To be quite honest, Ruby wasn't really much in the way of a socialite in any meaning of the phrase, not like her sister Yang Xiao-Long. Where Yang excelled in the presence of large crowds, Ruby found herself shrinking into her hood and craving an escape. Throughout the years, she could remember numerous times in which her family had attempted to quell Ruby of her social anxiety. They had been awful, horribly embarrassing attempts, and she was glad to be rid of them.
And yet, as she lay within the N-Field, resting on a crystal crust of an artificial iceberg surrounded by a vast sea of shifting prismatic colours and waiting for Summer Rose to return from her venture into the outside world, Ruby found herself contemplating a great many things. A case in point being her own dramatic shift in behaviour throughout the year.
Being with Kirakishou had changed many things for Ruby Rose. She had begun to venture out, often in search of the doll. She had done things she would never have done, years ago.
But, deep down, deep inside, Ruby found that she was still nothing more than a little girl who couldn't stand so many people looking at her, talking to her. She didn't like it. Or, more precisely, she didn't like most people. It had been something that none of her wayward friends and family had understood and had, over the years, steadily caused tension everywhere she walked.
Kirakishou was different. Whenever she was with the doll, Ruby felt almost like she was a different person. Charismatic, friendly, open, and yearning for attention. Part of that, she understood, was due to the connection she shared with Kirakishou. One that was, quite literally, marked in contract by the ring she wore on her ring finger.
...Before she had met Kirakishou down on that fateful day on the docks, Ruby had believed her old team members to be the ones responsible for beginning to break Ruby Rose out of her shell. She had thought that, in time, her teammates would support Ruby in becoming a better person. A huntress, just like her Mother.
Now, however, they had all left. Yang Xiao-Long had even gone so far as to attack her beloved Kirakishou, blaming her for everything and discarding Ruby's earnest pleas to accept their love. Ruby Rose was a huntress trainee no more. And it was a horrifying concept to imagine. A student without a school, a leader without a team, a child without a friend.
The only ones left in her life were Kirakishou and Summer Rose. The dolls who never left her side.
Everybody else was gone. Elsewhere. They didn't care for her anymore. They just didn't understand. It hurt. It was wrong. It wasn't how Ruby thought her life would go. All she had wanted was to be loved. And she had it, now.
But, Ruby Rose had lost everything else.
"...You have your hood up," a soft voice hesitantly spoke. Her Rozen Maiden, Kirakishou. The doll was peering at her worriedly, no doubt having sensed her rampaging emotions through their bond. Ruby hadn't even sensed her arrival, the Rozen Maiden seemingly manifesting out of nowhere with little fanfare.
The ability to sense emotions was yet another facet about her Rozen Maiden that she often discounted, so wrapped up in the world events that Ruby found herself blinded to something so very basic.
Kirakishou could read her. And had been reading her, for a very long time.
And she cared.
"I do. Do you like it?" Ruby responded with what sounded like nothing more than a simple question, but to her meant the world.
"I do," the Rozen Maiden repeated with a smile, moving forward and securing her hand in a comforting hold. "And your doll knows that such a gesture is meaningful to you. This is not the first time you've had your hood up in recent memory, Ruby…"
Of all the things that Kirakishou could have said to her, it had to have been a statement that hit the nail right on the head. She should have known that the doll who loved her would recognise the action for what it truly meant. She did know. Perhaps, that was why Ruby had put her hood up in the first place?
"My heart," Ruby confessed, pulling the doll's jointed hand up to rest on her chest. "...It hurts. I think… it's been hurting a long time, now. And I'm just coming to realise for how long."
Kirakishou's smile dimmed ever so slightly, and it just made her feel worse. The doll had been through so very much, and it pained her something fierce to see a moment go by where Kirakishou wasn't happy. It was almost out-of-character at this point, such was Ruby's dedication to having her partner smile.
But… she needed to open up and explain her feelings. She didn't exactly know why she was saying all of this right this very moment, but her emotions wouldn't have it anytime else.
"Ruby…" Kirakishou murmured her name, an increasing rarity ever since they had entered into a Rozen Maiden contract. Like her hood, it held emotional significance that only Ruby could recognise. A gesture of worry, of longing, of desire. Many emotions mixed into a single word.
"Everybody is gone, Kira. My teammates are who-knows-where. Oum, they probably hate me…"
"Do you miss them?"
Ruby found herself freezing at what should have been a simple question to answer. Of course I miss them, she should have responded. But… did she? Did she really? When she thought back on the people that called themselves her teammates, all Ruby could remember in recent memory was dancing on eggshells around them about her relationship with Kirakishou, leading to a sudden dramatic end. She had tried to venture out for them, and it had only led to pain.
A single shot fired from Crescent Rose had ended any friendship Ruby could have possibly had with her sister.
But… the others. Did she miss them? After everything that had happened?
"...I'm honestly not that sure anymore," she voiced, whether it be to answer Kirakishou or to question her own thoughts, Ruby wasn't entirely certain. "I feel something hurting. Does that mean I miss them? Everything is so jumbled up, I don't even know how I feel. Oum, I'm a mess."
"You know…" Kirakishou pulled her hand up from Ruby's chest, moving to grasp her cheek and idly bat away the tears that had managed to trail down her face without her noticing. "...I miss my sisters. All of them."
...What?
