Ruby awoke the next day feeling refreshed. She crawled out of bed and went to locate her clothes, but found that instead of them being where she left them, they were neatly folded on the dresser opposite the bed. Ruby inspected them and found that they were cleaned up, like they had been freshly laundered. She chalked it up to more magic strangeness.

After taking a short shower (The shower was also magic, the water appeared out of the ceiling like the whole thing was a shower head), she dressed herself and left her hotel room, intent on going to the information center to find out just what she was expected to do here.

Instead, as Ruby walked out into the foyer of the building, she was surprised to see the massive figure of what looked like some kind of paladin or knight standing in a parade rest nearby the door. Ruby glanced at the receptionist who gave a polite hello, not acknowledging the massive form of the armored man standing in the room.

"Ruby Rose, I am Heimbrinn, the Paladin of Yang. I offer to you my condolences, for I come bearing some of the worst news one can receive."

Ruby was startled by the rumbling voice coming from the Paladin, the large relic gold platemail and massive golden shield shifted as he took a step forwards, leaving behind a faint trail of blue mist. Heimbrinn walked across the room, his towering figure leaving him to stand a good two and a half feet over Ruby, he then came to a kneel directly in front of her.

"Young Miss Rose, it is my immense displeasure to inform you that the timeline you hail from is no more. The brother gods were called, and a negative judgment was received. Your world, anyone you knew, the very existence of that timeline has been erased. I am sorry, truly."

Ruby cupped her hands over her mouth and gasped, tears formed at the corners of her eyes, out of the corner of her eye she saw the receptionist give her a curious look, followed by a wide eyed stare, and shortly after, a pitying look. Ruby took a moment to realize what this meant, everyone she knew from before… even the ones who had survived, now they too were gone.

Ruby stuttered, "B-but if m-my t-timeline is gone… wh-why am I still…" She gestured to herself

Heimbrinn grumbled softly, "Your world and this one are not the same. Though from where you hail is no more, where you are is a new beginning… You were not erased from your world at the hand of the brothers because at the time of its erasure you were no longer there. You were here, asleep in your room down the hall. Your time here in the inbetween will change you, your story is not yet done. I bid the Farewell, Ruby Rose."

Ruby watched as Heimbrinn stood up and looked towards the ceiling. To her surprise blue mist floated off of him and began to shoot upwards, soon after, the entire form of the armor clad paladin was covered with mist trailing up and through the ceiling. Then, after just a few seconds, the mist subsided, and Heimbrinn was gone.

Ruby glanced over to the receptionist once more, who upon meeting eyes with Ruby sharply looked down to avoid eye contact, Ruby spoke, "You saw him right?"

The receptionist grimaced and looked up to meet Ruby's eyes, "For a split second, yes… the spirits normally only show themselves to whomever it concerns at the time, but… For the Paladin of Yang to come directly to you… I… I can't imagine how that feels, usually one would seek the spirits out for one reason or another, passage or guidance… they only come to us to bear news, and normally bad news at that… If… you don't mind me asking… What was it that he had to tell you?"

Ruby gulped, "Uh… i-it's fine… he uh, told me that my timeline is gone… destroyed by the brother gods…"

The woman's eyes widened, "Uh… wow, yeah… I can see how that would warrant him showing up… Usually he only comes to heads of families to say that another kin has crossed over… but to think that your timeline is gone…"

Ruby gave a pain filled smile, "I… I'll make it… I always do…"

Ruby walked out of the hotel and onto the street. Leaning against the wall for a moment, she took a shuddering breath before walking down the street back towards where she remembered the Information center was.

However, strange as it was, as Ruby found herself walking through the strange city she found herself wandering aimlessly instead of making her way to the information center, where she knew she would have to go eventually.

She found the city strange, she still hadn't adjusted to it. It was familiar, and yet just alien enough to make her uneasy. Her eyes flicked around to different buildings as she looked around, with her head turned up she felt like one of the tourists she had seen visiting Vale in the past. It was easy to tell, as they looked around with such curiosity and wonder that one could single them out with a glance. Yet, Ruby couldn't exactly blame herself, given what had happened to her in the last 36 hours.

She was so distracted that she didn't realize she was walking right towards someone. Neither did they, clearly, as they bumped into each other, the man dropping something and exclaiming with a voice that gave Ruby pause, "Oh, sorry!" On instinct, however, she leaned down and went to pick up the thing that the man had dropped, a staff with an emerald green gem at the top. Her hand came into contact with a fair-skinned man's, and that's when she looked up.

Her world could have stopped then and there.

