Ravensdagger_Princess

Chapter Forty-Two

Five girls, a robot, a monster, and about a billion unseen bugs walked down the street, but it wasn’t the start of a joke.“I suppose it will fall upon me to lead you girls to the best shops,” Weiss said with a tone that sounded long-suffering. Akelarre doubted it was real, the smile tugging at Weiss’ lips and the little bit of pop in her step gave away her real feelings on the matter.“I suppose so,” she said with a grin. “Lead us to the place with the prettiest dresses, Miss Schnee.”Weiss nodded imperiously and pointed ahead like a general in a revolutionary painting. All she was missing was a cloak, a huge horse and some Russians to invade in winter. Akelarre smiled at her own joke and walked a little faster. “Hey, Ruby,” she said.“Hey Akelarre,” Ruby said as she looked up to her. “I, uh, have a secret to tell you,” she said.Akelarre blinked. “Okay,” she said. She could feel the attention of the others snapping onto her and Ruby. Neo didn’t even try to pretend not to be listening in, but Yang and Blake and even Penny continued their conversation about dresses unabated. Only Penny was actually paying it any attention now though.“Right so,” Ruby started. “I don’t know how to walk in heels. Or dance in heels. Actually, I think heels are evil.”Akelarre nodded. “That’s fine. You can wear your boots. It’ll be safer that way.”“Ruby!” Yang said. “You can’t not wear heels. It’s a ball, not some dance over in Patch. If you’re going to wear a pretty dress you need the shoes to go with it. Imagine showing all your kids pictures of you and your wife’s first big dance and you’re wearing big clunky combat boots. I know I’ll always be the cool aunt, but you need to at least make an effort.”“But Yang, heels are evil. And, and we’re not getting married! Or having babies!”“I agree with Ruby. On all counts. Boots are better for everyone. Our future babies will think that their mom was a pragmatic and tough huntress who didn’t bend to anyone’s stereotypes and who respects her toes.” Akelarre nodded firmly.Yang huffed, hands on hips and head shaking so that her hair waved all over. “No no no. Ruby, you can’t dance well in your clunky boots. I bet Akelarre can dance in heels.”Ruby turned to her, eyes wide and watery and full of curious hope. “Yeah, I bet you had all sorts of princess-y dancing lessons.”“Ah,” Akelarre said. “Sure I did. Haha. Maybe leather?” Team RWBY all kind of stared at her while walking, and only Ruby’s look was openly curious. “I mean, your normal combat outfit is kinda goth like, so maybe try a leather... dress thing. That way you can keep your boots, and your toes.”Neo sighed and walked a little faster so that she was by Akelarre’s side. She patted her on the shoulder and shook her head.“No good?” she asked.The shorter girl wiggled her hand a little, then pointed to herself and nodded.“You’ll take care of it?” she asked, just to make sure.Neo nodded, then turned to smile at Ruby before she reached up to wrap an arm around her shoulders. She pulled Ruby forwards while gesturing wildly with her free hand. Ruby paid attention, but judging by her increasingly confused look she understood it about as well as a puppy would understand English.Akelarre smiled at seeing them go, it was nice to see her friends getting along so well. Speaking of friends, she realized that one member of their little party had been too quiet for too long. “Hey, Penny, did you have a dress for the ball?”“I have a dress for formal occasions, yes,” Penny said.“Did you want a new one for the ball?” Akelarre asked. “Cause if you do, now’s the time. I’m not that good with fashion stuff, but I’m sure the others could help. And I can pay, if you need the cash.”“Thank you,” Penny said. “But I would rather just observe.”Akelarre nodded along. It wouldn’t do to stifle her friend. “Alright. Just, if you need to chat, I’m just a few steps ahead. Oh! And I just found a neat shop that sells leather stuff!”Ruby and Neo looked over their shoulders at that declaration and Weiss, who was still in the lead, paused to listen too. “I am leading us towards the very best fashion stores in Vale,” she said. “I don’t recall any of them selling leather... anything.”