A/N: Sorry for the long wait on any new chapters. Just had some huge changes in life that prevented just about everything from getting a whole lot of anything done. But regardless, NEW CHAPTER!
Chapter 7: Redcliffe
Ruby groaned hard as the knocking on her door slowly turned more into banging. Her body had started to relax, and therefore started to get sore so the last thing she wanted to do was move around. She took her pillow from beneath her and put it over her head in an attempt to drown out the sound of fist on wood. She groaned as the knocking finally stopped, but she heard the door finally open and a familiar voice called to her.
"Hey there, Petals. What are you doing in bed?" Malachi chuckled as he shut the door behind him. Ruby was bundled up in the bed with her pillow over her head. She looked absolutely adorable, and he couldn't help but wonder what was beneath the blanket.
"Go away… let me sleep." Ruby groaned as she curled up a little bit more.
"Come on. Josie is looking for you since she wants you and a few others to head to Redcliffe."
"Ugh… I don't wanna go…"
"I know you don't, but you were the one that got the invitation from the Grand Enchanter. Anyway… I'll make you a deal. You agree to get up and go to Redcliffe, and I'll make you more of those cookies I've heard you enjoy." Malachi chuckled as he leaned against the wardrobe, hoping that would get her out of the bed. Luckily, he was right, Ruby proceeded to sit up onto her side, her dark red hair sticking up in all directions.
"So, you did make those cookies." Ruby stated as she started to remove herself from her cocoon of blankets. She dropped the blanket to show Mal she was wearing a large t-shirt that covered her body, but gave Mal a lovely look at her legs. She looked at him and noticed his stare on her body, which usually made her super uncomfortable, but now it was only slightly. She pointed out "I need to get dressed."
"And? Not like I haven't seen what's under that shirt already… unless there isn't anything under there." Mal chuckled as he imagined Ruby's young curves. He saw the look on Ruby's face, one of embarrassment and anger. He held up his hands and turned around, stating "Alright, I'm not looking. I swear. But to answer your previous question; yes, I did make the cookies."
"Really? I didn't realize you were a chef." Ruby stated as she got up and grabbed her armor for the trip, being prepared for anything. She double checked to make sure Mal wasn't getting a free peek on her, seeing that he still had his back to her. She made her change quickly, slipping into under armor. She sighed "Okay, you can turn back around."
Mal turned back as Ruby started to get the rest of her armor on, but he got a nice eyeful of her womanly shape, including her very toned rear that the armor only helped make look better.
"Damn, I heard you didn't get much attention from guys back home, but I can't see how you didn't." Mal complimented/ flirted, or do what he considered a compliment. Ruby looked back as she pulled her skirt up, covering her rear. It was weird for her to allow a guy to get such an… in depth look at her.
"Because I have an older, curvier blonde sister." Ruby pointed out as she put on her corset and shirt. It took her a minute to get her gear on while Malachi simply soaked up the view. Once she was done, she grabbed Crescent Rose and walked out. She turned to see Raphael about halfway down the walkway when Malachi walked out of the room behind her. Ruby watched as a look of surprise washed over Raph's face, and she could feel the smug look Malachi had on his face. Raph shook his head a bit and updated them.
"Ambassador Montilyet wanted me to come get you. There is a caravan about to leave in a few minutes for the crossroads. From there we can head for Redcliffe." Raphael updated, looking away from the two of them. Ruby felt a little bit guilty since she had lead Raphael on just a little bit… not like she hadn't been leading Malachi on just as much.
"Thanks, Raph. Has anyone else decided to join us?" Ruby questioned as she walked a bit closer to him.
"Yes, Ser Blackwall, Sera and Weiss have decided to join while Brianna has me and Racheal joining you."
"Okay… good team…"
"Yes, well, I need to get ready."
