Matinta Pere-Rose
As requested by @brunossan
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"Out of the way, losers!" Cardin Winchester, former bully of Beacon Academy, shoved his way past Team RWBY. Well, not as much of a bully as he used to be, but he was still kind of a jerk. As he shoved open the door to the cafeteria, a paint bucket fell on his head, knocking him to the floor and covering him in dark gray. He groaned as one hand rubbed his sore head and the other attempted to flick paint from his fingers.
"You said you're not bad anymore, but that doesn't mean you have to be so gray!" Yang Xiao Long teased as she walked by.
"...What?" Weiss Schnee blinked a couple of times, eyes darting this way and that as she tried to make sense of Yang's joke.
"I think she's making a pun out of black and white being extremes and gray being the middle ground." Blake Belladonna reasoned.
"That's hardly a pun." Weiss critiqued.
"Ah, everyone's a critic!" Yang waved her hand at her teammates.
"Should we... help him?" Blake turned back to see Jaune already helping his former tormentor to his feet, uncaring that paint was sticking to his wolf-like fur. She had a soft smile on her face, comfortable in knowing that this supposed monster was less a savage beast and more of a good-hearted teen.
"He should have kept his end of the deal." Blake's smile faded as her ears picked up Ruby Rose's words. It was soft, muttered so low that nobody else seemed to hear it.
"Did you say something, Ruby?"
"N-No!"
Ruby definitely said something. Blake and her leader had been together long enough for her to recognize the red-caped girl's voice. But as Jaune Arc and his team arrived behind her, Blake chose to ignore it. Arguing with each other before lunch never made the food taste better anyways.
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At around midnight, there was a shuffle in Team RWBY's dorm. Weiss and Yang were fast asleep, with the latter snoring like some kind of barn animal. Blake turned to the noise, opening the eye closest to her pillow, and found Ruby sneaking out the window. Both girls were still as they looked at each other, though to Ruby, Blake didn't look like she was awake. When she rolled over in her bed, Ruby let out a sigh and then jumped out.
Blake used her semblance to make it look like she was still in bed as she rolled out of the covers. Quickly and quietly running to the window, she couldn't find Ruby. What she could find, however, were black feathers fluttering from the window. Looking up, she found a black bird squawking outside of another dorm on another level. Judging by the amount of fancy things flying out of the window in an attempt to hit the bird, Blake assumed it was Coco Adel of Team CFVY who was being bothered. The bird fluttered about, dodging expensive handbags and designer shoes.
Though it was a good distance away, Blake's cat-like ears could pick up Coco shouting. "I've already thrown everything I don't care about at you! What more do you want?!" At this, the bird landed on the windowsill and barked.
"What in the world?" Blake whispered. Was that... a crow? What was a crow doing harassing students late at night? And where did Ruby go? Could it be that Ruby...?
The bird squawked and then took off, flying down from the window. Blake hurried away as it made its way down to her window, leaping into bed as she dispelled the clone. There was a flutter of wings before the sound of boots tapped against the dresser by the window. It couldn't be...
"Stupid feathers..." Ruby quietly groused as leaned down and plucked black feathers from the floor. She turned and dropped them from the window, watching them flutter and drift away into the winds of the night. She then shut the window and softly chuckled to herself. "And nobody's the wiser~."
That Blake could confirm was untrue.
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"Ruby."
"Gah!" Ruby jumped in her seat, coffee nearly spilling onto her hand. "Oh, hey, Blake! You scared me."
"I know what you've been up to."
Ruby looked around, her sister on one end of the room shadow boxing with headphones on, while Weiss was out doing some shopping. Looking to the scowling girl, she gave a smile as she set her coffee aside. "I don't know what you're talking about~."
"I don't know how you're doing it, but I know you've been turning into a bird and harassing students."
"Psh, n-no, I'm not..." Ruby lied, looking away from her teammate. "W-Why would I even do that?"
"I don't know." Blake folded her arms. "That's why I came to you as a friend. Your friend."
Ruby winced at that. Friends didn't keep things from friends. After all, Blake was very upfront about her past with the White Fang. Not at first, but she was still open about it when she did. Now she was asking Ruby to do the same. With a sigh, she turned, fully facing Blake.
"Okay, you got me. I'm a... What was it called again? A... matinta perera?"
Blake blinked. "A what?"
"It's this weird bird thing that I can turn into." Ruby pulled out a notebook and began drawing pictures to get her point understood. Every night, around midnight, I go outside, and I turn into a bird. Then I go to people's room and bother them until they promise me things.
"What 'things'?" Blake raised a brow.
