Ruby stole a glance at her Scroll. 3:40. There was still half of the class left. Well, after this, the day would be over. She didn't have to last too much longer. They had just wrapped up a unit in history, though. What would Professor Oobleck want to do now, anyway? Halfway through the class seemed like it would be an odd time to start something new.
"Well, boys and girls, we're just about done. However, I'd like to take the rest of this class to introduce our next unit, which will be the Great War." Professor Oobleck zipped around the class, hopped up on whatever drink was in that thermos of his. "With how much time I have I can't do much more but give you a little primer, however I think that should be sufficient to give you an idea of what we'll be jumping into the next time we meet. Not only is it important that you understand the history of your world, I find it doubly important for you all to understand the context behind the Vytal Festival and the significance of the event that spawned a tradition we still keep now, almost a century later."
Ruby noticed Jaune out of the corner of her eye. He was leaning forward in his seat, pencil pressed to his notebook. He looked more invested now than Ruby had ever seen him in class. It put a smile on her face.
"Like all wars, what we now know as the Great War was primarily a conflict over land and resources. The Kingdom of Mantle, the predecessor to Atlas, had a treaty with what is now known as Mistral. It was primarily a trade agreement, but it did include a mutual pact to aid the other in the event of armed conflict. Mistral advanced east and laid claim to unsettled parts of Vacuo and its abundant Dust deposits. The King of Vacuo then disputed those claims and a number of skirmishes broke out in the Vacuan deserts. In accordance with its treaty Mantle sent troops to the other side of the world. Fearing a future where the Mantlean-Mistrali alliance, emboldened by its victory in Vacuo, would then go on a campaign of world conquest, the King of Vale rallied his army and marched south. Thus began the Great War."
The rest of the class simply gave an overview of the major events and players in the war. In the following weeks, Professor Oobleck told them they'd be dissecting these elements and truly learning why they're so important to the world, and therefore the history of Remnant as a whole. He finished a few minutes early because of how quickly he spoke. With no other reason to keep them, he let them leave class early.
Ruby linked up with the rest of her team out in the hallway. They were heading back to their room. They had to change first, but once they were out of their uniforms, they'd be heading out into Vale proper. Blake and Weiss were distant like always. Ruby spoke to them in the days after their trip to the Forever Fall. After talking to Weiss, Ruby couldn't be blamed for just not thinking there was anything wrong. Blake had a much different story to tell. Weiss had been avoiding Blake, she said. Any chance to interact, just have a normal conversation, was met with indifference and silence. Blake often seemed cool and aloof around the rest of the team, but when she was with Ruby that afternoon, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Ruby thought that spending the afternoon just hanging out might help to build some bridges between the two, or at least help repair any that currently existed, if they hadn't already fallen apart. She only hoped that it would work. No missions, no schoolwork, no stress. Just four friends going out to have fun.
It felt weird not to have Crescent Rose, but considering her objective for the afternoon, Ruby had no reason to hold onto it. No one had any reason to have their weapons. The four girls walked through the streets that Friday afternoon, the people around them happy as can be. Ruby loved to see the people around them enjoying their days. Their happiness made her feel like the world was at peace. Even if the further you got from the capital, the more dangerous things got.
A handful of people waved to the girls or just gave them a passing greeting. Blake appeared to hide behind Yang most times when people looked their way, but none of them appeared to care too much about her. They were just a group of four friends. Weiss stopped in front of a clothing store and looked into it.
"Want to go inside and pick up some things?" Yang asked.
"Well… I don't think having a bit more variety in my wardrobe would be a bad thing."
"You? Lacking variety?" Blake said. "I find that a bit hard to believe."
"Well, I couldn't fit everything in my luggage, Blake," Weiss responded.
Weiss led them into the store. Ruby and Blake smiled at each other. Maybe they were going to make some progress that day. The store was large, and there were a lot of people wandering around. A young sales associate was walking near the entrance, helping one of the customers. She looked at the four when she heard a bell ring with the door's opening.
"Why, hello there, ladies. I'd like to welcome you to our store. You're free to browse, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to…" She stopped when her eyes fell on Blake. She frowned and started twiddling her thumbs. "Oh…"
"Is there a problem?" Ruby walked up to the sales associate. "We just got here, so it isn't like we've done anything wrong."
"Oh, uh… no, no! You haven't done any…" She glanced over at Blake again. "It's just… our store policy not to serve faunus. I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to ask your friend there to leave."
The ears atop Blake's head twitched at the news, then they drooped. "It's alright. I'll just wait outside."
"No you're not. We're going with you," Ruby announced, "and I'm sorry," she said to the sales associate, "but if you actually feel bad about this, I think you might want to start looking for a new job."
"Hold on, Ruby! Where are you going? Blake offered to wait outside for us." Weiss said.
