"Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked as Blake nodded.

"Positive."

"Not that we don't believe you or anything, but it just seems so... how do I put this... stupid." Yang commented as Blake gave a stern look.

"I know how it seems, but I'm serious. The White Fang are gathering Grimm, and we need to be ready for that!"

The blond brawler raised her hands. "Easy there, we get it: they're up to no good and we need to stop it. What we're asking is why? Why try something so desperate? Doesn't all this seem a bit... pointless though?"

"I know, and that's what worries me." Blake shook her head. "It makes no sense at all so they shouldn't even be doing it. The White Fang doesn't play in senseless decisions, everything has a purpose, meaning that this must be part of their plan."

The rest looked wary as Blake let out a sigh, steadying herself as she continued with a snarl.

"We don't know why they're capturing Grimm, we don't know why they're stealing dust, and we don't even know what it has to do with Faunus equality. So much of it seems counterintuitive to everything they stand for, but still they're doing it!"

"Easy there Blake, don't blow a gasket." Yang tried as the girl raised her voice.

"How can anyone be calm about this!?" She yelled as Ruby spoke up.

"Alright, let's tone it down a bit Blake. We're already looking into it remember; that hasn't changed, but right now we don't have all the information yet."

Weiss nodded. "Ruby's right, we're clearly missing something. Let's just keep moving along like we've been doing. I'm sure we'll find the missing piece of the puzzle soon."

Blake wanted to argue back, she really did, but she was just so exhausted. There was so much to worry about, so many things that the White Fang could be plotting, but her teammates were right. At the moment they had nothing to really go off of, guessing would get them nowhere. All she could hope was that they'd come across a break soon, something that could give them the answers they needed.

"Okay, we'll deal with this later."

"Good, we need to approach this carefully." Weiss commented as Yang let loose a mischievous smile.

"Right on that! And besides, the dance is tomorrow night; you and I have door duty Blake. Don't think you'll be skipping out like today either, I'll drag you in if I have to." The blond teased as Ruby looked to shy away, unfortunately her sister caught her from the corner of her eye.

"And don't think you'll be getting away either, you need to start getting involved in these type of things; you're team leader after all."

"Yang!" Ruby whined. "You know I can't dance, and you know what I think of those stupid lady stilts."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Lady stilts?"

"Ruby hates heels." The elder sister confirmed as Weiss gave a scrutinizing look.

"Ruby Rose! As team leader you need to be able to make a good impression! Your state of dress will be up to the highest standards!"

"And there she goes." Yang commented as both Blake and her watched the heiress criticize their young leader on the importance of appearances, all the while Ruby looked to them for help; inciting Weiss's wrath further.

"So, disregarding the mental torture Rubes is going through: got anyone special in mind to bring to the dance?" Yang asked as Blake looked away, letting out a breath.

"No, not off the top of my head. Never really thought about it with everything going on." She admitted as Yang scratched the back of her neck.

"Yeah, same here actually. Guess we were just too preoccupied. Have any last minute ideas though?" She questioned as Blake thought about it.

Who could she bring? Despite being at Beacon for the same length of time as the others she never really got to know anyone closely... well, aside from her team. She spent so much of her hours away from everybody, and looking back on it she wondered just how that looked to the other students. Did they think she was weird? Not that she cared or anything, but if they did then it would make finding a date for tomorrow night all the more difficult.

They could always just go with each other, there was no real need to get someone special. Then again how would that fare with the others, would they be okay with it? Or did they have dates in mind already? She couldn't see Ruby making such a big effort towards it, but Weiss was a different story. With her status and general beauty she probably had dozens of people asking her to the event; not counting Jaune who asks her out almost daily.

Actually, now that she looked at it the Arc boy was strangely absent over the past few days. He had yet to try and serenade Weiss at their door for the past week. Was it because he found someone different or...

She slapped her forehead, earning a concerned look from Yang.

"You okay there Blake?" She worried as the girl nodded, shooing her back.

