Next chapter. This took me a bit longer to write cause of Hogwarts Legacy. On the bright side it's giving me possible ideas on Ruby and maybe Jaune using active magic for their fight scenes.

Summer just finished planting her newest seeds when her scroll rang again. It was Ruby, and Summer's cheerful greeting died in her throat when she saw her daughter's state on the screen. Her already pale skin was even whiter than usual, she had bags under her eyes, and her expression was set in a frustrated frown that she only remembered seeing whenever she failed to upgrade Crescent Rose.

"Rosebud? What's wrong?" Summer asked worriedly.

"It's...hard to explain." Ruby sighed, "I...I need your advice again, mom. I'd talk to Yang, but I don't want to worry her."

"Of course. Anything."

"Things...aren't going great." Ruby sighed, "I'm not really getting along with my team." She paused, "Except Jaune. Jaune's great - he's pretty much my bestie right now." Summer found herself smiling despite the situation. It really was just like her and Tai. Back then Raven and Qrow were so distant and easy to write her off despite her skills. They respected her, certainly, but only in the sense that you respected a particularly big animal that could maul you. It took months for them to actually get along.

...Then Raven ruined it when she chose to be a deadbeat mother. And no, saving her life didn't change that. Summer had saved Raven's life a bunch of times back before she decided to be a coward and she didn't lord it over her.

"What about your two other teammates?" Summer asked.

"Ugh..." Ruby sighed again, "They're the worst! ...Actually, that's not true. Weiss is the worst. Blake is just quiet, but she's not actually mean or anything. But Weiss..." She groaned, "She's such a jerk! She keeps talking about her family and how she deserves to be the leader and that it must be some mistake that 'a child' like me is the leader while she isn't.

"Wait, Weiss? Do you mean Weiss Schnee?"

"Yup! She keeps going on about how Schnees are meant to lead and that she won't take orders from someone like me." Ruby breathed out in frustration, "I managed to beat her in a sparring match in Combat Class, but that only made her more mad! Now she's saying I cheated somehow! That and because I don't tell her everything I'm a bad team leader!"

"Oh dear..." Summer frowned. Winter told her that her little sister would be attending Beacon Academy instead of Atlas. She'd also confided in her worries that Weiss, despite her rebellious nature, would feel entitled given how she was raised. The best tutors, education, and equipment money could buy. Summer had assured her that things would work out in the end.

She was really eating her words now.

"And I don't know what to do!" Ruby threw her hands up, "It just...it stinks coming back to the dorm cause if anyone but Jaune is here it just gets awkward. Blake barely talks to the rest of the team and Weiss won't stop trying to one up me. She says she has better grades, that she's a better fighter, that she knows more about tactics and...ugh, I just want her to stop being a butt!"

"Hmm." Summer crossed her arms and leaned back on the wheelchair. It really did remind her of team STRQ. Raven was always trying to undermine her while Qrow was too busy flirting with girls in other teams and having actual functioning toilets to care to rein in his twin. As for Tai...well, he was always a sweetheart, but he had fallen at first sight for the exotic beauty from Mistral. He always did have poor taste women; herself excluded, of course.

She could always do what she did - beat up Raven in the arena and make sure she knew who was in charge - but that wouldn't really solve anything. It got Raven's respect, but that was because she came from a culture of might makes right; and even then that respect was conditonal. From what Ruby told her, she already did beat her and all it got was accusations of cheating.

"Have you tried sitting down to talk with her? Maybe air out your grievances as a team."

"She won't listen. I've tried to make friends with her - maybe not as much as I should have, but I've been hanging out with Jaune." Ah, that boy again. Her little Rosebud really was growing up, "I just...I wanted to make friends with my entire team, but right now it feels like that's never gonna happen."

"Oh, Ruby..." Summer smiled sadly, "I want to tell you that things are going to be okay, but sometimes teams just don't work out." There was a reason many of them split up after graduation, despite Vale's attempts to encourage otherwise, and it wasn't just because most Huntsmen went where the money was. Different life goals, different career prospects, and yes, sometimes teammates just didn't like one another and chose to stuck it out only until they graduated.

"Yeah..."

"That's not the only problem, is it?" Summer hummed.

