Next chapter. Here we go. Also, thanks to Itharax. It's a pleasure to know some people enjoy my ideas. That goes for the rest of you too.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth
Little Nightmares belongs to Bandai Namco
Chapter 4: Dolts and Dunces
"Yahoo!" Cheered Yang as she flew above the Emerald Forest.
Her Ember Celica fired each time she reached the treeline, propping her up and propelling her further. All the while, she laughed like a kid at the playground. She loved this. The freedom. The adrenaline. Each shock sent out by her gauntlets, each feeling of elevation, filled her heart with glee. This was a joy.
The act of defying gravity itself. The force that dominated everything on Remnant. Such an act of rebellion sent her heart racing. The thought of it ending almost saddened her. As fun as this was, she couldn't just glide the entire way. Not if she wanted to have enough shells for the return trip. Her fighting style depended heavily on being able to dish out heavy bursts of damage. She could fight just fine without it, but it was too slow for her tastes. The last time she overindulged in her theatrics, Ruby scolded her for running out of ammo belts within the first hour.
So, Yang stopped firing. Still, even as it ended, Yang laughed as she fell through the leaves. Now amongst the trees, she impacted one and kicked herself off its trunk. Four jumps later and she reached the ground.
With the thrill of the flight still in her, she yelled. "Wahoo!" As she came to a stop.
Reaching up to her face, she meant to remove her sunglasses. Only to find that they were not there. Blinking, Yang realized that her vision had brightened. "Damn." She mumbled, it must have fallen from her face while passing through the trees.
Yang considered looking for them but decided it wasn't worth the effort. With a shrug, she discarded the thought and started running. She knew which way to go, she caught a glimpse of the temple at the other end of the forest. Finding a partner could wait. She needed to find her sister, good thing she already knew where Ruby was going. No sense wandering around aimlessly, hoping to find one person. Better to just head to the target and wait there.
Her dad told her that Initiation would take place inside the Emerald forest. But he did not say what they would be doing. Yang figured it would just be students fighting a bunch of Grimm, while the professors judged their fighting styles. Pairing students they believe would synergize well together. If that had been the case she would be paired with Ruby. The two worked well together.
Yang's brawler style was fast, aggressive, and powerful. Blitzing her opponents right from the start and punishing them with powerful strikes. Combining that with her semblance and the durability her aura had built up over the last six years, made her ideal for tackling large enemies who didn't go down easily.
In contrast, Ruby was more adept at taking on multiple weaker opponents at once. She was faster than Yang, and her Crescent Rose granted her a greater attack range. As well as a reliable means of attacking multiple foes with one motion and since it doubled as a high-caliber rifle, she could support Yang at a distance. Ruby was a crack shot with that thing.
When the two of them fought together, entire packs of Grimm would dissolve. A result of the teamwork they developed on their many hunts together. Growing to the point where they almost didn't need to communicate mid-battle, only passing along directions when specific actions were required.
Yang was positive Ruby would have been her partner in such a scenario. This trial was random by comparison. There was no way to know who you would run into and they understood why. Similar exercises had taken place in combat school. teams were assembled at random and told to work together. In real life, you mostly never got the luxury of deciding who you work with, and this trial simulated that. Two strangers working together to achieve a common goal for mutual benefit. In one way, that only made this more exciting.
The teachers would see how they act in situations they are not prepared for. When they look at Yang, they'll see someone who can take whatever Renant throws at her. Same as always.
Almost as if in response to her thoughts, a large black mass lunged at her from the bushes. With a quick roll, Yang dodged the giant paw. Ember Celica deploying mid-roll. The reinforced plating and shotgun mechanisms lock onto place around her fists. Another figure appeared from the front, taking its turn to swipe at her. With a backflip, she dodged again. The first beast charged again and Yang's response was a punch straight to its gut. At the point of contact, Ember Celica fired, sending the Grimm hurtling back. The second came at her and she countercharged. With a shotgun-powered uppercut, she took the Grimm off its feet. Then she kicked forward, firing a shell behind her for added force. Sending the Grimm tumbling behind its kin.
When Yang landed she quickly took stock of her enemies. Large burly bodies. Big, chunky limbs. The overall shape of a bear. Ursai. One of her favorites. Yang grinned at their timely appearance as she was starting to get bored.
"You guys wouldn't happen to see a girl in a red hood, would you?"
The second Ursa stood up on its hind legs and roared before resuming its attack.
"Yeah, didn't think so."
Yang jumped back, avoiding its first swipe, and with another backflip, she dodged the second. Yang laughed as she landed. Ursai were so big and clumsy. Easy to dodge and highly durable. They were walking punching bags.
"Dumb question. If you..." Yang froze as she spied the lock of golden hair falling in front of her.
As it landed on the grass, the brawler saw red. Her hair. This thing damaged her hair. No one touches her hair without permission.
"You..." She said, her voice lowered, and her eyes turning red.
The Grimm paused, glancing at each other as they sensed the fresh wave of anger radiating off of Yang.
"You MONSTERS!" She roared as her aura flared up.
Activating her semblance, Burn. Her aura surged throughout her body. Increasing her strength tenfold. The energy rising from her mane created the illusion of flames around her hair. In other words, to an observer, Yang was on fire.
Yang charged the offending Grimm. With a roar, she attacked with a flurry of kicks and shotgun-powered punches. Each strike forces the Ursa back, until Yang delivered one final punch, sending the Grimm flying straight through a row of trees. Nothing but splintered stumps remained.
From behind Yang, the first Ursa got on two legs and roared in a challenge.
"What!? You want some too?" Yelled Yang, turning, ready to charge again.
Before she attacked, a wet stabbing noise was heard. the Ursa was still. it did not charge nor move its head. Yang did not relax her stance until she saw the Grimm fall to the ground. Embedded in its spine was a curved black sword.
Standing behind it stood a woman Yang recognized. It was the girl that spoke with Ruby about book stuff. Yang could not remember her name as she only paid half attention at the time.
Wearing a black, buttoned vest with coattails. Underneath it was a white, sleeveless undercoat, crop undershirt. Below that she wore white shorts and black low-heeled boots with full stockings. A cute black bow was tied atop her wavy black hair.
She stood there with a ribbon that stretched out to the grip of the sword attached to the dissolving Grimm. A confident smirk on her face as she yanked on the ribbon. Pulling the sword out of the fading Grimm and into her hands.
The two of them watched each other for a moment. Yang's semblance died down, her hair losing its fiery glow and her eyes returned to their natural lilac. Anger now gone, Yang regained her usual carefree smile.
"I could have taken him," Yang said, her Ember Celica disengaging, collapsing into bracelet form.
"It be better if you cool off. " The girl replied, sheathing the sword on a boxy scabbard on her back. "Wouldn't want every Grimm in the forest sniffing you out."
Yang felt like laughing, she'd heard similar remarks from pretty much everyone she knew. How her temper would make her a lighthouse for all nearby Grimm. Which made sense. The monsters were empathic and drawn to negativity. This made her into a double-edged sword as her sister had put it. Just that she mostly took swings at the Grimm.
"Well, good thing my new partner took care of that for me. Those guys were un-bear-able."
The girl lost her smirk and blankly stared at yang. She probably didn't get the joke. Yang's dad always taught her to break the ice with a joke. It helps people calm down, even if they don't like them. It's better than being serious all the time and snapping at everything.
Not really caring if her joke was appreciated or not she went on. "Names Yang."
"I know." Said the girl. "We met last night."
