A/N: I got quite a few questions about Ruby's Faunus trait in the last chapter, so I suppose I should explain myself. I got a bit too deep into perspective writing, and I believed none of the perspectives in Chapter 1 (Adam, Blake, Ruby) would specifically point out her trait since they've already known about it for quite some time. In retrospect it would have been more realistic to drop a few casual mentions rather than no mentions at all, but I digress. This chapter and this chapter's Extra should hopefully clear up any lingering confusion.
…
Also, Neo's a Faunus in this one too.
It was past midnight by the time Ruby and Rhaast reached the outskirts of the city. They had taken the time to circle around the most heavily guarded outposts, using the cover of darkness and Ruby's own speed to slip past a gap in the city's security. From there, Ruby ditched her White Fang attire among the fields for a plain white shirt and cargo pants to go along with her cloak. Tragically, she couldn't bring along her would-be combat skirt since it wasn't finished yet, and so she was stuck with a set of plainclothes for the foreseeable future. And that included…
Ugh. She really wished she could have gotten away with traversing the city barefoot, but that would be far too conspicuous. Tailor-made boots for her body type were costly and hard to come by for many reasons, and the ones she could secure often fell apart in a matter of days due to her… activities in the White Fang. Terrorisim was costly, and activism didn't exactly pay well.
Forcing the ill-fitting boots on, Ruby ignored any feeling of discomfort that her feet brought her as they clashed with the clearly human design of the shoes, and forged onwards. There was a certain staleness to the air around the concrete jungle that almost made Ruby want to turn right back around and leave the way she came. It wasn't like the city was unfamiliar to her, as she had spent a decent amount of time operating out of here for the Fang. There was just… too much stuff going on in this particular Kingdom that she would never be in the mood to handle. And to be frank, she hated Vale almost as much as she hated Atlas, though for two entirely different reasons.
"I guess we should get this over with. Rhaast?"
"So annoying…" He grumbled as she unclasped him from her back.
A simple flip and toss into the air, and her scythe disappeared in a swirl of rose petals, spinning like a miniature tornado. The cloud of petals slowed as Ruby focused on stabilizing her Semblance, atomizing the weapon down to a handful of petals, which finally clamped around her wrist like a flower bracelet. Which she guessed it technically was, since her petals were the real deal, even if they faded into nothing upon inactivity.
"Why is it that only licensed Hunters get to parade their weapons around in public?" She complained aloud to no one in particular. At the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone trying to mug her. Not that she'd mind beating down a few lowlifes at this time of night.
The entrance she took dumped her off in the middle of the shadier part of the commercial district, just as expected. There were plenty of seedy hotels or just straight up abandoned buildings that she could operate out of for the time being. But first, she needed supplies from one of the Fang's safe houses. Now, where were they again…?
"There should be one near the docks." Rhaast groused, clearly still unhappy with their current arrangement. "Hurry up, Ruby. I grow tired of this inflorescent cage."
Psh. Like he wasn't already trapped within his own weapon in the first place.
"I heard that!"
She hummed to herself as Rhaast's anger faded into the background. They both knew he was just complaining for the sake of it; something to keep them occupied while they traveled through the sleeping city. Anyone still out and about at this time of night knew to mind their own business, which suited her juuust fine. The fewer humans to deal with, the better.
Navigating through the narrow alleys and dimly lit streets in the dead of night, they eventually came upon an old seafood restaurant overseeing the river. The establishment was perfectly legal, of course, but the second floor served as a bit of a refuge for off duty White Fang and the like.
The spy hole jerked open when she knocked on the backdoor, and a grizzled pair of eyes took one look at her legs before opening the door for her. She nodded to the guard as she hurried past, and received a grunt in acknowledgement in return as he returned to his shift. The halls and stairs were as dim as the streets, owing to the fact that only Faunus would be able to comfortably navigate the place with their night vision.
The second floor was likewise shrouded in darkness, containing the kitchen, and a common area complete with a single large dining table, though it was mostly empty at this time of night. A feathered Faunus was perched on one of the chairs, gently snoring as Ruby passed her by. A bathroom and three bedrooms filled out the rest of the floor beyond the kitchen area. Above each door hung a sign with various metal tags, one for each bed, which someone would flip if they were to spend the night in the room in question.
