Though this time the team had returned with no fatalities, not all of the members of Strike Six were unaffected by what they had seen on the mission. Ruby was quietly sniffling in the back of the hold, held in a comforting one-armed hug by Yang. Weiss had her eyes closed as though she were sleeping, though the way she was biting on her lip betrayed rather unpleasant thoughts running within the apparently calm heiress' mind.
They had all taken part in ushering the surviving refugees back into safe areas before handing them to waiting Japanese forces. Many had been wailing for their lost parents or children. Even more were crying out for their fallen friends. It was not a pleasant experience for the huntresses, who had never truly experienced a full-on Grimm invasion on a settlement during their entire lives.
Blake had the top piece of her armour removed so that Maria could properly treat and dress the wounds, not caring that everyone could see the breast bindings that were barely covering her goods. The wound on her back still burned worse than if someone had dumped a bucketful of burn Dust on it; she needed the damn wound fixed now, privacy be damned. "What's on your mind, gatita?" the medic asked her, while looping the bandages around her torso again, carefully applying another dose of chryssalid antivenom and nanosutures from her medical spray gun and making sure the bandages were soaked in it.
"...All those people. We failed them," she murmured, closing her eyes and shuddering. The image of the chryssalid egg rolling out of a corpse's severed neck would remain with her forever; as would the children in the cafe, who were cowering in abject terror.
There was little doubt that their parents were somewhere in the area. Maybe even one of the bodies on the ground. She knew from her time in the White Fang that the younger ones were impressionable; that they would believe anything that was said to them, if it were repeated often enough. These children had seen far too much death in such a short time. She wondered what such traumatic exposure to so much death would cause.
"What would happen to them...?" she wondered aloud.
"I take it that you mean the little children that we've rescued?" replied Maria, halting what she was doing and squeezing Blake's shoulder gently, "Do not worry. The survivors of that attack have been handed over to the Japanese military for evacuation. They are safe,"
"I know. But it still feels wrong, like we could have done more to help them,"
"That it is, Shadowcat. You're not wrong there. But never mistake losing a few civilians for a failure. As long as we have saved at least one person, we may consider our job at least a partial success," Papa Bear spoke, removing his gloves and flexing his fingers. "As long as even a single human lives, we're not bending over for them to take us up our rear ends,"
The members of Team RWBY flushed a vivid vermilion at the rather crude image that the gruff man painted in their minds, while the rest of Strike One simply launched into giggles and snorts. After a while, however, Blake realised something about what Papa Bear had said.
"Shadowcat?" she queried, tilting her head.
"Damn straight. Shadowcat. Fits what you do better than 'cub', doesn't it? You were good enough to confuse Maria with your...weird cloning ability," he grunted, shrugging his shoulders, "Every member of XCOM that's survived their first few missions gets a nickname according to what they've done exceptionally well. It usually sticks, sometimes it changes. But if it bothers you that much, you can choose what you want to be called,"
"No, it's fine. Just a little...unexpected,"
"And if you are wondering, I am going to recommend you all for promotion. It's rare that I have a squad that keeps their cool in the face of chryssalids and mutons,"
"Oui. I must say, I was certainly not looking forward to putting our agents' remains in body bags," Delacroix chimed in, surveying them with a crooked smile on her lips, "But zat is not ze case, so I suppose I must thank you all for staying alive,"
"And that is the highest praise that you can receive from us. Congratulations, Reaper, Ice Queen, Shadowcat and Tiger. You've managed to impress our resident...information extractor, which is a feat not many have done before,"
"Ice Queen...?" Weiss mumbled, looking up with her eyes twitching in annoyance, "What- who made that nickname? And Reaper? Really?"
Judging by Yang's snort and Blake's amused chuckle, it appeared that they agreed with her nickname. Weiss puffed up some more in outrage, grumbling loudly about inappropriate naming conventions. Ruby, however, looked rather pleased with her new nickname, smiling broadly as she stroked Crescent Rose on her lap.
