Chapter Five: Homicidal Tendencies
Petals in the Ash
Allison Illuminated
Chapter Publish Date: 4/29/20
It was an exhausted, bruised, and triumphant Cinder Fall who crept back into Team PWYR's dormitory at four thirty in the morning, her aura dangerously low after an hour of playing with Ruby Rose's semblance and a plastic baggie from the twenty-four hour pharmacy slung over her shoulder. Using her pickpocket skills was a demeaning step backwards for her, given that she hadn't paid somebody for anything in years – intimidation and murder was a delightfully effective way to acquire what Cinder needed – but Ruby Rose didn't have a serial history (yet) so Cinder resorted to staking out a sleazy bar and nicking two wallets from a drunk couple. She'd taken the lien and tossed the rest into the ocean. Her spoils of war were modest – a full makeup set, chosen after some consideration for Rose's face, and a pack of chocolate chip cookies, a guilty pleasure that few knew about and only Emerald had managed to tease Cinder about without dying – but in the face of what happened, Cinder's drug store run felt like victory.
She'd take any modicum of control she could get.
The dead of night was mercifully quiet, and her new… teammates were sound sleepers. Blondie had kicked her covers off and now was sprawled over the mattress in truly undignified fashion; she'd attempted to get them all to sleep in bunk beds, the mere idea of which gave Cinder nightmares, but Weiss had killed that idea before Cinder had to say a word. Nikos slept like a champ. Cinder didn't miss how her spear and shield were at hand, close enough to grab in an emergency, and gave an approving nod. Before she ever attended Beacon, Nikos was already a true huntress. I respect that. And Schnee…
Weiss had purposefully taken the bed as far away from Cinder as possible, with a protective Yang and diplomatic Pyrrha more than happy to provide a buffer between the two. Personally, Cinder would have preferred a private room. But the sleeping arrangements were, she supposed, the best she would get. Sleeping next to her 'sister' was better than having to constantly look at the resurrected-by-time-travel face of Pyrrha Nikos all the time.
Her friend, Cinder reminded herself. Yang is my sister. Pyrrha Nikos is my friend.
Weiss was neither. Aside from the minor incident of Weiss saving Cinder's life – if you could call her current circumstances that – Cinder had nothing but disdain toward the heiress.
Know thy enemy, Cinder told herself.
The thought helped to justify her dropping her bag of makeup on her bed and stalking across the room to get a better look at her new partner.
In her sleep, Weiss had none of the poise or edge she did in wakefulness. She looked delicate. Years younger than seventeen, in the gauzy light blue nightgown she wore that oozed wealth. Her hair was unbound at night from its wound ponytail, falling flat in an unflattering manner, the natural white pigment catching the natural light from the window with a soft luminescence that made up for the unflattering effect it had on Weiss' face. Cinder hovered in the shadows over Weiss' bedside like a haunting phantasm, Rose's dark red-tipped hair falling in her face, brushing at the edge of her vision. Watching Weiss sleep wound her up tight; her fists clenched, her whole body tensed, ready to strike, her jaw grinding with a fury that swelled with every moment Cinder remained in the past.
This is all her fault.
Irrational? Yes. But to Cinder, anyone who could get under her skin was dangerous – emotions meant leverage. Part of why Salem had her so firmly under her Grimm thumb was her ability to read Cinder like a book and shred her with a sentence. So Cinder took every precaution against incursions into her heart: the disposal of her one-night stands in unfortunate accidents, cruel but necessary measures with her servants, and, when an asset grew to close, elimination. The last time someone had seen her cry, he hadn't lived to see morning.
Yang got a sister pass. Cinder had technically already disposed of Pyrrha. But Weiss' offenses were terminal – and Cinder got so much joy planning out the messy and violent ways she intended to dispose of the Schnee.
The charges played back in her mind.
"Why are you here, if you're going to be such a bitch to everyone?"
The look of pure and utter disgust Weiss had given Cinder when she'd gone crying to Yang on the cliffs above the Emerald Forest.
"You're pathetic."
There was no other solution. Weiss Schnee simply had to die.
Cinder spared her victim one last glance before she did the deed. Weiss was a peaceful sleeper, and, in spite of herself, Cinder was once again struck by how easily she could read Weiss. Even while she slept, the girl wore her emotions on her face; the peaceful way her eyes were closed, fluttering every few seconds with her breath, the perturbed twist of her lips, the way she'd tousled up her covers in her hands. The moonlight was flattering. It made sense – the Schnees looked like they'd shrivel in the sun, or, at the very least, need some SPF 70 to deal with the inevitable sunburns.
Arrogant. Spoiled. Bratty. Unpleasant. Cinder couldn't help but throw on adjectives from the future version of Weiss she'd known. Foolish. Petulant.
Good.
Cinder smirked, and looked for a weapon. She'd enjoy this.
Which was where she promptly ran into difficulties.
Hairbrush? Too messy. Crescent Rose? Too obvious. A pencil? Effective, but Cinder couldn't run the risk of only lobotomizing her partner. Their dorm room was filled with things that could be used to bludgeon, suffocate, or stab Weiss to death, but none of them seemed poetic enough. Fire or a dagger would have been preferable, but Cinder had neither at her disposal. Weiss kept on sleeping peacefully, mocking her.
