The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 12: Upcoming Events

"Dust, sorry..."

Weiss just scoffed, taking a breath to calm her anger. "Anyways... I wanted to know if you'd like to go, Y/N."

"Me?"

Weiss nodded. "There's hardly a better choice, isn't there? Out of everyone I hang out with, you're the most decent one."

Y/N was flattered. "Oh... Thanks. That was a really nice thing of you to say. Caught me off guard, really."

"Wha!? I can be nice, you know!"

"About as nice as sitting naked on a cactus," Yang muttered. Vao started snickering, not even bothering to hide it. Yang turned to Verde, curiosity settling in her eyes. "What about you? You going?"

Verde closed the book, setting it down in her lap. "... Yes. As a matter of fact, there is someone I would like to go with. But I don't know if my father would approve..."

Everyone looked to Vao, who wasn't paying attention. He was picking the pockets of other students as they walked, snickering as he counted the money inside.

"... That brings up a question for you, Vao," Y/N muttered. The femboy looked at him curiously.

"Oh, wot?"

"Mr. Ironwood had his personal medical team help us in the hospital. He said something about you asking for it."

"Yeah I did, why?"

"How, in all of Remnant's history, did someone like you manage that?"

Vao shrugged. "I dunno. Mr. Ironwood seems to like me, for some reason. When I visited Verde once, he said he wanted to get to know me, and he even told me to call him by his first name!"

Weiss looked impressed, but very confused. "Wait... You? Of all people, you got on the general's good side? You, a petty, thieving rat?"

"Well, fuck me I guess... Can't say you're wrong, though..."

"Oh great, he's going to get arrested again," Yang muttered. Everyone aside from Cardin and Y/N looked at the blonde curiously.

"What do you mean, again?" Sasha asked.

Y/N sighed, disappointment settling in. "One time, Vao threatened a store clerk for not selling him a donut..."

"In my defense, I had the money for it!"

"Vao, we were in a shoe store!"

They all shared a laugh. Except Verde. She never laughed at anything. Soon, they made it into the courtyard, where Yang and Weiss parted ways. They still had a dance to plan, after all. Cardin decided to neglect his duties to hang out with his friends. They were sitting on the grass, watching as students passed by, the sun filling them with a gentle warmth.

"... So... About Ruby," Vao began quietly.

Y/N didn't say anything. He looked down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers. Sasha listened silently, not daring to interrupt. And Verde, she pretended to read her book. But it was obvious she was listening.

"What about her?" Cardin asked. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know. Verde spoke, finally closing her book.

"... We went back to Patch to investigate Ruby's strange behavior... She tried to kill us, to keep a long story short..."

Cardin's skin paled, and he didn't say anything. Vao nodded. "Yeah. I... Was thinking we should tell someone... Like, right now..."

Y/N knew the suggestion was directed towards him. But he couldn't decide. If he said something, he risked having Ruby locked in prison.