Posted on: 2022/04/14
Honestly, I am not proud of this chapter. I am aware that it has problems, but the issue is that those problems are caused by restrictions that I put on myself when writing this. One of said restriction will be told in the bottom notes.
Fun fact, I started writing this chapter before chapter 10 even had a word written down.
Anyway, I hope you can forgive me for posting this chapter the way it is and will decide to stick around for the rest of the story.
1) The Strawberry Incident
Team RWBY's first week at Beacon had gone by faster than they would have thought. At some point, they were given the materials to assemble their bunk beds which they arranged like so: Yang was on the top bunk of one while Ruby would sleep underneath, Blake slept on top of the other and Weiss would take the bottom one. The four of them were laying down in their respective beds while doing their own activities. Blake was reading a book, Weiss was studying, Yang was watching videos on her scroll, and Ruby...
"I want strawberries..." She mumbled loud enough for her roommates to hear.
"Come again?" Asked Yang while angling her head off her bed to stare at her sister.
The ravenette realized that she spoke out loud as she sat up. "Sorry, I was talking to myself. Just kind of felt like eating strawberries. Haven't had any since Mistral."
Weiss raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you not bought any while in Atlas, Miss Rose?"
She hummed curiously for a second. "Can't say that I have. I was so busy that it didn't really cross my mind, you know?"
"You were too busy for strawberries, but not for ice cream?" Thought the three girls before shaking the thought out of their minds.
Blake closed her book and dropped down from her bed. "I'm down for some strawberries."
Ruby sat up while smiling at the amber-eyed woman. "The more the merrier! You girls coming too?"
Weiss marked her page before leaving her bed. "If we get some blueberries, I wouldn't mind tagging along."
"That's a great idea! Yang? You're the last one~." Lilted the celebrity as she stood up and leaned in close to her sister's face, causing the blond to blush.
She looked away before mumbling. "If we add oranges..."
Ruby then wrapped her arms around the brawler and pulled her out of her bed. "I know! Why don't we melt some chocolate to have a fondue!?" She cheered while swinging her sister around.
The monochrome duo snickered at the blond's predicament before realizing that they didn't answer Ruby's question.
"Sure, though I won't be eating much of it." Replied Blake. She then thought for a second. "We could also get some apples."
"Wouldn't it negate the point of eating fruits and berries?" Asked Weiss before receiving a raised eyebrow from the ravenette which made her shy away from her gaze. "It does sound fun though..." She mumbled.
Ruby beamed as she left their dorm, her sister still trapped in her arms. "Great! Let's go then!"
The moment they entered the shared kitchen, the whole room instantly stared at the three young adults before sighing in relief once they saw Ruby with them. Although, a couple laughed at the blond's situation.
"Don't mind us, we're just coming for some fruits, berries, and chocolate. A bit of cream too." Said the silver-eyed woman.
Instantly, a couple of students approached them.
"What kind of fruits?"
"What kind of berries?"
"Are you making a fondue? I think we have a kit laying around somewhere. I also have this great chocolate to boot."
Ruby chuckled before telling them everything they needed which they swiftly provided. "You guys are so nice. We could have gotten those ourselves." She said, releasing Yang from her soft prison to take the tray from the helpers' hands.
They said their goodbyes and thank yous before leaving for the cafeteria. As they walked down the hall, many passersby stopped to talk with the ravenette who continued walking while exchanging with them. The sheer grace she displayed while doing so was enough to leave some gobsmacked, her teammates included.
Once they finally reached a table, Ruby waved goodbye to those who followed her as they sat down. She then picked up a refillable lighter a student gave them to light the candle used to melt the chocolate. However, as soon as she picked the object up, she stared at it, emotionless.
"Miss Rose?" Asked Weiss when the three girls noticed.
Ruby then flicked the top open, letting the lighter give off a satisfying metallic click. A small smile crept up her lips as she closed it once more.
"Rubes? You okay?" Asked Yang exchanging confused looks with her teammates.
The silver-eyed woman then started flipping the lighter between her fingers, opening and closing the object while sometimes also igniting it. She continued doing so for about a minute, then flicked the object towards the candle, lighting up its wick, and did a couple more spins before closing it down and setting it aside. Once she did so, students who had stopped to watch cheered for her which seemed to snap her out of her daze. This went on for a while but eventually cleared out once the chocolate had melted enough for them to start eating.
"What was that about?" Asked Blake.
"And can you teach me that? That was awesome!" Added Yang.
