Here's chapter 37, everyone.
Weiss was deep in thought while she and Ruby were heading back to their dorm room. "Maybe I should try to spar with Ruby or Yang with my semblance. I've never tried having a partner during training with it."
"So we get to our room, and… Think about what to do next?" Ruby suggested, thought more as a question, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts.
"Uh, well, actually I was just thinking. Would you like to maybe spar with me while I use my semblance?" The request caused Ruby to stop in her tracks as Weiss noticed the gleam in her eyes as she squealed.
"Yes!" Ruby cried out happily as she looked pumped up. "I was so waiting on you to ask me, cause, y'know, I didn't wanna bother you about it since I know it's a bit… Uh, hard for you to wanna use your semblance and stuff."
The white haired teen simply sighed in response. "It's not that exciting, Ruby. You've seen me use my semblance enough times already."
"Well yeah, but I haven't gone up against it yet." Ruby still had her excited grin on, raring to go. "Come on, let's get our weapons." She grabbed her partner's hand, but before she could drag her off, Weiss pulled back. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, you dork, but I've been a bit tired of being dragged all over the place." Weiss got out of Ruby's grasp and crossed her arms so she couldn't grab her again. "We can walk normally for once."
"But Weiiiiisssss, I really, really wanna hurry and get to the training room before anyone else can hog it to themselves." Her whining only made Weiss roll her eyes.
"Oh stop whining." The white haired teen began to make her way to the training room, with Ruby running over to catch up. "If there are any students there, we can simply wait our turn."
Ruby grumbled a bit. "Ugh, fine."
Weiss sighed at how her partner was clearly impatient. "Ruby, come on. You shouldn't complain so much. You're a team leader."
"I, well, I mean… Yeah." Ruby frowned a little, feeling like she wasn't up to par, and Weiss noticed her reaction.
"Ruby, don't take that the wrong way." Weiss stopped and pulled her partner to the side to talk. "Look, I'll admit… I was… Jealous that you were made team leader." Ruby perked up in surprise. "It wasn't that I was shocked, more so… I wish I was the leader, but when I saw how happy you and Yang were, I was starting to feel a lot happier too."
"I-I didn't know you cared about being leader." Ruby admitted.
Weiss sighed with a shrug. "I suppose it's how I've always wanted to become a huntress that made me think it was a requirement to be. Like if I wasn't the leader, then I couldn't be as good of a huntress as I want to be."
"What? No way!" Ruby countered, startling Weiss a bit. "You're gonna be a great huntress when you graduate, Weiss. All four of us will, and it won't have anything to do with being the leader of a four year team or not."
"Ruby…" Weiss blushed a little.
"I'm serious, Weiss. The only thing I care about for being the leader, is to not fail you guys. I told you that, and I still mean it." Ruby said in an assuring tone.
"But-." Before she could even think of what else to say, Ruby beat her to it.
"Four years, Weiss." Ruby smiled brightly. "We're a TEAM, for four years, and even more than that if we wanna stay as a team."
Weiss blushed a little harder and looked away while playing with her white bangs a bit. "I… Wouldn't be opposed to that idea… That is if you wouldn't mind either."
Ruby grinned and threw her arm around her partner, making her yelp. "Duh! You're my partner, Weiss. That means we'll be the best duo ever!" She moved closer and accidentally brushed her cheek against Weiss', making both blush.
"O-Okay…" Weiss stuttered and when Ruby pulled away, she let out a small cough into her hand. "Um… Should we get to the training room?"
"Y-Yeah." Ruby had an equally blushed shade of red on her face as the two continued their walk, both not bringing up how their cheeks rubbed up on one another.
Summer was still with Willow in the teacher's lounge, rubbing her back to help her feel better about how she was going to have to confront Jacques on monday. "You got this, you know that, Willow." Her reassuring smile was helpful, but not enough to break the pressure Willow was feeling.
"I don't know if I… Know that, Summer. It's… It's Jacques." Willow reminded, and Summer shook her head.
"Yeah, and you're Willow. So that guy better be quaking in his boots." Summer said with a grin. "He's gonna regret crossing you."