"I'm fine, I was just remembering that we had JNPR helping keep an eye on Vermillion." Blake told as Yang let out a sigh.

"That's good. Thought you might have forgotten something and panicked." Yang said as she leaned back against the bed behind her.

Wait a minute...

In that small moment of time Blake set her thoughts on Vermillion. He was still at the school, and he was still dangerous. It gave her an idea, probably a stupid idea but an idea nonetheless. In a rush the cat Faunus looked to her partner.

"Yang, I know who I'm taking to the dance!"

.

.

"And here she is!" Alcove called out, waving his extended arm towards the sizable airship.

To be entirely fair it wasn't exactly the largest Ruby had ever seen, but it was far from small. As long as it got the job done she didn't care what size it was. That all being said however Ruby felt a hint of relief at it's relatively average size, a standard issue if she recalled. Not too small as to be frail should emergency occur, nor too large as to attract unwanted attention. Granted she still expected some form of trouble to come crashing in at one point or another, but that could be dealt with when it happened.

For now Ruby followed along as the elder man showed her around his prized vessel.

"She may not look the shiniest, or as fancy as the newer builds, but I guarantee this old girl's got some power." He boasted as she simply nodded, following alongside him as he took her on deck.

They stepped off the walkway and onto the port, allowing her to get a better view of the deck. Most of it had some sights of dust, with tarnish being visible across the metal joins along the mast.

Star-Bringer's age was showing, yet that didn't rule out it's quality. Despite being out of use for what she assumed years, the ship still had an air of toughness to it; like it could still take a beating. Maybe it was just her being hopeful, but she felt as though the old man's boasts were more than just hot air. It was the way he spoke, his prideful tone lacked any of the apprehension that a liar would usually have.

"I'll take your word for it." Ruby let out as Alcove started for what looked to be a doorway along the front of the cabin.

Stepping inside she noticed that the dust was particularly thick, letting out a few coughs as the man walked forward towards what looked like an old desk. He rubbed his hand along it, seeming to take in the feel of it's wood, before he gave a tired sigh.

"I used to do so many trips you know, all along the five skies." He told as Ruby took a look around, wiping the dust off some of the other tables and drawers along the sides.

"Really?" She asked as he gave a short chuckle.

"Oh yes, people needed things moved here and there all the time. Back when I was young I first heard of the sky sailors from my father. He would take me out to watch as they brought in the bakery's goods, always having a chat with them for a bit before they unloaded the exotic grains. Mother would always poke fun at how long it took him to bring it back, 'we got orders to fill' she'd always yell, smacking him over the noggin." Alcove recounted as Ruby took on a curious look.

"You're family ran a bakery?" She asked as he smiled.

"We did, and a damn fine one at that. Mother used to be a traveler when she was young, and she would wander around looking for more things to study. She always had a drive when it came to foods however; often sampling the platter of each place she visited." Alcove gave a small laugh.

"When I was young she told me that she came across our little town here because she heard it was an air dock, said she was curious about what they might be moving here. At the time father was a crewmate on some big wig merchant's delivery ship, hauling spices to the small market deeper in town."

"And I take it that's when they met." Ruby voiced as the man let out a relaxed breath.

"Yes, and oddly enough it wasn't anything crazy either. Father was hauling spice and mother was taking a closer look at the ship, she saw the spices and wanted to buy a few; didn't take long before they got chatting. He wooed her with tales of his travels, and she amazed him with some of her own. However both were already tired out over the years of travel, wanting to settle in somewhere. Mother decided to stay in town, that way she could use the ships to place orders for things she may have wanted, and father stayed with her." The older man shook his head.

"Now I know it's not the kind of love story that most would hope for, but for them it was perfect. Mother showed off some of her cooking skills she'd picked up across the land, and father shared his family recipe for homemade sweet bread. They experimented a bit, and the bakery was born as a way to earn some lien to cover their living expenses." Alcove finished as he made back for the deck, Ruby trailed behind as she spoke up again.

"Then how did you become an airship captain? Seems like a big leap from baker don't you think."

