Note: Bloop. You've been blooped.
Knock knock knock.
Ruby stirred from her sleep. She groggily lifted her head from her pillow, its once-cool relief having turned warm and dry. She heard the knock again, timidly banging on the door to her room. She subtly pinched the back of her hand to make sure she was awake. She had one too many bad experiences believing otherwise.
"Hey, Ruby? You awake?"
Yang's voice pierced through the wooden veil. Ruby checked her Scroll for the time. Barely before two. She hadn't been sleeping very long. She wished it were longer.
"Y-Yeah," Ruby lied. "Come in."
The doorknob gently turned, and Yang tepidly entered the room. They didn't bother turning on the light, hoping not to disturb Ruby any more than they already had. Even in the darkness, Ruby could see that they hadn't changed from the Banquet earlier in the day. They had anxiety etched all over their face.
"Mind if I sit?" Yang asked. Ruby answered by scooching up the bed, pulling her legs inward to give her sister room. Yang sighed, using the mattress to rest their weary mind.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"We wanted to talk about what Dad said," Yang explained.
"And that couldn't wait until morning?"
Yang gave a small laugh. "It probably could have. But we couldn't sleep, and isn't it technically morning now?"
Ruby pinched her eyes, trying to keep herself awake. Technicality aside, no, this was not a conversation Ruby wanted to have now. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have ever. She knew how this played out, because she played it out in her mind a million times.
"You might as well just say it, Yang," Ruby said bitterly. It didn't mean to come out bitter, but it indisputably was, and Yang reconsidered all of their life choices in an instant. But they had already made up their mind. They couldn't back down now, no matter how much Ruby might hate them for it.
"Look, we…" Yang decided to get to the point. "We are going to fight."
Ruby narrowed her gaze, and Yang, feeling the pressure, let everything go.
"We… we know you aren't happy about this," they confessed. "And honestly… you're probably right. This is a really dangerous idea. We know the risks. Hell, we've felt the risks. Getting beaten down might have been the lowest moment of our lives. Well, compared to all the other shitty moments recently, maybe not? But it's a strong contender. And you were right about everything you said. We aren't the same fighter that we used to be. We weren't confident in ourselves. We got distracted, we got… vulnerable. And honestly, there's a serious chance that what happened today could happen tomorrow, or the day after that. Like… we can't pretend that we're better. We're not. If we're being honest, we don't have a chance in hell of actually winning this."
Yang let out a heavy sigh. "But… we can't just quit, Ruby. This has been our whole life. If we quit now, then that's giving up a part of ourselves that we're not ready to let go. Not winning, but just being someone who tries. Who takes the punishment and gets back up. We have to get back up there. Even though we aren't going to win… we're content with that. We… we really think we're okay with not winning. But if we stop fighting, we're going to regret that for the rest of our lives."
Yang turned quickly to Ruby, cutting her off before she even had the chance to speak. "And yes, we know that this is pissing you off. We're basically just ignoring your advice. That must suck. And if you want to hate us, you have every right to. We will say we're sorry a million times—and yeah, you'd say, 'If you were really sorry, you wouldn't do this.' And you're probably right. But we are sorry that we are upsetting you, and ignoring you, and making you worry about us. We don't want you to have to worry about us. We can't stop you from doing that, and we wish we could, because if anything does happen to us… it isn't your fault. You know that, right? This is our stupid decision that we are owning up to. You shouldn't feel guilty over this."
Ruby didn't say anything. Yang wasn't sure what else they were supposed to say. The quiet overwhelmed them, and even though they saw no reason to continue, they felt compelled to fill the void. "And for the record, we're worried about you, too. Not just in the tournament. This whole deal with Rosaline terrifies us. Your hand…" Yang gestured toward the black lump resting atop Ruby's blanket. "That terrifies us. We don't want you to get hurt, and we're so worried about what might happen if you push yourself too far. Like, we know the stakes of the tournament are crazy. Getting the Holy Grail would be—"
"Yang," Ruby said suddenly. "It's fine."
Yang was taken aback. "What?"
"It's fine, Yang. I understand."
Yang tried to read Ruby's face in the darkness. They couldn't see anything there, no guilt, no frustration, no empathy. Just their tried sister trying not to fall asleep on the spot.
"You're… not mad?" Yang asked, daring to feel hopeful.
"I didn't say that," Ruby said. "Just… it's fine. I will live with this."
