Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Co-Authored with ToxicExotic

Uncertainty

Of all the things Blake had been through in her life; the racism, the grueling pain of training, nothing had ever made her wish she wasn't a Faunus. In fact, that prospect had never even crossed her mind. Though she hid her ears, she really did love them and would not give them up for anything. That had all changed when she had entered Beacon though. However, It wasn't racism. It wasn't all the times she'd made a hard u-turn in the hallway after hearing Yang or Weiss having sex in the dorm, though mostly Yang since she'd only ever heard Weiss and Neptune twice. No, it just so happened to be the one place on campus that her girlfriend loved more than any other.

The workshop.

The loud roar of blast furnaces, the popping of dust, the striking of hammers. Almost every single sound in the damned building made her flinch as waves of pain shot through her. It was even worse than the streets of Vale with its car horns and endless chatter. It was the very reason she normally tried to stay away from the building by having Weiss or Ruby make her bullets for her. However, Blake had wanted to spend a little time with her girlfriend so was willing to at least put up with the noise. Especially since the girl had seemed a little preoccupied for the last two days.

Ever since returning from training with Qrow, which Blake only knew about because Yang had mentioned it that night, Ruby had been very quiet. Instead of wrestling with Yang for the remote, or bugging Weiss with something about homework, the reaper had mostly just sat at her desk with a textbook in front of her. Though having a textbook in front of her had become somewhat normal lately, she rarely did it quietly.

Yang hadn't been much help either. When asked what was wrong, the blonde had simply told her that Ruby was figuring some things out and to let her work through them for a bit first. Since Yang knew Ruby better than anyone, Blake had given her word and left Ruby alone to think; though still offering what comfort she could. Most by holding her close at night and passing small talk before they fell to sleep. Besides, she understood exactly how Ruby felt.

She too had something on her mind that she had yet to even tell Yang. Though the article she'd found on Faunews hadn't mentioned whether her father would be travelling to Vale or not, she knew her father was very fond of diplomatic visits. Whether they were fruitful or not, he'd always seen them as a chance to extend a hand of peace and friendship. She'd scoffed at the attempts at the time, but a part of her was hoping that had not changed. Though another part of her also hoped that it did, since having him so close was something that terrified her. So much so that she wanted to talk about it with her team, with her partner, but she also wanted to tell Ruby first. But she didn't want to be spilling her own worries while the girl clearly had her own.

However, after having seen Ruby read the same page of a book for three hours last night, Blake had made the choice to at least try and reach out a little. So when Ruby had declared she was going to work on Crescent Rose, Blake had offered to accompany her. It had surprised the entire team that she had willingly volunteered to go to the workshop, but she'd ignored the retorts from Yang since Ruby had already given her a small nod.

So, for the past forty minutes, Blake had been sitting there on the opposite side of the table watching Ruby fiddle around with the tiny gears. It was one of the many things she loved to watch her girlfriend do. The reaper's knowledge on mechanics was unmatched by anyone she had ever met. There must have been hundreds on the table, and she knew for fact that Ruby remembered exactly where each one went. Blake was also partial to Ruby's storage options.

Though she still had plenty of space on the table, Ruby had placed a lock washer onto her bottom lip for safe keeping. Having pried it open to get it off the scythe, it folded over the left side of her lip like a piercing. It wasn't the first time Ruby had done it, but Blake had never really gotten a close up look before. For some reason, it suited her very well.

"They look good on you." Blake smiled and leaned forward.

Ruby looked up from her weapon with a confused look and Blake pointed to her own lip. Reaching up, Ruby touched the washer and hummed quietly.

"Thanks." She said with what looked like a forced smile, her attention returning to her weapon. "I saw models with the piercings when I was younger and thought they were really cool. Kinda just a thing I picked up."

"You thought of actually getting one?"

The girl gave a shrug. "Dunno."

That was pretty much the only response Ruby had given anyone in the last couple days. With nowhere to really go from there, something that was never normally a problem with her girlfriend, Blake tried a different tactic.

"What are you looking for anyway?"

"My safety mechanism failed when I fought my uncle." Ruby huffed and ripped another side panel free. "But it shouldn't have. Everything looks perfect so I have no idea what happened or how to stop it happening again."

"Maybe it was just a random slip?" Blake offered. "It happens."

"But it shouldn't have. I accounted for impact shock and the new blade has its own safety system to stop it overheating or transferring the energy anywhere it shouldn't. If something failed then something is wrong."

The frustration in Ruby's voice was clear, but it also struck Blake as odd. The girl had made mistakes before that caused her weapon to malfunction a little, but she usually just laughed them off and adapted. To see her so worked up over what had likely just been a random occurrence made Blake a little worried that something more was going on than just the weapon failure.

