Guess who's back! Sorry it's been so long guys, life has been lifing. Started a new job, and working on other projects too. This will always be my main one though! And for being so patience, not only have I written a longer chapter, but I've also got the next one fully written and getting reviewed by my beta, so the wait will be MUCH shorter. So without further ado,
Let's get it started!
Beta: Wolfy
Art: Gyanguirus
Chapter 7 - The Curious Case of Ruby Rose
Jaune loved the smell of pizza.
There really was nothing like it. The aroma of salty cheese and sweet marinara made his stomach sing an angelic chorus of pure desire. The box was heavy in his right hand as he waited in the elevator, watching the number slowly go up as he ascended. The elevator was a bit dingy, with scratches on the walls, and a light out. He felt a slight warm feeling in his right hand as he held the delicious payload. He couldn't afford to drop it, after all, it was the star of the night.
Dinner at Ruby's wasn't something he'd been expecting when he'd woken up that morning. He chuckled to himself as he recalled the day. Ruby was waiting outside his window, like she had been these past few weeks for his personal hell, or as she liked to call it, a morning run. Jaune Arc was willing to do a lot of things. Get kicked around, act as a punching bag for Nora, and even bus ten-seater tables, but if there was one thing he didn't do, it was cardio.
But Ruby didn't take no for an answer. She'd claimed he needed to work on his conditioning if he was going to be in ring shape for his return match. He loathed to admit it, but she was right, as usual. As the elevator doors slid open to the seventh floor, he recalled the first time she'd shown up on his street at 6:30 in the morning. He'd been roused from his wonderful slumber by the sharp clack of pebbles impacting his window. He'd looked out the window and boom, there she was in shorts and a tank top. When he'd asked how Ruby had found his address, she'd just flushed and proclaimed. "Doesn't matter! Let's get training!" She'd taken him through a horrifying high intensity interval training course after their five-mile run. He'd just barely managed to prevent himself from throwing up all over her bright red sneakers. But somehow, that wasn't the worst part of their first outing, no, it was at the very end, when he'd finished her herculean routine, she turned to him with an excited smile and proclaimed. "That was great! You ready to do it all again tomorrow?" The groan he'd let out had been nothing short of primordial as she just giggled at his dismay.
On some level he hated her for it.
That being said, between the in-ring training and the torture, he could feel himself getting even better inside the squared circle. With only two more weeks until his match with Yuma, Jaune was grateful that Ruby was thorough in making sure he'd be ready. He was no slouch either, and his continued work with her on her promos had been paying dividends. She was still very rough around the edges, but she'd improved on her stutter and her issue with trailing off during her sentences. Overall, things were going well, even if they were starting to get a bit routine.
What wasn't routine however, was after their sparring session today, Ruby had nervously extended the offer to have dinner at her apartment. He'd given her a confused stare, and she'd flushed bright red, explaining that it was for training and only training. He wasn't really sure what she meant by that, but having known Ruby for a month and some change now, he knew that some things she'd say would just fly over his head. In the hours between their training and now, he hadn't stopped pondering tonight's rendezvous. What kind of training would they be doing? Breathing exercises to stay present? Protein shake recipes to boost performance? Steroids?! Ok maybe not that one, he chastised as he pushed the thought from his head. Ruby didn't seem like the type to like needles, let alone PEDs. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long to get his questions answered as he strolled past the rows of doors to apartment 705.
His fist came up to knock, only pausing for a moment before he rapped his knuckles on the black door. The sound of something clattering to the ground from beyond the entrance, followed up by a muffled curse, shouldn't have surprised him.
"Be right there!" Ruby's voice called out from within the apartment. The sound of muffled footsteps approached, followed up by the metallic click of the knob's lock. The door swung open to reveal his friend standing in all her chaotic glory. The first thing he'd noticed was Ruby's unkempt hair, the crimson and black locks standing slightly on end. She was clad in a black tank top and gray sweatpants. He couldn't help but feel she looked a bit flustered.
"You okay?" he inquired, and she waved her hand.
"I'm good! You're just a little early, that's all. Had to clean the place last minute." Jaune checked his scroll, before inclining his head to the left.
"Ruby, I'm three minutes late." She flushed as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Ah well you see I just sorta–"
"You lost track of time, didn't you?" Jaune grinned. Ruby pouted at him. That was all the evidence Jaune needed. She waved her hands in front of her.
"In my defense, I couldn't just not read the newest issue of X-ray and Vav! We're almost to the arc's climax." she protested.
"No spoilers, I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet." Jaune exclaimed as he stepped inside. The moment he passed the threshold, Ruby's eyes zeroed in on the gift he'd brought.
"Pizza!" she cheered as she swiped the box from him, speeding over to the counter and plopping the cardboard box down. "That's perfect for tonight." Jaune grinned.
"Thought I'd surprise you. Pepperoni okay?" Ruby gave him a nod.
"Solid pick. Easily a top three topping for sure. It's good but sausage is good too, but we can't count out extra cheese. It gets so gooey and delicious when you get extra cheese, especially from this place Weiss and I go to–" she expressed as she moved her hands as if they were the arms of a scale, weighing out which option she preferred the most. Jaune knew not to interject his opinion. He'd disagreed with her once during one of the spiels and paid the price. Apparently calling mint-chocolate chip ice cream toothpaste was a crime punishable by death. Or at least a thirty-minute rant from Ruby on how underrated it was. He elected instead to watch her talk until she exhausted herself.
