9

Chapter 9: A Show Of Force

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Ruby laid on top of one of the shipping containers that overlooked the docks. They had been staking out the area for at least an hour now. Blake laid down beside her, scanning the skies and what they could see of the horizon for any activity. The dock workers had finished unloading everything about thirty minutes ago, and now the place was deserted.

Across from them, overlooking the other side of the docks, Weiss and Yang provided a second pair of eyes, themselves perched another one of the massive shipping containers. Opposite sides gave them excellent coverage over the landing area where they expected Torchwick to make his approach. Meanwhile, Jaune had deployed JNPR as a perimeter watch and patrol. They were covering the gate that lead into the docks, turning away anyone who might happen to accidently wander into something they shouldn't.

The docks were getting dark, and Ruby was reliant on Blake's enhanced vision more with each passing moment. "Do you think they'll show up?" Ruby asked her partner. Sure, they were on a stakeout, but Brothers was it a boring one. Some conversation would really help.

"I'm… Yes. I think they will." Her partner replied.

"I hope it's soon… I should've brought food." Ruby grumbled.

Blake gave a light laugh. "You'll survive."

I mean, yeah, of course she would, but that wouldn't stop her from daydreaming (nightdreaming?) about cookies, cakes, and candy.

"So… who was that guy you mentioned that you met down in Vale?" Ruby asked. If they had told Blake about the White Fang, it was better to ask and be safe rather than sorry.

"A student from another kingdom, here for the Vytal festival. Sun, I think his name was. Good guy." Blake responded, still focused on looking for their target. Ruby, of course, instantly recognized the name! But when did Blake have the time to meet Sun down in Vale? And how would he have told her about the White Fang?

"How did he know the White Fang was involved?" Ruby asked. Blake froze, and Ruby was just about to press her further when she spoke up.

"There they are." She pointed towards the sky. Sure enough, off in the distance Ruby could just barely see something. Her conversation forgotten, she waved over to Yang and Weiss as a signal to get ready and shot a pre-arranged message to Jaune on her scroll. Her sister waved back and Jaune confirmed he got the message.

The pair watched the ship descend and touchdown. The engines roared ever louder, and Ruby couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Blake's ears. The wind picked up as the ship neared the ground. Ruby and Blake were already in combat mode, muscles tensed, assessing their surroundings, and ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. Even though she couldn't see the others, her view blocked by the airship, she was sure they were in the same mentality.

Several White Fang members exited and one of the members started shouting orders. Guess that meant he was the leader. The crew had hardly a moment to work before the distinctive drawl of one Roman Torchwick interrupted them. "What's the hold-up?" He said, emerging from the airship. "We're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment."

Ruby and Blake moved to the edge of their crate and dropped onto the ground. Blake silently, Ruby with as much stealth as she could muster with her voluminous cape. Both drew their weapons. As they had agreed prior, Blake proceeded towards Torchwick while Ruby shadowed her, ready to provide support.

Torchwick belittled the white fang leader as the henchmen busied themselves with trying to figure out how to get open as many of the dust-filled shipping crates as possible. None of them noticing the creeping shadow of Blake. With the skill of a true expert, she was able to get directly behind Torchwick and put her sword to his throat.

"No one move!" She shouted. Ruby came out of the shadows and pointed her scythe at the White Fang goons, who had all startled before drawing weapons and flocking to Torchwick, who chuckled to himself.

"Right on time, kitty-cat." He grinned even with the blade to his throat.

On time?? Was Torchwick expecting them?? Had he already known that they were going to be here?? Ruby instinctively suspected an ambush. They hadn't seen anyone, and Jaune had checked in, but that didn't mean that simultaneously more white fang hadn't surrounded the docks while Torchwick landed. She fought the urge to look around for her teammates. The white fang members were already eyeing her, and she could see the gears turning in their head for how many of them it would take to subdue her. If Ruby looked away for a moment, they would pounce. So, she kept her focus on the enemies in front of her, and trusted Jaune and his team to handle anything unexpected.

