Hey guys! I'm not dead.
So... two months, huh? Yeah, sorry about that. I'm not gonna write too much for those who just want to jump into it.
Fair warning, it's thrice as long as the usual chapter. It won't happen often though.
"...Besides, you three agreed to study until Sunday night, so get to it." Had said Ruby before closing their dorm's door behind her. The three young adults remained frozen for a few seconds, their gaze lingering on the ravenette's last position before suddenly turning towards one another.
"You're telling me that Goodwitch is making moves on my sister and we're supposed to just stay here and study?!" Exclaimed Yang, dropping from her bed before sitting on her sibling's while crossing her arms with a dissatisfied expression.
Weiss sighed as she stood up and reached for her textbooks. "Unfortunately, it certainly seems like that's what is happening."
Blake nodded, eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on her own study material. This earned her an incredulous stare from the blond who stood to address her. "I get that prim and proper over here would gladly study, but I don't think I've ever seen you give up on Ruby that fast, if at all, before!"
The hidden faunus growled as she sent the brawler a glare. "I didn't give up on Ruby. There's just so many more important things going on right now than worrying about Goodwitch. I'm still wondering why I accepted to study instead of going out there to look into this whole thing myself!"
Her teammates were stunned by her outburst as they both stared in her direction with wide eyes. Weiss parted her lips, as if she was about to say something before closing them with a shake of her head as she opened her own books. Yang, however, had sat back down on Ruby's bed, conflicted. "Why... does it matter so much to you?" She asked making the monochrome duo turn towards her. "Look, we all have our secrets, but whatever's going on clearly is more personal than you wanted to let on."
"It's not. I just-" tried to argue Blake until Weiss interrupted her.
"I didn't want to say anything, back at the docks, but I couldn't understand why you were so convinced that these men couldn't be from the White Fang. I know that what miss Rose said is right, but I have had to listen to my father rant about assassinations, sabotages, hostage situations and more, way too many times not to at least acknowledge that this... cell is not a force of good who is above doing something of the kind." She advanced while turning their office chair to face her teammates.
"I just don't think that people have the right to blame them based on what those articles have shown alone." Countered the amber-eyed woman while gripping the edges of her book in ire.
"Isn't that why we're going to check on the shipment Sunday?" Emphasized Yang, leaning backwards while supporting herself with her arms. "How did that Sun guy say it again? Proving that they didn't do it by going where they most likely would be? Plus, we'll have Ruby with us, so you can be sure that whoever they are, we'll kick their butts and hand them over to the cops in no time!"
Weiss gained a contemplative look which caught the attention of the two other women.
"Something wrong?" Asked the blond, propping her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward.
"Why... did miss Rose never consider warning the authorities about the possible heist? If we're going to hand them over anyway, wouldn't it have been more logical to advise the police about it?" Pondered the heiress.
The brawler shared a glance with the hidden faunus before shrugging hesitantly. "I mean, we didn't suggest it either. Actually, I'm pretty sure you suggested the complete opposite of that. With the whole vigilantism or whatnot."
Blake was lost in her own thoughts as she remembered what Ruby had mumbled at the docks. She then felt a wave of nervousness wash over her as she addressed her teammates. "Y-you think it has anything to do with those dangerous people she warned us about?"
Their eyes widened as they met the ashen-haired woman's gaze. "Can't be, right? Why would she bring us there if that was the case?" Countered Yang with a wavering smirk, the doubt in her eyes reflecting her true feelings on the matter.
"It would explain why she made us agree to obey her if she told us to flee and why she wouldn't want to get the police involved." Reasoned Weiss, pinching her chin pensively. "It doesn't explain why she let us go through with the plan in the first place. I thought she didn't want us to come close to these people?"
The three young adults fell silent as they each attempted to come up with an answer. Blake was relieved that the conversation had diverted from her personal life only to be thrown into a pit of anxiety over what her crush might be thinking. The heiress' features were shifting little by little into an expression of annoyance as she found herself unable to find any logical reason, based on what she knew of the woman she was smitten by.
"I think... It's 'cause she knows we'll go anyway." Said Yang drawing their attention. "Even if she told us about them, we would have went no matter what she told us."
Weiss raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. "If miss Rose had told me to remain here, I would have done as she asked."
The blond shook her head with a slight grin. "Maybe at first, but I would have gone because I won't let my sister deal with everything on her own again. Even if she says that I can't help, there has to be something I can do. As for Blake, something tells me that she would have gone because of the White Fang thing. You wouldn't let us go on our own. You care too much for that, even if you suck at showing it."
Weiss glared at her partner with flushed cheeks as she stomped her foot on the floor. "I do not 'suck' at anything!" She then realized what she said when a snort escaped the brawler which made her entire head turn red as she buried her face in her hands. "...a-anyway, someone has to look out for the team when miss Rose isn't here."
"Aren't you the leader though?" Said Blake with a teasing tone which earned her a new glare from the Schnee through her fingers. "I was just saying."
Weiss sighed as she brushed her hair backwards with her fingers. "Nevertheless, this means that we are going into a very dangerous territory." She then stared directly into the hidden faunus' eyes. "Meaning, that we deserve to at least know why this is so important to you. Miss Rose holds you in high regards, and I trust her judgment. Therefore, whatever the reason is, I will... tolerate it."
Adrenaline shot through the ashen-haired woman's system, her entire body tensed the moment both of her teammates' eyes focused on her. There were no point talking herself out of this now. She subtly glanced at her possible escape points, the window and the door. Unfortunately, while she may be faster, her teammates were both closer to one of these routes and could most likely restrain her before she could escape. There was also the problem of her being in her yakuta which is less than ideal when wandering outside in public. "Damn it. What now? Ruby knows, but I didn't tell her about the day I left yet! Why am I hesitating? She'd understand. She'd probably be proud that I left! Yang was raised by her, so the likelihood of her reacting negatively is pretty low." The hidden faunus spared a glance towards the heiress, who raised an expectant eyebrow at her. "How would she react? Would she even care about Ruby's opinion if I tell her? Even if I manage to escape, she'd most likely alert every authority she can about me, even Atlas! I can't be thrown in jail! Not when there's still so much for me to do!" Amber eyes widened in shock when she felt a hand softly grip hers, making her jolt slightly backwards. While she had spiraled into her thoughts, Weiss had gotten closer without alerting her in the slightest.
The Schnee gazed downwards regretfully before staring into her teammates eyes with compassion. "Is it because you're a faunus?"
"H-how... did you..." Mumbled Blake as her entire body became locked in place at the overwhelming dread that came over her.
"Your bow's been moving all over the place for a while." Explained Yang while scratching her cheek awkwardly. "I guess now we know why you always had that thing on."
Before she could get lost in her thoughts once more, the faunus noticed that her white-haired teammate's hand had begun trembling while her grip loosened. "Are... were you... part of the White Fang?" Her voice trembled as she attempted to suppress the tears that had weld up in her eyes.
"I..." Mumbled the ashen-haired woman as she gazed at Yang, who simply stared back, waiting for her answer. She then noticed the picture frame which was set up near Ruby's bed. It was a picture of the three younger members of the team, being crushed between the arms of the ravenette as she gave the camera a beaming smile. It had been taken after their initiation as soon as they had left the stage, as team RWBY. Blake exhaled in defeat as she reached for her bow with her free hand, exposing her cat ears for both teammates to see. "Yeah..." She answered, ignoring the new tightness which had been crushing her fingers. "I was."
"Why..." Begged Weiss, unable to meet her eyes. "Why all of this?"
