Ruby
"So this is our room?" I asked Trish, helping Leo set our stuff down near our bed.
"Well, more like it's everyone's room," she replied, setting her luggage under her bed. "Make sure you keep a close eye on your stuff, don't let it out of your sight." Nodding, I turned my attention to the many passengers walking about, trying to find an empty bed.
"Is this how it usually is to travel to Mangerie?"
"Yup, the boats traveling to and from Menagerie are cargo boats repurposed for travel."
"Explains why the bottom of the ship is so huge. Though the sailing company could of at least put some walls or something." Yeah, Leo's right. Even a curtain would have been pleasant. Anything better than just throwing a bunch of beds below the ship and telling us to sleep here. There was no privacy at all—only one massive room filled with beds.
"Hey, at least we managed to snag some beds next to each other." So yeah, we got lucky. I've noticed some families and couples forced to sleep separately. My first thought was why they didn't just move the beds closer. Then I saw the crew had bolted the bed frames to the floor. Most likely to keep them from sliding during trips and crushing someone.
"Can't say I enjoy sleeping with many people I don't know around me," Leo said annoyedly as he lay down.
Trish replied with a sigh. "Gotta agree with you there, big guy."
"Have there been any incidents since you know we have a bunch of males and females in one big room."
"Sadly, there have been. The last time I sailed, a bunch of guys got drunk in the galley, and when they returned, one of them got in a girl's bed, hoping to get some. Fortunately, she was able to push him off with no problem. The bad news was she was traveling with her husband and his four older brothers, who all happen to be strong men." Trish cringed at the memory must have been pretty bad. "Let's just say he's drinking out of a straw now," I listened to Trish as she shared more stories while taking glances at Leo, who grew more irritated by the second. How can I tell? He's fidgeting like a child and glaring at anyone who looks at him. Geez, how is he still bad with crowds? You'd think spending three years in Signal Academy would have fixed his issue, but he's still the same. It's only a matter of time till-
"The hell you looking at!" There it is. I turned towards the person Leo was growling at, prepared to apologize on his behalf as usual. Probably a few years older, a young man stood a few feet away from us. He wore brown padded leather armor with the word PRIME inscribed on the center of the chest piece. A brand popular with huntsmen for being reliable but expensive.
"Sorry about my cranky boyfriend. He's not good with crowds," I say, jabbing Leo on his side. The young man took it as his cue to draw closer and introduce himself.
"No worries. The name's Ryan Sterling. I'm the leader of the huntsmen team hired to protect this boat figured I'd introduce myself to everyone on the boat," He smiled lightly, extending a hand that I shook. Messy blond hair, light green eyes, and a bright smile, a deadly combo that could have almost any girl gushing at his feet. Unfortunately for him, Trish and I were immune to his charms.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ruby Rose. Mr. Moody, over there is Leo, and this over here is my best friend, Trish," Trish smiled and waved while Leo ignored his existence, pretending to sleep. Geez, that guy.
"Ruby and Trish, huh..." He mumbled faintly. I tilted my head slightly, wondering why he mumbled Trish and my name but not Leo's. Did he not hear it? Before I could ask him, he spoke.
"Nice to meet you guys. Before I leave to introduce myself to everyone else, can I ask you something, Ruby?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"I noticed you and your friend Trish have weapons. Do you both have a permit for them?" I frowned. We most certainly do not have permits for our weapons. Back in Patch, if they asked us there, we could show our Signal Academy Id, and those would act as a temporary permit, but those wouldn't fly out here. With everything that's happened these last few days with the fall of Beacon and my sister, I'd completely forgotten to apply for a permit. I'm sure Trish was the same.
"N-no, we don't," I say meekly.
"Ah well, for legal and safety reasons, I will have to confiscate your weapons." I was dumbfounded. I knew he was in the right you needed a permit to carry a weapon that was the law, but I didn't want to give him Crescent Rose. I placed a hand on it, though didn't remove it from its holster on my waist.
"Ruby?" Ryan called
"Y-yeah?" I answered, hoping he'd let it slide.
"Your weapon, please. As well as your friends." He wasn't smiling anymore. He had a much more serious look on his face. Gritting my teeth, I started unlatching Crescent Rose from my waist, though before I could unholster it completely, a hand fell on mine, stopping me. Looking up, I saw Leo looking annoyed.
"She's not giving you anything, asshole," he growled aggressively.
