8

Ruby looked down at her feet. "I just... I knew you were scared to talk to your folks, but I also knew that if they were anything like you, that they'd forgive you and want to see you again. And I know you wanted to see them again."

Blake sighed, then glanced at her mother's image on the screen. "I don't appreciate you going behind my back, Ruby."

Kali spoke up. "Blake... I understand that your friend contacted us without your permission, but I hope you will forgive her. You can't possibly understand how wonderful it is for me to see you after all this time."

Blake swallowed and slowly moved forward to sit at the desk in front of the computer monitor. "I'm so sorry Mom. I should have contacted you ages ago... I just... I was just..."

Kali looked concerned. "Blake, talk to me. Please. Whatever you need to say, I'll listen."

Before Blake could reply, a huge man bustled into the picture behind Kali. "Blake! Blake honey is it you?"

Blake shivered almost in fear, then slowly nodded. "Hi... hi Dad."

The man, Ghira Belladonna's, face broke into an ecstatic smile. "Blake! It's so wonderful to see you. Are you alright?"

Blake nodded slowly. "I'm fine... I'm a student here at Beacon academy. I'm doing fine."

Ghira smiled warmly. "So I heard. I was so pleased to hear about how well you're doing from your... your team leader, isn't it?" He peered at the screen. "Ruby Rose, wasn't it? Is she there?"

Ruby leaned in and waved. "Er... hi!"

Ghira nodded to Ruby with a pleased smile. "Thank you so much for arranging this call, Miss Rose. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Blake's head fell. "I'm sorry... I should have called, I just... I was just..."

Ghira looked worried. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Blake shook her head, not able to look at the screen. "How... can you still love me after what I did?"

"Blake." Ghira's voice had gone soft. "Your mother and I will always love you."

"You were right!" Blake cried. "I shouted at you, and yelled at you, but you were right." She finally raised her eyes to meet the screen, tears dripping down her face. "I called you cowards."

"It's OK..." Ghira said softly but firmly.

"I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom." Blake admitted. "I should have listened to you and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Blake, it's fine." Ghira told her quietly, his face filled with genuine concern and love. "We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail." His eyes turned downward, and he sighed. "The only thing I feared was that you would fall down the wrong path, and I am so proud to see you haven't."

"But I did... I was..." Blake began.

"But you pulled yourself out." Ghira told her firmly. "You came back from that path, and chose a better one. Going to Beacon, choosing to become a huntress. Those are choices you should be proud of."

Kali chimed in. "Ruby told us how well you're doing in school, sweetheart, about the friends you've made, and your decision to become a huntress to protect the people. Your father and I are very proud of you."

Blake glared halfheartedly at her team leader. "She kind of forgot to mention she'd be calling you."

Ruby wilted slightly. "Sorry?"

Blake sighed, then rolled her eyes. "It's alright." she turned back to her parents. "Ruby has been a great team leader, and a good friend. She's been wanting me to call you guys for awhile now, but I was just... scared."

Kali smiled softly at her daughter. "Well, don't be. Your father and I just want you to be happy, Blake, and it seems like you are. At least a little?"

Blake nodded. "Yes... yes, Beacon is great. I... well, there are the occasional bigoted morons, but most of the people here don't have any problem with my being a faunus, and Ruby, and my team, they're wonderful."

Ghira beamed. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. And I'm impressed! Beacon is the best combat school in Remnant! And you got in through your entrance exam scores alone?"

Blake sighed. "Well, I've... I've learned a lot about fighting since I left home... for... well, for obvious reasons."

Ghira nodded, then returned Blake's sigh. "Yes. And I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I never trusted that Adam boy with you..."

Blake winced, looking away. "Yeah... and you were right. Adam, it turns out he wasn't what I thought he was."

Kali looked worried. "Blake, he didn't hurt you, did he baby?"

Blake shook her head quickly. "No! No... I... he had no idea that I was thinking about leaving till after I'd already run. He'd gotten colder, but he thought I was on his side. I'm sure he's absolutely furious with me, but he has no idea where I am right now, so I'm sure I'll be safe."

Ghira's eyes flashed. "Do you think he might come after you?"

Blake sighed. "I hope he won't... but Adam... Adam doesn't take betrayal lightly."

Ghira frowned. "Blake, what exactly did he have you doing? What is Adam doing in Vale?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't know for sure. Stealing dust, and weapons, I think. I... I heard from a contact... a friend, that the White Fang here in Vale are working with a man named Roman Torchwick. A criminal. Quite a few dust stores have been robbed. I think they must be planning something big."

Ghira sighed. "Well, at least you got out when you did. I'll make some inquires myself, and see if I can find anything out. I don't like the idea of a White Fang attack happening somewhere in Vale, especially not with you going to school there."

Ruby blinked, suddenly remembering. "Tuckson! Oh yeah! Blake, maybe your parents can help too?"

Blake looked at Ruby in astonishment, then her face slowly grew contemplative. "Actually, that's a good idea, Ruby." She turned to face her parents. "Mom, Dad, there's a man here in Vale. Tuckson. He runs a book store, and he's also an agent for the White Fang. Or at least, he was. Right now, he's busy helping faunus get away from the White Fang. A lot of people don't like the way things are going, what with Torchwick controlling things in Vale." She shook her head. "I don't understand how that could happen... Adam would never work for a human, and yet..."

Ghira nodded soberly. "So this man, Tuckson, is trying to get faunus out of the White Fang, and get them to safety?"

Blake nodded quickly. "Yes. He's a good man. Apparently Torchwick has made some examples out of faunus who tried to protest what they're doing, and he's tracked down some of those who ran, or his people have. I'm not really sure about the details, but..."

Ghira wrinkled his nose. "We'll help as much as we can, Blake. I don't like the idea of you getting involved in all of this though."

