Chapter Text
It wasn't the altitude that put Ruby on edge.
The chatter on the airship filled the air with its annoying, distracting buzz. No one on the airship was paying attention to her, but she could still feel their eyes crawling on her back, itching to tear off her hood and expose her.
Red like blood, it poured down her head, cloaking her shoulders and shrouding her back. It was her scabbard, a veil that separated her from the rest of the world. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't worn it.
She couldn't imagine a time where she needed it more than now.
"Roman Torchwick was found dead in Vale in the aftermath of an attempted armed robbery," Lisa Lavender reported on the big TV. "According to eyewitness reports, a lone combatant apprehended Torchwick and his cohorts at a local Dust shop, before fatally wounding the notorious criminal in pitched combat. The combatant's identity remains undisclosed at this time."
At this time, at this time... those words kept on repeating in her head like a broken record. They didn't stop students of all stripes from racing to figure out who did it, leaving Lisa Lavender's coverage of a Faunus rights protest that turned violent completely unnoticed.
Ruby always wondered how the Faunus coped with being judged and mistreated. From what little she knew, most of them carried that weight. A few went crazy. Some of them even tried to hide from it all.
Right now, Ruby wanted to hide, but she wasn't hated for something she couldn't control. That was exactly why no one could ever learn who killed Roman Torchwick.
In spite of the blaring noise, Ruby felt her eyes droop shut. The gentle rumbling of the airship and Lisa's droning monotone was enough to whisk her away to some far-off land where she wasn't on the edge, overlooking the abyss.
Gaping hole. Gushing blood. Dead.
Ruby's eyes ripped open. Silver eyes. They were striking and vivid, like her lucid memories. She never would have known that her eyes were anything special, but it was the first thing Professor Ozpin noticed. Instead of leaving her in that dark room, he gave her the chance to join his academy.
In spite of what she did.
Beacon Academy grew larger by the second, a series of ornate spires and buildings that reached for the sky. It was going to be her new home. She would have to meet new people. Prove to herself that she deserved to be there like everyone else.
Prove that Ozpin's trust in her wasn't misplaced.
Ruby wanted to be a red blur, weaving around anyone in her way like a hawk in the sky, flying to a beat only she could hear. Instead, she was forced to ground, walking on the gray concrete path with everyone else. Couldn't draw attention to herself.
Beacon Academy was right in front of her, and the pictures of it didn't do it justice. Spring was in full gear, bringing an abundance of blooming foliage that saturated the academy in a splash of gorgeous green and radiant red.
Red was her favourite colour, but black wasn't far behind. Most of Ruby's clothing was black, and everything except her stockings was trimmed or laced with red. It looked stylish and hid stains of all kinds. She couldn't ask for more.
The other students' clothes were just as dazzling, forming a eyecatching rainbow of colours. They were busy with their own conversations, and some of them were still talking about Torchwick. She heard whispers about a scythe, and moved far, far away from anyone who could connect the dots.
Ruby kept herself occupied by the academy's architecture instead of its people. Once she got settled in, maybe she'd try talking to someone. They had to have a snazzy weapon or two.
"Ruby?"
Ruby froze in her tracks. Of course Yang was here, Ruby even got her message to meet up. But Yang was making a beeline her way, and she couldn't run away from her. Wouldn't.
So she stood on the gray concrete, a lone Beowolf about to be swept up by Hurricane Yang.
"I knew it was you!" Yang said, grinning. "You'd better pinch me, Ruby, because I must be dreaming!"
She did her best to smile. "You sure?"
"Hmm... you're right, don't pinch me. If it means we won't be at Beacon together, I don't ever want to wake up!"
If only this was a nightmare, but that hope was crushed the first time she woke up in a fright. At least she had Yang to talk to. As long as she didn't talk to anyone else and Yang didn't discover the truth, her time at Beacon wouldn't be a disaster.
Yang put her hands on her hips, still smiling. "Did you hear what happened to Roman Torchwick?"
Ruby barked out a laugh she immediately wanted to take back.
"Who hasn't?"
"Right?" Yang's smile morphed into a wild grin. "I'd really like to meet whoever wasted that guy, and shake their hand."
Ruby gulped, mouth going dry. Sure, Yang wasn't exactly the model of a law-abiding citizen, but this wasn't someone painting the town red. They were talking about a dead man.
Yet, her lilac eyes were shining bright.
