3rd Person POV
Beacon
"I was, uh, wondering if you'd like to hang out with me tomorrow after we set up for the dance?"
"Is that going to be okay with Yang?"
"Hmm... Nope."
"That's not very reassuring."
"Nope. So...?"
"Okay. I guess we'll... hang out tomorrow?"
"Great! See you tomorrow!"
A pair of tablecloths slapped down on the table before Ruby, startling the young Rose out of her thoughts. While the other members of the team, aside from Blake who was still in the library, worked to rearrange the ballroom for the dance, she had been lost in thought as she recalled the events of the previous night.
"I need you to pick a tablecloth," Weiss ordered and slid the two pieces of identical blue cloth toward her.
Rubbing her eyes, Ruby blinked, examining them in confusion. "Aren't they both the same?"
Weiss huffed. "I don't even know why I asked. Sincline!"
Sincline jumped, nearly losing control of the ship he had been using to lower the stage through the rooftop, energy cables hooked into the sides of the metal platform from the bottom of his vessel. Quickly regaining control and stopping the stage from slamming through a wall, he glanced back at them as the two girls sweatdropped at the destruction Weiss nearly caused. "Yeah?"
Shaking her head, Weiss held up the tablecloths. "Which of these would look better for the dance?" she asked.
Sincline blinked, tilting his head. "Aren't they both the same?"
"See!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing at Sincline and then at Weiss. "That's what I said!"
"Arrgh!" Throwing her hands up, Weiss stormed off, shaking her head and passing Yang as the blond-haired Huntress set down a large speaker.
What's up with her? Yang wondered, glancing at the Heiress before shrugging and dusting off her hands. "So, have you picked out a dress yet?" she asked, crossing to the table where Ruby was seated while Sincline's ship slowly lowered the stage into position.
Ruby shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "But still, that won't matter if Blake doesn't go with us." She sighed, resting her head on her crossed forearms as she slumped over the table.
"Oh, don't worry; she's going," Yang assured. Getting no response, she sighed and pulled up a chair to sit down opposite her. "Alright, what's on your mind?"
"What?" Ruby froze, and Sincline felt a shiver run down his spine as a sense of doom crawled over his skin. "Nothing! Nope, absolutely nothing!"
"Mmhmm..." Yang raised an eyebrow. "Okay, come on~" she teased, winking. "What's this all about? Is it about a certain purple-eyed teammate of ours~?"
Ruby gulped. She knows. "Um..." She shifted, eyes darting from side to side, then blurted, "ImaybeaskedSinclineoutonadateslashhangoutandImightwanttoaskhimtothedancelater."
Yang blinked once, then blinked again. "Run that by me again?"
"I, uh..." Ruby shifted again. "I maybe asked Sincline out on a date/hangout, and I might want to ask him to the dance later."
Yang stared at her for a long moment, her lips parting briefly in surprise. While she had been expecting Ruby and Sincline to do something at one point or another... I guess that's just part of the job of being her big sis, she chuckled. Normally, if Sincline had been the one to ask Ruby out, she would have punched him through a wall. But since Ruby was the one who asked... "Hmm... making a move already, eh sis?" she teased, leaning over the table to ruffle Ruby's hair. If this was going to happen, she might as well get some blackmail and take the opening to tease Ruby.
Ruby's cheeks reddened, and she buried her face in her arms once more. "I'm not making a move," she mumbled. "I just wanted to hang out with him." And maybe a little more?
"Nope, still counts as a date," Yang replied cheerfully. A wicked grin spread across her lips, and she leaned toward her sister. "So... you finally going to tell him about your little crush?"
"Yaaaaang!" Ruby glanced toward Sincline, worried that he might have overheard... only to see the mech-turned-human still focused on lowering the stage without damaging the walls. "I'm not gonna tell him yet, alright?" she whispered. "I don't even know if he likes me back!"
"Well, if you want to find out, you should get a move on," Yang suggested slyly, winking. A flicker of movement caught her attention, and she looked up, her jaw dropping in disbelief. "Weiss! I thought we agreed! No doilies!"
"If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines," Weiss shot back, storming over and jabbing her in the chest.
