Pyrrhic Victory (RWBY + JNPR)

Ruby: Finally, it's over…

Pyrrha: Are you okay, Ruby?

Yang: Yeah, she's fine. Just glad to be done with finals.

Jaune: Oh, yeah, you're a bit younger than us. Those must've been rough.

Weiss: Helping her study for them was torture…

Blake: Hey, at least we're done now, right?

Nora: Maybe, but at what cost?

Yang: Nora? What happened to you?

Ren: Academia isn't her strong suit. Finals were very taxing.

Pyrrha: Hey, at least you're free now, right?

Ruby: Yeah, but my brain is just about to explode…

Nora: You can say that again…


As the days continued to drag on, they got hotter and hotter. It got more difficult to perform well on training missions or joint exercises, and sitting in class for an hour was excruciating. Some days were unbearable, even with the air conditioning at full blast. When summer vacation was a week away, Ruby started packing in earnest. She couldn't wait to get home and just turn her brain off for a few months.

"I mean, I get not wanting to have to stay in this heat longer than you have to, Ruby," Weiss said the day after the end of finals, "but I don't know how I feel about you packing like it's the end of the world. It's almost like you just hate school."

"I don't hate school!" Ruby said, "but if I have to deal with this heat a day longer than I have to, I'm going to go crazy! And I don't have to anymore, so I'm not!"

"Just a few more hours and then off you go. Is Patch really that much different from Vale?" Blake asked. "Isn't it right off the coast?"

"Not as crowded, so it kind of helps a bit." Yang said. "It'll be nice to see dad again, and Uncle Qrow should be home too!"

"Weiss, Blake, you're going home too, right? I think I heard that some people are staying here in Vale." Ruby said.

"Atlesian summers are really mild, so that'll be a mercy," Weiss said.

"You're lucky," Blake said, ears drooping. "I'm going all the way to Menagerie."

The other three winced. Menagerie was deep in Remnant's south. It might not have been as hot as some parts of Vacuo or south Sanus, but it definitely wasn't known for being cool or temperate.

"It's going to be weird to be so far away from you guys, and for two whole months!" Ruby sighed. "It won't last too long, though. Before we know it, we'll be back together!"

"We should still be able to keep in touch. It might not be especially easy for me, but it shouldn't be impossible." Weiss said.

"Yeah!" Yang pumped her fist into the air, then crossed her arms and frowned. "Oh, wait, time zones. That's going to make things weird. The difference can't be too bad, right?"

"If you call me and it's late, I'll just tell you to screw off so I can sleep," Blake said.

"Wouldn't want it any other way." Yang winked at Blake.

"You two are staying for a few more days, right?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss wanted to see more of Vale. We thought we could do that together before we went home."

Yang's Scroll buzzed and she fished it out of her pocket. "Half an hour until our flight, Ruby. We should probably head out soon."

"Okay!" Ruby sat on her suitcase as she forced the zipper closed. "I'm all good, then! Let's go catch that shuttle!"

Ruby lunged at Weiss, the hug getting a shocked squeal out of her. Yang and Blake shared a quick embrace. After a few more hugs, Ruby and Yang were ready to head out. Ruby walked into the hall to see Team JNPR outside of their room across the way. They weren't the only ones. Other people getting ready to head home were milling about through the hallway.

"Hey, guys," Ruby said, "what's up?"

"Oh, just people watching," Jaune said.

"It was Nora's idea," Pyrrha added.

"You and Yang heading home?" Nora asked.

"Yeah! We're just about to go and catch the airship to Patch."

"I hope the two of you enjoy your summer," Ren told them.

"Same to you, Ren! And all you guys!" Ruby started wheeling her suitcase away, waving at the group. "I'll be in touch!"

"Have a good summer, Ruby, Yang!" Pyrrha called after them.

"Hope you have a safe flight!" Blake said.

"Call us when you're home!" Weiss said.