Papa Bear shrugged. "You've got a snowflake on your back, and you make snowflakes in the air from nothing that's apparently hard enough to block a raging muton berserker. Ice queen fits well enough. And Reaper? She's got a scythe bigger than herself, and a killcount that nearly matched our own lethal dominatrix over there for this mission. And with the way that scythe was dripping with alien blood after she ripped off the berserker's head? Totally matches the description of the Grim Reaper,"
Now it was Yang's turn to share a look with Blake. "Did he just..."
"...Make a pun?"
"What?" Papa Bear said, arching a bushy eyebrow. Eventually, their comments clicked and he shook his head in amusement. "Oh, those creatures back in your world. Very funny, Tiger,"
"Thank you! Finally someone gets it!"
"No. I was being sarcastic," he deadpanned, causing Yang to mock-faint, "You tried, and that's good enough for me. Lighten up, folks, we're all still alive. Look like it. Tiger, make a bad pun like that again and I'll be very tempted to leave you Yanging on the chin-up bars on the next PT session we have,"
A brief round of groans made their way through the craft, this time including Big Sky. "That was awful, Papa Bear. Don't do that again on my baby; I don't have enough buckets in case all of you throw up from those truly, truly terrible puns. Congratulations, you are all bigger threats to humanity than all the alien hordes combined,"
With the tension and gloom in the craft broken, the members of both Strike One and Strike Six began to chat idly between themselves. Ruby, however, was still deep in thought, looking at the silver-haired woman on the other side of the room. The things that she had seen her do in that building with all the civilians and the aliens – that rapid firing, hardly missing a shot; that speed and agility with which she weaved past all the debris; that jump to the balcony. It looked almost like a Semblance, but...different. As though it was natural and unforced. She couldn't see the woman's Aura either, so she had to be a native of Earth.
"It is rude to stare and not speak, ma chère," she spoke, looking up directly into Ruby's eyes with a sharp gaze not unlike that of a bird of prey. Startled, Ruby jumped in her seat. She swore the woman's pupils shrank and expanded several times in a second. "My, aren't you a nervous one. Come now, Eleanor Delacroix will not harm you if you speak wiz 'er. You are curious about something, are you not?"
"Sorry, it's just...Ihaventseenanyoneshootlikeyoudidbackthere-" she rattled off, unable to contain herself any more.
"Whoa, slow down, Reaper. Nobody's going to get what you're trying to say if you're throwing words out faster than a machine gun throws bullets,"
"I haven't seen anyone else shoot like you did back there. How did you do that?" Ruby repeated, at a pace that everyone could understand. Eleanor looked at Papa Bear questioningly; he shook his head in response.
Taking a deep breath, Eleanor looked squarely into Ruby's eyes. She swore there was the faint sheen of tears in those eyes. "Ma chère, perhaps when ze time is right. But not right now,"
"Aww," Ruby whined, putting up her best impression of a hurt puppy in an attempt to convince her to say something more. But the colonel had turned away, staring intently at the metal deck of the hold, no longer interested in holding any conversation with her.
That evening, after a celebratory dinner, the members of Strike Six found themselves being herded into the bar at the back of the barracks common room by Papa Bear and Maria. Despite vigorous protests by Blake and Weiss (and even Yang, though more on the fact that she thought Ruby should not be drinking yet), they found themselves being dragged inexorably towards the source of music that echoed through the common room and beyond. Elizabeth and Wilson had excused themselves early, citing that their MEC frames needed immediate maintenance after every mission, leaving them with just six soldiers from Strike One.
"So, yer all in the mood ta kill yer livers tonight, eh?" the barkeep laughed, waving at Papa Bear, "Wait, I didn't know you had little tykes, Bear. Why didn't ya tell me this? And who's the lucky lass that you've bedded enough times to make four of them?"
"These cubs?" he groaned, thumbing over his shoulder at Strike Six, who were being pushed forward by an evilly grinning Maria and Eleanor, "They're not mine, Patrick,"
"Heh. Could've fooled me, with how you managed to get the rest of Strike One pushing them in. Anyway, one of ya isn't going to get any drinks off me tonight. You there, young lady, look like you're well underage for drinking. If you're after something non-alcoholic, I can give it to ya, but nothing that's going to put you under the table after a few sips, ya hear?"
"Hey, I'm old enough to fight aliens, aren't I?!" she protested. Yang gave her a playful slap upside the head in response, eliciting a surprised yelp from the brunette.