Blake frowned. "I have to DO something about the White Fang here in Vale. Whatever they're planning, whatever reason they're working for Roman Torchwick, it can't be good."

Ruby chimed in. "We're not going to take any chances, Mister and Mrs Belladonna." She quickly assured them. "We're going to do research, and maybe try to figure out where Roman Torchwick is going to be, and then we'll turn over what we've learned to the police, and to headmaster Ozpin."

Ghira frowned, then nodded. "I've heard good things about Ozpin." He smiled at his daughter, worry in his eyes, but pride as well. "Don't take any chances, Blake. I think your team leader has a good head on her shoulders. Listen to her."

Blake chuckled, then glanced at Ruby fondly. "You're right Dad. Ruby is great. I'll follow her lead."

Kali sighed. "We haven't heard about any of this. It's disheartening. The White Fang is hurting their own members? People are having to be smuggled out of Vale so that this Torchwick doesn't harm them? How could things get so bad?"

Ghira growled. "I'll be bringing this up to Sienna Khan the next time I see her."

Ruby spoke up. "I was hoping you could talk to my father about this? You see, I asked him to help. Tuckson is going to try sending faunus to Patch, where my father lives, and he'll escort them across Patch to a shipyard with cargo going to Menagerie. I was hoping maybe... you and my dad could work together somehow?"

Ghira's eyes widened, and then he smiled. "I'd be happy to talk to your father, Miss Rose."

Ruby beamed. "Thanks Mister Belladonna!" She went to the library terminal and started to tap away. "Actually, he's expecting a call from me pretty soon, so why don't I just make this a conference call?"

Blake's eyes went slightly wide as Ruby finished preparing the call, and she fought a sudden urge to hide behind her small leader as the face of a blond, slightly weather-beaten looking man with tan skin with a healthy amount of blond stubble on his chin, came into view.

"Hello? Ruby?" The man asked curiously. "What's going on here?"

Ruby faced the screen, looking a bit nervous. "Hi Dad. Dad, this is my teammate, Blake Belladonna..." She gestured to Blake, who waved to the man with a forced smile. "And on the other screen are Blake's mom and dad, Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Everyone? This is my dad, Taiyang Xiao Long."

Kali leaned toward the screen. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Taiyang! Your daughter Ruby seems like a wonderful girl."

Tai blinked, then smiled back. "The pleasure is all mine, Kali, was it?"

Kali nodded immediately. "And this is my husband, Ghira." She gestured to the enormous man at her side.

"A pleasure." Ghira said warmly.

Tai nodded. "Good to meet you as well, Ghira." His gaze shifted to one side. "So, Ruby, you brought us together, I assume you had a reason?"

Ruby laughed nervously. "Well... Dad, you said you'd help Tuckson smuggle faunus out of Vale and through Patch, and I thought maybe Chief Ghira could help with that?"

Tai blinked. "Chief...?" His eyes went wide. "Oh! Ghira Belladonna, chieftain of the Island of Menagerie!" He flushed slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry, Chieftain, er... how should I address you...?"

Ghira laughed. "Ghira is just fine. Our daughters are in a team at Beacon together, after all, so why don't we cut the formality and talk to each other as friends?"

Tai relaxed, smiling. "Sure, Ghira. I'd like that." He frowned. "I take it Ruby and Blake here have told you about what's happening in Vale?"

Ghira nodded slowly. "It's unsettling news. To see an organization I founded to be a symbol of peace and unity between human and faunus, reduced to working for a human criminal? We hadn't heard anything like this here in Menagerie, but I think that must be on purpose. Sienna would know I'd never stand for such tactics."

Tai's face went through a number of expressions as he fought to keep up. "You founded...?" He shook his head. "Right... I remember hearing a bit about that years and years back." He gestured at the screen. "You stepped down what... five, six years ago?"

Ghira sighed. "It was clear my... opinions were not held by the majority of the current leadership of the organization. Once the White Fang stopped using solely peaceful means, I could not in good conscious remain among them."

Tai nodded. "I understand. And I understand that Mister Tuckson is attempting to help other people who also want to get away from the violence safely away from it. I'm happy to help. At the moment, the plan is that Mister Tuckson gets anyone who needs a way out on a ferry to Patch. He'll contact me, and I'll meet them at the ferry, then get them on a boat to Menagerie. Of course, there isn't a whole lot of travel between here and Menagerie... but..."

Ghira looked thoughtful. "I'll see what I can do to help with that. Perhaps I can convince some local businesses to start shipping cargo through one of the seaports in Patch?"

Tai grinned. "That sounds like it could work."

The two men started to strategize, and Blake pulled Ruby back a step so she could whisper to her. "Did you plan all of this?"

Ruby shook her head. "No... but it occurred to me that the best person to go to help faunus get to Menagerie has to be your dad, right?"

Blake chuckled wryly. "You're probably right. It makes me wonder why I didn't contact my dad years ago. I had... I had almost forgotten how good a leader dad was. I was so angry when I left home. I should have given dad more credit."

Tai's voice came over the screen, a bit louder. "Ruby! Ruby Rose, front and center."

Ruby eeped and jumped over to stand in front of the screen. "Yes sir!" She saluted clumsily at her father. "Leader of Team RPBY, ready for orders!"

Tai laughed. "Cut it out you goofball." He shook his head fondly, then smiled at her. "I'm proud of you, Ruby. I'm worried that you can get yourself involved in saving people from terrorists after only a month away from home... but... well, somehow I'm not all that surprised." He nodded toward Ruby's left, where Blake was standing. "I was going to give you the third degree about how you got involved in all of this, but I think I can piece it together for myself at this point. I'm glad you came to me with this, and it was smart to get the Belladonna's involved as well." He pointed at her. "But you've done plenty. Stay out of it from this point on, alright, young lady?"

