I really need to flesh out some friendships soo... wala! (Early volume 1 Blake is so hard for me to write. I hope I got her right.)

I'm sorry it's been so long. Since I got a job, I've had alot of trouble balancing my life. I promise I will still work on this but my upload schedule might be a bit more random then it used to be. (Not that I was ever consistant in the first place.)

Chapter Nine

Weekend Fun and Revelations

The trip to Beacon's library was a quiet one, mostly because I couldn't think of any real intelligent conversation. Blake didn't seem to mind too much though... but then again she never really was one to instigate conversation this early in the series. Honeslty, despite the silence... I'm a ball of nerves.

Part of me wonders while I was so eager to do this. 'I mean yes, Blake is one of my favorite characters in the show... But I know how I behaved back in highschool when I'd have a crush on someone!'

The answer is awkward as all hell.

It doesn't help that Blake was... well...

...

Fuck, she was just so beautiful.

Seeing her in the show was one thing. There she was an attractive character design, nice to look at sure... but she was animated.

Here though... she was real.

Like me, she was dressed in the Beacon's maditory school uniform. Her raven black hair fell all the way down to the small of her back and it seemed to spread out somehow. Like her hair wanted to make itself as wide as possible and desguise itself as a cape. Her amber eyes stared ahead, and I couldn't help but notice how every now and then the lights from the hallway would reflect off them and make them sparkle. Occaissonally as we walked, the students passing us would laugh or make a similarilly loud sound and I'd see the bow she always wore to cover her ears twitch.

She was just...

'Wow...'

I think I might be... gawking? 'Yeah, that's not creepy at all.'

I feel my face heat up and force myself to look litterally anywhere else, taking a final bite of my apple as I do so.

'And this... This is why no one ever dated you.' I think as I toss the apple core in the nearist trash bin.

LINEBREAK

Finally we'd reached the library. Despite my current state of... awkwardness? I feel my eyes widen as I take in the sight before me. It was HUGE! The room was massive, with each wall addorned with large aisle's of bookshelves filled to the brim with... well books. The middle of the room was littered with multiple tables and chairs, most likely for a place to study. Sitting at one of the tables was most of Team CFVY, though strangely Velvet seems to be absent.

In the far left corner I could see rows of computer like terminals.

'I guess that's for the internet searches... Aren't I just a regular Sherlock Holmes?'

Blake moves over towards what looks like the reception area and I follow silently. Sitting behind the receptionist desk is a blonde woman, who I assume is the librarian. As we approach she gives us a warm smile.

"How can I help you two?"

Blake gestures to the both of us. "We're new here, I was hoping we could both get set up with a library card."

The woman nods. "Of course!" She swivels her chair slightly to face her terminal-computer thingy. She types on the keyboard for a few seconds before she speaks. "I just need your names, grades and team names."

Blake speaks first. "Blake Belladonna, first year. Team RWBY."

The woman nods with a small smile. She inputs the info into her terminal before turning to me. "And you?"

"Um... Toby Lawliet. Also a first year. Team AT."

Nodding again, she inputs my info. Pushing back her chair, she pulls out a desk drawer and grabs two plastic cards. Closing the drawer, she grabs a nearby marker before writing our information on both. Scooting forward once again, she hands us the cards.

"There you go! Just scan the cards and books before you leave!"

Blake and I nod with a thank you and make our way to the different aisle's. Finding ourselves in the fantasy section, I prove my nerdiness when my eyes immediately zero in on The Fellowship of the Ring. Puling the book from the shelf, I hold it out to Blake.

"You still wanting to read the sequel?."

Blake, who had been searching through the bookshelves alphabetically. Gives me a surprised look before nodding and grabbing the outstreched book. "That was quick."

I shrug. "I'm kinda a nerd when it comes to that series. I've read it more times than I can count." Not forgetting my amnesia excuse, I add. "I remember I used to read it between training with my mentor... At least I think."

Blake nods with a soft smile. "I'm glad you've begun to remember bits of your old life."

