WOW, it's been forever since I've updated. Sorry guys, but with college starting up again and my much busier schedule, I don't think I can stick with my once a week update anymore. I think that much is obvious though. But thankfully, I've done a couple of revisions for my story so I have a better idea of what I want to do with my characters.
ALSO, don't be turned off by the chapter name! Remember that the characters within the parentheses are the points of views explored within the chapter. The change in perspectives are easy to notice through the context clues and I used a line break every time it happens to make it a bit easier to see. Even when they're not biological sisters, there will not be any Enabler today! At least not here.
Wow, we finally get a chapter in Ruby's perspective and she's sharing it with Yang. Ouch.
So, for the readers who read the previous chapter right when it came up, I've done a bit of revision there. I removed two specific paragraphs that I thought were unnecessary at this point in the story. They were obtrusive, so I thought I'd explore those plot points later. Thank you, uberparagon, for pointing that out to me.
05. Red vs Yellow (Yang/Ruby)
"…And now I need to spend the rest of my life living with her." Yang concluded, summarizing her latest revelation.
"You're… You're kidding." Weiss could barely muster up the words for a response. It had been barely twenty-four hours and Yang still couldn't believe it.
"I wish I was. Man, if word got out that Ruby Rose is my stepsister I'm not sure if I could live it down, Weiss!" Yang threw up her hands in exasperation and slammed facedown onto the lunch table, earning sideways glances from surrounding students.
Something built inside her. Was it anger towards Ruby? Was it resentment towards her father for not telling her? Was it disappointment in herself that she didn't see it coming earlier? Yang couldn't tell, but it clearly bothered her.
She didn't like Ruby Rose. Though there was some aspect of her that respected that she defended Blake on their first day of school, she was still the same bratty kid that everyone, even the kids who stood at the apex of the social food chain, was afraid of. Often times, there were reports of Ruby hanging out in sketchy places at night and dealing with shady people. And now she will legally be bounded to her as her sister in a few months' time.
If that wasn't enough, there was also the case of her brother. Argent Rose was not a man to be involved with. Many of the local college graduate students who knew him in high school did not hold a high opinion of him and he was known to be banned from many of the local establishments in Vale. Even the calm and collected Lie Ren didn't think highly of the huntsman. However, one thing absolutely drove the nail in the coffin.
Weiss Schnee, her best friend, despised Argent Rose.
"Never mind Ruby!" Weiss hissed. "You're gonna be the sister of the most hated man of Vale! Thanks to that roach, I can barely hold down a conversation with my sister!"
"Ugh, please Weiss, don't remind me. I honestly don't know how it happened! Summer just seemed like a really nice person, you know? How she gave birth to those two wild animals is beyond me!"
Ruby groaned into her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, not bothering to even take a bite of the soft and creamy delicacy. Recent events stole her appetite and made it disappear. And unlike Uncle Qrow's cheesy magic tricks, she didn't think that she would be able to pull it out of her ear so easily. That, and the sandwich was actually quite comfortable to lay on compared to the cold tabletops.
"Are you okay, Ruby?" Blake asked, looking up from her sketchbook. "Is this about Yang?"
"Yes, it's about Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, arms and head up in disbelief. "The past weekend was a nightmare living with her! Did you know I couldn't even set up my brother's new room without some backhanded insult? How do you put up with her, Blake?"
Blake sighed and decided to finish up her sketch another time. Ruby knew Blake meant well and she was completely fine with her spending time with Yang for the past few weeks after a couple of explanations. Plus, it wasn't like Blake abandoned her. They still hung out like they normally did.
"You know, she's not that bad. Yang has been nothing but trusting to me since we spoke a while back and she has gotten better."
"Yeah, but only to you and just about everyone else at Beacon but me." Ruby grumbled. "I'm glad you took the time to change her, Blake, but she's still just as big of a jerk as ever! It's like we're in the middle of Blood Gulch all over again!"
"Then why don't you two try to find some common ground?" Blake asked, ignoring the obvious reference that went over her head. "Whatever she's mad about, talk to her about it. Apologize if it's something you could easily fix."
