Chapter 13 - - - Respect
"Yang! Knight to Ursas! Don't let them see you!" Ruby shouted, stabbing her sword into the ground to stop her momentum after being flung back. "Weiss, castle to Boar Tusks! Port's class! Blake bishop to Wolf packs!" She commanded, not taking her eyes off of the large Taijitu further ahead in the forest, slithering its' way toward the wall.
Immediately, her team complied with the order, jumping or running straight into action as they split. The method was to divide and conquer, take care of the Grimm that Ruby knew each could easily beat.
"Keep it up you girls." Glynda said, completely focused on the wall of the North East side of town, ridden with holes and cracks. "You're doing great."
It was by far the section that was in worst shape out of all the parts they had to watch over during their three days of travel. The team and teacher had no choice but to camp in the area for the night, as Glynda could not finish repairing it in before the sun had set the previously day. About an hour before the sun was raised, Ruby had unfortunately been rudely awaken by a panicked Blake, who quickly informed her of a Taijitu spotting.
Alarmed, Ruby had helped wake up everyone else, and the team had no choice but to start the day off with little sleep.
It only got worse from there though, as suddenly a large pack of a diverse set of Grimm had come running in their direction, leaving them with a rather exciting way to start the morning and Glynda feeling pressured to finish repairing the entire side of the wall.
Initially, the team managed to work together for a while, making it a lot easier to breath as they watched each other's backs, but upon noticing how close the Taijitu had come, they had no choice but to change their methods of fighting.
Ruby reasoned it to be best if the three tried their best to focus on a specific type of Grimm. Stating that while it would be nice if they all stuck together, it would be best if the three didn't have to worry and stress about continuously changing their strategy. Of course, she advised that they allow room for flexibility, but if they could continue catering themselves to their abilities, then it should all work out fine.
Assuming she could handle the Taijitu by herself that is.
She pulled her sword out of the earth, loosely spinning it in hand out of habit as she warily eyed the Grimm, both pair of eyes from each half staring back at her in turn. Taking into account how hard the Grimm's skin is and the impact of her own hits, it's unlikely she would do any significant damage.
If Pyrrha were fighting with her then it would be very simple to take care of.
Or if Ruby had already upgraded her weapons.
However, neither was available, leaving Ruby any other choice but to figure something else out.
Speeding toward the Grimm, she quickly duck under a head intent on snapping at her, forcing her to power slide across the ground. The other head came circling around though, causing her to leap into the air and land on the Grimm's back.
She ran along it, swiping down it with her Lightning Dust clips activated in hopes of increasing some damage. However, all it did was aggravate the Grimm and cause it to screech into the air and throw her off its' back in anger.
Switching her clips, she made herself go higher into the air to stay out of reach in case the Grimm decided to lash up at her. It was a good call on her end, as that was exactly what it decided to do with the white half.
Before it could retract back down though, Ruby threw herself to the side of the Grimm's head, quickly clapping her swords together as they formed to her crossbow. As she allowed her bolt to charge up, she aimed at the Grimm's eye and shot.
Letting out a deafening screech, the Grimm panicked as it shook itself wildly around in the air.
Hurriedly, Ruby looked down at her crossbow and attempted to shake it apart. "Come on girls! Mama needs you to separate no-OW!"
As she feared, the head had blindly swung at her, sending her flying away.
The feeling of falling, and the sound of air whipping past seemed like static to her mind as her head throbbed, making her feel dazed.
A sense of deja vu overcame her, shocking her out of her stupor.
Quickly, she pulled her crossbow apart, this time having an extra second before she crashed against something. Upon retrieving her swords back in their forms, she changed her clip and threw wind behind her to halt her velocity. She didn't stop though, as she began to spin her body, pointing her sword toward her feet to cast more wind and hurl herself toward the Black half of the Grimm.
Seeing her coming in, the Grimm opened its mouth to strike toward her. Gritting her teeth, Ruby tilted her swords in a different direction to help her fly toward the sky. Just as the Grimm snapped its jaws shut, she softly landed at the center of the top of its head.
She looked down at where the eyes were with a look of dismay of what she was about to do, spinning both her swords in her hands as she changed her dust clips, and forcibly hooked into the sockets, pulling the trigger as she did so.
As the eyes were electrocuted, the Grimm screeched out its cry and writhed against the forest floor. This time, Ruby had enough holding on the Grimm to prevent herself from flying off as she gripped onto her swords to keep her steady.
Before long, the Taijitu collapsed onto the ground, drained of life and Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to her team, still busy fighting off the rest of the hoard and ran to join them after extracting her swords.
"I saw the whole thing, that was great Ruby!" Yang shouted in praise when their leader was in hearing distance as the Ursa in front of her was blown away.
"Despite it being albeit barbaric." Weiss commented, throwing a few Boartusks on their backs with her glyphs.
"Fighting a Taijitu is always rather ugly." Blake commented, slashing through a Beowolf.
"That's rather unfortunate." Weiss sighed
"Don't worry Weiss! I'll make it more clean next time!" Ruby snickered, tripping up a Beowolf that was behind Weiss
Weiss rolled her eyes as she stopped, already having dealt deadly blows to the Grimms on their backs. "That'd be much appreciated." She stated sarcastically.
"Alright guys! Regroup and we'll finish them all off!" Ruby grinned.
It seemed like forever until the team finished cleaning up, and Glynda finished repairing the section of the wall, and before they knew it - the sun was almost at the highest point of the sky.
"Fantastic work you four." Glynda said with a nodd of approval, "With that, I do believe that we all have earned a day's rest in town."
The team all heaved a sigh of relief, bent over with heavy breaths and sweat dripping off their brow. Straightening back up, they allowed Glynda to lead them to the nearest gate entrance a bit back from where they came from. None spoke in favor of catching their breath, but the walk back was comfortable as they each had a satisfied look on their faces.
Upon entry back into the town, Glynda scanned the area before turning back to face the team. "Alright you four, I'm sorry to say but I have some business to attend to, so you will have to ensure that each of you stay out of trouble." She said, staring straight at Ruby.
Ruby pointed to herself inquisitively with wide eyes.
