It was a week after that Archer met the birthday girl that Qrow came in for. It had begun like any other day, with Archer tidying up the workshop while waiting for another customer. Weyland had decided to take a nap in his office since there wasn't any important orders waiting and he found Archer skilled enough to handle most orders on his own. The benefits of Structural Grasping were invaluable to the budding blacksmith. The TV played on in the background, bringing the new to anyone who cared to listen.
"- causing more Faunus Rights Protests to pop up. For more local news, the famed vigilante strikes again in downtown Vale. The Crimson Bowman subdued-" Archer's concentration was broken as the entrance bell ringed, signaling the arrival of a customer.
"Hellooooooooooo! Is anyone in here?" An adorable voice called out. Archer sighed before dispelling his Projected broom and pan and headed towards the counter. He heard the girl ring the service bell, only to give a gasp of delight from it's pleasant chime.
"Don't ring the bell more than once. Weyland won't appreciate being woken up like that." Archer walked out of the workshop to find a young girl in red and black. Her hand hovered over the bell and her expression was that of a child getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "So, how can I help you little Miss?"
"Oh! R-right! My name is Ruby Rose!" Ruby composed herself. "It's nice to meet you…"
"Archer. Archer Steele. My uncle runs the place." Archer couldn't help but smile at her. Looking at her reminded him of Illya a little.
Luckily, his smile seemed to put her at ease. "Oh? Uncle Weyland never mentioned having a nephew. Then again, all we'd talked about were weapons and weapon maintenance and which melee type pairs best with which ranged type and-"
Archer chuckled, deciding to stop her before she rambled for the whole day. "You know Wey- my Uncle?"
"Uh yeah! He was the one who helped me design Crescent Rose! Well, more like I sent a bunch of random prototype designs to him and he sent back one that wouldn't blow up in my face." She admitted sheepishly. "But still, after finishing the design for Crescent Rose, he helped me build it piece by piece! And now, all our hard work is done. And she is a beauty, aren't you?" Ruby took out Crescent Rose in it's sheathed form and began to rub it softly while praising its elegance.
"Your Uncle Qrow wasn't kidding with your love for weapons. So what brings you to-" Archer couldn't help but sigh internally, "Unlimited Iron Works?"
"Oh right! Since I finished putting together Crescent Rose last week, Uncle Qrow told me to come here and get it checked out, y'know, make sure it doesn't blow up in my face." Archer raised an eyebrow. "I'm bad with Dust. It tends to blow up in my face. Just last week I accidentally mixed the wrong amount of Fire and Wind dust in school on my birthday. It was also a demonstration in front of the whole class so I got so nervous and that's when I put too much Fire Dust. Both the professor and I were knocked off our feet. Then when we got up everyone laughed at our faces completely covered in ash and the professor glared at me. I had to deal with being called the 'Birthday Bomber' for the rest of the day. It was horrible." Ruby hung her head low after that admission. Ah Dust, said to be the equalizer for this world when it came to the Grimm Hordes. Archer personally didn't have a need for the stuff since he was sure that Unlimited Blade Works probably had an answer in there, but he could see the appeal for someone who lacks the ability to call forth a flaming sword or a thunderous hammer.
Archer couldn't help but pity the girl in front of her, having such a terrible birthday. He was too late to realize his mistake as he reached over to pat Ruby on the head, just like he would to Illya. Archer stiffened, but upon hearing the sniffles from the younger girl over her social suicide, he decided to continue. "That's fine. At least you're not hurt right? Now then, let's go check this things out and maybe fire a few rounds." Archer said in a gentle voice.
"Yeah. At least Uncle Qrow got me the parts to finish Crescent Rose." Ruby perked up and pulled a mechanical contraption from her waist and put it on the counter, before unfolding it into its scythe form.