"I wanted to make a difference. The White Fang used to be a peaceful organization of protests and boycotts against any faunus discrimination, but people like you- like your father, made it abundantly clear that it would never work." Explained the Amber-eyed woman, catching her slip up too late which made her team leader wince and the brawler glare momentarily. "When a change of leadership brought new, more radical ideas, few of us spoke against the sudden shift in methods. We were tired, of everything. Tired of the way humans would treat us, tired that everything we did amounted to nothing." She gazed downwards sullenly at the top of the heiress' head. "Tired of being seen as a subspecies."
A sob escaped the Schnee as she gripped onto her teammates clothes with her free hand. "How many... lives did you take? Was it worth it?" She asked with a hint of spite, yet they could still tell that she had been honestly curious about the answer.
Blake's faunus ears flattened against her head. "I never killed anyone, not by my own hands at least. Any deaths that would happen from our expeditions would be at the hands of the people I was with." A single tear escaped her eyes and landed in her leader's hair. "But no, it wasn't worth it."
Stilness filled the room, occasionally broken by the sob of the heiress, as the three of them looked away from each other, each digesting their own piece of information.
"Harsh environment, a community of people who wanted the best for your 'neighborhood'. That's what it all meant?" Asked Yang as she gazed at the cat faunus' ears before blinking a few times. "You're from Menagerie..."
The monochrome duo looked at her, confused. "How did you guess that? A harsh environment could have been anywhere in Vacuo or most of Mistral?" Asked Blake in return, making Weiss gaze back at her.
The blond took out her scroll and seemed to browse through various screens until she turn the device towards them. Displayed for the two teammates, was the article of Ruby during her time in Menagerie which Yang and scrolled through until the picture of the ravenette celebrating with a familiar cat faunus on her shoulders while surrounded by other children, could be seen. "That's you, right? I don't want to sound offensive, but you look pretty similar, with that bow off and all."
The amber-eyed woman nodded while her eyes were glued to the picture, finding a strange sense of peace from it. A reminder of good times that felt so far away from now. Weiss had finally let go of her as she approached her partner to take a closer look. "She does look similar." She softly remarked while sitting down next to the brawler. "How much does miss Rose know?"
The faunus' ears flattened against her head while she slowly ran a hand across her opposite arm. "Pretty much everything, except the part where I left. Although, I doubt she didn't guess that already."
A moment passed before Yang broke the silence with a sigh. "So, what now? I don't really think there's much I can do at this point and if Ruby trusts you even while knowing that part of your past, then it's fine by me." She then turned towards her partner. "But it's not called a team for nothing. It's your call at this point, Weiss."
The heiress' gaze switched from one teammate to another back and forth before settling on Blake. "Why do you defend them so strongly if you do not support these extremists?"
The ashen-haired woman hugged her knees to her chest while crossing her arms over them, making sure that her yakuta obstructed the view of her underwear. "I'm not defending them. At least, that's not the way I see it. I just... don't believe that they would engage in a partnership with any humans after everything we've done, but if they really are, then they might be planning something big. I can't let that happen." She replied as she buried her face into her crossed arms. The somber tone in her voice rendered her interrogators silent.
A few seconds passed, a minute or two perhaps, before the amber-eyed woman felt a solid surface gently hit the top of her head. Looking up with a confused expression, she was met with the back of the hard cover belonging to their grimm study guide. It was then angled sideways to reveal their team leader with a stern expression as she glanced away from her teammates' gazes. "Then you better ace these tests. I won't tolerate people who are satisfied with barely passing grades." Said the heiress while glaring at her partner, who simply scratched her cheek awkwardly in response.
Blake, still stunned by the situation, slowly raised a hand to grab the book, only to then notice the various sticky notes sprouting out of several pages.
"These are the parts most likely to be on the test." Answered Weiss, having caught the faunus' confusion. She then turned around and picked up Blake's copy while heading back towards their desk. "I'd suggest doing the same for your own book from now on. I won't always be able to let you borrow mine."
Amber eyes shifted between flowing white hair and the book held by their owner before a smile adorned the ashen-haired woman. "Thanks, Weiss."
The Schnee did not bother answering as she sat down and studied on her own which was mimicked by her teammates, now with a much better atmosphere than earlier. A few minutes passed before Yang approached her partner, leaning on the backrest of her chair while bending over until she was close to her ear. "I didn't expect you to forgive her so fast. Considering everything you told us about... y'know?"
A sigh escaped the heiress as she leaned backwards to look up at the brawler with a seemingly bored expression. "Don't be foolish. I didn't forgive her." She then glanced at Blake who's faunus ears had flattened against her head, indicating that she was hearing their conversation. Feigning ignorance, Weiss turned back towards Yang before looking back at her book. "I'm giving her a chance."
The blonde gazed in turn at their teammate, smirking at the sight of her ears now standing at attention. She then pat her partner on the back which was answered with an annoyed glare, before heading back to her sister's bed. "You girls handled this whole thing so well. It kinda makes me embarrassed that I got so worked up over Goodwitch."
Blake chuckled as she lowered Weiss' book. "It's not like we expected anything less from you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Growled Yang while glaring at the ashen-haired woman, her lilac eyes turning red in an instant.
"That you tend to make light of every situation you are involved in. Something that will definitely cause your demise someday." Clarified Weiss, giving her partner another glare over her shoulder. "Besides, it's miss Rose we're talking about. I doubt being alone with someone is enough to make her jump on them, even if the other party tries to seduce her."
Propping a pillow so she could sit against the wall, the brawler settled her own textbook between her raised thighs as she flipped through the pages. "I guess. I just can't get rid of this funny feeling y'know?"
Blake rolled her eyes as she buried herself back into her studies. "She said that they were simply going to talk. Most likely about everything that's been going on these past few weeks. She'll be back before you know it."
As soon as her sentence ended, their scrolls rang with the familiar jingle they had set up for their team's messaging group which had them exchange surprised looks. Taking out their devices, they each read the text sent by the ravenette as their expression slowly drained of color.
Yang immediately stood up from her sibling's bed, letting her textbook fall onto the floor as she stared at her scroll in rage. "She's What?!"
The first rays of the sun washed over Glynda's skin as she slowly regained consciousness. The weekends were the only days where she would forego setting up an alarm and let herself enjoy her slumber to the fullest. Unfortunately, the Sun tended to taunt her out of her somnolence from the moment it displayed its golden rays, as it was this very moment. The urge to groan in annoyance had slithered its way up her throat until an odd sound reached her ears. It was a familiar scratching noise yet it's pattern was obscure to the blonde adult who slowly blinked her eyes open. She sluggishly reached for her bedside table in an attempt to find her glasses while pushing herself up in a seated position. The first thing she noticed once wearing her spectacles, was the red figure in the corner of her vision. Any sign of drowsiness instantly left her as she recoiled backwards while gripping her bed sheets to her chest, the covers having been brought down during the night.
Sitting on her office chair, was none other than her latest colleague, Ruby Rose who had been scribbling on a rather large sketchbook which laid on her lap. The unusual sight had the blond's mind working at an unnatural pace as she attempted to remember why the red draped woman sat in her room so early in the morning. As if struck by lightning, the events of the previous night came flooding into her head which allowed her to loosen her tense stance until a specific memory surfaced.
Once both women had washed themselves, they spent a short amount of time talking about various mundane subjects which seemed to have a positive effect on their mood. Although, the older woman would be lying if she said that the state of dress of her colleague wasn't distracting her occasionally. Ruby had been wearing one of Glynda's oversized shirts which she only wore on her days off, along with nothing but her underwear which were thankfully covered by the shirt. The ravenette had been polite enough to ask if her colleague minded before doing so, which had taken her a lot longer to decide than she would like to admit.
