In The Name Of Love (ch2)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU!

Surprise! After so long, this fic is coming back into the game! As one of my only unfinished stories ever, I was so relieved to have someone commission me to keep going with it! Thanks to Ethan for that! He gave me ideas to finish the fic, so it'll be a decent-length multi-chapter story now!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Chapter 2. The Tag

Blake woke the next morning feeling giddy with a smile already on her face.

The first thought on her mind was, of course, of Ruby Rose. The girl was definitely an amazing actress; she matched Briar's mannerisms flawlessly, maybe even expanded upon them.

Blake let out a quiet groan.

/She's younger than me, yet she has more talent than I could dream of… Not to mention she's so cute.../

She giggled to herself, picturing Ruby acting out some of her favorite scenes.

She lazed about in bed for a good ten minutes or so, just internally gushing to herself about Ruby as her eyes scanned the bookshelf above her bed, neatly lined with her favorite series.

At least now Blake had something to look forward to every week. Instead of waiting for a new book's release, which usually took months, new episodes would air every Saturday. And since Weiss had offered to host the weekly ritual, it meant Blake could automatically have a day with her best friend. Saturdays had always been her favorite day of the week, but now they felt somehow even more special.

When she was finally able to push herself up from bed, Blake reached for her laptop and started browsing a bit.

Naturally, since all of her blogs and pages were centered around Ninjas of Love, the first posts she saw were all about the new show and its first episode. She stared at the colorfully-filtered gif sets of Ruby Rose without knowing there was a growing blush on her face.

But the edits and graphics were easy enough to admire. It was the written comments she was worried about. Blake knew she wouldn't be able to bear negative comments about her favorite show.

But to her relief, there seemed to be almost no hatred towards it or towards Ruby's role as lead actress. Her body relaxed, the tension slowly unwinding from her chest as she realized fans and critics alike loved Ruby Rose.

/Thinking of Ruby Rose…/

Blake looked over her shoulder as if someone might catch her doing something wrong and quickly brought up the actress' personal account. She almost felt like she might be stalking the poor girl, but she just wanted to see if Ruby had said anything about the premiere last night.

As she scrolled through the pages, Blake checked for Ruby's icon, a red rose, and read her latest post.

"Ninjas of Love was a huge hit! I'm so thankful for all the support! It's such an honor to play Briar!"

It made Blake smile to see that Ruby was getting positive feedback and seemed to be enjoying herself with the role.

Of course there were a few negative comments floating around her page, but overall the response from fans consisted of support and congratulations for Ruby.

"You play Briar so well!" and "You're just how I envisioned her!" and "Ruby Rose is irl Briar!"

From what Blake could tell, Ruby only focused on the positive responses, and ignored whatever negativity failed to be constructive. It made Blake happy to know Ruby was happy, and that the fandom in general was happy too.

"Maybe I should say something too…"

The words fell from her mouth in a mumble as Blake continued browsing the pages. She'd never posted a comment where she'd needed to tag someone else before. Her accounts were mainly for her own thoughts and musings; it's not like she had many followers.

Tagging someone else had never really crossed her mind. She didn't know how people had the guts to tag their favorite celebrities in knowing they might actually read the comments from a random fan.

Blake didn't think she had the confidence to tag Ruby and potentially have her read something she'd written. Just thinking about it was making Blake nervous, and her fingers fidgeted along the keyboard.

"It would be kinda cool though, if she saw something from me. She'd have no idea who I am of course, but still…"

Blake debated for several minutes, trying to convince herself that tagging Ruby might not be a bad idea. But whenever she'd just about motivated herself to do it, something would stop her.

/She's probably gotten generic compliments so many times, she doesn't even read them anymore. They're all the same coming from strangers, right? Even if she ever did see something from me, it's not like she'd know who I was or anything like that… So what's the point?/

And then just as she'd dishearten herself, she'd snap back in defiance.

