Chapter 12 . . . Evaluation
Weiss furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, pointing her rapier toward the ground before her to shape a summoning glyph. Her sister's words echoed through her mind, urging her to recall her fallen foes in order to bring them forth to aid her in battle.
Slowly, the ghost of a Beowulf towering over her began to form.
She gritted her teeth as she put more effort into focusing on its' details, trying her best to allow the memory of it to emerge, and how her father had forced her to fight it in order to practice.
Anger suddenly emerged as she let out a yell of frustration, causing the glyph to disappear at her ire and along with it, the Grimm.
A hum from the side turned her attention away from her spot, causing her to look at her leader as she took in heavy breaths.
"6 minutes, 24 seconds." Ruby noted, looking at the stopwatch on her scroll. "You held your glyph up for a whole 14 seconds longer than last time Weiss! That's really great!" She exclaimed in awe, even going so far as giving applause.
Weiss smiled in pride, her chest lightly heaving as she brushed her hair away from the sweat on her brow. "And exactly how quickly was I able to procure my summon?"
Ruby beamed, lifting her chin up as she relayed her findings, "1 minute and 6 seconds. 3 seconds faster than before! That's really amazing Weiss, you've made such an improvement in just two weeks!"
Weiss's smile widened at the praise, standing just a little taller despite her exhaustion. "Thank you Ruby."
Her leader merely smiled, swiping through more information on her scroll to relay to Weiss, "You were even able to summon an extra time dilation glyph, so I think we can officially call today... a success!" She said, raising her finger up into the air as though presenting a fact.
Weiss laughed, feeling much better.
Ruby paused, eyeing the time on her scroll. "We should probably get some sleep in, just in case we have to leave for our mission immediately."
Weiss nodded, prompting the two to grab their bags and leave the training room, turning the lights off.
Comfortable silence stretched between the two as they trekked their way back to their dorm room. Allowing Weiss to begin recounting the events of her training.
Since the first years were picking their mission tomorrow and there was no way of knowing when they'll depart, Ruby suggested that they take it a little easier that day by offering that they sort of play tag instead of spar.
Weiss initially believed Ruby was joking at first, but then her leader began listing the advantages and how Weiss would benefit from it.
Both would be armed with a water based marker, and could only use their semblances. Weiss had initially pointed out that Ruby had the upperhand in the match due to the fact that she had a Speed semblance. Ruby countered with the idea of that being the challenge. Weiss had all her glyphs at her disposal, it was up to her to decide on how to use them to her advantage.
Weiss thought it to be childish, but was quickly proven wrong when Ruby suggested they try it out first to see how she felt about it.
In the end, Weiss was forced and pushed to activate her glyphs, strategize, and react faster than when they sparred, simply to just avoid Ruby from drawing a mark on her. Of course, Ruby had won, but Weiss was surprised to find that she didn't feel like she had lost.
It was fun, and she had laughed hard when the two looked in the mirror as Ruby had drawn whiskers, a sort of beard, and dramatically thick, angry eyebrows on Weiss, while Weiss managed to draw an uneven mustache and smudged a line under Ruby's eye. Causing her to start acting like she was crying.
However, the good mood had not carried over after washing their faces, to her summoning. She allowed a sigh to escape, peeved at her inability to make a complete success.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked with concern.
The question elicited a small quirk of a smile from Weiss. She was happy to find that her partner and she have been getting on better terms, enough so that Ruby would actually pose a query pertaining to Weiss's well-being. However, it wasn't enough to lift her spirits as she frowned. "I don't understand what it is that I'm doing wrong." She said, "Everyone in my family has been able to summon… something within weeks after obtaining their time dilation glyphs. It's been half a year since I was able to do so, and yet I still can not summon a thing!"
Ruby contemplated on the statement, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I don't think you're doing anything wrong." She thoughtfully said, "Maybe, your family's method is wrong for you."
Weiss blanched at the idea, a retort of the impossibility of the fact at the tip of her tongue, but paused when she saw her leader's expression.
"That's not a bad thing Weiss, it just means you're different from them." Ruby softly said. "So maybe, there's a different way for you to summon than them."
Weiss's mouth shut, her teeth clicking at the action as she allowed the words to sink into her mind.
Was it possible?
She couldn't think about it much though, as Ruby halted in her steps at a hallway crossing and caused Weiss to stop as well.
It didn't take long for Weiss to realize what Ruby wanted to do, as she had been doing so most frequently the past week.
"Oh. Are you going to spend the night with your friends from Haven again?" Weiss asked, already knowing the answer with a bit of dismay.
Ruby nodded with a sheepish smile. "Yeah."
Weiss allowed a helpless sigh to escape. "Alright then. I simply ask that you stop by the dorm room to accompany us into the assembly hall early tomorrow morning."
Ruby nodded, agreeing to Weiss's terms. "Night Weiss!" She said with a wave before she turned and headed in the other direction.
"... Have a good night." Weiss said.
The moment she was out of sight, Ruby heaved a sigh of fatigue. Her shoulders sagged as she slowed down, her footsteps heavy as she treaded her way toward the dorm her sister was staying in. Thoughts about Weiss's training plagued her, making her wonder what she was doing.
She shook her head to stop her mind from working. It was something to ponder for another day.
Rubbing her weary eyes, she wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed and sleep.
A long yawn overcame her, forcing her to open her mouth wide and her eyes to close. At the end of it, she began nodding off, her feet running on autopilot as she continued making her way to the dorm room.
Upon arrival, she lifted her hand to softly knock on the door, which was immediately answered by a scowling Emerald. "You're late."
Ruby nodded tiredly, rubbing her eyes once again. "I know. 'm sorry." She mumbled as she leaned forward and hugged Emerald. Ruby then lifted her leg, climbing up the taller girl who grunted.
"What are you doing? Get off me." Emerald complained, though brought her hands under Ruby's legs to keep her steady.
"Carry me." Ruby softly demanded
Emerald rolled her eyes with a sigh, "Whatever." She said, closing the door and walking back in, carrying the younger girl in her arms.