Unfortunately, once the subject of the upcoming exams left the younger woman's mouth, their expression had fell as they remembered the mountain of work they had and would have to tend to. It was then that Ruby suggested that they start working on what they could before bed which Glynda had found herself quite eager to agree. It might have been work related, but it was still an activity she could spend alone with her love interest. While it was mostly spent in silence they found themselves enjoying the few times one would speak up to either help the other or retell various anecdotes of their daily lives. The ravenette would occasionally recount her most lighthearted adventures which had the older woman listening in fascination, she might have been the eldest between the two, but the silver-eyed woman definitely had the most experience in the field.
When time came close to midnight, they both agreed to cease their work and head to bed which had Glynda slightly flustered while Ruby remained oblivious to her colleague's feelings. To avoid having the blond die from a heart attack, she suggested having them sleep with the cover acting like a barrier between them. She gave the excuse that it was to avoid having one disturb the other's sleep should they move too much. The celebrity agreed with a nonchalant shrug as they both laid down and slowly drifted off, which proved to be quite the challenge for Glynda as she kept getting distracted by the various intrusive thoughts about the other woman that went through her mind. When sleep finally came for her, her last thoughts were on how glad she was to have been allowed to have such a pleasant night after so long, even if it had a rather turbulent start.
Her slumber hadn't been long, however. She had not been able to look at the time back then, but she knew that it was early enough to have the Moon being the only source of light in the room. That was her first observation. The second was that she felt an unfamiliar softness on the side of her head which slightly obstructed her vision. Only once she realized that someone's arms were wrapped around her head did her eyes open wide in panic as she tried to distance herself from her... gentle assailant? Confused, she attempted to turn towards the person at her side only to have her face shoved into the soft surface from earlier.
"Go back to sleep. Big sis is here." Softly cooed the tired, yet soothing voice of the person she was held by.
While the older woman had obviously realized that she was in the arms, and bosom, of her colleague, her mind was focused on something else entirely. "Big sis?!" She thought as a blush spread all over her face. Now, Glynda was a grown woman who had long since forgotten the need for affirmation and comfort of another being and while that didn't stop her from falling in love with the ravenette, she believed herself above the need of protection and care. Even so, her mind couldn't get over the warmth that had filled her body as the sleeping silver-eyed woman tenderly slurred reassuring, pleasant words into her ear. How her smooth fingers left behind an enchanting, burning sensation as they slowly slid across her skin while the other hand had been gliding across her hair in a delightfully calming manner, simultaneously massaging her scalp.
Having grown as the only child of two parents who spent most of their time at work, the comfort of an older sibling was an experience Glynda had never been able to live through during her lowest times. Therefore, she would be lying if she said that this sudden turn of event hadn't peaked her curiosity, even if the giver of such comfort was half her age, obviously asleep and just happened to be the person she had fallen in love with. Burying her face deeper into the younger woman's breasts as a shameful expression adorned her face, she wrapped an arm around Ruby's waist before closing her eyes, letting the silver-eyed woman's gentle ministrations lull her to sleep.
The blond pulled her sheets up to her face, careful not to smudge her glasses, to cover the intense flush that heated her entire head. Assuming that neither of them moved afterwards, Ruby must have woken up to find the older woman snuggling into her bosom while pressing herself against her body which undoubtedly made her uncomfortable.
While she wallowed in her misery, Ruby looked up from her sketchbook and saw that her colleague was now awake. "Oh, you're up. I hope I didn't wake you." She said while setting her pencil down. She seemed calmer than what the teacher had expected, maybe they had moved after all.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that." She replied with a shake of her head. Thankfully, her blush had lessened by then which allowed her to rest her back against the headboard. She then glanced at the sketchbook with a curious expression. "What were you doing, if I may ask?"
It was the celebrity's turn to blush lightly as she hesitantly turned her book towards the blond. "I, uh, like to draw natural sights. It's usually landscapes from my travels, but I have found that there's a certain beauty to the way people sleep. I-I know that it sounds kinda creepy, well, I guess it is, but I swear I don't do it with bad intentions!"
Glynda was mesmerized, and slightly embarrassed, by the expertly made drawing of herself while she was asleep. If it weren't for the obvious black and white nature of using a lead pencil and the few, faint traces of erased redrawn lines, the older woman could have mistaken it for a picture taken with a camera. "It's... incredible." She muttered loud enough for her guest to hear. However, a stern look swiftly overtook her features as she stared into Ruby's eyes. "You should still ask before doing this kind of thing."
The ravenette hung her head in shame. "I know... but then it's not natural, you know? There's a huge difference between someone who pretends to sleep and one who is actually sleeping." She argued while flipping through a few pages, allowing Glynda to see the various drawings of people she had never met along with a few that she did.
The blond raised an eyebrow as she sat up to stretch. "Have you never considered asking before they sleep? You would avoid any misunderstanding while also getting consent from those in question."
Ruby scratched her cheek in embarrassment as the sketchbook and pencil dissappeared in a flash of dim, silver light, the kind that one would miss had they not been looking in the general direction. "I guess that would have made more sense, huh?"
Glynda stared at the empty space where the two objects used to be. "Yesterday, you said you told the students about your eyes and what they could do. What exactly did you tell them?"
The ravenette followed her colleague's gaze before realizing what she meant. "They know what the eyes of a normal silver-eyed person do, along with the matter manipulation mutation. Telling them about the others would only force me to tell them about my... condition."
Both of their expressions darkened as they stared downwards. After a few seconds of silence, Glynda sighed as she approached Ruby to kneel in front of her while resting a hand on the younger woman's knee. "You were born like this. It's not something you had a say over. You may never forgive yourself and it's still something that I find myself... disturbed with when reminded, but I have had time to reflect and learn about you." Staring into the moist eyes of the ravenette, the blond had not noticed that she was slowly approaching her while giving her most reassuring smile. "You did what you had to... and I have no doubt that you'll have to do it again, but this time, you won't have to live with it on your own."
It was only when she felt two arms wrap around her neck as Ruby brought her into a tight hug, that Glynda noticed how close they had been. If she were to guess, they were a few seconds away from pressing their lips against one another. Swallowing the disappointment that came over her at the realization, she wrapped her arms around the ravenette's back to reciprocate the embrace while leaning into the crook of her neck.
"I wish I could believe you." Whispered the silver-eyed woman as she loosened her hold on the older woman, yet both kept their arms around the other.
Glynda stared into nothing with saddened eyes. "If they do show up, tomorrow night. Do you believe that you'll have to... do it?" She asked making sure to avoid tensing her body. The last thing she needed at this moment was to make the drape wearer feel unwelcomed.
"I don't want to. I never did, but I have no choice, not anymore. If I want them to be safe, I need to take down Salem and them." Ruby moved away slightly until her hands were resting on the older woman's shoulders, meeting each other's gaze as the ravenette tried to hide her sadness behind a smile. "No matter what." Her eyes drifted towards the electronic clock resting on the bedside table before patting the blond's shoulder. "Come on, you're gonna help me make breakfast today." She said while making both of them stand up.
The older woman raised an eyebrow while watching her colleague head towards the door. "Excuse me?"
Not bothering to turn around, the ravenette took out her scroll and started typing. "I'll tell my team to wait at our usual table in the cafeteria. Meet me in the student kitchen once you're ready." She then looked over her shoulder towards the blond while holding the door opened. "Don't keep me waiting too long." She grinned before leaving in a burst of petals.
Glynda extended a hand towards the retreating cloud helplessly. "Wait, I didn't even-" The door closed, making her sigh as her shoulders dropped. "-agree..." Heading towards her closet, the blond muttered under her breath. "Damn it..." The sound of her scroll vibrating made her stop at the foot of her bed. Sitting down, she opened to device and suddenly resisted the urge to throw it out her window when she saw the message sent by Ruby.
