It started small.

First it was something as simple as a notebook going missing or being sprayed with water in the halls when no one else was around. She even had mud flung at her in one of the gardens, ruining her school uniform between classes. That quickly turned into objects going missing from her locker or 'presents' being left behind for her to find. How anyone managed to get into her locker was anyone's guess but it was happening, and the school was quickly informed. The electronic locks were reset and her scroll was newly synced up but the thefts continued. With no cameras in the locker rooms for obvious reasons, it was impossible to catch whoever it was in the act, and Jaune couldn't help but feel like the staff were not particularly concerned.

They picked their spots well. From what Jaune knew, they'd stolen minor objects though some more personal than others. Perhaps the worst of them was a pair of panties she'd forgotten to return to her room after changing after Combat Class, upsetting their female friends. You didn't mess with a girl's underwear, after all.

She weathered it all with surprising poise, not letting the bullying get to her. Ruby may have been young but she was much more mature than people gave her credit for, and didn't allow the pettiness to get to her. Yang was taking it harder than she was, and more than once, she'd been close to attacking Team CRDL in the halls. It wasn't until they tampered with Crescent Rose that Ruby lost her cool.

She knew her weapon inside and out, and Ruby had immediately known that something was off within moments of wielding it in Combat Class. Because of the tampering, Ruby lost her match, her weapon almost falling apart as the loosened bolts failed to keep the structural integrity of her weapon sound but the defeat wasn't even something she cared about.

They'd touched her baby.

Ruby wasn't about to let that stand.

And Yang was done being denied.

It happened in the dining hall. One moment they'd all been sitting, eating their dinner – and then the next, Yang was flying across the adjacent table. Before any of them could react, Yang's fist found its way into Cardin's face and all hell broke loose.

"Didn't I tell you?" she screamed, Cardin covering up as she rained down blow after blow. Russel and Dove attempted to pull her off but she elbowed Dove in the stomach, and headbutt Russel in the nose. "Fuck with my sister, and you're dead!"

Jaune scrambled to his feet, alongside the rest of their friends as other students surged forward to pull her off him, everyone shouting as food went flying. Yang was a wild animal, swinging in a frenzy, and several people ended up getting their bells rung before Jaune and Ren got to her, wrapping her up and pulling her off Cardin.

"Let go of me," she snarled, struggling. It was like trying to hold on to a pissed off Grimm, her strength almost lifting the pair of them off the floor. Jaune tightened his hold around her chest while Ren grabbed one of her legs, muscles bunching as he restrained her. It felt like she was going to rip his arm out of socket. "Let go!"

Cardin stared up at them, dazed but unharmed, his aura having taken the brunt of the damage. Looking around, Jaune saw several scrolls were out and recording the incident. There was no way this was going to stay contained. Even without people recording, it was going to be all across the school in a matter of minutes.

"Yang Xiao Long," a voice cracked like a whip, and suddenly the whole room went dead silent. Scrolls were hastily pocketed as students parted like the sea, and a very familiar blonde woman appeared.

Professor Goodwitch approached – and she did not look pleased.

Even Yang shrunk under Goodwitch's furious gaze, her rage fizzling as she was met with cold green eyes.

"With me," she said. "Now."

Yang didn't dare argue.

Detention. Two weeks.

She'd gotten off lightly, according to the older students.

Ruby felt horrible.

She blamed herself.

Surprisingly, it was Weiss that leapt to defend Ruby from herself. "Yang getting in trouble is on her head, not yours," she said stiffly. "Didn't we warn her, time and time again? But your sister has a hot head and couldn't keep her cool, so now she is dealing with the consequences."

"But if I wasn't…"

Weiss didn't let her finish. "If you have to blame anyone, blame the person who is messing with you."

And she did. Touching her weapon was a step too far and now Yang getting in trouble because of all of it only infuriated Ruby more. Jaune felt helpless watching it all unfold but what could he do? Somehow, they were still getting into Ruby's locker. There was no sign of forced entry or tampering, which left them well and truly lost.

They were either hacking into the locker security itself and bypassing it, something that was not easy according to Blake – their very own prodigy at Stealth and Security, so she would know – or they had a different way to get into her locker.

An ability. A Semblance.

That made the possibilities endless.

Ruby approached him a few days after the incident with Yang. It was before class, the sun only freshly in the sky after his jog. He could see the stress on her face but also the determination, her silver eyes resolute. She had come to a decision.

"Jaune?"

"Ruby," he greeted, straightening his tie as he kicked his door shut, hair still damp from his shower. "Morning. You're up early."

