Three days had passed since the incident with Roman Torchwick and Ruby couldn't have been any more nervous if she tried. She still couldn't believe that she was offered to attend Beacon Academy now. Usually, she would've had to graduate from Signal, but it seems like fate had a different plan for her in mind. At the airship station, both her dad and sister nearly suffocated her with hugs.
"I'm so proud of you!" Tai squealed. Ruby's face was turning blue.
"Really dad, it was nothing." she wheezed. "C-can you please let go now?!"
"Oh sorry, sweetheart." Tai said, breaking the hug.
"It wasn't nothing, Rubes!" Yang shouted excitedly. "It was incredible! You getting into Beacon by beating up Torchwick? Badass! Now everyone's going to think you're the bee's knees!" Ruby's face blushed red and she balled her fists in frustration.
"But I don't want to be the bee's knees or any kind of knees!" she moaned. "I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees!"
"What's with you?" Yang asked, confused. "Beacon's been your dream since you were a kid. Aren't you excited?"
"Of course I'm excited, Yang. It's just that I got moved ahead two years and I just don't want people to think I'm special." Tai smiled and held Ruby close.
"But you are special," Tai said earnestly. "And I have no doubt that you're going to do well at Beacon." Ruby smiled at her dad and sister. The TV overhead was playing the latest headlines, alerting the family.
"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, " said a news reporter, showing a mugshot of the infamous criminal. "Who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa." The camera switched to a news room, where a woman dressed in purple was sitting.
"Thank you, Cyril. " she said. "In major news today, after 30 years, the Vytal Festival is set to return this May and for the first time, the Kingdom of Niflheim will be competing. We have recently had an interview with the king himself, Iedolas Aldercapt, and this is what he had to say." The camera then switched to an elaborate white throne room, where an elderly, bearded man with silver hair sat. He was dressed in a white robe with a large collar and red trim.
"It is such an honour to be finally able to take part in the Vytal Festival, " he said, smiling. "For too long, Remnant has been engulfed in war and no one was benefitting. Not Niflheim, not Lucis and certainly not the other nations. But enough is enough. It is time for a new era of peace and what better way to show that than by having us open our arms to new allies." The camera once again cut back to the newsroom.
"The peace treaty between Lucis and Niflheim is expected to be signed in the Summer of next year, along with the royal wedding between Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum and Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret." A picture was shown of Noctis dressed in a jet-black suit and of Lunafreya in a beautiful white dress and her blonde hair tied into a ponytail. Yang and Ruby's eyes were fixated over the TV.
"Wow," Yang purred. "He cleans up nice."
"You think he'll show up at the Vytal Festival?" Ruby asked.
"Probably not," said Tai. "He doesn't strike me as the type who'd see any action." Soon, it was time to board the airship. Yang and Ruby gave Tai one last hug and boarded the ship. When they got inside, their jaws dropped. The ship was packed with people all geared up and ready to go. Ruby could hardly contain her excitement, making Yang laugh. At the center of the ship, a hologram of Glynda appeared.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon, " the hologram spoke. " My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among others who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The ship began to rumble as it took off. Many of the attendees rushed to the window, including Ruby and Yang. The young redhead was in awe at the view, smiling with joy.
"Look! There's Signal!" she shouted, pointing in the direction. "I guess home isn't too far after all."
"Beacon's our home now." Yang said. After a few minutes, Yang was getting bored, so she decided to explore the ship for a while. She walked around, greeting many potential students and earning groans from them for telling terrible jokes. She was having such a good time that she didn't notice when she bumped into someone.
"Oof!" she muttered. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't-" she was lost for words when she saw who was in front of her; a tall muscular boy with a dark brown mullet. Scar aside, he was quite looking. "Oh my!" Yang exclaimed.
"I could say the same thing about you, beautiful," Gladio said, giving her a cheeky smile. Yang chuckled at his compliment. Attractive and good with words. She liked him already.
"You flatter me," she said. "So what's your name, or would you prefer it if I called you the 'handsome stranger'?"
"Very tempting," he responded. "But I'd prefer to give you my name. Gladiolus Amicitia, but you can call me Galdio for short."
"Yang Xiao Long, a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure's all mine, beautiful." Yang was quite surprised. She never met a guy or girl who could match her flirting skills. However, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying it.