"Can you grab the plates? They're in the cabinet right next to you." Ruby finally asked as she pulled out shakers full of parmesan and red pepper flakes from a drawer. Jaune grunted affirmatively and grabbed two dishes from the cupboard and set them down next to the box. As he turned back towards Ruby, he couldn't help but take in her apartment.
The space was small, looking like a two-bedroom one bathroom flat. The paint on the walls was slightly chipped where they met the ceiling. Reminds me of my place, he mused as he looked around. The duality of the place was his favorite part. Despite being one space, it felt divided into two clear sides. In the living room area, there was a couch and two chairs. The left side of the couch had clothes draped over top of it and cups were littered around the left side of the coffee table set in front of the furniture. The right side was pristine. Even when squinting he couldn't find a single thing out of place. The upholstery even looked like it'd been vacuumed recently. The same could be said for the kitchen. The double sink couldn't have looked more divided. The left basin had a small tower of dirty dishes, while the right was completely empty, the area around it dotted with icy blue colored sponges, soaps, and rubber gloves.
Ruby let out a quiet "Urk!" from behind him as she saw him looking around their apartment. "S-sorry about the room. I didn't have time to get to everything." Jaune gave her a shrug.
"No worries. You should see my sisters' rooms. They make this look like paradise." Ruby snickered as he turned to face her. "But I gotta know, what does Weiss think of it?" his friend paled.
"She uh, she thinks I'm a total slob." She said with a grimace. "We have mandatory cleaning nights on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. She's like a drill sergeant." she shuddered. Jaune gave her a light punch to the shoulder.
"Hey, she's got the right idea." He said, ignoring her offended squawk. "Speaking of Weiss, where is she?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head with her hand. "Ah, Weiss went out for the night with a few of our friends. In her words "One wrestling geek is enough, I don't need to be around two."" Jaune spluttered as he processed her words.
"Wow, guess she's not a big fan of the sport, huh?" he ventured. Ruby laughed, shrugging as she grabbed a slice of pizza from the box and threw it on her plate.
"Nah she's super supportive, even if she doesn't say it outright. You think she'd still be my bestie if I thought she looked down on my favorite things?" Guess not, Jaune thought as he shook his head. "She was there for me when stuff really went downhill." Ruby explained with an affectionate smile. "And even though she can be a bit of a meanie sometimes, she has a great heart."
Jaune chuckled. She sounded a bit like how he did when he talked about Ren and Nora. Plenty of people thought Nora was too eccentric, but they didn't know her like he did. When Ruby talked about Weiss in the past, sometimes he'd wondered if she was as good a friend as Ruby said she was, but one look at his friend's face now and those doubts vanished. Ruby didn't seem like the type to tolerate people not taking her seriously. So Weiss must've passed her tests.
"I can tell." He agreed. "When do I finally get to meet my rival for the title of bestie?" he asked with a smirk. Ruby giggled as she stroked her chin.
"I dunno. She's usually pretty busy at the cafe. Maybe we could set a time and you could meet all my friends." She exclaimed in a way that Jaune couldn't help but be infected by her excitement.
"That sounds great, let me know if you guys set a date." She gave him a nod as he grabbed his own slice of pepperoni topped heaven. They made idle chit chat as they dug in. After the first slice was done, Ruby gave him a tenacious glance.
"So, are you ready for some training?" she asked ominously. Jaune gave her a thumbs up. "Then grab another slice and meet me on the couch!" she stated before retreating to her room. Jaune obliged, more than happy to grab a second piece. He made his way through the kitchenette and sat down just as Ruby returned, toting a shiny red laptop in tow.
Curiosity bubbled in his chest as he watched her fingers fly over the keys deftly as she unlocked her computer. She queued up a playlist and connected a cord to a television sitting on the wall in front of them.
"Weiss really came through for me today!" She cheered. "She let me borrow her cables so we can watch on the big screen." Just as she finished the TV came to life, displaying a video thumbnail. Gears began to turn in Jaune's brain as he wondered where he recognized the scene from. It was a VWC match, clearly from quite a few years ago. His eyes widened as he realized what they'd be watching.
"Qrow vs Raven: The Twins' Battle for the Gold." He recited with a gasp. Ruby gave him an excited nod.
"Good eye!" she remarked. "This is one of my favorite matches ever! It has everything. The drama, the stakes, the in-ring combat, the story, ah it's just so perfect!" she raved as she adjusted the sound. "This is gonna be our training for the day. I've got my playlist of all my favorite matches in VWC history. We're gonna watch a bunch of 'em."
Jaune shuffled in his seat, aiming to get as cozy as possible. "Sure, that sounds like a plan." He started cautiously, "But how is that going to be training?"
Ruby leapt from her spot next to the TV onto the couch with a quiet thud, turning to him with a grin. "There's no better way to improve than learning from the best, right? These matches are straight up historic. I was uh, just kind of thinking we'd watch them. I'd help you with some of the ring sense and behaviors they show, and…m-maybe you could help me with the other stuff."
Jaune gave her a confused look. "Other stuff?"
Ruby looked away. "Ring psychology. I've watched some of your public matches on the VWC's website, Jaune. You somehow find a way to get the crowd cheering and excited in a way that I just don't understand. I-I was just thinking maybe you might have a tip or two for me. I'm really good at learning from examples, trust me. I promise." She finished awkwardly. Jaune cuffed his hand on her shoulder.
