The weeks after moving in were a mix of mild monotony with a sprinkle of fun. Sure, Ruby still had to deal with all the gross adult things in her life like paying bills or cleaning up around the house, but that was evened out by the fact that she didn't have to do it alone. After all, she had Jaune to help her, and boy did he help.

It felt like every time she was unsure about something, he managed to show up and help her through the process. She wasn't exactly good at helping maintain the house, but Jaune? From what she could see, he was pretty experienced in the matter. Something about a slave-driving mother.

But she never paid that any mind, simply going about her days as she did before. Cooking, cleaning, and a lot of lounging around, doing a whole lot of nothing. It was great at first, but after the first few weeks, the novelty wore off pretty fast. So, she started to make some… impulsive decisions. And when Jaune always asked where she went, she came up with some kind of excuse. The bakery, a rental store, picking up ammo, things of that nature.

And before she even noticed, she managed to burn a nice little hole into her bank account.

As she laid on her couch in the living room, Ruby couldn't stop herself from whining, running a hand down her face. "It's okay, we're fine. We still have enough for next month's bills, but…" She was running out of Lien, and fast. "Aw, but I don't wanna go back to work so soon!" Her feet kicked against the cushions.

The sound of footsteps against the laminate floor filled her ears, turning over to look at her roommate. Jaune wore a teasing grin, his brows reaching for his hairline. "I told you that you shouldn't be spending so much, and what did you tell me?"

Ruby deadpanned, staring at him through lidded eyes. "That you should mind your own business?"

"No," his grin widened. "'It's not like I'm spending that much anyway.' And lo and behold, you're broke now." His blue eyes shimmering with mirth as he leaned over the edge of the couch. "You know, I just- I love being right so much."

Reaching out from under her, Ruby pulled one of the couch cushions out before hitting Jaune in his stupid, smug face. "You also said that it was my money and that I could do whatever I wanted with it." She shot him a glare. "Whatever happened to that?"

Pulling away the cushion, Jaune laughed, setting it back on the couch. "Hey, it's your own fault for not being responsible with your money, not mine." He said, tapping her legs. "And scooch over, will you?"

Ruby grumbled as she pulled her legs back, curling into a ball as Jaune jumped over the back of the couch, comfortably finding his seat. Only then did Ruby set her legs atop his lap. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to go look for some work now, huh?" Curling a brow as she sighed.

Jaune hummed, leaning his head against the couch. "It certainly wouldn't hurt." He crossed his arms as he stared up at the roof. "How about you and I look for something a little local? I know you said Patch wiped out most of the Grimm, but there's bound to be something, right?"

Ruby couldn't help but notice a very specific word that her roommate used. "Uh, we?" Her brow curling higher. "Whatever happened to soft retirement?"

Jaune only returned a curled brow of his own. "Weren't you the one that told me that it's stupid to solo hunt?" He shot back, tilting his head. "Or is Miss Rose too cool for her own rules?"

He felt a leg kick at his thigh. "Hey, I'm not saying that I wouldn't like the help. I just never figured that you'd come help me." Jaune's brows knit together as he stared back at Ruby, watching as she turned her head away, quietly pouting to herself.

"Why wouldn't I?" He turned to face her. "I mean, we both live together, so it'd be pretty bad if you couldn't afford to help cover some bills." There was that, sure, but there was something that was better left unsaid.

That, and I don't want any more of my friends to… He thought, his eyes casting down to the floor for a moment.

After a moment, Ruby sighed, sitting up from her spot on the couch as she rubbed her eyes. "Okay, I guess we can go and check out the local bounty board at the Mayor's office." Jostling his shoulder as she shot him a smile. "Hey, maybe there'll be a mission for us to save some damsels in distress?"

Jaune laughed, pushing her legs off of his lap. "Oh please, I can hardly deal with the one damsel as it is." Being sure to keep eye-contact with Ruby. "The last time I left her out of sight, she nearly burnt the kitchen down."

Pushing herself to her feet, Ruby tried to ignore the burning heat in her cheeks. "Okay, I'm gonna go get dressed for work. You should probably do the same." She said, only to watch as Jaune gestured to himself. He already had his jacket and jeans on, only really missing his boots. "Your armor too, stupid."