“Well, my bugs just found this one. It’s just one block down.” Akelarre pointed off in the right direction. “Should we give it a look.”There was a round of shrugs and the whole group suddenly found itself following Akelarre’s lead. It was a good thing they were all in shape, because the pace they kept up left most civilians in the dirt. Not quite a run, but a brisk walk made to eat up miles of wilderness in a day.Akelarre paid attention to her gaggle of friends as she walked. They were all terribly different people, but they all seemed to get along. Ruby was still trying to understand Neo, and judging by the redness of her cheeks and the occasional shit-eatiness of Neo’s grin, the girl was making lewder and lewder gestures on purpose.Yang was tagging along with Blake who seemed busier with a book than with her blond teammate, not that Yang wasn’t trying to start a conversation. There was something going on between those two, but she couldn’t quite pin it down.It was the other two that had her worried. Penny was quiet, less enthusiastic than usual. Perhaps that was normal, with all the secrets that had been revealed.Weiss, on the other hand, had no reason that Akelarre knew of to be so down. She was going to have to find the time to chat her up soon.“Um, Akelarre,” Yang said as soon as they got close to the store. “Look, as much as I love teasing Ruby about her little crush-”“I don’t have a crush!”“Uh-huh,” Yang went on as if she wasn’t interrupted. “I still think that maybe you two should take things a little slower. Way slower. Like, start by holding hands. Maybe a kiss on the cheeks in a few weeks.”The store definitely sold equipment made of leather. Things like corsets, and whips, and gags. Akelarre felt her cheeks warming just at the sight of it. The pictures behind the displays were rather vivid and suggestive. “Maybe we follow Weiss’ advice,” she said.Neo shrugged and started for the front door, only to be stopped when five pairs of hands grabbed her and held her back. She pouted as she was bodily dragged back onto the main streets of Vale and towards the fancier shopping districts.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.There were a whole lot more people here. Most of them were on the younger side, couples laughing together, groups of friends chatting amicably and some folks sitting under the shade of statues and parasols. Akelarre saw the last bit of tension escaping from her friends’ shoulders, all except for Weiss.“This is the place,” Weiss said as she gestured to a shop sitting in a place of pride near an open courtyard. The building was tall, with a glass facade and stainless steel pillars all along the front. Dresses on mannequins stood out behind the glass, some of them being poked and prodded by the customers within. “It’s not the most expensive place in Vale, that would be some of the boutiques that only make custom apparel, but for something ready-made it will do.”Yang clapped. “Alright, so how do we do this? Move in as a pack, or split up into smaller groups to meet up in a few minutes or do we all go in solo and hope for the best?”“I think pairs would work fine,” Akelarre said. “Or two pairs and one group of three. Dibs on Weiss.”“Me?" Weiss asked before her eyes narrowed. “I’m not joining your little harem,” she warned.“I’m not trying to get you to join my harem,” Akelarre said. “And I don’t have a harem.” Neo snorted but that was easy to ignore. “I just think it would be less pressure to go with you than Neo or Ruby or Penny. And Yang and Blake are obviously going together.”“Dibs on Ruby,” Blake said.Neo grabbed Ruby’s wrist, then raised three fingers.“I suppose this means we are going together, friend Yang!” Penny cheered.Yang made a noise in the back of her throat like a kettle boiling over. “Betrayed. I’ve been betrayed by everyone.”“Good luck, Penny,” Akelarre said as she moved towards the shop. She could see, through the eyes of her many little bigs, that Weiss hesitated to follow her, then looked at her options which were either Penny or Yang. She was quick to catch up.