Plopping her face back into her PB&J, Ruby groaned once more, and this time with louder volume. "Trust me, I've tried. Whatever it is, she clearly doesn't want to talk about it."
Blake frowned. In her short time with the boisterous blonde, never had it occurred to her that there would be a subject she wouldn't talk about. "Any idea what it could be?"
"I dunno. She mentioned something about Weiss hating me or my brother or whatever. Not that I'm surprised. Not many people like talking about, much less get along with, the 'infamous Rose siblings'." Ruby smiled bitterly.
She hated the rumors that flew about her and her brother. But like many people her age, she couldn't convince the populace to think otherwise and of course Argent was usually out of the kingdom doing huntsman work, not allowing any time to defend himself or his choices.
Argent, however, cared little for the rumors about himself. Every time he came back from his missions, he'd ignore them and go straight home to spend time with Ruby and their mother. However, he was much too sensitive to the rumors about Ruby. He nearly broke a guy's arm for badmouthing her. Ruby didn't know who that man was, but she almost felt sorry for his twisted limb.
Luckily, their mother took the least amount of damage from the Rose family rumors. Summer was far too much of a bright spirit for anyone to doubt. Most even forgot that Summer was even related to them in the first place.
"I guess you really can't change that, huh?" Blake stated sympathetically.
"Nope," Ruby replied, popping her lips in emphasis. "I dunno, Blake. Like, after seeing her around you, I really want to get along with Yang. For you, Tai, and my mom. Really I do. But if she keeps going with this, we're never getting anywhere."
"I suppose I can speak to her about it later."
Ruby perked up. "Really? That'd be awesome. Thanks, Blake."
"No problem. Can't have my two best friends slugging each other for the rest of their lives. Can you imagine the two of you both coming to me to settle those fights? No thank you."
The two girls laughed, the atmosphere instantly becoming lighter to Ruby.
She picked up her face-shaped sandwich and finally took her first bite out of it.
Maybe having Yang as a sister wouldn't be so bad.
Or maybe not.
The rest of the school day flew by with no trouble between the two future stepsisters. That is, until they both bumped into each other in the middle of the hallway on the way out from class.
Two girls, one of red and the other of yellow, scowled at each other, neither relenting their glare. Their two companions, one of black and the other of white, awkwardly watch as the event unfold.
If one could even call it that.
"Watch where you're going, Rose." Yang growled, her violet eyes seemingly turning a flaming red.
"Whatever," Ruby deadpanned. "Not like I had much choice. Your hair flies all over the damn place, I can't see where I'm going."
Yang grabbed a smirking Ruby by her shirt and pulled her up to her eye level. "Why you little-!"
"Girls!"
Four sets of eyes turned their gaze to the source of the voice. Naturally, just when Yang was about to pull something, the assistant principal nearly witnessed it. And if her frown was any indication, she was not amused.
"Ms. Xiao Long, put her down. Now."
"Y-Yes, ma'am." Yang stuttered, carefully putting Ruby down back on her feet.
"Now, I don't know what troubles you and Ms. Rose have at home, and nor do I care, but I will not tolerate this sort of behavior on school grounds. Whether it be during school hours or otherwise. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am…" Ruby and Yang both mumbled.
"I can't hear you!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Ruby and Yang were both grateful that the other students had already left or were attending their extracurricular activities or else their apologies would get increasingly more embarrassing by tenfold.
The assistant principal nodded, leaving the four girls to their devices. As she left, the atmosphere began to clear, making it easier to breathe.
"Why that woman isn't a gym coach is beyond me."
"For once, I think we agree on something."
Weiss cleared her throat, capturing the attentions of the other three girls. The white-haired heiress turned her attention to the blonde boxer and grabbed her arm.
"Come on, Yang. You'll be late for practice and I don't want you to be the reason why I'm late to my rehearsal again."
"Okay, okay. I got it, Princess. Geez. See you later, Blakey!" And of course, in natural Yang Xiao Long fashion, she stuck her tongue at Ruby.
Before the two could leave, Ruby took one last gaze at the two – more at Weiss than anything – completely ignoring Yang's rude gesture. Ruby knew she was frustrated. If one were to ask her, she could not provide an explanation for it.