"No." Ruby brought a hand across her face and breathed out through her nostrils, "Remember what we talked about before? About how touching Jaune was super uncomfortable?" Summer nodded, "Well, I followed your advice on ignoring what the voice is saying. It doesn't want me touching Jaune? Well, I touched Jaune! I touched him a whole heck of a lot!"

"Oh, that's..." Summer coughed. Most parents couldn't get honesty from their children if they tried, and here Ruby was just laying it all out, "And...how did touching him make you feel!"

"It felt super weird! Painful and tingly and..." Ruby shook her head, "I could only touch him for like a minute before it became too much. But the worst part is that now the voice wants me to touch him! Ugh!"

"It does?" Assuming this voice was the same one from her own teenage years - the same voice telling her that stabbing Raven for being a bitch, punting Qrow off the roof for ditching training, or just jumping Tai because he just didn't get it - then it was probably that part of her realizing that liking boys as more than friends wasn't wrong anymore. Summer only wished Tai was here to hear this.

"Yeah! And now it feels super weird cause I do wanna touch Jaune, but the only time we can do it so it's not tingly and painful is when he's wearing gloves or something." Ah, so like indirect kisses. No wonder Ruby didn't want to tell Yang. Her eldest would've teased her non-stop about her first crush, "Everything's just a mess, mom. Makes me feel like I shouldn't have taken Headmistress Goodwitch's offer."

"Don't doubt yourself, Rosebud. You're there because you earned it, don't let Weiss or anyone else tell you otherwise," Summer said, gentle but firm.

"Sometimes it doesn't feel like it." Summer wanted to reach across the screen and hug her little Rose tight...and smack this Weiss upside the head, Winter be damned, "But what I really need your help with right now is this...stupid voice!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I can barely get a second to think without it screeching in my head." Ruby rubbed her temples, "I just...I want some peace and quiet for just a few minutes."

"Hm..." This was sounding more serious than she thought it was. Then again, she had those moments too. When team STRQ was at their most dysfunctional she really did almost give in to the urge to make Raven eat her words. Especially when she got with Tai and lorded over their relationship to her. Qrow had to hold her back from clawing Raven's eyes out more times than she could count.

"Mom?"

"There is one way I can think of. I assume trying to meditate isn't working?"

"Yeah. Kinda hard to get peace and quiet when you've got someone screaming in your head."

"If you've got noise then the best thing to do is throw some noise back." Summer grinned, "In my case I always liked humming my favorite theme songs. Tended to drown out the really bad thoughts." The homicidal ones, she didn't say, "Make sure to pick something really catchy. Before you realize it you're repeating it so much that it's all you can think about."

"Huh...alright, I'll give it a try. Thanks, mom!"

"Anytime, Rosebud."

Summer cut the call and wheeled herself back to the house. She really wished she could do more for her youngest, but part of growing up, especially for an aspiring Huntsman, was solving your own problems. They could advise and guide, but that was all.

She was considering bringing up the topic with Tai when he came back from work when her scroll rang. Summer blinked at Glynda's name on the screen, "Glydna? Its been a while since we talked."

"It has, Summer." Glynda gave a small smile of her own, "I'm afraid this isn't a social call. This concerns Ruby."

"Ruby? I just talked to her. I know she said she's having issues with her team, but-"

"It's not that. It...would be more prudent to explain all together." Glynda took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I've already called Taiyang and Qrow told me he'd be arriving tomorrow ahead of schedule, so he should be present as well. I'd like you three to come meet us tomorrow at noon. I shall explain everything then."

"Glynda, please, what's wrong with Ruby? Is she in trouble?"

"Not through any fault of her own, but yes. Again, I shall explain tomorrow."

Glynda cut the call before Summer could press her for what that meant. Damn it, no chance she was gonna answer now even if she called. The former Huntress leaned back on her wheelchair and let out a tired breath. Tai couldn't come home soon enough.

Ruby had barely ended the call with her mom when Weiss stepped inside, a painfully awkward silence settling over the pair. It was just the two of them at the room. Jaune was in trouble with the headmistress and had to do paperwork while Blake was...well, she didn't know. That was part of the problem, really. Weiss was a jerk and Blake acted like they didn't exist. As far as her team was concerned, she really could only rely on Jaune right now.