A picture could be seen in the text log which depicted Glynda sleeping soundly in between the ravenette's breasts while the younger woman had an arm outstretched to take the picture with a beaming smile on her face. What truly made it all the more embarrassing for the teacher, was the message sent afterwards. "I'm not the kind to refuse snuggles, but I'd prefer if you asked next time. I guess we both have something to work on, right?" Feeling as if her head was on the verge of bursting into flames, she used her semblance to set her glasses aside as she threw herself face first into her pillow to muffle the abashed scream that escaped her very core.
Beacon's cafeteria had always been bustling no matter the time of day. This morning, however, a very specific area of the room would find itself temporarily hushed as three figures traversed from the entrance, towards the table at which team RWBY and JNPR would usually sit. Pyrrha, joyfully chatting with her teammates, noticed the new arrivals and almost choked on her breakfast at the sight.
"Are you girls okay?" She asked in concern which brought her teammates' attention to the newcomers, making them mimic her initial reaction.
The figures, revealed to be the three younger women of team RWBY, took their seats besides their friends before slumping over the table. "What gave it away...?" Groaned Yang as she rested her forehead on the table.
The four members glanced at each other hesitantly until Jaune leaned forward. "Well, you look..."
"Awful?" Suggested Nora which earned her a glare from Weiss, making her back down, closer to Ren.
The blond leader winced as he slowly waved a hand defensively. "I was thinking of something along the lines of... horrendously tired?" He meekly said before flinching when Blake glared at him in turn.
Yang groaned once more as she raised her head to rest on her chin. "Please, tell me that I did my hair right at least."
Pyrrha perked up and shook her head with an awkward smile. "No, no. You girls look great, but it's the way you hold yourselves and the very obvious signs of exhaustion on your faces."
Weiss sighed as she decided to speak after being silent for so long. "The lack of sleep we had certainly contributed to that fact." She then covered her mouth to yawn as she tried to chase away her drowsiness.
"And why is that?" Asked Ren as he took a bite from his breakfast.
"A mix of studying and dread, despair, depression. You take your pick." Replied Blake as she inspected her bow to make sure it was properly in place.
Before any of them could ask what she meant, the sudden impact of a hand at the end of their table made the three young adults jump in shock as they all turned towards the newcomers.
"Sup losers? What's-" Greeted Coco before catching a glimpse of RWBY's youngest member's appearance. "Holy shit, what happened to you girls? Partied too hard?"
Velvet took place beside her leader with a disapproving expression. "Y'know Coco, you're probably going to end up breaking their table if you continue to slam it everytime we come here."
The beret wearer waved her off before focusing back on the exhausted women. "So? Anyone's gonna tell us what got you looking so..."
"Tired?" Suggested the rabbit faunus.
"I was gonna say horrible, but that works too." She replied, turning towards the other occupants. "Well?"
Ren scratched the back of his head hesitantly. "We've actually been trying to find out ourselves and would very much like an answer."
Now under the stares of their friends, it didn't take long until Yang took out her scroll and threw it at the sunglasses wearing second year. "See for yourself."
With a perplexed eyebrow raised, Coco caught the device before opening it. She was greeted with the team's chat group which had a few texts from this very morning. "She asked you girls to come here for breakfast. I don't get it."
"Scroll up." Groaned Blake as she crossed her arms over the table to lay her head down onto.
Doing as ordered, it didn't take long until the fashionista almost dropped the scroll in shock. Her sunglasses had slid down from her nose slightly, allowing the others to see her stunned expression as she took a seat besides Weiss. "Oh..."
"Well? What is it?" Asked Jaune as Velvet took the device from her leader's hands.
Taking a few seconds to read, the faunus' ears stood up straight as she was shocked in turn. "She slept with-!" She suddenly stopped herself when she realized how loudly she had been speaking before leaning forward and continued with a lowered tone. "Miss Rose slept with miss Goodwitch?!"
Pyrrha, who had been taking a sip from her glass of water, choked on her drink before spitting what remained onto Jaune's face. She took a few breath while apologizing for her action before turning towards the others. "This has to be a misunderstanding, right?"
Velvet turned the device towards them to reveal the text in question. "Sleeping at Glynda's place tonight. Don't wait for me. Love you all." She then gave the scroll back to Yang, who pocketed it before laying back down on the table.
Ren raised an eyebrow as he set down his utensils. "I fail to see how that means they slept together? Sure, they were at the same place, but it doesn't mean that anything more happened."
As they listened to him talk, they failed to notice that the cafeteria had been slowly turning from loud conversations to murmurs and whispers.
"What if Goodwitch took the opportunity to get closer to her. In both sense." Replied Coco with a lost expression. "I can see it. I mean, anyone who uses a riding crop as a weapon has to be an avid user in bed, right?"
Yang, slightly disoriented from her lack of sleep, abruptly stood up, slamming her hands on the table as she glared at the fashionista. "If you think my sister isn't the best dom you'll ever meet, you're out of your damn mind." Realizing the words that came out of her mouth, she swiftly sat back down, an intense blush burning her cheeks as she attempted to hide from her the gazes pointed at her. "O-or y'know? That's the air she gives of at least."
While the others were momentarily stunned from the blond's sudden outburst and semi-revelation, Blake had looked around their table, trying to see if anyone had heard her teammate. She became confused when she noticed that most of the cafeteria had been mumbling amongst themselves while hunching over their scrolls. Subtly turning her cat ears towards the closest group, she listened on their conversation.
"Is that what got everyone all worked up like that?"
"You think that they're... y'know? Going out?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? Two people being good friends doesn't mean they are into one another."
"Ok, but look at that one. There's clearly something going on."
Intrigued more than ever, Blake stood up which stole her friends' attention, and marched towards the group. "Mind filling me in on what's going on?" She asked, making the ones she left behind notice the new atmosphere that settled around them.
The students she approached winced once they caught sight of the hidden faunus' exhausted features before reluctantly angling the scroll towards her. "A bunch of pictures got uploaded on the Ruby Rose fan club page. Apparently, she and miss Goodwitch are currently cooking in the student kitchen and having a grand old time." Said one of them before glaring at his partner. "Which does not mean they are dating." He added making the other roll their eyes.
The hot and cold duo stood up and joined their teammate. The three of them leaned in and saw a picture of both Ruby and Glynda exactly where the student mentioned. Both seemed to be in a fit of laughter, forcing them to hold onto the counter to hold themselves up. With a swipe of his finger, the scroll owner displayed another picture in which Ruby could be seen holding onto a frying pan with one hand as she reassuringly patted the shoulder of a disheartened blond teacher.
"Don't they look so cute together?" Asked the man's partner with a joyful smile, never noticing the growing anger boiling inside the three women in front of them.
"They sure are standing next to one another." Flatly replied the scroll holder while pocketing the device.
Back at the previous table, Coco took out her own scroll and fiddled with it for a while until her eyes widened. "Damn, that's a lot of pictures." She mumbled before handing the device to the others, allowing them to see the photos in question.
"Hang on." Said Weiss while pinching the bridge of her nose. "There is an active fan club, here, at Beacon Academy, in which people have been uploading pictures of a teacher, two in this case, when it was clearly written in the rules to be a high offense when done without the consent of the parties involved?"
The two students shared an uneasy glance before turning back towards the heiress as the man spoke. "I mean, there are a whole bunch of prerequisite just to be able to join the page and whole lot more rules just to be able to stay." Taking out his device once more, he tapped a few times on the screen before showing them a list of members with their full names and pictures on display, all except one at the top, who's profile was void of any identifiable information. "The admin has made it pretty clear that they would not tolerate any behavior that could put miss Rose's career at risk or inconvenience her in any way."
The members of JNPR and RWBY then turned towards Coco as Ren handed her scroll back. "And you're a member?" Asked Pyrrha, raising an eyebrow at the second year.