"Morning," she smiled weakly. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure," he fell into step with her. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could come to Vale with me," she said, fingers fiddling nervously. "After class today, I mean. If you're not busy."

"I'm not," he confirmed. "I'd be happy to come."

Her smile became a little more genuine. "Thanks."

"No problem. Did you want to buy something?"

She nodded. "I'll tell you later."

That something was a wireless camera. Jaune spent the entire day curious, his mind turning over the possibilities. When Ruby informed him of her plans, it made a whole lot of sense. He wasn't sure why they hadn't thought of it sooner.

Maybe because it was against the rules.

"Recording in the locker rooms is forbidden," Ruby said. "I checked the rules. Did you know that Beacon has a handbook with all the rules listed, and a whole bunch of other stuff? Well, I didn't! But Weiss had one so I decided to take a look. Activating a camera in the showers, toilets or locker rooms can result in expulsion."

That made sense. You didn't want deviants taking inappropriate photos or videos of people.

"I'm going to hide it inside my locker," she said. "One inside my regular locker and one inside my rocket locker. I could get in really big trouble for this."

But what else could they do? They needed to figure out who was doing this so they could put a stop to it.

"Why'd you come to me?" Jaune asked. "Ren or Pyrrha would help."

Pyrrha in particular appeared very upset by what was happening to her partner. She was better at controlling her emotions than Yang was but Jaune saw the anger simmering just below the surface.

Ruby looked away. "I thought that they might try to talk me out of it."

"But I wouldn't?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I just… thought that maybe you'd understand."

"Understand?"

"You have a lot of sisters," Ruby explained. "You know what it's like… when they get in trouble for you, or something… I'm not really explaining this very well, am I?"

Jaune laughed. "No, you're not – but I get it."

Silver eyes met blue. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

Ruby still felt guilty about what happened with Yang, even though she understood logically that it wasn't her fault. Weiss might have been able to calm some of the guilt with her words but not all of it. Jaune could relate. More than Ruby probably realized.

He closed his eyes, hearing the past creep up on him. Jaune had saved his sisters that day but some of them had gotten hurt. He knew it was stupid but he blamed himself for not being able to stop the Grimm sooner, to awaken his aura and semblance earlier, to protect them utterly. His parents had told him that he was being unfair on himself, and his teacher had spoken in a similar vein – but guilt was funny like that.

It often didn't like to listen to reason.

They caught the earliest airship after classes, skipping their self-study period. He'd never seen Ruby dressed in anything other than her combat attire, uniform or pajamas before, so it was with some surprise that when they met up, he saw she was wearing something entirely new.

She wore a short black skirt with a white petticoat underneath, thigh high black stockings with strategic tears that revealed the creamy pale skin of her legs and a leather corset with silver buckles. Beneath the corset she wore a white long sleeve asymmetrical blouse, her right arm completely bare except for the black leather wrist strap decorated with studs, a matching choker around her neck. On her feet were her typical boots, the red trim matching with the red cloak she wore around her shoulders like a shroud.

It wasn't too unlike her usual combat attire, it just had a little less red and more white. Ruby definitely had a theme with her outfits, one that Jaune wasn't used to having grown up in the country but one he appreciated. She wasn't the type of girl that appeared to be concerned with her appearance but the effort she put into her clothes spoke differently.

On the other hand, Jaune felt exceedingly plain in his jeans, boots and simple white t-shirt and worn jacket, but it wasn't like this was a date or anything.

"So – where do we find these cameras?" he asked when they landed. As per usual, the terminal was bustling and they had to force their way through the crowd.

"There is a huge store downtown, they have the best selection of electronics," Ruby said, consulting her scroll. She pulled up a website and found what she was looking for, showing him the screen. "These can be linked to your scroll so you can view the feed at any time and they're really small. What do you think?"

From the picture, the lens can't have been larger than his thumb and the entire unit wasn't much bigger than that. It was something that could be easily concealed within her locker without drawing attention.

"Looks good," he smiled. "Lead the way."

They caught a bus that took them deep into the heart of Vale's commercial district. This part of the city was very different from the south side, the oldest section of the city. The roads here were all wide and filled with vehicles, the buildings built with modern concrete, steel and glass architecture. Everything was simple, minimalistic with straight lines and a clear lack of ornamentation. Functional. It was neat, tidy – but lacked expression. While they didn't tower above like some of the pictures he'd seen of Atlas with their massive skyscrapers, there were a few buildings that rose above the rest, large electronic billboards advertising the latest consumer products.