Cinder nearly whimpered in annoyance. I want to kill her…
The clouds shifted, and the light of the broken moon fell on Pyrrha's bedside. On her spear and shield. What were their names? Mimi and Apple? It didn't matter; names couldn't stop the devious grin spreading over Cinder's borrowed face. Just cause I don't want to kill Nikos again doesn't mean I can't neutralize her…
She saw it now. Weiss Schnee, dead in her bed, with her blood on Pyrrha Nikos' blade. The two biggest thorns in Cinder's side, gone, leaving only Yang – and she and Yang could go off and do… sisterly things. Together. Cinder had always wondered what a real sleepover was like – there'd been none of that nonsense growing up – and if she had to be fifteen again…
Wait, where did that come from?
Murder, Fall! Murder! Cinder shot Pyrrha a dubious look. This only works if she doesn't wake up…
Cinder took a step toward the red and golden spear, leaning against Pyrrha's bedside. Pyrrha's eyes shot open, and her spear was in hand in a second. "Sto- Oh."
Backpedaling, Cinder hit Pyrrha's dresser with a dull thud, her heart beating in her throat. Images of Weiss, her blue nightgown drenched in blood, eyes lifeless, were washed away by fear. Cinder had a very sharp spear pointed at her chest with no defense, no weapon, no powers, wielded by the finest warrior of her generation. The last time that spear had been pointed at Cinder, Nikos had buried her under nearly a ton of steel gears. She'd broken it in half. Now it was whole, and sharp.
Pyrrha gaped back at Cinder, equally terrified, locked into a battle stance in her nightgown. "R-Ruby." Like a light switch, Pyrrha realized her position. She snapped her mouth shut and recoiled, shrinking back against her headboard, starting to shake. "Oh my god. Oh my god. I am so sorry, I forgot- I didn't mean- I would never have attacked-"
Cinder remained petrified against the dresser, eyes wide with terror.
She woke up.
"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, gulping. "I am truly sorry, Ruby. I felt the magneti- I mean, I, uh, heard something hit my weapon, and I reacted on instinct. I didn't mean to startle you, or attack you. What are you doing over here? Is everything alright?"
Already knowing about Pyrrha's semblance, Cinder didn't have to spend her precious mental energy worrying about Pyrrha's verbal slip-up. "Insomnia," she managed, her voice coming out high and tiny, like a child's. She was a child. Ruby Rose was a child.
It was true, at least. Cinder hadn't slept much, not since Salem had gifted her the parasite, or gifted her to the parasite.
Pyrrha looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Ruby, I'm so, so, so…"
"Stop." Cinder squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to look at Pyrrha or Weiss anymore. "It's okay. It's really okay. I get it, you're a huntress, sleep with your weapon, part of your body, all of that. You don't have to justify it to me. I shouldn't have been so close anyways." Not when I knew your semblance, not that I knew her magnet powers made her feel her weapons like an extra limb.
"No, it's not okay," Pyrrha said, more forcefully than Cinder had ever heard her say anything. "You're my teammate, and I drew my weapon on you when you weren't expecting it. You had no aura, I could have killed you."
There was a desperation in Pyrrha's eyes. Cinder, taken aback, had no idea how to act in this situation. She was used to giving and taking orders, not coming to a mutual understanding; what slipped out was, most likely, a more convincing impression of Ruby than anything she would have come up with otherwise. "Pyrrha..."
Pyrrha gulped, uncurling slightly. "When I was fourteen," she started, her voice too quiet. "Someone broke into my room in the middle of the night. A fan. I'd won my first tournament, but I had no idea they would go so far. I had to subdue him hand-to-hand, and he was a lot older and bigger than me." She paused. "I almost lost."
And you never lose, do you? Cinder thought spitefully, remembering the cool touch of Pyrrha's circlet as she'd dissolved her into ash.
"So I always sleep with a weapon by my bed. Just in case." Pyrrha met Cinder's eyes with a pleading look. "You get it, right?"
Oh, did Cinder get it. She knew what sleeping with one eye open felt like. She'd survived nighttime assassinations, cruel midnight trials from Salem, full-scale assaults, all of it. Before the maiden's powers, she'd cradled her swords to sleep, before she'd turned her darling duel blades to slag in a poorly controlled sparring bout.
But the look Pyrrha gave her was desperate. Pleading. She thinks she's just scared me off, Cinder realized. She doesn't have many friends. In fact, I'd bet I'm her only friend here, aside from Yang. And we're teammates. She's not stupid – she must see how much Schnee and I hate each other.
Which gave Cinder two options. Burn her bridges, or play nice and wait for a better time to strike.
