The Better Part of Valor: Ruby

There were so many creature comforts Ruby had found herself going without in the early stages of owning a floating colosseum. She missed the personal tools she would use for tinkering with her gear. She missed the greater variety of food Beacon had to offer at its cafeteria throughout the day. She missed the forest against the mountainside where she would vanish to get away from all the scheming and socializing that often proved too much for her. All of that had to be left behind the night her plans sprung into action. The only things she had left were her weapon, her scroll, and the clothes on her back.

As she and Penny continued the slow process of making Amity into their new home, Ruby found herself grateful for anything that even remotely reminded her of the life she sacrificed for power. Today, that gratitude was invested in the steamy shower she allowed herself to enjoy in one of Amity's two locker rooms.

The design was surprisingly similar to what they'd had at Beacon. The room was mostly concrete, the floors sloped to lead water to the drains. There were half a dozen shower stalls on the left, another half a dozen on the right, and eight more on the far wall, making for a total of twenty. It was enough for five teams at a time, which worked well for the large scale free-for-all melee the festival would hold right before the final night of the tournament. It was a shame Ruby hadn't been allowed to enjoy that before dealing with Cinder. There had been so many students she'd wanted at least the chance of facing off with and it had already been hard enough leaving the other rounds of the tournament to Weiss and Yang to free up her schedule for the plan.

For a moment, Ruby reflected on the solitude which felt so unnatural in this setting. She had grown used to sharing a bathing space with her team, JNPR, and plenty of other Beacon students after sparring or physical conditioning.

There was meticulous, dutiful Weiss whose routine took longer than Ruby and Yang's combined. There were times Ruby legitimately worried her partner was putting a serious dent in the school's supply of hot water with how she would lounge under the showerhead and soak up the heat. Blake, on the other side of the spectrum, had been brief, furtive, and cowled in a showercap at all times. It wasn't until Ruby saw the cat ears that she realized these habits weren't out of shyness, but self preservation. Then there was Yang with her penchant for mischief and all the unrest one could expect it to cause. Her towel snapping alone had forced Ruby to take executive action before any more fights started with JNPR or SSSN or whoever else was sharing space with them at the time. It had been hectic, trying, and she missed it all the same.

The shower was about a day overdue. Yesterday, the coliseum had been attacked by a griffin flock. With most of the knights powered down until they could be made sustainable, it was up to Ruby and Penny to handle the situation with their own strength. It was manageable, but the encounter left Ruby drenched in sweat and too exhausted to bother with doing anything about it until she got some rest.

Penny had theorized the griffins must have been drawn to them by negative emotion, seeing how unlikely it was to simply bump into any aerial Grimm at such a high altitude. Ruby knew that was true, but did nothing to continue that line of thought. She was well aware of the negative energy she must have been projecting, but she wasn't about to explain what she was feeling to Penny for fear of bringing morale even lower.

The fact was, Ruby's anxiety had been building for weeks. Her endeavor to make Amity sustainable was slow to advance and the clock was ticking. Until she secured a regular supply of Dust, there was no firing the biome without wasting weeks or even months worth of fuel to keep the stadium airborne. Her foray into Atlas had hopefully paid off with Weiss's cooperation, but that was at least a month away if it didn't fall through. Every day that passed in the meantime meant more villages outside the kingdoms that she couldn't help, more innocents at the mercy of monsters who had none. The thought tore at her.

Today, maybe Ruby would be able to fix some of that, though. It had taken some doing to arrange this meeting and she needed to make it count. Feeling clean and refreshed for the first time in at least a day, she shut off the warm stream in front of her and went to dry herself off. Afterwards, she made her way out to the grassy field that was the current arena on Amity's top layer so she might collect the personal effects she had neglected to wash until only a couple hours ago.

For the last few weeks Ruby had taken to wearing tee-shirts and sweatpants scavenged from well stocked souvenir booths. Not today, though. Today, she had to look the part of a huntress.

The skirt, blouse, leggings, and corset Ruby had left hanging to dry in the sun might have looked like mere clothing but, to her it was armor. Fashion was almost as vital to a warrior of Remnant as the weapon in their hands. Combat was nothing more than a specialized application of aura, the soul. In essence, a fight between humans was an exchange of personal expression. That meant disciplining one's aesthetic and hunting persona could give them enough of an edge in aura efficiency to be the difference between living and dying on the field.