"Your trust will not be reciprocated. Ozma will cage us both when he has the chance."

Ruby ignored her voice and forced a smile. Maybe she could try to make friends again, "H-Hey, Weiss."

"Hello." She pursed her lips then sat down at the table before pulling out a textbook. The room was still cramped because Weiss refused to negotiate on making bunk beds, "If you could keep the noise to a minimum, it would be very much appreciated." Translation: shut up and don't talk to me. Ugh. Ruby had to keep herself back from frowning at that. Even now she had to be a jerk.

"...Whatcha doing?" Ruby asked after minutes of silence. Be friends, she told herself.

"Studying, as you can well see." Weiss huffed, "You could do with a little more of that yourself."

"She is irritating, isn't she?"

Ruby ignored her (despite agreeing) again and forced another smile. Be friends, she told herself, "Maybe...we could study together?" she asked slowly. Weiss seemed to like hitting the books. Ruby liked hitting Grimm more.

"You'll only slow me down." She scoffed.

"Hey!" Ruby took a deep breath. Keep calm, "Look, I'm not stupid! I can-"

"You skipped two years of school for reasons I can't even fathom," Weiss cut her off, "Meanwhile, I was trained by the very best tutors in Atlas. Your studies are two years behind and taught by far less accredited people."

"It was enough for me to beat you in combat class..." Ruby muttered.

Not softly enough, judging by how Weiss' eyes narrowed, "You got lucky, Rose. Not all of us can have secondary Semblances."

"In that I agree with her. You thieve and paw at things you can't understand."

"Says the princess with the only hereditary Semblance!" Ruby shot back. The Gylphs were just another thing Weiss used as a reason for why she deserved to be leader., "Why are you being such a jerk?! I never did anything to you!"

"You didn't have to." Weiss snapped the bookcase shut and stood up, glaring at her all the while, "You're a child who has had everything handed to her. An early enrollment in Beacon, the position of leader, and now even a Secondary Semblance."

"And you're any better?" Ruby snarled. The sound felt foreign on her throat and at the back of her mind she'd wondered how long it had been since she was really angry like this. Back at Signal she'd been frustrated. People who thought she was weird for liking weapons, guys who tried to get close to her just to get at Yang...but nothing like this. Not after days of dealing with Salem and Weiss.

"Yes!" Weiss stamped her foot, "I've been raised all my life to lead, and I can be certain I would do better than a child that spends her days half asleep and goofing off!"

"Stop calling me a kid!"

"It is what you are," Salem added, drowing out Weiss' own reply, "Perhaps my imprisonment would be more tolerable if I came across someone like-minded. Instead, the Gods saw it fit to place me in the mind of a Silver Eyed brat."

Both Salem and Weiss were ranting at her now. How she was a child, how she didn't deserve to lead, how Salem was a queen and how Weiss was the heiress to the SDC and that they deserved better than her.

Something in her snapped.

"Shut up!" Weiss' eyes widened and she stepped back sudden, fierce shout. Even Salem went quiet, "All I wanted to do was go to Beacon! Its been my dream for years to be here, but you ruined it!"

"I-"

"Ever since the first day you've been yelling at me!" Ruby continued, unsure if she was speaking to Weiss, Salem, or maybe even both of them, "First I wanted to get along with you, but you know what? I don't care anymore!"

Weiss stepped closer - maybe in apology, maybe to slap her. It didn't matter. She didn't get the chance to make contact before the same bright sparks from before shot up between them and Weiss shrunk back with a shriek. It wasn't enough to really damage her Aura, but the sudden attack - if it could even be called that - made her back off as Ruby left the room.

Ruby didn't feel guilty. She tried to be nice and Weiss just threw it back in her face. Maybe she didn't talk to Weiss as much as she did with Jaune, but that wasn't a reason to act like a such a butt.

"Throwing a tantrum only proves your childishness." Oh great, she almost forgot she couldn't just walk away from this voice, "While I respect putting someone in their place, it will take more than shouts to convince me."

Ruby thought about arguing with her again before she remembered her mom's advice. If arguing with her didn't work, then all she had to do was drown her out.