Fear was an emotion Cinder treasured. Fear kept her alive. Cinder feared Pyrrha, for good reason. Pyrrha was the cold steel of the spear pointed at her unguarded chest, the unbeatable champion who could rip the deadliest android on the planet to shreds, the girl who'd dueled her, the Fall maiden, to nearly a standstill atop Beacon Tower, and might have won with a few more year's experience. Pyrrha was…
The genuine surprise at somebody who didn't know her name. The beaming smile Cinder had gotten when she invited her over to sleep with her and Yang. The way that she'd stepped up with unwavering confidence to protect Cinder while she'd been… indisposed during initiation.
...a friend.
Ugh.
Cinder played a dangerous game. She was honest.
"I get it," she said, looking down, pulling her best bashful act. "When I can't sleep, sometimes I get so paranoid about the Grimm, I have to have my weapon with me so I can… breathe." True. You didn't go anywhere in Salem's palace without the ability to defend yourself. Now to sell Pyrrha that she was Ruby. "Crescent Rose helps a lot. She's like my baby, you know?" Cinder looked up and gave Pyrrha a deceitful smile so hopeful it made her sick. I can't believe you wrote that in your journal, Rose. "Sometimes I think I like weapons better than people."
She deserved a goddamn award for acting. Hot damn.
Pyrrha laughed softly, hiding her mouth behind her hand, and Cinder saw the danger was past. Any suspicion was gone – Pyrrha was firmly under her thumb. "I'm all shaken up," Pyrrha admitted. "And I'm sure you are too. You haven't had an easy start to your academy career."
Not even the best actress on the planet could have stayed in character for that dig. Cinder glowered at Pyrrha, suddenly remembering why she wanted to frame the girl for murder. "You try almost getting killed and see how you like it," she hissed, feeding off the cruel irony. "Beacon hasn't seen half of who I am yet."
Literally.
Nodding, Pyrrha got to her feet, a bit unsteady. The venom seemed to fly over her head. "I won't be able to fall back asleep," she admitted. "Want to go out to the common room and talk?"
Cinder wavered. No, part of her screamed. Sell the friends role, said the more logical, cunning side. Never let her doubt you, so she never sees you coming.
It wasn't like she needed any sleep tonight anyways.
"Okay. Sure."
And that's how Cinder Fall, Fall Maiden and supervillian, pulled an all-nighter on her first official day as a Beacon student. Spying on herself and having girl bonding time with Pyrrha, who she'd killed three days earlier, or nine months from now.
Cinder didn't need much sleep. Ruby Rose, apparently, did, because Cinder's traitorous body was betraying her at breakfast the next morning. She was propping her head up on her palm, yawning every few seconds, trying not to let her eyes slip shut or droop into her cereal bowl. Pyrrha had a guilty look plastered all over her face, which Yang noticed. "Okay, spill. What did you two do last night?"
I'll just let my eyes drift shut for a second… "I resent the implication," Cinder mumbled into her palm.
"What was that, Ruby?"
Cinder stretched and yawned, giving Yang a cat-like grin. "Nothing."
Oh, and Ruby's sister looked so young when her face bunched up in a confused frown, and she gave Cinder a petulant look. Cinder blinked with real fatigue at Yang, playing the perfectly innocent little sister. This is fun, she thought. Bimb- ugh. Blondie is so easy to torment.
Three days, and her insults were already losing their edge.
Unable to linger on her teammates without that familiar disgust creeping in, Cinder turned her thoughts back to her plotting. Her first attempt to dispose of Weiss had failed – so what? If a lightning strike wouldn't work, she'd have to extend the time frame for the heiress' demise, and Cinder was nothing if not an expert at the long con. The idea to frame Pyrrha for the crime was a stroke of genius. Now, the question was how and when.
Weiss approached the table, a plate piled with food in one hand and a platter of steaming mugs in the others. Cinder stared daggers at her. Preferably sooner rather than later.
Clearing her throat, Weiss put her plate down and handed a mug to Yang. "Coffee." She handed another to Pyrrha. "Coffee." And, finally, Weiss picked up the last mug and shoved it at Cinder with a mean smile. "Expresso."
"Ha, ha. Very funny," Cinder groused, taking the cup of coffee and smelling it. No poison, that's a good sign – wait a second, did she put honey in here? The hell did she know…
Pyrrha gave Weiss a smile. "Thank you, Weiss. Don't be too hard on Ruby, though. She had a rough night last night; we were both up way too early this morning."
Weiss gave Cinder her least-impressed look. "Did she," she deadpanned.
The moment Pyrrha looked away, Cinder shot Weiss a venomous glare, which Weiss returned in equal fashion. An audible gulp interrupted their growing vitriol.
The fear of God was alight in Yang's eyes. Yang gripped the edge of the table, shaking, staring so intently at the cup of coffee in Ruby's hands that her eyes nearly crossed. "Ruby Rose," she said in a too-even voice. "If you have ever loved me, you will put that cup down and walk away so I can tear Schnee over here a new one."
Well, that was an easy one. Cinder looked down at the murky cup of expresso and wondered what could be so bad – she'd already made sure it wasn't poisoned… I've never loved Yang, so… bottoms up? Shrugging, Cinder tossed her head back and downed the entire cup of expresso.
Yang blanched. "Fuck."
"What's so bad?" Weiss asked, annoyed. "It's just coffee. She's practically falling aslee..."