"Good evening Ruby." Cinder smiled, looking up from her scroll after she placed it down.
Ruby merely grunted a reply, causing her sister to furrow her brows in concern, as she didn't let go of Emerald.
"Ruby?" Cinder called
"I'm awake." Ruby mumbled, burying herself further into Emerald's neck as she was carried over to Cinder. She could feel Emerald leaning down, and hands that were much warmer than the average person's sliding over her back. She grumbled a bit, but leaned away from Emerald, letting go of her with one hand to be passed over to her sister.
When she was able to, she immediately latched onto Cinder. Her warm body comforted Ruby against the otherwise cold air brought on by the changing season.
"Are you tired?" Cinder asked as Emerald went back to her bed and plopped down to sit.
"No." Ruby denied, though her statement was countered as she rubbed her eyes to the best of her ability without letting go of her sister.
She felt Cinder lightly chuckle, "Do you think you can stay awake for a while longer so we can discuss the plan for your mission?"
Another grumble, though this time Ruby shuffled off of her sister to sit next to her and lean on her shoulder instead.
Cinder hummed in amusement, reaching over to brush away stray strands of hair away from her sister's face before she grabbed her scroll.
Neo pouted, tapping her hands together to get everyone's attention before signing furiously towards Cinder as Ruby lazily looked toward her to translate.
"I don't understand why Ruby has to leave again. Can't we just send someone else?"
"As much as I agree with you," Cinder calmly said as she began to swipe through the list of missions available to first years on her scroll, information that was obtained due to the virus that she had planted during the school dance that allowed her to access through any database it reached. "Sending Ruby is unfortunately not only practical, but necessary."
Ruby nodded, her eyes already half closed. "I'll make sure it goes by successfully. You'll see." She mumbled.
"I know you will." Cinder smiled, rubbing her sister's back encouragingly as Emerald looked over at her skeptically.
Seeing Ruby in her current state didn't exactly invoke confidence.
"Thankfully, our little friend here has been of much assistance by allowing Ruby to see the available covers for her mission." Cinder continued, looking back down at her scroll.
Mercury scowled, "It better be, I had to get prosthetics for it." He said, referencing the mission he was dragged on years back after moving in with everyone.
The person they had gone after was a prestigious hacker, well known in underground connections. The hacker had developed the software that Cinder was using to infiltrate databases by unknowing persons. Due to it being a careful and precise mission, the three had difficulty subduing the person, and in the end, Mercury had become gravely injured.
"And we will ensure that it is put to it's worth and more." Cinder said, "Right now, we're using it to ensure that my dearest sister can get close to the area Adam is in over at the North-West quadrant outside the kingdom, so she can check in on his… progress with capturing Grimm."
"This wouldn't be a problem if Adam could just stay in touch and reported properly." Emerald commented with a bit of annoyance.
Cinder lightly huffed in agreement with a small frown, "Indeed. Unfortunately, you are no doubt aware of how he is. While he agrees and is loyal to our cause, he isn't… receptive to some of our… methods of punishments. He avoids speaking to us when he can because of it." She said, pausing to give a small hug to her sister. "However, he does usually seem more inclined to communicate with us after seeing Ruby. Which is what I hope will happen."
"Is 'cause he likes me." Ruby mumbled
Cinder smiled, giving her sister a light squeeze. "Yes, because he approves of your methods of punishment."
"It's not even a punishment." Emerald pointed out, though was nudged sharply by both Neo and Mercury.
Ruby lazily smiled in pride, "It works. You should consider it."
Cinder arched a brow, shifting herself to sit behind Ruby to hug her from behind and rest her head on top. "I must confess that I agree with Emerald dearest sister, having those under you be punished by assigning mere chores is hardly suitable for failure. Perhaps you should be the one to reconsider."
Granted, Cinder had only allowed Ruby to take full control over a small squad of a dozen or less a handful of times and there had only been two instances where someone made a mistake. Both times, Adam happened to be present (the only one to show up from his faction) in order to discuss plans with Cinder, and he was curious to see what Ruby would do, so only kept a watchful eye. Cinder and everyone else tried to advise Ruby on suitable punishments, (a responsibility Ruby had taken upon herself under the claim that she was the leader) but Ruby had settled on having that person do chores around the base. Which were already responsibilities that were otherwise filled by various other members. Everyone tried to telling her that it wasn't enough, which she seemed to understand at the time, so stated that the person would not get desserts or snacks for a whole week.
(Ruby's pageant for strong-arming someone(s) to do her bidding didn't seem to develop until recent years. However, she had only done so twice as well.)
It was rather stressful for them, but Adam had been highly entertained, which was an unusual sight. Since then, he had taken a liking to Ruby, greeting her when he would only grunt in recognition to everyone else, talking to her about other topics besides work, and entertaining her when needed. After a while, it seemed to have evolved to simply talking to her only, avoiding communication with everyone else if he could, and randomly popping by just to talk to her when she was in.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though Ruby was due for a visit to Adam if his lack of replies were anything to go by.
"Don't wanna." Ruby drawled, leaning back into her sister, hugging the arms wrapped around her with her eyes closing.
"Ruby," Cinder called, lightly shaking her. "You need to stay awake for just a little longer and look at the list of missions in the area." She said, extracting an arm to tap Ruby's head with the scroll. As much as she would like her sister to sleep, Cinder knew that it was necessary for Ruby to remember as much as she could in order to accommodate her team's wishes of what they would like to do while ensuring they go to where Ruby was needed.
Ruby grunted in minor annoyance, sitting back up as she glared at the list with half lidded eyes.
The sight once again caused Emerald to look skeptically at Ruby, "Is she really going to be okay?"
"She's just tired right now. She has been having rough days as of recent." Cinder cooed as she entertained herself by playing with Ruby's hair. "All to ensure that no one suspects her of anything and that everyone trusts her."
Ruby didn't bother agreeing with Cinder as a small prick allowed itself to be felt in Ruby's chest, but due to her exhaustion, her mind didn't think much of it.
