[Dreamscape]
Ruby pov
A flurry of scarlet danced in the void of my mind.
Within that red storm was a girl, small of stature and with eyes of silver. Her crimson-tipped, black hair fluttered softly as she floated in a scarlet cloud.
She smiled, a soft giggle escaping her lips as the clouds began to swarm around and engulf her. For a moment, she was swallowed whole by petals of roses, unable to be seen.
Suddenly, the intensity of the cloud began to subside. From raging storm to a calm breeze, the red petals began to fade away and the girl could be seen again.
Only now, she had changed considerably.
Her hair, was now much longer and far more red than before.
Her eyes carried an odd glint about them as they shimmered in the darkness.
From her chest to her knees, she was draped in a beautiful, sleeveless, red dress. Her bosom was covered with a black, sheer top. Her lower shoulders down to her fingertips had black, gloved sleeves and each was topped with a rose at the shoulders. Further down, the dress began to frill below the knees and upon further inspection, the hem of the dress looked ethereal as rose petals materialized from it. The dress itself opened on the her left side, revealing her leg from her hip down.
The sheer, black leggings over her legs eventually gave way to sleek and shiny, black high-heeled boots. Each one with a sharp looking heel on the backend .
Her breathtaking appearance very much gave off the impression of a badass.
She smiled as her eyes met my own.
Who are you?
"A Rose..."
~~~~~~
"Ahh...!"
With a heavy thud, Ruby found herself face-first on the floor of her dorm. Not the greatest way to start a morning for sure as her face surely found out. The impact was so loud, Weiss was instantly startled awake as well, only she too awoke slamming her head into something. That something being the roof-upper bunk bed. She had jumped so hard, she sprung herself straight up and into the other bunk. By the time it was all said and done, she was groaning in pain and rubbing her head just like Ruby.
"You dolt! What's wrong with you!?"
The Ice Queen was in rare form, fuming in anger and highly upset at being awake at five in the morning on a Saturday.
"Sorry Weiss... weird dream," She grumbled as picked herself up off of the floor. Admittedly, it was a really strange dream, she was seeing herself yet...she wasn't. Even stranger still, was what she said 'A Rose? I don't understand...' Ruby wracked her mind for answers as she tried to understand the cryptic dream she had experienced. At this point, she definitely wasn't going back to sleep so she decided to start her morning jog a bit early.
Putting on some form-fitting yoga pants a red tank-top and some running shoes, she quietly left her room.
The morning air was crisp, it wasn't cold per say but it definitely had a chill. Ruby didn't mind, her constant movement was keeping her relatively comfortable. She kept her step at an even pace as she rounded another corner, her petals trailed close behind her as she moved. As they danced around her, she could feel herself steadily accelerating as she reached her fourth lap around the academy.
As long as the petals were active, her speed would always naturally increase. This was one of the first things she began paying more attention to when her Semblance active. Surprise, shock and a slight amount of worry was also around the corner as well, but by now it wasn't so daunting.
She'd broken a pretty good sweat after her tenth lap and was taking a well-earned break, sitting at the large fountain in front of the Academy. It was just about to hit seven o'clock, and the sunrise was particularly beautiful where she sat, staring in awe and admiration of the captivating view. It was rare that she had a chance to enjoy the morning like this and she fully intended to cherish it.
"Oh, good morning Ms. Rose."
"Ahhh!~"
Another jump scare threw Ruby out of her seat and onto the ground. As she tried to stand, she was greeted by a hand. She gratefully accepted the help before she even realized who it was that she was talking to.
A certain grey-haired, green-eyed, Headmaster wielding a cane.
With a concerned eye, the man leaned down to lend a hand to the young rose. "Oh, forgive me Ms. Rose. I wasn't my intention to startle you." Accepting the hand, Ruby sprung up from the floor and dusted herself off quickly before addressing the Headmaster.
"No, it's ok Professor. I probably should've been paying a bit more attention to my surroundings. Huntress in training and all, hehe..." She giggled nervously, Ruby never was very good at conversing with authority figures. Her fifteen year old awkwardness was rearing its ugly head, she was worried she might start stuttering if this kept up. Ozpin simply nodded in mutual agreement with her, a small smile on his face all the while. "Nonetheless, Good morning all the same. Catching up on some exercise I see, that shows commitment."