Jaune groaned, rolling his eyes as he stood up from the soft couch. "Aw, but I've gotten so used to not wearing it." His shoulders slumping forward as he followed Ruby into their shared room.

What followed was the short process of the pair getting their equipment and getting changed; Jaune getting into his armor, and Ruby getting into her hood and slung pouches. They didn't bother separating into different rooms, mostly because neither of them were comfortable changing without a pair of eyes keeping watch.

Before long, the pair were dressed, armed, and ready to go. But as Jaune followed Ruby out of the bedroom and into the living room, he watched as she stopped at the front door, turning around as she reached into the satchel slung over her shoulder.

"So, listen," Ruby's eyes casted down at the floor. "I wanted to give this to you at some kind of better time, but I never really found the opportunity to. So, uh, I got you something." Ruby said, pulling from her satchel a… gun. "As thanks for moving in with me, I mean."

To call it just a gun - while not wrong - was a little underwhelming to use as a descriptor. It was a handgun of older design, something that looked like it had crawled out of the Great War with a fresh coat of paint and a well sanded wooden pistol grip. It wasn't something that Jaune was unfamiliar with, but that was because everyone back home on the Frontier would talk about it.

Vale's own Great War pistol, the Browning model handgun.

Even still, Jaune blinked at it as he gently took it from her, his eyes flicking between the handgun and Ruby. "You didn't have to do this." He said, his mouth feeling dry as he stared down at the pistol.

"I wanted to." Ruby looked up at him with her big silver eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'm not really good at a lot of things, people being one of them. But you, Jaune? You're good people, so I wanted to make you something to show that." Ruby kicked at the floor beneath her, clasping her hands together. "Something reliable and intuitive, in case you end up needing it."

Jaune's brows shot up as he stared back down at the handgun, not failing to notice his family crest on the slide of the pistol. "I don't know what to say." The words fumbled from his mouth as he blinked at the gift. "Thank you, Ruby."

Ruby beamed at him, her eyes shimmering as she rocked on her heels. "Oh, you think that's good? Just wait until you see the holster I tailored for you." She said, snickering to herself as she pulled out a leather belt and holster from her satchel. "I know you already wear two belts, but you could probably ditch one of them for something actually useful, right?"

Ruby watched as he looked down at his belt, curling a brow. "What do you mean? It keeps my pants from falling. That's pretty useful, right?" Smiling as he tilted his head. "But still, I didn't know you could tailor?"

Ruby let out an awkward laugh as she brought her free hand to the back of her head. "Uh, you know how I told you that I spent all my money on movies and stuff from the bakery?" Her shoulders tensed. "Yeah, I kinda lied about that. I spent most of it buying materials and learning how to sew. I mean, I'm not good at it, but it should work until I can make you something better."

Jaune snorted as he pulled back the slide pistol, checking for a live round. Happy to know that there wasn't, Jaune set it aside before taking the belt from his dark haired roommate.

Ruby watched as he put on the belt, the holster resting just below his right hip. As he finished putting it on, she couldn't help but smile as he tilted the hand-made belt buckle that she made to go with it. It wasn't anything crazy, more just a symbol to prove her craftsmanship. It didn't have to mean anything that it was her symbol next to his or anything.

"So," he held out his arms. "How do I look?" He asked, giving her a wide smile.

Ruby, of course, rolled her eyes. "Like a dork." She shot back, giggling to herself. "But the belt makes you look a little more rugged. Kinda like a mix between a knight and a cowboy."

"What else is new?" Jaune asked, chuckling as he adjusted the holster to fit a little more comfortably. "Alright, well you should probably stop with the gift giving. If this goes any further, I'm afraid I'll have to marry you, if only so that my parents don't hound me about it." He joked, picking the pistol off of the couch before stuffing it into its holster.

It wasn't a surprise to him that it fit like a glove.

As he looked away from the holster, he found that Ruby's face turned to match her namesake, a deep red color flooding her cheeks. "Then I guess I won't be giving you the ammo to go with it." She said, pulling up her hood to hide her face.