Still wary, Emerald arched a brow at Ruby, "How are you going to get your team to go there?"
"We'll take care of that." Cinder answered, "We just… need to make it so Ruby's team is rejected on all other missions except for the ones in the area. It's her job to… encourage her team in that direction though, that's why she needs to remember the types of missions available."
"How are you going to give your team and huntsman the slip then?" Mercury asked
Ruby shrugged half-heartedly, too lazy to think of an idea, "I'll find a way." She paused, a thought coming across her mind as she looked up at Cinder in curiousity. "What are you guys going to do?"
"We'll be staying here at Beacon." Cinder answered, "Our friend is obtaining quite a bit of information, spreading as far as to student files at the other schools… and plans about the Vytal festival."
Ruby hummed as her eyes began closing once more, her head slowly falling in sleepiness, "Well, since you're staying, I'll have Cardin stay in case you guys need help."
Cinder smirked, "That would be much appreciated."
Ruby grunted in confirmation, causing Cinder to look down in confusion.
"And, she's out." Mercury said with a snicker.
Cinder sighed in amusement, shaking her sister once again.
"Hrm?" Ruby mumbled.
"You need to change into your pajamas dearest sister."
"I don't wanna." Ruby whined.
"You will if you want to sleep." Cinder said, pinching Ruby's cheek while poking her at the side
At that, Ruby grumbled in annoyance, getting up and dragging herself over to the wardrobe to pull out her sleepwear and into the bathroom to change.
Cinder watched her with amusement before looking back down to her scroll.
"Are you sure she's going to be okay?" Emerald asked again. "Don't you think that maybe we should… go with her?"
Neo eagerly nodded at the suggestion, looking at Cinder with hopeful eyes.
"She'll be fine." Cinder assured, causing Neo to deflate. "Besides, we need to stay here and keep an eye on Ironwood." she smirked
"They were here Ozpin."
A weary sigh escaped from Ozpin's mouth as he leaned forward to rest his head in his hands.
"Those terrorists were here!" Ironwood yelled with gritted teeth, snarling at the word. "And you have yet to do anything about it?!" He demanded, slamming his hands onto Ozpin's desks
"What would you have him do James?" Glynda intervened, feeling a headache come in and forcing her to massage her brow. "Go on a witch hunt? Implement extreme vetting measures on those who enter through the campus and CCT tower?"
"For starters, yes!" Ironwood claimed.
"You know I can't do that." Ozpin sighed, dragging his hands down his face. "That would provoke outrage."
"What it would do is smoke out those rebels!" Ironwood said with a stern finger pointed at the headmaster.
"It would cause the people unnecessary fear and confusion!" Ozpin stated as he stood up, "They will ask questions that we don't know the answer to, because all we know is that they steal dust shipments. Nothing more. For what the cost could be, they could merely be taking action against the Schnee Company. So until we learn more about this group, then we need to be cautious and keep it under covers."
Ironwood frowned, begrudgingly agreeing with his old friend's advisement and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine."
Glynda allowed herself a small sigh of relief as the tension in her head loosened.
"And, what about the girl?" Ironwood asked
"What girl?" Ozpin countered, causing Glynda's headache to return once again.
"The one with silver eyes." Ironwood said
"Ah." Ozpin breathed, slowly sitting back down in his chair, folding his hands on top of his desk. "Ruby Fall."
Ironwood paused, warily taking in Ozpin's demeanor before pressing the question on his mind. "Is she… the girl that Qrow is looking for?"
"Who knows?" Ozpin said with a neutral expression.
"Who-?" At this Ironwood's anger rose once again, however he knew yelling would not get him anywhere this time, so shut his mouth as his teeth clicked audibly. "If she is, then we need to tell him."
"But we don't know if she is." Ozpin calmly said.
"Her having Silver eyes should be enough evidence! You and I are very much aware of how rare that trait is, and if that's not enough, then have a blood test performed! Something!" Ironwood exclaimed, "Ozpin, we're talking about the possibility of Qrow's, our friend's, lost niece! If we can return her then-"
"She's not a lost item General." Ozpin interrupted, "She's a person. One who has grown and been raised in an nourishing environment, leading a happy, though albeit harsh, life. Despite being aware that she is an orphan, she has already made a family, one that she loves and who loves her in return."
"She could have already had a family!" Ironwood stated, raising his voice once more. "A family who has been searching for her for all these years she's been missing! A family that she's connected to, by blood!"
"But to her, they're just a group of strangers." Ozpin firmly stated.
"Yes, but if she just met them- if she met Qrow and Taiyang, she would know that they're more than-"
"You don't know that!" Glynda shouted in interruption. "You don't know if she wants to meet those related to her by blood! You don't even know her, so you don't get to decide what's best for her!"
"You don't know what her current situation, her so called family, is like! What if they're not what's best for her?" Ironwood countered with a pointed finger.
"What I know is that she is happy with her family." Glynda stated with gritted teeth, "You should see her when she speaks of them because I can assure you James, that you will see nothing but pride and affection. If you are willing to rip her away from that, then you are not righting a wrong. You are creating one."
Ironwood visibly recoiled from the proclamation, the offense he felt showed on his face though he quickly schooled his features. "She belongs with her rightful family." He said
"She already has one." Glynda countered.
"For all we know, she could have been raised by vagabonds. Or brainwashed into thinking they're her family. There have been many cases where the victim develops sympathy toward their captors," Ironwood claimed. "Would you have her continuing to live her life like that then?"
"You've stepped too far James!" Glynda glared
"Have I?" He asked, narrowing his eyes down at her.
"It doesn't matter who is right or wrong," Ozpin intervened. "The fact of the matter is that we can not take a DNA test from her without her permission, not only is that a breach of confidentiality, but a violation of privacy. Furthermore, we do not get to decide what is best of her based off of our own judgment and remove her from the family she has unless we notice a case of abuse. Which in any event that we've noticed, there has not been one single indication of such. She is, by far, one of the more fortunate children to have lived outside the kingdom."
