Chapter Six
Forever Fumbling
Crescent Rose flies form Ruby's hands, hitting the ground behind her blade-first and embedding into the floor. A bronze spearhead rests at her neck and she pouts at Pyrrha, who gives an impressed, but triumphant, grin.
"She wasn't even winded," Ruby continues to pout, resting her chin on crossed arms. "I dunno how I can ever be better than that."
Professor Fall sips her tea, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. She already feels a little better getting this off her chest, still a bit sour about her spar against Pyrrha before the weekend. But she didn't wanna come off as whining, so she's kept it to herself.
"Miss Nikos was always going to win your spar. There is no point in wallowing in self pity," Professor Fall says, then opens her eyes with a softer gaze. "Treat this as a learning opportunity. Was there anything you know now that you didn't before your spar?"
Ruby frowns, humming, as she sits up a bit and drums her hands on the desk. "Well...I kinda already knew this since she told me, but she doesn't know how to use Dust, or how to fight against someone who uses it. She was surprised with my gravity rounds."
Professor Fall smiles, giving a pleased nod. "It matters not the amount, you learned something new about your opponent. Every battle, win or lose, is a lesson. Now you can take that information going forward and adapt, and as Miss Nikos learns more, so shall you pick up counters. Do not forget, Miss Nikos is years ahead of anyone in terms of combat experience, so even a small surprise is an amazing feat. Take the time to reflect on every spar, so that you can spot those moments of opportunity in the moment."
Ruby nods, sipping her own tea thoughtfully.
"I also believe part of why you lost was by holding yourself back." Ruby tilts her head. "You held back because you didn't believe you had the skill or strength to win, and thus had given up subconsciously before the battle even began."
...Had she? Sure, she hesitated a little bit trying to figure out how to get into Pyrrha's range, Miló in spear form is no joke, but that didn't mean she held back. It's natural to avoid getting hit.
But...she'd taken the direct hit from Torchwick during that fight. She took it so she could close the gap and have the chance to take out the criminal. Of course, that was before she knew who he was and she remembers the brief fear she'd felt after the fact when Professor Ozpin told her. She'd hesitated at just the mention of his name. Sure, she'd said she wouldn't have hesitated if she'd known beforehand, but is that true? How can she be sure?
She'd been intimidated by Roman Torchwick's name and infamy after-the-fact, so maybe her being frightened by Pyrrha isn't so off-base.
When she sparred with Nora, she didn't falter in getting in close despite grenades being launched at her or the hammer swinging into her side...
"Oooooh," Ruby whispers, blushing sheepishly. "I...yeah, I did hold back by accident."
"Miss Rose, what is the most common death for a Huntsmen?" Professor Fall sets aside her cup, steeping her fingers on her desk, her voice gentle but pointed.
The flash of a white cape. "Grimm," she says miserably.
"Incorrect." She blinks, eyebrows shooting up. "Hesitance, doubt, second-guessing. Grimm may deal the final blow, but if a Huntsmen falters for even a second, that is when they die. Fresh Huntsmen or veterans, it matters not in that precious moment. You doubt yourself too deeply, and as a leader that is inexcusable. Your team and the citizens rely on quick decisions, quick action, and quick reaction to stay alive."
Quick. Ruby can do quick, but...
"How do I stop myself from hesitating?" she leans forward, desperate.
"By relying on your instincts. Listen to them closely. They say retreat, retreat. They say dodge, dodge. You see an opening? Pursue it. Allow them to guide you, because as leader your instincts cannot afford to be stuck in indecision."
She'd done that at initiation, with fighting by Weiss' side and the later Nevermore battle. The only time she'd been wrong was when she advanced on the Death Stalker, she'd been way too hasty and almost got hurt for it.
So she'll need to train herself to see and react to everything around her in the moment, to the point that it becomes second nature, thus instinctual! Don't hyper-focus on one thing, constantly observe her surroundings, and stay quick throughout. Don't rest until the battle is over.
