In hindsight, Ruby should have drawn the conclusion that the works received by Index Office were nothing but normal, or any work for high grade hunters in general. Because right now, her sore body lay flat on the white sheet of Vale University Hospital. Index Office had visited her an hour before, Johnathan even used his Aura therapy to help her recover. But now she was alone, only her spiraling thought accompanied her.
"Should I quit from Hunter's life altogether?"
One and a half day in the previously.
Ruby had to admit, Johnathan's cooking was good, not the best, but really good—better than anything she could whip up on her own. She scooped some of the meat soup, her favorite so far, and combined it with a spoonful of rice, perfect. That piece of food went into her mouth and she couldn't help but hummed in delight. Around her, the members of Index Office watched the young Rose with clear fondness, like watching their own sister gulfing down her birthday meal.
Johnathan, who sat in front Ruby, grinned with pride, happy that his cooking was well received by the newest addition to the office. Xiao, who sat beside Ruby, must physically restrained herself from patting the cute Rose, not wanting to disturb the bliss she was in. Ermessia, who sat beside John, slurped her own ramen with gusto, but still had her eyes focus on the young Rose with fondness clearly visible.
It was just the entire office eating on the dining table for around half an hour. Just the sound of clinking utensils—or slurping for Ermessia—allowed them to savor the taste at its fullest. Ruby recalled something regarding this from Pyrrha, "We Mistralian prefers to eat in silence so that we can savor every single flavor of the foods. At the same time, it is a sign of respect to the cook; that is why I never speak everytime we eat." And it seemed Index Office was of the same mindset.
Finally, after having their own fill, they all thanked Johnathan for the wonderful foods. The first official meeting of the now four man office finally begun with Skaha 'Ermessia' Deles as the lead. The woman with long flowing white hair that reached her back and piercing crimson eyes stood from her seat and invited Ruby for a handshake. Ruby also stood and returned the handshake with a big smile.
"Let me officially welcome you to the Index Office, Ruby Rose. I am Skaha 'Ermessia' Deles, chief of this small band of hunters. You can call me Ermessia, oh and if you want to add honorific to my name just add Senior in front of it. It's a pleasure to have you here."
Ruby's smile somehow became wider, "The pleasure lies within me, Senior Ermessia. I am grateful to be accepted here and I will prove my worth to you and everyone here."
"Hahaha, that's the spirit!" They disengaged and claimed their seats once more, "And that's it! You are now one of us! Ask us anything until I decide to grab another mission tomorrow." Ruby was eager to ask and opened her mouth, "Oh wait, hold that for a second." Before shutting it again but still retaining the smile. "We still haven't got the answer as to why you are here when I asked our resident cook here."
Ruby's smile morphed into confusion, "But, Senior Johnathan and Senior Xiao heard my story."
A collective realization suddenly dawned on them, "We aren't actually asking about that," the leader began, "We're wondering why Old Oz sent a silver-eyed to our office."
"Is there a problem with my eye color?" Ruby asked, sounding unsure and somewhat offended.
"Oh no, of course not! There is nothing wrong with that! But the thing is, we have a working contract with Old Oz and one of the term specified to bring any silver-eyed we encounter straight to him. We only met one so far and we never heard of him since he came under Old Oz. So it's quite surprising that he actually send one to work here."
Oh...? OH! "So he was asking about this!" Her hands immediately covered her face which color already changed into her namesake flower. "He should've have worded it differently!"
The other Index actually stopped what they're currently doing just to stare at her, or in Xiao's case, physically restraining herself to not pat her. Other than that, Ruby's reaction confirmed some information they had been suspecting from the start. One, Ruby was adorable. Two, Ruby was a special case and it probably concerning her rep between her and the council—THE COUNCIL ALWAYS WATCHING—they probably had a hand with what Ozpin did with the silver-eyed. Three, Ozpin had a specific job for them that required Ruby. Four, the silver-eyed wasn't give any info whatsoever if they could run around in the daylight.