"Hang on, Weiss!" She firmly grabbed onto Weiss's wrist as if on reflex.
The three other girls looked back at the crimsonette that called for the heiress. They stared at Ruby with raised eyebrows and questionable looks.
Ruby somehow looked… different.
Her usual nonchalant, somewhat abrasive nature was replaced with a shy girl who could barely look up at her mark. There was something that bothered her; that much was obvious. Ruby could tell that Blake and Yang looked the most confused. Never once had she ever interacted with the Schnee heiress.
Weiss's eyes narrowed at the younger girl, a surprised blue turning to an icy glare. "What is it?"
Ruby froze. She honestly didn't think she'd get this far and Weiss easily conveyed that she didn't have time for her distractions. She had to pick her next words carefully.
"Do you remember…?" Ruby droned. So much for picking her words carefully.
"Remember what?" Weiss almost spat, impatience clear.
"Do you remember…?" Ruby glanced over Weiss's shoulder, catching an impetuous Yang with her arms crossed and foot tapping in annoyance. "You know what? Never mind. It's… It's not important."
With that, Ruby turned her eyes away, releasing her grip on the alabaster-haired girl and stared at the tiling of the floor.
Weiss let out an irritated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Thank you for wasting my time, you dolt. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late."
The white and yellow duo left, leaving Blake confused and Ruby slightly stunned.
Unbeknownst to either party, Blake and Yang turned to their respective partners, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Weiss silently mumbled, giving Yang not even the vaguest of hints of the events that just occurred. Ruby, on the other hand, had the corners of her mouth pointed slightly upward, holding traces of a faint smile.
"What was that about?" Blake asked.
"Oh, nothing." Ruby said, stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking away.
"…You ate… the last slice of cake…?"
"Yeah, so? S'not like it had your name on it or anything."
"It had strawberries! Of course it was mine!"
"Since when did you get to monopolize strawberry cakes?!"
Ruby slammed the refrigerator door, marched to the living room, and glared at the lazily dressed girl lying down on the couch. The blonde was shifting through the television channels, either not knowing or not caring that the redhead was struggling to strangle her to oblivion.
No one touched her strawberry cake.
But before Ruby could make herself sisterless before having an actual sister, there was a ring at the door.
Summer, who wanted to avoid the fight as much as possible, dashed towards the front door. Taking it upon herself, she opened it and revealed a rather burly, muscular man with graying black spiky hair. He wore a dark red leather coat that fell to his thighs and had various black belts over his torso. Funnily enough, he wore a regular pair of jeans to clash with his already over the top designs.
A smile graced the contours of Ruby's visage as she momentarily forgot about her devoured strawberry cake.
Only one man other than her brother and cousin had that sort of flashy fashion sense.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried, latching herself onto the older man's arm.
Qrow chuckled at the sight of his youngest niece grasping at him not too unlike a koala hanging from a tree branch. He stroked Ruby's head with his free hand and gave Summer a short hug.
"Heya, Rubes. You're looking good. And you too, Sum. Nice place you got here." He said, finally noticing Yang checking the commotion. "And good to see you too, Yang."
"Hey, Uncle Qrow." Yang said unenthusiastically, returning to her original position on the couch.
"Qrow, I didn't think you'd be coming back so soon. Aren't you supposed to be deployed in Mistral? If you would've called, Tai would've been here already."
"I had to come back to Vale to run some errands. Met some old colleagues too that I needed some information out of. Don't worry though, I'll be outta your hair tomorrow. I even brought a friend along." Qrow smirked.
"Oh? And who would that be?" Summer asked quizzically.
"H-Hello, Ms. Rose," a shaken voice replied. "I-I mean, Summer."
Ruby tilted herself to look past Qrow's side, finding a rather dazed Blake Belladonna who could barely stand up straight.
"Please don't tell me that her calling you by your first name is your attempt to be cool with Ruby's friends."
"Hey!" Summer retaliated. "I am totally cool!"
Ignoring the adult conversation, Ruby grabbed Blake's shoulder to steady her.