"But-!" Ironwood tried
"It is not up for debate General." Ozpin said with a tone of finality. "Now, if you excuse us. We must get ready for the morning assembly with the first years."
Ironwood clenched his hands into tight fists as Glynda smiled triumphantly to herself.
"Of course." Ironwood yielded, politely inclining his head before turning and walking back into the elevator. "Before I go, what do you think Qrow will think of this Ozpin?" He asked before pushing the button.
After the doors closed, Ozpin heaved a sigh, resting his head into his hands once more. He already knew what Qrow would do when he found out.
And that's what worried him.
Ruby happily hummed a listless tune as she sauntered up to her team dorm room, having felt much better after having a restful night.
She wasn't entirely sure why, but she had been growing extremely tired as of late. Cinder said that it was because she wasn't used to working so hard or so often, however, Ruby felt like there was more to it than just that.
Regardless, she couldn't ponder on it for too long as she had a mission to focus on and a team to convince to go to the area she was needed.
So she pulled open the door with a cheerful smile, "Good morning team RWBY!"
"Good morning Ruby." Blake greeted from her bed, placing the book she was previously reading in her lap.
"Morning Rubes!" Yang greeted with a small grin, sitting at the desk with a letter in her hand.
"What's that?" Ruby inquired curiously, making a show to peer over from her spot that was just far away enough that she wouldn't see the contents in case Yang didn't want her to.
"It's a letter from my dad," Yang answered. "He just wanted to wish me luck on my mission and tell me how he and our dog, Zwei, have been."
Ruby lightly gasped, "You have a dog?"
Yang nodded, "Yeah! We got him after…. uh. Well, we got him when my dad kind of went down in the dumps. They go everywhere together, even to school."
Ruby titled her head, wondering if that was allowed.
Yang must have realized and explained, "Zwei is a certified Therapy dog, and the school my dad works at have given him permission to enter on campus. It's really cool, kids love him." She said, "Dad was just telling me about this shy kid that got injured on the playground a while back, and now Zwei is attached to and watching over the kid."
Ruby smiled in excitement, "That's pretty cool! I've always wanted a pet, but I never could have one because of how often I move." She paused in thought, "But I looked after some street cats for a while! And they let me pet them, so it was almost like having a pet! They even brought me presents!" She proclaimed, standing up straighter in pride.
Yang laughed in amusement, before turning toward her partner. "What about you Blake?"
Blake lightly scowled, looking over at the Yang with caution. "I don't like dogs." She stated, "And, I never had the chance to raise a pet since I've lived outside the kingdoms as well. However, I think having a cat would be nice."
"Ha! I can totally see you with a cat." Yang grinned, "You would be laying in bed with the cat sleeping on you while you read."
Blake smiled, "Or interrupting me."
Ruby nodded in agreement, "What about you Wei-" she paused, just noticing the lack of her partner's presence and furrowed her brows in confusion.
Blake smiled, a little sheepishly as her bow twitched a little, "Sorry, but we're still waiting for Weiss to get ready."
Ruby pouted in mock anger. "After she told me to come early so we could all go together too, and she's not even ready." She grumbled to herself.
Before she could ask where Weiss was, her ears registered the sound of a familiar voice singing from the en suite, and the shower on.
"She said she wanted to take a nice long, hot shower before we left." Blake said, and paused. Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she recalled something that caused her cheeks to darken, but quickly shook her head and cleared her throat as she continued, "Because we don't know if we'll be camping out or not, or how long we'll be on our mission for."
Ruby arched her brow at Blake, wondering what had gotten her spaced out while Yang snickered.
"Oh, okay." Ruby nodded, "Then we should make sure she has a nice, fun shower." She proclaimed with a grin
Blake suddenly turned red again and ducked her head, causing Yang to laugh louder as Ruby stared at the two baffled.
She decided not to question them and walked to the door of the bathroom before turning around to lean against it, listening in to the the song and waited.
The moment Weiss began singing a familiar part, Ruby joined in, loudly and off key causing Weiss to hit off note in surprise.
Weiss paused in her singing, "I- Ruby! You made me sing off pitch!" She complained, though it seemed as though it was not heard as Ruby continued singing.
Yang laughed heartedly, singing along to the best of her ability and almost as loudly as her leader.
The sudden duet made Weiss giggle loudly from in the shower, before she continued on, naturally taking the lead.
Blake smiled, softly joining in.
Waiting for Weiss didn't seem to take long, and they left after the team sang two more songs from her repertoire. All of which the entire team knew as she sang them on a regular basis.
As they moved to the assembly hall, Ruby decided to take the chance to ask them what kind of mission they were all interested in doing.
"Anything that doesn't require a stake out." Blake immediately said
Confused by the sudden specific statement, Ruby looked to the other two in question only to find them nodding in agreement with tired eyes.
"Oh that's right, you weren't there when we had that stake out." Yang said, "We had one during that night at the docks. Since we were by the sea and it was warm, it didn't make a very fun experience."
Ruby and Blake winced, both reminded by the topic of their argument as they shifted uncomfortably.
Weiss sharply nudged Yang, throwing a glare at her as she gestured toward the other two with her eyes.
Understanding, Yang awkwardly attempted to change the topic. "S-so it would be cool if we could do something else! Something… fun! Like beating up some Grimm!"
Weiss nodded in agreement, all too keen to get the uncomfortable air to disperse. "Yes, fighting Grimm would allow us to see exactly how far we have come in our training."
Blake strained a smile, sending a grateful look to Weiss and Yang. "That would be nice."
Ruby contemplated on the bit of information, allowing her discomfort to wash away and make room to think about something else. Accomplishing that should be easy enough as she was certain that there were plenty of missions that could fulfill those criteria. "Okay. Sounds fun." She agreed. "Maybe something like… Security?" she asked as they neared the assembly hall
"I think that sounds perfect." Weiss smiled in agreement. "Which, speaking of Security. Here Blake." She began, pausing mid step to dig through her pocket, fishing out a gun clip and offered it to Blake.
"What's this?" Blake asked, arching a curious brow as she accepted it.