So shocked was she by the seemingly innocuous statement, Ruby found a tinkling giggle escaping from the Rozen Maiden that had just so casually uttered a phrase she'd have never expected to hear.
How could she miss them? After everything that they've done?
"The heart is a strange thing, Ruby," Kirakishou smiled solemnly, a sad little twinge of repressed longing that looked incredibly out-of-place on the doll. "I know that, eventually, Laplace-no-ma will get what it wants and the Alice Game will begin again. Already, my sisters have made their way into Remnant-" WHAT?! "-but even though I know they will try and fight me, I'm almost looking forward to seeing them again. Isn't that strange?"
Ruby looked down, slumping against Kirakishou's ball-jointed hand as she felt a certain weight in her body. What would it be like, if she were to see her team members again? Or, if she saw those that had escaped Vale? How would she feel? How would she act?
"...It's not that strange," Ruby eventually conceded both with herself and with Kirakishou's words. "But it's not going to happen with me. They're…. they're not coming back. And… I don't think I want them to come back, either."
Kirakishou merely cocked her head to the side, looking more akin to a curious feline than the reality-warping Rozen Maiden that was her partner. "Oh? Is that so, Ruby? Why is that?"
"Because I don't care about them," Ruby Rose smiled suddenly, looking up and into Kirakishou's lone slit amber eye. She moved to embrace the doll, pulling her close. "...They're gone," she whispered. "And both you and Summer Rose are the ones that matter now. Everybody else, my team or even the other Rozen Maiden, they don't matter. And once we sort out this mess with the Silver-Eyed Maiden powers, Kira, I think we should find a nice place to ourselves and-"
"Master!" Kirakishou gasped, drawing Ruby's attention as she suddenly pulled back and gestured off into the distance. "Summer is back."
Looking up, she could see a peculiar crack in the sky that had been torn open, looking particularly similar to a certain hole in reality that had occurred briefly atop Amity Colosseum. However, this time, the crack bulged and shifted as Summer Rose fell through, landing on the crystalline iceberg with a singular burst of aura to soften the fall.
In an instant she had burst forward in a flicker of silver petals, tackling her giggling Mother in a big hug as the older doll spun her around happily. Ruby smiled to herself as Summer set her back down. She'd never tire of that! It was exactly what she needed, just to see her Mother again.
"Happy to see you as well, little owl," Summer chuckled, briefly nodding in Kirakishou's direction in greeting. "I've confirmed that the outside world is safe in the general vicinity around the physical anchor to this section of the N-Field. We should have no trouble tearing it down for the night."
She smiled at the news. "Ah, so we're not going to be sleeping here tonight?"
For a moment she glanced over at Kirakishou, a little worried that her words could be taken negatively. Yet, her doll only gave her a smile, a single little smile that cemented everything that the doll have previously spoken about. It didn't matter. They were together, and so Kirakishou was happy.
So too, would Ruby.
Her Mother gave a brief shake of the head, drawing Ruby's attention back her way. "No. I do believe we've all had our fill of Kuchinashi for a very long time. Once we have the location of Raven's encampment, we can spend an hour or two out on the road before setting up camp for the night."
Kirakishou pouted playfully. "...Ah~ And I was having fun with this little space, too. Does it not look pretty?"
Both Roses eyed the crystalline iceberg shifting in a sea of prismatic colours for a brief moment, marvelling in the sheer impossibility of both their location and the one who had shaped the location in the first place. Privately, Ruby thought that Kirakishou could make a fair amount of lien working as some kind of innkeeper, offering a temporary lodging inside the N-Field in a variety of impossibly beautiful locations.
Eh… Maybe not. Running an inn would be a lot of work and she had only needed to hear a few stories from Uncle Qrow over the years to develop a healthy sympathy for all those who offered temporary accommodation.
...Perhaps she would give it more thought later.
"It's certainly something," Summer answered neutrally while Ruby was off daydreaming, shaking her head with a wry smile curling on her lips. "But, I can imagine that there's only so much space to expand in this house, yes? Once we're on the open road, you'll be free to… stretch your legs, metaphorically speaking."
Kirakishou cocked her head to the side at the statement, before giving a slow agreeing nod with a happy smile on her face, seemingly content.
"Good," Summer voiced, "now that we're done hiding out, it would be best if we were off. Kirakishou?"
Nodding, the doll raised her hand and the world abruptly shifted in colour, a menagerie of bright lights and vague lines shifting by Ruby's eyes too fast for her to properly discern with any degree of likeness. The experience lasted for but a moment before the sounds and sights of a late-dusk Kuchinashi assaulted her senses after over a week's worth of isolation.
Tearing down the messes created by Kirakishou's meddling in the N-Field in a confined space was becoming increasingly easier as the group moved from place to place. Early on during their adventure outside of Vale, Ruby could remember Kirakishou taking a fair amount of time to repair the changes caused by her crystals, the recreation of old terrain being something entirely new and borderline confusing for the astral Rozen Maiden.
Not to mention that her initial 'repairs' oftentimes made the terrain look even weirder. As Kirakishou had confessed, it wasn't like she had much of an idea as to how the world normally operated outside of the N-Field, having been confined to the N-Field for the majority of her time. Though Ruby was able to solve that particular problem by watching over the doll whenever she did her work and offering suggestions. After a bit of trial and error, the doll had developed a healthy understanding of how things were supposed to appear.
