Chapter 2

Ruby tried on some of Weiss' old clothes with the help of Pyrrha. Ruby's nonchalance about nudity disturbed Pyrrha, but she managed to power through. Meanwhile, Weiss swept up the crystal shards and cleaned the floor. Her privileged upbringing had not prepared her for such domestic chores, but after fleeing her life of luxury she had learned quickly. Still, she was much more at home wielding a sword than a broom. Eventually Ruby and Pyrrha settled on a few outfits that fit Ruby well enough, but there was one issue. Ruby would need underwear that fit, so a shopping trip was in order.

"Next stop, the shops." Pyrrha announced as she and Ruby headed for the exit. "Would you like to join us Weiss?"

"No, that's alright." Weiss replied. "I have plans tonight, and I must prepare."

"Oh?" Pyrrha asked. "What kind of plans?"

"I'm going on a date." Weiss answered.

"Congratulations, anyone I know?" Pyrrha inquired.

"I doubt it." Weiss declared. "She's new in town. I met her in the tavern the other day."

"Does this she have a name?" Pyrrha pressed. "What's she like?"

"Cindy." Weiss replied. "She's the...dark and sultry type I guess. And she has enchanting golden eyes."

"Well, good luck." Pyrrha smiled.

"Yeah...and good luck yourself." Weiss stared daggers at Ruby. "You'll need it."

Velvet sat behind the counter of her store, warmed by a raging hearth in the back. She was kept company by her pet rabbit Womp, who was nestled in her basket beside the ivory cloak Velvet was sewing. Weiss - one of her highest paying and most frequent customers - had visited the prior day with yet another commission, a thick travel cloak for her ingredient gathering and huntress work. The colder seasons were settling in, leaves fading from green to amber, winds beginning to bite at exposed ankles and ears. In time it would be snowing. Weiss despised the cold, saying it reminded her of home. Velvet took pride in her work, and Weiss knew this. A simple cloak became a work of art - hooded, the same white-grey fur that lined it ringing its neckline, to be held in place by a silver broach cast in Port's forge. Velvet lovingly embroidered Weiss' name in flowing cursive, silver lined with black, along with her maker's mark, a patchwork heart.

Behind Velvet, the door opened, jingling the signal bell. "I'll be with you in a minute." Velvet called. She had only a few stitches to go, but was surprised when her formerly dozing rabbit suddenly jumped from her basket, running along the table beneath the window, heading for the front counter. Velvet found this strange. Womp was normally meek and lazy, preferring to stick to her basket until they returned to her room upstairs.

"Oh, heya cutie!" Ruby cheered as the rabbit approached. She began stroking the rabbit's back. "Aw, you're adorable!"

"Her name is Womp." Pyrrha noted.

"Womp?" Ruby asked. "That's a funny name."

Velvet chuckled as she finished her sewing, tying off and trimming the last thread. "I named her that because she stamps her feet when she wants to be petted." She explained.

"Wouldn't that make her Stamper?" Ruby asked.

Velvet stood, picking up the cloak and throwing it over her shoulders. "It's the noise really." Velvet declared. "How does it look?"

"It's wonderful." Pyrrha praised.

"Whoa, that looks beautiful!" Ruby exclaimed. "What is it?"

"That is a cloak Ruby." Pyrrha replied. "Humans wear them to keep warm in colder months."

"Ooh, will I need one?" Ruby asked.

"I assume so." Pyrrha answered. "Ruby, meet Velvet, Velvet, Ruby."

"Hello Ruby." Velvet greeted. "Did you come from a hotter climate?"

"I don't know, I'm just here now." Ruby shrugged.

"I had a little summoning accident of my own." Pyrrha admitted. "Ruby was the result. We don't really know much about her, but she asked to stay."

"I'm an accident!" Ruby cheered.

Velvet burst into laughter and Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "Yes, well my little accident needs some clothes." Pyrrha grinned. "Namely underwear. Weiss was able to spare a few outfits, but Weiss is...well Ruby is…"

"A little bustier?" Velvet suggested.

"Yes, bustier." Pyrrha nodded.

"Well, come on over and I'll measure you." Velvet offered.

"Sure!" Ruby agreed. She gave Womp another stroke along her ears before following Velvet through a curtain in the back of the shop.

Hearing a light whomping sound, Pyrrha looked back to see Womp teetering on the edge of the counter, nose twitching toward the back room curtain, foot tapping on the wood. Certain the rabbit would jump, Pyrrha quickly bundled it into her arms, carrying her to her basket and setting her back inside. Though restless, the rabbit calmed once Pyrrha began imitating Ruby's ministrations. After some murmuring, Velvet returned through the curtain.