After the sisters turned the corner, Ruby set her eyes forward. It wouldn't be long until she was back home. She'd get to be back in her room, and get to eat her dad's breakfast in the morning again. More than anything, Ruby was excited to get to see Zwei again.


Taiyang was waiting for his daughters outside of the Patch airport. Zwei was on a leash at his side. The people of Patch had seen the two off at the beginning of the semester, but Taiyang was alone this time. He knew that they had a number of close friends on Patch, but didn't want Ruby to be overwhelmed by the crowd. When the two emerged, the dog started barking wildly and rushed forward, jerking Taiyang slightly.

"Zwei!" Ruby abandoned her suitcase and rushed ahead to hug Zwei, who started furiously licking Ruby's face. "I missed you so much!"

"Good to see you too, Ruby," Taiyang said.

"Hey, dad!" Yang said."Ruby just wanted to see Zwei that much. Guess she loves him more than you."

"Well, he doesn't give her chores…" Taiyang handed Ruby Zwei's leash. "If you want to be with your prince charming so much, you can take him on his walks all summer."

"Leave it to me!"

"Dinner's all prepped, so while you two are getting unpacked, I'll whip up something nice."

"It's been so long since we had your home cooking! This is going to be great!" Ruby exclaimed.


Being home for just a few short days made Ruby feel revitalized after her first semester at Beacon. The quiet ambiance of the Xiao Long cabin, and the peaceful monotony of her daily life with Yang, their dad, and Zwei was a very welcome change of pace to the frenzied nature of constant class and training. Just as Taiyang had said, Ruby was in charge of taking Zwei on walks. It was good exercise each day, and a great excuse for Ruby to listen to music and tune out.

By the end of her first week back, Ruby had settled into her routine quite nicely. It was nice, walking around Patch again and being able to see old friends again. Each day, Ruby took the same route, walking at the same pace, greeting the same people, and stopping at the same places for Zwei to do his doggy business. It was almost like Ruby had been trapped in some sort of time loop, but she wasn't complaining. Even with her headphones on, she heard the faint cawing of a crow somewhere.

Then, as Ruby was walking, she tripped. That wasn't supposed to happen. Zwei licked her face as she pulled herself up. Looking back, Ruby didn't see anything that might've made her trip. The street was perfectly clean and empty. Had she tripped over her own feet? That was an odd stroke of bad luck, having her perfect walk streak ruined like that. Zwei started to run off as Ruby picked herself up, and he almost pulled her right back onto the ground. She held him back and looked at whatever he was speeding towards. She almost dropped the leash out of shock.

"Good thing you didn't scuff your knees, eh, pipsqueak?"

Zwei started barking as the tall, disheveled man he had seen walked over to Ruby. He walked around her, lightly brushing any dirt that might've gotten onto her clothes with one hand, a flask gripped in the other.

"Good to see you too, Wonder Dog." He reached down and scratched behind Zwei's ear.

Ruby was just stunned. It only made sense that he had shown up. He couldn't be gone on that mission forever, after all. He hadn't called ahead to tell them, though! Or did he? Did her dad keep this from her? It didn't really matter what the explanation was, but the important thing was that he was back, and Ruby had held back the urge to hug him long enough.

"Uncle Qrow!" She lunged at his neck. As she wrapped her arms around him, her feet dangled in the air. "You're back!"

"Had to come back eventually," he said. He put Ruby down and motioned her to continue her walk with Zwei. "Looks like you're back on the old grind."

"You know how much I like walks with Zwei. Dad sort of just pushed it on me, but I'm not complaining."

"Surprised to see you in one piece after Beacon. Must have all sorts of crazy stories."

"Definitely. I can tell you some when I get home! Yang can help me if I forget something. And I'm probably going to forget something…"

"Well, if you survive the rest of the walk without eating dirt again, you'll probably be fine."

"Don't say that, you'll jinx me!"

"Doesn't matter if I shut my trap or not, kiddo. You're jinxed regardless."