She scoffed while puffing out her chest with a proud smile. "Hell yeah I am. You think I'd miss out on all of the spicy stuff people send on there? There's even a few recordings of her classes which made studying, and sleeping depending on which class it was, a whole lot easier."
Thanking the two students for the information, the three women sat back down at their table as Yang shook her head in anger. "We'll deal with that later, what about Goodwitch?"
Before any of them could reply, Ren let out an exasperated sigh which caught their attention. "Look, I get it. You guys are very infatuated with her and you're very possessive of your older sister, but if that's how you react when she makes friends, you might want to start asking yourself if it's truly love you feel towards her and not something else."
Their table was left silent as the man's words sunk in. Each seemed to be processing at their own pace while the tension which could be felt ever since the subject came on, started to alleviate. It was then, however, that the very familiar singing voice of Ruby came through the cafeteria's doors, bringing the entirety of the room's awareness towards the entrance.
~There's a girl in town and word's gone around, she's just fine.~
So I don't worry my head 'cause I know her heart is tied to mine
The life that we live and the love that I give to her
~Each day it grows more and more I'm sure, it shows.~
As the ravenette sang, she happily balanced two trays in her hands while making her way towards her teammates which wasn't a rare sight anymore for the students after the few months they have spent in the same school as the celebrity. What had been a shock, however, was that right behind her, followed Glynda who was using her semblance to carry four more trays and a few plates while trying to suppress the embarrassment that had been growing on her face as she did her best to ignore the stares of her students.
When the two adults had been about halfway to their desired destination, Ren cleared his throat as he grabbed his drink. "Okay, maybe you were right to worry."
"Worry about what?" Asked Ruby as she and the blond teacher set down the trays along the table. They then sat in front of one another on the side of the table where her team and the two second years were seated. Once her eyes landed on the state of her teammates, her joyful expression swiftly morphed into worry as she grabbed her sister's chin to inspect her. "What the hell happened while I was gone? You girls look horrible!"
Taking advantage of the fact that the drape wearer's attention was focused on Yang, Weiss turned towards the others with a glare as she made motioned them to keep quiet which they all nodded to. Unfortunately, while they were successful in their silent exchange, they did not notice that Glynda had watched them in confusion, but ultimately decided to ignore it as she turned back towards the ravenette who had placed her hand on the brawler's forehead.
Separating herself for her older sibling, Yang waved her off as she tried to rub the exhaustion out of her eyes. "We're fine, sis. We just spent most of the night studying."
Ruby stared at her doubtfully for a few seconds before sighing as a compassionate smile graced her lips. "I know I said that you girls were supposed to study the entire weekend, but I didn't expect that you would deprive yourself of sleep." She leaned forward to look at the monochrome duo. "Once we're done with breakfast, I want the three of you to rest for a while." She then reached for one of the tray's domed cover when they were all suddenly lifted and set aside.
"Allow me." Said Glynda as she swiftly arranged the table for those seated with her semblance.
"Handy." Replied Ruby as she smiled at her coworker. "Thanks, Glyn." Everyone within hearing distance froze, the ravenette included, once the nickname left her lips. With an awkward laugh, she gave her colleague an apologetic smile as she placed some of the various dishes into a plate she set down in front of her sister. "Right, not in public, sorry about that."
Most students surrounding them did a double take at her choice of words which made Glynda blush a deep shade of red as she lowered her head. "Please mind the way you phrase your sentences, miss Rose."
The celebrity raised an eyebrow— confused, when she then noticed the way people were looking at them. Her eyes widened momentarily before she let out a laugh while waving a hand dismissively. "Jeez you guys. I know how it is to be your age, but that's a bit of a stretch, y'know?"
They gazed away guiltily as some even apologized to them, mainly for staring, before going back to their own business. Those at the drape wearer's table, however, noticed the hurt expression which briefly appeared on the blond teacher's face before she regained her composure.
At least, until Ruby turned back to focus on her task while letting one last comment out. "Besides, we didn't even go out for coffee, yet." The older blond's blush came back twice as strong as she stared at the woman in front of her with wide eyes, as were the others. The ravenette, however, simply gave Weiss her breakfast before staring straight into her colleague's eyes. "Assuming that you're interested, of course."
Glynda blinked a few time, then cleared her throat before using her semblance to quickly serve a plate to the other students present at their table as she took a deep breath to regain her composure for what felt like the millionth time this morning. "No offense, miss Rose, but we've only been on friendly terms for a few months. Attempting a relationship at this stage would be a bit too... hasty, in my opinion."
A moment of silence passed before the silver-eyed woman slightly smiled at the teacher. "Yeah, I thought the same. Better to let things happen as they go, right?" The younger members shared a worried glance before snapping back to face the celebrity as she addressed them. "Good morning to you guys, by the way. I see that miss Adel and Scarlatina have joined us for today."
Coco nervously perked up when the ravenette's gaze landed on her before fiddling with her fingers as she attempted to answer. "Ah, uh, y-yeah. N-nothing like a breakfast amongst friends, r-right?" She awkwardly laughed as her partner rolled her eyes.
"The guys decided to sleep in. We didn't expect to have our breakfast served by you both, but we're grateful nonetheless." She added, smiling at Ruby before sending a thankful nod towards Glynda.
The ravenette smiled back at the faunus then faced team JNPR. "What about you four? How have things been on your end?"
A pleasant atmosphere of small talks, anecdotes; and a few quips here and there, settled as they all ate the delectable brunch. The younger members of team RWBY somehow managed to suppress their drowsiness which had become rather apparent when Yang had begun retelling one of the many occasions where she and her friends from Signal had gotten themselves into trouble; much to her peers' amusement.
Ruby watched them all — a relieved smile gracing her lips as she leaned into her fist while listening to her sister. With a content sigh, she blinked before setting her eyes onto the man at the end of the low table where she and the people she escorted were sitting on floor pillows. They had sat her at the opposite end of the table; allowing her to face the clan leader who smiled in her direction while the others were staring at him, making the hooded cape wearer only able to see the back of their heads.
A few armed members of his clan were standing nearby, not as a sign of distrust, but rather as per tradition whenever a banquet was held. Amongst them, was a young, blond monkey faunus — trying his best to keep a serious expression which amounted to nothing once she waved at him, prompting him to wave back with a joyous demeanor.
With a chuckle from both her and the leader, the man motioned for her attention as he stood up. "Much has happened since your arrival in Vacuo and in such a short time too. While many of those events were regrettable; they have led all you, especially young Ruby Rose, to us and thanks to her valiant effort and impressive expertise, our clan has never been safer as we travel towards the kingdom."
The people around the table clapped their hands, yet still wouldn't face her. She gratefully nodded nevertheless, letting the man continue. "Today, I invite you all to join us as we celebrate those who have passed, along the successful subjugation of a Nemea, once again, thanks to young Rose." He then took hold of a wooden cup which he raised in her direction. "May the sand bless us with another day!"
The others took hold of the cup on front of them before simultaneously turning towards the ravenette and imitating the leader's action. Ruby, for her part, recoiled when she caught sight of the people's faces. Their skin was heavily wrinkled and dry to the point where cracks of various sizes could be seen; some had part of their flesh torn, revealing the muscles and skull underneath— both as arid as their skin; others were missing their eyes or teeth, even their ears or their lips, yet still they smiled at her.
Horrified, the silver-eyed woman's breath caught in her throat as she closed her eyes in panic. The first thing she noticed was the sound of laughter in front of her, making the woman hesitantly open her eyes once more before looking around in surprise. Gone was the tent of the Vacuan tribe which had saved her and the people she escorted. Now she sat at the table of a familiar inn, surrounded by four people she definitely recognized.