Brown eyes blinked back at her, as wide as hers were, his platinum-blonde hair was still as she remembered it, stopping at the top of his ears and above his eyebrows. Were she someone else, she could have mistaken his hair as being white, but she knew better. His outfit was different, not like what she remembered him wearing, a dark purple coat over a violet dress shirt with white linings and details, dark blue gloves and dark blue pants were rounded off with a pair of black shoes. He looked sharp, and yet she didn't dwell on his appearance.

Instead, she felt tears welling up in her eyes, "L-Lunus? Is that really you?" Her old flame, her first love, the man she had to separate from because he got accepted into Haven early at the same time she was accepted to Beacon. Then, she learned, he died. Taken from her by that bastard Leonardo, "I-I thought- How- You're…You're magic?"

Lunus blinked a few times and looked confused, "Of course I am, I told you before, I'm fucking magic, remember?" In spite of everything, Ruby giggled, and a smile graced his features, features that Ruby could only describe as boyishly handsome. Her face was red, she knew it was, but she couldn't bring herself to care. He added with a hint of confusion, "So… what are you doing here? Last I checked, I said that I'd need to do this alone…"

Ruby realized that, despite the fact he was here, he didn't know the truth, "Well… I'm not… the same Ruby. Your Ruby is still there, but- Well, it's complicated…" Her gaze was overcast with sorrow, "You… I lost you. I lost… everyone." She looked down, "I…I…"

She didn't have time to finish that statement, as she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her against his chest. Ruby's breath hitched and she squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm… I'm sorry. It's… It's just been so hard. I'm alone here…" He rubbed her back, and Ruby wished she could express to him what he was doing to her, being here, hugging her, giving her warmth she hadn't felt in what felt like ages.

Sure, she had shared hugs with her friends, but… It had been so very long since she had seen him and so very long since she had felt him that it was clouding her mind. He squeezed her tightly and spoke softly, "Ruby… It's okay. I don't know what happened, I can't be here very long, just today, but… I can be here for you right now. So… tell me where you want to go, and I'll follow you."

Ruby truthfully didn't want to go anywhere, being wrapped in his arms offered a sense of safety and security, a sense of love and affection. The feeling of home that she had lost, because her home was lost, she had lost. Yet, she knew they couldn't stay there, because it was the middle of the road, and while nobody around them seemed to care, it didn't feel right talking about all of this out in the open, "Can we… go back to my hotel room? We can talk there…"

She looked up at him, and she was so glad she did, because he was smiling at her again. It was a smile that, to her, was as bright as the shattered moon, it lit up the darkness inside of her and brought warmth to her heart. Lunus nodded, "Lead the way, Star… Right now, I've got all the time in the world for you."

That singular nickname could have made her cry right then and there. They had several across their young lives, but that one was a constant. Right up until… until she lost him. When she received that news, it was as if the moon had lost its luster, because hers was gone. She pulled herself together and refrained from breaking down, smiling back at him before regretfully pulling away and turning to lead him back to her hotel room.

On the walk there, Lunus admitted, "I've never seen a place like this before. When I first came here, I expected… Well, I don't know what I expected, but this place is like… a paradise." He chuckled, "I guess this is where I'll end up when I die, I can't say I'd mind that too much…" His voice sounded forlorn, he was likely thinking about something, but Ruby had no idea what. What were things like between him and his Ruby? Were they… a thing? Was the way her heart pounded against her chest like war drums when she looked at him wrong?

Ruby responded after swallowing a lump in her throat, "It's… not so bad." It wasn't, if she was meant to stay there for the rest of eternity then she thought that wouldn't be so bad. At least, it wouldn't be were she not alone. If Lunus, this Lunus, was magic, then that meant that one day he would return there, so maybe she wouldn't be alone forever? Just… a few decades. She wasn't sure if she could even manage that, "I just wish I knew people here…"

Lunus seemed to understand that, his voice was a soft comfort, like a warm blanket, "I'm here." She looked at him, and he grinned, "At least for now. Then, I'm sure you'll meet more people and make new friends." Ruby wasn't so sure about that, she used to be an optimist, always looking to find a silver lining in every storm cloud, yet those storm clouds had flooded her heart and mind. Now, though?

She wanted to believe it because he was the one saying it, because he said it with such confidence and surety that she was certain she could make it. Maybe that was a temporary joy, maybe she'd be dragged down again after the fact, but she felt lighter now, "Thank you…" She smiled, and not long after they arrived back at her hotel, "Here we are…"

It didn't take long for them to get to her room, and once they were there they both sat down on the side of the bed, his staff left leaning against a corner of the room. Ruby took a deep breath and began to explain everything to him, what happened, how she failed, how everyone died, how Salem won… It was difficult, and a few times she started to break down, but when she did he would wrap her in a hug as if on instinct, and urge her to keep going.

