Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Ruby Vs. Taiyang (Round 1)

Ruby sat at the glass counter of her weapon shop, furiously scribbling something down on a few pieces of paper. She was running out of time.

She knew she shouldn't have held it off this long, but now everything was riding on it, and she couldn't have done it earlier today because she was baking cookies, and cookies were of the utmost importance.

Her eyes went to the clock once more, seeing the minute hand go steadily closer to the twelve sign. Only a few minutes left, and she still had most of the paper to fill out!

"You didn't actually wait for the last second to finish your math homework, did you?" Taiyang asked from the side. "I said I'd be here at three to pick it up."

"I was baking cookies earlier!?"

Her dad gave her an unimpressed look. "There is an easier excuse. Called 'I was working'."

"I was working baking cookies!?"

"One of the things I'd asked was that you complete your homework every day. You've managed it so far for everything else, but why today? What did you need cookies for today?"

"Wanted to forget last week."

Taiyang nodded. She hoped he would. Last week was their disastrous dinner that ended up with a shouting match between her Dad and Yang. And she was stressed out too because Yang had called her earlier telling her that she'd finally worked with Pyrrha to convince her other teammate to get an actual weapon, rather than the 'piece of old' he was using now.

Which meant Dad and Yang would be here at the same time again. She wanted him gone so that way she wouldn't get in trouble for any noise complaints again!

"And done!" Ruby shouted, small petals falling to the ground near her arm. When had she started to use her semblance for doing homework?

"Alright. I'll take this to Ms. Aquilaine for grading. She gave you pretty good grades for the last few, even though she had to deduct points for you not showing up to class."

"Dad, I was expelled. How on Remnant was I supposed to show up to class?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way!"

"I'm pretty sure that saying was not meant for that. Now go! Shoo! I'm working here!"

"You want your old man gone that soon? That's an ouch, Ruby. Here I was going to offer you a spar. You know, use that hard light ring that Qrow put in the center of your shop."

Ruby froze. A spar? Yeah...she could do that. Yang wasn't due for another hour anyways. She would have plenty of time. And it'd been so long since she was able to use Crescent Rose! She hadn't done an actual flourish for what seemed like forever!

She grabbed her scythe rifle and darted to the center ring. "Okay! Come on, let's do this!" she shouted.

Her dad let out a loud laugh. "Oh I see, all I'm good for is sparring. I see how it is. Alright then, until our auras turn red," he said, grabbing the small console and putting his scroll on its side. Immediately his aura reader came to life, showing his picture with a large green bar underneath it.

Ruby's followed a moment later, a picture of her younger self, nearly three years ago, before her own green bar launched. There was a slight dent in it from her using her Semblance, but she used it so much nowadays that it didn't eat up nearly as much as it could. Oftentimes without thinking about it.

Taiyang took a fighting stance, and Ruby unfurled her Crescent Rose. The scythe was almost as big as her body, and while it did take some aura for her to use it, it was quite minimal. She was its weaponsmith, after all.

She darted forward, slashing where he was. She had no fear of actually hurting him. For one, he was an actual huntsman. For two, he had aura to protect him, and even against her non-glancing blows he could deflect them pretty easy as long as he had some aura.

He jumped over her strike, getting ready to punch straight at her. She pulled back last second, jumping back in a shower of petals as his fist hit the floor. She shot in again, slashing at his fist.

He didn't bother to dodge, instead using his arm to deflect the blow. His hand grabbed the scythe's handle, and Ruby pulled the trigger on its gun side, using its momentum to swing the metal around.

He ducked that time, sending out a leg to try to trip her. She used the momentum from her swing to jump, just high enough to plant the scythe's edge into the ground, its gun pointing straight at him. She fired, sending herself back into the hard light field surrounding them.

Taiyang laughed. "Remember your placing Ruby. A fancy trick like that works if you have a lot of room, but we don't have that here," he advised.

