Edited by: Crescent Sunrise
'RR - Are you sure we have to stop at two a day?'
'LS - It's technically four considering it's two each. But yes, if we kept going it might draw to much attention from staff and Professor Goodwitch scares me. Besides I need to tell you something.'
'RR - Fiiiiiiine, but what do you need to tell me?'
'LS - I'm going to let your team know who I am tonight. Mostly so they don't have to worry about the mysterious stranger trying to anonymously steal your heart.'
'RR - Wait you're telling them but not me?! That is so unfair.'
'LS - Think of it as further incentive to catch me Ruby. Letting them know who I am is easy. I didn't fall for your teammates after all. And while I'm not going to ask them to keep it a secret from you I just ask you be patient with this. Try to find me on your own or wait to the end of our game. No matter who wins I promise to put myself in front of you.'
'RR - These strawberry roses are really beautiful Longshot. I've never seen anyone make them before. I wouldn't eat them if I thought I could keep them from rotting.'
'LS - I see you found the one I left you. I will happily make you one anytime you wish. Provided I have the sticks. I hope you're holding onto those because they're annoying to find in the right color, or so I've been told.'
'RR - Been told?'
'LS - I don't do well in crowds or around strangers in general. They makes me uncomfortable so I avoided them when I can. I have friends I usually ask to do my shopping for me when I can. Still need to go myself for things like clothes.'
'RR - Would you go if I asked?'
'LS - I would, though I can't promise I would be great company. I really hope you aren't upset about me exposing myself to your team and not you. After the first target I set up your sister showed up and while I'm terrified of confrontation I think with her it might be inevitable.'
'RR - Hard to say, she's my big sister so she wants me to be safe but at the same time she wants me to meet new people all the time and have new experiences. I didn't really have any friends before Beacon and, according to her anyway, a weapon isn't a friend.'
'LS - Preposterous, weapons help keep you safe when you're alone, they are reliable so long as you take care of them in return, and they're the perfect listeners. Sounds like an amazing friend to me.'
'RR - I KNOW! Oum finally! Someone who gets it! Well I'll let you go now so you can hopefully not get killed by my big sister. Let me know if she does anything. I love that she's protective but I do get a say in how I live my life. I want to at least talk to you in person before making a decision one way or the other.'
May smiles at her Scroll looking at her background for a moment before closing it up. 'Hopefully not get killed huh? Glad to see my rose is so concerned.' She thinks to herself before sitting up and turning to face the room at large.
"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you May? We've seen Yang fight in battle class and well... She's really good." Octavia offers looking worried as May shifts a bit from foot to foot nervously.
"N-no I g-got this. I d-don't want to give her the wrong impression. I-I just want to talk. L-letting them out number me will hopefully help them to understand I d-don't mean any harm. Besides, Blake is f-friendly at least." She replies before frowning at herself tugging on her beanie. Her stuttering a constant point of irritation to her especially when all she wants is to make a good impression.
May waves her goodbye to her friends before moving out towards the resident student dormitories. A bag with the supplies she uses for making the strawberry roses in hand with her rifle slung over the opposite shoulder. She pauses outside the building to look up at the shattered moon as her mind races with 'what ifs' and the siren call of uncertainty tries to lure her back to the safety of her teams' room.
With a shake of her head she does her best to stomp on her nervous doubts and moves inside keeping to the stairwell as she moves straight up to the roof. Checking the time she realizes she has a little bit before she can expect company and seats herself down placing the butt of her rifle inside her folded legs and moving the frame to lean against her shoulder. From there she closes her eyes and let's herself fall into a shallow nap. The cold nipping at her neck until her hood is drawn up.
Her tiny bit of rest is interrupted when the door to the roof is opened and the golden haired fighter can be heard from behind it. May gives a small start, her heart hammering in her chest so heavily she's certain they can hear it across the roof as she focuses on what's being said.
"We should have asked JNPR to keep an eye out or something at least. Longshot could just be some kind of creeper trying to get us away from Ruby long enough for her to try some... Or I could be wrong." Yang states, blinking as she notices the huddled person sitting with her legs crossed across the roof. Watching as she shivers in the wind before shifting to set down her rifle and opening a bag next to her. Slowly pulling back her hood a small nervous smile on her lips.
Yang stares for a minute before a memory seems to click. "Cookie girl is Longshot?" She asks curiously much to Blake's amusement and Weiss's consternation.
