A/N edit because blake doesn't have a tail *face palm*
Team NBER pov
"""[Happy birthday]""" The family shouted bringing not one, but two cakes out. "Hope you didn't think we forgot about you emerald! Both my big girls are one year older!" Ruby and blake gave each of them their presents. "Hope you don't mind but me and ruby got you guys a pair of presents." Neo and em opened them. Inside were training books and staves tailored to each girls style. The pair hugged their teammates.
Ruby&Blake pov
After the party neo and em went training with their stuff, while ruby and blake had a different kinda training in mind. "Tag you're it!" Yes they were playing tag, but they were using their semblanceses to enhance speed and dodging. Making them appear as an after image of a five year old faunus and a fiery cloud of roses, to bystanders. But oddly enough they were pretty close in spectacle to cinder and winter's fight. A true dance of dodging and countering. But after a while.
"Oof! Oh i'm sorry!" Ruby hit a bigger kid who was out walking. "Hey watch where you're going you dolt!" Blake ran up and helped ruby up. "Hey she said sorry, we were just messing around. Here!" After helping ruby up blake extended her hand to help the girl. "Ugh put that filthy paw away!" That's when blake noted the white hair, the blue dress that was tailored to a five year old. The stuck up attitude, and the derogatory term about blake's heritage.
"Oh you're a schnee! Like the cheater mama fought!" Said ruby making the connection as well. "Excuse me!" The little girl said angrily. "What did you say about my big sister!" Ruby backed up a bit intimidated by the bigger girl. "She said your prissy sister cheated, because my friends mom was gonna beat her." The white haired girl turned to blake. "Oh please that was a tie up till my sister kicked that peasants butt!" Blake replied smirking. "Oh over 70% vs 29% is a tie man, me and ruby must have been taught the wrong math then."
The little heiress grew angrier at that comment. "Oh yeah? Excuse me miss!" The white haired girl smirked confidently at the adult coming her way. "Yes what's the problem miss?" Then she said. "This faunus and this girl were bullying me!" Blake said. "Um, listen miss-" Then the white haired girl cut her off. "She and this girl clearly don't belong on a prestigious school such as this. Remove them please." The older adult that she flaged down just said. "Oh? Is that so miss schnee?" The schnee heiress nodded confidently. "Yes i wish to walk these grounds, without the common riff-raff bumbling about."
The adult then said. "Ruby is this girl telling the truth?" Ruby shook her head. "No miss glynda, we bumped into her playing tag and she called blake a filthy animal!" Glynda looked at blake. "It's true headmistress, she was being mean, saying miss cinder was a peasant who was tied until winter cheated." That miffed glynda a bit. "You see miss schnee these girls were given permission to play here, as they live here. You don't have that permission. And as an aside, cinder fall is the best student to grace these grounds in years and had it been a semblance battle your poor sister wouldn't have known what hit her." The schnee looked shocked. "Wha? How dare you! Do you know who i am!" Glynda coldly replied. "A little girl who has no power here. Now come along girls, i"ll let you play in my office instead. Don't worry miss schnee your father will here of this, now please enjoy the outdoors your highness." Glynda finished with a mock curtsy.
After leaving a shocked schnee behind. Blake exclaimed. "Holy cow miss goodwitch! That was awesome!" Ruby said. "Did you mean what you said about mama?" Glynda looked at them, with a quiet confidence. "Of course miss fall, your mother is a great student. We may not see eye to eye but, she could certainly replace me one day. And thank you miss belladonna, it's always a pleasure to help those in honest need of it."
"Speaking of helping those in need." Said glynda as she opened the doors revealing the family of bunny faunus. "I believe they have something to say to you miss fall and belladonna." The little girl stepped forward. "My parents were rude miss fall, and i know i'm not them but i wanted to apologize." The father stepped up. "We didn't realize the determination your mother fought with, or how she knew Mrs belladonna. So i'm sorry." Then the mother. "We received a phone call from Mrs belladonna. Saying that you two were inseparable best friends. And while it still bothers me that miss blake is friends with you. I'm sorry for reacting the way i did."
"Hmph not much of an apology Mrs Scarlatina, but it will suffice. As for the rest, thank you for apologizing." Spoke blake angry but diplomatic about it. "It's okay blake told me you guys don't like humans, but one day we will change your minds!" The family just bowed politely, and left. "Thank you for handling that with the same grace your mother's taught you girls." Said glynda. "Now then, what say we all read and have some tea?" Blake's metaphorical tail was wagging, and ruby looked confused. "What's tea?" Glynda replied. "It's a warm drink made with water, and boiled plants. This pot came from the emerald forest tree's leaves." Ruby looked excited. "So we can drink flowers!? Yes please!" After that the girls all enjoyed silence. And tea with each other's company.
Cinder pov
After her daughters and blake came back, they all watched a movie at the theater. "Are you excited about your third year miss fall?" Blake asked. "Yes and i'm a little nervous. It's kind of difficult to explain." Blake smiled. "No i get it, it's like how i felt protesting for the first time." Cinder nodded. "I suppose that's a fair comparison. Although i'm a little worried about you and ruby." Blake looked puzzled. "Why? Is something wrong?" Cinder calmy replied. "No, not wrong per se. But... with all this political turmoil in menagerie, you might not be able to visit much next year. And ruby's going to be devastated." Blake's ears visibly dropped. "Oh... yeah." Cinder then replied. "At least you still have your scrolls though, right?" That cheered up the cat girl. "Yeah that's true."
And just as fast as she came here, it was time for blake to leave.