Ruby inwardly cheered at the praise she was getting but stayed outwardly calm as she scratched the back of her head. "Ehehe, well I just want to stay in top shape and battle ready sir."
"Indeed. Now that I have you here Ms. Rose, I was hoping to have a word with you at some point."
She was taken back a little, "... Is this about the cafeteria thing too?" A look of slight worry spread across her face, she hoped she wasn't in too much trouble this time. Ozpin however, started to chuckle softly upon hearing her response, "I can assure you that you are in no trouble whatsoever Ms. Rose. I simply wish to talk about your next mission assignment with you personally."
Oh.
"R-right right...," she awkwardly stammered. That threw her for a loop, she would've guessed by now everyone in the school knew something was up with her lately. The Headmaster cleared his throat before he started his explanation, "As you know, all first year students must complete at least one 'outside of Beacon' assignment to graduate the year. Seeing as how your team is one of our best first year units, we've decided to hand pick your teams first mission."
The young rose nodded repeatedly, she was already more than excited about being on her first real mission. It took everything she had to keep from bouncing around. "We will be sending the four of you to Mountain Glenn, accompanied by Professor Oobleck, of course. After the Beacon Ball, you and your team will be headed to Mt. Glenn for a search and destroy Op."
Nearly bursting with excitement, she couldn't wait to tell her team the news. Their first real mission, how awesome is that?
"With that being said, if you or your teammates plan to train, I would suggest signing up our for room reservations program and reserve a room for yourself... Instead of sneaking around campus almost every night." He finished while giving the young rose a knowing look and smile.
Crap, Busted. She instantly paled as the Headmasters satisfied expression never left his face.
"Imagine my surprise when stumbled upon some of the footage. I must say Ms. Rose, your Semblance is proving to be rather versatile and to see you diligently training is good to see. That being said, no more night sessions Ms. Rose."
She awkwardly stuttered, embarrassment and caught red-handed, "S-sure thing Professor ehehe..."
He nodded sagely, "It truly is quite the unique skill, to become nearly intangible and still be able to move and strike with such speed, its quite remarkable." He spoke softly but with a firm tone as he continued to admire her new skills. "I'm sure your team and friends could help you improve further."
That one left a bit of a bitter taste on her tongue, she hasn't really spoken to her team about it at all. Besides the Cardin fiasco, she's been tight lipped on her semblance. It truly wasn't out of any kind of spite, she simply wanted to develop this strength on her own. She wasn't exactly sure why she felt so strongly about wanting to train alone outside of wanting the prove that she belonged here regardless of her age, but now it felt entirely personal. Almost as if something inside of her was telling that this was something she simply had to do by herself.
"I... haven't really told them much of anything about it. I'm not hiding it but... I just want to do this for myself." While she couldn't help but feel a bit sad, she also felt a bit lighter after putting words to her feelings.
"I understand completely, Ms. Rose but please do try not to shut them out. They are your teammates and they care about your well-being, and you are their leader. Though, I can completely sympathize with wanting to know and to understand yourself on your own terms. All I ask is that you confide in them if It becomes too hard to handle alone."
Ruby smiled, glad that someone understood how she felt about her current predicament. "Of course Professor, and thanks again." she said with her trademark beaming smile as she sped off into the Academy.
Ozpin, now literally left in the dust could only chuckle in amusement. "Our first years truly are quite rambunctious this time around."
[RWBYs Dorm]
"Why do you always get to pick what we're doing for the weekend?" Weiss said from her bunk. Clearly annoyed by the current ongoing conversation as she continued to brush her hair.
"Stop being such a downer will ya, you guys are gonna love this. Desserts and brunch at one of Vales best coffee shops, a fifty percent off coupon at the local Blacksmith and Huntsmen/Huntress shop, not to mention tickets to the new Spruce Willis movie tonight? When Ruby hears about this, she's gonna flip!"