"Really?" Ruby asked. It was all she could force herself to squeak out.
Yang slapped her hand on Ruby's shoulder, squeezing hard. "It'd definitely be a cool story. I thought you'd be all over this, Ruby!"
She tried to slither out of Yang's grip, but she was strong and stubborn as an Ursa, and she'd only get stronger the more she tried to resist.
A sigh passed through her lips, like the last gasp of a deflated balloon. "There's not much of a story. Nobody knows how Torchwick died."
Yang puckered her lips. "You aren't wrong, but what matters is that he's dead."
Ruby nodded, even though she knew for a fact that it wasn't that easy. Not even thirty minutes had passed since she set foot on Beacon, and she was already seconds away from falling apart.
"Well, enough of that!" Yang said. "Let's go and make some new friends." She let go of her shoulder, bringing a brief sense of relief. "Just have to get this out of the way."
Ruby tried to bat Yang's hands away, but she couldn't stop her from pulling down her hood, revealing her face to the whole world. Long seconds ticked by and nobody took the time to tear her to shreds, so maybe she could try walking around with her hood down.
"There we go! Don't be shy, no one's gonna bite. We're all in the same boat."
Ruby frowned, looking at the gray pavement and white stones waiting to be trampled on.
"Easy for you to say."
"It's all true."
When Ruby faced her, Yang was still smiling, but it was a softer smile, one that always comforted her.
"Trust me, Ruby, you belong here. You'll be making lots of new friends and showing everyone how awesome you are, and before you know it, you'll forget that you ever had the jitters."
She was worried that she wouldn't make any friends, but it wasn't because they'd see her as some little kid or some charity case. The truth was so much worse.
"Can you stay with me?" Ruby asked, hoping that her trembling voice didn't give everything away.
Yang grinned. "Of course."
Ruby smiled, in spite of the butterflies. "Thanks."
"No problem-o."
As they made their way to the academy, Ruby found herself thinking less about how things could be at Beacon. Yang helped a lot, talking about little things that Ruby could easily respond to.
Ruby also saw lots of amazing weapons. She put a lot of care into her own weapon, so she was almost tempted to find out if someone was as passionate as she was about everything that was anything about weapons.
Then she heard people talking about Torchwick's death, and she shelved that idea.
As they passed the nearby courtyard, Ruby saw someone hauling a ton of silver suitcases on a luggage cart. She thought about talking to whoever owned them, but the haughty glare the girl in white sent her way made her reconsider.
Yang whistled, awed. "What do you think she's carrying in those things?"
Ruby noticed a pair of butlers behind her, carrying other suitcases that looked just as gaudy.
"Something really expensive."
"More like super expensive. Wanna go ask her?"
"I dunno, Yang."
"She looks like she could use a friend."
Ruby took another look at the girl with the white hair as she dusted off her suitcases with a fancy brush. They really did look expensive.
"What are you looking at?" the girl asked.
Ruby flinched. She had to think of something quick.
"Those swanky suitcases," Yang said. "What's inside, your shoes?"
The girl huffed. "For your information, these suitcases are carrying premium Dust. This is a combat academy, not a fashion school."
"Good to know. I just thought a girl like you wouldn't be caught dead without a spare outfit."
Yang had a point: with her white dress and the way the inside of her white jacket and matching boots were lined in red, she seemed more like a princess from a faraway icy land than an aspiring huntress.
"Of course I wouldn't, but these suitcases are far too important to be transported unsupervised."
Ruby took in a deep breath, steeling herself. Who she was didn't have to matter. If Yang could talk to this snobby girl, then so could she.
"What kind of Dust's in there?" Ruby asked.
The girl smirked. "All sorts: fire, lightning, ice. You name it, I have it, courtesy of the Schnee Dust Company."
"And that rapier lets you use that Dust, right?"
"Of course it does." She unsheathed her rapier, letting Ruby see the cartridges embedded along its guard. "I load a cartridge, then with Myrtenaster here, I use the cartridge. I can also switch to whichever one I need in an instant."
"So cool," Ruby said in an awed breath.
The rapier was so sleek, so sharp that Ruby's mouth started to water. She wanted to know everything about it. The problem was she didn't want to go overboard when they only just met.
Yang shot her a thumbs-up. Buoyed by her support, Ruby pulled out her own weapon and transformed it into its full size.