"It's a dust clip." Weiss smiled, "I recall you saying how useful it would be if you had a solid clone back when you were assisting me set up the dance. So, I customized a clip for you. Consider it my thanks for your help and support."
"I- don't know what to say." Blake said, shocked at the pleasant surprise. "Thank you Weiss."
"You're welcome." Weiss nodded before the four filed into the hallway along with the other students.
Before Ruby and her team could find a place to settle at, Ruby felt someone staring at her from the side of her head. Looking in that direction she made eye contact with Pyrrha, eliciting a small smile from the other that gave a small hand wave before gesturing to the space in front of her team.
With a grateful smile, Ruby led her team over to the area, waving at the rest of Pyrrha's team just as Glynda stepped up to the microphone.
"If I could have everyone's attention," Glynda said, causing the students to quickly quiet down. "Headmaster Ozpin would like to have a few words with you all." She finished, making way for said person.
Ruby began to space out the moment he stepped up, beginning to think about the small handful of different missions in the North West and a number of scenarios on how she would ditch her team and huntsman.
The most logical choice would be to give them the slip at night, however, previous experience told her that going out and fighting Grimm would require someone to keep watch at night on a routine basis. She frowned in thought, wondering if she could get away with the excuse of running errands.
She supposed it would depend on exactly what mission her team would decide on though, as there wouldn't be a point to do so if they were working as an escort.
She scratched her head, wanting nothing more than to huff a sigh of aggravation, as nothing seemed to come up for her.
She was suddenly brought of her idling's when she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her head to snap up and look at Yang
"You ready to go find some action?" Yang asked with a small grin
Registering the sounds of students moving about, Ruby realized that Ozpin must have finished his speech.
It probably wasn't that important anyway.
"Yeah! Let's go find something fun!" She smiled
"Do you have any ideas of what you want to do?" Weiss asked as the team began walking around to browse the available choices.
Surprised at the attention and consideration sent her way, Ruby suddenly began feeling pressure weigh down on her, making her feel nervous as she took advantage of the question. "Uh… Well, I think it would be nice to go outside the city… Maybe to a town outside the kingdom?" She offered
Blake nodded, "As nice as the city is, I do kind of miss the idle pace of villages and towns." She confessed.
"So, we just need to find a mission that has us on security detail, some Grimm to fight, and is outside the kingdom." Weiss listed with her hand, "Should be simple enough." she said as they walked over to the listings under security.
Something seemed to catch Yang's eye, "Well, what about this one?" She asked, pointing to a mission in the south.
"That looks decent enough." Weiss agreed
Growing nervous, but remembering her sister's words, Ruby nodded as she stepped up and selected it, inputting her team name.
As she had hoped, her team was rejected; the status of the mission being unavailable flashed on screen and allowed her to breath a silent sigh of relief.
"Hm, that's too bad." Weiss said. "I suppose we'll just have to select a different one."
"This one looks fun." Ruby said, pointing to the one at the top, located in the North-West and with High-Grimm Activity. "They need help repairing their walls, so we wouldn't stay in one spot for a long time."
The rest of her team agreed, and she stretched up, standing on the tip of her toes to select it when a familiar hand reached over her to select the option as she felt the owner's presence behind her.
Leaning back and to the side to look up behind her, she saw Pyrrha looking back down with amusement in her eyes.
"Pyrrha!" Ruby greeted in slight shock and happiness as she swiveled to face her.
"Hello again." Pyrrha smiled, standing straight again as she gave a little wave.
Ever since the dance, Pyrrha had requested that Ruby continue teaching her more dance routines for fun during their breaks between sparrs. Ruby, of course, accepted the request, all too happy to have an excuse to dance with someone. Having done so made Ruby get used to and become familiar with Pyrrha's presence around her person rather quickly. It also became a fun past time for the two, instead of just sitting and snacking in their usual comfortable silence.
"What are you guys doing here?"
As Pyrrha opened her mouth to answer, Jaune beat her to it, taking it upon himself as his duty of team leader.
"We just finished selecting our mission." He smiled, "Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff in a nearby town outside the kingdom. We're going to leave tomorrow. What about you guys?"
"We'll be going outside the kingdom as well." Weiss answered, "Ruby and Blake both seem to miss the countryside and urban areas while Yang and I wish to test out strength against Grimm."
"Which quadrant are you guys going to Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, noticing the interruption that had occurred.
Pyrrha smiled, "To quadrant 2, it's in the North-West."
Ruby beamed in happiness, excitement rising at the prospect of being in the same area as Pyrrha. "Us too!"
"Well, we don't know that." Weiss interrupted, "You haven't even put in the request yet."
The statement gave Ruby pause, reminding her that she wasn't just going on a mission with her team, but for her sister as well and a weight settled in her chest. "O-Oh. Right." She said sheepishly, causing Pyrrha to chuckle in amusement.
Turning back to the screen, the keyboard and request for the team stared back at Ruby, unnervingly, reminding her that she wasn't going to have fun with her team.
She slowly typed in her team name, and pressed enter.
The sound and loading screen came on, indicating the request being sent until it dinged and a show of "Mission accepted. Please report to Professor Goodwitch at the landing pad in 30 minutes." Appeared.
"I suppose now, we can say that we might see each other then." Pyrrha said with a smile.
Ruby nodded, Pyrrha's positivity infectious, as Ruby grew a little excited at the prospect and possibility of bumping into Pyrrha and the rest of her team, until she realized what that meant.
If they're in the same area, then she might have to consider watching out for them or ditching them as well.
She glanced back at the screen, wondering if it was possible to cancel, but saw no indication of such a button.
It was too late now.
"I see that you four have selected a rather normal task." Ozpin's voice sounded from Ruby's other side, slowly walking up to the team. "I find that rather surprising, considering the type of trouble you manage to get yourselves into." He said with a bit of amusement, folding his hands on the head of his cane in front of him as he glanced over to Ruby.
The team leader laughed nervously, "Whatever do you mean?" she asked.
