Ch. 16 Heart to Heart

Pyrrha saw Alabast at his most vulnerable. She did her best to help him and even showed her own vulnerability to him. It was the first time he had opened up to someone since coming to this world.

Weiss had seen his face, scars and all. Instead of being afraid or reeling back in disgust, she actually tried to get to know and understand him. She's tried to learn more about the Faunus, and her world view changes along with it. Her cold exterior remains the same, but beneath the surface Alabast can tell Weiss is trying to change for the better.

Yang is… a bit flirty, but is sometimes funny with her puns. She cares about the small things and is socially aware of others. Yang does her best to make sure everyone gets involved in conversations, although she struggles a little bit when it comes to Blake and Alabast but she manages. She's hot headed and head strong both in and out of fights, but Alabast has noticed the softer side that she tries to keep hidden.

Ruby is Ruby and has little self awareness and is straight forward to a fault. She does her best when it matters and is insanely passionate about certain things that are important to her.

Blake… she has been distant to say the least. She's independent and self-disciplined. Most of the time she's reading a book, it's actually rare to see her doing something else.

——————

Back at the 'secret' training grounds:

Alabast looks for Ruby but doesn't find so much as a rose petal flying in the wind.

Yang jumps to her feet, not bothering to finish her set of push-ups. "What happened to Ruby?"

Alabast puts his left hand on his hip and his right hand on the back of his head. "Not sure. I figured she would be here when she suddenly burst into rose petals"

"Is she alright?" Pyrrha stops attacking Ren.

Ren falls backwards breathlessly as he finally gets a break.

*Wham!*

"Ughhhh…" Nora falls from the sky next to Ren as stars float around her head.

Alabast looks past Pyrrha at his teammates. "Are they?"

Pyrrha looks back at Nora and Ren. She blushes a little and holds Milo, in its sword form, with both hands. "Relatively?"

Alabast looks back at Pyrrha and remembers his previous thoughts. He clears his throat as he tries to forget. "Ahem! Ruby should be fine. Nothing particular happened"

"What did you talk about? Ruby is weird, but she wouldn't run away mid-conversation" Weiss lowers Myrtenaster as the glyphs around her fade away.

Alabast looks up at the clouds, he spots a particular cloud with a hole in it and wonders if Nora did that. "If you want to know that badly, ask Ruby when you find her"

Yang wipes the sweat off her forehead. "She might be back at the dorm… maybe… probably…"

Everyone is a bit awkward, but since nothing can be done, beyond sending Ruby a message on their scroll, they get back to training.

Pyrrha goes back to sparring with Ren and Nora, much to the pair's misfortune.

Before Yang can ask for that 1v1 Alabast is already off on his own away from everyone else. Reading his mood, Yang decides to give him some space. She isn't sure what he talked about with Ruby, but it clearly is affecting him. So she turns to Blake and joins the brooding girl to try and crack her shell.

Alabast decides to use his Semblance in place of Pyrrha's usual resistance training. He has tendrils of Darkness come from the ground and wrap around certain parts of his body to add resistance for the various exercises he does.

The tendrils wrap around his back and shoulders as he does pushups. They wrap around his waist and shoulders for lunges and squats. Etc…

This type of training helps him improve his Semblance control alongside his body. He works on holding the same amount of pressure for long periods of time as he completes his exercises. Even the number of tendrils he can summon and control simultaneously is improved upon.

——————

After their training time ends they decide to return to their dorm rooms. Alabast decides to stay behind and continue his training. All they would do right now is relax and enjoy some downtime, so he's fine missing out on that in favor of more training.

The others shrug and go back to the dorm rooms.

Alabast is left alone in the middle of the field. He looks down at his fist and remembers the whip he saw during the class. Activating his Semblance a black whip forms in the palm of his left hand. The whip touches the ground and stops forming as wisps of black smoke emulate from it, it's essentially one of his tendrils slimmed down and more refined.

With the whip in his left hand Alabast looks at a tree and gets an idea. He brings his arm back and quickly lashes out towards the tree. The whip which was only around 3" in length extends until it connects with the tree and breaks it.

After the damage is done the whip returns to it's original length as if it had never changed.

Looking at a second tree Alabast sends the whip out. This time, instead of a basic hit he wraps the whip around the tree. Unlike the weapon in class he can control this whip, allowing for the whip to change directions at any point along its length. If he throws the whip one way he can change its trajectory halfway down its length to change its trajectory. This is also something Alabast has seen Blake attempt with her ribbons connecting to her weapon. He was able to do this on his first try while Blake still is unable to do so.