Quickly peering into each room, Ruby saw a few Fang members from other branches, but no Blake. Oh well. She could always begin searching in earnest later.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"We can stop by The Club tomorrow night and dig for information." She replied, flipping a tag on the only completely empty room.
"…Is that so?"
Ignoring him, she crashed down onto a hard, lumpy bed, not even bothering to look for a spare change of clothes in the drawer. Rhaast stayed in bracelet form; she had long since trained herself to keep her Semblance running unconsciously. No one was touching Rhaast. No one.
"Concentrate. Again!"
"I'm trying! It's just a lot harder than you make it out to be…"
"Again."
Ruby took a deep breath, and picked herself up off the bedroom floor. Through a small, single-pane window in the room she could see the sun beginning to set on the horizon, bathing the city in an orange hue. The sound of food being served and orders being taken from the restaurant portion of the safehouse gently pierced through the walls and flooring where she stood, the hustle and bustle masking her own movements above.
Okay, she could do this. Back straight. Aura prepped. Shoulders relaxed and…
Go!
She kicked forward, left hand leading forward as if to brush past a dense fog. A shadowy mix of her and Rhaast's Aura surrounded her as she closed in on the wall in front of her. The wooden surface rippled like a puddle as her arm shot past the wall instead of colliding with it.
The same couldn't be said about the rest of her body. A dull thump echoed throughout the room as her head ungraciously slammed into the wood, leaving another small dent as she was ejected from the shadows and onto the awaiting floor.
"Amateur."
"I'm practicing a magic that no one even knows about, and my only frame of reference is a second-hand account from your memories of Kayn." Ruby complained. "What did you expect?"
"From a weak little girl like yourself? Nothing, really."
Growling in frustration, she stood up, snatching up her Scroll and a few Lien cards from her bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rhaast asked as she made her way to the door.
"Out. We've been at this for literally hours. I need a break."
She also needed to find Blake, sooner rather than later. That way she could spend more time taking down Cinder, something which both she and Rhaast agreed would make her much stronger.
And she needed to be stronger. For the good of all Faunus, for the Fang, and for…
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Rhaast asked for the second time today.
"…No. We get in, find Blake, fight Cinder, and get out. Nothing else to it."
"Really?" Rhaast's voice took on a mocking tone. "No one you're forgetting? Not even a certain someone who might be attending Beacon this year? Who might be somewhere in Vale even as we speak?"
Ruby kept her mouth shut as they exited the restaurant. Knowing that she'd only draw unwanted attention on the main streets, she took to the alleyways and crannies between buildings as they moved about the city.
"I know you didn't forget. You can't hide your thoughts from me, Ruby."
"I'll worry about it when it happens." She responded through grit teeth. "If it happens."
Shaken by their conversation, she didn't notice a toppled pile of trash directly in front of her. She stepped into it with a disgusting squelch, and jumped back in disgust. Some strange pallid goo clung to the bottom of her shoes, desperately clinging on even as she balanced on one foot and tried to shake it off.
"Ugh, gross!"
Yeah, no. She wasn't touching that stuff with her hands.
She made her way over to the riverside, ducking down to a lower sidewalk under a bridge so as to not draw attention. It wasn't ideal, but she knew Vale had its own sewer system outside of the river, which kept the waters rather clean in comparison. At the very least, she could give the city credit for that.
Yanking her boots off, she found the slimy substance slid off quite easily under running water, and after double-checking to make sure nothing else was stuck to them, gave her boots an ineffectual shake in an attempt to dry them off. Well, at least her fur was somewhat waterproof.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Crap. Looks like she was spotted, after all. Turning around, she was met with a trio of humans, all glaring viciously at her. A short, burly man stood at the front, casually tossing a knife between his hands. The other two flanked him a few steps behind, a lanky man wielding a crowbar and a tattooed woman with a metal bat.
"What's a filthy mutt like you doing so far from home? I didn't know dogs could walk by themselves nowadays!" The leader chuckled to himself as if he'd told a hilarious joke.
"At least he didn't mistake you for a fox. Point for accuracy, I—wait, are wolves and dogs the same thing in this world?"
She gave an annoyed sigh. "Can I help you?"
Judging from their attire and paraphernalia alone, she couldn't tell if they were human supremacists, muggers, just plain idiots, or something worse. They were small fry either way, but she needed to know if they deserved Rhaast or not. She had to draw the line somewhere.
"You can help by moving your mangy ass out of our city!" The taller one said.