"She did tell us her name Yang. It's May Zedong, and maybe we should go talk to her now? She's staring at us." Blake replies using both hands to push on Yang's back and get her moving before stepping up next to her.
May shifts again as they draw near her eyes darting about making sure all of her escape routes are clear for no reason other than to set her mind at ease. She waits for one of them to speak after they sit down in front of her with Yang leaning forward one arm propped on her knee. When no one says anything at first however May looks up from her intense study of the dorms roof and straight into lilac colored eyes. 'Well at least they aren't red yet.'
"S-so you want—"
"You're really Longshot?" Yang interrupts with her question the startled sniper already thrown a bit by its abruptness. Uncertain if Yang had been waiting for her to speak or if it was for another reason.
"Y-yes. W-well no, not rea—"
"So you're not Longshot? Then who's trying to get Ruby's attention like this huh? It's really suspicious you know." She interrupts again and this time it's Weiss that steps in rubbing her forehead with exasperation.
"Will you just calm down you oaf? Let her talk at least." Weiss huffed
Her words seem to bring attention back to May and she shifts a bit more before trying to speak again. "L-longshot is my rifle. I-I just borrowed the n-name for the notes and stuff." She explains patting her gun gently. She feels like a tension is growing around her and let's herself fall into a little distraction as she pulls out a few sticks, a small knife, and a basket of strawberries from her bag setting the basket between them and grabbing one of the bright red fruits. "H-help yourselves."
"So, what are you intending to do with my sister?" Yang asks after pausing to watch what May was doing. Her eyes now following the sniper as she uses the knife to carve slowly into the berry.
'Anything she'll let me.' is the first funny and wildly inappropriate response that comes to May's mind and while sorely tempted to say it the sniper knows she never could. Not only would making the joke be an embarrassing thing to say and admit to, no matter how true a statement. But, it would also be particularly unwise to make the joke to her crush's protective older sister. "Nothing r-really yet, w-we barely know each other. I'd l-like to get to know her better f-first before looking at anything beyond that. Maybe take her on a date?" She admits the blush forming and spreading rapidly across her face more from her thoughts than what she said.
Weiss reaches out taking one of the fruits for herself before looking around suspiciously for her partner. With her favorite food out in the open like this it's a bit surprising they aren't already gone in a flash of rose petals. "Why all the secrecy to begin with? I mean, this all seems needlessly elaborate. You could have shown up at the door with one of those strawberry roses and asked her on a date and gotten a yes you know."
This statement is met with a low groan from the sniper as she stops carving for a moment. Her head bowing as her free hand tugs on her beanie. "Th-that was the original plan... B-but then Dew said I needed to make an impression. But I got nervous at the thought of doing anything other people could witness and I d-don't like putting myself on display s-so I came up w-with the competition. I-it's been working out pretty w-well so far, sh-she seems to be having fun at least." May replies with a little smile before turning her attention to the berry in her hand.
"I have a question now actually. If you don't like the attention why dye your hair pink?" Blake inserts genuinely curious. Nothing about the girls' demeanor matches her choice of hair color.
"I-it's not pink! And I didn't dye it, it's natural. The color is actually 'Dusky Rose' it's a light red, n-not pink." She replies pulling up a bookmarked page on her scroll and showing it to Blake with a pouting huff her eyes narrowed ineffectively at the Faunus girl. Blake holding her hands up defensively with an amused smirk on her lips.
They sit in silence for a moment as the sniper returns to carving the strawberry into a more floral shape the others seem content to watch in fascination at the care and detail the sniper puts into such a small task.
"So why do you cover your face like that? Every time I've seen you you've had that beanie pulled down over that side of your face." The blonde brawler asks bluntly her eyes speaking of idle curiosity. Though as May shifts uncomfortably the looks becomes more suspicious before she shakes her head. "Nah, never mind, it's clearly something you're self-conscious about." She says shaking her head as she grabs a strawberry for herself, popping it into her mouth.
"It's not fair." She adds with a long sigh.
"H-huh? Wh-what do you mean?" May asks worried about the sudden dejected nature in the blonde. The last thing May wants is to be a disappointment here. Already mentally cursing herself for being so shy and uncertain.
"You know, ever since I started dating I've been looking forward to seeing someone getting interested in Ruby so I could go at them and give the full Xiao Long threatening speech. The big sister version but... You're so shy and I can tell how nervous you are I just don't have it in me to scare you. You and Ruby are both awkward but where she gets motor mouth you seem to get twitchy. Like a cornered animal and it's kinda sad to see." The blonde comments with a long sigh. "So I'll let you off with the quick version. You hurt her, I'll hurt you so on and so forth... Man this is kinda disappointing."