"What if my ideas conflict with someone else's?" she tilts her head.
"Naturally, that will be the case. However, you must be very careful to whom you listen to for advice," Professor Fall warns, forearms crossed on the desk. "Every leader must be wary, but you especially. As you are young, outsiders will deem you easy to fool and use their words to undermine you. It is your job to ignore those who would use such tactics to hurt you."
"...Did...that happen to you, professor?" Ruby asks carefully, worried.
"Yes," she says, softly and with faraway eyes. "With youth comes an unparalleled hope and spirit, but dangerous naïveté."
The squeaks of a red wagon. "Yeah...I know. I'll be careful, professor," she promises, smiling.
"Good, good. Any other questions?" the heavy atmosphere lifts, and Ruby drinks the rest of her tea to shake it off.
"Uh...well, I just wonder what happens if my ideas turn out to be wrong?"
"You really must get more confidence in yourself, Miss Rose," Professor Fall laughs lightly. "Of course you will make mistakes, but when the time matters most your plans will keep your allies alive."
"How do I lead my teammates, anyway? If I focus on instincts, then how do I let them know?"
If she had been quicker giving plans during the Nevermore fight, it might not have gotten so close to getting away. But she'd rambled for too long instead, and she's just lucky nothing bad came of it.
"In the beginning, it is typically best to give quick, short commands. Say their name, then convey your thoughts. As time goes on, those will turn into one-worded commands, and then you won't even need to speak for them to understand."
"This all sounds good for the future, but what about right now? Yang and Bella should follow along, but Weiss probably won't listen to me."
"She doesn't listen because she doesn't believe in your ability," Professor Fall pours another cup of tea for Ruby, who gives a quiet thanks and dumps several packets of sugar and milk into it. "You must earn her respect by being confident and proving why you have your roles. Think of this as a lesson as well, as you will always have others pushing you forward. You can either meet that challenge, or buckle under the pressure. I would suggest against the latter, myself."
All of this just sounds like a lot of 'wait and see' to Ruby, but maybe that's just a big part in being a Huntress. Waiting and seeing, then taking action. She wishes it wouldn't take so long, but Professor Fall told her to have patience, so she will. The lingering uncertainty has mostly left her shoulders and she drinks her tea.
Hmm...she knows a lot of people cringe at the amount of stuff she adds to her drinks, but that doesn't make her wrong for liking it. Making decisions in a fight should be the same, right? If she knows it will work, why overthink it?
"I think I understand now!" Ruby proclaims, before finishing her cup and placing it gently back down.
"Good. Now just apply my lesson to your future encounters," Professor Fall smiles, checking the clock. "That is all the time I have for now. Do enjoy the rest of your afternoon, Miss Rose."
"Thank you, professor!" She picks up her bag and jogs out of the class, feeling more energized. She honestly didn't expect to get a tutoring session so soon, but that spar would just not leave her mind, and it was kinda on a whim to stay behind after Tales of Remnant. Luckily Professor Fall hadn't been annoyed, she simply nodded and allowed her to eat her lunch during the session.
Ruby pumps her fists, trying to hype herself up as she promises to put everything she's learned to the test as soon as she can.
...Could she pull it off now? Mimicking what she sees from Yang, she lifts her chin and attempts a confident swagger, but almost immediately she trips over her own feet and nearly falls onto her face. She catches herself, thankfully, and alarmingly looks around. Oh, good. Nobody is around to see her making a fool of herself. She lets out a short huff and just settles on walking normally.
Focus on instincts now, build confidence later, how about?
0o0o0
(the whistle of a train blares in her ears)
"This class," Goodwitch explains as she guides them through the birch-tree forest, named Forever Fall, "will be a bit different than your past combat classes. Professor Peach has requested we supply a precious syrup for her class, and as Huntsmen we may be asked for similar tasks down the line. Not all work is fighting Grimm or disaster relief, sometimes we may just be asked to gather ingredients or give minor aid."