'Ohhhhh~There's a place I know that's tucked away; a place where you and I can stay, where we can go to laugh and play, and have adventures everyday! I know it sounds hard to believe but guys and gals it's true, Camp Campbell is the place for me and you!'

"Wh-What are you doing?"

'We'll swim through lakes and climb up trees; catch fish, bugs, bears, and honeybees! There's endless possibilities. And no, that's not hyperbole! Our motto's "CAMPE DIEM", and that means I'm telling you~'

"Stop this! Stop this right now!"

'We've got: Archery, Hiking, Search & Rescue, Biking, Horseback, Training that will save you from a heart attack, Scuba diving, Miming-"

"Enough! Are you trying to annoy me to my final death?"

'Depends. Are you going to play nice now?'

"It will take more than songs to best me, child."

Alright, now she was gonna bring out the big guns.

'This is the song that doesn't end. Yes, it goes on and on my friend. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because~'

She sang it over and over and over. Salem tried to keep up a strong front, scoffing and saying she had faced thousands of years of isolation and torment so this wouldn't bother her. Ruby kept singing it no matter what she did. She did it while she ate, while she upgraded Crescent Rose, and sang out loud in the shower as she was getting ready for bed. Until finally...

"Stop! I implore you to stop!" Implore? Not order or demand? That was new.

'Are you gonna play nice now?' Ruby asked again.

"If it means not being driven to insanity by your incessant 'singing', then yes.' She could tell it took everything Salem had to not scream at her again, 'I will...curb my tongue, though do not expect me to stay completely silent. I have not been tortured nearly enough for that."

She really should have demanded more, but the concession was enough to make Ruby feel better for the first time in days. She'd take the occasional sniping over non-stop threats and rants.

Ruby changed into her pajamas and stepped out of the bathroom. Jaune was already asleep and, surprisingly, so was Blake, which left only her and Weiss. The two of them looked at one another for a moment before Ruby stepped past her without a word to her own bed. Whatever. Weiss was a jerk, but that wasn't Ruby's fault. If she wanted to be a butt because she thought she deserved everything then she'd just ignore her.

"Ignoring her will only worsen the problem."

'I thought you said you were gonna be nice?'

"Do you hear me making threats?" Ruby didn't reply, "It is simply an observation. You established your place, but if you do not push she will simply assume it to be a fluke and will continue as she did before."

'How do you know?'

"I was a queen, child. It is not my first time dealing with those who do not respect authority." Salem scoffed, "While I care little for the plight of these so-called teams, I would rather not spend my imprisonment in a host incapable of even establishing the hierarchy."

'I'll think about it. Just let me sleep.' She probably shouldn't have thought about anything the evil Grimm Queen said, but she couldn't deny that Weiss was really irrititating. As long as she didn't make her conquer the world, it wouldn't be too bad, right?

Ruby closed her eyes and had the most restful sleep she'd had in days.

Jaune woke up bright and early to get started on training again. As much as he complained about the burning feeling in his lungs or how heavy all his limbs felt, there was definitely something satsifying knowing that he was slowly getting better. This was what he should've had before got to Beacon. Proper training and instructions. He still remembered begging passing Huntsmen to take him as their apprentice when he was younger.

"Most Huntsmen would only take apprentices from those who already have at least a bit of training or have powerful Semblances. Rarely would any of them take a civilian."

'Rarely. You know someone like that?'

"A handful, certainly, but it's doubtful you would've chanced upon them. Many of them are older veterans who desire to leave a legacy or pass their teachings onto. In those cases they would take orphans rather than anyone with a family. The last one I remember was - is - dear friend of mine, Qrow. He'd taken a young woman from Vacuo by the name of Emerald Sustrai. She should be about your age by now."

'Oh. Is she at school?'

"She should have been, but I haven't seen her. No doubt they were delayed due to the mission he undertook. Qrow always did believe that practical experience won out over a classroom setting every time. I expect Ms. Sustrai will enroll late, if she does at all."

'Hm.' Jaune did another lap and wiped the sweat from his brow, 'Hey, since you unlocked my Aura, could you...'