Cinder was frozen in place, her eyes growing wide as saucers as the most incredible caffiene rush she'd ever felt swept her brain, making everything around her stand out like high definition. The blonde yellow of Yang's hair seemed impossibly bright – had Pyrrha's greaves always been so shiny? "Woah..."
"Uh oh," Weiss said, realizing what she'd inadvertently released.
Covering her face, Yang groaned. "You're paying for this, Weiss. The last time she had caffiene, it took me and Dad three hours to calm her down, and that was just a can of soda."
"How was I supposed to know?"
Cinder didn't just feel great; she felt fantastic. I can see everything. Ever fiber of her being vibrated with energy and Cinder felt incredible urge to do something, anything; no, she was on top of the world, she was the world, she was a freaking time traveler and the Fall Maiden and she could do anything and if she was going to be stuck in Ruby Rose's body then the whole world would know that Ruby Rose could do anything to. Hell, she felt stabby. A knife would dispatch of Weiss quickly, but she did introduce me to caffiene in this body… No, Weiss had done the first and only good thing she would ever do for Cinder, and Cinder thought she deserved a metal, no, better, a trophy. She could just hug the heiress right now – who knew a caffeine rush could be so incredible?
So she did.
"Ack, Ruby!"
Cinder laughed, spinning Weiss around in a circle. "Weiss Schnee, you glorious bastard," she crowed, then sped back to her seat, using Ruby's semblance to speed-eat the rest of her way through her breakfast. She had so much to do.
"Did she hug me?" Weiss asked incredulously.
Pyrrha started to laugh, unable to contain her mirth any longer. Yang cautiously approached Ruby, holding out her hands to spot her. "Hey hey hey, uh, Rubes… Uh, if you want to come up to the dorm with me… I can make sure you don't crash- where are you going?"
Fire. Cinder needed fire. Ruby liked weapons. Cinder could make a fire weapon. Simple! Forget her stupid scythe, forget the crippling fear of Grimm that had overcome her in the forest, Cinder just needed a flamethrower and all of her problems would be better. She could burn Weiss to death, burn the whole school down…
Cackling, Cinder bounced to her feet and skipped off, barely aware of the manic look in her eyes or the desperate calls from her teammates behind her. There was just one person in her way…
Blake Belladonna stood in the middle of the cafeteria entrance and stared at Cinder. "Scary..." she whispered.
"Get out of my way, cat," Cinder told Blake in her best approximation of a polite tone – a barked order – which made Blake freeze on the spot. Right. Hidden heritage, yadda yadda- oooh, leverage.
"W-w-what did you say?" Blake stammered.
Of course, Captain Oblivious came to save Blake's day. "Hey, her name isn't Cat!" he protested in his annoying nasally voice. "It's Blake!"
"Oooh, right, of course. My apologies." Cinder swayed past, letting a finger linger on Blake's shoulder. "Blake."
"But- but- but-"
Leaving a stammering Blake behind in her wake, Cinder sped off to commit arson.
"See, I told you she'd be in the weapons room!" "Yang, stooooooop~!" "Give me the flamethrower, Ruby!" "No!" "Ruby!" "I swear to God, Ruby Rose, you are acting like a child! As your team lea- AAH!" "Oops! Sorry!" "MY DRESS!" "Hehe, can't get my-" "Ruby, you can't torch your teammates! We agreed weapon testing only on family members!" "Good to know!" "COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!" "Do you see the problem yet, Weiss?" "I try to do one nice thing for you lot and this is how you repay me? I ought to report you all to Ozpin, or my father, or-" "Ooh, Daddy's girl, huh? Would a little fire melt his pretty little igloo?" "AUGH!" "Ruby..."
Pyrrha watched her new teammates duke it out on the floor of the weapons lab in disbelief, a tiny smile playing across the corners of her mouth. This is nice, she thought. I've always wanted to have real teammates. Even if Weiss is just like the rich girls I knew back in Mistral, and Ruby is…
Ruby pinged from point to point around the room with her semblance, blasting her flamethrower at random targets gleefully.
Ruby. Pyrrha felt a warm feeling at the thought. So what if they're a little crazy. I can live with that. And Yang'll be there to keep us all in line.
"MY HAIR! YOU'LL DIE FOR THIS!"
Mostly.
Pyrrha settled in and contented herself with watching the carnage.
Blake had developed an eye twitch, and she didn't seem to be able to stop it. The target of her ire was one Ruby Rose, who had her head down on her desk, snoring, and everybody in the class was noticing it except for Professor Port, who was so busy self-aggrandising he didn't notice what was under his own mustache. Ruby was well and truly passed out, dead to the world – a caffeine overdose, as a sheepish Pyrrha Nikos (Pyrrha Nikos!) had explained it to her.
"Don't blame her," Pyrrha said. "It's not her fault."
It most certainly was her fault. Blake was positive about that. Someway, somehow, that girl knew her biggest secret, and Blake could recognize a threat when it stared her in the face. Ruby Rose was dangerous, not just mean or spiteful, and Blake would do everything in her power to keep her team away from the girl. Blake recognized when someone wasn't right. She'd spent too much time around Adam not to. And Ruby wasn't right.