"So, looks like you're switching things up a little bit. Hello, Little Red, isn't it past your bed time?" The criminal joked. He was remarkably calm for someone with a sword to his throat.

"Call your men off or I'll put an end to your little operation." Roman just rolled his eyes, or at least the one eye. Ruby couldn't see the other one. But it would be really weird if he could just roll a single eye, like she was pretty sure- gah! She was getting distracted. Focus!

"I wouldn't call it a 'little operation'." Roman said loudly as two more ships lowered themselves and spilled out more than a dozen White Fang goons onto the docks. They raised their weapons to Ruby and Blake, who were clearly outgunned now.

"I wouldn't do that." Yang stepped out of the shadows, Weiss at her side, weapons ready.

"Well, you aren't banana boy and laser girl." Roman quipped. Blake pressed the blade against his neck. Roman tried to lean back to avoid getting nicked by the blade.

"Shut up." She ordered.

Roman sighed. "So uncivilized. This is why you animals are always on the losing side." Roman's form shifted into an incorporeal black smoke. He passed harmlessly through Blake's blade, and walked a few paces before reforming. Ruby and Blake stared dumb-founded at the criminal.

"Sheesh, no need for the look girls." Roman grinned cockily. "You would think you've never seen a semblance before." Roman told one of his goons. He studied their confused reactions. "Wait, is this actually new for the two of you?" He laughed. "Huh-ho, this must be so exciting for you! Now then, we can all discuss this like civilized folk-"

Blake cut him off mid-sentence by attacking. She sprinted towards him, chaos erupting all at once. Roman raised Melodic Cudgel to defend himself as Blake drew both of her swords and slashed wildly. Ruby rushed to her partner's side to aide her as Weiss and Yang busied themselves with the White Fang goons. Ruby heard the distinctive sound of her sister discharging Ember Cecilia and the yelp of one of the goons going down, but she was still worried that they could be overwhelmed. Her fears were unfounded though, as one screaming Nora catapulted herself into the fray, probably having launched herself off one either Jaune or Pyrrha's shield, sending one of the goons tumbling straight into a wooden create, which smashed apart at the impact. The rest of JNPR arrived on the scene to assist right after. Safe in the knowledge that the six of them would be enough, she entrusted Jaune to lead them while she focused entirely on Torchwick.

Roman laughed to himself as he parried blow after blow from Blake's weapon. Still, Blake was launching herself at him in an impressive display of coordination and skill, and more than once he had to use his new semblance to let the blade harmlessly pass through him. Sensing he was on the losing end, he created a bit of distance by using his semblance to pass through a nearby chain link fence. As Blake hopped over it, he used his stupid fireworks launcher to launch a firework at Blake as she landed.

Ruby swapped out with her partner, twirling her massive scythe and dispelling the projectile before pressing in on Torchwick herself. She twirled Crescent Rose and used her semblance to come at him from all angles.

More ships arrived, spraying fire down into the docks to try and help their cronies. Pyrrha and Jaune shielded themselves and their team as Nora used grenades to either force the airships down or risk taking a grenade to the face. Weiss created a large glyph using gravity dust to protect her and Yang.

Ruby and Blake had silently agreed to a plan of getting Torchwick to exhaust his aura in order to negate his semblance. He was having to use it more and more, and the strain seemed to be starting to get to him. Ruby switched her scythe into its war mode, giving her the extra few inches she needed to stab Torchwick in the shoulder.

"Ack!" He yelled and jerked his shoulder away as his aura flickered. "Forgot you could do that." He panted. "Ladies, as much fun as I'm having here, you've got me outmatched. I concede, so why don't we talk terms?"

"We can talk once you're in jail." Blake spat back. Roman tutted and shook his head.

"Afraid that won't be tonight. Rain check? I've already read that story, and I don't like the ending. I really did come just to talk this time, you know."

"You were going to steal this dust and use it to build bombs!" Ruby shouted back. Roman just shrugged apathetically.

