17

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ruby cried, as Weiss yanked her into the dorm room by the ear. Yang entered after them, tiredly rubbing her back. That was gonna ache for days, she told herself. Blake came in last, shutting the door behind them. Out of everyone, she was probably the one who sustained the least amount of damage.

"Weiss, come on! Let me go, please!" Ruby's voice pitched up an octave higher as Weiss twisted her ear another degree.

"Why should I? You left all by my lonesome at the CCT, so you could go running off after that weird ginger girl."

"Me thinks someone is a bit jealous." Yang sniggered, jabbing Blake in the side, who in turn shook her head.

"Oh, please, I have no cause to be jealous of someone like that." Weiss scoffed at the comment, releasing Ruby momentarily.

"Then, why are you so bothered by it."

"I'm not. I just think it's rude to run off, and leave your partner on her own." Ruby took the opportunity of Weiss being distracted to sneak over to Blake. Once at Blake's side, she received a gentle pat on the head.

"Riiight." The blonde drew out the word, that infuriating grin of hers aimed at Weiss. "You were so jealous."

"Don't start this, Long, it won't end well."

"Oh, yeah? For who? Me, or you, cause lemme tell ya, Ice Queen, the odds are in my favour." Yang stepped into the heiress' personal space, chest puffed out to seem taller than she really was.

"Always so quick to rely on brute force as usual. Leaves one to wonder how well you would fair in a battle of wits." Weiss would not be intimidated by a mere display of physical strength, as she took a step forward into Yang's own little space.

"Before you two start flouncing around like two Ursa trying to prove dominance, we have a visitor in our midst," Blake interjected from her position by the desk.

"A visitor?"

Their question was answered when the bathroom door opened, and out came Weiss' sister, Winter, clad in only a towel that came to her thighs, and a smaller towel in hand as she dried the ends of her hair.

"Winter?! What are you doing here?" Weiss forgot all about dealing with the brawler, her main focus directed on her sibling.

"Ah, Weiss, welcome back." Winter greeted, finished drying her hair as she tossed the wet towel in the clothes hamper. "I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty of occupying your bathroom. When I got here, none of you had returned yet from your encounter, and I was in dire need of a shower."

"T-That's not a problem, I guess, but what are you doing here?" The young heiress reiterated her earlier question. "I thought you were supposed to be dealing with some high society character this evening?"

"That 'high society character' happened to be ten minutes late to our dinner, and you know how irate I become when my time is taken for granted."

Oh, did Weiss know. Consider yourself lucky if you were ever granted even a minute of Winter's time, the woman was constantly on the move, never stuck in the same place. Wasting her precious time would usually end with the said person holding a scathing reprimand before being sent away with their tail between their legs. Weiss knew all about this, of course, because Winter would sometimes disclose little bits of information to her that held no warrant.

"Not to mention, he was just another playboy suitor hoping to score the hand of the 'elusive' Schnee." Elusive was probably the best way to describe the Schnee sisters. They had suitors lining up by the dozen, and they turned down every single one of them whenever their father tried to set up dinner dates, or any type of date for that matter. "Father will be so disappointed," Winter said, her drony tone displaying her disinterest on the subject.

"I see, he's still trying to hand us off to the highest buyer." Weiss scoffed. Their father always did this. Set them up on meetings with a figure that held minor influence in his country, in hopes of uniting the two families to gain more power in his standing.

"Yes, and it's becoming more irksome as the days go on."

During the whole exchange, silver eyes were locked onto the awesome body that belonged to one Winter Schnee. 'Holy fudge, she's a goddess.' Their words were nothing but muffled noise as Ruby lost herself exploring Winter's body; wrapped up in only a towel that came to a rest near toned, milky white thighs, small beads of water dripping down the strong muscles, descending onto equally as muscular calves. Her eyes went back up the woman's body, lingering on her generous bosom which was only pronounced by the tightness of the towel.

Then, silver globes slowly moved up from the bust region, raking over her well-defined collarbone. 'Is that a thing among them? Weiss' collarbone is just as well-defined.' Ruby's rather personal examination ended when she reached Winter's face, taking in the flush of light pink that stained her cheeks; most likely from the use of hot water while in the bath. Winter's hair was freed from its usual bun, dropping to the middle of her back in slightly tangled loose, curly knots. Needless to say, her beauty doubled, tripled even. Alabaster tresses framed her face gracefully, putting emphasis on her sharp, practically perfect cheekbones, and jawline. And, with the lighting of the room, there was a halo around her that only Ruby saw; probably because she put Winter on a pedestal of all things gorgeous in this world. 'If she were a goddess, I'd happily serve her for eternity.'

All of a sudden a sharp pressure tugged at her mind. Waking from her stupor, Ruby checked her side to see two long fingers pinching her skin beneath her shirt. She jerked away, the reaction a bit delayed, and saw Blake glaring at her; glowing yellow narrowed dangerously.

'Yipe! I've been caught!' Gulping, Ruby turned back to the siblings, deciding to keep her eyes trained on Weiss indefinitely.

"Wait, you said 'your encounter', does that mean you saw us fighting that walking health hazard?" Yang asked, alleviating some of the unknown tension between Blake and Ruby.

"Very much so."

"And, you didn't bother to help us, why?" The fight could've ended much sooner if the older Schnee had stepped in, Yang was sure of it.

"It was the perfect opportunity for me to assess Weiss' progress in combat, and glyph summoning since her coming here." Winter praised Weiss with a smile, not with her lips, but rather her eyes. "To which I must say I'm quite impressed. You've come a long way, Weiss, though your stamina is something we must focus on improving. You tire too quickly."

"I know, I've been working on increasing my endurance ever since I came entering Beacon, but to no avail, as you saw." Weiss sighed.

"Fret not, sister, soon enough, you'll be able to summon quadruple the amount of glyphs you're able to call forth on a regular day," Winter reassured her, noticing how discouraged she looked. "Another reason, I didn't interfere with the battle would be my intrigue in seeing how well you all worked as a unit. Bravo, I must say, you all performed exceptionally. Combination attacks are quite useful in combat as you witnessed tonight. Might I ask who was the person behind such a well thought out idea."

"That'd be my awesome little sister, right here!" Yang lurched over to Ruby, hauling the tiny girl into a headlock, and giving her a noogie.

"Yaaang! Stop, that hurts!" Ruby whined, trying to push free from the arm that kept her in place.

