Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
Co-Authored with ToxicExotic
Dreary Days and Dreary Hearts
Ruby could feel the sadness in the air before her ears picked up the footsteps approaching the clearing. It was all around them, in the wilted grass, in the trees, on the wind. They all spoke of a sorrowful occasion, of a life taken too soon. At her side was Blake, her girlfriend having chosen to accompany her to the burial site for an early patrol. She was grateful for it, as she herself was not looking forward to the day.
Though not a very close one, Pearl was a friend. She remembered seeing her at school, remembered the few times Pearl had asked for help in handling a sword. While not Ruby's main weapon, she did know a thing or two and did try to teach her, but it was obvious the younger girl was not cut out for combat. She was an explorer who took great pleasure in finding new things, and there was barely a month that passed where the girl wouldn't have a new color running through her hair.
During one of the sessions, she had expressed her deepest desire to visit Menagerie, to see the culture and explore the island, and Ruby remembered telling her that she should totally hire her for the journey when she became a huntress. It saddened her to know she would never get to find out if that would have happened, that the girl never got to live that dream.
But that's life on Remnant, she thought to herself with an inward sigh at how true that statement was. Every day, people lost their lives to the Grimm, or were injured, or lost loved ones. And it was her job to prevent that. It was a tough job sometimes, and one she knew she couldn't do if she allowed those thoughts to consume her. She would only bring more Grimm and put the funeral attendees in yet more danger. So closing her eyes and taking a deep breath just as the procession began to exit the tree, Ruby pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, and prepared for the mission that was ahead of them.
At the front was Yang and their dad. The two had left early with Velvet to collect Coco from the docks, where they would then escort everyone to the clearing where the burial was to take place. With the negativity that would be emanating from the group, Ruby was glad she had sent everyone as, judging by the twig in her hair, Yang had clearly been in a fight already.
Just behind them came the coffin bearers. Pearl's father, Seruleon Matte, was among them, stone-faced as he held up a corner of a coffin that was much smaller than any coffin should be. She could see the pain in his eyes, but couldn't imagine what it must feel like to carry your fifteen year old daughter's body to her grave. She hoped she would never have to.
"Everything go okay?" She asked miserably as her dad and sister approached.
"Some Beowolves and Ursa." Tai replied and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Nothing we couldn't handle. Not sure how long that will last though."
"Pretty sure L'vynda is gonna attract half of what we fight today just by herself," Yang breathed while Blake pulled the twigs from the mess of blonde hair. "Can't blame her for that though."
Ruby looked past her sister and saw the woman in question. Yang was right, she was a mess. Though she was leaning on Kelly, it looked more like she was being forcefully held up. The caramel skin that Pearl had happily inherited seemed pale and sickly, and tears already stained her face. Ruby's heart went out to the woman as she knew just how close she was to her daughter.
"Then it's good we have the extra help." Blake waved to Coco and Velvet who had just exited the woods behind the final members of the procession.
The two girls walked over, both of them in their usual battle outfit. Coco's bag was slung over her shoulder, and she looked about ready to kill anything that even resembled a Grimm, while Velvet's ears were folded at the tips and her camera was stowed away in its box. When they finally arrived, each slipped a hand into Yang's and the Faunus rested her head against the blonde's upper arm.
"Pretty shit thing to arrive to," Coco remarked heavily. "I'm sorry about your friend."
"Thanks," Ruby said, agreeing with Coco's words about the whole situation being shit.
"Yang said you volunteered your team to run protection, and since we are not gonna just sit by, I guess that means me and Velvs are under your command for today."
"Give us an order and we will follow it," Velvet said with a nod as she dug in her pocket for her Scroll and held it out.
With a nod of her own, Ruby loaded up her own Scroll and tapped it against Velvet's to give her access to their team-speak and aura levels. Once the transfer was done, she did it again with Coco and went to put hers away, only to be surprised by a third being held out. Her dad's.
