Before we begin, I want to draw your attention to one small line from my Official Story Disclaimer from waaaaay back in chapter 1: 'The setting is meant to be canon up to volume 2 of the show, and then spiraling far, far away from canon after that.' In other words, I warned you at the start that things would get weird. If you forgot that detail, that's not my fault. I also want to point to the word "epic" in the story summary, since that's also been there since day one. I always intended to make this thing over-the-top long and ridiculous.
And so, as a fair and proper warning to those of you who missed it, this story will get much, much weirder before the end… but I promise it will all be wrapped up nice and neat. :)
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Remnant-5815
(Carmine's World)
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(Almost a decade earlier…)
It started right after they met.
Velvet began to notice odd…twinges, like the Aura of a Huntsman, but different. She first noticed it in Ruby herself, who had a gentle warmth like the radiant heat of a small fireplace. Other people felt different; some like ice cubes, some like live electrical wires brimming with power, and others like the calmness of a deep forest.
This all would have been less of a shock if not for the complete absence of her current ability – Velvet could no longer copy other Huntsman's fighting techniques the way she used to. It simply didn't work anymore.
Ruby was the first to theorize that the two issues were connected: her semblance had changed. Evolved, even.
This led to the pair beginning their first official project together – the study of what a 'semblance' was and how it might evolve over time. Ozpin was on board with the idea, even approving the full use of one entire science lab for the pair to work in. They could only do the research between classes, but they discovered quite a lot in a short time.
It was during this period that Velvet, with Ruby's help, determined how to control her new power. She found that she was able to form a permanent bond with someone (Ruby, of course) which allowed her to feel the emotions of that person from any distance. In theory, she could probably form bonds with multiple people, but that would need to be tested.
The Tweaking would come later, once she gained a bit more confidence.
The results of this study would become the foundation for most of the Aura and semblance studies all over the world…but that came later, too.
Velvet and Ruby stayed busy in their special teaching classes all the way through Ruby's fourth year, and at the end of that year came the graduation ceremonies. Due to her withdrawal from the standard Huntsman courses, Ruby would not earn her license with the rest of her team (Velvet was no better off, by the way). But that didn't matter as much as it once did.
Because on the day of graduation, Ruby Rose asked for Velvet's hand in marriage. And she had a whopper of a diamond ring ready.
It was the single happiest day of Velvet's life.
… … …But then they went to tell Yang and the others.
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(Present Day…)
With everything they'd been through by now, Velvet was certainly curious just what… the hell… that vision was supposed to be. Ruby had better have a damn good answer ready. The experience had left Velvet's emotional 'radar' on the fritz, and she didn't care for that.
Luckily for both the mysterious 'Crimson' and for Rosey, the school's clinic was in the same building as the main lab – they didn't have to move anywhere. When it happened, it just happened. Poor Rosey was still clutching the doorway like her life depended on it, even though the vision was already over.
Velvet paused in her check-up of Crimson to go give the Faunus girl some comfort… her way. This involved both a gentle hug, a few mutterings of "It's-okay-don't-worry", and a bit of Tweaking. Lowering the fear with a slow reduction worked best to calm down frightened children, while a drastic drop would've done more harm than good. Velvet had learned that lesson the hard way.
The new woman, however… by all rights, she should've been dead. Whoever this Crimson Thorne was supposed to be, all Velvet could see was someone with almost no Aura, and whose body might've taken one too many rides in a blender set on puree. She was a complete wreck.
And yet… somehow… her vital signs were nearly off the charts.
"You acted like you knew who this was," Velvet said out loud without looking up.
Rosey, who was finally getting comfortable in a chair, squeaked at being spoken to. "I, uh, y-yeah… b-but it's a long st-t-t-tory…"
Velvet glanced at Rosey, then back at the woman on the bed (who had started snoring) and said "She isn't going anywhere, and Ru- Carmine will call if she needs either of us. So… why don't you start at the beginning?"