"Hm, I see. I think you should be rewarded then, for such a wise tactic." Winter smirked a mischievous glint in sapphire pools.

'A reward?' Blake tensed up as Winter drew nearer to her Rose. 'What's this white haired seductress' game?'

"Reward?" Yang and Ruby asked in unison. Said reward happened to be Winter gliding across to Ruby, and bending over, presenting her bosom to the haunched girl.

To say Blake was doing her best to control herself would be partly true because she was, she was doing her best control her emotions, but what happened all but drove her ballistic.

Winter, had the audacity, the impudence, to tilt Ruby's head up slightly, and place a chaste kiss on her lips. Those lips that belonged to her. Blake felt her pulse rate spike, blood pounding loudly in both sets of ears.

"W-W-Winter?!" Weiss spluttered uselessly.

"What the hell?!" Yang yelled, too shocked to keep a tight grip on a petrified Ruby.

'I'm going to kill her.' Blake bit her lip so hard that the skin broke, and blood oozed from the wound.

'Why would she do this?! This isn't a reward! This is a death sentence! Blake's already angry at me! Is she trying to get me killed?!' Ruby sobbed.

Winter backed up, pleased with her handiwork, her nonchalant smile showing just that. "It's about time for me to leave. Thank you for allowing me the usage of your bath. Stay well, Weiss." The eldest Schnee sauntered to the door, opening it, and stepped through the doorway, but not before she looked over her shoulder, and winked at Ruby.

Everyone was hush for an uncomfortable duration time. Weiss was in shock at her sister's actions. Yang could join her in that category as well, shocked, and partially pissed. Ruby was dealing with it the worse, sobbing to herself about her impending doom. And, Blake, Blake radiated nothing short of uncontrollable rage.

"Wait! Did she just leave here in only a towel?!" Weiss shrieked, running into the bathroom, and coming back out with robe in her hands. "Winter!" She bolted out the room, the previous event forgotten for now. She had a half naked sister to clothe.

Ruby dry cried, no tears pouring from her eyes, but sorrowful wails escaping her. She suddenly felt a strong tug on her hood, a bigger wail echoing in the room. Blake's eyes looked like they were practically on fire, so much fury in those eyes as she dragged Ruby away.

The only person left in the room was Yang, rooted to the spot, unable to save her sibling.

Beacon Academy Rooftop

Blake pulled Ruby onto her feet and roughly forced her against the wall, the sting from the impact causing her to wince. Blake planted her hands on the wall beside the shorter girl's head, pupils so thin that only gold stared at her.

"B-B-Blake, calm down. I know what it looked like, but I swear to you, I had no idea she was going to do that!" Ruby spluttered as she looked at her girlfriend fearfully.

"Ruby." Calm. Her voice was calm. Why was her voice calm? Oh boy, she was so in for it now if Blake's voice was calm. "What kind of faunus am I?"

"A-A cat faunus…?" Ruby trembled under the scrutiny of those amber eyes. Night was upon them, and the moon was high in the sky. The moonlight shimmering brightly on Blake, giving her dark figure an intimidating look. Those amber eyes were more vibrant than they usually were during the day as the orbs glowed in the dark. Even when filled with anger, they were still hauntingly beautiful.

"Hm, correct, and do you know what that means?"

"N-No…"

Blake's head surged forward, their faces only inches apart as her warm breath ghosted across Ruby's lips. They were so close, Blake's lips. So soft and plump. Temptation called to her as she stared those tender lips. Just… a little… closer and… 'No, now's not the time! I'm being reprimanded here!'

"It means that I'm very territorial, and I don't like sharing what's mine." Blake husked, bowing her head to graze her lips across the exposed flesh of Ruby's neck. She chuckled when she heard the girl inhale in a sharp breath.

"Blake… wait." Ruby panted, her skin flush from the feel of those lips on her neck.

"And, do you know how cats mark their territory?" The raven haired teen whispered.

"No…" Ruby breathed, gasping when she felt something wet run over her ear. Blake's tongue. Warm and wet as it licked her ear.

"They leave their scent," was all Blake said before she attacked Ruby's neck. She sucked on pale, creamy flesh, drawing a low moan from Ruby. Pride flared in her chest at the sound. Blake took it a step further, nibbling the tender skin between her, occasionally throwing in a harsher bite before running her tongue over the possibly bruised skin.

Ruby let out another moan, louder and deeper. Blake was talented with her lips, exhibiting this trait on various, constantly turning her into a warm puddle. A tingling began to settle in the area of her nether regions as the faunus continued her aggressive show of possession. She had to stop Blake now, or not they'd have an interesting story to tell the others about why they looked a right mess.

"B-Blake, please. Stop." Ruby placed her hands on her Blake's shoulders, her breath coming out in short puffs. Blake didn't listen. If anything, she only sucked and bit harder. She was going to make sure people knew Ruby belonged to someone, even if they didn't know that someone was her.

Finally feeling like she had done enough, Blake released Ruby's neck with a wet pop. She licked her lips, the moonlight causing them to glisten. Blake leaned back and admired her handiwork with a sense of smugness. Right there, on Ruby's neck, sat a huge, purple hickey. The faunus in her purred with pride at the sight. Ruby looked positively ravished as she panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Mine." Blake softly growled as she nuzzled Ruby's neck.

"I-I've never seen you get like this before." Ruby stuttered.

"What did you expect to happen when that woman dare put her lips on you?" Blake looked up to Ruby from her position. She was bracing herself on the wall, dazed beyond belief when a minor wince overcame her face. Shifting with some difficulty, Ruby rubbed her back. It must've been hurt when Blake slammed her onto the concrete surface.

Blake's jealousy subsided after seeing the pained look on the crimson-tipped girl's face. A sense of guilt settled heavy in the pit of her stomach. She had never meant to hurt her, she had just been so caught up in her jealousy that she lost control of her actions. "Nice job, Belladonna.' Blake sighed.

Ruby closed her eyes as Blake leant closer to her, preparing herself in case Blake wanted a round 2. When she felt nothing, Ruby opened her eyes and noticed Blake's face was inches away from her like before, but instead of fury and lust coating her eyes, worry and regret filled them.

Blake closed the distance between them and kissed Ruby on her forehead to calm her down before she took her into her arms and switched their positions. Now, she was the one to the wall while Ruby was in front as she lowered them to sit on the ground. With Ruby sitting her in lap, facing her, she was now the shorter of the two as she gazed up into Ruby's eyes.

