Author's Note: Writing is hard. Especially when you attempt to do it consistently. I'd like to thank everyone who has followed the story and I will continue to update as I am able. Work is a little less hectic than before so hopefully that means once a week. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Ruby stood atop a grassy hill, looking down towards its base. It was a beautiful day out and the sunshine alone brought a smile to her face as she watched a figure towards the bottom of the hill make its way up.

"Hurry up slowpoke." she shouted towards the person she could now tell was a little girl, no more than ten or eleven years old. Her white hair seemed to reflect the sun and stood in stark contrast to the light green of the hill she was attempting to run up..

Ruby wasn't sure why she had shouted down at her. Had they been racing? Who was she? Ruby squinted to try and get a better look at the girl, but couldn't discern any facial features. Strange.

She waited until the girl was closer and blinked rapidly before attempting to refocus, but again her features were indistinguishable. Ruby began to grow anxious as the girl grew closer. What was happening?

As her thoughts grew more worried, the sky began to darken above her and Ruby's heart began to pound in her chest. Something was wrong here. This place wasn't right.

The girl was in front of her now.

How? she thought, standing completely still and looking at the little white haired girl.

"Who are you?" she asked, doing her best to restore some sense of calm.

The girl simply tilted her head to the side in confusion. Ruby was about to repeat her question when a noise in the distance drew her attention.

Loud. Shrill. Non-stop. The noise grew louder and louder the more Ruby focused on it. She tried to ignore it instead and returned her attention to the girl who was now moving away.

"Wait! Ruby pleaded, trying to run after her but feeling sluggish in her movements. Her legs wouldn't move and Ruby could only watch as the girl grew further away.

The noise grew louder and louder as darkness began to close around her and block out the girl's retreating figure.

"NO!." Ruby tried to push back. "NO!"

Ruby was lightheaded from sitting up so fast and the sudden intake of air from her gasp. She struggled to slow her breathing and felt sick from the thin layer of sweat her tank top had managed to absorb.

A lingering feeling of disquiet filled her as she looked around her dorm room, a small part of her mind still in the process of returning to reality.

Alone, she thought to herself, relief replacing the remaining emotions from her dream. Over the past week, Ruby had woken up every morning alone in the room and was usually a little sad. Today however she was glad Weiss had not been here to see her little outburst.

What the heck was that anyway? Ruby pondered as she shambled to the shower. Her alarm was set for nine and her first class was at ten-thirty, nearly two hours after Weiss'. She must have fought the noise harder than she thought though as the clock showed a glaring nine-thirty three. Ruby had to speed up her routine now if she was going to be on time and moved quickly to the shower.

The shower did exactly what Ruby hoped it would - washing away the leftover feelings from her dream and putting her in a brighter mood for the day. It always amazed Ruby how much more clearly she was able to think in the shower and this morning she was determined to take advantage of the magic.

She had been here for an entire week and yet to make a new friend in any of her classes or to really accomplish anything she had set out to by attending somewhere so far from home. If anything she was moving backwards. Weiss was being difficult when it came to befriending her to say the least.

""Negative one friend." She mumbled under the spray of water as she thought of Weiss. Interactions with the girl had been limited to greetings and Weiss' one word responses to Ruby's questions. Really, her ability to answer anything with a yes or no had come to amaze Ruby. During one of the rare exceptions to this, when Ruby had inquired about her classes, Weiss had told her that she had an early morning class at eight-thirty but there was no way that was everyday.. And on the rare occasion when they are both in the room, and conscious, she was always polite but distant. Ruby was growing increasingly confused as to why she seemed to avoid her. While trying to think of a way to make Weiss her friend, she was able to find one comfort - at least Weiss wasn't as mean as she had first feared.

"Ruby get out of that shower now!" Weiss shouted as she entered her room, angry and not at all in the mood for waiting. Mud dripped onto the carpet of the room and she cringed as the mess formed where she moved. This morning had not gone as planned and the shower already being occupied was simply not acceptable.

Weiss stood outside of their shared bathroom, listening to the noises of Ruby scrambling out of the shower. She heard the sound of several items hitting the floor, a slip and an umph as she tapped her foot impatiently. Weiss grew a little worried about the slip though as she slowly reached for the door handle but before she could grab it, the door was pulled open and Ruby stood in front of her, hair dripping and panic on her face.

"What's…?" Ruby began but stopped. The two stared at each other for several moments before Ruby let out a choked laugh at Weiss' mud covered state. "How…?" she began again but was interrupted as Weiss moved past her and closed the door.

"I don't want to talk about it." Weiss replied through the door as she turned the shower knobs, hoping that there was hot water in there somewhere. Taking off her ruined ensemble, she immediately contradicted herself to yell "I thought you were the only idiot clumsy enough to knock someone over in the middle of an open sidewalk."

"Uhhh, I guess I'm not as special as I thought." Ruby replied

"Apparently." Weiss stated as she stepped into the water "There is also a bumbling blonde guy walking around campus endangering the health of others."