"It was rather impressive." Admitted Weiss.
Ruby looked back at the lighter and gave it a nostalgic smile. "I just got reminded of an old friend. That's all."
Understanding the implication, they dropped the subject before diving into their afternoon snack. As if by instinct, Ruby reached for the oranges to peel and slice them one by one while putting most slices on Yang's side. She then sliced the apples and put them on Blake's side. Once done, the ravenette reached for a strawberry but stopped when she noticed her teammates' stares. "What?"
"You, uh, didn't need to do that." Said Yang, reaching for an orange slice.
"Do what?" She asked picking a strawberry by its stem.
"Slice the fruits in advance for us." Answered Blake as she picked an apple slice. "We can do that on our own."
"Eh? But you girls used to love it a couple of years back. Blake, you'd even ask me to feed them to you sometimes." Said Ruby making both women blush a deep shade of red.
"Nevermind..." They both muttered defeated.
Weiss glided a blueberry on the chocolate's surface while giving the bow wearer a questioning expression. "You asked her to feed you?" She asked before chewing her treat. "Why didn't I think of that? I can even remember the few times where it could have happened had I asked." Shaking the thought out of her head, she turned towards the brawler. "Won't the orange's juice make a mess? While I understand the appeal of the mix of flavors, I don't believe this to be a logical option for fondue."
Yang snapped out of her sulking to give the heiress a confident smirk. "Well, you see, princess. When you don't have to worry about the peel, you can just pop the whole thing into your mouth." She then demonstrated her claim. "See?"
Weiss gave her a look of discomfort before picking another blueberry. "I'll... leave you to that."
The blond shrugged. "More for me."
Ruby delicately dipped her strawberry into the melted cacao goodness while watching the three younger women's playful banter with a joyful expression. "That's more like what I imagined." She said gaining their attention.
"What do you mean?" Asked blake, chewing on an apple slice.
The ravenette removed her coated prize while carefully making sure that none of it would stain the table. "I always hoped that you three would meet one day and that we'd have little moments like these. Though I didn't expect that it would happen in a school."
Her teammates exchanged looks before smiling at each other. The hidden faunus, who had sat down next to Ruby much to the other two's envy, gently shoved the older woman with a teasing grin. "Not everything will go the way we expect them to."
The silver-eyed woman smiled. "I guess so." She said before bringing the strawberry to her lips.
Time seemed to slow down as they softly enveloped the fruit. While the woman had done it with no ulterior motives, her action had radiated an incredible amount of erotism to the onlookers whose faces burned up at the sight. However, what made this one of the most memorable days at Beacon was the moan of innocent pleasure she released while chewing as her eyes closed, satisfied.
Unable to handle the intense erotism displayed, many decided to either look away or simply leave the cafeteria for the sake of their own sanity.
Once she reopened her eyes, Ruby was greeted with the sight of both her sister and Blake, staring wide-eyed at her while their face sported a deep shade of red. The ravenette could even hear the hidden faunus' bated breath which made her worry for their health. Weiss, for her part, had now been staring downwards while hiding her mouth behind a hand while she seemed to use the other to firmly grip their table. Ruby gave them a confused look before staring at her now-eaten fruit and then their plate.
"Is something wrong with the fruits? You girls don't look so well." She asked raising a hand towards Blake's forehead.
Before she could touch her, the bow wearer suddenly stood up and slowly backed away. "A-actually, I'll be right back. I, uh, y'know?" She nervously stuttered before dashing out of the cafeteria doors.
Following their teammate's path with their eyes, they noticed that Pyrrha had been frozen in place near them, seemingly having been heading in their direction considering her lazily raised index finger. Her face had fallen into the same spell as her peers which didn't help with the embarrassment she felt when she noticed them staring at her. "H-hello. I... forgot something in my dorm!" She shouted before dashing away much like Blake had.
"What's with everyone this afternoon?" Asked Ruby while reaching for another strawberry.
Weiss leaned towards her seat neighbor. "Yang, I implore you to stop your sister. I don't think I can stand this for much longer." She whispered, unable to look at the brawler while revealing her feelings towards the celebrity. She found it curious when no answers came. "Yang?" She asked, turning towards her partner.
The blond was frozen in place while her eyes were now glued to her elder sister's lips. Both the ravenette's and Weiss's questions seemed to have not been able to snap her out of it. Gazing downwards, the heiress was shocked when she caught the sight of Yang's legs squirming and rubbing against each other slowly. "Is she...?!"
