Was it weird that Ruby felt kinda cheated for not getting to fight Jaune and Pyrrha? Like, yeah, Pyrrha would have absolutely churned her ass into butter, but she would've got another shot in on Jaune to rectify her embarrassment, which she felt very deserving of. She totally would've won that fight if not for—

"Hast thou a course of action?"

Ruby looked at her partner and raised an eyebrow. "What? Why would I?"

Weiss looked back just as baffled— scandalized, even. "Thou'st told me to listen to thee!" she hissed. "Speakest solely for the melody of thy voice?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fine. Plan is this: don't lose. Keep doing what I say. How big is your Aura?"

Weiss looked at her like she was an idiot, and Ruby quickly realized she was.

"Right, sorry, uh… how're they gauging this?"

Weiss shrugged. "I lost to Belladonna the moment a blow landed upon me; the rule is intended to prevent injury, any strike would injure me."

"You lost, too?" Ruby asked, now feeling a little bad for her partner even if she hated her guts. Weiss nodded, her expression more flip than expected.

"Aye. I simply must not be hit."

Ruby scowled, but tried to have a little hope.

What was that awful saying from uncle Qrow? Hope in one hand, shit in the other?

"Fine. Can you do that?"

Weiss tipped her head left and right. "Most likely, yes, at least for a time. These two seemn't gifted with speed and cunning."

'These two' were Cardin Winchester and Dove Bronzewing, standing a meters feet away and having a little kiki between themselves while energetically gesturing at each other's outfits.

Dove had on a full and fabulous suit of half-plate, Maximilian-fluted and silver-filigreed to the absolute gods, complete with a tabard that was longer at the back to mimic a dress. He had long, glimmering ribbons of gossamer tied around his elbows and shoulders, their silver flowing and dancing in the air like pennants made of cobweb. His boots were unreasonably high-heeled.

Cardin, for his part, had something Ruby would expect to see at (or at least near) the Vale Historical Faire: a dark corset over loose-sleeved white shirt, leather vambraces, and a frilly black skirt with a red underskirt beneath. Silver crosses festooned his belt, jangling with each excitable gesticulation, and he had some pretty punky black boots. Ruby wasn't particularly enchanted by the look, honestly, but she couldn't deny that Cardin ate.

It was sword and flail for Dove and Cardin, respectively.

Weiss leaned towards her partner and muttered through the side of her mouth: "Verily, what a bunch of fruits."

Ruby slowly turned towards her, feeling her spine creak like two rusty girders making love. "W-Weiss, you're…" She subtly gestured to her own neck, indicating the hidden bruise on Weiss'.

Weiss' hand flew to her chest, aghast. "I? Nay, and never wouldst thou find me in some mannish garb."

Ruby looked her up and down, envisioning 'some mannish garb'. "I dunno, you could slay it. Suits look good on everyone."

Weiss turned up her nose. "I shan't take advice from a lass in a cassock."

Ruby pulled out her skirt. "What's wrong with it? It looks nice and it works with my legs."

Weiss scoffed, which hurt a little more than Ruby cared to admit.

"I can't wear most pants!" she whined, becoming quickly forlorn. "They don't make them for me."

Weiss reeled, disbelieving. "Surely thou'rt—"

"Hey!" shouted one of their opponents— Cardin, Ruby discovered, to whom she politely waved. He continued, "I like your dress!"

Ruby beamed at him (holy shit, somebody being nice?), opening her mouth to shout back her appreciation, only for Dove to interrupt:

"It's giving cult leader!"

"It's giving cult follower!" Cardin corrected. "Girl! Some color, please! This isn't a funeral!"

"Yet!" Dove added, taunting. "Is your back okay, babes? Or is she gonna have to carry you?"

Cardin giggled, slapping Doves arm as he doubled over with mirth. "Kidding, girl! No shade!"

"No shade, girl!" Dove agreed, his voice dripping with acidic sarcasm. "You don't need any— you're already in your sister's!"

Ruby took that like a punch to the gut, and it left her feeling just as sick. Never in her life had she felt like Yang was an overshadowing force— she had never even thought about it like that— but why hadn't she? Ruby had always thought she was good, but she'd always known Yang was better. Yang wanted this; she had gifts that she didn't want to squander on something like engineering.

Oh, god, how had she never thought of that?

"Cease thy folderol, ye querulous fops!" Weiss demanded, drawing her blade with overt gusto. "Thou'rt in the presence of Weiss Schnee, Bane of Wendigo! And her rival, her equal-in-arms, slaying yon cassock, Ruby Rose! Bane of Nevermore!"