As Alabast constricts the whip around the tree he wonders if Ruby will tell the others. His heart rate spikes for a moment and the tree is shattered into toothpicks as the whip demolishes it.

Dispersing the whip made of darkness Alabast wonders what Ruby is up to. He didn't confess, but Ruby technically did.

As his mind continues going through the rabbit's hole he returns back to his workouts.

——————

The shattered moon hangs high in the sky along with countless stars. Only a few clouds float to obscure the beautiful view, however, they only end up adding to the scene.

Having worked up a sweat, Alabast finds a place under a tree that was lucky enough to avoid destruction. The two trees next to it weren't so lucky.

Flicking a chunk of wood away Alabast looks up at the shattered moon. He enjoys the chill of the night air and the silence in his surroundings… which only last for 15 minutes before someone walks into the clearing.

Across the training field Alabast sees a small figure. A red cape gently flowing with the wind behind the figure.

Seeing the red, it seems more… colorful than it used to.

"Over here, Little Red" Alabast says calmly.

Ruby jumps into the air a little at the sudden sound of Alabast's voice. She quickly turns towards where she heard the voice.

What catches her eye aren't the destroyed trees but Alabast.

His back is against a tree with Nights Fall resting next to him. Alabast's hair almost completely covers his face and his tail moves back and forth, barely above the ground and moves over the grass in its path.

"Hey…" Ruby awkwardly walks up to Alabast and stands ten feet away.

"Hello…" Alabast looks up at Ruby for a change.

A silence falls between the two.

Alabast is the first to break that silence. "Did you tell the others?"

"N-No. Not really" Ruby quickly answers. "I wanted to talk with you again first…"

Alabast doesn't need to rely on night vision thanks to the moonlight. Ruby's blush is clearly visible and stretches to her ears.

"What did you want to talk about?" Alabast can't stop his stomach from doing flips. He's fought deadly monsters without feeling like this.

The silence returns, this time deafening as Alabast waits for Ruby's answer.

"I'veseenthewayyoulookattheothersaswellasmyselfandI'veseenthewaytheylookatyoutoo!" Ruby blurts out as fast as she can.

"Others?!" Alabast feels like one of the splinters from the tree is pressing directly against his heart. He can feel his blood betray him as it rushes to his face.

Was he really that easy to read and oblivious?

Ruby nods as she quietly responds. "Me, Yang, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Blake"

"Blake?" Alabast tilts his head and asks, more to himself.

Ruby rubs her left elbow and looks at the destroyed trees. "Some of us were ok with it while… others weren't. We all noticed that you were warming up to us. Blake didn't really talk about it, but she listened while the rest of us talked about it. Nora was part of the discussion about it. She also mentioned your encouragement for her relationship with Ren, even if you didn't explicitly say anything about it"

"What exactly do you mean by 'it'?" Alabast looks into Ruby's silver eyes as they meet his crimson eyes.

"Alabast, how do YOU feel about us?" Ruby asks, with a hint of hope.

"I… how…. what do I say to that?" Alabast hangs his head. Something compels him to answer…. "I haven't had an actual friendship until I got to Beacon. The way I feel is different for each of the girls you mentioned, even yourself. BUT, it's different compared to the way I feel about Ren and Nora…"

Ruby walks around the tree Alabast is leaning against and stays on the opposite side of it. "Being Huntresses and Huntsmen we will be going out and fighting against monsters, not only the creatures of Grimm. We will be risking our lives to save those who can't save themselves. My mom went out on a mission when I was young, and she never came back… So I know the risks we all will take in the future…"

"That's-" Alabast isn't able to finish.

"That's why I think we SHOULD try 'it'. I'm scared of losing my friends and family. And I'm even more afraid of not being able to help or save them…. That's why, if there are more of us, I think we would be able to be there more for eachother… for YOU, Alabast" Ruby does her best to explain.

"You're still not making any sense Ruby…" Alabast struggles to follow what Ruby is saying.

Ruby takes a deep breath as she reaffirms herself. "I'm talking about 'us' sharing you"

Hearing it blatantly said aloud, Alabast feels a little shook. "How are you girls even considering this?"

"Well… to be fair. Not ALL of us agreed" Ruby points out. "I just think… won't it be better for everyone involved? We can share our happiness and help shoulder our sadness and fears"

"That's not how things work Ruby" Alabast stands up and walks around the tree.

