson toward a worn face topped with shaggy blond hair and a tired frown.

"Are you okay, Ruby?"

"J-Jaune…?"

His hands were on her arms, holding her biceps, and his power – the power of a Huntsman – had cut off her spell before it could expose her. Did he know-? No, he couldn't. There hadn't been any obvious evidence yet.

"You looked like you were about to fall over," he explained. Ruby breathed out in sheer relief.

"I… yeah…" Desperately, she held onto his hand, using the brief moment of peace to push her anger at Martyn down. With that dealt with, the surge should just be its usual strength, though she'd have to burn it off soon. "W-What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. "I thought you were ignoring me to do all your work at the Sanctum?"

"I was instructed to guard you. You then instructed me to come and see you today, to prove I wasn't hurt by the Grimm. Remember?" Vaguely. It was all a blur now. Jaune clapped her arms and stepped back.

The surge returned but it was muted now. Easy to hammer down. So easy that she could well believe she hadn't noticed it building up over the last few days, especially with her excitement for seeing Yang again overpowering everything else. She'd been too busy to notice, too distracted, but Martyn had managed to needle his way through as usual.

"Lord Arc." Martyn said, stepping up with a noticeable frown hidden behind his polite smile. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence here?"

"Lord Malneux," he returned formally. "I came to speak with Lady Rose." His eyes narrowed. "I hope you haven't upset her. I would hate to see a repeat of the duel from before. Now that you're a Crimson Initiate, you might face me yourself."

Martyn paled. "Nothing of the sort has happened. At least not intentionally on my part. Lady Rose had just come to confess her feelings and invite me to the ball." His smug smirk had returned, and he waved a hand in the air. "I had to turn her down, unfortunately, as I have already accepted suit from another. I cannot help if my rejection left her faint."

"Is that so…?"

Ruby answered his question with a one-sided scowl, trying to imply without words that it was way more complicated than Martyn was letting on. She didn't know if Jaune caught on, but he made a show of sighing and shaking his head.

"Must you bait me so, Ruby? To do something like this?"

"What?" she whined. "It's not like I-"

"I had intended to make it something special," Jaune said loudly, enough so that Martyn's lot could easily hear him. "But if you are going to try and make me jealous then I suppose I must strike sooner."

He dipped to one knee, taking her hand and drawing it toward him. Martyn hissed loudly and Ruby's jaw dropped, eyes skirting left and right for help as Jaune pulled a pose like some knight out of a bedside story.

"Lady Rose," he intoned. "Will you grace me with your presence for the Founding Ball?"

Ruby's head went empty again – and this time not only because her surge died out the moment he touched her. Jaune was asking her to the ball. What!? Their `relationship` had always been a ruse and a joke between them that they knew wasn't real, and she doubted anything had changed there since he'd been so distant the last few weeks. Not by his own choice if his father's letter was anything to go by.

Behind, she heard some of Martyn's guests muttering about how lucky she was, how romantic this was and how she'd asked Martyn out to force Jaune's hand. "So bold," one said. "So scandalous!" another echoed. Jaune was covering for her. He was making it look like she hadn't asked Martyn out for real.

"Lady Rose…?" he prompted.

"A-Ah!" Ruby jumped. "Y-Yes?"

What else could she say!? Jaune had put himself on one knee to save her from what he thought was crippling humiliation. He didn't know the real reason she was on the verge of tears was because she'd been about to explode and set the whole Collegium on fire. If she turned him down now, she'd not only be spitting in his face but embarrassing him and his family. And the Arcs were apparently something of a big deal.

"Wonderful." Jaune stood, taking both her hands and looking down on her. He pulled off the adoring handsome look really well for someone who didn't feel that way about her. "And perhaps next time you want to goad me into asking you, come to me instead. Not another man." His eyes slid to Martyn's. "My apology, Lord Malneux. I hope your pride hasn't been wounded by this little scene."

