Blooming in Patch Finale
A Rose in Bloom
With their summer coming to an end and Ruby keeping in contact with her new friend in Atlas, a new school year was ready to begin.
The students of Port's class were both excited and nervous with the last stretch of their first apprentice course soon reaching its end.
It was going to be hard but the children were ready to give it their all.
The first news had been the disbanding of Peach's class, leaving them as the only apprentices of their age group in Sanctuary, increasing the pressure further. But there was good news too as two new students joined them.
One Neptune Vasilias, ready to have his revenge against RWBY, was quickly picked up by the newly formed Team JNR.
And, to the dismay of many, Cardin Winchester, the only one remaining from Peach's class. The boy was quickly ostracized by his peers, many saying that this was what he deserved.
Ruby couldn't understand it. Cardin had never been nice but that was no reason to shun the boy.
Sometimes, all it took was for you to reach out to change someone.
Patch City - Sanctuary Academy Sport stadium
18:00 p.m., September 5st, 70 post-Great War
"[Children, this battle will be brutal. I cannot promise that all of you will make it home.
But I can promise you that today we will win glory as we make our enemies bleed!]"
"YES!"
"[TONIGHT WE WILL STAND UPON THEIR CORPSES, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO SACRIFICE OURSELVES!]"
"GLORY BEYOND DEATH!"
"[BE STRONG MY SOLDIERS, TO BATTLE!]"
"They remember this is just softball, right?" Qrow scoffed as he glanced over at Port. The large professor watched with something akin to disbelief as Neopolitan led their prized students like an army general, marching them outside the stadium locker room. "I would say it's a good thing you asked me to come. Don't worry too much though, I brought reinforcements."
Port shot a raised eyebrow at his fellow professor. He didn't remember asking for such a thing.
Qrow chuckled as they followed the orderly row of children. "Kali's recording everything. Even Neo wouldn't dare to piss her off."
"For some reason, that doesn't reassure me, Qrow. At this point, I would settle for one of our competitions not ending in visits to the infirmary. Glynda has been pretty angry since the soccer incident." The man's mustache quivered when he thought back to that day. The two had made it inside the stadium, staying behind the class. The plan for today was simple: a friendly game between the huntsman course and one of the advanced civilian classes. Mostly it was a training exercise to get the kids used to working around people with untrained or fragile auras but Port hoped it would help with the notable distance between the classes.
But seeing his students so eager for bloodshed... Port feared that his speech about sportsmanship ended up falling on deaf ears. Nonetheless, getting closer to your fellow students was always a noble goal. Though he did hope that this little excursion would help Cardin integrate into the class better. The whole situation wasn't entirely the boy's fault: Being abandoned by your teammates on the first day of class was already bad enough. But add the mutual animosity with the rest of the students in his and his frustration and anger were understandable, to say the least.
But he wasn't Peter Port, huntsman extraordinaire, if he let such little things stop him. He was sure that a nice afternoon of playing against Sacntuary's gifted class would set the little rascals straight. If it worked for him and Oobleck, then anything was possible.
Looking around the stadium, it was as empty as he had expected. This was supposed to be a fun activity, not a competition with countless people around them to watch. Still, Kali Belladonna was sitting in the stands, a camera in hand as she waved at her daughter, much to the girl's embarrassment. Next to her sat Iris Arc, the matriarch of the Arc clan. The woman looked less than happy.
Port could only imagine, having two of your precious children compete against each other.
Neo had lined her class up in a row, all standing at attention as she applied warpaint to their faces. Coco and Yang were first in line looking eager to go.
"Children." Port clapped his hands together. "Remember, this is supposed to be for fun. We want to have a good game-"
"AND FINISH THEM!" Jaune shouted, his cry echoed by Nora and Yang. "Cye tried to put my hand in water while I slept! That is a direct violation of the Arc Bedroom Accord, soo that means war!"
"The… what accord?" Neptune looked perplexed, still getting used to the insanity that was Port's class.
Jaune opened his eyes, shaking his head. He forgot that Neptune was still new to Patch. "The Arc Bedroom Accord!"
Neptune gave him a blank look, making Jaune forget his anger for a moment as he tried to explain. "It was a treaty forged by our sisters to make sure the bedroom was a safe space to rest after some unfortunate incidents involving flaming mattresses." Neptune blinked, unable to connect the serious face Jaune was giving him with the ridiculous story he was telling.
"Is that why your mother is here?" Ren asked, feeling the angry stare of the elder woman across the field.
"That, and because she lost a bet with my father, but don't worry about her. She's only here to prevent any kind of aggression between Cye and me. Not that I was planning on it. I'm a true Huntsman and would never resort to violence against a civilian. EVEN IF SAID CIVILIAN IS A SAVAGE!"
Port sighed, rubbing his brow as Neo petted Jaune, happily supporting him. This had been a bad idea. He should have listened to Qrow and just let them fight each other for a few hours and call it a competition. Was it too late to change plans? Seeing Neo point at a whiteboard, where did that even come from, while they discussed tactics meant no, probably. The last thing he needed was for the woman to swear revenge on him. They had worked peacefully together for three years and with only a few more to go he wouldn't risk it.
Taking stock of his class, he noticed how excited they all looked. He willfully ignored Jaune making rude gestures at his twin across the field, the girl herself looking like she was about to throw the ball in her hand right at her brother. The only one sticking out was Ruby, her good ear pressed flat against her head as she held her tail, looking between her peers. She was probably still upset that he confiscated her Dust-powered bat.
"Well, this could be worse," Port muttered, hoping no one would hear him. "Maybe this will work out after all. Neo!" The woman lifted her head, deep in discussion with Weiss, the young girl sporting a face painted entirely in red. "I have decided, against my better judgment, to run today's game a little differently than usual." He looked at the stands where Qrow had taken a seat, getting a thumbs up. "I will let you lead the team while I will stand back to observe."
Neo's eyes sparkled, a cap saying 'Coach' appearing on her head. "Oh dear…" He was already regretting this. He took his place at the edge of the field, watching her walk towards the referee, Hush in hand. Where did she get her weapon from?
The poor boy, someone from the upper classes that came here today for some extra credit, looked terrified as Neo said something to him Port couldn't hear. Whatever he answered wasn't what she wanted to hear as her happy smile quickly turned sour, her umbrella slightly raised.
For a moment Port was sure the boy would soil himself until the umbrella snapped open as Neo carried it against her shoulder, making her way back to the benches. She raised a finger, counting them twice before starting to look frustrated. "[Listen up, Soldiers!] She put her hand on her hip, scroll raised high. [There are twelve of you and I'm only counting eleven. I do not tolerate deserters and unless we find them we are disqualified as we need the full team. And I will not lose because of some stupid rules you little shi-!]
Port had surged forward, moving a lot faster than one would expect from someone of his age to clasp both his hands around Neo's scroll. "What do you mean? We are all here." He counted himself, noticing that one of his students was indeed missing. The one he had hoped would get the most out of this. "Cardin…" Most of the class scoffed at the boy's name. "I don't understand, he was with us when we gathered after class."
"He left…" The entire class turned to look at Ruby, the little wolf sitting on one of the benches, hugging her legs close. "I saw him leave when we put on our uniforms."
"You saw him?" Blake sat next to Ruby, rubbing little circles across her back. "Why didn't you say anything?" She shook her head, burying her face in her knees.
"Of course, he would make trouble today. Typical." Eliza rolled her eyes. "I thought as a future clan head he would try to be more of an example for the others but I guess I expected too much."
"Professor Port, do we have to keep Cardin in the class? I don't want to trust someone that ditches us so easily when we start fighting Grimm on our own." The rest of the class murmured their agreement. Port wanted to scold them for the mere idea of abandoning a classmate but he knew it would do little right now.
"I knew that idiot was no good," Yang growled, hitting her fists. "I'm gonna teach him a lesson-"
"NO!" Ruby's sudden shout made everyone freeze. "This is the problem! You can't treat him like this!"
"Ruby, be reasonable." Weiss crossed her arms, frowning. "That boy has been nothing but rude since he came to our class. He is the problem, not us."
"He's not, he's… I mean…"
"He's a racist and an idiot! And he keeps trying to bully you!" Nora yelled, gesturing wildly. "He can't treat us like that just because he's sad! I'm not going to be nice to him, especially not after he said he wished our class fell apart instead of his own! Or did you forget that already?"
"I didn't but-"
"Ruby, listen." Coco grabbed Ruby by the hand. "I know you don't like treating people badly but don't forget how he treats you. I know you hear him when he calls you a mutt or an animal, same with Blake. He's the last person who deserves your kindness nor would he show you any."
"No, that's not it, it's…" Ruby got out her little keychain, flipping through the pictures. "His face, it's not on here."
"His face?" Yang took the chain from Ruby, looking through them. "You mean his expression?" Her sister nodded hesitantly. "What do you mean? Of course it is, he hates us! He's angry, trust me, I know how he feels-"
"And if you don't?" Ruby snatched her keychain from her sister's grip, getting some distance from them with her semblance. He's not angry, but he's not sad either!" She looked at the little pictures again before throwing it to the ground in anger. "None of these fits so he doesn't feel that way! But if it's not here how can we *sniff* how can we know…"
"Hey, Pup."
Qrow called from the stands, having moved down to lean on the railing, taking a swing from his flask. "If you can't find the Winchester boys' expression, what are you gonna do?"
"What am I gonna do?"
Qrow nodded, putting his flask back into his vest. "Yeah. You say he isn't sad or angry but you know something's going on. Maybe you have outgrown that little helper of yours."
"What do you mean, Uncle Qrow?" Weiss asked, picking the keychain from the ground.
"Easy, kid. There are a lot of emotions you can feel, far too many to put on that little thing. We, humans and faunus, are complex things, and nothing about us is more complex or messy than emotions. That's what puts us apart from the Grimm, after all. Maybe it's time to leave that little crutch behind pup." He chuckled. "After all, it served its purpose, don't you think?" Ruby looked down, her hands clenched into fists. "I know you want to understand people. Even snotty little brats like Cardin. But that's not gonna be easy. So tell me, why is it so important to understand what he feels?"
"Because..." Ruby looked at her team, then the rest of their class. "Because he's alone."
"And whose fault is that?" Fox muttered, looking away. The anger he had felt before was gone and he didn't need his visual assistant to know that he wasn't the only one not meeting anyone's eyes. But he was right, Cardin had been nothing but horrible ever since they came to Sanctuary.
"I-I know he hasn't been nice." Ruby held her tail. "But no one deserves to be alone, not even Cardin."
And that was the crux of it. Probably one of the hardest lessons for any aspiring huntsman was to understand that you had to leave personal feelings aside.
"Ruby…" Yang approached her sister, her steps hesitant as she and Coco shared a glance. "Do you… really think we should, you know-"
"Yeah." There was no hesitation or doubt in Ruby's voice. "I know Cardin has been a bully. But I… I just don't want anyone to be lonely if I can do something about it. A huntsman never turns his back on anyone, no matter what, right?" Yang looked away in shame, unable to meet her sister's eyes. "I'm gonna look for him. I think I can smell him."
Weiss turned to Blake, who sniffed the air before shrugging. Of course, only Ruby would be able to memorize his smell in a sweaty changing room.
Yang pursed her lips, unsure what to say. Until she felt Coco put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, only giving her rival a single nod that Yang returned after a moment. "I can't believe I'm doing this." Groaning, she turned to Ruby. "We're gonna buy you some time, okay? But that doesn't mean any of us are just gonna forgive him for what he did, ok? And the name-calling has to stop, especially towards you."
Giving her sister a quick hug, she turned to Neo. Their teacher had watched silently, no pun intended, letting her students figure this out themselves. That didn't mean she hadn't paid attention, a ball appearing in her hand as she smiled. If she was good at one thing, it was distracting people. Yang took the ball, moving to the only one around them that didn't listen, too busy throwing insults at his sister. Waiting a moment until Cye looked away, she threw the ball as hard as she could before ducking behind Jaune, hearing it hit its mark. "THAT'S IT, YOU ARE DEAD JAUNE!" The young Arc girl shot across the field like a cannonball, barreling into her brother and sending both to the ground.
Ruby watched her sister join the two as both classes ran at each other, all hell breaking out around them.
She looked at her uncle, who only smirked, throwing his scroll at her before walking off. He trusted Ruby, but everyone would feel better if someone kept an eye on her. Maybe a little birdy would keep watch while she was away.
Catching the scroll, Ruby started running, using the chaos to slip out undetected. She stopped every few feet to sniff the air until she caught Cardin's trail, speeding off as rose petals trailed behind her.
Patch City - Malabits Arcade
18:20 p.m., September 5st, 70 post-Great War
Militia yawned lazily, looking at the clock on the wall. It had been a slow day with school starting again and most of the kids busy with Sanctuary's sports league.
If it weren't for the few kids and teenagers still playing she would have closed up early today to go over Junior's accounts. While she and her sister technically were not his employees anymore, both still held a grade deal of loyalty to the man. He had been the one that believed in them, took them away from their mother in Mistral, and put his place in Patch on the line to get them here. Doing some bookkeeping was the least they could do for him.
The automatic doors opened, letting the twins' favorite little wolf-faunus in, clutching the hem of an unfamiliar sports uniform that was two sizes too big. Militia was about to greet her when she noticed that no one else was coming in after her which was… concerning. "Ruby, honey." She jumped over the counter, letting the girl jump into her open arms. "What are you doing here alone? Where are the others? Or your parents?"
