RWBY: Unbound Instinct (Ruby Rose x Male Reader)

Ch. 7 - Family Ties!

The day before the trip, all the classes fly by. Honestly, nothing eventful happens at all. Though, Jaune has been hanging out with Cardin, I guess it's probably against his will. He's been out late. Sleeping through classes. Hell, even Pyrrha has been mad at him.

When we all sat down for lunch, Pyrrha kept her frustrated look. Nora and Ren seem normal enough, though. We don't mention the lack of Jaune, as it's become a pretty common thing. Eventually, though, I feel the need to try and cheer Pyrrha up.

"So, Pyrrha, you excited for the trip? I haven't heard you talk much about it."

She huffs, "Yes. Quite ecstatic, Y/n." Her tone harsh, and unusually unkind. My guess is something happened between her and Jaune.

I hum, "I've never been to Forever Fall, so I'm pretty excited to see how pretty it is. I love the outdoors."

This seemingly catches her attention, and she turns to look at me, "Why's that?"

"I've spent a lot of time outside. I grew pretty used to the feeling of being in the wilderness. It's where I learned everything I know! Well, besides the stuff at the academy," I explain. My past wasn't exactly bright, or happy. But I do find comfort in remembering those times of training and personal growth.

Ruby overhears the conversation and leans in, "Oh! Is this finally some Y/n backstory?!"

Suddenly, the whole table turns their attention to me. Nora nearly spits her mouthful of food out, "Finally!"

Ren calms her down and I laugh a bit, trying to keep myself composed, "Yea sure, why not?"

The only one who doesn't involve themselves in the listening party is Blake. Who seems to not be very interested in the topic.

"Honestly, it isn't all that crazy, or groundbreaking. When my family was still present, we trained in our own secret place, just outside of the city. We'd fight Grimm, spar, and even learn some history while we scavenged for food and whatnot. That's the lifestyle I know my family by. Honest, hard working people. My mom, she-" I cut off.

Suddenly my heart skips a beat and I feel my throat tighten a bit. I still can't bring myself to talk about her, can I? I clear my throat and adjust a little in my seat, "A-Anyway, I just find the woods comforting. Nostalgic, y'know?"

There's a moment of silence, but Pyrrha nods and looks at me with a deep sympathy, "Yes, I completely understand. There are some things, some experiences, that hold more weight. More value."

I nod, "Yea, most of my favorite memories with them came from the woods."

And some of the worst, but I leave that out.

"Anyway," I continue, "Hopefully, this can be a trip we can get some fond memories from as well!" I say cheerfully, looking at everyone individually.

We all hum in agreement, but Pyrrha turns to face Jaune, who's having another order given to him by Cardin, "Yes. Hopefully."

Her momentary cheerfulness is all but gone.

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Later that night, we all settle into the dorm, Yang and I going back and forth about the trip. Blake is half paying attention, and Weiss is desperately trying to keep up with our conversation, but to no avail.

"It's gonna be awesome! Maybe we'll get to fight some Ursa!" Yang says with a big exaggerated punching motion.

"Ursa?! That'd be so cool!! We can take 'em all down as a team, and maybe get extra points or something!" I say back, making air slashes with an imaginary sword. My tail wagging at maximum speed.