Ruby stared at her partner. Weiss only gave her the briefest glance, her face a hard, dutiful mask.

When the buzzer didn't pick that poignant moment to start the match, they all looked up to Goodwitch's stand. She was on the phone, gesticulating while she hissed indiscernible venom into the microphone. Noticing the stares, she slapped her hand around the console before her until the start alarm blared.

Cardin and Dove bolted forward immediately, their weapons drawn, Dove leveling his weapon with Weiss. Understanding the sign, Ruby leapt in front of her partner and shielded the girl from the small-arms fire that erupted from a barrel along the longsword's fuller. The rounds pinged off her Aura.

Ruby reached back and held out her hand, beckoning with it. "Satchel."

"Wha— whyfor!"

"Now, princess!"

After a moment, the satchel sat in Ruby's palm, its contents brimming with pommels in various shapes and covering the whole spectrum of Dust colors. "Smash," she said, tossing one to Weiss. "Use this one," she commanded again, tossing another before quickly adding, "I'll take care of Dove! Go!"

Ruby rushed to meet her opponents without another word, feeling much more confident with a couple hours of recovery and some fresh blood in her. Her long stride had her nearly gliding over the arena sand as she sprinted, eager to make up for her embarrassing loss against Jaune.

Cardin wasn't going for her; he clearly had his eyes set on Weiss, but Ruby wasn't going to let him get away unscathed. She darted past him, straight to his nearby partner, only to fake left, then fake right, making Dove's ankles fold as she turned her head back to Cardin.

Ruby plotted.

Guys: 2. Weapons: 1 flail, 1 gun-sword (sick tbh). Disposition: sassy. Affiliation: Beacon Hunters' Academy.

Rubys and Weisses: 1; no 2— fine, Allies: 2. Weapons: 1 cool sword, plus a bunch of little pommel-things. Disposition: Feeling weird about Weiss defending her, experiencing minor lingering insecurity, but altogether not awful.

Predicted winner(s): after that fluke with Jaune, Ruby didn't want to jinx it.

Ruby shoved her hand in the satchel and grabbed a handful of pommels, her legs shooting out to scrape down Cardin's back as she reappeared from a black-and-red poof behind him. She kicked off the boy's Aura, her springy legs coiling until they shot her lightweight body back at Dove like a ricochet. Dazed, he still managed to bring up his longsword in time to block Ruby, shattering the pommel she'd chucked and coating him with Dust.

Ruby fanned out her arms, her feathers catching the air and slowing her so she landed in front of Dove, but not on him. He reacted quickly, swinging out with his longsword and making Ruby scramble backwards out of his melee range, but he simply leveled the barrel of his weapon at her once more. He closed one eye, preparing to take the shot.

Then his eyes darted down. They widened, but a grin caught his lips as he noticed the fire Dust now coating his sword and sprayed over his front, begging him to fire his gun. "Oh, you cheeky cunt."

Ruby swore under her breath, but pushed herself up without lamenting her 'this would be too easy but I need to try anyways' plan. Dove was on her instantly, trying to slash or stab, but Ruby met his offense with more offense, throwing her arms up in his face and eating a big hit to her Aura as his sword slammed into her side. With her feathers blinding him, Ruby shot one leg out and deftly wrapped her huge talons around his calf, then yanked it out towards her.

It wasn't enough to topple him, but it was enough to make him stumble back, one arm leaving his sword to frantically right the balance of his top-heavy body. Ruby took the opening to hop up, her other claw locking halfway up on his waist as she bore her full (if meager) weight on his heavier upper body, finally bringing his back to the ground. She scrambled with both hands, taking another hefty blow to her Aura as his own free hand punched her in the side, but he wasn't able to get her off before her fingers were frantically squeezing everything on his hilt and crossguard— she'd find the trigger eventually.

Bang!

Ruby threw herself blindly into the line.

BANG.

Dumping out of her Semblance, Ruby leapt to her feet and looked around, searching for Weiss.

She found her partner squared up against Cardin, panting, and she might have seen a slight relaxation to Weiss' shoulders when their gazes met. Understandable, of course; it was probably good to know your partner hadn't died the second time they'd exploded.

Unfortunately for Weiss, Ruby was far, and Cardin was winning. Ruby could see the patch of ice from the pommel she'd told Weiss to smash, along with the deep purple glow of the gravity Dust pommel that Ruby had told her to use, lining the blade of the auraless girl and making her strikes weightlessly nimble.

But Cardin had made it past the ice, he'd made it into Weiss' range, and he'd weathered whatever attacks she'd made. All he had to do now was hit her. Ruby ran.