That got a light chuckle out of the white haired woman. "You seem to have a lot of confidence in a woman who could barely form a glyph without getting exhausted."
Summer playfully rolled her eyes. "That jerk doesn't even have a semblance, so what can he do when you'll hold him up with just a single semblance? Hmm? At that point it's free reign on smacking him with your purse."
Another chuckle, though that one was a bit louder. "Didn't you say you would hold my purse for me?"
"Oh you know it, but only after you knock him upside the head with it." Summer continued to grin, happy that her friend was feeling at least a bit better. "And maybe a kick to the-."
"Summer!" Willow cut off, not wanting her to finish that sentence.
The blacksmith couldn't hold back her laughter. "You should see the look on your face, Willow!"
Willow blushed out of embarrassment. "Shut it, you dolt…" After a few moments of taking it in, Willow couldn't help but smile back at her friend. "Thank you…"
Summer nodded happily and hugged the white haired woman. "Always." She pulled away when she felt her scroll vibrate. "Huh, looks like my little rose and your snowflake are about to spar. You wanna go watch?"
"A sparring match?" Willow looked at the message on the scroll, seeing that it was from Ruby, and how Weiss would be using her semblance. "Oh dear… I hope they don't end up causing property damage."
With a chuckle, Summer took Willow's hand and got her to stand up. "I'm sure Jacques won't mind 'donating' some of his money to help fix anything they break."
"S-Summer, are you implying that I use his account to-." Summer simply winked before she could finish her sentence. "You are something else, Summer Rose." She let out a smile and the two women made their way to the training room.
"Should we wait till our moms are here?" Ruby asked as she and Weiss were loading up their weapons with some dust, both having agreed to not overdo it though. "Or should they walk in and see us being all awesome?"
The grin on Ruby's face made Weiss roll her eyes as she loaded an ice dust crystal in the chamber of Myrtenaster. "This is not going to be a show, you dolt. We're sparring to improve our combat abilities."
"Ugh, why do you have to make it sound so boring?" Ruby packed a few fire rounds in Crescent Rose, thinking ahead as she knew Weiss liked to use ice dust.
"Oh please, this is far from boring." Weiss smirked as she finished loading her weapon. "Now be patient for our mothers to get here."
Ruby stuck her tongue out at Weiss. "Bleh. You just don't want your mom walking in while you're losing."
"Me, lose to you? Please." Weiss' snide remark only pumped Ruby up even more.
"You are so on, Wolfy." Ruby grinned, while Weiss blushed at the nickname.
"E-Excuse me?" Already being called Ice Wolf by Yang would throw her off, but hearing Ruby calling her Wolfy was a different feeling. "You will not address me that way, Ruby Rose."
"Awww, but why not? I think it's really cute, and besides, you'll be fighting me as a wolf, sooooo, I figured it fit. And I didn't wanna steal Yang's nickname for you. I can call you that, right?" Ruby giggled as she finished loading her weapon as well.
Weiss looked away, but then down at her wolf pendant. It made her smile a bit, so she reached up and held it lightly. "You and your oaf of a sister are such a hassle, I swear."
"That wasn't a no." Ruby smirked.
"Ugh, shut it, and fine, but don't get used to calling me that all the time, or I promise to come up with the most embarrassing nickname for you, Ruby Rose." Weiss threatened.
Ruby got in a battle stance with Crescent Rose. "As long as it's not super embarrassing, it would be sooooo worth it."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I just told you we're waiting for our mothers to be here first, you impatient dolt. Staying like that the whole time isn't going to do you any good."
"Preparation, woman! And I… Kinda forgot about waiting." Ruby rubbed the back of her head as she nervously chuckled.
Weiss could only pinch the bridge of her nose with a sigh in response. "Again, a hassle. That is what you are."
Ruby used her semblance and sped up to where Weiss was, making her yelp and take a step back. "A hassle, yes, your best friend, also yes! And now I get to call you Wolfy!"
"Ugh," Weiss growled a bit. "I said don't get used to that."