"Usually coffee." She gestured to her mug. "That's what I usually do, anyways. I've heard other people ask for food, money, or whatever, but I like coffee the best."
"How do they know it's you?"
"That's the neat part; they don't!" She drew herself in a hood. "I come up to them early in the morning and ask them for coffee with my hood on. And like magic, they give it to me~!"
"What if they don't have coffee?"
"Then they get what Cardin got." Ruby drew Cardin with a paint bucket on his head. That's what Blake assumed she was drawing. The bird looked like a hairy V, Ruby in a hood looked like a partially colored number 8, and Cardin was a circle-person blob with a square on his head. "I dunno how it works, or how I even got this ability, but bad luck just follows them around all day!"
"That sounds incredible dangerous. What if something happens to them?"
"Relax, Blake~!" Ruby waved off. "I don't do this to teams about to go out on missions. And besides, I'm saving lien on coffee anyways~!"
"Ruby," Blake slapped her hand to the desk, giving a serious glare to her leader, "people are going to get hurt if you keep this up. You need to stop!"
"Only if they don't give me what I want." Ruby shrugged. "Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for Cardin."
"This isn't right!"
"Everything okay over there, guys?" Blake turned to see her partner, Yang, looking at the two with concern. "Sounds like things are getting heated over there. And not in the fun way."
"We're fine! Just having a discussion about coffee!" Ruby answered. "Right, Blake?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Oof! I don't wanna get involved in this then." Yang held up her hands and walked out of the dorm. "I'll let you two settle it your way. I'm not getting between Rubes and her coffee." With that, the door shut.
"Does she know?"
"About me turning into a bird? Kinda." Ruby answered. "She doesn't know about the deal part, though."
"If you won't stop, then I'll tell her."
"Yeah, you're right, and maybe I'll tell her about those books you've lent me~."
"Books?" A chill shot up Blake's spine. THOSE books. They weren't inappropriate for Ruby, technically speaking, but if Yang found out that her baby sister was getting into something intended for readers 16 years or older, it would be Blake's head! Yang might even burn all of Blake's other books just to be safe! "You wouldn't."
"You're right, I won't," she smiled, her lips curling into a sinister grin, "so long as you don't."
Blake gritted her teeth and clicked her tongue, stepping away and out of the dorm. Ruby leaned back in triumph as the door shut behind her. The girl had picked up a mean streak from somewhere all of a sudden and it was up to Blake to cut it short! But how if she couldn't tell Yang? Telling the professors would likely yield the same results. Was there anyone at Beacon who could help her out?!
"Hey, Blake!" She looked up to see Jaune looking down at her. When did she get down on the floor? "You okay? You look kinda sad."
"I'm fine, it's just..." She sighed, resting her head on her folded arms. "Something to do with Ruby and coffee."
"Ah, I getcha!" Jaune wagged his finger at her. "Yeah, Ruby gets pretty protective of her coffee. I'm glad we each have our own separate coffee makers. I wouldn't want Ruby to get ahold of my chocolate beans!"
"Can you eat chocolate beans?" Blake asked, looking up.
"Why not? I mean, I wouldn't recommend eating them, though. They're more the brewing kind of beans."
"Brewing?" Blake stood up. "Wait, you mean they're chocolate coffee beans?"
"Yeah! Isn't that what I said?" At this, Blake got an idea, and she grinned. "Blake?"
"JAUNE! COULD I GET SOME OF THOSE CHOCOLATE COFFEE BEANS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT?!" Blake shouted, loudly towards the young werewolf.
"Shshsh! Not so loud, Blake!" He waved his hands towards her, trying to quiet her down. "The last thing I want is for Ruby to break down my door and take my coffee! I spent most of my birthday lien to get this bag!"
"Oh, excuse me, Jaune. Let's talk about this further in your room."
"Okay." Jaune sighed. "Don't scare me like that, Blake. You never know who might be listening in."
As the two entered the dorm, Blake looked back to her dorm and noticed the door cracked open a bit. She smiled as his door came shut. Though it was hard to hear through the door behind her and Jaune's voice explaining how and when he got his bag of beans, but she could have sworn she picked up something her leader said.
"Chocolate coffee beans~?"
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Ruby flew around the building to the other side, just outside of Team JNPRs dorm. She looked inside to find everyone was fast asleep. She grinned internally, since birds can't smile, and began her typical routine of being annoying. She squawked and barked. There was a sound from inside, though Ruby couldn't hear it.