“Why did you really want me?” she asked as soon as they were in the shop. It wasn’t quite as busy as it looked from the outside. The front section had all the dresses and outfits that were on sale, but all the really nice ones were deeper in the store and the second floor was practically empty of people.Akelarre lead them that way. It helped that the dresses at the back leaned more towards monotonous colours. She didn’t think she would look good in bright colours and Weiss was definitely more of a winter pallet.“I note a conspicuous lack of answer to my question,” Weiss said a little testily.“Sorry,” Akelarre said. “I was just thinking. I’m not very good, socially, I mean. Don’t think I’ve ever been really, so I might not notice things right away. But I am good at paying attention to things, and I have more ears then there are people on Remnant. So I hear things.”Weiss perked one eyebrow, looking exactly like the aristocrat she purported to be. “Are you trying to make me wary? Because if so, you are most definitely succeeding.”Akelarre shook her head, black hair tumbling around the nape of her neck. “No. Sorry. It’s just. I heard you talking to Penny earlier. And, well, I think I’m Penny’s only friend, even if things are kind of rocky between us right now.”Weiss stared at her, one eyebrow still raised as if waiting for the response that would inevitably come. She rolled her eyes and turned to start looking at the nearest dresses. “I’m certain you have a point.”“My point,” Akelarre said as she tried not to be irate, “is that I heard that you have intentions to marry Penny, and as her only friend it falls upon me to vet you.”Weiss choked, her head yanking at the side of a dress hard enough that the material tore with a screech of fabric. “You want to what?”“I know you’re on Ruby’s team, and she seems to think highly of you, so that much is already really good. But other than that I know very little about you,” Akelarre went on to say.“Nevermind that,” Weiss huffed as she pushed away the torn dress and turned to face Akelarre fully. She stood up to her full height, almost enough to reach Akelarre’s nose and glared up at her. “I am perfect marriage material. I don’t see why people are deeming that worthy of question recently. N-not that I want to marry Penny anyway. All we agreed to was to be companions at a ball. Nothing else.”“Isn’t that usually how things start? You accompany someone to one ball, then next thing you know it’s ten years later and you can’t live without them?”Weiss narrowed her eyes. “You’re projecting, aren’t you?” she asked. “You’re not worried for Penny, you’re worried for Ruby.”“What?”She poked Akelarre in the chest. “That’s right. You think things are going too fast with you and my partner. And they are. Ruby’s a great person and she deserves better than you.”“That’s not at all what I was talking about,” Akelarre said as she crossed her arms. “I heard that your father was a mean person and that he might not approve of your relationship with Penny.”“I heard that your mother was the evilest person and that she might not approve of your relationship with Ruby,” Weiss shot back.There was a sigh from the rack to Akelarre’s left. She blinked as she realized that some of her smaller Grimmsects were right next to her having approached completely unnoticed as she argued. “And to think that I once thought that I had troubles.” A few dresses moved aside with the scrape of hangers on steel poles to reveal an unimpressed Blake Belladonna in the pinkest, most fluffy dress Akelarre had ever seen. “You two need help.”“Aren’t you supposed to be with Ruby and Neo?” Akelarre asked.“They ditched me for Penny and then I ran away from Yang. Don’t change the subject, cousin.” Blake narrowed her eyes and, even though she was hiding in a clothing rack, she managed to look properly intimidating. “If you want to talk then we’re here, but don’t go poking at Weiss just because she’s the evilest one here.”“Hey!”Akelarre huffed, crossed her arms, and looked away. “Fine,” she said.If they wanted to talk, she’d talk.