"And the mud?"

"The incident managed to happen next to one of the only puddles leftover from two days ago." Weiss stated, referring to the thunderstorm that had passed over campus.

Ruby couldn't really think of anything else to say though she was hesitant to end what she thought might be the longest conversation the two had managed since the first day. At a loss, she blurted out the only question she could think of.

"So how is your day going?" Ruby realized how silly the question must have sounded and quickly added "I mean besides the whole mud thing…." She trailed off feeling ridiculous.

There was no response from Weiss so Ruby waited there in her towel, still wet. The clothes she had planned on wearing along with everything else she needed to get ready were all in the bathroom. And so she stood there waiting, awkwardly making faces to herself as her scattered mind attempted to occupy the time. Minutes passed as she continued with her time waster and Ruby didn't even notice the water shut off or door to the bathroom open until her self-distraction was interrupted by a not so subtle cough.

Ruby's face paused on what Weiss could only interpret as an imitation of a fish as she lowered her clenched hand from the feigned cough.

Ruby quickly returned her face to normal and tried desperately to force the creeping blush away.

"So all done?" she blurted out in an attempt to pretend Weiss hadn't seen her little display.

"What was that?" Weiss replied in kind, her voice rose in annoyance at Ruby's childish display. Her body was wrapped in a single large towel like Ruby's, her long white hair hanging loose as she stared at Ruby. "Hello? Are you listening?"

Ruby snapped out of her embarrassment focused on her roommate. "Sorry. It's just something I do sometimes. Making faces I mean. I don't know, it's just a thing I do when I need to pass the time and am alone. And I know it's weird but it started when I was a kid and by now I can't help it. It's like rambling, sometimes I just start talking and can't stop and I'm doing it right now and all I really want to do is finish getting ready in the bathroom and forget this ever happened." She took a much needed breath.

Weiss' eyes narrowed slightly in what Ruby could only imagine was a mix of confusion and anger.

"Than do it you dolt." She huffed while moving past Ruby and reaching towards her wardrobe.

"Yeah." Was all she managed in response before entering the bathroom.

"And Ruby…" Weiss began as she waited for Ruby to stop or turn "my day was fine until the mud." She went back to picking out a new outfit.

"Plus one?" Ruby asked herself as she went about finishing her routine.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Ruby finished getting ready and exited the bathroom hoping that Weiss hadn't needed to get back in there for anything. She would hate to destroy her newfound hope for this friendship so soon by testing Weiss'…temperament.

Ruby took hesitant steps back into the shared room, not wanting to accidentally walk in on Weiss changing either. Honestly, I wish she would just become my best friend already so I didn't feel like I was walking on eggshells all the time, she thought while scanning the room but finding no trace of her future, if reluctant, friend.

"Where?" she stopped and continued looking around "How?"

Ruby was astounded that someone like Weiss was able to change and leave before she was. Even the mud that Weiss had trailed in was all cleaned up. She has got to be avoiding me Ruby thought, continuing towards her side of the room and getting her bag together to leave. Maybe she was just being polite before, Ruby let out a sigh at this possibility and made towards the door to leave.

Opening the door, Ruby blinked twice as fist about to knock stopped inches from her face. Peering around she came to see a rather lanky guy with blonde hair giving her a nervous smile. He was dressed in jeans and a wearing a hoodie making him look as plain as the most generalized of police sketches.

"Hey Jaune." She greeted her friend but with a confused look on her face "What's up?" They usually met up at lunch or something so it was strange for him to try and catch Ruby before she left.

"Heh heh," Jaune let out a short laugh as he scratched the back of his head "Hey Ruby, I need help with something and I'm not really sure who else to ask…." He trailed off towards the end as he suddenly discovered a fascination with the carpeting.

Ruby stared at him as she tried to come up with possible issues that could lead Jaune to ask her of all people for help.

"I have no idea who took all of the cookies from the cafeteria and I'm really sorry if they blamed you."

"No, it's not that." He answered, resigned "Even if I knew it was you." Jaune continued in a muted tone.

Pausing to think again Ruby continued "Um, modern medicine has done amazing things for people's private….problems. I'm sure the itching will go away too."

"What!?" Jaune burst out, returning eye contact to Ruby at last "NO! It's nothing like that."

At least that had worked she thought to herself.

"I figured Jaune." Ruby informed him smiling at her friend who was finally back to normal "So what DO you need help with?"

"Well I…I…" Jaune took several tries before finishing with "…need girl help."

"And?" Ruby deadpanned.

Jaune's eyes looked like they would pop. "AND?! I need advice and,well uh other stuff I guess."

"I'm not exactly the most qualified to give girl advice Jaune." She responded while motioning down the hall. Class started in twenty-minutes and she needed to make this conversation mobile.

"Yeah but you're a girl." Jaune stated, following behind her down the stairs

"I do in fact lack in the Y-chromosome department."

