As the man named Dante walked through the hallways, Ruby remained close behind. She had to confront him and see if he was the "Reaper" Valenrir was looking for. If he was, then the creature could finally leave her dreams. This was accompanied by several thoughts all firing off at once in Ruby's mind. Wait… didn't he say he could leave if I asked him? But, what is this Reaper, anyway? His scythe as so cool! Who is this guy really? I have to know!
She followed him to the cafeteria. He had sat down with a plate of something… wait. Cookies?
He picked up one of the baked treats and popped it into his mouth. After his mouth was no longer full, he turned slightly. "I know you're there."
Ruby jumped a bit. Is he talking to me?
"Yes. Yes, I am."
To say Ruby was shocked would be an understatement and then some. "How did…?"
"I can read minds. Cookie?"
"Wait! You can read minds?!"
"I just said that. Didn't I? It was so long ago."
"I… I don't…"
"What? Were you expecting something else?"
"Well… yeah." He did call himself a reaper… right?
"Oh, that…" He ate another of the cookies. "Quite the performance, if I do say so myself."
"Performance?"
"Yeah. Helps keep the prisoners in order if they think their warden associates himself with Death."
"I… see." She looked down toward the plate.
"Oh, just take one already."
Ruby picked up one of the cookies and devoured it almost immediately. That said, she took the time to taste the confection. "Strawberries?"
"Special recipe. I'm quite proud of it, actually."
Now, for a real introduction. My name is Dante Ravenscroft. And the little one on your hood…"
Ruby reached up and felt feathers. She fell from shock and looked around quickly. What she found was a small white bird with a black mask.
"…is Alighieri." The small bird flew up and landed on Dante's head. "He likes to rest on people's heads. I think he feels like they're premade nests or something."
"I'm Ruby. And I thought you were 'Dante the Reaper Grimm.'"
"Part of the scene. Really helps the intimidation process if your last name is Grimm."
"And the red eyes?"
"What?" he looked into a reflection in the window. "Oh!" He reached his hand toward his eyes and, with a quick swipe, his red eyes became a bright yellow. "Colored contacts. Red eyes helps scare the crap of people if you use it right."
Ruby was finally able to collect herself. "I'll admit… you're not what I was expecting after your 'performance.'"
"Ruby, 'expectations' are based on minimal information. They never show an understanding for the situation at hand."
"…what?"
Dante ate another cookie without skipping a beat. "Very little is ever as it seems at first glance."
"That's… pretty smart."
"You don't get to be a jail warden at my age without learning a few things."
"How old are you, anyway?"
"You never ask a gentleman his age. But I'm 16 if you must know."
Ruby nearly choked on another cookie. 16?! He's only a year older than me?!
"Can still hear your thoughts."
"Oh yeah… I forgot about that."
"To be fair, though, I had to learn and grow up fast. I'm skilled enough to be a huntsman, but someone needs to keep an eye on the prisoners. Might as well be me."
"I guess…" She reached for another cookie, but found an empty plate.
"Looks like we're out. Well," Dante smiled and held up one cookie, "Almost. Last one. Bet it tastes delicious."
Ruby wanted the cookie, and her face showed that. She used the largest, most adorable puppy-dog look she could muster.
Dante smiled. "Sorry Ruby. That won't work on me." He ate the cookie in front of her and walked away. "Until next time."
Ruby was temporarily out of commission.
\/
Ruby's dream was filled with laughter, just not her own. Valenrir went into a laughing fit when he found out what happened. "Oh my Monty… That's priceless."
Ruby puffed out her cheek in annoyance. "Shut up!"
"I can't help it! That was hilarious!"
"You can be a real jerk, you know that?"
"Hello there. I'm Valenrir, god of the Grimm. Have we met?" His voice just oozed sarcasm.
Ruby paused a moment. Seeing him like this felt… off. "You're acting differently."
"Oh? And how would you know what I act like? Perhaps it's like that Dante guy said. Perhaps I'm not as I seem either."
"You already proved that."
"Oh? Do enlighten me. How have I done this?"
"Well… you're a Grimm. But you aren't a mindless killing machine."
"Good answer." Valenrir floated upward and plucked a teacup from nowhere. He took a sip and the cup disappeared. "You're learning fast little Rose. Though I suppose Dante is a good first start."
"What?"
"You see, I've been doing a bit of thinking about that picture. I think I might know who each person is."
"Wait. Really?"
"I said 'I think.' I don't know for sure. But Dante's arrival confirms one of them."
"Which one?"
"The lily with blood stains."
"Then, who are the other three?"
"Again… I think I might know. I have no definite answers yet. When I figure something out, I'll let you know."
Ruby sighed and followed with a nod. "Okay. So what happens now?"
"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"
"My dad always said that it was the best way to learn."
"Daddy's girl, are you?"
"Ruby puffed out her cheek again and spun on her heel. "Shut up. I need to wake up soon and get ready for class." With that, Ruby disappeared, leaving Valenrir alone.
The Grimm god floated toward the window. He looked down toward a large garden. At the center was a large structure. Surrounding it was a large tangle of vines and thorns with four flowers. One of the flowers, a blood stained lily had fallen and a section of the tendrils seemed less tangled. Valenrir smiled. "Soon."
/\
King: Hello again, everybody. Hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Now, on to business. "Yuck...", I know. But this might be interesting for those who care. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I thought it might be fun to release a special. "But which story will have it?" you ask. All of them. Well... the one's still active will. Look forward to seeing the social ineptitude of Jaune and Ares in the minefield that is romance, see what the teachers of Beacon get up to for the day, and watch a dreamy interaction between Ruby and Valenrir. Also, just for fun, I'll have a special one-shot for the holiday. Keep watch for that.