She hadn't plotted her Semblance out this time, she'd just thrown herself at whatever point she saw first, which ended up leaving her almost fully across the arena from her partner.

She had to watch Weiss reel away from her opponent's flail, her sword unable to parry lest it be caught in the chain and whipped out of her hand. In a dead sprint, Ruby winced at each blow that was definitely going to land, only for Weiss to surprise her by weaving a hair's breadth away, her blue eye narrowed on the flail, focusing.

Then Cardin stomped forward, his fist coming around to barrel into Weiss' face, and that felt wrong to Ruby. It felt very wrong— like her weapon in another person's hands, like mom saying 'I love you', like Weiss' tongue in Jaune's mouth— and she realized what it meant to have a nemesis. It all just clicked in one cataclysmic knowing, slamming into Ruby's brain like that first revelation that one plus one does, in fact, equal two.

Nobody got to hurt Weiss but her.

Ruby stretched out a line, but it wouldn't be enough to get to Cardin. She didn't need to get all the way there, though, she just needed to be close, so Ruby let herself be taken as far as her Semblance could without burning her Aura out. Once again appearing from a black-red cloud, Ruby chucked one of the pommels.

It broke against Cardin's back. His fist stopped. He looked at Ruby, genuine offense across his face.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, holding out her hands. "Here!"

And Weiss got bless her, she got it, and she had a good arm.

Cardin turned back to Weiss, only to find her running away with empty hands, her weapon tossed to the feathered Faunus who bore down on him like a falling star. Weiss' blade cut deep into Cardin's Aura as Ruby fell, then again with an uppercut when Ruby sprang up. Bringing his flail around, Cardin whirled—

"Weiss!"

And caught nothing but air as Ruby dove, her sword swinging to throw behind Cardin. He turned expectantly, but Weiss didn't have the sword, she was still out of his range— Ruby still did. She thrashed him from behind again, slashing upwards as she rolled to her feet, lunging back from a punch before springing again, both talons splayed out to rake him.

Thinking fast, Cardin grabbed the chain of his flail and held it taut, catching Ruby's claws instead of having his chest gored, before he pushed her off onto her back and swung it down on her.

A pale hand crept around his face, fingers crawling over his cheek like a spider, as Weiss came from behind and slipped a palm over his mouth.

"BRANWEN-ROSE-SCHNEE," the match alarm declared, the automated voice jamming all three of their last names together discomfitingly. Weiss pushed Cardin away, letting him have his baffled fit of 'what the fuck was that?'s and 'eugh why do I feel so weird?'s.

Ruby, rather appropriately, made a very loud noise of excitement and rushed to her partner, her adrenaline-addled brain stupidly making her hug Weiss friggin' Schnee, of all people. Separating, she smiled up at her partner.

"You were—"

"Thou wert—"

Their eyes met. Ruby's arms were around Weiss' shoulders. Weiss' hands were under Ruby's arms, having caught her partner's overexcited tackle-hug and remained standing.

Ruby leapt back. "You almost let him punch you, idiot."

Weiss shook out her hands like Ruby had a mucuous coating. "Thou survivest that blast by fortune's grace, nothing more."

They avoided each others' gazes.

"Good job picking up that I wanted you to throw it. I guess."

"Thou wert keen to catch it. Forsooth."

RUBY F B ROSE 31091831

MISSION REPORT

ORIENTATION, DAY ONE: INITIATION - BEACON HUNTERS' ACADEMY

INIT. - OUTDOOR PORTION

[X] PASS: D-

[_] FAIL

Supervisory Analysis: Multiple instances of conflict with partner. Engaged in combat with a Wendigo while severely underprepared. Lost weapon. Abducted by Greater Nevermore. Engaged in combat with a Greater Nevermore while severely underprepared. Lost consciousness, had to be carried back to Beacon. Acquired a relic.

INIT. - WRITTEN PORTION

[X] PASS: B+

[_]

Supervisory Analysis: See comments on returned test packet.

INIT. - COMBAT PORTION, SOLO

[_] PASS

[X] FAIL

Supervisory Analysis: Advisement scheduled post-orientation.

INIT. - COMBAT PORTION, DUO

[X] PASS: A

[_] FAIL

Supervisory Analysis: Marked improvement in compatibility from outdoor portion. Defeated two peers while unarmed, showed creative problem-solving with use of dust and partner's weapon. Relied well on partner, became protective at the right time.

FINAL GRADE: C+

Supervisory Analysis: Advisement scheduled post-orientation.

Submitted by: Glynda G

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