If it weren't for the fact that Jaune was obviously joking, Ruby would have turned around and walked out of the door. All the same, she struggled to push away her smile. "You know it'll have to happen someday, right?" Ruby blinked as her eyes shot up to catch Jaune's, who seemed all too casual about his own question. "I mean, it's not like you won't find someone who'll want to marry you. Of course, it won't be easy, considering your sister and old man, but it would probably work out."

Ruby breathed a deep sigh of relief, her heart beating like a drum as heat poured from her ears. "You need to learn to phrase things a little better, Jaune." Her eyes felt heavy as she dug out four slim magazines, along with a small box from her satchel; a box full of 9x19mm ammunition. "While you're busy loading them up, I'm going to go and check the bounty board. See you in 20."

Before Jaune could respond, Ruby sped out the door, leaving rose petals in her wake as the cool wind slashed at her face. As she rushed down the dirt paths that led to Patch proper, the autumn smell of fallen yellow leaves helped slow her beating heart. After the house was well beyond her sight, the rose petals around her scattered as her running steps turned to a slow walk.

Ruby rubbed her face, muffling her scream as she crouched low to the ground. "What's wrong with me?" She asked, whining as she ran her hands against her cheeks. "It's just Jaune, there's nothing to it! So what if we're both grown up and living together? That doesn't mean anything, right? We're just… a couple of besties doing best friend stuff!"

But the fall woods of Patch remained silent, the only sounds she could hear being the crunching leaves beneath her boots.

Ruby groaned, running her hands through her black hair. "And so what if things get a little confusing? I'm allowed to be confused, right?" She threw her arms up as she walked. "I mean, it's not like I'm sitting here, fantasizing about anything. Like, could I really imagine marrying Jaune of all people?"

As if to prove a point, Ruby tried to imagine the scenario. Of her and Jaune out somewhere, doing something before Jaune would take a knee, say something cheesy, and ask her to marry him. And of course, she'd say yes, because why wouldn't she? Then the scenario of her walking down the aisle with her Dad before he'd inevitably hand her off to her fiancé, where'd they take their vows and-

"No!" Ruby yelled, scratching the top of her head in frustration. "Bad brain! Bad! You're supposed to be on my side!" The heat returned to her cheeks as she stopped mid-step, if only to try and recover from the mental damage she sustained.

Shaking her head, Ruby continued running, leaving rose petals to mingle with the orange and yellow leaves that covered the forest floor. She needed to put as much distance between her and the house as possible, for the sake of her headspace. So she ran, leaving long trails of red behind her as she heard her cloak flap loudly behind her.

Soon enough, Patch came into view, a mix of paved dirt paths and asphalt roads lined by power lines were surrounded by old rustic structures. The kind of buildings that were fashioned from the local woods, a mix of ancient oak and elm trees covering the island. It still felt surreal, honestly - the fact that she was actually home again.

Ruby sighed as her long strides shortened, the rose petals behind her dissipating as she strolled. The feeling of Crescent Rose clinging to her back was reassuring, like she'd made sure to leave him with a dear friend. With Crescent Rose, Ruby was never alone, even if she felt like she was some days.

Running her hands down her face, Ruby let herself smile as she marched through her hometown, watching as familiar faces went about their daily routines. She watched as the Maron's pulled their youngest child along, probably taking her to the daycare. Then there was Old Man Pewter walking into the post office, and she was sure he was going in to add more to his stamp collection.

Before Ruby knew it, her meandering through Patch eventually brought her to the Mayor's office. Stepping through the front door, she was met with the earthy smell that she learned to associate with the wood furnishing. The office itself wasn't large, big enough only for the front desk, a few chairs for waiting, and the bounty board.

"Good morning, Ms. Rose." Ruby heard the secretary say from behind her desk, the sound of her fingers loudly clattering against her keyboard filling her ears. "Did you need any more help with the plot you share with Mr. Arc?"

Ruby laughed as she dusted off her clothes, making for the board. "Not this time, Viele." She shot the secretary a smile, watching as her eyes darted up to catch hers. "I thought I'd swing by and look for work today."

The secretary shrugged, turning back to her monitor. "Well, stay safe."

Ruby laughed again, letting her eyes go over the surface of the board. It worked kind of like a big scroll, a large interactive screen that was moderately transparent. On said screen were dozens of small-time contracts; patrols in recently cleared regions, convoy escorts in the Valean frontier, small exterminations, that sort of thing.