"Sir, It's the law." Ryan wasn't backing down though he seemed slightly shaken by Leo.
"That law only applies in the four kingdoms." He said with a smirk.
"A-ah no, it should still apply even if we are in Menagerie territory." He countered.
"Nope, it doesn't." This time Trish spoke up. "Menagerie is an independent nation with its own set of laws."
"They should have a law for weapon perm-"
"They don't" Trish cut him off with a grin. "I should know. After all, I was born and raised there."
"I'm going to have to talk to the captain about this." He says, stepping back.
"Let me talk to him." It was my turn to step up. "I'm sure the ship's captain wouldn't mind having more people to defend the ship."
"B-but he already hired us!" He raised his voice a bit higher than he wanted to.
"That's fine," I say calmly. "We'll work for free. I'm sure your Captain would love that."
"You're not even licensed, huntsmen!" he stated with irritation in his voice.
"Are you?" I shot back. He looked taken aback by what I said, staying quiet for a few seconds before saying something.
"...O-of course I am!" Why'd he seem so unconfident in saying that? Before I could press him, he turned away from us. "I'll let it slide this time! Just don't cause any trouble!" he said, giving us an annoyed look before leaving. I can't help but stick out my tongue at him. Trish and Leo snickered behind me.
"Think we made a good first impression?" Leo asks with a smirk as we take a seat on the bed. I roll my eyes at him.
"Yes, Leo, we're definitely in his top five," I replied, rolling my eyes at him when he grinned at my sarcasm.
"So what now?" Leo asked, laying back down on the bed.
"How about we check what's on the menu?" Trish answered.
"I'm good with that." Leo agreed, and so did I. Breakfast sounds good right about now.
"Alright, let's go! the cafeteria is this way."
"What about our stuff?" I asked.
"We can bring them with us or leave them here, but someone has to stay behind to guard them if we do."
"Alright, well, guess that's that cya later Ruby me and Trish are gonna go eat!" With a cheerful wave, Leo made his way to walk towards the cafeteria, leaving his super awesome adorable girlfriend behind to starve.
"Hey, you!" I cut him off.
"What's wrong, sweetie pie," he says with a cheesy voice bundled with a cheap smile.
I reached up, pinching both his cheeks and tugging them not so gently. "Don't you sweetie pie me! Why don't you stay behind!"
"Owowowo dath herts Wuby! I wash jush kidding!"
Letting go, I huffed at him. "Darn right, your kidding." Trish laughed at him, rubbing his redded cheeks. "Let's go, Trish."
"What about him?" Trish pointed down at my feet.
"Hm? Oh! Of course, Zwei's coming with us; I bet you're hungry too, aren't you?" The small corgi yipped happily, doing little flips.
Trish sighed. "Alright, but keep him close at all times, okay? No letting him wander off for anything, got it?"
"Okay... Do they not like dogs here?" I asked. The staff hadn't said anything, nor did they state animals are prohibited on the website.
"Well, the staff are all humans, so they don't care, but..." she trailed off, scratching her head.
"The Faunus do?"
"Yeah, well, more so, the cat Faunus are the ones who are more likely to complain." Leo snorted.
"Don't tell me Zwei scares the shit out of them."
"Language, Leo," I reprimanded him, though he waved me off.
"No, Leo, it doesn't scare them; it only makes them feel uncomfortable."
"That's funny." I jabbed Leo again on his side.
"It's not funny at all, Leo." He chuckled, laying back down on the bed.
"How is it not? Trish be honest, if Zwei does scare one of them, will they hiss at him?" I expected Trish to say No and call him dumb for asking something like that, but when she looked away, it made Leo almost burst out in laughter if not for me covering his mouth.
"Leo, be nice" He gave me a thumbs up.
"Alright, I need you to stay close to me, Zwei No wandering off." Zwei barked, walking next to me.
"Good boy." I rewarded his obedience with light scratches around his ears that made him pant happily.
"...Also, ahhhh, try not to do that when there's a dog Faunus near us." I couldn't stop Leo from laughing as I was taken aback by that.
XXXX
Leo
In the end, Ruby left Zwei with me as she left with Trish to get food. The little beast was saddened, but he perked up when I gave him some jerky I had in my pack. The small corgi lay down next to me, nibbling it with joy. I wanted to try to catch some sleep knowing Zwei would wake me if someone he didn't know approached, but I couldn't. Whenever a passenger or staff walked near my bed, going to wherever they needed to go, I felt my body stiffen, and my instincts flared for a sec before dying down, leaving me with a small burst of energy that kept me from falling asleep.