"Your dance is going to have fog machines?" a familiar voice asked, and the three girls turned just as Neptune and Sun pushed the doors open and entered the room.
"Well, we were thinking about it," Weiss replied, turning to face them as her cheeks reddened ever so slightly.
"That's pretty cool," Neptune commented, and Sun pointed two finger guns at them.
"So, you ladies all excited for the dress up?" the blond-haired monkey Faunus asked excitedly.
Ruby just snorted. "Pfft. Yeah right."
"Laugh all you want," Yang replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll be turning heads tomorrow night."
Sincline blinked, tilting his head. Dress up? he wondered but decided to hold that question for later. Filing it away, he turned back to making sure the stage was properly secure, still listening to the conversation.
"What you two wearing?" Weiss asked curiously.
Sun snorted. "Uh... this?" He spread his arms, gesturing to his current attire.
"Ignore him, for he knows not what he says," Neptune said, stepping in front of Sun and waving his hand dismissively.
"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo," Sun complained. "It's not exactly a shirt and tie kind of place."
"Yeah, we've noticed," Yang deadpanned.
"It's hard not to," Sincline agreed as his ship finally managed to level the stage and lower it down on the right spot, the motion catching both boys' attention as they stared up at the massive craft in awe.
"Whoa... is that one of yours?" Sun asked. I heard he's got a strong semblance but... damn.
Sincline nodded and snapped his fingers, the sound clear and sharp. A purple glow suffused the ship, and it promptly shattered into thousands of dissolving fragments. Lowering his hand, he crossed to the rest of his teammates and joined them at the table.
"So, uh... what does Blake think of all this?" Sun asked, scratching the back of his head. "She still being all, you know...."
"Blakey?" Sincline offered.
"Obviously," Weiss sighed.
"I still can't think of a way to change her mind," Ruby complained, bowing her head in defeat while the others sweatdropped.
Sincline tilted his head. "If she's a cat Faunus, can't we just use tuna?" he asked, leaning toward Weiss.
The Heiress just rolled her eyes. "Only if we can't think of anything else," she replied, fighting back a small smile at the mech-turned-human's suggestion.
"Guys," Yang assured, causing them to turn to her, "trust me, Blake will be at the dance tomorrow."
Sincline blinked, tilting his head. "How do you know that?" he asked curiously.
Yang just grinned. "Trade secret." She winked at Ruby. "Have fun on your 'hangout,'" she said, earning a furious blush from the young Rose as she seemingly sunk into her cloak. Chuckling, Yang turned to Sincline, and her eyes narrowed, flashing red. "Look. I'll let you two go out on this 'hangout,'" she said, making air quotes with her fingers. "But if you hurt her in any way...." She trailed off, but the meaning was clear.
Gulping, Sincline held up his hands and took a step back. "Got it." He may have been one of the deadliest beings on Remnant, but he knew better than to get on Yang's bad side.
Satisfied, her eyes returning to normal, Yang turned on her heel and walked off, leaving a shivering Sincline behind as Weiss turned to him and Ruby, an eyebrow raised. "Well, it's about time," the Heiress commented.
"We're not going out on a date!" Ruby exclaimed and threw up her hands, missing the strange look on Sincline's face. "We're just going to hang out around the city."
Weiss stared at them disbelievingly for a long moment, then sighed. "Whatever. But you two aren't leaving for one more hour."
Sincline tilted his head. "Why not?"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Because Ruby needs to get ready, you dunce. Now, come back in an hour, and she'll be ready." We're actually supposed to be setting up the stage, but I suppose we can let Sun and Neptune do that.
"Wait, I don't need to—" Ruby tried to protest, only for Weiss to grab her by the wrist and drag her off, ignoring the young Rose's complaints, while Sincline just stared at the unfurling events.
"What just happened?"
Sun patted him on the shoulder. "Look, just go with it, man," he advised. "Also... you're on your own for this one." With that, he and Neptune bolted out the door, leaving Sincline alone once more.
"...I'm screwed," Sincline sighed and quietly resigned himself to his fate as he turned back to finish up the stage, letting his thoughts drift as he began implementing the final touches to the sound system.