"Mili..." Ruby spoke into the woman's chest, almost inaudible over the arcade music. "I… I'm looking for Cardin. His smell leads in here."
"By yourself?" Ruby nodded, face still buried in her chest. Militia sighed, carrying the girl and setting her on the counter. "I think I saw him storm in here not too long ago. But let me call your parents first to-" She didn't get to finish her sentence as Ruby vanished from her grip, papers flying everywhere. She stood there for a moment, spitting out a few rose petals.
She didn't get paid enough for this. Ruby was lucky she and her sister liked her so much. Leaning over the counter she started looking for her Scroll in the chaos, the little girl was far too young to run around alone, even if it was a-.
"CAW!" The squawk of a crow startled Militia, finding the little avian flying through the automatic doors.
"How the-Hey, you can't be in here! Schu Schu!" Militia wasn't sure but she could swear the crow rolled its eyes at her before squawking again, flying a circle around the arcade before landing on her scroll, one talon pushing her finger away from the call button. "Really? No, you know what? This isn't even making my top ten of weird stuff that happened with STRQ and their family. You do you little bird." She swore the bird nodded at her before flying off, following the trail of slowly disappearing rose petals.
Militia turned around, pointedly ignoring what just happened.
Ruby meanwhile had hunted down Cardin, finding the boy playing one of the fighting games alone. Or so she thought until she got close enough to notice him leaning over the controls, tears threatening to fall. "H-Hey Cardin. Are you-"
"Oh great, they sent the guard dog to look for me." He spoke dryly, not bothering to turn around as he slid a token into the machine, hoping that the little wolf would get the hint and leave him alone. "So who sent you? If it was Coco or that dumb sister of yours go back and give them the finger from me. Do you know how to-"
"I… I came by myself." Cardin turned around, seeing her push her fingers together and looking around nervously.
"Really? Well, congratulations, you found me. As always, Patch's perfect prodigy can do anything she sets her mind to. Now how about you turn around and drag your mangy little butt out of here back to-"
"I wouldn't pick Samantha Lanes." Ruby was suddenly beside him, pointing at the screen. "Your next opponent is Myasura. Your pick is horrible against a demon type. Try Ling Quan, Yang always picks them when Mama goes for Myasura."
"Of course, you also know how to play Brawling Nights. Why am I even surprised?" Ruby nodded, completely missing the boy's sarcasm. "You know, this right here is why I hate you. You always have an answer for everything, everyone is impressed by you. And to top it all off you make it look easy! It's like you are cheating!" Cardin slammed his fist on the console. "I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you I HATE YOU!" He screamed, tears streaming down his face. "You and all these idiots in your class… I hate you all so much…"
Ruby had gotten stock still. She didn't know what to say, watching the boy trying to wipe his tears away, still scowling. She went for her keychain only to find her pockets empty. Right, she left it behind. The only thing she found was a handkerchief Weiss had given her in case she got dirty. She had learned not to question Weiss' weird obsession with cleanliness.
Lack of logic aside, this came in handy. She held it out, offering it to Cardin. He didn't take it, but he did stop crying, gaze now focused on her. "Are… are you serious right now? Is this supposed to be a joke?"
"No? You are crying, so you gotta wipe the tears away or they leave scars."
"That's bullshit. They only say that so little kids like you don't cry." Ruby didn't answer, pushing the handkerchief towards him again. How did she manage to piss him off even more? "You know what? Fine! Give me that!" He growled, ripping the cloth from her hands before wiping his face and blowing his nose. That would show her. "Ok, you made yourself useful. You can go back to your idiot sister and get a cookie or whatever they use to train you."
"No?" Ruby tilted her head. "I'm not gonna leave. Not without you."
"Ha!" The sharp, sudden laugh from Cardin made her press her ear against her head on reflex. "Guess you better make yourself comfortable because I ain't going back." With a shrug, Ruby plopped down on the chair beside him. "What are you-I was being sarcastic! Can't you understand anything without that group of idiots explaining it to you you stupid mutt?"
"Your… your eyes are wide?"
"O-Kay? What, are you also a psychoanalyst now?"
"You flare your nostrils a lot and your brows are furrowed." Ruby mused, squirting as she stared at his face. "You are really really angry right now."
"And another point for the mutt. Brothers can't you just… get lost?"
"Is it because of me?"
"What gave it away? Was it me telling you to leave multiple times?"
"Do you want me to leave because I'm a faunus?" That made him stop playing, his head turning to look at her. "Y-You always call me mutt…"
"No, that's not-" Not what? Not the problem? Could he know that? After all, the Faunus came after the Winchesters, his grandmother, and mother were proof of that. "And what if it is? What if it is your fault? Or that it's because you're a faunus? What then, huh?" Ruby lowered her head, grabbing her tail. "Forget it, you don't have to answer that. Or do, I'm sure everyone's favorite prodigy has a magical solution for every little problem."
"But… But I did nothing! I never even-"
"Even what?! God, IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU!" He jumped off his seat, making Ruby jump back with a shriek. "The world doesn't revolve around you! Not everything is about Ruby and her amazing friends! I know you did nothing to me but I know that you or some other faunus will someday! But what does it matter anymore? I got nothing. Everyone I thought was my friend left me. You can go back to your friends and tell them you did it, you took care of the Cardin problem. I'm gonna leave the course."
"But why?!" Ruby jumped back to her feet. For some reason, that last comment made her worried. "You always wanted to be a huntsman. Every time our classes did something together I could tell. You care about this!"
"When did you-Damit, you dumb mutt, IT DOESN'T MATTER. WHAT'S THE POINT OF ANY OF THIS IF I CAN'T EVEN KEEP MY FRIENDS?" Cardin was breathing heavily, face red as he slumped back down on his seat. "And the worst part is that it's my own damn fault. This summer, when we all went camping in Azure Basin with Professor Port, I found an Ursa. You know how rare Grimm are on Patch, even this far from RedHeaven. So I thought that this was my chance to show what I'm made of, to get everyone that left back to our class." He held his head in his hands, not looking at Ruby. "I pushed my team to go after it instead of calling the teachers," Ruby remembered that night. Everyone had been scared when some of the teachers had run off in a hurry. Neo and Oobleck had returned a few minutes later with CRDL in tow, all four looking scared to death. "We could do nothing against it. Before I knew what happened we were all on the ground while it held Dove in his paw ready to-" He choked.
"It's no wonder they hate me. I couldn't do anything… it's my fault…" His voice wavered as he cried into his hands.
Ruby didn't know what to do. She could feel her chest feel tight as she watched Cardin cry, the feeling wholly unfamiliar. She spied his expression between his fingers, not recognizing it from any of her cards. But at the same time, it looked like it was a mix of multiple all at once.
She couldn't say why but something inside her needed to understand what he was feeling. She knew it was important. She knew he was lonely but at the same time, there was so much more.
So much more to learn and understand. Things she needed to learn if she wanted to help people. Even people like Cardin. "Cardin… do you…" She hesitated, trying to think what to say. What would her team do if they saw her crying like this? What would her family do? There was so much about this whole situation she didn't understand yet but one thing was clear to her. Clenching her fist, she reached out to touch his shoulder. "Do you want to come back?" He shook his head, not looking at her as he wiped his tears away with the handkerchief again. "Then let's stay here. How about… we play against each other? I'm quite good at this game, you know?
Slowly, Cardin raised his head to look at her. "You… You an idiot. Mu-Ruby."
"Maybe. But I'm still really good at Brawling Nights."
He grunted, putting another token in. "Fine, we can play. But if I win you're gonna leave me the hell alone."
"Ok. But if I win… you stop calling me mutt, okay?"
"Wait, you're not gonna ask me to come back with you?" Ruby shook her head, completely serious. "Brothers, you really are an idiot. They're gonna hate you for staying here with me, you know?"
"Maybe, but I don't think so. We always have each other's- HEY! You can't pick Myasura, that's my main!"
"You're a terrible liar, you know? Your tail always moves funny when you do it. I know you weren't talking about your mother when you said she always picks this one." Ruby growled, picking another character. "Now, prepare to lose."
"Same to you!"
No more words were exchanged as the two started playing, both forgetting what happened today for a while. Ruby ignored her uncle's scroll beeping in her pocket, as did Cardin. And during every round, Ruby would steal glances at him, noticing how his expression would shift constantly.
Both were unaware of the bird sitting on one of the ceiling lights, watching them closely. Ruby was quickly growing, making friends outside their direct family. First that rabbit girl they ran into and now the class pariah.
And he was the one to see it firsthand! Finally, he had something to hold over his sister. Maybe he would bring it up the next time they visited Ruby's psychologist. Raven always loved to brag during their sessions.
And while Ruby still had a long way to go, Qrow was sure that she was on the right track to become the huntress she wanted to be.
Azure Bazin was a bizarre place, even for Remnant.
Despite its tropical location, the island was a desert more akin to Vacuo, surrounded by blue-colored mountains that gave it its name.
But even though the surrounding mountains were rich in minerals, there was something far more valuable to be found here.
Beneath the clear waters on the lapis-colored sands that covered the only entrance to the island sat some of the purest water Dust on Remnant, along with over a dozen other types within the large cave system that could be followed all the way to RedHeaven.
Why does this island, so different than the rest of the world, hold so much Dust? Experts believe that-
"Miss Koks." Weiss stopped her speech, turning slowly to her teacher. Oobleck was watching her with a raised eyebrow, adjusting his glasses as the rest of the class snickered. "I wasn't aware you acquired a teaching license. Would you like to continue?"
"May I?" Weiss asked, eyes sparkling. "Very well. As I was saying, experts believe that-"
"MISS KOKS!" Oobleck hit her with his folder, the rest of the class and the guards of the plant laughing as Weiss rubbed her head.
Azure Basin Island - Water Dust Processing Plant ʻO ka puka moana'
12:00 p.m., April 18st, 71 post-Great War
Weiss returned to the group reluctantly, arms crossed as she muttered angrily while Oobleck resumed his explanation. As part of the end of the second to last year under him, Port had organized a field trip to Azure Basin with two objectives. To give his students a glimpse into the more industrial side of Dust and to have the kids face Grimm in real combat for the first time. The island's light Grimm population was perfect to test them in a controlled environment. Fortunately, STRQ had volunteered to corral a few specimens in preparation.
With Patch now openly trading with the rest of the world and selling water Dust directly to Schnee Industries, the council had decided to expand the island's Dust farms. Torchwick, under orders from his father, had started work immediately. In just a few short months he, with the help of Oobleck and his colleagues at Arcadia University, had designed the largest Water Dust processing plant on Remnant.
Roman had been rather particular about the size, making sure that the entire complex was exactly 50 meters longer than the one in Gardesto.
Ports students would be the first that got the chance to see the new facilities, a great honor, and a fascinating trip. At least, Port had hoped. But looking at his class, the only ones that seemed genuinely excited were Weiss, Coco, and Ruby. The rest of the children looked anywhere from mildly interested to horribly bored. Or angry, in Neptune's case, who had his training spear drawn proclaiming he would 'fight the ocean' if necessary.
Asking Oobleck to accompany them had been the right decision. His old friend could explain the details of Dust better than Port and Neo and as invested as she had gotten in teaching their class, she had a rather… unorthodox way of going about it. Luckily she was more than happy to stay in the back to keep an eye on the class, though looking behind him she seemed more busy with her scroll than watching anyone.
It was a small blessing that Eliza had been unable to attend, sick at home. Port shuddered, thinking about what would have happened if she and Weiss started arguing about who would be able to teach the class better. He would never understand how two girls that became such good friends so quickly could be at each other's throats so much.
"-The dam opens every three hours, circling ocean water through the different chambers. It is not yet fully understood how exactly this process works, many scientists believe the elements carrying a sort of echo needed to allow Dust to grow-"-"
"Miss Koks!" Oobleck took off his glasses, cleaning them slowly. The sound of the class suddenly stopped as Weiss swallowed nervously. Everyone knew that Oobleck did things slowly only when he was angry. "I did not spend years gaining a master's degree in Dust science to have one of my students interrupt my lecture. Now back to the group or I will have you and your team wait outside."
"B-but..." Oobleck grabbed her by the shirt, dragging her back to the class. Weiss' protest was ignored as he placed her next to her team just in time for Ruby to take a picture with her new scroll.
"Now, if there are no more interruptions." Weiss looked away as some of her classmates started to snicker again. "The dam opens to circle fresh ocean water into the system every three hours. It will then sit in the first chamber for exactly one hour before being drained into the second chamber, repeating the process." Oobleck pointed to the glass floor beneath them where an array of water Dust crystals glowed in the water. "Under the right conditions, water Dust is the second fastest growing Dust type, hence these quick cycles. Now, does anyone know why exactly it is done this way?"
Weiss raised her hands, stranding on her toes while she jumped in place. Oobleck pointed at Coco instead. "The Water Dust we use every day not only needs fresh water to grow but also sunlight. That's correct, right?"
"I see you have studied properly, Miss Adel."
"Of course. My semblance relies on Dust so I make sure to-"
"HOWEVER!" Oobleck interrupted her, turning around abruptly and walking ahead, the class scrambling to keep up with him. They entered a second room, the water beneath them much darker and deeper than before with an eerie glow at its bottom. "Your answer only covers the basics. Miss Koks, you may-"
"WaterDustcanbefoundintwostates-"
"Miss Koks, so that everyone may understand what you are saying?"