"What are you doing here, Blake?"
"Well," Blake started, trying to get her bearings together before getting to her explanation. "Qrow came to visit my parents earlier. I didn't exactly catch everything that they said but once I heard that he was your uncle, I thought I'd ask him for a lift to your place."
"Okay, first of all, he's a terror on his motorcycle. Consider yourself lucky that dizziness is all you're getting from it. Second, why did you come? At least give me a call beforehand."
"Sorry about that. I just thought," Blake came down to a whisper. "I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to talk to Yang about your… situation."
Ruby sighed in exasperation. "Please do. I nearly killed her over a slice of cake."
"Strawberry?"
"Oh yeah."
"Then I suppose I should get to work."
"Hey, Rubes!" Qrow called. "You mind working on Sleipnir for me? He's been acting up and I think he may need some adjustments."
Ruby squealed, eyes turning into stars and lips forming a wide grin. "Would I?! I'll fix him up right away! Can I-"
"No, you can't open the sword compartments." Qrow said frankly. "Not after what happened last time."
"Fine…" Ruby dragged herself up the stairs. She quickly gave Blake a wave and a look of good luck before leaving to gather her tools.
"You let the brat look after your bike but not me?" Yang asked, offended that she couldn't at least inspect her uncle's beloved motorcycle.
"Hey to you too, Firecracker."
"You know how much I've always wanted to fix up Sleipnir! Besides, unlike her, I actually know my way around a bike." Yang said with venom seeping from her clenched teeth.
"Yang, please." Blake pleaded, trying to calm down her friend.
"No, Blake," Qrow interrupted. "Allow me."
Qrow sat down on an empty chair, scratched the back of his head, and stared down Yang with a cold, hard stare. The look that welled up in his red eyes almost looked… defeated. Almost as if Qrow was sympathetic to the point where he actually believed whatever happened was genuinely his fault.
"Yang, Sleipnir was a gift from Ruby's late father. It was the last project they both worked on before he passed and it means so much to her."
Qrow humorlessly laughed, seeing Yang's features contort to one of slight regret.
"You know me. I could have fixed it myself, no problem. But that's not the point. Aurum was my best friend back in college and an even better one when we trained in the Hunting Corps. Saved my skin many times over. In the end, he didn't make it. Now, all the poor girl's got in this world is her mother and a brother who's rarely ever home. I want make sure she doesn't lose anything else precious in her life. I owe her that much."
Yang's regret quickly faded in a flash, replaced with red hot rage. She shot up out of her seat and stomped her foot. Small bits of tears slid down her cheeks as she growled.
"But what about me?! I'm your niece too! In fact, I'm your real niece! Why does she get so much attention while you don't even visit me or dad anymore?!"
"Yang!" Blake held onto the blonde's arm, attempting to sit her down and relax. Alas, there was no such result.
Qrow's expression experienced hardly any change. He gestured towards Blake, signaling that she shouldn't interfere.
"Yang, I assure you, I love you just as much as I do Ruby. You're what Raven left for me and I owe it to my sister that you're safe too."
"However," Qrow frowned. "I know how much you despise my line of work. The Hunting Corps hasn't exactly been good in the public eye lately and your mother is a prime example of why you're not exactly fond of us. Seeing as I'm the director, I'm usually the target of the criticism. I thought, because of that, you wouldn't want to see me more than you have to."
Yang's stormy violet eyes slowly calmed back to her quiet lilac, realizing where he was going with his explanation. She sat back down and urged Qrow to continue.
"Unlike you, Ruby doesn't mind the criticism. She takes it on willingly because she never believes it for a second. Maybe because of her dad. Maybe because of her brother. I don't know. She said it was a secret why she kept fighting for us, but I knew she meant it."
Qrow's eyes softened, the smile on his face both sad but genuine.
"Yang, I don't blame you for thinking the worst of us huntsmen and huntresses. I can tell you right now that we're not all good people. Some of us act as barbaric mercenaries who are only concerned for the payout and others care so little for their clients that they kill them and loot their corpses. I may be the director but I'm sure as hell no leader for these corrupt mongrels. That, of course, should've been relegated to a far more upstanding individual; one who lost his life far too soon."
