9

Ruby and her team wandered through Vale, admiring the decorations that were being put in place for the upcoming Vytal Festival. They stopped in front of a banner that read: 'Welcome to Vale'. Weiss smiled as she marvelled at the exotic sights that surrounded her.

"Oh, the Vytal Festival! This has to be one of the most delightful festivals that's ever been celebrated in Vale!" Blake and Yang gaped at Weiss as if she had grown another head. They had never seen the Ice Queen get so excited before.

Ruby zoomed up beside her, wrapping her arm around the waist of the tiny girl. "Yeah, Weiss! This'll be great!" Weiss flushed at Ruby's proximity to her. She was so close she could literally feel the heat radiating from Ruby's person. But as quick as the warmth came, it was gone all the same as Ruby ran off on her own. Weiss felt a slither of disappointment run through her, but she quickly dismissed it.

"Oooh, I can't wait! I've always loved this festival!" Ruby squealed in delight, darting from stall to stall.

"I don't see why you two love this thing so much?" Yang asked when she caught up with Ruby, trying to keep up with the zippy little crimsonette.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Weiss gasped. "It's a festival dedicated to the different cultures of the world! There'll be dancing, parades, and a tournament to test the strength of hunters and huntresses alike! Oh, the amount of planning going into this event is simply astounding!"

"Gee, Weiss, you sure know how to make a good thing sound boring." Yang sighed, teasingly as she folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Be quiet you!" Weiss' shrill cry made the others laugh; their laughter only increasing at the nasty glare she gave them.

Ship Docks

The group rested at the docks, watching as the ships which most likely carried the contestants and spectators arrive.

"Remind me again, why we're wasting our Friday afternoon at the stupid docks?" Yang was getting restless and you could hear it in her tone. Dull and exasperated.

"I heard that the ships from Vacuo are supposed to arrive today." Everyone turned to Weiss as she explained. "And as a representative of Beacon, it's my duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

Blake crossed her arms and turned to Yang. "Oh, please. She wants to spy on them so she can have an advantage for the tournament." Blake smirked at the offended look Weiss gave her.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss was proving to be quite the comedic act for them today as Blake and Yang laughed at her again.

"Hey, has anyone seen, Ruby?" Lavender eyes scanned the area for their sibling, only to spot her standing near what appeared to be a crime scene.

"Hey, you!" A gruff voice shouted.

Ruby raised her hands in panic. "I didn't do it! I mean, sure, I like to break stuff, but I go to the forest to do that!"

"What? I was going to say, don't get too close to the crime scene." Ruby sighed in relief, the rest arriving soon after.

"What happened here?"

"Robbery, second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place it turning into a jungle." The officer grumbled as he left. They were still within hearing distance to listen in on the conversation between the two officers.

"They left all the money again." One officer said.

"Yeah, it doesn't make a lick of sense. Who would need that much Dust?" The other officer asked.

"Does it look like I know?"

"You think it's the White Fang?"

"I think we don't get paid enough." The officer walked away, his partner following him.

"Ugh, the White Fang. They're just a bunch of lawless degenerates." Weiss sneered, her tone venomous. Ruby sneaked a glance at Blake, observing her reaction. From what had happened the other day between the two, Ruby knew the White Fang was a very sore subject for Blake to talk about. She flinched, however, when she saw the scowl on Blake's face.

"What's your problem?" Blake gritted out, trying to keep her voice devoid of any emotion, but her hands told another story. They were twitching with barely restrained anger.

'Uh-oh, this could get ugly.' Ruby thought, shifting her eyes between the two passionate girls.

"My problem?" Weiss scoffed, "Sorry, if I don't have any compassion for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang are hardly a bunch of psychopaths, they're just misguided!" Blake was losing control and she knew it. If she didn't reign in her emotions, she knew she would slip.

"Misguided?!" Weiss balked. Was Blake really defending those...those miscreants?! "They want to wipe every single human off the face of this planet!"