Glynda merely sighed as she looked at the rest of the team, "Please ensure that your leader doesn't get into too much trouble."
"I will promise no such thing." Weiss stated
Glynda turned her hopeful sights onto Blake, who merely shook her head.
"Don't worry! I'll look after her." Yang assured, pointing a thumb at herself and throwing a wink in Ruby's direction, eliciting a small grin from the leader.
"As much as I appreciate the offer Miss Xiao Long…" Glynda trailed off, uncertain of how to phrase her next set of words.
"You are the most unreliable." Weiss finished.
"What? Why?" Yang asked with a bit of dismay.
"You enable her far more than you prevent her from getting into trouble." Weiss explained with a helpless shake of her head.
"No I don't!" Yang denied.
"You just winked at her Yang." Blake said.
Yang sighed, looking over to the source of the topic. "Sorry Ruby."
"It's okay." Ruby said, "I'll be sure to stay out of trouble Cap! You can count on me!"
Glynda gave a wary look at Ruby, but gave in. There was no use in attempting to keep a leash on her. "If you say so." She sighed, "The inn we're staying at already has our rooms available, so feel free to drop by and rest. If any of you find yourselves in need of my attention, please do not hesitate to contact me through my scroll." Glynda informed
The team chorused their agreements, eliciting an amused smile from the professor before she left.
"So? What should we do now?" Yang asked.
"On our first day here, I noticed a few bookstores closing. So I'd like to go around town and explore for a bit if you don't mind." Blake said.
"That sounds like fun! I'll come with you." Yang smiled.
"I'd love to join, however" Weiss began, "I think I'll go to the inn to rest."
"Oh," Blake looked concerned, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Weiss assured, "I just wish to catch up on some sleep."
Seeing the safest opportunity, Ruby jumped at the idea as she raised her hand. "I'll go with Weiss!" She proclaimed, knowing that being with her partner gave her the best alibi.
"That would be best," Weiss commented, "You certainly need all the sleep you can get." She said, causing Blake and Yang to nod in agreement.
"You really need to watch your health," Yang said. "You can't run on low fuel all the time."
Surprised at their concern, Ruby could only duck her head guiltily at the reprimand as though it were own sister doing so.
"You two should go on ahead," Blake said, "We'll meet with you later."
"Sounds good. You two have fun exploring the village." Weiss said, though paused as her mouth quirked up. "But… not too much fun. I believe we had a private arrangement for that in the showers Blake."
Ruby tilted her head in confusion at the statement, as Blake turned red in embarrassment and Yang snorted out a laugh.
"Weiss please." Blake groaned, burying her face into her hands. "I've already apologized for the mistake when it happened."
Weiss merely giggled, lightly covering her mouth with a hand. "Yes, however the situation was far too good to pass up."
Blake silently huffed, "I'll see you later." She said with a tone of finality before walking off, which only caused Weiss and Yang to laugh more as the latter followed after.
"I don't get it." Ruby said when it was just her and Weiss left.
"It's a small joke on Blake." Weiss explained as the two began walking toward the inn. "It occurred before you arrived to the dorm on the day we selected our mission. Blake was preoccupied with her book when I stated that I would be taking a long shower. I suppose Blake had thought that I said that I was going to leave, as she told me to wait and not to leave without her. Before I could correct her, Yang had stopped me to see exactly how much Blake wasn't paying attention. So, Yang said that if Blake didn't hurry up, then I wouldn't have much fun by myself. Blake still didn't seem to realize what was going on, as she merely mumbled not to worry, as she would join me to have fun. Though, that was when she realized her error as both Yang and I started to laugh. Blake's reaction was quite endearing to be honest." Weiss giggled
Ruby still seemed confused, wondering if there was something she didn't catch onto, but shrugged. It was probably the type of humor that she had to be there for.
Weiss seemed to realize that the insinuation was lost on Ruby, but decided to not push on it. Instead, she thought a change of subject was necessary, if only to take Ruby's mind off it. "I apologize for my reaction earlier, your work on the Taijitu was superb Ruby. I suppose I'm just, not used to such tactics."
"It's okay. It was pretty gross." Ruby confessed, shivering slightly in remembrance of what she had to put her poor weapons through. "You've been doing really great with your glyphs though! You're able to hold a lot more different ones at the same time!" She complimented
Weiss preened under the praise, "Thank you. I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help though."
Ruby grinned, sliding her hands into her coat pockets as she bashfully pulled her shoulders up and avoided looking at Weiss, staring into the window display of a rather nice jewelry store. "It was no big deal. You should try to summon again when we go out though. I'm sure Blake and Yang wouldn't mind buying you some time again."
Weiss smiled, "I'd appreciate that."
As the two continued walking, Weiss took the time to look around the town, and frowned in confusion at the sight of her surroundings.
It looked so much nicer in the area then the part that they had walked through on the first day. The road was wide and stoned, there was a sidewalk with clean lampposts, the walls were clean - free of graffiti and stains. Yet, the stench of urine lingered in the air. There were a few people that sat at the sides, tired and weary, who tried to make eye contact with any passerbys. And there were little to no Faunus around that she could see.
"It seems so different than when we first arrived." Weiss commented
"That's because we're on the richer side!" Ruby explained
Weiss frowned, looking around. "It… doesn't look rich." She said in a low voice
Ruby laughed, "Sure it does! It just doesn't smell or feel like it." She pointed out. "With how Atlas is, you've probably never seen what rich looks like in poor places."
Weiss nodded in agreement. "Yes. Cleaning up and ensuring that the city looks as best at all times is a high priority."
Ruby smiled, "Well. Here it is." She gestured. "It actually looks like one of the better areas I've seen. Just needs different people."
"What's wrong with the people?"
Ruby circled around her face with a finger before gesturing to a few people passing by the homeless, each completely ignoring or crinkling their nose in disgust. Then she gestured toward those who would pass by a Faunus, acting not unlike Weiss on their first day where their shoulders were tense and guarded, casting cautious glances toward them while ensuring they did not make eye contact.
Going quiet, Weiss glanced around one more time, taking in her surroundings and… found herself in a state of disbelief.