For a huntsman, killing was an art in the most literal sense.

Confirming the fabric had been adequately dried, Ruby slipped on the outfit the same way she had a thousand times before; taking comfort in the feeling that, for the time being, it still suited her enough to serve its purpose. First the leggings, then the blouse, then the skirt. After that, she laced her corset, then her boots. Almost ready.

As she took to polishing the silver rose buckle that usually sat on her hip, Ruby began to recall all the creative courses she had taken alongside combat, survival, and engineering at Signal. This emblem had been her final project in the iconography series. It was imperative a huntsman build association with a symbol as they built their career. Besides the expressive benefits that came with everything else, a symbol was especially useful for maintaining morale with a local population. Higher morale meant fewer Grimm attacks. In a sense, the idea of a huntsman could do more good than the actual person.

Before the rose buckle adorned her belt, the space had been filled by a silver cross to honor her mentor. Uncle Qrow had never been one for complicated designs and, from what little Ruby had been told about her, neither had his sister. Still, he'd beamed when Ruby finished her emblem at the end of spring and was just as happy to see her keep a pair of crosses on her hood.

Once all her other accessories had been properly attended to, Ruby turned her attention to the centerpiece of her look. The length of scarlet cloth was, without a doubt, the most enduring and important article she had or would likely ever possess in her lifetime. Once, it had been her swaddling blanket. It had been grey and dull when she had first been wrapped in it, so she had been told, but her aura quickly dyed it to match her soul. As she grew, so did it. When she unlocked her semblance, it scattered rose petals in her wake.

All of this, and more, due to the special blend of Dust her mother had sewn into the fabric. The hood was her most constant companion through her entire life, a reminder of who she was and where she came from. She'd felt so naked without it that she'd taken to wearing it over her school uniform. As Ruby fastened the hood to her collar, she could feel her aura synergizing with the fabric. Her soul coursed through every fiber, then back into her body with a warmth as soothing as the shower.

A proper huntress once more, Ruby set out to collect Penny. It was time for them to attend to their business.

The ride to the meeting point took a little under an hour using the passenger airship Penny had selected from what remained of Amity's hangar. While Ruby found herself nervous to have that kind of distance from her prize, they couldn't afford to broadcast their location by bringing the stadium so close to Mistral. So long as it stayed outside the kingdoms, Amity was mostly safe from prying eyes.

This meeting was taking place in Mistral's shipping district; a warehouse near the eastern shore of Lake Matsu. It was the dead of night and their potential associate had assured them the graveyard shift had been discretely paid off to ensure there would be no interference to their business. Ruby would have preferred to handle that herself, but she supposed it was worth having someone else foot the bill since she didn't exactly have any sort of bank account at the moment. Not that her frozen assets had been worth much to begin with.

The warehouse was understocked, holding only a sparse amount of assorted cargo relative to the scores of large shelves standing in rows. Luckily, there was a good 1000 square feet of space at the north end of the building to park their airship and conduct the negotiation. It was maybe a little cramped if a fight broke out, but it was in everyone's best interest for that not to happen.

Ruby had seen the man on the other side of the room in more than a few pictures, but this was the first time she had ever met him in person. His thick, brushed back hair was a sandy brown that seemed to be greying evenly throughout and he had a thick, but trimmed beard to match. His figure was broad and stout, though his mantled burgundy greatcoat did its best to hide how portly he was. Ruby caught a flicker of motion from behind his back and figured that must have been a twitch of a tail. Lastly, of course, was the quartet of silver fleur-de-lis arranged in a cross on his left forearm; the concealed weapon of an experienced huntsman. Still, despite looking exactly like the man she had seen in photographs standing side by side with Ozpin and Ironwood, Ruby couldn't help but think a man with a name like Lionheart should have been just a bit fiercer.

The headmaster of Haven Academy had a nervous, almost fitful quality to his eyes as he made a thorough scan of the two young women who were looking to deal with him. His body language was rigid, defensive. He seemed ready to spring into action at any moment, though that action was more likely to be a flinch than an attack by the way he was acting. Was he worried this was a trap? That they were going to kill him? It's not like Ruby would have been capable of that, if he was as strong as she had heard. Penny… possibly. Her abilities put her on a whole other level above anyone Ruby had seen, but she was still lacking when it came to field experience. There were a pair of huntsmen flanking either side of Lionheart, one clothed in orange and blue and the other in blue and white. They both had a much more reserved composure about them compared to the man they were taking orders from. Ruby had seen a few pictures of them, as well, but there was considerably less information on them compared to Lionheart. It didn't matter all that much, their purpose here was obvious. Lionheart obviously trusted them to have his back and keep his secrets.

