A/N: Here we are! Well its a few days later than I would have liked but for me a few days late is pretty good! And you guys are incredible! All the follows and reviews and stuff are awesome! So I won't hold you up with my ramblings, enjoy!

Chapter 3: Dark Wings, Pale Blades

The day was clear and dry, a faint breeze blew across the hard stones to gently caress the skin with whispers of the coming fall. Alcranz Schnee sighed contentedly to himself looking up at the pale overcast sky that was blocking the most powerful rays of the sun to leave the day cool and shady, but he also judged that the clouds were not dark enough to warrant much worry about walking back to the keep in the rain. The slate gray stones of the valley fortress towered into the sky just before him as he approached, blocking more and more of the pale sky from view.

As he entered the fortress proper soldiers snapped to attention saluting him smartly, their manner and dress was quite good for having a surprise visit, although he'd be willing to bet Qrow would have them doing drills and scrubbing floors after he left just for posterity, it was part of the job. In the meantime he enjoyed the military atmosphere; it was a pleasant change from the overly stuffy and cordial meanderings of court politics. A large grizzled soldier standing guard on the wall above the gatehouse turned to him and saluted, this one had clearly seen some combat in defense of the city, Alcranz returned the salute and gave him a curt nod as he passed, the soldier grunted slightly as he returned to his watch, a glimmer of real respect in his eyes.

Alcranz liked military matters, he liked to think he was rather good at them too, but leading great armies to war was not how he wished to be remembered, no war was well and good when you had to do it but actively seeking it out was not wise, if his hundreds of years of life had taught him anything it was that. These thoughts passed through his mind as he slowly worked his way through the fortress, finally arriving at a small stone balcony hanging from the side of one of the tallest towers. The balcony gave a good vantage of the pass approaching the fortified gate, relatively steep and devoid of all but the hardiest mountain plant life, the area to either side of the road was stony and treacherous underfoot, an almost perfect natural defense for the fortress. The young sentry manning the balcony seemed petrified by his quiet appearance.

"Could you find someone to fetch me a bottle of liqueur and a glass?" He asked mildly.

The sentry finally overcame his shock, snapped off a rigid salute and took off back into the fortress to find a servant. Alcranz smiled slightly to himself and sat down at the small wooden table that was on the balcony. Not too long later he had a goblet of blood liqueur and had dismissed the servant; he had learned in his time with Qrow that it was better to be found than go looking. He was rewarded not too much later when Qrow materialized in the seat across from him after he turned his head to look out at the valley entrance, this didn't startle him in fact he had rather been expecting something like that.

"Good morning Qrow." He said simply taking a sip from his cup.

"Damn, that's another trick that doesn't work anymore." Qrow replied with a wry smirk.

Alcranz scoffed smirking himself. "I'm sure you'll think of something, you always do."

"Well I have a reputation to uphold." Qrow replied.

Alcranz fully turned his attention towards the man now with their pleasantries done, Qrow looked a bit odd for captain of the guard, he was not overly muscled nor did he often tramp around in full armor, but instead wore a black pin striped suit vest over a gray silk undershirt, with a blood red kerchief tucked into the vest pocket. Although it could not currently be seen Alcranz knew the kerchief was embroidered with his personal winged cog emblem in gray thread. Black dress pants and black dress shoes, and finally topped with a tattered and torn black cloak lined with dark red satin. He had coarse gray hair covering his jaw to match the two tone gray/black hair on his head; Alcranz wasn't sure if that was a sign of the man's age or if he was merely like that. He would have fit the role of spymaster better than guard captain but his looks had not stopped him from doing both yet.

Qrow saw the small smile on Alcranz's face fall into a tight line. "How come you never told me Summer had a daughter?"

Qrow's eyes widened for a moment. "How? Did you find out? I didn't think you'd go searching."

"I didn't, Weiss hired her as a personal attendant last week, I would have taken no notice of that if not for Weiss' interest in the girl, she drinks from Ruby." Alcranz said leaning forward until his elbows were on the small table.

Qrow's face was hard set in thought, before his eyes flicked sideways to look at Alcranz. "She's Taiyang's you know."

"I suppose that doesn't surprise me… he's still in the city isn't he?" Alcranz replied.

Qrow shrugged. "Technically yes, he works on the merchant fleet so he's gone for most of the year."