"You got it, Ruby." he assured her with a grin. I think I can do that, he thought as he directed his eyes to the screen. Ruby hit the play button and they began to watch.
No matter how many times he saw it, this particular match would never cease to amaze him. Qrow vs Raven was widely regarded as one of the best fights in the Vytal Wrestling Company's history. The two were once tag team partners, but that dream died as Raven turned on her brother in a vicious assault, and the two went their separate ways. Eventually, they won qualifying matches to face off against each other for the vacant VWC World Heavyweight championship. The battle's emotional story was only matched by how incredible the fight actually was.
Jaune watched as Qrow and Raven stood in the center of the ring, trading blows as they desperately fought to take the other out. Qrow threw a vicious right hook over Raven' guard and caught her on the jaw, sending her staggering back. He couldn't help but lean forward in his seat as Qrow pressed on, throwing a left body kick. It proved to be a mistake as Raven surged forward, playing possum as she dropped low and yanked Qrow's ankle out from under him, sending him crashing to the canvas and punctuating her reversal with a kick to the prone Qrow's head.
He tore his eyes away from the screen to glance at his partner. Ruby was just as enthralled as he was, her silver eyes sparkling as she watched the match. Jaune turned his attention back to the TV just as Qrow threw a devastating body hook, burying his fist in his sister's abdomen. Raven bent double, coughing as Qrow knocked the wind out of her. The man in question linked his hands around her waist and jerked, lifting her to where she was practically sitting on his shoulders. Powerbomb position, Jaune noted. Raven was far from done though, despite her precarious position, she got her wits back and began to rain down vicious elbows directly on the top of her brother's skull. Qrow faltered, his grip broken as he dropped his sister and fell to one knee. Raven took that moment to sprint back towards the ropes, bouncing off the steel cables and kicking him with a big boot square in the jaw. The sequence was so fast. The match was full of lightning quick combinations and exchanges. It was no wonder that it had been awarded five stars by several news outlets.
They continued watching until out of the corner of his eye he saw Ruby scamper over to her laptop. Redirecting his attention to the screen, he watched Qrow on the backfoot as Raven sent a flurry of strikes at him, driving him back towards the corner. Then, the action stopped as Ruby paused it.
"Watch what he's about to do." She advised him. Jaune gave her an affirmative grunt and leaned forward to catch whatever lesson Ruby wanted to imprint on him. Qrow struggled to block Raven's strikes, just before he was sent back into the corner he threw his weight to the right, throwing a left hook that stopped Raven in her tracks. As soon as the hit landed he rolled to the outside.
"You see how he circled out of the corner and got out of there?" Ruby asked as she turned to face him.
"Yeah. It was a clean move." Jaune stated.
"That's ring awareness right there, Jaune. Qrow didn't even have to look to know he was running out of room. That's what you need to start doing. You have a habit of getting pushed into the corner." She began, "You're good at countering out of there, sure. But I'd rather you not get trapped in there in the first place. Someone like Yuma is tall and fast, if he gets you in the corner, you could be in a ton of trouble. Same thing goes for rolling out of the ring. You get a whole ten seconds before you get counted out. Sometimes you need to take a break. Raven was controlling the pace, so Qrow took a few seconds out to stop her momentum."
These were good tips. Even back when he sparred with Sun he'd been sent into the corner. He'd managed to get out of it there, but who knows if he'd be that lucky again. Ruby's finisher needed someone to get stuck in the corner too, and he'd been on the bad side of it enough times to know he wanted to do anything could do to minimize his chances of getting stuck there. It hurt a lot more than her signature moonsault, that was for sure. That being said, he couldn't help but play devil's advocate.
"I think you have to be careful with rolling to the outside though," he noted. Ruby gave him a confused look. Jaune shrugged. "If you go and do it too many times, you risk the crowd turning on you." Ruby quirked an eyebrow.
"Why? It's the smart thing to do. It's effective and makes your opponent worry about if they want to take you on outside the ring. You get plenty of time before you're at risk of being disqualified." She pouted. Jaune couldn't help but smile at her. Clearly, she'd never been on the receiving end of an angry crowd.
"Hey, what's that face you're making?" She said, her pout somehow intensifying. Jaune cackled.
"You're right that it's the smart thing to do, "He explained, "But do it too many times and the audience will think you're being cowardly. If you're sliding out of the ring to stall for time every time you take a big move, it slows down the action and the crowd gets all bent out of shape. If there's one thing people hate more than a coward, it's a boring match."
Ruby went to protest, then stopped. "I guess you're right. I'd never really thought of it that way before. I guess since it's been so long since I've fought in front of a crowd, I forgot about that." she said sheepishly, before her expression morphed into a happy grin. "See? This is why I wanted to do this; we're already learning stuff!" she cheered. He offered his fist and she bumped hers against it.
He and Ruby played off each other well as they continued to watch the spectacle. Ruby paused it to show him how Raven managed to slip out of Qrow's grapples, through strikes of her own or attacking Qrow's grip. Jaune stopped the video to highlight Qrow pounding the canvas like a madman after kicking out of Raven's finisher, and how it helped the audience rally behind him. Despite having seen it many times, Jaune couldn't help but rise off the couch in excitement as Qrow landed his own finisher, Harbinger, on his sister to secure the win and the world title. Ruby was right there with him, hollering like it was her first viewing.