"You don't have to watch. I'll do it when your back is turned. You both know why I need this dust. Don't you want to know what's really going on here? What actually happened to the two of you? Maybe we grab blonde boy too." Roman looked from Ruby to Blake and back again. Ruby wasn't going to fall for the ruse, and Blake looked equally determined not to give an inch. Torchwick was just spouting whatever lie he thought would get him out of here. "So, that's a no to chatting then? Really? Neither of you want to know?" He said, disbelieving.

"I think we both know plenty." Blake stated. Roman gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Well, being reasonable was never one of your best qualities. Little Red? No? Alright. Until we meet again, and—we will meet again." Roman gave up on fighting completely, and ran straight through them with his semblance with the last of his aura. Blake tried to grab at him, but her hand only met air.

He rushed unto the ship he had come in on, only to take off with roaring, violent gusts of wind, and one last taunting tipping of his hat before disappearing, took off with roar of the engine and gust of wind as if to add to his taunting display.

Ruby didn't even bother trying to run after him, the moment she had seen his semblance, she realized any plan to capture him, even if that was their goal, wasn't going to be happening today. They would need a new plan to deal with his latest trick. Instead, she finally turned her attention to her teammates and friends. However, they already had the situation well in hand, with unconscious or surrendered White Fang members littering the docks.

Ruby checked in with Jaune, who was panting from exertion, but otherwise just fine. Their entire team was. They had gone up against probably three times their number, and left with barely a scratch. Guess that meant their training had toughened them up enough.

Blake had already caught up with Yang and Weiss as Ruby joined them.

"-like a hot knife through butter. I mean, did they even train these guys??" Yang joked with her teammates.

All of them still had post-fight adrenaline in their veins when the authorities showed up. They quickly informed them of the situation and the White Fang members were taken into custody. The police took each of the students statements and explained they couldn't just let them go, muttering sideways about "smarmy kids in training." Instead they were going to be released into the custody of Beacon, which Ruby and Jaune had counted on.

---

"Well, this has been an eventful evening." Ozpin leaned on his cane as he entered the room, his ever-present mug of hot chocolate in hand. Ruby and Jaune sat at the table in the center, their teammates having been separated from them when they returned to Beacon. "I'm sure that after a night of thwarting attempted robbery you both probably just want to go home and take a nap. But, I was hoping we could have a chance to talk."

"Of course." Ruby said.

"Wonderful. As you know, my academy champions many values that huntsmen and huntresses should uphold. Bravery, honor, determination. Your teams have displayed those qualities tonight in spades."

"Thank you, professor." Jaune said. The professor took a sip from his mug and sat on the opposite side of the table.

"When the two of you enrolled at my school, I expected great things from you both. Mister Arc, your transcripts spoke for themselves, and were even high enough for you to be exempt from the usual physical examination. I am glad to say that you have not disappointed.

"Miss Rose, you come from a family with a storied history at Beacon. You are living up to your mother's reputation and aptitude for combat and, it appears, perhaps mischief as well.

"This latest display however, goes well beyond what is expected of Beacon students. You've confronted quite the adversary tonight. Please, tell me, how did you find yourselves at the docks? All eight of you, no less. Perhaps at the right place at the right time? You wouldn't be the first."

Ozpin was giving them an obvious out, but Ruby and Jaune had agreed beforehand what their response would be. "We heard about what was going to happen, and thought it was our duty to stop it." Ruby replied.

"You decided against contacting the authorities?" Ozpin questioned without missing a beat.

"We only found out yesterday, and had to move quickly." Jaune answered.

"I assume the two of you were the ones who found out then?" Ozpin asked. Jaune nodded. "And your teammates?"

"We told them about the danger, and convinced them to help us. We would've gone by ourselves if we had to." Ruby replied.

Ozpin digested their responses. Ruby couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she never really could. The only time she had seen him agitated was when Jinn was on the cusp of revealing his darkest secret. Aside from that, and especially before Oscar, he was a master at concealing his intentions and emotions.

"Do you know why I made the two of you team leaders?" Ozpin asked. Ruby looked over at Jaune, who shrugged.