"And he just leaves his daughters behind?" He asked somewhat shocked. "Yang that was his eldests' name right?"

Again Qrow nodded. "Yes, I think he originally took that job to get away from the grief, Summer's death really hit him hard."

"Her sacrifice hit all of us, saved the whole damn city." Alcranz shook his head. "But still just to abandon his own daughters like that?"

"He got better, but he still needed the income and nowhere else would hire him for more money than with the fleet, even given that I've been helping support them while he's gone." Qrow replied shaking his head. "He's missed most of their lives trying to make sure they don't starve to death."

"From what I've heard they were getting pretty close to that anyway." Alcranz said evenly leaning back in his chair again.

Qrow's brow twitched and his fist clenched on the table. "Yang's to dust damned headstrong for her own good, she won't take more money from me, what in the hell does she think I need it for?"

"It shouldn't be an issue any more, I've instructed Glynda to pay her handsomely for her service." Alcranz replied waving his hand dismissively. Qrow looked up at him some of the stress falling from his shoulders. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"No, I haven't." Qrow sighed heavily and suddenly looking much older. "Summer asked me not to before she left, Ruby was still just a little girl then." He sighed exasperatedly this time. "I don't know why she didn't want you to know, maybe for fear of what you would have done afterwards."

"What I would have done? What taken her in and given her a good life?" Alcranz asked incredulously.

"Would you have taken Taiyang in too? Or would you have separated her from her father? Her sister?" Qrow retorted.

Alcranz deflated the red anger that had been rising in his pale cheeks drained away. "I would have adopted her…" He offered meekly.

"Qrow shook his head, Taiyang would never have let you." Alcranz frowned deeply into his drink. "Still." Qrow continued. "Maybe it would have been better if you had, I don't think Summer imagined their life would be this hard, but I promised her."

Alcranz nodded. "I suppose it doesn't matter now, I can help Ruby and her sister now. Summer deserves much more than that from me but that is what I can do for now."

Qrow nodded looking off into the valley letting a long moment of silence pass between them.

"There is other news I have to pass to you though." Qrow said grimly, changing topic.

"Oh? From your scouts?" Alcranz asked.

"Yes, about Taurus." Qrow said simply.

"Oh… black news indeed." Alcranz cursed darkly under his breath. "Well ignoring it won't make it go away, tell me."

Ruby sat in the plush armchair that she had essentially claimed as her own in Weiss' large study, reading as Weiss sat and worked. Her desk was now strewn with a wide variety of ornate swords, the product of the blacksmiths that hoped to win the contest. Over the past few days she had narrowed it down to two blades that currently sat side by side on the desk before her. With a rush of movement Weiss stood snatching one blade off the desk and delivering a series of blows to an imagined opponent behind her. Ruby calmly turned the page, it was only about the twentieth time she had done that. Weiss sighed lowering the blade and straightened some from her pose.

She turned the blade in her hand examining it for the hundredth time. "Ruby?"

Ruby had her place in the book marked, the book down on the seat, and was standing beside Weiss hands folded neatly in front of her within a few moments of the question. "Yes Miss?"

"You said your Uncle was Qrow correct? The Guard captain?" Weiss asked walking slowly to the front of her desk laying the sword down as she passed around it to gaze out the massive window.

"Aye Miss." Ruby replied standing where she was, merely following Weiss with her eyes as she moved. She had found over the past week that Weiss liked to stand there in front of the window as she thought, sometimes pacing before it.

"Have you ever had any lessons with weapons" Weiss asked twisting herself to look back at her.

Ruby nodded with a slight mischievous smirk. "Aye Miss quite a few, though I always preferred the halberd over most weapons."

Weiss cocked an eyebrow as she ran that mental picture through her head, trying it out, it didn't quite mesh in her head properly. "That's… not what I would have guessed."

Ruby shrugged indifferently. "I learned a lot about weapons in general though, swords included."

Weiss fully turned to face her, letting the dim light of dusk outline her body against the window, arms crossed behind her back. "Try that blade then." Weiss said motioning with a slight tilt of her head.

Ruby stepped forward and picked up the blade, it was an elegantly ornamented saber. A long white silver blade that shone like a mirror meeting up with an ornate golden basket guard and a black leather pommel. She stood posing with the sword and taking a few experimental swings, lunges, and parries with it.