"Keep it up and I might just take you on a date." she replied.
"Oh, I'll look forward to it." A loud groan erupted over the ship, alerting them both. Next to Gladio sat two very unamused boys, Prompto and Ignis.
"Are you done yet, Gladio? All that sweet talk is giving me a headache."
"You're just jealous because I have better game than you."
"That is so not true!" Prompto yelled. Ignis simply shook his head, cracking an amusing smile.
"Apologies for our friend's rude interruption, Miss Xiao Long," he greeted. "Our names are Ignis Scientia and Prompto Argentum."
"Hi there!" Prompto waved.
"Nice to meet you guys," said Yang. "So what brings you here to Beacon?"
"We're actually here for the Vytal Festival," Prompto answered, earning a confused look from Yang.
"Now? But don't transfer students usually attend during November?"
"We were wondering the same thing ourselves, actually," Ignis spoke. "Still have yet to receive an answer."
"Yang! Yang!" called out Ruby. "Where are you?" Yang waved at her sister, signalling her to come over. "Where were you, I was looking for you everywhere."
"It's a small ship, Rubes. I'm surprised you missed me so easily." she chortled, causing Ruby to pout. "Anyway, I'd like you to meet some new friends of mine; Prompto, Ignis and the cute one, Gladio." Gladio nodded on being called 'cute', much to Prompto's annoyance.
"Oh hi there!" Ruby said. "I'm Ruby Rose, Yang's sister."
"Nice to meet you, Ruby!"
"Pleasure."
"Hey..." Prompto stopped mid-greeting and stared at Ruby.
"Um…" Ruby mumbled, confused at Prompto's behaviour.
"Prompto, what are you doing?" asked Gladio. Prompto snapped his fingers and grinned.
"Now I know where I recognise you from!" he yelped. "You're the girl that fought Roman Torchwick's goons!"
"You saw the news too?" Yang asked.
"Oh no, I caught the whole thing on video!"
"Wait, what?!" Both girls yelled in excitement and fright.
"Here." Prompto took out his scroll and showed them. Right there on the screen was Ruby, scythe in hand, combatting the villainous thugs. Seeing the event play out again caused her to blush bright red. Yang on the other hand, was smiling from ear to ear. It was one thing hearing about it, but to actually see it? Her little sister was truly incredible!
"Aw sweet!" Yang exclaimed.
"I know, right?" agreed Prompto.
"You must be very proud of her, Yang." Ignis said. "There's not many who would go out of their way to stop an armed robbery like that."
"Seems like we've got ourselves a real-life superhero." Gladio chuckled, causing Ruby to blush even more.
"Prompto, you gotta send that to me." Yang chirped. "I'm gonna upload it to RedStone now!"
"Noooo!" Ruby huffed, pulling down her hood. "I said I wanted normal knees!"
"Come on, Rubes, think of how famous you could be!"
"Not to mention rich!" Prompto interjected. "With this baby, you'd be a millionaire in no time!" Ruby was about to object until she was pushed out of the way by a scraggly, blonde boy, who rushed over to the bins and vomited everywhere. Everyone on the ship cringed with disgust.
"Well I guess the altitude isn't for everyone." Ignis commented.
"It was a nice conversation while it lasted." Gladio said.
"So… I wonder who else we'll see here?" Yang asked, trying to divert attention.
"I'm not sure but I hope they're better than Vomit Boy over there." said Ruby.
The airship finally landed and the influx of people rushed out the doors. Ruby was amazed at what she saw; a large, gorgeous, white and silver castle, with a tall, silver tower gazing over the courtyard. She heard tales of Beacon from her dad, but seeing it in person was even better. Stars were in her eyes.
"Wow!" Suddenly, something else caught her attention. Several students began showing their weapons to each other including swords, staves, axes, guns and bows. Ruby squealed with excitement.
"Look Yang, that boy's got collapsible staff! Oooh, that girl's got a fire sword!" Yang sighed, trying to hold her sister back.
"Easy there, they're just weapons."
"Just weapons?" Ruby gasped, offended. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're part of us! Oh they're so cool!"
"Well, why can't you nerd out over your own weapon?" Yang asked. "Aren't you happy with it?"