Ruby was hypervigilant about what she came across as she looped around to start on her way back home with Zwei and her uncle. If anything, being so focused on the ground just put her at greater risk of walking into a street lamp or something. Qrow just reveled in his niece's paranoia, taking an occasional swig from his flask all the while. When they were just a short run from the cabin, Ruby thrust Zwei's leash into her uncle's hand and ran the rest of the way.

"Yang, dad! Uncle Qrow is back!"

"He's what?!" Yang's head shot out from the kitchen door. She leaned a bit too far out, and then she fell, a plate shattering on the ground next to her. As she heard a crow's cry outside she said, "No, yeah, he's definitely back."

"Who went and brought a Dusty Old Crow into my house? Now I have to clean up after him," Taiyang said, walking down the stairs. "You okay, Yang?"

"Yeah, I'm good!" She fetched the broom and started to sweep up the shards. "We really should buy dishes that aren't as fragile."

"You must have all sorts of stories from your mission!" Ruby gushed. "Oh, we can talk over lunch!"

"Now I get why dad said I should make so much food… You knew he was coming." Yang said.

"Of course. I'll help get the food served, and we can talk more over lunch." Taiyang said.

Ruby set out food for Zwei as Taiyang put together plates for the four of them. Long after they were finished eating, the family sat and shared stories. Ruby and Yang of their time at Beacon, Taiyang of the past semester teaching at Signal, and Qrow of his most recent mission. Ruby found the others' laughter contagious, and even when she already knew what was happening and didn't find it that funny, when her dad or uncle bursted out laughing, she was right behind them. Her sides were hurting by the time that Qrow was wrapping up his own stories.

"I'll tell you the rest later, Tai." Qrow wiped a tear from his eye as he wheezed from all the laughing.

"Something you can't mention with the girls here? Get yourself in trouble again?"

"Hey, it isn't like I did anything illegal! …But I definitely got in trouble! Hahaha!"

"Are you going to be around for long, Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked.

"Eh, A few weeks, at least," he said. "By the way, Tai, now's the time to tell them?"

"I did say we'd talk over lunch, and lunch is definitely over now. So, you two remember that we did a little something for Yang getting into Beacon. Ruby getting in was definitely a surprise, so we didn't really get to do anything for it. Qrow had an idea to do something when you were home for the summer. Qrow…" Taiyang waved a hand in his direction.

"We're going to Amity Park!"

"What?!" Yang asked.

"For real?!" Ruby suddenly stood up from the table.

Amity Park was an amusement park located on the outskirts of Vale. It was built alongside the Amity Colosseum. However, while the colosseum traveled around Remnant to whichever nation was hosting the Vytal Festival Tournament that year, the park always remained in Vale. Whenever Vale hosted the festival, the park was sure to get busy as people from all over the world flooded it to have fun and bond. Ruby had been there a few times before, but her last visit was quite some time ago.

"Well we couldn't exactly do nothing, could we?" Qrow asked. "This is major! Skipping two grades to get into Beacon! Anything but this would just be an insult!"

"Yet all I got was dinner…" Yang rolled her eyes.

"At a three star restaurant," Taiyang pointed out.

"When are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Middle of next week," Qrow told them, "Most parents should be too busy with work to take the little tykes, and there will be plenty of twenty-somethings more interested in making money to pay rent to go to the amusement park on a Wednesday."

"So we have a few days to go shopping and make plans! Yang, we're heading out first thing tomorrow to get sunscreen and snacks!"

"First thing? Don't you think that's a little too enthusiastic, sis?"

"Nothing is too enthusiastic for a trip to Amity Park! I'm going to go make a list!"

"Hey, Ruby, it's your turn to wash the…" She ran up the stairs before Taiyang got a chance to finish. "Dishes." He looked over at Yang.

"Only if she takes them the next time it's my turn."

"I'll make sure that happens, so don't worry about it."

"Now you and Qrow should go enjoy whatever he has to say that was too lewd for me and Ruby's maiden ears."

