Stuff.
To MaplE Syrup, who shapeshifted and then suggested that Ruby interacts with future harem (which may or may not be Sam) and people outside her team (Also Sam): Don't worry, that's what this chapter's for! Besides, you guys have only met 2-6 future suitors so far, only half of which have met Ruby. But don't worry, there will be buildup were each suitor will fall for Ruby (look out for the chapter titled: 'What's a Spartan to do?').
Also, I am quite unnerved by your shapeshifting. What are you. What were you. Are you in my house? Please don't be.
To that shitty guest who didn't even read the story: Get out. I don't care what negative things you have to say about this, especially if you don't even read the story. If this is how you treat people who genuinely enjoy writing, and love to hear the reviews of those reading it, then you have lost all of my respect. In fact, you are in debt from how much respect you have lost. Get off this site and only come back if you have something nice to say. Apologize to all who had to read that, but I will take no BS from people who's only goal is to depreciate the work of others, not even reading the story or making an account to do it. Just anonymously trolling like the cowards they are. Most of you who read this story are great people (probably, I have met any of you), and I love your support.
Now onwards! To the filler chapter that took forever because I don't know who to write filler chapters!
(Maybe I'll just cram a lot of unrelated things that will make sense later...)
Ruby was very chipper today. After a month at Beacon, studying, training and generally working, she and her team were finally going to Vale together.
"I can't believe we're finally going to Vale together!" Ruby exclaimed happily in the airbus, throwing her arms up.
"Ruby," Weiss spoke, "I'm sure you've been to Vale before, why are you being so..."
"Eager?" Blake offered.
"Pfff," Ruby waved dismissively. "This is the first time I've been with you guys! ¡Mis amigas y yo vamos a Vale!"
"What is she saying?" Weiss whispered to Yang.
"I've been trying to figure that out for eight years," Yang whispered back.
"So!" Everybody's attention returned to Ruby, "What do you guys want to do first?"
Everybody paused to think, not coming up with anything.
"Really?" Ruby asked, arms drooping. "Nobody?"
"Well," Blake spoke up, "I think we all want to think of something the rest of us will enjoy too."
Everyone nodded at that, resuming their thinking.
"Oh, I know!" both a metaphorical and literal lightbulb appearing.
"How is she doing that?" Weiss asked with concern, staring at the floating lightbulb.
"We should each choose one thing we want to do, and then one thing to do as a team!"
"That's not a bad idea," Yang said, looking at Blake and Weiss.
"It would take a lot of the guesswork out of deciding on where to go." Blake agreed.
"Can we go back to how a lightbulb appeared over Ru..."
"Alright!" Ruby cheered, cutting off Weiss, "Than First stop, Weapon shop!"
Weiss sighed, knowing she was never getting an answer to her question.
After RWBY's excision to four weapon stores, it was Yang's turn. Weiss and Blake had expected her to select something high-octane, like a motor store or sports store, but she had actually chosen a Beauty salon. RWBY had then spent the better part of an hour picking out hair products for Yang and trying to get Ruby to wear makeup. After that, Weiss had taken them to a higher-end clothing store with the promise to by the team one outfit for them each. Each had chosen something stylish, yet practical, but all of them had agreed to keep what they got secret, so they could surprise the others when they wore it. Before they left, they had made sure to try on many outfits, again at Ruby's expense, using her like some sort of doll.
"I must say, this has been fun," Weiss said to the group as they walked down the sidewalk, new clothes all somehow fitting in Ruby's purse-sized bag/sack thing.
"Coming from somebody who hates fun, you must've liked it a lot." Yang teased.
"I-I do not hate fun!" Weis blushed in embarrassment. She took a breath and calmed down. "Look, I'm not all that familiar with a good time,"
"No surprise there." Yang quipped.
Weiss chose to ignore her. "...But that's why I'm having such a nice time now. And despite my... coldness,"
Everyone snorted.
"I am genuinely happy I met you all." Weiss finished.
"Aww, Weiss," Ruby smiled, eyes glistening with happiness. The moment was then ruined by Ruby's stomach growling. "Heheh, sorry. I'm getting pretty hungry."
"Maybe we should break for lunch," Blake suggested.
"Good Idea, and since you haven't had your choice yet, why don't you choose where we eat?" Yang suggested.