He turned and left, leaving Ruby feeling a little bit guilty for her actions. Malachi simply patted her back as he walked by and headed out of the Chantry. She groaned herself as her shoulders dropped thinking that she was just terrible at handling situations with these two. She simply kept walking and headed for the departure area, seeing that everyone was set up and ready to get moving. Blackwall was wearing his silver Grey Warden armor with his sword on his hip and his shield on his back. Sera had her quiver on her back and was plucking her bow's string, making sure that it was still taunt.
Weiss had her rapier on her hip, but had a staff on her back that had a large, crystal orb on it. Racheal and Raphael had their usual gear, not very different from Blackwall and Weiss.
"Is everyone ready? Ruby questioned as she adjusted her pack.
"Yeah, been waiting on you to get done with ya dark and mysterious man." Sera chuckled as she put her bow on her back. Ruby's face lit up in embarrassment as Blackwall laughed and Weiss looked at Ruby in sheer surprise.
"What?!" Weiss barked at Ruby as she grabbed her hood and pulled it over her head as Blackwall patted her back. Weiss continued "Ruby! You should not be doing anything with that… that… him!"
"We didn't do anything! He came to tell me we were leaving for Redcliffe!" Ruby replied from beneath her hood. She groaned as she started to slide over to the wagon they were going to be taking "Can we just get going?"
Everyone chuckled, minus Raphael and Weiss, and climbed into the wagon; Ruby and Raph ending up sitting at the ends facing each other. Neither of them could meet each other's gaze, until they accidently met… creating a painfully awkward moment between the two of them that filled the entire wagon.
"So… how are things?" Ruby questioned, just doing her best to break the awkward silence.
"Things are… good…" Raph kinda grumbled. He was a bit miffed that Malachi was with Ruby in her room… doing who knows what but probably something he wanted to do himself. Ruby was a strong young woman that had been thrust with responsibility that only legends would ever get and she had went through it without an ounce of effort.
"Bloody hell, can you two just kiss already? Save us these awkward silences and conversations." Blackwall grumbled. He had seen this a thousand times before in young soldiers, feelings and attractions that threw their minds into disarray to the point they couldn't speak. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see both of their hairlines start to disappear as their faces started to turn a bright red. Ruby cleared her throat as she decided to speak up.
"Raphael… Raph… Malachi and I didn't do anything. He really did just come to tell me that Josie had set this caravan up." Ruby explained, deciding to omit the part of her changing while he was still in the room where he got a look of her in her under armor clothes.
"It's fine. You can do what you please, Ruby. You're a young woman and do what you want with who you want. If you want to be with Malachi… then that's fine." Raphael explained. Granted, the last part was practically poison in his own mouth since he detested Malachi. Everything from his dishonest way of fighting to his 'I'm the shit' personality thinking he was the greatest thing on Thedas. And, of course, he had to be attracted to the same woman as that puffed up knife thrower.
"I mean, I'm not really decided on boys yet. Sure, Mal is the bad boy who bakes cookies… but you're the sweet warrior that thinks about the sentimental things… like cleaning my cloak." Ruby explained as she put her hand on his knee. She could see Raph's smile start to light his face up, seeing that there was still hope he could win her heart. Her own mind started to whirl since she still had no clue which guy she would want to go out with and she didn't want to lead either guy on just to knock them down. She sighed "I just… I just need time to figure out quite a few things before I start trying to date."
"It's okay, take all the time you need." Raph replied as he put his hand on hers. The two shared a smile and a long gaze until Sera broke the moment.
"You know there's still people here, ya?" She questioned as the two broke away, looking even more red than they had before.
The ride to the Hinterlands took a day and a half, then it was a short walk to the gates of Redcliffe. Luckily, the roads were clear since the Misfits had handled the bandit issue, as well as the local rogue Templars and crazed rebel Mages. They were on the path to the gates when a guard was sprinting at them, the woman in metal armor looking terrified.
"Demons! At the gate!" She screamed as she ran past them, everyone looking at each other with confused looks.
