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!"

7. Chapter 7 What Every Science Nerd Needs

Captaindrake123: Welcome back everyone, it's your captain here back for another chapter. Yes, I am aware I am late, life is like that sometimes.

Sixty-nine favorites and hundred-o-five followers, and over nine-thousand views. Wow, you guys seem to like this story a lot.

And I know I said that I would only respond to reviews every now and then, but, well…

I got so many reviews that I just might as well answer them now.

Clutchvm: I'm glad you like the story so much, and that you're enjoying the interactions between Drake and Ruby. I always felt like Ruby could use a bit more spotlight on her character, so you'll be seeing more of her for sure.

Jamisomersley: Ha! I got that reference! Yeah, Drake is a smart cookie, you'll be seeing a lot more of that. Quick note actually, most of the science stuff Drake does that I write in here will actually be applicable in the real world-but don't just do it based on this story, look it up first, I'm not in any way responsible if someone injures themselves because they didn't make sure they were informed properly.

ExS-DrIfTeRr: Thanks for the encouragement, really appreciate it.

MEMEDream: Just in case you didn't read the update notice before, my update schedule is basically whenever I need it to be, unfortunately I don't have the ability to commit to a real schedule at the moment, it's usually a chapter every two weeks but it's been a bit hectic lately. I should be able to update more frequently after this chapter though.

Logist: Thanks, I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Any constructive criticism is appreciated. I also don't mind people pointing out grammar mistakes just to let you all know, because I know they are here, and it actually helps me more than annoys me if you point it out. (Just don't make it the sole purpose of the review, that's what pisses most writers off).

Oliver Otter1: Yep, it's canon alright! Yang the overprotective sister is on the prowl, poor Drake, all over a simple misunderstanding too. I'll let you all know that unless I add a (non-canon) to the title, it will be canon.

The Inquisiter: Oh totally, he's DEFINITELY gonna be summoning demons (spoiler alert: He will unfortunately not). Though the Remnant Knowledge is less of a voice in his head and more of a supplier of information, it's still his voice talking, he just finds himself knowing things he shouldn't and it gives him a headache. So ...yeah, If I were you I would go with the psychic theory. Please put down the pistol though, I need my protagonist alive.

Guest: *Cue "That's RACIST!" meme* Lol, I find it funny how you remembered that German bit. And yeah Remnant has little knowledge of actual physical chemistry compared to Earth, much less chemical warfare. But you also have to consider Drake's mindset dealing with weapons like chlorine gas, where he's from, that is fucking BANNED by a restriction on chemical warfare, even if he's offworld those morals are still instilled in him. He would be very reluctant to even think about making the stuff for such a purpose as it could kill a lot of people.

But tear gas is fair game, he'll go for the throat.

Guest: I am somewhat familiar of Warhammer 40k, and he is lucky he didn't end up in such a place, but I don't think you quite understand the point of the situation he's in. RWBY, the webshow, does not exist on his Earth (RoosterTeeth might, I dunno, I might add it in). He's not some guy who was inserted into a show from his perspective, where it would be at least somewhat familiar to him, he's a guy on a completely baffling other world that seems to have similarities to his own. So it's not a matter of 'He's lucky he didn't get sent -insert universe-', it's that he's lucky to be alive at all, and the fact that he ended up on an alien world in the first place is unbelievable. It's not a dream come true or a worst nightmare, it's just life being a fucking dick.

Either that or you completely understand all that and just wanna say it could be a lot worse, which your not wrong. I kinda go off on a tangent sometimes.

Guest: Pfftt...Drake wouldn't make a Panzer and conquer Vale, that's just ridiculous! HAHAHAHA...hehe...hmmm… ...how much was that ammunition again?

Alright, that's enough of that, I've kept you all waiting long enough.

---

Chapter 7: What Every Science Nerd Needs

It occurs to me that I am severely outmatched and that so far I've just barely scraped by.

As to what I mean by that, I'm talking about my dealings with the White Fang terrorists that I managed to escape from and was almost kidnapped by later on, all because of one simple variable…

Aura.

That strange energy field that protects a person and enhances the human body, in some cases it enhances it to absolutely superhuman proportions from what I've read. Generated from the person's-if I understand this correctly-very soul.

And thus, I have no idea how it fucking works. How the energy is generated, where it comes from-what even is a soul in scientific terms? The mind?

I don't know, but aura does exist and it is very much a problem for me. I was lucky that those two terrorists didn't have them, otherwise it might have turned out very differently for me.

Obviously it's not an all-answer magic bullet sort of thing, it's not perfect. It does not make you invincible, nor all powerful and mighty. But it does give you a big edge, one that I do not have and have no idea if I can obtain it.

Can Terrans have aura? No idea, but that's not the point of this tangent I'm going on. I'm not a huntsmen-in-training, so I'm not likely going to be able to unlock it anyway as there are laws in place to prevent such attempts. You can't have the ability to make someone superhuman and not have laws in place to control it, otherwise things would go down the drain from the sheer chaos.

No, my point is that the White Fang has an advantage that I do not fully understand, and that is a hurdle I'm going to have to combat against.

Turnabout is fair play after all, and fighting back with something they equally do not understand would be just as effective, using my own unique knowledge to give me an edge against them.

Remnant's sciences are similar, yet vastly different from Earth's if you set them side by side. But the main difference, and it's a big difference, is each world's understanding of the physical laws of the universe.

How such and such works with what, how it reacts with the other thing, what its limits are, how it does what it does, what's inside of it.

Compared to Earth's, Remnant's knowledge is laughably incomplete in many areas, and that would be because of their complacency and over-reliance on a single resource: Dust.

Dust is like a...shortcut, in a manner of speaking, with dust the people of Remnant have control over wind, earth, fire, ice, and other such 'elements' at their disposal from just a powdery crystal substance that's fairly easy, although dangerous, to obtain. Allowing them to make great machines, power sources, and tools much more conveniently.

However, in a way, it's also a hindrance to their progress. Their too damned reliant on it, and it's made them complacent in finding alternative solutions.

Just the other day I found out that Remnant doesn't have even a semblance of a space agency to speak of, because when they found out dust doesn't work in space... they just quit.

A few failed tests, disappointment, and they cancelled the whole thing.

Just. Like. That.

No one even tried.

They never went through the whole process, step by step to understand how everything works, not like Earth did.

We didn't have dust, we had to claw our way through progress with trial and error, gaining bits and pieces of knowledge each time. Mixing different materials together, heating up solutions, testing, experimenting, doing anything and everything to obtain control over those forces of nature and gain a glimpse of understanding how the universe works, and how to use it all to our advantage.

Science has always been something that's fascinated me, it wasn't that I was naturally gifted or anything, but my curiosity leads me to it, giving me a way to understand the universe around me that I so greatly wanted to know. I studied on my own time, performed experiments at home, and when I failed I got frustrated, fumed a bit, and then went back to it out of pure stubbornness and persistence, learning more and more at each attempt.

Chemistry, electricity, engineering, electromagnetism, physics, over the course of my teenage life I had studied much of these subjects, trying to learn every bit of it when I could, even when I had no idea what any of it meant at first, I kept trying and eventually got my glimpse of understanding.

Knowledge is power.

I know of things no one on Remnant has probably even heard of, which means there are no known methods of tracking it and leading it back to me, there is no known method to combat against it or prevent me from making more because they don't know how it works in the first place.

But for my strongest field, chemistry, in a world where many common chemicals I'm accustomed to is simply not used commercially, I have to make them from scratch.

But like hell that's gonna stop me, like I said, I'll find my way home no matter what, this is just one of the first of the many big hurdles blocking me from that goal, and I'll stubbornly climb up that wall in my way no matter how many times I fall.

---

First I have to take stock in what I have.

I pull out everything in the box, some of it including materials I had on me from my backpack.

Baking soda, aluminum powder, copper wiring, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, vinegar, lemons, aluminum strips, charcoal, sulphur, and various other materials I was able to scrounge up.

For most chemists it would be easy to see one of the things I could make: Gunpowder. Potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulphur make gunpowder...but there's a problem with this.

I only have so much potassium nitrate, the only source of it I have at the moment was from my backpack, and it's not a lot. I can't make more of it right now as I don't currently have the equipment or materials needed to make more potassium nitrate.

Setting it at the other end of the table, I would use it for a later date for something I had in mind, it would use up all of my potassium nitrate though "What can I make right now that wouldn't be hard to consistently produce?" I asked myself, staring at the baking soda.

'...sodium hydroxide' I could make that from sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide is a corrosive material that's very dangerous to touch, but has quite a number of uses back on Earth..

And what's more, I have most of the things I'll need for a chemical reaction. However, I don't have the appropriate equipment to make it.

But I can easily make something that would do the trick, but I'd need to go to the store to buy some containers...and while I'm at it, I might as well buy groceries and other things for...y'know, living.