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Chapter 44:
"For A Few Rubys More"
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After Blake, Snow and Rose left, the first thing Carmine did was check the status of the known worlds in her database. If things were as bad as Rain made it sound, there should be a lot of visible damage on her readouts.
What she found was… nothing. No change.
And that made no fucking sense.
Her devices may not have been the best of the best, but she was confident that she would be able to detect any major changes to the status quo of the universe at large, so… why? What was she overlooking?
A second monitor had been quickly set up off to the side that displayed the entirety of Beacon Academy, and both Yang and the newcomer called Ruby Grace were looking it over, watching for any signs from the school-wide network of scanners Carmine had installed for… well, any situation. It was now set to detect any and all traces of off-world energy signatures.
Yet it seemed like the hooded redhead wasn't very interested in the display… but was instead looking over at Carmine. And still smirking. "You seem troubled," she said softly.
"A little…," Carmine replied. "I'm having problems wrapping my brain around this conundrum. Rain said some kind of blast rocked the Between and all the timelines, yet I can't see any traces of it."
The hooded girl said, "I believe her words were: 'It hit everywhere at the exact same time.' Maybe you're looking at it from the wrong angle?"
The Mad Scientist gave a tired sigh, "Kid, I've looked at it from every angle known to man… I can't see the answer."
Ruby Grace nodded and put her finger to her chin, seemingly deep in thought. Yang spared her a glare, then turned back to the screen. Something was clearly bothering the blonde about this whole situation, something personal, but Carmine had no brain power left to figure that out.
"…If you and all your friends read a particular book…," Ruby Grace said slowly, "…and then heard that the book's author was upset that the editor had changed pieces of the book without their consent… would you scan through your copy of the book to try and find the parts that were changed?"
Carmine could only scoff at such a notion, "Of course not! There'd be no way to notice if it was changed before I ever got… it…oh fuck me, I'm stupid!"
"What? What'd I miss?" Yang finally looked over with a befuddled expression.
The Mad Scientist stood to her feet. "Rain also said 'time doesn't work that way in the Between.' If the damage hit every part of the timelines at the same time, then… the readings I'd already taken at the beginning of my research were already affected by the blast. There would be nothing new to see…" She was now pacing through the room as she put all the pieces together. "…son of a bitch!"
Yang simply clutched her poor head and moaned in pain.
Ruby Grace giggled lightly at everyone's antics before turning back to the screen.
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"I don't know how you can stand it," Rose said as they walked down one of the many hallways of the school. "Showing up in strange worlds like that, I mean. Weiss mentioned that you all have been doing it pretty regularly."
Blake shrugged, "I guess… you just get used to it."
Snow had split off in another direction a few minutes ago to give the pair some time alone (which Blake made a mental note to thank her for later). There hadn't been much said after she left, but Rose seemed visibly relieved to have the opportunity.
"Well, as long as it's not as painful as the trip I made to get here, then I can see what you mean. It's just… damn; it felt like I was swimming through fire. Too long in there and I would have burned away."
"Then what made you do something so reckless?"
Rose stopped walking and gave Blake a deadly serious stare. "…You."
"…Me?"
"Blake, until you came into my life, I had no direction and no real purpose. Yes, I wanted to become a proper Huntress like Mom, but that was it. Even when Rain pulled me into this mess, I only went with it because of someone else's need. It was fun, but I was just along for the ride. But then… I met you."
The muscular version of Ruby walked closer and gripped Blake's shoulders a bit too tightly, causing her to wince in pain.
"I know you have your own family to care about, but… I need you, Blake. I love you."
There it was; those three little words that had the power to change everything. Three words that could alter the course of destiny. Three words that Blake had wanted to hear more than anything else in the world.
Rose leaned down and planted another kiss on Blake's lips, and the cat Faunus was reminded of their first kiss back home… right after she'd confirmed her own feelings on the matter. She had been head over heels for the girl. Like now, that kiss had been intense in all the right ways. Her head spun, her feet felt like they were floating off the ground, and her insides were all tingly.
