I'm Better With You Chapter 2
Honestly, what was she even doing?
Ruby gripped the mallet tightly in her hands. Raising it to her shoulder, she waited patiently for her target to emerge from the deep darkness of its lair.
It wasn't as if she wanted to cause problems.
She stalked, like a predator hunting its prey, her sharp eyes unblinking as she tensed her muscles, ready to deliver the killing blow.
She just wanted to be a normal girl. She wanted to hang out with her friends, not worry about whether she was good enough.
Maybe Weiss was right, and she really wasn't meant to be a leader.
The thought of her white haired friend caused Ruby's focus to lapse. In that moment, her enemy sprang. The plastic mole shot from its secret lair, a wicked grin upon its lips. He was mocking her, toying with her. Ruby yelped in surprise before quickly bringing down her mighty weapon.
She missed. The dastardly mole ducked his head back inside his hole before she could make contact. From the side, his evil twin popped up to take his place.
She struck, missed again.
The army of moles laughed as she tried and failed to strike them down. The distorted sounds of their jeers mixed with the noise of the arcade. They mocked her attempts to smite them. Above her head, the scoreboard flashed a bright red zero where her total points should be.
The mole popped up one final time, wishing her better luck the next time they met face-to-face.
GAME OVER
"Stupid game," Ruby muttered, tossing down the toy mallet into its slot on the side of the machine. "Stupid Weiss."
Pushing the thought of their fight out of her mind, Ruby decided the best course of action would be to tour the arcade. A welcome distraction. She had never had the chance to check it out when she came into Vale before, what with the whole Dust robbery fiasco. Now, though, she was free to do as she pleased.
One could chalk it up to a nice bit of rebellion against schoolwork. No History lessons, no papers, no Grimm, and no nagging partner to get in the way of a good time. Ruby was free to do as she wanted, on her own terms and at her own pace.
The arcade hadn't been her first choice. But she had left Crescent Rose inside her dorm, and in her desperate need to get out, she had wholly forgotten it. She would make it up to her later, a nice greasing and some well-deserved maintenance would right whatever wrongs had been committed.
With nowhere to go and the sun nearly setting, Ruby had acted on an impulse and descended into the city, taking the first available bullhead off of Beacon. She had wandered the crowded streets for a little while, letting the night air cool her raging emotions. The grumble of her stomach and the scent of pizza had drawn her into the arcade's lair.
She eyed the games as she walked, gauging which one she would try her hand at next. She ducked past a group of young kids as they laughed and joked among themselves. A small swell of jealousy rose up inside her, but Ruby quickly pushed it away. She wasn't a kid; she could manage just fine on her own. She found the nearest shooting game, some campy horror setting with a cheap plastic rifle as her primary weapon. It wasn't the same kind of satisfaction that she would get from the real thing, but it would do.
It took a few tries after starting the game to get used to the controls, but when it came to weapons, whether real or a toy, Ruby Rose was the best there was. Once she got used to the janky controls and poor motion tracking, she went to work. She struck down everything that came near her. No monster was safe from her might.
She had missed this. The feeling of freedom, of being able to let go of her worries and just let loose. Sure, she was all alone on a Friday night, fresh into her first year as a high school girl, but she was always better on her own. She wasn't like Yang. Yang thrived in social situations, able to put herself into almost any scenario and become the center of attention. Yang was boisterous, loud, and capable - a real shining star. By comparison, Ruby was far more plain. A simple girl, shorter than average, without any of the charisma to pull others in. But that was fine.
It was fine.
She had other skills. She was smart and strong. She was more than capable. After all, she had been chosen as the youngest team leader in the History of Beacon. She had jumped two whole years over her peers. Despite what others said, she knew she deserved her place at Beacon.
