Blake didn't stop purring until the airship touched down.

Her eyes opened with the doors, revealing an empty courtyard. She went to stand, an arm around Ruby as she expected the shorter girl to rise with her.

She hadn't expected Ruby to just be a dead weight on her.

"AAH!"

The two tumbled out of the aircraft, rolling over one another in a mess of red cloth and limbs as Ruby landed on the ground strip—the back of her head thudding against the concrete as Blake fell on top of her.

It surprised no one when she shot awake.

"Ow! What ju—mmph!"

Ruby caught a mouth full of a shirt as she tried to speak.

She looked up, face matching her cloak as she saw the familiar white of Blake's shirt, felt the taller girl sprawled over her. She tried to untangle herself, only to wrap Blake further in her cloak and pull her closer—nearly suffocating her.

After a few seconds, Ruby pulled her arms to her chest, lifting Blake a few inches off the ground to give her some breathing room. She took a few greedy gulps of air before speaking. "Can you get off, Blake? It's hard to breathe with your boobs in my face."

Blake's face matched Ruby's as she bolted upright, a clone of her left behind that rapidly vanished—leaving Ruby in the mess of a cloak and a yellow helmet. When it'd gotten there, Ruby wasn't sure.

She stood, adjusting her robe and outfit so it wasn't choking her and looked somewhat normal. She turned to Blake, who had a strange mixture of sheepishness and embarrassment on her face.

In a (probably vain) attempt to make Blake feel better, she smiled.

"I'm all for cuddling, but that's a little much."

Blake didn't say a word, the two staring at each other awkwardly as Ruby held her now strained smile—beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. She waited a few seconds before she spoke, face only getting redder. "Uh…this is, umm…this is the most awkward moment in the history of forever, right? I'm uh…I'm not the only one thinking that?"

Blake rapidly nodded.

Ruby looked around, grabbing Yang's helmet and inspecting it for damage—mostly trying to give herself something to focus on besides the awkward silence that was rapidly building between them. The joke was a bad idea—I probably made things worse. Oh no, what if she's mad at me? What if she doesn't want to do the whole reading thing like we did again? Come on Blake, say something!

It took Blake almost a minute to process what had just happened before she cleared her throat. "We should…back."

"Yes—good…time! Time! It's getting late!"

For all the inspiring speeches she pretended to give in the shower, Ruby was surprisingly inept at improvising.

The two didn't move for a minute, staring at each other for a few seconds before Blake's lips curled, a snort coming from her as she covered her mouth. She started laughing, holding her stomach with one hand as the other tried to hide it.

Ruby, getting over her confusion after a second, slowly joined in, walking over to her as she laughed as well. The more she did, the more she realized how stupid the situation they were in was.

The two leaned against one another, laughing until their sides started to split and their lungs burned from the lack of air. Then they stared at one another, catching their breath.

Blake spoke first, wiping at her eyes. "We're some kind of joke, huh?"

Ruby nodded, wrapping an arm around Blake's shoulder. "Sure are:" she held out her left hand as if announcing. "Two huntresses—incredibly deadly in combat but utterly useless at talking! Watch them deal with grimm with ease, only to face their greatest foe: Social interaction!"

Blake snorted again. "Stop! Stop! Oh my stomach hurts…"

The two took a moment to calm down, Ruby eventually getting the last of her laughter out as Blake did the same. She turned to stare at her taller companion. "Let's take our time getting back. I have to mentally prepare myself for being glomped in a giant, sisterly hug the second we walk in."

Blake nodded. "Fair enough."

The two made their way around the campus, taking the long route near the cafeteria and past the library before at last nearing their dorm room. As they rounded the corner, Ruby cast a sideways glance at Blake. "Since when could you purr, anyway?"

Blake froze in her tracks, face tinting pink as Ruby turned to look at her. "You were awake for that?"

"Yep!"

"No, you weren't."

Ruby was about to protest when she saw the faint threat—and slight plea, oddly enough—in Blake's eyes. For once, she understood Blake's subtlety. "Oooooh…yeah, I wasn't."

She leaned closer to her ear, a small smirk on her face. "It's still adorable though."

Blake rolled her eyes, running a hand back through her hair as they approached their dorm. She stopped a few feet outside of it, turning to Ruby. "I kind of wish I'd told you about that place myself, honestly."

Ruby tilted her head a bit, a questioning expression dominating her features. "Really?"

"Yeah. I like having you there."

Ruby gave a bright smile, twirling in place as she got out her scroll. "This day could not have gone any better!" she started counting on her fingers. "I made a new friend. I spent time with you at your secret reading place—what could be better?"

Blake smirked. "Getting a date?"

