1. A bad encounter

There was a pile of work due the next day, and for once, the team was in solidarity on keeping the noise at minimum. But the universe conspired to make even the best laid plans go up in flames and the ensuing wildfire was inevitably sparked by JNPR, who made their entrance at ass o'clock when Nora kicked the door open.

"Doorknobs exist for a reason," Weiss muttered. Her desk was the only one facing the flecked beige wall, and she had to turn to face the intruders. She wanted to feel indignant at the brazen break-in, but she barely had energy left to blink. "What is going on?"

Nora, who rarely ever sported anything other than a grin, wore a expression Weiss recognized as 'punch first, ask questions later'. It made her menacing and more likely to break bones, as Jaune's bullies had discovered. Beside her, Ren looked more unkempt than Weiss could remember seeing, sleeves rolled up to his elbow, his green changsan blemished with oddly coloured scars. When she realised they were red, it set off alarms in her head.

A chill rolled over the previous atmosphere of warmth and camaraderie, but it was quickly chased by the screech of chair legs dragged against the floor. Yang's hair lit the room in a blaze of yellow. "What the hell happened?"

Everyone blinked at the emotion in her words. Yang was unanimously associated with easy smiles and bad humour, and this was the first time anyone heard her like this. Dangerous, a hint of steel in her voice making words sharp and biting. Blake took in her hunched back and clenched fists with alarm.

Yang was many things, but frightened was not a word Blake would use to describe her.

Ren and Nora stepped aside to reveal Ruby squished protectively between Pyrrha and Jaune. A quick glance at Pyrrha's face would betray nothing but calm, but the look in those emerald eyes reminded Weiss of the moment crystalline, red dust combusted in a brilliant and deadly explosion.

"We found her near the showers," Jaune said, peeling his hand off her shoulders with obvious reluctance. He glanced at Pyrrha and gently nudged Ruby forward. "A group of second years cornered her."

"They were saying some very descriptive things," Pyrrha continued, rubbing Ruby's head in small circles. "Once we realised what was happening, we decided to step in. You'd be happy to know I might have snapped a wrist or two."

"No breaks. Only sprains." Ren sounded disappointed. At Pyrrha's disbelieving look he added, "I checked after Nora hammered them into the wall."

"I would've broken their knees, but I figured we'd leave that to Professor Goodwitch." Nora said, smug. She cracked her knuckles. "I'm just happy I got in a couple of good hits."

For a single, terrifying second, the world went quiet. Everyone felt their pulse, a solid rhythm that pounded in their temples.

"Ruby–" Yang rushed forward, wounding her arms around the smaller girl tight enough it physically hurt to look at. Weiss could see Ruby trembling and it made her blood run cold. Her eyes darted to Pyrrha and she jerked her head. Pyrrha nodded and bent down to murmur in Jaune's ear. None of his usual humour was present in his eyes as he wordlessly coaxed his teammates out.

The silence that followed the click of the door was suffocating. Blake hovered around Ruby and Yang, torn between offering comfort or leaving them alone. Then she caught a familiar scent. White Fang patrols had wound into slums, bordering on gang brothels where scantily clad Faunus pushed their trade, and the scent of arousal had been imprinted in her mind year after year of the same, grueling work.

Blake's lips curled. "I'm going to murder them," she spat. Her eyes were narrowed, molten amber barely visible as she seethed and clenched her fists tight enough to make her nails dig into the flesh of her palm.

"I-I'm okay…" The trembling in Ruby's shoulders subsided as Yang gently stroked her hair. "I don't…" she sounded so small, Blake wanted to gather her in her arms to whisper soothing words until she sounded happy and bright again.

"Don't force yourself to speak." Yang soothed.

"I don't know why I panicked, p-people flirt with you all the time." Ruby fisted the material of Yang's nightgown. "I freaked out, I'm sorry–"

"Hey. Hey, take it easy. Deep breaths. Come on, let's sit."

Weiss ripped the covers off her bed and wrapped them around the shivering girl. Blake dug through her ration pack and left for the kitchette, returning a moment later with a mug of milk. It was straight from the thermos and warm to the touch. Ruby received it with a watery smile.

Yang cupped Ruby's hands when the mug trembled, and Blake didn't hesitate to climb into Weiss' bed to sling her arm around Ruby's shoulder. Weiss took her other side, pausing briefly to give her shoulder a squeeze.