The blonde seems to be more upset by missing out on her anticipated speech than anything else as she leans back, her hands planting on the roof behind her while her feet balanced on her heels wave back and forth. Her interest in the confrontation lost until Blake gives her partner a small smirk and comments. "Well, at least now you can tease Ruby with the fact you know who her secret admirer is." The Cat Faunus gently reminds bringing a wide happy grin to Yang's face. And a groan of long suffering from the heiress.
"Why did you have to give her that idea Blake? She's going to be insufferable now until she gets bored of it." Weiss complains rubbing her face with her palms.
"Oh calm down Weiss, you just need to chill out." Yang replies with a smile far too wide for such a terrible pun, willfully oblivious to the groaning of her teammates. No, she's more proud of the little chuckle she managed to get from the shy sniper who even now is trying to hide her smile as she focuses on finishing the strawberry flower. The stick sliding into the bottom with practiced ease.
"Those really are impressive. You put quite a bit of effort into making them don't you?" Weiss comments watching as the sniper turns the fruit rose slowly. Her knife making small cuts and adjustments before she smiles at the result and slides her collected shavings into her mouth for herself.
"Th-they aren't that good... I just try to make them look nice for Ruby. She told me she likes them so I w-want to make them look as nice as I can." May comments bashfully as she puts her knife away along with the basket before finally extending the rose to Yang.
"W-would you mind giving her this one for me? I told her I w-would be meeting you all and w-while she seemed to understand she was still a little upset..." The sniper explains before moving to get up. A low groan leaving her lips as the chill and stiffness in her legs born from sitting in the same position on the roof for so long reminds her why it's a bad idea to do so.
"Well May, I won't get in the way of your little plan, unnecessary as it is. So relax and show my little sister a good time. She gets so excited talking about it she starts to ramble so you can tell it's something she's having a lot of fun with." Yang adds standing up herself and stretching out grinning at the widening smile crossing May's face.
With the three waving their goodbyes and a small warm smile from a parting Blake May packs up her things slings her rifle and opens her scroll.
'LS - You don't have to ambush her, she was actually really nice.'
'RR - Wait really?! I thought after tonight you might not want to keep going.'
'LS - I do, she did mention a big sister version of a Xiao Long threatening speech?'
'RR - I should have expected her to do something like that after did had a talk with her first boyfriend.'
'LS - Well she gave me a pass on it which I am immensely grateful for. Oh! I forgot to thank her for coming up and giving me a chance. Would you mind passing on my thanks Ruby?'
'RR - Sure thing, see you tomorrow Longshot.'
'LS - You'll try.'
With a happy smile May heads down the stairs and moves towards NDGO's room to let them know how her night went. Humming a little as she walks.
AN
Wow six chapters. And I broke 800 views on sunday when I released chapter five. Now, if I did this correctly then I woke up with enough time to post this chapter in the morning instead of it being just whenever I come home from work. I say it like that because I wrote this note up ahead of time instead of just before the story is posted like I usually do. the poll is still up and will remain up until this story is finished. but I will likely put up a second. Mostly because faunus Ruby is adorable and I'm curious if you would want to read anything with something like that.
Yang... Yea I had an entire angry big sister speech planned out. and I had an I don't really care angle idea going too. But I just can't imagine Yang being a bully. And let's be honest. that's what she would have been had she gotten all punch happy. Especially with a shy timid girl like May. So I started writing and this is what happened. I hope you like how it went.
To the wonderful people PMing to ask me for my opinion on the poll. I love you but that's not the point. I have ideas for all four choices and more besides. The poll is to help me decide which i get to first because I need to focus on one. If had an opinion on which I wanted to focus on next, there wouldn't be a poll. I love you, thank you for taking my feelings into consideration.
Dusky Rose is an actual color that matches her hair color. it's stated on the wiki and looking at the color here ( www . colourlovers(. c o m ) color/C06078/dusky_rose) I agree. Besides it bodes well for my long distance shipping.
So to recap (TLDR). Polls are up on my profile, please have a look if you haven't already.
Now Reviewer responses!
RatedRSuperstar & AntonSlavik020: I hope you approve of how I handled it, I know i already mentioned the reasons why in my note but As you two are likely aware by now I like calling out my reviewers for special mentions. Anton, thanks again for the assist back on chapter 2
Mike166: You may. and we, the story and I, love you too