Ruby glared despite her slight smile, lightly punching Blake's shoulder. "With Yang around? Not a chance."

The two shared a laugh before walking the rest of the way to their dorm, Ruby swiping her scroll to open the door.

Sure enough, she was swept inside the second the door opened.

She sighed as Yang pulled her into a tight hug, eyes flooded with concern and unspilled tears as she gazed at her. "Ruby I am so, so sorry! Are you hurt? Did anything break when you fell off?"

Ruby held up Yang's helmet. "I was wearing this, remember?"

"Answer the question!"

Ruby sighed, reciprocating Yang's hug. "I'm fine, Yang."

She looked up and to the left. "Well I mean I did run face-first into a lamppost, but I was wearing your helmet sooo no harm done!"

Yang didn't let go for a few seconds, as if ensuring Ruby was still going to be there when she let go, before finally stepping back, wiping at her eyes. "Good…" she turned to Blake. "Thanks for looking after her, Blake."

Blake just nodded.

"Hey! I'm fifteen! I didn't need anyone looking after me!"

Blake frowned, placing a hand over her heart. "What was I to you, then? Just a meaningless joke?"

Ruby's eyes widened as she held out her hands. "No, no! I—"

Yang gave a quick smirk before shifting to a solemn expression, clicking her tongue. "Cold, Rubes. Cold."

Ruby looked between the two. "That's not what I meant! I—I—"

Weiss looked up from her bed, laying her scroll aside for a moment. "They're messing with you, you dolt."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief.

Yang, meanwhile, glared at Weiss. "I thought you were the Ice Queen, not the Wet Blanket."

"Hey!"

As the two bickered, Blake went over to her wardrobe, grabbing out her familiar yukata and getting changed just as she always did. Ruby, on the opposite side, did the same—laying her hood on its familiar hook before pulling off her combat skirt.

"Woah, Rubes! Full moon tonight?"

Ruby yelped, hands immediately flying to her rear…only to feel the familiar cloth of her underwear.

She turned, glaring at Yang as the older girl laughed, Blake's eyes flicking between them as her hands hovered over her waist, top already cast aside. Weiss, meanwhile, simply glanced up from her scroll before looking back to it.

Ruby walked over to Yang, punching her shoulder. It would've been more effective, in hindsight, if she wasn't only wearing her underwear and the top half of her combat skirt.

Yang kept taunting her as Ruby walked back, pulling off the top half and grabbing her pajamas. "How do you always fall for that? It's not like there's a day where you don't wear underwear."

Ruby ignored her, pulling her pajamas on.

Blake, meanwhile, turned back, pulling her pants down and grabbing her yukata from the closet. As she pulled it on, her mind couldn't help but visualize what Yang had said. Ruby standing there, embarrassed and covering her bare behind.

Wonder if that's happened before? Maybe that's why Ruby took it seriously—because Yang never lets her live it down.

She pushed the thoughts aside as she pulled on her yukata, pulling back the covers and laying in her bed. Her eyes trailed to the right as she did so, hearing Yang hop onto hers as Ruby finished getting changed. Though, after a moment, Blake noticed something off.

"Ruby, didn't you have Crescent Rose earlier?"

Ruby turned around, looking around her for a moment before her eyes shot wide open, hands flying to grip the sides of her head. "OH MY DUST!"

Ruby dashed out the door, a rapid string of words following her.

"THANKSBLAKEICAN'TBELIEVEIFORGOThowdumbmustIbeto—"

Her voice disappeared down the hall.

…

Ruby bolted through the halls of Beacon, pushing her semblance to its absolute limit.

Time seemed to slow around her as she ran, breaking through the front doors to Beacon and into the courtyard. There, glinting in the moonlight, she saw the familiar red exterior of Crescent Rose.

Ruby dashed forward, deactivating her semblance now that she saw Crescent Rose was fine. "Sweetheart! You must've fallen off when Blake and I tumbled out of the airship!"

She stopped next to her weapon, pulling it into an embrace in her arms.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

Ruby started walking toward the locker rooms, feet stinging slightly from the panicked run across tile, concrete, and asphalt alike—lungs stinging in the cool, night air. Her eyes trailed to the sky, a faint smile on her face as she saw the stars above. Wish I could see more. Stupid light pollution…wonder if we'll be able to see more stars in Amora?

Ruby made her way through the eerily silent—and dark—Beacon uninterrupted. Her goal was set, her feet walking a path she'd tread so many times it was more memory than sight that guided her. Down the hall, past the cafeteria and two doors to the right from the infirmary.

She was rather shocked to find anyone in the locker room.

When she walked inside, the lights were on—triggered by motion sensors if she had to guess. She walked into the room, freezing as she saw Jaune sitting at the other end of the bench. His back was turned to her, his breathing heavy as he spoke.