Yang really knew how to plan ahead when she wanted to have a good time. The week had been stressful for the whole team, for some reason the homework assignments were downright brutal lately and she knew her friends and sister needed some downtime to relax and have fun. Ruby especially, being a big sister meant that she knew when Ruby was hiding something. It was all in the twitch of the eyes and when you been around someone your whole life, you tend to get to know them very well.
An exasperated sigh came from the snow angel now. "I'm sure our leader will, but I won't! A Spruce Willis movie? You really couldn't find a producer with a little more class..., and did you forget that we're primarily in charge of decorations for the Dance?"
"You could always just stay and help me look for more clues." Blake chimed in, raising her head out of her book momentarily to stare at the ice queen with her sleep-deprived eyes. She really hasn't slept much since the White Fangs shipyard attack, eager to find out more about what they're planning.
Weiss looked offended at the suggestion, scoffing as she hopped out of her bed and walked into the bathroom to see her hair in the mirror. She wasn't against having fun, she just wanted a more sophisticated brand of it.
Blakes partner however, blanched when seeing her bloodshot eyes and bags, "First, you're coming too Blake and second you really need to get some re-"
Suddenly a loud thud slammed into their door, shaking the entire room a little bit as the impact rung out. The door opened soon after to reveal a red faced Ruby, she must've hit the door while using her semblance again.
This time just so happened to be face first it seemed.
"H-hey Ruby, you ok...," Her sister cautiously asked.
"I will be..." she groaned as her aura got to work healing her face.
Once that was out of the way, her excitement resurfaced instantly. "Anyway, I've got a big surprise for you guys. Professor Opzin just gave us our first mission! We're headed to Mt. Glenn after the Dance," Ruby excitedly explained while jumping high into the air. The rest of her team looked visibly excited in their own way, even Blake had a small smile on her face once she heard the news. "That's what I'm talking about! Time for team RWBY to really kick it into high gear," the resident firecracker cheered as she slammed her fists together with a fiery grin.
"Looks like we're gonna have to catch up on more training now," Weiss stated matter-of-factly as she finished her hair. It was then that Ruby sped over to her partner, wrapping an arm around her shoulder "Thats exactly why I booked a training session tomorrow for us."
For once, Weiss was genuinely surprised at Ruby's foresight. She usually never plans ahead.
"Wow, Ruby... Way to stay on top of things." Yang was pleasantly shocked as well, but was glad to see her so prepared and in the process. "Speaking of surprises, I've got one too... how does a bakers dozen of cookies, a half off trip to the weapon shop and Spruce Willis movie tonight sound," she finished with a peace sign.
Her eyes glossed over in joy and excitement and in that moment, her petals bursted forth with her swirling around her softly. It was as though they responded to her emotions immediately now. "Yay, that's amazing!! Lets go, lets go!! We can bring Jaune and the rest of JNPR too!" She all but pushed them out of the dorm and into the hallway as they made their way to their sister teams door.
-An hour later...-
After an ask and a pancake fiasco (started by Nora), the eight teams were on a Bullhead to Vale. Once the Airship landed, Ruby and her petals blinked off into the street in search off cookies and strawberry covered pastries. "...Since when was Ruby that fast? She just disappeared..." Jaune asked as he turned from her previous position to her ever furthering frame down the road.
"She we try to catch up to her?" Pyrrha wondered aloud as she too was amazed at her newfound speed. Yang simply shrugged it off as Weiss facepalmed and Blake deadpan stared the rose petal trail her leader had left behind.
"Found it!"
The seven teens turned to the direction of their wayward friends voice to find her standing in front of a quaint little bakery. The Cake and Shake, the go-to confectionery stop that everyone in Vale rants and raves about. Ruby stood by the front doors with starry, glossed over eyes, more than ready to storm the gates at a moments notice. "First!" She shouted as she made a peace pose in front of the store.
The others were almost as eager as she was, except for Blake. Yang took a mental note of that, she would definitely have to talk to her about this White Fang obsession and her lack of sleep soon.