Timeskip
Standing outside on the landing pad, Sincline leaned against a tree and stared up at the sky through the canopy of leaves, a scimitar flashing in his hand as he summoned and un-summoned it, his thoughts wandering. Should I be nervous or excited about this? he wondered. He knew what a 'date' was, thanks to Blake (after an accidental discovery of a book stash he wished he had never seen), but he wasn't sure if this were actually a date or not. And on top of that, there was his 'crush' on Ruby, which Weiss had told him about when he went to talk to her earlier that same day.
"Hey, uh, Weiss?"
The Heiress looked up from where she was studying on her bunk and saw Sincline peeking his head in through the door.
"Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Well, you already are," Weiss sighed, closing her binder and facing Sincline as he shut the door behind him. "What is it?"
"Well, um..." Sincline scratched the back of his head, wondering exactly how he could word this. "Lately I've been feeling... strange around Ruby."
"Strange how?" Weiss asked as Sincline sat down on the bunk opposite her, so they could face each other.
"Strange, like... I get this warm feeling, and my chest feels strange," Sincline admitted. "And I've been enjoying her company a lot."
"Hmm..." Weiss frowned, thinking. She had her suspicions ever since the battle against Roman's Paladin and the game of Truth or Dare, but she needed to be certain. "And you feel this way every time you're near her?"
Sincline nodded. "That's right. I thought you could help me because, you know...."
Weiss nodded, a pleased smile crossing her lips. "Understandable. Well, Sincline, you're in luck. I know exactly what's happening to you."
"Am I sick?"
"No, you dolt," Weiss shook her head, fighting back a small laugh at the confused look on Sincline's face. "You have a crush on Ruby."
Sincline frowned. "I don't want to hurt her."
Weiss facepalmed. "Not like that, you dunce. I mean, in the romantic sense."
"So... I like her?" Sincline asked, trying to understand the situation.
"Well, do you?"
"I... I think so," Sincline said hesitantly. He frowned. Sure, he liked all his teammates, but did he like Ruby more? He thought he did... "But isn't it a little fast? I thought liking someone takes time."
"Well, you and Ruby are our fastest teammates," Weiss pointed out, a hint of a smile crossing her lips. "But honestly, it all depends on the people and the circumstances. Ever since she accidentally brought you out of the Quintessence Field, she's made it her personal mission to help you in any way she can. So, I'm not that surprised that you two have developed feelings for each other."
"Okay..." I guess that makes sense. "So, what do I do now?" Sincline asked, head tilted.
"You tell her," Weiss advised. She had never anticipated being a matchmaker at any point in her lifetime, but here she was. "Look, you two are going to hang out today, right?"
He froze. "How did you—"
"The author needed someone to make sure you two don't mess up," Weiss replied. "Also, the window was open. Look, I'll act like I don't know what is going on. However—" She raised a finger, and her eyes narrowed. "Ruby is an integral part of this team, and not just because she's the leader." She pointed at him. "Yang will likely deliver the death threat later, but I want you to know: if you hurt her, you won't just have Yang to deal with. She's my partner, and while we may not get along all the time, I want her to be safe just as much as anyone else on the team. Clear?"
Sincline gulped and quickly nodded. "Crystal." I guess I was right earlier, he thought, recalling his initial impression of Team RWBY. They really ARE scarier than Voltron, Lotor, and Honerva combined.
"Good, glad we understand each other," Weiss said, nodding. "Now, go fetch the supplies for the stage and meet the rest of us down in the lunchroom to get ready for the dance."
"Uh... hey, Sincline," a familiar voice said sheepishly, startling him into losing his grip on his sword. He yelped, jumping out of the way as the scimitar sliced through the ground where his foot had been.
She giggled, and Sincline dispersed his sword before looking up and finding Ruby standing before him. Dressed in blue jean shorts, a red T-shirt, and black sneakers, and with her red cloak draped over her shoulders, Ruby smiled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she gave a small twirl. "What do you think?"
"You look..." Sincline paused, trying to find the right words to describe her. "Amazing," he decided. "You look amazing, Ruby."
Ruby blushed, a small smile crossing her lips at the praise. "Thanks. You look pretty good, too."
