Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Co-authored with ToxicExotic

That Word

Tearing her sword from the already disintegrating corpse of the Beowolf, Blake slipped it back into it sheath and affixed it to her back with a sigh. She had spotted a hill during her patrol yesterday that she had wanted to check out, but couldn't since she was busy protecting the house at the time. Instead the had made a mental reminder to check it out the next day, and, for the most part, she was glad she did. The third unfortunate Beowolf to be cut down did dampen the hills beautiful views a little though. Ruby really wasn't kidding when she said the Grimm tried to move in when the place was left alone. The day before, they had rushed outside four different times due to a seemingly endless amount of different Grimm types emerging from the forest. It was so bad that Yang had spent the night awake to keep guard.

Breathing out a low groan as she finally reached the hill, she started the climb up to the top. It was a bit steep from the side she was climbing, but the other side was a pretty long, sheer drop. After only a minute or two of scrambling up the rock face, she reached the top and looked out over the island of patch. While not the highest hill of the island, it was still high enough to look out over the trees that littered the west side of the island. The sight was actually rather serene, so pulling a book from her inside pocket, she sat down on the grass and settled in to read while she thought over some things.

The last two days had been a little awkward for her, but she was finally beginning to settle down. Last night as she watched Yang fixing the flowerbed under flashlight, Blake had thought on the girl's words and realised a few things. With how happy she had been at the party, with the admission of how much Ruby liked her and the kisses that Blake could still feel tingling her lips when she thought of them, she realised she'd been running a little hot. It wasn't too uncommon given her preferred reading material for Blake's libido to run high, but it was something she needed to get under control. So she had purposely repacked her more explicit books into her bag and shoved it under her bed, leaving out only her dramas and mystery novels.

She had also realised that Yang was partially right. While Blake didn't want to, and would never, push Ruby in any way, there was the chance that Ruby would struggle with those first moves. Even when she felt those things were needed with Adam, Blake herself had struggled to go that far, and she was already fascinated with the books that were now hidden in her bag by that point. But Ruby was still new to dating, still unsure of how to cross those lines, and Blake holding that part of herself back completely wouldn't help; in fact it could even come off as her being disinterested.

That didn't mean she was going to start having heated make-out sessions with the reaper. No, she was still adamant Ruby would be the one to make the first steps; but that didn't mean she couldn't take the initiative and show Ruby that she was fine with whatever step the girl wanted to take. If those steps took weeks, months, or even years, then so be it. There was one step that Blake wanted to take though, and that step was the cause of her small little hilltop getaway. That thing was a single word.

Girlfriend.

She had thought the word on a couple of occasions in the last week, and had even almost slipped up, both at the party and last night. As far as she was concerned, she was comfortable with that being their definition, but raising that subject was awkward. Despite having kissed a couple of times and having admitted to really enjoying spending time together, Blake wasn't sure if Ruby was on that page yet. It was a rather forward step to go from dating to girlfriends. One was fluid and offered some relief from pressure, the other was static and confirmed something more serious.

But with two dates passed, and her feelings only growing stronger, Blake felt it was something she needed to talk to her about. If Ruby wasn't on the same page, then so be it, but it was a clarification that Blake needed. She hoped the novelette she was reading would offer her some ideas on how to broach the subject as it was a short relationship drama of two childhood friends beginning a romance.

Books had always been a good guide for her, and an even better outlet from her own life. Aside from her favoured reading material, she tended to stray towards the more real novels, stories that weren't afraid to shy away from the darkness that came with real life. Though people would usually stray away from what reflected their lives, Blake often felt a book that refused to acknowledge the ugliness was far too idealistic. While she did enjoy the occasional light-hearted novella or even a comic, the latter being much more fun when read with Ruby, the stories never really left her fulfilled or inspired. She hoped the story in her hand proved differently on the latter.