When she was finished with everything she could muster, she was leaning on his chest. He had put an arm around her waist, and she would have been content to sit there for the rest of the day, but he had an idea, "I've got some movies on my scroll… wanna watch some?"

Ruby hadn't thought about doing something as simple as watching movies in a long time, so of course she accepted. They moved, sitting on the bed against the wall after kicking their shoes off. Lunus had also removed his coat, leaving it folded on the nightstand as he produced his scroll, "Right, let's see… Ah! This one was our favorite Spruce Willis movie back in the day. Wanna watch?"

Ruby giggled, "Do you have to ask, Lunus?" She was keenly aware of how his arm was still around her waist, keenly aware of how he pulled her against him, and equally aware of how well she fit into his form. She wasn't sure if she wanted to scream at the heavens in frustration for having lost her version of him, or thank them for giving her a chance to see him again. Even if it wasn't… the same him. This one was almost… better. He was far more mature, and she could tell from how he carried himself that he was a man who had seen action, seen pain, and came out on the other side with the strength to carry on.

She could hardly focus on the movie, because he was there. Did he even realize what he was doing to her? Holding her so closely, to the point where she could feel his muscle definition from under the fabric of his shirt. He wasn't as strong physically as her, but she still felt secure, safe… It was a feeling she hadn't had the luxury of feeling in awhile, and so she relished in it. Her silver eyes blinked and looked up at him, when he noticed her, he gave her a warm smile, and she couldn't help but blush as she tried to focus on the movie.

This continued for hours, day became night and yet they hadn't moved an inch, why would they? They were much too comfortable, and Ruby was much too secure. She wanted to fool herself, believe that this would be every day and that this was her eternal reward for fighting so hard, but she knew it was nothing more than a chance encounter that turned into… whatever it had turned into. If she could have had him forever, she would have done so, but she knew that would be selfish, because he had his own Ruby, a Ruby who got lucky and got to have him.

After the fourth movie, Ruby whispered to him, "I'm sorry…" She looked down at the bed, "You're probably visiting for some important reason and I'm here taking up all your time…" As much as she wanted to tell herself that she deserved this, she deserved this little indulgence, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

Lunus chuckled, causing her to blink in surprise as she saw him shake his head, "As if you need to feel guilty about that. Even if I hadn't known who you were, why wouldn't I want to spend time with a beautiful girl?" He said this as if he was saying that the sky was blue, or the moon was shattered, as if it was some empirical fact.

It made Ruby's face match her namesake in color, "I-I don't feel beautiful. Not after everything…" The things she had seen, the things she had done, the failures she had lived with… There was nothing beautiful about her, of that she was certain.

Yet, Lunus protested, "Please, Ruby." He set his scroll down on the nightstand. His free hand reached across and gently stroked her cheek, somehow her burning face felt yet warmer at his touch, "You're everything a man could want and more. Not just your looks, but your personality, you're… everything." Was that true? Would any man look at her and say she was beautiful, and say so with more than hollow praise in mind?

Ruby didn't think so. She was pretty sure that he was one of the few people who said that and meant it, in every sense of the word, "You mean… I'm everything you could want and more?" It was a curious question, a mere test of the waters, she gazed at him with a tinge of hopefulness in her gaze.

Lunus' face turned slightly red as his eyes widened slightly, as if maybe he was remembering this was a different Ruby, "I- W-Well…" The surprise was gone, and his smile brightened, "You're not wrong. Yes… Yes I think that's exactly what I'm saying."

Were it possible for Ruby's face to heat up more, it would have, yet there was no more red than roses, "I never got to…" She tried to find the right word for this, "...Be with you. In my timeline. You died before then, that bastard Leonardo…" She sighed, "When I got the news I almost gave up right then and there… The world just didn't feel the same to me." She chuckled and a rueful smile took hold of her, "...Maybe that's why I failed. In the back of my head, I always held that… sadness."

Lunus shook his head and kissed her forehead, causing the huntress to squeak in surprise, she hadn't been expecting that. He spoke softly, "Hey, hey… It's okay. I'm here right now, I… may not be able to stay forever, but… Right now, I can share this moment with you… As long as you want, and as long as I can. I'm here."

Ruby made a decision right then and there. Yes, he was right there, yes, this moment was theirs to share, theirs to seize. What did she have to lose? Nothing. If she didn't try, then she would regret it, she knew she would. So, she moved and straddled him, "Y-Yeah… You are." Then she leaned forward and locked her lips with his. He was surprised, it took him a moment, but eventually he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her in the process.

