Chapter 17

Cinder walked back to her room holding the sketch, a smirk etched on her face the whole way. Occasionally she would steal a glance at the artwork and get a little chuckle. Perhaps Ruby Rose was not the bumbling idiot she seemed. No, there was most definitely a brain behind those silver eyes and a fire burning in her. Ruby would not be pushed around or fooled. Cinder almost regretted her previous interactions with Weiss and Blake. They had spoiled any chance she had of adding Ruby to her inner circle, and what an addition she would have made.

Cinder unlocked the door and slipped into her dorm room. As usual Mercury and Emerald were waiting there for her. "Judging by that big, dumb smile I'd guess everything went to plan." Mercury observed.

"Oh, quite the contrary." Cinder corrected. She handed the sketch to Mercury. "It seems our little Rose has thorns."

"Oh, this is fantastic!" Mercury laughed. "She really captured the inner you!"

"Indeed." Cinder smirked. "She's got talent for sure."

Mercury passed the sketch to Emerald. One look and her jaw dropped, eyes wide. "How...dare she…" Emerald gasped.

"Hilarious right?" Mercury asked.

"That little flower is quite the fascinating specimen." Cinder chuckled. "I admire her daring. And it is quite amusing."

"Yeah, funny…" Emerald forced a laugh. Internally she raged. How dare that little shit insult a goddess like Cinder!? She handed the sketch back to Mercury and he tossed it onto the table. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Nothing." Cinder shrugged. "She intrigues me, but it seems she's beyond my reach."

Nothing? She would just be allowed to get away with it?! Unacceptable! If Cinder would not take action, Emerald would.

Ruby rushed back to her dorm room, worried an angry Cinder would be chasing her. The threat never developed and she made it back just fine. She unlocked the door and slipped inside. Blake was sitting on Ruby's bed and Weiss on her own, chatting with one another. Blake looked up. "You look happy." Blake observed.

"You're not going to believe what just happened." Ruby declared.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense." Weiss insisted.

"So, Cinder comes up to me in class." Ruby started. Weiss gasped and Blake growled at mention of the name. "She tries to seduce me. I play along, get her to pose for me. Then I drew this." Ruby tapped at her scroll before passing it to Blake. Blake looked at the screen for a moment before bursting out laughing. She passed the scroll to Weiss before falling onto her back and writhing with laughter.

"Oh, this is too good!" Weiss smirked.

"You should have seen the look on her face!" Ruby cheered. "I wish you both could have been there."

"This is your best work for sure." Blake chuckled. "I don't suppose you take commissions?"

Ruby laughed. "I can be persuaded to."

Emerald knew where Ruby lived. It only took a few polite inquiries to find out. She was in the art class with Cinder, and it was in the last timeslot of the night. Odds were, Ruby would head home after the class. She would have to take a specific route. It would be after dark and there would probably be no one around. All Emerald had to do was pick a spot and wait. It was almost too easy. There was a whole day for Emerald to figure it all out. She walked the route many times, including at night, looking for the ideal place. She found it.

To Ruby's surprise, Cinder did not seem angry with her in the next class. Sure, Cinder did not exactly have a conversation with her, but the one time Ruby caught Cinder stealing a glance she was smiling. It was strange and disconcerting. Ruby considered making an apology but decided against it. For one, Cinder had deserved exactly what Ruby had given her. Second, Cinder was terrifying. Sure, drawing her as Ruby had robbed Cinder of some of her intimidation, but there was still an air about her. Even her lack of reaction was concerning.

As she had after the previous class, Ruby packed up and rushed home once it was over. She was one of the last to leave, working late to finish up her sketch of Pyrrha as a Mistrali hoplite. Few students wandered the paths this late, but she was not interested meeting up with anyone anyway. Ruby just wanted to get back to her room and rest after a long night. Walking fast she turned a corner around a small maintenance shack and nearly ran into a girl standing in the middle of the path.

"Wah...sorry!" Ruby gasped. The girl, mint-haired and olive-skinned, just stared back. "Um…"

"Ruby Rose." The girl said flatly.

"Uh...yeah." Ruby confirmed. "Who are you?" The girl shifted her position, closing on Ruby while simultaneously forcing her toward the wall of the shack. Ruby backed up nervously but soon bumped into the wall.

The girl leapt forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You didn't think you'd get away with that little stunt did you?" The girl hissed. "No one insults Cinder like that and gets away with it!"