So I took my wallet and headed out, went to a nearby store, bought a bunch of things that would be useful-had plenty of money on me after all the hours of work I took- and headed back to the apartment.

"Urgh…" I grunted as I carried the majority of large stacks of boxes and grocery bags on my arms, along with a sledge-hammer tucked in my right elbow "I might not have thought this through" I muttered, feeling the weight of the number of things I carried, the boxes blocking my view.

I bumped into someone "Hey, watch it!" They said in annoyance as they walked by.

"Sorry" I said a quick apology, not even looking at her, I was too focused on moving the ridiculous amount of mass my body has to carry.

Some people offered to help me, which I politely refused, this was a bit more personal for me in the sense that what's inside some of these boxes I am going to use for my own creations, I want to handle it myself.

It might sound a little weird, but my science projects are...private, I like to do them alone. Its my experiments, its my science. It sounds ironic to say I want to be a scientist when I don't like talking to people and getting feedback, but it is only for my own projects that I do in my time with my hard earned money.

So people can kindly fuck off with their opinions.

It's still really heavy though 'Oh thank the universe there it is!' I mentally shouted in relief at the sight of my new apartment, struggled to carry everything up the stairs, and then set some things down so I could open the door with my key.

I brought in the groceries, grunting and my muscles begging for rest. It was a relief to set it all down, my muscles filled with fatigue "Ha...ha…" I steadied my breathing as I put the sledgehammer next to the door frame, I'll put it to good use later.

After putting all the food in the fridge, the silverware in the drawers, toilet paper in the bathroom, pots, and pans near the stove, and the glassware in the cupboards, I think I can call this place ready to be lived in.

Now for the fun part.

I got out two big plastic containers, taking one of the pocket knives and cutting a hole into the side of one, and then the other, being careful and taking my time cutting into it to make a decent circle shape.

Taking out a small cylindrical plastic container, I measured it up with the hole "...good enough" I said flippantly, and then proceeded to cut off the ends of the cylindrical one, making it so both ends are open to connecting the two containers together.

Gluing it on would be difficult and just plain time consuming, so I'll go a step further and melt it on.

' I can make just the thing that'll do the trick' I smirked as I brought out a screwdriver in one hand with copper wire in the other 'Its laughably simple how easy it is to make a soldering iron with a little nichrome wire, copper wire, a screwdriver, and a battery'

Luckily nichrome wire was available at one of the nearby hardware stores. I wasn't even sure if they would be on the shelves, but this makes it easier on me so I'm not complaining.

Taking some insulating tape, I wrapped around the bottom part of the screwdriver and moved up, leaving the tip exposed. Then I proceeded to wrap the nichrome wire around it, leaving the ends sticking out the side for me to wrap the copper wires to "Perfect, now I just need a power source…"

I was about to reach into the box, but then a thought comes to mind '...is my phone done charging?'

Setting down the screwdriver and wire, I walked over to the coffee table my phone was on, and then picked up the cellular device.

100%

"Hell yeah" I couldn't help the smile on my face, the vinegar batteries worked perfectly the whole time I was gone.

Now let's see about repurposing them.

I brought them over to the kitchen on the floor next to the plastic containers, connecting the series of vinegar batteries to the copper wire, and saw smoke coming up from the screwdriver.

'I am literally macgyvering my way through all of this' I chuckled a little, definitely feeling like the resourceful man as I worked. Seeing the smoke dying off, I then began to place the red hot tip over the plastic cylinder end, the plastic didn't take long to begin to melt 'Can't get too nuts with the heat though…go slowly…'

Once it was all melted on, I disconnected the wires and just let the containers sit as I get up to go prepare the next step: Vegan gelatin.

...yeah, it sounds weird, but it'll all make sense in a minute...maybe.

Taking out a glass cup, I mixed the gel material with some water, stirring it up, and then putting in the microwave "That will make it hot enough" I mumbled to myself, thinking of the next step.

Checking on the containers, I pushed on the tube between them to see if it hardened, and sure enough it did "Alright, looking good, now all I need is the gel"

And sure enough, the microwave beeping after the time was up, I opened it up and tried to grab the glass-"Ow! Hot! Hot! That was stupid!" I shook my hand to wave off the burning sensation.

Waiting for it to cool down, I decided to prepare the next step by putting some tape on one side of the plastic tube between the containers, it'll make it easier to pour the gel in.

Once it cooled down, I lifted up the containers and carefully poured it in. The gel will solidify in a few minutes, but I am essentially done.

Now as to what I am done with, that would be an electrolysis membrane set-up. It allows for a more complex electrolysis, chemical reactions by passing electricity through it, the 'membrane' being the gelatin and keeping other ions out from interfering with the desired product.

Say, if I were to just run electricity through water with baking soda, it would not give me sodium hydroxide, it would just give me hydrogen and oxygen. The sodium won't react with it because of other components in the solution.

I'm going to pour distilled water on both sides, with one adding baking soda into it, the gelatin separating them, but when I run an electric current through it the gelatin will also conduct electricity to the other container's water, allowing a chemical reaction to take place by moving the desired ions into the other bucket, while keeping other ones out.

Basically, pour distilled water on both sides with baking soda in one, put powered electrodes in each side and you'll get sodium hydroxide in the container without baking soda.

...now I just need distilled water.

'And I couldn't find the shit anywhere' I groaned, knowing I'll have to make the stuff myself, and I proceeded to do just that. Pouring into a pot some tap water from the sink, I put into a glass bowl inside of the pot and place it over the stove, and then turned it on.

"Talk about a pain in the ass, but I guess it technically saves money" I sighed, this part would take a while as I needed to wait for it to boil. I got out some ice and put on the pot's lid 'The steam from the water will hit the cold lid, condense it back into water and drop said water into the bowl, leaving behind no impurities'

It would take a bit before I could make enough though, so when it started boiling I put the lid on top of the pan and went out into the living room with another box, all I had to do now was wait before refilling the pot.

'Be patient' Of course it was gonna take some time, I'm making almost everything from scratch, but it didn't mean it didn't frustrate me how I needed to wait 'I'm used to this, making stuff out of what you have...just this time around it's even more... less'

There's been a few times back home I couldn't buy what I needed to make something, had to make those things myself with a few tricks I learned online.

Dad called it being 'resourceful', he sometimes makes a joke about how we're both nerds…which we are, and proud of it, he's the one who got me into Star Trek in the first place, starting from the very first episode that was from the sixties. We'd go into the basement, open up a couple of ice-cold glass cokes and watch it on the big screen TV.

I chuckled at the memories coming back to me 'Damn, what I wouldn't give for a glass coke right now…and just to seem him...and mom...and...'

.

.

.

I miss them, I missed all of them. It dawns on me again just how long I've been gone, it's been almost two weeks since I've been whisked away to this crazy world full of people with superpowers and terrorists with animal parts.

Are they worried about me? Do they think I'm dead?

There's an uncomfortable tightness in my chest that won't leave. No matter how hard I try to stop it, my mind always leads me back to the fact that I am away from everything and everyone I love.

'Stop...just...just stop thinking about it' I take a deep breath, hold it, and released it 'I can...I can work on getting the electrodes' Something to do, something to distract me, good.

After taking a moment to calm myself, I opened up the box I carried with me and pulled out some lantern batteries I found on sale.

While they didn't work the same way as the ones on Earth, and therefore don't carry most of the same materials, one thing that doesn't change is that the battery needs an electrode to allow the electricity to conduct through.

Taking out a pair of pliers, I twisted at the top of the lantern battery "C'mon…" I muttered, hearing a clink and slowly twisting it out "Alright, there we-

BZZZ!

"GAH!" I dropped it and spazzed out on the futon for a second 'Oh-FUCK that hurt!' I shook my hand and glared at the battery, seeing a blue powdery substance sticking to some of the electrode…

'...oh yeah, dust' Right, the magical powder that controls nature, gotta be careful with that.

Glaring at it again, I sighed and wondered how I should dispose of it "...maybe I can just put it in a jar? Something tells me that's not safety regulation, but I don't have a lot of options at the moment"

Carefully pulling off the electrodes as to not have another shock attack, I very carefully poured the lightning dust into the jar, surprised by how much it had "...I'll save this for later" I put the lid on it, taking it over to the kitchen and setting up on the table.

I didn't know enough about dust yet to go and try messing with the stuff, but it is something I would be interested in at a later date. Who knows what this stuff can do...

The distilled water was done, I poured the water into a jug, and then proceeded to refill it again for another round.

Once I got all the distilled water I needed, I poured the rest of them into the containers "Alright then, finally done" I muttered, taking the baking soda and pouring it on one side, and then stirring it.