They watched a few more after that. Glynda Goodwitch vs Alexander Nikos for the world title, Harriet Bree vs Hei Xiong for the intercontinental belt, and the grudge match that was Clover Ebi vs Sienna Khan. Ruby had good taste. It made sense that someone so passionate about wrestling would relish the business at its best. As the next one came on, she hesitated.
"What's up?" Jaune asked as her fingers hovered over the computer's mouse. Ruby glanced back at him tentatively.
"Would…would you be okay with watching one of your dad's matches?" Jaune didn't dwell on it for long.
"Of course. Let's do it." he replied simply. Sure, he and his dad had gone through a bit of a falling out, but Nicholas Arc was one of the best wrestlers in VWC history, and he'd be damned if he was going to cut out his dad's legacy just because they'd had a few big arguments. Besides, it helped that his father had some great matches, too. He took pride in it.
He watched Ruby settle in as the match began to play. Ah, it's this one, he thought fondly as he watched Nicholas Arc and Faulconer Winchester circle each other in the ring.
"This one is one of my favorites!" Ruby gushed as she took a bite of her third slice of pizza. "Two powerhouses going at it head-to-head, hand to hand, man to man!" she said as she rubbed her palms together rapidly. "The wrestling here is top notch."
"No arguments here," Jaune agreed. "It's crazy to think about how if Dad lost this match, my life would've been completely different."
Ruby cocked her head, confused, before her eyes widened and she let out a squeal.
"That's right! Your dad bet his career on this match, didn't he? How could I forget? That was the whole selling point." she exclaimed as he nodded.
"Yep, Mom used to tell me about it all the time." He mused. "Dad said if he couldn't beat the world champion, he had no business being in the VWC. Faulconer took the bait. After all, there's nothing more prestigious than taking someone else's career."
Ruby nodded. "That's what makes it so incredible. Championships can be won or lost, but your career? That's your dream right there? I'd never give that up. Your Dad is crazy." Jaune raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed.
"I take it back, I'm sure he's a very sensible man. I was just getting a little excited and–" he cut her off with a laugh and a playful shove as the two watched the match, stopping occasionally to point out techniques the wrestlers were displaying. It might've been his personal biases showing, but he much preferred this one to the others. It was visceral, personal, and heavy hitting. He and Ruby oohed and aahed at every brutal striking exchange.
"I see where your lack of grapples comes from." Ruby giggled as they watched Nick throw yet another punch combination. Jaune's hand came up to rub at the back of his head.
"Hey, it was clearly working for him. Dad didn't need any fancy DDT's or flips." He explained sheepishly. Ruby snorted.
"DDT's aren't fancy."
Jaune rolled his eyes playfully. "Maybe not to you, miss moonsault."
They watched in awed silence at the finishing sequence. Nick had managed to slip out of Faulconer's finisher and smash his opponent's stomach with a gut kick. Faulconer bent over wheezing as his dad sprung forward, wrapping his left arm around Winchester's head in a facelock, and grabbing at the waistband of his gray tights with the left. Nick then lifted with all of his might, leaning back until he had Winchester completely upside down, near perpendicular to the mat. Then he let himself drop. It wasn't like a suplex where he fell back, Nick dropped himself directly down, spiking Winchester's head directly into the canvas. He couldn't help but wince away as Cardin's father's skull crashed down to the ground.
"BRAINBUSTER!" Ruby squealed as she pumped her fists. Jaune leaned back, a smile spreading across his face as he watched his dad get the three count and hoist the belt high. Nick's brainbuster, Crocea Mors, had taken its place among the other great finishers that had won wrestlers their belts in the VWC. He'd thought about trying to use it, but it never felt right. He…he didn't deserve it. Thankfully, those thoughts faded as Ruby put on the next match.
They'd just finished Clover and Sienna's rematch when Ruby's scroll began to buzz. She scooped it off the coffee table and gazed at the ID.
"Shoot, Weiss." She began, turning to look at him. "You mind if I take this? I was thinking we'd stop at this one and do a lil' debrief." Jaune shrugged.
"Knock yourself out."
As Ruby sped off towards her room, Jaune gazed back at the TV. Ruby had her playlist on autoplay, and it seemed like the next match was all queued up. The file was flagged with a red star, indicating it had been favorited. Jaune felt a little excitement bubble up inside. Ruby's playlist was full of her favorite matches already, and they'd been spectacular. If this one was specifically favored, it had to be good. He took a sip from his cup as the wrestlers began to make their entrances. Electric guitar blared as Qrow Branwen appeared on the stage. Wow, guess he's one of her favorites, he observed.
Then, to his surprise, Raven's music played. She stomped out onto the stage, pumping her fists as she hyped herself up. What was even more confusing was how Raven stomped over to Qrow and the two clasped their hands together forcefully, the latter pulling his sibling into a quick embrace before they began to strut down the ramp. Jaune rose off the couch and stumbled over to the laptop, moving the cursor around to see the video's overlay.