"How about only when it's just us and our friends?" Ruby tried finding a middle ground.
"Seeing as you clearly won't let it go, fine, but only with them, and I suppose our families too, since they not know about my semblance anyways." Weiss agreed.
Ruby cheered while jumping for joy, earning a facepalm from her partner. "Yes!"
"You get excited over such trivial things, I swear." Even though it was a bit annoying at first, Weiss couldn't help but smile at her partner's excitement of a simple nickname.
"What can I say? I like being able to bond with my partner." Ruby innocently said, and Weiss rubbed her own arm a bit, keeping her smile as she looked to the side.
"Are you two going to be sparring or what?!" A voice called out to the pair, both looking over and seeing it was Summer who was yelling out to them. "Sorry to interrupt!" She waved to them, while Willow slapped the back of her head. "Ow!"
"Will you stop being… You for maybe five minutes? I swear, Summer, our children act more like adults than you do." Willow scolded.
Summer pouted and rubbed the spot on the back of her head Willow smacked. "Sorry for having fun at my age, Miss handbag."
Willow rolled her eyes and pulled her to the seats of the training room. "Shut up and sit down."
Weiss and Ruby blinked a few times before turning to each other with confused looks on their faces. "Um… Does that mean we start sparring now… Or no?"
"Uh, I think so?" Weiss shrugged and walked over to the side of the arena that the training room had. "Just get to your side and we'll start when we're both ready!" She called out to her partner.
Ruby nodded to her, getting on the opposite side of the square arena with Crescent Rose in scythe form. The arena wasn't the small sparring one that Glynda had students use. It was five times as large, since both wanted to be able to use dust with the proper space needed.
When Ruby reached the other side, Weiss closed her eyes and focused on her semblance, the light shining over her as she transformed into her wolf form, catching Myrtenaster with her teeth in its sharp edge form.
Her clothes were left on the floor and she didn't mind, but her eyes widened when she saw a red blur speed on by. When she turned to see what had happened, she found her clothes were left in a neat pile on one of the tables, while Ruby had made it back to the spot she was standing on before she used her semblance.
Summer simply giggled at that. "My little rose has been improving her semblance."
Willow nodded, but crossed her arms with a smirk. "Well my snowflake has done a lot more training with her wolf form, so don't think it'll be a one sided match."
Weiss jumped up on the arena, looking across it at her partner, her tail swaying out of the adrenaline she started to feel. Since she was holding Myrtenaster with her teeth though, she couldn't say anything, so Ruby spoke for her. "Ready, Wolfy!" Weiss playfully rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Wolfy?" Willow raised an eyebrow, while Summer shrugged with an excited look on her face, wanting to see what their respective daughters can do.
"Beats me, but it sounds kinda cute." Summer remarked, as both Ruby and Weiss got into their battle stances.
Yang stood at the door to the dorm room, knowing Blake was more than likely still asleep, but thinking about how her mother tried telling her to leave her be, she just couldn't and walked right in. She smiled a bit when she was greeted with the sight of her slumbering partner. "I guess she really did want some rest."
As she walked over to Blake's bed, she knelt down and reached her hand over, gently rubbing her head, since as a kid, Ruby would enjoy that herself whenever she was asleep.
It made the blonde chuckle when she noticed Blake fidgeted a bit in her sleep. "Not a fan I guess." She whispered to herself, not wanting to wake her partner. "Oh well. I'll find what she likes eventually." Yang said as she got up and laid down on Weiss' bed, keeping an eye on Blake for when she would wake.
"I won't ignore you, Blake. I promise."
More steps towards how those two truly feel about each other in this chapter. Which two? Well, I feel like that should be obvious, so I'll leave it at that. Next chapter however, well, sorry.
To JJ- Blake and Yang are fun to write in this one, since y'know, actually seeing them talking face to face without anyone around again ever since V2 would be nice. As for her talk with Raven, again, something I wish we could see more of, but the finale for V5 was not bad in that regard with Yang and Raven talking. Glynda will find out, in what way, you'll see.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 37. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 38.