"Don't worry, Yang, we will!" Qrow said with a laugh.

As Yang collected the dishes, she rolled her eyes again. Her dad and uncle were ready to kick back and relax until the dead of night, and Ruby was left making an amusement park checklist like an excited little kid. It reminded Yang of their childhood, somewhat. Back when she and Ruby were really too young for chores, it would just be their parents taking turns with housework. Whenever Qrow was back and it was Summer's turn to clean up after dinner, it was just like how it was now. The guys in the living room, and the girls upstairs goofing around. Now Yang was in the same place her mom had once been.

She had done this a lot, but this was the first time she ever thought of Summer while doing it. She knew she had grown up quickly, to help her dad and take care of Ruby, but feeling like her mother did at the age of 17? She really did grow up fast.


Amity Park was located to the northwest of the capital city, right outside of its most affluent neighborhoods. The location, Ruby had once heard, was picked so that the park could have a good view of the ocean. The roller coasters and ferris wheel, and some of the taller rides shot up into the air, coming into view long before the rest of the park did. On the ride to the park proper, Ruby just couldn't take her eyes off of it.

Uncle Qrow had said that the middle of the week was best for a visit. The park was definitely crowded, but Ruby thought that it could've been much, much worse. The foursome flashed their tickets and walked through the gates into the park's entrance promenade. The park opened in all sorts of directions. Ruby took a map that one of the employees offered her and opened it up.

The park was divided into five sectors. One for Vale, one for Mistral, one for Atlas, one for Vacuo, and one for Vytal, which was an amalgamation of the other four; a melting pot of sorts. Each of the sectors had slight aesthetic differences, offered different options for food, and even included some educational areas. The rides just looked different, though. It wasn't like the Atlas sector was more likely to have a roller coaster than Vacuo, or anything.

Ruby had already planned out their entire day. They'd go east first and loop around the park, stopping for lunch in the Vytal sector, then finishing in Vacuo before finally enjoying the fireworks show that marked the closing of the park each evening.

"To Mistral!" Ruby exclaimed. She started to march eastwards, Yang right on her heels. Taiyang and Qrow followed at a much more leisurely pace.


Taiyang had splurged to get the family passes to skip the lines so they wouldn't have to wait for nearly as long. Ruby wanted to get them on as many rides as possible to make the trip worth all the money he dropped on it. Qrow didn't get on any of the big rides. Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang took turns skipping out on rides to wait with him. Ruby was just happy to be there, so even if she had to wait outside, she enjoyed being in Qrow's presence. Yang seemed a bit more bummed out to miss out on the fun. Taiyang, on the other hand, seemed relieved to sit out for the more extreme rides.

There were a number of carnival games scattered throughout the park as well. Qrow was more comfortable with these than the rides. The family was so used to them going terrible for him that when he did win one, it was a cause for celebration in and of itself. He only won a small teddy bear, but Ruby found it to be a great victory all the same. The family heard the cries of crows so often, they were surprised that the other guests didn't start looking up at the sky wondering where they all were.

"How's it feel to finally win?" Taiyang asked.

"About damn time!" Qrow said. "I can't believe what happened with that stupid Whack-a-mole! Hit them all dead on and nothing happens! Then the pipsqueak tries and it's perfect!"

"At least the shooting range worked out, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said. She felt a little bit bad about the whack-a-mole. Uncle Qrow was just about ready to call it a rip off before Ruby went after him and had no problems whatsoever. "It's just about time for lunch! We can go and unwind a bit!"

Ruby just followed the others' lead as they deliberated on what to have. Yang eventually decided on a little Atlesian cafe; neither Taiyang nor Qrow objected. It was a nice little cafe. It was neat and minimalist. Everything within it was placed there with a purpose. There were some decorations on the wall, but they were few and far between. Their placement and variety definitely made it seem like they were all put up with the intention of invoking some sort of emotion or getting patrons to sit and think so they stay longer and order more coffee as they ponder a piece of art.

