Early that morning, Ruby had sought out the woman trying to give her money yesterday. She was reluctant to take it when she found the lady, but she only accepted it so she would be able to purchase a weapon to hold her over until she could build herself a new scythe. After escaping the cave, she'd searched for Crescent Rose, but the scythe was nowhere to be found. Maybe she could find a map or something to help her get back home.
"Would you happen to know if there's a weapon shop in town?" Ruby asked, tucking the change away in her pocket after counting the coins. "I lost my weapon and I need a replacement until I'm able to build a new one." The woman's green eyes met her silver pair and the lady nodded.
"There's one down the road from here! It was just recently built, but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me." The woman chuckled and shook her head, "The owner of the store has a strange sense of humor, though. Don't be alarmed if he suddenly pulls a joke on ya."
Ruby smiled in response, "My father and sister are known for terrible puns, this guy would be nothing compared to the two of them." She reached to pull her hood up on instinct, only to find that her shoulders were bare. She'd have to get used to that, her cloak did get in the way a lot. . . "Thank you for the money!" She waved and turned to leave the house.
"Wait!" She glanced back at the young lady. Concern and worry was evident her voice, "Are you positive you don't want those injuries looked at? My husband is a doctor, he could examine them for you! They look rather serious."
They did hurt. . . Ruby was momentarily conflicted, she knew her aura wouldn't heal everything and that she could have a broken bone somewhere or some major bruising. She'd had a concussion earlier yesterday, but it had already faded for the most part. The huntress sighed and turned to reject the offer, "No thank you. You're kind, but I have to get home as quick as I can. My partner is probably worried out of her mind."
"If you're sure," the lady sighed, "good luck! Thank you for clearing out the nest for us." The concern never left her tone. Ruby nodded and stepped off the porch, starting in the direction the woman had pointed her in. Ten minutes later, she found herself standing in front of a recently built weapon store. She couldn't exactly read the name of the building as her vision was still going in and out (she should've taken the lady up on her offer, it seems her concussion wasn't as gone as she thought it was), but she could tell that it was some kind of gun pun.
She pushed the door open, rubbing her forehead in irritation when a bell rang right next to her. She faintly heard a woman calling out that somebody was in the store and footsteps approached the front. Ruby glanced around the store, seeing several weapons on display and parts on sale. There was a section designed specifically for dangerous ammunition and a few rows of dust. Before she could get a good look at the store, a voice drew her attention back to the desk in the center of the room.
"Welcome to-" A blonde man glanced up from over the box he was carrying and his blue eyes widened, "Ruby!"
Ruby gave a soft smile, "Hey Dad," she whispered as he came around the desk to hug her, "what are you doing here in Mistral?"
"I sent letters out to you and your sister a few days ago, I decided to move in with my girlfriend after I retired from Signal." Tai replied, releasing Ruby and gesturing for her to follow him, he chuckled at the confused expression on his daughter's face, "I'll explain everything in a minute. Come on! Holly'll be thrilled to meet you!"
Ruby shut the door behind her and very awkwardly followed her father to the back room, where a mini living room/kitchen was set up. It was probably where they hung out until customers stopped by. "Hey Holly! I have someone for you to meet!" Tai called excitedly, causing Ruby's forehead to begin throbbing again.
"Be there in just a minute!" A voice called back. Ruby suddenly felt unwelcome in the building, she wasn't sure if she'd be comfortable meeting her father's girlfriend so soon. Had he forgotten her mother? Ruby's eyes glanced towards Tai momentarily and she sighed. He did seem happier than she'd ever seen him before. He'd finally moved on and found happiness again. Ruby's attention moved back down to the hall as a woman with greying black hair came around the corner with a oil-covered washcloth in hand.
Seems you have a thing for black hair, Dad. Ruby thought, offering the woman a warm smile. "Oh, is this your daughter?" The woman, named Holly, asked after returning the smile. Tai nodded and introduced the two women. "Strange, she doesn't seem to look like you like the other one does. Are you adopted?"
"I look like my mother," Ruby answered quickly, "I've been asked that a lot." She extended her hand, grunting when a sharp pain traveled from her wrist and up to her shoulder. She hoped they didn't notice, but she could feel them eyeing her injuries. It's not like they weren't that hard to notice. Holly hummed before setting her washcloth aside to examine her bruised arm. She had a mother-like protectiveness to her, that was for sure.
"Ruby," Tai spoke sternly, "what happened? How long have those wounds been there?"
Holly cut her off before she could reply, "Before you answer that, you need to sit down and rest. These injuries look serious and your eyes are unfocused." Shit, she could tell? "Honestly, how long have you gone without medical treatment? Look at this!"
Ruby allowed a small smile to come to her lips, accepting the familiar scolding she replied to the raven-haired woman. "Alright, I'll have them looked at," she agreed, "but I can't stay for too long." When Holly went to protest, Ruby held up her hand to stop her. "I have somebody waiting on me, she's probably worried out of her mind thinking I'm dead at this point." The young woman glanced in Tai's direction, "I'll stay and have my injuries looked at if I'm allowed to build a spare weapon to get me back home."