It hadn't just been Weiss's words that had frustrated her. They had hurt, but her partner wasn't the only one who had thought Ruby was incapable of living up to her position. There had been rumors since day one. Whispers and hushed voices every time Ruby came and went through any of her classes. Lingering stares in the halls reminded her she was sorely out of place. In combat training, she knew some of her classmates either refused to fight her or, worse, held back in their bouts.
It wasn't enough to win in training. It wasn't enough to ignore the incessant rumors. No matter what she did, she could always feel their judgmental stares. She could practically hear their patronizing words. But she ignored them the best she could. After all, it didn't matter what others thought. She was Ruby Rose, future Huntress extraordinaire. A few snide comments and condescending words were par for the course for a future hero.
She had her team and her friends.
Her admission to Beacon was something she had earned.
That wasn't a fluke.
It wasn't a mistake.
GAME OVER
"Aww, what the heck!" Ruby complained. The flashing display snapped her out of her thoughts. She had been so distracted that she had missed the enemy jumping out from the corner of the screen until it was too late. With a huff, Ruby slotted the plastic rifle back into place and turned back around, 'I'm overthinking this.'
The night was meant to be an escape—an impromptu decision to get away from all of those troubling thoughts. She wouldn't let herself wallow in her own misery. No way, no how. Ruby pulled free her scroll and thumbed through her contacts.
"Let's see, who do we have here?" She scrolled through the list of names. It wasn't that she couldnt be satisfied with a night by herself, but the heated words and flared emotions in the dorm had left her feeling just a little lonely. And if she was being honest, the arcade wasn't enough to keep her thoughts from wandering. Having someone else to help distract her would make the night all the more enjoyable. It was never a good idea to try to endure loneliness by yourself after all.
She stopped short of calling Yang. Her sister would tear through Vale itself if Ruby asked. But that wasn't what Ruby wanted. Yang would do whatever it took to comfort her. If she were sad, Yang would spend the entire night trying to cheer her up, and that was great. Awesome even. It was also completely selfish. Yang deserved more than to be Ruby's sitter.
Beacon was Yang's chance to escape, too. They had spent the better part of their childhoods joined at the hip, and though Yang was dependable, tough, and always a pillar for Ruby to rely on, it didn't mean that she wanted to hang off of Yang for her entire time at Beacon. They both couldnt live like that.
Yang had decided to spend her Friday night with her partner. Ruby wouldn't get in the way of that. Scrolling down further, she hesitated over Jaunes' name as well. Team JNPR had decided on an indoor team evening. Movies, junk food, and an all-out celebration. It didn't feel right to intrude. They were her friends, but that still didn't mean Ruby felt comfortable butting in where she didn't belong.
That only left one option, didn't it?
Her thumb hovered over Weiss's name. One press and it would ring. One simple action, and Ruby could try to piece together whatever conflicted feelings she had about her partner.
She could apologize. But should she?
"I didn't really do anything wrong, right?" Ruby wondered. "I mean it's not like I was at fault, it was totally Weiss."
Ruby understood Weiss's concerns. She would be lying if she said she didn't have them too.
But what was the alternative? Quitting? Stepping down? Running away because things were getting hard? If she did that, then Ruby would be proving all of those rumors and her own fears true.
She wanted to talk to Weiss. She wanted to work through this with her. Weiss wasn't some malicious monster. They had known each other long enough. Weiss was Weiss. She was Ruby's friend first and foremost.
With a heavy heart, Ruby scrolled past her name.
"Do I really not have any more friends?" Ruby asked. It was a sobering realization, one that didn't help the pang of loneliness that thumped in her heart. She was sure she had made tons of friends since coming to Beacon, but for some reason, there was no one else's contact information in her scroll.
No, there was one more.
Ruby's eyes lit up with delight. She hadn't spoken to her friend in some time, and there was no guarantee that she would be free, but even still, Ruby rocked on the balls of her feet as she dialed the number, placing the scroll to her ear.
It only took two rings before they answered.
"Hey, Penny, It's Ruby. You free tonight?"