Chapter Forty-Three

“We need,” Blake began speaking in a way that was surprisingly intimidating for a girl wearing what had to be the most pinkest, most poofiest dress in the store, “to talk about Ruby and her place in your little harem.”Akelarre raised both hands to ward her off. “Okay, first of all, I don’t have a harem.” She ignored the twin scoffs from Weiss and Blake. “Second. Ruby’s a good friend. I would never hurt her.”Weiss crossed her arms and raised her nose up. “You do know that if you continue as you have this little crush of hers is going to turn into something else?”“Since when do you know anything about romance?” Blake asked her.“I’m a Schnee. I was educated in such things by the best teachers there are.” She cleared her throat and refocused on Akelarre. “Ruby is, to my utmost surprise, a wonderful team leader and a superb friend. Hurting her feelings would be a shame, but it would be best if it were done now rather than later when her... fixation on you grows too strong.”“I...” Akelarre shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.” She felt around the store with her bugs to make sure the others were okay. Ruby and Neo were trading dresses and Yang was crying on Penny’s shoulder in a booth. The last was a problem for someone else.Blake rolled her eyes. “She’s falling in love with you. I don’t know if Grimm princesses can even reciprocate that. And if you can, do you?”“Do I?” Akelarre asked with rising trepidation.“Love her back. Or at least have a crush on her.” Blake’s eyes narrowed and Akelarre had the impression that it was the sort of question with no right answer.“I-I don’t know?” she tried. “I mean, Ruby’s nice really nice, but I... she’s in love? Love love? I really like her, she’s a sweetie, and it’s fun to be with her, and, and uh.”“You’re both useless,” Weiss grumbled. “Fortunately, Ruby is too young for you to do anything, and if you try I will gut you.”“I wouldn’t!” Akelarre said.“Of course not, you have other people in your harem for that,” Blake said. “Neo doesn’t seem the sort to say no to anything.”“She’d have to wait at least three years for that kind of thing,” Weiss added.“That would make Ruby nineteen, Weiss. Even you are not that much of a prude,” Blake shot back.“I’ve seen the smut you read, Blake, better a prude then whatever you are.”“Um,” Akelarre added to the conversation.They both turned glares onto her and she regretted making so much as a noise. “Maybe we should tell Ruby that it wouldn’t work out,” Weiss said. “It would be for the best.”“I don’t know,” Blake said. “Harems do have this sort of emotional support network built into them. Velvet seems nice enough. Neo... well, Velvet is very nice. Ruby is the kind of girl that should have a good network with her as she explores relationships. ”“I don’t have a harem?” Akelarre tried.“You do, you really do,” Blake said. “It’s that or Neo has a harem and you’re just the one she uses to find new members.”“I’m pretty sure Neo doesn’t have a harem. And she’s not in my harem. Because I don’t have a harem.”Both girls stared. And stared.Akelarre fidgeted on the spot, then looked away. “I don’t,” she repeated herself. “If I had a harem I would... uh.”She looked back to see that they were still staring.“I have a harem.” Akelarre choked as the realization hit her like a bat to the face. “Oh god, I have a harem. What do I do?”Blake and Weiss looked at each other and somehow Weiss was elected as spokesperson. “What do you expect us to know about harems? We’re just worried for Ruby.”“You’re a rich heiress and she’s a smut reading princess. If anyone knows anything about harems it’s you two,” Akelarre shot back.Weiss squawked like a chicken that narrowly avoided being stepped on and Blake hissed as she pulled a book out of somewhere and hugged it to her fluffy pink dress.“I know no such thing! My estate management teachers pulled me aside at one point to explain the finer points of managing multiple partners, but it was not for the purposes of having a harem.” She huffed and turned away as if to hide the splashes of red on her porcelain skin. “I am not a degenerate like some of the people here.”“What, they didn’t think you could handle your mistresses and boytoys on your own? Blake deadpanned.“And what,” Weiss said as she snapped around. “Is that supposed to mean?” she asked. “I’m perfectly capable of handling any number of boytoys!”Blake raised one eyebrow, a ridiculously smug smile tugging at the corners of her lips while Weiss reflected on what she said and began sputtering denials.“I think we’re straying from the original point, and I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not,” Akelarre said.They both turned back towards her, and she remembered her earlier thoughts about remaining quiet.