"Yes! Yes, I'm sorry." She cleared her throat. "Water Dust can be found in two states: Purified and Deep. Deep Water Dust is created when it is not exposed to direct sunlight during its formation. The water generated by these crystals is not only released with much higher and fluctuating pressure but it also creates salt water which is not fit for consumption. But if exposed to sunlight during formation it is 'purified', as Coco said, creating fresh water even if it was grown in ocean water. I think that is a much better answer, right Professor Oobleck?"
"It's doctor."
The class didn't react to the familiar reminder of his title, all staring at Weiss. She did not notice any of it, standing tall, chest puffed out as she waited for her teacher's praise. "BOO!" Cardin was the first to react, Coco and Neptune joining him.
"EH!" Weiss spun around, cheeks red. Why would they- "YANG! Why are you booing me? We are a team!"
"Weiss," Port kneeled down next to the angry girl, putting one of his large hands around her shoulder. "Now I'm not happy with Professor Oobleck for not giving Coco a chance to try to finish her explanation but that is no excuse to talk down to one of your classmates. A good huntsman doesn't care for glory, only to help others."
"Apologies, Miss Adel!" Oobleck took a drink from his thermos. "But while I understand my fellow Professor's point," He grabbed Weiss by the arm, pulling her away from Port. "A good huntsman never leaves a job half-done. They finish it with confidence and learn from their failures."
"Sometimes a Huntsman has to step back and listen to those around him." Port had gotten up, pulling Weiss back to him. "Our greatest strength is the bonds we share. Those that try to undermine their fellow huntsman for their own gain will end up-"
"If a huntsman doesn't want to be left behind." Weiss felt both elated and terrified as the two professors fought over her. "Then they should be prepared for every eventuality! Even answering technical questions!"
"Knowledge is power!" Weiss added with a smile.
"Weiss! Does everything I've taught you mean nothing?" Port cried in outrage, grabbing Weiss by the arms. "Look what you have done you old caffeine addict! This is why Glynda doesn't want you around the children!" Pushing Weiss behind him, he rose to his full height, staring down Oobleck as his mustache twitched. "Knowledge means nothing if you are alone!"
"Preposterous! I am excellent with children! And as I told you before, Peter, I can stop whenever I-"
"[Ok that is enough.]" Neo appeared, pushing them apart. She was less than happy with the two. Today was supposed to be relaxing as she let Oobleck do her work for her, not babysit two manchildren. "[I did not come here to break up your lover's spat. So you two will shake hands and continue teaching.]" She rammed Hush into the floor, the glass cracking dangerously. "[Or else.]"
The two professors shared a glance, a silent conversation passing between them. "I propose." Oobleck was interrupted by the floor splitting further under their feet. "That we hold off on this discussion for another time. Children! Follow me, quickly now!"
"Agreed." Peter ushered the kids along, the group leaving the room just as the floor gave way, its pieces vanishing into the dark waters.
After Port apologized to the tech crew in Neo's stead the group left for one of the common rooms in the complex. The children enjoyed the break, talking happily about what their parents packed them for lunch-
"Ruby, where are we going?" Except for Team RWBY, who were busy following their leader as she made her way through the secure corridors, typing in the code she managed to spy from Oobleck. "Didn't you say you were looking forward to your lunch? Your dad made your favorite triple peanut butter sandwich and- Yang!"
"What?" Yang said, mouth full of her own sandwich. "There's no way we are gonna make it back in time to eat anything and I'm not gonna go hungry again because Rubes is dragging us around."
Blake ignored the bickering from her two teammates, watching Ruby going ahead down the corridor toward the next security door. "Ruby!"
She started running, hearing Weiss and Yang stop and follow her. Ruby meanwhile was busy hanging from the small terminal next to the door, trying to fool the fingerprint scanner. "We have to get back to the entrance. Velvet said she wanted pictures of everything." Ruby growled, jumping down to search through her bulging backpack. She fished out a large roll of tape that neither of them saw her pack. Nor did they understand how it could even fit considering the thing was packed to the brim with every kind of practice weapon the class had to offer. "But I forgot to get a picture of the general layout of the complex- Weiss, can you do me a favor? I need Myrtenaster to cool the air to get Doctor Oobleck's fingerprints, your Dust is in my backpack."
Black slapped her forehead as Weiss wasted no time grabbing her rapier. It was shining brightly in the artificial light of the hallway, freshly polished before they left. Weiss had taken any opportunity to use her weapon after having it officially registered by Port.
"Why can Oobleck just open security doors here anyway?" Yang asked, licking her fingers as she finished the last bite of her lunch.
"Did you not listen when he explained the construction of the farm before we entered?" Weiss loaded her weapon, spinning the cylinder before snapping it into place with a satisfied nod. "Professor Oobleck is not only one of the leading experts on Dust here on Patch but he was also heavily involved in its construction and regularly comes here to make sure the Dust harvested is of the finest quality together with other scientists."
She gestured with Myrtenaster, making Yang take a step back to not get hit by her angry teammate. Blake watched the sharp blade move before looking down at her training axe. She still had the entire next year to design her own weapon but despite the month she spent researching, she was still no closer to knowing what kind of weapon would fit her. The knives she had started with had been the closest to feeling right, but their lack of range just wasn't her. Yang had suggested swords, and while the added range did feel better, there was still something missing. That same thing she envied Yang for finding so easily when she decided on her weapon.
"Still thinking about your weapon?" Yang whispered from behind her, making Blake jump. Turning around, she saw Yang somehow getting her sandwich out of her backpack without Blake noticing. "Mine was pretty easy. I like to punch things and shoot things, so shotgun gauntlets are like a dream come true. Like that pair of heels I bought in secret for when we are grown up." Yang waved the sandwich in front of her, watching Blake closely. "Nothing about the heels, huh? You really are beat up about your weapon."
"It's that obvious? And don't sneak up on me, that's my thing."
Yang shrugged, ignoring Blake's protest while shoving the sandwich into her hands. "You say that but you haven't stopped looking at your lunch since I got it out. Let me guess, tuna?"
"You are the worst, Yang!" Blake swallowed nervously, hiding the sandwich so Yang wouldn't see it. "So what if it is tuna? It's not a crime to like fish, you idiot."
"I may be an idiot but this idiot already has her weapon designed and ready to go!"
"Your mom did all the work."
"Oh? So when mom makes my weapon it's bad but when Aunt Kali writes your essay on Menagerie, that's okay?" Blake looked away, nibbling on her food. "But I'm still gonna build it myself. I'm telling you Blake, Ember Celica is gonna be awesome!"
"Yang, you broke your arm when you fired the prototype."
"I only dislocated my shoulder! And that's why it was a prototype. So now I just have Ruby fix it. After all the time and money I spend getting her these weapon magazines, it's only fair that she uses all that knowledge to help me. Oh! That's a great idea, you can just ask Ruby to help you with your own weapon. I know Coco and Ren already asked her to design their weapons with them."
Yang didn't know but Blake had the same idea and had been debating with herself for a while. Ruby was a genius when it came to weapons, only rivaled by her skill as a huntress. Something everyone in their class was well aware of. Blake was sure that Coco and Ren wouldn't be the only ones that would seek out their team leader for help. Aside from Jaune, Nora, and Weiss, everyone in their class had to design their weapons from scratch and Ruby could make even the most outrageous ideas into something functional.
She should go to Ruby. Blake knew how much she loved helping people with their weapons and Port always told them that cooperation is the greatest tool they had as huntsmen. But somehow this felt like cheating. "Yang," The blond looked at her, taking a drink from her juice box. "I… I just want to have a clear idea before going to Ruby. What kind of weapon do you see me using?"
"Well, you are fast and agile, your semblance allows you to flank an enemy easily so something that can hit weak points. Something light but with enough power to do some damage… Hm, how about both? One small weapon for defense and a bigger one to hit them where it hurts. You know, a real weapon, not like this useless shield…" She pointed to her backpack, a small training shield hanging from it. "You think Port would believe me if I told him it fell into the ocean?"
"It's the last weapon you need to finish the catalog, don't give up now." Despite knowing what weapon she wanted already, Yang insisted on getting a mark for every single training weapon available. It annoyed Blake but she couldn't deny that Yang's idea seemed fitting. Something fast and something strong… maybe connected by a ribbon? Ribbons were awesome, no matter what Weiss said.
But that still left the question: what kind of weapons? Knives, swords, maybe even a katana? She had been allowed to hold the katana Ren's father used when they visited their friends in Neo-Kuro and it had felt… not right but good. But a weapon like that was already pretty large, adding another one would cut into her ability to move. That wasn't even mentioning a range option. Where do you put a gun on a katana?
"-and if I had known this thing was so crappy I would have started with it." Blake looked up, only now noticing that Yang had kept talking. "I mean how are you supposed to fight a Grimm with this? I tried hitting people with it but it just feels so… uncomfortable." She grabbed the shield, turning it around in her hands. "I still need to finish two tests with this thing or I have to repeat it during the summer. I even asked Jaune for tips but everything he explained was either weird, obvious, or super vague."
"Finally!" Ruby yelled from Weiss' shoulder, the older girl struggling to keep them both upright as Ruby cheered. "I've got a print!" She jumped off, ignoring Weiss yelling as she held the little piece of tape in the air triumphantly. "Now I just gotta press it on the scanner aaaaand its op…en… what?" The door did indeed open. But instead of leading to the entrance, they found a small room full of lockers, benches, and two exits. A small hallway to the side lead to multiple shower stalls and a large, closed door loomed in front of them.
"Pup." Weiss put Myrtenaster away, looking across the room. "I don't want to say we are lost but…"
"We're lost." Yang shrugged, going in first to look around.
The others followed after her while Yang sat down on one of the benches. "This makes no sense! We went right three times from the entrance and passed two security doors just like this one!" Ruby mentally backtracked, counting on her fingers while she sat next to her sister. "We should be right at the lobby."
"What? No, you dolt, we only turned right twice!" Weiss rubbed her temple, arm crossed over her chest. "You were so busy taking photos you must have counted one of your own turns."
"That explains why this room doesn't look familiar." Blake said, taking a few hesitant steps around the room. "It doesn't look or smell like the guards' locker rooms at the entrance." Weiss grimaced at the thought, happy that she didn't share Blake and Ruby's sense of smell. Blake continued to look around, her eyes finding a large red light over the closed door. "I wonder what these changing rooms are for... any ideas?"
Yang began drumming her foot, clutching her chin. "Hm, let's see. We went straight from the deep water area, so we should still be close to the farm section-" Yang was interrupted by a scream from Blake and Ruby, both covering their ears. "Girls! What's wrong, what did you hear?"
Ruby shook her head, the hair on her tail and ears completely ruffled. "There was a really loud sound like rushing water, the same as when we came here this morning."
Blake nodded, her cat ears still ringing. "I think I heard a siren just before-"
"I think I know where we are." Weiss pointed to the red light that was blinking until it turned green, the large door opening automatically. "This has to be where the workers change to check the corals. It has been an hour since we came here, hasn't it?" The girls nodded, Yang holding her sister close as she tried to help her calm down. "They must have cycled the water into the next chamber."
"Have I gotten us so turned around?" Ruby lowered her head in shame, holding her scroll up to take a picture for Velvet. "Doctor Oobleck is gonna kill us."
"He's not gonna kill you, you are his favorite." Blake rubbed Ruby's head, trying to cheer her up. She didn't raise her head but her tail started wagging a little so Blake considered it a success. "We should probably get going. If they notice we are missing we could be in trouble. Or maybe Professor Oobleck will be happy you're not interrupting him every two minutes, right Weiss?"
Weiss didn't react, staring at the dark staircase like she was hypnotized. The three looked at each other, unsure what was happening. With a shrug Ruby got closer, shaking her lightly. "Eh? Sorry, did you say something, Ruby?"
"Something wrong, Weissicle?" Yang joined her sister, trying to pull Weiss closer to her. The girl pushed her away, scowling.
"How often do I need to tell you not to call me that, Yang? Nothing wrong, it's just… I can't believe I'm saying this, normally you two come up with these ideas but-"
"Hey!" "Hey!"
"But we could… you know." Her eyes kept moving between her team and the open doorway. "I mean…" Weiss hesitated, unable to get the words out. This was a stupid idea, what had she been thinking- "Hey!"
Ruby was suddenly right in front of her, hugging her with a large smile as she looked up at Weiss. Yang and Blake joined their leader, hugging her from both sides. She stood there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of support. What had she been worried about? They were a team and that meant they would always have each other's back. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I always wanted to try using a fresh, pure crystal with Myrtenaster. I think it could be a huge advantage for future battles."
"Can Myrtenaster even handle pure crystals?" Blake asked. She had never seen Aunt Raven or Summer use pure crystals for their weapons.
"I think so, yes. Myrtenaster has a much older cylinder than newer weapons, designed before modern Dust refining techniques. There are little slots between the chambers that would work with solid crystals and I'm certain that's their purpose.
Blake didn't see a flaw in Weiss' logic and Ruby's enthusiastic nod was more than enough to convince her. And with Yang celebrating Weiss discovering her 'rebellious' side, it was clear that they were all on board with her plan. Their team leader was already moving towards the stairs, planning how to best cut off a small enough piece they could use. Turning around in the doorframe, she proclaimed their next mission, 'Operation Dust Heist', a go.