When they parted, both girls were left panting and slightly dizzy. "Ooh…I've missed that," Rose mumbled with a grin.
"Are we interrupting something?" A new voice with an accent called out from further down the hall, effectively killing the mood.
It was Velvet, and Rosey was standing behind her with a face full of blush, tugging the edge of her hood down over her eyes. They'd both clearly seen the whole thing. Wonderful. Blake's own face suddenly felt like it was giving off steam, and her bow going flat against her head in embarrassment. When did they get this close to the clinic, anyway?
"I forgot she was supposed to be older here," Rose said quietly as they made their way into the medical area.
As they entered, Blake's eyes were immediately drawn to the woman on the bed, as she was obviously the object of their search: another Ruby Rose. This one looked much more battle-hardened than any she'd met before, though. Gods willing she was on their side.
"H-her name is C-C-Crimson Thorne…," Rosey stuttered from the other side of the bed. "She's one of the R-Rubys I t-t-told you about b-before, r-remember…?"
Blake would not soon forget Rosey's tale of multiple Ruby Rose lookalikes coming together into one world, told to her in a prison cell deep underground – it was hard to forget a story so similar to one she'd actually lived through. And yes, she remembered the part about the crazy-powerful Crimson. And if this was the same woman, then…
"You didn't give her anything to drink, did you?" Blake said with a half smile. Rosey's story did not miss how much this woman liked her booze.
"N-No," Rosey shook her head, "she was l-l-like this w-when I found her…"
Velvet had been busy entering something into the school's computer system up until now, but soon finished and said, "Okay kids, I need to check in with my Ruby for a minute. Hang tight, I'll be right back. And don't worry about her-" she motioned towards the unconscious Crimson, "-it's just a hangover."
The doctor left through the sliding door, her footsteps echoing away down the hall.
Nobody said anything for a full minute. Blake was still in a mild shock at finding proof of Rosey's story lying right in front of her. Proof that the events back home were not truly unique.
Rosey had been pulled into another world, along with Crimson and half a dozen other variations of Ruby Rose. After a battle, they were all sent home. Blake had been present to witness almost the exact same thing in her own world. The odds were far too great to ignore.
"Friend of yours?" Rose finally spoke up with a kind smile.
"Oh, sorry. Rose, this is… uh… another Ruby I recently met; we call her Rosey. Rosey, this is Rose… I told you about her, remember?"
"Oh!" Her ears pushed up under her hood as she came around the table with a bright smile. "Blake's t-told me all ab-b-bout you! N-nice to m-m-meet you." She pulled back her hood just as she finished.
As soon as Rose spotted those dog-like ears, she grew tense. She also wasn't smiling anymore.
Something about the mood of the room had shifted, and Blake suddenly wished with all her might that Velvet would hurry back.
"I see…," Rose said quietly. "Now I get it. This explains everything."
Rosey's smile had also faded as the girl took a tentative step backwards. Blake felt a wave of goosebumps roll across her skin. Something was very wrong here.
And just as quickly as it started, the darkness vanished.
"Yeah, she's… she's pretty cute, I guess…" Rose made a good effort to look like her normal, awkward self. It certainly seemed genuine. Even Rosey breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess there would be one or two Faunus versions of me… out there…" She scratched the back of her head as she spoke.
Conversation stalled after that. No one was quite sure what else to say.
Luckily Velvet picked that moment to pop back in. "Still got some running around to do, but it won't take long," she said as she gathered a few papers from Crimson's bedside. "I'd rather have someone stay here to get our new friend acquainted with the place when she wakes up, but you don't all have to stay. Weren't you all on a mission of some kind?"
Blake opened her mouth to reply, but Rose beat her to it, "Is there a room we can talk?" She put one hand on Blake's shoulder to make it clear who the 'we' was referring to. "…in private?"
