(Ruby)
"You're leaving?" She asked her father in a quiet voice, concern evident on her face.
"It's only going to be for a little while, honey." He assured her with a smile. "It's a simple mission. Two weeks at most and I'll be back."
"B-but…" She bit her lips. "I'll… miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Ruby." He smiled, embracing her. "Do you want to stay at Aunty Dandelion's?"
"No," She shook her head. "I can take care of myself…"
"Of course you can." He chuckled, then frowned slightly. "...Do you want to skip school until I come back?"
"...No…" She declined. "I'll never be a good huntress if I skip school…"
"You'll never be a bad huntress even if you skip school, sweetie." He said, letting go of her. "Your uncle and I used to skip a lot of classes when we were in Beacon."
"But mom said to never skip," Ruby replied.
Tai winced, then sighed deeply. "If you're sure, then I can't stop you. But if it gets out of hand, call me or Yang, okay?"
"Mhm…"
"Alright, I'll be going now," Tai said, kissing her forehead. "Take care, love."
With that, he went out through the front door, closing it behind him and leaving his daughter alone in the house. Ruby sighed deeply, sitting on the couch as she went through what happened the past week.
When Yang was with her in Signal, Ruby spent a lot of her time with her. She had difficulties making friends with kids her age, but she was content by staying with Yang's group of friends. They were older than her, sure, but they all treated her nicely. All of them were kind, and she enjoyed hanging out with them. Yang tried to push Ruby to make her own group friends, but she wasn't comfortable being alone with strangers.
Really, she was content with a few friends. Three or Four are just fine, even if they're older than her and are now in other schools, like Beacon or Haven.
But now that everyone left, including her sister, everything turned way worse for her.
She had… a history with bullying, but Yang or one of her friends would always come and help her. They helped her so many times, that by the second year, she wasn't being bullied anymore. But now… now she wished she listened to Yang and made friends her age beforehand.
Every single day, they'll bully her to a corner then force Ruby out of her money. The money her father gave her this month, which is 50K Lien, is already half what it's supposed to be, and she didn't even buy a single thing.
If she didn't give them money? They'll relentlessly hurt her physically, emotionally, and mentally. Either by suddenly shoving her into the lunch table, tripping her and letting her drop her own food, throwing hurtful remarks about her, and even going as far as to insult her deceased mother and questioning if Tai was really her father.
Of course, she was Tai's daughter! Just because she doesn't look like him or her sister doesn't mean she's a…
Her lips trembled as she curled up in a ball, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Her father tried to stop the bullying so many times, but they were smart. They knew when to do it and when to feign innocence. Her father knew, but with the stress of being a teacher, missions, and the bills her sister caused, he had less time with her.
Whenever she was pit together with Palli, her main tormentor, in a spar, she'd always freeze up. Palli's group would boo and jeer at her, and then she'll use insults to chip at her confidence, then beat her up pretty badly. Her father told her multiple times that she's better than Palli… but she doesn't know herself. Even if she managed to win, she knew the bullying would get worse, so what's the point? Winning is not worth making things even more miserable.
Ruby asked herself countless times, and even her once. Why are they bullying her? What did she do? She never even tried to interact with them before, why are they being so cruel to her?
She sniffled, then began to quietly sob as she remembered all the horrible things they said to her. Ugly, annoying, weak, inferior to her sister, stupid, and many other hurtful things. But nothing could come close to 'Bastard Child'. Those two words would swirl around her head for hours every time they'd say it. It invalidated her mother's relationship with her father, and that hurt her immensely. Does that mean her mother and father never loved each other? Does that mean her mother never loved her or Yang?
Happy thoughts, Ruby. She shook her head, letting out a shaky breath and getting those memories out of her head. Think of happy thoughts.
"Arf!" Zwei barked at her, startling the Rose slightly. He pounced at her, licking her face in affection, causing her to giggle.
"Stop! Zwei!" She struggled against the admittedly strong corgi. "Okay, fine! We'll go for a walk, just stop!"
...Yeah, a walk sounds nice right now. Ruby smiled slightly. There's that new scope I wanted to check out in Vale...
I doubt I can afford it though. She frowned, then shook her head. No, none of that! You just need to clear your head. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Okay Zwei, you stay here." She told the corgi. "I'll get dressed and then we can leave."
Zwei sat and wagged his tail, then barked in affirmation, making her smile.
Yes, maybe a long walk through the city will cheer her up. Maybe swinging by for some ice cream or cookies.