The cause?
Paranoia
Though not because I fear they'll hurt me. I dare one of these bastards to try. No, what I was paranoid of was that they'd hurt Ruby. A task that's on no one's agenda, but my dumbass doesn't want to accept that.
Why am I paranoid someone might hurt Ruby, you might ask. Well, I'm sure you can guess you can why.
It happened so long ago, yet I can clearly remember the events as if they happened yesterday. Ruby was shot in the back by a bullet meant for me.
You should let that go already; your girlfriend has already told you many times she forgives you and that it's not your fault.
The voice caught me off guard when I heard it though I collected myself when I saw who it was. "Hey, Miss Ghost, it's been a while."
Sitting beside my bed was a young woman with fair skin, loose pale platinum hair that stretched down to her back, and ocean-colored eyes exactly like mine. She wore a simple long white sundress with frills at the bottom with white sandals to match.
It certainly has been a while. How have you been?
I grinned at the question. Keeping my voice low so others wouldn't hear, I responded. "Don't give me that. You've read my thoughts just now. I'm sure you took a peek at my memories as well." She flashed me a sly smile.
I might have. What's it to ya, bub?
Chuckling at her poor attempt to imitate Logan's accent, I patted Zwei, who seemed confused as to him I was talking to an empty spot on the bed.
"Aren't you cold wearing that sundress?"
Nope, ghosts don't get cold.
"Lucky I'm freezing my ass off here."
Then you should have put on more layers. The sea is very unforgiving to the unprepared.
"Ruby's dad didn't exactly give us time to prepare for our voyage to the Bahamas."
You could have explained what guys were planning. Instead of, I don't know, punching him.
"Hey, he punched first." I defended. She swatted my leg though her hand only phased through it, leaving only a chill.
How do you expect to be on good terms with her dad at this rate?
I sighed. Miss Ghost was right. If I wanted to get on good terms with Ruby's dad, I needed to start talking with my mouth instead of my fist. The only problem with that is Ruby's dad, and I got off on the wrong foot when we first met and haven't had a single good moment since then. I will need more than words to get on his good side.
"Let's leave it as a work in progress ya?" I said, dropping the subject.
"So what brings you to the world of the living Miss Ghost?"
She pointed at one of the windows, and with a slight grin, she said with delight.
To see the sea, of course.
"Go right ahead. I gotta wait here and guard our stuff."
Alright, be back in a jiff.
With that, she walked off, phasing through crowds of people, and mattresses spread about until, eventually, a wall leading outside.
I didn't bother trying to fall asleep, knowing I'd fight with my paranoia again. Instead, I focused on my aura amplifying my hearing and eavesdropped on people's conversations to pass the time. Most conversations I listened to were about the gloomy weather or how the sea looked ominous today. The other portion was from the so-called huntsmen flirting with their marks. I was amazed at how cheesy some of these lines they used.
"Do you believe in love at first sight- or should I walk by again?" This one was hella cheesy.
"Did you just come out of the oven? Because you're hot." 2nd cheesiest line.
They went on and on, buttering them up with more cheesy lines to the point I felt sick to my stomach. These guys really wanted to get laid, which wouldn't have bothered me if they hadn't marked Ruby. Trish? Eh, she can take care of herself. I'm sure Trish could give them a run for their money since she was employed as a working girl at one point. Ruby had told me she needed money to hire huntsmen to protect her family's homestead in Menagerie from Grimm, which wasn't cheap, and working part-time as a waitress wasn't netting her enough money. So she looked elsewhere and found Lady Edna. Well, more like Lady Edna found Trish. That lady has a sixth sense for finding females in dire need of money. Lady Edna offered Trish a hand, and Trish accepted it. From here, Ruby kept the details vague, not mentioning how old she was or how she performed her uh duties. Only saying Trish wanted out, but Lady Edna was reluctant to let Trish walk wasn't hard to figure out why. Trish was a beauty. She had all the right curves and rack to have guys drooling at her feet—a real money magnet. Ruby explained how she accompanied Trish with Ike as back-up to meet with her boss wanting to convince her to let Trish go or she'd tell the cops.