"Is something going on?" Asked Ruby, eating another chocolate-covered strawberry a bit less seductively yet still enough to allure her two teammates.
The heiress shook her head before giving the celebrity an awkward smile. "Nothing! They most likely feel a bit under the weather, right Yang?" She then stealthy took out a small vial of ice dust from her combat dress' pocket and fused some of its content with a glyph she place on the blond's back.
The brawler shrieked as Weiss' sentence registered in her mind. "Right! They must be tired from their first week here, y'know?" She lied, trying her best to not punch her partner in the face.
Ruby gasped. "Oh, and here I am, asking you girls for this little outing when you're exhausted. I'm sorry! We can do this another time." She said with an apologetic smile while grabbing the tray.
The two partners wanted to tell her to stop. That they didn't mind it and treasured the moment they shared with her. Unfortunately, the raging heat between their legs made them shamefully go along with their story. The celebrity was heading towards the student's kitchen when she briefly stopped. "I'll put this away, you girls can head back to our dorm and rest. I won't be back until a bit later since I have a meeting with Ozpin, could any of you text Blake to tell her?"
They nervously smiled while giving her a thumbs up. The moment Ruby entered the kitchen, they both dashed toward their dorm. Slamming the door behind them, Weiss turned to Yang. "You're lusting after your sister?!"
The brawler's eyes turned red as she growled at the heiress. "I would love nothing more than to hear you talk my ears off, but I think we both have something to take care of beforehand."
Weiss blushed before stepping away from the blond. "Not with you in the room!"
"I'll take the bathroom. You... do it on your bed or whatever!" Harshly replied Yang before slamming the door.
Weiss' jaw tightened as she weighed her options before stomping her foot as she groaned. "Fine! But you better not come out before I say so! And not a word of this can go out of this room!"
An hour or two later, Ruby came back into their dorm, humming a song to herself when she noticed her teammates' condition. Each were in their own bed, having resumed the activities they were doing earlier this afternoon with an enormous blush on their face while making sure to not look at each other.
"Did something happen?" She asked, surprising them since they were too engrossed in their own thoughts to notice her arrival.
"Nothing happened!" They said simultaneously before hiding once more.
"O...kay? Well, I'll be doing some homework then?" She asked only to be met with silence. "What's up with them? Must be more tired than I thought" She wondered before sitting down at a desk they had set up in the corner of the room.
Thus ended Beacon's first week of classes. With new discoveries, friendships, and a strange number of students who refused to meet the celebrity's gaze for a while.
2) Love and Roses
Yang exited her dorm's bathroom with an embarrassed expression once Weiss had texted her that she could. However, that quickly change to surprise when she noticed that Blake was laying down in her own bed, unable to focus on the book she was reading.
"Did, did she catch you...?" Hesitantly asked Yang, staring at the heiress who had been laying in a fetal position in her bed.
"During her afterglow, thankfully." Replied Blake, setting her book down to reveal the blush on her face. "I think we have a lot to talk about."
Yang sighed. "Like me being in love with my sister?"
Weiss shot up from under her sheets. "In love?!"
"Yeah? I wouldn't just lust after Ruby. I'm an all-in kind of girl." She replied with a glare.
"She's your sister!" Accused the heiress, standing up from her bed.
Angered, the blond accidentally activated her semblance which set fire to her hair as her eyes turned red. "You think I don't know that?! That I didn't spend months hating myself for even feeling this way?! Disgusted at the fact that I fell not only for my sister but also the person that practically raised me?!" She returned to normal as she sat on Ruby's bed. "I had never fallen for anyone before her..."
Twelve-year-old Yang Xiao Long, sighed as she sat on their living room couch and turned on their television. While she may have been watching whichever program was playing, her mind was wandering elsewhere.
The sound of their front door slamming snapped her out in time to hear seventeen-year-old Ruby lilt. "I'm back~!" The ravenette had two bags in her hands. One being her school bag, and the other a plastic one filled with various chocolates. Spotting the blond, the older sibling practically skipped in her direction. "I know I said it this morning, but happy Valentine's day!" She said, reaching into her school bag to give some peanut butter chocolate to the young brawler.
Accepting the gift with a forced smile, she mumbled a quick thank you while staring at the box. This was swiftly noticed by Ruby, who threw herself next to her younger sister. "What's got you all cloudy, sunshine?"