"Rubes, you're barely seventeen," Yang said, "The rest of us are nineteen. You? You still drink-"
"Milk," finished the other two girls simultaneously, having heard their team leader say that phrase far too often in Beacon. Strike One blinked at the absurdity what was being said and then burst into a round of loud laughter, while Ruby hung her head and sighed.
"Reaper! For shame, senorita!" Maria gasped, scandalised, "One would think that you would have at least had a sip of something stronger by now! Well, we've got to fix that, don't we?" she whispered to Ruby, smirking conspiratorially, "Reaper, quick. What's your favourite flavour?"
"Uh...cookies? Strawberries are also tasty, I guess...?" Ruby whispered back, unsure of what Maria was trying to do. The medic hummed for a moment before smiling devilishly, giving the young huntress a mischievous wink before turning to face the barkeep with a well-practiced poker face.
She cleared her throat and all of them quietened down. "Alright. So, Leprechaun, here's what we're after. For a start, we'd like a dozen beers, a strawberry sunrise, and-" she cast a glance at the rest of Strike Six with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh. Very well, a glass of your finest red wine will be enough. If you have any on hand, that is," the heiress ordered, dearly hoping that the idea of a fine wine in a military base was no less than the rest of the world.
"A'course I have some 'fine wine', your ladyship," he joked, making a mock bow before he reached under the counter and pulled out a long, thin bottle with quite a thick layer of dust on it. Quickly dusting the bottle, he set it back on top the counter, along with an empty glass. "Have ta say, it ain't every day that someone asks for something like this, lass. Ya got fancy tastes,"
"Thank you...I guess?"
"And I think that we'd both like a whiskey or two, right kittycat?" Yang said, nudging the faunus girl with her elbow. Glaring at Yang, she nevertheless nodded in agreement.
"Right. Remember what I said, ya guys and gals," the barkeep – Patrick – snorted, placing a bottle of amber liquid on the countertop. "No drinks for the young lass over there. I'll bring your drinks to your table when I've filled them all,"
"Comprende, senor. Wouldn't dream of it," Maria said lightly, earning her a disapproving look from Patrick and amused sniggers from the others in Strike One.
"Right. So, let's get to it, then. A seat, for everyone!" Papa Bear spoke loudly, "Fall in line, Strike One and Strike Six! A celebration for a job well done awaits us!"
The bar, it seemed, was rather spacious. There were several large curved booths built into the side of the room, where there was ample seating to accommodate a dozen or so people per table. Packs of playing cards hung from the walls, along with what looked like sets of small, coloured round disks set in clear plastic tubes. Photographs and paintings of various locations on earth were scattered around the walls of the room.
Weiss, however, gasped in surprise when she saw what was on a raised platform on the far side of the room, nestled in between two clusters of seats. A black grand piano, still well-polished, along with a microphone on a stand; no doubt intended for an entertainer to perform.
"Ah, that instrument," Papa Bear said, following Weiss' gaze, "We had a rookie enlist that was a real performer and asked for one to be delivered to the base. Kept our troops in a good mood as long as he was around on the base. Shame he lost his nerve and resigned after about a month. Nobody's played it since,"
Weiss nodded to show that she was still listening – if barely - though her eyes were still on the instrument. Who knew that someone in the military had enough style to practice something so cultured? Nevertheless, she was not going to perform in front of this many people. That time in her childhood, pressured by her father, was long gone.
She seated herself at a table beside the rest of her squadmates; Ruby on her right, with Blake and Yang on her left. The rest of Strike One seated themselves on the other side of the booth, squeezing themselves together as closely as they could – though she suspected that was by choice, and not so much by necessity, considering that there was still a good two feet of empty seating left in the booth.
"So, I suppose after the successful mission today, it'd be rude if we don't get to know each other. We've got some time to kill before the drinks get to us," Papa Bear spoke, rubbing his hands to warm them up, "You all know me as Papa Bear, of course. Been with you all since the day you joined XCOM, I'd wager,"
A round of nods confirmed his statements, and he smiled warmly back at everyone. The dark-skinned man with a turban next to him coughed and spoke next, a thick accent making it rather difficult for Team RWBY to understand what he was saying.