"Why is it so important that something was wrong?" She asked cautiously, keeping her voice quiet enough so that Ruby could use the excuse of having not heard it; though Blake knew she had.

For what felt like almost a minute, Blake was certain Ruby was going to actually use the excuse and pretend the hammering and popping had covered the words, but eventually Blake heard a sigh followed by a small nervous voice. Had she not had enhanced hearing, she definitely wouldn't have heard it.

"I…" Ruby paused her work on the weapon. "I promised Yang I would fight properly now." Her finger resumed fiddling with the gears. "And I can't do that if Crescent Rose isn't working perfectly. Mistakes are dangerous."

Finally it made sense. Yang had mentioned a while ago that she had a plan, but never elaborated beyond that. Blake had half expected her to have done something in training, but she'd never made a move. It seemed the blonde had not been lying though, and was simply waiting for her uncle to arrive. It made sense since Qrow had apparently been the one to train Ruby, so it wasn't hard to see why Yang had thought that to be the best course of action. But she also knew how big of a change it was for Ruby.

So reaching out, she put a hand on Ruby's to stop her tinkering. It was just enough to get her girlfriend's attention and cause the reaper to look up.

"You're not going to hurt anyone, Ruby." She smiled.

"You don't know that?" The girl replied with doubt in her voice.

"Okay then…" Blake muttered and let her fingers slip between the worried leader as she yet again tried a different tactic. "Ruby… Getting hurt is part of training. Yang literally hit Russel so hard he fell unconscious and had to be carried to the infirmary. Everyone here is fine with the odd broken finger or slashed leg. I even saw Team CEDR comparing scars once."

It was true. Blake didn't think there was a single student at Beacon Academy that didn't have a battle scar. Even Jaune had received one on his leg where a Nibbler had caught him unaware during a clearing of the Emerald Forest. Though some merely accepted them as an inevitability, most wore them with pride. Even if where said scars came from was often embellished.

"I could give them more than scars though."

"And your opponent will give you more than scars if you keep underestimating them like that." Blake retorted quickly. "Everyone here is a trained fighter and you should keep that in mind."

Ruby's eyes filled with shame and fell to her weapon again. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Blake said as warmly as she could and pulled her girlfriend's hand towards her. "We all get freaked out by something. Just take it at your own pace and you'll be fine."

"That's what Yang said." Ruby pouted sullenly. "But I don't know what that is."

"Well, that's why you have a team." Blake offered. "We can help you get more comfortable with it before you take it to sparring, okay?"

"Okay."

The girl gave a nervous nod and Blake let her hand go. As if attached to elastic, it immediately returned to the exposed insides of the weapon. Thankfully though, Ruby was no longer pulling things from the inside, instead just giving them a once over. As the girl began to return things to their place, Blake raised from the table and walked over to a nearby drawer and pulled it open. Quickly finding what she needed, she smirked to herself and walked back.

She was just in time too as Ruby had already put back the panel she'd torn off earlier and was starting to return the rest of the gears to their place. As she was about to pull the washer from her lip, Blake felt her grin widen and held out her hand to stop her.

"Wait." She said mischievously. She was hoping her plan would at least make her girlfriend smile a little. "Here."

She opened her hand to reveal a brand new lock washer. For a second Ruby just looked at it, but it didn't take long for the corner of her lips to start twisting into a smile.

"You like it that much?" She asked.

"Like I said," Blake grinned and leaned towards the desk with a naughty grin. "It looks really good on you."

The smile finally managed to pull itself across Ruby's face, and the girl shook her head as she reached out for the ring. Happy that she had at least put a smile on the beautiful girl's face, Blake folded her arms on the table and rested her chin on top of them. Trying her best to block out noise that was still giving her a headache, she watched as the reaper went about meticulously rebuilding her weapon, cleaning off each piece before she put it back into place.

Blake was very happy that the weather was beginning to turn. The cold had always made the tips of her ears sore. Thankfully the weather seemed to finally be catching up to the fact that spring was upon them. Though the air was still slightly cold, it felt more crisp than chilly, but a few days of the week had been bright and cheerful; and Blake knew they were only going to be more frequent.

No matter the weather however, it seemed Ruby could not be persuaded from getting herself an ice cream. After the girl had finished fixing her weapon, which had taken a while since she'd remembered something else she wanted to check after putting the entire thing back together, she'd been in a little bit of a better mood. Not wanting to waste that chance, Blake had quickly asked her on an impromptu date. Fortunately the girl had been quick to agree.