Ruby pouted. "But Dad, I'm a huntress..."

"In training." Taiyang said firmly. "And that's what you should be doing. Training. You did a good thing here, Ruby, but let us handle things from here, OK?"

Ghira spoke up. "That goes for you too, Blake. Including the part about being proud. You and Ruby may have just saved a lot of lives today, and we won't let your efforts go to waste, but I don't want you getting involved in whatever the White Fang is doing any more."

Blake protested. "But I should...!"

Ghira smiled. "Blake. I appreciate how you must feel, but Taiyang is right. You're in training to be a huntress. That's a noble calling. Complete your training, spend time with your team, make friends. That's what you need to be doing right now. You'll make your mark soon enough, I have no doubt."

Ruby spoke up. "You've got it, Dad! Don't worry, Mister Belladonna, we'll stay safe!" She put a hand on Blake's arm and pulled, forcing the larger girl to come around so that she could meet Blake's confused and angry glare. Making sure her own face was out of sight of the terminal's camera, she gave Blake a slow wink. "We'll stay safe and let our folks handle it, right Blake?"

Blake's eyes widened, then she grinned back at Ruby, and winked back. Taking a deep breath, she put on a disappointed expression and faced the camera again. "I don't like not doing anything, Dad..." She whined.

"You've got plenty on your plate just being at Beacon, I expect." Ghira said with a fond smile. "Now let us handle this."

Blake sighed, pretending to give in. "Alright Dad. I made the mistake of not listening to you once, and I'm still regretting that. I'll stay safe, and keep my team safe, here in Beacon."

Ghira smiled. "Excellent."

Tai spoke up. "Hey, Ghira, let me give you my contact information, and we can continue this discussion later? I'd imagine that you'd like to spend some time catching up with your daughter?"

Kali beamed. "We certainly would, Mister Xaio Long! That's very considerate of you."

Tai and Ghira quickly exchanged information, and Tai turned towards Ruby. "I'm proud of you, kiddo. Give your sister my love, OK? And maybe call me a little more often? I'm all alone in the house and you wouldn't believe how quiet it gets, you know?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'll tell Yang, and I'll call next week, OK dad?"

Tai chuckled. "That's about as much as I can expect, Ruby. I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

Tai signed off, and Kali got closer to the screen, her face now twice the size as the window showing Tai vanished. "So, Blake, tell us about this team of yours! And have you made any friends?"

Blake glanced at Ruby. "Team RPBY. Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, me, and Yang Xaio Long. Ruby and Yang are sisters, and, well, Pyrrha is..."

Ghira blinked. "Isn't she some sort of famous tournament champion from Mistral?"

Blake nodded. "She is, but she's really sweet, and a little shy, if you can believe it. Unbelievably skilled, of course, but she's really modest about it. We're friends. Our whole team is really close, actually."

Kali beamed. "How wonderful. I'm glad you found yourself on a team with people you could be friends with."

Blake smiled warmly. "I got really lucky, I think. My team is amazing. We're all pretty close with another team in our year, team WNJR. And you'll never guess what the W stands for." Kali and Ghira just blinked, so Blake went on. "Weiss Schnee. She's the team leader of team Winter, and, believe it or not, she's a friend of mine."

Her parents blinked. Ghira looked thoughtful. "I take it this... Weiss isn't of quite the same opinions as her father?"

Blake shrugged. "I get the impression she was raised to hate the faunus. Her father had an impression on her, but I don't think she agrees with his policies. In fact, I know she doesn't. She says that when... if she inherits the company, she plans to make changes, but... that'll be a long time coming, if it ever does."

Ghira sighed. "You know, I knew her grandfather. Nicholas Schnee. He came to Menagerie when I was just a kid, looking for a new mine. He was a powerful man. Charismatic, but his people followed him because he would never ask anyone to go anywhere he wasn't willing to go himself. Old Jacques married into the family, and while I'm sure he's a skilled businessman, he's taken the SDC down paths I don't think Nicholas would have approved of. Maybe this Weiss has more in common with her Grandfather."

Blake smiled slightly. "Weiss is brave. And skilled. She doesn't want to be known only for her family's reputation, but for what she accomplishes herself."

Ghira chuckled. "That does sound more like Nicholas. He had quite the reputation as a hunter himself, back in the day, you know."

Kali chimed in. "It sounds like she's a nice girl. I'd love to meet her."

Blake giggled. "Now that would be something to see. Weiss Schnee meeting my mother." She shook her head. "Maybe we shouldn't invite her to Menagerie though. There might be a riot."

Ghira, however, was looking thoughtful. "I'd be all for it, actually. It's connections like those that change things for the better... without bloodshed." He shook his head. "But you're right. It could be dangerous for Miss Schnee, and I would never forgive myself if I involved one of my daughter's friends in a political game like that."

Blake wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. I made a mistake when I dismissed your ideas father. Just inviting Weiss to Menagerie wouldn't solve anything, but it might be a step in the right direction. And if I know Weiss, doing something positive under her own initiative, in spite of what her father believes... or perhaps especially because of what he does, would be something she'd seriously consider."

Kali spoke up again. "Enough serious talk. How about your classes? Are you having fun? Meet any cute boys?"

Blake flushed. "Classes are... fine. I'm doing well."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "No cute boys?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in any of the guys at school, mom."

Kali looked curious. "How about cute girls? I don't judge."

Blake flushed. "Mom...!"

Kali's expression morphed into a gleeful one. "Oh! There is someone, isn't there!"

Blake sighed, and promptly threw Ruby under the Bus. "Fine. I'm dating Ruby."

Kali's eyes went wide. "Oh my!" She beamed at Ruby. "She's so cute! And team leader!"

Ghira's eyes narrowed. "I don't know if I approve of you dating while you're still so young, Blake..."