"Raj Singh is my name. Or as some others say, 'Mirage', combat engineer and master of smoke and mirrors," he said, shaking his head when he saw Yang suppressing a giggle, "I do not understand. That seems to be the most common response when I introduce myself,"
"Mirage, you wouldn't get it even if it smacks you in the face," Papa Bear commented, motioning for Yang to settle down, "Don't worry, we like you anyway. After all, you keep our sorry asses from getting shot to bits on a mission with all those smokes you carry,"
"Si, senor. It would make my job much more difficult if I had to stitch up all of you every single battle," Maria laughed, giving Raj a friendly punch on his arm, "I'll stop here. You all know me. You especially, gatita," she added, winking at Blake, "You like that book so much you haven't returned it, huh?"
"...I'll return it...soon. Yes...soon..." Blake replied, blushing madly and shrinking in her seat, her faunus ears flattened against her skull, all while glaring daggers at the smirking woman. Ruby was looking curiously at Blake, wondering what caused her to be so embarrassed; Weiss shook her head while covering her eyes with a hand, and Yang looked like she was about to burst with pent-up laughter.
"Alright. I am Li Fei, and this is Shang Yu," the next man along said, nodding slightly, "I guess there's not much to say about us. I like fighting up close and personal, and Shang is Dr. Shen's assistant engineer when he requires an extra hand,"
"Oh wow, you work with Dr. Shen?!" Ruby said excitedly, staring at Shang with eyes not unlike that of an over-eager puppy.
"Yes. I ensure that everything that he designs will function correctly, and prove them before submitting the designs for production," Shang said tersely, clearly not enjoying the attention, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I see our drinks coming. I would prefer to drink in peace,"
Sure enough, Patrick arrived with an enormous tray of drinks to set down on the table in front of them. Most were large glass tankards of foaming, sweet-smelling beer; Weiss' requested wine bottle sat on one edge, an elegant fluted glass beside it; Yang and Blake's whiskey bottle was barely visible behind the wine. Ruby's eyes lit up when she saw the most colourful drink that she had ever seen in a cute funnel-shaped glass. It was the rosy orange-red of a brilliant dawn, topped with a luscious slice of an enormous strawberry jammed in the glass' rim; it took every bit of willpower she had to stop herself from jumping up and downing it in a single gulp.
"Oh, it looks like our first round of drinks have arrived," Maria said happily, picking up the colourful drink, "Eleanor, could you do me a favour and switch seats with me? I'd like to have a chat with the young leader of Strike Six,"
"So long as you do not corrupt her mind, mon amie," the frenchwoman replied with a grin, scooting over and allowing Maria to squeeze between herself and Ruby.
"Corrupt? Such a harsh word. I prefer the term...'educate',"
"Now, remember what I said, Maria," the barkeep sighed resignedly, knowing that she would simply ignore him, "No drinks for the young lass. And for the rest of ya, if ya want more, talk to me and I'll see what I can do,"
"Merci, monsieur," Eleanor said, waving him off.
"You know, I just thought about it. This is an awful lot of lien worth of drinks here. Who's picking up the tab?" Yang commented, eyeing the large bottle of prime quality whiskey in front of her.
"Eh, nobody. These drinks are gifts from all those grateful civilians that want to worship us like gods," joked Maria, "No, senorita; nobody pays for these. We do get them from grateful countries from time to time, though. Guess alcohol is the one common currency among all armed forces, no matter where you are. That, and bullets, but you can't drink bullets,"
An hour later, and the table was full of empty glasses of various shapes and sizes. Blake had fallen asleep after downing her sixth glass of whiskey, curled up with her head on Yang's lap and purring softly. Yang was currently locked in a drinking competition with Papa Bear, both of them having downed numerous beers and shots of whiskey; both sides still sat straight, if a little woozy, unwilling to be the first one to admit that they were drunk. Shang and Li had left after about half an hour, saying that they had some tasks to attend to, while Eleanor, Raj and Maria were playing some card game that the Earth people called 'poker'. From what Weiss had gathered, it was some form of gambling game, with money represented as little clay disks of different colours and values that they called 'chips'. Maria had somehow managed to gather a veritable mountain of these chips to herself, leaving both Eleanor and Raj with a pitiful amount of low-value red chips.