"Nothing is ever simple…" Racheal sighed as she pulled her staff off her back. Everyone drew their weapons and ran for the gate, seeing a Fade Rift in front of the gate. This one was different though since there were strange… circles on the ground. Some were a dulled green like the rift while others were a brighter green. The Rift opens, sending demons out into their world, but they were ready for whatever came forth.
Raphael was the first up, donning his helmet while drawing his sword and shield. He stood near the bright green rift as a Terror demon materialized, but something extremely odd happened. Once the demon stepped into the circle, its actions doubled in speed and caught Raphael off guard. The demon's attacks were a flurry that Raph was not prepared for, his shield not being able to catch the swings as claws raked against his Templar armor. Raph faltered, unable to keep up with the lighting strikes, but luckily Weiss acted quickly and slammed her staff into the ground and froze the demon solid. Sera was the one to shatter the creature, putting two arrows into its face and turning it into shards.
Blackwall spotting two Wraiths spawn from the Rift and chose to charge them, but there was a dulled circle between him and them. The moment he stepped foot into the circle, his speed was halved as if he was running through water. The Wraiths created balls of negative energy in their hands and launched them at Blackwall, who took them with full force. He could feel his energy draining, sapping at his strength like some sort of demonic leech. Racheal chose to support him, swinging her staff in an arc and creating a glyph, sending missiles of magical fire and slamming into the spirits and tearing them apart.
Ruby could see how the magic was working and decided to use it to her advantage. She rushed forward as another Terror demon spawned, black, soulless eyes searching for prey in the battle. Flying past Raph in a blur, she propelled herself forward with increased speed and swung her scythe with frightening speed, cleaving the Terror demon in half with ease. She nearly ran into the gates since she was going a bit faster than she usually was, even with her semblance. Luckily she caught the ground and spun around as the Rift opened again and spewed more demons free.
Everyone had learned their lessons with the strange circles of energy on the ground and took appropriate positions. Sera and Weiss headed up to the small rock outcropping where a circle would speed them up while Raphael and Blackwall formed a slam shield wall behind a slowing circle with Racheal standing behind them. Two Terror demons and four Shades spawned, immediately honing in the two shield wielders. The shades were the first to charge, immediately getting caught in the slowing circle. Racheal spun her staff and slammed it into the ground, creating a fire glyph beneath their feet and igniting the Shades
Raphael and Blackwall proceeded to chop the Shades down as they slowly crawled their way to the two warriors. The Terror demons stood little chance as the twin barrage of arrows and ice magic shredded the two of them apart, partly in thanks to the speed circle. Once the demons were eviscerated, the Fade Rift opened and Ruby flung her hand forward and started to close the Rift. Once it was closed, the circles faded away, as if they weren't there.
"What was going on?" Ruby questioned as she collapsed Crescent Rose, hoping someone had an answer.
"It seems like the Rift was… creating lapses in time…" Racheal stated as she observed where the energy circles. She had been studying the Rift and wondering if there was a way to harness the energy into more powerful magic...
"Lapses… in time? Sounds like bad kinda crazy." Sera commented as she put her bow on her back
"Hopefully Grand Enchanter Fiona will have some answered for us." Ruby sighed as she looked at the gate, seeing several guards like the one that ran by them before come to the gate. They started to raise the gates, when an Inquisition soldier approached them.
"Herald, I have news. It seems that no one here knew of our arrival… and we were not the first ones here." The solider reported as he took a knee in front of Ruby.
"We just got the invite… who beat us here?"
"It seems a Magister from Tevinter arrived before us, and he is in control of Redcliffe. We were instructed to tell you that Grand Enchanter Fiona would be in the local Inn, The Gull and Lantern, for you to meet the Magister."
Ruby turned to her group, hoping that someone would enlighten her on what exactly he was saying.
"Magisters are like the Senators of the Imperium, Ruby. They dictate the matters of magic and law for the Emperor of the Imperium." Weiss quickly surmised. She went on "And it seems that he somehow beat us here and took over."