"Yeah, but I wasn't really listening while you talked books with my sis," Yang admitted, it was better to be honest, rather than overcomplicate things by lying to save face. That would have been a waste of time.
"So, you don't remember my name?"
"Nope."
"It's Blake."
"Nice ta meet ya," Yang said, before turning around and walking away. "Come on partner, let's roll."
"Shouldn't we look around first?" Blake suggested, walking beside the brawler. "The forest is getting very dense."
"No worries. I already know where we're going." Yang declared. "Caught a peek of the temple on my way down."
"You sound confident. Have you done this before? Long expeditions into forests?"
"Oh yeah. Plenty of times. Me and Ruby went on these hunts back home. We'd wander around the forest and look for Grimm to fight."
Yang could feel the incredulous stare from her new partner and decided to clarify. "They made for great practice."
"I could see that."
"How'd I do?" Yang asked with a cheeky smile.
"Pretty good. They couldn't land a hit."
"And you got him in one," Yang replied. "Assasin style."
Blake seemed to flinch at that remark, before replying in a bored manner. "It's best to get rid of them quickly. You never know when more could show up.
Yang's smile broadened. "Ruby's gonna like you."
"Why's that?"
"She likes pragmatic people. Focusing on getting the job done and ignoring pointless distractions. Not like me of course."
"I can't argue with that. You were pretty daring back there. Standing up close to an Ursa. Does she approve?"
"Hell no!" Yang laughed. "She hates it when I jump into danger for the heck of it. Can't stand it."
"She must really care about you then," Blake stated.
"We're sisters. We look out for each other."
"Are you worried about her?"
Yang looked up and contemplated on a darker time in her life. A time when she woke up in the morning without her baby sister there. 'Never again.' Then she smiled at the sad memories.
Yang turned to Blake and said. "Nah"
Ruby was perplexed as she watched Weiss stand. She was not expecting outright rejection. Grudging acceptance, silent irritation maybe. Not a simple no. Most people would get angry. Ruby was just confused. She did not mind that Weiss did not like her. Nor did she want the heiress as her partner either. But it was a requirement for Initiation. So, why such resistance?
"No?" Ruby asked for some clarity. You don't break the rules without a reason.
Weiss did not answer, opting instead to just turn and walk away. Ruby would have let her go happily, but Ozpin's eyes were on them. She had to at least try to follow this annoying rule. Even if to only keep up the illusion of cooperation.
In two quick motions, Ruby stepped up and grabbed Weiss' arm.
"Wait." Said Ruby.
"Let go of me." Ordered Weiss, shooting the reaper a withering glare.
Ignoring the demand Ruby asked, "Where are you going?"
"I said let go!" The heiress nearly yelled, trying to pull her arm free.
"Where are you going?" Ruby repeated, her dull expression not shifting.
Weiss tried to free her arm, but Ruby stood firm, as she had no reason to be gentle this time. Ruby's facial features only shifted when Ruby spotted Weiss' free hand moving to her sword. Weiss hesitated, her left hand hovering in position to grip the rapier. Returning her eyes to Weiss, Ruby affixed the Schnee with a challenging stare. Almost daring her to try. Ruby never took threats lightly.
In the end, Weiss relented. "I'm looking for Pyrrha."
"Why?" Asked Ruby, slowly releasing her grip, but staying ready in case Weiss tried to run.
The heiress scoffed. "She's my partner, as we agreed earlier." The words were said as if it was the obvious answer.
"I don't remember hearing her agree to that."
"Then you clearly were not listening properly."
"Maybe," Ruby began. "But the same goes for you then. According to the rules Ozpin set, I'm your partner, not Pyrrha. We don't have a say in the matter."
Ruby studied Weiss' reaction carefully. Watching her eyes twitch, her nostrils flare, her jaw clench beneath stiffening cheeks. Ruby realized, she had said the wrong thing. This girl did not like being told what to do.
"You might not have I choice," Weiss said, her voice low and controlled. "But I do, and I say we are not partners."
Weiss turned to leave. Not even making three steps before Ruby's retort sounded. "So, you just ignore rules that don't suit you? Even when they're from the headmaster himself?"
Her tone was not aggressive or accusatory. Ruby just pointed out a fact. Truth is Ruby has a similar mentality, except she knew that you couldn't just outright ignore the rules. You had to be selective about it, and careful with your execution. Weiss was doing neither.
"Oh please," Weiss turned around to face Ruby. "If you think he was serious about that then your a bigger dolt than I thought."
"You think he was lying?" Asked Ruby.
"Obviously."
"Why?" Ruby argued. "It would be pointless. Better to say nothing then."
"I'm not sure. But I do know that this whole partners rule is nonsense. You can't expect people to follow a rule you can't enforce."
Ruby understood now. Weiss thought there were no consequences.
"You think it was a trick? That he has no way of knowing?"
"Exactly. A way to get people to pair up quickly in a dangerous environment." Weiss stated, her face full of confidence. "The applicants of greater skill will be able to see through it and seek out their ideal partners."
"Like you and Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, half serious about her words.
"Yes. The two of us would make the perfect team. Now run off so I can..." Wiss paused. "Wait."
Walking up to Ruby, Weiss stared down slightly at her hooded face. The heiress was slightly taller than her. Glancing down, she spied the heels Weiss was wearing.
Weiss raised a hand to the red hood. The instant those pale fingers touched the fabric, Ruby's hand caught her wrist.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked in a low voice.
"Taking your hood off so I can see your face," Weiss answered, pulling her hand away.
"No one touches my cloak," Ruby warned in a dark tone. Her glare ensured that it was well received by the heiress.
"Whatever," Weiss said, shrugging off the threat. "Aren't you a bit young to be attending Beacon?"
"You tend to be when you've skipped ahead two years," Ruby replied nonchalantly, the threat in her voice vanishing.
Weiss blinked. For a moment Ruby had a hard time reading her mood. Several emotions flashed on her face, all brief and fleeting. The news has brought up mixed feelings in the heiress. By the end of it, she was dismissive.
"Hmph. All the more reason to find Pyrrha. I don't have to look after a child."
That was a new one. She'd been called a lot of things over the years, but never simply a child. This meant Weiss had chosen to look down on her. Like all the others. Whether it was out of jealousy or arrogance. Not that it mattered. Weiss' attitude could be sorted out later. They've wasted enough time on this debate with the Grimm skulking about.
"Before you do," Ruby said. "I need to show you something."
"What? are you going to try and convince me not to leave? that we should be partners because despite being a child you're quite skilled for your age?" Weiss' words were both rhetorical and mocking. Even if she was correct about Ruby being skilled.
"No," Ruby replied impassively. "Just that Ozpin has been watching us the entire time."
She felt a smile creep its way to her lips as she pointed to a nearby tree. The camera lens was clearly visible in the bark. Her classmates, teachers, and therapists often told Ruby that she had sadistic tendencies. Maybe she did. What's wrong with seeing people get their due?
The look of surprise on Weiss' face was exactly what she had hoped for. "I guess it wasn't a trick after all," Ruby said, deliberately raising her pitch and tone to match her more sociable attitude.
She had expected Weiss to be angry. Outraged maybe. Then stomp away in frustrated resignation. Only for Ruby to follow and make their way to the temple.
Ruby did not expect Weiss to draw her rapier and charge at the camera.
Ozpin stared in concern as the feed was cut. "That's a first."
"I got a signal that one of the cameras feeds just went offline. Did something happen?" Asked Glynda as she watched her own screen, which displayed an orange-haired girl in a pink skirt crushing an Ursa's skull with a hammer.