That sounds very nice right about now…
(Adam)
Seeing the Mistrali-styled mansion in the distance, Adam sighed. Finally, after days of avoiding Grimm and Atlas Specialists, they managed to hijack a boat straight to Anima, then they marched to Mistral, or at least south of the city. It wasn't without sacrifices, however, seeing as that they lost around two dozens of good men against Grimm and Specialists, but they did not have time to mourn.
Thankfully, after they hijacked the boat, the rest of the journey went smoothly. There was the occasional aquatic Grimm, but nothing too serious.
Adam glanced at the mansion of his former master, the previous chairman of the Caliban. He wanted to swing by his grave, only to pay respect for the one who trained him and took him in.
But… He needs to be quick. He is not welcome here anymore, after all.
He barked an order to his men, telling them to stay put and make camp. They're all tired after a day's worth of walking, with the occasional Grimm attacking them. After they made the camp and tents, Adam nodded to his lieutenant, Banesaw, to take command. The lieutenant nodded back in understanding, obeying his silent order.
Adam brought up his hood, his gray cloak acting as a replacement jacket for his burnt one. He scowled as he remembered that damned man but then shook his head. He walked towards the mansion on top of the cliff. His master's grave was at the edge of the cliff, right under the cherry blossom tree.
His thoughts returned to that masked man as he distracted himself. He saw the news after one of his men inside the city sent him a message. That masked man, the same one he fought that day, completely and utterly annihilated the slaver ring they wanted to destroy. Adam did not know why or how he did it… but a part of him felt grateful. Not only he freed the slaves, but he also slaughtered every single one of the slavers, not leaving any survivors. Not even the Pig Prince, someone that's been on the White Fang's hitlist for quite a while, was spared. In fact, the Pig Prince's body was horrifyingly mutilated and ripped apart. As if he was eaten by a Grimm instead.
He felt quite satisfied, even though he didn't do it. Their top priority was saving the Faunus slaves, with the torture and killing simply being a way to punish them. The horrific deaths, however, were perfect for pieces of shits like them. They must've felt hell, especially the ones burnt to death…
The bad thing about this, however, is that they don't know where the other slaver rings in Vale are. Adam was planning to interrogate the Pig for information, but now that the masked man beat them to it, who knows what they should be doing now? Sienna sent him here for the dust train, a couple of other small missions, and the slaver rings. But now that they were forced to retreat… he doesn't know how she'd react. Not very amused, he's guessing…
Adam immediately crouched as he heard voices, sharpening his senses. He does not recognize the voices, but thankfully, they seem to be going further. He was very close to the mansion, so he could be caught at any moment.
He turned his gaze left, right and back, and when he made sure there wasn't anyone near him, he continued walking, going right, under the tree where his master rests.
And before long, he finally arrived. The tombstone was a simple stone one, with so many gifts near it. Flowers, sweets, tea, saki, so many things he used to enjoy. The incense is still lit, indicating that someone was here very recently. Adam made sure that he's here alone, looking around him and sharpening his sense of hearing.
Nothing.
He let out a deep sigh, then knelt down before the tombstone. With his eyes closed, Adam began to think of the things he went through recently. His assignment to Vale, the train, Blake's disappearance, the masked man, the destruction of the slaver rings.
"Why…" He muttered softly. "Why did you leave, Blake? Where did you go?"
He wasn't asking anyone in particular, but he wished that his master was still here. He always knew the best solution to every and all problems.
Adam respected him as his own father figure, as he was saved by him many years ago. After he escaped from the SDC dust camps, where Faunus are whipped and beaten to work, he kept running for days. Barely any food, and dirty water from the muddy puddles from the rain. He almost froze and starved to death, but he luckily stumbled on the chairman of the Caliban clan.
He took him in, fed him, clothed him, and trained him. Adam wanted to repay this kindness, so he stayed with the clan. But after he was reminded with how the Faunus being treated, by seeing a young child killed by an Atlesien soldier in front of him, Adam lost control. He was reminded by the cruelty of the world, and abandoned the clan, abandoned his family, to join the White Fang.
That, of course, did not go unnoticed. He was shunned, insulted, mocked, and even attacked by his former friends. He did not insult or attack back, because he knew he deserved it, for what could be worse than an Oathbreaker?
Just then, Adam heard a faint noise of a footstep, but he did not make any sudden movement. He did not want to anger the clan anymore than this.
"What a surprise…" A familiar voice made him freeze. "It's been quite a long time, brother."