"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose, I just like seeing new weapons. It's like meeting new people, but better!" Yang couldn't help but laugh and she ruffled Ruby's hair amusingly.
"Come on, Ruby. Why don't you try making some new friends here?" Ruby's face turned glum. She didn't think about how much she'd be giving up once she moved here. Arthur, Will, Ella and Sharon, she already missed them. A new school meant a new start, and Ruby was beginning to have doubts that she was ready for it.
"Um, why would I need friends when I have you?" As if on cue, Prompto, Gladio and Ignis showed up. In a flash, Yang raced over to them.
"Actually, my friends are here!" she blurted, running with them to the entrance. "Got to go catch up. 'Kay, see ya, bye!"
"Hey wait!" Ruby shouted. "Where are you going? A-Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms? " Ruby ran to catch up with them, only trip and fall face first onto the ground. "Oof!"
"What do you think you're doing?!" came a shrill voice. Ruby looked up at a pale girl glaring daggers at her. She had white hair wrapped in a ponytail, a silver tiara with matching silver earrings, a short-sleeved blue blouse, white trousers and black high heels. Next to her were two carts with several suitcases and luggage. Ruby frantically stood up and dusted herself off, intimidated by the girl.
"I-I'm really sorry!" she stuttered. The girl, however, was still angry.
"Sorry?!" she blurted. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" Ruby didn't say anything, too scared to talk back. The girl huffed and opened one of the suitcases. She took out a vial with a flame emblem and showed it to her. "This is Dust! Mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry in Atlas!" Ruby gulped hard, still not saying anything. At this point, the girl was beginning to lose her temper, more so than she already had. "What are you, brain dead? Dust! Fire! Water! Earth! Air! Lighting! Energy! Is any of this sinking into that skull of yours!" What she didn't know was that the vial wasn't sealed properly, causing some Dust to leak out. Unfortunately for Ruby, the Dust went up her nose and she sneezed directly in front of the white-haired girl, causing a small, fiery explosion. As the smoke cleared, the girl's clothes were covered in soot.
"Oh no." said Ruby, shaking with fear.
"My clothes!" the girl screamed.
"I'm really, really sorry!"
"Ugh! You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"
"Well, you see, I-"
"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!" At this point, Ruby had enough and she fired back.
"I told you that I was sorry, princess!"
"It's heiress, actually." said a smooth, silky voice. They both turned to see a beautiful, raven-haired girl carrying a book in her hand. She wore a sleeveless, white crop top with a black, coattails vest, white shorts and long, black boots with a purple highlight at the end. Her forearms were wrapped in black bandages and she wore a black bow on her head.
"Heiress?" Ruby asked. The raven-haired girl nodded.
"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."
"Finally some recognition." said Weiss, with a smug smile on her face. The raven-haired girl glared at her.
"The same company that's infamous for its controversial labour practices and rumours of war profiteering." Weiss looked shocked, while Ruby giggled at her finally being told off.
"Wha-! How dare-! Ugh!" Weiss could barely utter any words, having been taken aback by the raven-haired girl's comments and she furiously stormed off. Ruby turned to her to introduce herself only to find that she left too. Feeling embarrassed and dejected, she slumped to the floor.
"Welcome to Beacon." she sighed.
"Hey there."
"Are you alright?" Standing over Ruby were two boys, one blonde and the other black-haired, both offering their hands to her. Smiling, she took them as they lifted her up.
"Thanks," said Ruby. "I-I'm Ruby."
"My name's Jaune," introduced the blonde boy.
"Noctis," replied the black-haired boy. A realisation came to Ruby upon hearing that name. It couldn't be... could it?
"Wait! Noctis as in THE Noctis?!" she asked. "The Prince of Lucis!" Jaune blinked twice.
"Wait, you're the Prince ?!" Jaune followed. Noctis nodded.
"The one and only himself," he responded. Ruby and Jaune quickly bowed.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir!" they both bellowed. Noctis shook his head.
"It's okay, you don't have to be so formal." he said.
"B-But, you're a prince," Jaune stumbled. "We have to show respect!"
"Honestly, it's fine," Noctis spoke. "I'm not really fond of formal addresses. Just call me 'Noctis'."