When Ruby sees him she jumps to her feet and puts her hands on her hips. "Why not?! We can make it work! And… it's been done before"

"It has?" Alabast is a little surprised by this.

"It has! I've done a fair bit of research. Granted it's a little out of date, but it was a thing. And your a wolf Faunus!" Ruby put her hands on the top of her head to mimic his ears.

"Firstly, wolves are monogamous. Secondly, how did you do research?" Alabast wonders what that search history would be.

"I know the clear history button!" Ruby puffs her chest out proudly with her hands on her hips.

Alabast scratches his cheek. He may not be tech savvy in this world, but he got pretty creative in his last life when it came to keeping secrets on his computer. "What about the keyboard memory?"

"Er-" Ruby flinches. "Keyboard what now?"

"Don't worry about it Ruby" Alabast waves this minor issue away.

"Okay!… What does moge-mongeno-monegeamoose mean?" Ruby inquires.

"It's monogamous. And it means one mate for life or at a time" Alabast has to draw on some knowledge he didn't expect he'd need.

"Oh, if that's the case then there are some wolves that have multiple… mates…" Ruby blushes hard.

Alabast raises his eyebrow at this.

Ruby picks up on this and continues. "Technically there are two types, alphas and sigmas"

"Sigmas?" Alabast hasn't heard this term before. Typically there are a few terms associated with wolves. They are usually alpha, beta, and omega.

Ruby holds her index fingers up together as a visual. "Sigmas are apparently similar to alphas. Both are confident and powerful with strong leadership qualities. Not only that, but they also are protective of others that are typically associated with them"

Moving her fingers apart she continues. "Now where they differ is where the distinction is. Alphas tend to be outgoing and loud. Sigmas are introverts and loners. Kinda like the 'lone wolf' sorta deal. Alphas lead by exerting their dominating nature and physical prowess, whereas sigmas lead without exerting their authority. And the secondary main distinction could be said that alphas need to sit at the top of the hierarchy so to speak. While alphas need to be at the top and conform to expectations, sigmas prefer to stay outside of the hierarchy and don't conform"

"I'm not going to even ask which category I fall under…" Alabast lowers his face into the palm of his right hand.

"That's besides the point!" Ruby flails her arms.

Alabast shakes his head. "I'm not going to ask why you recited that like you memorized a Wiki page, but I will point out that wild wolves aren't Faunus. There may be alpha Grimm, but there is no such thing as an actual alpha or sigma Faunus"

"Have you seen yourself? I haven't seen a Faunus with as many traits as you. Ears, fangs, tail, even your eyes. They're different from my uncle's natural red eyes and Yang's eyes when she activates her semblance. If there was ever an alpha or sigma it would HAVE to be you!" Ruby carefully inspects each of Alabast's Faunus traits as she lists them off.

Alabast grabs Ruby's face and pushes her away from his face as she inspected his eyes. "My extra Faunus traits don't signify anything. I've heard of and met other Faunus with a little bit extra in regards to their Faunus traits. Reptile skin and tongue. Talons and wings. Multiple tails. They're rare but they happen. I will admit that the typical mutation is just a single extra trait, no Faunus has more than two traits of a single animal. So even amongst them I'm an oddity. Just another reason to be discriminated against, even by other Faunus"

Ruby grabs his hand and holds it between her own. "But not everyone does!"

"True, but in the end that doesn't matter" Alabast let's Ruby continue to hold his hand while he sits back down against the tree.

"It does matter!" Ruby shouts while squeezing his hand. "You shouldn't be judged because you look a little different! If they just spent a little bit of their time to get to know you they would see just how great a guy you are! Why-"

Alabast puts his other hand on top of hers. "Since when did I care about what others think of me?"

Ruby calms down seeing Alabast's tiny smile. She moves to Alabast's right side and kneels down. "I'm glad it doesn't bother you, but it bothers us. Your friends. We don't like the way Cardin and the others treat you. You have people that care about you now. You don't have to act tough and cool all the time, we're your friends and we want to help. Even if it's just something minor like breaking Cardin's legs"

"I can manage to break his legs on my own"Alabast rolls his eyes. "But thanks…"

"No problem" Ruby leans forward and rests her head on his shoulder.

Alabast can feel the light pressure from Ruby. He wonders how such a small girl can give off such a warm and comforting feeling.

