Ruby Schnee
Today would be perfect.
Ruby decided it the instant she opened her eyes. The bird's were chirping along to a song only known to them outside, the sunlight bathed the room in a yellow glow that seemed to drive away all her tiredness, and best of all, their were no other sounds. No annoyed or angry Weiss upset about waking up too early, no cries from Argus practically begging them to get up already because he was either hungry or bored... none of it. Weiss was still resting peacefully next to her, resembling a ghost thanks to her pale skin and white cloth pajamas, and Argus was completely silent this morning. Hopefully still asleep from last night's nightmare.
She slowly leaned up, stretching her arms out as wide as she could and taking a deep breath of the morning air. Today had potential, but it wasn't perfect yet. No. Ruby had to make it perfect!
So, she was up and ready to start the day! First was waking the sleeping beauty of a Queen and the mother of her child! She rounded the bed quickly, not bothering with slippers or her cloak this morning... she didn't really need either of them for her morning routine. A small kiss was planted over Weiss's eye, which only resulted in a light stirring from the woman. Ruby frowned a bit as she sat on the edge of the bed, losing herself in thought as she stared at Weiss's face... that scar. That single blemish on her otherwise flawless body... how had it happened? Ruby didn't hate it, honestly she thought it was awesome looking, but after all this time... how did she still not know? Now that she thought about it, she didnt really know much about Weiss's childhood, and perhaps Weiss didn't know much about Ruby's either.
In a way, they sort of skipped everything. Every stage between strangers and a married couple sort of just went out the window... and Ruby had no clue why. She had never stopped to think about how she had fallen for Weiss so fast... or even more confusingly, how Weiss had fallen for her so fast... and while she wasn't about to complain - especially now that they had a child that owed his life to that fact - she did wish they could have had more time to get to know each other... She gently ran her hand over Weiss's cheek with a smile, stroking her face lovingly, but still letting her sleep.
"I wonder how many stories you could tell me... and I wonder how many I could tell you..."
Perhaps it wasn't a bad thing that they had yet to share all of that. Ruby had no intention of letting Weiss go for as long as she could keep hold of her... and for the hundreds or hopefully thousands of years that would take, they could surely benefit from stretching some of those stages throughout some of that. Or better yet, when Argus took the throne, they could make some new stories together...
But perhaps that was thinking way too soon. She stood and moved over to the crib as quietly as possible, each step using all of her concentration to make as soft as possible before she was finally at its side... and could look down at their little miracle. She leaned against the side of it and stared down at the still sleeping baby with a smile... he didn't move much, it seemed like he was having a nice dream now. Which was much better then the alternative like last night. She rested the side of her head on her crossed arms leaning on the crib wall, and let out a gentle content sigh.
"I guess you're gonna be King of Vale someday huh? Just depends on if you want that or not..."
Her mind wandered a bit as she watched his chest rise and fall ever so slightly and slowly... content with watching him simply breath for now as she let her thoughts organise themselves... or perhaps disorganise themselves.
Did Weiss want this life when she was younger? Did she want this now? Did she want to be Queen? Would Argus want to be King? Did Ruby want to be here now? Would she have preferred it if their family could have lived a simple life in Patch...?
That last one stuck with her. That dream haunted her still, even after experiencing a different one in the hours since then. She couldn't erase it... the memories of a life she didn't live... the experiences she wouldn't get to truly have... the experiences Argus wouldn't get to have... He would never go to school, he would probably have a hard time making friends... was this her fault?
Was there a series of actions and choices she could have made... that would have let them end up on that island? Would Weiss have ever wanted that? Would she have been happy there...? Ruby had more questions then answers... and while she wished they were about complex things like 'What is the World?' and 'What do the Relics do?'... instead they were questions about her life, and the lives of the people she loved.
She let out a sigh and slumped against the side of the crib, reaching down and gently rubbing the babies cheek with an almost pout on her face.
"So far the perfect day is making me think about some heavy stuff..."
Her ear twitched as a sound caught her attention. A slight changing in Weiss's breathing that signaled her first concious moments of the day. Ruby could've turned and wished her a 'good morning' but instead chose to keep her eyes on Argus for now, the baby being the only one of them still asleep and in need of a watchful eye.
"Good morning Ruby..." Weiss yawned out her first words of the day and was quick to stand out of bed. Her pajamas draped lazily behind her as she shuffled over to Ruby and the crib she was seemingly attached to, she let out a light chuckle as she approached, but joined Ruby in watching Argus's sleep anyway. "He still tuckered out?"
"Being so cute is tiring." Ruby smiled as he twitched a little, probably reacting to both of their scents so close.