"Switch to camera 351," Ozpin answered.
A quick swipe of the screen and her feed switched. Glynda's breath hitched and a slow disgruntled sigh emerged. "Did Ruby put her up to this?" Asked Glynda, glancing at the image of Weiss stabbing one of their cameras.
"While I don't believe it beyond her. I doubt this was her idea. More likely that Miss Schnee is more resistant to having Ruby as a partner than we thought."
"To the point where she would sabotage school equipment?"
"What do her school records say on the matter?" He asked.
"She has none." Answered Glynda. "All she has for reference is an extensive list of tutors and instructors."
"Her father's work no doubt." Ozpin deduced, even though it was a simple deduction to make. "He likely took full control of her development in order to keep her from doing anything that would reflect badly on him as her father. Given what you told me of the description she used for Ruby. It is likely the only people of the same age group she's been exposed to are among the Atlas elite."
"Then this pairing will have a lot of friction. Being brought up in such an environment limits a youth's exposure to others. It would limit their worldview drastically. She likely has no idea how to treat someone who does not come from a place of status. Combine this with the fact she was likely forced to mature long before she should have due to the expectation placed on her by Jacque."
"That would not surprise me," Ozpin said. "He is a very controlling man."
"I believe you mean machiavellian." Glynda corrected. The man was far more than controlling, at times his smug attitude made her sick. Especially when he tried to hide it behind false politeness. A trait she hoped his daughter did not have for her sake.
Glynda stared at the screen again, watching Ruby point at the camera Glynda was watching from. Weiss stomped her food and began berating the younger girl. This brought a frown to Glynda's lips.
"There is also the fact that Ruby is younger than Weiss. She may deem it appropriate that Ruby listens to her for that reason alone."
"Then she'll learn quickly that her partner is not some meek child," Ozpin replied. "Anything else in her records?"
"No, and that has me concerned," Glynda admitted.
"How so?"
"In her list of instructors, absolutely none of them are based around combat."
"Is that so?" Ozpin asked, switching his camera feed to an angle where he can see Weiss' face. She looked rather upset, appropriate as she was caught red-handed. "She's not a prodigy, but she is far too skilled to be self-taught, considering her lifestyle."
"Perhaps her sister knows something. She is a specialist after all." Glynda offered.
"I don't believe this is something worth bothering the General for. He has enough problems to deal with."
"Should I add this to her record?" Glynda questioned to be sure. Ozpin often gave leeway for the silliest reasons and she could not go against it.
"Please do. We must make it clear that her status as a Schnee will not make her exempt from the rules."
Glynda complied and began tapping on her scroll. Weiss would have to learn her lesson quickly or her time at Beacon would be a very lonely four years.
Ruby stared at Weiss in genuine surprise. Wondering if the girl was cooked in the head. She just destroyed a camera that was actively watching her.
"That was a bad idea," Ruby said as Weiss withdrew her rapier.
"Hardly." Retorted the heiress, putting her weapon away. "I've just freed us both from being stuck together."
Ruby stared blankly at Weiss. "How does breaking a camera mean the rule doesn't apply anymore?"
"Are you dense? It means the professors don't know that we've seen each other."
"You don't know that." Stated Ruby. She knew from experience back at Signal, that you must always assume someone might know. You must never believe yourself safe, that's when you let your guard down.
"Really? Tell me. What are the odds that Ozpin was watching us at that exact moment?"
"Not great," Ruby admitted, she wasn't dumb she knew that unless he was watching her specifically the chances of him seeing that were not very high. "But still, you shouldn't have done that."
"Why? Did you want to be my friend? Do you want to chat and get to know me? l you did with that farm boy yesterday? Sorry, but I have someone else in mind for my partner." Weiss said, with hints of smugness leaking through her tone.
"No," Ruby said plainly and took a short breath. Evaluating the person in front of her.
Weiss had a high opinion of herself. That was obvious. As much as Ruby would love to just bolt as Weiss suggested. She would need to stay with her. At least for now. This was not the best place for a debate so dancing the matter would not work.
"I don't like you. I don't want to be your partner. I don't even know you beyond you being a part of the richest family on Remnant." Ruby then faked hyperventilating, to show distress. She remembers reading in a book that doing spontaneous things that are out of character will put people who are used to specific responses, through a loop. They become uncertain and more receptive to others.
"You've been nothing but mean to me since we first met. As well as Jaune, who has done nothing to you! He was just trying to be nice and you treated him like dirt. Why would I WANT to be friends with someone like you?"
Weiss flinched at the last question. Her forced outburst did the trick. Ruby saw signs of doubt on the girl's face. She kept diverting her gaze as she thought of a response.
"If I'm so unbearable, why are you so resistant to the idea of us splitting up then?" She asked.
"Because I want to get into Beacon and be a huntress. If that means putting up with you then that's fine." Ruby wasn't lying. If it wasn't Yang, then she did not care who her partner was. "Had your plan worked I would be long gone by now. But it didn't."
The heiress did not look convinced. "Hmph, you have no way of knowing that,"
"I do actually." Ruby retorted.
"Oh, really? Please explain." Weiss prompted.
"Did you ever consider that the cameras might be recording?"
Weiss froze up.
"It only makes sense. Given how many there are. Recording everything they see to be reviewed for scoring later. It would be impossible to grade us otherwise." Ruby said, secretly enjoying Weiss' reaction to this revelation. "And there is one more thing and it's more important than the recording."
"What's that?" Weiss asked now looking worried.
"There's another camera on the tree behind you," Ruby answered pointing past Weiss.
Quickly turning Weiss saw the lens embedded in yet another tree. Ruby watched as Weiss reached for her rapier again. Stopping mid-motion. Ruby looked closer and saw that Weiss' hands were shaking. Oh, that was rich. Miss high and mighty was afraid of getting in trouble.
"You dolt!" She yelled, turning to Ruby and stomping her in the grass. "Why didn't you warn me?"
Ruby gave a lazy shrug. "How was I supposed to know you would stab a camera to avoid being partners with me?"
"Are there any more here?"
"Two or three more if I saw it right," Ruby answered truthfully, not wanting to waste time.
Weiss looked to the ground. Her hands were balled into fists. She was quiet.
"Fine." She said, having realized there was no way out for her. "We're partners."
She turned on her heels and began walking away. Ruby immediately saw her posture. Each step was practiced and deliberate. She was pulling extra effort into looking dignified. Perhaps to look good for the cameras now that she knew they might be recording? What a waste of energy.
"Keep up. I don't want to get a bad grade because you're too slow."
Ruby did not respond. She knew she could easily outpace Weiss without too much trouble. Instead, she just followed along. Her tread was quiet, relaxed, but ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. The princess was upset and that would attract the Grimm. Ruby did not have high hopes for her partner. So far all Weiss had not set the best example. However, Ruby was willing to give Weiss a chance to prove herself. The girl might not have the best attitude, but that was only half the equation. The other half was competence. If Weiss could get them to the temple, Ruby would stick around. It would be better if Weiss pulled it off. Less effort for Ruby in the long run. Weiss clearly wanted a spotlight and Ruby would be happy to let Weiss have it.
"This is the place." Said Yang, taking confident strides over the grassy field.
"This is the temple?" Asked Blake as they stared at the worn-down semi-circle collum of pillars and stone slabs.
"Looks like it to me." Affirmative Yang as she reached the steps.
"Grab our relic. I'll keep watch." Blake said hopping on one of the stone walls.