This genius plan ended as well as anyone expected it to, with Trish and Ruby detained in a basement where Lady Edna would train them properly. Ike got his ass beat and tossed out like garbage. This would have been a real shitty ending for them if Ike hadn't reached out to me for help. I wasn't involved from the start since I had just begun to enter Ruby's life and friend group. The only reason Ike asked me for help was because I ran into him while I was out jogging to clear my head. The guy was a bloody mess from head to toe. It took several minutes for him to tell me what was wrong, but when he did, I told him to call the cops. He refused, saying if he did, Lady Edna would break them before the cops found them. It wasn't that I didn't want to help them. I did want to help, but the question was how? This situation wouldn't be easily solved by me busting them out. Lady Edna is a very spiteful person. She'd no doubt pursue revenge. How'd she get revenge on us wasn't something I wanted to contemplate. I needed a permanent solution. I remember sighing as I stood up from the ground.
Lady Edna needs to retire permanently.
A horrible idea, I know. But I was a dumbass raised in the streets, and the best way to get someone off your back for good was to zero them out. So I told Ike I would-
"Leo!." I jumped, startled by my name being shouted in my ear, dragging me out of my thoughts. I jerked my head to catch who had yelled in my ear to see Ruby grinning from ear to ear.
"Did I scare ya?" I took a few breaths to calm my beating heart before replying.
"No." I lied, looking away, not wanting to see her grin get even broader.
"Surrrrrreeeee, I didn't." I didn't react.
"Awwwww, is the mighty Leo embarrassed he got caught off guard?" Ruby poked my side as she teased me.
"Leave me alone, you bully." She giggled at my reply. I felt the cheap mattress shift as she sat down near me.
"The food was surprisingly pretty good."
"What did you order?"
"Fish kababs."
"Is that even breakfast food?"
"Well, it's about to be noon, so I say it's a decent lunch option." I glanced towards the bed next to ours and noticed something.
"Where's Trish?"
"Getting hit on as usual."
"Damn, already that was fast." I could feel Ruby's eyes on me, knowing what question she wanted me to ask next.
"Ruby, there's quite a decent amount of people here. Are you sure you wanna do it here? I mean, I'm down but are you rea-" I grunted as Ruby jabbed me on the side.
I sighed. "Fine"
"How many guys hit on you?" She smirked and started counting.
"A total of 4 guys hit on me," she chirped. I felt a bit of irritation bubble in me.
"Good for you," I muttered.
"Wanna hear which one I liked the most?" she said as she leaned back, resting on my chest.
"Surrrreeeee, why not." If she describes that asshole huntsman or any of his goombas I swear on Monty I'll bash their skulls inwards.
Ruby tapped her chin and hummed as she thought about how to describe this asshole.
"I talked to him before we ate," I thought back when Ruby left. I didn't see her talk to anyone along the way. Though when she entered the other cafeteria, I lost sight of her.
"He was pretty tall, about tall as you." At least he's not taller than me and would be easier to spot since I was abnormally taller than most.
"Looked strong, had a body of a brawler." I could take him, no doubt. I have yet to meet anyone who can beat me in a fight besides Ruby's dad and her Uncle Qrow.
"Has a mean look, but his personality was easygoing and playful though he needed to work on keeping his language in check." I just needed to know he had a mean look, didn't give a fuck about his personality, or if he has a cursing problem.
"Hmmm, let's see what else, oh! He had beautiful ocean blue eyes!." Before I even realized it, I muttered, "My eyes are better." She chuckled.
"I don't know. We won't know until we compare his eyes to yours." that pushed my irritation to the point I asked without thinking, "What's his name? I'll find him."
"Are you sure you want to meet him?" Ruby asked, tilting her head, revealing a sly grin.
"I am."
"What if his eyes are prettier?"
"Then I'll fix that."
"How?"
"Tell me his name, and I'll show you."
"Alright, but you gotta be nice to him."
"Why would I be nice to him?"
"Because I kind of like him." She said, hiding her expression from me.
He was dead. Whoever this person was needed to get his fucking balls smashed for trying to steal someone else's girl.
"Fine, I'll be NICE. Tell me his name." I lied.
Ruby turned back to me, her expression neutral, yet I could see some tears building in the corner of her eyes.
"Okay, listen up because I'm only going to say his name once." I focused on my hearing, making sure I heard everything perfectly.
"His name is... let's see what was his name again? AH! That's right, his name was..." she shifted her body to lay down next to me and whispered in my ear. "Leonardo Rios."
Then she laughed and laughed.