"You would know, Ruby." Weiss's comment was accompanied by a kiss to Ruby's cheek, before she stood back up properly and stretched a little. "If he's still asleep, I'm going to go get ready for the day."
"Busy schedule?" They should really organise a calender system of some kind...
"Not particularly." Weiss shrugged as she headed over to her nightstand. "Got some papers to sign in my office this morning, a council meeting at around lunchtime that shouldn't run too long... and this afternoon we have that exam with Glynda." Ruby nodded along gently, incredibly tempted to fiddle with Argus's little hands as she listened... but inevitably choosing to let him sleep.
The meeting in question wasn't a big deal really. Glyda had Platinum eyes, but more importantly was someone they both trusted greatly. She would be checking Argus's title, as every Dragon recieved a different one... and it would be better to know sooner rather then later.
"By the way, in his birth certificate-" Ruby turned just in time to get a good look of Weiss stretching at the perfect angle, but she chose to continue speaking anyway... though now with a light blush. "It listed his Affinity." Weiss nodded.
"Yes, a Hybrid Affinity of Light blue and-"
"Grey. I read it... but why? It's Silver isn't it?"
"The Big Four aren't exaclty public information Ruby." Weiss moved over with a comforting smile, having picked up quickly that it was something bothering Ruby. "Sure, most powerful people know about them, but it's not information I'd trust with anyone. If Silver eyes especially were common knowledge, think about how many people would have tried to take advantage of you when you were younger." She rested a hand on Ruby's cheek and her Silver eyes darted away.
"I would've liked to see someone try..."
Weiss chuckled with a nod, pulling her hand away as she spoke. "Between Yang, Blake, and not even mentioning Qrow... it would have been an interesting situation." Weiss tilted her head for a moment then smirked. "If you would have actually accepted any of their help." Ruby turned her head away with a guilty expression, and Weiss started giggling lightly before heading into the bathroom, probably for a morning shower... or bath. Ruby had noticed that Weiss really liked baths.
She glanced back at Argus and smirked a little.
"I bet you'll like baths too."
"I hate this..." Ruby had to stop herself from giggling or even cracking a smile at every comment. They were never ending, yet each one was rather entertaining with the energy behind it.
"You know you could take a break right?" Apparently not the right words to say, only resulting in her wife sending her an annoyed glare that softened greatly when her eyes met the baby in Ruby's arms. Weiss wanted to argue... but Ruby made an excellent argument, looking rather relaxed on the lounge of the Queens office, and holding an adorable bundle of joy in her arms.
"And what do you suggest I do with said break? There's no point in me being here if I'm not working."
"Then...-" Ruby racked her brain for a moment, glancing down at the baby as if to ask for his opinion... which, actually helped a little. "How about I ask you some stuff? It would be helpful for me to be in the know."
Weiss deadpanned. "You could just attend some more meetings-"
"Anyway-!" Ruby quickly interrupted, and her sudden jolt resulted in a tiny giggle from the baby in her arms... which momentarily melted her heart before she continued. "What's Uncle Qrow up to?"
Weiss let out a groan and leaned back in her chair. "He's chasing up on Carmine..." Ruby tensed a bit at that, nodding her head gently and looking away.
"Not my finest moment..." Obviously the... 'incident'... hadn't been good. But her true mistake came after, in the form of nothing... she failed to tell anyone about why exaclty she had done it, until it was too late. Carmine was long gone and probably back in Vacuo by the time she spoke up, and Qrow could only investigate so much in the home turf of an extremely powerful wizard without getting caught... plus, if he did get caught, it would obviously be difficult to deny any alliegence to Vale.
Qrow had wanted to just go and kill her the second Ruby had mentioned that she said Rory's name, but Weiss decided against it. Obviously getting rid of Carmine now would be beneficial - and it would put Vacuo in an even worse circumstance to strike back - but trying to get a lead on Cinder would be even more helpful if possible. Weiss had been very clear about the situation, and left the choice up to Qrow.
If he believed he could take Carmine and Cinder in a fight at the same time, he should investigate instead of just ending this now.
Ruby wasnt sure if it was overconfidence or if her uncle was genuinely that strong... but as far as she knew Carmine was still alive, and the less she thought about that, the better.
"Don't blame yourself, Ruby... it was... a lot... for everyone, but especially you." Weiss's eyes carried a warmth and comfort that Ruby needed way too much of right now... coming down from the full effects of Pride had hit her more then she thought, and left her in a state of second-guessing all of her decisions... only made worse by her almost colossal fuck-up of nearly getting caught at the arena right after getting put on house arrest.
