Author's Headnote: I changed Verul's Name to Verkash because I did not like how... 'Verul' sounded. Anyways...
The Ruby of Cerberus: Duo'Lan
Ruby Rose:
Health: Shaken, mentally unfit for combat for awhile.
Aura: 100% (Aura may protect one's body, but not the mind)
Semblance: Petal Burst
Weapons: None (Weapons are kept around her bunk until she's mentally fit)
Credits: 532
Party Relations:
- Weiss Schnee: How does she even handle seeing all of that?
- Blake Belladonna: There was blood everywhere! And she apparently saw the killer, too!
- Yang Xiao Long: So... much... death...
End of Main Character Status Report
The Cordavire, December 11, 2174, 10:00 (Military Time), Sunday, Crew Quarters
Ruby had woken up... though the thoughts of the mission are still fresh in her mind. She couldn't picture anything this brutal done by a person back at home. Well... she thinks so... deciding not to think on this, she had decided to try and fall back asleep... only for her to struggle. No less, she had decided to get up... figured a day relaxing in the ship will clear her mind.
It Turns out Yang was waiting for her to get up, as she was sitting on the bunk below.
"Morning, sis." Yang greeted.
"Hey..." Ruby muttered
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No... I'm fine..."
"Ruby, you're not fine. You're hurt."
"I'll... get over it."
"You weren't prepared when you first joined Beacon."
"What do you mean?"
"Being a huntress isn't all it says on the flyers. You're going to encounter some blood, whether you lose some, or make others lose theirs."
"NO! Nononononononononono!"
"Blake fought with the White Fang, a terrorist group. Weiss has a visible scar on her eye, thick one too."
"And you?"
"Well... remember that time I took a weak off from school two years back?"
"Ya?"
"Well, that was because I ended up having some mental problems after my first kill."
"What?"
"Ya... guy was armed with a gun, pointing it at some unarmed woman, point-blank. I shot at him with Ember Celicia, it was a mess. His guts were splattered everywhere... he didn't have his aura unlocked. Though, I also learned aura is something not everyone had unlocked at the beginning in their life. Since apparently, I had mine since I was born."
"Oh my..."
"It's okay, Ruby. I was taught the hard way that death is something that comes with pursuing this career type. I'm not sure if you're willing to abide by your 'no-kill' rule, for very long."
"But... but..."
"I wanted to prepare you for this moment, but not like this. I was happy when I saw you at the ship, but I was also worried that you'd end up being too traumatized to pull through."
"Yang..."
"It's okay, Ruby. You just need to sink it in. Then you'll be good as new. If you need anything, I'll be here."
"Thanks... Yang."
Character Change: Ruby Rose - Blake Belladonna
The Cordavire, December 11, 2174, 10:07 (Military Time), Sunday, Mess Hall
"We're going to Play cards!" Verkash announced.
"That was sudden." Weiss retorted.
Blake, Weiss, Haedvin, and Verkash were all gathered at the Mess Hall, sitting down, beforehand there was awkward silence for a whole seven minutes. And now they're playing a card game. The ship was docked at the citadel. There's no way Haedvin would let the ship fly in the middle of space unpiloted. That'd be irresponsible of him. Well, according to how well Blake knows the guy. Not much is known about Haedvin or his past. Guessing by the armor, he might have been a former member of the eclipse.
"So... what are we playing, exactly?" Blake asked.
"Salarian card game. Often played by gangs and mercs. It was a lot more popular until humans entered the political sphere of the galaxy. It's called Duo'Lan." Verkash answered.
"Make sure you pay attention to the rules, Duo'Lan is a very complicated game. Though, Salarians would say it's quite simple. It's not simple." Haedvin commented.
And after Haedvin had said what he said, he had brought three ten-sided dice, and two decks of playing cards onto the table.
"What are the dice for?" Weiss asked. "I thought we're playing cards."
"We are playing cards..." Haedvin retorted.
"Dealer rolls the dice; you'll have to hit until the number provided. You will also be given cards to help yourself reach that number." Verkash stated, rolling the dice. It lands on a total of sixteen.