"S-so I see this wonderful piece of a woman, marching straight towards the bar, and with one of the most serious face I have ever seen, she asked: Do you happen to serve milk at this place?" Snickered Jaxton before erupting into a full-blown laughter. "Milk!" He repeated, making the others join him while the ravenette chuckled.
A blond, twin tailed woman with two swords strapped behind her back, sent the man a teasing grin as she pointed towards him. "Sure as hell didn't stop you from approaching her though. I swear, I had never seen a man sit down so frightfully in my life before." She said, making the two others laugh harder while the stetson wearer frowned.
"Well, why don't you try seducing a woman who looks like she's ready to show you the inside of a man by using your own body, Jessie?" He rebutted before raising a lit cigar up to his mouth.
The dual swordsman, who sat besides the drape wearer, gazed away from Ruby as she nervously played with her hands. "Trust me, I tried..."
Before the ravenette could say anything, a boisterous laugh, coming from the cowboy's side, made them all look at a large man who's arms could be seen surrounded by a few metalic rings at regular intervals. Many would assume them to be a strange fashion choice, before realizing too late that they are, in fact, the compact form of his weapon. Although, Ruby still insists that they classify mostly as armor.
The massive warrior patted Jaxton on the back — which forced him down on the table, before looking at the silver-eyed woman with an amused smile. "My dear friends, have I not told you many times that a woman's heart should be treasured?" He released a nostalgic sigh while staring at the table. "I remember those simple days; back before my wife and I married. She hated my guts more than a yak hates fire! But I took my time just like my old ma' told me, and we couldn't be happier!" He recounted, finishing with another powerful laugh.
Jaxton sat back up while taking hold of his cigar, which had fallen on the table, before glaring at the man besides him. "Thanks for the lovely story, Alexander. Unfortunately, we hadn't met back then, remember?"
A scoff could be heard from Ruby's other side where a young brunette, about a year younger than the ravenette, could be seen glaring at the stetson wearer. "He's just trying to be nice. You don't have to give him all that sass over it." The leather hood she usually wore had been pulled back, allowing them to see her ponytail which she played with. Besides her, resting on the wall, was a rectangular metalic object at least half of its owner's height which she occasionally patted to reassure herself of its presence.
Jessie sighed as she waved the younger woman off. "Give it up, Kim. You know that's just how he is." She then looked at Ruby while leaning onto her hand. "What are you hoping to find in those ruins by the way? That Calavera lady seemed really against us coming here."
Jaxton interrupted the silver-eyed woman before she could even speak a word. "Why does it matter? Thanks to Red here, we've made more money in a few month than what I made in total last year! She can lead me wherever she wants for all I care." He then grabbed the glass of Whiskey near him and raised in towards the center of the table. "To money and the future bad guys I haven't shot dead yet!"
The others cheered with him while Ruby awkwardly clanked her glass of water with their drinks before joining them in downing the liquid. Once done, she stared at the bottom of her glass when the cowboy started speaking in a softer tone.
"In all seriousness, I had forgotten how nice it was to work with peop- friends." He said making the cape wearer look up at him when her breath was once more caught in her throat in shock.
The entirety of the inn was aflame, yet its occupants didn't seem to react in the slightest to it. However, what terrified her the most, was the state her companions were in.
Alexander was bruised all over his body from what seemed like multiple, powerful impacts with blood trailing from both sides of his mouth; most likely caused by the large, black bruise which was positioned on his chest right over his heart. Ruby could hear the last words he had spoken during his final moments, yet no one around her seemed to hear it. "Martha, I'm coming home, my love."
Jessie had multiple slashes across her body easily noticeable through the torn sections of her attire. However, the two most noticeable wounds were the hole in her chest which seemed to be around the size of her sword's blade; and the cut that ran through her neck, yet her head was still in place. Once more, the twin tailed woman's last words echoed in the ravenette's mind. "I... would have done the same... hey... in the next life... drinks' on me..."
Kim seemed fine until you looked at her missing head which seemed to have been blown up, covering her surroundings with gore and brain matter. "I could never hurt you, miss Rose."
Jaxton's only visible wound, was the large diagonal cut which went through both of his arms and his stomach. There were two things that all four of them shared: they all had some kind of silver moss crawling under their skin, and their wounds had all been done by her own two hands.
Unlike the other three, however, Ruby heard the words coming from the living corpse in front of her. "I guess what I'm trying to say is: Thanks, Ruby. For bringing me along. Whatever it is you're looking for, I hope you find it."
Her breathing hastened as she stared into the joyful eyes of her old friends' corpses. She didn't understand what was going on, but terror gripped her heart as she felt the urge to blink once more as her entire body went numb.
"Are you gonna answer that?" Asked Jessie, pointing towards her legs with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" She asked, finally speaking after so long. She then noticed that the person who had addressed her had been her younger sibling — still pointing at the pocket of the jeans she had put on that morning, where her scroll could be heard ringing.
Yang's perplexed expression intensified as she gestured with renewed vigor towards the device. "Your scroll's been ringing for a while." She then noticed how tense the ravenette seemed. "Are you okay?"
Her scroll vibrated once more which allowed her to fully get ahold of herself. Blinking rapidly a few times, she used her semblance to phase through her seat until she was standing up next to the table. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She replied while answering her phone without verifying the caller's identity. It took only a few seconds before she perked up, recognizing the voice on the other end. "Oh, hey dad. You're calling a bit earlier than..." her words slowed down when she glanced at the time. "Nevermind, I guess you're right on time, as usual."
Her table had fallen silent as the occupants were letting her make her call while also listening in — to Glynda's disapproving glare even if she had been doing the same. As Ruby exchanged a few generic greetings with her father, she reached behind her back and used her drape to cover the dim silver light that flashed between her fingers as her bottle of antidepressants appeared out of thin air. Her onlookers' eyes widened when she swiftly took her recommended dosage with a quick sip of water, making her teammates and her colleague stare at her with nervousness and worry.
"We were just eating breakfast. I-" She stopped talking, as if interrupted, before gazing at the time once more, then her sister which made the blond sit up straight — prepping herself to potentially have to talk with her father. "Hey, are you free today?" She asked the man, nonchalantly shifting her gaze towards the ceiling. "I was thinking of baking cookies. Maybe you could-"
Yang stood up with excitement as she slammed her hands on the table. However, she found herself unable to utter a single word before another voice cut her off, eager as she was. "Truly?! How grand!"
The entire table turned towards the voice's direction and saw Weiss Schnee, standing just as the brawler had, with a sparkling expression of joy on her face. The heiress blushed under the stares of her peers as she quickly sat back down. "Her cookies are delicious, okay?" She meekly defended herself which earned a few chuckles.
Ruby shook her head in amusement as she refocused on her call. "Sorry, the girls got a bit excited. As I was saying, maybe you could take a flight to Beacon so we could talk while baking." Her expression seemed to fall as she muttered. "I think I'd like that..."
Both Glynda and Yang seemed to raise an arm towards the ravenette in an attempt to comfort her. However, before either could reach her, she suddenly perked up. "Great! Oh! Could you swing by the fish market on your way here? I'll send you a list of what I need. You can just give me the receipt and I'll pay you back."
JNPR, the two second year, along with Yang and Weiss turned towards Blake who sat up straight from the sudden stares before glaring at them. "What?" She growled.
"Well..." Awkwardly started Jaune.
"You usually seem so excited whenever miss Rose makes sea food dishes." Followed Nora, still keeping close to Ren
"And with how things were going..." said Pyrrha trailing off hesitantly.
"We simply thought you'd have a similar reaction to your teammates." Finished Ren in a calm manner.