"Come on Jaune, you can do this…just one more run, then call it a night."

Ruby walked closer, frowning as she saw the state of him. He was shirtless at the moment, body and hair alike coated with sweat. Across his back were wounds—recent, if she had to guess. Mostly small scratch marks, but a few were deeper—sword markings no doubt made by the training bots in the arena nearby.

Rather than his normal gear, Jaune was clad in a pair of boxers, his sword and shield laid off to the side as he grabbed a water bottle, downing what was left of it before picking up a towel, and wiping himself off. "Almost there…almost there."

"Jaune?"

Said man bolted upright, failing to notice the other towel he'd laid nearby. The moment he got up, his foot landed on it and he went right back down.

He groaned as his head hit against the ground, his hand reaching up to rub the back of it. "Note to self: Never put used towels on the floor."

Ruby dashed over. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay? I'm sorry, it's just I didn't realize you were here—well I mean yeah I knew it was you, I said your name—but I was wondering why you were here so late and I probably should've said I was here and—"

"It's okay."

Ruby paused, walking over and holding out a hand. "So, uh…whatcha doin' here so late? It's almost ten o'clock."

Jaune's eyes widened as he took her hand, letting her help him up. "Ten? Wait, that means I've been here for…hold on—"

Jaune started counting on his fingers, muttering beneath his breath.

His eyes widened as he seemed to finish. "I've been doing this for eight hours?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wow…that's uh—that's some serious dedication right there."

Jaune sighed, taking a seat once again as he grabbed his slightly less damp towel. He ran it over his face before tossing it aside, grabbing his scroll. "Yeah. I've been trying to get through the bot levels for training—but I've been stuck on the level 8 bots for hours! They're just so fast…"

His eyes widened a bit, flicking up to Ruby—as well as to Crescent Rose.

Ruby placed a hand on her hip. "What?"

Jaune stood, grabbing Ruby's hand and pulling it between them. "Okay, I don't know why you're here—probably not to fight since you're in your pajamas—but I need your help."

Ruby took a step back, stunned by the intensity in his eyes. "Me?"

Jaune nodded. "You're the fastest person I know—and you're a great fighter! I need you to teach me how to fight someone like you! Someone fast, sporadic, and all over the place! Will you help me?"

Ruby frowned, pulling her hand back and holding up a finger as her other fist rested on her hip. "Okay, for one thing, my fighting style is not sporadic. You have to calculate every little move you make or everything falls apart! One missed move and suddenly you're rolling down a hill and landing in a mud pit."

She held up a second finger. "Second of all, I can't believe that you, Jaune Arc, my friend, would even think that I would possibly, in a million years—" her face burst into a brilliant smile. "Not immediately say yes!"

Jaune gave a faint sigh of relief, giving a smile to match Ruby's. "I'll admit, you got me with the 'fake angry' speech."

Ruby glared at him. "Part of that wasn't fake—I really do have to calculate every move I make."

Jaune nodded a few times, rubbing behind his head as he gave her a sheepish look. "Right, sorry. It's just that when you fight it looks sporadic. It's really hard to keep track of you."

Ruby smiled, laying a hand on his shoulder. "And that's exactly why people like me are hard to fight against! Unless you know how we think, it's really hard to figure out what we're going to do next. So, Jaune—"

Ruby's smile vanished, face taking on a deadly seriousness. "Are you ready? To think like Ruby?"

Jaune gave her an equally serious look, laying his hand on her shoulder. "I am."

The two stared at each other for a second before Ruby broke into a smile—Jaune snorting a moment later.

The two burst out laughing, leaning on one another for support as Jaune shook his head. "I'm sorry—I can't take you seriously when you do that whole 'serious face' bit in your PJ's."

Ruby nodded, wiping at her eyes. "Nonono, I get it. I can't take you seriously when all you're wearing is your…"

Her face suddenly tinted red.

"Uh, why are you only wearing underwear?"

Jaune looked down, face matching Ruby's as he seemed to remember his state of dress.

His face went even redder as he looked away, coughing into his hand. "Well, uh…earlier I came up with the idea that if I was carrying less weight I'd be able to keep up with the super-fast bots…at the time it seemed like a good idea, but now? Yeeeeah…not really helping."

He cupped his hands over his groin. "And, on a side note, very embarrassing."

Ruby nodded, face still slightly red as her eyes skipped over Jaune's mostly exposed body. The somewhat small, but still well-defined muscles were hard to miss. While he wasn't quite at a six-pack, he was definitely on his way there…maybe a four-pack? Either way, he was a lot more muscular than she'd thought.

The training with Pyrrha's doing him some good…wonder if he's stronger than me, yet?