It was louder here and more crowded. It didn't help that it was peak time for traffic, nine to fivers heading home for the day while others used the last vestiges of their day to enjoy themselves before night fell.

It didn't take them long to find the store Ruby had spoken about. It was a three story department store that primarily dealt with electronics but also had a clothing section, and furniture. As they entered, they were met with a sea of teenagers and young adults checking out the latest and greatest in personal technology. There was everything from headphones to wrist worn heart rate trackers to the latest scrolls, massage and therapy devices, beard trimmers and even electric scooters. VR headsets were displayed on mounted heads, consoles were arranged by brand complete with a testing unit to try them out, and full blown, pre-built gaming PC's complete with ever increasing, ridiculous RGB lighting setups positioned like trophies.

If it existed, they had it.

Ruby looked like a kid in a candy store, her eyes bright as she looked around happily before taking a deep, calming breath.

"I think the cameras are this way," she said, pointing.

Jaune grinned. "We can check out everything else after."

She peered up at him. "Are you sure? I didn't want to waste your time."

"You aren't wasting my time, Ruby. I'm happy to be here."

And truth be told, he was a little interested in checking out the place himself. He'd never visited such a store before and half of the things on display, he hadn't even seen before, while others he hadn't even known existed.

She beamed at him. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure-sure," he confirmed. "Now let's find those cameras."

There was an entire section of the store dedicated to them. Everything from handheld digital cameras to more advanced, professional cameras used for things like photo shoots. There were webcams for streaming, drones with a variety of different accessories, surveillance kits containing things like smart doorbells and chimes, home security cameras and the like, and finally the concealable cameras that Ruby was looking for.

Ruby looked at the prices and grimaced, though picked them up anyway. "Well – there goes my allowance."

They weren't cheap and even Jaune felt the pain when he saw the prices.

"Right," he said. "How about we check things out and have a little fun?"

Ruby nodded, and to Jaune's surprise she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. "Come on, I want to try those headsets out. Have you ever tried them?"

Her hand was small and soft, and very warm. "Uh – no, I haven't."

"Me either," Ruby confessed. "They seem super fun, though. I always see videos online of people running into things or accidentally hitting people because they lose themselves in it."

Jaune had seen a few of those. He always wondered if they were legitimate or staged, because surely they weren't that immersive, right?

Just like the consoles, they had a test unit for them to try and Jaune quickly found out that they were pretty damn convincing. Slipping the headset on and selecting a game at random, Ruby passed him the controllers. They felt a little awkward in his hands, unused to holding two separate controllers though they were designed to fit into his hands perfectly. When the game booted up, he had the choice of creating a character manually, picking a preset or allowing it to scan his face.

He picked a preset to save time. Letting it scan his face made Jaune a little uncomfortable.

After a few menu prompts, he was immediately dropped into a virtual world. There was a large screen for Ruby to see what he was seeing, and he heard her whistle as a vast field filled with wildflowers spread out before him.

"How does it feel?" she asked.

"A little weird," using his thumbs, he directed the joysticks and began moving. For a moment, Jaune felt unsteady, as if he was about to tip over and almost took a step forward with his real legs before catching himself. "Woah, this is freaky."

Ruby giggled. "Go find something to fight."

It didn't take long to find an enemy. This game was a pure fantasy world and his opponent was a giant wolf. As soon as Jaune lay eyes on it, it aggroed, charging at him with a snarl. For a typical gamer, it may have been a harrowing experience but for a Huntsman-in-training, it was nothing. Pulling out his sword, Jaune slayed it with a few quick slashes, swinging his arms just as if he were wielding Crocea Mors.

"Aww, you killed it so easily."

"Did you want it to bite me?"

"Maybe~?" Ruby said cheekily. "I thought you'd panic with the controls but you've got the hang of it really fast."

"It's pretty cool," Jaune explored a little more and slayed a few more monsters before letting Ruby have a turn.

"Woah~!" she exclaimed as she slipped the headset on. "It looks so real."

Jaune blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted back to the real world. Ruby was a little more awkward at first, almost recreating one of those viral videos when she attempted to dodge an attack by instinct but Jaune managed to catch her before she slammed into one of the displays.

"Careful," he warned while she laughed, a high peel of laughter that made Jaune feel warm.

How long had it been since he'd heard Ruby truly laugh? A giggle here, a snicker there, but an honest to god laugh? Perhaps the bullying had been taking a larger toll than he realized, and he hadn't even noticed because she'd been so good at hiding it. She'd been so mature and calm, and he hadn't questioned her ability to handle herself.

He felt like a bad friend.