The two teams entered the store and were immediately smitten by the sweet scents of pastries. Ruby quickly dashed to the counter to pick up an order of cookies for herself, after paying, she zoomed off to a table outside the shop to fully enjoy her treats. Everyone else made their orders, paid for them and joined her at the large long table she picked.
"Jeez Ruby, excited much?" Yang mentioned jokingly from the opposite side of the table, to which Ruby exclaimed happily, "I can't help it Yang, everything's falling into place for us! What's not to be excited about?" She bit into one of her cookies and tasted the chocolate chip heaven within. Every chew was chocked with flavor, the soft texture and chocolate goodness melting in her mouth as she ate.
As her petals sprung to life, flipping and dancing as she happily continued to eat, Yang decided to start her big sis interrogations now. "Hey Rubes, I've been meaning to ask you something ...," Yang asked suddenly, causing Ruby to slightly slow the chewing of her mouth. "What's going on with your semblance? Ever since that fight with Cardin, you've been doing crazier and crazier stuff with it. What's going on little sis?"
The little rose opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the resident Ice Queen. "I'm actually curious about that too, you turned into rose petals and it wasn't just when you where in motion. I've never seen a semblance do that before."
Ruby tried again to speak but Nora quickly interjected, "Yea, what was that? It was sooo awesome and pretty, and you kicked Cardin's big butt with it!"
Finally, she took a breath and tried one last time to explain, "I'm not exactly sure how it started, myself. He was about to hit me and I just wanted to be anywhere but in front of his mace. I felt my body shift and when I opened my eyes, I was sorta all over the place, hehe..."
"Is that why your petals are all over the place now?" That one came from Jaune as his own curiosity couldn't be contained. She in-turn smiled and nodded in affirmation, her petals swaying up and down with her nods. "I wonder what you would be capable of with Dust," Weiss pondered aloud again, clearly wanting to see more of her new skills.
The young rose smiled as the others were going on about her Semblance. Once that was finished, they went on to continue with the rest of their day.
Later*
The sun had just about set on their Saturday of good times. Their visit to the armory was short lived however as Ruby's weapon knowledge and her currently unbridled self nearly cost the shop clerk his license to practice. They were given the boot so to speak, so they decided to kill some time before the movie via some good, old-fashioned walking.
Passing by the myriad of stores and stalls, they would occasionally stop to look and window-shop. They eventually split into different sections and nearby areas that caught each of their eyes separately.
Ruby had also found something to draw her attention in the form of a very, very large portrait next to an old, worn-down stall. Upon further inspection, there were several paintings and portraits on top of and around the stall as well. Swirls and hues of colors all shifted delicately on canvases of all shapes and sizes. There was no one attending the stall currently and there were no price tags on any of the art pieces so she aimlessly examined all the art she could.
Until she stumbled upon one that caught her eye, to the side of the stall was a painted portrait of a woman. Most of her facial features were covered by her long hair but her smile, the rest was her body was laid amongst a field of roses. Different shades of red colored the background around where she laid. She was draped in a black sleeveless dress down to her ankles yet her feet were completely bare. Ruby was mesmerized, she was absolutely gawking at the beauty of the artwork, though as much as she wanted to buy the piece, she figured it probably wasn't for sale.
With that, she at least settled on finding the name of the person who made this beautiful work. She scanned the frame of the portrait until her eyes found the bottom of the frame itself. There, she found a word scribbled unto the frame.
"Scarlet Fever..." she read aloud, and instantly she felt something inside her shift. Her body stopped dead center as she froze, her eyes dulled for moment as the world began to fade.
Words from the Author
Hey guys, Im back again! Sorry for the wait, as usual, life throws its curve balls.
Another chapter down and dont worry, Ive got a DIOB chapter coming up later this week too. Probably labor day but I wont make a definite date for it yet.
As for todays chapter, I wanted to make sure that everything happening is on the right timeline. I did change how they found out about their mission via Opzin directly telling Ruby however. Besides that, I have no current intentions of having Ruby be in Pyrrhas place so to speak, so that will still be what it is. It'll be more-so like Opzin now has two students he can potentially take under his wing.
Bye~