"Well… looks like we need to figure out how this came to be. Let's find the Inn." Ruby sighed as she stepped through the gate. She was greeted by a mystifying sight. Redcliffe sat on a small cove with Castle Redcliff sitting on the Cliffside. The two sprawled along the hills with people milling about, the rustic nature really appealing to Ruby. The water sparkled as if it were made from nothing but sapphires against the afternoon sun. She gasped "Wow… this is amazing…"
"It is a gorgeous sight, but it's not what we came for." Blackwall reminded as he patted her shoulder. Ruby nodded and the group headed down the path, passing a group of soldiers that looked like the ones that the Iron Bull and the Chargers were fighting at the Storm Coast. The group simply walked past them, but kept a wary eye on them. They could hear people talking to one another about all of the Tevinter soldiers and that they had forced most of the Chantry sisters out. They walked past a statue of a Griffon, commemorating the Hero of Fereldan when she saved Redcliffe from a horde of the undead and cured Arl Eamon's sickness.
They approached the Gull and Lantern, a two floor wooden building with a sign hanging from a post out front. Ruby took a deep breath and straightened herself out, making herself look presentable since she kinda was the face of the Inquisition. She stepped inside, seeing that the Inn wasn't very populated, just a few patrons, a man with his nose in a book with a weird symbol on his forehead and Grand Enchanter Fiona and a few mages sat in the back corner. There were tables set up around the edges of the bar with a set of stairs off to her left
"Grand Enchanter Fiona." Ruby called out as she walked over to the elven mage. Fiona stood up and greeted Ruby very formally.
"Greetings, Herald of Andraste. It is quite a surprise to see you here. We would have made arrangements of your arrival if we had prior notice of your arrival." Fiona greeted with a small bow. Ruby looked back at her group with a confused look, Blackwall and Sera having the same confused look while Raphael, Racheal and Weiss simply shrugged.
"But… you did invite me… back in Val Royeaux." Ruby responded in a very confused tone.
"Val Royeaux? I haven't been there in months, not since the Templars cornered our group here."
"But… it was you…" Ruby kinda repeated as her mind went into a whirl of what the hell was happening right now. She shook her head and questioned "So… who is actually in charge?"
"That, would be me." A male voice answered from the stairs, She looked over to see a man in red Magister robes, very regal with the hood pulled up that had small pieces of fabric on the top that made it look like he had horns that went back on the top and sides of his head. He had a pretty normal shaped face with a strong jawline. He had the shadow of a beard and signs of aging with dark brown eyes. He introduced "Magister Gereon Alexius of the Tevinter Imperium."
Ruby bowed before the man in a sign of respect as she viewed his retinue. There were two soldiers like the ones out front and an additional man with them. He wore similar robes to the ones Alexius wore, except they were yellow instead of red. He had a similar look to Alexius, but was much younger.
"This is my son, Felix." Alexius continued as the young man bowed.
"A pleasure, Magister Alexius. So… how did you come to be in charge around here?" Ruby questioned as she stood up straight.
"The Arl was… convinced to leave for his own safety due to the on growing conflict between the Mages and Templars. The Templars had the Mages here trapped, but luckily, I was able to rush in and save them." Alexius answered with a bit of smugness in his voice. There was something else in his voice that put Ruby at a bit of… unease, like when Leliana spoke to her, that while he spoke there was a dagger in his hand for her.
"Your arrival was, quite well timed." Fiona added with a bit of uncertainty in her voice, like she was having trouble that he arrived at just the right moment.
"And, in gratitude for their rescue, the mages here signed into servitude to the Imperium for their own protection." Alexius explained.
"So, the free Mages are… slaves?" Ruby questioned, finding it a bit of a surprise that slavery was still a thing here. She thought that Thedas was a little bit more… enlightened, but looks were apparently deceiving.