The way she walked was too confident. The way she talked was cruel, but knowledgeable. The look in her eyes knew too much for a fifteen-year-old. It was creepy. Blake hated every time Ruby looked at her, and it made her feel small, just like Adam had. And the dismissal she'd given her – cat – well, now that was just racist.
So she knew. Okay. Blake would be lying if she said she hadn't ducked into a spare classroom and had a panic attack for fifteen minutes after Ruby had thrown that off-handed comment at her. But Blake had only been at Beacon for two days, and she was so tired of running away. She liked Jaune, and she liked her team, damn it. So what if her disguise wasn't flawless? Nobody else had noticed she was a faunus yet, and Blake intended to keep it that way.
She wasn't about to let a bully drive her out that easily.
Blake was so busy staring at Ruby's sleeping form that she inadvertently caught Ruby's sister Yang's attention. Yang locked eyes with Blake, shot her a strange grin, and winked at her.
Eeping, Blake ducked her head, a furious blush crossing her face. She caught me!
"What happened?" Jaune asked.
Blake nudged Jaune and pointed at Yang. "She winked at me!"
"Oh, my sisters told me about that," Jaune said cheerfully. "The secret is you have to wink back." To prove his point, Jaune waved his hand to get Yang's attention, and shot her an over-exaggerated wink. He couldn't actually wink, so it was more of a blink and a eeeh that made him look consternated.
Blake and Yang locked eyes again.
Yang's laugh lit up the entire class. The blonde doubled over her desk, cackling madly, which woke a very sleepy Ruby, who stared at Yang with confused derision. The Schnee glared at Ruby, and the two immediately started arguing, which made Yang laugh harder – Blake couldn't hold back a giggle, which she hid behind a hand, noting the color of Yang's eyes were lilac. "What's so funny?" Jaune asked, and Blake lost it too, her laugh joining Yang's in brightening the room.
"Ah, yes, I see that you appreciate the heroic story of my vanquishing of the Ursa pack!" Professor Port declared. "I'll admit even I got a chuckle when they knocked Bartholomew out of the tree! And how kind of you to join the land of the living, Miss Rose, perhaps you'd care to tell us your opinion on the tale."
"Scintillating," Ruby said dryly, earning herself another chorus of laughter.
Blake looked down and composed herself, stealing one last look at Yang. Yang was ribbing Ruby, earning herself a protest from Ruby and a reprimand from Schnee. The smile on her face could have lit up the whole school.
Maybe that team isn't a total loss, Blake thought. Maybe I'm just overreacting. How bad could Ruby really be, with Yang for a sister?
Cinder had never had such a bad headache in her entire life. And, in her mind, it was all Weiss Schnee's fault.
Why does Ruby Rose have to have such a low caffeine tolerance? she moaned to herself, a hand on her forehead. Why didn't Yang tell Weiss? What's the point of having a sister if she doesn't stop her sister's time-traveling body-snatcher from making poor decisions?
And when did I start thinking about her as my sister?
Yang was Ruby's sister, and as much as it pained Cinder to say it, she already felt like Cinder's sister too. Maybe it was biological. Cinder looked at Yang and felt warm; the feeling was so alien to her, yet simultaneously felt right. It was almost as though it wasn't her feeling, more a reflex, hard-wired into Ruby's body, some DNA recognition of their shared heritage. Yang, in the span of three short days, had seen Cinder at her lowest low, held her while she'd cried, laughed with her, fought with her- It was the strongest emotion connection Cinder had forged with anyone for as long as she could remember, and to have happened so fast…
Cinder slunk deeper into her bed, hating everything. This is the most insane humiliating stupid awful intense experience of my life and I used to work for Salem.
Used to. What did she do now? Cinder Fall had nothing left. Sure, Ruby Rose had hopes and goals and dreams, but Cinder didn't know them, and even if she did, they weren't hers. What did she want from the past? Why was she here? What was the point?
She didn't get an answer, because before she could sink deeper into depression, Weiss was clearing her throat. "Alright, guys. I'm calling a team meeting."
"We're all here," Yang grumbled from her bed, equally exhausted from the events of the day. "What's up?"
Weiss humphed. "Fine. I'm calling a 'put whatever you're doing down, come over, and pay attention to me,' because today was disappointing and I want us to do better." Cinder moaned where she lay, and Weiss doubled down. "That includes you, Ruby."
There was a small coffee table pushed to the corner of the room – at Weiss' prompting, she and Pyrrha dragged it out into the open. Everyone grabbed pillows and sat around the table, which pleased Weiss and made Cinder feel like puking again. Not getting a rep as Vomit Girl, not getting a rep as Vomit Girl…
"I'm dying," Cinder muttered, starting to get used to casual conversation. Being frank seemed to be getting her the best results as 'Ruby.' "What's so important that I have to stay alive?"
Weiss gave a long suffering sigh, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Look. I'm honored to be our team leader, although I don't see why it comes as a surprise to some of us, and in spite of our, ahem, early frictions, I expect us to come together as a team and work together." She fixed a gaze on Cinder. "All of us."