"You remember how they look?" There was a cheer in Yang's voice, but the crimson bleeding into lilac betrayed her intentions. If her smile was a little sharp at the edges, well, none of them were in the mood to point it out. "I'm going to pay them a visit, get to know the bastards a little. Make an example out of what happens if someone make you cry."

"Language." Weiss chided. She ducked her head at Yang's disbelieving stare, saying, "Sorry. Habit."

Ruby stared at her silhouette in the milk. It was fragile and wobbly, mirroring how she felt. "I kept trying to walk away. I wasn't interested but they kept pushing, and–" She cut herself off. Her next words sounded even smaller. "It's stupid. I can face down a pack of Grimm but not this."

"This is different," Blake said. The thought of Ruby cowering under innuendos and sleazy pickup lines, flinching from grubby, calloused hands forced Blake to draw a calming breath."Even if they didn't have ill intentions and weren't going to actually do anything, they still scared you. Tried to force you into agreeing with something you obviously didn't want."

Weiss did not look convinced."We Schnee's have a veritable army of lawyers," she hinted.

"Do you think you could get me off the hook if I break their teeth?" Yang asked, looking thoughtful. Weiss nodded. "Certainly. I have them on speed dial, and we could have a plan of attack ready before they ever knew what hit them."

"Children." Blake rolled her eyes. "Please, no assassination attempts. Professor Goodwitch will give a lecture and it's the last thing we need."

Ruby erupted into giggles. It quelled the tension immediately, stopped their roiling stomachs and rising anger. Blake purred in relief as she nuzzled Ruby's hair. It smelled of roses and lavender and didn't make her eyes water like store bought brands, which meant she'd used Weiss'.

The three made a silent agreement through subtle nods and eye contact to formulate their revenge at a later date. For now, they watched in relief as Ruby took small sips of the milk, delighted in her growing smile. Blake left to pour extra cups of milk and Yang jumped at the opportunity to tickle Ruby's exposed feet.

Weiss sighed when Ruby wriggled back and forth to dodge her sister's fingers. "Dolts," she said, watching fondly as the sisters began a tickle fight that descended into an all-out war.

Blake returned to find three of them in heap, Yang laughing as Weiss struggled to escape her headlock. Ruby grinned, holding her partner's feet hostage to prevent her from delivering a swift kick to the blonde's shins.

Blake stared at the carnage and considered her options. She set down the mugs and joined the fray, laughing as her tail whipped across Yang's face.

2. Great benefits

"The one day my lunch isn't delivered, the school decides to serve this slop." Weiss sounded so utterly disgusted it drew a snort from Blake. The tone of voice wasn't anything new, but to hear it directed at something as inane as food tickled Blake's funny bone. She smothered the giggle that threatened to escape and went back to staring at her own tray.

"This, our dear heiress, is a typical school lunch." Yang announced, sliding into the seat opposite of them. She set down the tray in an approximation of someone dunking a ball into a hoop, and made a face when the contents jiggled. It wasn't the kind of jiggle she approved of, even looking at it did strange things to her stomach. "It's doubly gross today, which means we'll probably spend the afternoon in the bathroom if we so much as inhale the fumes. Also, pro tip, don't ask for dessert unless you want six types of food poisoning and a rash."

"Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience?" Weiss poked the sludge with her fork and grimaced when it shivered. Food was not supposed to be sentient.

"I tried my luck on the first day of school. I might have thought I had a second semblance, like a stomach made of iron," Yang said, "Spoiler alert. I didn't." Weiss remembered that day. She'd written Yang's absence off as the girl merely acting on her delinquent tendencies, she felt slightly guilty for that now.

"I've eaten better, and I once ate a snail." Blake piped up.

Weiss huffed. "That's considered a delicacy in Atlas, Blake."

"I ate it raw." Blake deadpanned. Weiss blinked. She slowly turned in the other direction to avoid traumatized, amber eyes. She returned to staring at her lunch, nudging it around the tray and watching as it slid back and forth. She was going to be sick.

Yang flung hers into the wall, ignoring the shocked stares from students around them at the blatant vandalism of school property. Blake's spoon hovered over the mossy concoction as she wondered if it tasted anything like snail, she didn't particularly feel like enacting a scene from her book where the side character's insides turned into grey mush.

"Why the long faces, team?" Ruby chirped. She settled beside Yang and immediately began eating. Weiss gasped.

"Ruby!" Blake winced. Actually, every Faunus in the continent of Vale winced. If being a huntress or an heiress didn't work out, Blake supposed Weiss could test glass for a living. Bullet proof windows were great and all, but were they Schnee proof? "Are you insane?! How is our team going to function if you fall ill!"