Ruby pulls his arm. "Would you at least consider being with mul-"

"I'm sorry Ruby. But I don't think I deserve even one of you" Alabast looks up between the canopy of the trees and sees the shattered moon.

"Who cares what you do or don't deserve! What do you want?! It's okay to be selfish from time to time. And before you even bring it up… who cares what others think? Whether it's about you or us. That hasn't stopped you before, right?" Ruby grabs Alabast's sleeve as she tries to convince him.

Alabast closes his eyes as he tries to get his thoughts straight.

Ruby shakes him a small amount as she returns her head to his shoulder. "I would rather all of us girls be happy than one be happy while the others are sad. If that means that we have to share you… then it's not the worse thing in the world"

Before Alabast can respond, Ruby let's go of his arm and wraps her arms around him.

Ruby quietly speaks from her heart as she struggles to wrap her arms around Alabast. His back is much broader than she anticipated. "We don't know the specifics on how you grew up, but we can guess it wasn't easy. None of us can change your past, but we will do our best to change your future if you let us. You don't need to be alone anymore"

Those last words stick in Alabast's mind.

It takes a few minutes but Alabast eventually opens his eyes. He moves his right hand to the back of Ruby's head and moves his fingers through her hair. "How long did it take for you to come up with this little speech of yours?"

"A few hours, but now I'm kind of winging it. Hehehe…" Ruby bashfully admits.

"We're all lucky to have someone like you around. I didn't consider or even think of romance or love before you confessed earli-" He's cut off when Ruby pushes herself away from him.

"Me?! But you-" Ruby thought Alabast was the first to confess.

Alabast brings his left hand around Ruby's waist and pulls her onto his lap. His right hand presses her forehead back into his shoulder. "You misunderstood what I said at that time, but I meant every word of it. Either way, it works out"

Ruby moves some of Alabast's hair off his shoulder so she can breath. "Fine… but you were the first to confess…"

Alabast can picture Ruby puffing her cheeks out as she pouts. "It's getting late, we should-…. Ruby, did you come here alone?"

There is a sudden shift in Alabast's tone.

Ruby can tell Alabast has gotten serious and tries to look around but finds it difficult to do so thanks to Alabast's hold on her. "Yeah, w-why?"

"There's someone close by" Alabast whispers.

When Ruby does manage to turn to face where Alabast is looking all she can see are trees and shadows. She wonders what Alabast sees thanks to his night vision before she begins to fret that someone has been watching them. It's more embarrassment than anything else.

"Hold on tightly" Alabast whispers.

Before Ruby can ask why she feels the ground beneath her and Alabast fall away. She grabs onto Alabast's clothing as everything goes pitch black.

When Ruby opens her eyes next she finds herself still on Alabast's lap, but now they are deeper in the woods and up on a tree branch.

Looking down, the pair can see a black haired girl with a bow precisely placed on the top of her head. This girl has her back to the tree as she carefully peaks around it. However, she quickly begins to scan her surroundings when she no longer sees the targets of her eavesdropping.

"Blake?" Ruby can't help but question why her teammate is out here, especially when this teammate normally tries to stay away from Alabast. She remembers that Blake had silently listened to the groups conversation when she was talking with the other girls.

"Ruby?!" Blake whips around and looks up at her leader. She's about to ask how she got up there when she sees Alabast's looming figure behind Ruby. "Alabast?!"

Ruby turns around so that her back is pressed against Alabast's chest while her feet dangle over the branch. "Sooooo… how much have you heard?"

Blake freezes under Alabast's gaze. His crimson eyes sending a chill down her spine as she remembers his reputation back at the White Fang. He's completed missions that seemed impossible due to the exterior defenses of some locations. Now she has an idea of how he was able to slip in and leave unnoticed. "E-Enough…"

Alabast looks to his left an narrows his eyes, letting Blake relax a little bit. "Ren! Come out now along with the others, I know you're there!"

There are a few seconds where Ruby thinks Alabast has gone crazy before there is the sound of bushes ruffling and twigs snapping.

"He saw right through us Renny!" An energetic and familiar voice shouts.

Ren shakes his head while walking towards their leader. "Not now Nora"

He's followed by Nora, Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss.

Alabast watches them as the get closer. He had almost missed their presence due to Ren's semblance. It had changed from hiding his presence from Grimm to people as well. If Alabast hadn't watched him train it and given him advice then he wouldn't have been able to notice the group spying on him. "Care to explain yourselves?"

Yang jumps forward and raises her arms in the air. "Surprise~!?"