"I think we all agree with that," Yang said.
I don't, Cinder thought.
"There are expectations on our team," Weiss elaborated. "I am the heiress to the SDC, the largest company in the world, and one of the only representatives of Atlas at Beacon. Pyrrha is a world champion and one of the best fighters I've ever watched." Pyrrha flushed and ducked her head. "And you," Weiss turned on Ruby, "are the youngest huntress admitted to Beacon in a generation. Although I have yet to see evidence as to why."
Cinder bristled. She wants evidence, I'll show her evidence.
"What about me?" Yang asked, crossing her arms and scowling.
Weiss pursed her lips. "As unsightly and rambunctious as your style is, you were able to keep both Ruby and I under control earlier today. You're an excellent fighter. But more importantly, you're the glue." She narrowed her eyes. "Don't think you can slack off because you're not famous."
Yang rolled her eyes. "Trust me, Ice Queen, that's not what I'm thinking. You think I give a damn that you're famous? I couldn't have cared one way or another about you until you joined my team."
Weiss flinched, and Pyrrha looked distinctly uncomfortable with the whole conversation. Cinder decided to add fuel to the fire. "I'm… famous?"
"I'm famous," Weiss said primly. "Pyrrha is famous. You are notorious. There's a difference."
I can live with that. Cinder preened at the description and turned to Yang. "You heard that, Yang? I'm notorious."
Grinning mischievously, Yang gave her a big high-five. "Hell yeah, that's my little sis!"
Cinder held back a cackle at who Yang was really complementing and basked in the glow of Weiss' bright red face. Weiss was opening her mouth to say something truly stupid when Pyrrha swooped in to save the conversation. "Personally, I don't think fame matters much as a huntress," she said evenly, looking from Cinder to Weiss. "Our job is to save people, no matter where they are, and that'll take us far away from cities where a name or a title means a lot. And I-" Pyrrha blushed, as though the idea of turning the subject to herself was embarrassing, and dropped the thread.
She probably is embarrassed, Cinder mused. She was so surprised when I pretended not to know her name, and now she doesn't want to acknowledge her fame. She's such a perfect person it makes me want to gag.
She shot a hooded look at Weiss. Unlike Little Miss Famous over here…
When Cinder returned her attention to the conversation, Yang was pulling a chocolate chip cookie out of a familiar pack… Her pack! Yang took a big bite. "Mm, Ruby, these are good!"
"My cookies!" Cinder protested. "Who the hell said you could eat those?"
Yang laughed, letting Cinder snatch back the pack, and tossed a cookie to both Pyrrha and Weiss. "Yeah, yeah, I'd never keep you from your favorite food. Just… I didn't realize you were serious about the makeup thing." Yang tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "I figured you were just annoyed when you took that eyeliner I gave you, didn't realize you were there, y'know? But, hey, if you're ready for all that, who am I to stop you? We're at Beacon now, this is Academy life, right?"
Cinder's head spun from all the information. Cookies are Ruby's favorite food? But- What? How would Ruby respond to Yang being so serious? Um… The words bubbled up from inside, without much prompting. "It's like Weiss said. I'm the youngest person here." Cinder rubbed her arm, hoping she was pulling off a convincing embarrassment. "I didn't want to feel so out of place, so I figured..."
She'd said the right thing. Pyrrha gave her a sympathetic look, and Yang all but cooed, reaching over to pinch Cinder's cheek and steal another cookie. Cinder was already getting the hang of her 'Ruby' persona, at least convincing enough that Yang seemed to be willing to go along with it. The coincidence that Cinder happened to hold a great affection for a good chocolate chip cookie was fortuitous as well. They suspect nothing.
"Aw," Yang said. "My baby sister's all grown up. Here, tell ya what, tomorrow morning wait for me when you get up and I'll give you a rundown. You'll look stunning."
Cinder blinked, taken aback. The warm feeling in her chest grew stronger. "Really?" she asked, genuinely surprise. "You'd do that for me?"
"Of course, silly." Yang wrapped Cinder in a tight sidehug and gave her a noogie. "What're sisters for?"
Weiss, of course, was watching the whole conversation with disgust. "Anyways," she said, clearing her throat to get Cinder and Yang's attention. "The point is I want Team PWYR to be the best team. Academically, physically, in combat. We have the potential, and I think it would be a terrible waste of talent if we did." A strange fire entered Weiss' eyes, not entirely her own. "We have to."
Somebody else put those words in her mouth, Cinder noted. Her daddy, most likely. Time to poke the sleeping bear. "Why do we have to?" she drawled. "We just started school – shouldn't we be taking it slow so we don't burn ourselves out? What's the point of a good education if you don't take time to enjoy it?"
A perfectly reasonable point – that was designed to annoy the living shit out of the heiress. Yang seemed to agree with Cinder; even Pyrrha nodded. Weiss blew up like a balloon. "This is not a game, Ruby," she said acerbically. "Our lives are at stake here. Or do I need to remind you who almost died in initiation because she forgot her ammo?"