Blake's shoulders sagged. "DAD... I'm seventeen. And I'm not the young one here. Ruby is only fifteen." She suddenly blushed as she realized how that sounded. "We're taking things really slow! Nothing's happened!"

Kali was looking at a tomato red Ruby with definite interest. "Fifteen, and already at Beacon? Quite the prodigy!" she winked at her daughter. "Good catch, Blake. I approve!"

Even Ghira was looking thoughtful. "Well, as long as you're taking things slow... Miss Rose does seem very responsible for her age..."

Ruby smiled and waved back weakly. "Thanks?"

Blake spoke up. "We're just kind of testing the waters right now. Seeing if we get along. We were just on our second date yesterday."

Kali beamed. "Wonderful. Wonderful. Blake, you should invite your girlfriend to come to Menagerie during the summer break. We'd love to meet her in person, show her around the island."

Ghira spoke up, looking cheerful. "Bring your whole team. We'd love to have them."

Blake hesitated. "We'll see how things go, but I'll ask them, OK?"

Ruby took in a deep breath, then smiled and waved. "I'm going to excuse myself." She told them. "I'm sure you all have a lot of catching up to do, what with not having talked in five years! I'll see you back at our room, Blake!" The Belladonna's had a lot of catching up to do, and Ruby's presence would just get in the way.

Blake hesitated, then nodded. "Yes Ruby... and... thanks. I know I was mad earlier, but... thanks. I'm glad you called my folks." She gave Ruby a tiny glare. "Just... try and give me a warning next time you spring something like this on me. I nearly had a heart attack."

Ruby chuckled. "What? And spoil the surprise?" Ruby walked off, hearing Kali laughing merrily in the background.

"Oh, I LIKE her." Was the last thing Ruby heard before she got out of earshot.

/-/

Ruby sat alone in the dorm room, thinking. Things had rapidly spiraled out of control once she'd started making changes to the timeline. She'd never gone to her father for help, she'd never even known who Blake's parents were in the previous timeline, but now her father and Blake's parents were talking to each other, and planning on helping out with the problem of the White Fang. Ruby didn't know how much their actions might change, but she was certain those changes would not be minor ones.

"Will Torchwick still raid the docks? Will the White Fang still use the same plan for Mountain Glenn?" Ruby wondered. "Dad and Blake's parents aren't going to be able to stop the White Fang entirely, they're just helping get refuges out of town, right?" She wrinkled her nose. "Unless maybe someone dad helps save knows something important and they DO manage to stop the White Fang early?"

She groaned. "Time travel is tricky. What do I do if everything I know is changed? I mean, I guess it's good if the White Fang get stopped early, right? Less shops get robbed, less people get hurt. The attack on Beacon can't happen if the White Fang gets taken care of earlier, right? I just... have to figure out how to stop Cinder Fall. She'll still be coming to Beacon, so at least I'll know where to keep an eye on her. And I bet she'll still attack the CCT during the dance. It is kind of a perfect chance to do something like that. So that probably won't change, at least."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Well, all I can do is wait and see, I guess. Things are changing for the better, I'm sure of it. I'll save Vale and Penny and Pyrrha and everyone. I'm sure of it."

/-/

Blake came in a few minutes later, and she sat down on her own bed, looking tired and a bit dazed.

"Did your talk with your folks go well?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Yeah." Blake said with a small smile. "We had a lot to catch up on. There was a lot I didn't tell them about. A lot I don't want to talk about with anyone, I guess... but it was really good to see them again. We talked about home for a bit, and about stuff from before I left. Mom had a lot of questions about school, and about you..." Blake's cheeks turned pink, as did Ruby's in response.

"So, I'm your girlfriend?" Ruby asked.

Blake shrugged. "Do you want to be?"

Ruby hesitated. "Yes. But..."

Blake nodded. "You have your date with Pyrrha next week. It's only fair to give her a chance as well, right?"

Ruby hung her head. "I feel like I'm doing this wrong. Like I'm leading you on or something."

Blake shook her head. "Pyrrha and I did both confess to you the same day. You're handling that better than I would have."

Ruby smiled at her. "I'm sure you'd have handled it fine."

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'd have run away and hid."

Ruby blinked. "That's exactly what I did at first."

Blake snorted. "I'd have hid better."

Ruby thought about that, then nodded. "Yeah. I knew Yang would find me sooner or later. I just needed a little while to calm down." She grinned at Blake. "Plus, you're way sneakier than I am."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's a complement."

Ruby grinned back at her. "It totally is. You're my cat-ninja girlfriend. The best kind of ninja."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "OK...?"

Ruby grinned at her. "Anyway, we're going out to Vale again tomorrow?"

Blake nodded. "Sure... although I'm not sure how Pyrrha will take that. I mean, we're both supposed to get one date with you, and you're kind of making it two in a row with me..."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "I'll go out with Pyrrha on Saturday and Sunday next week to make up for it." She decided.

Blake raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Sounds fair. Does that mean I get two days with your sister as well?"

Ruby shrugged. "That's up to you and Yang. I'm sure you'll have fun with Yang though. She's lots of fun."

Blake grinned. "I did kind of get that impression about Yang, although I'm not sure her kind of fun and my kind of fun are the same."

Ruby shrugged. "That's why you date, right? To find that stuff out."

Blake nodded. "True. Guess we'll see."

/-/

It was almost an hour later when Pyrrha and Yang made it back to the dorm. The two of them came in, laughing and obviously in a good mood.

"How'd your date go?" Ruby asked Yang immediately, smiling impishly.

"We had a blast, right Pyrrha?" Yang said with a thumb's up.

Pyrrha smiled back. "We did indeed. Quite the memorable night."

Yang raised an eyebrow as she turned to Ruby. "So, how'd things go with our Kitten, little sis?"