But every time that Ruby did the math, she couldn't help noticing the pay not matching the time sunken into it. Escort work took days to weeks at a time, and exterminations meant that she and Jaune would have to leave the island for a few days at minimum. Patrols were easier, given her semblance, but the pay didn't match the effort.

There was even a job that had to do with going out to sea and running security for a ship. But given Jaune's tendencies for motion sickness, Ruby brushed that job offer aside.

The sound of her scroll ringing filled her ears, a groan slipping from her mouth as she snatched her scroll from her pocket. Not bothering to check the contact, Ruby answered, bringing it to her ear. "Hey, just got to the Mayor's office. Yeah, there's nothing good here." Her eyes went over the board again, a frown weighing on her lips. "Tons of escort work, but that'd take us away from home for too long."

A long silence came over the line, only for Ruby to hear the sound of someone letting out a breath. "Ruby," a voice that was obviously not Jaune's came through her scroll. "I'm glad to hear that you're getting back to work, but maybe you should take a breath first?"

Ruby quickly blinked as she stared down at her scroll, only to bring it back to her ear. "Oscar?" Her brows scrunching together before a smile pulled her lips upwards. "That is you, right?"

She heard a snort. "Well, I'm not the other guy, that's for sure." Ruby could almost imagine the smile on his tanned face. "Sorry if I've blindsided you, but if you're looking for work…"

Ruby paused, her smile falling as her tongue poked at the inside of her cheek. Her boot rapidly tapped at the wooden plank floor as she ran a hand through her dark hair. "Just… let me talk to Jaune before I make any decisions. Can't exactly make this one without my partner present." Well, Weiss was her partner, but Jaune was her… partner-partner? Wait, no, that sounded off. "Anyway, uh, how've you been?"

Oscar sighed over the line, a long and deep filling her ears. "Stressed, honestly," the energy sapped from his words as he continued. "It turns out that trying to open a new Combat Academy in Mistral takes a lot of work. Bureaucracy, politicking, finances, it's all so boring!"

Ruby snickered as a smile climbed back up her face. "What are you trying to open another academy in Mistral for?" Her head tilted as she raised a brow. "I thought Haven was active again?"

"Well," Oscar's voice trailed off, filled with hesitation. "Considering what Lionheart was up to for so long, there's been a shortage of Mistrali Huntsmen. So, I figured filling the gap would be good."

Ruby's brow remained high, even as she laughed to herself. "Wow, a self-made Headmaster at just the age of, what… 19?" Ruby felt her chest constrict as she brought her hand to her chest. She had only met Oscar when he was 14. "Aw, now I feel old."

"How do you think I feel?" His words filled with indignation. "I'm sitting on hundreds of years of knowledge over here! And worst of all, I have to fight politicians and pencil-pushers over if I have enough experience to run an academy! Politicians!" His voice crackling over the line from the volume, and Ruby could imagine him tugging at his hair. "These people couldn't spot the difference between a teddy bear and an Ursa Major!"

The sound of a bell chiming behind her made Ruby turn to look over her shoulder, watching as a tall blond man walked through the door. She watched as Jaune raised a hand to wave, but his mouth shut as Ruby pointed to her scroll.

"Sorry to hear that you've got to deal with all that, Oscar." Ruby watched as the smile fell from Jaune's face, his shoulders slumping forward as he dragged a hand down his face. "But what was that about a job you had for me?" She watched as Jaune's shoulders slumped further, snickering to herself.

A heavy silence came over her scroll. "...Is Jaune there?"

"Yeah, he's here." Ruby gestured for the blond to come closer, not failing to catch a sigh leaving his lips. "Do you want me to put you on speaker?"

"Please," Oscar said.

Quickly switching her audio over to the speaker, Ruby caught Jaune standing next to her, nudging him with her elbow. "Hey, Oscar." Jaune said, his voice straining as he plastered a smile onto his face. "That… is you, right?"

"I ask myself that question every morning." The tension from Jaune's shoulders dissipated as his face relaxed, an honest smile taking its place.

"Yeah, that's him." Jaune chuckled to himself. "How have you been, buddy? I haven't heard from you since the party last month?"

A sigh came over the line. "Busy," Oscar's words monotonously droned. "But I do have work for you two, if you're interested."