"And then she totally flipped out on me," Ruby said, twirling her spoon in the air. "I mean, seriously, it's not like I was trying to get out of it. I just wanted us to hang out a little bit, you know? Maybe see a movie, get something to eat, and be real partners instead of her nagging me to do this or that."
Ruby stabbed her utensil back into her ice cream with a huff. Spooning out an extra-large bite, she relished the sweet taste of strawberry on her tongue, letting the icy goodness wash away her irritation.
"I see," Penny said. "So Freind Weiss was, as you say, being unfair, and as a result, you had a fight."
"I mean, fight is a bit of a stretch. We argue a lot, sure, but it's never anything too serious." Ruby said. "We can usually sort things out sooner than later and move past it, but this time it just struck a nerve."
It was a cool evening in Vale. The gentle breeze of fall was slowly giving way to colder temperatures as winter descended. The lights of the city had grown brighter as the sun set, the city itself preparing for another night of excitement. It hadn't taken much convincing for Penny to agree to join her. The bright, chipper girl had practically run to meet up with her just outside a nearby local ice cream shop. Ruby wasn't sure if Penny could even eat ice cream, but the other girl had waved off the concern, claiming, "It is what normal girls do, according to my research. Friends partake in the iced cream tradition when comforting each other."
Whatever that meant exactly was beyond Ruby, but she wouldn't say no to a delicious treat.
While Ruby had ordered a modest serving, Penny had stacked as many flavors as she could onto one cone that threatened to topple at any moment. Penny had assured her everything was under control, but the ice cream had started to melt.
It had been too long since they had met, not since the fight at the dock weeks ago. And honestly, seeing Penny's bright grin had brought an immediate calm to Ruby's growing turmoil. The redhead was always cheerful, always eager to help, and it was hardly difficult to feel at ease as she listened.
It was nice to have someone just listen, without worrying about them interjecting their own opinions, and never having to justify why she felt the way she did—just a friend to listen and shoulder the burden with her. It was a special treat, a genuine warmth blossoming in Ruby's chest that eased the worries that seemed to hound her at every turn.
They lulled into a comfortable silence, Ruby eyeing the passing crowds of people. The colder air did little to dampen the excitement that was bustling in the streets. If not the encroaching holiday season, then the preparations for the Vytal tournament were sending the city's residents into a near-constant fervor of eagerness. The decorations and banners welcoming the visiting challengers and athletes from other combat schools lit up the tops of buildings, streaming off the light posts and streetlights.
"Hey Penny," Ruby asked, turning to face her friend. "Do you think I'm a good leader?"
"What parameters qualify one as a good leader?"
"Well, I mean you know, someone strong, competent, Someone who you can turn to whenever there's a problem." Ruby rambled. She poked at her ice cream. "You know, the super cool hero who takes over and saves the day when things go bad."
"I'm not sure I understand." Penny paused. "But Friend Ruby is Friend Ruby. If I were to judge her based on someone else's abilities, it wouldn't be fair, because you can only be you."
"I…dont get it."
"Would Friend Ruby say that I, Penny, am a good friend?" Penny asked.
"Of course I would!" Ruby said. Penny had her quirks, certainly, but so did Ruby herself.
"But as I understand it, we have never had a friendship fight. So, as in relation to your friendship with Weiss, we are not on the same level of closeness."
"Wait, hold on a second." Ruby flailed her hands in front of her. "You think fighting makes us closer friends?"
"Does it not?" Penny tilted her head, the ice cream in her hands dripping fully onto the table. "You say Weiss is your friend, and you both fight all of the time."
"Well, yeah, that's because it's Weiss."
"And I am Penny. Does our relationship not have the same connection because we often get along very well with seemingly no disagreements?"
"No, of course it does," Ruby said. "I like being around you, I like hanging out. That's what makes our friendship so rewarding. We can be open with each other, we can talk and laugh and share our worries."
"Does Weiss not offer the same conditions of friendship?"
