Team SRDS (Stardust)

Chapter 23: Omelettes and Eggs

Later, at Team RWBY's Dorm room

Ruby was proud of herself. She had managed to keep herself awake for almost all of Professor Port's lesson today. She decided to reward herself with a muffin before starting on her homework when she heard a knock on her door. She groaned in frustration, then turned to Weiss and said, "Hey Weiss, would you mind getting that?"

"Sure thing. I wonder who it is though. JNPR is off doing some extra training. Oum knows Jaune could use it."

Weiss walked over to the door, and opened it and to her surprise, Team SRDS was sheepishly standing outside. It drew Ruby's attention from her muffin.

Uh-oh.

"Yo. 2 things. Can we come in, and do y'all have food?"

"Uh, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story involving Ozpin and Silver. Best discussed inside."

Definite uh-oh.

Weiss opened the door all the way and watched silently as the four huntsmen sat down on the floor like awkward sacks of flour. She closed it and walked to them with a neutral expression.

As she did so, Diamond noticed Yang scowling at them from the corner of the room with crossed arms and clenched fists. Ruby, on the other hand, stared at them with an expression of worry. Blake shifted uncomfortably in her place, leaning away from them slightly. The ears on her head were folded, a clear sign of agitation.

The tension in the room was palpable. Thick enough to break any knife trying to cut through it.

Private matter or not, Diamond felt a twinge of guilt for not telling them.

It was conflicting. Arguably, RWBY needed that information. That was justifiable. He didn't really mind that part on its own. But did it have to come at the cost of breaking friendships? He and his teammates were concerned about Team RWBY knowing intimate details prematurely: he was especially concerned about what RWBY made of them after knowing so much.

One look at Ross and Diamond could tell that he wasn't bothered too much by such considerations. The behaviour could be alarming to some, but Diamond found it reassuring in its own right. Everything he'd thought was, so far, in his own head (though Team RWBY's body language said otherwise) and he wished for it to be the case.

"We know you went and asked Ozpin for our files," Ross said calmly.

Ruby decided that this was best discussed in a more comfortable situation. She reluctantly put down her muffin and decided to bust out her secret stash of hot chocolate and cookies.

"Here. You did ask for food. Come on, let's sit down."

The two teams sat in silence, both unsure how to broach the topic. It was not something one brought up in common conversation.

Finally, seeing no point otherwise, Sigbjorn decided it was best to cut to the chase.

"How much do you know? Not just about our missions, but about our past and training?"

"We know when your team was formed. We know what you guys specialised to train in. And we know about Team FRST," Ruby responded.

Ross put down the cookie he was eating as Diamond stopped sipping his hot chocolate. Sigbjorn sighed, while Steele seemed completely disconnected from his surroundings. All four of them looked lost for a moment.

Seeing this, Ruby's voice softened. "We saw your mission reports... all of them. I'm-- no, we're all sorry about what happened." She wasn't just saying that either. Her sadness was evident in her light frown and concerned stare.