Chapter 12 – Ruby's Revelation
"I spy with my little eye…something yellow…and grainy…"
"Тишина."
"Good!" Ruby said, assuming Tyrian had said sand. There was nothing else around them for miles that he could guess otherwise, so it probably was. "Now it's your turn."
"Ако продолжиш да ми го одвлекуваш вниманието, ќе го урнам авионот."
"Is it sand?" Ruby asked.
"бр."
"Boom, nuthin' but net," Ruby cried victoriously.
She and Tyrian had been spending the hours together in silence when the boredom had gotten to her. Disapprove though she may of the way he manufactured a grisly scene in Ovais, she needed to keep up her rapport with the other minions if this was going to work. Plus, she was about to pass out from lack of mental stimulation if she didn't do something. Having hours to spend in silence did wonders for working through the visceral disgust of what had happened last night.
Salem's next mission was an easier one – and Ruby meant it this time. She was given clear instructions of what her goal was, and the steps necessary to get there. Apparently, Salem had some sort of business arrangement with the White Fang (terrorists and magical anarchists working together – the math tracked), and the Vale branch needed more recruits. Thus, when a rally happened in Vale, Ruby was supposed to pretend to be a racist human and rile them up. She was to go in, shout a few slurs, and tell them to go back to Menagerie; you know the drill. Tyrian was going to be among the attending Faunus, and he would play off of her bit to inflame the other Faunus even more. The more the Faunus attending believed that they were hated by humans, the more likely they were to run into the White Fang's open arms, thus furthering Salem's goals and expanding her armies.
It wasn't pleasant for someone who didn't want to be rude to innocent Faunus, but the bar had been set by her first mission, and it was going to be pretty difficult for anything to reach that high up for a while. As long as no one lost their life, Ruby would call it a win in her book.
They were on track to get to Vale before the rally, which took place tomorrow, but the unpleasant reality of having to fly between the kingdoms for missions was that she had a lot of downtime in airships. Her scroll had gone down to 25% battery after playing games on it for the first leg of the flight, at which point she'd decided to stow it just in case she needed it for something important. Salem's preferred method of communication was Seer, but Cinder was supposed to meet them in Vale after the rally, and Ruby didn't expect her to have a spherical ball of Grimm in her back pocket. Until then, she would have to entertain herself with the staple that oh so many kids on long airship rides before her had used to fill the time and occupy their minds with.
Ruby peeked out the window of the airship into the broad blue expanse of the sky. "I spy with my little eye, something that's white and fluffy and kind of cloudy…"
"Дали е опиум?"
"That's right – it's a cloud!"
She hadn't expected to be home this quickly. It hadn't even been a full month since the term had started at Beacon, meaning that Ruby was back in the city before Yang had even taken her first midterm. The sight of the academy that held her sister was a beckoning one…a beaconing one, but Ruby resisted the urge to run for the hills that held it.
Even if I did make it before Tyrian intercepted me, it's not like there would be anyone there to welcome me. Miss Goodwitch would be upset that I bailed on my mission when things have been progressing so well, and without her, I can't clear my name and make things better. I'm going to have to accept being on the run until I'm the Spring Maiden.
O-Or I bring her home, because, like, the goal isn't to kill her. It's to find her and bring her with me and only kill her if absolutely necessary.
At Salem's advice, Ruby had washed the dye out of her hair to avoid the distinctive feature that the police would be looking for. She was still on the Top 10 list of criminals for murdering Ozpin and Qrow, even though neither of those were really murders, just as Goodwitch had described. As a high-profile huntress herself, Miss Goodwitch might've been able to run interference and keep Ruby's name off of the police radar, but that kind of negative attention was what she wanted. The more notorious she was, the more accepting Salem's lot would be.
The rally would happen at night, and it was around noon when they landed in the same smoky industrial districts where Ruby had left. Tyrian was out in the city locating the location of the demonstration (apparently, only Faunus were able to find the secret hidden messages that advertised the place), so Ruby had a full day to herself to skulk around Vale. Salem had instructed her to avoid any places that might recognize her or ask for ID, meaning that mainstream ammunition shops and local libraries were out of the question.