The four of them were left with menus for a few minutes. Ruby drank coffee sometimes, but not enough to know what she wanted right away. The rest of the family didn't seem nearly as conflicted. By the time their waitress came around, everyone but her was decided.

"I'll take the strongest thing you got," Qrow said, "black as pitch. I'll take a donut, too. Frosted. Strawberry."

"I think I'll just have an iced coffee and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a plain bagel," Taiyang said.

"A mocha for me, and the same thing as him, but nix the bagel and get me a croissant, please," Yang said.

The waitress looked at Ruby, and the attention made her jump a bit. Her eyes darted around the menu and settled one of the first things she saw. "I'll take a cappuccino! …And a blueberry muffin!"

"A nice choice, miss. I'll be back with your drinks as soon as I can." She walked away from them, and Ruby saw Qrow's eyes following her as she did.

"No hitting on the waitress, Uncle Qrow, okay? Lady's just trying to do her job," Ruby told him.

"Don't worry, I'll behave!"

"He's kept the flask away so far today, so I think he's doing a good job on the 'behaving' thing," Taiyang said.

"If only mom could be here with us…" Yang rested her chin on one of her hands. "I remember her loving this place… She would've been so happy to see Ruby getting into Beacon the way she did."

"She would've been proud to see you get in too!" Ruby said.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right! I don't doubt that. It's just that you're…" Yang trailed off. "Nevermind…"

It broke Ruby's heart to see that look in Yang's eyes. Her eyes were a gentle shade of purple. It was a bright, beautiful color, but the look in her eye was dark and depressing, almost like a void. Ruby had seen that look in her eyes before. It had been quite a while, though. Since Yang first got into Signal, maybe? Ruby reached across the table and took her sister's hand.

"You're just as much one of mom's daughters as I am. It doesn't matter if we're not blood. She was there for you. She raised you. She'd be just as proud of you for getting into Beacon as she would be for me."

"Don't you worry about Raven." Qrow put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "We're all the family you need right now. Tai loves you. Ruby loves you. I love you. Summer loved you. Four out of five ain't bad, right?"

"No, I guess not… dad? What do you think?"

"Well…" The look in Taiyang's eyes was melancholic and contemplative. "Family's what you make of it. It isn't necessarily blood. Just look at Qrow and I. Qrow and Ruby. You and Summer. Raven… She made her choice. I think that you're at an age where you don't need to be hung up on her anymore. You're old enough to make your own choices on the people you want to get hung up on because you genuinely care about them, instead of just thinking you have to be just because fate decided you'd be mother and daughter."

When the waitress came back with their drinks, she started to call them out, but when she saw them all, she went quiet. She silently placed their drinks before them and slightly bowed before going to attend to some of the other customers.

"Look at us." Yang picked up her cup and drank in its aroma. "So depressing that the poor woman ran off. Sorry…"

"Everyone needs a little depression every once in a while. Helps us appreciate the good times more." Qrow took a swig of his coffee. He just about gagged as he lowered the cup. It must've been really bitter for him to have that reaction. "In moderation, though. Don't want to make yourself a Grimm magnet."

"Maybe we can come back here sometime!" Ruby wanted to try and cheer the others up at least a bit.

"We haven't even finished this trip and you're already planning another one?" Taiyang asked.

"Well, not right now, dad! During Vytal! We can come with Blake and Weiss!"

"Your teammates, huh? I think it would be fun to meet them," Qrow said.

"Exactly! Oh, and I want some help with something before we go back… Dad, Uncle Qrow, I'm going to have to talk to you two later!"

"What about me, Ruby?"

"Well, that would just ruin the surprise, Yang! You're going to have to wait!"

"Bringing up a surprise right in front of me and forcing me to wait! How cruel, dear sister!"