"This is my weapon, Crescent Rose. It can shift between a scythe and a high-impact sniper rifle. Isn't it great?"
"It certainly is interesting, I'll give you that much."
The girl took a closer look at Crescent Rose, and slowly, her eyes began to expand.
"Quick question, did you hear about that Dust robbery all over the news? Of course you have. I heard that someone with a scythe was involved. That makes you a prime suspect."
"I... haven't heard about it?" Ruby said. She wasn't ready for this, not even close.
The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm from Atlas and I know about it, so unless you've been living on the frontier, then you must have heard about that robbery."
"Whoa, let's not get too rowdy here," Yang said, disarming smile locked and loaded.
"Please. We're having a civil conversation, and it's not like there's only one scythe-wielder in the world. If she wasn't involved, she can say so."
Ruby shook her head. She didn't want to lie, but at the same time, she didn't want to spill the beans and make a mess when she didn't even need to.
"Well?"
Yang's smile flipped upside down. "Give Ruby a break. She doesn't have to say anything."
The girl scowled. "Well, excuse me for being curious! Who are you to tell me what to do?"
"I'm her sister, so you'd better be nice, princess!"
It looked like the girl in white was about to explode, but then, she didn't. "I'm just asking questions. If Ruby can't answer them, then maybe she's guilty. How would you – "
"Stop!" Ruby said. "How do you expect me to answer you if you're being so pushy? I don't even know your name and you're already asking me about something you heard over the news!"
Ruby covered her mouth, but thought better and dropped her hands. After how she lashed out, there was no point in backing down, even if she just wanted this conversation to end.
"The name's Weiss Schnee, and don't you dare forget it. You'll be seeing me again, Ruby, Ruby's sister."
Yang frowned, not a trace of joy to be found on her face. "I'm Yang. Go ahead and chase those rumours, but don't even think about bullying Ruby."
Weiss scoffed. "Whatever. I will get to the bottom of this story, mark my words."
Mercifully, Weiss sheathed her rapier and walked away, suitcases and butlers in tow. Ruby returned Crescent Rose back into a more manageable size and holstered it at the small of her back. Routine stuff.
Yang had swivelled to face her, smiling wryly.
"Wow. Weiss wasn't ready for that!"
Ruby frowned. "She was going too far."
Yang chuckled, her long mane of blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. "And you put her in her place. Keep that up, and you'll take Beacon by storm."
Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. She survived. No one knew what she did. That was why Yang was being so supportive.
It wasn't like she murdered someone and buried their corpse in a dirty back alley, but the truth wasn't much better, and it sat in her gut like lava creeping on an idyllic village.
If Yang ever became afraid of her... No. Ruby shoved that thought into the dark recesses of her mind, the same place her nightmares went.
"Thinking about what Weiss said?" Yang asked, concern shining clearly in her lilac eyes. It made her worries a little bit easier to stomach.
Ruby shook her head, still unwilling to speak. There was a girl reading a book in the courtyard. She could overhear them.
"Then what's going on? You've been really quiet."
Ruby itched to hide behind her hood, but it wouldn't keep Yang from seeing through it. Her sister wasn't dumb: someone would say something, Yang would put the pieces together and WHAM, things would never be the same.
"I had a bad dream last night."
Shock rippled across his face, frozen for eternity. His cane fell, hitting the rooftop with a clatter. He followed suit, a puppetmaster whose strings were sheared. Blood gushed from his body, a roaring waterfall that was red like roses and –
Ruby shivered. Yang put both her hands on her shoulders, rubbing them.
"It's okay. You woke up, and you made it to Beacon. You'll forget about those nightmares before you know it."
"I hope so."
Yang smiled. "I know so. And don't worry about that story." She looked around, before lowering her voice. "If someone killed Roman Torchwick with a scythe, they must be the fastest, coolest huntress in the whole world."
Ruby flinched. Was she hearing her right? It couldn't be, she must have been imagining things.
"You think so?"
Yang let go of her, dusting her hands off. Then she extended her right hand.
"Would you do me the honour, Ruby?"
Ruby swallowed a thick lump down her throat. "An honour? I don't know about that."
She frowned. That girl with the book had left. They were all alone. And there was no doubt that Yang knew that she killed Roman Torchwick.
"I killed someone, Yang."
Yang was still smiling. "Yeah, a criminal. You know how cool you are for taking him down?"