Martyn gritted his teeth. "Not at all."

"J-Jaune," Ruby stammered. "Can we speak. In private?"

The girls behind them giggled and tittered. Someone mentioned the potential scandal of not having a chaperone. Jaune, however, simply hooked his arm with hers, gestured with his other and led her away, the two of them walking through the gardens together. Ruby was content to let him lead, especially since the White and Red Arcana were busy patrolling the walls and main buildings, searching for the Wildmage that had just set off the alarms.

Jaune only took her to one of the gardens off the main lawn, secluded enough with trimmed hedges and colourful flowers that they could speak in relative privacy, but not as full of implication as it would have been to take her to the barracks or his own rooms. He made to release her arm, but she clung onto it, taking every moment of his strange, draining presence as she could.

"W-Why did you do that?" she asked, hoping her stammer would be mistaken for embarrassment and not the constant shudders the dwindling surge had left.

"You looked like you needed it."

"I… well, yeah, but… the ball…"

"I'm obligated to go anyway," Jaune said. "The peril of my position. I'd rather not go alone and be harassed by everyone and anyone looking for a quick way up the social ladder. I know it's not very romantic, but we're not… well…"

"Together?" she offered.

"Yes. It sounds manipulative put like that…"

"No. No." Ruby grinned and breathed out, relieved. "We're going as friends, then?"

"If you'll accept."

"Of course!"

He smiled and for a moment looked just as relieved as her. It was such a return to how he normally was that she wondered if she hadn't imagined the weeks of cold shoulder that he'd given her. "So, are you not focusing on your work so much anymore? You said before that you couldn't talk to us because you had other things to focus on."

"You are my job, Ruby. They told me to escort you."

Yeah, in the outskirts for the Grimm, not after- wait. Did they specifically tell him to stop?

She hadn't been there for the actual recruiting of him, but maybe they hadn't. Jaune was acting like he'd been given permission. It might have been to keep an eye on her for Glynda's sake, but what if it wasn't?

"When did they tell you to?" she asked innocently.

"Before we went to hunt the Grimm."

"Oh. Right!" It was the case. Jaune was only opening up to her now because no one had technically told him to stop. This didn't feel like a conscious thing, especially not with how big a contrast him now and before was. Just to test it, she asked, "You know, Sun has been a little upset you're not spending as much time with him."

Jaune sighed. "Sun should understand I have a responsibility. I don't have time to mess around."

It was just her. He was being just as cold to Sun as he had been her and Weiss before.

Should I push? What if I push too hard and his superiors tell him to ignore me again? I could lose my only chance to find out what's going on. For now, she'd let it go. Jaune was here, happy, and if he could provide a calming influence on her surges then she wanted him around. He can't spend every hour of his life attached to me, though. I'll need to find a way to bleed this surge off soon, especially if it's making me so volatile that even Martyn can set me off.

"I need to find a dress for the dance," she said suddenly.

"Ah. Yes. Luckily, we have dress uniforms in the guards. You could ask Weiss for help."

That was a given. The only thing she knew about dresses was that they were meant to be painfully tight around the waist to make your chest look bigger, and that advice was circumspect since it came from the whores wearing their ratty and tattered dresses on street corners. I bet dresses are expensive too. Ugh. I'll need to borrow money. Or steal it, but everyone might wonder where the orphaned noble with no money suddenly found some.

"Thanks for helping me," she said, only just remembering that. "Malneux is… He's a bastard."

"Not technically he isn't, but I share the sentiment. He set his eyes on my younger sister a few years back. Our family arranged a courtship meeting and when she didn't like him, he got uppity and almost caused a dispute. It was evened out," he said, looking back the way they'd come, "but let's just say I enjoyed putting him in his place just as much as I did helping you."

Ruby giggled. If anything, that made her feel even better.