"Hmm, well, there is this one place I've been wanting to try..."
Team RWBY now stood outside a busy store. The sign hanging out the front read:
Crowfeather Cafe & Library
Somehow, that name told them every reason why Blake wanted to come here.
Walking through the glass door, bell jingling to signify their entry, the four teens looked around the packed cafe. There were plenty of tables, all filled with people chatting away. There were also booths, a bar near the doorway to the kitchen, an arching doorway to the annexed library, and a staircase leading to the second story.
It was, in all honesty, a very homey and pleasant atmosphere.
After a minute or so, they had found an empty table on the rooftop terrace.
"So how did you know about this place, Blake?" Ruby asked.
"Heard about it from some friends before getting to Vale. They talked it up, so I thought I'd come here." Blake answered. "Glad I could bring friends though."
"Hi, can I assume you four are here to dine?" the voice of an employee asked them. They all turned to face the dark-haired woman in an apron and spectacles, a striking green highlight in her hair.
Unbeknownst to Blake and Weiss, Yang and Ruby froze instantly.
"Yes, thank you," Weiss answered. With a smile, the woman placed a menu in front of each of them.
"Excuse me," Blake got the woman's attention, "I'm just asking, but why were there price tags on the books? I thought it was a library."
"Oh, those are just there to let patrons know how much they're expected to pay if they ruin the books. Had to instate that rule when somebody spilled coffee on my copy of 'A man with two souls' and refused to replace it." The woman explained, a scowl at the end. Blake hummed her agreement. "Well then, I'll let you four get to ordering then, just come to the counter when you're ready and your food will be up shortly after." With that, the woman turned around, a crow flying on to her shoulder as she ducked down the staircase.
The two sister's gazes were still glued to where the woman had disappeared.
"Are you two alright? You've been staring at those stairs for a while now." Weiss said, knocking the two out of their trance.
"Yeah, just... just thought we recognised the woman from somewhere," Yang answered distractedly.
The picked out the food and drinks they wanted (Chicken Parmigiana for Ruby, spaghetti for Weiss, seafood basket for Blake and burger for Yang.), Ruby and Yang offered to go get their food, Blake and Weiss giving the Lien for their orders. When Ruby and Yang arrived at the counter, they found the woman waiting for them, a coy smile playing on her lips.
"So, you finally found me..." she said to them as they arrived.
"It's really you, Grim?!" Ruby exclaimed. Grim laughed, it really was her.
"Yes, yes, it is little Rose. What, you didn't expect that I was just some weird cloaked person who just showed up to train you, did you? Actually, don't answer that." Grim said when she saw the embarrassed looks on their faces.
"Actually, I thought you were some kind of huntress," Yang admitted.
"Well, maybe once upon a time. But I'm actually the owner of this fine place." Grim explained. "Good to see your team is getting along well, Ruby."
"Thanks..." Ruby said with a blush as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, you came down to order, so what am I getting you?" Grim moved over to the register. Yang gave their orders, and the lien to pay for them, which grim jotted down. Before they turned to leave, Grim handed them a small book.
"What is this?" Ruby asked.
"For your friend," Grim answered.
"Blake." Yang and Ruby said together.
"I've already taken the liberty to check it out for her, so tell her it's okay to take back to Beacon with her."
Ruby nodded and followed Yang back up the stairs. When they reached the table, the food was already sitting there, waiting for them.
"When the food get here?" Yang asked, sitting down and immediately digging in.
"A little before you did," Blake answered, putting a shrimp in her mouth.
"Oh, Blake, the... woman, gave me this book for you, said you'd like it." Ruby showed the book to Blake, being careful not to reveal how she knew Grim. "She already checked it out, so you can take it back to Beacon."
Blake took the book and looked it over. "Doesn't have a title. Thank you though, Ruby."
Ruby nodded and turned to her own meal, before Weiss caught her attention and she snorted. Realizing she was the object of Ruby's amusement, Weiss blinked in confusion.
"What?" Weiss asked. Unbeknownst to the heiress, she had some tomato sauce on her right cheek. Yang and Blake also noticed and began sniggering. "What?!" Weiss demanded in frustration. This only escalated the group's sniggers into full-blown laughter.