"I mean, she does, sure, but it's different with her," Ruby rubbed her head in frustration. "This is hard to explain."
"It would seem relationships are more complex than initially thought," Penny chimed. "I will have to add this discussion to my current parameters to reach a more satisfying conclusion."
It wasn't like Penny was entirely off the mark. Wiess and Ruby had their moments of understanding, of real joy, but it just became bogged down under their constant bickering. All Ruby wanted was for a little more honesty and a little more patience. She was grateful for all that Weiss was willing to do for her, for the effort she was willing to put in to see her succeed. Ruby just wished it didn't have to come at the expense of their friendship.
"But circling back to my original point, just as there is no point in comparing both Weiss and my friendship with you, there is no point in evaluating your abilities as a leader."
"But someone can be an objectively bad leader. Someone can make mistakes, they can mess up and bring everyone down with them." Ruby said.
"Perhaps, but has anyone else ever questioned your abilities?" Penny asked, and the ice cream was freely melting now, leaving a large puddle on the table. Penny paid it no mind. "Have you ever thought of yourself as unfit to be in charge?"
'Yes, since day one,' Ruby went silent. The knot in her stomach returned, making it hard to voice her concerns. The ice cream seemed suddenly far less pleasant.
"Ruby once told me that my parts and bolts do not make me any less of who I am. In turn, Ruby's kindness and warmth are integral to who she is. I may not have the information to say whether you have met the conditions of a great leader, but every piece of information I have gathered has shown me you are a great person. And I am proud to call you my first friend."
Ruby's eyes misted. 'That's just playing dirty.'
"Thank you," She finally squeaked out.
"As I believe the saying goes, that is what friends are for," Penny said, her smile never dimmed, but after a few more seconds, it did wane. "Now that we have sorted this out, I must confess, I do not need to consume this so-called iced cream. However, it seems in my attempt at fitting in, I have created a new problem."
"Uh, yeah." Ruby chuckled. She stood up, tossing her half-eaten dessert in the trash. "Give me a sec and I'll get something to clean this up. Just stay there."
"Affirmative!" Penny said.
Ruby felt better, lighter as she entered the small store. The worries were finally fading. It wasn't like her concerns had been resolved. They were still there, just less. She would have to talk about this with Weiss. No, her whole team. But that was an issue for a later time, a different her.
This version of herself was going to hang out with her totally awesome friend and give her a night on the town she wouldn't forget anytime soon. It was the least she could do for all that Penny had done. She scooped up as many napkins as she could. The cool air felt brisk against her skin as she came back outside. Rounding the door, she nearly dropped the bundle of napkins in surprise as someone called out to her.
"There you are!"
"Weiss?" Ruby squeaked.
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no...I am so not ready yet.' Ruby panicked.
"Honestly, I never thought you would go to such extremes just to get away from me." "Weiss said. She had changed. No longer in her Beacon Uniform, the girl had donned a form-fitting white Jacket that bloomed out over a black skirt. "I know we had a rather disagreeable moment, but running off into town over a simple spat seems disproportionate."
"uh…"Ruby said. "How exactly did you find me?"
Weiss held up her scroll. A small red dot beeped on the screen. "I used the team locator function on our scrolls. Don't tell me you forgot about that."
Had they always had that? She remembered one of their professors saying something about tracking each other, but Ruby couldn't remember. It had been the same day that her favorite artist was set to release her new album, so in all fairness, she had probably tuned everything out.
"Oh yeah, I knew that," Ruby said. 'Nice save.'
"I'm sure you did." Wiess drawled. "And so tell me, what made you come all the way out here? I was hoping after you left, you would come back once you collected yourself, but then it got later and later and well…"
Weiss's face turned a slight pink, her clear blue eyes shifting uncomfortably, never meeting Ruby's gaze. "Were you worried?"
"What?" Weiss shouted. There it was—the ever-reliable outrage. Ruby took a step back in surprise from the sudden display of emotion. "Of course not! How could you ever think something like that? I simply got curious where you could have run off to, and was worr- concerned that you were off causing trouble."