Had she really been raised in such a sheltered state? Where her first thought was how the area looked? Where she could not recognize the oddity of people's behaviors?
… Where she would act not unlike those people?
She glanced over to Ruby as they entered the inn, who had seemed undeterred by her surroundings as though it were just like every other day, and swallowed hard as a question came across her mind. "Um. Ruby?"
"Yeah?" Ruby asked, as she received the key from the front desk and led them over to their room.
"What is it…" Weiss grew nervous, unsure of how to approach the topic as she looked down to her feet, as they stopped in front of the door. "How does it feel when you're…"
She sighed; finding that there was no easy way to pose her question and decided to strike it as though peeling off a bandaid. "What is it like growing up poor?" She asked the moment Ruby opened the door, "And to experience… racism?"
Ruby frowned, pulling a hand up to rub her neck in thought, not knowing how to answer the question. "I don't… really know?" She said with uncertainty as the two entered the room, closing the door behind them. "I mean, sure… my family could be considered poor, but when it comes to how my life was, I think I've led a much better one than others."
"But… didn't you have to steal in order to survive?"
"Not really…?" Ruby easily confessed, still not sure of how to explain as she flopped down, stomach first, on one of the four beds. "Most of the time, it's just for fun. Some of my family members had to though, so I sort of know what it's like, but I never actually went through it."
Ruby looked up at the headboard in thought, prying her lips to the side before she shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. Especially with what's it like being Faunus since, you know… I'm not a Faunus. You might want to ask Blake." She paused, her face wrinkling in disgust, "I've only seen it."
Weiss winced in remembrance of her own behavior before she frowned, not wishing to drop the subject. "Then what was life like you growing up?"
Ruby scratched her head, not knowing where to start or what to say. "Well… What was life like for you Miss Schnee?" She asked, "I'm sure you grew up in some fancy house or something." Ruby said with a cheeky smile.
Weiss huffed, annoyance emitting from her at the question, as propped her weapon against the nightstand before she sat across from Ruby with her hands folded over her chest and legs crossed. "I grew up in a manor, if you must know, where the manner of presentation was far more important to my father than the manner the family's well-being."
Ruby looked at Weiss with a bit of awe. "A manor?"
Weiss recoiled a little, silently reprimanding herself for being so inconsiderate of her confession as she remembered her surroundings and how Ruby grew up. "I- Yes. However, I assure you that it was used for nothing more than looks." Weiss stated, "It hardly ever felt like a home to me." She confessed with disdain.
Quizzically, Ruby inclined her head toward Weiss, prompting her to continue on.
"My father used to host guests over quite frequently." Weiss confessed, "As his daughter, I had to play the part as well, usually in the form of entertainment. Those were usually the only times I ever felt safe at home though, as when it was just left with us, I would bear much of his focus. He was… difficult to live under." She said, her body tense and rigid as her hands began to slightly tremble.
Ruby frowned, taking in her partner's demeanor and her heart suddenly leapt in fear for Weiss. "Are you… scared of him?"
Weiss went quiet, looking back down to her feet as she tried to push the image of her father out of her mind and swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yes." She said, "but I also admit that I'm angry at him."
Ruby stayed silent, allowing Weiss to continue speaking.
"He's constantly pushing me, criticizing me. Anything short of perfect is not good enough, anything that indicates that I'm not better than before is not good enough. Friends I attempt to make are met with the same criticism, for not being up to his standards." Weiss spat. Her hands were clenched in her lap, trembling in anger before she exhaled a breath and sagged. "It made for a lonely childhood."
Ruby frowned, her heart lurching in sadness while her throat closed up, unable to speak, as she had no idea what to say.
"However, I will say that having Winter made it easier to bear." Weiss confessed with a small smile, "Although, I must admit that a lot of things she does for me is rather… questionable." She mused while looking up at the ceiling in thought.
Ruby couldn't help but laugh at that, "I know what you mean! My sister, and the rest of my family do weird things for me out of love," She said, rolling her eyes as she used air quotes on the last word. "But I still love them."
Weiss smiled, gesturing for her friend to continue.
"I mean, I remember when I was younger and they were teaching me how to steal," Ruby began explaining, "They went out and stole presents for me or made things for me, but told me I had to steal it from them before the end of the week, otherwise they would burn them."
Weiss's eyes widened, questioning this method of training as Ruby merely laughed.
"I didn't really have to steal from them though, as much as they let me take it." Ruby mused, "I still keep all the things they got me anyway; Mx. Ted D. Bear, my clothing, my weapons, my scy-" she paused short of the word and stuttered over it, "I mean- My toy weapon… But it broke. " She finished a little guiltily, trailing off as she counted the items off her fingers.
"They stole your weapons for you?" Weiss asked.
"No. They stole some of the materials for me." Ruby clarified.
Suddenly not caring, Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement. "Why am I not surprised?"
Ruby snickered.
"I can't remember the last time my father, or anyone, gifted me with something." Weiss said as she tried searching through her memories, laying down on the bed as she stared at the ceiling. "Though, I remember once my sister, Winter, got me a new violin because Father broke the previous one. However, she is well aware of my disdain for the instrument… So I wonder why she got it for me." Weiss sighed with a shrug.
"I suppose I'm a little envious of your relationship with your sister," Weiss said. "Winter can be… well, cold."
"Well you can't have my sister." Ruby joked, laying down in her own bed as she turned to face her partner.
Weiss laughed, "I wouldn't dream of it." She said before turning over to her side and propping herself up. "Besides, despite my sister's questionable choices in gifts, I wouldn't trade her for the world."
"That's not really saying much since the SDC owns most major franchise."
Weiss picked up a pillow and playfully threw it at her leader who only giggled in turn, "You know what I mean! It's just… Sometimes I wish I knew what Winter thought of me."
Ruby tilted her head as she watched Weiss wilt a little more, dropping herself back onto the bed and flipping onto her back "Maybe she doesn't know how to tell you?"
Weiss looked at Ruby in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Well, you said that your dad broke your violin before right?"
"That's correct, I was actually quite glad to see that forsaken instrument destroyed." Weiss nodded.