The bow wearer kept the scowl on her face as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow towards her two teammates. Weiss shamefully refused to meet her gaze while Yang gave her an awkward smile as she waved her hands defensively. "Y-yeah, totally what he said."
Glynda, feeling majorly out of place, leaned towards the second years next to her. "Are things always like this?" She asked with a hushed voice.
Coco propped an elbow on the table and leaned onto her hand as she angled her sunglasses to make eye contact with the teacher. "Yeah, pretty much. Got a couple of new things today, though."
"Then it's normal to feel extremely out of place right now?" Asked the older blond.
Velvet covered her lips with her fingers as a giggle escaped her. "Very much so. You should have seen us the first few weeks we sat down with them."
"Though, I feel like you're a bit of a special case. No offense." Added the fashionista, sitting upright as she said the last part.
Ruby clapped her hands to gather their attention as she gave them all a gentle smile. "Alright! Now that breakfast is done. I think it's time for three of you to have a little nap while the others go on with their day." Her teammates, embarrassed at her choice of words, groaned before letting their head fall onto the table — now more aware of their fatigue than ever before.
"Wait, so you just sent them to bed?" Asked Taiyang, leaning on the staff kitchen's counter while watching his eldest daughter put two trays of cookies into the oven.
Ruby dusted her hands before facing the man as she set up a timer. "Well, yeah? They didn't sleep at all, last night. With how exhausted they looked, I doubt they would have been able to do much anyway."
He shook his head with an amused smile. "Don't you think you're treating them a bit like kids?"
She froze momentarily as she reached towards the ingredients for another batch. Then, she gave him a curious expression while resuming her action. "No, of course not. I'd say that I'm more like... the big sister of the team."
Tai sighed as his expression turned slightly more serious as he reached for the mixing bowl. "Which one? Twenty-three year old Ruby Rose big sister? Or the one from five years ago?"
The ravenette narrowed her eyes as she poured the various volumes of ingredients into the bowl. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He rolled his eyes while handing the mixing paddle to her. "I'm saying that it sounds to me like you're treating them as if they were thirteen."
"That's ridiculous. I've met Weiss around two years ago, now. Why would I do something like that? She'd probably have said something about it since then." She argued, stirring the dry mixture with the expertise of a professional baker.
"You mean the girl who's had parental issues pretty much since she was born? Gee, I wonder how a person like that would feel about getting affection in any form." Countered her father while beating the liquid ingredients together.
Ruby raised an eyebrow at him which made Tai groan. "Okay, maybe I'm not the best person to talk about neglect; but it's not like I never cared about you or Yang!"
The red apron wearer shook her head with a teasing smirk. "It's fine, dad. We've been over this years ago." She then glared into her bowl. "At least you were actually there."
The man's features soften as he set down his bowl. "Ruby... Summer-"
He was unable to finish his sentence as a loud snap came from the mixing paddle in the ravenette's hands. "Don't." She growled while setting the broken handle aside. "She left. She made her choice. That's all there is to say. There's no reason to forgive her just as there's none for Raven."
The blond scowled as he threw the handle into the trashcan. "You left too."
"And I came back." She replied instantly.
Taiyang sighed. Even after five years, it was clear that his daughter would not budge on the subject no matter how many times he would try. Yet, to him, it felt like just yesterday; his little girl was clinging to his first wife's leg as she prepared to leave on a huntsman's job. "Alright, let's just drop it, for now." Ignoring the glare she sent his way, the man slid his bowl towards her. "Back to our previous subject, I think it wouldn't hurt if you tried seeing them as actual young adults."
Putting the two mixtures together, Ruby stared at him with a blank expression. "I wouldn't teach kids philosophy on killing people, dad."
He groaned in annoyance while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Good job, you're treating your students like students during work hours. How about keeping that vision of maturity outside though?"
She sighed in exasperation while beating the mixture together as it slowly became dough. "Fine, I'll bite. What did you have in mind?"
It was his turn to smirk as he leaned once more onto the counter. "Well, how about that Blake girl? She has the same vibe as that one girl you were constantly talking about back at Signal."
The raven-haired woman stopped her ministration while sending her father a stunned expression. "It wasn't like that! I just liked the way she fought!"
Ignoring her spout, he tapped his chin, pretending to be deep in thoughts as he continued. "The Schnee girl isn't so bad either. Though I feel like that would be weird considering how close you were with her sister." He then grinned at her. "Speaking of which-"
He was unable to finish his sentence as the sound of the timer stole both of their attention. Ruby swiftly took out the two trays of baked goods and stored them in plastic containers before setting up the next batch. "Dad, look, let's not continue with this subject? Besides, I'm five years older than them on top of being their teacher."
Tai raised an eyebrow at her as he crossed his arms. "If the things I've been hearing ever since I got here are to go by, an age gap is far from being a problem to you. Thought I gotta say; the fact that we went to Beacon at the same time is making this a bit strange to me."
Once the final batch had been set down into the oven, she jumped to sit on the counter while releasing an exasperated sigh. "Glynda and I are just friends, nothing more."
The man huffed in amusement before raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'm just saying that you have a lot of options. Now that you're not on that worldwide adventure anymore, you could... settle down, y'know?"
The raven-haired woman winced subtly. Even if her father was the most informed on her five year journey, she still had kept a lot from him.
"Yeah, and whichever you choose, it's kinda hot either way." Said a voice, different from their own. One that Ruby definitely recognized as she raised an eyebrow towards its owner.
"I know that we're in a semi-public space, but I would appreciate if you didn't decide to listen in on our conversation, miss Greene." Reprimanded the ravenette at the Stealth and Defense teacher, who sat on the staff room's couch.
The woman raised her coffee cup in their direction, greeting them with a nod, as she replied. "If it's of any consolation, I came in while he was talking about Belladonna." She then took a sip of her drink. "But yeah, I'm siding with daddy man over there. Getting you a partner wouldn't hurt." Her expression hardened as she stared into Ruby's eyes. "And I'm not just talking about your love life."
The celebrity matched her coworker's expression as she replied. "Thank you for your input, Ann; but I already have a partner considering my double status as a student."
Taiyang scoffed while crossing his arms. "Last I remember, partners treat each other like equals."
Ann Greene raised her cup once more towards him in a supportive manner as they nodded at one another. Ruby, seeing herself out numbered, groaned. "Fine, I'll try, but don't expect anything."
"I believe that is the best they can ask for." Said a wise voice from the entrance.
They all turned to face the new arrival, Tai approaching them with a joyful smile while extending a hand. "Oz! It's been a while."
Ozpin smiled as he accepted the handshake. "It certainly has. When one of the staff members told me of your arrival, it only felt appropriate for me to come greet you."
The father of two chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. "Well, y'know? When your kid asks you to visit, what kind of dad would I be to refuse?"
The headmaster chuckled in turn as his eyes met Ruby's. "Yes, about that. I think it would be best to aboard this subject while both of us are here." He said before glancing towards Ann Greene, who immediately stood up.
"You got it, boss." She said before leaving the room.
As soon as the click of the door could be heard, Ozpin took a sip from his coffee before motioning towards the counter. "If my memory serves me right, I was told that you would also prepare lunch for your team. We can talk while you do that."
Noticing the change in atmosphere, Taiyang attempted speak when he was suddenly interrupted by his daughter. "I expected Glynda to tell you about our talk, but not that much." She said while heading towards the refrigerator to take out the fish her father had bought.
The headmaster stared into his cup while swirling the liquid inside. "Do not misunderstand my actions as intervention. I am merely here because she has described you as 'in need of guidance'. Guidance, that I believe we can provide."
Her father looked at her with a worried expression. "Ruby? What's going on?"
Setting the first fish on a cutting board, the ravenette sighed as she expertly spun a knife with one hand before bringing down— swiftly cutting its head off.