It hadn't really been much, a simple movie and quick bite to eat, but Blake had enjoyed it. Though they were still finding the odd moment to be together, they had definitely started to become fewer and further between. With her training with Xanthia, classes, homework, team practise, and other obligations that Ruby had too such as extra study sessions with Ren, pretty much any moment they could get together was a blessing.

Admittedly, Ruby was still not completely back to how she normally would be. She would still fall silent randomly and her eyes would glaze over in thought, but for the most part she was still smiling and seemed to be enjoying the day. After the movie had finished and they'd enjoyed a few burgers at the food court outside Beacon, they'd both grabbed some ice cream and begun to make their way back up to the school.

"Are you sure you don't want to try some?" Blake offered teasingly, knowing the answer.

"Bleh." The redheaded reaper said with a shake of her head. "You can keep your coconut milk ice cream. It tastes all coconutty."

"Well they didn't have soy." Blake chuckled at the girl's disgust. Coconut was one of the few sweet things she'd ever seen Ruby turn down. "But it reminds me of home and it's a lot better than what the diary in yours would do to me."

"Ewww." Ruby let out a groan that quickly turned into a laugh. "That's gross."

"Made you laugh though."

Happy silver eyes met hers as Ruby's head turned towards her and Blake felt her stomach flutter. Though it was the girl's general demeanor, seeing her laugh and smile after two days of nothing felt like bliss.

"Sorry." Ruby said meekly. "I know I've been a little…"

"It's fine." She interrupted with a smile. "I get why you were."

She felt Ruby's hand squeeze hers a little in a quiet show of appreciation and happily returned the pressure. It reminded her greatly of their first date. Walking back from the food court and munching on snacks, it had been the first time they'd really held hands for anything longer than a couple of seconds.

That entire day had been more than Blake had even thought it would be. While they were friends, it was undeniable that they both had a somewhat different outlook on life and she'd thought she would have at least screwed up somewhere due to it. But she hadn't. Instead that entire night had been pretty great. She'd laughed and joked, and generally just found it easy to be herself. Not the Blake she showed to everyone else, the Blake she had been before everything had happened. The one that she really wanted to be again.

Ruby helped her be that, and that was something she really liked about their relationship. That she could just be herself. In fact, she would probably be willing to say that she loved it. Not out loud of course, but she was definitely aware she was having those thoughts more often.

"You've been more quiet too, you know."

The voice brought her out of her thoughts and pulled her head back around to Ruby.

"Huh?"

"I mean, quieter than usual." Blake gave a small chuckle. "And you stay awake longer. You're usually asleep before me."

"Oh."

Blake supposed she had been staying awake a little longer than she normally would be. She may have also been a little quieter too. Over the last two days, it hadn't just been the Vale visit she'd read about on Faunews, she'd also looked up a few of her dad's speeches. Just as Weiss had said, he seemed to have started preaching a different part of his message.

While he used to preach about how they should be avoiding violence, over the last six months he'd begun to talk more about the impact violence had. Not only on the cause, but also on the people doing it. Oddly enough, his speeches felt rather accurate. So accurate in fact that it felt like he had taken her own experience and formed them into something specifically for her. He spoke on how the violent things done in the name of peace would still come back to you in your sleep, how you would see the faces of those you tore down and hear their pleas. How the victories would feel monumental while the mistakes felt inconsequential, until one day those feelings would flip and the mistakes would feel like the weightiest things in the world.

Blake knew those feelings all too well. She still vividly remembered her own mistakes. The burned down barn, the farmer's body on the floor of the kitchen, the defeated look of a faunus she'd forced from his home. She still saw them all some nights, any many more. The travelling merchants they'd robbed. The airships they'd shot down and the pilots they'd never bothered to check on. Everything she'd done still weighed heavily on her shoulders; and for all of it, she could barely think of one good thing she'd done for her people.

Having read her dad's words had brought back all of those memories, and combined with the fact her dad could be in town soon, getting to sleep had proven to be a lot more difficult lately.

"Well…" Blake hesitated and let out a small breath. "I guess I have been a little preoccupied. I think my dad might be coming to Vale soon."

Though she didn't look direct at her girlfriend, she saw the silver eyes widen a little in her peripheral.

"That's great news!" Blake gave a small shake of her head. "Oh… Not great news? How do you even know he's coming?"

"Menagerie is sending a diplomatic convoy to Vale." She said slowly. "My dad never misses a chance to go on them."

"Are you gonna see him if he does?"

"No idea." Blake said honestly. "Kind of what I've been trying to figure out. He's supposed to get here at the end of the month."

"So about three weeks, huh? Well I'm sure he'll be really happy to see you if you do."