Cool wasn't the word she'd use, but this was coming from Yang, the same person who roughed up a vibrant club and beat down a local information broker in the process.
"How did you even figure it out?"
"You were acting pretty strangely, and you never did tell me how you got into Beacon. I guess the headmaster knew talent when he saw it, and I totally agree."
Yang's hand was still extended, and her smile was so sincere that she couldn't have been lying.
"When you put it that way..."
Ruby grabbed Yang's hand and shook it. Yang had a firm grip, but beneath her gloves, she knew her hands were soft like the fluffiest pillows. Then Yang pulled her in close and hugged her, squeezing her tightly.
"Yang?"
She wasn't sure if she wanted to return the hug or get out of the way.
"Just thought you could use one of these."
The edges of her eyes started to grow wet. "I thought..."
"I'm proud of you, Ruby," she whispered.
"You are?"
"Always."
Ruby wrapped her arms around Yang's back and returned her hug with just as much force. Relief flooded every part of her body. She was probably staining her sister's brown jacket with her tears.
When she let go, Ruby rubbed at her eyes, sniffling a little.
"Feeling better?" Yang asked.
Ruby nodded. "Yeah."
When Yang smiled, Ruby was able to return it.
"Great. Let's get going."
They walked away from the courtyard, and Ruby wasn't trudging along. Her steps were lighter, and she was able to look ahead instead of at her feet in her desperate hope that no one would try to talk to her.
"If I were you, I'd own this story," Yang said. "I know killing people isn't the same as killing the Grimm, but people will really respect you for it, and it'll definitely keep folks like Weiss from using it against you."
At the same time, it would probably make people afraid to be around her. Not everyone was as accepting as Yang was, and Yang only accepted her so quickly because they were sisters.
"Can I think about it?"
Yang smiled. "Sure. Whatever you want to do, I've got your back."
Ruby nodded, fighting a smile. "Thanks, Yang."
Yang beamed. "Any time."
Not everyone would see things Yang's way, but Yang was proud of her, and for now, that was enough. Still, it wasn't going to be easy, being the youngest student at Beacon. Her work was definitely cut out for her.
But there was no reason not to give it her best shot.
Headmaster Ozpin's opening speech was, in Ruby's honest opinion, really blunt. It felt like he wasn't there, going through the motions for something he'd already done ten thousand times.
When they first met, Ozpin was warm and considerate, more like a nice uncle than the headmaster of a prestigious academy. He really seemed to understand all the turbulent, topsy-turvy emotions Roman Torchwick's death made her feel, and instead of taking her down a peg, he gave her a chance to redeem herself.
Even though he might have been somewhere else mentally, his talk about taking that first step still spoke to her. Choosing to take Ozpin's offer and attend Beacon was her way of becoming a huntress that could save lives, not just take them. Ozpin never blamed her, but she couldn't believe she wasn't wrong. If she was better, she wouldn't have attacked Torchwick the way she did.
Still, a part of her wanted to go back to Signal and be around her friends, since she wouldn't have to fend for herself with Yang as her only support. But now that she knew exactly where not being good enough led to, Ozpin's offer wasn't an offer she wanted to refuse.
When night time came around, Ruby settled in this big ballroom, hoping that she'd get a good enough night of sleep for their initiation tomorrow. First, she'd write a letter to her friends at Signal so they'd know how she was doing.
She was part way through that letter when Yang belly flopped onto the sleeping bag next to her.
"Whatcha doin', Ruby?"
Yang was propping up her face, grinning like a loon. Maybe she was excited by all the shirtless boys hanging around.
"I was writing a glorious letter to my friends back at Signal 'till someone interrupted me."
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Yang glanced at Ruby's paper before leaning on her arm and facing her. "Are you gonna tell them everything?"
Ruby scrambled to keep her pen from falling. She'd told Yang about everything that happened after Ozpin's speech, but she wasn't just a friend, she was Yang.
"Nope. I'm going to keep things simple."
"Great idea." Her eyes lit up. "Oh, what about Dad?"
Ruby sighed. "Professor Ozpin told him everything. He was really understanding."
She was glad that it happened that way, despite how frightening it was to wait for her dad to respond. If he didn't know, this wasn't something she'd want to share... until she saw him in person, at least.
"Duh. You were in a fight, and it's not like you can't control your opponent. Sometimes, things just happen."
Ruby tapped her pen against her half-formed letter, jutting her lip out. "I don't want to make a habit of this."