Then Ruby suddenly screeched and brought up a sixth theory that they didn't even consider before, "AAAAAAAHH! The headmaster thinks I am so bad to the point that ravishing me was out of the question!"
Johnathan choked on his drink.
Ermessia excused herself to grab some wine.
Xiao gagged at the mental image of Ozpin stripping Ruby down. She was also the first one to comment on that, "First thing first what the fuck? Secondly, how... and why?"
Ruby, still with face the same color as a rose, blasted the office with her certainly objective argument, "The headmaster is strong, probably the strongest man on the planet! Strong people have needs right? And maybe, he has interest with silver eyes! That guy you sent to him, he's probably still locked up somewhere in the headmaster's basement! I'm lucky he thinks of me so bad!"
Ermessia, who heard the argument from across the room, added her opinion as she returned with two bottles of wine in tow, "Objection! I used to work directly under him and got to know his personality quite well. And let me tell you, depravity of that kind is far from the old man's head. But if we're talking about weird things of his, he had done more morally questionable shits than what you are implying."
That stunned Ruby into silence, her face returning to its normal color with her mouth hanging open.
"And how the hell you came with that conclusion anyway?"
Ruby got talking again, "There was a rumor in the student forum this one time. They said the headmaster had threesome with General James Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch."
That statement got Johnathan and Xiao's mind working. They had met the powerful headmaster and his stern secretary, and while they got a good grasp of their public image, imagining them having a threesome with the General of Atlas Military was a weird endeavor even for them.
Ermessia on the other hand, "Huh, so they finally done it? I knew Jimmy and GlynGlyn was a thing, but for Old Oz to join..."
Johnathan's hand met the table hard, "Alright-alright this topic is over. Ruby, The Council probably had a hand with your relocation here and Sir Ozpin is just trying to salvage it within the scope of his authority for your sake. So please, don't think ill of the kind man okay?"
Calming down from the topic and actually applying rational thinking with her brain, Ruby thought, yes she might be overreacting.
John continued from where he left off, "Good. So Ruby, have any question for us?"
"But don't you want to know about Glynda's love life—"
"Ruby," Xiao cut her leader, apparently having agreement with John. "Do you have any question for us?"
Ermessia ceased her topic, finally giving Ruby the chance to ask. "Uhhh... Why do you use snakes as your symbol despite having Index in the name?"
They all blinked and Xiao asked, "That's what you're curious about?" Like seriously, Ruby could ask other more important things first yet her first concern was their symbol.
Ermessia decided that she liked Ruby's priority, "Funny you ask that, because it doesn't actually have serious meaning behind it. I use snakes because twin snakes are my personal insignia."
"Then why is the office named Index?"
The leader's grin widened, "Now before we proceed, what kind of Index does my office represent?"
The answer came easy to Ruby, "Index, as in a list of items, right?"
"Actually no." Ermessia then pointed at Ruby, "It's representing the index finger." She retracted her finger and folded her arms, "Now, I didn't name it willy nilly, there's actually a reason for that. You see, I used to be Old Oz' attack dog alongside your uncle. The old man simply points me at his problem and I resolved it with extra care. And then one day when Qrow and I were drunk on our asses I said this 'Hey Qrow, I want to make an office.' And then he said, 'Just go to Ozzy then.' And I did just that, I quit my job as his attack dog and built my office here together with Xiao."
She may had told the story many times to John and Xiao, but they didn't seem to tire with it; the fondness in her voice was soothing for them. As for Ruby, there were stars in her eyes when her uncle was mentioned. And from Ruby's own mouth that Ermessia discovered a side of Qrow that she never knew.
"I see... so you're the lady Uncle Qrow always talked about!"
"Oh? Good things I hope."
"Oh, it was not just good things. He talked everything about you except for name. The missions, the drinks, the weapons... If he's still around, I bet my Crescent Rose that you would be my aunt."
The entire office was surprised, Ermessia more so, "Y—you sure about that, kid?"
"Hundred percent! Uncle Qrow had the same eyes as my lovestruck friend everytime he talked about you!"
