The roads of Vale were broken, crumbled under the weight of countless Grimm that entered the country at their leisure. A young woman, her dark hair greased and unkempt, lay silently atop the tiled rooftop of a long abandoned apartment complex. Her breathes were soft, kept short to the point of imperceptible. One of the Beowulves paused and looked in her direction.
Breathe.
Holding her breath would cause her heart rate to rise. From this angle, it wasn't possible for the creature to see her so it must have been sensing her tension.
Keep calm.
Steady.
Breathe.
Nearly the end of the pack now. The hesitant Beowulf eventually moves on and the entire pack passes without incident. She waits another five minutes in case of stragglers, then a further five to give the pack distance.
Ruby removed her hood as she slouched down in her hiding place. Relief washed over her. Scavenging was a high risk task these days, but the goods recovered would be invaluable. Food was always needed, especially when a pack of Grimm caught the scent of the group, but luxuries would go a long way for boosting morale and keeping people from each other's throats.
The water canteen Ruby kept was nearly empty, a clear sign she should make her way back to camp. She had a good enough haul to declare the mission success. Besides, she was on a time limit. If she were gone for more than three days the group would move location on the assumption that she had been devoured by Grimm. A hard decision to make, but necessary. Better one scavenger lost than risk the entire group. Though, Ruby knew a few members that would go after her with or without the rest. At least one for sure.
The site of camp was a ways from the city. It had been tempting to attempt to secure an abandoned building, but ever since the Fracture it had become a hotbed of Grimm activity. While they may escape notice for a while, if they were ever detected they would have hundreds of predators on them within minutes. It would not due for a secure base of operations. Instead, they had found a hillside that was far enough from the city and located next to river that had been popular for fishing. They hadn't had a fresh source of water for a while, so that was a plus. If they set up a constant watch, it would be secure enough for the time being.
Ruby landed on the opposite side of the city's walls. The soft crush of the fallen leaves betrayed her, but after a few moments of tense waiting it seemed she was in the clear. She turned back to face the large stone walls, a dense barrier that once defended the people she vowed to protect. Now, she could barely face it. It was a large blank canvas from which the faces of the fallen sprang as if struggling to break free. She turned and walked away, leaving the crypt of a city. The wall was its tombstone. Her flowers the tears she left behind.
The walk back was for the most part uneventful. Ruby didn't expect much trouble as she had taken pains to minimize her presence. If she were to be attacked, she would be forced to discard her pack of supplies and try to lose her pursuers away from the camp. She could choose to fight, but every gash her scythe gouged would attract more Grimm, and worse it would stay on her until she washed it off. A bullet would be be much to loud even though she was an hour's walk from the city. Stealth was her best option and if she was lucky, it would be the only thing she had to focus on today.
It was late into the evening before Ruby found herself entering the perimeter to camp. She was tired, dirty, and had used the last of her water an hour ago. There wasn't that much difference from normal, but she missed sleeping beside comrades she trusted. She must have been more tired than she thought because she didn't realize someone had appeared before her placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Easy there."
Ruby flinched and turned around so quickly that she stumbled to the ground. The young man laughed and offered his hand to her.
"I still wonder how you're our best scavenger with skills like those," he joked to her.
His voice was gentle and his grip firm as he helped her up. The pants he wore were torn and looked like they had patched in several places. His sword hung freely off his belt, its dull edge visibly scratched and bruised. She had heard he bartered it away for some much needed supplies. A dumb decision in her mind.
"Everyone all right?" she asked him.
"Yeah. Penny's been in standby fore most of the day just trying to get as much sun as possible. Velvet should have some food ready. I'm heading back from my watch in a bit if you wanna go on ahead."
"That's fine."
Ruby felt tingles run through her body as she dropped her heavy pack on the ground and sat on a nearby stump. Her shoulders ached from the travel, and she cooed in pleasure as Jaune set to work on them.
"Thank you thank you thank you."
"No problem," he said as he put more weight into it. "You're the one who volunteered for a supply run. The least I can do is help you recover."
"Where did you learn massaging again?"
"Seven sisters, remember?
"Right…. That explains why you're good at dancing, sewing, cooking, gardening-"
"We can talk about my childhood of labor later, but now-"
Ruby felt his rough palms caress sides of her head. Then.
Crick! Crack!
Ruby gasped as she felt a wave of euphoria move down from her neck to the rest of her body. Even after a few seconds, she could feel tingles all the way up to her toes.
"Am I interrupting?"
From the brush Russel appeared. He glanced from Jaune to Ruby, and gestured behind him by lifting his fist and pointing with his thumb.
"Grub's ready. Thankfully not actual grubs this time. Hope you found something useful on your little trip."
Ruby nodded.
"All right, that's good then."
She didn't know Russel well before the Fracture, but after a couple months of traveling together she found he wasn't all bad and had patched things up with Jaune.
"My watch next," he stated, "so leave."
He still had a ways to go with his word choice, but Jaune and Ruby understood what he was trying to say. It wasn't odd for people to hurting after the Fracture. Jaune helped the still tingling Ruby to her feet and led her back to camp.
The camp itself was made in a small ditch where the smoke could be funneled easily and dispersed discreetly. Here, it was warm. Here, she was safe.
Velvet smiled warmly as she saw who Jaune had brought back with him and quickly handed each of them a small bowl of porridge. Chunks of cooked fish were minced in with a variety of fresh herbs that grew on the hillside. And as the current scavenger, she was allowed her pick from the seasonings pouch. A pinch of pepper, a dash of salt, and finally a small cube of curry powder. When she left, they only had a few luxury goods: a pouch of seasonings, a heavy blanket for colder nights, and sewing kit Jaune used to patch everyone's clothing when they became to worn.
Ruby glanced to her left, and watched Jaune greedily devour his portion of dinner. To her left was a motionless Penny who was holding her arms up silently absorbing the excess heat. And in front of her…
"Bring anything good shrimp?"
Cardin's outdoorsman skills had definitely been a huge boon for their chances of survival. However, there were times Ruby thought it went to his head. Still, the group needed him and they really couldn't leave him behind.
Ruby drank the broth of her meal feeling it warm her very being. She set the bowl aside and brought out her pack. Even if Cardin didn't respect her, he wouldn't be able to deny her usefulness after what she brought back.