Qrow leaned back, looking at the ceiling contemplatively. "And of course, there's your mother. I'll be the first to tell you that she's not the most understanding of people. A royal pain in my ass since birth, I'll tell ya. But still the best sister I could have ever asked for. "
Yang looked down in shame. Qrow was a respectable man even despite his occupation. He was always kind to her, but was never soft. He never minced his words and Yang liked that about him. Even though his brutal honesty was scathing, at least it was honest. Yang felt bad to have ever doubted his thoughts.
But still…
"Hey, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby walked in covered with black oil and smelled of grease. She had foregone her usual hoodie and jeans and opted for a black tube top and long baggy pants. Summer followed her, albeit in a much cleaner appearance.
Blake accidentally found herself staring at Ruby's exposed skin and quickly looked away when Yang's eye twitched in annoyance.
Yeah, this brat was totally going to get it.
"You left quite a beating there. A few of the key mechanisms are screwed up and I'm gonna need to get some replacement parts. What have you been doing with Sleipnir?"
"Sorry about that, Rubes." Qrow laughed, veiling the tension from the younger girl that had built up with his discussion. "You know how it is. That horse is the best combat bike around. He's bound to get beaten up every once in a while. Just take some cash outta my wallet to pay for those parts. Oh, and if you have time, drop by Junior's place and-"
"Grab those wings you really like. Got it." Ruby accepted the money and went to go change her clothes, completely oblivious to the exchanging of words that just took place.
"So what were you three talking about?" Summer asked. "I thought I heard yelling."
"Oh, it was nothing." Qrow waved his hand nonchalantly. "Hey, since we're both free now, why not give me the tour of the house, Sum? I'm probably boring these two with my old man talk."
"Um, sure." Summer's eyes flew to Yang and Blake, wondering what Qrow could have possibly talked to them about. She quickly dismissed the thought and led the man upstairs to check out the upper floors. In that time, Ruby ran past and went out the door to pick up the required parts.
"Yang," Blake shook her shoulder gently to grab the blonde's attention. "I think it's about time we talked about Ruby."
"Not you too, Blake." Yang sighed in defeat. "You know how I feel about her. She's… I dunno…"
"See? You can't even think of a good reason to dislike her. Tell me, what do you have against her?"
"Well…" Yang hesitated. Should she tell Blake? That most of the reason why she hated the short punk was primarily due to Weiss.
But this was Blake she was talking about. The same girl who helped her open up about her mom and her own personal problems.
If she couldn't trust her with this, who could she trust?
"Fine, I'll tell you." Blake nodded, her ears perking up signaling that Yang had her undivided attention. It almost amused Yang as she reminded herself that this was the same girl who could barely talk to the strangers for the past few years.
"You see, it mainly has to do with Weiss." Blake arched her eyebrow, wondering to herself how the heiress fit into the equation, but continued to listen. "It's her sister. Winter was incredibly close to her when she was younger and when I met her, she was like the older sister I've always wanted. The one I've always wanted to be. She was kind, caring, and ironically, warm. She always had Weiss's back and when we became friends, mine as well.
"But then, about a year later, all of that went away. They grew further and further apart. Nowadays, she only comes home about once a year and it's rare for her to ever call home. Weiss struggled to cope ever since. I remember seeing those vibrant eyes of hers just glow red from the heavy amounts of crying she had to go through on her own. Winter left Weiss, pushing all of responsibilities of the Schnee heiress onto her, just so she could join the Hunting Corps."
Yang had to refrain from slamming her hands on the coffee table.
"Just so she could follow Argent Rose." Yang spat.
"Ruby's… brother?" Blake asked, attempting to understand the outflow of information given to her. "Are you telling me the whole reason you hate Ruby is because of her brother?"
"Not… necessarily." Yang stopped for a moment, thinking how she should word her next sentences. "What bothers me the most is how much she idolizes her brother. She remembers the entire history of the Hunting Corps for Dust's sake and she would rather beat someone to the ground than let them get away with insulting him. I know that must be rich coming from me, but that doesn't change the fact that she's dangerous and she needs to learn her place.