Curling a brow at Ruby, Jaune watched as she nodded. He couldn't help but sigh as he stared at the ceiling, shrugging his shoulders.

"We're in." Ruby said, smiling as she watched her housemate run his hands up and down his face. "Though Jaune's not happy about it. What's the work?"

A chuckle came over the line. "I'll be sending you a message with the job details over an encrypted line. There you will have the information on the job, the means of transportation, and the last known location of the target." Ruby heard her scroll chime soon after, getting a message from an anonymous number. "If I don't get word back from you in the next 48 hours, I'll be notifying your families."

Jaune's brow rose higher. "I thought the standard operating procedure was 24 hours?"

"I know you both better than that." Oscar's voice carried a much lighter tone. "Stay safe, you hear?"

As the line went dead, Ruby's shoulders slumped forward as she turned to look at Jaune, his expression grim as he stared at the ground. "Well," she forced a smile onto her face. "Let's see what we're working with."

Tapping at the message, Ruby watched as her scroll buffered, opening to reveal a contract that spanned for several pages. At the top was a bolded set of words, several different dates below them to show most recent sightings.

Grendel: Father of all Beowolves.

Jaune's leg restlessly bobbed as he clasped his hands together, the whirring sounds of the bullhead's engines filling his ears as his eyes tightly snapped shut. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. He repeated the process nearly a dozen times now, but no matter how much time passed, he could still never quite master his motion sickness.

"Oh, why does it have to be us?" Jaune thought aloud, his leg bobbing faster as he gasped for every little bit of air he could. "Couldn't have gotten someone from the Old Guard to do this?"

A hand rested at his back, rubbing small semi-circles into him as his leg's bobbing began to slow. "Come on, you know why." Ruby said, her head resting on his shoulder as her brows furrowed, her boot tapping at the metallic surface of the bullhead. "With eyes like mine and a semblance like yours, we stand the best chance together. Besides, everyone else…"

A sigh slipped through Jaune's lips as he cracked his eyes open, resting his cheek atop Ruby's head. "Everyone else is living normal lives." Here he was, saying that he was soft-retired, and now he was going to go and fight an Elder Grimm. "Some soft-retirement, right?"

Ruby snickered, the back of her hand weakly patting at his chestplate. "Considering what the last five years have been, I'd say this has been a pretty good soft-retirement so far." No Grimm hordes knocking on the gates of the kingdoms, no Salem plotting the destruction of the world, no shadow cabal to destabilize society. "This one's way more straightforward than when we were actively working."

"Ain't that the truth," Jaune chuckled, nudging her side with his elbow as he heard her laugh in return. "But man, what I wouldn't give for the Grimm to just disappear for a couple of weeks. Not forever, because we still need to work, but for long enough for us to take a real vacation."

Ruby's smile widened as she leaned deeper into his side, continuing to rub semi-circles into his back. "Where could we even go for vacation anyway?" There weren't a lot of good places left in the first place. Considering that the world was still busy with reconstruction and all.

Atlas was busy filling an old crater, Mistral was busy wiping Grimm from their countryside, and Vacuo… was the same as it had ever been.

Before Jaune could speak, heard a voice come over the headset he was wearing. "E.T.A five minutes and counting." The pilot's voice rang out against Jaune's ears.

Ruby hummed as she stared at the roof of the bullhead. "Somewhere quiet," she adjusted her headset, setting it properly. "Somewhere where we won't have to worry so much. A place for us to relax and unwind." Even the thought of it rolled the stress off of her shoulders.

A smile climbed Jaune's face as he brought a hand to rest atop her head, smiling at her. "That sounds perfect." There wasn't much else to say after that.

Jaune didn't have any doubts that they would both be coming home at the end of the day, but in case they didn't, the other would always have something sweet to hold onto. It was a silent agreement, to dream and never regret having dreamt. Because regret was the most insidious killer of all.

The bullhead soon met the forest floor of Vale's frontier, landing them in what little of a clearing there was. Long shadows were cast by the gargantuan trees that went unattended, and Ruby was sure if she'd cut one down, there'd be more than a few dozen rings in the stump. Stepping off from the bullhead, it quickly took back to the sky. They had the next 48 hours to either kill the Elder Beowolf, or they'd have to walk home.