Looking at the reaper, she received a reassuring smile as the girl moved in a little closer. The warmth at her side immediately raised her spirits a little and she was more than happy to return the gesture as they walked through the school gates.

Though their outlook of some things were still pretty different, she really liked that Ruby tried to see the best in most things. Her seemingly endless optimism was something that constantly made Blake want to look at things differently, and also helped her reflect a little on herself and believe that she could be the best version of herself. And since coming to Beacon was all about trying to be her best self and righting the wrongs she'd committed, Ruby was definitely someone she wanted to be around.

As they made their way through Beacon's courtyard, enjoying the slightly warmer weather and the ice creams which were almost finished, Blake shifted her arm upwards while maintaining a firm grip on her girlfriend's hand and hooked her elbow around Ruby's neck. Letting herself fall behind a little, she moved in behind the girl and pressed up against her back. Due to their training, it took no effort at all to fall into step with her, which meant she was free to tease as she pleased. Lowering her head, she pressed her lips lightly against the reaper's cheek and earned a small chuckle in return.

"Thanks." Blake grinned. "For agreeing to come out today."

"It was fun." Ruby raised her ice cream and pressed it into Blake's nose, the cold instantly making her shiver a little.

"Ugh." She groaned.

Hearing Ruby laugh, she wiped the dairy away and quickly finished up her own treat. Once it was done, she let her arm wrap around Ruby's waist and enjoyed the way her stomach lurched a little. Despite her own issues and her worries about Ruby, Blake had definitely not forgotten about that time on the couch. Before Yang and Qrow had walked in and ruined the moment, she'd been able to enjoy a blissful few minutes of her girlfriend's curious exploration. And as inexperienced as the girl had been, it had definitely felt good.

In fact, though her thoughts would eventually fall back to her time in the White Fang, the first few minutes of Ruby entering the bed and cuddling up was enough to bring the memory of that magnificent afternoon back. However, while it would tempt her into trying to reignite that passion, that fact that Ruby had been in low spirits had always kept her in control.

That didn't mean she didn't allow herself some exploration as they walked through the courtyard towards the dorms. Not much of course, simply allowing her fingers to gently trace the firm muscle that was under Ruby's t-shirt, but it was enough for her.

Unfortunately, her exploration was yet again stopped short as they rounded a corner and spotted Weiss, Yang, and Qrow in front of the dormitory building. Though Weiss was sitting on a bench watching the two family members with a tired look on her face, Yang and Qrow seemed to be standing a little bit away with their hands out.

"Oh no." Ruby muttered as she saw it too.

"What?"

"They're betting again. She never wins."

Sure enough, as they drew closer, she saw that it was indeed Lien cards that were being exchanged. Turning her ears towards them a little, she listened to their conversation.

"No touching the side?" Yang said with a confident grin on her face. Blake recognised the tone Yang used to hustle people.

"Not even a hair."

"Hmm… I think I can manage that."

"Manage what?" Blake asked when they finally stood beside the snowy-haired heiress.

"Don't ask."

Both Yang and Qrow turned to look at them, and Blake instantly dropped her hand from Ruby's waist. While they had met the first time he'd come to time during the Vytal festival, she wasn't sure what to make of Ruby and Yang's uncle. Though the man seemed kind, she couldn't get rid of the feeling that a dark aura surrounded him. Whenever he was around, bad things seemed to happen. Chair legs broke, people would drop their forks, Scrolls would die; Blake had even almost lost her bow due to a random gust of air the last time she'd met him.

"Qrow bet me I couldn't shoot myself through our window from here."

Yang's confidence suddenly made sense since Blake had learned never to underestimate the brawler's aim with her gauntlets. It also helped that she'd seen her partner make that exact shot multiple times in the past.

"Actually, you bet me. And now you're stalling."

"Excuse me, I'm preparing."

"Ruby…" Weiss' voice cut through them both, her eyes leering at the redhead. "What on Remnant is that on your lip?"

"Huh." Ruby's hand raised to her lip where she was still wearing the washer lock as a piercing. "Oh. Washer lock…" Her face went a little red. "Blake likes it."

Blake gave a nod of confirmation as Weiss rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted groan.

"Looking good, Rubles." Yang grinned enthusiastically and gave a thumbs up.

"Hey…" Qrow interrupted. "Quit your stalling."

"Alright, alright." Yang said and flicked her arms out to extend her gauntlets. "You really wanna lose twenty Lien that badly, huh? Fine by me."