Adam whipped his head back, his eyes widening as he gripped his blade. The man currently in front of him was very tall, standing at 7'6 with shoulder-length hair slicked back. A golden mask covered his lower jaw, letting his golden eyes glow. He wore their old master's black yukata.
This man is the current chairman of the Caliban, and Adam's former training partner and best friend.
"Aurelius…" Adam felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek. "It's… good to see you again, brother."
Aurelius turned to the tombstone. "He would've been overjoyed, you know. He treated you like his own son, after all."
Adam did not reply, instead, relaxing his tense grip and frowning. It doesn't seem like he wants to fight which is really good. Aside from him not wanting to fight his best friend and brother to the death… Adam knew he doesn't stand a chance anyway. Aurelius is a monster with a capital M, especially with his asinine physical capabilities and powerful semblance. If they fought, Adam isn't confident that he'll even bring down his Aura under 80%.
Adam opened his mouth to say something, but his friend beat him to it. "Do not fret, friend. An Oathbreaker you may be, I still see you as my dear brother." He said, gazing at the resting place of the former chairman. "He'd feel the same, I'm sure."
Adam almost let out a sigh of relief as he heard those words. He trusted Aurelius, and this reassured him that people can see reason. He almost snorted at the irony. Didn't Blake beg him to see 'reason' as well? But they both knew that these humans refuse to change.
"I'm… glad you feel that way, Aurelius. I really am." He said. "But I'm intruding into your grounds. I'll leave immediately."
As Adam was about to leave, not wanting to make this any harder for him, his brother spoke again. "Adam… do you want to be welcomed here again? To be seen as a family once more?"
"We both know I can't come back," Adam replied. "I'm a White Fang now. I have my own callings."
"Who said you'd be joining?" Aurelius stopped him completely. "Adam, I require your and the White Fang's services."
"W-what?!" The White Fang general gasped. "You know what this means, right?! If people saw the White Fang working with the Caliban, then you'll lose your council seat-!"
"Relax, Adam. I know what this could entail." He nodded. "But you did not hear what I have to say yet. Please listen."
After a few seconds, Adam nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"Not long ago, yesterday to be exact, some… peculiar individuals visited me." He started. "They revealed very interesting information about the world… or the secrets of it.
"They required my assistance in their endeavors in exchanged for said information." He continued. "They said that they're looking for a Maiden."
"A… Maiden?" Adam parroted. "What kind of Maiden?"
"There weren't very specific, I'm afraid." Aurelius shook his head. "They told me she was here in Anima. The only information about her is her semblance."
"You're going by the woman's semblance alone?" Adam raised a brow. "Do they know how difficult it is to do that?"
The chairman chuckled. "Who knows. All they said is that the woman had a semblance that controls all elements. Fire, wind, lightning, ice, and so on"
"A powerful Semblance."
"Indeed." Aurelius nodded. "I searched through Haven Academy's student files, but the closest I've seen is a Semblance that controls ice and fire, but the user is a boy.
"Which leaves us with two answers." He continued. "One is that it's a huntress who works solely in Anima. I can search through the old Haven files, but not all huntresses who work here graduated from Haven. Two, it's a criminal, one outside the underworld of Mistral."
"And where do I come in play?" Adam asked impatiently.
"I sent men north-west of Anima to search through recently attacked cities and villages to ask about this Maiden." Aurelius kept going. "You and your men will go south. I'll send you all the supplies you need and will contact Sienna that I'm in need of your services for a little while."
"...She won't be happy with this…"
"Worry not, I can be quite convincing."
Adam ran a hand through his hair as he thought about this. If he rejects the offer, then they'll simply go back to the base here in Anima, get berated, then get sent to another mission. Nothing new or unusual about this at all… but if he accepts, then he can be welcome again. How would Aurelius convince the others, he doesn't know, but he had faith. Not only that, but he isn't exactly back with them, so he can continue on with the White Fang.
And maybe, just maybe, he can get Aurelius and the Caliban's assistance in the future. Backed with them is like being backed by an entire kingdom, and that will make everything so, so much easier. The underworld network, talented agents and spies, and even powerful, high-ranked hunter level fighters will make the hunt for the slavers so much easier.
"Fine…" Adam sighed. "It's the least I can do for you."
"Excellent." Aurelius smiled beneath his mask. "Before you go, however, there's someone I want you to take with you. He knows about the situation at hand, and he doesn't care as much about your… problems. He's quite a powerful fighter as well. I trained him personally, after all."