"It is, and it's a relatively simple tale too. Growing up around town I was always able to watch the ships come and go, soaring through the skies like a flock of birds. As a simple child I was naturally drawn to the wonder it presented, the desire to do what I couldn't; the desire to fly." The man leaned against the railing, staring out to the walls of the storage warehouse that currently housed the ship.

"This drive eventually led me to seek out a captain and beg him to let me fly. Eventually I found one, and you know what he said to me? He laughed at me, called me a fluttering little scamp, made fun of me the whole time; and offered to train me."

"He trained you?"

"Oh yes, said he was so amused with the idea of a tot wanting to captain a crew that he'd show me a few things; needless to say mother wasn't exactly 'happy' when she learned what I had done. A stern week long grounding later and I was up onboard; listening to the old man as he showed me the ropes. From gravity dust management to measuring the wind currents, I was slowly let onto how they sailed. Soon enough I applied as a piolet some years later; a boy at the ripe age of sixteen. The rest is history." Alcove finished as he led Ruby into the hull below.

"Down here I'll get you into one of the private rooms, the same type we used for transporting important scholars and the like." He spoke as they passed through the stuffy damp space.

"A little hard to breath." Ruby commented as the man hung his lantern up on a nearby hook, allowing it to keep the hall from complete succumbing to the shadows. Ruby held her own lantern close as he turned to her.

"I'll have this place cleaned and packed before we depart, so don't you worry. For now let's head on in here and take a look; this'll be your room for the voyage." He said as she gazed into the dark space, lit up dimly by the small flame in her hands.

It was just as damp as the rest of the ship, but noticeably larger than some of the other areas, with an old looking bed against the back wall covered in a thick sheet. The bed itself was large enough to fit around three or so people, and looked to be of higher quality than that of an inn.

"Thank you, this is more than enough."

"Don't mention it dolly, I should be thanking you for giving me reason to take to the skies once more. I never thought I'd get the chance again, but life seems to be full of surprises." Alcove waved her along back to the deck of the ship.

"So how soon can we leave? I'm not in a massive rush or anything, but I'd appreciate it if we could get started; I'm not exactly young anymore, and I need to make quite the journey." Ruby asked as Alcove held his chin, looking about the deck and mast.

"Give me about two or three weeks. I need to get a crew together, as well as replace and polish up a few things. I'll come get you when we're ready to haul off. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind telling me where it is we'll be flying to?" He questioned as she let out a small smirk.

"Everywhere."

.

.

"Blake... I said it last night; I said it this morning, and I'll say it again: this is a horrible idea." Yang gave as they walked along the pathway just out front of the school.

"I know it sounds bad, but like I said this will kill two birds with one stone."

Yang shook her head. "Tonight's supposed to be fun, relaxing; watching over a murderer isn't fun Blake. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I like to have fun at parties."

"Please, I know that, but this is the perfect opportunity! All we need to do is keep an eye on him so he doesn't try anything, nothing too crazy." Blake explained as they passed by the school's central fountain, making their way along to the cafeteria.

"Yeah, but it kind of kills the mood you know. And besides, the headmaster said he was cool now; it's not like they'd allow a senseless killer into the school without some type of restrictions, even for a jerk like him." Yang reasoned as Blake sent a nod.

"I know that, and if he really is as 'under control' as the headmaster says then there should be no issue. We just need to glance at him every now and then, I'll be doing most of the watching anyway." Blake explained as Yang sighed.

"And what about when you're at the door? You want me to watch him when you're on duty?"

"Yes! Like I said you only need to spare a look from time to time, it won't be a big deal." Blake said as her partner gave a flat look.

"And you really think this'll work? Like I said earlier you two didn't exactly meet under the best of conditions; heck, none of us did. What's to stop him from just saying no when you ask him? What if he catches onto you." Yang questioned as they stepped into the food court and made for the front.

"I won't know unless I try." Blake answered as she took a tray, loading it with various types of seafood. Yang rolled her eyes as she took some stew, along with a small packet of crackers.