"Sorry, Ruby. I didn't mean to scare you, or to hurt you. It's just… jealousy can be a bit unbearable, especially when you're a faunus, a cat faunus to be precise." Blake tenderly rubbed her hands along her companion's back.

"It's alright, Blake. I kinda knew you wouldn't have reacted too well to what Winter did." Ruby ran her fingers through raven locks. "I'll talk to her about it. Do you think you're up to going back to the dorm?"

"Actually, can we stay like this for a little longer? I don't wanna go yet."

"Of course." Ruby readjusted her seating, deciding to lay outstretched on long legs, her head resting on Blake's chest. s

'What was I thinking? Blake wouldn't do something bad to me.' Ruby thought as she drifted between sleep and wake, the soft purring that vibrated in Blake's chest put with the soothing feel of her hands on her back were comforting.

"By the way, you should apologise to Sun about your little 'talk' earlier, or we're not going to be doing this again until you do," Blake said.

"What!? I'll get straight to it!" Blake chuckled at Ruby's enthusiasm, any indication of tiredness gone.

Next Day

Ruby bounded through the halls like a mad man looking for the blonde, monkey faunus. She was lucky it was the weekend because it meant the chances of finding him were higher than during a school week.

Ruby eventually made it through a crowd of classmates and spotted Sun talking with Neptune. She meant to rush over to the boy but was shot down in her attempts when something yanked her in the opposite direction. She looked at the culprit to find it was Nora dragging her away. "No! Wait! I have important business to take care of!"

Nora dragged the reluctant Ruby all the way back to her dormitory. The door unlocked, flying open with a bang. Ren had been the sole resident in the room at the moment, unfazed by Nora's obnoxious entrance. He sighed, looking up from his book. He sighed again, this one more drawn out when she saw the struggling teen. "Nora… what are you doing?"

Nora smiled before she closed the door and sat on her bed. "Trying to hang out with Ruby!"

"By kidnapping her?" Ren deadpanned.

"No! She wanted to come, besides I need something from her."

"I'm sorry if Nora forced you here." Ren apologised to Ruby where she stood.

"I was trying to take care of important business. I demand compensation for this setback." Ruby said with her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot on the floor. It looked cuter than it was intimidating.

"I'll make you strawberry pancakes." Ren offered.

"...I accept your offer." Ruby agreed.

Ruby groaned after she finished helping Nora with her painstaking task, but the pain was worth it since she'd gotten some of Ren's delicious strawberry pancakes. Her dour mood brightened when she saw Sun again. She took one step forward, and like before she felt someone dragging her away. Again. She looked back to see the leader of Velvet's team, Coco, obstructing her from her task of great importance.

"No, not again! Why do you people insist on kidnapping me?!" Ruby cried as she struggled against her hold. 'Man, she's strong.'

"Stop complaining, would you. My team's going on a mission soon, and I don't know how long it's going to take us to finish." Coco said like it was the simplest thing to understand.

"Uh… okay? This concerns me how…?" Ruby countered.

"Velvet is most likely gonna miss you," Coco said. "Actually, now that I think back, she tends to miss you if she doesn't see you for a few days."

"She does?"

"Yup." Coco said, popping the 'p'.

"Why didn't you just say so in the first place instead of pulling me, this hood is one of a kind, you know." Coco let go of Ruby. "I'll go see her. Can't have a good friend of mine feeling down, now can I!" Ruby beamed with a boyish smile.

"I see why Velvet likes you so much," Coco muttered to herself.

"You know, I've never really seen you around Beacon. When I do see you, you're usually finished talking with Velvet."

"I usually try to keep myself busy."

"We should hang out sometime. I think it'd be nice to get to know you a little better. Velvet did say you were pretty cool and you do have this aura of coolness to you, er, that wasn't supposed to be a pun by the way."

"What?" Coco lifted a brow.

"You know, because of… aura… and I said you had an aur-Ah, forget it." Ruby gave up. "Also, it would be awesome if I could some pointers from a second-year team leader like you."

"Sure, I don't see why not. Always happy to help out a young leader." Coco droned, ruffling the girl's hair.

Ruby smiled, contented in making Coco's acquaintance. They turned the corner, spotting Velvet sitting under a tree with a book in hand.

"There she is. Talk to her while I go and see to my team." Coco said as she watched Ruby skipped over to Velvet, leaning against the wall to hide from their sight. A thought ran through her head. How did those two become friends? Velvet avoided people ever since she came to Beacon. Another mystery of Ruby Rose, Coco surmised. "There you go, Velvet, now go catch your little crush."

"Velvet! I came to see you!" Ruby yelled.

"Ruby?" Velvet felt lithe arms wrap around her torso, and she blushed furiously.

"Hehe, you get embarrassed so easily." The crimsonette said cheekily.

"You surprised me, that's all."

"Anyway," she let go of Velvet, sitting in the free space next to her, "what're you reading?"

"It's nothing, I'm only reading it for class." Velvet said as she closed her book."What brings you here?"

"Oh, Coco told me you wanted to see before you left on your big mission." Ruby rested back on her hands. "Said something about you being sad if you didn't get to see me."

"Agh! No! That's just Coco trying to tease me!"

"Aw… are you saying you won't miss me?" Ruby pouted, teasing the rabbit faunus.

"O-Of course, I'm going to miss you!" Velvet fretted.

"I'm just playing with you, though I'm happy to know you will." Ruby smiled.

A moment of quiet passed between the two. Ruby idly kicked her feet back and forth as she watched the leaves fall to the ground. Meanwhile, Velvet sat next to her with her hands in her lap, fidgeting restlessly as she tried to build up enough confidence to ask a question that plagued her mind.

"Ruby?" Velvet finally uttered.

"Yeah?"

"D-Did Coco… mention anything… p-personal to you?" The rabbit faunus curled into herself, heat burning cheeks as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Something personal?" Ruby echoed, thinking back. "No, I don't think so. You're gonna have to be more specific."

"I-It's nothing! Nothing at all!" Velvet squeaked, keeping her gaze on her lap.

"Oh, okay…"

Ruby sat still while Velvet said nothing more. She peeked at the faunus through her hair as Velvet continued her nervous fidgeting. "Velvet? Why do you look so nervous? You only seem to be like that when we're alone. Are you scared of me or something?"