Nowadays, the recreation of an entire home from a veritable sea of shifting landscapes and ventured memories they had lived in for the better part of a week into a dingy two-bedroom fixer-upper took little more than half an hour. Ruby found it quite fascinating, especially as the doll turned to her and grinned proudly after each successful job, up to and including this one.
"Yes, yes, you're very special," Ruby rolled her eyes, quickly breaking out into giggles at the way her doll's expression shifted into a pout at her tone.
Summer joined in, chuckling. "Oh, indeed. Home decorators hate her!"
The blonde doll huffed, folding her arms petulantly and looking away. "...I'm the best home decorator, how can they hate me?"
"How indeed?" Ruby shared a look with her Mother the two roses deciding to tone down the teasing for now. Even if it was really funny. "Okay, Kira. You're all done now, yes?"
"Obviously, Master," the doll whined cutely, puffing her cheeks and having clearly caught onto what Ruby was attempting with her words.
Ruby grabbed her hand, "Oh stop pouting, you big goof. You know I think you're amazing," she blushed a little at having to voice her feelings, before turning away to look at her Mother, who was gazing at them with a fond expression flourishing on her face. "...Um, it's been so long that I've kinda forgotten the way to Lil' Miss Malachite and her dingy bad guy bar. Can you lead us there, Mom?"
Summer chuckled good-naturedly, nodding. "Of course. Follow me."
Naturally, Ruby didn't bother to let go of Kirakishou's hand as they walked through the winding mountainous streets of Kuchinashi, all to content to dote on her little doll for a while after the Rozen Maiden had effectively sheltered the three of them from the world for the past week or so. To some small degree, it reminded her of the earlier days with Kirakishou, walking through the streets of Vale and idly picking out interesting features of the city as she tried not to squeal like a delighted schoolgirl at being able to hang out with her crush.
Only, now, things were a little bit different. The two of them were in a committed relationship, Vale had been swallowed up and replaced by Kirakishou's Palace of Beginnings, they were in an entirely separate town on the other side of the world, and Ruby had become some bizarre combination of a Silver-Eyed Warrior and a Fall Maiden.
In the end, however, they were still able to walk through a city and hold hands. And for that, Ruby was happy. The situation could change in hundreds of different ways and even then Ruby and Kirakishou would still be able to hold hands together. The blonde Rozen Maiden provided a sense of support and reassurance, a degree of security, that Ruby had been missing for the better part of her life. No matter what the world would throw at them, no matter how Ruby may or may not change, they still always had each other.
She smiled at Kirakishou and tightened her grip, the doll noticing Ruby's cheerful grin and mimicking her expression perfectly. Her eyes glistened ever so slightly as she gazed at the doll, Kirakishou's artificial skin and flawless dress glimmering lightly against the dimly-illuminated streets of downtown Kuchinashi. As the world passed them by, Kirakishou continued to stand out in Ruby's Silver Eyes.
Love, Ruby will reiterate to herself, is a very strange feeling indeed. But it is most certainly a feeling that she has come to enjoy.
"Ah~ Ruby, look! They have so many fresh groceries for sale!" Kirakishou pointed out, gesturing off to a small late-afternoon farmer's market occurring in what appeared to be a run-down park. There were a variety of market stalls and tents propped up around the place, alongside a lot of camp lanterns to provide light for a multitude of prospective customers. "Perhaps we can purchase some fresh ingredients?" she glanced over towards Summer, "I would love to experience Ruby's cooking, someday."
"We'll stock up on some supplies when we're done," Summer halted the idea with all the soft reproachful tones of a woman that had dealt with Kirakishou's burgeoning fascination with Ruby's potential culinary talent for a good long while.
Ruby nodded dutifully alongside a playfully-pouting Kirakishou, but not before sending the small doll a look that promised they'd spend some quality time exploring the market later on. The doll's small pout vanished, replaced with an excited childish grin. For an instant, her mind flashed to a similar memory with a different blonde and a different parental figure occurring many years ago, before Ruby reflexively pushed the thought aside and returned to the trip.
From what little information she could recall from the last time they visited Lil' Miss Malachite, Ruby believed they were nearing the location of the dingy bar. There was a certain level of 'shady' that seemed to ebb from the organisation and flow out to the surrounding streets, and Ruby was starting to get that general feeling once again. A stillness in the air, empty houses overrun and appropriated for use as stolen territory, and a complete absence of civilian movement alongside a constant overarching feeling of being watched.
Silver Flames flowed in her veins, she could feel it. These people, these criminals, their emotions would stir up the grimm. They would cause so much death. They would ruin everything, just by festering in the world. And her powers despised their very presence.
She despised their very presence, to a degree. And she wanted them gone. Dealing with their ilk just to contain her powers was a horrible feeling.
But she would do it if it would help soothe the pain and secure the safety of her future.
"We're here," Summer's voice snapped Ruby out of her musings, the young Maiden grimacing as she realised she was squeezing Kirakishou's hand a tad bit too hard, enough to cause audible friction from her gloves rubbing against Kirakishou's artificial skin. She forced herself to calm down, retreating away from the doll, to Kirakishou's apparent confusion.
"...Master?"
"We- We don't know what to expect in there," Ruby prompted, shaking her head. "I… don't know how I'll react. I don't want to accidentally burn your dress or something."
The Rozen Maiden giggled girlishly, nodding in agreement even as the smile growing on her lips gained a peculiar edge.
"I'll be right beside you, Ruby," Kirakishou promised.