Blake could only smile at the name while Weiss complained half-heartedly about it, ignoring Yang's laughter. This was going to be fun, Blake thought as they started their descent down the dark staircase.
Azure Basin Island - Industrial harbor
One hour ago
"RAVEN!"
"I'VE GOT IT!"
A portal opened over an Ursa Major as Raven appeared, Omen sheathed to switch its blade. "HATEFUL WING!" The Grimm was split clean in half with a single stroke of her blade, one half frozen, the other electrocuted. The two pieces flew apart, slowly dissolving. "That's another one that didn't make the cut."
"Seriously sis?" Qrow finished off another Ursa, its head separating from its shoulders with a simple swing from Harbinger. "A pun? Tai's gonna be so proud when he hears about that. Guess he finally managed to rub off on you- Woah!" Raven leaped at him, her blade missing his head by inches as she impaled a small Lancer Qrow hadn't bothered to finish off properly.
"You ain't gonna tell Tai shit. If this leaves this warehouse I'll burn your booze and make you watch."
"Empty threats, Rae, you need the booze just as much as I do." The two stepped past each other, each one killing a creep that tried to jump on their backs. This dance of death had been going on for the past few minutes as they cleared out one of the warehouses in the harbor. The coast, so far away from RedHeaven, was one of the few places where Grimm nests could appear, perfect to find young and weak specimens for the apprentices under Port. The workers outside had been watching, fascinated by the twins bickering like they were shopping for groceries instead of fighting Grimm.
Qrow leaped over his sister, Harbinger switching into its scythe mode and engaging the Alpha Creep that most likely had been responsible for this infestation. Raven passed under him, Omens Fire Dust blade scorching the large bone plating of an Alpha Beowolf. "I think those two are the only Alphas in here."
"Creeps and Beowolfs, I didn't know they had a rivalry!" Qrow came from the side, his scythe catching the Creep in the neck, dragging it around before slamming into the ground, the sounds of breaking bones echoing through the warehouse. "That's one alpha taken care of. How much longer do you need?"
Raven growled, meeting the Beowolfs claw strike for strike. Waiting a moment she dodged to the side, ending behind the Grimm before it had finished its latest attack. Three quick strikes with Omen and its torso fell to pieces. "Done. And that makes seventeen for me, I win." She turned around, smirking. "Guess all these years of teaching have made you soft, dear brother."
"What?! No no, that's not fair. I killed fifteen and captured two. If anything they should count double!" He pointed his weapon at a Creep and Lancer that had been tied to the side of the warehouse, electro Dust chains keeping them subdued. "And where is the Grimm you wanted to get for the girls? You were very insistent on getting that one personally."
Raven looked around, shaking her head. She knew Torckwick had plans for the old warehouses here, which meant cleanup duty. Great, her least favorite part of the job, removing the liquid ooze Grimm spawn from. "None of these were right. The first Grimm my girls are gonna fight needs to be perfect. Strong enough to push them both individually and as a team but not so overwhelming that we have to step in. Like our first fight as Team STRQ."
"Right, we fought that giant Nevermore." Qrow smiled, thinking back to their first days as a team.
Fighting alongside Team HAMR during initiation had been an eye-opener for the twins. Especially the part where they dragged that bird up a cliffside while the others took care of a giant Death Stalker.
The teamwork they showed that day had been something else. Raven, even limited to him, had used her portals without a second thought to help Summer move around. And watching Tai hold down a Nevermore with his bare hands until their soon-to-be leader used her giant axe to behead it had been unexpected. "You know the girls are too young to pull off a move like that, right?"
"Of course, I know that! But this is important, Qrow. Our first battle was something special, something that defined our future together. I want the same for them." Qrow held back a sigh, grabbing his sister and holding her close as they made their way out of the warehouse. "I want them to think about it fondly as they tell the story to their grandkids."
"Let's get them a Grimm first, then you can plan the wedding-"
"Miss…"
"Oh piss off, Qrow. We all know how they are gonna end up and I'm not gonna pretend otherwise."
"Miss B-Branwen-"
"They are kids, Raven. For all we know they won't even stay as a team when they grow up. You know how rare it is nowadays for teams to last."
"Mister B-Branwen-"
"We did. And if a team with two dysfunctional idiots like us can manage to stay together, everyone can. Do you think they will not end up together? Let alone break apart as a team?" Raven grabbed her brother's face, forcing him to look at her. "I'm asking you, as a mother, do you believe that? Be honest."
"You are being an idiot again, sis." A soft roar came from behind them, the sounds of claws hitting concrete coming closer. "But… no. If I'm being honest, there is no chance these four will ever go their separate ways. They are already so much like you, Tai, and Summer. I guess we somehow managed to raise them well, Brothers know how that happened. Let's hope we don't mess it up until they are all grown up."
"...Thank you, little brother." Raven smiled, cocking her head just in time to dodge a claw. Qrow lunged forward, grabbing the Beowolf's arm, twisting it, and forcing it to the ground. "I thought this one was going to be the one. Smart enough to wait until we let our guard down." She kneeled next to it, watching it flail and growl helplessly in her brother's grip. It was a mangy little thing, looking almost malnourished. "It must have spawned just before we came here."
"You wanna take it for the girls?"
"Nah, too weak. Any of them could beat something like this alone. Say, can Beowolfs swim?"
"Not in salt water, as far as I know. And may I remind you that I'm the older brother, born two minutes earlier."
"Are we bringing this up again? You came out of our witch of a mother first but I was the first to open her eyes and cry. And after two pregnancies I can tell you, that's what counts." Qrow rolled his eyes, tossing the Beowolf into the air. Raven made her way toward the still shocked dockworkers, sending an aura wave behind her with a flick of her wrist. It hit the Grimm in the stomach, launching it straight into the ocean. "Well, this was a dud. Come on, we only got two more hours to find something suitable for the girls. Why did Summer forbid us from working with her and Tai again? I'm sure there's plenty of Grimm in the mines we can use."
"I'm technically still on forced leave and you haven't finished your last test to be reinstated yet. But by this time next year, STRQ's gonna be back at full strength!" The two high-fived, making their way into the harbor proper to ask if there had been any more Grimm sightings nearby.
Neither of them gave the small Beowolf they tossed into the ocean a second thought.
The staircase was slippery, ocean water clinging to every surface as they made their way down. Yang and Weiss could see their two faunus teammates scrunch their noses, the smell overpowering.
Part of Weiss felt guilty for making them go through this just to try using Dust with Myrtenaster. She was about to tell them to get back when they reached the bottom, another double door stopping their progress. "Another door? Why did the first one open by itself then?" Yang groaned, leaning against the wet wall. She noticed a large red lever next to her, a sign over it reading 'DO NOT PULL'. That was most likely their way forward. Though looking back, she could tell that her monochrome teammates were hesitant. "Hey guys, come on. We didn't get down here to turn back now- Ruby!"
Her sister had not hesitated, launching herself at the lever with her semblance. She kept her hands around the top, her legs pressing against the slippery wall as she tried to pull it. It seemed like it wouldn't butch despite the girl's strained grunts until a loud click was heard, sending Ruby and the lever down. The large security door opened, light and fresh air rushing to greet the four.
Yang took a deep breath, helping her sister up from the ground. "That works, I guess. Though I don't think Professor Oobleck would approve."
"We are on a mission for Weiss, there is no way I let a stupid door stop us. Now come on, we have no time to waste!" Ruby dried herself like a dog, water spraying all around her. With her hair standing up and her sister now soaked, she led the way. Only to stop a few steps into the large chamber, stunned by the sight before her. Yang was close behind her, her angry grumbling about her sister's water attack trailing off as she saw what was before them.
Weiss and Blake followed them with some hesitation, both wondering what made the two go silent. But the moment they entered behind them, they understood.
The chamber was enormous, far larger than their look from above had suggested. The floor was covered in sand, sparkling like diamonds from residual Dust as giant corals spiraled into the air, some of them almost reaching the top of the room. Everything around them glowed, the crystals bathing them in a velvet hue that made it feel like they were underwater.
"Woah…" Yang gasped, unable to comprehend the magical sight before them. Blake was the first to recover, whistling appreciatively as she got closer to one of the Dust clusters. The entire scenery made it hard to believe that they were still in Patch instead of some magical world. "I never thought Dust would look like this. It's… beautiful." She turned on her own axis, taking the entire room in. She could see the entrance, the walls around it covered almost completely in Water Dust, crystal structures bigger than themselves hanging in the air. Focusing on one of the larger ones, Blake could swear she could see water move inside it. Blinking a few times, it was gone. But now that she had noticed it, she saw more strange movements in other crystals start and stop as if each one had its own tide.
Weiss kneeled next to one of the smaller clusters, her fingers brushing against the crystals. She could feel her aura react immediately as its light blue hue intensified. She never felt anything like it before. It was as if her aura both embraced and rejected it at the same time, leaving a faint tingling feeling behind, as if her fingers had fallen asleep. It was nothing like the refined and processed Dust they had handled during class or when Aunt Summer and Raven had taught them in their basement workshop. Weiss couldn't help but think that somewhere during the process the Dust lost something… magical. "Ruby, do you have a knife in your backpack?" No response, but Weiss was too focused to turn around. "Ruby?"
Ruby and Yang had not wasted any time, running up to the largest coral formation, the one almost reaching the top of the chamber. Yang stopped suddenly, noticing something in the shimmering sand. "Rubes, I found something!" Her sister was next to her in an instant as Yang brushed away sand to reveal the metal floor beneath. "What do you think this is?"
Ruby went on all fours, her nose almost brushing the floor. Her sister had revealed a set of engravings around a small light. Looking around, she could see more lights, all surrounding the large cluster of corals in front of them. "Hm, you see this symbol here?" Yang followed her sister's finger, sure that she had seen it somewhere before. "It looks like what's on Dust cartridges. Although these normally have only three crystals, not five... Weiss, do your corals have any symbols? What are they for?"
"Degrees of Purity." Weiss appeared behind Ruby, flicking her ear. "Each crystal indicates a range with five being the maximum. We learned that just a week ago Ruby." The wolf laughed nervously, rubbing her neck. Weiss sighed annoyed, pulling out one of the pamphlets they had been given at the beginning of the excursion, the sisters butting their heads together to read it. "Pay attention next time you both, this is important."
Ruby muttered something about the photos being more important, Weiss deciding to ignore her for all their sake, focusing on Blake. The cat had been roaming around them, digging through the sand. "If five is the maximum, I think this is the purest one here."
"Blake, that is filthy! Don't just dig through sand with your bare hands!"
Blake rolled her eyes before wiping her hands on her pants. Weiss watched in horror, face beet red with anger. Blake only smiled, sticking her tongue out at her. "Any idea how to cut this? It's too large to put into Myrtenaster. And it seems kinda… active. I noticed that some of them look like they have water moving inside them. Normally it starts and stops randomly but this one hasn't. The last thing I want is getting drenched."
"No problem!" Ruby shouted in excitement, Petal Burst launching her upwards. "Nope, not this one. No, this one's too sharp. This one's too small!" She traveled further and further up, stopping for a split second to inspect a crystal before continuing. Weiss and Blake tried to get her to come down while Yang shouted encouragement to find a good one. "HA! Found you!" Ruby finally came to a stop, standing on one of the smaller crystals close to the top. "It's perfect."
"Ruby, don't touch Dust with your bare hands!" Weiss huffed as she hurried up, glyphs appearing in front of her to make a staircase. "Don't you remember how dangerous it is you, you… DOLT!"
"Ah, come on Weiss," Ruby whined, sitting on the crystal, each leg to one side of it. "It's not dangerous, it just tickles. Feels kinda nice." Yang and Blake had caught up, the former raising an eyebrow at her sister. Reaching her hand out, she touched the crystal Ruby was sitting on before flinching back. It didn't hurt but it was far from a pleasant feeling. Yang wondered how Ruby could sit on it. "Now, I only need one thing to…" Ruby pulled her backpack in front of her, rummaging through it. After a few seconds, she pulled out a long training sword that Fox lent her. "This will do. Which part do you want, Weiss?"
Weiss wanted to drag Ruby off the crystal and tell her how irresponsible she had been but decided to hold her tongue. Taking a deep breath she took a step forward, another glyph appearing atop the crystal just to be safe. Now that she got a closer look, she had to admit that her team leader had been right, it was perfect. All she had to find now was the piece that would fit into her weapon. Most ends were far too jagged to fit and they had neither the time nor the tools to safely cut a piece into shape. "Blake, do you see any that work?" She turned to her teammate only to find Blake in front of Ruby, grabbing the girl by the cheeks, stretching them wide. Yang lay beside the two, motionless. "Do I want to know?"
Blake released Ruby, growling. "Ruby wondered what Water Dust would taste like and this one here." She poked Yang with her foot. "Said she wouldn't dare to lick one."
"Sometimes I swear you guys do this just to annoy us. This is no time for jokes, this is for our future as huntresses." Weiss shook her head, Blake joining her as the two started to look for a good crystal while the sisters recovered from their idiocy.
Moments later the sisters were back on their feet, bickering and blaming each other. Blake and Weiss had expected as much, watching the two argue. Neither noticed how they got dangerously close to the edge of the glyph they were on, too focused on each other. Blake was about to call out to them but Weiss stopped her.
"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO NOT LET ME DO THIS STUFF AS MY OLDER SISTER!"
"OH PLEASE, YOU WOULD HAVE DONE IT ANYWAY. YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DUST LIKE IT WAS ICE CREAM!"