As she heard the sound of Jaune's sword scraping against the locket of his sheath, Ruby reached for Crescent Rose, jamming its rifle-form's stock into her shoulder. "Okay, you ready?" Her silver eyes flicked up to catch a glimpse of Jaune's.

A smile spread across his face as he deployed his shield. "Not at all," a laugh shortly followed as he shrugged. "But it beats being broke. Besides, if all goes accordingly, we'll be sitting on some fat paychecks."

Rolling her eyes, Ruby heard the engines of the bullhead slowly fading away. "Well, how do you want to do this?" She motioned to the woods ahead with the barrel of her rifle. "You wanna lead, or should I?"

Before she could get an answer, Jaune started walking. Ruby could only sigh as she shook her head.

The following hours were spent silently creeping beneath long shadows, looking for any trace of beowolf tracks. Broken branches, flattened grass, paw prints, scratched bark, all that and more. And eventually, they did get a whiff of their mark, shallow paw prints in the soft soil. They weren't small either, easily larger than Ruby's calf, if she had to guess.

Ruby shouldered her rifle and scanned around them as Jaune took a knee, checking the tracks, the tip of Crocea Mors digging into the soil. "Well, good news and bad news." His voice lacked its usual energy.

"Bad news first, please." Ruby's silver eyes narrowed as she watched the shadows, her finger resting on the frame of Crescent Rose, well above the trigger.

Jaune sighed, standing up as he brushed away the little dirt that clung to his sword. "The tracks are old. Maybe a day or two tops." He shrugged, his sword arm dangling at his side. "The good news is that." Jaune gestured ahead of them, pointing with the tip of his blade.

Ruby's eyes followed until she saw the trail continue, long distances between each print. "That's a pretty long stride." Her shoulders tensed as she stared down at the prints. "Yeah, no splitting up for this one."

"Agreed." Jaune nodded, smiling as he squared his shoulders back. "Well, let's see where the trail leads."

The forest was silent as they continued their hunt, and a dangerous lack of bird calls and general wildlife meant one thing. The Elder Grimm they were hunting was very territorial. Some part of Ruby wasn't surprised by that, given its ancient nature. But still, a little noise wouldn't have hurt.

What little light there was to guide them poured in between the massive branches that covered them, the thin rays beaming between the oaks.

With every passing hour, the tracks grew more and more fresh, taking them deeper into the dark woods. Jaune's shoulders felt tense, his heart loudly pumping against his chest as he kept his eyes forward, scanning for movement. Of all the ways that he thought he would be spending his day, hunting a primordial Grimm was not on his list.

But even so, he kept his shoulders squared away, his grip tight on the grip of his sword.

Ruby wasn't much better, the stock of Crescent Rose deeply pressed into her shoulder as she kept it at low-ready. It's fine, she thought. Just a little more tracking, then I plug a bullet or two in its head and we all go home. The thought repeated countless times in her mind, but she couldn't help but believe it less as they went.

Her eyes trailed over towards Jaune's back, a familiar tightness tugging at her chest. He would be fine, she knew he would. After all, she was going to be there with him every step of the way. Jaune was a seasoned Huntsman of several years, had nothing but combat experience, and traveled with her for that entire duration. And whatever he couldn't cover, Ruby could.

A sigh slipped from her lips, her shoulders slacking as she chuckled. He's going to be fine, the words echoed at the front of her mind. We're going to kill it, cash out, and relax at the house for a few weeks. Just me and him, doing what we do together. The thought took away some of the pressure, replacing it with an intoxicating warmth.

But that warmth dissipated as she watched Jaune come to a halt, his eyes burning a hole in the ground. "What's up?" Ruby took a step forward, stopping at his side. "Trail go cold?"

Jaune shook his head, his brows furrowing deeper as he stared at a fork ahead. "Worse." His voice low as he nodded forward. The trail of tracks and grass spread into two separate paths, the tracks identical in size and strides, equally as fresh as the other. "It's covering its tracks."

Ruby pressed her rifle deeper against her shoulder, grimacing as she stared at the two paths. "That's… annoying." Her voice quiet as her eyes turned up to catch Jaune's. "But that just means that it'll take a little longer to find it, right? I mean, I know we're not paid by the hour, but it should be fine." She forced out a laugh as her shoulders shook, shooting him a lopsided grin.