"Um, uh, no, we don't." Ruby stuttered. She had kinda always chalked it up to be one of those things she'd never learn. It seemed silly to ask Oscar after Beacon fell, one of those things that just didn't matter anymore. Why did it matter now?

"It was the only way to make the team names work." Ozpin informed them. Both of them must've looked puzzled by the simplicity of the answer, because the headmaster smiled before continuing. "Because someone had to be. It was only coincidence that it was the two of you. It could have been anyone, should the cards fall their way.

"Any student is just as capable of performing in the position as any other. There would have been bumps, roadblocks to overcome, but any student here at Beacon could fulfill the role with as much aptitude as any other."

Ozpin paused to gauge whether the lesson he was trying to impart has reached his pupils. Based on the continued puzzled stares he received in return, the lesson had not taken root. "I'm curious just how you heard about a major attack by a criminal organization, or how you convinced your entire teams to participate. While I may not find all the answers I am looking for, you would do well to remember that your teammates deserve not to be kept in the dark.

"What happened tonight is not an isolated incident." Ozpin's tone was suddenly gravely serious. "I may be your headmaster, but I am also a huntsman. And it is my sworn duty to protect this world from the forces that conspire against it."

He gave the two of them a few moments to speak up on their own accord before continuing. "Ruby, Jaune, are you sure there is nothing else you would like to tell me?"

"We're sure." Jaune answered. Ruby nodded in agreement. There would be a time for that, but it wasn't now. Ozpin let an almost imperceptible frown come across his face.

"Very well. Thank you for your time, Miss Rose and Mister Arc." He got up to leave, but paused in the doorway. "If you ever need to talk to me, please, don't hesitate to ask."

Ruby and Jaune left to meet back up with their teams at the dorms.

"He's suspicious of us." Jaune said once they were out of earshot from the tower.

"Mhm." Ruby nodded her head. "The next time we make a move, he'll be watching." And that was exactly what they wanted.

---

Ozpin sat at his office desk, looking over several documents regarding the night's events.

"Come in," he said as the elevator dinged. Glynda stepped into his office.

"I've compiled the statements from each of the other students. All of them say the same thing, that the team leaders convinced them of the danger, and the necessity of taking action themselves." Glynda placed the stack of papers on his desk. Ozpin glanced at the first, a one Miss Belladonna's report being on top.

"Thank you." Ozpin paused. "And what might your opinion of all this be?" Glynda crossed her arms and leaned against the desk, in lieu of taking a seat herself.

"They've done a great service for the kingdom tonight. If those criminals had been able to carry out their attack, Vale could have been in great danger. Beacon should be proud it has such students." She kept her face hard.

"That is your professional opinion?" A nod from Glynda. "And your personal one?"

Glynda uncrossed her arms and took a seat. "A criminal the caliber of Roman Torchwick would not have given away his plans beforehand. It begs the question: just how did our students find out about it?" Ozpin nodded.

"You don't believe they stumbled onto this by accident?" He asked. Glynda gave him a look.

"Do you? Look at the geography," she pointed to the various points marked on a miniature map of the docks in Miss Belladonna's report. "They are situated in the best places for an ambush, complete with a perimeter watch and guarded exists. If I was looking to ambush a pack of migrating beowolves, I would set my teams up in much the same fashion."

"What about the White Fang? Perhaps one of them betrayed the scheme?" Ozpin played devil's advocate.

"The White Fang members who are all now in custody? Unlikely. Besides, one of the students would have to make contact with them to receive the information."

Ozpin's gaze once again flickered over to Miss Belladonna's report. Perhaps… "Regardless of how they received the information, the fact remains that they conducted their own operation to catch those responsible." Ozpin stated.

"I'd call it reckless, but it's clear they were more than a match for their opponents. I'm sure you've been reading my evaluations from our combat course-"

"Of course." They were on Ozpin's to-do list. Glynda glared at him before continuing, clearly not buying the fib.