/-/

"Jaune did?" Weiss asked. "I suppose I should have expected it with how close the two of you are. I'm relieved." Though she said that, there was a hint of something else in her voice. Not jealousy, but disappointment. "Better Jaune then Martyn. That's for sure."

"Yeah. Are you… Are you okay with this…?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's just that you sound a little not okay."

Weiss made to argue, then sighed and slumped down onto her chair. "I'd thought we would both end up going alone," she admitted. "And then I wouldn't be the odd one out. Now that you have a date as well, I'm going to stand out more. It's silly, I know, and it makes it sound like I wanted you to be miserable but-"

Ruby sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Weiss accepted the hug for once, leaning in to squeeze her back. Words didn't have to be exchanged. Weiss could go with Sun if she wanted to, but I don't think it's the lack of romance she's bothered about. Her family probably expects her to be making connections.

Valuable connections, the kind of which Sun, for all his sweetness, couldn't provide. Ren couldn't do it either even if she asked him nicely, and it wouldn't be fair to Nora to try that. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked helplessly.

"Not unless you can make my blood bluer. At least I know this isn't about me. It's not my personality or looks that are the issue, just my…" Her lips twisted. "My breeding."

Ruby punched her arm lightly. "Don't say that."

"It's true, though. No, don't say anything, I'm just in a mood." Smiling awkwardly, she sipped at a cup of herbal tea and picked at some olives, rolling them about her plate with her finger. "It won't much matter when we're older. Once I have my own accomplishments to be judged on. Us becoming Arcanists early would certainly do that."

Ruby sat up. "You want to try and find out what's involved right now?"

"Why not?" Weiss set the olive rolling away. "I have no appetite at the moment and could use the distraction. Let's give it a try."

/-/

Ten Arcanists and ten comments that they were too busy – with varying levels of politeness involved. The White Cathedral was practically on lockdown, people being checked at the entrance and on the way out, hooded figures running around and teams of ten or more flanked by Collegium Guards and Huntsmen marching out toward the gates.

Being among them all wasn't the first place Ruby would have liked to be, but it was also the last place anyone would expect. She kept her head down and let Weiss do the talking, searching out older Arcanists who weren't in quite such a rush and trying to wrangle answers out of them.

"I'm sorry, Lord Arcanist, but can we have a brief moment of your time-?"

"I'm busy," the man reading a book said.

"You're obviously no-" Weiss' hand clamped over her mouth, the white haired Initiate laughing and dragging Ruby away.

"Thank you for your time then, sir!" Away from him, she let go and hissed. "Ruby! You can't just call out an Arcanist like that!"

"Why not? They're ignoring us. He's not busy. He's reading at the dinner table."

"Either way, we have to be polite." Weiss saw a woman approaching and held up a hand. "Lady Arcanist, please, a moment of your time?"

The woman didn't even answer, sliding past Weiss without acknowledging them with so much as a glance. Weiss bit her lip and smiled at it, but even Ruby could tell it was an act. For all that Weiss liked to act like she was the perfect and patient noble lady, she really wasn't. Weeks of being hounded for poor manners had taught her that.

"Lord Merlot said we should bribe someone," she offered.

"Bribe them? With what? Everyone here is wealthier than you or I, Ruby. Excuse me! Yes, please. Can I just ask- no? Okay, well, thank you for sparing a moment of your time for us, sir. It's very kind of you!"

The Arcanist glared back, clearly trying to figure out whether Weiss was being sarcastic or not. To be fair, Weiss had a very convincing smile. She might even have been able to trick some of the con artists down in the slums with a face like that.

"This is ridiculous," Weiss growled. "Would it kill someone to give us thirty seconds? I swear, when I'm an Arcanist and some Initiate comes up to me for help, I'll at least hear them out."

"Hmm. Same."

"I mean, it's not even – hello? Hello! Can you help us please? We need to-"

"Lady Goodwitch has instructed us to enquire about the rite of passage," Ruby said, jumping in and blocking the man's path. He was around thirty or so, clearly a little sleep deprived and keen on avoiding them, at least until she stepped in his way.