"If you hate it so much, then you probably had to practice it a ton right?"
"Correct. Father believed it necessary that I learn and master the classical instruments, as nothing less would be acceptable."
"Maybe she knew that it was the best way to keep you safe from him." Ruby shrugged. "I don't think that if there wasn't a reason for it, then she wouldn't have gotten you a violin knowing you didn't like it."
Weiss frowned in contemplation, the idea suddenly much more plausible. "How would you know?"
Ruby thought of Emerald and smiled, "One of my family members is like that." She said
Weiss hummed in thought as she reminisced about her sister, wondering if it was possible, but instead, a yawn came out. "I suppose it could be true." She paused thinking about her father, "Are you still scared of your family sometimes?"
"No." Ruby said, though paused as she continued twiddling her fingers together, "My family is… very possessive of me. They always get angry whenever anything bad happens to me. Especially my sister, if she even thinks something bad is going to happen to me, she gets super paranoid about it and hovers over me. But I think that's because she can be a little... selfish with me. I'm sure if she could, she'd have me glued to her back." Ruby laughed.
"It wasn't until a few years ago she finally allowed me to venture out by myself." Ruby confessed, but then paused in thought. "Though to be fair, that was because I was being f- I mean…. There were some… problems that didn't allow me to go out by myself before." She nervously confessed, remembering all the times she used to be followed by investigators.
"She sounds extremely overprotective of you." Weiss commented.
"Your sister isn't?" Ruby asked
Weiss hummed, "It's difficult for me to say," She confessed. "Winter is… everything my father wished for his oldest child to become, but she is also everything he despises. Due to that reason, she understands the weight of his standards the most and I would like to think that she tries to help alleviate that from me."
"I recall once, while I was learning how to fence, my father forced me to continue practicing until I remembered every single dust combo with our glyphs. I wasn't allowed to eat, sleep, or rest until I performed each of them to his utmost standards. If I had made a mistake, I was fiercely reprimanded and told to start over from the beginning. " Weiss said very easily, as though it were the norm. Ruby however, winced at the idea, unable to fathom that dedication forced down upon her partner. "Winter though, relieved my father of his… teaching session, and took his place. Before he left, he was very clear that I was required to have mastered each form within the following hours; otherwise there would be consequences. After, the lesson became… gentler. While she was still strict, it was easier to bear."
Weiss paused; recalling the violin her sister gifted her, "Now that I think about it, Winter intervened a lot on my behalf. I never questioned it, as I was merely happy to have her company over fathers'. However, I wonder if this was her way to protect me from him."
Ruby was silent as she allowed Weiss to contemplate on this issue, and allowed the next few minutes to be left for her partner.
Finally, a small yawn escaped from Weiss's mouth as she allowed her eyes to close. "Ruby?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." Weiss said, "I know I was initially against it, but I'm grateful that you're my partner."
A heavy weight settled on Ruby's chest as she turned her head toward Weiss, noting how her breathing pattern was growing more calm, and steady; an indication of sleep starting to overcome the other. Ruby chewed the inside of her cheek as air caught in her throat. She had to swallow past it though, as words wished to tumble out of her mouth as she shifted uncomfortably on her bed. "Thanks for being mine." She said, "And Weiss?"
Weiss hummed in question.
"You're so much more than your name is."
A small smile came across Weiss's features, causing the weight to grow heavier in Ruby's chest as she realized the implication of her reassurance.
She continued lying with the uncomfortable feeling, watching and waiting for Weiss's breathing to grow steadier.
When she recognized Weiss had completely immersed herself in sleep, Ruby slowly and quietly got up from her bed and moved over to the window. Casting a glance back at Weiss, Ruby allowed a sad smile to cross her features, as the circle under her eyes grew heavy, as though envious of the sleep Weiss was obtaining. Before the bed Ruby claimed could lure her back though, she turned and silently opened the window, and swung herself back out into the chilly air.
Ensuring that the area was clear, Ruby continued making her way into the alleyways before pulling a scroll out. She opened up the map where her sister had sent her the coordinates to Adam's location, and began to make her way around the town. As she got closer and closer to the North gate, the direction of which her team and Glynda had entered from, she began to fidget about with her appearance in an attempt to change it.
She took out Weiss's wallet from inside her coat along with a hairband, and shifted the large wallet to the inside pocket of her vest before pulling her coat off and rolling it lengthwise to tie it around her waist. She pulled her hair up to the best of her ability, and tied it for a small bushy ponytail. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, and began to roll up her sleeves. Reaching further down into her back pocket, she pulled out two bobby pins and clipped them to push her hair further to the side.
Exiting an alleyway, she passed by a display window, the same one from before showcasing jewelry, and glanced at her appearance.
It wasn't much, but the guards shouldn't be able to recognize her. However… there was one thing she was missing.
Looking around, she spotted someone with sunglasses hanging from their shirt and she smiled. There was always one person around carrying their accessory carelessly.
Marking the course of where they were walking, she tilted her head down and hurriedly walked toward them. As she had planned she nearly bumped into them and brought her hands up against their shoulders as though to stop them.
"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" She sheepishly said as she made eye contact with them, slipping their glasses off and sliding her hand to their shoulders to hold them steady.
"It's no problem. Just be careful next time." The person said.
"Thanks" Ruby smiled, before hurrying away.
When she deemed she was far enough from her victim, Ruby opened the glasses and placed them over her eyes with a small chuckle.
It didn't take long for her to reach back to where she entered from this morning as she easily walked through the gates. She continued trekking on the road until she was certain she was out of sight, and pulled into the forest.
As she began running, she checked the time on her scroll and knew that she didn't have much time before her team came back or woke up. So, she hurried her pace and put her scroll away before unfolding her hook swords to leap and swing from a tree branch on occasion. Sometimes, she would stop, looking around until she found a small indication of where to go next; three slash marks and a fourth awkward one, before she continued her path.
For about a little under three quarters of an hour, she finally saw a small village, abandoned and nearly in ruins exempting a few houses and warehouses. She sighed in relief, before pulling herself up higher into a tree near the edge of the village and began untying her coat.