The vinegar batteries I had connected in series would be needed again, I attached them to the electrodes "Now…" I placed them into the solutions "I can just let it sit"

I can see faint bubbles from it, it was working, but it would take a bit for it the solution to become more conductive and fully start the reaction, an hour or two to complete, but at least in this case I can leave it alone without having to keep tabs.

Which means I'm free to head out again.

Standing up from the set, I pulled on some gloves "Alright, time for a little exploring" I walked towards the door, grabbing my sledgehammer and placing it over my shoulder.

If I'm going to make a lab to make different materials or gadgets from my world, I would need to find spare parts to make it.

'Let's see if I can't find a junkyard' I opened the door-

I paused at the sight of Ruby Rose in a mid-knock motion with a colorfully wrapped package underneath her elbow.

"..."

What?

---

"So this is where you live?" Ruby said, curiously looking around the room as she bounced a little on the futon "It's kinda small"

"I don't need much space, I'm the only one living here" I said passively as I poured some milk in one of my new cups "Hot chocolate?"

"Yes please!" She chirped.

I poured another cup and put both of them in the microwave.

Now, why am I allowing Ruby into my new apartment and making her hot chocolate?

I had many conflicting feelings on letting her in, especially since I decided to take the prime directive to heart and not show off my knowledge-and there being an entire chemistry set up right on the kitchen table kinda violates that rule.

But she came to visit me and give me a house warming gift, I may not be a very social person but I have fucking manners, I wasn't just gonna tell her to leave, and just like Sheldon Cooper would say: When you have a guest, you offer them a hot beverage...or was that when someone was upset?

Whatever, besides, I already showed her that I knew different things with that showmanship at the arcade, damage is already done.

I seriously didn't expect her to come to visit though-I should probably just stop doing that because expecting things about her clearly doesn't work- but I don't remember mentioning specifically where I was going to live, so it kinda baffles me how she's here now.

"How did you find this place anyway?" I asked, showing my confusion, grabbing the two cups and walking over to her 'I know I didn't tell her where I lived, so how did she find it?'

She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly "Wellll...I just saw you carrying a bunch of stuff from a grocery store and sort of followed you a little-not creepily! I just thought you would need help, but you already made it to the apartment"

'That...makes sense, I guess' I wasn't exactly very aware of my surroundings at the time, having mountains of groceries and things to carry 'But that doesn't really explain what you were doing there in the first place'

"And what exactly is the gift you got me anyway?" I decided to ask instead, figuring she wouldn't answer anyway.

Ruby perked up at the change of topic, holding out the box to me "Go ahead! I think you'll like it! I wanted to get you something, y'know, a good old 'Welcome to Patch'!"

I raised an eyebrow at her awkward babbling, but took the gift carefully, unwrapping it-

Blinking at the sight of the magazine with a bunch of strange-looking weapons on the front, I looked down at Ruby "Uh...what's this?" I asked in confusion, glancing back down at the cover.

"It's my favorite weapon's magazine!" She chirped happily, turning the page in my hand "You were pretty interested in my 'weapon talks'" She seemed pretty happy about that "I thought you might want to see other ones!" She laughed awkwardly "It's not exactly standard for housewarming gifts but uh...I thought you might like it"

'Interesting' I think, flipping through it momentarily 'Rifles, cannons, grenade launchers, warhammers, wow these people can't settle on one thing, although a lot of them look pretty cool-...' I stopped at a baffling picture.

Is that...a fucking tuba?

It was... like...spitting fire out of the tube as the guy blew into it.

'What the actual fuck?' I think Ruby noticed the disgruntled expression on my face, walking up to my side to look down at the page, and then frowned too.

"...we don't speak of that one" She said grimmly "I mean, its not even practical! Just lugging it around and making it hard to move!"

'That's not the problem Ruby…' I sighed as I shut the magazine closed, not wanting to stare at that bit of insanity any longer "Well, thanks I guess, it does actually look interesting" Might give me an idea of what weapons the White Fang have as well, just in case.

"Y-Yeah! Your welcome!" She smiled brightly "I was actually thinking maybe we could celebrate or something-that's what you do with a new place, right?" Ruby asked, as if nervous to be incorrect.

A housewarming party?

I stare at her blankly "...you do realize it would just be the two of us, right?" I asked incredulously.

Her eyes didn't meet mine "...it would still be fun" She tried with an awkward shrug.

I don't know what goes through this girl's head.

"It's not happening" I stated firmly, and she looked a little disappointed with a frown on her face.

Not only would I find a party tiresome, but I'm just...not comfortable with it. I'm not much of a party person-hell I'm not even a people person, and I doubt I ever will be.

"Sorry, but I just got this place, don't need it to become a mess" I told her, walking over to the sledgehammer "Anyway, I got stuff to do, so if you could…" I gestured to the door wordlessly.

'Go on, leave so I can do sciencey things'

Ruby slumped a little "I-I mean, it doesn't have to be here…" She tried again "We could go to the arcade-oh, wait" She realized her mistake quickly "...uh...the comic book store!"

I shake my head for negative "No, I'm busy doing…" I hesitated for a moment before saying it "...science experiments, I've been meaning to do them for a while"

Mainly to see what I can and can't make on this planet, what materials that I cannot make or are simply not around on this world.

I need to know what I can do before I even think about making something to incapacitate a White Fang terrorist. So these experiments are necessary.

"Really?" She asked in surprise, her eyes glancing around the room, landing on the table with the membrane set-up "Oh! Cool! Can I help you?" She asked immediately.

I blinked slowly, and then made to deny her request-

"I mean, I don't know much, but I would like to help!" She saluted to me "Science assistant Ruby Rose, reporting for duty!"

.

.

.

Is...is she that dead set on spending time with me? I feel a little flattered, yet at the same time I'm uncomfortable.

It's not that it is new from her, she did after all came by almost every day to speak with me, often making attempts to get to know me better. Nothing big, just small questions like what my favorite color is, or what animals I liked, or my favorite foods… all I didn't mind answering, but whenever it came to more personal details I evaded them.

She's clearly making attempts to get closer to me, and I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that. Especially in this instance, trying to be part of something I consider private.

I just deadpan at her, rubbing my nose with a sigh "...look Ruby" I sighed again, unsure of how to say this "...you know how you say your weapon is your baby?"

She blinked "...um, yeah, I put my heart and soul into her" Ruby smiled a little "It's like it's a part of me: Weapons are better than people!" She paused "Uh-I mean-not that your not cool or anything, I mean-"

"And how would it feel to just show her designs to someone you barely know?" I interrupted her before she could babble on about how she didn't mean to insult me when I already know she didn't in the first place.

Ruby paused, considering the question, and her face beginning to cringe "...well, I guess it would be really uncomfortable for me, I mean...I put everything into Crescent Rose, I wouldn't just show that to anyone"

I took a moment to look over her, my comment on showing off all of Crescent Rose's workings displaying just how much the mere thought bothered her with the twiddling of her hands together.

"That's how this feels to me" I pointed over to my experiment on the table "That? I made that, with my time, my money, and my knowledge" I paused at my irritated tone, trying to remind myself not to get so defensive over this, I know she didn't mean any harm by it "I put my heart and soul into stuff like that, it's my creations...and it's private" I finished much more evenly.

"...oh" She said in surprise, glancing at the boxes and things "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to intrude on that-"

"No" I sigh " It's fine Ruby, you literally could not have known that, I'm not gonna blame you over something you just didn't know" I waved it off "I'm just trying to explain it properly"

Why am I so private about this? That would be because I do not have good dealings with showing it off, some insult it, some destroy them, and many others just don't care. My time, my money, my knowledge, it's mine. No one gets to intrude on something that I consider very important to me.

Not like a lot of people back home cared enough to know anyway nowadays, except maybe the few rarer ones accusing me of making bombs. Fucking assholes...

"Sorry, I just don't know you well enough to be comfortable with it" And it honestly feels like she's budding herself in, coming to my house unannounced.

But then again it's not like I have scroll for her to call to ask to hang out or something. I might just need to get a scroll eventually, make a phone plan and everything.

"I think I understand" Ruby said honestly, but still looking disappointed, she began walking over to the door, stopping to look back at me "Um...maybe tomorrow we could do something?" She asked hopefully.

I paused to think about it "I'm...actually probably gonna be working on something tomorrow too" I said honestly, the lab I'm making isn't gonna be made in a day. "But maybe some other time?"

"O-Oh…" She said disappointedly, rubbing the back of her head "Then I guess I'll just...see you later?"

"Yeah…" I replied awkwardly, not sure exactly what to say.

Why does she have to look so sad and disappointed? This uncomfortable feeling of guilt settling in my chest is annoying as hell.

'I'm not gonna encourage her to be around me anyway, I'm trying to go home' I think to myself, but I still feel like I'm blowing her off.

...maybe I am, if I'm being honest with myself. I don't mean to hurt her, but at the same time I don't want her getting too close.