"Well then, they're very misguided!" Blake said, quickly looked away. She took a deep breath before she continued. "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."

"Hm, Blake's got a point. Besides, they didn't catch that Torchwick guy, maybe it was him."

"It doesn't change the fact that group of faunus are a bunch of scum." Blake stifled the growl that threatened to escape her throat. "Those faunus know only how to lie, cheat, and steal."

Ruby drooped at the way things were looking. Blake was getting more annoyed by the second and Weiss was only adding fuel to Blake's vexation with her tirade.

'Oh, Weiss...' Ruby sighed before she walked up to the heiress and flicked her forehead. "Hey!" Weiss cried, rubbing her forehead, looking at Ruby for an explanation.

"I know you're family has a history with the White Fang, Weiss, but not all faunus are like that. Some are actually really nice," Ruby stole a glance at Blake, "so try to be a bit more lenient, yeah?" She voiced, a faint grin on her lips. Weiss exhaled sharply before she folded her arms and looked elsewhere.

The walk back to the docks was silent. The tension in the air was thick enough that Yang thought she would choke on it. Her jokes may have been able to dispel the pressure in some situations, but she doubted they would work in one like this. In fact, she might've even made things worse, so she decided it would be best if she kept quiet.

Ruby noticed Blake trailing behind them, anger still evident in her expression. Stealthily, she slunked back, letting Yang and Weiss walk in front of her. Ruby sidled up beside her disgruntled teammate, pulled out her headphones and placed them on Blake's head. Blake looked at her curiously. Just what was the girl planning?

"Here, I heard music can help you relax. Listen to…'Memories of School', it's very calming." Ruby said as she fiddled with her scroll, smiling up when she found the song.

Soft music soon flowed through Blake's ears; the melody smooth and peaceful, just like Ruby had said. She visibly relaxed as she listened to the piece of music. Blake sent a soft smile at Ruby. "Thank you, Ruby."

"You're wel-" Before Ruby could say anything else, a yell from the docks captured their attention. Thinking something was wrong, the team bolted to the docks and saw two police officers chasing a blonde haired boy—a monkey faunus when Ruby looked at him closely—who had jumped from the boat. He was hanging from a lamp post, eating a banana.

'I wonder who he is.' Ruby thought as she watched the blonde monkey faunus throw the banana peel at one of the officer's face; the distraction allowing him to escape with ease. Ruby noticed as he ran by them, he winked at Blake and for some reason, she felt irked by that action. She stuck her leg out the same time the boy ran past her and watched as he tripped and fell. Nevertheless, he quickly got back up and ran.

"Ruby, why'd you do that?" Blake asked.

"I honestly don't know why." Ruby said, confused as well at her deed. 'He just winked at Blake, a harmless act, so why did I trip him up? Was I...jealous?' The sound of Blake's voice broke Ruby from her musings.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition and there he goes." Blake muttered.

"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss said as she gave chase, the others running after her as she pursued the boy. They kept on his tail for a while (no pun intended) before Weiss turned the corner and bumped into someone and crashed to the ground.

Weiss rubbed her head, looking up to see that the monkey faunus had escaped her sight. "Darn it! He got away!"

Ruby, Blake, and Yang stopped near Weiss, observing the scene before them as their silver haired teammate sat on an orange haired girl.

"Um…Weiss." Yang called, pointing down when Weiss turned to her.

Weiss looked down and realized she had a girl pinned beneath. "Ah! I'm sorry!" She quickly scrambled off the girl so she could get up.

"Sal-u-tations!" The orange haired girl greeted with a smile, still lying on the sidewalk.

"Um, hello." Ruby said, unsurely.

"Are you…okay?" Yang asked, puzzled by the girl's antics.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking." She beamed.

"Do you...want to get up?" Yang asked again.