She turns and stops, gesturing her riding crop at the trees. "Stick close to your teams and collect a jar of syrup for each member. As you do, be aware that this syrup has special properties that can attract Grimm."
"Really?" Ruby gasps, eyes shining in delight as she claps. "How does that work?"
"There are theories that the sap contains the trees' emotions," Goodwitch says, mouth twitching in the ghost of a smile. "But no one knows for certain."
"That's so cool!"
"Do not wander far," the professor says, then waves at them to get to work.
Blake walks up to a tree, knocking on it and nodding. It's easy enough for her to drill in the tapper, with her time outside the kingdoms. She keeps a close eye on her surroundings as she does, specifically Winchester as he subtly glowers at her from a few trees away.
He must be miffed she'd spent the whole weekend in her dorm, working on her Dust Studies project and reading. She knew he would lose patience if she kept her distance, and now she can clearly read the irritation in his eyes. This way, he'll make more mistakes fuelled by emotion, like he had when he had the gall to confront her.
It's satisfying, seeming him squirm.
"Hey, Rubes, you think this would make good syrup for pancakes?" Yang asks, leaning on her tree.
"It smells good enough for it, but I think it's too sticky," Ruby says, tilting her head at her jar. Then, with little regard to her surroundings, she sticks her finger in the jar to eat some. She makes a small face. "I was right. Good taste, feels like glue."
"So that's a 'no' on the pancakes, got it," Yang chuckles, shaking her head as Goodwitch tells a sheepish Ruby to refill her jar and to not eat it.
"This smells awful, why would you just eat it?" Weiss snips from a little ways away, frowning deeply.
"No sweet tooth, honey?" Yang laughs with a wink, and wow Blake didn't think she'd see someone's face become as red as the syrup itself as Weiss sputters and turns away so abruptly her own braid smacks her in the face. "How 'bout you, Bella? Do you like sweet?"
She may as well answer. "Fruit, mostly."
"Cool. Any allergies?"
Why on Remnant would she want to know that for? Seems irrelevant.
"Yang likes to cook," Ruby explains, grinning. "She's probably gonna make something later this week."
"Oi," Yang huffs, reaching for Ruby who bursts out of reach, initiating a chase around the tree, "that was supposed to be a surprise!" She laughs, juking Ruby out to grab her in a headlock.
"I regret nothing!" Ruby giggles, playfully kicking and punching at Yang.
This sounds like something Blake can't stop, so she says, "No allergies. I don't like bland food."
"Pft, no one likes bland food," Yang says lightly with a wave of her hand.
"Weiss?" Ruby asks timidly, loose from Yang's hold and poking her fingers together.
Also realizing there's no getting out of this, Weiss rolls her eyes. "I have no allergies, but why cook something for us?"
"Just 'cause," Yang shrugs. "Good food tastes better after hard work, and this week is calming down so I have the energy. What, you doubt my amazing cuisine?"
"You shouldn't, Yang's cooking is the best!" Ruby jumps onto Yang's shoulders to hang off her sister. "I'm the better baker, though! I could bake us cookies!"
("They want to poison you.")
Blake actively shuts down that thought, shaking her head and refocusing on filling the jar. Yang and Ruby are the last people who would try to poison her, she has nothing to fear from them. Well, aside from them being frighteningly genuine. She doubts they have a malicious bone in their body.
But I know better than to judge too early.
Still, poison is off the table.
Ugh, nausea isn't though. The smell of the syrup is finally too strong for her to ignore and she resists gagging. "I'm going for a walk," she informs the others, placing her jar down and leaving before they can say anything otherwise. As she makes her way to the edge of the area, she spots Winchester following at a short distance, and allows him to approach with all his misplaced confidence.
"Done hiding away in your cave?" he leans nonchalantly against a tree, arms crossed. Or at least he tries to act nonchalant.
"Why would I hide? I was getting homework done. Why, were you looking for me?"