Yang's gaze went toward the plastic bag before she opened her present. "I don't get it." This confused the older sibling who motioned her to continue. "Love, the girls in my class keep talking about how they think this boy's cute or this one's hot. But when I look at them, I don't get it." She then pointed towards the kitchen table, where her own filled plastic bag had been placed. "Apparently, they do though."
Ruby chuckled while she wrapped her arms around the blond. "Yang, you're twelve. There's still so much for you to learn. Love is... unique for everyone. One day, you'll find yours and you'll see that it makes sense in its own way."
Snuggling into the older sibling's hug, she gazed upwards at her with a raised eyebrow. "Have you been in love before?"
The ravenette hummed. "Not really, but I know people who have." She then rubbed her cheek against her captive's hair. "Trust me, you'll know when it happens, as will I." Bending forward, Ruby rummaged through her plastic bag before fishing out an assortment of chocolate packages. "Now, how about we do something that will definitely piss dad off?"
Yang chuckled. "Boy, was she right. I already missed her a lot since she had left, but when those pictures from Menagerie came out, allowing me to see what she looked like back then? I don't know, it just... clicked, y'know?"
Her two teammates had sat down on Weiss' bed while they listened to her talk. The heiress seemed conflicted, while Blake simply nodded.
"Now here I am, not only in the same school again, but in the same team with the one person I shouldn't love. I tried to stop when she came back, but the few days we spent together before coming here? They just made me realize that it's not something you can just stop, so I thought why not? It's four years. Anything can happen, right?" Continued the brawler before leaning back. "Well? I told my story. How about you girls?"
Weiss crossed her arms and glared at her. "I am under no obligation to tell you anything."
Blake, however, didn't share that thought. "I grew up in a... harsh environment. I joined a community of people who wanted the best for our neighborhood and we fought to keep each other safe. Most times, that meant traveling far from home, but I told myself that it would be worth it in the end if it meant a better life for my neighbors. One day, when our group came back, we could hear some agitation in the distance. Little did I know, that taking a closer look would take me down a new rabbit hole."
"Send her back!"
"Humans don't belong here!"
"We don't owe her anything!"
Fifteen years old Blake turned towards the heckling voices with a confused expression. "A human?" She mumbled.
"Yeah, heard some of our still peaceful guys got saved by her in Vacuo and brought her here. No clue as to why though." Said a White Fang member, carrying a box of supplies as he went passed her.
Her curiosity piqued, she approached the crowd in hopes of seeing the human woman causing all of this fuss. However, she was unable to push herself through and therefore opted for climbing on a nearby rooftop. The cat faunus' eyes narrowed when she caught sight of the human. She was wearing a red hooded cloak which seemed a bit small for her frame yet still long enough to hide her upper body and half of her thighs. What was the most obvious however, was the clothing she wore underneath that cloak which was a tad too small for her frame. The raven-haired woman had a nervous smile while she weakly raised her arms in surrender behind a bear faunus who seemed to be acting as a shield for her. One amongst the crowd grabbed an apple and threw it toward the newcomer's head. They were quickly surprised when the silver-eyed woman instinctively caught the fruit faster than most could register. She inspected the item and then took an elegant bite out of it before humming in joyful pleasure. This mixed with the natural melodious tone of her voice stunned the people surrounding her for a moment, Blake included.
"Wow! This apple is so good! Do you guys grow them here?" She asked the man accompanying her.
"Uh, yeah, we don't really have many suppliers coming here." He said seemingly unaffected by her apparent charm.
"Is she one of those women...?"
"That would explain the way she dresses."
"Saved their lives? I think we can all guess what she really did to get here."
A burly White Fang member pushed through the crowd and approached the human woman. "If you want, I can show you where you can get all the apples you'd need." He said extending a hand towards her breasts. While most onlookers rejoiced at seeing a human being put in their place, Blake glared at the man with disgust. However, shock overtook the spectators when the ravenette reached behind her back and pulled out a red object which extended into some kind of ranged weapon. Unexpectedly, instead of firing it, she gripped the contraption as if a mace and swung right into her assailant's stomach, knocking the breath out of his lungs while launching him over the crowd and into a nearby conveniently placed carriage of hay.
The silver-eyed woman twirled her weapon as it shifted into its compact form before storing it back in its usual concealed place. "I may tolerate a lot of things, but there are limits, young man." She scolded, hands on her hips, bucking them sideways. An action that had most onlookers mesmerized.