'At least that makes one of us. Currently, I'm too busy trying to figure out what the fuck is happening... I mean, is the writer somehow fucking with my memory? Making me remember stuff that I know is fake? If so... I'm not okay with that.'

...

'I mean, it wasn't that long ago that I was celebrating my graduation with Matt. And then on the way home I...'

'I...'

...

'What happened then...? Why can't I remember?' I start to feel alarmed. 'What the fuck?!'

"Toby? You okay?" Blake's question remindes me that I was currently in a conversation.

"Um... yeah." I say. 'Cause that sounds convincing.'

I see Blake roll her eyes. "Of course. That would explain why you were making faces at the floor." She says sarcasticly. Her face softens. "What's wrong?"

I stare into Blake's eyes for a few seconds before I sigh, looking down.

'Maybe if I just tell a half truth? I'm really getting sick of having to lie.'

"I'm not too enthused with what I've been remembering... And some of the things I can't remember... It scares me slightly." I sigh again, looking up. "It doesn't really make sense but... like I told the headmaster... It's a mess up here right now."

Blake seems like she's searching for something comforting to say. 'Fuck, I didn't come here to bug her with my issues.'

I turn away and start to search for a random book. "So-" I try changing the subject. "- Do you have a favorite genre? Or do you just like to read pretty much anything?"

A moment passes before she responds. "Are you trying to change the subject?"

I give her a wide smile. "Yep! Work with me here Blake! I need the distraction."

She laughs lightly as she shakes her head. "To answer your question... pretty much anything. Lately though..." Her face heats up as she mutters something.

"Didn't quite catch that last part." I say with a raised eyebrow.

Her face stays heated. "Lately I've had a preferance for romance novels."

'...And by "Romance Novels", I'm sure she means "Ninja's of Love" which is... an adult novel if I remember correctly.'

I shrug, ignoring the heat rising on my face. "I can't really make fun of that. I'm a sucker for a good romance plot."

"Really?" Looking at Blake's surprised face, I feel the heat on my face intensify.

I look away, back to the books. "Um... yeah. Is that weird?"

'Please don't be weird.'

"No!" Blake says with with a stange amount of forcefullness. "It's just surprising."

I nod as I feel the blush going away somewhat. I clear my throat. "So... any favorite's so far?"

'Oh hey there, Dracula! And even still credited to Bram Stoker. Haven't read that in a while.' I grab the book and move away from the shelf.

Blake thinks for a second. "Nothing comes to mind just yet... But I did finish reading Romeo and Juliet recently, at least before I started The Hobbit."

I groan. 'Why THAT story of all stories?'

"Not a fan?" She asks with a tilt of her head. She looks amused.

"Not even a little bit." I say as Blake and I make our way out of the aisle.

"Why?" Blake way looks way to amused by this.

I stop and look at Blake, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you wanna ask me that? I'm gonna rant."

Amused Blake continues. "Go ahead."

I take a deep breath. "Okay first off... Romeo and Juliet is not a romance story it is a tragedy. Second- Romeo is an adult in the story and Juliet is what... 12? 13? That's creepy! And while I'm at it, if I remember correctly, at one point Romeo is obsessed with another girl before he meets Juliet. I highly doubt that he's "in love" with Juliet when he was just obsessed with another girl like what? Five minutes ago? And don't even get me started on their suicide at the end! That's not romantic, that's just dumb!"

Blake sports a wide grin and her amber eyes sparkle in amusement. "So, not a fan."

I deflate. "Yeah. Not a fan." I smile. "Unpopular opinion, I know but meh. Never really liked the story."

Blake looks at the book in my hand. "And Bram's Stoker's Dracula? Opinions?"

I shrug. "It's actually been a long time since I read this... I think. I'm gonna need a refresher on that one."

Blake nods with a small smile. We make our way over to the receptionist and hand her our books. She doesn't even bother to look at our cards for obvious reasons. Now checked out, we thank her and make our way out of the library.

"I mean, I remember really liking it? I'm not quite sure though."

Blake gives me a smile. "It is considered a classic for a reason."