Ruby played for a while longer before they moved on.

"I always wanted one of these," Ruby said as they admired the gaming PC's. "But my dad wouldn't buy me one."

"They look so flashy," Jaune commented, peering inside one of the cases. The multi hue lights constantly changed from blue to pink to red to green, purple, yellow and more.

"It makes the computer faster."

"What?'

Ruby grinned. "Everyone knows that the lights make it run faster. The flashier it is, the faster it is."

Jaune wasn't sure if she was making fun of him or not. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure-sure," she continued grinning, eyes crinkling happily. "Ask anyone."

They then made their way over to the headphones and Ruby truly started geeking out.

"Oh my god, they have a new model," she almost squealed, rushing forward to inspect a pair of red and black headphones positioned on one of the head displays.

Ruby was super into music. It wasn't unusual to see her lounging around, completely immersed in whatever playlist she had constructed on the weekends, head bobbing or swaying to the beat. Her favorite genres were rock and electronic, staying away from the more popular mainstream artists that were mostly pop.

"My pair is starting to get old," she explained, slipping them on over her ears. "Same brand but like – four years old at this point. Aww, how much are they?"

The price wasn't unreasonable but Ruby sagged in disappointment, knowing that she couldn't afford them as well as the cameras.

"Maybe next time," he tried to cheer her up but she just pouted all the way to the counter.

It was starting to get close to dinner time.

"Want to go get something to eat?" he suggested.

"Sure," she mumbled, still bummed about the headphones.

"Want anything in particular?" he asked as they stepped outside, the air cooler than when they entered. The sun wasn't all the way down but the sky had darkened considerably. "I only really know one place but it's on the other side of the city."

Ruby thought about it for a moment.

"I feel like pizza," she declared. "Come on, I know a really nice pizza joint. I used to go there all the time with Yang."

It was only a few blocks away from where they were, hidden down a side street with a host of other eateries. As soon as they stepped down the lane, he was assaulted with the mouthwatering scents of fried chicken, fries, freshly baked donuts and more. The street was very busy.

"You used to come here a lot?" he asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Patch is pretty close to Vale, you just catch the ferry and it brings you right in. Dad didn't like us going alone so we'd come together, but that didn't stop us from splitting up. He'd have been really mad if he knew."

Jaune knew that Patch was an island just off the coast, and that Ruby and Yang grew up there, but he'd never really thought about its proximity to the city before. Vale's position within the Cradle of Life gifted it protection on land but the shallow waters meant that even seafaring Grimm weren't very common, either. Traveling from Patch to Vale must have been relatively safe.

The pizza place was small, pretty much just a hole in the wall. There was a long queue but it was moving quickly, and it wasn't long until they were at the front of the line. It was at that moment that Jaune remembered a crucial detail.

He'd never had pizza before.

"What'll you be havin'?" the large man at the counter asked him, and Jaune's mind blanked.

"Uh…" Jaune quickly looked at the menu board and couldn't make heads or tails of it. "Ruby."

"What?"

"Pick for me."

She appeared startled. "What?"

"I've never had pizza before," he rushed out quickly, trying not to panic as the man eyed him curiously. "Pick for me!"

"You've never…" she trailed off, giving her head a shake. "Okay, I'll pick."

She ended up ordering him several different slices. Jaune almost balked until he realized that the average price for a slice was only one lien. Some were a little more expensive but most of them were exactly one lien, making it a pretty cheap meal.

He still offered to pay his share, though. Ruby's allowance was already dwindling and he wasn't about to make it worse.

They also had a selection of chicken wings and Jaune got a dozen of those, and when their food was ready, it was all boxed together neatly. There was a bench nearby that was vacant and Ruby quickly claimed it while Jaune carried their food over.

The smell was heavenly and when he opened the box, he was hit with so many different scents that his mouth watered in an instant. Ruby giggled at his expression before reaching in and grabbed a slice, bringing it to her lips. Each slice was pretty large, and packed with ingredients and covered with melted cheese. Ruby had picked pepperoni, the salami crisped and glossy with grease as she bit into it.

"Mmm~!" Ruby moaned in delight as the cheese stretched as she pulled away, chewing happily. When she swallowed, she said, "Go one, try some."

Jaune picked the one topped with chicken and what he believed to be some type of green chili. The sauce wasn't tomato based but a spicy, mildly sweet sauce that held just a hint of smokiness – or maybe that was from the chicken? Whatever the case, it was delicious, and after the first bite exploded across his taste buds, he found himself devouring the whole thing in a couple of bites.

"...that was really good."