"Same goes for me," He said with a smile. "My weapon may still need fixing, but my fists work just fine." She stared at her dad for a couple of seconds, the thought of how weird it would be for her, a first year huntress in training, to order around her dad, a fully licensed huntsman who was stronger than all of them put together, running through her head. However, seeing as she did have a use for him, she gave a small, appreciative smile and transferred the access to him too as he pulled out an earbud. "Been a while since I used these things." He mused.
"So what's the plan?" Velvet asked.
Ruby had spent the night working on it, on how best to secure the area, and she had finally settled on a simple perimeter.
"You're with me," Ruby began. "We'll be patrolling the northern section. There are a bunch of weird Grimm that live there, so your adaptive combat style will be best used there." Velvet gave a nod. "Blake, you're in the east. There are a couple of Beo packs that live over that way that might be attracted, and you said you prefer to fight them."
"I won't let a single one past."
"Yang, you and Coco are in the south since it's closer to the ocean and stuff might emerge there."
"We'll handle anything that comes out of Croak Cavern too," Yang said with a nod.
"Good," Ruby breathed, knowing a strong toad Grimm lived there. "Dad, I need you in the west. Blake and some people around town have reported the Hellk being more active than usual lately, so I want our strongest there in case it does show up."
"Got it."
"Keep the comms open at all time," Ruby ordered, firmly. "If you're in over your head, call for help immediately. We can't risk us feeling scared and attracting more Grimm. We'll rotate clockwise to help and compensate for the unprotected areas, then go back to original positions when it's under control."
"Understood." Everyone said with an accepting nod.
"Good," Ruby breathed with a nod, happy that everyone found her plan to be a good one. "Also, I know you may have to, but try and keep gunfire to a minimum. I don't want the people here getting more worried; and more importantly, I want L'vynda and Leon to bury Pearl in peace."
"We'll keep the noise down where we can," Coco said and pet her bag softly. "Blunt force trauma only, hopefully you can fix the dents afterwards if there are any Ruby."
"Alright, I want to talk to L'vynda first, but you should get into position since things are likely gunna happen soon, as for fixing weapons afterwards I'm your girl, that goes for everyone since I took up this mission." With the plan laid out and understood, Coco and Yang hugged Velvet before they all took off, however Ruby wasn't done and called out again. "Coco, can we have a talk for a minute? Leader to leader?"
Yang and Coco exchanged a short look, but Yang gave a thumbs up and continued on ahead. "What's up, Red?"
"I just…" Ruby paused, unsure how to phrase it without potentially hurting the older girl's feelings. "I just need you to make sure you'll call for help. Yang is upset and will likely try and handle too much. I'm trusting you to call if it's needed."
While she couldn't see them, she knew the chocolate brown eyes were staring into hers, clearly understanding what she was talking about. She hated to bring it up, but Ruby knew what had happened that day. She believed Coco had learned her lesson and was willing to send her with Yang because they worked well together, but that didn't mean she couldn't say something. Thankfully, a comforting smile pulled at the other team leader's lips.
"Lower Cairn was a hard lesson. One that I learned from," Coco replied firmly. "If we're in over our heads, I'll request help myself."
"Thank you," Ruby breathed, her worries settled as she trusted Coco's word. Tapping the earpiece and putting it in her ear, Coco walked away to join Yang as they walked towards their position on the southern border.
With everything out of the way, Ruby let out a deep breath and turned back to the people who were still there. Blake had yet to get into position and was digging through her pocket for something, but her dad was also still standing there. The smile on his face felt so out of place, and the intensity of his gaze was enough to make Ruby shy away a little. "Wh-what?" She asked him.
"Nothing," She smiled with a shake of his head. "Just remembered your mom giving me orders like that. She'd be proud of you, Kidd… Well, I guess that nickname isn't really appropriate anymore."
"I... I don't mind," Ruby replied, not sure what else to say in return. To hear her dad say those words meant more to her than she could express. Fortunately she didn't have to as he pulled her into a brief hug before pulling away and taking off at a jog to his position.