'Oh look at me! I'm having a fuctioning conversation with an attractive girl... And the butterflies in my stomach have mostly fucked off! What a day to be alive!'

We fall into silence once again. But this time... I don't find it uncomfortable. As we walk, Blake turns her book around in her hands and starts reading the summary to The Lord of the Rings. At first, I'm slightly worried that she might bump into something or trip or something... but she navigates the hallway just fine despite the fact that she's looking downward.

'Fuck knows that if I tried that, I'd be face down in pain by now.'

Now done reading, Blake looks back up and turns to look at me. I, in turn, pretend that I haven't just been staring at her this whole time.

'Staring is creepy! Stop being creepy.'

"Earlier you asked my favorite genre. What's yours?"

I think for a moment as we walk. After a small bit of consideration, I respond. "It's a mixup of two. Fantasy and Adventure. But..." I point to the book she was holding. "That was probably obvious."

Blake smiles. "Maybe so." Her bow twitches.

I hear rapid footsteps as we turn the corner and I'm greeted with the sight of Velvet Scarlatina running down the hall. Looking very flustered as she hugs a large textbook. As she runs I see one asshole by the name of Cardin Winchester stick out his foot as he walks past. The very second I see Velvet trip and why I feel a surge of concern mixed with anger and a mental click that I've learned to connect with my Semblance activating. Time slows as the book she's holding is thrown outwards towards Blake who I see widens her eyes slowly. Feeling my Aura draining, I drop my library book and move quickly. Grabbing Velvet's textbook out of the air, I move close to the falling Velvet and hold my left arm out to stop her fall. Small crises avoided, my Semblance clicks off and I feel my Aura stop draining and time returns to normal. Though what's left isn't much, despite how short that usage was.

Velvet's face turns from wincing to shock when she realizes she hasn't hit the ground. Helping her stand upright I hand her her book before glaring at Cardin who sneers before he leaves silently. I continue to glare as he leaves.

"Um... thank you." The sound of Velvet's accented voice makes me stop glaring as i turn my gaze on her. I smile.

"No problem." I hold her book out to her. "Want me to report him?" I nod down the hall.

Velvet shakes her head as she grabs her textbook. "Um, n-no. That's not necessary..."

"Are you sure?" Blake speaks from behind me. I turn and see that she has picked up my fallen book. Walking over to us, she hands it to me. "He did just trip you."

Velvet shakes her head again. I sigh. Sticking out my hand, I feel my heart hurt slightly when I see her wince. "I'm Toby Lawliet. The woman behind me is Blake Belladonna."

Velvet stares at my hand disrtustfully before she looks towards Blake. In turn, Blake sends her a friendly smile before she subtly makes the left side of her bow twitch. Velvet's eyes widen in realization as Blake nods in my direction.

'This whole thing is not that subtle Blake. How unobservant do you think I am? But... I guess she did just give Velvet the Faunus approved stamp of me being friendly.'

Velvet takes my hand and shakes it. I smile as our hands seperate. "My names Velvet Scarlatina. It's good to meet you." She smiles back before her eyes widen. "Oh shoot! I need to go! I promised Coco I'd be at the library twenty minutes ago!"

'Insert Alice in Wonderland late rabbit joke here...'

I nod before moving out of her way. "Well, it was nice to meet you Velvet." Blake nods as Velvet runs by us giving us one last wave as she turns the corner. I wave back as she leaves my view, a smile on my face.

I turn to look at Blake who is smiling oddly at me. "What?" I ask.

Blake shakes her head, but the smile never leaves. "Nothing." She starts to leave and I follow. "That was an impressive display of speed though, I barely saw you move."

"It's not really speed. More like some kinda time slowing thing. It's my Semblance." I yawn. "It drains my aura to almost nothing though."

Blake glances at me. "Even in that short of time?"

I nod. "Yep. Doesn't help that I'm still learning how to NOT switch it on in situations that don't call for it."

"Example?"