"No prob." Said Yang. "Keep an eye out. Most Grimm are dumb as bricks, but some have a penchant for being sneaky, last thing we want is an alpha catching us by surprise."
While Yang did not doubt her skills, she did not doubt the danger that the older Grimm posed. They were nothing like the younger ones. Stronger, smarter, tougher, and crueler. If the stories of alpha Grimm dragging victims to their dens to be slowly mauled to death were to be believed. She had fought and killed alphas before, but she always had a hard time putting them down. They could handle a lot of trauma and since she had no means to dismember them she had to do it the hard way. Unlike her sister. She always went for the heads.
"Roger that," Blake said assuringly. Like she had done this before.
Maybe she had? Blake was not exactly forthcoming with any questions Yang had about her. Opting to keep quiet or limit her answers to yes or no for vague questions. This was slightly annoying but Yang was confident she would get through to Blake eventually. She just had to keep trying.
Stepping into what remained of the circled chamber, she found ten pedestals. Each of which had a chess piece on top of it. Puzzled, Yang walked up to the nearest one. Confirming that they were indeed chess pieces.
"Are these really the relics we have to bring back? Maybe we're at the wrong temple?"
She pondered the thought as she examined the temple. That was when she noticed that a few pedestals were barren. Their pieces were taken. Meaning that other teams had already come through here and heading back. With that in mind, she looked for any sign that her sister had been there. A mark or some familiar scratching in the stones to tell Yang to move on. She found nothing. Concluding that Ruby had yet to arrive, which was strange. Forests were their favorite hunting spots. Ruby often scouted a head and left a fresh trail of cuts on trees to follow. She expected Ruby to be here before her, the younger sibling always navigated for them.
So, why hadn't she gotten here first? It couldn't be that Ruby was brought low by a Grimm. The little trickster was a tough cookie and smart enough to run from fights she couldn't win.
"Find anything?" Blake called out from above.
"I found a bunch of chess pieces," Yang yelled back.
"What? Where are the relics?"
"I think these are the relics."
"Seriously?"
"Yup. Stay put while I pick one."
Yang returned her attention to the 'relics.' It was silly. Little plastic board game pieces. That was the goal of this. To retrieve what essentially amounted to toys. She could almost hear her dad laughing at her now. Looking around Yang noticed something. There were two of every piece, excluding the empty pedestals. Her father's cryptic advice came to mind.
A minute later Yang strode out of the temple and knocked the wall Blake was perched on.
"Got one." She said waving the white knight up to her partner. "A cute little horsy."
If Blake liked or disliked the joke she didn't show it. Jumping down she Suggested they head back.
"Not yet." Yang objected.
"Why not?" Asked Blake.
"No. Just wanna wait for my sister."
"Ok. Why?"
"Call it a hunch, but I feel like she might be having some trouble with her partner," Yang admitted only now realizing it. "She doesn't really play well with others."
"That doesn't sound like your responsibility."
"It is because I'm her sister. I'm the reason she accepted coming two years early. So it's my job to make sure she stays out of trouble." Yang was confident Ruby would have refused the offer had Yang not been accepted. Otherwise, she would have gone through Signal the normal way, instead of handicapping herself with the schoolwork that was sure to come. She made a promise to her father. Keep Ruby out of trouble. A full-time job.
"Can't she just resolve the problem on her own?"
"If you knew my sister, you'd know that won't happen if it hasn't already."
" Why though? She seemed perfectly reasonable yesterday."
Yang wanted to smirk. Another one duped by the act Ruby put on. "That's a long story and kind of personal," Yang said with a sigh. "Come on Blake. I just want to make sure she's okay. When she gets here we can all head back together."
Blake held her reserved stare. But Yang was persistent. "Pretty please."
Blake did not drop her disinterested stare. "Alright."
Yang gave her partner a cheery smile, she was going to thank her when a chorus of howls echoed from the trees across the field. Out of which a large ack of beowolves emerged. All bounding toward the pair.
Yang gave a toothy grin as Ember Celica primed itself. Blake simply drew her Gambol Shroud.
Slamming her gauntleted fist against her open palm, Yang laughed. "At least we won't be bored."
"It would seem that all students have paired up." Stated Glynda, watching the same hammer-wielding girl from before dangle from a tree upside down. While a boy with black hair and a green jacket calmly stood in front of her. saying nothing as she poked his nose.
Switching to her next feed she watched Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc walk together. Both looked happy as Pyrrha's lips moved with no sound. Her arms swiped at the air, imitating sword strikes. Glynda could only guess that she was giving to boy pointers. She watched the two battle a large pack of creeps earlier. The difference in skill was apparent. The boy was severely undertrained if he struggled with creeps. Still, it brightened her mood to see what Nikos was doing. Not many students went out of their way to help one another.
The boy was a concerning topic, as she believed he did not qualify for Beacon. After their introduction yesterday, Glynda took another look at his transcripts. So far, she was convinced they were all forged documents. Watching Jaune so far has only proven that further. The boy's skill was dangerously below the mark for a huntsman academy.
When he launched off the cliff, she had to stop herself from using her telekinesis to bring him back. Good thing Pyrrha intervened, or else Glynda would not be getting any sleep tonight.
Putting that thought from her mind, she switched feed again. This time her scroll showed the location of the minor temple ruins. Ozpin had wanted to use the far more grand temple that lay west of the target, but Ooblek almost had a fit the last time they used it. So, it was changed to the current venue.
On its stone steps sat a dark-haired girl Glynda simply new as Blake. The girl was a mystery to her. The profile she presented said that she was from Mistral and that her village of origin had been destroyed by Grimm years ago. The reason this was not questioned further was that two other students had stated the exact same thing. Still, the other two had presented their full names at least.
The other figure on the screen was the reckless Yang Xiao-Long, pacing back and forth on the grass looking frustrated. Glynda honestly had mixed feelings about her. On one end, Glynda felt like she was a troublemaker who enjoyed ignoring the rules and creating perilous situations for her own childish amusement. On the other hand. Glynda acknowledged the girl's dedication to her family, shouldering a large portion of the responsibility for taking care of her younger sister. Glynda knew that Yang's thrill-seeking nature spawned from that as she was forced to grow up early for her sibling's sake.
Glynda would never approve of the trouble that Yang gets into, but besides that, she had Glynda's respect for the hardship she had to endure.
"Any new developments?" Asked Ozpin.
"Nothing much. Miss Xiao-Long and her partner are at the temple. She looks agitated."
"Waiting for her sister I take it?"
"Would she have any other reason to prolong her own exam?" Glynda answered a question with a question.
"Fair enough. Although she will be waiting for a bit longer then."
"Why is that?" Asked Glynda becoming concerned.
"Camera 719."
Glynda's screen changed to an image of Weiss walking with a confident stride. Behind her was the red cloak of Ruby simply following along. In a direction known as the west.
"They are going the wrong way," Glynda said.
"And have been for the past two hours. Miss Schnee has been leading them in a circle."
Glynda blinked. She did not expect this. It did happen from time to time but she still wasn't expecting this from someone of Miss Schnee's intellect.
"Has she stopped at all?"
"No."
"Has she consulted her partner at all? What has Ruby been doing this whole time?"
"She has made several attempts to change course. Only to be soundly rejected. I have to admit, she's very patient. You wouldn't pick that up from her reports." Stated the headmaster sounding impressed for once.
Glynda watched the screen. This was not a good sign. If the two could not get along it would severely stunt their training in the future.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm. Hmm, hmm, hmm. Hmm, hmm, hmm."