"Such a cutie pie." Velvet smiled.

"She is quite endearing, much like Womp, only with less fur." Pyrrha joked. "How goes your...fashion project?"

Velvet tensed briefly before biting her lip. "Nothing concrete." She replied. "I am looking into a new sewing technique though. It might be nothing, but hey, gotta' try new things."

"So long as you're careful." Pyrrha warned.

"You know I try Pyrrha, but thank you." Velvet nodded. "So...Ruby? She's surprisingly voluptuous for her age...is age the correct word?"

"I'm not quite sure myself." Pyrrha admitted. "She speaks fluently, can carry intelligent conversation, and has no issue moving around...but she lacks basic human knowledge. Clothes, for example, were entirely foreign to her. Sustenance, bodily functions...but she has uh...assets of someone maybe two or three years my junior."

"Pyrrha, Velvet, how do I put this on?" Ruby asked. The other two turned to her. Pyrrha gasped, covering her eyes, and Velvet chuckled at the sight of Ruby, clad in nothing but black boyshorts, holding up a bra with a puzzled look on her face.

"Come on Pyrrha, she's your accident." Velvet teased.

Pyrrha blocked Ruby from sight with her hand and glared at Velvet. "At least my accident might be productive!" She countered.

Velvet took on an affronted look. "Leave Womp out of this!"

By the time Ruby and Pyrrha returned home it was evening. Ruby was surprised to see someone new, a black haired woman, lounging on the couch in the living room. Ruby was sure she had never seen her, but there was something familiar about her. The way her hair seemed to absorb all light struck Ruby as odd, and all the shadows in the room seemed deeper and more clearly defined. "Blake, tone down the shadow please." Glynda requested, walking into the room.

"Fine." The woman huffed. The shadows returned to normal and her hair became a more natural, if still very dark, black.

"You're Blake?!" Ruby gasped.

"Oh, you've met." Glynda smiled.

"We have." Blake confirmed. "Ruby gives the best scratches."

"Now you're just trying to make me jealous." Glynda accused.

"I sure am." Blake chuckled.

"So Glynda, do we have any jobs tonight?" Pyrrha asked.

"None." Glynda replied. "So I thought we could work on finding out what Ruby is. Getting any vibes Blake?"

"She's certainly not human." Blake declared. "She has a very calming aura, similar to an aspect of shadow, but different. No, she's not of the shadows either."

"Very well, Ruby, if you don't mind, I'd like to run some tests." Glynda noted.

"What kind of tests?" Ruby asked.

"To put it bluntly, I was hoping to blast you with a few elements to see what happens." Glynda admitted. "It could hurt, but everything should be rather controlled."

"Glynda, maybe we shouldn't…" Pyrrha started.

"I'll give it a try." Ruby said. "I want to find out what I am just as much as you all do."

"Splendid." Glynda cheered. "Now, to the test chamber!"

"She means the basement." Blake added.

"Can you let me play mad scientist just once?" Glynda complained.

"Funny, you're usually the one telling us to take things seriously." Blake observed. "Not so fun when the shoe's on the other foot."

"Noted." Glynda grumbled. "Let's just get started."

Using spells, all carefully calibrated to cause minimal harm, Glynda tested various elements on Ruby. First was fire. A red-hot blast to Ruby's hand did not even leave a mark. Next was ice. Ruby's arm was encased in ice, only for that ice to fall away as anything near her skin immediately melted. A blast of wind had no effect, the air seeming to curve around her without impacting. Electricity also failed to produce a result. Ruby said it tickled. Blasts of both darkness and light did nothing. It was as if Ruby was immune to everything. She was not immune to pain, as when Glynda twisted her arm she yelped and complained.

"Well, the results are in." Glynda declared.

"What am I?" Ruby asked.

"I have no idea." Glynda sighed. "The tests told me nothing. That in itself is probably important, but I cannot wrap my head around it."

"Oh...that's disappointing." Ruby sulked.

"Ruby, do you remember anyone from before you were summoned?" Pyrrha asked. "You mentioned a mother, did you have any friends?"

"Hmm…" Ruby scratched her head as she thought. "Well, there is Yang."

"Yang?" Glynda asked.

"Yeah, Yang, an aspect of fire." Ruby nodded. "She was really warm, so I used to hang around with her. It's all kind of fuzzy though."

"Maybe she'll know what you are." Pyrrha suggested. "Can you summon her?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." Ruby shrugged.

"It's worth a try." Glynda encouraged.

Ruby began speaking in a language none of those present had ever heard, in a tone of voice that did not match her appearance. Her eyes widened and her hands waved about, at once wild and precise. Then she pointed to an empty corner of the room and flames erupted from the concrete floor. The flames resolved into the figure of a beautiful woman with glowing red eyes and long hair made of fire. The figured looked around, then scowled.