She didn't have her uniform on her, so it was necessary that she snag a standard issue set of clothing and mask in order to prevent a commotion from other members. However, to do that, she had to get rid of her extra layers. So she hung up her coat and vest high into the tree, along with her new glasses, and hid them as best as possible where no outlying members would take her belongings, and out of reach of Grimm.
Once finished, she dropped down, undoing her hair before striking the tree three times diagonally to mark it like an Ursa would before setting off into the village.
Sneaking around, she climbed to the rooftops and kept her head low as she searched for an extra set of masks and vests. Despite how worn out the buildings looked, it seemed as though they were all holding rather steadily and looked as though there was a small community residing there.
After a while of no such luck, she gave up and searched around for a lone member lazing around, which was much easier. She quickly found someone catching some Z's behind a few crates, and slowly lowered herself near them with her hook swords.
Gently pulling their mask off and putting it on herself, she hurriedly made her way out and began searching for one of the higher ranked members.
Upon finding one, she went up to them and saluted as properly as she could. "Sergeant! I need to deliver a report to Mister Taurus from Miss Fall!"
The sergeant hummed, "Very good. You'll find him over at his office. Just down the street, make a right at the second cross, and fourth building on the left of the cul de sac."
"Thank you Sergeant!" Ruby reported before turning tail and following their directions, her breath heavy from exertion.
When she got the chance, she was definitely going to drink some water.
Finding the small office building, Ruby forgoed the front door and went around instead. She climbed up to the second story window using an old pipe, and pulled out a hook sword to grab hold of it, bracing it on her back and the handle at her side. With both her hands free, she pulled open the window, and swung herself in after freeing her sword.
Only to land right down the hallway where two guards were stationed at the end.
Ruby mentally face palmed herself, not believing she had not take caution before entering the building.
"What do you think you're doing?" One of the guards demanded
"You can't just go around doing that!" The other stated
"I'm uh…" Ruby stuttered, "I'm here to deliver a report to Adam Taurus on behalf of Cinder Fall."
"Not likely," One guard stated, "You're coming with us to be detained. Then we'll see if Commander Taurus is willing to meet with you."
Ruby mentally rolled her eyes. If that happened, Adam would never see her.
As the guards began closing in on her, she jumped up, digging the ends of her hooks into a beam on the ceiling to help her swing over the two and get behind them. She rushed over to the door, not wanting to hurt either of the guards. Just as the door came in reach though, she was tackled to the ground, and felt two heavy bodies on top of her.
Ruby groaned as the weights gave her lungs difficult to breath. "Get off me…" she grunted
"No way. We're calling back up and throwing you into confinement." The guard at the top of the pile said.
Ruby heavily groaned, "Adam!" She called out.
As though answering her call, the door in front of her opened to reveal a tall man in black, and though a red accented white fang mask obscured his eyes, Ruby could tell he was looking down at her with curiosity.
"What the hell is going on here?" He asked
"Sir!" One of the guards voiced, "An intruder infiltrated the premise. We were just about to detain them."
Adam heaved a grievous sigh, "Don't you dorks know how to use your eyes?"
"Uh… Sir?"
"Get up." Adam ordered, causing the two to scramble off Ruby.
Ruby sighed in relief as she began to get up, only to be lifted under her arms like a sack of flour by Adam.
"See this?" He asked, holding her in front of him, causing her to adopt a stern look of disbelief. "This is Cinder's sister, the younger Fall. You can tell by how puny she is."
Finding his description of her unacceptable, Ruby began flailing her hook swords and legs around in midair. "Fight me Adam!" Ruby screamed as the two guards leaned away from her to avoid getting hit.
Though, that was when both of the guards realized exactly what her weapons were and gasped in recognition. Quickly they snapped to attention, "Fall! Ma'm, we're so sorry for our insubordination." One of them said.
"It's fine." Ruby said, sagging in Adam's hands as she gave up trying to escape. Why was everyone like this? "I'm not in uniform so you couldn't tell."
The two continued standing rigidly with tense shoulders and continued saluting her. She arched a brow, until she noticed their hands slightly tremble.
She rolled her eyes as she realized that they were scared of her sister, "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell on you."
The two sighed in relief as Adam leaned out from behind Ruby, "You heard her. Now get back to your stations men." He ordered before turning around and entering back into his office.
Using his foot to close the door, he finally put Ruby down before he heavily put his hand down on her head and messily ruffled her hair. "What's up kiddo? It's been awhile."
Ruby grinned as she puffed her chest out, "I'm sure you've heard by now, but I am currently a top infiltrator!" She said with a bit smugly. "Sis even trusts me enough to send me on top secret missions."
"No kidding. You would be here otherwise." Adam said, stopping so he could walk over to his desk and lean against it. He took off his mask to reveal his brown eyes and a diagonal scar across his face from his right eyebrow to his left cheek. "You have time to talk or do you need that report?" He asked, placing his mask down on the desk and trading it for an unopened bottle of water and holding it out to offer.
Ruby hummed, glancing over at the clock that indicated around mid afternoon as she took off her own mask. "I think I can spare a few extra minutes." She said, taking the bottle and immediately opening it to take a few gulps.
Glancing at her face, Adam couldn't help but snort. "Damn. You look ugly. What happened to your face? Not getting enough sleep?"
Ruby huffed as she finished more than half the bottle, "I am. I can't say the same to you though, you still have those creases on your huge forehead." She said, poking him at said place.
Adam chuckled as he playfully pushed Ruby's hand away, "Those are cause I'm old. What's your excuse?"
"It's cause I'm actually working unlike you lazy butt." Ruby claimed, spitting her tongue out and causing Adam to laugh even more.
"And? How do you like school? Still being an ace at some subjects and not so much on others?" He asked, chuckling at his own joke.
Ruby could only give him a light jab at his chest while rolling her eyes and shaking her head in amusement. "How long have you been holding on to that?"
"Since you told me." Adam said with an exaggerated shrug.
"You could just say it for yourself." Ruby said
"Yeah, but that's no fun."
Ruby merely huffed.