But Jaune, his brows stayed furrowed, a frown tugging at his lips. "...No," his voice firm as he stared at the tracks. "It's playing this smartly. If our Beowolf is as old as we're told, it's used to Hunters tracking it, and it knows we work in teams. If we take the wrong path, we might end up losing it and never finding it again."

Ruby's hands tightened around Crescent Rose, her smile falling. "And it'll go on and kill again, I know." A sigh leaving her as she stared at her boots. "But what other choice do we have?"

She watched as Jaune turned to face her, his brows curling upwards as a smile tugged at his lips. It was sad not just for him to make it, but for her to see it.

"There's still another option." His tone was heavy, as if a sack of bricks had been dropped on his back without warning. "And you know what I'm going to say, don't you?"

Ruby felt a heat burning in her chest as she stared up at Jaune, a stinging feeling in her eyes as she watched his smile widen. "You promised me!" She took a step forward, converting Crescent Rose to its compact form as she placed it at her back. "You said you wouldn't Solo Hunt!" Why would he put himself in danger like that again? He promised he wouldn't…

She felt a hand rest at her shoulder, jostling her. "I know," his voice cracked as he stared at the ground. "But I need you to have faith in me, like I'm putting my faith in you. Trust me to come back like I trust you to come find me." He said, his blue eyes staring directly into hers.

Jaune watched as the fury faded from Ruby's face, her features falling as she took another step, her forehead resting on his breastplate. "...You better come back." Her voice quietly trailing into his ears. "I am not going to tell your family that you died on me after everything we've been through." He watched as her head turned up to face him, her silver eyes shimmering with unspilled tears.

A smile climbed his face as he laughed, wrapping his sword arm around her as he kept her close. "Don't act like I'm rushing to go and do this." Jaune felt her arms wrap around him in response, tightly pulling him closer. "I'm not exactly proud that I can't keep that promise. But hey, if anything goes wrong, you'll know it. I'll make as much noise as I can."

Ruby giggled in response, smiling as she brought an arm away to wipe her eyes. "You better," her voice nasally as she pulled herself away from the hug. "Stay safe, okay?"

But before she could separate much more, Ruby felt his arm pull her right back in, thin shimmers of white light spreading across her body as a familiar warmth spread across her chest. Curling a brow, Ruby looked up to catch his smile growing wider.

"Figured you could use a little boost." His arm pulled away as he took a step back. "Now get going before we stand around for too much longer. Our mark's probably got a decent head start on us now."

The dark-haired girl felt her mouth go dry, her throat tightening as she forced her eyes to pull away from his figure. Grabbing Crescent Rose from her lower back, Ruby felt it transform in her hand, its previously compact form shifting into the massive scythe that she'd grown so used to holding.

Without a word, Ruby picked a trail and sprinted down it, the world around her turning to a blur as she rushed down the trail, the wind whistling around her. She made sure not to look back, just in case…

Ruby kept her eyes forward, following the tracks as best as she could. No thinking like that! She shook her head. Thoughts like that bring trouble. Just focus. And she did, her hands tightly gripping Crescent Rose as she bolted forward.

With every stride, Ruby could feel her heart beating louder and louder, every paw print more fresh than the last. A part of her felt a little relieved, knowing that she was on the right trail. She had to be, with tracks this fresh! Any minute now, she'd run into the Elder Beowolf - into Grendel - and she'd dice it to ribbons. Then she'd go home with Jaune, watch a movie, and enjoy life.

But with every use of her semblance, every push of her aura, she watched as the tracks grew fewer and further between. That was… that was good, right? It meant that the Beowolf was trying to cover its tracks more! All she had to do was keep pushing!

Then the tracks disappeared.

Ruby came to a stop, her head snapping in every possible direction, looking for any clues or signs of movement. "Come on, something!" Her teeth gritted as she felt a bead of sweat trail down the back of her neck. No scratches on the tree bark, no flattened grass, no broken sticks, no paw prints, nothing!

Then she heard the sound of cracking in the distance, echoing pops and bangs filling her ears. "No," the word fell from her mouth. "No, no, no, no!" Ruby turned around, her feet kicking against the dirt as the world became a blur again.