"THAT'S TRUE, BUT THAT DOESN'T JUSTIFY-"
Ruby's retort died on her lips, her ear twitching. Yang looked around, trying to find what had distracted her sister suddenly. "What? Did you hear something?"
"No, I just…" She looked over the edge of the glyph, sniffing the air. "I thought there was something below us. Like a growl? And this smell…" Yang joined her, looking around and smelling around herself. Ruby waited a moment, ears strained trying to catch the strange sound again as the familiar smell became stronger. Yang suddenly looked up, having caught what her sister meant. "Do you recognize it? It's hard to smell over the Dust but it's the same as-"
"When our parents come back from a mission." Yang nodded. She grabbed her shield without a word. "Weiss, Blake, I think we have a-" She found the two already prepared, Weiss spinning her weapon in her hand while Blake extended the telescope handle of her axe. "A Grimm in here."
Blake nodded. "I smelled it too. We should call Professor Port." The four gathered on the edge while Blake kneeled down, straining her ears. After a few moments she could hear it, the faint sound of claws on metal and low, pained growls. "If we stay up here we should be fine until help comes." They knew Blake was right but no one made any effort to move away from the edge of the glyph.
"But… isn't this what we came here for? What we are training to do?" Weiss held Myrtenaster in front of her, finger gently moving along its blade. She concentrated on the weapon, her aura flowing into it. She could feel it hum alongside the Dust she had loaded in before. "Aunt Summer told us that a huntress is always ready to protect people, even if it's dangerous. What kind of huntresses would we be if we just sit here and wait?" Despite her words, Weiss could feel herself shake. There was a Grimmb below them, a monster that would not hesitate to kill them all. But beneath the fear, she could feel excitement and eagerness.
Opening her eyes, she saw her team stand at the ready, all four of them sharing the same mix of emotions. Ruby had taken point, Fox's longsword drawn and ready.
"Listen, if we are going to do this," Ruby could hear the countless lessons on leadership and proper engagement repeat in her head, but they sounded muted as if she was listening to them underwater. "We have to establish some rules, understand?" Her team nodded. There was no more room for jokes, this was the real deal. Ruby took a deep breath, trying to get a comfortable grip on her weapon. It was far too short for her liking but none of the other training weapons had felt any better. "First, we will need visual confirmation of what we are dealing with."
"Yes, leader!" "O-okay." "Visual, got it."
"Then, if it is something we think we can take, we'll follow the basic four-man strategy, 1-2-1. Yang, you will be our defense line." Yang nodded, swallowing nervously as the grip on her shield tightened. She knew she was the best for the job. Both her semblance and her current training weapon were ideal and she had seen Coco, Cardin, and even Jaune play the role multiple times. "Blake and I will be our offensive. I try to create openings for you Blake." The cat said nothing, feeling cold sweat run down her forehead. She would need to be quick to keep up with Ruby but part of her worried that the large axe she was carrying would slow her down too much. "Weiss, you are the only one with any Dust but I'm worried what it could do if you fire it in here. Try to focus on supporting us with your semblance and only take shots you are sure about. And don't try to restrain the Grimm." Weiss spun Myrtenasters cylinder, preparing her Fire Dust. She was confident she could keep her team safe, they had trained with her glyphs a hundred times and more already.
Still, she couldn't help how nervous she felt. One look was enough to see that Blake and Yang felt the same. The only one that seemed completely at ease was Ruby. "If anything happens I have my Scroll ready to call for help. We will retreat to the entrance and close the door behind us, trapping it in here until Professor Port arrives. A-Any questions?" Just for a moment, Ruby's voice wavered, showing the same worry the rest of her team felt. She cursed herself silently. This was not how a leader was supposed to act, they had to be sure and confident, like her mom.
Luckily for Ruby, she was not leading soldiers, but her team. And they would not let her shoulder this alone.
"No, leader!" "Understood, Ruby." "We got this."
Ruby smiled, fangs gleaming in the subtle glow of the corals. Right, as long as she had her team with her, they would be fine. She took point, leaping forward with Petal Burst while the others followed on Weiss' semblance.
Their search lead them to the far back of the farm, close to the shutters that circle the ocean water inside. Ruby came to a stop, holding on to one of the largest crystals, signaling her team to stay quiet.
Below them, hacking away at the base of a Dust coral, was a Beowulf. Even from this distance, the four could see its stomach bulging as it stuffed Dust into its maw. "How did a Beowolf get in here?" Weiss blinked, rubbing her eyes. The Grimm did not notice them, completely focused on cracking the crystals in front of it. "Is… is it eating the Dust? Is that normal?"
Ruby and Yang shook their heads. Both had memorized everything about Beowolfs from the time their parents had worked with the guild to create a more detailed encyclopedia of Grimm. "I guess it must have been dragged in here when they cycled the water." Ruby joined them on the glyph, eyes never leaving their target. "Beowolfs can't swim, right?"
Yang shook her head, already placing herself in front of her team. Despite the distance, she felt as if the others were in danger. She could take a hit, wanted it even to let Burn charge. But the others? No, better she took a beating than any of them. "Not in salt water, as far as I know."
"It must have fallen in close by then, probably the port. I saw they had cut off parts because of Grimm infestation when we came here this morning." Blake said, kneeling down to get a better look at the Grimm. She noticed a faint blue glow showing through the suffocating darkness its body was made out of. "You think it can use the Dust it's eating somehow? Why is it eating it anyway?"
"Does it matter? It's just some mangy little Beowolf with a stomach full of Dust. Means we have a second target to aim for beside the head." Yang spoke with confidence, her earlier fear forgotten. "Come one, let's go! You got your Scroll ready, Rubes?" Her sister nodded, showing it and the emergency alarm ready to go. "Great. Then let's move guys." Wasting no time, Yang leaped off the glyph, landing hard on the sand-covered ground. The Grimm stopped its feast for a moment, sniffing the air before turning around to face her. "H-Hey ugly!" Yang tried to imitate how her parents would taunt their opponents in the stories they tell her and Ruby, but fear was quickly creeping back into her. Despite its small build, the Beowulf was still far larger than Yang, turning fully to face her, its red eyes boring into her. "I-I think you are lost, Punch-Ville is o-over here."
It did not react, staring at the frightened girl a moment before looking up. The other three felt a chill run down their back when it found them. "How did-" Ruby's surprised shout was interrupted by the Beowolfs growl, its white teeth gleaming dangerously in the pale light of the Dust. "Dammit! Let's go before it attacks Yang." She did not look back, eyes glued to the Grimm, a strange heat inside of them as they jumped down. "YANG, GET ITS ATTENTION!"
"Got it!" Yang shouted, taking off to meet the Grimm head-on. It looked down at the screaming child, finally reacting as it raised its claw to attack. Yang came to a screeching halt, raising her shield over her head to block the attack, aura flowing into it to- Something struck her from the side, sending her to the floor. "Since when can Grimm use faint attacks?" She coughed, holding her side. Her aura had taken the blow but her entire side felt like it was on fire. It was nothing like training or even the fights against real Grimm in class. She did her best to force the sudden spike of panic down, focusing on the feeling of 'Burn' coursing through her. "Well, two can play that game!" Her hair ignited as she kicked herself off the ground. Holding her shield in both hands she brought it down as hard as she could at the Beowolfs head. Only to hit its claws as it easily caught her attack. But not her leg as it hit the Beowolf in the side, sending it sliding across the ground. It snarled, biting at the air.
For a moment Yang could swear she saw it fletch his teeth in a grin, but that was impossible. With a howl it charged forward, easily dodging the small fireball Weiss shot its way. She met its charge head-on, Burn running through her as she managed to stop it dead in its tracks, holding it in place.
"I've got you, Yang!" Ruby blitzed past her, ramming her sword into the Beowolfs bulging stomach. It cried out in pain, letting go of Yang's shield to hold its side. Yang wasted no time, ramming her shield into its snout, sending it to the ground. "Are you okay?" Ruby checked over her sister, noticing Blake jump over both of them to attack the downed Grimm. Her sister seemed unhurt but she could feel the heat radiating off her. For her semblance to be charged fully after just a single hit wasn't a good sign.
"This is nothing. It just got lucky, didn't expect it to be able to feint-" She was interrupted by an angry howl as Blake was thrown at them. The sisters barely managed to catch her. "And here I thought cats always land on their feet."
"Not the time!" The three scattered as the Beowolf landed between them. Glyphs sprang up around it, allowing Yang and Blake to circle it to cut off its escape route. Blake hoped that it would cower after being surrounded but the Grimm simply stood there, watching the four. "I can't break its skull. I don't know if it's harder than a normal Beowolfs or if I'm too weak." Blake felt her weapon grow heavy in her hands. "We're gonna need to freeze it, Weiss."
Weiss flicked her ponytail to the side, Summer had braided it for her this morning, as she rolled her eyes. Of course, more pressure on her. Still, she nodded as the Beowolf roared, spinning around to backhand Ruby, sending the girl flying. The next moment its claws cut the air, forcing Blake and Yang back. Aiming from this distance was harder than she thought. And keeping her attention split between her team to summon her glyphs was not making it easier. These attacks were getting far too close to her girls, each miss making her twitch as her concentration waned. She switched to Ice Dust as instructed, trying to steady her nerves. Just as the Beowolf leaped forward, right at Blake and Yang. "NO!" She threw her hands forward without thought, her semblance reacting on instinct to create a large glyph before the two to shield them.
But the two had anticipated it, waiting for the last second to dodge only to suddenly find a barrier blocking their way. "Weiss, move your-!" To late, it had already closed the distance. Blake clenched her teeth, giving Yang a swift kick to get her out of the way before facing the Beowolf alone. The Grimm had raised its claws, bringing them down on the glyph before her with a roar, shattering it.
Weiss screamed, feeling her aura recoil. Blake growled, holding her axe up to block the Beowolfs claws. Her whole body trembled as she held the beast back. Showing its unusual intelligence again it pressed its advantage, forcing Blake back. It was all she could do to dodge the constant barrage of swipes, feeling them miss her by inches. The only thing keeping her from getting torn to shreds was her semblance, her clones taking hits for her. But she couldn't keep this up for long.
Just as she feared, her axe was slowing her down. But what could she do? The long handle was the biggest issue, but if she shortened it she wouldn't have the grip to use it for blocking. "WEISS, HE-!" Her breath was forced out of her as a claw found its mark, hitting her in the stomach. Ruby and Yang, having recovered, jumped on the Beowolf, trying to give Blake some room. Weiss, kneeling after the blow to her glyph, raised a shaking hand, creating a platform for Blake to jump over the Beowolf to join her teammate. "Thanks…"
"Ar-are you okay?" Weiss forced herself out, using Myrtenaster as a crutch to get up.
"Yeah, I'm fi-" Another scream made them look up as Yang was smashed into one of the coral growths, hair burning an angry red.
Ruby appeared between her sister and the Grimm, blocking its attempt to swipe at her sister. It kept trying to move past her, forcing her to block instead of evade its attacks. She was sweating heavily, feeling her hair stick to her forehead as she panted. She was pretty sure that Grimm weren't this intelligent but this one was different.
It kept attacking, aware that she was shielding her sister and taking full advantage. Ruby didn't budge, the burning in her eyes she had felt when they first found the Grimm now extending over her entire body. She vaguely sensed her own fear and panic as the Grimm bore down on her, but it felt far away, unimportant. Her mind was razor sharp, only focused on the enemy in front of her.
"AWOOOOOOOOOO!" As if sensing the girl's power, it howled in annoyance, raising both claws over its head in an imitation of the same strike her sister had copied from their father. Ruby readied herself, leg drawn backward as the attack came. At the last second, she brought her sword up to block, but the small training weapon did not have the power to stop such a blow, bending inwards as she was pushed back.
Ruby could feel its hot breath on her face as it leaned down, growling as it pushed her further. She growled right back, fletching her teeth before scattering into petals and appearing above it, kicking its face. "WEISS! COVER FIRE!" Weiss wasted no time, multiple fireballs flying into the Beowolfs unprotected side and head. It screamed, scratching at its burned face as it retreated.
Using the short respite they managed to gain Ruby got her sister, helping her up and leading her to the rest of their team. "We have to get out of here, now!" A row of glyphs appeared next to them, leading away from the still-burning Grimm. The four hurried up, the makeshift platforms vanishing behind them. Out of reach, they watched it trash around, the Dust fueled flames not stopping. "Wait, what is it-" Blake shouted, watching the Beowolf ram a claw into its stomach.
"Wait, don't tell me it's…?" Yang whispered in disbelief as water began to flow from the Grimm's stomach, dousing the fire.
Weiss summoned more glyphs, making a path away from it. She did not want to find out how that thing knew how Dust worked.
"Shouldn't we intervene? Raven will notice something is up any minute."
She shook her head, looking at the professor.
"Give them a chance, I have faith in them."
The four ran towards the entrance, more glyphs appearing and vanishing as fast as they ran. Until a few meters away from the door when their feet hit empty air, making them fall into the Dust-covered sand. Weiss barely managed to catch herself, breath ragged. She felt like she had been running for hours, her aura dangerously low. Summoning so many glyphs in rapid succession was a lot harder than her sister made it look.
"What the hell was that?!" Yang growled, throwing her shield to the side. "The thing was completely useless!"