Ruby shrugged. "Oh, you know, went out shopping, got some tea, formed an organization to sneak faunus looking for sanctuary from the White Fang out of Vale and smuggling them to Menagerie." She grinned impishly. "You know, same old, same old..."

Yang opened her mouth, closed it, then looked helplessly at Blake.

Blake grinned and shrugged. "Other than that, it was a pretty quiet night."

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Oh, and Blake's parents invited our team to Menagerie for Summer break."

"And I kind of mentioned that Ruby and I are dating..." Blake admitted, looking a bit sheepish.

"And Dad says hi." Ruby mentioned. Yang and Pyrrha both blinked.

"Are they kidding?" Pyrrha whispered to Yang.

Yang looked worried. "For once, I can't actually tell..."

/-/

Over the next half hour or so, the four girls talked about their days out together, with many pauses for explanations and clarifications.

"So, Blake and I are going back out to Vale tomorrow..." Ruby concluded at one point. "Blake still wants to buy me a book, and I thought I'd take her to an arcade."

"An arcade?" Blake asked curiously.

Ruby nodded. "It'll be fun."

Blake shrugged. "Sure. I'm game."

Ruby glanced at Pyrrha nervously. "You can have an extra day with me next weekend too, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha nodded easily. "That's fine. I won't complain about getting a second day with you in a row, Ruby, and by the same token, I don't begrudge Blake a little extra time. It sounds like much of your day was spent doing much more serious things, in any event, so I certainly understand you wanting some more time to just relax."

Blake smiled gratefully at the Mistral native. "I appreciate that, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha glanced to Yang. "I'm glad that you suggested that Yang take Blake and I out as well, Ruby. I enjoyed myself, and I'm glad I got the chance to learn a little bit more about your sister."

"The dancing was fun too." Yang said with a grin.

"Very much so." Pyrrha agreed easily.

The four girls chatted a bit more about other topics before turning in for the night.

/-/

The next morning, they had breakfast together before Ruby and Blake set out for Vale.

Yang watched her sister go, then turned to Pyrrha. "So, want to hang out today?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Hang out and do what?"

Yang shrugged. "You know, just hang. Do whatever. We could play some video games, maybe? I've got some co-op games on my scroll and we can project a screen up on the wall."

Pyrrha looked dubious. "I have never really spent much time playing video games. I doubt I'll be very good."

Yang grinned at her. "It's not a competition..." she chuckled. "OK, sometimes it's a competition, but it doesn't matter if you're good or not. The point is to have fun."

Pyrrha nodded. "Very well. What shall we play first?"

/-/

"You've never been to an arcade before?" Ruby was incredulous.

"Well, not NEVER." Blake admitted. "It's just been a really long time. There wasn't a lot of time for that when I was a kid, what with all the Rallies and training, and Menagerie doesn't have a whole lot of video arcades. And after I left Menagerie..." She trailed off.

Ruby blew out a breath, then grinned at her. "Well, then you're in for a treat. I'll show you all the best games. Come on."

Ruby took Blake from machine to machine, explaining the games, and Blake stopped her at a dancing game, which Ruby had been trying to avoid. "What about this one?" Blake asked curiously.

Ruby blanched. "Dance Prance Evolution..." She explained. "It's a dancing game. You watch the screen and try to hit the right arrows when they come down, and I guess you try to dance?"

Blake looked interested. "Can we try this one? It looks like fun."

Ruby blew out a sigh. "Sure!" She said brightly. "Let's try it."

Ruby could NOT dance. She gave it her all, but balance and coordination were not her strong suites. She was fast... but that was more her semblance than skill at moving her feet. If she'd been allowed to press the buttons with Crescent Rose, she might have been able to wrack up a decent score, but as it was, the game gave off a loud disappointed buzz noise before the first song was halfway finished, and Ruby sagged in defeat.

Next to her, however, Blake was still hanging in there. Ruby stepped slowly off the dance pad so she could watch Blake better. Blake's score wasn't very high yet, and Ruby watched her make a mistake, then another, but she was hitting more arrows than she missed, and as Ruby watched, she could see Blake steadily improving.

Blake made it to the end of the song with a respectable 84% completion rate, and Ruby clapped appreciatively.

Blake was grinning. "That was fun! Can we do it again?"

Ruby's face fell slightly, then she forced a smile. "Sure!"

On her second run through, Ruby did better. Blake, on the other hand, barely made any mistakes to start with, and before long she was hitting every arrow flawlessly.

Ruby made it three fourths of the way through the song before being eliminated, but by that time Blake was performing flawlessly, her eyes glued to the screen with razor sharp focus. Blake actually started to pull off dance moves as the song continued, spinning and twisting and switching feet like a pro. Ruby watched breathlessly as her cat faunus teammate dominated the machine, racking up an extremely impressive score.

Blake hopped off, panting slightly and grinning when the game finished, and Ruby smiled at her. "You were great, Blake!"

Blake smiled happily, then glanced at Ruby's score, and winced. "Heh... beginner's luck?"

Ruby laughed. "I've never been very good at this game. But that's OK. You're having fun, right?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Want to show me one of your favorites?"

Ruby beamed. "Yeah! Come on!"

To no surprise, Ruby liked the fighting games, and she was good at them too. Blake got trounced solidly four or five times before Ruby suggested they change to something else. They tried a shooting game where they were supposedly traveling through time fighting, of all things, zombies, and in this they were much more evenly matched. Then a driving game at which they were both terrible, and then they just started going around the arcade, trying out everything at least once.