The guilt ran hot, but not hot enough to make Yang sweat. They should have known better than to fix this with a few words. Their relationship with Ruby was always delicate, hanging on by threads. The past few months were the best they ever were, and maybe Yang was stupid to believe they finally turned a corner. They didn't want to see everything go up in smoke. But these next few days were going to test them. Yang was committed to seeing it through, and it sounded like Ruby was willing to fight as well. They didn't want to lose each other. They just had to hold on and hope everything would work out. Because if something went wrong, if Yang did fail just like they failed today… if they screwed up Vytal because of them…
"We'll find some way to make this up to you," Yang insisted. "We don't know how yet, but—"
"You don't have to make this up to me," Ruby said plainly. "I want what's best for you. If you think this is it, that's fine."
There was that word again. Fine. Yang grimaced. It felt like a slur.
"You're… you're going to do great in the tournament," Yang said, trying to force through a smile. "We know that you can win this. Once we're gone, we'll be cheering you on."
Ruby didn't acknowledge that. She wanted to go back to bed. She wanted this to be done with.
"Can you just promise me one thing?" she asked.
"Sure. Of course." Yang's smile was so sincere. Ruby wished she could match it.
"Whenever you fight—whoever you fight," Ruby stated. "If you feel yourself slipping, or if you know you are going to lose… throw in the towel. Acknowledge that you tried your best, and you got beat, and surrender with dignity. Don't wait until you cross a line you can't get back from. Please… for me?"
Yang thought about it carefully. Surrendering mid-match. That… that was just another way of giving up, wasn't it? Well, no. Not really. Lots of fighters tapped out when they realized they were placed in an unwinnable situation. It showed solid tactical awareness and an understanding of their limits. They chose to live to fight another day, and that… that was what they were trying to do all along, right? Get back on the horse. Fight again. This wasn't a surrender. Not forever.
They… they could live with that. For Ruby's sake, for their family's sake, they could live with that.
"We promise. When we know it's over… we'll give up gracefully."
Yang smiled at their sister. They wanted Ruby to smile back, to acknowledge that it was okay now. But Ruby still didn't react. Instead, she slumped down and pulled the covers back over herself, hiding in a castle made of linen and cotton. She rolled onto her side, turning away from her sister.
"Thank you," Ruby mumbled. "I'm going to go to sleep now. You should, too."
Yang nodded. Yeah, maybe sleep wouldn't be so bad. They didn't have that long a day; only one major event was scheduled in the night, and it was hardly stressful. The Huntsmen's Gala… a final festivity where all the competitors could eat and drink and celebrate their accomplishment together. It was their final chance to learn about their opponents, to live a free and good life before marching into battle. Yang had to look their best, and that meant getting some decent sleep—though hell, they could actually sleep in for once, so that was pretty nice. If they could only fall asleep…
"We will. Thank you for hearing us out," Yang said, patting the mattress next to Ruby's legs. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight…" Ruby mumbled.
Yang rose to their feet, giving their sleeping sister one last solemn glance before turning to leave. They stepped into the hallway and very quietly shut the door behind them. When Ruby was finally out of view, they let out a deep breath. God, that was stressful. They weren't really sure if they had fixed anything, but it felt like a step forward. Well, a half-step. Maybe tomorrow they could—
"Yo."
Yang jumped back, yelping and grabbing at their chest. Blake was standing literally right next to them, leaning against the wall in nothing but a borrowed, slightly oversized, Yang Xiao Long-special "Suns Out, Guns Out" T-shirt.
"Holy fuck," Yang wheezed. "Don't startle us like that."
"But it's funny," Blake smirked.
"What are you doing up?"
"I'm literally always up at night. You are keenly aware of this."
"Yeah, but like…" Yang paused, checking the door to Ruby's room. "Were you listening to what we were saying?"
"Not by choice," Blake confessed. "That's the downside of advanced hearing. You can't help but eavesdrop sometimes."
Yang sighed. Well, at least it wasn't on purpose. And hell, Yang was just going to tell Blake everything in the morning anyway. They were terrible at keeping secrets. Yet, as they would soon discover, that courtesy didn't necessarily go both ways.
"Well, we should probably go to bed," Yang stated. "We don't want to wake up Weiss either."
"Oh, funny thing about that," Blake said, getting to the actual reason they were standing outside of Ruby's door. "Weiss snuck out of the house to meet up with Pyrrha."