"Oh, no! Nothing like that!" It was the opposite really. Velvet adored Ruby, quite a lot you could say. Adoration that verged a step further than basic friendship.

"Then, why do act so afraid around me?"

Velvet was silent. She was reluctant in giving the reason. Who's to say her feelings would be returned?

"We're friends, Velvet, so you can tell me anything and I promise you that I won't judge you," Ruby said gently, but no amount of gentleness in her voice could've stopped the unintentional sting.

"Friends, huh?" Velvet's ears drooped. 'Friends, that's all we'll ever be.' She could feel tears begin to well up in her eyes, and she refused to turn into a sobbing mess in the eyes of her crush, so Velvet slowly picked herself up off the bench, and turned to face Ruby, bangs hiding glassy eyes. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but I think it's time for my team to leave. I'll… see you later."

"Oh… alright then." Ruby remained in her seat as Velvet walked away. Velvet had tried to hide her sadness, but she had heard the waver in the girl's voice when she told her she had to go. Ruby didn't get it, Velvet was okay up till a minute. What could have happened between then, and her asking why she seemed so scared of her?

'Oh, Velvet.' Coco sighed. Her heart wept for her teammate when she saw the distressed look on her face. The brunette turned to walk away, almost walking straight into Ruby who appeared behind her. "Dust damn it, kid. I knew you were fast, but that's just plain ridiculous."

"Coco…" Ruby began, ignoring the previous comment. "Why is Velvet acting so strange?"

Coco sighed once more. "I may know the reason, but that's for Velvet to tell you. Catch you later, kid."

Ruby stood alone as the senior walked away. "Did I miss something?"

Ruby trudged through the corridors, Coco's words playing over and over in her mind; the enthusiasm she had from before gone. Her thoughts were disturbed when someone placed their warm hand on her shoulder.

"Ruby, is there something wrong?" The voice of Pyrrha Nikos called.

"Oh, Pyrrha… it's nothing. I've just had a lot on my mind lately." Ruby said, her voice sounding tired.

"I see…" Never one to pry, Pyrrha switched the subject. "Would you care to spend some time with me? It's been awhile since our last chat."

"Sure!"

Beacon Academy Library

Pyrrha must've said this a dozen times, but she always enjoyed Ruby's company. The girl was always filled with vibrant energy, and joy that was rather infectious. Never a dull instance with Ruby in your midst, Pyrrha noted. Their private moment was interrupted when a newcomer joined them.

"Good afternoon, Ruby." Winter's stony voice said, standing a decent length off from Ruby. "Miss Nikos," she bowed her head, acknowledging the champion's being there.

"Winter, hey, what are… what are you, uh, doing here. In this general area. At this time." Ruby delivered with some difficulty, almost mechanically, and stunted in her greeting.

Winter rose a brow. "Am I not allowed to be in here?"

"W-What, no, no, I never said that. I just-"

"Or is it that you do not wish to be in my company at this time?"

"W-Well, that's─I wouldn't say that─" Ruby hopelessly tried to form sentences that made sense. 'Kinda hard to do that when in the face of danger…'

"Then, what seems to be the problem with my being here?" Winter delighted in Ruby's constant fumbling. She had just been passing by, on her way to Ozpin's office when she saw dear little Ruby in the library. Winter believed in punctuality, and the importance of duty before thinking of frolicking around like a teenager, but it seemed anything Ruby-related was an exemption because instead of delivering what she had to Ozpin, here she was now, torturing innocent Ruby.

"Gaah…" came the unintelligent mumble as Ruby surrendered, choosing to let her head fall on the wooden desk.

Winter gave an airy chuckle. Oh, yes, this was much more interesting.

"Winter, as in Winter Schnee?" Pyrrha decided it was time to put in her two cents, rising out of her seat to welcome the Atlesian soldier. "You're Weiss' older sister, correct?"

"Quite right, you are, Miss Nikos." Winter volunteered to shake hands with the young warrior, the leather of her gloves crinkling under Pyrrha's strong grip. "I find it rather fortunate to meet with someone of your ilk. A young champion at the age of seventeen, how prosperous."

"Likewise, though I think it's more of an for me honour to meet someone of your standing." Pyrrha released Winter's hand, returning to her seat.

"Hm, I don't doubt you mean that." Black-clad hands resumed their usual location. "As much as I would be intrigued to carry on with our conversation, I've overstayed my time here I believe. There remain pressing matters I have to tend to. Again, it was a pleasure meeting you." On her way out, Winter artfully glided her index finger across Ruby's lower back; the tickling sensation causing the girl to yelp.

Pyrrha spoke up again when Winter was out of an earshot. "She's an intimidating character, isn't she?"

"You have no idea." Ruby exhaled, resting her cheek on the desk.

"She appears to be a bit more hospitable towards you. Is there a reason for that?"

Ruby heaved a drained sigh.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, of course!" Pyrrha waved her hands frantically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be nosy."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you because someone was gonna ask at some point. It's just the origin tale of Winter and me is pretty exhausting to tell. It's a complete whirlwind of events." 'Might as well go all the way.' Ruby put her right arm on the table, rolling up the sleeve to just above her wrist. "Here we go…"

Flashback: 11 Months Prior

Through the still of the night, a small figure accompanied by two bigger figures ran in the shadows of the buildings surrounding them; their destination–the Schnee Dust Company manufacturing facility. Reaching the building, the smallest person tried the doorknob, a silent groan of frustration escaping their lips when the door was locked, as they figured it would be. Digging into their pocket pouch, they retrieved a lock picking set, and almost professionally, the lock was picked before the security cameras could pick up on their movement. Easing open the door, they peeked inside to check for any guards, and seeing none, signalled to her two partners that the coast was clear.

"Well done, Ruby."

"Shh, Otter, no time for congratulations just yet."

"Oops, sorry," Otter whispered.

Inside, Ruby and her companions carefully crept down the hall to their objective. As she rounded the next corner, she ran up on two guards, but it was too late to warn her partners as the guards had already spotted her. 'Crap!'

Ruby blurred over to them before they could unholster their guns, kneeing one in the face, and kicking the other behind his legs before driving the heel of her boot down onto his head, knocking him out cold.

"Hurry!" Ruby whisper-yelled to the other two before any more guards could come.