Suddenly, a figure rose and opened the window. Before Ruby could get even louder, she noticed the silhouette was still rising. And their piercing blue eyes had an... inhuman intent behind them. Sensing danger, she tried to fly away but was snatched from the air by its massive hands. She gazed in horror as it looked down with long, dagger-like teeth. Of all the times to be without her weapon!
The creature shut the windows and turned away, letting Ruby go. She changed back and ran through the JNPR door. She even used her semblance to keep her well and ahead as she ran. However, the beast was not only just as fast, but tricky, too, as it outpaced and practically guided Ruby down the path it wanted. All the way up to the roof.
She shut the door behind her and backed away, hoping against the hopelessness of her situation. Maybe it got bored. Maybe it found something else to do. Maybe it decided Ruby wouldn't be that tasty anyways? Maybe-
Tak! Ruby whirled at the sound. Did that thing get up here before her?!
"Ruby."
"Blake?!" Sure enough, the girl's teammate was right behind her, arms folded. "Blake, you have to help me! There's a monster coming after me!"
"A monster? Well, Ruby, what will you give me?"
"Huh?!"
"You like to make deals, Ruby, so why don't I make my own?" She pointed a finger at her. "You stop this extortion racket and I'll help you."
"What do sponges have to do with anything?!"
"Not absorbent, extor- The taking coffee from people thing!"
"What?! No way!"
"Then I guess I won't help you. In fact..." Faster than Ruby could react, Blake held a tight grip on the team leader. Forced to face the door, which was pounding.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Ruby struggled, but she couldn't break free.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
She kicked the gravel, but only pebbles moved freely.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"OKAY, FINE!" Ruby cried, tears from her eyes. "JUST LET ME GO AND I WON'T DO IT ANYMORE! I PROMISE~!"
The door came open. Ruby shut her eyes as a large, furred claw emerged from the building. Her heart thundered against her chest as her life flashed before her eyes. At least she'd be able to see her Mom...
"Blake? Can we stop?" She opened her eyes to see the monster. And he looked... worried? And he sounded a lot like... "I think Ruby's had enough."
"Jaune?" Blinking, she suddenly noticed the familiarity of his blue eyes. "Jaune?! Wha- What is going on here?!" Blake released Ruby and stepped back. "Blake, did you know about- Wait, are you ACTUALLY a werewolf?!"
"Yeah, what did you think I was?"
"I thought you were just a really hair Faunus!" She turned to Blake. "Er, n-no offense."
"I thought the same thing at first, too." Blake admitted.
"Well, since we're all here and talking, why don't we talk about what you've been up to, Ruby." Jaune said, looking down at Ruby.
"You told him?"
"You said not to tell Yang or the professors." Blake gestured to Jaune. "He's neither."
Ruby pouted. "I can't believe you told on me to your werewolf boyfriend."
"HE'S NOT MY-"
"Ruby!" Both girls quieted Jaune's bark. Not like an actual animal bark, but a- You know what I mean! "Stealing is wrong. Even if you don't think it's stealing, you're still abusing your powers to get things from other people by tricking them. That's wrong. That's not why we're at Beacon."
Ruby was quiet for a moment. Jaune was right. She shouldn't have been doing this kind of stuff, especially since she's trying to become a huntress. "I know. I just remembered hearing someone had coffee and I got excited to have some, but they said no, so I-"
"Wait, who's the someone?" Blake asked. "The only person you ever asked for coffee from was-" Blake's eyes widened. "So that was YOU outside of our dorm a few weeks ago?"
"Weiss only buys coffee for herself! And I really wanted a cup for myself."
"Oh, Ruby..." Blake shook her head.
"Weiss stopped sharing after the first week!" Ruby pleaded. "She told me to get my own, so... I did. I'm sorry."
"Well, Ruby, do you want some coffee?"
"Huh?" Ruby looked to Jaune, confused.
"What?!" Blake looked, too, even more confused. "Jaune, she just confessed to committing a crime. Multiple times!"
"And she said she was sorry. So, coffee?"
"Uh... Yeah!" Ruby perked up. "I'd love some coffee!"
"I can brew you a cup! BUT," Jaune held up a clawed finger, "you have to promise not to do this ever again."
"I promise!"
"Pinkie promise?" Jaune held out his clawed pinkie.
"Pinkie promise!" Ruby immediately hooked her tiny pinkie in response and shook with him. "It's a deal!"
"How about you, Blake? Coffee?"
Blake stood in disbelief at how easy it was for Jaune to get Ruby to stop her crime spree. The only thing more disbelieving was that Ruby and Jaune were both... not human. Not like Blake was not human, because they weren't Faunus, either. It was such an odd coincidence that Blake wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep soundly tonight. So...
"Coffee sounds great, actually."