Human supremacists, then. Bad enough, but dispatching them here wouldn't accomplish anything. Worse, it'd draw more attention to her than she needed. A thorough beatdown should suffice, and she could bank on their pride to maintain anonymity. No one would want to admit they lost a three-on-one against a fourteen year old girl.
"Such weakness will only hold you back, Ruby." Rhaast snarled. "Slaughter them and damn the consequences!"
She winced and growled under her breath as Rhaast invaded her thoughts once more. A small part of her agreed. Worthless trash like them who would never accept people like her were better off dead, stained red with their own blood, no, torn to shreds by her scythe—
She ducked as a clumsy swing from the lanky one's crowbar neared her head, and kicked him back with enough force to dent the wall beside them as the other two charged at her. The stocky man's stab went wide as she twisted to the side, leg coming up to block a strike aimed at her knees. The tattooed woman's eyes bugged out as Ruby's leg hooked around the metal bat, yanking it out of her grip while a palm strike to the man's nose blinded him.
The bat made a loud splash as she chucked it into the river, and the woman lunged forward and attempted to grapple her. Of course, she was much too slow for Ruby, who leapt above her, kicking off of her back with a somersault and landing right in front of their leader. He screamed and lashed out with his knife in an amateurish display, ineffectually swiping the air before Ruby grabbed his arm and twisted the blade out of his hands. Drawing on a bit of Rhaast's strength, she gripped the screaming man by the shoulders and tossed him with an overhead throw towards the woman approaching her from behind. Their bodies collided like ragdolls, sending both of them tumbling into the river. Eh, they'll live.
The first man she struck finally recovered from getting launched into the wall, and his eyes quickly widened with panic when he realized his odds. She stalked up to him, cocking her head expectantly.
"W-Wait! Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry!"
A leg sweep knocked him off his feet, and Ruby drove her knee into his nose as he fell forward, the force of the blow flipping him a full one-eighty onto his back. Cartwheeling over his downed body so she was facing the river instead of the wall, Ruby barely gave the man any time to react before she punted him into the river to join his fellow racists. Someone else could fish them out of the water later.
Having successfully prevented Rhaast from murdering all three of them, she dusted herself off, picked up her boots and made her way back up to the city proper. This time she'd be careful about where she stepped.
"No sassy one-liner to finish them off?" Rhaast asked.
"I figured you wouldn't be in the mood." Ruby replied. "What with the whole 'not murdering everyone in town' approach we're taking."
"Plans can change." Rhaast snorted. "Your methods will only get you so far, Ruby. True strength comes from the slaughter."
She didn't dignify a response, and continued on her way. Though she drew many stares from passersby, no one else accosted them as they delved deeper into the commercial district, away from the river. The biggest, busiest streets in Vale were all single digit numbers, like First Street or Second Street. Meanwhile, the backstreets that Ruby chose to stick to went into the double digits, like the 27th Street she was currently on. As she passed by a small bookstore, Rhaast spoke up.
"Say, isn't Tukson the name of one of the deserters?"
She stopped. "Umm… yeah? What about him?"
"Turn around and look at the name of that bookstore."
"…Tukson's Book Trade? Home to every book under the sun?" She paused to consider it for a moment. "Nah, there's no way they're the same Tukson. Who would name a bookstore after themselves if they were on the run from the Fang? That's just stupid."
"Or they're hiding in plain sight." Rhaast countered.
"Fiiine, might as well check it out. We've still got time before The Club opens, anyways." Ruby relented.
She stepped into the small shop, finding myriad books lining the shelves of the interior. A single counter positioned squarely at the back of the room remained unmanned even as Ruby tentatively stepped forwards. Behind the counter, a set of double doors led to what was presumably a back room, but the owner was nowhere in sight.
She walked up to the counter and gave the service bell a single 'ding'.
"I'll be right there!" A voice rang out from the backroom. Oh.
"What can I say, Ruby? I'm never wrong." Rhaast said with smug satisfaction.
"Welcome to 'Tukson's Book Trade','' the former White Fang member said. "Home to every book under the sun! How may I…"
Tukson trailed off as he stared at her. She stared back in silence, but only for a moment.
"Well, what are the odds?"
As if the end of the silence signified the end of his life, the bookstore owner abruptly made a mad dash for the backroom, scattering the books he was carrying across the floor.
"Tukson, wait!" She shouted, reaching out for him. "I'm not here on business!"