Both John and Xiao reigned their urge to comment on it. It was not an appropriate time, especially when they saw the state their leader was in. She was motionless as she sat there; an expression they never saw was over her face, an unreadable one, and it made all of them concerned.
Slowly, John brought his hand to her shoulder. He got no response. He tried shaking—
DING DONG
"Timing!" Ermessia stood abruptly, "You three do the dishes, I'll answer that."
With no other thing to do, the three Index Hunter did as they were told: clean the dishes. The simple chores should be simple, but it got awkward after the weird mood Ruby accidentally triggered.
Fortunately, Ermessia returned quickly, now with an open letter in her left hand and a crow with a camera attached to its neck on her right. Ruby quirked an eyebrow at the surprising turn of events but the other seemed to recognize the crow, "Sir Ozpin got a job for us?"
"Yes Xiao, and it's an urgent one. John, give Ruby her uniform. And Ruby," all attention went on her, "This crow is Old Oz' pet and he will be monitoring us for the duration of the mission. Old Oz wants to see your performance to see whether you are ready for the kind of works we usually deal with or couldn't handle it and be relocated again. So I hope you do your best here. Oh and just think as if Qrow is watching us, this little fella reminds me too much of him."
Honestly, Ruby tuned her out after hearing that the headmaster wanted to see her directly in action. Her feet began trembling once more, and this was only her first day dammit!
Turned out, a Vale Security Service van was already waiting for the Index Office, and if the VSS was involved then it was something serious. Their destination, the metro station. Ruby didn't get much information since extensive info will be given once they reached their destination. It shouldn't be a weird and uncomfortable situation by any definition, but the warning Senior Ermessia gave surely made her on edge and bewildered.
"Listen Ruby. What I'm going to say is confidential to the public—"
"She's a new recruit, Ma'am?"
"Yes and shut the hell up. So Ruby, we Hunters don't just fight Grimm and our fellow kin. There are other monsters out there—The Distortion we call them. Now, we don't know how they first came to be but we do know they began popping up after the Great War. And since we don't want the populace to be worrying of another problem than the Grimm, The Councils have been keeping their existence covered up and only the special forces and high grade hunters that know the existence of these beings. So please, don't talk about them in public unless you want to be branded as an international criminal—"
"We've arrived, Ma'am!"
"By the Brothers' names—alright team! Let's move out!"
After that, they entered the metro station. As usual, the place was crowded with people, ranging from young adults, businessman, families, and elderlies going in and out of the city. Whether they went to Vale or the other cities was none of her business. But that begged the question, where were they going? The answer came to her when she saw the fourth route being barren of civilians and being guarded by the police. So the problem was inside the tunnel, there was even a cart already waiting for them on the rail.
The ride on the cart wasn't comfortable too. She was on edge the entire time and no person to talk to. Senior Ermessia was discussing security with the VSS guy and the one manning the cart. Sis—Senior Xiao was praying and since she was clearly from Mistral, her custom for praying was also different; palms joined with fingers pointing upwards, unlike Vale's custom with clasped hands. Senior Johnathan was channeling his Aura to his gloves, definitely checking and reorganizing the stuffs within.
She followed his example by checking her stuffs. Aura pumped and she got a clear picture within her gloves. Dust, first aid, MREs, water, Harbinger, and Crescent Rose. Yep, sounds about right.
The cart went to a stop, "Team, stay here for a sec. And John, educate Ruby on the broad stroke of things." Senior left but the crow stayed with them. The small fellow then perched on top of her head and she got an urge to pet it, but she better focused herself on Senior Johnathan.
"Alright, for all intents and purposes," he stopped channeling his Aura, "The Distortion is a very advance Grimm in terms of intelligent, physiology, and logic bending ability... well logic was never logical since The Great War anyway. Back on topic, we do know how they spawn—wait no skip this part, it's not important. They have, like I mentioned, logic bending abilities ranging from making you unable to differentiate between left and right to literal space bending; basically stuffs you can see a lot in manga and comics. You with me so far?"
No. Like, what the fuck?