"Umm... well my Semblance seems to be tied to my emotions in some way. And yesterday, Arnold was leaving the bathroom after taking a shower. Not usually a cause for alarm right? Well I-" I point myself. "-had no idea I wasn't alone. The superstisious part of my brain thought we had a ghost. So my Semblance activated and the next thing I know, I'm drained for absolutely no reason."

Blake smiles in amusement as we continue down the hall. "And I assume the glowing red eyes are a part of your Semblance as well?"

I blink. "What?"

She looks over at me. "Back in our match and again here; both times I've seen you use it, your eyes glowed red."

'...Well that's new.'

I stare at her in silence for a moment. "Like... angry frustrated Yang, like back in the forest, red?"

Blake shakes her head. "No. A very violent glowing red. Almost burning."

"Well that's... I don't know if that's really cool or really creepy." I blink. Staring at Blake, I focus on what Cardin just did. Switching my Semblance on and then as time slows, I immediately switch it back off before it can drain the remainder of my aura. "Did it do it that time too?"

Blake nods. "Yeah."

"Oh fun." I say dryly. "I have glowing red anime eyes. That's not cliche at all..."

Blake nods with a small smile. "That is a common trope in some manga."

I raise an eyebrow is surprise. "You read manga?"

She shrugs. "Occaisionally. It's not my favorite form of literature."

Exiting the main building, we walk in the direction of our dorms. Talking randomly about different pieces of literature the whole way.

LINEBREAK

Saying goodbye to Blake, I use my scroll to unlock my dorms electronic lock. Stepping inside, I close the door with a small smile as I shut my eyes. I sigh happily.

'I haven't geeked out over books that much in a long time.'

"Welcome back loverboy."

"How did it go?"

Two voices reach my ears and I let out a startled yelp. My damn Semblance activates again as I turn quickly; meeting the gazes of Arnold and Yang, who are both sitting together on the top bunk eating candy. My Semblance deactivates as Yang holds up her hands in surprise.

"Woah there! No need to go all 'evil eye' on me."

Arnold smirks before taking a bite of his chocolate bar and swallowing. "He does that sometimes."

I fold my arms in mock irritation. "Yeah, thanks for telling me by the way. I would've liked to know that my eyes are essentially headlights now."

Arnold shrugs. "I assumed you knew."

I roll my eyes.

"So..." Yang begins before wiggling her eyebrows at me. "How'd your date go?"

I feel my face heat up. "A trip to the library is not a date! We were just getting books!"

Yang laughs lightly her smile wide. "Are you blushing!?" Her laughter continues as I try to look anywhere else. "Oh my god you are! That's adorable!"

I try to force down the rising heat. "Shut up..."

Yang does not in fact shut up. Niether does my blush go away. "Oh your so cute!" She starts to giggle uncontrollably. I look to Arnold for help, but frown when I see him grinning wildly. I groan.

'I need out of this situation... to the bathroom I go! Good thing I forgot to shower this morning. Hopefully by the time I'm out, she'll have got it out of her system.'

"Whatever. I'm gonna go shower. You two just... do whatever."

Yang stops laughing but her eyes twinkle with mischief. "Cold shower?" She says suggestively.

My face grows even hotter. And I glare as my heart starts to pound. "I'm... I'm gonna leave now." I turn around quickly grabbing a towel as I head to the bathroom.

"I believe you've upset him." I hear Arnold say as I quickly shut the door. Gathering my thoughts, I move over to the mirror and...

'Oh yeah... Me but not me. I don't think I'll ever get used to that.'

I find myself glaring at my reflection before I roll my eyes. Taking off my blazer and shirt, I fold them before placeing them on the counter.

'Because I forgot a change of clothes... and I AM NOT going back out there.'

There's a knock at the door. "Are you still decent?"

'What the fuck Arnold?'

I sigh. "Somewhat. What do you want?"

The door opens and I turn quickly glaring at him as he walks in. "Fuck dude! Just waltz right in! It's not like I was undressing or anything!"

Arnold shrugs. "I did ask. And you did not lock the door." He sighs at my glare. "You realize she is just tease..." He stops, looking behind me with wide surprised eyes.