"Miss Rose, Miss Polendina," Lionheart made a hard swallow as he raised his eyes to meet theirs, "G-Good, to finally meet your acquaintance." His voice was somehow valiant and meek at the same time, making for a strange sort of auditory paradox. Was this man really a legendary huntsman? One who stood on par with Ozpin, Goodwitch, and all those others responsible for raising new generations of champions to protect the kingdoms? Yet, he was cowering over nothing.

"Headmaster," Penny greeted the older man with a warm, diplomatic smile, the results of hours of specialized training in Atlas, "We are very pleased to see you here today."

Ruby nodded in agreement, though she made no effort to speak just yet. Penny, despite her lack of casual social experience, had lived inside a military and political epicenter her entire life. She was the obvious choice to take the lead in this negotiation. In the meantime, that left Ruby free to consider their options in case anything unexpected were to develop.

"Of course, of course," Lionheart eeked out as he caught a particularly intense look in Ruby's eyes. "Now, I believe we were here to make a… a deal of some kind? Tell me, where… exactly is she?"

"Inside our ship. Would you like me to fetch her?" Penny chirped courteously. Ruby found herself impressed with the tone of voice her partner was using. All at once she was poised, graceful, approachable, and at ease.

"Yes, that would be excellent."

"Just a moment, then!" The rear door of the airship began to open with a slow, hydraulic squeal to reveal a block of ice about twice the size of an average person. Then, smile never leaving her face, the panel on Penny's back opened up and her blades came flying out. They plunged themselves a good half foot into the ice and, with impressive ease and precision, dragged the block out and onto the space in between them.

The silhouette of a woman was easy to recognize from within the block and, as Lionheart made a cautious approach, he nodded in confirmation that it was indeed the correct woman, "Good. Very good. Now, had you already…?"

"A full autopsy has been performed and recorded," Penny completed as her blades freed themselves from the ice and retracted into her back. "Her organs are being stored in a freezer. We're prepared to deliver the organs and autopsy data if you can provide us with this."

Penny entered a command on the scroll she was holding and had it project the contents to their associates. Scrolling by in a mass of holographic light were various raw materials and machinery used for parts manufacturing and maintenance. The list had been provided by Mr. Polendina, who had more than enough experience with Atlas's R&D to know every piece of equipment they would need to upkeep the Knights. Initially, he'd been furious with Ruby and disappointed with Penny, afraid his daughter had abandoned her family and kingdom under the manipulation of a girl hungry for power. Then Ruby showed him the Ironwood mandated paralysis triggers and kill switches she'd found while exploring Penny's code back at Beacon, something that had been done without a hint of knowledge or consent on Mr. Polendina's part. In the span of a single document, the man had gone from threatening to out their location to promising all the support he could possibly give while staying inside the kingdom of Atlas.

"We presume this is within your means?" Penny questioned. Huntsmen academies were expected to facilitate complex, specialized weapon engineering as well as ammunition customization. The acquisition of these sorts of machines wouldn't look out of the ordinary on Haven's budget, which was exactly what they wanted. Sure, Ruby could have gone to the black market, but she needed lien to make that work or else start bartering Atlesian Knights and hope against the odds they wouldn't end up in the hands of violent criminals. Instead, she had a perishable asset that needed to be used as soon as possible and a potential client that would want their hands on it more than anyone. Cinder had infiltrated the Vytal Festival disguised as a Haven student. No doubt there were a number of interesting questions on that particular subject. Whether they would be answered or obscured by this man would be unimportant for the immediate future.

"This…" Lionheart gave pause to finish his assessment, "Yes. I could acquire this."

"Splendid! Then, perhaps it is time to arrange our delivery methods." Penny's smile was curt, reserved, but nonetheless carried the same unparalleled brightness of any of her others. Ruby shook herself when she found her gaze lingering. She needed to focus on the job, not… whatever that had been.