Still, Crescent was nearly running on empty (Ruby had run out while doing more practice of her forms in Vacuo while Tyrian had been debriefed by the Seer), so Ruby needed to come by some replacement Dust. With the big, name-brand shops out of the question, that limited her options a lot. It wasn't hard to locate one of the city's many grimy shops that sold 'under the table' Dust, but Ruby didn't trust the quality of any possibly counterfeit goods.
Hmmmm…I know shoplifting is wrong, but I'm already technically a criminal, so it's not like stealing some would make me any worse. Ethically it's no good, but I've done worse things to blend in, and the guys back home all expect me to be some anarchist who wants to bring down the academies. I need the Dust, and if I can show Salem that I'm willing to ignore the laws when it suits me, it would actually probably be better.
But I'm not a professional thief, though. If I tried to steal, I run the risk of getting caught. The city's supposed to be on high alert due to the Dust shortage, so the police will be all looking…
Wait a sec – I'm such an idiot. I'm on the same side as the world's worst Dust thief. I can just go to Cinder and have Torchwick steal some extra Dust for me.
Ruby didn't like Roman Torchwick, per se, but she did respect the way he did his thing. The epic multi-purpose weapon, the flawless style, the practiced one-liners that rolled off his tongue – if he weren't evil, he might've been a really great huntsman. She'd thought very lowly of him when they'd fought, but in hindsight, he was far from the worst evil that stalked Remnant. He didn't even make the Top Five.
Ruby remembered where Cinder's apartment was from the last time she'd visited, and she knew her way around Vale's streets like the back of her hand. It took longer than usual to move around, mainly because Ruby had to constantly look over her shoulder and ensure that she wasn't being tailed by any undercover police officers or something, but she was a fairly normal looking kid when Crescent was stowed and her clothes weren't the flashy dress and corset, so no one paid her any mind.
I wonder how Torchwick goes about his daily life. When he's not actively committing crimes, does he go to the laundromat while flaunting his weaponized cane and wearing the mascara and bowling ball hat? Would he shop at a grocery store in the same city where he's the most wanted man? Maybe I should ask him for some tips on low profile stuff.
The apartment was right where Ruby had last seen it. She supposed that made sense; unless it had randomly sprouted legs and walked off of its own volition, it was unlikely that it would be somewhere else. Ruby giggled at the silly thought of it as she knocked.
It'll be good to see Emerald again. I liked her. Mercury, not as much, but you take the good with the bad.
Oh, and my girlfriend too, I guess.
The door opened…but Ruby hadn't laid a finger on it.
Ruby and Roman Torchwick stared at one another.
"Y-Y-You?" stammered Ruby. "Why are you here?"
A cane nearly broke her kneecaps in response. Ruby just barely managed to step out of the range of the dangerous blow when Roman followed up with a prod to the stomach.
"Woah, stop! I'm on your side now, remember? I was kicked out of Beacon and now I'm with Cinder!"
"How do you know about Cinder?" Roman screeched, drawing back for another attack. He faltered for a second, giving Ruby a chance to shove him into the apartment and close the door behind her. The great outdoors was too public for them to be bandying names of important people like that.
"I work for Cinder! You smuggled me out of Vale!"
"I…oh, yeah, guess I did." He rose to his feet. "What the hell're you doin' in my place?"
"Your place? This belongs to Cinder."
Torchwick snorted. "Not really. She just showed up one day, said what mine was hers, and took the keys. I couldn't steal them back, so I had no choice but to find other accommodations."
"Where is she?" asked Ruby.
Torchwick raised an eyebrow. "You…don't know?"
"I came here to find her. Well, I actually was looking for you, but…"
Torchwick grinned evilly, and Ruby's defenses rose. He wasn't smiling at Ruby, but grinning at her like he knew something she didn't. Crescent was out and readied before either of them could blink.
"Now, now, Red, there's no need for that kinda thing. I don't have many houseplants, so you can stow the gardening tool." Roman tapped his cane against the ground. "And, I hate to be the one to tell you, but Cinder's up in Beacon now, and that where she's going to be stayin' for the immediate foreseeable future."