It was silly. The arcade was noisy, and the games weren't anything special, but Blake found herself enjoying herself. Ruby's enthusiasm was infectious, and Blake couldn't remember the last time she'd just... played. Since she was young, she'd been more focused on the White Fang. On fighting for faunus rights, then on playing as a child. She'd played when she was small. She could remember her mother setting up play dates for her, taking her to parks, or playing games with her at their home, but they'd been on the road a lot with her father acting as the White Fang's leader, and later, when she'd left her parents behind, she'd had to grow up so very quickly.

For a moment, a sense of guilt wracked her. Why should she be playing and having fun, going on dates and enjoying herself, while her people were still oppressed? While this very moment, the White Fang were being corrupted by Roman Torchwick and whatever plan he and his mysterious backers, assuming Tuckson was correct about Roman not being the real person in charge, had in mind.

But her parents had told her to focus on being a student. And her mother had made her promise to have fun with her friends, to spend time with her girlfriend... Blake still couldn't believe she'd actually told her parents about that, and to be happy. Was it really her responsibility to deal with all the evils of the world?

She glanced at Ruby, the smaller girl's face aglow as she piloted some sort of alien spaceship while blowing up more aliens in some loud and colorful top down shooter of some sort. Ruby was dedicated. Towards being a huntress, towards helping anyone she saw in need. But that didn't keep Ruby from being a child who liked to have fun. Would it be so wrong to relax a little, and make her girlfriend happy? To have fun herself?

Blake sighed and did her best to push her doubts out of her mind for the moment, and just enjoy herself.

After several enjoyable hours at the arcade, Blake led Ruby back to Tuckson's book store.

"Do you know what you want?" Blake asked quietly as they entered.

"Yup. If they have it." Ruby said cheerfully. "And Tuckson has every book under the sun, right?"

Tuckson, behind the counter this time, chuckled. "It's just a catchphrase." He admitted modestly. "Hey you two. Good to see you again."

Ruby grinned and jogged up to the counter. "Do you have the first book of the Celgariaid?"

Tuckson blinked. "I think so, let me check in back." The man went into the back of his shop and after a couple minutes, came out with the book in question. "Got the whole series, in fact." He said with a grin. "Good read."

Ruby nodded happily. "I know, right?" She turned to Blake. "Have you ever read them?"

Blake shook her head. "No... what's it about?"

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Well, it's about a boy, who thinks he's ordinary. He's born on a farm, and he's an orphan, raised by his aunt... and then this mysterious traveling storyteller shows up, and takes him on an adventure, and he slowly starts to figure out that he's not actually all that ordinary at all..." Ruby grinned. "But I don't want to spoil it. Buy it for me?"

Blake grinned back. "Sure."

Tuckson just handed Ruby the book with a smile. "On the house. And come by anytime, Ruby." He nodded at Blake. "I talked to your parents this morning. Got some good news. Things are looking up."

Blake smiled back. "That's good to hear. If you need any help here in town though..."

Ruby spoke up at that point. "Call Blake or me. We'll come running with the whole team if you need help."

Tuckson considered that. "Well, hopefully I won't need the help, but I'll keep it in mind, thanks. Guess it couldn't hurt to have a team of huntresses on standby, even if they're still in training."

Ruby threw him a thumb's up. "Hey, I already beat Torchwick once, and I'm not even the strongest person on our team. So don't hesitate if there's trouble."

Blake looked at Ruby, considering, then back to Tuckson. "Maybe don't mention this to our folks, though."

Tuckson raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Do I really want to piss off the Chieftain of Menagerie?"

Blake shrugged. "Probably not. But he'll forgive you, and he can't get to your shop in half an hour. We can. If you get in real trouble, call."

Ruby nodded firmly. "Right."

Tuckson smiled faintly. "Well, I have your scroll number, Blake. If it's something you can help with, I'll remember."

They left with Ruby's book a bit later. "So, one of your favorites?" Blake asked curiously.

Ruby nodded. "Although I've never actually owned a copy. I've gotten it out from the library a few times though."

Blake nodded back, and they walked together in the general direction of Beacon. "So... do you have any other plans for today?"

Ruby blushed slightly. "Well, I thought you could... if you wanted... you could read it to me?"

Blake blinked. "You want me to read your book to you?"

Ruby blushed a bit brighter. "Yes? If that's OK?"

Blake considered that. "Sure. We can do that. Back in our room?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

Blake smiled softly. "OK. Let's do that then."

/-/

When they got back to the dorm room, they found Pyrrha playing an RPG on Yang's scroll while Yang watched, giving advice and kibitzing.

Yang looked up at Blake and Ruby as they came in, smiling when she spotted her sister. "Have fun at the Arcade?"

Ruby nodded happily, and babbled on cheerfully for awhile, talking about their day out while Yang and Pyrrha, who had stopped playing, listened.

"That sounds like fun." Pyrrha admitted with a smile. "Would you like to go to the arcade with me next Saturday?"

Ruby considered that. "If you think you'll have fun?"

Pyrrha nodded, smiling.

Yang spoke up. "So, all done with your date then?"

Ruby pulled her new book out to show Yang. "Blake was going to read to me tonight."

Yang took a closer look, then grinned. "Hey, that's a good one."

Pyrrha looked interested. "Blake is going to read to you?"

Blake was blushing slightly. "Well, Ruby asked if I would..."

Yang stretched and got up. "Want Pyrrha and me to clear out for an hour or two?"

Ruby hesitated, looking at Blake.

Blake frowned. "I don't want to kick you out of the room... but..."

Yang shrugged. "Eh, it's cool. You'll return the favor at some point, right?"

Pyrrha stood as well, glancing curiously at Yang. "Do you have anything in mind?"

Yang looked at her. "Well, want to hit the weight room for awhile? Maybe some sparring after?"

Pyrrha nodded thoughtfully. "Sure."

As the two more athletic members of team RPBY got ready to go, Blake shuffled around the room nervously, only speaking after Pyrrha and Yang had swept out of the room in their workout attire. "My mother used to read to me when I was a child." She told Ruby quietly.