"Do you mind if I use my Semblance?" Archer asked the girl. Ruby nodded. "Trace on." With that, green lines popped up on Archers arm, flowing into Crescent Rose. Archer checked to make sure that all the joints and mechanisms were properly structured, including the rifle's components. It was strange. After coming to this world, Archer had a far easier time understanding the structure and composition of guns and had even been able to recreate them. Sure, it was much more exhaustive than regular melee weapons and he still prefered the bow over modern weaponry, but at least he had them memorized. The exception to this were the Huntsmans' shifting weaponry. For some reason, it was far easier for him to create a shotgun if it was part of a sword, like in the case of Harbinger. But in any case, Archer could tell that Crescent Rose was made lovingly and with exceptional care. All of its pieces fit together snuggly and with proper maintenance, Archer was sure the weapon would last a lifetime.
Archer looked up to see Ruby staring at him and Crescent Rose with stars in her eyes. "So cool… And it was just like Uncle Weyland..." She said dreamily. Ruby snapped out of it and blushed in embarrassment once she realized Archer was staring at her. "So? Is she ready?" She asked, trying to take the attention away from her.
"Yes, I can tell you put a lot of love and care into this. Do you want to test it out in the workshop, there's some practice dummies and a firing range over there?" When Ruby nodded, he lead her to the other room. There, he set up three Beowolf dummies in a triangle and the Ursa Dummies at the end of the firing range. "Some pre-made Dust Rounds are over there by the workbench, let me know if you need any adjustments." Normally, Archer would be hesitant to leave a customer alone, but something about her told Archer she wasn't a bad person. Besides, Weyland couldn't sleep all day. So, Archer left the sounds of slicing and gunfire to wake up the slumbering blacksmith. The man was snoring on the couch in his office, until Archer decided to project a handheld gong and hit next to the man's ear.
"AGGGH!" The blacksmith fumbled out of the bed and fell to the floor, with the resulting mini quake knocking over some things on his desk. "What? Who's attack? Oh… It's just you Archer… How long was I out?" Weyland grumbled as he got up.
"About 2 hours. Ruby Rose is downstairs testing Crescent Rose." Archer informed him dutifully. He then began picking up the fallen objects and placing them on his desk. When he went to pick up a picture frame, he noticed the four people inside of it. One of them was a cleaner looking Qrow, but the other two, a boy and a girl, he had no idea of who they were. But the last one, a girl with her face half obscured with a white hood, looked eerily similar to the girl he had just met downstairs.
"I see… Well, better go see if she needs anything special. Actually, do we still have some of those strawberries from two days ago, the ones for those pies you baked?" Archer refocused, then nodded, as he remembered putting the leftover fruits he had gotten in the fridge. "Good, bring them down." Archer raised an eyebrow, but went up to the loft to do as he was told. As he came down with a bowl of the strawberries, he heard laughing coming from the workshop as Weyland's voice was loud enough for him to hear. "And so, after scouring all of Vale for him, I find him sitting in a trash can hitting on an Atlas Specialist Operative!"
Ruby laughed on her stool while Weyland grinned "W-wow, I didn't know Uncle Qrow could be like that. I mean I heard from Dad that he could get ridiculous, but not that ridiculous!"
"Ah, how about a more actiony story then. There was the time where after killing a bunch of Beowolves I rescued my nephew and brought him here!"
"Oh really? Is that how that happened, I remember things quite differently, mainly with me doing the killing and you just standing there watching." Archer interrupted Weyland's story. Weyland merely laughed off his correction while Ruby turned to him, surprised by his sudden appearance. The surprise turned into desire once she saw what he was holding.
"Are those strawberries?" She asked with her mouth watering.
Archer sighed, knowing where this was heading. From what he could remember, Illya would often ask him that in a similar fashion whenever she spotted him with something he made. And so, he answered as he usually did. "Yes, you can have some."
"Yay! Thank you! You're the best Archer! They're my favorite, even more than cookies!" In a flash of rose petals, Ruby had zipped over to his side and began savoring the sweetness of the red fruit. He glanced over to Weyland, wondering how he knew, but was only met by a grin.
"Now then… Archer, you have an appointment to make don't you?" Weyland reminded him.
"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me, I need to head off soon." Archer set the bowl of strawberries to the side, which Ruby continued to take from.
