En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Chapter 31: Face-Off

chapter 31: Weiss calls Ruby a dumbfuck and m Ruby calls Weiss out on her shit

"Face me in combat!" Weiss exclaimed as she unsheathed her weapon and held it out in an offensive position, placing her free arm behind her back.

Ruby gulped and held up her wobbly, plastic stick of a practice rapier. "If you say so... But that thing looks pretty sharp..."

"Of course it is!" Weiss barked. "Myrtenaster is made of high-quality steel! I never said you couldn't put on the protective gear designed to keep you from being impaled."

Ruby sighed. I guess I won't be a Ruby-kabob, after all. She suited up quickly and got back on her feet. "So, what are we doing, exactly?"

"We're fencing," the heiress responded irritably. "Treat it like a real bout, because it may as well be. It's about time I put you in your place."

"But Weiss," Ruby protested, "I never said I was better than you. You're awesome at everything!"

The fiery, white-haired girl faltered for just a moment. "That doesn't matter. You won, and your opinion won't change that."

"At least I tried," Ruby mumbled to herself. "Fine. If it makes you happy, let's do this."

Neither moved for a few seconds. The first to strike was Weiss, who lunged out aggressively and threw Ruby off guard. Somehow, she still managed to parry with her flimsy rod.

"Not bad," she praised herself and slid the rapier along Weiss' blade, aiming for her chest. The heiress predicted the move and batted her away. "I think you're losing your edge," Ruby teased, then winced. She knew she'd already set off the ticking time bomb, but her snark comments fueled the fire.

Weiss grunted. "I'm sharper than you ever were."

Their blades danced back and forth, with Weiss' determination coming through and keeping her steady. It was a stalemate until Ruby suddenly ducked and tapped where Weiss's belly button would've been, had she not been wearing her gear.

Weiss growled. "Why, you little..." The anger and aggression that boiled within her since the end of that summer was starting to rise, clouding her logic and recognition of the present.

Ruby saw the composed, only occasionally nagging girl she'd grown to know, shrouded with malice. She didn't know why her friend was suddenly so upset, but she assumed it was because of her pride. A girl like Weiss wouldn't accept defeat while she could still stand.

"Wait, Weiss!" she called. "We don't need to do this!"

"Yes, we do!" Weiss bit back, completely disregarding the need to keep her cool. This situation was all too familiar.

Rather than just lunging, she practically sprang at Ruby with an (unladylike) yell. This caught the young brunette by surprise, and she didn't lift her sword up in time to prevent both girls from crashing to the ground.

•••

"Uhh..." Ruby recovered from unconsciousness to find herself laying on the mat, staring up at the blue sky. Looking to her left, she found that her rapier had been thrown from her grasp and was on the ground close by. She reached for it with a grunt but found herself weighed down.