"Yes! Yes, priortotheFaunusRightsRevolution, morepopularlyknownastheFaunusWar—" Doctor Oobleck was speaking a mile a minute during his usual fast-paced Monday lesson. "Humankindwasquiet, quiteadamantaboutcentralizingFaunuspopulationinMenagerie." He used a pointer stick to tap the map behind him to emphasize his point. "Now! Whilethismustfeellikeancienthistorytomanyofyou, itisimperativetorememberthatthesearerelativelyrecentevents! Why, therepercussions oftheuprisingcanstillbeseentothisday! Now!HaveanyamongyoubeensubjugatedordiscriminatedbecauseofyourFaunusheritage?"
A few hands went up in response.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" Oobleck shook his head, his speech slowing down. Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" the doctor paused to take a sip of the drink in his hand. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Oobleck asked, Weiss, holding her hand up in reply. "Yes, Miss Schnee?"
"The Battle of Fort Castle!" Weiss answered adamantly.
"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Ruby was going to answer Ooobleck's follow up question but was cut off by an exclamation from Jaune as Cardin threw a crumpled piece of paper at his head. "Mr Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"
"Uh..." Jaune looked around to stall for the answer before his eyes landed on Pyrrha and Ruby, who were sitting next to one another, two rows down from him. Both of them were looking at him, motioning to their eyes. He tried to decipher what they were trying to tell him but couldn't understand it in the heat of the moment. "They had... binoculars?" he sheepishly answered with a shrug.
Pyrrha shook her head in dismay whilst Ruby facepalmed.
"Ha, ha. Very funny Mr Arc. Mr Winchester! Perhaps you would like to contribute your thoughts on the matter?"
"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier," Cardin responded snidely. Ruby growled at the blatant speciesism that Cardin displayed, and was about to retort, before being once again beat to it, this time by Pyrrha.
"Statistically, that would be untrue." Pyrrha responded, obviously going somewhere with this, "But such a closed-minded individual such as yourself wouldn't know that, now would you Winchester?"
"You got a problem, Nikos?" Cardin snarled back, leaning over his desk.
"No, just the answer." Pyrrha turned to face Doctor Oobleck. "Night vision. Many Faunus are known to have night vision."
"Correct." Oobleck nodded. "While we're on the topic, who here can tell me why it is believed that only some Faunus have night vision, and others don't?"
Ruby raised her hand.
"More recent studies have shown that it is a secondary trait that particular Faunus display. It is also believed that all Faunus actually have two traits, their predominant physical trait, but also a second, augmentation, trait. An example of this would be a Faunus with a cougar trait would have night vision, much like the less sapient animal their predominant trait comes from. Other examples would be a hare Faunus with increased leg strength, or a dog Faunus with a keener sense of smell." Ruby finished.
The room was silent after she was done. It was only broken by the sound of Oobleck clapping.
"Well done miss Rose! I would not have expected such a knowledgeable trait in students two years ahead of you! A round of applause, please."
Almost everybody applauded Ruby, who blushed and sunk back in her seat. One of the subjects Grim had taught her was both Human and Faunus biology. It was important to know the theory of secondary Faunus traits for both her healing and combat studies. 'Letting an opponent have an advantage over you, no matter how small, may mean the difference between victory and defeat' Grim would tell her.
"Now!" Oobleck made a quick pause for another sip of his drink, "On with the lesson! Oh, and also, Mr Arc, Mr Winchester, you will remain behind after class."
Jaune drooped upon hearing that, while Cardin just thumped a fist on his desk.
Once the class was done, the students began spilling out to the halls. Pyrrha stood to the side to wait for Jaune, only to find Ruby already waiting there.
"Oh, hello again Ruby." Pyrrha greeted.
"Hi Pyrrha!" Ruby returned, her smile brightening up the halls like a sunrise. Pyrrha almost had to shield her eyes. "I take it you're also waiting for Jaune?"
"Well... yes, actually. It didn't seem right to just abandon my partner after what had happened. Why are you waiting for Jaune?"
"He and I have a seminar with the other first-year leaders in this free period," Ruby answered, rocking on her heels.
"Oh, Jaune didn't mention that." Pyrrha frowned.
"Yeah... he probably forgot or didn't know. I thought I should remind him." Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Well while we're waiting, why don't we do some icebreakers? We've known each other for like a month and barely know anything about one another!"
Pyrrha chuckled almost dryly. "Well, I'm sure you already know all about me." Pyrrha looked away, not able to keep all of the sadness out of her voice.