He gestured to a window that had a tiny sliver of a view of the school off in the distance.
"So far away. Too far to protect you."
He lifted up his cane to take a shot at her, but Ruby dashed forward using her semblance to get too close for him to aim. They were indoors in a tightly enclosed space, meaning that unless he could guarantee a direct hit on Ruby, it was too risky to fire off explosive rounds. Of course, Ruby herself was equally limited – most neighbors tended to call the police when high velocity sniper rounds started coming from next door.
Roman was probably the more skilled of the two individually, and he also had the home-field advantage. As Ruby tried to block the blows that he rained down on her form his cane, she found that the close walls of the structure were getting in the way.
"I always did call it an oversized rake," bantered Torchwick as he swept Ruby off her feet and landed a solid kick to her stomach. "Usually it's the second part that's the kicker, but the first can be just as bad."
He…He insulted my…!
"Eat a dick!" screamed Ruby, slashing down.
Torchwick paused at bladelock, as did Ruby. Her face began to redden as the full realization of her exclamation came to her.
Oh my goodness, I…I would never curse or use bad words!
Except she could, and she had before. To make an impression on Mercury and Emerald, when she got truly angry at Salem, if her buttons got pushed by Roman – Ruby knew the language; it had just been the social barriers of polite society that prevented her from giving in to her impulses. With them gone, she was free to curse however she wanted.
In fact, she was free to do a lot of things. Ruby's silver eyes widened as a smile broke out on her face.
Torchwick's cane pressed down on her stomach, pinning her to the floor.
"Dick," Ruby said. "Ass. Ass! Asshole!"
"What the hell's wrong with her?" Roman muttered as he struck Ruby's torso, the blow absorbing into her aura. She'd stretched it thin, like Cinder had showed her, and while it hurt a bit more, she barely took any damage and used but half the normal percentage of aura blocking would've done.
"Heheheh, what the hell's wrong with her?" Ruby parroted, unable to control her snickering. "What the hell's wrong with her? What the fuck's wrong with her? Haaah!"
Torchwick looked mighty concerned about Ruby's sudden bout of potty mouth, but the veteran lawbreaker didn't let up his guard.
"You're crazy," he spat.
"M'not crazy," she countered. "I just needed to make sure you took your eyes off the door for long enough."
Just like that, his eyes shot to the front door, fearful. There was nothing there, but it gave Ruby the one second of distraction she needed.
Ruby swirled out from under his cane when he lifted it for another blow while looking away, speeding out in a torrent of rose petals and crouching in front of him. Raising Crescent Rose, she cut through the walls with reckless abandon as she performed the maneuver Cinder had taught her.
One hit to disarm him…
Melodic Cudgel flew out of Roman's grip from the mighty blow.
"Shit!" Ruby cackled as she spun around in a circle to get into position for the second strike, knocking over a vase that must've been priceless or something onto the floor in her frenzied twirl.
One hit to break his aura…
Ruby smashed right through shelving to deliver the blow that shattered the orange light around Torchwick. The old Ruby didn't make a mess, but who cared right now if she did? The police? The teachers? She was fighting a bad guy, and on top of that, she herself was a bad guy, so there was no more reason to apply social conventions like respecting other's property.
One more to ki–
STOP!
Ruby's muscle memory had already made her swing the scythe. After having performed the three-strike action so many times on loop, the repetitive motion had burned itself into her brain, and it was too late to stop herself. She managed to fire off her last sniper shot to pull her weapon out of the way, though, tearing into the soft flesh of his arm with the easy of a cleaver through fish instead of opening a wide hole in his heart.
"Gah!" screamed Torchwick, instinctively gripping his injured arm with the other. "You insane bitch! You've fucking lost it!"
Ruby pulled Crescent out of his new hole and dropped it to the ground with a clamorous sound. Her arms spread wide as she twirled around in circles. "No, I haven't. They took it."