Summer nodded at the two of them. "Good. Try and be on your best behaviour, the both of you. I can understand your mutual… frustrations… with having to deal with Malachite and her ilk to some degree, but the reality is that their network is one of the few remaining methods to gain the information we require without arousing suspicion."
"You the ones?" a deep voice called out from the distance. Male. One she recognised from the previous time in Kuchinashi looking for Spider. She'd spoken to this person, looking for details on the very organisation that he apparently worked for all along. Damn it. She didn't even realise.
Ruby kept her mouth shut as Summer called out an affirmative, resisting the urge to reach for Crescent Rose as it rested in its compacted form on her back.
"Right, good. Boss is waiting for you inside. Head on in. No funny business, understood?"
"Got it," Summer spoke aloud, before turning quickly to them both. "...Ruby, Kirakishou, be ready for anything. There are a lot of people inside. Far more than last time."
"...Do you think it's an ambush?" Ruby whispered worriedly, knowing the potential end result of such a thing. Her powers would go absolutely wild and it would take a sudden burst of Kirakishou's N-Field to prevent a great many people from potentially being turned to stone and the ensuing firefight alerting the world to their presence in Kuchinashi.
"There's always a chance," Summer edged, frowning. "However, for now, we hold all the cards. I do not believe that Lil' Miss Malachite is the type to upend her part of the bargain, especially considering that the bargain includes the return of her other daughter."
Kirakishou remained silent at that, her expression as calm as can be. It was… oddly comforting for Ruby to see. Regardless of what happened, Ruby could once again remain certain that the Rozen Maiden would always be there to support her through thick and thin, regardless of the consequences.
"Got it," Ruby nodded. "We'll be ready, but we won't start anything."
When Summer turned to Kirakishou for confirmation, the blonde simply smiled and nodded.
"Good. Let's go," Summer spoke aloud, turning back and approaching the building housing the members of Spider. Unlike the previous time, neither Ruby nor Kirakishou hesitated, and they entered the building side-by-side.
True to Summer's word, the interior of Spider's chosen base of operation was absolutely teeming with members cast from a wide variety of backgrounds. Her keen eyes could easily spot custom huntsmen and huntress weapons, with even the more plain of patrons sporting a single pistol in the very least, alongside the same ever-present Spider tattoo hosted as plain as day on their bodies.
It was very clear that, unlike the previous time, Lil' Miss Malachite wasn't pulling her punches. Where the original meeting had been something akin to a retailer presenting the delicate air of customer service, the final transaction was one hosted with the air of security and harsh criticism one would expect from a criminal organisation that had likely experienced its fair share of troublesome clients of the years.
Most likely, Ruby could also expect a few hidden dangers that had been elaborately concealed by Spider in case a fight broke out. Specialty weapons, members with troublesome weapons, hidden escape routes, the like. Everything was fair game when nobody played by the rules.
"Ah, good ta' see you all," an all-too-familiar accented voice called out from amidst the cutthroat-laden crowd, the heavily-armed criminal masses parting way to reveal Lil' Miss Malachite in all her refined glory, accompanied by Militia Malachite, the green-eyed daughter wearing her signature red dress and sporting a fierce glare, one specifically aimed at Kirakishou.
She bristled at the sheer gall of the red-dressed daughter of a crime lord being mad at Kirakishou considering she was safely returning her sister. The Rozen Maiden was losing a piece of herself, a treasure trove of memories and aura used to support her very existence, just so that Ruby could learn to control her Silver-Eyed Maiden powers. Didn't they realise that?!
...She supposed they had no way of knowing, nor would be likely to care… but still! It was poor etiquette for a business transaction to be pissed at the client! Probably.
Bah. She just wanted this whole thing to be over and done with.
"...Quite the popular venue tonight," Summer remarked sarcastically, eyeing the group with a particular discomfort Ruby quickly recognised as the unfortunate downside of Summer's unique semblance. Hypersensitivity had led to her downfall once before, and Ruby would be damned if she allowed it to be the cause of her Mother's death once again.
"You could say that," Lil' Miss Malachite shrugged good-naturedly, a wry smirk crawling across her face as several patrons chuckled alongside her words. "Think of them as nothing more then fine gents and ladies having a good ol' time, provided that no funny business happens here."
"There's no need to worry," Summer shook her head, gesturing to Kirakishou. "As you can see, we've brought Kirakishou and are ready to complete our end of the bargain. Considering the time frame since we first came to an agreement, I can only assume that your specialists have cleared Militia of any and all suspicion, yes?"
There was a brief lull in conversation as both the Malachite Mother and daughter pair frowned, Summer having clearly touched a manner of debate for the two. Ruby was quick in putting things together and was able to realise that the week-long delay in finalising their bargain was not only to locate Raven but to test the authenticity of Kirakishou's side of the bargain, namely being the return of Militia Malachite.
"Hn. Clearly, your reputation is rather fitting," Lil' Miss Malachite sneered, before chuckling. "Ah. I remember first hearing about the news in Vale. An entire city, a whole Kingdom, completely overtaken. Not just that, but rumours began to circulate of Summer Rose being spotted amidst the fierce fighting. A veritable legend of the old days, the huntress who almost single-handedly crushed the underground networks through her relentless pursuit of any-and-all who caught her tail…"
Summer Rose narrowed her eyes, and the act alone following Lil' Miss Malachite's speech was more than enough to cause many of the many patrons in Spider's base to visibly tense up.
