17 Chapter 15

"Oh, Ruby! Hey, what's going on?" Sage asks, waking up from her daydream.

"We are talking about teaming up!" says Ruby, pointing towards Yang.

"Ah, teams," Sage says with a smile.

"So, Yang rejected forming a team with me. Would you like to form a team with me?" Ruby asks Sage.

Ruby uses her adorableness to lure Sage into forming a team, but Sage manages to see through her cute visage. Sage smiles slowly and pats Ruby's head lovingly. She then walks past Ruby, heading towards the group.

"Teaming with me will create bad habits for you. Besides, the academy is the one that will assign teams for us." Sage says nonchalantly.

"What? Can't we choose our teammates?!" says Ruby loudly.

All eyes turn to Ruby, and she shrinks into herself. Her face was beet red, and she couldn't help but hide behind Sage. Sage finds it amusing that Ruby is now totally dependent on her. 

Ruby also seems a lot shyer than before.

"They let students choose their teams last year. Why wouldn't they let us choose this time around?" Yang asks.

Yang closed her lockers, and she turned to look towards Sage. Blake is wearing her volume one outfit, which doesn't hide her beauty. If Sage didn't support her pairing with Blake, she would've taken Yang herself.

"I think they alternate between giving the students choices and letting them choose freely. At least, that is what I have heard." Sage explains.

"Huh! That's dumb!" says Yang.

"I think it's great that the academy does that!" says another voice.

The trio turns their heads toward the direction of the voice, and they see a red-haired girl standing next to a white-haired girl, who seems to be sending Ruby some signals. The red-haired girl was Pyhrra Nikos, and the girl beside her was Weiss Schnee.

"Hi! My name is Pyhrra! Nice to meet you, Miss?" Pyhrra extends her hands out.

'The correct response should be to greet her like a friend, but I don't want to be her friend yet…' Sage thought inwardly.

"Sage Goodwitch. You can just call me Sage, mademoiselle." Sage says she slowly takes Pyhrra's hand and kisses its back.

"Oh my! I didn't expect you to be such a gentleman. You know, with your mask and all," says Pyhrra with a little giggle.

Sage turns to look toward Pyhrra, and she can see a tinge of sadness in her eyes. Pyhrra tries to be friends with her, which Sage notices but ignores. After all, she can't be her knight in shining armour. Jaune is Pyhrra's knight in shining armour.

"Only if the lady deserves it," says Sage with a smile.

"Hmph!" Weiss grumbles, which can be heard by everyone there.

Taking notice of this, Sage then follows Weiss's gaze. Weiss was looking at Ruby like she wanted to devour her whole, which would be preferable for Sage, but not right now. Not to mention, Ruby is even more scared to come out from behind her right now.

"Miss Schnee, may I know why you're looking at Ruby like that?" Sage asks.

As soon as Sage said that, the fury in Weiss's eyes lights up. She steps forward with such conviction that even Sage finds her quite intimidating. Sage can only brace herself for the incoming onslaught of words coming out of Weiss's mouth.

"Why did she run away?!" Weiss says slowly.

'Huh?' Sage questions inwardly.

"Pfft!" Yang snickers.

"I'm sorry, who ran away exactly, Miss Schnee?" Sage asks.

"Who else? That friend of yours!" Weiss points to Ruby.

"Pfft!" Yang snickers louder.

"Ah…" Sage says with understanding.

Sage turns and looks towards Yang, who is now laughing while holding her stomach. Sage can already guess what happened at the sleepover. Since Yang rarely defends Ruby from social interactions, Ruby must have left the scene immediately.

"That scoundrel! After she, she…" says Weiss with a stutter and a red face.

'Wait… did something else happen?' Sage asks inwardly.

"Yang, what happened?" Sage asks.

"Well…" Yang tries to talk, but Ruby cuts her off.

"Nothing happened!" Ruby shouts.

"Nothing?! You dare!" says Weiss angrily.

Flashback.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang says as she drops beside Ruby.

"I don't think Dad will approve of all the boys," Ruby says nonchalantly.

"I know I do…" Yang says with little pur.

Ruby turns her gaze towards Yang and follows her light of sight. She sees a few boys trying to show off their muscles and Jean in his comically suitable onesie. She can't help but scoff at their efforts.

"What's that?" Yang asks.

"A letter for the gang back at Signal. I promise to tell them about Beacon and how things are going," Ruby says.

"That's so cute!" says Yang.

'Fwoop!'

"Shut up!" Ruby says after throwing a pillow at Yang.

"Ah!" Yang says in shock.

"I didn't get to take my friends to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here!" Ruby grumbles.

"What about Jean? He's nice? There you go, plus one friend. That is a 100% increase!" Yang says positively.

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend! Back to zero," Ruby says dejectedly.

"There is no such thing as a negative friend! You just made one friend and one enemy/lover!" Yang says nonchalantly before another pillow flies to her face.

"Look, it has only been one day! Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet!" Yang says slowly.

'Kchik!'