Ozpin hummed, "Indeed. Whatever do I mean?" He retorted back as he cast his gaze over to the mission they accepted. He frowned upon seeing it though, pulling out a scroll pad in confusion. "That's odd. This mission shouldn't be available to first years considering the amount of Grimm infestation in the area."
Jaune seemed to have heard the headmaster, as he suddenly looked nervous at the statement. "An… infestation?" He asked
Ren patted his leader on the back, "Don't worry Jaune, we're stationed within the town walls, not outside."
"Oh." Jaune voiced his relief.
Ruby felt anxious though, as she hadn't realized that she chose a mission that wasn't meant for first years. Not wanting Ozpin to look too deeply into it in fear of her sister getting caught, Ruby nervously asked, "Should… we choose a different mission?" she asked with a sad face.
The rest of her team seemed to wilt at the possibility of being transferred to a different task.
Ozpin hummed in thought, before shaking his head. "I'd be remiss to take away such an opportunity from such eager faces. Besides," He paused in amusement, pocketing away his scroll. "I highly doubt there is anything to worry about with your team's skill level and especially with Glynda as your huntress."
Yang, Weiss, and Blake all became relieved at being granted such an opportunity, as well as excited for being able to shadow a teacher they admired.
Ruby though, suddenly felt more pressure weighing down on her. Glynda was an observant teacher. There was no way she would allow Ruby out of her sight or knowledge of where she was at.
"Thank you. We promise, we will not waste this opportunity Professor Ozpin." Weiss graciously said.
"Please, do not thank me for this," Ozpin said with a wave of a hand. "Remember, you are leaving the safety of the kingdom walls, one mistake could very well cost you and the things that await you will not care. Stay close to your huntress at all times, and do exactly as she says. She will be leading you and she will have you sent back to Beacon if she thinks it necessary or if she finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. And believe me, Glynda will undoubtedly do so and has in the past." He mused with a light laugh as he began to depart.
"Good luck."
The four members of team RWBY shifted with anxiety, all glancing at each other to share their trepidation at the mission.
Pyrrha strained a smile as she attempted to lift their spirits. "Well, look at it this way, Professor Goodwitch seems to have taken a liking toward your team. Especially you Ruby."
"Yeah! Glynda doesn't like us all too much." Nora added. "So you guys should have no problem with having fun!"
Ruby apprehensively smiled, "Y-Yeah. Right… Fun."
"We should go meet her now unless we wish to be tardy." Weiss said, looking at the time on her scroll.
"You're leaving now?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yes. Unfortunately we are required to be there as soon as possible." Weiss confirmed, only to wistfully sigh. "It's a good thing I took my shower this morning."
"Yeah! And you had fun time taking it." Yang grinned.
"Fun?" Jaune voiced in question
"Ah," Pyrrha noted, "Was that perhaps when you were all singing?"
"You heard us?" Blake asked, her cheeks lightly dusting with pink from embarrassment.
"Heard you? I'm pretty sure the whole dorm heard you guys sing! It was great!" Nora claimed with a large grin.
"If one could call it singing." Ren added.
Blake whimpered a little, hanging her head and bringing her hands up to cradle the top of her head, lightly pressing down on her ribbon in an attempt to hide herself.
Weiss seemed to take pity on her, and leaned over to soothly rub her back to comfort her. "Don't worry Blake, I'm certain that the sounds of Ruby and Yang's belts and howls were loud enough to drown your voice out."
Perking up, Ruby mischievously grinned and took the opportunity to be obnoxious just for the sake of it. Raising her head into the air, she took a deep breath and howled loudly.
Yang seemed to have the same idea as she joined in, causing other students around them to bizarrely stare at the group before Nora decided to follow after Yang.
Although Jaune and Pyrrha were amused, with the latter laughing, Blake and Ren both seemed to stare at their respective partners with an exasperated look.
Weiss shook her head, half crossing her arm while pressing her fingers and thumb to her forehead as she sighed. "Why are you like this Ruby?"
Ruby, Yang, and Nora all snickered, bumping fists with each other as Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Let's go." Weiss demanded, grabbing hold of Ruby by her arm and pulling her along with Blake and Yang trailing after.
"Bye Pyrrha!" Ruby said while waving her arm, "Hope to see you guys later!"
"You as well." Pyrrha called.
"Are you feeling better Ruby?" Yang asked as they exited the hall and Ruby was released from Weiss's clutches, "I know what Ozpin said wasn't exactly, uplifting."
"Even if it's true." Blake said
Ruby nervously grinned at the reminder, "I know it'll be tough, but I'm sure we'll make it through." She assured. To herself or for her team, she wasn't certain though.
Weiss nodded, "Indeed we will. Besides, we'll be fighting alongside Professor Goodwitch, I'm certain we'll be fine."
Remembering who the Huntress they were supposed to shadow was, Ruby's anxiety grew, still having no idea of how she would be able to get away from her professor.
An audible hum was heard from behind the team, causing them all to swivel on their feet to find Professor Goodwitch standing behind them already. "Ozpin had informed me that I would be accompanied by you four, but I didn't actually think it to be true." She said, "But I digress."
"I see none of you have packed any belongings, very good." She began, "I have already packed our essentials, so please do not worry yourselves over that. We will be spending most of our time outside and by the town's walls to help repair it and to exterminate the Grimm in the area, it would not do to have extra items to weigh us down and we will make camp in an area we deem safe enough. Should I feel like we have been making enough progress, I'll be comfortable in allowing ourselves a break inside the village to regather ourselves. Once we finish, we will also have one free day look around. Am I clear?"
"Yes ma'm." The four said in unification.
"Very good. Now, are there any questions?"
Ruby looked down in thought as she went over Glynda's explanation. Waiting until they finished might be pushing it, but she might not have any other choice to be able to meet with Adam. She would be more comfortable meeting with him sooner though. So long as they did well enough and are able to get a break inside the village, it might be possible for Ruby to do just that. There was just one problem…
She raised her hand in question.