Velvet paused to stare at Rose for a moment before nodding. "You can use the room across the hall."
"Thank you." Rose did not remove her hand as Velvet nodded and left the room once again. She then quickly began to guide Blake out of the room, not bothering to say anything to Rosey.
Rose practically threw Blake through the door of the adjacent room, then stood with her back to the exit. She could barely bring her eyes up to meet Blakes.
"What is your problem?" Blake could barely contain her anger at how rude Rose was acting towards Rosey. There was no good reason for this. At least, none she could think of.
"My problem?" Rose shot back. "You leave me stranded back home for half a year, then I come here and find you getting all lovey-dovey with a Faunus look-alike of me, and this is MY problem?!"
"WHAT are you talking about?!"
"Admit it! You went and replaced me, didn't you?"
SLAP!
The echoes of the shouting and the slap reverberated through the silence for several minutes. Neither Blake nor Rose said any more. Blake's hand stung. Rose's face bore a handprint across her cheek.
"I know you didn't mean to leave me," Rose started to say, her deeper voice just starting to waver with emotion, "…that scroll of yours took you from me against your will… but you could have come back to me at any time. You literally came to the one world where that was possible… so why?"
Rose finally looked Blake dead in the eyes, and Blake was a bit surprised to see those silver eyes wet with tears. "Why didn't you come back?"
Looking at the quivering form of Rose, that girl who looked ready to bench-press a fully grown Ursai, Blake finally understood the pain she must have been feeling. The pain of abandonment. Of betrayal. No wonder she blew up like that – Blake would probably have done the same, given the chance.
"I wanted to," the cat Faunus admitted, "more than anything, I wanted to go back to you. I spent many nights after I came back here missing you… the warmth of your embrace…"
"Then come back with me. Right now." Rose's eyes were still wet, but her voice suddenly grew firm and resolute. "Let's just leave all this behind us and get back to our life together."
"I can't."
Another beat of silence passed before Rose said, very quietly, "…Am I not good enough?"
"That has nothing to do with it!" Blake snapped. Seriously, why didn't she get it? "My team needs me right now. Yang is sick, Ruby is still missing, and we don't even know if our home is still out there or not. On top of that, there's some really weird stuff going on in the background… I can't just leave!"
Rose's face fell slowly… and that dark sensation returned full-force. Blake was suddenly… fearful.
"Heh… heh-heh… she was right. Damn it all, she was right…," Rose muttered as she wiped her face with her palms. "Faunus really do prefer the company of other Faunus… not humans…"
"Did you hear one word I said?" Blake was unable to keep the fear out of her voice.
"I can't stay here much longer… but I won't leave without you…"
"…Rose?"
"I didn't want it to come to this, Blake… my wonderful Blake…" Rose stood to her full height and suddenly activated her Aura, putting up her shield. "You might not want me anymore, but I'm taking you home."
Now Blake was really afraid.
Rose darted forward, arms out, and tackled Blake to the ground… but the form she grabbed suddenly vanished a moment later. A shadow clone. By the time she looked up, the real Blake was out the door and running down the hall in a panic.
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Velvet was in the middle of a sentence when she felt a deep cold suddenly blasting her senses from the clinic area. It was enough of a shock that she nearly whimpered. That was rare.
"Velvs? What is it, what's wrong?" Her wife said with a clear note of worry. After all these years, she knew the signs of trouble on Velvet's face.
"The clinic. Trouble. Something… dark."
"On it." The Headmaster of Beacon Academy darted over to her console and activated the security robots without a second thought. That was how much she trusted Velvet's instincts. These were robots that automatically quelled any fighting on campus by targeting those who displayed the highest levels of aggression and subduing them without killing them. That usually just meant the ones with weapons drawn.
But if the culprit was who Velvet feared, those robots might not be enough.
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Blake had always run from her problems… but they hardly ever kept pace with her.