/But there'd be no harm in sending her a compliment anyway. I'm not trying to do this to get recognized or anything like that. I just want her to know there's another fan out there who supports her./

With that, she finally thought she'd be able to do this. She mustered up the courage to go to the text box and start typing a message.

But then she was hit with another roadblock.

/What do I even say? "Good job, you're perfect as Briar, I love the show" ...She's probably read it all before…/

Blake groaned and grabbed a fistful of her own hair. She'd never felt so conflicted in all her life, and all she was doing was sitting in her room typing on her computer.

She spent no fewer than ten more minutes trying to think of a message she could type and tag Ruby Rose in, but nothing seemed like it'd be terribly original or worthy.

But just as she was about to give up hope on herself, she thought of something. She quickly clicked the text box and began typing:

"Thank you for your hard work in portraying Briar. We fans really appreciate it."

It was simple enough for people to say they liked her acting, but how many had ever thanked her for it? Blake wanted to show her appreciation for Ruby's outstanding job in bringing her favorite character to life.

She read and re-read the message no fewer than a dozen times before she even considered typing in Ruby's name to tag her in the post. Those eight letters took longer for her to type out than the message had. She just couldn't believe she was about to do this.

And then there was the issue of clicking the post button. Her mouse hovered over it but she didn't press down. She was caught in an internal debate as to whether or not she was really going to do this.

/She probably won't even see it… But then, what's the harm? If she doesn't it's not a big deal, but if she does then it could brighten her mood for a second…/

And with that Blake had decided. She was going to post it.

She sucked in a deep breath to steel herself and lifted her index finger over the mousepad, ready to bring it down and give life to that post of hers, the post where she'd tagged Ruby Rose-

"Wah-?!"

Blake shrieked and gasped at the same time as a sudden buzzing noise sounded. In the dead silence of her room, the vibration of her phone made her jump, nearly knocking her laptop off her knees and causing her to scramble to catch it. She frantically checked the screen to ensure she hadn't accidentally hit the post button in her panic, and to her relief she hadn't.

As the initial start faded, Blake let out a long breath before reaching for her phone. It was a text message from Weiss.

//So how are you doing? What does everyone else think of this Ruby Rose girl as the lead actress?//

Despite the fact that Weiss' surprise text had startled her, Blake smiled now. Weiss was a good friend - good enough to know that Blake would still be thinking about and fawning over Ruby Rose this morning, and good enough to prompt her to rant all about it.

Blake pushed her laptop aside for a second to text back.

//Morning, Weiss. It seems like most people really like her! I was thinking of tagging her in a post or something to show my support.//

Weiss replied:

//That sounds like a nice thing to do. I'm sure she'd appreciate it.//

But despite Weiss' encouragement, once Blake started over-thinking it again, her shoulders slumped. She slowly began typing out her misgivings to Weiss.

//But… She's got thousands of fans for this… So what difference would my comment make anyway?//

She felt guilty even sending that text to Weiss. This felt like such a trivial matter, and yet she was bugging her friend with it. When her phone vibrated with Weiss' response, Blake read it quietly:

//And? So what if she's already received a million messages from a million different people? Only you can send yours, Blake.//

And there was just something about Weiss' message. Maybe it was because she was such an excellent student and knew exactly how to write exactly what Blake needed to read. It was probably that, and the fact that Weiss was just a really good friend.

But her message encouraged Blake, gave her the final push of motivation she needed this morning. She straightened her posture and swept her fingers across her phone's screen to type a reply.

//You're right, Weiss. Thanks.//

And with that she put her phone aside, pulled her laptop back within range, re-read her message to Ruby one last time, and then clicked the post button.

She watched the page load and refresh with her message on the top of the feed. It even showed up in the "Ninjas Of Love" tag. But whether or not Ruby Rose would ever see it would probably remain a mystery forever.

Either way it didn't matter. Blake felt good about posting it now and she told Weiss as much.