"For a period of ten years, then after service in the Imperial Army, they will be free citizens of Tevinter."
"You said we wouldn't be soldiers! There are children!" Fiona protested.
"And they shall serve the Imperium in any way it deems fit!"
"So… I talk to you about borrowing the Mages to seal the Breach?" Ruby questioned, trying to get off the subject of people selling themselves into servitude.
"Of course. Felix, fetch a scribe for this. Please, follow me, Herald." Alexius replied, happy that she was willing to negotiate with him. The two went to a table in the corner, Ruby and Alexius being the only ones to sit while everyone else stood. Alexius started "So, I'm assuming that you want to use the Mages here to help you close the Breach?"
"That is correct. A lot of magic is needed to do so." Ruby answered. She could see the smirk on his face as she answered. There was venom behind that smile, like there was more that he wasn't telling her.
"Of course, such a drastic feat requires an equal amount of daring attitude. Of course, such services would not be cheap."
Ruby was about to say something when Felix returned, and he did not look very well. He was hunched over, hand on his stomach with a hand outstretched and a sickly look on his face. Ruby immediately jumped and went to him as he started to fall forward, catching him before he could hit the floor.
"Felix! Are you alright?" Alexius questioned as he jumped to his son's side.
"I'm… alright…" Felix answered weakly, Ruby feeling something slip into her hand as Felix stood up.
"Apologies Herald, but I must attend to my son. Come, Felix, let me fetch you powders." Alexius urged as he guided his son to the stairs. Ruby waited until the Tevinters were gone before she finally looked at what was in her hand; a note. Her friends huddled around her as she opened the note and read it aloud.
"If you want to know what's going on, come to the Chantry. Well… this simply screams trap." Ruby sighed as she crumpled up the paper and stashed it in her pocket. Everyone nodded in agreement, knowing that this couldn't possibly end well.
"Well, if this does turn out to be a trap, we won't come back empty handed." Racheal piped up, hoping to alleviate the sour mood. "The nice Tranquil that was by the door has offered his services to the Inquisition. Says he's a pretty good alchemist. Figured we can't really turn talent away."
"That's great! We could always use more people." Ruby sighed happily, glad that something good came out of this meeting. The group headed for the Chantry, prepared for anything as Ruby pushed the large wooden door opened. She looked up and spotted a Fade Rift, and one that was creating more of the energy circles on the ground. There was a man fighting a Shade that had to spawn from the Rift, and the man was doing very well. He struck the Shade twice with his weapon before Ruby got a good look at the man as he turned around.
He was a tall man, as tall as Yang, with bronze tanned skin. His hair was jet black with the sides shaved and the top swept to the side with the front fluffed up. He had a moustache that curled at the ends with a very pride filled smirk. He was wearing a long sleeve white shirt with a tall collar that was popped up with a striped undershirt. His pants were a dark brown with matching boots, as well as a leather harness that held a staff sheath.
"There you are. Help me deal with this, wouldn't you?" the man questioned as the Rift opened back up and started spewing demons. No one chose to argue with the man as Wraiths and Terror Demons materialized from the Rift. Blackwall and Raphael charged, using the bright green circles to speed themselves up and using the momentum and slamming into the Terror Demons like semi-trucks. The demons flew back as Racheal and Weiss started throwing magic missiles at the Wraiths in the back while Sera bobbed and weaved through the pillars of the Chantry, arrows flying at lightning speeds.
Ruby flew forward, using a bright green circle and avoided the dull green ones and sliced through the last two Wraiths that survived the barrage of magic and arrows. The Rift opened again, Ruby beating it to the punch and throwing her hand out, the green light of the Mark slamming into the Rift and closing it. She yanked her hand back and the Rift closed, dissipating into a green mist and causing the circles on the ground to disappear as well. The man spun his staff and put it onto his back as he approached her.