"Her brother is not a good person. He stole my best friend's sister away from her and he got one of the most beloved people in Vale killed too through his shitty job!"
Yang stood up and fierce violet eyes met with startled amber as she grabbed the other girl's shoulders.
"You see, Blake? This is what I don't understand. You know this. You know that Argent Rose has done terrible things to his friends, his family, and his neighbors. You know how much his sister idolizes him. You're her friend. You should know. You asked me what I have against her. Now I ask, what do you see in her?"
"Yang…" Blake squeaked, certainly surprised how passionate her friend got on the subject of Ruby Rose.
Yang's fiery red eyes calmed back down to her silent lilac and widened. She hadn't realized how tightly she was holding onto Blake's shoulders or how scared she was making her.
Yang promised to both Blake and herself that she wouldn't make anyone feel scared of her ever again.
And she broke that promise absolutely miserably.
"B-Blake, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
Yang stepped back, giving the black-haired girl room to breathe.
"I-It's alright. You meant no harm." Blake cleared her throat, quickly dismissing Yang's sudden outburst.
"Yang, Ruby… she understood me during a dark time. I never really had any friends, no one I knew ever shared my interests, and you harassing me wasn't exactly helping."
Yang looked away in shame, almost forgetting that she used to be huge jerk to someone she now called her friend. She didn't know how she and Blake managed to become like friends, but she was grateful to whatever or whoever was responsible for bringing them together like this.
"She actually inspired me to reach out to you, even though she doesn't know that yet. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have had that conversation at the park that night."
The memories of that day came back to her. Blake going out of her way to push her uncaring ass out of the way of a speeding car that could've killed her or at least put her in critical condition. Thanks to Blake, Yang managed to get away with only a few cuts and bruises.
"That was… because of her?"
"Yup," Blake nodded. "I can't say I can justify what her brother has done, but I can at least stand up for her. So please do try to get along with her at least. Please. For me."
"I'll… try." Yang tightened her fingers together into fists.
"Geez, what a freaking hassle…"
Ruby walked out of the store, managing to pick up the parts she needed for her uncle's bike. Luckily for her, she was dealing with some new employees who didn't know her, so she managed to grab the parts she needed without getting harassed by the staff. Unfortunately, that caused a bit of miscommunication since Ruby had to go through the trouble of explaining the difference between various parts.
Thankfully, she knew the best place to relax after a hard time in the store.
"Hey, guys!" Ruby greeted. Two men with black suits and matching hats stood in front of a door of a shady building. Neon lights lit up the inside and loud music echoed from beyond the door. The two men looked towards Ruby and though it was difficult to tell through their opaque red sunglasses, she knew that they recognized her.
"Ruby! How you doing, girl?" One of the men asked.
"Things could be better, but it's not bad. I went out to grab some parts for my uncle's bike and I thought I'd stop by for a visit."
"So you're not here to drop off any new songs?" The second man inquired, a bit disappointed. "Not that the songs we currently have are bad." He quickly added.
"Nah," Ruby waved her hand, ignoring the implication. "Haven't had time to make any yet. We just finished moving in the new house and all. Hey, do you two mind letting me in?"
"Of course not. You're always welcome here." The two men smiled and unlocked the velvet rope that blocked the door, allowing Ruby entry to the club.
Thankfully, the music didn't blare as much as it usually does in the night. Junior's was normally a club that was very popular during the after hours, but due to its location, it was generally considered to be part of the dangerous section of the city. During the day hours, it functioned as any regular bar.
"Hey, Rubes, over here!"
Ruby sauntered to the counter, towards the man with a dark vest over a plain white dress shirt. Unlike the other men of the club, he didn't don the red sunglasses nor did he wear a hat.
"Hey, Hei!" Ruby cheerfully greeted, chuckling at the slight pun she created.
"You never get tired of saying that, do you?"
Hei Xiong, or more infamously known as Junior, was a close family friend of Ruby's. He and her father were close drinking buddies out of college and, by proxy, a good friend to her and Argent. Despite being only sixteen, Hei had granted her and her brother lifetime access to the club so long as they never drink underage. Ruby gladly accepted the proposition as she never really enjoyed the smell of alcohol anyway.