"You must be aware that we didn't come all this way just to hear a story."
"Didn't you?" Lil' Miss Malachite countered. "The Branwen Tribe… isn't that what you're all hunting? They're all quite the legend 'round these parts. Strong, too. Emboldened by their leader, no doubt," she chuckled richly, the powerful baritone voice sundering across the packed landscape. "When the news of your death first spread across anima, a great many things happened. Bandits popped up like weeds, huntsmen and huntresses were being called in left and right to quell uprisings and settle towns, and a particular group reemerged more powerful than ever before, led by the very same woman that you're all looking for now. I should be grateful, really."
Summer raised an eyebrow. "...Oh? You're grateful?"
"Mhmm," Lil' Miss Malachite nodded. "As I've said before, folks like the Branwen Tribe are bad for business. Taking everything by force so openly just invites hassle and, eventually, leads to folks like you sniffing about looking to settle a score or what have you."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, and you're all so very different," she snorted, before eeping when several figures focused their heated gaze on her small self and she realised that her internal thoughts weren't so internal.
Lil' Miss Malachite barked out a laugh, while her younger shadow glared all the worse. "Hah! And finally, the lil' lass speaks for herself. Why I'd almost forgotten you were there. Content to let ol' momma-bear handle things, eh?"
"...I have nothing to say to you people," Ruby crossed her arms and looked away. "Just finish the job and we can go our separate ways and never see each other again."
"Aww, now don't be like that," Lil' Miss Malachite deflected with a falsely sweet tone. "Can't blame a girl for savouring the moment, right? Not any day that the folks responsible for the destruction of Vale waltz into your bar and plot to handover your two daughters in return for information on a pain-in-the-ass bandit like they own the damn place."
Oh, that-!
"That's enough," Summer stepped forward, an arm raised in front of Ruby before she could think to grab her weapon and throw down with the bitchy head of Spider. Several bar patrons had their weapons drawn, while the others looked seconds away from following along. The elder Rose glared at the elder Malachite. "Do we have a deal, or not?"
"...Bah. It was just a bit of harmless conversation," Lil' Miss Malachite waved a hand, directing her members to lower their weapons. "We have a deal. Handover Melanie Malachite and the information is yours to do with as you please. Though, if you do all end up annexing Raven's whole operation, shoot me a whistle and I'll wire over a little extra in thanks."
Summer slowly lowered her hand, shooting Ruby a particular look that had her petulantly backing down, as her Mother gave Lil' Miss Malachite a dismissive snort. "Sure. Whatever you say," Summer turned to Kirakishou, "if you would, Kirakishou?"
The blonde Rozen Maiden, who had remained standing in place and giving off a certain pleasant smile that'd had many of the members of Spider giving her ample distance, gave a bright chirpy nod of acquiescence before abruptly lurching as crystals erupted from her petite frame. For the second time, the lodging of Spider paid host to Kirakishou's crystalline N-Field, as it grew and enshrouded the building in a teal light that overwhelmed the amber hues of the gas lighting by a significant degree.
When the crystals grew large enough to reach the ceiling in a sort of teal-shaded column, Melanie's figure was momentarily revealed inside for the silent members of Spider to witness, Militia Malachite's sharp intake of breath being the only audible sound heard alongside the resonating tones of Kirakishou's crystalline lattice.
Following along with the previous iteration which had freed Militia Malachite, Kirakishou's crystalline growth began to illuminate brightly, before collapsing into a crystalline liquid that revealed an unconscious Melanie Malachite laying on the floor, her white dress vaguely reminding Ruby of something that Weiss Schnee would have worn.
The remaining crystalline liquid converged into a small puddle, where a white vine bloomed into a large white rose containing Kirakishou, who casually stepped out of the massive contraption with a soft smile on her face, looking none the worse for wear.
"All done~" Kirakishou chirped for added effect, clapping her hands and banishing the manifestations of the N-Field neigh-instantaneously, to the shock and confusion of a great many onlookers.
Lil' Miss Malachite gestured over to Melanie's unconscious body with a nod, several bar patrons and Militia herself rushing over and cradling her body. The red-dressed sister whispering frantically and checking over the body.
"...Unconscious, low-aura, but there's a pulse ma'am," one of the patrons voiced, a light glow suffusing their hands as they hovered over the girl. A semblance to check vitals, perhaps?
Certainly a useful talent. Also, it was a point toward Summer's theory regarding the true reason why Lil' Miss Malachite had forced them to wait for so long. Bringing in another member of Spider to check for any ill-intent was a solid idea, even if it grated against Ruby's nerves a little. She did understand that their own group didn't have the best reputation, being blamed for Cinder's own failings, but it was still annoying to be reminded of it at times.
"As your associate has indicated, the girl has been returned safe and unharmed," Summer voiced with a cross of her arms and a knowing tone.
"Unharmed may be pushing it a little," the younger and conscious Malachite muttered underneath her breath as she held her slumbering sister, voice just loud enough for Ruby to overhear. She shot the girl a venomous look, internally promising to target her first if negotiations ultimately failed.
"Now now," Lil' Miss Malachite waved off her daughter, focusing on Summer Rose. "You have indeed upheld your end of the bargain, so it falls upon ourselves to complete the transaction, as it were," she clapped her hands, an associate stepping forward from the hodgepodge of gathered criminals.