"But in all seriousness, are you alright?" He asked, "I know going undercover is a lot of work. Especially for a kid like you."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked
"Well, unlike Cinder and the rest of them-" he spat out causing Ruby to slightly wince, "-You actually like being nice to people." Adam commented with an easier tone.
"I even hear you're the leader of a team." He continues, "That can't be easy for you. You've always prioritized your squad over yourself, I don't see how it would be different now that you're in Beacon."
Ruby frowned, twiddling with the mask as she looked down in thought. A small shiver coursed through her as she suddenly realized how chilly it was despite being indoors. Her shoulders sagged as she looked back up at Adam, "To be honest, it feels kind of tiring." She confessed sheepishly. "I just… feel tired all the time now."
Adam reached up and squeezed Ruby's shoulder. "I hear ya kid. It must be hard for you to tell your sister huh?"
Ruby snorted, "If I told her, she'd pull me out in a heartbeat." She claimed, "But… I don't think she would really understand why I was tired… I sometimes don't even know why I'm tired."
Adam frowned, his hand falling as he crossed his arms. "You remember me telling you about my old partner?"
"The one who left?" Ruby asked, causing him to nod.
"Yup. I didn't know this at the time, but every time we went on a mission in recent years, she was always tired. Especially around me." Adam said, "She left saying that she couldn't keep doing what we were doing anymore, she doesn't think the casualties that occur during our mission is right. But I do. And I think, that's what exhausted her. The two of us use to be close, and while we had similar views, we believed in different ways to achieve them. So, being around me made it difficult. It became tiring and she began to feel guilty for harboring those thoughts because she knew it would hurt me."
Ruby looked up at Adam in confusion, but also in awe as he usually never talks about his now ex-partner.
"I think that's what you're going through." Adam said, "I think… you've made some friends… and you feel guilty for knowing you're going to hurt them."
Ruby frowned, her heart lurching in agreement with what Adam said. Her eyes welling up at the cold truth as her body shivered. She could feel something running down her nostrils, but it wasn't enough to sniffle up just yet while a hard lump formed in her throat. "I don't know what to do Adam…"
"You do what you feel like you need to." Adam said, "You deserve to be happy with what you believe in."
Ruby sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her shoulder. "But, I'm happy with Cinder. I'm happy being with everyone. I believe what we're doing is worth fighting for. But I.." her voice broke, a hiccup escaping her throat as she sniffled harder.
Adam stayed quiet for a moment, but spoke softly. "I found out about how my partner felt before she left. I was devastated when I found out." He confessed, "I never wanted her to feel like she couldn't tell me anything, but I didn't want her to feel like she did anymore… so I made it easier for her."
Ruby continued her silent hiccups, but looked at him to show she was listening as her shoulders continued shaking.
"I… hurt her." He said with a regretful smile. "I knew, if it was up to her, she would stay until she broke… So, I pushed her some more. I made her do things I was more than happy to do, but knew it made her uncomfortable. Until she finally left. And you know something? She deserves it. She deserves to be happy. Even if it means cutting me off from her life."
He looked up, straight into Ruby's eyes as he reached her arms with a firm grip. "There is no way, anyone is coming out of this not feeling hurt." Adam said, "But you deserve to be happy kid. You do what needs to be done to be happy and just know, I'm with you."
Ruby sniffled again, tears freely falling down her face as she nodded her head with her eyes tightly shut. "Okay." She whimpered
"Okay?" Adam asked
"Okay." Ruby repeated
"Good." Adam smiled, wiping some of the tears off Ruby's face with his own sleeve. "Now let's clean off that ugly mug of yours so I can hand you a report."
Ruby couldn't help but give a watery laugh as she nodded, wiping her face some more.
When she was finished, Adam smiled as he leaned back and pulled out his large scroll off his desk.
"So we're up to standards with the captured Grimm." He said, "And we have enough jets for transportation with them and my faction members. I've gotten them all up in shape, and each, aside from my Lieutenants, have upgraded military weapons. If you hand me your scroll, I'll send you further report files on the exact training regimen, number of Grimm, and types."
Ruby nodded as she pulled her scroll out and handed it over. "You know, you could have just sent it to sis. It would have been a lot easier."
Adam lightly scoffed, "If I can avoid speaking to her, then I will. Besides, it worked out pretty fine anyway right?"
Ruby couldn't help but smile and nod, "Yeah."
Adam gave a smile of content, lightly ruffling Ruby's hair after putting her scroll down. "In summary, we'll be ready to invade Vale during the Vytal festival." He said, sending all the information with a swipe.
Ruby nodded as she picked up her scroll and went through the new information she received. "Okay. Is there anything you need for the people under you? I'll do what I can to help."
Adam gave an affectionate smile at her as he shook his head, "It's things like this that make me wonder how you could grow up being so different than Cinder." He said, "It's probably because you two have different genes."
"But with the power of love, we can overcome anything! Even blood!" Ruby declared with a fist pump into the air.
"Well, maybe with your power of love, you could convince your sister to send food here." Adam said. "Since we're so far out from the next town, it's a little difficult to get them in bulk. Especially considering the conditions of the town. And I don't know how cold it is down where you're at, but we could use a few more blankets up here."
Ruby nodded in understanding, "I'll be sure to send you a few crates of food and extra supplies for warmth. Just send me a number."
Adam seemed to sigh in relief, "Thanks kid. This is why I prefer working with you than Cinder, dealing with you is a lot easier."
Ruby looked up at Adam carefully, "You know Cinder appreciates what you do right?" She asked in a near whisper, as though Cinder herself would come out of nowhere to show she was listening. "She always has nothing but high praise for your work whenever she looks it over."
Adam skeptically looked at Ruby with curious eyes, "Is that your sister senses telling you that? Or does Cinder actually say so?"
Ruby frowned, feeling slightly offended for not being believed "She-"
Adam laughed, "I'm joking kid." He said, "But thanks. I... appreciate the sentiment."
Ruby smiled, glad that Adam knew how much he meant.
"You should get going." Adam suggested as he leaned over to his desk and grabbed his mask, "I'll walk you out."
"Okay." Ruby easily agreed, putting her own borrowed mask on.