As she recovered from his words, she felt Blake's hand slip into her own and looked up to see her girlfriend's amber eyes gazing down at her softly. Giving her a soft smile in return to show she was okay, Ruby turned and began to make her way over to the small crowd of people, Blake following along with her as they were set up in the east.
People greeted her as they walked through the crowd, many of them being people Ruby knew growing up, and Ruby waved a friendly hello back to them. However, not wanting to stick around too long so she and Blake could get into position, she motioned to Pearl's parents to indicate she was busy. They all seemed to understand and gave a simple nod, and before long, Ruby was standing in front of the grieving couple.
"Hi, Mrs Matte, Mr Matte."
"Hello, Ruby," Leon replied, the smile looking like the most forced thing in the world as his bright blue eyes held nothing but pain. "Thank you for doing this for us today. And for taking out the Grimm that took our darling girl from us."
"It's not a problem," She replied with a shake of her head. "But we really shouldn't have to."
"No, you shouldn't," He agreed and wrapped an arm around his wife. Up close she looked worse than ever. The silvery hair, hair that Pearl had also inherited, that she normally kept in a tight bun, hung down over her black dress. It was windswept and knotted, but she didn't seem to care. The only thing she seemed to care about was gently caressing the picture of Pearl that was attached to the coffin. "Vynda appreciates it too. This week has been tough on her though… Tough on all of us."
"I can only… No. No I can't." She sighed, not wanting to lie to him. "What I can do is assure you that you can bury her in peace. My team has the area covered and we'll keep you all safe."
"I can see my daughter looked up to you for a reason." He said with a grateful nod. "But the ceremony is about to start, and I shouldn't keep you any longer."
"Right," Ruby said and took a step back, only to see that Blake hadn't moved and was fiddling with something in her hand. "Bla…"
"I… Uhh," Blake breathed, earning the attention of the man. "You don't know me, but I found these while we were investigating the lake." Blake opened her hand to reveal a beaded bracelet. "I fixed the band for you, and its tradition on Menagerie to hold an item belonging to the deceased during the burial."
She held out the bracelet and L'vynda turned her head to look at it. Tears filled her eyes as she reached out to take in, her hands quickly closing around the accessory and clutching it to her chest. "Th-Thank you," She whispered, her voice sounding raw and cracked.
Ruby saw Blake give the woman a small smile before stepping back. Taking her girlfriend's hand again, she looked up at her and mouthed a silent thank you of her own. In response, Blake pressed a light kiss on her lips before pulling away with a subtle tap on her earbud. With a final wave, she took off towards the woods and Ruby took one last glance at the small coffin, the wooden box being much smaller than Ruby thought a coffin should ever be, and started towards her position.
Velvet was waiting as she arrived and Ruby gave her a quick nod. The forest seemed clear, but she knew that would not last long, so reaching up, she tapped the comms and turned them online.
"Comms check, report in."
"In position in the east, all seems clear for now."
"Same here in the west."
"Yang? Coco?"
"Ugh… Some Mantids, but all good here, Sis."
"Alright," Ruby breathed, pulling Crescent Rose from its holster and extending it, determined to only use her bullets if it was absolutely necessary. "Comms confirmed. Keep an eye on your aura levels, and let's protect this place. One life was already lost, we're not losing anyone else."
Ruby was right in thinking that things would pick up pretty fast. It had barely been three minutes since getting into position that Grimm began to run towards the funeral gathering. Beowolves, Ursai, Creeps, Mantids, Termights, Croakers; all manner of Grimm were making their way out of the woods. They were handling them well enough, but it was hard work. There was barely more than a minute or two where she and Velvet could rest. As such, Ruby was already breathing a little heavy and the funeral seemed to only be halfway through.