Ruby sunk into herself as her sister yelled, knowing full well how much they all messed up in this fight. Blake looked equally frustrated, standing up without a word to check on Weiss. Ruby watched her, wondering where she had gone wrong. They never had trouble fighting as a team, neither against captured Grimm or their classmates. It made no sense why they fell apart like this. She looked down at the blade in her lap, thinking. "I think… I think we have to call for help. We can't handle a Grimm by ourselves." Weiss took Blake's offered hand, sitting up slowly as she tried to catch her breath. "We… we aren't ready yet. Or maybe I'm just not cut out to be a leader…"
"No!" Yang said firmly, picking her shield up before joining her sister. "You are a great leader. This was on all of us, not you. And just because we failed once doesn't mean we can't do it. Come on guys, I know we are up to the task!" She tried her best to sound confident, still shaken from the fight. "I just don't get it. We have fought Grimm before, why was this so different? I felt so scared I swear I thought my legs would just give out. How do our parents do it-"
"Because we suck." Blake sank down next to Ruby, staring at her axe. "We may be top of our class as a team but compared to STRQ we are…" She bit her lip. "Or maybe it's the Grimm? I have never seen a Beowolf this smart. Or use Dust. Maybe that's the problem? We should-"
An angry growl made them jump. But it wasn't the Beowolf hunting them down, no.
Ruby had started to empty her backpack, furious at herself. "It's smart but not THAT smart! And it wasn't that our teamwork sucked, we were just… missing something. It caused us to be off balance and get in each other's way." She started rummaging through the pile of weapons and tools she brought, desperate to find something that could help. "We just need to turn the situation around, like Dad always says. Some new strategy instead of what they taught us in class. We are RWBY after all, we don't play by the rules. No more dump formations or defensive lines, we gonna do this our way. I just… need a second."
The three shared a confused look, gathering around their leader. They weren't sure what Ruby could mean by that but the girl seemed confident in… whatever she was doing. She finally found what she was looking for, holding a familiar laser cutter in the air.
"Wait, isn't that moms-"
"Blake, give me your axe."
"Huh? Why do you want my-" A single look from Ruby was enough to make Blake stop. She had the same look in her eyes as Summer when she was focused on something. Without another word she handed her weapon over, watching Ruby ram the axe head into the ground. "Yang, hold it straight." Shrugging, Yang obliged, holding the weapon steady while her sister started tracing a line over the grip with a pencil.
"Blake, hands."
"My what-"
With a growl Ruby grabbed one of her hands, scrutinizing them closely. Her eyes flickered back and forth, muttering under her breath while Blake could only stand there, somewhat embarrassed by Ruby's intense focus on her.
"You don't do well with slow, heavy attacks Blake." She didn't need to be told that, she had noticed that herself during the battle. Ruby hummed to herself, measuring the handle before starting to cut into it. "But now I see where you need to be. You are the center point of Team RWBY! Not a tank like dad but more like… a whirlwind. Jumping around, distracting the enemy, stuff like that." The last part of the handle gave way with a loud crack, making Yang fall over. Ruby didn't notice, focused on smoothing out the broken bit while her sister cursed in the background. "For that to work, you gotta need something sturdy to block and something that allows you to retaliate easily. Give me one of your ribbons."
Blake handed Ruby one of her ribbons, not even questioning how she knew she had brought some. Somehow Ruby had perfectly addressed everything she had been struggling with the past few months. Maybe she should have swallowed her pride and asked her for help before. "My sword is way too short for me. But for you…" She started rummaging through her pile again, digging up a screwdriver. "It's perfect. This will be for quick attacks, while this shortened axe on the other hand," She pressed down with force, the screwdriver slowly moving through the handle to make a small hole. "Is sturdy enough to block without slowing you down too much. Now we just need something to keep them together." Ruby repeated the process with the handle of the sword, securing both weapons with the ribbon.
"It's..." Weiss and Yang were looking over Blake's shoulders, watching Ruby work. "It's perfect, Ruby."
The little wolf meanwhile was testing the rest of the axe handle, spinning it around. Giving it a few thrusts, she nodded, satisfied with it. "Only the best for my team! Now-," She turned into petals, ramming into Yang and throwing her to the ground.
"Ow, Ruby! What was that for?"
Ruby didn't answer, sitting on her sister's lap and pressing their foreheads together. "Burn's charge is pretty high, right? Your aura is really hot. Way more than usual."
"Yeah, that thing got me pretty good. But with Blake as our defensive line, I have to-"
"There is no defensive line! We can take care of each other without these dump formations. But for that, we need you able to hit hard." Ruby held her first out, getting a chuckle out of Yang as she pumped it. "We don't have your gauntlets here but I have an idea." She picked up the shield lying next to Yang, holding it next to her arm. "The shield here will have to do. Can you bend it a little, right here and here?" Yang wasn't sure what her sister was getting at but she knew better than to argue with her. Grabbing her shield as instructed, she let Burn run through her, bending her shield to create something resembling a bowl. "Perfect. Weiss, I need you to freeze the outer shell to Yang's arm. Her aura should keep her warm. We only need one good hit to end this. Also, I need you close to us, no range support."
"Wait, you want me to freeze Yang's shield to her arm? Ruby, thats-"
"Weiss, trust me."
The two stared at each other for a moment before Weiss relented. She pointed Myrtenaster at Yang's arm, focusing her aura. A thick layer of ice started to form around it, covering the shield and her entire upper arm in seconds. Yang punched the air a few times, clearly happy with the results. "There. I really hope this works. If Yang's arm falls off due to hypothermia you are gonna explain it to Summer."
"Don't worry, standard issue Ice Dust is nowhere near cold enough to counter Yang's semblance. Now come close girls, I'll explain how we are gonna beat that dump Grimm!" The four huddled together, ready to show the Beowolf who he was dealing with.
She could hear heavy footsteps in the sand, accompanied by low growls.
Blake waited patiently behind a large coral cluster. She was oddly calm after the frantic fight only a few minutes ago, watching the Beowolf come closer to her position without fear. Its wounds had healed over and its belly looked even more bloated as it walked on its hind legs, sniffing the air.
She looked down at her new weapon, the weight of the two parts much more comfortable in her hands. Gambol Shroud. Yes, this was what she had been looking for. Giving it a few swings to test the balance, she stepped out from her hiding place, blocking the Grimms' path. "You know, we didn't do too well fighting you." It stopped, looking straight at her. Its maw deformed into something looking like a grotesque grin as water started pouring from its mouth, pooling around its feet. "But if you think we are done-" It got on all four, ready to pounce on the girl. "Then you don't know what we are capable of!"
Left within, it's hiding inside~
This power searching and waiting to untie~
Aim to face beyond, discharge outward~
Approaching closer, such moment's here to arise~
Blake started running, jumping right at the Beowolf. It swiped at her, claws finding their mark easily. Only to pass through empty air as Blake vanished, cutting its throat as she appeared beneath it. She spun around, burying her axe into the small cut of her sword. The Grimm roared, stumbling back before trying to rip her to pieces, its large claws once again coming down at the small girl.
Spill forth, discharge, and rampage~
This frantic sharpness of energy~
She danced around the wild swings easily, never losing her smile. Every missed claw meant two more cuts across the Grimms body, every destroyed clone another axe finding a weak spot. None of the wounds were fatal, but that wasn't the point of Blake's deadly dance.
I've been waiting for this notion~
Situation set, my heart is racin'~
I see that you're that chosen opponent~
It's not your day is it?~
Opportunity rolls in~
When action starts, this body's movin'~
All accumulations gather~
to ignite in this moment~
Wear down the enemy, sap their strength, and make them lose focus. Grimm may not feel like Humans and Faunus did, but even they didn't have endless energy. And once she was done, her team had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the openings she created.
Swallow down all cruel and~
hopeless fate~
Graspin' my mission inside this world I~
Take this step~
"I think it's time to show you who you messed with. WEISS, RUBY!" The stage was set, now Blake only needed to lead the star into the spotlight. She abandoned her retaliation in favor of a barrage of quick attacks, forcing the Beowolf back, right to the purity mark they had discovered earlier.
Step into my view, stand in my way~
I'll demolish what's in front of me~
Underrated, don't miscalculate~
Capabilities, unseen~
Weiss and Ruby were waiting above them, both on their own glyphs. Each nodded at the other, Weiss jumping off first, her semblance propelling her forward, Ruby close behind her. Myrtenaster pierced its right back paw making It roar in pain, turning to try to free itself.
Ruby descended from above, spinning her improvised staff as Weiss glyph shot her downwards, hitting the Browolf just as it turned and launching it in the air. The hit was followed by a sickening snap as its paws broke off, still pointed by Myrtenaster. "Round two, go!" Ruby shouted, landing before Weiss, staff against the ground. Blake appeared beside her, Gambol Shroud at the ready.
Rising force, empowered, escalates~
Every spiral of my energy~
You've seen only fractions of this play~
Going far, I can go where I say~
The Grimm rolled over the floor, finding its footing and charging at the three despite missing a paw. The two Faunus waited patiently, letting it come closer. When Ruby vanished in a cloud of petals, Blake knew it was time. She leaped forward, meeting the Grimm head-on as her aura channeled through Gambol, a wave hitting it dead center. Ruby used the attack as cover, appearing on its back, and driving her staff into its back. "WEISS!"
"GOT IT!"
Weiss drew Myrtenaster back, her right hand used to aim the tip. When the Beowolf reared back and lost its balance when it tried to stand on its broken foot, she moved. A row of glyphs appeared beneath her, propelling her forward at the defenseless Grimm. She thrusted forward, piercing its stomach and the Dust inside it. "Du hast dich mit dem falschen Team angelegt, Grimm (You've messed with the wrong team, Grimm!)."
Spill forth, discharge, and rampage~
This frantic sharpness of energy~
She released her aura, the pure Water Dust reacting instantly and violently, releasing water with the force of a fire hydrant. The Grimm's stomach ruptured, a large stream of water hitting Weiss and Blake, pushing them away while the Beowolf was dragged forward. Ruby held onto its back, watching the wall of the chamber come closer at a rapid pace. At the last moment, she turned into petals, breaking her momentum. The Beowolf had no such ability, crashing into the reinforced walls with enough force to make the floor shake.
It could barely raise its head when Ruby was upon it again, bouncing left and right as her staff came down on it again and again, never touching the ground. "Remember that it was Team RWBY that beat you, you stupid Grimm! YANG, FINISH IT!" She shouted as the water current caught her, dragging her away.
The Beowolf could feel its body tearing apart, the Dust inside it pinning it to the wall. But still, it tried to move, to hurt, to kill, uncaring for its fate. Only death would stop it. The pressure from the water started to let up, allowing it to push itself away from the wall.
Walking into a zone unknown, must~
Use caution, and watch all closely~
New danger with excitement are~
on their way, proceeding slowly~
It dropped down on all four, growling with anger at the girls that dared to hurt it. Water still dripped from its stomach, a few small crystals falling into the small puddles beneath it. it would need to start from scratch once it took care of these pesky little-
"Hey, little wolf! Tell me, why do you have such a big stomach?" Yang appeared in the doorway right next to the Grimm, whistling at the destruction her team had caused. She hit the doorframe with her makeshift ice gauntlet, smirking. "Is it so…" Her hair burst into flames, the blue hue reminiscent of the glow of the Dust around them. "So I can hit you better?!"
Until when the time was right~
to show this strength, I've waited, charging~
The reach of the spark expands~
Drive powers to ignite and~
She pushed herself off the floor with enough force to create a small shockwave, reaching the Grimm in moments. Her frozen fist hit its snout, a small piece of ice breaking off from the force. "Not cocky anymore, are you!" She kept pummeling it, easily overwhelming the injured Beowolf.
Just as planned, the injuries from her team slowed it down enough for Yang to easily deal with it. "I don't know what Weiss said, but you messed with the wrong team, you bastard!" A right hook sent it flying backward into a coral, one of the jagged crystals impaling it.
While, over time, we've now~
Pursued our fate~
Stay true with what our emotions state~
All times, give all this takes~
"That's exactly what I said, you oaf!" Weiss shouted, watching Yang's aura activate the last few crystals still inside the Grimm. Not that she seemed to mind the weak stream of water hitting her.
"Then why not say it right? We are Team RWBY after all!"
"Ua hoʻopau ʻoe i ka hui hewa, Grimm! (You've messed with the wrong team, Grimm!)"
With her team cheering her on and the Beowolf immobilized, Yang had the perfect moment to finish this with style. She focused Burns remaining energy into her right arm, feeling the ice crack under the pressure. She gritted her teeth, struggling to keep the energy contained, her bones vibrating. She just had to hold it a bit longer. With a yell she launched herself forward, her glowing fist hitting the Beowolf right in the face. The ice and shield beneath it shattered on impact, unable to withstand Burn any longer.
At the same moment, Yang released the energy in a single burst, her first original attack. "BURNING WOLF!"
Our determination will~
begin our tale~
This movement of time, it can't be stopped by no one~
The explosion shook the entire room, the large Coral growth cracking as the Beowolfs head popped like a balloon. "Ups, that's not good…" The cracks spread, more and more streams of water appeared until one opened up in front of Yang, launching her back.
A glyph appeared in her way, bouncing her back towards her team, who were ready to catch her. At least, that had been the plan. Yang flew with so much force that she carried her teammates with her, all four landing in the small lake that had formed inside the chamber. Yang and Ruby came back up first, coughing as they spit out water. Right where Weiss was coming up, getting a face full. "EW! Dammit, you two!" Her angry shouts stopped when she went under again, washing her face before coming back up. "I'm gonna catch your idiot germs at this rate!"