"Where'd you leave your stuff?" He asked as the two walked out.
"South east of here."
"Got it."
As Adam led her over in that direction, the two were greeted with crisp salutes from the members of his faction.
Thankfully, no one seemed to wish to speak with Adam, and the two made it over to the tree rather quickly.
Hopping up to gather her belongings, she straddled a branch as she began taking off the uniformed vest and dropping it over Adam as she pulled her own vest on.
"Hey Adam?" Ruby asked.
"Hm?" He hummed, folding the vest over his arm.
"Did it hurt?" She asked softly, referring to his parting with his partner.
He paused, looking down at the ground with interest. "It did."
She was silent for a moment, shuffling on her sash and tightening it before throwing her coat on and ensuring she had all her belongings. "Will it always hurt?"
Adam didn't say anything. Not until Ruby dropped down from the tree in front of him, and even though the two still had their masks on, he didn't have to look into her eyes to know that she needed the truth. "I don't know."
She inhaled sharply, though forced herself to give a terse nod of acknowledgment. "Do you regre-"
"No." He interrupted. "I don't regret that we par-" He froze, his words stopping at the tip of his tongue before he gritted his teeth and stared down at Ruby's obscured face sadly.
"I only regret how we parted… And that…" He swallowed harshly, his throat visibly bobbing. "I never kept or gave her anything as a reminder of each other… But, perhaps that's a good thing… Or maybe I'm just selfish." He said with a wry smile.
A dark chuckle escaped from his mouth as he shook his head, "I think I just have a bad personality."
Ruby could only give a sympathetic smile before taking off her mask and handing it to Adam. "Thanks Adam."
"Anytime kid, and remember," He said, ensuring he had her complete attention. "I'm here for you."
Ruby smiled gratefully, "Will you be there when I-"
"Every step of the way." Adam said, reaching up to her shoulder to give her a quick squeeze. "I'm just a scroll dial away."
Ruby nodded, before throwing her arms around him. He slowly wrapped his own arms around her, giving her a tight squeeze and she could swear she hear a light sniffle and shaky exhaled breath, but chalked it to her imagination.
"Stay safe kid." Adam said as he let her go.
Nodding, she gave him a bright, sunny smile before waving good bye to him, and began running the other way.
By the time she reached back into town, with her makeshift disguise already on, the sun was already close to the horizon as she entered through the gates.
Ruby duck back into an alleyway to quickly fix her look as she continued speed walking through. Upon finishing up and exiting back out on the street, she saw the jewelry store that she had passed twice that day, Nostalgic Things, across the way and paused. Looking both ways, she crossed over to take a glance into the display window, and saw thin cuff bracelets with bronze, gold, and silver intricately woven around one another like a braid.
Adam's words of not being able to keep a momento of a lost friend, or being able to give her a gift rang in Ruby's mind as she stared at the item. Her heart seemed to slow down in its beating, the sound weighing in her mind...
Before she even realized what she was doing, she was already making her way inside the shop, and looking around.
It wasn't exactly a high-end shop, however, she did noticed that the clerk was wearing business casual clothing. She walked over to shelved items, lifting up a clean silver picture frame, and turned it around to check the price tag.
60 Lien.
By golly, why would anyone pay that much for a picture frame?
Putting it back, she went to the next aisle and looked at the prices for watches and lighters.
All ranging between 80-200 Lien.
She hummed, looking around and found a shelf for accessories on clearance each costing 50 or more Lien. Picking up three plain silver cuff bracelets, she continued standing there at the same spot examining them, until the clerk walked up to her.
"Good evening, are you finding everything okay?" they asked
Ruby smiled, letting her hands fall to her side. "Oh actually, I was hoping to take a closer look at the bracelets on the display window that have bronze, gold, and silver?" she said, pointing back to the front with her free hand.
"Ah yes." The clerk nodded, "They're actually right on over there in our display case. Would you like to take a look?"
"Yes please." Ruby nodded.
"Right this way." The clerk said, leading Ruby over to the case as she inconspicuously pocketed the bracelets. "Might I ask who these are for?"
"My… friends." Ruby said. "There are three of them. I just wanted to… get them a thank you present for everything they've done for me."
"I can tell they mean a great deal for you." The clerk smiled, getting behind the display case and unlocking the door to get the bracelets out.
A hard lump in Ruby's throat formed, and she smiled, swallowing past it. "They do."
"Well, here they are." The clerk said, pulling three out just like in the display window.
Ruby looked at the bracelets and gave a small smile. "Actually, is it possible to get a fourth one? That's just plain silver?" She asked, knowing that there was not one available in the display case.
The clerk hummed. "Hold on, let me just go in the back to check."
Ruby smiled, "Just silver." She reminded, "Because I'm a little different from them and I feel like just a plain silver band is the best way to show it."
The clerk nodded, a humorless laugh sounding from them. "Of course." The clerk said before leaving.
The moment the door to the back closed, Ruby took the bracelets out of her pocket with one hand and picked the other three up. Pretending to examine the ones she wanted, she quickly shuffled them with the others, and pocketed the braided designed bracelets.
"Actually! I'm really in a hurry! So I need to go right now, but I'll be back in the next few days to pick up the plain silver band!" Ruby called out loudly.
The sound of someone stumbling was heard, "Uh- O-Okay! J-Just give me a moment to see you out!"
Ruby waited until the clerk hurried out of the back and smiled. "Thank you for your time, you were really helpful." She said, making direct eye contact with the clerk.
"You're very welcome. Are you sure I can't-"
"I'm really sorry, but my supervisor kind of needs me back in a hurry." Ruby said turning around, "Have a nice day!" She said with a wave before exiting the building.
Once she was out, she began hurriedly making her way down the street. The moment she turned corner though, she nearly ran into someone, but was stopped short as hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her.
"Oh! Hello again Ruby!"
Snapping her head up at the familiar voice, Ruby couldn't believe how much of a coincidence this was. "Pyrrha!" She said in shock, "What are you doing here?"