"Don't act so cocky," he says cockily. "Stay cooped up and I can begin the rumours."
Blake raises her brow, making a show of thinking deeply as she leans on one side, holds her elbow with her one hand and tapping her chin with the other. Almost curiously, she asks, "There are rumours of me? How flattering."
"There won't be if you'd stop being a coward," he glowers.
"You keep calling me a coward, but I fail to see how that's relevant or true."
He's still very new to his little game being challenged, becoming visibly stiff with anger as he pulls away from the tree and walks up to loom over her. She prepares for an attack of some kind, but keeps calm and stoic.
There's movement to her right and she jumps back, bringing Gambol up to slash at the object, which turns out to be one of the syrup jars. Her blade slices through it cleanly, shattering the glass and causing the syrup to splash onto the ground, some of it getting on her hand. She flicks it off with a scowl, fixing the emerging team CRDL with a glare. Ah, so he had brought them along after all. Most likely to have witnesses if she was fool enough to confirm any of his words. They have several jars of the syrup, aiming at her.
It's rather pathetic, really, as she dodges each attempt with the help of her shades. She even has one sprint at Winchester, who flinches before it passes through him, and she follows in its wake to ram the butt of Gambol into his nose, once again breaking it. She smirks as she backs up, keeping up her air of indifferent confidence, when she hears the sound of something heavy crashing through the trees. She snaps her head in the direction, muscles tensed and alert, when one of the jars finally lands its mark and breaks upon her back. She cringes heavily, feeling it trickle down her neck and shoulders and stick her hair to her skin, but can't manage to snap at CRDL when she sees the tell-tale black of a Grimm approaching.
She runs, leaving CRDL behind to deal with it. She'll likely get in trouble for straying from her team, but she'd rather not deal with whatever that is when it's Winchester's fault in the first place. Only, the crashing follows her. She glances back, seeing the Grimm completely ignore CRDL and continue after her. Huffing in aggravation, she jumps into the trees to get away. Frustrating, but Winchester probably counts this as a win for him.
But she still has her secret, so she's still far ahead in their little game.
Blake reaches a clearing overlooking a cliff and leaps as far as she can into it, landing in a roll and keeping her momentum, aiming for the cliff itself, when a tree crashes down in front of her, forcing her to come to a short stop. She pivots on her heel with low hiss, facing the Grimm as it lumbers into the clearing.
It is similar in appearance to a badger, bottom heavy with thick legs ending in long claws that could easily gouge through a tree. Thick bone plates sit on its back, reaching from just above its beady eyes to its rear like a shell. Curiously, its sides and underbelly are free of any bone, but that only worries Blake more because if it doesn't need the protection, there must be a good reason.
With the way it sniffs the air, small eyes locked onto Blake, she's certain it was attracted by the syrup.
Tensed, Blake unsheathes Gambol and starts shooting at the Grimm, aiming for the eyes, but it just roars and charges at a speed that belays its size, completely ignoring the shots grazing its face.
Heart fluttering in fear, Blake swings her ribbon at a tree and pulls herself to the side jerkily, and feels the thick claws rake across her right arm. She fumbles her hold on Gambol, tumbling across the dirt and grasping her very-broken arm with grit, snarling teeth. She scrambles to her feet, spotting Gambol several feet away and the Grimm charging her.
Switching to her left hand, she dives for Gambol and, taking a page out of Ruby's book, slides under the Grimm. She slashes its ankles as she passes, but even as she does she feels the skin stretch strangely and her blade doesn't cut through. Panicked, and now under the Grimm, she summons a shade to grab her ankles and pull her out from under it. She uses its help to climb to her feet, and it holds her shoulders with a concerned head tilt.
Bullets are useless, blades are useless. What can she do against this thing? It crashes head-long into a tree and uproots it completely, not even fazed as it slowly turns and screeches at her.
"Bella!"