"Oh, for the love of…" Yang grabbed Weiss's hand and dragged her out along with the other two.
"Are you okay, Blake?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know… I didn't think I'd see something like this in Vale of all places. Everyone else has seemed so nice."
"I don't get it!" Weiss tried wrenching her hand from Yang's grip, but she just wasn't strong enough. "Why did we have to leave? They didn't kick us out!"
"But they did kick out Blake," Yang said, "It doesn't matter that they didn't ask us to leave, Weiss. It's about having standards."
"I have standards…"
"Clearly not," Blake grumbled.
"Excuse me?"
"Weiss." Ruby stopped and turned towards Weiss. She thought that it was probably better she handle this than risk an argument in the middle of the street. "Think about it for a second. What would you be saying if you had stayed? That you're perfectly okay with the fact that they don't let faunus shop there. That isn't okay. And you shouldn't be okay with it. There are other clothing stores we can go to. Stores that actually deserve your money."
"Oh…" Weiss gingerly hugged herself. "I had never thought of it like that before."
"Clearly. You probably just have everything delivered, anyway," Blake said.
"Hey!"
"Am I wrong?" Blake challenged. No response. "That's what I thought, Weiss."
"Then… you're saying that all of the people there are complicit?"
"Exactly. They can be good people in their personal lives, but at the same time, they're funding a discriminatory company. Ironically enough, it makes decent people part of the problem without them really realizing it." Blake said. Weiss's shoulders just slumped. Blake felt a little bad. She had thought of the Schnee Dust Company when she said that. Weiss probably thought the same.
The girls passed by an electronics store as they continued to walk. There were a number of televisions on display. They were showing a variety of channels. One of them was the news. Blake was instantly drawn to that. It was the result of recent political developments in Vale. Council elections had recently been held. With that, ministry reshuffling was inevitable. Now it was finally done.
Blake's eyes scanned the portraits of the new councilors and ministry members. Not a single one of them was a faunus. Blake's afternoon was not off to a good start. The people of Vale were all cordial to her, but what did it matter, if shops in the city that outright refuse to service faunus were allowed to open their doors? What was the point of the people of Vale being open and welcoming when they were incapable of electing a single faunus to office or appointing them to one?
"I think some food will cheer me up," Blake said, "It isn't too early for you guys, right?"
"No, not at all!" Ruby said. "Anywhere in particular you'd like?"
"Would seafood be alright?"
"Ooh, Valean seafood!" Weiss gushed. "I think that's a great idea! I'll see if there's somewhere nearby."
Weiss offered to cover the bill for their lunch. Blake jumped at the offer, getting one of the most expensive things on the menu. When the rest of the girls dug into their food once it arrived, Blake offered a small prayer for the soul of the fish that had gone into her meal. When she did start eating, though, she was the most voracious eater of them.
"Oh, yeah!" Ruby said. "I wanted to stop by From Dust Till Dawn at some point before we head back. There were some things I wanted."
"A Dust shop? I think that would be a great idea! I might need to get a few more cylinders for Myrtenaster."
"Hey, Weiss?" Blake asked.
"What is it?"
"You know a lot about Dust, right? Because, well, you know."
"What do you want to know?"
"I don't really ever use it, but I think it might be useful," Blake told her. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Actually, I do! I don't know if you've really seen it, but Myrtenaster works because I channel my Aura into it, and when I pull the trigger, the activated Dust is expelled. You need your Aura to use your semblance, so I thought that if you activate Dust when you do…"
"Their effects might combine?"
"That's the idea, anyway. We can pick out some Dust together!" Weiss said.
After lunch, the girls went back to their adventure through Vale. They stopped by From Dust Till Dawn first. Right when they went in, Ruby hurried to the special edition of Weapons Illustrated she had seen the night she met Professor Ozpin. There was no way she was going to leave it behind this time. With her primary objective complete, she started looking at Dust rounds for Crescent Rose. As she was browsing, she saw Blake and Weiss looking at a few different types of Dust.
"Looks like progress." Yang patted Ruby on the back. "Puts a smile on your face, doesn't it?"
"It definitely does."
The girls left the shop with a few bags loaded with Dust. Blake ushered them into a store called Tukson's Book Trade. Home to "every book under the sun", Blake couldn't help herself from going inside. The first thing that Yang did was ask where the comics and graphic novels were. Weiss just started wandering around, picking things off of bookshelves every once in a while.
"Do you have any recommendations, Blake? Maybe I'll find something nice here," Ruby said.
"Do you like reading, Ruby?"
"Yeah. My mom used to read stories to me a lot when I was a kid. You know, it was all the hero stories that made me first think about being a Huntress. But it was my mom being a super cool Huntress that really made up my mind."
"I don't really remember when I started reading. I just always liked it. It lets you escape the world and delve into completely new realities. It's a great escape."