Ruby nodded. "Yang read to me. Stories about heroes and monsters. Those stories are a big reason I wanted to become a huntress."

Blake smiled sadly. "I'm sorry..."

Ruby inclined her head to one side. "Why?"

Blake shook her head. "I just... you never got to have your mother read to you."

Ruby smiled sadly. "I was very young when she died. I barely remember her. Yang used to tell me about her, and she was always there for me when Summer couldn't be. I think it was harder on her. You can't miss what you can't remember, and Yang lost not just one, but two moms. Then she had to be mom to me."

Blake smiled. "Yang seems like a really wonderful big sister."

Ruby nodded earnestly. "She's the best."

Blake sat on her bed, holding the book. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Ruby looked at her, then moved over to sit beside her. "Well, first we get comfortable."

Blake hesitated, then slid back on her bed, reaching around behind her to prop up some pillows so that she could lean up against the back of the bed comfortably.

Ruby crawled over and around her, to the empty space on her left. "Can I sit here?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Sure, if you want."

Ruby slowly moved into position on her hands and knees, then turned and sat back against Blake's headboard as well, leaning into Blake's side slightly. "Is this OK?"

Blake had frozen as Ruby's body fell lightly against her, and she nodded shakily. "Yes... yes, that's fine." She opened the book. "How far should I read?"

Ruby chuckled. "As far as you like. Yang used to read one chapter each night. You could do that."

Blake nodded and paged through to the first chapter. "OK, here goes. Prologue. Being a History of the War of the Gods and the Acts of..."

Ruby settled in against Blake a bit more as Blake read, and Blake had to fight to keep from giggling. She did NOT giggle. It had just been so long since anyone had been so close to her. The feeling of a warm body pressed against her own generated sharp emotions. Joy. She was practically shaking with the effort to suppress the sheer happiness she was feeling. But there was more. Regret. Ruby's weight against her brought back memories of those she had loved. Adam... they'd never read a book together like this, but they'd been intimate. His touch, his weight, was like a shadow brought out of the darkness by Ruby's presence. But slowly but surely, that shadow faded. She could vaguely remember the touch, the smell of her mother, reading to her at night, often by candlelight. Or was that a lantern? She couldn't quite remember.

Blake felt a soft touch on her left arm and her whole body jolted.

Ruby pulled her hand away as if she'd been burnt. "Sorry!"

Blake took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm just a bit jumpy, that's all."

Ruby nodded slowly. "So, it's OK?" Blake glanced down to where Ruby had a hand held out as if she wanted to touch Blake's arm again. Blake nodded.

Ruby put her hand on Blake's arm and stroked her fingers lightly across the bare skin. Blake shivered but didn't pull away.

Ruby looked curious. "Weren't you going to read?" She asked innocently.

Blake swallowed and nodded, then went back to the book. "Cruel winter gripped the Northland, and the moors glittered beneath the stars..."

Ruby continued to lightly stroke her bare upper arm, causing shivers to run through Blake's body, but Blake swallowed and kept reading, not wanting to do anything that would cause Ruby to stop what she was doing. Why is this so intense? She wondered. Ruby's just stroking my shoulder. But she couldn't deny that the smaller girl's fingers were incredibly distracting. She had to pause and reread a word several times as the small girl's touch jerked her away from her attention on the novel.

"Hey." Ruby said softly when Blake had reached the end of a page. "Sit on the side of the bed for awhile."

Blake blinked, but didn't ask any questions, simply shifting so that her legs dangled off the edge of her bed, then opened the book to start reading again. As she did so, however, Ruby moved up behind her, sitting sideways on the bed, Ruby placed both of her small hands on Blake's shoulders, causing Blake to stiffen and shudder.

"You OK?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Um hmm." Blake murmured, then swallowed, and attempted to read further. As she read, Ruby started to run her hands gently up and down Blake's shoulders, then inward to her back, where she started to give Blake a gentle back massage.

Blake fought to keep reading, but when Ruby's hands reached the small of her back she let out an involuntary moan of pleasure. Ruby giggled, and Blake's face flushed.

"Did you like that?" Ruby asked innocently. Blake, face flaming, only nodded. Ruby chuckled. "Well, if you want backrubs, you gotta read, OK?"

Blake's eyes shot back down to the book like lightning, and she picked up where she left off immediately. Ruby's hands were sweet, sweet torture, but Blake forced herself to read on, and to not start purring at the bottom of her throat like some common house cat.

Blake reached the end of the prologue with a mix of disappointment and relief. "That's the end of the prologue..." She said, glancing over her shoulder at Ruby. "Should I... should I go on to chapter one?"

Ruby's hands paused where they had been kneading her shoulders and she shrugged. "Only if you want to keep going."

Blake nodded quickly and dove into the next chapter. She'd do a lot more than read what was turning out to be a rather interesting book in order to get Ruby to keep massaging her back. She was in heaven. She was about halfway through chapter one when Ruby groaned lightly.

"I'm getting a cramp, sitting sideways behind you like this. Go sit back against the headboard again." Ruby instructed.

Blake nodded silently, trying not to look disappointed, and found herself confused when instead of snuggling up against her side again, Ruby went to sit on the side of the bed herself, close enough that Blake had to pull her feet up towards her chest to avoid kicking the smaller girl.

Ruby patted her lap. "Put your feet up here, I'll give you a foot massage."

Blake's eyes widened, and she tentatively slipped her feet into Ruby's lap. Ruby ran her fingers over Blake's stocking covered feet, pressing her thumbs lightly against her soles, and Blake practically melted, but Ruby was frowning slightly.