After they were all done with their lunch, they continued on their way to the park's Vale sector. Lunch ran a little long, but if anything, that was a good thing, Ruby thought. Better to take a bit longer eating than see everything with an hour left to fill before the fireworks. They'd spend less time spending wandering around aimlessly that way. Qrow would try to get more information out of Ruby about what she wanted to talk to him and Taiyang about. Yang, in turn, would try to eavesdrop and hear what they were talking about. Ruby kept quiet, but she found their antics amusing.

The final two sectors passed similarly to the first two. Qrow sat out on the rides and had to force himself not to explode as carnival game after carnival game spited him. The rest of his family was left to help keep him from being too bored, and to keep him from getting them kicked out for making a scene, even if they wouldn't blame him for doing that.

The park's ferris wheel was in the Vacuo sector in the park's west end. Ruby wanted to go on it before they left. The ferris wheel was renowned for its view, and Ruby didn't want to miss out on that. Even if she had been on it plenty of times before.

"Hold it right there!" Yang stopped their dad and uncle before they got into their car. "This is for the sisters. You guys catch the next one."

"You already share a room," Taiyang pointed out.

"Sorry, dad! We'll see you at the end!" Ruby climbed in with Yang. "What was that about?"

"Eh," Yang shrugged. "Just wanted to sit and talk with you for a little bit. The Ferris wheel seemed like a good time. It was really nice of them to do this for you."

"I definitely wasn't expecting it, but I've had a ton of fun," Ruby said.

"It sucks that we can only celebrate you getting into Beacon once."

"At least we have graduation to look forward to!"

"Yeah, you're right. I wonder what'll happen after we're done." Yang leaned back in her seat and looked out the window. "I think it's normal for teams from the academies to break up after graduation, and have everyone go their separate ways. I mean, we'll probably stick together, but I don't know what'll happen with Blake and Weiss."

"I don't either… I'd like us all to stick together, but I guess we all have different priorities and goals we want to achieve. Especially with Weiss taking over the SDC someday."

"It's only been a semester, but unless shit hits the fan someday, I feel like we won't have to worry about losing them as friends, at least. Even if we can't kick Grimm ass and save the world together, I'm sure we can count on the girls to at least have a phone call every once in a while."

"You're right about that. I wonder if we'll be close with Jaune's team like that, too… I mean, they're right across the hall from us."

"Oh, Jauney boy again?" Yang hopped across the car and wrapped her arm around Ruby. "Wonder why you want to keep in touch with him, eh?"

"Because he's my friend? I don't crush on all of my friends like you, sis!"

"Oh, come on! I don't crush on all of my friends! Name one. I dare you!"

"Blake." Ruby was blunt as a club.

Yang just looked at her, the teasing smile on her face oddly twisted, then she slumped over. "Okay, you got me."

"Jaune's just a cool friend. That's it! If you're going to grill me about crushes, then I should do the same. What're you doing just twiddling your thumbs?"

"Do you have any idea how awkward it'll be if I'm not careful? I can't just jump into something like this!"

"Well, just know that we're in this together. I'll be your wingwoman!" She slapped Yang's back as hard as she could. She doubted it was all that hard, though.

Yang smiled at Ruby, then her eyes went wide. Ruby turned around and her jaw dropped. Their car was quickly approaching the ferris wheel's zenith. The crystal blue sea stretched out for miles ahead of them. The rest of the park was so small below them, with people milling about being little more than colored dots moving around. Off in the distance, the eastern coast of Vacuo was just barely visible. Another dark landmass was visible off in the horizon, too. The greens of southern Sanus and the mountains that pierced the sky stretched out before them opposite the sea.

"I don't know if I'll ever get sick of that view," Yang said.

"Same here. It's always so beautiful… We really should come here again, with Weiss and Blake."

"It'll be great to see how they are with dad and Uncle Qrow, don't you think, Ruby?"

"Yeah. And the next time, I'll let you have a car alone with Blake, okay?"

"If you can manage it." Yang was blushing faintly as their car started on its way back down to the ground. It wasn't the longest trip, but it was nice to just be alone with Yang outside of their room, even if it was only for a little while.