"Right... and what if he does try something? What exactly can we do about it that the staff won't? I mean, if he does act up the teachers won't exactly overlook it, so what do we gain by doing this?" Yang asked as they sat at their standard table.

"If he's going to act up then he'll do it out of their sight, he'll try to slip away to do whatever he needs to do. That's what I want to look out for: if he sneaks away I'll follow him, or you will."

"Blake, you're starting to sound a bit over the top now." Yang commented as Blake gave her a look.

"I'm just being careful. I want to catch him before he can hurt anyone." She justified as Yang let out a sigh.

"Fine, but tonight's the last time. After this it's time to leave it alone, we've got other things to focus on and you can't just lose you're mind over this. If he tries anything... well, I guess that changes things then. But if everything goes smoothly and he doesn't hurt anyone I want you to promise you'll leave this alone. We're already looking into the White Fang, and that's enough danger as it is." The blond ordered as her partner made to speak up.

"I know bu-"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Yang raised her hand, silencing Blake. "Promise me that after this is over you'll stop."

"We can-"

"Promise me."

Yang wasn't going to let up. Blake was left in a hard spot, but in the end what choice did she have? Her partner might have been onto something: if Vermillion didn't do anything at the dance - a time when everyone would be distracted - then when would he? It would be the perfect place to cause chaos or sneak off; everyone would have their guards down as they relaxed and enjoyed the night.

"Alright, I promise." Blake spoke sincerely, Yang gave a quick nod.

"That's a good Blake. Now come on, the food's getting cold." She said while spooning a mouthful.

Blake shook her head slightly, letting a tiny smile grace the corners of her lips. Never when she'd first thought about joining Beacon did she ever predict that she would have such a closely bonded team.

Too bad Weiss and Ruby hadn't shown up to lunch yet, it would be funny to see the heiress complain about Yang's table manners; or lack thereof.

Where were they anyway?

.

.

"Weiss... Weiss... let me sleep." Ruby whined as her partner dragged her across the halls by the leg.

"That's what you get staying up all night; don't think I didn't catch you slipping into bed just as the alarm was about to go off. You're lucky classes are over for the festival, otherwise you'd have an angry Ms. Goodwitch to deal with; you remember what happened last time someone fell asleep in her class."

Ruby let out a shiver, now that was a scary thought. Last time someone fell asleep in combat class they were pitted into a four on one stamina battle. On it's own it sounded like a standard match to those outside of the know, thing was though that a stamina battle required not using your weapons. Instead the participants were required to use weakened replicas provided by the school, the kind designed to do as little damage as possible. The 'stamina' part was about lasting the longest, and those fights would usually take up all remaining class time.

With a groan she kicked at Weiss; the heiress stopped, looked down, and dropped her leg. Grumbling to herself Ruby got up, letting out a yawn as they started on their way once more.

"So we heading to breakfast or what?" Ruby asked as Weiss let loose a frustrated breath.

"As much as I want to do so we can't yet, I've got something I need to check on."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Really? What is it, and why do you need me?"

"I don't need you, but I don't have time to drop you off before hand, so you're stuck tagging along." Weiss replied as they neared the other side of the school.

"What do you need to do?" Ruby asked as Weiss shushed her.

"Quiet you, just let me be and stay out of sight over there." She ordered as Ruby - tired and hungry - waddled over to the corner of the hall.

Sending a small thumbs up to her snowy partner Ruby watched with a slight interest - or as much as she could muster up - as Weiss knocked on the door. A moment passed by as it opened, and the girl began talking with whoever was inside.

Much to Ruby's own surprise Weiss looked slightly nervous, only for it to vanish a moment later as she let a sheepish smile show. There was half minute of talking before the door shut and her now smiling partner sauntered up to her.

"What just happened?" She asked as Weiss continued on.

"I just got a date to the dance." She answered with more than a little joy in her voice.

"That's good then, so who was it?" Ruby pushed as they left the dorm, in their way presumably to the cafeteria.