Once they separated, he asked, "R-Ruby… What is this? What… what are you thinking?" He didn't sound like he was against it, but there was worry in his voice, "Y-You know I'll have to leave tomorrow…"

It was Ruby's turn to cup his face in her hands, "I know, but… I'm not getting another chance, Lunus. You'll be gone for… decades, if not longer. I… I know I'm not going to have another opportunity for this. I don't know how, but I know. So, please…" She pecked his lips, "For one night, please… be my moon?"

Lunus blinked in surprise before finally a gentle, warm smile took hold of him. He pulled her closer, into a hug. There was no telling what he was thinking, Ruby was worried he was about to tell her no, but then he whispered into her ear, "Whatever you want, Star…"

She shuddered, and the night fell into a blur.

They did… a lot that night. Things Ruby had never gotten to experience, and yet she never once felt unsafe. As bittersweet as it was, she still loved every second of it. They fell asleep next to each other, and she was worried that when she woke he would be gone. Yet, he wasn't. Instead, he was sitting on the bed next to her, fully dressed.

She blinked up at him tiredly, covers concealing her form, "You have to leave now… Don't you?" She knew what the answer was, but to the last a part of her hoped that he would say no, that they could stay together and that she could find her happiness in that way.

Yet, it was not to be. He nodded and his smile betrayed the fact that it was just as bittersweet to him, "Yes, I… I wish I didn't have to, or at least I wish there was… more we could do, but…"

Ruby would save her tears for later, for now she sat up and kissed him on the lips, a gesture he reciprocated. She gently said, "It's okay… You have your own world, your own Ruby… I hope she doesn't get mad at me, or you."

Lunus, in spite of himself, laughed softly, "I don't think so." He stood and walked to the window, looking outside for a moment before turning around and walking back to her. He placed a knee on the bed and lowered himself to her, cupping her face in his hands, "I don't want you to cry, okay?" He smiled gently, "I don't regret one line of this visit, not one moment. So don't cry, and don't feel anxious, you won't be alone forever. One day, I… or a version of me, will come back. Until then, I want you to keep being the Ruby that I have always loved."

In spite of his words, Ruby felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she could tell he had them too, "Just keep forging ahead… Stay strong, stay firm in everything you believe and hold close to your heart. I know you won't make me feel stupid for believing in you. You're Ruby Rose, and you will always be Ruby Rose, the most amazing girl in the universe…"

He kissed her in a gentle and loving embrace before he pulled away. She wanted to ask him to stay, but she knew he couldn't. So instead she watched as he walked around and grabbed his staff, then he looked up at the ceiling, "I… I don't want to say goodbye." He looked at her and smiled, "A friend of mine once said that you should never tell someone you want to see again goodbye. Instead, you should say goodnight. So…" One more time, he walked up to her and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight, Ruby."

Then, he stepped away, and all Ruby could say in return was, "Goodnight, Lunus." Under her breath, she whispered, "I love you… I'll always… I'll always love you."

She waited until the door closed and his footsteps had left earshot before she finally allowed herself to cry.

Ruby sat alone in the hotel room until just about mid-day, when she finally crawled out of her bed and into the shower, washing away the sweat and grime from the night prior. After exiting the shower and getting dressed, once again finding that her clothes had magically unsoiled themselves, she walked out into the hallway, where she spotted the ID booth.

Ruby looked down at her band and remembered that the ID had shown her timeline number. She grimaced and walked slowly over to the booth, as if it was going to jump out and attack her at any moment.

Once she got to the booth she stepped in apprehensively and sighed, taking off her band and placing it into the lantern, watching as the lantern filled up with a blue flame that was quickly becoming familiar.

Ruby watched the glass of the booth fog up, and the form of her ID take shape. When it all solidified, Ruby let out a strangled sob.

Ruby Rose
House of Rose:
House Status: Head Notified, Uncontacted.
Soul Number: 1,277,711,648L
Timeline: 37/50 (Destroyed)
Residency Status: New Soul
Immigration Status: Knowledge
Time Spent in the Inbetween: 1 day 20hrs 18min
Magic Type: Innate-Light, Silver Eyes
Death Information (Speak aloud to view)

Ruby stared at the word, 'Destroyed' for 3 minutes before looking over the rest of the ID, she saw that her residency status was unchanged, probably because she had no place to call home… just another thing she had on her mind.

The thing that drew her attention next was the text that said 'House of Rose' at the top of the screen. She looked at it curiously, before spotting a tiny tooltip out of the corner of her eye. At the very bottom of the glass were the words 'Speak aloud the word 'Tutorial' to learn more about how to read your ID'

Ruby paused for a second, and then she shrugged and said, "Tutorial please."

