Underneath The Shattered Moon [RWBY X OC]

Chapter 3

The air in the vast dormitory room was thick with the scent of exhaustion and teenage angst. Ruby, nestled in her sleeping bag, scribbled furiously in her journal, a soft glow emanating from her sleeping mask. Her sister, Yang, lay beside her, clad in a bright yellow tank top and shorts, her gaze glued to the room's occupants.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang exclaimed, her voice a low purr.

Ruby didn't bother looking up. "I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though."

Yang let out a playful groan, her eyes flitting across the room. "I know I do!" She winked, her gaze lingering on a group of muscular, shirtless guys. Her attention then shifted to Jaune, who was clad in ridiculous feetie pajamas and waving enthusiastically at her. Yang groaned again, shaking her head before turning back to Ruby. "What's that you're writing?"

"Just a letter to the gang back at Signal." Ruby finally looked up, her expression a mix of wistfulness and determination. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aw, that's so cuuuute!" Yang cooed, only to be met with a pillow launched straight at her face.

Ruby grumbled, "Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!"

"What about Jaune and Aebelle?" Yang countered, her voice taking on a teasing tone, "They're...nice! There you go! Plus two friends! That's a hundred percent increase!"

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend," Ruby muttered, turning on her back. "Back to zero..."

"There's no such thing as negative friends!" Yang insisted, her voice a mix of amusement and frustration. "You just made two friends and one enemy! Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!"

Across the room, Aebelle sat hunched over a book, her brow furrowed in concentration. She wore a simple tank top and shorts, her pointy ears partially obscured by her short, white hair. The book, bound in leather and adorned with intricate silver designs, was open to a page depicting a fierce warrior wielding a katana.

"I heard that the manga's adaptation of the first game was great, but man...this is more amazing than I expected," Aebelle muttered to herself, her eyes glued to the page.

Her gaze then drifted to a quieter corner of the room, where a girl with black hair and yellow eyes sat reading a book illuminated by the soft glow of a candle. Intrigued, Aebelle approached cautiously.

"Hello..." Aebelle said, her voice a soft murmur.

The girl looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh, it's you...aren't you the one who shouted at Weiss Schnee?"

Aebelle winced, instantly regretting her outburst. "Uh...yeah...I, uh...I'm not usually like that. I just..." She paused, searching for the right words. "I was fed up when people found 100 terrible ways to look down at people."