Ruby glanced over at her aura reader. Some exceptionally skilled hunters were capable of knowing their aura levels just by fluctuating them, but those people were few and far between. Most people checked their levels by using the app on the scroll. She still was in the green, slightly more than half.

Taiyang's was barely dented. She had done more damage to herself with that than she had him, even though he took a full blow from her rifle.

"Did you want to change out weapons?" Taiyang asked. Ruby narrowed her eyes and darted in again, this time aiming for his legs. One sweep, two sweep, she pulled back the scythe to catch his body.

He twisted out in midair, launching out with a kick towards her own midsection. She took the hit, barely grunting. It hurt, a lot, but she was capable of taking hits too. But now he was overextended, in the air and with nowhere to run. She got him hard, sending him flying into the hard light wall. His aura reader chimed with a happy chime, showing that at least a small chunk had been taken off.

Then her own reader beeped its red alert, and Ruby growled under her breath. She folded up Crescent Rose, and only after the system detected no other weapons in the arena did it turn off.

"Not bad Ruby. You got a good hit in, but at the cost of yourself. What could you have done?" Taiyang asked. He wasn't out of breath, nor was he acting like he was hurt in any way.

"Dodged to the right and used the momentum to swing you that way?"

"You could have. You could also have swung downwards, pinning me to the ground. You have a scythe, with all that entails. They're a tricky weapon to use well, just ask Qrow."

"Couldn't you just have knocked it out of my hands if I did that though?"

"It's possible I could have, yeah. I'm strong enough for it. But most people wouldn't. It's a better move than simply swinging them away."

"But if you could get out, wouldn't it be better to use a move that would work on you? It'd work on all others then!"

"First off, you know that's not true. Qrow would've been able to see it coming and avoid it easily enough. Second, just because I'm strong enough doesn't mean everyone else is. And just because it worked on me doesn't mean it'll work on everyone. Things are never that easy."

"So, just keep trying until you find something that works?"

"Just about, yeah. Fighting isn't easy for anyone, let alone a hunter. Here, tell you what, re-watch the last few Vytal Festivals when you have a chance. The nearest one isn't for months yet, and Yang can fight in that one, but it'll give you an idea of how people fight other people."

"But I don't want to fight other people. I just want to fight Grimm."

"Train your instincts Ruby, and do that enough and you can fight anything, including people or Grimm. And there's always the odd people out there that like the Grimm."

"People like them?"

"Work with them, capture them, fight alongside. We've never been sure how, but I've seen it a couple of times."

Ruby leaned against one of her weapon racks. Her aura was still low, and it was making her more fatigued than she thought it would have. "Alright, I got your homework, you have more homework...when's your smithing day again?"

"Three days from now. The guy who owned it needs a bit more time to spruce it up. I told him it wasn't necessary but he wanted to anyway."

"Alright. I'll be back, or Qrow will be here tomorrow, I'm not sure which yet, and we'll help you go over a few more things. How's Zwei?"

"Doing good. We've been going on runs when I close up the shop."

"Is that because he's the one running, or you are?" her dad asked with a smirk. He raised up his hands, "Wait, don't tell me, it's because you're the one running?"

Ruby glowered, getting a chuckle out of her dad. "You wanted me out of here quickly earlier, so I'm guessing you don't want me here for some reason or another. Yang coming by?"

"I..."

"You don't need to answer that Ruby. What's going on between Yang and me is between Yang and I. I made her promise that we wouldn't bring you into it. We'll try to be more cordial when we're around you and each other," Her dad explained.

"I just don't understand."

"A big part of it is she was feeling like I'm not letting her have any freedom. A big part of my argument is that she left you out to do nothing while she got into a bar fight and ended up in jail. So we're at a crossroads, and there's no real easy way to make up."

"You both care about each other! Focus on that, and everything will slide by. That's what Mom always said."

Taiyang smiled sadly at her. "I know. I've been trying, Rubes, but your sister isn't making it easy. I'm sure that within a week or two we'll be back to our usual selves, yelling included."