"Could you please stop humming?" Weiss asked. Anger bleeding through her tone.
Ruby said nothing in acknowledgment and continued her hum. It was her way of staying calm in frustrating situations, or when she was just plain bored and had nothing else to do. Most people count to ten, listen to music, and maybe find their favorite food. Ruby preferred to hum. It became her means of bearing the boredom of chores around the house when she was a child and it simply stayed with her.
Right now, she felt like singing the whole chorus of her favorite song. Which was just more of the same humming, but it felt like more you know. It was worth it to see the frustration Weiss displayed. It was fun. And fair given that her partner was turning out to be a total letdown.
Ruby did not have high standards for Weiss. All she sought was someone who could do their part. Be it navigating, providing support, threat detection, resource management, or tactical oversight. Any one of these would have been fine in her opinion so long as it was done right. Fighting was non-negotiable. As you'd never last against Grimm if you couldn't.
So far, Weiss was adamant in her desire to lead and Ruby had no reason to object. That had been a mistake. Ruby had deduced that since this girl was the heir of a corporate giant like the Schnee Dust Company that she would be groomed to be perfect for the role.
Most people assumed that rich Atlas elites had more money than skills. With egos to match their oversized pocketbooks. And Weiss was pretty high on that chart.
Still, such stereotypes did not automatically condemn Weiss in Ruby's eyes. She trusted her own judgment over rumors. In her mind, if Weiss was going to inherit the most important company in the world, then she had to be trained in management. That meant being good with people. Prioritizing the needs of the corporate body over personal desire. While not the same as a team the transition should be simple.
While Ruby did not care for business practices, she understood their importance to society. If you were going to put your child in charge of something so important you need to make sure they have the correct skillset and mindset for it. This was the reasoning Ruby used to justify following Weiss. How often optimism backfires.
As they had been walking in a circle for the past two hours. Wandering aimlessly as Weiss tried to determine which way was north. After the first ten minutes, it became clear that Weiss had never been in a forest before. Still, Ruby decided to be patient, Weiss could learn. Just give her time to adjust. If Weiss was as intelligent as she boasted one of two things would happen.
The first one is that Weiss would realize that she needed a new approach. At least starting with figuring out which direction she was going. The second and less likely was Weiss asking Ruby for assistance. That was likely to never happen, this girl was too prideful.
After the first half hour, Ruby questioned Weiss on if she knew where she was going. The heiress answered with 'Of course I do.' And marched on.
Over the next hour, Ruby would repeat the question every twenty minutes. Weiss maintained the lie every time. That combined with her condescending attitude would annoy her, but Ruby already had a plan B. If Weiss proved insufficient, then Ruby would stage it to look like Weiss was the offender in front of the cameras. She did not know if they picked up audio, but she doubted it since there was no mike. Giving Ruby justification to leave and get Weiss to follow her. It was not a perfect plan, but it was better than wasting their time wandering like baby creeps.
Ruby watched her partner. The heiress had maintained her dignified posture through this entire shamble. This told Ruby that Weiss was not simply stubborn. The relentless march, the refusal to stop or even look back. It was deliberate. She was keeping up appearances for the cameras. Not focusing on survival in a forest full of Grimm. Keeping up appearances.
To Ruby, this girl was an insult to all the huntsmen out there who struggle to stay alive in their battle with the Grimm. Huntsmen are meant to fight monsters, looking good was fine for appearances in villages, but it ultimately didn't matter. Prioritizing appearance over your role was disrespect at the highest level. If she wanted to be a huntress she would have to take this seriously.
Ruby never expects much from others, more often than not they would let her down. She would never admit it, but she hoped Beacon would be different. That it would attract people who could see the world the way she does. A dark, and dangerous place that required people to take it seriously. Or be torn apart by it.
Instead, all she gets are short-sighted dunces. Too focused on their personal issues to see the bigger picture. It made her want to grind her teeth sometimes.
The hum dies down a bit. She would not get angry. Anger was Yang's weapon. Ruby had her own.
This whole farce had served its purpose. Ruby had learned enough about Weiss to decide her next course of action. She had to put on enough of a show for Ozpin to believe that she was genuinely trying and not simply biding her time.
Ruby lamented Weiss' failure. She did want Weiss to succeed. It would have made their time at Beacon so much easier. With Weiss in the limelight, leaving Ruby in the background to do as she pleased.
At least now Ruby could jump ship before it started sinking. But before that, she needed to give her partner one last chance and this time she would be more direct. As her mother had said.
'Try to give others a chance, they might surprise you.'
So, with those words in mind, Ruby asked the question. "Weiss, where are we going?"
"The forest temple." She answered, not looking back.
"And you know where it is?"
"Of course, I do. I already said that." She lied, frustration evident in her tone.
Ruby stopped walking. It was time to make her stand. "No. You don't."
Her words put the brakes on Weiss' stride. "Excuse me?" She asked, not looking pleased.
With a sigh, Ruby stated her inquiry. "You have no idea where the temple is do you?"
"I don't have time for this." She said dismissively, turning away. "We have a mission to complete, and I won't let your childish impatience slow us down. Now let's go."
"No," Ruby said, stopping the heiress again. "I'm not one of your butlers. I'm not just going to follow you around, while you lead is in circles. Admit it Weiss we're lost."
"We are not lost. Don't say that." Weiss denied Ruby's claim, stepping up to the girl, attempting an intimidation tactic used one hundred times over. "I know exactly where we're going."
"Oh yeah?" Ruby tilted her head up slightly, giving Weiss a clear view of her face. As well as how unconvinced she was. "And which way is that?"
Weiss hesitated for a moment; Ruby could see her eyes shifting in uncertainty. "North." She lied again.
Ruby kept her dull stare, showing her lack of belief. "We would be there by now if that were true."
"Are you questioning my abilities?" Weiss asked. It was an attempt to make Ruby feel insufficient and it wasn't working. "I'll let you know I was taught by the finest Atlas has to offer and excelled in every field of study I've been educated in." She finished, tilting her head up, indicating her superiority over Ruby.
"Keep repeating what they're paid to tell you, princess." Ruby did not care if those words were true or not. What mattered was the here and now. And right now Ruby seemed to strike a nerve as Weiss lost her composure.
"Stop calling me princess. My name is Weiss."
"Alright. Ice Queen." Ruby continued, making sure she sounded bored.
Weiss groaned, clearly becoming exasperated by the name-calling. "We're wasting time. Stop with the immature insults and follow me."
"As soon as you quit being so bossy and admit you don't know what you're doing."
"You're such a child!" Weiss hissed, stomping a heeled boot into the dirt. "Here we are in a forest filled with monsters and you wasted time by insulting me because you're impatient."
While incorrect, Ruby did not retort, Instead, she shrugged. "Maybe I am. I'm not perfect and neither are you. No matter how much you pretend to be."
Weiss seemed frozen by Ruby's words. For a moment Ruby became confused. The heiress looked stunned. Her gaze dropped to the dirt. Her fists shook once again. She looked guilt-ridden. Ashamed even.
Ruby had not expected this. She expected more frustration not shame. Did Weiss feel bad for not being perfect? That couldn't be right.
"I'm not perfect." Said Weiss in a low voice.
The heiress raised her head, making eye contact once more. They held an intensity that was not there before. Weiss had regained her confidence. As well as her condescending attitude.
"Not yet." Weiss said stepping away from Ruby." But I'm still leagues better than you."