The next morning, Blake wandered the streets of Menagerie, making sure to avoid her parent's neighborhood while reading a book she borrowed from the local library. Looking around, she could see White Fang members making deals with some of the local providers which in itself wasn't deplorable weren't it for the threats some would use to convince their peers. The teenager's sightseeing was interrupted when her faunus ears heard a nearby familiar voice coming from one of the habitations.
"It costs WHAT?" Screamed the human that came yesterday. Following her display of strength, the populace was less enthusiastic about challenging the woman in fear of similar retaliation. It didn't mean that they were agreeing with her staying however.
"I don't like it either, but that's kind of the 'human tax' they've put for you." Apologetically explained her bear faunus benefactor. Blake had sneaked close to one of the house's windows to peek inside.
"Don't they want me to leave though? Why would they make it harder?" Questioned the ravenette with a groan as she slammed her head against the table she had been leaning on.
The man sighed. "I think that they'd rather make you suffer than let you leave, Miss Rose. It doesn't help that most of them support the new White Fang leadership."
The silver-eyed woman groaned. "Royce, I told you to call me Ruby. You're also older than me, so it feels kinda weird." She then leaned back against her chair, balancing it on two legs as she stared at the ceiling. "What am I supposed to do now..."
He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before leaning forward. "I... might know someone who wishes that a huntsman would come here."
A week had passed since her eavesdropping and a rumor had been spread around through hushed voices.
"Is it true? That they are planning on expanding to the east?"
"Again? Those Capivara nests are going to remind them why it didn't work last time."
"That's just it, apparently they have a team who's been able to take care of those this time."
"Seriously? Even the best of the White Fang couldn't do that!"
"I heard that the human is part of the team."
"The human? Why would they even help?"
Having heard enough, Blake closed her latest book and headed east, texting Adam that she might come back to their hidden base, late.
Once she entered the uncolonized territories, the cat faunus was greeted by a path of battle-scarred environments and blown-up nests. While she wondered what kind of team they were able to assemble which could do what a small army couldn't, she couldn't help the chill that ran down her spine when she remembered the talk she overheard earlier this week. "Could she have done this all by herself?"
"I am definitely lost." She heard in the distance. "The last nest of the region should have been here, right? Or did I go the opposite way..."
Closing in on its origin, Blake climbed a nearby tree and sighted the cloak wearer, staring intensely at a paper map she had been given while adjusting the leather bag hanging from her shoulder. Looking around, the faunus noticed the lack of teammates for this supposed team.
The ravenette sighed. "I knew I should have asked for a guide..."
Amber eyes widened as she almost fell from her vantage point. "She really has been doing this all by herself! How is that possible?!"
While Ruby was still analyzing her map, large rat-like Grimm dug holes out of the ground and darted towards the ravenette. Not wasting a second, Blake took hold of Gambol Shroud and dashed toward the human.
"Look out!"
Even after putting all of her weight into her strike, she barely managed to injure the Grimm that launched itself toward the older woman.
The ravenette blinked in surprise before folding her map and shoving it in her pocket. "Woah there, kid. You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous you see?"
Blake stared in disbelief at the cape wearer. "I saved you! Are you humans seriously that blind?!" She then transformed her weapon into its pistol form and shot a couple of brave grimm who tried to get closer.
Ruby gazed at the injured Capivara before shrugging. "I could have taken that hit. Now, I appreciate the help, but you really shouldn't be here. Come back in a few weeks though, you'll see that this place is going to be a whole lot different." The ravenette then kicked away one of the creatures which tried to lunge at them.
The cat faunus stared at the woman's legs. "What the hell? How strong is she?"
She suddenly found herself staring at the ground when the ravenette pushed her downwards.
"Watch out, their tails have barbs and trust me, you don't want to get hit by those." Warned Ruby before grabbing Blake by the back of her collar and pulling her away from the Grimm. "I'd also rather not know how well your aura could tank that."
Amber eyes glared as the teenager pulled herself away from the cloak wearer's grasp with her shadow clone. "I can take care of myself!"
Ruby stared at the disappearing clone with interest. "I can see that." She then reached behind her back and fully unfolded Crescent Rose before giving the faunus a teasing grin. "Bet I can kill more than you."
Blake took a step back at the sight of the massive weapon that the older woman seemed to be able to hold with one arm. She then gripped her weapon tighter while glaring at the scythe user. "We'll see about that."