"Well, here we are." Said Ruby as she took hold of her dorm's doorknob. "Team RWBY's dorm."
Tai raised an eyebrow as he watched her enter. "Should I wait until they're up before coming in?"
The drape wearer shrugged nonchalantly. "They're gonna be spending the summer break at your place anyway. Might as well get used to having you around."
Following her inside, he sighed while leaning against the wall as he watched her approach Yang's bed. "About that, I would have liked to be warned a bit earlier than just a week in advance next time."
The ravenette smiled as she gently woke up the younger blond, who was thrilled to see her father after the past few months, and Weiss, who had been warned of the older man's presence before she opened her eyes. When it came to Blake's turn, she gave the faunus the same warning the heiress got but suddenly froze as she watched the bow wearer stretch.
Just for a fraction of a second, she found herself mesmerized by her partner's form as she arched her back while raising her arms in the air; by the way her breasts heaved upwards underneath her yakuta which slightly parted, giving a better view of her cleavage. Lifting her gaze upwards, she watched as a few strands of hair fell in front of Blake's eyes while an adorable yawn escaped her teammate's lips — her cat ears twitching under her bow.
When her eyes cracked open, the faunus blushed as she noticed the older woman's stare, making her cover herself as she became self-conscious of her appearance. "I-is something wrong?" She timidly asked.
The three younger women were overtaken by shock when a tint of pink dusted the ravenette's cheeks. "N-nothing, sorry. Lunch's ready. You girls get dressed, we'll be waiting in the cafeteria." She said before marching towards her father who was grinning mockingly at her. "Not a word out of you." She growled, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the room.
Once both were gone, the temperature partners turned towards Blake with a mix of emotions on their face: Jealousy, shock, anger, and curiosity. The faunus slid into the corner of her bed, fearful of her approaching teammates.
"How did you do that?!" They both asked simultaneously, Weiss pointing towards the door while Yang gestured at her entire being.
"I-I don't know!" She shrieked, pulling her covers like a protective shield. "What did I do anyway?!"
The blond's irises turned red as she crossed her arms spitefully. "Somehow, you got her to check you out while you were stretching."
Her eyes sparkled with hope and excitement. "I did?!" However, her moment of joy quickly reverted to fear as her teammates glared at her.
Yang crossed her arms while sitting onto her sister's bed with a huff. "Makes no god damn sense though. I stretched too and no offense Blake, but I definitely got the best body out of us three."
It was the monochrome duo's turn to glare at the brawler. "That is highly debatable." Rebuked Weiss as she reached for her casual clothes. "Besides, I think you're forgetting a colossal detail in regards to your situation."
Seeing the blond's raised eyebrow, Blake facepalmed as she uncovered herself to climb down her bed. "You might see your sister as a love interest, but she only sees her younger sister. As far as we're aware, anyway."
Yang clicked her tongue as she went to get her own clothes. "Right, and with dad playing matchmaker, I'm basically at a disadvantage here."
The heiress headed into their bathroom to change, yet her voice could still be heard through the door. "You say that as if you hadn't always been. Wait, you said your father's doing what now?"
Blake sent the blond a curious stare, quite interested at this latest revelation, while the brawler rested her back next to the bathroom door with a annoyed expression. "Back at Signal, when those articles from Menagerie came back, my dad thought I was acting weird because I had a crush at school. He wasn't that far off, in a way. Certainly made him a lot more attentive to the people I hung out with."
Weiss came out while tying her hair as she raised an eyebrow at her partner. "How does that relate to miss Rose's situation in any way?"
Yang rolled her eyes as she entered the bathroom. "Let's just get dressed. Ruby said that lunch was ready. I'll explain on the way there."
Vale's docks warehouses had been rather hectic lately while the employees unloaded the various crates and containers from the Schnee dust company. Once nightfall came however, the deafening silence that plague the place could have fooled anyone from its previous activities.
A security guard casually strolled between the rows of containers while whistling a soft jingle to himself. Seeing that the path he was taking was poorly lit, he took out his flashlight — spinning the tool like a western outlaw which earned a chuckle out of him when he suddenly froze at a sight which sent a chill down his spine.
A few meters in front of him, was a small trail of blood which dissappeared between two containers. Putting the handled of his flashlight between his teeth, he took out his stun gun and loaded an electric dust crystal into it. He then took his flashlight back into his hand before leaning into his radio transceiver. "Found blood in alley B07. Gonna check it out, anyone close by?"
Aiming his weapon in front of him, he slowly approached the trail as two other guards ran to join him. Once close enough, he quickly stepped in front of the opening — pointing both his flashlight and gun down the passageway. "Hands up! No funny- huh?"
Realizing that there was no one to be found, he looked down and caught sight of a cat which had been feasting on the corpse of a large rat. The animal hissed at the men before picking up its prey and running away, creating a new trail of blood.
The three guards sighed in relief before leaving the area to make their reports on the situation. Unknown to them, two figures with soflty glowing silver eyes appeared on top of the containers as soon as their backs were turned. Both were wearing a dark brown leather cloak which covered most of their body along with the light armor they were wearing.
"You didn't kill them?" Asked one of them as he rubbed the stubble on his chin, raising an eyebrow at his companion.
She spun her daggers in her hands while glaring at the three retreating men. "We can't gather any unnecessary attention. Is that not what you said?"
He chuckled while walking away. "Do my ears deceive me? You're learning? Good." He stopped and looked over his shoulder towards her. "So? How do you wish to approach this?"
Her eyes roamed their surroundings until she raised a dagger towards a rather high vantage point. "We'll hide over there using my blessing."
He turned to face her while resting an arm on his odachi. "Hide? With how eager you were to face her, I figured you'd just wait in the open."
Glancing back towards where the three guards used to be, she crouched while staring into the empty space in front of her. "I... wish to observe her."
He walked back in her direction, staring in the same direction she had been as a teasing grin formed on his lips. "Hiding, observing, you could add questioning to the list. It would complete this whole thing nicely."
She hummed pensively. "Maybe I will..."
The man stared at her in fascination. "Are you truly a descendant of War?" He then swiftly raised his hand to grab onto an oncoming blade nonchalantly. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry. However, you must understand where I'm coming from, right?"
The woman grunted as she stood up before leaving the man behind as she left the premises. A chuckle escaped his lips yet, instead of being amused, his expression fell into regret as he stared at his own hands. "Navi, Moshia, Gibo. I plead that you grant me strength once more, for I'm afraid I may not be able to accomplish the task you have left me; not on my own."
He leaned backwards to stare at the night sky, only able to see a few stars due to the lights on the city. A sigh escaped him as he stood up and analyzed his surroundings once more before following after his companion.
Hey! You made it to the end. Thanks a lot for that. I hope you enjoyed it.
Now onto business. I don't know if any of you noticed, but I've been gone for two months. I have no excuse other than the fact that I got into Elden Ring which took all of my free time and then, when I got all the endings, I got into Metal Gear Solid 5 again... Yeah, I have issues. Thankfully, I still managed to write a few words here and there from time to time when I wasn't busy being addicted to my games. Anyway, it's not like I forgot about this story since there hadn't been a day where I haven't thought about it. In fact, this down time allowed me to finish some story elements which I was not 100% percent sure on how to include them which brings me to the first announcement.
I will not be starting the next chapter just yet. The reason why is because I want to go back to the previous chapters to tweak some parts while correcting mistakes while I'm at it. I will be making a list of those changes in the notes of the next chapter.
The second announcement is that I have thought up of at least 4-5 stories that I wish to write in the future and I might write the first chapter for each at some point as proof of concept (is that how you use that term? idk.)
Anyway, Thank you for reading and I'll see you all next time!