Blake watched her partner loosen up her arms and look behind her. It only took the girl a couple of seconds to figure out her trajectory. As soon as she was ready though, she bent her knees and pushed off, firing off a few shots of her gauntlets to send herself soaring through the air. Before she was even half way, Blake knew the girl was off target, something so incredibly rare that Blake redid the calculations in her head a second time. Sure enough though, only a few seconds later, the back of Yang's head slammed into the top of the window frame and she quickly fell to the ground. Her aura flashed yellow as she landed and cracked the ground around her.

"You okay?" Ruby called with her mouth half full of ice cream. There was no real concern in her voice since they all knew the answer.

"Hurt my pride a little, but yup."

"Not as good as you thought huh, Firecracker." Qrow smiled and walked over to hold out his hand. A loud groan came from the blond as she sat up and passed him the Lien card.

"I swear, I have made that shot a hundred times." She grumbled and stood to her feet.

"Maybe just bad luck then." He chuckled and pocketed the money.

This is certainly convenient, Blake thought to herself, knowing her partner would not have missed that shot had something not intervened. Nevertheless, she let it go and simply smiled at the man as he approached them. Even if she couldn't shake the feeling that the man was a bad omen, he was still Yang and Ruby's uncle and she knew that they both loved him dearly.

"So…" The man smirked as he sat down on the bench next to Weiss, who pointedly turned away from him. "I'd ask how you are, Kiddo, but you seem pretty good."

"I'm fine." Blake watched Ruby give a soft smile as her head turned back to face her. She was about to lean in and kiss her when the reapers eyes widened and she turned back to her uncle. "Oh! Uncle Qrow, this is my girlfriend. I mean, you've already met but we weren't dating then and now we are."

"I guessed that when I arrived." Ruby's face flushed a deep red. "Oh to be young and in love." The man sighed as if remembering it himself. "Enjoy it while you can. Life has a habit of trying to tear it apart."

"That's not going to happen here, Mr Branwen." Blake replied and pressed another kiss into Ruby's cheek, earning a slight giggle in response.

"Mhm. That's what they all say."

"Stop being such a grouch." Yang scoffed and kicked him in the shin. "Just because you're too old to find love."

"Hey. Who you calling old." He said and rubbed his leg. "And I'll have you know your uncle still has plenty of moves left."

"Like the ones you used on Weiss' sister?" Ruby chuckled.

Though Blake hadn't been there for it, she definitely heard the arguments between Ruby and Weiss about who had won that fight. Clearly Weiss remembered it too as she shot the man a filthy look.

"Exactly."

"Like my sister would ever touch someone like you."

"I think I did quite well." Qrow retorted with a wink, earning a disgusted look from the heiress. The girl never did bother to hide when she didn't like someone. "Speaking of," He yawned and stood up, Yang quickly taking his spot and throwing an arm around Weiss. "I think it's time I caught up with Bell."

"Bell?"

"Professor Peach." Blake clarified for her girlfriend.

"Ohhhh… Grooooss." She groaned before smiling. "You're staying in Vale for a while though, right?"

"Yup." He said and stretched his arm. "Finished all my missions so gonna be teaching at Signal again for a while."

"You staying at home?" Yang asked. "Or the shack?"

"Shack."

"Fighting with dad again?"

"Something like that." The man shrugged. "Anyway, I'm headed out. You girls have fun."

The man made to walk away, but stopped in front of Ruby and Blake. Reaching out, she put a hand on his niece's head and ruffled her hair slightly, giving her a warm smile as he did.

"You're doing great, Kiddo." His voice sounded much softer as he said those words. "Just make sure you keep learning. From everything."

"Thanks, Uncle Qrow."

It was an exchange Blake didn't quite understand, but the way the two looked at each other told her it was an important one. When it was done though, he let his hand fall from Ruby's head and walked away. She knew her instincts were right when she felt Ruby let out a deeper breath than normal.

"So," Yang grinned and pulled Weiss into a firmer hug only to be pushed away by a glyph. "What's Team RWBY doing tonight?"

Raalm's Notes

Hello everyone. First, just want to say that I'm sorry if the first half of this chapter feels a little awkward. Hopefully it's not too bad, I don't think it is, but definitely feels a little weak structurally and I didn't have time to fix it ;-; But, for the most part, this chapter was just a quick roundup chapter addressing everything that's happened this arc, and will be happening in the next arc. I can also say that the next arc will be the final one, so we are now in the final stretch ;-;

However, that is it for me today. This will be the last chapter until next month, and I promise we are coming back with something fluffy :D But I do want to say a huge thank you to everyone who reads this story. Whether you are a lurker or a reviewer, you all mean the world to me and I hope you are all still here for the next chapter xD Which is...

Chapter 46 - Halcyon will be up on the 4th of October