"Extraordinary. Do you even know how it works?" The man questioned with a very suave accent. He held himself with high esteem, crossing an arm across his chest while he held a hand at his chin. He spun his wrist and flicked his hand as he went on "Of course not. Why would you? All you do is flick your wrist and poof! Rift closed!"
"So… who are you?" Ruby questioned as she collapsed Crescent Rose and put it on her back.
"Apologies, Dorian Pavus of House Pavus, formerly of Minrathous." He introduced as he bowed regally. Ruby giggled a bit since he was clearly full of himself, but not in a bad way. He seemed like a decently, well, decent guy.
"Nice to meet you, Dorian. I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby greeted as she curtsied to him.
"Great, more Magisters." Blackwall grumbled. This caused Dorian to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose before he replied.
"Look, I'm only going to say this once… I am a Mage from Tevinter, but not all Mages are Magisters. I'm not part of the Magisterium." Dorian replied with a large amount of sass. Blackwall simply chuckled and nodded as Sera giggled.
"Lotta spark in this one. I like him." Sera laughed. "So, whatcha doin' here?"
"Well, I am here because of the actual Magister that is here, Alexius."
"Okay… so why is that?" Ruby questioned. Everything about this was crazy.
"Because of the experiments he's been doing. I used to be his apprentice and experimented on something no one else could dream of doing; time magic." Dorian answered suavely as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Magic to manipulate time? Impossible!" Racheal scoffed, seeing the idea of time magic being ridiculous. Sure, magic was strong, but it wasn't enough to tear time off its constant motion. That's just… rewriting nature.
"It was all purely theoretical. We'd never gotten it to work… until now." Dorian responded.
"Until now? What did he do?" Ruby questioned. The look of thought must have stopped Dorian from answering since the gears started turning in her head when she finally blurted "The rebel Mages!"
"Exactly. He used the magic to save the mages and get them to sign their lives away. But what I can't wrap my fingers around… is why? I'm sure he didn't do it for a hundred lackeys."
"Because he didn't do it for them." Another voice added. Everyone jumped and grabbed their weapons, turning to see Felix walking up to them.
"I was wondering when you'd show. Worried that Alexius would be too busy playing nursemaid." Dorian commented as he walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I shouldn't have feigned illness. It's making him more careful." Felix replied. He looked back to Ruby and pointed at her as he went on "He came back and snagged the Mages to get to you."
"Wow… all that for me… and I didn't get him anything." Ruby chuckled nervously. She really didn't know how to handle someone bending the laws of reality just to get to her.
"Get him one of those fruit baskets, everyone loves those." Dorian chuckled as Blackwall, Weiss and Racheal groaned from the jokes. Raphael and Sera chuckled as Felix simply rolled his eyes.
"So, why? Why does he want me?"
"My father has joined some kind of cult called the Venatori. They're extremists who serve someone called The Elder One, and he wants you." Felix answered. "He's promised them to return Tevinter to its former glory before Andraste."
"That sounds… bad…"
"It would be catastrophic. The entire world would be plunged into a war, and we need to stop them."
"So, you're really going to oppose your father on this?" Weiss questioned, seeing many issues with taking information from the son of a suspected cult.
"I love my father, but this cult… its madness. He says he's doing it to save me… but he can't… and this will ruin everything."
"Are you sick or something? Your dad was pretty worried when you faked being sick." Ruby questioned.
"I am sick, but it's not the point. Right now we need to worry about the Venatori. Right now, they're set up inside the castle. He's filled it with guards, both normal and mages. Not sure how you can get it, but unfortunately that's your problem. I have to go before my father gets suspicious. Good luck."
Felix turned and left, leaving everyone with a bit more on their plates.
"Well, that was certainly cheery. So, any plans?" Dorian questioned as he crossed his arms.
"None… but I have people who might. Do you want to come back with us to Haven? Meet said people?"
"No, but thank you for the offer. I'll stay here and keep an eye on everything here and ensure they don't go anywhere. I know you probably have a hundred other things on your plate, but I insist you hurry."