He froze, allowing her to get another word in. "Er, I mean, not here on official business? It doesn't involve you, either way."
She waited patiently as he collected himself. In all honesty, she wasn't surprised by his reaction. With an organization as widespread and multifaceted as the White Fang was, there was no doubt in Ruby's mind that someone could have easily visited Tukson in order to assassinate him for deserting. Not that she was like that, mind you. Weak and cowardly as they were, she would never turn on her own people.
"Not yet, at least."
"What are you doing here, then? Can't imagine you're here to shop." Tukson finally spoke.
"Hey, I like books!" She said, prompting a derisive snort from Rhaast in the background. "I'm, uh, looking for the princess. Have you seen her around lately?"
Tukson eyed her suspiciously. "No. I haven't."
"Oh, what a shame." She shrugged her shoulders lazily and backed away. "I guess we'll have to look elsewhere."
"Ruby, wait." Tukson said, his voice low. "I know you don't give a damn about Belladonna, and I know the White Fang doesn't have any active operations in Vale. What are you actually here for?"
"…Orders from Adam. He wants me to babysit her, so I'm stuck in Vale for the time being."
She made a big show of rolling her eyes exaggeratedly, and watched as he rummaged his hands through his hair, an internal debate sparking in his eyes. Now what kind of juicy information was he about to give up?
"She came by yesterday. Was looking for a place to stay before Beacon started up."
"Oh, okay—wait, what!?"
Ruby was absolutely floored. Beacon Academy? With its stringent background checks and concentration of highly skilled Hunters, ready to arrest any terrorist at a moment's notice? That Beacon?
"How… unexpected. Didn't think she had it in her."
"Surprised me, too." Tukson said. "But she seemed pretty confident that she could get in."
Perhaps Beacon had offered her amnesty or protections? Blake was a bit of a VIP: a very important princess, at least from a certain point of view. Or perhaps the school's securities weren't quite as strict as everyone made it out to be? Either way, this presented quite an opportunity for them. Though that was contingent on Belladonna getting in, in the first place.
"That simplifies things." Ruby said. "Where is she now?"
Tukson shook his head. "Not a clue. Now, I've told you everything I know, so get the hell out of my store."
Ruby snickered. "That eager to get rid of me?"
"You bring nothing but trouble wherever you go, Rose." He growled. "Out. Now."
Ruby made her way to the exit, but not before tossing Tukson a coin and snatching up the closest copy of X-Ray & Vav on her way out. It looked like they were going to Junior's Club after all.
Though, after talking with Tukson, Ruby was feeling much less stressed about the situation. Beacon was starting its new term in a matter of weeks, just shortly after her fifteenth birthday, so she'd only have to keep looking around until then. Once she helped Blake get in, she'd report back to Adam that the princess was 'unfortunately' out of her reach, and then take her sweet time making her way back to their base in Mistral. Stopping Cinder and anyone working with her along the way, of course.
"No room for your dear sister in that busy schedule of yours?"
"No." She said harshly. "Not yet. Not while there's still so much to do."
It was dark again by the time Ruby meandered on over to The Club, in part because she'd stopped by a confectionery on the way to restock on sweets, but mostly because of the way Junior operated. While it wasn't ideal to pay Junior a visit during the establishment's busiest hours, the backroom wasn't exactly open during the daytime. The system was designed for the general populace to act as a smokescreen to hide everyone's movements with anonymity, but Ruby always stuck out like a sore thumb, for better or for worse. What normally wouldn't be a problem among the Fang was now unavoidable, and Ruby was certain she'd see the effects of reintegrating with Vale's underground soon enough.
Rounding the corner to the street the building was located on, Ruby was shocked to see the front of Junior's Club destroyed. Shattered glass and rubble littered the entrance, which had caved in completely from some unknown force. A single henchman stood guard next to it, looking unbelievably bored.
"What happened here?" She asked, walking up to the man.
"Huntress-in-training." He said gruffly, not even bothering to look at her. "Tore up the place last night and got off scot-free thanks to Beacon."
Huh. It seemed like a lot of things were happening in Vale at this time of year. Now the question is, were they all connected? Or just a coincidence? Ruby definitely didn't need a bunch of wannabe Hunters getting in her way during her time here. Hopefully the advent of the school year would solve that.
"Is the backroom still open?"