Ruby leaned in a bit. "Including Ninjas Of Love?"
"I thought you had forgotten about that…"
"You wish! What's in that book, I wonder… You looked really nervous when you got caught holding it."
"I'll tell you when you're older," Blake said.
"If I'm too young to know about it, then how are you old enough to read it?" She grabbed Blake's arm. "Come on, let's see if they have a section for these 'grown up' books."
"W-we don't have to do that, Ruby! It's perfectly alright!"
Ruby dragged Blake to the counter where Tukson himself was reading.
"Tukson, my man! You have every book under the sun, right?"
"Well, it's hyperbolic, but I definitely try." He looked at Blake for a second before turning back to Ruby. "What're you looking for?"
"Well…" Ruby leaned in. "Do you have anything extra spicy?"
"Ooh…" He smirked. "I keep those in the back. Don't want the really little kids to see them by mistake. Really want to buy one of those with your friends around, though?"
"Please ignore her!" Blake started hauling Ruby away. "It's okay, it's okay!"
"Whatever you say, girls! You're welcome here anytime, so feel free to come back sometime!"
Blake left without a book, but she did leave the store thoroughly embarrassed. Yang and Weiss were obviously curious, but Ruby and Blake both played dumb.
"I wonder… will we see her?" Weiss's question was quiet. It didn't appear to be directed at anyone, either.
"Who?" Blake asked.
"Oh, she probably means the queen. She's known around the capital for just walking around to talk to the people." Yang said.
"Can you believe it? Meeting royalty? That would be absolutely amazing!" Weiss clasped her hands together and looked skyward. "Queen Catherine is so beautiful! Getting to see her up close would be a once in a lifetime opportunity! And if we got to talk to her?"
"Oh." Ruby stopped in her tracks. Yang and Blake followed suit.
Ahead of them a group of men and women clad in white and green uniforms were marching through the streets. They all looked so stern and focused on their jobs that they may as well have been robots. In the center of their formation was a woman with fair skin and long braided brown hair. A golden diadem was resting atop her head. That was enough to give away her status, but the elaborate green and gold clothing she wore, along with the small silken, fur lined half cape she wore would've dispelled any doubt people on the streets would have about her identity.
"Hey!" Yang started waving at the group. "Over here, Your Majesty!"
"Stop for a minute, guys," she said. The entourage stopped right by the girls and the queen looked at them. "I believe I heard you call out to me?"
Yang pushed Weiss forward. Weiss looked at her, her jaw agape. Weiss was the one who first mentioned the queen, but now that she was face to face with her, she went completely silent.
"U-u-u-uh…"
"I think I've seen your face before. Oh, you're a Schnee! Wow, you look a lot like Willow!"
"Ah!" Weiss bowed deeply. "I'm honored that royalty like you knows my family, Your Majesty!"
"Please, no need to be so formal! Besides, I'm sure your family has had more than your fair share of meetings with the Ironwoods. How are James and Neil?"
"Well…" Weiss was getting a tad more comfortable about the whole ordeal, now that the two had spoken for a little bit. "The prince regent and the king were doing alright, the last time I saw them. I… I think I might've heard something about them wanting to visit Vale for the Vytal Festival."
"Fantastic! I'd love to see them again! Especially Neil. I'm excited to see how much he's grown since I last saw him! Oh, where are my manners?" She looked at the other three and slightly bowed to them. "Catherine Rosario, Queen of Vale. It's a pleasure to meet you girls."
Yang was the first to bow. Ruby and Blake followed her lead a moment later.
"Yang Xiao Long of Patch, Your Majesty!"
"Ruby Rose, also of Patch! …Your Majesty!"
"Blake Belladonna. It's nice to meet you."
The queen stepped forward, looking intently at Ruby. "You… have silver eyes."
"Again…? Ah, I'm sorry! Um… Professor Ozpin said the same thing, when he met me, is the thing."
"Ah, so you all must be students at Beacon! And you… must be Summer's daughter! She's the last time I met someone with silver eyes." She pointed to her own eyes, and Ruby noticed that their eyes were extremely similar. They lacked the same luster as hers or her mom's, though. "Just a boring gray, here."
"Your Majesty, we should be going," said one of her guards.
"Right. Well, girls, I have some business to attend to, so-"
"Just a minute, Your Majesty."
Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, all turned to look at Blake.
"Yes, Miss Belladonna?"
"I'm not from Vale, but I had heard good things about this Kingdom. That it was on the forefront of social progress, but… I think it still has a long way to go."
"Blake!" Ruby grabbed Weiss's hand, shaking her head to keep her from saying any more.