"Alright." He nodded. "Who is it? His name?"
Adam could almost see the wide smile on Aurelius' face, making him shiver.
(Reid)
Alchemy leveled up
Congratulations! Your Alchemy Skill reached 100!
Choose a perk
[Alchemy: Physician]
Health, Mana, and Aura potions you make are 50% more effective
[Alchemy: Poisoner]
Poisons you make are 50% more effective
[Alchemy: Booster]
Stat increase potions you make are 50% more effective
[Alchemy: Tanker]
Resistance potions you make are 50% more effective
[Alchemy: Experimenter]
Unique potions you make are 50% more effective
Oh my god, I'm finally done. Three days, with only a break to test and level up my new Chef profession since I maxed my Gardner, and that's it.
72 fucking hours on this damned table, making sure the plants don't die, accidentally making a fucking jungle with magic-gardening, and buying more alchemy bags for the things I can't plant.
I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea to fuel my plants with magic, but I'm blaming my inner mad scientist. "Oh, what would happen if I magic this?" Is a question that's been going through my head for a while, and it almost got me killed.
First, the planets mutated to flesh-eating versions, and all of them are worse than the last. Mountain Flowers kept shaking the damned building, Fireblossoms became fire-plant monsters, deathweeds turned into necromancer plants, and NIRNROOTS ARE SO FUCKING LOUD!
And don't get me started on the golden carrots. Literal walking carrots that have a disturbing need for killing other beings. They even fought the other plants, and I swear I heard one of them mutter, fucking mutter, inferior to me.
Me?! INFERIOR?!
YOU'RE A FUCKING CARROT! YOU'RE INFERIOR!
I killed them all of course and managed to salvage a lot of ingredients from them. Empowered ingredients. I have enough to make over 1000 potions right now.
And I might've given Gwyn a phobia of carrots.
You know, at least I managed to level him up by 5 levels, and I by 7. I also leveled up my fire and sword masteries to 63 and 61 respectively, with Light only leveling up once. It's actually really hard to level it up since I killed around 4 golden carrots, 2 living Fireblossoms, and 7 Waterleaves with it. Their levels range from 20 to 50.
A good thing I also discovered is that I'm immune to water damage. The mutated Waterleaf shot a water blast at me, and through it I got this.
Aquaflesh: You're completely immune to any form of water damage, and you're not bothered by water pressure anymore.
I guess this is a new clue to what I am right now. Cold-blooded and immune to water and water pressure.
That throws dragon out. Unless I'm a water dragon or something.
Enough about this though, I see I can get a new perk.
Well, from a business perspective, Physician is the best choice. Currently, my potions heal and restore by 50%, and the perk will increase it to 75%. That's three-fourths of one's max health or Aura, which is extremely overpowered. Hunters with strong but costly semblances will be able to use said semblances continuously with barely any repercussions. Of course, I can bump up the prices for the powerful potions. How costly the potions though, are equal to the restore. 10% cost 10K, 15% cost 15K, 20% cost 20K, and so on.
But, realistically, buying a 75% for 75K is… kinda dumb and costly. A lot of people might be buying multiple potions, and if I was in their place, I'd buy two of 50% and a couple of the lower tiers. Of course, If I do take the perk, then the 75% restores will cost less than it should. Maybe 60K or a little more, so people actually buy it.
Poisoner is… useless. The big bad is the Grimm and Salem, the former being immune to poison and the latter being immortal. Paralyze potions might be useful, but not much in the long run.
Booster will benefit me personally more than others. You see, the current max increase potions I can make are 75%, so the increase will make it a 112%, which is an insane boost. For example, my DEX is currently 158, so drink a DEX potion of that caliber will push it to 335. Three hundred.
Tanker and Experimenter aren't… that tempting to be honest.
True, if I took Tanker, all resistance potions will be 75%, but still, I'm more of an offensive fighter than a defensive one. Besides, I can increase my VIT with Booster, and through that my HP.
...I think I might go with Booster after all. That 335 DEX is sexy, and it becomes even sexier if it was boosted with food and my cold-blooded perk. All of them combined will bump it up to 543 DEX. And I still have spare points, a lot of spare points.
Perk gained
[Alchemy: Booster]
Stat increase potions you make are 50% more effective
Right, right, now it's time to get the damned skill.