"Make sure that you do!" Ruby said to her dad's back as the bell rang, signaling his leaving. She turned to Zwei, who was on the glass counter panting happily, his little tail going a mile a minute. "I just don't know what to do, Zwei. How do I help them?"

Zwei tilted his head, before he barked. "I can't just lock them in a room together," Ruby interpreted. Zwei whimpered for a moment, before he sat down and barked again. "Oh shoot, you're right!" Ruby shouted as she looked at the clock. The spar with her Dad had taken longer than she'd thought.

Designing a mechashift weapon wasn't easy, for anyone. Designing a mechashift weapon for another person was about triple or quadruple the same workload.

So Ruby had devised a small little test that she could use to help gauge someone's weapon appeal, to make a mechashift weapon that would actually help them and they could use to its full potential.

The problem was the test was still on her scroll, and not printed on paper like she'd hoped. The bell jingled as the door opened, and Ruby felt her heart fall even as her smile widened. She'd have to make do with whatever happened when it came. Although she was fortunate, because that wasn't Yang...

Questionnaire

The bell rang out front again. Ruby screamed into her sleeve. "Zwei! Act cute for a moment, and I hope you put out the sign," she murmured. She heard a small ruff from outside the door. She made sure to do her due diligence, made worse by her rush.

She kept the lights and fan on in the bathroom as she walked out, making sure her hands and arms were ridiculously clean, and she blushed hoping that the two strangers didn't say anything.

She recognized one as Pyrrha Nikos, the Mistralian Tournament Junior winner for the last several years...of course, Ruby only recognized her by Mio, the girl's weapon hanging from her back. A rifle, spear, and sword all in one weapon. Ruby would've loved to see the design phase for her.

Next to her though was a tall scraggly boy, just barely old enough to be considered a man. He had basic armor over a sweatshirt, and at his hips was a basic sword and shield. It looked ornate though, and like it had seen more than its fair share of wear and tear. Whatever weapon it was, it had been broadly used and depended on.

"Hi! Welcome to Summer's Weapon Shop!" Ruby said, while trying to casually put away the sign that Zwei had knocked down. The corgi was off to the side, sleeping on a small bed on the side of the counter. Ruby hoped she succeeded, especially because Zwei was supposed to have put the sign up, text facing out, if any customers came in while she had to...attend other business.

"Hi..." the boy said quietly. Pyrrha hit him with her elbow gently, and he moved closer to the counter. "I was...told I could find a better weapon here."

"Of course you can! Just take a look around, and let me know if you need any help. What kind of thing are you looking for?" Ruby asked. She cheered internally. She was totally getting over her serious aversion to socializing, look at her now! Those cue cards under the counter are totally worth the time she had to put in for them.

"Mechashift?" the man said.

"Do you do custom mechashift, is what he means to ask," Pyrrha said off to the side. "Jaune, she's not going to bite you. Yang said she was alright."

"Oh! You must be...the other two of her team," Ruby said, snickering at the memory of their team name. PABY. Peabody. Whoever came up with that name deserved a raise.

"Yeah, we are. I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, ladies love it!"

Ruby stared at him. "Do they though...?" she asked politely. Pyrrha stifled a small giggle as Jaune pouted. "And you are...?" Ruby asked Pyrrha. Yes, she knew who Pyrrha was, but only as the owner of Mio.

"Pyrrha Nikos. Pleasure to meet you."

"Ruby Rose!" Ruby introduced herself. She looked back to Jaune, ideas running around in her head. Yang had warned her he was coming, hadn't she? Although it'd taken him a lot longer than she imagined. She'd thought he'd come in after only a few days. It's been almost a week! "I've been toying with the ideas of custom mechashift weapons, but they're usually quite finicky. It's why you usually make them in the design classes in most training academies," Ruby answered. "So I'm surprised that you don't have one already."