"-but these two teams are some of the most gifted first years I have ever seen. Pyrrha was exceptional from day one, which was to be expected given her stature. However, Ruby, Blake, and Jaune have all shown extreme competence. The four of them together could rival any professional huntsman team in a couple years. Their teammates were nothing of note when they arrived, but each has had significant improvements, far in excess of their other classmates."

That was worth mentioning. Reading those evaluations climbed a few rungs on Ozpin's to-do list, at least for RWBY and JNPR. "What would you assess to be the reason for that improvement?" He asked. Glynda hesitated before responding.

"Normally, you understand, I would say that their teammates are training them. It's not uncommon for exceptional students to assist their teammates. However, in such cases, the trained students inevitably pick up traits and quirks from the fighting style of whoever trained them. Yet each student has developed in their own way, a fighting style that is uniquely suited to them."

Rapid personal growth, independent objectives, and an understanding that far surpassed what they should have. A troubling combination. "What is your overall assessment of the situation then?" He asked his second in command.

Glynda did not hesitate to respond. "This was a show of force. An introduction. To what ends I do not know, but clearly this was meant to get our attention." Ozpin was inclined to agree. Glynda continued. "Do you think this could have something to do with her?" Who her referenced needed no explanation.

"It's possible. I am not willing to rule it out yet. However, it does seem quite unlikely, what with the young Miss Rose involved." Left unsaid was her personal connection to Salem through her mother, even if she did not know it yet. "Currently, it seems most likely that they represent some new third-party."

It was not the first time some third-party force came between Ozpin and Salem's eternal struggle. Usually, either Ozpin was able to co-opt the group for his own purposes, or Salem was. Though more than once Salem had chosen to destroy the rogue group when it became apparent they would not serve her interests.

"More observation is in order. This should be a priority for us." Ozpin instructed Glynda. She nodded, and he was confident that she would take whatever steps she thought necessary. She turned to leave the office, and Ozpin watched her go before looking over the reports in more depth.

Not only were they set up expecting an attack, but they had been staking out the area. This was no random coincidence. Far from it. But to what end…

He shuffled around the many papers on his desk until he uncovered the combat evaluations that Glynda mentioned. There were at least three times as many notes for each of them then for other students. Ozpin sighed. He would need another mug of hot chocolate.

He adjourned his study for the small kitchenette that was next to his study for a refill. With the delicious elixir in hand, he sat down to page through the reports that he assured Glynda he had studiously read.

'End of Semester Evaluations: First Years'

Ozpin flipped through the pages until he came upon the first of the pairs of interest.

'Partner names: Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos

Designation: Arkos

Assessment: S'

The special designation used denoting that an individual, partnership, or team may be useful in the fight against Salem.

'Notes: Arkos displays astounding aptitude when it comes to combat. Miss Nikos already possessed remarkable abilities prior to her entrance, but her partner complements her style and abilities. Her combat experience allows her to excel against all manners of opponents, regardless of origin or weapon.

Her partner, Mister Arc, is a stalwart defender. His damage output is far less than the average student, however his defensive nature means that any student paired with him becomes nigh invincible. When paired with Miss Nikos, this nigh invincibility becomes near true invincibility.

While both are individually impressive for their own reasons, together they are more than the sum of their parts. Miss Nikos has a clear understanding of her role within the duo, and is far more aggressive when fighting with him than she is when fighting alone, at times bordering on reckless. However, in such situations, her partner is able to tip the balance back in their favor without fail with his successful blocks. In such a case, is it really recklessness?

Mister Arc is able to put up such a defense that most pairs do not land a hit on either of them. He demonstrates a superior understanding of Miss Nikos' fighting style, as would be required in order to perform at such a high level. However, I get the distinct impression that this understanding only goes one way. Miss Nikos, while understanding her role, could leverage her partner's abilities to a greater extent in the future.

Finally, and perhaps to their greatest credit, both achieve this without utilizing their semblances, making them the envy of the rest of the students. This is in spite of the fact that both of their semblances are on record (Polarity and Aura Amplification respectively, see SD-1-814 for details).'