Sincline smiled, glancing down at his current apparel. The girls had taken him shopping several weeks ago (an experience he refused to have a flashback of), and now he had finally found a reason to use an outfit outside of his school or combat uniform. Clad in a set of black sneakers, he sported blue jeans, and a black T-shirt. He also wore a silver short-cropped jacket with his symbol on the back and upper arms. All in all, he thought it looked pretty cool. "Thanks."
The two stood there for a long moment, acutely aware of the winds brushing through the leaves above and the birds chirping in the distance, the warm sun cascading on their skin.
"So... what do we do first?" Sincline asked, breaking the silence and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
Ruby paused, thinking. "Well, we didn't get a really good tour last time... how about I show you around Vale?" she offered.
Sincline shrugged. "Sounds good to me."
Ruby smiled. "Great! Now, all we have to do is get a Bullhead to Vale, and—"
"Uh, Ruby?" Sincline pointed at himself before holding out a hand, fingers reaching limply. A swirl of purple fragments burst into existence, twisting around each other as they formed into his ship.
"Oh... right," Ruby said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a small laugh as Sincline helped her into his ship. Sitting down in their respective seats, with Ruby in the back and Sincline in the front, the mech-turned-human tightened his grip on the controls, and they lifted off.
"Wait, won't we get shot down by Atlas if they see some random supership flying around?" Ruby asked in alarm, a bolt of fear rushing through her as she eyed the numerous airships hovering above Vale.
Sincline shook his head. "Ironwood gave me air clearance," he explained as they flew toward Vale. "As far as anyone else is concerned, we've got as much right to be up here as they do. Besides," he added, a challenging grin on his face. "They'd have to catch us first."
Timeskip
"So, what do you want to do first?" Sincline asked as he set his ship down in a landing zone beside several other Bullheads, the massive shadow of his vessel dwarfing the VTOL aircraft and earning many stares from civilians passing by.
"Well, there's ice cream, but that was done in Rising Phoenix," Ruby mused, exiting the ship and jumping to the ground, Sincline landing beside her as he dispersed his ship in a shower of purple fragments.
(A/N): SERIOUSLY?! THE FIRST 4th WALL BREAK THIS ENTIRE STORY, AND YOU DO IT IN THE MIDDLE OF A DATE???!!! COME ON!!!
Sincline blinked. "Rising Phoenix?"
"Nothing important," Ruby assured before biting her lip, thinking. Well, there are the docks, but that didn't turn out so well last time, the young Huntress thought with Grimm amusement. "How about... why don't we try the arcade?" she offered.
Sincline tilted his head. "What's an—" He never got to finish his question as Ruby grabbed him by the arm and yanked him after her in a blur of rose petals.
Timeskip
"This is an arcade," Ruby said proudly, her hands on her hips as she and Sincline finally stopped before a tall, run-down building.
Rubbing his arm and rolling his shoulder, Sincline looked up and found a glowing sign above labeled, Flynn's Arcade. "It looks... bright," Sincline commented. Not sure about the rest of the building though, he thought, glancing around. Then again, who am I to judge based on first impressions.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like much on the outside," Ruby agreed, reading his expression before grabbing his hand and pulling him through the door, "but just wait until we get inside."
Following her, Sincline stepped through the doorway, and his eyes widened at the massive assortment of games and blinking lights, Faunus and humans clustering together in front of different games. "Whoa...."
"Isn't it great?" Ruby asked excitedly, then spotted a game that she had been trying to beat ever since she came to Vale. "Over here!" Grabbing Sincline by the hand once more, she led him to a game known as Beat Saber where a kid was exiting a spherical glass-like chamber. "Let's do this one first!"
Sincline tilted his head, examining the game. "Okay... how is it played?" he asked curiously.
"Well, first, you take a game card like this," Ruby explained and held up a gleaming black card with glowing blue lines she had pulled out of one of her pockets. "Then you swipe it." She walked up and slid it through a black box on the side of the entrance. A low hum, and the game lit up, the door hissing open.
"So... what now?" Sincline asked, and she passed him a pair of controllers.
"Just step inside, close the door, and bam!" Ruby advised.
Sincline tilted his head. "Bam?"
"Bam."