"Cinder...but I…" Ruby stammered as the girl squeezed more tightly on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"And I will not have you as a rival!" The girl shouted.

"Wha...I...rival?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Cinder deserves to be admired, respected." The girl declared. "Not defiled, perverted!" She shifted her hands to Ruby's neck and clamped down, lifting Ruby off the ground and pressing her against the wall.

"P-please…" Ruby choked.

"Filthy, disgusting." Emerald sneered.

"S-stop...p…" Ruby struggled as the girl squeezed tighter.

"I'm going to make you suffer!" The girl raged. "And you will never look at Cinder again!"

Ruby struggled, unable to cry for help as the girl crushed her windpipe. She flailed, trying to hit the assailant, but she was too short, barely able to reach the much taller and stronger girl. She felt her limbs getting heavier as her vision blurred and narrowed. The color drained from her sight. Ruby knew she was dying, seconds from losing consciousness. Unlike Blake or Penny, a simple tap on the wrist was not going to stop this girl. No, this was surely the end. Ruby was terrified.

"Emerald?" A man's voice called out. "Emerald!" The girl, Emerald apparently, threw Ruby aside. Ruby slammed into the ground on her back, smacking her head on the pavement and crying in pain. "What the fuck Emerald?!" Emerald scowled at the man and strode away into the darkness.

Ruby curled into a ball, clutching her bleeding scalp, choking and whimpering between sobs. The man walked over and knelt beside her. "Hey, she's gone." He said. "You're safe now." Ruby forced her eyes open and looked at the man. He was tall and blond. The tail waving behind him marked him as a Faunus. Bizarrely he wore a button-up shirt unbuttoned. He smiled reassuringly. Ruby tried to push herself up, but dissolved into a coughing fit and dropped back down. The man helped her into a sitting position as she wiped her eyes. "Are you gonna' be okay? What was that about?"

"I...don't know." Ruby coughed. "I think it's 'cause of Cinder, I…" A sobbing fit overtook her. The man drew her into a hug and she clung to him. They sat like that until she regained her breath and her sobs died into hitching.

"I'm Sun." The man said.

"Ruby." She said.

"Hey, is there anywhere I can take you?" Sun asked. "Bleeding on the sidewalk in the middle of the night is great and all, but…"

"M-my girlfriends room." Ruby replied.

"You sure you don't want to go to the infirmary?" Sun asked. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"No, just take me to Blake." Ruby shook her head.

"Belladonna?" Sun asked. "I remember her, Velvet's roommate right?" Ruby nodded. "I know how to get there. Think you can stand or do I need to carry you?"

"Heh, I can stand." Ruby answered. "She choked my neck, not my legs." She managed a laugh. "Lucky you came this way. Not many people out this time of night." The pair started heading for the dorm.

"Oh, yeah, I was on my way back from a party." Sun noted. "Ran out of the goods if you know what I mean."

"No?" Ruby questioned.

"Oh, mostly legal but taboo stuff." Sun explained. Ruby still seemed confused. "Mind-altering substances."

"So you're a druggie?" Ruby asked.

"Don't say it like that!" Sun protested. "My friends and I just like to have fun. Catnip, weed, dust, that sort of thing. Makes for fun, safe parties."

"Sounds like a g…" Ruby coughed. "...good time."

"Oh yeah, my friends get pretty crazy sometimes too." Sun nodded. "Like this time Sage got dared to chug six beers, and pulled it off. Then he spent the rest of the party passed out on the couch while people drew dicks on his face."

"Sounds like something my big sis would do." Ruby giggled.

"I feel like I need to meet this 'big sis' chick." Sun smirked.

"Maybe someday." Ruby smiled. "You can compare chiseled abs and blond hair."

"Ah, my twin sister!" Sun joked. Ruby giggled again. "Oh, there was this time my best friend Neptune decided to drop some acid, and strip naked to feel the shag carpet."

Ruby burst into laughter. "Oh my God!"

Blake read over the history paper she had just written, making sure her writing would please her professor. Her first draft had been criticized for being "too colloquial" so Blake went to great lengths to make her language as formal as possible. She rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. This was not easy. A knock on the door jerked her to attention. She smiled, knowing Ruby's last class was over and it was likely her, probably visiting for snuggles. When she opened the door it was Ruby, but the sight that met her wiped the smile from her face. Ruby stood before her, eyes red and puffy, tear tracks down her face.

"Ruby!" Blake gasped. Ruby latched onto her, burying her face in Blake's breasts. Blake returned the embrace before noticing Sun standing in the hall. "Sun? What happened?"