"Hey, lay off her, Weiss," Yang said.
"Everyone has off days," Pyrrha added.
Weiss grew even angrier; with both of her teammate's attention on the heiress, Cinder was able to shoot Weiss a little spin of her index finger, mouthing wrapped around my finger with a smug smirk. "Yeah, Weiss," Cinder said, molding her expression innocent and hurt. "I'm just making a suggestion for the direction of the team. Aren't you the one who said we need to work together?"
Yang, bless her soul, nodded along with Cinder. Weiss looked ready to blow a gasket. Her look screamed this isn't over. "I'm not suggesting we don't take time for fun," Weiss gritted out, barely holding her composure together. "All I'm saying is that we should act with professionalism and intention. If we want to protect people, we need to be prepared. There's a whole world of evil out there, and I won't be part of the statistic of huntsmen who died young."
Weiss stared directly at Cinder when she said the word evil, and a deep chill ran down Cinder's spine. She knows. Or doesn't know – she suspects something, or just really hates me, but she's watching. And that makes her dangerous to me.
Cinder surveyed her team. Yang, Pyrrha, Weiss. Sister, friend, partner. An emotional weakness, an inhumanly deadly fighter, and Cinder's single greatest existential threat to her survival. They were all she got.
Just my luck.
She could help but let her gaze linger on Pyrrha as she spoke. "Huntsmen die," she said softly, her hidden meaning gone unrecognized. "We live in a dangerous world." Cinder gave a deceitful smile and shrugged, lazily letting her gaze trawl over to Weiss, and said something she'd never say as Cinder. "If we don't let ourselves live, then what's the point? I'd rather die free than live by somebody else's word."
The truth of it resonated with Cinder. How could she have seen her situation so incorrectly? Cinder didn't want to be Ruby Rose – but if going back to being Cinder meant going back to being Salem's pawn, she didn't want that either. She was free again, and no snooty heiress could take that autonomy away from her.
"I'm the team leader," Weiss snapped.
Yang shook her head. "You don't get it," she said. "The important word there is team. I trust you, Weiss, and you're obviously a good leader. But Ruby is right. Now's when we should be coming together and being equals. There'll be a time and a place for a leader."
Cinder was walking down the hall when somebody grabbed her shirt and yanked her into an alcove.
She hit the wall hard, her shoulder jarring, and stared at the cold irate eyes of Weiss Schnee, so blue, like an ice field that had never seen snow. Weiss was taller than Ruby, and loomed over Cinder, forcing her back against the stone. They were close enough that Cinder could feel the heat of Weiss' body and breath.
"I know what your game is, Ruby Rose," Weiss whispered, pressing harder against Cinder's sternum.
"What game?" Cinder asked, taken by surprise and improvising on the spot. "How could you push me against the wall like that, Weiss? That hurt-"
"Shut up, don't be coy with me." Weiss drew closer. "You might think you're clever with your little masquerade, but I see right through you. You're cruel and you're calculating and you've got your sister wrapped around your finger, but you don't have a clue why you're here, do you? You have no purpose. You have no reason to become a huntress. Unless it's because little Rose wants to protect people? Is that not what you told Pyrrha?"
Cinder dropped all pretenses, cursing herself for failing to respond to Pyrrha's question more effectively. I was overwhelmed, let's see how well you operate under my circumstances. "You eavesdropped."
"And you're full of shit. Not even strong enough to protect yourself, let alone anyone else," Weiss breathed. Their eyes were still locked; Weiss' fist had grown lax in Cinder's blouse, and she leaned against the wall with a hand near Cinder's head, giving the heiress leverage. The circlet in Weiss's hair seemed an iron crown, hostile and thorny, matching the daggers in her regard. "I see you. I see who you really are inside. And I'd be willing to bet that if Yang and Pyrrha knew what was really inside of you, they'd be scared too."
The words hit too close to home; for a terrifying moment, Cinder feared that, somehow, Weiss had been sent back in time as well, and she'd already been ratted out to Ozpin. It passed. Her logic reasserted itself. "You're scared of me."
"I was. You have a silver tongue, and I know the type. I've dealt with worse verbal abuse than yours," Weiss crooned to Cinder, her gaze steel. "That was before I had to carry you through the Emerald Forest half-dead. Now I just pity you."
Cinder scoffed. "Your pity is misplaced," she said.
"Maybe. Partner. But I seem to have given you the impression that I'm someone you can toy around with, just because I'm some bratty spoiled heiress with a stick up her ass. That's what you think of me, isn't it?" Weiss asked. "Here's the deal. Maybe I have some… issues with how I deal with other people. I'm… learning. How to be normal. That's why I'm here. But I'm not a child. And I am not a toy."
Her spiteful, vindictive streak won out over her sense of self-preservation. "That's a shame, you make such a good one," Cinder said.
Weiss' face twisted in disgust, mixed with a little confusion. "You're gross. Is that how you see people?"
No, Cinder thought, nursing her resentment. It's how people see me. How Salem sees me.
Not anymore, a little voice reminded her.