"We don't have germs!" The two shouted, more than a little offended. Weiss rolled her eyes, summoning a glyph beneath the three to lift them out of the water. "Wait, where's Blake?" She appeared beneath them, face blank as she floated lazily.
"I love the ocean as much as anyone... but I hate Water dust. Can we not repeat this?"
"You know we can't promise that!" Ruby laughed, holding her hand out to Blake. She grabbed it, unable to help the smile as she clipped up on the glyph. "So… did we do it?" Ruby asked, excitement evident in her voice. She didn't even mind her wet fur clinging to her.
She felt refreshed, alive. It was an invigorating feeling.
All four watched the last few remains of the Beowolf fade away, leaving nothing but clean, sparkling water behind. "I can't believe it, we did it! We hunted a Grimm all on our own!" Weiss jumped to her feet, unable to contain herself. The others joined her moments later, all four celebrating as they hugged each other.
Unknown to them, their class had watched the whole fight from above, celebrating with them. Oobleck stood to the side, watching the children cheer and Port and Neo look at the four beneath them with pride. He had to admit, he thought they would have to intervene. But, despite all odds, the girls had done it.
He took a sip from his thermos. "Well done, Miss Koks."
This was only the first of many challenges these girls would need to overcome. But the future had never shone brighter.
Their first real fight against a Grimm was something none of them would ever forget. But before the dust had fully settled, STRQ had taken them to train against every Grimm they could handle over the summer.
The end of summer break gave them no reprice as their teachers pushed the class beyond anything they had to deal with before, their last year with Port harder than any before. It was brutal, but everyone knew that this was needed if they wanted any chance of becoming real huntsmen.
And so their days pass in a blur of training, studying, and laughter. In the blink of an eye, winter had once again found their little kingdom.
And with it the moment they all had waited for the past two years.
It was time for Ruby to take part in the winter Luau to join her team as a daughter of Patch
Patch, Blackburn City - Redheaven Amphitheater backstage
23:55 p.m., December 20st, 71 post-Great War
"Five minutes, kids!"
"Yes, Melanie!" The sound of excited children answered Melanie, their laughter infectious. After a long day of traditional ceremonies, night had fallen, ready to welcome another generation to Patch, just like it had them the previous year.
Melanie looked over the group again, making sure every child was accounted for. And the one teenager that had decided to forgo the smaller ceremony earlier for those joining the island at a later age so that she could be there for the little girl that was holding onto her hand as if her life depended on it. "Winter." Melanie approached the two, giving Ruby a worried glance. The two had stayed separated from the other children, standing by the door to the dressing rooms. "I talked with Graham, you two have the spot on the right side of the stage. It's right next to the VIP area so there are fewer people. Are you two gonna be ok?"
"We are fine, right Ruby?" Winter kneeled next to the shaking girl, adjusting her dress for what felt like the tense time today while Melanie left to find her sister. Ruby wore a modified version of the dresses Kali had made two years ago. Much more durable, considering how prone Ruby was to sudden bursts of speed when she was stressed. As for herself, she had gotten a beautiful snowflake pattern on her own dress, the perfect fit for her.
She had nearly cried when she had opened the gift on her 19th birthday. She had actually cried when Ghira and Tai led her outside to present her with her own car. Saying something about a young woman like her needing to be able to move around Patch freely.
"Idioten..." Winter muttered while adjusting the little rose in Ruby's hair, right behind her good ear. The girl looked up for the first time since they said goodbye to her parents and teammates, a confused look on her face. "Nothing, don't worry about it. I was just… thinking about our family." She took Ruby's hand on her own. "We are going to be on the right side, where there are fewer people. But if you have to leave, just say the word. Graham told me personally that we are already considered Children of Patch."
"B-But then… if I dont…" Ruby tried to explain but her throat felt dry as sand.
"Hey, it's okay. No one will be disappointed. You've already proven how strong and brave you are, this won't change anything." Winter pressed her forehead on Ruby's head, whispering soothingly. They stayed like this for a few moments, neither of them saying anything. "We all believe in you. But if it becomes too much none of us want you to force yourself." She gently turned Ruby around, starting to comb her tail with her fingers. A little trick Raven had shared with her to help the little wolf calm down.
And Ruby tried to relax, she did. But no matter what she tried, what exercise Morrigan had taught her, what she had practiced with her team, the pressure in her chest just wouldn't let up.
For the first time in months, Ruby missed her keychain.
But she wasn't a little girl anymore! She was a big, smart, intelligent wolf now. Ready to face anything with her family believing in her. And they do believe in her, she had seen it when Winter took her to RedHeaven this morning. But then, why was she so nervous? Every part of her body felt like it was charged with electricity, her muscles tensing and her hair standing up. It made it hard to breathe.
"EVERYONE TO YOUR POSITIONS!" Militia's shout was followed by a loud cheer as children started to move, excited to get started. Graham had arrived, giving Ruby a supportive glance before entering the stage. Ruby noticed none of it, feeling like she was drowning in the screams and shouts around her. Winter must have led her because the next thing she knew they were standing on stage.
"E nā hoahānau a me nā kaikuahine o Patch, hoʻokipa! (Welcome, Brothers and sisters of Patch!)" It was time. The curtains opened slowly, lights turning on behind Ruby as the other kids took their place. Winter stepped forward to get into position but something pulled her back. "I hoʻokahi makahiki hou, ʻākoakoa mākou ma ʻaneʻi e hoʻolauleʻa ai i kahi pō kūikawā, kahi e lilo ai kā mākou mau keiki kāne a me kā mākou mau kaikamahine i keiki na Patch, e loaʻa ana ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i kā mākou Redheaven aloha. (One more year, we gather here to celebrate a very special night, where our sons and daughters will become Children of Patch, receiving the blessing of our beloved Redheaven.)"
She looked down, seeing Ruby locked in place, her eyes frantically looking around. She couldn't help the thought that the little girl looked like a caged animal at that moment. "Ruby-" She started trembling, her fingers digging into Winter's palm hard enough to make her aura shimmer.
"Mahalo nui wau iā ʻoukou a pau no ka komo ʻana i kēia kuʻuna hanohano me mākou. (I thank you all for taking part in this honored tradition with us.)"
Winter called to the twins for help but her shout was lost in the sound of the cheering crowd. She had to do something.
But it was too late.
Ruby's eyes had found the balcony her family had gathered on. She could see all of them, cheering her on. Her parents looked so happy and proud, something she could see even with her mind a whirlwind of emotions. Her grandparents, the people she called aunts and uncles, everyone they had gathered around them for their little family was here just for her…
And most importantly, her team. All three had put on some of her spare cloaks, watching her closely as they cheered her name. Waiting for her to catch up to them. Could they see it from up there, how she was struggling? What a failure she was? Would they leave her behind now that they realized she couldn't do it?
No. No no no.
She couldn't-she hadn't-Why were there so many people around her? She tore her gaze away from her team, looking for something, anything, to distract herself. But everywhere it was just more people, more lights, more noise noise NOISE NOISE!
"I ke kauoha ʻana i ka hola hiamoe o ke awakea- (As the clock strikes midnight-)." Again her eyes found her family. And then she saw it. They had stopped cheering. Weiss had turned away, talking to her mother who looked… disappointed? No, no, that wasn't it, she was looking worried. Was she? Ruby couldn't tell anymore, watching her open a portal.
She could feel it, that gentle tug at her soul as her mother's semblance bridged the gap between them. It appeared next to her, ready to take her away because she couldn't do it because she wasn't good enough!
Her dad came out of it, worried but smiling, hurrying to take his girl into his arms.
Something snapped inside Ruby.
"NOOOO!"
A dry, pained scream tore through the amphitheater. Graham stopped his speech as all eyes turned to Ruby. Tai lunged forward trying to catch his daughter while Raven and the rest of Team RWBY came through the portal but they were just a moment too late. Just as her father reached her, Ruby exploded into a storm of petals, far more violent than ever before.
The cloud engulfed the entire stage, spinning rapidly in place. It looked like she had become motionless, stuck in place, but inside the storm, her family could see it. The petals that made up the core of Ruby's semblance were jittering back and forth as if she was looking for something.
Something like... "WINTER, BLOCK HER!" Summer shouted, her semblance exploding around her. She didn't care if she tore the entire stage apart, her girl needed her. She reached Ruby in but a fraction of a second, but she was still not fast enough. Ruby had found her escape route. She easily slipped through her mother's grip and past the glyphs that sprung up around her as Winter and Weiss tried to stop her. Even Raven's portal was too slow to catch her.
In a last desperate attempt, Yang and Blake tried to pounce on her as Ruby moved upwards, knowing that she couldn't keep her momentum. But, she didn't lose momentum, the opposite in fact. She kept climbing higher, flying further up until she reached the main building's roof. With something solid to hang on to again, she sped off, ignoring the cries of her family behind her.
BIG SHOT! BIG SHOT!
BIG SHOT!
BIG SHOT! Failure…
CONGRATULATIONS!
Medium prize!
"Are you kidding me? Stupid cheap piece of crap gun!" Cardin yelled as he threw the gun back onto the counter, taking out the wallet his mother had given him that same morning. "Give me another one, you scammer!"
Patch, Blackburn City - Olinolino Promenade
00:05 p.m., December 20st, 71 post-Great War
The man behind the counter said nothing, smiling to himself as he took the boy's money, reloading the little toy rifle before handing it back to him.
His plan was working flawlessly, his cashbox filling steadily. His revenge against that damnable little wolf girl was almost at hand. A rigged rifle so unreliable even the world's best marksman couldn't hit with it, tested and refined across every fair throughout Vacuo; targets that would lock after too many direct hits; he even installed a fan into his stand, just strong enough to push any shot slightly off target. Now all that was left was for that little she-devil to show up and-
"ATTENTION FAIR GOERS!"
A voice rang out over the ground-wide speaker system.
"A few minutes ago, one of the child's participants in the 'E hoʻomaka i ke alanui' event
experienced an anxiety attack on stage and fled from the amphitheater.
We believe she may have headed towards the fair avenue, so we kindly request your cooperation in locating her.
The individual is an 8-year-old wolf Faunus with dark reddish hair-"
Cardin looked up, listening to the announcement. That idiot had run? He would have loved to see the chaos, but securing one of the fair's grand prizes was much more important. Shaking his head he lined up his shot, this time he would-
"AAAAAH!" Cardin screamed in terror as he felt something grabbing his ankle, instinctively aiming his rifle.
That something turned out to be a hand, coming out from the canopy covering the counter, grabbing him hard enough to make his aura shimmer. "I don't know what your problem is-!" If this was supposed to be some stupid prank from someone from his class, he would shoot them without hesitation. "But this isn't funny, you…!" He trailed off, recognizing the little bracelet dangling from the hand still tightly clenched around his ankle. "Ruby?"
The hand trembled, starting to pull him with enough force to make him yelp as he held onto the counter. He looked around, trying to see if anyone was around to help. The area was mostly empty, most people were still at the ceremony and the sleazy guy that ran the stand had left, probably because of the announcement. "Ow! Stop pulling so hard, I'm coming already!" Cardin had learned it was easier to just go along with the little wolf in these situations.
He ducked under the counter, greeted by total darkness. A sliver of light where the clothes parted was the only thing he could see. Alongside two large silver eyes, sticking out from the darkness. Cardin suppressed a shudder. He may have stopped calling Ruby names but sometimes her faunus traits still unnerved him. His eyes were starting to get used to the darkness and the rest of the girl's face became visible, looking utterly pathetic. A far cry from the cheerful smile she usually gave him when she forced him to join in on every stupid activity with their classmates.
The girl was trembling, hairs sticking out in all directions. Her dress, as far as he could tell in the dark, was covered in dirt, as if she had she crawled through mud. Considering where they sat currently that may not be so far off. A part of him wondered what happened to make her end up like this. She had been so excited about this, practicing the dance every chance she got with her three stooges.
So why was she here now, nearly half a kilometer away, shaking and crying?
He sneered, angry at the stab of worry and guilt he felt. "Why are you here, Ruby? And why drag me down here, my mom's gonna be pissed I ruined my pants."
Despite having looked at him unblinking, the sound of his voice seemed to startle her, making her jump in place. He flinched, unable to help himself. He may be annoyed but he didn't want to make it worse. He prepared to ask again, a little nicer this time, when Ruby lurched forward, burying her face into his chest. "What the- What are you doing?!" He fell backward, feeling the wet ground seeping through his clothes. The crying girl in his arms didn't seem to notice, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.
He could feel familiar annoyance at the whole situation. Those three idiots of hers were always there to calm Ruby down, so why did he end up having to take care of this mess? This was stupid, he would just push her off and go find someone from her family to deal with this. It wasn't his problem.
Yet, as Ruby kept crying, he felt his arms circle around the smaller girl. One of his hands started to rub circles around her back like he had seen her team do multiple times. With the tight grip she had on him he probably couldn't get out of here anyway. So if he wanted to leave the smart course would be to calm her down, find out what was going on, and then dump her off with her family.
He pressed her close, feeling horribly uncomfortable. How did her team do this every day? He thought people like Ruby didn't like being close to others yet she kept hugging everyone constantly. Her hair was pretty soft though. Did he smell roses? No, that was stupid, people didn't smell like this. Though now that he was starting to get used to it, it wasn't that bad…
He shook his head, banishing the thought. This was to get out of here. He wouldn't become a dork like the rest of his class, holding hands and talking about the power of friendship or whatever they did when he wasn't around.