"Not a single faunus on the council. Then that very council fails to appoint a single faunus to any ministry positions. Just earlier today, we went into a clothing store that turned me away just because I was a faunus. On the outside, Vale sounds like a great place for a faunus to live and feel happy, and safe. Yet when we look at the people who are supposed to represent us, we don't feel represented. When we just want to go shopping with our peers, we're turned away. How do you explain that?"
Most people just walked past them, heads craning to get a glimpse of the queen. When Blake started talking, though, several of them stopped. Ruby glanced around, feeling a bit uneasy because of the attention. She heard the crowd whispering, but she had no idea what they were saying.
"How do I explain it?" The queen looked at the crowd around them. She sighed and gestured for her guards to step aside. Then she walked up to Blake. "I'm sorry to tell you, but I can't. I understand why you're upset, I really do. It irks me to see that in one breath we espouse equality, then in the next we do things like what you've described. I've no doubt that there are talented faunus in our government who are worthy of their positions, and would make great ministers. If I was actually on the council, I'd probably nominate them myself. The people actually voted in, though, appear to disagree with me on that front. As far as this store you mentioned, believe me when I say that I'd sign a bill clamping down on that sort of behavior into law the moment it hit my desk. My influence stops where it really matters, I'm sorry to say. It's a poor consolation, but I can stop by that store and have a talk with them. Turning away paying customers because of things outside of their control seems like a less than wise business decision, wouldn't you agree?"
"Your Majesty!" Urged one of her guards, tapping their watch.
"You can find out how to reach the castle online," she said, waving at them as she walked back into the center of her guard. "I'll tell the staff to let me know immediately when I get an S-mail or a letter from one of you four and I'll check out the store myself. Enjoy the rest of your evening, girls!"
Yang was the first one to wave as she left, and the others followed suit. Weiss turned on Blake once the queen was out of sight.
"What was that?!"
"What are you talking about?" Blake retorted.
"That was a once in a lifetime chance to talk to her, and you spent it on… on-"
"Important issues in the kingdom she's running? Yes, yes I did. After all, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, right?"
Blake continued on her way, and the others followed after her. Weiss may have been upset, but she got over it before too long. When the sun was setting and the four made their way back to the dock where their ship to Beacon awaited, they passed the remains of a Dust Shop that had recently been robbed. They boarded the ship and found some seats. It had been a busy afternoon. Ruby wasn't quite sure how successful it was, in helping her two teammates bond. There were some moments where Blake and Weiss got along, but it seemed like there were just as many moments of tension and strife. Well, she'd have to ask about that later. Getting feedback on an outing like this would've been important anyway, she thought.
"Hey, did you hear?" Ruby heard someone say, "There was another Dust robbery." She recognized the voice. It was a freshman like her. She had heard the voice a few times before in class.
"I feel like there's been a lot of them these past few months, haven't there…?" A second person's voice.
"Who do you think's behind it?"
"I think it might be the White Fang," a third person chimed in. "After all, it's all SDC stuff, isn't it? They hate the SDC."
"I mean…" started the first person, "I get wanting to do, well, something about this company you don't like, but do you have to steal their cargo? It screws over all the regular folks who just want some Dust! And the small shops who get their supply from the SDC, too. Don't they care what happens to them?"
Well, there goes whatever good feelings the team might've been feeling. Blake and Weiss both just sat in silence, their eyes cast downwards. Ruby was surprised to see that Weiss didn't defend her family's company. Why were they talking about this now? Did they not notice Weiss?
"I used to like the White Fang, a few years ago," said the second person.
"You liked them? Dude, should I be worried?"
"No, I don't think you should," said the third person. "They had a different leader a few years ago. You mean back when he was in charge, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." The second person scratched their head. "Let me see… Bell? Adonis? Bella- oh, yeah! Belladonna! That was his name!"
Ruby stiffened. She glanced to her side, and the others were just as caught off guard as her. Yang was looking at her. Blake's eyes were still glued to the ground. It was very subtle, but Ruby could tell that Weiss was looking at Blake, even if her head wasn't moving.
"Belladonna? Weird. I feel like I've heard that name before." The first person lightly patted their friend's shoulder to get their attention. "It's not just me, right?"
"No, I think I've heard it too pretty recently. Yeah, there's someone in our grade named Belladonna…" The third person looked in the girls' direction, and their eyes went wide. "And she's… a faunus."
The other two looked at the four girls in their seats. Then Ruby felt more eyes in the airship gravitate towards them. None of them moved a muscle. Ruby didn't know what to do. What did she do? The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene. Not here. Not now. She could talk to them about it later, right? She would have to, wouldn't she? It couldn't be avoided. She'd talk to them alone, but if it would be a good idea to bring them all together, she'd have to think about. For now, she could only think of one thing to do. Ruby reached over and squeezed Blake's hand. She squeezed Ruby's in turn. The least she could do, until they touched down and got back to their room was try to help Blake know that she wasn't alone.