To her shame, she realized she was blushing, almost unconsciously, and looked away from Weiss, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. Weiss shifted closer and forced Cinder's gaze back to her face with two fingers, no longer as rough as when she'd gotten shoved into the alcove. Cinder glared at Weiss. How does she do that? Why does everything she say hit so close to home? "This world has players and pawns," she spat. "I'm no pawn."
"No, you're not. What you are is a piece of work, my piece of work now, which means I have to deal with you." Weiss sagged a bit, a note of vulnerability entering her expression, and shook her head. She looked older. Cinder felt younger. "Look. I'm sorry if I pulled you too hard. But throw me a bone here, alright? We're stuck with each other for four years. I'd prefer a healthy working relationship, regardless of our feelings..."
Tuning out, Cinder let Weiss drone on about work and duty and huntsmen and thought about how close together they were. Weiss didn't seem to remember that she was on top of her, practically, on her long rant that sounded couched and canned, but Cinder saw the way Weiss' eyes darted around, could hear the quickness in her breath. Cinder felt humiliated, outclassed and outplayed – she needed to level the playing field. Something unfamiliar, something unexpected that could keep Weiss off-balance. She'd broken character, let Weiss in. It was a near unforgivable mistake. Cinder wouldn't repeat it.
A memory of Emerald surfaced. Cinder remembered her most loyal servant's utmost dedication to her, the day that Cinder had realized that loyalty wasn't to her, but to her, and had learned how to twist it so even if Emerald no longer cared to follow her, she could never- never- turn her back on Cinder.
Seduction was so effective when used correctly. Ruby Rose might've been behind the puberty curve, but she looked well enough. It would do.
Cinder pulled Weiss in and kissed her mid-sentence, effectively cutting the heiress off. Weiss' eyes went wide; stunned, she didn't resist the long, lingering kiss and stared at Cinder blankly when she pulled away. The brand new lipstick that Yang had 'shown' Cinder how to apply that morning smeared on the edges of Weiss' lips.
Weiss gaped at Cinder. "Bu-"
Cinder shot her her prettiest smile and walked away, tossing Weiss a challenge back over her shoulder. "There's your bone."
"Ruby- Wait, Ruby! Come back! We weren't done talking!"
Smirking, Cinder walked ahead without looking back. Oh, clearly we were done, she thought. Her piece of work, am I? If she wants to deal with me, she'll deal with me. Just cause she's older than me- The thought nearly stopped Cinder in her tracks; as it was, her gait faltered for a moment. I mean, no child stands a chance at keeping up. If she knew everything I've done, she'd drown in it.
Pity. Weiss pitied her.
Cinder pitied herself – at least the heiress was in good company.
Once more, Cinder revised her mental plans, a folder of her brain normally stuffed to the brim which right now only had two items: 'be Ruby Rose' and 'kill Schnee.' Now she furiously revised the second.
Just killing Weiss Schnee was better than she deserved. No, Cinder needed to do worse than that to her. She needed to make Weiss feel all the pain and loss she'd felt to make the heiress see that she didn't have a damn clue what went on in Ruby Rose's mind, not even a little. Cinder would take everything Weiss had away from her – her precious fame and image, her arrogance, her heart, before she finally took her life. Weiss would never know what had happened to her life until Cinder came to deal the sealing blow.
Is that all you want?
Yes, that was all she wanted. Ruby Rose was gone, empty, and so was Cinder. All she had left was spite and vengeance. She didn't know any other way to be.
A deep, pervasive sadness ran up from within Cinder's chest, making her heart ache, choking her up as she left Weiss in the dust behind her.
She lifted a finger and rubbed at her lips.
[A/N] Hot damn I don't know where this sweet inspiration is coming from but if my Muse is asking me to pump out a 7k chapter of this fic in a day, who am I to complain?
I want to be faithful to the original RWBY, and that means taking both the light and the dark. Cinder and coffee get on the wrong end of each other, and the end result is chaos. Jaune's comedic potential is endless in my opinion, and he's just such a lovable dork. And maybe it's just me but I think there's something morbidly hilarious in Cinder getting frustrated over not having the right tool to carry out her stabby plot in the night.
On the serious side, Cinder has Issues, but Yang and Pyrrha have both signed up for the Cinder Protection Squad (unknowingly!) and won't let meanie Weiss hurt her… when they're around. Cinder is reacting to problems in her usual way – murder – and Weiss thinks she's onto her, when really that's a whole can of worms that she might not want to have opened.
Weiss "You're My Piece of Work" Schnee. She gets all the best one liners.
I kept laughing while I was writing this and my whole family kept looking at me like I was crazy (that's what happens when you're home for a month straight together).
Anyways Petals will not be as long as re:Bound. A 400k endgame is insane (which I should know by now, considering that I've gone for it twice (Serena's Sister) and almost succeeded once (with re:Bound, and I'll get there)) and I'm seeing this more on a 100k, 120k course if I ever get there. Luckily I've gotten a lot better at pacing recently so it should be manageable.
Thanks Diamond1234, merendinoemiliano, FirstEcho, and K for reviewing!
Love y'all, Allie