Ozpin read with mounting surprise. He had always had his eye on Miss Nikos, but Mister Arc was a surprise. He could still remember when the boy's application had crossed his desk. At the time, he had clearly thought it was fake, but let the boy in anyway. Enthusiasm was a quality all its own, and any who were willing to fight the grimm were valuable. He could wash out with little consequence if it proved to be too much.

Yet it seems as though now he was thriving. If he had such an aptitude below the surface, why go to such lengths to create a transcript that was so suspicious? The pair was clearly worthy of their 'S' assessment, at least when it came to combat, but it took far more than just combat aptitude in order to be of help when fighting Salem.

Ozpin flipped further still to the other team leaders file.

'Partner names: Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna

Designation: Ladybug

Assessment: S'

Yet another 'S'. Two within the first years was unprecedented. Perhaps the third- or fourth-years would have such a concentration, but first years?

'Notes: Ladybug displays the greatest innate teamwork of any partner pairing of the first years. They are able to instinctively adapt to one another, and to any situation without the need to communicate more than a few words to one another. Combine this with having two of the most mobile semblances, and the duo is able to overcome nearly any opponent.

Miss Rose is a terror, short and simple. Her mobility with her semblance is unmatched, her dexterity is frightening, and her power is not to be underestimated. Scythes are notoriously unwieldy weapons, but hers has become nothing less than extension of her body, performing whatever motions she wishes for it. Her fighting is loud, and she rarely makes attempts at deceiving her opponent, instead choosing to engage threats head-on. However, I believe this is a conscious choice which complements her partner's skillset.

Miss Belladonna is a surprising combination of high mobility and high power. Her defense sometimes leaves something to be desired, but becomes a moot point when she is able to simply sidestep any danger and attack with incredible precision. More than once she has led an opponent to believe that they are able to score a hit, only to step around them and score a hit of her own (with or without her semblance).

As a partnership, the pair is able to trade roles as the situation demands it. Both have an innate understanding of the others style, abilities, limits, desired role, and capabilities. This allows fluid transitions that would make most third-years envious. This, combined with their on-the-spot problem solving makes them a formidable pair.

It is quite astounding to watch them both come up with the same solution to a complex problem mid-fight, then execute on it perfectly, all without the need to communicate.'

… Perhaps Ozpin had better sit-in on one of these classes next semester. From such a strict disciplinarian as Glynda, these were nothing short of recommendation letters. Ozpin skimmed the other pairs for the team. Miss Xiao Long and Miss Schnee were given an assessment of 'A'. 'It has become clear that the two have stepped out of their teammates shadow. Though they are not their equals, they have none-the-less found something that has worked for them, and begun displaying a great deal of trust for one another.' Meanwhile, Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie received an assessment of 'B', but Glynda did note that they were by far the most improved partnership of the entire year.

Neither were bad ratings, but they did not have the glowing quality that their opposites did. No, if something was happening within those teams it seemed contained, for the moment, to the Arkos and Ladybug partnerships.

Ozpin tapped his fingers against his desk, and contemplated.

---

Ruby grabbed a tray of food in the cafeteria. Today was her favorite, pizza. Not just any pizza too, pineapple and ham pizza. Beside her, Blake turned up her nose at her partner's choice, and went for anchovy pizza instead. Ruby couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" Blake turned towards her and tried to conceal a sly smile.

"Oh nothing! Just, anchovies." Ruby jokingly stuck out her tongue and teased her partner. Ruby didn't have to mention why that tickled her so much for Blake to get the message. She just shook her head.

"Pineapple and ham suits you just as well."

The pair continued chatting idly as they moved through the line until they were able to join Jaune and Pyrrha at their table. Well, not that was their table, but she was pretty sure they were the only people who ever sat there. So yeah, their table!

The pair had grabbed matching bland and boring pepperoni pizza.

"-and then I asked Ozpin if we were getting parachutes-" Pyrrha laughed at Jaune's story while he gave a dorky grin.

"Hey guys!" Ruby interrupted.