Yang did a double-take. "What?"
"You say that a lot when you're shocked."
"It's a normal thing to say! What?" Yang repeated. "She snuck out to meet with Pyrrha? Why?"
"I don't know," Blake said. "That part I couldn't pick up on. But I definitely heard Pyrrha outside."
Yang ran through the possibilities in their mind. "Do… do you think Weiss is cheating?"
Blake scoffed. "If Weiss had the courage to cheat on a fucking god, I think I'd actually be impressed."
"Hey, she'd be cheating on our sister."
"Okay, impressed and annoyed," Blake clarified. "Anyway, it probably has more to do with Pyrrha being pissed at Team NTMR. Right?"
Yang calmed down almost immediately. "Oh. That actually would make more sense."
"Yeah," Blake shrugged. "So, uh… should we get her? Because there's like a fifty percent chance she's getting murdered right about now, and while I love to see her suffer the consequences of her actions… would really rather not have to explain this to Ruby."
Yang thought about it for another few seconds. Weiss… why did you do these things? Why add even more stress to the pile? Ruby was not going to like this when she found out. They hoped Weiss wasn't in danger. Like, she was with Pyrrha? How bad could things possibly get? Then again, with Team RWBY's luck, Weiss was probably being tortured at that very moment. So quite bad.
"We'll grab our gauntlets," Yang said quickly. "And you… should put on some pants."
"Yeah. Probably."
It did not take long for Blake and Yang to stumble upon their missing teammate. They walked on a narrow wooden path beneath arched tree branches, guided by small lights embedded in the stones beside them. Yet, they could have found Weiss in total darkness, as she stood out like a ghost in the moonlight, white hair and skin a beacon to their senses. She carried Myrtenaster behind her in a slump, its edge shy of scraping the dirt behind her. When she saw Yang and Blake approach her, she froze, emotions washing over her. Embarrassment. Frustration. And then, quickly, acceptance.
"Yo!" Blake called out, throwing up her arms in disbelief as she closed the distance to her teammate. "Where the fuck have you been, Weiss?"
Weiss sighed, brushing past Blake with barely a side glance. "Nowhere."
"Wow, Weiss the Bullshitter. Who would've guessed?" Blake said with a laugh. "For the record, I'm not mad. Just curious."
"And she also knows what it is," Yang said casually.
"That, too," Blake smirked. "Super hearing, bitch."
She shook Gambol Shroud at Weiss to demonstrate her knowledge, and Weiss stopped in her tracks. The heiress sighed again. The absolute worst part of her relationship with Blake was when the former assassin decided to fuck with her. Because it wasn't like there was any malice behind it. All of the hatred dried up a long time ago. No, now it was just an endless pushing of buttons, like a pesky little sister plucking the hair out of her favorite doll. It gave really big I'm-so-gonna-tell-mom-and-your-gonna-get-in-troubbbbbllleeee energy, and Weiss was too tired for that.
"Pyrrha and I went to see Alyx," Weiss said with no build-up or enthusiasm. "Nothing actually happened."
"Nothing?" Yang asked. "No fight? No drama? Nothing?"
"Alyx acted weird and said vague things," Weiss explained. "That was honestly the extent of it. I would say that she gave us an explanation for why she destroyed Pyrrha's things, but I don't know if I want to believe her. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Blake crossed her arms over her chest. Honestly… she was kind of disappointed. She didn't feel like Weiss was lying to her, and whatever details the heiress left out were probably for the best. It was an extremely anti-climactic end to their mission, one she even brought her sword for and everything! She would have liked a little bit of a hostage situation or a chase or something to justify having to walk out here in the dead of night. And, obviously, Weiss felt the same. The princess was missing out on her precious beauty sleep, and without much in the way of warning, she turned on her heel and continued her sullen march back to her cabin.
Blake and Yang exchanged awkward glances. Then, they followed her.
The three members of Team RWBY didn't have a long way to walk before returning to their cabin, yet the darkened path seemed to stretch into the forest for miles. They were assaulted by the sounds of chirping crickets and rustling leaves, and while Blake occasionally checked over her shoulder for another spy, she sensed nothing around them. The biggest threat to Team RWBY right now was boredom, and it was that boredom that Yang tried to fill with meaningless talk.
"So, uh, we talked to Ruby a bit ago," Yang said to Weiss, calmly walking beside her.
"About fighting?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah. We basically said that we were going to do it, and she was going to have to live with it."