Mastery Skill gained
[Golemcrafting] (LV 1/100)
Your skill in Golemcrafting is that of a novice
Increases Golemcrafting effectiveness by 1%
Skill gained
[Ritual Circle Drawing] (LV 1/25)
Draw a magical circle for rituals and magical experiments. Certain rituals require catalysts and magical artifacts.
Every 5 levels will unlock a new magic circle that is stronger and more stable.
...I need to draw a circle for a Golem… Seriously? I thought I just needed to inject it with magic like potions. This is gonna be so fucking tedious…
Oh, look at the bright side, Reid. This means I can use the versatility of the rituals once I need it. I'm pretty sure summonings and demonology require them, so it can't be that bad.
But with the knowledge I'm given… Oh, gods, it looks so complex to draw, and if I fuck up, I might accidentally summon Satan, or blow the entire city to smithereens.
That's not pressuring at all…
Oh well, knowledge is knowledge, and knowledge is power. I just need to be careful when making rituals.
Don't worry. Once your Golemcrafting hits 40, you won't need the circles anymore. You can magic them to life at that level.
That's... reassuring
I should probably start working on that, but I need chalk to draw the circle. I can buy one form the Game Store right now… but you know, a walk seems nice. I still have five months, and as much as I want to be done with it as quickly as I can, I can't keep doing this. Monotonous work just isn't for me…
I kinda need to level up my Light magic as well, seeing that it's harder to improve than Fire. And it's currently my strongest weapon against Grimm.
Just then, my scroll buzzes, and I take out to see a message from Ozpin.
Ozpin: Your employee is waiting for you near the front door.
I raise a brow.
You: Already?
I wait for a minute, and he doesn't reply, making me sigh deeply. Fine, I'm going out anyway…
I take my blue hoodie out of my inventory and wear it, then walk up to the stairs and open the trapdoor. As I leave the basement, I open up the door to the front of the store, and my eyes widen slightly as I see a Bunny Faunus with brown hair looking nervously at the store from the outside.
Isn't that Velvet? I don't know a lot since RT, unsurprisingly, never explored her character or history, but she's from team CVFY, or Coffee, right? Was she the leader, or was it Coco?
She notices me, and I wave at her. I unlock the door for her, and she enters with a thankful nod.
...You know, I should thank Ozpin when I see him. Maybe send him a cocoa-flavored potion or something. Not only he got a girl, but a really cute one as well.
"I take it you're the one Ozpin sent?" I ask. "I'm Reid Astera. It's nice to meet you."
She blushes slightly as I flash her a smile. "I-it's nice to meet you too, sir. I'm Velvet Scarlatina."
"Come in, there are a couple of things I want to ask you," I tell her.
She nods and follows after me. I lead her to the backroom, and gesture for her to take a seat. I sit on the couch on her left and give her the most disarming smile I can.
"First, can you tell me why Ozpin chose you specifically?" I ask.
"I-I volunteered, sir." She replied. "Most of the students don't need much money since the academy gives them an allowance, usually for dust and weapon parts, so not many wanted the job."
I hum in understanding. "Okay, do you have any experience?"
"I… worked in the food industry before." Velvet answered. "I have experience in dealing with customers, yes."
"Right, and how old are you?"
"Eighteen, sir."
...There's something wrong about a sixteen years old hiring an eighteen years old, but this is Remnant, not Earth. Different worlds, different societies.
"Well, how about a test?" I tell her. "Tomorrow, I want you here after you're done with your classes. We'll work until 12 AM, and at the end of the day, I'll grade you. Fair?"
She looks at me in shock for a few seconds. I can feel the disbelief from her looks alone, making me raise a brow.
15 Reputation with Velvet Scarlatina
"I-I- Of course!" She nods, standing up. "That's more than fair, sir. I won't let you down!"
I stand up as well and wink at her with a smile, painting her cheeks with a pink hue. "I'm sure you won't.
"Well, sorry to cut this short, Velvet, but there's a couple of things I need to do." I tell her, aiming at the door, then take out my scroll. "Here. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer. Just give me a call."
"O-oh, of course!" She nods and pulls out her own scroll.
We exchange numbers and I bid her farewell. As she exits the door, I lock it behind us, then give her one last wink before I go on about my business. Need chalk for the damned circles…
(Ruby)
She took a deep breath as she walked her dog through the city, feeling a lot better than earlier this day. She already checked out the new scope, and it was unsurprisingly expensive. 1.4M Lien, and that was on sale. She saved up to 260K Lien, so she couldn't buy it even if she wanted to.