"A-Are you sure?" Ruby asked.
"Positive. Now lift up your heads, you're gonna hurt your necks." Ruby and Jaune did so, chuckling nervously. "Hey, wait minute," he pointed at Ruby. "Aren't you the girl who beat up Torchwick?"
"That was you?!" gasped Jaune. Ruby groaned in frustration.
"Can people stop talking about that? It's embarrassing!"
"Embarrassing? If I was known as the guy who took out Torchwick, I'd wear that badge with pride!"
"As opposed to being known as the guy who threw up on the ship?" Noctis interjected, sending Ruby in a giggling fit.
"I-In my defence, motion sickness runs in the family! It's a very common problem in this day and age."
"Look we're sorry," said Ruby, recovering from the giggles. "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."
"Oh yeah? Well, what if I called you Crater Face?" Jaune hit back, grinning.
"Hey, that explosion was an accident!"
"Well the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it!"
Noctis snickered. "Do they?"
"They will! Jaune responded defensively. "Or at least I hope they will." Ruby, not knowing what else to do, took out her weapon and shifted it into scythe mode, making both of the boys jump.
"Woah!" Jaune exclaimed.
"That's the scythe?!" Noctis bellowed.
"It's also a customisable, high-impact sniper rifle!" chirped Ruby, beaming with delight.
"That is seriously cool!" Jaune exclaimed.
"I'll say." seconded Noctis.
"So, what do you guys have?" asked Ruby. Raising his hand up, Noctis called forth his weapon, which appeared in a flash of blue light. Ruby almost dropped Crescent Rose and she and Jaune both stared wide eyed.
"You can summon yours?!" Jaune asked. Noctis nodded, trying to hide his grin.
"That is so awesome!" Ruby squealed. "How did you do that? Was that a Semblance?!"
"Not exactly," he responded. "Let's just say it's a Lucian family secret."
"Woah!"
"So, what exactly is it?" asked Jaune.
"It's a prototype Dust-engine sword used in the Great War." Noctis explained. "Dad got it for my birthday."
"Does it have a name?" Ruby asked earnestly. Noctis raised his eyebrow curiously.
"Uh... no?" Does it need to?"
"Of course, it does!" Ruby chirped "Weapons are like your children and must be treated as such! That includes giving them names!"
"...Okay, I'll keep that mind. What about you, Jaune? What do you have?"
Jaune felt hesitant to share his weapon with them. It wasn't as impressive as either of theirs. Nevertheless, he decided to go for it, unsheathing his sword and transforming his shield.
"Well, here they are. A sword and shield." Jaune said modestly.
"Ooooh, what do they do?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, the shield gets smaller so that when I get tired of carrying it… I can just put it away."
"Wouldn't they weigh the same, though?" asked Noctis. Jaune nodded sullenly.
"Well I guess I went a little overboard in designing it. I'm kind of a sucker for weapons." Ruby said.
"Wait, you made that?!" Jaune expressed disbelief.
"Interesting." Noctis commented. He was starting to enjoy Vale the longer he was here.
"Of course! All students at Signal make their own weapons, didn't you make yours Jaune?" Jaune shook his head.
"It's a hand-me-down. My ancestor used it to fight in the war."
"That sounds more like a family heirloom to me." said Noctis.
"Well I like it!" Ruby exclaimed. "Not everyone has an appreciation for the classics these days." That made Jaune smile. It was nice that he was able to make some new friends here. Noctis gestured to them to go forward, having realised that the other students were entering the building.
"Hey, um, so why did you two help me out back there?" Ruby asked nervously. Jaune and Noctis looked at each other and then back to Ruby.
"That crabby girl was being a nuisance and I just couldn't stand by and let that happen." Noctis said.
"My parents always told me to help those in need." Jaune replied. Ruby smiled. It seemed like everything was going to work out after all. The amphitheatre was crowded. Ruby and Noctis scanned the place to see if they could find their peers. Noctis managed to find his friends and Ruby found Yang.
"Well it was nice meeting you, Jaune, but I gotta go to my sister. I'll see you later."
"My friends are over there, see you soon."
"Hey wait, I- aw man!" Jaune groaned. Ruby and Noctis both walked over to their respective groups, glaring at them.