"Now I know why you wouldn't kiss me when I first arrived…you didn't want to. Because I'm not a Faunus, like you."
Fear and anger kept her legs moving, even though Rose was close enough behind her to keep saying those things… those utter nonsensical ramblings…! How could she think something like that could possibly be true? After everything they'd been through, how could she…?
"But I guess you missed me a little… after all, you found another one who looked like me… and she was a Faunus, right? Bonus…"
Blake suddenly stopped and darted backwards to try and catch her pursuer off guard. It didn't work – Rose wasn't quite as close as she expected. They darted to and fro in the hallway, dodging and weaving until Rose was fully turned around. Blake then ran full-steam back the way they'd came. It didn't buy her a lot of time, but even a few seconds might be enough…
"She's got a long way to go before she can compete with me, though… tell me, is she as good a kisser as I am…?"
"Will you shut up already?!"
Blake tried to send a kick behind her mid-run, but this time Rose was far closer than before. She caught Blake's foot, tossed it aside and backhanded Blake's face in one motion, sending the cat Faunus hurling several feet down the hall. Stars swam in front of her eyes as she skidded to a stop.
"Now see what you did?" Rose barely looked winded as she walked over to the fallen teen. "You made me hurt you. I don't want to hurt you, Blake. Just stop running."
Blake's head was spinning again, but not from the effect of any type of kiss – she was simply too confused and hurt to think clearly. Why was Rose doing this? Why?
And then she spotted the redhead pulling something out of her pocket… and the fear returned ten-fold. She scrambled backwards on her elbows, panic in her eyes.
"I won't use my spray, since I'd rather not have you totally mindless," Rose said as she looked at the silvery collar in her hands. "Instead, I'll just use this."
A Calmer. Here.
Impossible.
Calmers were supposed to be a product of the evil version of herself from Rosey's world… so how the hell did Rose get her hands on one…? Who the hell gave it to her?
Panic drove Blake to her feet, but she wouldn't last long without her weapon. Her Aura was too low to use her shadow clones for much longer, but she couldn't bear to let that… thing touch her. If need be, she would resort to clawing and scratching to escape. Rose may win, but she would bleed before she did…
"STOP FIGHTING! ! !"
Blake's fear was suddenly dulled by a calmness that was almost totally alien. Rose dropped her Calmer and clutched her head like it was about to explode.
Rosey stood nearby, her eyes glowing like two tiny stars. And she sounded pissed.
Blake had seen the effects of Rosey's silver eyes before, but this was the first time she'd experienced it. Back on Rosey's world, Blake had watched as the young Faunus rallied all the other Faunus of the city to march on the central square to establish their rights. She seemed to be able to… somehow… remove people's will to fight. Almost control it.
"Arrhh…Blake… get away…from…" Rose was staggering around the space like she was about to rip herself in half. "Get…away from me…I can't…control…GAHH!"
What in the name of all the gods…?
All at once the effect vanished. Rosey's eyes rolled up into her head as she passed out onto the floor.
"Rosey!" Blake darted over and soon found the girl unconscious, but alive. She let loose a major sigh of relief. "Better get you back to Velvet…"
"So does that mean you'll stop running if I kill her?"
Blake's fear turned to horror as she watched Rose pull her larger variant of Crescent Rose, which she dubbed 'mark-2,' from her harness. The massive blade unfolded with a metallic clanking that served to drive the last of her sanity away. Rose's eyes were now a dull gray, no longer showing any sign of life.
She lifted the barrel of her weapon and aimed it at the comatose Rosey, saying, "Step away from the mutt."
"Never," Blake hissed, her ribbon flat against her head from her ears.
Rose flinched, a speck of emotion returning to her gaze. "So you really did choose her over me," she solemnly nodded. "Fine. I can accept that. Once you're collared, it won't matter anyway."