"Help me get your stockings off." Ruby said authoritatively. Blake swallowed but nodded and obediently shifted her position so she could roll her long stockings down her legs till they were below her knees. Ruby then helpfully rolled them down to her ankles and eased her stockings off one at a time. Ruby hummed appreciatively and started to massage Blake's feet, causing Blake's eyes to nearly roll up into her head.

Ruby gave an annoyed sound and Blake looked at her, realizing belatedly that she'd been sitting, feet in Ruby's lap, eyes closed and... she realized with a mighty blush, she'd been purring for... minutes already now?

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "You remember the rule, right?"

Blake swallowed. "If I read, I get foot massages?"

Ruby grinned. "Yup."

Blake nodded quickly and focused on the story again. She finished chapter one, and was swiftly turning toward chapter two when Ruby rolled her shoulders, giving a sigh. "My hands are getting kind of tired, Blake..." She admitted, sounding a bit sad about it.

Blake sighed as well, then smiled. "That's OK. I can keep reading anyway. I really liked the massage, Ruby."

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Want to switch?"

Blake blinked. "Huh?"

Ruby pointed at the book. "Well, I could read the next chapter...?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "And you'd like a massage while you do it?"

Ruby giggled. "Yes I would."

Blake smiled and nodded. "It'd be my pleasure."

Blake pulled her feet back so that Ruby could move, and Ruby got up quickly and headed for her dresser, then rummaged around for her pajamas.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked curiously as Ruby pulled her usual loose tank top and pajama bottoms out and headed for the bathroom.

"Changing into my pajamas. You can hardly give me a good massage through my corset, can you?"

Blake blinked, then had to acknowledge the point. Ruby came out a minute later and sat on the side of Blake's bed, taking the book and finding her place, while Blake tentatively slid in behind Ruby to put her hands on the smaller girl's back. Ruby sighed happily as Blake's fingers came to rest on her bare shoulders, and then started to read.

Blake started to gently run her fingers up and down Ruby's shoulders, then up to her neck, causing Ruby to arch her shoulders slightly in pleasure, then down her back. Then she froze as her fingers ran uninterrupted down, massaging through the thin top Ruby was wearing, she suddenly realized that Ruby wasn't wearing a bra.

It was a simple thing. Ruby wasn't terribly well endowed, of course, and there was nothing unusual about wearing only a shirt to bed. Or at least that's what Blake's brain was trying to tell her, but she blushed deeper and deeper, her fingers still frozen in place.

Ruby stopped reading, then glanced over her shoulder curiously. "What's up, Blake? Something the matter?"

Blake swallowed. "No... everything's fine." She lied. Or at least she thought it was a lie. She felt like a huge pervert. A letch. An older woman taking advantage. She shouldn't be touching her fifteen year old partner like this, separated by only a single thin layer of fabric. Slowly, she forced her fingers to keep going, rubbing Ruby's back through the thin shirt and doing her best to ignore the competing instincts warring inside of her. This was just a backrub. Between friends. Ruby didn't mean to imply anything by it. It was fine. It was MORE than fine, and Blake was finding it hard to listen to the story, so fascinated was she by the feel of the small, firm muscles under her hands. Ruby was small, and younger than she, but she was wiry and surprisingly muscled for someone so small. It made sense, the way she flung her huge scythe around constantly in battle. Blake idly wondered if Ruby could actually be physically stronger than she was. Yang certainly was. Yang was enormously strong. Pound for pound, only Nora matched her, but Ruby was surprisingly powerful for her size. Blake relied more on speed and agility than strength, but Ruby's enormous weapon had to take a lot of strength the way Ruby used it.

As Ruby continued to read, Blake was struck by a sudden, irrational desire to lift the back of Ruby's shirt so that she could touch those muscles directly. Swallowing, she diverted her attention elsewhere, running her hands up to Ruby's shoulders again, then to her neck. She knew that there was no way that she should pull up Ruby's shirt. That was way beyond whatever invisible line that signaled the difference between what was appropriate and what was not. But as Ruby read on, pausing occasionally to twitch or shiver under Blake's hands, the stupid irrational part of her brain kept causing her eyes, and fingers, to rest at the bottom edge of the thin, loose tank top. There was a small line of bare skin at Ruby's waist where the tank top didn't quite cover, and Blake's fingers swept closer and closer to that line as Ruby read on. Ruby didn't react overtly, continuing to read as if oblivious to the war going on inside of Blake's head.

Finally, daringly, Blake's fingers reached the bottom of Ruby's shirt, and she traced the bare skin just above Ruby's waist with gentle fingers. Ruby shivered, but kept reading. Swallowing hard, Blake ran her hands along the back of Ruby's waist, teasing the bare skin there with light strokes of her fingers, and very, very slowly, she slipped her fingers up the back of Ruby's shirt, just a bare inch, but it caused Ruby to freeze, going silent.

Just then, the door banged open, Yang coming in with a cheerful grin on her face, throwing her arms wide as she entered, Pyrrha close on her heels. Blake noted distractedly that both women were sweaty and tired looking, but at the same time they looked cheerful, pleased with a good workout, no doubt.

"NOTHING!" Ruby screeched. "We weren't doing anything!"

Blake jerked her hands away from Ruby's back like the younger girl had suddenly caught fire, eyes darting toward the elder sister in sudden fear. What would Yang do if she knew how close Blake had come to... Blake wasn't even quite sure what it was she'd been about to do, but it'd been something.

Yang's grin, something content and happy, probably at a good workout, slowly morphed into surprise, then got even wider as the tall blond's eyes started to glint with something evil. "I see." She said slowly, licking her lips as if in anticipation. "Would you like Pyrrha and I to go for a nice long walk so you two can finish up doing 'nothing'? Me, I always get cranky when I get interrupted in the middle of nothing..."

Yang ducked under the assault as both Ruby and Blake peppered her with pillows.