A pensive overtook the girl's before she answered. "...Yes!" She placed the palm of her hands on the pavement and popped up off the ground. The action making everyone except for Ruby back away. "My name is Penny. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Uh, did you hit your head or somethi-" Blake hit Yang in her side before she could finish her question. "Oh, Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Penny said, that same unnerving smile present on her face.

"You said that before." Weiss rose a brow and crossed her arms.

Penny blankly stared before she smiled again. "So I did."

"Right," She narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Anyway, I'm sorry for running into you." Weiss apologized before they started to leave.

"Take care, friend." Ruby waved as they walked away from the strange girl. Once they turned the corner, Weiss continued her search.

"Well, she's kinda weird." Yang said, only for Blake to elbow her again.

"Now, where did that faunus riff raff go to?" Weiss stated, blatantly.

They back-pedalled when they saw Penny standing in front of them.

"Wha-How did you," Weiss stammered, looking back and forth from where Penny had originally been.

"What did you say?" Penny said as she took a step forward.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think you could hear me!" Yang panicked.

"Not you, you." Penny walked past everyone and stood in front of Ruby. "You called me friend, am I really your friend?"

"Yup." Ruby answered with no hesitation, completely ignoring the negative shakes her teammates were giving her.

"Sensational! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Penny said, quite excited at the prospect of having a friend.

"Sure, we could definitely do those things." Ruby said. 'Though I'm not sure about the cute boys part. Cute girls on the other hand.'

"Anyways, what are you doing in Vale?" Yang queried.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament!" Penny beamed.

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?"

"I'm combat ready!" Penny said with a salute.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss said, not convinced by what she saw.

"Says the girl in a dress." Blake jeered, Yang snickering behind her.

"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss defended.

"Yeah!" Ruby appeared behind her in support, high fiving Weiss as she held out her hand. 'Sweet! Weiss gave me a high five!' Ruby cheered.

"Wait a minute... if you're here for the tournament, then do you know that monkey tailed rapscallion?"

"Who?" Penny asked with a confused face.

"That filthy faunus from the boat!" Weiss said as she pulled out a poorly drawn picture. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Why do you keep saying that?! Stop calling him rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake yelled.

'Oh boy, back to square one.' Ruby shook her head as she watched both Blake and Weiss resume their previous argument.

"Where did you even get that picture?" Ruby asked, but was completely ignored as Weiss and Blake were too wrapped up with one another.

"I think it's time to go." Yang said, standing next to Ruby.

"Where to?"

"Home, I guess." Ruby and Yang looked at the two bickering girls before they looked back to each other and nodded. Ruby grabbed Weiss and Yang grabbed Blake as they dragged their respective partners back to the dorm.

Dorms: Team RWBY

Ruby and Yang continued to watch Blake and Weiss argue. They had even been fighting when Ruby and Yang were dragging them. Would those two ever give it a rest?

"The faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!" Weiss said, heatedly.

"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake shot back.

"Sis, you got any ideas?" Ruby's eyes showed how tired she truly was. Both from today and the monochrome pair's constant fighting.

Yang sighed. "I don't." She knew exactly how Ruby felt. She felt the same way as well; tired and drained.

"It's because of people like Cardin, people like you; that the White Fang are taking such drastic measures!" Blake's answer took Weiss by surprise, effectively silencing her for a while before she sent an equally as fiery reply back at Blake.

Ruby held a hand to her chest, a strange pain bubbling beneath the surface. "I-I need to take a walk." Ruby said under her breath as she walked out of the room. She entered the lobby, and sat down on a nearby bench.

'What's this strange feeling. I've seen friends fight with each other, but when I saw those two fight, I felt something...different.' Ruby sighed. The sound of footsteps pattering on the pavement grasped her attention. She looked up and saw a dark figure running through the night.

"Blake?" She breathed.

Ruby got up and followed her when she noticed the crestfallen look on Blake's face. She hid behind a tree when she saw her stop and watched from there. Ruby gazed closely as Blake removed her bow; a familiar face walking towards her. Blake talked to the blonde faunus, before they walked away from Beacon. Acting on instinct, Ruby held her hand out in the direction Blake went and took a step forward, but stopped herself.