Ruby stopped chewing. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"The food, Rubes. Even I wouldn't touch the stuff with a ten-foot pole." Yang said, glancing at Ruby's tray. She did a double take, rubbing her eyes and squinting. "Wait a hot second. Blake, does her lunch look normal to you?"

Blake folded her arms, eyes widening in the realisation. "It does," she hissed, betrayal creeping into her voice.

"Hold on. I had no idea Beacon served fish, let alone salmon. It looks like it was even pan fried and drizzled in olive oil?" Weiss demanded. It was even topped with parsley! Ruby sliced a piece and speared it with her fork. She held it out, smiling at Weiss with her usual, doe like innocence. "It's pretty tasty. Here, have a taste."

Teeth closed around the offered utensil. Blake had lunged forward before anyone could react. Blake's eyes glossed over, the girl barely reacting as Weiss broke the sound barrier with her scream of outrage, threatening to freeze her in a block of ice. No one noticed as the tables in their vicinity were vacated, leaving the entire section unoccupied despite the crowd.

"It tastes…" Blake was in awe. "It's delicious."

"Bullshit. C'mon," Yang gestured at Ruby and pointed to her mouth. "Let me have a bite."

"Geez, get your own lunches, guys." Ruby complained but fed Yang anyway. "Now can I –hey, that's mine!"

Weiss ignored Ruby's indignant yell and devoured half the muffin she'd stolen in a vicious bite. Her tongue exploded with flavour, and she nearly cried as her taste buds sung with all the joy of an expertly negotiated contract. "A whole wheat, blueberry muffin." Weiss said, a dreamy quality to her voice. "It's official. I'm deceased."

Blake stared at the muffin in Weiss' hand and sighed enviously. It must have been a damned good muffin if it made Weiss borderline incoherent. "That doesn't even make sense. The poor fool has lost her mind."

"Weiss can't be deceased, because it'll mean we're deceased, too." Yang said. "And since this tastes like actual food, and not something scraped from the walls of a sewer, I'm totally sure this is real life." She raised a hand to her temple and mimed an explosion. "Boom."

"Since we're all playing 'Steal the leader's lunch,' I'm going to get another one." Ruby grumped, throwing her hands up. "I hope Opal still has extra muffins. Weiss, I'm making you sit in the corner when we get back to our room. You too, Blake."

"Who the heck is Opal?" Yang drummed her fingers, one finely trimmed eyebrow rising. Her other finger inched towards the leftover salmon. Blake hissed.

Ruby gave her The Look. "Opal, she's one of the lunch ladies. She gave us extra on our first day, remember? You guys!" Ruby scolded, looking disappointed. Weiss cowed under the upset, silver eyes and shielded her muffin. Blake glared at Yang, trying to murder the other girl with her eyes as the gloved hand closed in on her fish.

Ruby groaned. She took in the scene. Blake was snarling at Yang, who was holding the salmon in her hands and grinning like she'd won the lottery. Weiss hunched over the muffin in her hands and looked strangely emotional.

She shook her head. "…is everyone really that hungry?" Ruby decided to help her team get their lunches that day. Weiss totally did not cry into her hood, no matter what anyone said.

3. The letter C

"Um, did Ruby rob a bakery?" Blake had just gotten back from the library, a couple of reference books under her arm, only to find all manner of baked goods on every conceivable surface. There was a loaf of walnut bread on her bed, a cheesecake on Weiss' and a half-eaten pie on Yang's stomach. "What's with… all this?""

"Oh, right," Yang said, licking her lips. They were a mild shade of blue, likely blueberries. Blake tiptoed around a tray of muffins and deposited the books on her dresser. "You and Weiss haven't experienced Ruby's baking moods before. Welp, you're in luck."

Blake turned around and accidentally sent a frosted cupcake toppling to the ground with her elbow. "She made all this? Why?" She glowered at the patch of pink frosting smeared on the carpet. Damn, if only it wasn't her turn to do the laundry this week.

"Ruby stress bakes." Yang explained, taking a gigantic bite of the remaining pie. Blueberry filling dribbled down her chin. Blake rolled her eyes and dumped a wad of tissues into her lap before Yang could wipe it off with her fingers like a heathen. "She got stuck on her assignment and couldn't figure it out. It escalated, and well, turned into this. Can't say I'm complaining." Yang wiped her mouth and pointed at the chocolate cake sitting demurely on her desk. "Hand me that, would you?"

