9

Black Rose Blooms SilverCyberQueen_Jolyne

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

"So… whatcha got there?" Cinder asked idly, tilting her head as she peeked over Ruby's shoulder as the redhead worked alone in the workshop that she'd spent the last several years putting together in what used to be the house's backyard shed. "Doesn't look like your normal design. Actually, those blueprints look like… my weapon? Why're you remaking Midnight?"

"I'm not, sorta?" Ruby shrugged in that way only thirteen year olds could do, huffing a little as she set her scythe down on the table in its inactive form- Augury looked a lot like Harbinger II when folded up (and honestly in general) and Cinder found herself tracing over the various little differences that made it a separate weapon from Qrow's Harbinger II while Ruby spoke- the caps on the rotary gear system, the different blade etchings, the straightened haft, the gravity dust mechanisms in the handle, the oversized rotary shotguns that made sure that Augury's recoil was strong enough to send Ruby flying… all in all, it was just different enough for Cinder to know that Ruby had refurbished Harbinger after she'd accidentally broken the original on a Megoliath skull when she was twelve. 

Qrow had not been happy, but accepted Harbinger II without complaint.

"Considering you took Dad's Harbinger and turned it into Augury, I'm starting to think I might have to worry about you stealing Midnight and making them into something like… I don't know… Dusk?" Cinder laughed a little at her own joke, patting Ruby on the shoulder before actually unsheathing her blades from her back and holding their combined form out to Ruby to get a better look. "I wouldn't mind getting a tune up from the best weaponsmith I know, though. Just don't strip my babies for parts, alright? I put a lot of work into making them just right."

"I know, I know- I was there when you made 'em!" Ruby giggled, gently taking the paired blades/bow and running her finger gently along the edge with a quiet look of awe at the reflective surfaces of the blades- they'd originally been more like a normal set of dual swords that combined into a bow, but time and access to Ruby's ever-increasingly cluttered workshop allowed Cinder to fine tune the blades into something that was truly hers- refurbished parts stripped out and replaced with top of the line components and dust mechanisms, bronze inlays replaced with Semblance-created black glass and brilliant red streaks that took after Ruby's own grimm markings, all bits and bobs smoothed to the point that Cinder could genuinely call them nigh perfect. The only thing that was still a hassle was making sure the micro-hardlight modules in the blade tips didn't jam up with Dust and projected the string properly when she clicked her blades together.

Not even Ruby had consistent access to hardlight modules like that, so maintenance on those bits got pricey.

"But no," Ruby continued, shaking her head as she almost reverently set down Midnight onto its maintenance stand, picking up the blueprints that she'd made and folding them to the side. "I was just thinking about some of the mechanisms in a bunch of the weapons I've got and I'm just… trying to figure out what I want to add into Crescent Rose."

Cinder tilted her head. "Crescent Rose, huh? Already have a name for a weapon you haven't built yet… well. I guess I can't say anything. I picked out Midnight before I ever even knew what weapon I wanted to use. You at least have an idea, I assume."

"Mhmm! Gonna make it a big scythe like Augury is- that's why I've been using Uncle Qrow's Signal account to download dual kama combat tutorials- but I wanted to… I wanted to honor my mom," Ruby sighed, swapping out Midnight's blueprints for a new set- one much more comprehensive and complicated and several pages thick to the point that Cinder could see multiple pages taped together to form a larger sheet, all settled inside a large cardboard sleeve. "Crescent Rose… it's named after the moon, like Mom's weapon was- she had Sundered Rose, y'know? I… It's been so long since she vanished, but I know that… I want her to be proud of me. And I wanted… I guess… just to try and be like her. Just a little. A Huntress who saved the day, who was strong and cool and made the world a better place."

Ruby sighed, pursing her lips and looking to the side. "It's like… if I can prove I'm Summer Rose's daughter, then maybe people won't think I'm just a weird, evil grimm thing wearing Ruby Rose's face. Y'know?"

"I- yeah. I kinda get the feeling," Cinder sighed, the mood suddenly plummeting in the room as Ruby stared down at her stack of blueprints with a clouded expression, the ears on her head lying back and her tail falling limp beneath her cape. Without another word, Cinder wrapped one arm around Ruby's shoulders, drawing her little sister into a tight hug while surreptitiously texting Yang with her other. "Y'know, for a long while, I thought I was a monster too. I guess it's not the same, but… I did. I suppose you were there for some of it- but…"

Cinder shook her head, bundling her little sister up into her own scarf, the silky black fabric winding around Ruby and almost vanishing into the pitch black shadows of the redhead's body even with the golden highlights making it easier to see. "The Madame and her daughters made me feel worthless, like I was trash. That every time I tried to speak out or ask for a break or do anything that wasn't meekly serving them was a mistake, that I was a terrible thing for even wanting a bed instead of an old sleeping roll in a cold storage room…"

Ruby rumbled lowly, burying her face against Cinder's chest as the older girl spoke, both of them sitting in silence for a moment before Cinder continued her tale. "When Rhodes found me… he always kept telling me that Huntsmen had to uphold the law first and foremost, that they had to be better than everyone else so they could protect everyone else. I had fantasies about killing the Madame at the time, when I learned how to use swords from him… You got to her before I did… and… honestly that helped a little. What I'm trying to say is- you're not a monster. You're not a grimm, and you're more than just Summer Rose's kid. You're my baby sister, Yang's favorite… and Neo's too… and you're a good person . You don't have to prove anything to anyone- make your own path, fight for what you think is right… and never let anyone dare tell you that having that spark of genuine goodness in your heart is a bad thing. You're Ruby fucking Rose , okay? You're my badass little sister, and even if you've got a bunch of grimm stuff going on, that doesn't mean you're a grimm wearing your own face- you're you . So… cheer up a little, okay?"

"I…" Ruby sniffled lightly, drawing Cinder's cape around her a little tighter, hot tears spilling from her eyes as she pressed closer to her older sister. ".... Thanks, Cinder. I think I needed to hear that…"

"Hey, don't mention it. You're always trying to make us feel better- what kinda big sis would I be if I didn't try to help you with your problems too, huh? We're the… Rose/Xiao Long/Branwen sisters. We stick together," Cinder huffed out, squeezing Ruby a little tighter before shaking her head. "Also, we really gotta workshop a better name because that is not cutting it."

"I think it's fun!"

"Only you, Ruby. Only you."

And then Yang kicked open the door to the workshop, followed shortly by Neo- both of whom were holding blankets for some reason.

"YANG!?"

"I HEARD YOU WERE FEELING SAD RUBY! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!"

"Wait wait wait- no you don't need to-"

"BLANKIE HUGS AND PUPPY CUDDLES!" 

"It's okay you do- Ack!" 

Ruby's protests were summarily drowned out by getting a Zwei to the face, followed shortly after by Yang tackling her and Cinder to the ground and wrapping them both into a blanket burrito, after which Neo wrapped the three of them into a larger burrito that she then laid down next to.

Ruby sighed, thunking her head against the floor as she gave Yang the stink eye and tried not to wiggle too much when she was pinned down by both of her taller, heavier, older sisters (and Neo, who was just smugly cuddling up against Cinder and smiling like she had no idea why Cinder was giving her a peeved look).

".... I guess this is revenge for all the times I tackled you, huh?"

"Mhmm. You give us puppy cuddles to make us feel better, so now you get to experience it, Rubes!" Yang nodded, receiving an answering bark from Zwei as he snuggled into the blanket burrito and lapped at Ruby's cheeks like the adorable corgi he was.

"... At least the floor is clean…"

[A canon omake piece that happened at... some point, probably]