Weiss frowned. "Oh. Was… she okay with that?"
"She said she'd live with it. It's a difficult subject."
"Yeah."
"Are you okay with that?"
Weiss thought about it for a few seconds, and then shrugged. "It's not really my place to say. I just hope you'll be careful."
"Yeah! Of course," Yang insisted. "And, well, speaking of a pissed off Ruby… we assume we aren't telling her that you left tonight?"
"You aren't telling her anything," Weiss ordered. "I'll let her know when it's appropriate. Ruby has enough on her plate already."
It was the understatement of the year, yet something that not one of the three dared to challenge. The idea of going on a mission undercover without their leader's consent seemed almost blasphemous. Ruby had, through sheer willpower and dedication, proved herself worthy of commanding their team, and as the secrets of the Fables were revealed to them, the world gradually seemed to revolve more and more around her. In some ways, the Grail itself was her legacy, the consequences of her ancestors' many terrible mistakes. How much of that weighed on the young Huntress? How much was she bottling up inside for their sake? Every negotiation, ultimatum, double-cross, and call to action were Ruby's whims, and even though they could act like they were a team, speak highly of a democratic vote, and insist they did nothing without her… how many times had they actually overruled their team leader? With a few exceptions in which they stopped her from tampering with Rosaline… not many. For good reason, as well. Ruby had grown so clever over the past few months that she seemed to be playing a different game than the rest of them.
And yet, there was also the fear of betraying her. The knowledge that inside of that bright child was the soul of a monster capable of rending the world in two. Weiss could say that she was keeping her actions a secret for Ruby's sake, but they all knew better. They would just keep it to themselves and hope it didn't spectacularly backfire.
Some minutes later, they saw their cabin.
They returned inside and went to bed.
What a waste of time.
Ruby Rose didn't sleep well after Yang left her room. She couldn't rest for more than forty minutes at a time, and when she did, her dreams were a surrealist mess of distorted figures and a pervasive unease. Her eyes would flicker awake in the darkness, and she would internally wish that the hours wouldn't pass so she could once again attempt to rest. Time wasn't kind, however, and soon, the faintest trickles of light began pouring through the window, and the world around her stirred, trying to coax her into alert. Ruby buried her head beneath the covers, digging her face into a pillow, praying she could block out its allure for just one more snooze.
Unfortunately, something came to force her into action.
A sound piercing through the veil of her covers and jolting her into full consciousness.
The blaring, unnatural sound of a… trumpet?
Ruby sat up in bed. Her room was bathed in morning glow, and wind bristled through the small cracks in her window. Yet, nature had been forced quiet, suppressed by the unmistakable sound of brass emitting from outside. It was smooth and melodic, a minor chord swinging through the air and drawing her toward it. Ruby threw off the covers, leaping off the side of her bed as she tried to follow the source of the noise. As she stepped out into the hallway, she was quickly joined by her teammates, all pulled awake by the music outside.
Blake scratched her head, yawning loudly. "What the hell?"
"Is that coming from outside?" Yang asked.
"Is it Team NTMR?" Weiss asked, worriedly. She glanced at Ruby, hoping that her escapade from the prior night hadn't been uncovered. Yet, Ruby was none the wiser, rubbing her eyes as she ran through the options.
"Maybe," she suggested, though she couldn't be sure. Team JJWL? Ozpin and Glynda? The Committee. The sheer number of people on this island who could be screwing with them was too high to count. Instead of speculating, Ruby decided to take action. She beckoned her team to follow her, and the four young women hurried down the stairs in their pajamas, eager to put this matter to bed. They hurried out onto the porch, and the source of their rude awakening was waiting for them on the lawn just ahead.
It wasn't any of the Headmasters, or one of their rivals. It was just a guy. Well dressed, vest and tie, a black fedora tipped down his forehead. He had a black goatee and a pair of shades covering his eyes. Against his mouth was a silver trumpet, etched and perfectly tuned, and he swayed as he let the music flow freely from the horn. Despite its volume, it was a calm, gentle riff, one that dropped Team RWBY's defenses and eased their hearts. He had what he needed, but he finished his solo before he said anything. It was always important to finish the solo.
One final note emerged from the trumpet, a long, blistering B flat that sang like a choir. As the music faded away, vibrato pulsing against their ears, he lowered his instrument and smiled at them.