They sat like this for a few minutes, Cardin rubbing Ruby's back stiffly, waiting for her to stop crying and start talking. But he quickly lost his patience, his irritation making him speak up. "Alright, this is enough you little crybaby! We hugged it out so you can stop your bawling."
Ruby turned stiff in his arms, the first reaction since she had thrown herself at him. Her crying stopped, her voice still thick with tears. "Ca…Cardin?"
"Are you messing with me?" Ruby shook her head, looking confused. Cardin groaned, slapping his face. "Ugh, whatever. Just… tell me why you are here instead of the Luau."
"The... Luau..." Large tears threatened to spill again but Ruby tried to hold them back. "I… there was so much noise… had to run…" Cardin groaned again. He hated being right. "I wanted… I wanted to escape, get away… following the first familiar scent I found…" Scent? Great, she was starting with her faunus shit again. If there was one thing that gave him the creeps it was all this smelling. The thought of something giving a faunus a way to track him down anywhere at any time was yet another reason he hated this stupid girl. Why didn't she get that? "S-Sorry for… getting your shirt wet…"
Cardin looked down, suddenly aware of the wetness both on his chest and back. "It's just a shirt, don't worry about it." Why did he say that? These clothes were brand new and expensive and he would get an earful once he got home. This whole situation was getting to him. He grabbed Ruby by the shoulders, determined to get to the bottom of this and then get rid of her so he could get back to when stuff made sense. "Listen Ruby, I'm gonna ask you one more time." Ruby set up, looking more aware and together. Good, maybe this would get them somewhere then. "And I want a clear answer. I'm not your cheer squad of a team or one of the bumbling idiots you call friends. I hate you and want to get out of here to try to win that stupid price before the ceremony is over. So tell me, why did you run?"
Ruby didn't meet his gaze, staring at the ground. When she didn't answer, he was about to try again until she spoke. "There was… noise… so much noise e-everywhere… too much, too much… and they…" She trailed off, unable to continue.
Cardin was having none of it. "They what?"
Her voice trembled as she continued. "They were looking at me. A-All of them!"
He stared at her for a moment, unable to understand. "That's it? Of course, they looked at you, that's the whole point you-!" He stopped, trying to keep his anger in check. Yelling at Ruby now would do nothing. He needed to be patient with her. Grounding his teeth he started again. "Okay, let's stop for a moment."
Why was he doing this? He managed to make her let go of him, he could just leave and make sure her family found her. It was not his job to take care of the stupid wolf girl everyone fell over themselves to comfort! But when he looked at her, ears bent low and tail tucked between her legs, his legs refused to move. "You said it was noise, right? Not much I can do there, your freakish faunus hearing is your problem." Ruby giggled, hiccuping a little. He squashed the thought of how adorable that was with the force of a stampeding Goliath. "Then people looked at you. You don't mean the people in the stands, do you?"
Ruby shuffled closer. Her tail had started wagging again in that dumb way he always noticed. "So I guess you mean your family. But how did you see them? There are several rows of seats and the clan's balconies are all the way… right, you can see in the dark." She nodded happily. "Stupid Faunus and their stupid senses. Ok, you saw them, then what? They didn't look happy?"
"Y-Yes! Or no… I-I don't know, they just… all of them…"
"So what, they watched you, expecting to see you dance? Is that it? Listen, I know it's a little nerf wrecking, I felt the same two years ago." Ruby frowned, biting her lip, one of her teeth glinting in the dark. "Wait, is that it? You ran off and dragged me under this dirty stand because your family was expecting you to dance? Or did you just assume they were unhappy because you weren't sure what their looks meant?
"H-How you know-"
"Because that's what you always do! Ever since you ditched that dumb keychain of yours you always assume the worst or start imagining things that aren't even real!" Ruby shied away from Cardin, grabbing her tail. She wasn't acting like that. Was she? No, they would have told her if she did and she knew what she saw! They had expected her to be able to do it… "Ok just to be sure. You saw your family, thought they looked unhappy or whatever you imagined, and got scared, yes?" She nodded weakly, unable to meet his eyes. "So all this because you got stage fright, fantastic."
"S-Stage fright?"
"What, does the prodigy don't know what stage fright is?"
"O-Of course! But it's not just stage fright!"
"Oh I'm sure it wasn't the only thing but come on, Ruby. Think back and tell me that wasn't the reason you ran off."
Still hugging her tail tightly, Ruby thought back. She hated to admit it but Cardin was right. But it didn't make sense, she never had suffered from it before!
She even performed the role of Little Red Riding Hood for Sanctuary's theater play. So why now when everyone she loved was watching her? They must be so angry with her, running off and ruining the Luau for everyone.
"Oh, for- Do you know how annoying that is?" Cardin growled, hitting the wet ground in anger. "You are so easy to read I can see you are blaming yourself even in the dark."
"Not... not many can."
"Well, guess I'm just special then. Call me the Faunus whisperer from now on!" He fell back with a groan, leaning against one of the wooden supports of the counter. "I should have just quit like the rest of my class. Instead, I spend every day being surrounded by idiots like you or the rest of your friends. Every single one of you is an imbecile, a moron!" Ruby looked up, feeling the crushing pressure in her chest ease up as Cardin ranted. "It's like my life has turned into one of these Saturday morning cartoons and I'm the only sane one that is played off for laughs as everyone around me acts like crazy people. And you!" He pointed at her, stabbing a finger into her chest. "You are the worst of them all! Always finding new ways to annoy me, dragging me along on your dimwitted ideas with your loser teammates!"
Ruby stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"WHAT?! Stop laughing, it's not funny!"
"It... it's so funny!" Ruby forced out, falling backward. "It- hehe! It's like you read a book on how to be a bully!"
"You… you BITCH! Dumb mangy wolf! You dragged me here, ruined my clothes and now you are laughing at me?!" Ruby stopped for a moment, looking at Cardin before starting to laugh again, harder this time. "And I'm not trying to be a bully, I'm trying to make you get it through your thick skull that I'm not your friend so you stop forcing me to do things!"
"If you want to be a bully, why don't you pull on my ears? That's what they do in the animated version of 'The Girl with Dog Ears.'" Ruby paused, leaning closer and offering her good ear to him.
Cardin looked at it, hand slowly moving upwards before he yanked it back. "Don't be foolish, I'm a Winchester! We are above physical abuse. And while you are an idiot that keeps bothering me, it's not like you have done anything that would warrant something so extreme." Ruby smiled, jumping into his arms again. "Wha-Hey! Got of me you stupid idiot! Argh, see? This is why I hate you so much!"
"But I love you, Cardin!" Ruby held on tight, expecting Cardin to try to break free from her hug. But the boy had frozen when he heard Ruby talk. "I always knew you were a good person, you just had trouble showing it. Grandma always says that your mom may seem stuck up but deep down she really cares about the people of Patch, even the faunus. Just like you do!"
Cardin remained stock still, trapped under the small girl that kept spouting nonsense about him. He wasn't a good person and he hated the Faunus for everything they have done to his family! Even if Ruby kept including him when everyone else had ignored him, even if Blake lent him her notes after class, even if her parents always invited him along when they did something for the class.
Why did it always go back to this stupid girl? The same girl that helped him to use his aura so many years ago despite knowing who he was. That seems to ignore everything he said to her no matter how mean he got. He hated faunus, he hated his classmates. And most of all, he hated Ruby!
He had to hate her. Because if he didn't, that would mean that everything he thought was a lie. He would have to admit that Ruby had believed in him when everyone else had shunned him. Hating her was so much easier… then why? Why couldn't he push her away? "Why, you stupid…" He felt tears burning in his eyes. That's what this dumb class did to him. Making him a pathetic little crybaby. A Winchester didn't need friends or comrades! The tears fell anyway, no matter how hard he tried to hold them back. "Why…" He felt Ruby loosen her death grip on him. "Why is it so hard to push you all away? I don't want…" He felt something soft wrap around his hands. Was that fur? He blinked the tears away, seeing Ruby's tail wrapped around him.
"...you're the worst, Ruby. The absolute worst."
"Maybe I am." She smiled at him. "But as long as I can understand you and everyone else, I'm happy." Where did that confidence come from suddenly? Just a minute ago she was crying and shaking, so terrified she didn't even recognize him. It was annoying, irritating. "Because you are my friend. One of my best friends, right after Coco and Jaune." He was going to vomit at this rate.
Friends with this… this… girl? The very idea was ridiculous.
It was stupid, and moronic, just like everything else Ruby did. But still… it didn't feel as wrong as he was trying to tell himself. "I don't remember asking to be your friend. I don't need friends."
"Too late," Ruby replied immediately, resting her head on his chest. "You already have them."
"You are all such losers, you know?" Cardin's words trailed off, his hand idly stroking Ruby's hair. "I'm gonna show you why you don't want to be friends with me…" He whispered, distracted.
He would never admit it but Yang had been right, her hair felt incredibly soft-
"RUBY!" "RUBY!" "RUBES!"
The drape was suddenly yanked to the side as Blake appeared, closely followed by Weiss and Yang. Cardi yelped, pushing Ruby away from him, the little wolf growled angrily at being thrown around.
Cardin was many things but he was no idiot. Everyone with eyes could see how overprotective the members of Team RWBY were of their team leader. And from the outside this whole situation looked really bad, especially considering who he was. "This isn't what it looks like!" He held his hands out, trying to defend himself.
But none of them reacted to his presence, sweating and out of breath. They looked like they ran the entire way from the ceremony. Or, Cardin thought, Yang and Weiss ran after Blake who used her freaky nose to hunt down Ruby. Or was that not a common trait amongst faunus? Not important right now. "S-She was the one pulling me down here! I was just minding my own business when Ruby appeared out of nowhere, I swear!" It sounded weak even to him but it was the truth!
Luckily for him, the three didn't even seem to realize he was there as they threw themselves on Ruby. He had to dodge to the side to not get trampled by them. "Ruby!" They shouted again, surrounding the girl as they talked over each other. Cardin watched the whole thing, only able to catch a few words here and there. The three kept assuring Ruby that everything was ok and no one was mad while Ruby kept apologizing for everything, crying again as they hugged each other.
It was nauseating to watch, really. They didn't even notice him! Whatever, he should probably leave before they do or he would have to listen to the three idiots berate him.
Carefully, Cardin robbed backward, trying to crawl out from under the tarp when Yang suddenly called out. "Cardin." He froze, turning slowly, ready to defend himself if necessary. "Thank you for finding her." That… wasn't right. Yang never thanked him! Nor did she hug him unless she was trying to wrestle him to the ground during sparring. "And looking after her."
"I didn't-"
"I know you're usually a jerk-"
"You bastard-!"
"But we won't forget this. I can't believe I'm saying this but we three owe you one." Releasing him from her freakishly strong grip, was this a family trade or something, she patted him on the back before hugging her sister again. "I let the others know you found her and kept her safe until we got here. With how fast she ran off Uncle Qrow was worried she made it all the way to HighRise by now."
"I'm not that fast!" Ruby exclaimed embarrassed, escaping her sister's arms and hiding under Weiss' hood.
"Pup, you literally flew while running off. I've never seen your semblance this fast before." Blake whispered, scratching her ear.
"Wait, I did what?"
"Yes Ruby, you quite literally flew." Weiss pulled Ruby forward, looking her over. "It's not unusual for semblances to evolve- Ruby, you are filthy!- But I didn't expect it to happen like this." She kept fuzzing over Ruby, trying to get the worst of the dirt out of her clothes and hair. "Though I guess tonight was stressful enough to warrant such a thing. You dolt." She whispered the last bit, stroking Ruby's hair gently. "Could we get out of here? It's filthy. We have some time before we have to go back so we could-" Weiss stopped when Ruby turned into petals again, breaking free of the group hug.
The three panicked for a moment, thinking their leader had run off again until she appeared behind Cardin, clutching his shoulder. "No no, you don't have to go back to the ceremony! Mr. Graham said he expected something like this-"
"Except the petals. Like seriously Rubes, you filled the entire stage!" Yang laughed, pulling Ruby away from Cardin. "Apparently mom did something similar when she was a kid." Ruby perked up at that, looking at her sister with surprise. "Yep! She got embarrassed when Mr. Graham told the story. Everyone's waiting for us, and if you still want, you can dance with Winter after everyone else leaves."
It still sounded scary, but if it was just her and Winter, it wouldn't be so bad. She hoped. And her whole family would be there so… maybe she could do it. Ruby nodded hesitantly, letting her team guide her out from under the booth. They got ready to leave when Ruby turned around, dragging Cardin up. "Wait, Cardin has to come too! He can, right?"
"What?!"
"Of course." Blake didn't hesitate, having expected the request. "Let's go, Cardin."
"Wait, who said I want to go-"
"Stop pretending you don't want to, Cardin. It's getting old." Weiss scolded hands on her hips.
"You're the last person I want to hear accusing me, Ice Queen!"
"Ice Queen?! How dare you, Winchester!" Cardin rolled his eyes, trailing along the group as Weiss argued with him. The two bickered the way to the amusement of Blake and Yang, both guiding Ruby along, neither letting go of the girl's hands.
Ruby watched the entire scene with a smile, happy that her friends and family finally got along. And she realized at that moment that leaving her childhood behind and taking her first steps into adulthood was not so scary after all.