"You just finished an entire pie." Blake stated dryly.

"I got a separate stomach for cakes. Now, hand it over."

Blake huffed. She sidestepped a bag of cookies and grabbed the cake with her bare hands. Maintaining eye contact with Yang, she took a mouthful of the delicious, siren of a cake, and chewed. Yang gasped at the betrayal.

"I didn't take my lunch." She said with a light shrug, after swallowing. Yang made a noise of outrage just as Weiss walked in.

"Has anyone seen– why is there muffins on the ground?! Do you know how unsanitary that is?" Weiss said, "And why on remnant is there a cheesecake on my pillow?" She tottered over to her bed and cast her trademark Schnee look at the offending pastry. "Has no one heard of silverware?" She turned to look at Blake, then Yang.

Both girls mouthed, "Ruby."

Weiss massaged her temples. She couldn't leave her partner alone for more than two minutes without something absurd happening.

4. An apple a day

Ruby turned on her side and vomited into the pail.

Weiss soothed her with a strip of wet cloth, wiping the beads of sweat that gathered on her forehead. The room was quiet. Blake and Yang had left to retrieve medicine – Yang was panicking enough that she'd walked into the door, Blake decided it would be prudent to accompany her – which left the heiress with the task of caring their leader.

"Weiss," Ruby groaned pitifully, "Make the room stop spinning. My head hurts."

"Don't try to get up. It will only makes things worse." Weiss told her. She flexed her fingers and called on her semblance. It engulfed her hand in a gleam of light, and she used it to cool the alarmingly warm towel. Instead of resuming her gentle wipes of Ruby's forehead, her hands drifted lower, pressing the cloth against Ruby's neck. The younger girl shuddered as the heat of her body was temporarily chased away, giving way to a comfortable temperature.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your semblance?" Ruby murmured, eyelids drooping as blissed coldness made her drowsy.

"Only fifty times so far. Now stop talking," she chided, "Get some rest. I know you've been pulling all-nighters this past week, your body needs to recover."

"Kay…" Ruby yawned. " G'night." Under Weiss' watchful gaze, Ruby succumbed to sleep.

When she came to several hours later, she discovered her teammates sitting by the bed, lightly dozing after apparently taking care of her through the night. Not for the first time since Team RWBY was formed, Ruby felt her heart bursting with affection. She breathed deeply to check if her nose had cleared. She sneezed.

All three jolted awake. After a brief period of disorientation, they promptly smothered her with questions, handing her the medicine they'd liberated from the sick bay. Ruby downed a cup of water and let Yang tucked her back into Weiss' bed.

At Ruby's insistence that she was feeling better and not about to redecorate the room with vomit, they reluctantly left to obtain sustenance. Collapsing would do no one any favours.

Despite the stark silence of the empty room, Ruby didn't feel remotely lonely. She shut her eyes and drifted off, knowing her friends would be there the next time she woke.

5. Steel tornado

Team JNPR watched as Ruby met Cardin's wild swing with a controlled, upward slash of her scythe before side stepping his next move to deliver a devastating blow to his chest. Despite his armour, the heavyset boy felt the impact keenly and winced, stumbling back in an attempt to put distance between them. Yang could hit like a truck hurtling down the freeway, but Ruby was no slouch.

Nora alternated between biting her nails and throwing her fist in the air each time Ruby scored a hit. She booed when Cardin retaliated, though those moments were fairly rare. Beside her, Jaune narrated the fight under his breath as he followed the match with tense shoulders and the utmost concentration.

"I often forget Ruby was admitted into Beacon early for a reason," Pyrrha remarked, impressed by the display of flexibility, quick thinking, and plain ruthlessness in Ruby's attacks. "Cardin is practically an amateur next to her." That wasn't completely true, of course, but she'd rather eat glass than admit he was holding his own under the barrage of deadly blows.

"It's impressive when you consider the effort it takes to move so nimbly with a weapon like Crescent Rose." Ren added, nodding at Pyrrha's words. He could only guess how strong she must been grown after years of lugging it around. A wry smile twisted his lips as he glanced to his side, Yang preening at the praise directed at her baby sister.

She vibrated with excitement, barely keeping herself from leaping out of her seat and yelling encouragement. It was only Blake's hand on her shoulder that kept her from shedding her jacket and waving it like a flag.

Cardin smirked when Ruby's scythe blew past him by several inches, leaving her wide open. He knew he'd outlast her, all he needed was a solid hit to bag the win. "Try harder, brat," he taunted. He leapt at the opening, swinging his mace down like a clock's pendulum righted by gravity. The head of the mace sparked with the beginnings of a flame. Her aura would never hold against an impact strengthened by dust at such close quarters.