Ever the crooked bastard, Roman had a trick up his sleeve. Literally. The thief pulled a pocket-sized gun out of his coat and pointed it directly at Ruby, firing off a quick shot. Her aura took the hit, but the distraction was enough time for Roman to dive over his couch and reclaim the cane Ruby had hit away. Unarmed as she was, it would seem he had the advantage on her.
Ruby snorted. It would seem.
It would've been a trivial task to pick up Crescent, but Ruby was having fun right now. For the first time in her life, she could push the boundaries of what mischief she was allowed to get up to, and there was no wall or barrier or stern adult on the other side to stop her. Drunk on her new potential, she decided to do things the amusing way.
She was on him in less than a second with her semblance, shoving her hand into his face and covering his mouth.
"Heya, Grubbie. How about you come on out and greet Mr. Torchbitch?"
The Scarab that Salem had put into her arm exited from Ruby's palm, entering into Roman's mouth. The wide-eyed thief couldn't see the Grimm, but she was sure he could feel it crawling up against his tongue and fluffing it like a pillow.
"Now, Torchwick. It would seem to me that you and I have, eh, miscommunicated. That's a good word for it. You see, there're two things you seem to have gotten wrong. For one thing, I don't need anyone's protection. I've seen a lot of things since we last met, and you don't scare me anymore. And part two, Cinder's no longer calling the shots in our little organization. I'm her boss now."
The last part wasn't strictly true – Ruby was just a vessel for Salem's revenge, and while she was technically more valuable in the Grimm Queen's eyes, Ruby would probably defer to Cinder's expertise when the time came – but it was worth it for the look on Roman's face. His face flushed with terror, likely recalling the muted way Cinder had escorted Ruby from the Grimmlands to Vale when last they'd all met. It had been fear of Salem that motivated her, but Cinder now was Ruby's…Ruby's…Ruby's bottom bitch, ohhhh that felt so good to think, so she supposed it didn't really make a difference.
She drank it in, pleased that the man who'd once been her great nemesis was now just a…a…a nobody compared to her.
"Woo, I really need to cool down," Ruby said, breathing heavily. She wiped her brow and shivered. "What did I even…oh, right, Dust. You're gonna steal me some. A lot, actually. A-And all fresh."
"KKKKKHhhhhyyy."
She figured that was a yes. His eyes said he dared not risk a no.
A small part of Ruby told her that it wasn't enough. She had the renowned Roman Torchwick here, at her mercy. Surely there was something more that she could get from him than plain old Dust?
"Oh, and my space, the one that Cinder gave me here, is mine again. That means you don't get to come in at all, and I can do whatever I want in there. It's my space, and it's mine."
He nodded profusely as the Scarab kicked up its Grimm feet and used his uvula as a beanbag to rest 'em on. Her hand was still covering her mouth, and if she willed it, her Scarab could wreak all sorts of havoc on his digestive system. She wouldn't give the order, but she could. Ruby may have been feeling a little liberated with her newfound realizations, but she had no intention of hurting anyone.
"And…And you're going to help me," she said at last. "On my upcoming mission in Vale. You're Cinder's underling, but now you're also mine."
Coming Soon – Ruby's Life Lesson
And now, some tips from Ruby:
Ruby's Tip #286 – You ever see a really nice candy bar in a vending machine, but don't have exact change for it? Shatter the window, grab a shard of glass, and use it to cut your money in half (or whatever fraction you need).
Ruby's Tip #770 – It's not the size of the dick between your legs that matters. It's the size of the dick in your heart that matters.
Ruby's Tip #70 – If your scroll gets wet, put it in a sealed back with rice. The moisture will absorb into the rice, and you can cook it, thus preventing the water from going to waste.
Author's Notes
Ruby's getting awfully edgy…don't worry, it won't last all that long. She's just letting out some steam after being forced to hold in her disgust from the events of last chapter. As for the swearing, it's just her thing now. She's gone full evil, and only evil people are allowed to use language like 'darn' or 'crap.'
Ruby's moving up in the world, though. She now has 2 underlings, and if you count her grand-underlings with Emerald and Mercury and Neo, that's 5 total. Ah, they grow up so fast.
Happy rats, and don't do crime!