Yang smiled. "You won't."
The main thing their dad told Ruby to learn was responsibility. It brought Yang's escapades to mind.
"Does Dad know what you did at Junior's club?"
Yang chuckled, rather nervously. "He does. Guess who told him."
Ruby winced. "Ouch."
"Yep. Let's just say I'm glad I'm here at Beacon."
She could definitely agree with that. Yang started ogling those boys, leaving Ruby free to work on her letter. She was close to wrapping it up when Yang poked her ribs. More than once.
"Psst, Ruby. Hey, Ruby."
"Cut it out, Yang!"
Yang stopped, but her finger was still poised to poke her. "Check it out."
Some blond guy in sky blue footsie pyjamas was flirting with Weiss Schnee. He wasn't lacking in confidence, but things just weren't working out for him, and Weiss turned him down so harshly that Ruby winced.
"Yikes," Yang said. "Poor guy."
"Yep."
Ruby returned to her letter before Weiss could realize she was staring at her. She really didn't want a repeat of the courtyard incident with so many people around to watch.
She hated being away from Crescent Rose, but so far, the main fuel for the rumours was that Torchwick's killer wielded a scythe. A blood-red scythe. That meant that nobody would be giving her any strange looks for the time being.
"You think we should pay Vomit Boy a visit?"
Ruby glanced at the blond guy. "Vomit Boy?"
"He vomited after he got off the plane. Made a big show of it."
The urge to gag seized her throat, but Ruby swallowed it down.
"Do you know Vomit Boy's name?"
"Nope!"
Ruby frowned. "Then should we really be talking about him like this?"
Yang pursed her lips. "Point taken." Her smile returned. "Wanna go talk to him after you're done writing that letter?"
Her letter was practically finished, so it wasn't like anything was stopping her.
"You sure that's a good idea?"
"I can't call him Vomit Boy forever. Besides, maybe you two can become friends. Unless you can find someone else to talk to, that is."
She didn't really want to talk to anyone. There was a girl curled up against the wall, reading a book. It wasn't the first time she'd seen her, but it looked like she enjoyed reading more than people.
"You'll come with me, right?" Ruby asked.
Yang smiled. "Do you even have to ask?"
Ruby put down her pen. "Then I'm ready."
It was all about taking that first step. Yang led the charge, and it wasn't long until they found the blond guy pacing up and down the back of the ballroom.
"Struck out with Weiss, huh?" Yang said.
The guy stopped, turned to face them. "You saw all that?"
"Hard not to. I don't think she was in the right mood, though."
His whole face perked up, from his blue eyes to his clean, white skin. "So you're saying I have a chance? Can you put in a good word for me?"
Ruby stifled a laugh. Yang, on the other hand, held up her hands.
"Whoa, slow down. I only met Weiss today, and I doubt asking her for favours would do me any favours. We, uh... didn't get along."
The guy's shoulders dropped. "Ah, well. I'll just have to give it another shot tomorrow."
Yang smiled. "You do that. By the way, I'm Yang, and this is my sister, Ruby."
"Hi," Ruby said.
"Hey. I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue – the ladies love it."
Jaune capped off this... routine with a confident smirk.
"Did Weiss love it?" Yang asked.
Jaune's smirk disappeared. "No. Honestly, I'm not sure where I went wrong. I was confident, I complimented Weiss' looks. And it's not like I was interrupting her or anything."
Yang glanced at Ruby, but Ruby shook her head. This wasn't her battle.
"I'd say give it time, but I don't think Weiss is playing hard to get. From what I've seen, she can be very aggressive when it comes to getting what she wants."
Too aggressive.
Jaune crossed his arms. "She does have presence. Still, I don't just want to give up."
"Some girls can smell desperation coming from a mile away," Yang said. "Most girls, actually."
"But I wasn't being desperate!" Jaune said, sounding awfully desperate. "I just took my shot."
Yang nudged her shoulder, hard.
"What are you doing?" Ruby hissed.
She gave her the same look she always gave when she tried to tag along because she couldn't make any friends. No way she was getting out of this one without talking.
"Slow things down a bit, maybe?" Ruby said. "If you were interested in Yang, would you ask her out the first chance you got or get to know her a bit?"
Ruby caught Jaune's blue eyes trailing up and down Yang's body. Yang caught him, too, and she winked at him, stepping into his personal space.