"I... w-we should talk about something else." She turned her gaze back to Argus, seeking a soul that didn't yet know her mistakes to find comfort in.
"Ok." Weiss was always so understanding... maybe too much so compared to what Ruby deserved.
"What are your plans for Amity Colosseum?" Weiss let out another groan and Ruby chuckled softly in response.
"I have more plans presented to me then I know what to do with... some of these are just plain stupid, and others would take more effort then their worth..."
"Liiikkeee?" Ruby almost spoke in a sing-song voice, and Weiss let out a sigh before continuing.
"Training grounds."
"That's not bad."
"How do we get people up there to train, Ruby?"
"Ummm... oh shoot. Well, airships would be a waste of Dust."
"And even if they all could fly up there for it, it would make the training less effective because they would use up some mana getting there... and for what? Amity Colosseum is bigger then Beacon's arena, but it's not like the one on the ground is small."
"So training grounds out. Any other ideas?"
"None worth mentioning... unless you genuinely want to consider turning it into a farm."
"...well-"
"Ruby if you even try to defend that idea, I'm going to start doubting how safe our child is in your arms."
Ruby pulled Argus closer, almost defensively but made less serious by her pout. "No need to be rude about it."
"I just wish someone could offer a good idea..."
"Maybe I could come up with one."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I'm all ears If you want to suggest an idea."
"I said 'could'. You'll have to give me something if you want me to talk." Ruby smirked triumphantly, but Weiss's expression didn't falter for a second.
"I gave you a child."
"I seem to recall putting some work into that as well." Ruby tried to hide her blush, but failed spectacularly.
Weiss rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yes, you certainly did lay there while I did all the work-"
"S-shut up!" Her weak defense simply made the Queen laugh, and the rare noise was enough for Argus to start giving a cute giggle again.
"Speaking of work though-" Ruby eyed her carefully. "-how is Clover's sword coming?"
"What?" She blinked momentarily and Weiss tilted her head.
"His Gilded Magic Weapon...? The thing we promised him in exchange for Argus being born safe...?"
"Ohhhh..." Ruby nodded and stood slowly. "Hey Weiss?"
"Yes, Ruby?"
"Can you take Argus for a few hours? I just remembered something I have to go get started on." Say what you will about Ruby's talents... no one in the world was better at making the Queen facepalm.
One more rune... one more squeeze... if Ruby put something over here... or perhaps over there...
Making a magic item was a difficult process. Even morso for a magic weapon. First you had to actually get the shape of the weapon, which she only had thanks to Clover leaving his old sword behind for her to use as reference, then, you had to work on the magic. It had an almost soul that you had to write on, stuffing as much magic and mana workings into it as possible without overloading it... or worse, leaving some space free.
Clover just wanted a better version of his previous weapon, but that left Ruby in a difficult position. Obviously she wanted to make it perfect... but she couldn't work to the best of her abilities with a Gilded item... she was much more comfortable with the space and freedom Legendary tier allowed for, but Weiss had been adamant about her not just handing away items of that calibre... especially to Knights from other Kingdoms. Which Ruby didn't really get... she trusted Clover afterall.
"If I can trust him to protect Weiss and Argus, I can trust him with a cool weapon..."
Besides, even if she made him the best weapon she possibly could... it wouldn't be enough to put him on Pyrrha's level. It would at least take a Relic tier weapon or item to bridge that gap, and Ruby definitely couldn't make one of those...
Clovers weapon was incredibly basic in design. It didn't lose its edge, it couldn't break, and it had great mana flow. Ruby could upgrade all three of those easy enough, but making it pass through ambient mana was something she hadn't had to make yet. It was the difference between making a weapon feel like it was slicing through air, and making it feel like it was slicing through nothing at all. That slight difference could actually be a huge advantage in a fight, so she wanted to push herself to try and fit it in... but so far she was thinking it might be impossible to stuff all of that into a Gilded weapon... a Legendary Tier however-
She let out a groan and put her tools down... that exact thought process had been where she'd been stuck for a good few hours now. As easy as this could be, she didnt want to make something sub-par... especially not for someone who she owed. Weiss was hesitant to actually say that Clover's good luck had done much of anything, but Ruby wasnt willing to playback those nine months without it... what could have gone wrong in that time had they not had a saftey net?
"One we don't have anymore..."
A sigh echoed slightly throughout the workshop as she stood, heading for the door and having to keep herself from running as she moved through the hallway. She really was good at stressing herself out, though not having seen Argus for a few hours wasn't helping. She chuckled gently, wondering how Weiss was going with managing the baby by herself as well as the council meeting...