A moment passes. I snap my fingers. "Arnold? You in there?"

"IS HE WEARING PANTS? IS IT SAFE TO COME IN!?"

I slap my hand against my face as Arnold shakily replies with a yes.

'Please writer don't let Blake hear any of this. Oh my fucking god.'

Suddenly the door is open and Yang is walking in.

"Goddamnit Yang!" I shout while I once again face palm, my face heating up. "What the hell!?"

She shrugs with a grin. "The door was unlocked. Listen I was just kid-" She also looks behind me before she stops and gasps lightly. "Oh my god..." She says quietly.

'Okay thats unsettling. What managed to shut up Yang?'

I start to look behind me. 'I mean, there's nothing behind me except a mir-'

"Holy shit..."

Looking into the mirror, I see my reflection gazing back. My back turned to the mirror, I can see my bare back. The only problem is, my back is adorned by five very large scars. Like some really big claws had their way with me at some point. The scars were rough and dark, which made me guess that they weren't gonna heal any more than they had.

'WHERE THE FUCK DID THAT COME FROM!?'

I feel a sudden pain in my head. Then suddenly it feels like I'm somewhere else.

Fear. Claws everywhere, Is that blood? I scream as I'm carried off. Voices shout an unfamiliar word. The voices sound panicked. Why? Glowing eyes meet mine as I scream. Pain.

"Toby?" Arnolds voice brings me back to the present. "Are you alright?"

I nod weakly. 'What the fuck was that?!'

Out loud I say: "Memory flash... I fucking hate amnesia." I raise and hand, barely able to touch one of the scars by it's edge.

Arnold comes over to me. "May I?" He gestures to the scars.

"Um... sure?" I turn around.

I feel him trace the scars. "These look old... Too old to be recent..." He leans over to look at me. "How is this the first time you've seen them?"

I shrug. "I don't make a habit of staring at myself in the mirror."

'In fact on a good day I try to avoid it.'

Arnold nods before he looks back at my back. "These must have happened before you unlocked your Aura... That is the only way I could think of them not healing..."

'And because fanfic bullshit, I can't really guess when that was.'

I hear Arnold step back and with a sigh, I turn around. Meeting the eyes of Arnold and Yang. Yang looks very disturbed and that worries me slightly.

"Yang?"

She says nothing as she stares at me. Sharing a glance with Arnold, I move over to Yang. Putting a hand on her shoulder, I shake her lightly. "Hey Yang? You okay in there?"

Yang blinks before she looks at me. Only now that I'm this close, do I see that her eye's are misty. This only alarms me more.

"Beryl?" She whispers, her voice cracking.

'What the fuck is a Beryl?'

"Yang? Are you alright? Your kinda scaring me."

Yang gazes into my eyes before she suddenly clears her throat. Wiping her eyes she grins. "Um, yeah! Listen I uh..." She backs away. "I need to go. I'll see you later!" With that she turns and exits the bathroom.

...

I meet Arnolds gaze. "She is not okay."

He nods. "It seems not. I should check on her before she leaves." With that he also exits the bathroom.

...

'This has been the weirdest bathroom break ever...'

...

'What was I even doing?'

...

'Oh yeah. Shower to cover embarrassment...'

Wordlessly, I lock the bathroom door before I move on with my plans to shower.

'Okay writer, I'm not sure what your doing... but stop fucking with my head. My thoughts are MINE and whatever your doing needs to stop. NOW.'

The rest of my shower is spent worrying about Yang.

LINEBREAK

Leaving the bathroom dressed and refreshed, but no less worried. I glance at Arnold, who is sitting on the top bunk, munching thoughtfully on a candy bar.

"Well?" I send my teammate a questioning glance. "Did she say anything?"

Arnold shakes his head. "She only said that she needed to make a call... and perhaps speak with the headmaster."

My eyes widen. "Why?"

Arnold shrugs. "I do not know."

Sighing, I pull out a chair from the work desk and take a seat. "Not to change the subject..." I say. "What lead to you two hanging out in here anyway."