With that Weiss walked off with a satisfied smirk, while Ruby just stood there.
"Not yet?" She repeated her partner's words.
So, Weiss wasn't just a blind dunce. She was delusional. That was discomforting. As well as irrelevant. Weiss had made her stance clear. She had already deemed herself so far above Ruby that it was not worth the time it would take to consult her. Guess it was to be expected. Weiss turned out to be another disappointment.
"I tried Mom." She whispered.
It was time to abandon ship. But not before she got one last word in.
"If that's how you feel." Said Ruby. "Then I don't need you anymore."
Weiss stopped. Now becoming angry at the girl's attitude. How could a girl two years her junior could believe that she could understand the situation better than she did? It was the same Whitely giving her advice on fencing after he had only a week of training.
Then there were the words. Was she implying that Weiss was unnecessary?
Weiss took a quick breath to calm herself down. A leader must not lose their composure. She'd let herself slip once already, she would not do it again, no matter the taunts Ruby threw at her. In the moment of clarity. The wisdom of her elder sister returned to her. A leader must be confident. A leader must be composed. A leader acts boldly and without hesitation. Remaining in control of both themselves and whatever situation they found themselves in.
Weiss was not perfect. Not yet. That was why she came to Beacon. It produced the best huntsmen on Remnant. Four years. She had four years to become strong. Strong enough to break free from that man's grip. Four years to become strong enough to challenge him. Now that she was away from him there was nothing, he could do to stop her.
She would be perfect. Like Winter, who graduated early and was now a specialist. The youngest in history.
Weiss would not let this little girl derail her plans. She would get them to the temple by her merit and her merit alone. Ozpin would recognize her potential and her rise to her grandfather's legacy could begin. But first, she would need to get Ruby under control. The red hood had caused too much trouble for Weiss already. With the loss of her dust, and now her breaking school property while being recorded. It was almost enough to make her cry. So far Weiss had been patient with the girl as she followed along while Weiss took the initiative.
The forest was bigger than Weiss first thought. It was far bigger than the family garden where her mother drank the days away. But she would find it eventually. She just had to keep trying. It was the one lesson she remembered from her grandfather. To never give up.
She did understand Ruby's frustration to some extent. Nevertheless, Weiss would need to be the adult here. After all, this was now a way for a huntress to behave.
Turning around, Weiss prepared to berate the girl again.
Only to find that she wasn't there anymore.
Blinking, Weiss looked around for the girl in red, to see nothing but the natural greens and browns of the forest. She was alone.
"Ruby?" Weiss said.
There was no reply.
"Ruby!?" She called out. Still no reply.
Silence reigned. Icy blue eyes watched the shifting layers of green created by the mass of leaves from the bushes.
"This isn't funny Ruby. Come out right now!" Weiss ordered to the rustling bush.
Weiss considered marching in there and grabbing the girl by the collar. But that thought died when she heard a familiar growl.
Weiss jumped back as a black claw swiped at her from the bush. Quickly pulling out Myrtenaster took a ready stance as she backed up. The same trick would not work twice.
She continued to back away from the bushes and trees. This forced the Grimm to abandon their cover and walk out into the open.
Her eyes narrowed on the beowolves emerging from the greenery. Some upright, others on all fours.
Weiss braced herself for a charge, but they repeated the same tactic as the last pack she cut down. They slowly began encircling her.
This did not bother the heiress at first, but as more beowolves emerged from the bushes she realized this would be a proper fight.
This pack was larger than the first one. She counted roughly thirty Grimm, but the real threat came as the last one revealed itself.
The last Grimm to show itself was far larger than its brethren. Its body was covered in bone-like plates and armor, with spikes protruding from its back and forearms. Its bone mask looked more developed as well.
The beowolf alpha stood tall amongst his kin. Fixing Weiss with a hate-filled stare, it let out an echoing howl. To which its pack mates took as a signal to charge.
Ruby stood among the leaves. Her feet were firmly planted on the highest branches.
Alone. As it should be.
She surveyed the surrounding forest. looking for something familiar. She saw the cliff they had launched from. It wasn't as far away as she had thought. Confirming that Weiss had been leading them in a circle. The upside to this was that it meant they weren't too far away from their destination to find the correct path.
It would not take her too long to find the target. Hopefully, Yang isn't too upset.
Now Ruby just needed to find out which way was north. Shouldn't be too hard.
Looking at the cliff, the headmaster had launched them from, she assumed that was south. As they had been directed straight ahead of the cliff. It was common sense but it didn't hurt to be sure. Looking up Ruby saw the sun. The sun rises from the east, and Ruby deduced that it was still morning and nearly approaching mid-day.
Taking out her scroll, she pressed down on the power button. The second the screen lit up, she felt a jolt of pain in her skull. It wasn't too bad, but it was enough to be extremely annoying. She doesn't know what happened to her when she was nine, but whatever they did to her, she hated them for it. Just looking at an active scroll gave her a headache. Using it for anything was a trial of endurance. Using it to call people was the worst. Each note that comes from it is like a hammer to her skull.
The screen lit up with a number. 10:24. Earlier than she expected. With that, she powered her scroll down. The pain immediately abated. Doctors said that something was wrong with her brain, but blamed their lack of understanding of bad equipment. Useless.
Looking up again. the sun had yet to pass the cliff. Proving her original theory. They just had to travel straight forward from the cliff. The fact that Weiss had messed that up was beyond sad.
"She wants to be a huntress. But she'll end up as Grimm bait unless gets over herself."
"True." Came an echoey voice from seemingly everywhere. Startling Ruby. She glanced around, but no one was there.
"She won't last long at all." The voice said. It was a girl's voice and it sounded familiar.
"Who's there?" Ruby asked, on guard now. Not trusting someone who could sneak up on her in her hunting ground of choice.
"Down here." It said.
Looking down, past the leaves and branches she could see a dark figure standing in the shade. She couldn't make out what the figure looked like. Which was strange. It wasn't even that dark. Stranger still was that Ruby could hear this person clearly.
Not wasting time, Ruby jumped down. Landing right in front of this person.
They were completely obscured even when standing less than three meters away. They wore a black cloak that covered their entire body. Ruby got the impression that this person was using a semblance to hide their appearance. The main indicator of this was the black mist that drifted off the cloak. And from within the hood, hiding their face.
"Hello." Ruby greeted, trying to be polite. "I'm Ruby."
"I know." Said the cloaked person.
"Okay," Ruby said awkwardly. Who was this person?
"Mmmm. Now that is strange." Said Ozpin.
"What? Has something happened to Ruby?" Glynda asked.
"I'm not too sure." He answered looking at the glitching feed.
It began only seconds ago, but when Ruby hit the ground his visual feed began to flare up. Like something was interfering with the signal.
"Camera 553." He said.
Glynda switched her feed, and to her surprise, the image was also extremely glitchy.
"Is this some kind of malfunction?" Asked Vice-headmistress.
"It could be," Ozpin said changing his view to another camera. The image of the red-cloaked girl yielded the same result. He could barely make out her shape in the mess.
He switched again, and the same result again. "Camera 556."
Glynda changed her own feed and also received the same. "I'm getting the same thing. Could it be some kind of interference?"
"It seems like it." He changed his view to that of Weiss, spearing a beowolf's skull. The image of the dissolving Grimm was clear as crystal. "But it isn't system-wide. It appears to be centered around Miss Rose."
"You think she's jamming us? We know that she's aware of the cameras." Glynda said, sounding upset. "We also know that Taiyang might have tipped her off to it."