But just as she put her hand on the knob, an idea came to mind.

'Hold on...would she know where a junkyard is? She does know this place better than I do, she's lived here all her life' It would save a lot of time and effort if she could tell me, and knowing her she would probably just lead me to it if she did.

To be honest, I want to get this lab done as quick as possible for the reason as the quicker I can get some serious work done, the quicker I can find a way to get back home.

Besides, she's damn insistent on spending time with me anyway, might as well take advantage of it. Maybe she could help me gather the parts I need, but it's not exactly what most people would consider 'hanging out'.

The worst that could happen is she shows me where it is and then leaves because she doesn't want to rummage through junk.

"Wait" I said, just as she opened the door.

She looked back at me, surprised silver eyes meeting mine.

"You uh…" I considered the implications of my next sentence, unsure if I'm making the right call on asking her or if it's even a good idea in the first place...but she hasn't done any harm yet, and I don't think she would just run off to tell someone what I'm doing anyway.

Yet I'm still hesitant. All of that leans towards more progress being made, but other than the paranoia of being discovered...I just don't like asking for help if I'm being honest, I usually do things on my own for stuff like this, even if it's more time-consuming.

But if it means getting a lab done quicker...I gotta push that aside for now.

'Bite back your pride' I think to myself, I'm not able to stand on my own just yet, just one more step "I'm uh...sorry, there is actually something you could help me with now that I think about it, if you still wanna help that is?" I asked hesitantly.

"Really?" She asked turning to look at me with a smile, she seemed all too ready to help, all too eager.

It made me feel uncomfortable, but I bite that back as well "I still need the parts to make everything I need, so...if you don't mind, could help me with that? I need spare parts from like, say, a junkyard…"

Ruby's smile only grew bigger, that was all the answer I needed.

.

---

It took almost an hour, but Ruby had led me to the place. I've never actually been to a junkyard before, but I do know how they generally work since I have considered visiting one back home for parts a few times, but I ended up not needing to.

I stared at the fenced area in front of me, sledgehammer over my shoulders "This is place, huh?" I asked curiously.

"Yep!" Ruby shouted to me, she walked up to the gate entrance "It's not a big place, but I can always find something here that I can use"

I followed her through, looking at the place curiously, different parts and junk laid about; Cars, pipes, tools, wires, and other spare parts and pieces all organized in different sections.

Perfect.

There were a few appliances I specifically wanted, or rather the parts in said appliances.

One of the workers came by, probably after noticing us looking around "Well hello there! What can I do for you all?"

"Do you know where I can find some broken microwaves?" I asked immediately, that was the first thing on the agenda.

Both Ruby and the worker looked confused.

I simply smirked.

Once he showed me to the area of broken parts, he brought out three broken microwaves and I asked him how much for them. They were all rusted, their doors cracked, and clearly haven't been used in a long time.

"Around eighty lien, they are very old and no one's wanted them" He said to me, lightly kicking the side of one "Things are busted anyway and I was planning on getting rid of them sooner or later"

"I'll take them" I agreed, handing him the money, and then lifting the sledgehammer over my head-

SLAM!

"What the hell!?" The man yelled as I suddenly smashed into it.

"Swear!" Ruby automatically shouted.

Looking up at him as I held the hammer, I allowed another small smirk "I only need the parts inside" I said, I then turned to Ruby, gesturing to the microwaves with my free hand "Wanna help me smash them open?"

She stood still in surprise for a moment, but then nodded enthusiastically with a big goofy smile.

SLAM!

WHACK!

BAM!

"Careful with the backside! That's where the good stuff is!" I shouted to her as I smashed off the door, and then readied the sledgehammer like a gulf club and rammed it into the microwave's side.

"Got it!" Ruby shouted back "HIYAH!" She whacked it with a big metal pipe she picked up.

I technically don't need to do this, I could easily just unscrew the casing…

But this is way more fun, and quite the stress reliever.

When the backside of my microwave popped open I pried the rest it off fairly easily with a bit of muscle, I looked into the inner workings of the piece of Remnant equipment "Hmm...seems to work like one back home" I muttered quietly.

Looking through the circuitry connecting to the main part of the microwave, the magnetron. It is definitely familiar, although the magnetron itself does look to be different judging by it's shape.

There were a few other things I didn't recognize, but the basics were all there, especially what I wanted the most.

Ruby came to look over my shoulder curiously "What are you looking for?" She asked as I put on my insulated gloves.

"The transformers, mostly" I stated as I took out my pliers "But first I need to discharge the capacitor"

Even when not plugged in a microwave can be dangerous to take apart, even after a long period of time, the capacitor holding enough power to kill you if you don't discharge it.

I place the tip of the pliers on the top of the capacitor-

Bzzt!

"Done" I said nonchalantly, throwing aside the pliers, and proceeded to rip out all the parts. Ruby seemed to be surprised by the shock "You just have to discharge the microwave before you touch it is all" I answered her unsaid question.

"Oh…" Ruby muttered quietly, looking at the inside of it curiously.

I take out the parts I want and shoved them into my bag, but hold up the transformer itself for a moment to examine it "These things sure will be useful with how much power they'll give, I could make an arc welder with this... that could also be used for metalworking, maybe I can try to make a little metalworking station-"

A small giggle reaches my ears.

I stopped in mid-thought, looking at Ruby in confusion, seeing that she was covering her mouth with her hands "...what?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

She smiled knowingly "You really like this stuff, don't you? "

I blinked slowly, and realized I was saying all that out loud "...yeah" I said somewhat sheepishly, just shoving the parts in my bag. It's been a while since I've had the chance to really do this stuff again…

It seems like it's been a long time, at least to me, but so many other things happened and other priorities came first. That's why I'm so glad that I've reached this point, other than helping me find a way home...it's also familiar and fun to get back into science.

"I-It's not a bad thing!" Ruby suddenly appeared in front of me as I stood up, waving her arms around in a panic "I-I think it's actually pretty cool!"

'...cool?'

My confusion must have been evident on my face, because she went to explain "I uh, mean...it's cool how passionate you seem to be about it" Ruby said, pointing to the bag "It's uh...kinda like me with weapons actually, I get really into it and sometimes I can't stop talking and I annoy people-not that your annoying! It's actually really interesting-I'm annoying you right now aren't I?" She asked nervously.

'Not so much annoying as confusing' "...I think I get what you mean" I said hesitantly, turning around to walk over the other microwaves, and then paused for a moment "And...thanks, I guess"

No one's ever said that before.

'Huh' I thought idly before crouching and collecting parts again.

Ruby seemed to perk up and rejoin me in collecting parts, and as we worked a question came to mind from her talking about passion "Do you come here a lot?" I asked her.

She looked up from collecting wires "Uh, yeah actually!" Rubbing the back of her head, she glanced around, pulling at her cape from the fabric getting caught on something "I usually come here for spare parts for little projects I work on, y'know?"

"Really?" I asked curiously, inspecting a piece of cable, judging it good enough to use and put it in the bag "What kind of projects, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, uh, like different weapons" She says, bringing the bag she had over to me, I look into it and pick out the bad parts to chuck them aside, I didn't recognize them anyway "Sometimes I make guns, other times maybe a sword, mostly I just make new mods for Crescent Rose, I just like tinkering with the weapons to see what I can do"

That's actually similar to what I did back on Earth, I just test something to see if it works, mixing different chemical agents, just trying to make what I can...just to see if I can.

But I don't just stop at what parts I need, I see if I can make those parts. I wanted to know what they did, how they were made.

"I actually do that a lot too" I paused, realizing I said that out loud, Ruby staring at me curiously as I try to form proper words "I-uh...back home I usually did a lot of experiments, to see what I can make, what works with what" I explained as I carried the bag over, seeing no more parts that I could make use of.

"What kind of experiments?" She asked curiously.

"Chemistry experiments mostly, mixing different solutions together to see what happens, distilling liquids, putting an electric current through a mixture" I paused, looking up at the sky "Some of them could have been explosive or corrosive if done wrong" I also did some electrical ones and engineering on the side, but they were far less frequent.

She looked a little concerned "Sounds dangerous" Ruby commented.

Shrugging, I walked over a piece of metal "I always take safety precautions though, I take that stuff seriously" My parents wouldn't take anything less.

"Maybe you can show me sometime?" She asked, then hesitated "Um...only if you want to" Ruby added, clearly trying not to offend me.

'...well, if she's interested' It's not like I can do anymore damage than I already did "Maybe" I said simply- I stopped and stared at the metal glint ahead.

'...is that…?'

Ruby stopped at my side "Drake…?"

A large metal table, it was long but not too wide…

I walked towards it, wiping off some of the dust on it "...this could work" I muttered, I needed a table to put all my beakers and equipment, it's one of the reasons I came here. This one was quite dirty but...a little bit of water sprayed, soap, scrubbing, and elbow grease and it would be good to go.