"Ah, Your Highness," Ignis said. "So glad you could join us."
"Why the hell didn't you guys wake me up before you got off the ship?"
"We aren't your babysitters, Noct." Gladio said, rolling his eyes. "You're going to have to start doing these things by yourself."
"Yeah, when Boarbatusks fly." Prompto laughed, causing Noctis to glare furiously.
Meanwhile, Yang and Ruby were having their own disagreement.
"So how'd your first day go, Rubes?" Yang asked.
"You mean when you ditched me and I exploded?!" Ruby screeched.
"Yikes, meltdown already?"
"No, I mean I literally exploded, There was fire and it caused a crater in the middle of the courtyard!" Yang grinned at her.
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Ugh, I wish!" Ruby groaned. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"
"You!" came a familiar shrill voice. Weiss Schnee was next to them and she was not happy.
"Oh god, it's happening again!"
"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!"
"Oh god, you really exploded." Yang muttered.
"It was an accident, okay?" Ruby squeaked. Weiss appeared disinterested in her apology. Not wanting things to escalate any further, Yang decided to play mediator.
"Look, maybe you two just got off on the wrong foot, why don't you two start over?"
"Great idea, Yang! Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. You wanna hang out? We can shop for school supplies."
"Yeah, and then we can paint our nails, try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde and scraggly over there!" replied Weiss, seemingly enthusiastic.
"Oh my god, really?" Ruby said excitedly.
"No." Weiss said bluntly, making Ruby sad. Yang patted her back, reassuring her that she tried her best. At the podium, Headmaster Opzin arrived alongside Glynda. Staring blankly across the room, he spoke into the microphone.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With his speech over, he simply walked off.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight," Glynda informed them. "Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The students murmured at the oddity that took place, Ruby was especially confused. Ozpin seemed different, a far cry from the caring man she met three days ago.
"He seemed kind of off, don't you think?" Yang commented,
"Almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby responded.
"By the way, who were those guys you were with earlier?" Yang asked, curious.
"Oh, Jaune and Noctis." Yang's jaw nearly dropped.
"Wait… you mean to tell me you met Noctis Lucis Caelum ?!" What Yang didn't realise was how loud she spoke, alerting a crowd of girls towards the Prince's direction.
"Uh oh," Prompto commented. A collection of high-pitched squeals erupted in the amphitheatre and they swarmed Noctis and his friends like bees to honey.
"Uhhh, guys?" Noctis hesitated. "A little help please?"
"Sorry, Noct!" grunted Gladio, as several girls crowded him and Ignis. "Kind of preoccupied ourselves here!"
"I've been trained in many things, Highness!" Ignis bellowed. "This was not one of them!"
"Oh my god, they're wild animals!" Prompto rasped. "How do you deal with this everyday, Noct?"
"Welcome to my world!" More and more girls started piling up, all waiting to see the Prince up close.
"Oh my god, you're even cuter in person!"
"Wow, your clothes are so stylish!"
"Can I come to Lucis with you? Pretty please?"
"Marry me!" Suddenly, a loud noise that sounded like a whip crack, echoed in the amphitheatre. Everyone turned in horror at the sight of Glynda Goodwitch, holding her riding crop. Her vicious green eyes glared at the girls.
"Enough!" she said in a calm, but firm voice. "While he is studying here, I ask that you do not disturb the Prince! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am!" the girls all whimpered, running away. Noctis, though thankful for the assistance, was terrified by Glynda's glare.
"Um, t-thank you, P-Professor Goodwitch," Noctis stuttered.
"It was no trouble at all, Your Highness," Glynda said. "But just so you know, you will not be getting any special treatment while you're here." She pointed the riding crop in the direction of the boys' faces, making them all gulp. "You may be royalty and transfer students, but while you are studying here, you are students just like the rest. Do I make myself clear?"
"YES PROFESSOR GOODWITCH, MA'AM!" Prompto yelled. Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You don't have to go that far, Mr. Argentum. Just as long as we're clear that's all I ask." she sighed. "Gather tonight in the ballroom with the other students and make sure you don't forget your luggage." She bid them goodbye and left.
"Man, that lady is scary!" Prompto gasped.
"Tell me about it!" Noctis rasped. "She makes Headmaster Leonis look like a kitten!"