That doesn't really answer my question, Sincline wanted to say, but held it back and settled for entering the cube. As he did, the lights dimmed, and blue lines lit up across the floor. Light flared from his controllers, and a transparent red glowing katana materialized in his left hand, a blue katana forming in his right. Eyes wide, he gave the left 'blade' an experimental swing, and it followed the movement perfectly, particles of energy trailing from behind.
"First time here?" a voice asked, and both turned to find a girl with red and black hair walking toward them, dressed in a set of black jeans, boots, and a black jacket with glowing blue lines.
"His," Ruby replied, pointing at Sincline, who waved.
Nodding, the girl examined the game screen and raised an eyebrow. "Beat Saber, huh? Big risks, big rewards if you know what you're doing. You two sure you want to risk lien on it?"
Ruby nodded, Sincline following her lead.
"Big riskers... I like it." She grinned. "I'm Roulette by the way."
"Ruby."
"Sincline."
A grin spreading across her lips, Roulette clapped her hands together. "Alright. Let's get you guys set up."
"You work here?" Ruby asked, taking note of the glowing lines on Roulette's jacket that mirrored the style of the arcade.
Roulette nodded and turned her attention to Sincline. "So, here's how the game works. The game's going to generate red and blue cubes with different arrows on them. You hit the red with left, and the blue with the right. Each cube you hit in the direction the arrow's pointing gets you a point, but if you miss, all your points get reset. But... if you win and don't miss a single cube, your rewards get tripled."
Sincline gulped and glanced at Ruby. Seeing the look in her eyes, he nodded and turned back to Roulette. "I'll take my chances."
She grinned. "I think I'm gonna like you two." Stepping to the side, she flicked a switch, and red and blue holographic cubes materialized, racing toward Sincline. "Have at it."
Seeing the oncoming projectiles, Sincline felt his instincts take over, and he settled into a fighting stance, bringing a sword up to split a cube in half. A crack, and dozens of glowing cubes sprayed around him before disintegrating once they hit the floor.
Two more came up, and Sincline brought both blades down, splitting the cubes in a shower of red and blue as more oncoming projectiles materialized. Just like those asteroids when I fought Voltron, Sincline recalled and buried the memory, focusing on the task ahead as he brought a red katana down on the next cube.
As Sincline danced his way through the cubes, blades flashing to the music echoing from hidden speakers, he became aware of a crowd forming around the game. As the game progressed, the song reaching its climax, the crowd began cheering, egging him on.
Bringing his blades down in a final crosscut, Sincline looked up and saw the last six cubes closing in: three red and three blue. Raising his blades, red held parallel to the ground with the blue pointed forward, he swung, and a shower of red and blue exploded over him like a wave as the level crashed to an end.
Eyes wide as the crowd erupted in cheers, Roulette's jaw dropped. "A-a perfect score?!" she stammered, staring at the screen as 1,962 credits transferred to Sincline's game card. "You two were playing me," she accused. "No way this was your first time."
"Actually, it was," Sincline admitted sheepishly as he set down the controls and exited the glass sphere, the crowd dispersing. "I'm just really good with swords."
"You don't say," Roulette deadpanned. "The only one who I've seen complete that level is Trickster, and even he can't do it sometimes. You two are Huntsmen, aren't you?"
Sincline nodded, and Roulette sighed. "Figures."
Tilting his head, Sincline glanced over at Ruby, who looked down at her feet innocently. "You knew I could beat that game, didn't you," he realized, his eyes narrowing playfully.
Ruby's eyes widened, and she held up her hands, fingers crossed. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"
"Admit it, you brought me here because you knew I could win all those credits," Sincline accused, causing Ruby to shift and smile sheepishly. "Maybe..."
He sighed. "Knew it."
"You two are dating, aren't you?" Roulette asked knowingly.
Both Hunters blushed, looking away and avoiding each other's gaze. "Nope/no way!"
"Uh huh..." Roulette raised an eyebrow disbelievingly but decided to let it slide. "Tell ya what... you two beat the next three games of my choosing, and I'll put in a word for you guys at the diner next door."
Ruby's eyes widened. "You mean...?"