"I want this table" I stated bluntly, not expecting to find a good table this soon, and was ready to settle for a crappier one, but I'm definitely not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

"Someone's got a good eye" I snapped my head over my shoulder in surprise, apparently one of the workers came over "That table is stainless steel, nice and sturdy"

"Why was it thrown away then?" I asked as I went back to examining it-"Oh, one of the legs is too short" I noted, that would probably be why. A bit strange considering it's made of metal though, probably a production error.

"I hate those tables, always so wobbly" Ruby commented "But you could put a book under it"

True, it's not exactly a difficult thing to work around, some guy probably just got annoyed with it and dumped it here for some cash "How much for it?' I asked.

"Eh, how about...seventy lien?" He asked.

I blinked slowly "That's...fairly low for a table like this, even if it is from a junkyard"

The old man smiled kindly "Eh, your a friend of Ruby, she comes by around here pretty often, and I can tell you have a good eye for things of value...or at least know what can be valuable" He said cryptically "so consider it a discount"

But I was stuck on one word he had mentioned 'Friend…?' I think for a moment, glancing at the girl in question, who was thanking the man, and seemingly oddly happy '...I dunno about that'

I've tried making friends before, it never exactly...ended well, at all. Nowadays I'm very hesitant to call someone a friend, and for good reason.

"Your just some stupid loner from school!" Fucking assholes, the brief memory made me scowl a bit, but I quickly hid it.

Not to mention the fact that Ruby might just be hanging out with me because of what happened with those girls, as a sort of 'rebound' friend. But it's hard to tell.

'But I am getting a discount out of it...ugh, whatever, just pay the guy' Ignoring the nagging feeling in my head, I pulled out my wallet and counted the money...wait a minute.

'Fuck! I'm ten dol-lien short!' I corrected myself mid-thought, frustrated that even with the discount I couldn't pay for it.

"Um…" I said hesitantly, getting their attention "I only have sixty lien, you wouldn't happen to be able to drop it lower could you?" I asked as politely as I could, scratching the back of my head with what I am most utterly certain is an awkward smile.

The old man scrunched up his face "...no, sorry, that's as low as I can go, need to make a profit after all...but I can hold onto it for you at a later date" He said diplomatically.

Well, it's kinda disappointing but I guess I can't expect it to be that easy, so I nodded in thanks for his offer "I understand, alright then-"

"Here!"

My eyes widened in surprise at Ruby's outstretched hand with ten lien to me, the colorful currency staring at me in the face all so temptingly "...I...no" And I pushed it away.

Only for it to be shoved back at me, Ruby looking up in defiance "Take it!" She offered again.

My experiments, my time, my money. I'm not taking her money. Plus I would feel bad for taking it, like I'm using her...which I kinda am, but not in a wrong kind of way like I'm leaching off her, but taking that money would make it wrong though "Ruby, it's fine, I'm not gonna take your money-"

"You're not taking it, I'm giving it to you" She retorted stubbornly, her silver eyes looking resolute "You want that table right? For your important sciencey stuff? I don't mind"

I looked down at her in annoyance, crossing my arms "My time, my knowledge, my money...I won't accept it if I didn't earn it" I stated.

Was it dumb? Yeah, I can recognize that. But I have fucking pride, especially in my own creations, everything I made I had done so out of my hard-earned money or labor. I wanna look at it and think: 'This is mine, I made this myself'

Ruby looked absolutely flabbergasted, sputtering on her own words "I-well-..." She balled up her hands up for a moment and glared at me in frustration.

I shrug at her, not really caring.

Her eyes glanced to the ground, as if looking for a reason "W-Well…" Suddenly her eyes lit up, and pointed her finger at me "You did earn it!"

'...huh?' I stared at her, baffled "What are you talking about?"

Her face held a victorious grin "You bought me lunch when we first met, remember? So I owe you! And this is technically your money now!"

'I did?' I thought to myself, trying to remember, and then recalled paying for her meal at Patch Delight 'Oh...yeah, I guess I did, but does that really count?'

"But I offered to pay" I pointed out, raising a finger "I didn't expect anything in return"

"Well-I don't care! I'm repaying you!" She said stubbornly, shoving it into my hand. Ruby made me fully clench my fingers around it, looking up at me seriously "Just...just take it, okay?"

.

.

.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" I asked bluntly.

Ruby's mouth curved into a wide smile "Nope! " She popped the 'p'.

'Why do I feel like that's gonna be a running gag?' I sighed tiredly, even if I technically paid for her lunch and just getting it back, it feels...cheap. "A compromise, I'll pay you back ten lien later" I wouldn't say I asked, more like I stated it.

Ruby must have recognized that, but she looked annoyed, her face making a pout "...fine, deal" But she relented and took her hand away "It's just ten lien…" She grumbled grumpily.

"Pft…" My head, along with Ruby's, snapped up to the old man's snickering at us.

My shoulders tense up '... he was there the entire time' That's fucking embarrassing, and apparently Ruby thought so too since she refused to look away from the ground.

"Ah, sorry, it's just been a while since I've seen two good friends arguing" He chuckled lightheartedly.

There he went with the 'friends' thing again, but I guess from his perspective it would look like a friendly spout "Y-Yeah…anyway, I guess I apparently do have the money now, so…" I hesitated for a moment, taking a moment to recognize that I'm going to owe someone, tried to talk myself out of it, failed to resist the temptation of a new table to work on, and then handed him the money along with Ruby's ten lien "Here you go"

"Thank you sir" The old man looked over my shoulder for a moment "But how do you reckon you'll move it? You got a ride waiting? We can move it in for yah"

I shook my head "No, I can carry it" Besides, I could use some exercise to burn off those calories I've gotten from the extra food at Patch Delight. Can't have myself getting out of shape, especially if I plan to take on terrorists.

"R-Really?" He asked in surprise as I walked over to the table and folded the legs under it.

I then proceeded to pick it up, it had some heft to it for sure, but I could carry it in my arms "Alright, I got everything I need, thank you" I thanked politely 'Let's see how long I can carry this for without a break'

And with having a few goodbyes, me and Ruby and me exited the junkyard with more things for me to tinker with than when we entered. We walked back towards my part of town together, me carrying most of the stuff we had gotten.

"Are you sure your okay?" Ruby asked, looking over at me carrying everything "You got a lot, y'know?"

"Good exercise" I responded, huffing a little as I shifted the weight to my other arm to ease my left one "Been getting a little lazy lately, I didn't get my physique by doing nothing"

I've actually been feeling kinda antsy lately, back home my family...well, most of them were muscle heads, me included. Half of us have exercise equipment in our rooms, and I've been starting to miss my pull-up bar.

"Hehe…" Ruby giggled lightly, making me look at her curiously "You kinda sound like my sister, she's a bit sensitive about her weight"

'Her sister huh?' I nearly forgot she had one, but I briefly remember her sister was part of the reason why those girls manipulated Ruby, although probably not intentionally on her part. It doesn't seem like there's anything bitter between them "Eh, I like to keep in shape" I decided not to ask about her, not sure if it would bring up anything bad.

Ruby looked up at me "But seriously, if you need any help I can carry some stuff" She offered a hand.

I raised an eyebrow at her, noting hows tired she seemed after carrying the bags she already has "You sure you don't need help?" I asked somewhat teasingly.

"You got a lot of stuff!" She complained loudly, huffing.

"Weakling" I joked with a smirk, she just stuck her tongue out at me.

"Fine! I won't help! See if I care!"

"I'm sure you don't"

"Hmph!"

.

.

.

"Pfftt…" We both barely held in our laughter.

Seriously, what's with this? It's actually kinda fun talking to her, and it surprises me how easy it is now. And I find myself really appreciating her coming out with me and showing me that junkyard, taking time out of her schedule to do this.

'Especially after you tried to blow her off earlier' My mind supplied bitterly, dampening my mood.

"..."

Why do I still feel kinda shitty? I know logically I wasn't trying to hurt her or anything, I just wanted to be left alone and do my science experiments...but I ended up asking her for help instead.

Looking at my behavior from earlier, she might think I only wanted her around only because it suited me, and that leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth, she did so much to help me get this stuff, even lending money. Sure, you could argue she owed it to me, but that sounds even worse somehow...

I took a glance at her, she seemed happy as she looked ahead, humming some tune that's probably something native to this world…

"Thanks by the way" I found myself saying as we continued to walk.

Ruby looked at me tilted her head a little at my statement "What for?" She asked.

"You know, for showing me this place, coming to scurry through a junkyard with me, I appreciate it" I shrugged my shoulder-well, as much as I could carrying all this stuff and a table "I-uh…" I paused, feeling awkward as I tried to find words.