* * *

Ruby hummed as she spun in her dress once, then looked at herself in one of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. It wasn’t leather and it was a lot more confining than her combat dress, but she still thought that the dress she picked out (with a bit of help from Neo) was very flattering.It pinched up her bust, showed off her shoulders and her well defined arms while also doing things with her backside that had her blushing and Neo giving her thumbs up.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.“I like it!” she declared. And to think it only took her half an hour to find something so cute! She would have to go shopping with Neo more often. Or maybe she could return the favour, Neo had yet to find a dress for herself. The poor girl was stuck shopping in the children’s section of the store, not that Ruby was going to say anything out loud. “I’m going to go find Akelarre and show her,” she said.Neo shrugged and made a ‘go ahead’ sort of gesture.She grinned at her new friend and walked past, bare feet swishing over the carpeted floor. Ruby was getting to know Neo well enough that she could pick up most of the expressions the shorter girl used.As soon as she got back to Beacon she would look up sign language courses. Not only would it be super cool to know, it would be neat to be able to speak with Neo with no one else understanding, like a secret friendship language. Akelarre probably knew some already because she was a princess and was super clever.She found Akelarre talking with Weiss and Blake, the three of them very close to each other. In fact, Weiss had a hand on Akelarre’s chest. Well, a finger. And it wasn’t on her chest so much as poking it was it to reinforce whatever Weiss was talking about.Ruby didn’t need to be jealous. Weiss and Blake would never get between her and her friendship with Akelarre, they were good friends like that.Still, she slowed down a little, something that she wasn’t used to doing, in order to better listen in on what they were talking about.One did not grow up around Yang Xiao-Long without gaining a certain appreciation for good gossip.“The most important thing,” Blake said in a low voice that didn’t really carry all that much and had Ruby straining to hear, “is the cooperation and mutual support in the relationship. All relationships, good ones at least, are about trust and mutual love and helping each other. A harem isn’t any different, it just has more people, which can also mean more things to balance. You might not have the same goals in life as Ruby does, they might even conflict, and you’ll have to figure that out. Velvet probably has her own goals. I don’t even want to guess what Neo wants.”“That’s all well and good,” Weiss said. She poked Akelarre a few times, her other hand rising to cover her face. “But you could also consider the relative positions that your... harem mates hold, and how that reflects upon you.”“I hardly think that that’s important,” Blake said.“Oh? And who will be the breadwinner in their relationship? Will they all mooch off of Akelarre’s family's riches? Or will Ruby and the others strike out on their own? Ruby is from a simple family, but they’re almost all huntsmen. How will that reflect on Akelarre’s own family? For that matter, Neo is a criminal, no less. Will she drag the others down with her?”Akelarre’s head was wobbling a bit as Ruby’s teammates broke out into a fit of bickering between each other in tones too low for her to properly hear.“What are you guys talking about?” she asked as she moved around a rack of dresses and came closer. It also allowed her to see the dress that Blake was wearing. “And, who picked that out for you Blake?” she added. “It’s very... uh. I hope you like it?”“Nothing!” all three of them said at the same time.Ruby blinked. She had never seen both Weiss and Blake blushing at the same time, or Akelarre go quite that red in the face before.“Is it my dress?” she asked while looking down.“No!” Akelarre said. “That dress is very, uh,” she paused as the other two turned to look at her. “It’s very nice.”Ruby beamed. “Thanks! Neo helped pick it out. She’s really nice when she wants to be.”“Yeah, yeah she can be that way,” Akelarre said, one arm rising to rub the back of her neck. “Uh, so is that the dress you’ll be going to the ball with? It makes you look ol— more mature.”Now Weiss was glaring.Ruby had the impression that she was missing a lot of sub-text, like when dad asked Yang weird questions about her playdates with some of the boys and a lot of the girls from Signal. They always made it sound like they were doing more than just playing and Yang was always very blush-y and angry, kind of like Blake and Weiss were right then.“I still need to pick out my own,” Akelarre said. “And I think Blake needs help too.”“And me?” Weiss asked rather archly.“I had bugs crawling through your wardrobe at Beacon, you don’t need help picking out dresses.”Ruby’s partner wore a confused expression for a bit, somewhere between indignation and pride. “Can I help?” Ruby asked before Weiss picked one of them and started ranting. Akelarre hesitated, her cheeks still very red, so Ruby tried to help. “Don’t worry about undressing in front of me, I’ve already seen the rest of my team naked.” Akelarre was way prettier than Yang, so she didn’t need to be embarrassed or anything.Blake’s hand met her face. “And she doesn’t mean anything by it,” she muttered. “I give up, you two are perfect for each other. You’ll just cluelessly bumble into a happy marriage because life isn’t fair that way.”She flounced away, her pink dress bobbing with every step before she reached back and pulled Weiss along with her. “Hey!” Weiss said.“Just give up, Weiss. I need a dress and wasting time with those two isn’t worth it.”Akelarre turned to Ruby, a sickly smile pasted on her face. “So, dresses?”