"You mean you lost Crescent Rose?" Tai asked with the shadow of amusement crossing his features, Ruby frowned in response and he waved his hands, "You know you're more than welcome to. Just don't take any parts off of the weapons on display. You can use the ones in the back."
Holly hummed and released Ruby's arm, "Go sit down, I'll call Rusty and see if he can come by tonight." Ruby made her way to the comfortable looking couch that was practically begging her to come and relax. You didn't need to tell her twice. . .
"I'm not a medical expert, but you shouldn't try to sleep if you have a concussion." Holly informed her and Ruby hummed her acknowledgement; so that's why she was unable to rest last night. She should've known that.
"Thank you, and I apologize for the trouble I've caused you." Ruby whispered, but Holly waved her off and said that she was no trouble at all. The older woman left the room when the bell chimed, signalling that somebody had entered.
Tai took a seat on the couch across from her as Ruby made herself comfortable, relaxing her tense and bruised muscles. Any second now, Tai would ask her what happened. "So," and there it was, "are you going to tell me what caused these injuries and why you need a new weapon?" Ruby sighed in exasperation, knowing she'd be coerced into revealing the incident anyway. She met her father's blue eyes.
"Yang and Blake were unable to take on their next mission, so Ozpin called Weiss and I up and asked us to take it on. Our mission was to clear out the Deathstalker nest that was coming dangerously close to your little village; Weiss didn't want to take it at first, but I convinced her to come along with me since it would've been our last mission before the wedding. She wouldn't be able to attend very many missions once she takes over the company, either. Well, I suggested we minimize the amount of Grimm we were to kill by taking out the ones furthest from the nest. . ."
Ruby closed her silver eyes, "When I was delivering the final blow to one of them, I noticed the rest of the nest charging towards us. Weiss was a bit rusty considering she hasn't sparred or trained in a while, and I panicked. . . I knew Weiss wouldn't be able to take them all on and wouldn't have time to summon her Knight, so I decided I would distract some of them and I started towards the cliffs. I ended up leading the whole group towards me, though. My aura was draining and my body was starting to grow numb from exhaustion by the time I got down to the last few. I may have overworked my semblance. . .
"Anyway, I managed to kill the last Grimm just before my aura depleted. I could hear Weiss calling for me, and she sounded worried, so I was going to return to her. . . Just as I hooked Crescent Rose to my back, an Alpha Beowulf emerged from out of nowhere. All I remember after that is reaching for my weapon and the next thing I know, I was waking up in a cave." Ruby sat upright, tenderly leaning her back against the couch.
Tai raised a brow when she was finished when her explanation, "You've taken on several packs of beowolves all on your own without taking one hit. How did a group of Deathstalkers do this to you?"
"I was trying to protect Weiss." Ruby rubbed her forehead, quietly asking for some painkillers. Tai nodded and stood up, he left the room and returned with a bottle of pills a few minutes later.
"We keep them around." He said nonchalantly as Ruby took a few from the bottle and set it aside, he handed her a cup of water. "You know," he sat back down beside her, "Ruby, Weiss is also a trained huntress. She can protect herself."
Ruby met his eyes again, "I know, but she hasn't trained in forever. I didn't want her getting hurt."
The man gave her a warm smile and shook his head, "You are just like your mother. . ." He whispered fondly, "Alright, you don't want her to get hurt. Do you think she wanted this to happen to you? Partners protect each other, Ruby, you know this." Ruby didn't say a word, "You said you think she might be convinced you're dead, right? Why is that?"
"I'm assuming she has my cloak and Crescent Rose, and I heard her calling for me before the Alpha Beowulf arrived. . ." Taiyang cut her off.
"You know, she might blame herself for that," he leaned in with a frown, he sighed heavily as sorrow and grief replaced the frown on his face, "Not being able to save somebody you love, knowing you could've protected them, is a burden you'll carry forever. Sometimes, it could tear you apart." A moment of silence passed between the two and Tai straightened his posture, "Why don't we send her a letter or something? Let her know you're not dead."
The young woman with red-tipped hair nodded and went to stand up, but Tai stopped her and she lowered herself back down on the couch. "We'll do that once we get home. The shop closes up in about an hour. In the meantime, just rest and I'll give Rusty a call since Holly seems to be busy."
"Alright..." Ruby whispered, closing her eyes.
The world was fading and she was falling. Above her, she could see the disintegrating form of the Alpha Beowulf she'd brought down with her. It was dead. . . Good. She faintly heard a voice calling out for her and heart clenched. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have taken the mission. Well, at least the villagers would be safe. If the Grimm had moved in any closer there would've been countless innocent lives lost.
She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. She didn't have the strength to try and slow her fall, she didn't even have the energy to fight anymore. It would be so much more easier to allow herself to slip away. . . Well, at least she would die a hero, having saved the villager's lives and homes from destruction.
Ruby heard a voice just before slipped into unconsciousness; "Your life isn't over yet, Little Rose."