A playful expression adorned Ruby's face as she pulled on her weapon's trigger before disappearing into a cloud of rose petals. She then reappeared right in front of Blake, her weapon already stored behind her back, and kneeling in front of the cat faunus as she poked her nose. "Your turn."
Looking around, Blake's eyes widened when she noticed that a third of the Grimm had been cut down, leaving behind the one she injured earlier and the couple that she shot. "I, uh, I... what?"
"Careful with the barbs." Warned Ruby with a wink before taking a couple of steps back.
Her eyes shrunk as the teenager barely dodged a strike from one of the Grimm. She then struck back multiple times with the aid of her semblance while bouncing off the others and dodging their attacks. It took longer than she'd like to admit, but Blake finally managed to slay the last one. Catching her breath, she turned towards the human with a smirk. "How's that?"
The ravenette jumped down from the tree she sat on while looking around. "Pretty good." She then reached into her bag and took out some small explosives. "Must have been a new nest. There were a lot less than the other ones." The silver-eyed woman activated the devices and rolled them down the tunnels dug by the Grimm before walking away. "I'm Ruby, by the way. Ruby Rose." She said while extending a hand.
Blake stared at it for a while before accepting the handshake. "Blake."
Ruby waited for the teenager's last name which never came. "Just... Blake?" She asked, receiving a nod as ananswer. "Well, Blake. What do you want for dinner?"
Blake chuckled. "It's kinda funny, at first, I kept coming back to her because I was curious. Why was a powerful woman like her, who wasn't even a huntress, traveling from Vacuo to Mistral? I never had a clear answer from her, but as time went on, she kept helping my neighborhood and I stopped asking questions. I'd still meet her while she was working though. I didn't really get it at the time, but I really wanted to be around her. My first love was a guy, so I didn't understand that I was into her. Well, until that one night we had to sleep together. That certainly helped." At some point during her recounting, she had hugged her knees to her chest and stared downwards while resting her chin on her lower thighs.
The temperature duo was stunned. While the hidden faunus had kept the location vague, they didn't expect her to come from such a difficult background. Weiss recovered first as she stared at the floor with guilt. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head with a determined expression. "As I've told Yang, I used to act... slightly differently before meeting Miss Rose. I was stricter, more demanding, a perfectionist, and yes Xiao Long, Cold. I spent my childhood admiring my father and doing what I could to meet his expectations. There were some... complications which led me to admire my older sister instead. When Miss Rose came to Atlas, I only learned of her existence when my sister would talk about her or when an article related to Winter would mention her. I... grew to respect her strength and drive to help those in need, but I couldn't understand how anyone could look up to someone so carefree. Then one day, Winter came back home with none other than Ruby Rose herself. My sister had invited her over for dinner and when I think back on it, it was rather humorous to see miss Rose struggling with table etiquette before giving up halfway through. It certainly didn't help the way I saw her back then. However, it started to change when she asked a peculiar question."
"Is everything alright with your wife? She has yet to join us." Asked Ruby before taking a spoonful of her food.
The atmosphere tensed until Jacques Schnee intervene. "Forgive my wife for her absence. She's been feeling... under the weather today."
The tone which he used and the way his children reacted planted a seed of doubt in Ruby's mind who gracefully raised her glass of wine to her lips. "I see. I hope that she will recover soon."
While it may have seemed like a normal action, the Schnee sisters noticed that this was the first time the celebrity had touched her glass since they had sat down. They were surprised when she then downed her entire glass nonchalantly before noticing that she had been watching their little brother, Whitley, from the corner of her eyes. When he suddenly refused to meet her gaze, she set her glass down and went back to her own plate. The remainder of dinner had been spent with questions and various conversations topic all directed at their guest who never once faltered through it all.
Hours later, Weiss had exited her bathroom and was heading to her bed while brushing her hair when the sound of unfamiliar footsteps went past her door. Careful not to make a sound, the heiress slowly opened her door and peeked down the hall to see that Ruby was steadily walking towards her mother's chambers. "What is that woman scheming?" Her blue eyes widened in shock when the ravenette entered Willow's room without hesitation before closing the door behind her. Instantly, the teenager ran towards the room and stopped in front of the door to listen.
"Who are you?! What are you doing here?" Questioned her mother in panic.
"My name is Ruby Rose, ma'am. I am a friend of your daughter, Winter. She invited me over for the night." Calmly explained Ruby as Weiss could hear her sit down on something.
Her mother's voice trembled. "It doesn't explain what you are doing in my bedroom."