He blinked owlishly, caught off guard. "Lady Goodwitch has-?"

"Yes," she said, ignoring the absolute panic on Weiss' face. "Apparently, she wants to know if it's still the same as last year but she's too busy to check with the bells and everything."

"Yes," he said wearily. "I can imagine. The rite, though. I think it's the same. It doesn't really change."

"We'd best be sure," Ruby said grandly. "Lady Goodwitch will have our heads if we come back saying we `think` it is the same."

"L-Lady Goodwitch isn't one for excuses as you surely know, Lord Arcanist," Weiss said sweetly, rubbing her hands together and looking positively terrified. Ironically enough, that worked to her advantage here. "Would it be possible for you to confirm what it is? That way we can tell her the answer she wants and not get in trouble."

"Oh. Uh." The Arcanist turned, caught between the two of them with nowhere to run. Even if he suspected they weren't telling the truth, he was stuck now. The easiest way out was to give them what they wanted. "It's the same three-piece challenge as far as I know. One challenge of intelligence, one of might and one of conviction."

Answers! Finally! "And what is each test currently set as?" she asked.

"It changes per person. You should know – well, Lady Goodwitch should know that. It's a different task each time, but the first one is always using your magic intelligently; the second is defeating something or someone in a duel; the third is specific to the individual." He sighed, regaining some confidence as befitted his position. "Is that all, Initiates? Or does Lady Goodwitch wish to speak with me directly?"

He knew he'd been had, but it was too late to do anything. Ruby smiled innocently. "That's all."

"Thank you so much," Weiss gushed much more deferentially, drawing Ruby away. "We shall take the news to Lady Goodwitch. Good day, Lord Arcanist." The moment he was away, Weiss turned on her, eyes wide. "Lying to an Arcanist!" she hissed. "Have you lost your mind?"

More like her patience. "It worked, didn't it?"

"It might easily not have! Goodness, Ruby, I can't believe you'd do that. Or that I helped!"

"Maybe you're not as perfect and proper as you think you are."

"Don't say that! I am a noble lady of the Schnee household. I have a reputation to maintain. Still, I suppose we have our answers, no matter how we earned them. Three challenges, most likely in a row. Intellect, combat and… conviction. Whatever the last means."

Combat was the obvious one, and the one they had to be most careful about. Overpowering an Arcanist would be bizarre for two so young, but if they were fighting a thing – some Black Arcana contraption or a spell, then it wouldn't be so bad. "We can't plan for conviction bur that doesn't sound like something you prepare for anyway."

"No." Weiss agreed. "I dare say it won't involve magic at all. Perhaps something like how I first got in. As for intelligence, well, I don't know what to say if I can be honest. Are we talking about a written test or exam? I somehow doubt it. It has to be magically based, but how does one test intellect through magic?"

"Learning a spell?"

"You think-? Perhaps." Weiss hummed. "If they were to give us a scroll and tell us we have a set time limit to learn its contents, then yes, and I suppose that in a way it would prove magical capability. Control and technique are something you can't master easily, and a test like that would be impossible to prepare ahead for. We could be wrong, though. What if it is using the magic we know in an intelligent manner? Riddles or challenges to test our mind."

Then they'd just have to hope to find a way through. There wasn't any great loss in trying and failing, while the rewards for succeeding were far, far greater. "Could you ask Pyrrha for help training for the fighting one?" Ruby asked. "Intelligent spells is more Merlot's specialty. I can ask him."

"Yes. We'll split it between us. What shall I say if Pyrrha wants to join us?"

"The more the merrier!" Very much so. If three of them got through at the same time then that was even less suspicion for her, and people would assume she'd learned how to fight from Pyrrha Nikos' training. "I'll talk to Merlot tonight and-"

"Initiate Ruby Rose," a White Arcanist announced, approaching them. "Lady Goodwitch has requested your presence in her office."