"Does Beacon have any design?" Jaune asked Pyrrha. The red-haired girl shook her head, the small smile still on her face. "Oh. Uh...yeah. That's why."

"You're from outer Vale then, aren't you?" Ruby asked. Jaune's eyes widened, but he nodded very slowly. It made sense; his weapon was basic, and obviously a hand-me-down. Good as it was, that didn't mean it was the better fit for him. "Okay. What kind of fighting style do you have?" Ruby asked.

She remembered that she had a sheet of some questions that she had to ask first before she started on the design aspect. The designing was her favorite part, and really the part that took most of her brain power. Trying to make sure that the weapon was functional no matter its shape, and that someone just hitting a few screws wouldn't destroy the entire thing.

"Oh, wait here! Just a sec," Ruby called out, rushing upstairs to grab her documents. Rose petals fell from after her, and within a moment she grabbed the entire pile on the table and ran back downstairs just as quick.

Jaune looked like he hadn't even moved. Even Pyrrha seemed surprised. "Right, okay, so I made up a few forms for questions and things like that, alright?" Ruby asked. She took off the first form and handed it across the counter. "This is a basic quote form, just to let you know what the general price may be. It may go up or down," Ruby said.

"Ouch, nearly fifteen thousand lien..." Jaune muttered. "And that's just the base..."

"Yeah, mechashift weaponry isn't cheap. Especially custom ones. Alright, so this is the part where it's...not exactly the best. Did you want to answer these questions here or upstairs?" Ruby asked. "Most of these questions are kind of personal, and that's what the second form is just under there, it's my non-disclosure stuff. Basically I don't say anything, and you can't sue me," Ruby smiled.

She remembered one of Uncle Qrow's horror stories of someone doing just that; Hiring a weaponsmith for a custom mechashift weapon but then turning around and suing the creator because he blabbed an important secret. It didn't matter much because the village was destroyed by Grimm a month later, but the story stuck with Ruby.

"Uh...upstairs maybe?" Jaune said. Pyrrha's eyes hardened, and Ruby saw her start to grimace. "You don't mind, do you Pyrrha?" he asked. Immediately Nikos' face softened. She shook her head.

Ruby reached back for her sign, putting it up. "Zwei, watch the desk okay?" Ruby said. The corgi's eyes lit up, and he gave a soft bark before he panted softly. In an instant Ruby was back upstairs.

She had only moments to realize that she'd basically just invited a boy up to her room for the first time in living memory just as Jaune made it up the stairs.

He was panting softly as he looked around. "Seems...comfortable," he said. Ruby gave a glance around. It seemed normal to her. She had a couch, a few chairs, a table, the kitchen, her bed in the corner...maybe that's what he meant? She did have a small TV that she brought out only when she was really bored. Otherwise she just played on her scroll.

"Sit down anywhere. Most of these questions are basic, but I have promised you I won't talk, so that means be honest, okay? I won't tell anyone unless the police come," Ruby said. Jaune nodded, although he seemed hesitant.

"Right, what fighting style do you prefer? Close range or farther away?" Ruby asked.

"Closer, mostly. Maybe something like Crocea Mors here," Jaune said, pulling his weapon out. A basic sword and shield, just as Ruby had seen, but she could see various writings on it now. 'Crocea Mors' was written on one side, etched faintly into the metal. 'Arc' written on the other.

"Okay. Mostly that's just for what kind of form it's going to be in for its default. Similar to how Pyrrha has Mio in the spear form, or Yang has Ember Celica in the bracelets," Ruby explained. "Do you think you have a lot of dexterity in your hands?" she asked. Jaune shook his head.

"Okay. Mostly sword shaped, so fairly simple, straightforward. What was your life like, before Beacon?"

"It wasn't bad. I have seven sisters so it was kind of loud, and there was always an argument for the bathroom even though my parents house has three of them. I don't know how my mom did it. Dad was a huntsman, so he was out of the house a lot, but he liked coming back in and getting all kinds of stories out of us."