"While that is a possibility, I rather doubt it. We know she has some skills with mechanics. But I doubt she would find it nessecaery to build a jammer just to use it halfway through the Initiation." Ozpin said. "If it were me out there. I would use it from the start instead of putting up with Miss Schnee for two hours."
"If she isn't jamming us then what's interfering with the signal?"
"I don't know." He said as he noticed a spot in the image where the glitching was far more intense than the rest. "But all we can do for now is watch and speculate. We can search for answers after."
"Should I contact James to ask for Pietro? He might be able to sort this out."
"I don't believe this warrants calling for Atlas' top scientist just to fix a few cameras," Opzin said. "If the interference does not abate then feel free to call for someone to sort it out. For now, let us focus on the students."
"What's your name?" Ruby asked.
The cloaked person did not answer, instead, they just stared at Ruby. the mist ever-present.
"Umm." Ruby stuttered. She didn't know what to say here. She couldn't get a read on this person. If she could see their face or anything about them she could get some idea.
"Why did you waste so much time with that girl?" Asked the shadow person.
Ruby did not feel comfortable answering that. The question indicated that this person had been stalking them since Initiation started.
"Have you been following me?" Ruby asked, to which the person replied. "Yes."
"Why?" Ruby asked.
The shadow person did not respond right away. "You already know why."
Ruby blinked in confusion. She had no idea who this person was. She would remember someone who stood out like this. Perhaps she would if she could see their damn face.
"No, I don't. Maybe I would if I could see what you look like under that cloak," Ruby suggested, not wanting to be rude. She understood the comforts of wearing a hood, but if you were going to introduce yourself it would be best of the other person could see your face.
The shadow person's cloak parted, revealing two equally dark arms. They looked feminine, so they were a girl after all. This was some strange semblance.
But she stopped when a howl echoed through the trees.
"She's in trouble again." Said the girl, her arms retreating back into her cloak.
"It would seem like it," Ruby said with a sigh. Would she ever be rid of that girl?
Turing away Ruby made off in the direction of the howl.
"Are you really going to help her again? She wasn't too grateful the first time?"
Ruby wondered for a second how this girl had managed to follow them for so long without being noticed but disregarded it. That could be solved later.
"A huntress protects people. Even if she doesn't like them."
The shadow person let out a chuckle. "Still quoting Mom."
Ruby froze. "What did you just say?"
Turning around, she wanted to question the person more. But they weren't there.
Weiss lunged forward, stabbing the beowolf in the gut. It howled in pain as she tore it out. Unrefined? Maybe. Effective? Definitely. Winter had drilled it into her that sometimes it was alright to abandon elegance in exchange for superiority in battle.
So far she had killed seven beowolves out of the thirty or so. These were smarter than the first pack. They had her completely encircled now. Always attacked when they perceived her guard was down. Like proper pack hunters, they worked together to bring down a dangerous opponent. The losses did not seem to discourage them, and she had a guess why.
The alpha had yet to engage Weiss. It stayed at the back like a banner. Protected by the lesser Grimm and emboldening them. Grimm had very little in terms of self-preservation but they knew when to run if defeat was obvious. As long as the alpha was there they would not let up until she had killed them all.
From her flanks came three beowolves at once. Myrtenaster cycled to wind dust, which she used to cut through the air bisecting two of the offending Grimm.
With a roll, she dodged the third and vertically split it in half. Retaking her stance she lined herself up to the alpha. If she could kill it, the rest would become frazzled, and disorganized.
Weiss steaded her breathing, adjusted her footing, and lined up her strike. She formed an acceleration glyph at her feet and launched forward. Bypassing the alpha's guards and impaling the leader in the chest.
She grinned as the beast howled in pain. It was just another animal just like the rest.
However, the beast did not fall. Once its cry ended, it began growling in anger. Weiss meant to withdraw Myrtenaster, but the monster caught her in its claws. She thrashes in its grip but it was the stronger of the two of them. She tried to pull her weapon free, but when that didn't work she cycled to her fire dust and ignited the blade. The flames ate at the Grimm's black flesh.
The monster tossed her away as it fell to its knees. She landed on her back. Before she could get up another beowolf lunged at her seeing this as the perfect moment to strike. Weiss braced herself. Her aura would only allow for one hit. That was fine. If she needed to take a hit to win then she could accept it. Just like the Arma Gigas.
A gunshot rang out and the Grimm was knocked away. Its head was encased in ice. As it fell, the rest of the pack was put on alert. All of them began looking around and sniffing the air. Trying to detect any hint of negativity to zero in on. They all began to shift from left to right. They weren't smart but they were intelligent enough to know that there was a threat other than their prey. They knew someone had fired that shot.
Weiss noticed the leaves above the alpha rustle slightly. As the pack leader stood, its life ended. Within the next three seconds, Ruby fell from the branches onto the Grimm's back, hooked the blade of her scythe around its neck, and fired. Decapitating the alpha.
It happened so quickly that even the beowolves were startled by it. They were the hunters, they were not used to being taken by surprise. Weiss sat there for a moment, watching Ruby reorient herself in the air, and decent apon the pack with the lethality of a buzz saw. Her spinning form dismembered any Grimm that got close. Reaching Weiss' kill count in mere moments.
With their leader dead, most of the Grimm chose to focus on the new threat. Deeming it necessary to gang up on her. However, not all of them had the same idea in mind. Two lunged at Weiss when she got to her feet.
Without thinking, Weiss ignited the dust in her chamber and lit up the blade of Myrtenaster. With a wold swing, she incinerated the Grimm, but flames lashed out and cut across the clearing and crashed into a tree. This created a wildfire that began to spread across the clearing.
The remaining Grimm howled and made their escape in the chaos. Weiss looked to the side and witnessed Ruby fleeing the scene as well. She decided to immediately give chase.
The two ran until they were a good distance away from the fire. Weiss was furious with the girl. Abandoning her like that. No one aiming to become a huntress would ever do that. She should be thrown out for this.
"I think we're safe here," Ruby said, patting down her clothes.
Weiss stared at the girl, how could she be so calm right now?
"What happened back there?" Weiss asked the red reaper.
"You lit the forest on fire," Ruby answered without a second thought.
"No, before that. Why did you leave me?"
"I got tired of following you. So, I left to find the temple on my own."
Weiss gasped, this girl just straight-up abandoned her. In the middle of a dangerous forest, filled with monsters.
"I cannot believe you! Of all the irresponsible things you could have done. Why would you just leave on your own?"
"Weren't you planning on doing the exact same thing earlier?" Ruby asked tilting her head to the side.
Weiss stuttered, she'd been called out. "Rrgh, if I had known about the cameras I wouldn't have tried." Weiss then realized something Ruby was calling her out for a crime both of them were guilty of. "Why did you do it? You know the cameras are there."
"Simple," Ruby said pacing around the heiress. "I realized something while I was following your oh so great lead."
"And what might that be?"
"That you're a dunce," Runy said, stopping right in front of Weiss with finality. "And I refuse to follow a dunce."
Weiss blinked. Did this girl just call her an idiot? She furrowed her brow wanting to reprimand the girl but stopped herself. She had already lost her composure once. If she does it again Ruby wins.
"Then why'd you come back? Realize that you need me?" Weiss asked, expecting the girl to try and deflect.
"No. I came to help you because it's what a huntress is supposed to do. Help people." Ruby said, anger apparent on her features as well now. "And that fight only justified my opinion. Who uses fire dust in the middle of the forest?"