When she was done Weiss turned a questioning look towards her. "It is a beautiful blade, the decoration is magnificent, but besides that it's not an especially good blade, the balance is fine but it is just a saber if a particularly fine looking one."

Weiss nodded soberly. "Very similar to my own thoughts, the hand guard there is also a problem however, it's mostly gold very little steel so that the balance would not be off, I very much doubt it would stop any really attack."

Ruby looked back to the sword in her hand examining the delicately engraved handguard more closely.

"Try the other blade" Weiss said as she began pacing slowly in front of the window.

She set down the sword and tried the other, this one a heavier one-sided straight sword with a rounded tip, the blade did not shimmer like silver but rather appeared to have dark gray smoke swirling just beneath its surface. The blade attached to a simple knuckle guard with a smaller, but sturdier looking, ring hand guard rather than a full basket, and again black leather adorned the pommel although this was smooth leather. The pommel was also ornamented with several decorative gold and jeweled bits that looked as though they had been added as an afterthought, and upon closer inspection the leather grip appeared askew as though it had been re-wrapped. The smith mark on the flat of the blade was familiar.

"This is from the smith my sister works for!" She said surprised. "Yang probably worked on this blade." Ruby thought to herself.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

Ruby nodded.

Weiss hummed thoughtfully, but nodded for her to continue.

Again she put the blade through its paces, swinging, chopping, lunging, and parrying. She frowned at it as she finished.

"Thoughts?" Weiss asked again.

"This blade is better, stronger steel and better for than the saber for a foot soldier, the blade is heavier less elegant but more practical…" She frowned again looking to Weiss. "But the weird ornamentation throws off the balance and the grip is a bit slippery and ill fitted."

"Exactly so." Weiss replied nodding, her eyes wandering off to the side to look at nothing in particular as she thought.

Ruby set the sword down and walked around the desk to stand before Weiss, waiting patiently while the vampiress thought. Weiss' eyes wandered over to her after a moment, Ruby watched as her pupils flicked over her form briefly before locking her beautiful crystal blue eyes to her own silver ones. Ruby always seemed to lose herself in those eyes, the thin slit pupils rimmed with the barest hint of ruby red. Weiss' tongue flicked over one of her fangs, Ruby stepped closer, her heart beginning to beat a little faster. Weiss drank from her at least once a day, sometimes twice but not usually, always at least once though. She didn't quite know why it excited her so, she felt almost like an addict leaning in closer waiting for the jolt of warmth. Weiss' arms settled around her waist pulling their bodies flush together, her own arms found their way around the vampire's shoulders bringing their faces close together. The sensation was so strange like a warm fuzzy blanket wrapped around her whole body, intimate almost sexual; she wondered if Weiss felt the same way. Weiss' warm breath ghosted over her neck as she slowly maneuvered her head into the crook next to Ruby's head. It wasn't exciting like adrenaline; it didn't make her blood run screaming through her veins, it was calm, warm, sedate. Like lying in bed on a cold winter morning, or napping in the sun shine on a breezy day. Weiss' fangs pierced her, her mouth went dry as a hot breath puffed from her followed by a quick sharp inhale, Weiss' fingers dug into the small of her back, she could feel the vampires heartbeat match hers for a moment, and then it was over. Weiss' mouth moved away from the four red marks marring her otherwise pale skin, her tongue greedily going over the punctures for every last taste. They parted slightly and Ruby found those big blue eyes locked with her own again. There were stirrings deep in those crystal skies, swirling clouds of emotion that Ruby could not decipher, she wondered what the vampire saw in her own eyes?

And then the spell was broken, Weiss stepped back to a more normal speaking distance and coughed into her fist. "Thank you Ruby."

"Of course Miss." Ruby replied looking away as her face heated with a blush.

She had done this plenty of times now, it really shouldn't embarrass her like this anymore, even though she kept telling herself that the burning blush stayed on her face.

"It's gotten dark." Weiss said suddenly breaking Ruby out of her thoughts.

Weiss was looking out the window, her face tilted up slightly so that the pale starlight gently illuminated her features. Ruby nodded even though Weiss was turned away from her as she turned looking out the darkened window herself.

"I will walk you home." Weiss decided after a short moment of silence.

"Miss?" Ruby asked surprised by the offer.