"Did your dad use Crocea Mors?"

"No, he used a different one. Occiditus, I think he called it. Crocea Mors was used in the war by my great-great-granddad."

"So it has a lot of history to it."

"Yeah...it's one of the reasons I didn't want to come in. I didn't want to lose it, but when Blake, Yang, and Pyrrha all tell me I need a ranged option too..."

Ruby nodded. Peer pressure is a thing. "Well...you do have some other ones. Aura blasts, for one, although Uncle Qrow tells me it's a waste of aura to do it more than once. Showy, but not effective."

"I barely even know how to use aura."

"That's fine. If you'd like, I can use the base of Crocea Mors for the weapon. Really turn it into something special, while still maintaining a connection to its old shape and history."

Jaune stood up. "You can do that!?"

Ruby nodded. "Of course! It's a bit harder, seeing as how it's mostly solid steel but with the right parts and right modifications I don't even need to reforge it. I might, but I can put the etchings down still."

"So it wouldn't quite be the same weapon."

"It's a major upgrade. It's the same weapon, just with different parts. If I went and changed out Crescent Rose's insides, would she still be Crescent Rose? Of course she is, because it's the spirit of the weapon that matters, not the outside."

"Weapons have spirits?"

"I choose to believe so," Ruby said. "You've already said you're not too dexterous, so I've narrowed down a few of the ranged options. Option one is simply to make it a boomerang shape, but you'd have to catch it or lose it."

"Pass."

"Thought so. Option two is a shotgun style approach, similar to what Yang uses. It's another check in the 'extreme close range' option of a sword, but it can work. I'd suggest against a pistol or a rifle because you'd have to aim a lot."

"Shotguns sound...good?"

Ruby tilted her head. "Is that a question or an answer?"

"Shotguns sound good," Jaune reaffirmed. Ruby nodded.

"Okay," she took out her scroll, writing down a few things before she took some time to doodle up a few designs. "This isn't a final design, but it's kind of what I'm imagining," Ruby said, handing her scroll over to Jaune. "I'll have a few more designs drawn up over the next week and you can send me which one you like."

Jaune looked down at it. "That...looks good," he said. "But how does the shot actually fire? If it's contained in the handle here?"

"The sword can open up or split down the middle. It makes the entire end the barrel, allowing longer shots. Also allows you to change how much of a spread you want."

"Okay. So come back next week?" Jaune asked.

"Give me your scroll number, and I'll send designs to it as I come up with them," Ruby said. "And that's...pretty much everything," she said.

"Here," Jaune said, inputting his own scroll's number. "First time a girl actually asked for my number," he commented, blushing idly.

Ruby smiled gently. "Come on, Pyrrha's still downstairs. And there's still down payment."

"Oh, right. Is there a payment plan option...?" Jaune asked. He went downstairs slowly, waiting for Ruby to follow him.

"Not yet, but I suppose there could be. I haven't looked into that kind of thing yet," Ruby admitted. The downstairs was fortunately still in one piece, with Pyrrha sitting next to Zwei, slowly petting the corgi who seemed to be in absolute heaven. "Did I miss anything?" Ruby asked.

Pyrrha shook her head. "It's been rather quiet. Is this usually how this is? Yang said this place was quite popular."

"No, this is about usual," Ruby said. "Alright, so the down payment is only twenty five hundred. I'll send you designs through the week and you can tell me what you think of each of them, and come back next week. I'll have a forge day afterwards."

"Oh, I can do that," Jaune said. Pyrrha opened her mouth as if to object, before she sat back down, petting Zwei some more. "Sounds good. Thanks Ruby!"

Ruby smiled and waved as Jaune and Pyrrha left a few minutes later. She waited a moment before she sighed and fell on top of the counter. "That was tiring Zwei. How do other shopkeepers do this madness!?"

This is still a RWBY fic. And that means Pyrrha is still Pyrrha and Jaune is still awkward.

Until Next Time!