"How dare you summon me?!" The aspect of flame demanded. "Do you know who I am? Yang! Daughter of the Dragon God of Fire! I will…"

"Yang, calm down." Ruby beseeched. "We just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Wha…" Yang started, her flames subsiding a bit. "Hey...it's you...that sprite...uh...hmm...never did give you a name."

"They call me Ruby, so I guess that's as good as anything." Ruby shrugged. "We're trying to figure out what I am. So I was a sprite?"

"Yeah, a little red glow." Yang confirmed. "Who are these people?"

"Oh, that's Glynda, Blake, and this is my mistress, Pyrrha." Ruby answered.

"Mistress...she enslaved you?!" Yang screamed. The flames surrounding her grew to such intensity that only her glowing eyes were visible amongst the conflagration. "I'll incinerate you!"

"No, no, stop!" Ruby pleaded. "It's not like that at all. Pyrrha had a little magical accident and I popped out. And she didn't enslave me, I wanted to stay."

"Oh...well then." Yang sighed, her flames returning to normal again. "It's cool that you can talk now. Maybe now our conversations won't be so one-sided."

"Do you have any idea what I am?" Ruby asked.

"Nope." Yang shook her head. "You just kind of floated around me. You weren't much for conversation, but you were a great listener, and I always felt warm when you were around."

"You're made of fire." Blake noted. "How did she make you feel warm?"

"I dunno'." Yang shrugged. "But she did. You weren't always around, but I always felt better when you were. You even followed me to the mortal world when I went to kill monsters once."

"Someone's summoned you before?" Glynda asked.

"No, I went on my own." Yang replied. "It's a drain, leaves me feeling tired, but I made the jump and burned a few beasties. I do it every once in a while. It's a great way to work out stress."

"A spirit that can self-summon, remarkable." Pyrrha gasped.

"Hey...uh...if you don't mind, could I hang around too?" Yang asked. "I'd love to actually talk to Ruby, and since I didn't have to summon myself, I can take on some monsters at full strength."

"If you wish." Glynda agreed. "Do try not to set anything on fire. Hmm...perhaps you could spend some time with Port at the forge. Until then, the hearth upstairs is a good place for you."

"Sweet, never fueled a forge or a hearth actually." Yang nodded. "People don't summon me often." With a whoosh and a flash of light, Yang shot up the stairs and out of the basement.

"It was good to see her again...but…" Ruby trailed off.

"But what?" Pyrrha asked.

"I still wish I knew what I was." Ruby replied.

"Since magic didn't work, I suppose we could turn to science." Glynda suggested. "I'll take a blood sample and have it tested."

"Okay, what do I have to do?" Ruby asked.

"Just hold out your arm." Glynda answered. She searched around some of her equipment, finally coming up with a needle attached to a vial. Blake helpfully tied some rubber tubing around Ruby's arm. Glynda found a suitable blood vessel. "This might pinch." She warned. Glynda jabbed the needle into Ruby's arm. Ruby squirmed a bit but no blood was produced. She tried again, nothing. After several more tries it was clear that she was not going to get her sample. "Well then, I guess I'm not getting anything out of you." She sighed. "Pyrrha, Blake, please help me clean up.

Glynda, Pyrrha and Blake went to work cleaning up the magical implements they had used to test Ruby. Disappointed, Ruby sat in a chair beside a table with more equipment. She spotted something she thought might help, and she went for it. "Uh, how much blood do you need?" Ruby asked.

"Why?" Glynda asked. She turned to find Ruby sitting there, blood gushing from her arm and into a bottle she had taken from the table. A bloody knife sat beside her. "Gods!"

"Wha...holy!" Pyrrha gasped as she too turned to see.

"Wow, that's pretty metal." Blake joked.

The bottle filled up and Ruby placed it on the table, picking up another. During the switch, her blood stopped mid-air, swirling about beside her arm. As soon as the second bottle was in place, it resumed its flow. "I think that's…" Pyrrha started.

"No, let her keep going." Glynda cut her off. "You don't feel faint or anything, do you?"

"I'm fine." Ruby shrugged as the second bottle neared full. She put it aside and started filling a third. "How much do you want?"

"Just fill all the bottles on the rack." Glynda replied.

"Glynda, this is dangerous." Pyrrha protested. "What if she dies?"

"She would have bled to death already if it was possible." Glynda noted, gesturing toward the two full bottles. "We've already determined that she's not human. The more blood we can run tests on, the better."

"Ugh...but the smell." Pyrrha complained.

"Why don't you go upstairs to keep Yang company?" Glynda suggested. "We'll be up when we're done."