Now? Why? Ruby swallowed. "Has she?"

"Yes. Immediately."

"What did you do?" Weiss asked quietly.

For once, she didn't know.

/-/

"Did you hear the bells?" Lady Goodwitch asked her. Since there was no real way to miss them, the Arcanist went on without waiting for an answer. "Those bells ring out an alarm that denotes an attack on the Collegium. I know you know that from the prior case where your friend's workhouse was attacked."

"Nora's shed. Yeah." Ruby said evasively. "It went off for Adam, too, didn't it?"

Glynda's lips twisted into a thin line. "The Wildmage, yes. Tell me, Ruby. Where were you when it went off?"

"I was on the main lawns with Martyn Malneux," she said eagerly, then explained the series of events in full detail, making sure to mention all the number of people who had seen and been around her. Lady Goodwitch listened as the list went on, nodding her head and sitting behind her long desk, gesturing for Ruby to take her seat to the side. "And then he made a fool of me by rejecting me in public and pretending I wanted to ask him out."

"Childish games. If he wishes to become an Arcanist, he should be able to look past such things."

Ruby couldn't have agreed more. "Yep!"

"You seem in a good mood for someone rejected before her peers."

"Eh. I had an out," she said, unwilling to mention who that was just yet. "So, are we doing work around the bells? Could they have gone off by accident? False alarm?"

"No to both questions. There was no mistake, but no, I won't be having an Initiate involve themselves in matters of Collegium security. The risks are too great. There is a matter of a little more importance, however." Glynda tapped her finger on her desk, over a sealed envelope. "Would you care to explain why you have been summoned."

"Summoned…?" Ruby made an uncertain sound, and she must have done a good job of it because Lady Goodwitch's expression softened somewhat.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? Not summoned here or to the Grand Arcanist. You have received a formal summons from one of the great families of Vale." The envelope was pushed across. It was unopened, the back sealed with a beautiful red wax imprint of what looked to be two crescent moons. "Open it. This is a complicated matter, and you will need my permission to attend."

Cautiously, Ruby cracked the seal and peeled it open. A waft of flowery perfume spilled out, soft and subtle like thyme or rosemary, but with a fruity note. The parchment was thick and soft, so much weightier than what they wrote on in classes. The writing inside was neat and orderly, drawn in a blue ink that never once deviated or dripped.

"To Lady Ruby of House Rose," she read out loud, then looked to Glynda to ask if she should. The woman nodded for her to continue. Ruby thanked Cinder's lessons for making that possible at all. "It has come to my attention, through valued and trusted sources, that you have come involved with one of our most august family. I would meet with you and invite you to dine this Thursday at our manner to discuss matters of great importance. Your attendance is appreciated. With grace and well wishes, Juniper, Matriarch of House Arc."

Ruby's voice cracked at the end, and Glynda hummed appreciably, looking over linked hands toward her. "I see this comes as much a surprise to you as it does to me. Would you care to explain, Initiate?"

"I-I…" Ruby's eyes darted down to the letter and up. "It's a mistake…?"

"Is it? Are you and the scion of House Arc not in any way involved?"

"W-Well, I mean, we're going to the ball together…"

"And you thought that would not raise comment?" Glynda sighed dramatically. "In all truth, I happen to think it shouldn't. What is one dance between Initiates? You're told to set aside your birth when you enter here, but yet again, no one does. And we can't well ignore a summons from House Arc, one of the most powerful in the city. Not without good reason. You are quite the problem Initiate, Miss Rose."

Ruby looked up desperately. "Can I say no…?"

Glynda's expression suggested she could not.

Ugh. I'm feeling sicky again today. Been coming down a lot lately, and since I had to take my mother to the hospital earlier in the week it's a worrying trend. Hoping it's nothing too bad to worry about.

Next Chapter: 11th October

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur