RWBY: First Contact!

by Captaindrake123

First contact, the long dreamed of moment when humanity discovers it's not alone in the universe. Well its here, but its not as glamorous as everyone thought it would be. Instead, a sixteen year old boy is ripped from his home by an unknown occurrence, forced to fight, adapt, and learn to survive. "If there's a way here, there's a way back! I'll find my way home no matter what!"

3. Chapter 3 A Day Out on the Town

Chapter 3: A Day out on the Town

The town felt both familiar and alien, it held anything a normal town would: Buildings, cars, light posts, traffic lights, stores, and anything else you could think of to describe a town.

And yet it didn't. I see crazy-looking weapon advertisements casually posted on windows of magazine stores, flags I don't recognize, and among the crowds of people, there were some animal ears on top of their heads.

The closest I could compare this feeling to would be that of being in a foreign country, where the culture and people, to you, are strange and different, but to everyone else, it is just another daily thing in their lives.

Like those kids who looked like their armed and ready for a fight, but are just talking casually and eating at a nearby ice cream shop. No one spares a single glance except for me.

'What the fuck…' I thought to myself as I nervously glanced at them at the corner of my vision, one of them has nunchucks. Nunchucks!

"-and there´s my favorite dust shop!" I hear ahead of me, and looked to see the short girl with a red cape pointing to said shop, glowing powdery substances on display at the window.

'Dust: Remnant's main resource, used in the making of its machines and the electricity that powers homes'

'That is so fucking weird…' I thought to myself, just numbly nodding to Ruby, and then rubbing my forehead at the slight headache.

It's been around twenty minutes since we left the park, and Ruby has been showing me around the area. To which I find myself not minding at all, as I felt so out of place here.

The sudden bursts of knowledge, while technically helping, are also not helping my emotional state. With all of these strange things happening, I'm surprised I'm not having a mental breakdown...

Actually, I think the reason I'm not having one now is because I have already had one last night screaming at a shattered moon-which, I'm still wondering how it ended up in that state in the first place.

"So uh…" I paused from my musings to look at the red-hooded girl slowing down to walk beside me "You've...never been to Patch before?" She asked nervously, twiddling her thumbs.

"Uh...no, I just got here" In a flash of white light, that is "I'm from...pretty far away, and I didn't really expect to find myself here" Who expects to be sent to another planet?

She nodded, laughing nervously "I think I get it, new place, right?"

"Yeah…" That place being an entirely new fucking world.

.

.

.

This is awkward.

I'm not really sure what to do, I mean, I know she doesn't want to be alone or anything, but I'm not exactly the best of company. I rarely talk to people outside of my family, not because I'm shy or a shut-in, but because I genuinely don't care.

I'm a loner, I hate people, they suck. If they don't wanna be with me, why the hell would I wanna be with them?

She literally picked the most anti-social person, not that she had a lot of options in the first place.

"Well...uh...so do you like it so far?" Ruby asked, to which I raised my eyebrow "Patch!" She explained suddenly "Do you like Patch?"

I paused for a moment, unpleasant scenes popping up in my head "Its…"

"Kill the human scum!"

"There is nowhere to run human!"

I cringed at the memory of being shot at "...peachy" I finally settled on, to which she frowned in uncertainty. I don't imagine my answer did her any favors.

"Oh...uh...okay?"

.

.

.

Only two anti-socials could suck this bad at socializing.

We stopped in front of some large building with at least three floors, I see the label 'Patch's Main Library' over the large door "Uh...here it is!" She made a grand gesture "The library! Filled with paper and boredom!" She nervously joked.

I actually chuckled a bit at it, to which she seemed happy for. I didn't laugh because it was funny, but the attempt at casually making a joke calmed me a bit.

"Thanks, it could´ve taken me hours to find this by myself" I thanked sincerely. Considering how I've been staring or gawking at the things around me, it really might have taken me hours to find this place.

"W-Well... you're welcome!" She smiled widely at me after stuttering for a moment "Glad to help!"

.

.

.

We both just awkwardly stood in place, a woman with a baby carriage walked by us and the baby in said carriage laughed at whatever it thought was funny, its voice and the sound of the rolling wheels on the carriage faded as they got further away.

"Um...so, yeah…" Ruby´s face scrunched up a bit "Here you go...I'll uh...you need any help?" She asked in uncertainty.

"Um...no, I can probably just ask the librarian" I said with a shrug, glancing to the side, just as awkward as her.

"Right! Right…" The red hooded girl looked down trodden, almost…depressed "Uh...I guess I´ll see you around then?"

"Uh, yeah…" I nodded hesitantly, unsure of what else to say "See you around"

I began walking towards the door, reaching for the handle…

Then stopped.

My face scrunched up '...ugh, come on Drake! I don't care HOW anti-social you are! That was fucking pathetic!' I shouted at myself in my head, glaring at the floor.

I chose to let her show me to the library, I chose to keep her company, and I've been really shitty company. She just got dumped by those bitches she once called friends, I know exactly what that's like, and here I am doing nothing but acting like an awkward teenager!

I'm frustrated with myself. But if I'm being honest with myself, I don't know what to do. She's an alien, I don't know anything about the culture or background here and could insult her unintentionally... but I'm certainlynot helping her by doing nothing.

The library is just in front of me though, I'm in a place I know nothing about-hell, I nearly died last night and I still don't know why, who knows what else this world has in store for me. Am I really gonna risk my well-being by trying to help a girl I don't even know?

I took one glance behind me and see the back of the girl with a red cape, a hood drawn over head, her body language very telling and open that she's unsure of what to do now.

'You know what that´s like, and no one was there for you, are you gonna let her do it alone too?'

I'm not looking forward to more of that awkwardness, but it'd be pretty shitty of me to just leave her like this. I can do better than this.

First contact, that's what this is, and I am failing miserably at it.

Lowering my hand from the handle, I sighed to myself at what I was about to do. My conscience won out over self-preservation, and I turned around and walked up to her "Ruby"

She jerked her head to me in surprise "Oh-um...yes?" She asked, surprised to see me in front of her.

I paused, thinking about what to say, on what I could do. Glancing at the street, I don't recognize anything about it, she knows this place better than me "You mind... showing me around Patch? Like, a full tour?" I asked while gesturing to the town itself.

Pausing, Ruby looked up at me in confusion "D-Don't you need the library?"