"I mean yeah you're a girl but you also like them. So I figured….OOF" Jaune ran into Ruby's back as she suddenly stopped at the bottom of the stairs before turning back to him.

"Jaune!"

"What, it's not like you're in the closet or anything." He responded dumbfounded at her reaction. Ruby had come out to him after he had asked her to the Senior prom in high-school and years of him hinting that he wanted to be more than friends for a while before that. Soon after she had come out to her family and hadn't regretted it for an instant. Ruby now had a sense of freedom without her secret and she still got to go with Jaune to prom, though only as friends.

"I know but…" Ruby hesitated as she thought of how to articulate her feelings "I just want people to know Ruby the girl before Ruby the lesbian okay?" Jaune nodded but with a look that showed his lack of understanding. As long as he didn't go around broadcasting it his understanding doesn't matter, Ruby told herself. "Besides, I want to be the one to tell people not some conversation in the hall."

"Okay, okay I get it Ruby. But I could still use some advice about Pyrrha." Jaune pleaded.

"Pyrrha Nikos?" a familiar voice asked from behind Ruby "The track star?"

"Yeah." Jaune answered automatically as they both turned to face the speaker "Oh no."

"You!" Weiss shouted as she looked at Jaune "Do you have any idea how ruined my clothes are from your clumsiness?"

Jaune quickly moved behind Ruby, attempting to hide from what was surely a repeat from earlier that day and Ruby felt a need to save him from Weiss' wrath. "I didn't realize that was Jaune from your story Weiss." She cut in with as friendly a voice as possible in an attempt to diffuse the situation "What a funny coincidence that will surely serve as a bonding experience for all of us."

Ruby looked to Weiss with a plea in her eyes for peace that she hoped the girl would interpret. She must have gotten the signal as her expression turned from anger and softened into what Ruby thought was understanding.

"Riiiight." Weiss spoke up, eyes still locked on Ruby "Well just make sure you are more careful in the future." She looked to Jaune as she said this and began to move past the duo up the stairs. "Oh and if a clutz like you gets Pyrrha Nikos, I'll eat at McDonalds." She let out a laugh at the prospect before disappearing.

The two of them watched her go up the stairs before Jaune muttered "Hardly a sacrifice."

Hearing this, Ruby couldn't help but add "Oh you have no idea." At Jaune's look of interest she continued "On my second night here I brought back McDonalds to the room and she went into half hour long lecture on nutrition and food processing."

"Wow, you're roommates with that bitch?" Jaune asked.

"She is not a bitch Jaune." Ruby spoke up, feeling angry at Jaune's words and shoving him roughly in the arm. She didn't know why she felt so offended on Weiss' behalf but Ruby was sure her roommate didn't deserve that kind of language.

"Sorry, sorry jeez." Was all he had to say as they resumed their walk out of the dorm.

Ruby didn't feel like helping him at the moment after his choice of words and excused herself. "Look, I have to be in class soon Jaune, we can talk about Pyrhha later okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Ruby." He answered, disappointment evident. "But you better use this time to brainstorm some incredible pickup lines." The usual optimism returned to his voice though Ruby sensed it was forced.

"I think it's going to take a little bit more than a pick up line Jaune." Ruby returned his smile and began to jog away "But I'll think of something!"

As he watched his friend grow more distant, Jaune took in a breath and muttered "Figures, the first girl I like ends up being gay and the second is so out of my league she's playing a different sport." He turned and looked down at his watch, a family heirloom. "Oh crap, I'm gonna be late!"

Weiss watched the blonde idiot, Jaune she thought she heard Ruby call him, as he sprinted off towards the lecture halls. He was probably late she thought before turning away from the window. Grabbing her binder full of notes and project ideas, Weiss made to exit the room again. She had been in such a hurry to get out of the room before Ruby was done, she had forgotten the damn thing.

"This really has to stop." She spoke to herself "Just become friends again, so what if she doesn't remember you, start over."

But she won't like who you are now.

The thought came from nowhere and Weiss forced it away. If those trademark puppy dog eyes that Ruby had thrown her way to prevent her tirade towards her friend were any indication, Ruby hadn't really changed too much. That meant she was still too naïve and optimistic to not like anyone.

Besides, Weiss thought, even if I try to fight her those eyes will wear me down eventually. It really isn't fair at all.

Author's note: This chapter was a little more Ruby-centric than before but I wanted to try and convey her sense of distance from Weiss and am not creative enough to do it in any other way than creating a similar distance between Weiss and the reader. Ruby being open with herself about being gay has always made sense to me because of how supportive her home life seemed, this being the "real" world also led me to see her realizing this fairly early on as opposed to the series where she never really had the opportunity for romantic interests. Weiss is the polar opposite though, she is afraid to look inward because she fears becoming like her father and this combined with her lack of romantic activities and attempts to occupy her time with worthwhile pursuits has led her to either deny it entirely to herself or literally never even think of Review and let me know what you think. I hope to see you next chapter!