Ruby's eyes returned to Lionheart, who was taking a long time to respond. His mouth was opening, then closing, then opening over and over with little more than a stammer each time. Sweat was forming on his brow. His eyes were darting between the two women across from him at such a rapid pace Ruby thought they might pop out right there. Ruby held back an exasperated grimace as she began to ponder what could have possibly startled him this time.

"I'm afraid…"

He hardly had to announce something like that. Everything he did said it for him.

"I'm afraid we can't come to an agreement just yet."

"...What?" Ruby hadn't intended to speak a word until Penny was done negotiating, but this absurd response had managed to drag it from her. She wasn't sure if her stare was outraged or incredulous, but she was surprised that Lionheart had met it without so much as flinching.

"Yes, I understand if you find that upsetting, it's just… You're entering a very dangerous game, Miss Rose. More than you truly know, I'm sure. I need to be certain of your capabilities before we can deal with each other in any capacity."

"I killed Cinder Fall. Is that not enough?"

"No."

Ruby was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer. She hadn't thought him capable of asserting himself like that. Not after the waffling, the flinching, the unprovoked anxiety. Yet, he had undergone a shift. His stance settled low, strong, practiced. His mouth set in a firm, straight line. His hands were calm as stone. Nearly everything about him had changed except those wide, fearful eyes. He was still afraid, that was obvious. Horribly, irrationally afraid of a girl with a tenth of his experience and barely a third of his weight. It didn't matter, though. The fear, ever present though it was, would not factor into whatever happened next.

With a subtle, natural flick of his wrist, the quartet sprung to life. The silver opened, spilling gold and jewels befitting a man of his station. The resulting shield looked half buckler, half painting palette. An artisan's weapon adorned in Dust, with delicate floral engravings like Ruby could remember seeing on the grip of Ozpin's cane. Yes, this was a headmaster's weapon.

And it was being pointed at her.

"All I know of Fall's death is second hand. Hearsay. And besides, there are more dangerous things in this world than a single woman. I need you to show me what it is you do, Miss Rose." Lionheart glanced at Penny for a moment. "Alone."

"What are you proposing?" Ruby had yet to reach for Crescent Rose, though she could feel it pressing into the small of her back all the same. It was yearning for this fight, even as the reality of fighting a headmaster began to dawn on her. She wouldn't have a chance against him one on one. No more than she would have against any of her teachers or Sun or Pyrrha.

No more than she would have against Yang.

"A drop of blood should do. Before I can put you down, that is. If you do that, you'll have my support. If you cannot? I suppose James would appreciate your capture."

At this suggestion, the men to either side of Lionheart exchanged a concerned look.

"Master," the one in white spoke up, "Are you certain this is—"

"Quiet, Mel," Lionheart's order was firm, but not harsh. It seemed likely those two had often tried to act as his voice of reason. "And don't either of you interfere."

A whirlwind of conflicting emotion ran through Ruby's heart and out her hood, ejecting a small burst of rose petals that scattered on the smooth concrete. Dread, excitement, fear, pride, shame, bloodlust; they tumbled and twirled, contracted and expanded, all so intense and extreme as to threaten her self control. This was going to be a steep hurdle, a labor she couldn't possibly have been prepared for, but, all the same, this was fly or die. If she didn't perform here, she would never achieve a single thing she set out to do.

And everything she did would be for nothing.

The hurricane raging in her mind calmed the instant her hand touched Crescent Rose. This was her constant. Whenever she was unsure of herself, whenever it felt too hard to go on. Crescent Rose always knew what to do. All Ruby had to do was listen. At the lightest brush of her fingertips, the weapon sprung to life. It unfolded in a slow, smooth, beautiful display of hydraulic engineering. It grew and grew until it was as large as her. The red and black gave way to a shining silver blade that had cleaved through evils great and small. Ruby allowed her instrument—no—her guide to settle its weight and embed its point into the cement. This building was going to suffer damage. There was no avoiding that.

Ruby and Lionheart settled into their ready stances, agreement to this conflict unspoken but understood. The other three stood aside with varying levels of reluctance. If Ruby had been paying attention, she might have seen the hopeful concern on Penny's face. There was no time for that, now. All that mattered was this fight. All that existed was what Crescent Rose drew her to. Lionheart lifted his right hand and spun the disk of his buckler, igniting Dust jewels as a glyph lit up above the device. In two smooth motions, Ruby swung the blade behind her and loaded a cartridge. She found it in her to smirk, despite the odds.

"All right. On three."