"It was Sun."

Ruby nearly tripped, steadying herself as she sent a look to Weiss.

"Sun, as in Sun Wukong? The Faunus guy who helped you find Blake?"

"Yes... why?" Weiss asked as Ruby sent a confused look, quite the contrast to her tired face only seconds before.

"Nothing... it's just that I thought you might have asked someone different." Ruby admitted, it was now Weiss's turn to look confused.

"Why? What makes asking him so weird?"

"I mean... he's a Faunus, and you're fami-" Ruby was interrupted as Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"And... what are you implying?"

Ruby shook her hands. "N-nothing! It's just that... you're family doesn't exactly have the greatest reputation when it comes to things like that."

Weiss gave a downtrodden look. "I'm not like them... I thought you knew that already."

Ruby tried desperately to comfort her partner. "No no I get that! W-what I mean is that you two didn't seem all that similar is all, h-honest!" She let out another sigh. "Sorry, I said that all wrong. What I meant was that you two didn't seem to like each other like that, you know... with him being so laid back and all. I didn't think you'd ask him to the dance. What if you're family disapproves?"

Weiss took on a more neutral face. "We don't like each other like that, this is just a dance remember. It's not something super important or anything like that. I asked him because he helped me find Blake, and because he continued to help with everything else. I couldn't care less about what the family thinks, there's only one I take suggestion's from anyway."

She raised her head. "He's one of the few who treat me like my own person, and not as just a Schnee. Most other guys only see the family name, and come for the wealth or power that goes with it. Sun was different, he knew I was a Schnee; knew of our reputation, but still he gave me a chance. He took the time to get to know me, to treat me like Weiss and not another Schnee."

Ruby shied away. "Sorry, I didn't realize it was such an important thing to you."

Weiss waved her off. "It's fine, I'd probably be surprised too; I wasn't all too nice when we first met, I dug that grave myself."

"Yeah, but that's what getting to know people is all about right? Seeing the real person underneath, and not just what we show." Ruby admitted as she looked back to Weiss, nearly jumping at the wide eyed look she received.

"W-what? Is there something on my face?" Ruby asked as Weiss let the look fade a bit.

"No... it's just that I never thought you'd say something that mature." Her partner gave as Ruby felt a wave of embarrassment rush across her.

"W-what do you mean!?" She cried as Weiss simply looked away, a small smile tucked on the ends of her lips.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Weiss spoke as her smile shifted to a full blown smirk.

"What!? What is it!? Come on tell me Weiss! Don't leave your leader hanging!"

.

.

Ruby took her time as she toured the town, she had more than enough to spare now that she knew she'd be staying for a week. Watching as the people worked she spotted Blossom in the distance. Deciding that there was no harm in it she walked up to the woman, who appeared to be overlooking something.

"And how are you?" She asked as Blossom turned to her, holding a relaxed smile.

"Fine, and I see you're back. How did it go?"

"It went well all things considered, I've only to wait for him to tidy things up."

"That's good." Blossom stood, letting out a tired breath as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

Ruby sent a curious look, turning her attention to the small set of flowers before them.

"Are they yours?" She asked as Blossom nodded.

"For the most part, I own this small section here. With having to leave the kingdom's main city so suddenly I lost the garden I'd cared for over the years. So I found this small space here, bought it, and started anew. I've decided to take care of this part; these wonderful flowers were already here from the start, so why remove them? It's not all my doing sure, but they are now under my care."

"I hope it's been going well." Ruby said as she focused on them.

"I notice that these aren't the Blood Blossoms you had before." She observed, taking in the bright red petals of the blooming garden.

"True, they are not. Many children roam the streets and paths around town, so such dangerous flowers will only lead to someone getting hurt. As you can see these roses are more than enough for me. A brighter shade of red, one more suited for a brighter step in life don't you think?" Blossom told as Ruby held a small smile.

"I can agree to that. I've also noticed that Pebble isn't here with you."