"Well had you not abandoned me, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire. Does the simple idea of communication not register in that little head of yours?"
"Like you would have listened anyway. With you being obsessed with completing Initiation on your own. I want the same thing you want, remember. We both need to find the temple. But you are too focused on proving yourself, for some reason, that you don't care about what I can do to help."
"He-hey. That not... true." Weiss stuttered. Only now realizing that she may have made a huge mistake throughout this entire mission. All those questions. All those annoying statements. Were they just Ruby's attempt at helping? Did Ruby just want to help? It made Weiss remember the times she tried to help Winter with her schoolwork when she was in the academy. All the times she has moved out of the room because Winter wanted to do it alone. Was she doing the same thing?
"Whatever," Ruby said turning away. "I going. I don't care if Ozping cuts my grades in half or whatever. It's better than failing."
She marched away. Leaving Weiss alone to contemplate what had just happened. She had just been lectured by a girl who was two years her junior. Weiss wanted to rebuttal the girl. Say that she was just being childish. And maybe she was. But did that mean Weiss was in the right? The girl was correct. They wanted the same thing. They both came here to be huntresses. And right now their mission was the same. It made sense that Ruby just wanted to help.
Weiss realized that she may have just severely damaged her relationship with a member of her future team. As well as forgetting the final leadership lesson Winter had taught her. A leader must be willing to listen to those under them. Their views are valuable for they do not see the world as you do and thus can take notice of things you cannot. It was the most important lesson behind staying in control.
"Wait," Weiss called out, running after the red reaper.
"What?" Asked Ruby not stopping in her march.
"I'll admit," Weiss began. "I haven't exactly been as... cooperative as I should have been."
"Understatement of the month," Ruby said.
"Would you please stop?" Weiss pleaded. "I just want to talk."
Weiss did not expect Ruby to comply, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her stop her march and face the heiress. Her expression was dull and disinterested. Did this girl have a personality switch on her?
"Alright. So, I haven't exactly given you much reason to... be accepting of me. I have been sort of tunnel-visioned this entire time. And I have let my biases decide how I see you and I can understand how that would frustrate you."
Ruby listened but gave no indication that she had been convinced.
"Our first encounter impaired my judgment. I was just frustrated."
"With?" Asked Ruby.
Weiss sighed. "Everything. I had this whole thing planned out. From the second I stepped off my plane to graduation. It's just that nothing seems to go the way I hope it would."
"I can understand that." Said Ruby. "It's annoying to play by someone else's rules."
Weiss blinked. That was right. All her life she had to play by her father's regulations. Everything he said was law. She had to tiptoe around them just to get here.
"But that only makes winning all the sweeter." Ruby finished, a smile showing. It wasn't a friendly smile. It more resembled a predator's grin, but Weiss appreciated it.
She was right. It did make winning all the sweeter. The fact that he tried so hard to stop her only added to it. She hadn't been that happy in ages. It was why she was so giddy yesterday. Why she hadn't been able to sleep because of how happy she was to finally be free. That made her a rebel of sorts and she was proud of it. She was proud of her scar.
It made her wonder. Was Ruby also a rebel?
"I guess it does," Weiss admitted. "I've had to jump over a lot of hurdles to be here, so I may have overreacted when something suddenly went wrong."
"You mean the dust thing right?" Ruby deduced.
"Correct," Weiss affirmed. "I wanted everything to go well that I just didn't know how to react when it didn't. I see now that I may have been in the wrong."
Weiss hated this. Admitting mistakes. Schnees aren't supposed to make mistakes. She was supposed to be the perfect heir. Winter never would have made the stupid decisions she did. She would have done better.
"That's alright." Said Ruby, making Weiss blink in confusion. "Everyone makes poor choices when they're upset."
Weiss did not expect this. Ruby had been very stubborn before. Maybe Weiss had misjudged her. "I'll also admit that I have underestimated you. You dispatched those Grimm with a professional methodology."
"Grimm are dumb as bricks, but they can learn. It's best to get them before they get the chance."
"Indeed." Weiss agreed. Having spent many hours studying the Creatures of Grimm and their many habits. She never imagined they'd get the drop on her so easily, which shows she did have much to learn. That did bring up a question.
"How did you manage to ambush the Grimm like that? Couldn't they sense your emotions?"
"Grimm can only sense negative emotions. If you learn to block them out then sneaking up on them is easy."
Weiss had to admit that was impressive. She had been through many classes to help her control her reactions. Dealing with her father was the perfect training. But it did not stop the resentment from building up inside her.
"Do you think I could learn that?"
"If you want. It's really easy once you figure it out. You just need to enjoy the hunt."
"Excuse me?"
"You need to learn to enjoy fighting and killing them. To have a form of anticipation rather than anxiety." Ruby explained. "The main emotion Grimm look for is fear. Once you get rid of that, controlling the rest is easy."
It made sense. There was no shortage of people who were angry at or even downright hated the beasts, but that was small picking compared to the number of people who were drop-dead terrified of them.
"It can't be that easy," Weiss argued fear was one of the primary emotions people had. You can't just shut it off.
"It's not. But I have a saying that helps."
"Mind sharing?" Weiss prompted.
"You cannot be prey if you're the predator."
Weiss internalized that. It essentially meant Ruby saw the Creatures of Grimm as her prey. That she was their natural predator. It made sense. If you plan to enjoy a hunt you need to enjoy fighting your enemies. Weiss had never seen it that way. All her life, everything had been obstacles. The Grimm included. Perhaps a change in perspective could be useful.
"That is an interesting way to view humanity's greatest enemy." Weiss took a breath and decided to return to the topic they had started this with.
"Look. I'm sorry. Can we not be at each other's throats going forward? As you said. We both want the same thing." Weiss offered.
Ruby hummed to herself, giving the idea some thought. "How about a truce?"
"I'm listening."
"Let's start over. We both want the next four years to go smoothly. Since we're stuck with each other it would make sense for us to work together." Ruby offered her hand. "What do you say? What to let all this bad blood go?"
Weiss stared at the hand. Was it really this simple? Just forgive and forget. Why not.
Weiss took the hand and gave it a firm shake. "We have an understanding."
"Great. My name is Ruby Rose. What's yours?" She asked regaining the cheerful attitude she had at breakfast.
Weiss stared. Did she mean start over as in pretend they just met? She wasn't entirely sure, but she goes along with it. This was for the best. With a smile, she returned the gesture.
"Greeting Ruby Rose. I'm Weiss Schnee." She gave a courtesy. "It's nice to make your acquaintance."
"Nice to meet you too." The girl needed to work on her etiquette, but that was fine for now, they had four years to work that out. Now to do what she should have done from the start.
"Do you have any idea where the temple is?"
"Yup." She said, turning and pointing t her right. "North is that way. Got our position while I was gone."
It still stung a little that her partner was willing to abandon her on the first day, but now they could move forward. "Lead the way."
As she said that, something large passed by overhead. Making all the leaves rustle, and Ruby's cloak flap in Weiss' face. She ignored it to focus on the disturbance. "What was that?"
"That was a Nevermore." Said Ruby. "A really, really big Nevermore."
A loud shriek echoed across the forest as the two huntresses in training looked at each other.
"We should start running," Ruby suggested, and Weiss was all too eager to agree.
Hey everyone. Sorry, this chapter took longer than usual. I was busy with a few other projects. Don't worry I haven't forgotten about my first creation. Thank you to everyone who followed and favorited up to now. Thank you for showing that you are interested.