Arnold shruged again. "She said was studying. Mrs. Rose ran off somewhere and Mrs. Belladonna was with you. I believe she was bored."

I raise an eyebrow as he takes another bite of his chocolate bar. "And the candy?"

Arnold shrugs yet again. "She brought it."

I nod before I lean back in my chair. The atmosphere is really tense.

"Toby? Do you have any idea why she reacted the way she did?"

'...All I got is the dumb-ass brother sub-plot but... Not the how or why. Fuck.'

"No."

Arnold sighs. We're silent for several seconds before I hear my stomach growl angerly.

"I guess that apple could only last for so long. Using my Semblance for no reason multiple times today probably didn't help."

"You used your Semblance? Why?"

I shrug. "Cardin was a dick and tripped a student running down the hall. Apparentlly that, mixed with her textbook almost flying into Blake's face is enough to set it off."

Arnold rolls his eyes. "That bastard."

My eyes widen. "I'm not sure but... I think that's the first time I've heard you curse."

My stomach growls again and I groan.

'Goddamnit stomach...'

"How much longer till lunch?"

Arnold pulls out his scroll. "About three hours."

I groan again. "Any more candy up there?"

Arnold raises his chocolate bar. "Just this." He leans back. "If you want a snack, the dorms do have a lounge. There is a fridge there."

"Really? Cool." I stand up. "Where is it? Wanna come with?"

"It is in the first floor. At the end of the hallway. As for joining you..." He jumps down from his bunk. "I promised my sister I would call her around this time today. Pass?"

I nod. "Sure." Grabbing my scroll, I head out of our dorm.

LINEBREAK

Walking down the steps, I turn and make my way down the hallway. Now that I was alone, I couldn't help but be alone with my thoughts.

'This is turning out to be quite the fucking day. I mean, weird dreams, a talking voice in my head, hanging with Blake... whatever the fuck that was with Yang...'

...

'And not to forget the fact that the writer is somehow fucking with my mind...'

That last part concerned me more than the rest.

'My memories are mine damn it... If you can just add memories on the fly...'

...

I don't know what to think as I make my way into dorm's lounge area. Making a beeline for the fridge, I put a stop to my worrying thoughts as my stomach growls.

'Yeah, yeah...'

"Hey Toby!"

I turn my head as I open the fridge. I see Ruby stainding at the main island near the kitchen area. She has a red bowl set up with chocolate chips, flour, and a big wodden spoon set to the side. She is waving happily,

"Hi Ruby." I say absentmindedly as I grab a bag of grapes from the fridge. Standing up, I turn to leave-

'...Wait.'

I turn to look at Ruby who is breaking a couple eggs before tossing them in the bowl.

"Ruby? What are you doing?"

She sends me a happy smile. "Making cookies!"

'...Why does this look so familiar?'

I blink as she picks up the bag of flour.She starts to try to rip it open... but she seems to be failing. She sighs, before trying again, but with more force this time.

'...I know a cliche when I see it.'

"Um... Ruby? If you keep pulling on the bag like that it'll-"

Too late. Ruby rips open the bag and it splits down the middle. Flour flies everywhere and soon, the little red reaper is enveloped inside a cloud of flour. I hear her cough as the cloud dissipates, revealing a slightly despondent looking Ruby Rose.

The sight of Ruby covered in flour making sad eyes is so cute that I actually find myself laughing. She glares at me.

"It's not funny!" Mad Ruby covered in flour is worse.

"I'm sorry!" I say, before I break into another fit of laughter.

I guess my laughter is contagious because soon, her glare breaks into a smile and Ruby starts to giggle. We laugh together for a couple seconds before I regain control of myself.

Smiling, I gesture to the mess. "You want any help?"

Ruby sends me a happy smile. "Sure!"

Tossing my mostly forgotten bag of grapes to a nearby counter, I make my way to Ruby and the counter that is now covered in flour. Looking into the bowl, I'm surprised to see that at least some of the flour made it in.

"How many are you making?" I ask.

Ruby sneezes before answering. "A couple dozen. Maybe 5 or 6?"