"Yes Ruby?" Glynda asked
"Will our time in the village be for ourselves? Or would we have to follow you around still?" She asked
Glynda crossed her arms, "I know very well how you kids can be when under constant supervision. So no, you will not be required to follow me around during our stay in the village. Besides, on the last day I must attend a meeting with the mayor, I highly doubt anyone of you wish to stay for that."
The four donned sheepish looks. "No ma'm."
At that, Glynda couldn't help but to allow a small smile. "Now let's hurry along, walls don't repair themselves and a village needs protection." She said, shepherding the team in the direction of the air pad landings.
The walk in that direction was short, and spent in comfortable silence.
"I didn't think you would be one of the Huntresses that were available to shadow, Professor." Weiss said as they boarded the airship.
"I usually am not." Glynda nodded, rapping on the ceiling after the girls all grabbed hold of the railing to steady and secure themselves, informing the pilot to take off. "However, I'm most often assigned to repair walls if needed."
"Is that because of your semblance?" Blake inquired as they took off.
"Yes." Glynda paused, "Although, I must admit that fixing things seems to have become a specialty of sorts for my telekinesis."
"Can't you break stuff just as much?" Yang asked as Weiss and Blake huddled closer to her to keep warm from the chilly air, "I'm sure you've seen some action before. Fought some Grimm, maybe even some bad guys?"
"Of course." Glynda nodded. "It is a dreadful thing, it is. To have a house fall on you."
Blake, Yang, and Weiss's eyes all widened as they leaned just a bit away from Glynda in fear. Ruby though, snorted before laughter overtook her.
Glynda allowed a small smile to show; glad to know that her humor was not lost on all her students.
It didn't take much longer after until Glynda noticed the landscape below them. "Hm. It seems that we have arrived." She said.
Quickly, the girls, with the exception of their leader, peered over the window in excitement.
Excitement that was rapidly lost, as their features paled and unease settled in themselves.
Below them, the familiar sight of a mixed color forest that would have indicated the change of seasons, seemed lost on them as patches were missing, burnt black with the branches charred of life. Many trees had fallen as packs of Grimm crawled over, claiming the area as their nest.
Ruby frowned, noting the density of Grimm and thought how difficult it would be to clear them out. She wondered if getting that break before the last day might even be possible.
The state of the town's walls was on the verge of crumbling. And while not as impressive as the Kingdom's, the height and thickness of them looked safe enough to prevent a Grimm invasion so long as they remain standing.
A number of weary guards, slumped in position with weapons were on standby at the top, waiting to be released of their taxing duty.
The moment one noticed the airship though, they shouted to the others as they waved in their direction.
In their excitement, they garnered the attention of the other guards, prompting them all to wave and shout in joy as the team flew right past over them.
Getting an eagle eye view of the village, Weiss immediately wilted, as she couldn't believe her eyes while Yang adopted a somber expression.
Even as far as they were, it was easy to tell that there were a few people cast out on the dirt roads, sitting or lying at the sides of the streets as others passed by them, seemingly unaware. Graffiti took up part of the buildings that looked as though they were in dire need of new paint and/or windows.
"It looks… run down." Weiss stated with a little sadness.
"This is the typical state of most towns outside the kingdom. As unfortunate as that may sound." Glynda stated. "Many, who can't keep up with or feel safe in villages, but can not afford to live in the city or kingdom, move into these towns to gain some form of protection. Sadly, that creates overpopulation in a town, as expansion can be difficult. This also puts stress on a town's economic growth, hindering it and well… you can see the outcome."
"I… didn't know." Weiss said, hanging her head.
Blake placed a comforting hand on Weiss's shoulder, giving her a small squeeze to garner her attention. "That's fine. You know now at least, and you're acknowledging it."
Weiss weakly smiled, nodding in acceptance.
Blake smiled in return, taking her hand back.
"You might wish to keep a close eye on items carried on your person though." Glynda commented, "There are a number of thefts and pickpockets that occur in towns." She said, arching a brow in Ruby's direction.
Understanding what Glynda wanted, Ruby nodded with a grin, "I'll be sure to keep an eye out to help prevent it."
"I'll help too." Blake said, "I may not have a sharp eye like Ruby does to prevent it, but I can stop people from getting too far."
"Very good." Glynda nodded as they landed. "First, we must report our presence to the mayor, then we can make our way outside the walls." She said, stepping out of the aircraft.
The team quickly trailed after, walking behind their huntress in pairs with Ruby and Weiss in the back.
It was a short walk to the town hall, where Glynda told them to wait outside as she went it.
With tense shoulders, Weiss looked around with her arms loosely hugging herself as her eyes shifted with paranoia.
Only a few other people were walking on the roads, and there were small groups or pairs here and there. The most notable ones that caught her eyes though, were a group of Faunus that were dirty in appearance, their shoes and shirts worn until small tears and holes were made.
She tightened her hold around herself, keeping a conscious sense on her wallet.
"Your racism is showing." Ruby whispered in her ear with amusement, eliciting a yelp.
"I- no! What are you-?" A curious glance from Blake made Weiss catch herself, lowering her voice to only be heard by Ruby as she waved assuredly toward the other. "Why would you say such a thing?" Weiss demanded
Ruby arched a brow before gesturing to the group of Faunus that had caught Weiss's eye. "You just thought they were going to pickpocket you didn't you?"
"I- well yes." Weiss confessed, "But can you blame me after what Professor Goodwitch said?"
"She only said to watch out for pickpockets Weiss. She didn't say what pickpockets looked like." Ruby pointed out.
"But-"
"It's fine Weiss, I know you're trying." Ruby assured with a small pat on her shoulder, "This isn't the kind of thing that changes overnight or in a week."
Weiss frowned in confusion, still not understanding what it was that she did that was considered racist. Ruby seemed to sense that and began to explain.
"Look," Ruby began, "You took one glance over at them and thought, they're going to steal from you right?"
Weiss nodded
"Why?"
"Well…" Weiss started, uncertain, "Because they look…" She paused, not wanting to sound rude.
"You can say it." Ruby said
Weiss frowned, "They look poor."
Ruby nodded, "That's true." She said, allowing Weiss to feel relieved for not offending someone. "But so do other people."