He didn't look like much. A faunus with little kitty ears that painfully reminded Ruby of a lost teammate. Scars on an aged face. Cool piercings, though. He was carrying a small data transfer device.
"...This device holds the current positional data of one Raven Branwen and her infamous Branwen Tribe," Lil' Miss Malachite drawled as the feline faunus tentatively handed over the data transfer device to Summer Rose, a sneer forming on the lips of Spider's leader. "As it would appear, the tribe has moved just recently to this new position, high up in the Northern Auroral Mountains, operating out of one of the many caves dotting the area."
"East of Lake Matsu?" Summer clarified, to the nod of one Lil' Miss Malachite.
"Yup, that's the place," she confirmed. "Odd change of pace for the Branwen Clan. Caves aren't often used by criminal groups, you see. Too many negative emotions tend to invite your fair share of grimm, and most subterranean grimm are a whole tougher than anything you'd see above ground, as the folks over at Mountain Glenn would have learned."
Ruby grimaced, looking worriedly over at her Mother. According to what Summer Rose had told her, she had been led into a trap by Ozpin and ultimately died in a cave system, the weakness of her semblance used against her to a deadly degree by the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. The news of the Branwen Tribe and thus Raven Branwen relocating to a cave system spelled trouble for the group…
"I see," Summer frowned, glancing over at Kirakishou. The blonde doll was still smiling pleasantly, but had tilted her head ever so slightly in what Ruby and likely Summer could identify as a curiosity about the subject topic. "Well, that will conclude our business. If that will be all, we'll depart and be out of here by daybreak."
"Not so fast," Lil' Miss Malachite spoke up, raising a hand before they could so much as turn to approach the door. "Before you all go, we got someone here looking for you folk. Couple'a someones, actually."
Ruby tensed, reaching for her weapon as Silver Fire thundered in her veins, her heart beating what felt like a hundred miles an hour. They weren't exactly the most appreciated group in Remnant due in full to Cinder's machinations, so any outsiders looking for them likely spelled trouble-
"Hello again, Little Red. Long time no see! Accomplished quite a bit in my absence, eh?"
Her eyes widened in recognition of the voice, before she turned to the side to see two familiar faces staring right back at her. One, belonging to a girl that she had known, yet never learned their name on the battlefield. The other…
"Roman Torchwick…"
"Oh, good. She's finally asleep. I thought we'd be here all night," Jun semi-ranted, a thankful sigh of reprieve escaping his lips that was equally shared by the multitude of dolls seated around the young boy.
Shinku herself could attest to having experienced a great many trials and tribulations over her life, to the point where she may have forgotten more events than most, but even Shinku remained firm in the belief that getting Yang Xiao-Long to calm down and sleep was one of the worst battles in her long life.
To be fair, she could understand the teenager's strife to a fair degree. Yang was quite obviously anxious, a trait that simply refused to remain hidden no matter how much the expressive blonde tried to lessen her reactions and school her features into the same blank expression of her hard-edged huntress Mother. The bonds of family run deep and, as a result of such, confer with them the greatest pains at times. One needed only to have a passing understanding of the dolls that had spent hundreds of years fighting at the behest of their Father in order to see the effects of deep familial bonds.
"...Her mind is troubled," Suiseiseki frowned, glancing over at Suigintou and huffing at the elder doll's harsh glare. "Don't get pouty at me for pointing it out! I'm just saying. It's clear that Kirakishou is still partly connected with your Medium through her bond with Ruby Rose, even if it is not as direct as some of her bonds in the past," namely, Jun. "Are we sure that we should go ahead with this?"
For an instant, Shinku would swear that she had been able to decipher a rather particular vision of concern surrounding Suigintou, a side of her that Shinku herself had only encountered once, during a fleeting moment of introduction between sisters. To find a similar expression occurring in the presence of Suigintou's chosen Master was an intriguing development. However, the look was quick to depart before Shinku could think to question its presence aloud, vanishing in a haze of caustic nonchalance that the Eldest doll seemed determined to etch into her figure.
"So what?" Suigintou denied the prodding with a dismissive wave. "We'll be on the lookout, then. Or, more precisely, you all will be. I'm not coming with you, after all."
Sakurada Jun sighed, the sigh of a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, yet pretended to keep it secure. "...So you're going to go through with it then, Suigintou? You know that she'll be waiting for you, if you go after her. After everything that happened last time, do you really want to risk provoking her?"
Once again, Shinku found herself noticing a strange air about Suigintou as the Eldest doll gazed at Shinku's own Master, one that oddly enough made Shinku herself feel a bewildering urge to direct the doll's attention elsewhere.
The -seiseki twins appeared to have either sensed or felt a similar notion, their postures tensing almost imperceptibly.
"Hmmph!" Suigintou looked away, crossing her arms. "...Who cares what you think. You're just the medium, ningen, don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."
Sakurada Jun merely rolled his eyes, the acidic barb of Suigintou's harsh response bouncing off him without reprieve. In a bizarre similarity to Shinku's own experiences with the 'unwound' alternative adult Jun, Suigintou and the 'wound' Jun had developed an odd manner of conversing now that they both resided in the same building for a prolonged period of time.