"Well, gee, thanks for the concern." Ruby drawled. "But as you can see, I'm fine. No trouble for you or anyone else. I'm not a kid."
It was happening again. They had fallen almost immediately back into their old routine, and the same fight from before was repeating itself. That had been exactly what Ruby wanted to get away from, the whole reason she had left. But just as things were looking up, her partner had to force herself back into the issue.
Ruby didn't want to fight. Least of all in public, much less with Penny…
"Oh my gosh, Penny!" Ruby realized. Without another word, she turned around and raced away, a scattering of petals drifting in her wake. Weiss sputtered behind her, stomping her foot down as a complaint rose, but Ruby would deal with that after.
Racing back to their table, Ruby was surprised to see the bright grin on Penny's face as she approached. The girl hadn't moved. Instead, she waved her free hand excitedly. The Ice cream had melted entirely, the stream of mismatched colors blending as the gooey liquid dripped onto the table, pooling onto it and falling onto the ground below.
"Good news, Ruby," Penny said, her right arm drenched and her blouse stained. "I no longer need to worry about what to do with the iced cream."
"Uh yeah…" Ruby sighed. Stepping closer, she took the cone from Penny's hand before trying to clean up what she could. It only took a few moments before the sounds of heels on concrete pattered behind her.
"Dont just ignore me and run off," Weiss demanded. "We were in the middle of a conversation. That's just poor manners."
"Ah, friend Weiss!" Penny chimed. "Hello, and good evening to you. Have you also come to partake in the event of iced cream between friends?"
"Penny? What on Remnant are you doing here? And what happened to your clothes?"
"I am here on behalf of my invitation from Ruby, and not to worry, I have more than my share of replacement clothing items ready to go."
"Well, that's all fine and good, but you can't just walk around with melted food dripping off of you." Weiss sighed. She hesitated. Ruby chanced a look up and saw the look of indecision that crossed her teammate's face. It only lasted a moment. Weiss chewed on her lower lip before seemingly reaching a decision. She unbuttoned her jacket. Stepping over to Penny, she draped the clothing over the redhead's shoulders and urged her to stand up. "First, we deal with the mess, then we get you something to wear."
"But I already have my designated clothing, I do not require anything else."
"No buts. You are a teenage girl, and it is improper for a teenage girl to wander around with crusty clothes. So let's get you cleaned up, I know a place we can go after this to get you something new to wear."
"New clothes?" Penny asked. Confusion dotted her face before realization dawned. "Ah, is this what is called a girl's shopping spree?"
"Yup! That's exactly what this is!" Ruby chimed in. Weiss mouthed a small 'Thank you.'
This was the side of Weiss she liked. The caring, compassionate side. The one who would step in and help when she saw a problem, who would put herself into a situation where it was clearly uncomfortable, for no other reason than it was the right thing to do.
Ruby just wished it would shine through a little more often.
"Tell you what," Ruby said. "I'll clean this up while you two get settled, and then we can head out. The three of us."
"But did you two not have a disagreement?" Penny asked.
"So you told her," Weiss muttered. Ruby was sure she wasn't angry, but she couldn't place the emotion in her friend's voice either. Weiss looked at Ruby. "Are you sure you want me around?"
Was it fear?
Nonsense, the Weiss she knew wasn't afraid of anything.
"Yeah, of course," Ruby said. Weiss let out a breath. A moment later, she smiled. She had a really nice smile.
They would have to discuss what had happened. They had to. There was no way around it and no way forward with it. But Ruby was more than happy to bury the feelings in her chest for a bit longer, at least if it meant savoring this moment. Her two best friends were by her side, enjoying each other's company. That was what she had wanted from the start.
Who cared if there was a whole world of emotions being left unsaid? She could be happy for now. Whatever came next….
Well, she would deal with it when it came.