RWBY 1: The Dead Mountain

Part 11 - SOS

As Plum laid in the jaws of death her mind drifted.

She remembered the Vytal festival tournament. She had reached the semi-finals.

"Why him?" she thought, looking at the name of her opponent. Plum wasn't a 'girly' girl. She didn't wear fancy clothes, or use make-up. The only female friend she had was her teammate - Ebony. And even then they were hardly friends. Plum always felt like one of the boys. She was the only daughter in a family dominated by men - she had plenty of brothers and male cousins, but not a single living female relative. Her mother had died when she was very young, her aunts met similar fates. She was even mistaken for a boy when she was younger, before her body began to develop.

But there was one boy who made her feel different. One who made her glad to be a girl. Denim of team CRDL. She didn't know why but she was fascinated by him, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Plum never had any problems speaking to any other boys, but when Denim was near, she was so nervous she couldn't even look him in the eyes, let alone made any kind of intelligible sound.

Plum and Denim entered the arena. He gave her a smile as their eyes met. Plum quickly looked away and blushed.

Before she knew it the fight had started. Denim was fast. Too fast. With lightning speed he had dashed past her and attacked from behind. Ten seconds after the fight had started she had lost. It was hard to fight an opponent you couldn't look at after all.

After the fight she headed into the festival itself, trying to drown her sorrows in delicious food and drink. Then she saw him again. She froze.

"Really? The super powerful Plum - the one who killed an Ursa Major with her bare fists in her first year at Signal is reduced to this?" Ebony's mocking tone snapped Plum back to reality.

"Look" the bookworm gave her teammate a reassuring pat on the shoulder " I don't know much about romance, but just talk to him or something!"

Plum slapped herself. Ebony was right, she had to do something!

She walked towards the blue haired spear user, not really knowing what she'd say or do. Her heart pounded. 

"Oh hey!" He waved at her. Plum's heart sank, she froze. Unable to say anything or move.

"Hey Denim, good job out there" Cassy's voice came from behind the pink haired tomboy- she was the one Denim was talking to.

Plum watched as Cassy and Denim chatted away. She wished the ground would swallow her up. She wished she was Cassy. When Plum was finally able to move again she turned to walk away-

"Yo Plum, next time we fight-" she froze again. Denim was talking - talking to her! "-don't go so easy on me" she turned and caught Denim winking at her before he and Cassy walked off.

She would never forget that wink.

Plum's dying mind skipped ahead to graduation - to a dance. She had begged Ebony to help her pick out a dress, she had even put on make up and wore jewellery. The pink tomboy slowly approached Denim to ask for a dance. She had practised hundreds of times, even roping her teammates into role playing it with her, threatening to beat them if they ever told anyone. Plum opened her mouth, but the words she heard were not hers - Cassy interrupted her. Plum spent the night watching Cassy and Denim dance while she sat at the sidelines. Alone.

Again she felt humiliated, all of her strength and skill was for nothing.

Plum's mind skipped ahead again. Her team was paired with CRDL for a mission. Now her weakness would put everyone's lives in danger - or so she thought.