But Ruby merely smirked. Whipping around so fast a blast of rose petals caught him in the face, the audience watched as she ran circles around him – literally – creating a crimson tornado that sent him rocketing towards the barrier separating the stage from the stands. Pyrrha blinked in surprise, filing the info away. Now that was certainly new.

He hit the barrier head first and slumped to ground, unconscious. For all his posturing, Cardin had terrible aura management. A hit to the head wouldn't have caused that much damage if he had evenly coated his body with his aura.

Ruby gently nudged the mace with the tip of her boot and watched in satisfaction as the fire winked out. Turning to Professor Goodwitch, she returned the woman's impressed look with a sunny smile.

"RUBY WINS!" Yang hollered, breaking free of Blake's claw like grasp and shedding her jacket, twirling it above her head. Nora joined her, adding, "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!" The class soon descended into chaos as students chimed in and shook the very foundations of Beacon with their chanting. Professor Goodwitch rubbed her temples and shot the girl a dry look.

Ruby returned it with a confused smile, and scratched her head. "Boy," she said, "Everyone must really hate Cardin."

"Never change, Miss Rose."

6. Big and small

"Ruby, trust me on this." Yang protested, shoving the clothes she'd picked into her sister's arms. Ruby made a face. "You'd look awesome in these. You might not be top heavy, but you've got legs for miles."

"Yaaaang!"

Yang rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Come on, just try it on. Please?" She clasped her hands together. "Pretty please with chocolate chip on top?"

"I'm not five anymore." Ruby complained. She stared morosely at the pile in her hands. "…Do I have to?"

"You need a new outfit for Team CFVY's graduation. I'm paying for it, so you can't complain." Yang said, and shooed her into the dressing room. "Now c'mon, the longer you drag this on, the longer we're going to be here. The movie starts in forty five minutes and I know you'll spend at least fifteen choosing which snacks to get."

"Fine." Ruby whined, slouching as she slunk into the dressing room.

Yang shook her head. Getting Ruby new clothes was worse than trying to get her to the dentist. At least the dental office had weapon magazines to distract from Ruby from the inevitable pain – here, there were only clothes and fashion accessories for miles.

Minutes ticked by before Yang knocked on the door. "Rubes, how's it going in there?"

"Huh... I actually think I look pretty awesome." Ruby called back, sounding pleased. Yang did a mental fist pump.

"See! When has my fashion sense ever failed you?"

"Yang, you dressed me in a hotdog suit for Halloween!"

"Yeah, and it was amazing." Yang grinned at the memory. Their Dad had gone loco at the sight of them and snapped a million pictures to commemorate it. "Don't act like you didn't have fun. You kept asking to switch outfits with me because you wanted to say 'Ex-squeeze me' to the neighbours."

"A mustard bottle is way cooler than a hot dog." Ruby fired back.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, come outside so I can get a good look at you." Yang said. There was a brief scuff of sneakers from inside the dressing room, followed by aloud thump and an even louder yelp. "Anytime today, lil' sis."

When Ruby finally stepped out, Yang whistled. Ruby groaned, fighting the blush in her cheeks as she shyly scuffed the ground with the tip of her sneakers.

"See, you look great!"

"I look a normal girl with normal knees! And also, I really like these pants." Ruby said, patting the sides, "It's got a ton of pockets. See, there's one here, here, and here." Her girl pockets problems were solved forever.

Yang ruffled her hair affectionately. "Glad I could help. I know tank tops aren't your thing, but the design reminded me of your emblem. Plus, it's silver. Pair it with this beauty of a jacket, and voila." Yang proudly clapped her on the back. "I won't be surprised if people start tossing their scroll numbers at you when you wear this at Beacon."

Ruby bit her lip, suddenly looking thoughtful. "You think I could get cookie samples if I wore this into bakeries?" she said, rolling the sleeve of the jacket between her fingers.

Yang shrugged. "I dunno, but it won't hurt to try." She considered her words, and started chuckling. "Even if it doesn't, you'd still get them, anyway. After all, who could resist your cute face?"

"Argh, Yang!" Ruby cried, "Let go of my cheeks!"

As Yang relentlessly continued to tease her, Ruby kind of understood why Uncle Qrow had once said having a sister was both a curse, and a blessing.