"...I know it's not exactly like a regular 'hang-out' or anything, and I was kinda stand-offish earlier…" I admitted, feeling somewhat guilty again, but continued "so, yeah, thanks for showing me the place, and helping pay for the table" I said sincerely, trying to convey it.

I may not necessarily want her to be near me, but it's not for any of the reasons normally associated with that. She's actually... fun to talk to, kinda too excitable, a little innocent, but overall she's a good person, I can easily tell that.

While I don't think it's a good idea for me to associate with her like this, I also don't want to hurt her. I don't want to push her away and undo the good of everything I said to her, because I meant every word of it. And if I pushed her away now, it would just make those words meaningless, because who would follow the advice of someone who fucking avoids you? That's...unacceptable, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Eventually she'll move on, maybe make new and better friends, and I'll be left to my own devices again. But until then...

I then realized that she was oddly silent as I thought about this, I looked back at her to see her staring at me "...what?" I asked in confusion, feeling a little uncomfortable at her gaze.

"...pft" She giggled a little "Sorry! It's just...I just showed you to a junkyard and gave you ten lien" She said as a matter of fact "It's not like I saved your life or something"

My eyes looked away from her, feeling somewhat embarrassed now for making a big deal out of it "Yeah, well, still…"

"Besides!" She chirped walking up next to me with a smile "I had a lot of fun actually! It's been a while since I've been there, and it was kinda cool listening to you mumble about what to do with the stuff-" She suddenly stopped, her face going red as she waved her hands with the bag still on her arm "I-uh-mean-I wasn't purposely trying to listen o-or anything! Or make you feel uncomfortable-"

"Hehe…" I chuckled lightly, she stopped at it "Ease up a little, I know I get into it sometimes" I waved it off, not really bothered. I know I was really focused on what to do with the parts.

She relaxed "Um, yeah...I uh, really had fun, it's...nice to talk to you like this, rather than just on your break or walking around town" Ruby twiddled with the bag a little "It feels like I barely see you sometimes"

'Barely? I already consider the amount I talk to you now very high, are you an extrovert?' I questioned in my mind as I stared at her "Well, I have been busy…" I said, adjusting the table again 'My arms are getting tired…'

We were approaching my apartment anyway, thank the universe, I'm gonna need to relax a little before getting to work on making the lab, but not before checking one final thing.

"Yeah, living on your own and working must take up a lot of time" Ruby said, but then looked at me curiously "...so uh...why do you live on your own?"

'I hate these questions' I thought, but answered in stride"I came here on my own, I didn't really expect myself to be here specifically, but uh...I wanted to live on my own for a change, so to speak" Luckily I already had a semi-decent backstory pre-planned.

"What about your parents?" She asked innocently.

The tight feeling in my chest was back just from the simple question, the reminder of my parents making me feel homesick, but I kept a straight poker face and made no outward sign of change in my demeanor "It's...somewhat complicated, I can't get into contact with them right now, the network doesn't go out that far"

"Oh…" Ruby let out quietly "So...your all alone?"

I stopped in front of the apartment door, staring at the number, the tiredness in my arms forgotten as my mind focused on that one word.

Alone.

Huh...I guess I am. I never really thought about it that way before. Dangerous? Yes. Unfamiliar? Yes. Crazy? Hell yes.

But lonely?

I never thought about it like that, I always take a sort of pride to my loneliness. I like spending time by myself, no matter what anyone else said. There are just times where I needed to get away from people, because it was too much.

Yet, as I look back on my past week here, coming back to an empty room after a day of work, I always felt like there was something missing...

"Dinner's ready Drake!"

"Probably gonna need help on the car later bro"

"Wanna watch the new DC movie that came out son?"

"Can you read to me big bro?"

.

.

.

"Drake?"

I blinked slowly, realizing I was lost in a daze, and Ruby was looking at me in concern "Oh, uh...sorry, was just lost in thought" I said evenly, pushing aside the memories as best I could "But, yeah, to answer your question...it is kinda lonely, I guess, but I don't mind it" I answered.

'I'll get back home' I promised again, and inserted the key, unlocked it, and opened the door to my temporary new home.

"O-Okay" Ruby said hesitantly, setting the bag down by my door "Well...you got me to hang out with!" She said suddenly "So you don't have to feel lonely!"

I just stared at her 'This girl…' Saying stuff like that willy-nilly, if I didn't know better I'd say she was a heartbreaker.

The huntress-in-training seemed to realize her own words and blushed slightly "T-That sounded kinda weird, didn't it?" She asked sheepishly.

I set down the table before looking at her again "Um...kinda, but I get the message...thanks" I rubbed the back of my neck "And thanks again for helping, this will definitely speed things up a bit"

With all these parts I bet I could knock almost everything out in an all-nighter. My body is going to hate me for it later, especially after carrying so much today, but it's gotta get done.

"No problem!" Ruby chirped, smiling widely "I uh...it's really fun hanging out with you, do you maybe wanna do this again some other time?" She asked, looking a little excited "Maybe I could show you Crescent Rose! You said you liked her from the pictures!"

"'Her'?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, it was always something she did, refer to her weapon as a 'her' 'Is this like one of those car things where you refer to the car as a girl?' Being around my Dad and younger brother, car lovers, ingrained that bit of trivia into me.

"She's a beautiful girl!" Ruby huffed cutely while crossing her arms.

I chuckled slightly "Well, she does look like a beauty from her pictures" I admitted, and she had this small smug look on her face like 'Yeah, I made her'.

She then started looking at me expectantly "So, do you wanna like, schedule something? I dunno what your schedule is exactly…"

I take a glance back at my science equipment, remembering the reason for my being in a rush to get this done "I…" I paused, considering it.

'Fuck, why does this have to be so complicated?' Terrorists watching me, very dangerous. Gotta get this done…knock one of them out, interrogate them on the bright flash of light in the warehouse.

I haven't seen any signs of any Faunus watching me though, maybe they're lying low? After what happened with those two I wouldn't be surprised.

Being with Ruby could complicate things even more, make it so their much warier of getting near me, while that is technically a good thing, it's bad for my plans, I should say no-

"It's cool how passionate you seem to be about it"

"Um, yeah...I uh, really had fun, it's...nice to talk to you like this"

"Well… you got me to hang out with! So you don't have to feel lonely!"

.

.

.

'Here I am trying to figure out how to ditch her again, after she just helped me out with something so important' I thought to myself bitterly, annoyed with my own thoughts.

The fact of the matter is, that's what I'm doing. Yes, it is important I'm cautious about my interactions with people on this planet, but it doesn't change what I'm essentially trying to do.

'Do I have to ditch her?' I questioned myself, thinking seriously about the answer.

Could I keep her company and simply find a workaround? It's not without risk, the more she's around me the more she'll ask questions. I could lie easily enough, at least until she moves on, but there's a chance she may catch one of those lies.

'Is it worth it?' I asked myself. Is it really worth it? It would be good to have someone around to explain some of the things around here where the Remnant Knowledge doesn't provide I suppose, just use the excuse of being from outside the Kingdoms as the reason for asking.

And...overall, if it helps her get over what happened, then I'd be happy with that.

Ruby waved her hands nervously at my lack of response "Well, if you got too much going on-"

"How about tomorrow?" I asked suddenly, interrupting her. It's worth it, at least for now.

She looked at me in surprise "I-I thought you were planning on doing an experiment?" Ruby asked in confusion.

'Uh...guess I did say that, crap' I did plan to do an experiment tomorrow, being it was another day off and a perfect opportunity. I can't exactly waste it...

Looking back at the science equipment, an idea came to mind, and I raise my finger "How about this? We meet up, you bring Crescent Rose, and I'll bring my experiment, we can both show them off a little" I proposed, looking at her curiously for her opinion "Sound good?"

Ruby nodded excitedly, looking to be ecstatic "Yeah! That sounds great!" She shouted "When and where!?"

'Good question, where can I go to experiment that wouldn't bother anyone?' I think about it for a moment, glancing at Ruby, she would probably have a better idea "Do you know any open clearings away from people?" I asked, and when I saw her confused look I then added "I don't want anyone complaining"

Ruby nodded in understanding "Yeah! Me and my sister have this training spot in the forest we go to sometimes, we can go somewhere around there!"

"So...meet up at my place at what…" I think about it for a moment, I'll need time to pack it up "Noon? And you can show me the way?" I asked.

"I can do that!" She seemed to be growing more estatic by the second "Oh-it's gonna be fun! I get to show off my baby, and we can hang out-like, not near your job or anything-it'll be so awesome!" Ruby laughed a little awkwardly as she realized her own enthusiasm was showing "Ehe...Noon, right? I'll be there!"