//I'm proud of you.// Weiss replied. //Now you'd best get ready for work.//

It might've been Sunday, but during the summertime Blake and Weiss worked together at a local café as baristas. Weiss had gotten her the job due to her many connections around town, and luckily enough, they'd both gotten Saturdays off. A coincidence that now allowed them to enjoy watching new episodes of Ninjas Of Love together.

Other than that, Blake worked mornings or evenings every other day of the week, although just for a few hours a day. It was a fairly easygoing job, and having Weiss there with her on just about every shift only made it all the more enjoyable.

She put her phone and laptop aside and finally got out of bed, stretching herself out before she made her way to her bathroom to shower and freshen up for the day.

. . .

Blake was still feeling giddy and nervous about posting her message to Ruby as she stepped out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of clothes, a towel still wrapped around her head. She knew nothing would happen, but even so she couldn't resist going back to her bed to check her laptop.

She refreshed the page and checked her post to find that several other people had liked it. Blake smiled, glad to know that other fans felt similarly.

She went about drying and brushing her hair, and then stepped into a pair of black boots to go with her purple plaid shirt and black jeans. She closed her laptop and grabbed her phone, slipping it into her pocket, before heading outside.

It was a typical summer day, one that made Blake immediately regret her choice of black and dark clothes, but she reminded herself that the café was air-conditioned. She started down the sidewalk to wait at her and Weiss' usual meeting spot, so they could walk to work together.

A few blocks down she reached the designated bench. It was shaded by a dogwood tree, and she was grateful for its cover from the heat as she sat down.

It was unusual for her to be earlier than Weiss, so while she waited for her, Blake pulled out her phone once again. She nervously checked the website where she'd tagged Ruby and searched her news feed for the post.

And this time, Blake couldn't believe her eyes. She felt her heart do a small backflip as she lifted the phone to her nose and squinted to make sure she wasn't imagining things.

Her post had 24 likes on it.

But one of the most-recent likes was from Ruby Rose herself.

Blake made certain it wasn't just a fan with the actress' name. It was Ruby Rose's handle and her same profile picture. Which meant…

/She saw it…/

"Sorry I'm late!" Weiss' voice called out from nearby. She ran up the sidewalk toward the bench, dressed in a much more seasonally-appropriate sundress. The second she saw Blake hunched over on the bench with her phone in her face, Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "Blake? What are you-"

"W-Weiss!" Blake jumped up from her seat, nearly dropped her phone, scrambled to catch it, and then grabbed her best friend's hand in her excitement. "Sh-She liked it! R-Ruby Rose saw my post a-and she..." Blake looked between her phone screen and her puzzled friend, feeling like she was about to cry in joy.

When Weiss finally understood the situation, she smiled.

"That's wonderful, Blake. I'm glad for you. See? Aren't you glad you decided to tell her something nice?"

"Y-Yeah..." She looked back to her phone in disbelief. Thinking quickly, she took a screenshot of Ruby Rose's like on her post. Then Blake gave her full attention to her best friend. "It's all thanks to you for encouraging me to do it, Weiss."

"Blake, please. You got noticed by an actress. It isn't as though I've helped you win the lottery."

"It feels about the same to me, though."

Weiss smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, either way I'm glad to have been of help."

Blake grinned and pulled her friend into a big hug, both to thank Weiss and to channel a bit of her excitement. Weiss patted her back a few times before clearing her throat and pulling away.

"Blake, we've got to make our shift."

"Oh, right."

They walked side by side to the cafe, clocked in, and then slid on their aprons before they got to work.

Blake tried her hardest to focus on the customers and their orders rather than her own giddiness. But the fact that Ruby Rose had actually noticed her message was having a bit of an effect on her.

She was rather distracted and would have mixed up a few orders if it hadn't been for Weiss. Blake thanked her sheepishly before forcing herself to focus more on her work, rather than her excitement.

She allowed that "like" from Ruby Rose to motivate her through her shift.

After the lunchtime crowds died down and the café became a little quieter, Blake found a moment to lean back against the counter and sigh.