To her side, Velvet didn't seem to be as affected, but her chest was still working faster than normal. Ruby suspected that was due to the difference between a second year and a first year. The Faunus was obviously already used to the endless hordes of Grimm, and Ruby was very happy she had chosen Velvet to guard the northern sector with her. Her recreation of Penny's sword, Floating Array, and the laser beam they made when combined had been the only thing that could destroy the Termight swarm. Thankfully though, despite a few scrapes, neither of them had taken too many hits and their aura reserves were holding fine.
"We should take a second to breathe," Velvet suggested, pulling her camera from its box and scrolling through the pictures. Still extremely confused as to how Velvet's weapon worked, Ruby watched over her shoulder and saw her place a few pictures into a file before pressing the copy button. Ruby didn't see what she made but Velvet quickly pressed a finger to her ear. "ADA, scan the area." She waited for a second and saw a smile appear on Velvet's face as a puff of blue issue from her ear. "The area is clear for now."
"But it won't be for long," she sighed, leaning over to put her hands on her knees.
"So we should take what we can get."
The voice was firm, a request more than an order. Maybe Velvet wasn't doing as well as Ruby thought. Looking up, she saw the girl place her camera back into its box and lean against a tree.
"Sorry," she apologised.
"It's fine, you're a first year," Velvet breathed deeply. "You'll get used to it. I remember our first mission. We were barely able to walk at the end of the day. Even Fox was too tired to crack jokes."
"Wow. Really must have been rough," Ruby chuckled, knowing the only time Fox ever stopped joking around was when he was asleep.
"Seven hours of killing Grimm, not as many as this though," Velvet said with a hum of confirmation. "On such a long hunt, you learn to take breaks when you can, or you won't be useful when you're needed."
Hearing the sense in Velvet's words, Ruby gave her a short nod of understanding. Slumping to the floor, she dropped Crescent Rose to the ground beneath her and spread out. Her legs immediately thanked her and she let out a loud groan of relief. Watching Velvet take a seat too, Ruby reached up and tapped her earpiece.
"Hey Blake, everything okay in the east?"
"Got it handled now," Blake replied breathlessly. "You weren't kidding about the Beo packs though. I think Coco got the Alpha that led some around to the south."
"Shoved his head down into his chest," Coco interjected with a confirmation. "Me and Yang are fine too."
"Aww, Yang not giving you enough attention?" Velvet cooed into her own earpiece.
"I give her plenty," Yang chimed in. "Dammit, another Ursa Major. Catch up later."
"I see some Beowolves on the tree line too."
"Be safe," Ruby muttered to her team.
Looking up at the sky once the comms fell silent, Ruby thought on how weird it was to fight without her team. She used to be fine fighting alone. She never had to worry about commanding anything other than her scythe, and the only positioning she had to maintain was hers and the Grimm's. But after almost six months of training alongside her teams, it felt weird to fight alongside someone who wasn't them. She was almost certain that the only reason her teamwork with Velvet was so good was because of the girl's semblance to copy fighting styles. She had been sticking mainly to Weiss, Blake, and Yang's style, and though she was close, it still felt a little off. Especially when the Faunus copied Weiss' style.
That was probably because Weiss' semblance was so heavily integrated into her fighting style, and Velvet couldn't copy that. That didn't mean Weiss wasn't a fantastic fighter without it. She almost never used it in their sparring sessions and Ruby still rarely won; though she was getting closer to making them even fights. But when she used the semblance, their teamwork seemed to flow like water. Every time Ruby needed a platform, Weiss would make it without her having to give any indication. Whenever Weiss needed to back off, Ruby was ready to take the heat for a while until the heiress composed herself. Technique after technique had been mastered over those six months of training, faster than with any other member of her team, even Blake. And Ruby really missed those training sessions.
More than anything though, she missed her best friend. People said the stern girl had changed during her time at Beacon, even Blake and Yang said it, but Ruby didn't think she was any different. Sure, she was a little less cranky and had relaxed her standards, but everything that made Ruby like her was still exactly the same. Weiss had a good heart, the people who said she changed were just finally seeing past the facade the heiress put up. A facade that Ruby had seen past from their first day as partners when she had been saved from the Deathstalker.