Eventually, they made it to their destination, stopping in front of a door labelled 'Testing Chambers'. As the small Rose entered the room, her two partners in tow; the distinct sound of a sword being unsheathed captured her attention. Swivelling around, she narrowly dodged the sharp-edged weapon driven fiercely at her.

She triggered her semblance, catching her attacker off guard as she held their wrist, and tried to force it in a direction to cause enough pain that would coerce the figure into dropping their blade. However, her attempt failed as her assailant held fast, their wrist not budging an inch.

"It won't be that simple, I'm afraid. Do try harder." A woman, her tone unbelievably chilly, and hard as stone. Ruby felt the front of her uniform being gripped as she put face to face with her opponent. Cold, steely blue appraised her. Ruby gulped, frozen beneath the stare of this woman. Suddenly, she found herself being pushed back while the woman stepped forward.

After being pressed backwards, Ruby was finally able to see the face of her opponent. A tall young woman with a pale complexion, eyes scrutinising as they examined her. Her white hair was pinned up in a bun at the rear of her head, bangs falling to the right side of her face, a small curly lock of hair reaching just below her left ear.

"You're a Schnee." Ruby surmised, taking all noticeable characteristics into account.

"And, you're no faunus." One hand flew up to Ruby's face, ripping off her mask. Muted shock, if that's what the slight widening of her eyes meant, showed on her frowning face. "You have silver eyes."

"Hands off, Schnee!" The biggest fellow of the triad barked as he charged, unsheathing his sword.

"Foolish." Ruby registered that her feet were no longer on the ground as the woman knocked them from under her, keeping a hold of her collar before she tossed her at the charging man. Just as expected, the two collided painfully, the pain flaring up in Ruby more so than her teammate.

"Dang it, Rhino!" She groused, holding her nose. Was she bleeding? She removed her, seeing bits of red. Oh, geez, she was bleeding. "Give me a run down on her."

"S-Sorry." Rhino murmured. "Winter Schnee, eldest daughter in the Schnee household. Instead of inheriting the SDC as she was meant too, she chose to join the Atlesian military, becoming a specialist thereafter, under the orders of General James Ironwood."

"You're well informed, kudos to you." Winter clapped her hands mockingly. "Now, why would a human be in league with the White Fang, let alone one with silver eyes." Without warning, Winter rolled her eyes, summoning a glyph behind her. "You're ability at stealth is atrocious."

Otter squeaked, looking at the floor to see the glowing black symbol beneath his feet.

"Begone." In a flash, Otter was skyborne, going all the way up to smash into the ceiling before falling back to the hard concrete. "Back to my question, why is a human siding with this faunus riff-raff?"

"That's none of your concern," Ruby said defiantly. 'This mission's been compromised, there's no way we'll be able to fight her.'

"Why are you here, anyway, no one but security was supposed to be on patrol tonight," Rhino growled, lugging his body from the ground.

"Classified." Another black glyph appeared, directly on Rhino's chest. Flicking her index and middle fingers outward, Rhino shot backwards to the other side of the room, crashing into glass cases of Dust crystals.

'She took them out with only two moves!' Ruby's gut tightened, this was not how tonight was suppose to go. They were supposed to collect some newly created Dust the scientists of the SDC had created, and be out. Winter being here was an obstruction she didn't consider. 'A distraction, I need a distraction so we can get out.'

"Back to you," Winter pointed her blade to Ruby.

"I'm not inclined to discuss that information, I'm afraid. Classified, and all. I'm sure you know how it is." Ruby winked, earning a sneer. 'I might need to use Crescent Rose to get out of this.' A faint twinkle captured her eye. Cautiously, she glanced to her left, a decent length of a yellow Dust crystal lay right there on the floor. 'Or, maybe not.' The only problem being it's proximity to the skilled woman before her.

"Trying to test my good will, I see. It won't end well for you." Winter rose two fingers again, no doubt preparing to summon another glyph.

"Yeah, well, neither did this mission." Ruby readied herself for the glyph's sudden appearance. 'Need to time this right.'

"Torture isn't exactly an area where I specialise, but I've learnt a few things while stationed over an… interrogation." Then, her fingers flicked up.

'Now!' Ruby bolted to her left at the last minute, escaping being propelled upwards by a hair's breadth. Her sudden movement drove her through the air to opposite side of the room, putting more distance between her and Winter.

"You're faster than I assumed." Winter turned her head to the right, able to fully inspect the girl given their new distance. "I take it you plan to continually avoid my attacks until I tire. If that's what you're counting on, then we'll be here for a very long time. I won't become fatigued so quickly, can I say the same for you?"

"I'm not counting on your stamina to run out, it's obvious I'm outmatched." Ruby crouched on all fours, fingers pressing hard into the ground.

"Humble, I can appreciate that." Winter lowered her blade just a touch. "Halt any further attempts to resist apprehension, and I may go easy on you during questioning."

"But," she grinned, cheeks going taut, "that doesn't mean I'm going to give in." She burst forward, rose petals following her wake as she rushed Winter.

"A head-on attack? You must fancy pain." Winter kneeled, then lunged forward at breakneck speed, sword extended.

They both drew nearer, their unimaginable speed closing the space between them in a matter of seconds. Winter tightened her grip on her blade until the leather of her glove wrinkled, driving all her indignation into one attack.

Ruby kept her course, refusing to pull out. She continually increased her speed, going faster and faster and faster until the tip of the sharp sword was clearly visible. She was going to run straight onto the blade at this pace… or, that's what some people would think. At the last moment, she evaded the attack−not evaded as in dodging the attack or shifting her trajectory−but quite literally disappeared from eyesight.

"What?!" The sudden break away caused Winter to falter in her attack, skidding to a stop, and spinning around to see Ruby near the exit; still in her crouched posture. "Evading that attack should've been impossible at the speed you were going!"

"Cool quirk, ain't it?" Blurry red stormed forward like before, heading right for Winter. Her opponent didn't copy her this time, however, electing to remain in her spot. Like before, she increased her speed until she disappeared once more.

'That won't work twice.' Winter slowed her breathing to match her heartbeat.

*Pit! Pat!*

Eyes sharp like an eagle's own, she bided her time, waiting for the opportune moment.

*Pit! Pat!*

The time was almost near, only a minute longer.

*Pit! Pat!*

'Time for this to end.'

Bringing her summoning glyph into play, Winter called forth a flock of tiny Nevermores, commanding them onwards.