Her heartbeat banged against her ear drums as she pushed herself further than ever before, the world less of a blur and more akin to streaks of color as she left rose petals in her wake. She was afraid to look down at her hands, because she was sure she was leaving dents in the handles of Crescent Rose. But that didn't matter.

All that mattered was finding Jaune's trail. So she retraced her steps, stopping at the fork in the trail before dashing down it, the sound of pops, bangs, and clashing steel filled her ears as she got closer and closer. The sound of howling followed, Ruby's breathing growing more labored with every stride.

Then the sounds stopped.

All that Ruby could hear was the sound of her heart beating against her chest, her breathing growing shallower and quicker as she rushed forward. He can't be, she thought. He shouldn't be!

Following the prints, Ruby was led to a clearing, her breath hitching as she stared ahead. A massive Beowolf, easily the size of a Beringel, towering over a figure in battered white and gold armor, casting a shadow over his prone form. She watched as its long tongue lips at its lips, a low growl leaving its maw.

Without a second though, Ruby rushed forward, her eyes burning with every stride, feeling the wind cut against her face. "Jaune!" Her voice hoarse as she watched the red eyes of her mark flick towards her.

And then the world went white.

Ruby's vision blurred as she rushed to Jaune's side, watching as the Beowolf's form went stiff and gray, turned to stone. All but tossing Crescent Rose aside, Ruby knelt next to him, shaking his shoulders as she watched his head shake. His eyes weren't open, his breathing was shallow, and his armor ruined with holes and tears.

"Jaune, come on, you gotta wake up!" She could feel tears pooling in her eyes, her mouth shaking as continued to jostle his shoulders. "Don't you do this to me! Not now!"

Ruby went about the process of undoing the straps of his armor, tossing it aside as she tore at his jacket. Undoing the zipper, she found herself staring at his undershirt, stained only by wet spots, not a speck of blood to be seen. A sigh left her lips, but she shook her head, turning her head to watch his chest rise and fell.

And his chest rose and fell evenly.

She felt the tension in her shoulders come undone, the knot of stress in her chest all but snapping as she placed her head against his chest. Ruby could feel wet streaks fall down her cheeks, but she only sunk deeper against the ground, the steady and rhythmic sound of Jaune's heart beating against her ear.

"Oh man," Ruby let out a breath. "What would I have done without you?"

Then she paused, her brows furrowing as she stared up at Jaune's unconscious face. "What would I do without you?" She could hardly imagine a world without him in it. Her home would be quiet, she'd have to do all the cooking on her own, she'd never hear his voice again, or even see him smile. She'd be alone again.

Her heart ached at the thought.

Because whenever she was around him, it felt easier to smile. Laughing came easy, as did relaxing, breathing, and sleeping. He made her feel safe at home, not just because he was a Huntsman, but because he'd simply always been there.

Ruby sighed, running a hand down her face as she stared up at the blue sky. "...Is this what Mom felt about Dad?" Another thought came to mind, her hand reaching into her pocket to pull out her scroll. "I should probably check in with the pilot."

She had a long wait ahead of her.

Alright, gonna cover my bases early. Yes, Jaune literally has a 1911 lookalike, so I'm sure someone's going to bitch, "Oh, but muh .45 ACP!" No, motherfucker, this is a Hi-Power!

God I want a Hi-Power so bad.

Anyway, Hi! It's been a while since I've posted, and that's because of a lot of factors. Life threw me one helluva curve ball, and it took me the last month to recover. Because on the 7th of August, my mother passed away. Bearing in mind the fact that I'm still pretty young, and by extension so was my Mom, it naturally put a pretty big block on the brain. I won't get into much more about it because I don't want to waste anyone's time, but Mom was my best friend. I think I can safely say that, because she encouraged me to write as much as I do, and she even wanted me to get published. Now I have to, you know?

Anyway, that's pretty much this chapter. Gonna be a while before I get the next chapter out, mostly because I'm back to focusing on original projects and manuscripts. But writing fanfiction is definitely something relaxing. Takes so much less thinking, I'll admit.

Ciao, y buenas noches.

discord: /7ksPCNs3ZM