It was fine, though, She didn't want to buy it anyway, seeing that she already brought another scope not long ago. Checking it out was enough to brighten up her day. It was made my Mythara herself, one of the best weapon engineers on the planet.
She was surprised it was only one million instead of seven or eight like the usual things she makes, but felt a bit of hope. Does that mean she'll start selling stuff cheaper? Would Ruby get the chance to get a piece of the Legendary Mythara?
Ruby felt butterflies in her stomach when the thought of getting things like that is possible.
As she finally arrived to the ice cream parlor, she glanced at a very familiar person ordering for himself. He has a swept-back white hair, with a few bangs resting on his handsome face, and deep blue eyes that gave off a faint glow.
She blushed slightly and looked away as he saw her looking. Why does he look so familiar? Did she see him before? She doesn't remember anyone with white hair except-
"Oh… well, this is one hell of a way to meet again, eh?" He spoke, looking at her. "Remember me?"
...Was he… talking to her?
"U-um…" Ruby looked right and left, then pointed at herself. "M-me?"
"Yeah, you." He confirmed. "Don't tell me you forgot who I am?"
Ruby racked her brain for anyone she might've met, then her eyes widened.
"Y-you're that guy in the forest!" She pointed at him as Zwei barked. "You look… different?"
He smirked. "Different how?"
handsome. Thankfully, she did not say that out loud, however, her face turned red. He's handsome alright…
"U-uh, it's nothing. I'm imagining things." She chuckled nervously. "S-so, fancy seeing you here…"
"Likewise." Then he glanced back at the employee, who had a strange smile on her face. "So, what's your favorite flavor?"
The sudden question made her pause slightly before answering. "S-strawberry."
"Can you add one cone of strawberry ice cream please?" He told the girl, who nodded. Then, he turned to her. "Don't worry about paying. It's on me."
"W-what?!" Ruby was shocked. Why would he be so generous to a stranger? "N-no no no, you really don't have to do this!"
"I know." He nodded. "But I want to anyway.
"Anyway, you never told me your name." He said, then nodded to himself. "Reid Astera."
She blushed slightly at the wink he sent her way. "I-I'm Ruby Rose."
"Here's your order sir." The girl said, holding two ice cream cones. One with strawberry and the other with vanilla.
He put cash on the counter then took them both then handed her the strawberry cone. "Come on, I did this from the goodness of my heart. Don't deny it."
She held her arm as she sighed slightly. "If you insist…"
Ruby accepted the cold desert and followed Reid outside the parlor, then he suddenly asked. "Cute dog. What's his name?"
The dog in question barked as Ruby smiled. "His name is Zwei."
"That's a nice name." He complimented as he knelt, petting the corgi. "I have a dog myself, though, he's way bigger than Zwei here. I named him Gwyn."
"Really?" Ruby asked. "What breed is he?"
He chuckled before standing up again.
"A pure-blooded wolf." He answered. "A huge one at that. He's pretty gentle though. Likes petting and hates…" Reid grimaced. "Carrots."
A wolf? Well, it's not really that unusual seeing that Hunters get animals with their Aura unlocked to fight with them, and she knew that he can fight. Maybe he's a huntsman in training too? But he did say he owns a store...
She giggled. "Why carrots?"
"It's a recent thing actually." He shrugged. "The story is a little complicated though.
"So, what were you doing here in Vale?" He changed the subject. "You live in Patch, right?"
"Oh, I guess I just wanted to take a walk." She answered truthfully. "Patch gets boring if you walk through it hundreds of times."
"Yeah, hometowns are usually like that." Reid agreed. "Do you mind if I come with? I'm also on a walk, but the more the merrier, yeah?"
Ruby stopped herself. Wait a minute… how is she talking to a stranger, a handsome one at that, with no trouble at all? She could barely hold a conversation with her classmates much less a stranger she knows nothing about.
She glanced at him. Granted, he was nice, handsome, and kinda cool now that she remembers how he burnt the Grimm to ashes with fire.
But… is she really comfortable with him? She isn't as nervous as she is with her classmates. Maybe because they knew about her situation with bullying?
Well… talking with someone who doesn't know about her problems does sound nice. And it's still very early, 3 PM, so she can finish her homework once she's back. An hour or two wasted would be fine, right?
"S-sure!" Ruby smiled. "I'm sure Zwei would love having you with us. Right boy?"
"Arf!"
"See?"
He smiled widely. "Great!"
Yeah, a few hours of taking her mind off school and other crap sounds really nice…
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