The fog in the glass shifted form to a diagram explaining how to read the ID,

Name ← This is your Name

House: House of _ ← This is the house you belong to. Its importance to the spirits is denoted in stars on a scale of 1 to 5, most families are a 2 on the list, 5 is reserved for families that are directly tied to the spirits, typically by containing one, IE the House of Djinn.

House Status: ← This is your relation to your house, typically shown as your relationship to the head, and your relationship as a whole.

Soul Number: ←This is your Soul Number, it is unique to your soul, though not unique if alternate you's are included. There can be at most 50 people with the same soul number in the Inbetween, though in practice, when two timelines are similar enough that an exact duplicate copy of a person would exist, the second version of that individual is sent to the great beyond instead. The number ticks up by one for every magic human born, the letter on the end denotes which world you hail from, Light or Dark.

Timeline:_/50 ←This is your timeline, normally displayed as a number out of 50, though if remnant is no more in that timeline there may be an additional note that says so.

Residency Status: ←This is where you reside, if you have no home, this will display as (Subsidized) and you will be given shelter by the City of your immigration status. If you do have a home, this will display your address.

Immigration Status: ←This is where you have registered with to receive subsidies, and to reside. This can be changed at an immigration office.

Time Spent in the Inbetween: ←This is your time spent in this dimension, starting from when you gained consciousness here for the first time.

Magic Type: ←This is your magic type and and traits. It comes in two parts, first, your magic affinity, displayed as either Innate or Obtained hyphenated with the element or types capable, examples include: Innate-Fire, Obtained-Transformation, Obtained-Seasonal, Innate-True, Innate-Dark, Obtained-Light, and so on. The second half is any traits your magic might appear as, for example: Silver Eyes, Phantom Wings, Blue skin, Black Sclera, Black Eyes.

Death Information ←This contains the information regarding your death. It can be opened at any booth, but is automatically opened at an immigration booth. It is normally closed due to the information contained within being uncomfortable to deal with.

Ruby studied the diagram for a moment, reading it through, though she didn't get very far before becoming confused, "My house has five stars? What… What does that even mean… u-uh… nevermind uh, show me my ID again please!"

The diagram faded away and was once again replaced by her ID. Ruby looked at it for a second before retrieving her resident band and exiting the booth. Ruby looked at her band and thought of the information center, in her mind surely that was the only way to find out what she wanted to know.

With a goal in mind, Ruby followed the wispy blue trail through the streets of the city, making her way to the information center where she was sure she would find answers. Ruby walked for around an hour or so before the trail came to an end at the same small building she had come to the night after last. Steeling herself for whatever was to come, Ruby walked in.

The interior of the building was quaint, it had several booths on the wall that were, from what Ruby could tell, identical to the one at her hotel. There was also a clerk sitting behind a desk doing some paperwork, and a few other people sitting opposite each other in pairs at a few desks scattered around the room. Ruby walked up to the clerk and was greeted with a polite hello, Ruby responded with, "H-hi… I'm uh, I'm new here… Uh I have like, one bajillion questions?"

The clerk smiled warmly and gestured to an open desk, "That's just fine miss, go ahead and take a seat at that desk there and one of my associates will get to you and answer everything they can."

Ruby just looked at the desk quickly before looking back and saying, "Oh.. Uh, okay then."

After taking a seat and waiting a few minutes, a mature looking woman sat down across from Ruby and folded her hands on the desk, "Hello, my name is Mary, I'm an information associate here. I know everything there is to know about the City of Knowledge, and most things there is to know about the inbetween. How may I help you?"

Ruby nervously tapped her fingers against the table and replied, "Uh… Hi.. I'm Ruby Rose, I uh, have some questions about my house?"

The woman-Mary seemed slightly shaken, but she responded quickly, "Uh… Ruby Rose huh, That would be House Rose… um, You… Don't happen to know your timeline do you?"

Ruby gave Mary a curious look but responded slowly, "Uh, yeah, It's uh, thirty seven."

Immediately Ruby saw Mary's face pale, her whole complexion went sheet white in an instant, "U-Uh, o-oh… oh my, u-uh, I sug- I suggest you go to the boardwalk and see Charan… uh, g-give him this-" She handed her a piece of paper from within the desk, "-and a-ask for passage to the City o-of Hope… now i-if you'll excuse me…"

Mary quickly got up and walked away into the back room. Ruby was thoroughly confused, but she looked at the paper the woman had handed to her.

All that was on it was a turquoise blue version of her emblem covered in runic symbols, with a golden Scythe overlaid on top of it.