I chuckled lightly "Yeah yeah, now get out of here" I made a waving motion with my hand toward the door "I gotta get started, and I'm sure your family is waiting on you for dinner, considering it's getting dark out and all"

Ruby's eyebrows shot up, and her head whirled to look out the window "Ah...it is late! I didn't even realize" She muttered the last part, she checked the time on her scroll "Y-Yeah, I should go" She then pointed to me "But we're definitely on for tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, we are" I deadpanned, it's not like we just went over that or anything. Spoiler alert: That was sarcasm.

"You can't change your mind now!" She asserted, putting her finger in front of my face with a mock-stern look.

'I'm tempted to say "Nah, nevermind" just to tease her, but I'll refrain' I thought in amusement as I gently pushed the finger out of my face "I get it, now get going already, I got some work to do"

"Alright!" She finally seemed to relent as she made her way out the door, waving at me "See you tomorrow!"

She shut the door behind her, and I made to go over to lock it-

The door opened again and Ruby's head peaked through "I'll be here at noon, so don't forget-"

"Get out of here already!" I threw my hands up in fake exasperation, she laughed before finally closing the door, I heard the sound of a- WHOOSH!- outside the door, meaning she was actually gone.

But just to be safe, I waited another ten seconds "...finally" I said, I can get to work now.

I locked the door and slid in the second lock chain "Alright…" I turned around and looked to the experiment on the table "Should've had plenty of time to form the final product…"

I walked over to it, I felt a bit nervous, honestly hoping that it worked. I've done it plenty of times back home, and though this is a lot more makeshift it should still work...unless there is something about this planet that would stop it.

Just a small fear I have with no evidence that I've seen yet to support it, but it's a worry nonetheless, that maybe the reason why this planet doesn't use most of the chemicals we use is because they don't work here, that something about this planet stops them, but I have no reason to believe so.

The batteries worked after all, and so did the potassium permanganate and glycerin...but those are smaller reactions in comparison to the scale this one is.

So this experiment should be what gives me a definite answer, that if this can work, that maybe other larger scale ones can too.

Standing over the plastic container, I slipped on the rubber gloves and prepared a piece of aluminum foil, scrunching up into a small ball.

Sodium hydroxide dissolves aluminum to form hydrogen gas and sodium aluminate, so if I were to put this into the batch of sodium hydroxide it would react with the aluminum to form a black bubbly liquid.

Detaching the electrodes from the solution, I set them down carefully and held up the crumbled up aluminum over the solution…

'Please work…' I silently pleaded, it should. It should.

I gently dropped it in.

Nothing could move my gaze from it, the room was quiet. I stared at the piece of aluminum floating in it and just waited…

.

.

.

And after a full twenty seconds, I noticed a few bubbles around it '...I'm not seeing things, right?' I double checked to make sure and certainly enough there was 'That should be the hydrogen'

I then waited a few minutes, many more bubbles had arisen.

Another few minutes past, and the solution was beginning to become black, bubbling up.

It's working…!

One more test, one more test would prove it just to be sure. I took out a lighter and lit it, bringing it close to the top of the solution-

Fwoom!

I could feel the sudden heat in front of my face, and a flash of orange for less than a second. The air above it ignited, which meant hydrogen was in the air.

I pumped my fist into the air "YES!" I let myself shout, a huge sense of relief flooding over me. I have in front of me sodium aluminate and hydrogen gas, a normal chemical reaction that went perfectly!

'If this can work, what's to say others can't too!?' Confidence and spirits boosted, I felt a laugh bubbling up in my throat, excitement filling me to the brim.

Picking up the table again, I set it over by the window at the other end of the living room, right next to the kitchen, and then brought over all the items I had bought.

---

(Play Dr. Stone: I'm A Human)

First, I immediately got to scrubbing the table with a sponge. It wasn't so bad, the dirt was easiest to get off, but there were some stains that took a while, but nothing like a little water and soap to fix it up.

'Get off you stupid stain…!' I grit my teeth a bit as I scrubbed harder.

Next, I set up the beakers and test tubes on the table. The labels said they were rated for high dust usage, but that said nothing on it's durability for chemicals...but it was still glass, so it should still work for most chemicals. I'll have to test it later.

I also set some of my materials from my backpack there specifically, a cheap beaker stand sat in the back of the table right by the window.

'Easy part is done' I think to myself as I bring over the bags for parts I had gotten, along with the stuff I bought at the local stores.

I'm gonna need a heating mantle for basic distillation and chemical processes, maybe build in a magnetic stirrer, but that can be done later after I make a DC motor.

Couldn't find any heating tape so that wasn't going to work, so instead I'll have to go the harder way and use fiberglass, but it will be far more useful this way for later on anyways.

It was very tedious, shaping it around my largest flask, layering it, practically sewing heating wire through it, I had gotten an aluminum pot so I could specifically add a magnetic stirrer later on since magnets aren't attracted to that metal.

I solder the wires to connect it to it's plug-in, careful not to make any mistakes, and once I was done I examined my handiwork.

'Make sure the power works...it's definitely getting hot, probably a limit of seven-hundred degrees farenheit, that'll work…'

After over an hour I tested it out on a round flask filled with water, settling in the aluminum pot with fiberglass covered the insides and over the top of it, the flask being held in place by a clamp stand on the side, it sat on the table and boiled the water easily.

"That's out of the way…" I looked it over, it wouldn't make nearly as much use without a distillation apparatus, so that's next on the agenda.

It won't be as fancy as the ones back home, but I can make it easily enough. A bit of plastic tubing, a container filled with ice water and something to attach that plastic tubing to the flask, put that all together and you've got a basic distillation set for chemistry.

Setting up the apparatus on the table, I bent the plastic tubing to sit in the container and glued it in, and installed a clamp around the other end of the tub to attach to the flask. Not fancy, and gonna have to improve upon it, but it'll work for now.

I tested it out with the water again, only this time adding a bit of black dye to it, the water evaporated and condensed back over into a smaller beaker, much clearer than the liquid being heated was.

'Heating mantle done, distillation set done' All the chemicals I currently have, and the items I plan to extract materials from, are all organized in a neat and orderly area on the back of the table on some shelves I placed there.

I rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes, gotta keep going…

'I'll need a stand for my phone to use the magnification app, and to look through my notes easier while doing experiments' I quickly got to work, took out an adjustable stand and a block of wood.

I carved at it with a knife, comparing it to the shape of my phone and judging where appropriate to shape it, it took a while to get it to the correct shape, and it was amateurish at best, but it would work.

Attaching it to the stand, I used an electric drill I had made with a homemade DC motor back when I was at the hotel and got bored, it was far cheaper than buying a drill itself. It had a simple wooden frame, attached to it was a DC motor connected to a trigger, and the trigger attached to the vinegar batteries I made.

I'd use that DC motor to make the magnetic stirrer, but I'm gonna need this drill for other projects.

I put my I-Phone on the stand and moved it up and down, I turned it on and moved over to photos, going over all the pictures of my notes.

Passing over some of my siblings and pets (which only hardened my resolve and made me work harder), I got to the next thing on the agenda, an arc furnace.

Setting down a clamp on the table, I also took out the transformers I had gotten from the junkyard and put one of them in the clamp, proceeding to take it apart with a hacksaw.

'Really hope nobody complains about noise' I bang out the primary coils with a small rubber mallet and a flathead prying it apart.

After making the appropriate modifications to the transformers I linked them together and attached them to two cables leading to conductive vice-grips, I then put on my rubber gloves and put the vice grips on the two carbon rods I made earlier, turning it on and putting them near each other.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

A buzzing sound was made as sparks of electricity flowed through one to the other "This can melt almost any metal" I muttered with a smirk, thinking of the possibilities. All I needed left was to make fire brick, which was what my chemistry set is for once I get all the materials.

Turning it off, I set it down "Phew…" I sighed, my hands shaking for some reason...oh, they feel sore 'How long has it been? What time is it?' I check my phone, shaking somewhat due to my hand.

3:03 AM

I let out a laugh "Haha...I've been working since eight…" I should fucking go to sleep already.

'But I can't'

I wouldn't be able to sleep, I have too much on my mind, too many ideas, too much desire to get things done. Too many thoughts on home, too much wishing that I could do something to get back faster.

I am sick and tired of wishing, it's time for doing.

So I ignored the feeling in my hands, took a chair, and sat at the table to continue my work.

I wouldn't fall asleep until morning.

(End song)

---

Captaindrake123: I might have gotten a little carried away with the science and building sections of this chapter...just a smidge. It's a big part of Drake's character though, he has the mind of a scientist, he's not a genius by any means but he is good at it and he will use it. But I can dumb it down if needed.

Also, have any of you watched Doctor Stone? It's an awesome show, I really love how it goes about the role of science in it's story arcs. I wanna do science entertainment like that, so I'll see how that goes. You should go watch it if your into science.