"Three of a kind, aces," declared Raj smugly, confident that nobody else was going to win. Eleanor grumbled and threw down her cards in defeat, pushing the remainder of her chips to the small pile in the middle.
"That's all you offer? Senor, you offend me with your lack of bravery," chided Maria playfully, "All in,"
"...All in? Okay. I will match that. Prepare to lose!"
"Well then, be prepared to be disappointed," she laughed, throwing down her cards. A straight flush. Raj groaned and pushed the rest of his chips into the middle, plopping his head onto the table in defeat.
"Another round?"
"Non, I shall pass. Madame Fortune does not favour me tonight," Eleanor replied. Noticing the wine on the table that still had some in it, she reached out and looked at the label, "Ooh la la, a fine choice indeed! Limited vintage, un vin de Bourgogne? A most delectable wine!"
Weiss merely nodded with a smile. She had to admit, the wine was up to par with any of the best that Remnant had to offer; perhaps even those that came from her father's private stores that appeared only on important dinners and celebrations. Smooth and elegant, with a spicy bouquet that lingered for just long enough to tantalise one's nose, coupled with a divinely balanced taste that left one longing for more. There was a certain heat in her face and a pleasant buzz that came from nearly draining the whole bottle empty; and yet, she had to admit, she would likely be willing to drink another bottle empty, if given the chance. But a Schnee had to know how to hold her wine, and that included knowing when to stop.
Looking over to Ruby, the heiress noticed that the reddish-brown haired girl was now swaying slightly in her seat, sporting a wide, contented smile on her face. Several of those conical glasses now sat in front of her, all drained of their colourful contents. To Weiss, the drink appeared far too gaudy and sweet for her liking; but she supposed that to her strawberry- and cookie-loving team leader, it would have been delicious.
"Weiiiissss," Ruby slurred, giving her an exaggerated wave that almost smacked Maria in the face, "What...what are you looking at...? Do I look funny? Do I have something on my face...?"
Averting her gaze, she inwardly cursed at herself. It was almost criminal, the way that girl managed to annoy her with her clumsiness and apparent thoughtlessness; and yet, at the same time, defuse her wrath with that ungodly adorableness that seeped from every pore of her being. "No, Ruby...you're...bea-"
She bit down on her tongue. What had come over her to say something like that, with Yang just to her left? Even with Blake pinning the blonde down by sleeping on her lap, the blonde could hit pretty hard while sitting down; and the last thing that she wanted to do was to test the brawler's strength while she was drunk.
"I'm...whaa...?" Ruby continued, sliding over to Weiss' side. The girl's face was now barely inches away from her own; she looked at Eleanor with pleading eyes, hoping for some assistance. The older woman, however, simply shook her head and smiled back, clearly enjoying the heiress' discomfort.
"I was trying to say, you look just fine," Weiss said, gathering as much dignity as she could into her voice. Ruby giggled and leant back into her chair, sighing contentedly.
"Thash...good. I feel warm...like I want to nap. Your voice is so...pretty," Ruby whispered, dropping her chin onto the heiress' shoulder, "So...pretty..."
A triumphant belly-laugh from her left told her that Papa Bear had managed to win in his drinking competition against Yang; and sure enough, it was followed by a thud of something soft against the table. Yang was slumped face-down against the table, snoring loudly while drooling. She breathed out in relief. Explaining the brawler's sister's position would have been rather awkward – if she did not get punched through the wall first.
"Can you...sing for me? Please?" whispered Ruby into her ear, causing the heiress to stiffen.
Singing? In public?
She cast a nervous glance around. Yang and Blake were asleep. Papa Bear was now chatting animatedly with Raj and Eleanor, not paying attention to her. Maria, however, caught her look and gave her a cheeky thumbs-up, coupled with an ever-vexing wink.
"Fine. Just for you, and just one song for tonight, dunce," Weiss sighed, blushing furiously as she stood up. She supposed that one or two listeners was always better than a crowd.