'Huh?!' Ruby stumbled, unconsciously slipping out of her semblance as she landed dead centre in a tornado of tiny creatures, getting knocked from side to side like a ragdoll. To worsen matters, one of those glyphs Winter loved to use so much materialised behind her. The force that it hit her with was like nothing of this world. It was deathly cold, and tummy wrenching as she zipped past Winter, colliding with some glass cases like Rhino did earlier.

"Aaah!" Ruby hissed, stinging discomfort throbbing in her side where a moderately sized glass shard was lodged. Biting her lip, she clutched the source of her suffering, and carefully pulled it out; dropping it once it was freed from her flesh.

"You're running low on aura, and you're injured. Do you wish to continue this futile battle?"

"I-I do since your observation skills are atrocious." Ruby fought to smile through the pain, lifting her hand to reveal a silver chain leading to Winter.

"What?" Winter followed the length of chain, straight to the back of her uniform. She inhaled sharply when she noted that the chain was connected to a shard of yellow Dust that was stuck on one side of her tailcoats. "Shit!" She swung her blade to cut the chain, brow creasing when her sword ricocheted off the series of links.

"Specially reinforced aura chain, the owner is the sole person able to break the links once their aura is recognised. Your sword can't help you." Ruby explained, flooding the chain with her aura.

Winter growled, quickly moving to unclasp the brooch fastened to the collar of her jacket. When that was undone, she tore open the other clasp, not bothering to even try and preserve her jacket. She discarded her jacket, leaping out of harm's way. Unfortunately, Ruby had poured so much of her remaining aura into the chain, that when it was absorbed by the Dust, the reaction was volatile, bolts of lightning flaring everywhere. Winter gasped when a stray bolt struck her in the abdomen, knocking her back against some steam pipes.

Ruby hid her face, sitting still as the sparks began to die off. Soon, the crackling had subsided, and she opened her eyes. Winter's face was contorted with pain, jolts of electricity still pumping through her body no doubt. She had taken a huge risk pumping that yellow Dust shard full of her aura. Yellow Dust remained one of the most deadliest forms of Dust known to man, certain reactions were highly unstable.

Winter would be in pain for days to come, probably a couple at best if her aura assisted her. At least she wasn't dead, Ruby noted with a sigh of relief, but she wouldn't be moving from there anytime soon; she hoped.

"I'm not… gonna stick around to test that theory."

She wobbled to her feet, stumbling and nearly pitching forward onto her face when two arms caught her. She smiled a bit when she saw it was Otter holding her up.

"Thanks, Otter."

"No problem, you really saved our hides, Ruby, I should be the one thanking you."

"Let's save that for later. We should go before she wakes, even though she's injured, she can still do battle."

"Even after a hit like that?" Otter asked, glancing at the fallen woman. He flinched when he saw her head twitch.

"I'm sure of it." Before anything else could be said, a high-pitched whir filled the air. Their heads snapped to the left, eyes bulging when they saw Rhino standing above the unconscious Schnee; sword drawn high above his head. How had they missed him getting up?

"Rhino, no!"

"You die here, Schnee!" And, his blade descended upon Winter.

Everything happened so fast, Otter being blown back as Ruby blasted over to Rhino, Ruby stepping in front of Winter, hands outstretched. What followed after rendered Ruby speechless.

It was a foolish, and careless mistake on her part because she blatantly forgot the capability of the sword she had been the one to fashion. A high-frequency blade capable of cutting through anything, particularly human flesh and bone.

She bellowed in pain as the blade sliced through her right wrist, severing it from the arm. Her knees buckled as she sagged to the floor, clutching her amputated hand close to her chest.

"Oh, my, Remnant! What've you done, Rhino!?" Otter screeched.

"I-I didn't mean to! She-She just jumped in front of me!" Rhino looked at the weapon in his hand and released it like it'd burnt him. "R-Ruby, are you-"

*Growl!*

Rhino shot backwards, the primal snarl causing him to tremble. Ruby rose her head, pupils a pin prick, teeth bared and sharp; blotches of black seeped into the white of her sclera as flecks of gold presented themselves in silver.

"Oh, no…" Otter held his breath, palms clammy. This was not good. Not good at all.

Ruby stood up effortlessly, though still holding her arm, and walked towards the behemoth of a man.

Winter silently groaned, head throbbing something fierce. 'That child…' Blue orbs opened, vision a tad blurry in the beginning, but soon clearing up. Able to see, Winter directed her gaze on the cowering man, and… what? What was this? 'The whites of her eyes… they're black? Something is amiss here.' A vile sensation crawled over her body as she watched the scene. It felt almost invasive, consuming her entire body. 'This aura… it's unimaginably tainted. Who is this girl? No, what is she?'

"R-Ruby, p-please, I didn't mean t-to, I s-swear!" Rhino feared for his life at this very moment. Whenever Ruby entered this state of mind, she did inconceivably, agony-inducing things. Half his previous squadron had been slaughtered last time round when they dared to toy with her hood.

Winter viewed in both curiosity and minor trepidation as the faunus begged. 'What will you do, girl?'

Ruby said nothing, stopping her advance.

Suddenly, Winter found that crawling sensation on her body faded away, as did the sickening aura.

Ruby exhaled, the black that had bled into her sclera receding, flecks of gold vanishing and leaving pure silver.

"We're leaving." She pivoted on the spot, trudging over to her severed limb and picking it.

"But-"

"Now." Her tone carried no room for excuses.

Otter scampered after her as she exited the room. Rhino swallowed a thick gob of saliva that had stuck up in his throat. Shoulders hunched, he wandered to his sword, picking it up before he followed his companions.

Winter hauled herself out of the broken pipes, stomach a sore mess. On the ground, lay her singed and torn coat, the crystal of Dust next to it. She narrowed her eyes, thinking back to what she'd witnessed. That girl, she was not normal. "Not only does she know how to wield Dust, barbaric as her skills may be, but she also has a darker, wilder side. And, from that aura earlier, it's not a side one would wish to meet."

She ran her hand through her white locks and sighed. "I can only imagine the amount paperwork I'll need to write up."

Outside, Ruby shed her black belt, and white tunic–with some difficulty– leaving herself in her black undershirt.

"Report back to headquarters that the mission was a failure."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Otter asked.

"No, I'm not. As of right now, I absolve myself from all connections I had with the White Fang."

"But, we still need you!" Rhino yelled.