"Ruby, if you feel sick or weak stop right away, okay?" Pyrrha requested.

"Okay." Ruby smiled and nodded. Pyrrha took one last look, shaking her head before heading up the stairs. What manner of creature had she summoned?

Pyrrha stomped up the stairs and nearly slammed the door behind her. She took a deep breath of warm, fresh air. "Everything okay down there?" Yang asked. She sat in the hearth, her upper body fully formed, the lower a more abstract swirl of flame.

"Ruby is donating a rather generous amount of blood." Pyrrha replied. "The smell was overpowering."

"Aw, a bit squeamish are we?" Yang teased.

"...are you...comfortable?" Pyrrha asked.

"Mostly." Yang answered. "Could use some more wood though." Pyrrha picked up several logs from the stack beside the hearth, and the flames parted to allow her to arrange them in a row. As she withdrew her hands the flames returned, this time twisting into a visage of Yang's upper body with arms folded and rested on the logs as if they were but pillows from a bed. "Cheers, almost feels like home."

"Where is home exactly?" Pyrrha inquired.

"The planes of flame, duh." Yang replied.

"And Ruby just happened upon you?" Pyrrha pressed.

"I guess." Yang shrugged. "Ruby just kinda' appeared one day. She didn't talk, just kept me company. It can get lonely sometimes. Being the daughter of a god means no one wants to mess with you, or they just wanna' suck up for favor, or worse, progeny."

"People...spirits...wanted you for children?" Pyrrha struggled.

"Well yeah, who doesn't wanna' mate with a fire goddess?" Yang chuckled.

"But how would that work exactly?" Pyrrha asked. "I thought aspects were generated from their elemental source."

"Yeah, and that can happen, but it's considered wasteful." Yang explained. "Better to find a mate and share essence. One plus one equals two, ya'know?"

"Ah, so as to prevent stagnation?" Pyrrha suggested.

"Exactly." Yang confirmed. "Take me for example. My mother was an aspect of dark...sorta'."

"Unsure?" Pyrrha asked.

"Luck is more a concept than an elemental aspect." Yang shrugged. "But dark seems to resonate with mum more than anything, 'specially bad luck, poor Uncle Qrow."

"But how does...uh...mating work for you?" Pyrrha inquired.

Yang grinned, her eyes flaring. "Curious, aren't we?" She smirked.

"I...uh...I'm attempting to learn." Pyrrha explained. "Forgive me if it is too much to ask."

"I'm just teasing you." Yang laughed. "You humans can be so prudish. Mating isn't really a physical thing, because we aren't always physical beings. Some of us just prefer it, and physical intimacy is still pretty fun."

"So I've heard." Pyrrha sighed.

"There are two ways to mate." Yang continued. "The first is faster, and usually done between temporary mates. We combine our essences, our souls essentially, and form them into a little sprite. It's taxing, because we have to separate from our combined essence, so we end up weakened and vulnerable. We give up a part of ourselves to create new life."

"That's beautiful." Pyrrha declared.

"Yeah...the other way is slower, much slower, depending on the relationship." Yang went on. "Naturally our essences emanate, 'specially the powerful ones. Two emanating entities with a strong bond will eventually mate passively, and should the pair desire it, one or both parents will nurture the sprite 'til maturity, kinda' like humans do, but with less screaming and more feeding off the parent's essence."

"And when they reach maturity?" Pyrrha asked.

"It varies." Yang replied. "Sometimes sprites just come into their own, sometimes there's a rite of passage or a ritual. I think maybe that's what happened to Ruby. She's on her rite, she's being tested. On what? How? No idea. Maybe that's why she came to you, maybe she's meant to serve you, or learn from you."

"I...I don't know what I can teach her to be honest." Pyrrha noted. "I'm still training myself. Glynda would be more suited to education."

"Maybe that's part of it." Yang suggested. "You two can grow alongside each other, learn as you go. Whenever something comes up, you both tackle it together, like partners."

"Partners...I think Ruby might like that." Pyrrha smiled.

"There ya' go, and I'll help out whenever I can." Yang promised. "It's been boring lately, and I've missed Ruby. Definitely gonna' stay a while."

"I am sorry that we gave you the wrong first impression." Pyrrha apologized. "I have not bound Ruby. If she desired, she could leave, go wherever she pleased. But she seems content to stay with me for the time being."

"No biggie." Yang shrugged. "As far as witches go you two seem alright. Met a few nasty ones in my time. Glad I didn't have to char your bones or anything."

Pyrrha laughed uneasily. "Me too."

Author's Note: So ends the test portion of the story. I'll see what kind of reception it gets, then decide if or when to move forward with it.