"Oh, hey Ruby!" Jaune turned clumsily. Ruby and Blake took their seats opposite Jaune and Pyrrha. Pyrrha greeted each of them in turn.

"How do you guys think you did on finals?" Ruby asked to make conversation.

"I believe that I was adequately prepared, and the exams themselves were nothing unexpected." Pyrrha, of course, gave a formal response.

"I'm glad that the physical didn't put us against each other. I would've used up all my energy." Jaune said. Blake nodded in agreement.

"It was easier than I thought it would be." She added. Ruby thought so too, but that was probably just because she had studied so much, oh and the fact that she had taken them all before.

"I'm just glad it'll be another half a year before we have to do it all again." Jaune said. "So uh, I don't know what you guys have planned for the semester break, but every year my family visits this small town in Anima called Shion. I was thinking that it could be fun to go all together."

Oh right, Shion! Ruby was looking forward to seeing what it was supposed to look like. Jaune had talked about his memories of it so pleasantly, it would be nice to go and see it for real. Ruby enthusiastically agreed.

"That sounds awesome! Count me in! What about you, Blake?" Blake contemplated the idea before responding.

"How far is Shion from Mistral itself?" She asked.

"It's across the lake from the city. But there's a town that's kinda close, Higanbana, that has a regular airship transport to the city. It's a few days' travel, but Pyrrha was already planning on making the trip. You could join her!" Jaune replied. Blake looked over at Pyrrha with her brow raised.

"I have family in Mistral, I thought it would be a wonderful time to visit them." Pyrrha said.

"Would you mind having me along?" Blake asked.

"It would be my pleasure." Pyrrha responded. Ruby grinned and bumped her partner playfully. Blake just smiled and went back to eating her pizza. Pyrrha and Blake being absent for a few days would give Ruby and Jaune all the cover they needed to visit Oscar. Not that Ruby wasn't looking forward to spending more time with her partner, but they were there for a mission after all.

"What about Ren and Nora?" Ruby asked in-between bites.

"They weren't interested. Nora said she'd seen enough of that continent for a lifetime, and Ren only shook his head all stoic like. You know what I mean." Jaune answered. Ruby did know what he meant. She could totally picture it in her mind perfectly.

"Huh. Mind if we ask Yang and Weiss if they want to join us?" Ruby asked. She was pretty sure her sister was going to jump at the chance. Nature on Patch, while plentiful, was mostly unsafe. Yang would love going somewhere new.

"Sure, just lemme know as soon as you can. There's only a couple airships over the break."

Ruby nodded and smiled back at Jaune. Camping was going to be awesome! Though Jaune had made her promise not to hug poor Oscar when they saw him. It wasn't her fault she missed him so much! She had barely gotten a chance to even catch up with him after leaving the void before everything exploded, and before that she was, well, in the void!

But first, more pizza. Ruby popped up and went over to grab herself more. "Do you mind getting me some tea?" Blake asked as she departed.

"Sure! Your favorite?" Ruby replied. Blake smiled softly up at her.

"Please, and thank you, Ruby." Ruby beamed down at her partner.

"No problem!"

---

Yang was spending an awesome afternoon lazily watching videos on her scroll with Weiss on her bed. Now that they were done with exams for the semester, she felt absolutely no shame in being a slug for the day. They had already done their training that morning, and Yang wasn't going to press Weiss to do more if she wasn't. Given just how comfy Weiss looked snuggled against her, a blanket over them and her head resting on Yang's shoulder, afternoon training looked like it was cancelled too. Which suited her just fine.

She did her best to crane her neck to look over at her partner. She looked so peaceful, so content. The casual touches that used to be a rarity had become normal. Yang could still remember how Weiss would bristle whenever she was touched, but now, Weiss took every opportunity she could for casual contact.

At this point Yang had no idea what they were watching. Something about how dust rounds are manufactured. Weiss had picked it out after they had watched a couple episodes of one of Yang's shows together. She was pretty sure she knew how this all ended though, with both of them falling asleep. They were firmly on that path until the door suddenly slammed open and an excited Ruby came through.