Though never really engaging in the conversations, Weiss never turned her away when she wanted to talk, and unless there was studying to be done, she also never said no when Ruby wanted to goof around. Weiss really was a true friend, and to go a week with nothing but text messages had made her feel a little alone. She loved hanging out with Yang, and everything she did with Blake made her smile, but there was still a feeling that their team was incomplete whenever they all sat down for a meal. She really hoped the girl could return soon, and that incomplete feeling would vanish with…
"I hear movement," Velvet said, cutting through Ruby's thoughts and causing her to sit up.
"Where?"
"Coming towards us from the clearing." Velvet's ears twisted in the direction the funeral was taking place. "Sounds like footsteps, do you want me to check?"
"Nah, you're better off here," Ruby sighed, lifting to her feet and brushing the dirt from her skirt. "I'll see who it is."
She picked up Crescent Rose from the ground and walked towards the direction Velvet's ears had turned. Weaving through the trees, Ruby saw the clearing ahead and all the people there. It looked like a teacher from Signal was standing in front of the crowd and speaking, though he was too far away to hear. Scanning the crowd she saw two people walking towards her that she vaguely recognised and noticed a worried look on their face as they scanned the treeline. She turned in place for whatever they were looking for and saw it a couple of trees away.
A leg stuck out from behind the trunk, the knee bent to show its owner was sitting down. With the size, Ruby assumed the owner was young and quickly marked where she was. Putting a comforting smile on her face, she took a step out of the woods and waved to get the parents attention. Once she had it, she held out her hand to tell them to stay and motioned to where she had seen the leg and then to herself. Understanding her request for them to not enter the forest, they gave a nod and backed away, though not by far. Returning it, Ruby ducked back into the trees and moved to see who the leg belonged to.
She heard the gentle crying before she saw the owner, a girl who looked roughly a year younger than herself. Her pale blonde hair was in a neat ponytail, and pale skin stood out against her black dress. Ruby recognised her from Signal.
"Hey…" She said softly as she approached, startling the girl a little. "Lyt, right?" The girl gave a small nod and a sniffle. "Mind if I sit down? All this fighting is kind of tiring."
The girl gave another nod and Ruby took a seat at the base of the opposite tree. She stayed quiet for a little while, letting the girl feel her emotions. A minute or two passed and the girl finally stopped crying, but her head was still kept firmly in her knees.
"Uhhh Ruby..." She heard Velvet's voice say in her ear. "... I have some Grimm here that could be tricky alone."
Not wanting to leave the girl, nor usher her back to her parents when she clearly wasn't ready, Ruby raised her hand to her ear to reply. "I have something here. Blake, can you circle around to help Velvet?"
"Sure, but the Beopack are waiting."
"I can cover your position for now," Yang replied. "Coco has things handled here."
"Alright. On my way, Velvet."
Dropping her hand, she crossed her legs and looked back to Lyt to see that the orders had clearly sparked her interest. Her head finally left her knees and Ruby could see the pink eyes looking at her, the skin around them an equal shade of pink from her earlier crying. Ruby offered her the same comforting smile she had given the parents and leaned her scythe against the tree.
"Y-you don't have to st… ay for me," the girl coughed and wiped her eyes.
"I want to," Ruby smiled and reached into her back pouch to pull out two energy bars and handed one to her. "They're not as good as chocolate, but they still taste alright."
Lyt eyed it for a second, but eventually reached out a shaky hand to take it. "Thanks." She mumbled softly.
Silence filled the space again as they both unwrapped the snack, and though the blonde's trembling fingers caused it to take a couple of tries, she eventually got it and took a bite. Ruby wasn't surprised at the grimace, as in truth they were rather bland.
"Were you friends?"
She asked the question cautiously, not wanting to upset her further. Thankfully it seemed okay and the girl had another nod.
"We were… friends."
Ruby picked up on the pause.