"Do the same with your Semblance? I tried to do so after unlocking your Aura, but I've had no luck. Unlocking Aura is easy - every living being has it - but Semblances are another matter entirely. They are unique to the individual, and even in my previous hosts I could only help them find it on their own. This is something you'll have to do yourself."

'Great...' Jaune sighed.

A yellow and orange blur streaked past him and Yang called back, "Come on, you slowpoke!" Jaune shook his head and rushed to catch up to her.

"You know you can run faster if you weren't so focused on her rear end. Why are my hosts always so...hormonal?"

'You told me that you always reincarnated into teenagers, so why are you surprised? ...And I wasn't staring at her ass!'

"Please, Jaune, I may not be able to control your body, but I am still attached to it. I've seen how your eyes linger."

'It's not my fault every Huntress around here looks like a supermodel.'

"And yet that is no excuse to leer or be perverse. Please, try to be a gentleman about this." Ozpin sighed, "I fail to see why people focus so much on procreation. Trust me, my boy, romance and sexual desires are overrated. Now a good cup of hot chocolate? That treat stays with you for eternity. I even used one of the questions from the Relic of Knowledge to find the perfect recipe. One day I shall teach it to you."

'The what relic?'

"Pay it no mind. If things go according to plan then it will not be a concern for you or anyone ever again."

Jaune sighed and kept on running. He and Ozpin were getting along a bit better, but he still kept a lot of things close to his chest. He didn't hold it against him. Not too long ago Jaune barely listened to a word he said.

He was just completing another lap when a new voice came from his right, "Salutations!" Jaune almost jumped at the high volume of the greeting. At his side, running like she'd always been there, was a girl he didn't recognize. Her bright orange hair was cut short and her green eyes bore into his with an unnerving intesnity. Her lips were curled up in a placid smile and she easily kept pace with his run despite not looking even remotely dressed for it or showing any signs of physical exertion.

She was cute, just like every student here was, but there was something off with her movements. She ran fast, but her arms remained rooted to her side and she kept on looking at him even when they turned on the track.

"Uh...hey?"

"Hello! My name is Penny Polendina! It is nice to meet you, Jaune Arc!"

"You too. Uh...how do you know my name?"

She blinked in a painfully slow way, "I am a new transfer student and thought to familiarize myself with all my classmates. With that in mind I looked at the class list."

"Oh...didn't know you could do that?"

"You can't. There's little reason teachers would give out the full class list to other students."

"It was nice to meet you, Jaune! Perhaps we shall see each other in class!" And then she suddenly ran off with inhuman speed before he could respond. A speed based Semblance? Ruby had the same.

"That was rather odd."

'Says the voice in my head?'

"Touché."

He finished up his run and trudged back to the dorm. The same ache from from before ran across his limbs, as did the feeling of satisfaction.

Going to breakfast with the rest of the team felt different now. Still painfully awkward, but Weiss was keeping oddly quiet instead of sniping at Ruby every chance she could get. Blake seemed to notice the change too, though like always she didn't say a word. Geez, she might as well have been a statue for how much presence she had. It wasn't like he was the biggest chattermouth himself, but it was ridiculous.

On the bright side, Ruby looked more cheerful than he'd seen her in days. She was humming under her breath and eating her breakfast with a gusto...a lot of gusto, actually. She practically shoveled a whole cake in her mouth and completed it with a second helping course. Weiss looked like she wanted to say something, but instead just frowned and poked at her salad.

'Huh. It's nice seeing her happy.'

"Indeed, though please don't let down your guard. Salem is still in her mind and I cannot stress enough how risky that is."

'She looks fine.' He reached out to get the last cup of hot chocolate just as Ruby did the same. Their hands touched briefly and Jaune snapped his hand back. Ruby did too, causing the chocolate to spill onto the table, "Woah! Careful, guys!" Yang said, scooting her tray away to avoid the spilled chocolate. The rest did the same.

'This whole 'no touching thing' is getting real annoying.'

"Trust me, if you know what Salem looks like, you'd want her to be as far away from touching distance as possible." Both he and Ruby shook their hands and sent each other apologetic glances, "But do tell me if you wish to touch Ms. Rose again. As I said before, I have many grievances to tell that infernal witch, and it'd be nice to do it while I'm not on a torture rack."