By the time they had finished seeing the Vacuo sector, the sun had set, and the park was going to be closing soon. Ruby led them through the park back to the central promenade, by the main entrance. She thought that would be the best place to see the fireworks and end their day.

"My feet are killing me…" Yang said.

"Yeah, I get you," Qrow said. "Have to deal with it, though. Ruby dearest just needed to have us here all day, with barely a break."

"Hey, we took breaks whenever we needed!"

"Did you like the park, Ruby?" Taiyang asked.

"I loved it! Thank you dad, Uncle Qrow. This means a lot."

"Oh, I think they're going to start the fireworks!" Yang said, pointing up into the sky.

Ruby saw a small light fly skywards. Then, at its peak, it burst into beautiful baby blue sparks. Then another one shot up, and another. She had seen fireworks before, of course, but she still found them breathtaking whenever she did get a chance to see them.

Amity Park was a special place. There weren't many amusement parks like it on Remnant. In fact, Ruby wasn't sure if there were any others. Such a large place with so many people milling about on a regular basis was always at risk of a Grimm attack. It was only having it so close to a nation's capital, with the military, police, and a huntsman academy so close to defend it that even made it possible. It was a one of a kind place, and a symbol of peace and unity. To combine such a special place with a special event like fireworks always seemed appropriate to Ruby. There weren't many people who could afford to make frequent trips to the park, whether it be for want of time or lien, so whenever people did have a chance to stop by, why not end their days with a spectacular spectacle?

The finale of the fireworks show was bombastic. A blitz of fireworks shot up into the air, all of them going off in such quick succession that the park was illuminated the entire time, with all shadows banished by the bursts of light. The sound was near deafening. When the final firework went off, the park settled down, the guests watching in stunned silence for a moment as the park was plunged into darkness again. Then the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Ruby had known she wanted to be a huntress for many years now. She jumped at the chance to attend Beacon early in order to make that dream a reality. It had been quite a while since she last really thought about her reason for wanting to be a Huntress, though. The excited cheers of the people around her, all of them just trying to be happy and have fun with their friends and family stuck with her. Some of them just had the time off and wanted to have some fun. Some were probably field trips that local schools had organized. Others were celebrating graduations, weddings, birthdays, new jobs or acceptance into prestigious schools, just like her own family. The Grimm were an ever present threat to this simple, peaceful way of life that the people of Vale - and Remnant - led; the peaceful way of life they all wanted to lead.

Summer had told Ruby once that she fought the Grimm to protect the smiles of people like her. Ruby had long since decided to become a huntress so she could do the same, but surrounded by so many happy people, a fire that had been dimming was reignited. Her determination to protect the people of Remnant was stronger now, than it had been in recent weeks.

Yang had to lead her dumbfounded little sister to the exit as the crowd started to disperse. The only thing left to do was head to the hotel they'd be spending the night at. After a day full of excitement, Ruby was suddenly feeling very tired, now that they were finally done. Once she was in the room she'd be sharing with Yang, she'd probably fall asleep as soon as she hit the bed. The family would have a lot of fond memories to look back on from this trip, and Ruby couldn't want to share them with Weiss and Blake, when she saw them again.


Hidden Talents (Ruby, Qrow, Taiyang)

Ruby: So… here it is!

Qrow: You wrote a song?

Taiyang: It's about Summer…

Ruby: It's a few years old now, but after meeting Weiss and Blake, I wanted to add a new verse to it…

Qrow: What's the plan for it?

Ruby: I want to play it at the cultural festival during Vytal.

Qrow: Damn. Pretty impressive.

Taiyang: I guess Beacon probably does have a bunch of instruments lying around… Well, I'm no musician, but I'll help however I can.

Qrow: Same here. Might have to call in a few favors to Oz to make sure you can get everything you need.

Ruby: Thank you two so much!

Taiyang: Have you… brought this up to anyone else?

Ruby: Oh, um… I was going to do that, eventually.

Taiyang: Oh, Ruby…

Qrow: That sounds about right.