A large group of robots suddenly whipped around the hallway behind Rose, pulling her attention away from Blake. All of them aimed their cameras at the only person in the area with a weapon drawn.
She raised one eyebrow. "…Really?"
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Snow walked back into the lab after a fruitless search… only to find everyone in a mild panic. Honestly, she can't leave them alone for ten minutes…
"Look, I don't care what you think; Blake's in trouble and I need to help her!" Yang was growing livid as she argued with Velvet. On the screen behind them, Snow could see camera footage of Blake being… attacked by that Rose girl. Odd… wasn't Rose supposed to be her sweetheart?
"And I'm telling you that's not happening!" Velvet shot right back. "If you get worked up now, your Aura will fry the nanomachines and set the virus loose in your system all over again! You need. To calm. Down!"
Before Yang could argue any more, Velvet reached out and gave her a Tweaking. Snow knew firsthand how effective that was, so it didn't surprise her to see Yang deflate like a balloon at the older woman's touch.
If only Snow herself could do that… raising kids would've been much easier.
Carmine was off to the side, totally absorbed in something on her fancy computer and ignoring everyone's shouting. The woman had a single-minded drive that was nothing short of impressive… when she wanted to focus, anyway.
The newest Ruby of the ever-expanding group, Ruby Grace, was simply watching the goings-on and smiling with amusement. Her hood remained low enough to obscure her face.
Snow could tell pretty quickly that Yang didn't like this one, but Snow herself saw no problem with her. These different Rubys had been coming in all shapes and sizes, and a dark and quiet type was no big deal. She reminded Snow of one of Mari's friends back home, a reclusive boy called… Fain… something-or-other. He was one of the few she didn't get to know that well. Similar mannerisms, though.
"We still need to help her," Yang said weakly, powering through the Tweaking. "Those tin cans aren't gonna last much longer…"
Snow looked and saw Yang was right – Rose was quickly turning the machines into scrap metal. "I'll go," she said without hesitation.
"You sure?" Velvet asked. "She doesn't seem like she's interested in holding back right now…"
Snow took a deep breath, then looked down at her ring. The deep blue gemstone gleamed in the fluorescent light. They had called it an Azurian Crystal.
"I can handle it."
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Blake was out of breath as she carried Rosey into the room where Crimson continued snoring away, blissfully unaware of the situation they so desperately needed some help with. Damn drunkard.
"This is the best I can do, dammit," Blake muttered as she tucked Rosey underneath the bed frame. "I can't let her find you…"
This honestly couldn't get much worse. Somehow, beyond anything she could imagine, Rose had gone totally nuts and decided to just… kidnap Blake from her friends, from her mission. From her life. And seriously, where in the blue hell did she get that damnable collar from?
Blake took one more breath to try and get her nerves under control, muttered a quick prayer to any gods who might be listening, then made for the door to try and get away. The door slid open without any noise.
Rose stood ready on the other side, weapon aimed right at her.
Blake barely managed to get her Aura shield up before Rose fired.
The grenade hit her right in the gut, taking out all of her Aura with the blast. She felt like she was flying backwards in slow motion, watching as everything in the clinic was wrecked by the shockwave. Glass and instruments went flying. Sheets and papers blew everywhere. Rosey, in a glimpse, was still safe under the bed.
Time returned to normal speed the moment Blake hit the back window, shattering it and flying out into the courtyard. From the second story.
"…"
She was on the ground, but she didn't remember hitting it. Smoke was pouring from the window she'd fallen out of and a few alarms were blaring in the distance, but it all felt… detached. Remote. Must have been the shock of Rose shooting her in the gut with a goddamn grenade. Didn't know she even had a grenade launcher on that thing. Ouch.
Blake's eyes and ears were still working fully, so what happened next could not have been a hallucination… despite the surreal nature of it all.
Rose walked over to her through the yard, boots crunching on broken glass, and picked Blake up by the shirt collar. "Now that you're done running," she carefully said, "How about you try this on for size?"