The Branwen Tribe vs. The White Fang
His eyes narrowed. Ruby had a tag match in her favorites playlist? She'd even hearted it. Now it wasn't the fact that the match itself had made a favorites list that surprised him. After all, it was a five-star match, just like the Branwen Twins' battle against each other. But no, what surprised him was that it was a tag-team match. Memories slammed into his mind as he recalled when he'd broached the topic of tag wrestling with Ruby. She said she only liked singles wrestling. Not even that, she said she didn't like tag-team wrestling one bit. She had shut the idea down pretty quickly. His interest was piqued, and he couldn't stop himself from looking at the other matches that were queued up.
The Branwen Tribe vs. Salem's Knights
The White Fang vs The Ace-Ops
The Branwen Tribe vs The Red Dragons
His eyes continued to rove over the names. This playlist was full of tag matches. Heck, there were more team matches here than there were singles matches! But when he'd wrapped up their session a few weeks back and tried to gauge her interest, she assured him she had zero interest in any kind of team up.
That meant Ruby had lied to him.
The thought of her doing that hurt more than he thought it would. He felt he'd been pretty honest with her throughout their time together. He stopped himself before he fell down the rabbit hole. Judging off the last time he'd pressed Ruby on her past, she'd had a slight breakdown, and he wasn't so enthusiastic to try again. If she wanted to tell him, that would be her choice, and he wouldn't encroach on that. He took his place back on the couch and waited patiently for her return, trying to stave off his doubts.
"Thanks for waiting. Weiss was just checking in to make sure we weren't getting into any "uncouth shenanigans." She always treats me like a kid." Ruby groaned, making air quotes at Weiss' bizarre choice of words. If he wasn't reeling from the revelation that she wasn't telling him the truth, he would've laughed. He gave her a nod as she joined him on the couch. Now, Ruby was no genius when it came to social interaction, but it seemed like she was used to discerning an awkward silence. She poked him in the shoulder, a mix of concern and confusion warring on her face.
"Hey uh, everything okay in there Jaune?" She ventured nervously.
"I…I thought you didn't like tag team wrestling." Jaune observed blandly. Ruby balked, her eyes darting around the room for a few beats before she spoke.
"Oh, w-where'd that come from?" Ruby inquired, her fingers drumming on her thighs, a nervous tell he'd gotten used to by now. Jaune shrugged.
"You left the playlist on autoplay." he deadpanned. "I saw the rest." Ruby blushed dark red.
"Oh." she eeped out. "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that."
Jaune gave her a look that screamed "Try me." She cleared her throat.
"I don't really like tag wrestling. I mean, you don't have to be a fan of it to be able to appreciate four and five-star matches. I mean, if I just wrote off a whole demographic of wrestling that'd be crazy right?" She explained rapidly, "I was just exaggerating when I said that a while back. I say stuff like that all the time. I'm the queen of saying dumb stuff, right? Weiss thinks so, and she's smart so I'd believe her if I was you." She finished, her ramble coming to an abrupt and wild stop as Jaune suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
"Sure, Ruby." He said halfheartedly. She gave him a guilty look as silence descended over the two.
"Jaune I–" She began, a hand outstretched towards him.
"It's fine. Really, I'm…I'm not mad. I know there's stuff you're not telling me." he explained. Ruby sucked in a sharp breath as he continued, with no intention of stopping. "But I'm putting faith in the fact that you're doing it for a reason. Maybe you're not ready. Maybe you just don't want to tell me. But I'd rather you just say that you're not ready to talk about something instead of lying to me or throwing out some half-baked explanation." he finished. He glanced up to see her reaction and was taken aback by what he saw.
Ruby's face was scrunched up. Her usual pale skin was flushed dark red. Shame pooled in those silver eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jaune." She began, her voice strained as her hands twitched erratically. "I didn't mean to lie to you, honest. The question was just sudden and I didn't have time to think and I didn't really wanna talk about that stuff so I just opened my mouth and the words just came out and they weren't the right ones but at that point we'd already moved on and–"
Despite the crummy situation, Jaune had to suppress a laugh as he began to zone out. Even in a serious situation she couldn't stop herself from ranting. It was no different from how she'd rave about wrestling, just with a lot more anxiety. It was like watching a beehive, every statement she threw out there in a frantic attempt to explain herself was like one more bee flying around the hive. But any comedy he found in the situation was undercut by the sincerity in her tone. His eyes softened. Ruby was bizarre, and clearly there were a lot of things she wasn't telling him. He was unfortunately starting to get used to that. But at the same time, a lot of it wasn't his business. He wanted to help her, or at least understand her, but at the end of the day, she was her own person. Sure Ruby was strange and cagey, but she was also kind, genuine, supportive, passionate, and as he could clearly see, apologetic.
She'd quickly become one of his best friends, and a little white lie wasn't going to change that.
"-and I feel like an absolute jerk!" She finished, her voice cracking as she took a shuddering breath. He let out a sigh and closed the space between them, slinging his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. It was something he used to do with his sisters whenever they'd been upset at each other. Sure, they'd feel hurt and guilty in the moment, but if there was one thing Saphron instilled in him, it was that a hug could fix everything. Well, almost everything.
"M'sorry Jaune." She murmured into his shoulder as she leaned into the embrace. "For lying to you. I'm just not really good at talking about difficult stuff. Not anymore." Not anymore? He noted as he let her continue. "But I won't do it again. I'll tell you what's on my mind."
"Apology accepted." He grinned. Just know you don't have to do that stuff around me, kay?"