"A pity you didn't know that when you cut off my hand." She spitefully said, pleasantly enjoying the look of shame in the man's posture. "Also, report to your leader that I'm done with this. I've done my piece long enough." She held up her bloody wrist. "This just cancelled my contract. Now, get out of here!"

She watched as they scurried away into the night. Shaking her head, she moved a sheet of galvanising away from the side of the building where she was hidden to reveal her hood. Normally, she wouldn't take it off, but there was something that told her to go in without tonight. Good thing she did, or not it'd be tarnished during her bout with Winter.

Clasping her hood with a single hand was definitely harder than she thought it'd be.

*Click! Click!*

"There, now I need to find a hospital." With the hood around her shoulders, she began her new mission.

Luckily, the closest hospital she located happened to be in Atlas after the airship docked. Good thing her mission stationed her near the city. It would take at least half an hour to get there if she jogged. Using her semblance now was a no-no, seeing as how she practically drained herself back there. "Better get going."

A gasp caused her to stumble in her step. Peeking behind her, she caught sight of a man and a woman with a baby in her arms; their faces riddled with absolute horror.

"Oh, my, Dust! Are you alright, honey?" The woman asked as she cradled her baby boy, her voice held a certain accent to it. She appeared to be in her late 20's and of a slender build, yet she had a shapely figure with a tapered waist. Platinum blonde curls cascaded down her shoulders in stark contrast with her attractive, bronzed skin. A pair of perfectly shaped eyebrows on a heart-shaped face furrowed with concerned above an equally as worried pair of vibrant, emerald orbs framed within almond shaped eyes. Her lips were coated in an enticing shade of red lipstick. She wore a black, pencil with a navy, blue blouse to match with a pair of black pumps to finish the ensemble.

"Yes, what happened to you, young miss…?" The man mimicked his wife's expression of concern. He too also had an accent like his wife's.

"Ruby… Ruby Rose and I… was attacked by Grimm during a mission." Ruby fibbed, examining the man's appearance. He looked to be about in his mid 30's and had to be at least a good 6ft as he towered over his wife who had to be 5ft 3" at most. He had a broad, muscular frame and his beefy, biceps were slightly visible beneath his maroon, silk shirt. The shirt was loose enough that he could comfortably flex his arms. He wore a pair of black slacks paired with black dress shoes. He had distinct cheekbones and a strong jawline, his unnaturally pale skin paired with his white, slicked back hair made him devilishly handsome. His eyes were a vivid baby blue with flecks of silver in them framed with strong, arched eyebrows.

'Who the heck created these people? They're like gods.' She marvelled at the criminally gorgeous couple.

"Oh no! Please, you must let us help you!" The lady insisted, breaking Ruby from her moment of body appreciation.

"Help… me?"

"Yes, let us help pay for the medical bill, Miss Rose." The gentleman offered.

"I-I can't let you do that! It wouldn't be right, um… I didn't quite catch your names." Ruby murmured sheepishly.

"My name is Alexander Stone, and this is my wife, Charlotte Stone." He motioned to his wife beside him. "And truly, we insist."

"But, I can't! You have a child to support."

"Don't worry, we're glad to help those who are in need." Warmth blossomed forth in Ruby's stomach as Alexander reassured her. She'd never known strangers to be so kind to help those in trouble without hesitation. "Now, come along, we don't want that hand getting infected."

Ruby smiled at the slight jest before heading to the hospital with the company of the very kind family. As soon as she stepped into the waiting room, a nurse rushed over to her and took her to the emergency room, requesting that the Stone's waited there while they tended to the girl.

Inside the ER, the doctor and nurses performed a series of tests on Ruby's decapitated hand. The young Rose waited patiently on the examination table for the doctor to get back to her with the results. After some time, the doctor sighed, preparing himself to deliver the news to the small girl. No one liked to be given bad news, especially someone as young as Ruby.

"I'm sorry, Miss Rose, but I'm afraid we won't be able to reattach your hand." The doctor, Ethan, said with a grim look on his face.

"What? W-Why?" Ruby's lips quivered, heart stuttering.

"It appears whatever did this to you, did more damage than we initially thought." He sighed again.

"What do you mean?" She croaked.

"Whatever manner of 'Grimm' did this to you, completely fried the nerve endings around your wrist, making the procedure virtually impossible to perform."

Ruby suddenly had difficulty swallowing, eyes widened in shock as she stared at the doctor, a string of thoughts running through her mind. However, out of all those thoughts, one scared her the most.

Her dream.

Her dream of becoming a huntress had come to an abrupt end this dreadful day.

Ethan observed as the light that was once in the little girl's eyes dimmed considerably, replaced with fear and sorrow. He bit his nail as he thought of any possibilities that would alleviate the girl's quiet mourning. A solution popped in his head. It was a very complicated solution, but it was the most efficient. He only had to make sure she want to go through with it.

"Ahem." He coughed to get Ruby's attention.

Ruby morosely rose head to look at the doctor, wondering what other heart-crushing news he had to tell her. "There may be a way to replace your hand."

"Really?" Hope slowly returned to those silver eyes as the feeling of despair disappeared.

"Yes, though I must admit, this procedure is quite recent, so that means it's only available in Atlas at the moment. It's mainly meant for hunters and huntresses who have sustained similar injuries as you." The doctor paused. "But, it's quite expensive."

"How much does it cost?" Ruby asked though she knew she wasn't going to like the answer.

"It would be roughly around 115 000 lien." He said. "I'll let you take a walk so you can think about it."

Her hope was dashed away when she heard the fee. She didn't have enough lien to be able to pay for the surgery.

She nodded as she made her way to the door and left the room. Ruby walked into the lobby and found Alexander and Charlotte sitting close to the reception desk, the little baby asleep in her arms. They looked up and waved her over, waiting to hear the news when she stood in front of them.

"So, what did the doctor say? Can he fix it?" Alexander asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," Ruby answered.

"Oh, dear!" Charlotte exclaimed softly as to not wake the baby.

"Though I do have some good and bad news."

"What is it?"

"They're able to replace my hand… but it's very expensive."

"How expensive?" The pale man inquired.

"It costs around 115 000 lien."

"That's quite a bit of lien… could you give us a moment while I speak with my wife?" Ruby nodded as he walked over to a corner in the lobby with his wife.

"What do you think we should do?" She heard Charlotte whisper.

