The Silent Howl

Chapter 10: Snake in the Grass

Ruby: "Arlo... Arlo no! No! NOOOO!!!"

"Winner, player one wins! Total annihilation!"

Arlo smirked as he twirled his controller in his hand, setting it down while Ruby sobbed at her utter defeat. Yang had been holding her hands over her mouth after watching the battle, reaching over to place a hand on Ruby's shoulder while speaking in a sympathetic tone.

Yang: "It's ok Ruby. It wasn't that bad..."

Ruby: "I didn't land a hit on him!!"

Yang: "Ok, yeah it was that bad..."

Arlo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, while Ruby quietly sobbed. Weiss was growing increasingly frustrated by the noise from the gaming, as she sat at the desk on the other side of the room. Finally, she slammed her pencil down and spun around to face the three.

Weiss: "Honestly! Why are you wasting your time by playing video games? We have studying to do, and preparations to make for Professor Goodwitch's field trip next week."

Yang: "First, not everyone studies next week's material as early as you do Weiss."

Ruby: "And for your information, this is not wasting time! It's a perfect bonding between boyfriend and girlfriend."

Alastair: "Don't worry about the trip Weiss. I'll personally tell you what preparation you'll need to do well in advance."

Weiss' lip tightened in frustration, before letting out a slow huff to keep herself from losing her temper. Blake had been reading a textbook on her bed, her eyes nervously glancing at Alastair every once and a while.

Blake: "They have a point, Weiss. Arlo, could you... you know."

Arlo let out a huff and nodded, letting Alastair vanish. Instantly, the tension Blake felt vanished as she sighed in relief.

Ruby: "Blake, you ok?"

Yang: "I still don't understand why you're so worried about Alastair. He's the sweetest spirit puppy you'll ever meet!"

Arlo: "And probably the only spirit puppy you'll meet."

Blake gave a smile, her sign language interpretation had drastically increased thanks to assistance from Weiss. And while Yang and Ruby were improving, they still struggled to fully comprehend.

Blake: "I'm sorry. I don't mean any offence Arlo, it's just... I always feel on edge around dogs."

Arlo waved it off to show it was alright, while Ruby sulked as she leaned on his shoulder. She looked up at Arlo with big eyes and spoke in a pleading tone.

Ruby: "Arrrloo... can't you let me win? Just one time?"

Arlo pretended to think about it, tapping his chin as he thought before booping her nose.

Arlo: "Now where's the fun in that little red?"

Ruby's cheeks inflated in frustration as she pouted, causing Yang to burst into laughter at her sister's reaction.

Arlo's gaze turned towards the door, his cheerful mood dampening somewhat as the memory of Jaune's confession echoed in his mind. More than once, Arlo debated about reporting him to Professor Ozpin, as expected from his duty as a teacher aide. But every time, he just couldn't betray Jaune like that. The guilt of being responsible for Jaune's expulsion would haunt Arlo's consciousness, despite the attitude he received that night.

Arlo's scroll suddenly beeped, alerting him to a new message. Ruby stopped the match before it could start, as Arlo peeked at the message to see it was from Professor Ozpin. He stood up and motioned for Yang to take his spot.