'Yeah, I'll keep that in mind.' Jaune rolled his eyes.

They finished breakfast and were about to head over to classes when Jaune got a message on his scroll, "Please tell me Glynda doesn't need more paperwork. Haven't I been punished enough?" Jaune sighed under his breath. Personally he thought it wasn't so bad - which he chalked up to helping run the family wine business - but try telling that to Ozpin. He acted like he was being slowly killed.

The message told him to come to the office and to take Ruby with him. Huh, odd timing for it. He waited till Weiss and Blake rounded the corner before he tapped Ruby's shoulder, "Jaune? What's up?"

"Headmistress Goodwitch wants us to go to her office right now."

"Alright. At least it means we get to skip Professor Port's classes."

"Yeah..." How could a man talking about killing Grimm make it sound so boring? As the two walked to the elevators, he noticed the spring in her step and asked, "Something good happen? You're in a much better mood than before."

"Eh...sorta? Me and Salem are...well, we're not 'getting along', but I got her to stop screaming about how she's gonna pluck out my eyes and use them as a necklace." Alright, kinda disturbing how casually she said that, "I actually got some good sleep last night...but she did want me to eat more."

"That's why you were pigging out, huh?"

"Hey!" She puffed her cheeks while he laughed.

'I don't like this. She's giving in to Salem's demands.'

'It's just food.'

"It starts off with small requests. What's the harm, you think to yourself, it doesn't hurt me. And then she starts suggesting your offspring can replace humanity! That's not how genetics work!"

"What's wrong, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Ozpin's worried you're gonna go evil mwahahahaha crazy cause you ate more at breakfast. You're not..." A pause, "Right?"

"I absolutely am." Ruby grinned, "I'm gonna take control of Remnant and no one's gonna stop me! Every Wednesday is gonna be strawberry day! Anyone who tries to protest will be forced to eat raisin cookies!"

"You fiend!" Jaune gasped, putting a hand to his chest, "You'll never get away with it!"

"Oh, yes I will. I'll give you one chance to join me, Jaune. If not you'll be sent to the mines!" A pause, "No, I didn't mean it literally! I'm not actually gonna send Jaune to the mines!"

Ozpin was uncharacterisitcally quiet as the eleavtor took them up to the office. Jaune stepped inside with Ruby behind him and looked over the room's occupants. He recognized Headmistress Goodwitch, General Ironwood and Specialist Winter, but there were five he didn't. A tan blonde man with rippling muscles, another man with darker hair and a leaner physique that smelled like a bar, and a woman in a wheelchair who looked like an older, eyepatched Ruby.

More to the side was an older, bearded Faunus who shuffled in place, and another woman dressed in blood red with a long mane of dark hair who leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Mom, dad, Uncle Qrow? What are you all doing here?" Ruby stepped past him.

"I called them here, Ms. Rose. I felt it was approrpriate given the current situation." Headmistress Goodwitch steepled her fingers together, "Now, let us discuss Ozpin and Salem."

Next chapter's gonna be pretty awkward, and just when Ruby finally scored a win by making Salem pipe down.

Also, as you can all probably tell from this chapter, we're delving a bit more into deviations in the backstory besides Summer being alive. Raven is (reluctantly) answering summons from the Ozluminati and Qrow took Emerald instead of Cinder. This could mean that her plans for Beacon are different than in canon.

Apologies for any Weiss fans, though. She's one of my favorite RWBY girls as well, but you can't deny she acted like a prat early on. Because Jaune and Ruby are partners here, and Ruby has Salem in her head, Ruby is less inclined to try and make friends with Weiss or put up with her attempts to overtake her as leader.

Next chapter will have the talk and the first ever Weiss POV. I might be able to get a POV for Blake in as well.

Also, if you guys wanna support me so I can write faster, then check out my page. I won't hold chapters behind a paywall, however. This is just for support.

P a treon . com (slash) Vendetta543

Questions:

1. What do you guys think of Weiss having taken a more antagonistic role so far? It wasn't something I planned out when first writing the story, but it felt appropriate given the changes.

2. Are there specific characters you guys want to see more of? Given the plot changes we can afford to shuffle character introductions around.