"Like what you see, ladykiller?" Yang asked, soaking in the attention. Show off. It was so embarrassing sometimes.
Jaune gulped, arms unfolding themselves. "Um, is this a trick question?"
"Mine isn't," Ruby said.
"Mine wasn't, either," Yang said.
"Oh, right." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I'm not sure. I guess I'd want to learn more about Yang, but can't I do that on a date?"
"You can," Ruby said, "but she has to be interested first, and you can't force it. It's sort of like cleaning out a weapon: elbow grease really helps, but you need the right tools to make sure that you don't get stuck on a hard spot and waste your time. This one time, I was trying to get some Dust out of my rifle –"
"Dust as in those magic crystals, or the flaky stuff?"
"The magic crystals. Anyway, you can't blow away Dust particles or it'll get all over some really sensitive parts, so I had to get this special cloth, because any regular cloth wouldn't do, but I was too far away from my cleaning kit to just sprint over there!"
Jaune's blue eyes bulged out. "Oookay. This sounds really interesting, but what does this have to do with asking Weiss out?"
Ruby's whole face turned as red as her favourite hood. When she saw Yang clutching her mouth, tears forming around the edges of her eyes, she felt like crawling into a deep ditch.
"Yang! Why didn't you stop me?" Ruby asked, teeth grinding against each other.
Yang snorted. "You were on a roll!" She took in a heaving breath, struggling to fight back heaps of laughter. Jaune was frozen like a deer caught in the sights of a Beowolf.
"Come on, Yang! It's not that funny!"
Her favourite sister burst out laughing, making Ruby as red as her scythe. It felt like forever, but Yang managed to control herself.
"Finally!" Ruby said.
Jaune blinked, repeatedly. "You guys really are sisters, huh?"
Ruby opened her mouth just to close it. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"It's not that; I've got seven sisters, and sometimes, they can go pretty overboard. You guys made me feel right at home."
"Sounds like one big happy family," her sister said. "Ruby's got a point, Jaune. You can't force Weiss to like you. Try talking to her, no strings attached, and if you guys click, then you can try asking her out."
"Right." Jaune nodded to himself. "Right. Thanks, guys."
Yang smiled. "No problem."
Ruby smiled, too. It wasn't that big, but she wasn't faking it for Jaune or Yang's sake. "We're happy to help."
She looked at Yang, but Yang took a step back and mouthed 'this is your chance!' at her. Jaune didn't seem to be that bad: a bit hapless, sure, but not nearly as confrontational as Weiss.
"So, Jaune, where are you from?" Ruby asked, since that seemed to be a completely harmless question.
"Mistral. What about you two?"
"We're from Patch. It's close to Vale."
Ruby didn't have a hard time talking to Jaune after that, and with Yang chiming in every now and then, she could put those rumours and her blood-stained hands aside for the time being. She left Jaune in higher spirits.
Hopefully, she'd be able to build on this come tomorrow.
In the dead of night, cocooned by her sleeping bag, Ruby only had her thoughts for company. They leaked into her dreams, dripping their poison like blood pouring out of a bullet wound and robbing her of the rest she desperately desired.
Her eyes creaked open, meeting her sleeping mask. Ruby pressed her lips together and dug into her pillow, trying to salvage her night before the morning and its promise of initiation came.
She tried to fall asleep. Her aching, fatigued body begged for the siren call of slumber. Unfortunately, she didn't get what she wanted, and after struggling for too long, Ruby ripped off her sleeping mask.
Her blanket was a mess and Yang was sleeping like a log. Why was it so hard to get a good night of sleep?
Maybe a drink would help. Since they didn't have their own dorms yet, she couldn't warm up a nice glass of milk, but she could drink some water. Ruby grabbed her bag of toiletries and made her way to the nearest bathroom.
She didn't like what she saw in the mirror: her eyes were bloodshot and the grimace in her face made her look like an old lady. Slapping some water onto her face freshened it up, and so did brushing her teeth. It was still really dark, so she wasn't sure if it was before midnight or before sunrise. According to her scroll, it was 2:53. If she'd gone through a nightmare just to wake up an hour after going to bed, that would have been awful.
Nobody else was awake, except for one girl reading a book by the candlelight. She would have left her alone, like before, but this could be her chance to make another friend. Yang wouldn't be around to help her out, but if she could protect herself from an armed robbery, she could definitely talk to someone on her own.