"Oh!" She breathed. "I'm sorry."
"I was st-still getting to know her," Lyt stuttered, her mouth still full of food.
Suddenly it clicked and, remembering what Yang had said about Peel's pond being a dating spot, she pieced it together. "You were who she was meeting?"
Lyt gave a sad nod and her eyes returned to the ground.
"But I was st-stupid. I got detention... and when I showed up and couldn't find her, I-I thought she went home and was mad at m-me because she wasn't returning my texts. I-I didn't realise something might have happened until sh-she didn't come to school the next day. If I was the..."
"You would have died too."
Ruby kept her voice firm and steady. It hurt her to be so callous, but she knew it was something she needed to make sure Lyt understood.
"How do yo…"
"You would have died too," Ruby repeated a little softer as she reached out to place a hand on the girl's knee. "Lyt, I fought that thing with my sister, and it was a struggle. There's nothing you could have done if you were there, and if you were then we'd be burying two bodies today."
"Then what do I-I d-do?" The girl said miserably, tears appearing in her eyes again. "If I-I c-can't even p-protect my friends?"
"I…"
Ruby was about to reply but an alerted voice sounded in her ear.
"Ruby! Two got through and are headed straight at you!"
She saw them before Blake's words were even finished. Two knee-high Grimm sprinting full speed at them, faster than even Yang's bike could go. Gooms. Small geese Grimm whose bodies were covered in black feathers and their armored beaks making for sharp little spears. While not particularly dangerous, their speed was fast enough to rival her own.
"Get down!" Ruby shouted as she sprang to her feet and shouldered Lyt out of the way, rolling backwards herself as one of the Gooms jammed its sharp beak into the wood.
As she straightened up, she grabbed Crescent Rose and brought it up in a clean arc that separated the Grimm's head from its body. Spinning around, she didn't have time to reposition her scythe, so smacked the second with the hook and sent it spinning into a tree. It twisted grotesquely in mid air and landed with its webbed feet against the trunk before launching itself off like a bullet. That time she was ready, and as its beak opened, she swung her scythe horizontally. The blade slipped between the beak and sliced it cleanly in two.
"Any others?" She asked her team immediately.
"No, sorry. The flock was a big one."
Ruby breathed out a sigh of relief and turned around to see Lyt looking up at her from the ground, her eyes wide. There was shock in them, but also awe. Unfortunately, though Ruby would have liked to talk to her a little more, she knew she had to get back to Velvet since they needed to get back into position quickly. So she offered the girl a hand and pulled her to her feet.
"I don't have all the answers, but I think the first thing you should do," Ruby sighed while Lyt brushed herself off. "Is stop doing whatever it is that you did to get detention. Then if you really want to learn how to protect people, you still have time to learn how to do that. Train to be a huntress, a doctor, anything that helps people. And then, maybe one day, you can save me like I just saved you." She gave the girl a soft smile. "If Pearl liked you, then she obviously saw something special."
Lyt looked at her for a couple of seconds, her pink eyes still full of sadness; but Ruby was glad to see some determination behind them. She had no idea where that determination would lead the girl, but, as she turned and walked back out to her parents, Ruby hoped it would be somewhere good.
Once the couple pulled her into a hug, Ruby let out a sigh of relief and told Blake she was on her way back.
"Well this has probably been the shittiest day I've had in awhile," Yang groaned as she fell onto the couch and pulled Velvet onto her lap to bury her face in the girl's shoulder. Coco sat down beside her and took her hand.
Blake sat down on the opposite end and also let out a groan. While the mission had not been anywhere as long as the Mountain Glenn mission, there had been so many more Grimm and both her legs and arms were tired. It had been nothing but Beowolf after Beowolf, enough to make her question just how many could be on the island, or at least question once again where they came from. No-one really knew, all they knew was that some ancient Grimm could spawn them, but where those Grimm came from was still a mystery.