"No, the fight must've gotten out of hand." She chewed her lip. "S-She needs her space right now." The words felt forced as they left her mouth, as if she didn't believe them. That strange pain she felt before had returned ten fold as she watched Blake leave with that boy.

Ruby arrived at the dorm room two hours later after painfully watching Blake leave. She noted that Yang and Weiss were already asleep. "I thought they would be still up, but I guess this day was stressful for everyone, so it's understandable." Ruby changed into her pyjamas and went to bed, hoping nothing bad happened to Blake.

Next Morning

A cloud of gloom hovered above Ruby's head as she trudged down the hallways. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night courtesy of her restless shifting during the night as her worry for Blake won out against a good night's rest. Add to the equation no news on Blake's whereabouts and you get a miserable and sulking Ruby.

'Maybe I should have went after her.' Ruby's miserable thinking had been broken when she heard a familiar voice cry out in distress. She whirled to see Velvet being backed into a corner by Cardin and his team. 'Oh great, just who I need to make my day even more miserable.'

"Please, leave me alone." Team CRDL laughed as the rabbit faunus cowered before them, but Cardin stopped laughing when he realized he was the only one laughing. The beating of footsteps made him look right to see his team running away.

"What's wrong with you gu-?" Cardin froze when a rose petal landed on his nose. He slowly turned around, praying to Remnant it wasn't who he thought it was. Unfortunately, Remnant didn't see fit to help him as his frightened gaze met Ruby's almost demonic gaze; the rose petals floating only adding to the daunting look. Cardin felt sweat trickle down his back. He turned back to Velvet and bowed, saying: "I'm sorry!" before he dashed off in the same direction as his team.

Ruby looked back to Velvet, noticing how the girl was standing still with a confused expression. She sent a weak wave at her as she walked over to the brunette. "Hey Velvet, what are you doing?"

"Uh..." Velvet peered in the direction Cardin and his team disappeared in. She nodded her head in comprehension once she understood what made them run. "Nothing, I was looking for my team leader."

"Coco? I think I saw her in the cafeteria." Ruby said with a small hint of sadness, but Velvet easily picked up on it; knowing all too well that cold and lonely feeling.

"Is there something wrong? You sound a little down." Velvet had never seen the girl look so down before. She looked pale and tired, almost sickly. The slight bags under her eyes signalling she didn't get any sleep.

Ruby heaved a sigh. "Blake left and hasn't returned yet. I won't say why because I made a promise with her; a promise I intend to keep."

"Blake left?!" Velvet gasped at learning of her best friend's abrupt departure.

"Yeah, and I don't know what to do!" Ruby whined and buried her hands in her hair.

"Well, I think you should go look for her." Velvet offered, giggling at the uncertainty in the girl's weary silver eyes. "It's clear you care for her very much and she's your teammate. Why don't you go look for her? It's is the responsibility of the team leader to make sure their team is okay."

"You're right," Ruby wiped her nose in her sleeve. "If I'm gonna be leader, I need to act like one. Thanks for making me realize that, Velvet." Gone was the sorrow and tiredness that filled Ruby's eyes; determination now taking root. Sulking wasn't a trait of a good leader—No, she'd have to take charge and prove she was a good leader.

"It's no problem, Ruby. You've helped me before, I think it's time I repaid you." Velvet smiled. "What are you going to do to bring Blake back?"

"I'm gonna get my teammates and go search for her." Ruby grabbed Velvet's hand and held it while she stared into her eyes. "Velvet, do mind helping me?"

Velvet blushed from how close Ruby was to her. Those silver eyes only making her blush darken. "Uh, I-I...Okay."

Ruby smiled when she heard her bunny friend had agreed to help her. 'Don't worry, Blake. I'm coming for you.'