Also, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep, so there wasn't much point wasting time on a lost cause.
Ruby took a moment to psych herself up. Clamming up or being awkward wouldn't work without Yang to cover her tracks, so she had to project an aura of unflappable confidence, like the huntress she wanted to be.
Once her game face was on, she tiptoed her way to the bookish girl, and saw that she was already looking at her.
"Can't sleep?"
The dim candlelight flickered against her golden eyes. "Neither can you."
Ruby chuckled. "Yeah. If only."
The girl turned a page. That candle wasn't bright enough to let her see everything in the room, yet Ruby was certain that she was looking at her, not in her general direction.
"So... did you know I was coming or something?"
She clicked her tongue. "I... read a lot at night. My eyes adjusted."
"Doesn't it hurt?"
"Not really."
It seemed pretty off to her, but she wouldn't badger some stranger. Ruby heard the book slam shut. The girl was looking up at her. With the flickering candlelight, Ruby could make out the girl's long black hair and smooth, creamy skin. A black bow sat on the top of her head.
"What's your name?"
"Blake."
"Blake," Ruby repeated. "I'm Ruby. It's nice to meet you, Blake."
Blake nodded, standing up: closed book in one hand, candle stand in the other, lighting their faces.
"You own a scythe, don't you?"
Ruby flinched. "Scythe? What scythe? I don't see a scythe anywhere, do you?"
She frowned. "You were showing your scythe to the Schnee heiress."
It would've been nice if she was too distracted by her book to pay attention, but at least she hadn't heard her tell Yang the truth about Torchwick. Hopefully.
"Well, what about it?" Ruby asked.
"If you were involved with that armed robbery, then I'm sorry you had to experience that."
She felt her eyes start to burn.
Blake's frown deepened, forming creases that marred her cheeks. "It's not easy to move on from witnessing those kinds of crimes, let alone seeing someone die, remorseless criminal or not. Especially when you're still so young."
Ruby frowned. It wasn't easy, but as much as she appreciated Blake's sympathy, it didn't sound like Blake was assuming she was Torchwick's killer. Maybe she suspected it and didn't want to blurt it out, but maybe not.
Did she have to point out her age?
"It wouldn't be easy for anyone," Ruby said.
"No, it wouldn't."
Chances were that she'd snuff out the truth from her if they kept on talking, so maybe she could change the subject.
"If you don't mind, can you tell me what you were reading?"
Blake shifted, then held up her book. "It's a story about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over one body. I just finished the part where the souls joined forces for the first time."
A small smile graced Ruby's face. "I love reading those kinds of books: the story about the maiden in her tower and the knight that rescued her, the lady in the lamp who can answer any question, the soldier who brought daylight to a village trapped in eternal night, those stories were part of the reason why I wanted to become a huntress."
Blake smiled. Something about it didn't sit right with Ruby, but she couldn't put her finger on what that was.
"How sweet. Do you think you can be like those heroes in those books, help people find their happily every after?"
"There's no reason why I can't. As a girl, I was inspired by those stories because those heroes fought for what was right, and they protected the people who needed protecting, even if it meant risking their own lives."
"Pretty ambitious for a child, but the real world isn't some fairy tale. I thought you'd understand, but –"
Now she knew what was wrong: Blake was treating her like a child just because she liked story books and she was younger than her, even though she had no idea how the stress from killing Roman Torchwick ripped her mind apart and mangled her spirit.
Ruby scowled, baring her teeth.
"You don't know anything! Just because you know criminals doesn't mean you know what it's like to kill somebody!"
Blake flinched, regret and fear spreading across her face. Ruby staggered back. She didn't mean to lose her temper, but she was tired and hurt and...
No, she wasn't going to make herself feel worse just because of someone else.
"I came here to make things better, not to live some fairy tale. And you wanna know something, Blake? Nothing's going to stop me."
Ruby ran back to her sleeping bag before Blake could open her big mouth. She covered herself up, breathing heavily, heart hammering in her chest as her forehead begun to ache. This wasn't what she thought was going to happen: she just wanted to make a friend, and Blake seemed nice enough.
Unfortunately, things didn't go her way.
As she got her breathing under control, one thing became crystal clear in her mind: she wasn't just going to become the huntress she wanted to be. She was going to become the greatest huntress ever. That way, everyone would know the name Ruby Rose, and remember it forever.