"Sit down, please? And could you put that bottle down already? It won't do anything against me. In fact, I believe you'd be better without all of those entirely." Said the silver-eyed woman. Her voice was firm yet full of understanding.
"You can't just barge into someone's room and judge them. You don't know anything about me." Retorted the Schnee's mother. While her tone of voice was defiant and harsh, Weiss still heard her sit down as asked.
Ruby hummed in approval. "Perhaps I never fully will, but I do know a couple of things." The ruffling of the celebrity's drape could be heard as she stood up followed by footsteps. "But first, tell me. How many children do you have miss Schnee?"
"Are you threatening me?" Growled the older woman before a fearful squeal escaped her.
"Answer the question, miss Schnee." Replied the celebrity forcefully. A moment of silence passed until she could hear Willow mumble the answer. More footsteps could be heard, they seemed to be doing circles. "Do you love them?"
Weiss suddenly froze at the question. She was her mother, of course she loved them, yet a part of her mind was afraid of the answer. She didn't have to wait long since she could hear her mother suddenly stand up. "Of course I do! They are the most precious thing I have!"
Ruby calmly sat back down. "Then why all of this? Why did I share a meal with a man who lied about his wife's condition over what should have been a family dinner had I not been there? Why did I see two daughters become anxious when the subject came up? And why did I see a son barely able to look at someone who... eagerly drinks their wine?"
A soft gasp escaped Willow. "Whitley...?"
"Do you want to know what I see, miss Schnee?" The ravenette did not wait for an answer. "I see a woman who was dealt a bad hand once and decided to abandon everything she held dear. Afraid of getting another unfortunate draw." She then stood up once more and took a couple of menacing steps towards the mother. "Not realizing that by doing so, you have made your own children suffer through years of hardship without any support from the ones that mattered. You claim to love your children, but when was the last time you've shown them you did?" There was a long pause as the mother struggled to come up with an answer. When it was clear that she wouldn't say anything, Ruby sighed before heading towards the door. "Sorry for the intrusion."
"Wait!" Finally screamed the Schnee's mother. The silver-eyed woman stopped in her tracks, yet didn't speak up. "What am I supposed to do now? What should I do?"
"Well, the Atlesian recycling center would gladly rid you of those." She said as the sound of two empty glass bottles bumping into each other could be heard. "And I'm sure that the Mantle's homeless shelter would be very grateful for the eventful nondescript-winter-holiday time they're about to have."
It sounded like she was about to leave when the mother's footsteps could be heard as she dashed towards the ravenette. "W-what was your name again?"
"Ruby Rose, ma'am." She replied with a warm tone of voice.
"If I fail... if I ever need your help again. Will you... would you come to me once more?" A yelp escaped the woman as it sounded like she tripped on something only to be caught by the celebrity.
"Well, looks like I'm doing a good job at catching you when you fall so far, right?" Joked the silver-eyed woman. "Sleep well, miss Schnee."
"Willow. Call me Willow." Said the older woman as the door opened, forcing Weiss to use her glyph to climb the wall and suspend herself near the ceiling.
Ruby nodded before bursting into rose petals which flew towards the guest's bedroom. Weiss caught the sight of her mother taking a handful of the petals and bringing them close to her nose before they disappeared. "Ruby Rose..." she mumbled as her door closed.
"Afterwards, my mother tried her hardest to be better and she did, little by little. She would greet us in the morning, show up when we ate, she'd try to relearn what she could about each of us and do what she could to help us when we needed it." A tear fell down the heiress' eyes as she wiped it away with a tissue. "It took a while for me to forgive her, but I was so glad to have my mother back. We all were. Since then, whenever Winter would visit home, miss Rose would be with her and I've shown more interest in her every time she did. Then one day, my sister announced that miss Rose would be my new tutor. I had my... reservations at first, but she quickly proved to be as, if not better qualified than Winter for the job. Then we had that attitude correction exercise when she brought me down to Mantle in disguise."
Blake gained a surprised expression at the revelation, now understanding why Weiss was a lot more tolerable than she had expected. Since Yang already knew about it, the blond simply nodded as the Heiress continued. "I think the day where I truly realized that I felt more than admiration towards miss Rose is when she brought me outside of Atlas in the middle of a snow-covered field far from any civilization. She said that this way we wouldn't need to worry about collateral damage while I practice my glyphs. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize, but those exercises were in fact, simply children's games involving snow."