"Actually, could you take Ruby with you? Maybe you can talk about Huntsman stuff together." And yet again, Weyland's tone was more of an order, than a suggestion.
"Eh? Wha? But I'm- what about Crescent Rose?" Ruby spluttered through strawberries.
"I'll watch over it and give it a few tweaks based on what you told me, but still you should go with him. You don't mind, do you Archer?"
Archer merely shrugged. "It's her choice, I'm going to do what I had planned regardless of her participation." He then left to get ready.
"Err, should I go?" Ruby asked Weyland.
"I get the feeling it would be for the best if you go with what he has planned." Weyland said, before turning his attention to Crescent Rose.
"So… what are we doing?" Ruby asked as she and Archer took a walk downtown.
"Visiting a place." Archer answered casually.
"Okay… So… What's in the box?" Ruby asked pointing to the wrapped up box in his hands.
"A present."
"... Um…" Ruby was stumped on what to talk about next. She wasn't the one who started conversations. It was usually her sister Yang or her friend Mauve that started them. Unless it was a topic about weapons. She could talk about those all day, from the latest rifle designs to the prototypes that the Atlesian Military released to the public. Oh, speaking of weapons. "Say Archer, Weyland mentioned it back over at the shop that you can fight, so are you training to enter Beacon?" Most people his age, like her sister Yang, only knew how to fight if they were a Huntsman in training.
"Oh? No, not at the moment." Archer answered, shocking Ruby.
"Eh? What? But why not? The Beacon exam is coming up soon and if you don't train now, you'll never be able to enter and then you'll never be able to become a Huntsman and that would just be horrible!" Ruby couldn't believe he was wasting his skills. Then again, maybe Weyland could be embellishing his tales.
"I wouldn't exactly be worried about that. My… night job helps cover that part." Archer said cryptically.
"Well… If you say so…" Ruby wasn't convinced that his night job would covered it. After all, Yang was training with her Dad whenever she had free time and she wasn't sure she'd get in, not that Yang would ever show such doubt on the outside. "Oh that's right! Be careful out here during the night! I hear that's when criminal are the most active, although even if you do, that Crimson Archer guy might come in and save you." However, Archer all of a sudden started chuckling. "Eh? What's so funny?" Ruby asked confused.
"Nothing… I'll just keep that in mind." Archer was weird. But still, Ruby thought he was pretty cool. Not to mention he let her have strawberries. That instantly bumped him up on her cool people list. Still lower than her family or her friends Mauve and Coral, but not by much. Well, then again, he felt like one of those people who would listen to her ramble on about weapons and actually talk back to her about them like Uncle Weyland. It was decided. Archer ranked the same as Uncle Weyland. "By the way Ruby," Archer's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "What are your thoughts on the Crimson Bowman? It seems like your Uncle, Qrow that is, doesn't approve of him very much."
"I think… it's because the Crimson Bowman reminds him of my mom. The way she acted that is. It something my mom would have done, saving people without caring about the danger or who she was saving. And the reason why Uncle Qrow hates that is because he couldn't save my mom, who saved everyone, when she needed help. I guess he still blames himself for her death. And that's why he doesn't like what the Crimson Bowman is trying to do." Ruby didn't know why he was telling Archer this, but there was something about the older boy that she feels she can trust on an instinctual level. Ruby prepared for the inevitable pity, but it didn't come.
"Your mother. She must have been an incredible person." Ruby looked to Archer, but his face was unreadable. But what she could tell was that he meant what he said.
"That's right. She was the best Huntress, and the best Mom ever. I mean sure she was always busy saving the world and stuff, but she was there when she could be. Yang always called her a Super Mom. And because of her, I'm determined to become a Huntress. But to answer your question, I think that the Crimson Bowman is doing the right thing. After all, saving people isn't wrong, is it?" Ruby finished, echoing the words her mother said all the time. She noticed Archer almost flinch at those words. "Buuuuuuuuut," Archer raised an eyebrow at her extended word. "He could definitely use someone watching his back. He needs a sidekick, someone to help him fight crime. I can just imagine it now, the Rosey Reaper!" Ruby noticed Archer trying to hold back laughter. "Hey! A girl can dream!"
