Weiss woke up, head feeling dizzy as she slowly sat up. Waiting a few minutes to clear her senses, she looked over at the warmth emanating from beside her, and saw the campfire. Confusion alighted within her, until she recalled the events that had played out before, a small headache making its way in.
Hurriedly, she looked around the small camp, searching for the girl she had seen before. Her foot tapped something, and upon further inspection realized it was Myrtenaster. Hearing a rustling coming from the bushes on the opposite side of the camp, she sat there, rapier in hand as she waited for whatever entity it was to come out.
The girl from before appeared, dragging a sled behind her, mixtures of dead rabbits and squirrels sitting on it. Weiss watched as the girl hummed lightly, methodically beginning to work on the rabbits and squirrels, until she had the essentials.
A sudden itching feeling came to Weiss' throat, forcing her to cough and expose her awareness. The girl looked over in surprise, letting a gentle smile overtake her features. "Oh hey, you're finally awake, was kinda hoping my first time seeing someone out here wouldn't be a dead person."
Weiss watched in silence, the girl beginning to fidget nervously under her gaze. Slight amusement twinkled in her eyes, before deciding to finally end the girl's misery. "Who are you?"
The girl walked up to Weiss, who tightened her hand on Myrtenaster. Stopping right over Weiss, she leaned over and stuck her hand out. "I'm Ruby, nice to meet you!"
Weiss stared at the hand for a second, then looked back up into the girl's eyes. Assured the girl wasn't attempting to do anything to her, she took the hand. "Weiss."
Ruby nodded, turning around, she started her work on the small animals again.
"Why did you save me?"
Ruby turned around again, looking at Weiss. "What do you mean?"
Weiss rolled her eyes, fixing Ruby with a glare. "I mean, why would you go out of your way to take care of me? I could be a murderer or someone sent here to kill you."
Not wanting to face Weiss' glare, Ruby looked down at the ground. "W-well, you were just sort of bleeding out there, and I couldn't just sit there and do nothing, plus you didn't look all that bad, in fact you look kinda pretty, and… uh…"
Both eyes were wide, Ruby quickly turning her attention back to her task in an attempt to hide her blush, while Weiss stared at the ground in front of her.
"I just… I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could've protected someone but I didn't."
Weiss sighed. Knowing she was being a bit too cold considering the girl had saved her life, she decided to hold back a bit on her bite. "Well, thank you."
Ruby turned her head for a second, offering a bright smile, then turned back, setting up the small animals to be cooked over the fire.
"So, whatcha doing this far out? You're the first person I've seen outside the wall."
No answer came, Ruby beginning to believe maybe Weiss hadn't heard her. "I was on a patrol, ambushed by savages, kidnapped by a grimm, and brought outside the wall, since you're so curious."
Ruby could hear the bitterness in Weiss' voice, internally flinching. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore, I'm combat ready!" Ruby grinned proudly, striking out a heroic pose, but deflated a bit as Weiss gave her a blank look.
"And what about you, what is a girl like you doing out this far away from the wall?"
"I live here."
Weiss blinked. "You what?"
Ruby sighed. "I live here!"
"You do know where we are right? In the middle of a forest where no civilization exists? In the middle of where grimm prey and eat on those unsuspecting?" By the end of it, Weiss was shouting, unable to understand how the girl in front of her could possibly live in the forest. The only way that were possible is if she were a… huntress.
Weiss eyes widened. There was no way that was true, unless Ruby aged extremely well, someone of her age couldn't possibly be one. The answer that followed her series of questions confirmed it, proud voice and grin accompanying. "I'm a huntress!"
Weiss narrowed her eyes, taking the grin on Ruby's face the wrong way. "Don't play games with me, this is a very serious situation, both of our lives are at risk!"
Dejected, Ruby eyes turned sad as she looked at Weiss, who felt a pang of guilt at having caused it. "Why, what's wrong with believing I'm a huntress?"
"How old are you?"
Ruby's eyes turned bright, grin back on her face, Weiss' mind giving her the image of a puppy. "Sixteen!"
Getting up slowly, Weiss turned around, stumbling away from the camp.
"Whoa whoa wait, where are you going?"
Weiss' exasperated voice came out while Ruby rushed towards her. "Away from you, since you can't even seem to take your own life seriously, I doubt you will take mine either."
As Weiss walked away, she looked down at her torso, noting the bandages that had been wrapped around it were done extremely well. Feeling another pang of guilt at treating the girl that had saved her life so coldly, she began to have second thoughts about leaving her behind.
Weiss didn't have the time to make a decision, two ursa majors suddenly bursting through the trees and heading straight for her. In a desperate attempt to somehow deter the two ursa, she whipped out her rapier and stuck it in front of her, hoping it would block the incoming blows, still too exhausted to use her glyphs. Is this how I die? In the middle of nowhere, fading away into nothing?