"Yes, the streets can be dangerous for pretty young girls at night." Weiss replied smirking as she glanced at Ruby out of the corner of her eye, breaking into a full grin as the young woman blushed and spluttered.

"I-If you insist Miss, b-but I can take care of myself!" She added stubbornly.

Weiss was fairly convinced she could too, but she had other reasons for wanting to tag along. "Gather your things then and let us depart."

Ruby nodded quickly gathering the few things she brought with her every day before they descended to the castle courtyard. Ruby pulled her cloak tighter about herself as they stepped out from the relative comfort of the castle into the chill of the night air. Weiss saw this and felt the cool air herself, making a mental note to see how she could acquire a cloak of her own. Or… did she have one? She thought back, "Yes there was that fur cloak given to me as a gift by the northern traders, how long ago was that?" She wondered if the garment still existed or if it had deteriorated quietly locked away in her closet. That happened every now and again when you lived as long as a vampire.

She thought of this as she walked with Ruby down the cold starlit streets, it was not yet late enough for the moon to edge it's way above the mountains. She could tell Ruby was only having minor difficulties navigating the cobblestone streets in the relative darkness. Weiss' vampiric eyes had no such trouble. She had a friend that was both a vampire and a cat Faunus, Weiss was convinced the girl couldn't see darkness, twilight at best with that combination. She smiled a little to herself, it had been a long time since she had last seen Blake.

The walk to Ruby's simple home did not take long and they were not accosted by brigands or thieves on their journey, although they had crossed paths with a guard patrol hauling a drunk out of the gutter. They had snapped to attention once they noticed and the captain had offered to have his patrol act as her temporary honor guard. She had turned him down but offered to take him up on her way back to the castle, once they had dealt with the drunk. Her father often talked about mingling with the common soldiers, mutual respect and recognition. It made sense to Weiss and it was easy to do every now and then.

"Ah uhm, t-thank you for walking me home Miss." Ruby stammered out as they stood before the simple wooden door to her home. "Uhm, would you like to come in?" Weiss recognized the simple courtesy of the question; she had been counting on it in fact.

"Just for a moment." She said following Ruby into the warmth of the small home. "Just long enough to shake off the chill before walking back." She explained, mostly an excuse but still partially true.

"You should wear a cloak Miss, like mine." Ruby suggested as she closed the door behind Weiss.

"I thought that myself actually, I'll have to see about a tailor then." Weiss thought as she stepped fully into the small one room house.

"I could make you one!" Ruby blurted, seeming to startle herself at least as much as Weiss. "That is I know some needlework and."

"Done." Weiss interrupted her with a small smile on her face. "We can work out the details later." She said dismissing the topic for now. "Are you going to introduce me?"

Weiss motioned to the hunched form of Yang, who was snoring, rather audibly, on the table.

"Oh dust Yang…" Ruby muttered stepping up to her sister. "Well it may be better this way, Yang is… a little wary of vampires."

One of Weiss' eyebrows rose as she examined the sleeping woman with the golden mane.

She took in the rest of the room as well, the pieces of metal work strewn about, the bits of fabric and needlework, which claimed Ruby had some skill indeed. She looked especially at the smith work that covered nearly every available surface in the room, and nodded to herself.

Weiss hummed in response. "Perhaps you are right then; in any case I will be off then." She turned and opened the door, turning back just before she was out. "Good night Ruby."

Weiss emerged from the cozy little shack into the cool night air of the street again. Beginning her walk back towards the castle, thinking as she went.

She thought of those big silver eyes that not so long ago had been looking up at her with that swirling lust in them, a lust that was always there after Weiss drank from her, but now had crept into the young woman's eyes even before she drank.

"It has been a long time since I last had a lover…" Weiss walked slowly looking up to the mountain peaks as the shattered moon slowly crept up over them bathing the valley in new light. "So many things to consider, perhaps having a warm body beside me at night would help?" She considered humming quietly to herself. "No harm in seeing if she's interested I suppose…" She concluded as the soldiers from early came back into view. "No harm in trying." She repeated quietly.

A/N: There we have it! I'm going to try and stick to a Bi-weekly-ish schedule but this school is beginning for me in just a few days so the next chapter may be delayed some.

Anyway I hope you all enjoyed and I hope to see you next time!