"Good mornin', Team RWBY," he said calmly. His words were slow and deliberate, bouncing with the same rhythm as his instrument. "My name is Flynt. My deepest apologies for wakin' you this early."
Ruby ran through her memories, trying to put the name and face to an actual identity. She was able to locate it quickly.
"Flynt Coal," she said, attempting to match his gentle tone. "You're one of the competitors in Vytal."
Flynt tipped his hat to her. "Yes, ma'am. I represent Team FNKI of Haven Academy. It's a pleasure to formally meet you."
Ruby tensed. Team FNKI… the music people? She had barely thought about them so far, but if they were their competition, she had to be on guard. Nothing ever came easy, and she wasn't going to let some trumpet-playing jerk get one up on her. Yet, he seemed innocent enough, and Ruby didn't want to engage in hostilities out of the gate. She wanted to play it cool, ease away any possible tension—but then Blake opened her big, dumb mouth.
"What do you want, asshole?" she groaned. "It's like six thirty and I was going to sleep in today."
"Hey, I respect a late sleeper," Flynt said with a playful defensiveness. "If it was up to me, I'd let you get as much rest as you wanted before tomorrow. But I've been asked to come deliver you a message."
"What message?" asked Ruby.
"Well, my teammate has taken quite the fascination with you," he explained. "And I've been asked to come here and invite you all to a… well, I guess the term you'd use is a rendezvous."
"Your teammate?" Yang asked. "You mean Ne0N Katt?"
"The incomparable," Flynt claimed. "She would politely ask that you come to her cabin in Callio Spring. It doesn't have to be right now, but she would kindly ask it to be as soon as possible."
Ruby squinted, deeply suspicious. "And why does she want to see us?"
Flynt shrugged. "She wouldn't say. But I can assure you that she doesn't have any bad intentions. She's quite the fan of yours. I am, too."
Ruby looked at her teammates, trying to gauge their opinions. A meeting with a popstar? Was that really necessary? Absolutely no one in the tournament viewed Ne0N Katt as anything serious. She was a joke of a contender, prissy and annoying, and it was an open secret that she only entered Vytal through some underground deal with Lionheart divorced from her skills as a fighter. For every second wasted on Ne0N, there were a million better things they could be doing. Like sleeping! Or practicing make-up for the Gala. Ruby opened her mouth to tell Flynt no. Blake opened her mouth to tell Flynt off. However, before they could object, Flynt calmly raised his hand.
"I understand your suspicions," he said earnestly, adjusting his tie. "I know the optics are peculiar. Guy you don't know, fancy suit, playing a trumpet outside your house. Looks weird. And let's be frank: There's a lotta weirdos in this competition. I get that. But my teammates—my friends—they ain't bad people. They can be a bit much, but I think they are good folks at heart. Ne0N wants to talk with you because she thinks you're special, and if Ne0N thinks you're special, then she'll make sure that any conversation she has with you is worthwhile. I guarantee it. Alternatively…"
Flynt gestured at them with his trumpet. "I was told that if you said no, I should keep bothering you with this trumpet until you say yes. And I'd rather not do that, since this lady looks like she wants to throw rocks at my head."
He smirked at Blake, and she glowered at him like an angry panther. She muttered at her teammates.
"I still say we tell him no."
However, it didn't matter what Blake wanted to do. Because they all knew who was really in charge.
Ruby thought about it. She weighed the various options. It still seemed like an utter waste, but… Ne0N did pretty decently in the Showcase. She had fans and followers that almost rivaled Team RWBY. And Ruby didn't know that much about Team FNKI. Wouldn't it be best to be overprepared? It was just one conversation with a popstar. How bad could it really be compared to nearly dying in a Vault?
And if she was super annoying, they could just leave. And they probably would. Then, she could go back to sleep.
"Fine," Ruby said, to her teammates' shock and frustration. "Just give us the chance to change first, and we'll go meet with her."
Blake grunted, ready to chastise her leader, but Flynt nodded graciously. "I very much appreciate that. She will be more than happy to hear the news."
Ruby nodded, turning back toward the cabin door. Weiss tiredly shuffled inside, wishing she could shower first. Yang stretched out their limbs, feeling their joints pop and crack. Blake tried not to punch something. Ruby just focused on the task ahead of her.
They were really doing this.
A private meeting with the Hypest Huntress. The Popstar Prima Donna. The woman who always used a zero instead of an O for s0me reas0n.
They were probably going to regret this.