Stifled laughs escaped her two teammates which made her glare at them with flushed cheeks. "When I confronted her about it, she pushed me down into the snow and made me stare at the sky, where I could see more stars than I had ever before."
"It's... beautiful." Muttered the heiress in awe.
Ruby let herself fall next to her as she joined in the impromptu stargazing. "Never seen that many in Atlas, huh?"
Not taking her eyes off the night sky, Weiss replied still awestruck. "No..." She then shook her head before turning to glare at the older woman. "It doesn't change the fact that this was a colossal waste of time."
The ravenette smiled while gazing at the stars. "Maybe it was, but not everything needs to be efficient. Sometimes, you need to take a breather, step away from the stress of life, and just see the world that surrounds you." She then stared directly into the teenager's eyes with the warmest, kindest, and most comforting expression the heiress had ever seen. "To have fun. To live. Is it not worth losing a little time for that?"
For reasons unknown to her, the Schnee's heartbeat had increased its pace as she found herself unable to look at the celebrity. She then looked back at the stars while her words echoed in her mind. "I don't know..."
Ruby chuckled as she stood up. "You have time to think about it. I brought some supplies to make a campfire. Let me get them from the ship, I'll be right back."
Rose petals flew around as the older woman ran, leaving the heiress alone to watch the night sky. As the petals flew in front of her vision, she noticed a drifting light amongst the cosmic scenery. "Winter once said that people would make a wish when seeing one." Her focus shifted toward the disappearing trail of petals as her face slowly became warmer. "I want to know more about miss Rose..."
Both of them then spent the night watching the stars, cuddling together for warmth. It was a new experience for the heiress, yet she didn't find it in herself to complain.
Blake and Yang stared at Weiss as she finished her retelling. "A night under the star with Ruby? That's definitely the most romantic moment out of the three of us."
The three young adults became silent while they digested each other's story. Not a single sound was made until Blake chuckled. "It feels like we're each in one of my books. Except instead of three, it's a single one."
Yang suddenly blinked as she realized something. "Hey, Weiss? What did your mom do with my sister's petals again?"
The heiress gained a confused expression before answering. "Well, she... she, uh..." The monochrome duo's eyes widened as the Schnee buried her face in her hands. "Oh god. My mother and I are after the same woman!"
The blond growled. "Don't forget about your sister. She was obviously all over Ruby in those pictures I saw online."
This only made Weiss screech in embarrassment while a nervous laughter escaped Blake. "Wow, I don't know which of you two got it worse."
A sigh came out of Yang as she straightened her back. "So, one thing's for sure; the three of us are into Ruby. What now?"
Tension rose as the situation dawned on them. Blake and Weiss seemed to have spiraled into their own thoughts as the brawler waited for an answer. She soon lost patience as she confidently claimed. "Well, I'm not giving up." Her teammates gazed at her as she gave them a smirk. "If you want Ruby, you'll have to take her from my hands."
This made the heiress glare at Yang as she crossed her arms. "You say that as if you already had her. You're on, Xiao Long."
The hidden faunus sighed as she gave them both a challenging expression. "I can't really back down now, can I?"
They silently glared at each other until a snort escaped the blond, instantly dispelling the tension in the room. "What's so funny?" Asked Weiss, confused.
Another laugh came out of Yang's mouth. "It's just, I can't believe that what started all of this is that we-" Their faces flushed as they were reminded of their previous 'activity'. "Uh, y'know what? I'm kinda tired. I think I'll lie down for a while." Blurted out the brawler as she climbed onto her bed and faced away from the two girls, who did the same.
An hour or two later, Ruby came back into their dorm, humming a song to herself when she noticed her teammates' condition. Each were in their own bed, having resumed the activities they were doing earlier this afternoon with an enormous blush on their face while making sure to not look at each other.
"Did something happen?" She asked, surprising them since they were too engrossed in their own thoughts to notice her arrival.
"Nothing happened!" They said simultaneously before hiding once more. "She can never know."
Hey, you made it to the end. Thank you for doing that much for me.
The restriction I was talking about is that I limited how long I made the flashbacks before making the character summarize the rest. Why? Because 80% of the "what happened during Ruby's 5 years adventure" had already been planned in my head and I was hoping to one day make a prequel story with that. The problem that it causes is that if I tell long chunks of it in the flashbacks, it means that when I get to it in the eventual prequel, people will already have read those moments before.
I hope that my reasoning makes sense even though it doesn't excuse the poor quality of this chapter. I hope that you will stick around for as long as I continue writing.