The silvery Calmer gleamed in the sunlight. Blake's stomach dropped as Rose went to put it on her neck… but the mood shattered with a brand new noise:
Thwip!
Some sort of white, sticky substance appeared out of nowhere, sticking to the collar and pulling it out of Rose's hand and… upward?
Both Rose and Blake looked up just in time to see a shrouded figure jump from the roof of the building and make a gesture at the wall, followed by another thwip sound and more of that white stringy stuff shooting out of the arm and attaching to the wall. The figure somehow used it to swing around, like some kind of grappling line.
But then the figure came close to ground level, shot two lines out in opposite directions – one hitting a distant tree, the other hitting Rose in the back – then yanked on both. Really, really hard. Rose went flying backwards, slamming into the tree with a grunt. The figure then shot a bunch of strings out, effectively gluing Rose to the tree trunk.
What. The. Fuck.
"I know she's cute and all, but cats really don't like collars, you know?" the figure snarked at Rose in a very familiar voice. "Of course, getting them into a harness is worse. They just kinda… fall over. Makes for hilarious online videos, though."
Blake beheld a young female wearing a full-body spandex looking outfit, which somehow had a hood attached directly to it. The thing was mostly black, with several patches of red throughout the design. When the figure turned to look at her, Blake saw the girl's head was also completely covered in a mask that sported two rather expressive eye pieces.
And the outfit featured a red spider logo splashed across her chest.
"Hey, there. I happened to be in the neighborhood. You okay?"
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It didn't take Yang very long to empty that bottle. Of course, the new Ruby helped out. For someone so young, she held her liquor pretty well. The conversation was pretty dull at first but it soon turned, as it always did with Yang, to the subject of her sister.
"All I'm sayin'…" It took a lot for Yang to actually slur her words, "…izzat she fuggin left us. Out n' out ran away… like a little bissh…"
"It sounds to me like she had the chance to try something new," the shorter redhead said with annoying calmness. "Something she was genuinely interested in."
"Int'rsted? Don gimme that… all shez int'rsted in wazzat… big bunny booty!"
"You mean Velvet? You did mention her…"
"Theevin' bissh… whyz everyone gotta take my sister away?!"
Yang bit back the tears that threatened to fall. Now was not the time to start playing the weeping drunk, dammit.
"To a point…" the redhead started saying, "…I can understand your pain. I, too, know what it's like to have a loved one stab me in the chest and run away. And I almost caught up with her… but then I had to distract some other old friends so she could get away, there was a battle… then suddenly I'm here."
"It's 'stabbed in the back,' not the chest. Heh…and I thought I wuz drunk…"
Rather than speak, the long-haired Ruby replied by standing up and opening part of her blouse. Yang was suddenly face-to-face with one of the deepest scars she'd ever seen. Whatever made that must have meant business. "I was being literal," the redhead said.
"Fuck me…who da fuck did that?"
"It's… kind of a long story. And to be honest, I don't have all the answers myself."
Before either of the estranged sisters could say anything else, a distant boom made itself known from far outside. It wasn't very loud, but even Yang could tell where it probably came from.
"Yep, that was at Beacon," Junior said from the bar as he checked his scroll for updates. "Probably another experiment gone bad. Happens all the time. It's a miracle that Vale's still standing at all."
Yang turned to see if her companion was listening… and was not at all surprised to see a few rose petals gently falling onto the empty seat. A trail of petals also led to the exit.
The long-haired Ruby was gone. Naturally. And the rose petals were proof that she was more or less the genuine article. Who else left things like that in their wake?
If Yang weren't falling-down drunk, and if she had gas in her bike, she would've been right behind her.
Ah, well. She'll be alright.
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[ Continued in Next Chapter ]
(Because the Spider-Verse is a thing, that's why! And again, proper credits will be at the end of the third part. Still, I hope you recognize the Ruby at the bar by now…)
=^..^=