Pyrrha smiled happily at Ruby, her hands sliding down to lightly grip Ruby's arms as Ruby raised her hand to lightly hold onto Pyrrha's forearms instinctually, clinging onto familiar warmth. "This is the town my team has been stationed." She answered. "I take that it's the same for you?"
Ruby nodded, still in shock, though mostly at the sight of Pyrrha's clothing. She wasn't in her usually hunting attire, but instead, was wearing casual clothes with a maroon, scoop neck knitted sweater, a mustard knitted scarf, black jeans, and brown boots. Pyrrha looked incredibly warm and it was easy to tell from the warmth emitting to Ruby's otherwise freezing hands, and the young leader found herself slightly envious. "Yeah. We're finally getting a break today though, so we're in town for now. I think we're going to get back out tomorrow though."
"I see," Pyrrha said in understanding, "And how is your mission fairing?"
"Besides this morning, really well." Ruby confessed
Pyrrha suddenly frowned in concern, lowering her head as though to get a better look at Ruby, "Are you alright? You're not injured are you?" She asked as her eyes glanced over Ruby's body.
"I'm fine." Ruby reassured, giving a light squeeze to Pyrrha's arms. "Just had a rude awakening with a large horde."
Pyrrha smiled as she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."
Ruby hesitantly smiled back, letting her hands fall as Pyrrha followed, and Ruby found her hands grow cold again. "What about you?"
"My mission is going by incredibly well." Pyrrha nodded, pressing her hands together in front of her as though silently applauding, "I've learned so much from the sheriff already! Although, I must admit that this morning was rather tiring as well. There was a small, Faunus right's protest that took a turn for the worst on the North East end of town from the cops stationed there, however we managed to help disperse the protestors with little to no incidents. Regardless, it was incredibly informative on how to do so again peacefully, though the officers didn't seem too happy."
Ruby smiled at Pyrrha's good mood, "That's great!" She said just as the pressure to make haste started to weigh in on her subconscious, "I'd really like to hear it, but I kind of need to-"
"Oh of course!" Pyrrha nodded, "I must depart as well."
Ruby nodded, though neither seemed to make a move.
"You look cold." Pyrrha noted in a low tone.
"I'm fine." Ruby said, stuffing her cold hands into her pockets. "I have long sleeves and two extra layers!" She exclaimed, though slightly shuddered when a chilly wind came by.
Pyrrha lightly chuckles with a shake of a head, "It doesn't look warm to me… Here." Pyrrha said, extracting her scarf from her neck before placing it around Ruby's.
"Oh, I'm fine! Really!" Ruby tried to protest, though felt herself warm just as the scarf was placed on her.
Pyrrha merely smiled as she fussed over the young leader, tying the scarf. "There."
Slightly embarrassed, but completely grateful for the extra warmth, Ruby buried her head a little lower into the scarf. "You didn't have to."
"It was necessary." Pyrrha smiled.
"Thanks…" Ruby mumbled, "I'll see you around I guess." She said, this time taking a step away.
"Perhaps if I'm lucky again." Pyrrha said, waving goodbye.
Ruby merely smiled, waving back to Pyrrha as the two separated from each other.
As she turned around, her eyes suddenly grew heavy, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep at the spot with the comforting warmth.
It didn't take long for Ruby to reach back to the Inn, and as she swung herself through the window, she found Blake and Yang already in the room and Weiss just waking up with a yawn and a stretch.
"Hey Ruby." Yang greeted, completely unplaced by her appearance.
After months of seeing their leader exit and enter through the dorm window, it was only natural that they got used to it.
"Where were you?" Yang asked.
"Oh… uh…" Ruby stuttered, suddenly finding it difficult to find words for some reason as she reflexively ducked her head, burrowing further into the warm scarf, and shoved her hands into her coat pockets, only to find the bracelets.
Blake inclined her head toward Ruby with some concern, "Are you okay?"
"I was just…" Ruby fiddled with the bracelets in her pocket before she pulled them out. "Here, I got these for you guys." She said, holding them in front of her.
The confession made Blake and Weiss look at her with curiosity as they all got up and walked to her.
"Aw. Ruby! What's the occasion?" Yang asked with a light coo
"Nothing." Ruby said, "I just wanted to thank you guys… for being my… friends."
Blake smiled, "You're welcome Ruby. I think this is incredibly considerate." She said as she accepted one.
"It's super nice!" Yang declared as she took one as well, "You didn't have to do it though. Just thanks are enough."
Weiss stared down at the last bracelet in Ruby's hand and looked back up at her inquisitively.
"It's a gift…" Ruby said, gesturing it back toward Weiss as an offering. "So you have something to keep you connected to… your team. This way, you won't feel so lonely." She finished with a small smile.
Cautiously, and slowly, Weiss accepted the bracelet, turning it in her hand in slight awe. "I… don't know what to say Ruby." Weiss said, "This must have cost a fortune." She mentioned with a critical eye.
"Don't worry about it," Ruby waved off, "It's priceless."
Weiss frowned in thought, and upon remembering part of their conversation from this morning, narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"You didn't-"
Ruby's scroll rang, cutting Weiss off and allowing the leader leave as she answered it with a smile. "Hey Capt!"
Ruby suddenly frowned though as she nodded, "I understand, we'll come out right away." She said, and ended the call with her shoulders sagging.
"What's wrong?" Blake asked
"We need to go back out. There's a small congregation of agitated Grimm over on the East side and Glynda wants us to clear it out before it gets bigger." Ruby sighed, her eyes suddenly feeling heavy.
"We should get going then." Weiss stated, causing Ruby to nod as the team exited their room.
Being the last one out, Ruby noticed Yang examining her new bracelet with a small grin, and Ruby couldn't help but feel a little satisfied despite the small sting in her chest.
… Maybe, selfishness was a family trait.
AN: Hey guys! Sorry for the late post! Last week was... stressful _ Anyway, here it is! I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Things are starting to get really intense as more things get revealed _
Also, I started up a (p)atreon! Please consider backing me, less stress on certain finances equals more time to write! I can be found under the same name, timmytam09907! Don't worry, my content will still be posted and be available for free! However, I will be posting on the site first. ^^;
Once again, thank you all for the comments and reading!