"I still can't believe it…"

Weiss sauntered over to her and gave a pat to Blake's arm.

"Now, now. You've still got twenty minutes on your shift. Then after that you can squeal all you like."

"Right."

Just then the café doors opened with the telltale jingling of the bells. Blake and Weiss dutifully turned around to greet their newest customer.

But the person who walked through the door wasn't at all like the usual people they saw come through there.

This girl was tall, wore bright flashy clothes, and had a beautiful figure. Her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, and her shorts and shirt gave way to slightly-sun-tanned skin.

But her most striking feature was undoubtedly her hair.

Luscious, long golden hair that flowed down her back in wavy layers. She turned every head in the cafe, and even earned a few muttered "holy crap"s.

She clearly wasn't from around here. Vale was a small town where everyone knew everyone else. There weren't any young supermodels living here as far as Blake knew.

It seemed all eyes were on this girl, whose presence and stance conveyed pure confidence as she strolled up to the counter to place her order. As she tipped her sunglasses down her nose, her lavender eyes came to rest on Blake.

"Hey," the blonde said with a grin. "Can I get an iced caramel coffee and a Strawberry Swirl Summer Special?"

Like everyone else in the building, Blake was temporarily stunned by this girl's beauty, even more so because she was making eye contact with her. A quick stomp on her foot from Weiss snapped her out of it.

"Y-Yeah, sure. Of course. Can I have your name?"

"Yang," she said. "My sister and I are new around here and we figured we'd check out the local shops, y'know?"

Blake was dazed for a moment. She couldn't quite understand why but for some reason this girl seemed… familiar… She couldn't remember exactly when or where she'd seen or heard about her, but Blake knew she definitely had at some point-

"Blake!" Another hiss from Weiss had Blake whirling around to start preparing the drinks as requested.

"S-Sorry." Blake mumbled an apology to Weiss as they stood side by side, each making one of the drinks.

When Blake was finished with the Strawberry Swirl, she was about to bring it over to the counter, expecting Weiss to follow with the iced coffee. But Weiss didn't budge. Blake noticed her face was extremely red.

"Weiss?"

"Just take both." Weiss handed her the other drink and turned away, unable to even look at Yang any longer.

Blake chuckled softly. It was obvious everyone in the café already had some form of crush on this Yang girl, but Weiss definitely had it the worst.

So Blake took both drinks to the register and called for her by name.

"Yang?"

The blonde had been sitting at a table by herself, winking at anyone who glanced her way. When she was called she stood up and swaggered over to pay and pick up her drinks.

"Thanks," she said to Blake. Then, with a grin she leaned over the counter just a bit and looked toward Weiss half-hiding behind the snack display case. "And thanks to you too, Miss."

When Weiss realized the gratitude was meant specifically for her, she slapped a hand to her mouth and gave a quick nod.

With that Yang looked back to Blake.

"These drinks look great! I know my little sister's gonna love hers. Maybe we'll see you two around sometime. See ya!"

And with that Yang took the drinks and headed out the door.

Blake was aware of Weiss skittering in beside her as they watched her exit the café.

But just as the door was closing, Blake caught Yang's voice one last time.

"Hey, Rubes-"

She had clearly turned to talk to someone else who had been waiting outside for her.

Blake didn't believe her ears. She wasn't sure if she'd really heard it, that name that sounded a lot like "Ruby."

She tried to peer out the doors, but she couldn't make out the other person Yang was walking away with, just that they were wearing a red cardigan, skirt, and brown boots. But they disappeared into a crowd within seconds, and Blake snapped herself out of her trance.

"There's… There's no way."

She shook herself off and turned back to Weiss, who was also trying to compose herself before their shift ended.

And it seems both of them kept telling themselves the same thing for different reasons.

"No way. No way…"

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A/N: A tiny development. Ruby 'noticed' Blake online and now she might even be getting drinks from her cafe! How is the nervous bookworm Blake going to handle this newfound crush? And even Weiss has found someone who makes her blush!