With Sakurada Jun's aura now awakened, the Eldest Rozen Maiden would often be found watching the boy from afar, never speaking nor interacting, but always looming like some ghostly spectre. In a rare moment of respect for the doll, Shinku had politely requested the other dolls residing in the Schnee Company mansion leave Suigintou to her musings. Shinku did not wish to impede the already fragile alliance between Suigintou and her Master with questions surrounding Suigintou's inner feelings, whatever they may be.
Even if she privately did not enjoy the way that Suigintou gazed into her Master's eyes. Unlike Suiseiseki, who appeared to level the brunt of her ire towards Suigintou's Master, Shinku found herself rather uncomfortable around the dusky-haired doll instead.
"Your choice," Sakurada Jun shrugged, the notion particularly unbecoming of the civilised gentleman portrayed at the Vale Commemorative Gala weeks ago, and a sign of his comfort around the dolls. "But… we do appreciate it," he spoke again, the words drawing Suigintou's gaze away from her slumbering Master. "Truth be told, there's no exact way of telling what we'll be walking into when we venture into the N-Field. Kirakishou has had a lot of time to herself, after all. Having you distract her, even temporarily, could be exactly what we need in order to make this zany scheme have the slightest chance of succeeding."
Shinku merely smiled at the charismatic young man, amusement twinkling in her eyes amidst other more conflicting emotions as she witnessed the prideful Eldest blushing slightly and looking away. Suiseiseki's reaction was most untoward, the green-clad gardener scowling at Suigintou and tightly clutching Jun's arm.
Souseiseki, ever the stalwart doll, remained distinctly aloof. Shinku, for her part, felt admiration for the younger twin being somehow able to remain calm in such a strange alternate branch of the world.
However, it wasn't the world that was in question, in her mind.
"...Suigintou," something about her tone of voice must have been enough to sombre the mood, as her tone pulled the eyes of multiple dolls instead of just the Eldest. "Do you not find this situation to be… strange?"
Suigintou clocked a brow, "Strange?"
"There is something wrong with this world," Shinku explained slowly as if speaking to Hinaichigo. Jun perked up, a particular frown adorning his face. It was clear he understood what Shinku was speaking about. "Surely you must have been able to tell, yes?"
Suigintou scoffed in distaste, repulsion colouring her words. "That's pretty obvious, Shinku. This world is nothing like any of the other worlds where the Alice Game has taken place. Overrun with monsters, humans having successfully weaponized the soul of all things. It's certainly different compared to the wound or unwound worlds."
Shinku denied the conclusion with a single shake of her head, twin-tail blonde hair shifting slightly from the movement alone.
"No. That is not what I meant, though admittedly your observations are indeed correct. What I am referring to is our height. Do you not find it strange that we are almost as tall as most other humans? Why, we could easily be confused for teenagers."
The white-haired initial Rozen Maiden frowned, glancing away. Most notably, away from their group and in the direction of her slumbering Master, Yang Xiao-Long. The two were practically the same size, easily confused as peers were it not for Suigintou's identifying wings and brash behaviour.
Considering all that the Eldest Rozen Maiden had been through during her long existence, Shinku could only begin to fathom the fleeting feelings travelling across Suigintou's personal N-Field, her reflective world overcome with unsteady development.
There had been a time when, prior to Kirakishou's initial awakening, Shinku would have been surprised that a doll like Suigintou could ever hope to develop something akin to a typical Rozen Maiden and Master contract. Now, having broken bread with the doll and learned to some degree about Suigintou's late Master, did she realise how hard it must have affected her.
This Master, prior to Yang Xiao-Long, had been able to cause Suigintou to develop some manner of attachment unheard of in all of her lifetime. Subsequently, their bond had been stolen away and broken by Kirakishou, who had collected Suigintou's Master the same way she had collected many other Masters for use in her N-Field.
After having fought Kirakishou and learning of her situation, she had come to understand that the Seventh Doll was collecting Masters for use as nourishment for her own powers, which required far more energy than a single Master could generate alone. Suigintou's Master had been nothing more than a statistic to Kirakishou, and yet, the acquisition of Suigintou's Master had broken the white-haired Rozen Maiden in a way that still ebbed to this very day.
Her current Master was a reflection of this pain; another victim of Kirakishou, a comrade in arms. What did the Eldest Rozen Maiden see, when she gazed into the memories of Yang Xiao-Long? What did she find within her dreams? Was that, perhaps, why Suigintou did not wish to journey alongside the other dolls?
Or, perhaps, did she see a comparison between their potential future and her own tragic past?
There were many questions that surrounded her perceptions of Suigintou, the winged Rozen Maiden that earnestly fought for Father's dream of the Alice Game. Many questions, of which Shinku would oftentimes find herself attempting to answer over the hundreds of thousands of hours in which she had spent in combat with the doll.
"...I don't know why we're like this, Shinku, and I don't particularly care," Suigintou huffed and looked away once again, rubbing at her face. When she refocused, there was a glare in her eyes. "How am I supposed to know why a world as broken as this functions the way it does? All the humans could just be smaller, you know."
Shinku discarded the very notion as absurd, an agreement seemingly shared by the other dolls and Jun himself, if the looks on their faces were of any particular indication. It was a weak reprisal, defensive in nature rather than one made in an effort to contradict a statement.
After all, how long it had been since any of the Rozen Maiden had slept in their cases? According to Father's design, they shouldn't have been able to function for a prolonged period of time without consistent proper rest in their cases.