Carefully, she squeezed past Ruby and the rest of Strike One and walked to the microphone on the stage. Looking at the piano in front of her, she shook her head. If she was going to sing in front of them, she might as well perform properly. And so she detached the microphone from its stand at propped it up on top of the piano, adjusting it so that it would be at the right height for her to sing into if she were playing the instrument.
She looked in the direction of Ruby. The girl's silver eyes were staring expectantly in her direction. Taking a deep breath, she touched the ivory and ebony keys on the piano and started the song; a slow, peaceful tune to end a wonderful night.
Whenever I sang my songs,
On the stage, On my own.
Whenever I said my words,
wishing they would be heard.
I saw you smiling at me,
Was it real or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner, of this tiny little bar.
My last night here for you,
same old songs just once more.
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no.
I kind of liked it your way,
how you shyly placed your eyes on me.
Did you ever know that I had mine on you?
Weiss was now uncomfortably aware of the fact that several pairs of eyes were now on her. Coughing, she finished the last note on the song and abruptly stood up, walking away from the piano and microphone. A dark-haired blur zoomed into her almost immediately, knocking the wind out of her. A pair of arms were wrapped tightly around hers, along with a rather warm body pressed against her front.
"Ruby, get off me, you dolt!" Weiss hissed, attempting to pry the girl's arms from around her waist, to no avail.
Patrick was the first man to speak. "Lass, if it takes you a bottle of the finest wine that I have to sing, ya can have as many bottles as ya like. Haven't heard anything like that in...well, ever,"
"Oui. Zat was...beautiful," Eleanor commented with a smirk on your face, "But I think that you need to take your squad leader back to 'er room. She looks like she's had a bit much tonight,"
"I told ya, lass, yer not supposed to be drinking," grumbled the barkeep, "And ya there! Maria! Ya gonna give ole Bradford an explanation for why the young lass was drinking tonight, ya hear me?"
"I don't think that's happening, Patrick. After all, did anyone else see her drinking?" Maria chuckled, gesturing across her lips as though she were zipping it up. Catching her drift, the rest of Strike One shook their heads, grins on their faces. "See? Nothing wrong has happened,"
"Fine, fine. Nobody listens to the barkeep, because he's apparently always drunk. Just help me clean up this mess, and I'll keep quiet,"
"Alright. Totally worth it!" laughed Maria, giving Patrick a thumbs-up. Her smile faltered when she saw where Patrick was looking. Right at Yang and Blake. "Wait, by this mess, you mean...?"
"That's right, lass. Get these two back to their bunks. I don't care how ya do it, I can't get the place cleaned up if that blondie here don't get up soon. And looking at how many drinks she's had, that ain't gonna be soon enough,"
"Okay, show's over, boys and girls. Time to haul ass to showers and then bed, if you can manage to walk straight," Papa Bear said loudly, standing up and slinging Yang over one shoulder and Blake under one arm, "I'll take these two back to Strike Six's room. Ice Queen, Reaper, you're coming with me. No more drinks for you for tonight, Reaper,"
"Aww, but they're sho tashty," Ruby whined, pulling away from Weiss and promptly falling flat on her face when she forgot about the raised performer's platform. "Oww..."
"...Ice Queen, she's all yours,"
With Blake and Yang tucked away into their respective beds by Papa Bear, Weiss thought that perhaps she could have some peace and quiet in her sleep that night. It took hours of uneasy tossing and turning before she realised that she could not sleep properly. Though the sight of one or two dead bodies did not disturb her too badly – the White Fang had made sure of that, given her family's somewhat questionable choices in business ethics – the sight of an entire city burning was an entirely different, grisly affair. She could not remember the last time there was a major conflict anywhere on Remnant, or any Grimm breaching city defences.
For once, she thought that perhaps drinking herself to oblivion was a good idea. The images of the city, covered in scorching embers and acrid black smoke; the blood-soaked snow and concrete, littered with torn and shredded bodies and body parts; the destroyed shops of what was once a prosperous city avenue. Those images chilled her blood, yet nothing horrified her more than seeing the corpses of men and women lying lifeless on the floor, their hands reaching out for a fallen infant barely out of their arms' reach. And try as she might, the images still stuck in her head, stubbornly refusing to leave.
After yet another failed attempt to convince herself to sleep, she noticed an odd sound coming from below her.
