Ruby sighed with relief as the caravan finally reached the town of Lumen. At last the villagers were safe, unexposed to the dangers out in the wilderness. Ruby smiled as the children waved her and the others goodbye. Ruby waved back, tearing up slightly as she saw their smiles. At once, she was reminded of her real reason to be a Huntress, where gratitude was the best reward she could receive.
She watched as Diana and the villagers made up, with the chief now thanking her for her services. Diana shook his hand in return before walking over to the four teens.
"Well, I must say that was a job well done." Diana smiled. "As promised, part of my cut goes to you. After all, you guys are going to need it for the journey you have ahead of you."
"Thanks Diana." Ruby smiled. "For everything."
"The payout will help us get some much needed ammo and food supplies." Ren nodded. "Though the rations from the White Fang will be able to last us for quite a while too."
"They can't replace pancakes though!" Nora chimed in.
"Agreed." Jaune laughed.
"Anyways, I must say you guys were amazing." Diana smiled. "I can see why you were accepted into Beacon. Especially you Ruby."
"No kidding." Jaune nodded. "I saw what you did in that final fight with that White Fang Faunus. How did you just split apart anyway?"
"No clue." Ruby shrugged. "I just thought that I was going to take him down, though I also remembered my training with Diana, how I wanted my Semblance to change."
"Well, like I said, your Semblance is something that can be altered by your own will, even if the chance is near zero." Diana said. "This is just a guess, but I think you weren't the type to figure out your fight style much."
Ruby chuckled. "Yeah. Till I was in Beacon, I wasn't the kind to have strategy or whatnot."
Diana smiled. "Spot on. You were one to just rush into loads of things. However, with the training you underwent with me, my best guess is that both your old mindset and the new things I've taught you changed your Semblance in that way. That sound about right?"
"Yeah." Ruby nodded. "That could be just right. I guess there isn't really a need to change my fighting style."
"Well, keep doing what you've been doing for the past few days, and I'm sure you'll work something out." Diana said.
"Thanks Diana." Ruby nodded. "I suppose this will be goodbye?"
"Well, not right yet." Diana replied. "You still need to look around for information, and you will probably get it faster with someone like me. Trust me when I say, I have ways with these people."
Ruby now thought back to the title that Diana had inherited from Beacon, the Burning Wayfarer. It wasn't hard to figure out why she was called that, considering her pyrokinetic Semblance and her previous wandering lifestyle, though Ruby was shocked to find out how Diana had a habit of just leaving the safety of her dorm just to walk around alone in the city of Vale, even in the seediest of places. Still, she reckoned that was how Diana was so hard to find, even among her own family.
No. Ruby reminded herself. Diana found family at Beacon, a place where she could finally be with people who cared for her. She hoped that one day, that place would be restored to its former state. But she knew that the only way that would happen was to carry on her journey.
"Besides…" Diana frowned. "Have you all taken a look at yourselves lately?"
Ruby blinked in curiosity. Looking downward, she saw why. Her clothes were even more of a shambles before they started this whole tirade. Save for her skirt, everything else was torn. Her sleeves were now ripped apart and had charred ends. Her stockings had more holes than ever while her blouse sported more frayed threads than she could imagine. Even her boots looked worn down, with a few splotches here and there, no doubt caused by her battles in the woods. Her cloak also seemed to have seen better days with the torn ends, though Ruby wasn't bothered, the roughed up appearance made her look cooler. But Diana was right, she couldn't keep travelling looking like this.
"So, where can you recommend?" Jaune asked as he looked at his torn jeans and damaged shoes.
After a while, they had found one of the best stores in town that sold a large variety of clothing. Thankfully, it also accepted donations from its patrons, meaning what was good about their current clothing would at least be put to use by someone else.
Ruby had seen a particularly good outfit the minute she walked in, a white high-neck décolletage blouse that came with a black corset. Diana also showed her the straps on the back, which would be perfect for carrying her backpack. Seeing no other outfit she could take an interest in, Ruby went to fit it on.
As she stood in the changing room, she saw a pair of boots get shoved in below the curtain.
"Thanks Diana." Ruby sad as she removed her old clothes, taking time to look at them before she put them down. She had worn that outfit on so many different occasions. Her time in Signal, her Beacon initiation, her first mission, the Vytal festival. But that was all in the past now. Change was inevitable, and she had to embrace it to go forward.
"Hey, no problem." Diana said past the curtain.
Ruby now slowly put the new clothes on, relieved to know that they fit. As she fumbled with the corset, Diana spoke again. "I'm going to be looking for the White Fang." The Faunus woman said with a certain edge to her voice. "They have a lot to answer for."
Ruby nodded. "If you happen to meet Blake, tell her I miss her, and where I am."
"Will do." Diana said. "I'll do it for the rest of your team too, if I happen to see them. But still, don't count on it. Remnant is a big place, and even I can't go everywhere that quickly."
"You got it." Ruby replied as she put the leggings on. They only went up to her thighs, but she supposed there was nothing better.
"You will go a long way Ruby." Diana said. "But never forget that you aren't alone in this fight. As long as you keep going onward, I'm sure you'll find a way to fix everything."
"Thanks Diana." Ruby smiled. "I'm glad we met you."
"Same here." Diana said. "I've never told my story to anyone else save for my team. But now, I think I don't have to be so reserved about it anymore. I'm glad I met you Ruby. As a side note, how do you feel now? Still have doubts?"
Ruby paused as she fingered the boots, thinking about how the past few days had gone. Before, she had felt reserved about this path she had to take, this journey that she was now involved in. Now, she didn't know if she was sure of everything. But she was sure that there were no more doubts left in her heart.
"No." Ruby said as she put the boots on. "I'm more confident now, with all that I've been able to do. I can't forget the pain from the past, but I know now that it'll drive me ever onward to see it doesn't happen again. My fight hasn't ended yet, so I can't stop."
"I like that attitude. But anyways, enough of business talk. Are you going to show me the new look of Ruby Rose?" Diana asked. Ruby now put the boots on, staring at herself in the mirror, she studied her reflection again, especially her silver eyes. And she saw that they weren't filled with uncertainty anymore.
She pulled back the curtain, revealing herself to Diana. "How do I look?" Ruby asked.
Diana grinned. "Like a Huntress. Ready to go out there and kick butt?"
Ruby now fastened Crescent Rose to the back, where the magnetic clip was upon her belt. "You know it." She answered.
Author's Note: And that's that! The end of this first time-skip fic is done.
I have plenty more ideas, but I'm going to have to wait for the release of Vol. 4 to properly get them sorted out. Till then, I hope you've enjoyed this little story.
Jdbl00d.