At the proclamation, Weiss glanced around, finding that what Ruby said was true, and frowned. Why didn't she notice that earlier?
"You said it before Weiss, you thought that Faunus were all liars and thieves. It just shows that you still subconsciously think that." Ruby said with a shrug.
"I do not!" Weiss hissed, "I-I worked past that! I even get along immensely with Blake now! A-And I'm-" She paused, her mouth immediately clicking shut before she could say more.
Ruby gave a sad smile, "Yeah, but you still believe the stereotype. Blake is different to you, because you know her personally. That doesn't mean you're not profiling other Faunus that you don't know." She explained. "It's only natural, after all, we like judging books by their covers despite not being told to right?"
Suddenly feeling guilty, Weiss looked down at the ground as she realized just how true those words were. "How do I change then?" She asked
"You already are." Ruby said, "The first thing you're supposed to do when facing a problem is recognizing it, right? Besides, now you know to think twice before doing it again." She rhetorically said with a shrug.
Weiss smiled, "... thank you." She whispered
Ruby smiled back in return, "No problem." She said, before leaning closer almost conspiratorially, "And for your information, keep an eye out on those guys." Ruby said, gesturing toward a pair of humans that looked fairly decent from up ahead.
"Why?" Weiss asked
"They've been planning to pickpocket you for a while." Ruby said matter of fact-ly. "They've already eyed you a few times and pointed to the area where your pocket is."
Weiss widened her eyes, staring at Ruby with a mix of disbelief and awe. "What should I do?" She asked.
"Just keep a hold of your wallet." Ruby shrugged, "Or…" she held out her hand, an offer to watch over Weiss's belonging for her.
Weiss glanced down at Ruby's hand in question, before a small smile appeared. She reached into her pocket to pull her wallet out and handed it to Ruby. "Thank you."
Ruby smiled, opening the inside of her coat and slipping the wallet into an inside pocket. "No problem."
"All right girls," Glynda said. "Now that we've reported, it's time to go out and get started."
Nodding, the group made their way to the gates of the town with thankfully, no incidents.
Upon exiting the town though, they were immediately greeted with the sight of a pack of Beowolves blocking the road.
"As a reminder you four," Glynda said as she turned around and began examining the wall, "I'm not here to babysit you nor am I here to do the work for you. When it comes to fighting, you four are on your own."
Ruby stared at the Beowolves who had taken notice of them, nervous as she armed herself.
She'll have to work a little harder if she wanted to make it to Adam in time.
"And please, do be careful." Glynda said, pointing her riding crop toward the wall
Cinder stared down at her scroll in disbelief, a stern scowl set on her face as she sat on her bed in their assigned dorm room.
Her eyes glowed in irritation, making Mercury and Emerald slowly back away. (Neo having left the group after Ruby did, under the pretense of not wanting to be bored and to keep Roman company)
Mercury nudged Emerald, causing her to scowl before he nodded over to Cinder.
Emerald tentatively looked over at said person, and swallowed down her nervousness. "Is… everything alright?"
"No." Cinder simply said, "Adam proves to continue being his usual irritating self."
Silence descended upon the room, and this time, Emerald nudged Mercury while nodding over to Cinder.
"What… happened?" Mercury asked
"He seems to have thought it necessary to finally message me back in regards to my request for him to keep an eye out for Ruby." Cinder explained, her scowl deepening. "Nothing more."
She turned her scroll around for Mercury and Emerald to see, and upon gaining a closer look; they found that Adam had indeed messaged back with a simple, "K".
Glancing at each other, the look on each other's faces confirmed that they both had blanched at his reply. Equally finding the reply rather annoying.
"He doesn't speak to us for months, using other people to send us reports, and when he does, it's one letter?" Emerald asked with disdain.
"Well, we already did know he didn't like us." Mercury said with a shrug, "But it is annoying."
Cinder sighed, frustratingly swiping away from the message to look at something else. "Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do about it now." She said, "Ruby should have arrived in the area by now."
"What mission did she end up picking?" Mercury asked
Cinder hummed, "A security detail for wall repair. Apparently, there is a high amount of Grimm activity in the area."
Emerald groaned, "Why did she have to pick that one? She's going to get herself hurt."
Mercury frowned, "She's not as helpless as you think Emerald."
"She is when she's as klutzy as we see." Emerald argued
"Mercury's right." Cinder said, "Besides, this is a perfect chance for Ruby to test herself and her abilities. If the report comes back with good words, then it'll let us know that she is more than capable to go on other missions in the future when needed." She paused, looking over the mission details with a small frown before shaking her head to exit out of the screen.
"But, you can't help but worry can you?" Mercury asked as Emerald huffed, crossing an arm over herself and bit her thumbnail.
"Of course." Cinder nodded, "She is Ruby after all."
AN: Hey guys! This note is going to be a bit longer than usual, but I just wanted to thank everyone for reading and those who left a review! It was incredibly nice and each one brought a smile to my face and motivated me so much!
I was incredibly nervous writing the last chapter because of the number of characters I had to be aware of, I was really paranoid that the flow would seem rigid or rough. Not just that, but in the other chapters as well! It's a constant challenge for me to continuously be aware of everyone's character, dynamic, and attitude toward one another as well as everyone's movement and emotions. So receiving praise and compliments on the story as well helped relieve me immensely. So thank you SO much!
Moving on, I have noticed that a few of you asked whether or not I would include aspects of Volume 4 into the story, and the answer is mostly going to be no. ^^; You see, I've already outlined quite a bit of the story, I've gotten up to Ch 32, and I've already done 4 more past that (assumably starting around Ch 40). If my plans and pacing continues on well enough, then that means I should be around half way to finishing the outline! However, there might be some things I include, possibly a line here and there from Vol. 4, but other than that I hope things will mostly be different. Especially cultural aspects, everyday life, and geographical climates. The reason being is because I had already started planning out events and locations prior to the release of World of Remnant locations. (which might have been noticed in the last chapter? But I'm not certain)
Anyway, once again thank you all for reading!