"I'm not too sure, that would be most of the lien we've saved up for the past 10 years." That's all Ruby was able to discern when other people and staff members drowned out their conversation.

"We've decided that we'll still pay for it," Alexander informed upon their return.

"No way!" Ruby yelled, thoroughly shocked that someone would go that far for a person they'd just met. "Thank you for doing this for me. I promise to pay you everything. No! I'll triple it!"

"You don't have to do that, love. We're just happy to help." Charlotte giggled.

"No, you don't know how important this is to me. If it wasn't for you two, I would've given up on my dream of becoming a huntress."

"It's no problem at all. We're just delighted we could help." Alexander boomed with his baritone voice.

Ruby walked back to the doctor's room and opened the door to see him reading some documents. He put the papers away after hearing the door click as Ruby entered. "Have you decided on what you'll be doing, Miss Rose?"

"Yeah, I've decided to go through with it!" The small girl said with conviction.

"Alright, as soon as we're ready, we'll begin the procedure." Ethan smiled softly at the girl.

Some time passed before the young girl was led to the operating room. "If you would lay on the table, we'll begin the operation shortly." Doing as asked, she laid on the table, and soon after, an anesthesiologist hovered above her and placed a mask on her face.

Her eyelids felt heavy as they administered the anaesthetic, and it was not too long before she was out cold.

Several hours later, a nurse wheeled Ruby out of the OR, and into the waiting room where she kindly thanked the nurse. Ruby looked down at her new hand, mesmerised by its authenticity. She tried to move one of her fingers, noting that such a minuscule task proved to be a bit difficult. Eventually, she gave up when she tried to clench her hand into a fist. 'It feels weird, I can't even control it properly. I know the nurse said I'd have to take some therapy sessions to get used to it, but still…'

"Hey, look who it is! How did it go?" Alexander smiled, approaching her with Charlotte.

"It went pretty well." Ruby showed them her new hand.

"That's wonderful!" Charlotte beamed at her.

"Thank you, I promise to pay you back," Ruby vowed.

"Didn't we tell you? You don't have to pay us back." Alexander chuckled, giving up on trying to change the girl's mind. "Oh alright, you can repay us whenever. Now, I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that you'll be the greatest huntress that Remnant's ever had, because when little Sammy here grows up, I want to be able to read him bedtime stories about the Remnant's greatest hero. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise."

Flashback End

"And that's pretty much what happened," Ruby concluded, making eye contact with Pyrrha who had been listening intently to her tale the whole time. "So, what do you think?"

She waited for an answer but didn't get one. She grew slightly nervous at the lack of response from Pyrrha. "Normally, when I tell someone or they somehow find out I was a part of the White Fang, they send me dirty looks even though I couldn't care. I was always prepared just in case they rejected me, but if you rejected me because of it, I don't think I'd be able to handle it." She let out a puff of air mixed with a chuckle, tugging on her rolled up sleeve.

Pyrrha drew Ruby into a hug before she spoke up. "Oh, Ruby, I could never hate you."

"R-Really?"

"Of course not. I'd be foolish if I did. If anything, it only makes me want to learn more about you. Usually, you're a very open and cheerful girl, and for you to tell me something as personal as that, makes me feel special. Thank you for sharing that moment with me, Ruby." Pyrrha leaned back and removed a lock of hair that had fallen in front of Ruby's face.

"Though, something you mentioned leaves me feeling perplexed."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"What was that weapon you talked about? The sword that took your hand."

"Oh, that one. It's nothing big, really. I created it with a technique known as Dust Infusion."

"Dust infusion?"

"When I was working for the White Fang, I found some books. They were pretty old, really old. Cobwebs there, a few spiders here and dust everywhere, not the kind we use, of course. The pages were so brittle that I had to handle them with extreme care."

"What were they about?" Pyrrha chimed.

"It had tons of information about Dust. From Dust fused with clothes to Dust fused with jewellery like rings. There was a page about Dust and people, but that part wasn't very understandable. The only thing I infused Dust with was that sword, and it required quite a bit of Dust. I know what you're thinking, it's the same concept as using Dust cartridges like Weiss, but it's a very different process." Ruby partially explained.

"How is it different from the Dust cartridges Weiss uses?"

"Instead of placing Dust magazines inside your weapon, you mix the Dust with the weapon itself. Meaning, you have to add Dust to the weapon when it's in its most manipulative form. That is, when the materials are molten and inside the weapon molds. But be warned, use too much Dust, and the molten materials will explode in your face. Use too little Dust, and the weapon will be as heavy as lead once it's cooled. You have to use just the right amount to get the best results." Sparkles were in her eyes as she spoke about the art of Dust infusion. She was in her zone now.

"Then, comes tempering the weapon. You have to use a specially crafted hammer that won't trigger the effects of the Dust in the weapon when you forge it into shape. Your finished product should be a newly created weapon the same colour as the Dust you manufactured it with, and hints of the element used. For example, if you used red Dust, tiny flames should be seen dancing around a red blade." The weapons geek finished, feeling proud of her explanation.

"Am I to assume it exploded when you first tried?" The amazon deduced.

"Destroyed like three workshops learning how to do it!" Ruby laughed.

"Of course, you did." Pyrrha giggled. "So, what type of Dust did you infuse the sword with?"

"Lightning Dust."

"I'm guessing that's why it sliced through your hand so easily?"

"Pretty much. Lightning Dust is one of the most dangerous forms of Dust. Infusing any weapon with lightning Dust increases its durability and cutting power. I would say it's probably the deadliest weapon any hunter or huntress could ever wield. I'm pretty sure you knew about that. My weapon was fashioned in a similar way, that's why it isn't as heavy as it should be." Ruby said as she rubbed her nose.

The doors to the library flung open with a thundering bang. Everyone in the library turned to see a panicked Yang Xiao Long standing at the entrance.

"Ruby?!" Yang bellowed, disregarding the librarian's warning of being quiet. "Rubes! Where are you?!"

"Yang?" Ruby hissed. "Why are you keeping so much noise?" Cringing when she saw the librarian glaring at them.

"No time to explain. You gotta come with me." Yang bent down and hoisted Ruby up over her shoulder before she disappeared from the library, leaving a trail of confused students plus Pyrrha.

"Yang! Put me down!" Ruby pounded her fists against the back of her brutish sister. "What's so important anyway?"

"It's Blake."