0o0o0
Ruby runs through Forever Fall, her scroll beeping as it gives her Bella's location. She'd turned around and Bella had just been gone, which of course made her panic, and when she saw the bar under Bella's portrait dip drastically it was all she could do to tell Yang and Weiss before sprinting after their missing teammate.
She follows a trail of destruction, heart pounding in her ears, and bursts into a clearing where Bella is faced up against a Bauson. She skids to a stop next to Bella, hooking her arm with hers and aiming Crescent Rose forward. "Hold on!" she blasts at the Grimm, the bullets hardly making it flinch, but the recoil helps give her and Bella some distance. "Crap. Are you okay?" Ruby lets go and bounces from foot to foot, worryingly looking between her teammate and the badger-like Grimm.
"I'm fine," says Bella, head and shoulders drenched in syrup, holding her arm and aura low. Ruby frowns, only more worried, but fixes her attention on the Bauson as it charges at them.
"Go left!" Ruby runs towards the Bauson, activating her semblance and jumping at the last second as the Bauson opens its mouth to bite at her. She aims and shoots it on the top of its skull, recoiling into the air and over the rest of it to land behind. She quickly glances at Bella, who is near the forest's edge and shooting the ground with ice rounds. Sharp spikes pierce the Bauson's paws and crawls up its legs, but it just rips itself free and roars at her.
"Hey!" A fiery punch smashes into the side of its jaw as Yang charges in, eyes and hair ablaze. The strike snaps the Bauson's head to the side for a moment, then it turns and bites down on Yang's arm. Yang curses as the Grimm clamps down, then sharply throws its head, sending her across the clearing.
Ruby winces as Yang hits the ground, but her sister quickly jumps to her feet and runs at the Bauson, blocking it from reaching Bella. She raises her clasped hands and brings them down on its skull. She uses the momentum to flip herself onto its neck, where she straddles it like a bull while wearing a feral grin before repeatedly punching.
Ruby bursts forward to slash at its heel. It bucks, landing a solid kick on her midsection which sends her flying back, but she did manage to slash its skin, a thin trail of black ichor dripping down. She flips herself to land on her feet, skidding and using Crescent Rose to stop herself from going further.
And hey, no torn up road this time!
Just blinding it won't help much, but it's all I can think of. Instincts!
"Yang, keep it distracted! Bella, we gotta aim for the eyes to blind it! That should slow it down!"
A sheet of ice suddenly forms under its paws, making it skid and accidently throwing Yang off as Weiss runs onto the scene. The Bauson continues its slide into the trees, becoming a mess of flailing and snarling limbs.
Okay. Okay okay okay. React, instincts!
"Weiss keep your distance and try to keep tripping it!"
Yang is already running at it again, once again taking a hard hit to power up and punch it in the nose. She doesn't get the same momentum to ride it again, so she lets it smack her away to flare her semblance even more, and continues her assault. The Bauson roars, swiping around it to make Yang back of, and charges at the closest person, who ends up being Weiss.
"Where's its weak point?" Weiss shouts, vaulting over the Bauson with the aid of her glyphs.
"Its heels! But it'll take more than what we can do to kill it!" Ruby explains, zipping to an abrupt stop in front of the Bauson and then twirling to the side, her cloak almost getting bitten by it. She shoots at its eye, recoiling back and grinning when she manages a direct hit. The Bauson rolls its head with a roar, crashing into a boulder which shatters upon impact, and turns a single-eyed glare Ruby's way.
Only to get uppercut by Yang as she springs in from behind the trees, puncturing its jaw with buck shots and throwing its head back. The Bauson headbutts Yang, hitting her across the ground again, and she now cringes as she stands up, legs shaking slightly. Ruby whimpers under her breath. An exhausted Yang is a bad sign. Just how strong is this thing to already make her struggle?
What can they do? Just fighting it won't do anything, not against this kind of Grimm who is only now starting to slow, but not enough for them to have a clear advantage.