"Redfield Café," Roulette affirmed. The name didn't mean anything to Sincline, but judging by Ruby's gasp, it was a good thing. "I know the owner, so I can definitely get you guys' access. So... what do you say?"
Exchanging looks, Ruby grinned, and Sincline nodded before turning back to Roulette, the edges of his eyes flashing with purple fire. "You're on."
Timeskip
"You've got to be kidding me!" Roulette complained as Sincline flipped over a robotic arm attached to a cylindrical machine bristling with many more arms, each one either ending in a robotic claw, wielding a padded bat, or holding a prize. "This game, too?!"
Ruby shrugged as Sincline backflipped, snagging another prize: a stack of 20 Lien. Quickly setting the prize on the floor and keeping his hands off the ground, Sincline jumped into the air, avoiding another arm as it whistled beneath his feet. Two padded bats swung at him, one at his chest from the front, the other at his legs from behind. Sincline jumped, flipping horizontally and gracefully passing between both bats before landing on his feet, a wide grin on his face.
"And you're sure he's not using his semblance?" Roulette checked, turning to Ruby... who was holding dozens of credits and game cards that Sincline had earned. She nodded, and Roulette sighed, turning back to the game as Sincline snagged a final game card and landed on his feet. A low hum, the lights dimmed, and the game ended.
"That was awesome!" Ruby gushed as Sincline exited the chamber, multiple prizes in hand. "I didn't know you could dance like that. I thought Weiss still had to teach you."
He winced. "Yeah... we already took care of that."
"Um... are you sure about this?" Sincline asked nervously. He and Weiss stood alone in the center of the empty ballroom. The others had yet to arrive, so Weiss had decided to take it upon herself to teach him how to 'dance.'
She rolled her eyes, a hand on her hip. "Just trust me, you dunce. Now. Place your right hand on my waist."
Sincline blinked. "What?"
Weiss delicately placed her hand on his shoulder, her eyes locking with his. "My waist," she repeated, and Sincline hesitantly did as asked, placing his hand on her side as both of their faces reddened.
Okay, remember, Weiss, it's just like your sister taught you, Weiss thought. Taking Sincline's other hand, she held it out, so their arms were pressed together, their bodies inches from each other. "Now, from here, all you have to do is keep a steady beat of 1, 2, and 3," she instructed. "Got it?"
Sincline wanted to say 'no,' but an icy glare from Weiss and a threat to use Glynda's riding crop convinced him otherwise. So, they danced... with Sincline almost stepping on Weiss's feet several times and earning multiple bruises and freeze burns in response.
"Weiss used her usual teaching methods, didn't she?" Ruby asked, seeing the traumatized look on Sincline's face. He nodded, and she patted him on the back while Roulette chuckled in amusement.
"Well, a deal is a deal," Roulette sighed and held out a black and red card. "I know the owner next door. Just tell her Roulette sent you, give her this, and you'll have access to the best all-you-can-eat buffet this side of Remnant."
Ruby perked up, and Sincline gulped, eyes widening in fear. "Are you sure you want to—"
"Thank you!" Ruby interrupted and happily accepted the card.
"You have no idea what you've done," Sincline informed gravely, turning back to Roulette, who winked. "She's your problem now," the gamer replied. "Besides, it's not my fault you guys were a good investment."
Ruby tilted her head. "We were?"
"Hell yeah. If you guys could beat the hardest level of Beat Saber, I figured if you could beat some of the other hard games, which would give the other players some hope," Roulette explained and jerked a thumb at a nearby counter. "If you wanna cash in, you guys could probably get any prize you want."
As they followed her to the check-out counter, Sincline leaned toward Ruby. "I knew it was a good idea to let you handle that shooting arcade," he whispered. "Imagine if I did it."
Ruby giggled. "You'd end up hitting everywhere except the target."
"True."
Smiling, Ruby looked up, and her eyes widened at the massive assortment of prizes displayed on the wall. "Whoa..."
Roulette smirked. "Pretty big assortment, right?"
Aside from high-tech video games, there were boxes of Dust ammunition, custom designed weapons, stacks of Lien, stuffed animals, and scrolls.
Sincline tilted his head, examining the wall. "You sell guns here for prize credits?" he asked in disbelief.