She picked up the pace gradually, eventually throwing caution out the window and flying down the hall in a cloud of rose petals. One of the only things she truly feared was a pissed off Weiss Schnee.
"You know, when you said 'a few hours' I didn't think you actually meant a few hours."
"Ok, i hear you. But in my defense... what part of that wasn't clear?"
If looks could kill, the glare Weiss was giving Ruby would be more dangerous then any spell anyone could cast. "You're lucky I love you."
"Yep." Ruby agreed without a hint of hesitation, and went back to smiling down at Argus momentarily before Weiss spoke again.
"What is taking Glynda so long..."
"Didn't you see her at the meeting?"
"Yes-" Weiss sighed. "But she had to rush out half way through... things were pretty hectic today."
"Was that because of-"
"Only partially because of our baby, Ruby. Honestly the news we just recieved from Mistral made me forget Argus was there a few times..." That caught Ruby's attention, and she moved her gaze from their bundle of joy to the Queen.
"News?" She didn't need to say anything more to ask for clarification.
"Leonardo is stepping down as King."
"I thought his family had ruled Mistral for generations?" Ruby was stunned really. Even though it was obvious to nearly everyone that Leo had no wish to rule Mistral... he had an obligation to his people to keep at it. He was the only Faunas in a position of power to that level, and that was doing quite a lot to quiet down the White Fang... at least in Mistral.
"Yes. Apparently his decision wasn't exactly... how do i say this delicately..."
"Did someone kick him off the throne?"
"Pretty much." They both let off a sigh at the same time, and Ruby gave Weiss a look that asked for more details. "It was a military take-over essentially. We're still investigating... but it seems that in the coming weeks one Neptune Vasilias will take the throne."
"Not Nora? Isn't she their strongest fighter?"
"That dosent mean she wants the job. Nor does it mean Ren would." Ruby nodded along. "But... Neptune taking the throne raises some issues for us."
Ruby tilted her head, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Argus copied the action. "Why would that impact Vale?"
"It wouldn't. I meant us personally." Weiss reached over and poked Argus's cheek gently, smiling softly as the baby tried to slap her hand away with his poor motor control. "Neptune may have seen you attack Carmine."
Ruby didn't comment on how it was less 'attack' and more 'attempted murder' but she was curious about Weiss's logic. "What makes you say that?"
"Did you see him transform in his fight with Jaune?"
"Well... no, but he was wearing armour."
"If Pyrrha wore armour you would still be able to tell if she transformed... and a Mermaid is a more drastic change then an Amazon."
"So you're saying he's strong enough in his base form to keep up with Jaune-?"
"I'm saying he has his mastery form... and he dosent leave it." Weiss turned after she finished speaking, smiling to Glynda as she entered their room.
"I wouldn't mind it too much, Your Majesty. Even if Neptune does wish for Ruby to face justice... as far as we know, he should have no personal gripes against her. I believe this will all blow over." Glynda's words were a comfort, and Ruby couldn't help but agree.
"Yeah... I mean... why would Neptune want to see me punished and my family hurt anyway?"
"Alright..." She calmly removed her glasses and blinked those glowing Platinum eyes, smiling as her eyes met Argus's face. Ruby could tell that the woman was doing her best to remain professional and not gush over the baby... which actually made her wonder if Glynda had kids.
"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby's whispers were not very quiet.
"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss didn't even bother trying to whisper.
"Why do eyes glow sometimes?"
"You don't know? Its-"
"Oh my..." Glynda's sudden surprise made both Ruby and Weiss turn with worry, their expressions holding more concern then Glynda had been expecting causing her to immediately backtrack. "I apologise... I just wasn't expecting... this." Weiss nodded to her, asking Glynda to continue. "Well, firstly he has a double Hybrid Affinity."
"What?" Ruby was confused, but Weiss seemed to get it immediately.
"He naturally has a Silver and Light Blue Hybrid Affinity, but his title seemed to give him the same."
"So... our son has a double Ice Affinity, and a double Technical Affinity...?" Ruby was hesitant to speak, but Glynda simply nodded. "Wow... he's umm... definitely gonna be strong."
"I'm more concerned about his titles name..." Glynda's muttering was enough for Ruby and Weiss to look concerned again... but perhaps they should have saved those looks for after what she said next. "The Dust Dragon."
The room went silent. The only noises that could be heard were Argus's little baby noises... before finally, the long and tense silence was broken by Ruby... asking one question.
"So... is that like... normal dust or like mana-Dust?"
The silence was broken again by Weiss's facepalm.