"You bet." Ruby replied. They stayed in that position for a few moments, listening to the muted sound of cars going down the street. The atmosphere was heavy. Thankfully, Jaune had learned something else from his sisters that almost always immediately followed the sibling hug. He hid a smile as he leaned forward and pinched Ruby's side, right below the armpit.
"OW! Jaune!" She yelped, springing off the couch and a few feet away with the speed and reflexes of a cat as he descended into laughter. "What the heck was that for?! We were having a moment!"
"My sisters always did that to me when I was acting too sappy." He explained in between laughs. "I'm just happy I finally got to do it to someone." Ruby looked aghast.
"I am not sappy!" she protested vehemently. "You take that back." Jaune just shrugged and laughed.
"You really know how to cheer people up." She observed, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Jaune inclined his head.
"I've had a lot of practice. Did it work?"
Ruby gave him a forlorn expression. "Not really. But I might know something that could help." Jaune cocked an eyebrow.
"Like what?"
Ruby's expression turned devious as she darted forward and pinched him tightly right below the ribs. He flinched back with a groan as Ruby took her turn to laugh. They stayed like that for a little while, just enjoying each other's company.
"Hey," Ruby began, the excitement in her silver eyes betraying the apprehension in her tone, "You…wanna see my room? I've got a ton of cool stuff in there. You'll love it, trust me."
"Sure, why not?" Jaune said as he hauled himself off the admittedly too comfortable couch and walked behind her as she made her way to the left most door. What would Ruby's room look like? If the situations were reversed, Jaune doubted he'd let Ruby into his. Not just because it was a mess with cracking paint, clothes strewn everywhere, and dim lighting. No, it was that he had a ton of old wrestling merchandise everywhere. Even Sun, who worked as a wrestler, thought it was a little excessive.
But as he crossed the threshold, he chastised himself, seemingly forgetting who his friend was.
Ruby's room was a spectacle, to say the least. The small room was littered wall to wall with photographs, posters, and items that were pinned up by hooks. Her bed was a small twin sized mattress in the corner, absolutely covered in clothes. On the wall above it was a massive framed shot of Qrow Branwen holding up the VWC World Heavyweight Title. She must REALLY like him, he mused. There was another one of Sienna Khan slamming her knee into Clover Ebi's ribs. Famous pictures that he'd seen floating online before.
There were posters for the VWC's biggest event of the year, the Vytal Festival covering almost every vacant surface. Vytal 34, 35, and 36 were all signed with thick black sharpie. He couldn't quite make out the signatures, but a wrestler's autograph was an awesome piece of merchandise to have, and Ruby seemed like quite the collector. What caught his eye though was a glass box in the corner on top of a shelf. It contained a pair of ring boots. They were worn, and clearly had seen some use over the years. Jaune cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the bizarre item. He turned to ask her about it, but his eyes lingered on a particular item on her desk. It was another picture that must've been taken in the ring. It was of a blonde man, and a woman who looked almost identical to Ruby. The two were hoisting the VWC Tag Team Championships. His eyes widened in recognition.
Summer Rose!
He knew Ruby's last name was familiar. She was Summer Rose's daughter. He palmed his face. How did I not notice? He groaned. Summer was a former tag-team champion who had a great run a few years back, but it wasn't her accolades that won her the hearts of the fans. It was her style. She revolutionized the high flyer archetype as a viable option in the VWC. Where her peers were rooted to the canvas, she flew like an angel, gaining herself her ring name, The Guardian Angel. Ruby's moonsault antics finally made a lot more sense. That being said, Summer was extremely underrated, having a short career, and never breaking out of the tag scene. Her prime was almost two decades ago, and since most VWC fans had the memory of a goldfish, she was pretty quickly lost to time.
Something clicked.
Why Ruby said she didn't like tag team wrestling. It wasn't exactly common knowledge, but Jaune was a bit of a geek, and with great geekery, came great wisdom. Summer had retired in her prime due to an illness. The VWC had done a memorial episode following her passing a few months later. Ruby's parents were once tag champs. No wonder she didn't like talking about it. Maybe tag team wrestling reminded her too much of her mom. That had to be it, right? It was an explanation at least. He'd bring it up to her eventually.
"S-So," Ruby began, "What do you think?" She asked, as if she expected him to not think it was the coolest thing he'd seen in weeks. But whenever Ruby showed signs of insecurity, he made sure to seal those cracks up.
"I think it's incredible." He told her sincerely. Her smile lit up the room in such a way that he couldn't help but beam back.
"You mean it?" she asked.
"Absolutely. And I thought I had a good collection. Where did you get these posters signed?" he inquired as he walked over to the various Vytal autographs.
"My uncle Qrow gets me a VIP pass every year. He's the one who signed them. Even got some of his friends to sign too!" She gushed, missing how his shoulders stiffened.
"Y-Your uncle Qrow…as in Qrow Branwen!?" he gasped. She paused.
"Did I not mention that?" she said sheepishly. "Why do you think I had so many of his matches in my favorites list?"
"Because he's awesome! He doesn't have to be my uncle for me to think he's debatably the greatest of all time."
"You know it!" Ruby agreed. Now that Ruby mentioned it, her ring gear was pretty reminiscent of Qrow's. It had been a long time since he'd seen it though, but he had to satisfy his curiosity.
"Can I see your ring gear real quick?" Ruby seemed a bit perplexed by the question, but stepped past him and swung her closet door open.