Waving it off, I spoke again "I can check it out later" I hesitate, wondering if she had other obligations she had today "But if you don't have the time-"

"Okay!" She said quickly, getting right in front of me right as I blinked. Her smile was huge at first, but then she coughed to herself in embarrassment "I...uh, I mean I... have a lot of free time right now" She said the last part quietly.

'After having it cleared up with what happened at the park earlier', was left unspoken. 'Take her mind off it' I try to think of another topic quickly"Well, you know about any fun spots around here?" I asked, genuinely curious "Like an arcade... or maybe a comic book store if there's one around here?"

I don't know what I said that did it, but she suddenly went from sullen to a huge toothy smile, her eyes were practically sparkling.

---

"Hi Azure!" Ruby greeted the man at the register as we walked through the entrance, I looked around curiously at the unfamiliar covers all around me.

Nothing familiar, no DC or Marvel. Shelves and displays full of another world's stories of superheroes.

The guy at the counter looked up from a comic he was reading, and from what I can see its called 'Phantom Soul: A hero's journey', he had blue hair-which fucking baffled me with how natural it looked- and light blue eyes "Oh, hey Ruby¨ He greeted casually "What are you looking for today?"

"Just showing someone around, he just came to Patch!" She chirped.

She's a regular here, it's official. I have found a girl that likes comic books.

One in a million...'Or is that the norm here?'

Now that thought had me mentally reeling for a moment.

Looking around again, I glanced at the completely unfamiliar covers "...I have no idea where to start" I admitted bluntly.

Ruby blinked owlishly, turning to me "But- I thought you said you like comic books?"

"I do" I confirmed, inspecting one of the covers again before turning to her "But I've never seen these ones... got any recommendations?"

Ruby paused, glancing around the store. Suddenly she sped over to the corner of the place 'Holy shit she is fast…' I already knew that, but it was still unbelievable.

I mean, wow, she is fast.

And just as fast as she sped away, she came back in a flash ('lol'), holding up a comic with a familiar image, one I saw just a minute ago.

A superhero with a black hood, casting a thick shadow over his face. This was the same guy on the cover of the comic that clerk was reading "Phantom Soul, issue twenty-one! It's about a teenage superhero going on a crusade to save all of Vale's people! He's my favorite!¨

He certainly looks cool. Kinda like Batman…

Grabbing the comic, I nodded to her in interest "It looks good, I think I'll like it" I said honestly, inspecting the back for the summary.

"You really never heard of him?" She asked in confusion "Most comic book lovers like him, it's been picking up in popularity"

I shook my head "Uh...I'm from really far away, we didn't really have a lot of comics, unfortunately, but I read what I could find" I smiled distantly "My dad and I always watched superhero movies…"

'Calm down' I told myself 'You'll get back'

I have to believe that.

"Really?" She smiled, looking very interested "What kind of heroes do you like?"

It kind of felt weird to have that much interest taken in me, but I answered without much fuss "The ones without superpowers"

Ruby blinked in surprise "Really? Why?" She asked in confusion.

"Well…" I hesitated, thinking of how to answer "...they're more relatable, I guess" I started "They're ordinary people, no powers or magic, and still rise up to be a hero, whether through just hard work or ingenuity, it really shows that even regular people can do something heroic"

Looking at Ruby for her response, she seemed surprised. She took a moment to herself, and then nodded "Yeah, I think I get it" She smiled, and then pointed to the comic in my hand "Phantom Soul doesn't have any powers"

I gave a small smile in return "I might like him then, you want anything yourself?"

"Nope!" Ruby rushed to the counter "Come on! Pay! I got other places to show you!" She said excitedly.

"And this is the Patch Delight!" She gestured to the restaurant in front of us with a huge smile, it seemed like any other typical one, bold letters of the restaurant name on top of the building, windows showing large booths and people eating in them.

My eyes stopped on a sign on a nearby window that said "Help Wanted!"

Already found a place to apply for a job at, good. I'm gonna have to look up the laws of employment and the minimum wage, but I'll check back here "Looks like it's busy" I commented.

"Yeah! A lot of people from Signal come here" Ruby explained.

'Signal: An academy that teaches young huntsmen and huntresses-in-training from twelve to sixteen years of age'

I shuddered a little but suppressed most of it.

Fuck, I'm not gonna get used to that.

'Still don't know what a huntsman is... but I'm guessing it's a combat profession. A soldier?' I thought to myself, seeing some people around my age in the restaurant with weapons on their sides 'Child soldiers?'

The thought disgusts me, but I try not to let it take over my judgement 'I don't know what kind of situation this planet is in, I shouldn't judge them on what little I know'

Pushing that thought aside, I went to a comparatively tamer topic. 'They are much more lax about weapons here it seems. Are they not worried someone might start something?' I doubt that even people from Texas would be this lax about personal weaponry.

"Well…" Hearing Ruby's voice, I listened "I actually come here a lot myself along with-..." Ruby suddenly went quiet.

'Huh?' I glanced at her in concern, her mouth was contorting to a frown and she had a sad look in her eyes 'Why did she-oh, of course she means she hung out with her friends here!' I mentally facepalm.

Thinking quickly on what to do, I pointed my thumb to the door "Wanna get something to go? My treat" I offered as I stepped forward, opening up the door for her politely.

She snapped out of her trance, waving her arms around "Y-You don't have to…"

"It's fine" I reassured "You're showing me around, its the least I can do...just don't get anything too expensive" Gotta think about saving money, still not entirely sure how currency works or how much I have from that wallet I got.

"...okay, if you insist" She walked through the door, glancing at me in uncertainty.

I held the door open, seeing an old lady with a walking cane slowly walking out of the restaurant "Oh! Thank you young man" She said gratefully, looking to me.

I nodded to her with a polite smile "Your welcome mam" Letting her walk by me, and after a few moments of her slow walk clearing her from the entrance, I walked through the door myself.

Coming in, I stopped to notice Ruby staring at me a little, and when she discerned that I noticed she gave a small smile.

"...what?" I asked in confusion.

"That was nice" She said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow "It's just holding a door, it's common courtesy-where I'm from" I quickly added, I got to remember that I'm on a different planet.

Ruby just nodded, looking a little happy for some reason.

'Is opening a door for someone a huge kindness here?...no, that sounds ridiculous, she just probably thinks I'm polite' Part of me is seriously starting to regret not going to the library.

It's so confusing, everything feels different yet familiar. Not the kind of familiar as in 'I know this place', but I know what type of place it is, how people are. Its a town. It doesn't feel much different from walking around people back home, yet when I take a closer look it is strange to me.

I can easily get caught up in just acting normally, but then I remember that I am not in a normal place. That's dangerous, if Star Trek has taught me anything, its that other cultures have different standards.

...what if they have death spots?

'I don't want to be Wesley Crusher!' I mentally panic.

I feel poking at my arm "Drake? You okay?" I hear Ruby ask, snapping me out of my trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I said plainly to the shorter girl, but on the inside I'm completely freaking out. Even as one of the employees led us to a table to wait for someone to take our order, I can't help the internal turmoil my mind is going through.

Glancing at Ruby, I see her nervous expression too, shuffling her feet with her eyes staring at the floor.

.

.

.

No, this won't do.

'You're fine, calm down, you can't help her if you're freaking out' Deep breath, hold five seconds...release "So" She looked up at me when I spoke, I gesture to one of the menus "What do you want?"

---

Mental note: Hot dogs and French fries are a thing here too.

Taking a few fries, I threw them into my mouth and savored the taste. I didn´t notice that I was hungry earlier, probably because of the constant paranoia.

Ruby nibbled on a burger in her hands as we walked down the sidewalk ¨Anfwish iz the arfade¨ She got out through her chewing. I´m gonna guess she´s showing me an arcade since she´s gesturing to the building with arcade games through the windows.

Mental note: Arcade games are a thing here too.

"Yow fwanna gfo prway?" I hear Ruby ask as she turned to me, I take a step back to avoid her spit's line of fire.

"Please swallow your food, your spitting" I chastise lightly "I don't wanna see the inside of your mouth either"

Her eyes widened a little before swallowing, and then realised she did it too fast while pumping her chest. I just stared at the display as she continued to choke for a moment…

I offered my soda next to her face, something called 'Schnee-Cola' with the name printed on the side of the cup, she immediately grabbed it and slammed the beverage with loud slurping of the straw.

"...guh!" She breathed a sigh of relief, and I just chuckled. Hearing my amusement, she sent a small glare my way "What are you laughing at!?"

"You" I stated easily, she pouted at me while slugging me in the arm, which was weak.

It felt good to laugh, it was a bit relieving.

"Not funny…" She flushed, looking up at me with an annoyed glare.

"Sorry" I apologize insincerely with a small smirk, to which she only pouted again "What were you saying earlier?"

Previous embarrassment forgotten, she perked up and pointed to the arcade "Wanna go play? I know the best games here!"

'Arcade games huh?' "Sounds like fun" I said honestly, it really does. Who doesn't like mindless video games from time to time?

I think we both need a little mindlessness right now, which is probably the idea.

She quickly ran to the door, and she opened it for me with an amused smile "After you" She offered with a jokingly overly polite smile.

Raising an eyebrow at the action, I gave a small smirk and decided humor her "Why, thank you young lady" I returned in a dramatic voice while walking through the held open door, she giggled a little while walking through herself.

Walking up to a coin machine, Ruby paid some Lien for hers, I discretely paid extra attention on what she put in. I think the lien currency they use is based on different colors on the plastic cards if what I saw back at the restaurant and Ruby's payment is anything to go by.

I mimicked her actions, taking the same amount she did. With some coins to use, Ruby tugged my sleeve and pointed over to the side "There's the shooting game!"

Walking with her, I stand in front of the machine as Ruby began putting coins in. I examined the cover of the machine, giant black monsters with strange bone armor marked it 'Interesting design'

'GRIMM HUNTIN' is what it says its name is at the top in bold capital letters. Suddenly feeling an object being put in my hands, I looked down to see the fake gun attached to the machine "C'mon! Whoever gets the most Grimm gets the other's tickets!" Ruby challenged cockily.

"Alright…" I smirked, I'm pretty good at these games. Putting up the fake rifle, I aim at the screen "Don't complain if you lose"

"I won't"

'You won't complain or you won't lose?'

Once the game started, I started firing at the strange black creatures on the screen. I've used BB guns before, and I shoot pretty well with them. Compare this to that, its nothing.

But the moment I look at Ruby´s side of the screen, I am completely surprised. She is blowing it away! She is pretty far ahead of me, and the gap between our scores is only growing longer. I'm not doing bad, but I need to pick up the pace.

And before I knew it, I lost "Ha!" Ruby cheered with a satisfied smile as the game ended, saying 'Player 1 Wins!' "I win!"

"Damn…" I mutter, just looking at the score, and felt a little inferior.

"Swear!"

"Don't care" I said, turning to her "You must come here a lot…"

"Well, every now and then" She shrugs noncommittedly, collecting the tickets on the floor, which was a pretty good amount considering her score "I mean, compared to the real thing, this is child's play"

'Real thing?' I remember the weapons I saw earlier on those teenagers "You own a rifle?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Suddenly she got a huge smile on her face, a gleam in her eyes that seemed very familiar to me, the passion in it "Yeah! Her name's Crescent Rose and-" She suddenly stopped, a nervous frown settled on her face "Uh, yeah, its a sniper rifle...yeah" Her voice got quieter as she finished.

I blinked owlishly, unsure of why she was suddenly going quiet. Although it is a bit concerning she owns a sniper rifle, I can only assume its normal on this planet considering all the weapons I saw earlier on other teenagers.

"Oh, that's pretty cool...what ammunition does it use?"

"Eh?"

She looks surprised at the question "What ammo do you use?" I ask again ¨Three-o-eight? Forty-five? Or even point fifty caliber rounds?"

Wait, they could have a completely different measuring system-

"F-Fifty!" She quickly answered, her face relaxing "It's a custom-made anti-material rifle, its also a scythe!"

'What?' "A scythe?" I asked in bafflement 'Did I mishear…?'

"Uh-yeah! I know its a bit weird to have such a large weapon for someone my size, but I´m really good with it!" She rubbed the back of her sheepishly.

'That's not what I meant...so she has a scythe and a sniper rifle in one? That sounds…' "That sounds like a cool weapon"

"I know right!?" Ruby smiled brightly again, I just nodded to her. That sounded awesome! 'But how would that work?' I tried to imagine the mechanics involved in order for a scythe to be effective on a rifle.

Suddenly whipping out one of those weird phones I saw earlier, the hologram display activated. I just stared at the hologram itself in awe for a moment before focusing on the picture "I made her myself!"

The picture was one of a workshop table with tools scattered around, and at the center of attention was a giant red scythe with mechanical workings and a clear gun barrel and ammo slot, in fact, the cartridge is laying right next to it with a strangely familiar snowflake symbol.

"She's a beauty…" I was awed, even an amateur at guns like myself can easily tell that it was well made. I can see the clear scratches from use, but the blade and barrel are clean and well-maintained.

The mechanical parts caught my eye the most, attached to the scythe blade and with the barrel just above it, I can see the parts where it moved, and from what I could tell it looks like the scythe blade folds in it on itself, making it more compact.

'What kind of weapons does this place have?' This would be hell to maintain long-term…

"Yep! She's my baby…" She cooed over what was apparently her creation, a sense of pride in her voice that I could easily respect.

I then stopped "Wait...you made that?" I asked in surprise as the realization settled in my head.

"Yep!" She chirped, closing her scroll and tucking it away "All students from Signal create their own weapons, its a right of passage for a huntress!"

'Ah...another thing I don´t know about…'

"What´s yours?" She asked curiously.

"...huh?" I questioned.

"Your weapon!"

"...I don't have one" Well, not technically true, I do have my knives, but I didn't make them "Uh...I'm not training to be a huntsman" I went with that, its the truth. I don't even know what they are.

She looked surprised "O-Oh...sorry, I assumed" Ruby rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"No-uh, it's fine" I reassured 'There isn't like a…"class" system here, is there?' I really hope not, because for all I know huntsmen are at the top and its a punishment by death for a lower class to talk to them.

But she doesn't seem that worried about it, so I think I can safely rule that out 'My mind keeps coming up with this stuff, I need to calm down'

"Well, I don't know how to make a gun" I might know how to make bullets-or at least the powder that's in them, and I'm sure I could build a gun with some time and trial and error, but I've never done it before "but I do a lot of chemical experiments" I try to move the conversation along.

This time she looks up at me and tilts her head in confusion "...chemicals?"

Baffled at her confusion, I try to elaborate "Um...you know, I mix different materials together and see what happens" Surely an advanced society would have a concept of chemistry, or something similar. The ground is made of concrete, which is achieved via chemical reactions. Cement powder mixed with water and aggregates-er, rocks.

"...oh!" She said in realization, cutely pumping her fist into her open palm "You mix dust!"

'...huh?' That's the energy source of this planet...Remnant. I don't think I fully realized it at the time, but that sudden information gave me this planet's name.

Remnant: a piece of something left behind, or what remains of something.

But while I idly noted the name of this planet, I stared at the girl incredulously.

"That's pretty cool! Although a bit dangerous-"

"Wait" I raise my hand to stop her before she can continue "No, that´s not what I meant, I'm talking about Chemistry"

"...Chemistry?" She tilts her head in confusion.

'Seriously!?' The very ground she walks on is based on that science. Her internal bodily functions have a base on it. She eats, which means her stomach needs to break down the food and turn into energy via acids, and chemically transfer it throughout her body.

'Maybe they have a different name for it' "You...mix different materials together, heat them up, cool them, and mix them so their not the same as before" I explain "You turn what your are given into something else"

Her face scrunches up more in confusion "...I'm not-"

"Excuse me!" I jolt my head behind me, some other guy points to the machine "You two gonna move?"

"Oh! Uh, sorry!" Ruby apologized, and I followed. We both moved away, and I heard grumbling something about "stupid teenagers", I ignore it and just walk along with Ruby.

"...so, yeah, I don't really get it' She said, scratching the top of her head "What do you mean? What do you mix together without dust?"

'Is this "Dust" thing really that important around here?' I thought to myself, I take a moment to think on how to explain "...do you bake?"

"Oh, yeah! Sometimes!"

"There's a chemical reaction right there" I said simply, she looked to me to explain "Flower, butter, all that stuff-you put them together, heat it up, and it changes to a delicious pastry, right? It's like that, only it's more broad and has other uses too"

Ruby pauses, nodding to herself "Yeah, I think I get it...so you use cooking supplies to make other things?"

.

.

.

I just stare at her after a few moments of silence "...no" Rubbing my face, I feel my lecture mode coming on "You know what? How about I show you?" I shrug off my backpack.

"Show me…?"

I have a small secure box with some chemicals that I was going to use for an experiment on the camping trip. Nothing that would harm the environment, but it could've started a small fire if I'm not careful, but I always take precautions.

Although I should feel lucky it didn't break during that whole debacle with those animal people, I chalk that up to the extra padding I put in them.

Taking out a box along with a petri dish, I take the small vials labeled 'P.P' and 'G', Ruby pays close attention "This" I shake the 'P.P.' "is Potassium Permanganate" I shake the other "and this is Glycerin"

I put them together in the Petri dish in small amounts "Watch them react"

The droplets and crystals of the chemicals mixed together for a few moments… and then burst into a purple flame!

"Whoa!" Ruby said in awe, her mouth hanging a little as she was taking a closer look at it "So cool!"

'Isn't it?' I think to myself, I always thought this sort of stuff was cool.

"When these two fully mix together, they break each other down and make heat and gas, turning it into a purple flame" I explained. There was more to it than that, the different elements in the ingredients combining, but that is the simple version.

She was still looking at it in awe, eyes curious as she watches the purple flame dance "Cool~!"

"Hey!" I hear someone call, I look over my shoulder, and seeing a blonde man with a 'manager' tag attached to his shirt "What are you doing in here!?" His eyes widen towards the flame in my hands "A fire!?"

'...crap!'

Ruby looked between me and the manager, dropped the tickets, and then suddenly grabbed my hand 'Wha-' "RUN!" And there was a blur of red filling my vision.

"Hey! Get back-w-AH!" I briefly see the manager fall on his ass in a puddle of spilled soda before the redness fully took over my sight.

---

I found myself blinking in astonishment as I leaned against a wall, and Ruby was panting from her running.

'So that's what it's like to go at super speeds…' I feel like I wanna hurl "Ugh…" I hold my stomach from the pain, my inners were upset and the feeling of nausea is taking a while to dissipate.

Looking over to Ruby, I see her looking back…

"Hehe…" She giggled, her eyes filled with mirth.

"...hehe" I found myself chuckling, apparently sharing the amusement with her.

Or is it relief?

"Sorry…" I found myself saying "My bad" I felt kinda guilty for getting us into trouble like that. I really need to watch what I do.

Normally I wouldn't do that, at least not in a public place like an arcade, the stress of all this must be getting to me.

"It's fine" She giggled a bit more "...the way he tripped as he tried to chase us!"

"He slipped on some soda" I shook my head, feeling a tiny curl of my lips going upward.

Looking around the area to get a feel for where we are, I stood still at the sight of the broken water tower nearby 'Oh no…'

"Hey" I tensed up at Ruby´s voice, I take a glance to see her looking in the same direction as me "What's that?"

I quickly calm myself, taking a glance at her again and looking back at the scene, pretending to look bewildered as I raised an eyebrow at the sight "It looks like a water tower fell…" I said evenly.

"That explains the water everywhere" Ruby said, looking at the puddles littered across the sidewalk and road, tapping one of them with the tip of her foot "Weird, whenever I came by it never looked like it would fall…"

No comment.

"Wanna go check it out?" Ruby asked, looking at me hopefully.

I frowned in uncertainty, I can't just flat-out deny her. That's suspicious, and I really don't need suspicion right now.

I should feel lucky I can blend in so easily on a different planet.

"Sure" I agreed "But we should keep our distance, wouldn't want to get in their way" It was a reasonable compromise.

"Got it!" She began jogging over, and I followed. I feel a bit nervous, they say that the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.

Am I a criminal? No, but I certainly feel like one.

Slowing down as we approached, Ruby looked around the area "Whoa...is that blood?" She asked in concern, and I take a look in her direction.

Dried-up blood laid near the water tower's side.

'Did I kill the guy…?' My chest feels tight. Sure, I wanted to stop him... but I didn't want to kill anyone.

I did drop a water tower on the man...but he was something of a superhuman, right? And even so, he tried to kill me...I dunno how I should feel about it.

"Hey!" We both tense up at the voice of a police officer, and I feel my inner turmoil being pushed to the side in favor of paying attention to him "What are you kids doing here?"

Ruby waved her hands about nervously "Ah-sorry officer! We were wondering what happened here"

"So does everyone else" He sighed, and then paused, staring at the red-caped girl beside me "Wait a second...your Taiyang's daughter!" he pointed to her.

I blinked 'Taiyang? Is he important?'

Am I with the daughter of some important figure on this world!?

"You know my dad?" I broke out of my thoughts at Ruby´s surprised voice.

He nodded with a small nostalgic smile "Yeah! Taiyang's helped a few times on some of my cases, I consider him a friend" He held out his hand to her "The name's Morado Teal, Chief Police officer"

Ruby smiled, shaking his hand "Ruby Rose!"

He smiled politely ¨Well miss Rose, it seems like your father raised a nice young lady¨ Her face flushed in embarrassment at the praise ¨You might not know this, but I met you as a baby¨

I only stood to the side awkwardly, politely keeping out of the conversation. It's unnerving to be so close to a police officer, not because I distrust the police, but because I have no idea how the law works here.

I have no idea what their standards are, the ethics involved in their society, or their personal beliefs, and thus I have no idea how the law would judge me.

"And who's this?" I'm snapped out of my thoughts from having his teal blue eyes on me "Your boyfriend?" He gives a small teasing smile.

Ruby´s face immediately grew red and waved her hands about in denial "N-No! No way! We're not like that!"

The Chief lets out a hiss in sympathy "Oh, that's cold"

She seems to freeze up, and then turns to me "Not that there's anything wrong with you! She tried to reassure me.

I raised an eyebrow at her "I didn't think there was…?"

He's obviously messing with us.

"He's just someone I'm showing around, he's new to Patch!" Ruby chirped.

The Chief´s eyes narrowed at me "...really?" His eyes narrowed as he looked up and down at me.

'Why do I feel like I'm being examined?' I'm a bit more self-conscious about the scrape on my leg.

"When did you get here?" He asked curiously, but I could see the suspicious gleam in his eye.

So I didn't change my stance, I didn't react. I looked him in the eye, to show I had nothing to hide, but only so blatant enough that I was showing respect to a police chief.

"Yeah, just came here yesterday actually" That was true, it's important to use the truth as much as possible.

"I see" He put out his hand for me, I gripped it "Nice grip, I hope you enjoy your time here"

"It seems like a nice place" 'Aside from the trigger-happy animal people, it actually does' But I wouldn't wanna live here.

But I might just have to, at least until I find a way home.

"By the way, your leg okay?" He asked out of nowhere, and I felt more self-conscious, aware of how my heartbeat was picking up a bit of speed.

Ruby glanced down at my leg bandaged leg "Whoa-I didn't notice, are you alright?"

'Figured he'd ask...stick to the truth as much as possible' There's no way I could bald-faced lie to a trained Chief police officer, so I'll only leave out some information, and let him come to his own conclusions.

"Well, last night I did have a bad run-in with a maniac" I scratched the back of my head, and suddenly the two of them are both really interested "He was crazy, kept chasing me and calling me 'human scum', I managed to get away but not without getting a nick in the leg"

The Chief stepped forward, concern written all over his face "You were assaulted? Why didn't you call the police?"

"I didn't have anything on me to call them with, still don't actually" This is true, after all my phone doesn't have a signal, it doesn't work on whatever network they use "I was planning on visiting the police station later to report it, but at the time I was just glad that I got away"

"Did you get a good look at his face?" He asked seriously, his eyes seemed worried but not over me.

"No" I shook my head, it was true, and trying to convey that by looking him in the eye "He had a mask on...I think he was one of those White Fang guys, he wore black and white along with a red tiger symbol on his outfit"

"I see…" The Chief had a troubled expression, his brows furrowed as his face scrunched up, like he was thinking hard about something "Where did this happen?"

"...I think it was around here actually" I said, pretending to be glancing around to confirm it "Yeah, it was, but it was before whatever happened with that tower" Technically true. I did get cut before the tower fell.

Like, a minute before the tower fell, but still before.

"That's very troubling" He muttered to himself, glancing over his shoulder "Thank you for sharing this, although you should immediately report such things to the police station, I understand that its difficult to recall such a thing¨

I nodded slowly "Thank you officer"

"I should go then" The Chief turned around, walking towards the other investigators by the police cars "You kids stay clear from here, and stay safe!" He yelled to us as he walked away, looking to be in a bit of a hurry.

'Phew...nailed it…' I think to myself in relief, he seemed to buy it all. I really need to be more careful though.

"You were assaulted?" I tense a little at Ruby's voice, I turned to her and see she's wide-eyed in concern "Why didn't you tell me that!?"

"...why would I wanna talk about that?" I asked bluntly. 'Who would want to talk about that to someone they just met!?'

"W-Well, I'm a huntress-in-training! It's my job to deal with that sort of thing" She retorted weakly.

"...you said 'ín-training', as in, you're not a huntress yet¨ I stated bluntly while deadpanning at her.

'Unless huntresses-in-training already...no, that's dumb, no one would seriously think that you should throw them into the fire before completing their training´

'But then again…' I find myself thinking 'Who trains a bunch of teenagers to fight with things like a...a...a scythle? Yeah, I'll call it a scythle'

"Yeah...well...whatever!" Ruby huffed and crossed her arms, looking away with a pout on her face.

It seemed I was right, I sighed and glanced to the side-'Oh no' I caught sight of someone I really didn't want to see.

That woman-the blue-haired woman with cat ears from that apartment window last night…

"Are you...coming onto me?"

That woman was coming out of the entrance to an apartment building very close by to where we were.

'Shiiiiit!' I cursed internally, if she sees me and decides to rat me out to the cops, especially after I withheld information…it won't end well, that's for sure.

I quickly and silently move away, making sure to avoid any suspicion from the officers. I casually walk behind a car as I see her walk by, she seems to be in some sort of uniform, probably heading off to work.

I duck my head as soon as she looks my way, pretending to look appreciatively at the car like I'm a car enthusiast or something- I dunno, I'm trying to mimic the look my dad and brother get when they see a nice car.

For all I know this thing could be a piece of junk, or a pristine classic and rare car from twenty years ago. It doesn't seem that old, what with the shiny red paint, but its shape does kinda look old school.

Once I see her walk around a corner, I sigh in relief "Phew…" I look over to Ruby to see her looking around, looking dejected -'Crap, she thinks I ditched her!' "Ruby!" I called out to her.

Ruby's head snaps my way, seeming relieved, and jogs over my way "Hey! You disappeared on me!" She exclaimed, her voice very irritated.

"Sorry…" I apologize awkwardly "I uh...thought I saw a nice car"

She blinked slowly, confused "...a nice car?"

"...yeah, totally" I nodded slowly, absently realizing how weak that sounded "But it turned out to be just a regular one…"

"A regular one?" She echoed, squinting at me in suspicion.

"Yep" I popped the 'p'.

.

.

.

Ruby stared me down for a few moments, and then looked over my shoulder at the car I was looking at, and then back to me "...you like cars?" She asked suspiciously.

"...yeah" 'No, I don't even know what my family car is called'

She looked suspicious, glancing between me and the car in question "...what's its name?" Ruby challenged.

.

.

.

After another few moments of silence, I sighed tiredly "Fine, I was hiding from someone" I gave up, not even trying, it felt too stupid to continue that charade.

"Ha! I knew it!" Ruby announced while pointing at me dramatically, then stopped and lowered her hand "Wait, who were you hiding from?"

Now, this was gonna be a bit more difficult to answer.

"Uh…" I go over my own words in my head "...just someone I met when I first got here, there was a misunderstanding" 'Please don't ask'

Ruby tilted her head in curiosity "Misunderstanding?" 'Fuck, she asked'

I bit the inside of my cheek, and then sighed, deciding to go with the blunt approach and get it over with "I uh, told her I was looking for a cat, she apparently had cat ears...and she thought... I was trying to sleep with her…"

"...oh" Her eyes widened, and her cheeks grew red in embarrassment "Oh"

"Yeah…" I said awkwardly, glancing at where I last saw the blue-haired woman.

"O-Okay, I see how that would awkward…" Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, looking down at the ground.

"Right…" I let out, not able to bring myself to look at her at the moment.

'Please universe, just make this end already!'

She probably thinks I'm a pervert or something, great…

"I uh…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head, looking to the side "...I understand why you hid...I honestly thought you ditched me" She said quietly, her voice a bit trembly.

"...my bad" I apologized after a few seconds, it was ridiculous how guilty this girl made me feel about it when I didn't even actually ditch her. But she thought I did, and I feel like I'm still doing a shitty job of keeping her company.

None of this is ideal, and fuck the universe for making me deal with it.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke again "I didn't mean to make you think that, I'm sorry"

Ruby nodded, smiling a bit "It's fine, I'm the one who jumped to conclusions…"

No, I would probably think someone ditched me too. But maybe that's just me...

"So…" I looked up-er, down at her when she spoke, she's pretty short "...what do you wanna do?" She asked.

Right now?

"...can we just walk around?" I felt restless, and I also wanted to get away from here. Whenever look back at that water tower and some of the blood, I feel nervous and my blood runs cold.

I strangely have a bunch of excess energy, and I want to use that to get out of here.

"..." Thankfully, Ruby smiled, not minding the idea "Yeah, I think I'd like that"

With the walk away from the water tower, I felt much more relaxed as me and Ruby made conversation. We talked for hours, which...honestly surprised me, I didn't realize how much time passed until I caught glimpse of Ruby's clock on her phone-like device while she was showing me a picture.

"Crescent Rose takes a lot of maintenance" She kept going on about her weapon "I gotta make sure the firing mechanism is cleaned thoroughly, and with how much I used the blades I have to sharpen it-"

"Which would be difficult because of its shape as a scythe" I commented, interested "I noticed that the blades are segmented, are they detachable? That would make it significantly easier to sharpen the blades"

Ruby's eyes sparkled "Y-Yes! Exactly! Its also part of its mecha-shifting mechanism"

Yes, we are talking about weapons.

It doesn't take a detective to figure out that Ruby Rose is a gun nut, but I mean that in a good way. She was clearly passionate about it, and I was very interested in the subject.

"Mechashift?" That was an unfamiliar term, and I quickly deduced its meaning: Transforming "So it shifts from a scythe to a rifle?"

"Yep!" She chirped happily "She's my pride and joy!"

"I can see why" I really could, that thing looked amazing. But maybe I'm biased, considering it's the first of its kind I've ever seen.

It's kinda weird how casual the conversation is, considering the subject and how it would be treated with sensitivity back home. But maybe that's another reason why it interests me, back home I wouldn't be able to talk about these sorts of things casually. Gun violence is such a sensitive topic, that even mentioning how a gun works could set someone off.

But then again, I don't talk to a lot of people anyway, so that kinda makes that statement a moot point.

"What about that thing you did earlier?" Ruby asked curiously "That...uh, chemistry?"

"Oh, uh, yeah" I remember clearly the blunder I made earlier "Yeah, I practice chemistry, it's a...bit of a passion for me"

"So...when I said I never heard of it before-"

"I felt a little offended, it's pretty common where I'm from" Especially since my world is basically running on it, and so should this world… at least it should be.

But I guess whatever this dust stuff is, makes it so they don't have to learn about basic chemistry, although that begs the question if it is superior or inferior to chemistry. Add that to the list of things to look up in the library.

Ruby's eyes lit up, her curiosity pointed at me "Oh! Where are you from?"

I already dug myself into a hole.

"Well...I said it was far away, you probably haven't heard of it" I said noncommittedly, trying to make her uninterested.

Ruby looked thoughtful, "Are you from outside the Kingdoms?" She asked, a little hesitance in her voice.

"Yes" Something to latch onto, even if it might bite me in the ass later, I don't have a lot of other options.

Also...Kingdoms?

'Kingdoms: Atlas, Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo are the four kingdoms of Remnant and the lights of hope in the world for protection against the Grimm'

Well, at least I know the names of the Kingdoms 'Wait….Grimm? That word was in the arcade earlier, is there something to that?'

"It must have been hard" I was quickly brought back to reality "Living out there I mean" She seemed uncomfortable with the topic the more she spoke about it, she was unsure of how much she should say.

'...I understand it would be roughing it, but it can't be that hard...unless I'm missing something, is it these Grimm?'

"Yeah, it sure can be" I scratch the back of my head awkwardly "But we got by and thrived"

"Well, that's good" Ruby smiled, looking unsure as to what to say next "I've lived most of my life on Patch, but when I become a huntress I plan to explore all of Remnant and help as many people as I can!"

I blinked slowly at the declaration, and opened my mouth to respond-

"Ah! Sorry!" Ruby waved her hands crazily, almost desperate "I-uh-get really passionate about it! Just ignore it!"

'Why do you look so down?' I thought to myself, seeing her sullen expression when she said that '...how many times have people shot you down?'

It's as if she expects me to call her an idiot.

While it is a bit naive sounding, it is not a bad thing.

If anything, my world could use more people like that.

"Well, make sure you can do it then"

.

.

.

"...eh?" Ruby questioned after freezing for a few moments, her eyes widened and baffled as if she just processed what I said and couldn't make sense of it.

"Make sure you can do it" I repeated "You say you wanna be a huntress and help a lot of people right? Make sure you can do it"

Ruby seemed to be surprised by this to the point that she stopped walking altogether, I stopped along with her "...what do you mean?" She asked quietly.

"...a bunch of people just scoff when you say what you want, right?" Her face cringed, and she looked away from me, confirming my suspicions "Probably saying it's 'childish' and whatnot, but what they don't get…"

I tapped her head, and she looked up "Is that their opinion doesn't matter, it's your dream" I tilted my head at her "Right?"

"U-um, yeah, it is…"

"So, instead of listening to them, focus on making sure you can achieve that dream" I shrug, I felt like some sort of motivational preacher, but maybe that's what she needs at the moment.

In some ways, she reminds me of myself.

Not in a good way, the part of myself back then that wanted approval, to have friends, even if it meant being stepped on.

That part can fuck off, and it has been for years. Now it's time for her's to fuck off too.

So when I decided that I would try to be the one to make it so, I took a deep breath, and let out a tired sigh "...I know that your going through a rough time right now" 'I've been there' was left unsaid "And, to be frank, nothing I'm going to say will make it go away"

Ruby stared at me, her shoulders sagging "...y-yeah, I know…" Her eyes looked to the ground.

It hurts. She doesn't know what to do about herself.

Why does it hurt?

Bad memories, but ones I learned from. She'll learn too.

"I know it hurts, it probably didn't feel real at first, but now that you know it is..." I rubbed my forehead for a moment, and then let my hand hang at my side.

Ruby was silently crying, letting the tears drip down her face and hit the concrete beneath our feet.

"But…it does get better" I finally said, trying to find a proper way to explain in my head as I spoke "Eventually...you'll move on, look back, and realize 'Ugh, it was so obvious'"

.

.

.

It was silent for a few moments, but then I heard a small giggle leave her lips, and saw her wipe her face with her sleeve a little.

Chuckling myself, I continued "There are other people out there, most of them are, well, shitty-"

"Swear…" She muttered.

"Shitty" I emphasized in defiance "...and if those people don't want to be around you, why should you be around them? You don't need other's approval, just be yourself" I gestured to myself…

And I smiled confidently at her.

"Worked out for me" I stated, fully believing that.

Ruby's eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open at me "..."

Suddenly the embarrassment level rose, I squashed it down as best I could but could only do so much 'Ugh, I can't believe I said all that…'

Bzzz!

Hearing a buzzing sound, I was grateful, Ruby broke out of whatever trance she was in and reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out her phone and opening up its hologram interface.

...yeah, didn't think I'd ever say that last part until a few years yet.

"...Oh, wow, I uh-gotta go apparently" Ruby said awkwardly "I didn't even realize so much time passed by, my sister texted me to say I gotta head home" She slowly put away her phone, setting it in her pocket.

Hearing that, I was kinda relieved, no more awkward talking!

"Alright then…" I rubbed the back of my neck "Um...sorry about earlier at the arcade" I said off-handedly, figuring I should apologize again.

"That's fine…uh" She scratched her cheek, posture turning sheepish "It's not the first time that's happened...the manager doesn't like me"

Oh, okay "I see…" I drawled, that wasn't weird at all.

"Yeah…" She awkwardly glanced at me "Thanks for...you know...walking with me after-" She went silent, still having trouble mentioning what happened.

I waved it off, letting her know I understand "It's fine" I said seriously, not wanting to take that lightly "Honestly, after last night with the chasing…" I paused at the memory of nearly dying, but it was then replaced with ones of today "...it was relaxing, I had fun with you, thanks for that"

I did have fun, sure it wasn't exactly normal or ideal, but…I did enjoy myself. It took me a full second to really realize that.

"O-Oh! I did too!" Ruby shouted excitedly, and then realized her volume and shrunk back a bit "...t-thank you...for taking my mind off it...and…"

She muttered something, but I couldn't hear it.

It probably wasn't important, so I made to wave her goodbye-

Whoosh!

"W-Wha?" I stumbled backward at the sudden impact on my chest, and then stood still at the feeling of arms wrapped around me.

I looked down to see black hair with red tips "Thank you" She muttered into my shirt "Thank you for just... being here..."

"..." Back home I was never a very touchy person, especially with someone I just met...but I make an exception here, and pat her gently on the back. I felt the heat in my cheeks at having such an intimate moment "You're welcome" I whispered gently, meaning it.