"It'll get better," Coco said in a voice that Blake knew was reserved for Velvet and Yang alone. "Yeah," confirmed Velvet and wrapped an arm around the blonde's neck as she turned to Blake. "How is Ruby doing?"
Blake turned her ears to the room that Ruby had wandered off to be alone the second they got back. She wanted to follow, but she knew Ruby needed a minute to herself. As she listened, she felt her eyes drop to the floor as her ears picked up the sound of sniffling. The kind that usually accompanied crying.
"I think she's finally letting out what she put aside for the mission," Blake sighed. "Maybe I should go and see her."
"Leave her." Yang muttered into Velvet's shoulder, the words causing all of their eyes to look at her.
Watching her partner curiously since Yang had never been one to leave Ruby alone when she was down, she saw the blonde dig into her pocket and pull out her Scroll. In seconds, the television turned on and Yang's device connected to it to show that she was calling Weiss. A while passed and Blake almost thought that the heiress wasn't going to answer, but on the final ring, the call connected and Weiss appeared on the screen. She looked tired and was still laying in bed.
"You better have a damn good reason for calling me at five in the…" The annoyance in her voice cut off as her tired blue eyes scanned the room, landing on Yang. "What happened?"
"We just got back from a funeral," Blake breathed, Weiss' eyes darted to her and widening slightly. "One of Yang and Ruby's old school friends."
"Oh!" Weiss replied, a hint of relief in her voice. "And I am guessing she has locked herself in her room?" Everyone in the room gave a short nod of their head. "Very well, I will talk to her. I will also be returning on Monday."
"Your father gave you permission?"
"No, but I will not be taking no for an answer," Weiss replied bitterly to Blake's question. "This city is… Not where I should be."
With an understanding nod, Blake saw Weiss shift from her position and go to hang up the phone, but something stopped her. From the other end of the couch, with her head still buried in her girlfriend's neck, Yang whispered a quiet "Thank you." Weiss looked at her, clearly having heard the word due to the Scroll being so close, and closed her eyes and shook her head before hanging up.
Blake looked at her teammate and felt her heart ache. She had lost a friend, and she couldn't comfort her sister because she herself was upset. Both of those things were incredibly important to her and Blake knew just how much she must be hurting. Thankfully she knew the sisters were also quick to bounce back, and though it would take a couple of days till their sadness passed, Blake was going to help however she could. Even if it was only in small ways. So standing from her chair, she walked to the kitchen and put the kettle on to make everyone some hot chocolate.
Raalm's Notes
Hello everyone, just a short mission chapter today. Mainly wanted to touch on Ruby's leadership skills and show a little of the team in action, as well as some of her thought on loss and stuff. Hopefully that all came across well enough. We got a little Weiss at the end too :) The next few chapters are actually quite fluffy ones, as I know the story had been a little fluff light recently.
But yeah, that's about it from me. Hopefully you enjoyed. The first scene of the next chapter is on I actually quite like, so look forward to that xD
The next chapter should be up on the 29th of January.
Toxic's Notes
Heyo Toxic here, So this one is a bit sad, we decided to round off this mini arc with the Syren with this chapter, with the next few chapters being Fluff intensive. As some of you may notice we did take and use the little creation created in the comments, yes we did include the gooms, special thanks to michealmcdoesntexist, and alucard45, for the inspiration, and we hope you enjoy having them in. In regards to the end of the chapter with Ruby, and Yang, Raalm wanted to touch on Ruby pushing everything to the back of her mind until she could deal with it, which just so happens to line up with the end of the mission and them getting back home. Yang told Blake not to interfere because she knew Ruby had secluded herself for a reason and likely wanted to hide those feelings from them so would have told her to go away, but also knew Ruby was missing her partner too much to decline a call from her. In regards to chapter length in the coming chapters, 23 is currently 6k while 24 is k, the reason I say this now is because while not that extremely long 24 is something Ya'll are gonna love, because there's even a small cameo from one of my personal favorite characters... And that's all ya get for me in this note.