"I don't know exactly." Sun replied. "I turn the corner and Emerald has Ruby against a wall, strangling her. I yell at her, she throws Ruby to the ground and fucks off."

Blake scowled at the story. She pushed her anger aside, softening her expression as she knelt and cupped Ruby's face. "Ruby, what happened?" She asked.

"I was coming back from class, alone." Ruby started in a raspy whisper. "She pushed me against the wall and yelled at me for disrespecting Cinder. Then she started choking me, saying all this stuff about how I was her rival and I was disgusting, and she was gonna' make me suffer. It hurt so much Blake, I was so scared. I don't know what she would have done if Sun hadn't come along when he did. I think...I think she might have killed me." Ruby whimpered and buried her face in Blake's shoulder.

Blake looked up at Sun and tried to smiled. "Thank you." She said.

"Are you two gonna' be okay?" Sun asked. "I can stick around if you need anything."

"No, it's fine, thank you." Blake answered. "Unless you were at that party…"

"Yeah, what about it?" Sun asked.

"Velvet and Coco are there, could you get them please?" Blake requested. "They left their scrolls behind so they wouldn't lose them."

"Sure, I'll be back soon." Sun agreed. After hesitating for a moment he rushed off.

Blake picked up Ruby and carried her inside. Blake sat on the bed, Ruby nestling in her lap. Blake stroked Ruby's hair with one hand while manipulating her scroll with the other. "Ruby was attacked by one of Cinder's friends, come over ASAP" Blake texted Weiss.

"I'm on my way. What happened? Is she injured?" Weiss texted back.

"Ruby, did she do anything else?" Blake asked.

"I hit my head when I fell." Ruby complained. "It really hurts."

Blake ran her hands along Ruby's scalp, coming to a stop when Ruby whimpered. Blake pulled her hand away from the tender spot to find some blood on her fingers. "She fell and hurt her head, she's bleeding but only a little, she might be concussed" She texted. "Tell me if you feel sick or dizzy, okay?" She said to Ruby.

"Mmkay." Ruby nodded. Blake gently rubbed the back of Ruby's neck. Ruby shivered and pulled away to look Blake in the eye. Blake noted the bruises growing on her neck - where fingers dug in deep and painfully - and frowned. "Blake, can you do something for me?"

"Anything." Blake replied.

Ruby took Blake's hands and pulled them to her mouth, kissing each in turn. She then moved them to her neck. Blake stiffened and stopped her before they made contact. "Ruby…" She started.

"I just...wanna' feel safe." Ruby pleaded. "Blake, please, just hold me." Blake's hands slowly came to rest on her skin, Blake taking care to apply as little pressure as possible. Ruby applied it for her, coaxing her fingers to grip slightly. Ruby whimpered and grimaced, causing Blake to attempt to pull back. Ruby held her hands in place firmly. "Don't. It's alright. Please."

"I hate hurting you." Blake sighed.

"Emerald hurt me, you're making it better." Ruby encouraged.

"How is this making it better?" Blake asked.

"By giving me control." Ruby replied.

Blake stopped resisting and Ruby smiled, leaning in to peck her on the lips. They sat there in silence until there was a frantic knocking at the door. "It's open!" Blake called.

Weiss rushed in, closing the door before joining Blake and Ruby on the bed. "Ruby, are you okay?" She asked. "This is all my fault! Do you feel sick? Dizzy? How is your breathing? Wha…"

Ruby cupped Weiss' cheek and planted a kiss on her forehead. Weiss froze, still panicked and unsure of how to react. "I'm fine." Ruby assured her. "My throat hurts, my head aches, but I'll live. Thank you for caring, but this is my fault, not yours."

"This all started because of me!" Weiss protested.

"I made myself a target when I taunted Cinder." Ruby countered. "You didn't do anything. This is not your fault."

There was another knock on the door, but it opened before any of them could react. Coco strode in, followed by Velvet and Sun, who closed the door behind them. "Weiss, Blake, Ruby, are you okay?" Coco asked.

"Yeah, just a little shaky." Ruby replied. "Thanks Coco."

"I brought some ointment." Weiss said. "It should help with the pain and bruising."

Weiss pulled it from her pocket, handing it to Ruby who smiled. "Thanks." Ruby murmured. She unscrewed the lid, allowing Blake to scoop some out before starting to gently apply it.

"What exactly happened?" Coco asked.