Bella is officially unable to fight, holding her limp right arm to her side as it takes all her remaining aura and effort to evade. Yang has now thrown all caution to the wind in her last dregs of power, pummelling into the Bauson with little regard to her own health. Weiss ignores Ruby's advice to stay back and advances, striking its heels but unable to cut well enough to do anything.
The Bauson chases after Bella, who is now cornered at the cliff, looking seconds from jumping off. Ruby doubts it would hurt her much, but if they get separated they won't be able to help if there are more Grimm.
Wait, the cliff! Trip it off the cliff!
"Bella, hold still!" Ruby shouts.
"I'd rather not!" At any other time, Ruby might have laughed at such a response from her quiet teammate, but right now she's just filled with dread and panic.
"Trust me!" she yells.
For one long moment, Ruby sees Bella contemplating her words, but then Ruby's heart drops to her stomach when, instead, Bella shakes her head and leaps over the cliff. The Bauson skids to a stop at the edge, roaring downwards. Yang throws a punch, but at the last second it sputters out and she weakly hits its snout. Weiss ends up smacking into its leg, unable to stop herself in time and landing on her rear.
Just as Ruby fears for her team, a shimmering black aura surrounds the Bauson's foot and forcibly pulls it forward. The Grimm trips over the side of the cliff and Ruby turns to see Professor Goodwitch walk into the clearing, regarding team RWBY with unreadable eyes. Ruby glances at the cliff. Yang offers her hand to Bella, who is climbing back up, but their quiet teammate ignores Yang and walks past her, eyes down. Yang awkwardly lets her arm drop.
"What happened here?" Professor Goodwitch asks, voice clipped. Only now does Ruby spot Cardin behind the professor, giving the four of them a smug grin from over her shoulder.
"We got separated from Bella, but I saw that her aura was getting hurt so I ran here as fast as I could to see the Bauson," Ruby explains timidly, shuffling from foot to foot as anxiety coils in her stomach. "Yang showed up, then Weiss, and we tried to fight it but it was really strong."
"You did well to hold off as long as you did. However, part of this exercise was to test your teamwork, and frankly I am not impressed by what I saw." Ruby flinches, glancing at her teammates, who are all avoiding eye contact with each other and the professor. "I want you all to reflect on this fight and tell me what you did wrong by next class. Now follow me, before more Grimm are attracted to Miss Black."
At this, Ruby notices Cardin's smile fall. "Is that all?" he asks.
"Did you expect something more, Mister Winchester?"
"They broke the rules, shouldn't they get detention or something?"
Professor Goodwitch gives the four of them a long look and Ruby fears she'll actually go through with it, but instead she shakes her head at Cardin. "They are hurt and their auras weakened, that is more than enough for them to remember this lesson. Unless you'd like to tell me why they deserve further punishment?" she raises her brow sharply.
When Cardin doesn't say anything, she nods in satisfaction and waves her riding crop, prompting RWBY to follow.
A heavy pit forms in Ruby's gut as they return to Beacon. She'd tried so hard to follow Professor Fall's advice, but in the end it wasn't enough. She'd lost control of her leadership long before the end, and now her team feels more frayed than ever.
She closes her eyes, biting her lip to stop from crying. Not here. Not in front of everybody. That would only make everything worse. Then they'd really see her for all she is. Not some leader, but just some kid in way over her head.
A/N: this chapter heckin' hated being written :) still not 100% happy with it, but I did my best ^^
I tried to describe the Bauson as best I could, but basically think Giant Honey Badger. And fun fact; the term badger wasn't used until the sixteenth century, and before that they were called 'brock' or 'bauson', and I felt like 'Bauson' fell more in-line with the names given to Grimm (which there aren't a lot of and I want some verity, there's only so many times I can write 'and then they fought an Ursa/Beowolf')
Also, while we may be a little while from the true friendship-bonding and banter, I live for the cute fluff moments between RWBY, and am hyped to write it more as time goes on
Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged! Thank you for reading!