Roulette just shrugged in a 'what can I do about it' gesture. "Welcome to Remnant."
"How many of these can we get?" Ruby asked eagerly, hands on the counter.
"Well..." Taking their cards and walking behind the desk, Roulette swiped the cards, and her eyes widened. 25,645 credits. "You could probably get any item you two want here."
Her lips spreading in a wide smile, Ruby nudged Sincline forward. "You get first pick."
Sincline tilted his head. "Are you sure?" he checked.
Ruby nodded, and Sincline examined the prizes. "Could I get one of those?" he asked and pointed at one of the scrolls. Even though it had been several months since he had started at Beacon, he still didn't have a scroll... mainly since he and the others had been busy with the investigation.
Roulette nodded, grabbed the prize, and tossed it to him. "That was 5,000 credits, so you guys have about 20,000 left," she warned.
Nodding, Sincline pocketed the scroll, and Ruby stepped up.
"You know, I'm surprised you didn't go after any of the guns," Roulette commented, turning to Sincline as Ruby examined the prizes.
Sincline immediately shook his head. "Guns and I... we don't have a good relationship," he replied, multiple flashbacks flaring through his mind.
Roulette stared at him. "You can't be that bad."
"He shot backwards and almost hit my sister from behind," Ruby called.
"...okay, maybe you can be that bad," Roulette deadpanned, and he hung his head in embarrassment.
Looking over the prizes, Ruby's eyes widened, and her eyes gleamed. "Oh, oh, Sincline!" she said excitedly, grabbing his arm and tugging him over to a black and silver game console. "Look! It's KillGrimm Phantasm 1" she squealed. "The first journey to the depths of the Grimmlands!" Eyes shining, she turned to Roulette. "How much?"
Roulette examined the price... and frowned. "21,000."
Sincline and Ruby stared at her, stunned. "Why would a video game be 21,000, and a gun like that," he gestured to an oversized minigun made of gold, "be only 9,000?"
Roulette just shrugged. "I don't make the rules."
"So... we can't get the game?" Ruby asked sadly, hanging her head.
Glancing at Ruby, then at his new scroll, Sincline made the rather easy decision. He placed it on the counter. "Take it back."
Both girls stared at him, stunned. "What?"
"Take it back," Sincline repeated. "If you can change this back to credits, then please, take it back." He slid the scroll toward Roulette, ignoring the shocked look on Ruby's face.
"Wait, Sincline, you don't have to do that!" Ruby protested hurriedly.
Sincline just glanced at her, a small smile crossing his lips. "Well, I already made up my mind." He turned back to Roulette, who was watching him, her face expressionless.
"Keep it," she decided.
Both Hunters blinked. "What?"
"Keep it." Roulette repeated and slid the scroll back to him. "You two seem like good people. So, just this once, my counting machine had a glitch, and somehow, your 20,645 credits got knocked up to 21,000. Sound good?"
Sincline and Ruby exchanged looks and nodded. "We won't tell anyone," Ruby assured.
Roulette grinned. "Good, cause I'd hate to ruin my reputation here." Removing the game console, she passed it to Ruby, who held it tightly.
"Thank you," Sincline said gratefully, repocketing the scroll.
Roulette grinned. "No problem. By the way, the buffet closes in an hour or two, so I'd get a move on if I were you."
Almost instantly, Ruby bolted out the door, and Sincline barely had any time to react as he was yanked after her... out of the arcade... and into a tight embrace, courtesy of Ruby.
Sincline blinked, surprised at the sudden gesture as the young Rose wrapped her arms around his torso. "Uh, Ruby? What're you—"
"I just wanted to say thanks," Ruby explained, pulling away and looking up at him, her pink lips quirking into a wide smile as her silver eyes shone. "You have no idea how long I've been trying to get that game."
Sincline tilted his head, mildly perplexed. All that over a simple game? he wondered. That aside... he couldn't deny that he liked the praise, as surprising as it was. "You're... welcome?"
Ruby just smiled before taking his hand and pulling him after her toward the diner. "Come on!" she said, her eyes shining with excitement as she dragged him after her. "We've still got the rest of the day!"