Anyway, I am sorry that I did not get this out earlier like I promised-not like I have an obligation to you guys anyway, but still, a promise is a promise-and to make up for that I am glad to say that I am on winter break, so I should get the next chapter out fairly quickly.

AND I also have another pleasant surprise, I have TWO full omakes for you! Enjoy!

---

Omake: Police Investigation # 2

The Patch Police Station was loud that night, buzzling with phone calls and the rapid steps of officers moving from place to place, carrying paperworks and folders of evidence and cases.

One Chief in particular had a mountain of paperwork on his desk, the desk plate in front of him holding the name 'Teal L. Morado'.

The man in the room rubbed his nose in frustration, too much was going on, and it was getting to him "...ha…" He sighed.

Knock! Knock!

He didn't bother to look up "Come in!" Teal called as he sorted through another file, pictures of the White Fang lieutenant in the hospital, he was completely bandaged and restrained.

"Hello Chief, how are ya?"

Teal's eyebrow twitched at the voice of the private detective "I did not hire you Mister Mauve, kindly exit my office and out the station until I do" He stated dismissively.

Mauve didn't let it bother him and simply sauntered over before plopping down on the chair in front of the desk "Yeah, let's just pretend you don't need all the help you can get right now" He said sarcastically "What with the White Fang hiding in Patch, with who knows how many numbers in our home, and the recent escape of our big fellow out of the hospital setting people on edge"

Teal dropped the papers onto the desk, he stood up, and closed the curtains around his office, before turning around to the private detective in question "I'd watch how much you say Mister Mauve, because I am not in the mood for it, I have a lot of people to assign to cases and paperwork to sort through, so get to the point quickly"

Mauve examined the chief briefly: baggy and red eyes, a slight slouch in his posture, and his tone of voice all lead to signs of sleep deprivation, he hadn't gotten any good sleep in days.

"...right" Mauve stood up "I will, put me on the job"

"Denied" The chief dismissed quickly.

"C'mon Chief, y'know I'm good, I can help you find them"

"That's not the problem, the problem is your emotionally involved in this situation" He stated as a matter of fact.

The private detective didn't bother to hide it "Yeah, I can't say I don't hate those terrorist bastards, they've hurt a lot of people, I personally don't have anything against faunus, but those terrorists can go die in a fire for all I care" He sneered "But the story on why I hate the White Fang can be told later, because frankly, we don't have the fucking time"

Teal grunted at it in a 'you don't say' manner, ignoring his callous language "Either way, I don't have much patience right now, and this is not proving to be a good use of my time, so either you have something solid or-"

"I can find out where the Lieutenant went"

.

.

.

"I'm listening" He immediately sat down by his desk, the other detective doing so on the other side.

Mauve threw down a folder from his coat, opening it to show his own personal findings "It's not as fancy as your boys in forensics, but it does the job, here you'll see I got a few statements and witnesses who saw the crime happen-"

"I have no reports of this" Teal stated with a confused look.

The private detective shrugged "I can get more people to talk than a regular cop could, some people don't trust the police nowadays, especially faunus"

The chief grimaced, he couldn't refute that "What else?"

"I have a lead to find one of their hideouts" He points to the next file, a series of numbers, ones of case reports of stores that were reported with stolen commodities in the area "There's multiple people who have stated that they've seen suspicious activity in this district, and it coincides with the time that the big guy escaped"

"...that is something to look into" The Chief muttered over the papers, picking them up and examining them closely "How did you get some of this information? I don't imagine it was through normal means"

"Some people owed me some favors" The private detective said illusively, but didn't answer any further.

"...you think your contacts could get you more?" The Chief found himself asking.

"A lot more" Mauve answered.

Teal mulled over it, staring at the man across from him, not finding the situation to be a comfortable one. But with everything going on, and the backlash and negativity that will go up with the media, he didn't have a lot of options.

It could be days, weeks, or even months, but whatever it is they were planning it needed to be dealt with, and soon.

"Something big is coming" Teal muttered, looking down at all the files and papers on his desk, every picture, his eyes were hard and worried "Whatever is going on with these White Fang...their not here for their normal hit and runs, and there's no way it's gonna end well"

He sharply turned his gaze back to the private detective "The only reason why I'm even considering it is because of that, your right, I do need all the help I can get" He stood up from his seat and glared into the purple eyes of the man across from him "But I need you to understand, whatever reason you have, whatever hate or justification you think you have, you will put it aside, because whatever is going on, a lot of people could get hurt...do I make myself clear?"

Mauve stared back, unblinking "Crystal"

He nodded, satisfied as he eased up "Then your hired"

---

Omake #2: Drake Chibi! (Non-canon)

I groggily blinked open my eyes, yawning "Ahhh...what time is it?" I shook my head, looking down to see I fell asleep at the table, what with the drool on it "Ugh, no wonder my neck feels stiff...fuzzing dangit"

.

.

.

"Wait, what?" I blinked again 'What did I just say?' I must be really groggy, so I just got up and out of my chair-"W-Whoa!" Feeling unbalanced, I fell to the floor instantly.

Something felt...weird, my head was feeling heavy 'The fuzz is going on-there it is again!' I think, even my thoughts seemed weird.

I pushed myself off the ground-but then completely stopped at the sight of my hands on the floor.

"...why are my hands tiny?" I asked aloud.

They were so...small! I wiggle my fingers as I take a closer look at them, they looked like baby hands!

"Did I shrink?" I questioned, oddly enough seriously considering the answer, with everything that's happened to me so far I would not rule it out.

Taking a careful step onto the ground, I stood up "W-Whoa!" I unsteadily kept my balance, my head still felt weirdly heavy, and when I thought about why that would be, I decided to head to the bathroom at a slow pace as to not fall down.

Once in there, I looked at the mirror…"Holy shizzle! I've been chibified!" I didn't even bother with my weird inability to curse, I just looked at my shocked overly huge head and tiny body self, my huge eyes hilariously wide.

"That looks so weird…" The fact that I look like a cutesy Japanese animation was strange as heck, my head in proportion to my body…it's just not natural! Sure it looks cute on screen, but in real life it'd be really weird.

Walking out of the bathroom I took my time learning how to walk again, considering how unbalanced I am "My universe this is ridiculous, what happened to me? Did the Remnant Knowledge do this?"

'Nope'

I blinked slowly at the quick response "...huh, guess that rules that out" I scratched the top of my oversized head "Wait a minute, did you just directly answer me-?"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Hearing my phone, I glared up at the ceiling "We'll talk about this later" I said gruffly as I got out my phone.

'No we won't'

Growling, I unlocked my phone and saw that I had set a reminder for something at noon-"Oh shizzle me dizzle! Ruby's coming over!"

Looking at the clock, it was 11:59 , but just as it reached 12:00-

Bam!

"AH!" I screamed at the sudden sound of my door being bashed open, losing my grip on my phone and trying to catch it mid-air, only to get it just before it hit the ground.

Looking over at the place where my door used to be, I saw that it was completely shattered, and it's place was a chipper chibi Ruby Rose "Hi Drake! Sorry about the door!" She skipped on inside.

I stared at her "...so it happened to you too?"

She tilted her giant head cutely "What do you mean?"

I raised my finger to point it out, but then thought better of it. If she didn't know already, then whatever has happened she is clearly not aware of it...also I'm more concerned about my door.

"Your gonna pay for that right?" I asked bluntly "Why did you break it anyway?"

"...I got really excited" She admitted shyly, only to get really hyper all of a sudden and started hopping in one place "This is gonna be so much fun! We're gonna hang out! Talk about weapons! Share stories! And…" She went on and on incessantly, bouncing off the walls of the room like if it were a cartoon.

I briefly realized that my lack of reaction for any of this was because I was in shock...no, not because of the chibification, not because of Ruby breaking the laws of physics and bouncing off the walls like a rubber ball, and definitely not because of the cost in damages I'll have to probably pay for that door.

No, it was something far worse.

I realized why I couldn't curse…

'The universe is censoring me'

Takes me from my home, my family, and everything I love...now I can't even mutter a swear word. The one reprieve that I have in this world.

"C'mon bestie-I mean, Drake!" Ruby exclaimed as she grabbed my sleeve and dragged me out the door "We have a fun day ahead of us!"

I just accepted whatever fate it may lead me to as I lamented in my inability to have anything go my way in life.

---

Captaindrake123: Sixteen-thousand words...not bad if I say so myself. Also, stop asking me if I'm continuing this...I am still getting messages for it even after I posted that explanation. Please, stop, it's not just annoying at this point, it's disrespectful because clearly you did not bother to actually read what I had to say. I will not name names, but you know who you are.

Seriously, I get it, you want this story to continue, but you have to realize that I have other priorities, and I will not answer if you keep asking.

Anyway, enough of that, thanks for reading, any constructive criticism is appreciated, and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas...or Hanukkah, you get what I mean. See yah!