"I'm going to keep saying that until the day I die, Hei, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Ruby grabbed one of the empty stools and jumped onto it, giving it a bit of spin before properly facing the older man.
"I suppose I can't." Hei chuckled. "So, your usual?"
"Mhm! Oh, and add in those hot wings to go. My uncle's in town. And, by any chance, do you have any strawberry cake?"
"I'll see what I can muster up." Junior said, placing a glass of freshly poured milk in front of the redhead.
Minutes later, Hei returned with a slice of cake and a closed Styrofoam box that smelled of various spices and hot sauce.
"You're lucky that you and the twins share the same tastes. Melanie and Militiades just had their birthday recently and they left some cake here."
"Well, what can I say? We have refined tastes." Ruby elegantly placed her hand over her chest and released a mock regal air. Before she could hold the pose much longer, both she and Hei laughed.
Ruby went to grab her wallet to pay before the man stopped her. "Ruby, please don't worry about paying. It's on the house."
Ruby huffed. "Honestly, man. You really got to let me pay some time. It's not like you get that much business outside of me during the day!"
"Gee, thanks. But seriously, don't. I owe a lot to your old man and brother. Aurum knew just how to keep a guy entertained on a college boy's budget and Argent makes sure my nieces are safe on the battlefield. The least I could do is let their little princess enjoy a meal here free of charge."
"You're lucky I like this place, Hei, or I'd be paying your ass and never coming back." Ruby quipped.
After sharing a couple of laughs and recounting a few stories, Hei asked a question that Ruby would've had rather avoided.
"So I hear that you and Summer moved in with the Xiao Longs. What's that like?"
"Ugh, a nightmare. Yang is the worst possible choice I could've asked for a stepsister and I don't even want to know what it would be like when Argent comes back home."
Hei's eyes narrowed and his expression turned fierce. "You don't… need something you could use against her, do you? You know how expansive my intelligence network is. Anything you need, we can get it for you."
Ruby nearly spat out her milk hearing the supposed implication of her diction. Beating against her chest to force down the creamy beverage, she let out several coughs when she finally swallowed.
"No! Nothing like that! I'm trying to get along with her, not blackmail her!"
"Huh, really? Thought she doesn't really like you or your brother. Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I, uh, well," Ruby jumbled her words. "My friend Blake. She wants us to be friends or whatever. Thanks to her, Yang has gotten better as a person. She really only treats me differently and I don't know why."
"Maybe you two should try having a one-on-one conversation. No outside interference. Try to find something you relate to."
Ruby analyzed Hei's suggestion, finally realizing that she and Yang never really had alone time together. Someone was always there near the vicinity, whether it be Blake, Summer, Taiyang, or… Weiss.
Ruby sighed.
"I know that sigh anywhere," Hei said, claiming Ruby's empty glass and cleaning it with a wet rag. "Blake's not the only reason why you want to do this, right?"
Ruby finished off her last bite of cake, though it was not nearly as sweet as it was before.
"Yeah."
"Just remember what I said then. Try to find some middle ground. Not just for Blake, but for Tai, Summer, and Weiss too."
Ruby jumped off the stool, taking the bits of fried poultry her uncle loved so much. She strolled to the entrance with a smile on her face.
"I suppose I should."
Before I say anything, huge thanks to my friend Okamitaretsu for providing that whole strawberry cake debacle for me. It was huge help despite not really being a big scene in itself. Writing Ruby and Yang as opposing forces is really hard considering how close they are in canon. But anyway, they have a really good fanfiction in The Crimson Rose, which if you're a fan of superheroes and good old dorky Ruby, I say definitely check it out. Give my buddy some more inspiration because I'm also awaiting the next chapter there.
So with that out of the way, we finally get our first White Rose interaction! Though it's pretty obvious what I'm going to do with them, it's nice to finally have them talk to each other for once. Just a bit longer before I start Weiss's arc.
Thank you for reading this longer than usual chapter and please leave a review! Until next time!