I send Ruby a surprised look. 'No one person needs that many cookies.'

"Um... Can I ask why?"

Ruby gives me an excited nod. "I was making them for us! All of us! To celebrate getting through our first week at Beacon!"

I smile, before looking down at the bowl. "In that case, we're gonna need more ingredients."

Ruby sneezes again. "Like what?"

"Suger, brown suger, salt, more flour, and vanilla."

Ruby blinks looking lost.

"You... do know how to make Chocolate Chip cookies don't you?"

Ruby shakes her head no, causing some flour to fall off her head.

I laugh lightly. "In that case, I'm glad I stopped by." Giving Ruby a smile I continue. "Want me to teach you?"

Ruby nods excitedly before she sneezes again. "Darn it..." She mumbles with a sniff.

I find myself laughing yet again. "But first, you should find a towel or something to get some of that flour off."

Ruby nods before dashing away to the cabinets, leaving behind a trail of flour and rose petals in her wake. Grinning wildly, I start to look for all the different ingredients we'd be needing.

LINEBREAK

Popping in the sheet covered in the first batch of our homemade cookie-dough, I shut the oven door before setting the timer. Looking back over at Ruby, I see that she's already hard at work at making our next batch. Somewhat hilariously, I see that she still has some flour stuck in her hair as she tilts her head slightly as she hums a familier tune.

'What is that? I know I've heard that some-'

Finally my brain clicks and I grin like an idiot.

'This Will Be The Day'... she is litterally humming her own theme. I can't even.'

Smiling, I lean against the nearby counter. "You know, I think I have that song on my laptop."

Ruby looks pleasantly surprised. "Really?" I nod and she grins. "It's my favorite song right now! When it first came out, Yang had to hide my scroll because I kept playing it non-stop."

"Really? Where'd she hide it?"

Ruby shrugs. "I dunno. I made Zwei go get it!"

'Oh my god I forgot the Puppy! Oh my god yes! Cute little adorable Zwei!'

Out loud I say. "Who's Zwei?"

Ruby gives me a wide smile and I swear her eyes twinkle. "Zwei is the cutest little dog in the world! He's so smart a cute and-"

She's cut off when I hear 'This Will Be The Day' playing out loud. I'm confused for a sec before Ruby unzips what looks like a small previously hidden pocket on the side of her gothic looking skirt and pulls out her scroll. She gasps really loudly with a happy smile, dropping the spoon in the bowl. She swipes the screen holding it in front of her.

"UNCLE QROW!" She practically yells. Despite the ear pain, I smile before moving over to fish the dropped spoon out of the mixture.

"Hey kiddo." The voice of one Qrow Branwen comes through the scrolls speakers. Looking up from the bowl, I'm surprised to see his face displayed on the screen. "How've you been enjoying Beacon?"

'Oh cool, Remnant Skype.' Looking back down at the mixture I star to stir once again. 'Just a bit more, then I can move this to a sheet.' Looking back up from the mixture, I look back at the video feed of Qrow as they catch up.

Ruby finishes whatever she was saying with a smile. Qrow laughs. "Glad to hear it kiddo." There's a pause. Trying not to watch the call like a creeper, I move to get another baking sheet. "You have flour in your hair."

Ruby turns her gaze on me with a slight glare. It honestly isn't that threatening. "I thought you said I got it all!"

I raise my hands in defense. "Hey, at the time I thought you did!" Baking sheet now in hand, I place it down next to the bowl and start setting up our next batch of cookies.

"Who's that?" Qrow's voice says from the scroll.

Ruby's smile widens, showing she wasn't really mad anyway. "Oh! That's Toby! He's one of my new friends."

"... That wouldn't happen to be Toby Lawliet would it?"

I raise an eyebrow. 'Why the hell does Qrow know about me of all people? I should be WAY off his radar... at least until Volume 3.'

Ruby gives me a confused look and I shrug. Looking back to her Uncle, she responds. "Um... yeah? Wanna meet him?"

'For some reason, I feel like Ruby just pushed me in front of an oncoming bus.'

END