Ruby and Yang were startled by the sound and light. They turned their gaze towards the light and saw Blake sitting alone in the corner with a book and a candlestick. She seems focused on her book.

"That girl! Blake, right?" Ruby says slowly.

"Yeah! That girl ignored me until the lecture hall. I don't know what got into her fur!" Yang says slowly.

"Maybe she just hasn't cooled down yet! Things were getting intense between her and Sage." Ruby says slowly.

"Well, it's now or never!" says Yang enthusiastically as she stands and pulls Ruby to her.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ruby asks as she is pulled closer and closer to Blake.

Blake heard a commotion, and she couldn't help but look towards its source. She sees the two sisters from the incident this morning. The incident could have jeopardised her time here at Beacon Academy.

"Hello~," says Yang happily while waving her hand at Blake.

"I believe we have met!" Yang says happily.

"Ah, yes! The girl who wished to court Miss Schnee and also the girl who couldn't stop pestering me with questions. Indeed, we have met." Blake says nonchalantly.

"I don't want to 'court' her! My name is Ruby, and nice to meet you." Ruby clarifies while handing out her hands.

"..." Blake didn't move an inch.

"Or you know, you can just call me Cra… Just call me Ruby," says Ruby awkwardly as she pulls her hand back.

"Okay…" Blake says nonchalantly.

"Okay, this girl is a lost cause! I've tried all morning, and now it's nighttime. She's never going to be your friend. Let's go, Ruby!" Yang tries to pull Ruby away.

"Wait, what book are you reading?" Ruby asks when she sees the book in Blake's hands.

"Oh, this one? It's the story of a man with two souls and how they both are fighting over control." Blake explains.

"Oh! I like stories too! Yang used to read them all the time! You know, stories about heroes and maidens. How they always fight for happiness and the greater good!" says Ruby slowly.

"I've always wanted to be like them! That is why I became a huntress! I want to bring happiness to other people." Ruby says excitedly.

"That's a great dream for a child! But this world is not that black and white. The world is not like the stories. There are no happy endings…" Blake says with a sad tone.

"Well, is that not the reason?" Ruby asks Blake.

"I'm sorry?" Blake asks, finding her question confusing.

"Isn't that the reason as to why we become a huntress? So we can make our happy ending?" Ruby says with a brilliant smile.

"..." Blake was speechless.

"Uh! That is my baby sister! You are too cute!" says Yang happily as she hugs Ruby tightly.

"Ugh, Yang! Stop it!" says Ruby angrily.

Ruby and Yang start to argue, and they cause another commotion. This time, the commotion seems to have brought another guest to their 'table'. The guest inched closer and closer to them by the very minute.

"Will both of you be quiet! People are trying to get some sleep!" says Weiss angrily.

Yang and Ruby both stopped and turned to look towards Weiss. She's wearing a blue nightdress, which accentuates her white skin. She looks like a princess from a fairy tale, and Ruby can't help but blush when she looks at Weiss.

"Oh no! Not you again!" says Yang with an annoyance.

"I'm the one who should be saying that!" says Weiss angrily.

"What?! Do you have even an inkling of what you're doing?! You are the ones who are causing disturbance at night!" says Weiss.

"Oh, shut up, Princess! You're the one who is causing the disturbance! We were just minding our own business, right, Ruby?" Yang turns towards Ruby.

Weiss also turns towards Ruby, but what she next shocks her to her core. Weiss sees Ruby standing in front of her with a bright blush on her cheeks and in a daze. She can't help but find the sight incredible.

"Uh, Ruby?" Yang calls out.

"Huh?" Ruby awakens from her stupor.

"Beautiful…" Weiss says slowly.

"Hah?!" Yang questions loudly.

 "Huh?" Ruby says slowly.

Ruby and Weiss's eyes meet, and Weiss can't help but feel like the world around them becomes rosier each minute. The sight of the girl who seems to be crushing on her seems increasingly beautiful, and Weiss can't help but move her body forward.

"What…?" says Ruby with confusion.

Weiss arrived in front of Ruby, and she brought her hands up. She slowly took Ruby's cheeks into her hands and caressed them slowly. Weiss can't help but marvel at the softness of Ruby's cheeks.

"You are… adorable," says Weiss slowly.

"You… I'm not…" Ruby denies shyly.

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. To me, you are the most adorable girl…" says Weiss suavely.

"Umm…" Ruby stutters out of embarrassment.

"Um, hello?" Yang says suddenly, shocking both Weiss and Ruby.

Yang, now standing right next to them, can't help but feel weirded out by the situation. She has never seen Ruby looking flustered to this extent. She's a goofball but rarely loses her mind over something like this.

"Ah!" Weiss and Ruby scream at the same time.

'Phuk!'

"Oops!" Yang says slowly.

Yang's action seems to have sent them into panic mode, and Ruby, being Ruby, starts flailing uncontrollably, which sends them tumbling down. Somehow, both of them ended up in a more intimate situation.

"Ugh!" groans Ruby.

"Stop moving!" Weiss says shyly.

"Huh?" Ruby opens her eyes, and she sees Weiss's red face.