The book wasn't long at seventy-nine pages, nor was it particularly deep, but she easily found herself liking the characters presented. They were simple, but that simplicity suited their situation and only accentuated the awkwardness of them falling in love. The story was equally as simple, but managed to convey the sincerity of the situation enough that Blake could find a common ground. However, after an hour of silent reading to herself, she reached the end and found herself disappointed.

The friends had simply given into their urges and kissed. There was no conversation of what they were, no understanding, just them submitting to their feelings; and while it certainly matched the story told, it didn't help with Blake's problem. So with a sigh, she set the book aside and leaned back on her arms. Breathing out a sigh of frustration at not having chosen the right book, she looked over the forest before her.

Instantly her senses locked onto a cluster of trees that were moving more than the wind could ever cause. Though it was a small distance away, Blake noticed they almost seemed to bend before cracking back into place, only for the trees in front of them to mimic the action. She knew instantly it was a Grimm, and a rather large one at that, as even Ursai Major couldn't move such thick trees so easily.

Leaning in slightly to try and catch a glimpse of what was causing such a disturbance, Blake felt herself freeze as two trees stopped dead while being pushed apart. Sitting there quietly, she held her breath but felt her heart rate pick up. And then it happened. One of the trees began to return to its normal position but the other kept bending, the strong body twisting as it turned towards her. More trees along its path began to bend and after a couple of seconds, a loud crack filled the air as the truck fell to the floor.

Blake shot her her feet and shoved the book back into her jacket, watching the trees once again begin to move, this time however they were being shoved aside in a path that was headed straight for her. Feeling herself shake as she knew that she absolutely would not be able to take on whatever that was alone, she turned and took off at a sprint, making sure not to head straight for the house. If it was following her, the last thing she wanted was to lead it back there. As she ran, she reached up to her ear and tapped her team communication earpiece to start the voice call function and called Ruby to give her a heads up.

It hadn't occurred to Ruby just how much she had become accustomed to the loud noises of Vale before, but as she walked through the shopping district of Patch with Yang and Blake, the difference was obvious. Unlike Vale's massive shopping district that was filled with malls and so many people that you often had to squeeze your way through, Patch's was simply one large square. Only a couple of stores lined it, two of which were grocery stores while the others were for rather specific needs.

A single computer store, one weapons store, a garage, a couple more that suited the island's inhabitants basic needs, but for anything other than that people had to travel to the main city. In the center of the square was a grassed area with benches and tables, the trees that stood there were usually green, but were stripped bare by the winter, though in the spirit of the approaching holidays they were wrapped in lights before the weather got too cold for anyone to stand. The area was a common gathering place for students and adults taking a rest from their shopping and even in the cold weather there were a few people gathering around the gazebo that stood in the middle.

While Ruby would have really liked to relax in the gazebo after a long morning of killing Grimm, she knew they couldn't stay away from the house for long. Ideally they wouldn't have had to go out at all as Grimm would no doubt try to capitalise on them not being there, but the cupboards had been pretty empty and they really need some groceries. So knowing they couldn't do without them until their dad returned, Ruby had reluctantly left the house to the Grimm, knowing that they would have to fight them off when they got back.

"... it was?" Blake asked Yang curiously. The two had been conversing the whole way and had finally got to the subject of some large Grimm living in the forest.

"The Hellk most likely," Yang shrugged, waving to some old friends. "You said it was pushing tree's aside easily?"

"Mhm."

"At least it's moving away from the house," Ruby reasoned as they made their way towards the store. "Not sure we could handle it without dad."

"Are you kidding?" Yang scoffed and slammed her fists together. "We're Team RWBY."

"And even we have our limits," Blake replied, Ruby pointing to Yang's pocket and Blake using her free hand to sneakily steal the scroll that was hanging out of the blonde's pocket and handing it to her.