Sniffling. And only barely audible through Yang's snoring.
"Ruby?" she asked quietly, wondering if maybe her squad leader was still awake.
"Mmm?" came the muffled reply from below. Weiss shifted over to the edge of her bed and looked down. Even through the darkness of the room, she could see the pools of liquid silver below looking straight into her own eyes.
"Can't sleep?"
"Yeah," mumbled Ruby.
"I can't sleep either. I keep seeing...things that I don't want to see," Weiss said.
"I'm too scared to sleep,"
Too scared to sleep. That was a new one to Weiss. Back in Beacon, both of them slept like rocks, nearly impossible to wake up if either of them didn't want to get up. And given how Ruby seemed to approach almost everything with boundless enthusiasm and positivity – including being all too happy to hunt Grimm – it was very difficult for the heiress to imagine exactly what could make her scared. Unless, of course, she was going through the same thing as she herself was.
"Want to talk about it? It's not like I'm going to be able to sleep anyway," huffed Weiss, clambering down from her bunk. Ruby shifted over in her bed so that Weiss could sit on one side, propping herself up with her hands. Silence fell over the two for a minute as Ruby said nothing, while Weiss waited for a response.
"If you're scared of something, you can say what it is, can you not?"
She felt warm fingers brush against the knuckles of her left hand. "...Not like this. Weiss, can you...?"
Weiss sighed. It was likely the same absurd request as when the dark-haired girl was recovering from a mindfray. "You want me to sleep in the same bed again? Is this really necessary?"
Ruby gave a vigorous nod. Considering that Ruby was unlikely to say anything more unless her request was satisfied, Weiss shook her head in disapproval before sliding under the blankets beside the younger girl, lying on her side to face her. As soon as she had done so, she was pulled in by Ruby, who buried her face in the crook of Weiss' neck.
Crying.
"I...I know that when I joined Beacon, I wanted to become a huntress. I wanted to protect people. I wanted to help those that couldn't defend themselves," she cried, sobbing into Weiss' shoulder, "I used to think that our Aura would protect us from everything. But then...then I saw what these aliens did. Our Aura doesn't do much against what they use. Blake's had her legs broken once, and just today she's been stabbed by some...some thing...that just left a huge burn in her back,"
"Ruby. Ruby, calm down," Weiss hissed, dearly hoping that the girl wouldn't start hyperventilating.
"I can't calm down! That mission...so many innocent people dead. But that wasn't the worst of it. Yang nearly died. If you didn't put up a glyph to block those hits, she wouldn't be in this dorm with us tonight. Then...then you fainted afterwards. Dust, I was scared,"
"I'm alright. I'm still here. Yang's still here. Blake's still here, and she's recovering well from that wound. What are you so scared about? We're huntresses. We knew this could happen to us, and we accepted that risk a long time ago. How many times did we end up in the hospital wing back in Beacon?"
"Still...that's...different," Ruby sniffed, "The Grimm don't have guns like these aliens do. At least our Aura and Semblances work properly there, and Headmaster Ozpin is always there to help us when things get too hard. At least I know that my teammates can't die that easily there. I can't – I don't know what I'd do without you guys. Yang's been with me for so long, I can't remember when she was ever not with me. Blake's a good friend, even if she stays quiet most of the time. And...and...you're...you,"
Weiss raised an eyebrow. That was a very strange comment, even by the standards of the hyperactive girl in her arms.
"What do you mean, I'm...myself?" Weiss said slowly, trying and failing to understand what Ruby was trying to say.