The henchman took a look at her. Then did a double-take, yanking his red sunglasses off as if it would change the color of her cloak. "I-It's you—"
"Yeah, it's me." She cut him off with the wave of a hand, eager to end the conversation. "Is it open, or not?"
"Y-Yes ma'am! The secret entrance should still be open! S-Shouldn't be a problem for someone like you!"
"Thanks!" She said cheerfully, dashing off before the henchman's legs gave out.
"I must say we did quite a spectacular job here. Just how many years has it been? And our mere appearance still strikes fear in the hearts of the meek. I love it!"
"Ugh, don't remind me." Ruby groaned. "I just hope Junior still likes us. It'll be easier to ask for favors that way."
Despite the demolished state of the club's public functions, the backroom, home to myriad criminal dealings and exchanges, was still operating in full-force. It was structured similarly to the public club, containing a bar and a few booths as well as an open floor, though it was much more compressed given its nature as an auxiliary room.
Ruby spotted gang members, drug dealers, common thieves, and all manner of scum who had eschewed the law mingling about as she slipped in through the secret entrance. She even saw a few White Fang members, no doubt making deals to procure supplies for the Vale branch. Moving deeper into the crowd, her eyes lit up with delight as she noticed a familiar head of hair at the bar.
Partially dipping into the shadows—full traversal was still out of reach for her—she maneuvered through the crowd until her target's back was facing her. Now all that's left is to slowly creep forward and avoid detection…
"This isn't going to work…"
"You don't know that." Ruby whispered. "Maybe she'll get distracted or something. It's going to work!"
She crept closer, but before she could reach her mark, the woman turned around to face her. Pink and brown eyes locked with silver, and before Ruby could react she was suddenly tackled and pulled into a tight hug.
It didn't work.
"Neo! I missed you too!" She gasped for air as her Faunus friend released her, sitting down on the next available bar chair.
Someone else spoke from behind her. "Well, if it isn't Little Red! How long has it been since we last talked? Three years? Four?"
She spun around on her chair to face Roman, Neo's partner in crime. Like Neo, his outfit hadn't changed in the slightest since the last time she had hung out with them.
"Two, actually." She grinned at him. "Slow year?"
"Not in the slightest." His expression darkened for the briefest of moments before he continued. "I can see your presence hasn't been noticed by our little community yet. Mind if I do the honors?"
"Go for it." She shrugged. It was bound to happen sooner or later, so why not let Roman have a little fun?
He grinned at her, before loudly tapping his cane against the floor. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted over the crowd, quickly gathering attention. "I'm pleased to announce that everyone's favorite Faunus is back in town! May I reintroduce the Big Bad Wolf of Vale: Little Red!"
After Roman's proclamation echoed through the backroom, two things happened at once. A raucous cheer rang out from about half of the crowd, repeatedly chanting her nickname Roman had given her over and over again. It was partially drowned out at the same time by a cacophony of terrified screams, as the other half of the crowd frantically tried to cram itself into the singular exit of the backroom, causing a quick stampede that nearly knocked the exit door off of its hinges. When the dust cleared, the remaining half of the room cheered again, descending into chaos one would expect at a rave.
"Not bad, all things considered." Roman said above the roar. "Ninety percent of the people here either wanted you dead or out of town, the last time I checked."
He leaned back against the bar counter lazily, as Neo passed him a drink. "So, Ruby. What brings you back to Vale?"
2 - End
Extras II
White Fang Profile (Part 1)
Name: Ruby Rose
Age: 14 (October 31st)
Current Status: Alive
Rank: Lieutenant
Faunus Type: Wolf
Trait Analysis:
Ruby's Faunus trait gives her the hind legs of a wolf. The trait begins at her knees and covers everything down to her toes, lending to an appearance that is impossible to hide completely without limiting her mobility. Like wolves, her legs are covered with two layers of fur: a long outer layer to regulate moisture, and a shorter layer to regulate temperature.
Higher bone density allows for a stronger skeleton suited for hunting. The extra strength enhances her kicks, striking much harder than that of the average human or Faunus, and when paired with her Semblance, allows her to run circles around most foes.
Her paws have four toes instead of five. Ruby walks and runs almost exclusively on her toes, a behavior shared with her animal counterpart.
The claws on her feet are blunt, intended for gripping onto slippery surfaces like ice. Additionally, the pads of her paws are hard to freeze due to special blood vessels that run through them, making her better suited for operations in Solitas than your average Faunus.