"They're not smaller, nor are they any taller. Even including these faunus that exist in this world, humans still maintain the same height and build as the humans we've encountered in previous worlds. It's us that have changed. Why do you think that is, Suigintou?"
Purposefully directing this question towards Suigintou was a necessity. Suiseiseki and Souseiseki likely had their own theories which Shinku would likely question at a later date. And Jun likely had his own silly opinion for her to ignore or tease him with at her leisure. Instead, Shinku was noticeably invested in hearing what the eldest of their group had to say about the matter.
"...It could be a number of reasons, Shinku. Worlds are like branches to a tree, each with its own unique features for better or for worse. Why should it matter how one branch interprets the Rozen Maiden when compared to other worlds? Our original world, the unwound world with the adult form of your Master, this world, what's the point in comparing them all?"
Ah. She should have expected that the pragmatic doll would choose apathy over introspection. Perhaps, Shinku wondered, she should choose simpler words instead? Though such an approach was likely to merely anger the white-haired Rozen Maiden than it was to actually resolve her miscommunication.
"There were some major differences made apparent between the wound and unwound worlds," Sakurada Jun spoke up, tone thoughtful. Both arguing dolls turned to focus on him, Shinku pleasantly surprised while Suigintou appeared rather abrasive. Sakurada Jun, however, failed to notice either of their reactions and continued along with his train of thought. "Namely, of course, being the effects of choosing either to 'wind' or 'not to wind' when initially presented with the option to enter the Alice Game. And we all witnessed the effects of such a choice."
"...A world without Rozen Maiden," Suiseiseki shivered uncomfortably at the reminder as she muttered to herself, no doubt reminded of the event surrounding the unwound world and her own sacrifice to revive Souseiseki using her own rosa mystica. All of the dolls, in their own way, had witnessed the unwound world, a world quite different from their original lodging.
Souseiseki frowned, "And we can all agree that such a world is not one to be trifled with. We were outsiders in the unwound world, and we are outsiders here. The Alice Game cannot last in this world, regardless of if all Rozen Maiden are present. It was not meant to hold us. And, yet, it has. Seemingly without issue."
And, finally, the other dolls and Sakurada Jun himself had found themselves pulled into the centre of the issue.
"If we are but outsiders dangling on the branch of a tree as you say," Shinku directed her focus upon the Eldest once again, "then do you not find it strange that this world possesses arbitrary rules? Must assume this height, or no entry. Why are we, outsiders, subject to a rule not designed for us?"
"...Well, clearly you have some hypothesis," Suigintou groused, crossing her arms and frowning distastefully. "Well, go on then. Enlighten us."
"I believe the development of our height to not be a rule of the world, but a rule specifically engineered for Rozen Maiden."
There were mutual intakes of breath from the twin gardener dolls, the two having a vested understanding of the implications imposed by her statement. Suiseiseki appeared positively scandalised by the idea while Souseiseki's was more contemplative. Jun, meanwhile, likely could not grasp a full understanding of her words, but had evidently noticed the reactions of the others and appeared to be waiting for an explanation.
"...But that's impossible!" Suigintou denied it immediately, having clearly caught on to her idea alongside the twin gardener dolls. "The Rozen Maiden have never existed here. How can there be rules for a Rozen Maiden?"
"How indeed?" Shinku repeated rhetorically, shaking her head. "It is the only possible explanation for why Kirakishou was able to both survive and thrive in this world following her defeat in the unwound world. Considering what we have been told of her actions in this world, forging a romantic relationship with a human, it is my belief that Kirakishou was also subject to these same rules. Thus, the rules were in place even before she arrived in Remnant."
Suigintou's eyes narrowed in accusation. Nay, in fury. "...You're saying her arrival wasn't an accident? That this was another part of the Alice Game?"
"There is no way to be certain at the current time, but it appears more than likely to be the case," Shinku clarified. She was operating with a limited understanding of the fundamental nature of the world and the current position of the Rozen Maiden. Her thoughts were speculation, but they were not entirely without evidence.
Kirakishou, in her weakened state after the battle with the unwound Sakurada Jun, simply did not possess enough power in order to cause this much damage. Instead, according to the words of Yang Xiao-Long, supported further by Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee, Kirakishou had possessed a body of her own for quite some time. And only after her physical arrival had Ruby Rose shown signs of infatuation and subsequently contracted with the Seven Rozen Maiden.
The Seventh Rozen Maiden had been shunted into this world of Remnant, given a body, and forced into a particular size, all in accordance with a set of rules that were put in place for all Rozen Maiden.
"...But what does all of this mean for us?" Sakurada Jun questioned aloud.
"To put it simply," Shinku voiced her conflicted thoughts, "this world was somehow prepared for an event that it had no possibility of knowing even existed in the first place. As Suigintou said, it is likely nothing more than a branch, one completely different from our own. Similar to the unwound world, the concept of Rozen Maiden does not exist here. And yet, a solution was put in place from the very start, for dealing with Rozen Maiden. It's not possible. Something else is going on in the background. Beyond Kirakishou's meddling."
Suigintou huffed, it was a faint sound. Forced. "...Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't stop me, I don't care. Once we deal with Kirakishou's Master, it'll be of no issue what state the doll is in."
Shinku sighed, that was likely the best she was going to get with Suigintou. "Very well. I suppose we should get back to it, then. Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna should be on their way momentarily. All that is left after that, is to wait for the moment to connect Yang Xiao-Long with Ruby Rose."