"Right!?" Ruby seemed extraordinarily pleased with herself. "This place is like – the best~! My mom used to bring us here when we were little, before she…"

The joy on her face faded, replaced by sorrow.

Jaune grabbed another piece of pizza – this one was ham and pineapple, and took a hefty bite. He didn't think a sweet fruit like pineapple would go well with meat, cheese and tomato sauce, but he was surprised that it worked.

"She used to bring us when dad was away on a mission," Ruby grabbed another slice of her own but instead of eating it, she just stared at it. "We used to worry when one of them would go out, so this was her way of taking our mind off it. They were both Huntsmen and went to Beacon together. On the same team, even – Team STRQ. Summer, Taiyang… Raven, and Qrow."

Jaune didn't say anything, letting her speak.

"Summer was my mom," Ruby smiled softly. "Yang's mom, as well – not by blood, but she raised her. We're half sisters, though I'm sure you probably knew that already."

He hadn't – though their different last names had been curious. At first glance, Yang and Ruby appeared incredibly different but having been around them for a month now, he had noticed their similarities. Not just in their looks – they had the same nose, and the shape of their eyes – but in the way they acted.

"She went on a mission and never came back," she shrugged. "The dangers of being a Huntress. Dad… took it hard. For a few years, he was… absent. He was there, physically – but that was it. It was like he was filled with sadness and there wasn't any room for anything else."

Depression, most likely. Jaune tried to imagine losing a partner, a wife – and couldn't. Almost losing his sisters was bad enough. Actually losing them? It may have broken him. If he hadn't been quick enough, if he hadn't been lucky enough to awaken his aura and semblance at the perfect time…

"Yang pretty much raised me after that," Ruby began kicking her feet. She was short enough that her boots didn't touch the ground. "Whenever we'd come to the city, I'd want to come here but Yang… she couldn't do it. She tries to put on a brave face but mom's passing really hurt her. I only remember bits and pieces because I was so young but Yang remembers more. I've only ever come here alone ever since."

"Until now," Jaune finally spoke up.

Silver eyes regarded him. "Until now."

"Your mom had really good taste," Jaune said. "I know it's my first time trying pizza but I can't see any other place being better than this."

Ruby's eyes glistened before she hastily looked away. "Thanks… for coming with me."

"Anytime, Ruby," he said earnestly. "Anytime. I mean it."

She took a bite of her slice. "I… needed this, I think," she sighed, a sound that came straight from her soul. "I've been trying really hard to not let it get to me but… whoever is doing this stuff to me…"

"They're assholes," he said bluntly, and Ruby looked at him, surprised. Jaune typically didn't swear. It wasn't that he never did it or couldn't, but his mother had raised him well.

"Why are they targeting me, though?" she asked softly. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything. Bullies don't need reasons," Jaune said firmly. "Not a real reason, anyway. Ruby, you've been handling things well. We'll find whoever is behind this and make them stop, I promise you."

"...I just didn't want Yang to worry, you know?" Ruby took another bite, this one a little vicious. "I know she worries about me but I didn't want her to stress needlessly… and then now she had detention."

"She's a big sister," Jaune shook his head. "They can't help it. Trust me. I have several."

"I knew you'd understand."

"I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

Ruby shot him a curious glance. "What do you mean?"

"How hard this has been for you," Jaune hesitated before reaching out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You were being so mature and handling it so well that… well, I didn't notice that it was beating you down a bit. I feel like a bad friend."

"You aren't a bad friend," she said instantly, looking annoyed. "Don't say that."

"It's just a feeling."

"Well, get rid of it," she glared at him. "It's dumb and wrong."

Jaune chuckled. "Will do."

"I mean it," her face softened. "You aren't a bad friend."

They ate their pizza in silence and started on the chicken wings. They were slathered in BBQ sauce and were moist, smokey and most of all, delicious. Finger licking good, you could say and you would be right, the pair of them licking their fingers clean after finishing the last ones.

"I'm full," Ruby declared, patting her stomach. "Pwoar – I can't remember the last time I ate so much."

Jaune felt a little bloated himself. "I'm glad I didn't get a soda."

They met each other's eyes and began laughing.

"So – where do you want to go next?" Jaune asked.

Ruby appeared surprised. "Shouldn't we go back to Beacon?"

It was well and truly night time now, the street lamps having come on, illuminating the lane. Collecting their trash, Jaune threw it into a nearby bin.

"Only if you want to," Jaune said, grinning. "The last airship isn't for ages. We can hang out longer, if you want."

Her smile told him everything he needed to know.

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