"Yeah, you're right. In the end, I wasn't wrong..." Archer muttered the last part under his breath, although Ruby didn't understand what he meant. "Anyways, it looks like we've arrived."
Ruby looked at the place to find she was in front of a place called "The End of the Rainbow," an orphanage in Vale. "Eh? What are we doing here?"
All of a sudden, a bunch of children swarmed from the front door. "Archer's here!" "Archer's back!" "Big Sis, Archer's back." "Eh? Who's that?" "Is she Archer's friend?" "I hope she's not a girlfriend. That would break Big Sis' heart."
"That's enough you guys!" A Faunus with brown hair and rabbit ears popped out and scolded the kids crowding the two before shooing them back inside. "Sorry about that Archer. The kids really enjoyed the pies you baked them last time and were excited that you were coming back." The girl was wearing a brown shirt with yellowish orange rims, with a black skirt and black stockings and brown shoes.
Archer smiled in response. "It's fine Velvet. So long as they're happy, I'm happy."
Velvet turned to her. "Oh right, introductions are in order. I'm Velvet Scarlatina, I work part time at the orphanage when I'm not at Beacon."
Ruby could feel herself bubble with excitement. "Hi! I'm Ruby Rose! I'm also a Huntress-in-Training! I'm currently enrolled in Signal, but I hope I can make it to Beacon when I graduate! Also, my sister Yang is training for the entrance exam since she graduates this year!" She can't believe that she got to meet someone from Beacon.
"Does it smell like tuna here?" Archer asked, scrunching his nose.
"W-what? You can smell that?" Velvet asked. There was a crash from a nearby alley that drew their attention. "O-oh, that must of been the black cat that visits here sometimes. A-anyway, I had a tuna sandwich for lunch." Velvet explained.
"Oh? You don't usually have seafood at all."
"Well maybe she wanted to try something new." Ruby remembered the time she had tuna. Her Dad had tried to make her and Yang tuna sandwiches for lunch, but it was really hot that day and so… on second thought Ruby didn't want to remember the rest of that day.
"She's right!" Velvet exclaimed. "In any case, why don't you guys come in? The kids will love to see you again Archer."
"So does Miss Velvet!" A girl, no more than 11 years old, called out from behind the orphanage's front door, her tiger tail swinging back and forth.
"Tora! Get back inside!" Velvet shouted before blushing and turning to Archer. "Sorry about that, they're getting to that age and are imagining things."
"So you're saying you didn't miss me?" Archer smirked.
"W-wha? You're so mean sometimes Archer!" Velvet pouted while playfully punching him in the shoulder. Ruby wasn't sure, but she's pretty sure this is what Yang called flirting.
"Right right, let's get going inside then, I brought cookies for the kids." Ruby's ears perked up at that.
"You have cookies?" Ruby's mouth watered.
She heard Archer sigh while her eyes were focused on the box. "You can take no more than two."
Ruby jumped for joy and hugged the man. "You're the best Archer!" He was definitely above Uncle Weyland.
Archer looked apologetically at Velvet. "You mind me bringing one more child here?" Scratch that, he was still on the same level.
A/N: And this chapter was gonna be longer, but I had to cut it into two, otherwise it'd be super long. So, you guys can luckily expect another chapter tomorrow! Also, I want to thank everyone whose favorited and followed this story, as I only expected to get like 30 follows, and now I'm over 4 times that. Now then, as for the story, here she is! Ruby Rose! and also Velvet at the end! To be honest, I'm not sure how well I captured her, but I will admit I played up her little sister side and Archer's big brother side. Also, fun fact, Ruby's favorite food is strawberries, not cookies. Another fun (but really weird) fact, the strawberries themselves are not fruit, but rather are called 'fleshy receptacles' no joke. It's the actual seeds that are the fruit. The more you know. Also don't expect anything from Mauve or Coral, I just needed some 'friends' for Ruby. So yeah, Velvet works part-time at an orphanage and Archer occasionally brings the kids treats. I'll expand on it next chapter, since this one is getting kinda long.