And just as fast as it started, in a flash of red, she had disappeared, but not before I caught a glimpse of her red face "B-BYE!" I heard the echo of her voice as she flew away.

Whoosh!

And a fleet of rose petals slowly fell to the ground from where she once stood, I was left alone again.

.

.

.

"Phew…" I let out a relieved breath, leaning against a nearby fence "That was exhausting…"

It truly was, I'm mentally exhausted. Everything was just one rollercoaster after another.

But...even with everything that was going on, I think I genuinely helped her.

I really hoped I did, having your heart torn out like that over a friendship that was never actually real isn't something I'd wish on even my worst enemy.

It sounds contradictory, but replace 'never actually real' with 'a lie' and suddenly it makes more sense.

Pushing myself off the fence, I started walking again. Going over everything that happened today in my head…

A lot of bad memories popped up, ones that I hadn't thought about in years. When I was young, I had thought that friendship was this amazing thing, and that anyone could have it.

Boy did I learn how wrong that can be when I nearly got thrown off a bridge when I was eleven…

And that wasn't counting the bullying, name-calling, and even some racism on my German heritage.

But I'm not gonna get into that, because, quite frankly, I got over it a long time ago.

I gave up on looking for friendship because my trust was betrayed one too many times for me to give a fuck at that point. And for a while, that made me feel hollow, like I was the problem, that it was something I was doing.

.

.

.

To make a long story short, I moved on. And hopefully, Ruby will too, without having to go through as much as I did.

That being said, I doubt I'll ever see her again.

'...but it does still feel good' I let a small smile come to my face at my good deed for the day 'Ruby Rose, huh? I hope you get over it soon-'

"Wait" I stopped, and looked around the unfamiliar area, feeling an uncomfortable feeling settling in my chest, something akin to small panic "...where was the library again?"

---

Omake: Mending (Canon)

"I'm home" Ruby walked into the house and announced herself quietly, closing the door behind her and walked towards the couch...and then promptly flopped on it "..." She silently laid there.

She stared at the texture of the couch cushins, her face scrunched up as her mind wandered.

'...I thought we were friends'

Ruby turned herself over and stared at the ceiling, she brought out her scroll and turned it on.

She swiped through pictures, of all of them: Cecile, Saphy, and Jade...all of them smiling, just goofing around.

Yet, in some of them, Ruby began to notice how...distant she actually was from them, even from just looking at a photo with some of them standing farther away, or the ones where they were happier when with Yang in the photo, and Ruby was in the back...

"Why…?" She felt horrible when she thought back on it, her heart pierced with sadness and self-doubt every time she did. Memories that once were fond had now turned bitter.

'We were friends...no, we never were...why? All just to get to Yang?' She shut her eyes tightly 'I should have known better! Nobody wants to hang out with me! Yang's the popular and outgoing one!'

Ruby refused to cry, not like before…

But without any more distractions, her thoughts always went back to what happened in the park. It hurt, and it made her painfully go over everything in her head to answer the question of what she was doing wrong.

The self-loathing spread through her like a poison, filling her thoughts, she desperately tried to pipe it down, she was trained to do that as a huntress, but that training failed her in this moment.

Her limbs felt weak, she gave a shuddering breath as she hung her head 'Should've know better...who would want to hang out with someone like me-'

"Did you ever take advantage of them?" Her mouth was left hanging open from those words, the words that the boy spoke to her while she was at her lowest.

No.

"Did you ever once make them feel like they weren't worth your time?"

No.

"They're the problem, not you"

She found comfort in those words, they made sense. What did she do? She was friendly and helped them all the time, but in the end, they were the ones who used her.

Friends don't do that, so they must have never been friends, real friends.

Not like…

A brown-haired teenager with dark eyes held out an ice cream sandwich to her "Here, I have a spare"

Ruby and the boy both laughed on the sidewalk after seeing the manager slip "Yeah, that was hilarious" He chuckled, looking like he had fun.

Ruby's lips curled slightly upwards…

A real friend.

When she looked back on the rest of the day with the boy, she couldn't help but smile.

The genuine curiosity he had, the social awkwardness when they were both at an impasse on what to do, explaining to her about 'chemistry' and listening to her talking about weapons and actually looking interested while asking questions about it.

But why he did it...

"I know what it's like to deal with something like that"

It was so...genuine. The way he said it, you couldn't fake it. How his eyes looked to be off in the distance for a moment before coming back to reality, as if he was looking back at a painful memory.

People say she wasn't perceptive, but she saw more than what they would expect.

And what's more, unlike her frie-classmates, he didn't know Yang.

He wasn't even a huntsman-in-training, he didn't go to Signal, so he didn't even know Yang much less want to get to Yang through her.

Perhaps it was wrong of Ruby, but she couldn't help but try some other reason, look them over, wonder if he was like them. But she could find none, and whenever she tried to talk herself into it, she remembered his kindness.

How even when he looked unsure of what to do or say, he tried anyway. That when she thought of something bad, he tried to take her mind off it with something else.

"What's got you all smiley?"

Ruby blinked, and looked up to meet the lilac-colored eyes of her older sister looking down on her from over the armchair, long blonde hair hanging over her face- "Ah! Yang! Your hair!" She swiped it away from her.

The older sister laughed "Well? Did you girls have fun or something? Must have been a great time" She walked away and over to the table to take her bottled water, just missing Ruby's frown from her words.

"...yeah" Ruby said quietly, to the point where Yang likely didn't hear it.

She wasn't okay, it still hurt knowing what happened, that all those times they spent together was nothing but a ruse to use her.

But then she would remember why she was smiling, how she spent hours walking around with some boy who decided to help her, and had more fun than she ever did with her old group.

He was different from them, someone who actually, genuinely, cared about her. And for no other reason than because he had gone through something similar.

Ruby was sure about one thing, she wouldn't let that be the last time she would see him.

"Actually…" She smiled again, looking over at Yang "I met someone who was really cool"

'Drake Joseph, huh?' She giggled softly 'Still a weird name!'

---

Captaindrake123: This chapter was a bit different, instead of just going through things mostly through Drake's head, he was interacting with another character for most of it. You get to see how he fairs with interaction and learned a bit about him.

I felt that for this chapter, the tone needed to be brought down a bit to a more casual setting. While there is traces of drama, it is not nearly as high as the last two chapters. Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of it later on.

Constructive criticism is always welcome.