Giving the girl a mischievous grin, Ruby quickly input her sister's password. A picture of Velvet greeted her, the rabbit faunus grinning happily as Yang and Coco kissed a check each and Ruby felt a smile pull at her face. Quickly opening the pictures as she knew she didn't have long, Ruby found the folder labeled RWBY and quickly scanned through for a decent picture. Finally she found it, a snapshot of Weiss glaring angrily at the camera with her arm raised back ready to throw a book. It wasn't an uncommon reaction and as such, Yang was the only one who ever dared to take the heiress' picture. Selecting it, she pulled down the menu and found Weiss' number.

'Two days and I already miss you throwing shit at me.'

"Besides, Weiss isn't here so we're a member down," Blake continued as they neared the store before turning to whisper in Ruby's ear. "Yang doesn't type like that."

"Oh, right," Ruby replied and quickly corrected it to read much worse and throwing a wink at the end.

After hitting send she closed out of the files and prepped to hand it back, but was struck but a sudden spark of inspiration and opened the settings. With a few clicks, she changed the language to Atlesian and closed everything again. Passing it back to Blake, who rolled her eyes with a grin, the girl slipped it back into Yang's pocket just in time for them to arrive at their destination.

The moment the door opened, the smell of cinnamon filled her senses as warm air rushed passed her. The business had originally been two separate stores, a general goods store and a bakery, but after the owners had begun a relationship and got married, they'd decided to turn it into one big store. It was actually one of the biggest and most popular shops on the island and the couple were old friends of their family. Well pretty much every family on the island.

As they combed the shelves, Ruby picked up a basket and made her way to the confectionary section. Groceries were important, there was no doubting that, but so were cookies. Without the delicious baked goods, how could anyone be expected to keep their spirits up? It was almost impossible. So shoving four large packs of double chocolate chip cookies into her basket, along with some plain ones for Blake and a pack of strawberry chocolates for Yang, Ruby made her way back over to the other girls and received a playful eye roll from both of them. Once everything they needed was obtained, the group made their way over to the counter where a woman with forest green hair gave them a warm smile.

"Well it has certainly been a while since you two have been in here," Kelly said kindly and began to scan the items. "You're a new face though."

"A little too long, this is Blake," Yang said happily with a motion to the Faunus, who was inspecting a fridge with what looked to be a fresh cod on a bed of ice. "But yeah, Beacon keeps us all pretty busy. How are you and Beril doing?"

"We're hanging on," the woman said easily, though Ruby noticed her smile falter a little. "Still getting over what happened though."

"Huh?" Ruby asked, earning a confused look from the woman before clarity passed across her eyes.

"Oh, you wouldn't have heard, would you?" She said sadly. "Miss Matte's daughter, Pearl, went missed last week. The Xanths found her body yesterday. Poor girl must have wandered into the woods and ran across some Grimm."

"Fuck!" Yang breathed out angrily. "Didn't she just turn fifteen last month?"

As Kelly gave a small nod with a grimace, Ruby felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She had known Pearl from Signal, but she wasn't part of the huntress course. She was a sweet girl, super inquisitive and always tried to help. Not that she could think of anyone who did deserve such a fate, but she certainly couldn't think of anyone who deserved it less.

"How are her parents?" She asked, knowing the family had been pretty close. "And her brother?"

"Not good," Kelly said with a sigh. "They've moved to the city to grieve but are returning to bury her here. Feels like that's happening more and more lately though."

Ruby understood what she meant and gave her a small nod. Though Patch was extremely close to the main city, they still struggled with Grimm. Those Grimm often brought death, which in turn caused negativity; negativity that would very easily spread like wildfire. When someone was cut down, the family would normally leave the island for a while so that their grieving didn't draw more Grimm to the rest of the inhabitants. It wasn't a rule that was forced on people, or even expected, just a courtesy that the people of Patch had developed over the years to keep their friends and families safe.

"Yeah, we've heard Grimm are become more active too," Blake said gently. "I'm sorry you lost a friend."

"Thank you," the older woman said with a kind smile. "I'm just glad there are people like you three rising up to protect this world. I'll rest easier at night knowing the strongest huntresses to come out of Patch are back for a while."