"For example, in this game. You'll need to deal to 16, the closest to this number wins, if you go over... you're out." Verkash added.
"That sounds simple." Weiss stated.
In which then, Verkash began dealing the cards to Blake, Weiss, and Haedvin. One faced up, and four faced down.
"the one faced up is your count. It's the cards to show what number you are on. The faced down cards are your hand. You add those cards to add up to the total. Those are the only four cards you have during a session, and we're doing best three out of seven." Verkash explained.
"And we're not betting anything. Much unlike other players you may encounter. Verkash isn't playing because someone needs to teach you how to play the game without taking advantage of you." Haedvin retorted.
"Okay then, let's start." Weiss said.
Blake then looked at her card closely, and picked up her hand, she couldn't read the numbers, but she did count the number of symbols on the cards. Which is helpful.
Let's see here... seven on the set. And her hand consists of a one, five, ten, and six. Haedvin has his number on six, and Weiss at Eight.
Blake wants to save her cards. So, she said deal.
And now she's been dealt a four... that's a total of eleven. Weiss has fourteen. Haedvin has ten. Blake places down the card counting five symbols on it from her hand and decides to stand on that. Weiss just kept hitting until she went over and managed to get to 20. Haedvin folded.
After that, he collected the cards, though Blake's 'five' card gets put back in the other deck instead of the other card. Verkash shuffled the base deck, and then rolled the dice, it landed on twenty-two. He then sees Verkash dealing from the bottom of the deck, which is quite confusing.
"If the dice roll a number higher than twenty, the dealer has to draw from the bottom of the deck." Haedvin stated.
"That's an absurd rule..." Weiss said.
"That's just the beginning of Duo'Lan."
Weiss sighed. Blake was intrigued.
After the cards have been dealt, Blake has gotten a ten... Haedvin a three, and Weiss a nine. Everyone went to deal. Blake gotten a four... which adds up a total of fourteen. Haedvin got another three, which adds up a total of six. Weiss got a ten, adding her total to nineteen. Weiss insisted on standing with that count. Blake went with a deal and got a five... with a total of nineteen. And Haedvin got another three... with a total of nine.
"Three in a row, Haedvin wins." Verkash announced.
"What!?" Weiss and Blake objected.
"Told you, this game makes no sense." Haedvin retorted.
"I only know all of the rules because I've been playing it for eighty years." Verkash stated.
"Just how old are you?" Blake asked.
"Around Three-hundred and eighty-six."
"What in the-?" Weiss objected, confused.
"They've been under a rock for their whole lives." Haedvin interrupted.
Well, in terms of this dimension, they're not wrong. They know very little about the dimension they are in right now. The critical info is that Blake is the only member of her species, and that dust does not work here... though this dimension has its own version.
"Krogan live very long lives, and I'm still considered to be young." Verkash stated.
Weiss and Blake look at the Krogan with utter shock. Haedvin just sighed under his suit. "Can you deal the next hand?" He requested.
He rolled the dice, it landed on seven. "Multiplier of Seven, and low number." Verkash announced.
"What does multiplier of seven have to do with anything?" Weiss asked.
"The card would have to be placed on your head, so only others can see it, but not you. Have to rely on reading peope's faces to see if your number is good."
"And as for low number?"
"If the number is below 9, only one card can be dealt."
"Just how many rules are there?" Blake asked.
"Too many..." Haedvin answered.
During that conversation. Verkash had slapped three cards on their heads. They seem to stick. Blake seems to be annoyed by this feeling, not to mention the card messes with her peripheral vision.
"Don't worry, it'll fall off after a couple of minutes." Verkash stated.
Blake looked at her opponent's cards, Weiss has a three, and Haedvin has an eight. Meaning he's over. Blake had decided to stand, so... does everyone else. They waited until the cards fell off... Blake also had... eight. Which means Weiss had won this round.
"Okay, deal again. Let's see if I can win again." Weiss stated.
Character Change: Blake Belladonna - Yang Xiao Long
The Cordavire, December 11, 2174, 10:14 (Military Time), Sunday, Crew Quarters
Yang was lying on the bed, with Ruby lying on top of her... like a child resting on her mother.
"It's okay... you just need to stay strong... ssshhh..." Yang consoled the young trainee huntress.
Ruby was clinging onto her sister. While Yang was trying to comfort her. She's a bit childish, but she cares for her. Though Yang may not seem like it, she's quite affectionate towards Ruby, caring about her like she's her own daughter. Even though she is her half-sister. Ruby's going through some mental breakdown, she was hoping she'd be able to help her get through with this from a controlled environment, so that she didn't end up like this right now.
Seeing her sister, resting on her. She's fallen asleep. Ruby's gonna need the extra sleep to help her heal. Mental wounds are just as bad as physical wounds, if not worse. Given the rise in robotics in Remnant, crippled legs aren't much of a worry of the past, and the choice is voluntary. Though, mental trauma is something that requires a whole out mindwipe to resolve. Which is beyond any technology possible. Which is why Yang is worried about Ruby. She's still quite young, after all... so is Yang, but Ruby is younger.
Yang kissed her sister's forehead. She'll stay with Ruby while she sleeps. She likely needs to stay with her sister for a little bit. Maybe take her shopping for some leisurements. Just help her do something non-combat related. That, and she can't move. The girl is quite big. Being two years separate from age, they grow relatively in a similar pace.
Though, Yang did doze off after a bit... waking up and finding Ruby gone. Her sister likely went and got something to eat. Yang also had gotten up to eat. She likely needs to eat, too. Hopefully the rest of the crew isn't doing anything stupid.
Character Change: Yang Xiao Long - Ruby Rose
The Cordavire, December 11, 2174, 12:07 (Military Time), Sunday, Mess Hall
Ruby had gone into the mess hall... to see her friends and crewmates playing a weird card game, with Blake standing on one leg balancing herself whilst holding cards. And Weiss attempting to recite the periodic table. Haedvin and Verksh seem to be the only ones acting normal. Ruby is confused, but yet intrigued by this encounter.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.
"Playing Duo'Lan... fourth game session in a row..." Haedvin answered with a reluctant tone.
"Okay, but why are Weiss and Blake... doing that?"
"That's how the game is played. Don't ask because I don't know why the inventor of this game has so many rules."
"That doesn't answer my question..."
"Blake went twice over on her last session so now she has to stand on one leg for the rest of the game. And Weiss has to recite the periodic table because she ran out of cards in her hand."
"What?"
"Trust me, it doesn't make any sense..."
"So why are you playing it?"
"To pass the time, really."
"So... can I join?"
"NO!" Blake yelled.
"Aww... why not?" Ruby asked.
"This game is already nonsensical with three players; we don't need more!"
"Number 26, Fe, Iron." Weiss recited.
"Not to mention, we're already in the middle of a session." Haedvin commented.
"You can wait." Verkash stated.
"It's okay... I'll play another time... when my head is in a better spot." Ruby stated.
"That's likely for the best, we've only gone through around a tenth of the total rules."
"You're kidding." Blake retorted.
"He's not." Haedvin commented.
"I'll just grab something to eat..." Ruby said, heading to the fridge.
"The one on the left is Levo." Haedvin reminded.
"Thanks!"
Ruby had grabbed some bread from the bridge, and a glass of milk. She then got a frying pan and started to grill the bread into toast. After a while, she had taken the toast from the pan and cleaned it. She then went and ate her toast and drank her milk. It's not much, but a girl's gotta eat.
Not much is gonna happen for like a week... so may as well just relax until the week ends. May be good for her mind, too.
Author's Footnote: It's a Short and silly chapter, sorry for the filler but I just wanted to write this. I also figured Mass Effect was missing a card game, so I gave it this. One with a ludicrous amount of rules that even I think it's ridiculous. If you don't like this chapter, well, I apologize. See you next chapter, which will be higher quality than this one.