Weiss and Yang both startled awake, and Weiss quickly moved to put at least a respectable distance between the two of them. Yang fought the instinct to stay by her.

"What's up sis?" Yang asked.

"Hey! Okay, so—you know how it's the semester break?" Yang nodded. "Jaune invited us to go camping with him in Anima! His family has this spot they go each year in a town called Shion, and we thought it could be a great way to spend our break!" Ruby gestured excitedly. Yang hopped down from her bunk.

"No way! I've always wanted to go camping in Anima!" She turned to Weiss. "Rubes and I used to go camping in Patch, but the island has terrible camp grounds. They're tiny and there's nothing fun to do." She explained.

"Camping? In Anima?" Weiss asked. She fidgeted and made a face before looking away. "I… don't know…" Clearly, she was less than enthusiastic about the idea.

"Aww, c'mon Weiss, it'll be fun! We can go hiking, and roast marshmallows by the fire!" Ruby tried to persuade her. Yang could see from her partner's face that Weiss clearly wasn't comfortable with the idea.

"Y-You know, I think I'd rather stay in Vale for the break." Yang spoke up. "Between classes and training, I haven't gotten to see the city much. I was thinking it'd be great to explore our new home away from home over the break." She told Ruby, before turning to Weiss. "If you're not up for camping, we could explore Vale together, since it's new for you too." Weiss immediately looked relieved and nodded.

"That would be lovely, thank you." She said.

"Aww, you guys are gonna be missing out!" Ruby prattled on excitedly. "Blake and Pyrrha are coming with us and we're going fishing! Blake's going to teach me how to catch a fish with my bare hands!! Oh- that reminds me, I need to go into Vale and get marshmallows. I don't think I'd find any in Shion." Ruby turned to exit in just as much of a whirlwind as she had entered. "Catch you guys for dinner tonight!" She shut the door behind her.

"You didn't have to do that." Weiss said immediately. Yang waved her off.

"I've wanted to explore Vale more, and I can always go camping another time. Got the rest of my life for it. Plus, I wasn't going to abandon you over the break."

"Well, thank you. I'll repay the favor." Weiss stated matter-of-factly. Yang snickered. "What??" Weiss demanded.

"You don't have to repay anything, Weiss. I like spending time with you. Even if you weren't my partner I'd still want to be your friend."

"You… would?" Weiss asked.

"Uh, yeah? You know we all would." Yeah held her arms up. Wasn't that obvious at this point? Nonetheless, Weiss did her best to hide a broad smile.

"Gods, how can you say that so openly." Weiss shook her head. "Then, in the interest of spending more time together, would you like to continue watching this with me?" She gestured to Yang's scroll, still laying abandoned on her bunk. Yang laughed and climbed up onto her bunk to settle back in with Weiss.

"I'd love to, snow angel."

"Good. I miss my space heater." Weiss replied. Yang gave another full laugh and even Weiss smiled at her own joke. This time Yang felt no hesitation at all when she wrapped her arm around Weiss and drew her close.

Notes:

Chapter 9! The long awaited (at least for me!) docks fight has happened now. Bit of a length chapter, the first to break 6k words.

With this chapter, we've passed 40k words. Which is longer than one of my favorite childhood books, Hatchet (which is where my love of the survival genre comes from). When I think back on that book, I'm amazed just how much they were able to pack into just 40k words. By comparison, I feel like I've covered nothing at all. What was that Mark Twain quote? "If I had more time, I would've written a shorter letter." Writing this has been a really fun experience. I never thought I would get this far and I still have so much more to share.

The other news of interest is that this is now my most popular story, finally surpassing the kudos count from my bees oneshot (it surpassed the hits of everything long ago). I could tell that this week would be when that happened, I'm glued to the metrics of this story far more than I would ever want to admit.

But yeah! Thanks for reading everyone, and commenting! I derive so much joy from all of your comments, and I've been doing my best to learn from each and every one.

Until next week, where we go camping!