"I...don't know," she answered, "You're different. You keep us on track on missions, even if half the time you're calling us names. You make sure that we're all on top of the coursework we've been given. I sometimes think that maybe Ozpin made a mistake, making me the leader of Team RWBY, instead of you,"
"Stop. Stop right there," Weiss declared, pushing Ruby away from her for a moment. Looking straight into her eyes without blinking, Weiss said, "Ruby. We've discussed this before. If I were leader, the whole team would fall apart. You remember what happened the first time we've had this argument. Yang follows you unconditionally. Blake respects you. I...I only get into fights with them. You hold the whole team together, somehow,"
Taking a deep breath, she pushed her pride back to the back of her mind. Her family pride be damned, her team came first. "Remember what Papa Bear said to us in the armoury. We should not regret anything we have done, and we should not do anything we would regret. I tried to force Ozpin into making myself the leader of this team, even though it wasn't the right thing to do. I won't make the same mistake twice. You held this team together in the past. You hold this team together now. And I'm very much willing to work with you to keep it that way, for as long as I can,"
"I'm...just worried," Ruby murmured, "I'm worried about losing any of you. Especially you,"
"Ruby," she said sternly; the emphasis on herself not lost on the heiress. What on Remnant did she mean by that? "We're partners in the team. I won't let you go down that easily. And I don't think that Yang is going to let Blake down anytime soon. We'll make it through this. Together,"
She looked into silver eyes, hoping that whatever fear that Ruby had was quelled for now. Slowly, but surely, Ruby burst into tears. Tears of relief. Weiss pulled Ruby in again, letting the younger girl let it all out into the crook of her neck, while gently stroking her hair comfortingly. After a while, her sobs became more and more muted, until it eventually stopped entirely.
"Weiss..." Ruby whispered. Her eyes were puffy and red, though there were no more tears falling from them.
"Yes?" she answered, wondering what more did Ruby want to say.
"When you said that we'll make it through this...together...did you mean it?"
"I meant it. We'll make it through this war alive. Together. I promise you that," the heiress declared with conviction in her voice.
"...That's the Weiss I know...and the one I love..." Ruby whispered into her ear, causing Weiss' heart to freeze for a second. The next moment, however, she found soft, wet lips on hers, giving her a tender kiss. The younger girl's hands wrapped around her neck, pulling her into a deeper kiss.
So that's what it was. Why she felt safe with me. Why she asked for my company on that night. And why she's asking for me to listen to her tonight. Dust, I'm stupid.
...But I have to admit, this isn't bad. She doesn't smell of...whatever it is that the others have when they try their luck with me. Strawberries and roses are quite pleasant, if a little unrefined. She even still tastes of that strawberry cocktail. So warm, so inviting, so sweet.
Maybe I'll give her a chance. She already proved early on that she doesn't care about my family's name, wealth or status. Maybe she'll be different from those other...suitors. Those arrogant, uncultured snobs. She's already proven to be sweet, caring and dependable; more than I could say for father or any of his 'suitable candidates'. Maybe. Just maybe...I can be myself. Weiss. Not the Schnee heiress. Just Weiss.
"...Did you really mean that?" Weiss asked quietly, when Ruby pulled away to catch a breath.
"Didn't you just say to not do anything that we might regret?" replied Ruby, with an innocent smile on her face, "And you did say that we'd make it through this war. Together,"
"I didn't mean it that way, you dolt," she chuckled, bumping her forehead against hers, "But I think I know what you thought of it anyway. And...I accept,"
Ruby squeaked in delight and pulled her partner in for another kiss. One that was reciprocated in turn. Before long, they settled into a more comfortable position to sleep; Ruby nestled against Weiss' chest, with Weiss resting her head on top of Ruby's, their fingers entwined. Each wore a content smile on their faces, their previous cares eased away by the knowledge that they would not have to face them alone, and the fact that they now had another to cherish and treasure, to love and protect.
A truly worthy cause to fight for.
A/N
Special thanks to theBSDude for picking out an error with how I wrote the characters on the last chapter. That has since been corrected. Have a cookie, before- *rose petals fly past* ...Never mind.
Krazyfanfiction: I do have things planned for the glyphs, but Dr. Vahlen seems to refuse my attempts to push elerium research to the front of the queue...*grumbles* damned autopsies...
Allard-Liao: She's an ice queen, but hey, who IS going to get away from THAT nickname when you've got a giant snowflake painted on your back?
As usual, feel free to put forward questions, comments, or criticisms.
Note for other writers using OpenOffice with US Keyboard w/ International IME for accented characters:
It appears that switching keyboard types mid-way through writing will cause an uploaded document to lose spaces and/or entire words at the location of the switch. Safer to use character map instead if there's not too many accented characters in the text.
Next up: A House Divided. Humanity is not as unified as XCOM makes it appear to be...