"Well you can call on us if you ever need anything, Kelly," Ruby replied comfortingly.

"Yeah, you have the number for our home phone and we move surprisingly quick when we need to," Yang added.

"I will keep that in mind," she said and finished up scanning and packing everything. "Will this be all?"

"Yea…"

"Wait," Ruby interrupted her sister and pointed to the fish Blake was still eyeing. "Can you keep that aside for us too? We'll collect it before we head home."

"Of course," the woman smiled as Yang handed the Lien over. "Please take a cookie each from the bakery too. On the house, of course."

With a small nod, Yang accepted the change as Ruby retrieved the cookies and Blake picked up the bag. Walking back to the door, they found themselves stopped as the woman called out to them.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The funeral is on Friday at noon, in Cheer Clearing."

Ruby exchanged a look with Yang. They could both tell that it wasn't just an invite, but a request to protect what would no doubt be a situation with a lot of negative emotions. The look was merely one of confirmation however, as its was clear that both of them were thinking the same thing. So with a smile, Ruby turned back to their family friend and gave her a nod.

"We'll be there," Ruby said firmly. "And you can count on Team RWBY… Well, three of my team anyway."

"I'll let the Mattes know."

Giving the woman one last smile, Ruby, Blake, and Yang left the store and all three of them let out a deep sigh. Without saying a word, Yang walked off on her own and Ruby kept Blake from going after her with a simple shake of her head. For all Yang's claims of adventure, Ruby knew she loved the people of Patch. Many had helped her after Summer passing with quite a lot of things and that was important to her sister, so Ruby knew she needed a minute to collect her thoughts.

Seeing the look in Blake's eyes though, she gave her a small smile and pulled her towards the gazebo to sit down. After receiving such news, Ruby simply wanted to sit down and relax with the person who made her happy.

"Any sugars, dear?"

"Yes please," Blake replied kindly to the grey-haired woman as she accepted the drinks.

While Blake would normally consider adding sugar to hot cocoa to be completely unnecessary, she was starting to come around to the idea as it more often than not caused a contented smile to paint itself on Ruby's face. Something about copious amounts of sugar seemed to always bring Ruby immense amounts of joy, and Blake wanted Ruby to have that joy again. She knew what it was like to lose a friend to Grimm, so wasn't surprised by how quiet Ruby had been since they had found out. Even she was saddened by the news as, while it was unfortunately not too uncommon, fifteen was far too young for a life to end.

Though they had first been sat it what Blake had to admit was a wonderful gazebo waiting for Yang, the weather had unfortunately took a change for the worse and they had darted into a cafe before the rain could flood though the previous structures exposed sides. It wasn't too busy, with only three other people, who had waved when they entered, sat at a nearby table; and the whole place spelled like a wonderful mix of coffee and chocolate. While she was partial to tea herself, those smells were definitely better for a rainy day.

Setting the drinks down on the table they had chosen, Blake took her seat opposite the slightly gloomy girl and gave her a soft smile.

"Did you know her well?" She asked carefully.

The reply wasn't instant as Ruby went about adding three more sugars to her drink, but Blake didn't push her; instead simply waiting and sipping her tea. After a minute or two, Ruby raised the drink to her lips and gave a small nod.

"She used to watch me train," Ruby sighed and placed the cup back onto the table. "She tried to learn how to fight herself for a while, but she just wasn't cut out for combat. I don't know why she would have gone into the woods."

"I'm sorry," Blake offered. She knew it was weak, but she had no idea what could have made a girl who couldn't fight run into the woods alone.

"Thanks," Ruby sighed again and played with the spoon in her drink. "I'm concerned though. Grimm seem a little too active, even for Patch."

"Coco said they have been migrating too," Blake nodded. "We can check it out if you want?"

"Tomorrow," Ruby said with a firm nod of her own, her mind obviously already made up on that anyway. "The Xanths found her so she was likely somewhere around Peel's Pond."