"And that guy's scarier than the Grimm." Gladio muttered. Ignis simply stared, seemingly enamoured by Glynda.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
"...what?!" Prompto asked.
"Nothing!" Ignis said, clearing his throat. "I said nothing!" Noctis sighed with exhaustion and glared in Yang's direction.
"Oops." she chuckled nervously, her face blushing cherry red.
"Perfect," Weiss said sarcastically. "You embarrassed the Prince on his first day here."
Jaune, who overheard Weiss's argument, walked over and attempted to introduce himself.
"You know, I'm a natural blonde," he said confidently, much to her annoyance.
Night time was here and all of the students, dressed in their pyjamas, lay their sleeping bags down. Ruby, dressed in a black vest and polka dot pants, was writing a letter and Yang flopped down next to her, wearing a yellow vest with black shorts.
"It's like a biiiiig slumber party!" Yang cheered.
"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys, though." Ruby chuckled.
"I know I do," Yang purred, ogling at several shirtless boys. At that moment Jaune, dressed in a blue bunny onesie, walked over and waved at Yang and Ruby, prompting a wince from Yang. She still didn't forget the vomiting incident on the airship. "So what are you up to, Ruby?"
"Just writing a letter to the gang back at Beacon," she responded.
"Awww, that's so cute!" Yang teased, earning a pillow in the face.
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends here. It's weird not knowing anyone."
"Don't say that, what about Jaune? He seems… nice. Or Noctis, you two seem to be chummy! There you go! That's two friends!"
"I don't think Noctis really sees me as 'friend material' and I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend," Ruby sighed. "Back to zero."
"Come on, Ruby, It's only been one day. Trust me. Look, you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet." Yang reassured her little sister. Just then, Ruby noticed someone familiar; the raven-haired girl from this afternoon, dressed in a black nightgown and reading a book.
"That girl," she whispered. Yang took notice of this and asked Ruby about her.
"Do you know her?" Ruby shook her head.
"Not really, but she did see what happened this afternoon."
"Well now here's your chance." Yang dragged Ruby across the room to meet her, much to her annoyance.
"Hello," Yang said in a singsong voice. "I believe you two know each other!" The raven-haired girl looked up.
"Oh yeah," she said plainly. "You're the girl that exploded."
"Yeah," Ruby laughed nervously. "I'm Ruby Rose, but you can call me Crater,,. actually, just call me Ruby."
"Blake," she responded. "Blake Kageyama."
"And I'm Yang," Yang introduced herself. "Ruby's older sister and party-girl extraordinaire!" Blake said nothing, continuing to read her book. "I like your bow, it goes great with your… pyjamas." Yang continued to talk. Still nothing. One more time. "Nice night isn't it?" Finally, Blake responded.
"Yes, it's lovely... almost as lovely as this book... that I will continue to read." She looked at her book again as if nothing happened. Fed up, Yang shook her head.
"Okay, I give up. She's a lost cause. Let's head back to bed, Rubes." Ruby didn't move, however, determined to make some kind of conversation with her.
"What are you reading?" she asked. That question got Blake's attention.
"Excuse me?"
"Your book. What's it about?"
"It's a story about a man with two souls," she answered. "Each one is fighting for control over the body."
"I love books," Ruby said. "Yang used to read them to me every night when we were kids. Tales about heroes. That's what I want to be." Blake raised an eyebrow.
"You want to be a hero? Why? Are you hoping that you'll live happily ever after?"
"Well I hope we all would. My parents were heroes back in their day and it was them who inspired me to fight for what's right and to protect the innocent."
"That's very ambitious for a child, but life isn't a fairy tale." Blake sighed.
"That's why we're here, right? To make the world better."
"You're an interesting one, Ruby." Blake said, returning to her book. Ruby smiled at that. It looked like she made another friend.
"Awww, nice going Ruby!" Yang exclaimed, bringing her sister in for a crushing hug.
"Yang! Cut it out!" Ruby squealed.
"Can you all just go to sleep?!" Weiss yelled. She wore a blue nightdress and her hair was down. What started as a small quarrel evolved into a big shouting match between her and Yang, prompting everyone to look. Blake rolled her eyes and continued reading, ignoring the ensuing chaos in front of her.