"Alright, stay safe Dorian. Hopefully we see you soon."
Ruby curtsied to Dorian, him returning the bow, as the group left for Haven with a large amount of information to share.
O00000O00000O
The group returned to Haven, and after a lengthy debrief of everything from the time altering Fade Rifts to the Mages becoming slaves to Tevinter and finally coming to a Venatori cult tearing apart the very fabric of time. All in all… very interesting and eventful day. Cullen, Josephine and Leliana both stared at the table and went over their options on what to do.
"Well, you have given us quite a bit to think over." Josie pointed out as she made a few notes on her clipboard. The Templars were attempting to become a power to be reckoned with while Tevinter Mages were trying to tear apart time.
"I still say the Templars. They can suppress the Breach's power and they can help us deal with these… Venatori." Cullen argued. The last thing he wanted was to fight Templars with Mages, the beings Templars were the best at hunting and killing.
"Again, that is all theory. But regardless of closing the Breach, these Venatori cannot be allowed to continue their work for this… Elder One." Leliana argued.
"This is all up to Ruby to decide. Both sides approached her for their cause, not us." Josie pointed out.
"Well… I don't know… there's so much going on." Ruby groaned as she rubbed the sides of her head. Mages or Templars, Stop rogue Seekers or stop Tevinter cultists… do this or that and suffer the consequences of letting the other run free. She groaned "I need to think. Too much information."
"Very well. We'll take this at another time, but Ruby, you do need to choose soon. I'm not sure either group will sit and wait for you to decide before they make their move."
"I know… I'll sleep on it."
Ruby turned and left the war room and went straight for her room, finding that everyone else was already starting to hunker down for the night.
"Hey Rubes, feeling drained?" Yang questioned as she laid on her side on the bed. She could tell that this whole 'Herald' thing was really starting to burn Ruby out by putting the world on her shoulders, almost literally. Ruby didn't answer, she just flopped face first onto the bed and groaned into the mattress. Weiss rolled her eyes as she brushed her hair and Blake chuckled from behind a book that she had picked up on her venture in Thedas.
"So, Weiss tells us you and Raph had a bit of a moment." Blake pointed out as she turned a page.
"Weiss!" Ruby groaned from the mattress, still staying facedown.
"I figured they deserve to know that our little Ruby was sharing a moment with the nice Templar your sister is rooting for." Weiss replied as she started tying her hair up for bed.
"I told him that I have too much to deal with right now…"
"But it wasn't a no." Yang chimed in, chuckling at the end since she was happy that Ruby was showing Raph a bit more attention. Ruby simply groaned again as she attempted to get out of her gear while laying on her bed. After quite a bit of struggling, she got up and started to strip.
"I have to decide whether I approach the Templars for help or stop the Venatori…" Ruby announced as she put on a shirt and pants for bed. So much was resting on her shoulders, and she could barely keep up with learning everything about a new world while she was trying her best to fix it. "And I don't know what to do or who to side with."
"Well… whatever you choose, we will have your back. For now, just rest and get some sleep." Yang encouraged. Her poor sister was dealing with so much stuff, and she was just a little kid.
"Thanks guys." Ruby sighed as she climbed into bed and curled up. So much on her mind, so she let it all go and let sleep take her, hoping that the morning would bring her some ideas on what to do next… for everything.
A/N: There you have it! Again, sorry for the wait. I'll do my best to keep up with putting chapters out. Also, just for the fun and in the spirit of choice in Dragon Age, you, the readers, will decide the choice of the Inquisition's ally. Will you choose the growing forces of the Templars? Or will you choose the Mages and stop the Venatori threat? PM or review your thoughts, comments, or concerns as well as your vote. Just a reminder, this choice will impact the story greatly, world and Team RWBY equally. Enjoy, and until next time.
-Chief.
P.S. All of my other works are not dead, just on a slow burn for a bit.