"Yeah, I react like that too. But you'll get used to it, part of the job and part of the grind to the top." He paused a bit and seemed to be thinking, "Ah, that! Ok, since you got the basic, let's talk about danger levels. The Distortions are divided into—"
"Alright team! I got the details."
"But I haven't finished!"
"Finish it after the mission. Now gather around everyone."
Ruby could hear the unintelligible grumbling from his mouth, definitely wanting to resume his explanation but complied with Senior Ermessia in the end. The same case with Senior Xiao who huddled closer.
"Okay, everyone's here? Good. First thing first, Ruby I honestly doubt you can survive this without heavy scarring in both mind and body. So if you want to back off, this is your chance. The thing we are about to deal with is very dangerous for a first timer, do you still want to join?"
Ruby knew that her senior meant well, but she couldn't help herself but be offended. She was Ruby Rose the daughter of Taiyang Xiao-Long and Summer Rose, two legendary hunters on their own rights. She fought through Beacon with all her might, and even though she was alone at the end, she had graduated Beacon with a perfect score. She would prove to the world she wasn't just 'That one incompetent leader' she was 'Ruby Rose, the Second Coming of Summer'. As such, she won't back down. She might be nervous, but she won't back down, just like her mother.
"I will stay and I will fight! No one shall sully the name of Rose once I reach the top. This is where I begin my story and I will write it to the end!"
She felt powerful after saying that. There was trembling on her legs, it was gone. There was trembling on her arms, it was gone. There was once a weight in her heart, it was gone. She was free, she was powerful, she could take anything and went beyond!
The Index Office couldn't deny her anymore after that declaration. Ermessia had a wry smile; nevertheless, she was proud of the young maiden's bravery. Xiao had the exact opposite reaction from the leader; she was worried sick for the well beings of Ruby, she even began praying once more. Johnathan had similar reaction with the eldest senior, but with extra grumbling. Alas they all trusted their leader as she had saved their asses on multiple accounts. As a side note the small Qrow just shook its head, seemingly understanding their conversation.
"Alright then Ruby, you are now officially undergoing your first mission with the entire office under the watchful eyes of this lil crow." Ermessia pointed something behind her, "You guys see that?" It was the last car of a train, nothing out of the ordinary there, well normally that would be the case. There were worrying details however, namely the glowing cracks on the car... and they were pulsing.
Ermessia then explained, "Yeah, that. So, The Distortion has taken over the entire train and made a pocket dimension in there. For now, the threat level is [Apostle] but can potentially increases to [Devil] if the train explodes and releases all of the energy. Our job here is to eliminate The Distortion and rescued the passengers if possible."
"Ermes?"
"Yes Xiao?"
"Has the VSS send personnel inside?"
"Sent an entire squad, none return. Their sacrifice let the VSS measured the energy more thoroughly, so there's a silver lining to that. And also one other thing. Half of Bleak Office is in there too."
"That sounds dangerous, but you can do it Ruby! Mom and Uncle are cheering from beyond!"
"Should I go first with my shield as usual?"
"Yep. The formation is this: John, Xiao, me, Ruby. And Ruby, we both use gun. These two will be our vanguard since melee is their specialty. We only go melee if it's needed. If it's an open area, you can use melee liberally unless I say not to."
With all of that said, the Index Office pulled their respective weapons and approached the train car. The nearby VSS gave them salute and the one near the car raise a ladder so they could climb easily.
"Mom, Dad, Uncle Qrow, Yang, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Headmaster Ozpin. I will prove to all of you that Ruby Rose is not a quitter. She will climb to the top of the world and reach her apotheosis!"
A.N.
Ok, only chapter 2 and Ruby is already thrust into potential life and death situation. That actually happened in her first official mission in canon RWBY, so nothing weird here.
Oh and I will be updating my other story next. Don't worry I'm also working on this, but updates will be inconsistent for both.
The other story is called 'Children of The City'. The premise is the same but Jaune is the new guy instead of Ruby. It is borrowing lots of elements and lore from Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina. But don't worry, you don't need extensive understanding of those games to the understand the main plot. So If you're interested, give it a read.