His eyes scanned the mass of clothes. He recognized the material they were made of instantly. The rack was packed to the brim with tops and tights made of polyester, spandex, and nylon. His eyes scanned the jumble of clothes in search of her gear as a reference point, but ended up lingering on two sets that stood out. The fabric was a beautiful scarlet, shining in the dim light as he turned it over. What surprised him even more were the brilliant gold accents that dotted the outfit. As far as he knew, Ruby didn't wear gold. She was pretty much just a black and red gal. The other wasn't fully done. Rather it was the beginnings of a top. The stitching had red and green accents. Or at least they looked green, he couldn't quite tell in the dark closet. Jaune wondered if Ruby had any interest performing at one of the VWC's holiday events. The colors matched after all. He himself had a green and gold set that he broke out for the holiday special. It...didn't look great, but he thought he rocked it.
Nora had disagreed.
Finally he found her ring set he'd seen her wear the first time they'd met in the hallway. The ornate stitching and the black and red color palette were all he needed to prove his theory.
"You based your ring gear off of your uncle's huh?"
Ruby grinned. "Yep," she began, popping the "p" sound. "He was my first teacher."
"I'm so jealous. You had Qrow freaking Branwen and I had some random from Mistral." Jaune complained, almost coming out as a whine. Ruby just giggled as she shut the door and deftly picked up the glass box up off her shelf.
"You're about to get a lot more, trust me." she said as she placed it on her desk in front of him. "Guess what these are."
"Boots?" Jaune guessed unhelpfully. Ruby fixed him with a deadpan look, but only for a moment as her smile returned in full force.
"Not just any boots. These were the ones Uncle Qrow wore during his match with Raven for the belt!"
Jaune reeled as the fanboy in him wanted nothing more than to take as many pictures as possible. "Y-You're serious?" Ruby gave him a nod.
"And you only keep it in a glass box? That thing needs a safe." he followed up quickly. Ruby looked down at the box reverently.
"I wasn't really old enough to remember that one, but mom brought me with her." She began, a nostalgic glow about her, "Uncle Qrow promised her he'd get me something meaningful for my first festival. He came though." she finished her voice tinged with emotion. A few seconds went by before she spoke again, this time, far more resolute. "One day, I'll compete at a Vytal Festival, just like he did."
Jaune agreed with her sentiment. Heck, he'd be thrilled to be on a Vytal Festival card too. Most he'd ever gotten was on the preshow for one of their PPV events.
"Is that your main goal?" He asked.
"Wuzzat?" She said, seemingly distracted as she turned to face him.
"Would being on a Vytal Festival be your goal? Your end all be all?" He elaborated. She stroked her chin.
"It's something I want so badly, but I dunno if I'd say it's my ultimate goal." She ventured as she flopped down onto her bed. "I mean, there's so much to love about the world of wrestling. So many paths to explore." She said, her eyes starry as she continued. "There are promises I've made that I want to keep when it comes to winning, sure. But there's nothing I want more than to be that hero people can look up to. Like the characters in fairy tales. Uncle Qrow was my hero. He was a force for good, and had his fair share of feuds with some really mean people." she looked him dead in the eyes.
"He taught me to never give up, and that good would beat evil no matter what." She finished, her voice strained. "I want to be just like that, I guess."
Jaune let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He frequently found himself awestruck whenever Ruby let her passion for the business take over. This was no different.
"Well, I always had you pegged for a babyface. I can't really imagine you any other way." Ruby smiled at his comment. Babyfaces were the backbone of wrestling. The good guys. Everyone played a bit of character, I mean, how else were you supposed to get the audience invested? Good guys had it hard though, if you struggled to make that connection with the people, you wouldn't last long. That being said, it beat the alternative. Heels were the underbelly of the industry. Fighters who would do anything to win, and relished the crowd's dislike. Being a heel was easy, act like a jerk and win, either through cheating or just being that good. You didn't have to worry about inspiring anyone.
"I can't really imagine you playing a bad guy either." Ruby snickered. Jaune let out a groan.
"Hey I can be plenty dangerous." he joked, puffing his chest out like a gorilla. Ruby didn't respond, electing rather to point at his chest, where the logo of Pumpkin Pete was proudly displayed on his hoodie.
"Touche."
"What about you?" she started, a bit of apprehension in her voice. "I know you went around your Dad to get into the business, but you never said why."
Jaune leaned against the desk as he thought about what to say. "Well…I guess it's kind of like yours. My dream, I mean. I wouldn't mind performing at the Vytal Festival, but that's not why I'm doing this." His fists clenched as he continued. "I want to win gold, Ruby. I want to bring a world title back to the Arc family. I want to show my Dad, heck, my whole family I can do it. I want to carry our legacy. But I don't want to do it just for that. I wanna inspire people just like you, so when I win that belt, everyone who's ever supported me, everyone who's watched me lose time and time again will finally get to celebrate alongside me when I hoist that big gold belt to the sky." his voice began to waver, but he pushed through. "I want to pay it all back. I don't want those people to feel like they believed in me for nothing." he finished with a deep sigh.
Despite not being able to see her with his eyes being firmly fixed to the floor, he could feel Ruby standing in front of him.
"You'll show em', Jaune." she spoke as he brought his head up to gaze into her eyes. "I mean, look how far you've come already. I know for a fact you'll be holding that gold in no time! And that's a promise!" she said gleefully. Before he knew it, he surged forward and wrapped her up in a quick hug. It ended just as fast as it had started, but the message was clear.