Time seemed to slow down as a rose petal fluttered about in front of Weiss' face. A gust of wind threw the rose petal away, and Weiss refocused her vision on the two ursa, only to find that they were disintegrating. Behind their bodies was Ruby, a scythe as big as her held out, indicating her previous horizontal swing that decapitated the two ursa.
Ruby folded the scythe, placing it on her back, smiling at Weiss. "Still don't believe me?"
As the day went on, Weiss couldn't help taking glances at the young girl tending to the camp. She had heard that it took years and years of training, and even then one wasn't fully prepared to be a hunter, more years of actual experience needed before becoming a proper one.
So how is it that a girl two years younger than her is already a huntress, and a full fledged one at that? Shaking her head, Weiss nibbled on the cooked rabbit Ruby had given her. Ruby seemed accustomed to life in the forest well, in fact, a little too well.
"How long have you been living out here?"
Ruby looked over at Weiss, smile ever present on her face while gorging on her share of the rabbits and squirrels. "Fow tee yurs."
Weiss glared at Ruby, disgusted at her attempt to speak while eating. "Ruby, for Dusts' sake, swallow your food first."
Ruby swallowed, a hint of embarrassment on her face. "Three years."
Yet again, Weiss found herself dumbfounded, the anomaly of the girl in front of her contradicting everything she was told about hunters and huntresses. They were supposed to be respectable, upstanding, courageous, dressed like heroes and spoke like heroes. This girl was the complete opposite. Almost like a child, Ruby danced around the camp with seemingly infinite energy, always occupying herself with something to do. The only part that seemed to apply to Ruby was the courageous part. She didn't even wear any armor, how could she expect to win if one hit could potentially take her out? In fact, now that Weiss was focused on it, Ruby was wearing a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings, and a bright red cloak secured with cross-shape pins to her shirt, and to finish off the whole red and black mixture, short red-tipped hair framing Ruby's face.
Weiss herself was garbed in lightweight small pieces of armor adorning her legs, forearms, feet, and a piece that stretched from her chest to her torso, so as to give her as much speed as possible. Underneath the armor she wore a pale blue jacket, over a similarly coloured thigh-length dress, with a piece of black lace making up the neck line. To top it off, her alabaster hair was tied in an off-kilter ponytail, a small tiara resembling icicles resting at the base.
Weiss felt a bit awkward, sitting there beside the campfire while Ruby went about doing whatever task she found necessary.
"S-so, what shall we do now?" Weiss asked, wincing at the stutter.
Ruby seemed to ponder for a moment before answering. "I guess we should get you back to wherever you came from, which is where?"
"Atlas."
Ruby's silver eyes widened. "Wait what? How in the world did you get all the way here from Atlas?"
"Patrol mission, remember? I told you shortly after I woke up." Weiss huffed out, crossing her arms in irritation.
Ruby giggled, scratching the back her of head awkwardly. "Oh yeah."
Silence. Weiss looked up, seeing Ruby's intent gaze focused on her. "What?"
"You were leading that patrol mission right?" A nod. "Does that mean you're a pretty high rank in the military?" Another nod. "Like super high?" A hesitant nod. "How high?" An irritated sigh.
"Does the name 'Schnee' ring a bell? As in 'Weiss Schnee'?"
"Nope~" Ruby replied, popping the 'p'.
Weiss was losing track of how many times in a row she could become irritated. "The family that rules Atlas and the northern countries?"
Ruby's mouth formed a small o, nodding in recognition.
Weiss couldn't believe this. This must be a dream… right? Sneaking her left hand behind her back, Weiss pinched herself, flinching when she felt the pain. Not a dream. "Anyways, back to getting me to Atlas."
"Right, well," Ruby pointed at the darkening sky above, no longer being blocked by trees with the clearing they were sitting in, "it's almost dark, we'll have to wait until tomorrow if we wanna make it back safely."
"Aren't you supposed to be a huntress?" Weiss frowned, not at Ruby, but herself for once again bringing out her icy personality.
"Well~," A mischievous glint was in Ruby's eye, "you are right, but the problem is you aren't."
Weiss crossed her arms, glaring at Ruby, who only put her hands up in defense, sporting a wide grin.
This girl certainly is… unique. I could get used to this. Looking away from Ruby, Weiss blinked at her own unbidden thoughts, deciding to banish them for the time being, accepting her body's request for more sleep. Laying back down on the fur bedding Ruby had provided, Weiss looked up at the now dark sky, stars twinkling merrily down at her. Closing her eyes, Weiss found a strange comfort in hearing the noises that came from whatever tasks Ruby was finding for herself, slowly falling asleep.