"Well, sure, I know the poster child 'Invincible girl', but you know who I don't?" Ruby leaned over to Pyrrha.
"Who...?" Pyrrha asked, not entirely sure where she was leading with this.
"Pyrrha Nikos!"
"I don't follow..." Pyrrha cocked her head to the side.
"Well... what's your favourite snack food?" Ruby prompted. Pyrrha cupped her chin in thought before answering.
"I've always had a soft spot for strawberries," Pyrrha admitted.
"No way! Me too!" Ruby grinned. "Well... also cookies, but also strawberries."
Pyrrha laughed. She hadn't interacted with Ruby that personally, only whenever their teams hung out, but now that she was, she found why lots of their classmates gravitated towards the younger girl.
Pyrrha and Ruby stood there, chatting idly about nothing important, just enjoying one another's company until Jaune came out soon followed by Cardin, who shoved Jaune to the side as he stormed past.
"Are you okay Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she and Ruby lifted the blonde boy up.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Jaune answered before staring at the two red-haired girls. "What are you guys still doing here?"
"Class seemed a bit tough on you, I wanted to make sure you were alright," Pyrrha replied.
"Like I said, I'm fine. Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune nodded.
"Oh, Jaune, did you remember we had a seminar for first-year leaders this period.?" Ruby asked.
"Oh no!" Jaune clutched his hair, "I totally forgot!"
Ruby and Pyrrha giggled at his forgetfulness. "Well lucky I'm here, hey Jaune?" Ruby elbowed him.
"Yeah, thanks, Ruby." Jaune smiled.
"Now come on!" Ruby began running away, "Sam can't stall for us forever!"
Uniformed men bustled around a large, dimly lit warehouse in the dead of night. Crates full of high-quality dust were moved, loaded and unload throughout the warehouse, the building itself seeming to be some kind of relay point for the cargo. In one corner of the warehouse, in front of a map stood a woman in a short red dress and glass heels. her dark hazel hair fell over half her face, covering one of her eyes.
This woman was Cinder fall.
She dissected the map of Vale with keen eyes, creating mental notes of where everything had to be and when. But a certain thought in the back of her mind kept gnawing at her. Three sets of feet caught her attention as they approached her. She turned to face them. Ah, it was the three goons.
The 'criminal mastermind' Roman Torchwick, his mute heterochromatic partner Neopolitan, and... him.
The tall, looming man she knew as Benz V Gault. His forest green parker covered his chest, a broad-brimmed hat shrouded his one good eye in shadow, and a burn muck running up his left cheek. Benz didn't talk much, on the account of his tong being cut out. He made murmurs here and there, but only Neopolitan and sometimes Roman could seem to decipher what he was saying.
"Hey, hey, Cindy! Seems things are going spiffingly on your end!" Roman called before stopping before Cinder with the other two.
"Call me that again, Roman, and see where it gets you." Cinder threatened.
"Whoa there, you're off your game. Usually, you at least throw a knife at our little monthly get-togethers." Roman jibbed. When Cinder didn't answer, Roman groaned dramatically. "Don't tell me little Red is still bugging you. So what? She had a good semblance, so what?"
"That's just it Roman, I think it was a little bit more than a semblance." Cinder purred.
"So, some kind of fancy tech then?" Roman guessed.
"...Sure. But if she has that technology at her disposal, I wouldn't want it to become a hindrance to us down the line. She already botched one robbery, who says she wouldn't do so again?"
"So what? We off the brat?"
"That was my initial thought too, yes," Cinder entertain Roman's thoughts, "But her... abilities would be more useful to us."
It was at this time that Benz decided to 'speak' up. "Aiubev OAuorev osbvbkwr." The man sputtered.
Cinder turned to Roman for a translation. Roman shrugged and turned to Neo, who rolled her eyes before tapping into her scroll, a message popping up on Cinder and Roman's.
"He says if he should go 'collect' her" the message read.
"Hmm..." Cinder pondered. "Fine. You will go and test the girl's abilities. If she proves powerful, then retreat and we will acquire... outside assistance."
"Aouevev oweuvhbeb iboiu?"
Another message pops up on their scrolls.
'And if she isn't?'
Cinder smiled wickedly. "Then you may have some... fun."
Dun Dun Dun!