"My guess, Cinder had Emerald wait for Ruby after class." Blake replied. "She pushed her against a wall, strangled her, threatened and insulted her, then threw her to the ground when Sun found them." Ruby cupped Blake's cheek, wiping away a tear that was making its way down. Blake bowed her head. "She can't get away with this."

"She won't." Coco declared. "I'll make sure of it. But right now it's late, we're all tired and stressed. We shouldn't do anything rash. Everyone get some sleep, and tomorrow we'll all meet up and deal with this together." Coco sat on the bed on Blake's opposite side. She took off her sunglasses and looked Ruby in the eyes. "I'm sorry this happened to you Ruby. I've been keeping an eye on Cinder, but until now she's mostly just been a bitch. I didn't think she had it in her to do this."

Ruby reached out and squeezed Coco's hand. "It's no one's fault but hers Coco." Ruby said. "I know you would have stepped in if you were there. Thank you for caring." She craned over to kiss Coco on the cheek, improbably causing Coco to blush slightly.

"Heh, you're a charmer." Coco smiled. "Come on Velvs, let's give 'em some time alone. See you girls tomorrow."

"Thank you Coco." Weiss said.

"I take care of my own Weiss." Coco declared. "G'night." With that Velvet and Coco left, heading for Coco's room.

"I guess I'll catch you guys tomorrow then." Sun shrugged.

"Thank you Sun, so much." Blake said.

"See you tomorrow Sun." Ruby cheered. "Next chance I get I'll bake you some cookies."

"Oh sweet!" Sun exclaimed. "You'll be a hit at parties."

"Maybe I'll come to the next one." Ruby chuckled.

"Party?" Weiss asked. "What kind of party?"

"Fun kind." Sun replied. He turned and rushed to the door. "Gotta' go, bye!" He closed it behind him and jogged away.

"What kind of party Ruby?" Weiss asked. Ruby appeared to be sleeping. "You snore in your sleep." Ruby started faking a snore. "Charming." Weiss sighed. After a moment she and Blake shared a laugh.

Weiss spent the night in Blake's room, sleeping in Velvet's bed after assurances she would not mind. The next morning Weiss awoke first, quietly slipping out and returning to her room to grab toiletries and a change of clothes for herself and Ruby. She then lay down on Velvet's bed and waited for the other two to wake up. It was not so bad, Ruby and Blake looked so peaceful as they slept. Ruby lie atop Blake, head nestled between her breasts. As they tended to, Blake's ears flicked as she dreamed. Since Ruby was usually up early, Weiss had few opportunities to see her sleep, but she made the cutest little sounds. It all made Weiss smile.

Blake awoke next, twitching and yawning languidly before her eyes fluttered open, focusing on Weiss. "Good morning Blake." Weiss said.

"Mnmmn…" Blake groaned. She tried to shift but the weight on her chest reminded her of Ruby's presence. Smiling, she leaned down and planted a kiss on Ruby's messy hair.

Ruby grunted and stirred, trying to nestle deeper into her warm pillows. Blake giggled. "Nnng…" Ruby groaned.

"Good morning." Blake whispered.

Ruby slowly rose from her resting place, silver eyes barely cracked open. She shifted until she straddled Blake's lap, stretching her arms in the air and yawning. Suddenly, she broke down in a coughing fit, clutching her throat. "Fuck!" Ruby croaked. Both Blake and Weiss flinched. Blake sat up and wrapped her arms around Ruby as she steadied herself. Ruby took a shaky breath and looked up. The bruising around her neck was more defined, blotchy and purple, but the real shock came when she opened her eyes. Weiss gasped. The white of her right eye was replaced by an angry red. "Is it worse?"

"Your eye...it's bleeding." Weiss replied.

"Wha?" Ruby asked. Weiss opened her scroll and set the camera to front-facing before handing it to Ruby. Ruby looked at herself and scowled. "It'll go away. Yang's done it before while weightlifting." She took a picture of her eye, then several of the bruises on her neck.

Blake glared at the bruising. "I'm going to fucking murder Cinder." She hissed.

"Blake…" Ruby sighed.

"I'm supposed to protect you Ruby." Blake declared.

"You can't protect me all the time." Ruby soothed.

"What if Sun didn't show up?" Blake asked. "What if...what...if…" She choked on a sob. Ruby handed the scroll back to Weiss and wrapped Blake in a hug, allowing her to bury her face in Ruby's shoulder as she shook.

Ruby rubbed Blake's back. "I'm here, I'm alive, I'm okay, I promise."