"Thanks, Ruby. And who knows, maybe we might just make our dreams come true."
/
The rest of the night had been fun, save for cleaning up the mess they'd made. Ruby had muttered "Weiss is gonna kill me." When they'd discovered she'd spilled her drink on the couch. He'd offered to help, but Ruby had assured him that she had it handled, and insisted he head back before it got too late.
He'd had such a great time, he hadn't even realized just how dark it had gotten. Warmth rose in his chest as he reflected on the night. Hanging with Ruby was the best. He felt he actually made some headway with learning more about her, too. Her goal was noble, and one that he was sure if she gave it her all, she could achieve. Working so hard just to have the chance to inspire others, huh?
Classic Ruby.
As he paced down the street in the pale moonlight, his mind drifted to his upcoming match. Just two more weeks until his match with Yuma. The ultimate test, and possibly the last one if he failed. But he didn't have to ruminate on it for long as he heard the familiar ringtone of his scroll. He thumbed it from his pocket, checking the caller ID before accepting it, lifting the scroll to his ear.
"Where were you? I thought you were coming to the show tonight!" a familiar voice blared through the device.
"Nora." He began, "I told you I was coming to next week's show." There was a quick pause.
"You did?" she said blankly.
"Yes." He insisted. "I'll be at the next one for sure."
"You better mister." She laughed. "It's almost time for your big day! And ours too. Renny and I are getting so stir-crazy. I just want to start smashing people already."
Jaune held in a laugh. That was the Nora he knew and loved alright. "Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances when the tournament begins."
"That's right!" Nora asserted, "But that's not what's on my mind right now. You said you were busy, whatcha doin?"
"Oh uh, I just hung out with Ruby tonight." he said, bracing for what came next.
"Squeeeeeeeeeee!" Nora squealed through the speaker. "I knew there was something going on with you and that girl! Give me the deets. Come on, no lying. You have to!"
Jaune flushed. "I-It's not like that, Nora. I swear. We hung out and watched old matches. I helped her with some ring psychology and she gave me a whole lesson in ring awareness."
"Boooooo." Nora jeered. "I've been trying to get you some action for forever, and the one time you hang out with a girl on your own you watch wrestling? I'm hurt." She finished dramatically as he chuckled.
"Hey, it's almost time for my match. I need all the practice I can get."
"That's right. Are you excited, Jauney? You should be. This is gonna be amazing!"
"Definitely. I'm also scared of what Goodwitch will do to me if I lose." He joked. Nora let out a yelp of what he thought sounded like surprise.
"That's right! I almost forgot to tell you. Ozpin and Miss G got into a huge fight!"
"Really? What happened?" he asked, his interest piqued.
"Renny and I were walking down the hall when we saw a bunch of people outside Ozpin's door, eavesdropping. So we went up and asked what was happening." She explained, "But they didn't even get to answer before we heard the shouting. They were going at it!"
Jaune inclined his head. Ozpin was back? And he and Glynda were arguing about something? While it wasn't unheard of for the two to butt heads, it had been a long time since they'd had a large argument. His mind drifted to that day. It was a rough one. Ozpin had signed for several wrestlers to be laid off to cut costs. Ms. Goodwitch had been furious. While Ozpin was far more gifted in the business side of things, Glynda, despite her cold exterior, was fiercely protective of most of her roster.
He'd waited outside of their office with the rest of the locker room as Glynda tore Oz a new one. The layoffs went unchanged, but they'd agreed to take a more cooperative approach in the future. That was usually the catalyst for their tiffs, that, or when Ozpin decided to mess with match booking.
"Jeez, hope everything's okay." He began, "Did you get any idea what they might be fighting about."
"Nope," Nora lamented, "We only got some of it. I wanted to know soooo bad. Ren thinks it's about those weirdos from Evernight joining the roster."
That was a pretty safe bet. Jaune had his doubts about Glynda being okay with Ozpin working with Evernight. Maybe that was it. Maybe.
"But enough about that boring junk," Nora began, her tone bubbly, "While I was in catering I had an amazing idea! How would you like to get some last minute training in?"
"How last minute?" Jaune asked.
"You free a few days before your match?" Nora inquired. "I was thinking you, me, Renny, and your new friend could have one big session. We could work on promos, grappling, fighting, and Ren's been chomping at the bit to spar with you since you've gotten stronger."
Jaune found himself surprisingly excited at the prospect of sparring his close friend again. It had been far too long, and he was itching to see how Ruby's training had helped him grow. Plus, maybe Ruby could drill promos with Ren and Nora too.
"Let's do it." Jaune agreed.
"Perfect! I'll tell Ren. Put it on your calendar and don't be late, mister. Love ya Jauney!"
"I won't miss it. " Jaune assured her, smiling as he slipped his scroll back into his pocket and began the trip home.
So this kind of wraps up the mini training arc! You'll see why in the next chapter hehe. One more chapter in the books! Kind of a slower one, but I hope you guys enjoyed it regardless. I wanted to try my hand at a bit of worldbuilding here, as well as continuing to flesh out our dear protagonists. Like I said, the next chapter, which will be a bit more serious, will be out most likely one week from now. Can't wait for you guys to read it!
As always, thank you for following Remnant Rumble. Your reviews, favorites, and follows give me the motivation to keep writing.
Take care!
Curb