Ruby&Blake pov
"Do you have to go?" Ruby asked her best friend, hoping she could stay. "Yes i have to go ruby. I'm sorry but my mom needs my help." Ruby nodded, and said. "I understand, my mama needs me too. When will i see you again?" Blake said. "In person, i don't know. But you can call me whenever you want, and we can read together over FaceTime." Ruby hugged blake with all her might. "If you ever need me, just call i'll use my semblance to get there as quickly as possible." Blake didn't have the heart to tell ruby that her semblance wasn't indefinite, and that she couldn't speed over the entire ocean. "Okay, i'll call if i ever need help. This isn't goodbye, so i'll see you around ruby fall." Ruby replied. "Not if i see you first blake belladonna!" And with a final hug the best friends were separated once more.
Leaving a sniffling ruby behind. "Hey it's not so bad right? Just call her later today, it will be like you never even separated, okay?" She hugged the source of reassurance she could always count on. "Thanks daddy!" Roman just ruffled her hair. "No problem firecracker. Let's go get you some cookies before we take ya back home to mama okay?" He picked her up and let her wear his hat, as they went to their secret place. A cookie store in vale. "Hey did you hear kiddo, they opened a new shop across the street from the cookie place." Ruby said. "Oh? What's it for?" He shrugged. "It's a dust shop called, from dust till dawn. Probably better then anything schnee related, right?" She nodded. "Winter and Weiss are hecken butt-faces!" He chuckled. "That they are sweetheart, that they are."
Cinder pov one year later
"Congratulations class you are now officially 4th year students. And with your final year comes great responsibilities. From this point on you will take an extended field mission, without a professional huntsman. Your team leader will be assigned your mission. By a professor." Ozpin said finishing his speech. "Miss fall! Please come here." Said glynda. "Yes miss goodwitch?" The older woman gave cinder a paper. "Your mission is to guard high value targets in menagerie." Cinder looked up shocked, and glynda said. "It would appear that unfortunately, the Belladonna household is where you will be assigned. Oh silly me i almost forgot your daughters will have to go with you as we have no one to watch them due to my scheduling error. Poor little ruby will be absolutely bored at the house being forced to spend time with the belladonna's daughter, send her my condolences."
The headmistress finished with a sly wink. "Oh yes headmistress. A real shame indeed." Said cinder smiling. After getting back to her dorm room, cinder called out "I'm home!" The group of daughters then ran out to her. ""Hey mom!"" Said emerald and ruby, both now 7 and 4 respectively. [took you long enough mom. they talk your ear off or what?] Signed neo now 11. "Nope they just told me where we will be staying the next 12 months. Until we report back here next year's start for graduation, and to get our hunting licenses."
""[Oooooh, where are you vacationing then?]"" Communicated the group. Cinder rolled her eye's. "We as in you girls included, miss goodwitch messed up the schedule. And it won't be a vacation. I'll be active as a bodyguard for a pair of high value targets of the local government." The group then said/signed. ""[Awww man, where are we going then. Dullsvile?]"" Cinder was quietly disturbed by their ability to speak and sign the same thing in sync.
Cinder then said. "Sorry girls that's top secret untill we get there. But bring your fishing poles because we go by boat!" They all sighed at that.
Ruby pov that night.
"Hi blake how are you doing?" The other girl replied on the video call. "Sigh. Not great ruby, people keep harassing my mom and dad to take the white fang in a different direction, then peaceful protesting. Now my mom can't even go to the beach and relax. She's been really sad." Ruby replied. "Do you need me to come and help? I'll race over there right now!" The four and a half, year old didn't understand entirely how a semblance worked. "No silly, but thanks. What's going on with your mom?" Ruby said, while pouting. "We need to leave for a year, and protect some government people. And i can't help! All i get to do is stay at their house, they're probably a bunch of butt-face schnee's or something!"
The cat girl gave a sad smile. "That's probably accurate. My mom asked for help from beacons 4th year student teams. But the person she talked with said all the teams had already been pre-assigned so there wasn't anyone who could help." She looked incredibly sad and said. "It's probably because we're faunus. Nobody ever wants to help us." Ruby then replied. "Well i want to help! Other people will just have to become nice because we are nice!" Blake smiled shyly and asked. "Why are you the best human, i've ever met." Ruby then said. "Because my sister's and my mom and dad are good people!" Blake then blushed a tiny bit, and said. "Um, what did you think of the book i sent you?" Ruby looked away, and said. "I haven't gotten to it yet, i wish we could read it together in person." Blake nodded sadly. And ruby squealed, causing blake to look confused.
"S-s-sorry it's just your kitty ears are soooo cute when they droop like that." Blake blushed a tiny bit more, saying. "Oh! Um, yeah your ears are nice too!" Ruby looked confused. "But my ears are normal human girl ears. Why would they be nice?" Blake blushed hugely, embarrassed by the obviously weird compliment to her friend. "Uh... Itsbedtimegottagobye!" Stammered blake before hanging up. "Huh?" Then she got a text. (Sry didn't mean to hang up, i panicked. Talk tomorrow?) Ruby smiled and replied. (Np bestie, i know how hard talking to people can be. Talk tomorrow goodnight.) And with that they went to sleep not knowing that they'd be seeing each other real soon.
Author's notes
Just a small chapter mostly lore building. We never got to see menagerie very much in the show, so i'm hoping to bring more depth and stakes to the white fang turn of volume 1-3 and obviously some cute RubyXBlake moments. Now i'm a huge shipper, and big time supporter of bumblebee. But in this timeline it's going to be ladybug, and torchfall, not right away, just like roman and cinder it's a slow burn. I've been basing the childhood flirting and small kisses off of my own life experiences but they aren't gonna be an item till way, way later. But please join us next time for chapter 15!(holy crap!) A fool's errand. A lovely host. But until then true believers excelsior!