7. Caretaker

As Blake returned to consciousness, she was struck by how heavy her head felt. It was like someone had stuffed it full of sand and nailed it to the floor. No matter how much she tried she couldn't lift her head a single inch off the obscenely fluffy pillow. Her consequent groan, resembling a decade old engine in raspiness, was eclipsed by the clackof stilettos against the tiles.

A head of raven hair entered her peripheral vision, Blake could faintly make out a condescending sneer as the girl stared down at her.

"It seems one of the drunkards finally decided to return to the land of the living." The sultry croon was the final wave that burst the dam, the memories of the previous night rushing into her head. Blake pressed a shaky finger to her temple as her mind spun like an out of control top, dread at her current state overpowered by the embarrassing flashes of memory.

"Oh hell," Blake whimpered.

"Melanie! Get your head off Ruby's lap and bring the kitty something to drink." As a testament to how awful she felt, Blake didn't bat an eye at the demeaning term and merely shut her eyes. Her mouth felt downright awful and she couldn't taste anything that wasn't day old spit. She'd sell her kidney for a glass of water to rinse the disgusting taste off her tongue.

There was a faint whoosh before a chirped, "Chin up, Blake!" had the faunus cringing into her pillow. Did Ruby have to speak in a timbre high enough to mimic dog whistles? Regardless, she swallowed her complaints and did as she was told. Fingers came to rest beneath her chin and the rim of the glass met her lips. When it sloped, iced water spilled into her mouth, flushing away the alcoholic regret that lingered.

"What would I ever do without you?" Blake sighed.

"End up cuffed in a police station, sold for prostitution…" The girl, Malachite, she recalled, listed dryly. "I could go on, but I wouldn't want to worsen your hangover." Wow, she was certainly crankier than the one who was actually suffering from headaches and the perpetual feeling of wanting to vomit.

Ruby frowned. "Don't be mean. No one likes a meanie."

"Sorry." Malachite offered, voice far softer than it had any right to be. "It was just a bad joke."

"Your face is a bad joke." Blake muttered.

Ruby tapped her nose, cheeks puffed. "You, too. That was uncalled for. They've been really nice to us, especially after what you three did last night. We're lucky Junior didn't call the cops!"

"How could he, after you looked at him like he kicked a puppy?" Malachite answered with a giggle. Blake's eyebrow knitted. The cops…? Oh, right. The image of Yang leaping up from the bar and punching the disco ball flashed through her mind. Ruby had a point, it would be in bad taste if she acted crabby, even the pint sized woman hid the personality of a raging bitch.

"Thanks, I guess." The reluctant apology tasted like ash on her lips. It was gratifying to see Ruby's wide smile, however. "Where's Yang and Weiss?"

"In the employee lounge. You kinda drew the short stick, sleeping out here and all." Ruby offered Blake an apologetic smile. "There weren't enough beds. Sorry." Blake shook her head and gave her a grateful smile.

"It's fine. I'm used to sleeping wherever I can."

"Ruby." A gruff voice stole Ruby's attention, and the younger girl turned towards the source with a chirp of acknowledgement. Feeling her leader's presence disappear from her side, Blake shut her eyes, the sting of the overhead lights becoming too painful to bear. She could hear the other girl snickering but ignored it as her headache threatened a return.

Distantly, she could hear Junior talking to Ruby in a hushed voice, something about having just bought cookies and milk, and not having to worry about the damages. Blake's mouth twitched. Weiss had once mentioned that no one was immune to Ruby's charms. As with most things, she was uncannily accurate.

Blake didn't realize she had drifted off until a cool hand pressed against her forehead. Ruby's scent, a mix of roses and gunpowder, comforted her immensely. She felt the tension melting from her body despite the unfamiliar surroundings.

If someone had told a younger Blake she would find a group of people she'd be able to trust more than Adam, she'd have scoffed in their face. But Team RWBY was exactly that – it didn't matter where they were, or what they faced. Just being near them settled the storm of anxiety and fear in her heart.

With a quiet sigh, Blake listened to Ruby's tuneless hum, and let herself fall into sleep's gentle embrace.

AN: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. The format is heavily inspired by FruitPastilles' story, A Golden Voice. I've been meaning to write a full on Ruby centric fic, so here you go. A huge thanks to Drednaught for the last prompt. I basically love it when every single character dotes on Ruby, it's honestly so freaking adorable.

As always, thank you guys for reading and leaving reviews! I might be a procrastinating piece of trash, but I do read all of the reviews for most of my stories. As per my one month a story schedule currently, see y'all next month.