"Then we'll start there."

With a hum of confirmation, Ruby took another sip of her drink and Blake reached out to work her fingers between the reaper's. Thankfully, that action along with the sugary drink seemed to finally pull a smile from her and Blake happily returned it.

"Thanks," Ruby said, her tone noticeably cheerier, though still holding a little gloom. "Finding out what happened to her might help her parents."

"I can hardly say no to my girlfriend's attempt to he…"

Blake cut herself off immediately as she recognised what she had just done. It had not been a thought, or an easily cut off word this time. No, she had flat out said it while her mind was focused on cheering the girl up. And from the reaction, Blake knew Ruby had definitely noticed.

The young brunette's thumb had stopped the gentle stroking of the back of her hand that Blake liked so much, and her eyes had widened a little. It was tough to tell what the girl was thinking as she looked into the wide silver orbs, so with doubts running through her mind, Blake looked away to stare at her tea in hopes that the silence would ease the situation. However, after almost three full minutes, that Blake counted in her head, the silence became a little too much for her.

"S-Sorry," she stuttered, not looking up from her drink. "That was probably too soon. And hardly the right time."

"I… I don't mind," Ruby said in a soft voice. "I uhh… I didn't know you were there yet."

Looking up, Blake saw that the silver eyes were resting on her, and there was a twinkle in then that made Blake unable to lie. So taking a deep breath to settle her uncertainty, she gave Ruby a small shrug. "I am. If you're not, then it's fine."

The silence that followed didn't last long and Blake felt Ruby's thumb move on her hand again. Watching as Ruby's face broke into the very grin that she had hoped the hot cocoa would achieve, she felt her stomach do a backflip and her heart begin to race.

"I thought I was the only one thinking it," Ruby said with a hint of relief. "That I was moving a little too fast."

"Oh," Blake said, unable to suppress her own grin. "So umm… If we are both thinking it, should we make it official?"

Ruby's head had barely finished nodding when Blake leaned across the table and pressed her lips against the girl's. She could feel the smile pulling at them as Ruby quickly returned it, and the two of them let out a relieved breath, glad that they had finally sorted that out. However, before they could choose to part, which wouldn't have happened for a while, the loud ringing of the door's bell rang through the room, and the two of them broke apart to see the hulking form of Yang in the doorway.

Her hair was dripping wet, though not much more than the rest of her, the blonde strands hanging wildly across her face. Every single part of her mud-covered clothes clung to her body from the moisture, and murky water dripped from her as more rain added to that. In fact she was so thoroughly soaked that the owner of the store held up a hand to tell her not to come in. With a small nod to the grey-haired woman, Yang glance over to them and they both stood up to make their way over to her.

As Blake drew closer, she noticed that one of Yang's Ember Celica was completely out of shells and a large scratch mark had been carved into the paint. It was obvious the girl had sought a fight, and that whatever she had found was no longer living. Thankfully, the brute's eyes seemed to have settled from the stormy anger Blake had noticed when they had left the store earlier.

"You two ready to head home?"

The voice was strained, but calm; whatever emotion the girl had been battling having long since passed. So looking to Ruby to find reassurance in her silver eyes, Blake looked back and nodded. As they left the store, she saw Ruby sneak the scroll from her sister's pocket herself, and quickly change the language back to normal.

Raalm's Notes

Hello, me again :) Hopefully this chapter was good. Its a little darker in the tone, but hopefully there was some happy moment you found within it :) Toxic is constantly for fluff, and I try to give it to him but I feel I often get carried away with a scene. I also hope the characters were good. I'm kinda stuck for what to say right now honestly, but the next chapter is going to be fun... for me :P Toxic let me play evil scientist and I had a lot of fun. Hehe.

Anyway, that's it from me for today, I hope you enjoyed and I just want to say thank you again to everyone who takes the time to read these chapters :)