"Oh him? He's back at the tavern, said he wanted to wait for you. He's been itching to show you around since you first arrived. Why not go see him now?" Blossom suggested as Ruby stood.

"I believe I will. Have a nice day." She ended as Blossom sent a wave at her departure, returning to the garden as Ruby set her sights on the tavern.

She felt a small giggle well up in her throat. That boy was proving to be more of a handful than she first thought; although certainly a welcome one. She let her pace slow into a relaxed stride. There were no major concerns for the time, and she was eager to milk the calm atmosphere to it's fullest.

Coming upon the building Ruby felt a queasy bubble in her gut, almost wanting to hunch over and expel her breakfast; if she had any.

Stupid dusty boat, why make me feel sick now?

And it was such a good morning too. On the bright side she was close to the place, she could get a glass of water to hopefully make the feeling calm down a bit.

Stepping inside she was hit with a sudden feeling of... she didn't know what to call it. It was strange, one moment she was feeling like puking, the next she was suddenly better, Really. The feeling just seemed to vanish the moment she crossed the threshold.

Ruby took a moment to feel about herself, to make sure she wasn't sweating or bleeding anywhere. Did she have a fever? Had her lack of eating finally caught up with her? The first was a solid no, as she checked her head and felt the normal warmth that it usually carried.

I need to get some food, maybe that'll help.

Ruby made for the cupboard, intent on some dry goods when she halted. Her eyes caught something... off on a nearby table. She spotted what looked to be a small white blot, one that had her pacing over to check it out.

A sugar cube?

There was no mistaking it, it was indeed a solitary sugar cube. It sat alone on the table, a stark contrast against the darker wood. It was such a curiosity to her that Ruby reached for it, only to halt as a frigid terror overwhelmed her senses and gripped at her core.

Every cell of her veins, the blackened pulsing corruption, it was Screeching in joy. So much so that it felt as though they themselves would tear from her arm to embrace the feeling. So potent in fact that she felt her mind become hazy.

And then she saw it, from the corner of her vision she could make out the blurred form of the twisted creature. This was bad, this was very bad! Of all the Grimm to encounter here, why did it have to be this one?

Pebble was in danger, everyone was in danger, and worst of all she knew she'd learn something she wasn't supposed to. It had chosen her, the sugar cube - distinctly out of place - and the emptiness of the tavern had proven that. If she had to guess she'd assume it had chosen Pebble too; after all it hardly targeted one.

Her aura had been off when she entered, and she'd now have to keep it off; it could not know that she knew, as the aura would alert it. Her own corruption must have wavered it's influence, otherwise she'd have not realized it so soon; the dark recognizes the dark after all.

She had one chance, and Ruby knew she had to play along perfectly. One wrong step and it would escape in time to kill her; one false move and it evade her grasp.

Ruby let the heavy air overtake her, the silent wordless whispers that resonated with her emotions; it's way of guiding her. She took hold of the small sweet block, looking it over as tears gently trailed her cheeks.

"Honey... are you here?" She called out, letting the well of despair beat against her chest.

"Yes mama?" Came the voice of Pebble, up the stairs and out of sight.

With the tears trailing to the floor below she started for the boy; tears not of her own. Ruby needed to play the part perfectly to come out alive, no mistake could be made. She was caught in the trap, chosen and dragged into the nightmare, and now up against one of the most horrid and dangerous type of Grimm.

The Dread Weeper.

Author's note

...

Oh but sike you thought it would be all rest and relaxation. Well you thought wrong, I've got another thing up and running.

In all seriousness though this arc for Ruby is wrapping up, just need to sprint to the finish before we start having her branch out. And what better way than through crippling suspense?

You hate it, I love it, it's nobody's favorite... the cliffhanger!

On the bright side RWBY and crew in the current time seem to be having some fun - barring Blake's wave of potentially crippling ideas and panic - so it's not all dark and gloomy.

Now we get to have some fun... well I do, you're just along for the ride. Much like the Fairies from before this Grimm is my own creation, and you'll get to know it soon enough.

For now though I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your thoughts and see you later.