It took Ruby a second before she realised the situation that she had placed herself in. Her chin now rests snuggly between Weiss's chest. Her left knee is now perched directly between Weiss's thighs.

Weiss now has one of her hands encircling Ruby's nude waist while her other hand is on Ruby's bottom. Both of them are stunned and unable to process the situation until they hear a voice, waking them up from their stupor.

"Woah…" Jean says 

Ruby then realised that everybody in the hall was currently looking at them, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Ruby does the only thing she can do now to save her face and the little shed of pride she has left.

'Run!' thought Ruby inwardly.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby says slowly.

"Huh?" Weiss questions.

Ruby broke free from Weiss's hands and bolted out of the hall, leaving only a few petals of roses. Weiss, who is just as flabbergasted as Ruby, can't help but feel like she has been taken advantage of and the culprit just ran away.

"You scoundrel!" Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs.

Flashback End.

"That is what happened," Yang says nonchalantly.

"That is impossible!" Sage says solemnly.

'Did Ruby somehow get the legendary 'Lucky Pervert' skill? How the heck did that happen?!' Sage thought inwardly.

Sage didn't expect that her plans would progress this smoothly. She might have anticipated their romance, but not this early. She has just mostly paved some roads for them, and Sage was waiting for the right moment to push them on it.

'All the romance events triggered on their own! This was not supposed to happen! Something is wrong!' Sage thought with panic.

Sage has been changing the future since birth, but she never expected the changes she made to catch up to her this quickly. Sage expects at least a few years before the consequences of her actions would show their marks.

'If changing only a small portion can cause this much distortion in the story, what if I change a significant event?' Sage thought inwardly.

'Not to mention, something or someone other than me seems to be leading all these events…' Sage ponders.

"Sage!" Ruby calls out desperately.

"Hmm?" Sage wakes up from her stupor.

Ruby looks at Sage with tears in her eyes, and Weiss is looking at Ruby like she wants to kill her. Yang and Pyhrra are just observing them with confusion in their eyes, and from the corner of her eyes, Sage can see Jaune looking for his locker.

'Ah, I forgot about them…' Sage thought inwardly.

"Miss Schnee, first of all, Ruby is not a scoundrel. Both of you are merely the victims of the circumstances." Sage starts her explanations.

"She took advantage of me!" says Weiss angrily.

"Are you saying that you didn't cope a feel?" Sage asks.

"I'm sorry?!" says Weiss with astonishment.

"From Yang's point of view, it would seem that you also took advantage of the situation and touched my friend's bottoms," says Sage.

"..." Weiss was silenced.

"It felt good, didn't it?" Sage whispers as she brings her mouth close to Weiss's ears.

Sage can practically see the embarrassment on Weiss's face. Sage again can't help but feel like something is wrong, but for now, there is no apparent danger. Sage decides to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her heart.

"Miss Schnee, Ruby is very sorry for doing that to you, but you must know that it was not her intention to do that to you," Sage says slowly.

"She was flustered, and not to mention her crush was hugging her. A normal person would run out of embarrassment." Sage explains again.

"So…" Sage's voice trails off.

Sage then drags Ruby out from behind and shoves her to Weiss. Now, both blushing messes are standing awkwardly in front of each other. They refused to look each other in the eyes, and Sage couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

"Ruby will apologise to Miss Schnee for running away, and Miss Schnee will apologise to Ruby for making her feel flustered. How about that, huh?" Sage says slowly.

"..." Ruby and Weiss looked at each other for a long time.

Both are unsure of their feeling, and they can't help but feel like they are progressing into unknown territory. Ruby was twiddling her thumbs slowly while Weiss was looking at Ruby with a dazed look.

"I'm sorry for running away…" Ruby says shyly first.

"No! You don't have to apologise! I was the one who…" Weiss's voice trails off.

"I'm the wrong one. I'm sorry for making you feel flustered. I'm also sorry for touching you like that!" Weiss says with a slight bow.

"... warn me first," grumbles Ruby slowly.

"I'm sorry?" Weiss asks with confusion.

"If you want to do it again, warn me first…" Ruby says shyly.

"Oh…" Weiss was stunned.

Even Sage didn't expect Ruby to say that. Sage then turned towards Yang, and she also saw Yang with a flabbergasted expression. Ruby seems to have defied their expectations, and Sage can't help but feel proud of Ruby's accomplishment.

'Somehow, Weiss is the one who is chasing Ruby? I didn't expect that…' Sage thought inwardly.

"Umm, girls…" a voice suddenly rang behind them.

They turn around, and they see Jaune looking at them nervously. Sage then realised that the room was now empty except for their group, and Sage couldn't help but panic since Glynda was the one observing their test this time.

"Oh my god! We need to go now!" Sage says with haste as she runs out of the locker room.

As Sage runs through the halls of Beacon Academy, she can't help but look back toward Ruby and Weiss. Both of them are now giving each other signals with their eyes, and again, an uncomfortable feeling is bothering Sage at her core.

'I hope nothing bad happens!' Sage thought inwardly.